Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 161 Plum Rain
What started as a storytelling session quickly turned into a gathering for condemnation and grievance.

Every family that moved south from the north has a history of blood and tears.

The Sima family's imperial power had long been destroyed. The Northern Palace Army and the Eight Buildings were all descendants of refugees, and they had no fear of the Sima family.

The soldiers grew angrier as they spoke, finding an outlet for their suffering.

The Sima family had indeed done so many disgusting things over the years that they had long since lost the support of the people. The reason they were still able to sit on the throne was because the aristocratic families were also rotten to the core, and no one had the courage to clean up the mess.

On the contrary, if anyone had the intention of launching a northern expedition, the Sima family would unite with the aristocratic families to deal with him...

Liu Daogui did not comment on the soldiers' arguments. As long as there were no rumors or misleading people, such arguments would allow the soldiers to distinguish right from wrong.

For several days in a row, after Liu Daogui finished his reading, the soldiers would argue about it.

It also livens up the atmosphere and boosts morale.

However, by remaining inactive, the other side became anxious first.

Several cavalrymen came to attack, but seeing that the soldiers were ready for battle, they did not dare to attack. They rode around the camp and shot for a while before retreating.

On the fifth day, dark clouds covered the sky. First, there was continuous spring rain, and then heavy rain fell in the wilderness. The river overflowed and there was mud everywhere.

The mist covered the sky and the earth.

These days everyone has been talking about the heroic stories of the Han Dynasty. The soldiers were all filled with anger, and their morale was finally restored.

They stood straight in the heavy rain.

Liu Daogui looked around at these young and resolute faces, and suddenly a surge of ambition arose in his heart. The time, the place and the people were all right. If Murong Long dared to come at this time, he would be skinned alive if he didn't die.

"Let's go, I'll take you home."

"Go home!"

"That old guy Murong Long better come with us!"

The soldiers walked through the mud and headed east.

The returning army must be stopped. When the soldiers are outside, everyone wants to go home. If you stop them on the way, they will surely fight to the death!

The reason why Liu Daogui delayed until now was to build up the morale of the soldiers before returning to the army.

After crossing the Zhushui River, the heavy rain gradually subsided, but the mist still did not dissipate.

After just two hours of marching, scouts from both the north and south came to report, "Army, the enemy is catching up."

"Come on!" Liu Daogui was delighted when he heard the news and ordered his soldiers to slow down and conserve their energy.

Many veteran soldiers have already put on their armor, waiting for a fight.

After walking east for another hour, the raindrops began to fall and gradually became heavier.

A faint sound of horse hooves was mixed in with the sound of heavy rain.

"Form a battle line!" As soon as Liu Daogui gave the order, the sound of horse hooves gradually disappeared.

The soldiers rested for a while, took off their armor and continued on their way. In less than half an hour, the sound of horse hooves disappeared and returned.

It was we who hastily put on our armor and switched from marching formation to defensive array.

In the rain, the figures of the Yan army were looming. At the closest point, they were only fifty or sixty steps away. They shouted arrogantly, "Don't even think about escaping!"

"Zoucheng has been captured by our army. You are now isolated. Running back is suicide. Hahahaha——"

"Bullshit, come over here and fight to the death if you dare!"

Liu Zun led more than fifty soldiers and rushed forward while cursing.

But the Yan cavalry turned around and left.

Liu Daogui had only a few arrows left, and the soldiers didn't dare to shoot without orders, so they just watched them escape.

Although the cavalry's speed was limited in the heavy rain, it was still faster than the infantry.

Liu Zun returned empty-handed, filled with resentment. "The Murong family is full of flies. I dare not hit them, and I can't drive them away."

Wang Yuande came and said, "The Solomon Rising must be trying to tire the enemy out, using a combination of real and fake tactics. Once our army lets down their guard, the Solomon Rising will turn the fake into real tactics and launch a sudden attack. Our army will certainly be caught off guard." This is exactly the trouble for the cavalry. In a head-on battle, Liu Daogui has at least a 70% chance of winning.

But after such repeated attacks, the soldiers will eventually get tired.

The rain lightened up again, and the mud only reached up to the backs of the feet.

"Send a message to the entire army, take the time to rest for two hours, and then march quickly after two hours!" Liu Daogui decided to change the tactics.

Hunters chase their prey, but sometimes their prey plays tricks on them.

It seemed like God was helping, the rain stopped, allowing the soldiers who had been wet in the rain for such a long time to take a breath.

The sky was still covered with dark clouds, and after just one hour, the rain started to fall again.

A burst of rapid coughing was heard from the soldiers. Liu Daogui examined the person who was coughing. He was about seventeen or eighteen years old and was obviously infected with a cold. His face was pale and his forehead was hot.

We have been fighting hard, marching, and getting wet in the rain for these days. It is good enough that we can hold on until now.

"I'm afraid I can't go far. If you join the army, you'll abandon me..."

"I, Liu Daogui, have said that I will share life and death with you, and I will never give up on any living person, including you, Lin Zhouzi!" Liu Daogui still remembered his name, he was a soldier with eight embroidered yellow banners.

He followed Liu Daogui and participated in all the major and minor battles.

"join the army……"

The soldiers gathered around, everyone was wet, even some had wet eyes.

When leading troops, you can't just shout slogans. After a long time, others will be able to see between your sincerity and insincerity.

"Okay, stop dithering like a woman and making it seem like a life-or-death separation."

When the time came, Liu Daogui supported Lin Zhouzi and continued on their journey, speeding up. Rain and mud splashed everywhere, but no one complained or grumbled anymore.

Some people were exhausted and were supported by their comrades.

When someone falls, two or three people immediately go up to help him up.

It seemed that the heavy rain brought everyone's hearts closer together.

The rain was getting heavier. Lin Zhouzi whispered, "I thought I'd never be able to go back and would die here..."

"Don't be discouraged. It's difficult for us, but it's even more difficult for the Suolu on horseback. Besides, they're all from the north and may not be accustomed to the climate of Huaibei. We are sure to win this battle!"

"Join the army and win, and you will definitely win..."

The mud under my feet grew thicker and thicker, reaching ankle depth.

The soldiers' marching speed slowed down.

Looking around, the Si River had already flooded, like a swamp. From time to time, fat fish jumped out of the water and flew into the air to prey on low-flying insects.

The mist seemed to cover the sky and the earth with a layer of silk, feeling wet when it touched the body.

More and more people are coughing.

Wow…

Not far behind him came the sound of horse hooves stepping on water and the wailing of war horses.

"Speed ​​up the march and tire out the Sogorgons behind us!" Wang Yuande ran back and forth to encourage morale in the battle formation.

Liu Guangzhi took scouts to investigate the enemy situation and the surrounding terrain.

After an hour's forced march, Liu Guangzhi returned with his scouts. "Five miles to the northeast, there's an abandoned village that can provide temporary shelter."

Huaibei was originally a densely populated area, but after becoming a buffer zone between the north and the south, the population gradually declined, and abandoned villages like this are everywhere.

It's getting dark soon and we need to find a place to stay for the night.

It wasn't very cold during the day, and the soldiers were strong and had enough food in their stomachs, so they could still bear the cold. But at night, this kind of rain could be fatal.

(End of this chapter)