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Qi Xiao returned to the camp with the last rays of the setting sun. When some soldiers saw him, they immediately stood up straight and saluted, calling him "General" loudly.

Qi Xiao is the commander-in-chief of the first army, so of course he should be called General. Everyone has always been used to calling him "Prince", but those two soldiers opened their mouths and called "General" for some reason, and then everyone called him that.

Qi Xiao stepped on the soft snow, passing by those people, without much expression, and couldn't see much expression under the dim twilight.

When he left Yongcheng, he envisioned the appearance of Yuanjing City, and when he left Yuanjing City, he envisioned the appearance of Fenglin Mountain, but now the road he walked seems to be the same as he expected, yet different.

Danger and accident, gain and loss... Every step under his feet will eventually lead him to where he wants to go.

When he was young, he also dreamed that he wanted to become a general like Bai Liu, standing on the top of Fenglin Mountain, and he could hold up the entire sky of Da Chen with his own strength.

Compared with "His Royal Highness", "Prince", or even "Your Majesty", he prefers "General", and his voice is full of passion and pride, coming from the heart beating in his chest and the bravery in his veins.

Qi Xiao raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and his footsteps seemed to be brisk.

When they saw Lu Xiulin and Baixiqiao, they were eating scones, melted the snow and boiled water, and ate them like that.

That's what everyone eats these days.

They don't have much food, but they also have vegetables. They can have a pot of porridge for three days.

"General Lu, brother.

Is there any cake left? "

Bai Xiqiao handed Qi Xiao a hot cake, asked him to sit beside him, and asked, "Why don't you take a rest?"

"The bumps and bumps on my body are really nothing." Qi Xiao took a bite of the cake and said with a smile, "Brother, it hurts more than this when you beat me up."

"Go, what are you talking about, you are a leader of the army anyway, don't provoke me with your flamboyance."

Qi Xiao nodded with a smile and continued to eat the cake.

Lu Xiulin has gotten used to getting along with Qi Xiao during this time, and the two senior brothers often joke around, just like other brothers in the camp, like a soldier ruffian who has been mixing in the military camp, it's pretty good.

"...This time it was really a surprise."

Lu Xiulin looked at Qi Xiao and couldn't help sighing, he had said this sentence many times, but he didn't realize it, not only him, everyone thought so, even those who came back alive thought so.

In their battlefield, life and death are commonplace.

This time, all the people selected by Lu Xiulin had been in the Dingyuan Army for at least three years, and none of them had ever seen a dead person. They all stepped into Fenglin Mountain with the intention of dying.

They know better than Qi Xiao how to keep the dead in a certain corner, so that when their souls are lost in the future, there may be a chance to get together again.

Lu Xiulin originally thought that Qi Xiao would be uneasy for a while, but he didn't expect him to be able to joke with Bai Xiqiao so soon, so he sighed.

Qi Xiao nodded slightly, and said, "How much food do we have? In this accident, all the food that should be transported back was lost. I'm afraid we have to go again in a few days."

Bai Xiqiao said: "We have re-counted, and there is still enough for ten days."

"If it's sunny tomorrow, I'll go again."

Bai Xiqiao nodded: "Bring more people, I'll go with you."

Lu Xiulin didn't say a word. They will stay in the mountains for more than a month, so they need food, otherwise they will starve to death.

Qi Xiao ate half of the cake, reached out for a bowl of water in Baixiqiao's hand, drank a couple of sips, moistened his throat, and said, "Next time there is a snowstorm, don't run around recklessly. , Dig a hole against the mountain wall on the spot, hide from the wind and snow first, and don’t come out to look for it in the camp, wait for the snow to stop before picking it up.”

They learned a lot from eating a ditch, and then they transported food many times, and encountered two snowstorms, but no one lost their lives again.

Besides food, Qi Xiao has one more thing.

"General Lu, although Fenglin Mountain is large, but Chen and Qi have been in business for many years, there should be other trails besides the official road?"

Not to mention the countless large and small battles between Chen and Qi. During the Eight Kingdoms War, Fenglin Mountain was an important place for military aircraft, and it is said that many secret passages were dug.

It's just that Fenglin Mountain is too big, and grass grows every spring, and all secret passages are well buried, and people who don't keep walking can't find it at all.

Lu Xiulin nodded, picked up a piece of firewood, and drew on the ground: "The most important official road between Chen and Qi passes through Qifeng Gorge, and the pass between Chen and Qi is thirty miles apart. See clearly.

For so many years, we have avoided Qifeng Gorge in the battles between us and Qi State, otherwise the two armies will be stuck in Qifeng Gorge and no one will be able to win.

To bypass Qifeng Gorge, there are three ways to go. "

Lu Xiulin drew it for Qi Xiao, and said: "The most frequent conflict is the farthest one. Although it circles half a mountain, the forest is the densest and the road is relatively flat. It is easy to hide. The Qi army likes to take this road the most." There is also the nearest road, the Qi army has tried to go here many times to sneak attack on our pass in Qifeng Gorge."

Qi Xiao nodded, raised his eyes and asked Lu Xiulin: "As far as I know, there is an inn on the official road of Fenglin Mountain for merchants to stay?"

Lu Xiulin nodded: "Yes, there is one behind the pass between Chen and Qi, and the distance between them is not far, and you can get there in two days by horse racing.

There is also one at the border between the two countries. "

In fact, walking from the official road, it only takes ten days to cross Fenglin Mountain.

It's just that Qi Xiao and the others need to hide in Fenglin Mountain, and they can't follow the official path, let alone station troops on the official path.

Bai Xiqiao asked, "What do you think?"

Qi Xiao said: "According to our original plan, after half a month, we should set off for the border of Qi State, and then lie on the border and wait for the snow to melt."

After the heavy snow closes the mountains, it will take at least five or six days to travel from Hot Spring Valley to Qifeng Gorge, and another five or six days from Qifeng Gorge to the border of Qi State. If there is wind and snow on the way, it will take longer.

Baixiqiao said: "The spies sent out to explore the road before did not find anything unusual, and the inn on the official road has long been deserted.

Just after the heavy snowstorm, I will send people to explore the road again. "

After the blizzard, there is snow everywhere, and the road signs that were originally made may not be able to continue to be used, and they may go into the ravine as soon as they step on the ground.

Qi Xiao said: "I'm thinking, should we pull out the camp in advance, or in other words, pull out the camp in batches, at least transport a batch of food to the inn in Qifengxia to hide, the weather in the mountains is cloudy and sunny, the longer we delay on the road The longer the more dangerous."

After four days of blizzards, Qi Xiao deeply realized that people are not as good as heaven. It is too dangerous for 6000 people to climb the snow mountain all the time. In case of a snowstorm, it is too dangerous. The flags cannot be seen clearly, the gongs and drums cannot be heard, and even lost people cannot be found. arrive.

Lu Xiulin thought for a while, nodded and said, "Let's transport the food first."

As the saying goes, the three armies go first without using food and grass. If all the food goes with the people, if something happens on the road, it will be over.

Bai Xiqiao also agreed, and after thinking about it, he asked Qi Xiao, "Do you want to ask Mr. Tang?"

"I will tell him tomorrow, you send someone to scout the way first.

According to the arrangement when we entered the mountain, we searched for a suitable place to store grain along the road. "

After the matter was finished, Qi Xiao ate all the cakes, raised his head and drank a bowl of water from Baixi Bridge, Qi Xiao stood up and prepared to return to the valley: "I'll go see how Qing Lan is doing."

Qi Xiao has excellent eyesight in the dark night, and he doesn't need any torches or lamps, so he left as soon as he said he would.

Lu Xiulin watched him quickly disappear into the darkness, and couldn't help but said to Bai Xiqiao, "The general will definitely like this Highness."

Bai Xiqiao was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "I know."

At that time, he just wanted to wait for his father to come back, let Qi Xiao meet the hero in his mind, and let his father meet his incongruous Prince Monkey.

After Yuanzhou saw Lu Xiulin again, Bai Xiqiao asked him about the year he was in Dali Temple. Lu Xiulin himself didn't know what happened. He was locked up in Dali Temple. Less suffering, and then stopped at some point. He learned from the jailer that His Majesty did not intend to pursue General Bai any longer. The impeachment memorial and the so-called greedy military pay did not seem to have happened overnight. He was given food every day in prison. , Unknowingly, all the injuries on my body healed, and a year passed before I knew it.

Later, when Lu Xiulin was released from Dali Temple, people from Wudu Mansion picked him up outside Dali Temple and gave him a military order, so he entered Wudu Mansion inexplicably.

Later, he checked many times, and it seemed that the Ministry of War intended to protect him, but he didn't know who it was.

Lu Xiulin patted Baixiqiao on the shoulder: "Go to bed early."

"Ah."

***

Qi Xiao returned to the valley and took a look at Tang Ling's hut. He wanted to go in, hold Tang Ling in his arms, and sleep peacefully.

But he just stopped and took a look, and then walked straight to the row of newly built wooden houses.

Qing Lan had just cooked the medicine outside, took a bowl and poured three bowls, and the other pot of medicine was almost ready, Qing Lan took a look and decided to bring in the medicine at hand first.

"Let me do it."

Qi Xiao suddenly made a sound, which startled Qing Lan. In this pitch-black night, a big living person walked silently: "...Your Majesty, you scared me to death."

"Feel sorry."

Qi Xiao had already walked in front of Qing Lan, reached out to pick up the tray, "Who is this for?"

"These three bowls are decoction for reducing fever."

Qi Xiao knew who had a fever, so he nodded and took the medicine in.

Qing Lan freed her hand, and poured the other medicine into the bowl, followed by it after a while.

There were also two soldiers in the hut to help take care of the wounded. Seeing Qi Xiao coming in, they rushed to pick up the soup.

Qi Xiao didn't have the airs of a prince anymore, and they didn't dare to treat him as a servant.

Qi Xiao walked over to Chi Yue with a bowl of antipyretic medicine.

"Your Highness."

Chi Yue stood up and saluted.

"No, is he awake?"

"Not yet awake."

"Feed him some medicine."

Chi Yue nodded, took the decoction and put it aside, helped Zong Sheng up, let him lean on his shoulder, took the decoction and got up again, blowing it a little cooler, opened Zong Sheng's chin, and pressed him with a bamboo piece His tongue forcefully poured down the decoction little by little.

Qi Xiao watched, without reaching out to help, and said softly: "Isn't it faster to use your mouth?"

Chi Yue was startled, and said, "That's just a stopgap measure."

Qi Xiao seemed to know that Chi Yue would fool him, and smiled lightly: "Zong Sheng said a lot of nonsense.

I feel that he can't say so much when he is by my side all year round. "

Chi Yue slowly fed Zong Sheng a bowl of medicine, lowered his eyes, as if he didn't hear what Qi Xiao said, his expression remained unchanged.

"You can tell Tang Ling, why do you keep it from me?"

Chi Yue's hand trembled slightly, some of the soup spilled out, he wiped Zong Sheng hurriedly, until Zong Sheng drank the whole bowl of medicine, put down the bowl of medicine, and helped Zongsheng go back on his back, he was injured in the back , can only lie down.

"Chi Yue is at His Highness' disposal."

"How do you think you should deal with it?"