Sima Jin asked Wang Yi and Bai Qi, called Meng Fu, and divided the labor with him: he was responsible for the command of the first line of Shicheng, and he was responsible for the command of the first line of Danshui. Every night I went to the big tent covered in white on the hill and exchanged information.

Bai Qi and other reports on the outbreak of the epidemic had been reported to Yuancheng by Pegasus two days ago. King Qin replied: "The widow has ordered Hedong to seek medicine, and he will come to Changping in a few days." ”

But the doctor did not come, one is that the epidemic situation in various places is very serious, and the other is that the doctor is also worried about entering the barracks, and it will be unreasonable. However, one of Duan's doctors offered a home remedy that might be useful for decoction with white grass root.

On the one hand, the king of Qin asked Hedong to organize people to dig up white grass roots in the wilderness, and on the other hand, he passed the news to Bai Qi and others, so that they could also pay attention to the search. Sima Jin immediately ordered the soldiers trained in Gaodu to immediately find Bai Maogen.

Everyone knows thatch, and it is used to build a house to keep out the rain. Now to dig up its roots and cure diseases, many people feel that it is insightful. This is much better than going to the front line to fight, and everyone has almost dug up all the roots in the vicinity in one day. In the evening, everyone washed with water, served it in large urns, and carried it to the front.

Gaodu is not far from the front line, it will be there overnight. The Nanjun Army was close to the water and tested the medicine first. Smoke also rose from the Qin military camp, which had not been smoked for a long time. Many of the soldiers drank while it was hot, and they all felt hot and sweaty, and the heat seemed to have subsided, and their spirits were also vigorous. Those who are seriously ill have drunk it, but they are between useful and useless.

Bai Qi and Wang Ji both drank the medicine. Wang Ji felt that his body was much better, but Bai Qi was still drowsy. Wang felt that the medicine was still useful, but those who were seriously ill might need to take more. On the one hand, he asked Gaodu to find more Maogen to send it, and on the other hand, he asked Hedong to find Maogen.

Pi Wan had already found a lot on the mountains near Anyi, and personally escorted the team to Changping. On the way to Duanshi, he found more thatch. He ordered the residents of the neighborhood to dig up the roots and buy them when he returned, for a pound and a penny.

From Anyi to Changping, the first to arrive is the camp of the king of Taniguchi. But Wang Ji had already gone to the army of Nanjun by Danshui, and the five doctors who were in charge of military affairs here naturally knew Pi Wan and received him in the camp. Pi Wan asked him to arrange for people to hurry up and decoct the medicine.

After a night's rest, Pi Wan set off with a convoy to buy Maogen. Pi Wan had prepared in advance, and there were a large number of grass roots growing along the mountain, and he asked people to arrange digging in advance, and he only needed to buy them. So the herbs are delivered in a steady stream. Taniguchi's medicinal herbs are guaranteed.

The worst thing is on the side of Shicheng, everything has to be done by yourself, and you have to beware of Zhao Jun making trouble; And there is a lack of cookers! Meng Wei urgently asked Wang Yu for assistance, and Wang Yu asked Pi Wan to transport medicinal herbs and water jugs to Shicheng. But after only one shipment, Meng Fu found that this method was not in a hurry, first, the distance was too far, and secondly, Taniguchi was also in urgent need of medicine. So after accepting the jug, Meng Fu had to find another way.

There is a large amount of white thatch in the back mountain, but there is a lack of manpower to mine it. There was no way, so Meng Fu could only mobilize the lightly wounded and lightly ill to come out and dig, promising them to give priority to drinking medicine when they returned. Due to their lack of physical fitness, Meng Fu devised a two-person method of digging back, digging back with a strip of grass, which could be used as fuel. Dig up a dozen or so trees and let them go back.

In this way, tens of thousands of plants were dug up for the first time, and the soup was fried for people to drink. In the afternoon, more people set out to dig up the medicine, and when they returned, more people used the medicine.

The camps of the Qin army were full of smoke, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance of medicine, which was observed by Zhao Jun, and reported to Zhao Kuo after layers of reports. Zhao Kuoqiang supported the sick body and went to watch. You don't have to pay attention to the smell of medicine in the air. A retainer said: "The Qin people raise the fire, it is a decoction, not a cooking." He is also worth the plague, and he is driven away by medicine. ”

Zhao Kuo's mind was in a hurry and asked, "What day is it?" ”

The retainer said: "September will be obscure! ”

Zhao Kuo said: "The ministers are exhausted! Nothing can be done! ”

The retainer said: "The Qin people are plagued, Zhao aid is coming, isn't it heavenly!" ”

Zhao Kuo had already judged from the movements of the Qin army that it was impossible for Zhao Yuan to come. If King Zhao had sent troops in October as agreed, Handan would have been in turmoil now, and the gathering of tens of thousands of troops would not be a joke. And when the Qin army gets the news that the Zhao army is coming to help, they will definitely urgently adjust their deployment. However, there was no movement from the Qin army, indicating that the Zhao State had not even called up new troops.

But Zhao Kuo didn't say his judgment, and said: "The Qin army is in the midst of the epidemic, and Zhengwu is also an opportunity." Take this opportunity to hit it, and it will be broken. ”

The retainer said: "No, the soldiers are all sick, how can they fight?" ”

Zhao Kuo said: "He and I are both sick, but we are in the drum and brave ears!" ”

The retainer said: "Hunger strike for several days, it is difficult to walk, and I am incompetent!" ”

Zhao Kuo said: "If he is not sick, he will naturally not come out." He is plagued, and I only eat little, so I deserve to fight. ”

The retainer said: "All people will be sick, who will rule it?" ”

Zhao Kuo said: "I lead it, why hinder it?" ”

The retainer said: "No, the general is responsible for the first army, and he has to be brave!" ”

Zhao Kuo said: "If Tianyu doesn't dare, there will be disaster in the future!" Thou shalt wait for all armies, but those who can carry halberds will fight! ”

Seeing that he couldn't convince Zhao Kuo, the retainer had to ask, "But where did it come from?" ”

Zhao Kuo pointed to the hill and said, "It's okay to come out of it." ”

The retainer said: "I see that the Qin army in Houshan is small and weak, if you rush it, it will break the siege." ”

Zhao Kuo said: "From the back mountain, it is the party." Today, the party is uninhabited for hundreds of miles, predatory and landless, and is fighting for its life. But he is the tail of a small army, and I will be scattered. When going straight to the backbone, as for the high capital. The high capital city is thin and the people, wide and grain and grass, according to the food, can be revitalized. Then either aid Changping, or return to Handan, and me. ”

The retainers had no choice but to disperse to the armies and recruit soldiers who still had some physical strength.

In those camps close to the Qin army, there are still some soldiers who can fight, beware of the Qin army's attack, but they are also very weak. The retainers first went to visit the sick generals and relayed Zhao Kuo's decision to them: At present, the Qin army is also in the midst of the epidemic, and a large number of people are sick; As long as we concentrate all our forces, we will be able to deal a severe blow to the Qin army and turn the situation around. Most of the 10,000 people will already lose hope in the situation, and say to the visiting retainers, but it is useful, and all of them will obey their fate! The retainers could only go down to the camp in person, and even persuaded and coaxed some soldiers who could still fight.

A total of five retainers who had not yet contracted the disease ran for a day, barely brought out thousands of men, and once again concentrated in the southern camp. The southern barracks were also rendered useless, and they watched indifferently as the soldiers set up camp in the clearing around them.

Zhao Kuo recruited soldiers in the camps around the main tent. He had some appeal over his retainers, and he recruited about 2,000 people.

Most of Zhao Kuo's 500 people in the camp have fallen ill, and there are only more than 100 people who can barely be on duty. Zhao Kuo said to them: "I will collapse the siege by myself, but those who can carry the halberd will all rise!" "Almost the whole battalion of non-commissioned men stood up and lined up.

During the night, the soldiers who had been mobilized (or volunteered) to break out were concentrated in front of the barracks to the south. Zhao Kuo ordered to collect the leather armor and leather ben of the whole army. These things are all precious items, only a few rich children have, and after collecting them overnight, they only have more than 1,000 them.

Zhao Kuo ordered them to be cut into small pieces and simmered in Dingzhong.

The light of the stars illuminated the sky, the water boiled, and the faint smell of meat wafted out. The soldiers of the Zhao army knew that they would have one last meal before they died in battle.

The leather armor had been worn for a long time, and almost all of them had grown lice, but the hungry soldiers could not take care of it, and their eyes were all shining, and they looked at the flickering fire, listened to the gurgling of boiling water, smelled the fragrance wafting out, and forgot about it!

Zhao Kuo stood on the mountain, letting the cool breeze blow, sobering himself up, and sobering up a little more.

After simmering for an hour, the captain added water to the ding, and after boiling, he gave each person a bowl of soup and a piece of skin. Even though it has been simmered for an hour, the leather is still hard to bite. But everyone was determined to bite off the skin little by little and eat it.

After each person has filled one bowl of soup in the ding, the bottom is seen. The captain continued to add water to it, boiled it, and served a bowl to each person, but no longer gave the skin. Say that the night is over, and rest in peace, and eat again in the day.

Zhao Kuo looked at the small hill in the distance, and recalled that he had beaten the drum there in high spirits, directing the Zhao army to attack the Qin army camp. The bloody scenes resurfaced in front of me, the shouts and screams on the battlefield, the clashing of weapons, the sound of bowstrings and arrows breaking through the air, vividly sounded in my ears.

Zhao Kuo's leather armor had been sent down for the soldiers to eat, and he was only wearing two thin layers of autumn clothes. The weather was still hot when he set out, and now it can no longer be described as just cool, but a little cold.

The retainers brought him a bowl of porridge. There was almost no millet in the porridge, and some unknown wild vegetables floated in the black, bitter and unpalatable. Zhao Kuo took it over, and Huhulala swept it away. He asked his retainers: "What does Wu Anjun think of me?" ”

The retainer did not know what to say, and replied, "Or! ”

Zhao Kuo said: "If I go to Wu Anjun, what will he do?" ”

The retainer said: "Wen Wu Anjun is brave and powerful, and he will fight hard!" ”

Zhao Kuo said: "If you have to connect with Wu Anjun's white blade, you won't hate it!" ”

Another retainer said: "Wu Anjun may be sick and dead. ”

Zhao Kuo said: "Wu Anjun, a hero, An has to die on the table." If you are sick, you will also fight! Liang Jiu said again: "Wu Anjun, people are slaughtered." I'm going to slaughter it, what can I do? ”

The retainer said: "The general will get his wish!" ”

Zhao Kuo said: "It's not what I want." Kuo Wu Anjun enemy! Including meeting with Jun in Changping, Chang Sijun will capture me with a strange plan. Since the sky, there is no peace. However, you have no plan! At the time of Changping, the king was attacked with soldiers, and the non-monarchs were attacked with soldiers. To be able to trap the king in Changping February, my wish is enough. Handle it yourself! What more could you ask for! It's fun to have a quick battle with you! ”

Zhao Kuo seems to be talking to himself and to others. His eyes were attentive, and he held a halberd in his hand, standing proudly. When all the retainers saw this, they were all moved.