Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Eight Generals of the Northwest Army
Su Zhenzhen's current feelings are hard to describe. To borrow a meme from the 906 era, it's three parts helplessness, two parts fear, one part wanting to laugh, and the remaining four parts wanting to curse.
"Let's go to the other side."
The old man was still somewhat worried, "I hate that he was born..."
Su Zhenzhen smiled and said, "Do you think he could get into trouble with that monster Jiang Sijin around? If there really were monsters in this mountain county that Jiang Sijin couldn't handle, wouldn't she have said so beforehand?"
Old Bai was still somewhat worried, but the habit he had developed over the years made him subconsciously obey Su Zhenzhen's instructions.
Since Jiang Sijin shrunk, Li Da has become much more silent.
The three of them dug on the other side all morning and unearthed all the skeletons. Su Zhenzhen pieced them together, and there were exactly four skeletons.
The four people buried in the north and four in the south look like they are guarding a mountain county.
Su Zhenzhen has never been one to dwell on things. Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided to ask someone who knew, hoping there might still be wronged souls here.
"Use yourself to guide the soul, and may the soul return!"
As the incantation was uttered, a sudden gust of cold wind arose, making the dilapidated mountain county appear even more desolate.
Eight remnant souls of different shapes appeared in the field of vision, and the barrage of comments started scrolling wildly.
[Ugh! Could the female lead please at least say hello next time?! Just looking at these ghosts makes me want to throw up my dinner from last night!]
Were these people General Huo's subordinates? They died even more tragically than him.
Of these eight ghosts, some had half their heads cut off, some had lost their lower bodies, and some had their intestines spilling out...
Even with her strong mental fortitude, Su Zhenzhen still trembled slightly after taking one look.
Who are you?
The eight ghosts exchanged glances and then reported their homes one by one.
"Huo Yi, former general of the Northwest Army".
"Huo Er, Left General of the Northwest Army".
"Huo San, Right General of the Northwest Army".
...
"Huo Ba, the rear general of the Northwest Army".
So these people really were General Huo's subordinates. Su Zhenzhen was secretly alarmed. This mountain county was neither too close nor too far from the front line. What could have happened that caused the deaths of all eight of General Huo's generals here?
Su Zhenzhen continued, "In which battle did you die?"
Huo Yi looked into the distance, his thoughts drifting back to those days.
"In the twentieth year of the Xuande reign, the barbarians broke through the city gates from the west, and Shanxian became an isolated city. General Huo ordered us to defend it to the death and not let anyone in."
Su Zhenzhen felt a dull ache in her heart for some reason, and a bold guess popped into her mind.
"Anyone...including ordinary people?"
Huo Yi nodded with difficulty. "At that time, the Central Plains were in chaos, the emperor was imprisoned and could not protect himself, and the south suffered from drought and had no harvest. The general had no choice but to do this. The general said that he would bear the sins of millions of people alone, and that the eight of us were all good generals who were loyal to the emperor and loved the country."
No wonder, no wonder General Huo has so many karmic connections. He saved millions of people, but millions of people also died because of his decisions.
Even when the people from the west entered Shanxian and came to the heart of the Central Plains, the barbarians from the west also came along with them; it was just a matter of whether they died sooner or later.
But since General Huo made the decision, he has to bear the consequences.
Similarly, the people also hated him.
It's likely that some of the people who fled westward in panic were also among those who attacked Shanxian County at that time.
"Young lady," Huo Yi looked at Su Zhenzhen, "are you a deity?"
Su Zhenzhen was too lazy to explain that ghost messenger story anymore. "Just take it as such, but don't call me a deity, just call me Miss Su."
"Yes, Miss Su. How is General Huo now? Is he... still alive?"
Based on General Huo's appearance before his death, Su Zhenzhen roughly deduced, "He died in battle around the same time as you."
Huo Yi nodded with satisfaction, "To die on the battlefield is a soldier's honor, and the general died a worthy death."
Huo Er floated forward a little, "Miss Su, what do you plan to do with us?"
"The souls of the dead enter the cycle of reincarnation. Because you are burdened with karma, you cannot find the entrance to the cycle of reincarnation. As long as I release the karmic threads on you, you can be reincarnated. But before that, I have a question: what was the deal with the ghostly soldiers last night?"
“Those were our soldiers who died in battle.” It was Huo Yi who spoke. “After they died, they did not want to be reincarnated. They patrolled the mountain county day by day, their consciousness gradually dissipated, and they forgot who they were. They only knew how to guard the mountain county. Miss Su, don’t worry, we have never harmed anyone.”
Su Zhenzhen had a question, however, "Then what about the green-eyed people in this city?"
"Too many people have died in Shanxia. The place is filled with murderous aura and resentment. People who stay in this city for too long will be corrupted by this evil aura and gradually turn into monsters. We have no way to meet the living, so we can only increase the frequency of the appearance of the ghost soldiers at night to make passers-by afraid to stay in Shanxia for long."
Therefore, this cause and effect should be attributed to these eight people, which explains why they were not reincarnated.
Do you want to be reincarnated?
The eight men said in unison, "We want to see General Huo."
Su Zhenzhen guessed that was probably the case. The causal threads on these eight people were easy to untangle, but she had been transferring too many souls recently, and her soul power was a bit unable to support it.
"I can let you see General Huo, but before that, you need to help me find someone."
What a joke! If we release General Huo now, and he can't control himself from vomiting blood again, and Hensheng isn't by his side, are we supposed to ask the viewers to find a solution from the organizers?
"Miss Su, what are your orders?"
“A very handsome man was carrying a three-year-old girl on his back, and with them were the remains of four of you.”
“That’s not difficult.” Huo Yi pointed to the eight of them. “We’ve been here for years, and our souls have long since become one with the county. As long as they are within the county’s boundaries, we can sense them.”
After saying this, the eight souls formed a circle and closed their eyes at the same time.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all eight people opened their eyes at the same time.
Huo Yi pointed in a direction, "They're in the coffin shop over there."
Su Zhenzhen quickly led Old Man Bai, Li Da, and the eight ghosts over there.
In the coffin shop, Jiang Sijin was on Hensheng's back, directing him to cut pieces of wood.
As soon as Su Zhenzhen entered, she was covered in dust again. While brushing the dust off her clothes, she said, "Hensheng, what are you doing?"
Jiang Sijin answered first, "Can't you tell? He's making a coffin."
Su Zhenzhen glanced at the shop's furnishings. It seemed like no one had been there for many years. Some of the coffins even had old cracks, the corners were covered with cobwebs, and there was about an inch of dust on the top of the door.
"Why did you come here with hatred?"
Jiang Sijin raised her eyes, met Su Zhenzhen's gaze, and said, word by word, "Don't you think he should personally collect the bodies of the generals?"
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