Chapter Thirty-Four: Entering the Mountain

We were escorted all the way and didn't encounter any moths. Ying Yi was also worried that he would encounter the bandits who were defeated during the day and cause some minor troubles, but he didn't expect that his worries would be in vain.

Why should the family members and craftsmen be sent to Xiaowangzhuang? It is a last resort. Although many people were moved to Fangcheng Mountain, they were still deep in the mountain. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Zheng Yunzhi did not set up a stronghold outside the mountain. In addition, time was tight and it was night. There was no time to send them to the mountains in one go, so they chose Xiaowangzhuang.

The light carriage quickly arrived at Xiaowangzhuang. Ying Yi left the people he brought behind to protect the county family members and craftsmen, and then returned to Ye County alone.

Zheng Yunzhi's wife, Mrs. Li, was quite worried and told Ying Yi: "General, be careful along the way!"

Zi Niang and Xiao Yu'er also stood aside, looking at him timidly.

Ying Yi clasped his fists and got on his horse: "Madam, don't worry, the county magistrate will be delivered to you safely before dawn."

Then he said to Zhou Li and Lian Biao: "Be careful and don't let down your guard. If there is an accident, escape into the mountains immediately."

"Yes, Baihu!"

The two of them nodded in unison.

Moments before Yinshi, Ying Yi returned to Ye County again and met Zheng Yunzhi.

Zheng Yunzhi held up the torch and said with a smile: "If you don't come back, I will set fire to it."

As he spoke, he sighed: "What a wonderful county town, but it has to be burned to the ground. As a county magistrate, I am ashamed of the people and the emperor!"

Ying Yi said: "The temporary retreat is for the future. As long as we can keep food and grass, everything is worth it. If the county seat is gone, we can slowly build it in the future. If the food and grass are gone, we will starve to death. If we stay in the county seat, we will definitely not be able to stop it." There is no point in dying if you live with the bandits. It also makes the bandits wonder why we are resisting so resolutely, and we may not be able to save the food. If we take the initiative to retreat, the bandits will think that the county has no nostalgia, and they will not be suspicious. "

In fact, this is exactly what Zheng Yunzhi thinks.

Everything he did was to preserve food and grass. If he could keep food and grass by sticking to the county seat, he wouldn't mind living or dying with the county seat. Ying Yi also saw this. This scholar has nobler qualities than most other scholars of this era, which is why Ying Yi admires him.

It was precisely because he knew that he could not hold on even if he persisted, but would arouse the curiosity and suspicion of the bandits, so he agreed to Ying Yi's suggestion without hesitation.

"Let's go."

Zheng Yunzhi looked calm, threw the torch in his hand into the room, turned around and left. Ying Yi followed him, and the fire gradually started behind him.

On the street, soldiers threw torches into the houses on both sides, and thick smoke began to rise. By the time everyone left the city gate, the county seat was already burning.

Zheng Yunzhi didn't look back and took the lead, disappearing into the darkness.

That night, the fire in Ye County illuminated the night, burning half of the sky red.

At dawn, Hao Yaoqi came to Ye County with his soldiers and horses. He felt a wave of heat coming towards his face. He couldn't help but frown: "Ask someone to go in and have a look. The dog got in. The dog officer's work was so big that it was burned." The county seat is gone!”

After yesterday's defeat, Hao Yaoqi fled in panic. He finally managed to gather up the scattered soldiers. He lost nearly two thousand soldiers. He was so angry that he flew into a rage and killed seven or eight people in a row before he extinguished his anger. He thought about it and was extremely unwilling, but he was also afraid that King Chuang would know what was going on here. Thinking that there were still three thousand soldiers and horses to intercept and kill the soldiers, he planned to rest for the night, let Ye County go first, and wait for the soldiers to rob the soldiers and eat them. Du, join forces and come back to cause trouble in Ye County.

Ye County burned in the early morning of Yinshi. At that time, Hao Yaoqi was sleeping soundly and didn't know it. In the morning, I led my troops south to Erlang Mountain. When I passed by the area, I noticed something was wrong. I hurriedly came over and took a look, only to see that Ye County was completely white.

This made Hao Yaoqi feel vaguely happy, but also a little aggrieved.

The dog officer of Gou Ru killed him for a while yesterday, but ran away before he could take revenge!

The old thief who went into the city to check soon came back and said: "It's all burned down, my boss. Do you want to search carefully?"

Hao Yaoqi snorted: "What a search. Ye County has been emptied of people for a long time, and the common people have taken away everything they can. Now there is a fire, not even a hair is left. What is there to search for?" Let’s go to Erlang Mountain, where the big business is!”

...

Xiaowangzhuang.

Before dawn, Ying Yi arrived again.

Getting off the horse, Ying Yi pointed to the tomb at the entrance of the village: "The massacred villagers are buried in it." Then he pointed to a small grave next to it: "My brother Zhang and my niece are right here."

Zheng Yunzhi straightened her clothes and bowed before the grave.

"The world is so difficult, but an official cannot benefit the people and cannot protect the safety of the people. I really feel guilty."

Ying Yi shook his head and just sighed.

This has always been the case in the last years of dynasties. Nothing has changed for thousands of years. To completely reverse it, unless there is an eternal dynasty to suppress it forever and maintain peace forever. Otherwise, it will be reincarnation again and again, and countless disasters forever.

Zheng Yunzhi's arrival made many people relieved. Speaking of which, there is no doubt that he is very prestigious. Whether they are soldiers or craftsmen, they all eat from the rice bowl given by Zheng Yunzhi. Moreover, Zheng Yunzhi was excellent both as a person and as an official, so people naturally recognized him to a certain extent.

As for Zheng Yunzhi's family, there is no need to say more. Now it is considered stable.

"Is this where military pay is hidden?"

Zheng Yunzhi entered Zhuangzi and asked immediately.

Ying Yi nodded: "It's inside." He led Zheng Yunzhi to a place covered with grass ash: "It's down here."

Zheng Yunzhi looked at it and said: "It's very good. If you didn't know it, you wouldn't be able to see it."

Ying Yi said: "Two million taels is not a small amount. Does it need to be taken out and transported to the mountains?"

Zheng Yunzhi shook his head: "No need. This is fine for now. The quantity is too large and the mountain roads are rugged. It is too troublesome to transport it now. We will talk about it later when we have time."

Ying Yi nodded slightly.

After taking a short rest, covering up the village and erasing traces, the group headed into the mountains.

The mountain road is rugged and covered with thorns. Scholars like Zheng Yunzhi have probably never walked through such mountain roads. And it’s not convenient to ride a horse. Especially for his wife, concubines and children, who come from a wealthy and scholarly family, traveling across mountains and ridges is the most inconvenient.

Ying Yi saw how difficult it was for them to walk, so he took the time to make two frames, with Xiao Yu'er on one side and Zi Niang on the other, and he carried them on one shoulder.

Zheng Yunzhi and his wife and concubines walked together supporting each other, watching from behind and couldn't help but smile.

Ying Yi carried two people like straw, and did not feel the slightest weight. He said: "When I went into the mountains to hunt, I didn't expect that there would be bad news when I came back. Only Sun Xiucai escaped with his life. So I went after him. Also at night, a fire was set to rescue the villagers who had been kidnapped. However, Xiaowangzhuang was destroyed and there was no safety at all. So I thought of a valley I found in the mountains during hunting, so I placed the surviving villagers in it."

"When I was chasing a tiger, I thought the scholar was incapable of tying a chicken, so I sent him to Ye County and asked him to wait for me. If I killed a tiger, I would pick him up. If I failed to kill a tiger, I would pick him up. I have to go to Kaifeng to hunt down a tiger, and I also have to pass through Ye County. It just so happens that he is helping me find out the news in Ye County. Unexpectedly, a strange combination of circumstances led to this situation."