Along the way, I didn't stop for a moment, because as a young and frivolous person I already had an absolutely crazy plan. I wanted to go to the end of the sky and take a look.
I only needed to change horses, eat, and sleep at every post station, and then I would gallop north. I was stopped by patrolling troops, but my credentials meant that I was never hindered for more than a moment.
This morning, I was about to go north from the post station, and the staff at the post station reminded me that this was the last post station at the northernmost end of the Han Dynasty border, and there was no place to go north. They had seen people going east, south, and west, but never north. It was said that someone went there as an envoy 20 years ago, but never came back. This made me hesitate and wander in melancholy, and the horse took me in circles. But when I saw the paper in my arms, I had a reason. I had to complete this task for my master's wife. When I saw the green grass stretching to the horizon and the mountains on the side, it was full of vitality, which was too far away from the wild end of the sky in my mind or in the legend.
I ordered them to prepare two more horses for me, and to prepare more dry food and water. They were definitely reluctant to do so. The post station has always been one horse in and one horse out. If everyone was like me, then his post station would have become an inn. But my status as a marquis finally made them prepare everything for me. I think they probably thought I was dead. Because the head of the post station carefully asked my name and identity, and whether I had anything to deposit, and recorded it one by one.
After wasting a lot of time, I tied the three horses together and ran into this land that did not belong to me. Although it was midsummer, it was quite cool here. There were no roads, and the tall weeds made me bend over to look at the fresh green growing on the ground. But once, when I was intoxicated with myself, the horse suddenly stumbled and threw me off. I was so dizzy that I stood up quickly and looked around to make sure no one saw my behavior before I got on the horse again.
It was always fresh at the beginning. I had never seen such a blue sky and such white clouds in my memory. Since the drought in the sixth year of Guanghe, the sky I saw was always gray and white. It was indeed much cleaner here. The water of the river passing by was crystal clear. For this reason, I once wanted to wade through the water on foot, but I had to swim back to the shore and ride a horse to find the way again. The wind blew and rolled up the grass. I often closed my eyes and opened my arms, letting the horse take me for a walk in the wind. The casual wandering gave me the feeling of Zhuang Zhou's so-called free and easy wandering. I only knew that I had to let the sun appear behind me at noon every day. The midsummer sun no longer had that poisonous feeling. It was a warm feeling. There was no shelter here, only an endless plain. Although the sky was often windy and cloudy, it never rained much, otherwise I couldn't even find a place to shelter from the rain.
But at night, I often feel lonely, wondering how my teachers, sisters, and classmates in Jingzhou are doing.
It has been six days since I entered this grassland. During the day, I don’t feel fresh anymore. I just want to find the end. If I can’t find it, I will have to go back when half of my dry food is left. I didn’t need to bring water if I knew it earlier. I only bring one water bag with me now. I threw away the other water bags. However, I still felt bad when I threw them away. Finally, I thought about it. Every time I cross a river, I just need to refill it with water. It’s not that hot here. I don’t need so much water at all. If I knew it was more important to bring more dry food and clothes, I would feel relieved. I have been wearing that armor all the time. To be honest, I owe Lu Bu a favor, and I must repay him in the future. This armor is much more comfortable to wear than other armors, and it is still the warmest one among my clothes.
There is no longer the joy that came with the wind at the beginning, but all the complicated emotions are blown away by the wind under this sky. But I also admit that it is the gradual arrival of this loneliness that makes me no longer care about the sadness, and I seem to have let go of everything.
Some wild animals began to appear here, but they seemed to be a little afraid of me, and left when they saw me approaching. Qing once told me that if wild animals are afraid of people, then they must have suffered from people, that is, there are people here. There are three foreign tribes living here, one is the Xiongnu, one is the Wuhuan, and one is the Xianbei, all of which are good at fighting, brave and fierce. The wolf is always at my fingertips. I am not afraid of these wild animals, but I am worried about those who scare the wild animals. At night, I wrapped myself in a cloak, holding a weapon in my hand, and sat like this until I fell asleep. I woke up immediately when there was any movement. Fortunately, the night is very short, and when the day comes, my mood is much more stable.
Ten days have passed, and I have begun to eagerly hope that someone will appear in front of me, no matter if he is an enemy or a friend. So far, I have not spoken a single word to him, and the only words I exchanged with that stupid horse are "fight" and "whoa..." I think I even shouted twice, "Who's there?" "Xie Zhi, calm down, calm down."
I started to learn to talk to myself. I thought that with my personality, I would go crazy if I continued like this. Every night, when I heard the sad cries of animals, I would also roar along.
On the twelfth day, a very deep river appeared in front of us. Although I could see the fish at the bottom of the river, I couldn't use the wolf to reach the bottom. I had to walk upstream. The terrain gradually became higher and I gradually entered the mountains.
"The scenery here is really different. I can't even feel the gentle sunshine. I can only feel the flickering light floating in the sky." My mumbling to myself was quite serious. However, the scenery here, which was different from the plains, gave me a sense of freshness. It was just different from the trees on the mountain where we were. Everything else was similar. After looking at it for a long time, it was the same. But when I reached a ridge, I saw snow, snow on the mountain, and a towering snow-capped mountain appeared in front of me. The cold wind blew in my face, mixed with the smell of ice and snow, which made my numb head suddenly refreshed. I immediately rode forward.
Soon, I ran to the mountainside. As the saying goes, "A horse will die if it runs too far up the mountain." However, I didn't feel it.
"Do you feel it?" I asked the tired horse under me, smiled, got off the horse, settled the companions along the way, and then I took the mace in my hand and walked up the mountain. It was a pleasant surprise to see snow in summer, especially for someone who likes snow so much.
The higher we went, the deeper the snow on the hillside became, and the colder the wind became. At this moment, I finally saw the first creature that could be called a human being in the past ten days. As for my reflection in the water, I would call it a long-haired monkey. It had a domineering beard and long hair tied up casually. This image seemed to be a little different from the definition of a human being.
However, he seemed to have no ill will towards me, and just motioned me to speak softly. I should be able to do this, because I found that he seemed to be hunting. He held a very long wooden bow horizontally in his hand. Judging from the tightness of the string, it must be an extremely powerful bow. He moved his steps with his heartbeat, and his face was always facing his prey. However, I did not follow the direction of his eyes to see what his prey was, but cheered for this hero. Because this big man should still be a teenager, in this weather, he actually wore so little clothes, to be exact, he was not wearing any clothes. The taut and strong arms, and the majestic and chesty back, perfectly stretched the bow and arrow horizontally in front of him, gave me the feeling of a horse about to fly. However, unlike the northern foreigners I imagined, he seemed too handsome.
Suddenly, he stopped moving. He pulled the bowstring, but the bow was still stretched out in front of him. The fingers of his right hand plucked the string and slowly drew the bow to half full. His whole body also became still. Suddenly, he was like a stone statue, completely fixed there.
I also did not move, fearing to disturb his prey. Looking in the direction of his bow and arrow, I saw an animal like a young deer in the snow in the distance, searching for something on the ground, then lowering its head and gnawing at something on the ground.
I immediately felt that the time had come. I just turned around to see the boy's reaction, but the arrow on the boy's bow had already been shot. When I turned again, the deer had fallen!
The boy smiled at me in a friendly and hearty way, as if thanking me for not moving to cooperate with his hunting. Then he ran up the mountain, his movements were vigorous, as if he was walking on flat ground instead of a snowy hillside. I realized that my feet were numb after not moving for a while, so I quickly pulled them out to stretch my muscles.
I was still thinking about the shooting skills of the young man just now. His shooting method seemed to be different from ours. At least we held the bow vertically, while he held it horizontally. I couldn't think of any other differences at the moment.
After a while, the young man came back and said something to me. Seeing my doubtful look, he suddenly said to me in standard Chinese with a smile: "Are you from another place?" The young man's tone was very sincere and full of enthusiasm.
"Yes." I also answered him with a smile, thinking that the rumors spread by us Central Plains people were really unfair to their description.
"Han people, right?"
"Well, what about you?"
"I am a Xianbei, and I grew up in these mountains." This was strange, and I suddenly became wary. How could I speak Chinese so well when I have lived here all my life
"You speak Chinese very well?" I began to test him.
"There are Han people in our tribe, right? Moreover, merchants often come to buy our mao skins and medicinal herbs. Over time, I learned them. I also know Wuhuan and Xiongnu languages." His simple and unsuspecting turn and answer made me completely believe him. He went to lead his white horse, put the prey on the horse's back, and smiled at me: "Let's go together and visit my tribe."
These people are indeed very hospitable, but I have to admit that I can't adapt to them.
I also went to where I tied my horse, led the horse and walked with him.
"What are you doing here?" He said it directly without any polite words, which made me very happy.
"Find a medicine." It seems unrealistic for me to come out to relax and relieve my sorrow.
"What medicine?"
“Astragalus.”
"Astragalus? Isn't it just tea?" He seemed very puzzled.
"You drink this as tea?" I was even more surprised, because Astragalus is the top-grade herb in the Shennong Herbal Classic.
They use it to make water to drink.
"Of course, I thought it was something else. Come over to my place and I'll treat you to a big bowl."
"You're wearing so little, aren't you cold?"
"Ah, who told me to come and catch this spirit musk deer." He pointed at the prey on his horse, "This thing is very difficult to get close to. It can spot you from a distance, and once it finds you approaching it, it will run away. So, I am not wearing any animal skin, lest it smell the fishy smell. In this way, I can only shoot from a distance, and when it is eating, I have to shoot it to death with one arrow from a distance. If you make a big movement, it can feel it and then run away again. You see, it is no different from a deer. The things on its body are very valuable, and its meat is delicious." To be honest, it was this last sentence that attracted me the most.
"The way you shoot an arrow..." I took out my bow and demonstrated the way he shot an arrow with the bow held horizontally.
"I used to use a crossbow, but later on, I felt that the crossbow was not good, so I used a bow. But I can't change the habit of shooting with a crossbow."
"Why is the crossbow not good?" Back then, our Han army defeated the Xiongnu with the help of a large number of cavalry crossbows. Moreover, crossbows can shoot farther than bows and are easier to aim. But I don't know why they abandoned crossbows and used bows instead.
"Too slow. If a tiger attacks you and is within the shooting range of your crossbow, and you start pulling the crossbow and shooting arrows, then by the time you aim, the tiger will be close to you. If you miss, it will be dangerous. The bow is much faster. When fighting a moving enemy, speed is the most important thing. In many cases, you don't need to pull the bow fully, half the bow will be enough, especially with my bow. Half the bow is enough to kill within a hundred meters." I actually learned a trick from this. I handed over my bow and asked for his bow to see.
The bow was over six feet long. I had rarely seen such a long bow. I pulled it and it was quite strong, just as strong as my iron bow. I admired it and handed it back. However, when he handed my bow to me, it was different from before. He had tied a piece of deer skin to the handle of my bow, which he had just torn off.
"In this weather, ice might form on the iron bow, and I'm afraid your hands will get stuck to it." I felt touched.
"Brother, what's your name?" I really want to make another good brother here.
"My Xianbei name? Or my Chinese name?"
"All of them? Then all of them."
“My Xianbei name is Po Liu Han Lie Ya.” He secretly praised such a resounding name in his heart, “Because we Xianbei people don’t have written language, so for convenience, I also have a Chinese name. My surname is Li, which means powerful. My given name is Bei Hai, and my courtesy name is Long Xing.” This name… I thought about it and had to admit that it sounded very imposing and arrogant.
And I suddenly felt that my name was so rustic.
"My name is Xie Zhi, and my courtesy name is Zirui." I also introduced myself.
"Thank you, brother. We are here. That is my tribe." After passing two mountain ridges to the north, a quiet village appeared in front of me. However, there were no houses made of earth, stone or wood, only tents. There were some wooden fences around the village, which were used to keep livestock.
The people here welcomed me, and I drank the astragalus tea. It tasted bitter and strange, but after drinking it for a while, I felt refreshed. Han Lieya also gave me some newly dug astragalus, which I quickly wrapped up in cloth. Now, I had just arrived in this far north and had done everything I needed to do. I was really happy, but I secretly admired the simple folk customs here.
"Is that the Sirius in the hands of this hero?" As the sun was setting, I was having dinner with Po Liuhan and others in my tent. Suddenly, someone asked me, "Oh my God, is there anyone in this world who doesn't recognize this thing?" I looked back at the person and saw that he was an elderly man who had experienced many vicissitudes of life.
"That's exactly what I have. But I'm just a traveler from afar. I don't deserve the title of hero."
"You are here alone?"
"Exactly."
"Then you are a hero. In this place, a person can walk a thousand miles without any harm. If you are not a hero, what else can you be? Moreover, what you are holding is the thing of Maodun, the Khan of the Xiongnu." Seeing my head, "This thing is a magical weapon. If it is not in the hands of a hero, it will dim. Now I see the cold light of the wolf's fangs, so this guest from afar must be an extraordinary person."
It seemed that the speaker was a highly respected elder of the tribe. After hearing his words, everyone immediately showed respect to me.
Suddenly, the sound of horns came from all directions, and everyone immediately became nervous. Po Liu Han Lieya jumped up and signaled everyone to be quiet. He stood in the tent and listened to the horns from all directions. After a moment, he rushed out of the tent. I hurriedly picked up Tianlang and rushed out of the tent.
Suddenly, more than a hundred riders appeared near the village and were surrounding them from all directions. The people of Po Liu Han were using the surrounding animal pens and taking out crossbows to resist. Po Liu Han Lie Ya was holding a large axe and ran quickly towards a man in gorgeous clothes. The people around him immediately surrounded him, and for a while he could not see the young man on the white horse. I was afraid of being lost, so I immediately got on my horse to help Po Liu Han Lie Ya. Suddenly, I saw a white horseman running out from the crowd, and a young man holding an axe was sitting on the horse with a human head in his hand.
The thief was stunned and then retreated.
Before I could even leave the village, Po Liu Han Lie Ya had already killed their leader! I held up the Heavenly Wolf to express my congratulations, and he responded by holding up the enemy leader's head.
"How do you know where his commander is?" I followed him out, and then I saw him riding his horse towards the commander. Before I could figure out what was going on, it was over. It really baffled me.
"When the bugle sounded, I stood up and listened. I found that the bugle sounded first from the west, followed by other directions. I guessed that the enemy's main general was in the west. Sure enough, I saw a man in bright clothes in the west. I thought he must be the main general. I saw others surrounding me. Only a quick battle and a quick decision can win."
I couldn't help but sigh in my heart, if this man returns to the teacher, Jingzhou will have another general. Suddenly I remembered what Zishe Zisheng said to me in Beijing, and suddenly I felt that the teacher seemed unfathomable and distant. However, when I thought about the years that the teacher had been with us, I immediately felt relaxed, as if the teacher had returned to my side in a kind and gentle manner. No matter what he did in Beijing, he was also for the people of Jingzhou and the world, and the teacher had always been very good to us. As a teacher, he regarded us as his sons and disciples, and I should be his father. I also blamed myself deeply. In this world, intrigues and deceptions are a fact known to everyone. Why should I pretend to be noble and let the teacher alone in Xiangyang to support the overall situation, while I am free and happy here. I immediately made up my mind that I would visit the states in Jiangbei in person and then bring all kinds of information back to Xiangyang.
Back in the tent, several tribal elders were discussing countermeasures with Po Liu Han Lieya. It seemed that Po Liu Han was the leader of the tribe.
"The Wuhuan are powerful. If they retreat now because of a disadvantage, they will surely come again. We should move, and now is the time to head south."
Po Liu Han Lieya's suggestion was immediately agreed by the elders.
"Brother Zirui, the Wuhuan people will surely come again. Please migrate with us, or you can leave as soon as possible." He actually acted apologetically towards me, which touched me deeply. I have decided to be his brother.
"Brother Long Xing, seeing everyone in trouble and staying out of it is unkind, seeing brothers suffering and leaving the battlefield is unrighteous. Xie Zhi should face this matter together with brothers. You lead the team ahead, and I will cover your retreat."
"Brother Xie, I'll cover our retreat, you lead the team." He was a little excited, so excited that I wanted to beat him up.
"I'm a stranger, how would I know the way? Why don't you lead the way for me?" He suddenly understood, smiled and pulled off his white turban and stuffed it into my hand, then let down his dozens of braids. I thought this was a local etiquette, but where could I get a turban? Suddenly I remembered something, so I pulled off the brown leather belt and handed it to him. However, my messy hair was immediately blown everywhere by the wind, making it difficult to manage. I quickly used the turban to replace the leather belt to tie up my hair, and he used my leather belt to cover his forehead.
"Take care, big brother." He hit my Tianlang with the axe in his hand, and went to arrange the migration and protection.
Looking at his braided hair, I had an idea. It was really clever. This way he wouldn't have to worry about his hair fluttering in the wind.
If I tie it like this... Will my sister pull my hair and ask me to shave it all off? I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
There were not many people in their tribe, only about a hundred, and they all lived in tents. Soon, carts pulled by oxen and young men on horseback who looked like warriors and shepherds drove some livestock along the flat road on the ridge. Po Liu Han Lie Ya was at the front of the team, his gray sheepskin coat flickering in the gradually dimming light. I followed behind the last cart, slowly following, and looking back vigilantly from time to time. An old man sat at the end of the cart in front of me. He just looked at me, and suddenly he asked: "What is the name of this hero? Where are you from?"
"My surname is Xie, and I am from Xiangyang, Jingzhou."
"Surname Xie? Oh, are you from the Ruyang Zheng Qiang people?"
"No, Senior, why am I a Qiang from Ruyang?"
"I see that your eyes and features are quite similar to an old friend of mine, he was the one who conquered the Qiang people in Ruyang. I wonder how he is doing now?" It seemed to have nothing to do with me. I thought I had recognized the wrong person, because I heard from my sister that our family has always been in Xiangyang.
"Are you from the Central Plains?" Although I had heard that there were Han people among Liu Han's tribe, I was still surprised, because from his tone I seemed to be able to conclude that there must be a story behind his coming here.
"Yes, do you know what happened eighteen years ago?" Although I was not born yet, I still knew what happened because it was so famous.
"Are you referring to the faction that controls the country and the disaster of the faction?"
"That's right. At that time, the most upright people in the world were the three emperors, the eight juns, the eight gu, the eight ji, the eight chu, and the upright and honest people from all over the country. They were all persecuted by the eunuchs. Almost all of them were imprisoned and exiled, and more than a thousand people died unjustly. Thinking back to those days, although I was not a famous scholar, I was not immune. In order to avoid disaster, I took my family out of the customs as an envoy and hid in the north. Fortunately, I was taken in by this tribe. I saw that the people of this tribe were honest, so I settled here. Although it was hard, I could still enjoy myself. It was better to support each other with this tribe than to stay in the court in fear. Alas, it has been nearly 20 years. How is the Central Plains? I can only hear the stories of the merchants who come and go. It's better not to mention the situation back then. I heard that you came here to find medicine, and you are wearing official boots, like a general, and your armor seems to be rhinoceros leather armor, which is definitely not an ordinary soldier.
Who are you
I was deeply surprised by his anecdotes and knowledge, and since those who were imprisoned by the Party and Factions Persecution must be loyal officials, I did not hide the truth from him: "I am an official in Jingzhou. I came here on someone's behalf to look for Huangqi, and I came here by chance. I met Han Lieya, so I came here. Ah, there is one thing I don't understand, please enlighten me."
"It is not easy to be entrusted by others and do it alone, but you can ask me, I will tell you everything I know."
"This Xianbei tribe seems to have a feud with the Wuhuan people. When I arrived, I saw a fight. Moreover, judging from Lie Ya's expression, it seems that they are used to it."
"That's right. Eighteen years ago, there was a Wuhuan tribe near the grazing land of the Xianbei people. They were stronger than the Xianbei people and often bullied the weaker tribes nearby. Although the Xianbei people were good at getting along with them, they were also brave and unyielding. They often fought with them, but the difference in strength was too great. They suffered heavy losses and had to move their residence frequently. In one fierce battle, Lieya's father once shot and killed the leader of the Wuhuan tribe, so they had a great hatred."
He sighed. The cold night made him wrap the animal skin tightly. He took out a water bag, took a sip and handed it to me. It was wine, but it smelled of blood. I took a sip and almost choked. He smiled and told me that this was a strong wine mixed with the blood of a spirit deer. It was used to keep warm in cold weather and was good for the body. He took the bag I handed back and his face became serious again.
"The Wuhuan have been tracking us ever since. Our tribe has also gradually become sparsely populated in this pursuit. Look at these Xianbei warriors coming and going. Most of them are young men. Po Liu Han Lie Ya, the leader, just celebrated his 17th birthday a few days ago. It's hard for this child. I have watched him grow up. He is studious and likes to read military books. He is brave and resourceful. He will definitely be an extraordinary person in the future. It's just that he is too young and sometimes seems too impatient and impetuous. But now he has to take on the responsibility of defending the increasingly declining tribe. It's too difficult for him."
"Where do you plan to move to? If you continue like this, the future of your tribe will be worrying." I asked him frankly.
"I don't know. My family and I have long since become one with this tribe. We will go wherever the elders decide. You see, I also carry weapons with me. I will fight the Wuhuan people just like the Xianbei people." The old man proudly took out a long iron sword beside him. Looking at the dozens of carts winding along the ridge, he suddenly felt an extremely tragic feeling.
I already have an idea in mind.
"This is the land of extreme northerly cold. It is midsummer now, but the nights on the mountain are still so cold. One can imagine the cold winter winds howling in the twelfth month."
"It's just cold in the mountains, and near the snowy mountains. It's warm in the plains at the foot of the mountains."
"Then what should we do if the Wuhuan people are advancing step by step?"
The old man was silent.
"Why don't you go to the land of the Han Dynasty? There, you won't be hunted down by the Wuhuan people anymore."
"But we will be oppressed by evil officials and bullied by the powerful." The old man was a little excited.
"To be honest, senior, I am Xie Zhi, the Marquis of Ping An Feng Yun of the Han Dynasty, and I am the governor of Lelong County. When we set up camp, I will consult with the clan leaders and ask them to go to my fiefdom. I will make proper arrangements for them."
"You have been granted the title of Marquis?" he was very surprised. While he was somewhat puzzled, I found that the ground was getting brighter and brighter. I hurriedly looked around and saw that the entire convoy had already stepped into the snow and was making a big turn on a ridge. Under the light of the almost full moon, the light reflected from the snow was enough for me to see the entire convoy clearly. The leader, Han Lieya, had just turned around and was heading in the opposite direction of mine. After walking for a long time, I could no longer tell the direction, so I hurried to look for Yaoguang. Soon, I found the shining star above the spoon in the sky on the left. I immediately knew that I was heading east and he was heading west.
"Although you have a full beard, I think you are quite young. Who are your parents?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen them since I can remember. Ah... It's okay. Don't blame yourself. I'm fine. I have an older sister who is four years older than me. She has been taking care of me since I was a child. I'm seventeen this year. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled last year, I was canonized as the Marquis of Ping'an Fengyun."
"Seventeen, seventeen..." It seemed that he was old. He kept muttering but couldn't remember anything.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, I swung my wolf-tooth stick at Po Liu Han Lie Ya on the other side of the ridge. I was dressed in all black, so I should be easily visible in the snow.
Suddenly I heard a few dogs barking, and I felt something was wrong, but I didn't know what was going on. The old man seemed unaware and continued to mutter a few words: "It seems that my sister-in-law was pregnant at that time." But the Xianbei teenagers immediately became alert, and several of them signaled to Po Liu Han Lieya. Po Liu Han Lieya swung his axe, and the whole convoy quickened its pace. He stayed where he was, watching this place quietly. The other Xianbei people behind immediately urged the carts behind to move faster.
I immediately understood that the Wuhuan people were coming.