Shimen Fan (9)
I rushed into the crowd, stopped an acquaintance, and asked, "Shopkeeper, what happened?"
The tavern owner frowned, his face full of worry: "Last night, the government issued a notice to reassure the people, saying that the barbarians from the south were going to attack again, and that the government had a plan to deal with it. He told everyone not to panic and strictly prohibited people from fleeing north or hoarding supplies."
"They also said they would requisition all the vehicles, boats, and horses in Junlian, and all the rice and grain belonging to our merchants and wealthy families in the town would be confiscated and put into the government granary, and we would not be allowed to transfer or sell them." He sighed and continued, "Look, we've been queuing all night."
I suppressed my excitement and said softly, "Shopkeeper, please don't worry. As long as we work together to resist the invasion, the requisitioned supplies will be returned in full once the situation stabilizes."
The tavern owner forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and said in a muffled voice, "I hope so."
"Qing Niangzi is right. The most important thing right now is to unite as one and defend Nan Guang. As long as we have the green hills, we won't be afraid of running out of firewood."
I looked over at the sound and saw that it was the leader of the Raobang gang, and Peng Niangzi from the cloth shop was walking towards us with him.
I rushed forward to greet her: "Big Sister Peng, the big boss!"
Sister Peng, holding a stack of vouchers stamped with the official red seal, casually rolled them into a tube and tapped them against the tavern owner's elbow, saying with a playful laugh, "Oh! I say, Manager Lu, what time is it, and you're still reluctant to part with your little bit of rice? These barbarians from Shimen have been eating human flesh for almost half a year. If they invade, they won't leave you a single grain of rice, and you might not even be able to save your life!"
Manager Huang shuddered and replied with a wry smile, "That's right."
Sister Peng turned to me and said, "Go quickly, Qingcheng, all the people from your inn are inside."
At that moment, Dong La also walked up to my side, and I quickly took his hand, saying, "Goodbye, everyone!"
We squeezed into the gatehouse, when suddenly a figure flashed before our eyes, accompanied by a familiar "Aunt Qing!" Luo Erying threw herself into my arms: "I did it, I did it!"
I hugged her tightly: "Good child, Aunt Qing knew you could do it!" Then I pulled her away and pointed to Dong La, saying, "This is my sworn brother—Chief Dong of the Mahu tribe. Quickly take us to see Prefect Wei and your father!"
Luo Erying nodded: "Uncle Dong, Aunt Qing, please come with me."
As they approached the steps of the courtyard, a large group of people emerged. At a glance, they were mostly chieftains and elders from the villages bordering Nanguang and Shimen, presumably the righteous army that Huai Xu had brought with him by beating the bronze drum.
I turned to one of them and bowed, saying, "Elder Amo, you've come too."
Elder Amo's face was tense as he nodded at me.
Zhe Bierjia from Niumendong glared at me and shouted, "Let's go, let's go! The barbarians from Shimenfan will arrive in Shunxi tomorrow, stop dawdling here!" After saying that, he ran down the steps first, followed by the crowd filing out.
In a daze, I seemed to hear a voice say "Take care," but the voice was so unfamiliar that I didn't know who it was or if it was meant for me. It vanished in the morning breeze in an instant, leaving me no time for melancholy.
I took a deep breath and followed Luo Erying into the courtyard. The door to the main hall was half-closed, and Luo Zhong's voice could be heard from inside.
Just as Luo Erying was about to go in to announce the news, Dong La stopped her, saying, "Wait a minute." With that, he walked to the side, clearly intending to eavesdrop.
Although I had no choice but to follow, I hoped that Luo Zhong wouldn't say anything too hurtful.
Luo Chong continued, "Prefect Wei, the number of local laborers guarding the city is far from sufficient. In my opinion, we should send the conscripted laborers over as soon as possible."
“No.” Wei Ji’s tone remained calm as always. “Firstly, how can the government break its promise to the people? Secondly, setting up a wall is also an urgent matter.”
“Mr. Liu, you should try to persuade Prefect Wei,” Luo Zhong said helplessly. “In urgent situations, we can’t afford to sit here and wait.”
Liu Xingjian's voice rang out: "Prefect Luo, please calm down. We still have one group of men who haven't returned yet."
"You mean Qing Niangzi?" Luo Zhong's tone became even more anxious. "You shouldn't have sent her to Mahu to get reinforcements. With Dong La's temper, how could he possibly like her? You should be being lenient by not kicking her out!"
Luo Erying frowned upon hearing this and took a step towards the house. Dong La glanced at her coldly from the side, and I quickly grabbed Luo Erying and shook my head at her.
“Luo Tongpan is mistaken,” Wei Ji’s voice rang out again. “Both Qing Niangzi and Chief Dong are people who can assess the situation and act accordingly. Qing Niangzi’s trip will surely succeed; and Chief Dong will definitely help Nan Guang with this matter.”
“Prefect Wei’s words make sense,” Liu Xingjian echoed.
"Fine, fine, I can't argue with you guys." Luo sighed heavily.
Dong La swept away the gloom on his face, strode in, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said loudly, "Everyone, Dong La and the Qingcheng girl are late, please forgive us!"
Luo Erying blushed with embarrassment, gave a soft snort, pried my hands off, and ran away.
I followed Dong La into the house, took his hand and said with a smile, "Qingcheng and my sworn brother are late, but they have arrived. I'm sure you all won't have the heart to blame us."
Luo Zhong exclaimed in shock, "Dong La! What are you doing here?!"
Dong La laughed loudly: "You, Luo Zhong! If you don't like me, I'll leave right now!"
"Hey, hey—" Luo Chong grabbed Dong La's arm and said shamelessly, "Brother, since we're already here."
Liu Xingjian clapped his hands: "Congratulations to the two chieftains! When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break gold!" He walked to my side and said with a smile, "Qing Niangzi deserves the most credit."
I smiled and waved my hand: "Sir, you flatter me. Qingcheng doesn't deserve such praise."
Wei Ji stepped forward with a smile: "What's the rush? Chief Dong is truly a timely rain, we are like being bathed in sweet dew." He then turned to me, and under everyone's gaze, he clasped my hands and bowed deeply, "The mountains are high and the waters are vast, I, Wei, thank you for your help, Qing Niangzi."
I bowed in return: "Your Excellency, there is no need for such formalities. Qingcheng has a saying: Your Excellency cares for the people of Nanguang. Helping you is helping me."
Luo Zhongyao led Dong La to a seat. Dong La raised his hand in a gesture of respect and said solemnly, "Enough of the idle talk. My Ma Hu tribe's four thousand soldiers are still waiting outside the city. Several of the generals accompanying us this time are from Qingling. They not only know the mountains and rivers like the back of their hand, but also have a deep bond with the local people."
"You can rest assured, everyone. You entrust the Qingling defense line to me. Dong La guarantees with his own head that he will never allow the Nare army to set foot in Nanguang!"
"Good!" Wei Ji clapped his hands, turned around and walked to the desk, opened the wooden box on the desk, took out the token with both hands, and handed it to Dong La, "Thank you for your trouble."
Dong La received the military order and immediately took his leave. Luo Chong saw him off at the mansion.
At that moment, Wei and Liu were about to lead me to the backyard to meet the people in the inn. Just as we were about to set off, Luo Erying rushed over to report: "Prefect Wei, Mr. Liu, a large group of people have arrived at the yamen gate. They can't say who they are looking for, but they say they have urgent business to discuss with the officials!"
Wei Ji and Liu Xingjian exchanged glances and nodded slightly: "Bring the leader here to give us a reply."
I was thinking of Huai Xu and the others, and was about to say goodbye when I went to the backyard.
Wei Jiluo pointed to the chair beside the table and then brought over a cup of tea, saying, "Qing Niangzi, wait for me a moment."
I took the tea and sat down. Before I could even take two sips, I heard someone outside the door call out, "Qingcheng girl!"
"Brother Wazhi!" I put down my teacup and sprang to my feet. "You, didn't you go to Huaiyuan Village?!"
"Yes!" Wazhi strode inside, nearly tripping over the threshold. "I couldn't bear to leave you all, so I found another opportunity to come back!"
"Slow down, slow down!" I was touched and quickly introduced him, "This is our Yuezhou Prefect, Lord Wei, and this is Mr. Liu, who serves Lord Wei." I then briefly explained to Lord Wei and Mr. Liu how Wazhi and his party were captured by the Nare army and how they escaped to Song territory.
Wei Ji's expression was solemn: "I know that the Nanguang Pass has been in disrepair for many years. Since taking office, I have accumulated a lot of bricks and lime slabs. However, it is really hard to find craftsmen with construction experience, and most of the local laborers I have conscripted do not know the blueprints, so the construction is progressing very slowly."
Wazhi slapped his thigh: "We, we made the right choice coming here this time!"
I held my breath and pressed, "Brother Wazhi, what do you mean?"
Wazhi said excitedly, "The messenger from Yuezhou arrived first. When we got to Huaiyuan Village, they were discussing how to reinforce Nanguang. I then told my cousin about the beacon tower."
"They happen to have a team of craftsmen from Jiuzhouba who are reinforcing the village's defenses. Due to the intense fighting at Yujing, the ordered stone materials cannot be transported across the Yuejiang River, and work has been suspended for several days."
Liu Xingjian asked urgently, "Has Huaiyuan Village sent all its people here?"
Wazhi nodded repeatedly: "The chieftain asked my cousin to handle this matter. I know the way well, so I asked him for this job. The brothers in Jiuzhouba are also very loyal. When they heard that Nare was leading his army to attack Nanguang, they all said that defending Nanguang was the same as defending Jiuzhouba. We didn't dare to close our eyes for a day and two nights on the road, and finally we arrived!"
Wei, Liu, and I exclaimed in unison, "That's great!"
"Hehe," Wazhi rubbed his hands together, laughing like a child, "Wazhi is from a small tribe in Shimen. Our tribe all want to surrender to the Song Dynasty, but the larger tribes won't allow it. Now that Ren Nare is acting like a scoundrel, he can help you, and Wazhi is especially happy!"
Liu Xingjian cupped his hands in greeting: "Head of the tile-making workshop, please follow me to the workshop. The blueprints for the construction of the wall have been prepared. We hope that you, head of the workshop, can mediate between the craftsmen and the laborers."
Wazhi raised his hand and patted his chest: "Of course, of course! Please give your instructions, Mr. Liu."
As dawn breaks outside the window, the first warbler sings.
I got up from my chair just as Wei Ji blew out the candle on the table, plunging me into darkness for a moment. As I turned around, my arm accidentally pulled a stack of books forward, so I reached out to catch them and pushed them back. Wei Ji must have noticed the books were about to tip over, because he reached out to gather them. My push pushed the books and his hand back.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have put out the candles so early."
"It's nothing, I was just in a hurry."
"Then... let's do it one more time."
"Alright." I raised my hand and chuckled, turning to look at him. "This way, Lord Wei, please."
We walked side by side toward the backyard.
"Wei Mou—"
"grown ups--"
You go first—
You go first—
I stopped and chuckled: "Then let me speak first. Why isn't Shiyu with you, sir?"
Wei Ji frowned slightly: "I was just about to discuss this matter with Qing Niangzi."
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