Chapter 32: Fury Sets the Prairie Ablaze (7)

  When the first ray of dawn broke through the dark night sky, Di Lie, who was standing still on the ridge, saw a strange procession appearing in the distance: there were men, women, soldiers, and even children... They supported each other, stumbling and staggering, with different expressions. Some looked bewildered, some tense and fearful, some hesitant, and of course, many showed joy after surviving the disaster...

  Di Lie took a rough estimate, guessing there were several thousand people. It's really unknown how Yang Zuo Chong, this roughneck who only knows how to bury his head and fight fiercely, managed to persuade these people. Maybe it was the credit of that little kid, Zuo.

  When this long procession arrived at Dongzhai Gate, everything that could be burned had been burnt. There were only wisps of smoke, ashes all over the ground, and corpses scattered everywhere, which still made people feel a lingering fear, thinking about the fierce battle that took place here last night.

  Although these Song captives saw too many dead people along the way, and most of them were empty in their stomachs, there were still many people who were stimulated by the bloody scene in front of them to retch frequently, and even spit out yellow water.

  Di Lie waved to the crowd. Immediately, three people galloped out from in front of the crowd... Yang Zhechong was on the left, Zuo Kai was on the right, and a woman sat in his arms.

  Di Lie glared with wide eyes, this left-handed guy, is he asking for death?! You dare to touch my woman?!

  But before Di Lie could put down his sniper rifle, a woman in military uniform rushed out of the crowd, frantically waving at him and crying as she ran towards him.

  Oh, this is Ye Die'er! I said so...

  Di Lie picked up the leather bag containing explosives and bombs, calling out to Ah Shu to go down together.

  Di Lie had just gotten off the stage when Ye Die'er rushed into his arms, wailing loudly; "Brother Di... Sister, sister... she's dead...... Waaahhh..."

  For this result, Di Lie had already mentally prepared himself. He stroked Ye Die'er's back and said softly, "Don't be sad, your sister in heaven will see everything you've done for her and be happy too. Moreover, you saved so many of your fellow sisters, you should feel proud and honored. In the eyes of those who were rescued, you are a heroine, now this appearance is damaging to your image."

  Yedian'er burst into tears and laughed like a morning flower with dew: "Di Lang is the real hero, nu, where can I be considered a hero... hero..."

  Di Lie said with a serious expression: "If it weren't for your repeated requests, I wouldn't have come here, and it would be impossible to kill so many Jin people, let alone save these thousands of people... So, in this matter, your importance is not one bit less than mine. Moreover, as a weak woman, your performance on this journey has been very good!"

  Having obtained her beloved's affirmation and praise, Ye Die'er's heart was as sweet as honey, and her sorrowful emotions were also alleviated a lot.

  At this time, Yang Zhechong and Zuo Kai dismounted their horses and led several horse-riding men over. Yang Zhechong looked at the two people entwined together, then turned his head to look at those few men, and said with a somewhat embarrassed expression: "Uh, this... Report to the leader, these few imperial princes of the current dynasty, please go over there to pay your respects and express gratitude..."

  Di Lie patted Ye Die'er's shoulder, and Ye Die'er also realized her own loss of composure, hurriedly wiping away tears with the back of her hand, turning aside to kneel down.

  Di Lie furrowed his brow and walked over to pull her up, whispering: "What are you kneeling for? Even if they're royalty - to be honest, the country is already destroyed, what's the value of this royalty now? A phoenix that has lost its feathers is no better than a chicken. They're not even as good as you, why are you still kneeling to them?"

  Ye Die'er shook her head in horror; "Di Lang, don't say that, those are the Dragon's children and grandchildren! The imperial nobles, how can we commoners compare to them? Forgive us, forgive us." As soon as Di Lie turned around, she knelt down again. Not just Ye Die'er, but also the arrogant Yang Zhechong and the cunning Zuo Kai, all knelt down together. The crowd behind didn't know what was going on, seeing their savior kneel down, they also fell to their knees in a dense black mass.

  Di Lie frowned and turned his head to see Ah Shu standing there, unmoved. He couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Why aren't you kneeling down like them?"

  "Whatever emperor or prince, they are our captives and prisoners, why should we kneel? Of course, if the master requires us to kneel, I will naturally obey."

  "Well said!" Di Lie burst out laughing and strode forward with large steps.

  One of the men drove his horse forward, and although he looked somewhat dispirited, he tried to put on a majestic air, saying: "Is that Di Tou ahead? I am the current king's younger brother, Prince Zhao of Boling..."

  Di Lie suddenly raised a finger and gently shook it, rudely interrupting his words: "I don't know, nor do I care what kind of king you are. You, including all the horsemen behind you, get off your horses for me. I'm not used to looking up at people when speaking."

  The King of Bo's eyes widened like he had swallowed a large duck egg, and he almost fainted. The several young men behind him also had angry faces. One of the teenagers in his early 10s rode out on horseback, scolding: "As a citizen of the Great Song Dynasty, you actually dare to commit crimes against your superiors, disrespecting your ruler and parents... no wonder you can only become a bandit..."

  He wanted to say something even more violent, but was pulled back by several older men behind him, apparently afraid of provoking the bandit chief.

  Yang Zhechong and Zuo Kai, who were kneeling on the ground, furrowed their brows upon hearing this, anxiously looking at Di Lie, fearing that their leader would fly into a rage and do something out of line.

  Di Lie's expression was surprisingly calm: "First of all, I want to clarify one thing, I am not a child of the Great Song, but a child of the Great Han."

  As soon as this was said, not only did the group of princes feel bewildered, but even Yang Zhechong and Ye Die'er, who had followed Di Lie from the very beginning, were also taken aback. Although they too felt that Di Lie's background was extraordinary, they never expected that he wasn't a person of Great Song.

  Out of disdain for these so-called princes and royal relatives who, having just escaped their lowly status, immediately put on airs in front of their subjects, Di Lie fabricated a fake ancestry to shock them: "That's right, I am a descendant of the Han people who fled overseas during the late Han dynasty to avoid the turmoil of the Three Kingdoms period. Later, on a large island called Taiwan, we established a kingdom, and I am the last prince of that kingdom."

  Di Lie first revealed his "origin", and immediately made Yang Zhechong, Ye Die'er, Zuo Kai, A Shu and others both shocked and delighted. They never dreamed that the person they were following would be a prince. Thinking about Di Lie's strange clothes and strange words and deeds, he was really different from any Song person they had ever seen... So that's how it is!

  Those princes looked up and down at Di Lie, who had shed his golden armor, taking in the peculiar helmet, the naval camouflage uniform that was neither Hu nor Song style, and the strangely styled low-heeled military boots... Indeed, it did not resemble the attire of a Song person. Most importantly, the confidence and pride radiating from the young and heroic face of their opponent was completely different from the Song people before and after the fall of the country. In Prince Bo's impression, he had only seen such an air of confidence when his third brother, Prince Yong of Zhao, was about to ascend to the throne.

  Although there was no evidence, the confident and majestic aura of this young man made Marquis Bo involuntarily acknowledge in his heart that it was indeed possible for him to be a prince.

  Obviously, the brothers behind King Bo also have the same feeling. The young man was still unhappy: "Even if you are a descendant of the Han people, you are not a descendant of the Liu royal family. You built your own kingdom and called yourself a lonely and poor way, how ridiculous! Such a royal family, can it be mentioned in the same breath as our Zhao Song royal descendants?"

  Di Lie didn't get angry, but instead casually retorted: "Well, I'd like to ask you something. During the chaotic times at the end of the Han Dynasty, what was your Zhao ancestor's status? Was he a soldier? A commoner? A slave? Or a beggar?"

  "That's enough! King Xin, don't engage in a war of words and make a joke out of this." The Prince of Bo calmed down his reddening face and restrained the young man who was about to charge forward impulsively. He turned around and bowed to Di Lie, "As we are both kings of the end times, we should meet with equal courtesy."

  Immediately, the donkey went down the slope, and together with a group of royal relatives, they dismounted their horses and came forward to pay their respects: "The Prince of Bo, the Prince of Xin, and the Princes of Jin Kang, Ping Yuan, He Yi, and Yong Ning, along with two thousand members of the imperial clan, have been rescued from the dust and returned to the golden cage. We offer our deepest gratitude for Your Majesty's benevolence in lending a helping hand. This kindness will be repaid in the future."

  Di Lie had no good feelings towards these Zhao descendants who were humble in front of the Jin people but put on airs in front of the Song people with their already nonexistent imperial family status. He didn't bother to pay attention to them, only glancing at them sideways and saying: "Your hands and feet are quite quick, you got one so soon? You've just become my subordinate, maybe you don't know, I'm not like your old superior Chen Kui. Whoever dares to forcibly take a civilian girl, my dagger doesn't recognize people..."

  Zuo Kai's face changed color, and before he could explain, the woman kneeling beside him had already taken several steps forward on her knees and said sorrowfully: "Your Highness, this has nothing to do with Young Master Zuo, it was I who wanted to follow him..."

  The woman's name was Bian Yuniang, originally a songstress in the residence of Cai Yao. After Cai Yao was demoted and his family was confiscated, these songstresses became official entertainers. Later, when the Jin people invaded the Song Dynasty and plundered women, she naturally could not escape her fate.

  Among many women being taken north by the Golden Army, she was favored by Meng An and served in his tent for a long time. During this period, she accidentally met Zuo Kai who was delivering wine to the Golden Army's main camp. On one occasion when she was ordered to escort Bian Yunniang back to the Song captives' camp, they chatted and found out that both of their ancestral homes were in Hebei Province's Yi County, naturally forming a close bond between them.

  Bian Yunniang could no longer bear the suffering, and subconsciously poured out her grievances to this fellow villager, saying that she hoped he could take her away from the sea of bitterness. At the time, Bian Yunniang only said these words in a moment of sorrow, venting the depression in her heart. But unexpectedly, Zuo Kai, who had been entrusted with the beautiful woman's heavy responsibility, remembered them and kept searching for an opportunity. Finally, when Di Lie appeared, he found that the opportunity had arrived. No matter how slim this chance was, he had to give it a try - as a result, he succeeded.

  After hearing the story of "beat one beat, single-handedly picking up an old lady", Di Lie was crying and laughing, no wonder Zuo Kai surrendered so readily, counterattacked so actively, it turned out that there was a reason... This woman is only in her twenties, with a seductive appearance and a charming figure. No wonder Zuo Kai fell in love at first sight, became infatuated, and even risked his life for her sake.

  Di Lie waved his hand and said: "Since you two are mutually in love, I won't be the villain who separates the loving couple. You two handle it yourselves."

  Zuo Kai was overjoyed and hastily pulled Zhen Yu Niang to kneel down repeatedly: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your kindness. I, Zuo Kai, am willing to die to repay this debt."

  Yang Zhechong also smiled and said, "This kid is really lucky, following Your Highness is the blessing he has accumulated over eight lifetimes."

  From then on, all of Di Lie's subordinates called him "Your Highness", solidifying his non-existent "prince" identity. And Di Lie didn't correct them, because he realized from the behavior of these Zhao clan descendants that in this era, the identities of nobles and even royalty would be very useful for his future plans to recruit soldiers, raise a big flag, and interact with officials and royal families from various countries. Since this tiger skin was so effective, there was no need to take it off until an even higher-level "tiger skin" came along to replace it.

  This batch of Song Dynasty captives originally included over 2,000 males from the imperial family, including princes, dukes, sons-in-law and other relatives. There were also over 3,400 palace women, concubines, and tribute girls from the common people. Additionally, there were eunuchs, monks, officials, tailors, dyers, carpenters, silversmiths, ironworkers, diviners, performers of shadow plays, puppeteers, singers, and other types of entertainers, as well as tens of thousands of miscellaneous laborers.

  But at this time, leaving Bianjing is only about 500 miles away, and the journey is only over ten days. The number of deaths and severe illnesses has already exceeded 3,000 people. What kind of migration is this? It's really a "journey to death"!

  Suddenly, so many people came, men and women, old and young, with unstable emotions. There were those who cried bitterly, those who were wildly happy, those who laughed and cried at the same time... All sorts of unseemly behavior, too numerous to mention, the scene was in a chaotic uproar.

  Di Lie fought all night without a break, but now he has a headache...

  In the midst of chaos, a thunderous sound of iron hooves and battle cries came from outside the camp, that rumbling vibration, probably had several hundred horses.

  The scene suddenly fell silent, and then with a loud noise, nearly ten thousand people were like a pot exploding, scattering and fleeing in all directions - the most absurd thing was that most of them were running back - wasn't that a prisoner-of-war camp?!

  Di Lie reached out to comfort Ye Die'er, who was trembling like a frightened bird. On the surface, he appeared calm and composed, but in his heart, he felt a sense of unease: Which enemy army could it be? Could it be the few hundred Khitan people guarding the Han military camp's prisoners of war? Were they not taking care of the prisoners anymore? Or did they directly kill them to free up their hands to rescue the central military camp?