After leaving the city, Kukeduo found that he had been deceived, and immediately led his troops to besiege the city, preparing to attack the city again.

Lu Ji gathered the soldiers and horses scattered in the city, and after counting, he found that the casualties were very serious, 10,000 killed in battle, 3,000 seriously wounded, 7,000 lightly wounded, plus the 10,000 soldiers and horses transferred by Su Li from Yuzhou, only 20,000 people could be used.

Last night, the Hu people were taken by surprise, with heavy casualties, and there were nearly 80,000 people.

20,000 against 80,000 is still a small number of enemies, and there is no great chance of victory.

After the 20,000 people were assembled, Lu Ji asked Su Li to tell a lie, lying that in five days, 100,000 reinforcements would arrive, and they only needed to hold on here for another five days.

People on the verge of despair will never let go after grasping hope, if they are told the truth that there are actually only 10,000 reinforcements at this time, these soldiers will all collapse, and there is no need to attack the city too much, I am afraid that they will surrender themselves.

And the time of the fifth day was also seriously discussed by Lu Ji and Lu Xiao, since Hu Keduo knew that the An family would provide them with grain and grass all the way behind, there should not be much grain and grass he brought, and this time they were evacuated from the city in a hurry, and they still had some grain and grass that they had not had time to withdraw.

Lu Ji and Lu Xiao were gambling, gambling that after five days, the grain and grass would be cut off and the troops would be withdrawn back to their territory.

Of course, there is another possibility, even if the food and grass are cut off, Ku Keduo still insists on continuing to attack the city, which will be another battle to the death!

Su Li guessed this possibility, but she didn't show it, in the face of 20,000 soldiers, she was calm and calm, without fear, she told them in the clearest and firmest tone that she and Xiaoyao Hou set off from Kyoto together, His Majesty mobilized 80,000 elites and 50,000 hussars for Xiaoyao Hou, they were rushing towards the border pass day and night, and the reason why she only arrived with 10,000 people first was to send grain and grass to everyone first.

She was already petite, and she was in a hurry for days, which made her even more emaciated, as if a gust of wind could sweep her away, but she stood there and said something that had a strong calming effect.

Even a weak woman like her is not afraid of death, let alone these seven-foot men below?

The originally panicked military spirit was appeased, Lu Ji and Lu Xiao began to dispatch troops, let them strengthen the city wall, and formulate a defensive strategy, while Su Li led people to dispose of the corpses and heal the wounded soldiers.

Fortunately, it is now a cold winter, and most of the corpses are not yet rotten, otherwise it is very easy to have a plague.

Su Li found a small hillside outside the city in the direction of the city where he could see the city gate as a cremation point, and transported all the corpses in the city here, and the people in the city followed one after another.

There were too many corpses to bury them one by one, so Su Li could only cremate them all, record their names in the register, and wait until the war was over to give subsidies to their relatives to build a tomb for them.

Being humiliated in life and being scribbled in such a way after death is actually a very difficult thing to accept.

Inevitably these people were emotional and there was any turmoil, Su Li also brought two hundred soldiers to maintain order, in addition to these two hundred people, she was also accompanied by two secret guards, these two people were close to protect her, and they never left along the way.

Su Li had three pits dug by Su Li, one to burn the bodies of the border soldiers, and the other two to burn the innocent dead people, and the bodies of men and women were burned.

Caravans of corpses were being transported, and hearing the number of more than 10,000 people was very different from seeing the impact of more than 10,000 corpses, and everyone was quiet, except for the creaking sound of the wheels of the cart pushing the corpses.

The snow, which had been rarely sunny, was sprinkled with snow again, and the cold wind blew very bitingly, but no one turned to leave.

Firewood was set up in the pit, and oil was poured on it, and the fire burned so vigorously that the flames were like monsters from purgatory, and the faces of those who stood around them were also terrifying.

The soldiers began to slowly throw corpses into the pit, and gradually, Su Li heard someone sobbing in a low voice, which was very low but very mixed, and mixed with the cold wind, forming a mournful whimper, as if the soul of the dead who had not yet dissipated was making a final farewell to the surviving people.

Su Li's eyes were also a little red, but she didn't cry, she just sprinkled a handful of paper money into each corpse after throwing it in, wishing them a safe and peaceful life in the next life.

At first, everything went smoothly, but when a corpse was burned, an elderly woman suddenly rushed out and hugged her child, her eyes were cloudy, her face was full of tears, but she looked at the crowd of onlookers frantically and shouted: "Don't burn my grandson, he was not killed by the Hu people, he was killed by the wicked people standing here!" If the murderer does not die, my grandson will never be buried! ”

Her hair was already gray, and her body was clumsy, but at this moment she burst out with unshakable strength.

Su Li was surprised, and just as she was about to speak, another woman also rushed out, hugged a female corpse and cried: "That beast pushed my eldest sister out to sacrifice to the Hu people, and later killed my eldest sister with his own hands, my eldest sister has been pregnant for a month, how can that beast be like this, I want him to pay for my eldest sister's life!" ”

The woman was almost crying out of breath, and the onlookers had different expressions, some of them were sad and unbearable, some of them had cruel intentions written on their faces, some of them had panic flashing in their eyes, and some of their faces were full of murderous intent.

They were originally friendly neighbors, originally blood thicker than water, but now because of a war, they have become enemies who are suspicious and hateful to each other.

The more Su Li looked at it, the more frightened she became, and hurriedly opened her mouth to stop it: "This disaster is caused by the wolf ambition of the Hu people, the Hu people are cruel by nature, and they regard human life as a mustard, so don't fall for the conspiracy of the Hu people and sow discord!" ”

Su Li hadn't seen the purgatory-like fighting in those few days, and she didn't know that her comfort at this time had come too late, and the humanity of these people had been distorted by Ku Keduo.

The goodness they once thought was trampled on in the face of life and death, and family affection, love, friendship and even the most basic compassion have been destroyed, and only living has become their only belief.

When Su Li opened her mouth, those people with weak hearts immediately echoed loudly as if grasping a life-saving straw: "That's it, those things are forced by Hu people, and we don't have a choice!" ”

"Yes, we did the evil things, didn't you also survive? Now that you know that you are accusing us, why didn't you stand up and die yourself! ”

Someone retorted, seeing that everyone's emotions were about to be intensified and out of control, Su Li said coldly: "Enough!" The dead are great, do you want them to be denied rest after they die? ”

Su Li looked petite, but when she spoke in a deep voice, she was very intimidating, everyone was shocked by her, and shut up, Su Li squatted down and looked at the old woman and woman again, and her voice softened a little: "Let go, let them settle in the ground." ”

The woman shook her head desperately, crying silently: "I...... My eldest sister makes ...... for the child Made a lot of beautiful shoes, she ...... She loves him so much, that brute ......"

Su Li could fully understand the grief in the woman's heart, and she completely understood her feelings, but in the current situation, there was no time for her to cling to such a personal grudge.

Su Li sighed, turned her head and pointed to the pit where the bodies of those soldiers were burned: "I can understand how sad you feel about the loss of your relatives, but don't those dead soldiers have relatives?" Their relatives still don't know about their deaths, and their bones can't be transported back to their hometowns intact, don't they have regrets and grievances in their hearts? ”

Su Li asked, her voice higher than the last, her eyes were frighteningly bright, and she was holding up the flames, as if she wanted to burn all the filth.

"Every corpse that is burned now is a soul that is not willing to die, I can't avenge them one by one, let them die without regrets, what I can do is to let you who are lucky enough to survive leave this purgatory as soon as possible and be free from the ravages and torture of war!"

The word 'leaving' immediately stirred everyone's tense nerves, and they looked at Su Li in a daze, as if they saw the last glimmer of hope: "You said let's get out of here?" ”

"Yes, after all the bodies are buried, I will find a way to get you out of the city, and when this war is over, you can come back again."

Su Li said calmly, firstly, this war is not something that the people should bear, and secondly, if Ku Keduo attacks again, they stay in the city, and they will only become a shield for Ku Keduo.

If it weren't for the sudden snowstorm, Su Li believed that Lu Xiao would definitely send someone to transfer the people of this city first.

Everyone's eyes lit up, and the gloom in their hearts was dispelled a lot by the word 'leave', and it would be great for them to leave this nightmarish place.

The old woman and woman were still hesitating, and the others were already shouting in dissatisfaction: "Let go, everyone is already dead, who are you still crying for!" ”

"It's just, don't act, they all survive the same, no one is more noble than the other! Do you think that if you didn't do it, there was no blood on your hands? ”

"We are all executioners, and no one can escape from it!"

The onlookers kept talking, their tones becoming more and more brisk, as if they were convincing the old woman and the woman, and also convincing themselves that people were killed together, and that they could let go of the sins that were pressed in their hearts.

Su Li frowned when she heard this, and her back was inexplicably chilled, as if these people standing beside her had thrown all the remaining goodness into the fire pit with these corpses and burned them clean, turning into cold-blooded and ruthless monsters.

Just as he was about to say something more, a bookish man suddenly stepped forward and pulled the woman, and when he saw him do it, the others followed and tried to pull the old woman away.

Their faces were cold and their movements were rude, for fear that if they moved any slower, Su Li would change her mind and not send them away.

"Don't touch me, brute! As long as I have a breath left, I won't let you go! ”

The woman screamed, the man's face turned cold, and he was about to slap her with his backhand, Su Li immediately stepped forward and grabbed the man's hand.

Su Li's hand was injured, and his arm strength was not as strong as before, and although he grabbed his hand, he was pushed and fell backwards.

The feeling of weightlessness hit, but the next moment it hit the hard armor, and when he turned around, Lu Ji looked at the man with a cold face and sharp eyes.

Seeing Lu Ji, the anger in the man's body dissipated, the blood on his face faded, and he was dyed two points pale, he unconsciously let go of the woman, and slightly stiffened his back and called: "General Lu." ”

The voice was also hoarse, as if it had been burned by the flames of war, and it was completely ruthless as before.

Lu Ji didn't respond, his eyes swept over his cheeks like a knife, and finally hugged Su Li and took two steps to the side: "Are you okay?" ”

He asked, a voice coming from overhead, his ribcage resonating, and the cold armor followed with a subtle sound.

"It's fine." Su Li shook her head, thinking that there were still so many messy things in the city, she couldn't help asking, "Why are you here?" ”

Lu Ji let go of her and stood by the burning pit with his back straight.

"They're leaving, and it's time for me to give them one last ride."

He said lightly, his tone was neither sad nor joyful, and he couldn't hear any emotion, but Su Li clearly felt indescribable pathos.

He is a general on the edge of the town, he can't cry, he can't fall, at this time, no matter how much emotion he has, he has to hold back in his heart, just like when he personally dissected Lu Zhan and brought him back to the barracks, he had to pretend that nothing had happened.

Su Li didn't say anything more, grabbed a wad of paper money and handed it to Lu Ji.

Lu Ji didn't bring troops, so he came alone, but after he came, the crowd that was faintly restless just now all quieted down, and even the old woman and woman let go of the corpse in their hands.

It seems that it was only after Lu Ji came that they realized that not all of these soldiers were killed by the Hu people, but also by the Hu people who betrayed them.

When their relatives were killed, they could still blame others, but when facing Lu Ji, they only felt guilty and their faces were hot, after all, they had resented in their hearts why these soldiers didn't surrender.

This betrayal, which is not judged by others, will forever be nailed to their own hearts.

Lu Ji didn't interrogate, he didn't get angry at them, he was as calm and polite as every day he had been here for the past five years, and he felt as reliable as a mountain.

Lu Ji squatted down and burned a handful of paper money, the firelight reflected his eyes like a cold night Hyosung, he bent his eyes, and said in a very intimate and ordinary tone: "When this battle is over, I will invite everyone to drink, everyone...... Don't get drunk! ”

The relatives of these soldiers were not there, no one shed tears for them, only he came to see them off, but he did not even have a pot of wine.

Inexplicably, everyone choked in their hearts.

Lu Ji didn't have much time, and when the pile of paper money was burned, he gathered all his emotions and got up to leave, and just after taking two steps, someone in the crowd unconsciously spoke: "General Lu, I'...... My house also buried two jars of burning knife wine. ”

Lu Ji glanced back at him and recognized him as one of those soldiers who had betrayed them, and the man's eyes were wandering and he didn't dare to look at Lu Ji, as if he also remembered what he had done.

Lu Ji looked at him, but those who had reported to Ku Keduo subconsciously lowered their heads, and their scalps were numb.

"Thank you!" Lu Ji said two words.

Those people all looked up in surprise, and then breathed a sigh of relief, it turned out that General Lu didn't blame them?

"But no need, I will bring good wine and food to see them off in the future!!"

Lu Ji's tone was very calm, obviously there was no blame at all, but the people present still clearly felt that he was different from before.

What everyone else can perceive, Su Li is naturally more perceptible, Lu Ji continued to move forward after saying that, Su Li subconsciously stepped up to follow, and took Lu Ji's hand.

Su Li's body is not very good now, his hands are soaked in cold, which is completely different from the hot temperature of Lu Ji's palm, Su Li was burned by the temperature of his palm, and his face was a little hot, but when Lu Ji lifted his eyes and looked at him, he suppressed his mixed thoughts and said: "I have something to say to the general." ”

Lu Ji lowered his eyes, his gaze swept over their clasped hands.

That gaze may not have any other meaning, but Su Li remembered what Hu He had said in Jingzhong before, and realized that something was wrong, and was about to let go, Lu Ji held her hand and pulled her forward: "Why are your hands so cold?" ”

"I don't know, I'm not in good health."

Su Li replied as calmly as possible, her heartbeat slightly faster.

After walking forward for a while, there were not so many people around, Su Licai finally calmed down and said in a low voice: "What the general said just now seems to be angry with the people in the city, and the general of the Hu people also knows the methods, if these people have done something, they can't help themselves, why did the general do this to them?" ”

In the past five years, at the border pass, Su Li has also seen people who have been coerced and lured to the Hu people to betray the news, and every time Lu Ji will use what she just said to appease the army, Su Li doesn't know why Lu Ji is like this today.

When the words fell, Su Li felt that his hand was clenched tighter, Lu Ji stopped, he didn't look at Su Li, he just looked up at the sky, his eyes were far and deep, and all the sorrow that had just been suppressed poured out.

"Ah Li, I actually can't hold on anymore."

The snow was falling heavier and heavier, Lu Ji's voice was very soft, and as soon as he spoke, he was swept away by the howling cold wind, Su Li's eyes widened in astonishment, and she looked left and right, and after making sure that no one heard Lu Ji's words, she pulled Lu Ji and ran forward for a while.

"General, do you know what you were talking about?"

Su Li asked, her heart was colder than the snowflakes flying in the sky, Lu Ji looked at her directly, and her dark eyes were surging with emotions that she couldn't understand.

Because it was Lu Ji who took her away, the two secret guards didn't follow.

The two of them stood very close, Lu Ji was tall, and he leaned over slightly to help her block the wind and snow flying in the sky, which seemed to open up a small piece of safe and worry-free world for her, and Su Li's eyes reflected Lu Ji's face.

Lu Ji saw that his face was haggard and vicissitudes, without his previous firmness, and even a little hideous darkness, echoing the impulsive killing in his bones.

He wanted to...... Kill those people!

Kill those who have reported to Kukoto!

He even had a very crazy idea in his head, and together with Ku Keduo, he would kill Yuanzhao! That crumbling dynasty really doesn't seem to be worth his desperate protection!

His mood was so abnormal that Su Li felt a chill in his back when he saw it, and he said, "General, you ......"

As soon as he opened his head, his eyes were covered by his big dry and warm palms, and then his cold lips came up.

This can't be called a kiss.

Lu Ji's lips were very dry, and it hurt Su Li.

His lips and teeth were sharp, rough and cold, just venting, just plundering and destroying, and Su Li soon tasted blood.

But Lu Ji didn't let her escape and retreat, and tightly wrapped around her waist, so hard that he almost broke her whole body.

His breath was squeezed out little by little, and all Su Li could hold on to was his cold armor.

A heart hung in the air, but her consciousness was unusually calm, because she felt the hand across her waist start to tremble, I don't know if it was because of anger or because of something else.

Su Li stood on tiptoe and took the initiative to hug Lu Ji, and then followed the opportunity to bite him the lips, finally preventing Lu Ji from making more brutal moves.

"General, it's okay!"

Su Li whispered in Lu Ji's ear, she and Lu Ji both gasped heavily, Lu Ji's hand tightened, and the cold and hard armor made Su Li feel painful, but she didn't say anything, only tried to gently pat Lu Ji's back to help him calm down.

"General, did Ku Keduo kill people after entering the city?"

"Hmm."

"Did he force the people of the city to do anything?"

Su Li asked tentatively, time was too urgent, and she hadn't had time to understand what had happened in the city in the past few days.

After every major battle, there will be soldiers in the barracks who have the same situation as Lu Ji.

Because of the stimulus of death and blood, they may change their temperament, they may become suspicious, they may become reticent, and they will no longer be willing to talk to people.

Some people will never be able to go to the battlefield again, and some people will go crazy because of it.

Su Li never thought that this kind of emotion would appear on Lu Ji one day, even a strong-willed person like Lu Ji was defeated, so what would happen to the other soldiers?

Su Li was a little afraid to continue thinking, Lu Ji gasped and didn't answer her question, silently resisted, Su Li softened her tone again: "General, you know, I'm helping you." ”

She was helping Lu Ji, and at the same time, she was sure that Lu Ji needed her help.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have shown such vulnerability in front of her.

"Ku Keduo killed people in the city, and then let them go, they betrayed us in order to survive, and there were many soldiers, not killed by the Hu people."

Lu Ji said word by word, he spoke very slowly, and the questions of those soldiers kept echoing in his ears: General, why did it become like this?

Why are the people we are guarding like this? Why did the Yuanzhao we protect become like this?

The questioning began with a vivid human face, but later it turned into a bloody man, into a terrible cry, and he kept asking him why.

He couldn't answer, he couldn't get rid of it, and his brain almost exploded.

There was very little information given by these words, but combined with what the old woman and the woman said just now, Su Li basically guessed what had happened in the past few days.

Ku Keduo's methods were too vicious, he not only provoked the relationship between these soldiers and the people at the border pass, but also destroyed the thoughts that these soldiers had always adhered to.

This destruction happened invisibly, no one bleed to death, but the most terrible thing was that the heart in the chest was slowly dying with blood and tears.

"General, the people you are guarding have not betrayed you!" Su Li pressed against Lu Zhan's neck and said word by word, Lu Ji's body froze, and Su Li continued: "You are guarding Ah Zhan, the bones of Ah Zhan's mother buried here, and the relationship between you and Ah Zhan's mother, they will never betray you!" ”

Su Li's voice was very soft, but with a firm and unquestionable mind, like a sharp edge, cutting through the haze, and sprinkling a soft sunshine in the heart of the ice and snow.

Lu Ji's body gradually relaxed, Su Li breathed a sigh of relief, and still circled Lu Ji's neck: "If the Hu people break the city and drive straight in, all the people of Yuanzhao will live in dire straits, and the parents and families of those soldiers will also be implicated, so they are not only guarding the people of this city, but also their own families." ”

Speaking of this, feeling that Lu Ji's hand was loose, Su Li stopped, she retreated slightly, and looked at Lu Ji with warm eyes: "General, their family has never betrayed them!" ”

The wind and snow were very strong, her clothes were soaked, Su Li's face was a little pale from the cold, and her lips were red and swollen, which was the evidence of the crime left by Lu Ji after the abuse just now.

Lu Ji raised his hand to pinch her chin, Su Li subconsciously shrank a little, Lu Ji clasped tightly, pressed his thumb on her lips, and saw the wound that was still bleeding.

"Does it hurt?"

"It hurts." Su Li confessed, and bent her eyes again: "Anyway, I also bit it back, don't worry, general, I won't hold a grudge." ”

Her tone was relaxed and cheerful, which provoked Lu Ji to hook her lips as well.

Xu is the pressure of the past few days is too much, and Xu is the things he has endured this year are too great, he has really walked into a dead end just now, if it weren't for Su Li, he didn't know what he would become.

Seeing that his eyes became blurry again, afraid that he would think too much, Su Li grabbed his hand tightly: "Master Hou is rushing here with his troops, and His Majesty and Yuan Zhao have never betrayed them, the general knows, right?" ”

"Yes."

Lu Ji nodded, his throat was a little tight, and he was about to say something more, when there was a sound of hurried footsteps behind him, and when he turned around, a soldier came running in the snow: "General, the Hu people have begun to attack the city again!" ”

"I see."

Lu Ji waved his hand to let the man retreat, Su Li frowned, and wanted to follow back to the city to have a look, but Lu Ji hugged her again.

This time he didn't use a lot of strength, the cold armor seemed to have a rare tenderness, Su Li leaned on his shoulder and didn't move, and suddenly heard him say for a long time: "In Yuanzhao, there is a difference between men and women, if there is a skin-to-skin relationship, it stands to reason that I should be responsible for Ah Li, and Ming Media is marrying." ”

His voice was a little hoarse, but his tone was very serious, and Su Li was stunned for a moment.

"It doesn't matter, if there was no general, I would have died a long time ago, and the general was ill just now, so you don't have to take it to heart."

Su Li said with relief, Lu Ji didn't let go, and said in her ear: "If you are sick, you can't just play hooligan." ”

His voice was extremely gentle, which made Su Li's heart beat twice quickly, and unrealistic fantasies flashed through his mind, but he heard him say solemnly: "Ah Li, I'm sorry!" ”

He said sorry, as if he was apologizing for that reckless and bloody kiss, but he was clearly saying: Ah Li, I'm sorry, I can't marry you, too...... Won't love you!

The heart hurt like a pinprick, Su Li raised her head and smiled like a flower, raised her hand to help him dust off the thin layer of snow on his shoulder: "How important is the innocence of my daughter's family, I don't accept the general's verbal apology, when the war is over, I want the general to go back to Beijing and personally pour me tea and apologize!" ”

She asked him to pour tea and apologize, but she hoped that he could live well.

"Good!"

Lu Ji agreed, and then turned around and strode away.

Sending off the wind and snow all the way, Su Li's eyes were hot, but she still forced the corners of her lips to rise, afraid that he would suddenly turn around and see her face full of emotion.

However, he never looked back......

Because he was deceived, Hu Keduo was furious, and ordered people to attack the city, day and night.

Everyone's nerves tensed, and there was not a moment of relaxation.

The worst situation still appeared, Ku Keduo no longer had enough food and grass, but he refused to withdraw his troops, he wanted to gamble with tens of thousands of lives in his hands to capture this city.

On the thirtieth day of the lunar month, the night of Chinese New Year's Eve kicked off with the sound of another siege horn......

Su Li led people to carry the wounded soldiers down from the city tower, and in the panic, no one noticed that a team of wounded soldiers dragged their broken bodies towards the city gate, trying to open the city gate.

The desperate people trapped in the city did not know that hundreds of thousands of reinforcements were roaring hundreds of miles away.

The leader was wearing a cyan brocade robe, wearing a jade crown, and his handsome face was covered with wind and dust, but his momentum was like a rainbow.

The man who was walking with him was dressed in a dark brocade robe, wearing a silver mask, only his chin was exposed, his left eye socket was hollow and pitch black, and his right eye burst out with a sharp cold light!