RPAGF Chapter 175 A Place to Settle Down
Chapter 175 A Place to Settle Down
After saying goodbye to the old man, Chen Er had a better understanding of the situation. He realized that he needed to travel incognito to find out the real problems that needed to be solved. If it were a large group of people, the old man might not have told the truth.
These ordinary people might mistake them for being part of the Chen family, since they have little understanding of the outside world.
Only then did Chen Er realize that this was the normal state of affairs in this era. After all, it was still an oppressive age, and although he had made so many efforts, it wasn't all that difficult.
"There is still a long way to go." The situation in Huai Shu Township is certainly not an isolated case. There must be many other places in Qingzhou and even the entire region that have similar situations to Huai Shu Township. These problems are not only internal government issues, but also historical issues and the perceptions of ordinary people. These are all issues that need to be resolved by the local authorities.
"Boss, where shall we camp tonight?" Wang Hui asked.
"Let's go to that abandoned Taoist temple on the east side of the town that the old man mentioned," Chen Er said to Wang Hui. He wasn't picky. There was no place to stay in the town, and it was getting late. They couldn't continue traveling in the dead of winter. Chen Er said to Wang Hui, "Let's go. While it's still early, let's chop some firewood, boil some water, cook something, and get a good night's rest. We need to continue our journey tomorrow."
"Yes, shopkeeper," Wang Hui replied to Chen Er.
The group then mounted their horses and rode directly through the town toward the Taoist temple the old man had mentioned, which would be their lodging for the night.
"Shopkeeper, that must be the Taoist temple."
As soon as Wang Hui stepped out of the town, he saw the Taoist temple. Actually, the temple wasn't too dilapidated. From the outside, it didn't look very old, and the old man had mentioned it earlier.
This Taoist temple was abandoned during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. At that time, the Chen family took advantage of the chaos and forcibly labeled several Taoist priests in the temple as rebels. Fortunately, the priests were skilled in martial arts and managed to escape.
However, everything inside the Taoist temple was looted by the Chen family, and some of the furniture was also taken away by the nearby villagers, leaving the Taoist temple completely abandoned.
"Well, let's go in and take a look."
Chen Er led a few people into the Taoist temple. It was not bad at all. Although it was dusty, Chen Er was a man who had been in the military and had seen all kinds of situations. This little bit of dust was nothing to him.
The group fed the horses briefly, and then two of them left the Taoist temple to gather some firewood and started a bonfire.
"Sit down and rest. What danger might be here?"
When Chen Er saw that his personal guards had habitually moved aside to stand guard, he quickly called them back and told them to sit down and rest, and to take out some dry rations and dried meat to eat.
"I must say, I haven't had a day like this in a long time."
Looking at the dried meat in his hand, Chen Er said to Wang Hui and the others with a sigh, "Ah, I have to say, I really miss those days."
"My lord, you've gotten used to the good life."
Wang Hui spoke casually to Chen Er. In fact, none of them were particularly afraid of Chen Er; their relationship was more like that of friends in private.
Generally, the guards who came with Chen Er were veterans who had followed him for at least three or four years. They often sparred with Chen Er and had a very good relationship.
After the guards sat down, they began to joke around. Chen Zhi, who had followed Chen Er the longest, said to Chen Er, "My lord, aren't we living the life you promised us back then?"
"Old Chen, you've been with me since Hulao Pass, haven't you?"
Chen Er asked casually, and Chen Zhi nodded and said, "Yes."
"Of all these people, you've been with me the longest. Many of those who were with you are now junior officers, even colonels, and some have even become generals. You are now a first-class sergeant major. Do you feel like you're losing out?"
Chen Er smiled. Chen Zhi had followed him for so many years, and he actually felt somewhat indebted to Chen Zhi.
"My lord, a first-class sergeant enjoys the same benefits as a colonel. What's so special about that? Compared to those old brothers who have passed away, I, Old Chen, am living a very good life now," Chen Zhi said cheerfully.
"Yes, since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, many brothers have left us. We owe our current life to these brothers," Chen Er said with deep emotion.
An ordinary night passed by in conversation. Chen Er hadn't had such a chat with his old brothers in a long time. It was a very pleasant night, even though they were staying in an abandoned Taoist temple. They were in very good spirits.
However, their good mood didn't last long. The next morning, just as Chen Er and the others got up and started to make the campfire bigger, a group of uninvited guests arrived outside the Taoist temple.
"Come on, surround this Taoist temple for me."
Just as Chen Er and his group got up to cook some meat soup and steamed buns in their portable pot before setting off, a commotion broke out outside.
"What's going on?" The group, who had just regained consciousness, were a little confused when they heard the voice. However, they were all seasoned soldiers and immediately realized what was happening. They quickly took out their weapons.
"Get the weapons ready. Old Chen, go open the door and check," Chen Er instructed the group.
"Yes, my lord."
Before Old Chen could make a move, the gate of the Taoist temple was smashed open, and more than twenty people rushed in, partially surrounding Chen Er and his group.
A middle-aged man, surrounded by the crowd, walked up to Chen Er and his companions: "Are you the Taoist priests from this temple?"
“Who are you? We are just passing merchants stopping here for a while,” Wang Hui said.
"Just because you say you're not, doesn't mean you aren't!" the middle-aged man said to Wang Hui. "Come on, take their knives off."
Since the situation was unclear at the beginning, Chen Er did not ask them to take out their pistols. It seemed that they had no choice but to take them out now. Fortunately, none of the people surrounding them had firearms, which put Wang Hui at ease.
At this moment, Chen Er stepped forward and said to the middle-aged man, "You are from the Chen family, aren't you?"
"Who do you care who I am? I hereby declare you all wanted criminals, remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately, or you will be killed without mercy!" The middle-aged man roared at Chen Er and the others with a grim expression.
"What evidence do you have that we are wanted criminals?" Wang Hui's expression also turned grim. He saw that Chen Er's face was beginning to darken, and it seemed that this matter could not be easily resolved today. For safety and to control the situation, Wang Hui nodded to one of his guards behind him, who nodded in response to indicate that he understood.