Amidst the weak cicadas
On the zigzag narrow path between the low and unnamed mountains, a team with a lot of livestock is slowly moving forward, but the lifeless atmosphere is a bit depressing, and there is no longer between the elongated and deformed queues. How much whispering talk, or yelling of greeting each other.
Sitting in a bumpy ox cart, Zhou Huaian was slowly recalling what had happened before. When the distance rushed out of Shixiang Town, their small team was hiding in the east, evasive. In the tossing, three days have passed.
At the beginning, due to the chaos of the nearby Xishanman, he decisively decided, with the assistance and call of Laoguan, to retake those volunteers and soldiers who were still willing to obey and follow him and bring them back to the garrison. Go in the middle of the field
Then, amidst panic and chaos, he tried his best to bring most of the mules and horses on standby and some carts that have already been packed, and then headed in the other direction that has not yet encountered the enemy, from this melee battlefield. Break out among them.
Thinking of this, Zhou Huaian couldn't help but glance at the same gray-headed and unspeakably tired Laoguan, seeming to feel a little bit of sympathy; it seems that the friendship and tacit understanding of men who have jointly carried the grabbing together are in the process of fighting side by side, inadvertently. Initially cultivated.
Then he couldn't help sighing again. There were only one hundred and sixty-seven people left beside him. Most of them were new local pawns who were recruited one after another. The other old pawns and regular pawns remained. There were only a dozen card soldiers who had obeyed Laoguan's command, plus the majority of the archers who were directly under the shooting team of Deputy Lieutenant Lu.
It can be said that Zhou Huai'an, as the person in charge of the whole process of participating in the statistics, this time, the stormy camp sent out the sentry group after another group of people, plus half the number of miscellaneous servants, and recruits and supplements along the way. New soldiers, with a total of more than 1,700 people, are left with less than one-tenth of the survivors right now.
And being able to rush out of the chaotic town of Shixiang is just the beginning. After being temporarily out of danger and danger, people will soon be left behind and slip away, especially those civilians and new pawns; after all, it is always There are many people who feel good about themselves. They feel that the goal of following the group is too obvious, and they have the confidence and confidence to escape back to a safe place.
Or they have other different motives and purposes. For example, the fire chief of a sentry food team resolutely refused to believe that Sihui county has already had speculation and judgment about the situation, and insisted on going to reunite and search for possible reinforcements to rescue these fellows trapped in Shixiang Town. . Then I can only get together and scold my mother in my heart while expressing sincere blessings for the other party to have a safe journey and get what they want.
However, it's like the basic principles and metaphysical probability of some kind of good and bad spirit,
Then, between the encounters the next day, Zhou Huaian saw them, who had taken the initiative to leave, hung upside down on the side of the road after being severely tortured and died in a miserable corpse; they were finally nailed to a broken wall, leading the fire chief. His eyes, nose, and ears were gone, and only a bloody outline of the skull remained, which was only recognized by the familiar robe and physical characteristics.
Therefore, the rest of these miscellaneous people are actually Zhou Huai'an's most steadfast followers in a short period of time; and a certain initial division of labor has been formed during the running-in of extreme events.
The equipment and baggage left in Shixiang Town were also lost seven or eighty-eight, but most of the livestock and animal power, as well as a small number of valuable and portable objects, were brought out by the chaos; therefore, On the way, it was able to keep on relying on the surplus of livestock for transportation and transportation, and also as a supplement to meat.
However, before arriving at the first two stops in Shixiang Town, someone had already sent a batch of materials for the return journey, so this time the final loss was not more than one-quarter to one-fifth of the expected amount. One; only the fragrant medicines collected by Zhou Huai'an in the local area and the preparations for the preparation of the plan were completely lost.
After all the sorted materials were lost, only two of the twenty-odd craftsmen recruited on the spot followed him to the end;
In contrast, the group of hunters and mountain people recruited along the way are more adaptable and perform better. No one left behind or escaped. On the contrary, they can take turns with relative ease after eating. When stationed to rest, the characters scattered around the periphery to observe and to detect the sentry in front.
It can be said that under the pressure of survival and the atmosphere of collective survival, any dissident performance and murmur of different thoughts will be rejected and suppressed to a minimum by most people. At least under the leadership of Zhou Huaian, their losses can be said to be minimal;
Thanks to the relatively effective preparation measures, coupled with the ability to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages that cannot be said famously; therefore, with the exception of a few severely wounded wounded who were hurriedly buried, this exhausted man was exhausted from the day before yesterday. Team, there will be no more attrition.
This result was the only battle that could not be avoided, which was a temporary checkpoint set by the barbarians on the way back to Guangzhou. Although in advance investigation, there was only one small head with bird feathers and a dozen or so unclothed soldiers, they were still on the top of the slope that was quite well and condescending.
As a result, after the initial approach, the first round of sneak attacks launched under the cover of bow and arrow shooting, one face was killed or most of them were placed; then the remaining two passbooks did not flee on the spot or recklessly counterattack. , Is shouting and roaring loudly in place.
Then the people who rushed up discovered that behind the slope, there was a group of savages coming from the forest, so they had to rely on a simple level made of a few logs to turn the accidental sneak attack into A battle of positions suddenly encountered.
In the end, the result and cost of breaking through this obstacle was to abandon some of the excess burden, and to add more than 20 wounded positions on the stretcher carried by the donkey mule, as well as a large group of flies that buzzed and couldn't gather.
Suddenly, there was a series of rapid bird chirps in front, which represented a signal that the outpost's spies had discovered; then Zhou Huaian rode a mule to check it out.
The rolling mountain road between the hills seems to have come to an end here, and behind the shrub-filled mounds, a gurgling river and a large field of weeds are exposed.
And not far from the field is a small ferry. Zhou Huaian still vaguely remembered that this was the place they had passed by. It is also considered that their team, ramming towards the southeast, has found the familiar way back again. .
It's just that the ferry has been planted with ochre flags, and many people ride on the river on the bamboo rafts and wooden platoons, dragged by the ropes, wave after wave.
Then, in the sharp sound of dying, I saw the dense reeds by the river, suddenly stood up with a large swath of armed men wearing the unique hats of the soldiers, while shooting arrows while waving their weapons, shouting and roaring towards the narrow The cramped ferry besieged and killed.
"Hurry up and call off the team..."
Zhou Huaian's expression changed involuntarily.
"Be prepared, we are going out to fight..." (End of this chapter)