Hanhou

The witch Wei Qing'e invited was an old man over fifty years old.His hair is gray, his face is full of dimples, his eyes can no longer be seen, he is dressed in a slightly worn-out short brown, with a pair of straw sandals on his feet, and a walking stick made of elm in his hand. Just by looking at him, no one would think of him will be a witch.

Wu was accompanied by a young man, about eleven or twelve years old, with a strong body and a thick head and a thick head, which was very likable.

The big cart was parked in front of the livestock farm, the young man jumped off the fence first, then helped the old man out of the cart, and said: "Father, we have arrived at Zhao's livestock farm."

Wei Qing'e came forward first, and invited the old man to rest in the wooden house.At the same time, Wei Qiu was asked to inform Zhao Jia that the sorcerer had arrived, and he could send people to the two villages according to the regulations set before, and invite the villagers to come to the livestock farm.

"I've seen the girl." The young man saluted Wei Qing'e and said, "The girl sent someone to tell me that the head of the Huns was going to be sacrificed, but is it true?"

"Indeed." Wei Qingmo nodded, and was about to explain in detail, when there was a sudden sound of footsteps behind him, he turned his head and found that it was Zhao Jiazheng walking quickly.

Compared with a few days ago, Zhao Jia's complexion was much better, and he no longer looked seriously injured and weak.

Mrs. Sun kept in mind the doctor's words, and in order to replenish Zhao Jia's body, she kept eating meat and meat. In addition to the cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks in the livestock farm, she also sent people to hunt a lot of wild animals.Yellow sheep and rabbits are not uncommon, and wild wolves can bring back two every now and then.Ji Bao and Wei Chuan worked together and caught a black bear in the forest.

After such a meal, as the doctor said, Zhao Jia's injury improved rapidly, and he became more energetic day by day.Although it is not yet possible to draw a bow and shoot arrows, there is no problem in going out on horseback.

Knowing that Wu had arrived at the livestock farm, Zhao Jia put aside what he was doing and hurried over. When he saw the old man who got off the carriage, he immediately stood still and saluted.

"Meet the elders."

Wu is not a good family, but in terms of social status, it is higher than merchants, craftsmen and even medical craftsmen.A virtuous witch will be respected by the villagers.But Zhao Jia had a title, the old man still turned sideways to avoid his salute, and at the same time patted the young man beside him, asking him to salute Zhao Jia on his behalf.

"I've met Mr. Lang." The boy's expression was filled with excitement.

The story that Zhao Jia led the villagers to resist the Xiongnu has long been heard, and it has been heard in counties and towns far and near.The young man learned from the old man, and he will become a witch in the future, but this does not prevent him from vowing to take up weapons and go to the battlefield one day to kill the bandits from the north.

After a while, Uncle Hu and Uncle Xiong, who was still a little weak, came one after another and greeted the old man respectively.It turned out that the three were old acquaintances. When Zhao Gongcao was alive, the old man had sacrificed to the frontier soldiers and young men who died in battle.

"Lang Jun, after the sacrifice, all the sacrifices need to be burned." The old man said, his voice was extremely hoarse, as if it had been sanded.Zhao Jia observed carefully and found a long scar on the old man's neck, extending from behind the ear to the collar.

Understanding the meaning of the old man's words, Zhao Jia said: "Everything should be done according to the rules, please take care of the old man."

If the head is burned, naturally it cannot be counted as military exploits.

Zhao Jia didn't care. He fought to the death with the Huns, and the young adults and villagers who survived didn't care either.

"Okay." The old man nodded and declined the suggestion to rest in the wooden hut. He asked the young man to help him walk in the farm and chose a place to build the altar.

There is a set of rules for sacrificing the dead who died in battle, and mistakes and omissions are not allowed.

The old man chooses the location, and the young and strong build the altar together with the woman, and set up a firewood pile in front of the altar. After the sacrificial oration is finished, the sacrifice coefficient is thrown into the fire and burned.

"Take ten sheep and one cow, and then make steamed cakes."

In addition to the heads of the Huns, other items used for sacrifices should also be prepared in full.

After writing down the regulations narrated by the old man, Zhao Jia joined the team to build the altar.As soon as the stakes were erected, villagers came one after another. Needless to say, the logs that should be cut, the piles that should be built, and the heads of the Xiongnu that had been chopped off before were all carried out and placed in front of the pile.

"Elder, please state the sacrificial oration, and Jialai will record it."

"it is good."

Generally speaking, the sacrificial oracle is dictated by the shaman, but those with conditions will be recorded and burned together with the sacrifice.

Everyone worked together, and the altar, pyre and sacrifices were quickly prepared.

As the sun began to slant westward, the young man took the dark clothes from the carriage to help the old man change, and also brought a copper bell engraved with seal characters, and handed it to the old man.

Zhao Jia and the villagers stood under the altar, and the old man climbed up the altar alone without the support of the young man.When he moved, his footsteps were extremely steady, his slightly stooped figure became straight, his skinny hands suddenly exerted force, and the copper bell made a crisp sound, which hit the ear drum directly.

"Feast!"

Accompanied by a deep drink, Qing Zhuang, who had been ordered in advance, threw the torch into the pyre.The flames rose, and the orange sparks continued to explode and scatter.

"Feast!"

The old man let out another deep cry, raised his foot and stepped down hard, the altar seemed to tremble.

"Return of the soul!"

The continuous sound of copper bells, accompanied by the old man's footsteps, formed a strange melody.

The old man began to recite the sacrificial oration, not in Zhao Jia's familiar tone, the ending was elongated, and suddenly became short again, as if the bells were running out and the cymbals were playing together, hitting directly into his mind.

The flames flew up and down, the voice of the old man kept rising, and the sound of footsteps became heavier and heavier.

Under the altar, men, women, young and old all wore their hair in buns, stomped their feet to the sound of copper bells, and chanted the sacrificial rites with the old man, their voices were hoarse, almost screaming at the heaven and earth.

In the ancient melody, Zhao Jia and the others repeated the same movements together, raising their feet and dropping them down forcefully, with increasing strength, as if they wanted to crush the ground.

During the movement, the body continued to heat up, and the consciousness became blurred. Facing the soaring flames, a familiar face seemed to appear in front of his eyes.

He Lao who taught him about grasslands, Ah Man who is excellent at calligraphy and martial arts, a young man who smiles at the edge of the field, a woman who is holding a reed chicken and making soup for him, and a young man who holds a sheep whip and vows to join the army...

Faces flashed in front of my eyes, either familiar or unfamiliar, and eventually they were all stained red with blood, and were swallowed by the fire amidst the clanging of weapons and the piercing shouts of killing, without leaving any traces.

"Feast!"

After the sacrificial oration was finished, the old man stopped his movements, and the ringing of the bell stopped abruptly.

Zhao Jia came back to his senses, his body trembled slightly, unconsciously, his face was wet, his eyes were covered by salty tears, and everything he saw was hazy.

On the altar, the old man bowed down to worship, Zhao Jia stepped forward, threw the sacrificial text into the fire, then grabbed the head of a Hun and threw it into the fire.

In an instant, all emotions were ignited, Wei Qingmo, Hu Bo, Xiong Bo, Qing Zhuang, women, young people... Every time a head is thrown, the flames will jump and fly, just like the spirit of a dead hero to the living. The nostalgia of the past, so as to return to the world.

Zhao Xin and Zhao Puonu looked at the flames, thinking of the three Ah Man who could hardly find their bodies, they couldn't help crying bitterly.

They didn't cry when they wandered in the grassland; they didn't cry when they were hunted down by herdsmen;However, looking at the raging flames and thinking of their lost companions, they could no longer hold back their tears and broke down on the spot.

Gongsun Ao pressed the shoulders of the two of them, his eyes were also red and his voice was choked up.

Wei Qing and Ah Zhi stood by the fire, their faces reddened by the flames, looking at the weeping boy, their eyes reflected the sadness, perseverance and maturity that shouldn't belong to children.

Flames soared into the sky, and the night sky seemed to be dyed red.

The old man stepped down from the altar, sweating profusely all over his body, his straight back bowed again.

"Thank you, elder!" Zhao Jia cupped his hands deeply.

Behind him, everyone bowed down to the old man with tears on their faces.

The old man nodded slightly, and was supported by the young man to the side of the fire.He was to stand guard here, to make sure that the offerings were consumed and the flames burned until dawn.

"Ji Bao." Zhao Jia called the healthy servant in a hoarse voice, and asked him to fetch the sheepskin to protect the old man from the cold.

Mrs. Sun offered hot soup, but the old man shook his head and declined politely. His blind eyes opened, and the gray pupils reflected the firelight, as if they were transparent.

Zhao Jia wrapped himself in a sheepskin, walked to the old man and sat down.The villagers also did not leave, either snuggled up to each other, or stood alone, and guarded the fire together.

Even though the cold winter was over, the night wind was still bone-chillingly cold.

Zhao Jia sat by the fire, wrapped in sheepskin, but still couldn't completely dispel the chill.

Wei Qing and Ah Zhi walked over together, and under Zhao Jia's surprised gaze, they took the initiative to lean into his arms.The two moved in unison, with their arms folded in front of their bodies, their faces tensed, their ears slightly red, and they didn't say a word for a long time.

Zhao Jia smiled, wrapped the two children in sheepskin, and said softly, "Thank you."

Wei Qing and Ah Zhi still didn't make a sound, they grabbed Zhao Jia's lapel and pressed their fingers hard, refusing to let go for a long time.

Wei Qingmo took another sheepskin and put it on Zhao Jia.Hold Zhao Jia's back with one hand, and pat lightly like when he was a child.Wei Xia and Wei Qiu stood beside Wei Qing'e, like two silent shadows.

After an unknown amount of time, the silence was suddenly broken.

A young girl at the age of cardamom raised her voice and sang the unique tune of the frontier fortress.

The girl's voice was clear, and the singing was mixed with crying.

Her Aunt died at the hands of the Huns, and her brother was seriously injured, and barely saved his life, but his arm was crippled.Grandma told her not to cry, and told her that all the men in the cloud should do the same.

The bravery of Yanzhao and the fierceness of Qin Feng, even though the years and dynasties have changed, the people living in this land have never changed.When men die in battle, there are still women, and when women die, there are still children. They have never shown weakness to a strong enemy, let alone surrender!

Enmity must be reported, hatred must be paid in the end!

Blood for blood, tooth for tooth!

As long as there is still one breath left, I will drag the villain together to meet the King of Hades!

The girl's voice swirled with the wind, flowing in the night.

Zhao Jia held Wei Qing and Ah Zhi in his arms, looked up at the stars all over the sky, his eyes were astringent, and he couldn't shed a single tear, but there was a raging fire burning in his chest.

"One day, my Han family will step on the grassland and kill the Xiongnu!"

The bonfire burned all night, until a thin line of white belly turned out in the sky, and the flames in the pyre had just been extinguished.

"Crush them all and bury them in the ground." Wu stood up and directed everyone to bury the remaining black ash bones deep in the ground.Afterwards, the altar was dismantled, and a row of wooden stakes were smashed in the place where the sacrifices had been made.

"Elder, please stay for half a day and go after eating."

Zhao Jia sincerely wanted to stay, but was declined by the shaman, saying that he would go to Yunzhong City to preside over another sacrifice.

Seeing this, Zhao Jia didn't want to force him, but he just asked him to take a step slowly, let Gongsun Ao and Zhao Xin go to the kitchen to fetch the newly made steamed cakes and jerky, and asked Hu Bo to open the storeroom and fetch the packed millet Shu, and send them to the old man's cart together.

When everything was settled, Zhao Jia rode on the bay red horse and sent the old man away from the livestock farm.After traveling for nearly five miles, he watched the cart disappear in front of him before turning back.

I don't want to just turn the horse's head when there is a rush of hoofbeats behind me.

Zhao Jia looked back and saw a group of cavalry galloping from the direction of Yunzhong City.The leader was dressed in black armor, with a long knife at his waist, and a strong bow hanging from his horse's back.

"Third son?"

The one who recognized was Wei Yue, Zhao Jia showed surprise, before he stepped forward, the former had already pulled the reins, slowed down, and rode his horse over.

Zhao Jia got off his horse and was about to salute Wei Yue.

Wei Yue stopped Zhao Jia, grabbed his arm, pulled him in front of him, opened his hand that was still wrapped in cloth, and frowned.Zhao Jia tried to smoke twice, but he couldn't draw it back, feeling a little embarrassed for no reason.

"Where else is injured?" Wei Yue asked, without the usual smile on his face.

"No...not heavy, everything is fine." Zhao Jia wanted to deny it, but swallowed it back.This is no wonder to him, once Wei Yue gets serious, the pressure is really extraordinary.

Who would have thought that the third young master of Wei, who smiled gently and elegantly, like a spring breeze, would really make people's scalp numb and cold from the top of the head to the soles of the feet once his face was expressionless.

After confirming that Zhao Jia was telling the truth, Wei Yue breathed a sigh of relief, let go of Zhao Jia's hand, and smiled again on his face: "I heard what Ah Weng said, Ah Duo led the villagers to meet the enemy, stop the Xiongnu who sneaked into the county, and immediately Great work."

Yi Zhixie's army retreated, Wei Yue was ordered to pursue, and led his cavalry to chase all the way to the grassland, beheading more than [-] levels.Still encountering the headquarters of Yizhixie, the scouts found another army of the Huns, so Wei Yue had no choice but to lead the army back.Due to chasing too far, I just returned to the cloud yesterday.

While the two were talking, another cavalry came from the city and conveyed Wei Taishou's password, saying that the Xiongnu who attacked Dingxiang County seemed to be retreating, and Wei Yue was asked to return to the city quickly to discuss the matter of sending troops to pursue them.

The military situation is urgent and cannot be delayed, Wei Yue quickly jumped on the horse.Before leaving, he took a short knife from the horse and handed it to Zhao Jia.

"It's from the prairie. Hodor should like it."

After saying that, without waiting for Zhao Jia to open his mouth, he pulled the reins abruptly and whistled. The cavalry, just like when they came, galloped like lightning, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The third son of Wei came and went like the wind. Zhao Jia stood in the same place, raised the short knife in his hand, and found that the body of the knife was made of iron, the handle was wrapped in gold, and the end was a copper ring. If you look carefully, you will find two horses engraved on the ring. Prairie wolves biting each other.

Such utensils, don't even think about other savage knights, ordinary leaders of expensive species may not be able to have them.Zhao Jia couldn't help but wonder, didn't the third son of Wei kill some of Maodun's direct blood relatives?

Not to mention Zhao Jia's lawsuit, Wei Yuechi returned to Yunzhong City, saw the flying cavalry sent by Dingxiang, combined with the news sent back by the scouts, confirmed that the Xiongnu who attacked Dingxiang had indeed begun to retreat, and immediately asked Wei Shang to fight, ready to lead The cavalry under his command entered the grassland again and intercepted and killed the retreating Hun cavalry.

"When the Xiongnu army retreats, they must leave the barbarian cavalry behind, and then the cavalry from the two counties will chase after them."

Wei Yue's proposal was quickly adopted, and Yun Zhongqi, who had rested for less than a day after returning to the city, reorganized his troops again, led by scouts, and killed King Youguli's army.

At the same time, the news of Yi Zhixie's withdrawal spreads, and the military minister Shan Yu is furious, threatening to punish Yi Zhixie severely.

The Bank of China, who was on the expedition with the army, came forward to stop him. He did not plead for Yi Zhixie directly, but whispered to Shanyu a few times. The enraged military official suddenly became gloomy, and gritted his teeth: "What you said is true?"

"Da Shanyu doesn't believe it, you can arrest the maids and slaves around the Da Yan family, and torture them to find out."

"Okay, okay!" Military minister Shan Yu's face turned livid.

Before he died, the woman of the Da Yue clan colluded with Shan behind his back, what was she trying to do? !

"Da Shanyu, King Zuoxian's army is very strong, and he left 3000 men to guard the big tent earlier." The bank said and added that the act of contacting the Da Yan family easily planted the seeds of doubt in the heart of the military minister Shanyu. It doesn't take long for it to take root.

The military officer Shanyu's expression changed a few times, and he finally made a decision to ask Yi Zhixie to hand over [-] fat sheep, [-] cows, and [-] camels, and not to be held accountable for the unauthorized withdrawal of troops this time.At the same time, an order was given to King Youguli to withdraw his troops from Dingxiang and return to Gongwei Wangting as soon as possible.

Knowing that the purpose has been achieved, the Bank of China said that it did not say anything more.Thinking of Da Yan's killing intent several times, slandering him in front of Shan Yu, and even sending someone to inquire about the prescriptions he took, he couldn't help but sneer.

He doesn't mind helping a fool who thinks he's smart.