Has always been bleak

The rock wall where the tree is located slopes slightly towards the ravine, and the roots of the big tree deeply grasp the sloped mountain wall, extending its broad branches towards the sky.

Xiao Yi hid his figure all the way and climbed extremely fast. Li Xinxin looked down at him. It was noon, and the sun was shining brightly from the sky, which made him almost cry, but he didn't dare to blink.

Xiao Yi climbed closer and stopped.This tree grows on the inner side of the rock wall, that is to say, if you want to get close to this tree, you must be exposed to the sight of the army on the top of the mountain.

He held on to the rock wall, looked around carefully, and finally had an idea in his heart.

The Fanjun Committee on the top of the mountain was really exhausted.Although the Tang army officially attacked Shibao City this morning, there has been constant fighting here before. Ge Shuhan led his troops to encircle and suppress the Fan army on the entire battlefield, but he never forgot Shibao City, and did a lot of feints , The siege and reinforcements have been done a lot, and the continuous harassment has been done a lot, and the defenders of Shibao City have already been exhausted.

In the past, they could take turns to rest and recover their physical strength, but now the Tang army gathered more than [-] people to surround the mountain. Starting this morning, they launched a high-intensity and large-scale attack, and finally forced the Fan army to mobilize all of them.The defending side occupies a favorable location and only needs to push stones and woods from a high position. It sounds easy, but the entire Helong battlefield was almost wiped out by the Tibetan army. Shibao City is the last hope of Tubo. Losing the stone fort, the Fan army will completely withdraw from Helong.The huge mental pressure caused everyone's hearts to be tense all the time, and they didn't dare to relax a little bit. As the guard of Stone Fortress, Xinuoluo didn't have a good rest for several days in a row.

He has guarded Shibao Town for many years. During this period, the Tang army has fought Shibao City countless times. Several times the battle situation can be called critical, but Xinuoluo claims that he has never been afraid.

But this time is different.

The unprecedentedly large number of people, the meticulous and meticulous preparations in the early stage, and the decisiveness on the faces of the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty all seemed to indicate that this war was unusual.

Tang Jun, it is clear that Shibao City is bound to win this time, and for this reason, he will spare no effort.

Wave after wave of attacks, the tide-like Tang army rushed up one after another, died, rolled down, and piled up layers of corpses at the foot of the mountain. There is no rest.

Xinuoluo felt that he had become a sharp knife. Stone Castle was a piece of delicious mutton, surrounded by countless wolves, showing covetous eyes, ready to move. He showed his sharp blade and fought back several times. Attack, and then deter them for a long time.But in the end, the wolf king still came, howling in the dark night, the wolves swarmed up, and greeted him with a sword. Too much too much.

So much, it makes people desperate.

Under such a siege, every moment becomes extremely long.

However, there is no other way.

Finally repelling Tang Jun's attack on the North Road again, the attack here has obviously slowed down, but he didn't even have time to catch his breath, and immediately turned his attention to the mountain road on the northeast side.

Sinoro's experience is not insignificant, but even he never thought of going to see places other than mountain roads.This mountain is too dangerous. Except for these two trails, the other rocks are steep and difficult to climb. In addition, the rocks in many places are so loose that they will fall when touched. Probably in this world, only dexterous goats can stand on such rocks .So, he is very relieved.

It's a pity that he never dreamed that there are people like Xiao Yi in this world who can climb such a rock like flying.

Li Xin knew that Xiao Yi was good at martial arts, but he really didn't expect it to be so good. Seeing him approaching the tree step by step, Li Xin clenched his fists involuntarily, staring at Xiao Yi's every move.

Climbing to a high place, Xiao Yi's figure gradually became blurred, looming in the dense vegetation. If Li Xin hadn't been staring at him from beginning to end, he might not be able to find where he is now.

Xiao Yi was hindered by the last step. Li Xin saw it and secretly worried, but suddenly found that Xiao Yi had disappeared again. He hurriedly opened his eyes and looked around until his eyes were sore. There seemed to be some movement in the woods near the tree, and after a long time, a figure finally emerged from the woods.

Li Xin couldn't help chuckling: "This kid is really a ghost."

It turned out that Xiao Yi actually got a lot of green branches and tied them around his body, from head to toe. After dressing up like this, he climbed up the tree bit by bit along the trunk, and it was completely indistinguishable from a distance.

The shouts of killing on the mountain road sounded again, shaking the heavens and the earth. Although the voice was louder and the attack was far weaker this time, it still sounded scary, didn't it?The Fan army had to gather their spirits and deal with it seriously.Then the sound of shouting and killing, the sound of boulders and rough trees rolling down and hitting the rocks, and the screams of soldiers enveloped the entire battlefield, and also covered the sound of Xiao Yi chopping down the big tree with his hand axe.

Xiao Yi saw it very accurately. The angle he chose could take advantage of the tilting force of the rock wall. As long as he could cut down two-thirds of the big tree, this tilting force would bring the big tree down in the direction of the mountain path.

The big tree was very thick, even though he had amazing powers, but the hand ax was too small, it was still very difficult to chop it down.There were constant screams around him. He knew that this meant that one person after another would fall down, but he couldn't be in a hurry.

No matter how urgent the situation is, let yourself calm down first.This is what Jie Shuai taught him, and Xiao Yi learned it very well.

One axe, one axe, and another axe. As the ax marks deepened, the tree gradually began to tremble. Gradually, the trembling range became larger and larger, until it was so big that the barbarians on the top of the mountain finally noticed it.

Thousands of arrows fired.

Li Xin's heart was almost in his throat, but Xiao Yi seemed to have expected it, and hid behind the big tree in a flash. Countless arrows were nailed on the tree aggressively with the sound of wind, densely packed, almost drowning the original axe. mark.

Xiao Yi hid behind the tree, probed his head and took a look, and found that he couldn't reach the part that needed to be cut with his extended hand. Countless barbarians were staring at him, and now he couldn't climb up to the front to cut the tree in a big way.Fortunately, the ax mark was already half a foot deep, and he cut it in a special way. Every time he retracted the ax, he made a slight turn, so he dug the ax mark very wide. Get out a jigsaw.

The jigsaw is also called a bow. It looks very similar to an ordinary saw, except that the saw blade is replaced with a bowstring made of twisted steel wires.This was originally used by jade craftsmen to open jade. Xiao Yi thought it would be good to use it for sawing railings and window lattices secretly. It came in handy.Then he carefully inserted the jigsaw into the ax mark from the side, held both ends of the jigsaw from behind the big tree, and pulled it back and forth.

Fan Jun naturally wouldn't let him play tricks, but Xiao Yi hid himself tightly, with only two arms exposed.The distance is so far, the target is too small with two hands, it is really too difficult to shoot, the Japanese army can only shoot blindly, even if they miss, they must not be too rampant.

Under the pressure of the rain of arrows, Xiao Yi didn't dare to stretch out his head at all. There was only a rock half the size of the sole of his foot under the position he was standing on, which was barely flat, and the rest of it was uneven. He couldn't borrow strength, so he could only step on the motor, send out the knife hidden in the tip of his left boot, insert it into the trunk of a big tree to borrow strength, step on the rock with his right foot, and clamp the trunk with both legs, so that he can barely use his strength .

But this posture was extremely exhausting. After a while, he was sweating profusely. The sweat slid down the wound on the brow bone, and some slipped into the corner of the eye. It was itchy and painful, which was extremely unbearable.But what was even more unbearable was the continuous sound of blood and flesh splattering under his feet.

The fan army on the top of the mountain had already seen what Xiao Yi was going to do, but they couldn't do anything except keep shooting arrows here.

Tang Jun at the foot of the mountain also understood what Xiao Yi was going to do, but they couldn't relax their offensive in the slightest, because even if the big tree stopped most of the threats rolling down the mountain as Tang Jun expected, it could only stop it for a short period of time. In time, countless huge boulders fell down, and even this kind of huge wood could not hold for long, and would eventually break. They had to make the most of that short period of time, and they couldn't just sit and wait at the foot of the mountain.

The moment that countless people up and down the mountain were waiting with bated breath finally arrived.The sound of the giant tree falling was deafening, broken branches and rocks splashed everywhere, and amidst the dust, Xiao Yi leaped into the air and landed firmly on the rock wall.

Relying on this big tree, Tang Jun rushed up the mountainside for the first time in one breath. After paying a heavy price of more than [-] casualties, he forcibly attacked the last few miles of the mountain road and occupied the small platform where the outer city of Shibao City was located.

Covered by the walls of the outer city, Tang Jun could finally take a breather and take a rest, and Li Xin finally found time to find Xiao Yi.

Li Xin knew Xiao Yi very well. This young man was definitely not someone who knew the battle was going on and could stay out of it. He didn't show up in the subsequent battle, so he must have been seriously injured.

Li Xin guessed right.

The tree was broken in the rain of arrows, and Xiao Yi's arms had already been hit by several arrows. Without any armor on his body, every arrow was firmly bitten into the flesh. It affected his movement, so he pulled out one by one with his mouth. Later, the two arms were bloody and bloody, and the bones were visible from the injury.

But the most serious injury is not the arm.

After the big tree fell, Xiao Yi was completely exposed to the sight of the Fan army. The Fan army, who had already suffocated their strength, rained down arrows in an instant, and it was even denser than before. Xiao Yi climbed on the cliff and had room to move Too small, although he tried his best to protect his upper body with the soft sword, his legs were almost shot into hedgehogs in an instant.

When Xiao Yi finally climbed down the rock wall again and returned to a relatively safe place at the foot of the mountain, his legs were bleeding profusely, and the arrows stuck in his legs twisted and twisted. Some of them were broken, but most of them were still intact. The feathers were dyed red, blood gurgled from the tip of Xiao Yi's boots, and wherever he walked, there were bloody footprints.

The military doctor almost took him down.Then cut the wounds one by one, took out the barbed arrowheads one by one, applied medicine, and bandaged them. Before all this was done, Xiao Yi passed out.

Li Xin looked at him silently for a while, then sighed softly, hardened his heart again, and walked out of the medical tent.

The next target, the inner city!storm!

The last mile of mountain road was completely turned into hell.

Layers upon layers of corpses were piled up on the mountain road, in different shapes, the ground was soaked with blood, and the vegetation was completely red.The rolling stones dropped from the top of the mountain almost filled every corner of the mountain road, covered with blood and mud.

There is no way to calculate the number of casualties.Li Xin only knew that his vanguard battalion had already gone to nine stops out of ten stops, and the entire army was almost wiped out.

For two nights and two days, the inner city failed.

There are still two days left before the ten-day limit given by Xuanzong.

It was night and it was raining heavily.

Probably God couldn't bear to see such a tragic situation again. The heavy rain blocked the line of sight, blocked this section of the mountain road, and temporarily blocked the battle between the two sides.

For the first time in days, the two armies formally ceased fighting.

Goshuhan's lip was completely split.But with such heavy rain, he had no way to launch an offensive, so he could only wait.How can the sergeants rush up when they can't even see the road clearly in the heavy rain, and they step into the air anytime and anywhere?

Seeing that the time limit given by the Supreme was about to be exceeded, the morale of the whole army was in a slump. Ge Shuhan sat alone in the handsome tent, staring at the heavy rain outside the tent, without saying a word.

The curtain was lifted, and Xiao Yi's pale face appeared at the door of the tent: "Marshal."

Ge Shuhan was shocked at first, and then said angrily: "You don't take good care of your wounds, why are you running around in such a heavy rain!"

Xiao Yi smiled, got into the big tent, took off his coir raincoat, cupped his hands and said, "Commander, I have something to say."

The thick sackcloth wrapped around his arms and legs was already wet from the rain. Under the dim candlelight, it was hard to see whether the traces on them were water marks or blood stains. His face and even his lips were so pale that they had lost blood. Too much, and I haven't slowed down yet.

Ge Shuhan snorted heavily, got up and pressed Xiao Yi beside him, pushed over a cup of hot tea, and said, "Talk after drinking tea!"

Xiao Yi smiled gratefully, took a sip of the teacup in his hand, the tea was added with minced flax ginger and salt, it was very fragrant, and after one sip, his whole body was warm.He was not in a hurry to speak, he drank the whole cup of tea slowly, put down the cup, and said: "Commander, this rain is so heavy, the general has an idea, we might as well take advantage of the rainy night to attack the mountains. "

He didn't wait for Ge Shuhan to question, and explained: "The rain is so heavy that it is an obstacle to us, but it is also an opportunity. The Japanese army never thought that we could launch an offensive in such weather, and the defense must be negligent. Siege is more effective with half the effort."

Ge Shuhan frowned and said: "But the mountain road is difficult to walk in the first place. The road is slippery in the heavy rain. It was my lard that caught my heart and asked the soldiers to light up torches and walk. They would all be doused by the heavy rain. How can I go up the mountain?"

"Rope." Xiao Yi replied, "I climbed up first with the rope on my back, and set buckles along the way, so that the soldiers can grope up the mountain along this ropeway. With the protection of the rope, they will not go in the wrong direction. It is a real kick." You can also rely on something when you step into the air. What do you think the commander-in-chief?"

Ge Shuhan looked at his leg: "Your injury..."

Xiao Yi smiled: "It doesn't matter, it's just a skin injury."

Ge Shuhan snorted: "Skin trauma? You are still in pain during the day and can't get up. Now tell me about skin trauma? You look like this, and you can't walk steadily. How can you climb a mountain?"

Xiao Yi slowly withdrew his smile: "It can only be a skin trauma." His right hand hung down under the large case, a smooth and moist jade disc slipped into the palm of his hand, Xiao Yi gently stroked the jade disc with almost devout movements , his tone unknowingly softened, "Commander, the last general didn't intend to seek death, and the last general still wants to return to Chang'an alive. If the general has other methods to take down Shibao City, the last general will not automatically Do not try your best to recommend yourself, but now time is waiting for no one. If you can’t fight within the time limit, Jie Shuai, you, and the last general, no one will survive. If you don’t move at this time, you will die. If you move, there is still a chance of life .”

He closed his fists and held the jade bi in the palm of his hand: "Marshal, let the last general try it."

Maybe we will never meet again in this life, Arthur, you and me, wait for the next life.

Rong Xiang, who was far away in Chang'an, was slowly walking out of the prime minister's mansion with a small brocade box in his arms.

The city of Chang'an under curfew is silent at this time, and the bright moon is shining brightly, neither can illuminate the corners under the eaves, nor can it illuminate Rong Xiang's face under the veiled hat.

In the eighth year of Tianbao, in the seventh month of fire, the coalition forces of the four towns of the Tang Dynasty conquered Shibao City, an important town on the border between the Han and the Tibetans.

People in the world praised "the desert is intimidating, and the loyalty is a sense of the universe", but no one dared to say to Xuanzong, "Don't you see, Qinghai head, no one has collected the bones in ancient times."

In this battle, the Tang army had a total of more than [-] casualties, and the Longyou army lost three out of ten of them.

The Fan army killed 750 people and captured 430 people.

The casualty ratio was 33 to one.

Ge Shuhan, who returned triumphantly, received a news like a bolt from the blue before he had time to describe the details of the battle to Xuanzong.

Wang Zhongsi, less than half a month before his arrival in Beijing, died of illness in Chang'an Wangzhai at the end of Tianbao's eighth year at the age of 45.

Stars fall, ghosts and gods cry, the world shakes, and the three armies disappear.

Lishan, Huaqing Palace.

"Yuhuan, do you think I was too hard on Wang Zhongsi?"

"The concubine doesn't know these things, but there is always reason for what Sanlang does, so I can't think of it wrong."

"This time, I seem to have really gone too far." Xuanzong sighed deeply, "I didn't expect that he would die because of this."

The imperial concubine stretched out her white and smooth arms to embrace Xuanzong, and said softly: "I don't understand military affairs, I just remember that I once raised a raccoon slave when I was a child. After they died, I raised many more and took good care of them all the time, and treated them so well that none of them suffered the same misfortune.”

Xuanzong finally smiled: "After all, I'm still a child, I only know about cats and dogs. What are I talking about with you, Yuhuan, please give me a dance."

The imperial concubine smiled sweetly, her colors boundless.

The sky is heavy and the night is still young,

Biyun fairy song dance neon clothes;

A jade flute fills the air,

The moon is full and the Lishan Palace is long.

As soon as the beauties dance around the world, the king never goes to court early.

In the ten years of Tianbao, An Lushan was good at enforcing border affairs, killing good people and pretending to be meritorious, and Long Yan was very happy. An Lushan used this credit to make up for the Jiedu envoy of Hedong.

In the eleventh year of Tianbao, Li Linfu died of illness. In the same year, Yang Guozhong became prime minister and competed with An Lushan for power.Yang Guozhong wrote to Xuanzong that An Lushan had objections, but Xuanzong did not believe it.Yang Guozhong asked An Lushan to come to Beijing. He said: "An Lushan will not come if there is a slight rebellion. Your majesty will know after trying it."

Xuanzong understood Yang Guozhong's meaning, after all, Wang Zhong's successor Yin Jian is not far away.

Unexpectedly by Yang Guozhong, An Lushan came and cried to Xuanzong with tears in his eyes: "My minister, Hu'er, is so loved by the sage that he has such a position. He was originally loyal, but Yang Xiang was suspicious, and the minister's death is not far away!"

Feeling ashamed, Xuanzong granted Anlu Mountain the post of Horse Supervisor, allowing him to control the world's army and horses.An Lushan also asked for rewards on the grounds of defeating Khitan, but because there were too many meritorious persons to report them all, Xuanzong gave him more than [-] blank confessions, and let An Lushan award the rewards himself.

In the twelfth year of Tianbao, Ge Shuhan, the envoy of Longyou Jiedu in Hexi Province, suffered a sudden wind attack because of his good wine and sensuality.

In the 20th year of Tianbao, Anlu Mountain raised troops in Fanyang, and the world was in chaos.When Ge Shuhan was in danger, he was sick and ordered to guard Tongguan, and the pass was broken. The last [-] troops of the Central Committee of the Tang Dynasty died in this battle. Ge Shuhan was coerced by his subordinates to surrender and was killed a few years later.

Behind Tongguan's natural barrier is the endlessly prosperous Chang'an City.

Xuanzong, who had been making dizzy moves, was really scared, and he no longer had the courage to resist, so he fled to the middle of the night. Except for the imperial guards and personal eunuchs guarding him, he only brought noble concubines and a few princes and grandchildren with him. All the internal officials were abandoned in Chang'an.

Following the eastern capital Luoyang, the imperial capital Chang'an is about to become the second hell on earth.

Rong Xiang stood on the top of the building, looking at the smoke and dust outside Chang'an City.

This day has finally come.

Some people did what Jie Shuai would rather die than do.

If Jieshuai is still there, he would not dare to turn against Anlu Mountain if he wants to come.

Unfortunately, there is no if.

At least at that time, Jie Shuai died without complaint or regret.

He seldom respected a person sincerely. In this life, he probably only respected his grandfather sincerely. Wang Zhongsi was the second one.

Presumably, it will also be the last one.

He remembered the scene of that day so clearly, and it was still vivid in his mind after several years.

It was a hot afternoon, the cicadas were singing, and the trees were quiet. Rong Xiang walked into the palace slowly, holding the small brocade box.

Wang Zhongsi put down the pen in his hand and asked, "Is it time?"

Rong Xiang gently put the brocade box on the case, and knelt down opposite Wang Zhongsi: "Well, it's time."

Wang Zhongsi removed the paperweight, gently dried the ink on the paper, carefully rolled it up and put it on the table, washed his hands, and opened the brocade box.

In the small brocade box is a golden pill.

Wang Zhongsi picked up the elixir, but the elixir automatically turned into two halves.

Neat two halves.

Wang Zhongsi let go of his slender and strong fingers, and let the pill fall back into the brocade box. After a moment of silence, he cupped his hands and smiled: "Thank you, I have a heart."

Rong Xiang turned sideways, did not receive this gift, but felt a little relieved in her heart.

Originally he did all this for Xiao Yi, it didn't matter whether Wang Zhongsi understood it or not, but since he understood it, thank you, it was much better than his own painstaking planning but not being known to others.

Also growing up in the palace since he was a child, he knew that Wang Zhongsi had recognized this elixir.

Half a golden pill.

The name of this elixir is called half-grain golden elixir.

Because it kills, only half a grain is needed.After taking half of this golden pill, he would gradually wither away and die within a few months. The process was extremely painful and there was no cure.

But if you take the whole pill at the same time, you will die very quickly.

It really is a miracle drug.

Half a grain of golden elixir has always been a secret medicine in the palace, and people outside the palace don't even know the existence of this secret medicine.

Wang Zhongsi didn't know how much effort Rong Xiang had spent to get the other half of the golden pill, and he didn't know how Rong Xiang would make it through if he died suddenly after taking the whole pill, and how much he would pay for it. cost.But he knew that it was difficult to achieve this step.

So, he wants to thank.

Rong Xiang said softly: "Just treat it as my filial piety for Xiao Yi, there is not much I can do."

Wang Zhongsi smiled slightly, poured a cup of clear water for himself, picked up the elixir, took half of it, and threw the other half into the incense burner next to it.

Rong Xiang's complexion changed drastically, and he stood up: "Jie Shuai!"

Wang Zhongsi patted Rong Xiang's shoulder lightly, and said: "It's okay." He closed the brocade box and put it back on the desk, "To borrow a word from you, I have the right to be a filial piety. There are not many things I can do now. gone."

Rong Xiang was really stunned.

At this moment, he suddenly and completely understood Wang Zhongsi's heart.

Sudden death, although there is no pain, but the world will question the cause of his death, and Xuanzong's reputation will inevitably be damaged.

And gradually emaciated and died, he himself was in great pain, but dying like this is more like dying in depression after leaving the job.This is entirely due to Wang Zhongsi's narrow-mindedness, and he can't think about it, but it has nothing to do with Supreme.

And with such a death, Wang Zhongsi didn't die at the hands of Rong Xiang, Rong Xiang was just completely obeying orders and couldn't help himself.

Until the end of Jieshuai's death, he still only has others in his heart, so he has no room for himself.

Rong Xiang could no longer restrain his emotions, bowed to the ground, and burst into tears.

The author has something to say: ("Warning the desert, loyalty and sense of heaven and earth" - "The Work of Congratulating Dr. Geshu with Li Yuanwai", Tang, Gao Shi)

("Don't you see, Qinghai head, the bones have never been collected in ancient times." - "Soldiers and Chariots", Tang, Du Fu)

("The sky is dark and the night is still young, and the green clouds are singing and dancing in neon clothes; a jade flute fills the sky, and the moon is full and the Lishan Palace is long." - "Huaqing Palace", Tang, Zhang Said)

----------------------

This is the second time that I have written myself to the point of crying.

For the first time in my life, I challenged to write about real people who have existed in history. I am overwhelmed, but not doing so is not enough to vent my grief.

From the limited historical materials in my hands, I can't completely outline the image of Wang Zhongsi. I only know that his life was also praised and criticized, with ups and downs, and finally died in depression.

What moved me was the conversation between him and Li Guangbi.

Li Guangbi said to Zhongsi: "Because he loves soldiers and soldiers, he doesn't want to succeed in extending the glory. Although he is forced to make books, he actually robs him of his plan. How do you know it? Today, tens of thousands of people teach it without setting up heavy rewards. The soldiers are willing to do their best! However, this is what the Son of Heaven intends, and he has no merit, so it must be blamed on the doctor. The doctor’s army is in charge, why don’t you love tens of thousands of pieces of silk and not use Du Qi’s slander!" Zhong Si said: "Now use the number Thousands of people fight for a city, and if they get it, it is not enough to control the enemy, and if they don't, it will not harm the country, so the loyal heir does not want to do it. Now the loyal heir is responsible for the emperor, but Jinwu and Habayashi are the generals who return to the guardian, and the second is only the central and upper Guizhou. Zuo; how can a loyal heir change an official with the life of tens of thousands of people! General Li, I love me sincerely, but I am determined, so don't say anything again." Guangbi said: "I'm afraid I will be a burden to the doctor, so I don't Don't dare to say anything. Today's doctor can do the things of the ancients, which is beyond the reach of Guangbi." Then he stepped out. ——"Zi Zhi Tong Jian Tang Ji 31"

Because of this conversation, I respect this man from the bottom of my heart.It is also because of this dialogue that this story exists.

The following plot already has a framework, but it probably won't be written soon. In troubled times, life is as cheap as a dog. Writing this kind of plot is too uncomfortable.

☆, broken city