POW camp

The weather has never been sunny all day, and it has been dark. The fields, woods, villages, and roads seem to be covered in a huge frosted glass, with shadows everywhere.The rain had just stopped, but it seemed to be falling again in a blink of an eye.A chill permeated the space, penetrating through the wet clothes to the bones.

Haiya couldn't help shivering, and curled up as much as possible to reduce heat loss.Di Heng hesitated for a moment, jumped off his own horse, turned onto Haiya's horse, hugged his thin body tightly from behind, and said, "It's better this way."

It is indeed much better.Haiya could clearly feel the broad and strong chest behind her, clinging to her back, without the slightest gap in between.Waves of heat came from behind, ironing all limbs.

He whispered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Di Heng replied politely, looking forward through the misty water vapor, "The front is here."

This is a small mountain village located on the outskirts of Fancheng. It was supposed to be the season when the crops were luxuriantly growing, but there were only bare and straight poles everywhere, and there were no leaves on the trees on both sides.No one is busy in the field, it looks very desolate.

Occasionally, a few passers-by, all in ragged clothes and hungry faces, glanced at the two of them with numb blank eyes, lowered their heads without any response, and continued on their own way.

There were many beggars under the big tree, and they seemed to be unable to get anything to eat, and they leaned sickly on the tree trunk.The half-grown child was lying in the arms of his relatives, too hungry to cry, only sobbing and choking.

Haiya was touched by this scene. He already knew that the situation was very unfavorable and the people were displaced, but knowing it was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes was another.Compared with these people, the people in Fancheng are already pretty good, at least they can still have enough to eat.

Haiya's heart ached, he stopped in front of a pair of mother and son paralyzed under a tree, and wanted to take something to eat from his arms.Di Heng hurriedly stopped him and said in a low voice, "No way. If you donate one, they will swarm up and we won't be able to leave. Your identity must not be revealed, it's very dangerous."

"But..." Haiya looked at those people with compassion.

"How many can you save?" Di Heng breathed warmly into Haiya's ear, "Your Highness, true mercy is not about small favors."

Haiya was startled.He felt that there was something in Di Heng's words, and couldn't help but look back at him.The distance between the two of them was too close, and Haiya's eyes met Di Heng's firm chin.He raised his head slightly, but Di Heng only looked forward, as if he was just saying something casually.

Haiya sighed inwardly, so she could only hold on to her cloak tightly and continue on her way.

They quickly entered the village.Di Heng tried his best to avoid the main road, walked around in circles to a private house on the edge of the village, and knocked on the door: "Excuse me, let's stay overnight."

The door opened, and a woman in her 50s walked out with a haggard face.She looked at Di Heng suspiciously, and then at Haiya who was wrapped in a cloak: "You are..."

"We are businessmen passing by. I didn't expect that Fancheng would not be allowed to enter under martial law. Eldest sister, we will leave after staying for one night. We will never delay you."

"Hey, come in." The woman opened the creaking and shabby door, "Actually, I'm afraid of you, if you want to steal it, you can grab it whatever you want."

The room was indeed so shabby that it couldn't be more shabby, there wasn't even a curtain to cover it, and there was no light, so it was very dark.

"Sister, are you alone at home?" Di Heng asked.

The woman smiled miserably: "It was a big family before. The plague caused both my parents-in-law and my two daughters to die. In the past, the plague caused famine, and the youngest child was gone. Now I live with my eldest son. "She spoke without stagnation, as if she had become used to it, and she didn't necessarily feel very sad.

"Then your husband..."

"Soldiers died outside the war three years ago."

Haiya can hardly listen to it, this is just the most ordinary family among thousands of people, how many heavy disasters war, plague, and famine have brought to this country.He was really sorry, as if all these hardships and hardships were all his own sins, and he had to do something to feel at ease.Haiya took out a few gold coins from her bosom and handed them to the woman: "Sister, I'm sorry to bother you."

The woman couldn't see Haiya's face, and was only slightly surprised by the clear and soft voice, and the fair and beautiful hands: "It's a girl, so you have to be careful, there are a lot of defeated soldiers recently..." She shook her head, He didn't take the money, "It's useless to have money, where to buy things."

"Something is better than nothing." Di Heng forced the money into the woman's hand, "He's a boy."

"Well, it's all the same." The woman couldn't help but put the money away, "You guys are hungry, I'll go and get something to eat."

It is said to be food, but it is actually very little.A small glass of sour wine, dark dry bread, and rough food that is difficult to eat.Haiya only ate a little and couldn't take it anymore, feeling very bitter in her heart.

After a while, the woman's eldest son also came back. I heard that he had just turned 20, but he looked like he was in his 30s.The face that should have been young and young was covered with wrinkles prematurely.The whole person was taciturn, his reaction was not quick, he seemed extremely dull, and he had no curiosity about the two unexpected guests.

The four of them were relatively speechless, nothing but dullness.Life is hopeless, but it's just death sooner or later. It's not so much alive as walking dead.

There was no light, and it was dark and early, so they had to go to bed to rest.

Haiya lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.Di Heng sat on the ground, leaning against the foot of the bed.

"Di Heng." Haiya said softly, "Why can't they receive the relief food? I obviously distributed it many times."

"They were all embezzled by those officials."

"Did you already know this? Why didn't you tell me?" Haiya sat up and looked at him with piercing eyes.

Facing Haiya's accusation, Di Heng appeared surprisingly calm: "What's the use of talking to you? What can you do? Those officials are either the emperor's subordinates or the eldest princess' confidants. What can you do? What do you have? power to punish them?"

Haiya is at a loss for words.He wholeheartedly wanted to manage the prosperous city well and bring peace to the people, but he didn't expect that there would be such a big gap between reality and his wish.If he hadn't had the opportunity to stand here today, he would never have imagined that the country was already riddled with holes, and that his people were suffering hopelessly like this day by day.

Haiya was restless, so she simply stayed awake, stood up and walked to the window.The rain stopped outside, but no cicadas or frogs were heard, let alone human voices. The whole village looked like a ghost town with no lights at all.There is only a little moonlight, looming in the stratus clouds.

Haiya stood by the window, the moonlight reflected on the white robe, covering his whole body in a hazy state, giving him a dreamy feeling of drifting away.Haiya let out a long sigh full of anguish and helplessness, her body seemed to be thinner and thinner because she couldn't bear this kind of endless suffering.

Di Heng walked over involuntarily, and his tall and burly figure stood beside Haiya like a mountain.He wanted to reach out and hold Haiya's hand, but he held back after all.He whispered, like a firm promise: "It will be all right, Your Highness, everything will be all right."

Early the next morning, before everyone got up, they heard a loud "dong dong dong" knock on the door, the dust from the roof was shaken to the ground, and someone shouted loudly: "Come out, come out!"

The woman and her son hurried to open the door, and Di Heng hurriedly put Haiya's hood on.

Several soldiers rushed in, saw Di Heng and Hai Ya, and scolded the woman: "Okay, you, how dare you hide strangers, don't you know that the situation is tense now?"

The woman argued with a sad face: "I'm just here to stay overnight. I'll leave after a while after we've made an agreement. Let's go."

"Pay taxes, pay taxes!"

The woman's son asked feebly, "What kind of tax is it?"

"Poll tax. Every person has to pay a share." The soldier bared his teeth and stared at them with a sullen face. A man suddenly rushed forward and lifted Haiya's hood.

"Oh—" Someone exclaimed in a low voice.Haiya was ashamed and angry, and hid behind Di Heng.Fortunately, they were prepared to dye Haiya's hair green with herbs, otherwise they would definitely expose their identity this time.

The soldiers stared at Haiya for a long time, and shouted impatiently at the woman: "Quick, poll tax, what the hell are you doing?!"

"There is no money, sir, look at this house, there is nothing."

"Take someone if you don't have one." A soldier salivated and came over to tease Haiya, but he was grabbed by the wrist.The soldier didn't move once he struggled, and stared fiercely at Di Heng: "Do you want to rebel?"

Di Heng smiled calmly: "Brothers, take a step to talk."

The man took a sip: "I'm stupid, who the hell are you?"

Di Heng took out a gold coin from his pocket and flashed it quickly in front of the soldier's eyes, who immediately stared straight away.Di Heng said, "Just a few words."

The soldiers looked at each other and waved their hands: "Let's go."

Several people walked out one after the other.The woman stomped her feet nervously: "Nothing can happen. Oh, don't offend them. You are not easy to mess with, you big brother. If he really takes action to learn the lessons of these soldiers, you will be relieved." Now, turn around and leave, and my son and I will suffer in the future."

Her son suddenly said: "If you suffer, you will suffer. It's already like this, what else can I do?"

"No, it's all right." Haiya kept reassuring them, but she looked out worriedly.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for Di Heng to come back with those soldiers, and they seemed to have a happy chat.Di Heng said with a smile: "Then trouble a few brothers." The soldier patted his chest: "Nothing, don't worry." He ignored Haiya and the mother and son, and left in a flash.

Haiya asked: "It's okay, why do they..."

"It's okay, I recognized the number of their unit, and it just so happens that their chief is my friend." Di Heng briefly explained.

Haiya stared at him for a moment and didn't ask any more questions.

The woman was puzzled: "Oh, oh, you know them, so you are also an official?"

"No, I did a little business with their chief before."

Ten minutes later, two of those soldiers came back again, and this time they brought a bag of noodles, a bag of bacon sausages, and a few handfuls of vegetables: "Our officer said, just ask if you have anything to do, and eat these things first. Bring it back tomorrow."

Di Heng took out a few gold coins and handed them: "Thank you very much." The two soldiers took them and left happily.

The woman and her son were surprised and delighted, laughing from ear to ear. They hadn't seen real food for too long.The woman picked up a small handful of flour, greedily put it into her mouth, closed her eyes to savor the fragrance, and said gratefully after a long time: "Thank you two very much, you two are noble people. Please don't go away." Come on, just live here, our mother and I will serve you well."

Di Heng didn't answer, but turned to Haiya.Haiya pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly.The woman cheered, her face glowed with joy, and the whole portrait suddenly came alive: "Sit down, sit down, I'll cook right now, let's have a good meal. Why are you still dazed, son, take the money and buy some A candle, in case the night is dark and the guests are uncomfortable..."

The two happily went out to work, leaving only Haiya and Diheng.

Haiya sat by the bed, was silent for a while, and said in a low voice: "Di Heng, you should know that I can allow my subordinates to offend, but I can't allow deceit." When he said this, his voice was not loud, but quite The most serious, there is a faint awe-inspiring momentum.

Di Heng knelt in front of Haiya on one knee, looked directly into Haiya's bright eyes, and said, "I will follow you to the death, Your Highness."

Lauter's face was extremely ugly, and he threw the official letter on the desk with a "bang", frowned and said, "You actually want us to hand Lan Ting to the eldest princess, what a joke!"

Morton said slowly, "I guess it was Hovis's idea."

"It must be him! Who else but him?" Lauter said angrily, "Trying to take our credit, dreaming!" He paced back and forth anxiously.Morton took a sip of coffee and said, "So what, the eldest princess has to give her face."

Lauter walked to the window and let out a heavy breath: "The situation is very bad now. The front line is losing one after another. The enemy is about to attack the city. Fancheng will not be able to defend it for long. We must find a way to delay the time. Lan Ting is a very An important chess piece must not be easily discarded, no matter how much the price is paid..."

The sun outside was just right, shining warmly on everyone.It was the time for the prisoners of war in Area C to go out. Lan Ting took a broken basketball and threw it around with Duowei and the others.

Lauter narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, and said softly, "I thought of a way..."