The next morning, Li Yanzhao was woken up by the busy sounds in the camp.

He sat up, rubbed his eyes in confusion, uncovered the blanket that Mr. Liu gave him, and quietly walked out of the small shack that Erzhuang had built for him. What catches the eye is a busy scene in the morning light: women are cooking by the makeshift earthen stoves, preparing to cook, and the old people are playing with their children with sad faces; One by one, the young people dismantled the shacks they had built last night, and some of the dry wood was split into firewood for cooking. Liu Zhongkang also sat on a rock on the mountainside, teasing a small child, who seemed to be his own grandson.

Seeing this, Li Yanzhao stepped forward and arched his hand at Liu Zhongkang: "Old Liu, early." ”

Liu Zhongkang saw that it was him, and he also smiled and returned the salute: "Did the son rest well last night?" Due to the limited conditions, it is inevitable that it will be a little rougher, and please don't be surprised. ”

Li Yanzhao hurriedly waved his hand: "Where did Liu Lao say, the world is big, and getting together is fate." What's the surprise. I would like to thank Mr. Liu and all my uncles and brothers for their care. ”

Liu Zhongkang didn't dare to say anything. Li Yanzhao hugged Liu Lao's grandson again, the child had fine skin and tender flesh, his cheeks were flushed, and he looked at him a little timidly with a pair of big round eyes.

Liu Zhongkang smiled and said: "This son is the youngest grandson of the old man's family, and he is not yet three years old this year. Usually well-behaved, but I'm afraid of being tight. ”

Li Yanzhao returned the child to Liu Zhongkang and said, "Okay." I just want to ask my father-in-law, where are we now? ”

Liu Zhongkang replied: "Before camping yesterday, I had already sent a few young men to explore the vicinity, and at this time we had just passed through Fufeng County, and since we started to calculate, it has been seven days, and we can reach Liangzhou in about a month. ”

Li Yanzhao couldn't help frowning. January was too long, and he feared that many things would inevitably happen.

After thinking for a moment, he said to Liu Zhongkang with concern: "Elder Liu, this is going to Liangzhou, most of our team are old and weak, women and children, and they are moving slowly, and they are afraid that they will change over time. ”

Liu Zhongkang also looked worried: "The old man also knows that it is inappropriate to travel like this. However, these are the people of the countryside under the rule of a certain village, and they have endured the brutal oppression of the Hu Rong government for a long time. went to Liangzhou to flee, and no one could bear to abandon the old and weak. He pondered for a moment, and suddenly bowed his hand to Li Yanzhao: "Childe is well-informed, but what insight do you have?" ”

Li Yanzhao sighed: "If you want to move quickly, you can only abandon your useless bags and set off lightly." The old and weak took the ox cart, and the young and strong took turns to go out to investigate the situation, so as to ensure safety. ”

"The old man will go and persuade everyone to throw away their useless luggage and travel lightly according to Gongzi's words."

Liu Zhongkang's persuasion did not take much effort. These ordinary people who have been oppressed by the Hu people for a long time can be said to be destitute, and now in addition to barely enough food, where can they get so many things outside their bodies. Except for a few wealthy families, basically no one raised any objections.

Later, after Li Yanzhao and Liu Zhongkang went into battle together to persuade and promise that everyone could keep some valuable things, provided that they did not affect the hurry, those families also reluctantly agreed to this plan, and each went to each family's car to sort out the things that did not need to be brought.

According to Li Yanzhao's plan, the ox carts and cattle were also redistributed, and two slightly larger ox carts were attached to four oxen for the elderly and the infirm. The other two ox carts had one ox on one and the other not, and the young men in the team took turns pushing and pulling. The two wagons were loaded with all the rations. It is no longer carried by each family. It will undoubtedly speed up the march considerably.

The morning meal is millet porridge. Li Yanzhao is no stranger to this, and he also knows that millet was called "millet" at this time, the first of the five grains, easy to grow, and drought tolerant, making it quite popular in the arid northwest region with little rainfall. However, the bowl of millet porridge and clear soup in my hand now has little water. Li Yanzhao knew that Liu Lao was also trying to save rations in the hope of being able to last a little longer, so he shook his head and smiled bitterly, pouring rice porridge into his mouth that could almost be said to be boiled water.

After the meal, Liu Lao responded to Li Yanzhao's suggestion and ordered everyone to wash the cauldron and fill the earthen stove. The group then embarked on the road to the west.

The young man who went out to explore the road had already set off according to Li Yanzhao's advice to Liu Zhongkang, two of them went first, they carried a lot of red cloth strips, and agreed to tie one in a conspicuous place on the side of the road about a mile to guide the direction, and the other two went to both sides of the team to observe the situation, and agreed to report back quickly if there was something.

Li Yanzhao had been in the army for two years in his previous life, and this matter was the secret method of marching. Although Liu Zhongkang does not know the art of war, he also deeply believes in Li Yanzhao's arrangement. After all, safety is the first thing that should be the first thing to go to Liangzhou.

Before the young men who were exploring the path set out, Li Yanzhao had instructed them to pay attention to the things they should pay attention to, such as marching on the mountain, so that they could observe the situation farther away; how to judge the direction through the situation around you; How to find water, what kind of places to camp, etc. The young men took the order and left, and the eyes that looked at him were inexplicably more awe-inspiring.

At this time, the old people in the procession on the road had already gotten into the ox cart according to their words, although they were still not in high spirits, but compared with the previous day, there was less fatigue on the road, and their expressions were also a little brighter. Some of the young men pulled and some pushed an ox cart with sacks of grain or bran stacked on top of it. The grain that was supposed to be taken away by the Hu people was now stacked on the ox cart with the concerted efforts of everyone. The thought of the people allowed them to take their food and fate into their own hands, and they were exempted from the miserable situation of being oppressed and enslaved by the Hu people and dying of cold and starvation.

Every mile he advanced, Li Yanzhao would see strips of red cloth on the side of the road, and then he would naturally step forward and take them off and hold them in his hands. There was no word all the way, and it was almost noon, Li Yanzhao counted the strips of cloth in his hand, twenty-six. He excitedly stepped forward to find Liu Zhongkang, and said that today's trip can travel more than fifty miles. Liu Zhongkang's face, which had always been sorrowful, finally showed a smile. However, not long after, Qingzhuang, who had gone to explore the road, returned to the team and reported to Liu Zhongkang that there were officers and soldiers searching the mountains seven or eight miles ahead. Li Yanzhao's joy just now because of the speed of the team was suddenly swept away, and his heart sank......

"How many officers and soldiers are there in front of the mountain?" Li Yanzhao called the young man who was exploring the path and asked according to his words.

"About two hundred people." The young man replied.

Li Yanzhao's heart was cold. If more than 100 civilians encounter these 200 officers and soldiers, they will really be in the mouth of a tiger, and they will have no physiology. I couldn't help but rejoice for a while about my decision.

The team stopped, and when everyone heard that there were officers and soldiers searching the mountains ahead, they couldn't help but be extremely nervous. At this time, if their intention to flee to Xiliang was known by the Hu people's government, they would definitely not be able to escape the disaster. A few women even sobbed quietly.

Li Yanzhao's heart became more and more anxious. However, the unwarranted panic did not help at this point. He decided to find out for himself.

"Don't panic, the officers and soldiers are still seven or eight miles away from here, so it can be seen that they are not searching the mountains for us. I'm willing to go and look it up and decide what to do next. Please calm down and quickly go into the mountains and forests to hide your tracks. ”

Liu Zhongkang also stepped forward and said, "Yes, what Li Gongzi said is very true, everyone quickly entered the mountains and forests. Erzhuang, Dayong is responsible for leading the ox cart to the forest on the north side of the road to hide, everyone goes to the south of the road to take a break in the forest, and when Li Gongzi goes to investigate and comes back, I will make a plan later. After speaking, he said to the two young men next to him: "Da Lang Erlang, you go with Li Gongzi, take care of Li Gongzi more." After speaking, he turned his head to Li Yanzhao and said: "These two are the eldest son and the second son of the old man, if Li Gongzi has orders, just support them." ”

Li Yanzhao thought about it, and then readily agreed. He also had no objection to Liu Zhongkang's various arrangements, so he walked forward along the foot of the mountain under the leadership of the young man who explored the road just now, together with the eldest and third of the Li family.

The eldest of the Li family is named Liu Jiwen, the second is Liu Jiwu, and the skin of the two brothers is a healthy bronzer. However, the eldest is tall and strong, but the second is weak and weak. The three of them talked about the shortcomings of their parents, the current situation and the fortune of the country, and they walked for about a mile and a half, and the young man who led the way turned around and said: "This is the mountain, come with me." ”

This hill is about a few hundred meters high, there is no road on the mountain, and the four of them choose a slightly gentle place and go all the way. The vegetation on this mountain is quite dense, so the four of them no longer worry about revealing their tracks. After climbing for about a quarter of an hour, the young man who was exploring the road walked to a big rock and said to the three people: "That's it, there are officers and soldiers on the opposite mountain." ”

The three of them moved forward as they said, and Li Yanzhao looked forward through the gap in the trunk of the tree, and sure enough, through the gap in the vegetation on the opposite mountain, the officers and soldiers were everywhere. There are dozens of people at the foot of the mountain, and one in the center has a mink fur fur hat, looking like a bearded person.

The three of them couldn't help but look at each other. During this period, the officers and men searched the mountains on a large scale, and they must have wanted to get rid of the henchmen who wanted to get rid of the future, and nothing else was in the way, but if they stayed here, the team would not be able to advance. The current situation does not allow them to delay any longer. Seeing this, Li Yanzhao couldn't help but feel anxious in his heart, and he knew that even if the officers and soldiers searched this mountain, if they failed to fulfill their wishes, they would definitely set up more checkpoints on the road in the future. The situation of his own group will become more difficult after that.

Li Yanzhao was still thinking of countermeasures in his heart, muttered for a moment, and said to Liu Jiwen: "You can go back and report the situation here to Ling Zun first, and I will observe for a while to see the next situation of these officers and soldiers before making a decision." ”

Liu Jiwen thought about it, then clasped his fists and waved at Li Yanzhao: "Then so-and-so will report the situation to his father, and the son should be more careful." He turned his head and instructed his younger brother Liu Jiwu: "Xiao Wu, you are responsible for protecting your son, don't go on a business trip." ”

"Big brother, don't worry." Liu Jiwu was solemn. Li Yanzhao on the side waved his hand again and again: "It's okay, it's okay." ”

Watching Liu Jiwen rush towards the road he came, Li Yanzhao looked back at the opposite hill with a solemn expression. The search of the officers and soldiers continued in the mountains, and after a while, a soldier came down from the mountain, galloped to the foot of the mountain, and the mink fur hat seemed to be in front of the horse, and knelt down on one knee with his fists clenched, and said something. When the leader heard this, he was furious, and with a whip he struck the sergeant on the head, and shouted at something. The soldier didn't even dare to rub the sore spot, and turned around with his fists clenched and rushed up the hill.

Li Yanzhao was observing and thinking about the strategy of leading the team to get out, but suddenly heard a sudden noise in the bushes more than ten meters behind him. He instantly became alert, and whispered at the sound and asked, "Who is it?" ”

Liu Jiwu and the young man who led the way heard Li Yanzhao's question, and they also looked at the sound with vigilance. However, after a while, there was no movement.

"Or a beast in the woods." The young man who led the way was shocked.

Li Yanzhao felt a sense of unease in his heart, he half-squatted and walked slowly towards the bush. Just as he was about to walk in front of the bush, a person suddenly stood up behind the bush and rushed towards Li Yanzhao. Li Yanzhao was stunned for a moment, but the cold glow of the man holding a horned knife in his hand gradually enlarged in his eyes.

In the flash of light, Liu Jiwu and Qingzhuang, who was exploring the path, had no time to react. And Li Yanzhao's instincts cultivated in the army in his previous life played a role. He reached out with his left hand and grabbed the right hand of the person holding the knife, and with his right hand, he grabbed the person's neck and threw it to the ground, and then stretched out his legs to the left side together, and sat on the ground. With his left hand, lift up the right hand that holds the knife and press down sharply. The leg is used as a fulcrum to support the elbow joint of the comer, and his right arm is instantly pressed into a reverse arch shape.

The person who came was in pain, and the knife in his right hand had fallen, and he let out a suppressed howl. Then another figure emerged from the bushes, waving a wooden stick and waving it at Li Yanzhao's head.

It's too late to dodge. In a hurry, Li Yanzhao let go of the person just now, clenched his left hand into a fist, and quickly raised his big arm to protect his head. The stick had already come with the sound of the wind, and the person wielding the stick was extremely powerful, and the blow hit Li Yanzhao's left arm, and with a click, the stick was completely broken into two from the point of blow.

When the man saw that the sticks were broken, he couldn't help but be stunned. Li Yanzhao forcibly endured the pain in his arm, and saw the right time to swing out his right fist, hitting the triangle under the man's ribs, at the sun's reflex plexus.

The man snorted, took a few steps back, and then his knees went limp, and he fell to the ground with his belly clutched, and then vomited profusely. The man from before also clenched his arms, still rolling on the ground and crying out in pain. Li Yanzhao took a step forward, picked up the horn sharp knife from the ground, and knelt down on his right knee and pressed the blade against the neck of the previous knife holder: "Say, who are you waiting for?" ”