Huaigui

"Who is this Lord Helanzhu?"

Tang Feiyi listened to his question, and shook his head gently: "I have only met Mr. Lang since I was a teacher. It has not been long. I will not interfere with his private affairs, and only obey the orders of the city lord."

He Lan Mingyue said: "It sounds like you have quite a relationship with the Lord of Baicheng."

Tang Feiyi said honestly: "The lord of the city is my senior sister, but she went down the mountain early, and I didn't know her since I was a child. It is my teacher's order to come here. The master asked me to help my senior sister defend the city for ten years. Get away and leave on your own. I promised Master that I will stay here no matter if I can keep it for ten years."

He Lan Mingyue asked her: "Is Baicheng in trouble recently?"

Tang Feiyi glanced at him in surprise, surprised by Helan Mingyue's acuity, and felt that he had slipped his tongue, and it was meaningless to hide it after thinking about it. This person came from outside the city, and there might be a solution.

She said simply: "It's Rouran."

He Lan Mingyue didn't understand at first, and then related to the fact that he had traveled between the Western Regions and Beining Yinzhou in recent years, and the fact that Longcheng was ceded for a long time, suddenly realized: "Rouran wants to completely cut off the trade route?"

Tang Feiyi admitted: "The place of Xizhi is very close to Longcheng, and it is also a fortress of the old commercial road. It is a few days away from Suiye and Beining. Baicheng sits on the only oasis within a radius of [-] miles. It used to be a commercial road. The supply office can now also provide post stations and footholds for merchants traveling between the two places..."

Helan Mingyue understood everything: "Once we fall, the north will be in chaos."

Tang Feiyi stared at him and remained silent.

Rouran relied on the convenience of ceding the land to defend Longcheng. If he advances, he can capture the front line of Yinzhou, and if he retreats, he can force Suiye to become a minister and cut off the communication between the Western Regions and Daning.Peace has been maintained for 20 years, and trade has been replaced. From top to bottom, Daning thought that the northern border had been settled. After fighting in Southern Chu these years, he would not choose to turn back to reclaim the northern wasteland after winning the Jiangnan granary.As a result, many towns are not only less prosperous than before, but the city guards are slack, and many towns rely on local armed forces to resist Rouran's invasion from time to time.

There is peace and restraint to take advantage of the fire, but now Rouran has changed Khan...

Helan Mingyue was frightened and thought to herself: If I were Rouran Khan and wanted to conquer the territory and go south, I would first take the land of Xizhi, and then attack the weakly guarded vast territory in the northwest of Daning.

Gao Hong is not warlike. Hearing what Gao Jing said, the current military strength in the court is empty, and the ruler and commander are not in harmony... At that time, not only the land of analysis, but Yinzhou, Xiazhou and even Yumen Pass will bear the brunt.

Whoever can get the branch first can seize the opportunity in this silent game.

Perhaps, can this be used as a condition to negotiate with the city lord?

Still thinking about this, Tang Feiyi suddenly stopped and said, "We're here."

Helan Mingyue came back to her senses, in front of her was a mansion that was close to the style of Suiye, and the young man who was waiting by the stone under the gate retracted all his hands into the cloak, and smiled at them with a tall figure.

"Sister Tang really brought her here." Mr. He Lanzhu stepped forward and handed over a water bag. Tang Feiyi went down without thanking him, and then stepped aside, as if to let him and Mingyue be alone.

There were no other guards around. The more Helan Mingyue looked at the young man in front of him, the more he felt that there seemed to be some connection. He remained calm and waited for the other party to speak first.

But Lord Helanzhu said seriously: "I've heard of the prestige of the Second Master."

"Have you checked?" Mingyue smiled, but she didn't mind, "Miss Tang said earlier that the place where Xizhi is located is a stronghold of the trade route, and Baicheng is standing here, so she must have her own means to check the people who come and go."

Mr. He Lanzhu didn't deny it: "Sister Tang rarely talks to outsiders."

Mingyue said: "It was just a fight, Miss Tang is really one of the best fighters I've seen in my whole life."

Hearing this, Mr. Helanzhu showed a surprised look on his face, but he restrained himself after a while, and led him to the courtyard.Mingyue glanced back at Tang Feiyi and didn't follow, He Lanzhu said: "She won't follow—Sister Tang is a martial idiot, and she loves to compete with all kinds of martial artists she meets in her life. Don't be offended."

"No problem."

"If she hurts you, I will apologize for her..." He Lanzhu finished speaking on his own, and felt a little uncomfortable when he found that the other party's eyes had been lingering on him, "Why do you keep staring at me?" look?"

Outside the door of the living room, He Lanmingyue stopped in her tracks, feeling that she couldn't wait any longer: "Look at your name, are you from Xianbei?"

"My mother is Han." Mr. He Lanzhu made a "please" gesture, "The city lord sees you, if you are curious about this matter, you can discuss it with me later, please."

At this point in his words, Mingyue could only suppress her doubts, tidy up her appearance, and put Feishuang outside the door to follow him in.

"This is the central building of Baicheng, and it is also where my wife and I live." Leading him through the middle courtyard, Mr. He Lanzhu pointed to an attic road not far away, "That is the highest place in Baicheng."

He Lan Mingyue said: "Although it is a building, it looks like a tower, and it can be faintly seen outside the city."

"Yes, that is the only pavilion left after the war in the Northern Territory. Many books from the Western Regions and the Central Plains are sealed in it, including a city chronicle called "Chronicle of Liuzhong City". ", I realized that it had a name."

"Could it be some kind of building, some kind of tower?"

"It's called 'the moon can't be seen when it snows'." Mr. Zhu shook his head, and when he saw the other party raised his eyebrows, he showed a look of understanding, and said strangely, "Isn't it strange that you don't call it a building or a tower?"

"It sounds strange at first glance, but it makes sense when you think about it. It is true that the moon is not seen when it is snowing." He Lan Mingyue thought for a while, "But whether the month has other meanings is unknown."

Baicheng Mingyue, could it be possible that Si Tianjian really has something extraordinary?

Lord He Lanzhu said: "Baicheng is located in an oasis in the land of disintegration. It is snowy in winter and there are few clear nights. Presumably, when the ancestors climbed up and looked at it, they could only see white snow falling into the water, and they could not see the lonely sky and bright moon. And I thought it was the name. Other meanings, after the ancestors passed away, maybe the answer is in the collection of books."

He listened, looked at the tower again, and then left in a hurry.

The main hall and the tower are not in the same style, and the women guarding on both sides are more complicated than the ones seen at the city gate, with stern expressions and hostile gazes at Helan Mingyue.

He had walked through the royal roads of Ziwei City and the corridors of Penglai Pavilion, but when he met those dignitaries, he never felt the pressure he has now.After entering, the hall is empty without any maids. There is a map hanging on the wall, marking the major cities and towns in the northwest.Standing under the map are two narrow knives in the shape of willow leaves, which are women's weapons.

The top stool was covered with a whole piece of white tiger skin, and the person in the middle was the city lord.

She is about 30 years old, and looks more gorgeous than Tang Feiyi, with affectionate brows and eyes, and a smile on the corner of her lips, but her eyes are less innocent, replaced by a mature and chilling look.

"Axia, someone is here." Lord He Lanzhu said, and then sat aside.

The female city lord laughed loudly: "For a long time, no one has taken the initiative to find it. I have heard about it. You are the second head of the Yinzhou Security Bureau, and you have been on this line all year round." After He Lanmingyue nodded, she said: "You Come here on behalf of the Escort, do you want to discuss business with Baicheng?"

Helan Mingyue saluted respectfully: "It's not about business, but about life and death. Rouran covets the land of the branch, has the city lord ever thought that besides resisting the enemy, he can form an alliance with others?"

The face of the female city lord changed, and the door of the main hall was closed immediately, leaving only the three of them in the whole hall.

She didn't seem to have the strength of the public in front of Mr. He Lanzhu, so she raised her eyes and glanced at Mr. He Lanzhu, who nodded and asked, "As far as I know, you don't have that many troops in Yinzhou, so how can you form an alliance? "

"There is no one under the jurisdiction of Xizhi, and it belongs to Daning territory. I don't know the city lord and this Mr. He Lan..." Mingyue endured it, "Have you heard about the coup at the beginning of the year?"

The female city lord said: "King Yu forced the palace to seize the throne, and immediately defeated Rouran, what's wrong?"

"A distinguished guest came to Yinzhou City not long ago. He knew much more about the coup than I did, and he told me that King Yu and Rouran had actually colluded with each other for a long time. The so-called big defeat was just a show." He Lan Mingyue She raised her hand to stop her rebuttal, "Listen to me, it's really a big victory, according to Gao's style, why didn't he profess his vassal, didn't pay tribute, and didn't even have the slightest condition to return the prisoners of war softly?"

Lord He Lanzhu's eyes moved slightly: "Is it really a show?"

"My distinguished guest said that it was not the Yuzhou Army that forced the palace to fight against Rouran, but the Youzhou Army in the north. The commander of the Youzhou Army is an out-and-out imperial party. Over [-]% of the Youzhou army's elite army has been captured, and the life and death of Rouran's escort is uncertain. City lord, what do you think?"

Lord He Lanzhu frowned: "If this is true, he is using the name of fighting the enemy to eliminate dissidents!"

Mingyue smiled: "Tell me, his throne is not stable. Will it take another year or so to let the land of Xizhi be handed over to others in order to make the northern border peaceful? What will happen to Baicheng then?"

The female city owner said: "But if you form an alliance, Baicheng may not be able to maintain the status quo..."

Mr. He Lanzhu interrupted her: "Your distinguished guest, I'm afraid it is the Deposed Emperor?"

He guessed so quickly and accurately, Mingyue was secretly surprised for a moment, but did not deny it.Mr. He Lanzhu observed his expression, and said, "But I don't think that Yinzhou has become the mouthpiece of the dignitaries."

"Seeking self-reliance within the king's land, such courage is really extraordinary."

"Are you planning to rebel?"

Hearing Mr. He Lanzhu's words, Mingyue laughed instead: "Rebellion is not rebellion, and I can't be sure of it with a single word. Mr. He Lan is astute and can detect that the deposed emperor is settled in Yinzhou, so he should be able to guess the purpose of my trip. "

The man looked over, his eye sockets were much deeper than those of the Han people, and his pupils were lighter in color, so he looked a little like Helan Mingyue.Lord Helanzhu didn't show his face, poured a glass of wine for himself, and said after drinking it, "You have to persuade the city lord to send troops or money to help the abolished emperor rise up."

His demeanor, appearance, and surname were all familiar, and a bold idea immediately surfaced.

"It's so straightforward, I might as well be honest with you." He Lan Mingyue said, "At first I thought he was too unrealistic, but he made a condition, which I really couldn't refuse. Sir, do you know that He Guichi is a fake name?"

Mr. Zhu lowered his eyes, and gently shook the glass with the clear liquid in it: "It's not an allusion, but it's like an obsession. If it's a fake name, it's not surprising."

"Then guess what my real name is?"

Suddenly, he couldn't hold the teacup steadily. He Lan Mingyue suppressed his movement of raising his head, and said with a smile that was not a smile: "Dare to ask, sir, you are from Yinzhou during the Jianyuan period. What is the relationship between the family and the three guards in Saibei?"

The teacup fell to the ground suddenly and broke into pieces.

The female city lord stood up: "Husband, you leave first, let me negotiate with him!"

Lord Helanzhu ignored her for the first time, looked at Helan Mingyue, his lips were almost trembling: "The Western Army is dead, and all the Helan clan has been killed. You... who is the prince?"

"Who are you to him?" He Lan Mingyue asked, "Could it be his son?"

"How is it possible!"

"That's true. Logically speaking, if you are afraid of revenge, you should not continue to use the name of Helan, especially in this sensitive place near Longcheng. But you have continued to use it to this day, without any intention of hiding it, and even took the name of one person in Baicheng." Are you waiting for someone to find you, or are you still not reconciled?"

The female city lord drew her sword angrily, and pointed at Helan Mingyue: "Please get out, you don't need to point fingers here!"

He smiled contemptuously and stepped back toward the door, while Shi Qing, who was guarding there, had already pointed a feather arrow at He Lan Mingyue's back.Without any fear, he said: "I have the Tiger Talisman of the Western Army in my hand, and I know who the real murderer of your father's family is. If you want to know, come to Yinzhou to find me."

After saying that, Yan Shanxue blocked Shi Qing's feathered arrow with the scabbard, and He Lan Mingyue picked it up and raised it towards the pale-faced man inside: "Just take this as a token!"

"Wait!" Mr. He Lanzhu called to stop him, as if he had finally recovered his senses, "What's your name?"

As soon as he whistled, Feishuang rose and landed on his shoulders, and when he turned to leave, Helan Mingyue's voice sounded steadily into the main hall:

"The Helan family stationed in Liuzhong City before raising troops to help Emperor Daowu win the world. The name of the library you mentioned was written by the Helan family. In the past, the snow fell into the water and the moon was not seen—

"Now, the wind and snow have stopped."