Rebirth of a Star General - Chapter 176

Chapter 176

He Yan smiled and looked at her: “Because I saved those captives, are you the real heroes?”

“A true hero will see places that others can’t see. There are many men who speak for men, and many women who speak for women,” Qi Luo said, “but there are not many men who speak for women.”

He Yan looked at her with a serious look and couldn’t help smiling bitterly, but she was not a real man, so she couldn’t really give what Qi Luo wanted.

The world is like this, wanting to shake is not a matter of overnight.

Seeing He Yan’s silence, Qiluo took the opportunity to say: “Master Xiaohe, after you left last night, many aunts in the city came to ask me about you. The magistrate also asked about you, and they said that if you can come back alive, then I want to talk to you about my daughter. You don’t have to marry you, you can be your concubine.”

The words turned too fast, and He Yan couldn’t react. To meet Qiluo’s hopeful gaze, He Yan could only use his usual excuses, “Thank you for showing your love, but I already have a sweetheart here.”

“Already have a sweetheart?” Qi Luo was a little disappointed, but turned to curiosity for a moment, “Who is Master Xiaohe’s sweetheart? Is he beautiful? What kind of temperament is he?”

A smile appeared at the corner of He Yan’s mouth, “Yes, he is beautiful, and his temperament looks very cold, but he is a very gentle person.”

This boy has always looked calm and gentle, only at this moment, he really appears as a boy of this age, a little embarrassed and nervous.

Qi Luo is even more curious, “I heard you say that, this girl should be very good. Then does she like you?”

He Yan was taken aback and shook his head.

“I don’t like it?” Qi Luo was surprised, “Master Xiaohe has good skill, looks handsome, and has such a good heart. It is Wu Anlang who is pro-appointed by His Majesty. He doesn’t like these characters. Why is that?”

“Because he is very good, there are people around me who are better than me.” He Yan shrugged, “And I also have things I need to do, so I don’t want to hurt others.”

Qiluo looked at him, “pouch” laughed, “Master Xiaohe, you are good at everything, that’s not good. As long as your sweetheart hasn’t got married yet, it’s not a foregone conclusion, then grab it. Old master To choose the concubine room, we have dozens of sisters in the yard, and I sway in front of the master every day, and I have to dress up every day. This master’s favorite concubine was also won by the concubine herself. Master Xiaohe really likes that. A girl, don’t care about the others. People who are better than you may be better than you, and they will lose to you. The violent girl is afraid of harassment. I like you every day.”

He didn’t expect to hear “the lieutenant girl is afraid of chasing her” here. He Yan thought of Jiyang’s eagerness at the time, and he was amused secretly. However, Qi Luo seemed to be very enthusiastic about making her beloved, and she had to talk endlessly. He Yan had no choice but to stop her words: “Girl Qi Luo, thank you for your kindness, but we still cannot protect ourselves now. If Run can hold on and the Utuo is driven back, I will do what you say, but now… it’s nothing more.”

Hearing this, Qi Luo also sighed and said, “Yes.”

She fell silent all of a sudden, she looked depressed, He Yan felt a little sorry, this girl was still happy when she came, she was so sad when she said in a few words, thinking about this, she took out a dried apricot from one side of her baggage. Pass it over, “Don’t worry, we will definitely hold it.”

Qiluo was startled when he saw the dried apricots in He Yan’s hand, and then took it over in surprise, “Master Xiaohe, why do you still have sugar?”

“I grabbed it when I set off from Liangzhouwei.” He Yan scratched his head.

When leaving Jiyang, Cui Yuezhi grabbed a lot of Jiyang specialty preserved fruit for her. Xiao Jue didn’t like to eat these, and they all moved to He Yan’s house. When they left, most of them brought dry biscuit food. There were not many snacks like this, but He Yan also picked up some, thinking that it wouldn’t take up any space anyway.

Qi Luo cautiously licked the dried apricots, and said to He Yan happily, “Thank you, Master Xiaohe, since the Utuo came here, my concubine has been hungry and full every day. I can’t even eat food, let alone sugar. , I can’t even think about it. Now that I have inherited the blessing of Master Xiaohe, I am really happy.”

He Yan: “You can’t even eat? It’s not enough. The Utuo besieged Rundu, but it’s only a month or so. How can the city be in such a situation?”

She came to Rundu until now, and Wang Ba and they both ate dry food from Liangzhouwei. I knew that Rundu was nervous, but that was because it was used by the soldiers who defended the city. I was so busy these few days that I didn’t even have time to go shopping in the city. Had it not been for Qi Luo to speak out, He Yan wouldn’t know that Rundu was already so nervous.

You know, even Qiluo can’t get enough to eat, let alone ordinary people.

Qiluo bit the dried apricot and looked at her with wide eyes, and said, “Master Xiaohe didn’t know. The Utuo soldiers besieged Rundu Yueyu, but last year there was a snow disaster in Rundu. After the snow disaster, there was a famine. Even if the Utuo did not come, the people of Rundu would have a hard time. Not to mention that the road out of the city is blocked, and there is not much food in the city. Gen, a few days ago, people who starved to death have appeared.”

“What!” He Yanteng sat up, “Is it serious?”

“Don’t dare to deceive Master Xiaohe.” Qiluo said, “Otherwise, our Rundu is rich in grapes, so on the first day, Master Xiaohe only gave the bowl to Master Xiaohe. It’s really…that’s already Run. It’s the last bowl of grapes.”

The famine in the city was a major event, but Li Kuang did not tell her about such a serious matter!

If this is the case, there is no point in defending the city. Li Kuang is waiting for He Rufei, who will not come, while the people of Rundu are waiting for endless despair and hunger. They are waiting for death.

He Yan lowered his eyebrows and put on his shoes without saying a word. Qi Luo asked, “Master Xiaohe, what is this going to do?”

“I want to see Li Kuang.”

…

Li Kuang was counting yesterday’s battle reports in the room. He was surprised to see He Yan striding outside the room. He only asked, “Didn’t you go back to the room to rest? Why did you come out again.”

He Yan sat down on one of the chairs, she was really tired, and it would be better to sit down. I just looked at Li Kuang and said, “I came here to ask, we burned the food and grass of the Utuo last night, what are your plans afterwards?”

Having said that, Li Kuang looked at He Yan and said sincerely: “Yesterday’s victory is thanks to Master Xiaohe. Now the Utuo people have no food and grass, and I plan to continue to wait for the reinforcements. The Utuo people have no food and grass. It must be more anxious than we are, if we forcefully attack the city… let’s set a trap, what does Master Xiaohe think?”

He Yan: “I don’t think it’s appropriate.”

Li Kuang frowned: “Why?”

He Yan stared into his eyes, “Master Li intends to stalemate with the Utuo people. There is nothing wrong with this, but how long the people in the city can hold on, I am afraid that they have starved to death before they wait for reinforcements. This year’s snow disaster, the surplus food in the city There is not much, why did Master Li keep this from me?”

Li Kuang heard this, but did not answer He Yan’s words, and asked, “Who told you this?”

“Lord Li thinks that there are so many people like Rundu can hide it?” He Yan’s eyes were sharp, “Even if you can hide it, when more and more people are starving to death, how can you not know?”

When she left the city with five hundred elite soldiers of Rundu last night, she felt that the soldiers of Rundu were haggard and thin, but she only thought that it was the result of defending the city for several days. It was not until Qiluo said why.

This is already the case in the military. This is a taboo in war. It is not unwritten in the history books that the people who guarded the city starved to death in the city. That is hell on earth, something that I can’t even dare to think about.

Li Kuang was silent for a while, and asked He Yan, “What do you mean?”

“Can’t continue to defend the city, my lord and I brought Rundu soldiers and horses to fight to the death with the Utuo outside the city.”

“Impossible!” Li Kuang replied without thinking, “Proactively attack, this is the next best thing.”

“We took the initiative to attack last night.”

“Last night there were five hundred elite soldiers, but Rundu has a total of 30,000 soldiers and horses. This is Rundu’s last hope. If, as you said, you will fight to the death with the Utuo, if you lose, the city will fall, and all the people in the city will fall into the Utuo. In the hands! Brother He and the Utuo have fought hands twice. It is impossible not to know the cruelty and viciousness of the Utuo. When these people fall into their hands, it is more tragic than death. I am the city chief of Rundu, Even if all the people in Rundu died of starvation, it would be better than dying under the torture of the Utuo!”

“Who said that we will definitely lose?” He Yan frowned, “Everything may happen before the battle is fought. We may also be the winner.”

“Thirty thousand to hundreds of thousands, how can you fight?”

He Yan said: “The battle in Jiyang is not to win more with less.”

Li Kuang turned around with a cold voice: “I am not the captain of the right army, nor are you General Feihong. You can win more battles with less. I can’t fight, and you can’t fight.”

“I can fight!”

Li Kuang looked back at her, as if he was blind to a child, and shook his head: “Brother He, I admit that you are a bit powerful, and you have a way to deal with those utopians, but the war is cruel, it blocks It’s the lives of a city’s people. I can’t take the lives of a city’s people to earn your military merit. Those of us, we are dead, we are only a life, but the city gate is unbreakable. I will not take the initiative to fight. Uto, if they want to attack the city, we will defend. They will be deadlocked, and we will wait for reinforcements to arrive.”

Li Kuang was like that back then. He Yan was very conservative in fighting. He Yan also knew this very well. It’s just that she was a lieutenant in the past, and her subordinates commanded tens of thousands of Fu Yue troops. Now…

“This is Rundu, even Wu Anlang. He can’t order Rundu’s soldiers and horses without my permission. So, don’t waste your effort!” Li Kuang said coldly.

He Yan took a deep breath. This stone had a stinky and hard temper. She hadn’t changed for so many years. She asked: “Okay, if you don’t attack and retreat, as Master Li said, there will be no food in the city. Sooner or later everyone will have to Starved to death. You and I know what the situation of the soldiers and horses of Rundu are now. If this continues, even if the people don’t starve to death, the soldiers and horses will starve to death. For the Utuo, so many died without a fight. Rundu soldiers, wouldn’t it make them cheaper?”

“The soldiers and horses will not starve to death.” Li Kuang’s face was deep, “I have my own way.”

He Yan asked, “What is the solution?”

Li Kuang glanced at her, only said: “You don’t need to know.” After that, he ignored He Yan again, turned around and walked into the back room.

He Yan looked at his back, feeling a little uneasy. Food is by no means a problem that can be easily solved, but Li Kuang seems to be fully aware of it. Could it be that there is a secret granary in Rundu City. But if there were such food and grass, how could the soldiers and horses of Rundu and the people of Rundu suffer from such hunger.

He Yan shook his head and planned to discuss with Jiang Jiao and his party. As soon as he left the house, he ran into someone head-on, but it was Zhao Shiming, the magistrate of Rundu.

Zhao Shiming wiped off the sweat on his forehead with some embarrassment, took a look at the room, and said: “I, I was going to go in, but when I arrived at the door, I heard you and Master Li were quarreling, so I couldn’t get in.” He saw. Seeing He Yan’s face, he said with relief: “Master Xiaohe, don’t take Master Li’s words to heart. He is this temper, stubborn and stubborn like a stone. He has a good heart, and he dare not take it. The people of Rundu have their lives to bet. Master Xiaohe is from Liangzhou, it may not be clear that those of us who have been in Rundu…really dare not take this risk.”

“I’m not angry.” He Yan sighed, “I just don’t think this is right.”

She looked at Zhao Shiming again. Previously, Zhao Shiming hired a craftsman to make grass cutters and masks. Zhao Shiming, a magistrate, seemed to be very popular in Rundu. Now that Li Kuang is dissatisfied with her, He Yan can’t find Li Kuang important persons, but Jiang Jiao and the others have been by his side, and they can’t be separated anymore. This Zhao Shiming… there should be people who can use it, although not many.

“Master Zhao.” She thought for a while, and bowed to Zhao Shiming long, “I have something to ask you for help.”

Zhao Shiming was taken aback, and said, “Master Xiaohe, but it’s okay.”

“Master Zhao has someone who can use it, such as a guard. I want to use two of them. Do something for me.” After a pause, she said again: “However, this matter needs to be kept secret from Li. My lord, you can’t be known to him.”

Zhao Shiming looked at the young man in front of him, publicly and privately, he had been with Li Kuang longer, and he shouldn’t help He Yan conceal Li Kuang. But on the other hand, he believed that this boy was not malicious, even a rare pure person in the world.

Otherwise, last night, he didn’t have to take risks and rescued the women from the enemy camp.

Without thinking about it for long, Zhao Shiming said, “It’s easy to say.”

…

The sky in Rundu was gray and gray, as if the sun hadn’t been shining in a long time, and a decadent and antiquated aura permeated the whole city.

In a family’s house, two naked boys pushed a corpse out. This was their grandfather. He was placed on a straw mat. His whole body was thin and he could see every bone… He was alive. Starved to death.

It’s not uncommon for things like this to happen in Rundu recently. Ying Xiang walked by, watching, a trace of pity flashed in his eyes.

Their food is actually not much.

“Four sons, we have been staying in Rundu, we will become like this.” She reminded softly.

Chu Zhao didn’t speak, but walked forward quietly.

Xu Xiang’s people have already left Rundu. Here is waiting for death, no one will take the initiative to drill into this city that is bound to fall. There is no one from Xu Xiang here, even if it is the fourth son of the Chu family, when that day comes, it will be no different.

Death is an extremely fair thing, and it will not be merciful for a moment because of dignity or not.

“We…” Ying Xiang continued to speak.

“Wait.” Chu Zhao interrupted her.

Wait, what are you waiting for? Ying Xiang was silent and asked, “If the fourth son is really worried about Miss He, why not take her with her?”

“She didn’t even know Xiao Huaijin. She traveled thousands of miles to Rundu alone to save the people of Rundu City. Why would you think she would leave a city with me and follow me?” Chu Zhao smiled. He Yan, if all the dust settles, she will probably leave quietly. The more critical the situation, the less likely it is to leave alone.

He thinks this is stupid, but sometimes, he can’t help but want to continue to see, to see what shocking things this girl can do, and how far he can do it?

Ying Xiang walked with her head down, her voice softly, “Can’t the fourth son let her go?”

Chu Zhao smiled lightly: “I just… don’t want to see her die so easily.”

If she were alive, there would probably be more interesting things in the world. If she died, there would be only one kind of woman in the world.

As he was talking, Ying Xiang suddenly said: “Four sons, Miss He…”

Chu Zhao followed her gaze and saw He Yan standing on the street, looking at a family in a trance. There was a woman sitting at the door, digging in the dirt, trying to dig out some edible grass roots and bark.

She stood quietly, her eyebrows narrowed, and she couldn’t see exactly what she was looking at. Chu Zhao walked over and said, “Brother He.”

He Yan saw the two of them and replied, “Brother Chu, Girl Yingxiang.”

Ying Xiang leaned, and a few people walked forward, and Chu Zhao asked, “Brother He had a fierce battle with the Utuo last night, why don’t you take a good rest in the house?”

“It’s okay, I’ll come out for a walk.” He Yan said.

Ying Xiang asked, “Has Mr. He ever used rice? If not, there is still some dry food in the burden of the servant and maid.” She sighed, “Run Du is like this now, the hot food is gone.”

He Yan shook his head: “Thank you, but I’m not hungry.”

She can’t eat it.

Chu Zhao thought for a while before he said: “Brother He is worrying for the people in Rundu, is it because there is no food in the city?”

He Yan looked at him: “Brother Chu also knows?”

“I arrived in Rundu earlier than you,” Chu Zhao shook his head and smiled. “There is plenty of time. The people in Rundu are all the same.”

“If Brother Chu can tell Xu Xiang…” He Yan asked tentatively.

He Yan always had doubts about Chu Zhao’s identity. Although Chu Zhao was a student of Xu Xiang, he didn’t seem to act directly with Xu Xiang. It is true that the reason why he was able to make a face in front of Chu Linfeng was inseparable from Xu Jingfu. But Chu Zhao, in many cases, made a choice that seemed to be contrary to Xu Jingfu’s original intention.

For example, in Jiyang, Chu Zhao sent the military defense plan.

He is a very thoughtful person, such a person, if you can not be an enemy, it is best not to be an enemy. Before he showed hostility, he could only deal with it carefully. Just as Chu Zhao wanted to use her, it would be OK if Chu Zhao could get close to He Rufei. After all, the current He Rufei was crazy to be inhumane.

If He Yan wanted to be promoted under Xiao Jue in the past, then she has already changed her mind now. She has decided not to involve Xiao Jue in, and stay away from Xiao Jue, and try her best to do this by herself.

When Chu Zhao heard the words, his smile faded a little, and after a while, he shook his head and said: “Brother He, I am not omnipotent, Xu Xiang…nor will he follow my opinion.”

This seems to be a bit wronged.

He Yan raised his eyebrows, and the relationship between Xu Jingfu and Chu Zhao seemed to be very meaningful.

“I can’t help the people of Shang Rundu. The only thing I can do is to accompany them. However, what does Brother He plan to do?” He looked at He Yan, “You know, Rundu is fundamental. It won’t last long.”

A city without food can only support it. Li Kuang didn’t explain the situation to her in the first place, and now he refuses to confront the Utuo head-on. This road seems to be a dead end.

“Will you give up?” he asked.

The man’s eyes were soft, like the warm breeze in March in Shuojing, but with a coldness of spring cold, sober, and secretly looking forward to it.

He Yan couldn’t avoid it, and looked at him frankly, “What does Brother Chu want me to do?”

Chu Zhao was taken aback for a moment, but instead smiled, “Why are you still asking me?”

He Yan walked forward slowly, “I thought that in Brother Chu’s heart, there seemed to be an answer long ago.”

After a while, his voice came from his side: “I have never seen anything that can block Brother He’s footsteps, nor have I seen anything that made Brother He lose hope.”

“You are too omnipotent to think of me.”

Chu Zhao said, “That’s not the case. Brother He is omnipotent, isn’t it also impossible to solve Rundu’s current urgent needs?”

He Yan fell silent.

Chu Zhao continued to say: “Brother He knows that when the famine was the worst in the past, the people in the city even changed their children to eat in order to survive, and it would be extremely terrifying if people cannibalize. If this continues, that situation may not happen.”

He Yan lowered his head, smiled lightly, and looked into the distance.

The street was empty, the shop had been closed for a long time, and most of the edible things were found out to eat. It was obviously a lively summer, and Rundu seemed to have no grass. Even the branches on the roadside trees were bare– The leaves have long been plucked by the hungry and crazy people to fill their stomachs.

If it weren’t for the hot sun, it wouldn’t look like summer at all, like winter. This is not like the Rundu in He Yan’s memory, small and lively, with crystal clear grapes and full-bodied wine.

The war changed everything.

She whispered: “Do you know what is more terrifying than Yizi and Shishi?”

Chu Zhao was a little surprised, “What is it?”

He Yan didn’t speak, just looking at the lifeless city, a powerless sorrow was born in his heart.

That kind of thing…If possible, she hopes that it won’t happen for the rest of her life, and she won’t see it for the rest of her life.

That is the real hell on earth.