mtl008 Chapter 138 Burning the Corpse
Chapter 138 Burning the Corpse
General Xie led his men to expand the search area along the shore of Song Lake, but still found nothing.
Without even having lunch, he climbed onto his horse in the scorching sun and said, "Let's go to the east of the city!"
The sun-dried Yun Yi licked his cracked lips and responded. The other guards who had just swam out of Song Lake shook off their wet clothes and hurried to follow.
West of the city,
Tuanzi, dressed in lotus pink, sat under the shed holding a bowl of summer-cooling soup. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arms as white and tender as lotus roots, and looked up at the big sun in the sky.
"Why hasn't General Xie come back yet..."
"An An's house is ready."
Nianniang wiped the sweat off the young lady's red face with a handkerchief and said, "Zhenglu just met General Xie, and he took people to the east of the city to look for her."
"Oh, all right~"
Tuanzi finished the summer-cooling soup in her bowl. Directly opposite her was the gate of the place where the infected people were accommodated. The red-painted gate was tightly closed, blocking her view.
She raised her head and looked at Niangniang, concerned about the situation inside, "How are the victims today?"
"Is the prescription that the doctor improved yesterday useful?"
Nianniang opened her mouth, but when she faced the young lady's fat face, she inexplicably didn't want to let her know these things.
Jiang An tilted his head, looking puzzled, "Nianniang, what's wrong?"
Nianniang: "Nothing, Miss."
She took the bowl from Tuanzi's hand and chuckled to comfort the young lady.
Everything the young lady has done in the past two days is for the people affected by the epidemic. Although she is young, she is not a delicate girl who hides behind these people to be protected.
The young lady of the Zhenguo Palace, like the prince, protected this border on her own...
Thinking of this, Nioniou told the young lady in detail the situation on the other side.
"The patients' condition improved after taking medicine yesterday, but the disease has worsened again today."
"Doctors believe that this prescription can only temporarily suppress the epidemic, but cannot eradicate it..."
"Several dead victims were carried out today."
The governor is going to burn the corpse...
But the common people all value being buried in peace, so we can’t leave them with no place to worship their relatives…
"Master Wen has spent a lot of time and effort to persuade them, but the families are in a bad mood, and even the other victims are in a panic."
Nianniang's hoarse voice made Tuanzi's ears itchy.
She stretched out her fat paws and scratched a few times. No one knew what she was thinking with her round eyes, which kept turning around. It seemed like a bad idea no matter how you looked at it.
Jiang An: "Where are those families?"
Nianniang squatted down, gently placed her hand on the young lady's small hand and patted it, "Those family members may be infected with the epidemic, young lady, you can't go over there!"
"The prince has already made a decision on this matter before he left. Can we wait?"
Her father has arranged it.
Tuanzi pouted and spread her hands, "Dad has arranged everything, so An An has no chance to show off~"
Now that the house is built, what else can An An do with the mud?
She patted her head and thought hard.
"The Right Guard..."
"Where are the Zhenglu guards?"
Tuanzi quickly stood up from the stool and stared at the city guard who came to deliver the message with shining eyes.
She ran over with her little hands open, even rushing ahead of Zhenglu.
Jiang An tugged at the armor of the city guard, his long eyelashes fluttering, "Why are you looking for Zheng Lu?"
The city guard clasped his fists and said, "Greetings, young lady!"
"I am here on the orders of the lieutenant general to deliver the prince's order."
"The medicinal herbs in the suburbs of the city have run out, so the prince ordered the Zhenglu guards to transport the herbs into the city from the south gate."
"Also, the prince burned the bodies of the villagers of Changming Village and the soldiers of the National Defense Army who were infected with the plague in the northern suburbs of the city..."
"Take this as an example and hope that the people of Chongzhou will put the overall situation first!"
Burning…
Jiang An loosened his little hand and looked towards the north of the city.
There, thick smoke rose...
Zhenglu's Adam's apple rolled, and his hand holding the knife tightened, "I'll send someone to inform the governor and General Xie."
"Right Law..."
Tuanzi pointed at the tightly closed door opposite, his childish eyes flashed with sharpness, and there was a bit of majesty in commanding soldiers.
"Go and inform the infected people to stand up and look north of the city!"
Her father brought the bodies of the soldiers here to let the people know that in Chongzhou today, even people’s survival is a problem. Do they really need to care about those illusory thoughts?
Jiang An couldn't come up with any profound ideas, but she knew that she had to stay alive before she could talk about the future.
Zhenglu: “Yes!”
"Nianniao, let's go too..."
Tuanzi held the maid's hand, her chubby face showing grievance, she missed her father...
When Jiang An rode a carriage to the north of the city, the sound of horse hooves could be heard behind him.
Xie Yunshan was riding in front, his handsome face covered with dust and his expression was tense.
Behind him was a carriage that seemed to be ready to take off. Jiang An could imagine that the governor in the carriage must be in great trouble!
Behind the carriage were the family members who had to follow, being driven by the yamen runners and guards.
Xie Yunshan dismounted and wiped the sweat from his temples without paying much attention, "I found it..."
"source!"
Jiang An perked up when he heard this and approached the smelly Xie Yunshan, "Where is it, what is it?"
"We'll talk about this later. Let's go up to the tower first."
Tuanzi stamped his feet, his cheeks puffed up, "Let's talk while we walk~"
It's so frustrating!
Xie Yunshan was in front. He had long legs and could walk a long way in just three or two steps.
Jiang An crossed her arms over her chest. Who doesn’t have long legs?
She made a snorting sound, and moved closer to Nianniang, stretching out the last syllable, "Nianniang, hug me~"
On the city wall, a breeze blew, bringing a slight coolness.
The hair on Xie Yunshan's forehead was blown up, and he squinted his eyes to look at the open space about two miles away from the city gate.
Soldiers in black armor were piled on the firewood racks, and the soldiers with veils on their faces were moving the bodies of the villagers of Changming Village onto them.
Jiang Jichen was dressed in black, holding a torch in his hand, standing there. He was just a distant figure, but he made people feel lonely...
Tuanzi clung to the city wall, staring into the distance with his round eyes without blinking.
She whispered: "It's Dad..."
He seems very unhappy...
Jiang An went to look at the piled-up bodies and suddenly remembered the warm smiles on the faces of the wounded soldiers when she first went to Changming Village. She remembered that when her father faced them, he seemed to be reminiscing with old friends and was concerned about everything in the village...
And those soldiers...
He said that he would fight with them and protect this place.
Tuanzi blinked and quietly wiped away the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand.
When the elderly governor climbed up the city wall, Jiang Jichen in the distance looked back as if he sensed something.
He threw the torch in his hand at the pile of firewood, and the flames jumped up and devoured all...
The old man had gray hair and half of his body was leaning on the city wall, tears streaming down his face.
He waved his wide-sleeved hands at the stubborn family members, his voice hoarse.
"See for yourselves!"
“Look at those kids in the fire!”
"When they went to war, you also sent them dry food, shoes and socks..."
These children train all day, fight in battles, and protect this city and this country. Their families don’t even know that these children are gone…
"Look around you again, your living relatives..."
"Do we really want to continue to drag down the living because of those who died?"
Thick smoke rose into the sky again. Jiang Jichen turned his back to the fire and looked up at the city gate.
The family members supported each other and knelt in front of the old man. They said with a sour throat, "Burn... Let's burn..."
General Xie held down the governor and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll do it."
Jiang An wiped his eyes with his fat hands, turned around with red eyes, and said as if nothing had happened, "An An, go transport the herbs!"
Another hour passed, and the north city gate was opened. Xie Yunshan rode in front, and the guards behind him pushed a cart loaded with corpses.
He gripped the reins, his brows determined.
Yun Yi, who was one step behind, looked at his young master's back. Perhaps even the young master himself did not realize that he was no longer like that young master...