After an unknown period of time, there was silence all around, and Zhou Yu suddenly woke up.
A peach petal fell on his handsome face. Zhou Yu opened his eyes. The surrounding area was unusually quiet, and there was a vague sense of crisis. He immediately reached out to hold the bronze sword beside him.
"Bo Fu?" Zhou Yu whispered.
Sun Ce no longer knew where he had gone, and the bluestone where the man had been lying was empty. Zhou Yu sat up and found that he was covered with Sun Ce's martial robe, and he still had the aura of a young man. He got up quietly, and the moonlight shone on his face.
What about Sun Ce? Zhou Yu's heart trembled first, and then he concentrated on thinking that he should not have been taken away by the enemy, otherwise if there were any noises, he would not be able to fall asleep.
He looked at the footprints nearby, and found that the footprints in the mud lead to the peach blossom forest. Following the footprints, the moon set on the western mountain, illuminating the mountains at night to be ethereal and silent, and the river water on the west side of the lonely mountain reflected the sparkle of the silver moon in the sky. sparkling light.
Zhou Yu walked to the river and was suddenly pulled behind a tree.
"Shhh—" Sun Ce hid behind a tree, dressed in white snow.
Zhou Yu immediately understood, "What did you find?"
"In the middle of the night, I heard someone knocking on the clapper." Sun Ce said, "Three longs and one short, like a code. When I found this place, I saw a black-covered boat carrying a group of people with knives away. Go back and wake you up."
Zhou Yu's heart shook, and he asked, "Is it a ferry boat with a black roof on a white background and a bamboo tube standing on the bow?"
"Yes!" Sun Ce said in surprise, "The boss of the boat is wearing a bamboo hat, covering his face, so he can't see clearly. Do you know him?"
Zhou Yu waved his hand, suspicious in his heart, thinking of the boss of the boat that brought him over, he felt a vague sense of danger. In the middle of the night, how could they come out to carry people on the ferry? This must be unusual, maybe the boss of the ship was bribed.
Zhou Yu is very familiar with this Jiangdao, it is an isolated waterway, and there is only one way to go.
Sun Ce opened his arms, Zhou Yu was puzzled, and Sun Ce looked at his own robe in his hand. Zhou Yu had to wait for him to put it on. Sun Ce tied his belt and said in a low voice, "Can you swim? Come and see?"
Zhou Yu nodded and motioned him to wait on the bank. He hung his robe on the tree, bent down and broke a reed, and put it in his mouth. Before Sun Ce could recover, Zhou Yu plunged into the water with a "wow".
"Hey!" Sun Ce was startled, "Why don't you just leave?"
There was another sound of water, and Sun Ce also entered the water. Zhou Yu was covered with silvery moonlight, dressed in white, like a whitebait swimming in the water, sometimes sneaking into the depths, sometimes straight, slanting towards the lake like an arrow , Sun Ce followed behind and scrambled to splash the water, the movement was so loud that Zhou Yu was completely speechless, so he had to turn around to pick him up, put one arm around his waist, and lead him to swim to the opposite bank.
From time to time, the two of them poked the reed pipe out of the water and took a breath. The river was icy cold in late spring, and Zhou Yu's speed in the water was extremely fast. It took less than a stick of incense to bring Sun Ce into the depths of the waterway, and the two came out of the water.
"Huh...huh..." Sun Ce said, "Your water skills are still so good..."
Zhou Yu replied in a low voice, "Don't talk."
The two walked into a hidden cave along the waterway, and Sun Ce said in surprise, "I remember I've been to this place before."
Zhou Yu said, "Twelve years ago, we came here together."
With such a reminder, Sun Ce also remembered that they had been playing here for a long time, but at this moment, it seemed that someone had been in the cave, with messy footprints all around, and embers of a bonfire burning on the ground. Sun Ce held a stick in his hand, Zhou Yu held a sword, and walked slowly towards the depths of the cave.
There is a slight human voice in the distance, and there is another exit to the cave. After passing through the narrow and long stalactite forest, the eyes light up slightly, and it is a valley full of peach blossoms. One of the paths winds to the side of the lonely mountain. peak. Zhou Yu was secretly startled, maybe they discovered the lair of the Yellow Turban Army.
It was almost dawn at this moment, and in the twilight of the morning light, the mist could be vaguely seen rising. Zhou Yu washed his face in the clear water by a pond, while Sun Ce stood aside, looking into the mountains.
"This should be their stockade." Sun Ce said, "You guessed right, most of the boat bosses are internal agents of the Yellow Turban Army, who specialize in taking people's money."
After Zhou Yu washed his face, he shook his hands and stood up, saying, "Bo Fu, I'll stay here to investigate, you go back and tell Master Sun..."
Before Zhou Yu could finish speaking, Sun Ce smiled wryly and said, "I think so too, but my father is in Jiangdu right now... Far water cannot save near fire."
Zhou Yu: "..."
"Didn't you say that your father sent you to investigate first?" Zhou Yu said.
Sun Ce had nothing to say, so he could only say, "Let's go, let's see what's going on first."
Zhou Yu was really going to lose to him, so Sun Ce pulled Zhou Yu up and left, turning his head from time to time and saying, "Actually, my father didn't know that I left the army privately and came to Shu County."
Zhou Yu couldn't believe it: "What!"
Sun Ce cried out and begged for mercy: "Don't be so loud... Shh... I... actually just thought of you, so I came here to see you."
Zhou Yu almost fainted. He thought Sun Jian's army was approaching, but he learned that Sun Ce came here alone!
That is to say, there are no reinforcements around, and there is no way to escape. The sun has already risen, and the two teenagers are walking on the mountain road dripping wet. Zhou Yu said: "My servant has gone to bring the letter..."
"Hush." Sun Ce immediately pulled him, and the two of them stepped into the side of the fork in the mountain road. At this moment, several warriors carrying knives and wearing yellow scarves walked up the road slowly.
"Where did those two boys go..."
"Damn it, I can't believe I can't find anyone..."
The sound faded away. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce looked at each other, no longer insisting on who would go back, and followed behind those warriors. Sun Ce took a detour and said in a low voice, "Come."
Sun Ce climbed up the mountain wall of the side peak, took Zhou Yu with one hand, and climbed along the cliff with a flexible figure. At that time, he saw several huts in the canyon surrounded by mountains, and guard posts were set up around them. There were activities, and it seemed to be a small camp with nearly a hundred soldiers.
Seeing the arrangement of the garrison, Zhou Yu secretly thought it was bad.
"Why does it look like an officer's and soldier's platooning method?" Sun Ce was also puzzled, and leaned into Zhou Yu's ear and asked, "Well-trained, well-organized formation, and horse-repelling posts, it looks like an officer's and soldier's habit."
"Look closer." Zhou Yu was very anxious. Why are there officers and soldiers disguised as Yellow Turbans here? It seems that things have far exceeded his expectations, but Sun Ce said: "You wait here, I will go down and have a look."
Zhou Yu naturally couldn't let him take risks and follow behind. At noon, it was very dangerous to invade the enemy's camp like this, but Zhou Yu couldn't delay it any longer because his father's life was at stake.
At the same time, Sun Ce knocked down a guard outside the camp gate with a sap, while Zhou Yu climbed up a tree and looked down at the houses inside from a high place. He saw a man coming out from the inside, wearing an imperial military uniform, his face flushed, It was obvious that he drank a round of spirits, was very drunk, and his footsteps were vain.
Zhou Yu was startled suddenly, and wanted to signal Sun Ce to retreat, but Sun Ce ignored the danger, quickly hid behind another small room, and looked inside.
"Who is it!" Someone was alarmed and shouted angrily.
Sun Ce immediately withdrew, but the opponent was too vigilant, and someone came out in an instant. Sun Ce shouted: "They are inside! Don't come out!"
Sun Ce's words were naturally yelled at Zhou Yu, and the implication was that he would sacrifice himself to hold back the officers and soldiers and let Zhou Yu report back. Zhou Yu squeezed sweat in his hands, and saw Sun Ce shake off his long stick and knock down the officers and soldiers who rushed forward. When he came out, his eyes were like copper bells, he burst into anger, and shouted loudly: "You're looking for death!"
The sound made Zhou Yu's ears buzzing, but Sun Ce was not afraid at all, and pointed at the man with his stick!
The opponent used a long spear, and the two exchanged hands. Sun Ce made three moves and was knocked down with one shot. The general's skill is extraordinary, which is rare in Zhou Yu's life. As soon as Sun Ce fell, the surrounding soldiers rushed forward and held him tightly.
"How many companions are there?" The general sneered, "Come out!"
Sun Ce also sneered and said, "It's amazing, I admit it."
The general drew out his sword and put it on Sun Ce's neck, and shouted, "I'll count to three, if I don't come out again, I'll teach him to let his head fall."
"Go back and report!" Sun Ce roared angrily.
"Don't do it!" Zhou Yu said.
Zhou Yu fell from the tree, threw down the red army sword in his hand, cupped his hands and said, "General Hua, why bother you to come to this desolate and uninhabited place in person?"
The general had a gloomy face and said nothing, Sun Ce immediately came back to his senses, looked at the general with a look of astonishment, frowned in disbelief and said, "Hua Xiong!"
That general was none other than Wu Yong Hua Xiong, who is well-known in Liangzhou, he was very surprised that the young man recognized him when he met him, he looked Zhou Yu up and down, but he couldn't recognize who he was. When Zhou Yu was with his father in Beijing, he met Hua Xiong once. During these years, Zhou Yu has grown up and changed, but Hua Xiong has not changed much. Therefore, Zhou Yu recognized Hua Xiong, but Hua Xiong did not recognize him. .
"Who is here?" Hua Xiong asked suspiciously.
Zhou Yu's thoughts turned, he bowed to the ground, and replied: "General Hua, I am..."
"General!" The captain of the boat came out of the room, took off his bamboo hat, and said, "These two boys are the ones we are looking for, arrest them quickly!"
"Do it!" Hua Xiong shouted.
"General Hua, please listen to me!" Zhou Yu's expression changed.
The left and right immediately stepped forward, detained Zhou Yu and Sun Ce, and dragged them into a secret room. Zhou Yu shouted to himself, "General! Don't be deceived by the traitor! There is still an inside story to this matter..."
Hua Xiong's expression changed, but Zhou Yu and Sun Ce were arrested and taken into the house.
In the damp room where the sun was out of sight, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce had a tussle. As soon as Zhou Yu got up, Sun Ce grabbed his collar and said through gritted teeth, "You are usually so smart, why are you so stupid now!"
Zhou Yu couldn't bear it anymore and said: "You don't know, that guy is a character who kills without blinking an eye! Just now he was almost about to do something, but he never changed his mind whatever he said!"
Sun Ce fell silent, and Zhou Yu said in a low voice: "When I was in Luoyang, my father and I received Dong Zhuo. This guy was drunk at the banquet and killed the maid, you know that!"
It was the first time that Sun Ce heard of such a crazy person, and he was speechless for a while, sighed, Zhou Yu said instead: "I didn't expect it to be him, this is too bad."
Sun Ce leaned over to the window of the small black room and looked out, "I saw that the drunk man was unsteady on his feet. I thought it would be easy to knock him down, but I didn't expect such a good martial arts. Many people were locked up in the next room, and they must have been arrested." He got it."
Zhou Yu paced anxiously in the house, "Why is he disguised as a Yellow Turban Army? What are you doing here to arrest people?"
Sun Ce didn't speak, but just looked at Zhou Yu quietly, and the two looked at each other. Zhou Yu saw the strange look in Sun Ce's eyes, and immediately thought of the most worrying thing.
"I heard that He Jin is chasing and killing political enemies and eliminating dissidents." Sun Ce said truthfully, "A month ago, Li Jue came to my door, and was ordered by He Jin and Dong Zhuo to win over my father, and wanted to eradicate the Sangong faction in Beijing. Father got the news and sent someone to Luoyang to report to your father, I was worried that something might happen to you in Shu County, so I came to have a look."
For a split second, Zhou Yu was moved. Sun Ce frowned and said, "I didn't expect it to be a step too late. This group of people pretended to be the Yellow Turban Army and attacked, and Dong Zhuo was probably involved... Sigh, I was careless."
Zhou Yu said, "Have you seen my father?"
Sun Ce was silent for a moment, shook his head, and said, "If he is not in the next room, he is afraid that he will be taken back to Luoyang. Think about how we can escape from here. You just said that well, Hua Xiong is probably about to leave soon." Suspicious, ask us to interrogate him, then relax his vigilance, and then try to escape."
Zhou Yu smiled wryly, "I'm afraid it won't be easy to escape."
Sun Ce said: "It's useless for him to arrest me. With my father around, Dong Zhuo wants to win over my Sun family. He dare not do anything to us?"
That's just for you... Zhou Yu imagined that Hua Xiong would show no mercy to his Zhou family, and the only way was to send Sun Ce out first.
"Whatever I say later, you just follow the lead." Sun Ce warned again, "This guy is drunk, he shouldn't be smart."
"Yes, yes." Zhou Yu said, "You are the smartest."
Sun Ce laughed and turned to the window to look out. For some reason, Zhou Yu felt very at ease even though it was a dangerous moment. Sun Ce's smile seemed to have a calming effect.
Before the conversation was finished, the door of the small black room was opened again, and a group of people rushed in, holding Sun Ce, holding ropes to tie him up, Zhou Yu said angrily, "Stop! We will go by ourselves!"
Sun Ce signaled Zhou Yu to calm down with his eyes. After a while, Zhou Yu was also tied up. The two of them had their hands cut behind their backs, and they were taken to Hua Xiong's room, pushed, and fell to their knees.
"Report your name." Hua Xiong said coldly, holding a jar of wine.
"Zhou Yu, named Gongjin." Sun Ce said in a deep voice, "General Hua, what do you want to detain my father?"
Zhou Yu was shocked, and when he turned to look at Sun Ce, the other party gave him a look. Sun Ce frowned slightly, indicating that he remembered what he just said, so Zhou Yu could only groan and bow his head in silence.
Hua Xiong gulped down a big gulp of wine, his face flushed from choking, he put the wine jar down heavily, and said to Zhou Yu, "What about you! Tell me!"
"He is Sun Ce." Sun Ce replied.
Zhou Yu knelt in front of Hua Xiong, his thoughts turned. Although he didn't know what Sun Ce meant by this move, he understood that there was a reason for his words, and the two had to temporarily switch identities in front of Hua Xiong.
What's the use of this! Zhou Yu replied while thinking, "My father, Sun Jian, the prefect of Changsha."
Hua Xiong's expression changed, he looked at Zhou Yu, and said after a while, "Untie him!"
Zhou Yu was untied and moved his wrists. Hua Xiong sneered and said, "Go back and tell your father, don't bother with this place. There will be no next time. If I catch you to enter the camp again, don't blame me for being merciless!"
That's right... Zhou Yu has figured it out. Hua Xiong is not afraid of his own Zhou family, but he is quite afraid of Sun Ce's father. Not good looking. Sun Ce did this to protect him.
"I heard that the Yellow Turban Army is making trouble here." Zhou Yu said, "my father sent me down to investigate the Zhou family..."
Hua Xiong snorted coldly, and replied: "Little thieves, there is nothing to worry about. There are indeed yellow turban thieves on the road, but they were all recruited by this general."
"Where's my father?" Sun Ce suddenly asked again.
Hua Xiong replied, "I haven't seen it, what is it?"
Zhou Yu said to Sun Ce, "Gong Jin, don't be rude to General Hua."
Sun Ce sneered, "I'm afraid the two of you are colluding and tricking me into coming here to wipe out my Zhou family!"
These words immediately reminded Zhou Yu. In a short moment, Zhou Yu's thoughts changed, but Hua Xiong yelled at Sun Ce angrily: "What are you! Drag me down and beat you!"
Zhou Yu's expression changed and he begged for mercy, but Sun Ce was dragged in by Hua Xiong's men. Zhou Yu hurriedly said, "General Hua! Zhou...Gong Jin is also my friend. I beg General Hua to be merciful for my father's sake!"
Hua Xiong ignored him and drank on his own, when Sun Ce screamed outside, Zhou Yu wanted to run out, but was stopped by two guards inside the room.
He took a deep breath, turned to face Hua Xiong, bowed to the ground, and instantly understood the meaning of Sun Ce's words.
"A month ago, my father met General Li Jue once." Zhou Yu said, "I have something to tell me in Beijing."
"Just now you said a traitor." Hua Xiong looked Zhou Yu up and down, and asked, "What do you mean?"
When the whip fell outside, Sun Ce let out an exaggerated scream, and Zhou Yu's heart twitched immediately. As soon as Sun Ce was beaten, Zhou Yu's expression became unstable, and his mind was almost confused.
There was an unruly smile on the corner of Hua Xiong's mouth, Zhou Yu was scratching his head, regretting that he hadn't thought about it just now, Sun Ce screamed one after another, Zhou Yu realized that this must be fake, as Sun Ce is a person, even if he is beaten with a whip and stick, he will definitely not say no throat. Such a name is obviously an exaggeration.
"Yes... yes..." Zhou Yu thought for a while, and said with a straight face, "I would like to ask, is Luoyang order Zhou Yi in the hands of the general at this moment?"
"It's not in my hands!" Hua Xiong said angrily, "Do you want to be beaten too? Someone..."
"General!" Zhou Yu had an idea in desperation, "This is a trick to kill with a knife, the general will clearly see!"
Hua Xiong's expression changed, and Zhou Yu said, "He Jin has ulterior motives. He wants to kill Zhou Yi. Why don't you personally send someone to hunt him down? Do you want General Hua and Master Dong? As a general, He Jin can only cover the sky in Beijing. , Ten regular servants and one removal, now only need to eradicate the veterans, Luoyang is the world of the He family! It is obviously an excuse to call General Hua to come over, get rid of Zhou Yi, and then cut the grass and roots to solve the Zhou family in Shu County. If it is not bad, Did He Jin plant an informant beside the general?"
Hua Xiong's face was cloudy and uncertain, obviously he thought of the boat boss.
Zhou Yu sorted out the matter clearly in a short period of time. Now that the emperor of Luoyang is in danger, the uncle He Jin holds a lot of power. In order to eliminate political enemies, he secretly colludes with Dong Zhuo, the prefect of Liangzhou. They use each other and have different ideas. As Dong Zhuo's subordinate, it is impossible for Hua Xiong not to know the inside story.
Zhou Yu said again: "Forgive me for speaking bluntly. If General Hua takes action to get rid of Zhou Yi, he will return to Luoyang. I'm afraid this matter will be held on the general's shoulders. Then He Jin will put in any reason..."
Hua Xiong was puzzled, looked at Zhou Yu, and said, "Did your father say this or you?"
"Uh..." Sun Cejian's weak cry came from Zhou Yu's ear, knowing that this was not good, he hurriedly said: "My father just mentioned this matter and sent me to Shu County to guard it. Once I come here, I will be counted with the Zhou family. There is an old friend, and secondly... I am afraid that He Jin's plan to kill people with a knife will work..."
Hua Xiong said: "According to your words, what should we do?"
Zhou Yu hurriedly said, "Take Zhou Yi back to the capital and hand it over to General He Jin, so that you don't have to bear the notoriety."
Hua Xiong stopped talking, and Zhou Yu said again: "Sun... Zhou Gongjin is also pitiful, full of filial piety. I offended the general, and begged the general to forgive me. Sun Ce thanked the general for his great kindness."
After Bi Zhouyu raised his robe and bowed, Hua Xiong didn't have any serious enmity with the Zhou family in the first place, but He Jin sent him to hunt down and kill the officials in the capital under some pretext. He traveled such a long distance on a business trip, had no wine or meat, and was covered in mud. Thinking about it now, he stopped arguing with the younger generation and said in a rough voice, "That's all."
After finishing speaking, the whipping stopped outside, and Sun Ce was lying on the muddy ground. Zhou Yu hurried forward to examine Sun Ce. Sun Ce's back was bruised and bruised, and his shirt was covered in blood. He lay motionless on his stomach. Suddenly, Sun Ce opened his eyes and winked at him.
Zhou Yu: "..."
Hua Xiong said, "Where is your father stationed now?"
Zhou Yu turned around and said, "My father is stationed in Jiangdu, and I'll bring it up next time. I didn't know that it was General Hua who brought people here. If the general passes by Changsha in the future, please come to Bishe for a glass of water and wine, and let Zhou... Sun By the grace of the Lord."
Hua Xiong was still staring at Zhou Yu, Zhou Yu helped Sun Ce up, and said, "I beseech you, General, to let me take Mr. Zhou away..."
Hua Xiong said, "Wait a minute! You claim to be the eldest son of Sun Jian, how do you prove it? Do you have a token?"
Zhou Yu didn't change his face and his heart didn't beat. He remembered something and said, "The bronze sword that was taken away by General Hua just now is the ancient sword of Chu that my father hid and found in Changsha, the Red Army."
Hua Xiong raised his head and motioned for his subordinates to bring Zhou Yu's sword, along with Sun Ce's Panlong Iron Staff. Zhou Yu has never left the sword since he was a child, and he loves this ancient thing very much. The sword was forged by Ou Yezi, a famous teacher in the Warring States Period. .
Sun Ce's weapon was an eyebrow-level iron rod made of meteoric iron, with Panlong wrapped around it.
Hua Xiong just glanced at it and knew that this sword was extraordinary, it was a magic weapon, and no longer doubted Zhou Yu's identity. Zhou Yu saw the greedy look in Hua Xiong's eyes. I have no choice but to give up the love, so it's better to go with the flow, and said with a smile: "If the general likes it, please keep this sword."
"Hey—" Hua Xiong said, "Who am I? How can I want something from a junior like you?"
Zhou Yu smiled and said, "It's okay, the general is famous all over the world..."
Hua Xiong waved his hand, knowing that Zhou Yu's things could not be taken, so his subordinates returned the sword and stick. Hua Xiong looked at Sun Ce, who was being supported by Zhou Yu, and then at Zhou Yu, with a questioning look in his eyes: What do you plan to do with this guy
Zhou Yu understood, so he said to Sun Ce, "Your father is not here. General Hua has promised to send troops to look for it for my father's sake. Thank you, General Hua."
Sun Ce nodded hurriedly, without arrogance, Hua Xiong waved his hand again, and replied, "Go back and wait for the news."