Wu Zhao fabricated the surname Wu because she suddenly thought of her experiences of being without father, mother, husband, or children.
When Yuan Xi heard her say her name, he thought, 'So this woman is called Wu Zhao?'
Although the name sounds ordinary, a woman with both a given name and a surname doesn't seem like an ordinary servant. Perhaps she doesn't want to reveal her origins?
However, since the other party saved him, Yuan Xi didn't plan to delve into it. Remembering he had matters to attend to this morning, he bid farewell, saying, "Miss, please rest here and recover. I'll go settle those women who were abducted."
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhao hesitated for a moment and softly said, "General, are you going to distribute them among your soldiers?"
At that time, during the chaotic late Han Dynasty, abducting women was common. Not only did foreign tribes do this, but even Han generals would victimize their own people.
Gongsun Zan goes without saying, but even more famous than Gongsun Zan was Dong Zhuo.
When Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, he allowed his soldiers to plunder the people, calling it 'searching for bandits.' When he stationed his troops in Yangcheng, southeast of Luoyang, during the local sacrifice to the local god, his soldiers even killed all the men and plundered the women, wealth, cattle, and horses, returning to Luoyang.
What was especially appalling was that they even cut off the heads of the men and hung them on the shafts of their chariots, falsely claiming they had returned after killing bandits.
Later, when the truth was exposed, the court and the public were in uproar, but due to Dong Zhuo's tyranny, no one dared to speak out. Instead, Cai Wenji left behind verses describing the tragic situation in her indignant poems passed down through later generations.
"Cut off, leaving no offspring, corpses propped against each other.
Heads of men hung by the horses, women carried behind the horses."
The reason why Dong Zhuo's army was so loyal to him was also related to his unprincipled way of buying off soldiers.
In chaotic times, soldiers were everything, while the common people were like ants in comparison.
Wu Zhao's question stemmed from this.
Yuan Xi stopped and said, "Well asked."
"Those who wish to leave will be given a certain amount of money and food to return home on their own."
"Those who wish to stay will be arranged to work in the city to make a living."
"If they feel they cannot support themselves, they can also find men in the city to marry. Moreover, I will give the soldiers an extra half portion of rations and monthly salary. Saving a little on food, it's no problem to support an extra woman."
Wu Zhao remained silent after hearing this, finally unable to help but say, "It's dangerous to go south, with many bandits and soldiers. How dare they leave?"
"Aren't you still forcing them to marry by doing this?"
Yuan Xi smiled upon hearing this and said, "You see things clearly. Your knowledge and conversation are by no means ordinary. Are you a maidservant from a noble family in the court?"
Wu Zhao shut her mouth and said nothing.
Yuan Xi sighed and said, "I'm indeed not a good person. I can't be perfect and satisfy everyone."
"You certainly won't be convinced by my words alone."
"For the sake of you saving my life, seeing is believing. If you're willing, you can come with me and see the situation in this city with your own eyes."
Wu Zhao discovered that this young master from a prominent family was very different from those she had met before.
Since she was young, she had followed her father and had seen many famous scholars and sons of noble families, either spirited and ambitious, or pretentious and refined, or behaving wildly.
And the husband she had married was also from a prominent family, with remarkable conversation and a reputation for talent.
Unfortunately, before she even entered the door, her husband was bedridden. After marrying her, he was unable to get out of bed. Wu Zhao could only talk to him every day, hoping he would recover.
Unfortunately, within less than a year, her husband passed away.
In her grief, Wu Zhao thought that this misfortune was because she was an unlucky person, or because the men of her husband's family mostly died young?
Compared to the sons of noble families Wu Zhao had seen, Yuan Xi spoke with a patience and composure that was beyond his peers.
Although he came from a family with four generations of high officials, she had heard that his father, Yuan Shao, had acted recklessly and absurdly when he was young. How could he have given birth to such a gentle and refined son?
Moreover, yesterday, Yuan Xi fought fiercely in battle, full of enthusiasm and ambition, which confused her for a moment.
Which one was the real him?
Curiosity arose in her, and she gently bit her lip, cupping her hands and saying, "Since the general has given the order, then I will be so bold."
Yuan Xi led Wu Zhao, one in front of the other, and walked out the door.
Just as they reached the door, Qu Yi and Dong Zhao had just finished their breakfast and came out of the house, and the four of them met.
Yuan Xi briefly told Qu Yi about Wu Zhao and said to Qu Yi, "Have Sun Li fetch a carriage. Let's go around the city together and go to the separate residence where those abducted women are settled."
Qu Yi listened and immediately went to call for someone. Dong Zhao also wanted to leave when he saw this. When he passed Wu Zhao, he saw the black and red patches on her face, but he didn't pay attention and brushed past her.
After Yuan Xi and Wu Zhao had walked far away, Dong Zhao suddenly stopped and looked at Wu Zhao's back.
When he was young, he had gone to Qingzhou to study and visited a famous scholar at the Yang family in Mount Tai.
In this great scholar's home, Dong Zhao met his daughter, who was still a young girl. Why were her eyes and eyebrows so similar to this Wu Zhao?
Although Wu Zhao had large patches on her face, her facial features were too similar!
Dong Zhao was suspicious and uncertain. If it was really the daughter of that great scholar, her current identity might not be presentable.
Because that great scholar was a member of Dong Zhuo's faction!
After Dong Zhuo was killed, Wang Yun purged the remnants of Dong Zhuo's party and killed that great scholar.
Although Wang Yun was killed by Li Jue and Guo Si, that great scholar has not been exonerated to this day.
Dong Zhao lowered his head and pondered. The key to the future of the world lies with the emperor!
He must find a way to get close to the emperor to control the overall situation of the world!
As for Wu Zhao, if she is really the daughter of an old friend, it's good enough that she can save her life in this chaotic world. It seems good to follow the young master?
He shook his head and went to the back room. Yuan Xi promised to let him take some ancient books and playthings to Luoyang to take care of things. Thinking that there might be many good things inside, he suddenly became excited again.
Yuan Xi led Wu Zhao to the door, where Qu Yi was already waiting in the carriage outside.
The two got into the carriage. Outside the door, several soldiers pulled a cart filled with musty, mud-covered things and walked over.
The leading soldier said a few words to Qu Yi. After listening, Qu Yi waved his hand to let the soldiers leave first.
While driving the carriage, he turned to Yuan Xi and said, "We were lucky this time. The people we sent out dug up several more tombs and obtained five or six sets of armor."
Yuan Xi listened and looked pleased, saying, "Many of the armors were damaged in yesterday's battle, and most of the captured Xiongnu armor is unusable. Only this kind of aristocratic burial armor, which is well-made, is suitable for elite soldiers."
Wu Zhao listened and was surprised, saying, "General, are you robbing graves?"
"This is an ominous thing."
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I'm digging up the graves of Xiongnu nobles."
In Chinese history, the era of heavy cavalry began in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and lasted until the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Heavy armored cavalry with armored horses and super-heavy horse spears was popular for a time.
At that time, many Hu people's nobles were buried with Han beauties and armored horses, just like the Han women abducted by Liu Bao this time. Many of them may end up being buried alive.
It was precisely because of this that Yuan Xi ran to Youzhou, to this intersection of You and Bing, where there were many Hu people's tombs. The armored burial items inside were more tempting to him than gold and silver.
Although the leather straps and threads of the armor in the tomb have rotted, the armor plates are well preserved. With a little processing, they can be made into sets of armor again.
This is also the basis for him to secretly accumulate a heavy armored force in Beixin City for several years.
Putting in effort and harvesting things from the soil, tomb robbing is also a kind of farming, right?