Transmigration begins with archery training

"People?"

Cao Fan was extremely surprised: "What common people?"

"Your Highness, he is most likely referring to these lowly people."

Yin Hanwen said with disgust, "Shouldn't they have stayed in their own cities and defended them to the death? What are they doing running away? If they go to other places, aren't they just wasting local food? They should all be killed!"

"Oh, you mean these people."

Looking at the poor people nearby, covered in dust and dirt, Cao Fan suddenly realized: "That's right, that's right, they are also ordinary people. Quickly send someone to ask Huanwen County to send more ferry boats. As for how many of them can cross the river, the overall situation is more important, we really can't worry about that now!"

"Saying one more word could mean missing a crucial opportunity."

“Ms. Sun, Brother Buqi, and this… Brother Chen, right? We need to hurry and report to General Jing before we set off. If you’re not coming with us, you can cross the river on your own. There’s still time.”

"Farewell!"

After uttering a few words, he led a few men and hurriedly headed towards the central army.

"Sir!"

Sun Li couldn't stop her even if she wanted to.

The 50,000-strong army quickly set off.

Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of people, they completely ignored them and took a detour along the northernmost official road. In less than an hour, they all disappeared from sight, leaving only a sky full of dust.

When the dust settled, it was as if they had never been there.

The people looked ashen-faced!

"My lord, what... what should we do!"

Xu Wencai witnessed the whole thing and was so anxious he stamped his feet: "How could they leave not a single soldier behind! What are we going to do?"

Chen Sanshi quietly gazed in the direction where the army had disappeared, listening to the anxious voices of the people.

He asked expressionlessly, "How much longer until we cross the river?"

Xu Wencai blurted out, "One day."

"Then let's postpone it for another day."

"We can't hold them off."

Xu Wencai said confidently, "This place is a plain. Once the cavalry rushes out of the mountains, we will have no way to deal with them and can only face them head-on. The result will be that we will be crushed in an instant and we won't even be able to hold out for three hours."

"Who said I had to wait for them to come after me?"

Chen Sanshi raised his spear and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Pass on my order! The entire army, counterattack!"

……

On the east bank of the Hongze River, there are several rural villages.

I only heard that the barbarian bandits had entered the country and fled early, seeking refuge as refugees in Huanwen County on the other side of the river.

Under an old willow tree, there is a stone chessboard left behind by the villagers.

In the deserted village, there were actually two people playing chess.

A man who looked to be around fifty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard, dressed in a blue robe, was a refined scholar.

However, he is missing both legs and sits in a wooden wheelchair.

opposite.

An old man in coarse linen clothes sat on a rock, his silver hair interspersed with black, and he had a goatee. He held a black chess piece in his hand, hesitating and not making a move for a long time, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the middle-aged Confucian scholar.

"Master, please hurry up."

"What are you in a hurry for?"

The old man said angrily, "Are you going to play or not?"

The middle-aged scholar immediately fell silent.

After a long pause, he cautiously asked, "Master, are you really not going to take Poyang seriously? My junior brothers and sisters are all there."

"Where can we find extra troops to transfer there?"

The old man frowned, subtly moved a white piece, then replaced it with a black piece, and finally said with satisfaction, "Alright, it's your turn."

The middle-aged scholar placed a piece almost without thinking and continued, "Master, what I mean is that you go alone and bring back your junior brothers and sisters. There shouldn't be any problem."

"I'm leaving? Fine, you go fight the Witch God Cult Leader?"

The old man was troubled again, hesitant to make a decision: "As for the good-for-nothing girl, if something really happens to her, it's a good opportunity to settle accounts with that person for all these years, so she won't have to live such a pathetic life anymore."

"Master."

A hint of reluctance flashed in the eyes of the middle-aged scholar: "Junior brother and sister are, after all..."

"Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings."

The old man placed a piece on the board and interrupted, saying, "Don't worry, if they're lucky enough to come back alive, I'll still pave the way for them as I said before. It's a bit pathetic, so be it."

“Master, these past few years... you’ve gone a bit mad.”

"How can you speak to your master like that?"

"Master..."

"Ok?"

"you lose."

The middle-aged scholar placed a heavy piece, securing the victory for White.

"Can't you be a little more considerate of me?"

The old man stood up angrily: "I think you're trying to drive me crazy!"

"Master, it wasn't me, it was His Majesty who won..."

The middle-aged scholar closed his eyes and let out a long breath: "We have all been deceived. The three northwestern prefectures are a lie. Their real target is Yunzhou. Even if we send troops from Youzhou to relieve the siege, it will take at least seven more days."

"Ten days should be enough time for them to complete the blood sacrifice."

"Haha~"

The old man suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, his aged voice tinged with sorrow: "It seems I won't outlive him."

"Nearly a million people in the entire Yunzhou!"

The middle-aged scholar's eyes reddened as he tapped the chessboard, his voice trembling: "In his eyes, what are his subjects? What are we!"

"There is still a last batch of selected reserve generals. They are either seeking fame and fortune or for the immortal techniques in your hands, Master. None of them are doing this for the sake of the people and the common folk, to enter the Eight Great Camps."

"Is there any hope left for this Great Sheng Dynasty?! How tragic is the plight of the people of Yunzhou!!!"

"Fourth brother."

The old man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance: "If we can drive them away from the main battlefield in the northwest within three days, and then I rush over there, how many more people can I save?"

The middle-aged scholar shook his head and sighed: "Apart from the three prefectures, there will surely be no one alive..."

"Greetings, Commander!"

A figure appeared in front of the two and knelt on one knee.

"Han Cheng".

The middle-aged scholar hurriedly asked, "How are my junior brothers and sisters?"

"You are safe and sound!"

Han Cheng clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Under the protection of Lord Chen from Poyang County, we are almost at the banks of the Hongze River!"

"it is good."

The middle-aged scholar showed a hint of relief: "Quickly, send someone to bring them all back. This Junior Brother Chen has done a great service by saving his fellow disciples."

"I'm afraid Lord Chen won't be coming back..."

Han Cheng lowered his head: "There's something the Grand Commander doesn't know yet. When Lord Chen left, he didn't just take the young master and young lady with him. He... he also took more than 30,000 civilians with him!"

"In order to ensure the safety of the people crossing the river."

"He just led about a thousand men in a counterattack against a barbarian army of over twenty thousand!"

"what?!"

“Sanshi, they are not my father’s men. My father’s men would never do this.”

Sun Buqi was afraid that the young man in front of him might misunderstand something: "That man surnamed Cao is the Crown Prince's son. The lackey next to him is the son of the Minister of Works. He is from Youzhou Army, not one of the Eight Great Camps. He belongs to the Left Army Commandery and is under the command of the Ministry of War."

"The three northwestern prefectures, Youzhou, Liangzhou, and Yanzhou, each have their own general."