In the makeshift shack in the hall, a small pot of hot water was bubbling on a small bonfire. Gongsun Lan carefully took out a small bag of tea leaves from her arms and poured it into the pot, and after a while, a stream of tea fragrance came out. Gongsun Lan took a tea bag with her when she set off, she knew that Wang Yuan liked to drink tea, and every time she was stuck on the way, Gongsun Lan would boil a pot of tea for Wang Yuan to enjoy, and this bag of tea was already the last bag at this time.

Wang Yuan personally poured three cups of tea for Li Xin'er, Qingyun'er, and Ziyun'er, who were sitting in front of him, and said pitifully: "Drink some tea to settle down, and then let's talk slowly." ”

Li Xin'er and Qingzi hurriedly got up and thanked her, took a few sips of tea and drank gently, and exhaled almost at the same time. The moment when the husband and wife reunited in front of them, sitting together and sipping tea, compared with the arduous process of the past ten days, it was like being in a dream.

After drinking tea and calming down, Li Xin'er finally slowly recounted the situation along the way.

"After we separated in Xingzhou East that day, Qing'er Zi'er and I, along with more than a hundred cavalry guards, led the people slowly forward. You told me not to rush, go slowly, and we will listen to your words and go slowly. In fact, I can't walk if I want to, because the people are old and frail, and they can't walk when the weather is too hot, because they are afraid of heat stroke. They could not go at night, for fear that they would fall and stumble. Therefore, there are only a few hours of the day from early morning to early afternoon, and two hours from the end of the afternoon to the end of the day before dark, and you can walk very slowly. Li Xin'er recalled with a confused look in her eyes.

Wang Yuan nodded and said: "I know it will be very slow, very slow, you have no cars and horses to travel, and you don't have enough manpower to assist, so it will naturally be very difficult." ”

Li Xin'er smiled and said: "It's okay to go slowly, the key is ...... The people simply don't follow the rules. When they were tired, they sat on the ground and rested, and we had to urge them back and forth. Because once they fall behind, they simply can't catch up. The team is very long because of the dragging, stamping, and pulling, and the team is afraid that it is six or seven miles away from beginning to end, and we have few people, how can we take care of such a long team? I can't beat and beat, I can't scold and scold, it's just haggard. At that time, my injuries had not healed, and I couldn't stand it, Qing'er and Zi'er also had injuries, but they gritted their teeth and worked hard for them. I don't know what I would have done without them helping me. ”

Wang Yuan looked at Qingyun'er and Ziyun'er, and the two sisters blushed slightly and said, "What is there to say about this, originally the two of us just stayed to help my sister, it's just a matter of duty." ”

Wang Yuan smiled approvingly, turned his head and said, "I know this matter is very difficult, I estimate that you can only travel twenty miles a day, and I am afraid that twenty miles will be difficult according to what you say." ”

Li Xin'er said with a smile: "It's true that you can't walk twenty miles, but as long as you can keep walking, you can always go, and I don't worry about it." It's just that there are continuous accidents along the way, but we didn't expect it. ”

Wang Yuan frowned and said, "Did that rainstorm make you suffer?" ”

Li Xin'er sighed lightly and said, "Yes, we were preparing to set off that morning, when suddenly there was lightning and thunder, and the heavy rain fell. Originally, everyone was quite happy, because it finally rained after so many days of drought, which is a great thing. So everyone braved the heavy rain to move forward. But the rain has not stopped, everyone's bodies are soaked, and there are Xiaoice hail in the rain, how can the people stand it? So I discussed it very much, and took the people to shelter from the rain in a wood. But the rain became heavier and heavier, and the ground was flooded, and the ground in the forest was very low, and the water was up to the knees, and it kept rising, so we had to go out of the forest again and continue to walk on the official road. ”

Wang Yuan frowned and listened to Li Xin'er's narration, imagining the situation at that time, and really sweated for them.

But after walking a few miles in the rain, the road was completely blocked by the current. The official road was swept away by the flood and a large gap was opened, and it was impossible to cross it at all. We had no choice but to take a detour to the south and find a higher place to walk. Everyone was soaking wet, shivering with cold when the wind blew. Who would have thought that on such a hot day yesterday, a heavy rain would freeze people's lips purple? It's incredible. Li Xin'er frowned and shook her head.

Wang Yuan said: "Didn't you encounter the rebels who fled from outside the plain city? On the eve of the rainstorm we broke the enemy's army, and a large number of rebels fled westward, and my greatest fear was that they would meet you. ”

Li Xin'er was stunned and said, "It turns out that those are rebels? As we walked south, we saw many corpses floating down the river. We thought that some rebels had drowned in a flood to the north of us, and we were so frightened that we didn't dare to stay at all, and we went all the way south, trying to get far away. ”

Wang Yuan suddenly realized, he bowed to the sky, and said in a deep voice: "God bless, this rainstorm has saved you." If it weren't for the torrential rain blocking the road, you would have encountered the rebel deserters. It is thanks to you that you were forced to go south, so you passed by them. ”

Li Xin'er and Qingyun'er Ziyun'er both screamed, and they suddenly understood how lucky this matter was. It would be a terrible encounter with thousands of rebels in the rout. Even if there are cavalry in front of the reconnaissance and advance, I am afraid that they will not be able to dodge the enemy when they see it, because the people's movement is too slow, and it is impossible for them to dodge the other side in time.

Wang Yuan smiled bitterly: "But you perfectly avoided the defeated soldiers and horses of the rebels, but you also perfectly avoided me." I led people to look for you, but I didn't see any trace of you along the way, and I guess you must have changed the route of the march. ”

Li Xin'er and Qingyun'er Ziyun'er were both surprised: "Has Erlang gone to look for us?" ”

Gongsun Lan smiled beside him: "How could he not answer you." I'm as anxious as an ant on a hot pot, and when the rain stops a little, I'll take someone to look for you. But I didn't find any trace of you, and I came back in disgrace, worried about you for so many days, and couldn't sleep at night, for fear that something would happen to you. ”

The third daughter looked at Wang Yuan gratefully, and Li Xin'er said, "Hey, but it's wrong." Because I saw those corpses, I thought that there were soldiers and horses going to the Plains City for reinforcements. After the rain stopped, we didn't dare to go in the direction of Plains City, for I was afraid that we would be caught in the net. I knew that you were going to break through to the crossing of the Yellow River, so I simply let everyone go all the way south, wanting to wait for you halfway. Jiro, you won't blame me for making up my own mind. ”

Wang Yuan laughed and said, "Blame you? I thank you before it's too late. Thankfully, you kept heading south, and not only did you avoid the fleeing rebels, but you also dodged one of the enemy soldiers behind you. Do you know that when I went to look for you, I found a 30,000-strong army and horse on its way to the Plains City for reinforcements. If you still want to go to Plains City, you will be caught up by this soldier and horse, and the consequences will be unimaginable. Twelve Niang, you are really a blessed person, it seems that God is helping you in the dark. ”

Li Xin'er and Qingyun'er Ziyun'er were all in a daze with their mouths open, they never expected that they would avoid two encounters with the rebels because of a rainstorm. That's a lot of luck. Now think about what it would have been like if it hadn't been for this rainstorm that forced the decision to go south.

"It's really a mistake, and there is a providence in the dark." Gongsun Lan sighed.

Li Xin'er and the other three daughters couldn't cry or laugh, and they didn't know what to say.

"Why did you suddenly appear here all the way south? Baimadu is more than ten miles to the west, and you have appeared on the east side of Baimadu? Wang Yuan said in surprise.

Li Xin'er was stunned and said, "Is this the east of Baimadu?" We thought that Baimadu would go east, and everyone said that we would definitely be able to get there tomorrow after walking along the river for a day. ”

Wang Yuan opened his mouth and rolled his eyes: "Don't tell me that you are on the wrong path, you don't know where Baimadu is." You're coming from the west, don't you have a road crossing? ”

Li Xin'er Pu fanned her eyes and said, "We didn't come from the west, we came from the north." We turned back halfway and arrived at Jun County, I remember hearing you say before that you can reach Baimadu from Pingyuan City through Jun County to the south, and I did what you said. ”

Wang Yuan was even more surprised: "You mean, you guys crossed our southward march route and slanted into Jun County, but they went south to reach here?" ”

"yes, exactly." Li Xin'er said.

Wang Yuan almost went crazy, swallowing and foaming: "Didn't you encounter the pursuers chasing after us on the road?" ”

"No, we only found a lot of mule and horse feces and footprints on an official road, and we don't dare to follow those footprints, in case it is the rebel soldiers and horses. So we just followed the route I knew beforehand to Jun County. We found dozens of carts in a small town in Anyang County, and used horses to pull the people who couldn't walk, and the weather was cool these days, so we walked for more than eight hours every day. The further south we went, the more energetic the people became, so we walked as fast as we could. Sometimes you can travel forty or fifty miles a day. Li Xin'er said with an innocent face.

Wang Yuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, Li Xin'er's luck was simply against the sky. In such a daze, he led people across the marching route of himself and his pursuers, not to mention the perfect miss, but he actually copied the shortcut of Jun County, and arrived at the bank of the Yellow River before the arrival of the brigade in Pingyuan City. I actually thought that the white horse crossing was in the east, but I met myself who happened to come in advance to survey the terrain. If all this had not been heard and the facts were all in person, Wang Yuan would not have believed that he had such good luck.

"Erlang, what's wrong with you? What are we doing wrong? Don't be angry. Seeing Wang Yuan's strange expression, Li Xin'er hurriedly shook Wang Yuan's arm and asked.

Wang Yuan took a hard breath and waved his hand: "It's none of your business, it's my own business, I want to be calm and calm." ”

……

The ins and outs of the matter have been roughly understood, and Wang Yuan not only admires Li Xin'er's unnatural luck, but also empathizes with their hardships along the way. Looking at the three women's haggard faces, they couldn't help but feel very guilty.

Wang Yuan got up and bowed to the three girls: "Three ladies, this road is dangerous and hard, you have suffered." Please bow down to me. ”

Li Xin'er, Qingyun'er, and Ziyun'er hurriedly got up to return the salute, Lang Jun can say this, and the hardships and hardships suffered along the way are not in vain.

The husband and wife talked in the small shack, and Wang Yuan also informed the three daughters of the situation and the current situation along the way. The three girls were very worried when they learned that they had been followed by tens of thousands of enemy troops all the way, and that now 20,000 enemy troops were still waiting behind. But now that Wang Yuan is by his side and there are people to rely on, he is also in a stable mood.

Wang Yuan saw that the three girls looked sleepy, so he asked them to rest in the shack. Li Xin'er didn't want Wang Yuan to leave, so Wang Yuan sat in the shack and talked with the three daughters, and soon the three girls snorted and fell asleep with their eyes closed. Wang Yuan himself also felt drowsy, tiredness hit, and he unconsciously closed his eyes and fell asleep.

I don't know how long it took, Wang Yuan was suddenly awakened by the whispering sound in his ears, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Gongsun Lan beside him, leaning over and whispering in his ear. Seeing Wang Yuan wake up, Gongsun Lan whispered apologetically: "Erlang, I've disturbed your rest." ”

Wang Yuan looked at the dark night outside and said in a low voice, "Why did I fall asleep?" There's no time to sleep tonight. What time is it? Haven't anyone come from the other side of the river? Zhao Qing, Tan Ping and Li Heng, have they arrived? ”

Gongsun Lan said in a low voice: "Just after the second watch, it was someone from Jiang who came, so I came to wake you up." Yan Taishou has already brought someone to greet him. ”

Wang Yuan was overjoyed, and hurriedly stood up and said, "Thank God, it can be regarded as coming." Let's go and greet it. ”

The two of them walked out of the Juyi Hall and walked down the mountain, leaving the dense shade of the woods, and the scene in the direction of the western gate was unobstructed. Wang Yuan was suddenly surprised to find that in the darkness in the west, a long dragon with torches was slowly wriggling, and it seemed that there were a lot of people, probably as many as thousands.

"What's going on? How did so many people come? Wang Yuan said in surprise.

Gongsun Lan said: "I don't know, I'll know when I go to see it." ”

The two greeted them under the light of the torches of the guards, and when they arrived at the gate of the village, they saw Yan Zhenqing talking happily and laughing with a middle-aged man in official robes. When he saw Wang Yuan coming with a torch, Yan Zhenqing said a word to the middle-aged man, who hurriedly came forward and bowed to the ground, and said loudly: "Xiaguan Beihai County Taishou Helan Jinming has seen Wang Xiangguo. ”

Wang Yuan was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that Helan Jinming, the Taishou of Beihai County, had come in person. So he hurriedly stretched out his hand to help him get up and said, "No need to be polite, it turns out that Helan Taishou personally crossed the river, which is very hard." ”

Helan Jinming said: "This is the duty of the lower officials, and it was originally to cross the river to respond." After Cai Hu went back to report today, he should have crossed the river earlier, but because he had to gather boats and prepare soldiers and horses, thousands of people crossed the river and came here from Baimadu, which really delayed some efforts. So it didn't arrive until this time, so please forgive the sins. ”

Wang Yuan suddenly realized that it was Helan Jinming who crossed the river with thousands of soldiers and horses to meet him, so he came late. In the afternoon, thousands of soldiers and horses crossed the river to get ready, and they could arrive at the second watch, which was already very efficient.

"It turned out that the soldiers and horses and ships were brought over together, very good, very good, please come inside." Wang Yuan said with a smile.

Yan Zhenqing also smiled and said: "Brother Helan has brought all the belongings here, two thousand three hundred soldiers, and two hundred and forty-seven boats have all come, now it's okay, we have more reinforcements, and the people are guaranteed." Please, please. ”

Helan Jinming hurriedly thanked Qianrang, and instructed Cai Hu to lead his troops and horses to find a place to settle down in an orderly manner, and then followed Wang Yuan and others inside. When he arrived at the bonfire in front of the Juyi Hall, Wang Yuan pointed to the stone next to the bonfire and said: "This is a dilapidated cottage, but there is no place to rest, we can only sit on this stone and be the king of the mountain." Helan is too guarded, don't mind. ”

Helan Jinming hurriedly said: "Xiangguo can compromise, what else can't be compromised by the lower officials?" If you don't think the lower official is rude, the lower official will have to sit down. The lower official's legs and feet are not dexterous, and he has walked very the way, and he can no longer stand. ”

Only then did Wang Yuan understand that he seemed to have noticed that Helan Jinming was a little lame on the way just now, and thought it was because the road was uneven, but he didn't expect it to be inconvenient for his legs and feet. At the moment, he has a great impression of this Helan Jinming, but he came in person because of his inconvenient legs, this attitude is worthy of appreciation.

Because the three of them sat down on the stone next to the bonfire, Wang Yuan had not yet spoken, and Helan Jinming asked a little impatiently: "Wang Xiangguo, the lower officials heard that Cai Hu went back to report that Xiangguo intends to cross the river from here, right?" ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "Exactly." The White Horse Crossing was of course a great place to cross the river, but the 20,000 rebels would not let us cross the river. There is no danger to defend, the terrain is too flat, and once the enemy attack, the consequences are unimaginable. ”

Helan Jinming muttered: "Xiaguan knows what Xiangguo means, Baima Ferry is indeed not a good place to defend. But if you cross the river from here, you would be taking a lot of risk. This river is fast-flowing, and it is not a good place to cross the river. If the ship capsizes, the people and the soldiers will die in the river. Please think twice. ”

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "I don't know about Helan Taishou's worries, but there is really no good plan at present. Even with the more than 2,000 soldiers and horses you brought, we are not the enemy of those 20,000 soldiers and horses. I don't want them to drive us down the river. As for the danger of crossing the river here that you mentioned, of course I am aware of it. However, I would like to know if there is an answer to what I want Cai to go back to the army. I'd also prefer to have a chat with the captain who set up the ship. ”

Helan Jinming hurriedly said: "Xiaguan understands, Xiaguan went to order someone to invite a few captains who are good at boating to ask Xiangguo to question." ”

Helan Jinming turned around and beckoned to an entourage and ordered, "Please."