"It's probably from Beiqie!"
"Nine out of ten, those thieves and beasts have come into the village and killed people again."
"You Beiqi thieves, all of you shall die a miserable death!"
Suddenly, everyone started talking, and turned their horses around in panic, trying to escape.
The chief clerk led the crowd. Zhuang Song had no choice but to bite the bullet and shout, "Everyone, calm down. Listen carefully! There's a fight going on. It must be the Heqin Guards destroying the enemy. We can't add to the chaos. Let's retreat a bit and take shelter until the chaos is over before entering the village."
“Good idea!”
"Hurry, hurry up." The officials were eager to go, and hurriedly urged their horses and drove their carts to leave the village in a hurry.
The three members of the Guo family were in the same carriage.
"Gee!" In the face of danger, Zou Gui had to raise the whip and drive the carriage quickly.
"Miss, be careful! Please sit tight." Cuimei supported the other person, frequently lifting the curtain to peek out, gritting her teeth and angrily saying, "That thief from Beijiao deserves to be hacked into pieces! He breaks into the village from time to time, killing and burning people, committing all kinds of evil. We all hate him so much. Why hasn't the heavens appeared and sent down thunder to strike him down?"
The country dirt road was bumpy and the carriage was shaking and swaying.
Jiang Yushu frowned, her right hand grasping the window frame to steady herself, and with her left hand lifted the curtain to look out at the village entrance, feeling uneasy and worried. "My guess is that the enemy soldiers probably launched a surprise attack, and the people at the village entrance were caught off guard and killed before they had time to hide in the mountains. I wonder what happened to our family? Could it be that—Alas."
"No!" Cuimei shook her head vigorously, her face pale with fear at the sight of the corpse. She said anxiously, "Don't worry, our home is remote and backed by a mountain. Manager Zhou is so experienced, he must have led everyone to the back mountain for refuge long ago."
Jiang Yushu was very nervous, but she couldn't rush home to visit him immediately. She was anxious and felt dizzy.
The next moment, the sound of horse hooves stamping on the ground suddenly came from behind the crowd, accompanied by shouts of fighting and killing, and loud yelling!
A few blinks of an eye later, a small group of remaining enemies rushed out of the village entrance and fled in a panic like a stray dog.
"stop!"
"You cowardly rat, don't even think about escaping, or you'll die!"
"You little thief Beiqi, lend me your head for a while." The soldiers of the Heqin Guard were full of momentum and chased relentlessly with blood dripping from the tips of their swords.
When they caught up, the leader led the way, sword in hand, and charged towards the enemy soldiers on horseback, with his men following closely behind, the sound of killing shaking the sky.
In an instant, both sides fought for their lives, with flashes of swords and blood, wailing and screaming, which was very creepy.
The road was narrow, with ditches on both sides and freshly turned fields around it, open and unobstructed.
In the chaos, there were a few "bangs" and the wheels of the front car fell into the ditch, blocking the retreat. The crowd was forced to stop, and more than a dozen horses neighed, making a very noisy scene.
Fortunately, Jiang Yushu was riding in the back car.
"Ouch——" Cuimei's body tilted and she almost fell down.
Jiang Yushu grabbed her companion's arm and asked, "Are you okay?"
"No, I'm fine." Cuimei steadied herself by holding onto the window frame. She patted her chest and nervously said, "I just watched Zhuang Zhubu's car crash into the ditch! What should I do? Why don't I get out of the car and find some shelter?"
Jiang Yushu's heart was in suspense, her eyes fixed intently on the small battlefield not far away where swords and sabers flashed and slashed. She replied softly, "The surroundings are empty, just flat farmland. There's nowhere to hide. Besides, a person with two legs can't outrun a four-legged horse."
"Don't panic, you see, we have more people, and everyone is brave, so we will definitely win!"
Cuimei's heart was pounding. She leaned in to the window to look and saw a Beiqi man being beheaded, blood splattering, and the headless body falling off the horse. Her face turned pale and she quickly turned away, trembling and saying, "Oh my God, that man's head, his head is gone."
As early as when they first entered Liu Village to survey the soil, the group encountered enemy soldiers, but Cuimei and the others were staying in the county at the time and did not experience that chaos.
Jiang Yushu had experienced this before, and although she instinctively feared the bloody scenes, she remained relatively calm. She hugged her companion and comforted him, "That's the enemy. He brought himself to our door. He deserved death."
"Yes! Serves them right!" Cuimei swallowed, sweat dripping from her face, but she said viciously, "I'm sure many families in the village will be affected this time. They're so unlucky. Only after we completely defeat the Beiqi can we farm in peace. Otherwise, living in fear day and night is too much torment."
Jiang Yushu raised her head, convinced, "Just be patient, there will always be a day like that!"
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The enemy was outnumbered, and in a short while, Heqin's soldiers wiped out the remaining enemies and cheered and laughed, but they also suffered heavy casualties. The ground was covered with broken arms and limbs and bloodstains, which was shocking.
The leader in charge of chasing down the remaining enemies was named Yan. He reined in his horse, turned his head, and asked loudly, "Hey, who are you?"
Zhuang Song, still reeling from the shock, felt his legs weaken as he jumped from the carriage. He trotted over and, with a bow, replied, "Sir... General, my name is Zhuang. I'm the chief clerk under Lord Liu, the county magistrate. I've been ordered here to oversee the convicts' cultivation."
"Tsk, so pedantic." He looked like a sour scholar. Captain Yan curled his lips, covered his injured arm, and said impatiently, "As long as you're not from Beiqi, it doesn't matter who you are!"
Zhuang Song was startled and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, General, we are all locals and have nothing to do with the Northern Qi!"
"That's good." Captain Yan was wounded in several places. He slowly dismounted, took out some medicine, and skillfully bandaged his wounds.
"Sir!" A soldier rushed forward and reported anxiously, "Several of our brothers are seriously injured and bleeding profusely. Ordinary wound medicines are useless. We need ginger ointment."
Captain Yan frowned and replied worriedly, "Jiang Jun is scarce. Apart from the generals above, there is only some left in the medical tent."
"But the brothers are seriously injured, especially Lord Cao's son... I'm afraid his life will be in danger if he gets on the horse and is thrown into chaos."
Captain Yan was helpless. He gritted his teeth and roared, "There's no other way. The only way to survive is to return to camp as soon as possible. Don't dawdle! No matter what, first treat the wounded. You pick a few people to escort them, and the rest of you will clean up the battlefield."
Ginger?
Zhuang Song was nearby and was stunned when he heard this. With the idea that "saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda," he subconsciously replied, "The ginger paste was prepared by the Guo family. They live in the village. Since you are in a hurry to save lives, please wait a moment, I will go and get some for you right away!"
"What?"
"How could such a coincidence happen?" Several soldiers' eyes lit up, and they were surprised but also half-believing and half-doubting.
Captain Yan pondered for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "I remember now! I once heard people gossiping about how Jiangqing Paste was a secret medicine from a fugitive's family. It spread after it accidentally saved General Dou. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, and I had no idea the fugitive actually lived here."
The fugitive, that fugitive...
Zhuang Song cleared his throat awkwardly, turned sideways, and whispered a reminder: "Well, it seems that I don't need to ask for it. Look, the one leading the way is the young lady of the Guo family."
"Oh?" The soldiers turned around in surprise and looked at him:
Jiang Yushu walked calmly. When she heard her own name, she rushed over. As soon as she stood firm, she took the initiative to say, "Xiao Zou, give them all the Jiangqing ointment we have with us. Saving people is the most important thing."
"Okay." Zou Gui came prepared and immediately took out a few porcelain bottles and handed them to the soldiers, saying, "This is what my doctor recently prepared. If you are at ease, please feel free to use it to save people."
Captain Yan took the porcelain bottle, uncorked it, sniffed it, and immediately handed it to his men, urging them, "I don't think they'd dare to lie! Saving a life is like putting out a fire. Quickly take this to the seriously injured patient to stop the bleeding."
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"Yes!" The soldier clutched the porcelain bottle and rushed to treat the wounded.
Jiang Yushu looked towards the village with a worried look in her eyes, taking the opportunity to ask, "I wonder if there are still enemies in the village? We are very worried and want to go home to check."
"Hmm... that'll only become clear after we've searched." Captain Yan's arm had been cut open, blood soaking his sleeve. "Hiss!" he gasped. "But there's no need to panic. Even if there are still some remaining enemies, they're very few, only a few or three. They're nothing to be afraid of. Those who dare not show up openly to burn, kill, and loot are likely hiding in the mountains and forests, secretly crossing the river and fleeing back to Yongzhou."
Jiang Yushu breathed a sigh of relief and asked impatiently, "So, have you decided to go back to the village to search?"
"Of course! Military orders are as heavy as a mountain. We are ordered to pursue and kill the fleeing enemies. No one shall be spared and no mercy shall be shown." Captain Yan raised his arm, and his men bandaged his wound. He was sweating profusely, exhausted and panting. He shouted, "Who is the head of your village? There are so many enemy corpses, and we are short of manpower. Tell the head of the village to call a few strong men to help clean up the battlefield."
Jiang Yushu sighed, "As soon as the enemy soldiers entered the village, they killed innocent people. As a rule, every household must have taken refuge in the mountains. If you want to find the head of the village, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a while."
"Oh, what trouble." Captain Yan was helpless and could only order: "Forget it, leave a few brothers to take care of the wounded, and the rest of you come with me into the village to search for the remaining enemies. We will capture them all as soon as possible and return to the camp to report!"
"Yes, sir!"
So Jiang Yushu and her group followed the soldiers safely.
Unexpectedly, before they got close to the gate of the Guo family's courtyard, they saw two dead sheep lying by the wall in the distance, and the sheep were crowded in the alley, bleating noisily.
"Look, why is the gate not locked?" Zou Gui shouted.
Cuimei blurted out, "Oh no, this shouldn't be a problem."
Jiang Yushu's heart skipped a beat, and her scalp went numb. She didn't dare to think about it for a moment, and said forcefully, "I guess he left in a hurry and didn't bother to lock the door."
"Don't be anxious, go in and take a look first." Zhuang Song persuaded the officers to do their duty and send the man home.
"drive!"
After a while, a group of people got off the horses and carriages. Jiang Yushu rushed into the courtyard and looked around: @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
I saw baskets and farm tools scattered in the yard, and the wooden barrel next to the well was overturned; the two side rooms were obviously robbed, with bedding and clothes thrown on the ground, trampled and dirty; the door of the main room was wide open, the tables and chairs were tilted, and the tea set was broken into pieces.
The house was smashed like this, where are the people?
Jiang Yushu's lips were pale. She opened her mouth and blood rushed to her head. Her head buzzed and her whole body swayed.
"Miss? Are you okay? Don't worry, let's look for her first." Cuimei hurriedly supported her, her eyes red, and she choked with sobs and called out:
"Madam Pan?"
"Sister Tao?"
Zhuang Song waved his hand, and the officers dispersed to investigate. He consoled him, "From what I can see, there's no blood in the yard. He should be fine. Stay calm."
Zou Gui rushed around looking for them, and said happily, "Hahaha, there's no one in the house, no one in the whole house. That's great, it seems everyone got away in time!"
Jiang Yushu took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and quickly inspected each room. Her heart was pounding as she asked repeatedly, "Really? Did you see clearly? Are you sure everyone is not home?"
"It's absolutely true! I even looked under the bed, in the closet, and in the cellar, but I didn't find a single person." Zou Gui wiped his sweat. "Oh, I was almost scared to death."
A moment later, everyone stood in the yard, clearly braving the scorching midday sun, but still sweating with fear, sighing to each other:
"Well, the things are smashed, let's buy new ones. Fortunately, no one was killed." Zhuang Song put his hands behind his back and looked at the mess on the ground with a frown.
"Yes! As long as you're alive, you can clean up and go on with your life as usual."
"Be patient. Once the border troops win a great victory, the common people won't have to worry anymore."
Jiang Yushu felt relieved and gradually regained her composure. She heaved a long sigh and said tiredly, "Fortunately, no one was killed!"
The two sides chatted happily, Zhuang Song and others helped to clean up the place roughly, and then went back to their own places.
Jiang Yushu was busy cleaning for a while and felt thirsty. She had just drunk half a cup of tea when the gate suddenly slammed. The three of them looked at each other. Zou Gui asked loudly:
"Who is it?"
"It's us. We just met!" Captain Yan, leading several of his men, carried four seriously injured people. They intercepted Zhuang Song and found the Guo family. They asked anxiously, "We don't have enough ginger ointment. Do you have any more at home? Four of my brothers are seriously injured. Four lives have been lost. Can you give us some more? When they recover, they will kowtow and thank you!"
Zhuang Song interrupted and said, "Don't be afraid. They're not from Beiqi. I brought them here."
With a creak, the gate opened.
Jiang Yushu stopped and answered readily, "Human lives are at stake. How can I stand by and watch someone die? I still have some at home. Wait a moment. I've already gone to get them. Luckily, they were well hidden and weren't destroyed by the enemy soldiers."
Captain Yan apologized solemnly, "Thank you very much!"
"Just a few bottles of ointment, no need to thank me." Jiang Yushu hurriedly returned the gift.
Zou Guifei immediately ran out and stuffed all the porcelain bottles at the other party, saying, "These are the only few bottles I have left at home. Please save the people."
Captain Yan saw the other party's kindness and rolled his eyes. He asked tentatively, "We are in a hurry to return to the camp to report, but the seriously injured cannot withstand the bumpy ride. Can your family temporarily take in the wounded? Don't worry, it will only take a few days at most. As soon as they can move, the army will send someone to pick them up immediately!"
"As the saying goes, 'A good person should do his best.' Four lives have been lost. Don't just stand by and watch them die! Once they recover, I'll definitely reward them. How about that?"
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