Lu Tu had previously ordered Nie Yun to stop at approximately 80 li, but he knew that in such a dark night, with limited visibility and few landmarks, it would be difficult to make an accurate prediction.
So he told Nie Yun to handle it himself, just make sure he didn't take the opportunity to row to Dragon City.
Lu Tu led his men at breakneck speed, rushing downstream as fast as possible, but after chasing for two hours, they still couldn't see any trace of Nie Yun's ship.
At this moment, Liu Hong couldn't help but wonder, "Could Nie Yun have really gone to Longcheng? I hope he doesn't mess things up."
Sun Kuang shook his head: "Maybe Nie Yun's mind is a bit strange sometimes. What if he fell asleep on the boat?"
Lu Tu laughed and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense! If we can't even trust our own brothers, what are we supposed to do? Even if Nie Yun really fell asleep and ran off to Longcheng, we'll still go and bring them back. We'll never abandon any of our brothers!"
Upon hearing this, everyone abandoned their speculations and shouted sternly, "Yes, sir!"
This disciplined and orderly image, when seen by Xiao Feng and the others in the middle of the group, made them exclaim in horror.
They were all seasoned veterans of the Huai Shuo border army; where had they ever seen such military discipline? Not even a single soldier was spared? Was this the kind of talk a general should have?
Although Xiao Feng had never met a real general, and even Zhao Wuyou had only met him a few times, he could tell from the atmosphere of the Huai Shuo border army that he was once a young man who wanted to serve the country and keep the Wuhuan people outside the Great Wall, but reality is often so helpless.
Xiao Feng and the others glanced at Lü Tu, who was running at the very front, and felt a little glad that they had made their decision today. Maybe they would have a new life ahead of them?
After all, which Chinese man doesn't dream of making a name for himself? Who is born with the sole purpose of getting married?
By this time, the sky was already turning a pale white, and Lu Tu's heart skipped a beat. They had already traveled more than 80 li, and his warhorse was showing signs of fatigue.
Dawn was approaching, and if they still couldn't find Nie Yun by then, they would be in real danger. After all, such a cavalry force of several hundred men was too conspicuous; the vibrations caused by the horses' hooves could be heard from a great distance.
However, Lu Tu couldn't care less about anything else at this point. He could only urge his horse on and lead everyone to hurry forward, secretly praying that Nie Yun wouldn't disappoint him. If things went wrong this time, it would be really troublesome.
As a result, Nie Yun's status in Lu Tu's heart will also be greatly reduced. After all, a person who cannot stand up at critical moments will never be able to shoulder great responsibilities and is a hopeless case!
After running for the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, Liu Hong suddenly pointed ahead as the river rounded a bend: "My lord, look, they're over there!"
The shout was like a shot of adrenaline, jolting everyone present awake.
After all, they had already transported a full 180,000 jin of grain, and then rode horses for several hours. In other words, they hadn't closed their eyes for almost a day and a night, and were engaged in high-intensity activities, so they were already exhausted.
Before long, Lü Tu arrived at the side of the boat, called Nie Yun over, and asked, "You brat, what are you doing running so far?"
Nie Yun scratched his head sheepishly: "Brother, I wanted to be on the safe side, so I had them drift a little longer."
Seeing that Lu Tu was about to start cursing, Nie Yun quickly added, "Brother, I have already sent someone to Pangjia Village to inform Xiang Ze and the others, and also asked them to go back and inform the villagers to come here to meet us in advance. Moreover, if they cannot come for the time being, I have also found a cave here where we can temporarily store this grain."
Upon hearing this, almost everyone present who had originally intended to criticize Nie Yun fell silent.
While having Tie Hang, Xiao Feng, and the others unload the grain from the ship, Lü Tu looked at Nie Yun curiously and asked, "How do you know the way?"
Nie Yun chuckled: "Back in Pangjia Village, weren't you looking at the topographical map of Huai Shuo, brother? I was watching too, and that's how I memorized it."
Good heavens! Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock!
He only stood by and looked at it for a short while, and he memorized such a complex topographical map.
Even before Lu Tu set off, he only had a general idea of what was going on. He knew that the distance from Pangjia Village was not too far, but he did not expect that Nie Yun would have this ability.
Moreover, Nie Yun's on-the-spot judgment was correct. He knew that once the grain left the waterway, it would be difficult to transport. Therefore, he stopped at two mountainous areas and had people search for caves in the surrounding area to temporarily store the grain.
Lu Tu nodded with satisfaction, patted him on the shoulder, and praised him without reservation: "You've made progress, kid."
Upon receiving praise from Lü Tu, Nie Yun was like a child who had been commended, practically raising his chin high: "This is something you taught me before, brother, to be able to apply what I've learned to other situations and not just focus on the immediate problem, so I..."
Nie Yun wanted to continue boasting about his abilities, but before he could finish speaking, he was surrounded by Liu Hong, Sun Kuang, and others.
He pinched his arm, gave him a light punch on the chest, and teased, "I didn't realize that Nie Yun is so much more capable than before!"
"Yes, if you can apply what you've learned to other situations, aren't you much more impressive?"
"I'm no longer that reckless child who wanted to test his strength against a jackhammer."
If these words were said to tease the Nie Yun of the past, he might have gotten angry. But after Lü Tu's repeated lectures, Nie Yun no longer had such a strong sense of self-esteem.
He knew that no one meant him any harm. They were all soldiers, and their emotional intelligence wasn't very high. If he thought about everything too deeply, he would end up giving everyone a hard time.
Even though Nie Yun was being teased by everyone and swaying like a puppet, the smile on his face didn't diminish at all: "Stop it, stop it, brothers, stop it!"
Lu Tu found it amusing. Nie Yun's growth to this point had completely exceeded his expectations, which was something to be very happy about and proved that his judgment was correct. Nie Yun was indeed a promising talent.
After a short rest, everyone, including Lü Tu, began to carry food from the boat into the cave.
Fortunately, there were enough warhorses, which also played an important role.
With so much food and a fairly clear river nearby, they certainly wouldn't go hungry.
Lu Tu made sure everyone ate until they were half full. The reason he didn't let them eat as much as they wanted was because he was afraid that if they ate too much, they would become very tired and wouldn't be able to cope if the enemy attacked.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from afar.
Lu Tu and the others were instantly jolted awake. He lowered his voice and ordered, "Prepare to engage the enemy! Take cover!"
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