What a pity for such a good dish
On an autumn morning in the capital, the sky was dim and a thin mist like gauze enveloped the quiet village.
The fields were still wet with cool dew from the previous night, and the golden grain had just been stored in the cellar. After paying taxes, there was still a few bites left to eat. This year was considered a rare bumper year.
Under the old locust tree at the east end of the village, farmer Zhang Laowu and his wife Wang were carefully stacking the last few bundles of fresh green vegetables into their carrying pole. The leaves were still covered with crystal dewdrops, and they looked emerald green.
"The vegetables on this basket today are very fresh and juicy. If I go to the morning market, I might be able to sell them for twenty or thirty cents." Zhang Laowu wiped the sweat off his face with a coarse cloth, with a look of joy on his face.
"In a few days, I'll go to the city to find work, save some money, buy a few feet of cloth, and make a new coat for the child for the winter."
Wang straightened up, with a look of distress in her eyes: "Master, don't overwork yourself. After the autumn harvest, you can at least take a break in the winter."
"I know. I'll definitely take a break." Zhang Laowu smiled naively. "When this busy period is over and we have some free time in winter, we can stay in the house, warm ourselves by the fire, and enjoy some quiet time."
In this simple conversation, there is the most sincere yearning for ordinary days.
Although not rich, there is grain in the warehouse, food in the stomach, and a future ahead. It seems that this world has finally given hardworking people a chance to breathe.
Suddenly, a strange noise broke the tranquility of the early morning.
The sound was vague at first, like the whistling of the wind blowing through a dead forest, mixed with the faint sounds of horses' hooves trampling and metal colliding, quickly coming from far away.
"What's that sound?" Wang listened attentively, with an uneasy look on her face.
Zhang Laowu also frowned. Why were there still screams?
His heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong!
"Go inside first! Lock the door! Don't come out unless I tell you to!"
He pushed his wife into the house.
"Boss, you..." Wang was panicked.
"Go quickly!" Zhang Laowu growled, picked up the axe for chopping firewood by the door, took a deep breath, and then opened the gate.
But the scene outside the door made him freeze in place, and his blood ran cold.
In the mist, the shadows were all of galloping cavalry.
Those cavalrymen had braided hair and furs on their backs, had ferocious faces, and held sharp scimitars in their hands. They would chop down anyone they saw and burn down any house they saw!
Familiar neighbors cried and ran away, being cut down as easily as wheat straw. Blood dyed the loess road red, and flames danced in the morning mist, like a cave of hell.
He didn't even see who was coming towards him. He only felt a flash of piercing cold light, a chill on his neck, and his vision was spinning.
The last thing he saw was his headless body falling to the ground, warm blood spurting out, staining his basket of juicy green vegetables red.
At the last moment, he thought, how could he waste such delicious food like this? It seems that he can’t sell it at a good price.
The head rolled to the ground, its eyes wide open.
There have never been many good days in this life, and now I have completely lost all hope.
The small village became a living hell.
Baru, the commander of ten thousand men from the Western Qiang, reined in his horse and stood at the entrance of the village, watching his cavalrymen wreak havoc indifferently.
He licked the blood foam that splashed on his lips and grinned grimly, "The Southern Dynasty Emperor's capital has high walls, so it's difficult for us to go in and greet him. So, let's slaughter all the farms outside his capital! Pile up the heads of these two-legged sheep and build a Jingguan!"
"Even if that bastard emperor stands on the city wall, he can see it clearly! I'm going to stamp his face into the mud!"
"Yes! General!"
Five thousand elite cavalrymen of the Western Qiang, with the village as their center, rushed madly towards the towns and villages around the capital. Wherever they passed, no grass was left, thick smoke billowed, and wails shook the sky.
In towns and villages, blood is shed day and night, and there is no rest. Even the eighteen levels of hell are not as miserable as this.
Gentry, tenants, men and women, old and young, officials, scholars, farmers, merchants, tens of thousands of people were not spared and all lost their lives in October of the second year of the Guangqi reign.
*
The bloody news spread quickly into the walled capital like a plague.
At first, there were sporadic cries of refugees, and then the defenders on the city walls could clearly see the billowing smoke in the distance and heard faint howls on the wind. Panic spread like a tide, and the people in the city were panicked and angry.
"Send troops! Why doesn't the imperial court send troops?"
"The Western Qiang dogs are killing people outside the city! Our fellow villagers are being slaughtered!"
"Where are the Imperial Guards? Where are the Beijing Camp? Go and kill the enemy!"
However, upon receiving the urgent military report, Emperor Guangqi in the Purple Palace issued a special decree: "Close the nine gates tightly to strengthen the city's defenses. All units of the Beijing Camp must hold their positions strictly. Anyone who moves without my order will be executed! The Western Qiang are ferocious. This is a tactic to lure the enemy into chaos. Protecting the vital capital is our top priority!"
When the decree was announced, there was an uproar.
Countless soldiers listened to the wails of their compatriots outside the city, with veins bulging on their hands holding their weapons, but they had to stay on the top of the city and watch the fireworks spread in the distance.
*
The news also reached the Pan family, who were in mourning.
The white flags in the mansion have not been removed, and they are all plain.
Pan Hao, whose hair turned white overnight because his father, General Pan, was killed in a palace coup, knelt in front of the coffin in a linen robe. His former arrogance had long been washed away by the tragedy.
When the old housekeeper rushed in crawling and tearfully complained about the tragic scene of the Western Qiang cavalry slaughtering civilians in the suburbs of Beijing and causing the Jingguan, Pan Hao raised his head.
He was thinking, what would his father do if he encountered this situation?
In less than a moment, he had the answer.
"Prepare the horse and bring me my armor." He stood up suddenly and stopped kneeling before his father's tablet.
"Master! No, absolutely not!" The old butler rushed over and hugged his legs, tears streaming down his face.
"His Majesty has ordered you to remain in mourning for three years. You are defying his orders! Furthermore, His Majesty has issued a strict order for the troops not to leave the city. Going out now is a capital offense!"
Pan Hao paused and looked at his father's tablet. The tragic image of his father's life of military service and his miserable end flashed before his eyes, as did the countless innocent people being slaughtered outside the city.
If he were his father, he would never hesitate.
It is my father's destiny to sacrifice his life on the battlefield and protect his country and people.
It's his fate too.
After a moment of deep thought, he finally said, "My father served his country with loyalty and bravery his entire life. If he were still alive, he would die with regrets if he saw me, because of my filial piety, watching the people being slaughtered by the barbarians and the Pan family spears being buried in the dust, their bloodiness lost."
He pushed the housekeeper away and said, "I was foolish in the past, not knowing the importance of things, and failed to live up to my father's teachings. Now I finally understand what it means to be a descendant of a military family and a pillar of the country. My family, country and people are before me. My personal safety is nothing compared to a mere imperial decree."
He ignored the housekeeper's pleading and walked straight into the inner hall, took off his linen clothes, and put on the old armor left by his father, which was stained with blood and dust.
The armor was cold, but it seemed to carry the father's lingering hopes.
Father, I finally understand you today.
Don't blame me.
Pan Hao rode out of the mansion alone, wearing a white horse and silver armor. Although he looked young, his hair was white. He could not express the sorrow he had endured in the past three years.
The young white-haired general went straight to the camp outside the capital, but encountered obstacles. The generals outside the capital were all the men of Emperor Guangqi at this moment, so how could they let him take the soldiers away?
He knew he had no authority to mobilize troops, but how could he give up?
So he rushed into the training ground, stood on the reviewing platform, and looked at the soldiers below.
"Brothers! The Western Qiang barbarians are outside the city, slaughtering our fellow villagers! Burning our homes! Building a Jingguan with the heads of our Southern Dynasty people!"
"The imperial court has issued an order to hold our ground and wait for help! But where can we expect that help? By the time we wait, the blood outside the city has already flowed like a river, leaving no one alive!"
"I'm Pan Hao, the son of General Pan! I was a bastard in the past, I've let my father down, I've let this bloodline down, but today, I can't watch the people die any longer."
He drew his sword from his waist and pointed it in the direction of the fireworks rising outside the city. "I am willing to follow my father's example and die for my country. Are you willing to follow me out of the city and save the people from danger?"
"Even if I die, I will not be ashamed of the uniform I wear, and I will not be ashamed of the expectations of my family!"
Dead silence.
After a brief silence, all the soldiers shouted in unison.
"I'm willing to follow the Major General!"
"Damn it! I'm so frustrated! I'm going to fight this Xiqiang dog!"
"Killing the enemy for the country is a worthy death! Count me in!"
The crowd was excited and their blood was boiling!
Although Emperor Guangqi had replaced the main generals of the Beijing Camp long ago, there were still many former members of the Pan family among the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers, and even more people admired General Pan.
Seeing that the young general was willing to disobey the order and die first, who would care about so much else!
Thousands of soldiers with red eyes gathered spontaneously, opened the camp gates with a bang, and followed the white-haired young man who was leading the way, rushing towards the fields outside the capital filled with killing!
He completely ignored the generals behind him trying to stop him, and was deaf to the various threats.
Has the military order become a piece of waste paper?
*
The news quickly reached the palace.
"What? Pan Hao? How dare he leave the place of mourning without permission? And even incite the troops to leave the city privately?" Emperor Guangqi could hardly believe his ears, and then he was filled with anger.
He had clearly replaced the generals and issued strict orders, so why were those soldiers still allowed to be taken away by Pan Hao? Do they still have eyes for the emperor? Do they still have eyes for the law?
"A traitor! No different from Ning Lingyi! Both of them are traitors!" Emperor Guangqi was so angry that he was shaking all over and his face turned ashen.
"Does he still have my will in his eyes? If everyone is as disobedient and self-willed as he is, how can I maintain my throne? Where is the law of the court?"
How could Emperor Guangqi not be shocked? Pan Hao's father, Pan Wei, had served the retired emperor for a long time and was his most trusted confidant. He had spent a lot of effort to defeat the Pan family and support his own people to lead the army, but he didn't expect.
A small Pan Hao could lead thousands of soldiers just by going to the camp?
He can lead thousands of soldiers today, but what about tomorrow?
Isn't it because he can't stand this emperor who forced his father to kill his brother? What if he leads troops to drive him off the throne? How could he tolerate it?
Frightened and furious, he issued three imperial edicts, each more severe and urgent than the last:
The first one accused Pan Hao of disregarding his emperor and father, being disloyal and unfilial, abandoning his post without permission, and inciting military morale. He was immediately stripped of all his titles and ordered to return to the capital alone to apologize.
The second strict order was issued to all camps outside the capital: anyone who followed Pan Hao out of the city must return immediately and no one would be held accountable! If anyone hesitated any further, they would be charged with treason.
The third order was to keep the troops stationed in the capital under close surveillance. If Pan Hao and his followers retreated close to the capital, they were not to be allowed in and were to be driven away with bows and crossbows. Anyone who dared to attack the city gates would be killed without mercy.
However, at this moment, Pan Hao no longer cared about so many things.
He had already led thousands of passionate soldiers and charged into the Western Qiang cavalry that was wreaking havoc and slaughtering people.
In this battle, the general will surely trample on the blood of the Yan clan and chop off the head of the Western Qiang with his flag.
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