The old road is depressed, and the road is long.

Xu Sheng was dressed in white, wrapped in a plain scarf on his head, and walked in the forefront; Behind him, eight soldiers carried a coffin that was not very thick, or even slightly worn, and slowly followed, step by step.

Behind the shabby coffin, there were two teenage boys, both wearing wool hats and white-painted cheeks according to the local customs of Lingzhou, singing some "hum-ah-ah" eulogy as they walked, and if they wanted, they threw a few pieces of paper money into the sky at will.

The old man's funeral is really not grand, but it is better than nothing, and it is the best Xu Sheng can do at present.

He and the old man were both withdrawn men, and did not know most of the people and soldiers in the city, and they could not be asked to attend the funeral; What's more, in such a situation now, with heavy troops pressing down on the city, lack of food and food, how can we feast in all directions?

Xu Sheng walked, his steps were difficult, and his heart was heavy.

Life and death, how many people can bear it? What's more, he is kind by nature and peaceful, and he can't see or stand it.

Step by step, one foot at a time, Xu Sheng walked very slowly, and he deliberately slowed down his pace; In the end, it still came to the end of the road.

In the east of the city, there is a green highland, which was originally a place for children to play and the elderly to rest; Immediately, a tomb will be erected.

It is true that this is not a good place to bury bones, but it is also the result of Xu Sheng's dedication and several days of exploration. The real suitable place for burial is outside the city, which is the majestic mountain, on the edge of the green forest.

But there is no way to go there now.

"Whew-"

The sound of sorrow arises. There were already people waiting here, digging the tomb, standing quietly beside it, and setting up the guard of honor.

"Up"

Xu Sheng whispered, with uncontrollable pain and reluctance in his voice.

He didn't want the coffin to go into the tomb, he didn't want the old man to be imprisoned underground, he didn't want to say goodbye to an old man. But, where is he unwilling?

Reason triumphs over emotion. The things in the world, how much unwillingness, in the end don't all just turn into helplessness and sighs? It's really normal.

The coffin approached the tomb little by little, but Xu Sheng closed his eyes tightly and didn't dare to look at it again.

For a long time, as if it hadn't been for long, he opened his eyes, raised his right hand lightly, and slowly rubbed it on the coffin.

"Old man, I have wronged you here for the time being, when this Zhiyang incident is over, if I am still alive, I will definitely move you to a new home that you like."

Xu Sheng whispered, although there was a painful expression on his face, the corners of his mouth struggled to squeeze out a smile.

He knew that the old man liked to see him smile, and did not want to see his sad face.

"Alas-" Xu Sheng sighed, then waved his hand, covered his face and said: "Fall"

Fall!

With a fall, the coffin fell to the ground with a "poof"; This is a custom in Lingzhou, and it is said that the louder the sound of landing, the greater the achievement in the next life.

"My lord, are you covered with soil?"

The strong man with the shovel asked cautiously, and beside him, four or five sturdy young men were holding the dick tightly, and they were waiting intently.

"Slow"

Xu Sheng raised his hand, wanting to stop them; However, his hand was only halfway raised, and it stopped in mid-air...... Stayed for a long time. At this time, his brain was blank, and he couldn't say anything when the words came to his mouth; In the end, thousands of words only turned into a "good! ”

The good words blurted out, and the six people received the order, and they all threw off their arms and dug shovels with all their might.

In a short time, the earth was covered.

Xu Sheng looked at the small dirt bag and bowed deeply; Then, he lifted the tombstone from the side, meditated for a moment, and plunged it into the groove in front of the tomb.

"Goodbye"

Xu Sheng whispered softly, stunned for three breaths, and then turned to leave.

Behind his fading back, a tombstone stands quietly, on which the words "nameless old man, righteous son Xu Shengli" are ordinary and clearly visible.

"Lao Xu, the scenery along the way is not bad, if we are buried here, it will not be too bad."

On the march, Si Shaokong Xu was too bored to say such a sentence plainly. Of course, this is not a taboo, he and Xu are arrogant by nature, and they have no scruples.

"Hahaha, Lao Si, I don't die, but you still have a little woman waiting, I'm afraid you're not going to be a negative person?" Xu Yan quipped, his eyes were full of smiles, the big battle was approaching, but he was not much nervous.

"Say me, don't you have a brother? We have been separated for three years, and there is no news of that girl, and now eighty percent of them are married to women, if I still think about it, wouldn't it be a waste of feelings and thoughts. ”

"Hehe, to put it lightly, isn't it time for you to toss and turn at night? Are your dream words like 'kissing, loving, loving, and hugging' all ghosts? ”

"You don't spread rumors and make trouble, my dignified husband can be as filthy as you? Put what happened to me on my head, shameless, right? ”

"You just want to fight?" Xu Yan pursed his lips with a provocative expression.

"I'll be afraid of you? Can you win me in a fight? Just don't beg for mercy. Si Shaokong squinted at Xu Rampant, and the meaning of ridicule was beyond words.

"You're a stupid donkey."

"You're still a king."

......

The two of them scolded like this, refusing to give in to each other, not at all like generals commanding 10,000 people, not like soldiers rushing to the battlefield.

For a long time, the sky was getting dark, and the two trolls were finally so tired that they stopped, looking at each other with a strong fire in their eyes.

"Let's fight again in the future."

Xu Yan wiped his mouth and said.

"Good"

Si Shaokong swallowed his saliva and nodded.

If it were on weekdays, the two would not have "fight" at all, and they would have fought a long time ago, and their noses and faces would be swollen; After all, the march and the battle, the two still restrained a little.

"Encamp!"

Si Shaokong looked up at the sky, swallowed his saliva again, then raised his neck and roared: "Stop and rest, the first three battalions support the tent, the middle three battalions look for water, make fires and make meals, and the last three battalions patrol and guard." ”

"Knock Knock"

The sound of gongs and drums was loud, and all the sergeants stopped when they heard this; At the same time, those who struck the gong struck the gong surface hard, and at the same time shouted Si Shaokong's order at the top of their throats.

"Sit down and take a break." Xu Yan turned over and dismounted, chose a stone at random, and waved Si Shaokong.

"As long as you have a big heart, from beginning to end, leave everything to me." Si Shaokong kicked a stone and said viciously: "You have to make a place for me!" ”

"Hehe" Xu rampant smiled, slowly gave up a corner, and patted him on the shoulder after Si Shaokong sat down, and said, "If you are a woman, Lao Tzu will definitely marry you." ”

"Get out!"

Si Shaokong's eyes widened, and he shook off Xu Yan's arm.

At this moment, all he saw was the crowd of people who couldn't stop moving; In my mind, I was full of pictures of the birth and death of those people in front of me.

After a long time, the tiredness and laziness on his face were swept away, he turned his head to stare at Xu Yan, and asked in a solemn tone: "Your younger brother, can you hold out for eighteen days?" ”

Eighteen days is the shortest time required for Si Shaokong and Xu Rampant to implement the plan.

They had to spend six days to rush to Quxia and three days to resist the flanking attacks of the enemy troops at the front and rear; Three days later, if there were no accidents, the 100,000 people besieging Zhiyang would abandon them, turn around, and storm Zhiyang at any cost.

In about four days, the 100,000 men should have run out of food; At that time, in order to survive, all military discipline will be scorned and ignored like a joke. The so-called "generals", no matter how stubborn they are and how loyal they are to the imperial court, they can only give up Zhiyang and let their soldiers rush to the land of Kanto to find their own way out.

After the 100,000 people evacuated, they would send someone to deliver a message to Zhiyang City. Even if you move quickly, it will take at least five days to take all the sergeants and follow the instructions to reach a safe place.

The time before and after this adds up to eighteen days.

This is still the most ideal situation, the battlefield is changing rapidly, and no one can protect it; Perhaps, the time that Zhiyang needs to hold on to is more than eighteen days!

"No matter what, it can't last more than twenty-three days!"

Si Shaokong often said to himself in his heart, even if Zhiyang could hold on and be solid, they would not have the capital to spend on it.

First, they only have more than 10,000 people, and in the face of hundreds of thousands of enemy troops, even with the blessing of geographical advantages, they are still at an absolute disadvantage; Second, the rations they brought with them were not very large, and the twenty-three days were the limit.

What they have to do is no different from gambling, and it is a race against time.

"I believe in my brother."

After a long time, the silent Xu Rampant finally spoke; In front of his eyes, there was that familiar face—that face that was immature, but unusually determined.

"Hmm"

Si Shaokong simply responded, and didn't say much, a "um" word was enough. Just as Xu Rampant believed in Xu Sheng, he also believed in Xu Rampant.

Zhiyang

The heavy atmosphere weighed down everyone and could not breathe smoothly, the dwindling food, the people's hearts that became more and more difficult to appease, and the sergeants who were seriously lacking in confidence; Everything made Xu Sheng anxious and unbearable.

The old man's death had already saddened him, and the grim reality had scared him again.

"Brother"

Xu Sheng has been whispering a lot lately, and even in his dreams, he often repeats these two words.

Since Zhiyang was trapped until now, Xu Rampant has always been his only hope; But as time went on, this hope was also dashed little by little.

It stands to reason that if Xu Rampant received the news, this time should have come.

"Did General Zhang Pi fail to break through, or was he restricted by Fan Chuanjun's movements?"

Xu Sheng had 10,000 guesses in his heart, but no matter what, he would never believe that his brother had deliberately abandoned him.

"My brother won't give up on me, but I can't afford to wait."

Xu Sheng whispered, only bitterness in his heart. In the past few days, under his repeated questioning, Captain Li told the truth: The food in Zhiyang City is only enough to eat for eight days.

Just eight days!

"After eight days, if there is no turnaround, then I will be lowered."

Xu Sheng was helpless, but he had to do so; After all, there are tens of thousands of people in Zhiyang City, and they have the right to live.

Eight days, eighteen days.

There are only ten days in the middle, but it is ten days that are related to the entire battle situation, and it is insurmountable!

If Si Shaokong knew Xu Sheng's plan, eighty percent would beat his chest and sigh on his back; If Xu Sheng knew that he knew his brother's plan, he would risk his life and grit his teeth to hold on for another ten days.

It's a pity that their fates are not connected......