Everyone in the world knows why the Yellow Turbans are called the Yellow Turbans. I didn't expect this half-grown kid to know the same thing. I had a thought in my mind. He wouldn't take me to the camp of the Yellow Turbans, would he? If they found the pass in my bag, I would have to go see my parents. I don't even know them. It would be really troublesome. I decided to play dumb. I looked at his yellow turban but pretended not to react.
But I didn't even think about running away. Instead, I wanted to use Zhou Jian's relationship to join the Yellow Turban Army and take the opportunity to enter Wancheng. I was just worrying about how to enter Wancheng surrounded by the Yellow Turban Army. Maybe the teacher was right. My plan was indeed risky, but if the situation was not urgent enough, I would have no idea. So I can't be a military advisor, which is also good, anyway, I'm lazy.
As we walked along, the front gradually opened up, and a quiet mountain village appeared before my eyes. I couldn't tell that this village had anything to do with the Yellow Turban Army. There was no flag, no fence, no smoke from cooking. Well, there shouldn't be any smoke from cooking. It was just past noon, so it should be lunchtime, right? But there was no sign that there was an army here.
Suddenly, Zhou Yin jumped down, still shouting, "Brother, we are at our house."
I didn't expect this to be called a home. Any place I lived in for free was better than them, because it didn't look like a house at all. You could think it was a thatched stack or a hollowed-out rotten wood, but it was a home. I could only say that I had too little experience. Before I even entered the door, an unpleasant smell came into my nose and made me cough constantly.
"You guys live here?" I looked around as soon as I entered the room. I still had doubts, but I still sat down as if I was happy.
"Brother, don't sit there..." It was too late. I sank down and fell to the ground under the house. A big hole appeared on the floor, and then two apologetic faces appeared in the hole.
"I'm sorry, brother, this floor has been eaten by insects for a long time, and there is nothing we can do about it. We don't usually sit there."
Now I believe this is their home.
"Brother, we don't even know your last name or your name." Zhou Jian looked honest, but his younger brother was very naughty. He picked up some grass and started weaving straw sandals, and threw this and that at his brother from time to time.
"My name is Xie Zhi," I said without intending to lie to them. "Just call me Brother Xie. And how do you know how to read?" This was very strange. Given their family's situation, they wouldn't have the money to go to school.
"There is a teacher here." Zhou Yin told me before his brother did. "Everyone seems to call him Mr. Shuijing. Sometimes he teaches us a few words when he sees us. But he travels around the world all year round and is rarely at home."
Although the smell here is terrible, these two guys are still very cute. I don't even plan to ask them why they robbed me. If I were someone so poor, I would have become a bandit long ago. And it was obviously their first time to rob. They had no experience and they couldn't even rob me, who had no experience of being robbed. But if I stayed here any longer, I would be in trouble. I didn't want to show that I didn't want to stay here any longer. So I said that I still had a lot of things to do and I would come to see them when I came back.
"Brother Xie, how do we change our names?"
"Oh, let me think about it."
But my thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of hurried horse hooves. The Zhou brothers' eyes were full of tension. Dozens of young and strong men came here with a fat man. This fat man was obviously tall, but his appearance was really not flattering. He was shorter than Ziyuan, but two times fatter than Ziyuan. I was still silently saying in my heart, Ziyuan, don't scold me, I'm just making a comparison. The face is very similar to a steamed bun. I really want to tell him, you look like this and still come out to scare people. If you were in Xiangyang, I would definitely arrest you as a person who violates morals.
The purpose of their coming was obviously to target the two children. The steamed bun said to the two brothers: "You bastards, you actually climbed into my granary and stole rice last night."
"It was so dark, how did you know it was us?" They were both so silly and cute, they really confessed themselves. Although I was worried about the two brothers, I still couldn't help but laugh.
"In this village, apart from you two brothers, who else has such good martial arts skills? Apart from your brother, who else is so tall?" Suddenly, Mantou noticed me. Apparently, he found someone taller.
“Sir, may I know…?” His words suddenly became more literary. He probably thought I looked like a scholar.
"Traveling people see this mountain as quiet and peaceful, so..." I was polite too.
"Alright, alright." Seeing that I was just a wanderer, he didn't bother to be polite with me. He turned his head and said, "I already knew that you two bastards are not good people. Come on, catch them and break their legs."
It's not easy to take action, so I have no choice but to use my identity to put pressure on him.
But it seemed I was too late, they were already fighting, how could two kids stop dozens of adults from attacking them, they were tied up in a few seconds. Mantou waved his hand, and several thugs came over with wooden sticks.
"Stop!" I shouted, grabbed something behind me and smashed it over.
We were silent for a long time because I threw a horse behind me, and the horse flew out, pinning the thugs underneath. The horse struggled to get up, stomped on the thugs a few times, and then ran away.
The others surrounded me, but no one dared to move. I didn't expect that I had done this, and I was also stunned. However, I quickly came to my senses, took out my pass from my bag, raised it above my head, and shouted, "I am Xie Zhi, the garrison commander of Xiangyang. I'll see who dares to touch me."
Mantou came closer and squinted at my certificate. The seal was very effective. Mantou smiled and came closer. I pushed his face away because it was too ugly. I thought I would have a nightmare tonight.
"I didn't expect the general to arrive, and I failed to welcome him in person. Given the general's supernatural power, I knew that he must be an extraordinary person..." He was really good at talking, but I couldn't stand it any longer.
"Okay, okay," I interrupted him. The tone of his interruption made him even more nervous. He hurriedly invited me to his house and held a banquet to apologize to me.
"Forget it. These two are the sons of my old friends. Please don't pursue the matter any further."
"Of course, we should untie you two."
"This general has an important mission this time. I am on a secret visit and I did not want you to know about it. You must not make it public. If this general encounters an accident, I will tell others to leak it for you. Then, your dog heads will be hung on the top of Xiangyang City."
"Yes, yes, people don't dare."
Watching them walk away in a panic, I felt relieved. I turned around and saw two very strange expressions.
"What's wrong?"
"Thank you, brother. You are really a general."
"yes."
"Then... why didn't you arrest my eldest brother. How do you know my eldest brother is not a Yellow Turban Army?" I don't know, but I didn't, they are so honest, they will leak everything.
"Why did you pretend to be a Yellow Turban bandit?"
"That bastard had so much food at home... Last year, there was a severe drought. Every family had no food in the winter. If they wanted to borrow from him, he would lend money at high interest rates. This year, he came to collect the debts when spring came. Aunt Zhao's family was killed... I was so angry that I went to steal from their house. When I saw so much rice and flour, I took off my clothes and stuffed them in until I couldn't carry them anymore. Before I left, I wanted to burn it, but when I saw so much rice and grain, I couldn't do it!..." He burst into tears, and I was shocked for the first time. In Xiangyang City, although some corrupt officials were criticized by everyone, they always felt far away from me. Moreover, I had no worries about food and clothing since I was a child, and there had never been anything that made our family unable to survive. I had never felt what hunger and pain were. This time, I felt for the first time that ordinary people really couldn't survive.
"We knew we were discovered and couldn't stay here any longer. We planned to rob a rich man on this official road to get some money. We knew rich people were afraid of the Yellow Turbans, so I cut a piece of old clothes left by my mother and wrapped it on my head to dress up as a Yellow Turban. I didn't expect to run into you, big brother."
"Take your things and come with me." I had an idea. They couldn't stay here for long anyway.
"Brother, you won't kill us, will you?" Zhou Yin asked timidly.
"Kill you, why?" I was confused.
"You were traveling secretly..."
"Oh, I was just scaring them at that time. Anyway, they didn't know what I was going to do. And even if it leaks out now, I will still go." The fate of Xiangyang is in my hands, I have to go.
"And this will give you some relief." I smiled.
"Why?"
"I'm in front of dozens of people, and they will definitely be in a panic when they go back. Everyone is afraid that others will leak my information, and they will be charged with a capital crime. So everyone is in danger and in a constant state of anxiety. They have to keep asking whether I have returned. There will be no peace for them. I will definitely punish them when I come back. Let them live in fear during this period of time, okay?" I was very proud and turned around to see two stunned faces.
"Brother, you are so awesome." It took a long time to say this. These two people are really brothers. Although their temperaments and personalities are very different, they are both equally straightforward.
By this time I had already settled them down. I took out a pen, took his yellow turban, and wrote a short letter.
"You should go south immediately and reach Xiangyang before dark, and ask where Xie Zirui's mansion is. Someone will show you the way and ask who you are. You should say that you are my distant relatives. Your family has fallen into poverty and you have come to live in my house. When you arrive at my house, just give this book to my sister. You can stay here until I come back." I am very confident that there are probably no more than ten people in Xiangyang who don't know me.
The two men suddenly knelt down and bowed to me. I was at a loss as to what to do. I quickly helped them up and told them to leave quickly.
I had to get on the road too. I got on the horse and suddenly heard Zhou Jian's voice from behind: "Brother Xie, did you forget to give me a good name?"
I forgot. I was silent for a moment and said to him, "It doesn't matter if you don't have any future. If you can make a name for yourself, I will definitely give you a granary, a big granary, so that you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life and you will no longer have to endure hunger. You will be called Zhou Cang."