Xie Ming

Chapter 108 Brothers in Suffering
Seeing that Xiao Lang looked listless, Qiu Zhizhong was worried that he had been overworked in recent days. Even a man of steel could not stand such constant exertion, right?
So he pushed Xiao Jingchuan towards the back hall while he was trying to persuade him.

Xiao Lang was preoccupied with many things, and he was still thinking about them.

"Hey, Feiyu (Qiu Zhizhong), I'm fine!"

"We haven't discussed how to distribute food tomorrow!"

"I think we should gather everyone in front of the county government office as early as possible so that they can receive food in an orderly manner according to their household registration!"

"As for the County Magistrate Wu Dequan, we still need him. We can't let him sit idle tonight!"

"There should be a lot of pass slips for refugees in and out of the city in the whole county. For the sake of accuracy, we must figure it out as soon as possible!"

"If it doesn't work, ask Changting to call Hu Juncai as well, and keep him up all night to get the job done for us?!" Xiao Jingchuan was pushed towards the back hall by Zhizhong, still chattering and giving orders.

"Okay, okay! I'll take care of it. I'll go and tell Changting! You, go to bed! Don't waste time!"

Qiu Zhizhong coaxed and took the task upon himself.

"Hey, hey! Feiyu!"

"Don't push me!"

"Also, there's something else!"

"I can just sit in the front hall and take a nap! There's no need to go to the back house!" Xiao Jingchuan said stubbornly.

"No! What's going on?"

"Nothing can wait for this moment! As the commander, if you collapse, everything else will be over!"

"Don't you understand the truth of what is more important?!"

"Whatever you want, tell me and I'll do it for you!" Zhizhong refuted.

"Hey, stop nagging me!"

"Since yesterday, you haven't slept more than me!"

"I'm pushing all the push onto you, and you can handle it!" Xiao Jingchuan retorted.

"I, well, tomorrow at least there are a series of things waiting for you, such as food distribution and troop withdrawal. As for me, it won't be too late to hide away tomorrow. As for the withdrawal, I can just follow along!"

"Stop your fucking nonsense and stop showing off here!"

"Why do you get more excited the more I push you? Go to the back and sleep!"

As Qiu Zhizhong spoke, he widened his eyes, increased the strength of his hands, and pushed Xiao Lang backwards!

"Well, well, okay, I'll listen to you!"

"One last thing. Stop, let me finish!" Xiao Jingchuan was defeated and begged for mercy.

"Hurry up and say it! If you have to fart, do it now!" Qiu Zhizhong showed impatience.

"Hey, that old acquaintance Liu Ji bumped into!"

"I was thinking of arresting him tonight and interrogating him as soon as possible."

"Although the rain has not stopped yet, it is hard to predict when the pursuers will arrive."

"So, it's better to make preparations as early as possible!"

"He came here from the village. Even if he didn't stop in Laishui, he must have passed through here, right?"

"We should better understand the situation in Lai Shui. I always feel uneasy in my heart!" Xiao Jingchuan frowned and sighed.

"Hey, Old Xiao!"

"After you and I captured the city, we sent out several waves of scouts (scouts and night patrols) in all directions. The farthest one has already expanded 20 to 30 miles to conduct reconnaissance!"

"Even if there really is an enemy, there is enough time for our entire army to evacuate immediately!"

"As for that acquaintance of Liu's, don't worry about it!"

"I'll send someone to catch him right away!"

"Catch him and I'll interrogate him immediately!"

"I'm better at interrogation than you are, so don't worry about it!"

"Go, go quickly!"

Qiu Zhizhong urged him again and again. After Xiao Jingchuan told him everything in his heart, he felt sleepy again and yawned continuously. He stopped struggling and had to follow Zhizhong's wishes and went to the backyard to catch up on his sleep.

It is rare for thunderstorms in the north to last for such a long time.

The heavy rain continued until the early morning, when it finally weakened and gradually became sparse and turned into a light rain. Two hours later, it was 4: am.

Xiao Jingchuan suddenly woke up in a side room in the back hall!

He suddenly stood up from the bed, gasping for breath as if he had a nightmare.

After Xiao Lang stood up, he felt very thirsty. He went to a small table in the inner room, poured some cooled tea, and drank two cups in big gulps.

Then he tightened his collar and walked back to the front hall in the rain.

In the early morning, it is the Yin hour again.

Everything was quiet, not a sound could be heard in the whole city, except for the incessant rain that continued to fall.

In front of the county government hall, along the drainage ditch, rain was crackling and dripping from the top, hitting the bricks and stones without stopping.

After Xiao Jingchuan entered the front hall from the corridor, he slowed down his pace and walked out quietly.

After coming out, he saw Changting and Zhizhong in the front hall, both crawling on chairs.

Gu Changting sat down at the banquet table, pushed the plates and bowls inside, then lay down on the table and fell asleep.

Qiu Zhizhong was leaning back in his chair, dozing off with his head tilted to one side. His posture looked very uncomfortable.

Xiao Lang watched from afar, feeling bad, so he found two robes nearby, thinking that he could cover the two of them with them to keep them warmer.

Changting was sleeping soundly. Xiao Jingchuan walked up to him quietly and put on his robe, but he didn't feel anything and continued snoring.

But when he reached Zhizhong, even though Xiao Lang had intended to slow down his movements, Zhizhong was a light sleeper and he woke up immediately and opened his eyes!
Qiu Zhizhong was startled and stunned for a moment. When he saw Xiao Lang in front of him, he came to his senses and hurriedly wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth!

He took a deep breath, rubbed his face with his hands twice, and looked outside the hall.

"Ah, Lao Xiao! Why are you up?!"

"What time is it now?"

Qiu Zhizhong spoke in a low voice, as if he was afraid of waking up Changting.

"Well, it's probably 4:45 in the morning!"

"I wanted to put a robe on you two, but I woke you up!"

"Don't say anything for now. I'll take over. You can go to the back hall and sleep for a while!" Xiao Jingchuan said with concern.

Hearing this, Qiu Zhizhong turned his head and glanced at Gu Changting who was lying on the table behind him.

"Oh, never mind, I won't sleep!"

"I have something to tell you in detail. Let's go somewhere else and stop disturbing the court."

As he spoke, Qiu Zhizhong struggled to stand up. He must have felt sore all over from maintaining this posture for so long.

"Hey, it's alright!"

"Just say it right here, and just keep your voice down."

"Look at that kid Changting snoring."

"As long as I don't go over and kick him, there's basically no way I can wake him up!"

Xiao Lang joked that the brothers were just trying to have fun in their misery.

"Hehe." Zhizhong laughed out loud when he heard that.

"That's okay!"

"Come on, come here, let's sit here and talk."

After saying this, Qiu and Xiao sat as far away from the long court as possible.

"Let's talk about releasing the grain first!"

"After you went to bed last night, I called the county magistrate Wu Dequan and explained the matter in detail to Jizu's brother-in-law Hu Juncai according to your wishes."

"Wu Dequan was full of gratitude and did not shirk his responsibilities. He led Hu Juncai and called the county magistrate, the chief clerk and a dozen other people in the city. They all gathered in the side room of the front hall and were busy sorting out the number of people. He promised that he would be able to sort out the list of grain distribution by tomorrow morning."

At this point, Qiu Zhizhong raised his hand, and Xiao Jingchuan looked in the direction he pointed.

I saw that there was indeed a light in the side room next to the front hall.

Thanks to the viewer: Zhu Yingsong Fenghan for the reward!

Thank you very much!

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(End of this chapter)