The vast grassland stretches as far as the eye can see, with lush grass and water.
Guo Honglei and his personal guards were located at the top of a gentle slope, sometimes looking around vigilantly, sometimes overlooking the battle situation.
"drive!"
Zuo Zhen led a team of personal soldiers and charged into the battlefield with great momentum. He bravely brandished his sword to kill the enemy and shouted with a smile: "Hey, Lao Tong, don't panic, don't be afraid, brothers are here to save you!"
Tong Jing heard it, but he didn't dare to be distracted, let alone turn around. He brandished his sharp sword with great power, forcing the enemy soldiers to retreat. He roared: "Who is panicking? Who is afraid? When have I ever panicked? Humph, I'm not afraid of anything!"
"Hahaha~" Zuo Zhen led his men closer, turned his back to Tong Jing, and said teasingly, "You were chased by the enemy just now. You seemed a little embarrassed when you ran."
"Go! Go! Go!"
Tong Jing was a stubborn and face-conscious person. He felt both embarrassed and excited at having found his missing brothers. His face flushed as he said in frustration, "Being chased by a large number of enemy soldiers in a completely unfamiliar place, you don't run? If you don't run, there's a high probability that your entire army will be wiped out. Retreat is only a temporary solution, do you understand? If you don't understand, stop talking nonsense, humph."
Zuo Zhen also snorted and took the opportunity to make a request: "Anyway, I saved you once, and you have to treat me to a visit to a brothel and ask the courtesan to serve me drinks."
"Okay, okay, please, I'll definitely invite you! When the time comes, I'll treat you to a whole jar of wine and make you drunk to death." Tong Jing looked fierce on the surface, but he was smiling. In the midst of his busy schedule, he found a moment to sarcastically say, "Oh, you want to ask the courtesan to accompany you for drinking, but you have to rely on your brothers to arrange it. Isn't that shameful?"
Zuo Zhen said confidently, "You know I had bad luck in the first half of the year and lost a lot of money, so I had to save money."
"How ridiculous!" Tong Jing laughed angrily, "You're so frugal, you just blackmail me!"
The two sides fought fiercely. Because Guo Honglei and his team secretly set up an ambush, the enemy soldiers were suddenly surrounded and caught off guard, and their formation was in chaos. However, the morale of the Da Gan soldiers was high and they were unstoppable. They fought hard and killed the enemy soldiers, leaving them defeated and finally won a great victory.
In the early summer afternoon, the sun is shining brightly and the weather is hot.
Riverside and shaded areas
The two groups of troops finally met up. After watering the horses, they let them graze and the soldiers hurriedly ate lunch.
"Very good!"
"The general is so kind. He didn't ignore our lives." Zuo Zhen was extremely happy, his eyes burning with excitement. He sighed and slapped his thigh, "Alas, it's really hard to fight alone."
Tong Jing raised his head, "Tsk, how could the general not care about the lives of his men? As soon as he received the news, he sent us to rescue the next day."
Guo Honglei arranged the sentries and strode back. He approached and asked, "General, what are your orders?"
"Keep in touch, act according to circumstances, don't act rashly, and return home as soon as possible."
"I understand." Guo Honglei nodded, picked up his dry food bag, untied it, and placed it in the circle of people, indicating that his companions could take whatever they wanted. "Come, let's eat while we discuss. Let's find a solution quickly! We can't stay here for long. We may be discovered by the enemy at any time."
"Huh?" Tong Jing sat cross-legged on the grass, leaned forward to rummage around, grabbed a handful of dried meat, and asked with a sidelong glance, "Do you eat meat every meal?"
Guo Honglei smiled, "Most of the time, it's like that. Occasionally, when there's a shortage of food, I go hungry."
"Tsk, life is pretty good, much better than the brothers in the camp imagined." Tong Jing put down his multi-grain steamed bun and munched on some dried meat. He said vaguely, "Everyone thought you were eating grass in Beijiao, hehe."
"Humans are not horses, so you have to eat grass!" Zuo Zhen threw his dry food bag at his friend, picked up the other's steamed bun, smelled it carefully, and ate it with relish.
Guo Honglei also ate steamed buns. During the war, there was no room for refinement. His beard was unshaven, his clothes were tattered in several places, and his body was covered with new wounds and old ones. He had become thinner, but his eyes had become stronger and more resolute, piercing and intimidating.
As they ate, Tong Jing glanced around and commented with a smile, "Not bad, you guys took the initiative to eat the steamed buns. It's worth our risking our lives to go deep into the grassland to rescue you."
"Who saved who just now?" Zuo Zhen quickly devoured a steamed bun and said disdainfully, "Actually, we're just tired of jerky. It's tough and tough, and makes our cheeks sore from chewing it. Steamed buns are still delicious!"
Tong Jing curled his lips, leaned sideways, and suddenly kicked him, scolding him with a smile: "So that's how it is. I thought you finally learned to be humble."
"Humble ass!" Zuo Zhen pounced and pretended to grab her throat, "Don't forget the wine and the courtesan."
Several generals sat in a circle, watching them play. Tong Jing rolled his eyes and said, "Brother, once you say something, it's hard to go back on your word. When have you ever renege on a debt?" Then he suddenly remembered something and reminded them, "Hey, Guo Honglei, you owe me a drink, don't forget it."
Guo Honglei was stunned for a moment, then thought carefully and asked in surprise, "When did this debt come from? It's strange, I have no memory of it."
"Oh, your wife agreed to it for you."
Yushu? Guo Honglei was even more stunned, puzzled. "She agreed on my behalf? Why?"
Tong Jing briefly explained the reason, and finally emphasized: "That night, the Northern Bandits sneaked into the village and committed evil. You asked me to look after County Magistrate Jiang, and I specially sent a team of soldiers to escort her back to the city."
Guo Honglei pinched half a steamed bun and held his breath. "The rebels were rioting, but my wife wasn't hurt?"
"That night I brought quite a few men, armed with butcher knives. Couldn't I have dealt with a few petty thieves? You underestimate me! Don't worry, the magistrate is unharmed, at most he was a little frightened."
"I'm glad you're not hurt." Guo Honglei was relieved and explained, "I was just worried about her. I definitely didn't doubt your ability."
Tong Jing stared at his powerful opponent and asked, "Does your Madam's offer of a drink count for anything?"
Guo Honglei nodded readily and answered loudly, "Yes, of course!" He picked up the water bag, raised it to the other party, and solemnly promised, "I'll use the water instead of wine. I say 'thank you' first, and I'll treat you to a drink when we get back."
"Don't go home until you're drunk?"
"I'm happy to accompany you."
Tong Jing smiled with satisfaction, picked up the water bag and clinked it with the other party, "When we get back, I'm going to make you drink until you're down!"
Zuo Zhen elbowed his friend and interrupted, "Hey, don't forget to invite me along. It's more fun when more people are drinking."
"You—" Tong Jing took a deep breath and muttered helplessly: "I have no objection. No matter who invites you to drink, you always have to participate."
Guo Honglei readily agreed, "Then we'll all drink together and not leave until we're drunk!"
"Okay!" Zuo Zhen lay flat on his back, resting his head on his forearm, looking up at the sky. His smile gradually faded as he murmured, "Drinking? An Oiran? Alas, whether we can return to the camp alive is still uncertain. Currently, there are only 700 of us left. Over 1,300 brothers died in the enemy's country and are buried in the grasslands."
As soon as these words were spoken, the brief atmosphere of excitement and joy disappeared without a trace in an instant.
The road ahead was unpredictable. The soldiers were mourning the martyrs who died in battle and were worried, eating their dry food in silence.
Guo Honglei quickly ate his fill and began discussing business. He picked up a few pieces of dried meat and laid them out on the grass. "Master Tong, how many men do you have? Do you have any backup?"
"More than 1,300. We have backup. Old Xiang and his men are always in the Rocky Valley, fifty miles north, responsible for meeting us." Tong Jing couldn't help but feel a chill. "Alas, the general gave me 1,500 soldiers and horses to be the vanguard of the expedition, but we were surrounded and intercepted. Fortunately, God helped me escape danger several times."
Zuo Zhen sat up straight, crossed his legs, and examined the crude battle map. "Brother, be content. At least you have someone to lead the way. Back then, we were completely in the dark, terrified, and groping our way forward."
Guo Honglei asked: "Tell me, which road did you take?"
Peng Changrong quickly swallowed his food and leaned in to watch. Tong Jing suppressed his smile, narrowed his eyes, and solemnly pinched a few pieces of dried meat, carefully arranging them. "Look, this road, probably found along the Cang River."
"It's pretty much the same as it was back then." Guo Honglei pointed his whip and revealed, "The three tribes are fighting amongst themselves, and we're too busy to handle them all. We only fight when we bump into each other occasionally. We've been constantly moving around, which is why we've been able to survive in this situation until now."
Tong Jing curled his lips, "It sounds really miserable and pitiful."
Zuo Zhen bluntly said, "Tsk, if Beijiao was like Dagan, would we have survived if we had marched deep into the enemy territory alone? We should be thankful that Beijiao is a disorganized group, otherwise, we wouldn't have had any hope of returning home alive."
"That's right." Tong Jing sniffed and urged, "Quick, tell me, how many tribes are there nearby? What are their military strengths?"
Guo Honglei nodded, his whip moving slowly in circles as he explained in detail, "To the east, northwest, and southwest, there's a large tribe each. Their leaders each claim to be king, fighting fiercely for territory and engaging in intense internal strife. The eastern tribe has the largest territory and is the strongest, estimated to have at least 30,000 soldiers. Furthermore, among the enemy troops who forced us into the grasslands, there were members of the eastern tribe."
"Thirty thousand?" Tong Jing frowned in fear and rubbed his chin. "Tsk, that's a lot."
Zuo Zhen glared, "What are you afraid of? When the snipe and the clam quarrel, the fisherman benefits. We brothers have gone through so much hardship to get deep into the grasslands. It would be shameful for us to return to the camp in disgrace. Before, we had no backup, so we didn't dare to act rashly. But now, hmph, let's just start a big one, to avenge the countless invasions, to teach the bandits a lesson, to vent our anger, and to make an example of them!"
"good!"
"Well said!" Tong Jing clapped his hands in agreement, then said unhappily, "Who's afraid? The enemy outnumbers us, shouldn't we carefully discuss countermeasures? A rash attack would be courting death, understand?"
Zuo Zhen touched his nose and said, "Oh, then hurry up and think of a good solution."
After more than a month deep in enemy territory, Guo Honglei dared not let his guard down day and night. He had roughly grasped the enemy situation nearby and whispered, "The grasslands are vast, and the Beijiao tribes are numerous. However, it doesn't matter if they're far away. Before we reach an agreement, they won't dare to set foot on foreign territory. While the surrounding enemy forces are fighting among themselves, we can attack them by surprise. Our chances of victory will be greater."
So, a team of more than 2,000 people hid by a secluded river, their blood boiling, and they discussed strategies secretly, vowing to avenge the shame of being invaded and hunted. They decided to join forces with reinforcements and launch an attack to the south.
Meanwhile, Tuning County
The prefect arrived, surrounded by many of his subordinates, in a grand procession.
"please."
"Slow down, sir."
Jiang Yushu acted as a guide, answering the prefect's questions as they walked.
Pei Wenfeng occasionally helped his father-in-law and accompanied Ji Xuelian, walking and stopping from time to time.
The sun was blazing brightly. Ji Xuelian walked along, then stopped in front of the workshop and squinted his eyes. "'Tuning Grain Shop'? Presumably, that's the workshop you mentioned?"
Jiang Yushu nodded and replied, "That's right. It was completed a few days ago, and the plaque was just hung today."
"Let's go in and take a look." Although Ji Xuelian smiled, he did not allow any objection and took the lead.
After walking around for a long time, Jiang Yushu felt dizzy and swollen from the sun, and she was eager to go into the workshop to escape the heat. "Please. It's just right. Come in and sit down, rest for a while, and have a cup of tea."
"Hmm." Ji Xuelian is old and tired from walking.
The next moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out again from the street behind!
Everyone couldn't help but discuss, "What's going on?"
"A group of Tacha guards just passed by, and now another group is coming?"
"Is war really going to start?"
"Eighty percent."
…
Pei Wenfeng turned around and looked over with a frown.
Jiang Yushu's heart suddenly sank, and she was panicked by the noise. She was distracted for a moment, and with great effort, she calmed down and advised, "Sir, please come into the workshop and have a rest. The soldiers will be here soon, and they are marching so fast that they can't stop to avoid the officials.
"Hmm." Ji Xuelian's face was solemn. He was silent and thoughtful, and quickened his pace to leave the street.
The officials took the lead, and the county clerks hurriedly reminded: "Everyone, quickly get out of the way and make way for the soldiers!"
Pei Wenfeng sighed and strode towards the workshop. When he got closer, he took a look and asked worriedly, "You don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?"
Jiang Yushu's face turned pale and she shook her head, "It's okay, I'm fine." As long as there was no accurate news, she firmly believed it and kept repeating in her mind: He will be safe, he will come back alive!
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