When Song Huiyue and the others were hiding among the refugees, the old horse of the He family knew the way and pulled Mrs. He and her brother-in-law back to the He family. Amidst the soaring blood, the two of them were already cold.
Everyone waiting at the He family waited for a long time, but when they saw that there was still no movement in the carriage, only the smell of blood spread in the cold wind, they were all frightened and did not dare to step forward.
In the end, He Jianghuai stepped forward and opened the car curtain.
There were two corpses lying upside down in the carriage, with blood stained walls all around. The heads around their necks were all drooping in strange postures, leaving only a small amount of flesh connected to their necks.
Everyone present looked at each other in shock, as if someone had poured a basin of snow on their heads.
No one said anything. After a long while, the government officials rushed back to Zhizhou's government office and informed Zhizhou. Zhizhou quickly sent some people to check and ordered the government officials to search the whereabouts of the perpetrators. The He family and Mrs. He's natal family were both victims.
, each wrote a petition and came forward.
The government officials followed the rutted tracks all the way to the mass graves. Countless corpses were discarded on the mass graves. The corpses of the dead soldiers were lying in a pool of blood, still fresh.
Everyone searched for a long time, but the origins of these ten people were unknown. There were no household stickers or other items on their bodies, but they all carried murder weapons. When they took off their clothes to examine their injuries, they found that their bodies were covered with old and new scars, which was shocking.
The Yamen servant reported the concerns of the ten people to Zhizhou. The Zhizhou, fearing that it was the work of another country, had the body wrapped and taken to the punishment department. He also invited the commander-in-chief to come and conduct an inspection together, and at the same time issued an order to arrest the murderer.
Shuai Si ordered a group of soldiers to arrest him, lined up the door to search, and asked a painter to draw a portrait so that the arrest documents could be issued.
Everyone in the He family rushed to describe the appearance of the three of them to the painter. Needless to say, Li Jun was easy to recognize and had scars all over his face, but Song Huiyue and Yinxiao had different looks.
He Jianghuai said that Song Huiyue was thin and tanned, and that Yinxiao was ordinary and could not remember what he looked like.
He Xiaobao said that Song Huiyue was as beautiful as a fairy, and Yinxiao - he had never seen it directly.
The old lady next to Mrs. He said that these two people were fierce and evil. After describing them, the painter almost thought that Song Huiyue and Yinxiao were monsters, with three heads and six arms.
In the end, the painter neutralized everyone's words, and the painting was neither ugly nor beautiful, and could not be found among the crowd.
The night was restless, but the refugees calmed down. Yin Xiao fell into a nightmare. After closing his eyes, they were filled with blood and Han Beiqu.
Han Beiqu's face kept changing, sometimes it was a bronze crane, sometimes it was a dead soldier killed by him. They looked at him high, while he kept falling——
He suddenly opened his eyes, his whole body was covered in cold sweat, the wounds on his body were in pain, and the strong wind was raging in his ears. He held the spear tightly. As soon as he closed his eyes, he would think of the dark room over there, pouring down on him.
Food on the ground, sweet candy, and endless blood.
He had a headache and reached out to pat his head, but Song Huiyue's face suddenly appeared in his eyes.
"Headache?" Song Huiyue sat up, held his head and placed it on her lap, as if he was also her little brother, enjoying the same treatment as Song Qinghui.
He looked at Song Huiyue blankly, his expression longing and aggrieved, a hoarse voice rolled out of his throat, and his head rubbed against Song Huiyue's palm.
"It will be fine soon," Song Huiyue slowly stroked his hair, "Don't be afraid. If you stand under the sun for a long time, the sneakiness will naturally be driven away. Go to sleep."
Yin Xiao leaned heavily against Song Huiyue and fell asleep without thinking. He woke up before dawn and felt that his mind became clearer, but he did not open his eyes.
He could feel the softness and warmth under his head, and his nose was filled with biting cold air, which mixed with Song Huiyue's breath.
Song Huiyue moved slightly and seemed to wake up from her sleep. Then she put a hand on his head and stroked him lovingly.
Yin Xiao heard Li Jun yawning next to him, and his stomach let out a long growl: "I'm so thirsty."
Song Huiyue's voice was soft: "Yes, let's wait for the porridge."
Li Jun asked again: "Will there be recruitment today?"
"I don't know," Yin Xiao heard Song Huiyue say again, "Stop talking, save your energy, I'm thirsty."
Yin Xiao listened and continued to close his eyes and meditate obediently.
Everyone is thirsty, the blood in their throats has dried up, and their skin and flesh are stuck together. When they swallow the saliva, they feel like they are plowing a wasteland. They can't feel the presence of tongues and teeth, and their mouths are stuck together. If you want to speak,
First you have to tear the two lips apart.
The only thing that can quench their thirst and survive is a bowl of gruel.
The morning light came out, and the sun seemed to be fished out of the ice cellar. There was no warmth. They waited and waited. Instead of waiting for the porridge cook, they waited for the recruitment team of the Xiang Army.
In front of the refugee hut, there were many soldiers standing with weapons like hemp. Tables were lined up. A flag with black characters on a gold background floated in the air, with the word "Zhongrui" on it. A dozen baskets were carried under the table.
There are always copper coins.
There are three cloth and silk rulers, pens, inks, paper and inkstones, bows and arrows, etc. placed on the table. The officers and soldiers sitting in front of the table are all literate and can fill in the grids. There are also several calligraphers waiting aside, and those who pass the exam can do embroidery on the spot.
He also brought three strong military horses.
When recruiting soldiers, as long as they are qualified and those who have neglected their duties and are rough and tough will be admitted into the army, their past sins can be written off.
The refugees immediately started a commotion. Most of the refugees who had survived until now were physically strong people, but they were not willing to apply for recruitment at this time.
All refugees will be incorporated into the front army. When there is a dispute, they have to go to the battlefield. The front army has the most casualties. If the battle is tragic, it will be almost 1 out of 10.
Yinxiao sat up and asked Song Huiyue with his eyes if he would come forward. Song Huiyue shook her head and asked him to wait and see what happened.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, three young people stood up in the crowd and stepped forward.
Someone took the lead, and gradually others stood up, and soon a line formed. Only then did Song Huiyue patted Yinxiao, indicating that he could go forward.
"This is a point of no return." Li Jun smiled and stood up.
He stood behind Yin Xiao and watched Yin Xiao measure his body. The officers and soldiers reported: "Five feet six inches, qualified. Step back twenty steps to the right and cover your eyes."
Yinxiao exited, tested his eyesight, and then let the officers and soldiers see how he jumped, jumped, and jumped on and off his horse.
After reading everything, the officers and soldiers who filled in the boxes ordered him to come forward and asked him his name and age.
"Lou Yinxiao, fifteen."
The officers and soldiers asked what two characters they were, and gave him the grid and asked him to tattoo them.
The writer tattooed the word "Zhongrui" on the back of Yinxiao's hand, patted Yinxiao's shoulder, and motioned for him to go get the things.
Around him, several young people who had gotten tattoos sat dejectedly. The tattooing was not very painful. What made them uncomfortable was that after the tattooing, there was no way out.
This may be their starting point or their ending point. They will also have a share of the bones outside Dingzhou City.
It's too difficult to survive.
Yin Xiao just looked at the tattoo on the back of his hand, then looked back at Song Huiyue who was sitting there motionless, and then went to get ten pieces of money, a headscarf, silk hemp shoes, a cloth shirt, a waist tie, and cloth armor.
.
He doesn't care about life and is not afraid of death.