Xuanjiaao is a village located in the north of Gyeongju, at the junction with the security forces, and is now almost abandoned.
When Luo Ye and others arrived, it was almost dusk, and the autumn rain had not stopped. The abandoned village under the gray-black sky looked like a ghost without anyone. In fact, they had never collided with the Jurchen army again along the way, and they were somewhat prepared in their hearts. The lost Black Flag Army had never come here, but probably went to the southwest.
They fluttered.
It was raining that day, and everyone's spirits were a little sluggish. The captured Jurchen warhorses seemed to be even more sullen. They began to lose their strength and were unable to run. Then I can only find a place to spend the night nearby.
Out of prudence, the group hid their tracks and first sent scouts to the abandoned village in Xuanjia'ao ahead to investigate the situation. Later, they found that there were still several families living in Xuanjia'ao at this time.
In the village that seemed to have gone through a lot of chaos and was abandoned, there were six or seven families living at this time, with a dozen people, all of whom were old and poor. When more than 20 people from the Black Flag Army appeared at the entrance of the village, the first person they saw was an old man who turned and wanted to run, but after taking a few steps tremblingly, he turned around and looked at them in horror and confusion. Luo Ye first stepped forward: "Don't be afraid, old man, we are from the Huaxia Army, Huaxia Army, Zhu Ji know that there should be such a big car coming over to sell things. Has anyone informed you about the arrival of the Jurchen? ? We came to resist the Jurchens, to protect you..."
After he said it, he asked the local soldiers to repeat it. Someone came out of the shabby village and saw them, causing a small disturbance.
This small riot finally subsided not long after, and the dozen or so old and weak people in the village lived an extremely difficult life here. It seemed that there were no descendants at home, and they were unable to move to other places. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that staying here is difficult to live. The first reaction they saw when they saw Luo Ye and others was that they wanted to run away, but at such a distance, it was useless to run away, so they chose a thin old man who seemed to have seen a little of the world to negotiate.
Luo Ye expressed his goodwill. After a general description of the situation. More than 20 people found a few houses that could keep out the rain and set fires in them. They killed two war horses outside the house, and then distributed the other two war horses that were no longer able to move to the villagers, and provided some dry food. The old man in the village accepted it with sincerity, and then became friendly.
The thin old man explained the situation here to them. In fact, even if he didn't say it, Luo Ye, Qu Qing and others could guess it to some extent.
since the beginning of last year. The Xixia people who invaded from the south launched a massive massacre on this place. First on a large scale, then in small scrambles of killing and friction, hundreds of thousands of people died during that time. After the Black Banner Army defeated the Xixia army, the non-inhabited areas continued for a period of chaos. The fleeing Xixia troops brought the first wave of military disasters, then bandit troubles, then famine, and famine. Another more violent crime. Such a year has passed, and the Chongjia Army has maintained vitality and order in this land for decades. has been completely broken.
Xuanjiaao is too far away from the city. The people who originally lived in this area are walking around to death. This place is no longer suitable for living. Because of their old age, it is difficult for more than ten people to choose to leave after surviving. They originally planted some fields and wheat nearby. They had harvested the autumn harvest not long ago, but the bandits came over several times and grabbed almost all the food. Food, this winter, they can only rely on the bark of wild vegetables, or they will freeze and starve to death.
The war horses and dry food that Luo Ye and others distributed to them can fill their stomachs for a while.
The old man's face was yellow and skinny, and he said inarticulately to the end, but he was grateful. Luo Ye and others listened bitterly and asked them about their future plans. Then they told them about the arrival of the Jurchen, Xiao Canghe, and Yanzhou, Qingzhou and other places that might have porridge and rice to get. The old man was at a loss again. They had been in this place for too long, they were afraid of the outside world, and they didn't know how to survive in another place.
After this negotiation, the old man went back, and then brought another person over to bring Luo Ye and others some dry wood, a pot that can boil hot water, and some wild vegetables. It was a woman who came with the old man. She was dry and thin, and she didn't look good. She was dumb and couldn't speak, and her feet were a little lame. This is the daughter of the old man, named Xuan Manniang, the only young man in the village.
He asked this dumb girl to do some rough work for everyone. When he looked at everyone, he hesitated, but in the end he didn't say anything.
They killed the horses, cooked the meat, and after eating, more than twenty people rested here for the night. Zhuo Yongqing has been in the rain for two or three days. He has undergone high-intensity training in Xiaocanghe, and he may be fine on weekdays. At this time, due to the chest injury, he finally felt a little dizzy when he woke up the next day. He stood up and listened to Qu Qing and others discussing to chase further southeast.
At this point, the rain outside the window finally stopped. Everyone was about to set off, and suddenly heard screams coming from the other side of the village. If you listen carefully, you will know that someone is coming and has already entered the village.
Outside the door, Qu Qing, Luo Ye, Hou Wu and others each made a few gestures, and more than 20 people picked up their weapons silently. Zhuo Yongqing gritted his teeth, turned on the crossbow and went out. The dumb and lame woman ran over from the front and gestured to the crowd. Luo Ye raised a finger at the other party, then waved his hand and called the next group to go. Going forward, Qu Qing also waved his hand and took Zhuo Yongqing and others around the corner of the house to the other side.
The voices in the villages in front were still chaotic. Some people smashed the door, some old people screamed and pleaded, and some shouted: "Don't recognize us? We are the righteous people of Luofeng Mountain. take it out!"
Someone shouted: "Where is the food! Come out, where did you hide the food?"
"Smash their nests, and everyone will be driven out!"
"Old stuff..."
The mountain bandits came from the north, Luo Ye and others walked along the corner of the wall, and made some gestures with Qu Qing, Hou Wu and others in the gaps of the dilapidated earth houses.
About sixty people.
There are horses.
The shouting from outside continued: "Come out for me!"
"What is this"
"There are two horses, how can you have a horse..."
Go ahead and kill them.
The black flag soldiers behind the wall raised their crossbows, Zhuo Yongqing wiped his nose, Mao Yishan shook his hands and feet, and someone pulled the spring.
A few swipes, different parts of the village. Someone fell down, Luo Ye held a sword and raised a shield, and suddenly rushed out, screaming, screaming, and collisions were even more intense. People rushed out from different parts of the village. The formation of three or five people fiercely entered the formation of the mountain bandits.
"someone"
"Save..."
"Be careful… "
"to die"
Luo Ye's shield knocked the person flying out, and the sword swung up and down, slashing the chest of the mountain bandit in wooden armor, countless pieces of armor scattered, and the spear behind pushed up, stabbing several mountain bandits. back. When the spear is drawn. Bringing blood out of their chests, then thrusting in and out again.
"Who are you, I am the righteous man of Luofeng Mountain, you"
Zhuo Yongqing exerted all his strength, and slashed a bandit leader who was shouting loudly and seemed to have some martial arts skills to retreat with a long knife. The leader only resisted Zhuo Yongqing's slashing for a moment, and Mao Yishan had already taken care of several bandits next to him, and walked over step by step with a long blood-stained knife, the leader's eyes were fierce: "Don't you think that I'm afraid of you." The sword turned. The long knife was swung like a splash of wind, and Mao Yishan's shield was raised. While walking, I heard that Bang Bang Bang was slashed several times by the leader, but Mao Yishan walked faster and faster. As he approached, he stabbed the opponent in the stomach. After the shield blocked the opponent, he stabbed it again, and stabbed it in a row. With three knives, the man was knocked into a pool of blood.
The battle was quickly over. The mountain bandits who entered the village escaped more than 20 people in the panic, and most of the rest were chopped down in a pool of blood by the black flag soldiers. There were basically no casualties on one side, only Zhuo Yongqing, when Luo Ye and Qu Qing began to order to clean the battlefield, he staggered to the ground, retched, and after a while, he fainted.
*************
Zhuo Yongqing was not injured in this battle, but the bone injury on his chest lasted for two days. In addition to the influence of the wind and cold, when he lost his strength after the battle, the injury finally broke out on his body.
In a daze in his mind, in the remaining consciousness, the squad leader Mao Yishan said something to him, probably because the battle is still ahead, and everyone can no longer bring him. I hope he can recover well here. When he regained consciousness, the ugly lame and mute woman was feeding him herbal medicine by the bed. The herbal medicine was extremely bitter, but after drinking it, his chest warmed up slightly, and it was already afternoon.
Zhuo Yongqing's spirit relaxed a little, although as a native of Yanzhou, he also knew what it means to be sturdy, but after all, this was his first time on the battlefield. With the repeated fights of his companions, seeing so many people die, the impact on him is still great, but no one behaves abnormally about it, and he can only suppress the complicated emotions in his heart.
On the contrary, he relaxed at this time, and when he closed his eyes, he could see the bloody scene. Many of his companions who had been training with him for more than a year died under the enemy's knife in the first encounter. The possibilities of these companions and friends for the next few decades were condensed in an instant and ended abruptly. He was faintly afraid in his heart. He may have to go through a lot of things in his life, but on the battlefield, these things will disappear in an instant at any time.
This emotion accompanied him. In the room, the lame dumb girl also sat by the door to accompany him. In the evening, she went to boil the medicine and came to feed him, and then fed him a bowl of porridge.
When the light of the sky was about to end, the mute girl's father, the thin old man, also came, and came over to greet him a few words. He was finally calmer than before, but he was hesitant to speak, and there were always some things that seemed difficult to say. Zhuo Yongqing faintly knew the other party's thoughts in his heart, but he did not say it. In such a place, these old people may have no hope. His daughter is mute, her legs are lame and unattractive, and there is no way to leave. The old man may hope that Zhuo Yongqing can take her daughter to leave. This is in many poor places. Not surprising.
The old man did not speak, and of course Zhuo Yongqing did not answer. Although he is only a civilian in Yanzhou, his family life is good, especially after joining the Huaxia Army, he does not have to worry about food and clothing in the Xiaocang River Valley. If he wants to marry, at this time It is enough to be worthy of the daughters of some big families in the northwest. Zhuo Yongqing's family is already looking at these things. Although he doesn't have much fantasies about his future wife, he naturally doesn't have much affection for the lame and dumb girl in front of him.
His physical fitness was good, but the bone injury was accompanied by a cold, so he could only rest in that bed the next day. On the third day, he still didn't have much energy. But it feels like the injury is about to heal. Around noon, he suddenly heard cries from outside on the bed, and then the screams became more and more, and Zhuo Yongqing got off the bed. When trying to stand up trying to get a knife. Still powerless.
The dumb girl rushed in from the door.
She didn't gesture, she said "Aba Aba" a few times, then came over to help Zhuo Yongqing to go, Zhuo Yongqing struggled to get his sword, shield and armor, the dumb girl shook her head desperately, but finally I picked up these things in the past and came to help Zhuo Yongqing.
At this time, Zhuo Yongqing was completely powerless. Half of the body was also pressed on the other side. Fortunately, although the dumb girl was small, she was extremely tough and could actually hold him. The two stumbled out of the door, Zhuo Yongqing's heart sank, and there was a faint voice of Jurchen in the shouts of killing not far away.
The two passed through several dilapidated houses, went in the direction of the dilapidated ancestral hall in the village not far away, and stumbled into a small room next to the ancestral hall. The dumb girl let go of him and tried her best to push away a stone in the corner. But there was a dark cave below. The dumb girl was about to come over to help him, and a figure blocked the light from the door.
Zhuo Yongqing subconsciously wanted to grab the knife, but before he could grab it, someone kicked him away. He was wearing a single shirt and no armor at this time, so the other party didn't kill him in the first place. Zhuo Yongqing's head slammed into the corner of the wall, making a humming sound. He tried to turn over, the dumb girl was knocked to the ground, and the Jurchen soldiers at the door had already shouted.
Other Jurchen soldiers also came. Someone saw his weapons and armor. Zhuo Yongqing was kicked in the chest again. He was caught and knocked to the ground. Then someone grabbed his hair. Dragging him all the way out, Zhuo Yongqing tried to resist, followed by more beatings.
In the center of the village, the old people were taken out one by one. When Zhuo Yongqing was kicked all the way to this side, his face was covered in blood. This is a Jurchen team of about ten people, who may have also separated from the brigade. They spoke loudly, and someone took out the Jurchen warhorse left by the Black Flag Army. The Jurchen was furious and slashed an old man to death. On the ground, someone came over and punched Zhuo Yongqing, who was barely standing, in the face.
He fell to the ground with a thud, losing his teeth. But a little pain is nothing to Zhuo Yongqing, and it is strange to say that he was still afraid when he remembered the battlefield, but at this moment, he knew that he would not survive, but he was less afraid. Zhuo Yongqing struggled to crawl towards the weapon that was put aside by the Jurchen. The Jurchen looked at it and kicked him again.
Zhuo Yongqing continued to climb. Nearby, the dumb girl "Aba Aba" was struggling, as if she wanted to plead for Zhuo Yongqing. Zhuo Yongqing just looked at this from the corner of his eyes, he was still reaching out to the weapon, a Jurchen said something, then pulled out a slender knife from his body, and slammed it into the ground, Zhuo Yongqing cried out in pain, the knife pierced through the back of his left hand, plunged into the ground, and nailed Zhuo Yongqing's left hand there.
During Zhuo Yongqing's shouting, the surrounding Jurchen laughed. At this time, Zhuo Yongqing's body was weak. He stretched out his right hand to reach the handle of the knife, but he was unable to pull it out at all. A group of Jurchen looked at him, and someone waved a whip and whipped him behind his back. The dumb girl was also knocked to the ground. Jurchen stepped on the dumb girl and said something to Zhuo Yongqing. She seemed to think that the dumb girl was someone from Zhuo Yongqing. Someone ripped open the dumb girl's clothes. .
Among the old people in the back, the dumb girl's father rushed out, ran two steps, and knelt on the ground before asking for mercy. A Jurchen slashed over, and the old man fell to the ground. Zhuo Yongqing shouted "ah", and the nearby Jurchen tore off the mute girl's top, revealing a dry and bony upper body. Drag to Zhuo Yongqing, the Jurchen who stepped on the dumb girl held the long knife in both hands, and stabbed it towards the dumb girl's vest.
"A... BA... ABA..."
Zhuo Yongqing watched the blood gushing out of the dumb girl's mouth, and the subtle light in her eyes slowly disappeared. Zhuo Yongqing tried hard to pull out the knife pinned to his left hand, but he still had no strength. The Jurchen laughed and started to kill other people. Someone kicked Zhuo Yongqing again, and then he was whipped again. The bloody breath filled the air, and Zhuo Yongqing heard a strange "flapping" sound. .
A Jurchen fell.
Then there was a chaotic voice, someone rushed over, and the weapons suddenly clashed. Zhuo Yongqing just insisted on drawing the knife. I don't know when, someone rushed over and pulled the knife up. In the ping-pong-pong battle of the surrounding swords, the blade stabbed into the chest of a Jurchen soldier.
"Zhu Yongqing, Zhuo Yongqing..."
It was a faint shout, Zhuo Yongqing staggered to his feet, and in the nearby field of vision, the old people in the village had fallen. The Jurchen also gradually fell. The team of Qu Qing, Luo Ye, Hou Wu, Mao Yishan and others came back. They slaughtered all the Jurchens in the fight. Zhuo Yongqing grabbed a long knife in his right hand and wanted to cut it, but there was no one he could cut.
He sat down on the ground, and in front of him was the corpse of the dumb girl who had humiliated and died. Luo Ye and others searched the entire village and came back. Mao Yishan came to bandage Zhuo Yongqing and said something, and the war outside was completely chaotic. They went south. Seeing the Jurchen striker again, they hurried northward. During the period when they left the team, the main force of the Black Flag Army and Lou Shi had another big fight, and it was said that there were many casualties.
Soon, the Jurchen may come here. They thought that the direction of Xuanjiakou might be the choice of the Jurchen to transfer, and it was only at this time that it was realized.
It is difficult for the small force to fight against the Jurchen army, so Luo Ye and others discussed moving quickly. Or waiting to join the team somewhere, they can actually join the team by bypassing Jurchen on the way, but Luo Ye, Qu Qing and others are extremely active. They felt it was always good to be ahead of the Jurchens. At this time, after discussing for a while, it may be necessary to turn north as much as possible. During the discussion, Zhuo Yongqing, who was covered with bandages and seemed to be dying, suddenly opened his mouth and said in a hoarse tone: "There is... there is a place..."
Soon after, Zhuo Yongqing took them to the small dilapidated room beside the ancestral hall and saw the dark cave.
This is the place where the old people in Xuanjia'ao village secretly hid food. After being discovered, the Jurchen actually went in and moved the things out, but there were only a few poor bags of food. The place below is not small, and the entrance is also extremely hidden. Soon after, a group of people gathered over, looking at this dark pit, it is difficult to think clearly, what can be done here...
************
In the evening, more than 20 people entered the cave. Luo Ye and others disguised the scene outside, trying to make the abandoned village as if the fighting was over and all the survivors had left. "On the way north.
Whether this will work or not, and whether you can catch a fish or not, depends on luck. If there is a small team of Jurchen passing by, and the others ambushed in the chaos, it can be regarded as adding strength to the team. They originally wanted to let Zhuo Yongqing be taken away and go to the nearby barren mountains to recuperate, but in the end they brought people in because of Zhuo Yongqing's refusal.
"If many people came, we would have been discovered, but the turtle was caught in the urn..."
"Looking outside, it's quite hidden after it's closed."
The Jurchen had not yet come, and the people had not closed the cellar entrance, but as the sky light gradually dimmed, the entire cellar was pitch black. Occasionally someone whispered a conversation. Zhuo Yongqing was sitting in the corner of the cave, and the squad leader Mao Yishan asked a few words about his situation nearby. Zhuo Yongqing only spoke weakly, saying that he was not dead.
This is the only thing that everyone expects from him. He is injured all over, and it is a great luck that he did not die directly. The atmosphere in the cave was dull and rancid. Zhuo Yongqing sat there, thinking about the death of the villagers and the mute girl.
The woman was not beautiful, dumb and lame. Born in such a family, she probably had never encountered anything good in her life. When outsiders came, her father hoped that outsiders could take her out and not wait to die here, but in the end he didn't speak. What was in her mind? Does she have this expectation in her heart? Such a life... until she was finally killed in front of him, perhaps nothing good happened.
He was just thinking about this. Jurchens gradually came outside, they quietly closed the cellar, the footsteps rumbled, Zhuo Yongqing recalled the name of the mute girl, recalled for a long time, it seemed that it was called Xuan Manniang, but she still remembered her death. time look. At that time, he was still beaten all the time, his left hand was pierced by a knife, and he is still bleeding, but in retrospect, he didn't feel any pain at all.
Mao Yishan was sitting in the darkness, and at a certain moment, he heard Zhuo Yongqing speak weakly: "Squad leader..."
"Um."
"I think..." Zhuo Yongqing said, "...I want to kill people."
"Yeah." Mao Yishan nodded. He didn't take this sentence as a big deal. On the battlefield, who should not kill people, Mao Yishan is not a person with a delicate mind, not to mention that Zhuo Yongqing was injured like this, I'm afraid it's just a matter of Just pure emotion.
In the dark, nothing could be seen.
In that darkness, Zhuo Yongqing sat there, his whole body was wounded, the blood on his left hand had soaked into the bandage, and it has not stopped completely. It was broken and swollen, several teeth were knocked out in his mouth, and his lips were cracked. But with such a severe injury, he sat there, blood foaming in his mouth, and the only right hand that was still holding the handle of the knife tightly.
He seems to be getting better, his body is hot, and the last strength is condensed, gathered on his hands and on the knife. This is his first combat experience. He has also killed a person under the city of Yanzhou, but until now, he has never really felt that desperately wanting to take someone's life. Never had, until now.
In the cellar, Jurchen was making noises. Zhuo Yongqing didn't think about his injury. He only knew that if he had the last moment, the last bit of strength, he just wanted to chop the knife out at these people...
I want to kill.
This night, they lifted the lid of the cellar, and slaughtered the countless Jurchen figures in front of them... (.)