Chapter 230 Dusk snow enters most of the capital
Snowflakes, large areas of snowflakes, fluttered one after another and fell from the sky. The ground soon became a thick layer. In the roaring north wind, it was rolled up from time to time, and it was impossible to tell where the sky was and where the earth was.
Most people huddled in their homes, burning charcoal fires and shivering to spend this time. They all say that Ruixue promises a bumper harvest, but people walking on the road are not this kind of psychology.
On the pipeline of Baoding Road, a team of carriages are walking with difficulty in the wind and snow. The wheels pressed deep ruts in the snow, and the first carriage on the road, even if there were two horses, walked very slowly.
The drivers are very careful. In this weather, after the wheels are pressed, they form dark ice. If you don't pay attention, the car will slide out of the pipe and turn over. Just now, a horse accidentally fell down and broke its leg. The goods on the carriage were transferred to several other carriages.
A carriage in the middle was surrounded by thick felt cloth. The people in the carriage were wrapped in thick fur coats, but they were still shivering with cold.
"Dad, we are staying well in Yangzhou. Why do we have to move to Dadu? The environment here is so bad that I want to go back to Yangzhou!" One of the women wrapped in white coats said with their hands that were about to freeze.
"Yangzhou is about to be attacked by the turbulent army. Do you want our whole family to die in it?" A majestic old man sitting in the middle said.
It was the He family in Yangzhou. They took a boat to Dadu. They didn't want to freeze in the north. The canal had been closed, so they had to take the land route. As a result, they missed the time. They could have rushed to Dadu a year ago. They didn't expect that they were now after the New Year's Eve, but they are still walking slowly on Baoding Road. However, after Baoding Road, they can go to Dadu.
"Well, will you be killed by the turbulent army in Yangzhou? I don't believe it. I think that if you come here, you won't be frozen to death, and you will be tossed to death.
"You!"
"Sister, just say less. Anyway, we are here. Let's stick to it for another two days. When we get to Dadu, we can settle down. We are very hard in the background of Dadu. We can have better development in Dadu." Big brother He Zhaoren said.
Leving his second brother He Zhaojie in Yangzhou is equivalent to handing over all the business in Yangzhou to him. Although He Zhaoren is dissatisfied, he can't oppose it. However, when he arrives in Dadu, it is a new beginning. He believes that in Dadu, he can do better and make his father satisfied with himself. Even if he is not a salt merchant, he can sell grain from the south to the north. Along the way, he saw that the land around him was desolate, and the profit must be very large.
He Zhaoyi pouted and came all the way. She was tired of it. It was so cold here that it was not suitable for a young lady like her to live in. She wanted to go back to the south.
She has always felt that the second brother He Zhaojie must be instigating her father. What's wrong with the chaotic soldiers? She has lived in the salt farm for so long, and she has a certain understanding of the soldiers and horses of the rebel Zhang Shicheng. They are all poor people. They had no choice but to raise troops to rebel and did not kill innocent people indiscriminately. Those big families who were slaughtered by the whole family were all evil landlords and bullies. Her family established a family with commerce, and there was no land at all, and she already knew that Zhang Shicheng attached great importance to commerce, so even Zhang Shicheng occupied it. Yangzhou will not do anything to the He family. On the contrary, with her relationship with Zhang Shicheng, the He family can also take over Zhang Shicheng's refined salt and wait for the opportunity to make the business bigger. Even Shen Wansan can make a deal with Zhang Shicheng. Why can't the He family do it?
But her father was biased against her, especially when she fled her family again and lived in the anti-thief area for so long. It was good that her father didn't tie her up, and she didn't dare to say more.
" Hiss!" Suddenly, the horses of the motorcade hissed and then stopped.
What's going on? He Zhaoren opened the curtain and wanted to pok his head out.
"Bang!" He Zhaoren suddenly looked up to the sky and fell back into the car. A sharp arrow had been inserted into his chest.
"Big brother, big brother!" He Zhaoyi's mind suddenly went blank. What happened? Who is hurting people with hidden arrows?
"Hide down!" He Zhaoren tried his best to say the last sentence.
"Wh, th, thuff." Several sharp arrows flew over and hit all of them on the car.
He Zhaoyi leaned his head out of the door curtain. It was already a Shura hell outside.
I don't know where the arrows flew from. The fleet was scattered around. The horse that was hit by the arrow fell to the ground, and the car then turned over to one side, completely unable to move. Some drivers and housewrights hid on the side of the car, and some of them had been hit by arrows and fell to the ground.
Encountered an attack? Who did it? At this critical moment, He Zhaoyi's mind suddenly became clear. It must be that his convoy was being targeted. When this man was sleepy, he suddenly launched an attack.
As expected, after a few rounds of arrow rain, a team of people and horses ran out of the forest on the left. The leading horses, more waving the machete in their hands, shouted and rushed up. Their heads were tied with red headscarves.
"It's the Red Turban Army!" He Zhaoyi was shocked. Along the way, I have been waring Liu Futong, who is coiled in Jiangbei, but there is no danger. Unexpectedly, now he is about to arrive in the capital, but he meets the Red Turban Army! Isn't it said that it is safer here and there is no red scarf army activities?
No one answered He Zhaoyi's question. The machete in their hands kept waving and getting closer and closer. He Zhaoyi didn't know what to do. It's better to die directly in the hands of this group of people!
"Dad!" He Zhaoyi looked back again and found that his father didn't know when, although he had been hit by an arrow in the chest, he still opened his eyes angrily and couldn't close his eyes!
"Miss, let's get out of here quickly." At this moment, Xiao Ai in the car in front of her hurried over, opened the curtain, and said to He Zhaoyi.
Looking back at the two relatives who were still laughing just now, He Zhaoyi suppressed her grief and jumped out of the carriage. She knew that only by living could she avenge her father and eldest brother!
The remaining family took out their weapons from the carriage and greeted them without hesitation. Although they were flying moths to the fire, only when they blocked the red scarf army could delay the departure of the young lady. They were the confidants of the He family. They were still loyal to the sudden disaster.
He Zhaoyi turned her head and took a look. She knew that these people were still alive, but they were about to turn into cold corpses.
"Miss, let's go!" Xiao Ai said.
He Zhaoyi turned around, gritted his teeth, and ran to the woods on the other side.
"Someone has run away, chase!" The red scarf soldiers who chased them first escaped. They cut down several people who rushed up, and the leaders patted their horses and chased them. Looking at the running posture, it should be two women. As they chased, they showed a few silver smiles.
It's not very fast to ride in the snow, but the horses in the north are used to the ice and snow, so they can still run. As long as they don't touch the dark ice, they are still very calm.
He Zhaoyi has a sense of powerlessness. The pursuers behind her are getting closer and closer. No matter how fast she runs, she can't run a four-legged horse. The other party must want to catch herself alive, so he didn't shoot an arrow and fell into the other party's hands. It must be worse than death. Not every volunteer army is as disciplined as Zhang Shicheng's army, at least the one in front of her. The army is not, otherwise, they will not attack their own convoys. They are simply a bunch of poles!
Her legs seemed to be full of lead, and she ran more and more slowly. Xiao Ai dragged her several times, but she could not get out of danger, but the sound of horses' hoofs behind her was getting closer and closer.
"Ouch!" Suddenly, He Zhaoyi stepped into a snow nest, and a hot pain came from his feet, and he twisted his feet! I can't run away now.
I'm not willing. I'm really unwilling. Can't I stay in Yangzhou? You have to get this kind of place to be abused! He Zhaoyi looked at the approaching pursuers, pulled out the hairpin on his head, and slowly aimed at his neck.
"Miss!" Xiao Ai exclaimed.
Me, do you have any other choices? Dad, big brother, I'm coming soon!
"Wh, th, thuff." At this moment, suddenly, many arrows flew in the sky, faster and more fierce than those just now.
"Ah!" The leader of the cavalry suddenly fell off the horse and had been hit by an arrow in his back.
With this beginning, more and more Red Turban troops were hit by arrows. They stopped and turned around to look for their opponents.
is the soldiers and horses of the imperial court! They are all cavalry. They wear woolen military coats, cotton hats, and ** war horses, which are also extraordinary. This is an elite army all the way. Looking again, isn't the general with a long gun the leader Wang Baobao who frightened them?
"Escape, escape!" They know that they absolutely can't fight against this road, and it's not bad to be able to escape from the other party's hands.
The mantis caught the cicada. After the yellow finch, He Zhaoyi was secretly glad that if the rescue had not come in time, I was afraid that she would have disappeared at this moment. With the help of Xiao Ai, she pulled her feet out of the snow hole, and her ankles had become swollen. I don't know if she had hurt her bones.
Looking at the bloody convoy, there are their own people and those Red Turban troops. He Zhaoyi has a feeling for the rest of his life after the disaster. Look at the passers-by in front of him. The leading general is not handsome, but he also has a tall and handsome image. I'm afraid it's just over 20 years old.
She turned around and stepped forward with the help of Xiao Ai. Anyway, the other party saved her life, and she had to thank her.
"Please don't move too much, otherwise it's easy to cause disability." The young general jumped down immediately, stepped forward quickly, and said to He Zhaoyi.
"The general's life-saving kindness, the little woman is unforgettable, and I don't know the name of the general." He Zhaoyi asked, but the turban in her hand was still tightly clenched in the palm of her hand. She didn't know whether the other party was malicious or not. If she had any intention to herself, she could only rely on this ttle to avoid damage to her innocence.
Wang Baobao took a look at the young lady. In the thick clothing, he had bright eyes and clear eyes. Although he moved in his heart, he did not stare at the other party too much: "My name is Wang Baobao, and I was about to go back to Beijing to report some military affairs. Passing by here, I happened to encounter the robbery of the Red Turban Army. It's just a little help."
Wang Baobao? Do you dare to ask if the general is a Han Chinese? He Zhaoyi asked.
"Half of it, my father is from the Central Plains." Wang Baobao said that he was very curious about how the woman could ask such a question, "I don't know where the young lady can go?"
"The little woman was going to visit her relatives in Dadu with her father and eldest brother. However, she was plundered by the Red Turban Army on the way, and her father and eldest brother were tragically killed. Now, the little woman doesn't know where to go." He Zhaoyi said, his eyes turned red. If it hadn't been for so many people here, he would have cried so much. His father and eldest brother would have died so inexplicably.
"Since we are going to Dadu, we will stop by, and your leg is also injured. You'd better sit in the car and go with us. If it's just the two of you, I'm afraid there will be nothing wrong on the road." Wang Baobao said. He didn't know why he suddenly sympathized with the woman in front of him. Obviously, there was an emergency military service, but he still had the leisure to chat here.
He Zhaoyi thought for a moment, and that's all. Although I used to secretly run from Yangzhou to Xinghua, it was a woman dressed as a man, and there was no war in that area, and I was relatively familiar with it. Here, the terrain is strange and the climate is abnormal. I'm afraid that if I can't walk for a long time, I will freeze to death.
"Then thank you, General."
"Come on, clean up the carriage and take the body of the young lady's father and eldest brother back to the burial." Wang Baobao said.
"Thank you, General!" He Zhaoyi was very grateful to Wang Baobao in front of him. Even the bodies of his father and eldest brother thought of being buried.
Watching He Zhaoyi and Xiao Ai get into the car, a guard hurried over.
"General, the situation is a little abnormal."
"What's the matter?"
"My subordinates checked that although these people are surrounded by red headscarves, the underwear they wear is made in Yangzhou. I'm afraid that they are not the red scarf army under Liu Futong's army, or they are simply a fake red scarf army."
"Well, I see. You can send a few people to investigate." Wang Baobao is also a little curious. Are these people from Yangzhou Road? They came all the way here to rob the convoy. What does it have to do with them?
Most of the capital is already a piece of ice and snow. For several days in a row of heavy snow, the whole city has become a silver-covered world. In the homes of large families, there is a vigorous charcoal fire burning in the copper brazier to resist the cold of winter, and on the roadside of the street, beggars on the street are frozen to death.
"Miss He is still the first to come to Dadu, right?" Wang Baobao rode a horse and said to He Zhaoyi, who was sitting in the car. His voice was full of magnetic surnames.
"Yes," He Zhaoyi said sadly. Just now, outside Dadu City, she buried her father and eldest brother. After she contacted the second brother, she transported the remains of the two relatives back to Yangzhou. Her hometown was difficult to leave. Now she is a guest dead in a foreign country. He Zhaoyi, a weak woman, can't do anything about it.
"If Miss He has no place to settle down, then let me go. I don't have many relatives in most places, but Master Meng is favored. Every time he comes, he temporarily lives in the Taishi Mansion. Miss He will go to the Taishi Mansion with me!" Wang Baobao issued an invitation.
"No, I'm sorry to bother you, general, a little woman, a civilian, how dare you bother the imperial master of this dynasty? I'll find an inn to stay for a while first!" He Zhaoyi refused Wang Baobao's invitation.
Taishifu, what's that place? Can you go anywhere by yourself? He Zhaoyi was born in a rich family in Yangzhou. Naturally, he knew a little about officialdom. When he came to the capital, he had no power and power. He would find a place to live for the time being!
Seeing that He Zhaoyi was not happy, Wang Baobao did not retain it. Now it is the third day of the Chinese New Year. In the whole capital, only the largest "Fuji" inn was open. He Zhaoyi was sent to the inn and settled down, Wang Baobao led the team back to the Taishi Mansion.
"Brother Expansion, you're finally back!" As soon as he entered the door, Wang Baobao greeted Minmin Timur.
"Minmin, how is the kung fu I taught you during this period?" Wang Baobao asked.
"Let's do two moves in a moment! By the way, why are you going back to the capital now? Minmin looked at Wang Baobao's masculine face and asked.
"This..." Although she is the daughter of the master, the military situation cannot be disclosed casually.
"Minmin, the expansion has just come, and I don't say to let people rest. Also, didn't I say that you should read and read more and don't embroider your legs?" A stern and loving voice came.
"I've met the master." Expand the outline and visit as soon as possible.
"Well, expand the profile, come to my study." Totoku Timur said. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, I ran back to Dadu. There must be an emergency military situation.
Minmin stamped her feet. What's wrong with learning some martial arts? On the grassland, which daughter's family can ride a horse and shoot arrows? Why did you enter Dadu? Instead, you have to sit in the room like those Central Plains women, thorn embroidery and painting. This is your daughter's home?
"Miss, this time the expansion general came back and brought a woman." A familyman next to him whispered.
"How do you know?" Minmin frowned.
"Those soldiers who followed the expansion of the general were arranged to the side room. The little one heard from the sergeants that this woman was quite beautiful."
"Where is this woman now?" Minmin asked.
"It seems to be in the 'Fuji' inn."
"Call the two elders of Xuanming to come with me!" Minmin said.
Xuanming's two elders are not old. They are just over 20 years old. They are Minmin's personal slaves. They don't have great skills in themselves. However, all kinds of means of teasing people are endless. The two also like to play tricks. One person will turn into ice, and one person will turn into fire. Since Minmin took these two people, it was obvious that she was going to pick the woman who was brought back by the expansion.
Although the inn is very large and the guest rooms are very clean, He Zhaoyi can't get used to such a big bed in the north.
The big kang is made of earth, with a layer of red bricks on the outside, a bed mat on it, covered with a comfortable mattress, and a kang table in the middle. The only thing that is the same as the south is to carry a circle of curtains.
"Miss, I'll bring you some water, soak your feet, and go to bed early!" Xiao Ai said.
Before He Zhaoyi could answer, the door was rudely pushed open with a loud bang.
"I'd like to see what the people who can fascinate the expansion brother look like." A crisp female voice came.
"What do you want to do?" Xiao Ai stood up and asked.
"Ah!" Xiao Ai was hit in the mouth by a frozen snowball of the two old people, and suddenly couldn't speak.
"Go away!" Minmin stepped forward and opened the curtain.
"I want to follow!"
"Minmin!"
The resentment just now has already dissipated, instead of the joy of reunion after a long separation.
"Why are you here?"
"Why are you here?"
He Zhaoyi didn't expect to meet Minmin here. A few years ago, a mysterious guest came to his home. Dad tried his best to receive him. I'm afraid that the specifications could not even be enjoyed by Zuocheng in the province. She herself and the guest's daughter Minmin became a good sister, but she never knew the identity of the guest. The road is from most of them.
Dad said that most of them had developed, and she knew that she must have come to find this former guest. However, her father did not make it clear who it was. She didn't know either. Now, she finally met Minmin. She had no other request. As long as the other party helped her and transported the remains of her father and eldest brother back to Yangzhou, she would be satisfied. Yes.
"Go, go home with me. Don't live here." Minmin pulled up He Zhaoyi.
"Where is your home?"
"Prime Minister's Mansion, no, it's called Taishi Mansion now." Minmin mischieved a face mischievly, "Don't worry, pack up your things and go!"
Taishi Mansion? Before He Zhaoyi could react, he had been pulled into the car by Minmin.
From four to eight years, he resigned due to illness. He once lived in Yangzhou and was warmly received by He Zhaoyi's father. From then on, he had a close relationship. After becoming the prime minister again, Master He could even directly get the salt from the court, and the He family became the largest salt merchant in Yangzhou.
(to be continued)