Eighth day of the new year, nearing noon.

The scorching sun beat down from the sky, and the mountain path was silent.

Traces of a large number of people passing were clearly imprinted on the road: wooden baskets, shoes, clothes, packages, flags, and even wooden furniture of all sizes. Footprints of people and various livestock were scattered and extended in a disorderly fashion, pressing down the grass and disrupting the bushes. When the mountain breeze blew gently from beneath the shade of the trees, scraps of cloth spun and flew into the air.

Two figures emerged from the shade of the trees, observed the scene for a moment, then exchanged gestures and headed into the valley, examining the direction in which the crowd had gone.

When the wind died down, the two men were exposed to the sunlight. It was clear that each of them carried weapons; one had a bow slung across his back, the other a crossbow. Due to the heat, they were wearing only thin shirts. Even so, their clothing seemed to be pieced together from scraps. Judging from their agile movements, they resembled hunters from the mountains.

Of course, they were not hunters.

The scattered remnants in the valley were left by refugees fleeing after the chaos in Hangzhou. With so many people and a lack of order, it was easy to discern the general direction. One of the men walked ahead, while the other searched among the tangled grass and discarded belongings, occasionally bending down to pick something up, only to toss it away again.

When the man in front reached the hillside and looked ahead in the sunlight, the one in the grass suddenly discovered something. He quickly bent down, picked it up, and wiped it on his sleeve. Not far away, his companion, having examined the tracks ahead, turned back from the slope. The man waved his hand, holding up the object. In the sunlight, it appeared to be a string of expensive pearls.

After waving, the man bent down again to search in the grass, but after a while, he found nothing else of value. He stood up and looked at his approaching companion. Suddenly, his body shuddered as an arrow pierced his chest at an angle, the fletching quivering in the air. In the blinding sunlight, he saw his companion dive forward, and another arrow, a black shadow, flash past... This was the last thing he saw.

The man in the valley holding the pearl necklace staggered a few times and fell. From the grass, another figure scrambled up and fled quickly. *Swish* Another arrow shot out. From the trees on one side, two figures rushed out, nocking their bows as they ran. Then another arrow streaked past the fleeing man, drawing a trail of blood.

The fleeing man turned and fired an arrow back, then plunged into the trees. One of the two pursuing men followed. The other ran to the body in the valley. He rolled the corpse over, then carefully pried open the fingers, taking the pearl necklace. He looked around, searched the body again, and found some loose silver. He cursed under his breath, then searched through the nearby grass and bushes. After searching about ten yards, the companion who had chased into the trees returned. The two men examined the pearl necklace together, then surveyed the valley again. After finding two more valuable items, they disappeared in another direction.

Soon after, under the scorching sun, dark figures appeared at the mouth of the valley. The crowd walked this way, with little order. Several men on horseback led the way, followed by those on foot. The first man held a flag wearily, with the character "方 (Fang)" written on the larger one, indicating that this was a branch of the army that followed Fang La's rebellion. The smaller flags were more varied, with characters like "厉 (Li)" and "陆 (Lu)."

Their clothing was also irregular. Most had dirty red cloths wrapped around their heads. Some, tired of walking, took off the cloths to wipe away sweat. Each person carried one or two weapons, a motley assortment of swords, spears, halberds, hoes, and rakes. Most were lacking in morale. If they were called bandits, only a few had the legendary ferocity of bandits. Most looked like peasants, some emaciated, dragging their weapons under the blazing sun, sweating profusely, and walking wearily. Compared to the fierce bandits under Fang La that Ning Yi had seen causing chaos and killing in Hangzhou, this group was far inferior.

One hundred, two hundred, three hundred people... As the people in front entered the valley, the rear of the column still stretched far outside. They were obviously following the traces of the fleeing refugees. The men on horseback in the lead looked at the marks in the valley, pointing and whispering to each other. As the column passed, they subconsciously kicked at the grass, searching for anything. They were then pushed forward by their companions behind them. When the column had reached the halfway point of the valley, one of the men at the front turned and pointed his horsewhip at the woods. Some of the men went into the trees.

A moment later, shouts suddenly rang out from the woods, the cries reaching a crescendo, as if thousands of people hidden in the trees were about to rush out. The dark mass of the column in the valley was instantly thrown into confusion, but someone shouted orders. The men on horseback raised their long-handled weapons, and those in the column with bows and arrows nocked them, aiming at the trees. The first to flee in disarray were the companions who had entered the trees earlier. Then, a dark mass of people poured out, their clothing also varied, and looked poor. The headscarves were khaki-colored, and many carried bows, looking down at the column. Surprisingly, the main flag carried by the people rushing out of the trees also had the character "方 (Fang)", but the other sub-flags had characters like "司 (Si)" and "姚 (Yao)".

The man leading the column in the valley held a large blade. Now, he raised his weapon in front of the column, making a gesture to appease his men. He looked at the people above in silence for a moment, then spoke: "Yao Yi! What are you doing! We have no old grudges or recent hatreds. We are both heading north under the command of Buddha Commander. How dare you ambush me here!?"

The crowd in the forest stirred. After a moment, a group of people separated from the crowd. The leader was thin, with a pointed chin. He looked down at the column, appearing contemptuous, then pointed at the flag on the side: "Ambush you! Lu Qiao, if I really wanted to ambush you! I wouldn't even carry this flag. You'd already be dead!"

Yao Yi's voice was also sharp. As he spoke, he waved his hand and jumped slightly: "I won't kill you today! I, Yao Yi, put righteousness first. I can't do such despicable, underhanded things as ambushing allied forces! But today, you must hand over the people! Who are you, with your despicable ambushes, killing my scouts—"

The man in the valley named Lu Qiao was stunned. He cursed in dialect: "******! Yao Yi! You have shit in your brain! I don't even know what you're talking about! You put righteousness first? You should change your name to Righteous Yao, then righteousness would be first! You have righteousness at the back! What despicable ambush, killing your scouts, I don't know anything about it..."

"I'll go to your mother! Surname Lu! Your people are the closest in this area. I'm telling you, my people didn't all die. One escaped and said it was your people! But he died of poison right after he finished speaking, snake venom. Your people are the best at that. Am I wronging you—"

The two sides cursed at each other, soon getting closer and closer. Under the scorching sun, they appeared to be on the verge of conflict. On the hillside, two eyes flashed. Several miles away in the forest, another army was resting, preparing to set off after the hottest part of the day and head north...

At the same time, several dozen miles away in the forest, two men carried a stretcher, and one man led a horse, traveling quickly along a waterway through the trees. On the stretcher lay Ning Yi. Su Tan'er walked beside him, fanning Ning Yi to try to ward off the heat. Geng, the bodyguard, who was leading the horse, kept trying to persuade Su Tan'er, now pregnant, to get on the horse, but Su Tan'er silently shook her head in refusal.

They had lingered longer at the rear of the camp that morning, and were now far behind the main group.

For them, it had been a morning filled with mixed emotions. The news of Su Tan'er's pregnancy was confirmed, followed by the news that Ning Yi's wound had become infected, leaving everyone almost helpless. Such wound infections were common in battlefield injuries, with a mortality rate of over fifty percent in those days. Even seasoned soldiers often couldn't withstand such injuries, let alone Ning Yi, who was in the midst of fleeing and had no time to rest.

Originally, with Ning Yi around, everyone in the family had a backbone. Even though he had told Juan'er and the others that the situation was dire that morning, they were not too worried, because their son-in-law was so capable, giving the impression that there was nothing he couldn't do. However, this sudden turn of events almost left Su Tan'er stunned and at a loss. But it was also Ning Yi who calmly gave instructions moments after learning of the infection.

He had the healing physician prepare medicines, prepare to operate, cut open the wound, scrape away the rotten flesh, and had the family prepare alcohol and needles... In fact, in the absence of penicillin, traditional Chinese medicine wasn't completely helpless when dealing with wound infections. There were some medicines and methods that could provide some relief. Among the refugees, there were doctors who had brought medicinal herbs. He had Qian Haiping gather the medicines, decoct them on the spot, and have the doctor treat the wound a second time. He was worried that the doctor would not be good at disinfecting and stitching up the wound, so he had Su Tan'er and several maids wait beside him—in fact, he didn't see who stitched up the wound in the end. The surgery was only halfway done, without anesthesia, and he gave up resisting and let himself pass out.

Because of the wound treatment, they were unable to leave with the main group when it set off again. But Su Tan'er had already regained her decisiveness. She left behind only three bodyguards and two horses, one of which was for the doctor who treated Ning Yi's wound, so that the doctor could quickly catch up with the main group. Even Chan'er, Juan'er, and Xing'er were resolutely sent ahead. Knowing that she was pregnant seemed to give her twice the determination. No one in the family could argue with her. Thus, after healing the wound, decocting the medicine, and spoon-feeding some to the unconscious Ning Yi, they carried him on a stretcher to set off. Because of the heat, Su Tan'er fanned Ning Yi along the way.

The afternoon sun filtered through the trees, and a gentle breeze gradually arose. The cicadas chirped along the way. The Su family bodyguards were of better quality than the average soldier, and the two men carrying the stretcher walked swiftly. Feeling the cool breeze, Geng, the bodyguard, tried again to persuade Su Tan'er to get on the horse, but Su Tan'er shook her head: "It's alright." She paused for a moment, not knowing what she was thinking, and then said: "Fang La's people won't catch up so quickly..."

"But... Miss... You have a child in your belly. Think of Master, he wouldn't want..."

"I'd rather not think about this child!" she turned her head abruptly and said, her hand trembling as she held Ning Yi's hand on the stretcher. Tears flickered in her eyes as she hurried along with the stretcher, "Right now... I just want him to get better! I... I'm not that delicate, Uncle Geng, don't worry..."

"But..."

Before Geng, the bodyguard, could finish speaking, another voice rang out: "Ah... My wife isn't that delicate, I know that..."

Ning Yi took Su Tan'er's hand and slowly opened his eyes on the stretcher, then took a deep breath. He used a modern term when he first woke up on the stretcher, but no one delved into it at the moment. Everyone was excited. After traveling for a while, Ning Yi waved his hand on the stretcher: "Stop... Stop for a moment..."

In the morning, Juan'er thought he had a slight cold and was otherwise fine, but fainting during the surgery had startled everyone. However, when he woke up now, although he seemed weak at first, he then yawned and gradually recovered: "I had a good sleep, thank you everyone..."

After saying this, Ning Yi walked out of the forest to wash his face by the river. Su Tan'er followed, touching his forehead, but it was still hot. Ning Yi drank the remaining medicine he had brought with him, and hugged Su Tan'er by the river, putting his ear to her lower abdomen. Su Tan'er cried, shaking her head: "It hasn't been long, it hasn't been long, I'm fine."

"I know... In the morning, I could have endured it, but I fainted on purpose, now I rested and recovered my energy. I know your body is good, so we need to catch up with the group quickly, and then do some things, okay?" He smiled after saying these words, and breathed a sigh of relief, "You have my child in your belly, no matter what, I will make sure you are safe."

"Are you alright? The doctor said... The doctor said..."

"I'm alright for now, I know my limits, don't worry."

He replied in this way, and rode on the horse with Su Tan'er. After telling Geng, the bodyguard, and the others to follow quickly, they headed towards the fleeing column.

In the absence of sufficient sanitary conditions, wound infections after military injuries had a mortality rate of up to fifty percent, but even in the absence of penicillin, good care similar to that of a Nightingale medical team could still reduce the likelihood of wound infection to below two percent. Of course, for those that were already infected, even scraping away the wound and giving good care would not change the odds. He would still face a very high mortality rate and could only use the current traditional Chinese medicine treatment and his own physical condition to tough it out.

He would still have a fever, and he might fall into a coma later, but this was not the time to sit and wait for death. At this moment, he could still do something, at least to reduce the mortality rate from the impending disaster to the lowest possible level.

He didn't really care about the child, but now, he cared even more about his wife and these family members.

No matter what method he used, he would send them back!

The horse galloped out of the forest at a moderate speed to take care of the pregnant woman, heading towards the fleeing column...

*****************

In the afternoon, Chen Xingdu rode his horse up the hillside, opened the map, and looked at the winding column below, waiting for the return of the scouts.

He was thirty-four years old this year, still young, and did not look particularly majestic. He was not the highest-ranking general in the Wuwei Camp, not even a deputy. In the past, his position was neither high nor low, and he was not particularly smooth-talking. He had no outward domineering or natural leadership ability. Now, he had become the military commander of this nearly ten thousand-strong, scattered column, which was a huge pressure for him, but of course, he also understood that this was a huge opportunity.

The Wuwei Camp defended Hangzhou for less than half a month before collapsing. When the autumn came, the senior and middle-ranking generals would all be held accountable, and he was among them. But now, this column was made up of nearly half of Hangzhou's rich and powerful people. As long as he could lead them out and get them to remember this favor, even if he couldn't immediately become a military commander, he would definitely get the title of deputy military commander, and his future would be immeasurable. But the problem was that this column would also become the focus of Fang La's army. On the way to Huzhou and Jiaxing, there were still bandits causing trouble. He did not know how to get through, with no way forward and pursuers behind. He was not good at this.

A group of scouts who had been sent out further afield had returned not long ago. Several groups of Fang La's army had begun to head north, possibly to Huzhou. The scouts had seen the army chasing and killing a group of fleeing residents, and almost everyone had been killed. The bandit army plundered the easily portable belongings and continued to push on, seemingly searching for different traces of escape along the way. In the past two days, everyone had analyzed the possibility that Fang La would directly take Jiaxing, but now that several armies were heading to Huzhou, Chen Xingdu was confused.

"General Chen." A respectful voice came from the side. Qian Haiping of the Qian family also rode up on horseback. Chen Xingdu saluted: "Brother Qian, you are being too polite. I am not a general. Oh, Mr. Qian said earlier that he would persuade those people to donate some belongings to use as a feint. I wonder how it went?"

Such a large-scale column, marching forward in a mighty manner, left behind a lot of information, and even people occasionally fell behind. Qian Haiping guessed that Fang La's army would definitely track the column carrying more belongings, so he wanted to persuade the wealthy households in the column to donate some of the extra items. However, it seemed that there was not much success at the moment.

"Although everyone agreed at first, they argued endlessly about the amount of each family's share. These people are so shortsighted in the face of this disaster, it's really... Alas, a large part of these people were persuaded by Liheng to leave the city together. It's a pity that Liheng is not here at this time, otherwise it would be easier to solve. Now... There should be results later."

Chen Xingdu nodded, then softly spoke about the information the scouts had brought back: "That Young Master Ning said that Fang La should take Jiaxing, but now it seems that he is taking Huzhou... In this case, we are walking on a dead end. Not far ahead, Qingfeng Village and Xiaoluo Town are said to have been occupied by rebel bandits, but it is difficult for us to take a detour..."

Qian Haiping thought for a moment: "They looted belongings, so leisurely... That's not right, if they were really going to attack Huzhou, they would definitely be led by a general from Fang La's army. Why would they be so scattered? They really want to take Jiaxing, and these troops must be going to harass Huzhou, to prevent them from sending reinforcements! And after the qualifications for looting in Hangzhou were divided, these people who were released are, on the one hand, disrupting the situation, and on the other hand, tracking us. This is terrible, where can we go? They are taking Jiaxing, disrupting Huzhou, we have to go a little more to the northwest..."

"Where can we go to the northwest now? If we turn again, we will probably be surrounded by the bandits who come over..."

"We have to discuss this immediately."

Of course, there were also a large number of people who could serve as advisers and offer advice. As soon as Qian Haiping said this, he turned to call these people. Chen Xingdu nodded: "I'll trouble Mr. Qian. By the way, what about that Young Master Ning and his wife?"

"He was slightly injured after fighting Shi Bao, Liu Dabiaozi, and others in Taiping Alley, but this morning his wound festered, and external evil entered his body. Although the doctor treated him, he was left behind this morning, alas..."

Chen Xingdu was slightly stunned: "Actually, I didn't listen carefully when Mr. Qian introduced him earlier. That Mr. and Mrs. Ning are only in their early twenties, so young. Did they really... fight Shi Bao, Liu Dabiaozi, and others head-on?"

Qian Haiping thought for a moment: "I didn't believe it at first, but... if we could have resisted for two more days outside the city at that time, maybe these people would have been dragged out and wiped out in one fell swoop. In fact, we thought at the time that Fang Qifo was also in the city. The fight between Ning Liheng and Shi Bao and others was also real. Almost even Shi Bao died at his hands that day. As far as I know, a bandit leader named Gou Zheng was killed by him on the spot, and the others cannot be determined... There was no time at that time..."

"...Oh," Chen Xingdu thought for a while, then nodded to indicate that he knew. Qian Haiping raised the reins and was about to move forward, but he narrowed his eyes and looked at the rear of the column. A galloping horse passed through the crowd and flew towards the front, also seeing the people on the hillside. Along the way, Mr. and Mrs. Ning Yi saluted on horseback. Seeing Ning Yi returning, Qian Haiping was quite happy. Chen Xingdu also examined the couple more carefully. In the chaotic situation in the previous few days, he had never paid so much attention to such young people. Even if Ning Yi had made any suggestions and predictions, they could only be accepted after discussion by others.

Of course, this was not the time to say that he was honored or anything. Qian Haiping was going to call someone, and Chen Xingdu briefly explained the current situation. In fact, whether it was going from Hangzhou to Huzhou or to Jiaxing, the straight-line distance was only a little over 150 miles, but the waterways in Jiangnan were crisscrossed, and it was very easy to be blocked. Without ships, they could only cross rivers on bridges in certain places. At this time, there were bandits causing trouble blocking the road ahead, and Fang La's army had followed from behind. This column was not moving quickly, and the space available for maneuvering was getting smaller and smaller.

They didn't expect Ning Yi to have the power to change the situation, but now they had greatly valued him. Of course, they could also explain it to him more clearly. Ning Yi frowned, and after a long while, he cautiously opened his mouth to Chen Xingdu.

"I would like... to ask General Chen to arrange for me a few veteran soldiers or scouts who are familiar with the situation in Fang La's army. I would like to ask them some questions. In addition, I need a map of the surrounding area, and also a few people who are really familiar with the local conditions, maybe..."

He paused slightly: "I may be able to make the situation a little better..." He still had a fever at this time, and it was extending in a more severe direction. His tone of speech was not high-pitched, but his tone was low and slow, saying these words calmly. Chen Xingdu looked at him for a while and nodded.

Su Tan'er sat in front of Ning Yi, bowing her head and hugging his injured arm quietly. The sunlight shone down, somewhat dazzling...

************

Yesterday, I couldn't update, today I updated 6,000 words ^_^

I recommend two books from friends, one is called "Bathed in Blood Against Japan", the introduction: "Like other college students, Xiang Fang, a history student, also faces various pressures from society, but fate brought him to the war-torn years of the anti-Japanese war. So... the originally useless history can be used in this era, can he use the knowledge he has learned to show his talents in this era?

Everything is still unknown..."

The other one is a female-oriented book called "Happy Field Joyful Land", the author's name is Ring Finger's Bondage, oh, it's a friend, not a girlfriend, those who read female-oriented books may want to check it out. ^_^

Speaking of which, I'm really not strong enough. I wanted to update when the monthly pass was doubled, but I couldn't, but I updated a 6,000-word chapter after the double passed... I'm despising myself...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to the starting point (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
Support (End Book God Station) share this station with those who need it! If you can't find a book, please leave a message!