Fear hurts more than a sword, Zhao Zhilan told herself, but that did not drive away the fear.
Fear, like moldy steamed buns or blisters on her toes after a long journey, became a part of her life.
She thought she had already tasted fear, but that warehouse in the hotel completely overturned her understanding.
Over the course of a few days, Zhao Zhilan learned that this force was the vanguard of Dongpango: composed of Dongpango ronin, traitors from Daxia, and samurai under the Kato family.
They numbered a thousand men and were commanded by a general named Kato Hideshige, who was said to be the son of the commander of the Dongpango Central Army and was extremely cruel!
Before they were ordered to set off, they stayed in that warehouse for eight days, during which time someone died every single day.
Every morning, after finishing breakfast, Kato Hidenari would enter the warehouse and randomly select a prisoner to interrogate.
The villagers of Jidong never dared to look up at him, perhaps thinking that if they didn't pay attention to him, he wouldn't notice them either...
But this approach was completely ineffective.
This person can choose whomever they want.
There is nowhere to hide, no tricks to play, and no way to escape.
To save her life, a girl slept with one of Kato Hideaki's generals for several nights. On the fourth day, Kato Hideaki chose her, and the general said nothing, letting Kato Hideaki take her away.
During interrogation, a young woman whose face was covered in chickenpox said she was willing to give anything as long as they promised not to harm her daughter.
Kato Hidenari let her finish speaking first, and then took her daughter away the next morning to make sure she kept her promise from the previous day.
Those who were not chosen had to observe the entire interrogation from the sidelines to understand the consequences of resistance and rebellion.
The questioning would be handled by a man from Daxia named Gao Hui. This man was very ugly and wore clothes stripped from a dead body.
"Gao Hui always finds a way to make them poop and pee and then confess everything!" This is Zhao Zhilan's summary.
Throughout this process, Hideaki Kato stood motionless by the side, watching and listening, until the victim died.
The questions kept coming up with the same one: Is there any silver hidden in the village?
What about other valuables and jewelry?
What about the grain reserves?
Is there any silver hidden in the village?
...
By the third day, Zhao Zhilan could recite it backwards by heart.
Through interrogation, they found some silver, a large bag of copper coins, and some bottles and jars.
After that, there was only one outcome for those interrogated: regardless of whether they were men, women, or teenagers, none could survive Gao Hui's questioning. At most, they would endure until dusk.
At night, their bodies would be skinned and hung outside the fire for crows and wild dogs to feast on.
On the fourth day, just when Zhao Zhilan thought she would become the next victim to be interrogated, a miracle happened.
Dongpan Ge's scouts reported that the army of Lin Mo, the regent of the Great Xia Dynasty, had appeared twenty miles away.
Therefore, Kato Hidenari, who had only one thousand soldiers, chose to evacuate!
Hearing Lin Mo's name again, Zhao Zhilan felt a mix of emotions...
~~~
As they left the warehouse, Zhao Zhilan finally realized how weak she was.
The villains of Dongpango are killing the people of Daxia, killing her people.
But she could only sit silently in the warehouse, and shamelessly drag her feet forward among the prisoners.
The banner of the Great Xia Dynasty is a nine-clawed golden dragon, and she is the princess of the Great Xia Dynasty, the daughter of the golden dragon. But Zhao Zhilan felt more like a worm, like a sheep to be slaughtered, one of a large flock of sheep.
She hated the villagers' cowardice, and hated her own cowardice even more.
The warehouse was big enough that she could sneak off to a corner to relieve herself when no one was looking, but it was a different story on the road. She tried her best to hold it in, but in the end she had to squat down next to a bush and take off her pants in front of everyone.
She had no choice but to do this, or she would have to wet herself.
The only good news was that the soldiers in Dongpango did not realize she was a woman.
The reason for this was that Zhao Zhilan had shaved her head, was wearing tattered clothes, hadn't bathed for a long time, was filthy, and smelled strongly of sweat.
At that moment, she was no different from a real beggar.
The Dongpango people who captured them forbade them to speak to each other. Zhao Zhilan had learned her lesson from her cracked lips, but there are always those who can't control their tongues.
A three-year-old boy refused to stop calling for his father, so the Dongpango people beheaded him with their swords. Then the boy's mother began to scream, and a Dongpango warrior killed her as well.
Zhao Zhilan could only stand by and watch them die, doing nothing.
What good is courage? One of the women chosen for interrogation tried to appear brave, but in the end, she died screaming just like everyone else.
This team contained no brave warriors, only the elderly, women, children, and the starving.
Most of them were women and teenagers; the few men were either very old or children. The strong men were all killed, skinned, and their bodies hung in the middle of the village.
The only one who escaped death was a blacksmith, and that was only because he could repair weapons for the Dongpango people.
The blacksmith has value, so it would be a pity to kill him.
And Zhao Zhilan?
At only eighteen years old, her thin figure made her look like a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy.
Perhaps they mistook her for a little boy!
One night during their journey, after they had settled down, she overheard a gaunt old woman complaining to those around her, "That damned Wei Maozhen!" She bluntly called out the name of the Empress of Great Xia! "You've caused us so much suffering!"
“That’s right!” another old man chimed in. “If it weren’t for her, how could those beasts like Dongpango have broken through the border so easily?”
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
