PFC Chapter 465: Taiguo is imprisoned, and other countries take advantage of the situation
Chapter 465: Taiguo is imprisoned, and other countries take advantage of the situation
The autumn wind blew up the fallen leaves of the year, and the sound of them rotting into the ground could not withstand the colder north wind, which was filled with the earthy fragrance of rotten leaves and the smell of dust from the galloping horses on the street. No one dared to stop this galloping red-brown horse, which was a fast horse for the war in the front. The vendors around were also shocked by the vanguard officer on the horse, and they lowered their hawking voices and were anxious to hear the battle report from the young official. In an instant, the noisy market slowly quieted down. Hearing the people on the horse shouting: "Xia Liang was defeated, An Hou won, Xia Liang was defeated, An Hou won." Only when the shouting became farther and farther away did the people in the market respond. They all cheered. The peony green brocade that was just being bargained for was generously sold by the vendor at a price of three coins, just for fun.
The war was indeed intense, and it lasted for more than nine months. The war started in the spring and ended at the beginning of winter. Not to mention the panic among the people, how could these people know about the young men who were taken away and the good men who were killed or injured. Looking at the old women and men crying on the street, I realized that even if we won the war, the people might not come back.
That night, the lights were bright, and every household was extremely relaxed. After a year of war, everyone was on edge. When they heard the news today, they were naturally happy. At four o'clock in the morning, there were still people with lights on. It was unknown whether they were waiting for the return of the officials after the war, or drinking to celebrate this special time.
"General, although we won the battle, there are not many food and grass left. We captured the enemy's weapons and prisoners, but no food and grass. This is very suspicious. However, the battle report has been released and it is too late to recover. We still need to make adjustments here. We need to leave some people to conquer Xiaoyu area and send people to investigate the whereabouts of food and grass. Although we have destroyed eight or nine tenths of their forces, we have not seen the leader. Even if the enemy's accomplices say he is dead, I am still afraid. I hope to see his body as soon as possible so that I can feel at ease." The person who said this was Liu Fengquan, the confidant of An Hou.
What he said was indeed true, but Marquis An did not take the remaining soldiers and horses to heart. However, since the words were in front of him, he was embarrassed to waste his time saying it, so he could only say: "Everyone says that you have done your best, how can this general not know that you are thoughtful, and there is some truth in that. In this way, we must leave people to deal with post-war matters. Among these people, you can choose a few people and leave them here. Let them be careful and report as soon as possible when something happens. In a few days, you will enter the palace to receive the order and must deal with it as soon as possible. Okay, I will report this matter to His Majesty in detail. Tonight, let's drink happily and ask Cong Tong to come up and sing a few songs to entertain us." This was Marquis An, a Jihe person.
Who is Cong Tong? He was a captive that Marquis An had found in Xia Liang's old nest. He should have been sent back to his hometown or killed to prevent spies. However, after Marquis An's interrogation, the suspects were executed and the rest returned home to rest. Only Cong Tong was left. This guy was originally an actor. He was handsome and had been well treated by the Xia Liang people for several years. After the war broke out, he just followed the leader on the march and sang songs for fun. Marquis An saw that he was chaste during the interrogation and was comparable to some dogs and rats in the army. Then he heard that he was an actor, so he kept him.
After An Hou finished his orders, Liu Fengquan left and found Cong Tong, who was in the fire department, washing dishes and pots. Her rosy hands were cracked and swollen from the cold, and her face was covered with dirt. She was no longer the same as when Xia Liang first met her. He couldn't help but shook his head and sighed. He went over and said, "Cong Tong, the general is happy today and ordered you to sing two songs. You know, if it weren't for the general, you would have no chance to escape. So, sing your songs peacefully and don't think about anything. Even if you don't think about other things, you should consider the general's kindness to you. I see that you have performed well in the fire department these days, so don't destroy yourself."
After hearing this, Cong Tong immediately put down the work in his hands, knelt down in front of Liu Fengquan, and said: "General, you treat me so well, I am very grateful, how could I have such a vicious mind? General, let me sing, I will sing, but now I am not as good as before, I hope the general will forgive me."
Liu Fengquan heard this and thought it made sense. He said, "Get up, find a basin of clean water, and wash yourself first. Although the army doesn't care about these things, the general has won a great victory today, so we can't neglect them. Plain clothes are fine, no fancy clothes are needed. Sing well, and I'll go and tell the general."
After saying that, he turned around and went to the general's tent, bowed and said, "General, I have already informed Congtong, but today is a special day, so I have ordered Congtong to wash up and not disturb the elegance of the general and the gentlemen."
An Hou smiled and said, "Alright, we are brothers in the army, why are we being polite? The whole army is unkempt, only Cong Tong is pretty. I kept him here because I thought he could entertain the brothers in their spare time. There is no need to be so particular. Bring up the captured wine. We will not return until we are drunk tonight. Tell him to pack up quickly, we are waiting for the music."
After saying this, he started drinking with the gentlemen around him. After a while, Cong Tong walked out of the tent. She did not change into fancy clothes, but into a clean green coat. She came in and saluted, saying, "Congratulations to the general on your victory. We are also rescued thanks to your great blessing. I will never forget your great kindness." After saying this, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.
The general looked at him and said, "Although there are many orders in the army, you don't have to pretend to be hypocritical. It is your duty as a man to serve the country and stand tall. Since you have to do this, just sing a few songs and make the brothers happy."
When Cong Tong heard this, his heart trembled a few times, then he came back to his senses and started to sing. There was no instrumental band in the army, and these people didn't care what he was singing at this time. So he just sang, and the soldiers under him just drank. After a few rounds, some were drunk, some were crying, so Liu Fengquan sent everyone in the tent out.
Cong Tong returned to the camp of the firemen, changed into his work clothes, and came out to sit on the stone to wash dishes. His frostbitten fingers became thicker and the cracks became bigger. The piercing pain of touching the water with icicles did not hurt Cong Tong much. He looked at his frozen and cracked hands and the dark moon in the sky, and his mind became dead. What was the meaning of living? It was better to die than to be used as a toy by those nobles and officials for fun. As he thought about it, he touched a sharp icicle from the basin and poked it into his stomach. It happened that An Hou came out to urinate, and he saw this scene. He went over and kicked the icicle in Cong Tong's hand away.