Chapter 341: Under War
Although he knew that the possibility of assassinating Emperor Xuan Qin was not high, Qin Ran still felt that he should go and see the man named Zhao Zheng... He was very curious.
This man who intended to unify the immortal relics reminded him of the man who unified China in his previous life. He could not see that man in his previous life, but he could see this man.
He took the map and set off from Wuyi City, flying to Xuan Qin along the nearest road.
All the way, under his feet were the places occupied by Xuan Qin in Bei Chu. There was heavy snow and few people were seen. The people he saw were Bei Chu soldiers whose bodies were exposed in the wilderness and no one collected them, or women, children and the elderly who were frozen to death on the roadside.
As the saying goes, in war, nine out of ten houses are empty and corpses float for thousands of miles.
Qin Ran couldn't bear to watch any more, so he flew high into the sky and accelerated towards Xuan Qin. Finally, when dusk approached, he flew into the territory of Xuan Qin.
He flew in Xuan Qin for a while, and the night gradually deepened, so he stopped.
It was snowing in the dark sky. It was already night, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you. It was freezing cold and the wind was blowing.
Qin Ran was thinking in the snow:
He didn't know what was going on in the capital of Xuan Qin, but he was going to find the Emperor of Xuan Qin, so there was a high probability that there would be a fight. He hurried in the dark and hurried to a strange place, and the situation was unknown. It was too dangerous. If he was not in good condition, he might just give himself up.
It would be better to find a place to rest, take things slowly and plan for the long term.
He lowered his altitude and searched while flying at low altitude. After searching for a long time, he found a house with smoke from cooking.
There were chickens crowing and dogs barking in the valley over there. He could also see the smoke from cooking in the night. It was probably a large village.
He approached the village, landed on the ground, changed his body shape, and turned into an old man on the road. He walked into the village tremblingly and pitifully with a cane and coughing.
It was very strange. There were the sounds of chickens and dogs barking in the village, as well as the smell of cooking smoke and firewood. There were even dim lights in the houses on the roadside. People's silhouettes could be seen through the windows, and human voices could be heard. However, there was no one on the road outside the house. No one was walking, not even cats and dogs.
Qin Ran was puzzled and had guesses about this situation.
He knocked on the door of a house where there were voices, and said, "Ahem, master, I am from Anlu City, and I am going to Mo City. But it is dark and snowing heavily. I have no choice but to stay here. Please help me."
Then, as soon as he knocked on the door, the voices in the house stopped immediately. The house was originally full of people talking and laughing, and it was lively, but now there was no sound at all, as if no one was in the house.
He frowned and knocked on the door again. This time he didn't have time to speak, and the lights in the house went out.
His hand stopped awkwardly in front of the door.
Qin Ran stood in front of the door for a while, and then changed to another one, but still no one responded to him. He even knocked on several doors in succession, but the results were all the same. Either they held their breath and blew out the lights, or they let the dogs bark, or the owners directly urged him, but no one was willing to take him in.
He went to four or five houses in a row, and finally, when he was about to slip away and walk in the snow for a night, someone finally took him in.
This house had a small gate, a small yard, and a few adobe houses. The lights in the house were dim, and it seemed particularly cold in the cold night.
There were only chickens in the yard, but no dogs. Qin Ran knocked on the door, and the chickens that had already entered the chicken coop were disturbed by the noise, and they made a "clucking" noise. Not long after, the door of the adobe house in the yard was opened, and the light of the oil lamp shone from the house. He saw a woman walking out of the house through the low earth wall fence.
She walked through the yard, came over to open the gate, and saw Qin Ran, and asked softly: "What are you doing, old man?"
Qin Ran looked at the woman, who was nearly 30 years old, with a dignified appearance, rough skin, tied hair, and thick cotton clothes. She had a gentle demeanor and was an extremely beautiful village woman.
"It's dark and the road is slippery. I want to stay overnight." Qin Ran replied in a hoarse voice.
The woman hesitated for a long time after hearing this. She wanted to refuse, but seeing that Qin Ran was an old man, she nodded, stretched out her hand to help, and said: "Old man, please come in quickly."
What a kind woman! Qin Ran sighed.
In this situation, at this night, if someone from outside the village came to stay overnight, if there was a chance, if the person was vicious... it would be a disaster for her.
She knew it because she hesitated, but she still led Qin Ran into the house because she was really kind.
In troubled times, I just hope that such kind people can live longer.
Following the woman through the neat courtyard, we entered the house with the oil lamp.
There was a stove and a fire place in this house. The stove was warm, and the fire was turned on to cook rice. There was a fire on the fire place, and there was a pot on the fire, and vegetables were cooked in the pot. On the fire place, around the firewood, there was a chubby little boy of six or seven years old. He was wrapped thickly, sitting on a small stool, holding a bowl, and eating rice.
When the little boy saw Qin Ran enter the house, his bright eyes just stared at Qin Ran, not speaking, not afraid, but just curious.
The woman led Qin Ran to sit on the fire place, and poured him a bowl of hot water from the pot on the stove, and smiled: "There is no wine at home, old man, drink a bowl of hot water to warm yourself up."
Qin Ran thanked him and took a sip of the hot water.
The woman went to get another bowl of rice, which was too enthusiastic, as if she was treating Qin Ran as a guest.
"The old man is very lucky. The food is just cooked." She smiled, "It's just that the food is very simple, without much oil or water. Please forgive me, old man."
Qin Ran looked into the pot and saw a pot of oily residue, radishes and cabbage boiled in it. It was simple, but not simple. As a woman, she could still take her children to eat such food in this cold winter month. It's really not simple.
"It doesn't matter. At this time, this is a meal that tastes like delicacies from the mountains and the sea. Old man, all the way I walked, every house was closed, as if I was some kind of jackal, tiger, leopard, or a cult demon, and they didn't welcome me." He smiled, "Fortunately, little lady, you are kind-hearted and entertained me. Otherwise, I would have slept in a snowdrift tonight. I may not be able to wake up tomorrow because of my body. Little lady, you saved my life!"
"Haha..." The woman smiled shyly, handed the rice to Qin Ran, then went to get chopsticks, and explained, "It's the coldest month of winter, and there are no young men in the village. They are all old, weak, women and children. Everyone. They are very cautious, closing early at night, and going to bed early. At this time of year, we don’t dare to entertain strangers, so don’t take it to heart.”
"There are no young men?" Qin Ran felt a little complicated for a moment.
Because the young men of Xuan Qin are all in front of Wuyi City in Beichu.
He took the chopsticks and couldn't help but sigh: "In prosperity, the people suffer; in death, the people suffer. War is a suffering for us ordinary people."
The woman went to bring her own rice bowl, sat down next to the little boy, and said after hearing the words: "After all, it is to serve the country and be loyal to His Majesty. But those things are too far away from me. I just hope that he comes back safely."
"Your husband is also on the front line?" Qin Ran asked.
"My father is a fighting hero!" Before the woman could answer, the little boy raised his head and shouted loudly, "He opened up and expanded the territory of Xuan Qin and made great achievements in battle. He is a great hero that everyone respects!!"
Both Qin Ran and the woman looked at the little boy, who had a proud look on his face and a glimmer of glory in his eyes.
Your hero is the devil in the eyes of others. Qin Ran felt even more complicated.
"My husband joined the war at the beginning of the year and has not returned yet." The woman reached out and touched the little boy's head, with pity in her eyes, and said, "A few days ago, there was news from the army that the front line was tight and the expeditionary troops were not going home to celebrate the New Year. . After all, I just hope that he returns home safely. It’s a pity that he hasn’t seen his father for more than half a year... I hope that the child will always have his father by his side.”
After talking, eating, and making a fire, the woman heated up hot water for Qin Ran to soak his feet, and then led Qin Ran to a guest room to sleep. Afraid that Qin Ran would be cold, she gave him two extra quilts.
The next morning, when the genius was bright, Qin Ran heard a noise coming from outside the hospital.
The roar of men, the cries of women and children, and the barking of dogs all rang out.
He listened carefully, and he probably heard that there was a young man in the village who had escaped from military service, and now the officers and soldiers in charge came to him and wanted to forcibly arrest him to serve as a soldier.
...It's like experiencing "The Stone Hao Official" in person.
Qin Ran couldn't help but sigh, got up and dressed, ready to go out to see the situation.
But he had just put on his clothes and opened the door. The woman from last night hurried over and pulled him towards the back of the house. As she walked, she said to him in a hurry: "It is said that the front line is tense and the officers and soldiers are in trouble." Come to collect taxes. Don’t let them see you.”
In the frontline confrontation, hundreds of thousands or millions of troops consume a huge amount of money every day. The Xuan Qin court would frequently levy taxes. This is normal. Qin Ran can understand it, but...
"Why?" he asked, what does it have to do with him, "I'm just an old man passing by."
"If they see you, they will count you in our family, and the officers and soldiers will tax you more." The woman said, "Moreover, the current domestic situation is tense and ordinary people are not allowed to move around freely. If they see you, they will Those who want to punish you for wandering will take you back..."
Before she could finish her words, she heard someone violently push open the courtyard door in front of her, and someone shouted in a loud voice: "Where are the people? Where did they die?!"
"Old man, run away for your life!" the woman confessed, gave Qin Ran a hard bun, and hurriedly ran back to the room.
Qin Ran held the steamed bun in his hand and looked at the woman's leaving figure. For some reason, he sighed again.
Not long after, there was a noise in the house:
"There are still people in their family..."
"I watched her hide people in her home last night."
"No……"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
After a while, the woman was pushed by the officers and soldiers to the back of the house, but she did not see the old man the villagers were talking about.
Some villagers who were watching asked: "Where did he go? The old man knocked on half of the village's doors last night, and she took him in..."