"General, the Chu army abandoned the city and ran to the east! General Huipu has led his soldiers to pursue them!"
At night, the confidants hurriedly came to the camp and reported to Bai Yan.
When Bai Yan heard this, he was a little surprised. He didn't seem to have expected that the Chu army would move so quickly. According to Bai Yan's judgment of Chu State veteran Jing Xia, it was impossible for him to be so decisive. Obviously, there must be a very important person who has gone.
After passing through Qufu City, he met Jing Xia and personally persuaded Jing Xia to abandon the city.
"Here's an order: Anyone who burns, kills, loots, or insults the people in the city will be killed without mercy! Anyone who enters the city without permission will be guilty of the same crime."
Bai Yan was not in a hurry to find out who that person was. The most important thing at the moment was to prevent these soldiers from burning, killing and looting after entering the city.
Many soldiers were commoners of the Wei State before, and their inner greed and selfishness are often far higher than the laws and regulations in the army. At this time, we must not be soft. Once an opening is opened, then the entire people of Qufu City will be
Suffer.
"promise!"
The confidant quickly saluted, then turned and left.
"Hey, you immediately lead the cavalry into the city and guard each city gate."
Bai Yan saw that Gu had just arrived at the camp at this time and spoke directly.
Mu quickly stopped, raised his hands to Bai Yan and accepted the order, then turned around and left the camp.
In the dark night.
There was commotion everywhere in the Qin army's camp. There were densely packed soldiers holding torches, and many soldiers holding long swords and sharp blades. They were all at a loss and just followed the others.
The most important thing is that many soldiers who did not receive orders and did not need to chase the Chu army saw the chaotic scene and left the camp together to chase the Chu army.
Under the illumination of the torches held by his cronies, Bai Yan ordered the generals of the side cavalry in the camp to gather their respective commanders and corps commanders, and then the commanders and corps commanders went to find the people.
The generals on horseback are not allowed to move without authorization. They must also let their commander know where to find the general.
"General!"
Xiao He also came to Bai Yan under the escort of the soldiers. After saluting, Xiao He looked at the scene in the Qin army's camp. The shortcomings of the mixed army were fully exposed at this moment.
Fortunately, HP had been wary of the Chu army's night attack. Fortunately, the Chu army did not dare to attack at night.
If the Chu army really used all the troops in the city to attack the Qin army at night, I am afraid that there would be no match for the Chu army in this camp, and defeat would be a matter of time. And the Chu general Jing Xia was obviously worried that the Qin elite under Bai Yan would take advantage of this opportunity.
They defeated the Chu army, so they never dared to go out of the city to attack at night, and fought with the Qin army outside Qufu at night.
"Let's go into the city!"
When Bai Yan saw Xiao He, he opened his mouth and said, then he mounted his horse and rushed towards Qufu City with his trusted aides and Xiao He.
Inside Qufu City.
Bai Yan just rode into the city and saw empty wooden trailers in the city. There was no baggage, but he could clearly see injured Chu soldiers lying there in low spirits. Some of them could sit.
, when they saw Bai Yan and the cavalry officers, they all lowered their heads and stopped resisting.
Before Bai Yan could walk for a long time, he saw a group of old noblemen standing on the street among the many torches. When Bai Yan arrived, the leading old man stepped forward and started beating Bai Yan.
present.
"Qufu Jing family, Jing Leng, leading the three sons of the Jing family, respectfully welcome the general into the city!"
"Tu's family in Qufu, Tu Suichu, respectfully welcomes the general into the city!"
"Xiahou Yan and the Xiahou clan respectfully welcome the general into the city!!"
The Qufu City Guards, all the powerful families in the past, were all on the street now, respectfully greeting Bai Yan.
Everyone was instinctively afraid that the Qin army would enter the city and their families would be plundered or even wiped out. Therefore, after learning that the old general Jing Xia of the Chu State had abandoned the city, they immediately came to the city gate to welcome Bai Yan and the Qin army to the city.
.
As for the Chu State and the old general Jing Xia later retaking Qufu, these nobles are not worried about this. In the Chu State, none of them have any personal connections and their foundation is not deep. No matter when the Chu State retakes Qufu, no matter it is
They are not afraid of any Chu general who leads the army.
But now that the Qin army has brought them, no matter who it is, they are afraid that their family will suffer disaster.
"I have heard the name of General Bai Yan for a long time. I have ordered people to prepare a mansion for the general. There will be wine, meat and women. The general can go and rest."
Jing Leng took a step forward, and after everyone's noisy voices ended, he greeted Bai Yan alone. However, Jing Leng's maverick behavior was obviously known to other nobles, and they did not have the slightest intention to compete. They stood quietly where they were.
land.
"Thank you! Bai Yan has heard about Qu Fuleng's old name for a long time. When we see him today, he should be the one to apologize!"
Bai Yan got off his horse, came to Jing Leng, and saluted Jing Ling.
Although the Qufu Jing Family is only a branch of the Chu State Jing Family, in Qufu City, Jing Leng is one of the best in terms of status and reputation. If Bai Yan enters Qufu and wants to stabilize as soon as possible, he will not have countless little troubles.
The role of Jingleng is still very important.
Not to mention, Bai Yan received a letter from the Shi family very early. After Shi He learned that Bai Yan was planning to attack Qufu, he immediately asked Bai Yan in the letter not to harm the Jing family in Qufu. Now the Shi family and the Jing family in Qufu
The Jing family already has an in-law alliance, and both the Shi family and the Jing family will help Bai Yan.
How complicated is the gentry clan? After the demise of the Wei Kingdom, the status of the Shi family plummeted. However, because of the incident with Xi Cheng and the relationship between Bai Yan and Xi Yan, the Xi family has gradually moved closer to Bai Yan, and Jing Leng is also learning about Bai Yan.
After getting involved with Shiyan and learning that Bai Yan was from Qi, he proposed the marriage proposal to Shiyan without hesitation. The reason for this was except for Shiyan himself, but also for this day.
Ying Zheng asked Bai Yan to destroy Wei, and Wei fell. Once Bai Yan attacked Chu, even if Qufu fell into the hands of Qin, Jing Leng could rely on the relationship between Xi family, Shi Yan and Bai Yan to stabilize the Jing family.
status, even when the status of other noble families was in danger, it allowed the Jing family to take a step further.
Regardless of whether Qufu belongs to Chu or Qin, the Jing family will not be affected at all in this war.
on the street.
Under the illumination of many torches, Bai Yan and Jing Ling greeted each other politely, and in the exchange of words, they drew closer to each other.
Later, when faced with Jing Leng's invitation to host a banquet, Bai Yan declined, but he agreed and would go to the banquet soon. At this point, all the other nobles on the street had also received Bai Yan's promise in disguise that their
The family will not be destroyed.
All the nobles breathed a sigh of relief, and then when Bai Yan and Jing Ling were talking, everyone smiled and agreed. After a long time, seeing that Bai Yan had something to do, everyone followed Jing Ling and left together, each going back to their respective mansions.
.
Inside Qufu City.
In front of a mansion, the exquisite door was closed tightly, but inside the door, all the domestic slaves gathered behind the door, not daring to say a word. Whenever they heard the rapid and chaotic footsteps outside the door, all of them
The slave's heart was pounding and his whole body became tense.
In the quiet atmosphere, this moment is like experiencing a disaster for all the servants. Everyone hopes that this night will pass quickly, and everyone is afraid that suddenly the Qin army will come to the mansion, burn, kill and rob, and all of them will die.
on this night.
After all, the Qin army outside the city is a matter for the Wei people, and it has already spread throughout Qufu City. The Qin army rarely massacres the city, but who can guarantee that this person will not take the opportunity to loot Qufu.
Suddenly, the sound of iron hoofbeats suddenly came from outside the mansion, which made all the servants inside the door tense up and did not dare to move or breathe.
All the servants looked at each other in the dim night, hoping that the sound of iron hooves outside the door would pass quickly and not stop.
However, things went against expectations. As the sound of heavy iron hoofbeats outside the door became fainter and fainter, all the servants' eyes widened and their faces instantly turned pale.
During the trembling moment, the leading servant came to his senses and quickly patted the trembling servant on the side and gave him a look, instructing him to inform his master as soon as possible.
"Go quickly!"
When the leading servant heard that there was no movement outside the door, sweat was dripping from his forehead. The quieter the door was at this moment, the more frightened they became.
In the mansion.
“Are your belongings well hidden at home?”
"Be sure to watch the front door and the back door carefully. Remember, once the Qin army surrounds the mansion, immediately take the female family members of the mansion and find a place to hide in the mansion."
In the main hall, there were two middle-aged men wearing silk clothes. The older one kept walking back and forth, giving instructions to other women, young men and young women in the main hall.
Seeing the women's red eyes, the girls were leaning together with frightened expressions on their faces.
The middle-aged man could only sigh.
Now that the family is no longer what it was before, facing the sudden change in Qufu, all they can do is pray that the Qin army will not burn, kill, and plunder the city.
"Gu'er, your grandmother is old. If something happens later, you should take your grandmother to the warehouse immediately. The wood has been vacated there. You must hide in there without making a sound."
The middle-aged man said to a young man about twenty years old. Apparently the young man named Gu'er was his heir.
Above the main hall, there is a gray-haired old woman. Her old face is much more stable than those young women, girls, and even middle-aged women. She may have seen many strong winds and waves, and she does not show any panic.
.
"If the Qin army wants to kill them, what's the use of hiding?"
The old woman sighed and said softly.
Looking at the appearance of her eldest son and listening to his arrangements, the old woman couldn't help but think that if her husband was still alive, he would not be so panicked.
"Stop crying, there's no point in crying. In the past, when I asked you to leave Qufu, everyone was afraid that the Qin people were outside the city. Now that the Qin people have entered the city, it's too late to regret it."
The old woman looked at the wives, concubines, and daughters of her two sons, all crying, and the men looked pale and confused, and couldn't help but sigh again.
But it was helpless after all. In the past, the old woman said that Qin General Bai Yan was in Wei State. Although he ordered to dig canals to divert water, he did it as a last resort. You can tell from blocking the canals from behind that he is not a bad person.
, the diversion of water was due to the destruction of Wei and the destruction of the city, not out of disregard for the life and death of the people. Not to mention, there seemed to be rumors that Bai Yan had sent a letter to Xianyang to ask for food for the Wei people.
Such a general ordered the army to attack Qufu and specifically left the east city to leave. How could he embarrass the people who left?
What a pity.
No one in the mansion listened to her advice. They were worried that if they left Qufu, they would be caught by the Qin people. They were also worried that their property would be robbed and they would have nowhere to live. In the end, they all wanted to stay in Qufu, believing that the Chu army could defend the city of Qufu.
This is good news. The Chu army has abandoned the city and left. The Qin people may have entered the city and it is too late to leave now.
"Mother……"
The middle-aged man wanted to say something else, but suddenly, he saw the servant hurried into the main hall and knelt on the ground.
"Oh no, there are Qin troops parked outside the mansion!"
The servant opened his mouth to report.
As soon as the words fell, almost everyone in the main hall, except the old woman, turned pale. Another middle-aged man also slowly stood up and looked at his brother in panic.
"what to do?"
"Woooooooooo~~!!!"
Although the faces of the young women and some middle-aged women were frightened to death, at least they did not cry. However, the five or six young women were frightened to the point of tears in their eyes, especially one or two of them.
, as if thinking about the fate he might face next, he even broke down in tears.
"Mom, hurry up, Gu'er, take your grandmother to the warehouse!"
The older man was breathing uneasily, and his first thought was to ask his eldest son to take his mother and hide.
However, I never expected that the old woman shook her head at this time, stood up shakily, and held the cane in one hand.
"Zhan'er and Yu'er, follow the old woman and go to meet the Qin army outside the door. Ask people to move all the money in the house to the courtyard. No private possessions are allowed."
The old woman said, and after she finished speaking, she glanced at the women who had turned pale with fright, and then looked at the main door and walked slowly away.
"Bing'er!"
Gong Yangyu looked at his mother's appearance and thought that despite his age, he finally made his mother worry. Even at this time, he failed to take good care of his mother. Gong Yangyu's eyes turned red and he turned his head and asked his daughter to come over and help his mother.
Under Gong Yangyu's scolding, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old was full of fear, but when she saw the look in her father's eyes, she still held back the fear in her heart and stepped forward to help her grandmother.
After a while.
Just outside the main door of the main hall, soon, under the eyes of the old woman, Gong Yang Zhan, and Gong Yang Yu, they saw cavalry soldiers holding torches and wearing Qin swords appearing in the corridor in the distance.
Seeing those Qin soldiers who had been killing people on the battlefield all year round, not to mention the young girl next to the old woman, even the middle-aged Gong Yang Zhan, Gong Yang Yu was all nervous and his face was full of panic.
Neither of them knew whether they could survive tonight.
After a few breaths, a few people saw a young Qin general walking towards them, followed by several Qin soldiers.
Seeing that the young Qin general could command so many Qin soldiers, Gong Yang Zhan and Gong Yang Yu couldn't help but be surprised.
"General, I have ordered the servants to move the treasures in the mansion. General, please spare our family members!"
Under the white hair of the old woman, the eyes on her old face looked at the young Qin general who was approaching, prayed softly, and then knelt down.
Next to her, Jiu'er quickly followed suit and was about to kneel down.
However, what surprised Bi'er was that just when she was about to kneel down, she saw a pair of hands suddenly helping her grandmother up.
In this scene, not to mention Bie'er's unexpected surprises, the two brothers Gong Yang Zhan, Gong Yang Yu, and even the old woman all looked at the man in front of them, General Qin, in astonishment.
"I came here not to kill people and steal wealth."
Bai Yan gently helped the old woman up and spoke. Then he turned around and asked his cronies behind him to wait in the yard.
Gongyang Zhan, Gongyang Yu, and Gongyang Bier couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief after seeing the Qin army officers and soldiers taking orders and leaving. Then they looked at the general who had given the order.
The old woman was also looking at the Qin general with confusion at this moment, who turned around and kept looking at her.
"The general is not interested in wealth, so why?"
The old woman couldn't help but ask. After all, the old woman didn't believe that Qufu was so big that this Qin general came here by chance. There must be a reason for this Qin general to come here.
"Come for my grandmother!"
Bai Yan looked at the old woman, smiled gently, took a step back, raised his hand, and slowly bowed to the old woman in front of him.
Grandma?
When the old woman heard Bai Yan's words, she hadn't come back to her senses. What else could she have thought of when she saw Bai Yan making a ceremony. This immediately made the old woman, as well as all the Gongyang people inside and outside the main hall, dumbfounded.
.
What is going on? Why does this Qin general respect his grandmother so much?
"When my grandmother was young, she was taken care of by the Lu family. When I was young, my grandmother was often in my ears, remembering the past and her kindness..."
After Bai Yan finished the ceremony, he looked at the daughter of Lu Bo in front of him and explained softly.
After Lu Bo's niece married to the Chu State, her grandmother never had the chance to see her again. For decades, her grandmother has never forgotten this incident. Bai Yan came here today and wanted to see her.
Following Bai Yan's words, when Gong Yang Zhan and Gong Yang Yu were still confused, they saw that the old woman had already thought of something. Her breathing continued to be rapid on her old face, and her eyes were filled with tears. After two breaths, she started crying.
stand up.
"Cheng Ying, cheng Ying, cheng Ying!"
This old woman with gray hair looked at the young man in front of her, and kept repeating a name with her open mouth, and tears kept flowing down her cheeks.