Chapter 328 Heading North
People can accept the heroic souls who died fighting forward, but they can never accept the survivors who retreated.
In one day, the entire army reorganized and broke camp, and the inventory was completed.
Of the 300,000 Lion Army soldiers brought from Zhao State, only less than 120,000 remained after this disaster.
Of the 100,000 Tusu war horses, only more than 20,000 remained.
In order to avoid causing panic, Huo Gannian ordered his soldiers to go door to door to inform the people that the Lion Army would retreat, and asked them to decide for themselves whether to stay or go.
Anyone who wants to withdraw from the southeast with the Lion Power Army can march with the Lion Power Army. The army shall not drive them away and must take care of them.
But the common people were not as accustomed to obeying orders as the soldiers, and they did not react quickly. They had no time to consider whether or not to leave their homeland for the whole family.
The soldiers who had bravely charged at the Black Scale Cavalry the day before were now like stray dogs, suddenly running away with their tails between their legs?
Besides being puzzled, the people were more confused and frightened.
The Lion-Power Army left, but the 130,000 man-eating Black-Scale Cavalry were still outside.
Once the Lion Army leaves, the southeast will become a paradise for slaughter by the Black Scale Cavalry, and the people will be in a devil's cave that is ten thousand times more terrifying than hell.
Therefore, when Huo Gannian and Yun Chen led the Lion Army out of the city, all the people in the city stood on both sides of the road and at the city gate.
They are confused, disappointed, resentful, and desperate...
His eyes were like the sharpest awls, piercing every soldier of the Lion Army.
The soldiers lowered their heads, carried their dry bags, and marched silently, passing through thousands of sharp and intertwined gazes.
No one cursed, but their resentful expressions were enough to tell it all.
There were people everywhere, but there was no sound of anyone.
The silence was broken only when an old woman, leaning on a cane, tremblingly stepped forward and took hold of a young soldier's sleeve.
"Where are you going, children?"
The young soldier didn't dare to look up at the old lady. He shrugged his head and said in a low voice:
"We're going north."
The old lady showed a puzzled expression, then suddenly understood:
"Going to the north? It's cold in the north, wear more clothes, good boy."
After saying that, the old lady took out the package beside her, which contained several newly sewn coarse cloth winter clothes.
The old lady stuffed the winter clothes to the young soldier, but the young soldier refused to take them and just kept crying.
In order not to disturb the people and depress the whole country, only Huo Gannian and Yun Chen knew the news of the Northern Expedition Army's annihilation and the disappearance of the Eastern Palace.
The imperial court strictly sealed this news and also prohibited Huo Gannian, Yun Chen and others from leaking it privately.
Everyone only knew that the Lion Army was going to evacuate the southeast and head north to the Luojiang battlefield to assist the defeated Northern Expedition Army, but no one knew the real reason.
The old lady didn't know either. She only knew that it was very cold in the north, and these soldiers, who were younger than her youngest child, would freeze to death if they didn't have enough winter clothes.
The old lady and the young soldier were arguing over the winter coat. A man standing nearby couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to stop the old lady, saying in a stern tone:
"Auntie, if they don't appreciate it, don't waste your kindness. They don't want Guying City anymore, so why would you care if they're warm?"
After hearing this, the young soldier lowered his head even lower. However, the old lady did not continue to agree with him. Instead, she sighed heavily:
"Alas... Is there anyone who knows better than us?"
The old lady's sorrowful voice trembled slightly in the winter wind and reached the ears of every soldier:
"This is Guying City... We've fought for two years, tunneled through tunnels, and escaped from the Sheepman General. Does anyone know better than us how many times these children have defended Guying City and risked their lives to protect us?"
Every word was like an invisible hand, holding the lifeline of every soldier, forcing them to raise their heads and look at the ancient and dilapidated Guying City with tears in their eyes.
Looking at these people who have lived and died together countless times and have almost become relatives.
As the young soldier sobbed softly, the old woman draped a winter coat over his shoulders and gently stroked his face with her old, calloused hands, as if she were her own child.
"Go, child."
Perhaps influenced by the old lady's words, the people looked at the soldiers of the Lion Army with less disappointment and resentment and more helplessness and heartache.
Looking at the old lady with wrinkles on her face, and thinking that they would be leaving today and would no longer be able to protect this city and its people, the young soldiers were filled with sorrow and hatred, and felt ashamed to face them.
He untied the ropes that tied the food around his body, leaving only a brick-like frozen rice brick. He took out all the other dry food and stuffed it forcefully into the old woman's arms.
"Auntie, what if the Black Scale Cavalry wants... wants..."
The young soldier could not continue after saying half a sentence.
What if the Black Scale Cavalry runs out of food again and wants to capture you, kill you, or eat you...
The young soldier's throat felt like it was blocked by a ball of cotton. "When the time comes, we'll just use this food to hold off..."
I hope the Black Scale Cavalry will stop eating people after eating the food.
No one said this, but it didn't need to be said.
Everyone knew that as long as the Black Scale Cavalry devoured all the food in the city, they would extend their claws to the helpless civilians.
Thinking of this, Huo Gannian, who was at the front of the team, turned around, looked at the young soldier and the old lady for a moment, and then gave the order:
"All troops, listen to my order. Each person must keep only three days' worth of food. The rest of the food must be unloaded on the spot and left for the people."
The judge beside him said worriedly:
"Originally, the food supply was only enough for seven or eight days. Now that most of it has been unloaded, what will we do after three days?"
Yun Chen looked around at the people around him and said, "After three days, we will hunt wild animals, eat snow, leaves, and grass. No matter where we go, as long as there are trees, we will not starve to death or freeze to death."
The judge nodded, said nothing more, and silently untied the grain bag around his waist.
The soldiers also unloaded their food, and when the troops left the city far away, only scattered food was left on the ground.
Guying City suddenly became empty, and the cold wind kept blowing into the city, chilling people's hearts.
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