Chasing death and chasing north

On this day, I was discussing defense with my father, brother and generals in the mansion. The sergeant came in in a hurry, saying that the bandits from Zhenwuzhai had gathered outside the city and were calling for battle.

I have heard about the group of people in Zhenwuzhai for a long time. A group of desperadoes gathered together, and their momentum was quite loud. They had attacked several counties in the lower western border in the past few months, and retreated to the mountains after being besieged by the Northwest Army.Dingyang is a large city with high walls and deep valleys. Moreover, when Beidi was defeated before, the army was in full swing. The opponent was full of troops, but they were only a few thousand mobs.

The enemy is weak and we are strong, and the chances of winning are [-] to [-]%. Seeing that as long as they fight, they can make meritorious deeds. Several generals under the father's account asked for orders to attack.

Father sent Vice-General Huang, and it was planned to report victory in a short while, but unexpectedly, after a while, the soldiers staggered back, trembling and saying that Vice-General Huang was cut off by a long-armed man within ten strokes, luckily The 5000 men and horses they brought retreated safely into the city.

Lieutenant Huang was appointed by the emperor, and like the other two lieutenants, he was called the assistant commander, but he was actually monitoring him. He had no personal relationship with my family, so my father was not very sad, he just said strangely: "The main general was beheaded, and you can retreat unscathed? "

The soldier said: "The other party threatened that he didn't want to hurt more people when he came here, and he just wanted to compete with Second Young Master Sun."

All the generals' eyes were on me.I looked at my father, he nodded slightly, and I walked into the back hall, took the bow and arrow and carried it on my back, holding the hilt of the sword, and shouted at the soldier: "Follow me!"

"Erro!"

I turn back.

"Be careful, if you fall, we may not have the ability to bring you back." The elder brother smiled, his eyes bent into crescents.

Feeling hot in my heart, I nodded heavily at him.I wanted to act more calmly, but it was the first time I was challenged, I was a little nervous, so I couldn't force a smile.

When he strode out, he heard the prefect of Dingyang say flatteringly: "Second Young Master is not surprised, he is really a general!"

I first went up to the tower to check, and then I poked my head out. Not far away, I saw hundreds of knights scattered loosely. There was a big bearded man on a maroon horse, circling around the gate of the city, shouting from time to time: "Quickly call out." The second son of the Sun family comes out, and let grandpa learn the method of Dingyang Shenshe!"

When I saw the figure, I felt familiar, and when I spoke, the broken gong-like voice made me more sure.

"Brother Lu, stop yelling, I'll come down right away!"

After I shouted, I went down to the tower and got on my horse, ordered the defenders to open the door, and rode out alone.Until the distance between the two sides was only a horse body, Lu Shuanghu still looked dumbfounded.

I smiled and said, "Brother Lu, you don't know me anymore?"

Lu Shuanghu stared wide-eyed. "You...you are Zhao An?"

I clasped my hands and winked at him again. "That's right, farewell in Guanzhong. I didn't expect to see you again here. How are brother Lu and sister-in-law?" He is a good friend I met when I was traveling in Guanzhong. Passionate and enviable.

He nods. "I'm fine, and my wife is also fine. I got pregnant again last month. How about you? Have you asked for a wife yet?"

I honestly said: "I asked for it at the beginning of the year, and once I asked for it, I got two."

"It's really you! That will make a lot of chivalrous girls cry." He patted my shoulder gloatingly, and asked, "Is there someone in the bride that you really like?"

I smiled wryly. "Unfortunately not, otherwise why didn't you invite everyone to have a drink?"

When I was traveling with them, in order to avoid being entangled in love, I once admitted that I had a crush.They didn't know, so they naturally thought that the other party was a woman. They pestered me and promised to deliver the wedding invitations to everyone when the beauty returned.

Lu Shuanghu wanted to speak comfortingly, but he heard a loud shout from behind him: "That thief, what are you doing pestering my elder brother? Give me a blow!"

The strong wind was blowing to my ears, and it seemed like a pair of heavy weapons. I was afraid that I would not be able to draw the sword, so I snatched the big knife from Lu Shuanghu's hand and slashed at the man's abdomen. Losing his bearings, he just stopped his way, the hammer handle collided with the blade, and sparks flew everywhere.

Just now the sound of the weapon blowing the wind was violent, which shows that the opponent's arm is very strong, I dare not underestimate the enemy, I secretly exerted ninety percent of my strength, only to hear him yell, one hammer fell to the ground, and the other was held in his hand, with blood flowing from the tiger's mouth.Only then did I see clearly that the other party was a beardless young man, and at this moment he looked at the bleeding hand with a horrified expression.

I didn't want to hurt anyone. Seeing him like this, I couldn't help regretting for a while, and hurriedly tore off the hem of my battle robe to wrap his wound. I saw that he was still in a daze and let me do what I did.

After I finished bandaging, I cupped my hands and said, "I'm sorry."

He came back to his senses for a while, and said in a somewhat dull manner: "It's okay."

Lu Shuanghu laughed out loud. "Brother Zhao is really extraordinary!"

The young man asked, "Brother, do you know him?"

"That's right, this is Brother Zhao An, whom I often mention to you, the one I met on Guanzhong Road, had a fight and became good friends."

"Oh! Even you lost to that powerful character?"

The young man's expression became clear all of a sudden, and he turned to me and said, "So it's expected that I lost to you!"

Before I could answer, Lu Shuanghu said, "Brother Zhao, my sworn brother is a straight-hearted guy, he doesn't use his brain when doing things better than me, so ignore him."

I laughed and said it was okay, "May I ask your younger brother's name?"

The young man snapped back and said: "My name is Ruan Changrong. You are very powerful, I am convinced, you come to be the owner of the village!"

Lu Shuanghu suddenly said "ah". "If you don't tell me, I'll forget about the business!"

Ruan Changrong said in a low voice, "What's the business? Aren't you here to fight? Whoever wins will be the head of the village." He waved his hands behind him as he spoke, "I lost, come and fight him!"

Lu Shuanghu grabbed his arm. "We are here to compete with Sun Laoer, have you forgotten?"

Ruan Changrong scratched his head and chuckled, obviously forgetting about this matter.

Lu Shuanghu said to me: "Brother Zhao, look at your attire, you are serving in the Dingyang Army? Can you find out the second son of the Sun family for us, we are just comparing him, not here to fight with you."

I sighed. Although these people are bold and innocent, sometimes they really don't know how to read the movement.I didn't say anything, and asked, "How did you feel after you competed with Sun Laoer?"

Lu Shuanghu explained the reason straightforwardly: "You also know that the world is in chaos today. A few people from the north and south green forests of ours have opened a place on Zhenwu Mountain, planning to kill the world and become famous. Who knows that the bird matter has not been done, but people Everyone is vying to be the banker.

"It just so happened that Dingyang God shot Sun Zhaoan three arrows to scare away the barbarians. Everyone said it so respectfully, so we made an appointment to meet him here for a while, first to see what this great hero looks like, and second, let's make an appointment Now, whoever can beat him in the duel will be made the master of Zhenwu Village."

"Brother Lu, do you also want to be the head of the village?"

He grinned and said, "I don't care about the village master or something. If there is excitement to watch and fights, of course Old Lu will come!"

I nodded and asked, "Which ones are your opponents?"

Lu Shuanghu tapped three times with his hand to the people in Zhenwu Village who were watching, and scolded everyone at the same time, which sounded like "stinky turtle", "dead poor", "stinky bear".

When I met this friend by accident, I couldn't help but playful, bent my bow and set an arrow, and said, "This arrow hits the head scarf of the person on the left." When the arrow was shot, I didn't look where I was going, so I continued, "This and shoot the man in the middle with an arrow."

At this time, the opposite side was already in chaos, and the man on the right noticed that I was aiming at him, so he hurriedly turned his horse and ran away. "This arrow hit his heel." As soon as the words fell, the man fell off his horse with a loud cry, hugged his feet and kept shouting.

I bowed my back and faced Lu Shuanghu and Ruan Changrong, who were at odds with each other, and said leisurely, "What is there to compare?"

Ruan Changrong exclaimed, "You are the second son of the Sun family, Sun Zhaoan?"

I smiled and asked back, "Otherwise, if you call out, what am I going to do?"

"Zhao An? Sun Zhao'an! How can you say that a commoner has Susukita, little brother, you can fool us around!" Lu Shuanghu complained loudly, while patting my back again, his face was full of surprise.

"I didn't mean to cheat, but I was just afraid that you would know that I was the son of an official and would not want to associate with me."

"That's right, those royal relatives who eat people but don't spit out their bones, I can't wait to chop them into meat. If I had known that you were Zheng Guogong's son, I would tie you up anyway and ask him for gold. Ten thousand taels."

We laughed together, Ruan Changrong tugged on brother-in-law’s sleeve, Lu Shuanghu saw my calm face, waved his hands at him and said, “There’s nothing we can’t say, you know this little brother used to scold the government for robbing the rich and powerful with us, and he still has bad ideas.” Is it less?"

After being told by him, I couldn't help thinking of all the chivalrous deeds I did with them.If there is no concern in the family, why not let me wander the rivers and lakes with them and enjoy my grievances.

"Boss Lu?"

The heroes of Zhenwu Village slowly approached and called out tentatively.Lu Shuanghu hurriedly waved to them, saying: "Everyone, come quickly, you have met a good friend!" After speaking, he explained to them in a showy tone.

Everyone was amazed, the people I shot three arrows came over one by one to thank their subordinates for their mercy, immediately outside the city gate became a relative meeting, the soldiers at the top of the city visited several times, but they dared not make a sound.

I loudly ordered them to bring a message to my father, saying that these strong men are old friends, and the misunderstanding between the two parties has been resolved. I want to exchange greetings before turning around. After speaking, I sat down with them at the reception area near the stockade and talked.The competition that the heroes of Zhenwuzhai had agreed upon had come to nothing.

It is inevitable for men to drink and eat meat when they are together. I really wanted to make these friends, so I managed to drink three cups.Lu Shuanghu knew that I couldn't drink too much, so when he told this verse, everyone felt that I really valued them, and they were all very happy.

Talking about their father, they knew that Zheng Guogong guarded Dingyang, and his administration and military equipment were very popular among the people. They only wanted to kill corrupt officials everywhere to vent their anger, and they really had no intention of attacking Dingyang.

I asked them what they planned to do after killing officials and occupying the city. They were all stunned and didn't know what to do. I also asked if they wanted to do meritorious service on the battlefield, and then they would be made princes and ministers. Although there was no response, everyone was fascinated.I knew it well, so I didn't go any further. Seeing that it was getting late, I got up and said goodbye.

Ruan Changrong and another leader, Xu Bo, whom they called "poor" sent me out.

Chatting along the way, when we reached a place where we could see the city tower, Xu Bo suddenly asked, "Does Zheng Guogong have a plan?"

Just now I heard them report their family background. This person has won the Juren, and his conversation style seems to be different from others. I replied cautiously: "Father has devoted his whole life to the country and served the country."

"I don't know the country of tomorrow, but whose country is it? The flames of the beacon block the eyes, and the good birds lose their way!"

He let out a long sigh, dropped a few words, turned his horse's head and left.Ruan Changrong looked at his back and then at me, made a hurried bow, and hurriedly followed without waiting for my return.

I saw my elder brother pacing at the top of the city from a distance, so I quickened my horse and came to the bottom of the city.

When the city gate opened, he ran up to him out of breath and said, "Are you alright?"

"It's okay, I just drank some wine." I dismounted, handed the reins to the attendant, and walked side by side with him.

"I knew you would be fine! I heard from the guards at the top of the city that you subdued the leader of the opponent within two moves, and then used arrows to scare the crap out of the others. If I had known, I would have come to play with you." !” He said happily, as if seeing it with his own eyes.

I smiled and watched him gesticulate, thinking that this person was extremely cute no matter how he looked, and I tried my best to resist the urge to reach out to touch his head and squeeze his hand.

Since repelling Beidi, his attitude towards me has changed a lot.My younger brother, who was dispensable before, suddenly became a hero admired by everyone. He was not narrow-minded, but treated me like a hero like others. The respect he showed from time to time really made me happy and at times at a loss.

If I knew that showing my edge would make him so close, wouldn't I have to suppress it for so long?

No no, apart from my elder brother, my father is also watching. If he can't be sure that I don't have any intention of harming my elder brother as now, then the better I am, the more defensive he will be. Life will definitely not be as easy as it is now.

Of course, it is also possible that things are not so complicated, and I worry too much.

"Did you really go to drink with them? They won't come to harass Dingyang again, right? It's easy now!" Brother exaggeratedly relieved, took my hand, and happily walked towards Huajie.

I let him pull me around, my mouth was perfunctory, and my heart was full of mixed feelings: If I think too much, this person in front of me definitely thinks too little.

After listening to a few pieces of music, I managed to stop my brother's proposal to have dinner at Huajie, and I dragged the reluctant him back home.When he arrived at the door, the steward rushed up to greet him and whispered that the imperial envoy had come again.

My brother and I looked at each other and headed for the lobby. The special envoy had gone back to his room to rest, and the father with a sick face was sitting in the lower chair, sighing.

The eldest brother walked up to him quickly and asked, "What did Your Majesty say?"

Father glanced at us, bowed his head dejectedly, and said: "Your Majesty blamed Dingyang for not doing enough to suppress the bandits, and sent me to the palace to discuss the gains and losses." After finishing speaking, he couldn't stop coughing.

The eldest brother said angrily: "There are no bandits around Dingyang. Is it possible that father will lead a mere 3 people across the river to fight Li Lang in the middle of Sichuan? It's really unreasonable!"

Father slapped the table and said, "Shut up! Your Majesty's holy will, how can we have no room for us?"

I asked, "So father is really going?"

"If you can't get the record, it seems that I have to go. Didn't I keep saying that I was not feeling well? Your Majesty even sent the imperial doctor with the special envoy this time, saying that he would take care of me all the way." Father sighed, suddenly remembered something, Asked: "How is Zhenwu Village?"

Looking at his expression, I suddenly had a bad premonition, so I said: "They have no intention of attacking. I met one of the leaders in Guanzhong for a few times, and after a few words of greeting, they each lured away. .”

Father stroked his beard under his chin, pondered: "If you can capture the bandits in Zhenwu Village and report to His Majesty, it will be a merit. Maybe you don't have to do it as a father."

The elder brother glanced at me and said, "Father, those people are Erlang's friends, and the killing of officials is also for the purpose of eliminating violence and peace, and there is nothing particularly bad about it. We..."

Father raised his voice, overshadowing his argument: "Antagonizing the court is treason, how can you say that you have no bad deeds?" Then he looked at me, "Erlang, if I send you to destroy the Zhenwu stronghold, how many troops will it take?"

I smiled, and he never asked me what I wanted from the beginning to the end.It is not difficult to choose between my ungracious father and my righteous friends.

I said slowly: "Although those people are strong in martial arts, they don't know how to use tactics. If you lead people to set fire to the mountain and spread traps to prevent them from escaping, two thousand soldiers and horses are enough."

Father nodded with satisfaction. "That's very good. Tomorrow, you go to order two thousand soldiers and horses, and wait for the good news for your father."

My elder brother grabbed my arm, with a face full of disbelief: "Erlang, you said those people are your friends!"

I solemnly said, "How can a small personal matter be compared with the righteousness of the country?"

The father kept nodding his head, and the elder brother snorted heavily, and left in a huff.

When my elder brother's back disappeared into the corner of the corridor, my father said to me: "Zhaogong always doesn't understand the priorities of things. Don't learn from him."

I bowed and said yes, quit, and went to my brother's residence.

The elder brother was still angry, he sat on the couch and sulked, and he didn't even look at me.

"Brother, this is an expedient measure."

"As an expedient measure, I'm going to kill the friends who just had a drink with you? You just said to me that they are hot-blooded men and worthy of making friends. Is it all empty talk?"

He said coldly, "I'm not as capable as you. I've always felt that I can't hold my head up in front of you. Now I'm reconciled. If all capable people are as ruthless as you, I'd rather be incompetent for the rest of my life!"

It was the first time he scolded me, and I looked at his flushed face, not knowing how to deal with it.

While I was in a daze, he abruptly jumped off the couch and rushed out in a hurry.

"Brother, where are you going?" I came back to my senses, rushed to the door and grabbed him.

He slammed me but couldn't get rid of me, and said angrily: "Go to Zhenwu Mountain, tell them to leave early, so as not to be taken advantage of by wolves and be a wronged ghost."

"Father will be angry."

"Go and inform him, tell him to kill me, you two... Huh!" He bent his arm and hit my waist with an elbow. I let go in pain, and he ran to the stable.

I couldn't help laughing while chasing.It is obvious that the other party is someone they don't know at all, but the elder brother will sacrifice his life to save them.Even if such a righteous brother is reckless and unreliable, I still feel very happy.

He unhooked the horse and got on, and I stood in front of the horse's head.

"What are you laughing at? Do you think I can't do it? I saw the location of Mount Zhenwu on the map this morning, and I know it all!"

He thought I was laughing because I looked down on him and was even angrier.

I shake my head. "Don't be so troublesome."

"what?"

"The military order is to attack the mountain tomorrow, just let father change his mind before tonight."

The eldest brother understood what I meant, his expression softened a little, and he asked strangely: "Then why didn't you stop him just now?"

"I have an idea to do both."

"Which two tubes?"

I whispered: "The special envoys came again and again. No matter how much father allows, the emperor will not allow us to live a peaceful life. You know what the only way is."

The elder brother looked around for a while, then got off the horse silently, and said: "I have hinted to my father many times, but he always refuses. What can I do except sit and wait? Didn't you also say to think long-term?"

"The special envoy must take his father to meet the emperor this time. Once he arrives in Jiangbei, his father will not be spared. The current situation can only be pre-emptive. Although there are not many soldiers in Dingyang, they are all trained by us. Father is even more important. It is what the people want, rather than just sitting around waiting to die, it is better to fight the trapped beasts according to the situation in front of you.”

"Where are you talking so much? You just want to save your friend." The elder brother curled his lips in disdain at first, and then smiled happily.

I looked at him without blinking, and said: "That is indeed an important matter. Although the number of people in the Zhenwu Village is small, they are good at martial arts, and all of them are well-connected in the world. If they can be recruited , that is to add dozens of generals and thousands of heroes out of thin air.”

The elder brother stared at me deeply, and said after a while, "Are you really the younger brother I brought up?"

I scoffed. "Where do you have the ability to bring me up, you just try to bring me and Goro down."

Looking at his smiling eyes, I was not without emotion in my heart.If great things can really be achieved, one day, my brother's eyes will no longer be as clear and worry-free as they are now.I don't want to see his innocent heart gradually disappear, but I am even more unwilling to do the stupid thing of missing a good opportunity and being slaughtered in vain.

"Then let's do this..."

The plan has been decided, the eldest brother said: "In this case, we have to send people to Beijing immediately."

I couldn't react for a while. "What?"

"Mother, aunt, and siblings are still there. Are you so nervous that you forgot about them?" The elder brother teased like this, but his face was extremely tense, and he couldn't squeeze out a smile.

I probably won't remember them anytime soon.I answered like this in my heart, but said in my mouth: "Ah, it is Ji, or you are thoughtful, big brother. I am afraid that their actions in Beijing will also be hindered. Later, I will write a book for Mingyuan and send it to a trustworthy person. Mingyuan is witty, Please ask him to escort the family members, there will be no mistakes."

"That's good, that's good." The elder brother walked to his father's residence, hand in hand.

I pulled him back and said, "Don't panic, if things don't work out, you can report on me and say that I forced you and your father to rebel, and I will bear all the crimes alone."

My brother knocked my head hard and cursed, "We're all one family, what nonsense are you talking about!" After speaking, he swaggered away.

The special envoy who was walking around after dinner heard the sneaky conversation between our brothers in a corner of the garden: In the remote wing room at the far west of the General’s Mansion, lived a mysterious figure who was sent by somewhere to deliver information to his father Secret envoy, the other party was injured and unable to get up, in order to avoid suspicion, my father did not dare to send someone to look after him, but our brother sent two meals a day.

Hearing the envoy's footsteps leaving quickly, the elder brother asked, "Did I stutter just now?"

I gave him a thumbs up and said, "Ready for the next step!"

He nodded excitedly, then walked away with a bow.

The special envoy sneaked into the wing during the second watch without any entourage. Before that, I had removed the guards. The inside of the door was pitch black, so I couldn’t see clearly from here, but he should be able to see the quilt on the bed.

There was a scream in the room, and the elder brother just appeared at the end of the corridor with Fang Lieutenant. Hearing the sound, the two quickened their pace.

The lights in the room were lit, and then there was the sound of weapons falling to the ground.

"General, are you alright?" Deputy General Fang yelled and rushed into the room.

I put on my underwear, pretended to be sleepy, asked "what's going on", and hurried in.My room is also in the West Wing, very close to here.

Father and Deputy General Fang looked at the special envoy who was decapitated on the ground with miserable expressions.

"This, isn't this a special envoy? Father, what's going on?" The eldest brother pretended to be surprised.

Father tremblingly said: "He broke in, I thought it was Xiaoxiao, so..."

My father was worried that the emperor would send assassins to kill him every night, so he didn't dare to live in the main house, and kept sharp weapons by the bed.If someone came, the soldiers on guard at the gate would stop him for questioning, so there was no trouble before.

Deputy General Fang was about to leave without saying a word, I dodged to stop him: "Where is General Fang going?"

"I, I'll go see if there's any movement in the envoy's room..."

The eldest brother snapped and said, "I think you are going to report to the deputy general and arrest my father? The murder of the special envoy is all there. Isn't this the evidence of treason that His Majesty asked the deputy generals to look for?"

Vice-General Fang shouted: "It is a fact that the general killed the special envoy, and this matter cannot be concealed! How to deal with it at that time is up to His Majesty to decide. I have His Majesty's secret edict, named Vice-General, and I am actually an imperial envoy. Ling, once Zheng Guogong makes any changes, I will act accordingly. Are you father and son so bold that you dare to kill me as an imperial envoy to silence you?"

My brother and I exchanged satisfied glances: this lieutenant general is the most reckless, and the more threatening he is at this time, the more it suits our wishes.

"Your Majesty said, if you are safe and sound, it's okay to put your head on your neck. As long as you have two hearts, we can kill you on the spot! What kind of Zheng Guogong and general do you think you are? Order this restraint!" That, but in the eyes of His Majesty, you are not even as good as a dog! This matter can be big or small, it depends on how we report to His Majesty. If you dare to stop me, be careful of your head!"

Seeing his cooperation, my brother and I secretly looked at each other again, and he was so happy that he was about to laugh.

But his father looked at Lieutenant Fang, his frightened eyes gradually became cold and hard, and he said every word: "The emperor is too aggressive!"

Surprised by his resentful tone, Vice General Fang stopped his chattering, and stammered: "You, do you want to rebel?"

The father looked at the blood on the ground and did not speak.

"There are many soldiers in the imperial court, you won't be able to make a big impact, why don't you come back to Beijing with us, we..."

"Dalang, Erlang!"

"exist!"

"Lead your subordinates and arrest Deputy General Guan. Together with him, they will be under strict supervision. We will discuss the matter tomorrow. I will ask them about a crime of collaborating with the enemy and treason."

"Yes!"

My brother and I led the order to go out, put on the armor, and quickly led people to control Lieutenant General Guan and the two who were still asleep.

The troops in the city are far from enough to compete with the imperial court, so they must be recruited in the name of rebellion, and I will also persuade Zhenwu Village to vote.How to win over the hearts of the people, how to conquer and expand the territory, how to obtain a righteous name, while condemning the emperor for being fatuous and immoral, and at the same time respecting his nephew as the lord of the country, are listed in the plan one by one.

The father and the disciples were discussing enthusiastically, and all kinds of thoughtful ideas were by no means like a flash of inspiration that only happened today.Later, when it came to money and food, everyone discussed various methods of raising money.

My father waited for them to finish talking, and said slowly: "I have sent some money and silver over here one after another. Madam has been selling jewels, turning them into gold and silver, and putting them in an old house not far from here."

I wasn't too surprised, but my elder brother asked directly: "Father, did you expect this day?"

Everyone was silent for a while.Father didn't answer, just coughed.

I sat silently in an inconspicuous corner, listening to the heated discussions in the field.There is no way to turn back this incident. No one knows whether the end of the road of no return will be the emperor's achievements or the end of the road.