Compared with the Central Plains, although the grassland is vast and relatively flat, it is by no means a thoroughfare. The mountains, water bubbles, woods, and valleys and hills are even more mysterious because of the gentle terrain. For a Central Plains person who has never been to the grassland, it is no less rare to lose his way in the grassland than in the mountains.
Due to the advent of the war, the number of troops stationed at Gubeikou increased, and of course the number of scouts sent out was also ten times, or even dozens of times higher than usual. Not only the number of people increased, but also the detection distance, from 30 miles to 50 miles, and then to 80 miles. When the Khitan army was still unable to be found, the guard at Gubeikou extended this distance to a hundred miles.
Scouts riding deep into the grassland for hundreds of miles are basically tantamount to suicide.
In times of war, the tribes on the grassland can be said to be all soldiers, and women and children can fight when necessary-if they have knives and arrows in their hands. In this case, even if the scouts encountered grassland people who were hunting and grazing, their lives would be in danger.
This is Zhang Zai's first visit to the grassland.
Even as a scout outrider, he needs to keep calm observation and cautious behavior at all times, but he is deeply impressed by the magnificent scenery of the grassland. Along the way, the astonishing gaze in his eyes has never dissipated, and he has infinite pride in his chest, and has the urge to recite poems and poems many times.
The two Confucian scholars who followed him also reacted in the same way.
Composing poems by the water, composing poems while ascending high places, and writing essays while looking at the scenery, are the interests of scholars, and they are the habits engraved in their bones. The solitary smoke in the desert is straight, the long river is full of sun, why should the Qiang flute complain about the willows, and the spring breeze does not cross the Yumen Pass... These poems that have been passed down through the ages are derived in this way.
Since ancient times, there is no first in literature, and there is no second in martial arts. Of course, there is no reason for the ancients to specialize in the former.
It's a pity that the rangers have always put on a dead face, not to mention that they are not given a chance to stay, and they are not even allowed to make any noise at will. This made Zhang Zai and others full of beautiful articles, which could only be chewed a few times in their mouths before swallowing them back.
Not being able to recite poems, it was really suffocating, more uncomfortable than suffocating three times, so before noon, when the cavalry had a rest, and when they were eating food and drinking water, Zhang Zai went to Niudan and asked him how they were going to find Khitan traces of the army.
It had been a long time since everyone had entered the grassland, and even if they searched left and right, the straight-line distance was more than eighty miles.
"The grassland people must drive a large number of cattle and sheep as rations for the army. A 100,000 elite cavalry will inevitably have more than a million cattle and sheep. How can such a large-scale livestock operation leave no traces? Even the Khitans Deliberate cleaning, as long as we are more sensitive, we can always catch clues."
Niudan looked sideways at Zhang Zai, he didn't want to tell the other party about these military matters, but remembering the order of the commander before leaving, he could only be patient and say a few more words in a sarcastic manner.
"Can't find the army, and can't find livestock dung? As long as we find them, we can deduce where the Khitan army is, how many people there are, and even the direction of their activities."
Speaking of this, Niu Dan suddenly sneered, "You scholars won't understand these military affairs.
"Do you know the difference between sheep's dung and cow's dung? Do you know how to judge the number of the opponent's army by the traces of weeds being damaged? Tell you, on the grassland, as long as you are careful enough and have a little luck, everything There is nothing to hide!"
Zhang Zai did not expect that this soldier with a vulgar and stupid name and a smell of sweat would have such knowledge. Surprised, he opened his mouth and said in a low voice, "Cow dung is a puddle, sheep dung is eggs— son... ... "
There was nothing wrong with this sentence, but when he thought of Niudan's name, Zhang Zai immediately closed his mouth, and looked at Niudan with complicated, weird and apologetic eyes.
Originally, it would be fine even if Zhang Zai shut up, but the way he looked at Niu Dan made Niu Dan's eyes sink, thinking that this stupid scholar was satirizing himself with yin and yang, and wanted to have an attack.
But for the sake of the unity of the team, he just snorted heavily and stopped talking.
In fact, Zhang Zai wanted to ask, how to judge the number of the army through the traces of weeds being trampled and damaged, and to be able to distinguish the difference between sheep dung and cow dung, which is already very rare for a scholar who is not diligent. This kind of thing is actually very common, but if you see it once, you will be impressed—but seeing Niudan's expression is not worried, and you know that you have a problem with your verbal reaction just now, so you won't say more.
According to Zhang Zai's character, if he is facing a scholar with a little knowledge, he will never hesitate at this time, and he will definitely bow and apologize.
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However, the cow egg in front of him looked so vulgar. When the other party took off the pocket, Zhang Zai still saw the crawling lice in the other party's chicken coop-like hair. Under the chill in his heart, the a little bit of admiration that had just arisen disappeared, and was replaced by strong contempt.
The thought of apologizing disappeared completely.
"Brother Zhang, I heard that there are many master monks in the imperial dynasty, and the Tsingyi Yamen are all-pervasive. We will go out to investigate the enemy's whereabouts, will there be strong ones to respond?"
Beside Zhang Zai, a disciple of the same school with small eyebrows and small eyes asked him.
Zhang Zai looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them. He shook his head and said solemnly: "You think too highly of yourself. Although there are many monks in the imperial dynasty, there are also many Khitan monks. During the war, who did not fight in their own position?" kill
"Not to mention the Yuguan battlefield where hundreds of thousands of troops from both sides gathered, even Guizhou in the west is now fighting in full swing. We are just a few scholars and not important people. Who has the leisure to take care of us? ? Do you still think that we are in Huainan now, and we are the guests of Throne Wu?"
Disciple Liu Dahe turned pale and said, "Then don't we have our lives in danger all the time?"
Zhang Zai said, "Border soldiers can die in battle, why can't you and I? Although I don't look down on vulgar guys like Niudan, I have to admit their credit for their bloody battles. In the end, everyone has two shoulders. Carrying a head on the battlefield, no one is more valuable than anyone else's life."
Liu Dahe was speechless.
Zhang Zai patted him on the shoulder. He is one of Zhang Qi's most valued disciples, and he is also a literary master. He has an unusual status in Yangzhou Confucianism. He cannot follow his temper in everything. He has the responsibility to restrain himself, observe etiquette, take care of the overall situation, and appease the hearts of the disciples below.
He spoke earnestly and earnestly: "In the battle of Luoyankou, the invincible and most meritorious Spike Army Jingqi was almost wiped out. The deputy general Zhao Nianci was killed in battle, and the general Shangguan almost fell. They are all sons who are brave and crown the world. , Which one is not King An's heart? Even they can be shrouded in horse leather, what reason do we have to be delicate?"
Liu Dahe hesitated to speak several times.
At the end, he looked at Zhang Zai with a strange look.
When Zhang Zai was about to ask a question, he disturbed his head and said, "Brother Zhang, these words don't look like what you said.
"When you were in Yangzhou, you never had a good impression of the fighters in the army. You just regarded them as a group of low-spirited people with no knowledge or vision. They only knew how to fight for their own food, and they didn't know what the great cause of the world was. son... ... "
Zhang Zai was startled.
After being told by Liu Dahe, he also found that some concepts had indeed changed after he came to the northern border these days, but he hadn't realized it before.
Zhang Zai pondered for a long time, and soon came to a clear understanding. As a Confucian student who takes "I examine myself three times a day" as his motto, he is very good at this kind of thinking.
Zhang Zai looked at Niudan, who had a rough voice and was laughing and chatting with the soldiers, with sharp eyes, he said slowly, "Perhaps it's because we've arrived at the border.
"In Huainan, the army and the Han fight only for the benefit of the town. For a little property, it is unambiguous to kill women, children, the old and the weak. In order to change this situation and make them loyal to him, King Wu used our Confucianism to greatly promote loyalty. In theory, although there are some effects, but because the time is still short, it is limited after all.
"But at the border... the soldiers here fought against the barbarians in the north and defended the border with blood, defending the Central Plains behind them. No matter whether they have the consciousness and belief to die for the country, what they do is in their hearts. In fact, it protects fellow citizens.
"I have visited the tombs of those who died in the Beikou War. The dilapidated white flags fluttered in the evening wind in a remote place. The tombs with only a few more wooden monuments than the mass graves are indeed very bleak. No matter how many children I have, I am not Looking down with a few mud legs, I can't help feeling admiration at that moment."
Speaking of this, Zhang Zai paused for a moment, and wanted to say more, but for a while, he seemed to sink into the memory of the scene that day, and he had no time to say the following words.
Liu Dahe nodded solemnly and said: "When I went to see it with my husband and Brother Zhang that day, I almost shed tears. In any case, they died for the country. Even though they did not have the pride and talent to govern the country and the world, what they did What we do is worthy of our worship."
Liu Dahe sighed, looked at the northern grasslands for a while, and murmured: "There are many emotions in this world, but in terms of heroism, what is better than dying for the country?"
The two looked at each other and said nothing more.
These conversations may not happen among ordinary soldiers, because they lack knowledge, even if they have feelings in their hearts, they can only red-eyed, twist their knives and charge at the enemy bravely, unable to express these profound truths.
At this moment, both Zhang Zai and Liu Dahe were moved, and an inexplicable flame burned in their chests.
It’s just that they can’t react right away. In their young, hot-blooded bodies, they have already begun to flow the idea of rectifying the name of the frontier army, writing their glory, spirit and sacrifice for the soldiers in the bloody battle, and making everyone in the world admire and praise them. .
Frontier soldiers only know death battles. No matter how exciting their dying roars are, they are destined to dissipate in the fierce or gentle north wind. Their feelings and lives are destined to be silent in the years along with that desolate tomb. fade away.
For the people of the Central Plains to live and work in peace and contentment, and for the prosperity and wealth of officials and wealthy businessmen, these soldiers who have sacrificed their figures that their families look forward to every day and shed their last drop of blood should not be ignored and ignored.
And now, among them there are several scholars who can write.
Although right now, they don't get along well, and they don't like each other very much.
The cavalry team went on the road again and set foot on the boundless grassland to the north. Only an hour later, Dutou Dan discovered the traces left by the large-scale cattle and sheep activities.
Before Niudan carefully checked these clues and deduced the number and movement of the Khitan army, the ranger who went deep into the dangerous area was attacked by Khitan cavalry several times his own.