Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 101 Heroes everywhere in the evening mist

After all this trouble, by the time Liu Huai and his two companions left the camp, the sun had already set. Under the fading glow that filled the sky, farmers, after a day of hard work, were collecting their harvest and returning to the village.

Because it was the autumn harvest season, the official road was filled with two-wheeled carts in groups of three or two, each loaded with grain. The wealthier families also had large animals such as cows, donkeys, and mules pulling the carts.

But families who were so poor that they only had a cart had to send the whole family out, using manpower to pull the cart from the front and push the cart from the back, and they had difficulty moving forward on the road.

Those who were so poor that they didn't even have a cart could only carry their food for the next year in wicker baskets, and silently walked home with full of longing for the future and fear of war.

Faced with this scene, people like Guan Chongyan and Guan Qilang who had experienced hard times thought it was commonplace and were not even moved; although Luo Huaiyan was a young boy, he had learned from Luo Guzi's words and deeds, and he only felt pity for the hardships of people's lives.

But a line of poetry suddenly appeared in Liu Huai's mind.

It is exactly: I am happy to see the rice and beans rolling in waves, and heroes all over the place in the evening mist.

Only by truly witnessing the vastness of the world and the greatness of the working people can one truly understand the original meaning of this poem.

Aren’t these people who are trying hard to survive despite the cruelty of heaven and earth and the rampant tyranny considered heroes?

Only a mile out of the camp, when Liu Huai was still immersed in his nostalgic feelings, he saw several men and women gathered on the side of the official road.

These men and women were obviously frightened when they saw Liu Huai. Although Liu Huai's chain mail was hidden under his clothes and no armor could be seen from the outside, his appearance as a strong man and a powerful horse still betrayed his identity.

It would be a miracle if these weren't the elite loyal soldiers who came to fight.

The two timid women jumped off the official road and hid in the ridges of the fields.

The remaining three men originally wanted to run, but after seeing Luo Huaiyan's young face behind Liu Huai, they hesitated and stopped.

And when they moved, the obscured things became visible.

It was a donkey cart.

Liu Huai reined in his horse and stopped, then asked, "Old man, what happened?"

One of the old men obviously didn't expect to be questioned, but he didn't dare to refuse to answer: "The wheel of my donkey fell off. It's not a big deal. You can go and do your work."

Liu Huai dismounted, bowed, and tucked his robe into his belt. "Guan Qilang and Luo Erlang, please wait a moment. I'll see what's going on."

Guan Chongyan, who originally wanted to dismount, understood what he said. He held the reins with one hand on the horse and placed the other hand on the hilt of the knife on the side of the saddle.

The old man never expected Liu Huai to come to help, so he just waved his hand. However, seeing that he couldn't stop him, he could only let Liu Huai come to the donkey cart.

The donkey cart was not very big, and it was loaded with ears of grain. I don’t know if it was because the autumn harvest had passed a few days ago and the old man’s crops had been almost harvested, but the donkey cart was not full.

Liu Huai bent down and looked at the fallen wheel. Fortunately, there was no problem with either the wheel or the axle. It was just that the hub connecting the wheel to the axle had fallen off. As long as he installed it and hammered it firmly, it could be repaired.

However, because the car was still loaded with food, it was difficult to right it at once. They wanted to unload the food first, but were worried that they would not have enough time, so these people were trapped here.

"Don't just stand there, you two." Liu Huai pointed at the two younger, stronger laborers and said, "Find some wood and raise the cart."

The two young men nodded hurriedly and turned to look for wood.

"Thank you, sir." Seeing that Liu Huai really came to help, the old man hurriedly bowed to express his gratitude.

Liu Huai naturally couldn't let the old man bow, so he held his hands and asked, "Where are your fields? How's the harvest?"

The old man's cloudy eyes looked westward, and his hand also pointed to the south of the Loyal Army camp: "There is a piece of land of seven acres over there." Liu Huai laughed and said, "With the soldiers nearby, you dare to harvest the grain. You are really brave."

The old man smiled bitterly, then sighed deeply. "You're joking, sir. How could we possibly want to provoke the army? We'd rather stay away from them. But without food, we won't be able to get by for the next month. And after reading the notice to reassure the people, we've made up our minds and come here. We can't let the food rot in the fields, don't you think?"

Liu Huai nodded. This was the truth. "Indeed, those who let food rot in the fields will be punished by heaven. Father-in-law, were there any soldiers who tried to stop you or bully you?"

The old man shook his head. "That's not the case. The Loyal Army has very strict military discipline. I saw with my own eyes that a soldier was dragged back and beaten with a stick just for teasing Liu's wife. But..."

"Just what?"

"I'm just saying this casually. If I'm wrong, it's my own fault. Please don't blame me, sir." The old man hesitated, then said, "I just feel that we're living a good life. Why should we be dragged into war for no reason? Why do you officers of the Loyal Army want to fight again? Isn't it better for everyone to live a peaceful life?"

At this time, two young farmers also found some wood. Liu Huai stood firmly on his horse, put his arms on the side of the cart, and with a "Hey" he straightened the overturned donkey cart.

The young farmer was stunned for a moment by the supernatural power of the man in front of him, and then hurriedly put wood under the shaft and raised the donkey cart.

Liu Huai clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Father-in-law, you are a farmer on He Boqiu's farm, right? He Boqiu's Third Master is a powerful figure. With him around, he can naturally protect you.

But have you ever thought about the people of this northern land? How many of them are as helpless as He Bo, and how many of them can be trusted with proper shelter? Old man, you live by the Yi River, so you must have seen some refugees and starving people.

Just because Hejiazhuang can survive, we can't prevent those who are being bullied by the Jin bandits from resisting. There is no such thing as that."

Perhaps it was because Liu Huai's strength in straightening the donkey cart was too amazing, or because his words were sharp, the old man did not answer for a while.

Liu Huai picked up the wheel, put the hub onto the axle and wedged it with a wooden wedge.

"Alright, it should be able to hold out until we get to your village. But we'll need to fix it once we get back. It doesn't matter if the spokes are almost rotten." Seeing the old man staring at him intently, Liu Huai shook his head and smiled, "Old man, we, the Loyal Army, are united in purpose. We've come this far solely to 'expel the Tartars, restore China, establish laws and discipline, and save the people.' Old man, why don't you persuade Mr. He San to not go against the tide and become an accomplice to the evil."

After saying that, Liu Huai mounted his horse directly.

It was not until then that the old man seemed to react and thanked him repeatedly.

However, Liu Huai did not leave after getting on the horse. Instead, he looked at the old man with some amusement: "Old man, there is still something I don't understand."

The old man looked a little flustered: "Sir, please speak."

"You had such a good opportunity just now, why didn't you surround and kill me?"

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Guan Chongyan put his hand directly on the hilt of the knife, but even Luo Huaiyan became nervous.

"You are joking, sir." The old man was also stunned for a moment, and answered with a forced smile, but the smile could not hide his increasingly panicked expression.

Liu Huai raised his right hand, extending his index finger and thumb. "The calluses on these two places weren't created by swinging a hoe. If you were ten years younger, you would surely be able to draw a strong bow and shoot a powerful arrow."

The old man chuckled and said, "I don't understand what you mean, sir. But if the Loyal Army doesn't attack the people during the Autumn Harvest, how can the people take the initiative to surround and kill the Loyal Army warriors who came to help? Putting aside whether it's humane or not, just from the perspective of the pros and cons, wouldn't this give the Loyal Army an excuse to massacre the people during the Autumn Harvest?"

Liu Huai laughed out loud on the spot. "I love dealing with smart people the most. Father-in-law, don't forget to pass on my message to Mr. He San. I wish you a good harvest and a full granary. Farewell!"

After that, with a whistle, the three riders galloped along the official road together.

The panic on the old man's face also disappeared. He stared at Liu Huai's back for a long time, as if thinking about something: "Let's go back too."

(End of this chapter)