The World of Yellow Sky

Page 249

After arriving at the river crossing point, relying on the camp wall built at the river crossing point, as well as bed crossbows and catapults, the Han army finally gained a firm foothold.

In fact, Lu Zhi really needs to thank Jian Shuo for all of this. These bed crossbows and trebuchets are basically the weapons that Jian Shuo mobilized. Without these weapons, Xu An might be defeated in the outpost camp.

Time was short, and Lu Zhi commanded the Han army to cross the river. Under Lu Zhi's order, the upper barracks and left and right barracks of the Xiyuan Imperial Army crossed the Zhang River first.

At the beginning, the Han army could barely defend by relying on catapults and bed crossbows, relying on the camp wall.

Xu Huang and Yan Zhong commanded most of the Yellow Turban Army from the four prefectures, and only a few elite troops were able to make meritorious deeds.

But soon after the Chinese army led by Xu An arrived on the battlefield, the situation changed immediately.

When the catapult of the Yellow Turban Army appeared in Lu Zhi's field of vision, at this time, most of the Xiyuan Forbidden Army had withdrawn to the west bank of Zhangshui.

Lu Zhi resolutely abandoned a group of soldiers from the county who were still at the crossing point, led his generals and school on the pontoon bridge, and quickly approached the west bank of Zhangshui River.

When Lu Zhi left, the Han army, which had lost the command of the general, panicked instantly.

Their generals abandoned them, their commanders abandoned them, and left them on the east bank of Zhangshui, surrounded by wolves.

Despair spread like a plague among the Han army in Jizhou, and the soldiers of Jizhou County who were left on the east bank cried, cursed, and roared.

Without the restraints of the general and school, without the restraint of the chief general, they scrambled up the pontoon bridge and ran towards the west bank of Zhangshui. Some even jumped directly into the icy river and swam towards the west bank.

The pontoon bridge was crowded with soldiers who wanted to cross the bridge, and they swarmed up to compete for the opportunity to cross the river.

With the oppression of the Yellow Turban Army, a large number of soldiers of the Han Army crowded at the ferry in panic.

Under the crisis of life and death, the love of robes in the barracks was completely forgotten by them. In order to fight for the pontoon bridge, they pulled out the weapons at their waists...

On the river bank and beside the bridge, there was a bright red, and the blood flowing everywhere stained the surface of the Zhangshui River...

The west bank represents life, while the east bank represents death, no one wants to die, they all want to live, to live...

The soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army did not step forward again, and the ferry on the east bank of the Zhangshui River had become a purgatory on earth.

The battle of Zhangshui ended with the failure of the Han army.

Except for the remaining intact left army of the Han army, only more than 1 of the more than [-] right army escaped, less than half.

The Chinese army originally had more than 1000 people, but there were only more than [-] Xiyuan Forbidden Army, more than [-] elite soldiers, and more than [-] county soldiers escaped from birth, totaling more than [-] people.

Of the more than [-] Jizhou Han soldiers, only [-] fled back to the west bank of Zhangshui, and half of them were left on the east bank of Zhangshui.

Lu Zhi stood on the west bank of Zhangshui River, quietly looking at the forest-like khaki flags on the east bank.

Wounded wailing and painful cries rang in his ears. It was the sound of wounded soldiers in the army tormented by pain.

Lu Zhi didn't look back, he didn't want to look at the dejected soldiers under his command, he clenched his fists and whip tightly.

But he understands that he has lost...

He left more than [-] troops on the east bank of Zhangshui, lost control of the Jizhou battlefield, and gave the victory to Xu An.

Lu Zhi took a step forward, and the scene in front of him became blurred. The picture suddenly turned bright red, then black and white, and then the sky and the earth began to rotate. "

"General!"

Amidst the exclamation of the generals of the Han army, Lu Zhi suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and just fell into the icy Zhangshui.

Chapter 4 Plague? !

Anping State and Julu County in Jizhou were separated by Zhangshui River, with Julu County to the north and Anping State to the south.

The thirteen prefectures of the Han Dynasty, no matter whether they are rich or vast, Jizhou is a big prefecture that can be ranked. It is densely populated and full of powerful families. This is the rich and prosperous Jizhou. This is the financial center of the Han Empire. This is also the Central Plains of China. hinterland.

It's coming into November, and the water level of Zhangshui is not as high as it was during the flood season, and the water surface is gentle, and there is no danger.

The ferry on the south bank of the Zhangshui River was crowded with people waiting to cross the river. There were dense crowds of people swarming by the water. Whether you looked to the left, right, or backward, you couldn’t see the end of the crowd.

"Don't squeeze, don't squeeze!"

A military marquis with a yellow scarf tied on his head stood on a temporary low platform, holding an iron horn, roaring hysterically.

Through the loudspeaker, his voice became thicker and spread farther away, allowing those around him to hear his words clearly.

"The Han army can't rush forward, the great virtuous teacher and the god envoy blocked the Han army outside, don't mess up, obey the command!"

Several Yellow Turban soldiers holding wooden sticks worked together to maintain discipline.

"The murderer dies, the wounding and theft are punished!!!"

Not far away, a captain of the Yellow Turban Army with a flag on his back walked through the gaps in the crowd, holding a ring-shouldered knife, followed by ten soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army holding long guns.

Every time they walked a certain distance, the head of the Yellow Turban Army would repeat the decree loudly, alert to changes in the crowd.

Among the migration of millions of people, not all the millions of people are good people, good and evil are mixed, and there are also people with malicious intentions or other thoughts.

Many vicious incidents naturally occur every day, some are robbing or stealing supplies, some are fighting with each other, and there are even many malicious incidents of wounding and killing.

The crowd moved slowly. Under the command of the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army, the crowd slowly dispersed and became orderly. The long-distance transfer has made these people accustomed to obeying these headwear. Soldiers in yellow turbans.

Most of these people are believers in the Taiping Dao, but many of them are ordinary villagers who have lost hope in life, escaped slaves, and refugees and refugees who followed the Yellow Turban Army to make a living.

Among the crowd, a thin child rubbed his eyes with his left hand, and his right hand was held tightly by a slightly larger hand.

The two hands are one big and one small, but the same thing is that both hands are covered with dust and look a little dirty.

"Aniang, are we going to cross the river?"

Holding his mother's big hand, the thin child leaned slightly out of the queue, looking at the wide Zhangshui in front of him, with a trace of excitement on his face, he asked happily.

"What a big river, bigger than the big river near our house!"

"Yeah, what a big river..."

The woman glanced at the Zhangshui River not far away, and finally a smile appeared on her tired face.

She grinned and wanted to smile, but she felt that her breathing was not smooth and her head was a little dizzy.

"Cough...cough..."

The woman covered her mouth, coughed a few times, and looked even more haggard.

In the past few days, she felt that her body was getting weaker every day. A few days ago, she seemed to be suffering from a cold, so she went to find Fu Zhu. After drinking the decoction, she felt much better, but there seemed to be signs of relapse. .

"Auntie, are you okay?"

Seemingly noticing that his mother was in poor health, the child raised his head and looked at her with concern.

"It's okay, just take care of yourself."

The woman was a little relieved. Although her son was only four years old, he looked like a young adult and was born smart.

Thinking of this, she tightened her left hand again. I heard that in Bingzhou, children can still enter the school. The school not only does not take any money, but also takes care of the students' meals.

She has always known that her child is smart, but unfortunately her family is just an ordinary farmer, and it is impossible to enter any school in Yanzhou, and read and write, which is something only a wealthy family is qualified to do.

If he went to Bingzhou, there would be a free school, maybe his son would have a future...

The woman held the child's hand tightly, followed the long queue in front of her, and continued to walk forward slowly.

There was light in the thin child's eyes. He saw too many new things along the way. Although he felt very tired at first, he could sometimes take some cars, or lie on those yellow scarves. People travel some distance on their backs, and over time, he gets used to this kind of life.

Now I can eat two meals a day, which is much better than when I ate at home. At least I can eat half full, and sometimes I can even get some steamed corn rice.

And I heard from those Taoist priests who come here occasionally and wear yellow robes, there will be more delicious and fun things in Bingzhou, and there is no need to worry about not having enough food, and no need to worry about some vicious bad guys breaking into them home.

The child still remembers that just a few months ago, when he was still in his hometown, a group of vicious men with wooden sticks kicked open the door of his house, and then seemed to take something away.

A Niang was also beaten with a stick, lying on the ground for a long time, and did not get up until dark.

"But the river we went back to was bigger."

The child raised his left hand, made a gesture, and said exaggeratedly.

"It's bigger than this river, I remember, we walked for a long time before we got across."

"My son is right, I remember it very clearly."

The woman couldn't help showing a smile on her disheveled face, then she gently rubbed the child's head, and exhorted.

"When crossing the river, remember, you must hold my hand and don't fall into the water."

"Ah."

The child nodded and clenched his right hand tighter.

……

"As long as you cross the Zhang River, there will be no Han army blocking you along the way, and you can enter Bingzhou directly from the well."

A wolf guard hundred household officer wearing a white wolf uniform raised his voice at the side of the queue.

"When we arrive in Bingzhou, the land will be distributed according to the head. Both men and women can get the land. Those who have children at home, and those with more children, can get a little more land."

Because of this sentence, the crowd suddenly became noisy, and some people even wanted to get out of the queue to ask if it was the truth.

Although Fu Zhu of the Yellow Turban Army told him about the benefits of going to Bingzhou early on, they were still a little apprehensive. At this time, they saw a man wearing completely different clothes who looked like a high-ranking official, so they naturally wanted to ask him clearly.

"Line up, line up, don't mess up."

Several wolf guard Tiqi wearing black wolf uniforms who were in charge of maintaining discipline raised their sticks and opened their arms to block the commotion of the crowd.

"This is an order from the great virtuous teacher himself, can you still lie to you?"

"Hurry up and cross the river. After crossing the river, you will arrive at Julu, not far from Bingzhou."

The crowd gradually calmed down. Under the command of Eagle Wolf Guards, a small group of people were arranged to board the ferry, and a small group of people walked onto the pontoon bridge.

The carrying capacity of the pontoon bridge is limited, and too many people cannot walk at one time, otherwise there is a risk of being crushed.

The wolf guard standing on the pontoon bridge dutifully entrusted every citizen who walked on the pontoon bridge. After all, it was too dangerous for ordinary people to cross the river through the pontoon bridge.

On the pontoon bridge, at intervals, there will be eagle wolf guards who are in charge of guarding. They pay attention to the people on the pontoon bridge and remind them to keep a proper distance.

Beside the pontoon bridge on the Zhangshui River, there are soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army sliding rafts or boats. They are also paying attention to the situation on the pontoon bridge. Although it is not a flood season, the Zhangshui River is relatively calm most of the time, but there are also winds. When the waves are rough, it is inevitable that people will fall into the water from the pontoon bridge. Their task is to rescue those who accidentally fell into the water in time.

When the Yellow Turban Army of the four prefectures crossed the Yellow River, the water of the Yellow River drowned many people who crossed the river.

This is also the reason why the Eagle Wolf Guard appeared in the Zhangshui transition this time.

Xu An heard that because of crossing the river, many people accidentally fell into the water and died in the process of crossing the river. They were drowned like this, so they specially sent Eagle Wolf Guards to help the people cross the river.

This time, Xu An not only brought the troops under his command, but also mobilized a considerable part of the wolf guard ti cavalry to join the army, just to deal with such a situation. There are too many troops that need to be transferred. unmanageable.

Even Fu Qi, the Da Nong Ling who was originally staying in Shangdang County to arrange resettlement work and was organizing the people of Bingzhou to reclaim farmland, temporarily put down his work and handed it over to the people in the Department of Agricultural Affairs, and rushed to Julu in person. county.

The Yellow Turban Army who came all the way to the four states died on the way, almost innumerable, tired, injured, the threat of the Han army, the weather...

They are not like those people who migrated northward in Hedong County. They only need to walk dozens of miles, and there are a large number of soldiers to protect them along the way. Eagle Wolf Guards patrol, and special personnel will arrange meals for them.

The daily food and clothing expenses of millions of people are astronomical, and the food is being consumed rapidly. The food and grass carried by the Yellow Turban Army from the four states are almost enough to eat shortly after arriving in Anping Kingdom.

Fortunately, King Anping is a wealthy prince. Xu An broke through the capital of Anping Kingdom and seized a lot of money and food. In addition to the remaining cities of Anping Kingdom and some powerful Wubao, millions of people in the four prefectures still have food for the time being. available.

Zhao Ji rubbed his temples, his head was a little swollen, Xu An transferred him from Jiangyi City to help the people of the four prefectures cross the river.

Since Maoshi is now approaching dusk, he has hardly rested for a moment, even if he eats, he only eats a little dry food. The Han army is not far away, and now crossing the river is really racing against time. down.

"Baihu, why don't you take a rest, it doesn't matter that Zhang Ji and I are here."

Lin Zhong glanced at the exhausted Zhao Ji, hesitated for a while, and finally stepped forward to persuade him.

"Yes."

Zhang Ji, who grew up in Lin Zhongyi's fat, also echoed. Both he and Lin Zhong had rested for a while, and only Zhao Ji kept spinning, almost without stopping.

Lin Zhong has always admired Zhao Ji, the hundred-household official who turned from the military soldier camp to the Eagle Wolf Guard. From Zhao Ji, he saw the shadows of Tiqi who were born in the Yellow Angel.

As long as the task assigned by the superior, no matter what the task is, Zhao Ji will do his best to do it well.

"Forget it, it's going to be dark soon, and there are still a lot of things to deal with in the camp. How can I go to rest at this time, let's talk about it when it gets dark."

Zhao Ji shook his head, and rejected Lin Zhong and Zhang Ji's proposal. There was still about a quarter of an hour, and he felt that he could persist.

The crowd moved forward bit by bit, slowly walked onto the pontoon bridge, and walked towards the north bank of Zhangshui River.

Zhao Ji looked up at the setting sun and calculated the time.

"That's it. The rest of the people will cross the river tomorrow. It will be dark soon, and it will not be safe to cross the river."

Zhao Ji led Lin Zhong and Zhang Ji forward, separating the flow of people.

The people who were blocked were obviously flustered, but Zhao Ji and others were blocking the way ahead, so they didn't dare to go forward.

"The porridge has been cooked in the camp. Now it's getting late and there's no way to cross the river. Let's take another day off today. At dawn tomorrow, I will arrange for the first batch of you to cross the river. The Han army is blocked on the periphery. This place is definitely safe."