August 14th, a cloudy day.
Tang Minjie led Xu Xiaolin through the inspection at the city gate using the identity of a Xi person and headed for the relay station outside the city. On both sides of the official road outside Yunzhong City was gray land, so bare that not even grass was left.
In the distance, there were manors, workshops, and simple slums. In his field of vision, he could see the walking corpse-like Han slaves moving about. In his field of vision, there was an old man slowly walking with a small bundle of firewood, his back bent. In this environment, it was hard to say whether he was an 'old man' or not.
Further away, there were mountains and trees, but Xu Xiaolin remembered what Tang Minjie had said. Because of their hatred for the Han people, many people didn't even allow the Han people to pick up the trees in the mountains. The houses in his field of vision were simple and crude. Even if they could be warmed, many people would die in the winter. Now that there was such a restriction, when the snow fell, this place would really become hell on earth.
When he followed the caravan up here, he had also seen these houses in the slums, but he hadn't felt this way at that time.
Tang Minjie walked beside him with his head down, saying, "… I can't write too much about the grassland people in a letter. When we go back, please make sure you ask Mister Ning. Although the Wu dynasty did something stupid when they allied with the Jin to resist the Liao, that was because the Wu dynasty was weak. Now that the war in the southwest has ended and it will take some time to fight north, it's not impossible to drive the tiger here to swallow the wolf. This year, the grassland people didn't come to take the city, but to steal the Female Enlightened Master's military equipment. I think they're after something big … "
"I'll convey this in detail." Xu Xiaolin understood that the issue regarding the Prairie natives might become a major guideline for the work in the North in the future. However, he was puzzled. "But the North has the authority to make decisions on the spot. Why don't we make a decision first and pass it to the South?"
"Mister Ning's attitude towards the grassland people is a bit strange. I didn't explain it clearly at the beginning, and I'm afraid I'll get the wrong idea, or there might be something I don't know."
Tang Minjie said and briefly mentioned it to Xu Xiaolin. Back then, Mister Ning had made a trip to the Western Xia Country. When he came back, he only said that he would treat the grassland as an enemy. However, at that time, this group of grassland people had never set foot in the Central Plains, and the incident of besieging Yunzhong in the first half of the year did not happen either. Ning Yi's judgment might have been a little too simple. Now that he had a more concrete situation, he could naturally come up with a new way to deal with it.
"… Yunzhong was originally a big city, but as Zong Han moved the 'Western Imperial Court' here and added millions of captured Han people, the city became uninhabitable in the early years, so the villages and workshops outside were built. In the first half of the year, when the people of the grassland came, only a small portion of the Han slaves managed to enter the city. The rest were captured and forced to surround the city. Most of the surrounding villages were burned down … "
Seeing that Xu Xiaolin was looking at the scene, Tang Minjie also introduced the surroundings to him.
"... The grassland people's target was the armaments stored in Fengzhou, so they didn't massacre here. After they left, many of them survived. But so what? The houses around here weren't good, and after they were burned, these houses were built again, making it even harder for people to live in. Now, they can't even cut firewood. Instead of that, why not let the grassland people come a few more times? Their horses come and go like the wind. Although they can't attack cities, they are good at fighting in the wild, and they like to throw the corpses of those who have died for a few days into the city … "
"... At that time, Yunzhong had Liai to watch over it, so the plague didn't break out. The other cities most likely couldn't defend against it. When more people died, the surviving Han people might be better off …"
Tang Minjie talked endlessly, his words calm like a woman in the southwest talking about family matters while walking on the road. In the past, Xu Xiaolin would also have many thoughts about the consequences of attracting the grassland people. But at this moment, when he saw those stooped figures, he suddenly understood their state of mind.
They chatted for the rest of the way until they met up with the Xi caravan not far from the relay station. Tang Minjie communicated with the leader of the caravan, then returned to remind him of a few things to take note of on the road. The two separated under the dusky sky. When Xu Xiaolin finally looked back, that unremarkable figure had already merged into the crowd of people heading towards Yunzhong, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
… …
After passing through the inspection at the city gates, they passed through the streets and alleys to return to their residence. It looked like it was about to rain, and the people on the road were hurrying. But because of the north wind, the stench of the mud on the road lessened somewhat.
As they approached the dilapidated street where they were temporarily staying, Tang Minjie slowed down his pace as usual, then made a small detour to check if there were any signs of anyone following them.
The sky was gloomy and there weren't many people on the road, so it was easier to judge. But as they neared the dilapidated courtyard where they were staying, Tang Minjie's footsteps slowed slightly. A black figure in tattered clothes staggered forward, leaning against the wall. It sat down under the eaves outside the courtyard, as if trying to use the eaves to shelter from the rain, its body curled up into a ball.
Suspicion flashed through Tang Minjie's mind. He slowly walked forward, observing for a moment, only to see the figure struggle to get up, swaying as it moved forward. He let out a sigh of relief and walked towards the courtyard door. In his field of vision, the figure hesitated for a moment on the side of the road, then walked back. Perhaps seeing that he was about to open the door, the figure took two quick steps to reach out to grab him.
"Help …"
Tang Minjie moved his body to avoid the other's hand. It was a haggard and thin Han woman, her face pale and there was a wound on her forehead. She was pleading for help.
"Help, kind man, help me … please take me in …"
For more than ten years, the Jin Kingdom had captured millions of Han slaves, and very few had free status. In the beginning, they were like pigs and dogs, coolie and prostitutes. Now, there weren't many who survived. In the following years, Wu Qiimai forbade the killing of Han slaves at will, and some rich families began to use them as maids and servants. The environment became slightly better, but in any case, the Han slaves were given too little freedom. Combined with the current environment of the Yun Zhong Mansion, according to common sense, this woman should be a slave who couldn't bear it anymore and sneaked out.
There were people coming from the other side of the street, but they didn't seem to notice the situation here. The woman's expression became more and more anxious, her thin face covered with tears. She stretched out her hand to pull open her clothes, only to see that her right shoulder and chest were covered with wounds. Large pieces of flesh had begun to fester, emitting a horrible stench.
She cried, "They took me back, I'm going to die … please take me in …"
Tang Minjie looked at her. He couldn't tell if this was a trap set by someone else.
From the other side of the street, some servants ran over. One of them pushed Tang Minjie away, then kicked the woman to the ground and began to punch and kick her. The woman curled up into a ball on the ground and screamed a few times. Then, she was tied with a chain and dragged back like a pig or a dog.
Not a trap … Now he could be sure.
Tang Minjie looked at all of this in a stupefied manner. When the servants came to question him, he took out the household registration deed and said in a low voice, "I'm not a Han." Only then did they leave.
Cold rain began to fall from the sky.
He opened the door and went home, then closed the door. Tang Minjie hurriedly went to his room and found two books that contained some key information. He wrapped them in cloth and put them in his bosom, then put on his straw raincoat and bamboo hat and went out. When he closed the courtyard door, he could still see the traces left by the beating of the woman in the corner of his vision. There were bloodstains on the ground, slowly mixing with the black mud on the road in the rain.
He took a look, but didn't stop. He passed through two streets in the rain and knocked on the back door of a house according to the agreed method. Then, someone opened the door. It was one of his assistants who had worked with him for a long time in the Yun Zhong Mansion.
The order to enter a dormant state of espionage had been passed down layer by layer. This was the meeting that Tang Minjie had arranged with him. After entering the room and inspecting it, Tang Minjie went straight to the point and stated his intentions.
"From today onwards, you will temporarily take over all my work in the Yun Zhong Mansion. There are a few key pieces of information that we need to hand over …"
As Tang Minjie said this, he took out the two books from his bosom. The assistant looked puzzled, but nodded first and began to seriously write down what Tang Minjie said.
The whole process lasted for a while. Then, Tang Minjie solemnly handed the books to the assistant. When everything was done, the assistant asked, "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to Shangjing," Tang Minjie said.
The assistant frowned, "Didn't I say before that even if you go to Shangjing now, it would be difficult to intervene in the overall situation? You asked everyone to save their lives, so why are you going there to join in the fun? "
"Read the first-hand information carefully. Although I can't intervene at the time, it will be easier to think of a way in the future. The Western and Western Mansions of the Perfected Woman might fight, but it means that there might be a fight, or it might not happen. "
The assistant frowned, "... Don't be reckless. Shopkeeper Lu's style is different from yours. He is more focused on intelligence gathering than on action. When you arrive in Shangjing, if the situation is not ideal and you want to force yourself, you will kill them. "
"I won't force myself, don't worry."
The assistant looked at him, and Tang Minjie also looked back. After a while, he reluctantly withdrew his gaze. Tang Minjie stood up.
"That's it. Take care."
"You should take care of yourself when you travel north for two thousand miles."
The assistant said.
As he sent him out, he could not help but remind him, "In this situation, they will definitely fight. Just watch and don't do anything."
"I know, don't be so wishy-washy."
...
On the way back to the courtyard where he lived, the rain seeped into his coat. The weather in August was shockingly cold. Thinking about it, tomorrow was the fifteenth of August, and the moon was full in mid-autumn. But how many moons were really full?
Tang Minjie stood outside the courtyard for a while. At his feet was the place where the woman was beaten and bleeding. At this moment, all the traces had been mixed into the black mud and could no longer be seen. He knew that this was the color of the Han people in the Jin Kingdom. Some of them — including himself — could still bleed red when they were beaten, but sooner or later, they would all become this color.
The next day, on the fifteenth of August, Tang Minjie set off north.
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