125 Chapter 125

Burning, killing, and looting

The fields of northern Yan were bathed in sunshine. A few weasels emerged from the pond and climbed up the dead trees. It was autumn.

The long grass blocked the view. The Mongolian soldiers came out from the narrow and dangerous place and sneaked into the border outpost silently. With a raised knife, they cut the throat of the unsuspecting guard.

Hundreds of Mongol soldiers, one after another, slipped through the natural barriers, launched silent raids, and with a cry of destruction, burst into the Yan camp. The unprepared Yan soldiers were hacked to pieces, thrown into a panic, some even losing their weapons.

Shangguan Duan was the deputy general of the front camp. The first time he killed someone, he did it as easily as chopping melons. He chopped until his hands and feet were numb.

In order to climb the dangerous terrain, they only brought bows and arrows and swords. The Yan army camp on the border was their supply. They seized the swords and guns, looted the war horses, and killed the fleeing Yan soldiers one by one.

The commander of the front camp shouted, pointing his whip at a distant line. "Look! That's the Yan people's village. Kill as many as you can! Loot as many as you can!"

"Kill!" The shout was like thunder, scaring the weasels and brown pheasants away in all directions.

A cool breeze blew through the sky and the earth, and the farmer, who was sweating all over after tying the straw, shivered.

A flock of geese flew overhead.

The brought back rice was piled up in the Songzhuang drying yard. Huaihua carried a tea bucket to scoop water for the working men. Chougou came forward to help, but Huaihua turned around and refused to scoop water for him. The people who were resting there laughed at him.

Mu Yun felt something in his heart. He looked up at the sky and saw the smell of burning straw in the wind.

The cool and refreshing autumn weather is the time to store grain in warehouses, so fire prevention is particularly important.

He asked Tong'erdan to fetch the horse. Tong'erdan brought it over, and he jumped on the horse, saying, "I'll go and take a look."

The villagers who stayed in the drying yard to thresh the grain asked each other what had happened. Those with sharp noses naturally smelled the smell of fire in the air.

"Is there a fire somewhere?"

Mu Yun walked around the village and found nothing special, but he keenly smelled a faint fishy smell in the air, accompanied by the smell of fire. That was the smell of the battlefield!

His face suddenly changed. He tightened the reins, changed direction, and galloped his horse. He ran a short distance to the northwest before tightening the reins again and turning back.

"Raid! Mongolian raid!"

In the distance, Mongolian soldiers were killing people wantonly in Huangli Village. Mu Yun didn't think about anything else and quickly retreated, running wildly along the road to warn his neighbors.

It was too late! Huangli Village was only seven or eight miles away from Songzhuang. By the time they came over from that side, it would only take a quarter of a second! But he still went around to the drying yard first and notified the people there, telling everyone to escape quickly.

The old and young, strong and young in the threshing ground stood there in a daze.

"The Mongolian soldiers are attacking? How is that possible!"

"What should we do? The millet has just been harvested and hasn't been stored in the warehouse yet! These sons of bitches are getting a great deal!"

"Don't think too much, just escape!"

“…”

Six, seven, or eight people lay on the kang in rows and finally fell asleep. Cheng Mu tiptoed out of the door. There was a commotion outside the yard, and Mu Yun rode his horse directly into the yard.

Just as Cheng Mu was about to scold her, Mu Yun dismounted and strode forward, his eyes fixed on her.

He hadn't dared to look at her like this for a long time. Cheng Xi felt uneasy for some reason. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Outside the yard, the horses were snorting, Huaihua was calling "Mummy", Xu Xiuying was calling "Badou", and it was a mess.

"Are the children asleep?" Mu Yun walked over to her, his clothes bumping against hers. "The Mongols have reached Huangli Village. Wake the children up, grab the important things and leave quickly!"

What!

This news was like a bolt from the blue, and Cheng Mu was frozen in place.

Mu Yun walked past her, opened the door, and went to call Xiaoliu, Xiaoqi, and Badou.

In May and July, the Meng Kingdom sent envoys to Yunzhou for negotiations, demanding to increase the types of tribute. The Yan Kingdom repeatedly refused and even captured and killed the envoys. At that time, Mu Yun smelled danger and urged Cheng Mi to leave several times.

But Cheng Mu was hesitant to make up her mind to leave. She waited for the sowing in spring, the harvest in summer, month after month, until today, until the Mongolian people came to burn and kill people, within ten miles!

Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi were still confused when they woke up, but they became excited when they heard that the Mongolians were coming to kill them. Mu Yun often taught the six, seven and eight children how to escape if the Mongolians attacked them one day.

Liuqiba, full of energy, had dug a cave on the hillside and often went there to play games. When he heard this, he immediately shouted, "Hide in the cave quickly!"

This is not playing house. Mu Yun said solemnly, "We can't stay here. We must hurry to Puyang City."

Puyang City has a city wall and can hold out for a long time, making it safer. If we wait for the soldiers guarding Yunzhou, the disaster can be averted.

"Auntie, let's go!"

"mother!"

Cheng Mu had reacted. The scene of the Mongolian soldiers burning, killing and looting upstairs in the inn in Tianma Town appeared in her mind. She controlled herself and tried to remain calm.

Xu Xiuying, Huaihua and Yapo all gathered here. Xu Xiuying breathed a sigh of relief when she saw six, seven or eight people gathered together. Huaihua and Yapo had already put on their bags, which contained the cakes they had hurriedly packed.

The escorts had already picked up their weapons and were each holding their own horses.

Mu Yun took inventory and handed six, seven, and eight to three escorts, each taking one, and told them to ride straight to Puyang City and not stop on the way.

"We swear to complete the task entrusted to us by the young master at all costs!" The three of them took the child and rode away without delay.

"Mother! Mother!"

Six, seven, eight people cried out one after another.

Xu Xiuying covered her chest and started crying.

As the sound of horse hooves faded away and the cries faded, Cheng Mu felt a pang of sadness.

There were three horses and two donkeys left. Riding a donkey was too slow to escape, but three horses could only take away six people at most.

Xu Xiuying never expected to be chosen first. That was the escorts' horse. She was already satisfied that Badou was taken away.

"Madam Cheng, you two go ahead. Saohu and I will guard the manor. We have so many things here. Let's hide. If we're lucky, the Mongols won't find us. Once they retreat, we'll be safe..."

Xu Xiuying took the initiative to withdraw, "If I'm unlucky - I'll leave Badou to you guys from now on!"

After Xu Xiuying finished speaking, she pulled Saohu away without staying for a moment longer, not wanting to make things difficult for Cheng Mu.

Huaihua grabbed the knot of the bundle tightly. She was very scared and her hands were shaking.

Mu Yun handed Huaihua and Yapo to the other two escorts, and said, "You go first!"

Chou Gou was desperate, "Master Yun, Madam Cheng!" He wanted to follow Huaihua, but Huaihua extended her hand to the escort on horseback, and did not even glance at him until he was brought onto the horse.

Mu Yun said, "Go to Zhaojia Village. There are four horses there to take you."

Today, two escorts went to Zhaojia Village to help Guier and the others collect food. Guier already had two horses, and in an emergency, only one horse could carry two people, which was just enough.

Moreover, the Mongols had to pass through here before going to Zhaojia Village, so the opportunity could still be seized and the people of Zhaojia Village could be notified to flee quickly.

Mu Yun helped Cheng Mu onto the horse, then turned over and sat behind her, holding the reins.

"Sister Xiuying, do they have a chance to survive if they stay here?" Cheng Mu felt very regretful. In order to escape, she had exchanged the two horses for a donkey with better strength and endurance.

Mu Yun did not answer. He held Cheng Mu in front of him and concentrated on controlling the horse.

The horse ran to the high slope and looked to the northwest. The Mongols had already rushed out of Huangli Village and were heading towards Songzhuang. The people in Songzhuang had been alerted early, and many people had already run out of the village.

The smelly dog ​​squeezed in among the crowd, running with all its might. But these people were less than half the village's population, and it was harvest time, with so much food, who would be willing to abandon a year's hard work and run for their lives?

Further away were the two escorts who had set out earlier, carrying Huaihua and Ya Po respectively. They were approaching Zhaojia Village and seemed to be heading towards the drying yard.

"Walk!"

The horse turned around and continued to head towards Puyang City with Mu Yun and Cheng Mu, leaving the crowd behind.

When passing by Zhaojia Village, two horses rushed out.

The person who came saw that it was them and called out, "Master Yun!"

It was Caobai and Guize who were carrying Sophora japonica and the mute woman.

Three horses carrying six people gathered together.

Cao Bai said anxiously, "Master Yun, we originally planned to go around to Zhaojia Village to warn Jin Xiong and the others—most of the people from Zhaojia Village are in the drying yard, surrounded by more than a dozen Mongolian soldiers!"

Mu Yun was shocked: "Have the Mongols already arrived in Zhaojia Village?"

Cao Bai glanced at Cheng Mu and said with a stiff upper lip, "We hid and investigated, and heard the Mongolian soldiers demanding the people of Zhaojia Village hand over Madam Cheng. They're coming for Madam Cheng!"

Mu Yun's face tightened, and his eyes swept across the two of them like knives. How could he say such words in front of Madam Cheng? What should he do to her?

Gui Ze was startled, but then he reacted and quickly said, "The Mongolian soldiers are here with ill intentions. We swear to protect Madam Cheng's safety! We can't stay here for long. We must leave as soon as possible!"

"Wait!" Cheng Xi said.

Mu Yun's heart was in his throat.

Cheng Mu's heart felt like it was thrown into a frying pan, tormented inside and out. Teach him how to turn a blind eye and turn a deaf ear!

"You said the Mongolian soldiers took the whole village, young and old, and threatened to hand me over?"

Cao Bai stuttered, "Maybe we were mistaken. We only saw the Mongolian soldiers surrounding the village."

Cheng Mu asked him, "Why did the Mongolian soldiers burn and kill people in Huangli Village, but only surround people in Zhaojia Village?"

Cao Bai didn't know how to answer.

Mu Yun had already changed his mindset and asked, "Did you really see clearly that there were only a dozen or so Mongolian soldiers surrounding Zhaojia Village?"

Cao Bai: "Yes, I counted them specifically. There were about fifteen of them, less than twenty. They were wearing scale armor, holding scimitars, and some of them carried bows and arrows."

Mu Yun was already weighing the chances of winning. The three of them, plus Gui'er, Jin Xiong and Wanli, could take down at least twelve people. Even if Li Yu and his three brothers were at least weak, they could still fight against one person. Not to mention that there were still young and strong people in Zhaojia Village, it was not impossible to take down this group of scattered soldiers.

If there aren't enough weapons, there won't be enough people to make up for it.

"Sister-in-law?"

Cheng Xi straightened her back and said, "Then let's go over and take a look."

The mute woman wanted to shout but couldn't. She waved her arms, not allowing Cheng Mu to go into danger. Huaihua's body was shaking, and her voice was shaking too, "Madam Cheng, it's dangerous!"

Cheng Mu comforted them, "Since the Mongolian soldiers are asking the people of Zhaojia Village for me, my life is at least safe. There's no need to worry. But you don't have to take any risks."

She showed them the way: "Go through the fields. Escape on foot like the people in Songzhuang. Once we've dealt with Zhaojia Village, we'll come after you."

Mu Yun gave a look, and Cao Bai and Gui Ze let Huaihua and Ya Po off their horses.

The two of them didn't want to escape alone and kept begging. Cheng Mu said, "Huaihua, take good care of the mute woman!"

The three horses galloped towards Zhaojia Village.