King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 104
[I read this chapter three times, there can be no typos! 】

Let's talk about Zhu Jinghong and his party. After leaving Yingtianfu City, he first went to Jurong County, and then to Jintan County.

The closer you get to Liyang, the more refugees you can see, and there are many destroyed villages along the way.

In the past two days, he has seen the scene of his wife and children being separated and his family being destroyed countless times.

Of course, they also encountered a small group of Japanese pirates along the way, and they were all slaughtered by Zhu Jinghong's troops, but this still couldn't dispel his hatred.

"Master Thirteen, there is a village ahead, let's rest for a while?"

It was noon now, and the sergeants had been walking for more than an hour, so it was time to rest and have lunch.

"it is good!"

Now they have passed Jintan County, and they are still more than 40 miles away from Yixing, and they can reach Yixing before dark.

Although it was a rest, the sergeants still had a clear division of labor and each found a favorable position, turning the village into a temporary fortress.

Lu Yuxin came back and reported: "Master Thirteen, everyone in the village has run away, presumably they have fled..."

"It's fine if you escape, at least you're still alive!" Zhu Jinghong sighed, trying to make him feel better.

"Master Thirteen, there is a corpse here..."

Zhu Jinghong sighed again, the tragedy was still unavoidable, and someone in this village was still killed.

Walking up and looking at the corpse in the room, Zhu Jinghong's hatred surged in his heart.

Inside the room were women who had been stripped of their clothes. From the scars on their bodies, it could be seen that they had suffered inhuman torture.

"Bury them!"

"Yes!"

Everyone went to get busy, while Zhu Jinghong was led to the small courtyard of the farm where food was already set up.

"Master Thirteen, please eat!"

Zhu Jinghong drew out the saber at his waist, looked at himself reflected on the saber, and said slowly: "Hou Jing... I will never be happy if I don't kill all these Japanese pirates!"

Hou Jing also felt uncomfortable, he is also a living person, seeing the evil things done by the Japanese pirates, how can he not hate the Japanese pirates to the bone.

"Master Thirteen, the officers and soldiers are already re-establishing the siege, and it won't be long...the gang of Japanese thieves will be unable to escape!" Hou Jing reassured.

At this moment, the guard on the north side suddenly shouted: "There is movement inside..."

After this warning, only about a second later, everyone inside and outside the courtyard immediately took action.

Dozens of guards surrounded Zhu Jinghong and exited the yard, and more soldiers squeezed in from outside, enclosing the room where the noise was coming from.

"Who... come out!"

The warning guards held their shields and approached the bedside with a knife, and the movement came from under the bed.

What puzzled the group of guards was that they had already searched just now, and there must be no one in the room, so how could there be any movement at this moment.

"come out……"

He scolded twice in a row, but saw that the wooden board under the bed was lifted, and then slowly moved to the side.

Just under this bed, there is actually a cellar hidden. At this moment, a young girl got out, and she could be seen as a maidservant of a rich family by her attire.

However, one came out, followed by the second, then the third, and four...

In the end, a pretty girl in a brocade robe crawled out from under the bed with a terrified expression on her face.

A total of six people walked out of the cellar, four of them were dressed in expensive clothes, and the other two, one big and one young, should be mother and son, presumably the owners of the house here.

"My lord, we are good people, and when the bandits come, we hide inside!" The old woman in brocade cloth explained.

If in the past, seeing so many officers and soldiers with knives, this woman would only be terrified, but seeing her today, she felt very relieved.

Those Japanese pirates burned, killed and looted, as well as the wailing and crying in the village, made them terrified, thinking that they would die here today.

Fortunately, they were lucky enough that the Japanese pirates did not find this place when they robbed, so they escaped unharmed.

After the Japanese pirates left, a group of female family members who were frightened and stupid did not dare to come out of the cellar rashly, so that they waited until now.

When they made a noise just now, after confirming that there were officers and soldiers outside, they bravely lifted up the board to check, and then they were discovered by the guards.

Several servant girls surrounded the young master with their bodies to prevent her from being exposed to a group of men.

As for the mother and son, they hid in the corner in fear, without saying a word from the beginning to the end.

Seeing that the danger was lifted, Zhu Jinghong re-entered the yard and sat down in his seat.

"Looking at your outfits, you don't look like peasant girls. Who are you?"

The matter has to be clarified, it is abnormal for the lady who should be in the boudoir to appear in the village.

"Back to the general, my master is the governor of Tongzhou City, my master and the girl were planning to go to the capital..."

"Unexpectedly, when I encountered bandits, I separated from my uncle, fled in a panic and hid in this village. Fortunately, the farmer rescued me and hid in the cellar, so I was able to save my life!"

"Tongzhou Shipping Department's promotion?" Zhu Jinghong read it once, and then looked at Hou Jing.

"There is such a yamen..."

Hou Jing asked, "What's your master's name? How old are you this year?"

"Reporting to the official, our master's surname is Zhen Yao Mingcheng, and he is seventy-seven this year!"

Listening to the old woman's narration, Zhu Jinghong's expression became weird.

So he asked: "Is there... a strange young master in your family?"

"General, how do you know?" The old woman was a little surprised.

"What's his name?"

"Report to the official, my third master's name is Zhenyu Baoyu!"

Sure enough, this is the so-called Jinling Zhen family.

If I remember correctly, the Zhen family also produced a concubine who lived with the Supreme Emperor in Ningshou Palace.

The identity has been confirmed, and there is no need to ask at this moment, Zhu Jinghong ordered: "Let them go!"

"Yes!"

He was going to fight, so naturally he couldn't bring a woman with him.

As for their safety, in fact, there is no need to worry, as long as they go east, there will be no danger, because the pirates are fleeing to the northwest.

However, at this moment, a voice came from among the servants: "General, the little girl has something to say!"

It was the young lady of the Zhen family, she was covered with a veil at the moment, so that no one could see her face.

"Say!"

"I was hiding in the cellar just now, and the little girl heard some news about bandits!"

The Japanese pirates are not all Japanese, there are also pirates transformed from coastal fishermen, the two are probably one to one, and the girl from the Zhen family is the latter.

Zhu Jinghong didn't speak, he was waiting for the other party to continue.

"Those thieves said that they want to capture some young and beautiful women and give them to their young masters to enjoy..."

Seeing that Miss Zhen's family stopped talking, Zhu Jinghong couldn't help being surprised, and finally couldn't help asking: "And then?"

The girl from the Zhen family went on to say: "This means that their young master must be nearby. If the general can lead the troops to take him down, it must be a great achievement!"

Hearing these words, Zhu Jinghong was astonished, this man really had a simple idea.

The Japanese pirates have been gone for so long, who knows where the so-called young master has escaped, and there must be a direction to catch him.

"I understand what you said, thank you!"

Zhu Jinghong beckoned and asked someone to take him away.

Obviously, the situation is different from Miss Zhen's imagination.

"Since the general has the news about the little girl, can you agree to a request!"

Zhu Jinghong said calmly, "Say it!"

"Can the general send someone to take us back to Tongzhou? Then my father will give us a generous gift!"

In the eyes of Miss Zhen's family, it was too dangerous outside. They were all women outside, and they didn't dare to leave without an escort.

"I'm not short of money!"

After a pause, the girl from the Zhen family continued: "My aunt is the concubine of the court, if the general is willing to help, there will be a reward in the future!"

(End of this chapter)