The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 358 Jiangnan West Road
Yue Wenxuan strolled slowly into the small village, only to find that although there were dozens of houses, most of them were empty and deserted. The few people he occasionally saw were not young or strong, but rather the elderly and infirm.

He wandered to a house where someone was standing. An old man was standing in front of the door. He immediately said, "We don't have any extra food to give you."

Yue Wenxuan: "I'm not hungry. I'm not here to beg for food. I'm just asking for directions."

The old man's expression relaxed a little.

Yue Wenxuan asked, "Why are there so few people in this village?"

The old man sighed: "These past few years have been filled with turmoil, and most villages have been like this. Our village is relatively better off; at least five households have survived."

Yue Wenxuan: "There are no young people in the village."

The old man said, "The State of Song conscripted soldiers, the State of Chu came to deceive us, and Zhang Yong came to forcibly conscript men again... All the young men have been taken away..."

Yue Wenxuan heard a name he had never heard before: "Who is Zhang Yong?"

The old man lowered his voice: "The mountain king, he must be."

When Yue Wenxuan pressed for more details, the old man couldn't explain who Zhang Yong was.

Yue Wenxuan had no choice but to switch his attention back to reality and ask Baidu...

Now I understand.

Zhang Yong was originally a notorious bandit, similar to Li Cheng, but not as powerful. He was greedy and cowardly, but possessed considerable martial arts skills and good character. He secretly helped Yue Fei on several occasions, but repeatedly abandoned him out of fear of death, earning Yue Fei's contempt. He joined the army multiple times and then defected, before finally being persuaded to surrender by Yue Fei. His wife was named Yizhangqing.

Zhang Yong's abilities were inferior to Li Cheng's.

But after Li Cheng was defeated by the Northern Song Dynasty and fled to the puppet Qi state, Zhang Yong became the most powerful bandit in the area.

Commanding an army of 50,000! He swept through Jiangnan West Road, unstoppable by anyone.

After checking the information, Yue Wenxuan thought: This Zhang Yong seems to be someone who can be recruited. If Yue Fei could recruit him, then I can too. However, this guy's greed and cowardice are a headache even for Yue Fei. I will have to teach him a lesson after recruiting him.

Yue Wenxuan asked, "Are there many beggars here?"

The old man said, “There are many. They often steal things in groups. Sigh... My family... may soon become beggars too. If you go west for a while, there is a small town over there. You may be able to find beggars there.”

Yue Wenxuan: "Thank you, sir."

Leaving the village and continuing west for about two kilometers, you'll see a small town ahead.

This place is called Qiaoshe Town. It is located at the confluence of two rivers. The town is built at the angle between the two rivers, with the two rivers serving as natural walls, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

But this city, which was easy to defend but difficult to attack, was completely undefended!

On the city wall, one could only see a few listless veterans of the Southern Song Dynasty. The word "veteran" here does not mean experienced, but rather old. The veterans were at least sixty or seventy years old, wearing tattered military uniforms, and looking at the passing crowds with cloudy eyes.

The city gate was filled with beggars... Most of these beggars were elderly, weak, women and children, with almost no young or strong people among them.

Yue Wenxuan, in the body of Su Qier, was a young beggar. As soon as he entered the city gate, he attracted the curious gazes of a large group of beggars, as if to say: "You're so young, what are you doing here as a beggar? Why don't you join the army!"

Yue Wenxuan wasn't good at engaging with beggars, so he simply handed over control of his body to Su Qier and just observed from above...

Su Qi'er spoke up: "Brother beggars, you have suffered. My name is Su Qi'er, the fifty-second leader of the Beggars' Clan."

The beggars looked bewildered; they had never heard of any Beggars' Sect.

Su Qi'er was clearly adept at this kind of situation, his face calm as he spoke: "Brothers in beggars, you may not have heard of the Beggars' Sect before, but you will in the future. The Beggars' Sect is a gang formed by all suffering beggar brothers to help each other. There are many beggars in the world, and as long as we unite, no one can bully us." He was giving a passionate speech...

Suddenly, a townsman ran in, shouting in a panic, "It's terrible! Zhang Yong's soldiers are here!"

Upon hearing this, the entire town seemed to be facing its end, and everyone was running.

The beggars who had been lying in the city gate tunnel also struggled to their feet, their bodies weak, and ran towards the other side of the town gate.

The two veterans guarding the city also ran with the crowd.

It seemed like no one wanted to stay and defend the city.

Yue Wenxuan was originally thinking about whether to use Su Qier's martial arts and the gang's organizational ability to organize the people in the city to resist. This town is surrounded by two rivers, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as a thousand townspeople are willing to defend the city, it is unlikely that ordinary bandits can take it down. However, seeing that everyone was running away, he knew that this city was indefensible and that the people here had no will to defend it!
He had no choice but to let Su Qier escape out of the city with the other people.

Turning my head, I could see Zhang Yong's soldiers approaching...

A large, disorganized mob, numbering at least several thousand, came rushing in. They spotted the fleeing townspeople from afar and sent a small force to pursue them, while the main force entered the town.

Seeing that someone was chasing them, the townspeople panicked even more and ran around crying and shouting.

Yue Wenxuan turned his head and saw a little beggar who looked about seven or eight years old. He was obviously not cared for by his parents or older brothers. Perhaps he was malnourished. He was running slower than the old beggar and was left far behind. The little beggar was so scared that he cried loudly.

Yue Wenxuan quickly turned around, picked up the little beggar, and ran away.

After all that fuss, they slowed down...

A bandit soldier suddenly caught up with them at lightning speed, shouting, "What are you running for? Stop!"

Yue Wenxuan ignored him and just ran wildly with the little beggar on his back.

Enraged, the bandits behind him bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it at Su Qier.

Yue Wenxuan sidestepped, easily dodging the attack.

The bandit exclaimed in surprise, not expecting a beggar to be so agile. He refused to believe it and chased after him relentlessly.

Yue Wenxuan couldn't run fast carrying someone on his back. Seeing that he was about to be caught, he put the little beggar on the ground and said, "You run."

After saying that, he turned around and faced the bandit soldier.

The bandit slashed with his sword...

Yue Wenxuan gently dodged to the side, grabbed the soldier's wrist, and threw him to the ground with a thud.

Another spear came thrusting from the side. Yue Wenxuan spun around, grabbed the spear shaft, cut close, and kicked the bandit soldier in the stomach.

Both bandits fell to the ground and could not get up.

Yue Wenxuan turned around and caught up with the little beggar, picked him up and ran.

His little actions were seen by a middle-aged man in the distance behind him; this man was none other than Zhang Yong.

He pointed in the direction Yue Wenxuan had run off in: "That beggar is a hero! Send someone to tell them to let them go! What's the point of chasing after a beggar and a child? We won't get much military rations from them."

(End of this chapter)