The sun peeked halfway out from behind the clouds, shining its rays on the muddy road. Gao Jishe's mood improved. After experiencing such a cruel war, he was on the losing side and still survived with his limbs intact. This was a rare blessing. The elders in the monastery said that lucky people should be grateful, because they did not get the benefits on their own. Otherwise, not only would the gods and Buddhas not continue to give, they would also take away what has been given.
About half an hour later, the market town arrived. This market town is not big, with only one street, but it is very lively: the street is full of pigs and children, most of the burned buildings have been knocked down, some of the open spaces are planted with vegetables, and some are occupied by merchants' tents. Houses are also being built, a stone inn has replaced the burned-out wooden inn, the roof of a wine shop is being laid with grass, and the air is filled with the sound of saws and hammers.
People carry lumber on their shoulders through the streets, and oxcarts loaded with various materials move along the dirt paths. There are even a few sentries armed with spears at the entrance to the market town - they are collecting taxes from those who enter the market town. Gao Jishe took the boy into the wine shop where the roof was being laid, and found a place to sit down.
"It's so lively!" The boy looked around curiously: "I was here before the war, and it's even more lively now than before!"
"That's natural!" A man at the next table sneered: "Haven't you heard? The Tang Dynasty wanted to move all the people in Pyongyang to the Tang Dynasty, so many people fled to the countryside. This place is not far from Pyongyang, so people It’s so much more natural!”
"Moving the masters from Pyongyang? Is there such a thing?" A businessman leaned over and said, "Didn't all the Tang people enter Pyongyang a few days ago? Why haven't I heard of it before?"
"Before was before, now is now!" The man sneered: "Actually, this is also a method used by the Tang people. Every time they conquered a country, they would move away all the nobles and craftsmen in the country to prevent the situation from changing. These people They raised an army to resist again, which is what they did in Baekje!"
"That's true, I've heard of it too!" The businessman nodded: "But wasn't it because of this that the Baekje people rebelled again and fought for several years? I thought the Tang people suffered a loss that time. You will learn a lesson!”
"Learn a lesson?" The man sneered: "Maybe this time the Tang people feel that they have been prepared, so they are not afraid of anyone resisting again!"
"Hey, I heard that the Tang State was much richer than our Goguryeo. Isn't it a blessing in disguise that those people were moved to the Tang State?" Someone laughed.
"The Tang Kingdom is richer than our Goguryeo!" The businessman laughed: "But not everywhere is better. Except for a few of the relocated people who can live in Chang'an and Luoyang, the others will probably be placed in sparsely populated remote areas. But it may not be as good as here. Besides, they all have families and businesses here, and some have servants. When they go there, they can at most allocate a piece of wasteland and two thatched huts, and they are tax-free for two years, and the rest is It would be hell to start from scratch!"
"Yes, that makes us farmers feel at ease!"
"That's natural. No matter who sits on top, people have to cultivate the land and pay for food. What the Tang people are worried about are those guys who have martial arts, reputations, understand the art of war, and have the ability to cause trouble for them. Cowards like you and me, Tang Talents are too lazy to make the effort to move away!”
"You have martial arts skills, a reputation, and know the art of war? Hey, aren't they talking about you?" the boy whispered.
Gao Jishe coughed and almost spit out the drink in his mouth. He forced a smile and said: "Don't talk nonsense. I will only farm from now on. How can I cause trouble for the Tang people!"
"Really?" The boy glanced at the high chicken coop in surprise: "Are you really planning to farm the land for the rest of your life?"
Damn it! If even a child doesn't believe your words, how can you convince the people of Tang Dynasty? Gao Jishe sighed. He suddenly felt that his future pastoral life was not so attractive.
Someone lifted the door curtain and walked in. This was a man in ragged clothes and with a thin build. His eyes swept around, and finally stopped at the high chicken coop: "There is an empty seat here, can I sit down?"
"Please!" Gao Jishe nodded and asked the boy to move to the side.
"Have you ever fought in a war?" the man asked enthusiastically.
"Well!" Gao Jishe didn't care about the other party's problems. He regarded him as a gangster in the market town: "Too many people have fought in the war!"
"But you are different!" The man pointed to the leather boots of the high chicken coop and the bow and quiver beside it: "You are wearing riding boots, and your arrows are longer than ordinary arrows. This is not It’s something that ordinary people can use. Is there your horse out there? I bet you were at least a centurion when you were in the army!”
"What Governor of a Hundred! My uncle was once a general!" The boy couldn't control his temper and interrupted.
"Shut up!" Gao Jishe shouted to stop the boy. His right hand was already pressed on the handle of the knife without any trace: "I have never been a general. These are children's nonsense. Don't take it seriously. Also, this It’s very dangerous to randomly inquire about other people’s pasts in such a place, it’s dangerous for me, and it’s dangerous for you too!”
"Hehehehe!" The man laughed and raised his hands: "I have no malice. Look, I don't have weapons in my hands. I just have a plan to make a fortune together. Are you interested?"
"No!" Gao Jishe interrupted the man without hesitation. He placed his saber across the table: "Now get off this table right away!"
The man quickly stood up and backed away. The boy lowered his head: "It's my fault, I shouldn't have said anything just now!"
"Nothing!" Gaojishe waved his hand: "That guy stared at us as soon as we entered the door. If you say nothing, he will come over! Hurry up and eat, and then let's get out of here!"
The boy nodded, and his eating speed became faster. Soon the two of them finished eating, exchanged money, and then went to the backyard to get the horse and left the market town.
The two of them had not gone far out of the market town when Gao Chicken Coop felt like someone was following him from behind. He asked the boy to take off the package from the horse and put on the scale armor inside and the broad robe on the outside. As soon as he changed his clothes, he heard a sharp whistle, and then a rustling sound came from behind the trees.
"Follow my horse later, don't stay too far away from me!" Gao Jishe said. He got on his horse, drew out his horn bow, and took out three arrows. One was on the string, and the other two were held between his fingers. Like a frightened cat.
The bushes shook, and three people came out from behind. They were covered in mud, like plants emerging from the ground. All three of them had weapons in their hands: short spears, missing horizontal knives, and rusty axes. They The leather armor on his body is worn out, but it can still protect his body's vitals.
This was a group of deserters, or bandits, and the two words were almost synonymous at this time.
Everything seemed to happen in a heartbeat. The fourth man quietly emerged from behind, his voice softer than a snake gliding through wet leaves. He wears a rusty iron helmet with a pheasant feather on the helmet, which seems to be the leader's logo. He holds a short and thick mace. Behind him is an archer - Gao Jishe recognizes this face. The man who had stared at him in the wine shop.
"General, we meet again, this world is so small!" Compared with when he was in the wine shop just now, the archer was much more proud at this time: "You were so rude just now, you should at least listen to what I have to say!"
"I'm not a general, and I don't want to get rich!" Gao Jishe said coldly, thinking about the order of shooting.
"You are the general, General Gao! I have seen you!" the archer smiled.
"You ever met me?"
"That's right!" The archer smiled proudly: "Don't think about it, how could you have an impression of a little person like me in the first place!"
"Okay, then what do you want to do now? Let me listen to your plan to get rich?" Gao Jishe sneered.
"That's right, but it's not you who are getting rich, but us!" At this point, he suddenly shouted angrily: "Don't pretend to be stupid. The famous General Baima Gao disguised himself as an ordinary poor man and returned home. You must have a lot of wealth on your body." Treasure, right? If you hand it over, you can save your life. Don’t be stupid, there is a crossbowman in the bushes, he can kill you with just one move of his finger!"
Gao Jishe's eyes swept across the bushes, and a thought suddenly flashed in his mind: "If the thief really has a crossbow, why not just shoot himself to death first, or at least kill the horse. The treasure won't open its legs on its own anyway." !”
He saved Gao Jishe's life this year. He lowered his head subconsciously and raised his shoulders. The arrow hit his shoulder, but it bounced away - the cold-quenched armor was harder than the flint arrowhead. The man with the mace yelled loudly and rushed up. Gaojihouse kicked the horse's belly. The war horse neighed and rushed forward. At the same time, Gaojihouse hit the archer with an arrow, shooting the cunning enemy. Unfortunately, the man holding the mace made a mistake. He jumped to the side, trying to avoid it, but his foot missed the mark and he fell onto his back.
The boy who followed the war horse quickly drew out his sword and stabbed it hard. The smooth blade pierced the throat and blood spattered everywhere, like a pierced water bag.
He bowed and stringed his bow, twisted around and aimed at the chasing enemy, loosened the bowstring, and the arrow penetrated the chest of the man holding the iron axe. He fell down screaming, followed by the third arrow, and he was no longer there. He took the arrows from his quiver, pulled out his sword, turned his horse's head and rushed over. After a while, two more bodies appeared on the ground, and the survivors escaped into the thorn bushes.
The archer was shot through the shoulder. He trembled and tried to escape. "I surrender!" He shouted: "Don't kill me, don't kill me. I know a very important news!"
"I'm not interested in your news!" Gao Jigu stepped on the archer's chest, trampled him to the ground, and said to the boy: "Come on, kill this guy!"
The boy came over nervously. He had just killed someone in a panic. He was still a little nervous at this time. He raised his long sword and pointed the tip of the sword at the archer. The archer shouted nervously: "Really, I can give you Find a way out. The Tang people are searching for heroes like you everywhere and want to take you to the Tang Kingdom. It’s useless even if you escape back to your hometown. Your name and place of origin must be on the list. Besides, even if you can’t be found, your The family will also be moved away!"
Gao Jishe's expression turned gloomy. He snatched the sword from the young man's hand and put the sword's edge directly at the archer's throat: "Tell me, I don't have any patience!"
The archer licked his lips, knowing that his life was in danger: "There is a Japanese who is recruiting Goguryeo heroes. No matter who he is, as long as he is willing to serve his master, his master can provide him with a place to stay! "
"Provide a place to stay?" Gao Jishe sneered: "It must not be in Goguryeo, right? What's the difference between that and being moved to Tang Dynasty?"
"No, no, that's not what you mean!" Feeling the pressure of the sword, the archer shouted quickly: "What the Japanese meant is that his master can provide a territory for the heroes and their families to live in!"
Gao Jishe snorted coldly. For a village hero like him, the foundation for his livelihood is the territory, the family and the clan members from generation to generation. If you have to choose between territory and family clan, choose the latter. After all, Goguryeo is located outside the customs, and there is a lot of land to be developed. As long as the family tribe is still there, there is still a chance to make a comeback, and if the territory is gone, you can still find a way. And if they were forcibly moved away by the Tang people, they would most likely be divided and conquered, and the whole tribe would be lost and greatly changed, and then everything would be over.
"How to find that Japanese?" Gao Jishe asked.
"It's in that market town!" Archer hurriedly said: "Every five days, his people will come to that wine shop to sit there for an afternoon. If you think about it, he will be here tomorrow!"
"That's fine!" Gao Jishe moved his feet away from the archer's chest, and he smiled: "Looking at this matter, I will let you go this time, get up and get out!"
"Thank you, general, thank you so much, general!" The archer was overjoyed when he heard this. He quickly turned over and kowtowed twice. He stood up and was about to leave, but he felt a chill in his heart as the sword blade penetrated his chest and came out.
"I spared you, but this sword can't spare you!" Gao Jishe withdrew the sword, and while the blood was still cold, he inserted the blade into the wet mud four or five times, wiped it clean on the body, and then inserted it in the sheath.
"Are we going back to the market town?" the boy asked.
"Yes!" Gao Jishe nodded: "This thief is actually right in what he said. Even if I could escape back to my hometown, I would not be able to escape from the hands of the Tang people. Even if someone like me could escape back to my hometown, it would be impossible." Get peace!"
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"It's right in front, we're here!" Wang Pu pointed not far away: "Acton, it is said to be a town, but it is actually just a pile of ruins. When I came here last time, there were only a few complete houses!"
"It's definitely much better than my village!" Acton laughed: "At least there are stone houses. The best house in my village also has a thatched roof!"
"Really, I'd like to go take a look if I get the chance! There are boats made of bark, and there are bears that can stun fish with wooden sticks and have their palms stuck to honey! Big trees that can cover the entire village!" Wang Pu He smiled and said, "You couldn't have made these up to lie to me, right?"
(End of chapter)
