FVN Chapter 45: What? Your name is Meng Jiangnu?
Chapter 45: What? Your name is Meng Jiangnu?
When Zou Yun brought up the matter again, it finally shattered Fusu's carefully maintained composure.
The gentle smile on his face quickly faded, and Fusu slowly turned around, raising his hand to point towards the west slope.
The woman was seen searching for something with her hands.
"That woman, searching for her husband, lingered here for dozens of days, day and night, weeping blood and her heart breaking."
No matter how much they tried to persuade him, he refused to return to his hometown.
Fusu paused, a bitter taste like bile rising on his tongue.
"Now...it has seriously hampered the construction of the Great Wall."
"However... they were forcibly driven away, and they saw that the people there were all alone and helpless, and were emaciated and destitute."
"But... I really can't bear it."
Fusu clenched his hand tightly in his sleeve.
The north wind whipped at his clothes, and together with the sobs and the pounding of earth, echoed for a long time in the air above Shangjun Pass.
"Searching for her husband? Is she that persistent?"
Zou Yun's thoughts stirred slightly, and his brows unconsciously furrowed a little.
"So, this is one of the many pitiful figures who served as the prototype for the legend of Meng Jiangnu in later generations?"
The conversation between the two reached Meng Tian, who was standing nearby, clearly.
This general, known for his strict discipline, had a furrowed brow at that moment.
Although he knew beforehand that Fusu's trip was to deal with this matter, Meng Tian clearly did not expect things to have developed to this extent.
He could no longer restrain himself, and suddenly took a step forward, cutting off the railway track.
"My lord! The situation is critical. I request that he be expelled immediately!"
He was fully aware that if this delay continued, not only would the Great Wall construction be delayed, but the laborers might even mutini.
In that case, it will only kill more people.
After saying this, he turned around resolutely and walked straight toward the pitiful figure on the west slope without even waiting for Fusu's clear response.
"General Meng! Wait a moment!"
Fusu shouted urgently, trying to stop him.
However, Meng Tian did not stop walking and did not even turn his head. Helpless, Fusu had no choice but to hurry after him.
On the high platform, only Zou Yun and the others were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
Looking at the two arguing figures in the distance and that lone figure, Zou Yun sighed softly, "Never mind, let's go and see what's going on."
Having said that, he flicked his sleeves slightly and followed along at a leisurely pace.
By the time they arrived at the western slope, the argument between Meng Tian and Fusu had escalated.
"Hesitation leads to trouble!"
"Every day this woman lingers, the construction is delayed; every day the officials are unsettled, disaster is imminent! How can we disregard the lives of thousands and the affairs of the nation for the sake of one person's sorrow?"
"General Meng, how can you suppress grief with violence? His plight is pitiful, his heart is truly sorrowful!"
"How could I bear to forcibly drive them away? I fear it would only incite public resentment."
Meng Tian spoke loudly and urgently, while Fusu argued earnestly and logically.
The two men's heated argument echoed across the open hillside, even causing some laborers in the distance to stop their work and look around anxiously.
At the ramming site, the originally loud and orderly chants gradually faded away.
The laborers carrying loess and gravel also frequently glanced at that small mound.
Even the supervising soldiers couldn't help but grip their long spears tightly, watching the massive number of laborers with nervousness, but dared not urge them on again.
A tense atmosphere, like the impending storm, filled the air.
The argument between just two people has already touched the hearts of everyone on the construction site.
But at this moment, only Zou Yun's mind was not on their argument.
The woman's fragmented self-narration echoed clearly in his ears.
"I...I was originally surnamed Jiang. In my family...I was the eldest, so...the people in my hometown all called me...Meng Jiang..."
The name "Meng Jiang" exploded in his mind like a thunderclap!
"What?! Your name is Meng Jiang?!"
Zou Yun suddenly snapped back to reality and exclaimed in surprise.
His voice was so loud and his emotions so intense that it instantly drowned out the argument between Fusu and Meng Tian, causing everyone to turn around in astonishment and focus their attention on him.
Even Meng Jiangnu, who was in tears and almost fainted from crying, was startled by this sudden exclamation.
Startled, she instinctively stopped crying and blankly raised her swollen, red eyes.
Then, under the bewildered gazes of the crowd...
Zou Yun, with a solemn expression, quickly walked to the newly built city wall at the edge of the earthen slope.
He slowly reached out and gently placed his palm on it. His gaze was careful, examining every inch of the rough rammed earth wall.
Why is there a Meng Jiangnu? Is the legend not fictional, but based on a real person?
"Could this section of the Great Wall... be the one that was said to have collapsed because of her crying?"
"No! That's completely wrong! In later legends, Meng Jiangnu's weeping collapsed...wasn't it at Shanhaiguan?"
Why? Why is she here? What's going on?
"A coincidence?"
A jumble of chaotic thoughts instantly filled Zou Yun's mind, leaving him momentarily confused.
Zou Yun slowly withdrew his hand, took a deep breath, turned around, and prepared to walk towards Meng Jiangnu to ask her questions in more detail.
Let's see if we can find any new clues to unravel the deep-seated doubts in his heart.
However, just as he lifted his foot to take a step—
"Boom—!!!"
A deafening roar suddenly erupted behind Zou Yun without warning.
The earth trembled violently like a giant beast, and the ground beneath everyone's feet shook, causing them to stagger and lose their balance.
But before everyone could recover from this sudden turn of events...
Then, to everyone's utter astonishment, the section of the Great Wall that had just stood majestically, bearing witness to the blood and sweat of countless laborers, was gone.
It was as if it had been slammed down by the palm of an invisible giant, and it collapsed instantly!
"Boom!"
A massive cloud of smoke, like a turbid dragon breaking free from its restraints, billowed into the sky, carrying countless broken stones and logs, instantly obscuring the sky above the border region.
The intense sunlight was completely swallowed up.
Looking around, all that could be seen was a vast, swirling yellow curtain of light.
In an instant, the sky darkened, and the sun and moon lost their light!
"What?! What's going on?!"
Fusu was so shocked that he staggered, cried out in surprise, and all the color drained from his face.
"The earth dragon has turned over?!?"
Meng Tian reacted quickly, grabbing the guard beside him to steady himself.
Even this renowned general, who had witnessed countless battles and deaths, was now filled with disbelief and horror in his eyes.
This has nothing to do with anything else; it's simply human instinct under the influence of an irresistible force.
"It's collapsed! The wall has collapsed!"
"Oh my god! Run! Someone's going to get crushed!"
"Cough...cough cough...help!"
"Young Master! General Meng! Be careful!!"
Terrified screams, frantic footsteps, violent coughs from choking... all erupted in an instant, like a symphony of the apocalypse.
The entire Upper County fortress construction site erupted into chaos, like boiling water tossed with a boulder.
The laborers and soldiers fled in terror like a herd of startled beasts, and the scene instantly descended into extreme chaos.
No one knows what caused this sudden disaster.
People only saw Fusu, Meng Tian, and a few others who were closest to the collapse point, instantly swallowed up by the billowing yellow dust.
Life and death are unknown!
"Cough...cough cough cough..."
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Fusu's violent coughing could be heard as he struggled to wave his wide sleeves, trying to disperse the dust in front of him.
"I...I'm alright!"
Despite his discomfort, Fusu shouted loudly in an attempt to calm everyone down.
But at this moment, how could the panicked crowd stop because of his words?
Just as the chaos reached its peak and was about to spiral completely out of control.
"All soldiers, listen to my command! Remain in place!"
A deep, steady shout suddenly rang out, piercing through the smoke and noise.
"Anyone who moves without authorization will be executed! All squad leaders, immediately take inventory of your men and provide first aid to the wounded! Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with according to military law!"
"The entire army should repeat this!!!"
At the critical moment, Meng Tian remained calm and composed, acting as a stabilizing force to calm those around him.
Meng Tian's personal guards immediately understood and loudly repeated his words.
At first, only the guards were shouting, but later other soldiers who realized what was happening also shouted out the military order.
The sound started as a few scattered notes and gradually grew louder and louder.
Finally, it converged into an unstoppable torrent, overshadowing the chaos on the construction site and instantly bringing a sense of solemnity to the scene.
The panicked soldiers, as if finding their anchor, instinctively stopped their headless fleeing and began searching for their officers and comrades.
Meanwhile, the organized armored soldiers used long spears to pacify the large group of laborers.
Order gradually returned to this wilderness.
The thick, smog that had blotted out the sky finally began to dissipate a little.
A stunning scene was etched deeply into everyone's mind.