There was blood dripping from his cuffs, but Guo Honglei was completely unaware. He was repeatedly thinking about how to attack the city, while vigilantly observing his surroundings and eating dry food to fill his stomach.
Fortunately, a colleague nearby caught sight of it and immediately warned him, "Honglei, your hand is bleeding. What's going on? Where is it hurt?"
"Hmm?"
Guo Honglei lowered his head as he was told, took a look, swallowed the frozen dry food, unbuttoned his armor cuff with one hand, and said puzzledly: "Let me see." The armor sleeve was rolled up, revealing a wound on his forearm. It was not long, only an inch, but it was deep enough to tear the skin and flesh, and it was bleeding.
His companions wolfed down their rations and said with concern, "Tsk, he must have been stabbed by an enemy soldier!"
"Look, there's a hole in the armor."
"Apply medicine and bandage it quickly, don't let your arm get frozen!"
Guo Honglei nodded, took out the Jiangjun Golden Wound Medicine, and expertly treated his own wound, bandaging it tightly in a few seconds. He sighed, "It's so cold, it's numb, I didn't even feel any pain. Brothers, be careful, look out for each other, and don't be like me, injured and unaware."
"It's natural. We should look out for each other."
"Oh, this awful weather!" The strong men sat in the snow in groups of three or five, talking worriedly. "It's too cold! If we get caught in a blizzard, not only humans but also horses won't be able to withstand it. How will we fight the enemy then?"
"What can we do? We can do our best and leave the rest to fate."
"We've been running around all day, making feints to the east and attacking in the west. I wonder if the Xinyang Guards have captured Chujie County?"
"The Xinyang Guards can't be that incompetent, right? We've diverted the enemy reinforcements. Can't they take advantage of the chaos and recapture Chujie?"
Guo Honglei remained calm and composed, saying, "If we encounter a strong wind and snowstorm, our movements will be restricted and the enemy will be unable to escape. It all depends on who has the stronger fist."
"Of course it's us!"
"The Beiqi thieves are a motley crowd, consisting of dozens of tribal leaders. It's hard for them to unite, and they are no match for us!"
"After a day of fighting, I wonder where the Beiqie main force has moved to? If we defeat their main force, the remaining bandits will be scattered. I'm sure they'll be defeated without a fight and flee back to the grasslands."
Over a thousand men had been on the move all day, resting for only two quarters of an hour. Guo Honglei stood up, adjusted his saddle, and gave orders, "This place is less than twenty miles from Chujie County. March quickly and reach the city before dark! According to the prior arrangement, the brothers should have already sent the food and fodder there."
"yes!"
"Let's go. It's so cold out here in the wilderness. If we stop, we'll be unbearable."
Guo Honglei took the lead, urging his horse forward and shouting, "Gee!"
More than a thousand brave and battle-hardened cavalrymen closely surrounded the leader.
Before the decisive battle, Guo Honglei followed Pan Kui and others and crossed the river to sneak into Yongzhou many times. He had already figured out the terrain and was familiar with the route. Before dark, he quietly led his men out of Chujie County.
Unexpectedly, before entering the city, they saw a group of enemy soldiers intercepting the grain transport team from afar. The soldiers of Xinyangwei fought desperately to stop them, and a melee broke out between the two sides.
Guo Honglei took a closer look, drew his sword, and spurred his horse, shouting, "This is outrageous! The bandits are robbing our food supplies. Brothers, follow me and kill them without a single soldier left!"
"kill!"
The cavalrymen were enraged, their horses galloping away, and they roared, "Beiqi thieves, prepare to die!"
"You even dare to steal my food supplies. You must be tired of living!"
"Don't let any of the heads that are delivered to your door escape."
A moment later, the cavalry rushed into the battlefield and quickly reversed the situation. Hundreds of enemy soldiers were helpless and were wiped out.
Amidst the cheers, the young leader of the Xinyang Guards rode closer, panting heavily, and clasped his fists, saying, "Brothers, thank goodness you arrived in time!"
Guo Honglei returned the greeting, "Just happened to catch up. Did you capture Chujie County?"
"It was just captured not long ago!"
Even in the dead of winter, the enemy was sweating and filled with fear. "Everyone was busy defending the fortress and eliminating the remaining enemies in the city. The superiors sent us to deliver food and supplies, but they were robbed halfway! What a close call! We almost lost all the food and supplies."
Guo Honglei was relieved when he heard this. "Congratulations everyone, we've successfully recaptured our first strategic location!"
"Hey, you are the vanguards, and we, the Xinyang Guards, are following behind. If we can't capture Chujie, won't we seem too incompetent?" The other leader wiped his sweat and spoke frankly.
Guo Honglei's face, hidden by his armor, smiled, but he didn't respond. Instead, he warned, "Beiqi is short of food and fodder, and it's getting dark. We must get into the city quickly to avoid being besieged by bandits."
"Go! Go, go!" The other party nodded in agreement, looked around fearfully, and shouted, "Brothers, hurry up and get into the city. If we stay in the suburbs, we might run into more bandits."
So, the cavalry of Heqin and Xinyang guards escorted the first batch of food and grass and marched into Chujie County at a rapid speed.
After entering the city, the cavalry battalion was still busy: the horses rested and ate grass, while the soldiers held torches and assisted the Xinyang Guards in digging deep into the ground to search for the remaining enemies. After a busy investigation, they chose a few safe houses to rest for the night.
The enemy soldiers burned, killed and looted. The county government office had been burned down on the day the city was broken, and the houses were also affected: valuables were looted, and the houses were in a mess inside and out, with broken walls, broken tables and chairs, and covered with dust and cobwebs.
On a cold winter night, the soldiers were shivering with cold and their teeth were chattering.
Guo Honglei had no choice but to ask his men to pick up broken tables, chairs and other wood, build a few bonfires, and sit around them to keep warm.
With a crackling sound, the bonfire burned brightly, dispelling the severe cold.
The soldiers sat on the ground, dug out their rations, and roasted them over the fire, finding joy in the midst of hardship. "Wow, this smells so good!"
"Fragrant? You burned the food."
"I baked this just right, you should all learn from me."
As they chatted, they inevitably began to complain: "Hasn't the food arrived? What's wrong with the kitchen? We can't even get porridge."
"Not to mention porridge, there's not even a sip of hot water."
"Humph, those lazy guys can't even boil water. What's the point of them following us?"
…
Guo Honglei was nearby, discussing tomorrow's itinerary with his confidants. He slapped his forehead and gave a few instructions. Several people immediately stood up and rushed to the campfires to explain and comfort them, saying, "I'm also puzzled by the lack of hot food, so I made inquiries. The kitchen staff aren't being lazy; they're busy finding a clean well, setting up a stove, and gathering firewood. Don't worry, brothers! We'll have hot water and hot food tomorrow morning."
After hearing this, the soldiers calmed down and said with a bitter face, "Hurry them up! It's really too cold."
"I don't have time to cook, but at least I can boil some hot water to warm myself up."
"Ah, those leading soldiers are so slow."
Every hero goes into battle to fight and defend their country. But when they leave the battlefield, they're hungry. How can they survive without adequate food and water? Once starving, soldiers are inevitably weakened. How can they have the strength to march and fight? Hence the ancient saying: "Before the troops move, food and fodder must go first."
Guo Honglei nodded and replied seriously, "I've urged you repeatedly. The kitchen will definitely have enough food ready before we leave tomorrow morning!"
The Heqin Cavalry Battalion rested for a night. At noon the next day, before dawn, they put on their armor and lined up to rush to the kitchen.
Sure enough, the people in the kitchen stayed up all night, cooking enough thick porridge, boiling enough water, and making enough multi-grain cakes.
"Brothers, here's the old rules!" The cooks lined up, distributing food briskly, shouting, "Those going to the battle will have plenty of thick porridge, unlimited hot water, and ten large breads each. Those defending the city will also have plenty of thick porridge and unlimited hot water, but no dry rations."
This was a military custom, not unfair, and everyone followed it. After all, the troops going out on the expedition were responsible for exploring and clearing the way, taking the risk of breaking into the enemy camp, which was very tiring.
In a short while, the soldiers had eaten and drunk their fill, loaded their provisions onto their backs, and went to get their horses.
Guo Honglei mounted his horse, turned it around, and galloped towards the city gate. Full of energy, he shouted encouragingly, "Brothers, it's time to recapture Xi County. We'll be the vanguard, and the Xinyang Guards will still be our backup. The sooner we capture it, the sooner we can rest and recuperate!"
The soldiers were well rested and their morale was high. The stomping of their horses' hooves made the bluestone streets of the county town rumble, and their momentum was as strong as a mountain.
The five small leaders of the Cavalry Battalion led their men out of the city gate and soon after, they acted according to the plan and went to encircle Xi County.
In a blink of an eye, the Little New Year has passed.
On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, there were strong winds and heavy snow for several days, and the sky and earth at the border were covered in white.
At midnight, in Heqin County, the common people were curled up in their warm beds and sleeping soundly.
The bedroom was dark. Jiang Yushu was lying on her side, sleeping on the outside of the bed so that it would be easier for her to get out of bed.
Lately, she's been plagued by nightmares, day and night, as soon as she falls asleep. Her nightmares are bizarre, often depicting wars between two nations, flashes of swords and blood, the neighing of horses, and the roaring of people... The endings are usually:
Guo Honglei bravely charged into battle, but unfortunately he was surrounded, wounded by a knife or arrow, and fell unconscious from his horse.
Occasionally, a dream would flash by, and she was still in the east room of Liu Village. Suddenly, she heard two dogs barking outside the window, and a family member exclaimed, "The young master is back! Oh no, he's seriously injured!"
"Where's Doctor Fang? Call him to save me!"
Where is Doctor Fang?
Call a doctor quickly!
It’s urgent, where is the doctor?
Normally, Jiang Yushu would wake up in a hurry, but this time she was woken up by:
Outside the county government office was a wide street. Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves and heavy footsteps could be heard, heading rapidly north.
Jiang Yushu's fingertips trembled, and she suddenly opened her eyes. She was sweating profusely, her face was pale, and she propped up half of her body to listen.
Nanny Pan, who slept on the inside of the bed, was awakened by a start. She yawned and turned around, asking with concern, "What's wrong? Are you having a nightmare again? Or do you need to get up to go to the bathroom?"
"Hush. Listen to the noise on the street! Another reinforcement is coming north."
Nanny Pan suddenly regained consciousness, listened attentively, and said happily, "Great! Another reinforcement has arrived, rushing to help the young master and his men. However, it's already the end of December, and this reinforcement is late. It's not too early."
Jiang Yushu sighed and sat up in the dark. "Military orders are as heavy as a mountain. Delays will result in punishment. The reinforcements, regardless of whether they arrive early or late, are all following orders. I heard that before a battle, food and fodder must be strictly calculated to ensure there is enough. If there is too little, the soldiers will starve. Therefore, it is impossible to send a large number of reinforcements to the front line at once in the frontier areas."
"Alas, three meals a day, eating what the horses feed, is indeed a heavy burden."
Nanny Pan reached out and touched it, frowning, "Oh, you're sweating again! Change your wet clothes quickly, or you'll catch a cold." After saying that, she put on her coat, got up from the end of the bed, blew out the tinder, lit the lamp, and took care of him attentively.
Jiang Yushu changed her clothes as she was told, and when she lay down again, she couldn't stop thinking about all sorts of things. Her heart was in great torment, and she kept her eyes open until dawn.
The next day at noon, Pei Wenfeng came to visit.
Wu Liang and Cai Chun followed, and they carried a box and placed it in the hall.
Jiang Yushu asked in surprise: "Cousin, what is that?"
"This is given to you by your uncle." Pei Wenfeng sat down, took the tea offered by Nanny Pan, and explained in a gentle and polite manner, "I looked at the list, it clearly states that it is for clothes, and there is also a silver note of 1,000 taels. Please keep it, cousin." Cai Chun immediately handed the silver note to Nanny Pan.
Jiang Yushu was stunned. "Banknotes and clothes? I've been writing to my father constantly, but he never mentioned them."
Pei Wenfeng took a sip of tea and exclaimed, "Does it really need to be mentioned specifically? My uncle loves his daughter so much that he traveled thousands of miles and spent three months sending this box to Xicang."
Jiang Yushu was greatly surprised and asked curiously, "Mammy, open it and take a look. Let me see what kind of clothes it is."
Guo Hongzhe was also curious and leaned over to take a look.
"Hahaha, I guess it's probably not for you." Nanny Pan laughed happily. Cai Chun and Wu Liang helped and took some effort to slowly open the box.
Everyone looked carefully: the box was filled with clothes.
All baby clothes.
Embroidered quilts, tiger-head hats, jackets, cotton-padded clothes, pants, socks, tiger-head shoes... From head to toe, inside and out, everything is brand new and made of top-quality materials.
"It's for the child!" Nanny Pan clapped her hands, unsurprised, and said with a smile, "Madam, this is called a labor-inducing gift. It's given to a daughter by her parents before she gives birth. According to the rules, in addition to the child's clothes, there's also food for you. The Jiang family must have considered the long journey and the lack of food, so they only gave clothes."
Jiang Yushu suddenly realized, "So that's it!" She couldn't help but feel warm in her heart, quite moved, and thought to herself:
If we look at Miss Jiang's father from the perspective of our past life, it would make us angry, sad, disappointed, and difficult to forgive.
But if viewed from Gan Chao's perspective, he was not a bad person - when his son-in-law's family fell into trouble, he did not despise them, nor did he stand idly by, but instead helped them with all his might; when his daughter was exiled, he often wrote letters to encourage her, sent banknotes, and gave gifts to urge her to give birth.
The stepmother was so worried about her own daughter's marriage. If it weren't for the father's advocacy, how many people in the world would care about the female prisoners in the military farm?
For a moment, Jiang Yushu was overwhelmed with emotions.
Pei Wenfeng saw this and asked with amusement, "What's wrong? Are you so happy that you're stunned?"
"What a surprise." Jiang Yushu said softly, thoughtfully, "I'm so far away from the capital, and I feel bad for making my father worry about me."
Pei Wenfeng's eyes showed pity, and he comforted her, "You will return one day, and it won't be too late to be filial and serve your uncle then."
After a few casual words, Jiang Yushu couldn't wait and asked nervously, "Cousin, I wonder what the current situation of the war is? Has Yongzhou been recaptured?"
Guo Hongzhe was worried. "I heard the war started in the middle of the twelfth lunar month. The Chinese New Year is almost here, and there's still no result?"
Pei Wenfeng shook his head and stared at his cousin, whose face was filled with worry. "There's no definite news yet, and the county government is also very anxious. If there's good news, I'll let you know."
Jiang Yushu was so anxious that she wanted to fly to the battlefield to find out what was going on. "Alas, the battle has been going on for almost ten days, and there is still no definite news. It's really frustrating."
"Don't worry, we have sufficient reinforcements this time. No matter what the outcome, the enemy won't be able to set foot into Xicang."
No matter what the outcome?
Jiang Yushu found this harsh and blurted out without thinking: "We will definitely win!"
We? You and whom? Your whom? Pei Wenfeng smiled, "Of course. I just hope for a great victory soon, so that the people living on the border can live and work in peace and contentment, instead of living in fear all year round."
"That's right." Guo Hongzhe and Nanny Pan sighed at the same time.
Jiang Yushu was so worried that she was in a state of panic. She couldn't sleep or eat for months and couldn't help but suspect that her cousin was deliberately concealing the bad fact.
So, when Pei Wenfeng said goodbye and walked out of the hall, she got impulsive and stood up and shouted:
"cousin!"
Pei Wenfeng stopped when he heard the voice, turned around and saw her step out of the door, and hurried back, "Slow down, what's wrong?"
Jiang Yushu turned and waved, signaling Nanny Pan and her brother-in-law to wait. Standing under the eaves, she got straight to the point and asked quietly, "From your tone just now, has something major happened? Have we lost?"
"What do you mean?"
Pei Wenfeng was stunned, then sighed as he came to his senses. He said helplessly, "There is no definite news at the moment. The enemy and we have not yet decided the winner. Sister Shu, please wait patiently and stop overthinking."
"real?"
"Why would I lie to you? Do you only believe me if I tell you my heart?" Pei Wenfeng stared at her.
Jiang Yushu breathed a sigh of relief. "Believe it! I believe it! I always believe that Da Gan will win."
"Even if you lose, you don't have to panic or be afraid." Pei Wenfeng came closer and whispered, "I will never allow anyone to bully you while I am here. Sister Shu, I, I..." He was speechless and thought about his words hastily.
Now it was Jiang Yushu's turn to be stunned. When she came to her senses, she realized that they were too close. She subconsciously took a few steps back, speechless, and said awkwardly, "My cousin is busy with official business. I won't disturb you. Go ahead and do your work."
Pei Wenfeng's face changed, and he was silent for a while. Then he asked in a whisper, "What will you do if he doesn't come back?"
Jiang Yushu's expression also changed, and she was filled with displeasure. She frowned and retorted, "Don't curse him! He's very skilled and will definitely come back safely!"
"When the time comes, I will take care of you as long as you are willing." Pei Wenfeng solemnly promised.
Jiang Yushu shook her head firmly, and said each word seriously, "I dare not cause trouble to my cousin. I will take good care of myself and the child. Besides, he will never abandon his wife and children."
"Sister Shu, you——"
"You've changed, so much that you're almost like a stranger."
Pei Wenfeng was deeply disappointed, heartbroken, and perplexed. He asked, "I've always remembered the vows we made. I studied hard for ten years to get a place on the imperial examination. It was for my future, but also to be worthy of the Minister's daughter and to give you a life of glory... Have you forgotten?"
Jiang Yushu felt pity for the infatuated man and secretly couldn't bear it, but she had to harden her heart and answered frankly: "Yes, I have changed. I have gradually forgotten many things in the past."
"Things change, time passes, in this world, black hair turns to white hair, the sea turns to mulberry fields, nothing remains unchanged."
"Cousin, please go away. I'm not worth your sadness." After she finished speaking, she turned around and Nanny Pan quickly came to support her and helped her back to her room.
Pei Wenfeng was in a state of disarray, like a wooden sculpture or clay statue, with no expression on his face.
The next evening. At the foot of the mountain outside Yongzhou City
"Whoa!" Guo Honglei dismounted, made a gesture, and the soldiers followed him and sneaked into a forest to rest.
After many days of fierce fighting and killing enemies along the way, everyone was exhausted, and the number of people was reduced from more than a thousand to more than 800.
Guo Honglei, who had sustained several minor injuries, whispered, "This place is forty miles from Yongzhou City. Following the general's orders, we will rest for the night, recuperate, and attack the city tomorrow morning!"
"The success or failure of this battle will depend on tomorrow."
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