Chapter 313 Is Mr. Chen, the Magistrate of Huating County, Here?

The mobilization of the army could not be hidden from anyone. Perhaps Shi Ding had no intention of hiding it at all. In front of everyone, he openly packed up all the battalions and units, and began to retreat in an orderly manner.

Wang Er finally didn't offend again. Shi Ding had set up camp in front of him before, and he even wanted to go out to attack the camp aggressively.

To this day, he hopes that Shi Ding will leave as soon as possible, and it is best not to come back again.

There is really no way, the casualties are really too great. If he hadn't successfully defended Qingfeng Village in the end, Wang Er would have been ashamed to come out to see Chen Heng.

Liu Xianglian and Jia Baoyu's reaction was the most direct. The two hugged each other and cheered without hesitation.

Affected by them, the civilian husbands who caught up with the villagers, as well as Xinda, Yan Xiaoer and others couldn't believe that the war ended like this.

Amid the cheers, Chen Heng silently looked up at the sky. It is already the end of October, and the first ray of cold in early winter can be felt even if you are wearing thick clothes.

He did not stay on the village tower for long. He turned around and walked past the surging crowd towards the village.

From time to time, I encountered familiar or unfamiliar faces on the road. It was a good time to celebrate now, and everyone became more courageous. As soon as they met Chen Heng, they all asked.

"Master, master. Are the people outside the village really gone?"

"Gone, really gone."

"Sir, when can we go home?"

"I'll make arrangements right away, and after one more day, I'll take you home."

Like a traveler traveling against the current, Chen Heng, who responded with a smile, passed through the cheering crowd and finally arrived at Dongzhai.

Half of this place is a wounded barracks, and the other half is...

Looking at the densely packed graves in front of me, there wasn't even a decent tombstone in sight. Chen Heng knew, however, that there were definitely more than one or two people lying in these raised graves.

In order to avoid causing the plague, every civilian who died in the battle was hastily brought and buried on the spot.

One layer is covered with another, one grave is connected with another. There is no trace left behind except the pension list in the hands of civil servants.

As for trivial matters like collecting old clothes and old things, we don’t have that leisure time on weekdays.

When things were precarious before, no one cared about the dead. Everyone was working hard to survive.

Looking at the countless unmarked graves in front of him, after the joy of returning home faded away, Chen Heng was left with only bitterness in his heart.

Of the 30,000 civilians who accompanied him up the mountain, only a little over 10,000 are able to return today.

Chen Heng didn't dare to think about the word 'if', so he had to stand silently. Finally, he took out the jug he brought along the way and poured the rice wine into the yellow land alone.

"We won, everyone can go home." After Chen Heng said this, it was difficult to say more.

The emotion on his lips that he was about to say but stopped at, was a silent sigh.

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The people in the village waited for one more day before encouraging Wang Er to come over and inquire about the evacuation.

The people who are still alive really want to go home and don't want to wait any longer.

When Wang Er came in, Chen Heng was reviewing official documents under the lamp. Seeing the master looking up at him, Wang Erqian smiled and said cautiously: "Sir, when are we leaving?"

In fact, this is an inappropriate question to ask, as the commander in front of half the formation. What Wang Er should ask most at this time is our next move.

After all, the overall situation is a game of chess, and many things affect the whole body.

But Wang Er also knew that these ordinary people at hand had been guarding for more than half a month.

Seeing the hope of escape right in front of him, if Chen Heng insists on missing it, he is afraid that he will pretend to be a ghost again and it will easily lead to a civil uprising.

Chen Heng pretended not to notice Wang Er's temptation and directly agreed: "Send some spies out tonight to explore a larger area. As long as there are no ambush halfway, we will leave the day after tomorrow."

Seeing that Chen Heng did not continue to show off his strength, Wang was very surprised and asked, "Sir, why is it tomorrow? The sooner we leave, the better. What if Shi suddenly reacts and kills us..."

"Then we can't leave immediately." Chen Heng was also worried about this and explained at the same time, "If we delay for one more day now, the safer our way back will be."

"Why?" Wang Er didn't understand why the slower the reaction, the safer it would be.

"Even if his military rations are not at the bottom, I'm afraid they won't be far behind."

Chen Heng knew that this was an objective meaning and would not change due to Shi Ding's wisdom and will. There are tens of thousands of mouths in the entire army, and they all have to open their mouths to eat. If you don't have a full stomach, where will you have the strength to fight?

As soon as he explained it like this, Wang Er understood immediately. The latter's spirit immediately perked up and he nodded in agreement.

"Then let me go down first and let everyone pack their things? We have to let them find something to do, so as not to get dizzy and cause unnecessary trouble."

Chen Heng didn't think about this issue, so he agreed hastily, "It's better that you've considered it carefully, so I'll do as you wish."

After the two discussed it, they went their separate ways.

The civil servants headed by Xinda have just compiled a partial list of those killed in battle. More content will be followed slowly later. Xinda took it with him first and came to Chen Heng to report the situation.

Seeing the long and heavy name on the document, Chen Heng didn't say much. He just waved his hand and asked Xinda to leave first.

This is what I will rely on to file lawsuits with the Ministry of War in the future.

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At noon the next day, everyone in the village was still looking forward to tomorrow.

Two or three riders had already rushed to the front of the village, and Liu Xianglian, who happened to be stationed here, poked his head to take a look.

Seeing that it was a familiar face that he had seen once in Suzhao's camp, he hurriedly asked people to open the gate and let them in.

As soon as these people entered, they went straight to Chen Heng's place and reported two pieces of news.

One was that Xin Suzhao took advantage of the night to launch an ambush on the official road last night, defeated Shi Ding's troops and killed nearly 10,000 enemies.

The second was that Xin Suzhao ordered them to leave quickly, rush to Jiannan Pass, and arrange for the coordinated transportation of grain.

With these two confirmed pieces of news, Chen Heng no longer hesitated and directly announced that they would leave immediately.

Take away everything that can be taken away. Gather and burn the things that cannot be taken away on the spot.

Leaving Liu Xianglian to communicate with the messenger about Xin Suzhao's situation, Chen Heng asked Wang Er and Xinda to handle the departure.

He took a few civil servants to the West Village and explained to the families of the bandits trapped there, asking them to leave first.

"Sir... Sir, how about we wait until you leave before we go?"

These people were still afraid that the soldiers in the camp would quietly kill them to vent their anger.

The graves in the East Village were like small hills.

Who wouldn't be afraid of such a blood feud?

"Impossible." Chen Heng waved his hand without question and said in a deep voice, "You have to leave immediately! We will burn this mountain village clean before we leave."

Shi Ding had spent a lot of effort to send people to build this place before. If we continue to keep this mountain village, it may be a disaster.

The old, weak, women and children had no choice but to set off in a hurry under Chen Heng's urging.

Fortunately, they also knew that Chen Heng's move was for their own good, and there was no crying and making a scene.

As for where these people will settle down in the end, whether they will hide in the countryside or find bandits elsewhere to rely on, that is not a problem that Chen Heng should care about.

As long as they don't take the right path, they will be seen on the list of death row prisoners in the Ministry of Justice sooner or later.

Wait until the figures of this group of people disappear in the distance.

Chen Heng finally raised his hand, patted his face repeatedly, and whispered: "Go home, go home."

Half an hour later, the long team that had been hastily packed up filed out of Qingfeng Village. Wang Er and Liu Xianglian, who were left at the end, looked at each other and threw torches at the building covered with kerosene.

The blazing fire and the huge smoke rising were the last impressions that Qingfeng Village left on Chen Heng.

He retracted his gaze, and with a firm gaze, he looked towards the farther south.

】

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It took three and a half days to arrive at Jiannan Pass in peace. Chen Heng took Liu Xianglian, Wang Er and others to report to the garrison, and then he was able to bring civilians into the pass.

The ancient checkpoints were not just the front and back walls. There was also an open space in the middle for a few people to live and live. However, there are not many houses like this, and most people still prefer the prosperity and bustle of the main cities in various places.

More than 10,000 civilians were stationed here, and the tents that could be built were limited after all. Although everyone was crowded together, they thought that they finally didn't have to live in fear, and it didn't matter if they suffered some grievances.

Chen Heng promised them that he would treat them to a good drink once he returned to Jiannan Pass.

He only needed to nod his head for this matter, and his men would naturally handle it.

Chen Heng went around Guanzhong and asked the garrison commander about some recent details.

Although the latter had not been involved in the war, he was well-informed about the news from various places.

He first told the visiting Lord Chen a heavy news, which made Chen Heng exclaimed without caring about his image: "What is the death of the emperor?"

The garrison commander nodded cautiously, and he didn't have the confidence to speak frankly like Chen Heng. Just now, he pointed to the sky to hint at this matter.

At this moment, the garrison commander said again: "Now is the time of the state funeral. Sir, if you let the civilians drink, you may cause trouble for yourself."

If this gets out, the Censorate will not be able to fool around with a few words.

"It's troublesome." Chen Heng waved his hand indifferently.

Others are just passing through the gates of hell, but they are living on the edge of the gates of hell for half a month.

How can we break our promise to the people on the way?

Chen Heng turned around and said: "You didn't say anything just now, and we just got out of trouble, and we don't know anything."

The garrison commander was also a smart man. Hearing what Chen Heng said, he tacitly changed the topic to Shui Rong.

After hearing that the other party finally raised the banner of rebellion, Chen Heng asked about the situation outside the pass.

The garrison commander said, "There are several military governors and commanders who have raised their flags in response. I heard it from the people who came here. I don't know if it's true or not."

"Are there still people who dare to come here at this time?"

"You have been missing since a month ago. Newspaper shops all over Jiangnan have been reporting rumors about you.

Some say you were killed by bandits, and some say you were hit by a major epidemic and all died in Ping'an Prefecture. People were panicking, and many people went to Guanzhong to find their relatives and inquire about their relatives' news."

The more Chen Heng listened, the worse he felt. He thought Daiyu and Yinglian were far away in Songjiang and should not know about the situation in Ping'an Prefecture.

From this point of view, the other party might have been worried for a long time. Chen Heng sighed, not knowing how to evaluate the booming newspaper industry.

Forget it, the court has not introduced corresponding legal items for such trivial matters. Why should I bother with this?

The initial development of things is always barbaric and rough.

Chen Heng shook his head and asked the garrison commander again. The whereabouts of the wounded soldiers who left the camp half a month ago.

As soon as the guard heard this, he immediately got excited and said: "My lord, they are all dead. Those thousands of people died on the way. We only found out after General Xin came and sent spies to find out. This matter?"

"All dead?" Chen Heng himself was surprised.

Thinking about it again, I couldn't help but feel scared. The only thing that could kill these wounded soldiers was Shui Rong and Shi Ding.

If we had chosen to change the route and build Nanguan at that time, we might have ended up with the same fate.

"I guess the rebels didn't want the news to leak out."

Chen Heng thought for a while and agreed with the guard's judgment. That’s it, no more needs to be said. Raising his hand to say goodbye, Chen Heng walked down the tower alone and began to walk around the pass.

The civilian husband who had just escaped from danger was enjoying the joy of the rest of his life. Everywhere he looked, there were cheering and smiling faces.

Infected by it, Chen Heng's steps became even faster. But he had only taken a few steps when he was recognized by a nearby citizen.

A group of people surrounded Chen Heng in the middle of the road and kept asking him to drink. He was so embarrassed, he just said that the lice on his body were very itchy and he had to wash himself off first.

After rejecting the invitations of a group of people, Chen Heng returned to the inn where Xinda had booked and heard someone calling to him at the door.

"Hold on?!"

Seeing Chen Heng turn his head subconsciously, the man was even more surprised and said: "Hold on!!!"

Chen Heng rubbed his eyes before he saw clearly the figure flying towards him.

"Brother Xue, why are you here!"

Xue Biao, who arrived at Jiannanguan more than ten days early, couldn't help but said excitedly: "As soon as the news about you came out from Songjiang, we set off here. The two brothers and sisters were very worried at home. If I hadn't stopped them , I’m afraid I’m going to run over. It’s great that you’re safe!”

Hearing his friend's incoherent words, Chen Heng also said with deep emotion: "I'm sorry for your trouble. Please accept my respect, Brother Xue."

"Why are we talking about these false gifts?" Xue Biao hurriedly supported Chen Heng's body, looked at the other person up and down, and said happily, "Okay, okay, there are no arms or legs missing."

Chen Heng wanted to laugh when he heard this, but couldn't think of answering for a moment. Another burst of resentment and joy came from the voice, "It's a great day, what nonsense are you talking about, brother? What's missing, what's lacking. It's obviously the blessing of Bodhisattva, and good people have their own destiny."

Chen Heng looked over in search of the voice and saw Bao Qin, who was dressed in men's clothing. He didn't know when he was standing here. He was surprised and asked: "Second brother, why are you here?"

When Xue Biao heard this, he immediately smiled bitterly and couldn't help complaining: "Originally, I told my two younger siblings that I would come to Jiannanguan to inquire about you first. Who knew that my sister insisted on coming, and I didn't want to take her with her? She came to take the risk. She took the carriage by herself and arrived at the pass ahead of me. "

Suddenly being exposed by his brother, Bao Qin showed a rare sense of being at a loss as to what to do, with an inexplicable and aggressive tone: "The life or death of the eldest brother is uncertain. How can I be so busy when I am here alone?"

Seeing that his sister was still arguing, Xue Biao had no choice but to shake his head. Chen Heng on the side looked at Bao Qin subconsciously. The two looked at each other, and the latter looked away guiltily.

"Zhi Xing, do you want to rest for a while first?" ”

"It's good to be alive." Chen Heng shook his head indifferently, but as soon as Xue Biao reminded him, he immediately thought of what he had not done.

The three of them walked into the inn together. After Chen Heng cleaned up, he joined Xianglian, Baoyu and Xinda who had come after hearing the news, and toasted and drank in the inn where they rested.

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A group of people stayed in the pass until mid-November. Chen Heng did not have any more headaches except continuing to deploy the grain transport team to transport Xin Suzhao.

This half month is when Chen Heng sleeps most soundly. I thought that days like this would end with Xin Suzhao getting good news one after another.

One day in the second half of the year, a group of rebels suddenly came to Jiannanguan Pass and called Chen Heng by name to answer. Although the guard general saw that the enemy army was throwing away its armor, he did not dare to hesitate when he saw the number of the enemy. He hurriedly asked Chen Heng to come to the tower to answer questions.

Chen Heng, who had worked so hard to get here, leaned out on the tower and saw a fierce general riding his horse in front of the enemy's formation.

"Mr. Chen, the magistrate of Huating County, do you still remember this old friend of mine?"

Chen Heng recognized the other party and couldn't help but sneered: "Why don't you remember? You are just Mao Daqing who caused trouble in the Zhen family."

"Okay, okay, Mr. Chen, just remember to be here." Mao Daqing smiled and nodded, and said, "It's not in vain that I come to give you this old friend wealth."

Wealth? ! Chen Heng frowned slightly, why did Mao Daqing act as a lobbyist for Shui Rong?

This is what he thought, and he was about to refuse. Unexpectedly, Mao Daqing patted his big head and said loudly: "Mr. Chen, I have a great head here. Can you please take the credit for me?"