The snow-covered city walls stretch out, houses and buildings are lined up one after another, and there are long and bustling streets. People who get up early are sweeping the streets. In the swept snow, children are chasing and playing and running across the street laughing, causing their parents to scold them loudly.
The streets are bustling with people who have some free time at the end of the year, chatting and laughing together, buying New Year's goods, and bargaining with street vendors and shop vendors.
White gas gushed out of his mouth and nose, rising into the sky. In the distant golden palace of the imperial city, lamps were burning. The quietly hanging curtains on the pillars suddenly moved. With a bang, something hit the ground and bounced off the feet of a group of civil and military officials.
"When the Great Sui Dynasty was founded, we abandoned the weakness of the previous dynasty and never thought of paying tribute or marrying a princess to the Turkic barbarians!!"
The gold and red carpet went straight up the imperial steps. Behind the imperial desk, a crown and a pearl curtain swayed. Yang Jian walked down the steps with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, and slapped the fence carved with golden patterns on the dragon court.
Throw a document with an urgent border message below.
“… Look at this, should we kill these Turks? Do you think that since the Great Sui Dynasty was newly established, we can be bullied like Zhou and Qi? They took advantage of the fact that I was unable to unify the north and south and rectify the internal affairs, and they marched into the border areas, captured Linyu Town, and burned, killed, and robbed Wuwei, Tianshui, Anding, Jincheng, and Shangjun, killing all the livestock!!”
He walked down the imperial steps and stood still, glancing at the civil and military officials for a moment, then raised his head which already had white marks on it, closed his eyes, and looked at the winter sun outside.
"The remnants of the Southern Dynasty are not over yet, but there are no more obstacles. I think it's time to free up my hands."
He clenched his fists behind his back, withdrew his gaze from outside the hall, turned around and walked back to the golden throne step by step, speaking word by word.
"Draft an order to build fortresses at the border as barriers and raise the Great Wall. Senior General Yin Shou will station troops in Youyan to train soldiers. Senior General Li Guang will station troops in Mayi. Crown Prince Yang Yong will send troops to Xianyang to guard against the Turks! The rest of the army will intensify training and raise war horses. After the spring, the three armies will march north!"
Yang Jian's voice stopped, and the pen in his hand also stopped writing, and he threw away the dragon table.
"… Let them see whether the blades in the hands of the Sui people are sharp or not!"
The dragon flicked his sleeves and shouted, "Dismiss the court."
In summer and autumn, the Turks invaded the north on a large scale, and wars broke out from east to west, as if they were going to destroy the Sui Dynasty. Yang Jian broke out in anger, and orders were issued. Messages were sent to various prefectures by fast horses day and night. Official documents carrying huge amounts of information traveled densely on the official roads. Countless people received the news and were so shocked that they were speechless.
In several northern states, troops and food supplies were mobilized and gathered, and the atmosphere had become solemn and grim.
In the city of Chang'an, on the snowy road, Qu Yuanfeng stopped his horse, handed the reins to a servant, and walked into the backyard of the mansion in armor. Hearing the sound of fists shaking the air, he took off the cloak behind him and handed it to the maid beside him, then sat down on a nearby stone bench and drank the hot tea brought by the servant.
Qu Yuanfeng has been in the army for several months now. Compared with his previous strong physique, he is now much darker and looks majestic in armor. In the army, he is not only skilled in martial arts, but also well-educated. He knows the art of war, and changed the "Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain" taught by his master into a formation, which he practices with hundreds of soldiers under his command. During military exercises, he is often the bravest of the three armies and is deeply loved by his superiors.
Every time he returned home, he would tell his senior brother Yuwen Tuo what he had heard and seen in the army. This time was the same. After waiting for the fists and kicks over there to stop, Yuwen Tuo restrained his breath, put down his teacup, and excitedly went to greet them.
"Brother."
"Are you back?" Yuwen Tuo took the towel from the maid and wiped the sweat off his hands. He tilted his head to look at his junior brother, and they went back to the stone table and bench under the tree and sat down.
"You look so happy, have you been promoted again?"
"No." Qu Yuanfeng, who was quite honest in character, smiled on his dark face. He didn't know where to start and gestured excitedly.
"But it's better than a promotion..."
He organized his words and then said, "... I'm going to go to the land."
Over there, the teacup raised to his mouth hovered, and Yuwen Tuo turned his gaze to look at his junior brother who still had a smile on his face.
"fight?"
How could he not know about the news of the storm on the border during this period while sitting in Chang'an City? But that was a matter of the court and had nothing to do with him as a minor official.
"Brother, it seems like you don't want me to go?"
Qu Yuanfeng sat there and saw that his expression was a little strange. He shook his head slightly and smiled, "Junior brother will be fine. The Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain Formation that Master taught me was used by me on the soldiers and evolved into a formation. It's just right to practice with the Turks. These barbarians have been burning, killing and looting everywhere, bullying our Great Sui. I can't stand it anymore. Your Majesty has already started to fight two days ago, so I applied to the higher authorities to transfer to Longdi."
"Why didn't you mention this before?" Yuwen Tuo frowned and put down the cup: "Have you asked Master about this?"
Over there, Qu Yuanfeng waved his hand nonchalantly.
"How can we use the communication tool given by Master casually? There is no need to bother you with such trivial matters. Just sit back in the city and wait for news of Junior Brother's victory. From now on, the two of us brothers, one civil and one martial, one inside and one outside, will bring honor to Master!"
"Honestly speaking, among the four brothers, you are the most thoughtful."
Yuwen Tuo was also unable to do anything to him. He had seen the 'Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain' formation before. Its attack was like a blazing fire, its formation was as immovable as a mountain, its march was like a strong wind sweeping the ground, it could travel a thousand miles a day, and it could cross mountains and swamps as steadily as a forest.
It should not be difficult to deal with the Turks. Even if something goes wrong, it would be very easy to escape unscathed.
"It's up to you. If you encounter any difficulties, you can send a message to Master, or come with me to help you."
"Hahaha, even if Senior Brother wants to come, he won't see many Turks!"
The two brothers sat in the courtyard and talked for a while. Then Qu Yuanfeng left because he had some official business to handle in the army.
The news of the impending military attack had already spread in the north, while the people in the south knew about it in the beginning of the second spring. For Jiangdong, which had just experienced the destruction of the Southern Chen Dynasty, such news was selectively avoided, and more attention was paid to the current New Year festival and new things happening in various places.
In the more remote Fushui County, people in the teahouses and restaurants in the city often talk about Qixia Mountain.
"Qixia Mountain was so remote and barren back then, but now it is crowded with pilgrims and businessmen. Cars are coming and going on the official road, and even the wilderness has become a good place for rich children and scholars to go outing. This is all thanks to the Honglian Temple in the mountain. The temple is not big, but it has many spiritual powers and protects those who come to burn incense..."
Bang!
The long table covered with green cloth fell down in the hands of the Jingtang Mu Pingshu and cleared his throat.
"… But when talking about the Honglian Temple, we have to mention a person. His surname is Lu, and his name is Liangsheng. He studied under the great scholar Wang Shuhua. He was well-read in classics and studied astronomy and geography all night long. It is said that he is a Taoist master with a high level of cultivation. He can explore the sun and the moon, capture dragons in the deep sea, and move mountains and seas with ease. He observed the celestial phenomena day and night, frowned, and found that there was auspicious energy overflowing from Qixia Mountain, so he built a temple to bless the people…"
The exaggerated statements catered to the tastes of the crowd, leaving the tea drinkers and diners below stunned.
"Lu Liangsheng is the Lu Langhu who smashed the Golden Palace in anger?"
"Haha, I know this person, but I don't know if he has any engagement. I happen to have a daughter..."
"You said that a few years ago. Is your daughter still not married?"
"Humph, my daughter is a rare commodity!"
…
Amid the hustle and bustle, outside the Fushui County, a vast expanse of silver is seen, with white-capped mountains stretching out in all directions.
Deep and shallow footprints stretched across the snow. Lu Xiaoxian was wrapped up like a fur ball, breathing out white air, chasing a snow rabbit.
"Old Sun, catch it!"
“Here it comes!”
In the distance, there were branches covered with snow. A gust of wind blew, and the snow fell down with a rustling sound.
A figure passed through the cedar, and the palm of his hand pushed out, and the word "Chi" lit up with the light of Dharma.
boom!
The snow splashed everywhere, and the rabbit turned around after running, its eyes widened, its limbs struggled in the air, and then fell on the snow, motionless.