It takes two days to travel from Longtou Pass to Huangshuiguan. Although Zhou Tong and others were on their way when they arrived, they had to take care of Miss Di You's rich body. If they encountered a post station, they would take a break. During this period, they would boil water, make tea, and make fires. I haven't left any food behind, and I don't feel tired at all.
The return journey was a completely different story. The news about the destruction of Longtou Pass has probably been discovered by Kuai Ma. All the inns along the way have been closed and the buildings have been deserted. When Zhou Tong and others were hungry, they could only eat dry food to satisfy their hunger. When they were thirsty, they would scoop some water from the ditch on the roadside to moisten their lips. In addition, the invading Qiang army might already be on the way, so no one dared to stop and rest. It was said that they were exhausted.
Only when the old military doctor said that he wanted to check Yan Yun's injuries, the group stopped for a while, but the military doctor's head shook more and more violently every time, and he sighed and was miserable.
Horse hooves were flying and wheels were sparkling. When Zhou Tong and his party left the mountainous area, it was already dawn the next day.
In the morning breeze, some frightened birds emerged from the mountains and forests in groups, fluttering across the vast wilderness.
At dawn, there were already farmers wearing raincoats, carrying farm tools, and wearing wooden clogs, walking on the winding official road, which was not spacious.
The sudden appearance of this group of people caught their attention, and they stood on the roadside to let the horse group go first.
They noticed that the team of men and horses were very tired, their armors were stained with blood, and they were protecting a donkey cart in the middle.
The driver was an old man, but his driving skills were very unfamiliar and he didn't know how to avoid potholes.
The donkey cart was covered with hay, and there was a man lying on it. This man was quite young, his face was as pale as paper, his lips were bleeding and scabbed, and his disheveled hair was frozen and gray because of the snow. This man was also covered with a thin blanket. The blanket was covered with frost and snow and its original color could no longer be seen. Looking at it like this, it seemed that he was pulling a dead body.
"How many military masters came down from Longtou Pass?" an old farmer asked tremblingly.
Zhou Tong glanced at the other party and nodded.
"May I ask the military master, how is the battle at Longtou Pass?" the old farmer asked again.
Zhou Tong was speechless.
"Don't be surprised, military master. The civilians are not inquiring about the military situation. They heard that Longtouguan was in urgent need of grain and grass a month ago. The civilians also sent grains collected from ten miles and eight villages to Longtouguan along with the pavilion chief."
When the nearby villagers saw the old farmer asking about the war, they all stopped and watched eagerly.
The safety of Longtou Pass is related to their survival, so naturally they are particularly concerned about it.
"Longtou Pass..." When Zhou Tong opened his mouth, his throat was blocked by phlegm. He coughed and then said slumped, "Old man, please hurry up and inform the pavilion chief and ask him to summon all the villagers to flee..."
"Escape?" All the villagers suddenly changed their expressions.
"Longtou Pass City is broken..."
There was silence at the scene, and then the farmers ran to their homes. Some threw away their farm tools, and some ran away with their clogs...
After a while, the originally peaceful village was shrouded in gloom and mist, and the noise of barking dogs was accompanied by the coughing and wheezing of the old man, the sobs of women, and the cries of children...
"Hey..." Zhou Tong sighed.
"Commander Zhou, let's rush to Huangshuiguan as hard as we can. I have no way to save myself. We just need to see if we can find a good doctor in the city." said the old military doctor. He kept walking without sleep, making him more and more haggard.
"Okay, you ride my horse and I'll drive the car!"
It was not until dusk was approaching that Zhou Tong and his party arrived at the Qili Bridge outside Huangshuiguan City.
The turbid Yellow River cuts the ground into gouges. This section of the road is full of mud, making it difficult for vehicles and horses to travel.
Zhou Tong and others headed towards the city gate, but more people were walking out from the city gate, and the roads were crowded with people with children.
After Zhou Tong asked, he learned that at noon today, the Huangshui Gatekeeper would order to block the city gate with huge rocks on the grounds that he was worried about Qiang spies in the city. No one was allowed to enter or exit. Anyone outside the city who dared to approach the city gate would be punished. Shoot.
When Zhou Tong and others finally pushed through the crowd and arrived at the city, they saw people shot dead in the mud. Some people nearby were crying, and more people were yelling and cursing. The crowd was excited.
Before the Qiang people arrived, they killed the people first. No matter who it was, they would be filled with indignation when they saw this scene.
But what can be done?
Longtou Pass had been under attack for three months, and they couldn't wait for help from Huang Shuiguan. They didn't care about the lives of ordinary people.
There is no way to describe this desolation.
"Commander Zhou, what should we do?" the old military doctor asked.
Zhou Tong looked at the terrain outside Huangshuiguan. The Yellow River on the right was impassable. The water was too fast and even boats would be caught in the rapids. The cliffs on the left were towering. As he looked further into the distance, the clouds and mountains were shrouded in endless mist.
"Let's go into the mountain!" Zhou Tongtong said.
"Okay, leave immediately!" The other nine knights agreed unanimously.
Except for military doctors, they are all martial arts practitioners, possessing skills and strong bodies. Even if there are big insects in the mountains and forests, they are not afraid.
If it is too late to take a detour to Hukou Pass, in addition to being delayed for a day or two, the guard may not love the people as much as the guard at Huangshui Pass. In addition, the Qiang people can arrive at any time, which is too dangerous.
In this way, the group of people walked north and finally found a trail into the mountain. By this time, the sky was completely dark.
Zhou Tong and others cut down fir trees and made a simple stretcher, and two people carried Yan Yun. The war horse was too tall to be ridden, so a few people took off their armor and put it on the horse's back, and were led by others. However, donkeys are small and have good endurance, so the military doctor rode them instead, which also saved some energy.
Fortunately, a strong wind blew at night, the clouds and fog cleared, and a bright moon appeared.
Although the mountain road is rugged and difficult, it will be much better if it is guided by the moonlight.
As the saying goes, there is a family deep in the white clouds. After walking like this for an hour or two, dogs barking came from ahead, and a narrow field appeared at the end of the mountain road, where some crops such as potatoes were planted.
After Qianmo, three thatched houses appeared, with earthen walls built outside the houses to resist the invasion of wild beasts at night.
The group of people were really tired and hungry, so they knocked on the door and asked for some water.
It turns out that this is an ordinary mountain family with a population of six. The head of the household is a well-dressed man in his thirties, named Zhao Da. He is a hunter who lives in the mountains. He has two elders, a wife and two children. A child.
Zhou Tong followed the ancient etiquette and went to see the two elders first.
Mountain people have the rules of mountain people. Since they are polite people, they should treat each other with courtesy.
Even though strangers were visiting at night, the family was still very enthusiastic. They were busy boiling water to make tea to quench their thirst, and cooking bacon and stewed yams.
The second elder also made a request to free up a room for guests to stay.
When Zhou Tong and others carried Yan Yun into the house, Zhao Da looked at him twice but said nothing.
I don’t know how long the years are in the mountains. During the chat, Zhou Tongcai discovered that this family was completely self-sufficient and knew nothing about things outside the mountain. They seemed to be living in another world, and according to Zhao Da, there were many families like them in the mountain.
When the meal was cooked and the group finally had a full meal, the military doctor poured hot water from the stove to remove Yan Yun's armor and wipe his body.
At this time, neither Zhou Tong nor the military doctor had any hope for Yan Yun's injury. However, Yan Yun's body was not stiff yet, so he could treat him as a living person.
"Hey, could this person be injured by a bear?" Zhao Da asked in surprise.
Yan Yun was snatched from the Qiang camp by Zhou Tong and others. The military doctor was already quite puzzled by the abnormality of his injuries. Hearing this, he suddenly realized and said, "I wonder what you can teach me, brother?"
Zhao Da said with a smile, "I don't dare. The year before last, I went hunting with a friend. My friend was accidentally injured by a bear, and the wound was about the same."
"Oh..." the military doctor said matter-of-factly, "That is also a poor person..."
Zhao Da was confused and asked: "Why did my father say this?"
The military doctor thought that the people in the mountains were honest after all and could not speak in roundabout ways, so he explained: "Your friend has been dead for two years, right?"
Zhao Da was even more puzzled and replied: "He is alive and well!"
"Are you alive and well?" This sentence was not only asked by the military doctor in shock, but also by Zhou Tong and others who were watching almost simultaneously.
"yes……"
"There is a shortage of doctors and medicines in this mountain. How can you save such a serious injury?" the military doctor asked anxiously, looking excited.
"You all don't know. Half a day's journey from here, there is a mountain called 'Xiao Zhongnan'. There is a Taoist temple at the foot of the mountain. If we, the mountain people, are injured by wild beasts or suffer from stubborn illnesses, we all go there to seek medical treatment." Zhao Da Speaking of this, he showed a mysterious look, "It's just that this Taoist temple has many rules. Treatment or not depends entirely on luck. Sometimes when someone is carried there, a white wooden sign will fly out, which means that they agree to be admitted. If it is Black means that he does not agree to be admitted."
"really?"
"It's true."
"Then..." the military doctor suddenly bowed to Zhao Da with a great courtesy and said seriously, "I have a cruel request. I would also like to ask my brother to lead the way to my home in Xiao Zhongnan... Third Young Master, take a look at what's outside the house. I’ll take the donkey as reward, okay?”
Considering the unfair treatment of the Yan family by the imperial court, the military doctor thought it would be better to hide Yan Yun's actual identity to avoid trouble.
"I'm just leading the way, why should I be paid?" Zhao Da looked at Yan Yun, whose face was ashen, and said with embarrassment, "It's just... your young master has already shown signs of death, so I'm afraid he won't be admitted."
"No matter what, I have to give it a try." The military doctor immediately turned to Zhou Tong and others, "Brothers, the so-called saving people will be saved to the end..."
"Where are you talking? Third general... Third young master's illness, if there is a glimmer of hope, Zhou is bound to do it!" Zhou Tong immediately stood up and kicked his two companions who were already trapped on the ground a few times to wake them up. .
If Zhou Tong hadn't personally experienced the final battle at Longtou Pass, he wouldn't have been able to do his best to help. Even if Di You had told him, he would have just lied and passed away after returning to the royal city.
The Yan family's father and son's heroic spirit and fearless spirit of sacrificing their lives for righteousness deeply infected him and made him understand that only if there are more people like the Yan family's father and son is the hope of Dayu and the welfare of the people.
