Tian Yuan War Chronicles: The Path of Artifacts to Ascension – Chapter 4

Ch 4: The Army Arrives

Today Hua Kong got up very early. After finishing breakfast, Hua Kong put on the donkey cart, drove to Zhao Ning’s yard, sat in the cart and closed his eyes to rest.

“Xiao Kong is so early, have you had breakfast?”

Following the sound of the carriage wheels pressing on the road, Zhao Ning’s voice came.

“I ate! I ate!”

“Xiao Kong is here,” Zhao Er greeted Hua Kong.

“Uncle Zhao,” Hua Kong replied.

“Let’s go, be careful on the road, we have to go to the eldest first today,” Zhao Er explained today’s itinerary to Hua Kong.

After finishing speaking with Hua Kong, Zhao Er waved his whip and set off for Duanshan City.

“Xiao Ning, what are you doing?”

Suddenly Zhao Er’s somewhat angry voice came. It turned out that Zhao Ning, while the carriage hadn’t started moving, suddenly jumped out of the cart and ran towards Hua Kong’s donkey cart.

“Father, I’ll go with Xiao Kong,” Zhao Ning shouted.

“Damn it, I’ll break your dog legs sooner or later,” Zhao Er said somewhat angrily.

“Father, let’s go, it’s getting late!”, Zhao Ning wasn’t afraid.

“Hehe, come up!”, Hua Kong pulled Zhao Ning, and then drove the donkey cart to catch up with the carriage in front.

The three of them drove their carts into Duanshan City. Zhao Er first cut some meat, bought some wine, and then went to the pastry shop to buy some pastries and fruits, before heading towards Zhao Da’s Ironware Workshop.

When they arrived at the Ironware Workshop, Zhao Er went into the inner room to talk to Zhao Da, while Hua Kong took Zhao Ning to the dormitory where the handymen slept to rummage for picture books.

Sure enough, they found two books, and the two of them secretly read them, occasionally making ghostly laughter.

At noon, Hua Kong was pulled to Zhao Da’s inner room to have a meal together.

This was the third time Hua Kong had eaten in the inner room of the Ironware Workshop. The first two times were before the big holiday before the New Year, when Zhao Da distributed red envelopes and New Year gifts, and invited the blacksmiths and handymen to drink New Year’s wine.

This time it was a private banquet, Hua Kong knew that Zhao Da was a stingy ghost, and the meal was not very tasty.

After the meal, Zhao Er was going to buy coal. Before leaving, Hua Kong wanted to take the two picture books he found back, so that he could continue to watch and study during the New Year.

In order to prevent being discovered by others, he also took some of his own ordinary picture books and sage books, as well as Taoist Health Preservation Method books exchanged, and put them into the bamboo basket together.

Of course, the two most interesting picture books were placed at the bottom, and the Taoist Health Preservation Method books were placed at the top, and finally covered with sundries.

After buying coal, Zhao Er also purchased some New Year’s goods. At this time, the sky had already begun to darken.

Zhao Er was afraid that it would be difficult to drive the cart with a full load of coal when it was dark, so he urged Hua Kong to speed up and try to keep up with his carriage.

Hua Kong also didn’t want to drive in the dark. Donkeys are strange and stubborn, and they are easily frightened when it gets dark, so he slowly increased the speed of the cart.

When the two of them drove the cart out of Duanshan City in less than a quarter of an hour, a large group of horses neighing and the roar of horses’ hooves suddenly came from the south of the city.

Not only the three of them were shocked and stopped to look back, but even other pedestrians on the road stopped and looked back. After all, although Duanshan City is small, it still has a population of over 100,000 and is five miles wide.

This place is no less than twenty miles away from the south gate of Duanshan City. How big is this horse team? Is the army passing through?

“Xiao Kong! Go!”, Zhao Er shouted loudly, and suddenly waved his whip, and the carriage moved with a creak.

“Okay!”, Hua Kong also felt that something was wrong, and quickly waved his whip, and the donkey cart also chased after him.

“Not good!”, the pedestrians on the road also seemed to be frightened, no longer as calm as before, and scattered in all directions, even faster than the carriage and donkey cart pulling coal.

“Xiao Kong, Xiao Ning, quickly notify your family to pack up the grain and valuables, and quickly enter Duanshan Mountain. I’ll go notify Old Man Huang!”, Zhao Er jumped out of the carriage and shouted at the entrance of the village.

“What about this coal?”, Hua Kong was a little dazed, is it that serious?

“Can’t take care of it! Go quickly!”, Zhao Er’s voice came, and the person had already gone far away.

“We’re going!”, Hua Kong and Zhao Ning were a little panicked.

“Xiao Ning, come back and drive the carriage back!”, Zhao Ning panicked and ran away, but was stopped by Hua Kong.

“Father said we don’t need the coal!”, Zhao Ning shouted.

“These two horses are still useful!”, Hua Kong shouted.

“Yes! Yes!”, Zhao Ning reacted, not very skilled, but the carriage was still driven away.

“Giddy up! Giddy up! Go! Go! Go!”, Seeing Zhao Ning leave, Hua Kong also urged the donkey cart to rush home.

“Dang! Dang! Dang!”

Hua Kong hadn’t arrived home yet when an ear-piercing gong sound suddenly began to ring in the village, and the villagers who were originally making dinner were immediately thrown into chaos.

Seeing this situation, Hua Kong also panicked a little, and the whip in his hand waved even more urgently. The donkey was in pain and quickly arrived in front of his own yard.

“Da Mei, Da Mei, quickly go to Zhao Er’s house and see if Erlang has returned,” Hua Kong heard his mother’s shout as soon as he arrived in front of the yard.

“Okay, Mother, I’ll go take a look,” Second Elder Sister’s voice came, followed by the sound of the yard door opening.

“Erlang, you’re back,” Hua Damei said in surprise.

“I’m back, I’m back”

“Hurry up and pack up, we’re going into the mountains to avoid the war,” Hua Damei said.

“No need, my things are all in my back basket. Second Elder Sister, open the yard door, I’ll get the donkey cart in,” Hua Kong patted the bamboo basket beside him.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Second Elder Sister nodded repeatedly and opened the yard door.

“Erlang is back,” Elder Brother walked out of the house.

“Brother, I’m back,” Hua Kong responded.

“Hurry up, untie the donkey, we’re going into the mountains, we have to bring more grain,” Elder Brother said.

“Okay, okay,” Hua Kong jumped out of the cart and busied himself.

“Dang! Dang! Dang!”

“Everyone move faster, we’re going into the mountains in half an hour!”, after a burst of gong sounds, Old Man Huang’s voice came.

After busying for a little half an hour, the two donkeys had already carried several large bags of grain and sundries on their backs. Hua Kong’s parents each carried a package and came to the front yard.

“Where are your Elder Brother and Sister-in-law?”, Hua Laodie asked.

“Packing up in the inner room,” Hua Damei replied, she only took some changes of clothes.

“Da Lang, don’t delay, let’s go quickly,” Hua Kong’s Mother shouted.

“Wah! Wah!”

“Coming, coming,” accompanied by a burst of children’s cries, Hua Dalan led his family to the front yard.

“Father, is the cellar entrance covered with soil?”, Hua Kong asked.

“Oh dear! I forgot! Go do it quickly!”, Hua Laodie slapped his thigh.

“Okay!”, Hua Kong didn’t waste any words and turned to the backyard.

Hua Kong ran to the backyard, took a shovel and shoveled some soil to cover and tamp down the cellar entrance, and then carried a few large bundles of firewood to cover it, before returning to the front yard.

After the whole family gathered, they drove the two donkeys towards Duanshan Mountain. Torches had already been lit along the way, and the villagers from the nearby villages had already set off.

When Hua Kong’s village was about to be empty, Duanshan City was already in chaos. At the moment when a large group of cavalry was discovered, the north and south city gates of Duanshan City were closed and locked.

At this time, people were coming in and out of the Duanshan City County Yamen, and people were shouting loudly from time to time, obviously they hadn’t encountered this kind of battle for a long time.

“Master Li, no guest soldiers have entered the city, right? Are the city gates all locked?”, a middle-aged man with a short beard paced back and forth in the hall, it was County Magistrate Yang Guanhe of Duanshan City.

“Lord, don’t worry, Commander Zhao was patrolling the south city at the time, and immediately notified the north and south gates to be locked when he saw the army coming. Absolutely no guest soldiers were let in!”, a white-faced Master replied.

“That’s good! That’s good!”, Hearing this, County Magistrate Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

“Lord, you should raise some grain and grass at this time for the army to use,” Master Li was an old man in the Duanshan County Yamen and had rich experience.

“Grain and grass? How can this be? The autumn grain has already been sent to the prefecture, and there is not much grain stored in the granary.”, County Magistrate Yang was a little dazed.

“It doesn’t matter! Lord is usually lenient in taxation and often reduces or exempts commercial taxes. The merchants and wealthy households have all received the Lord’s favor.

Now that the army is passing through, it is time for these merchants and wealthy households to serve the country. Let them donate some grain and fodder!

Otherwise, if it provokes the army’s dissatisfaction, they will plunder the countryside! The loss is also their industry!”, Master Li said lightly.

“That’s right! That’s right! Master Li, you take County Lieutenant Liu to do this! Let him call more people!”, County Magistrate Yang ordered.

“I have already ordered County Lieutenant Liu to do this, so I won’t go. The wealthy households all understand the current situation,” Master Li said.

“Okay! Okay!”, County Magistrate Yang felt relieved.

“Lord, you pack up, and we will meet the general leading the troops outside the city later.

Such a battle! If handled well, what comes is an Important Person! If not handled well, what comes is Yama!”, Master Li was far more skilled in government affairs than County Magistrate Yang.

“Go out of the city? How can this be? Wouldn’t it be like a sheep entering a tiger’s mouth if it were bandit soldiers?”, County Magistrate Yang said hesitantly.

“It shouldn’t be! According to Commander Zhao’s report, the people who came are not ordinary people, although they did not explain their identity. But this army’s armor is sharp, the flags are bright, and the laws are strict. It looks like the Border Army!”

“Border Army? Border Army? Why did the Border Army come to my small Duanshan City? This place is located in a remote corner, and outside the city is a boundless forest sea. There is neither internal trouble nor external enemies.

Apart from iron ore, ironware, and some game and fur, there is nothing of value!”, County Magistrate Yang scratched his ears and cheeks.

“How can we understand the affairs of Important People, Lord, please set off quickly,” Master Li said.

“Alas! That’s right! Why bother to disturb myself!”, County Magistrate Yang mocked himself, shook his head and went to the inner courtyard.

“Go prepare the carriage!”, Master Li saw the County Magistrate enter the inner courtyard, and then found a Yamen Runner to order.