Back to the end of Ming Dynasty to be a warlord

Chapter 456 Confinement
Xuzhou.

Yang Chao has been here for a month.

"A total of 1000 million taels of bonds were sold."

"Well, there's more."

Facing Dong Xiaowan who was shy and awkward in front of him, Yang Chao nodded casually and continued to ask.

"Ergun's daughter-in-law said that she must seize the opportunity and print 1000 million taels."

"Well, there's more."

Yang Chao didn't even lift his head, and continued to read the battle report.

"But Wang Pu's concubine said that I can't print more, and I have to pay them back."

"Well, there's more."

"And, and—"

Yang Chao raised his head and interrupted her: "You haven't said why you came here. I think you just want to come to me."

Dong Xiaowan lowered her head and did not speak.

Yang Chao said: "Is everything all right at home?"

Dong Xiaowan said: "It's all good. Mom and Dad said that you don't need to worry about them and let you fight hard. Dad said that fighting is like striking iron. You have to round your arms and fight hard. Mother said that fighting is different from fighting iron. Be careful, you can't fight." Just run away. The princess told you to be careful, the Tartars are barbarians, you have to use strategy, not recklessly. Yuanyuan and the incense fan pendant asked me to send you a peace talisman."

"Just for that?"

Dong Xiaowan nodded, then shook her head: "The main reason is that we are not sure how many bonds to issue, so everyone asked me to ask, and I will go back after I finish asking."

The little concubine's careful thoughts are clear to Yang Chao.

I have been away from home for more than a month, and it is a lie to say that I am not worried, but I said that I came to Yang Chao under the pretext of work, and said that someone asked her to ask, but Yang Chao did not believe it at all. Except for Dong Xiaowan, no one else has this kind of narrow-mindedness. .

"Forget it. Huang Yuan, tell me how to punish according to military regulations for bringing female family members into the camp without permission?"

Huang Yuan just sent a few battle reports, nothing important, the Qing army appeared on the other side of the canal and lingered for a while.

Facing Yang Chao's question, Huang Yuan was not easy to answer.

"Honestly, do you want to beheaded!"

Dong Xiaowan immediately opened his mouth, beheading!She didn't expect this.

Huang Yuan hurriedly said: "No, no, it can't reach the level of beheading."

Yang Chao said again: "What is that?"

Huang Yuan sighed: "Your Excellency, let's forget about it. Is Madam also here to ask about work?"

Yang Chao shook his head: "If it's a military regulation, it should be enforced. Let's talk about it. It's not about beheading, but even if it's a slap in the face, the officer will recognize it."

Huang Yuan sighed, "It's the governor of the confinement."

"Close the confinement!"

Yang Chao couldn't help his teeth getting cold. There are four types of punishments in the military. The lightest punishment is running, then hitting with a board, then confinement, and the most serious is beheading. Confinement is the second most serious punishment. Yes, you can see how heavy it is.

But at this time, Dong Xiaowan let out a sigh of relief. The beheading was just a bluff. She didn't believe that anyone would dare to kill her own man. She was most worried about hitting the board. As for the confinement, she knew it, wasn't it just the small dark room? , what is there to be afraid of.

"How many days will it be closed?"

Yang Chao asked.

Huang Yuan said: "Three days!"

Yang Chao not only had a toothache, but also a headache. The most serious confinement is ten days. For days and nights, no one talks to you, you can't even hear a sound, you have to suffer in the dark, lonely.

"Okay, take me in. These few days, don't look for me if you don't have important military affairs. Don't find an opportunity to let me go, unless the Tartars have hit Xuzhou. As for other issues, let the frontline generals take action."

After speaking, Yang Chao stood up, shook his head and sighed, and glared at the concubine.

The soldiers led them to a corner of the barracks, where there was a very sturdy small house.

The small house is surrounded by round giant logs, and there are three layers of giant logs in total. Thick mud is spread between every two layers of giant logs. You can't even hear a single movement inside. In addition to meals, eating, drinking and diarrhea have to be resolved inside.

Yang Chao walked in by himself, walked to the only small bed by the light, and signaled the soldiers to leave after getting off. At this time, Yang Chao was still calm, and even nodded politely to the soldiers.

But when he saw the wooden door of the later generations closed, and then it was pitch black, Yang Chao couldn't help but feel his heart pounding.

"Is there anything, isn't it just confinement? That's what people with weak spirits are afraid of, but I'm not afraid of it!"

Yang Chao cheered himself up, and then lay down directly, at worst, he would sleep with him for three days, and he hadn't slept well since the war.

This sleep was really sound, but after waking up, it was still pitch black.

"How many days have passed?"

do not know!
sit still.

"I don't know what's going on outside. It must have been a day, at least a day. If you sleep so soundly, half a day is definitely not enough."

sit still.

"It should have been half a day. So it should be two days."

sit still.

But I can't sit still.

Stand up and bounce, jump, twist your waist, and work out your body.

"Ha, hi!"

Hit the handle twice.

In the dark house, he didn't dare to jump around, and bumped into himself at every turn.

I was tired from bouncing around and making gestures, when I suddenly heard a sound.

Yang Chao couldn't help but be overjoyed. Could it be that the time is faster than he expected, and it has already been three days.

Very disappointed, it was food delivery.

"No way, it's only been half a day for such a long time! This should be considered dinner."

In confinement, except for isolation, everything is provided as usual, and three meals a day are not skipped at all, but it is not unreasonable that this black house can subdue the most powerful people.

After eating in the dark, he didn't dare to eat more, Yang Chao didn't want to really shit here, the smell here was already bad enough, if it was mixed with the smell of feces and urine, it would be too ecstasy.

What should I do after eating, sleep, but I still don’t dare. What I’m most afraid of here is the difficult time. Don’t sleep blindly when you are not sleepy. Make yourself very tired, and then sleep for a longer time. This is the experience summed up by the veterans who have been locked up.

Continue to toss, bounce, punch and practice martial arts.

When you are tired, you will memorize, the Four Books and Five Classics, the military strategy and the art of war.

Then think about the gains and losses of my life in this half of my life, should I examine myself three times a day, Confucius said, but no one seems to be able to do it, at least the disciples and grandchildren of Confucius can't do it.

I fell asleep before I knew it, but when I woke up, I felt more lonely and dreamy.

"What happened outside? I don't know if there is any urgent military situation ahead. Ordinary Zhao Kang and the others can handle it by themselves. If there is a big situation, I heard that the Tatars have occupied Shanxi again, and they have gained ten Wanbaqi's new recruits, will they all be sent to Shandong? And I can't handle it here, can Zhao Kang and the others handle it?"

"Dong Xiaowan doesn't know what's wrong, whether she is sad because she is in confinement, whether she is looking for death, whether she is crying with the officers, what if she beats the officer, what if she is injured by the officer Now, what should I do?"

"It's not that I want to go out. It's really impossible to leave me outside. Forget about the confinement later, I will make up for it in the future. It can be regarded as an explanation to the soldiers."

Yang Chao thought, stood up, and walked towards the door according to the direction he remembered.

Dong Xiaowan was indeed crying. After hearing what the soldiers said clearly, he started crying. It turns out that confinement is such a terrible punishment. I just heard it casually in the past and thought it was a little joke. What's the difference in the house.

But an officer inside who had been in confinement told her that people inside have the desire to die and all kinds of wild thoughts. Everyone's situation is different. Some will hit their heads against the wall, and some will bite their own flesh. Others will cry and scream.

But it's useless, the outside couldn't hear it at all, even if they heard it, the guards outside would never dare to open it. If the guards let people go without a military order, they would sit back.

When Dong Xiaowan heard that people would self-mutilate, hit their heads against the wall, eat their own flesh, scratch themselves all over their bodies, or even directly hit themselves to death, Dong Xiaowan couldn't help but feel fear.

She didn't expect that she would suffer such a great torture by coming here without permission, and she couldn't help but want to cry.

I begged Huang Yuan and others to give orders, but these few people dared not, and they would sit back if they let people go without permission. Even if Yang Chao is the officer they respect, it is okay to die for the officer. Let them suffer the crime for the officer, or never mind.

Wearing a gorgeous brocade and phoenix-tailed skirt, holding a Hangzhou silk handkerchief in his hand, he kept wiping away his tears, and wandered around, hoping to find an officer willing to mention his public relations confinement, but he couldn't find it.

Then Dong Xiaowan began to curse, scolding these officers for having no conscience, each of them had their consciences eaten by dogs, but no one paid any attention to her.

"Let me out. I have important military affairs. You bastards, let me out quickly."

"I made the military law, and I want to revise it."

"Those at the door, let me out, I promise I won't let you replace me."

Yang Chao touched the door, at first he just knocked, but no one paid attention, he knew that he couldn't hear it from outside.

After making a fuss for a while, he gave up and went back to the house, continued to exercise, continued to sit on the bed, continued to think wildly, continued to recite the four books, five classics and six arts, continued to review the art of war, and even tried to build a whole city in his mind. .

But it didn't work, I couldn't calm down at all, there was an inexplicable commotion in my heart, itching like long grass, I really wanted to tear my chest, turn my heart out and scratch it.

So I don't know how long it took, Yang Chao became irritable, afraid of knocking on the door, and regardless of whether the outside could hear it, he kept making wishes and orders, threatening and luring people outside to let him go out.

There is no time here, Yang Chao fell asleep again, sleep is the greatest happiness.

But crazy dreaming, you can’t sleep well at all, and you don’t know how long you slept after waking up, maybe it’s a day, maybe it’s just a few breaths, maybe it’s a big dream, maybe it’s just a doze off.

At some point, Yang Chao realized that he didn't think about anything anymore, and sat there blankly, completely numb, as if he had merged with the darkness and turned into nothingness, as if life had no meaning.

What is the meaning of fighting, what is the meaning of national righteousness, what is the meaning of saving lives, and what is the meaning of being alive.

Yang Chao felt confused, negative, and tired, but he was not sleepy at all. His brain was swollen and he had a fever. He wanted to open his skull to dissipate heat.

Suddenly the door creaked open, and the sunlight outside shone in. At that moment, Yang Chao couldn't help but shed tears.

(End of this chapter)