Chapter 379 That Man
Chapter 379 That Man
October 6th, sunny.
It is already late autumn, the time when all animals are fat and plump.
Liu Can's hunting addiction came back, so he ignored the dissuasion of his companions and rode on his horse to Huangchi area, where he hunted for three days and just returned today.
"Deal with these prey." When they arrived at the Golden Tent, Liu Can laughed loudly and threw a cart full of prey to the servants. Then he summoned several male and female favorites into the tent and another big battle began.
Everyone around was speechless.
The Golden Tent had moved to the vicinity of Wei County for the simple reason that they "lived near water and grass" and wanted to find a new place to graze their livestock.
After arriving at the new pasture, the herdsmen were busy every day.
Some people began to milk cows and make cheese, which was then sent to the south bank of the river as military supplies.
Some began to slaughter livestock and make jerky to serve as military rations - slaughtering livestock in autumn is an old tradition.
When she had some free time, the girl came to the woman again, helped her milk the cows and chatted with her.
They hadn't been chatting for long when the handsome and feminine male favorite came over with his buttocks tucked under. Seeing the girl squatting there with her round buttocks stretching the hem of her skirt tightly, he couldn't help but touch her.
The girl had a bad temper and she immediately stood up and started cursing.
"Little Skylark, stop struggling." The male favorite laughed and said, "The king just said that after conquering Xuchang, he will let me go out to be an official, and then he will reward you to me as well. You can't escape."
The girl's face turned pale.
Girls from the grassland like strong and powerful men.
He must be able to ride a strong horse, draw a strong bow, dance a vigorous dance that will amaze everyone, hunt more prey than anyone else, have herds of cattle and sheep at home, and have many Central Plains artifacts awarded by nobles.
Who is this person in front of her? She felt so sick that she almost vomited.
But, what if what he said was true...
"Is Xuchang so easy to capture..." Yunque stammered.
The male favorite was even more proud, and said: "I just heard that Zhao Gu took Xuzhou, and the main force had not yet arrived. The vanguard of several riders arrived at Xiapi, and the Jin army collapsed and fled. Pei Dun fled to Huaiyin, and Wang Long fled to Jianye. Haha!"
Skylark's eyes widened.
A few cavalrymen could take down a huge city like Xuzhou? How is that possible? The Han Dynasty had been fighting for Luoyang for many years, but they still couldn't take it. Was it a dream?
"Don't believe it?" The male favorite laughed in a shrill voice, "I know you don't believe it, haha. The king said that he would let me serve as an official in Xuzhou in the future. Seeing your pitiful appearance, tut tut, forget it, I won't tease you anymore. After Pei Dun arrived in Xuzhou, he entrusted all political affairs to the chief historian Sima Ao. Ao advised Dun to punish and kill to establish his authority, and sent many good men to serve as soldiers. Those who did not obey the law would be punished by death. In his three years in office, he must have killed more than a thousand people, and the people all resented him. Therefore, when the Han army arrived, the civil and military officials in Xuzhou dispersed, and no one worked for Pei Dun."
Skylark was dumbfounded.
She was offered by the grassland tribe to serve the Han nobles. Her status in the tribe was not low. She often heard people say: The Central Plains is a place of outstanding people and rich people, and only a person from heaven can become an emperor.
Since the expedition, the Han army has captured some scholars and sent them to the Golden Tent.
Occasionally, Yun Que would serve food and wine and get a glimpse of his appearance, and would be greatly disappointed.
They all look so frail!
She even put powder on her face!
He was very proficient in poetry, music, calligraphy and painting, and had elegant conversation and was very romantic, but he could not lift a sword or draw a bow.
Now she heard that Xuzhou could be taken by just a few cavalrymen, which completely overturned her previous understanding.
Is this the person in heaven?
I heard that they are good at something called "romance".
I heard that they lead a very refined life, their eyes are full of beauty, and they are particularly good at talking about love with women.
I heard that they are romantic, unrestrained, and there is a fairy-like air in their words and deeds.
Skylark just felt sick.
If the nobles are like this, how can they lead the people below to live a good life?
"Are you tempted?" The male concubine laughed and said, "Come to my tent tonight and I'll give you a chance."
"Bang!" Yunque kicked the male favorite in the crotch.
The male favorite was caught off guard and fell to the ground in severe pain, covering his crotch and twitching.
Seeing his expression, Yun Que immediately laughed and said, "You deserve it!"
After saying this, she shook her pigtails with pride, jumped on her horse, and went to herd herd herds.
The guards nearby looked at the male favorite with gloating expressions, and some even spat quietly.
A man should build his career on horseback, what's the point of relying on his butt?
The male favorite lay on the ground for a long time before he slowly stood up. Just as he was about to say some polite words to save his lost face, he saw several riders running towards him quickly, dismounting from their horses far away and rushing straight towards him.
The guards hurried forward to stop him, and after some negotiations, they sent someone back to report.
Not long after, he led the visitor into the Golden Tent with a serious face.
The male favorite looked at those people in confusion and thought secretly.
The reason why he was able to stay with Liu Can for so long without being kicked out was not only because he had a good reputation, but also because he had some good eyesight.
It sounds bad to flatter the superiors and bully the inferiors, but as long as you do a good job of flattering the superiors, you can still live a comfortable life.
The male favorite had seen many officials, generals and even messengers coming to Liu Can to report military intelligence, but serious moments like this were rare.
Something big must have happened!
Sure enough, as if to confirm his guess, a few moments later, several clerks were hurriedly called in, and then messengers went out in all directions, one person and five horses.
It’s over, something really big happened!
******
Concubine Pei has already moved into Kaocheng County.
Thousands of people suddenly poured into the small county town, making it extremely crowded.
When Liu went out to buy medicine in the morning, she even saw soldiers lying on the street and carriages could hardly move away.
After returning to the mansion, she saw Concubine Pei talking to her staff, so she waited for a while.
After the staff left, Liu entered the study and saw her sister-in-law leaning against the window and looking into the distance. "How is it outside?" Concubine Pei's gentle voice came.
"It's not good. People are in a panic." Liu sighed and said, "Some people wanted to escape, but when they saw that the city gates were not open, they started cursing."
Concubine Pei said nothing when she heard this.
People are sometimes very emotional and can easily scare themselves.
The vanguard cavalry of the rebel army had just arrived at the city of Jiyin, still more than a hundred miles away from Kaocheng, when the people in the city began to panic.
Is it really appropriate to leave the city at this time? Where can I escape to?
"Xiao He, are you scared?" Concubine Pei suddenly asked.
Liu shook her head slightly and said, "What's the point of being afraid? In this world, there is no place for people to live."
"What will happen to you if Kaocheng is conquered by the Huns?" Concubine Pei asked again.
Liu shuddered, and after a long silence, she cried, "I probably don't have the courage to die."
Concubine Pei sighed, walked over and hugged Liu, saying, "This world is not something we women should worry about."
In less than twenty days, the situation changed suddenly, and the people in the Yanzhou shogunate became panic-stricken.
The five counties and states of Jibei, Taishan, Gaoping, Dongping and Rencheng were as if dead, with no news at all.
The Hun army began to invade Jiyin and was only one step away from Jiyang.
It’s not that no one advised her to retreat, but she didn’t dare to, for she was worried that if she just left, the armies of Puyang and Jiyang would collapse completely, and eventually Chenliu would not be able to be defended, and the entire Yanzhou would become a paradise for the Huns to race horses.
But if you don't run, you will face a real threat: the enemy's vanguard cavalry is only a hundred miles away.
"This child was born at the wrong time." Concubine Pei gently stroked her belly, with an extremely gentle expression on her face.
Liu looked at her blankly.
It was already late autumn, and Hua Nu was wearing thick clothes, and there was nothing unusual about her appearance, but they both knew that there was a tiny life growing in that belly.
Before he was born, he faced the threat of brutal enemies.
Suddenly, Liu felt that as long as the man could arrive in time and save Hua Nu and the baby in her belly, she would no longer hate him so much.
"He already has three children. Someone can continue his bloodline..." Concubine Pei muttered to herself, then looked at Liu and asked, "Are all the things ready?"
"It was prepared yesterday. The kitchen worked all night long." Liu replied subconsciously.
"Let's go." Concubine Pei nodded and said.
The existence of the child brought about a huge change in her.
She had to stay calm, not worry too much, or make her child feel bored and leave her early.
She would wait for the man to come back and enjoy his surprised - or perhaps frightened - expression.
If he didn't come back, he might never see them again.
A convoy slowly drove up the narrow street.
Mi Zhi led the soldiers and maintained order, sweating profusely.
After a while, the convoy stopped.
Concubine Pei lifted the curtain of the carriage, took out a set of cotton clothes, handed it to a soldier huddled on the street, and said, "It's cold in late autumn, and the city is cramped, but there is not even a place to live. I'm sorry for inconvenience you all."
The soldier was only wearing a single piece of clothing. After taking the cotton-padded jacket subconsciously, his face turned red and he was speechless.
Concubine Pei smiled, took a new cotton-padded clothes from the servant, handed it to another person, and said, "I am a concubine, unable to fight in the battlefield. The people of the city are all relying on you."
After the sergeant received it, he knelt on the ground and said with a sob: "I have lived for seventeen years, and this is the first time I have cotton clothes to wear."
"When Lord Chen comes back and defeats the Huns, you and your descendants will have cotton-padded clothes to wear for generations to come," said Concubine Pei.
"My life belongs to the Concubine Dowager." The soldier kowtowed heavily and said loudly.
"No need to do that." Concubine Pei said, "You are still young, just live a good life."
The carriage moved forward slowly, and before long, hundreds of new cotton-padded clothes were distributed.
Afterwards, the convoy went out of the north gate and arrived at the Xuchang Hereditary Soldiers Camp stationed outside the city.
The servants distributed baskets of Hu bing, steamed cakes, and buckets of freshly steamed corn rice.
The soldiers' morale was greatly boosted when they learned that this was the meal that Concubine Pei and the entire mansion had prepared all night long.
For a moment, the voice of "Thank you, Concubine Dowager, for the reward" spread throughout the camp and beyond.
Sending clothes and food, and then giving a piece of silk as a reward, should be able to boost morale, right?
The shogunate was actually very poor and could not offer generous rewards, so they could only do it themselves and find ways to improve the results.
There are three thousand soldiers in the city and five thousand soldiers from Xuchang in the north of the city. As long as the morale is maintained and they do not disperse, Kaocheng can hold out for a long time.
The autumn wind gradually rises and the chill comes.
Concubine Pei subconsciously looked to the west.
There is an endless wilderness, and in the distance there are continuous mountains.
Luoyang is on the other side of the mountains.
The world is in chaos, the Huns are coming with great force, and the people in Zhongzhou are in panic. Is there anyone who can turn the tide?
(End of this chapter)