The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 117 Xia

Section 1: Ranger

Cao Zhongqing turned his body to the side, grasped the dagger in his right hand, and stepped forward with his right foot, facing the figure of Old Song who was passing by, and exerted force horizontally from right to left.

The dagger passed by like a meteor, and the mace in Old Song's hand fell to the ground. He covered the wound on his leg and collapsed to the ground.

"Shopkeeper Song, your hands are meant for taking pulses and dispensing medicine. You're not good at wielding a spear or a staff! I'll spare your life today, but since you're working for Liu Zhaosun, I can't let you go!"

With that, he sheathed his dagger and strode forward quickly, the chain mail plates making a terrifying snapping sound.

Old Song struggled to stand up and shouted towards the floating bridge:

"Korean girl, leave now! I want to avenge my daughter!"

As soon as Old Song shouted, Cao Zhongqing rushed up and kicked him to the ground.

"Revenge your mother! I've killed so many people, why hasn't anyone come looking for revenge on me?"

The mace was slowly raised and then smashed down suddenly.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! You bastard with a pigtail, bullying the elderly and weak women, what kind of ability do you have!"

Cao Zhongqing's raised mace stopped in mid-air, the scar on his face trembled slightly, and he turned around to look behind him.

I saw a young man surrounded by several servants, his eyes like lightning looking at Cao Zhongqing.

The man was of sturdy build, about twenty years old, and was dressed in a brocade robe, which made him look quite luxurious.

He has thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose and a wide mouth. There is a look of arrogance between his eyebrows, and he looks very powerful when he looks around.

Five or six young men gathered around the young man, each holding a Japanese sword or a big stick, and were looking at Cao Zhongqing with ill intentions.

"Where did you guys come from?! Stop meddling in other people's business!"

Cao Zhongqing put down his mace and turned to look at the group of young men.

He was originally from the Fushun martial arts world and had seen all kinds of people. He could tell at a glance that these people were not soldiers, nor did they look like servants, and they were not even from Liao. Cao Zhongqing was a little confused as to why these people suddenly appeared here.

A man stood behind the young man in brocade robe, carrying a goose-feather knife that was almost as long as himself, and angrily said to Cao Zhongqing:

"You Tartar dog, listen carefully! The seven of us are the Seven Heroes of Sanyuan, and this is our leader, Wu Xiao! Brother Wu! The seven of us brothers have traveled all the way from Sanyuan, Shaanxi to Liaodong to help General Xuanwu kill the Tartars! Today, we'll start with you!"

Cao Zhongqing had been staying in the Later Jin Dynasty, so of course he had never heard of the storytelling of "General Xuanwu's Battle against Bayara" which was being serialized in various places along the canal, and he had no idea of the appeal of the storytelling to passionate men.

Of course, Cao Zhongqing, who was so crazy that he only wanted to be a bannerman, would never understand the heroic spirit of the Han men who conquered Loulan with swords and returned home wrapped in their horses' hides.

"What the hell? The Seven Heroes of Sanyuan? General Xuanwu? You Nikans, are you fucking crazy? You came to Liaodong to die!"

The sound of rumbling hooves could be heard faintly from behind the mountain. Cao Zhongqing was overjoyed, knowing that his master was about to arrive.

Seeing that this group of Nikans seemed to be well prepared, he decided to find out their details so that he could catch them all in one fell swoop. His master would definitely praise him for his meritorious service.

"I am Niulu Ezhen of the Great Jin. My master is Huang Taiji, leader of the Plain White Banner, the Eighth Prince of the Great Jin. The 3,000-strong Plain White Banner army is just behind the mountain. You are young and ignorant, and you must have been deceived by Liu Zhaosun. How many of you are there? Where are you? Tell me everything. When my master destroys Liu Zhaosun, I will commend you and even raise the banner for you!"

When the group of teenagers heard that they could raise the flag, they all burst into laughter.

The young man carrying a goose-feather knife bent over with laughter. He was about to curse Cao Zhongqing when he was stopped by the leader.

Wu Xiao raised a nine-cloud red-gold spear and pointed it at Cao Zhongqing, who was dragging a golden rat tail a dozen steps away, and said defiantly:

"Stop rambling! Cut off his head and give it to General Xuanwu as a gift!"

~~~~
Section 2: Female Hero
A skinny mixed horse carried Jin Yuji slowly across the floating bridge.

This mixed horse was usually only used to transport food and grass. Its horsepower was weak, and coupled with the harsh battlefield environment, it became timid and hesitated to move forward.

Jin Yuji had no choice but to pull out the plum blossom dagger and stabbed the horse on the back.

The mixed horse opened its eyes wide, let out a long neigh, raised its front hooves and rushed towards the south bank.

The arrow wound was even more painful, and Jin Yu Ji gritted her teeth and groaned. Fortunately, she was skilled in archery and horse riding. She leaned over the horse's back and loosened the reins. The horse endured the severe pain and ran towards the south bank as fast as a whirlwind.

She heard Old Song calling out to her, asking her to cross the river quickly.

Jin Yuji lay on her horse, thinking of how Old Song always said that he was the best doctor in Liaodong and could save anyone, but in the end no one could save this old man.

Thinking of this, Jin Yuji felt sad in her heart. She didn't dare to stop and let her horse run free, rushing towards the south bank.

Scarface's attacks were brutal and ruthless, so he must be a martial artist.

She was filled with hatred. If she had not been injured, she would have fought with this bastard Baoyi, killed him, and avenged everyone!
This bastard killed many wounded soldiers and auxiliary troops, and was even more brutal than the Tartars. She had never expected that there would be such a scum among the Han people in the Ming Dynasty.

After crossing the river, she would ask the official to avenge them all and cut the man into pieces.

She suddenly remembered what the baoyi had said at the door of the big tent just now, and thought that the elite troops of the Zhengbai Banner would soon cross the river. By then, she and her husband would be in danger of their lives.

Thinking of this, her tears were about to flow again.

The afternoon sun shone on the river surface, and the scene before her eyes was sparkling with light, which made it difficult for Jin Yuji to open her eyes.

The image of her hometown, the Han River, emerged in her mind.

Like Shenyang, Seoul stretches out along a gentle river valley.

In October, the golden rice fields on both sides of the Han River stretch as far as the eye can see, and the fragrance wafts for miles.

I wonder if I will have the chance to bring you back to Korea in this life, to go boating on the river together and enjoy the moon with wine.

The drunkenness faded, and then she fell into a deep sleep, unaware that the sun had risen in the east. The horse galloped, soon approaching the south bank. Jin Yuji straightened her back slightly and grabbed the reins. The horse neighed and slowly stopped by the floating bridge.

Jin Yuji struggled to get off the horse, stroked the horse's mane, loosened the reins and let it go.

Looking up at the south bank, she saw densely packed corpses lying on the ground. She was shocked, fearing that she would see the familiar figure.

Fortunately, most of the dead were Later Jin soldiers. Among the bodies of the bannermen and armored soldiers, there were many Bayaras with small blue flags on their backs.

Jin Yuji recognized that they were soldiers from the Zhenglan Banner and was surprised. She had heard that the Zhenglan Banner was strong and its leader Manggurtai was a fierce general of the Jiannu. How could so many people die at once? Thinking of this, she began to worry about the Kaiyuan army and wondered how many casualties they had suffered this time.

Earth-shaking shouts of killing came from the east. More than 500 meters away from the pontoon bridge, on the river bank near the east gate of Shenyang, the Kaiyuan soldiers swept through the Later Jin formation like a tide.

Jin Yu Ji pulled out a broken spear from the pile of corpses, leaned on her body, and looked towards the east.

They discovered that they were the remnants of the Zhenglan Banner. The Zhenglan Banner's main formation had been completely defeated by the Kaiyuan soldiers. No armored soldiers or bannermen could be seen in the front. Only some Bayara soldiers wearing white armor were left, still waving their weapons to resist stubbornly.

This group of Bayaras seemed to have no bows and arrows, no firearms, only shields and long weapons. They were divided and surrounded by the Kaiyuan soldiers and were quickly killed one by one.

"The Zhenglan Banner was defeated so quickly. The Kaiyuan Army is truly formidable!"

Jin Yuji secretly admired it in her heart. She was about to go to the official to report the enemy situation on the north bank when she heard a familiar voice from not far behind her:
"Why are you here?! Your injuries haven't healed yet, why are you running around? Are you going to a play dressed like this?"

Her heart was beating wildly, knowing that Liu Zhaosun had arrived, she quickly threw away the broken gun, straightened her body, turned around and smiled:
"Sir, look, it's all right. I came here on horseback. I'm not allowed to wear this dress on ordinary days, but today I can put it on and show it to you."

As Jin Yuji spoke, she turned around, wearing a bright red robe with long sleeves and an official green skirt, which made the stunning girl look even more beautiful.

Liu Zhaosun suddenly remembered that the clothes Jin Yuji was wearing now were the clothes that women in the Ming Dynasty wore when they got married.

He was startled and felt a surge of sadness at the separation of life and death.

Could it be that this girl really wants to die with me?

Jin Yuji placed her hands in front of her body to protect the arrow wound, and looked up at Liu Zhaosun. Suddenly, the smile on her face froze, and she took two steps forward, staggering.

"Didn't Old Song say you only had superficial injuries? What is this?"

She reached out to touch the wound on Liu Zhaosun's shoulder, but Liu Zhaosun quickly dodged.

"You too, the arrow wound healed. Old Song isn't the Jade Emperor, does he have an elixir?"

The two looked at each other and laughed, just like they did on the hillside on the north shore.

Jin Yuji laughed for a while, then suddenly remembered something and said anxiously:

"Sir, Huang Taiji is here, on the north bank. I just sent a scout to the camp, and a scarred bannerman killed many of us. Old Song was also killed in his attempt to save me!"

Jin Yuji had tears in her eyes.

"So, you came here wearing this outfit?"

What was coming had finally come. He was afraid that he would really die in Hunhe River today, but he still forced a smile on the surface.

Jin Yuji glanced at Liu Zhaosun, her face flushed, and whispered.

"I don't want to live alone. Didn't my husband say that we must be together through life and death?"

“Life and death are inseparable, life and death are inseparable.”

Liu Zhaosun muttered a few words, saying that he was so lucky to have such a daughter. Even if he died in the battle of Hunhe River today, he would have no regrets in his life.

Thinking about how he had been suppressing himself and being so distant towards Jin Yuji since crossing over, he suddenly changed his attitude and went forward to embrace Jin Yuji, shocking everyone around him. ~~~~~~
Section 3: The Greatest Hero

Liu Zhaosun held the beautiful Korean girl in his arms and felt like he was holding the whole world.

Jin Yuji hummed a Korean folk song in his arms. He asked her what she was singing, but she just smiled and said nothing.

A meteor streaked across the western sky, passed over the Hunhe River, and disappeared into the thick clouds. Liu Zhaosun rubbed his eyes and looked at the beauty lying in his arms.

"It sounds so good, as if I've heard it before in a previous life."

Thinking back to the Korean folk songs I heard in my previous life, such as "Ballad of Platycodon", "Arirang", and "By the Nodor River", I feel that the melody is very similar to the one sung by Kim Eun-gi.

The afternoon sun shone on the river. The two walked along the river hand in hand, their bodies warm as if they were walking in March.

"Sir, I just had a dream on the north bank. On the day of Jingzhe, we... That's all. I won't say more."

Jin Yuji had just spoken when she suddenly stopped, tears in her eyes, and changed the subject:
"Sir, you've been riding horses and working hard for the past six months, constantly fighting the Jiannu. Even a strong man deserves a break. When my injuries heal, I'll dance for you, my hometown's long drum. My graceful dance is much more beautiful than that of the Mongolian woman."

Liu Zhaosun laughed and said:
"Very well! When Liaodong is pacified and the refugees are living a peaceful life, I will indulge in singing and dancing and only watch your dance, not other women."

"Are you serious, sir?"

"I am the commander-in-chief, the Xuanwu General appointed by the Emperor. Once I say something, it's unchangeable. Of course it's true! For the rest of my life, I will only watch you dance!"

The two looked at each other, the water of Hunhe River flowed quietly, and everything was silent.

"Jin Yuji."

Liu Zhaosun spoke in a gentle tone.

"what."

"You look so beautiful today."

Without waiting for Jin Yuji to speak, he suddenly leaned over and kissed her on the face, startling her so much that her face turned bright red...

(End of this chapter)