When Duan Ling was about to turn around, Batu's voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"Don't move," Batu said, "or you will die."
"It's a good idea." Duan Ling said.
Batu said: "You used me once, now it's my turn to use you."
Duan Ling suddenly changed his mind and said, "Badu."
Batu: "?"
Duan Ling: "When you grow up, your voice is really nice."
Batu: "… "
When Duan Ling thought of Batu in the past, all he remembered was the voice of a child, and a little hoarseness mixed with the voice change. But until Batu grew up, his voice had a strange feeling, different from Wu Du's low and deep, Lang Junxia's clarity, and Zheng Yan's ruffian.
Batu never expected that Duan Ling would say such a completely irrelevant remark, which immediately left him speechless.
"Nice shit." Batu replied in a masculine, nice voice, and then let go. Duan Ling turned around and saw that he was holding a comb in his hand.
Batu was naked, wearing a pair of deer leather pants, bare feet, half a head taller than Duan Ling, and just stood there. Maybe in the eyes of others, Batu is full of deterrence, but in Duan Ling's eyes, Batu is still Batu.
"Did you take a shower?" Duan Ling laughed.
"Get out of the way." Pulling said impatiently, he passed by Duan Ling and returned to the couch to get dressed.
"I didn't wash it." Duan Ling went over and touched Batu's neck, which was still a little dirty, and said, "There is a hot spring on the mountain. If it's empty, you can take a dip and wash it clean. Don't wash in cold water, be careful of catching a cold."
Batu has never liked to take a bath since he was a child, and he probably won't take a bath now, but he just washed it once, and the smell of healthy male skin mixed with a little sweat smells pretty good.
On the couch lay the robe that was neatly folded by Duan Ling. Duan Ling just glanced at it, and Batu took it away.
"I won't promise you," Batu said.
Duan Ling lifted the front of his robe, walked in front of Batu, and knelt down.
"You!" Batu's expression changed immediately.
"Listen to me." Duan Ling knelt in front of Batu and said seriously, "Listen to me."
"You are the prince of a country!" Batu said angrily, "How can you kneel to me casually?! Do you want the honor and disgrace of your country and the face of the people?"
Duan Ling knelt in front of Batu and said, "Listen, Batu, although I never gave you the token..."
"Get up!" Batu said angrily.
"Sir." Shuluduan came from outside, across the doorway.
"Don't come in." Duan Ling said solemnly.
"You give me... get up!" Batu said.
Duan Ling finally couldn't bear it any longer: "Can you listen to what I have to say?!"
"You get up first!" Batu supported Duan Ling, trying to force him up.
"You can only get up after you listen to me."
"Don't say it! Think I don't know what you want to say?"
"Badu! Stop!"
As soon as their hands touched, Duan Ling avoided Batu uncomfortably, but Batu finally couldn't hold back and pressed Duan Ling on the bed. Looking at Duan Ling's face, Batu's breathing suddenly became rapid, pressing him under him, and he was about to lower his head and kiss him hard.
Suddenly, they both fell silent.
"You do this." Duan Ling said, "We're not An Answer anymore, we're done."
Batu was silent for a moment, and finally let go of Duan Ling. He seemed to realize that some things could not be forced. Even if he tried to do it, he couldn't force something called self-esteem in his heart.
"Let's talk." Batu turned his eyes away, looked down at the ground, and said tiredly, finally accepting a given fact.
"Give me three years." Duan Ling said, "Three years later, I will bring Nan Chen's soldiers to Xunshui, and we will fight with Xunshui as the boundary."
Batu raised his head suddenly and looked at Duan Ling as if he didn't recognize him.
"Wokuotai and Chagatai are fighting." Duan Ling added, "Your father's only hope is on you. You must solve the family affairs as soon as possible, at least solve Chahan first."
Batu replied, "Yelu Zong really taught you to say it."
"Of course not." Duan Ling replied, "I need time, let me go back and get what belongs to me. In three years, I will get Cai Gou down and become the prince of Nanchen. Today, three years later, I will lead the army. Come and fight you. I win, you guys go back outside the Great Wall, I lose, you can do it."
"Five high-fives for an oath," Batu said.
Duan Ling got up, took a few steps back, and said, "I have nothing to give you. The knife you gave me was taken away by Cai Gou."
"I know." Batu replied, "Lang Junxia told me, he said it all."
"So you beat him like that?" Duan Ling asked.
Batu sneered and said, "I wanted to kill him, but he bet you would not come, so let him live for a few more days. You let him come to Xunshui in three days and bring a sheep over."
"What do you mean?" Duan Ling asked, and immediately guessed that it might be an oath.
Batu said, "Let me go back now."
Duan Ling was relieved to know that Batu agreed, but his heart became heavier.
Batu put on his clothes and followed Duan Ling out. Duan Ling ordered him to return the dagger and informed Wu Du.
"Send him out of the city." Duan Ling ordered.
Batu didn't say a word, he was sent to the north gate of Yecheng, and he got on his horse. Duan Ling wanted Shuluduan to escort him, but Batu waved his hand not to use it, saying, "Remember to come over in three days."
Batu rode his horse out of Yecheng and headed north.
"He agreed?" Wu Du asked.
"Three years." Duan Ling replied, "I postponed this competition to three years later today."
"It's okay." Wu Du said, "Three years is too long. It's better to start the spring next year."
Duan Ling turned to look at Wu Du, unable to laugh or cry: "I promised him, if I lose..."
"Impossible to lose." Wu Du replied, without even asking what Duan Ling's conditions were, he took his hand and went back to the city with him.
Duan Ling's apprehension vanished in front of Wu Du.
"Three years is too short." Yelu Zongzhen said after listening to Duan Ling's remarks, "It should be set for ten years. You Han people have a saying, 'Ten years are not too late for a gentleman to take revenge.'"
"Whether it's too long or too short." Duan Ling said, "Let's discuss a result first."
"Send a letter to Yaohou." Fei Hongde said, "I don't need to ask for help anymore, right?"
"Wait a little longer." Duan Ling was still not at ease, for fear that what would happen to Batu. Three days later, he asked people to prepare sheep, and when they arrived at the Xunshui, the messenger had reported several rounds, telling that the north bank of the Xunshui was full of dark forces of the Yuan Dynasty, all over the mountains and plains, but never crossed the river.
There is a shoal in the middle of the Xun River. In summer, the river floods over the beach. Now that the river dries up in winter, it is exposed again. Previously, the soldiers were waiting for the rolling wood from upstream.
On the opposite side was an army of 50,000 yuan. Batu brought Amugu over, while Duan Ling waded over with Wu Du and Yelu Zongzhen.
"Yelü Zongzhen, you happen to be a witness." Batu said to Yelu Zongzhen, then turned to his army and said loudly: "Here is the evidence of the Liao Emperor. The person in front of me, who grew up with me, was in the army. Shangjing saved my father and my life, I was defeated and captured, he set me free, and I decided to make peace with him!"
The people on the other side of the river were silent, listening to Batu's voice.
Duan Ling had only himself, Wu Du and Yelu Zongzhen.
Batu added: "Today, three years from now, I have made an appointment with him for a battle! The place is to be agreed separately! He let me die, and I returned his city to be free from disturbance for three years. If he loses the battle in three years' time. , Xun Shui will let my iron hoof step on it, and I will never stop it again!"
The Yuan army on the north bank raised their weapons in unison and shouted, while Cha Han rode on his horse and looked at the two people in the shoal, seemingly very reluctant. But Yuan people worship is the most sacred thing, and no one can interfere. Batu became a prisoner of war. Although it was a humiliation, it was admirable to solve it in this way.
"If I lose!" Batu shouted again, "I will kill myself and give my life to my An Da!"
Duan Ling: "..."
"You..." Duan Ling said, "You didn't say that!"
Batu took a step back, with a smile in his eyes, he stabbed the sheep's neck with a knife, and blood sprayed all over the ground.
Batu handed Duan Ling a bowl of wine and said, "Drink it, you have the conditions, and of course I have."
Duan Ling took the wine bowl and looked at Batu's indigo blue eyes, while Batu looked at Duan Ling's black eyes.
Duan Ling drank the wine in one go, and the burning sensation brought by the spirits surged up his throat, making him burst into tears.
"In the past three years." Batu said again, "I want to see my An Da, and none of you can stop me."
Saying that, Batu bowed his body, picked up two pebbles soaked in sheep's blood, handed one to Duan Ling, and said, "Quit is a token, and keep it well."
Duan Ling stepped forward, hugged Batu, and whispered, "Take care, Batu."
Batu stopped talking, got on his horse and turned away. When he came to Chahan and talked for a while, Chahan gave the order, and the whole army set off and withdrew from the shore of Xunshui.
On this day, the Yecheng army was facing a great enemy, and sent letters one after another to investigate the direction of the withdrawal of the Yuan army. Batu really said what he said, and in less than a day, he had withdrawn to the Black Valley, and then retreated to Runan, and finally headed north.
Yelu Zongzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief, while Duan Ling was exhausted. No one expected that it would end in such a way.
"Don't worry." Yelu Zongzhen said, "I will send troops to help you, if I am not killed by Han Weiyong."
"I'm not worried." Duan Ling said, "That night, I thought about how to solve it if I were my father. I know that this battle will be fought sooner or later, but it is impossible to fight now. ."
There were blood-soaked pebbles on the table, and Duan Ling was still writing a letter, wanting to send someone to send it to Yao Fu, informing him that there was no need to borrow soldiers, and Yecheng's predicament was temporarily resolved.
"Next is your battlefield, Zongzhen." Duan Ling said.
"What are you going to do?" Yelu Zongzhen asked.
"Wait for the opportunity." Duan Ling whispered, "You must help me find the evidence of going to Beijing, and the sword of the country."
Yelu Zongzhen decided to stay for another day and go back. The two talked about many details that night, including inferring the situation in Nanchen. Duan Ling did not regard Zongzhen as an outsider, so he simply called Fei Hongde and Wu Du, and the four of them said roughly what they had to say.