Chapter 384 Bright Moon Mid-Autumn Night
The name Baokang County originated from "Baokang Army" during Yongxi's reign in the Northern Song Dynasty, which means "protecting peace and prosperity for the people". Baokang County was only established after the founding of the Xuan Dynasty.
Although the city of Baokang County was built only a hundred years ago, people have been living in this area for a long time, even dating back to the first king of Chu, Xiong Yi.
Years of war have not affected these places.
The reason is very simple. Baokang County has overlapping mountains, crisscrossing ravines, undulating terrain, and countless ravines and rivers.
Strictly speaking, this can be regarded as the Jingchu mountain forest area. Some villages are closed all year round and are self-sufficient. It is difficult for the government to collect grain taxes.
In troubled times, it is equivalent to Peach Blossom Garden.
But now, the cloud of war also hangs over this place.
"Wow! Wow!"
Under the bright moonlight, crows gather and disperse.
The deep canyon and mountain road were densely packed with corpses, including Heavenly Saint Sect Disciple and imperial soldiers and horses. Broken limbs were everywhere on the ground, and broken flags and weapons were crisscrossed.
The surrounding mountains and forests were filled with smoke and fire.
If someone looks at it from a high place, there are more than ten dilapidated battlefields like this in Baokang County.
This is the current battlefield situation.
In the land of Ezhou, the imperial court lacked soldiers and horses, so they were transferred from other places. Heavenly Saint Army and Long Xiang Army grew up in the mountains and forests. They were good at fighting in the mountains and forests, and they occupied the power of the terrain.
They broke into pieces, and small groups of people wandered around to attack, causing a lot of trouble to the imperial army.
Even if True Martial Palace mobilizes troops and horses, sometimes it can only destroy one or two teams of the opponent and cannot decide the situation of the battle.
Therefore, the current strategy of the imperial court is to use its military superiority to steadily advance and continuously compress the Heavenly Saint Sect territory.
Fortunately, there was no prompting on Imperial Court.
First of all, the grain harvest has been bumper in the past two years and the national treasury is full. There is enough time to completely eliminate the hidden dangers in this Divine Land hinterland.
Secondly, the imperial court also used this opportunity to train troops and experiment with New Style Firearm tactics.
The battle in Jingchu Mountain Forest has reached its final moment. No matter Long Xiang Army or Heavenly Saint Army, there is no hope of winning.
It was vigorous at first, but now it is just hanging on...
"Alas~"
On the mountain road in the distance, Wang Dao Xuan sighed and looked away, "If those battlefields are not cleaned up early, I don't know how many Lonely Souls and Wild Ghosts, Demons and Monsters will be produced."
"No time at all."
Gong Qun replied, "Heavenly Saint Sect made a Demon Army, both of which were trained in sorcery, and also used New Style Firearm to hide in the mountains and forests to disperse guerrillas."
"Especially around the battlefield, the Daoist priests at the True Martial Palace are often attacked by surprise when they are performing their duties. They are specially shot with black guns, and they run away after being hit. They still have a headache."
"The commander-in-chief has given an order that you are not allowed to leave the team without permission. You must return to the military camp after nightfall. You can only clean up after the war."
"Let's leave early."
Li Yan raised his head, looked at the grassy mountain road ahead, and asked doubtfully, "Is there really anyone living in this place?"
"Yes!"
Gong Qun said, "Among the mountains ahead, there is Dragon Pool Village. It is located in a remote place and the access to the mountain is very steep. It has not been affected by the war."
"In the back mountain of Dragon Pool Village, there is an ancient mountain road. It is rumored that it was built by the ancestors of the Chu Kingdom. From there, you can avoid Heavenly Saint Army and enter Shennongjia."
"I happen to know Zheng Zhong in the village. Let's rest there for one night and set off tomorrow morning. Enter Shennongjia."
"Okay, let's leave early, Old Sha I'm almost starving to death!"
Sha LiFei grumbled and complained.
Along the way, they fought off several enemy attacks. Although the results were brilliant, they were still tense day and night. They had no time to light a fire and all the dry food was eaten up.
In the past two days, I avoided the main battlefield and traveled over mountains and ridges. In order to hide my whereabouts, I could only eat some wild fruits to satisfy my hunger. It was really hard to bear it.
Gong Qun himself was also exhausted, so he stopped talking and led everyone through the dense forest and mountain roads.
Not long after, a steep slope suddenly appeared in front of us.
The surrounding vegetation is green, but this place is filled with jagged rocks and no grass. It looks like the exposed skeleton of a giant beast, leading diagonally to the top of the mountain.
"Right here."
Gong Qun raised his head and said, "In other places, the trees are too dense or there are steep cliffs, making it difficult to pass. It is most convenient to climb over the mountain from here."
Looking at this strange terrain, Wang Dao Xuan couldn't help but take out the compass from his arms. After checking it, he frowned and said, "There is no grass growing here, the underworld is messy, there is no water in front, and there is no support to the left or right. It is a dangerous place. Nothing happened?"
Gong Qun was stunned for a moment, "Dragon Pool Village I have been here several times. There are cultivated fields in the village, and a large beach. In addition, there are many hunters. The life is relatively stable and nothing has happened."
"Oh?"
Wang Dao Xuan looked at the top of the mountain again, "This is a bit strange. Are there any temples or town objects in the village?"
Gong Qun quickly replied, "There is a Ancestor Temple on the hillside. It is very old and has strong incense."
"It's no wonder."
Wang Dao Xuan suddenly realized, "It turns out that an expert has already made the arrangements."
Within Ancestor Temple, Attendant is Laozi.
If the incense is strong, it will definitely protect one party.
As Gong Qun said, although this rocky hillside looks scary and is even more bizarre under the bright moonlight, it is not dangerous.
Not even a wild beast was seen.
It didn't take long for everyone to climb up the mountain.
Sure enough, on the hillside not far away, there stood an ancient temple. The building was not gorgeous, and the outer walls were made of large and small rocks mixed with mud.
The courtyard door was locked and it was pitch dark inside.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
There were dogs tied up in the old temple. When they sensed their scent, they barked immediately.
Squeak~
The temple door opened immediately, and three men smelling of alcohol, armed with swords and bows, rushed out in panic.
"Who?!"
Before they could see clearly, they had already drawn their bows and arrows.
"Chen Er Gouzi, it's me!"
Gong Qun quickly opened his mouth to stop him.
"Yes, Lord Gong?"
One of the skinny men quickly held down his companion's bow and arrow, "Don't move, this is Mr. Gong, who helped our village back then."
"Sir, why did you go into the mountain in the middle of the night?"
"I was delayed on the road, where is Cloud Daoist?"
"I went into the mountains to collect herbs and haven't come back for several days. You need to go to Village Chief Zhou's house. I will show you the way."
"No, it's not peaceful recently. Please be more careful. You dare to drink even if you are guarding the village. It's so random!"
"As you said, sir, who from our poor and remote country is willing to come..."
After exchanging pleasantries, Gong Qun led everyone on their way forward.
Li Yan turned his head and glanced, frowning slightly.
I don't know if it was an illusion, but he actually heard an old sigh from the Ancestor Temple.
Could it be that there is a secular god inside?
Although it was strange, Li Yan did not investigate.
They have other important matters and have been delayed for a long time on the road, so there is no need to add any extraneous details here.
Looking down from the mountain, Dragon Pool Village is clearly visible.
I saw mountains below, surrounded by mountains, forming a small basin with a lake in the center and a village with about a hundred households on the edge of the lake.
Under the moonlight, many houses were lit with candles.
Wang Dao Xuan looked at the moon in the sky, suddenly slapped his forehead, and said with a smile, "I have been traveling so fast these days, I almost forgot that today is August 15th, the night of the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Going down the hillside, there are layers of terraces along the way.
"There's a thief!"
Lu San suddenly spoke and pointed forward.
Under the bright moon melon field, I saw a few dark shadows busy and sneaky, stealing a few big melons.
Sha LiFei was happy and said, "Okay, on this Mid-Autumn Festival night when the moon is full, instead of being reunited with your family, you turn out to be a thief. I have never seen anything like this."
"You have misunderstood."
Gong Qun laughed dumbly and quickly explained, "This is my Ezhou custom, and my name is Mo Qiu Song Zi."
"On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon rises, if you go to someone else's house to steal melons, you must make a noise and let the host come out and yell at you. The more unpleasant the curse, the better..."
"After stealing the melon, he would dress up like a child, make a hole, put red peppers in it, beat gongs and drums, and send it to a childless family to wish him a child soon."
"Women have to put the melon seeds on the bed to sleep that night. To be honest, this is how my mother got pregnant with me."
"Look, my boss is probably coming out soon..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw the wooden door of a small farmhouse not far away suddenly opened wide, and a fierce woman jumped out, stomping on the ground, pointing at several people and yelling curses.
The curse words must be as ugly as they sound.
This fierce woman mustered all her strength, her eyes were red, her ears were red, and her saliva was flying everywhere. She was obviously taking the opportunity to satisfy her cravings.
Even Li Yan and others felt uncomfortable hearing this.
Those "melon thieves" were even more frantic, running out of the melon field, holding more than a dozen large melons, and ran away.
These "melon thieves" were all teenagers in their mid-teens. They were probably so excited that one of them mixed garlic under his feet, threw him to the ground, and threw the melon in his hand.
"Idiot!"
When the young man in charge saw it, he became very anxious.
This Mo Qiu Song Zi is also very particular. If the stolen melon is broken into pieces, it is unlucky and cannot be given to anyone. If the father finds out, he will definitely scold him.
He was holding two winter melons in his hands, and he couldn't free his hands to catch them, so he had to bend his body, swing his tail like a scorpion, and clamp one melon on his hind leg.
Looking at his skills and reactions, he is clearly a Lianjiazi.
But the other teenagers didn't react at all.
Phew!
At this moment, all the young men heard the roar of the wind, and a man suddenly appeared in front of them. He stretched out his hand and fished it out gently, holding another melon in his hand.
The person coming is none other than Li Yan.
"Ghost!"
Several teenagers were startled.
"What the hell?"
The leading boy scolded, then his whole body tensed up, and the hair on the back of his neck suddenly grew, "Who are you? What are you doing in our village?"
"Zhou Huzi, don't be rude!"
Gong Qun walked over quickly and said in a deep voice, "This is a distinguished guest. We have something to see your father."
"Ah, Brother Gong..."
The leader of the young man had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a strong body. When he saw Gong Qun, his face immediately filled with joy, "My father is here, come with me!"
"Keep on, the dog, don't let it fall again!"
After saying that, he flicked his calf, and the winter melon fell into the hands of the boy behind him. Li Yan also smiled slightly and handed the winter melon to him.
The boy named Zhou Huzi led the way, while the other boys kept secretly looking at Li Yan and his group.
There is no way, they are too eye-catching.
Whether it was the mandrill Wu Ba, the Little White Fox Chu Qi jumping behind Lu San, or the falcon in the cloth pocket on his chest, they were all very curious.
When Gong Qun saw this, he was afraid that Li Yan and others would be unhappy, so he quickly changed the subject and asked, "Hu Zi, why did you get so many melons this year?"
Zhou Huzi hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "Brother Gong, you haven't been here in the past two years, so you don't know the situation."
"No babies have been born in the village for two years, and I don't know what's going on. By the way, Cloud Daoist on the mountain said that he wanted to go into the mountain to collect herbs and specially let babies be born, but he didn't come out after a few days..."
"No doll?"
Gong Qun was also stunned for a moment and frowned slightly.
This is not a baby, but it is a big deal. If it goes on for a long time, rumors will definitely spread in the village, and maybe some trouble will happen.
But he had other important matters and couldn't care less about it.
While they were talking, everyone had arrived at the center of the village.
This place is close to a lake. Like other places in Ezhou, it is centered on the ancestral hall. The difference is that the ancestral hall is close to the lake.
The village is poor, and even the richest man, Li Zheng, is just a hunter. His yard is spacious and far inferior to that of the wealthy locals in other places.
At this moment, the courtyard door was wide open, and an old woman was waiting at the door. When she saw Zhou Huzi, she complained, "You kid, why are you working so hard? Come on, don't miss the time..."
While he was talking, he saw Gong Qun and his group, and quickly shouted to the inside, "Master, come out quickly, Master Gong is here."
A man immediately ran out of the yard. He was tall, bearded, wearing a brand new cloth robe, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, somewhat similar to Zhou Huzi.
"Master Gong!"
The man looked surprised, then looked at Li Yan and others, "These are..."
"These are all distinguished guests, let's talk after we get in!"
Gong Qun and Village Chief Zhou were obviously very familiar with each other. Without any nonsense, they led a few people directly into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, a square table has already been set up.
A wooden shelf was built on top of the square table, filled with various offerings, as well as moon cakes, incense candles and Five Offerings, which are naturally indispensable.
This is called "Moon Offering Pavilion", which is used to worship the moon.
"Everyone please!"
Village Chief Zhou felt uneasy and entered the room with a few people.
His son Zhou Huzi, after giving the winter melon to his mother to make a doll, became curious, pretended to have nothing to do, and wandered to the main hall door to eavesdrop.
"Oh, do you want to enter Shennongjia?"
"It just so happens that I will go into the mountains tomorrow and help you lead the way..."
"Village Chief Zhou What are you doing in the mountains?"
"Oh~Cloud Daoist hasn't come out for a few days, I'm afraid..."
Squeak!
The door suddenly opened, startling Zhou Huzi who was eavesdropping, and saw a bald man with a fierce face smiling at him.
Zhou Huzi shivered and walked away quickly.
"Bunny..."
Sha LiFei Yile, closed the door again.
After everyone discussed inside for a while, Village Chief Zhou immediately went out and arranged accommodation and food for Li Yan and them.
Li Yan and others also caught the opportunity.
It happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival night. Village Chief Zhou, the best hunter in the village, caught a deer and a lot of river fish. Although it was a country side dish and not very particular, it was delicious and delicious.
After drinking meat and wine, the fatigue of many days is gone.
People in the Zhou family are also busy.
The stolen winter melons were quickly dressed up as fat dolls by the women. The villagers who came to help beat gongs and drums and sent the winter melon dolls to every household.
In the yard, Village Chief Zhou led his family to burn incense and hold a moon worship ceremony.
"Another year has passed..."
Wang Dao Xuan looked at the bright moon in the sky, then looked in the direction of Guanzhong, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes, "Brother Sha, follow me to the lakeside later, set up an altar, and offer sacrifices to our brothers and relatives."
"Okay!"
Sha LiFei nodded seriously, then glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Li Yan frowning, seemingly listening.
"Yan XiaoGe, what's wrong?"
"Shh, don't talk, I hear a woman crying..."