Changes in the sky
The Second Sky
Chapter 165: The Night Never Ends
God help me, this is what I thought as soon as my horse's hooves stepped on the original surface of the Wei River.
After running a few miles, I wanted to do so even more.
The thickness of the snow did not affect the speed of the horses, and the ice surface was not so slippery. The thickness of the ice was enough for us to walk on without collapsing. Although for safety, we were divided into two groups along the banks of the river and moved forward side by side. But from the sound, it seemed that I was overthinking. We were almost running on a frozen block of ice, and there was no worrying sound coming from under the ice. In this regard, what else can I do except God help me
God help me, I still think, because there is a lot of wind this night, although there is still snow, there is a lot.
God help me, I thought, it was unusually cold tonight, and both the horse and we had to move our whole bodies to feel that we were not frozen into pieces.
Since God was helping me like this, I naturally had nothing to worry about. So I gave a strict order that no matter who fell or fell into an ice hole, the team must not stop, and the whole team must keep moving forward, and the people behind could climb out and try to catch up. Of course, considering that everyone was wearing heavy armor, and the possible consequences of falling into the water, I still added a sentence for each family to find someone to keep an eye on and help.
Actually, there is a problem here. If I fall behind, who will lead the team? I didn't specify it. There are many smart people here, but it happened that it was a "stupid person" who asked me this time. Of course, the main reason is that he and I ran together.
I answered without even thinking: "I'm almost... in first place... If I fall, everyone will fall."
However, when I realized that this question was asked by such a person, I immediately felt extremely surprised without hesitation. So I wanted to do some detailed and targeted review, but it was very difficult, mainly because there were horse hooves all around.
"**!"
"Ah? What... thing?"
"Just now... that question... what did you... think?"
"Ah... Oh... Yes!"
"How did you... come up with that?"
After that, he seemed to be talking to me for a long time, but unlike the shouting to each other just now, I couldn't hear the story he was telling me clearly. I had to give up for a while after he listened for a while and vaguely heard the names of Brother Bō and Song, so I asked him to stop.
I think the list of officials appointed to the Yue State was decided by Grandpa Zhang. According to Uncle Zhang's character and his usual behavior, there is no possibility of favoritism. For example, I also thought that I even mentioned Liao Hao and Song Qian. Grandpa Zhang didn't even appoint a small official, not even a pavilion chief, but gave it to an illiterate boy. He must have found that this boy has some ability after testing and consulting. And from what I heard from him, this ability should probably be related to Brother Song and Bō.
The night was still late, and I had been running smoothly for an hour. But I began to feel that this was not a good thing. The cold and sleepiness came together, and this feeling was definitely not pleasant. At this time, I might not be as good as the farmer in the thatched cottage in the distance. At least, he can stay in bed tonight, hug his wife, and keep warm together when it's cold; looking at the weather, there will be nothing to do tomorrow, and he can continue to stay in bed and watch the snow outside, waiting for his virtuous wife to bring him lunch. As for me, I am not sure whether I can live to eat lunch tomorrow.
I quickly stopped thinking about this. This thought made me start to lose my courage. I even wanted to find an excuse to leave, but I knew I couldn't.
I began to recall the dinner yesterday and regretted why I didn't eat more. It wasn't that I was hungry, but I was still thinking about whether I would have a chance to eat lunch tomorrow. I tried to weigh the pros and cons and felt that not having lunch tomorrow would make me more motivated than not having a chance to eat tomorrow.
The emperor seemed to be in much better health, but his father still didn't tell him, and no one else mentioned it. After all, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of thieves had already arrived at the emperor's side, and the emperor's health had just improved, so they couldn't be scared.
If I don't bring back good news tomorrow, I'll have to leave my head behind.
When I thought of this, I felt more energized. Not only did I feel more energized, but I also felt warm all over.
It was also very hot at the banquet. For the sake of His Majesty's health, although the Imperial Physician Zhang had been dismissed by the Emperor for "inverting the seasons and prescribing inappropriate medicine," the arrangements were still carried out in accordance with his instructions, without any slack. So the heater at the banquet that day was burned particularly hot. My father was obviously very experienced, and I felt that he had lost weight just by looking at me. I had just come in from outside with a numb face from the cold, so I didn't think about this. By the time I realized that I was sweating, it was too late.
But now I would rather go back and continue to sweat. Especially, there is Yinling wiping my sweat, although she has been silent.
This is very strange. When it was the hottest in the summer, I thought that winter was better than summer when I couldn't stop sweating. After all, I could wear more clothes in winter and at most I would be like a dumpling. In summer, as a human being, you can't peel off your skin. When it was too cold in winter to hold a pen, I thought that it was actually very comfortable to soak in the bathtub without clothes in summer. It seems interesting, but I can't explain it.
It doesn't matter if I can't explain it, I have nothing to complain about anyway. In the cold winter, I can still warm myself by the fire with my hands clasped, but Yinling has to help Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang with housework everywhere, and has no time to rest; in the hot summer, I can still go shirtless at home, wearing only a skirt, but Yinling can only go barefoot and roll up her sleeves.
It's easy to explain why she was busy and I was idle. On the surface, I was busy, and I only needed to open my eyes and pretend to be ignorant and cute to make Yinling happily pinch my cheeks when she passed by me. I had no complaints about my busyness and the idleness of a friend at the same time. Digging deeper, I was lazy, and I had no intention of shirking this. However, I also felt strange about the dress at first, and even suggested that she learn from me. As a result, Yinling blushed and slapped me on the head.
It was not until I was about ten that I realized the reason for Yinling's slap was related to the two things on a girl's nipples that were different from ours. It seemed that at that time, Yinling's nipples seemed to bulge out slowly. Of course, there must have been some jokes here. I actually thought her nipples were swollen and shouted in surprise, but I ended up getting another serious slap on the head from Yinling, whose face was even redder.
I must admit that I deserved this slap. I was indeed a fool when I was young, always asking stupid questions and doing stupid things. If I was not beaten to death or half to death, I should think that it was because Yinling still doted on me.
I was really afraid that my surprise attack would become a stupid thing that could be recorded in history. For example, later history would say: All the elites in the world were burned to ashes, and the Han Dynasty's fortune declined day by day, all because of their wisdom. The more I thought about it, the more nervous I became. I quickly thought about this matter several times, and only when I was sure that there were no obvious flaws did I feel relieved.
It seems that I have become much smarter now, although I still act stupid in public.
Because of me, the emperor is happy, and the queen likes me too. The queen even said that my personality is similar to that of Princess Ruer, both of us are naive. My big-mouthed second sister-in-law is a bit violent by nature after marrying my second brother. She was originally thought to be virtuous, but she felt that her mother's words were not a compliment to her, so she just acted like a spoiled child. It seems that my second brother is also a bit spoiled to her. I really want to educate my second brother: it is easy to spoil a wife. The queen also felt that something was wrong. I don't know if she felt that she praised the wrong princess, or that the princess's coquettishness was not in line with the situation, so she consoled her a few words and asked the eldest princess to pour wine for her sworn brother - me.
So, I felt that trouble was coming.
As expected, she said without any scruples: In fact, Zirui is younger than Ru and is actually Ru's younger brother.
Naturally, the Emperor and the Empress both felt it was strange. They thought the date was wrong and Zirui should be a few days older.
I was about to speak, but Yin Ling interrupted me, "Your Highness the Princess is right. She married Zirui's brother Ziyu. Zirui should call her sister-in-law. Naturally, the Princess is older and Zirui is younger."
I wanted to say this, too, and glanced at Yin Ling with gratitude, but Yiren didn't look at me again, just lowered her head. Helpless, I could only pray in my heart, Your Highness the Princess, Sister and Sister-in-law, my wife has given you a way out, please leave quickly, not for me but for your husband.
The emperor and empress suddenly realized, but they didn't expect this stupid princess to insist on asking for mercy, which showed her naivety. But she seemed to realize something from Ziyu's expression: "I heard from Ziyu that when Zirui and sister Yinling were young and drifted to Jingzhou with their elders' friends, they wrote an approximate age when they registered their household registration. When they were 18 years old, they opened their parents' will, which clearly stated the birth dates of Zirui and Yinling. Only then did they know Zirui's real age. In fact, he is a few days younger than Ru'er."
The emperor remained silent, but the queen was so frightened that she dropped one of the chopsticks in her hand and knocked over the wine cup on the table with her other hand, and she was unconscious for a moment.
I had imagined the emperor's expression, and I had roughly imagined the queen's, but I didn't expect the queen to react so dramatically. I thought it was actually not that big of a deal.
The princess should have explained this sentence fairly well, and she covered up for me in a few places. The year I was born was the most terrible time of the Party Imprisonment, and countless family members and descendants of the party members were stranded in various places. The current emperor naturally knew much more than me, and he was embarrassed to ask why we were stranded in Jingzhou. The queen was a few years older than the emperor, so she knew even more, at least she was not more confused than her husband.
Of course, the emperor did not mention the Party Factions, but looked at Empress He beside him, and even helped her to raise her title. The empress then discovered this and quickly accused him of the misconduct.
“The Queen was a little surprised. A lot of things happened in our Han Dynasty in the second year of Jianning.” The Emperor looked relaxed and even picked up his fingers. “In the first month, an amnesty was issued. I can’t remember the reason. Oh, it seems that Xuantu Prefect Geng Linping pacified the Goguryeo rebels. No, it seems that it happened in April. I really can’t remember it for the moment. I was about the same age as Xie’er at that time... In February, Empress He entered the palace. She was just a beauty, and later there was the eldest princess.” He thought to himself, the Emperor is young but very capable. When I was my age, I didn’t have that kind of thought.
By March, the emperor was a little embarrassed. I vaguely knew this. In March, Dong Guiren was made the empress. Obviously, in front of the old lady, Empress He, this issue needs to be avoided. The ministers accompanying the banquet below were very tactful. When this point was mentioned, they basically did not look at the emperor. They all lowered their heads to listen to the lecture. Only Brother Mengde was quite interested and looked at the emperor with a smile. I secretly thought it was inappropriate, because the emperor had the empress by his side, and it seemed a bit of bad taste to look at him at this time. I secretly glanced up a few times, and the emperor was indeed very satisfied with Brother Mengde being such a good listener; the empress did not pay much attention to Brother Mengde. She seemed to be more interested in me, perhaps because she found that I was secretly looking at her with ulterior motives. I was so scared that I quickly lowered my head and used the action of loosening my collar and moving my neck to cover up my abnormality just now. I put my hands down, and still fiddled with my dress nervously. Yinling's hand came over and pressed on my hand to calm me down. I smiled at her, but she just pursed her lips and turned her head back.
"In April, I went to court one day. I remember that there was a hailstorm after a few days of strong winds. Later, when I went to court, someone actually threw a green snake on my seat. I was old at that time and was scared. It was Zhang who asked them to risk their lives to protect me. At that time, I really thought they were the most loyal, and named them "Ten Changshi" and trusted them. Later, in the past two years, Meng De told me that in fact, the green snake was not poisonous at all. It was just because the year before, Chen Taifu (Chen Fan) and his men planned to deal with eunuchs and even executed the eunuch Cao Jie. The traitors were naturally afraid. They designed such a thing for me when there was a natural disaster and deceived my trust. As a result, they did many wrong things later. Well, it's better not to mention it."
This is an attempt to shift the blame. The emperor at least knows that I am a descendant of a certain party member, and that I have lived with Yinling, who was betrothed to me, since I was a baby. I have never seen my parents, and I don’t know who they are—at least that’s about all the people in the world know—although the truth is not true. But thinking that there is no one with the surname Xie who is too famous, he is probably just someone who was implicated, so these words should be to reassure me.
In fact, if you want me to feel at ease, Your Majesty, just keep quiet. Since you are talking so much about history and things in such a long-winded way, it seems that you are trying to completely shirk your responsibility.
"Later, whenever there was a natural disaster, it was often God's will. There were treacherous and evil people among my ministers. I demoted several ministers." The emperor's face darkened, and then suddenly brightened up again: "In the seventh month of autumn, Duan Jiming defeated the Qiang people and pacified the Eastern Qiang. In the ninth month, the Xia barbarians in Jiang were pacified, the Shanyue bandits in Danyang were pacified, and the two states of Jing and Yang were pacified. These were all good things that were achieved through pacification."
I know something about Lord Duan Jiming. A lot of my understanding of the Qiang people comes from his memorials. Your Majesty doesn’t know yet, but in a few hours, I will be doing something similar to what Lord Duan did.
The emperor stopped at the most critical month of October and said, "But it seems that the most important thing is that God gave your son to me, a big man... Hahahaha..."
The emperor avoided everything after October. I know what happened in October of that year: the re-imposition of the Party Imprisonment. I understand, it was the second Party Imprisonment.
Fan Mengbo's father was imprisoned in November of that year and executed in December. When he was executed, the county magistrate Guo Yi walked side by side with him, talked happily, and called each other relatives. But their children did not become husband and wife as promised. Of course, in theory, except for the two special parties, other people who knew about it thought that the matter was finally completed, which could comfort the ancestors.
The two parties involved, one is now surnamed Xie and the other is now surnamed Jiang.
Coincidentally, these two people were in this hall that day, and even more coincidentally, the person who caused the accident was also here.
I looked at my second brother and found that he was also looking at me. We looked at each other for a moment and smiled at each other. I think at this time, we have a lot in common.
The emperor looked at his eldest daughter and suddenly hesitated. Apparently, he finally realized that he had gone off topic.
"Ru'er, forget it. Just treat Zirui as the boss here. Go out. As for sister-in-law and sister, you young people can handle it yourselves." These words meant to delegate the conflicts. It was obvious that they would stick to the previous fait accompli. All disputes should be resolved through negotiation and discussion among the masses below.
Although the emperor is a distinguished elder who dotes on his children, he still has a dishonest side.
However, I don't mind. I'll take advantage of this for a moment. It's not certain whether she can take advantage of it after tomorrow, so there's no point in arguing about it.
However, I wanted to have a good talk with Yinling, but I obviously didn't have the chance. The emperor often teased me with words, and the queen also asked me some strange questions for no apparent reason, such as whether there were any marks left in the swaddling clothes. Women's interest in these gossips and legends is indeed unmatched by us men. It's hard for me to answer this. If I tell the truth, I will have to lie tonight; if I lie, the emperor is here, which is considered deceiving the emperor. Fortunately, I think there is someone who can help me out, of course, that is the emperor with a somewhat embarrassed face.
The emperor could do nothing wrong, so the queen kept pestering him about this kind of thing, and the emperor felt a little uneasy.
Fortunately, the queen was a smart person, and she quickly realized something. Perhaps it was because I felt a wave of helpless and complaining eyes behind me. So, I finally turned over and was freed. However, Yinling didn't say a word at the dinner that day. I always felt that I was oppressed by something and I was depressed.
I discovered another strange thing - that night I have discovered many strange places in this world - when you want time to pass quickly, it passes slowly, and when you want time to pass slowly, it passes in a flash. Unfortunately, until now, I can't figure out any of it, it seems that I am still a fool.
As for the question of whether I was a fool, it was easy to find evidence to support it. For example, I couldn't understand why Yinling was so sure that I would be impulsive and reckless. After the banquet was over, I was alone with her and her husband, but she still refused to talk to me.
I really hope that I can be alone with her as soon as possible, but I know it's no use being anxious because there are many other people who want to talk to me.
The night was still long above the Wei River. I really hoped that we could reach Chencang as soon as possible, and I wished I could grow wings and fly there directly, but I also knew that it was useless to rush, as there were still many problems to be solved.
For example, there are often several waterways heading west, and I am a little hesitant about which one to take everyone. But even ** knows the answer to this question: I know it is the Wei River.
I think this is a very unproductive answer, although it is absolutely correct. I have to make a decision here, but this decision makes me feel uneasy.
Fortunately, just when the line seemed to be slowing down and waiting for my order, I was able to make a decision: take the widest route.
The road still needs to be taken step by step, just like meeting people one by one after a banquet.
My father came out late, wiping his sweat as he came out, his face still a little solemn. I no longer had the time and interest to ask my father about all the details, so I only asked about my cloak. After all, I had to run on horseback for so long in the snow, so this thing was necessary. My father smiled and asked the servant behind him to bring out my cloak, with the flute thorn on it. I smiled and took out the cloak below, but left the flute thorn on the square wooden plate, pointed at the sword on my father's waist, and then pointed at the sword on my father's waist.
How many do you want
How about two? I can wield the sword with both hands, so there is no hindrance between them.
Well, what else do you want
Give me a set of armor that can be worn by the aid. His original set is too big and it will be restrained and dangerous in the fight.
I asked him to go find you because he couldn't get to me, and I hoped you could help me get rid of him, but I didn't expect you to keep him.
Forget it, father, this is indeed a rare opportunity to exercise. I have helped him to straighten out his temper, and now the child listens to me and obeys me. If I ask him to follow me, he will follow me obediently. Oh, father, what is the courtesy name of Yuan
He was still young and his family had not yet given him a courtesy name.
In fact, the elders gave him the name Zirui when he was young. When the war is over, he should be given a name. He can also serve his father. Uh... what is the courtesy name of his elder brother who works for his father
She is strong? Wen Gu.
Well, seeing how he performed in this battle, I will get him one after the battle. I am his uncle, so I should be able to help him get one. My son is leaving now, take care, father.
You are the one who should take care of yourself, my heart. You are my only son! If it weren't for this critical moment, I would never let you go! But now, go!
I knelt down again and said goodbye to my father. He helped me up and patted my shoulder without saying anything else.
When I stood up and raised my head, I suddenly realized that someone in the side room of the hall was looking at me from afar through the window. The projection of the headdress on the window allowed me to know who she was. In addition to secretly feeling strange about this, I also felt that she had been acting a little strange since some time during the banquet tonight. Since she was an elder, I couldn't speculate too much.
My second sister-in-law was still a little angry when she saw me. This girl still couldn't let go of this matter, which really made me worried about my second brother. I always felt that my second brother's future disasters would mostly be caused by this beautiful, kind, seemingly dignified and virtuous princess who was also talkative. I happened to see that the shadow behind the window had not left, so I asked her to accompany the queen after my second brother and I left.
I didn't expect to be slapped on the head by this princess. I admired her for being able to reach it, but I didn't know why and didn't dare to fight back.
"This is what mother has just instructed. If you refer to her as anything other than mother, and instead use the term Her Majesty the Queen, I, the eldest sister, will punish you personally."
In this respect she was like Yinling, who also liked to teach me a lesson using stories that I was sure I would not know.
The princess was very proud, and she looked very successful. I really didn't want to offend her. But there was also a benefit in not fighting back. The princess quickly put aside her pride and began to sincerely wish me success in this battle. She also told me that my second brother would soon come to the rebels to help me.
The second brother had been behind until this moment when he raised his head.
The teacher only said to me: You go and arrange it, thank you for your hard work this time.
Brother Meng De came up from behind me, put his hand on my shoulder, and whispered to me: The Qiang people are bellicosity and tyranny, but they are not good at cooperating in battle. There are often blood feuds between tribes. If you attack one of them, other tribes often will not support you, so you can defeat them one by one.
This is very much what I want, but I didn't do that. I just expressed my gratitude and said: I will remember this.
"Reporting to Lord Yue, we have arrived at Wugong!" Brother Zilong came over immediately, his voice was very loud and uninterrupted: "Do you want to go check the situation nearby?"
Once you reach Wugong, you are halfway there.
"Brother Zilong, how did you know about martial arts?" I shouted very loudly.
"Just now there is a monument on the shore, with the inscription of "Victory over Jinkou" on it!"
“A good sign!”
Above the Wei River, the night was still long. The snow had stopped at some point and one could even see the outline of a moon behind the thin clouds in the sky.
I signaled to stop and then slowly pulled the reins to urge the horses. I knew this was common sense. If I stopped my horse suddenly, the horses behind me might step on the ice. Most of the heroes were skilled at riding horses, and they followed me and slowly dismounted and stopped on the ice.
Yuan seemed to be starting to look a little nervous. He kept breathing heavily, his chest heaving, and he didn't know where to put his hands and feet.
I asked him to follow me, hoping he could relax, but he was fine. He just thought that he had just learned how to ride a horse, and he had to go on such a long journey. His legs felt numb and he felt a little tired. I asked him to stretch his legs and then led the leaders of each family to leave with a smile.
After the Yinling Banquet, she stayed behind me, watching me say goodbye to everyone.
Only when everyone left did she put her hand on my back. She finally spoke, but it was as if she was talking to herself: "It seems like it was just yesterday that Zirui learned to walk..."
Yiren turned to the corridor again and sat on the eaves, drawing something with the toes of her shoes hanging on the snow.
I sat down quietly beside her, without saying anything, just took her hand, her hands were cold.
"Zi Rui is really a big warm stove. When you are full, your body is always warm. In winter, I like to feed you and hold you in my arms."
Yiren's smile was fleeting. Suddenly, she threw herself into my arms, buried her head in my arms, and sobbed. It took a long time for her to raise her head.
"In the blink of an eye, you've grown up so much... You were late in learning to walk. Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang didn't have any children, so they didn't know when to teach you to walk. I was also sensible and thought you were cute when you crawled, so I didn't think about teaching you to walk. I looked at other people with similar children like you, such as Wenjie, who is one year older than you but learned to walk two years earlier than you, but I still didn't think of it at the time. It was only when father brought Pei'er to visit us and saw us two girls teasing you and found that you were still crawling around that we let you learn to walk."
We all laughed.
"But, it seems like yesterday when Sister Pei and I were playing together, you hadn't even learned to walk yet. But today, you're already leading people on a long-distance raid..."
I tried my best to comfort my wife, and I knew that she was the only one who would not take risks impulsively.
"Find a local in the team who is familiar with the terrain and will help you a lot. There is flat land along the river here, and loess plateaus a little further away from the river. You must find a good way, try to be high and commanding, and use bows and crossbows more often. The Qiang people are good at cavalry, so you must wear armor well..." Yinling quickly started to help me calculate everything, even nagging all the details, but I just wanted to listen quietly, smiling and nodding in agreement. Sometimes I would feel inexplicably sad, so I would hug my wife closer to my arms to prevent her from looking at my face.
There are no locals in the team. I am almost the most familiar with this place. Since we captured Shuowei County, several princes in the west have come here along the Jingshui line, and those who have walked along this line have never come here by water or on horseback.
I asked the others to rest here, called the leaders of each family together to talk, and we agreed to go and investigate first.
We soon ran into a man, he was Wu Gong Ling. I thought that at this time of year, at most we would run into a few guards and ask them questions, but I didn't expect that after being identified by a guard who was a little scared by us, I ran into him who was still in Taiting Posthouse, orderly settling the refugees.
I think this person is very suitable to be an official in the world because of his calmness, just as my teacher believes that I am the most suitable for this world. The reason why I think he is calm is that the refugees, even if they are ragged, can live in the post station and nearby houses with peace of mind, without any panic, and soon rest quietly.
Without a commander who can handle things calmly, I don't believe this can be done.
He looked gentle, elegant, and still very young that year. When I met him, he looked at me calmly and saluted us. His eyes and expression showed that he had guessed my identity. And my first sentence was not to introduce myself or ask his name: "If the higher-ups are investigating the occupation of the post station, I will let you do this."
"May I ask if the general is the regent, Lord Yuehou?" Judging from my age and arrogant tone, it must be me.
"Zheng Zheng Zhi, may I know your name?"
"My humble official is Du Ji, the commander of the martial arts department."
"Lord Du is so kind to the people, Zhi really respects him. This is a righteous act at this time, and we must not be restricted by ordinary laws. But I am afraid that some gossip will reach the ears of the emperor, leading to bad consequences. It is better to let Zhi take all the responsibility and stop the nonsense." Recently I feel that I am becoming more and more like a favored minister, but I think that a favored minister like me will at least not bring harm to the country and the people.
"Your Excellency is so kind, I am deeply grateful to you. But I wonder why you are here?"
I invited him to the crowd, explained the purpose of my trip, and asked about the situation here.
The young Lord Du frowned, and he obviously had no confidence in our few thousand people going to attack the robbers. This can't be blamed on him, there is not even a silver bell.
"There is Mei about ten miles to the west. They have been robbed by bandits. Although the bandits came, they did not stay long. They came and went like locusts. The grain and grass warehouses in the settlements they passed were all looted. The food, bedding and even clothes of each family were all robbed. As a result, the people were forced to eat wood and drink snow, and live here in grass and leaves. Today is freezing cold. I am afraid that the refugees will have tattered clothes and will have difficulty surviving the cold night. Therefore, I did not report to the emperor, but settled them in Taiting Posthouse and opened the warehouse to provide them with food and clothing. This is indeed against the law of the country. I can bear it alone. I think Your Majesty is kind and righteous, and the holy judge will not punish me for this in the future." The second half of this sentence makes sense when I think about it. In fact, I may not really need to be this good person. Although he praised the emperor, I think it is a bit flattering and untrue.
He immediately gave way and he returned the gesture.
Lord Du then changed the subject: "Lord Yuehou, please allow me to report. I am not talking nonsense. This trip is extremely dangerous. There are soldiers from the post station in Chencang who have fled and said that the bandits are coming in force, all over the mountains and plains, stretching for dozens of miles and cannot be cut off. Now we should stay here for a few days. This place is guarding the Shanglin Garden, and Duyang in the north is guarding the southwest of Ganquan Palace. They are all garrison areas. Tens of thousands of garrison soldiers can be temporarily recruited to drive out and defeat the bandits. Otherwise, even if Your Highness Yuehou has the strength of ten thousand men and his troops are all brave and good at fighting, it may be difficult to win."
This is the truth, this is a battle that must be fought, but it is far from certain to succeed.
Since he dares to say this to me with full confidence, he can be considered a gentleman, so I think I should tell him the truth.
"Time is running out!" I sighed. "Now that we are at the stage of the enemy, if Chencang City is breached, it will be a serious problem. Now that the Eighth Army has just been defeated, the enemy is just getting more arrogant. We can still attack and defeat them. Besides, although there are only a thousand of us compared to the enemy, their whereabouts will be easily exposed. How can we spend a few days in peace without being discovered by the enemy? Thank you, Brother Du, for your kindness. I will leave now. I also need to thank Wu Gongling for telling me about the enemy situation."
Du Ji thought he had nothing useful to say and kept declining, but I thought I had already obtained some important information that I needed.
So I explained it to everyone. First, Chencang was still in our hands, so we had soldiers to support us. Second, we might run into bandits on the way, so we had to be careful and, if necessary, even pretend to be a scout to investigate in order to calm the bandits. Third, the bandits came out to rob in this weather, and they looted all the food and clothes, which showed that it was difficult to get supplies.
After he finished speaking, without further ado, he ordered them to set off, and specifically told them to be extremely attentive starting from Mei County.
I heard someone sighing, which was strange, so I listened carefully. It was Liu Ye and his group who were talking. They mentioned that the master Fazhen of Jiange who died when the city was broken was from Mei County.
When I heard the word Jiange, my heart couldn't help but tighten.
She was also from Jiange, but she didn't know how she got the news, and she came to Pingle Pavilion.
And when I returned to Pingle Pavilion alone, I saw her at first sight.
She stood in the snow, writing something with a branch. The scene was somewhat similar to the first time I saw her.
At midnight, when I was about to leave Wugong by my horse, I suddenly saw the lieutenant standing not far away from me, and I suddenly realized how she knew the news. But at that time, I was stunned for a moment, just like when I first saw her.
She was still in the snow, but she raised her eyes and watched me tie up the horse and finally stand in front of her.
My quick wit never came in handy in front of her. I could only stand there stupidly, not knowing what to do.
I didn’t rush to hug her, although the thought flashed through my mind, but in the end I just looked at her and said: “Why are you here?... Such bad weather... I came to change my clothes... I have to go somewhere else.” This is not my usual way of speaking.
She stopped talking and acting, and ultimately did not rush over to hug me, although such a scene flashed through my mind.
Finally she bowed.
"I wish Lord Yuehou... a successful start, immediate success, and the cessation of this rebellion."
This is not her usual style and tone of words.
"Yes, thank you!" I looked at her again, and turned my head quickly, only to see another woman in the corridor, "Qiuluan, come and help me tie my armor."
Qiu Luan turned her head outside from time to time. Although she couldn't see anything in the house, she was busy helping me tie the rope buckles on the armor.
"Lord Yuehou, who is that woman outside?"
"Don't worry about it!" Feeling that his tone seemed a little fierce, he quickly softened his voice: "An old friend. Has Lord Xu rested?"
"Uh, not yet. When I went to serve him just now, my eldest brother was still there. I guess he is still talking to him right now."
"Well, I have to go and take a look." I fastened the rope buckles in front of me, and then dragged Qiu Luan, who was busy but hadn't fastened her clothes yet, and walked directly to my Situ's house.
I resisted the urge to look back into the yard.
The captain beside me asked me what happened, and then I woke up. I was surrounded by brave soldiers, all looking at me.
I smiled. "On second thought, I think we can have a peaceful lunch in Chencang tomorrow. Ah, I think I can eat a cow."
A memory of a skinny beef shank used in sacrificial offerings popped up in his mind, and he quickly added amid the laughter of the crowd, "I want the skinny ones, not the ones with skin and bones."
Everyone laughed even louder. But if they knew what I did to my Situ, I don't know how many people would still laugh.
At that time, I wanted to do one thing: entrust an orphan to someone else. There were two prerequisites for doing this: first, I didn't come back this time; second, Pei'er gave me a son. I thought both of these were very likely. If the second was 50-50, then the first was almost a life-or-death situation.
In fact, I made this decision after seeing Yinling's reaction.
I usually have great confidence in Yinling, although this time I hope she is wrong.
But I had to go, and not hide in the middle, but be at the front. To put it bluntly, I always feel that I am the kind of reckless man who is either the first to kill the enemy or the first to be killed when facing the enemy. I think this is in line with my temperament. It is hard to understand that I have developed this kind of personality when I grew up in the environment of our family. My two wives will definitely not be happy, but I feel refreshed.
The only regret is that until now, I have been facing the villains within my own country.
After listening to my words of entrusting my son to me, Lord Xu actually shed tears, which made me, who was originally calm, at a loss. I had not expected this, and it was not a critical moment.
Not only him, but Qiuluan and the other girls also cried out loud. Only Song had a calm expression, and even looked at me, trying to force a smile, and then sighed inadvertently.
I ordered everyone to mount their horses, and secretly asked the captain, "Does Sister Ren know you're coming?"
“I see…” His face, which was originally filled with smiles, immediately became a little dim.
"Did she cry?"
He had no words, just nodded.
I patted his shoulder and said, "Brother, get on the horse!"
"Okay, I have to go! The fate of the Han Dynasty depends on this battle." I stood up with my sword in hand: "I must go, not have to go!"
Lord Xu stood up from his knees, then bowed and said in a hoarse voice, "May the lord succeed in his mission and wipe out the evil and stubborn people!"
"Thank you, Xu Situ, for your kind words!" I clasped my fists in salute and turned around resolutely.
When the lieutenant got on his horse, he suddenly asked me, "Is she gone?"
My head.
When I finally passed by her, I felt that I shouldn't have said anything, but I couldn't harden my heart. I walked a few steps ahead, and suddenly I heard the sound of footsteps on the snow behind me, and my heart suddenly started beating uncontrollably.
Thinking of what she had said before, he turned around and smiled at her: "It would be better... to forget each other in the world."
She stayed there.
I turned around, mounted my horse, and never looked back.
The night was still young, the clouds were slowly fading away, the moon occasionally leaked out white cold light, and the sparse starlight gradually appeared in the night sky. Wu Gong was slowly fading away behind him.
Some people saw the iconic brow-like terrace in the snow and began to marvel, "That must be Mei County!"
But I was still thinking about what I said to her at that time, and began to doubt whether my words might be hurtful.
Would she think I was mocking her for not keeping her word? What would happen to her in the future? Yan's words began to echo in my ears again: Sister will never forget you.
Looking at the third red silk on the bow, I didn't know what kind of interest I felt. I tried to calm myself down, but the beautiful figure in the snow kept swaying in my mind.
Suddenly someone shouted, "Look!" Looking carefully, I could see several figures running on the river in the distance. Then several people on horseback jumped onto the ice and chased after the running people.
Seeing us rushing towards them, both groups of people did not stop at all. The people running in front waved at us and shouted "Aiya!", while the people behind also waved their weapons and whistled at us.
"Quick, disperse immediately, don't step on the people coming over!" I shouted loudly, and the horsemen separated immediately. But I didn't dare to let them draw their bows and arrows, because I didn't know who these two groups were and who I should let them shoot. Because the bad thing was that the two groups saw that we had no intention of retreating, as if they all thought we were in the same group with them.
But the people on the opposite horses did not hesitate at all. There was only a sharp whistle that broke the air in the distance, and the running people fell to the ground silently like leaves in the wind.
A bundle slipped on the snow into the gap between the horses. The people in front stopped their horses, and we stopped too.
In the snow, several dark figures dismounted and began to search for something on the corpse, and seemed to be talking to us with some dissatisfaction. However, we could not understand what they were saying!
The one woman who was still alive on the ground struggled to get ahead among our horses, and shouted with her last neigh: "Child, my child!"
The soldiers understood what had happened almost immediately, and I felt cold all over and even started to shiver.
The villain running in front hadn't realized anything yet. He approached the woman who was still crawling forward on the ground, dismounted, picked up a scimitar and was about to chop her down.
But he didn't have the chance to strike. His knife struck my spear, and before that he had been pierced by a dozen arrows, and before that his head had been torn off by a crescent.
"Leave one alive!" I almost roared, and several familiar voices also shouted for me, but it was too late. The thieves almost disappeared in the snow before they could even groan. Brother Yide even cursed and poked someone, swinging his snake spear and throwing it far away.
I quietly dismounted, picked up the bag far away among the silent soldiers, and walked quietly back to the mother, but the mother was no longer making a sound.
"Take down the traitor's head!" I wiped my eyes with the swaddling clothes and ordered people to search his mother for any evidence that might be left for him. However, I found that a group of grown men seemed a little embarrassed. They looked at each other, but no one took any action.
"**, take a look..." Seeing someone leaning on a fork in the dark around him, he immediately called him out.
"I am a man..."
"Then look at the man next to you first."
Then someone squatted down and stood up.
These people seemed to have fled in a hurry, and those who searched said they found nothing.
There was no firelight around, and the moon had disappeared into the clouds, so there was no way to see it. I handed the child to the teacher, knelt down and kowtowed: "Sister, please forgive me for the sin of not wanting your child to know his parents and clan in the future, and to be able to worship at his parents' graves."
She was just holding a piece of unfinished children's clothing in her arms.
"Put the bodies of my people on the shore..." I stuffed my clothes into my armor, took off my cloak, wrapped the child in it, and tied the child to my back with a rope.
"Let's go! There is no time to bury the bodies of my people." He mounted his horse and waved his spear, shouting loudly: "Look at the reaction of those Qiang people. There is a Qiang team similar to ours nearby. We can't get entangled with them, hurry to Chencang immediately! May God bless our Han Dynasty!"
Without the cape, the cold air seeped in through the gaps in the armor, and the cold gradually began to pierce my bones. This pain began to torment me all the time. I no longer felt sleepy, hesitated, or feared.
The houses without lights around them were like lonely graves scattered along the shore, with no one to pay tribute or sweep the graves. The country and the people were suffering, but they had nowhere to express their sadness.
The child behind me cried, and I cried too.
My child, if you can survive tomorrow, please let me be your father. I failed to protect your family, and I hope you can forgive me when you grow up.
After turning a bend in the river, a leaping flame suddenly appeared before my eyes! It was still night!
With my gun raised, the team slowed down. I ran forward for a while, got off my horse, and turned around. The team of a thousand people was neat and solemn, with fire burning in their eyes.
The child behind him actually stopped sobbing. The battle was about to break out, but he or she seemed to have fallen asleep quietly. I thought to myself: Good child, you are truly a good child of my great man.
I walked slowly back to the team, passing by heroes one by one, and said loudly: "Rebels are a disaster to the country, and evil bandits are a disaster to the people. We, the army of the Han Dynasty, cannot protect the country and the people. It is a shame. Now the bandits are in front, and I am here. Please follow your wisdom. Tomorrow, there will be no bandits but me, and there will be no bandits but me. I swear to never coexist with the bandits!"
The night was still young and the moon emerged from the clouds again. The heroes looked at me, some with a faint smile, some with a firm nod.
It was February of the second year of the Chuping reign of the Han Dynasty. When I led the heroes to a mound on the south bank, everyone saw the same scene: the entire valley was full of flames, extending from the ground under the feet to the horizon!
I was shaking, but not because I was afraid. I pointed my gun to the sky and said in a deep voice: "The bright moon has guided us to this place. As long as the heavens do not destroy us, we will win this battle!"
The night is still long!
That year, I was twenty years old, Du Ji was twenty-six, ** was eighteen years old, She Yuan was fifteen years old, and the child on my back was one year old.