The north wind carries gravel and blows it painfully on people's faces.
Looking around, there is no life at all between the sky and the earth. The rivers are dry, the grass and trees are withered, and occasionally there are a few old trees alone, and the bark of the trees has been stripped clean.
Dust was flying in the distance, and the hoofbeats of three horses were like thunder. They galloped for a long time before slowing down.
The three masters and servants on the horseback were all covered in travel dust, but they didn't care.
The master was young, about thirteen or fourteen years old, but he had a broad body, strong and rugged, and looked majestic like a tiger.
The two servants were also brave young men. They stayed by their side, their eyes always alert, and they vaguely protected the master's sides. Their bodies undulated slightly as the horses galloped, and they never left the handle of their swords, ready to fight at any time.
"Master, slow down, we are going too fast, the master is still behind us."
The servant's earnest words did not make the young man listen.
"Why are you panicking? I'm in a bad mood. I'm just running around to relax."
The servant said generously and steadily: "The land of Jifu is thousands of miles away, and there are refugees everywhere. I'm afraid something is going to happen. How about we go back to Tianjin and wait for the master to catch up and travel together to be safer."
It was okay if he didn't say it, but when he said this, the young man became angry.
"Why are you so cowardly? You can't defeat the Tatars in Liaodong, so why are you afraid of mere refugees?"
These words made the two servants become dejected and lamented again and again.
This young man's name is Zuo Mengeng, and he is the son of Zuo Liangyu, the commander of Liaodong Cheyouying.
Since childhood, he has been taught by his father's words and deeds, and he has practiced martial arts constantly, and has practiced martial arts well. People say that Zuo Liangyu has a successor.
Liaodong was the site of the Fourth War, and the Tatar offensive was fierce. After a hundred battles, generals were promoted very quickly.
As the Chief of Cheyouying, Zuo Liangyu was originally on the fast track to promotion and fortune.
Who would have expected that there would be unforeseen circumstances and disaster would be imminent.
Three months ago, there was a mutiny in Ningyuan. The troops transferred from Sichuan and Huguang, led by Yang Zhengchao and Zhang Sishun, imprisoned Liaodong Governor Bi Zisu, general officer Zhu Mei and others, and forced them to pay them.
As soon as the incident broke out, the whole country was in an uproar, and the court quickly responded.
Yuan Chonghuan and Governor Ji Liao went out alone, and the mutiny was quelled in just over a month.
Afterwards, there were rewards and punishments. Because some soldiers in the camp participated in the mutiny, Zuo Liangyu ate the melon and was dismissed from his post. Years of hard work were ruined in one day.
Unable to succeed as a second generation, Zuo Menggeng was extremely depressed and had to return to his hometown in Linqing with his father.
Being young and hyperactive, and in a bad mood, I had no choice but to let off steam and take two servants with me, galloping all the way.
Zuo Liangyu was afraid that just after passing Shanhaiguan, the three of them had already crossed Jinghai.
"The Southern Barbarian who was cut into pieces by a thousand swords, how can he be defeated in five years? Hahahahaha, let's see what will happen to you in the future?"
Zuo Mengeng pointed at the sky and cursed Yuan Chonghuan, finally feeling better.
The steady servant named Zuo Rong was always worried.
"Master, there are refugees everywhere. These people are so hungry that they will do anything. We don't dare to delay. Let's hurry up and rest in Qing County."
Zuo Mengeng didn't care.
"What kind of climate can a mere refugee have? If anyone dares to make a mistake, I will kill him with one knife and one horse."
Another servant Zuo Hua was also bold.
"The young master has the courage of Changshan Zhao Zilong. He will definitely inherit my mantle and become an invincible general in the future."
This flattery was not bad, Zuo Mengeng accepted it happily and finally speeded up his horse.
The three of them went all the way south, and finally arrived at Qingxian County when it was dark.
When he looked towards the city, he was surprised.
I saw the city gates were closed tightly, there were shadows on the city, soldiers patrolling in an endless stream, and the security was as tight as in wartime.
The three people hurriedly arrived at the city gate. The surroundings were deserted, except for a carriage with extraordinary decorations, which was also trapped in front of the city gate.
Four sturdy servants were guarding the carriage, and together with the coachman, they all looked at Zuo Mengeng and the others.
There was no other way. These three people were riding on horses, carrying bows on their backs, and had scimitars stuck to their saddles. It would be appropriate to call them ruthless bandits.
Zuo Mengeng had no time to care about other people's gazes and raised his head and shouted: "Why are the city gates closed?"
A head poked out of the city and said impatiently: "Who are you waiting for? Go away quickly, don't seek death."
Zuo Mengeng gritted his teeth angrily.
"There is only one city here within a hundred miles. We are not allowed to enter, so where can we rest?"
The people in the city are lazy.
"Grandpa can't control it. The county magistrate has ordered that thieves are running rampant. To prevent thieves from defrauding the city, no one is allowed in or out. You go quickly, otherwise grandpa will shoot an arrow."
Zuo Mengeng continued to yell and curse, but Zuo Rong quickly stopped him.
"Master, forget it, don't cause trouble."
Zuo Liangyu was dismissed from office, and no one could say when he would be reinstated. If something went wrong at this time, no one would tell Zuo Mengeng.
Zuo Mengeng spat hard.
"You bastards, grandpa will teach them a lesson one day."
A delicate female voice came from the carriage next to her.
"The lady asked, can't we enter the city?"
A servant came up and muttered something, but Zuo Menggeng and the other three couldn't hear it. Since they couldn't enter the city, they had to find another place to stay.
When they turned to leave, the three of them couldn't help but be stunned at the same time.
"What's that?"
I saw a long line of fire approaching rapidly on the horizon in the distance. In a moment, the line of fire connected into one, like a rolling cloud of fire.
The ground began to shake, and a shrill roar lifted up the yellow mist that filled the sky, and blood and murderous intent rushed toward the face.
A continuous sound of horns suddenly sounded from the city wall, bringing endless fear.
Zuo Rong was the first to react.
"No, it's thieves and they want to attack the city. Master, let's leave quickly!"
Needless to say, Zuo Mengeng and Zuo Hua also panicked. Without any time to think, they jerked their mounts and hurriedly ran to the side.
Although the thieves came very quickly, they were running on foot. All three of them had horses, so it was easy to avoid them.
The carriage next to it also understood what was going on, so it panicked and had no choice but to follow Zuo Mengeng and the others.
But how can a carriage compare to a fast horse? Plus, it's off the road, making it even more bumpy and difficult to move.
Even though a few servants helped push the cart hard, they were gradually chased by the thieves.
"Ah...ah...ah..."
The screams continued, and it was obvious that someone had been in trouble.
Although those servants were strong, they could still fight. They were defenseless in the face of the killing and could not survive.
The carriage was scattered in pieces, but more and more thieves climbed on it.
Finally, the horse pulling the carriage lost its stability, neighed, and was dragged by the carriage and fell to the ground.
The coachman was not afraid of death, so he went over and pulled out the two women from the carriage, trying to protect them and escape.
But a woman is weak and beaten to pieces, so how can she run fast?
When the thieves saw the woman, they became even more crazy.
Rush to the front and pull it.
The smaller girl screamed in terror and was thrown to the ground and never stood up again.
The coachman turned around to save him, but was stabbed in the face by the robbers, and his head was completely severed.
Zuo Mengeng had already run far away, but Leng Buding turned around and saw this scene.
He didn't know what he was thinking, but he turned his horse's head and rushed back.
"Master..."
Zuo Rong and Zuo Hua were in a hurry and quickly followed.
At this time, the remaining girls had fallen to the ground, looking at the gangsters approaching with a grin, feeling really filled with despair.
Even if you have a pair of scissors at this time, you can commit suicide.
If you fall into the hands of thieves, your life will be worse than death.
Do you want to destroy your family's rigorous style, elegance and purity in your own hands?
The thieves came forward, their yellow teeth full of saliva, like wild beasts.
"What a beautiful girl. Capture it and present it to the king. I will become rich!"
Seeing the thief's hand reaching out, the girl screamed and struggled desperately, but she knew it was useless.
Who can save her?
The sound of horse hooves suddenly came closer, the long knife shone like moonlight, the thieves turned into two pieces, and the blood spurted out and splashed all over the girl's head and body.
The horror and excitement were all before her eyes, which made the girl so stunned that she forgot about her own situation.
The other thieves were startled, and just as they were about to pounce, several arrows shot from a distance, nailing them to the ground one after another.
The murderous knight turned his horse around and came back.
The world in front of the girl's eyes instantly turned upside down, and she couldn't tell the difference between heaven and earth. Only the violent jolts alerted her.
"ah……………………"
Not long after the scream, a loud shout was heard.
"Shut up, if you yell again I'll throw you down."
The unquestionable order made the girl dare not speak out anymore. But she also understood that she was saved.
"Well... benefactor, please... please save my maid..."
Zuo Mengeng immediately turned around and saw that the other girl had long since disappeared. He could only say helplessly: "We can't save her."
"Master, leave quickly, the thieves have horses."
Zuo Rong and Zuo Hua came back to protect them and brought bad news.
In the far distance, behind the thieves, dozens of horsemen were rushing toward them.
Originally, Zuo Menggeng and the other three escaped immediately, and the thieves could not catch up with them anyway. But this time they went back to save people, the main force of the thieves came up.
What's even more troublesome is that among the thieves there are also people on horseback, and they are targeting them.
At this moment, they couldn't think too much. Zuo Menggeng and the others had no choice but to raise their whips and run as fast as they could.