Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 333 They are coming
Hu Santong cut half of the rope that bound Zhang Dianli, and before the other party wore down the remaining half, the two brothers had enough time to leave.

"Remember, I'm a three-barreled man!"

Before climbing onto the roof, Hu Santong did not forget to make a cool gesture to the other party, but unfortunately the other party did not pay any attention at all and was only thinking about cutting the rope and escaping.

Hu Santong and his brothers climbed onto the roof, twirling gongs. The view outside the city was blocked by high walls, and only the bright moon, like a jade disk, came into view.

He knew that nearly a thousand brothers had already set out on horseback, and it would take some time for them to reach the city.

It was no use just beating the gong. The fire hadn't started yet, and when the people rushed out of their houses, they could only see a few thieves running around frantically on the roof.

The people would send someone to report to the authorities, then go back to sleep. When the fire really started, they would definitely ignore it as "crying wolf".

Before the friendly forces arrive, Santong and his brothers can only try their best to find the "flash point".

The two brothers were like masters of late-night parkour, bathing in the moonlight, sometimes running fast, sometimes lying down to avoid patrolling soldiers.

The other brothers had intended to assassinate the commander of the government army, but they found that the government army had not slept at all that night and had already put on their weapons and equipment. The dense crowds of soldiers filled the barracks and government offices.

It turns out that the clerk did not lie, and this group of civil and military officials really wanted to burn down the city!

The government troops set up many ignition points.

Some were piles of firewood placed in dilapidated temples and abandoned houses during the day, some were firewood carts quietly placed in the streets late at night, and some were tung oil that government soldiers were pouring in wooden barrels.

Hu Santong's method was very simple. If he came across a pile of hay half a person's height, he would quickly spread it out on the ground and then cover it with a layer of soil.

If you come across a pile of dry firewood, throw it directly into the nearby river. If it is too far away from the river, throw it into a well or water tank. At the very least, cover the firewood with a layer of mud.

He and Wutong worked for a long time. The latter grinned, a few drops of sweat reflecting faintly in the moonlight. "Don't you think we are like unsung heroes? The people are sleeping, and we are silently saving them. When they wake up, their comfortable lives will go on as usual, and they will not realize that they went through a life-and-death crisis last night..."

Hu Santong picked up a bundle of firewood and threw it into the nearby river, then casually continued, "The hero looked at the bustling city life and turned away into a dark alley. The next time he faced a disaster, he would still say to himself, 'It doesn't matter, I will take action...'"

"Hello, hero Santong." Wutong clenched his fist in the air, and Santong punched him in tacit understanding.

"I hope you are well, Mr. Wutong..."

The two men were trying to remove one fire source after another when suddenly a ball of fire shot straight into the sky. It was the direction of the Laizhou granary.

There was a fire. The two brothers looked at each other, then dropped the firewood and quickly climbed onto the roof.

In the distant streets, sporadic tongues of fire were licking the sky. Dark red spots of light moved in the night like ghost eyes, and the night wind carried the smell of burning into the nose.

The fire started so quickly that the government troops couldn't even wait until dawn.

Hu Santong picked up the gong and nodded to Wutong. The two of them struck the gong with all their might, running along the rooftops in separate directions while shouting, "The fire is breaking!"

The two men's shouts spread under the moonlight, waking up hundreds of people.

The roar of the gong shook the dust off the eaves, but it could not cover up the crackling sound of the fire devouring the wood.

The sparks of the flames were particularly conspicuous in the moonlight. Several soldiers hurried away with their swords in hand. Wutong immediately realized what was happening and dived into the dilapidated house.

As soon as he landed, he saw the room full of firewood and straw stacks, and the smell of tung oil invaded his mouth and nose.

The fuse starting from the door extended inward, and sparks were rushing into the dilapidated house along the fuse.

If the fuse burns out, this room will become a torch that can set hundreds of surrounding houses on fire!
Wu Tong hurried forward and stomped on the fire to put it out, then rubbed it back and forth, but he didn't know that the government troops had set up more than one fuse.

The spark had actually reached the entrance of the house. In a flash, Wu Tong had no time to think before he pounced on it with his body. There was a plop and smoke and dust rose up.

He managed to put out all the fires and save the lives of dozens of people nearby, but he was not proud. Instead, he stood up, patted his sleeves, and rushed to other places to continue putting out the fire like an ordinary person.

Although 20% of the fire points did not ignite as planned, it was enough to cause chaos.

Taking advantage of the fire, the government troops rushed towards the west gate of the city, intending to leave a dilapidated ruin to the Beiwei army.

Unexpectedly, there were many families of civil and military officials who escaped, as well as some relatives who had good relations with the families, and even ordinary people who were familiar with the relatives.

Everyone knew they had to escape tonight, so they drove mule and donkey carts and crowded into a place in the west of the city.

Those in higher positions urged those in lower positions to give way, and those in lower positions took out their anger on ordinary people.

At this critical moment of life and death, the government troops would not care about status with these insects. They swung their whips and hit the tops hard, making the relatives and friends wail.

When the government troops thought of the tyrannical masters and relatives who cried out in pain under the whip, they became more and more excited as they beat them, and even couldn't help sneering.

Some clever government troops gathered a group of familiar soldiers and blocked the bridge across the river in the city.

The fire in the city lit up the night sky, and the raging flames were reflected in their eyes. The soldiers waved their swords and cut through the air, forcing the passing people to pay "river crossing fees".

Anyone who failed to pay the silver was kicked into the river by the government troops, along with their luggage.

The people who could not escape could only stand by the river to avoid the flames, while those who could not stand had to jump into the river and try to swim across, but were shot to death by arrows from the government troops.

It was not until the government troops came rushing over on horseback and shouted to retreat that everyone realized that the Beiwei army, which had been stationed several miles away, had entered the city.

They also didn't know who had crossed ten miles in the dark to report the news to the Beiwei Army. They only knew that the Beiwei Army was incredibly powerful and they could not defeat them in such a hurry.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" The government troops immediately became like mice seeing a cat. They quickly removed the temporary "checkpoints" and fled.

"I am Guo Ziyi, the vanguard general of the Red Turban Army! Soldiers and bandits, die!"

"Guo Ziyi" took the lead and rushed across the river bridge. He used a spear under his arm to knock two government soldiers away, then immediately reined in his horse.

"All colleagues in the Red Turban Army vanguard, please put out the fire!"

The orange-red flames cut light and shadows on his face. Guo Ziyi passed by the silver and cloth scattered on the ground, as if he turned a blind eye to the wealth, and immediately joined the fire-fighting team.

The Beiwei Army soldiers following closely behind him were also a wonderful sight—

Nearly a thousand soldiers did not draw their swords, but scattered throughout the city like pepper, as if helping the people and putting out the fire was their natural duty.

Under the astonished and surprised gaze of the people, they spontaneously joined the fire brigade, carrying buckets of water, holding pumps, relaying water bags, and pushing water carts.

The people were shocked. Are these still the rebels that everyone fears?

More than 20 water guns sprayed water jets, which hissed as they hit the fire walls of the houses.

"The fire extinguishing efficiency is too slow. We need to create a circle of isolation belt and wait for the fire to burn out on its own!"

At this moment, a player with extensive firefighting experience called the commander via voicemail, who in turn informed everyone. "Demolition team!" With a single command, dozens of sturdy men, mixed in with the other players, pulled on the ropes, and the burning outer wall of the ruined temple collapsed with a bang.

The fire channel was abruptly cut off, and the refugees trapped inside the wall poured out like a tide.

At this time, a woman pointed at the sea of ​​fire and burst into tears. She even wanted to rush into the fire again, but was stopped by others. "Niuniu is still in there! I told her to hide in the water tank..."

The people standing by sighed and shook their heads. They had already done their best to demolish the houses around the fire source and prevent the fire from spreading. They couldn't rush into the sea of ​​fire to save people...

Suddenly, a cool breeze blew through the crowd. Everyone turned their heads and saw a warrior wearing a three-barreled mask taking a red flag with a yellow border from someone else. Clear water seeped from the two corners of the flag and fell at his feet.

Before everyone could advise him not to take the risk, the man had already rushed into the sea of ​​fire.

This person went in and never returned. Sparks fell like golden rain, and a long line of players and civilians passed buckets of water.

It seems that every soldier of the Beiwei Army has rich organizational skills, and their every word and action is mixed with majesty and confidence that makes people follow blindly.

At this time, the soldier who had just resolutely rushed into the room to save people walked out of the sea of ​​fire. His three-barreled mask was burned clean, revealing his young face with serious injuries. The "round thing" in his arm covered the iron fist and red flag, and was still dripping with water.

Everyone was shocked and stared at the soldier who was slowly approaching.

When they saw that the person in his arms was a little girl, everyone was shocked again.

They could not imagine that this man not only dared to brave the fire to save people, but also did not even groan in pain even after being burned so badly. He was just like the iron fist in the flag, strong and powerful, punching through the sea of ​​fire with one punch.

The grieving mother subconsciously took the child, and when her eyes met the child's, she looked at the strong man in shock.

She couldn't even believe that she could see her child alive. All this was thanks to the kindness of the soldier in front of her. She immediately knelt on the ground to thank the soldier for saving her, and even pulled the little girl to kowtow to him several times!

"I just did a small thing, not worth mentioning..." The soldier's throat was burned by the heat wave, his voice was unclear and intermittent, and even his breathing sounded like being cut by a knife.

Even so, the soldier still ignored his own burns and insisted on joining the house demolition team.

This determination to fight to the death deeply shocked all the people around.

Is this still the rebel army?

Whether they were putting out the fire or just standing by and watching, they were all infected by the soldiers' courage and determination to move forward, and they all howled and fought hard against the sea of ​​fire.

The owner of the silk shop took out some low-quality cloth and asked his neighbors to soak it in water and then go into the fire to save people.

The teahouse waiters brewed pot after pot of tea to quench the thirst of the neighbors, and the women took out the utensils from their dowries and asked everyone to scoop water.

The owners of the demolished houses huddled in a safe street corner with their families, gazing with sorrow at the homes where they had lived for many years.

Although they were extremely reluctant, they also knew that if the house was not demolished, the fire would spread.

We can only blame the damn corrupt officials and bandits. In order to stop the Beiwei Army, they were willing to sacrifice the safety of the people in the entire city!
The vanguard of the Beiwei Army, who were accused of being rebels, entered the city. Instead of robbing money, food, or women, they held high the red flag and ran around to protect the property and lives of the people.

They don't look like rebels, but more like the government troops guarding the Ming Dynasty. No, they are the real royal army that is more strict than the government troops!

I don’t know who started it, but slogans with tearful voices echoed all over the streets.

"Come on, yo--hey yo!
Save this room yo——Hey yo!
The official set fire - hey!
"Red scarf fills the life yo——Hey yo!"

When the people of the entire city first encountered the Red Turban Army, it took only one night for them to go from fear and suspicion to admiration and conviction. It was as if they were friends who had known each other for a thousand years and met again after a brief separation of two years.

These young "rebels" threw themselves into the sea of ​​fire frantically, some were seriously injured, and some could never get out of the flames, but they still continued to fight and save strangers they did not know.

Even if they died one after another, hundreds of reinforcements poured in from the city gates, filling the gaps left by the fire-fighting.

These houses were not even the private property of the "rebels", but they were driven selflessly forward by "some great interests" and moved any people who joined them in fighting the fire.

Fires were put out one after another, houses collapsed around the fire, and the air was filled with the smell of hot smoke.

As the morning light pierced through the haze, black smoke was still rising from the ruins of Laizhou City.

Hu Santong sat slumped beside the half-collapsed tea stall. His mask had been burned clean long ago, and his face was covered with cigarette ash and blood scabs.

He mechanically chewed the cold, hard dry food, but he could not taste any saltiness on his tongue. Perhaps his organs were damaged when he went in and out of the fire to rescue people last night.

But it doesn't matter. Two special missions in one night made him earn a lot of money. When his body can't bear it anymore, he will find a place to bury himself.

The other brothers were taking a nap nearby, or eating dry food and drinking water.

A corpse that was almost burnt to charcoal black passed by Santong, and the marks on the latter's face were vaguely recognizable.

"Wutong, you're gone..."

Hu Santong was lying alone in the rental house in a daze, while the hustle and bustle of traffic outside was still making a lot of noise.

He opened his phone and looked at the beautiful world, but he was like a rat in the sewer, greedily licking other people's happiness and joy.

Accompanied by a sad piece of music, his depressing time every night began.

"Uncle Sanqian..." Just as he was immersed in his fantasy, a timid child's voice came from behind him.

He turned around and saw the little girl he had rescued last night standing behind the collapsed shed, holding a chipped earthenware bowl in her hand.

Hu Santong thought to himself that he was clearly wearing a tube, so why was he called Sanqian?
After thinking about it for a while, I finally understood that the Ming Dynasty mostly played mahjong, which did not have bamboo sticks, but did have copper coin patterns.

They probably mistook the round tubes for copper coins.

She tiptoed and pushed the earthenware bowl onto his knees. A few wilted vegetable leaves floated in the steaming heat. "Mother said Uncle Sanqian was my lifesaver, so this porridge should be given to him."

There was still grass ash stuck to the edge of the pottery bowl, obviously it had just been dug out from the stove.

Hu Santong's throat choked, and he suddenly heard rustling footsteps in the distance.

The teahouse waiter stumbled over carrying a wooden bucket half the height of a man, with the remnants of pre-rain tea floating in the bucket: "Moisten the throats of the brothers!"

Crowds of people gathered from all directions like streams.

The old man selling pancakes brought a basket of flatbreads with the burnt edges carefully scraped off; the apprentice from the drug store carried a door panel as a stretcher, piled high with crushed herbal remedies; even the owner of the cloth shop brought rolls of new cloth to make new clothes for the heroes.

"It seems there's more than one kind of 'reward' for completing this mission."

Hu Santong held the pottery bowl and muttered to himself, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the gap in the bowl.

(End of this chapter)