please come back

After wandering around for a few days, a group of people arrived at the entrance of the valley. According to Yuan Wendong, their team encountered an ambush in this valley, so Xia Heyu did not dare to advance rashly, but lingered at the entrance of the valley.

Once you pass the valley, you will actually arrive at Yizhou, but this narrow valley is like a place of death, with rolling stones, bows and arrows on both sides ready to deal with Xia Heyu's army at all times.

"General, why don't Wendong try again." Yuan Wendong came to Xia Heyu's side and bowed.

Xia Heyu looked at the narrow valley that was only enough for a row of people to pass through, and the undulating mountains on both sides of the valley, and said, "No need, I'm afraid this road cannot be passed. Allow me to think again."

The order was passed back, and all the soldiers got busy, those who should set up camp set up camp, and those who should light fires lit fires.Xia Heyu stared closely at the valley. As the sun shone into the valley, he could see the cold light reflected from the armor in the rugged crevices on the side of the mountain.

"Do you think we're going to break here?" Xia Heyu turned his head and asked Jiang Linyuan.

"Actually, there are two ways. The first one is to forcibly break through. This way, people will definitely die in this valley, and many people will die. The second one is to take a detour. Unfortunately, we don't have enough food, so this way will also die. There are quite a few people." Jiang Linyuan stretched out two fingers and said, "No matter how you go, there will be sacrifices, it depends on how you choose."

Xia Heyu bit his lip, he understood the truth, but he really couldn't figure out which method would be better.

"General Xia." At this moment, Xiao Sha came from the end of the team and interrupted their conversation.

"What?" Xia Heyu turned around and asked, with a bad feeling in his heart.

"The food is almost running out." Xiaosha lowered his head and muttered.

"Why so fast?" Xia Heyu frowned.

"Maybe it's only enough for a few meals of gruel." Xiao Sha said.

Xia Heyu looked back at the valley, thinking that he might have to force his way.

However, Jiang Linyuan pulled Xiaosha over, and said softly: "Go and kill the horses that are pulling the grain, and cook them for a while, at least for a few more days."

Xiaosha nodded, even though he was a little reluctant, he still went.

Jiang Linyuan turned around, pulled Xia Heyu who was staring at the valley in a daze, and said, "Wait another day, just one more day, if there is no turning point in this day, we will go to the valley again."

Xia Heyu nodded, shook Jiang Linyuan's hand, suddenly raised his face and smiled and said, "If I die in this valley, will you miss me?"

"No." Jiang Linyuan said resolutely: "Even if you miss you, you can't survive, right. What can you do with that spare time?"

Xia Heyu laughed, and walked towards the camp together with Jiang Linyuan, and said as he walked, "It's best if you don't miss me. If you miss me at that time, I will have nowhere to go."

Jiang Linyuan sighed slightly, and glanced aside. In fact, he always felt that someone had been following their team.

That night, almost every soldier was given a piece of cooked horse meat to fill their stomachs, but few of them were willing to eat it. The horse meat was so sour and bitter that it was really hard to eat.

Jiang Linyuan tore a piece of shredded meat and put it in his mouth. After chewing twice, he swallowed it, and then he didn't want to eat another bite.

"Do you want to starve yourself to death?" Xia Heyu asked, "Even if it doesn't taste good, eat some more."

Jiang Linyuan shook his head, and stuffed the horse meat in his hand to Xia Heyu, "I'm not hungry anymore, if you want to eat, you can eat it."

Xia Heyu frowned. He couldn't eat any more, so he put the bowl aside and said, "Tomorrow, I'll ask someone to kill the two horses of mine and Zhang Ling. Those two horses are good horses, and the meat should be chewed." It's going to be better than this."

"It's better not to move your two horses. After all, there are only two good horses left. In case something comes up in the future, you still have to point at these two horses." Jiang Linyuan said.

"Then what should we do, we can't just watch this group of people starve to death without food?" Xia Heyu said.

"I have a solution, you don't have to worry, at least tomorrow's rations, I can guarantee it." Jiang Linyuan said with a sullen face.

"You, what can you do?" Xia Heyu asked eagerly.

Jiang Linyuan showed embarrassment, this method was not only cruel, but also hard to say, so he said cruelly: "The wounded soldiers who came back with Yuan Wendong last time, some of them died after returning because of their heavy injuries. They were not buried, but brought with them by the soldiers. It is freezing cold, and the corpses have not decomposed, and human flesh can survive a meal."

After Xia Heyu heard this, he opened his mouth slightly and was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Jiang Linyuan to think of this level a few days ago, and he sighed after a long time: "Well, it's just this matter, try not to let the soldiers know. So as not to disturb the army."

Jiang Linyuan nodded, betting all his survival on tomorrow.

On the morning of the second day, Jiang Linyuan personally carried the corpses, piled them up outside the tent, and ordered no one to follow.He held a dagger with a blade as thin as paper in his hand, cut off the flesh from these corpses, and threw them into the large basin beside him.

Jiang Linyuan felt uncomfortable while cutting, his stomach hurt like thousands of worms had gnawed on it.Jiang Linyuan didn't know how long he had been cutting, probably when he was numb, he finally filled the big basin, and finally cut the corpses on the ground into bones.Then Jiang Linyuan called the cook in the team and cooked the meat, only saying that it was wild boar hunted outside.

At noon that day, the smell of boiled meat filled the entire barracks. Human meat was neither fishy nor bitter nor sour. It was much tastier than horse meat. Many soldiers were so hungry that they swallowed meat. Where did they go? Care what kind of meat it is.

Jiang Linyuan put a bowl of meat in front of Xia Heyu, and said, "As a general of an army, you are the last one to fail."

Looking at the bowl of meat, Xia Heyu frowned and clenched his fists tightly.In fact, it's not that he has never eaten human flesh, it's just that it was the flesh of a barbarian, but now it is his own flesh in front of him, so how can he eat it.

Xia Heyu no longer looked at the bowl of meat, but looked up at Jiang Linyuan, a little bewildered.Jiang Linyuan smiled at Xia Heyu with pale lips, "Eat quickly, but we agreed to last until spring."

Xia Heyu's nose was sore, and he suddenly felt that this year's winter was so long and so cold.

"General!" Suddenly, the guard outside the door shouted loudly, and Jiang Linyuan's eyes lit up immediately, he reckoned that the team was saved.

"Speak." Xia Heyu shouted towards the door.

"A businessman surnamed Liu asked to see him. He said he had food," the guard said.

Shocked, Xia Heyu slapped the table and stood up, "Let him in quickly." At this moment, Jiang Linyuan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.

The curtain was lifted, and a man in a soap-colored gown walked in.This person is not tall, looks like in his 30s, his body is slightly fat, his skin is very fair, but the flesh on his cheeks is a little sagging, when he saw Xia Heyu, he knelt down and kowtowed.

Xia Heyu quickly helped him up, and asked straight to the point: "Mr. Liu, what do you mean when you say you have food?"

The man surnamed Liu stood up, with a smile on his lips, and said slowly and respectfully: "General Xia, I have a lot of food in my house, which should be enough for General Xia's army."

"What's the condition?" Xia Heyu asked with a cold face, he knew that people in this business must be unprofitable.

But the man shook his head and said, "No conditions."

Xia Heyu turned his head and glanced at Jiang Linyuan. Jiang Linyuan looked the man up and down, but nodded at Xia Heyu.

"Okay then, my lord, when will my army get food."

"Tonight." The man surnamed Liu said without a trace of hesitation.

"Then thank you very much. When I get through this difficult time, I will return all the food." Xia Heyu said.

"That's not necessary." The man shook his head again, "General Xia, as long as he remembers that the youngest is from the Liu family of Yizhou, named Liu Chun, that's fine. The general will prosper in the future, so don't be a villain." After finishing this sentence The man didn't need Xia Heyu to speak, he turned around and left, leaving Xia Heyu in the same place a little surprised.

Jiang Linyuan approached Xia Heyu, pushed his chin, closed his open mouth, and said, "Look at you now, you look like a silly dog."

Xia Heyu was full of questions, but seeing Jiang Linyuan's eyebrows smiling, he felt that he must know something, so he asked, "Tell me, Mr. Jiang, what is going on here."

Jiang Linyuan cleared his throat, and explained to Xia Heyu: "This Liu Chun, sent someone to follow us all the way, just waiting for us to fall into such a desperate situation, so that he can show up and play a role in giving charcoal in a timely manner."

Jiang Linyuan took a breath, calmed down and continued, "I cut my flesh outside the barracks this morning just to let Liu Chun know that we really have no other choice."

The scene this morning was still flashing back and forth in Jiang Linyuan's mind, and Jiang Linyuan swore to himself that he would never do such things again in his life.

"But...it doesn't make sense. I don't know him before, so why do you want to help me with all your money?" Xia Heyu asked.

"Because he is a smart man." Jiang Linyuan said, "Since he is a smart man, he must know the current trend in the court. Li Su has long been unpopular. If this continues, he will be replaced sooner or later. That person is likely to be you."

"Oh? So he's here to curry favor with me?" Xia Heyu asked.

"That's right." Jiang Linyuan said, "Liu Chun doesn't want nothing. You see, he is a businessman, and he is dressed like a scholar with a blue scarf and turban. So General Xia, if you gain great power in the future, don't forget to reward him An official.

"However, this person is too scheming and ruthless, so he cannot be reused." Jiang Linyuan continued, "Just give it to a decent little official."

Xia Heyu tapped Ren'er on the brain, and smiled with his relaxed posture, threw himself on Jiang Linyuan and hugged him in his arms, "We're leaving tomorrow, but we're in the valley, so we'll take a detour, and we won't give up until we win Yizhou." .”

Jiang Linyuan nodded, and suddenly his stomach growled loudly.