He hurriedly called a few messengers and ordered them to return to Leping quickly and report the news to Jinyang. Then he gathered his troops and horses and ran towards Huguan at starry night!
Five hundred soldiers scattered and rushed towards Huguan. In Leping City, about a day's journey behind them, 2,500 soldiers from Bingzhou also gathered urgently and began to advance southward!
In the territory of Shangdang, a hundred miles away in front of Hao Zhao, Guo Jia, Su You, and Zhou Cang also led 1,300 sergeants to march day and night. Relying on their strong bodies trained rigorously in Quyang, this army and horses
Even on rugged mountain roads, they can maintain a march of more than thirty miles a day. From leaving the brigade to now, these 1,300 sergeants have been marching for ten consecutive days, forming a total of nearly 700 miles! And half of the time is in winding roads.
Marching through the rugged Taihang Mountains! This was almost a miracle among the infantry march records at that time!
Now, they finally set foot on the land of Shangdang County, and there are only the last two hundred miles away from Huguan!
However, after a long and high-intensity march, guards as strong as Xuanying were exhausted. Guo Jia, a scholar, was even more frail. On the fifth day of the march, he almost fell ill due to a cold night!
In the past few days, Guo Jia relied entirely on several Xuanying guards who took turns to carry him and forced him to march with the army. The army originally brought medical officers with the team, but the weather in the Taihang Mountains was harsh, the wind was biting at night, and they marched long distances for several days.
Not only did his illness not improve, but it became more and more serious day by day. But seeing his body getting weaker day by day, Zhou Cang was more anxious than if he had killed him!
It's not that Zhou Cang has not tried to persuade him, but every time he opens his mouth, he is rejected by Guo Jiayi. His will is so decisive that even Zhou Cang, who has always been carefree, does not dare to show off his strength!
But procrastinating like this is not the answer. A few days ago, Guo Jia could barely drink some soup, but from yesterday to today, he has been unable to drink anything!
He was carried on a wooden bed made of branches and covered with a thick quilt found from a nearby village. His once handsome and fair face was withered and out of shape, and his bright eyes had become cloudy and dull.
God. He was lying there motionless like that. If his eyes hadn't blinked from time to time, he would have thought that what he was carrying was a corpse.
Zhou Cang couldn't help but feel sad. He took a few steps forward and immediately smelled the pungent smell of medicine on Guo Jia. The usually heroic Kansai man couldn't help but choked up his voice at this time and said: "Military advisor! I, Old Zhou, kowtow to you.
Can it be successful? You can't reach Huguan like this! The master took over before leaving. We can't let the military advisor make any mistakes. Now my life is in your hands. How about I leave a group of soldiers behind?
I’ll settle you down and come to pick you up as soon as I get through Hu Pass!”
Guo Jia turned around with difficulty, but couldn't muster the strength at all. He could only glance at Zhou Cang sideways with his cloudy eyes, and said in an almost hollow voice: "Just... you?
"
Su You on the side couldn't help but said sadly: "There is still me! Military advisor, please stay, I can see how much the lord values you! I have discussed it with Brother Zhou, and we will fight together.
Even if the whole army is wiped out, we can't let you die here, sergeant!"
Guo Jia opened his eyes angrily, and he didn't know where he got the strength to sit up. Although his eyes were dim and his body was heavy, in the eyes of Zhou Cang and Su You, he had a majesty that was irresistible!
Looking at each other, the two of them lowered their heads in shame.
Guo Jia lost all his strength and lay down on the wooden bed, his chest heaving and panting rapidly, which made Su Youzhou Cang feel ashamed.
After a long time, Guo Jia's breathing calmed down a little, and he said in a weak but unquestionable tone: "You have received great kindness from the lord, how can you miss a big event just because of me!" The death of a certain person is a small matter, but the battle at Huguan is a big deal.
If the general can do his best to help the lord break the pot barrier, I will die without regrets!"
Su You looked at Zhou Cang and wanted to open his mouth again, but Guo Jia gave him a sharp look and swallowed back what he was saying.
After taking another breath, Guo Jia said again: "I have made up my mind. Two generals, please don't elaborate any more. Hu Pass is so high and steep that if it is not arranged in advance, it will be extremely difficult to break through. Let me... rest for a while."
I have so much energy to think about ways to overcome the barrier..." After saying that, Guo Jia felt a wave of tiredness come over him and fell asleep...
Su You and Zhou Cang looked at each other, both speechless. At this moment, a sergeant stepped forward quickly and was about to open his mouth to report. Suddenly he saw Guo Jia carrying a wooden bed beside him. He quickly kept silent and handed Su You away.
Zhou Cang asked you to step aside and said:
"Two generals, the rear army found traces of Bingzhou soldiers!"
Su You's body trembled, and he frowned and asked in a low voice: "How many people are there!?"
The soldier reported: "About five hundred people!"
"There are only five hundred people, let me kill them!" Zhou Cang picked up a big sword and shouted, but Su You stopped him and said:
"Don't be impatient!" Su You frowned and said thoughtfully: "Brother Zhou, I always feel that this is weird. Logically speaking, although we travel by day and night, we can travel more than thirty miles in one night. According to common sense,
It seems that if the Bingzhou soldiers march normally, there is no way they can catch up with us..."
Zhou Cang said impatiently: "Old Su, just say it bluntly, I, Old Zhou, don't have your frivolous heart!"
Su You nodded helplessly and said: "I think the soldiers and horses behind them are probably coming towards us, and there is a large army behind this team!"
Zhou Cang panicked when he heard this. He was a rough and burly man. If he was asked to charge into the battle, it would be more difficult for him to use his brain to think of a solution than to kill him. Zhou Cang instinctively looked at the sickly man lying on the raft.
Guo Jia, who was sitting there, really couldn't bear it, gritted his teeth and said: "Then what do you think we should do? I, Old Zhou, am not good at this, so you make the decision!"
Su You looked at the vast mountains to the east, took a deep breath and said, "You lead the group forward, and I will lead the five hundred soldiers behind!"
"I..." Zhou Cang wanted to rush to go, but when he thought about the heavy responsibility of protecting Guo Jia on his shoulders and saw Su You's resolute face, he hesitated for a while and nodded: "Okay! I'll do that.
The military advisor is waiting for you in front! You must be careful!"
Su You laughed and said, "Don't worry, I, Old Su, am not that easy to deal with!"
Immediately, Zhou Cang led eight hundred people and went south first, while Su You stayed behind with a group of people.
After Zhou Cang left, Su You summoned another team leader to give instructions. The team leader nodded in agreement and led his fifty sergeants northward.
Su You then led the other 450 people to find a hidden patch of grass beside the road to hide, and quietly observed the movements on the mountain road.
About an hour later, there was a rapid sound of horse hooves in the distance in the north, and a cavalry of more than a hundred people appeared in Su You's sight from far away.
Su You frowned secretly. The group of infantry sent to distract the enemy's attention seemed to have no effect. Obviously, this Bingzhou army had a clear destination - Huguan!