GBP Chapter 463 Gao Yingxiang's Escape
Chapter 463 Gao Yingxiang's Escape
Gao Yingxiang led several hundred men through the arduous mountains and forests. The dense forest blocked the increasingly scorching sun, but it also hindered their progress. They had to raise the steel swords that were meant for killing enemies to cut through the dense branches blocking their way, and even use them as axes to chop down small trees entangled by vines.
After the sapling was cut down, it startled the birds in the woods. They flapped their wings and took flight. A crow perched on a branch above Gao Yingxiang's head and made an unpleasant "cawing" sound.
There's a folk belief that a crow's cawing is an ominous sign, especially when it's perched above the head of the rebel leader. Gao Yingxiang's face darkened. His men took out bows and arrows to shoot the crow, but the arrows were blocked by vines, and the crow flew away instead.
A general said to Gao Yingxiang, "King Chuang, crows are an ominous sign. Have we made a mistake in choosing this route?" This general was named Liu Zhe, one of Gao Yingxiang's trusted generals. He did not agree with the idea of hiding in the deep mountains, believing that they should escape along the official road, so that if they were caught by government troops, they could join forces with Zhang Xianzhong to resist.
Gao Yingxiang squinted, offering no reply. First, the crows appeared; then his subordinates questioned his decisions; and on top of that, he had suffered a major defeat. He was in a very bad mood.
Another general retorted, "The King of Chuang is wise and mighty, how could he have made the wrong choice? Didn't you see those government troops chasing us relentlessly? How could we shake them off? Only by hiding in these deep mountains can we completely shake off those government troops." This man was named Huang Long, and he was also a general of equal seniority to Liu Zhe.
Liu Zhe looked around and sighed, "I don't know if we've shaken off the government troops, but we haven't eaten a single grain of rice, and we've abandoned our food and supplies. This mountain is vast, and it's hard to say whether we can get out alive..."
"Pah, pah, pah, stop talking such discouraging things." Huang Long interrupted him. "We're not from any rich family, we all come from humble beginnings, what's a little hardship? If we don't have food, there are wild fruits everywhere in the mountains, we won't starve. No matter how big this mountain is, we'll walk for a few more days and eventually get out."
Liu Zhe wanted to say something more, but after looking at Gao Yingxiang's expression, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.
After a brief discussion and argument, the group of several hundred people continued on their way. As they crossed a hill, several people became exhausted, their faces turned pale, and they staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground.
Normally, Gao Yingxiang wouldn't even blink if a few people collapsed. There were plenty of refugees to take along, and he wouldn't care if hundreds or thousands died, let alone a few exhausted. But these were extraordinary times. Most of those who followed him into the mountains were his trusted confidants. If he let things go unchecked, it would alienate the others. If his subordinates became disloyal and deserted him, he wouldn't be able to leave these mountains alone.
He frowned and said, "Hey you, the one who knows how to take a pulse, come and check them out. What's wrong?"
"That guy" was none other than Yu Bao, who claimed his ancestors were doctors. He was a spy sent by the Military Intelligence Bureau. He hadn't been "coerced" into posing as a refugee for long, but after demonstrating a few of his ancestral skills, he quickly caught Gao Yingxiang's attention. The refugee army had no shortage of peasants, but it desperately needed scholars and doctors. Reputable scholars and doctors wouldn't lower themselves to associate with these peasants without clear political goals. Later, Li Zicheng was able to gather a group of impoverished intellectuals after he put forward a political program. This time, to escape government troops and flee into the mountains, Gao Yingxiang, fearing the miasma, specifically brought this half-baked folk doctor along.
Yu Bao scurried over, examined the eyelids of the group, and felt their pulses. He said confidently, "Reporting to King Chuang, these people are just tired and hungry. They are fine. They just need some food, a few sips of water, and a rest."
Upon hearing Yu Bao's words, Gao Yingxiang's stomach began to rumble. He nodded and said to everyone, "We've come this far, and the soldiers probably can't find us anymore. Let's rest for a while and find something to eat."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly found a place to sit down and rest. Those of lower status and those with good sense naturally went to find food and water nearby.
Just as everyone was relaxing and enjoying a rare rest, a large flock of birds flew into the air from the hill behind them, as if they had been startled by some wild beast.
Everyone here is an experienced person who lives a life of danger and is very skilled. They can tell at a glance that what could startle such a large flock of birds could not be one or two wild beasts, but a whole group. However, they had just passed this hill and there were no wild beasts around. This can only mean one thing - there are pursuers!
Liu Zhe jumped up and shouted, "It must be the government troops chasing after us!"
Huang Long hesitated, "In such deep mountains and forests, a few hundred of us are like drops of water in a river. Finding our traces is like looking for a needle in a haystack. How could it be government soldiers? I think it's probably some kind of wild animal like a roe deer! Don't scare yourselves. We're all exhausted right now. If we startle anyone, no one can take it."
Yu Bao quietly retreated behind the group and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, hid behind a bush.
Gao Yingxiang stood up, pacing back and forth, anxiously pondering—where did the problem lie, could it really be government soldiers? He had to make a decision in a moment: if it really was government soldiers, they had to leave, even if most of them were exhausted and might even die from exhaustion; if they could confirm it was just wild animals, they could rest and replenish their strength—Huang Long was right, the hasty escape after the defeat had greatly depleted their physical and mental energy, everyone was on the verge of collapse, and could not withstand any more torment.
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he stopped, looking at the group: "In these mountains, finding us without an inside man is impossible. But those who came into the mountains this time are all old brothers who have followed me since northern Shaanxi; they couldn't possibly have any connection with the government troops. The only outsider is that quack doctor..."
Liu Zhe suddenly realized: "He hadn't been in the rebel army for long, which was indeed suspicious. Moreover, he always lagged behind along the way, running behind trees to say he was urinating. At the time, I thought, this guy is not old, but he has severe kidney deficiency... Could it be that he's leaving a mark for the soldiers?"
Everyone stood up in shock, looking around for Yu Bao, only to find that he had vanished without a trace.
Huang Long shouted, "That idiot got away! Something's definitely wrong. I'm going after him! If I catch him, I'll chop him into eight pieces!"
Gao Yingxiang shook his head: "If he really is an inside agent, the soldiers will be coming soon. Let's deal with the soldiers first. We don't have time to deal with this spy."
Liu Zhe drew his sword: "Chuang Wang, leave me a few men. I'll lead the men to hold off the government troops. You hurry up and leave."
Gao Yingxiang hadn't expected Liu Zhe, who had just questioned him, to volunteer to cover the rear—in this situation, doing so was tantamount to suicide. A warmth welled up in his heart. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and said, "Good brother, if we can escape alive, after we rise again, I'll appoint you Grand Marshal!"
Liu Zhe laughed heartily: "With King Chuang's words, I'm content." With that, he stood at the entrance to the mountain road, sword in hand, waiting for the government troops to come up from the bottom of the mountain.
Gao Yingxiang left twenty men for Liu Zhe, then led the others down the mountain from the other side in a hurry.