Chapter 5 Reunion
Previously, Deng Changjiang had no idea that Lu Sixiang was still alive!
Under normal circumstances, if the benefactor dies in battle, and the servants who follow him in the battle are generally unlikely to survive alone - unless you have a more noble mission, such as retrieving the body of the family master.
In this era, people took the burial of corpses very seriously. Even if they were beheaded and abandoned on the market, as long as possible, the family members would buy the head and sew it on the neck and bury it together; A wooden head was buried together with the body, which is called burial. The headless ghost cannot enjoy the sacrifices of future generations and will suffer eternal suffering in the underworld.
Deng Changjiang understood Lu Sixiang's feelings for Lu Yong. Taking a step back, Lu Sixiang, who was taken in and raised by Lu Yong, became a servant and a personal guard, and a personal guard and an adopted son. This status makes it even more impossible for him to betray his master and live in secret. In that case, he will become a millionaire. The reviled street rat only lasts a few days: not only will no one take him in, but there is a high probability that he will die on the side of the road in an incomprehensible manner soon - all military leaders, no matter how big or small, need to be reminded of his fate at all times. The importance of loyalty among subordinates.
Deng Changjiang also went to the battlefield on purpose, but Ma Xing did not stop him, and even felt very relieved: This guy is affectionate and righteous, and he did not misjudge the person.
Unless they were hung under their horses' necks to show off and frighten their opponents, the Mongols did not need their heads. Therefore, the battlefield basically remained the same as it was before. Of course, due to erosion by wind, rain, and gnawing by birds and animals, by the time Deng Changjiang left again, most of the corpses had become piles of withered bones half-covered by the yellow sand.
Deng Changjiang originally planned to collect the body of the old officer, but he was fully mentally prepared: identifying the body would take a long time - Tatars don't want heads, but the armor is a treasure, and they will definitely take it off, as well as weapons, clothes, and combat boots. It is impossible to survive even if you wait. Therefore, it will not be easy to find Lu Yong among the bones.
However, it is not impossible to do this because you can look at your teeth.
Of course, there were no dentists in the Ming Dynasty and no X-ray records. However, it is not impossible to find a few skeletons with relatively neat teeth among a pile of beggar bones, as long as you put in patience and time.
In that era when there were no improved varieties of pesticides and fertilizers, people relied entirely on the weather. A yield of two to three hundred kilograms per mu was definitely considered a bumper harvest. Eating half-dry and half-dry food for a whole year is a good year that will never be forgotten in a lifetime, not to mention the soldiers who are no different from beggars. Ordinary people have to rely on hard grain cakes and wild vegetable porridge to satisfy their hunger since the first deciduous teeth grow out. If they are older, after their teeth are replaced at the age of seven or eight, chewing grass roots and chewing tree bark is their daily life. Orthopedics and other orthodontics are more common. It's a fantasy, so most people's teeth are protruding in and out, incomplete and jagged, almost without exception - therefore, a good set of teeth is absolutely a sure sign of a well-off family.
Lu Yong is a hereditary general. No matter how good his life is as a civil servant, he is not even a bit better than a soldier - so his teeth will be easier to recognize. As long as we find a few bones with more than half a mouth of good teeth, and based on other characteristics such as height, height, body shape, fatness, and thinness, we can definitely determine which one is Lu Yong. Deng Changjiang had already made a plan in his mind. He found Lu Yong and took away a few corpses nearby, so that the old officer would have some companions below and would not be bullied, so he had an answer to his conscience.
However, when he arrived at the place, Deng Changjiang discovered Lu Yong's grave at a glance. The specifications were much better than what he originally planned. A large mound is lined with two smaller graves on the left and right - and there are actually tombstones made of wood! Of course Deng Changjiang couldn't read, but Lu Sixiang once drew the word "Lu" for him on the ground with a branch. There were so many strokes that it was dazzling. He admired his brother very much and left a deep impression on him, so he knew that this must be The old chief's grave.
Even if he broke Deng Changjiang's head, he would never have imagined that Naiqian Khan had people pile up the grave together with Lu Sixiang and other survivors. He was puzzled, so he simply didn't think about it, paid homage, kowtowed a few times, and then went back.
With the answer in mind, Deng Changjiang pretended to be angry and said: "What nonsense! You are a murderer. You are obviously crazy and blind. If you keep talking nonsense, I will kill you!" He reached into his arms and took out the broken silver and threw it away. Go down, "Buy some meat for the thieves and prisoners last night, and don't mistake the Tatars for bandits again!"
The city gate official lying underground was a veteran. How could he not understand what Deng Changjiang was saying? He hurriedly responded: "Sir Deng is right! The younger one is blind. Now that I think about it, those gangsters really have Tatar appearance. I thanked you for the brothers..."
Deng Changjiang ignored him and went to the assembly area while thinking about it. He asked the officers of Team B to divide the soldiers into five groups and "search" for market towns and fortresses in the five most unlikely directions: If "bandit traces" are discovered, all parties will join forces to suppress them. Within three days, they will return to camp and give orders. Then he rode back to Zhangjiakou Fort.
Returning to the camp, Deng Changjiang ordered his guards to collect some ration packs - for the Ming Dynasty's field troops, the emergency food for individual soldiers was mainly pasta. When needed, hot and cold water could be used to make some fried noodles with salt, and the dried sesame oil steamed cakes could be used to dip them. Eat it; some troops also distribute cloth strips, which are soaked in soju, salt and vinegar before drying, and then soaked and dried again many times. When necessary, cut off an inch each time, boil water and dip into cakes or stir-fry yellow cakes. Mi Tong cooked it and ate it - and then asked the gang leader to get some dried meat, water and wine. He took all the money he had saved privately, and also brought some paper money for incense and candles. He asked two trusted guards to carry them with them, and carried two Drawing his bow, whip and hoof, he went straight to Lu Yong's tomb.
Deng Changjiang left in no hurry.
The main battlefield, which is Lu Yong's burial ground, is near Yutailing, a hundred and twenty to thirty miles away from Xuan Mansion. Even if Lu Sixiang and his men had horses, they wouldn't be able to use them for at least half of the way. They would have to walk on two legs - the horses could only run along the official road. If this were the case, the cavalry of dozens of people would have already alarmed the forts along the way and the government. We can't get any news from the garrison. For the same reason, such a group of men, armed with weapons, will be very conspicuous together. They will definitely walk in twos and threes with a certain distance apart, so that they can be heard and heard, and everyone is within visual distance in front and behind, so that each other can Anaphora. Therefore, we are sure to catch up.
In front of Lu Yong's grave, eight or nine grinning heads were lined up, and more than twenty Mongolian and Han men in various costumes were kneeling down to worship.
The clatter of hoofbeats could be heard faintly, and everyone tensed up and grabbed the knives and sticks beside them. The leader, a big man, lay on the ground, listened attentively for a moment, then straightened up and said, "It's okay, it's just three or four riders, there is no sound of footsteps." Yan Bi waved his hand, and four or five people disappeared into the woods beside the road and dived towards the path where the hoofbeats came from, preparing to block the way back. The rest of the people formed a semi-circle of warning, watching warily in the direction where the hoofbeats were coming from.
Deng Changjiang, who was on horseback, saw the group of people from a distance. With a slight click of his stirrup, the horse understood the owner's intention, snorted, and started to trot. About a stone's throw away, Deng Changjiang raised his hand and shouted: "Four Elephants! Four Elephants brothers!" The shouts came from afar, and one could still hear some choking in excitement.
Lu Sixiang was also surprised when he vaguely recognized that the person was Deng Changjiang. He only remembered that Lao Deng was sent to ask for reinforcements, but he had no idea what happened next - in the turbulent years, a little Qianzong who lost his patronage was nothing more than an ant. He had no survival at all. What an extravagant hope to see each other again.
Deng Changjiang turned over and dismounted, and Lu Sixiang walked a few steps forward to meet him. Seeing the two of them hugging each other and communicating with each other in tears, two of Deng Changjiang's confidants secretly loosened their grip on the handle of the knife and also dismounted. , tied three horses to the roadside.
In front of Lu Yong's grave, the wine and meat brought by Deng Changjiang replaced the dry flour cakes, and the incense and candles were lit again. A group of murderous men fell to the ground and howled again. The heart-rending cry startled the birds dozens of feet away, and they flew away far away.
After the worship, Deng Changjiang glanced at the row of heads, turned around and bowed deeply to Lu Sixiang: "Brother Sixiang, my brother is incompetent and an embarrassment to you! Every day, he watches his enemies live happily, and only thinks that one day I took advantage of the chaos to kill this guy secretly, and it’s a pleasure for you, brother!”
Lu Sixiang did not stop him, he stood calmly and accepted the gift, and said with emotion: "My brother came so quickly, of course I understand my brother's thoughts and loyalty. So I accepted this gift from my brother, this filial piety to my adoptive father, Of course I have to include my brother, my adoptive father will be happy down there."
Everyone sat on the ground and talked about their respective situations after parting with each other, sighing.
Finally, Deng Changjiang asked: "Brother Sixiang, what are your plans in the future?"
Lu Sixiang smiled miserably: "When we heard that my foster father's house was confiscated by the dog officials, we could no longer bear to eat in the desert and wait to die. The Tatars did not make it difficult for us, and we picked up a few more bitter brothers on the way. God has opened our eyes to teach us that great revenge can be avenged. We can't go back to the Tatars and sooner or later fight against our former brothers on the battlefield, right? Take one step at a time. As long as you have a knife in your hand, you will starve to death for a while. What else can you plan? "
Deng Changjiang said slowly: "Brother, don't blame me. I still have a few words from my heart. The road of surrendering to the army is absolutely impossible. It is impossible for the officials not to pursue such a big thing as destroying a whole family of dog officials." Of course, the Dusi Mansion will investigate all the way, and the factory guards from the East Factory will also come down. It’s not that my brother is timid. If he brings a few or two strangers back to the camp, he can give it a try. Sooner or later, these many brothers will definitely not be able to hide it. You He is also the son of an old general, so there will always be someone he recognizes. It was because the city gate official recognized my brother that I came all the way to find him..."
Lu Sixiang interrupted Deng Changjiang: "Brother, there is no need to say any more. I understand and I will not drag down my brother."
Deng Changjiang said sternly: "Brother, what are you talking about? It's hard for me to kill myself to repay the late general's great kindness. How can I say it's not a drag? You have already repaid the late general's great kindness, and you can't stay here for long. What I mean is, Brothers might as well return to their original surnames for the time being, and wait until they have a bloodline in the future, and then give the late general a piece of incense when he adopts him. On the one hand, he can avoid the wind, and on the other hand, he can be considered worthy of the late general in the underground, so don't stop offering sacrifices. Otherwise, if the official family Find out the relationship between this matter..." As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Yong's grave, "I'm afraid it will disturb the peace of the late general!"
Lu Sixiang suddenly realized. After thinking for a moment, he clasped his fists and said, "Brother is right."
He turned around and bowed to Lu Yong's grave again: "My foster father is above me. It's hard to repay the kindness of my foster father with my life. I'm really afraid that the dog officials will come and disturb your purity. Today, I will change my surname back to my original name for the time being. My foster father will bless my child. If I have a bloodline in the future, I will continue to pay tribute to my adoptive father!" After saying this, he kowtowed three times.
Deng Changjiang signaled to the two personal guards, and the three of them unloaded the leather armor and other items together, and said to Lu Sixiang: "Brothers must know that the army is very strict with iron armor. Besides, it is too heavy and eye-catching. These three pairs of leather armor , brother, you have to put down your self-defense. You can also bring two walking bows. It won't help. In an emergency, blocking the pursuers will definitely be more useful than your few Tatar cavalry bows. I also prepared them. Bring some money and dry food, brothers."
Lu Sixiang opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Deng Changjiang laughed and scolded: "You are such a tall man, please don't say anything like a bitch!" Then he added: "The order has not yet arrived, brothers must get over the edge as soon as possible. Wall, and then all the way to the west, past Yanghewei and back again, it should not be so strict when you reach the boundary of Shanxi Xingdusi in Datong Prefecture. So don’t worry, General, I will come every year to worship and sweep, and there will be no shortage of offerings. . I heard that there is not much peace in Shaanxi, and it is not difficult for brothers to make a fool of themselves with their skills. I also heard that Mr. Shu said that Mizhi’s mother-in-law is very famous, hahaha..."
"I still have to go back and show off, and help my brothers carry out some searches." After saying this, Deng Changjiang got on the horse, turned around and gave Lu Sixiang and others a fist in the arm: "Brothers, take care, see you later"!
Lu Sixiang and others returned the favor and said goodbye.
Watching Deng Changjiang and the others leave, Lu Sixiang and others began to pack up the items he had brought, and distributed silver coins, dry food, etc. to each group (a group traveling together). The leader of the group, You Futian, wore leather vests and coats to cover them up. The bows and arrows were left to Gao Fujidou and other veterans who were in charge of the rear.
Seeing Takato Dou unstringing his bow, someone asked the newly recruited guy on the way, who had only been a bandit but not a soldier, "What are you doing? After you unstring the bow, what will you do if you encounter officers and soldiers?"
But taking the opportunity to show off, Gao Tengdou snorted from his nose: "What a country bumpkin has no idea, this bow and arrow are so delicate! The string is always stretched, and soon the bow will become stiff, no longer elastic, and it will break when you pull it. ! The bowstring is afraid of water, and it will become useless if it gets wet with rain and dew! The sword and stick are for self-defense, so officials naturally can’t help it. But the armor can protect the body, and the bow and crossbow are specially designed to attack far distances. Ordinary people are equipped with these two, what do you want to do? What? If you expose these things, you are seeking death, and you can’t blame anyone else!"
The guy who was scolded was unconvinced and said: "What should we do if we use up the time?"
Gao Tengdou was even more disdainful: "Bullshit! This thing is most effective when you are ten or twenty steps away from the enemy. Even if you are unarmored, it doesn't matter if you are hit by an arrow a hundred steps away. Are you blind? You can spot danger within a mile or two. By then, I will have already set it up!" As he spoke, he did not stop with his hands. He wound the bowstring around his fingers a few times, wrapped it in a rag and put it in his arms, and then used a longer string. He wrapped the bow in rags and began to tie it to the questioner's back, "Carry it carefully for me. I'll kill you if you get in trouble!"
Lu Sixiang, oh, I should call him Guan Shengyun from now on, snickered from the side ~ It seems that this shameless pervert wanted to take advantage of him, but he was dragged away by force, and his anger has not subsided...
