Chapter 14: The Northern Hemisphere (4) Corpses were scattered all over the riverbanks for tens of miles, covering the fields and canals everywhere.

  A tattered battle flag was planted slantwise in the ground, and fragments of cart shafts were scattered all over.

  Most of the corpses had been stripped of their armor, lying naked on the ground, and only a small number of them still had tattered yellow cloth scraps remaining, from which it could be discerned that the vast majority belonged to the Lulong Army.

  Crows filled the sky, rising and falling in a circular motion over the desolate wilderness, pecking away at the rotting flesh of the corpses bit by bit, while also making the brothers' scalps tingle with fear.

  Li Chengzhong led the group along the riverbank, advancing slowly. A tragic and majestic emotion churned in everyone's heart, and they were all stunned into silence, with no one having the strength to speak.

  A few miles ahead, Yu Dou found a person on the river embankment.

  This person sat in a heap of corpses on the embankment, with his back to everyone, seemingly gnawing at something.

  Li Chengzhong made a gesture and everyone dispersed, quietly surrounding that person.

  As they drew closer, the person suddenly became alert and sprang up, but in their hand was a pancake stained red with blood.

  This scene left a very deep impression on the brothers of Yudu, and the story of Zhong Silang, a civilian, eating bloody buns among the piles of corpses was widely spread in Li Chengzhong's army, eventually evolving into a terrifying legend about Zhong Silang eating dead bodies, which could even stop children from crying at night for ten years afterwards.

  Of course, Zhong Siliang did not know what would happen in the future, and he could not have known that from then on, there would be a figure like himself circulating in historical books.

  At this moment, Li Chengzhong felt a pang of sadness as he looked at the small figure in tattered clothes and the blood-red pancake in his hand, and all he could do was sigh.

  He instructed Zhao Da to pass over a piece of dried meat, and the little fellow Zhong Si Lang hesitated before taking it, then looked at the pancake in his hand, seemingly reluctant to throw it away.

  Zhao Da handed over a fresh pancake again, and Zhong Si Lang finally abandoned the pancake and started devouring the meat and eating the pancake in big mouthfuls.

  Zhong Si-lang was among the first batch of civilians who left Wei State with the army's heavy luggage team. When Bian and Weibo armies pursued and attacked, he did not run blindly or recklessly, but instead closely followed the flag of the Youlong Army's central battalion as they retreated.

  For the pursuit of Lulong Army, Bianjun cavalry adopted a tactic of scattered attacks. They charged into the rear of Lulong Army, each time separating out several hundred fleeing soldiers at the end and annihilating them.

  When the Weibo army and the Bianjun army caught up, they once again pursued the Lulong army, continuing to divide.

  In the process of running away, you don't necessarily have to run faster than the pursuers, you just need to run faster than your companions.

  Although Zhong Silang was short in stature, he had great endurance when running and always ran among the troops of Lu Longjun, never falling behind, thus avoiding the disaster of being slaughtered.

  However, escaping the pursuit of the Bian and Wei-Bo armies was not enough. When Zhong Siliang followed the Lu Long army to flee to the Yongji Canal, they encountered robbers who ambushed them halfway.

  The bandits were called "Chengde Army", and the leader's name was Wang Rong.

  Chengde Army was originally one of the three strong towns in Hebei, but unfortunately, after Wang Rong took power, there were Hedong to the west, Weibo and Xuanwu to the south, and Lulong to the northeast, which formed a siege and suppression against it, so it has been quite difficult for the past two years.

  Originally, the Chengde army was attached to the Hedong army, but after the Hedong army was defeated by Liu Ren'gong, they turned to attach themselves to the Lulong army for the past two years. However, the Lulong army is in a state of disarray and its governor, Wang Rong, has been living in fear of Liu Ren'gong.

  This time Liu Rengong went on a southern expedition, Wang Gong did not follow with various reasons, and Liu Rengong didn't mind it either. With the small military strength of Chengde Army, Lulong Army was really not taken seriously by Liu Rengong, who even thought that this was also good, after annexing Weibo, he wouldn't have to give Wang Gong a share of land anymore.

  Now that Lulong Army has been defeated, taking advantage of others' misfortune is indeed a common practice in this era.

  Chengde Army followed the convention and launched a surprise attack on Lulong Army, which had already been defeated, and gave them a fatal blow.

  The elite troops of the Lu Long army, who had previously retreated in defeat but still maintained their formation, were completely routed and annihilated by this one blow. The defeated soldiers were squeezed into the Yongji Canal by the Chengde army's pursuit and slaughter, with countless deaths and injuries on the spot.

  Zhong Silang was relatively quick-witted, he hid under the river embankment, covered himself with corpses, and lay there without running wildly. He waited until the Chengde army chased the Lulong army far away before escaping from this battlefield.

  After leaving the battlefield, Zhong Si Lang went to a nearby village to look for something to eat. However, the Cheng De army had done an excellent job in killing and looting, and there was not a single person within dozens of miles around. All the villages were swept clean.

  Zhong Si Lang wandered around for two days and got nothing, so he had no choice but to come back here again, wanting to see if he could find something.

  But he was still greatly disappointed, when the Chengde army swept the battlefield, they even took away the clothes of the dead soldiers, let alone leave him any food. In the end, all that could be found were a few pieces of flatbread soaked in blood.

  That's the whole story. Li Chengzhong let out a sigh after asking his questions, while the brothers were already furious.

  Everyone cursed Cheng Dejun and the governor Wang Rong, even Wang Rong's own ancestors from generations ago were affected.

  Zhou chopped the knife and scolded the German army in a fit of rage, finally pointing at Wang Dalang's nose and saying: "You people from Shenzhou are all white-eyed wolves!" Wang Dalang was furious on the spot and angrily said: "Not all people from Shenzhou are from Chengde Town, some are from Lulong Town! Zhou, don't be so reckless with your words!" The northeastern part of Shenzhou, including the state city, belongs to the territory of Lulong Military, while the southwestern part belongs to Chengde Military. Zhou chopped the knife and was unclear about this aspect, and at this moment, he couldn't help but vent his anger on others.

  Zhang Xingzhong is an old hand in this regard, frowning and saying: "The commander-in-chief is also from Shenzhou, but it's not necessarily the case that he's from Chengde Town."

  Zhou chopped the knife somewhat understood, knowing that he was in the wrong, but his anger had nowhere to vent, facing Wang Dalang's angry stare, could only pretend not to see, just making a "hum" sound in his nose.

  Everyone is indignant and knows that for now, they can only vent verbally. As for whether they will be able to avenge this in the future, no one has any confidence.

  This time, Lu Longjun was thoroughly injured and tens of thousands of brothers died on the road to southern expedition, and it is unknown how many years it will take to recover.

  Especially the war dead of the Daluo Temple Army, the Baodu Cavalry, the Shanhou Zidi, and the Yinhu Lu Du, among many other troops, left the Lulong Army's elite forces almost completely depleted.

  In the eyes of Zhang Xingzhong, a member of the Zhang family who knows some inside information about the Great Army, the Lulong Army now has no troops that can be deployed on the battlefield. The traditional old-brand troops have been eliminated, which is a "bone-crushing" pain for the Lulong Army, as Zhang Xingzhong put it.

  After searching around, they were disappointed to find that the Chengde army had indeed cleaned up thoroughly, leaving only scraps on the ground.

  Apart from the armor and clothing, not a single usable sword or spear was left behind, even the iron spearheads on broken wooden spears were taken away. Moreover, even the iron plates and nails on the broken carts were pried off and carried away.

  Unable to find anything usable, the troops reorganized and prepared to wade across the river from a shallow point.

  Throughout the search process, Zhong Si Lang was very proactive and helped out enthusiastically.

  As he watched the entire army preparing to depart for the north, Zhong Si Lang muttered to himself: "I think...". But still couldn't say it out loud.

  Li Chengzhong saw through his thoughts and looked up and down at Zhong Silang: "Want to be a soldier?" Zhong Silang nodded: "I enlisted as a strong soldier back then..." "Then why did you join the civilian camp?" "They thought my head was too small..." Zhong Silang's face turned red, stuttering.

  Li Chengzhong nodded and said, "Hmmm, this guy is quite short... indeed he is..." Zhong Silang's head only reached Li Chengzhong's chest, and according to Li Chengzhong's estimate, he was probably only around 1.5 meters tall, which was considered very short in the land of Yan and Zhao.

  Zhong Si Lang's face fell as soon as Li Cheng Zhong said that: "I really wanted to be a soldier..." He didn't know what else to say, he just tried his best to express his own wishes, but in his heart, he actually felt that the hope was slim.

  Li Chengzhong turned his head to look at Zhang Xingchong, Zhou Kan and Jiang Miao: "Are we recruiting?" Except for the appointment and removal of officers above the squad leader, in a newly recruited battalion like Jianzhuang Camp, officers can recruit people at will during wartime. Li Chengzhong had this power, and his authority had been initially recognized by all the brothers in Yudu.

  But he is currently only a formal military rank of accompanying Rong deputy captain, from the ninth product down. There are still three military officers, Zhang Xingzhong, Zhou Kandao and Jiang Miao, who are on an equal footing with him, and he must seek their opinions.

  Jiang Miao nodded habitually, consistently approving of Li Chengzhong's decision.

  Zhang Xingzhong is a veteran of the old army, he said to Li Chengzhong: "It's okay, but after going back, you need to report to your superior, otherwise this brother can't get his military pay."

  "Zhou chopped the knife with some different meaning: 'It's possible, but this kid... can he even hold a knife?' His eyes looked down on Zhong Si Lang, slightly disdainful."

  When he heard Zhou Kan Dao's doubts, Zhong Si Lang became somewhat agitated and loudly said: "Although I am short in stature, I also dare to risk my life!" Li Cheng Zhong smiled at Zhou Kan Dao: "We are currently short-handed, why not let him help Zhao Da for now?" In fact, even if Li Cheng Zhong insisted on directly recruiting Zhong Si Lang as a soldier, Zhou Kan Dao would not have opposed it. Since helping him take revenge, Li Cheng Zhong's weight in his heart had become very heavy.

  Moreover, arranging Zhong Si Lang to help Zhao Da, strictly speaking, can only be Huo Tou Jun.

  Li Chengzhong insisted on having Zhong Si Lang under his command, which was equivalent to giving Zhou Kan Dao a step down, this step down was very comfortable and fully respected Zhou Kan Dao's opinion, Zhou Kan Dao was very satisfied.

  It is said that Li Chengzhong is willing to recruit himself as a soldier, Zhong Silang is extremely happy, and he doesn't care about helping Zhao Da with logistics and other things. His wish to join the army has been fulfilled, and he dare not ask for too much. Even if it's a fire-headed army, it's still an army, and it can receive military pay and take up arms at critical moments.

  Zhao Da was very satisfied with this helper, and Zhong Si Lang was also familiar with the road. He was quite handy with logistics matters. He led the ox cart in front, while Zhao Da followed comfortably behind with empty hands.

  Jing Zhongsi was willing to join the army despite the defeat of the Lu Long Army, and his enthusiasm made Li Chengzhong feel a little guilty. He thought that even if he satisfied Jing Zhongsi's wish and let him formally take up arms against the enemy, it wasn't impossible to consider.

  Then he comforted Zhong Si-lang in a low voice: "Don't think that just because you're short, you can't be a good soldier."

  Zhong Si Lang was taken aback, blinking his eyes, and looked at Li Cheng Zhong.

  Li Chengzhong turned around and took a look at Zhou Duan Dao, seeing that Zhou Duan Dao hadn't noticed him, he said in a low voice: "Fighting isn't just about physical strength, the key is to use your brain."

  "Do you know of a man called Napoleon in the West?" Jian asked, to which Zhong Si Lang shook his head in puzzlement.

  Li Chengzhong smiled: "That guy is as tall as you, he later became a marshal and led the army to conquer many countries!" Zhong Siliang listened, his eyes suddenly shining with light.