The closest I came to death was the day before yesterday.
On the day of conscription, I snatched a soldier's knife, but before I could hold it for long, the soldier took it back with a few punches and kicks, and almost killed me in the process.
If it weren't for that unknown man standing up for him, Hu San knew he would probably have lost his life the day before yesterday.
Even now, Hu San still doesn't know the stranger's name or where he lives. Everyone was fleeing that day, and the man only said, "Farewell, take care!" before disappearing into the crowd.
Although Hu San did not know his name, he remembered his benefactor's every word and action clearly.
In his memory, his benefactor spoke to the soldier in a lot of literary language. Hu Sanshang didn't quite understand some of the words, but he remembered one particular scene very clearly.
The benefactor grabbed the soldier's hand that was wielding the knife tightly and roared at him, "I've rebelled!"
This scene, these three words, need no explanation or speculation from anyone. Hu San clearly understood and was deeply moved.
He was amazed by the courage his benefactor possessed, realizing that his benefactor was not like himself, who had only grabbed the knife out of sudden rage but did not know what to do with it.
The benefactor also took the knife, saying:
"But if rebelling can get you back home to plant that field of rice seedlings, then go ahead and rebel!"
"If anyone tries to force you again, just slash them with this knife!!"
That day, his benefactor shouted those words at him loudly, but he didn't do anything about it. At the time, he felt that disaster was imminent. Fortunately, later, for some reason, everyone escaped, and he escaped with them. Only then did he feel a sense of relief at surviving the ordeal.
But now—
Hu San's face was full of anger, his rolled-up trouser legs were already soaked with mud and water. He waded through the muddy water, running towards the soldier lying in the paddy field, his anger almost bursting out.
He knew perfectly well that this time, he had to do just what his benefactor had said that day and tell that son of a bitch:
I, Hu San, will never let you bully me like this!
Knowing he couldn't let the soldier get up, because if he did, he would be trampled underfoot like an animal again, so Hu San lunged at the soldier as he approached him.
With a "smack," he pressed the soldier who was about to get up back down.
Then, a series of angry curses rang out:
"You son of a bitch! What are you trying to do?!"
"What are you doing?! Huh? You even chased me into my field!"
Hu San raised his uninjured left hand and punched the soldier in the back repeatedly. The soldier struggled in the water, trying to get up, but Hu San just kept hitting him randomly. The soldier's mouth was full of mud and water, and he made muffled sounds.
Hu San was furious, hitting and cursing at the same time:
"I started working in the fields with my dad when I was seven! I've farmed all my life and never enjoyed a single day of happiness!"
"The great cause was lost by those lazy, good-for-nothing gentlemen, not by me! They've enjoyed all the good life, and I could never have had a piece of their food or clothing in my entire life. And yet they still lost the great cause! Now look what's happened! They've been attacked, and now they want me to go fight!"
"Why?! Why?!"
"You make it sound so easy for you to say that going to war is for great things, but if we lose, I'll die! If we win, what does it have to do with me? I still have to go back to work!"
"Nobody's stupid, nobody went to fight! Everyone ran away that day! And now you're chasing after me, do you have any conscience at all!"
"If I don't fight for you, you'll destroy my land."
"That emperor lost his job, I think he deserved it! He deserved it!" he cursed angrily.
Hu San's injuries had not yet healed, and he was already exhausted from planting rice seedlings all morning. After a chaotic thrashing, he was panting heavily. Suddenly, his body swayed as his ankle was grabbed, and he fell backward into the paddy field.
"vomit......"
Jin Fengluan struggled to get up from the water and knelt down in the paddy field, spitting out a lot of muddy water. Her messy hair fell out of her helmet, covering half of her face, and was covered with mud. She looked extremely disheveled.
She never imagined that she, as the ruler of a country, would be beaten by a peasant slave in dirty mud.
And now, this country bumpkin who just appeared out of nowhere has actually done it.
He inexplicably threw the water jug, knocking himself off the horse, and then rushed over without asking any questions, throwing punches at him repeatedly.
At the very beginning, he almost drowned himself in the muddy water!
I am the Emperor! Who are you?!
You are nothing but a peasant slave! The most wretched of men!
How dare they lay a hand on me? And they showed no mercy whatsoever, they really intend to kill me!
Anger and humiliation nearly made Jin Fengluan faint, but she understood her current situation: if she collapsed, she would drown in the ankle-deep paddy field.
Throughout history, there has never been an emperor who was beaten to death in a paddy field by a peasant slave.
With a "Pah!", Jin Fengluan spat out another mouthful of muddy water, while Hu San had already staggered to his feet.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jin Fengluan noticed Hu San's movements. She quickly raised a hand and screamed:
"stop!!"
"Don't come any closer!!!"
The sharp roar startled Hu San. He stopped in his tracks and stared in astonishment at the soldier kneeling before him.
It wasn't fear; in fact, Hu San felt a mix of emotions, but not a trace of fear.
After all, when he decided to defend his land, he had already put all the consequences out of his mind.
What stopped him in his tracks was the sound itself. It wasn't a man's voice, especially not a soldier's voice, since their voices are usually rough. But the sound he heard was incredibly sharp, exactly like the screams of the shrewish woman from Gu Laosan's house in the east of the village when she threw a tantrum.
Seeing Hu San standing there motionless, Jin Fengluan took a few quick breaths. She raised her face, mud and water dripping from her brows, and glared fiercely at Hu San, panting as she scolded him:
"You country bumpkin! You scoundrel!"
"Do you know... who I am?!"
"How dare you lay a hand on me?! Do you have a death wish?!"
"I, the Emperor?" Upon hearing this keyword, Hu San's expression changed from its blank state.
“Wh...what?” he asked.
"I am the Emperor of the Great Gan Dynasty! The ruler of this nation!"
"You dare to beat me like that! You bastard!" Waves of pain shot through her back. Although the light armor weakened the power of her punches, the humiliation was far more unbearable than the pain.
She slapped the water's surface, still kneeling and screaming at Hu San.
Hu San moved again, taking a step forward, his bare feet splashing water in the field, and then asked:
"Are you the emperor?"
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