Ning Yi walked out of the tent and sat down on the hillside when the morning light began to brighten. He was surrounded by the noise of quarreling.
As far as the eye could see, the mountains and valleys were filled with people fleeing. There were all kinds of clothes, bags of all sizes, horses, mules, and even oxen. Carriages could no longer travel on such mountain roads, so there were no carriages.
Some people were fetching water by the stream at the first glimmer of dawn. Some drank cold water and ate some dry food. There were also people carrying large and small bags. They were afraid that they would be left behind on the road, so they rushed forward in groups. Most of these people were old, weak, women, and children. Their clothes were ragged and they looked pitiful.
Ever since the city of Hangzhou was breached and they began to flee, the chaotic scene of panic and misery had already become somewhat numb. In the past three days, this largest group of escapees had already gone through a few twists and turns. At the moment, no one knew where they should go. Even the leaders of the group did not know where they were going.
Since the fall of the city, the magistrate Lu Tuizhi and the others had already left by boat. Qian Xiwen and the others, who originally said they would not leave by boat, also boarded a boat under the protection of their families and fled out of the mouth of the Qiantang River. The ship dock in the south of Hangzhou City had already been attacked by Wang Yin and the others. In the chaos of the fall of the city, countless residents rushed over to be incited. Of course, there were always some boats that could leave, but Ning Yi did not join in the excitement. He followed his original plan and fought his way to the north of the city with the rich merchants and gentry. Then he met up with the scattered troops and countless residents of Hangzhou and fled to the north.
Along the way, this initially disorderly and disorganized group had also gone through various kinds of regrouping. Sometimes, one or two groups would escape in different directions, and sometimes, they would run into some scattered and fleeing civilians. After gradually forming a leadership team, they met with a group of Fang La's rebel army in the morning yesterday. The two sides had a conflict, but the other side did not deliberately chase after them, and there were not many of them. In the end, both sides chose to stop fighting and ran in different directions.
At this time, there were probably many different groups of people escaping from the fallen city in different directions. There were many rich merchants and aristocrats in this group, and they were all carrying large amounts of wealth, such as banknotes, contracts, and gold and silver. Even though some had been thrown away on the way, the amount was still quite considerable.
These people did not dare to leave the team and fall into the hands of Fang La's rebel army. Suzhou and Hangzhou had long known that every time Fang La's army conquered a city, all the families of landlords, gentry, and officials were slaughtered. The men were tortured and slaughtered, and the women were raped and humiliated. It was miserable beyond words. Even those without property dared not leave the team when the order of the outside world had been completely lost. Although Fang La's slogan was "the law is equal and there is no difference between superior and inferior", no one could guarantee that they would not be killed by the rebel army like pigs and sheep if they were left alone in such a situation.
During the initial chaotic escape, although Lu Tuizhi, Qian Xiwen, and other leaders of Hangzhou left by boat, most of the aristocratic families did not receive such good treatment. Now, there were many descendants of the Qian, Mu, Tang, and Chang families in this team. Even the head of the Tang family, Tang Xiuxuan, was in the team at this time. Qian Haiping of the Qian family did not take the boat because he was dealing with Fang Qfo, Wang Yin, and Shi Bao. When he was in charge of the yamen in Hangzhou, he also dealt with the army. At this time, he knew most of the generals in the defeated Wude Battalion. Yesterday, when he began to think about where to go next, he invited Ning Yi and his wife.
At this time, dawn had just broken. Ning Yi sat there and looked down for a while. Not far away, there were two groups of people quarreling and fighting, probably because of some small quarrel or friction. The people around them were watching blankly. In the past, if such a thing happened in the market, there would be countless excited onlookers. At this time, no one was in the mood to gossip. In a small tent next to them, Juan 'er came out with a fluffy head and two small wooden buckets in her hands. She glanced at Ning Yi and seemed to be slightly frightened. After a while, she lowered her head and walked to the stream in the distance.
"This girl, I just massaged her chest, and she is still afraid. I don't know how many times I have massaged her chest …"
Ning Yi sat there and slightly criticized a few times. Then, he felt that this mentality was somewhat like that of a spoiled brat who flirted with his servant all day long. He couldn't help but laugh. There were already many people fetching water by the stream. When Juan 'er walked over, she saw some people pushing and shoving each other upstream. It was because there were some young people who were washing their feet or jumping into the water. At this time, a quarrel broke out. Those young people seemed to have some background. At this time, they were upset and refused to give in. The scene suddenly became intense. Juan 'er looked at the bottom, then carried the wooden bucket and circled upstream.
It was as if a fight had broken out on that side. Slightly upstream, Juan 'er had finally reached the stream. She squatted by the side of the stream to draw water. At the same time, she heard someone from the noisy crowd shouting, "I'm like this! What can you do to me! My family is … Come on! If you have the guts, let's fight one on one! Do it … Damn it! Damn it! My brother died in the army resisting the bandits, but my family is not extinct. If you have the guts, come … I won't let you fetch water. Hey, you over there, what are you doing up there! Go down there! "
This person's family probably had some connections in the army. As he spoke, he ran over and threw the bucket in one of the people's hands away. Then, he pushed another person to the ground. Next was Juan 'er. The little girl saw that the tall and big person ran over fiercely. She picked up the wooden buckets and wanted to run away, but she used too much force and fell on the ground, knocking over the bucket of water. That person was already less than ten feet away from Juan' er. He stretched out his hand and pointed, "You …" Before he could finish his words, his whole body suddenly flew up.
There was a huge splash in the stream. The person who threw that person into the water was a scholar who had just come over. It looked like he was not as tall as that person. He just walked over and directly pinched the other person's extended left hand behind his back. His other hand pressed on the back of the person's head and pushed him up, pressing him into the stream with a bang.
It looked extremely simple and straightforward, but in Juan 'er's eyes, it was naturally her son-in-law, Ning Yi. To others, he was just a slightly frail scholar who was fleeing for his life. However, he had one hand on the other person's left wrist and pinned his left arm behind his back. His other hand directly pressed down on the person's head, and his upper body was completely submerged in the stream. That person struggled desperately in the stream, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not move.
On the other side of the crowd, the people who were with this person also reacted and rushed over. At the same time, a small group of soldiers who had been watching the commotion from the side also rushed over, "What are you doing! What are you doing! " They were actually helping Ning Yi's side to block that group of people. The leader of the troops recognized Ning Yi and ordered his subordinates to block them. Only then did he turn back to look at Ning Yi, cupped his hands, and called out, "Mister Ning."
This person also had a slight position in the army. Although it was not a high position, because of this, when he saw Ning Yi and his wife yesterday, he originally thought that it was just a simple scholar. However, at this time, he saw that he had pressed that person into the water without even blinking. That person's entire head was already in the water. He struggled with all his might, and his right hand that was not pinned down flailed about, trying to grab hold of Ning Yi. Ning Yi coughed a few times, and pressed his knee against the person's back. He twisted the person's left arm to the right, and only a "crack" sound was heard. That person's left arm was probably broken. His eyes suddenly opened in the water, and countless bubbles surged out from his mouth and nose like boiling water.
After pressing like this for a while, Ning Yi finally pulled that person out of the water and threw him to the side. That person's body was twitching slightly, and it seemed that he was about to die. At this time, Ning Yi finally greeted that officer, "General Liu, I have been impolite."
That subordinate was stunned, "Mister Ning actually knows my name?" His rank was not enough to participate in that kind of meeting, and he only accompanied on the side for a while before leaving. He did not expect that the other party actually knew his name.
Ning Yi only smiled and did not reply. He had only inadvertently heard this clue when the others were talking in the tent last night. Although he did not take it to heart at the time, it was not difficult to remember it now. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ning Yi said, "During the escape, it was not easy for everyone. Perhaps there will be more battles later, but it is better to work together than to be divided and anxious. With this kind of thing, it is better to take care of it if you can. "
After he said this, the other party immediately expressed that he was enlightened. Ning Yi did not care whether he was sincerely convinced or just pretending. As long as it was not in politics, it was enough for him to say it verbally. After dealing with this group of soldiers, Ning Yi turned back to pick up a small wooden bucket and filled it with water. He originally wanted to help carry both buckets back, but Juan 'er strictly followed the duty of a maidservant and refused to hand over the other bucket to Ning Yi no matter what. She only pursed her lips and shook her head.
The two of them carried the buckets back. Ning Yi looked at Juan 'er and smiled, "When people escape, they either bring some gold, silver, and jewelry, or some food. You girls, on the other hand, did not bring many things, only bringing two buckets and a basin. Whose idea was it …"
"We brought food …" Juan 'er replied like a mosquito from behind.
"Is it so important to wash up?"
"It's for Miss …" Juan 'er replied matter-of-factly. Of course, her voice was still very soft, "How can we let Miss wash up in front of others …"
"Get a piece of cloth, a curtain, anything will do. Besides, I don't think your Miss is so precious that she would be so particular about such things at this time."
"When we ran, we forgot that there were two small buckets beside us. They were not heavy, so we brought the basin along."
"Ha …"
Ning Yi could not help but laugh for a moment. Juan 'er followed for a while and asked softly, "Young master, where are we going next?"
"I don't know yet. Maybe Huzhou."
"Huh? Isn't it Jiaxing? "
"Who told you that?" Ning Yi smiled slightly bitterly, "Of course, it's hard to say now. It may be Jiaxing, but the banks along the canal are the most prosperous. Since Fang La has taken Hangzhou, his next step may be to take Jiaxing … But it is not safe to go from Huzhou to Jiaxing now. The bandits on the road are probably joining in the uprising. No matter where we go, we have to turn here and there.
"Young master, are you worried that Fang La will send people after us?"
"He probably will." Ning Yi paused, "But Hangzhou is famous for its wealth. Although there was an earthquake this time, a large amount of money, goods, and food were not taken away. Since they have occupied it, it will take a long time for them to kill and settle accounts. Those who can't get anything from there may be jealous of this place. Fang La's people or the bandits on the road. This road is not easy to travel, but now we can only keep going. If we can reach Huzhou as soon as possible, everything will be fine. "
After Ning Yi finished speaking, he smiled at Juan 'er. Although he said that, his tone did not give people a sense of despair. After a while, they were almost at the tent on the mountainside. Ning Yi coughed. Juan' er said, "Young master, did you catch a cold?"
"Huh?"
"Miss seems to have caught a cold too. Yesterday … Ah, young master, look, Miss …"
As Juan 'er spoke, she pointed to the side. Ning Yi looked in that direction and saw that under a tree not far from the tent where he and Su Tan' er were staying, his wife was leaning against the tree trunk. She seemed to be a little uncomfortable, and Chan 'er was patting her back beside her. When Ning Yi and Juan 'er walked over, Su Tan' er seemed to have recovered. She smiled at him.
"Maybe it's because the life along the way wasn't good. Eating raw and cold food might have affected your stomach … That's how rich girls are. They can't withstand the wind and waves. I've made Husband worry …"
Ning Yi looked at her for a while and suddenly laughed. "I'll go find a doctor."
He handed the small wooden bucket to Chan 'er and turned to go down the slope. After a few steps, the wind blew over and the scene in front of him suddenly trembled. He felt a little dizzy. He stood there and held his forehead for a long time before he recovered. When he reached out and touched the bandaged wound on his right arm, he felt a sharp pain.
"Husband, what's wrong?" Su Tan 'er and others ran over anxiously. Ning Yi turned around and waved his hand. "It's nothing. I'll find a doctor right away."
He touched his right arm again and had some speculations in his heart. Soon after, the doctor came. After taking Su Tan 'er's pulse, it was confirmed that Su Tan' er was pregnant. Confirming this news while they were fleeing for their lives had complicated feelings. Everyone was stunned for a while before they smiled hesitantly. Ning Yi, on the other hand, smiled with relief. Su Tan'er held his hand and smiled with her lips pursed. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks.
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