Daming Yinghua

Chapter 8
The second head, Niu Chengzhong, was naked to the waist, holding a spear in his right hand and a armor in his left.

Behind him are the two brothers who usually accompany him, also carrying spears and armor.

That armor is cotton armor.The cotton is stuffed with special silk cloth, finely seamed, washed with water, beaten and crushed with tools, and then exposed to the hot sun, so that the cotton fiber and silk cloth are closely bonded, like a hard sheet, and the function is naturally not to keep warm , but become a battle suit that can resist some cold weapons and is much lighter than iron armor.

When Niu Chengzhong first came to the water village, besides a small group of people, he also brought a few sets of cotton armor, and gave them to the head of the family and several veteran brothers.This kind of well-made cotton armor from the north is easier to wear than the shoddy local iron vest that is as heavy as a coffin.

The bandit guarding the barn stared at Niu Chengzhong, who was drenched in sweat, and asked respectfully and in amazement: "The second master is almost ugly. What are you doing? Why are you still carrying a gun and wearing armor?"

Niu Chengzhong threw the cotton armor to the entourage behind him, took off the white jacket wrapped around his waist, wiped the sweat on his chest, and wrote lightly: "I can't sleep, practice guns with my brothers, try to shoot with the tip of the gun. Armor's strength."

"Oh, the second master came to look for the younger one to..."

Niu Chengzhong scoffed, and said in a bad mood: "Why are you looking for you, red guy? I'll mention that little girl inside."

"Ah?" The guard froze for a moment, and carefully asked, "That maid?"

"Why, can't you? That maid, the head of the family promised to give it to me. I just practiced the gun and got the fire up. I simply made a mandarin duck with her today."

"This... er... okay, the little one will open the door for the big boss."

The guard obsequiously responded, picked up the key at his waist, and murmured to himself, Erdang didn't bring his family with him when he entered the village, and he hasn't seen him come back with a woman for more than half a year. The brothers secretly speculate whether he likes to do "grain road business" "Yes, it turned out that Yang Zi, a young girl who met Shui Ling, would be so impatient.

There was a clang of the lock, and the door was kicked open without any politeness.

Huang Zunsu, who had already stood up, dragged the iron chain to meet Niu Chengzhong, who was half a head taller than him.

Like the two women in the room, he could clearly hear the vulgar words Niu Chengzhong said in the courtyard.

Huang Zunsu raised his fettered wrists, clasped a fist at Niu Chengzhong, and said in a loud voice: "Second master, you are a man of seven feet, whether you are in the literature or in the army, you are on the right path. It is unrighteous to turn into a bandit and kill for money. , forcing a weak woman from a good family is even more unbearable..."

"Hehe, Mr. Huang, how do you know she doesn't want to." Niu Chengzhong cut off Huang Zunsu's generous words neatly with a teasing tone.

After finishing speaking, he pushed Huang Zunsu away, stepped to the bed board, and pulled Zheng Haizhu out of the shadow.

Han Ximeng scolded angrily, "You, you, what's the difference between you and that one-eyed man!"

Zheng Haizhu staggered a few times, but clearly felt that as soon as Niu Chengzhong touched her wrist that was exposed outside the narrow sleeve of the jacket in the dark, he immediately let go, and instead grabbed the knot between her wrist, as if he deliberately avoided touching it. Her skin is average.

While she was wondering, she suddenly heard a muffled scream at the door.

The three prisoners followed the prestige, and saw that the guard who followed the shed to see the excitement was pressed down by one of Niu Chengzhong's subordinates, motionless.

The subordinates came forward and asked Niu Chengzhong in a low voice: "Young master, do you want to kill him?"

Niu Chengzhong said: "He hasn't done anything evil, just knock him unconscious. Plug his mouth, tie his hands and feet, and quickly get his key to open the backyard."

Then he ordered the other two subordinates: "Go together, have you remembered the password?"

"Remember, don't worry, young master."

Several subordinates turned around and went out, disappearing into the dark night like a loach slipping into a deep pool.

Niu Chengzhong let go of Zheng Haizhu, quickly put on his jacket, padded armor, tied his belt, and said to the three dumbfounded prisoners in front of him: "Mr. Huang, two girls, I was sent by the imperial court to suppress bandits. Now I release Let your hands and feet go, you escape on your own, be careful on the road."

After speaking, he first found two small keys from the guard who was unconscious on the ground, opened Huang Zunsu's handcuffs and anklets, and then took out a dagger to cut off the rope between Han Ximeng and Zheng Haizhu's wrists.

Zheng Haizhu rubbed his wrists, and asked Niu Chengzhong succinctly: "Master Niu, are the officers and soldiers coming to attack tonight? Wouldn't it be safer for me to hide in this shed and come out after you finish suppressing the bandits?"

Niu Chengzhong looked down into her eyes, where there were two lights from small oil lamps, like two stars in the dark sky.

He thought: Thanks to her, I believe I can win.

Niu Chengzhong twitched the corner of his mouth, and said in a harmonious voice: "Girl, there is no battle where the winner or loser can be decided before the fight. It would be best for you to leave the land of right and wrong as soon as possible."

Niu Chengzhong turned to Huang Zunsu again: "By the way, Mr. Huang, have you ever accused an examinee surnamed Shen of cheating in the examination room? The person who ordered Qiu Wanliang to tie you up was the man's father, Mr. Shen, the governor of Henan. I respect you. , if there is no accident to suppress the bandits tonight, I am willing to give you a testimony later."

Huang Zunsu cupped his hands, bowed deeply to express his thanks, and asked: "General Niu, does General Niu know why these two girls were captured?"

Niu Chengzhong said: "Qiu Wanliang asked the one-eyed six to do it. I only know that it was kidnapped for someone to insult her innocence. Women don't walk around like men. If someone intentionally harms you, you can be careful of villains among the people in your hometown. Mr. Huang was going to be the official of Songjiang, and after escorting the two back to Songjiang, he just happened to secretly check for the two girls. Now, you follow me."

When he said these words, Zheng Haizhu, who had completely freed his hands, had already found the things he wanted to take away from the burden thrown on the bed, stuffed them into his arms, and then went to help Han Ximeng.

"I don't need your help, and I have never bound my feet, so my escape may not be slower than yours." Han Ximeng's tone was calm and calm, and he followed the two men to the door.

In the Ming Dynasty, the ladies’ feet were bound, not the fracture-like cruel binding method that was common in the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, but followed the practice of the Southern Song Dynasty. First, the forefoot was tightly bound to become slender, and then the five toes were fixed upwards, so as to pursue the pursuit of wearing crested shoes. When beautiful and good-looking.

But in the eyes of the maverick Miss Han, the slenderness of the outline is artificial, and the "dignity" of the soles of the feet being squeezed and forced to walk slowly is obviously more like an old man with inconvenient legs and feet.She was very resistant to foot binding, and her uncle and aunt couldn't hold her back, so she had to give up.

At this moment, Han Ximeng lifted the pleated skirt of Songjiang lightly dyed drug-spotted cloth on his body, and he walked nimbly and swiftly, as agile as a squirrel in the forest.

The three of them followed Niu Chengzhong through the gap between the firewood house and the barn, and in front of them stood a large wooden door one foot high, which had been opened a crack by several of Niu Chengzhong's subordinates.
Niu Chengzhong raised his hand and made a gesture of silence to Huang Zunsu and others.

Zheng Haizhu stared out, and there seemed to be a short corridor outside the door, facing the dark silhouette of the bandit city battlement in the starry night.

(End of this chapter)