Li Changtian left Qin Jueming's camp and was walking to his residence when he heard a few patrolling soldiers talking in panic.
"After Beidi people break through the city, will they really massacre the city?"
"They are so cruel, they should."
"I heard that someone secretly betrayed the country and defected to Beidi in order to survive."
"Ahem!"
A soldier noticed Li Changtian approaching, quickly silenced the other young soldiers, and continued patrolling with a serious expression.
Li Changtian was so upset that he didn't pay attention to what they were saying.
He walked back to his tent, and took out the altar of wine left by Wei Ji from under the bed.
Now they stick to Shuofang City, the land they live in is the courtyard of a borrowed private house, but there are chaimen and small paths.
If there is no war, this place is just an ordinary fence and wooden shed.
Li Chang was speechless and silent, staring at the jar of wine until his eyes hurt.
He caressed the dried clay of the wine seal, thinking of Qin Jueming's words just now, he suddenly wanted to open the clay seal immediately, drink the strong wine and try to get drunk.
Li Changtian raised his hand, ready to break the seal, but stopped.
After thinking about it, he still hid the jar of wine.
Li Changtian walked out of the residence and found a stack of dry firewood in the corner of the yard, beside the woodshed.
The patrolling soldiers should have all gone to the vicinity of the city gate wall, and it is quiet here now.
Li Changtian lay down on the haystack, put his hands behind his head, and looked towards the sky.
The last quarter moon is like a hook, the night dew is on the body, and the cold wind is blowing.
Li Changtian looked at the moon for a while, then picked up the jade pendant engraved with peace and peace around his neck.
The jade pendant cuddled against her chest day and night, still warm.
Li Changtian picked up the jade tablet, set it against the bright moon, and thought about others when seeing things.
At this moment, Li Changtian suddenly heard the slight creaking sound of boots stepping on frosty weeds.
Li Changtian turned his head to look in confusion, and then sat up all of a sudden.
He thought he might be too sleepy and tired, and fell asleep while lying on the haystack.
Otherwise, why would an old man come in a dream, untie his lovesickness knot, and eliminate his lovesickness pain.
Yan Shu was dressed in moon-white brocade clothes, black soap boots with cloud patterns, and a three-foot green sword on his waist. The cool moonlight shone behind him, and he came stepping forward.
Li Changtian stared at him blankly until Yan Shu walked up to him.
Li Changtian asked, "Am I dreaming?"
Yan Shu didn't answer, and sat down on the haystack next to Li Changtian, reaching out to gently hold his wrist.
Skin-to-skin contact, Li Changtian could feel the warmth of Yanshu's fingertips and palms. In the cold and windy winter night, only the place he touched was warm.
That's something you can't feel in a dream.
Li Changtian knew because he had dreamed about it.
In the dream, they repelled Beidi, sang triumphantly all the way, and returned to the capital.
I ignored all military orders and rules, ran directly to Yan Shu's mansion, picked up the jade pendant carved in the shape of a lotus, and asked Yan Shu.
"What do you mean by giving me this jade pendant? No matter what you answer, I want you to know one thing. I like you."
In the dream, Yan Shu sometimes becomes angry from embarrassment, and sometimes shows contempt.
But more often, Yan Shu would reach out and hug him.
But in the dream, I can't feel the warmth of the skin, only the endless emptiness and unreality.
What's more, all of this is after the Kyushu is peaceful, the frontiers are peaceful, the mountains and rivers are safe, and the soldiers are facing the sky.
Not the turbulent present day.
"Really... really you..." Li Changtian held Yan Shu's wrist instead, yearning for the warmth.
Although he tried his best to restrain his emotions, his voice still trembled slightly.
"Yan Shu, why are you here?"
Yan Shu said indifferently: "The imperial court's rebel party has been suppressed, and I heard that the frontier war is urgent, so I ask the emperor for orders to lead reinforcements and send food and grass to Shuofang."
"Yanshu." Li Changtian said in a deep voice, "You shouldn't have come. Although reinforcements and provisions have been delivered, Shuofang is still very dangerous. Beidi may break into the city at any time."
Yan Shu looked into Li Changtian's eyes with firm gaze and sonorous tone.
"That's why I'm here."
Li Changtian was stunned.
He suddenly took a deep breath and smiled at Yan Shu.
Yan Shu was slightly taken aback.
Li Changtian loves to smile, either hearty, unruly, or wanton, Yan Shu has seen these smiles before.
In addition to this full of spirited smile, Yan Shu also saw a kind of smile on Li Changtian's face.
A bitter smile.
At that time, Li Changtian was misunderstood, and after being arrested and tortured, he didn't cry or howl, but just laughed.
But now, the smile on Li Changtian's face was like that expression of a helpless smile after extreme grief.
Li Changtian like this made Yan Shu feel inexplicably uneasy.
Just as Yan Shu was about to ask what happened, he saw Li Changtian lying down on the haystack again.
He put his hands behind his head and said with a smile, "Hey, I underestimated you."
Li Changtian's tone was relaxed, and his smile was shallow. The wry smile on his face was fleeting, as if it was just Yan Shu's illusion.
"Li Changtian." Yan Shu frowned slightly, looking down at Li Changtian who was lying on the haystack, "What's wrong with you?"
"Me?" Li Changtian rolled his eyes, "I'm fine, by the way, we've been apart for so long, shall I tell you something interesting I've seen these days? Are you listening?"
Yan Shu: "Listen."
Although the march was tedious, it was also interesting.
For example, every time Li Zhanfeng and Changsun Bai quarreled, Li Changtian would secretly record in his heart who would win the fight, but yesterday, Changsun Bai won nine fights, while Li Zhanfeng only won six.
For example, he went to pick the wild plums he saw on the march with the soldiers he had a good relationship with, but the plums were poisonous, and after eating, they all crooked their mouths, and it took three full days to recover.
Another example, he and Wei secretly went to find the place where the wine was hidden...
Li Changtian didn't mention Wei Ji's sacrifice to Yan Shu, he smiled and told anecdotes, as if he would still go there to find wine with Wei Ji tomorrow.
"Master dug out the wine, slapped the seal mud, and drank two mouthfuls." Li Changtian said, "Hey, don't look at me like that. I didn't drink it. At that time, Master persuaded me to drink. When I thought of..."
Li Changtian suddenly paused.
He glanced at Yan Shu, hesitated for a moment, and said frankly, "I first thought that you hate the smell of alcohol, and then I thought about the prohibition in the military, so I didn't drink it."
After Li Changtian finished speaking, there was a moment of silence between him and Yan Shu.
"Actually, I..." After a while, Yan Shu said slowly, "I don't hate the smell of alcohol."
"Ah?!" Li Changtian looked confused, "But at the Baidi City Inn, you clearly said that you hated the smell of alcohol."
"You..." Yan Shu paused and said, "Let's think about that day."
Li Changtian pondered for a long time, but still didn't realize why.
Yan Shu was quick to talk for a while, but now he regretted it, and said: "Forget it, don't think about it, it's getting late, go back and rest."
"Okay." Li Changtian replied.
Yan Shu stood up and reached out to Li Changtian who was lying on the haystack.
Li Changtian was slightly stunned, then took Yan Shu's hand and used his strength to stand up.
"Thank you, thank you very much." Li Changtian smiled at Yan Shu, the kind of wanton laughter, unable to see the bitterness that was revealed in the moment before.
He really, well hid it.
-
-
The arrival of food and reinforcements reassured the Shuofang soldiers.
Yan Shu did not leave, but stayed in Shuofang, leading the army to discuss policies and manage important affairs in the army.
Coincidentally, the two generals Li Zhanfeng and Changsun Bai both knew Yan Shu.
Yan Shu is Qin Jueming's adoptive son, and his eldest grandson Bai, who has followed Qin Jueming for many years, naturally knows him.
Li Zhanfeng met Yan Shu after he worked in the capital. They used to make friends through martial arts, and now they admire each other.
With Yan Shu participating in the discussion, the disputes between the two were less than before.
Since Qin Jueming finished talking with Li Changtian that day, he rarely showed up, as if he was recuperating and treating his illness.
However, the arrival of food and reinforcements did not change the precarious situation of Shuofang City. Beidi fought more and more bravely and attacked the city more and more frequently. He sent troops to harass the city many times, which made everyone restless and panicked.
It wasn't just that that made Yan Shu feel uneasy.
He found that Li Changtian became preoccupied and his whereabouts were erratic.
Yan Shu couldn't find him several times, and when he asked other soldiers, he didn't know where Li Changtian was.
Moreover, Li Changtian was always in a daze, and sometimes Yan Shu called his name several times before Li Changtian came back to his senses.
Even so, every time Yan Shu asked him what happened, Li Changtian just shook his head and said firmly.
It was under such circumstances that the second shipment of grain and grass from the capital was about to arrive.
Shuofang City needs to send a general to respond.
Li Changtian took the initiative to ask Ying to escort the grain and grass back to Shuofang.
Qin Jueming agreed.
On that day, Li Changtian led three thousand troops and left Shuofang City.
But he never returned.
That night, Yan Shu lit a candle lamp and stood in front of his tent for a whole night until his body was covered with thin frost and his whole body was icy cold.
On the second day, news came, and as expected, something really happened.
The soldiers transporting food and supporting them were ambushed by the Beidi people, and almost the whole army was wiped out.
But Li Changtian came back.
And to everyone's surprise, he suffered only minor injuries.
Food and grass were robbed, Shuofang City began to panic again, anxiety and fear gradually pervaded.
That day, Li Zhanfeng summoned several generals to discuss important matters, and that was the first thing he said.
"I think there's a mole."
Li Zhanfeng's speculation is indeed reasonable. If someone hadn't leaked the important matter of transporting food and grass, how could Beidi lay in ambush in advance
But Li Zhanfeng didn't say who he suspected, he just said viciously.
"If I catch him, I will tear him to pieces."
Another three days later, Li Changtian found that all the soldiers who were close to him began to distance themselves from him.
Because after the grain and grass were taken away, he was the only one who came back alive.
And he was barely hurt.
Rumors in the army gradually arose.
Li Changtian didn't care, he just did what he had to do every day.
Another three days, severe winter, severe cold.
The extreme cold is reversed, so it is called Great Cold.
That night, Li Changtian took out the altar of wine left by Wei Ji, knocked open the seal, and poured out two bowls of wine. Bowl, just finished drinking most of the altar of spirits.
Li Changtian felt that he should be drunk.
That night, Qin Jueming called Yan Shu to the tent and chatted with him.
There are small things to talk about, and there are also big things to talk about.
Qin Jueming often had long talks with Yan Shu like this, so Yan Shu didn't think there was anything wrong.
It's just that when Yan Shu left, he seemed to faintly hear Qin Jueming say sorry to him.
The apology was very vague, and Qin Jueming coughed immediately, which prevented Yan Shu from asking questions or raising doubts.
Yan Shu walked out of Qin Jueming's tent, looked at the bright moon in the sky, thought about the recent rumors, got up and walked to Li Changtian's residence.