For two days in a row, the clouds were dense and layered, and they never dispersed. The clouds are like a big net that covers the sky and the sun, and the air seems to have become substance, making people breathless and depressed. The rumbling river is like a violent python, and the black waves on the water surface are like pythons struggling left and right under the gloomy sky, violently clashing, as if to tear through the big net, so that the storm that has been hoarded outside the sky for a long time and has been impatient will come again.

The white horse barrier is next to the rushing river. In just two days, the scale of this camp has expanded a lot. Everywhere there was a fierce fight, drums and horns heard each other, and bright torches were lit on every watchtower. On the straight and horizontal road downstairs, the transport team and the patrolling cavalry were in an orderly manner, and they were constantly coming and going. If you look down from the sky, this huge and well-organized fortress is incompatible with the dark and chaotic surrounding environment, and it is as unshakable as a long causeway standing in the middle of thousands of waves.

After controlling Baimajin and Wenshijin and Yanjin in the upper reaches, the Youji coalition army that had once stopped troops in Hebei crossed the river in an all-round way. In the past month, hundreds of boats and boats have been collected and temporarily built, and more than 10,000 people and horses have been transported to Henan within two days. Among them, 5,000 men continued to move south non-stop to support Mai Zeming's subordinates, who had fought several fierce battles with the thief army in Wating; While the rest of the army urgently built and expanded the camp to prepare for the arrival of the follow-up troops, they worked hard overnight and prepared to enter the battle.

The Youzhou army is small and elite, while the Jizhou army is much larger, so at least half of the troops who crossed the river are Jizhou's troops. The Jizhou Army is subordinate to the Jizhou General Li Yun, and the Youzhou Army is an ally, and it took Lu Yao a lot of effort to integrate the command system of the two armies. In this process, the two sides will inevitably have some stumbles. Several disputes over trivial matters such as grabbing things or fighting for wind and jealousy, and finally developed into a group fight involving hundreds of people.

Fortunately, Li Yun and Lu Yao have known each other for many years, and their friendship is extraordinary; Both of them also know that everyone is a man who licks blood with a knife, and after a few battles side by side, there is naturally no barrier. Therefore, as long as it is not too out of line, it can always be appeased and stabilized in time. On the whole, the coordination and cooperation between the two militaries have always been relatively smooth.

But small complaints and suspicions are always inevitable, more than 20 miles east of Baimalei, Ye Yunzheng, a 100-person general who is leading the headquarters to take on the task of patrolling and guarding, is a person who is a little resistant to the Youzhou army.

Ye Yunzheng was born in the north, tall and strong, with a dignified appearance and a beautiful beard. He is a rare outlier among the homeless people who are generally emaciated by malnutrition. When Li Yun assisted Ding Shao in expanding the Jizhou Army two years ago to compete with Jisang Shile, he was selected into the army and performed outstandingly, and soon accumulated merit and rose to the position of a hundred generals. The status of the hundred generals is not very high, but there are very few people in the Jizhou army who are promoted so quickly, which shows that he is quite valued by Li Yun.

His unit was originally stationed in Takegaki Castle in the Kawama Kingdom. That place was the birthplace of Mrs. Gouyi in the Han Dynasty, known as the Earth Spirit Master. At the end of the Han Dynasty, when Cao Gong went north to conquer Wuhuan, he used tens of thousands of people to dig a canal to divert the water of the Hutuo River, and at the same time built Wuyuan New Town. , so the building regulations of the city are quite attentive. When Ye Yunzheng was stationed in that period, he also had a pleasant relationship with the local fathers and elders.

Ye Yunzheng doesn't like a life of running around in his bones, and he doesn't like to fight, for this man who has been displaced all his life, Wuyuan City is simply a comfortable nest that only appears in his dreams. Unexpectedly, the thieves in Jizhou broke out later, the chaos broke out, and the people of Gaoyang and Hejian, which were in the tug-of-war between the two armies, were miserable. In contrast, it was the Pingbei general who suddenly rose in Youzhou who was powerful and able to protect the territory and the people. As a result, a large number of people left their hometowns and went into exile in Youzhou, at least they moved to a residence closer to the jurisdiction of Youzhou. After a few months of fighting with the army, I heard that Wuyuan City had become an empty city overgrown with weeds. So Ye Yunzheng's dream of comfort fell through, and he was still the hard-working soldier who could only rush around and fight, not knowing where he would die.

It is instinct for the people to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, and there is not only one abandoned city in the Great Jin Dynasty over the years. This situation is even more due to the unscrupulous behavior of the thieves, and it is not about the Youzhou Army. But Ye Yunzheng was uncomfortable looking at those Youzhou people, and he always felt that his family was fighting bloodily in vain, but it was outsiders who benefited. Even after the joint operation of the Youji army and horses, he still stayed away from the Youzhou army. In the past two days, I took the initiative to ask for orders to patrol outside, also to try to be quiet in front of me.

But what he saw outside the barracks only made him more unhappy.

Not far east of Baima is Puyang. Because the Central Plains thieves strangely relaxed the encirclement of this area, Ye Yunzheng's patrol route extended all the way to Puyang City. This city has been sacked by natural and man-made disasters, and the people have almost been killed and injured. When Ye Yunzheng came to Puyang yesterday, he estimated that Yanzhou, which was once an important town with prosperous agriculture and commerce, is now so deserted that it is not even as good as the small city of Wuyuan, and only three to five hundred old, weak, sick and disabled people are left to fight for their lives among the abandoned buildings. On the way, on the side of the road through which the horses passed, it was common to see hungry and cold beggars huddled on the side of the road. Some of them were still shivering and gasping after a few rains, and some of them were lifeless corpses after only a day, to be bitten and pecked by jackals and crows.

Ye Yunzheng was expressionless and urged the horse to cross these homeless people, feeling a little happy in his heart, but more compassion and anxiety. It's good to be a soldier than to be in the company of these outcasts, after all, soldiers have knives and guns in their hands and can fight for their own fate. The displaced people do not even have this right, and their world is devoid of light, filled with only the destruction of their families, fear, pain and despair.

Thinking of this, anger suddenly ignited in his chest, but he couldn't vent it. An impulse caused him to draw a long arrow from his quiver and shoot it with his bow.

The target of this arrow was a small beast running in the grass more than ten paces away. When the cavalry team goes out, it is common to hunt some birds and beasts by the way, Ye Yunzheng's archery skills are good, and when the bowstring sounds, the example does not fail, and the subordinates are also happy to take the opportunity to improve the food. Seeing that the leader's arrows were like the wind, several cavalrymen had already shouted: "Brother Ye, good archery skills!" ”

"What a fart!"

The next moment, Ye Yunzheng scolded angrily, and turned his head to look.

The long arrow, which was supposed to be a failure, fell short this time. The arrow dug deep into a thick beam, and the tail shook violently and hummed. A yellow dog trotted around the long arrow, bared its teeth at Ye Yunzheng, and then held its head high and continued to move forward proudly.

It was the yellow dog that easily dodged the arrow he shot at hand...... It's fast, it's like lightning!

Ye Yunzheng rubbed his eyes and looked again. That's right, it's not a wild beast, it's just a yellow dog with a bright coat and a water bladder tied around its neck.

"Yellow ear! Come here! A little farther away in the gloomy bushes, someone called.

The yellow dog was very spiritual, and immediately wagged his tail and ran there.

Ye Yunzheng scrambled his horse forward, leaned over and pulled out the arrow in his hand, hesitating whether it was time to protect his face and do it again...... You have to shoot this yellow-haired beast to death.

The man in the bush slowly got up and stopped in front of the yellow dog.

Ye Yunzheng could see clearly, the robe on this person's body was ragged and torn, and his feet were bare, which was obviously caused by a long journey. His face was full of dirt, he couldn't see his face clearly, and he couldn't estimate his age, but his eyes were bright, and his eyes were calm and majestic.

"Who is Your Excellency? Where are you going? Seeing that this person was extraordinary, Ye Yunzheng inserted the arrow back into the quiver, put away the horn bow to show that there was no malicious intent, and asked at the same time.

Before the man in the bushes could answer, the sound of horses' hooves beside him turned out to be outflanked by the rest of the knights. One of the horsemen picked up his whip and swung it at the man: "Look at it! Be honest! ”

The whip swept in front of the man with a strong wind, but the man's face was as usual and not nervous. He raised his eyes slightly, carefully looked at the cavalry around him, and then said lightly: "Looking at the appearance of the armor, you should not be thieves, but officers and soldiers." Okay, very good. I am the son of the country sacrificing wine Lu Jun Lu Daoyan is also, now on a mission, I want to go to Baima to see General Pingbei. ”