The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 48 Wapo Village (Thanks to the patron "Try it out" for the generous donation)

As the cold night ended, the dust floating in the dilapidated temple gradually became clear in the faint morning light.

Xiao Yi was awakened by the sound of horses' hooves coming from the official road. He smelled the burnt smell of the embers of the campfire mixed with the smell of blood and rotten wood.

He was covered with a woolen felt blanket, which was stained with blood.

Zhang Mantun sat cross-legged opposite him, like a silent stone statue.

"Iron Fang? You're not asleep?"

"Ah."

Zhang Mantun's broad shoulders twitched, and he slowly raised his head, his stubble making him look even more tired.

He responded in a muffled voice, then said in a hoarse tone, "I don't trust them. We're all in this together. I can't let you get hurt."

"We still have a long way to go, how can we not sleep?"

"It's alright, I can even sleep on horseback."

"Take a nap before we set off."

Xiao Yi smiled, patted Zhang Mantun on the shoulder and stood up, knowing that although this big man was rough, he had an almost stubborn sense of integrity.

The estrangement between the two caused by Shi Deyuan's death seemed to completely melt away as the cold night faded.

After stepping out of the temple, I rubbed my face with the snow and immediately felt much more refreshed.

Outside, Lü You, Fan Si, and Wei Liang had already gotten up and were feeding the horses with concentrated feed.

Seeing that he was awake, Fan Si hurriedly took a copper pot, scooped up the snow, put it on the fire to melt it, took out a few handfuls of millet from his bag and poured it in, and then carefully took out a jar of salt and sprinkled some on.

Before long, Zhang Mantun woke up to the aroma of the porridge. The five of them each held a broken earthenware bowl and ate the porridge. The warmth spread in their stomachs and slowly reached their limbs and bones, and they finally felt some heat in their bodies.

After finishing their porridge, Wei Liang insisted on washing the pot, while Fan Si handed out water bags to everyone.

"The snow that was collected last night has melted in the heat."

This is a thoughtful person.

Zhang Mantun was also very attentive, and whispered to Xiao Yi, "I've been watching, this water is drinkable."

What day of the month is it today?

"The seventh day of the month."

Before setting off, they did a final check of their luggage. Fan Si checked the bowstring, and Lü You picked up Cao Dang's heavy broadsword, weighed it in his hand, and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Damn it, Cao Dang's weapon is heavy; you really can't wield it without some strength."

"Give it to me."

Zhang Mantun snatched the broadsword, swung it around a couple of times, and shook his head, saying, "It's not that heavy... Get on the horse!"

The cold wind was still biting, but fortunately it wasn't snowing during the day.

On the official road, rows of hoofprints and cart tracks receded into the distance.

Xiao Yi unfolded the map on horseback. The hemp paper was yellowed with sweat. Cao Dang marked the place between Chenqiao Post Station and Weicheng with a red pen.

According to the route shown in the painting, the road to Wapo Village should be taken by a fork in the road leading northeast, but it is not clear how many miles away the fork is.

This map is very abstract.

Just as he was frowning, Fan Si spurred his horse forward, rode alongside him, and asked, "Captain, I know the terrain of the capital region very well. Shall I lead the way?"

Do you know where this fork in the road is?

"About seven or eight li ahead, past Chenqiao Post Station."

Seeing that he was indeed familiar with the terrain, Xiao Yi asked, "Are you from Kaifeng?"

"No, I am from Hebei County, Hezhong Prefecture. I am half a fellow townsman of that guy Wei Liang. He is from Anyi, Jiezhou. We are both old nephews from Hedong."

Xiao Yi wasn't familiar with these place names, so he said, "We're brothers, no need to be so formal. Tell me about your place."

Fan Yi said, “Our place, according to the elders, is the ancient state of Yu, which later belonged to Duke Huan of Jin. It is backed by the Zhongtiao Mountains and the Yellow River beach is at our feet. Back then, my grandfather made a living by rowing boats and growing some flood-resistant beans on the river beach. But if you want to talk about wealth, you have to go to Wei Liang and his Jie Prefecture. They have huge salt lakes. When I was bribing my way into the Imperial Guard, I even borrowed money from him.”

Xiao Yi nodded and murmured, "So he's from Shanxi, from the Yuncheng Basin."

Fan Si carefully shook his head and laughed, "Captain, it's Hedong. I don't know what 'basin' is. They call that area 'Hedongchuan' or 'Jieliangchuan,' which is the large plain east of the Yellow River."

"Why are you serving as imperial guards in Kaifeng?"

"When Emperor Jinzu raised an army in Taiyuan, he conscripted my father into the army, and that's how I came here. Later, Emperor Jin Shao was captured by the Khitans. My father's army survived until the Khitans withdrew from the Central Plains and surrendered to Emperor Gaozu of Han. They made some contributions, and I became a military household and managed to get into the Imperial Guard."

"Are you married and have children?"

"No, Captain, don't look that I'm old. I'm only seventeen. I haven't even held a young lady's hand yet. My father always wanted me to go back to Hedong and settle down. Alas, it's a pity I've never been back."

"Hedongchuan is indeed a good place."

"If Du Tou Er Ge has the chance, he should really visit our hometown. The jujubes there are as red as lanterns, and there are plenty of walnuts and wild chestnuts. The Yellow River carp is so delicious... I remember it from when I was a child, but I haven't been back since I grew up."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by Xiao Yi. He also felt that the Yuncheng Basin was indeed a treasure trove, and he made a mental note of it, planning to learn more about it when he had time. "Tieya, Lü You, where are you from?"

“I am from Xingzhou, Hebei,” Zhang Mantun said. “I am from the same hometown as Guo Que’er, whom you are going to seek refuge with.”

As someone who had served as a bodyguard for Shi Hongzhao, he spoke casually and didn't take Guo Wei too seriously.

Lü You couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!" in envy, saying, "I was born in Kaifeng. Apart from being good-looking, I'm nothing special. I'm a butcher, with some mundane possessions at home, and I married a beautiful wife."

Wei Liang muttered under his breath, "What a terrible appearance, he's nowhere near as good as the head constable."

"..."

Through this conversation, they gained a better understanding of each other, and their trust gradually deepened.

Not long after, they passed Chenqiao Post Station, the first major post station north of Kaifeng. It was built right next to the official road, with many shops on both sides selling food, fodder, horse tack, winter clothes, and even tailor shops. It was very lively, with postmen, officials, attendants, caravans, soldiers, and pedestrians making a lot of noise.

Xiao Yi had no intention of resting and rode on.

As they munched on their flatbreads, they turned onto a side road and saw a line of haphazardly arranged hooves following the path.

"Xiao Si, where does this road lead next?"

"It seems there are several villages."

Xiao Yi was still worried that someone was searching for Hua Nong, so he quickly stuffed the flatbread into his mouth and sped up his journey.

Around noon, wisps of smoke could be seen weakly drifting into the gray sky.

The outline of a village gradually became clear.

The village is small and peaceful.

Several emaciated children were squatting in front of a house, staring longingly at a man who was eating millet from a bowl. Occasionally, the man would spit out a piece of bone that he hadn't finished gnawing, which the children would scramble to grab.

A stray dog ​​lay watching from a distance. Hearing the sound of hooves, it barked weakly twice and darted into the woods.

Xiao Yi stopped his horse and took a few deep breaths.

The children looked at him, huddled up like sparrows, their eyes filled with fear and a numbness beyond their years.

Wei Liang spurred his horse forward and asked in a low voice, "Captain, that meat-eating monkey is quite wealthy. Should we levy his surplus grain?"

"No need," Xiao Yi said. "Take two flatbreads and give them to these children. Bring that person over."

"Yes... Wuna monkey, come here!"

The man holding the bowl had already turned back into the house, but upon hearing this, he had no choice but to cautiously walk to Xiao Yi's horse.

Xiao Yi asked, "I have a comrade-in-arms surnamed Hua. He married someone from your village. Where does he live?"

"Then...then...over there."

Has anyone come looking for him?

“Just a tiny bit half an hour ago…”

Upon arriving at a courtyard at the west end of the village, they found the gate open, the lock on which had been broken, and the slightly ajar wooden door creaking softly in the wind.

There were messy hoof prints on the path in front of the courtyard gate.

Xiao Yi's heart sank. He drew his sword, dismounted, and pushed open the door to enter.

The house was empty, the furniture was all there, and there were messy footprints on the floor covered in snow, with some signs of rummaging, but no blood.

Unwashed bowls and chopsticks were on the table, one of the bowls was overturned, and soup had formed a thin layer of frost on it, probably left over from before last night.

The stove was cold, the wooden board on the rice container had been lifted, revealing a few bushels of millet inside, and the water jar was full.

There were paper and pens in the main room, which must have been used by Hua Nong.

Xiao Yi glanced at it briefly and was about to leave when he suddenly noticed a line of words written on the wall. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it read, "Carrying a small schoolbag, I go to school."

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, realizing that Hua Nong and the others had already left.

The imperial pursuers must have set off overnight; only Liu Zhu would relentlessly chase the Guo family like dogs.

Presumably, that Sun Tou reported Hua Nong's matter to Liu Zhu again.

Once outside the house, Zhang Mantun was squatting in the yard with his back turned.

"Iron Teeth".

"Look, I found horse manure! It's fresh, it's been there for at least half an hour."

Xiao Yi nodded. He guessed that Hua Nong and her group had left before dawn, half a day ahead of the pursuers, but the women and children were moving slowly and might be caught up.

"Let's go to Baimajin and protect a few people who can bring you immense wealth."

"Yes!"

The caravan set off again, merging onto the main road along a small path to the northwest, and galloped northward, their hooves kicking up a trail of snow and dust.

(End of this chapter)