The winter solstice was short, and it soon fell into the night. Jiang Hengsheng set up the charcoal stove to cook, and Geng Shu hurried in from outside, pulled out the black sword, carried it on his back, and said, "Brother, I have to go to the city and come back later. ." Obviously got an order from Zhao Jie.
Jiang Heng left dinner behind and said, "I'll go with you!"
Geng Shu's expression changed, and he couldn't tell the difference. He pointed at home and said coldly, "I'm going to be angry."
Jiang Heng had no choice but to give up, and Geng Shu said, "Be obedient." He picked up his helmet and walked quickly.
This night is the New Year's Eve of Jin. According to the ritual law, when the bell strikes tomorrow, the officials will go to the outskirts of the country to worship the ancestral temple, and pray for good weather in the world. But so far the court has not been aware of it. If what the refugees say is true, there must be all refugees from the Central Plains who have fled outside Luoyang City, and there are troops behind them that are driving them. Shouldn't there be sacrifices tomorrow
Jiang Heng made the New Year's Eve dinner, and the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. By the time of the first shift, Geng Shu had not come back.
He had to pack food, carry a food basket and wine, and go out to find Geng Shu's whereabouts.
Sure enough, all the garrison troops were sent to the cold and windy outer city walls of Luoyang. Under the city walls, there were panting old men and women and children recruited from the city to deliver limited supplies.
Jiang Heng was startled, thinking of the war outside Xundong City three years ago. This was the second time he had experienced a war in his limited twelve years.
"Brother! Brother!" Jiang Heng shouted, and he hurriedly climbed up the tower.
The walls of this city are really old, older than the soldiers of the Royal Forest Army and the ministers in the court. They have not been repaired for nearly a hundred years. With a little force, the brick steps will collapse.
"Lord Jiang! Slow down!" Yu Lin Jun recognized Lord Taishi and said hurriedly, "Be careful of falling!"
Jiang Heng took the basket and bumped into the city wall. In the noisy voice, a familiar scolding suddenly sounded unpleasant.
"Heng'er!"
It was Geng Shu's voice. As soon as Jiang Heng raised his head and almost fell, Geng Shu suddenly reached out and grabbed him.
"What are you doing here again?!" Geng Shu was very rude, and made Jiang Heng stand behind him, as if in front of his colleagues in the Imperial Forest Army, Geng Shu had become a person, and he would not allow anyone to challenge his authority.
"I'm here to give you something to eat." Jiang Heng smiled, "I've done a lot, so let's eat together."
The young people were all put into Geng Shu's team. Now Geng Shu is also a team captain. With ten people, he couldn't get away. He was sweating while carrying oil pans on the city wall to defend against the city.
Jiang Heng said: "What are you doing? Let me see..."
"Don't—" Geng Shu didn't have time to stop Jiang Heng, but Jiang Heng had already walked to the top of the city and was silent for a moment.
In the gust of wind, the flags were flying, and outside the city, all the troops came from afar. Liang Guo's army occupied the foot of the mountain and the countryside, while Zheng's army occupied the frozen stream. Nearly 300,000 troops swept away in darkness, and the fire on the barracks was like the stars in the sky.
Jiang Heng: "…"
Geng Shu didn't want Jiang Heng to worry, but he had already been seen, so he had to say: "They set up tents outside the city, and they may not come in. They just wait for the troops of Ying and Dai to come to meet."
Jiang Heng said, "Is there no messenger entering the city?"
Geng Shu replied: "No, we all know that I can't persuade them to leave. This is to come in and grab people. What did the king say? Will the sacrifice be canceled tomorrow?"
Jiang Heng shook his head slowly and looked at the rest of the imperial army, but everyone felt that it was very funny and funny for a twelve-year-old child to discuss national affairs with his fourteen-year-old brother, and they couldn't help laughing.
"You can't fight!" Someone said, "Don't be afraid, maybe they will leave in a few days."
Jiang Heng, however, sensed a dangerous signal. Looking at Geng Shu again, Geng Shu also comforted him: "General Zhao is patrolling the city. Let's hold our troops for now, and there is no need to go out of the city for a decisive battle."
decisive battle? Jiang Heng could not laugh or cry. The eight hundred imperial guards were all white-haired old men. They had guarded the Jin royal family for a lifetime. Now they couldn't even pick up a sword. They were all sent to the city wall. .
Outside, there are 300,000 troops eyeing the tigers. Are they waiting for the Yong Kingdom's army? When Yongren arrived, Luoyang would definitely become a battlefield, and the city would become a hell on earth by then.
Jiang Heng said: "They must all want to take the opportunity to take the king, but no one dares to attack Luoyang first. They are waiting for the king to flee, maybe they can use this to provoke the two sides and make them retreat."
Geng Shu said, "How do you retreat? It's impossible! Sit down and go back to the palace after the New Year's Eve dinner."
Jiang Heng's thoughts turned to electricity, and he learned from the many historical books in the capital and the hundreds of schools of thought he had read in Xundong. This moment played a role.
"I can go on an envoy," Jiang Heng said suddenly, "tell Zheng Guojun that the king is willing to leave; tell Liang Guojun that the king will follow them, and then disguise himself as a king, let the two teams come to pick them up one after another, and then you go to report the letter, and take advantage of the night. Let them melee…”
"Don't even think about it!" Geng Shu didn't want to listen at all, and roared, "You're crazy!"
Jiang Heng said eagerly, "I can do it! Brother!"
Jiang Heng pulled Geng Shu aside, and a bold idea gradually formed in his mind. Isn't what the other party wants Ji Xun? As long as you disguise yourself as Ji Xun, make an appointment to go with the people of Zheng Guo, and then report to Liang Guo, they will say that the person has been robbed, and let Liang Jun quickly intercept them...
... The night was dark and windy, and when the two sides fought, the substitute took the opportunity to escape. In this way, no one knew whose hands the emperor was in, and the two sides were bound to suspect each other.
But Geng Shu doesn't care about the safety of the emperor, he only cares about Jiang Heng.
"I'm going to beat you," Geng Shu said seriously, "don't let me do it again."
Jiang Heng had to stop talking.
Geng Shu took off his helmet, threw it aside, and asked his subordinates to gather around for dinner. Jiang Heng thought of the slap he received three years ago, and did not dare to say it again. He was anxious, thinking and thinking, although he knew that there were many loopholes in his plan, such as how to pretend to be the emperor, who to rescue, whether he could succeed or not, and hide after escaping. where to wait...
Geng Shu divided the wine and said, "Come on, brothers, let's drink."
A group of young people raised wine bowls one after another, and Jiang Heng also got a small half bowl. Geng Shu said to Jiang Heng, "You haven't grown up yet, so you can't drink more."
Jiang Heng saw that the atmosphere had eased a little, and it was obvious that Geng Shu was no longer angry, but Geng Shu thought that he had said heavy words, which made Jiang Heng feel uncomfortable, and the wine bowl gently touched him.
"What?" Geng Shu said.
"I've grown up." Jiang Heng protested.
Everyone laughed, and Geng Shu said casually, "When you grow up, you are also a child."
Everyone divided the jar of wine and began to eat the boiled mutton made by Jiang Heng. Geng Shu saved more for Jiang Heng, and the rest were embarrassed to share too much of their rations. After all, everyone had limited food. After the scene, they dispersed, went to patrol the city wall, and executed orders.
Geng Shu wore a battle skirt on his lower body, and his upper body was still in military uniform. He stepped on the fast-empty wine jar, and sat with Jiang Heng in the watchtower to bake a fire. Geng Shu only drank and watched Jiang Heng eat slowly.
Most of the remaining Tusu wine was drunk by Geng Shu alone.
Jiang Heng said, "I won't mess up my mind, okay?"
With a bit of alcoholism, Geng Shu looked at Jiang Heng's face reddened by the firelight. In the small watchtower, the red light came out, and under the sky of Luoyang, there was snow all over the sky.
"Give me some more." Jiang Heng wanted to taste the wine.
Geng Shu poured out the last one and fed it to him with a bowl.
"What does it taste like?" Geng Shu said.
Jiang Heng couldn't tell.
Geng Shu: "Is it delicious?"
Jiang Heng: "Delicious."
"I don't care about anything else," Geng Shu said suddenly, "Only you are my life."
Jiang Heng suddenly felt a little embarrassed and laughed with a "poof". However, Geng Shu didn't care, he took Jiang Hengsheng's delicious food, handed him the bowl, ate it hastily, and said, "Go back."
Jiang Heng said: "I'll put on the armor for you. Don't take off the armor all the time. Be careful of catching a cold. It's too cold. Wearing armor looks good."
Geng Shu said: "It's good to look good. Wearing such a suit makes it inconvenient to move around."
Jiang Heng put the leather armor on Geng Shu, fastened the buckle, took out the jade jue he was wearing on his chest and glanced at it, the smooth jade jue reflected the soft light in the snowy night.
He put the helmet on Geng Shu again and said, "Be careful."
"Got it." Geng Shu urged Jiang Heng and said, "I'll be back at night."
Jiang Heng went down to Wanglou, and before leaving, he heard Geng Shu whistling at him from the city wall.
"Heng'er, the rice is good!" Geng Shu said, "The wine is delicious too!"
Jiang Heng waved at him with a smile, trembling a little in the cold wind, wrapped his robe tightly, and trotted back to the palace.
At this time, for some reason, he wanted to sing.
"Heaven and earth live with me, and all things are one with me—"
After Jiang Heng drank the wine, his body warmed up a little. It was a kind of hearty feeling that he had never had before. It seemed that he drank together with Geng Shu. It was a beautiful dream. Dream.
"Death and life are bound together, talk to Zicheng, hold your hand, and grow old together with your son—"
Jiang Heng sang on the empty long street again on New Year's Eve, his voice still carried the crispness of a young man.
"Heaven and earth are a finger, and all things are a horse..."
Jiang Heng sang again, he suddenly remembered many words of Lao Zhuang, the heaven and earth are like a red furnace, when the light snowflakes fall, they will turn into water and flow into this red furnace, entangled with the copper refined by all things, inseparable. .
And in this splendid eternity, under the vast mountains, copper and copper, water and water, touch and separate gently, sometimes turning around a little—
- That is, separation from life, farewell to death.
Late at night:
Jiang Heng was half lying in the corner of the dormitory, his face flushed, his heart was beating fast, and he couldn't stop gasping for breath. Countless memories of the past were like a herd of unbridled horses, galloping through his mind, and he blinked again and again. run away.
Between falling asleep and being awake, the power of wine made his mind wander.
In the fog, he saw the figure of a person, the tall figure walked towards him and knelt down on one knee in front of him.
Jiang Heng almost screamed in surprise for a moment.
"Shh."
It was a masked assassin. He made a "silence" gesture to signal Jiang Heng, and his eyes behind the mask narrowed gently, as if smiling.
"Ah!" Jiang Heng regained consciousness and shouted, it was Xiang Zhou!
Xiang Zhou took off the mask to let Jiang Heng see his face clearly. Jiang Heng was instantly overjoyed and hugged him.
"Fortunately, I caught up on the last day." Xiang Zhou was still breathing a little, his body was full of snow, and he avoided Jiang Heng a little. He had obviously gone through a long and difficult journey along the way.
Jiang Heng turned over immediately, but he was a little unsteady, and said groggyly, "Where's your mother?"
Xiang Zhou put on the mask, glanced at Jiang Heng, and said in a low voice, "Madam hears the news, let me tell you."
Jiang Heng's heart sank immediately, but Xiang Zhou comforted her: "She is much better, but it is still not suitable for long-distance travel."
"Where is she?" Jiang Heng said.
"Yuedi." Xiang Zhou explained, "There are still a few years before you recover. Please stay outside."
Jiang Heng did not doubt his presence. Hearing that his mother was well was the most gratifying news for him, so he nodded hurriedly and said, "Have you had dinner? I'll go get you something to eat, are you hungry? "
Xiang Zhou pressed Jiang Heng and replied, "After eating, sleep, we have to think of a way to take you out. There is an army outside now, it's too dangerous."
"Geng Shu he..."
"I've seen him," Xiang Zhou said. "Just now he was on the city wall. He asked me to come into the palace... Let me take a good look at you, Jiang Heng, you've grown up."
Jiang Heng sat on his knees, Xiang Zhou laughed again, took off a jade ring on his left hand, put it in his hand, and said, "This is for you."
"No, I can't accept it!" Jiang Heng was a little embarrassed.
"Take it, it was given to me by a very beautiful girl a long time ago." Xiang Zhou looked at Jiang Heng carefully and asked Jiang Heng to put it on.
Compared with three years ago, Jiang Heng already knew a lot of things. For example, he now understands that his mother and Xiang Zhou must be very powerful assassins.
But he doesn't think Xiangzhou is like an assassin at all, and all assassins are cold, aren't they? Xiang Zhou was carefree, with a sun-drenched air on his body. Jiang Heng often felt that he was like a big child of his own age.
"You haven't changed at all," Jiang Heng laughed, "That's great!"
Jiang Heng took his hand and asked him to sit down, and Xiang Zhou sat cross-legged. After leaving Xundong, Jiang Heng began to understand many people and many things in this world, and he also knew that Xiangzhou treats them very well, just like family. Long before he knew him, he often came to Xundong's house to see him. Take a look at them.
Although he didn't know the reason, he was grateful to the man who had protected them for a long time. Xiangzhou has no responsibility for them, but is like a protector.
"You haven't changed, what have you been doing in the past three years?" Xiang Zhou said.
Jiang Heng's wine tasted a little, and he talked to Xiangzhou about the past with a smile. Xiangzhou sat cross-legged in front of Jiang Heng and listened attentively. He learned that he was studying most of the time, and when he became Taishi of the emperor of Jin, Xiangzhou. He sighed: "You are the youngest official in the world. Taishi, one of the six ministers, is not easy!"
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Jiang Heng laughed, and Geng Shu said that more than once. Xiang Zhou patted his head again, as if to tease a small animal.
Suddenly, Jiang Heng thought of his plan. With Xiangzhou present, might it work