Several soldiers standing guard breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.
"Master Li, Princess Yuerou is already with the village chief. She asked us to tell you that you can just go there when you arrive."
Li Yang nodded slightly and walked inside.
Among the tribes that were attacked, there were few intact buildings left. There were corpses on both sides of the road, and the muddy land was dyed red with blood, making it desolate and desolate.
Several women held children in their arms, weeping, wailing, and bursting into tears, but this did not prevent them from continuing to cry and tell their sad stories.
Li Yang listened to their stories silently, his eyes dim and his heart getting heavier and heavier.
"Where are your husbands?" Li Yang stopped his horse and asked.
"They have all been snatched away, they said, and they will seize our children to be slaves." The leading woman cried.
"All our men are dead! They were burned alive by these beasts!"
"God, please open your eyes and look! Our poor men!"
Several women were holding their children and crying, filled with grief and anger. Their cries hurt Li Yang's heart, and for a moment he felt like he was suffocating.
He clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with cold frost.
What happened tonight made him fully understand that he was no longer in the extremely safe environment of his previous life.
It was a Warring States period with constant wars and human lives.
He opened his mouth to say something, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something.
He could only shake his head and urge the horse to run towards the village chief's house.
When he arrived, he saw Qin Yuerou, a white-haired old man, already standing outside the simple house waiting for his arrival.
"See General Li!" The village chief saluted respectfully when he saw Li Yang, with a look of admiration in his eyes.
"There is no need to be polite, old gentleman."
After getting off the horse, Li Yang helped the old man up.
But with such a small movement, the old man was stunned on the spot, and then tears welled up in his eyes.
"General, General, I'm waiting for you!"
"We, the three hundred and sixty-three villagers in Tatun, survived only because of the general's timely rescue."
"We really don't know how to repay the general for his kindness."
As he said that, the old man knelt down and kowtowed to Li Yang.
Li Yang quickly stretched out his hand to stop him: "Old sir, you must not do it. My general duty is to protect the people and live and work in peace and contentment. Old sir, there is no need to be so polite."
"We will keep the general's righteousness in mind. In the future, the general will be sent to you, whether through fire or water, without hesitation."
Li Yang nodded and said immediately: "I came here mainly to ask the old gentleman for news about Bluestone City."
"Bluestone City?"
The old man frowned slightly, seeming quite confused about this.
"Yes, I wonder if the old gentleman has ever heard of Bluestone City?"
"I've heard a thing or two, but since the general mentioned it, the old man told the general that it is said that this Bluestone City is the largest city in Nanjun, and there are many masters in it."
"However, since ancient times, this Bluestone City has been under the jurisdiction of the governors of various counties. We and other people in the villages really don't know its specific location."
Listening to the old man's explanation, Li Yang couldn't help but sigh.
Sure enough, there have been no absolute secrets since ancient times. It just depends on how individuals find out.
"Can the old gentleman tell me how long it takes to reach Bluestone City from here?" Li Yang asked.
The old man thought for a long time and finally said: "If everything goes well, we can reach it within three days."
Three days? Li Yang raised his eyebrows.
Looking at it this way, the distance between me and Qingshi City is still quite far.
Five thousand elite soldiers would be fine if they were just cavalry, but if three thousand infantry were added, and the daily training and supplies were taken into account, the time would definitely be longer.
"Is there enough food for these days?"
The old man smiled when he heard this and said: "General, although we are short of food now, in the past two days, the warriors of the clan have cut down all the trees that can be found near us, which is enough for us to eat and start farming again next spring."
"This..." Li Yang hesitated.
He was originally planning to exchange money for food and grass, but now it seems that this road is not feasible.
Then there is only one way.
"General Li, have you encountered any trouble?" The old man keenly noticed the subtle changes in Li Yang's expression and asked.
Li Yang raised his head and looked at the old man. After a moment, he nodded, "There is indeed something that I need to trouble the old man to help."
The old man waved his hand: "General, it's serious. If you have anything to do, just give me your orders. We are protected from plunder by your protection. How can we shirk and refuse?"
Li Yang felt grateful when he heard this: "In that case, I will tell you directly."
The old man nodded solemnly: "I am all ears."
Li Yang looked at the village chief in front of him and said his plan seriously, "I want to lead five thousand cavalry to attack Qingshi City, but the journey is still a long way. If we go there now, I'm afraid it will be easy to scare the enemy."
"And we don't know much about the news in the city right now. Even if we investigate, there's nothing we can do, so we need the help of the old gentleman."
Hearing this, the village chief opened his eyes in surprise, with a look of astonishment on his face: "General, you are going to put shame on my face, little old man. How can I, a peasant from a mountain village, help you with such a big matter?"
"This matter has to be done by the old gentleman."
With a faint smile, Li Yang continued: "We must attack this attack quickly and cannot waste time, otherwise it will be bad if we attract the enemy's attention."
"And the plan I just mentioned to attack Qingshi City is for the old gentleman to be the matchmaker and for us to assist."
"As long as the old gentleman is willing to help, I promise that after the project is completed, he will treat the villagers well. I can even make you the mayor of Qingshi City in the future."
The village chief looked at Li Yang in shock, and it took him a while to react: "General, are you serious about this?"
His heart was beating hard.
He is an ordinary old farmer. He never thought that one day, he would be promised by a court general to serve as the mayor of Qingshi City.
"How dare you tease the old gentleman about something like this?"
Li Yang smiled.
Hearing Li Yang's affirmative reply, the village chief was very excited. He repeatedly patted his chest and expressed that he would do his best to cooperate, even if it cost his life.
…
Bluestone City.
This majestic giant city standing on the border of Qingzhou covers a vast area and has a bustling flow of people. The people around it have invested here, making Qingshi City more and more prosperous.
At the city gate, a team of patrol soldiers was checking every vendor entering the city.
"General, is this plan really feasible?"
At the end of the team, the old village chief pulled the carriage with some worry, and Li Yang, dressed like a farmer, followed behind him.
