Chapter 115 Serving the Thief with Your Body
Zhao Bantou twisted his red wrist and gave an embarrassed smile.
He looked at the backs of Xu Qingying and Li Datou walking side by side, and for a moment he couldn't tell what he felt in his heart.
Miss Xu... do you even know what rebellion means?... This bunch of idiots wants to rebel? This is a complete joke!
Well, let's think on the bright side, at least their lives are saved -
As for how to write a performance report when he returns, and how to explain to his superiors their journey from exile to escape and then to rebellion, he really didn't want to think about it.
Li Datou and Xu Qingying walked into the city arm in arm.
Looking at the backs of the two people in the front, Xu Lezhi, who was supporting Xu Deyuan, couldn't help but glare at the man, gritting his teeth and saying, "Dad, Xu Qingying doesn't take our second branch seriously at all. She even dared to treat you like this in front of everyone! I can't swallow this anger. I must find a way to avenge you!"
“That’s enough!”
Xu Lezhi thought Xu Deyuan would be as angry as she was, and even grateful for her filial piety. However, Xu Deyuan scolded her, "Since you know that she doesn't take the second wife seriously, why bother to provoke her?"
Xu Deyuan hesitated, gritted his teeth, and said with great difficulty: "She is also doing this for the good of our Xu family. Don't get angry with her."
"Dad!" Xu Lezhi looked at Xu Deyuan in disbelief, not understanding why Xu Deyuan had become so timid. He bit his teeth lightly, tears welling up in his eyes. "You're afraid of her, but I'm not! If she dares to hit you, she'll be hitting the entire Xu family's second branch! How can we live in the team from now on? Since she's so ruthless, why should we keep putting up with her?"
Xu Deyuan glared at Xu Lezhi, and then remembered that Xu Qingying had cut someone's throat with a knife one second, and was chatting and laughing with Zhao Bantou the next second. This woman... is simply a big devil.
How can the simple-minded Xu Lezhi be a match for Xu Qingying?
Xu Deyuan had no choice but to scold: "Enough, it's not your turn to make the decision on the second house's affairs! I told you not to mess with Xu Qingying. If anything goes wrong, I can't help you!"
What could go wrong?!
Xu Lezhi thought resentfully in his heart, but his own father seemed unmoved.
No, we must think of a way, otherwise, will Xu Qingying really have the final say in the entire Xu family in the future?
It is impossible for her to bow to Xu Qingying in this lifetime!
Xu Qingying simply acknowledged her identity as a man and walked into the city side by side with Li Datou.
However, what I saw was a desolate scene.
The streets were deserted, littered with the rubble of war. Shops were either closed or completely looted. The streets had been roughly swept, but still stained with dried blood, giving one an idea of the brutality of their entry into the city.
Xu Qingying's heart was shaken, as if she could see the smoke of war through everything in front of her.
She calmly counted the soldiers under Li Datou's command. There were at least two thousand of them, including those on the city wall and inside the city.
They are like sheep walking into the tiger's mouth!
The people behind him fell silent upon seeing this, and their previously relaxed mood became even more tense at this moment.
Only at this moment did they realize that even though Li Datou was a simple-minded gangster, he was definitely a ruthless gangster who had seen blood.
They should never be underestimated!
Li Datou ignored the oppressive and gloomy atmosphere, hugged Xu Qingying and said, "Military Advisor, even though this city doesn't look good, there's still enough food! Let's rest comfortably here for a few days, and then go and seize the next place!"
Xu Qingying suppressed her shock and asked, "Do we need to move to another place?"
"Of course not! We've run out of food, so we have to move." Li Datou patted Xu Qingying's shoulder again and laughed. "Military Advisor, don't worry. Follow me, Li Datou, and you'll have plenty to eat. We rebelled just to have enough food and drink. How can we let our brothers go to war on an empty stomach? If there's no food in the city, we'll just go and rob it. I tell you, I have more than 2,000 brothers under my command. With so many of us, maybe we can even capture Jinzhou Prefecture!"
"That's right! Big Brother Li is in command. We are so lucky to be able to follow Big Brother Li. We will surely be able to wear gold and silver in the near future. I hope Big Brother Li will continue to support us in the future!"
"Sure, sure!"
Fighting and rebelling, after all this talk, aren't they just bandits?
Depend on.
Xu Qingying cursed the sky.
Very good, fate has been full of ups and downs. She has successfully fallen from a lady with a clean background to an exiled prisoner, and then from an exiled prisoner to a fugitive, and finally she even became a bandit?
The future is really promising, and things are becoming more and more promising these days.
Xu Qingying looked at the devastated city, the deserted streets, and the crooked soldiers, and her heart couldn't help but feel heavy.
Bianjing was still a peaceful and prosperous city, and I could still see a few refugees in Xingyuan Prefecture. But once I got to Jinzhou, I saw starving people everywhere and refugees running around. I wondered what the situation would be like in Qianzhou.
"Come, come, let me introduce you to this, this is my great military advisor—"
Xu Qingying concealed her deep worry and looked up to see a thin, middle-aged man wearing a green silk scarf approaching. He was tall and thin, with a pair of bright eyes and a habitual hunchback, suggesting he was quite old.
Still a scholar.
This person smiles as soon as he meets you, which easily makes people feel good about him.
"Military Advisor, come here!" Li Datou hugged the man, who immediately put on a flattering smile and naturally looked at Xu Qingying. "Look at the happy face of the City Lord. Could it be that something good has happened to him?"
"This is truly a great thing! Not only do we have over a hundred new fellow villagers, but we also have another military advisor. But don't worry, no one can shake your position as the chief military advisor. This is the second-in-command. This guy is eloquent and speaks elegantly. He's a promising talent. I've already appointed him as the second-in-command, below you!"
The man looked Xu Qingying up and down.
Kid?
The man was thin and small, with two shallow dimples on his lips and a pair of big, bright eyes. He was not nervous when he saw him, but instead gave him the same scrutinizing look.
My goodness, isn't this a girl?
Hu Wei didn't expose his intentions, but simply clasped his fists and said, "Congratulations to the City Lord for finding another great general. What may I ask your name, sir?"
"Young Master?" Li Datou laughed heartily and patted Xu Qingying on the shoulder, nearly making her spit out blood. "This kid's family is just farmers. What Young Master? Call him Xiao Xu."
Xiao Xu?
This familiar name brought back memories of when she was a grassroots cadre in the township.
Xu Qingying bowed and saluted, "May I ask what your name is, Military Advisor?"
"My last name is Hu, Guyue Hu. I'm much older than you, so you can just call me Uncle Hu." Hu Wei nodded, her attitude seemingly indifferent, but her eyes glanced at the people behind her with interest, "Are these all the fellow villagers who came to seek refuge today?"
"That's right. I see there are a few capable fighters in there." Li Datou pointed at Zhao Bantou and Dazhuang. "Look, that tall one, he looks like he can fight."
Da Zhuang immediately put on his acting skills and said naively, "I'm the best fighter. No kid in the village has ever been able to beat me. I even tamed a cow when I was little..."
Xu Qingying rolled her eyes, deeply impressed by Liu Dazhuang's acting skills.
Hu Wei stroked his beard with satisfaction and said, "This man can be a vanguard general."
"What the military advisor said is exactly what I like." Li Datou clapped his hands and smiled. "These guys are incredible. They fled all the way from the south of Jinzhou and even fought against people from the imperial court along the way. They are definitely capable fighters. When the time comes, let them all serve as the vanguard. It will be no problem for us to attack Jinzhou Prefecture!"
Hu Wei quickly complimented him with a smile, "The City Lord is truly a master strategist, a military genius rarely seen in a century! Under his wise command, I'm sure we'll be able to capture Jinzhou Prefecture in one fell swoop and let the people of Jinzhou Prefecture live a good life!"
wipe.
What's going on.
How come you, a scholar, are better at lying than Xu Qingying, Grand Military Advisor?
They even captured Jinzhou Prefecture. Do you know how many soldiers were stationed in Jinzhou? With such a small number of soldiers, they thought they could attack the capital of a province?
If this isn’t flattery, what is?
Xu Qingying couldn't help but look at Hu Wei deeply.
Then she pursed her lips and understood that everyone was trying to make a living and it wasn't easy.
It is hard to believe that Hu Wei, a scholar, could disregard the dignity of scholars and serve the thieves to such an extent. If this were to be spread out, scholars all over the world would probably raise funds overnight to clean up the mess.
Li Datou was very much impressed by this and was actually moved to tears. "It turns out that the military advisor really understands me. If I rebel, I will not be able to survive. Although I, Li Datou, really want to be a marquis and a general to bring honor to my family, I hope that there will be no more people in the world who don't have enough food. The people are suffering, and I am suffering too..."
The two of them actually started crying in front of Xu Qingying.
Xu Qingying looked up at the sky speechlessly, wondering how come these two were better actors than each other?
A scornful smile played at the corners of her lips, then she pinched herself hard, opened her arms and joined them, weeping bitterly, "It's so hard! Only Big Brother Li is the light of justice, and can lead us brothers and sisters to a good life. Big Brother Li is truly a tough guy sent from heaven, a righteous man. Following Big Brother Li, our hard times are finally over. From now on, not only can we eat and drink the fine food, but even the days of wearing gold and silver are just around the corner!"
Zhao Bantou and others were watching so hard that they almost dug their toes into the ground.
Zhao Bantou originally wanted to imitate Xu Qingying and infiltrate the enemy team in an instant, but he had little education and poor eloquence. After thinking about it, he couldn't utter a single word of flattery.
Never mind, not everyone can be a lackey.
Miss Xu made such a huge sacrifice for their lives!
Xu Qingying and others were arranged by Military Advisor Hu in a large mansion. Because there were too many of them, they were dispersed and the four city gates were closed. There was no need to worry about them escaping. After dinner in the evening, Xu Qingying called a meeting with a representative from each household.
There were about twenty people who came and gathered at the gate of Xu's courtyard.
The city was completely looted. It was called a yard, but in fact there was nothing there.
Most of the gold, silver, jewelry and dry food were taken away by the owner when they fled, leaving only an empty shell. At least there was a bed, a pot, and Li Damato's rice. Everyone managed to have a full meal in the evening. When they didn't know what the future would hold, they heard Xu Qingying calling everyone to a meeting.
There wasn't even an oil lamp in the room. As soon as Huang and the others entered the room, they searched through all the drawers and cabinets, taking out all the useful things, and only found a few candles.
Candles were lit, sparks flickering to dispel the cold. There was no place to sit in the house. Everyone was running for their lives like beggars, so they didn't care. They sat wherever they could, regardless of whether it was a table, bench or long table.
Xu Qingying really couldn't bear it anymore. She had no firewood and couldn't boil hot water. Xu Huiming also went to help her get some water, and she wiped her face and body with cold water.
It's winter now. If it were summer, she would definitely have a head full of lice.
Xu Qingying felt that she was the most miserable time-traveling woman in history.
Others who traveled through time either married a prince or built a successful career. But she was exiled at the beginning, had to run for her life in the middle, and then fled. In the end, she would probably have to beg for food?
Xu Qingying tidied herself up, combed her long hair into a man's style, and fixed it with branches. At first glance, she looked like a thin young man.
Xu Qingying came out and saw that almost everyone was seated, then she walked towards her seat.
It was unknown who arranged the seats, but she walked past the Xu family members and sat in the main seat with Zhao Qiaonian.
Below her were representatives from the Xu family: the three Xu brothers and a woman surnamed Lian. Perhaps feeling somewhat embarrassed, Xu Deyuan excused himself from coming, so the second branch sent a woman surnamed Lian as their representative. From the Fang family came Old Master Fang and the two Fang brothers, and the rest were familiar faces.
The small room was packed with more than twenty people. When they saw Xu Qingying coming over, they all stood up unconsciously to greet her.
"Miss Xu is here."
"Miss Xu looks quite handsome in her outfit today. She looks like a handsome young man."
Some people were still in the mood for jokes, so Xu Qingying sat down and reminded them, "Being a woman is a lot more inconvenient when you're out and about. To avoid being seen, I'll be wearing men's clothing from now on. From now on, you can all call me Master Xu. I've chosen the name Xu Zhenying, which means "Zhen" (flying high with wings spread) and "Ying" (hero). You all have to get used to me wearing men's clothing, otherwise, if it gets revealed, it'll be hard on everyone."
“Nice name.”
"Then we will call you Young Master Xu from now on."
Xu Qingying nodded. "Everyone, I think you can all guess why I invited you here. Tell us what you think. What should we do?"
Everyone fell silent when they heard this.
What can I do?
We are already in a difficult situation. Do we have to tell the truth to Li Datou and then all die?
Old Master Fang disagreed. "Xu Liu girl, do we really want to join the rebellion? Do you know that rebellion is a grave crime that will lead to the extermination of nine generations of your clan? Your kneeling today will put us all in a desperate situation. We are sensitive to our identities and are already pariahs. Yet, we are becoming bandits. This... is simply unbelievable!"
Xu Qingying nodded. "Old Master Fang, that's true, but circumstances are beyond our control. You were present at what happened today, so you should know that I had no other way to save everyone except joining the rebels. Besides, we only verbally pledged our support to Li Datou, not actually joining him in the rebellion. This was all just a temporary measure to save our lives."
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