Accompanied by a whistling sound, three stones once again drew perfect lines and landed in the military formation ahead.
Three loud crashes.
Men and horses in the military formation fell over, screams and cries of pain caused the pioneers charging ahead to fall, and the military formations behind were not spared either, their spirit, psychology and formation were disrupted by the recklessly running horses.
After three times, the originally tight and fierce formation of the woodcutters had become completely chaotic.
What in the world is this?
Never mind the shock of the opponents, Li Guorui and others were also stunned, the buzzing in their ears persisted, and their minds were in total disarray.
But it wasn't over yet. Flags whirling furiously, the women flipped the supply carts back again, a dizzying series of actions, and the supply carts transformed, with ten women together turning a winch, amid the creaking sounds, poles like long spears rose diagonally from the bottom of the carts.
This is...
Li Guorui felt his throat go dry.
As the thought arose, another release was heard, and the swooshing noise of the long spears flew from the supply carts towards the Jin thief's formation.
A long spear instantly penetrated a woodcutter who was charging with a large saber.
No, it didn't stop, not just one, but two, three...
Li Guorui swallowed his saliva.
One long spear, a string of soldiers, a string.
Long spears rained down, burying the Jin Army's formation in a storm.
So this is how battles can also be fought.
What's the point of fighting now, this is simply slaughter.
.............
The defenders on the walls of Changfeng City were much tenser than usual, one because as dusk fell the people outside had not yet returned, and two, because behind them a group of officials in neat official robes were furiously angry.
"How many days have they been out?" they shouted angrily, "A thousand men, yet they dare to venture deep into Bazhou territory, do you know how many woodcutters are presently in Bazhou?"
Sun Sanjie stretched out a palm.
"Nearly five thousand." he said.
"And you still have the face to say that." Lord Judge couldn't maintain decorum anymore and spat out in anger.
Sun Sanjie quickly claimed injustice.
"I originally said we would take two thousand, but Miss Jun said one thousand was enough, two thousand would hamper our movements too much, and also said that it's better to have more people guarding the city, in case the woodcutters attack, we could win with numbers," he said.
This statement sounded a bit odd, as if he was saying that these two thousand weren't as good as one thousand.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on this, Lord Judge spat again.
"Who's asking you that!" he snapped, "Are you mad, a thousand men daring to go to places where Jurchen people are?"
Sun Sanjie's expression became solemn.
"Lord, the command of the Duke of Chengguo, courageous without fear, facing death as if returning home," he said.
Don't they know the danger? But what about danger? As soldiers, it is to obey and move forward.
This has been ingrained in their souls for ten years.
Lord Judge was left speechless again, filled with irritability.
"Have you ever considered that this might not be the command of the Duke of Chengguo?" he said sternly.
Sun Sanjie was taken aback.
"Have you ever heard of this Qingshan Army?" Lord Judge shouted again.
Sun Sanjie shook his head.
"Never heard of such an army, nor have heard that the Duke of Chengguo has such people under him," Lord Judge said gravely, "What if these people are Jurchen spies? If they don't come back, our thousand men are walking into the wolf's den."
Sun Sanjie shook his head again.
"That shouldn't be the case," he said hesitantly and doubtfully, "That Qingshan Army still left people here."
Left people? Who did they leave?
"A woman," Sun Sanjie said, "It seems to be that Miss Jun's... mother?"
Lord Judge had heard about Miss Jun many times and was very familiar with her by now.
Miss Jun has a mother?
A woman bringing people to battle was laughable enough, and she brought her mother?
What a mess.
How is this battle to be fought!
"Where is she?" Lord Judge demanded irritably.
Sun Sanjie quickly pointed in a direction.
"Over there by the City God Temple distributing porridge to the disaster victims," he said.
......…..
Ever since the city gate was opened to accept refugees, nearly four to five hundred people had gathered within Changfeng City.
Every day, there were people heading further south from Hejian Prefecture, but at the same time, new refugees were arriving.
More than a dozen large pots were set up in front of them, steaming in the winter day and offering comfort to all who saw them.
It was mealtime now, and the refugees lined up to get their food in turn; although there were many people, they were quiet and orderly.
The Judge and other officials hurried over and paused in their steps upon seeing this scene.
In the past, they had seen many instances of distributing porridge and had encountered refugees, but those scenes were always chaotic.
Now, the refugees here were quiet, not shouting or crying, and even the shanties they lived in were neatly constructed, without the foul smell of excrement everywhere.
And there was...
The Judge pointed at the person distributing porridge in front of the big pot.
"These seem to be refugees?" he asked.
Sun Sanjie nodded hastily.
"Yes, yes, Miss Jun said the government soldiers are manning the city defenses, so these small matters could be managed by the refugees themselves," he said. "From cooking the porridge to serving it to cleaning up the dishes, all are done by the refugees themselves."
The refugees themselves?
The Judge and others, experienced in officialdom, knew well that people in times of hardship are inherently disorderly.
"With the Qingshan Army here, everyone is very obedient," Sun Sanjie said with a smile, pointing in a direction.
Isn't the Qingshan Army supposed to have gone to Bazhou? And where are the government soldiers? The Judge and others frowned as they followed his pointing.
In front of the City God Temple, a large flag fluttered in the wind, red with golden letters: Qingshan Army.
"With this flag here, everyone maintains order," Sun Sanjie said with a smile.
A flag?
A single flag maintaining order among the refugees? In the past, even hundreds of soldiers couldn't prevent the refugees from looting.
How is this possible?
"Because the Qingshan Army is very strict about order," Sun Sanjie responded with a hint of admiration. "And they keep their word."
Besides initially killing those malicious refugees outside the city gates, they also executed some troublemakers among the refugees on the spot during porridge distribution.
Killing those who didn't follow order served as both a deterrent and proof that following order meant guaranteed protection.
Where did these ferocious government soldiers come from? They must be fake.
The Judge and others furrowed their brows even tighter.
"What about Miss Jun's mother?" he asked.
Sun Sanjie pointed inside the temple.
"The lady is resting inside the temple," he said.
Lord Judge wore a somber expression as he led his people quickly towards the temple.
Be it real or pretense, capture and interrogate first.
Inside the City God Temple, many people, mostly the elderly, women and children, were either sitting or standing - presumably because it offered better shelter from the wind and snow than the shanties, thus they were allowed to rest here.
As they approached, the warmth of burning charcoal greeted them, a clear sign that a fire was lit inside.
Quite luxurious, a basin of charcoal could be exchanged for how much rice?
If they can't endure this bit of hardship, they can't possibly be government soldiers.
Lord Judge's anger intensified as he stepped into the temple; on this side hasty footsteps sounded, drawing the attention of everyone inside. Seeing the arrival of officials in robes, the crowd nervously stood up.
In this commotion, a woman sitting in front of a Buddha statue quietly eating porridge stood out conspicuously.
She wore a floral jacket and a headscarf for warmth, looking just like a village woman.
Initially, Sun Sanjie thought this woman was a refugee who had been rescued by the Qingshan Army, yet she possessed an extraordinary demeanor and was highly respected by Miss Jun, although she never appeared in public.
Thus, Sun Sanjie guessed she might be an elder from Miss Jun's family.
It was no longer surprising to see women coming to battle, and bringing along their mother was nothing unusual.
The noise of the approaching footsteps seemed not to reach her ears; she continued eating her porridge quietly.
Sun Sanjie rushed forward.
"My lady, this is Lord Tian, the Judge from Hejian Prefecture," he said, lowering his voice, "specially here for the Qingshan Army."
With such a reminder, the woman should know how to deal with Lord Judge and others, right?
At least know to show respect?
As he spoke, the woman put down her spoon, dabbed her mouth with a cloth, turned her head, and said,
"Tian Yao?" Her gaze shifted to Lord Judge standing at the door, nodding, "You have come."
Good heavens, this woman, instead of rising to greet, she directly addressed Lord Judge by his name!
Sun Sanjie was startled, but then he was immediately puzzled.
How did this woman know Lord Tian's name?
As the thought crossed his mind, he heard a gasp; looking over, he saw Lord Judge, previously furious and indignant, now with a shocked expression, his stature diminishing as he bowed in reverence.
"Duchess Cheng!" Lord Judge exclaimed tremulously, raising his head after a bow, "How did you come here?"