Some people took off their shoes and applied herbs to the blistered soles of their feet. Others kept rubbing their swollen and sore calves.
These experiences and the herbs they carried were all promoted by Wu Shuangren within the militia training group.
Xie Zhou had sprained his ankle in the previous battle, but he still managed to walk a short distance. By this time, his left ankle was visibly swollen.
Someone nearby glanced at his ankle and said, "Captain, when we set off, tell the battalion commander you should rest on horseback. Don't push yourself."
Xie Zhou shook his head. "It's alright, I can still manage."
Those around him shook their heads and offered no further advice.
They were all Militia Private from the Sixth Battalion, and Xie Zhou was even from Linwen County.
In today's battle, the Militia Private of Linwen County fought bravely, suffering the heaviest casualties. During the retreat, many wounded Militia Private insisted on not mounting their horses, giving the opportunity to others.
Xie Zhou was one of them.
"The battalion commander of the Sixth Battalion, come here for a moment."
A voice came from behind, and Xie Zhou looked up to see Battalion Commander Yan Bin calling out.
Soon, the battalion commander and two battalion commanders of the Sixth Battalion gathered around.
Xie Zhou couldn't hear their conversation, but he could see Yan Bin speaking with a serious expression. Several captains also said a few words, nodded, and soon dispersed.
"All the captains and company commanders of the Third Battalion of the Sixth Battalion, come here."
Xie Zhou's own captain walked over and called out.
So Xie Zhou leaned against a nearby tree to stand up and limped over there.
A group of people formed a circle. The captain stood in the middle of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over them, and said in a low voice:
"Our marching speed has slowed down, and we might be overtaken by the Mount Liang bandits. Just now, Commander Yan called several of our captains aside to discuss something. His suggestion is that the people of Linwen County should volunteer to cover the rear. If the Mount Liang rebels don't catch up, everyone can return to the city safely; if they do, those of us left behind will hold them off and buy time so that Militia Commander Wu can lead the rest of the brothers back to the city safely. Commander Yan just said that if everyone is willing, he will propose this to Militia Commander Wu."
Upon hearing this, all the captains and squadron leaders fell silent.
The battalion commander looked at them and continued, "I know this job is dangerous, but think about it, who is Militia Commander Wu leading so many men out here to save? So many brothers have been wounded and died in battle, and for whom were they fighting? They're not from Linwen County!"
Xie Zhou suddenly stood up unsteadily, and everyone looked at him.
He raised his hand. "Captain, I'm willing to cover the rear. Anyway, my leg is injured and I can't walk fast, so I'll just stay behind and walk slowly."
The captain glanced at him a few times and nodded. "Is there anyone else willing?"
After a while, people started to stand up...
A moment later, Yan Bin found Wu Shuangren and proposed that he lead a portion of the Sixth Battalion to stay behind and cover the rear.
"I've sent scouts behind, and so far we haven't detected the main force of Mount Liang catching up. They might not be able to catch up."
Wu Shuangren said to Yan Bin, "We'll discuss who will cover the rear once we find out the Mount Liang men are catching up. This isn't a task for your Sixth Battalion alone."
Yan Bin wanted to say something more, but Wu Shuangren stopped him.
"I know what you're thinking. We're out here to save the people of Yi Province. This is the duty of the Yi Province Militia, not just any one person's responsibility."
Wu Shuangren patted Yan Bin on the shoulder, "Go."
"Yes!"
Yan Bin stood at attention, saluted, and turned to leave.
Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu walked over from the side. Liao Yu said to Wu Shuangren, "It's all been worth it for you to work so hard. From now on, the soldiers of Linwen County can be your own troops, just like the soldiers of Bo County."
Wu Shuangren said, "We have to bring them back alive before we can talk about the future."
Wu Dongrong looked at him and said, "If the Mount Liang people really catch up, you really need to consider the tactics Yan Bin just mentioned, and send a small group to cover the rear so that more people can escape."
Wu Shuangren nodded; he understood this principle as well.
If we were to lead everyone in a battle against the main force of Mount Liang that is catching up, let alone whether we could win, even if we could, it would probably be a Pyrrhic victory!
"If you get caught up with the Mount Liang army during the retreat, you must send a small group to hold them off at each level, buying time for the main force to escape. The following locations are suitable for sniping; I've marked them on the map. Please take note..."
Wu Shuangren recalled Guo Jiwang's words to him.
Guo Jiwang had already devised the relevant tactics for him in advance.
Wu Shuangren was unwilling to use such tactics unless absolutely necessary.
More than half an hour later, Wu Shuangren ordered the troops to continue advancing.
Nearly an hour later, a scout returned with bad news:
"We've spotted a large force from Mount Liang, numbering over five thousand, about ten miles away from us!"
Upon receiving the news, Wu Shuangren's heart sank.
He didn't stop the team; instead, he continued advancing while calling over Xu Jing, Wu Dongrong, and Liao Yu, and relaying the information to them.
"It's only a dozen or so miles; even if we keep moving forward, they'll definitely catch up at their speed."
Xu Jing glanced at the sky. "It will be dark in a little over two hours. Even if they catch up, they probably won't fight us at night, but we still need to be wary of a night raid."
Wu Dongrong said directly, "Let's split up. Leave a few men to cover the rear, and the main force will continue forward."
Wu Shuangren paused for a moment, about to start arranging manpower and deploying tactics, when suddenly another scout came to report.
This time, it was the scout at the front of the group who brought the same intelligence: someone was coming!
A few hours ago.
On the official road, the Militia Private of the Fifth Battalion of the Yi Province Militia were helping the people of Linwen County evacuate.
Shi Chen, the battalion commander of the Fifth Battalion, suddenly stopped and called over the two deputy battalion commanders and all the battalion commanders of the Fifth Battalion.
Shi Chen was the head of the Qulin County Militia. Most of the people he summoned were from Qulin County and were his former subordinates.
Qulin County is the largest county in Yi Province, with the largest population. Before Wu Shuangren developed the Bo County Militia, the militia in Qulin County was the strongest in Yi Province, with more than a thousand people.
When Shi Chen joined the Yi Province Militia, he brought more than 700 men, which was more than half a battalion's worth of troops.
At this moment, Shi Chen was holding a twig in his mouth and biting it, looking quite distressed.
Qian Fan, the deputy battalion commander standing nearby, was an old buddy of Shi Chen's and asked directly, "Battalion Commander, what's the matter? Just tell me."
Shi Chen glanced at him and said, "Then I'll get straight to the point. Everyone knows that the men from the First Battalion, Second Battalion, Third Battalion, and Sixth Battalion were suddenly called back yesterday, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"Militia Commander Wu suddenly called them back, probably because the Mount Liang people are catching up, and someone needs to cover their retreat. They haven't caught up yet, so I guess they've already fought a battle. That's why I'm thinking, should we turn back and help them?"
Shi Chen shared his thoughts.
In fact, he had this idea yesterday when he saw four battalions turn back.
He pondered it all the way, and finally spoke it now.
Qian Fan looked at him in surprise. "Old Shi, have you had too much to drink?"
Shi Chen glared at him. "I didn't drink!"
Qian Fan grabbed his hand. "Our orders are to help these civilians evacuate and return to the city as quickly as possible. You're turning back now; that's disobeying orders!"
Shi Chen opened his eyes and said irritably, "Of course I know military orders. We're only a dozen miles from the city now. Even without our help, those people from Linwen County will be able to enter the city by tonight at the latest. Even if we turn back, it won't delay our mission."
"But what are you after?!"
Qian Fan was getting anxious.
Shi Chen also grew anxious, his tone rising. "What's the point? It's because Militia Commander Wu is a man of his word! It's because I'm also a member of the Yi Province Militia!"
"..."
Qian Fan fell silent.
"Several of the officers present are from Bo County, and I, Old Shi, am not afraid to speak my mind. Militia Commander Wu initially claimed that the Yi Province Militia was established to protect the people of Yi Province and their homeland, but I didn't believe a single word of that!"
Shi Chen sneered, "Those Mount Liang bastards even claimed to be acting on behalf of Heaven, but look what Rong Province has become! Didn't you hear what the Rong Province militia leaders have to say?"
The group exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat complicated.
More than 2,000 militiamen from Rong Province trained with the Yi Province Militia for more than half a month. During this time, the Yi Province Militia tried every means to find out about Mount Liang from the people of Rong Province.
Therefore, everyone knew more or less about the situation in Rong Province.
The county towns and villages across the region were all swept away, and many wealthy families were ruined and their members were killed, with women being humiliated to death!
Of course, some ordinary people also suffered.
Mount Liang claimed to rob the rich and help the poor, but after robbing the rich, they didn't help the poor at all. Instead, they forced local militias and villagers to join them.
They also forcibly conscripted ordinary people as laborers to transport grain and fodder for them.
It was precisely because they understood these things that the local strongmen and militias in Yi Province were more willing to cooperate with Wu Shuangren in establishing the Yi Province Militia.
Mount Liang, under the banner of "acting on behalf of Heaven," ultimately ended up like this. Wu Shuangren claimed he established the Yi Province Militia to protect the people of Yi Province, but how many people truly believed him?
It was just a grand-sounding slogan used to rally forces against a powerful enemy.
But this time, Wu Shuangren's decision surprised everyone!
"Militia Commander Wu said that the duty of the Yi Province Militia was to protect the people of Yi Province, and he truly lived up to that."
"If he sends other battalions to the front lines this time, while his own elite troops stay in the rear, then I, Old Shi, will still not submit to him."
"But he reserved the most dangerous tasks for his close associates, leaving us only to move things, do some manual labor, and retreat into the city with the people."
"Before he set off, he promised us that he wouldn't let us clash head-on with the Mount Liang people. He said it, and he did it."
As Shi Chen spoke, he patted his chest forcefully. "I, Old Shi, am convinced by him!"
Qian Fan opened his mouth. "Old Shi, you..."
Shi Chen interrupted him, "I've thought about it carefully. The ones coming from Mount Liang are probably the vanguard. Militia Commander Wu is leading his elite troops to fight the Mount Liang vanguard. Regardless of the outcome, it shouldn't be too bad. If we rush over, even if things go badly, we can at least help Militia Commander Wu retreat, helping them carry supplies and the wounded. If things go well, those Mount Liang people might not dare to pursue us anymore once they see reinforcements arriving."
"..."
Seeing that no one spoke, Shi Chen continued:
"I know what you're thinking. The situation in the rear is unclear, and it could be very dangerous for us to rush there rashly."
"But the fact that those bandits from Mount Liang are attacking is dangerous enough! If Militia Commander Wu and his elite troops suffer heavy losses this time, our situation will only become more precarious!"
"Furthermore, this time it was Linwen County that suffered. What if those bandits from Mount Liang set their sights on our Qulin County in the future?"
Upon hearing this, all the brigade leaders from Qulin County present were stunned.
Qian Fan immediately said, "Linwen County was attacked because it's located on the only route. How could the Mount Liang people not attack the prefectural capital first, but instead detour to attack our Qulin County? Aren't they afraid of their supply lines being cut off? Without capturing the prefectural capital, the Mount Liang army will have no foothold in Yi Province. They will definitely attack the prefectural capital first!"
Shi Chen glared at him. "What if Mount Liang splits its forces? One side attacks the prefecture city, while the other side attacks other places?"
How is that possible?
"Why not?"
"Old Shi, that's not being reasonable."
"Alright, then I'll give you a proper explanation!"
Shi Chen raised his voice, "This time it was Linwen County that had the accident. Militia Commander Wu led his three battalions and the Sixth Battalion, which included the militia from Linwen County, to the rescue. We people seemed to have helped, but in reality, we didn't really contribute anything."
If we are truly willing to lend a helping hand this time, then if anything happens to Qulin County in the future, the Sixth Battalion will also genuinely help us! Then, if we need to fight a tough battle, Militia Commander Wu won't be able to bring only four battalions like he can this time, but five battalions, or even more! Do you understand this principle?
"..."
Qian Fan pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but remained silent.
Shi Chen continued, "This world is getting more and more chaotic. Today it's the bandits from Mount Liang attacking, but who knows if bandits from some other mountain will attack tomorrow?"
Militia Commander Wu is right. When the people of Yi Province are in trouble, it is our Yi Province Militia's responsibility to help them. If everyone in the Yi Province Militia thinks this way, and everyone works together towards the same goal, even if other bandits want to come to Yi Province and cause trouble in the future, they will have to think twice!
It was rare for Shi Chen to give such a long speech. After he finished, he looked at Qian Fan and said, "Didn't you say I was unreasonable? Now I've explained the reasoning to you. What do you say?"
Qian Fan said somewhat irritably, "Anyway, you're the battalion commander, so you're in charge. Do whatever you want!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
The remaining people looked at each other in bewilderment.
Shi Chen didn't care and looked at the others. "What do you all say?"
A moment later, all the battalion commanders of the Fifth Battalion went back and summoned all the company commanders and captains under their command to begin a meeting...
Shi Chen was standing under a tree enjoying the shade when Qian Fan walked towards him.