"Journey to the West"

Author: Scarlet Polyp

Chapter 17 The soldiers are approaching the city

He was in the city, where the Changshui camp was stationed.

After surviving from the battlefield of life and death, he returned to the King City of Qiuci, which had been absent for more than two months, and saw He Chong, Tuoba Feng and many other comrades, Zhao Guang and others all felt reincarnated.

At night, the entire army of the Changshui Battalion, which had been trapped in the camp to the northwest, returned to the city, but returned empty-handed. Liu Tan looked at Zhao Guang's expectant eyes and shook his head apologetically: The thousands of iron horsemen of the Changshui Battalion have almost exhausted their horsepower these days, but they have never been able to find the gaps in the long battle line of the Kushan Army. The Kushan army crossed the border, leaving no people and animals behind, and the news from the west had been completely cut off. The trapped camp was like a bubble on the surface, disappearing out of thin air in the sight of everyone in his city.

The uncertainty of the fate of the trapped camp is worrying, but there is also good news: the first reinforcements from the Han Dynasty, General Ma Chao's 8,000 Liangzhou iron cavalry, finally arrived before nightfall. Pang De was born in Liangzhou, and Ma Chao was known as a brother, and was overjoyed when he heard the news of his arrival with his army, and hurriedly ordered a banquet to be held in the camp to wash the dust of his comrades who came from afar.

When Ma Chao and his entourage were still a few streets away from the camp of the Western Expeditionary Army, Pang De had already received a report and hurriedly led dozens of major generals of the Western Expeditionary Army out of the camp and waited outside the camp. There were still more than ten zhang away from each other, so Ma Chao jumped off the horse, and while walking forward, he threw his hand to everyone again and again, and said loudly:

"The generals greeted each other with such a great courtesy, Ma can't afford to be guilty!"

Pang De took a few steps forward, grabbed the hand of Ma Chao who came up, and said enthusiastically: "Meng Qi, our brothers will be together again!" It's been hard along the way, brother, what did I tell you in my letter? This time there is a big battle to be fought. How is it? There are 100,000 Guishan cubs waiting for your iron rider to clean up. Didn't break your promise? Talking counts, right? After that, he burst out laughing. The laughter was so loud that it startled a nest of yellow finches on a branch near the hiding place and flew away. Then he looked at Ma Xiu and Ma Tie on the side and said, "Shu Jian and Ji Yue, they haven't been seen for almost two years, so my brother thinks so hard, how many brothers are okay?" ”

Ma Tie and Ma Dai replied in unison: "It's all good, we often miss our eldest brother." ”

Pound looked at them with a playful look and said, "Well, I miss you, and you miss me, we brothers are of the same heart!" There was another burst of laughter, and then he grabbed Fa Zheng and asked: "Xiaozhi, I heard that you were shocked by the horse last year, and your arms were very heavy, but now you are out of the way, right?" ”

Fa Zheng replied with a smile: "Brother Hongfu, where is the arm neat now, and there is no disability." ”

"That's good, good. As the saying goes, 'Ji people have their own natural appearance'. Pang De turned to Ma Dai again: "Ji Yue, I heard that your Zhaoxue lion died while fighting the Qiang people, and now you have good foot strength?" ”

"I got another black horse that was born in a humble way, although it is not as good as the original one, it will still be usable."

"Hey, brother, there's nothing else here, there are quite a few good horses in the Western Regions, you can pick one later." On the battlefield, a tiger general like you can't do without a capable war horse. ”

"Thank you, big brother. I'm a pretty good horse right now. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't have been so quick to come from Chang'an. ”

To each of the generals who followed Ma Chao, Pang De greeted each other affectionately, and then walked forward with everyone who accompanied him. The hundreds of generals and colonels of the Western Expeditionary Army in the camp have already been led by General An Yi (from the general of Sanpinza), divided into two lines, standing respectfully in the middle of the road, welcoming Ma Chao and others, very neat, silent, but seeing the joy between the eyebrows - this joy is indeed their true feelings. After these months of hard fighting, and now facing nearly 100,000 strong enemies, who would not be sincerely happy and excited about the strong reinforcements welcomed today? What's more, in the Western Expeditionary Army, there are many generals and colonels from Xiliang. When Ma Chao approached the generals beside Gongli Road, he took the lead and shouted:

"Greetings to General Zhenxi!"

The generals and colonels immediately saluted with their crossed hands and said, "Welcome General Zhenxi!" The sound of the movements is very neat. Ma Chao looked at the two generals, looked back at Pound, and said with a smile:

"What, come with me here? What a courtesy you guys! He hurriedly returned the salute to the generals and said, "Ma is not an outsider here with you, so there is no need for this." Besides, if the etiquette is sufficient, you have not prepared drumming. ”

He said: "General Ma, it's wartime, and you can't pay a full salute." The next time you greet the general, you must set off cannons, play music, and have bells and drums. ”

Ma Chao nodded, slapped the shoulder of the puller, and said loudly: "Okay, Zijing!" I take this love from you! ”

When he walked among the greeting generals on both sides of the road, he constantly greeted the generals he knew, and even made jokes, so that everyone deeply felt that he was kind to people, like a brother, and did not have the frame of a general. When he walked in front of Pang Hui and Li Xin, Ma Chao reached out and grabbed Li Xin's shoulder, pulled him closer, and said affectionately:

"Good boy, I haven't seen you for more than two years, you jumped up, almost as tall as Uncle Ma, and you have grown into an adult. How's it going, Bo Cheng, has your marksmanship improved? ”

Li Xin's unprecedentedly handsome face flushed, and he replied respectfully: "The little nephew keeps practicing and has made a little progress. ”

"Okay, Uncle Shi has time to test you. If there is really growth, there will be many rewards. Xianzhong put down Li Xin and twisted one of Pang Hui's ears with two fingers, twisting him so that he tilted his head and frowned, but he didn't dare to break free, "Is it Xiao Hei?" Looks so burly? Have you often violated military discipline lately? ”

"Returning to General Ma, the subordinate is now in command of a battalion, always leading by example, and does not dare to have the slightest violation of discipline."

"Little one, you really talk like an adult! It's all official. Ma Chao twisted Pang Hui's black face and rubbed it again, as if he wanted to know if the muscles on his face were really porcelain. You see, when I saw you in Chang'an, you were so tall," he gestured with his hand on his chest, "a half-grown child, playing in the streets all day long, playing with mud and fighting." I saw you in the martial arts hall the year before last, and you, at most, were as high as my eyebrows. But in a blink of an eye, you are like a crop that has received rain, jumping upwards and growing taller than Uncle Ma! Yo, even the beard is pricked. He turned to Pound and asked, "How is it, is this little fellow brave in battle?" ”

Pound stroked his long beard and replied, "There are still kinds." ”

Ma Chao patted Pang Hui's shoulder and said, "I can see it." Xiao Hei, how about working under your uncle's tent for a few years? I'll give you a battalion of men and horses. It's quite aggrieved to face your father's black face all day here, right? Hehe......"

Pound said with a smile: "Meng Qi, if you can afford to look down on Berton, just take him away." However, if there is no disrespect, you also have to lend Ji Yue (Ma Dai's cousin) or Zijing (Meng Da's cousin) to me. ”

"My good big brother, you don't want to suffer!"

When everyone heard this, they all laughed happily, but Pang Hui laughed embarrassedly, and his black face turned red.

After walking through the two lines of greeting generals, Ma Chao walked towards the big tent accompanied by Pang De and several major generals. He said as he walked: "It's a pity that Zhongda didn't come out, although his mouth is damaged, and he hasn't seen him for a long time, it's strange that he misses him." ”

"If it weren't for the doctor's saying that Zhongda would not be able to get out of bed if he wanted to recuperate, I would have asked him to accompany you, and I would not have forced him to stay in the tent. After the feast, you can come with me to see him. ”

"Okay." Ma Chao nodded, lowered his voice and asked, "On the way I came just now, I heard that Lao Gao's trapped camp is missing?" ”

Pound showed a hint of pain, "Yes, there is no news at all so far, and it is difficult to say whether you live or die." ”

"Although Lao Gao is too straightforward and has offended many people over the years, he is a rare good general, upright, and a good man who would rather die than surrender." Ma Chao sighed and said.

So after he insisted that he would break off for the army, I thought that there was really no better candidate, so I agreed to him. I'm feeling very uncomfortable about him these days. ”

Ma Chao comforted: "Big brother doesn't have to be sad. Now that the Guishan cub has blocked the road, and the news from the west is not smooth, let's send more scouts to listen to the news, maybe he is still alive. ”

Everyone entered the big tent, and after Pang De invited Ma Chao to take a seat, he turned his head and saw Ma Chao's little sister Ma Yunlu, and hurriedly greeted: "I almost forgot that we still have a female general, Yunlu girl, forgive your sins, and it has always been good." ”

"I've seen Brother Pang." Ma Yunlu is Ma Teng's youngest daughter, 25 years old. Her appearance is seven or eight points similar to Ma Chao, and she is naturally an outstanding beauty, and her long career as a horse has brought her a heroic spirit that is rare for other women. Yunlu has been fighting with his brother on the Long March since he was a teenager, leading the army with a woman, and has made many military exploits, and has a high reputation in Xiliang, known as the "Heavenly Female General". When she was fighting, Yunlu with her beauty and talent, she fell in love with many young talents in the Northern Xinjiang Army, and there were many suitors, but she always refused on the grounds that Zhongxing had not become a company, and never talked about marriage. After Zhongxing, she finally ignored the opposition of many parties, and resolutely married the Hanmen Shifa Zheng, who was more than ten years older than herself, and it was widely known in Liangzhou and even Chang'an City for a while. After Yunlu got married, the husband and wife were affectionate and had a son, but he did not take off his clothes and handed over his son to his sister-in-law Dong to raise, and he still served in the Zhenxi Army with his husband.

"Oops, girl! You really have a way, I heard that I was pregnant with a child at that time, and I was still leading thousands of burnt Qiang cavalry in Xihai (now Qinghai Lake)! If it weren't for the fact that you and Xiaozhi fought a few battles on the beach the winter before last, Ma Jiajun would not have been able to stand in Jincheng County. ”

Ma Yunlu smiled and said, "Big brother, don't believe those rumors. If it weren't for the concerted efforts of all the soldiers, what could I do as a woman! ”

"Too humble, too humble. You are an extraordinary woman, a woman who does not let her eyebrows go, and fights wits and courage on the battlefield, and many men have to lose to you. ”

Ma Yunlu's face turned red and said softly: "Nonsense! I haven't seen Brother Dang for a few years, but you learned to make fun of your sister. ”

The dinner was not luxurious, and even a small amount of fine wine was not allowed to be drunk for the sake of war, but the atmosphere was still warm and harmonious. After Pang De welcomed the brothers of the Zhenxi Army on behalf of the Western Expeditionary Army, several senior generals briefly exchanged matters about the garrison of the city. After the feast, the generals were all gearing up, and they were all looking forward to the arrival of the big war with some excitement.

Early the next morning, Pang De ordered the east gate of the city to be opened from the words of the law, so that the merchants, monks and citizens in the city could leave freely. ”

Zhao Guang sat in the tent, wiping the somewhat discolored gun head soaked in blood, silently thinking about his thoughts.

With the arrival of the Zhenxi Army, the imperial court's commendations for the previous battles were also awarded, and the meritorious soldiers were promoted one after another: Liu Tan was promoted to Captain Changshui (Zhengsi Pin North Military Captain), Guan Ping was promoted to General Fenwei (from the Sipin Miscellaneous General), Pang Hui was promoted to the Xingping Zhonglang General (from the Sipin Miscellaneous Zhonglang General), and Li Xin was promoted to the Captain of the Kou Sect (from the Sipin Miscellaneous Lieutenant)...... And Zhao Guang was also promoted to cavalry captain.

The official position has been promoted, but now there is a shortage of manpower in any battalion, and Zhao Guang's subordinates naturally cannot be replenished. Zhao Neng pulled down his old face and used a very secret network of connections, so he picked two hundred strong soldiers from the newly built Qiuzi camp. The two hundred Guizi soldiers were all first-class stick guys, with strong physiques, tall statures, and all of them were skilled in riding, but they had never been on the battlefield, and their combat power was naturally far inferior to that of their old brothers. But the big war is imminent, and there is no time to practice well, so they can only use the blood of the enemy as nourishment in the next war, and gradually grow up. Thinking of blood, Zhao Guang couldn't help but think of his friend Zhang Xiong, who died in the Battle of the Green Ridge River, as well as Zhang Hu and Xian Yu Guilai, who disappeared with the trapped camp, and felt sad and bitter in his heart: the people who survived the war were so lucky, but those who survived inevitably increased a lot of mental burden because of the dead friends.

At this moment, Zhao Guang suddenly felt that someone was coming in, and when he looked up, it was a young man who had been resting for a long time-Alda.

"Alda, why haven't you left the city yet?"

Alda smiled slyly and said, "Don't forget, my lord, that I am still your servant. The master did not give an order, how dare I go? ”

"Alright, I have now officially terminated the master-servant contract, and you can quickly take your people out of this war-torn land. Now ride out of the east gate on a fast horse, and go north to Wusun, and if you are lucky, you can avoid the army of Kushans; Or go directly to the east and go to Gaochang City to take refuge. Zhao Guang has always been a little bitter at the "master-servant relationship" unilaterally concluded by Alda, and after a long time, he gradually understood in his heart that this was actually a self-protection measure for Alda at that time, "I know that you are not very human, let alone a servant, but since you don't want to reveal your identity, I am not reluctant, let's go, I can't get out if it's late." ”

"You are a wise and merciful man, may the god of fire bless you with a great victory. My real name is Ardashir, a son of Sassanid (Ardashir's grandfather, Sasanian, priest of the Temple of Anahit, from which Ardashir later took his name from the Persian Sassanid Empire), and the governor of the province of Fars in the Sabbath, and Arda is my name, so I'm not lying. The knight you killed in Shule City...... Count me as my servant, but he also helps the King of Sabbath to keep an eye on me. ”

"Hehe, as expected, your background is not small. Alda, although you are full of mystery, you are not a bad person, and after these days of getting along, I have long regarded you as a friend. Say goodbye today, I hope there will be a period in the future! ”

Ardashir smiled, "I have a wonderful premonition that we will definitely meet again." In fact, in addition to saying goodbye, I am here mainly to send a letter to a distinguished adult, goodbye, my friend! After saying this, he solemnly handed over a carefully folded silk to Zhao Guang, pressed his chest and saluted, and turned to leave.

Zhao Guang opened the silk and took a look, and a line of familiar Juanxiu fonts came into view:

"When you go to the moon, you can't go to the wild goose, the concubine thinks very much, tastes the dream, and looks forward to meeting with you. However, Wusun changed, and the lives of the concubines were hanging in the balance, so they had to return, and they couldn't help themselves. Before leaving, crying books, thousands of words, it is difficult to say goodbye to Ding Ning, and I hope to meet you in Wusun in the future.

Alas, I said wood, it's really tiring to write like this, although I read it a few times, but I don't know if there is a mistake. Anyway, you should be careful, after this battle, you must come to see me in Akatani Castle (the capital of Usun, on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul in present-day Kyrgyzstan), Haiya. ”

Zhao Guang read it carefully, closed the silk, took out another letterhead from his bosom (see Chapter 7), looked at it again, and sighed. Although he has been trying to suppress his emotions since he left Gaochang, invisibly, the words of the beautiful woman before leaving have become his great spiritual sustenance when he fights. In the battle of the Green Ridge River, when I heard Guan Ping's sentence "Have you got married", my heart was filled with Haiya's beautiful shadow for a while. Zhao Guang folded the two pieces of silk together, solemnly stuffed them into his arms, and whispered to himself: "Haiya, Daoshan Huohai, I will also live to see you in Wusun, you are waiting for me!" ”

At the beginning of August, a large number of Guishan cavalry began to appear frequently outside his Qiancheng, and the Yue cavalry captain Ling led the Yue cavalry battalion out of the city to fight, dispersed them, and beheaded hundreds.

On the ninth day of the eighth month, the scouts reported that the Kushan army, with a total of more than 90,000 cavalry, had assembled five miles southwest of his Qiancheng and began to build a large camp. A big war is imminent.