"As for the money, let's talk about it after the salary is paid. There is no rush."
He didn't really regret it immediately. He just wanted Qiao Mu to block the knife for him next time they met bandits.
If you really have this thought, you wouldn't say it so bluntly.
The main reason was that Qiao Mu, a military officer who was willing to block arrows for the soldiers, made him feel inferior to him, and he also wanted to make friends with him.
A soldier who does not care about life and death is always more likely to gain the respect of others.
The other side.
At the main force in the rear, Captain Chu also saw Qiao Mu's messenger.
"The vanguard has encountered bandits, and Centurion Qiao Mu was injured in the first battle?" Captain Chu just sneered when he heard this.
You got hurt so soon? You're a little too weak.
It seems that Qiao Mu is really a useless person and is much easier to deal with than he expected.
From this perspective, even if he didn't make any plans, Qiao Mu would have died at the hands of the bandits.
"I understand." Captain Chu nodded.
"Then tell Qiao Mu to continue exploring the way. The bandits have escaped, so you should chase them wherever they go."
"If you find the location of the stronghold, you will have made a great contribution this time."
Captain Chu led a large army of a thousand men, following behind slowly and at a distance.
From afar, shouts and sounds of fighting were heard coming from Qiumu's side in front. It was obvious that they had encountered bandits again.
Captain Chu was not in a hurry. He just kept his troops still and followed slowly behind.
Qiao Mu, like before, led the charge and rushed directly into the group of bandits with great ferocity.
After repeating this several times, Qiumu had several more wounds on his body.
The soldiers behind him were gradually infected by his bravery without realizing it.
When they fought against the bandits for the second time, they followed closely behind Qiumu and fought.
When they met the bandits for the third time, they began to follow Qiumu and charge at the bandits.
People are all made of flesh and blood.
If you have an officer who is willing to protect you and always fight on the front line, others will not fall behind.
Even if you can't block the knife for your superior, you can still charge forward with him.
A military officer who is fearless and brave enough to take the blame for his subordinates...
Qiao Mu has won the respect of all the soldiers with his actions.
After repelling the fourth wave of bandits.
Qiao Mu walked up a small hill and looked at the small valley ahead.
The entrance to the valley was rather narrow, only wide enough for three or four people to pass side by side. The trees in the valley were lush and green, and the grass was half a person's height, making it a perfect place for an ambush.
"Old Huang, since you are familiar with this area, does this valley have a name?" Qiao Mu asked.
“No.”
"Since there isn't one, let's just call it 'Fallen Wood Valley'."
"Fallen leaves? This means falling leaves, right? It's not autumn yet, where do the falling leaves come from?"
"It's nothing, just for good luck."
Qiaomu held the tip of his spear and carved the three words "Luomu Valley" on the tree trunk next to him. He stood on the hillside and looked down at the valley ahead.
Wait, where should I die
He was looking for a good feng shui site to bury his body later. Maybe there would be some metaphysical bonus
When he reached the entrance of the valley, he stopped and took a rest.
We just encountered several waves of bandits, who were fighting and retreating, fleeing in this direction.
Qiao Mu thought that either the bandits' stronghold was in the valley ahead, or there was an ambush ahead, luring the enemy deeper.
So if he continues to move forward, that might be his death.
At this moment.
There was a sound of footsteps behind me.
"Qiao Mu, why do you stop? Didn't I ask you to continue exploring the way forward?" Captain Chu walked over with a sullen face.
He had been following from a distance, and when he saw Qiao Mu stop at the entrance of the valley, he led his men over.
"There is a valley ahead, there might be an ambush..." Qiao Mu was halfway through his words when Captain Chu interrupted him with an unhappy wave of his hand:
"You are a centurion. Is it your business to consider whether there is an ambush? If there is, we will naturally come to the rescue."
"They are just bandits anyway. They can't possibly be a match for our Yancheng Army. Don't make excuses for being cowardly."
Qiao Mu looked at Captain Chu and saw that he was as calm as water, looking at him coldly.
"Or do you want to disobey orders?" Captain Chu said coldly.
His hand was already on the scabbard at his waist.
I heard that Qiao Mu was particularly stubborn and had the audacity to threaten the city lord by grabbing the city lord's son's neck in Yan City.
So he was mentally prepared for the other party to disobey his orders.
As long as Qiumu made any unusual movement, he would kill him immediately on the grounds of disobeying orders.
There is no suspense between an eighth-grade warrior and a warrior who has not yet entered the grade!
What's more, he had a thousand soldiers and nine ninth-grade warriors beside him.
Unexpectedly, Qiao Mu's reaction was beyond his expectations.
"Yes, sir." Qiao Mu bowed and left quietly, but the look she gave him at the last moment was a little strange.
It actually seemed like there was a sense of relief that one had gotten what one wanted...
Naturally, he didn't understand Qiao Mu's mentality.
Born immortal, he has been seeking a quality death.
If he died for disobeying orders, being killed by an eighth-rank captain like him would be a bit unlucky in Qiao Mu's opinion.
He looks down on it.
But what if Captain Chu asked him to die in battle against the bandits
Qiao Mu almost couldn't help but dance a song for Captain Chu on the spot to say thank you to me.
Captain Chu, from now on you are my good brother!
When I cash in my chips and have enough money, I will come back and send you off on your journey, brother!
... .
"Boss, you are already injured. You should ask Captain Chu if you can replace him with another centurion to lead the army to explore the way." Old Huang said naggingly beside him.
"Stop talking. Military orders cannot be violated. We cannot disobey Captain Chu's wishes."
"That can't be..."
Qiao Mu raised one hand to stop the soldiers behind him from talking, and the voices behind him immediately stopped.
From such a simple action, we can actually see that after several battles, he has gained a certain prestige in this army of a hundred people.
"Listen to me," Qiao Mu said:
"Wait a minute, you all should be smart. If you find an ambush after entering the valley, or if the bandits are strong, retreat quickly. Captain Chu will not stand by and watch you die."
Qiao Mu just suspected that Captain Chu was targeting him, but he had no evidence and could not be completely sure.
No matter what, he still has a hundred people under his command. The other party will not let these hundred people be buried with him just to kill him, right
So he gave this order.
Qiao Mu held the spear in one hand and walked forward step by step. Blood was slowly seeping out of his robe, and half of his back had been stained light red with blood.
After these battles, he had three arrow wounds and three or four knife wounds.
A warrior who has trained to the limit of his strength has reached the peak of ordinary people's physical fitness, but he is still flesh and blood.
Qiumu could still fight, but he didn't have much strength left.
However, at this moment, his wounded figure seemed surprisingly reliable in the eyes of the soldiers behind him.
Especially Old Huang, who was protected by Qiao Mu many times.
"The boss seems to be only about 20 years old, he is really reliable." He had just said this when suddenly, shouts of killing like a tsunami came from all directions in the valley.
"kill!"
In the bushes, in the woods, on the slopes... bandits with turbans on their heads emerged from every place, covering the entire mountain.
A rough estimate shows that there are hundreds or even thousands of these bandits.
"There are so many bandits hiding in Dongshan?" Old Huang's eyes suddenly widened and his heart trembled.
All along, these soldiers thought that these bandits were just a mob, with a total number of less than 200, so the officers and soldiers would naturally have a great advantage. Who would have thought... .
"What are you doing? Run!" Qiao Mu's loud shout came from the front.
Lao Huang and others immediately ran back, and subconsciously looked back while running.
Then they saw a scene that they would remember for a long time.
The bandits were swarming all over the mountains, rushing in like a tide.
Qiao Mu stood alone in front of the soldiers, holding a spear in one hand, like an isolated reef about to be swallowed by the tide.
"The leader is covering the rear?"
"He is the leader here, and he is actually covering our retreat?"
Lao Huang and the others just felt their heads go blank for a moment, and they didn't react completely. Only their feet were still running subconsciously.
Hundreds and thousands of bandits, this is completely different from the battles they had encountered before.
With such a huge number, even a warrior who has cultivated internal energy would not be able to resist it, and the internal energy would be quickly exhausted.
Even Captain Chu, the only eighth-rank warrior in this army of a thousand men, could not fight against a thousand men on his own.
So... Qiao Mu was risking his life to cover their retreat
While they were still confused, they had already run to the entrance of the valley.
But at this time, teams of government troops appeared at the mouth of the valley. They should have been their reinforcements and comrades, but at this time they blocked their retreat.
"You are not allowed to retreat without permission! Anyone who disobeys my order will be executed!" Captain Chu opened his eyes wide and shouted.
"this... ."
"Captain Chu wants to have a decisive battle with the bandits in this valley? Then won't we be squeezed in the middle?" The soldiers' faces suddenly changed.
Captain Chu's loud shout was heard far away in the valley. Qiao Mu, who was standing at the front, was startled and turned around.
His gaze penetrated a distance of several hundred meters and made distant contact with Captain Chu behind him.
Captain Chu had a blank expression on his face, and his eyes were as cold as before, as if he didn't see Qiao Mu, or as if he was looking at a dead person, without any emotion at all.
Looking at Captain Chu's eyes, Qiao Mu suddenly understood.
Captain Chu was indeed preparing to kill him.
In order to ensure his death without any suspense, Captain Chu had his men completely block the retreat route, and at the same time blocked the retreat route of the hundreds of soldiers under his command.
The thousand-man army behind them was not standing by and watching, but was slowly entering the battlefield, about to have a decisive battle with the bandits in this valley. However, the entrance to the valley was too small, so the thousand-man army could not get in for a while, and blocked Qiao Mu and others' retreat. It can be expected that if a decisive battle came, the hundred soldiers caught between the two sides would basically have little chance of survival.
"If I don't die, will the hundreds of men under my command be buried with me?" Qiao Mu immediately understood what Captain Chu meant.
At this moment, a familiar voice came from behind.
"Boss, what should we do now?" Lao Huang's voice was filled with panic and fear.
This little old guy has always been very cunning. He ran very fast when he was running away. Now that he has no way to retreat, he has run behind Qiao Mu again without knowing when.
Apparently he suddenly remembered Qiumu's promise.