The ancient road is desolate and the road is long.
Xu Sheng, dressed in white clothes and with a plain scarf on his head, walked at the front; behind him, eight soldiers followed slowly, step by step, carrying a coffin that was not very thick and even slightly worn.
Behind the shabby coffin, there were two boys in their teens. They both wore bandana hats and painted their cheeks white according to the local custom of Lingzhou. They walked and sang something like "Humph!"
Ah" mourning song, if they are willing, they can throw a few pieces of paper money into the sky at will.
The old man's funeral was not really grand, but it was better than nothing. It was the best Xu Sheng could do at the moment.
He and the old man were both lonely people. They were not familiar with most of the people and soldiers in the city, so they really couldn't ask them to attend the funeral. What's more, in the current situation, with heavy troops overwhelming the city and lack of food, how could we entertain everyone?
?
Xu Sheng walked with difficulty and his heart was heavy.
How many people can endure the separation of life and death? Not to mention his good nature and peaceful manner, it is even more difficult to see and bear it.
Step by step, foot by foot, Xu Sheng walked very slowly, deliberately slowing down his pace; in the end, he still reached the end point he should have reached.
To the east of the city, there is a green highland, which was originally a place for children to play and the elderly to rest; but soon, a tomb will be erected.
It is true that this is not a good place to bury bones, but it is also the result of Xu Sheng's dedicated efforts and several days of exploration. The real place suitable for burial is outside the city, in the towering mountains and beside the green forest.
However, it is now impossible to go there.
"Woo——"
The sound of mourning arose. Someone had been waiting here for a long time. They had dug the grave and stood quietly beside it, setting up the ceremonial guard.
"rise"
Xu Sheng whispered, his voice uncontrollably filled with pain and reluctance.
He didn't want to let the coffin enter the tomb, he didn't want to let the old man be imprisoned underground, and he didn't want to say goodbye to an old friend. But, how could he not be willing?
Reason will eventually defeat emotion. In human affairs, doesn't it mean that no matter how much reluctance you have, it just turns into helplessness and sighs? It's really common.
The coffin was approaching the tomb little by little, but Xu Sheng closed his eyes tightly, not daring to look any further.
After a long time, which seemed like not a long time, he opened his eyes, raised his right hand slightly, and slowly rubbed it on the coffin.
"Old man, I am sorry that you are here for now. When this Zhiyang incident happens, if I am still alive, I will definitely move you to a new home you like."
Xu Sheng whispered. Although there was a painful expression on his face, he struggled to squeeze out a smile.
He knew that the old man liked to see him smile and did not want to see him frown.
"Alas -" Xu Sheng sighed, then waved his hand, covered his face and said: "Fall"
fall!
With a loud sound, the coffin fell to the ground with a "thud"; this is a custom in Lingzhou. It is said that the louder the sound of the coffin falling to the ground, the greater the achievements in the next life.
"Sir, do you want to cover it with soil?"
The strong man holding the shovel asked cautiously. Beside him, four or five strong young men were holding the shovel tightly and concentrating.
"Wait a minute"
Xu Sheng raised his hand to stop them; however, his hand was only raised halfway and stopped in mid-air...for a long time. At this time, his mind went blank and the words came to his lips.
Nothing comes out; in the end, thousands of words only turned into one "Okay!"
The word "good" came out of his mouth, and the six people took the order. They all threw away their arms and started digging with all their strength.
After a while, the soil was covered.
Xu Sheng looked at the small earthen bag and bowed deeply; then, he lifted the tombstone from the side, thought for a moment, and inserted it into the groove in front of the tomb.
"goodbye"
Xu Sheng whispered softly, stayed still for three breaths, then turned and left.
Behind his fading back, a tombstone stood quietly. On it were the words "Unknown old man, adopted son Xu Shengli", which were unremarkable but clearly visible.
"Old Xu, the scenery along the way is pretty good. If we were to die here, it wouldn't be too bad."
On the march, Si Shaokong was probably too bored to say such a thing. Of course, it was not a taboo word. He and Xu Yang were bold and indulgent in nature, so they had no scruples.
"Hahaha, Old Si, there is nothing wrong with my death, but you still have a little girl waiting for you. Are you afraid that you will become a betrayer?" Xu Yang said jokingly, with a smile in his eyes. The battle was approaching, but he was not too nervous.
.
"Tell me, don't you still have a brother? That girl, we have been separated for three years and have not heard from each other. Now we are probably married to a married woman. If I still miss him, wouldn't it be a waste of my feelings and thoughts."
"Hehe, to put it lightly, isn't it time for you to toss and turn at night? Are all your sleep talks like 'kiss, love, love, hugs' all made by ghosts?"
"Don't spread rumors and cause trouble. How can I, a great husband, be as dirty as you? It's shameless to blame your own affairs on me, isn't it?"
"Are you saying that just because you want to fight?" Xu Yang curled his lips with a provocative look on his face.
"Am I afraid of you? Can you beat me in a fight? Just don't beg for mercy." Si Shaokong squinted at Xu Mang, his sarcasm palpable.
"You're a stupid ass."
"You're still a bastard."
...
The two of them just cursed and refused to give in to each other. They were not like generals commanding tens of thousands of people or soldiers going to the battlefield.
After a long time, the sky was getting dark, and the two trolls were finally tired and stopped, looking at each other with intense anger in their eyes.
"We will fight another day."
Xu Yang wiped his mouth and said.
"good"
Si Shaokong swallowed and nodded.
On a normal day, the two of them would never have had a "literary fight." By now, they would have fought so hard that they would be bruised and bruised. After all, they were marching and fighting, so the two of them had calmed down a little.
"Set up camp!"
Si Shaokong looked up at the sky, swallowed hard again, then raised his neck and shouted: "Let's stop and have a rest. The first three battalions will pay the bills, the middle three battalions will look for water sources, make fires and make meals, and the last three battalions will patrol and be on guard."
"Dong dong dong"
The sound of gongs and drums rose loudly, and all the sergeants stopped when they heard it. At the same time, those who beat the gongs hit the gongs hard and shouted Si Shaokong's orders at the same time.
"Sit down and have a rest." Xu Yang got off his horse, randomly selected a stone, and waved to Si Shaokong.
"You have such a big heart. From the beginning to the end, you leave all your worries to me." Si Shaokong kicked a stone and said viciously: "You should make some room for me!"
"Hehe" Xu Yang smiled and slowly gave up his corner. After Si Shaokong sat down, he patted his shoulder and said, "If you are a woman, I will definitely marry you."
"roll!"
Si Shaokong's eyes widened and he threw Xu Yang's arm away.
At this moment, he could only see the crowds of people moving around; his mind was filled with images of life and death with those people in front of him.
After a long time, the fatigue and laziness on his face disappeared. He turned to stare at Xu Yang and asked in a solemn tone: "Can your brother last for eighteen days?"
Eighteen days is the shortest time required for Si Shaokong and Xu Mang to implement their plan.
It will take them six days to get to Quxia, and three days to resist the enemy forces from both sides; after three days, if nothing unexpected happens, the 100,000 people who besieged Zhiyang will give up on them, turn around, and attack fiercely regardless of the cost.
Zhiyang.
In about four days, the food for those 100,000 people will have been eaten. At that time, in order to survive, all military disciplines will be like a joke, being scorned and turned a blind eye. The so-called "general", no matter how stubborn and loyal to the court,
, they can only give up Zhiyang and let their soldiers rush to the land of Guandong to find a way to survive.
After the 100,000 people are evacuated, they will send someone to deliver a message to Zhiyang City. Even if they move quickly, it will take at least five days to take away all the soldiers and follow the instructions to reach a safe place.
The total time before and after is eighteen days.
This is still the most ideal situation. The battlefield is changing rapidly and no one can guarantee what will happen. Maybe Zhiyang needs to hold on for more than eighteen days!
"No matter what, it cannot exceed the 23rd!"
Si Shaokong often said this to himself in his heart, even if Zhiyang could hold on and be impregnable, they would not have the capital to waste it.
Firstly, they only have more than 10,000 people. Faced with hundreds of thousands of enemy troops, they are still at an absolute disadvantage even with the favorable geographical location; secondly, they do not bring much military rations, and the 23rd day is the limit.
.
What they want to do is no different from gambling, and it is also a race against time.
"I believe in my brother."
After a long time, Xu Yang, who was silent, finally spoke; before his eyes, that familiar face appeared - that face, although immature, was extremely firm.
"Um"
Si Shaokong simply responded without saying much. The word "hmm" was enough. Just as Xu Ram believed in Xu Sheng, he also believed in Xu Ram.
Zhiyang
The heavy atmosphere made it difficult for everyone to breathe smoothly, the dwindling food supplies, the increasingly difficult to appease the people, and the seriously lacking confidence of the sergeants. Everything made Xu Sheng anxious and unbearable.
The death of the old man had already made him sad, and the harsh reality made him afraid.
"elder brother"
Xu Sheng has been whispering a lot lately, and even utters these two words in his dreams.
From the time Zhiyang was trapped until now, Xu Mang has been his only hope; but as time goes by, this hope is shattered little by little.
Logically speaking, if Xu Yang had received the news, this would have been the time.
"Did General Zhang Pi fail to break through, or was his movement restricted by Fan Chuan's army?"
Xu Sheng had ten thousand guesses in his mind, but no matter what, he never believed that his brother deliberately abandoned him.
"My brother will not give up on me, but I can't afford to wait any longer."
Xu Sheng whispered, with only bitterness in his heart. In the past few days, under his repeated questioning, Lieutenant Li hesitantly told the truth: Zhiyang City only had enough food for eight days.
Only eight days!
"After eight days, if there is no improvement, then I will surrender."
Xu Sheng had no choice but to make this plan; after all, there were tens of thousands of people in Zhiyang City, and they had the right to live.
Eight days, eighteen days.
There is only a gap of ten days, but it is an insurmountable ten days that affects the entire war situation!
If Si Shaokong knew about Xu Sheng's plan, he would probably beat his chest and sigh; if Xu Sheng knew about his brother's plan, even if he risked his life, he would grit his teeth and hold on for another ten days.
It's a pity that their fates are related and cannot be connected...