Royal Road

From Yanzhou to Yuzhou, the light ride is extremely fast. Even if it is his own territory, Shi Le has not neglected. There are a hundred scouts sent out, and they are very clear in the area of ​​five miles. And never rush to the night, choose a good place for camp every night, to avoid someone sneaking off at night.

It took a long time to travel in this way, but a lot of food and grass were taken from Wubao along the way, which was considered to stabilize the military's mind. In the direction of Ji County, no chasing soldiers were seen for a long time. Is this abandoning interception, or is it going to send troops to encircle after entering Henan County? Shi Le was not sure about the plan to merge with the state, but they certainly wouldn't let themselves help Pingyang easily.

But this time they were all cavalry, and Shi Le was not afraid of the enemy's tricks. As long as there are scouts, it is difficult for the infantry to catch up with his army, and the cavalry of the same size cannot be hidden anyway. I am afraid that only after entering Hedong and the terrain becomes more complicated, will there be a risk of ambush.

"General, the front is Xifengling. Do you want to cross the river valley and go straight to Sizhou, or bypass the pipeline?"

Hearing the report from the scout in front of him, Shi Le only hesitated for a moment, and said, "Cross the river valley!"

If you make a detour, it will take two more days on the road. It is Sizhou ahead. There is not much food for the army. The longer the time wasted, the greater the chance of encountering danger. The valley of Xifengling is surrounded by mountains on one side and water on the other. The valley is not very long, and the mountains are high and shallow, making it difficult to ambush. As long as more scouts were sent to make sure that there were no ambushes, it would only take a moment for thousands of horses to cross the valley.

If such a terrain makes him frightened, should he go on the road ahead?

With the command of the coach, the soldiers and horses did not stop, and headed for the river valley ahead.

Before noon, the sun was terribly harsh, and it also illuminated the river valley so clearly that there was no place to hide. The scouts dialed back to report, and there were no ambushes in the front, back, left, and back. Shi Le relaxed and ordered the army to pass.

Ten thousand cavalry can almost fill this small river valley. The riverbed has long since dried up, with pebbles everywhere. In order to avoid hurting the horse's hooves, most of the horses walk on the flatter beach near the cliffs. They don't travel too fast, but they are definitely not slow. Seeing that An An An steadily passed most of the soldiers, the soldiers who had been tensed, gradually relaxed, and some even let the horses move forward against the mountain wall, trying to cover the sun on their heads.

The dry ground was covered with dust under the footsteps of horseshoes. No one had noticed that a little spark was rushing forward along the string. The mess of stones blocked all possible sights, until the sparks slammed into the cracks at the foot of the mountain.

It seems that I have never made a wrong judgment. Shi Le breathed a sigh of relief with Taniguchi right in front of him. Now that he hasn't entered Sizhou, even if the state is strong and prosperous, it is impossible to arrange the ambush here. But after entering Sizhou, everything is completely different. This time, we must think a little bit, and we must not hit the enemy's tricks again.

Only one victory can he get rid of the current dilemma.

The hip mount took another step forward, and the horse's hoof stepped on the hard rock, making a crisp sound. This sound is not very noticeable, because thousands of horses are moving forward in front and behind. If you are far away, you can even hear the thunderous sound. This is the unique sensuality of the cavalry, which makes people fearful and delightful.

In the next instant, the sound of hoofs suddenly stopped. No, it's not a stop. It's the real thunder!

Suddenly, there was a terrifying noise in the mountain wall beside him. With a bang, it overwhelmed all the sounds in the valley and also reversed the original color of the world. Shi Le only felt a buzzing in his ears, as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer. Head shaking, ear drums cracked! However, this is not over yet, the love horse under him sprang up like crazy, his hoofs hissing like crazy!

what happened? ! At this moment, he was not lifted off his horse, it was Shi Le's superb riding skills, enduring his dizziness, he grabbed the reins, trying to control the frightened horse. However, if he can hold on, it may not be necessary for others. Countless soldiers fell on their horses back and forth, and in such a dense array, the docile war horses turned into sharp weapons. The horseshoe flies, blood is flowing!

Control the horse! Let the army calm down!

Shi Le wanted to say something, but even more heart-piercing screams penetrated the chilling thunder, and passed into everyone's ears: "The landslide! The landslide!"

On their left, a huge cliff collapsed from it, and big chunks of rocks fell on the chaotic army formation like rain. This time, the horrors continued one after another. Some people were smashed under the rocks without even screaming.

Go out! Shi Le's eyes bulged, and he shouted loudly: "Go forward! Get out of the valley!"

The landslide is only in the middle of the valley, and has not spread to them. Only by rushing out of the valley as soon as possible can we keep alive. However, in such a chaotic situation, how many people can hear his military order to control the horse and move forward?

Shi Le didn't care about that much, he squeezed the horse's belly and ran wildly. His movements drove the soldiers, and hundreds of horses accelerated together and rushed forward. Like a beast that wanted to rush out of the turbid current, this man and horse slammed into the soldier who had no time to dodge in front, and a more terrifying scream sounded. The flesh and blood were stepped alive in the crevices of the stone, staining the river valley red.

The strong wind blows on the face, but it can't blow away the biting chill. Shi Le fell on his horse, not even daring to lift his head. Crash, dodge, trample, a path of life spreads along the blood stream. It wasn't until the front was suddenly open and the hot sun shone on the face that he slowly pulled the horse's rein.

Behind him, the collapse was not over yet, and the earth trembled slightly. All the people who rushed out of the dead and survived by chance were also trembling. Why are there thunderous landslides? Why do they run into such an abnormality?

Shi Le was the first to recover. He suddenly raised his volume: "This must be an ambush by the enemy! Beware!"

This voice evoked the consciousness of many people. Set ambush. By the way, maybe it's a weird thing made by the enemy. They escaped after all, and as long as they are on guard, they might not be able to escape.

However, the ambush in Shi Le's mouth never appeared. Until the last rock fell to the ground and the dust settled, there was no shadow of an enemy.

Hundreds of steps away, the miserable howling did not stop, faintly drifting in the wind. Shi Le's side, the needle dropping quietly can be heard.

Where is the ambush? Who can put up such a battle just for ambush?

"It's a punishment..."

A faint whimper sounded behind him. Shi Le was agitated, turned his head and shouted: "Who is messing up our military?!"

Around, everyone bowed their heads, not daring to look directly at him. Shi Le only felt that his heart was sinking. Who said it, does it matter? This sudden change not only tore his army apart, but also completely defeated the courage of these people. Just about to enter Sizhou, I encountered such a change. If it is really an enemy of the Buddha? That is the incarnation of Medicine Buddha. Offended him, maybe after he died, he entered the netherworld, and he would also be burned by the fire of karma!

Shi Le knew what they thought, and he had heard it from his mother many times. Even at that moment, he was a little shaken and a little afraid. If what the Buddha said is not a scam? Is he already unforgivable?

However, this thought flashed past, and he clenched the reins: "Go back to Changshe first!"

He wants to go back and rectify his troops. There is still a lot of grain in the Li's Wubao in Changshe County, and it may be possible to increase the number of troops. Whether or not to go to Sizhou next step is no longer important. How can we rebuild our morale and stabilize our old camp? This is the top priority.

Hearing Shi Le's order to leave, many people were relieved and did not dare to look at the chaotic river valley in the distance.

※

"Patriarch, do you really want to do what Zu Ling Yin said?"

At the same moment, several people in Lijiapu hid in the inner room, urging to discuss.

As early as two months ago, Henan Yin Zuti secretly sent messengers to persuade them to abandon Shile and return to the court. Yuzhou is not better than Sizhou, and the war has gone through too much in the past two years. The masters of Wubao no longer obey the court's will. Even the emperor and the king's city have been changing back and forth, but who would dare to fight for their lives and catch up with the whole clan for loyalty?

Therefore, when Wang Mi comes, he will cast down Wang Mi, and when Shi Le comes, he will cast Shi Le. Even if these bandits kill and collect indiscriminately, they will not destroy the foundation. As long as they can get a respite, they can barely support it and live longer in this troubled world.

However, this year is different. The drought has destroyed many farms that Wubao depends on for survival, and Shile has opened his mouth again, demanding a lot of food. If this continues, even if it drops, what can it do? Maybe you still can't see the sun of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Sizhou, which is close at hand, has become an enviable existence. If what Zuti said is not bad, do you really have the intention to accept them? Would it be better to join Sizhou?

But thinking so, no one dared to act rashly. At this moment, Binzhou sent troops to attack Pingyang. When the news broke, many people's minds became active. If Binzhou can really win Pingyang and regain Hedong, it means that the strength of Liang Jungong will be further expanded. Isn't it more and more worthy of investment?

At the same time, the terrible news of Shi Le leading the troops to aid the gallop also made the castle masters restless. If the thief looted Wubao again in order to raise the army's salary, would they still be able to survive?

The balance has fallen far away, just waiting for the final plan to land.

"It's better to watch the changes..." Clan Chief Li pondered for a long time before repliing, "If the stone thief is defeated, we can also switch to Sizhou."

"Then what if the stone thief wins?" Someone couldn't help but whispered, "Is it possible that I will continue to be bullied by this Jie Nu?!"

"I think it's going to be defeated. And the state soldiers are strong, and it's this time of great famine..." someone muttered.

"Wait, wait! When can you wait for a good opportunity? It's better to start first!"

There are different opinions, and everyone's words sound somewhat reasonable. Chief Li's brow furrowed deeper, and his beard was contemplative. At this moment, a servant hurriedly ran in: "Fort Lord! General Shi has returned to his division! I just sent someone to wait for Kaicheng!"

"What?!" Everyone was shocked. Didn't Shi Le just lead troops to Sizhou? Why did you come back so soon?

Chief Li responded more quickly and asked, "How many people did he bring back?"

"Less than a thousand rides!"

How come there are only a thousand rides? Is it a division of troops?

"Only a thousand people, could it be that I met an ambush on the road?!" someone exclaimed.

Is Shi Le defeated? Lost so soon?

Patriarch Li pressed the case before him and stood up abruptly: "Go and explore again, how is the military appearance of the person coming?"

If Shi Le really loses, and he escapes back to his own territory, wouldn't it be a god-given opportunity? They don't have much strength in a few forts, but a thousand horses are really not in the eyes.

If you can get Shi Le's head, and take it to invite ancestors to reward, but it is a great credit. And with Sizhou asylum, why should they fear these miscellaneous bandits?

※

In front is Li's Wubao. As soon as he could go to the city to rest, Shi Le's upset in his heart still remained undiminished.

Along the way, there were a hundred people quietly leaving in a mere dozen li. Either pretending to be left behind, or taking advantage of the situation to slip away, and then disappeared. After returning to Yanzhou, how many of these people can stay? Or did you think that they would kill them all, so that the **** of a landslide would not be able to reach Yanzhou?

With countless thoughts tumbling in his mind, Shi Le did not dare to stop for a moment, galloping toward Wubao ahead. Everything can only be said after entering the city. As long as you save your life, there is always a chance to regain your strength. Wasn't it the same for Emperor Han Gaozu? Repeated battles and defeats, but eventually won the world. He has hit one hundred thousand horses from eighteen horses, and he can naturally pull up a strong army again!

In the distance, the gate of Wubao has opened. Shi Le slowed his horse speed, surrounded by his soldiers, slowly stepped into the city gate. Nowadays, the big castle in Yuzhou is divided into two gates, inside and outside. It's like having a small urn upside down in the city. Even if the thieves invade the outer city, they can close the inner city in time, use the small urn city to attack the enemy and hold on to the city.

However, these methods would never be shown in front of Shi Le. As soon as the army arrives, the inner city gate will open wide, and even the patriarch of the clan will stand under the city to welcome his arrival.

Today, however, something is different.

As the precursor entered Weng City, Shi Le suddenly discovered that the small inner city door in front of him was tightly locked and never opened at all.

bad! In the count!

His reaction was extremely quick, and he immediately wanted to order the retreat, but with a bang, the gate of the outer city had been closed. Above the wall, there were many figures holding crossbows and crossbows.

Are they reversed? How dare they react? ! Shi Le's lips trembled. Does this small city want to stop his elite soldiers? !

However, above the city, someone shouted: "Only kill the stone thief! Kill the stone thief, you will not die!"

The sound of shouting, one after another, echoed in the small urn city. Shi Le's complexion changed, and there were also people in front of him and behind him.

Kill him, kill him and live! Can be forgiven by the Buddha! All this bad luck, all disasters, are because of him!

In the deathly silence, Shi Le laughed wildly: "Dare the thief!!"

He drew a long knife. The blade that had killed countless enemies and countless officials, and was stained black and bright with blood, blocked the cutting edge. One frame, one slash, blood flying!

"Kill out! Kill me out!" Shi Le's voice was stern, like a roar and howling. The sunset was dim, and the figure looked like a crazy beast.

However, this cry, this method, did not evoke any response. More and more blades were waved at him. The helmet fell, the blood split, and even the hair bun fell off.

How can he be willing? To rush out...

"Let's release the arrow!"

A voice sounded in a distant place. Arrows are like locusts.

The horse under the crotch fell and pressed his right leg severely. Regardless of the pain on his body, Shi Le struggled to hide behind the horse corpse, but in all directions, there was nowhere to avoid the arrow rain from the city.

A stream of arrows pierced his neck fiercely, Shi Le shook lightly and fell to the ground. The blood-stained hand, the long knife stretched forward, digging into the soil with force even the fingertips.

There was a long blood stain, and finally, it stopped halfway.