The rumbling sound of horse hooves could be heard from all directions. Madam Gao was only a few dozen steps away when a Khitan soldier jumped off his horse in front of her, grabbed her waist roughly and lifted her up with one hand. Madam Gao screamed miserably and desperately. She looked up at Guo Shao with a pleading look on her face. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were untidy, and the skin on her white and plump chest and legs was exposed. She looked disheveled, as if she had just been raped and captured. She didn't know what kind of treatment she would receive.
The nearby twenty or thirty Liao cavalry were scattered and were coming to encircle them, and from the north a dense group of cavalry was driving far in. The situation looked very critical, and if Guo Shao and others did not get away immediately, they would most likely be dragged down and surrounded.
But this is Hebei, China's base since ancient times. The elder sister of a high-ranking general of the dynasty was wantonly humiliated on her own land, and under Guo Shao's nose, which made Guo Shao feel an unbearable sense of shame. If such a thing can be tolerated, can you tolerate it if foreigners rush to the capital in the future and arrest the women of the royal officials according to the list and torture them on the grassland
The anxious shouts of the lord's personal soldiers were heard.
The tiger on the banner of the Tiger Army roared in Guo Shao's heart. Guo Shao's eyes widened, and he observed and judged the distance of the Liao cavalry in a short time. Suddenly, he reined in his horse and fell off the horse, rolling on the ground and crawling up.
His finger had touched the arrow in the quiver, and it flew out, hitting the temple of the Liao soldier who was holding Gao by the waist. Gao's face was splashed with blood, and he fell to the ground. He got up and rolled over to this side, crying, "Save me, General! Save me!"
Guo Shao ignored her, took a deep breath and became calmer. Bang, another Liao cavalryman was shot in the head a few dozen steps away, without even a sound.
Another rider turned his horse around and tried to run away, but suddenly several bowstring sounds were heard at the same time, and the Liao soldier was hit by two arrows in a row, screaming and falling off his horse. When Guo Shao looked back, all his brothers had reined in their horses, and several of his personal soldiers dismounted and shot on foot.
At this time, Guo Shao had already stepped on the stirrup, slapped the horse's butt with one hand, and rushed towards Gao. Although Gao's face was frozen pale and half of her face was covered with blood, she was a beautiful woman with dignified features and quite charming. No wonder she looked at least in her thirties and was still being robbed by the Liao army generals. She was also running towards Guo Shao in panic, because Guo Shao and others not only spoke Chinese, but also dressed like people from the Central Plains. Her chest was shaking like jelly, and she obviously didn't care about any etiquette. Women can only be particular in orderly places. In a place like this where people are treated like animals, how can they care about etiquette and shame
Yang Biao and others followed behind Guo Shao. Guo Shao rushed to Gao's side first. Gao's face was covered with tears, and there were bruises and wounds on her chest and neck. She looked very miserable. She stared at Guo Shao with pleading eyes: Thank you, General. I will never forget your life-saving grace.
Madam Gao, we are one of our own. Guo Shao said only one sentence and hurriedly dismounted. But his attention was not mainly on Madam Gao, but on the Liao cavalryman who shot and killed two Han cavalrymen. The man was very good at archery and shot two arrows in total, neither of which missed.
As expected, the Liao cavalry had already come from the right wing. Guo Shao immediately took out his arrow and stared at the direction he was coming from. The guy seemed to be very experienced. He did not charge straight ahead, but charged diagonally to the side of Guo Shao, so that he was a horizontally moving target and was not easy to be hit.
The Liao cavalry was also very patient, circling and approaching, not firing an arrow until they were within range. However, the range and accuracy of horse archery could not match that of foot archery, so Guo Shao would not give him a chance to get close. He drew his bow to its full length and fired an arrow with great force when he estimated that they were about a hundred steps away.
The Liao cavalryman was hit by an arrow, but he did not die. He immediately gave up the attack and turned around and left.
There were still 20 or 30 scattered cavalrymen around, but seeing that the situation was not right, the Liao cavalrymen did not dare to approach Guo Shao and the other nine. The Liao soldiers only wandered around in the distance, waiting for the opportunity. The sound of horse hooves from the north was getting closer and closer.
Guo Shao did not dare to stay any longer, so he threw away his bow and went up to Gao without saying anything. Gao screamed in shock but did not struggle. Guo Shao carried her to the horse's back and sat her sideways. Then he climbed on top of the horse and held her in his arms, shouting, "Let's go!"
He led a few riders to follow Guo Shao, then turned around and galloped south.
Gao lowered her head and at first just grabbed Guo Shao's armor, but the horse was shaking so much that she simply stretched out her arms and hugged Guo Shao's waist tightly. Guo Shao was wearing armor under his cloak, so he didn't care about or feel the woman's body. But her long hair was messy, and when the wind blew during the horse race, it swept across Guo Shao's face.
"Don't block my eyes with your hair," Guo Shao shouted.
He suddenly felt a weight on his back, as if he had been hit by an arrow. When he looked back, the surrounding rangers saw them running and were chasing them from behind. The two sides shot back and forth, and the sound of the arrows was terrifying. But most of them missed, especially the arrows shot by Guo Shao's personal soldiers who were completely inaccurate.
General Gao also discovered that Guo Shao had been shot in the back.
Brother, are you okay? Yang Biao also shouted. Guo Shaodao: Maybe it's just a nail penetration, skin injury, hurry up
The whole group ran wildly, totally disregarding their mounts, and rushed towards the river at the speed of a charge. Fortunately, the distance was not far, and when Guo Shao arrived at the ferry, he saw that the Dingzhou army general had brought a large group of horsemen, who had already transported more than a dozen horses across the river and were coming to meet Guo Shao.
Guo Shao ignored them, dismounted when he reached the river, and carried Gao off the horse. Seeing so many people, Gao grabbed her clothes with both hands.
Abandon the horses, let's cross the river first. Guo Shao turned around and said. He looked at Gao, who had been rescued with great difficulty. She was shivering from the cold and looked at Guo Shao and said, "General, I'm sorry for getting you injured." Guo Shao hurriedly took off his cloak and wrapped it around her.
Gao limped over, and Guo Shao said that they could only survive if they crossed the river quickly, and that they should go back first before talking. He then picked her up by the waist without further ado and jumped directly onto the boat.
At this time, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and came up to ask about Guo Shao's injury. Guo Shao put Gao down and said: "The arrow hit the scapula, but the arm is not affected. It should be just a skin injury. Please help me pull out the arrow."
Madam Gao knelt down on the boat and asked: "My benefactor, your name is Guo Shao,
Guo Shao hurriedly supported him and said: No, I am Guo Shao, the general of the Great Zhou Imperial Guards, you don't have to worry.
Soon the boat reached the shore, and Mrs. Gao fell to the ground as soon as she got ashore, scooping up a handful of soil and crying bitterly. Everyone was saddened to see her.
Madam Gao cried for a while and then sobbed: "The people who saved me said that General Guo came from Tokyo and asked King Wei to send people to search for me and rescue me. That's how I was found. Otherwise, I would have been in Khitan for many years and no one would have cared about me. General Guo is a high-ranking general of the imperial army, and he personally risked his life to save me from the tiger's mouth. The Gao and Dong families will remember this kindness in their hearts. Please accept my kowtow."
Guo Shao supported her and said: Dong Zunxun has always been worried about his mother. Now that his wife is back, it is good. After all the hardships, he will definitely be compensated by his family in the future. Don't worry too much about the rescue.
At this time, a carriage arrived. Guo Shao was very flattering. Knowing that Madam Gao's leg seemed to be injured and there were no women around to help her, he helped Madam Gao to get on the carriage and treated her like a treasure. She was not only a woman, but also the mother of the imperial army general Dong Zunxun, who was worried about her every day, and the elder sister of the general Gao Huaide.
Guo Shao took the reins, climbed onto a warhorse, looked back at the other side, there were still a dozen riders there, and the ferry was moving very slowly, so he shouted: Don't worry about the horses, come back first. He could not take care of the Dingzhou army, so he took Gao's carriage and his entourage back to Dingzhou City.
Gao settled down in the inn where Guo Shao and others were staying. The Dingzhou Shogunate sent a dozen maids and servants to take care of her, and also invited a doctor to treat her injuries.
He personally inquired about Gao's affairs, and then asked Yang Biao and others to help him remove his armor and look at the wound on his back. Yang Biao muttered: If Gao Huaide doesn't remember his brother's friendship in the future, then he will be meaningless.
Zuo You said: "Fortunately, there was no danger. My lord, please do not put yourself in danger again. The Gao and Dong families have never had any grudges against us. If they may not appreciate it, you don't have to worry. Madam Gao will also speak for you."
Guo Shao took off his clothes and carefully checked the damaged parts of his clothes and armor to see if there were any debris left in the wound. He said: I can feel that there is definitely no broken bones, but this kind of injury is most afraid of infection and suppuration. You go find some strong liquor, mix some concentrated salt water, boil it, and then help me clean the wound.
When they got the things, they suddenly saw Madam Gao approaching the door. Guo Shao hurriedly pulled a piece of clothing to cover his upper body, and heard her say: Please let me clean the arrow wound for General Guo.
Guo Shao said: It's just a superficial wound, it's okay. There are urgent matters on the battlefield, I hope Madam will not mind my impoliteness.
Gao said lightly: Of course I understand. If we fall into the hands of the Khitans again, they will no longer be able to observe etiquette. My son is as old as General Guo. Seeing that you were injured for me and I could not help you, this is the only thing I can do to express my gratitude.
Guo Shao heaved a sigh of relief after hearing her speak so frankly. He thought: What am I thinking? In this era, Madam Gao is old enough to be my mother. Perhaps this woman still has charm, which is why Guo Shao is so suspicious. If it was that kind old lady with wrinkles on her face, she probably wouldn't care.
If Gao could treat me like an elder and treat me like a relative, what would be wrong? It would be like a marriage and would enhance the relationship between the two families. Her son and brother would more or less listen to her.
When Guo Shao thought about this, he did not object and asked Gao to clean the arrow wound on his back in public.