Late at night, people are not quiet. It is even extremely noisy.
There were countless homeless people outside Qingyuan City, and they were bustling endlessly. Chang Yu and the five of them were sneaking among them and were miserable and miserable. To be precise, they were in a state of desolation, not because they had no clothes to cover their bodies, but because they once again had no food to eat.
When coming out of Zhaozhou, Qiao Sanxiu came well-prepared with a load of dry food. However, when he got to Gaocheng, he had very little left, and because he was on horseback, he gave up his load and went north to Qizhou lightly.
.
I thought that there were thieves setting up porridge shops along the way so that I wouldn't go hungry. But when I got to the end of the field, I realized that I was too naive. Wherever there were porridge shops, there were thousands of refugees photographing them, and I couldn't wait for an hour or two.
I'm afraid if it's not discussed, Chang Yu won't have so much time to wait.
Because he was guilty of being a thief, he did not dare to beg for food directly from the thief army, so he continued to hold on until outside Qingyuan County.
Don't drink it with your hands.
The five of you looked at me and I looked at you with bitter expressions on your faces. You never thought that the four big men were helpless at this time!
Qiao Sanxiu couldn't bear Nangong Yu's hunger, so she asked the homeless people to borrow a bowl. Unexpectedly, she asked more than ten people in a row and was rejected ruthlessly. In fact, it is understandable that these days, how can a beggar lend a bowl to others at will?
If you borrow something and run away, who can you talk to?
Jiang Fa couldn't bear to see him begging for help, so he turned around and walked into the crowd. After a while, he came back with two blue and white bowls in his hands. Everyone was bright and didn't ask too much, so Qiao Sanxiu and Wuzhong lined up to receive the porridge.
The two were tall and deliberately cut in line repeatedly with a vicious look on their faces. The refugees dared to be angry but dared not speak out, so they brought two bowls of porridge over without much time, one for Chang Yu and one for Nangong Yu.
Chang Yu took it and took a look, it was crystal clear, and he couldn't help but sneer. These hundreds of thousands of refugees, Li Zicheng has a heavy burden. I guess his heart bleeds every day, but he can only hold on. If these refugees are deprived of food,
The consequences of causing civil unrest would be disastrous.
The porridge was better than nothing if it didn't satisfy the hunger. The five of them each drank a bowl and their hunger subsided a bit, then they got up and headed north while discussing how to cross the line of fire.
After passing Qingyuan County and heading north for a few kilometers, there is a restricted area. Li Zicheng's main troops are stationed within a dozen miles to the Qingshui River due north. Refugees are not allowed to approach or enter at will or they will be killed without mercy.
A few people were worried about going north and were blocked, so they tried to go around from both sides, but found that it still didn't work. There were patrols of bandits within more than ten miles. Unless they went around dozens of miles away, it would not only cut off the route.
I don't know when I will be able to get there without my legs, as I'm afraid it will attract more attention. If I encounter a spy from the rebel army, it will be a very dangerous fight.
When he was distressed, Qiao Sanxiu suddenly whispered: "Master, have you noticed that most of the refugees around here are young and strong..."
Chang Yu was startled and then looked around. He saw that almost all the people near the restricted area were young and strong men. He suddenly understood something in his heart, so he approached a young man next to him and asked: "Brother, let me ask, have you been there recently?"
Zhengding?".
The young man shook his head numbly: "Yes yesterday, but I haven't seen the person since I've been waiting all day, so let's wait a little longer."
At this time, Qiao Sanxiu and others also realized that these young men were waiting for the rebel army to conscript them as cannon fodder. They were curious and asked: "I'm a newcomer who doesn't understand the market. What's the benefit of conscripting? Can I give you money?"
"
Moreover, the man rolled his eyes and said: "What good thing do you want? One person has a pound of rice."
Ah, several people were startled, and Jiang Fa shook his head and sighed: "We are going to die if we are given only so much rice. Our lives are too cheap..."
Hearing this, the young man snorted again: "So little? It's great if you can stutter these days, but you still dislike so little rice. One kilogram of rice is enough for a family of three to eat for five or six days. Otherwise, it's just a few dollars a day."
You don't have to starve to death even if you have gruel in your mouth. As for what you said about dying, it's even more nonsense. We are just shouting and cheering. Besides, the officers and soldiers don't kill the common people. If they want to kill the common people, the scholars will scold them to death, and they will
It made the people hate them even more and they all ran away with the rebels..."
The young man was frothing and gushing, and others echoed him from time to time, but Chang Yu was dumbfounded and felt a surge in his heart. The common people were so clear-minded that they knew the weakness of the imperial court, but they regarded the imperial court's kindness as connivance. Of course, he might have been brainwashed by the rebels.
I actually naively thought I was just there to help and cheer.
Chang Yu couldn't calm down in his heart for a long time. Jiang Fa and the others saw his solemn expression and knew that there was something on his mind, so they didn't dare to disturb him at will. They just watched silently.
Nangong Yu looked at the rebel camp in the north, looking at the dots of fire reaching the sky, and turned to ask Chang Yu: "Young master, can't we make it through today?"
Chang Yu hummed and nodded: "We'll wait and see. If we still can't leave tomorrow, we'll have to force our way in."
"Master, do you want us to wait for the rebel army to recruit Ding?" Wu Zhong asked in a low voice.
Chang Yu nodded: "This is the easiest way to get over it." Unexpectedly, Wuzhong shook his head: "But it is also the most dangerous way."
Chang Yu was startled and wanted to refute, but then he thought about it, but it was also true.
If he is requisitioned, he will definitely be sent to the front line to fight. If he cannot escape in advance and take advantage of the chaos, life and death will only be determined by God's will once the two armies engage in a melee.
Looking back at Nangong Yu, Chang Yu secretly gritted his teeth: "Seize the horse and charge in!"
This place is the heart of the bandit army and is heavily guarded. It is not easy to break through. It is equally dangerous as being cannon fodder. The reason why Chang Yu chose this path is because it is equally dangerous so why not take the faster one.
There were bandits patrolling the surrounding area. It was easy to seize the horse, but the difficulty was how to break through the barrier. Several people found a side place to discuss in low voices, and finally decided to break through the barrier from the east at dawn.
Dawn is when people are most sleepy, and the safety factor is relatively high at this time. Chang Yu chose the east route because he had previously learned outside Baoding that there were bandits camping on the banks of the three rivers in the west of the city. To break through there would be to risk death.
Although there is also a troop stationed on the banks of the Qingshui River in the southeast of Baoding City, it is enough to take a slightly farther route. In any case, it is safer than taking the west route.
After the agreement was reached, Jiang Fa and Wuzhong went out to look for opportunities to seize the horse, while Qiao Sanxiu stayed with Chang Yu to protect him.
"If you're sleepy, just take a nap." Chang Yu saw that Nangong Yu's eyelids were clenching, but he was holding on.
"I'm not sleepy." Nangong Yu cheered up, rubbed her eyes, and asked Chang Yu casually: "Young master, are those children also rebels?"
Chang Yu was startled, and looked in the direction of her finger, and saw several eleven or twelve-year-old boys holding torches and knives at their waists, showing off their power among the refugees.
Chang Yu sighed and nodded slightly: "He is not only a thief soldier, but also a tough one among the thief soldiers."
"Are they fighting?" Qiao Sanxiu looked surprised and in disbelief.
"We can attack cities and climb walls, march and fight, investigate the enemy's situation, collect intelligence, arrest spies, torture rich gentry and steal money. Do you think it's hard work?" Chang Yu said lightly,
Qiao Sanxiu smiled bitterly and shook his head.
Chang Yu said with emotion: "Everyone in the world knows that our Dongchang murderers are ruthless and ruthless, but these children in front of me are even worse. They have been trained by intruders to become cold-blooded executioners. Without their innocence, they do not distinguish between good and evil, and behave in cold-blooded ways."
, the methods are cruel and vicious.”
Nangong Yu couldn't help but trembled, and leaned towards Chang Yu: "Master, I'm afraid."
Chang Yu stretched out his hand and patted her head: "Uncle Qiao and I are here, no one can hurt you, don't be afraid."
Nangong Yu nodded vigorously and asked, "Master, what does Dongchang do?"
Um... Chang Yu was speechless for a moment, and Qiao Sanxiu quickly looked away.
"A place dedicated to killing people for the emperor," Chang Yu could only say, and Nangong Yu said, "Then young master, please bring me into the East Factory. I will learn martial arts to help the emperor kill thieves."
...Well, besides, Chang Yu felt like he couldn't continue talking.
"Master, trouble is coming, let's sneak over there." At this moment, Qiao Sanxiu whispered. Chang Yu frowned and looked up, only to see three child soldiers walking towards them with torches.
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Book friends, I can keep updating every day. Can’t you vote once a day after reading it? Please. (To be continued)