Chapter 5: Reunion

Previously, Deng Changjiang couldn't imagine that Lu Sixiang was still alive!

Under normal circumstances, the benefactor dies in battle, and the family members who go with him are generally unlikely to survive alone unless you have a more noble mission, such as snatching the body of the family master.

In this era, people attach great importance to the burial of corpses, even if they are beheaded and abandoned in the market, as long as possible, their families will buy the head and sew it on the neck and bury it together; When there is really no head to be found, you must also think of trying to carve a wooden head and bury it with the body, which is called entering the earth for peace. Headless ghosts will not be able to enjoy the sacrifices of future generations, and will suffer forever in the underworld.

Deng Changjiang understands Lu Sixiang's feelings for Lu Yong. Take 10,000 steps back and say, Lu Sixiang, who was taken in by Lu Yong and raised single-handedly, was guarded by his family and guarded, and guarded by his own guard, and his son became more and more unlikely to betray his master and steal his life - in that case, he would become a street rat scolded by thousands of people, and he would not survive for a few days: not only would no one take him in, but there was a high probability that he would die on the side of the road in a vague manner before long - all military leaders, no matter how big or small, needed to use his fate to remind his subordinates of the importance of loyalty.

Deng Changjiang also went to the battlefield on purpose, but Ma Xing did not stop him, and even felt very relieved: this kid is affectionate and righteous, and he didn't see the wrong person.

Unless they were deliberately flaunted to deter their opponents by hanging them from their horses' necks, the Mongols did not need a head, so the battlefield was basically the same. Of course, the erosion of wind and rain and the gnawing of birds and beasts, by the time Deng Changjiang went again, most of the corpses had turned into thick and dry bones half-covered by yellow sand.

Deng Changjiang originally planned to collect the corpse for the old chief, and he was also fully mentally prepared: it would take a long time to identify the corpse - the Tartar does not need a head, but the iron armor is a treasure, and it will definitely be taken off, and weapons, clothes, combat boots, etc. will not survive. Therefore, it will not be easy to find Lu Yong in the pile of bones.

However, this kind of thing is not completely impossible to do, because you can see the teeth.

Of course, there were no dentists in the Ming Dynasty, and there were no X-ray records, however, to find a few skeletons with relatively neat teeth in a pile of bones called Huazi, as long as patience and time were paid, it could not be said that it was as difficult as the sky.

In that era when there were no improved varieties of pesticides and fertilizers, it was completely dependent on the sky for food, and the yield of two or three hundred catties per mu was definitely a bumper harvest. Eating a whole year's worth of food is a good year that you can't forget for a lifetime, not to mention a soldier who is no different from a soldier called Hanako. Ordinary people, from the first baby tooth to grow out of the stomach on the hard multigrain cake on the wild vegetable porridge, and then older, after changing teeth at the age of seven or eight, gnawing grass roots and chewing bark is daily life, dental orthopedics or something is more fantastical, therefore, most people's teeth are protruding from the inside and out, almost without exception - therefore, a good tooth is definitely a mountain of ironclad proof of a wealthy family.

Lu Yong is a hereditary general, and his life is no longer as good as that of a civilian official, and he is not a little stronger than a soldier - so his teeth will be easier to recognize. As long as you find a few bones with good teeth in most of your mouth, and then according to other characteristics such as tall and short body shape, fat and thin, you can definitely judge which one is Lu Yong. Deng Changjiang had already planned in his heart, found Lu Yong, and then collected a few corpses next to him, so that the old chief would have some company below, and he would not be bullied, and he would have an explanation in his conscience.

However, when he arrived at the place, Deng Changjiang found Lu Yong's grave at a glance, and the specifications were much better than what he had planned. A large mound lined with two smaller graves to the left and right - and even a tombstone made of wood! Of course, Deng Changjiang couldn't read and write, but Lu Sixiang once used a branch to draw the word "Lu" for him on the ground, and the number of strokes was dazzling, and he admired his brother very much, and he was very impressed, so he knew that this must be the tomb of the old chief.

Breaking Deng Changjiang's head, he would never have imagined that this tomb was piled up by Naiqian Khan with Lu Sixiang and other survivors, so he couldn't understand it, so he simply didn't want to, paid a tribute, kowtowed a few times and went back.

With an answer in his heart, Deng Changjiang feigned anger and said: "What nonsense! You killing material, you are obviously crazy and blind, and then chew your tongue and beware of killing your dog's head! Reaching into his bosom, he took out the broken silver and threw it down, "Buy some meat for a few thieves and prisoners last night to eat, don't mistake the tartars for bandits again!" ”

The city gate official lying underground is a veteran oilman, how can he not understand Deng Changjiang's extraneous voice? Hurriedly responded: "Lord Deng is right! The little one was blind, and now that he thinks about it, the gang of bandits is indeed a Tartar. The little one thanked the adults for the brothers......"

Deng Changjiang no longer paid attention to him, and came to the assembly place while pondering, and asked the officers of Team B to divide the soldiers into five roads in two groups, and "search" the market towns and walled forts in the five most unlikely directions. Then he rode back to Zhangjiakou Fort.

Back at the camp, Deng Changjiang instructed his guards to collect some ration packages - the field troops of the Ming Dynasty, the emergency food of individual soldiers was mainly pasta, and when needed, some fried noodles with salt were washed with hot and cold water, and steamed cakes with sun-dried sesame oil were dipped and eaten; There are also troops who are distributed with strips of cloth, soaked in soju, salt, and vinegar in advance and dried them thoroughly, and then soaked and dried them many times, cutting them off each time when necessary, boiling water and dipping cakes or cooking them with fried yellow rice - and then let the gang take some dry meat, water and wine, carry all the money he has privately saved, and bring some incense, candles, and paper money, and call two absolutely trustworthy cronies and guards to carry them with them, carry two foot bows, whip and hooves, and go straight to Lu Yong's tomb.

Deng Changjiang was not in a hurry.

The main battlefield, that is, Lu Yong's burial place, is near Yutai Ridge, one hundred and twenty or thirty miles away from Xuanfu in a straight line. Even if Lu Sixiang had horses, at least they wouldn't need them for most of the journey, and they had to walk on two legs - the horses could only run along the official road, and if so, the horse team of dozens of people would have already alarmed the forts along the way, and the government and the garrison would not get any news. For the same reason, such a group of men, with weapons, will be quite eye-catching when they get together, and they will definitely pull away in twos and threes, and they will be able to walk separately, not only can they be their eyes and ears, but everyone is also within visual distance before and after, and they can take care of each other. Therefore, it is certain that it can catch up.

In front of Lu Yong's grave, there were eight or nine grinning human heads lined up, and more than 20 men dressed in different costumes were kneeling on the ground in unison.

The sound of clattering hooves was faintly heard, and everyone's expressions tightened, and they grabbed the knives and sticks beside their hands. A big man at the head of the group fell to the ground, listened intently for a moment, straightened up and said, "It's okay, it's just three or four rides, there is no footsteps." With a wave of his hand, four or five people submerged into the woods beside the road and dived towards the road where the hooves came, ready to block the back road. The rest of the crowd formed a semi-circular cordon, vigilantly watching the direction from which the sound of hooves came.

Deng Changjiang, who was on the horse, saw these people from a long distance, and with a slight knock on the stirrup, the war horse understood the master's intention, snorted, and trotted up. About a stone's throw away, Deng Changjiang raised his hand and shouted: "Four elephants! Four Elephant Brothers! The shouts came from afar, and I could still hear a little choking in excitement.

The person who was vaguely recognized was Deng Changjiang, and Lu Sixiang was also unexpected. He only remembered that Lao Deng was sent to ask for help, and he didn't know what happened behind him at all - in the years of war and chaos, a small Qianzong who had lost his patron was just an ant, and he didn't have any extravagant hope of seeing each other again.

Deng Changjiang turned over and dismounted, Lu Sixiang walked a few steps to meet him, and seeing the two of them hugging each other and exchanging tears, Deng Changjiang's two henchmen secretly let go of their grips on the handle of the knife, and also got off the horse, tying the three horses to the side of the road.

In front of Lu Yong's grave, Deng Changjiang's wine and meat replaced dry flour cakes, incense and candles were lit again, and a group of murderous men fell to the ground and cried again. The heart-rending cry startled the birds dozens of feet away, and they flew away.

After worshipping, Deng Changjiang glanced at the row of heads, turned around and bowed deeply to Lu Sixiang: "Brother Sixiang, my brother is incompetent, and he is a shame for adults!" Every day, I watch the enemy live happily, and I just want to take advantage of the chaos to end this house secretly, or brother, you are happy! ”

Lu Sixiang did not stop him, stood calmly and accepted this salute, and said angrily: "My brother came so quickly, of course my younger brother understands my brother's thoughts and loyalty. The younger brother received this gift from his brother, and this filial piety to his father-in-law, of course, must be counted as his brother's head, and his father-in-law will be happy below."

Everyone sat on the ground, talking about their respective situations after separation, sighing.

Finally, Deng Changjiang asked, "Brother Sixiang, what are your plans in the future?" ”

Lu Sixiang smiled miserably: "When I heard that my father-in-law was raided by the dog officials, I couldn't bear to eat in the desert and wait for death, and the Tartars didn't make it difficult for us, and we received a few bitter haha brothers on the road, God opened his eyes to teach us to get revenge, we can't go back to the Tartars, and sooner or later we will fight against the brothers of the past, right?" Take one step at a time, as long as you have a knife in your hand, you won't starve to death for a while, what else can you do? ”

Deng Changjiang said slowly: "Brother, don't blame my brother for having a few words to tell you." The road of joining the army is absolutely impassable, and it is impossible for the official family not to pursue such a major event as destroying the dog official Manmen, although the Dusi Mansion will track it all the way, and the factory guards of the East Factory will also come down. It's not that the elder brother is timid, if he takes three or two people back to the camp, he can still give it a try, and these many brothers will definitely not be able to hide it sooner or later. You are the son of a late general, and there will always be someone who recognizes you. I searched all the way because the city gate officer recognized my brother......"

Lu Sixiang interrupted Deng Changjiang's words: "Brother doesn't need to say it anymore, I understand, I won't drag my brother down." ”

Deng Changjiang said: "Where did the brother come from, I will be unable to repay the great kindness of the general, what do you say about dragging it down!" Therefore, the great kindness of the general has been repaid, and you must not stay here for a long time. What I mean is that my brother might as well return to his original surname for the time being, and when he has a bloodline in the future, he will continue to give the late general a branch of incense. One is to avoid the wind, and the other is worthy of the old general underground, don't cut off the sacrifice. Otherwise, in case the official family finds out the involvement of this matter......" As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Yong's grave, "I'm afraid it will disturb the peace of the late general!" ”

Lu Sixiang suddenly realized. After thinking for a moment, he hugged his fists: "Brother is right."

turned around and bowed to Lu Yong's grave again: "The righteous father is above, the kindness of the righteous father is difficult to repay, and the child is really afraid that the dog officials will disturb your purity." Today's child will change back to his original surname for the time being, and the father-in-law will bless the child, and if there is a bloodline in the future, he will continue to give the father-in-law incense! As he spoke, he knocked his head three times.

Deng Changjiang motioned to the two guards, and the three of them unloaded the leather armor and other things together, and said to Lu Sixiang: "Brother must know that the army is very strict with iron armor, and it is also very important to talk about it. You also bring two infantry bows, it is not helpful to rest, and in case of emergency, it will definitely be more useful than your small Tartar riding bows. I have also prepared some dry food with money, so let my brother bring them with me. ”

Lu Sixiang opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Deng Changjiang scolded with a smile: "You are a tall man, but don't say anything about your mother-in-law!" Then he said: "The order has not yet arrived, the brothers must climb over the side wall as soon as possible, and then go all the way to the west, cross Yang and Wei and come back, and go to the boundary of the Shanxi Xingdu Division in Datong Prefecture, it should not be so strict." Therefore, the general here, you can rest assured, I will come to worship every year, and there will be no shortage of offerings. I heard that Shaanxi is not very peaceful there, and it is not difficult to mix up with the skills of a brother. I also heard that Mr. Storyteller said that Mizhi's mother-in-law is very famous, hahaha......"

"I still have to hurry back and make a show, and I will also help my brother to carry out some searches." After speaking, Deng Changjiang stepped on the war horse, turned around and hugged his fist to Lu Sixiang and others: "Brothers, take care, there will be a period later"!

Lu Sixiang and others returned the salute one after another.

Seeing Deng Changjiang and the others leave, Lu Sixiang and the others began to pack up the items he brought, and distributed the silver taels and dry food to each of them (the group traveling together). The group of You Futian, who was the leader, wore leather armor vests and coats to cover them, and the foot bow and feather arrows were left for a few veterans such as Gao Tengdou, who were in charge of the broken back.

Seeing that Gao Tengdou was untying the bowstring, someone on the way to the newly acquired guy who had only been a bandit and had not been a soldier asked, "What is this doing?" Unload the strings, what should you do when you encounter officers and soldiers? ”

But seizing the opportunity to show off, Gao Tengdou snorted from his nose: "I don't know a turtle, this bow and arrow is delicate!" Always tighten the string, or it won't be long before the bow freezes, and then it is inelastic, and it will break when you pull it! The bowstring is afraid of water, and it will be wasted if it is stained with rain and dew! The knife and stick are used for self-defense, and the officials naturally can't help it. But the armor can protect the body, and the bow and crossbow are more designed for attacking the distance, ordinary people are equipped with these two things, what do you want to do? Expose these, but you are looking for death, and you can't complain about anything else! ”

The reprimanded guy was unconvinced: "What should I do then?" ”

Gao Tengdou was even more disdainful: "! This thing is most useful when it is ten or twenty paces away from the enemy. Even if you are against Wujia, it doesn't matter if you are hit by an arrow a hundred steps away. Blind? You can find danger in a mile or two, and by then, Lao Tzu has already set it up! As he spoke, he didn't stop under his hands, coiled the bowstring around his fingers a few times, wrapped it in a rag and put it in his arms, and then wrapped the bow in a longer rag and began to tie it on the back of the questioner, "Carry it well for Lao Tzu, there will be a bump and kill you!" ”

Lu Sixiang, oh, it's time to call Guan Shengyun in the future, and snickered on the side~ It seems that this shameless bean wanted to rub oil and was dragged away by himself, but his anger has not subsided......