The Bride Kidnapping (Part 8)
I hadn't thought of that, so I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What happens to deserters?"
Zhou Hong sighed in despair: "If they catch them, they're doomed!"
My heart sank: if we find them, wouldn't Luo Erying have to watch her lover die? Given her temperament, who knows what resolute thing she might do then? But if we don't find them and let them leave the country, I'm afraid it's uncertain whether they'll even make it to Dali alive...
Zhou Hong and I sat on the bench, each lost in our own thoughts, when suddenly the bailiff led a soldier of similar age into the gatehouse.
Zhou Hong sprang to his feet, pointed at the soldier, and demanded, "Commander Ling, are you one of your soldiers? What's your background? Where is he now?!"
Ling Dutou bowed his head and replied, "Reporting to the Deputy Military Commander, the soldier you are looking for is named Yan Han. He is a Mangman from Dali and was once captured by the salt smuggler Wang Dabao and forced to serve under him."
"At the beginning of the year, Dongying went deep into Wumeng and destroyed Wang Dabao's stronghold. Yan Han was one of the surrendered soldiers and was assigned to my unit as a miscellaneous servant. I saw that he was doing a decent job, so half a month ago, I sent him to guard the hay storage outside the camp."
Zhou Hong stamped his foot: "You're confused!"
I hurriedly said, "General Zhou, there's no time to lose, let's go to the hay storage area right away!"
Zhou Hong, removing his armor, shouted to the officer in charge, "Quickly prepare a horse for me!"
The Changning Army's pasture was located on an open plain ten miles outside the camp, with few houses along the way. The haystacks formed several huge grassy hills, standing in the mountains, looking like an isolated island from afar.
The garrison's quarters were also a thatched hut, which had long since fallen into disrepair after a rainy season.
Ling Dutou was the first to leap off his horse, tossing the reins to Zhou Hong, and rush forward, banging on the door and calling out, "Yan Han! Yan Han!"
Zhou Hong and I tied the horses together and then followed.
No one answered from inside. Ling, the head constable, was panting heavily when he turned to Zhou Hong: "Deputy Commander Zhou, what do we do now?"
Zhou Hong glared at him, stepped forward, pushed him aside, and kicked the door.
With a loud crash, the door panel, which was tied with straw rope, fell to the ground, and the flying ash and straw fragments landed on the two men's heads and faces.
Because I was a bit far away, I only coughed a few times from the musty smell emanating from the house, but I didn't look as disheveled as the two of them.
The two of them were cursing and swearing at each other at the door, brushing the grass clippings off their clothes. I covered my mouth and nose with my sleeve, walked past them, and slipped into the house.
The thatched house was drafty on all sides and leaked rain from the roof. Jars and pots for collecting water were scattered all over the ground, and a pile of dry grass was laid out at the east end, which looked slightly newer than the rest of the house.
I held my breath and walked over, squatted down in front of the haystack and rummaged through it. Sure enough, I found a pink butterfly velvet flower, which was the headdress that Luo Erying often wore!
Zhou Hong spoke up behind me: "Qing Niangzi, what are you looking for?"
"It's nothing." I quickly hid the velvet flower under my sleeve and continued to rummage through the hay. Suddenly, I found a broken charcoal board with many marks on it. They looked messy and looked like they were made by a piece of porcelain.
I handed it to Zhou Hong: "General Zhou, Commander Ling, take a look at this."
Zhou Hong took the charcoal plate and, together with Ling, went to the bright light at the doorway to examine it closely.
Commander Ling pointed to the markings on the map, his face turning pale with shock. "This is the Changning Army's insignia. Xingning is here, Junlian is next to it, and that area should be the Wumeng Mountains, as well as the boundary river. This is a classified military map. Where did he copy it from? Who leaked it to him?"
"You bastard!" Zhou Hong cursed. "Looks like you've been wanting to run away for a while!"
I pressed further, "Can you two determine where Yan Han went and what his most likely route is?"
“The destination should undoubtedly be Dali,” Ling Dutou said with a furrowed brow. “However, every route is extremely dangerous. Relatively speaking, starting from Nan Guang, crossing the Niu Guang River, going straight to Shimen Fan, passing through Wumeng tribe, and then turning to Dali might be feasible.”
"Feasible my foot!" Zhou Hong gritted his teeth. "The Wumeng tribe and several other tribes of Shimen Fan started fighting at the beginning of the year and have been fighting on and off for more than half a year. They've already reached the point of eating human flesh! Once we cross the border river and enter Shimen Fan, a single person on horseback—if not dead, then a savage!"
Ling Dutou looked embarrassed: "Then now—what should we do?"
I looked at Zhou Hong: "General Zhou, it rained heavily the past two days and the sun only came out yesterday. The mountain roads are difficult to travel, so the person shouldn't have gone far. Let's give chase!"
"Chase them!" Zhou Hong nodded. "Commander Ling, come back to the camp with me to request troops from the military commander; Qing Niangzi, you go back to the inn and wait. Our men will come to meet you as soon as possible."
"Qingcheng thanks you both!" I shook hands with the two of them. "Farewell!"
By the time they returned to the inn, it was already dusk. Feng Qiao led his horse to the backyard to drink water, and Lin Zhong brought up the hot food.
I took the chopsticks from Lin Zhong: "Have you all eaten?"
"Um."
I picked up a hollyhock sprout with my chopsticks, tasted it, and found it tender—just the way I like it. I looked up at Lin Zhong across from me: "Did you cook dinner tonight too?"
"Um."
I nodded: "No wonder it smells so good."
Lin Zhong glanced at me and said, "Boss, are you hungry?"
"I'm starving," I said, shoveling food into my mouth. "Where's Huai Xu? I haven't seen her."
Lin Zhong poured me a bowl of soup: "She went to the border market to gather information, and hasn't returned yet."
"Go and call her back. Zhou Hong and I have made an appointment to go into the mountains tonight to look for her."
"Okay." Lin Zhong stood up, then suddenly stopped. "You're back."
"Godmother, Uncle Lin!" Huai Xu rushed into the courtyard, breathless, shouting, "Yingmei, Yingmei really ran away from home! And with, with—"
I interrupted her, saying, "It's just eloping, don't make such a fuss."
Huai Xu was stunned for a moment, then looked at me and said, "Godmother, you know everything? Who exactly is that boy who's with Yingmei?"
"You've seen her, the one who danced the peacock dance at the triplets' one-month celebration."
“Godmother, something terrible has happened!” Huai Xu said urgently. “I ran into a camping horse caravan at the border. Their attire and equipment were quite different from those of the Wumeng Mountain caravan. When I asked them, I learned that they came from the Luoshi border to carry salt. Their guide led them astray and took them to the Niu Guang River. Fortunately, the Niu Guang River was flooded and they couldn’t cross it. They also met a kind person who gave them directions, and that’s how they found their way here.”
I panicked too: "Were Yingzi and the others the ones who gave directions?!"
"From what the caravan leader described in terms of her head and appearance, it should be Yingmei!"
"They must be waiting to cross the river!" I threw down my chopsticks. "You two pack your things and come with me to find them!"
Lin Zhong pressed me back into my seat: "Master, please finish your meal first."
"It's too late!" I struggled to say. "Once we cross the river, we'll reach Shimenfan. Yingzi won't survive there!"
“You can go without food, but a horse can’t go without grass. That horse has been running with you all day. If it doesn’t rest, it won’t make it to Niuguang River.” Lin Zhong picked up his chopsticks and put them back in my hand. “No caravans from the Shimen Fan direction passed by during the day, which means the water hasn’t receded yet. Now it’s getting dark, and even if the water recedes, they won’t be able to leave.”
“Yes, godmother,” Huai Xu also said, “Although we have three horses, the pregnant horse we bought later will give birth in less than two months and can’t run.”
“You’re right, I was too hasty.” I calmed down and continued eating. “Later, the three of us will go to Niu Guanghe first, and let Feng Qiao stay at the inn to meet up with the Changning army.”
During a break while preparing the horses at Fengqiao, I briefly told them about my experiences traveling between Junlian and Xingwen during the day.
After hearing my words, Huai Xu hesitated and said, "Godmother, if Yingmei and Yanhan are truly in love, wouldn't what we're doing be breaking them up?"
I sighed, "If we find them, one of us will die; if we don't, both will die. Let's save as many as we can!"
Huai Xu said sadly, "Ke Ren was saved, but her heart is dead. Ying Mei... will she resent us?"
I don't know how to answer. The love at first sight in youth is a lasting and deadly force. Even if it causes pain, it's like a moth drawn to a flame, willing to burn itself.
“No,” Lin Zhong suddenly said, “he’s using Luo Erying.”
Huai Xu and I both looked at Lin Zhong. Huai Xu asked in surprise, "Why, Uncle Lin?"
Lin Zhong looked at me and said, "If it comes from the heart, one should risk one's life for others, rather than joining hands to take risks."
At that moment, Feng Qiao entered and said, "Auntie, the horses are ready."
I stood up and said, "Let's go!"
On a moonless night, the evening star Venus in the west shone exceptionally bright.
Children born in the mountains all have a good sense of direction, and Huai Xu is especially gifted in this regard. Guided by her, we successfully reached the section of the river where the Luo family's caravan encountered Luo Erying and Yan Han, and left tracking marks for the Changning army along the way.
"Godmother, Uncle Lin, this is it!" Huai Xu looked around and shouted, "The tree species and the shape of the rocks match!"
I nodded: "Lin Zhong, you go to the west; Huai Xu and I will go east and search separately along the riverbank!"
Before they had gone far, they heard what sounded like sobbing coming from the bushes ahead.
"Shh," I quickly pulled Huai Xu aside, "Listen."
The sobbing was faint. Huai Xu listened intently for a while, then pointed to a patch of mottled reeds by the river: "There it is!"
I said in a deep voice, "Let's go take a look."
Huai Xu took the riding whip from my hand and stood in front of me, saying, "Godmother, come with me!"
We approached the patchwork of reeds one after the other. Suddenly, Huai Xu cracked his whip and shouted, "Who's crying in there? Come out!"
The sobbing stopped abruptly, followed by a rustling sound. A child staggered to his feet from the grass. Huai Xu pulled him out and asked urgently, "Yan Han! Where's Luo Erying?!"
In the dim light of the night, we noticed that Yan Han's clothes were tattered and his face was bruised and swollen, as if he had just been beaten.
Huai Xu stamped his foot: "I'm asking you a question! Are you mute?"
A look of terror flashed in Yan Han's eyes: "I...I was taken away..."
"What?!" Huai Xu grabbed his collar and roared, "Who kidnapped you? Tell me!"
Yan Han said in despair, "No, I don't know him..."
Huai Xu slapped him hard across the face: "How could Yingmei fall for a fool like you!"
Yan Han cupped his swollen cheeks and burst into tears again: "They didn't say, I really didn't know..."
"You!" Huai Xu was so angry that he raised his hand to hit him again.
I quickly grabbed Huai Xu and asked Xiang Yanhan, "How many people are in their group? Are they on horseback or on foot? Are they carrying any weapons? What do they call each other?"
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