Chapter 268 The return of the soul
"Be gentle!"
Jineng lay in his tent while a woman applied medicine on his back.
"Jineng!"
The curtain was opened, and Ma Tianlu hurried in. Seeing the whip marks on Jineng's back, his eyes narrowed, "Who did it?"
"Great Khan." Jineng's follower sneered, "The Khan ordered Jineng and Tuotuo to preside over the matter, but it was mostly Tuotuo who made the decisions. Jiang Qingzhi seized the flaw earlier and forced the Khan to give an explanation..."
"Has Tuotuo been whipped?" Ma Tianlu asked.
The follower shook his head.
"Stop talking!" Jinen said upset.
"Jineng." Ma Tianlu knelt down. "Togto is only the adopted son of the Khan, but he is superior to you. The Khan has forgotten the favor he received when he followed your father and his elder brother to fight. Today is just a lash, what about next time?"
Jinen closed his eyes, "What do you want to say?"
"The Khan annexed those warriors and tribes that should have belonged to you, and suddenly became powerful. For a leader, the past is hard to look back on, but every time he sees you, the Khan will surely think of the humble days when he depended on his brother."
Ma Tianlu's voice seemed to carry magic that made Jineng forget the severe pain.
"And many of the warriors and tribes he annexed still have their hearts set on you. What will you do from now on..."
Jinen opened his eyes, a fierce look flashed across his face, and then he regained his composure.
"If you hadn't followed me for so many years, I would have had you beheaded and hung up for public display."
Ma Tianlu lowered his head, a proud look flashed in his eyes, "Yes."
"My loyalty to the Khan is evident to all!"
"Yes."
"Everyone get out!"
Everyone resigned.
The tent fell into silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Jineng said softly, "Father, you once said that brothers are the most reliable. So you treated him well and let him lead the army to fight. When you heard that he was in danger, you led your men to rescue him. Before you left, you said that you would feel at ease with him around."
With tears falling down his cheeks, Jinen growled in a low voice, "But look at the life your son is living now? He annexed his people just as you were about to leave. If he hadn't cared about those loyal troops, he would have killed us long ago."
Jineng bit the corner of the quilt, tears streaming down his face, not sure if it was because of the pain or something else.
……
“These are great horses!”
One hundred good horses were sent to the Ming army camp, led by a centurion.
"Let me take a look!" Sun Bu Tong carefully checked the herd of horses. Soon, he found problems with more than 20 horses.
"You are just finding fault with everything!" the captain cursed.
But Sun Bu Tong’s vision was indeed vicious. Bai Hu cursed and swore, but he was finally changed.
"Where's the uncle?"
Sun Bu Tong went to report back.
"Master, go get those slaves." Xu Wei didn't go. He drank wine and ate beans, and said slowly: "To be honest, our master can be ruthless and frightening. But sometimes, his inexplicable kindness is puzzling."
……
"Every year, many civilians were abducted by the Ming Dynasty, and many officers and soldiers were captured. As time went by, the local officers and officials became numb to it. Later, when they learned that these people were farming and settling down in the Altan tribe, they regarded them as rebels."
Hu Zongxian explained the situation in a low voice.
Ahead is the slave camp.
More than a thousand slaves had just been gathered and looked at Jiang Qingzhi numbly.
A slave fell to the side and no one dared to go over to check.
"Open the door." Jiang Qingzhi said.
The camp gate opened and Jiang Qingzhi walked in.
He walked up to the slave, squatted down and asked, "Are you hungry?"
The slave's eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling slightly.
"Noble man."
Jiang Qingzhi turned around and saw the slave named Chen Xiao boldly approaching him and saying, "His name is Liu Ding. He was originally a deputy centurion of the Datong Frontier Army. When his fort was besieged by Altan's army, Liu Ding led his troops to fight to the death and cursed Altan...
After being captured, they often pulled Liu Ding out to beat him in order to make us bow our heads, saying..."
Prisoner Chen looked up, as if he was holding back something. "As long as Liu Ding cursed the Ming Dynasty and His Majesty, he would be let go and given two Han women as slaves. But Captain Liu never bowed his head, and cursed Altan every time..."
Catching a negative example and using various means to make him change his mind can deal a heavy blow to the morale of these "die-hards".
"Captain Liu!"
Liu Ding opened his eyes with difficulty and said in a hoarse voice: "You bastard, kill me if you can."
When he saw Jiang Qingzhi, he was stunned.
"Noble man."
Jiang Qingzhi looked at the dense whip marks on his body, silently untied his outer robe and put it on him.
"My lord, I dare not..."
Jiang Qingzhi was wearing an official robe, and the slaves talked about it later, saying that this young man must be a powerful person.
"You are free." Jiang Qingzhi said.
"what?"
Everyone was stunned.
"I said, you are free." Jiang Qingzhi said again.
Hu Zongxian came over and said, "My Lord bet his own future on Altan Khan, and even risked his life to escape the wolf's bite, and won against Altan Khan. And the bet that my Lord wants is you."
In an instant, the slaves went crazy.
All kinds of screams, cheers...
Liu Ding sighed, "Thank you, sir, but I can't leave."
He took a look at his legs. Jiang Qingzhi pulled up his torn trouser legs and saw a pair of deformed legs.
Jiang Qingzhi looked up, "Stone."
Sun Chonglou came over, "Master."
"Help him up."
Sun Chonglou easily helped Liu Ding up.
Jiang Qingzhi bent down.
"Come!"
"I dare not!" Liu Ding struggled, feeling uneasy. However, Sun Chonglou followed his master's orders to the letter and sent him to Jiang Qingzhi's back.
"My Lord...I am a lowly person."
Jiang Qingzhi held up his skinny legs with both hands. "The lowly people are in the capital, in the world. They are enjoying a peaceful time right now, but they don't know what the people who protect them are going through."
"Those who fought for their country are unknown and died in misery. The fools who are rich and powerful by relying on the so-called knowledge of saints are celebrating." He walked slowly towards the camp gate. "This Ming Dynasty cannot continue like this."
He walked slowly with Liu Ding on his back. Because his body was still not strong enough, he needed to bend his waist lower to support Liu Ding.
Looks like a hunchback.
The slaves gradually fell silent in ecstasy.
"This guy is so stupid!" Some of Altan's people were laughing outside.
"Shut up!" Tuotuo's face was stern.
The cowardice of the officers and soldiers in the nine borders made Altan's tribe complacent, but even so, there were still soldiers who refused to bow and fought to the death.
Whenever they encountered such warriors, Altan's men would always choose the most severe methods to kill them.
For example, being dragged to death by a war horse, or being trampled to death.
According to them, this is the only way to scare the Ming people.
Tuotuo knew the reason for the low morale of the Ming army. In a nutshell, the military men had a low status and were enslaved by civil officials and their superiors. In the long run, even the bravest soldiers would become cowards.
Seeing Jiang Qingzhi carrying Liu Ding on his back and walking slowly, Tuotuo suddenly felt murderous, "We can't let this man return to the Ming Dynasty!"
"The last time I set a trap to kill him, the gods helped me. If I try again...if I fail, do you know what the tribes will do? They will think that the Khan has offended the gods. Then the people will be in chaos. Before the Ming people come to attack, we will be in chaos first!"
Jineng walked up to Tuotuo and asked, "Do you think he is just pretending to be nice?"
"Is not it?"
"Look at his legs."
Jiang Qingzhi's legs were trembling.
He laughed at himself, thinking that he really had to train his legs when he got home, including doing squats and lunges.
He carried Liu Ding out of the camp with difficulty.
"Uncle...Uncle."
Liu Ding's voice was a little weak.
"What?" Jiang Qingzhi asked breathlessly.
"Have we... left the camp?"
"It's out." Jiang Qingzhi was sweating profusely.
"Have I returned to... returned to the Ming Dynasty?"
"Yes." Jiang Qingzhi said: "The envoy represents His Majesty, and the place where the envoy is is the territory of the Ming Dynasty!"
"I...have no regrets."
The hands hanging on the shoulders suddenly dropped.
Jiang Qingzhi's body stiffened, then he continued to move forward.
"Your wife and children must be waiting for you at home. You haven't seen them for many years. Don't you look forward to it?"
"Don't worry about being discriminated against. The Ming Dynasty's civil and military officials are incompetent, so you and others have fallen into the hands of foreigners. This is not your shame, but the shame of the emperors, generals, and meat eaters. Do you remember this?"
"They all say that how long after a person dies...the five senses still exist, and one can hear the sounds of the outside world."
"My name is Jiang Qingzhi, the Great Lord of the Ming Dynasty. When you get to the underworld, just say that you are a warrior of the Ming Dynasty. If they want evidence, let them come find me..."
Pfft!
Jiang Qingzhi finally couldn't hold on any longer, his legs went weak and he knelt down.
Liu Ding's head suddenly tilted back and shook a few times. His lifeless eyes looked at the sky, and his mouth opened as if he was smiling...
"Young Master!" Sun Chonglou rushed over and helped Jiang Qingzhi up.
Jiang Qingzhi asked Principal Chen, "How many people were there originally?"
Principal Chen said: "There were more than 3,000 people in the slave camp at first, but after all kinds of torture, hunger and cold, and endless work every day, these are the only ones left."
"They are all warriors." Jiang Qingzhi panted.
"Yes." Hu Zongxian looked at his host with complicated eyes. In the eyes of the literati, these captured officers and soldiers were the shame of the Ming Dynasty, and it would be best if they died.
But Jiang Qingzhi carried Liu Ding out of the camp with great care, which was to tell the scholars and officials.
"You are the heroes of Ming Dynasty."
"The villain dare not."
Jiang Qingzhi ordered: "Bring incense, candles, and paper money!"
Some people went to buy, and Tuotuo took the opportunity to come over and ask, "We are going to hunt tomorrow, what is Long Wilbur going to do?"
Jiang Qingzhi looked at him and asked, "Do you know what gods the Central Plains believe in?"
"The god of Buddhism."
Tuotuo didn't know why he said this.
"Do not."
Jiang Qingzhi shook his head and waited for the incense, candles and paper to be delivered. He lit a few sticks of incense, three in a row, and placed them in two rows outside the camp gate, like a path...
The trail faces south!
The paper money was lit, and as the candlelight flickered, Jiang Qingzhi saluted.
"In February of the 28th year of the Jiajing reign, the Ming envoy Jiang Qingzhi offered sacrifices to the souls of the dead here."
Woo!
A gust of wind blew suddenly, and Tuotuo couldn't help but take a step back, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
"The alien race is wreaking havoc on the Nine Borders. You will be captured in a deadly battle. Although your body will die, your soul will not be far away!"
Jiang Qingzhi bows second time.
"A warrior should not be left without a soul, a stone!"
"exist!"
"Raise the flag!"
Sun Chonglou stood behind Jiang Qingzhi holding a large banner.
"This is the flag of the Ming army. If a loyal soul is still alive, please follow the flag and return."
Jiang Qingzhi bows for the third time.
"The soul is back!"
Tuotuo turned around, looked at the Ming people kneeling on the ground, and shouted with a solemnity he had never seen before:
"The soul is back!"
(End of this chapter)
