Chapter 178: After the Stockade's Fall

When she awoke, the sky outside was dimly lit—was it already dawn? She remembered that it was dusk when she had fled back to the inn. Now she found herself lying on a pile of straw. The smell of horse manure filled her nostrils, and she heard the familiar sound of a horse breathing beside her—it was her horse.

After a while, her mind cleared a little, and she realized she was lying in the inn’s stable. Guangdong rarely raised livestock, and the inn only kept a stable as a courtesy for guests. The place was not large, capable of holding only a dozen or so horses, mules, and donkeys. At this moment, only their one horse was in the stable; the other spaces were filled with shadowy figures of people sitting.

“You’re awake?” Jiang Suo said with joy. “Have some water.” He brought over a bowl. Qingxia had been fighting since morning and had barely drunk any water. Now she felt both tired and thirsty, her throat dry as a bone. She took a sip. It seemed to be a medicinal tea, slightly bitter, but it quenched her thirst like a divine nectar. She drank it all in one go.

“Don’t rush, there’s more,” Jiang Suo said, taking a teapot and pouring another bowl. “This black-hearted owner—he ran back last night. We asked him for a bowl of water, and he refused. I had to slam my sword on the table before he brought out a bucket of water—treating us like horses!” He laughed proudly. “We’re fighting with swords and spears, and he won’t even give us a bowl of water, let alone contribute some money. I kicked the bucket at him, and now we have tea and snacks.” He took out a few cakes and offered them to her. “Have some.”

After drinking the water, her mood calmed a little, and she felt a pang of hunger. Her stomach rumbled. Qingxia blushed and ate two cakes before she remembered to ask about the others.

“How is Jiang Niang?”

Seeing her eat so quickly, Jiang Suo took out another cake. “Have some more, I have more here.” Then he said, “She’s lying over there. She was stabbed by a Kun thief, wounded in the leg. We can’t get a doctor now—it’s chaotic outside,” Jiang Suo whispered. “The Kun thieves have already broken through the stockade.”

Hearing this, Qingxia quickly asked, “What about the Luo residence?”

“It’s been breached. I heard they fought to the end, and then a fire was set. The Kun thieves have surrounded it so tightly that no news can get out. We only see lines of prisoners being escorted from there to the threshing ground. Master should be fine, at most he’s been captured by the Kun thieves—the Kun thieves don’t kill indiscriminately. Even the militia and retainers who lay down their arms and surrendered were not killed. But I heard many of the Luo family were killed or committed suicide. Master Luo is probably finished.” His voice was filled with glee as he said the last sentence.

Qingxia was slightly relieved to hear that her father was fine. But hearing that Master Luo might be dead, she felt a sense of emptiness. Master Luo had never spoken to her privately, only appreciating her martial arts and giving her a bow. Because of this, her admiration for him had grown even more intense. Now, hearing that he was probably dead, a nameless sorrow enveloped her, and she almost shed tears.

But she quickly suppressed it.

“What about Uncle Zhou and the children?”

“No news yet. Don’t worry, senior sister. As soon as the curfew on the streets is lifted, I’ll go look for them. As long as those little monkeys are not dead, I’ll definitely find them,” Jiang Suo hesitated. “But I’m afraid Uncle Zhou’s chances are slim…”

According to Jiang Niang, their group of militia was routed by a volley from the Kun thieves. When they retreated, some of the militia were caught in a chaotic battle with the Kun thieves. Jiang Niang was wounded by a gunshot and managed to escape into an alley, but Uncle Zhou was left behind.

The news that Uncle Zhou might be dead made Qingxia even more dejected. But she was now the de facto leader of the troupe. Jiang Niang was wounded, Jiang Suo was too young, and the whereabouts of the others were unknown. She couldn’t just lie on the ground and do nothing. She struggled to her feet.

“I have to go out and see.”

“Senior sister, don’t go out. You’re not well yet. Besides, the curfew on the streets hasn’t been lifted.”

“It’s alright,” she propped herself up. Her body didn’t hurt much. She had been practicing martial arts and performing since she was a child, and her body was well-tempered. After a night’s rest, she had recovered eighty or ninety percent of her energy. “I’ll go to the courtyard and take a look. Give me a hand.”

“Alright,” Jiang Suo said cheerfully, supporting her arm as she stood up. The other refugees in the stable, who had been sitting or standing, also wanted to go outside and see the situation, but they dared not. Seeing someone willing to go out, they all looked on with eager eyes.

Qingxia went outside. The courtyard was empty, nothing there. The back gate was tightly closed, and the gate leading to the front courtyard was also closed. She scooped some water from a water vat with her hands and washed herself a little, feeling much refreshed. Seeing her reflection in the water vat, she suddenly realized she was still wearing her arrow-sleeved jacket—if the Kun thieves suspected she was a militia instructor, it would be troublesome. She quickly took off the scarf on her head, but she had no clothes to change into—her spare clothes and luggage were all left in the Luo family’s ancestral hall.

Checking herself, she found some dark stains, probably blood from yesterday. But they were barely visible on the dark blue fabric. She thought for a moment and told Jiang Suo to hide their weapons somewhere.

“There’s a ‘one-piece wrap’ here,” Jiang Suo took out a tattered cloak-like garment from the straw. “Senior sister, your arrow sleeves are too conspicuous! This will cover it up.”

“Good.” She put on the “one-piece wrap” and smeared some soot and ash on her face and hands.

Just then, the sound of a gong was heard outside, and the shouts of “Curfew lifted! All is well!” came from far to near.

“Junior brother, you stay here and look after Jiang Niang. I’ll go out and gather some news, and see if I can find a doctor for Jiang Niang’s wound. Did we apply our own wound medicine to her?”

“We did, but this wound is very deep, it almost went straight through her leg. I don’t know if the bones and tendons are injured,” Jiang Suo said worriedly.

If the bones and tendons were injured, she would no longer be able to perform. The troupe would have to take care of her, which would be a great burden.

“Even if they are injured, we have to take care of her!” Qingxia said resolutely. Jiang Niang’s life was extremely pitiful. Her husband had died when she was nineteen, she had no children, and her own and her husband’s families had long passed away. For more than ten years, she had been performing with the troupe. She had long considered the troupe her home, and the people in the troupe were her family.

The gongs outside were beating again. This time, the shouts were for the heads of each household to gather at the threshing ground immediately. The Aussies had important matters to “discuss,” and one person from each household had to go. No excuses or substitutes were allowed, otherwise, they would be “killed without mercy.” For a moment, the courtyard was in an uproar. Many people were worried, not knowing what the Kun thieves’ intentions were in gathering the heads of the households. But they dared not refuse to go.

Qingxia, however, felt that this was a good opportunity. They were outsiders, and no one would pay attention to them. It was a good chance to go around the town and see the situation. She told Jiang Suo to take care of Jiang Niang and went out the back door herself.

The back alley was empty, with no one passing by, but the streets were gradually getting more crowded. She kept her head down and tried to walk along the deserted streets and alleys.

The first place she had to go was the Luo residence. Her father was trapped inside. No matter what, she had to go and see first. At the same time, she also wanted to know if Master Luo was really dead. For some reason, she couldn’t let go of this man.

The once vast and imposing Luo family mansion was now a ruin of fire and smoke. The magnificent gate had been reduced to rubble, and the high, thick courtyard walls had collapsed in many places. There were broken bricks, charred wood, and broken weapons everywhere. Some bodies had not yet been moved, and they were lined up in the open space in front of the gate, covered with straw mats. From the exposed legs, feet, and hair, they seemed to be the bodies of militia and retainers. There were also some women in silk and satin, probably the female relatives and maids of the Luo family. Qingxia felt sad and silently recited a few Buddhist chants.

More than two hundred people, probably captured militia, were cleaning up the rubble under the supervision of the Kun thieves. From time to time, they carried out boxes and wooden barrels from inside. Neither the boxes nor the barrels were of a style Qingxia had ever seen before. Occasionally, people also carried out furniture, cloth, and sacks of rice from inside and piled them up in an open space surrounded by cheval de frise. There were also people on the side specifically recording and counting.

In the open space in front of the gate, a gallows-like frame had been erected, with a row of dead people hanging from it—at least twenty or thirty of them. She silently recited “Amitabha” and slowly approached to look. Most of the hanged people were strangers to her, old and young. From their appearance and clothing, they should be the gentry and prominent families of the town, probably the committee members and officials of the militia bureau. There were also a few who were strong and sturdy, clearly martial artists, either militia instructors, training leaders, or head retainers.

She soon found Luo Tianqiu, hanging on the frame. His topknot had come loose, his eyes were wide open, and an expression of defiance and unwillingness was still on his face. Luo Tianqiu had probably been fighting when he was captured, and his clothes were stained with blood. Qingxia was sad to see this, but she dared not cry. Seeing that the Kun thieves were all guarding the prisoners, cleaning the battlefield, and moving goods, and no one was paying attention here, she put her palms together and knelt down, silently reciting a few Buddhist chants, then quickly stood up and left.

She went around to the vicinity of the ancestral hall. Because it had been abandoned by the militia and retainers early on, it was not heavily damaged. There were only a few local-looking people cleaning the street at the entrance. Qingxia mustered her courage and asked a kind-looking old man how the people in the ancestral hall were doing.

“There was no fighting here,” the old man told her. “Not many people died. But everyone else was taken away by the Kun… the Aussies.”

“Where were they all taken?” Qingxia asked anxiously.

“The captured people were all taken to the militia bureau for interrogation,” the old man said, looking around and lowering his voice. “Young lady! Do you know the Luo family?”

Qingxia knew that the Luo family had a bad reputation here, so she lied and said that her father was a tenant of the Luo family and had come to the town a few days ago to pay tribute for the ancestral worship at the Luo family’s ancestral hall.

“Then it’s nothing to worry about. The Aussies are very good to the common people. Your father is just a tenant. Once he explains himself, he will be released. Nothing will happen to him,” the old man comforted her.

Qingxia thanked him and walked into a deserted alley. She couldn’t help but cover her face and cry. Was it sorrow or joy? She couldn’t tell herself. After crying for a while, she felt much better. She wiped her tears and went towards the militia bureau.

Although there had been a battle at the militia bureau, it was quickly breached, so the building was not heavily damaged. This was now the place where the committee members of the militia bureau, their families, and their lackeys were imprisoned. The entrance was heavily guarded, and no idlers were allowed in or out. Qingxia walked around in circles but couldn’t find a suitable person to inquire about her father.

She walked all over the town and also asked for news of Uncle Zhou and the three young apprentices. In desperation, she had to go to an open space outside the town where the bodies were concentrated. A mat shed had already been set up there. All the people from Sanliang Town who had died in the battle were brought here for their families to identify and claim the bodies. The unclaimed bodies would be cremated together later.

Qingxia endured the fear and the pungent smell of disinfectant and examined the bodies one by one under the mat shed. In the end, she did not find the bodies of Uncle Zhou and the three young apprentices, which greatly improved her mood. As long as they were not among the dead, they were still alive.

As she walked along, she found that most of the shops had already opened, and people were cleaning up the corpses and rubble on the streets. The order was good. The pedestrians on the streets also increased, and there was no look of panic or fear on their faces. It seemed that the Kun thieves had not looted or set fires after breaking into the stockade. Their discipline was strict. But she couldn’t find a doctor—all the doctors in the town had been conscripted by the Aussies to work. She couldn’t find a doctor, so she had to get some medicine from the pharmacy first. Performers always had a few prescriptions for treating injuries from falls, cuts, and wounds.

After walking around like this, it was already noon when she returned to the inn. She was both hungry and thirsty. In the backyard of the inn, some of the local people who had homes had already left. Only a few refugees from other villages, who dared not leave for the time being, remained. They were sitting in groups in the backyard, eating dry rations, and some were boiling water.

Qingxia first went to see Jiang Niang. Her wound had been washed with wine and bandaged, and wound medicine had been applied, but the wound was already swollen. Qingxia saw that her face was pale and sweaty. She touched her forehead and found that she had a fever and it was very hot.

She remembered her father saying that fever was the most feared thing with wounds. Once a fever started, life and death were uncertain. Her heart immediately sank.

“Junior brother, get some well water and apply it to Jiang Niang’s forehead. I’ll go and brew the medicine,” she said.

“I’m fine,” Jiang Niang’s face had an unnatural flush. “How are the master and the others? Any news?”

“I didn’t find them, but it should be alright,” she recounted the news she had gathered and the situation with identifying the bodies. “They were probably captured by the Kun thieves. They will be released after interrogation.”

“I’m afraid for Brother Zhou—” Jiang Niang closed her eyes and panted. “He fought face to face with the Aussies with the militia—the Aussies killed all the captured training leaders and militia instructors…”

“If they were going to kill him, they would have done it by now. It’s alright,” Qingxia knew that Uncle Zhou had some feelings for Jiang Niang, but because both were shy, they had never made it clear. At this time, she was even more unwilling to say anything unpleasant and only comforted her with nice words.

“I hope so. May heaven bless our troupe, up and down, to be safe…” she said and fell into a drowsy sleep.

Qingxia quickly found a broken pot and was about to brew medicine for Jiang Niang. Suddenly, the owner and several clerks came to the backyard in a menacing manner, each holding a thick club.

“You! All of you, come out and stand in the courtyard!” The owner, as if he had taken some medicine, suddenly became extremely arrogant. Yesterday, he had abandoned his shop and fled. This morning, he had returned and hidden in his room, unwilling to see anyone. Now, he had suddenly become like this.

They didn’t know that this Owner Chen had already become one of the three new liaisons appointed by the Aussies for the town. He was now specifically responsible for handling accommodation and provisions for the Aussies, and in the future, he would also handle the “reasonable burden.”

Seeing Jiang Suo in the courtyard, the owner immediately cursed, “You damn beggar! You bully the common people as a militia member! Seize him! Send him to the Aussie masters for punishment!”

The clerks let out a fierce roar, but no one really rushed forward—they had seen the skills of these performers, and rushing forward rashly might not be a good idea.

Several peasants came out of the stable. Seeing this scene, they were all frightened and quickly hid back. An old man, probably wanting to mediate, quickly said, “Owner Chen! Let it go. The stockade has just been broken, let’s all be peaceful and not cause trouble…”

“Peaceful?” Owner Chen’s eyebrows shot up. “This kid was waving his sword in front of me yesterday, lawless! If I don’t deal with him, is there any law and order left?!” He pointed at the old man. “Although you are all neighbors from the same town, you can’t stay for free. Settle your bills before you leave! One qian of silver per person, regardless of age! No Tianqi or Chongzhen coins!”

“Good heavens, one qian of silver a night to stay in a stable…” someone couldn’t help but mutter.

“If you think it’s expensive, go and stay at the threshing ground!” For some reason, the owner became extremely fierce, with an air of impunity. His clerks also started shouting.

“Anyone who doesn’t pay today is not allowed to leave! You all have to pay your room fees before you go!” the owner spat, then pointed at Jiang Suo. “You bunch of paupers, I’m being merciful. Just leave the horse!”

Jiang Suo, being young and impulsive, saw the owner bullying them so shamelessly and was about to draw his sword.

“Junior brother, don’t!” Qingxia quickly grabbed his hand and sneered, “If you have the guts, come and get the horse yourself. Don’t send your men to their deaths! We’re leaving now.”

“You think you can leave without paying? Seize them!” the owner howled. “Quick, get them all and send them to the Aussies!”

However, although the clerks put on a fierce look, no one dared to come forward. Qingxia knew they couldn’t stay here any longer. She had Jiang Suo lead the horse out, supported Jiang Niang, and the three of them were about to leave together.

Seeing that they were about to leave, the owner rushed forward desperately and blocked the doorway, shouting loudly.