Chapter 480: There are no people in the city

After crossing Xiangcheng, there were no rebels stationed for nearly 300 miles. The area is extremely barren, much of the land has been desertified, and there is not a single plant in sight on a stretch of road for more than fifty miles. Desertified land is not common in Shandong Province, and one-third of Shannan Province is desert.

Three years ago, when I went to Chang'an, it was not so desolate when I passed here, and in just three years, the desert had swallowed up all the official roads. Fortunately, the width of the desert in the north-south direction is not very large, so you don't have to worry about getting lost if you find a way to go straight ahead.

After nearly 300 miles, I only encountered three villages along the way, but because of the desolation, this place did not suffer any military disasters. People in the Central Plains often say that they rely on the mountains to eat the mountains and rely on the water to eat the water, but they can't eat near the desert. Even where there is no desertification, crops cannot be grown in the dry and hard soil.

Fang Xie observed that the people of several villages actually moved here to take refuge. They would rather starve to death than be swept up in the war, which shows that in the minds of the people, the pain of natural disasters is easier to accept than the disasters of war.

After passing through the desert, Fang Xie asked the team to stop and rest, he asked his soldiers to unfold the map, squatted on the ground and pointed and said: "This map was surveyed and issued by the Great Sui Military Department, although we later revised and marked it ourselves, but it is not clear further east from here." The march can only rely on scouts, and the map is of little use. ”

Zhuo Buyi nodded: "Further ahead is the area heavily guarded by the rebels, and it is getting closer and closer to Xiangcheng." The rare rebels along the way have nothing to do with Li Yuanshan's transfer of the troops in the rear. If we go further east, we must be cautious and cautious in every move, and try not to reveal our whereabouts. ”

Fang Xie pointed to a location on the map and said, "About three hundred miles away from Xiangcheng, there is a Xingcang Mountain, which can be hidden. I'm going to take the men and horses over and then I'll be stationed. Send scouts to Xiangcheng to inquire about the news, our troops are not enough to affect the situation of the battle, and I don't have such an idea of being self-conscious. We have only one goal, and if nothing happens that I expected, I'd rather go back the way I came with someone right away. ”

Wanyan Chongde said: "But before that, we have to worry about the problem of grain and grass first. ”

He glanced back at the shriveled grain bags hanging on the cavalry's horses: "Our current grain and grass are enough to last for two days at most, and if we can't find supplies, I'm afraid that even if we turn around and go back now, we will starve to death halfway." ”

Fang explained: "I've been thinking about this for the past two days. ”

He sat down cross-legged on the ground and said, "Judging from the news collected by the people in the flying fish robe in the past two days, there must be a rebel camp within a radius of a hundred miles, and too small outposts cannot meet our food and grass needs, so it is best to move a relatively large team." But once it happens, I'll have to change what I said before. ”

"Once the rebels are moved, Li Yuanshan's idea will definitely be aroused in this area. So it's hard to hide your whereabouts anymore...... If you're not careful, you may not be able to get to Xingcang Mountain. ”

Wanyan Chongde snorted: "So you still have to be cautious, but don't worry too much, Li Yuanshan's cavalry is all in Xiangcheng, and the wolf cavalry of Kuketai Menglie is also there, and there is no enemy who can catch up with us within a radius of several hundred miles." So hit and go, it's not difficult. ”

Fang Xie smiled: "This is exactly the second plan I thought, if we can't hide it, we just don't hide it." ”

While he was talking, the dusty Chen Xiaoru came back with a team of flying fish robes, and he knew that he had suffered a lot in the past few days by looking at the way his lips were chapped. Fang Xie untied the water bladder and threw it to him, Chen Xiaoru took it and poured it into half a bag in one go: "General, I have already explored clearly, and the next ninety miles is Sui County, although it is not a big county, but there are not many troops stationed there, and ...... The subordinates also found out a secret. ”

"Say!"

Fang Xie said a little eagerly.

"My subordinates took people to observe Sui County for a day, and I didn't care about it at first, but later I found that the rebels stationed in Sui County were different from what we had seen before. When we were lurking, we happened to see the rebels out of the city for training, and there were almost 10,000 rebels stationed in such a small county, and they were still the elite of the rebels! The subordinates took a closer look, and the equipment of these rebels was far stronger than what we had encountered before. Not only is the leather armor uniform, but the queue is also very neat when traveling, and it is obviously well-trained. ”

"The elite under Li Yuanshan?"

Fang Xie frowned: "This place is not close to Xiangcheng, at least five hundred miles, how can there be Li Yuanshan's elite arrangement in this place?" At this time, Li Yuanshan's elite is not in Xiangcheng but behind Xiangcheng? ”

Zhuo Buyi pondered for a while and said, "If the news from Chen Xiaoru is correct, then the suspicion is very big. We just came from Fengcheng, and Li Yuanshan of Fengcheng alone transferred at least 25,000 rebels, and the rebels in the counties and counties in the rear have also been transferred, so many men and horses have been transferred to the front line, why are the elite rebels still behind Xiangcheng? ”

"I'm going to Sui County to have a look."

Fang Xie stood up and patted the dust on his body: "The team will rest here, arrange the rangers, and if the rebel scouts find out, we will kill them, and if they don't find out, let them go." Your Highness, you are here to preside. I'll take the flying fish robe, and I'll definitely come back before noon tomorrow at the latest, since there are 10,000 rebel elites in Sui County, there will be no shortage of food and grass! ”

"Be careful, be careful"

Wanyan Chongde advised: "After all, it is not a rabble. ”

Fang Xie nodded: "Wait for my news." ”

After saying this, he turned on his horse and rushed out with a hundred and ten cronies.

……

……

The northwest is mountainous, and the further north you go, the more barren it becomes. Sui County is the closest county seat to that small desert, and it is particularly prosperous in comparison. There are many earth cities in the northwest, and I don't know what secret method was used to build them, but the walls of the earth city are stronger than those built of green bricks.

As far as the eye can see, it is an earthy yellow.

It is the season of green and yellow, and the northwest is already desolate, so people have the illusion that there has never been green here.

Sui County is in the middle of a plain with a radius of 200 miles, and of course this plain is also relatively speaking. At the very least, there are no majestic mountains to be seen, but because of this, when the wind rises, you can't see the road in front of you clearly, and the sand is swept up by the wind to try to paint the whole world.

Fang Xie led people to stop more than ten miles away from Sui County and found a high slope to shelter from the wind.

"With such a strong wind, I don't have to worry about the rebel scouts discovering it, even if you walk face to face within twenty steps, you can't see each other."

Chen Xiaoru took a sip of the sand in his mouth, feeling as if his lips were about to be cut by the wind.

Fang Xie covered his mouth and nose with a black scarf, leaned on the dirt slope and rested for a while and said, "Chen Xiaoru, you bring everyone and wait here, I will take a few people to find a way to enter Sui County." Regardless of whether the inquirer comes to inquire or not, we will be out of town before dawn tomorrow morning. If we don't come back after dawn, we will set off fireworks, there is no terrain to refer to, and it is inevitable that we will not be able to meet each other. ”

Chen Xiaoru hurriedly said: "It's better for subordinates to bring people into the city, the general will be here later." ”

"If I had the heart to wait for news, I wouldn't have come myself."

Fang Xie tidied up the black scarf, looked back at Shen Tianfan and Mu Xiaowaist and asked, "How is it?" ”

The two women put down their scarves with their hats, and the sand was not easy to get into, but the wind was not pleasant. However, he is a cultivator, and he is much stronger than ordinary people.

"No problem."

Both nodded at the same time.

"Yan Mad, Nie Xiaoju, Big Dog, plus the two of you, the six of us will enter the city."

After Fang Xie finished speaking, he didn't ride a horse, and the six people walked to Sui County and galloped wildly in the wind. Fortunately, the cultivation of the six people is not bad, plus they run with the wind, and they can float out two meters more than usual when they jump up. More than ten miles of road, six people ran for less than half an hour, and they had already arrived outside Sui County.

Nie Xiaoju handed the rope on his shoulder to the big dog, who tied the rope around his waist, then took out the pair of steel claw gloves and put them on, and after moving his arms twice, he picked at the earthen wall and climbed up. The wind was howling, and the sound of the steel claws clasping the earthen wall was drowned, and this weather was just right for diving.

The city wall of Sui County is two feet long, because it is afraid of alarming the rebels on the city wall, the big dog climbed for nearly ten minutes to reach the top of the city wall, and the movement is extremely slow. He peeked his head out of the battlements and saw that there was no sign of the defenders on the walls. The wind was so strong that the defenders had already taken refuge in the house. After the big dog went up, he tied the rope and put it down, and Fang Xie and a few of them quickly followed the rope to the top. Then they did the same, and then climbed down the walls to the city.

When I got to the city, the wind was much lighter, and my vision was much better.

"General, where are you going?"

Nie Xiaoju asked.

"Let's take a look around the city and find a place to stay. Don't spread out, wait until you find a place to do your own thing. ”

After Fang Xie finished the order, he immediately rushed out first, and ran forward against the root of the wall. There was not a single person in sight on the street, not even the soldiers on patrol. After all, this is still the rear of the rebels, and all four gates are closed, so it is to be expected that the guards will not be tight. When Fang Xie walked through the alley, he went into a person's house to take a look, and soon came out again.

"Nobody"

He frowned, then told everyone to disperse and find a courtyard to sneak in and have a look. In a short time, the people returned.

"Most of the courtyards are empty, and there are no people in sight."

"The courtyard where my subordinates went in was occupied by rebel soldiers."

Nie Xiaoju lowered her voice and said, "There are not many people, it is estimated that the patrolling soldiers entered the courtyard to take shelter." ”

"What about the people?"

The big dog was surprised: "Could it be that there is not a single common person in the entire county, all of them are soldiers?" ”

Fang Xie pointed to the courtyard next to him and said go in first, and then jumped into the courtyard. When they entered the house, it was confirmed that the place had not been inhabited for at least a month. The room was dusty, the windows were not closed, and the sand on the dilapidated wooden table was a finger's thick.

"There are only rebels and no civilians in the city, so I don't think it's a good sign."

The big dog squatted down and spat the sand in his mouth and said.

Fang Xie was silent for a moment and then said, "Taking advantage of the strong wind, the soldiers on patrol are all lazy, go out separately, mark the outside of this courtyard, and come back before dark to make up for it." First, check if there are no other places in the city where there are no people living there. Second, it is better to find out where the rebels are hoarding food and grass. Third, find out where the rebel garrison will live. ”

After Fang Xie finished instructing, he said: "In a group of two, be careful, and try not to kill." ”

Everyone nodded, and Fang Xie asked Nie Xiaoju and Yan Crazy to be in a group, he and the big dog in a group, Shen Tianfan and Mu Xiaowaist in a group, after resting for a while, they turned out of the courtyard, each chose a direction, and soon disappeared from each other's sight.

Fang Xie lowered his body and swept forward, thinking about where the people of Sui County had gone. If this is just a barracks, then what is Li Yuanshan's purpose in leaving this team?