Xie Qi naturally wanted to save people.
After all, they have served in the same court for many years, and have had the experience of making a living together under the high pressure of Zheng Qiao. It can be said that they are a typical example of sharing weal and woe. If I didn't know, it would be fine. Now that I know they are in trouble, it is neither reasonable nor moral to stand idly by.
Furthermore—
There were many capable people among the old ministers of Xin State.
It can still be used if you pick and choose.
"Shi, Shizang, are you serious about what you said?"
When the people who were fleeing heard this, they were so moved that they almost cried. Their tears mixed with the mud on their faces, leaving long marks. They looked embarrassed but also a little funny. They didn't even bother to ask who Xie Qi worked for, and they just told him everything.
However, this matter is not something that Xie Qi can decide alone.
He also wanted to ask for the opinions of Chu Yao and others.
Chu Yao just thought for a moment: "Is the place far?"
Saving people is secondary. Chu Yao cares more about their favors and connections. His master is born with stunted development. After years of operation, few people have taken the initiative to join him. Although the team members have simple backgrounds, it is conducive to unifying the voice. Once the territory is expanded, the lack of manpower will hinder the progress. If these people can owe him favors and establish a good relationship, it will be easier to talk in the future. Of course, if they are late, they can only blame them for the disaster in their fate. Chu Yao has a plan in mind.
Several people hurriedly said: "Not far, not far..."
I was afraid that Chu Yao would give up on saving people because the distance was too far.
Chu Yao asked again: "How many troops are there over there?"
Several people said, "About five or six hundred people."
The actual scale should be smaller than this.
The madman Zheng Qiao drew the remaining elite troops from Qianzhou to fight against the Dragon Slaying Bureau coalition, which resulted in many of the guards stationed in various places being newly recruited, and in some places only the old, weak, and sick were left. Digging pits and burying people did not require many elite troops.
Chu Yao said: "Gather the troops and go to rescue."
Qianzhou was in crisis because of Zheng Qiaokang's generous dispatch of the national seal. Chu Yao did not dare to risk dividing his troops, let alone staying in one place for a long time. He simply sent someone to leave an important message. Under the guidance of several people, he went to rescue the old ministers of Xin State.
It must be said that the old ministers of Xin State understood Zheng Qiao.
When they were arrested and detained together, everyone looked at each other and found that they were all enemies of Zheng Qiao. They immediately had a bad feeling. In the dim cell, they held onto the iron bars with their hands and communicated by voice to integrate the information.
A gentleman said: "Where is the front line?"
This statement seemed particularly unique among the nearby cells.
Don’t you care at all about the war on the front line
Faced with this soul-torturing question, the other party said uninhibitedly: "Why should I care about the war on the front line? If the news leaks out and Zheng Qiao hears it, wouldn't it be like handing a knife to him personally? He can frame me with any crime later, and I will die."
If you're going to give up, you have to give up thoroughly.
Can't show any ambition at all.
Finally, a voice came from the cell deep in the diagonal corner: "Alas, Yanzhou has been lost, and Qianzhou only has the natural barrier of Miaojiang River left."
Someone else who was more informed joined the group chat and said, "I heard that Cunshan City was swindled away by someone, and Zheng Qiao was furious. Qianzhou should have no natural defenses to rely on, right?"
"Inshan City was deceived? Haha, who is this person?"
Someone said: "I don't know..."
Someone else said, "Maybe he is a nobody?"
Someone else complained: "It seems that few of the people in the Dragon Slaying Bureau are worthy of being on the stage. After all, even their leader was born in a humble family. Who can be a hero and a great man to obey such a person? However, no matter who it is, it is not easy to trick Zheng Qiao into giving up the golden city of Cunshan."
As they chatted, everyone became curious about the "unknown person" until someone who had more recent information spoke up.
"I heard that it was the one Yan Xingning recommended for the transfer."
"Who then?"
"That person? His last name seems to be Shen."
"I think his name is Chen Tang?"
The old ministers of Xin State were naturally familiar with the surname Shen, after all, it was the surname of the royal family of Xin State. Of course, now when the royal family of Xin State was mentioned, they could only spit on it. Only some elderly ministers would sigh a few words. After all, before the old king of Xin State became old and foolish and was fond of ostentation, he still had a period of wise time and had a deep affection with his ministers.
How can we not miss those days when the emperor and his subjects lived in harmony
At this time, someone broke out a piece of gossip, the content of which was extremely explosive: "... I heard that this Chen Tang seems to be the male heir of the Chen family who is living outside..."
The people in prison who were bored and panicked: "… "
Wait, which Shen family
"Could it be the orphan of the Xin Kingdom's royal family?"
As soon as this speculation came out, he was scolded back by everyone.
Bullshit, if Chen Tang was really an orphan of the royal family of Xin State who was stranded abroad, he would have been found by the old king of Xin State long ago.
He was good in every aspect of his life, except that his brother was detached from the world and had nothing to lose. He could only be powerful if he had some great treasures. Even if he collected beauties from the people and robbed the royal families of defeated small countries and filled the inner court with beauties, there were some things he just couldn't do. His body was not good, and his mind was also abnormal, and his ruling methods became more and more foolish and radical.
He only had a child when he was middle-aged. The only princess of Xin State was the princess's bloodline, and people have always questioned its legitimacy. If the old king of Xin State had such a pearl, he would not have been so messed up in the later period.
The person who broke the gossip explained.
"It's not the royal family, it's the Shen family whose nine clans were exterminated."
Speaking of which, there were a few old friends and students of the Shen family among the crowd. They were not going to join the group chat at first. After all, they had been treated harshly in the prison these few days. The food they were given was either insufficient or had a strange smell. Just enduring the hunger in their stomachs was uncomfortable enough. When they heard that it was related to them, they all pricked up their ears: "Really? Where did you hear this news from?"
The man recalled, "I remember that it was a branch of the Gong family who was exiled to Xiaocheng and brought back the news a few years ago. Didn't Gong Yunchi from the Gong family marry the daughter of the Shen family? It is said that the news came from him, so it should be almost certain."
"This boy joined the Dragon Slaying Bureau and deceived Cunshan City?"
Everyone laughed and said, "The law of nature is clear, and retribution will come."
As they were talking, the jailer came in to deliver food.
Some people would rather starve than eat, because these meals are added with drugs that can suppress the civil and military energy and make people weak. This drug has no other harm to the body, and it can slowly recover after seven days of non-use.
But not eating for a long time will also make you weak and powerless.
Some people just give up and eat!
"Eat it, eat it. Don't be hard on your stomach."
God knows when Zheng Qiao will think of them. If he starves himself to death, wouldn't that be a big loss? Even if he dies, he must die with a full stomach! The prison is dim and the people can't tell the time of day and night after staying there for a long time. They can only estimate the time based on the food delivered by the jailer.
Somehow, someone whispered, "If Zheng Qiao loses, what will happen to us... Have you ever thought about it?"
"It would be best if we lose, so we don't have to suffer this humiliation."
The man asked, "Will Zheng Qiao let us go?"
Everyone was silent.
Zheng Qiao is an absolute madman. He adheres to the principle of dying together. How could he leave them a chance to live
For a moment, everyone felt horrified.
The thing they worried about most happened.
On this day, the jailer took them all out of the prison, but instead of sending them home, they were collectively transferred to another place. Someone could be vaguely seen digging a pit...
Some people sensed something was wrong and took the opportunity to escape.
Although Wen Qi had barely recovered, they were able to escape unexpectedly because the guards were lax. However, they still did not dare to stop, for fear that they would be captured by the pursuers behind them.
Until they met Chu Yao and his troops.
When Chu Yao led his troops to the scene, the place was in a mess, with signs of fighting everywhere. How could this group of virtual prisoners be a match for the strong soldiers? The pit had been filled up halfway, and many people had been buried up to their chests...
The soldiers were cracking their whips to make them work faster.
Fill the pit with soil one shovel at a time.
When Chu Yao's troops arrived, the soldiers didn't even put up a symbolic resistance, and they all fled in fear. The people at the bottom of the pit heard the noise and looked up, only to see a young scholar with gray hair standing above them. The scholar was dressed simply, but his temperament was first-rate.
"Is there anyone alive down there?"
Hearing the voices, they were colleagues who were imprisoned together. They were ecstatic to be rescued and shouted, "There are survivors! We are still alive!"
Chu Yao said: "Go down and bring the person up."
As they were dug out of the pit one by one and ate hot food, they felt alive again. As they ate, some people burst into tears while holding their bowls.
"Why are you crying? If you survive a disaster, you will be blessed in the future."
They almost thought they were going to be buried alive.
Now I’m lucky enough to have a life saved!
After eating the food, he managed to regain some strength. At this time, a scholar with a slightly immature appearance among them straightened his appearance, smiled and saluted: "May I know your name? If there is a chance in the future, Luan will definitely repay you!"
Chu Yao was thinking about how to place these people. He had to screen out who was useful and who was useless. As a result, he heard a familiar but unpopular surname and asked, "What's your surname?"
The scholar said, "My surname is Luan."
Chu Yao asked: "Which word is it?"
The other party replied: "Tanluan's Luan."
Chu Yao: “…”
"My benefactor, is there anything wrong?"
Chu Yao said: "This surname is rare."
I don’t know what the relationship with Luan Xin is.
He sent someone to invite Luan Xin over.
When Luan Xin came slowly and limped over, the scholar's eyes seemed to be filled with reminiscence. After a while, he stepped forward cautiously and asked softly, "Sir, is your surname Luan and your given name Xin?"
Luan Xin looked at the scholar in surprise: "Who are you?"
The scholar was immediately overjoyed: "Father!"
Chu Yao, who was standing by, almost choked on his own saliva. He didn't expect that he could see Luan Xin's excitement again. He immediately smiled and joked, "I never thought that Gongyi's eldest son has grown up so much."
Although the scholar looked immature, he was of considerable stature.
No matter how you look at her age, she is older than Luan Xin’s children.
Luan Xin said without thinking: "Nonsense, when did I have a son this old? Who are you, and why do you call me 'father'?"
The scholar was startled when he heard this, and changed his words in a low voice: "Uncle."
Now it was Luan Xin's turn to become stiff.
He used the limited light to carefully identify the scholar's eyebrows and eyes. Although his facial features were stained with dirt, he could still see some traces of outline. Luan Xin saw that this face, which was approaching adulthood, looked familiar, and with the title of scholar...
Could it be—
"Are you Ah Cheng?"
The "Ah Cheng" mentioned by Luan Xin is actually the only son of his adopted sister, who was adopted by Luan Xin just after he was one month old. Calculating his age, he should be as old as the scholar in front of him. It is not wrong to call him "Ah Father", and it is also not wrong to call him "Uncle".
When the scholar heard this, tears immediately filled his eyes.
"Uncle, you are really still alive."
"If my mother knew, she would be very happy."
Looking at his nephew, who had a clear and foolish face and an expression that said "It's great that you're still alive, uncle", Luan Xin was almost speechless. Although he had never contacted the Luan family in recent years, he served Wen Yangong, who knew his eldest sister.
There's no way you can say he's dead.
"Who told you that something bad happened to me?"
Scholar: "There are rumors that Lord Wen Yan lost his power and was forced to commit suicide by the head of the Qiu family. There are also rumors that you followed him..."
Because the two places were not well-informed, Qiu Cheng's defeat lasted for several months before his mother received news that Shen Jun was cruel and greedy, using captives as hostages to demand ransom from their families, and would tear them apart if they were not paid. There was no doubt that his uncle had been torn apart by the other side.
Luan Xin: “…”
He suspected that his elder sister had even prepared a spirit tablet for him.
The scholar whispered, "Incense is offered three times a day."
Luan Xin: "... at least send someone to confirm it."
After he finished speaking, he was stunned.
Because of the incident that happened that year, Luan Xin left after his leg injury healed a little, and made it clear that he didn't want to be disturbed. After that, he never contacted the Luan family again. However, he didn't know whether his former master Qiu Cheng helped to tip off the family...
Luan Xin sighed and suppressed his unnecessary thoughts.
"Are you okay? Are you frightened?"
The scholar shook his head obediently: "Uncle, I'm fine."
Apart from being a little hungry and getting kicked when going down the pit, there were no other problems. The old ministers of the Xin State nearby also heard the conversation between the two and felt relieved when they heard that they were uncle and nephew. It's good to have connections with someone above you.
Luan Xin brushed away the sand from his hair.
Ask the guards to get him a clean piece of clothing to change into.
At this moment, he caught a glimpse of a suspicious figure bending over, and he immediately used his spiritual energy to drag the person back.
The scholar saw who it was and exclaimed, "Uncle!"
At this time, Luan Xin also barely recognized the other person.
At first, she was slightly surprised, then smiled: "What a coincidence."
The captured person was already trembling.
Over the years, this person had indulged in sensual pleasures and debauchery, and had also indulged in cultivation, which had drained most of his body. In addition, he had been tortured in prison recently, and had become haggard, with gray hair. His eyebrows and eyes showed his age and haggardness, and at first glance, he did not look like Luan Xin's peer, but more like his father.
At this time, he was still hunched over with his hands on his head.
I didn’t dare to look at Luan Xin at all.
However, even if he turned into ashes, Luan Xin would still remember it.
"I haven't seen you for many years. Are you doing well?"
The voice was deep and cold, like a ghost demanding death.
The scholar looked at Luan Xin, then at his trembling colleague and half-brother, pursed his lips, and took a step back.