Chapter 258

Both sides of the Huaishui River ushered in the days of continuous autumn rain.

The rain doesn't have to be heavy, sometimes it's silky, sometimes it's overwhelming. But even if it is a gentle and silent drizzle, as long as you patiently fall for a few hours, the rain-soaked dirt road will turn into a mud.

Walking in such a mud in the summer can barely say bitter, but walking in such a mud in the autumn can not cry.

When you step into it, it is cold and sticky, and when you want to pull it out, the earth has to fully express its reluctance, so you have to make great efforts with every step.

If you rush in the rain, you can't walk fast, but since you can't walk fast, you will feel cold.

The army tried their best to loot some clothes and hats, but the two counties of Runan and Huainan had already gone to the no-man's land under the rule of Yuan Shu, and since there were no large-scale towns nearby, it was naturally not easy to purchase rain gear.

Therefore, the officers wore their robes and held slightly more hats, and the soldiers who could walk in the rain with a piece of tarpaulin were envious of others, and more soldiers could only carry their weapons and march in the rain in silence.

Occasionally, a soldier fell while walking, and was spotted by the cavalry patrolling back and forth, who called for a medical officer. If the illness is not serious, they will be lifted up and treated when they are encamped; If they were seriously ill, they could only be put on carts, and when they arrived at the camp, they were put in a shed erected outside the camp for treatment, and when they were ready, they could only be buried on the spot, so as not to cause the plague.

Compared to these soldiers, Lu Hangyu's situation seemed to be much more comfortable, because she was traveling with an injury, and everyone rejected her horseback riding and asked her to sit in the carriage instead.

The carriage was carefully packed, with cattail mats, two layers of blankets, and pillows, so that she could lie down if she wanted to, or leaning on the pillow if she didn't want to lie down.

…… But she repeatedly expressed her request to ride a horse.

"I should share the weal and sorrow with the soldiers." She said so.

"You've got wounds." That's how everyone answered.

"The soldiers were wounded, too," she said, "and didn't they walk in the rain as well?" ”

"......" everyone was silent for a moment, and then each gave their own answers.

"How can you be so contemptuous when you resign as the commander of the Jade Leader?" This is Zhang Liao.

"If an ordinary soldier is as seriously injured as a general, he has been left in Shouchun, and he will not force them to go along." This is Tai Shi Ci.

“…… Is General Ciyu willing to share the joys and hardships with the soldiers, or does he feel that the dirt road is rough and it is not comfortable enough to sit in the carriage? Xu Shu touched his mustache, a little suspicious, "But do you need the people to repair and smooth the road again?" ”

Although this muddy dirt road is extremely rugged, the wheels do not have any shock-absorbing design, and the two layers of blankets cannot reduce the bumps at all, she can only passively turn up and down like a salted fish in the car, but everyone is walking outside, and it is already a blessing that no one else can enjoy to be able to sit in the carriage, so what else is there to talk about?

…… Lu Hangyu, who was tossed up and down in the car, and could vomit out all his internal organs, finally gave up.

"The people are already working hard," she said, "and don't bother them, I'm doing well in the carriage." ”

So everyone comforted and comforted her for a while, and prepared to go to their own businesses in the rain.

“…… Well, wait a minute," she called out to one of the soldiers next to her, "do you have pockets?" The waterproof kind? ”

The soldier glanced at her little snow-white face, sympathetic, but shook his head.

"General, bear with me," he said, "and there is more to come." ”

"Ahead?" She thought for a moment, "Hongze Lake? ”

In fact, Hongze Lake in the Han Dynasty is not quite the same as Hongze Lake in later generations, here is not a neat and tidy big lake at this time, but many small lakes, among which the more famous one is called Po Ketang.

Later, the Yellow River broke in Qingzhou, rushed all the way south, merged with the Huai River, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yuzhou, Yangzhou were washed away by the Yellow River together, and a big lake was rushed out, named Hongze.

…… Of course, there are still nearly a thousand years to go before the Yellow River flows into the sea, and the land looks like nothing more than a large wetland with many small lakes and ponds.

…… But if marching in the autumn rain is Hardmode, then crossing the Hongze Lake area is definitely Hell mode. Because in places like swamps and ponds, whether there are any fat fish or water birds, it is another matter, and all kinds of blood-sucking gadgets must be enough.

As long as they walk in the wetland, sit on the side of the road to rest for a while, and look for some lake water to wash their feet, they can see leeches lying on the surface of their feet and sucking fat.

The soldiers already have experience, as long as they take off their shoes and pat them, the leeches will be patted down, but the wounds on their feet bitten by the leeches are still there, bleeding nonstop.

These injured feet continued to walk in the muddy water of the wetlands, and when they arrived at the camp, they would inevitably swell and become inflamed, and by the next day, some of the soldiers' feet had become infected and looked like steamed buns, and they could not even wear straw sandals.

But the camp was not created out of thin air, and the soldiers had to look around for trees, cut down branches, and roast the damp branches on the fire, and then distribute them to each battalion after drying them dry.

With these fires, they were able to dry their clothes, and then put a pair of dirty feet by the fire and roast them carefully.

…… The picture is both sloppy and miserable.

When Lu Hangyu saw it, he immediately gave an order.

"Let them gather more firewood."

"General, they are extremely tired......"

"Then we need to gather some firewood," she said, "and the soldiers of every detachment, every line, and every regiment must wipe and wash their bodies with warm water before nightfall, and if there are wounds, they must be bandaged with muslin. ”

“…… What does the general mean? ”

"If the injured area is not cleaned, it is easy to aggravate the infection, and if the non-injured area is not cleaned frequently, it is also easy to be bitten by mosquitoes.

"Besides, these soldiers are not allowed to draw water directly from the pond," she commanded sternly, "and if they see anyone drinking from the lake or from the pond, they will give him ten lashes!" ”

"Yes!"

Although Shouchun had food, he didn't have much food because he had to leave some of it for the defenders and the people, and because they couldn't carry that much baggage.

The soldiers were given two wheat cakes a day, as well as a pot of vegetable soup. Occasionally, a little jerky would be added to the soup, but not much, and it would be difficult for the soldiers to notice, but they could always detect other small things in the pot, and occasionally the soldiers would fish them out and throw them away, but more soldiers would not care to drink them all into their stomachs.

This kind of food could not improve the morale of the soldiers, and it did not matter, because each of them received a large reward, and if there were villages and towns nearby, they could bring money and silk into the city, eat and drink, and vent the hard work of the journey.

However, because of the continuous war and the destruction of many villages, not only could they not find any place to trade, but they could not even see an ordinary and non-hostile face.

So these soldiers can only get together and talk about their hometown, which has been blurred in their memories, but has become clearer and clearer.

Their original homes were in Pingyuan, Xiapi, and Guangling, and then they slowly moved to Qingzhou, where there is their land, their parents, wives and children, and even some other relatives!

Some junior military chiefs and junior chiefs said ostentatiously that since he made military merits and was promoted, when he took leave to return to his hometown to take his family to Qingzhou, some of the brothers of the same clan who looked down on them also came with their families.

Who doesn't know that they are under the command of General Lu, who doesn't know that they are invincible, who doesn't know that they have received the most rewards, so they have purchased the fattest fields and the most robust ploughing cattle!

Several of them even proudly announced that although they followed General Xiao Lu out to fight, not only would their family's fields not be wasted, but they didn't even need their daughters to go to the fields! They can afford to hire field guests!

The scorching sun can't reach their parents, wives and children, and those farmers go down to the fields to farm for them!

The soldiers gathered together, while roasting the fire and drinking the hot water that General Xiao Lu insisted on them drinking, when suddenly someone spoke quietly.

"I'd like to be a farmer."

"Sun Qi, aren't you stupid? The reward saved from these battles is enough for you to hire ten field guests! How can you still be a farmer yourself, and give others a field? ”

"If I don't want those rewards," said the man, "will you let me go home and see my wife and children?" ”

The atmosphere that had just been very warm suddenly fell silent for a moment.

"Before leaving," someone said, "my mother's cough of blood has returned, and I bought some honey for her, and I don't know if she has finished eating it, and I don't know if she has seen any improvement." ”

"My wife thinks that she has already given birth, I wonder if the mother and child are safe? Alas, when I was about to go out, I had a few quarrels with her over trivial matters......"

The sun is slowly setting, and someone is slowly sighing.

Finally, another veteran cheered up, "Today, I inherited the kindness of the general, and set up camp early to rest, what are you talking about, change one, change one for a happy one, and have a little taste!" ”

"Agu, take that thing out of you and play a song?"

"Yes, yes, yes, the mosquitoes in my ears haven't broken! Let's make some movement and drive it away! ”

The "big goose egg", the instrument made of burnt clay did not have the magical effect of repelling mosquitoes, but when the soldiers slowly blew it, the sound of mosquitoes in the vicinity was indeed completely inaudible for the time being.

The gentle and melodious sound of Xun slowly floated up, turned a corner, left the camp, floated through the steamy swamp, floated over the rippling lake, and went all the way to the vast night in the north.

There are no damp and muddy waters, no muddy mud full of mosquitoes, no trees that cover the sky.

If you can penetrate the night, and then carefully bypass the majestic Mount Tai, you will see the land of Qingzhou in front of you.

It's their home.

I don't know when, someone sang along with Xun Sheng, beating the beat.

"If you want to go home, there is no one to cross the river, and there is no boat......"

The little general they spoke of was standing in the shadows, watching the scene in silence, and the young generals beside her looked at her, and then at the soldiers who were slowly responding to the beat.

"But you need me to get out—"

"No," she said, "they sing very well. ”

"But morale ......"

"Didn't you listen to them," she said softly, "who doesn't know that I've won every battle, and who doesn't know that under my command, there is no shortage of rewards." ”

As a general, she was always able to lead her soldiers to victory, and as long as this premise was there, no matter how tired the soldiers were, they could grit their teeth and follow her.

This belief gave the army extraordinary endurance, and when they descended from Qingzhou, they chased Sun Ce first, then broke Shouchun, and then stormed Cao Ren's camp by the Huaishui without stopping.

After three consecutive battles, they could still follow her north to attack Yu Ban without repairing, all thanks to the soldiers' trust and worship of her.

The sun had completely set, and the fire shone on her flickering face.

The female general, whose face was still a little pale, looked at her companion beside her, "What kind of person is Yu Ban?" ”

Chapter 259

If there are two armies on a battlefield, the autumn rain will not cause trouble to only one of them, it is not manic, on the contrary, it is very patient, day and night, dripping, watering every inch of land inside and outside Huai'an City.

But Yu Ban had already obtained the city of Huai'an, and his soldiers would not be exposed to the rain, they could live in sturdy houses, bake fires, and chat, although they were not allowed to go out and wander around and feel the customs of the city, but they did not need to soak in muddy water day and night.

Of course, the city doesn't have as many houses for soldiers to live in, but that's not a problem.

The owners of those houses had been driven out in droves, slowly digging trenches in the muddy water with the prisoners of war.

The ditch in Huai'an City was more than one zhang deep, but Yu Ban thought it was not enough, so he demanded that at least five zhang deep and five zhang wide should be dug up, and that the walls should be cleared within a radius of 100 miles, cutting down every tree, burning every house, and driving every living person within their field of vision to the city.

These men and captives were poorly fed, with only one bowl of porridge a day, and at night they were wrapped in straw mats and slept in the mud, but these were not as hard as the hard work.

It is impossible for this city to have tens of thousands of shovels, so only a few of them have shovels, and most of them can only use wooden shovels to shovel the earth, but no matter how strong the wood is, there is always a limit, so from time to time you can see someone break the wooden shovel in their hands, and dare not slack off under the overseer's whip, so they can only dig with two hands.

Digging up blood, even white bones, is not uncommon, and their hands are often infected with sludge, and then one hand is swollen high, and then further purple and black.

Not surprisingly, death befell this wretched group of poor people as the last mercy.

Every morning, many corpses were brought out of the civilian camps and prisoner of war camps outside the city, and they were taken away and disposed of, while the rest, still alive, had to endure the work of strengthening the city under the watchful eyes of the overseer soldiers.

Such a sporadic autumn rain and such a miserable scene are actually very unsuitable for watching from close range, but Yu Ban still meticulously brought a group of guards and rode out of the city to inspect how the city defense was built.

When the group of people carried the corpses of one after another, or just companions, or even neighbors, or even brothers, onto the cart and pulled away in silence, Yu Ban grabbed the reins and stood at a distance and watched carefully for a while.