Chapter 91: Heavenly Sand (VI)
There were soldiers moving arrows below, and craftsmen gathered in the back hall to eat mutton soup. They heard Fan Jiang shouting at the top of his lungs, "Go and report to General Qin! Yelu Zhen..."
There was a sound of a sharp arrow scraping through the night wind, and Old He came out trembling from behind. He saw a man tumbling down the stairs and falling heavily to the ground.
The slender arrow lodged in his back, and soon a blood-red smudge appeared. He Lao's cloudy eyes widened and he said in a lost voice: "Fan Jiang!"
The soldiers all threw down the boxes of arrows, drew their swords and quickly surrounded the enemy, only to see the man who was hidden in the dark shadows on the top of the pavilion stand out.
He looked down from above, holding a crossbow in his hand, and glanced down at Fan Jiang who was shot by an arrow: "Don't you recognize me?"
"Captain Dong?"
The rebel soldiers who followed him were surprised.
Dong Chengjiao said loudly: "This man is talking nonsense. In this troubled time, he not only shot and injured Captain Hu Da, but also slandered our rebel army. Isn't this just to create rifts between you, the soldiers of the Yongzhou Army, and us? He deserves to be killed."
"Fan Jiang!" He Lao and other craftsmen helped Fan Jiang up. Seeing blood coming out of his mouth, and hearing what the man upstairs said, he raised his head and said, "He is an honest man. How dare he slander me so easily?!"
"Anyone who speaks for him is guilty of the same crime!"
Dong Chengjiao showed a fierce look on his face, "Hurry up and load the arrows onto the cart! Don't delay General Qin's orders!"
The soldiers of the Yongzhou Army stared at him closely below, but did not move. Only the soldiers of the rebel army turned around to lift the boxes and cages. Dong Chengjiao was about to attack, but he heard a series of hurried footsteps approaching outside. Soon, a man walked in first. He looked up and saw the people upstairs: "Come on, catch him for me!"
Dong Chengjiao's heart sank, "Duan Rong, what are you going to do! Once Shi Manu is defeated, are you going to abandon the donkey after it has served its purpose?"
When the rebel soldiers who came with Dong Chengjiao heard this, they immediately panicked. They stopped moving the boxes and cages and drew their swords to block Duan Rong and others.
"You deliberately arranged this person, right?" Dong Chengjiao pointed at Fan Jiang, who was spitting blood and half-opening his eyes. "Qin Jixun wants to kill all of us rebels from the Thirteen States, right?!"
"We have worked so hard for Yongzhou in vain, and our Commander Yang has placed so much trust in your Yongzhou Army! But how do you treat us?" Dong Chengjiao spoke angrily.
"Dong Chengjiao, you are still talking nonsense even now!" Duan Rong sneered. Seeing Fan Jiang surrounded by the craftsmen, he immediately ordered the people around him: "Quick! Send him to find a doctor!"
Several soldiers hurriedly took Fan Jiang away, and Dong Chengjiao's few words did indeed stir up great waves among the rebel soldiers who trusted him. They stared at Duan Rong and the people behind him vigilantly, confronting each other silently.
Duan Rong didn't have the patience to waste any more time. He almost jumped from a pillar nearby and quickly flew up the stairs along the railing. Dong Chengjiao retreated while shooting arrows at Duan Rong.
Duan Rong blocked his attack with his sword, but the man quickly dodged it and rushed towards Dong Chengjiao with his sword. The two men fought with swords on the upper floor, while the soldiers of the Yongzhou Army and the rebel army were also fighting below.
The craftsmen were so frightened that they hid in the back hall and dared not show their heads.
Dong Chengjiao barely dodged Duan Rong's move, and the sword split the railing on his side. His heart tightened, and he was kicked down by Duan Rong without warning.
Dong Chengjiao hurriedly used the force and barely landed on the ground. When he looked up, he saw Duan Rong flying down with a flash of sword. Duan Rong stepped on his shoulders with his feet and stabbed his back with a sword. Dong Chengjiao felt the pain, his back bent, and he fell to the ground.
Duan Rong sat on his back and almost nailed him to the ground with his sword.
"Is this how the Yongzhou army treats people like us! We came here with untold hardships, is this what we want to end up like?" Dong Chengjiao shouted with blood in his mouth, gritting his teeth.
"I'll cut off your tongue!"
Duan Rong drew his sword.
"Captain Dong!"
When the rebel soldiers saw this, they all looked angry with red eyes, and immediately ran towards Duan Rong with swords in hand.
"Stop it!"
Suddenly there was a roar, and all the rebel soldiers stopped abruptly. They turned around and saw their leader Yang Tianzhe being supported by someone and staggering into the door.
Qin Jixun also came in quickly. He looked up and stared at Dong Chengjiao who was restrained by Duan Rong with his sharp eyes.
"Commander Yang!"
When Dong Chengjiao saw Yang Tianzhe, he burst into tears. "Today they want to kill me, who knows, they might want to kill you tomorrow! They clearly never trusted us, they just used us to defend the city!"
Qin Jixun took a few steps forward, the torchlight falling on his cold armor, "You really know how to sow discord. You know you're going to die anyway, so you might as well use your life to shake the morale of our Yongzhou City army. This way, you can also give your master Yelu Zhen a better chance of victory, right?"
After Fan Jiang was carried out, Qin Jixun ran into him on the road. He grabbed Qin Jixun's sleeve tightly, his mouth full of blood, and repeated to him with difficulty: "Yelü Zhen is close to Rushan..."
The name Yelu Zhen has been a nightmare that has haunted the people of Yongzhou for many years.
Sixteen years ago, it was this man who launched a surprise attack on Yongzhou City, massacred half of the city’s residents, killed Qin Jixun’s father and brother, and also killed Wei Dechang’s brother.
Miao Tianning died in the battle to defend the city. At that time, there were almost no soldiers left in the Yongzhou Army. Most of the Yongzhou Army today are the defenders who retreated from Juhan Pass.
Dong Chengjiao was still filled with grief and indignation, "Commander Yang, I..."
"The bird path in Tianju Mountain was destroyed. Was it because of Shi Manu or because of you and Huda?!" Yang Tianzhe interrupted harshly. He was too drunk and still a little unconscious. His chest was heaving violently and his face was burning red. Suddenly, he pulled out the sword of the soldier beside him and grasped the blade.
"Commander Yang!"
The rebel soldiers couldn't help but shout.
Yang Tianzhe held his palm full of blood, the pain made him sober up a lot, veins on his forehead bulged slightly, he stood up straight, "Put down your knives, all of you."
The soldiers of the rebel army had great trust in Commander Yang, who had led them to escape from the rule of the Hu people. Even though they felt uneasy, they still put down their swords one after another.
"Put it down too."
Qin Jixun raised his chin and signaled to the soldiers of Yongzhou Army.
At once, everyone put away their knives.
"Dong Chengjiao, we escaped from under the noses of the Hu people just to avoid being their slaves, just to give ourselves a chance to stand straight," Yang Tianzhe asked coldly, "but tell me, after escaping, why do you still want to be the dogs of the Hu people?"
There was a long silence during which Dong Chengjiao was firmly suppressed by Duan Rong. Half of his face was pressed against the ground. "Commander Yang, you are so naive. You don't really think that after being a dog, you can become a human again, right? Hahahahahahaha..."
He laughed almost wildly, "Everyone here knows it! You, Yang Tianzhe, used to be afraid of death. Your father died at the hands of Miao Tianning, and you became a dog of the Hu people! They won't really believe you! People like us, once we are servile, we will be servile for the rest of our lives!"
"I don't care what they think!"
Yang Tianzhe strode forward and grabbed his collar, "As long as I can kill the Hu people, I will kill them all! But what about you! I trust you so much, what the hell are you doing!"
"I have a wife and children."
Compared to Yang Tianzhe's fury, Dong Chengjiao seemed very calm. "They are in Danqiu. I am different from you, Commander Yang. You have no worries, but I don't."
…
The doctors in the military camp were the best at treating external injuries. After Duan Rong's soldiers carried him back, they immediately called a doctor to treat Fan Jiang.
Ni Su hurried over holding Qingqiong, just in time to see an apprentice coming out of the felt tent carrying a basin of blood. Ni Su saw a sharp arrow lying quietly in the light red water.
"Miss Ni, Master and the others are treating her in there." The apprentice recognized her and hurriedly comforted her, then took the basin and poured the water out, and asked someone for hot water.
The blue sky seemed too quiet.
Ni Su looked at him. He didn't even notice that the turban wrapped around his head had run away. He just stared dully at the shadows reflected on the felt curtain.
Just as Ni Su was about to pull his turban, someone lifted the curtain. Ni Su immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously, "Doctor Tian, how is Uncle Fan?"
The doctor surnamed Tian was silent for a moment. He glanced at Qing Qiong beside him and shook his head, "Miss Ni, that arrow injured your heart and lungs."
How could Ni Su not know what he meant?
Her heart sank and she immediately lifted the curtain and went in. Fan Jiang was lying on a simple bamboo bed, covered in blood, his chest heaving with difficulty.
There were also several apprentices of agricultural workers standing nearby.
"Uncle Fan..."
Ni Su's lips trembled. She walked closer to check the wound on Fan Jiang's body, but she heard him mumbling with blood in his mouth: "Miss Ni, I'm useless."
Ni Su's eyes were wet for a moment, "Uncle Fan, I'm here to save you, I can save you!"
With shaking hands, she suppressed his blood vessels, trying to stop the bleeding.
Fan Jiang half opened his eyes and saw the felt curtain move. The young man with a bald head, a thin body, and a pale and dull look walked in.
He is not actually a teenager, he is actually only in his teens.
When Fan Jiang saw him approaching, a dark shadow was pressing down on him. He trembled his lips and said, "You have grown taller again."
Qingqiong looked at him.
He was skinny and hunched, his face wrinkled by the wind and sand of Yongzhou Pass. His mouth was full of blood, and his lungs were hoarse with every breath he took.
"Your mother and I are sorry for you."
Fan Jiang said.
"You don't know that I was born like this."
Qingqiong finally spoke.
His pupils, which were darker and larger than those of normal people, showed no trace of sadness or joy, and his voice was also very calm.
Fan Jiang wanted to laugh, but the blood choked him and he coughed. He murmured, "Actually, I haven't heard your mother speak for a long time, since the war started."
"I know."
"Our family is different from other families. They will be sad about separation and death, but we don't need to. I am going to find your mother."
Fan Jiang's eyes were filled with tears, and he called out with difficulty: "Son, I actually miss her very much."
"I know."
Qingqiong clenched his hands tightly.
"Then do you know,"
Fan Jiang's tears almost blurred his eyes, "He Lao and I built a bed crossbow with a range of 1,500 steps?"
"Um."
Qingqiong's throat tightened.
"In the future, the soldiers at Yongzhou Pass will use the crossbows we made to kill the Hu people and protect our home," Fan Jiang said to himself, "I can also use this to brag to your mother. I didn't know her when she was alive, and I couldn't protect her. At least now, I have done something decent."
"But you,"
Fan Jiang stared at him, "But you are alone, what are you going to do?"
"Uncle Fan, I will take care of Qingqiong," Ni Su's eyes were red, and she choked up and said, "I promise you, I will take good care of him."
Fan Jiang moved his gaze to Ni Su's face. He opened his mouth and blood flowed out from the corners of his mouth. "General, he is innocent..."
His muffled voice was difficult to hear clearly.
No one saw the light mist surging out from Ni Su's sleeves, condensing into a blurry figure. Almost at the moment when Xu Hexue, with lifeless eyes, approached the bed, Fan Jiang's eyes lost focus and he fell silent.
"Father?"
Qingqiong called out, but there was no answer from him. At this moment, his original dullness was shattered by a sudden and overwhelming emotion.
Tears soaked his sparse eyelashes, and he reached out to hold Fan Jiang's still warm hand.
Those were a pair of extremely rough hands, covered with wounds and full of traces of his hard-working life.
The apprentices in the felt tent could not see the soul fire flying, but they all fell on Qingqiong's shoulders, like fireflies, circling around him, as if it were a silent reminder, or a kind of reluctance to leave.
Qing Qiong suddenly pounced on Fan Jiang and hugged him tightly, "Don't go, Dad..."
"You haven't listened to me yet,"
His voice trembled, "You are the best father in the world."
