In Yun Zhong Manor, the setting sun was swallowing the sky.
Human voices accompanied the raging flames. Under the night sky, it was chaotic and mournful. Figures were running and crying in the flames. The air was filled with the smell of burning flesh and blood.
South Square, the slums where Han people gathered in Yun Zhong Manor. Many huts were gathered here. At this moment, a huge fire was raging and spreading. Fire hose trucks rushed over from afar. However, the setup of Qiannan Square was chaotic and there was no order to it. After the fire started, the few fire hose trucks could do nothing to stop the fire.
Chief Constable Man Dudaru stood at the corner of a nearby street and watched all this. He could hear people's voices from far and near. Someone rushed out of the fire. His whole body was charred black. He fell into the dirty water outside the market, his last mournful cries were extremely horrifying. South Square was where some of the southerners who had been redeemed lived. Many Jin people were watching the bustling scene and discussing among themselves.
Man Dudaru came over to discuss some matters with the nearby gangs. This was a gang mainly made up of Xi people. Seeing the raging fire, the gang members all went out to fight the fire and inquire about the news. He watched from the side of the road for a while. His deputy and a few constables came over and asked in a low voice, "Boss, what's going on? This is serious … "
Man Dudaru was one of the chief constables in the city. He was in charge of matters that involved many people. The raging fire in front of him was going to burn many people. Although they were all southerners, it was still a bad influence. If he wanted to take care of it and investigate, he should take action now.
"Let's go help and ask along the way."
As Man Dudaru said this, the constables under him dispersed. But his deputy could see that there was something wrong with his expression. The two of them walked to the side and said, "Boss, this is …"
"The fire started from three courtyards at the same time. Many people didn't have time to react before they were blocked on two sides. Not many people noticed it at the moment. Stay vigilant. We might need to arrange a statement in the future … "
The deputy turned to look at the fire. "This time, at least a hundred people were burned to death. Such a big thing, we …"
"Don't worry, no one will ask about it in two days."
"…" There was a complicated meaning in Mandudaru's words. He was neither sad nor happy. The deputy thought for a moment and recalled the rumor he heard today. "Chief … the rumor from the south … it can't be true, right …"
Mandudalu was silent for a while. "… Looks like it's true."
"How is that possible!"
The deputy shouted. Someone on the street next to them looked over. The deputy glared back fiercely. When that person turned his gaze away, he hurriedly said to Mandudaru, "Chief, this kind of thing … how could it be true? Marshal Ni Han, he …"
Man Dudaru patted his shoulder and said, "Whether it's true or not, we'll know in two days!"
"… How can the higher-ups be so secretive about such matters?"
"Aren't you … not trying to hide it?"
Man Dudaru looked at the sea of fire. The wooden memorial archway in front of Qiannan Lane had already collapsed in the fire. He said, "If it's true, you should be able to imagine what will happen next."
"If it's true …" The deputy swallowed a mouthful of saliva and gritted his teeth. "Then none of these southerners … will survive."
The flames were raging, and the sparks that rose into the night sky were like countless dancing butterflies. Mandudaru recalled the few figures he saw earlier. They were a few noblemen in the city, and they reeked of alcohol. When they saw the fire burning, they left in a hurry. He was not without pity for the southerners in the fire, but considering the recent rumors and the possibility that this situation vaguely revealed, he no longer had the time to pity the slaves.
Thinking of the siege that happened last month and the ongoing war in the west, he sighed in his heart. Recently, Dajin had been plagued with misfortunes …
The raging fire burned from nightfall until the hour of seven. When the fire was slightly under control, the wooden shacks and houses that should be burned had all been burned. More than half of the street had turned into embers in the fire. Light spots flew into the sky. In the night, cries and moans spread everywhere.
Tang Minjie, whose hair had been burned, sat paralyzed on the side of the street for a while. The smell of burnt flesh surrounded him. Seeing that there were constables coming from the other end of the road and that there were more people in the yamen, he got up from the ground and staggered away into the distance.
He went to a nearby medical center to get some scalding medicine and went to the restaurant where he was hiding to bandage his wounds. At a quarter past nine, Lu Mingfang came over. Seeing his wounds, he said, "I heard … that Qiannan Lane was on fire. You …"
"I'm fine. Two informants were burned to death."
"What happened? I heard that the fire was very big. I saw it from the other end of the city."
"About what we said yesterday … there's something wrong with Lady Zhenren …"
"Maybe they really defeated Lady Zhenren in the south …"
"It's about time …"
Tang Minjie sat down on a chair. Seeing that his injuries were not serious, Lu Mingfang also sat down. They were both guessing the possibilities of some things.
Since the beginning of April, the situation in Yunzhong Mansion had become tense. The flow of information was not smooth. After the Mongolians broke through Yanmen Pass, the communication between the north and the south was temporarily cut off. After that, the Mongolians besieged the city and imposed martial law on Yunzhong Mansion. This stalemate lasted until the beginning of May. The Mongolian cavalry wreaked havoc and retreated to the northwest. The curfew in the Cloud Manor had only been lifted in the past few days, and Lu Mingfang, Tang Minjie, and the others were constantly piecing together information. If not for this, they wouldn't have come to meet each other today, even though they had already met yesterday.
"The news from the grassland people has been confirmed." After thinking for a while, Lu Mingfang said, "On the third of May, Gao Muxi and twenty-seven thousand men were defeated in the southeast of Fengzhou (later Hohhot). The grassland people's target is not Yunzhong, but Fengzhou. They robbed the armory in Fengzhou. They are still fighting there. Gao Muxi is going crazy. I heard that Shi Liai is also very anxious. "
"… No wonder." Tang Minjie blinked his eyes.
A few years ago, the Jin people had a conflict with this group of grassland people. At that time, Shu Liesu was the leader of the army. In the early stage of the war, they even suffered a slight loss from the grassland cavalry. But not long after, they recovered. The grassland people did not dare to attack the border. Later, when the Xixia people were defeated by the black flag, these people took the Silver Stream and then destroyed the whole Xixia.
Before the fourth southern expedition of the Jin Kingdom, the national strength was at its peak. Zhan Han led more than two hundred thousand troops to the south. The military strength of the Western court was actually enough to defend. At this time, the main force used to defend the west was the army of Fengzhou led by General Gao Muxi. This time, the grassland cavalry broke Yanmen and besieged Yunzhong. All the troops came to help, but they were defeated one by one. At the end of April, Gao Muxi of Fengzhou finally could not hold back and sent his army to rescue Yunzhong.
The grassland cavalry met them one by one. They lost more than they won, but they always escaped in time. Faced with this continuous bait, Gao Muxi finally fell into the trap at the beginning of May. He sent out too many troops, leaving the defense of Fengzhou empty. The grassland people seized the opportunity to seize the city. His army hurried back, but was defeated by the main force of the Mongolians on the way. At this time, he was still reorganizing his troops, trying to recapture this important city of Fengzhou.
"… If this is the case, these grassland people have a deep desire for the Jin Kingdom. They broke Yanmen, besieged Yunzhong, besieged Yunzhong, lured Gao Muxi out, seized Fengzhou, and then turned around to defeat him … This series of attacks can't be carried out without a few years of careful planning …"
After listening to Lu Mingfang's intelligence, Tang Minjie frowned and thought for a moment. Then he said, "Such a hero can be cooperated …"
"I'm also thinking about this." Lu Mingfang nodded and said, "I will send a letter to the southwest to ask about this. But the most important thing right now is the news from the southwest. I don't think it's normal for the fire at South Square to be so big tonight. Also, I heard that the House of Bravery and Loyalty killed three Han people for no reason today."
"… Han slaves?"
"… What else could it be? There's no such thing as a Han master in the north."
"… Then he'll have to pay a lot of money."
Tang Minjie murmured. They had some guesses about some things, but at this moment, they didn't even dare to guess. The atmosphere in Yunzhong Mansion was even more complicated. Both of them were silent for a while.
Tang Minjie said, "If there's really a victory in the southwest, the news will be confirmed in a day or two. This kind of thing can't be covered up … When that time comes, you have to go back. There's no need to write a letter about the idea of forming an alliance with the grassland people."
He paused and said, "… Actually, I think you can ask the madam of the Goddess of Grains first. If this news is confirmed, I don't know what the situation in Yunzhong Mansion will be like. If you want to go south, it might be safer if you leave early."
Lu Mingfang smiled. "This kind of thing can't be arranged in a day or two."
They didn't talk about this anymore.
At almost the same time, Chen Wenjun was meeting with the old man in Shi Liai's mansion. Her face was haggard, and even though she had dressed herself meticulously, she couldn't hide the trace of exhaustion between her brows. Even so, she still took out an old list and placed it in front of Shi Liai.
"I came today because I can't wait any longer. Last winter, Old Milord promised me this batch of people. They were delayed on the road and only arrived at the beginning of spring. It can't be helped. But February waits for March, March waits for April. Now that it's May, many of the people on the list are already … gone. Old Milord, you promised me two hundred people. You have to give them to me. "
What she mentioned was the issue of the Han captives who were escorted from the south around the beginning of winter last year. In order to show off the achievements of the Western Route Army in the south, these five hundred people were either the soldiers who resisted the army in Xiangfan and other places, or the families of the southern officials and defeated generals. In the cold winter in the north, the roads were difficult to travel on. It took a lot of time to escort these five hundred people, and they were only officially handed over in Yunzhong this spring. After that, they were paraded around and tortured. Two hundred of them were originally supposed to be handed over to Chen Wenjun at the end of March, but Shi Liai changed his mind at the last minute and refused to hand them over. Now, Chen Wenjun couldn't help but visit.
Shi Liai stretched out his hand and pressed it on the list. His eyes were downcast as if he was thinking. After a while, he seemed to fall asleep because of old age. The silence in the hall lasted for a long time …
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