The wind swept up the sand and soil in the sky, sweeping Xu Mingzhu's face with a whirlpool.

There is no end in sight to the desert, and as far as the eye can see, there is still a hopeless white expanse.

Xu Mingzhu was very tired, she didn't remember how long she had walked, she didn't know how long she would have to walk, she didn't even dare to determine the direction, if there were no cavalry soldiers of this hundred people to follow her and escort her, maybe she would collapse alone in the vast desert, her body was buried by the wind and sand, and after a few years, she was blown out of the ground by a certain gust of wind, and passers-by passed by the incomplete body, leaving a sad sigh and a few innocuous guesses.

After two sandstorms, the team lost half of their food and water, and now there is not much food and water in the team, and everyone is very stingy with every grain and drop of water left, and when they are most thirsty, they only moisten their lips slightly with a water bladder, and dare not take an extra sip.

Because of this hopeless road, people don't know how long they will have to walk, let alone whether the food and water will support them until the moment they discover the oasis.

The team walked very slowly, the camels under the seat staggered weakly, and the people riding on the camel's backs were also soft and wilted, and everyone didn't even want to say more, for fear that if they said more, they would lose more water in their bodies.

The hundred-man cavalry battalion that escorted Xu Mingzhu originally had two fire chiefs, and that sandstorm killed six soldiers, one of whom was one of the fire chiefs, and now there is only one fire chief left in the team, leading everyone forward.

Huochang's surname is Fang, and his name is Goro, which is not a serious name, and the parents who took the name probably stayed in the knowledge stage of knotting ropes. However, in this era, the person who can be called "Goro" shows what a heroic figure his mother is, and the government must reward his family with a lot of money.

When he was young, Fang Goro was still Fang Goro, and he stayed until he was thirty years old. Fang Wulang changed his name to "Fang Lao Wu", and he was really embarrassed to pretend to be tender with a rough old face, what to call "Wulang".

Fang Lao Wu is a veteran, almost fifty years old this year, he used to be a government soldier in the Sui Dynasty, and later Emperor Gaozu Jinyang raised troops against the Sui, and the righteous army occupied Guanzhong in the shortest time. The reorganization of the Sui Dynasty army in the original Guanzhong, Fang Lao Wu also changed from the Sui Dynasty soldiers to the Tang Dynasty soldiers, and then, participated in two wars, including the battle of Li Shimin to destroy the Eastern Turks in the fourth year of Zhenguan, because of the brave battle, he was transferred to the right guard cavalry battalion, and became the fire commander under Jiang Quan, with no more than 50 people under his command.

Tempered by battle. Fang Lao Wu has become a veteran of fighting experience, he is almost fifty years old this year, and he is at the age of retirement when he speaks, this time Jiang Quan sent him to escort Xu Mingzhu back to Chang'an, including many arrangements for him to retire after returning to Chang'an, these years of military exploits have been accumulated, Fang Lao Wu can be divided into twenty acres of Yongye field and ten acres of meritorious field, after returning to Chang'an. He could choose any Zhuangzi to live in, and the local government and county magistrates would even lead the village elders to salute him. A lifetime of fighting for the country, the old can mix thirty acres of land, and the courtesy of the county elders, for the other party's fifth child, is enough.

So although the team was in big trouble, Fang Lao Wu was still in a good mood. In the face of the cold wind and yellow sand, he can even laugh.

After a lifetime of rolling in the pile of dead people, what is this little trouble in front of you? Count the balls!

Riding a camel behind Xu Mingzhu, a slightly different breeze blew in his face, mixed with a hint of coolness. Fang Lao Wu was in a more and more comfortable mood, so comfortable that he forgot the harsh environment that the team was in at the moment, and actually opened his throat and sang the slang ballad of Guanzhong loudly.

"The locust on the tip of the mountain is high, and the aunt in the nest is ......pretty."

The singing voice is vulgar, but heroic, not as elegant and neat as in the Book of Poetry, but the person who sings is very happy, for Fang Lao Wu, who is a vulgar martial artist, a few words of singing with a roar can make him extremely happy, as for how vulgar the lyrics are, it doesn't matter so much.

The soldiers of the cavalry battalion in front and behind were originally drooping their heads, listlessly following the team numbly, and when they heard Fang Lao Wu singing, they all turned their heads to look at him, their eyes full of weirdness.

When he was running out of food and water so quickly, and his future was bleak, he didn't think about talking less and moving less to save his physical strength and body water, he actually sang with his voice in his voice...... If it weren't for the fact that Fang Lao Wu was the fire chief, I am afraid that many people would point at his nose and scold him for being a madman.

Xu Mingzhu, who was riding on the back of a camel, couldn't help but glance back at him, and his pretty face covered in a black gauze hat couldn't see his expression clearly.

Fang Lao Wu also noticed that something was wrong at this time, there was still a female dependent in the team, and it was also Li Beijia's main room, the wife of His Majesty the Emperor's Golden Seal.

So Fang Lao Wu hurriedly apologized to Xu Mingzhu: "Madame, forgive me, the villain got carried away." ”

Xu Mingzhu sighed lightly, and a slightly hoarse voice came from the hat: "It's okay, the road is far away, it is reasonable to sing a few words to relieve fatigue, and Fang Huochang has no scruples." ”

"Don't dare, hehe, don't dare to ......" Fang Lao Wu laughed a few times, heard Xu Mingzhu's hoarse voice, hurriedly untied the cowhide water bladder on his waist and handed it forward, and said with a smile: "The water is not much, Mrs. drink a few more sips, the villains are all rough men who don't drink it, it's nothing, but I don't dare to wronged Mrs." ”

Xu Mingzhu hurriedly shirked: "Everyone has a quota for food and water, I can't make an exception, Fang Huo Chang Mo taught me to be embarrassed." ”

"Touch things, touch things, drink, the water in the forehead is still very ......" Fang Lao Wu said with a pure Guanzhong smile.

Xu Mingzhu shirked a few times to no avail, and Fang Lao Wu was too enthusiastic, so he had to reluctantly take the water bladder and gently lifted the black veil of the hat, revealing a beautiful and haggard face.

Seeing Xu Mingzhu revealing his true face, Fang Lao Wu's face suddenly appeared with a little imperceptible doting, it has nothing to do with the love between men and women, Fang Lao Wu has been in the army for half his life, has never married a wife, and has no children, escorting Xu Mingzhu along the way, how many times he has chatted on the road, and has also experienced some hardships together, Fang Lao Wu felt the strength shown by Xu Mingzhu, a weak woman, and couldn't help but feel pity, gradually, he regarded her as a daughter, and took care of her more when he traveled on weekdays.

Fang Lao Wu's water bladder was in Xu Mingzhu's hand, but Xu Mingzhu didn't take a sip.

In such a predicament, water is something that everyone's life depends on, Xu Mingzhu is kind-hearted and can't bear to drink a sip, every sip is someone else's life.

"Fang Huochang, I don't know if we are going in the right direction, and I don't know how long it will take to get to Yumen Pass. If you go in the wrong direction, it will really involve all the soldiers, and I will not be able to escape the guilt even if I die......" Xu Mingzhu said softly.

Fang Lao Wu said with a smile: "Looking at the position of the sun and the stars, this road is about to be wrong, madam, please be relieved, even if you go wrong." That's everyone's life, what does it have to do with Mrs.? ”

Xu Mingzhu lowered his head and said softly but forcefully: "It doesn't matter if I die or not, it's just that my husband has explained what I want to do, but I ...... I really betrayed my husband's trust, maybe it has ruined my husband's big things, and my husband is struggling in Xizhou, even if I die, I'm afraid I won't be able to enter the ancestral grave of my husband's family. I ......"

This is Xu Mingzhu's biggest concern, he choked up a little as he spoke, sniffed hard, and held back the tears that snatched his eyes.

Seeing Xu Mingzhu's sad and worried appearance, Fang Lao Wu couldn't help but explain: "Don't worry, madam, in fact, Li Beijia's explanation of Mrs. may not be important." Even if Mrs. doesn't do it, it has nothing to do with the overall situation of Xizhou......"

Xu Mingzhu is smart after all. Immediately heard that something was wrong, turned his head to stare at Fang Lao Wu and said, "You said that what your husband told me is actually not important?" Why did Fang Huochang say this? ”

Fang Lao Wu faintly regarded Xu Mingzhu as his daughter in his heart, he really couldn't bear to see her worried, and now he was about to walk to the Yumen Pass, and it didn't matter if he hid it or not, so he simply said: "Madam." Let's tell the truth, Li Beijia's explanation of his wife's affairs is actually a nonsense, he just wants to send his wife away from Xizhou, so he made up an excuse indiscriminately. Before the villain left, Li Beijia had already summoned the villain alone, and asked the villain to send his wife back to Taiping Village......"

Xu Mingzhu's expression changed several times, and a pair of slender hands that had lost their ruddy luster tightly held the water bladder, as if a drowning person was dragging a life-saving straw, silent for a moment, and said in a trembling voice: "Husband, he ...... Why did he send me out of Western State? ”

Fang Lao Wu sighed and hung his head in silence.

Xu Mingzhu seemed to understand something, and her pretty face turned pale.

"Murphy, West......"

Fang Lao Wu sighed: "Before Mrs. left Xizhou, Xizhou was in danger, the countries of the Western Regions coveted and peeped, and the army was about to attack the city...... Madam, don't let down Li Beijia's heart. ”

Xu Mingzhu's face became more and more bloodless, and even his lips turned white.

He ...... He ......"

In a hurry, Xu Mingzhu took out the letter that Li Su asked her to send to the Duke of Lu Guogong from her arms, and hurriedly opened it, there was not a word on the snow-white paper, but there was a vivid pig's head, and the pig's head was grinning at her, smiling very honestly.

Under the scorching sun, Xu Mingzhu felt cold all over, and even the cracks in his bones were cold.

The slender hand grabbed fiercely, and the snow-white note paper and the pig's head on the paper were kneaded into a ball by her, and then Xu Mingzhu's hand was loosened, and the ball of paper was carefully unfolded, and the slender hand gently stroked the honest and crumpled pig's head on the paper, and looked at it stupidly, tears couldn't stop falling on the paper, one drop, two drops, the pig's head was soaked in a ball of ink, and the honest smile gradually blurred......

"You, how can you be like that...... Unfeeling! Xu Mingzhu choked with resentment.

Seeing Xu Mingzhu so sad, Fang Lao Wu couldn't help but slap himself lightly, originally just to relieve her, but he never thought that the more he explained, the more sad she would be, why bother?

I don't know how long it took, Xu Mingzhu, who was sad alone, suddenly raised his sleeves and wiped the tears on his face, looking directly at the vast desert in the distance, his eyes were full of incomparable perseverance.

Fang Lao Wu was stunned, seeing Xu Mingzhu's completely different expression at the moment, he had a faint premonition in his heart, the words he said just now may have caused trouble......

After a long time, Xu Mingzhu said in a resolute tone: "Fang Huochang, from this moment on, we will speed up the march and be sure to rush to Yumen Pass!" ”

Fang Lao Wu was stunned and said, "Rush to Yumen Pass...... What to do? ”

"My husband doesn't live up to the emperor's grace, and I can't bear him! It is the duty of the husband to guard the border city for the country, and it is also the duty of my wife to run for help for the husband, Xizhou is in an emergency, we rushed to Yumen Pass, and asked the Yumen Pass guard to allocate troops and horses to help Xizhou! ”

Fang Lao Wu was stunned, Xu Mingzhu at this moment no longer looked weak and pitiful, and the figure riding on the camel seemed to be no different from just now, but Fang Lao Wu clearly felt that a powerful momentum erupted from her small body, really like a dusty pearl buried in the sand, blown away by the wind, and a dazzling light bloomed in an instant.

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Xizhou City Tower.

"Jiang Quan! Where did you die? The enemy from the south is coming up, pour oil on it, and burn the crumbs! ”

Li Su's hair is messy. His eyes were red, his handsome silver armor had been broken in several places, his arms and forehead were scarred, blood was flowing all over his face, and he held a jade and gold-inlaid sword in his hand, the tip of which pointed straight to the south of the city wall.

Jiang Quan's appearance is not much better. The armor was more damaged than Li Su's, and there was a feathered arrow diagonally stuck in his shoulder, and the feathers at the end of the arrow trembled lightly as he walked.

"Bow and arrow, up!" The tip of Li Su's sword suddenly pointed to the west again, and his voice was hoarse and unpleasant, but every word was still full of killing intent, and it fell into the ears of the soldiers defending the city without any mistakes.

"Wang Zhuan, two of them came up from the west, let me leave them down!"

The bloodied Wang Zhu answered loudly. Then he broke off with a sigh, picked up the Da Mo knife and turned around a few times in the air, and slashed at the two Gaochang enemy soldiers who climbed up to the city, who didn't know whether they were lucky or unlucky, and the two Gaochang people just rushed to the city, and before they had time to stand firmly, they saw a snowy light passing by, and then, the two of them were shocked to find. The upper body of their own flew out, and the part below the waist. But it remained in place, and blood from the internal organs and intestines sprayed all over the ground......

The tragic city attack and defense battle, the enemy and us in the Xizhou city wall, you fight to the death, fighting, good and evil have been confused, life and death is the result that everyone needs.

Li Su stood at the head of the city. The sword in his hand is pointed, and the soldiers are all willing to go to the rescue.

In a dark corner of the city, with an inaudible sound of strings, a cold arrow galloped towards Li Su's back, and Li Su didn't realize it. saw a figure flash, and with a bang, the cold arrow was knocked away by a horizontal knife and flew over Li Su's head.

Li Su suddenly noticed it, and glanced at Zheng Xiaolou behind him, each with its own plans and methods on the battlefield, including assassinating the enemy's main general. Li Su couldn't even remember how many cold arrows he had shot at him, but fortunately, there was a Zheng Xiaolou by his side.

After Zheng Xiaolou knocked the cold arrow, his cold and hard expression floated a little impatient, and he snatched the bow and arrow of an archer next to him, and after taking the arrow, he pulled the bowstring into a full moon, and with a whoosh, he heard the terrible screams under the city wall, and then fell silent.

You attack and defend, I don't know how long it took, the night has been deeply enveloped in the city on the desert, with the passage of time, the morale of both sides has gradually declined, Li Su does not know how many enemies the soldiers have killed, and he does not know how many casualties of his own soldiers, he just gasped and stood at the head of the city, like a javelin, standing in a place where all the soldiers could see, using all methods to improve morale, and driving the enemies who rushed up from the city.

Someone under the city continues to rush up, and then was split by the soldiers who defended the city, and the soldiers who defended the city also continued to fall to the ground, and then soon another person filled the position, at this time the city attack and defense has fallen into a stalemate, and now it is only the patience and perseverance of the main generals of both sides, who can not consume first, who is the loser.

Finally, the commander of the enemy army in Gaochang, who was besieging the city, seemed to be unable to accept this life-filling siege method, and three miles outside the city wall, the sound of gold was heard from the enemy's army in the distance, and the enemy army that was surging in like a tide quickly retreated.

Seeing that the enemy army stopped attacking the city, Li Su couldn't care about whether he was clean or not at this time, and couldn't help but slump to the ground, breathing in a big gulp of fresh air with a hint of heat.

Li Su knew that this round of the enemy's siege was defended, as for when the next round would start, the next round of attack, whether Xizhou would be lost, Li Su didn't bother to think about it, that was the next round.

Try your best, do your best to the last of your strength, if you can't change the result after trying your best, he also has a clear conscience.

All the defenders of the city also fell to the ground tired, each lying or sitting in the most comfortable position, looking tired and blank at the Chinese camp of the enemy army in the distance.

Jiang Quan staggered from the south of the city, sat down next to Li Su, and collapsed on the ground in a large shape without sitting down, also panting heavily.

"Did you ask about the casualties?" Li Su asked lazily with his eyes closed.

Jiang Quan sighed: "There are a total of 2,000 soldiers in the Zhichong Mansion and the cavalry battalion, more than 400 are dead, and there are 1,060 left, and most of the living are injured, and I am afraid it will be difficult to move......

"What about the enemy?"

"They died more, there were so many corpses piled up under the city, not a thousand but eight hundred, we didn't lose this battle."

Li Su was silent for a moment, and suddenly said: "You once said that if you let other generals guard the rammed earth city wall of Xizhou, within one day, Xizhou will be broken, and you can support it for three days, do you still say this?" ”

Jiang Quan smiled bitterly: "The last general is arrogant, if the enemy army attacks the city like today, the last general can only support two days at most, and after two days, there is no other way than to die with the city and die for the country." ”

Li Su was silent, but his hand grabbed the ground on the road at the head of the city, and with a slight force, a handful of rammed earth was easily grasped by him, but Li Su's heart gradually sank.

"Defending the city, I'm not afraid, after all, the enemy is only three thousand, and when they die only about a thousand, morale will inevitably collapse, and the main general will have to withdraw the army, on one side is to attack the city, on the other hand is to defend the city, there is a gap between the casualties of the two sides, and the besieging side will inevitably pay a greater price, what I am most worried about now is this wall in Xizhou......"

Li Su raised his hand, and the rammed earth in his hand slowly poured from his fingers, like time, slowly passing away with the wind......

"This wall is too fragile, if the enemy no longer chooses to fight hard in the next round of siege, but wants to dig our city wall directly, at that time, Xizhou will not be able to break it......"

Li Su smiled bitterly, and the scar on his forehead was especially terrifying under the moonlight.

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PS: More than 5,000 words, big chapter, big chapter...... Well, it's hard to code words in the middle of the night, so ask for a monthly pass to encourage you...... (To be continued......)