Ten years without a return

, every detail is clear in the chest, just waiting to be repeated on the stage.

I sorted out my chaotic thoughts when I first woke up, stretched out my hand and beat Dongzi, pretending to be annoyed and said: "It doesn't matter whether it's big or small, you want to call me a general."

"Hey, what kind of wolf with a big tail are you in front of me? I don't know what you are like?"

Tonight's battle is severe, and after hearing his words, I somehow relaxed, even though his voice was as rough and ugly as sand on my tongue.

This is because there is a hideous scar half an inch below his throat, which is the mark left by a pike that almost pierced his throat.

02

I also have many such injuries on my body. As a soldier, the scars are the medals engraved in the bloody wind on the battlefield, and each one shows the supreme glory.And for a grassroots general like me who broke through the siege and climbed to this position in a few years, just a few more injuries is considered a special favor from heaven.

"Are you ready?" I asked quietly.

"I will not disgrace my life!" He saluted me with a standard military salute, and after seeing the smile in my eyes, he went on foolishly.

"Hey, has your peach pit sprouted?" He leaned closer to me and winked at me, the corners of his brows and eyes twitching narrowly.

I helplessly spread my hands, too lazy to explain.The peach pit was given by the old man, and it was hung on my chest, and he insisted on stuffing it into my palm when he ran out of oil and the lamp was dying.At that time, his eyesight gradually faded, like the cold light on a sharp sword slowly being buried by rust, but there was a strangely relieved smile on his mouth, and I still haven't understood the meaning of that smile.

But the old man would give it a peach pit, but there were three words carved on it with a clumsy knife technique: Tao Shangqing.

I don’t know if the old man engraved it quietly on a sudden whim. The poor skill of the knife is outrageous, and the content is as sour as chewing green dates. Every time someone sees it, they will think it is a token of love from a confidante of mine.

"Why didn't you hang up the sachet given by your little lady?" I glanced at Dongzi's waist and sneered back.

"Hey, you don't understand." He raised his eyebrows and pressed his chest, "That girl is my favorite person, so I have to take it to heart, and I will come to propose marriage when I come back."

Seeing the pride and showing off on his face, I shook my head and laughed, reached out and patted his shoulder, and said to him with a serious face: "Okay, let's go, remember to be careful, this battle is very important , and you are my only way out."

"Come on, don't you worry about me?" He squinted at me and said angrily, then turned around and waved away without looking back, just like the parting before any previous battle, I wasn't too worried because I Know we will meet again soon.

Watching his figure disappear into the night below the city, I took a breath, turned around and went down the tower to the barracks, where there was still someone waiting for me to go back.

Pushing open the study door, the man is still there, as quiet and introverted as when we met for the first time, with an unfinished chess game in front of him, it is my military advisor Xuan Qing.

I would come to see him before each battle to talk about the layout and breakthroughs of the battle. This has been my habit for many years.

I went to sit in front of him, poured myself a cup of tea slowly, and said while drinking, "The people of Yuqiu are less than fifty miles away from us. Three days ago, I sent a vanguard to ambush in Ping'e Valley. The terrain is extremely dangerous, and the birds are sad, and they are still under Yuqiu's nose, they must not have imagined that we will be able to ambush there, as long as we occupy the high ground, there is a [-]% chance of winning."

He didn't say a word, I had already expected it, so I just went on talking by myself.

"Yuqiu people are good at martial arts, and the clansman has a lot of formation skills. Over the years, they have suffered a lot from their formation techniques, but they have learned some tricks. I have asked Dongzi to lead a team to go to the flanks, and when the enemy enters Ping'e After the valley, taking advantage of his unpreparedness to strike first, Dongzi outflanked him, and the vanguard attacked him with bows/crossbows from above, and the valley was narrow and rugged, and the troops could not be separated to form formations. At that time, Yuqiu would be in chaos and killed countless people."

"After the scouts send back the news of success, I will send people out of the city to intercept them, and block the front. I forgive them for not being able to fly out. If we are not saved and they pass through the Ping'e Valley, Dongzi will lead a small team ahead of time. Leave the battlefield and notify the reinforcements."

"Tanyang City is high and easy to defend, enough to resist for a while. Half a month ago, I moved the people in the city to a safe place."

Having said this, I rubbed my eyebrows with a headache: "Well, there are still some old people in the city who don't want to leave. The old people are inevitably stubborn, but it doesn't matter, at least they can be evacuated before the enemy breaks the city. "

After I finished speaking, I glanced at him, and the chess game in front of me didn't move at all. I couldn't help but bend the corners of my mouth, put my hands on my forehead, and said with a little resentment and helplessness: "What do you think Yuqiu thinks, just put it away I don’t want to wait for the prairie, but I have to come to our Daxuan country. Look at our area, except for a few mountains in Ping’e Valley, there are wastelands everywhere. Even this Tanyang City is built on sandy soil. Going northwest, there is nothing but yellow sand within a few hundred miles, not a single blade of grass grows, not even a bird's egg."

As I spoke, I took a black stone with two fingers, my eyes were fixed on the chessboard, and the corner of my mouth curled up with a trace of sarcasm: "I also made up a bunch of random excuses, and my skin is extremely thick."

Following the voice, Heizi slammed into the chessboard, just in time to cut off the tail of the dragon that Baizi had laid out, and opened a gap in the seven-circle long dragon formation formed by Baizi.

"No matter how many excuses there are, it's just coveting our thousands of miles of rivers and mountains. No matter how strong they are, I don't believe that they can go against this day!"

After I finished speaking, I raised my head and drank the tea in the cup. The missing drops flowed down my jaw and flowed into my chest.

When I left the study, I looked back at him: "Just wait and see."

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Feng Lin, the captain of my personal army, standing outside the door.

He bowed to me, glanced at me, then bowed his head and walked silently behind me. This person is the most quiet person, and he can't make a sound even with a sap.

We walked a few steps, and suddenly a loud voice greeted us.

"General, are you going to go? Let me meet them first, Lao Du, my knife is almost rusting!"

I pushed away the black face in front of me. Du Yan, a junior with a rough mouth, is very different from Feng Lin, but they are my best partners and my most loyal subordinates.

He walked to the other side of me, talking nonchalantly, "General, this Yuqiu's new leader is just a bastard with no hair on his head, who took a big advantage in the fight between his brothers by stepping on dog shit, He dared to run up to me before his buttocks were still seated and yelled at me, I will send him back to drink milk for such a naked grandpa!"

I didn't stop on my feet, and when I heard the words, I gave him a sideways glance, and said quietly: "The fact that Wu Mo can be the oriole behind him quietly among his many brothers, it means that he is not a fuel-efficient lamp."

Then I added lightly: "And I seem to remember that the injury you suffered before has not healed."

He choked, and then retorted loudly: "That little injury is nothing! I, a rough old man, can't suffer a little injury and make a woman chirp."

Then he paused, the laughter on his face dissipated suddenly, and his voice sank, and he said word by word through clenched teeth: "Besides, we... still remember the enmity that time."

Hearing this, I felt a sudden throbbing pain in my heart, and countless pairs of eyes mixed with despair and resentment appeared in my heart unexpectedly, my thumb unconsciously rubbed the hilt of the sword at my waist, and some cruelty appeared in my eyes unconsciously .

I turned around to look at them, the sky was already dawn, but I still saw the light of fire dancing in their eyes, and they clenched the hilt of their swords just like me, the blood debt must be paid with blood!

"General, let's have breakfast." A slightly immature voice sounded behind me.

I turned around and saw a half-grown soldier, holding a tray in his hand, and put some steamed buns and pickles in a porcelain bowl with a missing corner.

I grabbed a steamed bun and signaled him to distribute the steamed buns to other people. I was about to step on the tower when I heard him say: "General, the previous food has been eaten. Uncle Wu asked me to tell you that he is going to open the new batch." Army rations."

I wondered, the previous military rations should be enough for three days, why is it gone?But the war is imminent, and the most urgent thing to do is to open new food first.

"open it."

"Yes."

Standing on the city tower and looking into the distance, the sky is filled with the crimson morning glow, which turns blood red in my eyes.

It has been two hours since Dongzi set off, so he should have ambushed, waiting for the prey to step in step by step.

Time passed slowly, the sun had already risen, and the brilliant golden light spread all over the fields, which was particularly bright and dazzling in this late autumn, but there was still no movement on the gravel road outside the city.

Inevitably, there will be some anxiety in my heart.

Did the ambush fail?Or was the scout delayed on the way?

I don't know how long it took, but when everyone's anxiety was about to reach its peak, and even Feng Lin, who was usually difficult to express, frowned, a fast horse came from afar with a cloud of dust.

My heart lifted.

When the man arrived at the bottom of the city, he straightened up his cap that had been turned upside down, and shouted upstairs: "General, Da Shun!"

There was a moment of silence on the tower, and then thunderous cheers sounded. Du Yan laughed and said, "I knew it was a waste." The brow furrowed again.

I suppressed the joy in my heart and listened to the scouts finish talking about the battle situation, and dispatched interception troops according to the original plan, waiting for the next good news.

However, no one expected that such an ending would come.

03

What I waited for was the news that Dongzi had already informed Yuqiu secretly, turned his back on the battlefield, hundreds of vanguards were crushed under the rocks, and the whole army was wiped out.

Believe it or not, Yuqiu's iron hooves have already reached the city.

"Have all the old people in the city evacuated?" I directed