Chapter 69: Brothers, Run Fast

  On a high slope three miles away from the south bank of Yi River, in front of a spacious white large tent, a group of Jin State's senior officials and generals sat on the ground in two rows. At the top center was spread a black bear skin, on which Commander Zong Wang sat cross-legged.

  As the commander-in-chief of the three armies, Zong Wang should have been among the first to cross the river, but he chose to be in the last batch, only letting Wanyan Xiyin, Wuzhu and Xi Bao lead the army across the river, with Wanyan Yao Shi and Wang Jian as vanguard, advancing into Yi State first. The reason why Zong Wang wanted to do so was just because there was a strange feeling in his heart. Perhaps he would never set foot on this land of Song again, where he had achieved his greatest military merit. If that's the case, then let me take one last look.

  At this time, there were still some important generals who stayed with Zongwang, including Sai Li, She Ye Ma, A Ti Ji and more than a dozen Mo Ngan Mou Ke.

  In front of each general, there were fine wines and delicious food. The wine was the finest from Song Dynasty, but the dishes were still the Jurchen people's favorite roasted beef and mutton. Large chunks of beef and whole sheep were roasted until golden brown and oily, sprinkled with salt and various spices from Song Dynasty, what a fragrance!

  The golden generals used their gold-handled pocket knives to cut the beef and mutton into small pieces, stuffed them into their mouths, chewed loudly, and from time to time poured a few mouthfuls of strong liquor down their throats, shouting with relish.

  Of course, with wine and meat, it's natural to have women around.

  All the Jin army generals, from Zong Wang to Mou Ke, had one or two Song Dynasty noblewomen serving them by their side. As they reached the height of revelry, many of the Jin generals shifted their attention from food to the bodies of the women beside them.

  In a burst of maniacal laughter and stifled moans, Empress Zhu and Concubine Zhu were brought in by four Jin soldiers.

  Due to Zhu Huanghou's pure and strong personality, several high-ranking generals in the Jin army treated her with courtesy, at least so far no one has touched her. As for other concubines and palace maids, except for a few who had to be presented to the imperial court, most have been screened out three times. For example, Wei Xianfei, who is currently being hugged by Sai Li and molested, was even pregnant. Poor Zhao Gou didn't know that he would soon have another hybrid brother. Of course, there's no worst, only worse, in the future, he will have more brothers born.

  The Empress Zhu had seen the scene in front of her countless times since she was captured, from the initial anger and interrogation, to the later sadness and helplessness, and finally to the current numbness and indifference - she could only force herself to make such a change, if she didn't want to go crazy or kill herself.

  Empress Zhu turned to Zong Wang and the other generals, her sleeves fluttering as she bowed, her eyes cast down. She said indifferently, "You noble gentlemen of the Great Jin are so joyful; what matter is it that requires a fallen country's widow like myself to dampen your spirits?"

  Zong Wang pushed away the pregnant Xiang Fei (Zhao Gou's wife) and filled a delicate jade cup with a full cup of Bianjing Fanlou's famous wine "First River Mountain". He drank it in big gulps. In fact, Zong Wang didn't particularly like this so-called fine wine with low alcohol content. The reason he wanted to drink this wine was that its name was grand and matched his heroic feat of conquering the south.

  Zong Wang used his oily sleeve to wipe away the wine stains on his whiskers and said in a low voice: "The front is Yizhou, one of the sixteen states of Youyun, a place that Song Guo has been thinking about for hundreds of years, almost to the point of madness. And that river is Yi Shui, in half an hour, we will cross Yi Shui, once across this river, the empress will truly leave Song territory. Why not sing a song lightly to bid farewell to our homeland?"

  Empress Zhu and Concubine Zhu were shocked upon hearing the words. They suddenly turned their heads to look south, overcome with grief, and tears streamed down their faces...

  Before long, the high slope echoed with a mournful song like a cuckoo's cry: "In the past I lived in heaven, in jade palaces and pearl halls. Now I live in the wilds, my green robe wet with tears. I humble myself and swallow my pride, hating that it is hard to wash away. Returning to the spring below, my sorrow is cut off..."

  This mournful and sorrowful song spread far and wide, floating above the heads of a group of tattered prisoners.

  In the crowd, Aji was still as small and dirty as when Dilie first saw him, the only difference being that his eyes, which looked bigger because of his thin face, were now lively and spirited.

  Aji listened intently to the faint singing sound coming from afar, and nudged Liu Er, one of the Liu brothers next to him: "Liu Er uncle, this tune is really nice, but somehow it makes my heart feel stuffy, I just don't know what it means. Do you?"

  Liu Er hummed listlessly: "You little brat, still have the mood to listen to music, we're going to be driven across another river. Alas! The farther we go, when will this road ever end..."

  At this time, a gentle male voice came from behind: "This is a sad song of a palace woman lamenting that she has fallen into the hands of barbarians. Hmm, probably she also knows that once she crosses this river, she will be forever separated from her hometown. From now on, she can only wander in a foreign land, and only her soul can return."

  Liu Er's mouth slowly opened wide as he stuttered, "T-this... sir, you're saying that once we cross this river, it won't be our Song Kingdom anymore?"

  The speaker was a man in his thirties with a white face, a long beard, phoenix eyes and a straight nose. His eyes were clear and his expression was calm. He wore a blue long shirt that ordinary prisoners did not have, although it was also damaged in many places, but still could not hide the air of dignity on his body.

  The white-faced scholar sighed and nodded.

  Liu Dahu, who had been quietly sitting on the side, was suddenly startled and looked up at the white-faced scholar with a stunned expression. He rushed over and grabbed the scholar's sleeve: "What did you say? The front is no longer part of the Song Dynasty?"

  "Bastard! How dare you be rude to your elders!" A figure suddenly flashed out from the side, grabbed Liu Dade's collar and threw him out with a flick of his hand.

  A white-faced scholar hastily waved his sleeve to stop him: "Zhang Li, do not be rash. This fellow villager is just overly excited and did not intentionally offend the county."

  The man stopped, turned around and bowed to the white-faced scholar, then retreated to one side. But he saw that the little craftsman was constantly sizing him up, and the man frowned: "What's wrong, did Zhang beat your father?"

  Aji shook his head: "He's not my father. I think... you're very good at archery, aren't you?"

  That man was slightly startled: "How did you know?"

  Aji smiled complacently: "I have an uncle who is a craftsman in the Bow and Crossbow Institute. Every time he finishes making a bow, he always tests it by shooting it. The thumb and index finger of his left hand are covered with thick calluses - just like the ones on your hands."

  A faint smile appeared on his face: "After all, a meticulous little guy." Then he didn't say anything else.

  "Oh heavens! We can't go back now! If only we had known this would happen, we wouldn't have left Mount Winding in the first place..."

  When Liu brothers mentioned Wangren Mountain, Ajie's small face also turned gloomy, and she couldn't help but look south, shouting in her heart: "Di brother, are you really not going to care about Ajie anymore?"

  At this time, a Jin soldier shouted loudly to the crowd in a loud voice. A Song Dynasty interpreter next to him said loudly: "The nobleman of the Golden State has spoken, you three thousand people are the last batch, and will be divided into three batches, all crossing the river before nightfall, now hurry up and prepare."

  Among these thirty thousand people, there were all sorts of people, including craftsmen like the Liu brothers and Ah Qi, officials and scholars with white faces, as well as some Song soldiers with tattoos on their foreheads. In addition, there were also a large number of cattle, horses, and heavy loads that needed to be pulled and pushed by them to cross the river together.

  Under the stern rebuke and flogging of Jin Bing, 30,000 captives either pulled oxen or horses, or pushed and pulled large carts, making their way to the Yishui floating bridge with difficulty.

  These captives had long since become numb on the road, no matter whether it was a road, a bridge or a swamp in front of them, they just stumbled forward like zombies. Only when the Jin army's whip lashed at their bodies could they slightly recover their nerve endings due to pain.

  The Liu brothers were pushed forward by the crowd, driving a cow cart, and involuntarily moved towards the front. The bridgehead was getting closer and closer. That swaying long passage, far away connected to that end, seemed endless, slowly transforming into a Yellow Spring Road of no return...

  At this time, an unexpected situation occurred.

  Liu Er suddenly threw down the reins and shouted hysterically: "No! No! I won't go! Once we pass, we'll never be able to return home again..."

  Liu was shocked and flustered, hastily embracing his younger brother: "Brother, don't be like this..."

  But Liu Er didn't calm down, instead he sat on the ground with a thud, grasping a wild grass by the roadside tightly, no matter how hard Liu Da pulled and dragged him, he refused to get up.

  Liu Da almost cried out: "Brother, get up quickly! This is unbearable..."

  Aji stood by, wanting to help but even Liu Dada couldn't hold on, what could he do? He was at a loss for a moment. The prisoners around them just looked on silently, without a sound.

  At this time, the white-faced scholar stepped forward and saw this scene, couldn't help but sigh. He turned his head to Zhang Li's entourage and said: "Help him, if those wolf-like Jin soldiers see it, it will be troublesome."

  Zhang Li responded with a sound and was about to move forward. His eyes flashed, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks, lightly sighing: "Trouble has already arrived."

  Among the crowd, that loud-mouthed Jin soldier with a flesh tumor on his forehead, accompanied by an interpreter, walked over with a ferocious and sinister look, staring fiercely at the Liu brothers, and suddenly let out a loud roar.

  Liu was so frightened that his whole body trembled, and he hugged his younger brother tightly, knocking his head repeatedly: "Noble sir, please calm down, my brother is ill, it will be fine soon, it will be fine soon..."

  That translator immediately translated Liu Da's words. Rou Tuan Jin Bing's eyes widened, and he didn't say a word, but instead whipped the Liu brothers with his horse whip, causing them to roll on the ground, wailing in pain.

  Ajie shrank his body into a ball, lowering his head, and didn't dare look again.

  In the eyes of Bai Mian and Zhang Li, a spark named anger was jumping. The faces of most of the onlookers were filled with sorrow, but no one dared to speak.

  "Beat me to death, I'd rather die on my own land than become a lonely ghost in a foreign country..."

  That interpreter looked embarrassed, rubbed his face a few times, and didn't translate what was said.

  But the Jin soldier stopped his hand, glaring at the interpreter with a fierce light, and suddenly shouted something. Although no one in the crowd could understand the Jurchen language, everyone could guess what it meant "What is he saying?"

  He shivered all over and stammered out a few words.

  Rouge Golden Soldier nodded, lowered his body, and stared at the Liu brothers like a hungry wolf for a while. A sinister smile appeared on his dark face. He beckoned to the translator to translate simultaneously.

  "You don't want to cross the river? Fine, anyway I've caught tens of thousands of people, so it doesn't matter if you two are missing. You can leave now, see that forest over there? As long as you can run into the forest before I count to ten at top speed, you'll be able to live and go home."

  Liu Er's blood-stained face rose, and a look of despair appeared with something called hope: "Really?"

  "The Jurchen people keep their word, unlike your Song Dynasty emperors who speak as if they are farting. How about it, will you do it or not?"

  "Ah!" Liu Er exerted himself and sat up straight.

  Liu Da hastily called out: "Brother, don't listen to him, we can't escape..."

  Liu Er forced a smile on his pale lips: "Big brother, I'd rather die than cross the river. Now that there's such an opportunity, I'll try my best to make it happen."

  Liu Da was both angry and anxious: "That forest is fifty zhang away, in your current state, how can you run there within ten breaths..."

  "This isn't still unsettled, is it?" Liu Er smiled, but the bloodstains on his face made his smile uglier than crying. He grasped Liu Da's hand firmly, "Big Brother, are you coming with me or not?"

  Liu looked at his brother in a daze for a while, muttering: "When you advised me to leave Wangren Mountain back then, you also spoke with this tone. I believed your words back then and now I've ended up in such a state... This time, as the older brother, I won't listen to you again... It's no use, can't escape..."

  Liu Er knelt down and kowtowed to Liu Da, saying: "Big brother, I'm sorry for not being a good brother to you. I won't be able to repay you in this lifetime, so let me repay you in the next one." He then got up, turned around, and walked away shakily.

  At this time, a counting voice came from behind: "One!"

  "Two, three, four, five..."

  As the countdown approached from behind, Liu Er also walked faster and faster, even trotting along with a slight limp.

  Liu Da's voice sounded from behind: "Brother, run quickly! A bit faster..."

  "Ajina also jumped up and shouted loudly: "Liu Shu, run quickly, it's almost here, add more strength!"

  The crowd also gradually came closer, one voice after another rose and fell, finally forming a wave of sound: "Brother, run fast! You can do it, there are only twenty yards left!"

  Tong Yi's face turned pale, and when he read the word "nine", he hesitated and did not continue.

  Rouge Golden Soldier glanced at Tongyi, smiled coldly, and didn't say a word. He simply hooked his finger at one of the golden armored cavalrymen on the edge of the crowd. The soldier nodded, took down an eight-dragon riding bow and a quiver of arrows from his saddle, and tossed them over.

  Rouge Golden Soldier took over the bow and arrow, first hanging the bowstring, then pulling out a feathered arrow, placing it on the string, and slowly drawing it open. The bowstring creaked and gradually became full moon... Suddenly, in Jurchen language, he shouted loudly: "Ten!"

  The arrow has left the bowstring and gone.

  After a sharp sound, Liu Er, who was running with all his might more than thirty feet away, was shot through the back by an arrow.

  Liu Er's whole body shook violently, and with great effort he turned his head: "If you give me another piece of black bean cake..." A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, both knees knelt on the ground, and his head fell to the south.

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