Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 5: Officials Arrest People

The village was exceptionally bright at night, with torches lit everywhere.

Several officers and soldiers were guarding the entrance, armed with powerful crossbows.

There were people riding horses running back and forth in the village.

Those in official uniforms were yelling and pointing at the closed doors. The officers and soldiers dragged people out, ignoring their cries.

All the people in the village were gathered together and lined up neatly.

Under the torches were terrified faces.

Liu Da stood at the far side of the crowd, while Liu Zhangshi and Taozi were protected by several fellow villagers and stood at the back, close to the wall.

A man with a thick beard was pacing back and forth in front of the crowd, holding a book.

“One person per household!”

"We'll set off tonight!"

"The fugitive will be punished as a fugitive!"

He began to call the roll.

That little booklet was like a death warrant.

"Zhang Shenghu!"

"Zhang Shenghu?!"

The official yelled, and he looked at the people in front of him, "Where are the people from Zhang Sheng's family? Are they all dead?"

The fat man at the side smiled flatteringly, "Your Excellency is wise, they are indeed all dead."

The official was furious and asked, "Why didn't you cancel the account?"

"I've already reported it, but I haven't had time to delete it yet."

The official snorted coldly and looked at the next one.

"Zhang Dashihu!"

The old woman came forward tremblingly, "Yes."

"Zhang Li?"

"It's me, Envoy. You took away my three sons, two grandsons, and a husband. Are they all okay? Have you seen them?"

The official waved his hand and said, "Get ready and leave later."

"Well, I'll go see them."

The old woman turned around and went home trembling.

"Zhang Duhu!"

"My Lord! Please! I still have to feed my baby. The baby is less than a year old and there is no one to take care of him. How can you go with me to suffer this?"

"Zhang is not a sick person!"

"Lord, please let my child go. I will go. I may not be able to walk, but my hands are still strong!"

"Zhang Chenghu!"

“Oh my god!!!”

"Mr. Liu."

The entire noisy and sad scene seemed to pause for a moment, and everyone looked to one side.

Liu Da stood at the far side with his hands folded on his chest, his eyes exceptionally calm.

The official looked at the burly man in front of him in surprise, "Why have I never seen you before?"

The fat man came forward and whispered something in his ear. He spoke very quietly, but he could still vaguely hear something.

"Hunter approved by the county magistrate himself"

"Killed a tiger."

“Exemption from military service.”

The official uttered an "oh".

He took the book and looked down, "Let his son go, get ready now, and leave later."

Liu Da still stood there expressionlessly, not moved at all.

Liu Zhang's face turned pale, and she held her son's hand tightly, her hands trembling slightly.

Liu Taozi gently pulled her hand away, then pushed away the people in front of her and walked to the front.

He stared at the official, and several soldiers around him slowly raised their crossbows.

There was a faint cold light flashing on the crossbow arrow.

"I can not go."

"who are you?"

"He is Mr. Liu's son."

"Your grandfather is exempted from military service, but not your whole family. Go back and prepare!"

"I can read."

"so what?"

"I have already applied to the county law school and want to take the civil service examination."

The official paused, narrowed his eyes, looked at Taozi again, gave him a deep look, and then continued to look at the death warrant, "Zhang Daqianghu!"

Taozi returned to his mother, and Liu Zhang pinched his arm again.

The official's angry roar lasted for a whole hour.

As the sky gradually turned white, the torches burned out a creepy cold light. A group of skinny old, weak and sick people, with their heads lowered, set out on an unknown road amid the urging and scolding of officials.

No crying could be heard anymore. Perhaps everyone was tired of crying. Only the baby in the mother's arms was still crying, which made the officials more and more irritated. They ordered everyone to be quiet several times.

Soldiers on horseback flew past on both sides, with a freshly chopped head hanging by the saddle, that of a white-haired old man.

The official rode on a tall horse, glanced at Liu Da, and finally his eyes fell on Taozi. He grinned, and his smile was quite terrifying.

Taozi responded to him with indifference.

The people who were leaving looked back from time to time. Everyone gathered at the entrance of the village, just staring blankly in the direction where their relatives and friends were leaving.

Several more houses were empty, and the mud on the ground was mixed with blood. When the sky brightened, the village was empty, birds were perched on the branches and whispering, mice were running in and out of the courtyards, and no one could be seen on the village road.

"He will come again. He has remembered me."

"The conscriptions are becoming more frequent. They have come three times this month."

"He didn't come to Taolin the last two times. He came suddenly this time. Maybe someone couldn't stand it and reported it to him."

Taozi chewed the cake in her hand and looked at her mother beside her.

"Tomorrow, I will go to the county."

“In the county.”

Liu Zhang's face lost all color again, and her already pale cheeks became as white as frost and snow.

Her lips trembled slightly, "Do you know how dangerous this city is?"

"That is ten thousand times more dangerous than the Wild Boar Forest. I will never allow it."

She looked at Liu Da, "Husband."

Liu Da looked up and said, "He has already made his decision. Why are you trying to persuade him? Is he talking in a negotiating tone? Lord Liu has given the order. How dare I advise him?"

Her eyes were filled with pleading, and her tone became even more humble, "Husband."

"Mom, it's okay. I've thought about it before."

"I will pass the test."

"I will protect you."

Liu Zhang lowered her head, shed tears silently, and said nothing.

Liu Da climbed onto the roof and continued to tease the little birds he raised, enjoying it very much.

Liu Zhang was packing things for Taozi and giving her serious instructions.

"Tomorrow Zhang Cheng will go into the city. You will go with him and stay close to him. Do not leave the team."

"Without a pass, you cannot enter the city, eat in restaurants, or stay in a hotel. If you are questioned and cannot produce a pass, you will be arrested. Zhang Cheng is the only one in the village who has a pass, so don't offend him."

"When you leave your home, don't talk to strangers, don't eat other people's food, don't get into conflict with others, just go your own way and don't worry about anything."

"The county is dangerous. Once you arrive at the school, do not leave the school. Keep an eye on your package and do not let outsiders see the things inside."

Liu Zhang said a lot.

As she spoke, she burst into tears several times.

"Taozi, you must protect yourself. In this world, I have nothing else except you."

"I see."

"啾~~~"

The bird screamed, flapped its wings, jumped from the roof and disappeared into the horizon.

Liu Da jumped up and cursed at the bird.

"Thief bird! Thief bird!"

"Feed the unfamiliar one!"

"If no one feeds you, you will starve to death sooner or later!!"

The next day.

A horse moves forward with its head lowered.

It was a very old horse.

The hair was sparse and messy, and the bones were covered with old wrinkled skin.

The horse's hooves are very heavy.

Every move forward was accompanied by a pause, and when going uphill, the horse's hooves began to tremble.

"Crack~~~"

The whip exploded on the horse's back. The old horse hung its head, and there was no sadness or pain in its cloudy eyes.

“Beast!!”

"Crack~~~"

After another whip, it finally began to shake its head, pretending to be exerting great effort.

The old horse was pulling a cart. It looked like a wooden board was placed on two wheels, and Zhang Cheng was sitting on the board.

It was not easy for Zhang Cheng to sit on his knees, so he could only spread his legs and occupy the entire carriage by himself, with humming sounds still coming from his nose.

The guards on both sides tightened their abdomens with belts and thrust their chests out to show off their strong physiques.

They turned back from time to time and shouted in a deafening voice: "Hurry up!!!"

Following behind them were six pairs of bare feet. The huge sack completely obscured their bodies. One could only see the feet moving under the sacks, but not the people carrying the sacks.

Liu Taozi was carrying a fishing fork and walked at the end.

There are thick green weeds on both sides of the road, and you can see black skulls and bright red flowers hidden among them.

Zhang Cheng looked back several times and saw Liu Taozi walking at the end. She smiled and waved, motioning him to come forward.

Liu Taozi stared straight into his eyes without saying a word.

Zhang Cheng turned his head away and cursed under his breath.

The guard approached him and said, "Master, he didn't bring any goods, why did he go to the county town?"

Zhang Cheng grinned, with his big, rough yellow teeth not touching each other.

"You were not here yesterday, and he said he was going to the county to take the exam."

"What exam?"

"Just work as a minor official in the county government!"

The guard's face was solemn, "That's terrible."

"What nonsense! How can a butcher like him, who kills people without blinking an eye, be an official?"

"He can still act arrogantly in the countryside, but if he gets to the county town, I'm afraid he won't survive more than three days!"

ps: In August, more than 300,000 craftsmen were dispatched to build the Three Terraces in Yexia. Based on the old foundation, they were built higher and wider, and a large palace and Yu Garden were built. ——"Book of Northern Qi·Annals of Wenxuan"

(End of this chapter)