Son of Song Dynasty

Chapter 157

The sound of hooves was like thunder, and a cavalry team of hundreds of people galloped northward on the official road, running until the sunset completely disappeared into the horizon, and then stopped.

When dismounting from the horse, Zhao Dezhao felt a sharp pain in his inner thigh as if a layer of skin had been peeled off. He grinned his teeth in pain when he took a little step, so that he had to walk in a weird, bow-legged posture.

He doesn't need to take off his clothes and pants to take a closer look, he will know that his inner thighs must be bloody and bloody. Riding a horse and galloping like this is a big test for his body and will. He only hopes that his Thighs can wear calluses faster.

Zhao Dezhao found a stone, sat down in the most comfortable position, unscrewed the stopper of the gourd, shook it with his hand, and felt that there was not much water left.

According to Zhao Dezhao's marching regulations, no matter whether it is a general or a soldier, everyone must carry the same

"Your Highness, drink mine." Jiang An handed over his gourd.

Zhao Dezhao shook his head, poured the last sip of residual water from the gourd into his mouth, and asked Jiang An casually: "Have you counted, and how many are left behind?"

It has been several days since we set off from Panyu. Due to the continuous galloping on the rough road without stopping, under the condition of extreme fatigue, soldiers fell behind every day—some were knocked off their horses and injured, and some fell behind. After leaving the back, there are still people who get lost after falling behind and cannot keep up, but the most common reason is that they secretly deserted because they couldn't stand the hard work of long-distance running day and night.

No matter what the situation is, it is impossible for the large army to stop and wait for them at the moment.

Jiang An replied: "I just counted, there are eight left behind today."

Zhao Dezhao smiled self-deprecatingly and sighed: "If we do things like this, when we return to Tokyo, our 500 troops will probably be reduced by half!"

Zhao Dezhao has always been quite dissatisfied with the quality of the soldiers of the Imperial Army of the Song Dynasty. In the current situation where one person is equipped with three replacement horses, the long-distance march is still so difficult. This can only be due to a problem with the quality of the soldiers themselves.

Jiang An was silent for a while, and said: "From tomorrow onwards, I will be at the end of the team. Some people are lazy and can't stand hard work, I will kill them immediately!"

Suddenly, someone in the temporary camp was making loud noises, and even crying could be heard.

Zhao Dezhao frowned slightly. Crying is strictly prohibited in the army. According to the law, he must be beheaded. Who is so desperate?

Jiang An immediately stood up and said, "We will go and have a look."

After a while, Jiang An returned in a hurry, with an embarrassed expression on his face: "It's Liu Wei who is making trouble. He has suffered a lot in the rapid march with the team these days. He said that his two thighs were worn out. He really couldn't take it anymore. He asked himself Follow behind and slowly go north."

Zhao Dezhao sneered, Liu Xuan had been in such trouble the first day, because he couldn't stand the pain, he refused to get up and mount the horse, and finally got whipped.Clothes
For a person like Liu Yun who was born with rich clothes and good food and has always been pampered, it is normal that he can't bear the hardships right now. Zhao Dezhao himself can't bear the hardships, but he knows he has no choice, so he doesn't rush back to Tokyo as soon as possible. , maybe your life will be in danger.

"Slap him with the whip first!" Zhao Dezhao paused, then said calmly, "Tell him again, if he continues to make noise and cry in the army and break our military discipline, he will be beheaded!"

Jiang An hesitated for a moment and said: "Wei Jiang has already threatened him like this, but it seems to have no effect..."

Zhao Dezhao sneered: "Then decapitate according to the law. Is it possible that the king can't kill a prisoner of war?"

Jiang An opened his mouth wide in astonishment, thinking that although Liu Yun was captured, he was the king of the Southern Han Dynasty after all, so how could he really kill him with a knife?

But he knew Zhao Dezhao's temper, so he didn't dare to say a word, turned around and left in a hurry.

After a while, Zhao Dezhao heard a crackling sound of whipping and a long howl. When the whip was finished, Liu Yun stopped crying and the camp returned to silence.

Zhao Dezhao shook his head. It seems that this buddy is far from being as tough as he pretends to be. After all, he is still a guy who is afraid of suffering and death.

As he was thinking about this, two soldiers suddenly escorted a man dressed as a commoner. The man looked haggard, and he looked like he had come a long way.

"Your Highness, this person galloped into the camp, and I took him down later. He claimed that he came from Tokyo to deliver a letter. He wanted to meet His Highness, and delivered an important letter."

Zhao Dezhao looked at the man's eyes intently, and felt that the man's face seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember it for a while, so he raised his hand as a signal, and the two soldiers let go of the man.

The man fell to his knees with a plop, and bowed respectfully to Zhao Dezhao: "Your Highness, the villain is the little Seventh Son who often serves in front of Senior Official Liu. Do you still remember, Your Highness?"

Only then did Zhao Dezhao think about it, and recognized that this person was indeed a servant who often followed Liu Lexian, who seemed to be called Xiao Qizi.

He knew that this person must have been influenced by Liu Lexian's coming to report the news, so he immediately waved his hand and motioned for other people to step aside.

Xiao Qizi took out a letter from his arms, and presented it to Zhao Dezhao with both hands respectfully.

Zhao Dezhao checked the hot-sealing paint on the outside of the envelope, opened it and browsed it hastily.

Similar to Wang Xiuzhi's secret letter received a few days ago, what Liu Lexian said in the letter was also the serious illness of Emperor Zhao Dezhao's father, but described the illness in more detail, and also mentioned Zhao Guangyi's repeated threats. Zhao Dezhao felt worried and anxious.

Zhao Dezhao knew that the most important thing would not be written in the letter, but would be spoken by the visitor. After reading the letter, he asked Xiao Qizi, "Is there anything else you want to explain, Mr. Liu?"

Sure enough, Xiao Qizi said: "Reporting to Your Highness, Mr. Liu asked the villain to convey an important message to His Highness: The Empress has agreed."

Zhao Dezhao touched his chin, and asked in a deep voice, "Just this one sentence?"

"Yes, that's the only sentence." Xiao Qizi lowered his head and whispered: "The villain is stupid, and the villain can't understand the words that Mr. Liu confessed. He will forget the words once he has passed them on, and he will remember nothing. Can't live."

Zhao Dezhao showed a smile. This kid is really smart and well-behaved. He waved his hand and said, "It's been a hard journey, go down and rest first, and I will reward you when I return to Tokyo!"

After Xiao Qizi retreated, Zhao Dezhao bowed his head and thought for a moment, then ordered someone to call Jiang An, and asked, "In your opinion, if this king abandons everyone and rushes, how soon can he return to Tokyo?"

(End of this chapter)