South of the Juma River is the Great Zhou territory, with Xiongzhou and Bazhou to the east and Yizhou to the west. South of Yizhou is Dingzhou, and Shishuyuan is between Yizhou and Dingzhou.
The name of Shishuyuan probably comes from the fact that many families in this place have the surname Shi. Shi Hu is an 18-year-old strong young man in this village. He is the only child in this family. His parents have long wanted him to get married and start a family. There have been many matchmakers, but Shi Hu has always been unwilling; he is thinking of Xu Erniang from the same village.
I will find someone to propose marriage after a while. Shi Hu thought about it and followed his father through the courtyard gate into his own yard. Both father and son were bricklayers. They had just come back from helping someone lay tiles in the morning and were watering their arms in the yard. After a while, his mother came out with water. Shi Hu took out a bag of copper coins and said: "Mom, please keep it for me. I will collect enough money to buy a horse."
His mother muttered a few words about what was the point of buying a horse and how it would cost food, and then she started nagging that her son should get married.
Shi Hu laughed and said: Mother is still worried that I can't find a wife. I want to find Xu Erniang.
I will ask your third aunt tomorrow. His mother said.
Shi Hu said hurriedly: Don't worry for now, wait until I buy a horse.
He then looked at the large tiled house that was newly built last year and the low earth-rammed wall in the yard, and said without turning his head: We need to plant some flowers and plants behind the wall, and plant two peach and plum trees in the yard.
Shi Hu wanted to make his home look better. After all, it was not easy to build this house. The family of three worked from dawn to dusk, not only farming, but also raising pigs, sheep and chickens. The father and son had skills, so they asked for work wherever there was one. They built kilns and made tiles to sell, and they also had to do corvée and pay a lot of grain. Fortunately, after years of hard work and frugality, the Shi family was getting better and better.
Now he had a new house, grain in the barn, and copper coins in the cellar. After selling the sheep at home, he would take out some of the copper coins and buy a horse. Then, as a wealthy young man, he would wear new clothes, ride a tall horse, and marry the beautiful Xu Erniang under the praise of the villagers.
Shi Hu's mind was full of imagination. He was so happy that he almost wanted to dance with joy. He shouted towards the kitchen: Dinner will be served in a while. I'll go out and cut some grass for the sheep.
Just as I reached the gate, I heard the sound of pots being hit. Then I saw a group of people rushing to the road in the village. The village elder shouted: "The Khitans are coming. Villagers, hurry up and pack up and leave."
An old man from the same tribe scolded him: "Shi Hu, what are you still standing there for? Go and call your parents, grab some food and clothes and leave immediately. Everyone should go west into the mountains, or go south across the river to Dingzhou."
The Khitan Shi Hu was stunned and stood there.
The old man said: The Khitans are coming on horseback. If you don’t hurry up, you can’t run away even if you want to.
At this time, Shi Hudie in the firewood shed and the woman in the kitchen came out to see what was happening. People outside kept shouting that the Khitans were coming. Everyone was panicked, and the dogs in the village were barking everywhere. Soon, someone from the uncle's family came over and asked Shi Hudie and his family to leave together. Everyone said that the Khitans were extremely cruel and would kill, burn, rob, and do anything.
"Hurry up and get the sheep out, but what about my house and the food in the warehouse?" The woman cried in anxiety.
Why, why did Shi Hu stare with red eyes and a face full of anger.
He knew how long it would take, how much effort and sweat it would take to build the new house. There was also the grain in the warehouse. He worked hard in the fields, but didn't take care of his mother. He usually ate coarse grains to fill his stomach. It was not easy to save that much. The livestock in the pen also took several months to grow up. He had helped his parents with work since he was a child, and these things were the result of many years of accumulation for his family. These things allowed his family to live a stable life and live like a human being, which was praised by people from far and near. He was originally waiting for the family to be better in the future, to save more money and food, and to buy a few more plots of land.
Shi Hu became more and more angry and shouted: I'm not going anywhere. If anyone enters my house, I will kill them.
Shi Hu was originally strong and could win fights occasionally. He got angry and went into the woodshed to find a woodcutter. His parents were terrified when they saw him. His relatives also advised him that the Khitans were armed and had many people. If they fought, they would die. His parents advised him and his relatives to leave first and they would stay at home to watch over him. Shi Hu refused to leave.
At this time, there was a great deal of panic outside. The old man of the Shi family said that his son was the most important person in the family, and he was afraid that his impatient temper would cause trouble, so he found a rope, tied up Shi Hu tightly, and asked his uncle's donkey cart to take him away.
In the afternoon, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside. Old Man Shi and his wife bolted the doors and windows, blocked them with something, and took a hatchet to hide in the house.
Soon, there were knocks on the door, followed by a loud bang. Old Man Shi was horrified, holding the hatchet tightly against the wall and staring at the door. Immediately, several armored men rushed in. They looked at the hatchet in Old Man Shi's hand and started to yell. The one in front of them raised the hammer to his shoulder. Suddenly, with a whoosh, an arrow flew over and hit Old Man Shi right between the eyebrows. He fell down without even a cry.
The woman was startled, and immediately burst into tears and threw herself on the body of the old man. A Khitan man came over, kicked her down, grabbed the woman's arm and dragged her out, leaving her in the yard. On the dirt road outside, some foot soldiers with only a few pieces of iron on their bodies also rushed in and rushed into the house to search everywhere.
The woman lay on the ground, unable to move, and watched helplessly as a group of people led away the pigs and sheep in the pen, and some people carried out sacks of food. Later, someone threw a torch into the woodshed, and the firewood quickly spread to the tiled house, and the whole house gradually caught fire.
Shi Hu was on his way to Xishan, but the next day he broke free and returned along the main road. Before he reached the destination, he saw thick smoke in the village. He hurried home, only to see a few blackened earth walls still smoking. Everything was gone. Shi Hu suddenly felt cold in his hands and feet, and he felt sad and angry. He hurried into the yard and saw his mother still curled up on the ground, so he ran over to help her up.
When the woman saw Shi Hu, she said with red eyes: Your father is dead, why did you come back after his death? Run away quickly.
Shi Hu burst into tears, helped his mother to lean against the wall, quickly took a wooden pole, ran to the ruins to look for her, and finally found the burnt body in the ashes. He dragged the body out of the ruins, sat on the ground, and cried loudly.
After crying for a while, he thought of another person, so he ran out of the yard with a wooden pole. When he ran to Xu's house, he heard crying inside, so he went in and saw that the yard was in a mess, with all kinds of debris thrown everywhere, but the house had not been burned down. A corpse was lying on the door panel, and an old woman was crying loudly, with her eyes swollen. Shi Hu went forward and saw that the dead person was a young man, Xu Er Niang's younger brother. He hurriedly asked: Aunt, did Er Niang escape
The old woman was still crying and pointed with her finger.
Shi Hu looked in the direction he was looking and saw a thatched hut. He walked over and saw some torn women's clothes inside, and blood on the grass. His head buzzed, and he clenched his fist and banged it on his forehead, then turned around and said with a sob: Where is the person
The old woman said: It was hidden in the cellar and was stolen.
Shi Hu was filled with grief and anger. He picked up the wooden pole and rushed out. The surroundings were in ruins. It took him a while to realize where he could find someone to vent his anger and shame. Even if he found the Khitans, what could he do
On the wall of Yizhou, the Jiedushi Sun Xingyou, who was fully armed and wearing heavy armor, stood there with a sullen face. An official in a long robe next to him was talking: The Liao army burned, killed and looted in our territory, and the Jiedushi just watched.
The general was angry and said: "The Liao invaders are not only raiding the valley, but also bringing tens of thousands of cavalry. If we don't defend Yizhou City first, what will happen to you if the city falls?"
Someone else said: Hurry up and go to Xiongba City 2 to ask for help.
Sun Xingyou raised his head and took a deep breath, then turned around and said: It's useless. The Liao army invaded, and each city should focus on defending its own town. There is no force to be transferred to fight a large-scale field battle with the Liao army; besides, who will lead the troops? This matter has been reported to the court by an emergency force of 800 miles, and everything is waiting for the order of His Majesty.
He said coldly: You must stay up all night to patrol the city defenses, arrest spies, and guard against the Liao army's seizure of the city.
The generals clasped their fists and said: Yes.
Sun Xingyou looked up and saw a large green flag fluttering in the wind, with two words on it: Great Zhou.
Sun Xingyou and the military officers and officials around him said nothing.
Suddenly, a group of people holding long poles came from the post road under the city. There were no pedestrians around, just a group of horses. Sun Xingyou and others watched vigilantly. After waiting for a long time, the group of 20 to 30 people walked to the city, raised their heads and shouted.
A general on the city wall shouted: Who is coming
At this time, a young man said: Let's join the army
The people on the city wall murmured: "He came to join the army at this time, could he be a spy hired by the Khitans?"
The general who was shouting asked again: Who are you from? What is your name
The young man replied: We are from Shishuyuan. Our family was killed by the Khitans. We joined the army to seek revenge.
The general said: "The whole city is under martial law now, no one can enter or leave. Please come back in a few days."
The group did not respond, but stayed under the city. A few arrows were quickly shot from the city, and they retreated a distance. The person who just shouted to the city was Shi Hu, who was at a loss. Another young man said: The Khitans are in Yizhou, and the generals in this city dare not come out. They must be cowards. I heard that the emperor who just ascended the throne in Tokyo was the one who killed tens of thousands of Liao cavalry in Zhuozhou that year. Why don't we go to Tokyo to join the imperial army