Wei Zhenfeng got off the carriage of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and the strong wind made him look disheveled. His subordinates had found a temporary place to spend the night, behind a huge rock, and the rock wall just happened to help them block the flying yellow sand.
Several people sat around the campfire that had finally been lit. Yun Yonghua was roasting sweet potatoes, and Ji Chong took out a bamboo tube, poured clear water into it, and added a few black medicinal herbs, and simmered them over the campfire. After a while, the smell of the herbs overwhelmed the aroma of the sweet potatoes.
Hua Ju asked: "Why is Brother Ji still taking medicine? Are you feeling unwell?"
Ji Chong replied: "What I drank was herbal tea, not medicine."
Hua Ju heard this for the first time and asked curiously, "Herbal tea?"
"This is the prescription that Doctor Bai from Nanjing gave me." Ji Chong explained sadly, "It is said to clear away heat and reduce internal heat, nourish the liver and protect the stomach."
"Is it effective?" The little prince who had been silent all this time suddenly spoke up, "If it is, give me a pot too."
After going deep into the desert, the carriage could no longer move on the sand, so Zhao Mian had to abandon the carriage, put on sunscreen, put on a veil hat, and ride a horse like everyone else.
The people of Beiyuan were much more balanced because of this. Look, even if the prince, who was a noble and wealthy man, entered the desert, he would still have to sleep in the open like them. There was no luxurious carriage to sleep in tonight, and the prince could only use the sky as a roof and the ground as a bed like them.
Then they watched as Shen Buci unloaded a tent from the carriage that was used to carry His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's supplies, set it up at lightning speed, and began to move couches, tables, and bathtubs into it... The next day, after wasting a night in the desert, they all looked listless and lifeless, while His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was still as radiant and beautiful as ever, with crystal-clear skin, and he could go directly to the state banquet after changing his clothes.
Everyone in Beiyuan: ... What a gap.
The group hurried along the way and arrived at Beiyuan’s garrison in the desert—the Red Sea Sand—ten days later.
After crossing the last sand dune, the desert was filled with smoke and the wild geese were crying, accompanied by the sound of horns, and the Wanli Camp in Beiyuan suddenly appeared before Zhao Mian's eyes.
This is the border between the Central Plains and the outskirts of the Great Wall. Going westwards is the territory of the Hu people. Beiyuan has 50,000 troops stationed here, on the one hand to defend the defense line in the west of the Central Plains, and on the other hand to guard against the two countries in the southeast. If Dongling and Nanjing make any moves against Beiyuan, the army in the north and the garrison in the west can form a pincer attack, encircling the enemy and attacking from both sides.
It was dusk, and in the sunset clouds and sand, the red flag in front of the camp gate was half-rolled up, and tens of thousands of tents were arranged in a grid, like an isolated city, which was extremely spectacular.
But even though it was so spectacular that it was breathtaking, Zhao Mian and Zhou Huairang still had things to say and things to criticize.
When the two of them spoke ill of other countries, they would usually give some face and avoid their own people, and be the villains who spoke ill of others behind their backs. Unfortunately, the young prince didn't know how to behave and had to follow them.
Zhao Mian: "The Yuan army's camp is really small."
Zhou Huairang: "Yes, yes, less than one-third of my Nan Jing."
Wei Zhenfeng explained: "The size doesn't matter, as long as it's firm."
Zhou Huairang: "Your Highness, look, why does this bow and arrow look so much like the one made in Nanjing?"
Zhao Mian: "Indeed, Beiyuan can't make arrows himself."
Wei Zhenfeng continued to explain: "We bought it with our own money, thank you."
Zhao Mian: "Look at the armor on Yuan Jun's body, can it protect against the cold?"
Zhou Huairang: "In reply to your Highness, I think it is uncertain."
Wei Zhenfeng did not explain, and said coldly: "You two, don't leave after you are done, don't leave, I will take you back to Shengjing to have a look."
What kind of master and servant is this? They can say bad things about a hundred people within the time it takes to stick an incense stick of time.
"Your Majesty has also been to Nanjing and Shangjing." Zhao Mian was even more arrogant than usual when talking about his country's capital. "Why humiliate yourself?"
"Don't be too confident, or you'll get slapped in the face." Wei Zhenfeng said indifferently, "Nanjing may have many prosperous places. But Shengjing is definitely not inferior to Shangjing."
This is the difference in the development strategies of the two countries. Although Shangjing is the capital of Nanjing, Nanjing has the best geographical location and there are many big cities as prosperous as Shangjing. For example, Luocheng and Lin'an are comparable to Shangjing.
For Beiyuan, Shengjing is a superpower with many strong powers. The capital built with the efforts of the whole country is more than enough to match Beijing.
The garrison commander of Beiyuan was named He Kaiji, and he looked like an experienced veteran. I say "looked" because General He's temples were gray, and his face was full of wrinkles and lines, looking rough.
As a result, Wei Zhenfeng told Zhao Mian that General He was only in his early thirties and had only been in the desert for two years.
Zhao Mian was silent for a moment, thinking of his master and adoptive father, General He Changzhou, who had guarded the northern border for many years, and was one of the four great masters in the world.
General He left Shangjing five years ago and has been stationed in the northern border ever since. Zhao Mian clearly remembered that his master was still a handsome and high-spirited young man five years ago. Although he was of the same generation as his father and the prime minister, he could always play with the younger generation. His master was also one of the few people who didn't find his younger brother annoying. You know, even his father and the prime minister often "disdained" his younger brother.
Guarding the border was difficult and the years passed by. Would his master be like He Kaiji, with gray hair before he was forty
When Zhao Mian talked about this with Anyuan Hou, the old marquis comforted him greatly: "Your Highness, please relax. The northern border is not a desert. Although the conditions are not comparable to those in the capital, there are sufficient military pay and reserves. The soldiers are well fed and well-watered, and they can keep warm in the cold. As for General He, he has been the same for more than ten years. Even if Xiao Shen's hair turns white, his hair will not turn white."
Shen Buci: “…”
He Kaiji learned the news a few days ago that the young prince was going to Chihaizhisha, and specially prepared a banquet to welcome the prince.
The Hu people have been peaceful in the past two years. After Beiyuan conquered Xixia, there has been no more war, and the soldiers on the frontier have lived a relatively comfortable life. He Kaiji ordered people to kill several cattle and sheep, roast them whole on the fire, and selected the best Western wine from the treasured spoils. Zhao Mian finally saw the legendary black-skinned dancer.
These dancers are all native desert girls, and their skin is indeed several times darker than that of girls from the Central Plains. But they are dark but not rough, with deep facial features, flowing eyes, and extremely graceful postures. What is particularly eye-catching is their makeup, with light gauze covering their faces and shining with gold. Every time they dance, the bells on their wrists and ankles will emit a crisp sound, like the sound of the sky.
Zhou Huairang stared with wide eyes and exclaimed: "So beautiful, they can debut in a girl group."
Ji Chongqi asked: "Girl group?"
Zhou Huairang asked, "Don't you have any in Beiyuan?"
"No. What is it?"
Zhou Huairang then introduced to Ji Chong the origin of the Nanjing Girls Group.
To put it simply, their Majesties did this out of boredom, so they got several talented singers and dancers in the palace to form a group and debut. Eventually, they became famous in the capital and became extremely popular, attracting many wealthy nobles to spend huge sums of money on them.
"No one can refuse a girl group," Zhou Huairang said. "No one."
After the dance, Wei Zhenfeng saw that Zhao Mian had not made any comments, which meant that the Crown Prince could not find any faults. He asked knowingly, "What do you think, Lord Xiao? Have you changed your mind about Heipi?"
Zhao Mian reluctantly admitted: "Dark skin on women is indeed unique." At the end, he did not forget to add one more sentence to save his dignity: "But dark skin on men is still ugly."
Wei Zhenfeng said, "Then I will find you a few dark-skinned handsome men some other day."
Just as he finished speaking, the young prince frowned - why did he always show Zhao Mian beautiful women and handsome men? He was not dark-skinned, was it to prove that dark-skinned people could also be beautiful
This damn desire to win.
Fortunately, Zhao Mian was not interested: "Forget about the men. But the purple-dressed curly-haired dancer just now is unique and worthy of being the leader of the Desert Girl Group."
Wei Zhenfeng disagreed: "What kind of vision is this, Lord Xiao? In terms of demeanor and dancing posture, the one in yellow clothes and straight hair is clearly better."
Zhao Mian retorted, "Are you blind? Purple curly hair is obviously a hundred times better than yellow straight hair."
Wei Zhenfeng smiled and refused to give in: "A hundred times? You don't think before you speak..."
The topic of who should be the leader of the group continued until the end of the banquet. After the music ended, everyone went back to their tents to rest. After a long journey and drinking a lot of wine, Zhou Huairang and the others fell asleep as soon as their heads touched the pillows.
The general held a grand banquet tonight, and the soldiers more or less benefited from it. They all ate and drank their fill, and some were even a little drunk.
This is when the army's defenses are weakest.
Huo Kangsheng was imprisoned in a remote stable, with the chains on his hands tied to the fence. Days of torture had left him half dead, with sunken cheeks and bulging eyeballs like eagle eyes, sharply observing everything around him in the dark.
A drunken soldier staggered toward the stable. He found a dark corner, untied his belt, and drained his urine.
Huo Kangsheng listened to the sound of the water dripping, and when it ended, he said, "Bring me some water to drink."
The soldier put on his pants and turned around with a slightly puzzled look.
Huo Kangsheng licked the corner of his mouth and said in a hoarse voice: "If I don't drink some water, I'm really going to die of thirst."
Everyone knows that Huo Kangsheng is the clue for Nanjing and Beiyuan to find the Xixia treasure, and he cannot be killed before his mouth is pried open.
The soldier said lazily, "Wait."
Huo Kangsheng was extremely anxious and waited patiently. He knew that now was the worst time to rush.
Not long after, the soldier came back with a broken bowl, and he stood up and held out his hand: "Here."
Huo Kangsheng raised his hands to indicate, "I can't reach it if I don't see it."
The soldier made an impatient "tsk" sound and bent down to hand Huo Kangsheng some water.
The moment he approached, Huo Kangsheng's eyes flashed, and he put the chain around the soldier's neck with his backhand, tightening it with all his strength.
The soldier struggled with his eyes wide open, and soon fainted. Huo Kangsheng pulled out a knife from his waist, cut the chain between his hands, then put on the soldier's armor, used the cover of night as a cover, and fled.
When the Yuan army was in the most difficult time, he successfully escaped from the base camp. But he knew that this was just the beginning. What was more terrifying than the Yuan army was the extreme climate and endless yellow sand.
Huo Kangsheng ran in the vast desert, not daring to stop for a moment. He had no direction at all, he only knew that he had to get away from the abyss dog, the farther the better.
He had fought with Wei Zhenfeng for many years, and he knew how terrifying that young man who could deceive people with his appearance was. Even if he died of thirst in the desert and his body was eaten clean by vultures, it would be better than being tortured by Wei Gou.
Huo Kangsheng ran all night, watching the scorching sun slowly rise from the sky, and the hot air he exhaled turned into sweat on his forehead. The sun scorched the yellow sand, and the tattered shoes on his feet could no longer block the heat. Every step he took was like walking on fire.
The water he had snatched from the soldier had already been drunk. As his lips and mouth became dry, he felt his sanity disappearing as the water in his body decreased. He gradually forgot who he was and why he was lost in the sea of sand. There was only one word in his mind - water.
His remaining sanity told him that the Yuan army also needed water, and their base camp would not be too far from the oasis. As long as he could hold on until he found the oasis, he would have hope of survival.
Huo Kangsheng was not wrong. In order to facilitate the use of water, the garrison of the Yuan army was only an hour's journey away from the nearest oasis, provided that he was familiar with the terrain. He wandered aimlessly in the desert for a whole night and a half, and the green that symbolized infinite vitality appeared in his sight.
The water was rippling, the grass was lush, and a few horses were drinking water leisurely by the river.
-water!
Huo Kangsheng didn't have time to think about why there was a horse by the river. He ran towards the water source like mad, not caring about losing his shoes.
water… !
He stumbled along the way, fell in the sand, and immediately stood up and continued running. The green was getting closer and closer to him, and he grinned with an almost obsessive look until he saw the person standing next to the horse.
Ji Chong raised his hand and greeted him from a distance: "Chief Huo, you really made our prince wait for a long time."
Hearing the word "Prince", Huo Kangsheng's dreamy expression was instantly shattered. He woke up as if from a dream, remembered his identity, turned around with great pain, and ran desperately in the opposite direction of the oasis.
Ji Chong calmly mounted his horse and whipped it: "Chase!"
How could a man who was exhausted, hungry and thirsty outrun a warhorse that had just drunk its fill? Huo Kangsheng ran and looked back, seeing Ji Chong was about to catch up with him. Despair enveloped him little by little, and he could not break free at all.
Is it over... It's almost over.
Huo Kangsheng slowed down his pace with a dead heart, and finally stopped. He wiped his face with his neck stiff, pulled out the knife he had snatched from the soldier, turned around suddenly, and shouted "Yuan Gou" in a hoarse voice, rushing towards Ji Chong: "Yuan Gou, give me your life!"
He was determined to die, and just wanted to drag a few more Yuan Dogs to be buried with him before he died.
Ji Chong reined in his horse and stopped, snorting coldly, "You don't know your own limits." He pulled out an arrow from the quiver behind him and was about to draw the bow, when his expression suddenly changed and he half-closed his eyes and looked into the distance.
In the yellow sand, a dozen figures on horseback were seen galloping towards them. The leader shouted, "Brother Huo, we are here to save you!"
Huo Kangsheng was stunned, and hope rekindled in his gray eyes.
This voice is from the brothers of the Imperial City Division! The brothers are here to save him!
The horses of the approaching men were very fast, and they were in front of Huo Kangsheng in the blink of an eye. Ji Chong seemed to be very wary of these people, and did not attack rashly, but stopped where he was and watched vigilantly.
The leading man stretched out his hand to Huo Kangsheng on horseback: "Brother Huo, come on up quickly!"
Huo Kangsheng had experienced great joy and great sorrow in a very short period of time, so he had no time to think about the strangeness. He held the man's hand without hesitation, used the force to climb onto the horse's back, and rode on the same horse with the man.
The man immediately turned his horse around and said, "The people have been rescued, retreat!"
Seeing that Huo Kangsheng was about to be taken away, Ji Chong and others still did not move. Their horses' hooves circled leisurely in the desert, watching them disappear into the dusk.
Huo Kangsheng sat behind the man, turning his head to stare at Yuan Gou. When he was sure they couldn't catch up, his heart returned to his chest. As soon as he relaxed, the pain of thirst immediately surged back, and he couldn't wait to say, "Water, give me water!"
A voice sounded beside him: "Brother Huo, I have some water, catch it!"
Huo Kangsheng stretched out his hand in ecstasy, but in the next moment, his expression froze.
How could there be a woman's voice? There are no women in the Imperial City Division.
Huo Kangsheng was almost unable to speak due to thirst: "You..."
The man sitting in front of him turned around and curled his lips at him.
Huo Kangsheng's eyes widened in horror.
He recognized this man. Like Ji Chong, he was a running dog under Wei Zhenfeng!
So, the one who came was not from the Imperial City Bureau... It was, it was Yuan Gou!
Everyone burst into laughter, the rough laughter of men mixed with the sharp voices of women, surrounding him arrogantly and presumptuously.
The hope that had just risen was once again crushed unexpectedly. Huo Kangsheng wanted to escape, but he couldn't muster up an ounce of strength. He could only stare at the kettle that was so close to him.
He wants to drink water... Let him drink some water...
There was a sharp pain in his chest, Huo Kangsheng lost his balance and fell heavily. Yellow sand rushed into his nose and mouth, and the chaotic sound of horse hooves echoed in his ears.
"Our prince said that since you want to run, he will give you three chances." The woman smiled sweetly on horseback, looking at him as if he were a toy. "You still have one chance, Brother Huo, don't let us catch you next time - let's go, sisters."
A male voice corrected her with a grin: "It's 'brothers and sisters'."
Huo Kangsheng's face was buried in the yellow sand. He listened to the sound of horse hooves fading away. The only two fingers on his body that he could move were his.
The knife was also taken away. He couldn't even commit suicide now, but his mind was surprisingly clear.
He was in the game from the beginning. The soldier who delivered water was his first "chance".
Killing someone without forgetting to destroy their heart, this is indeed the method most commonly used by Wei Gou.
Hahahahaha—
Wei dog... Wei Zhenfeng! The Wei Zhenfeng who destroyed Xixia!
Huo Kangsheng's hand suddenly tightened, grasping a handful of yellow sand.
Even if he turned into a fierce ghost, he would eat Wei Zhenfeng's flesh and drink Wei Zhenfeng's blood!
After an unknown amount of time, he felt the sunburn on his body disappear, and he began to feel cold, damn cold. He vaguely remembered that he sat up, but he seemed to still be buried in the sand, maintaining the posture of Yuan Gou when he walked.
My mind became confused, sometimes I was in a dream, sometimes I was in the real world.
He thought of Gu Ruzhang, the Grand Tutor.
Fortunately, he did not reveal the location of the treasure, and he still had the nerve to meet Master Gu.
Master Gu... I am here to accompany you.
water…
He felt someone touch his shoulder, and then he found himself lying on his back in the moonlight, with a shadowy figure standing over him.
Huo Kangsheng's mouth kept opening and closing, silently chanting the same word: "Water..."
The figure was dressed in all white, even his hair was white, but his face didn't look old at all, and he looked no more than thirty years old.
He is gentle, elegant, with a head full of silver hair, like an immortal who has been banished to earth.
Huo Kangsheng couldn't believe that he could still make a sound, and he couldn't believe his eyes: "... Master Gu?"
"Gu Ruzhang" looked down at him, his eyebrows and eyes gentle, and said: "Master Huo has suffered."
Huo Kangsheng was horrified.
"Gu Ruzhang" asked with a smile: "Why is Lord Huo looking at me like that? Is Lord Huo very thirsty?"
When Huo Kangsheng heard the word "thirst", he suddenly realized.
It turned out that he had died of thirst. Only by dying could he see Master Gu again.
Huo Kangsheng, a bearded man, burst into tears like a child: "Yes... I am thirsty."
He was not afraid of thirst, pain, or death. What he feared was the alternation of hope and despair, which tortured him to the point of collapse.
"You will be free soon, Lord Huo." "Gu Ruzhang" comforted him, "Do you still remember what I told you?"
Huo Kangsheng said in a trembling voice: "Your subordinate... remember."
"Tell me about it?" "Gu Ruzhang" encouraged, "If you are right, I will give you some water."
Huo Kangsheng's voice was faint but loud enough for those around him to hear: "Under the high tower, there is a dark body. At noon, smoke of war rose, and the princes fought endlessly..."
"Gu Ruzhang" smiled slightly and patted his face with the water bag in his hand: "So good."
This smile is very beautiful, but it looks very out of place on Master Gu's face.
Would Master Gu... laugh like this
Master Gu's smile always made people feel like spring breeze, but the smile of the man in front of him was full of sarcasm, just like the battle of Lingzhou that year, when Wei Zhenfeng walked over the mountains of corpses and seas of blood against the faces of his colleagues to climb the city gate, and the word "stupid" sneered softly at the corner of his mouth.
Huo Kangsheng realized something, his pupils suddenly dilated, and his heart beat violently: "Wei..."
Whether he was going to call "Wei Gou" or "Wei Zhenfeng", the rest of the words were drowned in the endless darkness.
The young man tore off the human skin mask, revealing a young face that was completely different from Gu Ruzhang's. The pair of teardrop moles under his eyes moved as he squinted his eyes: "He's dead already?"
Yun Yong stepped forward and probed Huo Kangsheng's nose: "He has only one breath left. Your Majesty, do you want to save him?"
"Save him." Wei Zhenfeng said with a smile, "I also want to see his expression when he wakes up and realizes that he has revealed the secret. It must be very interesting."
Wei Zhenfeng threw the human skin mask to Yun Yong and was about to take off the silver-haired wig he was wearing when he suddenly noticed a familiar gaze.
He turned around and saw Zhao Mian riding a horse on a sand dune not far away, looking at him quietly.
Shen Buci followed Zhao Mian with an expressionless face.
The young man who had been so arrogant just now was suddenly at a loss.
He did not inform Zhao Mian in advance of his plan to tease and interrogate Huo Kangsheng, so how did Zhao Mian appear here
How much did Zhao Mian see? Probably not much, otherwise he would have discovered it long ago. But with Zhao Mian's intelligence, even if he only heard one or two sentences, he could probably guess the whole picture.
Wei Zhenfeng calmed himself down and smiled carelessly: "Why are you looking at me like that? Your Highness the Crown Prince thinks that I am too cruel?"
When you look at the same person from different perspectives, you often see very different things.
For Western Xia, Huo Kangsheng was undoubtedly a hero who was loyal to his country.
But to Beiyuan, Huo Kangsheng had killed countless of his people, and it was not a pity for him to be toyed with to death as a mere ant.
As for whether Huo Kangsheng was a traitor or a hero in the eyes of the people of Nanping, he had no idea.
While waiting for Zhao Mian's answer, Wei Zhenfeng was surprised to find that he seemed a little nervous.
It's strange. He has always done his own thing and used any means to achieve his goals. He has never cared about other people's opinions.
After a while, Zhao Mian said, "No."
Wei Zhenfeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"I just think that the prince has a unique charm with white hair," Zhao Mian praised sincerely, "better than Gu Ruzhang himself."
The silver hair, the same color as the moonlight, was scattered on the boy's shoulders, making him look indescribably elegant and otherworldly.
This is a feeling that the black-haired Wei Zhenfeng would never have.
No wonder many of the protagonists in fairy tales have white hair, they really look good.
Wei Zhenfeng was slightly startled, and the hand that was about to take off the white hair also paused: "Oh..." He smiled slowly under the moonlight, "Then I'll let you look at it for a while longer."
Zhao Mian always kept in mind the truth that if someone is too attentive, he is either a traitor or a thief. He admired her for a few more times, and then said, "You are beautiful, but I don't want to sleep with you no matter how long I look at you."
Wei Zhenfeng choked up, looking helpless: "I really don't want to go to bed this time, believe me."
(End of this chapter)