La vie des gens de la campagne en ville sous la dynastie Song

Chapitre 56

Seeing Qin Zhen's disappointment, Zhao Gou said, "Don't think that I sent you to Lin'an for fun. Go there and keep an eye on the Weichang for me. Once the batch of things I ordered before the New Year is ready, send someone to deliver them. It wouldn't be bad to test their effectiveness on the battlefield first."

Thinking of the things his third senior brother had made, Qin Zhen was less averse to going to Lin'an and quickly said, "I will definitely urge them to finish it quickly, so I can really see the power of those things!"

On June 15th, Zhao Gou, appointed as the military governor of Liaobei and censor, set off for Nanjing, the capital of Liao. At the same time, Qin Zhen and Qing Mei, along with their main servants, openly retreated to the Kang Prince's Mansion in Lin'an. Wu Shaofen, leading the escort agency under Linlang Pavilion, secretly escorted Fan Tianxiang and Li Shishi to Lin'an to meet up.

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky 104 Amidst the Chaos of War and Dispersal

To travel from Bianjing to Lin'an, one had to pass through Huainan West Road and the surrounding area (now in Anhui Province), which was experiencing turmoil. Although Qingmei had sent people to scout ahead to try to avoid encountering the "rebel army," they unfortunately still ran into the peasant uprising forces.

Because their caravan was laden with supplies and the people were dressed in fine clothes, the "rebel army" immediately recognized it as a procession of officials. Without a word, they rushed forward to loot and smash the vehicles. In the chaos, Qin Zhen, Qingmei, and the others got separated.

Having escaped the pursuit of the "rebel army," Qin Zhen mustered her courage and entered a small town controlled by the "rebel army." Now, with her disheveled appearance, no one would mistake her for an official's daughter and rob her.

As she walked into the city, she carefully carved plum blossom marks on the road, a secret code she had agreed upon with Qingmei beforehand.

As she walked, Qin Zhen suddenly noticed thick black smoke billowing from a large courtyard ahead, accompanied by occasional howls. She ran to the main gate of the courtyard, which was already completely surrounded.

The crowd was shouting in chaos, and large knives were flashing among them from time to time. After listening carefully, Qin Zhen realized that a small group of "rebels" was looting the mansion of a large landowner in the city.

Qin Zhen turned her head away, not intending to get involved. She was all alone at the moment; how could she possibly fight against the "rebel army" that controlled the entire town? But she hadn't taken two steps when she heard a young woman scream from the crowd.

One cry, then two, the pitiful cries for help mingled with the laughter of the crowd and reached Qin Zhen's ears, causing her to clench her fists!

Is this what they call a "rebel army"? Shouting righteous slogans while committing beastly acts, they are even worse than the corrupt officials they condemn!

On impulse, Qin Zhen lightly touched the ground with her toes, flipped over and leaped into the crowd, grabbing the large hand that was tearing at the girl's clothes. At the same time, a gleaming knife was held to the burly man's neck.

Qin Zhen was surprised and turned around to see a woman in red standing up alongside her to stop the man's violence. The two looked at each other with admiration.

Several women who were kneeling on the ground crying crawled to the half-naked girl's side, hurriedly took off their outer robes and covered the girl's body, weeping bitterly. The girl's face, however, was expressionless except for her tears.

Seeing the girl's desperate and blank expression, Qin Zhen painfully rebuked the "rebels" who were holding knives and on guard, asking, "Is humiliating women and children what you call equality? Is this the life you pursue?"

One of the "rebels" laughed, "Where did you come from, little girl? These landlords and nobles live a life of luxury, and they can kill us at will if they're not pleased. We're just doing justice and giving them a little punishment. Get out of the way!"

The crowd, who had been waiting to see a good show, fell silent instantly. The "rebels" gripped their knives tightly, glaring at Qin Zhen and the knife-wielding woman who was holding their companion hostage. Both sides were caught in a dilemma.

"Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you! I can understand that you have suffered so much that you have risen up in rebellion, but why treat women and children who are powerless to even kill a chicken like this?"

The captured "rebel" shouted, "Brothers, stop wasting your breath on her! Kill those women on the ground and see if she dares to hold me hostage again!"

"Shut up. Try touching a single hair on their heads!" The woman holding the knife finally spoke. The clanging sound made the burly man in her hand tremble.

Qin Zhen looked at the two sides in a dilemma, and heard the woman in red say, "I don't intend to hurt anyone, but you can't harm the innocent either!" She glanced at the corpses of the men lying in the courtyard. She continued, "Kill everyone you wanted to kill. Release these women, and I'll release your companions!"

One of the "rebels" laughed and said, "Alright, I'll let them go."

Seeing that the woman in red was about to release the person in her hand, Qin Zhen stepped forward and said, "Wait! Since you call yourselves the righteous army, then swear an oath in front of all the villagers that you will no longer bully the weak, otherwise you will lose the hearts of the people and be despised by everyone!"

The group of "rebels" glared angrily at Qin Zhen and made a vow in resentment. If they abandoned their comrades now, they would be "unjust"; if they broke their vow in the future, they would be "unbenevolent." What place could an "unjust and unbenevolent" rebel army have left?

Seeing that the "rebels" had made an oath, the woman in red pushed the burly man in her arms to the other side. After exchanging a glance with Qin Zhen, the two of them flipped over the crowd and quickly fled, otherwise it would be bad to save others but lose their own lives.

The two stopped in a small alley, panting heavily. The woman in red smiled and said, "Little sister, you are so brave. So many people were watching, but no one dared to uphold justice."

"You're very brave, sister," Qin Zhen said with a smile, clearly fond of the bright and cheerful woman before her. "My name is Qin Zhen. What's your name, sister?"

"Liang Hongyu, you can call me Sister Hongyu from now on."

Qin Zhen smiled and nodded. A burst of noise came from behind them. They exchanged a helpless glance. The pursuers were coming again!

They wandered around the small town for seven or eight days, but Qin Zhen still hadn't received any news from Qingmei. It seemed they hadn't entered the town, and she had to find a way to get out.

Just as they were fretting, the "rebel army" in the city suddenly panicked. After carefully inquiring, the two learned that a large number of government troops were attacking, and the "rebel army" was suffering repeated defeats and retreating continuously.

Taking advantage of the chaos of the "rebel army," Qin Zhen and Liang Hongyu escaped the small town under the cover of darkness. Liang Hongyu told Qin Zhen that if the two sides fought, there might be a massacre in the town, so it would be better to wait outside the town for the battle before returning to the town.

Three days later, the heat was intense. As far as the eye could see, everything outside the city was a blinding white, reflecting the blazing sun. The heat from the ground made it hard for Qin Zhen to breathe. She lay prostrate behind a gravelly hill, quietly gazing at the gently rolling plains.

Her back was burning hot from the sun, and she shifted uncomfortably. In that instant, another hand gripped her back, and Liang Hongyu whispered in her ear, "Shh, don't move. You'll be in trouble if either side finds out. Just bear with it a little longer."

Qin Zhen turned her head and looked apologetically at the woman lying on the ground with her, saying, "Sister Hongyu, the ground is very hot."

Liang Hongyu patted Qin Zhen's head, and suddenly they heard a loud rumbling sound. The two of them quickly lowered their bodies.

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky 105 The Price of Betrayal

The sun moved extremely slowly overhead, and Han Shizhong sat upright on his army horse, gazing at the black line on the other side of the horizon.

Aren't you going to surrender yet?

Before the attack, Han Shizhong had sent people three times to persuade them to surrender, earnestly telling them that the new emperor had ascended the throne and was implementing benevolent policies. He promised that as long as they laid down their weapons, everything would be handled leniently, and that the people's lives would definitely change for the better in the future.

However, such empty persuasion did nothing to sway the "rebel army" who were already on the verge of exploding; they still chose to fight with all their might!

"General Han, it's noon!"

With the official in charge of the season reporting, the final moment for surrender had arrived.

Han Shizhong tightened his grip on the sword and calmly ordered, "Sound the horns, beat the drums, and begin the battle!"

The long, resounding bugle call rang out, the clanging of armor filled the air, and the army advanced. After traveling some distance, as Han Shizhong shouted the command "Draw your bows!", the archers at the front drew their arrows, pulled back their bows, and crouched down. With a resounding "thud," a hundred arrows were released simultaneously, flying diagonally upwards.

Unlike the government troops, the enemy was, after all, a peasant army without a specially trained archery regiment. The arrows they fired back were easily deflected by the soldiers without the need for shields.

After several rounds of arrows, the two sides had closed the distance between them.

"Archers, retreat!"

Han Shizhong brandished his sword and shouted, and a hundred archers quickly disappeared behind the replenishing gun formation. Then, a long horn blast rang out, accompanied by the soldiers' shouts of "Charge!" and a continuous cacophony of drumbeats. The close combat had begun.

As the government troops charged towards them like tigers and wolves, the "rebels" broke out in a cold sweat and trembled with fear. A noticeable disturbance began to stir within the ranks.

Although they all joined the uprising with the determination to die, when death truly came, most of them went blank and instinctively wanted to run away. Once the first person did this, the others followed suit.

The army collapsed like a house of cards.

Qin Zhen, her mouth dry, watched the two armies approaching. One side was clearly clad in armor, the other in coarse cloth and tattered clothes; the outcome seemed already decided. As the banners of the government troops came into Qin Zhen's view, she was delighted to discover that the fluttering banners bore the large character "Han"!

Could it be Brother Han?

She looked carefully across the battlefield, searching for the commander's figure.

The blazing sun shone on Han Shizhong's raised sword. The snow-white blade reflected a bright light, making him appear like a beam of light as he charged into the enemy ranks.

"Great, it's Brother Han!"

Qin Zhen exclaimed excitedly to Liang Hongyu, which also alerted the officers and soldiers on the edge of the battlefield.

There are people behind the hill!

The officers and soldiers, thinking they were rebels lying in ambush, rushed over.

Seeing the soldiers' ferocious faces, Qin Zhen's own face turned deathly pale. Two against a hundred? No chance of winning!

Qin Zhen and Liang Hongyu decisively threw down their weapons and surrendered. Isn't it customary not to kill surrendered soldiers on the battlefield?

"Something terrible has happened!"

Suddenly, from behind the charging soldiers, a hail of arrows appeared. Seeing them about to strike, the two quickly rolled to the side, but... could they really dodge them?

A series of clanging sounds rang out, and Qin Zhen looked up in surprise. To her delight, she saw Han Shizhong holding a shield in one hand and wielding a sword in the other, shielding the two of them from the rain of arrows.

"Stop!" After the rain of arrows, Han Shizhong shouted to the soldiers who had come out, and instructed his attendant, "Take them back to the camp safely!"

Han Shizhong turned back to Qin Zhen and said, "I will return to the camp to see you after I have wiped out the rebels!" Then he spurred his horse and led his troops to chase after the fleeing soldiers.

Qin Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Liang Hongyu to stand up together. He said, "That's great, I didn't expect it to be Brother Han."

"Do you know this general?" Liang Hongyu asked.

Qin Zhen nodded: "We know each other, and we're quite familiar with each other." She smiled brightly, and then followed several soldiers toward the Song army's camp.

The two waited in the tent arranged by the attendant for about two hours when they suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats outside, and someone shouted, "The general has returned to camp!"

Qin Zhen and Liang Hongyu hurriedly stepped out of the tent and saw Han Shizhong dismount, shake off the dust, and then walk towards Qin Zhen with a loud laugh.

"You naughty girl, we finally found you! Thank goodness you're alright!"

Qin Zhen asked in surprise, "Brother Han, are you looking for me?"

Han Shizhong patted Qin Zhen on the head and said, "After Qingmei got separated from you, she notified everyone she could in the vicinity as soon as possible and searched for you everywhere."

Qin Zhen smiled and thought to himself that he had troubled everyone again.

Han Shizhong looked at the spirited woman behind Qin Zhen and asked, "And who is this?"

"This is Liang Hongyu, Sister Hongyu. I met her in the city. She has a very kind heart and is also very skilled in martial arts. She has been taking care of me these past few days."

Hearing Qin Zhen praise her, Hongyu said somewhat embarrassedly, "It was nothing more than doing evil."

Han Shizhong clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you so much for taking care of Qin Zhen these past few days!"

"General, you are too polite."

The two looked up at each other, their eyes filled with admiration.

Qingmei and the others had arrived in Lin'an. When she received Han Shizhong's message and learned that Qin Zhen was with him, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, she really wouldn't know how to explain it to the prince.

As the army advanced eastward, Qin Zhen and Liang Hongyu also traveled eastward together. During their time together, Qin Zhen learned that Liang Hongyu was also from a military family, but because of her failure to quell the rebellion and the missed opportunities, her grandfather and father were both convicted and executed, and she was also forced into the army camp to serve as a camp prostitute. Fortunately, she was skilled in martial arts and managed to escape.