More than a dozen scouts of the Sui army galloped all the way from the north to the south, and when they saw a small village in front of them, the scouts were gesticulating, everyone slowed down, and slowly stopped their horses, and the scouts were pointing to the small village and said: "Go and see if there are any living people in the village, it's best that our luck can be better, I hope it won't be a dead village anymore." ”

The two scouts split up from the group and rode in the direction of the village. Looking at the backs of those two subordinates, Liu Renbao, the scout team of the Sui Army, frowned slightly.

Hopefully, we can find a few living Great Sui soldiers, so that we can know what happened to the Southern Expeditionary Army. What you saw along the way was shocking, and the defeat of the Great Sui Expeditionary Force was almost certain. It's just that the team has already passed through Mazishui and has not yet encountered the rout of the Sui army, and the Goguryeo people have long been hiding after seeing the Sui cavalry of the brigade. The Commander of the Pony Commander Yu ordered them to double the scope of their search, which more than doubled the danger to their scouts. Scouts far away from the brigade were easy targets for the enemy, and in pursuit of speed, they simply did not have iron armor that could block feather arrows, and the Goguryeo bows and arrows, no matter how rough they were, did not require much effort to shoot through a thin layer of light armor.

But at this time, Liu Renbao was not thinking about whether he was in danger, but whether the army of the Southern Expedition had been wiped out.

That's the elite of 300,000 government soldiers, why was it defeated?

He had already left the brigade for more than thirty miles with a dozen scouts, which was a rather dangerous thing. But this is the order of the Captain of the Horse, and these lowest-level soldiers can only carry it out. In fact, Yu Wenshi didn't fully understand the meaning of Li Xian's original words, there is no doubt that intelligence is important for war, but it is not just as simple as letting the scouts increase the search range. In the same way, the methods used by those who inquirered were varied, and Yu Wenshi did not even think deeply.

In his opinion, the so-called scouts are the eyes and ears of the army, and how to see clearly and far away is just to increase the search range of scouts. Compared with Li Xian's training of the Flying Tiger Army, the reconnaissance methods of the Great Sui scouts are relatively simple, the task of the scouts is to find out the danger of the enemy army, but at the same time they will also be discovered by the enemy, if the scouts can escape back, then the task is completed, so they will pursue the improvement of speed, so that they will not even wear thicker leather armor.

The team that received the southern expedition army had already crossed the river, and many people couldn't hold on because they were in too much hurry before, so Yu Wenshi and ordered to rest for a while, while the other soldiers dismounted and could lie down for a while to recover their strength, but they scouts couldn't.

The small village in the distance was already the third one they had searched today, and the first two had not seen a single living person, and if there was no one in this village, then they would have to rush back five miles further than they would have to search, otherwise they would not have time to return to the camp before dark.

Sou!

An arrow shot into the air from the village, the signal from the two scouts earlier.

There are living people in the village! And it's also a person from the Great Sui!

Liu Renbao was pleasantly surprised, he finally had a harvest today, the reason why he was so sure that the people found in the village were the people of the Great Sui and not the Goguryeo people, because of the sound of the arrow. If there is an enemy in the village, the two scouts will definitely flee back if they can escape, and if they can't, they will kill themselves, and they will never fire arrows to attract their own people to send them to death.

The scouts of the Great Sui were basically experienced veterans, and Liu Renbao was very confident in his subordinates.

"Let's go!"

Liu Renbao greeted him, and then took the lead in rushing towards the small village. After entering the village, Liu Renbao's brows furrowed slightly. There was no one at the entrance of the village, and judging from the location where the arrow was fired, it should be in the middle of the village.

"Be careful, don't gather together, keep a distance between the front and back, and leave immediately if there is any danger!"

Liu Renbao commanded loudly.

Turning a small road, Liu Renbao saw from a distance that a subordinate in front of him was standing there waiting for him. Beside him, two warhorses, and another scout had apparently entered the courtyard. He saw his men standing there waving to him and running into the courtyard, knowing that there must be something important to discover. Urging the war horse, Liu Renbao quickly rushed over. Behind him, a dozen horsemen pulled the distance away, keeping their watch.

When Liu Renbao rushed to the gate of the courtyard, he did not immediately dismount but looked into the courtyard first. The courtyard was empty, as if a figure was swaying back and forth in the room inside. He was just about to give the order to go in and have a look, when his face suddenly changed: "Go!" Go back! There is an ambush! ”

As he shouted, he turned his horse's head to withdraw from the village.

There are blood stains at the gate of the yard! That bloodstain is new!

The scouts behind began to turn around, but they were still half a beat late.

From the trees on both sides of the street, many figures suddenly appeared in the courtyard, and began to attack Liu Renbao's subordinates with repeaters...... They have it in their hands. Caught off guard, the scouts of the Great Sui were shot off the horse one after another, perhaps the enemy deliberately left a living mouth, Liu Renbao was shot by a crossbow in the calf, and his war horse had four or five more crossbow arrows on his neck in an instant. His war horse screamed sadly, and only rushed forward four or five steps before falling to the ground, Liu Renbao was thrown far away and fell hard.

It's your own people!

This is Liu Renbao's judgment, not just those crossbows, ambush locations, and killing methods, these are all the style of the Great Sui scouts! But why do your own people want to attack your own people?

When he stood up with a question, a horizontal knife was already resting on his neck.

Liu Renbao didn't need to look back to know that his subordinates couldn't leave. The opponent's hands are very athletic, and they are obviously more well-trained than their own subordinates.

"You are the soldiers of the Great Sui?"

Liu Renbao asked with a pale face.

The muscular man standing across from him grinned, and two rows of very white teeth came out.

"It used to be, but not anymore."

The man smiled and said, his eyes smiling rather than smiling. Liu Renbao had the idea that the clothes on these people were very shabby, and they could barely be seen to be the earthy yellow coats of the Great Sui, but they were really too damaged, so these people looked more like a group of refugees than the soldiers of the Great Sui Prefecture.

"Why did you attack us?"

Liu Renbao asked.

The man shrugged his shoulders regretfully and said, "Because you found us." ”

After saying that, the man turned around and ordered: "Hurry up, collect all their weapons, horses, and food, and bury their corpses together." We'll have to rush back to our lives, and if we run slowly, we'll have to go back to camp tomorrow morning!" ”

"Whoa!"

His soldiers answered loudly, and then quickly collected the clothes, weapons and food from the dead body, and then they carried the body into the courtyard, where there were already people digging a pit.

……

……

"General, the scout sent to Ma Zishui to check is back!"

Chen Qi'er said after walking quickly into Li Xian's military tent.

Li Xian snorted and asked, "Did the rout of the Sui army run to Mazishui?" Are those great generals in the past? ”

"Not yet!"

Chen Que'er said: "The rout of the Sui army is basically dead, and no one can run to Mazishui with a hungry stomach. As for why the generals hadn't arrived yet, they should have been entangled by the Goguryeo pursuers, and they didn't have much food with them! The scouts did not find the rout of the Great Sui, but ...... Instead, reinforcements from the Great Sui were discovered. ”

"Reinforcements?"

Li Xian furrowed his beautiful eyebrows slightly, and the expression on his delicate face changed slightly. He didn't remember that Yang Guang, the emperor of the Great Cause, had sent reinforcements to Yuwenshu in history, so he was quite surprised to hear Chen Que'er say that the reinforcements of the Sui army had passed through Ma Zishui.

"How many men and who leads?"

Li Xian asked.

Chen Que'er said: "The scouts have quietly approached the Sui army camp to check, and there should be no less than 20,000 people, all of them are cavalry, under the banner of the Yuwen family. Scratched a tongue and came back, right outside. ”

"Yuwen family?"

Li Xian walked out, and said as he walked: "I'll ask in person." ”

Liu Renbao didn't expect that he would not only find the expeditionary force of the Great Sui when he came out to search this time, but also saw so many people. When he was uncovered with the black cloth covering his eyes, after a short period of discomfort, he was finally surprised to find that there were at least tens of thousands of horses in this large camp! Although the clothes on those people were also in tatters, there was no doubt that these people were part of the 300,000 government soldiers under General Yuwenshu.

Liu Renbao's heart was shocked, he thought that the expeditionary force had died, who would have thought that he could still see an army of such a size, although those people's clothes looked like refugees, but they looked alive and well, at least everyone's spirit looked very full.

"What's your name?"

Suddenly, a cold voice came from not far away, Liu Renbao rubbed his eyes, and saw a few people in armor walking not far in front of him. Standing at the front and looking at him was a young man in black armor, and for some reason, he suddenly felt that the black armor seemed familiar.

"Who are you?"

Liu Renbao did not answer, but asked rhetorically.

"You'll know who I am in a moment, now answer my question."

Li Xian said in a calm voice.

"An Zhi, I heard that the scouts captured a person from the Great Sui?"

Liu Renbao suddenly heard a familiar voice and immediately turned his head to look.

Xue ...... General Xue? ”

Liu Renbao's eyes immediately widened.

Xue Wanche, who had just walked over, was stunned, turned his head and looked at the captive carefully but didn't know him, he walked up to Liu Renbao and stopped, frowned and asked, "Who are you?" ”

Liu Renbao said excitedly: "The humble position is Liu Renbao, the scout team leader of the left leading guard, and my brother is Liu Renzheng of the left imperial guard, he used to be the general, your personal army!" I have seen the general before, so I know you. ”

Xue Wanche was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "You are the reinforcements who came from Liaodong?" ”

"Exactly! Half a month ago, His Majesty issued an order, led by the Captain of the Horse, 20,000 cavalry to meet the men and horses of General Yuwenshu. ”

"Have you ever seen my father?"

Xue Wanche asked eagerly.

Liu Renbao shook his head and said, "No, we have gone all the way south, and we have not yet encountered the withdrawn team. ”

"Yuwenshu hasn't arrived at Ma Zishui yet?"

Li Xian was stunned, and then looked at Xue Wanche.

Something must have happened.

It stands to reason that at this time, Yuwenshu and the others should have passed Ma Zishui. Their own soldiers under the great generals were not starving, and they ran non-stop all the way, and the Goguryeo people could not catch up with them. But why, Yu Wenshu and the others haven't gone back yet?

Xue Wanche said eagerly: "An Zhi, something must have happened, why hasn't my father been in Ma Zishui yet?" ”

Li Xian sighed and said: "They must not have run back according to the original way, and the people of Yizhi Wende will definitely not be able to catch up with them, but there are still many cities along the way that the Sui army did not fight at all, and Yuwen said that if they run back according to the original way, I am afraid that they will also suffer a lot." I guess...... Old General Xue, they must have taken another path. ”

"What then!"

Xue Wanche was suddenly anxious, he didn't expect that his father hadn't escaped back yet!

……

……

"It's impossible, the news that the people and horses of the Great Sui have been defeated has been rumored by Ma Zishui, but now they haven't greeted their father, there must be something wrong."

The scholars walked back and forth in the tent, restless in their hearts.

"Horses, the scouts have explored forty miles south, and they have not met any of our Great Sui. I grabbed a few Goguryeo people and asked, and they said that they didn't see our people passing through here. ”

Ying Yanglang will Meng Zhendao.

"Could it be?"

Yu Wenshi thought of a possibility: "Could it be that father, they didn't come back the same way?" ”

Meng Zhen said slowly: "I want to ...... That's pretty much it. ”

Yu Wenshi and loudly ordered: "Send more scouts out to catch the Goguryeo, catch as many as you can, ask me carefully, is there any other way to Liaodong City, in addition, divide two thousand cavalry out and explore the road to the left and right." If you find a guide who knows the way, bring it to me immediately! ”

Neither he nor Li Xian thought that when they would see each other again in Liaodong, neither of them would expect that their meeting would be such a situation.

Because of Yu Wenshu's temporary change of mind, Li Xian originally thought that there was no obstacle to the way back, but it suddenly became bumpy.

ps: Please collect, dear readers, give a collection, I kneel in addition, the chapter name has reached thirteen, but the story is not finished, the return journey is not finished, thirteen is over and fourteen, fourteen is over, and fifteen are over