The sky has turned dark, and the heavy rain that started falling at noon still doesn't stop.
The muddy road seemed to have no end. Duan Shao looked back and saw that the soldiers following him were already scattered and out of formation in twos and threes. Some soldiers even sat in the mud on the roadside and stopped moving forward.
After landing, Duan Shao led his soldiers all the way to the northeast. Even before they reached Xuzhou, the soldiers under him were already exhausted.
The north bank of the Huaihe River had already fallen into a relatively chaotic situation before the Qinhuai Army launched its offensive.
The battle for the throne of the Northern Han Dynasty led to a shortage of logistics for the Han army stationed on the north bank. Although Zhong Liao was very strict in running the army, the extremely long defensive line could not cover everything. Some soldiers who were not full enough to eat robbed the people, and at first they were just some low-level soldiers. The soldiers secretly plundered, and later even military generals led people to rob the people in an organized manner. Although Zhong Liao executed many people for this, many people had already fled to the north.
At first it was just to avoid being plundered by the Han army, but then word spread everywhere that the Chu army would attack soon, so the Han people on the north bank, like the Chu people on the south bank, couldn't escape with their families and their families.
When the Chu army crossed the Huaihe River and the Han army withdrew, in order to replenish military supplies, they looted the already dilapidated villages and counties on the north bank, euphemistically calling it a conscription. Inside, there is almost no grain of rice left, and there are no human traces.
Duan Shao had even thought of going ashore, and if he was lucky, he could plunder some food. However, after walking for two days, not only could he not see a grain of rice, but he could not even see a human being.
Traveling day and night and hungry, even the well-trained Dongqi sailors could not hold on. Many people couldn't hold on anymore and began to eat grass roots and bark. Some soldiers fell behind, but they never followed up and sent people to Looking for them, but they have all escaped.
Although Duan Shao was angry, there was nothing he could do. It was too late to move forward now, and naturally he could not send people back to arrest him.
"Your Highness, there is a forest in front of us. I see that we can't walk anymore. Why don't we rest for a while in front." Yuan Buye hurried over from the front: "Your Highness's noble body has been walking in the rain for so long. I'm afraid he will catch a cold. !”
When it rained at noon, Yuan Buye persuaded Duan Shao to find a place to take shelter from the rain.
Although Duan Shao has practiced some boxing and kicking skills, they are only some embroidered tricks. He has been well-dressed and well-fed since he was a child, and his body is delicate. Yuan Buye is worried that Duan Shao will catch cold and fall ill after being exposed to the rain. Now this unmotivated team completely relies on Duan Shao. , once something goes wrong with Duan Shao, the team that was about to collapse at any time will fall apart in an instant.
It was just that in order to show that Duan Shao could share the joys and sorrows with his subordinates, and to prove that he could endure hardships and stand hard work, he flatly refused and insisted on moving forward.
Now Yuan Buye saw that Duan Shao's face was pale, his lips were even a little swollen, and his fatigue was evident, and he knew that Duan Shao might not be able to hold on any longer.
Duan Shao glanced forward and saw only darkness in the night. He pondered for a moment before asking, "Have you sent someone to check?"
"We have sent people to explore the road ahead. The forest is large enough for us to take shelter from the rain and rest." Yuan Buye said: "There are no Chu or Han troops around here, so it is very safe."
Duan Shao nodded slightly: "In that case, let everyone go to the forest in front and rest for a while."
After walking for half a stick of incense, they arrived at the discovered forest. Duan Shao ordered the troops to rest on the spot. After the soldiers received the order, many of them did not even enter the forest and sat down on the muddy road outside the forest. The prince's guards and Feichan Miren protected Duan Shao into the forest and found a big tree. Yuan Buye ordered several large boxes to be carried in. Duan Shao sat down on the boxes. The prince's guards and Feichan Miren Shinobu is distributed around to protect him.
"Your Highness, have a drink of water." Yuan Buye took off the leather bag from his waist and presented it to Duan Shao. Now that he had nothing to eat, he could only drink water to satisfy his hunger.
Duan Shao is actually very uncomfortable now.
He was born in a royal family and had been well-dressed and well-fed since childhood. How had he ever suffered like this? Even when Linzi city was destroyed and he fled, at least he still had food around him so that he would not starve. Now he has not eaten for two days. Yuan Buye had people dig up grass roots before to show his respect, but those grass roots were really difficult for Duan Shao. The following is choking, and the dignified Prince Qi really wants to eat grass roots. If it spreads, won't it make the world laugh? For two days, he had just drank water to satisfy his hunger. In addition, he was soaked by the heavy rain. At this time, his whole body was weak. If he had not stopped to rest now, Duan Shao suspected that he would have fallen headlong if he walked a little further.
After drinking half the bag of water, Duan Shao sighed: "Let's not even reach Puyang, I'm afraid we won't even reach Xuzhou."
"Your Highness, if we speed up, we will definitely be able to reach Pengcheng within two days." Yuan Buye said: "Pengcheng will definitely be replenished."
"Two days?" Duan Shao saw that many soldiers had begun to use knives to cut bark from the trees, and said with a wry smile: "Everyone is already exhausted. It is not easy to persist until now. We don't have the physical strength to speed up." After thinking for a while, , then said: "How many more people are there?"
"More than 400 people escaped along the way, and there are still more than 1,000 people in the team." Yuan Buye said in a low voice: "I am only worried that some people will escape. I will arrange for someone to guard me tonight. If anyone wants to secretly Sneak away and kill immediately!"
Duan Shao waved his hand, shook his head and said, "That's all. Now that things have come to a point, if you want to leave, let him leave as soon as possible. If you can follow him all the way here, they have already been loyal."
"Your Highness is generous, and I will obey your orders." Yuan Buye cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, rest for a while. When we set off, I will come again to ask for your instructions." Just as he was about to retreat, he suddenly heard a burst of noise. Yuan Buye Frowning, he followed the sound and looked over. He saw a group of black figures not far away coming this way. He pressed the hilt of the knife at his waist and went forward. He saw hundreds of soldiers being guarded by several of the prince's guards. To stop him, the prince's guards had already drawn their swords out of their sheaths, pointing the blade forward, but the group of soldiers also held the swords in their hands. The first few people shouted loudly, and one of the thick soldiers opened his clothes, revealing his hairy chest. , sternly said to the prince's guard: "Come on, come on, chop here, you won't survive anyway, it would be nice to kill me with one knife."
"Zheng Biao, do you want to rebel?" Yuan Buye pressed the handle of the knife and stepped forward, staring at the man with his eyes like knives.
Yuan Buye's loud shout instantly silenced the noisy voices. When everyone saw Yuan Buye approaching, some people showed a hint of fear.
"Your Highness is resting. What do you want to do when you are making noise here?" Yuan Buye stepped forward.
The man gathered up his clothes and said: "Captain Yuan, we wanted to see His Highness, but they blocked us, so that's why...!"
"Whoever dares to come close without His Highness's order will be killed without mercy!" The Crown Prince's guards were still as indifferent as ever.
Yuan Buye frowned and said, "Why do you want to see His Highness?"
"Captain Yuan, everyone has not eaten for two days. How long can we last?" Zheng Biao was obviously still a little courageous: "Are we going to stay hungry like this?" When he said this, the soldiers who had calmed down suddenly They became noisy again. The movement here has attracted the attention of other soldiers. Many soldiers gradually gathered around here. More and more people gathered, and a large area was covered with darkness.
Yuan Buye said in a deep voice: "You all know that there is a shortage of food. It is for this reason that we landed. Your Highness, like you, has not eaten for two days. We will have something to eat if we rush to Pengcheng. .”
"Pengcheng?" Someone in the crowd sneered: "How far is it to Pengcheng, and are the Chu people there? Do you want us to surrender?"
Yuan Buye sneered and said, "Are you afraid of Chu people?"
"Captain Yuan, if we were afraid of the people of Chu, we would not have followed the governor until now." Someone in the crowd shouted: "It is only natural for soldiers to eat food. Now that we don't even have a bite to eat, how can we fight? How to restore the country?"
"We already had enough to eat on the ship, and now we can't even see a grain of rice. What else do we want? Are we just waiting to starve to death?"
The morale of the soldiers was already at the bottom. During the quarrel, some people were even more angry when they thought that they had to eat grass roots and bark for a living. Their emotions suddenly became excited. The people behind them pushed forward, and those in front suddenly became excited. Forced forward, several of the prince's guards pressed their swords against the chests of the soldiers in front and shouted sternly: "If you go further, you will be killed without mercy!"
At this time, other prince's guards also realized that something was wrong here and ran over to support.
But the total number of the prince's guards was only about a dozen. Although they were all brave, good at fighting and loyal, they were forced to retreat continuously in the face of more and more naval soldiers, just like a mantis using its arms as a chariot.
"Are you going to rebel?" Yuan Buye shouted repeatedly. He had already drawn the knife in his hand. Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Duan Shao walking over.
Duan Shao saw the soldiers gathering together and making a noise, and his heart shuddered, knowing that what he was most worried about finally happened.
It was the most critical moment now. He knew that if he did not handle it carefully, the consequences would be disastrous. He took two steps forward. When the soldiers saw Duan Shao approaching, their voices suddenly became much quieter. Duan Shao glanced at it and said: "Everyone is suffering from the rain. I know you are hungry. You are all my most loyal warriors in Daqi. It is my fault that I did not let everyone have a full stomach. But now that we are in trouble, we should work together to overcome the difficulties. I believe we will be able to find food soon, and as long as we arrive in Puyang, I will definitely reward each of you and make it up to everyone."
After a period of silence, Zheng Biao bravely said: "Your Highness, Puyang is too far away, and the brothers are only thinking about whether they can survive now. If Your Highness allows us to survive, we will naturally follow His Highness to the death, but...!"
"But what?" Yuan Buye said coldly.
"But if this continues, everyone will starve to death." Zheng Biao said: "If this is really the case, it is better to let everyone go find food individually. Even if they can't all survive, it is better than all of them starving to death."
Duan Shao nodded and said: "You are right. If everyone thinks so, then just go find food by yourself. I will not stop you. Anyone who wants to leave can leave now."
"Your Highness, you can leave if you want. We should distribute the general's salary to everyone." Zheng Biao said: "Many of them have wives and children waiting at home. They have served in the army for many years. How can they go back empty-handed now? Before we set off, the general's salary should be distributed to everyone." Let us take it with you, and please His Highness distribute the general’s salary now!”
Yuan Buye sneered and said, "Zheng Biao, so you care about the money?"
"What's wrong with being a soldier and getting paid?" Zheng Biao said loudly.
As soon as he said this, everyone behind him started shouting, and the voices were noisy. The soldiers at the back crowded forward again. Zheng Biao and many soldiers in the front were forced forward. The prince's guards shouted fiercely and retreated step by step. One of them The prince's guard put the tip of the knife against Zheng Biao's chest. A scream was heard amid the noise, and someone saw Zheng Biao's body swaying and suddenly falling forward.
This change was very sudden. The prince's guard who was holding the knife against Zheng Biao's chest was stunned for a moment. Although the situation was chaotic, he was able to control his strength. Although the blade was against Zheng Biao's chest, it did not penetrate at all. Zheng Biao suddenly fell down for some reason.
The soldiers on the side were stunned for a moment, only to see Zheng Biao lying motionless on the ground. Suddenly they heard someone say: "Kill someone, the guards... The guards killed Zheng Biao!"