"Is he the soldier Pan Kui recruited?" Wu Hai, a captain of the Heqin Guard, was over forty years old, neatly dressed in military uniform, with narrow and puffy eyes. He was born with a black hairy mole the size of a green bean on his left cheek, and his eyes were dim and unclear.
Tian Bo nodded heavily. "Yes! A few days ago, Captain Pan ordered his subordinates to submit the list of convict recruits to the Command Headquarters for review and record-keeping. It was only then that they discovered that four of the recruits were from the Guo family, who had embezzled military funds."
"Four?" Wu Hai stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Guo Honglei and Liu Tong who were walking towards him quickly.
Tian Bo curled his lips slightly and explained, "Guo Honglei brought three servants with him! He was exiled to the army, fighting to defend his country, and he still had servants to serve him? It's totally unheard of, quite bizarre."
Wu Hai glanced at them suspiciously, "Only four in total? Where are the rest of the men in the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion? What about the elderly, weak, women, and children besides the men?"
Tian Bo quickly replied, "Most of the others are in Changping County! I've asked around, and I heard that Commander Mu of the Changping Guard is a family friend of the Guo family. General Mu stepped in and took the Guo family away."
"Oh?" Wu Hai thought for a moment and asked in confusion, "Since they have such close friends to look after them, why did these four Guo brothers come to Heqin?"
Tian Bo was about to answer, but Guo Honglei, Liu Tong and others had already walked up to him, so he kept silent for the time being.
Liu Tong was in charge of grain and horses, and he didn't know much about military officers. So he politely bowed and said gently, "I am the county magistrate of Heqin Grain and Horse. May I know your name?"
Upon learning that the other party was only a minor county magistrate, Wu Hai remained motionless, only nodding slightly. Tian Bo held his head high, chest puffed out, and raised his chin as he announced, "County Magistrate Liu, this is our Heqin Guard's Captain, Lord Wu!"
Liu Tong immediately sensed the other party's contempt and neglect, feeling deeply displeased. However, due to his low official rank, he could only endure the humiliation. He stretched his lips and smiled warmly, "Oh! It's Master Wu! Nice to meet you, nice to meet you!"
Wu Hai's expression was indifferent, and he said nonchalantly, "Hmm."
Liu Tong's smile froze, and he forced a stiff face. He awkwardly lowered his cupped hands, thinking angrily: What are you so proud of? You're just a captain, yet you look even more arrogant than the commander, looking down on everyone... Pah!
When Guo Honglei heard that the visitor was a captain, he followed military etiquette and led his servants to kneel on one knee, clasping their fists and saying, "Greetings, Master Wu!"
"Oh?" Wu Hai's expression was expressionless. He walked closer, circled around the four Guo family members, and asked knowingly, "Why are you bowing like this? Are you Heqin soldiers?"
Guo Honglei clasped his fists and replied, "I am Guo Honglei, a subordinate who has recently joined the Heqin Guard as a captain under Lord Pan Kui. I would like to pay my respects to Lord Wu."
"I see." Wu Hai nodded, then stood before Guo Honglei, looking down from above. "Today, while I was patrolling the south bank of the Cang River, I heard that enemy soldiers had sneaked into Liujia Village and were killing innocent people. So I rushed here to capture them. Is this true?"
Guo Honglei replied succinctly, "It is true. There were six enemy soldiers, armed with swords, on horseback, chasing and killing the civilians of Dagan. Fortunately, County Magistrate Liu and his officers strenuously intervened, killing five of them and capturing one."
Liu Tong was stunned, surprised and embarrassed. He didn't take all the credit, but said, "No, it's all thanks to everyone's concerted efforts! If it were just the few people I brought with me, we would have been in great danger today."
"Oh?" Wu Hai circled around the new recruit again, his slender, puffy eyes gleaming. "Where are the prisoners?"
Liu Tong pointed sideways and said, "He's tied up tightly. My people are watching in the yard. Please deal with him, sir."
Wu Hai thought for a moment and ordered, "Bring the prisoners."
"Yes!" Tian Bo took the order and trotted into the spacious farmyard with his men. He nodded and said, "Take him away." The two companions picked up the tied-up Beiqi captive and dragged him away.
Tian Bo turned around and was about to take a step forward when he caught a glimpse of the bamboo curtain at the main door swaying, revealing someone inside. With a sudden thought, he quickly approached and used the handle of his knife to pry open the curtain.
"Ouch!"
“You, you, what are you doing…?” The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law stepped back in panic, stammering and at a loss.
When Tian Bo saw that it was the old woman and the yellow-faced woman, he was immediately disappointed and scolded them angrily: "You are peeking around, are you a thief? If you act sneaky again, I will have someone arrest you and bring you back to the army for interrogation!"
The village head's mother and wife were terrified and shook their heads timidly, "No, we won't dare anymore. Please, sir, please don't arrest us."
"Hmph!" Tian Bo held the hilt of his knife and hurriedly chased after his companions who were dragging the captives.
Jiang Yushu was hurriedly pushed into the inner room. After listening in a daze, she hurried out and apologized, "I'm so sorry. I got you two scolded."
The village head's mother waved her hand. Her elderly voice was slow and gentle, saying, "It's nothing. Military personnel are often rough, and since our villages are close, we're not surprised. Just don't contradict them directly, and you won't get beaten." She took the visitor's hand and kindly warned, "Remember, a beautiful woman like you is too conspicuous. It's best to stay out of the spotlight to avoid trouble."
Jiang Yushu was worried, lowered her eyes and smiled, without saying anything.
"I heard everything Sanping said." The village head's wife was very grateful, her eyes red as she said, "Thanks to you for saving us today. If Sanping had been killed by the Beiqi people, who would have supported his family?"
Jiang Yushu shook her head and said, "No need to thank me, we are actually saving ourselves." As she spoke, she continued to pry open the bamboo curtain and look out, thinking to herself:
strangeness.
What does the captain surnamed Wu mean?
The subordinate has been kneeling on one knee for a long time, but he still hasn't asked him to stand up?
Could it be that Captain Wu, like the Xicang prefect, hated the Guo family for some reason? Was he deliberately trying to intimidate them?
Watching Guo Honglei kneeling on one knee, Jiang Yushu clenched the bamboo curtain tightly, her knuckles turning white. She was anxious and confused. It was not only dazzling, but also made her feel uncomfortable.
She gritted her teeth and tried to go out several times, but then she thought calmly: it's not a good idea. The old lady was right. In that situation, going out would not only be useless, but might even cause more trouble.
Seeing this, the village head's wife also came closer to look outside and asked in a low voice, "Did your husband join the army?"
Jiang Yushu came back to her senses and sighed, "Yes."
"Alas, why wouldn't your man choose anywhere else? Why did he end up in Heqin? Our area is in chaos, with constant fighting. The border troops haven't recaptured Yongzhou yet, and I don't know when they can drive the Beiqi people back to their lair." The village head's wife sat cross-legged on the kang, wrinkled eyes squinting, buried in her shoe soles, and muttered, "There's a fight every now and then, and we haven't won yet! Alas, I can't farm in peace now that the crops have been burned. Life is simply unbearable."
Jiang Yushu stared at the gate without blinking, and answered distractedly: "He is very brave and took the initiative to surrender to Heqinwei."
The village head's wife asked curiously, "You two look very young. How old are you?"
Jiang Yushu looked at her family with concern and answered casually, "He's seventeen, one year older than me—" She paused before continuing, "one year older than 'me'."
"You're too young. Silly child, you're really silly!" The village head's wife shook her head repeatedly, "You shouldn't have come to Heqin."
It's fate, there's no such thing as right or wrong. Jiang Yushu smiled bitterly and continued to look out:
Outside the courtyard
As soon as his companions let go, Tian Bo raised his leg and kicked the Beiqi captive in the knee, shouting, "Kneel down!"
"Mm! Mm! Mm!" The captive was not only tied up but also gagged. He trembled and slumped to his knees, completely changing his previous ferocious and arrogant attitude of hunting down the common people. He kowtowed desperately and begged for mercy.
Wu Hai looked at the captives with disdain, and finally said, "I understand. All of you, get up."
"Yes." Guo Honglei's face was calm as he led the servant to stand up.
The next moment, Wu Hai ordered, "According to military orders, any foreign enemy who dares to enter Dagan territory and harm the people will be killed without mercy. Guo Honglei, behead the captives on the spot to appease the public anger."
"Hmm? Hmm! Woohoo…" The captive Beiqi's eyes widened in terror. He had a large face, high cheekbones, a hooked nose, brown hair, and a sturdy build.
What?
Guo Honglei was stunned and looked at the prisoner with a frown.
Wu Hai raised his head and said unhappily, "Huh?"
"How dare you!" Tian Bo immediately stepped forward and demanded, "The commander has issued an order. Military orders have always been inviolable. Are you trying to disobey?"
Guo Honglei quickly shook his head, "No!"
Wu Hai shouted sternly, "Why don't you act now? An enemy who brazenly kills unarmed villagers deserves death!"
"Yes." Guo Honglei nodded.
Wu Hai tilted his head and said, "Give him the knife."
Tian Bo took off his sword and threw it over.
Guo Honglei caught it and slowly drew his knife.
The villagers who came to watch after hearing the news were furious and shouted, "Kill him! He deserves to be killed!"
"Kill this harmful beast!"
"Cut into pieces! Cut into pieces!"
"Hurry up and kill him!"
…
If the enemy soldiers were killing innocent civilians, Guo Honglei would have been furious and killed them on the spot. But now, facing a captive who was limp, weeping, and sobbing, he felt at a loss as to what to do.
It’s not that I can’t bear it, but I’ve never experienced it before and it’s extremely unfamiliar.
Wu Hai stood with his hands behind his back, watching coldly.
Tian Bo crossed his arms and watched the fun leisurely.
Meanwhile, inside the house
"Ah, they are going to kill the prisoners!" The headman's wife was shocked.
The village head's wife was also startled. She quickly dropped her shoe soles, slapped her thigh anxiously, and urged, "Where are my grandsons? Where are Big Cow and Little Cow? They were just in the house. Third daughter-in-law, please look for the children quickly. Don't let them see the murder; they'll be frightened!"
"Okay, I'll go find him right away." The headman's wife lifted the curtain and ran out anxiously.
The bamboo curtain swayed as it was lifted and opened.
Jiang Yushu was concentrating on her studies when she was suddenly scratched by a raised bamboo thorn. Her forehead hurt, but she ignored it and was about to take another look when she heard loud applause and cheers from outside the courtyard:
"good!"
"Well done!"
"It's what he deserves! He's lucky he didn't get cut into pieces."
…
In a blink of an eye, the village head's wife came into the house like a gust of wind, holding her eleven-year-old eldest son in her left hand and her nine-year-old youngest son in her right arm.
"Wuwuwu." The nine-year-old boy jumped onto the kang and threw himself into his grandmother's arms, trembling and sobbing, "That man's head is off, his legs are kicking, and there's so much blood... I'm scared."
The village head's mother waved, and her eldest grandson joined her on the kang. She hugged the two children and comforted them, "Don't be afraid. He's a bandit from the north. He killed over a hundred thousand of us. He deserves to be beheaded! But you two are still young. Next time, don't join in the fun. It'll give you nightmares."
Jiang Yushu sighed deeply, feeling a mixture of emotions at first, and then only one sentence kept repeating in her mind:
He was only seventeen.
It is so difficult for him to overcome all the hardships he has encountered since his family's defeat. It is really difficult for him.
At the gate
Guo Honglei's jaw was clenched, and he didn't even look at the captive whose head and body were separated, and silently returned the knife to Tian Bo.
Tian Bo took the knife and wiped the blood off the blade with the corpse's clothing. He asked jokingly, "What? Are you scared already?"
Guo Honglei shook his head.
Wu Hai nodded and praised calmly, "Well, not bad. Judging from your technique and strength, you must have practiced martial arts, right?"
Guo Honglei calmed himself down and clasped his fists before answering, "I've learned it, but I only know the basics. Thank you for your praise, sir."
"Tsk, so pretentious and sour." Tian Bo sneered inwardly.
Wu Hai frowned and asked, "Since you claim to have joined the Heqin Guard, why don't you join the army for training? Instead, why do you stay in this village?"
Before Guo Honglei could say anything, Liu Tong rushed to help explain, "Master Wu, several of the Guo family's men were injured at the beginning of the month and haven't recovered yet. Captain Pan asked them to heal their injuries before training to prevent their injuries from taking too long to heal."
"Oh?" Wu Hai seemed to be thinking about something. He didn't ask any more questions, but instead ordered, "I still have military duties to attend to. I'll leave these enemy corpses to you. Throw them all into the Cang River to feed the fish, so as not to pollute the common people's place."
"Yes, sir."
Wu Hai strode with his hands behind his back, led the soldiers towards the horses, mounted them and left.
Everyone stood there watching them leave, saying, "Slow down, Qian Hu."
A moment later
Liu Tong adjusted his black gauze hat, still feeling apprehensive. He sighed, "What a close call! I nearly lost my life in Liujia Village today!" He felt a wave of fear and bowed, saying, "Thank goodness you dared to stand up, and your servant is also very skilled in martial arts. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous. I, Liu... am ashamed, truly ashamed."
Guo Honglei quickly returned the greeting, not taking any credit for it. He said calmly, "No, sir, you're right. We actually won by working together."
Liu Sanping, the village head of Liujia Village, had his ankle treated and was wearing medicine, so he walked with a slight limp. He glanced sideways at the dead captive, his face grimacing. He said dejectedly, "Alas! I was about to ask the Lord to take this thing out of the village and behead it, but I didn't dare ask. Oh, this is right in front of my house. How unlucky!"
Guo Honglei said, "Let's transport all the bodies to Cangjiang immediately! But we'll need to borrow two or three carts."
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers who were watching and discussing the matter enthusiastically shrank their necks and dispersed in a hurry. No one was willing to lend their cart to transport the body.
"Why?"
"Wait a moment, folks."
"Stop! Don't run!" Liu Sanping tried to stop them, but he was furious. He was helpless and squatted on the ground, holding his head. He said bitterly, "If I had known this would happen, I would never have been a village head. Every time I encounter trouble or difficulty, everyone hides their necks and hides, and I always suffer the consequences... It's boring, really boring."
Having survived a disaster, Liu Tong was extremely happy and said generously, "Alright, alright! I won't let you suffer in vain. Go get two or three carts. The government will buy them and use our horses to pull them. As for whether you keep the carts or throw them away, it's up to you." He then took out a tael of silver and asked, "Is that enough?"
"Ah?" Liu Sanping smiled happily, quickly stood up and took the silver, and happily replied: "Enough, enough! Thank you for your kindness and understanding. I kowtow to you."
Liu Tong waved his sleeves and urged, "Stop talking nonsense and get to work."
"I'll do it right away. Please come in and have some tea." Liu Sanping ran into the house and asked his wife to make tea while he went to pack up the cart at home.
When Jiang Yushu rushed over after hastily treating the wound on her forehead, Guo Honglei and the servant were at the well, drawing water for washing.
There was a sound of splashing water as Guo Honglei poured one basin after another, washing his hands seriously and silently with his head down, cleaning every crack between his nails carefully.
Jiang Yushu slowly approached, about to ask, "Are you okay?", but then changed her mind and asked softly, "Is the matter resolved?"
Guo Honglei woke up as if from a dream, took a deep breath, looked up and replied: "Don't worry, it's resolved-" He paused, and asked in surprise: "How did you get hurt?"
"Nothing." Jiang Yushu raised her hand to touch the wound on her forehead, but held back. "I was accidentally scratched by a bamboo thorn. It's nothing serious."
Guo Honglei stood up and looked down at the two-inch scratch on his wife's forehead. His face darkened instantly and he frowned, "How could you be so careless? The skin is broken and bleeding. What if it leaves a scar? Wouldn't that be terrible?"
Jiang Yushu felt uneasy about her appearance and said anxiously, "It's not that serious, is it? It's just a shallow cut, it shouldn't leave a scar."
"Forget it." Guo Honglei comforted him, "It doesn't matter if you get a scar. At most, I'll just have to listen to you cry a few more times."
Jiang Yushu wanted to make the other person laugh, so she said, "That may not be the case. Just wait and see, sir. I won't cry even if I get a scar! In fact, it's no big deal at all. My face is for others to see anyway, so I can just not look in the mirror."
Guo Honglei smiled, raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and sighed, "What do you mean by 'others'? I'll definitely be the one who sees them the most. Please be kind, young lady, and take care of your injuries."
"If I really get a scar," Jiang Yushu said with a smile, "I'll have to live with my face covered to avoid scaring people."
Guo Honglei gradually relaxed his tension and leaned over to question, "Didn't you just say 'it's no big deal'? If you don't care, why bother with the mask? Just expose your forehead and scare people for fun to relieve your boredom."
Jiang Yushu couldn't help laughing and said happily, "What else can I do to entertain myself? I wouldn't dare to deliberately scare people with my ugly face. I'm afraid of getting beaten."
"Hmph, if you're scared, just take care of yourself!" Guo Honglei said with a smile, turned around and continued to wash his hands. The two of them were talking back and forth, and it seemed that neither of them would give in, but in fact they were just bickering for fun.
Half an hour later
Two carts carried the bodies of six enemy soldiers, and more than a dozen people took them to Cangjiang.
Jiang Yushu asked curiously, "Are these two carts your eldest and second brothers'? Do they agree?"
Liu Sanping nodded, "Don't worry, I can make the decision!"
Jiang Yushu asked casually, "Why haven't they shown up yet?"
Liu Sanping smiled bitterly and sighed, then replied wistfully, "Last year, during the war, my eldest and second brothers' families fled south to seek refuge with relatives. We had originally planned to go together, but my mother was seriously ill at the time and refused to leave, crying, 'I'm old and don't want to burden my children.' We had no choice but to stay and take care of her."
The young couple nodded in approval, and Liu Tong also praised: "Not bad, your filial piety is commendable."
Liu Sanping waved his hands embarrassedly. "It's my duty to take care of my mother. Alas, more than half of the families in the village have fled, and there are very few able-bodied men left. That's why they chose me as the village head. If the chaos continues, I'm afraid this village will become deserted. I have elderly parents and young children to support, so I guess I'll have to leave sooner or later."
"Don't lose heart, listen to me." Liu Tong cleared his throat and said solemnly, "First, the Dagan soldiers will definitely defeat the Beijiao. Second, the government knows you're suffering from the disaster, so they've allocated all the new grain to Liujia Village and invited talented people from the capital to teach you how to plant it. Perhaps by autumn, we'll have a good harvest!"
Hmm? Decided? Jiang Yushu was startled, and stopped to look at Liu Tong, who asked, "During our inspection this morning, you said the soil and temperature here were suitable, right?"
Jiang Yushu nodded and replied, "Yes."
Liu Tong said decisively, "Since that's the case, let's set it in Liujia Village! The magistrate has ordered that the seeds must be planted within ten days. We can't delay any longer."
Liu Sanping was stunned for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Actually, I didn't quite understand what was said this morning when we were inspecting the fields. Are those beans going to be distributed to our village to plant?"
Guo Honglei frowned, about to speak again. Jiang Yushu, however, couldn't conceal her excitement and explained, "It's called potatoes! It's not much, just 20,000 kilograms of seeds. We'll need 60 to 70 mu of land. Let's plant it for a season first. Don't worry, regardless of success or failure, the land will be returned to the original owner. We're just borrowing or renting it! The county magistrate has agreed, and the government will provide compensation per mu."
Liu Sanping thought for a moment and said readily, "Well, the people who have fled the village won't dare come back for a while. It's a pity to leave the fields lying idle. We might as well give them to the government to try out for growing crops. You can pick any of the uncultivated land. Sixty or seventy acres won't be hard to come by."
Jiang Yushu smiled broadly, "Great! Thank you so much for being so accommodating."
Liu Sanping scratched his head. "Hehe, if the whole village were here, I would never be able to make this decision."
"Okay!" Liu Tong raised his head. "I'll send someone back to the county town later to bring up the grain seeds!"
After walking for more than half an hour, everyone arrived at Cangjiang.
Here, the surface of the Cangjiang River is nearly twenty feet wide, with winding stone banks. The river water is abundant, surging and rapid, rumbling and flowing towards the southeast.
The rapids rush against the steep cliffs, splashing white water and vast mist. The river breeze is refreshing and cool.
Jiang Yushu was amazed and exclaimed: "It's really spectacular!"
"Be careful." Guo Honglei kept holding his wife's arm, inexplicably afraid that she would be blown into the water by the river wind.
Liu Tong asked loudly, "You really don't want this cart anymore?"
"No! My son is still young and he dare not bring such dirty things home." Although Liu Sanping got the silver, he was a frugal farmer and still felt very distressed.
Liu Tong waved his hand and shouted, "Follow the captain's order. Push the car and the corpse down!"
"yes!"
In a moment, after a "splash" sound, the two carts carrying the corpses sank into the river and disappeared without a trace.
Two days later, evening
The grain seeds were transported into Liujia Village, and Cuimei, Xiaotao and others also arrived with their bags.
The head of the village came forward and arranged for the "capable man in the city" who was responsible for teaching people how to grow new crops to live in an idle old house of a villager.
Guo Honglei inspected the place inside and out and suggested, "Even though it's just a place you're renting, you should still clean it up. At least the bed should be new, and all the doors and windows should be properly repaired so you can rest peacefully at night."
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Jiang Yushu busied herself packing her bags and said cheerfully, "Today is June 25th, your birthday. Cuimei and the others happened to arrive with rice, flour, and vegetables. We'll cook a few dishes to celebrate your birthday!"
Guo Honglei felt warm in his heart and asked happily, "I'm glad you remembered. I wonder which dishes you are good at?"
Good at? My cooking skills are really average... Jiang Yushu was embarrassed, but she replied inexplicably: "I can't say anything else, but I'm pretty good at boiling water."
"Bai——" Guo Honglei was stunned, then suddenly burst into laughter.
Jiang Yushu also smiled. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Cuimei running over to report, "Master, Captain Pan is looking for you!"
"Lord Pan? How did he find his way here?" The two men looked at each other, both confused and uneasy, and hurried to greet him.
Pan Kui, whip in hand, sweating and dusty, asked immediately, "Boy, have you gotten into trouble? Captain Wu ordered me to take the four of you back to the garrison immediately!"
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