The sky was gray, and seemed to be about to change color in the cold winter wind. Houjiacun, this is a little-known small village on the north bank of the Yellow River. It was the end of October, and it was about to turn cold. Hou Yuanzong said on his back Carrying a big pile of firewood, he came out of the mountain.
Children of his age cannot chop as much firewood as he can, let alone carry it back. Hou Yuanyong is twelve years old this year. He is not tall, but he has been strong since he was a child. Children from poor families have long been the masters of the family. Such words were not popular at that time, and Hou Yuanyong's family was not considered poor. His father was a soldier. He followed the army and worked for a living. He was not at home all year round, but with his father's salary and hard-working mother, he finally He was not hungry.
In his memory, his father did not study, but he had been away from home all year round and had actually seen the world. His father had asked a man who could read and write to give him his name. He was said to be very elegant. During the few gatherings, , his father was taciturn, but he also talked about a lot of outside things, taught him a lot of principles, taught him to be filial to his mother at home, and promised him that he would take him out to see the world if he had the opportunity in the future.
The family had a difficult time in the early years, but three years ago, my father was promoted to a minor official in the army, and the family situation improved a lot. Six months ago, my father came back once, bringing back many good things, and also told him about the war. His father He followed a good officer and won many battles, so he received many rewards.
Houjia Village is located in the mountains and is one of the most remote villages. Things from the outside world often become blurry when they come to them. Hou Yuanyong has never had the opportunity to study, but his brain is more flexible than ordinary children. He occasionally looks outside. The person who came asked about it. Since last year, it was said that there was no peace outside. The Jurchens fought and the world was in chaos. After his father told him, he found out that in the battle outside, his father was the first to lead the charge. - Killed a lot of bad guys.
He is very proud of this. In the past six months, he has often shown off to his friends in the mountains that his father is a great hero, so he has received rewards - including the newly bought cow for his family, which was also bought with rewards. Cows are something that the entire Houjia Village , and there are only two ends.
In Hou Yuanyong's imagination, he would eat a lot, grow strong, and then go out as a soldier with his father, kill bad guys, and then come back with a bunch of rewards. Maybe in a few years, he would be able to There is such an opportunity.
The opportunity came early.
He would always remember that the weather on the day he left Houjia Village was gloomy and it looked like the weather was going to get even colder. He chopped firewood and came out of the mountains. When he returned home, he found some relatives and villagers had gathered over - here All my relatives are from my mother's family. My father has no family. Before marrying my mother, he was just a lonely soldier. These people came over and talked in the room. It was my father who came back.
The father was tall, still wearing his military uniform, and had a scar on his face. When he saw Hou Yuanyong coming back, he waved to him. Hou Yuanyong ran over and wanted to play with the knife on his body. The father took off the knife and its sheath. , and then started talking to other people in the village.
"The weather has started to change this year, and I don't know when the mountain will be closed. I'm too pressed for time here, and the army is waiting to be dispatched. If I leave late, I'm afraid it won't wait for me. This is a big sin. When I arrived in the city, We still have to arrange for Ahong and the child..."
"You haven't eaten yet? You've been rushing all night..."
"We'll leave tomorrow morning. Don't travel at night, as you won't encounter strong men..."
In what his father said, it seemed that he was going to take his mother and himself somewhere immediately. The other villagers tried to persuade him to stay, but his father just smiled: "I was fighting with the Jurchens in the army. I came here among thousands of people, and I just waited for a few strong men." , there’s no need to be afraid. It’s all because the military orders are overwhelming and we have to rush.”
His mother was packing her things at home. Hou Yuanyong held his father's knife and went over to inquire. Only then did he find out that his father had bought a house in the city this time, and the army happened to be nearby. Shan, took him and his mother over. Naturally, the villagers would not stop such a good thing, and everyone graciously tried to persuade them to stay. On his father's side, many unwanted things in the family, including the house, were temporarily entrusted to the care of his mother's relatives. .In a sense, it is equivalent to giving it to others.
So the family began to pack things. The father tied up the oxcart and put clothing, grain, seeds, kitchen knives, plows, spatulas and other valuables on it. Several chickens at home were also caught. The mother spread out some food for the road. Hou Yuanyong was greedy for the cake, so he ate one first. While he was eating, he saw his parents talking together, and then his mother hurried out to her grandparents' house.
Not long after, my mother came back, and so did my grandparents. The door was closed at home. My father whispered to my grandfather. My grandmother, who didn't understand anything, held him and shed tears. Hou Yuanyong heard his father whisper to his grandfather: " The Jurchens have arrived in Bianliang...we can't hold on...we have a narrow escape..."
Grandpa asked him about some things, and his father said: "If you want to leave, go south... A gentleman said that there might be peace after crossing the Yangtze River. Didn't I say before that I still have distant relatives in Bazhou..."
Hou Yuanyong did not understand much of this exchange. Before evening, the three of them set off on their journey. The oxcart was not slow, so they lived and rested in the mountains at night. On the second and third days, they all left again. After a whole day, it was not a road to a nearby city, but we passed a highway on the way. On the fourth day, we arrived at a mountainside, where many people had gathered.
In the past few days, Hou Yuanyong has heard a lot of things from his father on the way. Half a year ago, there was a change of dynasty outside, and a month ago the Jurchens went south. They went to resist, but were defeated with one blow. Now the capital is hopeless, maybe half The world is about to fall, and these people are going to seek refuge with a certain big shot—it is said to be their former commander.
Hou Yuanyong was still young and had no idea about the capital city, nor about half of the world. In addition, his father also said something about the corruption of officials, which brought down the country and the army. Of course, Hou Yuanyong had no idea - officials were all bad guys. But no matter what, at this time, the more than 200 people at the edge of the mountain were all soldiers like his father and their families.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! There are more than two hundred people, which adds up to about fifty or sixty households, with many children and women. There are horse-drawn carriages, ox-carts, and mule-drawn carts. The things on board were all different. Although they looked like they were fleeing, each of them still had some wealth. There was even a family member who worked for a doctor and dragged half a cart of medicinal materials. My father should be a chief among these people, and people would greet him from time to time. Another officer named Qu Qing came over to talk to the family during dinner.
That night Hou Yuanyong played with the children for a while, but couldn't sleep late at night. He came out of the tent, went to the bonfire outside to find his father, and sat down next to his father. Beside the bonfire was the channel. Chief Qing and a few others were talking, and when they saw the child coming over, they teased him for a while, but they didn't want him to listen. Hou Yuanyong didn't quite understand, so he hugged the long knife and lay on his father's lap. He was taking a nap. Sounds came from time to time, and the firelight was warm.
"... When Mr. Ning left Beijing, he wanted to sort out the capital before leaving, but Cai Jing broke the situation. But later, people like Cai Jing also felt uncomfortable. They redeemed the six states of Yanyun and took advantage of them. After the disaster relief method was announced, the situation in Beijing and central China has been tense... For Mr. Ning, this method is more than just to make them feel a little uncomfortable. Afterwards, you all know Mr. Ning's deduction of the situation. Now, the third It should come true in one round..."
"...Bianliang fell within one year, and everything north of the Yellow River fell. Within three years, the north of the Yangtze River fell at the hands of the Jurchens, and tens of millions of people became pigs and sheep to be slaughtered. Others will say that if Mr. Ning had not killed the king, the situation would have been different. It collapsed so quickly. You and I have both stayed in Wurui Camp, and we should know the truth... There might have been a glimmer of hope, but our lives were wasted by these power-hungry people..."
"...When General Qin was dismissed, I thought that the world was going to end, and I would be the mother of hell..."
"If it weren't for my wife and children at home, I would have left with Mr. Ning and the others..."
"I'm also afraid of... becoming the enemy of the world. I'm afraid Mr. Ning won't be able to live in peace..."
"As I said in Xia Village, you have to earn your own life. Of course there will be trouble, but now, the court has no strength to take care of us anymore. General Qin, Mr. Ning's situation is not necessarily good, but he has made arrangements. Of course, This is rebellion and war, not a child's play, so I was really scared and had a large family, so I let them lead us to the other side of the Yangtze River."
"I have no relatives in the Yangtze River..."
"Yes, yes, but the Jurchens attack so quickly, how long can the Yangtze River be defended?"
"After all, the Jurchen population is small. Mr. Ning said that if you move to the south of the Yangtze River, you can get away with it for a few years, maybe more than ten years. In fact, there are places south of the Yangtze River that can be resettled. The core of the rebellious Fang La tribe is in the south. In the past, They can also be taken in. However, it is not unreasonable for General Qin and Mr. Ning to place their core in the northwest. Although the north is chaotic, it is not within the scope of the Wu Dynasty after all. There will not be much effort in arresting the rebels. In the future The north is too chaotic, and maybe there is a crack to survive. If we go to the south, we may encounter the full force of the Wu Dynasty... But no matter what, brothers, troubled times are coming, and everyone must be prepared. "
"After serving as a soldier for several years, I have escaped and been beaten. Last year when the Jurchens went south, they saw what troubled times are like. I only have a few family members, and I thought about taking them to hide, but I was afraid that they wouldn't be able to hide. .It is better to follow General Qin and others and earn your own life."
"To the northwest, are we going to Luliang Mountain? Over there in Qingmuzhai?"
"No, we can't say it for now. Just follow me."
"Then...are we following General Qin, Mr. Ning and others to rebel and conquer the world?"
"Yeah, actually, I originally thought that we were only ten to twenty thousand people, and we couldn't defeat the Jurchens before. Within a few months in Xia Village, Mr. Ning allowed us to defeat the resentful army. If there were more people, we would be more united.
,What are the Jurchens afraid of!"
"... Mr. Ning is now saying, save China. This country is going to end. So many good people have lived in this country, and they will all be handed over to the Jurchens. We try our best to save ourselves and save this world.
What about rebelling against the world? Do you think Mr. Ning, with his profound knowledge, is someone who can talk about such a thing?"
"oh……"
"Haha, that's true..."
"Actually...Brother Qu, I was thinking that if you rebel, you will rebel. Why do you have to kill the emperor? If Mr. Ning had not killed the emperor, if the Jurchens went south this time and he said he wanted to leave, we would all follow him. Take your time.
Isn’t it better this way as it won’t alarm anyone?”
"Mr. Ning actually said this. Some of them I don't think too clearly, but some of them I understand. The first point is that this Confucianism is Confucianism. The various relationships are too complicated, and I don't understand it.
What Confucianism means is the sect of scholars, all kinds of wrangling and intrigues, we can't beat them, they played too hard, and turned the Wu Dynasty into this state. You want to improve, but you are dragging your feet. If you can't put this kind of
The relationship is severed. If you want to do something in the future, they will pull you in various ways, including us. At that time, you will feel that this matter must give face to the court, and that matter is not good. When the time comes, it will become the same as before. Do this
Such a big thing, you can't have any delusions. If you kill the emperor and are still willing to follow him, you and I will have no delusions. You don't have to worry about them, those emperors and ministers... As for the second point, Ning
The gentleman only said five words..."
"What?"
"He said... it's hard to get over it after all..."
The bonfire was burning, the air was warm, and the occasional cold wind blew. It was blocked by the mountains over there, and I could only hear the sound faintly. I don’t know when Hou Yuanyong was carried into the tent by his father. He woke up the next day.
, they waited here for a day, and people came one after another. On this day, there were more than a hundred people, and at dawn, the team set off under the leadership of Qu Qing.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The group of people headed northwest. The road became increasingly difficult along the way, and they occasionally encountered people who were also fleeing. Perhaps it was because the core of the team was composed of soldiers.
, the speed of the group was not slow, they marched for about seven days, and encountered a group of bandits on the run. Seeing that everyone had plenty of money, they prepared to come and make plans that night. However, there were scouts arranged by Qu Qing in front of the queue.
After figuring out the opponent's intentions, everyone took the lead that night and intercepted the opponent midway.
There were only about thirty people in the attacking team, led by Hou Yuanyong's father Hou Wu. After his father attacked, Hou Yuanyong was restless. He had previously heard from his father that they were fighting in battle, they were generous and passionate, and they also escaped.
The horror of the moment. In the past few days, he was used to seeing his uncles in the crowd. When he was close at hand, he suddenly realized that his father might be injured or die. That night, he waited for three hours at the heavily guarded camping site.
When a figure appeared in the queue, he trotted over and saw his father at the front of the queue, his body stained with blood, holding a thin horse in his hand. He seemed to have an aura that Hou Yuanyong had never seen before, which made Hou De
Yuan Yong was afraid to go there for a while.
His father came over alone, knelt down in front of him, stretched out his hand to make a silent gesture, and said, "Is your mother over there?"
Hou Yuanyong nodded, and his father added: "Go and tell her that I'm back. I beat the horse bandits and I'm not injured. Don't say anything else. I and everyone will go find some water to wash themselves off. Do you understand?"
Hou Yuanyong nodded again, and his father waved to him: "Go ahead."
Not long after, a group of people came back. Most of the blood stains on their bodies were gone, but there was still some fishy smell, but it was not as scary as before.
This battle added a few more horses to the team, and everyone's mood was high. We continued like this for several days, passing through many desolate ridges and rugged roads. There were also problems with various horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts along the way. After a delay, another group of more than 200 people joined us. On this increasingly cold day, while camping, someone asked everyone to gather together.
Hou Yuanyong liked the feeling of gathering. He stood on his bullock cart and looked ahead from a distance. His father was also there, and the uncle named Qu Qing spoke.
"...Before we go to the place, I have something to say to everyone. If you understand, just listen. If you don't, it doesn't matter... Ever since General Qin and Mr. Ning killed Hun Jun, the court wanted General Qin and Mr. Ning. There are many people who have killed Mr. Wang, and I know that they originally transferred manpower and arranged people to infiltrate among us. There may be such people among you. It doesn't matter."
He said: "Mr. Ning asked me to tell you that if you want you to do something, you may be able to control your family. Now that Bianliang is under siege, the city may be broken soon. If your family is there, it will be in trouble. The imperial court protects If they can't protect Bianliang City, they can't protect your family. Mr. Ning knows that if they want to find such a person, you will be forced to do it. It doesn't matter, we have all lived and died together on the battlefield. People! We are the ones who defeated the resentful army! We will not look down on you just because you have no choice. So, if there are any brothers among you who have been threatened or have talked to you about this matter, these few brothers You have a few days to think about it carefully."
"After you think about it, you can talk to me, or you can talk to someone in the mountains who you think can talk. Once you have said it, the matter will be wiped out, and we are still good brothers. To be honest, as long as this matter comes up, Mr. Ning will even You can use them in reverse, follow the clues, so if you can't hide them, you might as well help them in turn! After entering the mountain, what we have to do is to save the world! Don't play it, don't take chances. If your family members really fall behind Bianliang, please think about them and whether the imperial court will care about their life or death."
"For the sake of the brothers who died in the war against the Jurchens in Xia Village, for the right prime minister who worked so hard, and because everyone's hard work was wasted by the court, Mr. Ning went directly to the court, and even the faint king could be killed on the spot. Everyone was He is his brother, and he will treat your family as his own. Now there are our brothers near Bianliang. When the Jurchens attack the city, they may not be able to say how many people they will be able to save, but they will definitely. Do your best.”
"Okay." Qu Qing waved his hand, "Everyone, think about it."
Nothing happened that day, and they set off. Three days later, Hou Yuanyong and others arrived at the place. It was a valley between desolate mountains. A small river passed quietly through the valley, and the water flow was not fast. On both sides of the river, various simple buildings gather together, but they seem to have outlined the outlines of residential areas. Winter has arrived, and everything is waiting to be built.
On one side of the river, there used to be a small abandoned village. An hour after Hou Yuanyong came here, he knew the name of the river. It is called Xiaocang River, and the village by the river was originally called Xiaocang River Village. , has been abandoned for many years, and at this time, camps with nearly 10,000 people are being built continuously.
The sky was cold and cold, but by the river and in the mountains, groups of people were working in an orderly manner. Hou Yuanyong and others first gathered on the west side of the valley, and soon someone came over and arranged wooden houses for each of them. The buildings on the west side of the mountain are currently relatively well-formed, and are given priority to people from outside the mountain. His father, Hou Wu, followed Qu Qing and others to gather on the other side, and then came back to help the family unload supplies.
"General Qin may come later. Mr. Ning has been out for a while." Hou Wu said this to Hou Yuanyong while carrying various things into the house. He probably told his son something about these two people on the way. However, Hou Yuanyong was very happy with his new residence at this time, so he didn’t say anything.
Soon after, something seemed to be spreading in the valley. After Hou Wu and Hou Yuanyong finished moving their things, they looked at many people talking to each other up and down the valley. On the other side of the river, someone shouted: "That's not fast enough." Do a good job for us!"
This didn't sound like a reprimand, because many people responded in unison: "Yes -" their voices were quite loud.
While he was doubting, Qu Qing came over. There was a young honest man beside him. Hou Wu said hello to him: "Yishan. Come, Yuan Yong, call me Uncle Mao."
Hou Yuanyong called out and rolled his eyes, still curious. Mao Yishan also waved to the child. Qu Qing looked complicated and whispered: "Bianliang City has been destroyed."
Hou Wu was stunned for a long time: "...so fast? They attacked directly."
"They found a heavenly master, Shi Liujia Divine Weapon..."
Qu Qing whispered, telling the story about how the Heavenly Master Guo Jing defended the city with the Liujia Divine Weapons. Hou Yuanyong blinked, but in the end he did not hear how the Liujia Divine Weapons were defeated. Hou Wu pinched Fist: "So...this kind of thing...did it break the city?"
"Well, the Jurchens have been preparing under the city for half a month, but nothing has been used."
"...General He is right." Hou Wu whispered, turned and walked into the room, "They are finished, let's do things quickly, don't wait any longer..."
This day is November 24th of the first year of Jingping. Hou Yuanyong, who was still a child, came to Xiaocanghe Village for the first time. It was also in the afternoon of this day that Ning Yi came back from the mountains and learned about the fall of Bianliang. news...