Those years when I climbed the wall

The cock crows several times, and the east is pale.

Amid the rapid sound of horseshoes, three armored figures galloped out along the mountain path and stopped at the foot of the mountain.

The leader pointed forward: "The front is Qingyang Town, and sixty miles to the north after this is the border of Youguo. If there is no accident, we will arrive before nightfall." Turning around: "Your Majesty, we will be here Let's change clothes."

Mu Yunqi nodded.The three of them got off their horses and took off their armors, and put on the usual businessman's clothes in the frontier.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Chongning gently pulled Guo Kai: "General Guo, we have been galloping for two hours, and it is dawn now. We have arrived at Qingyang Town, can we rest for a while?"

Knowing that he was worried and overwhelmed, Guo Kai nodded quickly: "Okay! We have to eat some food there, and the horses also need to drink and rest. After that, we will not stop until we reach the border of Youguo."

Looking back at the undulating mountains behind him, Mu Yunqi was uneasy: "If you stop so quickly, if the pursuers come after you, wouldn't it be a waste of success?"

Lu Chongning reassured: "The officials are at ease, the effect of the medicine can last at least two hours." Looking at the light blue sky above his head, "Zeng Wuhua may not be sober at this time. As for Shao Xianggong, it is necessary to go up and down the mountain to reach the tower. After about an hour, we waited for him to catch up, and we were already dozens of miles away."

"This statement is true." Guo Kai agreed.

Seeing his swearing, Mu Yunqi's hanging heart temporarily rested half an inch.He got on his horse and went on, and turned to Lu Chongning and joked: "Zeng Wuhua is such a cautious person, but you have been tricked by you again and again. This time, you took away the token. It is a great shame. If we meet again in the future, you can think about how to deal with it." ?”

The man was pointless: "I am acting according to the order! Besides, I repeated my old tricks, but he didn't take any precautions. Isn't he stupid? Even if we meet again, he still has the face to question me?"

This remark was insincere, and even Guo Kai noticed it, and interjected with a smile: "At first glance, this matter has nothing to do with Brother Lu. It was me and Xun Miao who invited General Zeng to come here, and it was me who charmed him, so in the future If we meet each other, Brother Lu can blame us both."

A look of happiness flashed across his eyes, but Lu Chongning still didn't appreciate it: "Husband, dare to be brave! I'm not afraid of him..." The words were like this, but the voice was soft, and there was really no confidence at all.

The outline of Qingyang Town appeared ahead.The three stopped talking and stepped up their horses.After stopping in the town for a short rest, we went on the road again.Just as Guo Kai expected, all he saw along the way were merchants and traders from the two countries, and the three of them were really inconspicuous among them, so the journey was smooth and smooth, without meeting any medicine men or pursuing soldiers.By noon, the journey was over halfway. If we continued on like this, we would definitely be able to enter the border of Youguo before nightfall.

The envoy Mu Yunqi sent to Youguo set off a day earlier than he waited, knowing that he could not wait for Huo Lanxian to reply, Mu Yun prayed that the envoy would inform him that he would arrive at the place a hundred miles south of Yunjing in three days. In Changchun Town, I hope he will deploy according to his plan, and send people to pretend to be the envoys of the He Dynasty to wait there, and follow him to the south.So after he entered Youguo, he turned eastward and headed straight for Changchun Town.

Unexpectedly, after rushing all the way, seeing that the sky was going to be dusk, and less than [-] miles away, he entered the border of Youguo, but was blocked by a river of ten feet: the pontoon bridge here was broken!

After inquiring, I learned that the bridge was broken by several horses crossing the river with heavy loads at noon. At that time, people and horses fell into the water. Fortunately, the rescue was timely and no one was injured, but the bridge was difficult to repair for a while.Since some impatient people ventured across the river on the ice, but this winter is not very cold, and the river here is wide, even the thin and weak people will have to go back the same way when they find signs of cracking the ice when they walk in the river.

At this point, it seems that we have to take a detour: there are rumors that there is another pontoon bridge tens of miles upstream from this place, but because the road is far away and there are bandits infested, few people have ever gone there, so I don't know if this news is true.Things have come to this point, they had no choice but to put all their eggs in one basket, and the three of them galloped upstream.After walking for about an hour, seeing the evening clouds and the sky getting darker and darker, but overlooking the river, the visible place is still deserted, and there is no shadow of the pontoon bridge at all, the three of them are anxious.

"Hiss—" There was a long hiss from the side, and Mu Yunqi reined in his horse.

"Fraud!" Guo Kai shouted.

"What's wrong?" Lu Chongning asked urgently, taking the reins back.

"The rope for tripping the horse!" Guo Kai said in a low voice.

As soon as the words fell, he heard the sound of horseshoes coming from nearby. Hearing the sound, he looked sideways and saw several black shadows in the woods surrounding him.

The rumored thief? ?

Mu Yunqi was hesitating, when he saw Guo Kai leaning over and swung his sword downwards, he turned his head: "The rope that tripped the horse has been broken, Mr. Lang will take advantage of the gap to go ahead, I will deal with it here!"

Before answering, Mu Yun followed the voice and looked again, but there were only a dozen or so people who came.Shaking his head: "No need!" If the comer is an ordinary robber, the three of them should be able to resist it, but if it is a medicine man, no one can escape.

"Mr. Lang!" Guo Kai was in a hurry, but he didn't have time to persuade him, and the wanton laughter had already entered his ears.

"Don't follow the open road, but choose the secret road, the boy is bold!" The leader stood in front of the horse, and the leader threatened him when he opened his mouth.Looking at the three of them in the early moonlight, he snorted: "A few ascetic merchants? Be sensible, keep your property and horses, and you can leave later."

It is seeking money!The three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Guo Kai rode his horse two steps forward, cupping his fists: "We have disturbed you all by mistake by trespassing on the treasure land, so we should offer everything as an apology." Yan Jian took out the money bag from his arms and threw it, "Please accept these things with a smile, and then But the horses cannot be left behind, we are in a hurry, and we cannot lack the strength of our feet."

Weighing the money bag, the other person disdains: "Is this a vegetable market, you can bargain?" With a wave of his hand, several people behind him drew their knives and surrounded them.

Mu Yunqi secretly held the sword hanging on the side.

"Keep the horse or keep the life, you see!" The voice of the voice was impatient.

"Since that's the case—" the voice was full of hostility, and Guo Kai suddenly raised his hands: "It's better, keep your head!"

The sword fell, and the head fell to the ground!The remnant of the horse stopped for a moment before falling straight down.

The melee is imminent.

There were more than a dozen bandits, but luckily they were all ordinary, Guo Kai and Lu Chongning were able to deal with them with ease.Just when Mu Yunqi thought that this fight would end in a complete victory for his own side, he suddenly saw Guo Kai's upper body swaying, as if he was in a trance and almost fell off the horse!

Seeing a knife slashing towards his face, Mu Yunqi drew his sword and stepped forward to block him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another figure attacking, stabbed the predecessor and turned back. At the moment of the attacker's throat, a crossbow|arrow also pierced through the bandit's chest!

Seeing that the situation was not going well, the remaining two thieves rode their horses to escape, but they couldn't beat Fei Yu with all four hooves, and they were shot one after another in the blink of an eye, falling off the horse and dying.

A fight ended here.

The sound of horseshoes approaching behind him.Mu Yunqi had no time to take care of it, so he drew his sword and stared at Guo Kai: "What's wrong with you?"

Calming down, he raised his hand to wipe away the blood from the corner of his mouth: "No problem."

After thinking for a while, Mu Yunqi suddenly realized: "It's the poison..."

"Your servant can last for a while." Interrupted softly, Guo Kai rode his horse back and bowed his hands to those who came, "Thank you, Mr. Shao, for saving your life."

Sighing secretly, Mu Yunqi then turned around.

The voice of the people was angry: "You are already in danger, but you still encourage the imperial driver to go northward, what should you do?" It was Guo Kai who asked.

Silent for a while.

"Jing Heng, you know I have to go back to Beijing." Mu Yunqi said calmly but firmly, "Detours are the only feasible way."

"This plan is dangerous!" The person on the other side suppressed his anger: "Before King Jia has not persuaded the north to ask for it, I will send elite soldiers to clear the way for you. It will be successful."

Shaking his head, Mu Yun said kindly: "If you send troops first, you are provoking. Now the court is full of monsters, and all the ministers and officials don't know the truth. Once they agree to send troops to fight against rebellion, they will die! So I can't take this risk."

"Even so, you shouldn't take the risk alone." After a while of silence, Shao Jingheng's voice returned to calm, obviously not disagreeing with what he said.After a while, "At least, allow me to walk with you." Intentionally persistent.

Dazed for a moment, Mu Yunqi's eyes lit up: "You mean...don't stop me anymore?"

Two steps forward, the man was helpless: "Your Majesty has made up his mind, how can I stop you?" Looking across the river: "It's getting dark, and I know that there is a village not far from the river, so I went there to rest for a night, and I will go on my way tomorrow. stop."

Mu Yunqi frowned: "However, we have not found a pontoon bridge to cross the river."

The man smiled, and his voice penetrated the mystery: "Follow me."

Riding on the horse, after about half an hour, I saw a pontoon bridge.After crossing the bridge and walking for another hour, the outline of a house appeared in front of us.

"How can there be a village in such a desolate place?" Guo Kai was surprised. He remembered the map, which said that this place was on the border, which should be a desert, and it was difficult to find people.

Not in a hurry to clear up doubts, Shao Jingheng only ordered everyone to walk slowly.Sparks flickered in the open space ahead, gradually converging in one place, forming a jumping bright light to guide them forward.Finally, he was approaching, but the sight that came into his eyes shocked Mu Yunqi - dozens of people had gathered in front of the village, all of them armed with knives and guns, waiting in full force: they seemed to regard him as a robber who robbed houses!

"Jing Heng..." Turning his eyes hastily, he saw that the man rode his horse towards the crowd without any fear.

"You are..." The leader of the villagers stared at the visitor for a while, and his voice was suddenly joyful: "General Shao!" As soon as he said a word, he broke the silence behind him, and a group of people gathered around and came forward.

Shao Jingheng got off his horse and cupped his fists: "We passed by here tonight, we want to stop for a night, and disturb you, please forgive me!"

Immediately, the leader of the villagers waved his hand: "Didn't you hear that General Shao is going to stay here for the night, why don't you hurry up and get ready!"

The villagers dispersed as promised.Shao Jingheng also led the crowd into the village.

Going all the way, Mu Yunqi saw clearly that the "houses" he saw in the distance just now were actually yurts with round bodies and pointed roofs, and the clothes of those "villagers" were also far from those of the Han people. Huren no doubt.

The fire has been lit in the yurt, which is quite warm, and there are chairs and couches, all of which are covered with thick felt, which must be comfortable.

After settling down the guests, the leader bowed to Shao Jingheng: "The general sits down first, and I'll send someone to prepare meals." After saying that, he withdrew.

"Jing Heng, this is..." Pulling his sleeve, Mu Yunqi couldn't hide his confusion.

"These are the kind people I made friends outside of the Great Wall in the early years." The man smiled: "Because of the war, there is no place to live. I sympathize with them, so I lured them to settle here to avoid foreign invasion."

Mu Yunqi groaned for a moment, then he suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and his eyebrows jumped: "White Dragon Department?"

"The official is smart!" The man's praise came from his heart, but he didn't intend to hide it: "Although the Bailong tribe is a large force of the Qianghu, they have no intention of fighting. When they handed over the city they were stationed in, there were more than a thousand young and strong men. People were incorporated into the revitalization army by me, and women, children, old and weak lived here in peace."

"It's like this..." Yan Jian was led to sit in front of the couch by him, and the corners of Mu Yunqi's mouth moved slightly, suddenly revealing a sly look: "It turned out that the benefactor came, no wonder he waited as if seeing a god and Buddha appearing in the world!" He snorted softly: " You are very scheming to benevolent to the family first, and then to receive the elite soldiers!"

Hearing his sarcasm, Shao Jingheng remained calm, but bowed respectfully: "I took care of the barbarians privately, and I dare not shirk my responsibility for the crime. After returning to Beijing, I will let your majesty deal with it."

Have no fear!

Turning his head with a snort, Mu Yunqi resentfully said, "We'll talk about it when we return to Beijing."

In the polar region of the border, the flavor of the diet is far from that of the Central Plains. The meat is all grilled, and there are no fruits and vegetables.Fortunately, after half a day of raiding, everyone was already hungry, and there was nothing to be picky about, but the food that was served was quickly wiped out. Fortunately, there was enough food to fill their stomachs.

The night was dark.One person quietly walked out of the yurt.

It was approaching half a month, and the moonlight was a little brighter than last night.Only the wind is extremely cold, which makes people shiver.

There was the sound of the curtain being raised and lowered behind him, and Mu Yunqi turned his head.

"It's extremely cold here, if you catch cold, it will inevitably delay your trip." The clear moonlight and that handsome and prudent face added a new look.

Mu Yun begged for a moment of obedience: "It's a bit stuffy inside, I'll come back after blowing the wind for a while."

Without answering, Shao Jingheng led him to a smaller yurt nearby.He went in and sat down. After a while, he saw a Huren kid coming, put the tray in his hand on the case, and then retreated.

Looking at the two balls of charred objects on the plate, Mu Yunqi was confused.The moment the man picked up one and opened it, a sweet smell hit his nose—it was steamed buns!

Carefully peeling off the scorched outer skin, Shao Jingheng handed the remaining white and moist things to the stunned man, and said thoughtfully: "The dry food I brought when I came out, let's make do with it."

He opened his mouth but was speechless.Mu Yunqi took the steamed bun, bit his mouth carefully, suddenly felt the sweet fragrance on his cheeks, and suppressed the smell of mutton left in his throat by a lot.

Another small bowl was handed over: "I have had this goat's milk cooked, and the taste is much lighter. You can try it."

After a little hesitation, Mu Yunqi couldn't bear to accept his kindness after all, took a small sip from the bowl, I don't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that the smell was gone, and it was very sweet.

After eating, the man ordered someone to bring hot water. Although there is no tea cake and tea set for cooking tea, but in this situation, Mu Yunqi is satisfied.

Pour the hot water into a bowl and wait for it to cool. Mu Yunqi's eyes drooped slightly, and a blush quietly floated up from his side cheek: "I never knew that the mutton from the Northland could be so stinky..."

The man comforted him with gentle words: "It's not the meat from the north, but the roughness of the northerners. The meat is all roasted and eaten with almost no seasoning. Those who are not used to it will find it hard to swallow."

Mu Yunqi resentfully said, "But you and others can all be eaten..."

"We are warriors. When marching and fighting, it is good to have enough to eat." Nearly two inches in front of him, he took his hand and rubbed it in the palm of his hand, "Actually, many merchants, even the soldiers of the imperial army, were not used to this when they came north. Coarse food, but after a long time, I gradually get used to it." After a pause, his tone became more tactful, as if coaxing: "You have only been in the north for a few days, so it's not normal to be used to it. I brought some dry food this time, enough for you Deal with it in Changchun Town, because there is nothing to worry about."

"Really?" Looking up, Mu Yunqi's eyes were filled with gratification. Seeing him nodding, the corners of his lips curled up, and there was a hint of mockery in his sneer: "I left privately. I thought you would be angry when you found out, and I didn't miss you." But you still remember to bring dry food with me..."

"You know I'm angry, but you still dare to mention it?" The strength in his hand increased, although Shao Jingheng forced it, but still showed no anger, only staring, which meant resentment.Ren Ren sighed, stuffed the sneering person into his arms, and said in a strict tone, "I said earlier, no matter what, you are not allowed to take risks alone, why didn't you listen?"

"Who says I'm alone?" Leaning against him in a more comfortable position, Mu Yunqi pleaded: "Aren't there Guo Kai and Lu Chongning?"

Snorting, the man said contemptuously: "A person who is poisoned doesn't know how long his life will be, and a sharp-mouthed exaggeration, is it really useful?"

"It's not like that..." Mu Yun prayed halfway, but suddenly heard a voice from outside, and hurriedly kept silent.

"Zeng Mutou, are you still angry?" Lu Chongning's voice was a little frustrated, "But it was not my doing, it was General Guo who summoned you, you didn't pay attention, so what does it have to do with me?"

"I didn't say anything about you." Zeng Wuhua's voice was as cold as ever.

"Then why are you ignoring me?" Lu Chongning was anxious.

"I've always been like this—" the voice faded away, "not only for you..."

"Wait!" The latter's voice also faded away.

There was silence for a while.

With a light cough, Mu Yunqi tugged at the lapel of the person in front of him: "When did the two of them get so close?" Let's talk, his eyes were slightly displeased: "Why is Zeng Wuhua so arrogant, even my people don't like it?" Keep it in your eyes!"

Simply reverse black and white!However, facing those eyes that were as pure as a clear pool, the few traces of resentment that Shao Jingheng had accumulated so easily disappeared in an instant.Touching that very innocent face, he only smiled wryly: "Which one taught you to provoke him first?"

Mu Yun pouted his neck: "Who taught you not to let me go north?"

He's so upright!When the time is right, give him some admonitions.Lifting the back of his head to make him face himself, Shao Jingheng said seriously: "I didn't approve of your detour to Youguo at the beginning, especially now. As long as you have made up your mind, I have no choice but to agree, but you must obey me all the way. Don't take risks recklessly, or I will tie you back to Xingzhou immediately!"

With a soft snort, the corners of Mu Yunqi's mouth turned up half an inch, obviously not paying attention.With a flick of his sleeves, he leaned against the wooden table, unexpectedly, he pushed the lamp with one hand.After a soft sound, the lights dimmed.

Shao Jingheng got up and ran forward - the floor was covered with felt!In the face of the great enemy, the ruler did not die in the country, but because of a moment of carelessness, he died in a yurt that was only a few steps wide. Isn't it ridiculous? !

Fortunately, the lampshade is still there, and the fire will go out as soon as it hits the ground, avoiding a disaster.

After a while of shock, Shao Jingheng only felt his sleeves tremble, and saw the man staring down at the ground with a surprised voice: "Jing Heng, look—" He pointed to the almost transparent white lampshade.

Squatting forward under the light of another lamp, Shao Jingheng wanted to pick up the object on the ground, but when he touched it, his fingers tingled, and he immediately understood why the man was surprised—that lampshade was actually made of ice!

eye contact.

"Jing Heng, how long has this lamp been on?" Mu Yunqi said softly, as if afraid that the scene in front of him was an illusion.

He didn't say anything, but a thought in his heart was ready to come out.