The sky soon darkened, and the troop entered a small village. One-Eyed Dragon, as usual, conscripted some men and then locked everyone into the stables...
"Eat up. There's not much good food in this poor place, but you'll have plenty of sorghum gruel!~"
One-Eyed Dragon ordered his men to bring two large wash basins of gruel into the stables. He spoke righteously, "If you don't eat enough, you won't have the strength to travel tomorrow. Don't worry, as long as we can drive out the barbarians, when we return, I will go before the Emperor to request rewards for you. Anyone who has killed enemies on the battlefield will receive a reward..."
One-Eyed Dragon was originally a captain in the Northern Border Prefecture. When the barbarians attacked, he abandoned the city and fled inland to conscript men.
He thought that if he recaptured the city, he would surely earn great merit.
Little did he know that a general like him, who fled without fighting, had already violated military law. Even if he recaptured the city, Gu Zhenshan would not let him off lightly...
Yun Erman held a large bowl, slurped a couple of mouthfuls of gruel, and said indignantly, "Hmph, we people are rushing to the front lines to shed blood for him. After the barbarians are driven away, he'll go by himself to claim rewards. Does he really think we're all idiots!~"
Yun Sanman filled a bowl with gruel and blew on it. The weather was cold now, and even if he didn't blow, the soup would soon freeze into ice shards...
"You two, don't listen to his nonsense!" A man smiled and leaned closer. "One-Eyed Dragon is a deserter himself. People like him can't fight the barbarians at all. We should slip away as soon as possible!~"
Upon hearing this, Yun Sanman glanced at him, "We've been talking for so long, and I still don't know your name!"
"Heh heh, my name is Qian Mancang. What are your names?" Qian Mancang asked.
Yun Sanman twitched his lips. Your name is really too rustic and wealthy...
"My name is Yun Sanman, and this is my second brother, Yun Erman!~" Yun Sanman introduced.
When Qian Mancang heard this, he burst into laughter, "Heh, we really are fated. Our names all have 'Man' in them, ha ha!"
Yun Sanman: "......"
Why did he feel that this Qian Mancang had ill intentions?
What was this fellow's purpose?
While Qian Mancang went to relieve himself, Yun Sanman tugged at Yun Erman and whispered in his ear, "Second brother, this guy probably doesn't have good intentions. Tonight, we'll act according to circumstances and don't let him harm us!~"
Yun Erman blinked, his face full of confusion, "Why would he harm us for no reason? Besides, doesn't he also want to escape as soon as possible?~"
Yun Sanman shook his head, "I don't know. Anyway, my eyelids are twitching badly. Just don't trust him..."
In such a difficult situation, who would help them for no reason?
Qian Mancang's actions were clearly for his own benefit.
Yun Erman said, "Oh," he knew that his third brother was smart and quick-witted, so it was right to listen to him.
"Alright, I got it!~"
At this moment, Qian Mancang returned, pulling up his pants. He pulled Yun Erman and Yun Sanman into a corner, stepping on a pile of horse manure without caring...
"I just took a look. There are only two guards outside the main gate. Tonight, we'll escape when the guards change shifts. You two hurry up and get some sleep. I'll wake you when it's time!~" Qian Mancang said nervously.
Yun Sanman listened, exchanged a look with Yun Erman, and both nodded in agreement.
What this guy was specifically planning, they could only find out in the latter half of the night...
So the brothers lay down in the hay, huddled together with the others for warmth, and soon fell asleep.
One-Eyed Dragon, along with some of his men, occupied a family's house, killed a few small chickens, stewed two large geese, and while drinking, encouraged his subordinates...
After eating and drinking their fill, they each went to sleep.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. A wisp of thin cloud drifted gently across the night sky. The moonlight spilled down, and the thin cloud transformed into various shapes like a silken ribbon.
"Hey, you two, stop sleeping, wake up!~"
Qian Mancang nudged Yun Erman and Yun Sanman, a look of anxiety on his face, "Hurry up and get up, we're leaving now..."
Yun Sanman got up and glanced towards the outside of the stable.
The air was filled with the smell of horse manure and sorghum wine. Two guards stood at the main entrance, drowsy and swaying.
The main gate was ajar, and a sliver of the outside could be seen, with several fine horses tethered...
The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional sound of men snoring and grinding their teeth.
"Hey, what are you looking at? Hurry up and come with me. If we miss this chance, we might never be able to escape!~" Qian Mancang urged in a low voice.
Yun Sanman narrowed his eyes, "Alright, we're going now!~"
After speaking, he turned and looked at Yun Erman, "Second brother, keep up. Let's not get separated..."
Yun Erman saw his third brother wink at him and immediately understood.
So, the three of them, using the moonlight as cover, quietly slipped out of the stable and came to the main entrance, looking around.
There were also a few guards outside the courtyard. Perhaps they were drunk, as they were all wrapped in thick cotton jackets, leaning against the wall and sleeping.
Qian Mancang stepped over the threshold first, his eyes flashing with a cold glint...
Before Yun Erman and Yun Sanman could catch up, Qian Mancang suddenly raised his voice. Just as he was about to shout loudly, Yun Erman seized the opportunity, rushed forward, and knocked him down with a single punch.
"Mmph!"
"Thump!~"
Qian Mancang grunted, his body hunched like a large shrimp, groaning and rolling around...
Yun Erman stuffed a piece of rag into his mouth and kicked him fiercely a couple of times, "Third brother, this scoundrel really had a problem!"
If he hadn't acted quickly, Qian Mancang would have surely attracted all the guards.
At that time, would Erman and Sanman still have a chance to live?
"Mmph, mmph, cough cough!" Qian Mancang was beaten until his face was bruised and swollen, holding his head and making muffled sounds.
Yun Sanman squatted down, staring intently at Qian Mancang, "Why were you shouting just now? Did you want the guards to catch us?"
After speaking, he pulled the rag out of Qian Mancang's mouth.
In fact, during the day, he had seen Qian Mancang being called aside by One-Eyed Dragon, and he didn't know what they had talked about...
Yun Sanman made some deductions and had a rough idea.
One-Eyed Dragon had likely promised him something, which was why Qian Mancang had deliberately set a trap for the two brothers.
"I, I didn't mean to shout, you two misunderstood me!~" Qian Mancang argued.
When Yun Sanman heard this, he immediately grabbed his neck, "If you don't tell the truth, I'll strangle you to death right now..."
"Cough cough, I, I'll tell, I'll tell, cough cough!" Qian Mancang, choked, stuck out his tongue, his eyes almost bulging out.
The guards were sleeping like dead pigs and didn't notice the commotion here.
Qian Mancang recovered for a moment before stating his purpose.