Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Wan Cheng Xing 10
It has just entered the twelfth lunar month, the wind is biting, and the entire water system in Hebei is frozen. In the past, although this situation would inhibit agricultural and cultural activities, it inexplicably made commercial activities a little more active because it could be easily crossed.
Prefectures and counties, avoiding checkpoints... However, it cannot be said that there is no commercial activity at all in Hebei this winter, but there are mostly powerful manors. Only the caravans of aristocratic families are eligible to enjoy this convenience.
This also caused a strange traffic situation to appear on the lifeless Hebei Plain.
Either there are large convoys with hundreds of people at times, or they are completely empty.
However, these are meaningless to some specific groups of people living in Gaojibo - these people are the remnants of the Gaojibo rebel army. Most of them are old, weak, sick and disabled, supplemented by some women.
With this kind of personnel composition, it was already very difficult for them when the young men first left. But as the winter deepened, the severe cold came, and even the freeze started, it was a direct matter of life and death.
"What should I do?"
"What should I do? It's frozen, I can't open the ice, I can't fish for water plants, I'm afraid I'm going to starve.
"Who is on duty at night? Why don't you be more serious and chew hundreds of bites..."
"It's not just chewing bread, there's not even water... In this kind of weather, what should adults and children do if they don't have hot soup to drink?"
"Why are you complaining like this? I also need to pick shrimps from the aquatic plants to eat and drink water. How can I not be serious? I didn't sleep all night last night. I got up on time to make ice four times. It was already dawn at the fifth watch.
It just stopped, whoever thought it was still sealed..."
"Don't blame Zhao Erniang...it's too cold today."
"If you don't blame her, who should blame her? How else can it be someone else's business?"
"Then what should we do? Kill her to pay for it?"
"How dare you ask her to pay for it with her life? What does it mean to pay for her life? Human life is so cheap...it's gone if you don't.
"It's all the men in the family who are messing around. They insist on coming out to rebel. After two years of rebellion, they are looking at the end of the world. I will probably die this time if I go out... I might as well have enlisted to go to the Eastern Expedition. He died outside, and I died there.
Peace at home!"
"Cry! What's the use of crying?"
"So what works?"
"Looking for Sister Cao..."
"Sister Cao can't do it either, I need Miss Dou."
"Didn't Miss Dou go hunting deep in the lake yesterday? Are you back?"
"I don't know, I have to ask."
"The little girl is back."
In the midst of the chaos, a middle-aged woman in single clothes suddenly walked out of a shack in the distance. Her face was weathered and her hands were covered with frostbite.
The other party is not too old, only about thirty. "
Make a fire in the big kang in the back... There is no firewood, no matter how many reeds there are, they can't help but burn. The fire has just been cut off... Come here immediately.
"Sister Cao."
"Sister-in-law Dou."
When everyone saw the visitor, they greeted him one after another.
Sister Cao came to the front and comforted the crying woman again: "Third sister, don't panic. I know you are still worried about Xiao Gao, but listening to the situation, the rebels still won in the southeast. It's just that
I can't come back because I am separated from the government... I have to think on the bright side, we will see each other sooner or later."
Although the crying woman stopped crying when she heard this, she still shook her head: "Even if we come back, we are afraid that we will all freeze to death and starve to death here. How about we meet to retrieve the bones?"
Sister Cao still wanted to persuade her, but the crying woman ran away with her face covered in one hand and a broken basin in the other.
Sister Cao was helpless and went to grab another person's hand: "Sister Sun, I know your child coughed all night yesterday. It's really important. My little girl went out yesterday and was lucky. She brought back two rabbits and seven or eight crows. You
Help me deal with it later. For the other centimeters, leave a bird alone for your child, add some hot soup, and make up for it..."
The man felt embarrassed after hearing this, but thinking of the child, he nodded heavily.
"Second Sister Zhao." Seeing that the two people who complained the most had been somewhat appeased, Sister Cao came again to appease the night watchman.
"It's really not the price's fault, it's my fault. I have no control over the weather. It's so cold, so I'd better make a rule of pounding ice four times a night... Fortunately, I'm back. Today's business won't be delayed. We'll change it later.
That is, no matter who is on duty at night, it will be dawn
Just call me over and I'll continue pounding until everyone gets up to get water."
"Thank you, Sister Cao, for taking care of me. It was indeed my fault this time."
Zhao Erniang, who almost caused a big disaster, also breathed a sigh of relief.
While he was talking, a girl in leather armor, about fifteen or sixteen years old, rushed from behind, came to follow her, looked into the pool, and then smiled, pulled out a sword, and then just
As soon as the shore was swung, a burst of crimson Qi attached to it, and a layer of heat instantly appeared around it.
Then after waiting for a moment, he thrust the sword into the ice below, and it sank in as easily as a knife cutting through tofu.
Obviously, this young lady is a master of practicing Lihuo Zhenqi, and she is already a master of Qijing at a young age.
The existence of such a mother and daughter is probably the greatest guarantee that this group of people can survive until now.
The ice layer was opened over there, water plants were harvested, and Dou Xiaoniang brought back the prey. Naturally, she could survive today. However, after Dou Xiaoniang and Sister Cao had been busy for a long time, it was not until noon that they finally had a chance to be outside.
They spoke to each other in private beside the reed marsh.
"We're almost out of salt."
Sister Cao, Mrs. Dou, Dou Lide's successor, and Cao Chen's younger sister, looked at the young lady in front of her and spoke seriously, as if she was handing over official business.
"I'm going out for a visit." Dou Xiaoniang, Dou Lide's only surviving blood relative after his family was wiped out due to rebellion, only responded lightly.
It is obvious, but also easy to understand, that in theory there is a slight alienation between mother and daughter. After all, they have only been so-called mother and daughter for more than a year.
Moreover, in terms of role division, the two of them are not so much mother and daughter, but rather the cooperative leaders of this team of old, weak, sick and disabled.
"That's it," Mrs. Cao hesitated for a moment, then continued: "I thought about it and realized that we can't go on like this. Twenty or thirty people have already died. Let's not say that we are at the end of the road. If it continues to be so cold,
Or maybe there’s a heavy snowfall suddenly and I can’t stand it at all…”
"I'll go to the surrounding cities to inquire about my father's whereabouts."
Dou Xiaoniang was obviously forced to mature prematurely by life, so she immediately spoke.
"If you can't find out, you still have to rob a big family and get some serious food and winter clothes. In the past, Mrs. Cao must have wanted to prevent the other party from robbing in the name of exposing their stronghold, but she unexpectedly didn't say anything this time.
In the end, they really have no choice but to go.
In this way, Dou Xiaoniang said goodbye to everyone that afternoon, hurriedly left the stronghold and headed for the outskirts.
Of course, the first step was to go to Zhangnan, the nearest place. That night I easily picked up some coarse salt, but I didn't find any news about my father among the people. There were only rumors that day that the rebels had won the battle in the southeast, and Dou Lide's reward had been raised again.
It has increased, but it is difficult for the people below to survive. Who has the intention to find out what role Dou Lide played in it and where he is now?
At this time, Dou Xiaoniang was a little confused. She originally wanted to take the risk and kidnap a county magistrate, a county magistrate, a county lieutenant, etc. to ask about the specific situation.
The county prince was determined to deal with the bandits, but he also knew that once he did this, he would definitely attract massive retaliation from the government. He was afraid that he would not end well, so he was a little discouraged.
What's more, at this time, the priority should be to obtain food and winter clothing to help the people in Gaojipo.
However, even when she turned to this idea, she was also a little frustrated, because robbery was also very risky in Zhangnan County... Dou Lide had been rebelling in Gaojibo for almost two years, and Zhangnan was from the same hometown, so who didn't know who he was?
?Everyone is probably aware of Dou Xiaoniang's abilities and her name. What's even more terrible is that during a robbery in the city, if the officials seal the door and send the county soldiers to surround them, how can she carry out the goods alone?
Going out?
After thinking for a long time, she finally decided to leave the city and follow the official road south to Pingyuan County next door. She was not planning to go to Pingyuan to plunder, but she said that there was a crossroads on the official road ahead.
It is an important trade route, so I am planning to see if there is a convoy of a wealthy family on the road so that I can rob it... It is best to rob an outsider's car and livestock and drive them directly to Gaojipo.
She did it as soon as she thought of it, and stayed in the city for a night. Early the next morning, Dou Xiaoniang easily left the city carrying half a bag of coarse salt. She wanted to find a mule or something on the way, but after walking through several villages, all of them were in ruins.
It is unbearable that the rare livestock are treated as treasures by their owners.
, I really couldn't bear to do it, so I simply walked forward with dozens of kilograms of salt on my back and a sword hanging on it.
Not to mention, in the morning, after walking up the official road and wandering at the crossroads for less than an hour, she encountered a convoy, but she did not dare to rob it - it was the convoy of the Cui family of Qinghe.
There were forty vehicles, not to mention the Cui masters who must have cultivated literature inside to hold the formation, nor the steel crossbows that must be hidden in the vehicles, but the fifty or sixty riders on the outside were enough to make people feel powerless.
In this case, it would be better not to hide.
So Dou Xiaoniang bypassed the caravan and continued to check the three forks in the east, west and south. Then suddenly she saw a suitable target on the road to the east of the long river - four or five cars, seven or eight riders, and a few
The two old men were in charge of the coachmen, and the flag they hung should be Changle Feng's motorcade.
It's suitable anywhere.
However, Dou Xiaoniang knew that robbery would take a lot of energy, so she turned back first, hid beside the intersection, used her true energy to light a fire next to the reed swamp, baked a cooking cake stolen from the city, and drank some
He boiled the water and took advantage of the situation to wipe his face with plant ashes. Then he took a bag of salt and sat down by the intersection, waiting for the car to come.
In the afternoon, smoke and dust rose slightly in the distance, and Dou Xiaoniang waited until the motorcade slowly came from the east.
The people in the convoy were not fools, but they arrived first and saw a girl with pot ashes on her face. She was wearing thin clothes and was just sitting on the side of the road to take shelter from the wind, so they turned back.
Frankly speaking, this made Dou Xiaoniang a little shaken, because the other party actually didn't use words to tease or take advantage of her, which was already remarkable.
After a while, the motorcade arrived. Thinking of those people in Gaojibo, Dou Xiaoniang sighed, suddenly turned to the road with a sword in hand, then raised the sword to face it, but spoke clearly:
"Listen, the people of the Feng family in Changle have come to the rescue. They left a car and a horse, piled them with dry food and winter clothes, and then let you go. I, Sister Cao, will return them to you when I get rich."
The motorcade came to an abrupt stop, and all the guards looked at each other. After realizing what was going on, they couldn't help but burst out laughing. Only two old-looking people at the head and the tail were looking at each other with their hands together, and their expressions were not good.
Seeing this appearance, Dou Xiaoniang also laughed and wanted to use her true energy to scare these people.
But at this moment, the old governor who came from the back of the car suddenly walked over, causing the knights to silence themselves and turn around to surround the guards. Then, under the guard of the knights, this man put his hands together and frowned and asked:
"You little girl...why do you want to go out and rob someone in broad daylight?"
"You old man has lived such a long life in vain." Seeing this, Dou Xiaoniang sneered.
"In this place in Hebei, who has a knife in his hand and doesn't loot? Before, the officers and soldiers in Hejian robbed entire cities and towns. Didn't you see it when you came from Changhe in the east?"
...
Lao Duguan was startled, and then actually felt a little ashamed.
"The same goes for the rebels. Nowadays, the rebels have all gone to the southeast to do big things, otherwise there would be robbers everywhere." Dou Xiaoniang continued with emotion.
"Even those who are left behind, if they are not too cold, hungry and weak, will have to go out to rob every household. If they don't rob, they can't live... I still have some strength, so I will naturally go out to rob."
"You want a load of winter clothes and food..." The old man unexpectedly did not argue with the obviously weak opponent, but sighed and continued to ask.
"But there are many women and children behind you? How can you, a group of women and children, be the only one to go out and move around?"
Dou Xiaoniang was silent for a moment, then used her true energy in her hands. Under the red light, her face became serious: "That's enough for me!"
The knights were surprised for a moment, and the old governor was also dragged back. In the rear convoy, someone immediately went to take out a steel crossbow, but was stopped by the old governor who was dragged back. The latter just turned around and asked:
"You are such a young lady and so capable. Why can't you be rich? All you need is food and winter clothes?"
"Of course." Dou Xiaoniang replied proudly.
The old guard paused for a moment and said seriously: "To be honest, little girl, we are not delivering goods, we are a convoy visiting relatives. If you want gold and silver, we do have some gold and silver, and we also have a few calligraphy and paintings, but the food is really gone, and they are the only ones."
There is only dry food and drinking water for several people. As for winter clothes, furs, and cloth, there is not even a single thing. If you insist on it, I'm afraid we will have to take it off and share it with you... It's such a day.
We can't stand the cold, and I can't make the guards and coachmen take off their clothes. If you don't believe me, you can search it yourself."
When Dou Xiaoniang heard this, she was startled and felt frustrated. The crimson zhenqi on the blade of the sword in her hand was weakened by three points.
When the old boss over there saw this, he was inexplicably depressed, because he...or maybe Feng Wuyi had already figured out that the other party was indeed forced by the cold situation of a group of old, weak, women and children, so they came out to plunder.
He is not the so-called strongman who robs property.
Thinking about the decades before the emperor, he wrote on countless documents about thieves. I don’t know how many thieves were killed because of his writings. But after decades of traveling back to his hometown, he witnessed official thieves with his own eyes.
After fighting for thousands of miles, only now do you know what a "thief" is?!
It turns out that the thief is actually a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl who only wants food and winter clothes to survive;
It turned out that the thief was a local man who had been robbed and almost kidnapped when he was traveling through Changhe;
It turns out that the thieves were all the people in his village who used to be law-abiding...but because of the documents and decrees he wrote, they became thieves.
Feng Wuyi did not bring any winter clothes, but he did bring a lot of spare food. It was just that when he passed the long river a few days ago, he was greatly stimulated and distributed as much food as possible.
That was his first personal experience of the countryside that had been devastated by war, instead of just watching in a city, a military tent, or a palace.
"Give me the mule cart at the back." On the other side, Dou Xiaoniang was stunned for a long time before speaking. She couldn't say any more strong words to the old governor. It was more like pleading than robbing. "There is something above.
Isn’t it horse food? You can make do with it. You can also eat mule meat.”
Feng Wuyi was stunned, nodded, and asked someone to give up the mule cart.
This pair of robbers and robbers is really interesting.
But at this moment, the expressions of the reluctant knights suddenly changed. When Dou Xiaoniang heard the movement, she turned around and her expressions also changed - without him, under the winter sunshine in the afternoon, on the official road to the west behind her
The smoke and dust were rising very fast, as if a large group of knights were coming here from west to east.
"Let's go quickly!" Feng Wuyi waved his hand immediately.
"Give me the car!" Unexpectedly, Dou Xiaoniang actually got into trouble. Not only that, she actually started crying at the end of her words.
In fact, in the final analysis, Dou Lide's daughter is only a fifteen-year-old girl. If her family had not been killed by the imperial court more than a year ago and she almost escaped alone, she would still be at an innocent age... Since this winter, there have been many hardships and grievances.
I have already accumulated countless amounts, but now when I encounter this situation, I have to lose even the last chance, and I am somewhat unable to control myself.
When Feng Wuyi saw this, he really couldn't bear it. He gritted his teeth and ordered his servants: "Get her out of here. No matter whose family you are, if you cause trouble later, tell me my name and don't tell anyone about it!"
Although the guards were helpless, they already knew the identity of their master in Ande City and how dare they speak out, they just nodded casually.
However, the light cavalry was galloping as quickly as it came. Dou Xiaoniang just got on the mule cart and just drove out of the team. The knights from the west group had already arrived.
However, these knights carrying the official flag of Wu'an County did not pay any attention to the Changle Feng's convoy, which met on the left and right, let alone realized that a strange robbery incident had occurred here, and it was only a few of the leaders.
He quickly crossed his arms and quickly crossed the intersection, turning south.
And just when everyone thought that the matter was about to be revealed, the forty or fifty horsemen suddenly stopped two to three hundred paces south of the official road, then turned back and surrounded the convoy.
"Don't worry, Mr. Du. You are so loyal. I will try my best to help you stop these officers and soldiers who have evil intentions." Dou Xiaoniang actually talked about her loyalty at this time. "These officers and soldiers have never done anything to rob Tao in private."
If you follow the rules, even if you have a big family, messengers from other states and counties will still rob them and kill them to silence you."
Feng Wuyi sighed and smiled bitterly: "Don't panic, little lady. I'll try first to scare them away. If it doesn't work, if you run away, just think I deserve it."
Now, after experiencing the Ande-Changhe incident, Feng Wuyi also knows that it is really possible for the officers and soldiers to kill people in officialdom for a little money.
However, when these knights from Wu'an County came forward, before Feng Wuyi and his attendants could speak, there was actually a 17 or 18-year-old man with a long soldier.
The arrogant young man came out from the crowd, pointed at Dou Xiaoniang and laughed, but his accent was Guanlong: "Look, I am right? This young lady is wearing thin clothes.
You are still painted with black ash, but you are sitting on Feng's mule cart in Changle, leading a cart of horse materials alone... Isn't it strange? My dear, who are you? Are you a robber? "
When Dou Xiaoniang saw the posture of an older official and soldier, she was naturally angered. In addition, she was surrounded again, and she even cried out on the spot. She also raised her sword and shouted back:
"Who are you? Dare you come and ask me?"
The young man smiled and held his hand towards the other party as if he were joking: "My name is Su Jingfang, and I am a general in Wu'an County."
Then the man raised his hand to the "Old Du Guan" again: "Old Du Guan, although I speak with a Guanlong accent, I am a genuine Xindu native. It's just that my father was moved to Kansai after condensing the pill. We are fellow townsmen. You
If you have any difficulties, tell me and I will deal with them appropriately."
When Dou Xiaoniang saw that the other party was ignoring her, she was almost furious to death.
Feng Wuyi, on the other hand, was stunned for a moment, remembering something, and while waving his hands to comfort Dou Xiaoniang, he calmly twirled his beard: "The Su family who moved the letter over, the Ningdan at that time...is your father Su Mu?"
Su Jingfang was slightly startled, immediately dismounted, and saluted seriously again: "Yes! Is he actually an old elder?
"Forget it." Feng Wuyi accepted the gift magnanimously. "I am actually Feng Wuyi. Your father came to visit me when he went to the Western Capital. Did your Su family take advantage of the chaos and come back? You stayed here.
Wu'an?"
"Yes." Su Jing's face changed slightly, and he responded seriously. "The current situation was turbulent, and my father wanted to return home. As a result, when he was transferred from Taiyuan, he traveled to Wu'an and met his mentor who was serving as the governor of Wu'an County. Not only did he express his responsibility for my father
He became the captain of Wu'an County and took the boy as his student, so he stayed there... This time he came out and was ordered to support the envoys from the county."
Feng Wuyi was completely relieved when he saw that the other party was polite... Although he knew that it was illegal for the other party's family to come back during the chaos, he just wanted to get rid of the other party, so how could he say more?
However, as the saying goes, one wave after another rises again. Just when Feng Wuyi was about to speak, the people around him became serious and vigilant - without him, the only south side of the intersection where no one had come was also filled with smoke and dust.
They looked like they were riding forty or fifty, and they were approaching quickly.
Su Jingfang laughed dryly: "It may not be the ones we want to respond to... but it cannot be said to be other officers and soldiers. Anyway, at this time of year, the large band of bandits are in the southeast, across the Zhang River, so they cannot come to this place.
Feng Wuyi was so confused that he just nodded randomly, while Dou Xiaoniang, whose face was covered with ashes in the car, almost cried again... It was just a robbery, why was it so difficult?
However, after a moment, as the knights from the south approached, those Wu'an knights started shouting, because the command flag of Wu'an County was also flying on the opposite side.
But for some reason, Su Jingfang, who had clearly said before that he might be the one to meet, was caught off guard.
Both sides are under the banner of Wu'an County, so they naturally merge directly.
Then, unexpectedly, both sides became slightly wary. It was not until a rider came out wearing a curtain hat that the atmosphere between the two sides was eased:
"Is it Xiao Su? Your master asked you to pick me up? How do you know I'm coming back from here?
Listening to the voice, it turned out to be a woman, and the voice was clear and lively.
"Master's Wife, the master has indeed asked me to come and take care of you." Su Jingfang did not dare to neglect, bowed his head directly in front of the horse, and called her "Master's Wife"... Listening to this, the so-called messenger was actually the wife of Li Ding, the prefect of Wu'an County. "We are right here.
Just turn back to the west...and this person is..."
"We're not going to the west." Mrs. Li nodded first, then shook her head and interrupted her directly. "Let's go to the north to do something first."
This seems strange... If you don't go to Wu'an, where can you go north? Should you go to Xindu?
Just as Su Jingfang was about to ask, unexpectedly, an imposing man riding from the south suddenly spoke and pointed at Dou Xiaoniang sitting on the mule cart:
"Mrs. Zhang, don't you think it's strange that this young lady is wearing thin clothes and is painted with black ash, but she is sitting on Feng's mule cart in Changle, leading a cart of horse materials alone, and she is crying? My dear lady, are you?
Who is he? Could it be a robber? Listen to me, if someone robs a road and is discovered, he will be beaten to death and executed... No, you are rushing to leave like this. Are you going to the north?
Chicken pool?"
Dou Xiaoniang this time
He said nothing, just tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.
As a result, when the man saw this, he laughed and said: "If you come from Gaojibo, can you recognize an eldest sister named Cao Xi? A young lady named Dou? And a sister-in-law from the Gao family? Someone give these people
Each of them pulled two feet of red-headed rope and asked me to bring it to him."
Dou Xiaoniang turned her head, her face was covered with flowers.
Su Jingfang, on the other hand, just lowered his head and drew circles with his feet beside Feng Wuyi.
ps: I offer a book, "Love Story", with unlimited streaming for 30,000 yuan, and you can search it on steam.
Without this chapter, I feel like my life has no direction to move forward... Last month, there was a gap of 6,000 to 150,000 words. Isn't it possible that without this chapter, 99% of the responsibility has disappeared?
