Xue Zhou soon returned from the front of the Tiger Army.
He did not return empty-handed, he was carrying a water jar in his hand, smiling like the cat that had stolen the fish.
On the way here, he saw that his subordinates were still standing there, obeying his orders even in the heat.
This already looks like a strong army.
Xue Zhou is the kind of person who is very straightforward. He doesn't hide what he thinks on his face. So he is satisfied in his heart and naturally smiles on his face.
Seeing the team general so happy, two generals with swords came over.
One of them said:
"Captain, why are you so happy? Could it be that we can cross the river in advance?"
After hearing this, Xue Zhou felt depressed and hummed:
"The general is also cunning. When I asked about this, he started to scold me. What are you talking about? Everyone wants this and that just like you. How can he be a subordinate?"
This was embarrassing. Xue Zhou quickly changed the subject. He pointed at the water jar in his hand and said mysteriously:
"Do you know what this is?"
There are five special generals in Xuezhou, three from Jinan, one from Le'an, and one from Chenliu.
Among them, Chen Liu and Le An were standing next to Xue Zhou. After hearing these words, they guessed at the same time:
"liquor!"
But he quickly realized that this was impossible. Cao Cao was very strict in running the army, so how could there be alcohol in the army?
Xue Zhou glared at these two people.
Xue Zhou was still satisfied with the generals in his own team, as they were all veterans.
Among them, the three from Jinan were Xue Zhou’s acquaintances at Dongpingling in Jinan. They were either county soldiers or pavilion soldiers. They were all the same misfits as Xue Zhou before. Later, these three people were recruited into the army by Xue Zhou.
, has always been Xue Zhou’s right-hand man.
There is also a Shijiang from Le'an who speaks a coastal dialect that even Xuezhou and others from Qingzhou cannot understand, let alone another Shijiang from Chenliu.
But although this general from Le'an couldn't understand his words, he was good at arching. It is said that his ancestors were Yi people. However, it is more likely that he came from Liaodong's tapirs floating in the sea.
In addition, there is the Chenliu man named Gao Xiang. He is also the head of the Five Generals. He was formerly from Huang Wan's Central Guards Army and once held the position of Halberd Master.
But unfortunately, as Huang Wan and his Yanzhou Army and Gyeonggi Army were destroyed in Xingyang, his soldiers were scattered in the Central Plains.
In fact, people like Gaoxiang can be found all over the Central Plains.
These elite officials from the Han army, apart from some being captured by the Taishan Army, many others were living in exile. These people later generally joined the armies of the various princes in the Central Plains, providing them with grassroots force.
And Gao Xiang is like this. Not only is he proficient in force, he is also experienced in military training. When Xue Zhou was not in the army, he was the one who trained the army.
To put it bluntly, if Xue Zhou dies in the subsequent battle, Gao Xiang will take over the command and continue fighting.
It's just that Xue Zhou also has a headache for Gao Xiang. He is good at everything in this film, but he especially loves to sing.
But the local folk songs were sung by Gao Xiang as if they were sung by a drake, which was simply torture.
But no matter what, these five people are Xuezhou's support in these troubled times, and they are brothers who share life and death.
At this moment, after seeing Xue Zhou return, three other Jinan generals also came over.
When everyone came together, Xue Zhou mysteriously shook the water urn and said:
"You know, honey water! Give it a try to whatever you just received from General Cao."
When they heard it was honey water, the five generals all became excited, for no other reason than because they were all of low status. They had heard of honey water but had never drank it.
Xue Zhou was embarrassed to say that he had never drank it himself.
He uncorked it first, then took a careful sip, and then a sweet feeling rushed straight to his forehead.
Xue Zhou thought to himself, no wonder those noble people love to drink this stuff, and they drink it until all their teeth fall out. This is really a good thing.
After taking a sip, Xue Zhou took another sip, and then another sip.
It wasn't until he heard the sounds of those people swallowing their saliva that Xue Zhou handed them the honey water without hesitation.
Licking his lips, Xue Zhou said casually:
"That's okay. You should drink less, this thing will damage your teeth."
But no one listened to Xue Zhou's words. The five generals drank half the jar of honey with one mouthful.
In the end, the Dongyi general even smacked his lips and said an authentic pronunciation:
"This stuff is sweeter than honey."
Gao Xiang next to him was speechless for a while.
This Dongyi man is really a weirdo. Whenever he has trouble with him, he pretends to be a barbarian and doesn't understand the language. When it's good for him, this barbarian speaks with more correct pronunciation than anyone else.
I don’t know if this person is a Dongyi who can speak Chinese, or a Han who can speak Dongyi. I can’t figure it out anyway.
After finishing the vat of honey water, everyone felt comfortable. Even though the sun was getting hotter and hotter, it was worth it to be able to drink honey water for the rest of my life.
Later, everyone rested on the left side of the road and watched a battalion head off to the north.
Some clever officials picked a lot of lotus leaves from a nearby pond and covered their heads with them to block the sun.
The sun made people drowsy, and many officials lay down on the roadside to sleep.
Suddenly, a rapid voice came, it was Xue Zhou shouting:
"It's time for us to leave. Let's get ready."
At this time, all the officials suddenly came to their senses. They were all sore and numb, and they walked as if they were playing a puppet show.
The task of Xuezhou's team is to escort a heavy troop across the river.
So Xuezhou asked Gao Xiang to take Xiao Dongyi in front, and then he took the remaining three people to escort the carriage. Each carriage was assigned two to three people.
And Xuezhou himself was assigned a carriage.
He was not polite and got directly into the carriage, asking the driver to continue on his way.
The driver was recruited, so he didn't dare to complain. He could only grit his teeth and continue to move forward while pulling the cart.
Eh? Isn’t this carriage worthy of being pulled by oxen and horses?
That's right, for Cao's army, cattle and horses are much more valuable than these conquerors. Now these conquerors are cattle and horses.
Sitting cross-legged on the carriage, Xue Zhou felt a bit tingly under his buttocks, so he opened up the hay and saw some iron pots and pottery pots underneath. There were some greasy things in the pots.
Xue Zhou dipped a little bit of it into his mouth and tasted it, then spit it out immediately.
Hot girl, what is this? Why does it smell so weird?
Xue Zhou didn't know that this was a secret weapon specially found by Cao Cao.
This is a jar of stone fat, which Cao Cao found in the mountains. The yield is not high, but as long as it burns, it will not be extinguished by pouring water.
Xue Zhou didn't recognize this thing, but he thought it was annoying, so he moved to another baggage cart. This cart was filled with piles of corn.
So, just like this, on the straight road, the army meandered northward and moved slowly.
When the brothers' lips were dry, they finally reached the pontoon on Jishui River.
This pontoon bridge is a temporary pontoon bridge made of wooden boats connected to each other and then covered with planks. There are already many large vehicles squeaking on the pontoon bridge.
Xue Zhou asked his men to go to Jishui to fill up the water, and then waited for arrangements.
We were lucky this time. Xuezhou's unit was quickly ranked at the front because of the special military supplies they were transporting.
So, Xuezhou didn't even have time to take a few sips of water before continuing to set off.
But after crossing Jishui, Xuezhou's luck took a turn for the worse.
They encountered heavy rain.
It was a scorching sun just now, but now it is raining heavily. This is the temper of summer, it changes at will.
To make matters worse, the road they took was considered a loess road. With the heavy rain, the road immediately became wet and difficult to navigate.
Seeing his brothers marching on the yellow muddy ground, Xue Zhou felt agitated.
He immediately ordered his troops to rest and take shelter from the rain under the cart.
Huddled under the fender of the cart, these farmers from Jinan were giggling at each other for no reason.
Maybe in this heavy rain, the warmth brought to each other is enough to make them feel happy.
The rain stopped after about half an hour.
Then came the big sun, which continued to scorch the ground.
But after the heavy rain receded, it did not bring comfort to everyone. On the contrary, the water vapor was grilled by the sun, making it even more sultry.
In this way, the disciples and conscripts who accompanied the army were naked, exposing their jagged backs, panting heavily and carrying the sergeants and continued to set off.
Along the way, Xue Zhou and the others could see some large cars abandoned on the side of the road from time to time.
Some of the wheels were broken. This also allowed Xue Zhou and others to understand.
But after continuing to walk north, they suddenly saw a graveyard of carriages. Nearly a hundred carts were burnt to the point of leaving nothing but remains. It was shocking to see them.
This situation made Xuezhou and the others very heavy.
It wasn't until they arrived at a military station that Xue Zhou knew what had happened to the carriage in front of them.
A small group of Taishan Army's cavalry had penetrated into Pingyuan County and directly attacked the carriage.
The carriage was also escorted by sergeants, but they thought they were marching within the country, so how could they be prepared?
Therefore, a fire destroyed those hundred carriages.
Then heavy rain hit, and the cavalry disappeared under the cover of the rain curtain.
Speaking of this, the military officer at the military station said angrily to Xue Zhou:
"Those northern barbarians are really hateful. They know how to use their horses to plunder everywhere. As far as I heard, two convoys have already been burned by these people."
Xue Zhou was silent.
He knew very well that in this case, there was not much that Jinan could do. The Taishan Army's cavalry advantage was too strong, and it was now exclusively used to attack its own supply and military lines. If this continues, Jinan would not be able to hold on for long.
But there is no need to say these words to the clerks at this military station.
After obtaining a supply from here, Xue Zhou led the team and set off. On the subsequent journey, Xue Zhou specially sent out the good walkers in the team as outposts.
If what just happened has any enlightenment for Xue Zhou, it is that they must not take it lightly. From now on, they will already be on the battlefield. If they cannot realize this, they will not be able to reach the front line alive.
But this caution naturally comes at a price.
On the way, Xuezhou Department was very nervous and always worried that the Taishan Army's sudden cavalry would appear from some unknown corner.
Once, Xiao Dongyi suddenly felt a noise in the low bushes not far away.
Without even thinking about it, Xiao Dongyi took out his bow and arrow and shot it.
There are few people here, and there are not many birds and animals. If there is any abnormal movement, you must take action.
But soon, Xiao Dongyi's men walked into the forest, and finally dragged out an old man carrying firewood.
Xiao Dongyi's arrow was fast and accurate, and it was directly inserted into the old man's chest. He was already dead.
At this time, Xue Zhou had already walked over and saw the situation here. Before he could speak, he heard Xiao Dongyi explain:
"I thought I met a sentinel from the Taishan Army."
Xue Zhou squatted on the ground and looked at the old man lying on the ground. He looked like a real woodcutter. He had obviously come to collect wood in the forest. When he saw them approaching, he panicked and hid in the bushes.
It's a pity that a life was lost like this.
After Xue Zhou got up, he didn't criticize Xiao Dongyi. Instead, he said this:
"Killing is right, how do you know that this person is not a spy of the Taishan Army? Even if he is not, will this person see our whereabouts, will he inform the Taishan Army later? Those Taishan Army are the best at deceiving people, and these low-level people
A few words can betray us. So we would rather kill the wrong one than let him go."
Xiao Dongyi nodded vigorously, and the guilt of just killing an innocent person completely disappeared.
After that, Xiao Dongyi asked his men to take the old man's firewood back and left the old man's body alone.
Afterwards, the team continued to set off.
Only Xue Zhou glanced sadly at the place where the old man had just been accidentally killed, knowing very well that they had added another enemy to Cao's army.
This old man also has family members. After they saw the old man's arrow wound, they must know that it was Cao Jun who killed him. How can these people get along with Cao Jun at that time?
But the reason why future troubles are future troubles is because they happen in the future. In the immediate future, Xue Zhou needs to lead his brothers to the frontline camp safely and send this batch of military supplies up.
In the days that followed, Xue Zhou's troops committed more and more killings. Because Xue Zhou's phrase "I would rather kill someone wrong than let it go" gave these simple men a reason to kill.
The long march was boring enough to drive people crazy. During this period, they had to travel, endure the heat, and sleep in the open air.
Forget it, they still have to be nervous to prepare for the Taishan Army's attack.
This always forced Xuezhou's team to vent their anger. As for the woodcutters they encountered, the travelers were unlucky. They cut them to death and threw them on the side of the road without asking.
When things have developed to this extent, Xuezhou can no longer control them.
The subordinates are becoming more and more capable, but this way of killing people for fun has a great impact on the dignity of the military officials.
After all, these officials killed many people, so it was hard not to have this thought.
We are all human beings, and I kill others as if I were killing a chicken. Are you not a human being, Xue Zhou? How many times can you get stabbed by me? So to make the brothers feel comfortable, we will naturally support you as a team leader. But if you are not with the brothers
If you are angry, let's see how many lives you have.
This loss of control quickly evolved into mutiny.
Several Jinan soldiers could not bear to leave their hometown for a long time and had to travel in June. Since I don't take you Xuezhou seriously, why should I be constrained by you to die in Pingyuanjin!
These Jinan soldiers know the Taishan Army better than others. Their colleagues or senior officials have participated in several battles to encircle and suppress the Taishan Army. Now the grass on the graves of these people has grown taller.
So after a few people discussed it, they prepared to run away at night.
But this action was soon discovered by others.
After all, the Tiger Infantry Battalion where Xue Zhou was located was still elite, and Cao Cao had consciously mixed elite soldiers from all over the place from the beginning, so the Jinan soldiers were not a large group.
Moreover, many of these people are just licking blood, just to gain wealth, and they are not the same as these Jinan soldiers at all.
Xuezhou buried these Jinan soldiers alive that night, and then set off with his team that night.
By now Xue Zhou no longer cared about preserving the physical fitness of the team. He knew very well that at this point, the army was on the verge of collapse and mutiny.
He couldn't rush to the camp for training right away. Even if he, Xue Zhou, could survive, he would still be a naked man.
But fortunately, they were already very close to Pingyuanjin, and at sunset on the second day, they finally arrived at the Han army camp.
There, two huge camps lay outside the river like wild beasts, staring eagerly at Pingyuanjin in front of them.
The offensive and defensive battle of Pingyuanjin started after Xuezhou and the others arrived.
Returning to Urumqi from Burqin was blocked again, which made me feel tired.