Chapter 47: Quick-travel strategy for the Soldier King (V)
"Hahaha, traitor Zhang, your doom has come!" A loud voice penetrated the wall of the cell and reached my ears.
My heart was pounding. This sound was...
"General Chen? Is it really you?" Bi Yuntao from the next cell shouted excitedly, his voice trembling with weakness.
"Brother Bi, I'm late!" General Chen Zilong's voice was full of regret, "You have suffered!"
I seemed to see a ray of hope, and I grabbed the iron bars of the cell tightly, wishing I could rush out immediately. However, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
"General Chen, don't waste your energy." Zhang Hanjian's cold voice came from outside the cell, "The security here is very strict, you can't escape even if you have wings!"
"Traitor Zhang Han, you colluded with the Qing dogs and killed loyal people. Today is the day you die!" General Chen roared.
Then, there were more intense sounds of fighting outside, the sound of swords clashing one after another, and my heart was beating fast.
However, the battle did not last long, and the noise outside gradually subsided. My heart sank. Could it be... Could it be that General Chen had failed?
"Zi'ang, don't be afraid, Dad is here to save you!" A familiar voice came from outside the cell, and my tears instantly burst out. It was Dad!
"Dad!" I cried, shaking the cell door desperately, "Dad, I'm here!"
"Hahaha, Master Feng, how are you?" Zhang Hanjian's voice sounded again, full of pride, "Your son is my baby now. If you want him to live, just listen to me!"
"You...despicable villain!" Dad's voice was filled with anger and powerlessness.
"Dad, don't worry about me! Go away!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I couldn't let my dad get hurt because of me.
"Zi'ang, don't be afraid, Dad will definitely rescue you!" Dad's voice was firm and powerful, and General Zilong fled quickly, but I could hear that his tone was full of helplessness and despair.
"Bi Yuntao, as long as you are willing to tell me the secret of the anti-Qing organization, I will release you and Mao Xiaoyu, how about it?" The voice of Zhang Hanjian was like a poisonous snake, which made people shudder.
"Bah! You want me to betray my brothers? Dream on!" Although Bi Yuntao's voice was weak, his tone was full of determination and disdain.
"If you don't accept my toast, I'll give you a punishment!" Zhang Hanjian roared, "Come here, beat him up!"
Then, I heard Bi Yuntao's painful groans from the cell, and my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. It was all because of me that I had implicated him...
I covered my mouth to stop myself from crying, but tears kept flowing from my fingers. It was all because of me, this unlucky person, that I harmed my father and my elder brother!
I leaned against the cold wall helplessly, despair overwhelmed me like a tide. Some prisoners around me sighed, some trembled, but no one dared to stand up and say a word. I suddenly became angry and shouted at them: "Are you all cowards?! Are you going to sit and wait for death?!!"
My roar was like a spark that ignited the long-suppressed anger in the prisoners' hearts. They stood up one by one, clenched their fists, and the light of hope rekindled in their eyes. I struck while the iron was hot and described my plan to them: we can take advantage of the dead of night and work together to break through the prison door and escape!
However, my enthusiasm was quickly extinguished. When I talked about specific actions, most people hesitated again. They were afraid of Zhang Han's revenge and the consequences of failure. I watched them retreat one by one, and my heart was once again filled with despair.
"Master Feng, don't waste your energy." An old man sighed, "We are all old, weak, sick and disabled. How can we be a match for Zhang Han? You should save your energy."
I sat on the ground helplessly, looking at the cold eyes of the people around me, feeling hopeless. Is there really no way out? Am I really going to wait for death here?
Just when I was in despair, I noticed that a brick in the corner of the cell was a little loose. I was moved, could it be... I crawled over and gently knocked on the brick with my hand, and it was empty! A glimmer of hope ignited in my heart, could there be a secret passage here?
I held my breath and poked the brick bit by bit with my hand. Finally, a dark hole appeared in front of me. I was ecstatic, thinking there was always a way out!
However, when I tried to get in, I found that the hole was too small to accommodate an adult. I felt like a deflated ball. Was this all just a false alarm?
No, I can't give up! I carefully observed the hole and found that it seemed to lead to the prison wall. If I could find a way to open the hole from the outside, maybe I could escape!
But now I am trapped in a cell, how can I get the message out?
A few days later, when a prison guard brought me food, I noticed that he looked flustered and seemed to be worried about something. I suddenly had an idea and asked casually, "Brother, what's wrong with you? Did something happen at home?"
The jailer sighed and said in a low voice, "Oh, don't mention it. I heard that things are not peaceful outside the city recently. The government is arresting the rebels. People are in a panic."
I was startled. Could this be a sign that Daddy had sent someone to rescue me? I pretended to be scared and asked, "A rebel group? What are they going to do?"
The jailer shook his head and said, "Who knows? I heard that they want to rebel and overthrow the government. Alas, these are truly chaotic times, and we, the common people, are the ones who suffer."
I agreed with him and secretly put a piece of silver into his hand, saying, "Brother, thank you for taking care of me these days. This little gift can be used for tea."
The jailer hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted the silver and said, "Young Master, don't worry, I will do my best to protect you."
I nodded, and after watching him leave, my heart almost jumped out of my chest. I believed that Dad must have received my message, and he would definitely come to save me!
However, my hope soon turned into despair. That night, I heard shouts and screams coming from outside the prison, followed by the sound of swords clashing, flames shooting up into the sky, and screams that never stopped. My heart sank to the bottom of the valley. Could it be... Could it be that Dad and the others had failed?
My hunch was soon confirmed. The next morning, Zhang Han appeared in front of my cell with a smug look on his face. He sneered and said, "Feng Ziang, your good father, in order to save you, he actually dared to collude with the rebels. He was really bold! Unfortunately, he was just one step behind and was caught by my people!"
My eyes went dark and I almost passed out. Daddy... Daddy... No! I don't believe it! This must be a lie from Zhang Han! He must be trying to hit me on purpose!
However, Zhang Hanjian's next words completely shattered my last glimmer of hope. He took out a jade pendant from his pocket, threw it in front of me, and said, "Do you recognize this? This is your father's personal belongings, and now it has fallen into my hands. Tell me, is he still alive?"
I picked up the jade pendant with shaking hands, tears rolling down my cheeks like pearls from a broken string. This jade pendant was a gift from my father on my tenth birthday, and I have always carried it with me. Now, it is in the hands of Zhang Hanjian, which means... that my father... is really...
I closed my eyes in despair and let the tears flow freely. Daddy, it's all my fault. I've ruined you!
I curled up in the corner, my father's familiar jade pendant was even more dazzling against the cold stone. Daddy...he did it for me...I bit my lips tightly to stop myself from crying, but the tears still flowed down.
"Zi'ang, don't be like this, it's not your fault." Bi Yuntao's voice was low and hoarse. Even through the wooden bars of the cell, I could feel the grief and self-blame in his eyes.
"No, it was me who harmed him, it was me who implicated him!" I covered my face and said in despair, "If it weren't for me, Dad wouldn't have..."
"Zi'ang, cheer up! Your father doesn't want to see you like this." Bi Yuntao grabbed the fence and said firmly, "We have to survive, we have to avenge him!"
His words were like a heavy hammer, hitting my numb nerves. Yes, I can't just give up like this, I want to live, I want to avenge my father!
We began to carefully analyze the situation in front of us, looking for any chance of escape. However, reality was like this cold cell, trapping us tightly. Just when we were about to despair, a faint sound came from the corner of the wall.
"Who?" I looked towards the direction of the sound vigilantly.
A shadow flashed by, and a man in night clothes and a black scarf appeared in front of us. He quickly pried open the lock on the cell door and whispered, "Follow me!"
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