Rundu is a small town.
To the north is the prosperous Jinling of the Yanyue, to the south is Huayuan, which is rich in materials, and Rundu, which is sandwiched between the two cities, is not only rich in grapes, but many people have never even heard of this name in their entire lives.
On the 20th, I hurried on the road without rest. When I was tired, I just curled up and slept in the cave under the trees for a few hours. When I was hungry, I used the bow and arrow I brought to shoot some hares and dig some bird eggs to eat. The group of seven, on the evening of the twentieth day, was finally about to reach Rundu City.
"What are we going to do now?" A few people stopped their horses, and after dismounting, they pulled the horses to the river next to them to drink water, and then sat down to eat something. He Yan looked forward and saw that it was a field in the distance. When she got to this place, she was familiar with the road.
He Yan didn't speak, just found the tallest tree and climbed up. After a while, he came down from the tree.
Hong Shan handed her a few boiled eggs buried in the ashes: "How is it? Where do we go in?"
The bird's egg was hot, and He Yan flipped it a few times in his hand before peeling off the shell. The steaming food entered his stomach, and the tiredness of the past few days seemed to be lighter. She said: "We can't go in directly from the front. The Uto people are camping outside the city gate. Even if we can avoid the Uto people, the soldiers guarding the city gate in Rundu will not dare to open the city gate."
"Then what should I do?" Jiang Jiao looked at her, "Brother He, what can you do?"
He Yan thought for a while: "I asked Liangzhou Wei's brother before, and I know that there is a trail outside the city gate, and we need to climb over a hill and then walk by water. The horse can't go up, so we can only abandon the horse and walk. Taking a shortcut in the middle can enter Rundu City."
"Really?" Mai asked, "Then let's eat quickly, and continue on our way after eating."
He Yan nodded, looked in the direction of Runducheng, and a trace of worry flashed in his heart.
Naturally, this shortcut was not told to her by the Liangzhou Guard guards. However, when she fought against the Xiqiang people in Rundu many years ago, in order for people to bring in the people from outside the city, she dug a tunnel from the city. Whether it is the Western Qiang people or the Utuo people, it is impossible for a large number of soldiers and horses to take this road.
He Yan was not worried that there were Uto people in ambush there, but what she was worried about was whether Li Kuang had sealed the tunnel after so many years. After all, Rundu has been calm for so many years.
But no matter what, we must continue to move forward.
Everyone quickly finished eating the dry food, and paused here for a while. He Yan removed the reins of several horses one by one, patted the horses' buttocks, and the horses ran into the forest.
"Let's go," she said.
…
In front of the city gate, the guards carefully stared at the distant field, not missing any suspicious place.
In the house, the magistrate Zhao Shiming was pacing back and forth anxiously, looking at the man who was sitting in the center without saying a word, and said anxiously: "Master Chief Soldier, why hasn't General He come yet? You have to think of a way!"
Li Kuang, the chief soldier of Rundu City, has just passed the age of confusion. He is tall and mighty, with a beard around his mouth, which makes him look extraordinarily resolute. He patted the table and said displeasedly, "What's the noise, I've already said it, General He will definitely come to help me Rundu!"
Zhao Shiming was taken aback by him, and he was dissatisfied, but he didn't dare to say anything. Whether Runducheng can be defended now depends entirely on this lord. But more than 20 days have passed, and Huayuan is only four or five days away from Rundu. They can't leave the city now, and they can't find out what's going on in Huayuan, and there is no news at all. Come at ease.
There were still people sitting in the room, and the atmosphere was dull. At this time, someone knocked on the door, the curtain was lifted, and a young woman walked in.
She is an uncompromising beauty, with an oval face, fair skin as jade, and eyes as bright as stars. Even when she is so nervous, she is wearing a light pink embroidered lotus gauze dress, and her face is full of smiles. , put the glass bowl in his hand beside Zhao Shiming, "Don't be angry, Master Zhao, eat some grapes. That's all, you have to eat it sparingly."
Reaching out his hand not to hit the smiling person, especially if he was a beauty, Zhao Shiming was so displeased that he had to put it away, and forced a smile: "Thank you, Miss Qiluo."
Qiluo is Li Kuang's favorite concubine, and she will take her no matter where she is. She is young, beautiful, and smart. Anyone would like to have such a beautiful flower of Jieyu. It's just that in times of war, the color of beauty is not as moving as it used to be.
After Qiluo brought the grapes, he stood behind Li Kuang, stretched out his slender fingers, and rubbed his shoulders for him. Her strength was just right, which relieved a lot of the fatigue of Li Kuang, who had been working hard every day these days. Li Kuang took a sip from the tea bowl on the table and said, "Continue to guard the city gate until General He arrives!"
Zhao Shiming didn't speak, but another man spoke, he was the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in Rundu City: "Lord Li, you must have some time to keep it. Now there is not much food in the city, and our most abundant ordinary... Now we can only get it. Such a small bowl. If you keep it like this, I'm afraid that the people in the city will starve to death before General He comes!"
Some people raised their heads, and the rest followed.
"Yeah, we weren't beaten to death by the Uto people, we were trapped in the city and starved to death, what's the matter?"
"How can Master Li be sure that General He will definitely come? What if General He doesn't come?"
"It's been more than 20 days, is General Feihong unable to protect himself and has an accident?"
The sound of gossip poured into the whole room. Li Kuang punched the table with a "dong". Half a cup of tea was poured out of the tea bowl on the table, and the room gradually became quiet.
"Treasurer Wang said this, but what is his opinion?" He stared at the chairman of the chamber of commerce, his eyes were like a cheetah.
Shopkeeper Wang fought a cold war and stopped talking.
They know that it is not good to hide in the city now, but there is no better way. Is it possible to rush out and fight with the Uto people? Just relying on their men and horses may not be enough. There are a total of 100,000 Uto people outside. Those Uto people who had been defeated in Huayuan did not retreat, but directly integrated, reconciled with the Uto people on the other side, and came to Rundu.
And all the soldiers and horses of Rundu add up to 30,000.
After all, Rundu is just a small town.
"But Mr. Li, it's not the way to keep guarding like this, you have seen it," an old man with white hair said, "In the past few days, the Uto people have been testing frequently at night, and I am afraid they will soon launch a general attack in the city. We can hold on to small troubles, how could it be possible that the 100,000 troops of the Uto people really rushed in?"
Li Kuang gritted his teeth.
These circumstances, he, the city's chief soldier, knows better than anyone else. So he understood from the beginning that the only thing Rundu could do now was to hold back the Uto people and wait for reinforcements to arrive. He Rufei is his old friend, although he and He Rufei are not close friends, but when they fought against the Western Qiang people together, they knew that He Rufei was a brave and fearless hero with the world in mind. Since he asked He Rufei for help, He Rufei would definitely come over. If there is no news for such a long time, in all likelihood, He Rufei has also encountered trouble.
But Rundu has nothing else to ask for help. Jinling? Jinling has no generals to lead troops and horses to garrison. There are only troops and horses in the city, but they cannot leave the city to run the capital, making Jinling in crisis. Among the two famous generals of the Wei Dynasty, there is also Xiao Huaijin. Unfortunately, Xiao Huaijin is far away in Liangzhou and cannot quench his thirst.
For a while, Li Kuang secretly hated the traitor's seizure of power. If it weren't for this, the Nanfu soldiers brought by Xiao Huaijin would definitely be able to beat these Utuo people back to their hometown, and would never dare to step into the Great Wei land.
When it was silent, Zhao Shiming suddenly said: "Master Li, do you still remember that when General Feihong was in the city, he dug a secret tunnel that could lead to the outside of the city?"
Everyone looked at Zhao Shiming, and everyone was familiar with this matter. Back then, the Xiqiang people slaughtered the people of the city who could not enter the city outside the city gate of Rundu. General Feihong asked people to dig out the tunnel and secretly gathered the people outside the city and brought them into the city. At that time, many people's lives were saved, and those people were very grateful to He Rufei—they thought they had been abandoned.
"What do you want to say?" Li Kuang asked.
Zhao Shiming sighed, stood up, and bowed to Li Kuang with a big gift, "At the end of the road, Zhao is very old, and he is the county magistrate of Rundu. Naturally, he will not leave and share with the people in the city. Live or die, but... Zhao's grandson is only three years old now."
"Please, Master Li, allow Zhao to let his family take his grandson to leave the tunnel."
Everyone was shocked.
Immediately afterwards, someone followed Zhao Shiming's words: "I beg Master Li to allow my mother to leave with her wife and children."
"Please Mr. Li..."
Everyone here has already made up their minds to die, and the only thing they care about is the safety of their families. They all asked Li Kuang to give his wife, children and children a chance.
Qiluo pursed her lips and secretly glanced at Zhao Shiming.
Sure enough, the next moment, Zhao Shiming said angrily: "Ridiculous, all of you have to take your family out of the city and leave, and the people follow suit. In the end, the Utuo people don't have to fight, I think this city is empty!"
"You are here, shaking the hearts of the army!" At the end, the tone suddenly turned sharp, the killing energy was fully displayed, and everyone was silent.
Qiluo stepped aside, not daring to speak at this juncture.
In the silence, suddenly, someone outside came to report: "Sir, my lord—"
"What's the panic?" Li Kuang frowned.
"Our tunnel... tunnel... someone came in!"
"What?" Li Kuang stood up suddenly, the first thought that popped into his mind was that He Rufei was here? After all, apart from those people who climbed the tunnel back then, He Rufei walked through the tunnel personally. He asked, "But General Feihong?"
"No..." The guard said, "Say yes, say yes..."
"Wu'an Lang Heyan." Before he finished speaking, the door curtain was raised again, and a young man in red walked in.
This is a face that Li Kuang doesn't know. The boy is not very old, at most sixteen or seventeen years old. The life is very beautiful and bright, and the most attractive thing is the pair of eyes, shining like bright gems. There was a smile on his lips, and he didn't panic when he saw a room full of people. He bowed his hands to Li Kuang calmly and said, "I have seen Mr. Li."
Li Kuang frowned and shouted, "Who are you?"
He Yan pointed to his clothes, and shook out a seal from his sleeve and threw it to Li Kuang, "He Yan is under."
The seal letter can't be faked, and this crown suit looks real. It's just that Li Kuang has been an official for a long time, and this is the first time I've heard the name He Yan. For a while, there was some doubts, but Qiluo next to him gave a "Yeah" and said softly: "Wu Anlang? But in Jiyang City with Governor Xiao, they set fire to the canal, defeated the Utuo people, and finally the one whom His Majesty sealed. Wu Anlang?"
It is said that no one knows Wu Anlang, and everyone knows that the fire of the Jiyang Canal defeated the Utuo people. Everyone looked at He Yan in surprise, because they remembered that there was a close associate of Xiao Jue who fought side by side with Xiao Jue and won the official title, but they didn't expect it to be such a young man
The age is too young.
Could it be fake
The more suspicious the crowd became, Li Kuang felt relieved. If it was a Uto people's conspiracy, there was no need to find a half-old child to arouse suspicion. But... He asked, "How do you know the tunnels in Jiyang City?"
"I don't know," He Yan said, "the governor told me."
Xiao Huaijin? Li Kuang said in his heart that with Xiao Huaijin's ability, it was not difficult to find this tunnel. It's just... He had expectations in his heart: "Did Governor Xiao asked you to come? Did Governor Xiao plan to support Rundu? How many soldiers and horses did you bring this time? The soldiers and horses can't enter the tunnel, are your people all outside the city? guard?"
He Yan stared at Li Kuang, who had worked hard for days to defend the city, bloodshot eyes appeared in his eyes, and he looked very haggard. But he hasn't seen him in a few years, and he looks a lot older too. Facing such expectant eyes, He Yan slowly shook his head: "I came by myself, I didn't bring troops and horses, and there were no Nanfu soldiers guarding outside the city."
The joy of the people in the house was instantly diluted by He Yan's words, and Li Kuang asked, "Are you joking?"
He Yan retrieved his own seal and put it away: "I am Wu An Lang, the imperial seal of His Majesty. I have urgent military affairs, so I don't need to obey the command of the governor."
Li Kuang looked at her and felt that this young man was simply inexplicable. At first he thought that He Yan was here under Xiao Jue's command, but now he told him that He Yan made his own decisions? He asked: "So Wu Anlang, you came to Rundu alone, are you here to play? I'm sorry I can't understand."
He Yan smiled: "I'm here to help you."
"Just you?"
"It's just us."
As soon as the words came out, a human voice could be heard outside, "Yes, and us! Why do you look down on people!"
The door curtain was lifted, Qiluo covered her mouth, and saw people coming in in twos and threes. There are all kinds of tall, short, fat and thin people, except He Yan, there are six people in total.
A man who looked arrogant and had a scar on his face stepped forward and said in a arrogant tone: "I've traveled thousands of miles to come here, I didn't listen to your nonsense! Here, Liangzhou Weidi One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, if you don't do anything else, I'll help you fight the Uto people! Don't be cheap and be good at it. If you talk nonsense again, I will fight you and the Uto people together!"
Li Kuang's face was ashen, where did this bandit come from, with no military discipline, no one in his eyes!
However, there was someone who looked more handsome and kind. He bowed his hands to everyone and said with a smile: "The Liangzhou Guard has been staying for a long time, and his words are a bit rude. I hope you all, Haihan. But Mr. Li really doesn't need to worry, our seven brothers are here. Here, it will not hold back Rundu, in fact, in the past, we have played against the Uto people twice, and we have the most experience in how to defeat the Uto people.”
He Yan looked at Jiang Jiao's back, and thought that he was indeed the young master of Shuojing Martial Arts Academy.
Li Kuang didn't speak, but Zhao Shiming on the side came forward immediately, held Jiang Jiao's hand, and said with tears: "That's great, Rundu needs heroes like you!"
It's a joke, now that one more person fights the Uto people, Rundu will be able to support one more moment, and maybe the moment he supports more, he will be able to wait for the reinforcements of General Feihong. And what did they just say? Have played against the Uto people twice in the past and won both? This kind of military division is simply giving help in the snow!
For a while, Zhao Shiming didn't care about Li Kuang's face, he just said warmly: "You heroes are willing to come to my Rundu at such a critical juncture regardless of their life and death, it's really noble! It's a pity that Rundu is now embarrassed and unable to repay. As soon as he turned his head, he saw the grapes on the table, borrowed flowers to offer Buddha, and held them up and handed them over: "This is our specialty grape in Rundu, you can taste it!"
Jiang Jiao handed the grapes to the wheat, and the wheat could not ask for it, so he was happy to eat with the bowl.
Now let alone grapes, there is not much food, and everyone in the house swallowed their saliva when they saw how happy they were eating the wheat.
He Yan looked at Li Kuang: "I have a few words to say to Master Li."
Li Kuang glared at He Yan. He didn't dare to say that he completely believed in this young man, but he couldn't find anything wrong for the time being. Hearing that, he said, "You come with me."
He Yan followed Li Kuang into his study, and the rest of the others were outside. When he got to the study, Li Kuang sat down, looked at him, and said coldly: "There is no one else here, Wu Anlang has something to say."
Having worked with Li Kuang in the past, He Yan also knows that Li Kuang still has doubts about herself now, which is understandable. If it were her, and suddenly such a group of people came to tell her to come to help, she would also be suspicious. He Yan took out a pair of scrolls from his arms: "On the way from Liangzhou Wei to Rundu, when I had time to rest, I carefully recalled the scene of the previous battle with the Uto people, and remembered the characteristics and habits of the Uto people in combat. I went down. I fought against the Uto people twice, once in Liangzhouwei and once in Jiyang. The land and water battles have their own characteristics. This should be beneficial to Lord Li."
Li Kuang took the letter suspiciously, and as soon as he unfolded it, his face changed slightly, and his expression became a little excited. He could naturally see whether what was recorded on this scroll was nonsense or true. At least some of the things he wrote were similar to his experience with the Uto people.
He has written it himself, but it is not as clear and detailed as the one on this scroll. This is of course because he was not as close to He Yan as he played against the Utuo people twice, and there was another reason, his own ability was not as outstanding as He Yan's. For a while, he looked at the scroll, and another figure appeared in his mind, He Rufei.
He Rufei's ability to summarize battles is also equally accurate.
He knew the preciousness of this scroll, so when he looked at He Yan, he softened a little and asked, "You wrote all of this?"
"It was written by me and my brothers." He Yan did not take all the credit for himself, "Everyone has their own areas of expertise, what one person does not see, the other pays attention to, can avoid loopholes to the greatest extent possible. ."
Li Kuang nodded: "Thank you."
He Yan looked at him: "Master Li, forgive me, what are your plans after that? Are you just standing at the city gate and waiting for General Feihong to bring reinforcements? If General Feihong doesn't come, what should you do? ?"
He Yan is not the first person to say this, nor will he be the last. Li Kuang sighed: "Other than that, what else can we do? There are not many soldiers and horses in the city, and it is a pleasure to fight against the water, but once the city is broken, tens of thousands of people will all be buried under the sword of the Utuo people. It is the first danger, once Rundu is broken, Jinling will follow, and then all the way north..." After a pause, he said again: "Your Majesty wants us to swear to defend Rundu, we can't leave Rundu one step."
He suddenly remembered something and looked at He Yan: "Brother He, did you come in from outside the city? Actually, there is still a way."
He Yan had already guessed what he wanted to say, and smiled: "Master Li still doesn't want me to go out of the city to Huayuan to ask General Feihong for help?"
"Our people have already sent out three rounds, but no news has been heard. Since Brother He was able to retreat from the battle of Jiyang with Governor Xiao, he would like to come here with extraordinary skills. If he can go out of the city and find General Feihong, perhaps Rundu can still be saved. ."
"Does Master Li think that the person who was sent out before was stopped by someone on the way to find General Feihong and had an accident?"
Li Kuang was stunned, "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that with three groups of people, it is extremely unlikely that the entire army will be wiped out before they reach Huayuan, and there is no news so far. I am afraid that General Feihong himself is in trouble. Now everyone is trapped in Rundu. , I don't know what's going on outside, and waiting rashly, I'm afraid it will hurt a whole city of people."
He Yan didn't understand what she said, because she knew it very well, and she was afraid that the people sent by Li Kuang would be silenced by He Rufei after seeing He Rufei. Li Kuang had worked with "General Feihong". In order to avoid being exposed, He Rufei wished that Li Kuang died without a place to be buried, so how could he lend a helping hand, even if it was close at hand.
In the past, Li Kuang's understanding of "General Feihong" would have been waiting for the New Year when He Rufei would come to the rescue.
"Have you heard about General Feihong on your way here?" Li Kuang was still unwilling.
He Yan shook his head.
The man lowered his head, let out a long sigh, and said, "Today's plan can only be delayed for a while."
He Yan asked, "Could it be that Master Li only wrote to General Feihong for help?"
"There are others, but they are too far away from Rundu, so I'm afraid they won't last that long."
He Yan thought for a while, "Actually, Lord Li, have you ever thought that defending is worse than attacking, instead of sitting still, it is better to take the initiative to attack."
Li Kuang: "Wonderful!"
The young man looked at him with firm eyes, "It's not a whim, but waiting for an opportunity to change from defense to offense."