Chapter 183: Escape from the world like a paradise
When Duke Daocheng arrived, the talking stopped.
"Then what?"
A girl shouted urgently.
At noon in early winter, under the big tree at the entrance of Zhangqingshan Village, straw and dry grass were piled on the big bluestone. This is a year-round habit for the elderly to sit on it and bask in the sun.
This is also the favorite place for villagers to gather in winter. At this time, there are many people standing and squatting under the big tree, but the person sitting on the big bluestone is not the old man in the village, but the shopkeeper of De Shengchang of Qingyuan Prefecture.
What he was telling everyone was the siege of Xiongzhou that happened a few days ago. After talking about it in one breath, he took a small teapot and took a sip to moisten his throat.
Liu'er couldn't wait to urge her.
"Then naturally, Duke Cheng Guo repelled two thousand gold thieves, solved the siege of Xiongzhou, and saved the people." Miss Jun, who was sitting on the wooden pier nearby, said with a smile.
The shopkeeper smiled and nodded.
"Yes, Duke Cheng Guo must be invincible." He said with a bit of pride, "We northerners all know that."
He said this and looked around, hoping to get the approval of the villagers.
Lei Zhonglian and other guards are all outsiders, and may not have deep feelings for Duke Cheng. Only the people living in the North know best and are most grateful.
But the scene was quiet, and the villagers standing or squatting around looked calm and seemed not to hear what he said.
Are the mountain people here too isolated?
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment.
But now it is wartime, and the days are different from before. The victory or defeat of Duke Cheng is related to everyone's life and death.
He sighed softly.
"Fortunately, Duke Cheng arrived in time, otherwise Xiongzhou City would have been doomed. More than half of the people in Xiongzhou were hiding in the city, and when gold thieves crossed the border, they burned, killed, looted, and massacred villages and cities at every turn.
" He continued, "The life and death of the people are on one hand, but more importantly, the location of Xiongzhou is too critical."
As he spoke, he drew a few lines on the ground with a branch.
"This is Baozhou, Mozhou, Bazhou, and Xiongzhou..."
"This is the wrong location."
A villager suddenly said, interrupting the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, what's wrong?
A smile appeared on the corner of Miss Jun's mouth. She coughed lightly, took out a straw from the big bluestone and pointed it at the location of Baozhou in the shopkeeper's painting.
"That's wrong, Baozhou is here." She said, drawing another circle on the ground.
Ah? Oh, here? He has been to Baozhou, but there is a difference between knowing the road and drawing the specific location of a place. Otherwise, why are maps so rare?
No matter how rare it is, there must be one in the Fang family. Miss Jun would not be surprised to see it.
But that villager...
The shopkeeper was a little startled.
"The location of Xiongzhou is very important, but it won't be easy for Duke Cheng Guo to come over and protect Xiongzhou this time, right?" Miss Jun suddenly asked.
These words made the shopkeeper alert and put aside his thoughts.
"Yes, yes." He said hurriedly, and then sighed, "Cheng Guogong came all the way. It was really a way to fight. There were ambushes in front of him and pursuers in the back. How many people discouraged him from going there for rescue. I was most afraid of going there.
Afterwards, Xiongzhou has fallen, and not to mention the useless efforts, Duke Cheng Guo, who ran exhausted, was about to be severely beaten by the gold thieves who occupied the city."
Liu'er nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and Lei Zhonglian and other guards were also nervous and excited. Although they were bodyguards, it was different from fighting on the battlefield.
Men, especially those who practice martial arts, always have a bloodthirsty nature for war.
"How did he kill him?" Miss Jun also asked curiously.
The legends of Cheng Guogong's battles were all ten years ago. As a child, she didn't pay much attention to those long-standing stories, especially after meeting Cheng Guogong.
The Duke Cheng Guo who was sitting in the study wearing a sapphire blue muslin robe. Although his face was not fair and delicate, he exuded a gentle and humble look because of his slight smile. He was taller than the common civil servants in the court, but he was also taller.
He is not a heroic hero like the one in the book.
He is like a scholar.
"Of course Duke Cheng Guo is a scholar." Her father answered her question, "To be a good general, you must have read a lot of books."
I didn't expect to be able to hear Duke Cheng Guo actually fight with his own ears. Of course, no one expected this kind of thing.
But the story of Cheng Guogong's war is indeed loved by everyone. The story of how one can always find a way out of despair is both inspiration and comfort.
The shopkeeper took a few sips of tea again, cleared his throat and was about to speak.
"The pony is about to give birth."
A child suddenly shouted in the distance.
The horses Liu Er asked for had been successfully delivered some time ago, and there were also a few mares. The shopkeeper considered that farmers always have to raise something, and raising cattle, pigs, and horses is also possible.
The villagers were overjoyed at the arrival of the horses and kept them as treasures.
When they heard that the pony was about to be dismounted, the people gathered around the big tree stood up with a roar.
"So fast?"
"Isn't it tomorrow?"
"Is it okay? Is there any danger?"
"What are you afraid of? It's not like I have never served a horse before. I have the sixth one here."
Everyone was chatting and laughing as they ran towards the stables. In a blink of an eye, only Miss Jun and her group were left under the big tree.
The shopkeeper looked stunned.
"But, I want to talk about Duke Cheng fighting against the golden thieves who besieged the city..." he murmured.
Isn't it less attractive than giving birth to a pony?
Several older men walked slowly and looked back when they heard his murmur.
"War is nothing more than those things." An old man said, "There's nothing strange about it."
Is war nothing more than those things?
What things?
Not surprising? It sounds like they have seen many wars.
The shopkeeper stared at the group of people and walked away.
These people may have actually seen fighting. Miss Jun thought about the weapons they claimed to be officers and soldiers, and the formations they had arranged, not to mention the armor and weapon formations in the master's handbook.
Where did they come from? What past did they have? And why did they live in seclusion here? It is definitely not because of Zhao Hanqing's illness.
"Oh, don't worry about them." Liu'er urged, "Let's talk about it quickly, how did Duke Cheng defeat these gold thieves who besieged the city? Is he really that powerful?"
As long as Miss Jun likes to listen, it's fine. These people don't care whether they listen or not. The shopkeeper regained his energy and talked about how Duke Cheng led his soldiers to arrange their troops and how to fight with the gold thieves in the wild. Although they traveled a long distance and fought all the way.
He came over, but still went down the mountain as fast as a tiger, repelling the golden thief step by step, and finally fled in a panic.
Liu Er, Lei Zhonglian and others listened intently, and Miss Jun seemed to have seen the battle scene. Duke Cheng was sitting in the circular formation. Although he did not kill the enemy himself, the soldiers were like his right and left hands, following him.
He made arrangements to strike out and retract, smashing the enemy's armor and breaking their courage with one sword after another.
The setting sun was like blood. Miss Jun raised her head and looked at the sun that had already hung on the top of the mountain at some point.
"It sounds easy and beautiful, but it's actually not easy." She said to herself.
The shopkeeper nodded and sighed softly.
"The war is getting more and more intense." He whispered, and looked at the mountain village.
In the distance, the cows swayed their tails and slowly followed the shepherd boy back. Smoke was rising from the cooking pots. There was a burst of cheers in the village. That was because a pony was born.
Compared with the outside world, this place is truly a paradise.
As time goes by, the war becomes more and more intense. In many bustling northern capitals, businesses have stopped, shops have closed, villages and fields have been abandoned, people have sought refuge with relatives and friends, and the rich have fled south with their families.
.
But after all, there are only a few people who can run south. Many people are unable to leave their homeland and have no money to leave. Everyone is waiting for Duke Cheng to drive away the gold thieves. Just like in the past, the Northland will once again regain stability and prosperity.
"I believe Cheng Guogong can do it."
Standing in the forest, Miss Jun said, letting go of the bow and arrow in her hand.
With a buzzing sound, the crude self-made feather arrow landed steadily on the grass target.
Zhao Hanqing said, "Gong Cheng Guo didn't feel anything for her. Like all the villagers here, he didn't care about the battle outside. He took out the arrow and threw it back."
"Do it again." She said seriously.
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Thanks to Bingyi from the South for the reward of He Shibi, (づ￣￣)づ╭?～
Thank you all.
It’s Friday, time really flies by like lightning, and I feel so sad. (To be continued)