Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 662 A Young Man's Heart Is Always Sorrowful

Hou Anyuan was guarding a place located directly south of the fortified village, which should theoretically be a key target for the bandits.

However, one shouldn't expect the bandit alliance, being such an abnormal army, to have any tactical capabilities.

Besides, this fortress was not a military stronghold. When it was first built, no one considered military aspects. At most, they built earthen walls and dikes to prevent flooding and animal attacks, and to guard against small-scale bandits.

As a result, the fortified village was drafty on all four sides, and the bandit coalition, relying on its large numbers, launched an attack from all directions simultaneously.

It must be said that Cao Jie, the official, was quite quick-witted. He knew that he couldn't defeat the regular army during the day, so he chose to launch a night attack. As long as he could rush into the fortified village and set fires everywhere, even if these Han soldiers were very capable, they would fall into chaos.

But he didn't expect that the bandit alliance he had placed so much hope in would be so weak. They rushed up and fought around the fort for a while before retreating back in a panic.

The fact that only a few dozen people were killed or injured, many of whom were trampled on at night, was enough to terrify the bandits and deter them from attacking again.

What left Cao Jie speechless was that in just this short moment, the sixth leader of the mountain bandits had been killed, and his body had vanished without a trace.

If it weren't for someone's solemn oath and their own eyewitness account of the Sixth Master rushing into the fortified village, Cao Jie would have already assumed that the fellow had escaped under the cover of night.

Even so, many bandits, feeling hopeless amidst the chaos, deserted.

Seeing this, Cao Jie dared not force the bandits to attack the fortified village anymore. He could only continue to surround it and occasionally beat drums and gongs on the outside to keep the Han army from sleeping.

This infuriated the Han army commander to the point of rage.

If it were the usual way of fighting, they would have already rushed out for a night raid.

But as Hou Anyuan said, the medical school professors are the most important. If the bandits take the opportunity to break in, even if a medical school professor dies, they can't get him back even if they chop all the bandits to pieces and feed them to the dogs.

Furthermore, there's another point: previously, there were clearly bandits on the Xiaoyi River, but now they've vanished without a trace, making it seem as if a venomous snake is lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.

The sounds of gongs and drums outside the dike continued all night, only quieting down a bit by the next morning.

Hou Anyuan woke up the others while yawning. Just as he was about to eat some dry rations, he saw several people carrying food buckets over and distributing food to each small group.

Upon seeing the person carrying a stack of wooden bowls, Hou Anyuan couldn't help but shrink back and immediately tried to avoid them.

Hou Anyuan recognized this man as Zhen Baoyu, a military clerk from Jiangnan. He joined the army when the Jingnan army marched south to fight in the Huai River region and had served as Liu Huai's personal clerk.

Of course, Hou Anyuan valued this person not because of these reasons, but because he seemed to be quite close to Doctor Xu Erya.

Hou Anyuan felt neither anger nor jealousy, but rather a sense of inferiority.

Zhen Baoyu came from a scholarly family. Although his family was ruined by war, he still received a complete education and could be considered a refined scholar. Later, he also experienced the Battle of Chaoxian in its entirety and had a certain level of experience.

During the rapid expansion of the Han army, having a certain level of education, a firm stance, and seniority were extremely important. If Zhen Baoyu hadn't been so young, he might have already been sent to a local post as a county magistrate or registrar.

Hou Anyuan considered himself just a rascal, and naturally felt inferior to Zhen Baoyu, so he couldn't even feel jealousy.

"You all worked hard last night." Zhen Baoyu laid out wooden bowls, filled them with porridge, and handed them to the soldiers one by one: "We are too weak to even kill a chicken, so we can only prepare some food for you generals."

The meal was simple, just porridge made from millet and wheat. But it also contained some dried vegetables and even a palm-sized salted fish, enough to give the soldiers a hearty meal and relieve their fatigue.

All of them were big eaters, so one bowl of rice was definitely not enough. Zhen Baoyu held a wooden spoon and waited by the bucket for someone to add more rice.

Wei San glanced back at Hou Anyuan's face, pondered for a moment, then smiled at Zhen Baoyu while drinking his porridge, saying, "Brother Zhen, I speak frankly, please don't take offense."

As Zhen Baoyu took the wooden bowl from another soldier, he nodded and said, "Go ahead and speak."

"With your talent and looks, Young Master Zhen, and having once served under the Commander-in-Chief, why not continue to seek an official position in the Military Governor's Office or the Marshal's Office, instead of running around with the Medical School? Is it perhaps that the prospects here are more promising?"

Zhen Baoyu chuckled: "Then why are you escorting Professor Yang along the way?"

Wei San couldn't help but glance at Hou Anyuan: "It's my duty, and military orders are like this; I dare not disobey."

Zhen Baoyu tapped the wooden bucket, shaking the wooden spoon clean: "That's right. I also have military orders to follow. The Commander-in-Chief sent me to the Medical College to write textbooks, and I dare not disobey."

Upon hearing this, Wei San went on to explain more clearly: "I've noticed that Brother Zhen and that Doctor Xu are getting very close, I wonder if it's because..."

"Wei San, shut up!" Hou Anyuan hissed.

Zhen Baoyu was incredibly clever and immediately sensed that something was amiss. He quickly sorted things out and couldn't help but laugh out loud again: "Ha, what are you thinking? When my wife was in Jiangnan, she joined the medical team and became good friends with Doctor Xu. After experiencing those major battles in Chaoxian, they became sworn brothers. Doctor Xu is like my sister-in-law, so our relationship naturally became closer."

"Besides, given Doctor Xu's status, there is absolutely no reason for him to become someone's concubine."

The last sentence was not only addressed to Hou Anyuan, but also to prove his own innocence.

After all, Zhen Baoyu, a grown man, was not afraid, but he still had to defend Xu Erya.

Upon hearing this, not only was Hou Anyuan instantly ashamed, but the others also exchanged strange glances and began to eat in silence.

After a moment, Wei San felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward and asked, "Brother Zhen, are you already married at such a young age? Whose wife is so lucky?"

Zhen Baoyu remained silent for a moment, even pausing for a long time before saying, "There's nothing to hide. I married my cousin's wife." At this, the soldiers around him all perked up their ears.

Then Zhen Baoyu continued, “When the Jurchen invaders marched south, my family suffered from the war. Only my aunt and her three younger siblings were left to live on. My aunt is in the prime of her life, and I originally wanted to treat her as my mother, but I was worried that she would waste her youth.”
I also wanted her to remarry, but firstly, we are all alone and helpless, and we don't know the temperament of the husband's family. If we are bullied, we will have no family to support us. Secondly, my aunt is also reluctant to part with my younger brother and sister, so I gave up on the idea.

Later, the Commander-in-Chief learned of my feelings and acted as matchmaker, arranging for my aunt to marry me. From then on, my younger brother and sister called me "Father," and that finally put the matter to rest.

Hou Anyuan and the others did not make any jokes upon hearing this, but sighed repeatedly, and could only say, "It's good that we can live a good life."

The idea of ​​an aunt marrying her nephew is something that would be subject to gossip, not just in feudal times, but even in modern times.

But in chaotic times, that's just how things are.

We still have to find a way to survive, don't we?

Moreover, Liu Huai himself acted as matchmaker, which can be considered a political statement in a certain sense.

Anyone who dares to criticize this marriage should go and protest to Liu Huai in person.

Hou Anyuan felt delighted upon hearing this, and he ate two large bowls of rice. He was about to say some more polite words when he heard Shi Wang on the roof say, holding a bowl of rice, "It seems the thieves are coming again!"

Hou Anyuan finished the porridge in the bowl, let out a burp, and then handed the wooden bowl back to Zhen Baoyu. He wiped his mouth and said, "Brother Zhen, you should go to the back first. What follows is the dirty business of us martial artists!"

Zhen Baoyu knew he couldn't help much on the front lines, and the stretcher team was short-handed. After putting away the wooden bowl, he simply clasped his hands in farewell and said "Take care" before retreating.

Hou Anyuan stretched and yawned, feeling refreshed, and stepped onto the earthen wall to look out.

Sure enough, smoke and dust billowed outside the dike, as if some big action was about to take place.

"Blow the horn! Remind the captain!" Hou Anyuan shouted the order, then strapped his shawl and armor to his body: "More business is on the way!"

Cao Jie was indeed about to launch a general offensive, but not because he wanted to, but because he was forced by circumstances.

To be precise, several leaders of the mountain bandit alliance quit.

Although we serve you, Cao Jie, as your master, you cannot truly treat us as your subordinates, can you? Now, Cao Jie, you are preserving your strength and not sending your trusted men to attack the fortified village. Instead, you are letting the heroes of Qufu lead the charge for you. Isn't that going a bit too far?

Two leaders have been gone in two days. Cao Jie, if you don't do something about it, do you believe I'll kill you in public?!

Cao Jie, of course, had his own explanation for this.

After all, Cao Jie was originally a river bandit, and his bandits were all skilled on the water. For land battles, they still had to rely on the heroes of the mountains.

The bandits said, "Don't give me that crap. The area under siege is a fortified village, and those three large ships laden with valuables are inside it. Aren't you supposed to have a powerful navy? Then let's storm in now!"
After much haggling, Cao Jie reached an agreement with the bandit leader.

The mountain bandits and river pirates launched a simultaneous final attack from all directions.

No one said what to do if it still doesn't work.

But Cao Jie knew that if he failed again this time, he would lose his prestige, and the original bandit alliance would definitely scatter and leave.

In order to preserve this military force, which was as good as a windfall, Cao Jie ordered Cao Gui, the second-in-command of the water stronghold, to find a way to attack the fortified village and show the heroes of Qufu the skills of the Little Yi River official.

Both the Han soldiers and the mountain bandits had a hearty meal, and then at dawn, a fierce battle ensued.

Although the Han army was also elite, they had been fighting continuously for a day and a night and were extremely exhausted.

Faced with such a continuous attack from the mountain bandits, the Han army had no choice but to retreat and shrink its defensive range.

"The ships are laden with gold and silver treasures, and plenty of women. Once we take them, you can have your fill!" A bandit crossed the embankment and shouted, "These bastards are finished! We have three thousand men, and they have less than a hundred! We could drown them all if one of us pissed on them! Kill!"

The bandits' morale was boosted once again, and hundreds of them rushed toward the fortified village one after another, drawn by the elusive riches.

"Commander, we have to retreat too!" Wei San shouted, then leaned against the wall, letting Shi Wang on the roof step on his shoulders to jump down: "I just heard the retreat signal behind us!"

Hou Anyuan, relying on the strength of his armor, wielded his knife in both hands and hacked wildly at the breach in the fortress for a while, killing six bandits. Only after his helmet was slashed did he retreat.

Although the blow did not injure Hou Anyuan, it made him feel dizzy and lightheaded, with a ringing in his ears, so he did not hear the gong signal.

"Did you all hear that too?" Hou Anyuan asked loudly, patting his helmet as he tried to relieve his tinnitus.

Shi Wang nodded repeatedly, and at the same time nocked an arrow and released it: "I heard you! Let's hurry!"

The five men fought and retreated, and soon reached the second line of defense in the fortified village.

The clerks and doctors on board hastily built a low wall, similar to a barricade, using tables, chairs, and bricks as a base. This wall connected with the surrounding houses and terrain, becoming a defensive fortification that could be relied upon.

Before Hou Anyuan could even catch his breath, he saw thick smoke rising from the north and heard a few exclamations.

The constable turned around, his face ashen, and casually pointed at Hou Anyuan, calling him by his nickname: "Commander Hou, take your men and, here's your 'shi' (a slang term for someone of high rank), go and check things out in the back!"

(End of this chapter)