"… The days are long and sorrowful, the journey is long and leisurely. The woman has a journey today, the big river follows the light boat … Laizi Tuo Ling Men, no one cares about the poor. The poor and thrifty, how can I wait for Zhou … "
A light singing voice was heard.
A brazier was burning in the room with all the doors and windows closed. It was warm but dim, with no sense of day or night. The woman's body wriggled in the thick bedding as she sang a long poem from the Tang Dynasty, "Sending off the daughter of the Yang Clan". This was a poem written by Wei Yingwu when he sent off his eldest daughter to get married. The words were sad, but also contained his hope for the future.
Her voice was gentle, with a hint of longing, embellishing the room with a hint of pink and softness. The man beside the woman was also lying there. He had a fierce look on his face and messy hair. His eyes were closed as if he had fallen asleep. The woman sang, climbed on top of the man, and gently kissed him. When the song was over, she closed her eyes and fell asleep for a moment, and then began to sing another poem.
"The smoke and dust of the Han family is in the northeast, the Han family is about to leave, the bandits are destroyed … Men are supposed to be self-respecting, the Emperor is very kind …"
This was a Yuefu poem written by Gao Shi of the Tang Dynasty. It was called "Yan Ge Xing". Although the first part of the poem contained the phrase "men should be self-respecting and rampant", the tone of the whole poem was solemn and stirring, narrating the cruelty of war. The woman sang softly and very slowly. The man she was attached to listened quietly and opened his eyes, which were red.
The man was called Wang Shitong, the fierce "Ghost King" who led the Hungry Ghost Army and dominated half of the Central Plains. He even forced the Jurchen Iron Stupa to stay in Bianliang. The woman was called Gao Qianyue, the daughter of an official in Langye. She was outstanding in poetry and beauty. Last year, the Hungry Ghosts came and burned the whole of Langye. Gao Qianyue and her family fell into the disaster. Her fiancé, who was a general in the army, was the first to die, followed by her parents. She survived because of her beauty and was later sent to Wang Shitong's side.
From the end of the ninth year of Jianshuo to the beginning of the tenth year, wherever the hungry ghosts went, it was a true hell. Gao Qianyue lived quite well with Wang Shitong. The nightmare of her family being eaten and the fear of starvation had taken away all her ladylike temperament. For Wang Shitong, Gao Qianyue, who was still a girl to be married half a year ago, had learned everything to please him. In the end, the hungry ghost stopped outside Xuzhou City.
It was already deep into the winter, and the snow had sealed off the mountains. More than a million hungry ghosts had gathered in this area. Throughout the winter, they had eaten everything that could be eaten, and there were people everywhere who exchanged their children for food. Gao Qianyue and Wang Shitong had been together in this room for months. She could imagine what it was like without going out. Compared to the outside world, this place was like an otherworldly paradise.
She sang to please the man, but the meaning of the song was not good. Towards the end, Gao Qianyue seemed to be afraid that the man would be angry, so she slowly stopped singing. Wang Shitong closed her eyes and waited for a while before opening them again. She looked at the darkness on the roof and spoke in a low voice.
"Don't you see … the battlefield was bitter, and I still remember General Li … Humph …"
It was not clear whether the last sound was lamentation or sarcasm. At this moment, there was a knock on the door. "Ghost King, the guest is here."
Wang Shitong's eyes focused, and his hostility suddenly gathered. He pushed away the woman on top of him, got up, and put on a robe made of various kinds of fur, and picked up a mace that was still stained with blood.
"Stay here, don't go out," he said to Gao Qianyue at last, and left the room.
In the past few months, he would say this every time he went out, and Gao Qianyue did not leave the room even once. After Wang Shitong left, she wrapped herself in the quilt and quietly retreated to a corner of the room.
It was night outside.
Specks of fire spread out from the courtyard, converging into a large, chaotic crowd that stretched as far as the eye could see. Once there were more than a million, but now there were hundreds of thousands of hungry ghosts gathered here. The order was primitive and deformed. Even in the darkness of the night, the low huts, the faint fire, the smell of dead people and unknown meat, and even the strange and mournful cries in the night sky all made people shudder.
Wang Shitong followed the refugee leader named Tu Jifang through the muddy road with some snow marks, and came to a big room not far away. This used to be the village's ancestral hall, but now it was the hall where Wang Shitong handled military affairs. The two of them entered through the guarded door. In the lobby, a masked man in ragged clothes, similar to a refugee, stood up. After Tu Jifang closed the door, he took off his mask and cupped his hands in salute.
"Li Zheng of Liaodong greets the Ghost King."
Wang Shitong did not return the salute. He stared at his bloodshot eyes, walked forward until he was in front of Li Zheng, and stared at him. After a while, when Li Zheng felt slightly uncomfortable, he turned and left. He walked to the seat in front of him and sat down. Tu Jifang wanted to speak, but Wang Shitong raised his hand and said, "You can leave."
"Ghost King, the Jurchen side is very sincere this time …"
Wang Shitong did not speak, but turned his eyes, and a fierce aura had already enveloped Tu Jifang. Tu Jifang quickly retreated and left the room. In the system of hungry ghosts, there was not much human feelings to speak of. Wang Shitong was temperamental. Since he killed his most trusted brother Yan Hong last year, he killed people at every turn and was unreasonable. Even if Tu Jifang had tens of thousands of people under his command, he did not dare to act rashly at this time.
After the door was closed, Wang Shitong lowered his hands and stared blankly at the empty space in the room, as if he was in a daze for a moment. Then he looked at Li Zheng and asked in a hoarse voice, "Zong Fu that son of a bitch … why did he send you here?"
Li Zheng's brows slightly furrowed.
But he saw that before Wang Shitong finished speaking, he revealed a smile and said, "… for me to eat?"
…
In a small room in Xuzhou City, four people finished speaking.
The four figures were divided into two sides, one on one side and three on the other. The members on the three sides were obviously short and thin, but they all wore Hua Xia military uniforms and had their own spirit.
The four people stood up and saluted each other. The person who seemed to be the commanding officer was about to speak, but there was a knock on the door. The commanding officer went out and opened the door a little, took a look, and then completely opened the door.
The person who appeared outside the door was the highest general of the Hua Xia army in the Xuzhou expeditionary force, Liu Chengzong. He came in from outside and looked at the three thin soldiers. After saluting them, he said in a low voice, "Have you warned all that needs to be said?" There was a smile on his face.
"Yes," the commanding officer replied.
"You all know what the situation outside is. There is a slim chance of survival." Liu Chengzong said, "If you don't want to go, say it now. This kind of thing, if you are unwilling, you can't do it well."
The three thin men straightened their bodies and raised their heads. Liu Chengzong nodded and smiled. He picked up a few bowls on the table and poured plain water into them.
"We're about to go out and can't drink, so we can only use water instead … If you come back alive, let's drink a cup of Triumph."
He picked up the bowls with the three men and clinked glasses with them. Then, he warned the others a few more times before leaving. In the darkness of the night, the three short and thin Hua Xia soldiers changed into the refugee clothes that had been prepared. After dressing up, they got into a carriage and went to the other side of the city wall.
Since the end of last year, when Liu Chengzong led 8,000 Hua Xia soldiers to Xuzhou City, Wang Shitong, who got the news, also led the main force of the hungry ghosts to kill their way here. Xuzhou City's walls were very thick. When Li Anmao announced the rebellion against the Qi and the Jin, he had gathered more than fifty thousand soldiers. Even if there were a million hungry ghosts, they still wouldn't be able to break into Xuzhou City. However, surrounded by the hungry ghosts, Xuzhou City would find it difficult to take the initiative on the battlefield when the Female Enlightened Beings arrived.
In response to this situation, Liu Chengzong picked out a group of Hua Xia soldiers who had a foundation in propaganda and could blend into the hungry ghosts. He sent them out of the city in batches, guiding the hungry ghosts outside the city to give up on Xuzhou City and attack the Jurchen Eastern Army, which was not able to defend the city.
The facts proved that the refugees troubled by hunger and cold were very easy to incite. Starting from the end of last year, batch after batch of refugees had been guided toward the Jurchen army, causing a lot of trouble for the main force and logistics of the Jurchen army. Some of the million hungry ghosts that Wang Shitong had led to Xuzhou City had also been incited to leave. Of course, they had all died in the snow by now.
One winter and more than three months had passed. The hunger and cold outside Xuzhou City were difficult to describe in detail. In this environment where people fed on each other, even the instigators of the Hua Xia army were in danger of starving to death. Moreover, millions of people froze to death, starved to death, or attacked the Jurchen army and were killed. Ordinary people simply couldn't bear the atmosphere.
Countless people died every day. In an environment where life and death were only a hair's breadth apart, each person's life was like a speck of dust or a poem. People, millions of people, were starved to death, and there was almost no way to save them. But even if he couldn't save them, it was still an indescribable feeling to be instigated to die efficiently by himself. Even the warriors who had experienced the three years of bloody battles in the Little Canghe River would suffer great mental torment in such an environment.
But in the end, they still had to do this. Spring was coming, and if the problem of the hungry ghosts was not resolved, the situation in Xuzhou would become even more difficult. That night, under the cover of the night, three more people were quietly released from the city wall. At this moment, a figure was quietly advancing among the huts of refugees on the other side of the wall.
Fearing that the Hua Xia army would break through the core of the army of hungry ghosts, Wang Shitong's command center was several li away. But even at the foot of Xuzhou City, there were still many refugees gathered — they simply didn't care if the army attacked. This figure snuck into a dark place. After looking around for a moment, he stealthily drew his bow and shot the arrow with several torches on it toward the top of the wall.
After delivering the message, this person quietly turned around and rejoined the refugee camp. But not long after, a hubbub began to rise around him.
…
"… In today's world, the Wu dynasty is tyrannical and discouraged. The so-called Hua Xia army is fishing for fame. They only want the power of the world and don't care about the common people. The Ghost King understands that if Ning Yi hadn't killed the emperor of the Wu dynasty, how could the Great Jin have the opportunity to break through Bianliang City and obtain the whole Central Plains … The southerners are like flies for personal gain, most of them only know how to scheme and scheme, the Great Jin is destined to be … I know the Ghost King is not willing to listen to this, but think about it, when the Jurchen conquered the world, when did they ever do the dirty things of the Wu dynasty and Hua Xia? The places they conquered on the battlefield, at least in the north, there is nothing to say. "
In the room, the Han man named Li Zheng from Liaodong was facing Wang Shitong and speaking passionately.
"… However, among the southerners, there are also respectable people. For a hero like the Ghost King, I am quite impressed … Ghost King, do you know that in this winter, I, General Fang Zongfu and Prince Zong Bi often talked about you? Although the times are not good, among the southerners, only you, the Ghost King, are fighting for the common people. Although your stance is violent, the Imperial Court and many officials can't bear the burden, the Ghost King, you have shouldered it! "
"… There is a famine in the north, the Ghost King, you have no choice but to bring the people south. I heard that in Zezhou, you also met the so-called Hua Xia army. They claim to be benevolent and righteous, you want to entrust the people to them. But the Hua Xia army, who claim to be benevolent and righteous, now does not acknowledge the people of Hua Xia, you can only continue to carry them … No one can stop you all the way south, even in this winter, millions of people have died, only the Ghost King, there are still hundreds of thousands of people who survived. Why? Ghost King, you are protecting them, no matter what the situation is. General Zong Fu said that you are a respectable person, you are fighting for the people. "
"If it wasn't for the fact that the world is rotten, the Ghost King, you would not have come this far, there must be a wider path for you to walk."
Li Zheng gave Wang Shitong a thumbs up, paused for a moment, and pointed in the direction of Xuzhou, "Now, the Hua Xia army is in the city of Xuzhou. Ghost King, I know that you want to kill them, General Zong Fu also has the same idea. There is no room for the Jurchen to go south this time, Ghost King, even if you bring these hundreds of thousands of people to Jiangnan, forgive me for being blunt, the south will not welcome you. General Zong Fu is not willing to start a war with you … As long as you give way to the west of Xuzhou City, there will be ten cities with you, you will be conferred the title of Marquis in the Great Jin Empire, they will survive. "
Wang Shitong looked at him, after a while, he said, "Zong Fu … is he afraid of fighting me? We are all going to die soon. "
"Ghost King, please understand, the Jurchen people have never been afraid of anyone in war all these years. But, firstly, they do not want to fight an insignificant war, secondly, they admire you, Ghost King, and thirdly … the world is going to change, luck is on their side, these people are also the people of the Jin Kingdom, if they can survive, General Zong also hopes that they can avoid unnecessary casualties. Ghost King, you just need to calm down and think about it, this is the best … "
Li Zheng said and wanted to continue, but suddenly there was a commotion outside. After a while, Tu Jifang came over with some people and knocked on the door, "Ghost King! Ghost King! Caught! Caught! "
"What did you catch!" Wang Shitong roared.
"Hua Xia army …" Tu Jifang said and pushed the door open.
Wang Shitong suddenly stood up. As soon as Tu Jifang entered the door, a few of his trusted subordinates pushed a figure in. The person's clothes were tattered and dirty, his body was thin like a bag of bones. He was probably beaten up just now, there was a lot of blood on his face, his hands were tied behind his back, and his two front teeth had been knocked out. He looked very miserable.
Tu Jifang closed the door, looked at Li Zheng, then looked at Wang Shitong, and said in a low voice, "It's my people, Ghost King, we finally found out, it's this group of bastards, they spread the word among the brothers, saying that they can't conquer Xuzhou, the nearest thing they can do is to go to the Jurchen to steal military provisions. Someone saw him send a message to Xuzhou City with his own eyes, haha …"
Wang Shitong hated the Huaxia Army to the bone. Everyone knew about Hungry Ghost. Since last winter, some people were incited to go to the Female Zhenren's side in batches. They either died on the road or under the sword. The hungry ghost was aware of it, but the people below were originally a motley crew, they never caught the spy. This time they caught someone, Tu Jifang was extremely excited and quickly pulled him over.
Wang Shitong looked at Li Zheng and then turned back to look at the Hua Xia spy. After a while, she laughed involuntarily. "You, how long have you been in the hungry ghost's body? Aren't you afraid of being eaten? "
The Hua Xia army spy was still panting after being dragged, he did not speak, Tu Jifang punched him in the chest, "F * ck you, speak!" The Hua Xia army spy coughed twice, raised his head and looked at Wang Shitong, he was almost caught on the spot, the other party actually followed him, also discovered him for a long time, it was hard for him to quibble, at this time he laughed, "Eat people … haha, only you eat people?"
He lowered his head, spat out a mouthful of blood, and said, "Do you know, do you know there's a person called Wang Shanyue …"
"Hmm?"
"He is … he is the grandson of Wang Qisong of the Wu dynasty, the former Liao people of the Blackwater Alliance came over, all the men of the Wang family went to the battlefield, they all died, only Wang Shanyue was left. His family is all women, he was weak since young, his family was bullied, but he was the only man, in order to protect his family, you know what he did …" The spy raised his bloodstained face, "He eats people. He eats people alive, the enemy is afraid of him, he can protect his family … "
"Haha, eat people … why do you eat people, who do you want to protect? What kind of glorious thing is this? Do people taste good? And the Ghost King, he doesn't look like a human or a ghost … Do you know that the man-eating Wang Shanyue led the army to guard the Daimyo's residence, he has been guarding it since last year, Wanyan Zongfu and Wanyan Zongbi with three hundred thousand people couldn't defeat him … Who is this bastard next to him? From the north? Ghost King, do you want to sell your ass to them? Hehehehe … "
"You motherf * cking Black Flag bastard, I will roast you today!"
Hearing that the spy's words were getting more and more outrageous, Tu Jifang suddenly pulled out his knife, and pointed it at the spy's neck. The spy's mouth was full of blood, but he smiled and rushed toward the tip of the knife. Tu Jifang quickly pulled back the knife, Wang Shitong shouted, "Stop!" Two of Tu Ji Fang's trusted aides who caught the spy also exerted their strength to pull him back. The spy's body collided again. With a 'qiang' sound, he had unexpectedly pulled out a dagger from one of his trusted aides' body. At that moment, the thin and weak figure charged forward a few times and pulled the rope in his hand. A trusted aide of the Tu faction next to him had his throat slit. With a short dagger in hand, he pounced towards Li Zheng like a ferocious tiger!
"Die —"
"Ah —"
The spy rushed toward Li Zheng, and Tu Jifang slashed at him. As one of the leaders of the hungry ghosts, he had his own food to eat every day, and his strength was great. The spy only needed to concentrate all his strength into one strike. The knife flashed in the air, and the spy's body rolled toward the corner of the room. His chest was ruthlessly slashed, and blood flowed freely. But he immediately stood up, as if he wanted to fight. Tu Jifang roared, "I will eat you."
Wang Shitong's eyes were also bloodshot, and he rushed toward the spy. As the distance closed, Wang Shitong saw that the Huaxia army spy's face was covered in blood, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes — he had seen that look countless times in the past six months. It was a look of fear and longing.
"Bastard."
The spy spat out this word, and with a swing of his dagger, he cut his own neck. This was the clearest swing of a knife that Wang Shitong had ever seen. The body just stood there, and blood suddenly spurted out, splattering all over Wang Shitong's head and face.
Everyone in the room was stunned.
The body fell, and Wang Shitong used his hand to wipe his face, and his hand was full of scarlet color. Tu Jifang walked over, "Ghost King, you are right, the Huaxia army is not good people. In winter, they came here to cause trouble, and a lot of people were taken away. But it is not easy for us to attack Xuzhou, maybe we can … "
The sound of the wind breaking rang out! Wang Shitong grabbed the mace, and suddenly turned around and swung it. There was a muffled sound of metal colliding in the room. Tu Jifang, who was wearing a thin layer of armor, was hit by the mace, and crashed into the desk on the other side of the room. The wooden boards and the decorations on the desk flew in the air. Tu Jifang's body rolled on the ground, and then he struggled for a while, as if he wanted to get up, but he had already spat out large mouthfuls of blood.
Wang Shitong swung the mace, and with a loud bang, he smashed it down.
"You —"
Bang!
"Eat —"
Bang!
"Traitor —"
Bang!
"— Thing!!!"
Bang!
Tu Jifang's body was smashed until it was deformed, and the ground was covered with blood. Wang Shitong panted heavily, and then he reached out to wipe his mouth and nose. His bloodshot eyes looked at Li Zheng on the other side of the room.
"Someone come! Drag him out … and eat him. "
The person outside the room came in, and walked towards Li Zheng. Li Zheng's face was already filled with fear, "You … Ghost King, if you do this, you will not have a good ending. Think thrice before you act, Marshal Zong Fu will not let this go, you all …"
"Haha, Zong Fu brat … let him come! This world … has become like this because of you golden dogs … I am not afraid of him! I am barefooted, not afraid of those who wear shoes! He is afraid of me — I will eat him, I will eat him … hahaha … "
Li Zheng was dragged away amidst his shouts. Wang Shitong was still laughing out loud. He looked at the Hua Xia army's spy who was already dead on the ground on the other side. He took a look and laughed out loud twice. He stared blankly for a while before calling for help.
"And this … there is nothing left to eat, hang him in front of Xuzhou City for me! Hahaha, hang him out, everyone in the Black Flag Army is like this, haha — "
His body was covered in blood, and he laughed crazily for a while. He went to take a bath, and not long after returning to the room where Gao Qianyue was, someone came to report, saying that after Li Zheng was taken away, he violently injured someone, and then escaped. Wang Shitong made an "oh" sound, and turned back to hug the woman's body.
The next day, at the top of Xuzhou City, people saw the corpse that was hung out.
"It is time for war …"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
