Every winter in Shangjing is like a frozen city, Duan Ling ushered in his fourteenth birthday amid the sound of firecrackers. On New Year's Eve, he sat opposite Li Jianhong.
"This is the first year we have lived together." Li Jianhong poured some wine for Duan Ling with a smile and said, "Drink some, you can drink wine, but don't drink too much."
Duan Ling and Li Jianhong sat up separately. Duan Ling's voice was no longer as clear as when he was a child. He said, "Dad, I will toast you and win."
Li Jianhong and Duan Ling drank each other. Under the light, Li Jianhong looked at Duan Ling seriously and said, "You have grown up."
Duan Ling took a long breath after drinking the cup.
In fact, I don't want to grow up at all, Duan Ling said in his heart.
But he asked in his mouth, "Is it bad for you to grow up?"
"Okay." Li Jianhong said, "Dad likes the way you grew up."
Duan Ling laughed, Li Jianhong always said that, but Duan Ling knew that he always didn't tell the truth. For some unknown reason, from the day Li Jianhong started teaching him how to practice swordsmanship, he felt something was different. After returning from Biyong Hall, the father and son no longer slept together, but on Duan Ling's couch, Li Jianhong would also sleep in the same room with him, lying outside.
Duan Ling drank some wine that night, it was a little hot, and he couldn't sleep well. Li Jianhong came over and lay down on the couch. Duan Ling gave in and reserved a place for him.
"Son." Li Jianhong said, "Father is leaving tomorrow."
Duan Ling: "..."
Duan Ling turned around and looked at the wall without saying a word.
Li Jianhong went over with one hand, pulled Duan Ling over, and made him face him. Sure enough, Duan Ling's eyes were red.
"Why are you embarrassed?" Li Jianhong teased with a smile, and then hugged Duan Ling in front of him.
Duan Ling: "..."
Duan Ling has been practicing martial arts for nearly a year, and his body has gradually grown. He is held by Li Jianhong, as if he has returned to the first day he just arrived. Li Jianhong lowered his head slightly, looked into his eyes, stretched out two fingers, hooked out the red rope tied around his neck, and pulled out a jade pendant.
"Father is sorry for you, sorry for your mother." Li Jianhong said.
Duan Ling looked up at Li Jianhong's eyes, his pupils were like a dome of stars in the dark night.
"In this life, what I regret most is not coming to see you." Li Jianhong said.
"It's in the past… "
"No."
Li Jianhong shook his head, interrupted Duan Ling's words, and said, "If I don't say this, my father will never feel at ease. At that time, when I was young and angry, I always felt that Xiaowan didn't know what to do, so she left like this and will come back one day. For ten years, I never thought she was gone."
"Why did she leave?" Duan Ling asked.
"Because your grandfather did not agree to this marriage." Li Jianhong said, "She is a commoner, and I am the prince of the frontier. She has been waiting. When I promised to marry her, I never agreed. They wanted me to marry Mu Kuangda. The younger sister, the fourth princess today."
"And then?" Duan Ling asked again.
"Later Lang Junxia made a mistake, and I will use military law to deal with him." Li Jianhong added, "She wanted to plead for Lang Junxia, and felt that he would not die. We quarreled all night, and she left at dawn. I ordered Lang Junxia to stop her, and the guy chased after her with a sword, telling me that she was coercing her to death and asking her to go back unless she committed suicide.
Li Jianhong shook his head helplessly, and said, "Father's temper is also very big, I think she might return to the south, and sooner or later she will get married, so forget it, she has been ignored for all these years, until Zhao Kui, in the name of the imperial court, The day I released my military power. After fleeing all the way from Jiangjunling, I asked Lang Junxia to pick her up."
"I didn't expect her to be gone." Li Jianhong finally said, "and gave birth to you for me."
"Do you regret it?" Duan Ling asked.
"Naturally." Li Jianhong said, "I often think to myself, I have to pursue her in the future, but she is already dead, so what's the use of pursuing her?"
Duan Ling was playing with the jade Huang that Li Jianhong was wearing around his neck, and resting it on his arm, Li Jianhong sighed again.
"Forgive me, Ruo'er." Li Jianhong said, "Tell me, I don't hate you, Dad, I'll take it as you and your mother say it together."
"No." Duan Ling said suddenly.
Li Jianhong was startled and looked down at his son in his arms.
"You still owe a lot." Duan Ling suddenly laughed and said, "You have to live well, and it's not too late to say this again when you are very old."
The corners of Li Jianhong's mouth twitched slightly.
"Okay." Li Jianhong said, "I promise you."
"Five high-fives to swear." Duan Ling said.
Li Jianhong put his arms around Duan Ling with one hand, and came over with the other hand to strike three palms with Duan Ling. That night ushered in the biggest snowfall in Shangjing, and the goose feather snow fell into the sky one after another.
When the sun came in the next day, Duan Ling opened his eyes and Li Jianhong had already left.
"Father!" Duan Ling got up and searched the whole house. He had everything to go to school, but Li Jianhong could not be seen, and there was a sword on his bag.
On the first day of returning to school, the Biyong Hall was bustling with people. The house was rebuilt and repaired, and the wooden signs were replaced with new ones. Duan Ling was familiar with the road, greeted him, and made his own bed.
"Where's your father?" Cai Yan also made the bed by himself.
"I've gone far." Duan Ling said.
"When will you be back?" Cai Yan asked again.
"About a year." Duan Ling replied, sitting on their respective couch with Cai Yan, relatively speechless, Cai Yan smiled, and Duan Ling also smiled, as if there was some kind of tacit understanding.
On the third day of the new year, Xichuan.
"Li Jianhong is back." Zhao Kui said, "with 10,000 Liao troops, set off along Shangjing Road, take Boshan, Weeping Blood Spring, Jiangjunling, and then take the West Road to Xichuan, and there are natural dangers along the way."
In Zhao Kui's study, Mu Kuangda, Changliujun, Wu Du, Lang Junxia, and a scholar were all looking at the map hanging on the wall.
"What name?" Mu Kuangda said.
"Qingjun's side." Zhao Kui said.
"This matter must not be concealed from the Fourth Highness." Mu Kuangda said again.
"Returning to the prime minister and the general." The scribe, Mu Kuangda's chief advisor, said politely, "You might as well settle him for the crime of surrendering to the enemy, so that you can persuade the Fourth Highness."
"Hmm." Mu Kuangda nodded.
"We have to issue an order to transfer troops." Zhao Kui said, "Six years ago, when Li Jianhong fled, we transferred troops once. Now the West Road is all his old troops, and I'm afraid that we will surrender without a fight."
"Let's tune." Mu Kuangda got up and said, "It's not too late, I'll go to the palace now. First, in the name of Jinsheng, I will issue a letter of condemnation to the world, convicting him of two crimes of surrendering to the enemy and treason, and then counting the eight major crimes. A troop transfer order was issued. But at this time, I'm afraid it's too late to transfer troops."
"If I want to contain him, I have my own way." Zhao Kui said confidently.
Mu Kuangda narrowed his eyes slightly, and Zhao Kui said, "Prime Minister, please let me go."
Mu Kuangda led two henchmen, one literate and one martial artist, out of the general's mansion and into the carriage. Lord Changliu drove the carriage, and the scribes and Mu Kuangda entered the carriage.
"Long-term employment." Mu Kuangda said, leaning on the couch in the car.
"Yes, Prime Minister." The scribe who was called a long-appointed scholar respectfully said, "Wuluohou Mu must have mastered a certain weakness of Li Jianhong."
"What kind of weakness could it be?" Mu Kuangda murmured.
Changpin thought about it and said, "Four years ago, Wu Du and the shadow team rushed to Shangjing, and the captain died in Shangjing. Li Jianhong was obviously not there. What made Wuluohou Mu hesitate to show up to fight Wu Du? At that time, the subordinates speculated that the only possibility was that Li Jianhong's wife and children were in the capital."
"Hmm." Mu Kuangda said, "It makes sense. If his wife and children are taken as hostages, it can be slowed down for a while, but I'm afraid it won't last long."
Changpin added: "I'm afraid Zhao Kui not only wants to hold him back, but wants to kill him."
Mu Kuangda laughed and said, "That's really a fool's dream."
Changpin said: "Zhao Kui acts like a soldier, he has not thought about the next step, he will never rush to kill his wife and children first, Li Jianhong will definitely be disturbed. Just lure the enemy, then trap him, kill him, It must not be difficult, if Wuluohou Mu can do this, he doesn't even need to go to see Li Jianhong in person, as long as he sends the head, Zhao Kui will win."
Mu Kuangda said, "This head must be much more useful than that of the Fourth Highness."
Mu Kuangda burst out laughing, Changpin echoed and laughed a few times, Mu Kuangda said again, "It's not easy to do."
The carriage stopped, Changliu-jun got off, and Mu Kuangda entered the palace.
Li Yanqiu was standing under the porch, and Mu Kuangda walked all the way, saluting Li Yanqiu as he walked.
"Go back." Wang Fei Mu Jinzhi instructed his subordinates.
Mu Kuangda smiled at Mu Jinzhi, and stood under the porch with his hands behind his back, without speaking, Mu Jinzhi looked at his brother for a while, and had to turn and leave.
Li Yanqiu looked at Mu Kuangda, and Mu Kuangda bowed.
"See your lord." Mu Kuangda said.
Li Yanqiu glanced at Lord Changliu behind Mu Kuangda again, and said to Mu Kuangda, "The minister has not been here for a long time."
Mu Kuangda replied: "Today there is a hundred thousand urgent military situation, and I have come to report to Your Majesty."
"Royal father drank the medicine." Li Yanqiu said, "I have already fallen asleep, so it's okay to talk about everything."
Mu Kuangda said: "The third prince borrowed 10,000 elite soldiers from Yelu Dashi, and they are on their way south. In the name of the Qingjun side, take the west road, and within three months, they can reach the Xichuan city."
"I knew the third brother was not dead." Li Yanqiu said lightly.
Mu Kuangda didn't answer, just waiting for Li Yanqiu to say the key words.
Li Yanqiu was quiet for a long time, and at the end, he only said one sentence.
"I miss him."
When the words fell, Li Yanqiu turned and left.
Only then did Mu Jinzhi appear from behind the pillar, staring at his brother.
"I've always been an interesting person." Mu Kuangda replied with a slight smile, took out a booklet, handed it to Mu Jinzhi, and motioned for her to do it.
The lights came out from the window panes, illuminating the flying rain in the cold winter of Xichuan, Mu Jinzhi spread the yellow brocade on the jade case, picked up a pen, dipped it in ink, and handed it to Li Yanqiu.
Mu Kuangda smiled and waited while holding his hands outside. After a while, there was a loud noise in the study, and Li Yanqiu smashed the pen holder and the pen wash to the ground.
Mu Jinzhi took out the imperial edict and handed it to Mu Kuangda, who took it and turned to leave.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the order to deploy troops was issued before Yubi Pass, and the army began to be mobilized.
On the first day of February, Li Jianhong arrived under the Great Wall, like a hurricane, disappearing at the end of the desert. On the tenth day of February, Yulin, Yudai and other places were facing great enemies, but Li Jianhong appeared at Juyongguan, four hundred kilometers away, in a blink of an eye. During the night attack, the leading troops were divided, the inside and the outside should be combined, and the Juyong Pass was broken, but they did not advance, and the order of the king of diligence was widely issued, and the troops and horses were summoned.
Anyone who voted before Xichuan City broke, will all be deceived.
On the first day of March, Jiangzhou, Yangzhou, Jiaozhou, Jingzhou and other places shook. At the same time, the imperial court issued an imperial decree covered with a jade seal, listing Li Jianhong's eight major crimes.
However, Li Jianhong was very patient. He held his troops in front of the Yongguan Pass, waiting for the first and most difficult battle, when the east and west exchanged troops and horses to fight their exhaustion.
Li Jianhong was away, but Duan Ling's life was still very regular. He read books during the day and practiced swords with Cai Yan for a while at night to practice basic skills.
In the early spring of Shangjing, the wind and sand covered the sky and the sun, and when he returned home every month, Duan Ling packed his things by himself, and when he was about to go back, he saw a girl standing not far from the alley and told Cai Yan. After speaking, at the end, he also glanced at Duan Ling.
That was Ding Zhi, long time no see. She had an old relationship with Cai Wen, and now she must be taking care of the helpless Cai Yan to some extent. Duan Ling greeted her, but Ding Zhi handed it to him when she passed by. a letter. The envelope was blank, Duan Ling knew right away that it was from Li Jianhong, and hurried home to open the letter.
After scraping off the fire stamp, the font on the top was not what my father used to do. Obviously, out of fear of revealing the news, the handwriting was changed to the correct handwriting, as if it were printed on the plate. No heads up, no sign.
[Tossing and turning, thinking about serving. The second of the ten journeys has passed. Outside the Great Wall, the wind and sand are everywhere, and the world is vast. I only miss you in the small world where the flowers are full of vigor. 】
[In life, the most proud thing is to hold the sword of mountains and rivers, and I am willing to be the king of Sinan. 】
【burn! 】
Duan Ling was really reluctant to burn the letter, he turned it over and over, read and read, stuffed it under the bed, finally got up in the middle of the night, read it carefully again, and finally burned the letter like a knife.