Should the soul

On November 12, the [-]th year of Kaiping, the northern border.

The vast expanse of grassland is covered with a lot of snow.In the big tent in the army, Yuchen helped Zhou Yin handle official duties, sorting them into different categories. When encountering something that he didn't understand, Yuchen would ask his little Uncle Zhou: "Why do you do this? ?”

Today, what he asked was about He Ruo offering captives. On the battlefield that day, Little Khan Alan kidnapped He Ruo's wife and children. He Ruo pleaded for mercy. After Zhou Yin heard about it face to face, he immediately ordered his wife and daughter to be retrieved. Come.Yuchen was also there at the time, but he didn't understand. He Ruo had been bullying us before, and he was probably going to kill him after being escorted back to the gate of the Eastern Capital to offer prisoners. So why did little Uncle Zhou do such a thing?

Zhou Yin behind the table was silent for a while, raised his eyes to look at the child, and asked, "Why are we fighting?"

Yuchen was caught off guard, didn't understand what he meant, and opened his mouth in a daze.

Zhou Yin; "There are many people who have won wars one after another, but lost the country step by step. I ask you, why are we fighting?"

This alarming sentence suddenly broke out in Yuchen's cold sweat.But this question is still big. A 16-year-old child can't answer such a serious question. Zhou Yin gave him enough time to think, and then slowly said: "The purpose of war is not to kill, but to achieve political goals. After fighting this After a battle, what should be done when we go back, so the goal is to make our country continue to profit after the war and maintain the victory. Yuchen, sometimes we can't just look at the present, but also look at the ten years after."

If you forget the battle, you will be in danger, and if you are warlike, you will die.

They came this trip to make the domineering neighbors dare not bully us anymore, and to protect a long-term and stable living environment for the country. Yin's actions will definitely make him feel grateful. Since the least cost can be used to show both kindness and power, and can make their neighbors grateful and afraid, why kill He Ruo?Why not give this favor?

All of a sudden, Yuchen felt a sledgehammer hit his head directly, and he was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time. He stared blankly at this man, amazed over and over again in his heart, this is the prince and commander of their country , General?Such farsightedness, such rationality and wisdom are convincing and convincing.

But Zhou Yin seemed to know what he was thinking, laughed, and tapped his pen: "Work quickly, don't think about it."

·

November 27th to [-]th.

In just three days, when the three armies celebrated, Zhou Yin and Tang Fang quickly and step by step advanced many things.

The battlefield is changing rapidly, and many people who were quick-witted before the battle turned into corpses in a blink of an eye after a battle.

Many ghosts came to Tang Fang, begging His Royal Highness to write official documents to let their souls return home, or to tell him where his body was left alone. I hope His Highness can send someone to look for it, and Tang Fang will go one by one. I did it, and for three full days and nights, I gave hundreds of orders to return home to tens of thousands of battlefield heroes, made a long list, consulted the officials of the River God along the way, and allowed them to return home.

Tang's magnification is approaching, and he has been summoned in the dark. Sometimes in the wounded soldiers' station, at the celebration banquet, in the big tent, and at the writing of the letter, he will suddenly disappear like he was on the battlefield that night, and the disappearance time varies. , and Xiao Kongjie is also used to his sudden disappearance. If he is dealing with some military affairs or doing something, he will help him follow the steps according to the situation after being startled, and then tell him proudly every time His Highness returns. , "Your Highness, I handled it very well just now, no one noticed that I just changed my body!"

Tang Fang would always praise him again with great satisfaction: "Now Xiao Kong Jie can also be on his own, not bad!"

The child worked harder, and in the end even helped Tang Fang deal with some complicated situations. Tang Fang couldn't see how he dealt with it, but every time he thought about it, he couldn't help smiling: In the early years, the child had no chance to learn, and he didn't know what to watch or do. It was very difficult, and he was slow to learn, but after three months, he seemed to have found a knock on the door when he didn't know it, and completely overcome the obstacles in his heart. He was gentle, polite, confident and optimistic.

It's just that Xiao Kong Jie can fool everyone, but only one person.

Several times "Kong Jie" was surrounded by soldiers, and the little Kong Jie looked over the shoulders of countless people to meet the Duke. He tried his best to maintain the image of His Highness, thinking that he could deceive him, but many times he waited for him to walk over. , the Duke gently stroked his back, and asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Your Highness is out of the body again?"

At this time, little Kong Jie's expectant eyes would slowly fall, turning into silent calm and sadness, he looked down at his toes, and hummed softly.

The Duke must have understood something, he nodded slightly, bowed his head like a younger brother and said to him: "Thank you for your hard work, you have done a good job."

He won't like himself.

Even if it is obviously the same body, even if there is absolutely the same behavior, he can still tell at a glance that he is not him.

Kong Jie wanted to ask the Duke several times: Did Danshu really lie to you?I get along with His Highness day and night, say what he says, and do what he does. Is there anyone more like His Highness than me?Even I can't fool you. Can that young man on the grassland who has never seen His Highness really fool you?

Kong Jie didn't know how the Duke was identified.

But he didn't have that much time to weigh the Duke's affairs. Time was running out. There were ten days left after the big battle. He counted the days in fear. Every day he woke up feeling terrified. Before, he always felt that there was something in his hand. A lot of time, in the blink of an eye, only single digits left, nine days, eight days, seven days, six days...

Kong Jie felt suffocated.

What was even more suffocating was the calmness of both His Royal Highness and Duke Guo.

They didn't tell their subordinates anything, they didn't do anything sensational, they just went about their business quickly, without seeing any emotional ups and downs from morning till night.The whole barracks was very happy with such great news on the front line. On the first day of the celebration, they were forced to drink at the banquet. The two of them were persuaded to have a lot of drinks. Amidst the cheers of the whole hall, gentle smiles naturally flowed from their eyes.Then, nothing was said.

Kong Jie watched anxiously. He didn't know how His Highness persuaded the Duke, and he didn't understand why the Duke was not excited. His gaffe that day seemed to be his own hallucination, until the last day of November. In the afternoon, His Highness was planning to arrange the order of the list of military merits. The name Kong Jie saw was on the list, and it was still in the front row of the Chapter 1 list. His Highness joked to him: "Little Kong Jie, how much money will you exchange for your merits?" ? Why do we have to seal [-] households?"

Knowing that Kong Jie couldn't help it now, he began to question King Anping: "Your Highness, is there something you and the Duke are hiding from me?"

Tang Fang sighed: "What's the matter?"

Kong Jie: "Do you know that you don't have a few days? Have you thought about what to do? If the Duke didn't say it, why didn't you say it?"

It was rare for Tang Fang to see a child show his teeth and claws like this. He thought it was very interesting, and even blew a long whistle: "Yo! Our General Kong is promising, and now he has started to take care of the Duke and me~"

"I'm not General Kong!"

Little Kong Jie shouted: "I didn't fight this battle at all!"

Tang Fang suddenly became quiet for a while, and then said: "It's okay, I gave you this battle." His voice was so gentle and low, like an elder brother coaxing his younger brother, like a big tree coaxing A little grass: "Child, no one will bully you again, and you will have a smooth, prosperous, prosperous life."

Speaking of this, the child in his heart suddenly burst into tears, and he replied: "But I don't want this, I want you to live!"

He thought he was alive and still existed in this world.

Tang Fang could only answer him: "What nonsense. I died nine years ago, and these are all yours."

Fame, wealth, reputation, and military exploits, when Kong Jie returns, he will have a very, very comfortable life. If he can't do a real job, he won't do it. He waits for the emperor to pay him every month, and he can do what he likes at home. Find someone you like, and live a complete and complete life.

Tang Fang: "My child, I have never told you that I am very grateful to you. Without you lending me this body, I would not be able to do anything. It is you who helped me fulfill my wish, let me reunite with the Duke, and let me be with you." My family was reunited and I was able to return to the battlefield to fight a beautiful victory. You have helped me a lot. I have no regrets in my life. I have no other demands... Don't cry, you still remember We agreed, right? 81 days, after 81 days, I will return my body to you, don’t you dislike me for spending your money lavishly? These are just a small gift for you, and you still dislike me for making you fat , but I can't make up for that."

The fate back then was just an occasional glimpse in the ruined temple. He picked out this poor child and directed him to find Zhou Yin, hoping to use him to talk to Zhou Yin again in the future. Soon, or when the class teacher returns to court, or when, just send a message. I didn't expect that people are not as good as God, and everything went around and went around, and they came here.

Little Kong Jie cried loudly, crying until the sky collapsed and the earth was shattered, and the mountains and rivers turned pale, "But what about the Duke!... What are you and the Duke going to do?...Don't tell me you don't want to live anymore, and he doesn't want you to live either..."

Tang Fang could only smile, and comforted: "Don't worry about it, this is our adults' business."

The adults didn't think about what to do.

It's just death.

The death list has been handed in, and the elder brother can already see it by now.When Zhou Yin presented the emperor's victory report as the commander-in-chief, the death list of two people was attached. Only the emperor could see it. It read:

Zhou Yin, Tang Fang.

They can't go back, there's no time left.They only had time to finish the matter at hand, and forgive him for his selfishness and deceit. It is the younger brother who is sorry for his brother and sister-in-law. He did not tell them that he was leaving early. Tang Fang knew that if he did, his elder brother would definitely not let him go He came out, but he came back with great difficulty. At the time when his elder brother was employing someone, he could personally eliminate a major problem for his elder brother and remove obstacles for his country to leap in national strength. How could he not come?

He's glad he's here, he's just sad never to go back.

The first day of December, the fifth day of Yusheng.

Zhou Yin was still handling official duties in the military tent, and Tang Fang was packing the two people's bags after lunch. He scanned the tent and looked at their things. If you leave, there is actually nothing to bring with you. Tang Fang brought beads and a cloak. After all, my sister-in-law’s original jewelry will be repaired by the elder brother. He has to go into the depths of the desert for the cloak. It’s still very cold now that the sky is full of ice and snow. of.The gun rack in the tent was bare, and he reached out and stroked the cold gun rack, as if feeling the temperature of the gun.

It's empty.Last night Tang Fang handed the Wujinyinya to Qutu. The spear will accompany him to kill tens of thousands of enemies. He asked Qutu to send a message to his brother. Let this gun guard the rivers and mountains for him.

Tang Fang stood at the same spot and thought about whether there was anything left to explain, but found that there was nothing left. He confirmed the dry food and some clothes for more than ten days to make room for Xiao Kongjie's return, and then carried the small package on his shoulders. After a flick, he went to find Zhou Yin.

Several old generals were there outside the big tent. They stood outside in silence without saying a word. Some looked at their toes, and some paced around worriedly. Chen Ying was also there. He seemed to be here to report something. Standing blankly among a group of big shots, I don't know what's going on, and I'm a little bit at a loss.Seeing Tang Fang dressed like a prince, as if he was about to leave, he was a little puzzled, subconsciously stopped him, and said, "His Royal Highness is inside, and the Duke is talking."

Tang Fang nodded "Oh", then stepped up and continued to enter, but Chen Ying stopped him again from behind, and boldly shouted: "Your Highness!"

Tang Fang frowned at him, neither speaking nor answering.

Chen Ying flinched a little: "You...do you remember me?"

Tang Fang nodded expressionlessly: "Remember, Chen Ying."

With this tone, he was not sure whether he could remember it or not. Chen Ying didn't dare to disturb him anymore, so she took the initiative to retreat, but Tang Fang stood on the steps and thought for a while, then waved: "Come on, come here." The person mentioned the leeward part of the tent, Chen Ying was puzzled, but Tang Fang patted his left arm, "How is the injury?" Chen Ying was a little difficult to adapt to the sudden concern, "Small... small injury. Tang Fang let out a "huh".At that time, with the 300 people he killed, the fight was too chaotic in the end, and he didn't care who was who. It was good, the young man survived the chaotic battle. "Do you know why I suppressed you before?" Tang Fang was caught off guard and asked suddenly.

Chen Ying was startled, her eyes widened.

Tang Fang: "There is nothing to say, I did it on purpose at the time. You performed very well on the day of the decisive battle, and your name is at the beginning of the second page of your military exploits. Wait until you return to court for promotion."

Chen Ying received such news suddenly, and was in a daze, not knowing how to react.Tang Fang looked at him calmly, "I know you are capable and ambitious, but I am not reconciled. I suppress you because I know that once you are given a chance, you will soar into the sky."

Chen Ying's eyes widened, he didn't expect the person in front of him to give him such a high evaluation.

"I knew when you drew me the topographical map of mountains and rivers in that tavern. Ah Pin has a good eye this time. If you were born a few years earlier, you might be able to push the sand table and calculate tactics with me and the Duke, but your problem is also Obviously, you are always staring at the heights of the crowd, I know you want to be able to match Apin, but don't say it's all because of her."

"I……"

Tang Fang glanced at him, told him to shut up and listened to himself: "The most speechless thing I've ever heard is that you said that you admire King Anping, because in my opinion, what you admire is not him at all, but what you admire at a young age. There is worldly success, admiring him is the fiercest and most willful weirdo in the crowd. You should be glad that you are not him, you are in your twenties, and you are still alive."

This person always spoke so harshly, Chen Ying showed an incredulous expression, and suddenly became suspicious of the identity of the person in front of him.Tang Fang suddenly changed the subject, and asked: "Do you have a grandma?" Chen Ying followed his train of thought blankly: "Ah, yes...but the old man has passed away for a long time."

Tang Fang: "Your grandma often follows Apin, and I have met him a few times."

Chen Ying stared at Tang Fang.

Tang Fang said lightly: "Isn't Apin pregnant? That girl is too wild, so she needs an elder to take care of her." He looked at Chen Ying seriously, "You are also a child of a poor family. At your current age, you have worked very hard and excelled to reach this position. You are a very motivated person, and Ah Pin also likes you, but your heart is too high, and you walk fast and unsteadily, and you will suffer a lot in the future Yes, in the future, think more about your roots, think more about the past, and don’t admire me, think more about the Duke, walk slower, walk longer, understand?"

Chen Ying looked at Tang Fang, her eyes gradually turned red.

So many words, I don't know how many words he listened to, but he remembered: "...You are Your Highness."

Tang Fang was speechless, he didn't want to hold his head with his brother-in-law and cry, so he pushed him away from crossing the boundary, punched him hard in the chest, and cursed: "Stinky boy, you kidnapped my sister, how dare you call me !... Remember to help Yuchen well in the future, he and his little aunt are the closest, you know, and... there is a pearl on the top shelf of the room where I live in the Duke's Mansion, you can take it , put it next to the pillow, and Apin will see you in his dreams." Tang Fang pressed him, and told him carefully what the pearl box looked like. Only then did Chen Ying, who was crying hard, realize what was going on, and asked: " Are you not going back?"

Tang Fang smiled, and pretended to be relaxed and said: "My Duke and I are not going back."

·

In the big tent, Zhou Yin was talking to Yu Chen.

The matter is more difficult, because it involves the escort of 20 troops and prisoners of war. Zhou Yin wants to ensure that all the arrangements are safe. In the past few days, he has divided the power in his hands among Qu Tu, He Gong, and the prince. , Yan Shigu as the assistant, the prince is too young, he must tell him some things, so that he has a preparation in mind.

Faced with Yuchen's confusion, Zhou Yin's explanation was that he would go to the extreme western desert with General Kong and come back after a while, so he should not worry about it and send the army back with peace of mind, but the Duke is so abnormal It is impossible for Yuchen not to think too much about taking him personally to deal with official duties and leaving unreasonably.He asked Mr. He privately, and Mr. He told him quietly that the Duke of the State would not come back, nor would the prince. Choose an appropriate time to announce the Duke's death.

The 16-year-old prince was caught off guard and could only reply in shock.

No one explained the cause and effect of this incident to him, and he didn't know what to ask. He knew that the news of contact was important and he had to be cautious in his words and deeds since he was a child in the court. explain.But the Duke has always been very peaceful. On the first day of December, he called himself into the handsome tent, and explained to him carefully what he should pay attention to after he leaves, what kind of situation he should be on guard against, and who he can trust , must not do anything, and it was at the moment when he told the whole story that Yuchen had an intuitive impression of the power that Duke Cheng held in this battle. Such power, just changing anyone is enough for them to hold it. Going to build another country, but now the Duke's worries and responsibilities have been subtly divided among five people, and he feels that the shoulders of these five people are heavy and he can't breathe.

They are so heavy, and the Duke is so silent.

Zhou Yin asked: "Have you remembered? Uncle can't accompany you back home. Your father will soon send competent people to pick you up. As long as they come to take over, you can relax."

Yuchen's nasal cavity was sore, he looked up at him, and nodded vigorously.

Then he said cautiously: "You never said that you have suffered so much."

As he said that, he couldn't help himself, and quickly lowered his head to wipe away the tears that suddenly rolled down.

The "you" here includes the man in front of him, his father, his mother, and the fifth uncle who he doesn't want to admit but has to admit.This is the first time he has stepped out of the protective shell of the Eastern Capital, and the first time he has faced the wind and frost sword. After these days, he knows what his fathers have undertaken and experienced. They have never complained to him or complained. , I didn’t say how much thought I spent preparing for these, and I didn’t cry once when I was tired, and he was so close to them, he was the one who knew best that they were ordinary people. It is how many hardships we have trekked, how much we have suffered, and how much we have suffered.

The fate of the country for a hundred years fell to the bottom of the valley for a long time, the smoke was everywhere, the land was devastated, and so many people were beaten to nowhere. Chen Ying, Kong Jie, and many people he came into contact with in the army were all once The beggars, the high-ranking heroes take turns on the stage, proclaiming themselves kings and emperors one by one. In the end, this group of people in front of them united their hearts little by little, protecting the country during the most difficult and darkest days, and then little by little The land unified the mountains and rivers, stood up amidst the flames of war and ruins, carried the wish of the country and the people, and climbed up bit by bit, and finally climbed to a place where their generation could feel proud.

They didn't make life better casually, they pulled everyone to work together to make it better, and finally turned into beams and deep streams of still water, silently resisting the impermanence of the world.

Zhou Yin was at a loss for his child's sudden distress. He had never raised a child before, so he didn't know if he wanted to talk about his beautiful, strong and miserable past at this time as a way of persuading him, but when he looked back, he found that there was nothing wrong with it. It's easy to say, so I had to say to him: "Don't forget those who help you. You can't do anything alone. Also, He Ruo once had a father who dominated the grassland for decades. You should take him as a warning. We must not repeat his mistakes."

Time was too tight, and he wanted to give too many instructions. After the most important instructions, he didn't know where to start. He could only raise his hand and stroked his hair, and asked with a smile:

"Do you know who gave you the nickname Suihua?"

"I know...it's you and little uncle."

Suihua, this is also his name.

His father forbade him to use his original name on the battlefield, so he used a nickname, so that person could call it casually, without feeling unfamiliar at all.

Zhou Yin: "The day your mother gave birth to you was difficult, your father worried for a long time, and even went to worship gods and Buddhas... Yuchen is a beautiful star in the sky, and Suihua is the joy of every year. I and you five Uncle has no children of his own, so we give our wishes to you. You must be well in the future, and don't disappoint our hopes."

Yuchen nodded vigorously, but felt that this matter was a bit difficult, and said a little aggrieved: "But you and father are too good, I am afraid that I will not be able to surpass you in this life, and I am afraid that I will disappoint you."

Zhou Yin smiled: "Then grow up kind and upright. We did all this so that you can grow up safely."

The ancient gods did the same thing before they fell. He would turn his bones into mountains and rivers, his blood into rivers, and use his body to nourish the vegetation and the earth.

Enough talking, no more chatter. When he looked up, Tang Fang was already waiting at the door of the tent. This time he was not wearing armor, but ordinary clothes, like an ordinary rich man, wearing a black peony, What is rare is that the image is not stingy, but quietly leaning against the door, watching the two of them talking, with calm and soft eyes.

"Let's go."

Zhou Yin lifted his fox-fur cloak, walked out without taking anything else, and naturally took his hand.

Tang Fang stretched out his hand to be held by him, looked back at his nephew, and said, "Son, we are leaving, remember to send a message to your parents." Then he put down the military tent, without looking back, and walked out side by side with Zhou Yin .

Tossing back and forth, the vast sunset has gradually slanted westward.

Little Kong Jie guessed right. Zhou Yin and Tang Fang made an agreement. In Zhou Yin's consciousness, on the day he learned the truth, Tang Fang allowed him to leave with him. Zhou Yin asked Tang Fang to finish the battle ahead of schedule.The time originally given by King Anping was fifteen days, but the Duke pushed it forward by two days, to thirteen days, in order to finish the mundane affairs as soon as possible and spend two more days alone with him.

There is nothing more to say. Zhou Yin, as the commander-in-chief of the three armies, has made great achievements in this battle, but he doesn't want to be rewarded, and he doesn't want fame. In just 29 years, he has seen all kinds of situations and experienced thousands of things. Ups and downs, he only asked himself to leave calmly after the mission was completed.

He could not share life and death with his sweetheart back then, but now he will do it.

The desert is flat and the snow is boundless.The two of them walked out of the camp with two horses. Except for a few core figures in the camp, no one in the 20 jubilant camp knew where they were going and what they were going to do. Tang Fang carried more than ten days of dry food on his back. , before leaving the gate of Daying, I mentioned it to He Gong again, and asked him to send someone to pick up Xiao Kong Jie when the time came.

Such a cold winter, up and down the frozen desert.

When the two of them were about to get on their horses and leave, suddenly a group of soldiers rushed out yelling, chasing and chasing. Looking around, it was the vanguard army, or the momentum of marching in a hurry. Chen Ying took the lead, and there were some others. The boys in the barracks with keen ears, Chen Ying must have sensed something when he was talking to Tang Fang just now. Although he didn’t know the inside story, he was keenly aware that something was wrong. The brother of the brother in the camp said, let someone come and send them off—he didn’t know where they were going, but he felt that if they didn’t come and send them off, he would have a lifetime of regrets, and then this Dashun would look forward to the future The general called out the people in the battalion with an amazing intuition.

They ran so fast that they were still out of breath when they got there.

Seeing that many big shots were there, his body immediately tensed up, sensing that the atmosphere was not right, he hesitated to approach.

In the long dusk, on the undulating sandy ground, someone boldly asked, "Is the commander...going away?"

They don't know what's going on now, and they seem to be in a daze to try to get them to stay, but they seem to be unable to get them back.

"Yes." During a period of silence, Mr. He actually answered, "You guys send them off."

But the bosses suddenly said this, and this group of stunned children didn't know what to say. Chen Ying reacted the fastest while looking at each other, and suddenly shouted loudly: "Listen to the formation! Stand still!" Then they suddenly seemed to be Knowing what to do, he quickly and neatly stood in a standard formation, roared solemnly, and punched his chest as a military salute: "Humble job—respectfully send off the Duke!"

This is the general with the highest military merit in Dashun. He has determined the country, reversed the national power, held the army for nine years, and is extremely favored. Even if you take it, you can still love him deeply.

Zhou Yin got on his horse and nodded towards them.

Tang Fang also got on his horse, and said: "Okay, I'll teach you for nothing! Sending off people first to the Duke, am I not your coach?" While speaking, he was angry at the order, turned the horse's head, and took the back against them.

I can't bear to watch it.

He personally taught them, taught them how to fish, and the last three thousand teams were left with only these. He taught them, and he wanted to give them a brilliant life and a cruel battlefield, but he eliminated them one by one.But suddenly there was a sound of kneeling on one knee behind him. This group of next-generation elites who have been tempered by the flames of war, they looked at the man in black fur peony, at the man who led them, promoted them, The man who put them on the horse and sent them off for the first journey shouted in a heavy voice full of grief and anger: "Humble job—respectfully send His Royal Highness King Anping!"

As soon as this sentence came out, someone cried out behind him on the spot.

Tang Fang paused, and subconsciously wanted to turn around in a daze, when someone beside him suddenly held his arm——

At dusk, people and ghosts always meet.

Outside the camp, more than [-] vanguard soldiers knelt in the hard sand, waiting for a response from the commander on horseback, but the man didn't answer, didn't look back, but raised his hand suddenly after taking a few steps on the horse, He raised his voice and said, "Let's go!"