weaving

Chapter 1156 Villagers

Inside the ruined temple, the squad leader Shi Dacheng, who was smoking a pipe, was cleaning and bandaging the wound of the team officer Chang Zhengcheng. After carefully removing the flying axe that had been embedded in the bone, he first rinsed it with strong liquor, then suddenly sprinkled in a handful of freshly burned grass ash, and then applied gold wound medicine, and finally carefully bandaged it with the gray-white cloth strips he brought.

The moment the strong liquor seeped into the wound, Chang Zhengcheng's steel teeth were almost broken, but he still forced himself not to make a single cry, maintaining his role as a tough guy in the army in front of his subordinates.

But from the beads of sweat that kept falling from his head, it could be seen how much pain Chang Zhengcheng endured when he was treating his wound just now. He almost fainted from the pain.

On the other side, Zhao Xingguang, Zhou Xiaoshan, Yu Zhongtian and the other three were also injured, especially Zhao Xingguang, who was injured in his right thigh. He lost too much blood while fighting and walking during the retreat. Although his injury was not the most serious, his body was the weakest among the few.

Naturally, there were people bandaging their wounds. Although they were trying to endure it, they could still hear muffled groans from time to time, which showed how serious their injuries were.

"How are the injuries of the brothers? Are the bandits chasing us?"

After Chang Zhengcheng's wounds were bandaged and his spirit recovered a little, he immediately thought about the safety of his own people. With a slightly haggard face, he looked at the cigarette holder and asked the previous question.

"Nothing serious."

Yanqiang took the water bag and handed it to Chang Zhengcheng, then continued, "Duan Chengjiu's second squad is guarding the abandoned village. If a large group of bandits comes after us, he will be able to detect it early. We have a blacksmith on guard outside, so even if the bandits' vanguard sneaks in, they won't have a chance to attack us."

Chang Zhengcheng nodded and said, "Although we lost three brothers and injured several others during this patrol, we also killed dozens of bandits and found out that they had cut off the Jialu River. Zhongwang even captured a prisoner alive. In any case, we didn't suffer any loss."

He then said with some concern: "However, this place is too close to the bandit camp after all, and we have these injured here, so we should return to the camp as soon as possible to avoid encountering a large group of bandits. If we really get bitten, it will be more trouble than it is worth."

"Yes, Changtou is right."

Smoking Gun agreed with Chang Zhengcheng's words and said with a smile: "When I saw you coming back just now, I wanted to ask everyone to retreat first, but I was afraid that your injury could not withstand the bumpy ride, so I treated your wound first."

"Yeah. Everything is fine now. How's the situation with Lao Zhao?"

"Captain Zhao's injuries are not serious, but he has lost a lot of blood. His body is weak and it is difficult for him to ride fast. Xiaoshan and Zhongtian each have two or three injuries, but they are not serious. They may not be able to fight, but their riding will not be affected by this."

"It's not advisable to stay here for long. Pack up your things and leave immediately."

"Changtou, why don't we leave after dark?"

"I can't wait any longer. The bandits are so powerful and rampant. Now that they have suffered a loss at our hands, how can they let it go? Ahem..."

Chang Zhengcheng was a little excited when he said these words, which affected his wound. He frowned and endured the pain. He took a breath and continued, "Maybe the bandits are cavalrymen out now, searching for us. They will kill us all before they let us go!"

"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."

"and many more……"

Chang Zhengcheng stopped Yanqiang who was about to leave and said to him, "Call a few sergeants over here. I have something to tell you."

"Yes. Changtou."

…………

There are only the first and third squads on the side of the ruined temple. The two squad leaders are Smoking Gun Shi Dacheng and Zhao Xingguang. Now the only one who can command and fight is Smoking Gun.

However, the four sergeants of the first and third squads were all fine. At this moment, they were squatting in front of the team officer Chang Zhengcheng together with the captain of the first squad, Smoking Gun, waiting for his instructions.

"Blacksmith, you lead Brother Zuo Wu out of the temple first and walk five miles to the east to see if there are any enemy troops lurking around. If there is no enemy troops, you can turn north and walk another ten miles. We will meet up at Hanjialou."

"Here!"

"Zhou Zhongwang, Xing Jinyin, you two lead the three squads to protect me and your squad leader Zhao Xingguang. After the blacksmiths and the others set off, wait for a cup of tea. If there is no movement, head northeast all the way to Hanjialou."

"Here."

"Yanqiang, you lead the brothers of the right five of the first squad to cover the rear. If there are enemy troops, you should be the first to charge out from the rear and break into the enemy formation to prevent the third squad from being surrounded and intercepted by the enemy soldiers.

If the enemy is strong, you must first gather the troops of the second squad to increase your strength, then find an opportunity to break out. After breaking through the enemy's encirclement, immediately return to the north. Do not linger in the battle!"

"Yes. Don't worry, Changtou."

Chang Zhengcheng felt relieved after seeing that everything had been arranged. He looked at Xing Jinyin again and said to him, "Chen San is quite smart. Tell him to run again and go to the abandoned village immediately. Tell Duan Chengjiu to come here immediately to meet up with the right troop of Yanqiang."

"Yes. I'll go and pass the message right away!"

After receiving the order, Xing Jinyin immediately got up and went out, not daring to delay for a moment.

"Each squad should check their armor and weapons, especially their pistols. Make sure they are properly loaded. Don't let them fail to fire when you need them, or else you will be in trouble."

"Here."

"A quarter of an hour later, the blacksmith's left wing set off first."

"Here!"

…………

The left sergeant of the first squad, the blacksmith, led four brothers in the squad out of the ruined temple, quietly came to the foot of a high hill, mounted their horses, and slowly walked eastward.

They had been resting in the ruined temple. At this moment, both the men and horses were well fed and well-drinking, and they were in high spirits. At this moment, they were ordered by the team officer Chang Zhengcheng to deliberately stir up trouble and test whether there were any bandits, scouts or ambushes around. In front of them were two riders riding side by side, and the corporal blacksmith followed them a hundred steps behind, and two more knights followed slowly a hundred steps behind them. Although there were only five riders in their group, they gave people a very strong sense of oppression.

The reason why they marched in three waves was to prevent themselves from being wiped out by enemies hiding along the way. If they were really attacked suddenly, the three waves of troops could support each other, or at least someone could break out to report the news and ask for help.

Although the blacksmith and his companions moved very slowly and everyone was vigilantly observing the situation around them along the way, they did not notice the human figures lurking in the lush green weeds under the high hill where the ruined temple was originally hidden.

Of course, this cannot be blamed on the blacksmiths at all. After all, those figures were lying in the grass, their bodies were completely submerged in the weeds, and they were difficult to detect when they were motionless.

About a quarter of an hour later, three more knights appeared on horseback on the official road under the ruined temple. They stood on their horses in a triangular shape and looked carefully at both sides of the official road.

About half an incense stick of time passed, and a very sharp whistle came from behind them. The two knights on the left and right in front of them rushed towards the overgrown land on both sides of the official road like wild horses.

After they galloped for about a hundred steps, they turned around and continued riding along the official road in the fields on both sides. The knights who stayed on the official road saw that there was no other movement, so they whipped their horses to keep in line with the two of them and moved forward slowly.

Apart from the rustling sound of the grass in the wind, there was no other movement. The surroundings seemed so quiet, even a little scary, but there was no clue at all.

About an incense stick of time passed before four war horses appeared on the official road. One of the horses had two people riding on it. The four riders and five men drove their horses slowly and did not seem to be in a hurry.

In fact, the reason why they did not spur their horses to gallop was mainly because there were injured people on the horses. Chang Zhengcheng, Zhao Xingguang and four others were mixed in among the four riders and five people, so it was not easy for them to gallop. Of course, there were also safety considerations.

  After all, we have just fought with the bandits not long ago. Who can guarantee that those cunning and brutal bandits will not track us down?

Just over fifty steps behind their group of four riders, three more elite knights appeared. They were Zhou Zhongwang, the left sergeant who was responsible for guarding Chang Zhengcheng and his team, and two knights in the squad.

The three riders in front of them were the right squad leader Xing Jinyin and two knights from his right squad. At this moment, they had also joined together, sometimes running fast, sometimes walking slowly, always keeping within a hundred steps of the five riders behind them.

The five riders in the middle were led by the team officer Chang Zhengcheng himself. Although the axe wound on his right shoulder was quite serious, it did not hinder his riding. However, when he galloped, the wound would still be affected, so he moved forward slowly.

But it was also for this reason that his alertness was raised to the highest level. His eyes were like torches, constantly scanning the wasteland on both sides, for fear of missing a single thing.

About 200 steps behind Zhou Zhongwang and his three companions, five elite knights rode up on horseback. They were Yan Qiang and his four brothers from the right rank of the tenth squad, who were responsible for covering the rear.

Chang Zhengcheng led his brothers on this patrol. Before the night visit, they had fought several fierce battles with the bandits' patrol cavalry, killing three brothers, one of whom was a soldier from the right 5th squadron. So at this moment, including the squad leader Yanqiang, there were only five horses.

Chang Zhengcheng divided the two squads of soldiers in his team into three waves, front and back, with only twenty riders in total. However, the distance between the front and back was two miles. The purpose was to prevent surprise attacks and annihilation by the bandits.

According to his current arrangements, even if there really are bandits lurking around, he would not be able to surround them all and capture them in one fell swoop. After all, the route stretches for almost two miles. How many soldiers would be needed to surround and kill them all?

…………

Two soldiers from Xing Jinyin's group rode their horses slowly, their horses' hooves stepping on the hard and dry official road. The rhythmic sound of the hooves raised dust behind the three men, which gradually dissipated when it reached the height of their horses' buttocks.

War horses are different from draft horses and pack horses. They must have horseshoes nailed on their hooves. In particular, the horseshoes of the cavalry scouts of the Yongyi Army are all forged from wrought iron. However, shaving horseshoes and nailing horseshoes is a purely technical job. If the operation is not done properly, the war horse's hoof may be injured, which is very difficult to treat.

In the Yulin Cavalry of the Yongyi Army, every team has an expert in shoeing and trimming horseshoes, just like every cavalry team must have a half-baked veterinarian. The blacksmith in Chang Zhengcheng's team, who is the left sergeant of the first squad, is an expert in this field, and everyone respectfully calls him "Zhang Gong".

Moreover, the sizes of the horse's front and hind hooves are different. The front hooves are slightly smaller than the hind hooves, so horseshoes are also uniformly equipped in sets of four.

  They walked slowly northward along the official road and saw almost no one. The land of Henan Central Plains was already ravaged by drought and locusts, and now there were continuous wars. How many people would dare to stay here?

Even those villagers who were not killed by drought, locust plagues and wars had almost all fled to the surrounding valleys. It was difficult to see living people in the plains. Even if there were people occasionally, they were almost all the dying elderly, the weak, women and children.

Looking around, there is no trace of human activity. The fields are overgrown with green weeds. Even the official road has many large and small potholes due to years of disrepair. They are sometimes on the left and sometimes on the right, making it almost difficult to move forward in a straight line.

"Tap...tap...tap..."

The war horses pedaled rhythmically on the official road, heading northward, like a precisely running machine. The speeds of the previous and next waves of horses were surprisingly consistent, and they advanced slowly and leisurely.

The dull and rhythmic sound of hooves formed a very rhythmic rumble on the official road...

Seeing that it was almost noon, Xing Jinyin suddenly pulled the reins and stopped his horse. The two knights behind him also shook the side badges on their left arms, and their right hands involuntarily reached for the saddlebags beside the saddle, touching the short guns inserted in them, and they were on full alert.

It turned out that at a bend in the official road ahead of them, a large group of fleeing villagers suddenly came. Although there were less than a hundred people, they were all old, young, sick and disabled, and they were carrying pots, bowls, bedding and other sundries. However, their sudden appearance made Xing Jinyin and others fully alert, and they kept looking into the distance and around.

Not only were there weeds everywhere on both sides of the official road, but there were also many shrubs with branches covered with green leaves. Although they were not very tall, they were enough for the bandits to hide, but they still had to be guarded against.

In particular, about a mile to the left of the official road, there is a small forest. Although it is not very dense, the grass and trees are connected together, and you can't see what's inside at a glance.

Xing Jinyin could not help but frown. He first turned around and looked back at Chang Zhengcheng and others behind him. Seeing that they were slowly approaching and were within fifty steps, he hurriedly took out a small triangular yellow flag from his war horse's saddlebag, held it in his hand and shook it left and right three times.

Not until he saw Chang Zhengcheng and his men stop their horses did he turn around and look at the villagers who were approaching. He saw that they were leaning against the sides of the official road and had completely cleared the middle of the road.

There was a quick sound of horse hooves behind him. It turned out to be He Cheng urging his horse forward and whispering, "Sergeant, there's nothing strange about the reaction of these villagers, but why did they suddenly appear? There's something illogical about it..."

Xing Jinyin looked alert and said softly, "The biggest anomaly is that it is unreasonable. Don't underestimate a group of old and weak people. Bandits are the best at cheating. We must be on guard."

At this time, another knight in the squad also came forward. He looked at He Cheng, his expression became serious, he tightened the side plate on his left arm, and at the same time touched the short gun on his waist.

"Changtou and Shizhang are right behind us. If anything unexpected happens, we must protect Changtou and them at all costs."

Xing Jinyin's eyes widened as he spoke, and he said in a deep voice, "You know everything?"

"know!"