Chapter 68: Generous Qin Opera

  Wang Cai'er licked her lips, hesitated for a moment and then nodded slightly. She turned to the prisoners of war who were walking and said: "Everyone listen up, I'll sing it once, you follow along. When we get in front of the palace, if we don't sing well, who knows, we might be sent back to continue our hard labor, and I'll also be implicated."

  "You teach, we will definitely learn well and never drag you down." Sun Sishun was grateful in his heart and hurriedly responded.

  "We will never drag you down, we must study hard and make Your Highness satisfied." The others echoed in agreement.

  Wang Cai'er cleared her throat, pulled out a new wooden clapper from the horse bag, and began to sing loudly while beating it. The passionate and tragic tone echoed on the dusty road of the gray earth yard.

  Two wolves fight on the mountain, heaven and earth shake, heaven—shake—earth—shake! Good men for the country, what fear of life and death, what—fear—life—and—death! Good kill! Ah! Good war also! Since ancient times, thousands of loyal and good people have protected the rivers and mountains for the country and the people. Mr. Su Wu was a Han envoy, his hair was shaved off but his will remained firm. He was imprisoned in a foreign land for 19 years, he did not surrender to the alien tribe to become an official. Loyal ministers and righteous scholars are not afraid of death, even if they die, their bones will remain fragrant... Greedy for wealth and glory, becoming a slave dog, selling out the country and killing one's own kind, losing all sense of justice. Flattering the barbarians with a mouse tail, truly having a human face but a beastly heart. Deceiving heaven and betraying ancestors, destroying a good heart, not loyal, not filial, buried in a foreign land. Even in a foreign land, there is no place to bury you, a lonely soul, a wild ghost, miserable and desolate... Family members at home lean on the door and look out, again becoming slaves and servants, their hearts are sorrowful...

  Wang Dou's memory is good, and he sings with a lot of feeling. His unique bitter tone conveys emotions of sadness, anger, nostalgia, and desolation without leaving any residue. There are even flashes of crystal light in his eyes, possibly because he thought of his loved ones at home.

  The first two sentences are the lyrics of "Two Wolves Mountain" by Yang Jieyi, a famous song in the Bangzi opera. The latter part was later modified by Zhu Yongxing to directly scold those who are now serving as tigers and demons. It has both painful curses and warnings, and finally uses kinship to confuse them, making these old Qin army descendants who have been away from home and fighting in this southern country unable to help but feel sad and moved.

  When they heard the words "In a foreign land, there is no place to bury you, and your lonely soul will be desolate. The elderly, wives and children are waiting at the door, and again as slaves, their hearts are filled with sorrow", many prisoners of war felt the same way, and couldn't help but shed tears, sobbing continuously.

  Wang Dou finished singing and secretly wiped his eyes. He didn't know why, but every time he sang it, he couldn't help but shed tears, and he was afraid of being scolded by the officials.

  "Good, well sung." Ming Jun's small flag suddenly clapped his hands and said loudly: "You are now regretful, it's not too late to avoid losing the face of the old Qin army. Han people killing Han people, letting the Hu people watch and laugh on the side, I really don't know what you're thinking? Is it just for a few mouthfuls of food? That Zhang Yong is even more despicable, for his own glory and wealth, he brought you out from your hometown, but wants to make you into wandering ghosts in a foreign land, or lonely souls in the wilderness. Who knows, maybe you'll even be eaten by wolves and dogs, and it's hard to rest in peace."

  "The adults have taught you well." Wang Dou said with a bow of his hands.

  "Stop calling me 'sir'." Ming Jun Xiao Qi chuckled and waved his hand, saying: "From now on, work hard and follow His Highness, it's not wrong. You don't know, His Highness is actually a divine gift..."

  ……

  There is no savior in this world, but people always hope for the appearance of a savior. Just like when weak civilians are oppressed, they hope for a heroic knight to save them.

  Zhu Yongxing felt that he didn't have the divine power of a savior, but he didn't want to shatter the hopes that many people had pinned on him. Instead, he did his best to give others more and greater hope. It was during this era when ordinary soldiers were treated as dirt that he gradually changed this unfair reality.

  The soldiers were re-registered and asked to leave the names and addresses of their relatives, and the consolation for the dead would be sent back to their relatives in the future. Their relatives would also enjoy tax-free and rent-free treatment. This is currently a pie in the sky, but doing it is better than not doing it, and it can make the soldiers feel different from before. As for building a martyrs' cemetery to let the dead rest in peace forever, this was one of the things that Zhu Yongxing solemnly ordered the whole army to do.

  The living should be supported, the dead mourned, and their families kept from hunger and cold. Zhu Yongxing is gradually refining and fixing the treatment of wounded soldiers, the dead, and their families, and wants to make it a reality step by step.

  Soldiers may be humble, but they are the foundation of victory. Moreover, they should know why they fight, what they gain from fighting, and not just blindly follow their superiors like mindless machines. If this bad habit is not eliminated, Zhu Yongxing will not go far. Victory is certainly inspiring, but once defeated, even if it's a small defeat, it will cause the army to waver, soldiers to scatter, which is absolutely not what he wants to see.

  Of course, this is not something that can be completely changed in a short period of time, Zhu Yongxing is well aware of this. So, the current battle is particularly important to him, and it wasn't until the raindrops fell on his head that he could finally let out a sigh of relief.

  According to the law of previous years, the rainy season should have arrived, now although it's a bit late, but still just in time. Zhu Yongxing and Mingjun have been defending and retreating for over ten days, and have retreated to the last line of defense as expected - Nanzhai Gongfang.

  Nan Zhai Gong House was named because in ancient times, there were Taoist priests who built houses here to provide assistance to travelers and it is located south of Bei Zhai Gong House. The elevation is about 3,400 meters, and it is an ancient trail from Yunlong or Baoshan to Tengchong that crosses the Gaoligong Mountains. The Yajiao mountain pass cuts across the main ridge of the Gaoligong Mountains in a west-east direction, with steep cliffs at both ends. The ancient trail winds its way through the cliffs, with steep terrain and a sense of danger all around, truly having the momentum of "one man holding the pass, ten thousand men cannot open it".

  There are trenches, deer sheds, wooden fences, rain shelters and resting caves, enough firewood and food, and many oilcloth umbrellas. After shrinking, the number of Ming army also increased a lot, all of which gave Zhu Yongxing confidence to defend this place.

  Rainy season, haha, the kind of "no three days of sunshine" that the Qing army experienced in Guizhou is nothing, subtropical jungle mountain rainy season, and it's high altitude, that can be called terrible. Yes, it's terrible. Zhang Yong, Xian Guoan, take your troops to enjoy the mountains!

  A dazzling flash of light shot out, making people's eyes dizzy, followed by a deafening roar, the rumbling sound crashing between the mountains, shaking the sky and earth. The light rain suddenly turned into a heavy downpour. Lightning flashed in the dark sky like several cracks, illuminating the mountain wilderness for an instant, also illuminating Zhu Yongxing's face with a cold smile.

  Drought season, the hidden leeches, hurry up and come out. In previous years, there weren't many mammals for you to suck blood from, but now those originally desolate ancient roads have gathered tens of thousands of Qing soldiers. For the already struggling and impoverished drought leeches, this is truly a great opportunity for large-scale reproduction, as the food that can't be finished is lined up to be delivered to your mouths.

  Rain, pour down with all your might and make this beautiful "Imperial Garden" colder than the underworld, let those Qing soldiers shiver and freeze to death!

  ……