Haiyan

Western Han Dynasty, Taiwei Mansion.

The cleaning servant raised the broom lightly on the ground, and the fallen leaves floated to the place with dust at once, and then they were about to fall again, when eager footsteps came from far and near outside the courtyard, and there was no time to salute. The dark blue figure flashed suddenly, and then the wind that swept over it rolled up the leaves that had been swept to one place with great difficulty just now, and the perpetrator quickly disappeared into the long corridor ahead.

The servant suppressed the swear words that were about to come out of his mouth, wiped his cold sweat secretly, and said in his heart: "It's a good thing I didn't swear..."

Li Qin didn't even have time to knock on the door, and the moment he broke in, he found that the man was standing in front of the desk and bowed his head, writing something, and when he heard the sound, before he had time to reprimand him for his recklessness, Li Qin said in a deep voice: "Master ,problem occurs!"

Li Zongyao's eyes narrowed suddenly, the sky was still early at this time, and it was not yet the time of the morning court. There was a faint silence in the morning light, covering the entire Taiwei Mansion with darkness. Li Qin had been with Li Zongyao for more than 30 years Yes, he has always been steady and sophisticated, but now with such a flustered expression, in Li Zongyao's eyes, he is afraid that something bigger than the sky is about to happen...

"The news came from Huang just now, that the one from the Palace of Eternal Life had already attacked Beilu's eldest son half an hour ago..."

Li Zongyao slammed the pen in his hand on the table, and with a soft bang, the ink instantly splashed the rice paper into black spots. He asked, "Didn't you say you have to wait for half a month?"

Li Qin shook his hands and let out a breath, and said: "The surname Huang said that the Eastern Han Dynasty sent secret envoys over a few days ago, and they must not be able to wait...Master, do you want Mr. Ruan to come over?" Start action ahead of time, it’s always about the son, the one in the Hall of Eternal Life is still planning to suppress it for a while, if the grassland finds out by then, I’m afraid it will be difficult to act again.”

Li Zongyao sat on the chair and pinched the center of his eyebrows. After a long time, he asked, "How is the person doing now?"

Li Qin said: "Our people have been watching secretly for the past few months. When the man started this morning, none of us thought that when he went in, he had already taken poison. Fortunately, Mr. Ruan rescued him. Timely, I still hold my breath now, but the person in the Palace of Eternal Life is also very caring, and Mr. Ruan dare not delay, so hurry up and ask the master if we have to act in advance."

Li Zongyao suppressed the doubts and frost in his heart, and said to Li Qin: "Order Ruan Qiusong, let him follow the original plan..."

As he was speaking, he suddenly picked up a piece of paper and wrote something quickly, then carefully sealed the envelope with a secret seal, and ordered: "Send someone to send the letter to Jiuyi Mountain quickly, it depends on whether it can be done." The fortune of the Hokuriku prince..."

Li Qin's hurried figure passed by the servant who was sweeping the floor just now. The latter looked at the scattered dead leaves that were brought up again without tears, and finally couldn't help feeling heavy in his heart. Cursed: "Your grandma's!"

Li Zongyao leaned tiredly on the chair and let out a deep breath—the heart of the man in the Palace of Eternal Life to conquer Yebei will be clearly revealed from today, but when the "five elders discussed politics" back then, he clearly said that he would wait for ten Only when the strength of the grassland is weakest in January can we not give Hokuri any room to breathe. Now that it is more than half a month earlier, does it have anything to do with the Eastern Han Dynasty?

When King Tierqin, the ancestor of the Northern Land, ruled the Spring and Autumn Period, Yebei was under the jurisdiction of the Western Han Dynasty except for the current Zhaoyang. , I'm afraid I want to make a fuss about Hokuriku Shizi.

However, the army went north, making such a hasty decision, is it too eager for quick success?

Now that the covenant between the Western Han Dynasty and Yebei is still in place, Zhao Che's unilateral breach of the contract will naturally be criticized, but Li Zongyao still understands the words "history is written by the victors". Although he strongly opposes the conquest of Yebei, However, the power of one person is too weak, and the emperor has made up his mind. As a subject, he is powerless.

The people of Beilu have always been brutal and tyrannical, and they will fight back when they have a chance to breathe. Now that the season of Hokuriku has just arrived in winter, it is not the best time. When it reached the ears of the Grassland Maharaja, the final result would be that the Northern Land suppressed the Western Han Dynasty.

But knowing the consequences, Zhao Che still wants to do this, what kind of promise did the Eastern Han Dynasty give him?

In other words, what agreement did he make with the Eastern Han Dynasty?

Rao is in charge of most of the military power in the Western Han Dynasty. The emperor didn't discuss this motive with him in advance. Why?

Li Zongyao thought of the previous letters sent by his second son Li Su from Beilu. The contents of the letters were all urging him to protect the safety of Beilu Shizi no matter what. Although he had reprimanded him a few words, he was not allowed to interfere in this matter. , but Li Zongyao knew that even if the second son did not mention it, he would definitely keep the elder son of the grassland, after all...

"Master, it's time to go to court."

The coachman whispered outside the door, Li Zongyao opened his eyes from meditation, he let out a deep breath, and snapped the lid of the box where the Ye Mingzhu was placed, and the room was instantly dark.

The wind blew up the general's cloak, and the snowflakes all over the sky merged with the black, flying and hunting.

Except for the empty white land, no marks were left on the entire grassland.

"General, the snow is too heavy." The scout stepped on the ankle-deep snow and walked up to Gu Lingjun, and said in a deep voice, "According to the herdsmen, the prince and the proton were chased to Phoenix by a group of black cavalry. Lanshan is nowhere to be seen, but judging from the current situation, even if there are any clues, they have been covered by snow."

Gu Lingjun stood on the Shuobei plateau, and the pitch-black war horse stood beside him and snorted vigorously a few times. The white mist from the tip of his nose wafted in the air, and soon turned into a wisp of ice slag and fell down. He narrowed his eyebrows and looked into the distance, and asked, "Any other discoveries?"

The scout said: "The person who went to search has not returned yet, but according to the news from my subordinates, the whole mountain has been searched in the past three days, but nothing has been found."

Gu Lingjun pondered for a moment, then murmured: "At this time, the prairie wolves don't seem to come out..."

The scout said: "General, if the two princes were killed by wolves... that should leave blood and debris, but there is nothing."

"Apart from Fenglan Mountain, have you searched other areas?" Gu Lingjun asked, "There is also the area around Yuncheng, Philadelphia."

Scout: "We have searched. Rao, the guards guarding the city said that they have not seen the prince these days, and their subordinates also ordered people to search all the surrounding cities, including Xingchuyuan, Shuofangyuan and Huoleiyuan. It's just that when I disappeared three days ago, I found some clues, just like what the herdsmen said, most likely it's in the depths of Fenglan Mountain... General!"

Gu Lingjun rode his horse and walked down the hillside. The slope was like half a cliff, and the Canglan River was in sight. A few days ago, the river was so fast that it seemed like tens of thousands of horses were galloping by. There was a thin layer of ice on the danger zone, and looking at it at this moment, I felt that the entire river surface was eerily quiet.

The scout breathed out, trying to express the bold idea in his heart, but before he could say it, Gu Lingjun asked, "How's the water going these days?"

The scout said: "The river just froze yesterday. Before that, it was all rapids..."

"Immediately order people to go down to search, even if they touch the Iron Line River, they must be brought back!"

"But the general..." The scout wanted to go up to defend himself, but the man only left him with a back view, which quickly disappeared from sight.

Tiexianhe is at the next crossing of the Canglan River, and the two sides are separated by tens of thousands of miles. It's not that the people they searched have never looked for them before, but they have searched for a radius of hundreds of miles. There is no clothing material, let alone two living people.

He didn't dare to disobey the military order at the moment, so he hurriedly sent another team to continue searching along the river bank.

When Chang Sheng woke up, his whole body was in pain as if he was about to fall apart. He opened his eyes impatiently, it was pitch black, and the surrounding was quiet only the sound of water droplets coming from the deep place far away. The notes of the drum were struck on the Jiegu, looking cold.

He just moved a little bit, and his elbow seemed to touch something soft. He was taken aback at first, but when he got closer, it turned out to be Li Su's face with closed eyes close at hand.

"Li Su..." He yelled, and before he opened his mouth, his hoarse throat was scratching, and he couldn't help coughing, his voice echoed in the depths of the quiet hollow, echoing like ripples.

As if awakened by the sound, Li Su didn't even have time to open his eyes, and his whole body was about to jump up like a conditioned reflex, but the severe pain in his limbs and bones instantly pulled his dazed mind back to his senses, he As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Chang Sheng covering his mouth and coughing with difficulty.

"How are you!"

There is a thick layer of fallen leaves under him, soft and damp. Changsheng is still being hugged and protected by him, and his legs are so pressed that he feels nothing. The moment he got up, the severe pain on his body made him bear it. Can't help gasping, but still reached out and patted Chang Sheng's back in a hurry, and said anxiously: "Is it better?"

Chang Sheng took a few breaths with difficulty, and said hoarsely, "I'm fine, how about you?"

Under the shadows, Li Su's body was dripping with blood from the force of the fall and the scratches and bumps on the surrounding rocks. He didn't want to worry Chang Sheng, so he just shook his head and said softly, "I'm fine."

Chang Sheng asked: "Where are we?"

If he remembers correctly, when they were chased to Fenglan Mountain by the dozen or so men in black, he took Li Su to the depths of the cave to take refuge, and then accidentally stepped on something, and the two of them walked up from there together. It fell, and after that, it was here when I woke up.

A ray of light came in through the cracks in the stone and hit Chang Sheng on the head. Li Su anxiously looked him up a few times, except for the dust all over his body and his very distressed appearance, he seemed not injured.

Li Su breathed a sigh of relief, then, he stretched out his hand, gently wiped the dust off Chang Sheng's face and forehead, and said expressionlessly, "We must have fallen into a cave, now we have to think about how to get out. "

Chang Sheng was about to stand up, but when he heard Li Su's hiss, he realized that he had been pressing on his lap. Seeing that Li Su's face was distorted in pain, Chang Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said, "You What happened to your leg!"

He reached out to check, but was stopped by Li Su, and said calmly: "I'm fine, you've crushed me."

Chang Sheng couldn't help but let out a laugh, and then his face collapsed in an instant: "I don't know how long we've been here..."

"Changsheng." Li Su said, "I want to drink water, go there and see if you can find water."

Chang Sheng said with some embarrassment: "You go with me, it's so dark, I... I'm a little scared."

Li Su was taken aback for a moment, as if he didn't expect this big dandy to say such a thing, he almost couldn't hold back his laughter immediately, his voice softened and comforted: "My legs are so pressed by you right now, don't I’m afraid, I’m here, call me if you need anything.”

Under the shadow, Chang Sheng couldn't see his pale to blue face clearly, but he was calmed down by the peaceful atmosphere around him, nodded, and said, "Then you wait for me here, I'll come as I go."

As soon as Changsheng left, Li Su couldn't help leaning against the stone wall behind him to pant violently, then he stretched out his hands and bent down, pinched the ankles of his calves with both hands, and only heard a "crack" sound, and the whole person followed suit. He couldn't help trembling for a moment, then he groped around in the dark, found two branches that were just right in thickness, then tore off a piece of fabric from the hem of his clothes, clamped his ankles with those two branches, and tied them tightly with a cloth rope fixed.

After doing all this, when the boy straightened up with difficulty again, the cold sweat on his face soaked his collar along his temples.

The scratched cuts on the back felt a little stinging with this movement, but these were nothing to him, it was just that when he and Changsheng fell from above, in order to protect Changsheng, The moment he landed on the ground, his ankle was probably broken. I don't know if the child will be afraid when he finds out later?

He is not afraid, he thought.Chang Sheng is not even afraid of seeing the dead, he is just broken, so there is nothing to be afraid of... But will he be worried about him?Yes, how could it not! Changsheng obviously likes him, otherwise he wouldn't be afraid of the dark and go find him water!

Thinking about it this way, Li Su felt that the pain all over his body was relieved a lot in an instant. After an unknown period of time, the beam of light at the crevice of the stone moved to a different position, and there was a slight sound of footsteps. Li Su turned his head to look, I saw Chang Sheng holding something between his hands and walking towards him slowly.

"There is only a gap where the water drips. I picked up a leaf and filled it with you. You drink a little first, and I will fill it up later."

Chang Sheng's face was covered with mud and his body was tattered. At this moment, he held the huge leaf with his dirty hands and handed it to Li Su's mouth. drink first."

Chang Sheng said with a smile: "I must have drunk it myself before bringing it to you, drink it quickly, I'm going to spill it in a while!"

Li Su let out an "oh" without thinking too much. He raised his head and drank the water in it. Chang Sheng looked at him, his dry throat became more and more uncomfortable, as if it was roasted by fire, he couldn't help licking it. He licked his lips that had already had several layers of skin.

"Do you want more? I'll fill some more." Chang Sheng said.

Li Su nodded, with a hint of joy in his heart, and said, "Okay."

When Chang Sheng came back again, he accidentally tripped over a stone, then lost his balance, and fell towards Li Su. When the young man wanted to help him, he was splashed with a puddle of water, but he still Holding Chang Sheng firmly in his arms, he hurriedly asked, "How are you, did you hurt from the fall?"

Chang Sheng cursed angrily, got up from Li Su's arms, and said distressedly: "It's a pity, it took so much effort to receive so many."

He glanced at Li Su with a wet face, and then suddenly leaned forward. When the two breathed and heard each other, Li Su consciously stood still, and his whole body was petrified, when Chang Sheng suddenly stuck out his tongue towards his face. After licking it, he said casually, "This water is quite sweet."

Li Su was taken aback, frowned and said, "Did you drink water?"

Chang Sheng didn't answer his words, and said: "Forget it, I'll pick up some more for you, you should hurry up and think about how we can get out, I don't want to starve to death in this ghost place."

Li Su said: "Looking at it, it should be dark outside. We definitely won't be able to go out tonight. When the sun rises tomorrow, I'll check the surrounding area and think of a way to get out."

Chang Sheng felt reasonable, nodded and said: "That's the only way to go. Hey, are your legs better? Don't sit all the time, get up and move around, or you'll die of pain."

Li Su felt a little guilty, and said, "It's okay, I'll sit down for a while, are you hungry?"

Chang Sheng rubbed his already deflated stomach, sighed, and said, "Isn't this nonsense! Are you hungry?"

Li Su didn't speak, Chang Sheng knew that he must be starving, but he was too embarrassed to speak, but saw Li Su reaching out to touch his bosom, after a long time, he put his hand in front of Chang Sheng's eyes, and said softly: "Eat!" Well, that's all."

Chang Sheng looked at it for a while, only to realize that they were the cherries he gave Li Su that day, but the cherries had burst after a few days of damage, and the peel was also wrinkled, which looked rather ugly.

But the very hungry person can control so much, Chang Sheng immediately looked happy and prepared to swallow it in one gulp, then paused, carefully split the cherry from the middle, handed half of the cherry to Li Su, and said, "This is for you. "

Li Su shook his head and said, "I'm not hungry, you eat."

Chang Sheng knew that he was afraid that he would not have enough to eat, but just a cherry itself is something that can't even fit between the teeth. Even if you eat one, it's the same as if you didn't eat it. .”

Li Su looked at him helplessly, but finally said nothing, chewed the small half of the cherry and swallowed it.