Xuanjia'ao is a village located in the north of Gyeongju, on the border with the Baoan Army. It is now almost abandoned.
When Luo Ye and others arrived, it was almost dusk and the autumn rain had not stopped. The abandoned village under the gray-black sky looked like a deserted ghost. In fact, they had not encountered another Jurchen army along the way, so they were somewhat prepared.
Yes. The lost Black Flag Army did not come here. It was probably heading to the southwest.
They came up short.
The rain on this day made everyone feel a little depressed. The captured Jurchen war horses seemed to be even more weak. They began to have diarrhea and were no longer able to run. Then they had to find a place nearby to spend the night.
Out of caution, the group hid their whereabouts and first sent scouts to the abandoned village in Xuanjia'ao ahead to investigate the situation. Later, they discovered that there were still several families living in Xuanjia'ao at this time.
In that village, which seemed to have been abandoned after many chaotic situations, there were six or seven families living in it, with more than a dozen people, all of whom were old and poor. When more than 20 people from the Black Flag Army appeared at the entrance of the village,
, an old man who first saw them turned around and wanted to run away, but after taking a few shaky steps, he turned back and looked at them with fear and confusion. Luo Ye stepped forward first: "Don't be afraid, old man, we are from China.
People from the army, the Huaxia Army, Zhu Ji, do you know that there should be big cars coming to sell things? Didn't anyone inform you that the Jurchens are coming? We are here to resist the Jurchens and to protect you.
…”
After he said it, he asked the local soldiers to go over and repeat it. Someone came out of the dilapidated village and saw them, causing a small commotion.
This small commotion finally subsided not long after. The dozen or so old and weak people in the village lived an extremely difficult life here. It seemed that they had no descendants at home and could not afford to move to other places, so they stayed here.
It is not an exaggeration to say that they are living a hard life here. When they saw Luo Ye and others, their first reaction was to run away, but at such a distance, running away was useless, so they chose a watcher.
A skinny old man who had seen a little of the world came to negotiate.
After Luo Ye expressed his goodwill and roughly explained the situation, more than 20 people found a few houses that could shelter from the rain and lit fires in them. They killed two war horses outside the house and killed the other two that were no longer able to move.
He distributed his war horses to the people in the village, and also brought some dry food. The old people in the village accepted them with fear, and then became friendly.
The skinny old man explained the situation here clearly to them. In fact, even if he didn't tell them, Luo Ye, Qu Qing and others could have guessed it.
Since the beginning of last year, the Western Xia people who invaded south have launched a massacre in this area. First it was large-scale, and then it turned into small groups of killings and frictions. Hundreds of thousands of people died during this period.
After the Black Flag Army defeated the Xixia army, chaos continued for a period of time in non-inhabited areas. The fleeing Xixia troops brought the first wave of military disasters, then banditry, and then famine. During the famine, it became more intense.
After a year like this, the vitality and order that had been maintained in this land for decades during the rule of the Zhong family army had been completely broken.
Xuanjia'ao is too far away from the city. The people who originally lived here were walking around to death. This place is no longer suitable for living. Because of their old age, more than ten people found it difficult to choose to leave even after they were lucky enough to survive.
There were originally some fields planted with wheat nearby. The harvest was harvested in the autumn not long ago, but bandits came over several times and snatched away almost all the food. If there was no food, this winter, they could only live on wild vegetables and tree bark.
The ground was frozen and starved to death.
The war horses and dry food given to them by Luo Ye and others were enough to fill their stomachs for a while.
The old man had a sallow complexion and slurred speech. At the end, he just thanked him for his kindness. Luo Ye and others heard this bitterly and asked about their future plans. Then he told them about the arrival of the Jurchens and about Xiao Cang.
He, when it comes to Yeonju, Gyeongju and other places, there may be porridge and rice available, but the old people are at a loss - they have been in this place for too long, are afraid of the outside world, and don’t know what to do if they change places.
Survive.
After this negotiation, the old man went back and then brought another person over, bringing some dry firewood, a pot for boiling hot water, and some wild vegetables to Luo Ye and others. The person who came with the old man was a woman.
She is skinny, not good-looking, mute and unable to speak, and her feet are lame. This is the old man's daughter, named Xuan Manniang, and she is the only young person in the village.
He asked the mute girl to do some menial work for everyone. When he looked at everyone, he hesitated to speak, but in the end he didn't say anything.
They killed the horses, cooked the meat, and after eating, more than 20 people rested here for the night. Zhuo Yongqing had been wet in the rain for two or three days. He had received intensive training in Xiaocang River. On weekdays,
Maybe it was nothing, but due to his chest injury, he finally felt a little dizzy when he got up the next day. He pushed himself up and listened to Qu Qing and others discussing how to catch up to the southeast.
At this time, the rain outside the window finally stopped. Just as everyone was about to set off, they suddenly heard screams coming from the other end of the village. After listening carefully, they knew that someone was coming and had already entered the village.
Qu Qing, Luo Ye, Hou Wu and others outside the door each made a few gestures, and more than 20 people silently picked up weapons. Zhuo Yongqing gritted his teeth, cocked the crossbow and went out. The mute and lame woman ran from the front.
He came over and gestured to everyone. Luo Ye raised a finger towards the other party, then waved his hand and called a group of people to go forward. Qu Qing also waved and took Zhuo Yongqing and others along.
The corner of the house goes around to the other side.
The noise in the village ahead was still chaotic. Some people broke open the door, some old people screamed and begged for mercy, and some shouted: "Don't you recognize us? We are the martyrs of Luo Fengshan. We are going out to fight against the Jin this time. We will soon eat."
take it out!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Another person shouted: "Where is the food! Come out, where did you hide the food?"
"Smash their nests and drive them out!"
"Old thing..."
The bandits came from the north. Luo Ye and others walked along the corner of the wall and made some gestures with Qu Qing, Hou Wu and others in the gaps between the dilapidated mud houses.
——About sixty people.
——There is a horse.
The shouting outside continued: "Everyone, come out!"
"What is this--"
"There are two horses, how can you have a horse..."
- Take action and kill them.
The black flag soldiers behind the wall raised their crossbows, Zhuo Yongqing wiped his nose, Mao Yishan shook his hands and feet, and someone pulled the trigger.
After a few brushes, people fell down in different parts of the village. Luo Ye suddenly rushed out with a knife and a shield. Shouts, screams, and collisions became more violent. People rushed out from different parts of the village. Three or five people rushed out.
The human formation fiercely charged into the formation of the bandits.
"Someone—"
"save……"
"careful……"
"Suffer death——"
Luo Ye's shield knocked the person away. He swung his sword and slashed it open, splitting the chest of the bandit wearing wooden armor. Countless pieces of armor flew away. Spears from behind were pushed up and stabbed several bandits.
When they retreated, the spears were drawn out, bringing blood on their chests, and then they were stabbed in and pulled out again.
"Who are you? I am a righteous man from Luo Fengshan. You—"
Zhuo Yongqing used all his strength and slashed a bandit leader who was shouting loudly and seemed to have some martial arts skills with a long knife and drove him back. The leader only resisted Zhuo Yongqing's chops for a moment, and Mao Yishan was already taking care of him.
Several bandits walked over step by step with blood-stained long knives. The leader glared fiercely: "Don't think I am afraid of you-" The sword turned and the long knife was waved like a splash of wind.
Shan's shield was raised. As he walked, he heard bang bang bang and was slashed by the leader several times. However, Mao Yishan walked faster and faster. When he got closer, he stabbed the opponent's stomach with a knife. The shield blocked the opponent's one blow and then another knife.
He stabbed him three times in a row, knocking the man away in a pool of blood.
The battle ended quickly. More than 20 bandits who entered the village escaped in panic, and most of the rest were chopped down in a pool of blood by the black flag soldiers. Some of them were still alive and were chopped down by the enemy in the village.
After killing an old man, there were basically no casualties on the Black Flag Army side. Only Zhuo Yongqing, Luo Ye, and Qu Qing began to give orders to clean up the battlefield. When he staggered to the ground and retched, a moment later, he
Passed out.
*************
Zhuo Yongqing was not injured in this battle, but the bone injury on his chest lasted for two days. Coupled with the influence of the wind and cold, when he was exhausted after the battle, the injuries on his body finally broke out.
In his dazed mind, with the remaining consciousness, squad leader Mao Yishan said something to him. It was probably because there was still fighting ahead and no one could take him with him anymore. I hope he would recover well here and regain his consciousness.
At that time, such an ugly lame and mute woman was feeding him herbal medicine by the bedside. The herbal medicine was extremely bitter, but after drinking it, his chest felt slightly warm. It was already afternoon.
Zhuo Yongqing's spirit relaxed slightly. Although as a native of Yanzhou, he had known what it means to be tough in the folk customs, this was his first time on the battlefield after all. As his companions went about fighting one after another, he saw so many
The death of this person still had a huge impact on him, but no one behaved abnormally about it, so he could only suppress the complicated emotions in his heart.
On the contrary, he relaxed now. When he closed his eyes, he could see the bloody scene. Many of his companions who had trained with him for more than a year died under the sword of the enemy in the first meeting. These companions and friends
The possibilities of the next few decades were condensed in a moment, and suddenly ended. He was faintly afraid in his heart. He might have to go through many things in this life, but on the battlefield, these things can happen at any time in an instant.
Disappeared.
This emotion accompanied him. In the room, the lame mute woman also sat by the door to accompany him. In the evening, she boiled medicine and fed him, and then fed him a bowl of porridge.
When the daylight was about to end, the mute girl's father, a thin old man, also came and came to say a few greetings. He was finally more calm than before, but his words were hesitant, and there were always some words that seemed difficult to say. Zhuo Yongqing's heart
He vaguely knew what the other party was thinking, but he didn't say anything. In a place like this, these old people may have no hope. His daughter is mute, lame and ugly, and has no way to leave. The old man may hope that Zhuo Yongqing can take care of him.
Leaving with her daughter - this is not surprising in many poor places.
The old man did not speak, and of course Zhuo Yongqing did not answer. Although he was only a civilian in Yanzhou, his family life was not bad, especially after joining the Chinese Army. He had no worries about food and clothing in the Xiaocang River Valley. If he wanted to get married, now
She is worthy enough to be the daughter of some wealthy families in the northwest. Zhuo Yongqing's family is already making arrangements for this. Although he does not have many illusions about his future wife, he naturally does not have much affection for the lame and mute girl in front of him.
Affection.
His physical fitness was good, but the bone injury was accompanied by wind and cold, and he could only lie on the bed to rest on the second day. On the third day, he still didn't have much strength, but it felt like the injury was almost healed. Probably
At noon, he was in bed when he suddenly heard shouts from outside, and then the screams became more and more frequent. Zhuo Yongqing got off the bed and tried to stand up to get the knife, but his body was still weak.
The mute woman rushed in from the door.
She did not make any gestures, but said "Abba, Ababa" a few times, and then came over to help Zhuo Yongqing to leave. Zhuo Yongqing struggled to get his sword, shield and armor. The mute woman shook her head desperately, but finally
He went over to pick up these things and came to support Zhuo Yongqing.
At this time, Zhuo Yongqing's whole body was weak, and half of his body was pressed against the opponent. Fortunately, although the mute girl was thin, she was extremely tough and could hold him. The two stumbled out of the door, and Zhuo Yongqing felt in his heart
Suddenly, among the shouts of killing that came from not far away, there was the faint sound of Jurchen's words.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The two passed through several broken houses and headed towards the dilapidated ancestral hall in the village not far away. They stumbled into a small room next to the ancestral hall. The mute woman let him go.
, trying hard to push away a stone in the corner, only to see a dark cave underneath. Just when the mute woman came to help him, a figure blocked the light of the door.
Zhuo Yongqing subconsciously wanted to grab the knife, but before he could grab it, someone kicked him away. He was wearing a single suit at this time and no armor, so the other party did not kill him immediately. Zhuo Yongqing
Yongqing's head banged against the corner of the wall, making a buzzing sound. He tried to turn over, but the mute girl had also been knocked to the ground. The Jurchen soldiers at the door had already shouted.
Other Jurchen soldiers also came over. Some saw his weapons and armor. Zhuo Yongqing was kicked in the chest again. He was picked up and knocked to the ground. Then someone grabbed his hair.
Dragging him all the way out, Zhuo Yongqing tried to resist, and then he was beaten more.
In the center of the village, the old people were taken out one by one. When Zhuo Yongqing was kicked and beaten all the way here, his face was already covered in blood. This was a Jurchen team composed of about ten people, and they might have separated from the main team.
Yes, they were talking loudly. Someone pulled out the Jurchen war horses left by the Black Flag Army. The Jurchens were furious and chopped an old man to the ground. Someone came over and punched Zhuo Yongqing, who was barely standing.
on the face.
He fell to the ground with a bang, and his teeth fell out. But the slight pain was nothing to Zhuo Yongqing. Strangely enough, he was still scared when he thought about the battlefield before, but at this moment, he knew that he would not survive.
, on the contrary, he was no longer so scared. Zhuo Yongqing struggled to crawl towards the weapon that the Jurchens had put aside. The Jurchens looked at it and kicked him again.
Zhuo Yongqing continued to climb. Nearby, the mute girl "Aba Aba" was actually struggling, as if she wanted to plead for Zhuo Yongqing. Zhuo Yongqing just looked at this from the corner of his eye, and he was still looking for the weapon.
While reaching out, a Jurchen said something, then pulled out a slender knife from his body and plunged it into the ground. Zhuo Yongqing cried out in pain, and the knife penetrated into the back of his left hand.
He plunged into the ground and nailed Zhuo Yongqing's left hand there.
As Zhuo Yongqing shouted, the Jurchens around him laughed. At this time, Zhuo Yongqing's body was weak. He stretched out his right hand to reach the handle of the knife, but was unable to pull it out. A group of Jurchens looked at him, and someone waved
He picked up the whip and whipped him in the back. The mute girl was also knocked to the ground. The Jurchen stepped on the mute girl and said something to Zhuo Yongqing, seeming to think that the mute girl was one of Zhuo Yongqing's.
, someone ripped open the mute woman's clothes with a loud noise.
Among the old men at the rear, the mute girl's father rushed out, ran two steps, knelt on the ground, and asked for mercy. A Jurchen slashed at him with a knife, and the old man fell to the ground. Zhuo Yongqing said, "Ah——
"With a cry, the nearby Jurchens tore off the mute girl's top, revealing her dry and bony upper body. The Jurchens discussed it for a few times and felt disgusted. They dragged the mute girl to Zhuo Yongqing.
In front of him, the Jurchen who was stepping on the mute woman held a long knife with both hands and stabbed the mute woman on the vest.
"A...ba...Aba..."
Zhuo Yongqing watched the blood gush out from the mouth of the mute woman, and the subtle light in her eyes slowly disappeared. Zhuo Yongqing tried hard to pull out the knife nailed to his left hand, but still had no strength. Jurchen
Laughing, he started to kill other people. Someone kicked Zhuo Yongqing again, and then he was whipped again. The smell of blood filled the air, and Zhuo Yongqing heard a strange "pounce" sound.
A Jurchen fell.
Then there was a chaotic sound, someone rushed over, and the weapons suddenly clashed. Zhuo Yongqing just persisted in drawing the knife. At some point, someone rushed over and pulled out the knife, pinging and banging around.
In the exchange of weapons, the blade pierced the chest of a Jurchen soldier.
"Zhuo Yongqing, Zhuo Yongqing..."
It was a vague shout. Zhuo Yongqing staggered to his feet. In the nearby field of vision, the old people in the village had fallen, and the Jurchens were also gradually falling. The ones who came back were Qu Qing, Luo Ye,
The team of Hou Wu, Mao Yishan and others chopped down all the Jurchens in the fight. Zhuo Yongqing grabbed a long knife in his right hand and wanted to chop, but there was no one he could chop.
.
He sat down on the ground. In front of him was the body of the half-length mute girl who died in humiliation. Luo Ye and others searched the entire village and then came back. Mao Yishan came to bandage Zhuo Yongqing and said something.
, the battle outside had become completely chaotic. They walked south and saw the Jurchens' vanguard again, hurriedly coming north. During the time they left the team, the main force of the Black Flag Army had another big fight with Lou Shi.
There was a firefight and it was said that there were many casualties.
Soon after, the Jurchens may come here - they originally thought that the direction of Xuanjia'ao might be the choice for the Jurchens to move, but it was only at this time that they realized it.
It was difficult for a small force to fight against the Jurchen army. Luo Ye and others discussed moving quickly or waiting to join the brigade somewhere - they could actually join the brigade by bypassing the Jurchens on the way, but Luo Ye, Qu Qing and others
People are very proactive, and they feel that it is always beneficial to get ahead of the Jurchens. After discussing for a while, they might still have to turn as far north as possible. During the discussion, Zhuo Yongqing, who was covered with bandages and seemed to be dying, suddenly opened his mouth.
mouth, and said in a hoarse tone: "There is... there is a place..."
Soon after, Zhuo Yongqing took them to the small shabby room next to the ancestral hall and saw the dark cellar.
This is the place where the old people in Xuanjia'ao Village secretly hid food. After it was discovered, the Jurchens had actually gone in and moved the things out, leaving only a few pitiful bags of food. The place below is not small, and the entrance is extremely small.
Hidden, not long after, a group of people gathered over. Looking at the dark cellar entrance, it was difficult to think clearly what could be done here...
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading!************
In the evening, more than 20 people entered the cave. Luo Ye and others disguised the scene outside, trying their best to make the abandoned village look like the fighting was over and all the survivors had left. Some people were also allowed to "die"
"On the way to the north.
Whether this will be useful and whether you can catch fish depends on luck. If a small team of Jurchens passes by, I and others can make an ambush in the chaos, which can be regarded as adding strength to the team. They originally wanted to let people
They took Zhuo Yongqing away and went to a nearby barren mountain to recuperate, but in the end they brought him in because of Zhuo Yongqing's refusal.
"If there are too many people coming, we will be discovered, but catching a turtle in a jar..."
"Looking outside, it's quite hidden after closing it."
The Jurchens had not yet come over, and no one had closed the cellar entrance. However, as the sky gradually dimmed, the entire cellar became pitch black. Occasionally, someone spoke softly. Zhuo Yongqing was sitting in the corner of the cellar, and squad leader Mao Yishan was there.
People nearby asked him a few questions about his situation, but Zhuo Yongqing just weakly said that he was not dead yet.
This was the only thing everyone expected from him. He was covered in wounds, so he was lucky that he didn't die directly. The atmosphere in the cave was dull and smelly, and Zhuo Yongqing sat there, always thinking about the village.
The death of the man, the death of the mute woman.
The woman was not beautiful, mute and lame. She was born in such a family and probably had never encountered any good things in her life. When outsiders came, her father hoped that outsiders could take her out and not wait to die here, but
In the end, she didn't speak. What was she thinking? Did she have this expectation in her heart? In such a life... until she was finally killed in front of him, she probably didn't encounter anything good.
He was just thinking about this matter. Jurchens gradually came outside. They quietly closed the cellar, and footsteps rumbled past. Zhuo Yongqing recalled the name of the mute girl. After recalling it for a long time, it seemed that she was called Xuanman.
Mom, what I remember in my mind is how she looked when she died. At that time, he was still being beaten and his left hand was pierced by a knife. It is still bleeding now, but when I think about it, there is no pain at all.
Mao Yishan sat in the darkness. At a certain moment, he heard Zhuo Yongqing weakly say: "Squad leader..."
"Um."
"I want..." Zhuo Yongqing said, "...I want to kill someone."
"Yeah." Mao Yishan nodded. He didn't take this sentence as a big deal. No one wants to kill anyone on the battlefield. Mao Yishan is not a delicate person. What's more, Zhuo Yongqing is injured like this. I'm afraid it's just
Just a simple emotion.
In the dark, nothing can be seen clearly.
In the darkness, Zhuo Yongqing sat there. His whole body was covered with wounds. The blood on his left hand had soaked into the bandage. It has not completely stopped yet. His back was scarred by the whips of the Jurchens. His skin was torn and the corners of his eyes were bruised.
It was broken and swollen, a few teeth in his mouth were knocked out, and his lip was cracked. But even with such severe injuries, he sat there with blood foaming in his mouth. The only good right hand was still tightly
He held the handle of the knife.
He seemed to have recovered, his body was feeling hot, and his last strength was condensing into his hands and the knife. This was his first combat experience. He had also killed a person under Yanzhou City, but
Until now, he had never really and urgently wanted to take someone's life - he had never had such a feeling at any time before, until now.
In the cellar, the movement of the Jurchens was heard. Zhuo Yongqing did not think about his injuries. He only knew that if there was still the last moment and the last bit of strength, he just wanted to slash the knife at these people...
——I want to kill someone.
That night, they opened the cellar's lid and rushed in towards the countless Jurchen figures in front of them...