Wang Quanyou and his family are not very clear about what happened in Chang'an City.
They hid in the cellar and rarely showed up.
The next day after hiding in the cellar, they heard many people breaking into the house, making noises, smashing things, and running around. The group of rebels even ran around in the woodshed where the cellar was located.
Listening to the noisy footsteps going back and forth overhead, it almost scared the whole family out of their wits.
They were so frightened that they did not dare to make a sound, for fear that they would be discovered and then taken out and killed.
Wang Quanyou and his old servant Lao Wang knew very well what the rebels did. The two of them walked through Shang together. The bandits they encountered on the road were not as scary as the soldiers wearing imperial uniforms.
Bandits only forcefully rob and you can resist, but soldiers' robbery is legal robbery that cannot be resisted. If you resist, you are rebelling, and the soldiers can justifiably kill you.
Therefore, you can still resist when facing bandits, but when facing soldiers, you can only admit defeat and spend money to eliminate disasters.
Fortunately, the group of rebel soldiers did not discover the cellar in the woodshed, and the family was lucky enough to survive, relying on the water and food they had brought in before.
Save food and eat two or one meal a day.
They also save water, mainly for their two children. Wang Quanyou and Lao Wangtou basically rely on the wine stored in the cellar. It is not a high-altitude wine anyway. Drinking is about the same as drinking water, and it can also quench their thirst. .
For several days after that, except for the faint rumbling of explosions, they heard no footsteps close at hand. So every night, when the explosions stopped, Wang Quanyou would carefully lift the lid of the cellar. Quietly ran outside to see what was going on.
But the night was dark and windy, and what he could see was very limited. Apart from the chaos of war, he could not judge any specific situation, but he saw a lot of corpses.
However, this did not scare Wang Quanyou. He saw too many corpses while traveling around.
Although the danger is not small, if he runs outside like this, he can still find some food that has not been looted in the destroyed home, such as a few bags of surviving wheat.
After the pancakes were eaten, the wheat became a life-saving straw for the family. There was really no fuel for cooking, so they just chewed the wheat dry, which would always put something in their stomachs and prevent them from starving to death.
Except for Wang Quanyou who would occasionally sneak out to look for food at night, they waited and waited and waited.
Until one day, the frightening footsteps sounded above their heads again, and the family became nervous again.
However, this time they did not hear arrogant laughter and roaring, nor did they hear the sound of beating, smashing, and looting. Instead, they heard some conversations.
"This house is probably abandoned, right?"
"It looks like it's all been destroyed like this, and it's impossible for anyone to live there. After asking around, no one knows where the family has gone, so just write it as abandoned. The shell of the house is still there. With a little tidying up, it can be It can accommodate people.”
"Well, let's do that... But it's not an option if we continue like this. There are more and more refugees outside the city. Although this house is big, it can't accommodate that many people. Are there enough houses in Chang'an City?"
"The blame lies with Zhang Zhongyan. What kind of soldiers are he bringing? Are they here to fight or to rob? Fight and rob all the way! Bah! You bastard of a superior man! Sooner or later, his whole family will be liquidated!"
"Keep your voice down! Let's just talk about this in private. If outsiders hear it, things will be serious."
"I know... I just can't figure it out. We can kill these gold thieves on our own, so why join forces with that old bastard? Now we have to wipe their butts. You haven't seen General Zhou so angry. I’m about to draw my sword and kill someone.”
"Who says it's not? But the instructor said that this is a temporary measure. We must bear with it for the time being. Our power is not strong enough. Now is not the time to fall out."
"Ugh...how long can I endure this? I really almost couldn't hold it in anymore and had to petition my brothers collectively!"
Wang Quanyou strained his ears to listen to the conversation between the two people outside. Then, the two people's voices became farther and farther away, and finally they could no longer be heard.
What's happening here?
Wang Quanyou started to think.
The name Zhang Zhongyan is not unfamiliar to him. It is impossible to do business in Guanzhong without knowing Zhang Zhongyan of the Zhang family. He is the largest military and political leader in Guanzhong and a very senior official. His family also has a very transcendent status in Guanzhong.
Relying on this transcendent status, there are not a few people in the family who are engaged in business. Wang Quanyou himself knows a member of the Zhang family who is engaged in business. He is a domineering man who is known as a brother-in-law to the Jurchen chiefs in Guanzhong.
So much so that they sometimes didn't even look down on the Jurchens, and some low-status Jurchen officials had to be respectful in front of them, for fear of offending them and not getting any good results.
It relies on the power and prestige in Zhang Zhongyan's hands.
But what were those two people talking about just now?
Join forces with Zhang Zhongyan to take down the gold thief?
In a short conversation, Wang Quanyou, who was proficient in writing, extracted important information points - the person speaking was the Liberation Army. They teamed up with Zhang Zhongyan to deal with the Jin Army in Chang'an City. Now Chang'an City has been occupied by the Liberation Army.
The war is over?
Chang'an was occupied by the Liberation Army?
Did Zhang Zhongyan betray the Kingdom of Jin and join the Liberation Army?
This is real?
Wang Quanyou was greatly shaken. He felt that he could no longer hide in the cellar. There were some things that he had to go out to figure out the situation.
But it is very dangerous to go out, so you must explain something to your family.
Wang Quanyou explained to his wife and Lao Wangtou.
"In this situation, I don't know if it's safe outside, but no matter what, I have to go out to see what the situation is. If the war is over, we might be able to go out together, but remember, if I You must not go out until I come back. Remember, you can only come out if I come to you."
Li held Wang Quanyou's hand, feeling really uneasy.
"No, wait a little longer. Master, if something happens to you, how will we orphans and widowers survive?"
"Then we can't just sit back and have nothing. There is only so much wheat left. Sooner or later we have to finish it. If we finish it, will we starve to death here? We can't survive just by drinking."
Wang Quanyou broke away his hand and said warmly: "Don't worry, I will be careful to protect myself. You must be silent here and don't go out. Wait for me to come back!"
After explaining, Wang Quanyou opened the top cover and climbed out carefully.
It was noon now, and the sun was shining brightly outside. Wang Quanyou was so stung that he couldn't open his eyes. It took him a while to open his eyes and look outside.
He looked around and listened, but he didn't hear anything around him.
So he moved cautiously towards the main entrance, keeping an eye on all directions and listening in all directions, and put all the skills he had learned from traveling around as a businessman here.
When he reached the gate, he saw that the dilapidated door was ajar, and voices could be heard outside. Wang Quanyou swallowed, suppressed the fear in his heart, and stretched his head to look outside the door.
Then he froze.
He saw two people wearing ordinary cloth talking on the street outside. They looked calm, as if there was no danger around them - and indeed there was no danger around them. The body he saw when he came out at night was gone. The bloodstains were gone too.
As if nothing happened.
While they were talking here, another couple, a man and a woman, came over. The man was carrying a cloth bag, and the woman was holding a basket with... cooking cakes?
Then the four people started talking.
"Hey, Wang Er, you're back with the food? What's in the bag? Wheat?"
"Ah, there is wheat in the bag. These are cooking cakes. You can make porridge with the wheat and fill your stomach with cooking cakes. It's enough for five days. Let's try not to go to the West City area in these five days. There are many refugees there and it's easy to cause trouble. Wait. We'll find a place for them to live in a while and then we can go there and walk around."
"Well, I also heard what Instructor Wang said. A large number of refugees came from the west. I heard that there was food in Chang'an, so they all came to Chang'an. What are you talking about in Chang'an? We have just survived, and they came to follow us. What should we grab to eat?”
"Who says it's not the case? I finally got through it, and I thought I was going to die. Who knew that now I still have food to eat, and my whole family is still alive? Ha, it's just like a dream."
"If this is a dream, I hope I don't wake up from this dream. I have never seen an army like the Liberation Army since I can remember. If this was a dream, wouldn't I be dead now?"
"I'll pinch you to see if it hurts!"
"oops!"
"Hahaha, if it hurts, that means it's not a dream."
"Come on, let's go!"
"Let's go!"
A few people talked and laughed, and then the couple walked straight over, and the remaining two men also planned to leave in different directions.
After just a few steps, one of the men seemed to see something. He stopped, patted his friend next to him, and pointed in the direction of Wang Quanyou.
Then the friend saw Wang Quanyou looking out with a dull expression.
"you……"
"Is there... no more fighting in Chang'an?"
Wang Quanyou stood up, walked out of the house, and looked at the two people with an expression of disbelief.
The two looked at each other and then at Wang Quanyou, who had a dirty face. They felt strange.
"Are you a refugee outside the city?"
"I live here! This is my home!"
Wang Quanyou stepped forward and asked loudly: "Is the battle in Chang'an over? Is it safe? Is there no army to kill people?"
Wang Quanyou's appearance and movements were really scary. The two men were so frightened that they took a few steps back and then quickly left the place.
They felt that they should go to Instructor Wang, who was responsible for the security of this area.
A refugee who was talking nonsense suddenly appeared in this fine Dongcheng District. Could it be that something went wrong and caused some refugees to come directly from the west of the city?
Wang Quanyou couldn't get the answer and had no choice but to walk out.
He dragged his weak body forward and saw that there was no cruelty on the battlefield, no corpses, and no wailing people.
Is the war really over?
Is it really over?
Before he could figure it out, the two men who had just left ran over with several soldiers in military uniforms.
"Instructor Wang, that's him!"
Wang Kangping, the instructor in charge of public security and comfort issues in this area, followed the guidance of two enthusiastic Chang'an citizens and saw the "refugee" who was disheveled, dirty and shambling.
Hey, don’t tell me, they look really alike.
"Who are you? Why are you here? Did you come in from outside the city?"
He asked, and when Wang Quanyou saw the soldier holding the weapon, he was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't understand what he was asking, then his eyes widened with horror on his face, and he turned and ran away.
"catch him!"
Wang Kangping now confirmed that this person was not a citizen of Chang'an, so he immediately ordered the two soldiers around him to go forward and arrest him.
Wang Quanyou, who had not eaten well for a month, was really unable to exert any strength. After running a few steps, he fell to the ground and could not get up. Two soldiers immediately rushed to suppress him.
Wang Quanyou shouted in horror, "Don't kill me" and other words, and struggled hard, but he couldn't break free from the oppression of the two soldiers.
Wang Kangping looked at the horrified Wang Quanyou, shook his head and sighed.
"Okay, okay, I won't kill you, but you shouldn't run around. I said I would take care of you, so why are you running around? It's not like I won't give you food! The Liberation Army said they would take care of you, so they will I will take care of you! Why are you running?"
Wang Quanyou struggled for a while, but he really had no strength. When he heard Wang Kangping said that he would not kill him, he was overjoyed.
"You really won't kill me?"
"Of course I won't kill you! You are making us look like some evil people. We are the Liberation Army, not gold thieves, and we will not kill people indiscriminately. Since you arrived in Chang'an, have you ever seen the Liberation Army killing people indiscriminately? Are we really the same as the Liberation Army? The golden thief is different!”
"The Liberation Army? Are you the Liberation Army? Don't you kill people?"
"That said, it depends on who you are. You are not a gold thief. Why should I kill you?"
Wang Kangping walked up to Wang Quanyou, looked Wang Quanyou up and down, and suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Are you really a refugee?"
"ah?"
"Your clothes don't look like the clothes of a refugee."
Wang Kangfang didn't look carefully before, but now he looked carefully and found that although the clothes were dirty and damaged, they were obviously made of silk and had patterns. They were not the cloth used by ordinary people to make clothes, but also high-end ones that ordinary people could not afford. Taste.
this person……
Wang Quanyou suddenly reacted.
"Refugee? What kind of refugee? I'm not a refugee! I'm from Chang'an! I live here! I live here! That house is my home!"
"What?"
Wang Kangping and several others looked at Wang Quanyou who spoke loudly, and were all surprised.
Then, after struggling for almost half an hour, Wang Kangping and Wang Quanyou finally figured out each other's identities and gained each other's trust.
While crying, Wang Quanyou pulled his family up from the cellar, introduced them to Wang Kangping, and cried about what his family had experienced in the past month.
Wang Kangping and the people who followed him in were extremely surprised to learn that this family had actually escaped the catastrophe in Chang'an City by hiding in the cellar.
"It's such good luck that I was able to escape in that situation..."
Although hiding in the cellar and enduring the days was very difficult, at least he had food and drink, and he would not be captured and tortured as a coolie, nor would he be killed.
Those who did not escape were either robbed or signed to join the army and became cannon fodder to defend the city, with a very high mortality rate.
Even women who could not fight were used by the Jin army in the city on the battlefield in another way and made "contributions" to the battlefield.
There are really many people who died directly or indirectly because of these things, including a large number of women and young children, and countless families were broken up.
For this reason, the anger against the Jin soldiers in Chang'an City was so great that the commander-in-chief Zhang Yuejing had been dispatching military instructors to lead the residents of the city to hold public trials every day in the past few days, and publicly executed the Jin soldiers who had committed evil acts in order to calm down the situation. There was dissatisfaction among the people in the city.
As a result, the people of Chang'an City moved closer to the Liberation Army in a very short period of time.
Having said that, the heavy casualties are real, and Wang Quanyou's whole family is really lucky.
Finally, Wang Kangping took his crying family to his office to register and put in their names, place of origin and other information.
"You are lucky to be alive. The house will be returned to you naturally and will not be expropriated. However, it will be a bit troublesome to retrieve the things in the house and your lost belongings."
"I'm lucky to be alive. My whole family is safe and sound. I don't dare to ask for anything. Instructor Wang, please excuse me."
Wang Quanyou encountered a catastrophe and narrowly escaped death. He no longer cared much about money.
He thanked Wang Kangping and planned to take his family back to his hometown in the countryside when the situation stabilized. There were still houses and land in his hometown in the countryside, which was enough for them to live.
"That's fine, but you'd better register it. The rule of our Liberation Army is not to take anything from the common people. If there is an original owner, the property will naturally return to the original owner."
Wang Kangping smiled: "As long as the original owner is still alive and applies to the Liberation Army, we will not refuse. If we can find it, we will definitely return it to you and will not take your things in vain."
"Can...can I get it back?"
Wang Quanyou couldn't believe that this army, which used to be more ferocious than bandits, was actually so reasonable?
Is this the legendary Liberation Army that is so fierce that every time it conquers a place, it builds a Jingguan?
"Of course you can if you describe it in more detail. We have seized too many things after entering the city, and many people have died in the past month or so. But again, the original owner is still alive, applied for it, and described it in detail. The Liberation Army We will try our best to help you find your lost items.”
Wang Kangping handed the pen and paper to Wang Quanyou.
Wang Quanyou really didn't have much hope, but since the Liberation Army was so reasonable, he didn't want to waste this rare experience.
He wrote down the shapes, numbers and types of his three carriages.
As a businessman, he remembers these things very clearly.
He didn't hold out much hope. He felt that even if he wrote it down, it would be an extra psychological comfort. He bought a lot of land in his hometown with the money from business and built a house. Even if the business in the city could not continue, he could return to Being a landlord in my hometown can lead a comfortable life.
As long as you can live and your family is not lacking, nothing else matters.
