Rebirth of a Star General

He Yan looked at her with a smile: "Because I saved those captives, I am the real hero?"

"A true hero sees things that others can't see. There are many men who speak for men, and there are also many women who speak for women," Qiluo said, "But there are not many men who speak for women."

He Yan looked at her serious expression and couldn't help but smile bitterly in her heart, but she was not a real man, so she couldn't really give what Qiluo wanted.

The world is like this, and wanting to shake it is not something that happens overnight.

Seeing He Yan's silence, Qiluo took the opportunity to say, "Sir Xiaohe, after you left last night, many aunties in the city came to ask me about you. The magistrate's wife also asked about you, and he said that if you can come back alive, then I want to talk to you about my daughter. She doesn't have to marry you, she can be your concubine."

The words turned too fast, and He Yan couldn't react. Facing Qiluo's hopeful eyes, He Yan could only use his usual excuse, "Thank you for your love, but I already have a sweetheart."

"Already have a sweetheart?" Qiluo was a little disappointed, but turned to curiosity for a moment, "Who is Lord Xiaohe's sweetheart? Is he beautiful? What kind of person is he?"

A smile appeared on the corner of He Yan's mouth, "Yes, he looks very beautiful, and his temperament looks very indifferent, but he is a very gentle person."

This young man has always looked calm and gentle, but at this moment, he really looks like a young man of this age, a little shy and nervous.

Qiluo was even more curious, "Listening to you, this girl should be very good. Does she like you?"

He Yan was stunned and shook his head.

"Don't you like it?" Qiluo was startled, "Sir Xiaohe is good-looking, handsome, and has such a good heart. He is also Wu Anlang, whom His Majesty proclaimed, and these characters don't like it, why is this?"

"Because he is very good, and there are people around me who are better than me." He Yan shrugged, "And I also have things I need to do, and I don't want to implicate others."

Qiluo looked at him and laughed, "Mr. Xiaohe, everything is fine with you, but that's not good. As long as your sweetheart hasn't gotten married, that means things haven't been settled yet, then grab it. To choose a concubine room, we have dozens of sisters in our yard. I dangle 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 himself. Lord Xiaohe really likes that Girl, don't worry about the others, someone better than you might have more status than you, so he will lose to you. The strong girl is afraid of being entangled with her husband. I fell in love with you."

Unexpectedly, he could hear "the strong girl is afraid of entanglement" here. He Yan thought of Jiyang's urgency at that time, and secretly laughed. However, Qiluo seemed to be very enthusiastic about helping her to win the favor of her sweetheart, and she had to talk more and more, so He Yan had to stop her: "Miss Qiluo, thank you for your kindness, but we are still unable to protect ourselves. If Run can hold on, and the Uto people are driven back, I will do as you say, but for now... that's all."

Hearing this, Qiluo also sighed and said, "Yes."

She fell silent all of a sudden, looking unhappy and unhappy, He Yan felt a little sorry, this girl was in high spirits when she came, but she was so sad when she said it in a few words, thinking about this, she took out a preserved apricot from the bag on the side. Hand it over, "Don't worry, we will definitely keep it."

When Qiluo saw the candied apricots in He Yan's hand, he was stunned at first, and then took it over in surprise, "Mr. Xiaohe, why do you still have sugar?"

"I grabbed it when I set off from Liangzhou Wei." He Yan scratched his head.

When she left Jiyang, Cui Yuezhi caught her some preserved fruits, specialties of Jiyang. Xiao Jue didn't like to eat these, so they all moved to He Yan's house. When they left, they mostly brought dry biscuits and food, not many snacks like this, but He Yan also picked up some, thinking that it wouldn't take up any space anyway.

Qiluo licked the apricots carefully, and happily said to He Yan: "Thank you, Lord Xiaohe, since the Utuo people came, my concubine has been hungry and full every day, and I can't even eat food, let alone sugar. , I don't even dare to think about it. Now that I have received the blessing of Lord Xiaohe, I am very happy."

He Yan: "I can't even get enough to eat? It's not that bad. The Utuo people have besieged Rundu, but it's only been over a month. How could the city be in such a situation?"

She came to Rundu until now, and Wang Ba and the others have all eaten the dry food brought from Liangzhou Wei. I know that Rundu is short of food and grass, but that's because it's for the soldiers guarding the city. I've been so busy these few days that I don't even have time to go shopping in the city. If Qiluo hadn't said it himself, He Yan would not have known that Rundu was so nervous.

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

Qiluo bit the candied apricots, looked at her with wide eyes and said, "Lord Xiaohe doesn't know anything, Uto soldiers besieged Rundu Yueyu, but there was a snow disaster in Rundu last year, and famine will follow after the snow disaster. Even if the Utuo people don't come, the people of Rundu will have a hard time. Not to mention that the road out of the city is blocked now, 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 abruptly, "Is this true?"

"Don't dare to deceive Lord Xiaohe." Qiluo said: "Otherwise, we Rundu is rich in grapes, why did Lord Xiaohe only give the bowl to Lord Xiaohe on the first day of his arrival, it's really... that is already Run The last bowl of grapes in the city."

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

If this is the case, defending the city is meaningless at all. Li Kuang is waiting for He Rufei who will not come, and the people of Rundu are waiting for endless despair and hunger. They are waiting to die.

He Yan lowered her eyebrows and put on her shoes without saying a word. Qiluo asked, "What is Sir Xiaohe doing?"

"I want to see Li Kuang."

...

Li Kuang was checking out yesterday's battle report in the house when he suddenly saw He Yan striding out of the house.

He Yan sat down on the chair on the side, she was really tired, it would be better to sit down. He only looked at Li Kuang and said, "I came here to ask, we burned the Uto people's food and grass last night, what plans does Master Li have after that?"

Having said that, Li Kuang looked at He Yan and said sincerely, "Yesterday's victory is thanks to Mr. Xiaohe. Now the Utuo people have run out of food and grass, I plan to continue to wait for reinforcements, the Utuo people have no food and grass, It must be more anxious than us, if we force a siege... Let's set a trap, what does Mr. Xiaohe think?"

He Yan: "I don't think it's right."

Li Kuang frowned: "Why?"

He Yan stared into his eyes, "Master Li intends to stand in a stalemate with the Uto people, which is understandable, but how long the people in the city can hold on, I'm afraid they will starve to death before the reinforcements arrive. This year's snow disaster has left the city with surplus food. It’s not much, why did Master Li hide this from me?”

Hearing this, Li Kuang did not answer He Yan's words, but instead asked, "Who told you this?"

"There are so many people in Rundu, Master Li thinks they can hide it?" He Yan's eyes were sharp, "Even if you can hide one person, when more and more people starve to death, how can you not know?"

When she took Rundu's five hundred elite soldiers out of the city last night, she felt that Rundu's soldiers were emaciated and thin, but at that time she only thought it was the result of defending the city for days, until Qiluo said the reason.

This is already the case in the military, and this is a taboo in war. It is not written in the history books that defend the city until the people in the city starve to death. It's hell on earth, something that I can't even think about.

Li Kuang was silent for a while, then asked He Yan, "What do you mean?"

"I can't continue to defend the city. My lord and I will bring Rundu soldiers and horses to fight to the death with the Uto people outside the city."

"Impossible!" Li Kuang replied without thinking: "To take the initiative to attack, this is the last resort."

"We took the initiative to attack last night."

"Last night there were 500 elite soldiers, but Rundu has a total of 30,000 soldiers and horses. This is Rundu's last hope. If you fight to the death with the Uto people, if you lose, the city will fall, and all the people in the city will fall into the Uto people. In the hands! Brother He and the Uto people have already fought twice. It is impossible not to know the ferocity and viciousness of the Uto people. When these people fall into their hands, it is even more tragic than death. I am the chief soldier of Rundu. Even if all the people of Rundu starve to death, it would be better than dying under the torture of the Uto people!"

"Who said we would definitely lose?" He Yan frowned, "Before the battle is fought, anything can happen. We may also be the victor."

"30,000 versus hundreds of thousands, how can we fight?"

He Yan said: "In the battle of Jiyang, less wins more."

Li Kuang turned around and said in a cold voice, "I'm not the Governor of the Right Army, and you're not General Feihong. I can't win a battle with less, and neither can you."

"I can beat it!"

Li Kuang looked back at her, as if he was looking at a child who didn't know the sky and the sky, shook his head and said, "Brother He, I admit that you are a bit formidable, and you also have a way to deal with those utuo people, but the war is cruel, it blocks It is the lives of a city of people. I can't take the lives of a city of people to earn your military merit. We people, it's okay to die, horizontal and vertical is only a life, but the city gate cannot be broken. I will not take the initiative to fight Uto people, if they want to attack the city, we will defend it. If they are deadlocked, we will wait for reinforcements to arrive."

Li Kuang was like this back then, and he was extraordinarily conservative in wars, which He Yan knew very well. It's just that she was a lieutenant back then and commanded tens of thousands of Fuyue troops. Now...

"This is Rundu. Even if Lord He is Wu'an Lang, he can't order Rundu's troops without my permission. So, don't waste your energy!" Li Kuang said coldly.

He Yan took a deep breath. This stone has a stinky and hard temper, and it still hasn't changed for so many years. She asked, "Okay, if you just follow Mr. Li's words, don't attack and retreat, but there will be no food in the city, and sooner or later everyone will have to pay for it. Starved to death. You and I know what the current situation of the soldiers and horses in Rundu is now. If this continues, even if the people do not starve to death, the soldiers and horses will also starve to death. For the Uto people, so many died without a single soldier. Rundu soldiers, wouldn't it be cheap for them?"

"The soldiers and horses will not starve to death." Li Kuang's face was heavy, "I have my own way."

He Yan asked, "What can I do?"

Li Kuang glanced at her and said, "You don't need to know." After that, he ignored He Yan and 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 have a plan in mind. Could it be that there is a secret granary in Rundu City. But if there is 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, intending to discuss with Jiang Jiao and his party, and just as he went out, he bumped into someone, but it was Zhao Shiming, the magistrate of Rundu.

Zhao Shiming wiped the sweat from his forehead in embarrassment, glanced at the room, and said, "I, I was going to go in, but when I got to the door, I heard that you and Mr. Li were arguing, so I couldn't go in." He looked Seeing He Yan's face, he said with relief: "Master Xiaohe, don't take Master Li's words to heart, he is just this temper, stubborn and stubborn like a stone. He has a good heart, but he doesn't dare to take it. Let’s bet on the lives of the people of Rundu. Mr. Xiaohe is from Liangzhou, maybe it’s not very 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 think it's inappropriate."

She looked at Zhao Shiming again. Before, Zhao Shiming asked a craftsman to make the grass and the mask. Zhao Shiming, the magistrate of the county, seems to be very popular in Rundu. Now Li Kuang is dissatisfied with her, He Yan is not easy to ask Li Kuang to ask for someone, but Jiang Jiao and the others have always been by his side and cannot be separated. This Zhao Shiming... There should be people around who can use it, although not many.

"Master Zhao." She thought for a while, and bowed to Zhao Shiming, "I have something to ask for your help."

Zhao Shiming was startled and said, "Lord Xiaohe, but it doesn't matter."

"Master Zhao may have someone who can be used around him, such as guards. I want to use both of them. Do something for me." After a while, she added: "However, this matter needs to be hidden from Li. Sir, don't know him."

Zhao Shiming looked at the young man in front of him. He was public and private. He had been with Li Kuang for a longer time, so he should not help He Yan to hide Li Kuang. But on the other hand, he believed that this young man was not malicious, and was even a rare pure person in the world.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have to take the risk last night to rescue the women from the enemy camp.

After thinking for a long time, Zhao Shiming said, "It's easy to say."

...

The sky in Rundu was ashen, as if the sun had not shone for a long time, and the whole city was filled with a rotten and outdated atmosphere.

In a family, two naked boys pushed a corpse out. It was their grandfather. He was placed on a grass mat. His whole body was so thin that he could see every bone... starved.

It is not uncommon for such a thing to happen in Rundu recently. Ying Xiang walked by and looked at it with a hint of pity in her eyes.

Their food is actually not much.

"Fourth Young Master, we have been staying in Rundu, and it will become like this." She reminded softly.

Chu Zhao didn't speak, just walked forward quietly.

Xu Xiang's people have long since 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 who can find 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 a very fair thing, and it will not be merciful for a moment because of the dignity or not.

"We..." Ying Xiang still wanted to speak.

"Wait." Chu Zhao interrupted her.

Wait, what are you waiting for? Ying Xiang was silent and asked, "If Fourth Young Master is really worried about Miss He, why don't you take her with you?"

"She didn't even know Xiao Huaijin. She traveled thousands of miles to Rundu alone, just to save the people of Rundu City. How can you think that she would leave the next city with me?" Chu Zhao smiled. He Yan, if all the dust settles, she will probably leave silently. The more critical it is, 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 she can do it?

Ying Xiang walked with her head lowered, her voice soft, "Can the Fourth Young Master 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, women in the world would only look like that.

Just as she was talking, Yingxiang suddenly said, "Fourth Young Master, Miss He..."

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

She just stood quietly, frowning, and couldn't see what her expression was. Chu Zhao walked over and said, "Brother He."

Only then did He Yan see the two of them and replied, "Brother Chu, Miss Yingxiang."

Yingxiang bowed and walked forward together. Chu Zhao asked, "Brother He just fought fiercely with the Uto people last night, why didn't you take a good rest in the house?"

"It's okay, I'll come out for a walk." He Yan said.

Yingxiang asked, "Has Mr. He ever eaten rice? If not, there are some dry food in the slave's bag." She sighed, "Rundu is like this now, there is no hot food."

He Yan shook his head: "Thank you, but I'm not hungry."

She really can't eat it.

Chu Zhao thought for a while before saying, "Brother He is troubled by these people in Rundu, is it because there is no food in the city?"

He Yan looked at him: "Brother Chu also knows?"

"I arrived at Rundu earlier than you," Chu Zhao shook his head and smiled, "There is plenty of time, and the people in Rundu are all like this."

"If Brother Chu can talk about Xu Xiang..." He Yan asked tentatively.

He Yan has always been suspicious of Chu Zhao's identity. Although Chu Zhao is Xu Xiang's student, he doesn't seem to work directly with Xu Xiang. It is true that the reason why he can gain face in front of Chu Linfeng has nothing to do with Xu Jingfu. But Chu Zhao, a person, often makes choices that seem to be contrary to Xu Jingfu's original intention.

For example, in Jiyang, the defense map of the pair of soldiers sent by Chu Zhao.

He is a very thoughtful person. If such a person can not be an enemy of him, it is best not to be an enemy of him. Before he showed hostility, he could only deal with it carefully. Just as Chu Zhao wanted to use her, if he could get close to He Rufei through Chu Zhao, it would not be too bad. After all, the current He Rufei was already insane to the point of inhumanity.

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

Chu Zhao heard the words, his smile faded a little, and after a while he shook his head and said, "Brother He, I'm not omnipotent, and Xu Xiang... also won't listen to my opinion."

This seems to be a little embarrassing.

He Yan raised her eyebrows. The relationship between Xu Jingfu and Chu Zhao also seemed to be very meaningful.

"I can't help the people of Rundu. The only thing I can do is to accompany them. However, what is Brother He going to do?" He looked at He Yan, "You know, Rundu doesn't have anything to do with it. It won't last long."

A city without food can only survive. Li Kuang did not explain the situation to her immediately, and now he is unwilling to confront the Uto people 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 wind in the March of Shuojing, but with a bit of the coldness of spring, sober and secretly looking forward to it.

He Yan couldn't avoid it, and looked at him frankly, "Brother Chu, what would you like me to do?"

Chu Zhao was stunned for a moment, but smiled instead: "Why are you still asking me?"

He Yan walked forward slowly, "I thought that in Brother Chu's heart, there seems to be an answer already."

After a while, his voice came from his side: "I have never seen anything that could block Brother He's footsteps, and I have never seen anything that made Brother He lose hope."

"You're overthinking me too omnipotent."

Chu Zhao said: "That's not true. No matter how omnipotent Brother He is, can't it solve Rundu's urgent needs now?"

He Yan fell silent.

Chu Zhao continued to say: "Brother He knows that when the famine was at its worst in the past, the people in the city would even change their sons for food in order to survive. Cannibalism is a particularly terrifying thing. If it goes on like this, it may not happen that way.”

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

The streets are empty, the shops have long since closed, and most of the food that can be eaten has been found and eaten. It is obviously a lively summer, and Rundu seems to be barren. Even the trees by the roadside are bare-- The leaves have long been plucked by hungry, mad people to fill their stomachs.

If it weren't for the hot sun, it didn't look like summer at all, it looked like winter. This is not like the Rundu in He Yan's memory, small and lively, with crystal clear grapes and mellow wine.

War changed everything.

She said softly, "Do you know what is more terrifying than Yi Zi Er Shi?"

Chu Zhao was a little surprised, "What is it?"

He Yan didn't speak, just looked at the lifeless city, and felt a powerless sadness in his heart.

That kind of thing...if possible, she hopes that it will never happen in her life, and she will never see it in her life.

That's the real hell on earth.