Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 125: The Empty Grudges Between Children of the World

When the dust had settled in Zhangjiazhuang, in the cool autumn night breeze, a tall and strong man who was tied up tightly was pushed in front of He Boqiu.

He Boqiu, wearing armor and helmet, dismounted and held up a torch to carefully examine the man's face. When the man began to sneer, he sighed and said, "Pang Shisan, what are you doing here?"

The big man tried to straighten himself up: "Please, Mr. He San, call me by my full name, Pang Rugui."

He Boqiu was silent for a moment: "Is this the name Wei Dadao gave you?"

The burly man named Pang Rugui struggled a few times, but was pinned down by the two men behind him. He could only stare at He Boqiu with wide eyes, gritting his teeth and saying, "Master He, please address Marshal Wei as Duke Wei!"

He Boqiu was silent for a moment again, then asked an embarrassed middle-aged soldier, "Uncle Jiu, where did you catch him?"

"What are you talking about? I'll fuck your whole family! I shouldn't have shown mercy, I should have bitten you to death with my teeth!" Before the middle-aged soldier could even open his mouth, Pang Rugui turned around and cursed him.

He Lai, who was called Uncle Nine by He Boqiu, was becoming increasingly embarrassed. Amidst the scolding, he explained, "It was Wang Erweizi, near the south. I took a few brothers with me to collect food and grass, and I saw Pang Shisan. I didn't recognize him at first, but in this chaotic situation, he was a strong man riding a strong horse, with a sword, shield, bow, arrow, and spear. How could I not question him?

After a few questions, we recognized each other. Pang Shisan used his spear as a club and knocked down several of his brothers, which was considered to be mercy. In the end, I got behind him, wrapped him in a fishing net, and tied him up.

He Boqiu was stunned for a moment, then asked again, "Thirteen, are you doing well in the Southern Dynasty?"

Pang Rugui panted heavily and sneered, "Thanks to Mr. He Sanye, Duke Wei bought my family out, bought us land, let me marry, and have four children."

He Boqiu's voice was still gentle: "Then why did you come to this muddy water? Isn't it better to live a peaceful life?"

Pang Rugui laughed loudly, his voice as shrill as an owl searching for food at night. "Master He, Master He, have you forgotten Pang Village and Pang Village? Have you forgotten your two sworn brothers, my father and uncle? They were killed by the Jin bandits! Even my mother, aunt, brothers, and dozens of sisters were killed by the Jin bandits! Tell me, why can't I come now that Duke Wei is on the Northern Expedition? Why shouldn't I come?!"

He Boqiu remained unconcerned. He twirled his beard and smiled, "Have you ever thought about what would happen to your wife and children if you died?"

Pang Rugui: "Master He, you didn't care when my father and uncle were killed; you didn't care when my family was enslaved in the Southern Dynasty; now that I'm in the north to fight against the Jin, you start to care. Put away your kindness, Master He, I can't bear it."

He Lai also wanted to tell Pang Rugui that the Pang family members who had become slaves in the Southern Dynasty were redeemed by He Boqiu at the request of Wei Sheng, and he even paid a lot of money, but He Boqiu stopped him with a look.

He Boqiu stepped forward and touched Pang Rugui's shoulder. He was silent for a long time before he said, "Thirteen, I didn't appear in front of you because I wanted you to live a good life in Song and not think about the dirty things that happened in Jin. But I didn't expect you to resent me for it."

Pang Rugui regained his composure, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at He Boqiu, who was so close to him: "Live a good life? Mr. He, you're wrong. This isn't resentment. This is the depression that suddenly rises in my chest when I'm surrounded by my wife and children, when I'm drunk, when I'm laughing heartily. It's when I wake up in the middle of the night and suddenly remember that my family feud and national hatred have not yet been avenged. Now, for this breath, I return to my hometown to die. Why can't I? Why should I be afraid of death? Am I still afraid of death?"

"Master He, you act like a kindhearted man, a man of integrity and loyalty who longs for his deceased brother. But my father and uncle died fighting against the Jin invaders. It was the Jin invaders who killed them! But you, Master He, you are serving the Jin invaders, you are serving the enemy who killed your brother. Now you want to obey the Jin invaders' orders, kill the righteous men who resisted the Jin invaders, kill people like your brother, and yet you pretend to be deeply in love with me. How ridiculous! "

Pang Rugui finished speaking in one breath, and could no longer bear it, so he looked up to the sky and let out a long roar.

He Boqiu looked at Pang Rugui steadily, his expression neither happy nor angry.

"Uncle Jiu, send a few people to keep an eye on him. Don't treat him harshly, and don't let him escape."

At He Boqiu's command, several more people stepped forward, tied up the struggling Pang Rugui even more tightly, and pushed him towards a tent.

He Lai also looked at Pang Rugui's back, his eyes showing worry: "A Lang, did you forget to ask him why he came here?"

He Boqiu put on his helmet and tightened his belt. "It's not that I won't ask, but I already know." Seeing He Lai's puzzled expression, He Boqiu explained, "Pang Shisan isn't surprised to see me here, and he knows what I'm going to do. It must be Wei Dadao who's learned of our army's movements and is here to tip off Geng the thief."

He Lai also shook his head, seemingly unable to believe it: "Wei Dadao...how did Duke Wei know about this?"

He Boqiu scoffed, "People's hearts are unstable."

"Even if the people of our Zhuangzi are unstable, how could Duke Wei dare to believe it? Moreover, he has inquired so thoroughly, even knowing that we would be in this mountain valley..."

At this point, He Lai immediately shut up. He understood that the instability of people's hearts that He Boqiu mentioned was not just the instability of the hearts of ordinary farmers. Some senior military officers who controlled military affairs and even officials of the Jin Dynasty had become unstable.

"Ah Lang, what should we do now?"

He Boqiu forced a smile and said, "It doesn't matter. Now we are at the point of a fierce battle. No one can turn back, neither us nor Geng Ze."

As he spoke, He Boqiu mounted his horse, came to a high ground on the hillside, raised the torch and waved it.

There was also a tiny flicker of fire on the opposite mountain.

"Let it be." He Boqiu muttered to himself as he looked at the sky where the stars and the moon were obscured by dark clouds.

Then the Yishui hero roared with all his might.

“Raise the fire!!!”

The blaring sound of the horn blew in the autumn night wind, and the armor on He Boqiu's body gradually turned from gray to bright, and finally reflected the firelight, becoming a golden piece, like a god.

The two thousand soldiers who had remained silent beside him raised their torches, forming a golden waterfall on the hillside.

On the mountain opposite He Boqiu, a flame also rose. The flames there were not so dense, but there were more people. The light spread out, and dots formed a piece, just like a mountain fire, or like the stars in the sky fell to the ground.

Between the two hillsides is a mountain passage that is more than a mile wide. The Anzi River flowing through the passage has been illuminated by the fire and is golden.

Countless soldiers of the Tianping Army who were sleeping in tents on both sides of the Anzi River, or simply using the roof as blankets and the ground as beds, had been awakened by the noise around them and were in chaos in the night.

He Boqiu stretched out his right hand and suddenly flipped it: "Beat the drum!"

The sound of drums representing the attack resounded loudly on both sides of the Anzi River and even more so on the towering Mengshan Mountain.

"March!"

He Boqiu raised his voice and gave the order again, and the tone of the war drums changed and became more urgent.

Along with this order, countless flames on the slopes of Mengshan Mountain rushed towards the valley like mercury pouring out and a flood bursting out like a dam collapsing.

(End of this chapter)