Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 203: Bones Fill the Fields (Bonus Chapter for Yong Su's Alliance Leader)
Dingzhou.

Pingyang.

On either side of the boundary marker lie two different worlds.

The air felt unusually oppressive, as if an invisible hand was gripping everyone's heart tightly.

Looking up, the sky was a hazy blue.

Looking ahead, it seemed like an endless desert, with only huge, withered trees in sight, and the air was filled with the smell of decay.

That's a corpse rotting.

Looking around, you can see white bones on the ground, covered with traces of gnawing.

There are also cracks from being slashed by swords.

The corpses, some large, some small, were hunched over, struggling, displaying the posture of their final moments.

This is the city after it was trampled by the Jurchen cavalry.

Occasionally, one can see some houses, but they have long been burned down, leaving only black ruins.

The Jurchen people were inherently cruel. They would take everything they could carry, and what they couldn't take, they would either burn or... mercilessly kill.

It has no meaning whatsoever; perhaps it's just for amusement, nothing more.

The people of the Central Plains were like prey to them.

In some ways, the Jurchens were not much better than the Japanese pirates.

Song Yan could clearly hear the suppressed sounds coming from the throats of the soldiers behind him.

Like the roar of a wild beast.

Although most of them had no connection with Pingyang Prefecture, they still couldn't help but feel a surge of killing intent when they saw this scene.

What kind of inhuman beast could commit such an act?

Are those things really people?

The women inside the carriage turned pale upon seeing this scene, their eyes filled with fear and, of course, murderous intent.

Song Yan took a deep breath: "Let's go."

A thousand heavily armored soldiers surrounded a dozen or so carriages, and with heavy footsteps, they began to move slowly forward.

Song Yan glanced silently at Dingzhou Prefecture behind him.

The prefect of Dingzhou Prefecture must have been a capable man. The Jurchen cavalry had completely turned Pingyang Prefecture into a hunting ground, yet they ultimately failed to set foot on Dingzhou Prefecture's territory. At the border, remnants of war could be seen, including the remains of some warhorses, likely left several months prior.

Torrential rain, scorching sun, and freezing winds turned even warhorses into skeletons.

However, the governor's authority was extremely limited. A governor of a prefecture could only manage the affairs of his own prefecture. Even though he saw the Jurchens wreaking havoc in Pingyang, he could not lead his troops to attack.

Even if he could repel the Jurchen cavalry, the civil officials in the court could send him to the execution ground. Therefore, all that the governor could do was probably to block the Jurchen cavalry at the border of Dingzhou Prefecture and then try his best to accept the disaster victims from Pingyang Prefecture.

Song Yan was not qualified to judge whether the governor's actions were right or wrong.

After all, not everyone has the connections to withstand the criticism from those in the government.

Even governors have families.

The crime of exterminating a clan is one that no one can bear.

The sky is gloomy.

Dark clouds gathered, as if it were about to rain.

Whirring whirring……

A biting wind blew by, as if countless vengeful ghosts were howling.

Just ahead, on a tree branch, a shadow swayed in the strong wind. It was a child, and judging from the clothes on his body, it should be a girl.

They are probably between eight and nine years old.

Its small body was already rotting, with holes all over its stomach and chest.

A rope was suspended from her neck, hanging in mid-air.

Crows covered the soldiers, and upon hearing the footsteps of the heavily armored soldiers, they spread their wings in unison, cawing loudly, filling the sky with a vast, dark flock. These crows didn't fly away, but instead circled above the heavily armored soldiers, seemingly already considering them prey.

After all, they've gotten used to it over such a long time.

After pursing her lips, Song Yan continued walking forward.

White bones fill the fields, and for a thousand miles no rooster crows.

But that's it.

Walking on this land is like being in the eighteenth level of hell. You can almost hear faint screams in your ears, and looking at the corpses, you can almost imagine the tragic scenes that once unfolded.

Boom... click.

The dark clouds collided.

A bolt of lightning tore through the gloomy darkness, followed by thunderous roars that shook the deathly silence of the world.

"We need to find somewhere to shelter from the rain." Looking up at the sky, Song Yan sighed.

In this kind of weather, getting wet would be a terrible situation.

His men are the best soldiers; they can die on the battlefield, but they cannot die here.

"According to the map, there's a small town about three miles ahead. We should be able to find shelter from the rain there." Yang Siyao poked her head out of the carriage, holding a map in her hand.

Song Yan nodded and gave a signal, and the exhausted heavy armored soldiers began to speed up and rush forward.

They were lucky and finally arrived at the small town of Taiping before the heavy rain came.

Taiping Town.

Looking at the dilapidated houses in front of me, I could still see the dark red stains of blood splattered on some of the walls.

Similarly, there were corpses and remains everywhere.

The word "peaceful" sounds somewhat ironic. This town is deserted.

Some brick houses, which were not completely burned down, could still provide shelter from the wind and rain.

Song Yan then ordered the formation to be disbanded.

The soldiers leaned against the wall, panting heavily. The long march had taken a severe toll on their physical strength.

The scouts fared slightly better; although they engaged in a lot of physical activity, they were only wearing soft leather armor.

Some scouts climbed the wall and warily watched their surroundings.

Other scouts hid in every corner of the town, watching for any unusual activity.

Song Yan also let out a breath, took off his helmet, and although the wind was biting cold, his hair was still wet.

Kongchan, Dieyi, Xueying, and the others had long lost their former liveliness, and the scene they witnessed today had an unprecedented impact on their hearts.

Having lived in the Princess's mansion since childhood, they witnessed the darkness of this world for the first time and understood for the first time just how terrifying this world truly was.

They all fell silent, their slender shoulders trembling slightly.

Even Luo Tianyi's expression was somewhat gloomy.

Yang Siyao and Bu Yu, perhaps due to their life experiences and accustomed to tragedy, merely sighed upon seeing such a scene and did not react much.

The sky remained overcast.

The expected downpour did not materialize, and even the thunder gradually faded away.

As darkness fell, snowflakes began to drift down from the sky.

Snowflakes are a rare sight in Ningping, but in Liaodong, they are a common sight.

Like willow catkins, like goose feathers, drifting and swaying.

The woman in white leaned against a pillar by the door, gazing at the sky, seemingly lost in thought. Seeing snowflakes falling, she stretched out her small hand, and a snowflake landed in her palm before quickly melting away.

It's snowing heavily.

The heavy armor on his body felt even colder.

Fires were lit in many rooms, and the leaping flames dispelled the chill.

For these heavily armored soldiers who came from the coastal areas, the climate here is probably not quite suitable.

Inside the house, Gao Yang, Ban Xia, Bu Yu, and several other girls also found firewood and lit a fire, and the rolling heat wave hit them.

Gao Yang didn't mind that Song Yan was sitting next to her. She rolled up her skirt, revealing her slender, white legs. Perhaps she felt that she had already seen these legs before, so there was no harm in seeing them again.

The thick trousers were rolled up to the knees, revealing two dark red scabs that looked quite different from the fair and tender skin next to them, making them look rather ugly.

Perhaps the scab was a little itchy, so Gao Yang stretched out his finger and gently scratched it, occasionally picking at the edge of the scab with his fingernail, as if trying to pick off the ugly thing.

Seeing this, Song Yan smiled.

I vividly remember doing the same thing when I was a child.

However, the outcome is never good. After the scab is picked off, fresh blood flows freely, and then there's a new round of scab formation, itching, picking, bleeding, scab formation...

I never expected that Gao Yang, who usually seems quite mature, would have such a childlike side.

Perhaps this is the true nature that Gao Yang gradually revealed after she broke free from the constraints of her status as a member of the royal family and the shackles of the prince's and marquis's mansions?
Seemingly noticing Song Yan's gaze, Gao Yang glared at her fiercely before continuing to carefully pick at the scabs.

Song Yan pursed his lips. Ever since he saw this woman's calves last time, her attitude towards him had been terrible.

Always fierce, like a proud little wildcat.

Song Yan felt that this woman was a bit ungrateful. Didn't she know who had saved her life?

Several times, Song Yan almost couldn't resist throwing her off the carriage... but he stopped because of Luo Tianyi.

I can't be bothered with this woman.

Song Yan lay down on the ground, preparing to take a nap and recover his strength.

However, Gao Yang couldn't help but glance at Song Yan out of the corner of his eye after Song Yan lay down, sometimes puffing out his cheeks and sometimes biting his lips.

I don’t know what I’m thinking.

“This Pingyang Prefecture…”

Just as Song Yan was about to fall asleep, Luo Tianyi's voice drifted over quietly: "Is there really no one left alive?"

The voice was cold and detached, making it impossible to discern any emotion within it.

Others could be ignored, but not his sister-in-law, so Song Yan thought for a moment and said, "There should still be quite a few survivors."

"But these people either entered Pingyang Prefecture."

"Qian Yaozu has withdrawn all his fighting forces and is holed up in the prefectural city. That place should still be considered safe."

"Or, they entered Dingzhou Prefecture, where they took in many disaster victims."

"Or they become refugees, wandering from place to place."

“There must be many people hiding in the deep mountains and forests surrounding Pingyang Prefecture.”

"It's just that the border is unguarded, allowing the Jurchen barbarians to advance unimpeded, so they dare not return home. Things should get better once we are stationed at the border and defeat the Jurchens."

"Is that so?" Luo Tianyi lowered her head: "That's good...that's good."

Luo Tianyi slowly returned to the campfire and sat down: "Rest, I'll keep watch."

Song Yan nodded and did not refuse. Not long after, he heard tired snoring.

The surrounding rooms are probably all like this.

Fire, snoring, the night watchman!
……

At the same time, in Pingyang Prefecture, not far from the town, a herd of warhorses galloped past.

Wrapped in clothes sewn from animal hides, they resembled wild beasts running through a snowy night.

(End of this chapter)