“Jianxing Wang Shenwei was defeated by the Chashi River in the northeast, and the front line of Dunzhou fell immediately. Thirty thousand soldiers were buried alive in the Chashi sinkhole. You are among them, why are you the only one alive?”
Shen Zechuan’s eyes were loose and he did not answer.
The interrogator thumped the table vigorously, leaned over, with dark eyes, and said, “Because Shen Wei has already secretly communicated with the Biansha No. 12 Department, and intends to hand over the six prefectures of Zhongbo to foreign enemies. Capital, so the Biansha cavalry didn’t kill you, did they?”
Shen Zechuan’s dry and peeling lips moved. He listened to the interrogator’s words with difficulty, his throat rolled slowly, and he replied stagnantly: “No…no.”
The interrogator sternly said: “Shen Wei set himself on fire in fear of crime, Jin Yiwei has handed over all the documents of adultery to the emperor, Li Zi still dares to speak hard, he really is stubborn!”
Shen Zechuan’s head was dizzy, and he hadn’t closed his eyes for an unknown period of time. He seemed to be hung in the sky by a thread, and if he let go of his hand if he was negligent, he would fall to pieces.
The interrogator spread out the confession, glanced at it, and said, “Last night, you said that you were able to walk out of the Chashi sinkhole alive because your brother saved you. Isn’t it?”
The scene of that day appeared in a trance before Shen Zechuan’s eyes. The pit was so deep that countless soldiers were crowded together, but they couldn’t climb up. The corpses stepped on became thicker and thicker, but they still couldn’t reach the edge of the pit. Biansha cavalry surrounded the tiankeng, the cold wind in the middle of the night was mixed with the sound of flying arrows, the blood flooded the calves, and the wailing and gasping were all close to the ears.
Shen Zechuan was short of breath, and he began to tremble on the chair. He grabbed his hair uncontrollably, making a choked sound uncontrollably.
“You lied.”
The interrogator held up the confession and dusted Shen Zechuan.
“Your elder brother is Shen Zhouji, the eldest son of King Jianxing. He left 30,000 soldiers before Chashi Tiankeng, and fled privately with his own soldiers, but was dragged to death in Chashi with ropes by the Biansha cavalry. The official road by the Stone River. When the Biansha Twelve Divisions killed the sergeant, he was already dead and could not save you.”
Shen Zechuan’s mind was confused, the interrogator’s voice seemed to be far away in the sky, and there were only endless cries in his ears.
Where is the way out? Where are the reinforcements? The dead crowd the dead, and the smelly rotten flesh is pressed against the hands. Brother Mu covered his head, and he lay on the **** corpse. He heard Brother Mu gasping for breath, but the cry in his throat was because he was too desperate.
“Brother has three heads and six arms.” Ji Mu struggled to smile, but tears were streaming down his face, and he continued in a whimpering voice, “Brother is a fortress of steel! Just hold on and you’ll be fine. Reinforcement will arrive soon, brother I’ll go home with you to pick up my parents, and I’m going to find your sister-in-law…”
The interrogator slammed the table and shouted, “Tell me the truth!”
Shen Zechuan struggled, as if he was about to break free from invisible shackles, but was pinned down on the table by Jin Yiwei who swarmed up.
“You entered our imperial prison, I forgive you for being young, so you didn’t use severe punishment. But you are so ignorant, don’t blame us for being cruel. Come, give him the punishment!”
Shen Zechuan’s arms were tied with ropes, and then he was dragged towards the open space in the hall. The bench came down with a clang, and his feet were also tied to the bench. The hulking man next to him raised the prison stick, weighed it, and then struck it down.
“I’ll ask you again.” The interrogator took a few sips of tea slowly, then said, “Is Shen Wei collaborating with the enemy or traitor?”
Shen Zechuan bit him to death and did not let go, and kept shouting during the cane punishment: “No, no!”
The interrogator put the teacup aside and said, “If you use your toughness on the battlefield, it won’t be your Shen family’s turn to come in today, so keep fighting!”
Shen Zechuan couldn’t take it any longer, buried his head and said hoarsely: “Shen Wei didn’t cooperate with the enemy…”
“Chashihe was defeated in the first battle, and the whole line of Shen Wei met the enemy rashly. After the defeat of Chashihe, Dunzhou still had a chance to recover, but he retreated without reason due to the disparity in the number of troops. The three cities of Duanzhou fell as a result. , Tens of thousands of people in that city were killed under the scimitar in the sand.” The interrogator said here, sighed, and said with hatred, “The six prefectures of Zhongbo, blood flowed like rivers. Shen Wei led his troops to withdraw to the south, Dengzhou one The battle is the most strange! Qidong Chijun garrison has crossed Tianfei Que to support, but he abandoned the strategy of flanking attack, dispatched thousands of cavalry to **** his family to Dancheng, causing the entire defense line of Dengzhou to collapse—isn’t this intentional? What? If Libei cavalry hadn’t crossed the glacier for three nights, the Biansha cavalry would have arrived at the gate of the capital!”
Shen Zechuan was unconscious and dripping with cold sweat. The interrogator threw the confession contemptuously and hit him on the back of the head.
“I’d rather be a dog than Zhongbo Lang. This time, Shen Wei is Da Zhou’s sinner. Don’t you admit it? You can only admit it!”
Shen Zechuan was half numb from the pain. He lay down on the bench, watching the confession before his eyes. The ink on it is clear, every word is a shameful whipping, whipped on his face, and told everyone in the world.
Shen Wei is a traitor, not even a dog.
He made the six prefectures of Zhongbo flooded with corpses, and the corpses buried in the Chashi sinkhole have not been collected until now, because the cities of Dunzhou have been slaughtered.
Shen Wei set himself on fire, but this blood-stained account must be borne by a living person. Shen Wei had a group of wives and concubines, and many sons. They all died when the Biansha cavalry captured Dunzhou. Only Shen Zechuan survived because of his humble background and was raised outside.
Shen Zechuan was dragged back, blood trailed out along his heels. He was facing the wall, looking at the narrow window. The cold wind is howling, the snow is blowing, and the dark night has no end.
His head was in chaos, and he returned to the pit amidst the sound of the wind.
Ji Mu was dying, and it became very difficult to breathe, blood dripped down the armor to the back of Shen Zechuan’s neck, and soon became cold. The wailing around had disappeared, only the unbearable pain and howling of the cold wind remained.
Shen Zechuan faced the unrecognizable dead man face to face, his legs were pressed under the heavy body, and his waist and abdomen were pinched by the shield, and there was a strong smell of blood in his breathing. He gritted his teeth and wept, but he couldn’t cry out. He stared dejectedly at the trampled face, but couldn’t recognize if it was a soldier he had seen before.
“Brother.” Shen Zechuan sobbed in a low voice, “I, I’m so scared…”
Ji Mu slipped his throat, patted Shen Zechuan’s head lightly with his palm, and said, “It’s okay…it’s okay.”
Shen Zechuan heard the dying soldiers singing, the singing was torn apart by the strong wind, floating in tatters in this cold night.
“Zhancheng South… Dead Guobei… Wild death is not buried… Wu Keshi. [1]”
“Brother.” Shen Zechuan whispered under him, “I’ll carry you…brother.”
Ji Mu’s body is like a twisted shield, he smiled and said hoarsely, “Brother can walk.”
“Have you been shot?”
“No.” Ji Mu’s tears had dried up, and he said lightly, “…Biansha’s arrows are not accurate.”
Shen Zechuan’s fingers were also soaked in flesh and blood. He reluctantly wiped his face and said, “My wife made dumplings. When you and I go to my house, we will eat many bowls.”
Ji Mu sighed and said, “…Brother eats slowly, you…don’t rush.”
Shen Zechuan nodded vigorously underneath.
Snow gradually covered Ji Mu’s body, he seemed very sleepy, his voice was so low that he didn’t even have the strength to move his fingers. Singing very slowly, Ji Mu closed his eyes when he reached the line “Xiaoqi fought to death”.
Shen Zechuan said: “My…my money is also given to my brother, marry my sister-in-law…”
“Brother.”
“Brother.”
Ji Mu remained silent, as if he was tired of listening to his words, and couldn’t help falling asleep.
Shen Zechuan trembled all over. He forgot when the Biansha cavalry left and how he climbed out. When he raised his body with his arms propped up, there was a dead silence in the heavy snow. Overlapping corpses piled up beneath their knees, like discarded sacks.
Shen Zechuan turned around, but choked up with sobs.
Ji Mu’s back was densely packed with arrow shafts, and he turned into a curled up hedgehog. So much blood flowed on Shen Zechuan’s back that he didn’t even feel it.
The sound of horseshoes followed like a dull thunder. Shen Zechuan suddenly got a jolt and woke up.
He wanted to retch, but he found that his wrists were bound tightly and his body was covered with a sack filled with soil.
The sack was getting heavier and heavier, pressing on his chest, and he couldn’t even make a sound. This is the “earth bag crushing” that is commonly used in prisons, and it is specially entertained for prisoners who do not want to survive, without leaving any wounds. If he hadn’t woken up just now, Shen Zechuan would have been completely cold by dawn.
Someone is going to kill him!