vstars Chapter 35 Bad News
Chapter 35 Bad News
Wang Daniu, standing nearby, didn't even glance at the two putting on their act; he just stared blankly at the ground with his mouth agape.
The bundle was open, revealing more than a dozen silver ingots of varying sizes, all stained with blood, making it impossible to tell whether they belonged to government soldiers or bandits.
Just now, Fourth Brother said this is our money.
Moreover, Fourth Brother said he would give him half of the silver.
Of course, one cannot be ignorant of the rules. The heads were all chopped off by Fourth Brother. He was just running errands and cutting off heads. How could he get half?
But even getting one ingot would be great; I'd really be rich!
"Fourth Brother, from now on, wherever you point, I'll attack. Da Niu will obey your orders without question!" He patted his chest, full of enthusiasm.
Yang Silang nodded slightly and then looked at Ruan Qianzong.
"Brother Qian, you said you didn't have time to make your fortune and are short of money. Are you short of money for gifts?"
"Why don't you take this money and use it to smooth things over with the connections?"
General Ruan looked embarrassed and pulled out a thick stack of silver notes from his pocket.
"Actually, brother, I took half of the camp's pay with me when I escaped."
"The army suffered a major defeat, and the military pay was simply lost, ending up in the hands of the bandits."
"Of course, the big boss has to pay tribute to the higher-ups; that's the rule, and that's how he gets protection."
"Hey little one, hehe... how about you get some too?"
Yang Silang and Wang Daniu were dumbfounded. Well, it turns out you were the one who was hiding the deepest secret.
-
The wind was biting cold.
The city wall of Gongzhou Prefecture was wide open, and a few people were coming and going.
The guards stood at their posts, their hands tucked into their sleeves, looking listless and weak.
They were responsible for guarding the city gates and collecting taxes on the side. A basket was placed outside the gate, and anyone entering the city, except for those with official titles, had to pay one copper coin as an entrance fee.
The basket contained a thin layer of copper coins.
There weren't many people entering the city today, so everyone was quite relaxed and chatted a bit.
The two veterans huddled together.
"Brother, I heard your eldest nephew also went to war with the adjutant general?"
"Yes, I wonder how the battle is going up there?"
"Hey, why are you worrying so much? With the adjutant general in charge, it's a piece of cake. How could mere bandits possibly stop the heavenly army?"
"General...General..." An old soldier suddenly trembled, his eyes staring straight ahead, and his hand trembling as he raised it to point outside the city gate.
"Are you crazy? The military commander is in Yiling County!"
The old soldier muttered something while chatting with him, then turned around and stared in disbelief.
A dozen or so cavalrymen, their helmets and armor discarded, their hands wielding swords and spears, their blood frozen solid, were seen escorting an adult wrapped in a thick robe as they approached from afar.
These horses had large frames and were good horses, but now they all have long hair and are thin.
As for those cavalrymen, and that lord...
The soldiers guarding the gate were all natives of Gongzhou Prefecture, so they naturally recognized this battalion commander. He was clearly the same officer who had been so imposing when he went to war, and half the city's residents had come out to see him off!
A buzzing sound went through everyone's heads—Oh no, the adjutant general has been defeated.
Of the four thousand men who went out, only a handful returned?
The news quickly spread throughout the city, and suddenly, from nowhere, the sound of crying arose. Gradually, the crying became faint, but it was heard almost everywhere in the city.
These four thousand people are almost all citizens of Gongzhou Prefecture. Each of them has a large family and relatives behind them.
Wait until nightfall.
When the city gates are about to be sealed.
Twenty more porters, who looked like beggars, ran back. They were actually hard-working members of the Sanshui Association, responsible for transporting supplies on the expedition.
Near the city gate.
Immediately, many residents rushed up, wanting to know what had happened on the battlefield, and mainly asking where their relatives who had gone to war were, and whether they might have escaped as well.
Fortunately, the gatekeeper acted decisively and immediately escorted the tough soldiers into the military camp, thus stopping the commotion.
An uneasy atmosphere, like dark clouds looming overhead, had already enveloped Gongzhou Prefecture.
The government is really a sieve; news spread quickly.
The entire expeditionary force was wiped out, and among the porters and laborers, only about twenty tough men from the Sanshui Association managed to escape.
Old Zhou's oil shop.
The eldest sister and the fifth sister were crying so bitterly, their hearts breaking, and even the little girl was crying for her uncle.
Grandma Yao was actually glad that she hadn't married her younger sister off to that short-lived man.
She was very annoyed by the faint sobbing of the two women, and with a quick thought, she pulled her husband aside to come up with an idea.
"Shopkeeper, you said that Old Yang is gone?"
"Should we manage the house he bought on his behalf?"
Late the next night.
At the end of the day's trading,
The main hall in the backyard of Old Zhou's oil shop.
Manager Zhou sat at the head of the table, silently smoking his pipe, while Grandma Yao sat on the other side, holding a teacup, gently brushing away the tea foam on top, and taking a sip.
on the ground.
Sister Yang and Fifth Sister stood there with swollen eyes.
The two of them cried all night and barely slept. This morning, they were ordered to continue working.
Sister Yang knelt down and begged the eldest grandmother to let the two sisters go out to inquire about the news.
Bad news was coming from all over the city.
In particular, Sister Yang found Grandpa Zhu, who was hiding at home.
As soon as Master Zhu and his men entered the city, they were escorted to the military camp and summoned to the government office, where a high-ranking official questioned them repeatedly.
Zhu Ye and the others rehearsed their lines before returning to the city.
Although they didn't understand any grand principles, they still had the wisdom of ordinary citizens. They said that after the camp was in chaos, all they remembered was running for their lives. Because the roads were blocked, the porters, with their quick legs, ran down the dirt road.
They evaded the pursuit of bandits along the way, and finally returned to Gongzhou Prefecture by taking the old road through the mountains.
As for the fact that the lieutenant general led his men in a brave counterattack, not a single word was dared to be mentioned. Words can be dangerous, and if too much was said, who knows if the lieutenant general could survive this or face retaliation.
The high-ranking official questioned them several times, but couldn't get any useful information. They realized that this group was just lucky, quick on their feet, and had managed to escape by sheer luck thanks to their porter skills.
So they were allowed to go home, but they were reminded to stay home for a while and avoid wandering the streets to prevent any trouble.
Master Zhu could evade idlers, but he couldn't escape the other family members of the stubborn Ding who went with him. He was driven crazy by them. When he finally met Sister Yang, he sighed and told her about how everyone had been separated.
He comforted his elder sister, saying that since they hadn't seen Yang Silang's body, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't fall behind because he might have twisted his ankle. Even if he were captured by the bandits, he might not lose his life.
Sister Yang almost fainted when she heard this.
So many people died in the chaos; how could the enemy soldiers have such a kind heart?
Besides, Yang Silang disappeared with Wang Daniu. If he really sprained his ankle, Wang Daniu would have carried him back even if he had to.
She forced herself to return to the oil shop, hugged her younger sister and cried, then worked a whole day in a daze.
Both of them looked haggard and absent-minded, and standing there, they looked incredibly forlorn.
Grandma Yao coughed.
"Da Ya, Xiao Si is unlucky, it's all fate."
"He's gone, but your little sister is still young and needs to live too."
"From now on, just stay at our house. Don't worry about money; we're relatives, shouldn't we look after each other?"
Sister Yang, feeling bitter, gave a curtsy.
"Thank you so much, Grandma..."
Grandma Yao took another sip of tea.
"However, I heard that your brother left you a courtyard house when he left?"
"These are chaotic times. A young orphan girl running a house might attract unwanted attention."
"If you ask me, why don't you just put the house in my hands and I'll manage it for you..."
Sister Yang was at a loss, not knowing how to refuse, while Sister Yang looked up with tears in her eyes.
"Replying to Grandma, my fourth brother instructed me before he left that he bought this house with money borrowed from two fellow villagers."
"Li Erhu of the Black Tiger Gang, ten taels of silver; Xiong Shan, the man from Widow Liu's family in the city, ten taels of silver; nine out and thirteen back, all paid off in one year."
"He instructed that if he didn't come back, whoever took the house should remember to pay back the debt."