Nightfall Chapter 11: The Fuchun River can’t be washed out.

The summer in the Southern Wilderness of Datang is not very hot, just like the empress empress who is also called summer, she feels very comfortable. All the way to the south, Ning Que naturally thinks of taking Sangsang to Lanke. That trip to the temple was here at the time, and he fell in love with it.

He and Wang Jinglue rode an ordinary carriage, and when they arrived at Qingxia, they could no longer move forward. The two abandoned the cart and walked, struggling to find a way among the mountains and rocks. There were many Tang troops strengthening their guards in the steep gorge. The imperial court still didn't plan to seal the Qing Gorge to death. Naturally, they thought that one day they would regain the Qing River.

Walking out of the Qingxia, I saw wild grass growing in the wild, even the mature farmland has been abandoned, and the brown old blood stains can still be seen faintly in the field, as if you can step on it with one foot and you can smash.

Ning Que seemed to see the seniors standing here facing hundreds of thousands of troops in the late autumn of last year, as if seeing the second seniors holding iron swords fighting against the world, and felt the pressure on his shoulders heavier.

It was getting late, and the two were resting in the open air in the wilderness in front of the Qingxia. In the summer night, the worms became denser, and the bright moon emerged from the green hills. Walking among the night clouds, Ning Que Wangyue missed it speechlessly.

Woke up the next morning, he and Wang Jinglue continued to head south. What they saw along the way was the same as in previous years. The small bridges and the water remained the same, the white walls and black eaves were like yesterday, and the famous gardens on the banks of the Fuchun River were so beautiful.

You can't see the traces of war in Yangzhou City. Qingshi Street is as clean as it was washed with water. Where there are blood stains, the vendors use the soft local accent to call for business, and the restaurant overflows with the unique aroma of bad duck from time to time, if not The well-equipped armies of the lords on the streets are constantly patrolling. It is impossible to imagine that just a few months ago, so many people died and so many **** crimes occurred in this city.

Ning Que and Wang Jinglue walked outside the back garden of Chengshou Mansion. He looked at the few green bamboos sticking out of the wall, and was silent. There were spots on the bamboos, like tears and blood.

"On that day, the Chengshou Mansion used the order to gather the Xiling Temple coalition forces to gather several officials in Yangzhou to gather in the mansion. Then they suddenly turned their faces and asked these officials to surrender. After being rejected, they began a bloodbath. There were 13 people in total. Officials of the court were killed, and three of them were children of various cliques."

Wang Jinglue looked at the Chengshou Mansion and said in a low voice: "The person in charge of this matter was called Zhong Dajun. He was the son of Chengshou in Yangguan. Chunjiang discussed matters and lay in ambush in secret. After a bitter battle, the admiral of the navy and the high-ranking officers died in battle, and then there was a purge and massacre by the navy of Daze. In the evening, the Cui clan forces forcibly attacked the Qinghe County's prefecture, and the prefect died ."

In a few simple words, the major events of the Qinghe County Rebellion Day were clearly stated. In that **** day, three thousand Datang Navy officers and soldiers were killed or injured, and more than three hundred Court officials loyal to the Tang Dynasty were tragically beheaded. As Wang Jinglue said earlier, these officials actually did not lack the clan’s children, but they did not agree with the opinions of the clan’s elders, so they also became victims.

Even if the bluestone streets in Yangzhou City are cleaned no matter how clean they are, they can’t see any blood stains or smell any blood, but the blood has flowed out after all and seeps into the mud between the bluestones, no If you can't see it or smell it, it has never existed, and since it has existed, it should be remembered.

Ning Que didn't say anything. He took Wang Jinglue and left the city guard mansion. Instead of going to the inn, he went straight out of the city to the bank of the Fuchun River, rented a awning boat with fifty taels of silver, and went down the river.

The end of the war is not long. The temporary peace of Qinghe County does not make people feel truly relaxed. At least it is difficult for tourists to relax, so there are not many boats on the beautiful Fuchun River.

Ning Que and Wang Jinglue sat on both sides of the awning boat and looked at the riverside scenery. Even the two well-informed people have to admit that if you want to talk about exquisiteness and beauty, there is nowhere in the world that can win Over here.

The awning boat swayed and passed among the famous gardens on the river bank. The boatman explained from time to time which famous garden had its historical origins, and whose private property the green bamboo under Crouching Tiger Mountain is, for these things It was like a few treasures, Wang Jinglue was not in the mood to listen to this, but Ning Que listened very seriously.

The Fuchun River is extremely beautiful, but unfortunately it is not long. The awning boat travels slowly, swaying and swaying to the lower reaches, going ashore through the forest, and arriving at Meishan in Qinghe County.

The lords of Qinghe County are known as heirs of poetry and books, but there is no lack of military and economic support. This mountain of coal that stretches for hundreds of miles is the treasure given to them by Haotian.

Ning Que and Wang Jinglue stood in a remote part of Meishan, silently watching the movement here. They saw the stewards of the sects waving their whips, and the miners with naked bodies, dragging coal carts and crawling hard, their bodies covered. It was coal ash, which was mixed with whipped blood and looked terrible.

Wang Jinglue's face was very ugly at first, and after observing it for a while, he improved a little, and said: "It should be the barbarians caught from the virgin forest, and some criminal slaves from Xiling."

Ning Que said: "Since the agreement is reached, as long as the surnames of Qinghe County are not arrogant and stupid, they should know what will be waiting for them if they dare to trap our people here to do hard work."

In the Qinghe County rebellion last fall, three thousand officers and soldiers of the Datang Navy were killed and injured. All the Tang troops who were not dead were taken to Meishan, a lower reaches of the Fuchun River, to do hard labor. The peace agreement signed between Datang and Xiling Temple requires Qinghe County to hand over these Tang troops. This is the most important condition. Some time ago, those Tang troops who suffered inhuman torture were sent back to Chang'an. According to them, during that period It was too painful.

Ning Que made a special trip to Meishan because the Tang court felt that there was a problem with the number of people returned by Qinghe County. After the rebellion, at least more than 1,000 Tang troops were taken to Meishan for hard labor, but they were sent back to Chang'an this time. Of less than six hundred. The explanation given by Qinghe County was that many Tang troops were seriously injured in the battle. After being escorted to Meishan, although they could not be cured after receiving medical treatment, they died just like that.

This is a very reasonable explanation, but Ning Que does not believe it. As time passed slowly, the sun began to go west, and the hard labor in Coal Mountain was still struggling desperately, and he walked to an abandoned coal pit.

According to the dark guard's intelligence, when the mission of Xiling Temple left Qinghe and began to prepare for negotiations with Tang Guo, the coal pit became quiet and no one went in again.

Ning Que and Wang Jinglue walked into the abandoned coal pit along the tunnel. As the tunnel stretched inward, the roof of the pit became shorter and shorter, and they had to stand up, making it much more difficult to move.

I don't know how long I have been walking, the underground coal pit is dark, bitterly cold, and the faint wind condenses the pungent smell of rotting in one place, unable to release it outward.

Ning Que stopped, stretched out his hand to hold the Pudao, confirmed that there is no danger at the bottom of the pit, and lit an oil lamp beside the cave wall. Wang Jingwei looked at the bottom of the pit illuminated by the dim light, and his face became extremely pale.

The expression on Ning Que's face remained unchanged. He squatted down and touched the leg bones of a rotten remains. He confirmed that it was broken by a heavy object, and then he walked inside and looked at the corpses. Injuries on the body.

At least hundreds of corpses were piled up at the bottom of the coal pit. These corpses had rotted badly and could not find any signs that could identify them, but he knew that these were the people he was looking for.

These people did not die from knife wounds or arrow wounds, but were starved to death, thirst to death, or exhausted alive. These were the heroic Tang Jun before his life, and of course he resisted before torturing, so Those whips will take away the flesh from the bones, and the leg bones will be broken by the stone.

Ning Que and Wang Jinglue stood in front of these Tang Jun's corpses and remained silent for a long time.

For the soldiers who fought for the country, Datang always paid the highest respect. Even a remains would not be allowed to be left out, let alone the Tang army who was alive at that time. Knowing that more than a thousand people from the Datang navy were sent to Meishan for labor by the Qinghe county cliques, the Datang court has never stopped its efforts to save them. Even at the critical moment when the master entered Chang'an, the court still did not forget to issue a warning to Qinghe. , And secretly promised to give corresponding benefits, as long as they can put these people back.

I believe that after this, the surnames of Qinghe County should be very clear about the attitude of Chang'an City, and dare not torture these Tang troops a lot. However, in less than a month before this, these Tang troops died in Meishan. With hundreds of people, you can imagine what kind of torture and pain they endured at that time.

Wang Jinglue used to be an enshrinement of the Prince's Mansion. He lived a life of chic and wishful thinking. Later, he was sent to the command of General Xu Shi by his majesty. He has been a real soldier after several years of polishing.

Looking at the hundreds of remains at the bottom of the pit, he said, "I have to find a way to send them back."

Ning Que has been in the army for many years in Weicheng. He is aware of military practices, but he disagrees with Wang Jinglue's words, saying: "It is no problem to be buried here, but a larger tomb is needed."

Wang Jinglue understood what he meant. One day in the future, Datang Tieqi will rush out of Qingxia and sweep the southern part of the world. Qinghe County used to be and will be the land of Datang.

Ning Que said: "I was in the city of Chang'an to wash the Qinghe Guild Hall. Some people always felt that I was too cruel and worried that it would affect the people of Qinghe. If they were to see this picture, I wonder if they would persist From my own opinion, things like people’s minds can take their time, but the dead will urge us to move faster."

Wang Jinglue said: "There are still many people in Qinghe County who still have a heart for the Tang Dynasty. Even the children of the clansmen still claim to be Tang people. Otherwise, on the day of the rebellion, there would not be so many clansmen and officials who would die. I'm just worried that if you kill too much, will you push them to the opposite side."

"When the sects rebelled, the people did not stand up and express their attitudes. When more than 300 Datang officials were beheaded, they remained silent on the sidelines. I don’t know where their hearts are going. I only know that they have been Silence, that is an accomplice, then it makes sense to die."

Ning Que said, "I have a lot of blood on my hands. No matter how I wash them, they can’t be washed clean. Some people don’t seem to have blood on their hands, but even if they jump into the Fuchun River, they don’t want to wash them."

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(The next chapter strives to be written a little before.) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to subscribe (this site), rewards, and your support is my biggest motivation.)