Chapter 240 Entering Yongning
Lin Changning suddenly raised his head, his expression instantly turning serious: "Old man, do you take this to heart?"
The old man lowered his voice: "After I was captured, I was guarded along with the others. Because I frequently went into the mountains, they singled me out."
They didn't specify what they were looking for, only instructing the old man and a few others to lead the way in searching for minerals in the mountains. They searched for about half a month, and while there were indeed some minerals in the mountains, it didn't seem to be what they were looking for.
On one occasion, I overheard two companions speculating that their group seemed to be searching for something left behind by the traitors, something that appeared to be treasure.
Lin Changning began to ponder carefully, letting the events of the past few months pass through his mind. If he were Prince Sheng, what would he be hiding? Money? Silver? Weapons?
The defeat of the Prince of Sheng is now inevitable. They should have been able to foresee this from the very beginning of the battle.
However, they were forced into a corner by the emperor, which left them with no choice but to rebel directly.
They will definitely have a backup plan, but it's hard to guess what it is right now. It's probably just some gold, silver, jewelry, armor, or weapons.
Lin Changning looked at the old man with some hesitation and asked, "Grandpa, what do you mean by all this?"
In fact, the old man didn't need to tell him about gold, silver, jewelry, armor, or weapons at all.
Because if he had even the slightest ulterior motive to try and take all these things for himself, the old man would be unjustly put in danger of being killed.
The old man cupped his hands in thanks: "Sir, you saved me from dire straits. I have no way to repay you but to share some news from the city to show my gratitude for saving my life."
Lin Changning stared at the old man, a hint of authority in his eyes: "Old man, aren't you afraid that I'll kill you all after I find out about the treasure?"
The old man suddenly laughed out loud, cupped his hands and bowed to Lin Changning again: "Even women, children and adults have compassion, so this old man has lived for so many years and has some discernment in judging people. You are a man of integrity and uprightness, and I trust you."
Lin Changning smiled and reached out to help the old man up: "Thank you for your trust, sir. I know about this matter. I will find someone to look for him once we enter the city. However, this matter is indeed easy to cause a fatal disaster. I hope you will not reveal this matter to anyone else after tonight."
Lin Changning silently added in his mind, "Especially those in the imperial court."
The old man nodded: "You can rest assured, sir."
After the elderly finished discussing, Lin Changning helped them back into the group and took a bowl of porridge from Wan Jin's hand and gave it to them.
"The old man should eat something first."
The old man smiled and waved his hand: "Share the food with others. I'm too old to eat that much. The young people should eat more."
Looking at the old man's kind smile, Lin Changning felt a pang of sadness. After so many days of hunger, when he helped the old man up, he was so thin that he was practically skin and bones.
How could I not be hungry? It's just that I feel I'm getting old and want to give the chance to live to someone younger.
Lin Changning shoved the bowl in his hand into the old man's hand: "Grandpa, please eat without worry. There are plenty of young people too."
The old man was still hesitant. I hesitated for a while, but in the end, I couldn't persuade Lin Changning otherwise and accepted the bowl.
As soon as dawn broke on the second day, Lin Changning began to organize the troops. Time could not be delayed any longer; they needed to hurry into the city and then send a message to their commander.
Yesterday was already a wasted day; if we rest and take a break today, I'm afraid the commanders will be anxious.
Lin Changning sat on his tall horse, leaving 500 men to protect the people, while he led Lu Shan and the remaining 500 men on horseback towards Yongning City.
After running for about half a day, Lin Changning and his group arrived at Yongning City. Sure enough, just as the old man had said, it was an empty city when they first left.
There was no one on the city wall, and even the city gate was wide open.
If one did not know Lin Changning, one might think it was just another empty city ruse.
However, just to be on the safe side, Lin Changning sent a few scouts into the city to observe first before they entered.
After all, besides the Tartars, Yongning City is also very close to the rebels' territory. The Tartars have been gone for more than a day, and if the rebels were more well-informed, they might already be lying in ambush in the city.
Lin Changning sat on Mo Yun and watched from afar as a group of red monkeys rode their horses directly into the city gate. After about half an hour, the scouts finally emerged from the city gate.
With a joyful expression, he approached her. When he reached her, the scout dismounted, clasped his hands, and reported to Lin Changning: "Commander, there is indeed no one in the city."
Lin Changning nodded and gently nudged Mo Yun's horse's belly: "Prepare to head into the city."
After saying that, the group rode their horses directly into Yongning City. As soon as they arrived in Yongning City, Lin Changning was somewhat alarmed.
Most of the houses in the city were burned to ruins, and the place where the Tartars were stationed is now a pile of rubble, with thick layers of black grime on the ground.
It reeked of a foul, fishy odor, and the city walls were covered in bloodstains. Even along the roadsides in the city, one could occasionally see one or two rotting corpses.
Lin Changning looked at the clothes and realized that they were clearly from the city's residents, but he didn't see a single corpse of the rebel soldiers who had occupied the city.
Therefore, after the rebels captured the city, they did not manage it carefully. When the Tartar army was at the city gates, they simply abandoned Yongning City.
This led to the fall of Yongning City, leaving its people displaced, their families destroyed, and their lives cut short.
Lin Changning gritted his teeth, his hatred for this traitor rising to the level of that for the Tartars.
In this day and age, ordinary people are no longer ordinary people, and their lives are no longer lives; human life is as worthless as grass.
The city had at least tens of thousands of inhabitants, and very few of the young and able-bodied people they rescued were young men. Presumably, these people had been recruited into the army by the rebels before the Tartars entered the city.
A foul stench assaulted their nostrils. Lin Changning covered his nose, sighed, and then turned to Lu Shan to give instructions.
"After you finish tying up the bodies on the spot, take some people to dispose of the corpses on the side of the street. The bloodstains on the street have already clotted, and they smell bad and attract flies. In the next two days, take some people to make some brushes, dip them in water, and clean the street."
Lu Shan clasped his hands and nodded: "Yes, Commander."
While in the army, Lin Changning often required them to fold their clothes and bedding properly and pay attention to personal hygiene. On the battlefield, he would also promptly handle corpses and maintain cleanliness in the city.
Because their commander had said that evil spirits easily emerge from dirty and chaotic places, and people will get sick when evil spirits emerge, so whether on the battlefield or in daily life, everyone pays great attention to hygiene during their training.
Not to mention that after following Qianhu's advice, everyone washed their hands and feet frequently and paid attention to hygiene, and indeed, they got sick much less often than before.
It looks cleaner and tidier, which makes people feel more comfortable.
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