Huan Rong

The second year of Xian'an, the first month, the dark day

Jia Bing and Xun You left Xuyi and were escorted by a team of state soldiers to Jiangzhou and Jingzhou respectively.

In order to ensure that nothing happened on the way, Huan Rong appointed Dian Kui and Xu Chao to accompany him, and repeatedly told them that no matter what, they must protect the safety of the two servants.

Huan Rong was promoted from county government to county government, and Jia Bing and others were transformed from county officials to county officials.There is also no grade, but the status and rights are completely different from before.

Huan Rong once wanted to invite an official for Jia Bing, and he was elected by the imperial court as the magistrate of a county.

Without even thinking about it, Jia Bing declined on the spot.The reason is very simple. Unlike Zhong Lin, he has intelligence and strategy but is not an internal affairs talent.Rather than awarding other county magistrates, it is better to win over the surname Wu.

"The talents of a servant are limited, and it is enough for a family."

Jia Bing didn't want to choose an official, but Huan Rong didn't force him.

Thinking about it carefully, it is really inappropriate to choose him as the county magistrate at such an opportune time.When Yuzhou is taken down, it is necessary to send cronies to sit in the town, and there is no rush to discuss this matter at that time.

The two teams left the city in a hurry, with Huan Rong's handwritten letter in their pockets, they also brought several carloads of watches, gold, silver, silk cloth, pearls and colorful treasures, almost everything was missing.

Huan's assassin is not short of money.

These gifts are all stepping stones.Compared with the benefits of uniting the two states, no amount of courtesy is nothing.

Not long after the two left, another team set off from Xuyi and rushed to Gushu day and night.

The purpose of this team is twofold, one is to contact Sima Daofu to resolve the matter of the gold seal; the other is to try to meet with Sima Yi and explain Huan Rong's plea clearly.

It is definitely not Huan Shijun's style to do good deeds without leaving a name.

If Sima Yi is smart, he should know what his purpose is.It doesn't matter if you don't know, as long as someone comes and explains clearly, it's impossible to pretend to be confused.

With the current situation, there are only two paths before Sima Yi.

If you agree to cooperate, hello, hello, hello, everyone, if you can't keep the king, at least you can be a county magistrate, and live the rest of your life in peace;

If you are lucky enough to avoid death, you will still become a pawn in the hands of others.

In the same chess game, Huan Rong always left room for it, but it was different for others.

The so-called unloading and killing the donkey is not a lie.A mere deposed emperor can be replaced by others at any time.Not to mention others, the Empress Dowager Chu in the palace is the first one who can't tolerate him!

What kind of result will depend on whether Sima Yi can figure it out.

Perhaps it should be said, is he willing to figure it out.

The three teams set off one after another, they did not play the banner of Huan Rong and Princess Nankang, but mixed in the caravan leaving the city, and did not attract any attention.

Huan Rong climbed to the top of the city, looked at the marching team, and took a deep breath.

Be it passive or active.

Now that we have come to this point, we must continue to go no matter what.The road ahead is not smooth, gravel and thorns are everywhere, however, he has no room to retreat.

It may be difficult to move forward, but it may be fatal to retreat.

What's more, he fell into the abyss of ten thousand feet, and ended up with no bones left.

Huan Rong straightened his back and clenched his fists tightly.Hold your breath for two seconds, then exhale slowly.The eardrums were slightly swollen, and there were bursts of tightness in the chest.The chaos in my mind is still there, but I can faintly find the thread, and the messy thoughts gradually become clear.

"Your Majesty, it's windy, and there may be rain." Qian Shi glanced at the sky and reminded him aloud.

"Rain?" Huan Rong stretched out his hand, felt the cold wind wrapped around his fingertips, and suddenly smiled, "When a dark day clears away disasters, next rain may not be a bad thing."

Perhaps in order to verify what Huan Rong said, within a few breaths, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and several drops of water fell from the sky, which were soon entwined into threads, woven into a transparent rain curtain, blown by the wind, and covered the city like a gauze.

"My lord, be careful of catching a cold!"

Qian Shi was born as a refugee, and it was common for him to get wet in the rain.Cai Yun Lingtai, who was on duty to guard the city, was a water bandit, and he walked on rivers and lakes all year round, and he didn't even notice it.

Huan Rong is not.

I heard that Shi Jun was weak when he was young, and he worked with decoctions for many years. Although he is well now, it is still a big taboo to catch cold, let alone rain!

Qian Shi and the others tried their best to persuade them several times, but Huan Rong knew what was good and waved his hands, not intending to show "celebrities are chic, Wei and Jin romantic", but honestly put on a cloak, walked down the wall quickly, and prepared to go back home.

At that time, the city was full of excitement, especially on the banks of the stream, even more noisy.The sound of singing and crisp laughter are intertwined, accompanied by drizzle, forming a unique movement.

The gentlemen feasting by the river, the girl washing clothes, the boatmen standing by the river, and the teenagers and boys frolicking in the water. In the festive atmosphere, the inherent concepts seem to be broken. Regardless of the gentry and the common people, they all gather by the water, follow the The traditions of the ancestors wash away the disaster and usher in the new year.

When the carriage passed by, Huan Rong opened the window and looked at the water's edge. He saw several young gentlemen getting excited, one of them blew xun, the two of them clapped their hands together, and sang a song Wei Feng, which attracted everyone to join in.

The singing spread to the other side, and the girls no longer rinsed their clothes, but joined hands and sang ancient tunes, corresponding to the singing of the gentleman.Before the end of the song, he stepped on his feet vigorously, stepped on the melody of the beat, and danced the dance handed down by the ancestors.

The girl's figure was soft, but her movements carried a hint of strength, even a bit wild.

Huan Rong once saw a similar dance in Yandu.

Unlike dancers and musicians, this kind of dance is closer to the original, without the need for a piano, simple beats, simple movements, showing the enthusiasm in the bones, making people unconsciously clap along, and even want to join in.

The girls start spinning.

The skirt flutters.

The singing voices of the gentlemen are louder, and the sound of the honor is long, which is ingeniously blended with the sound of the percussion, and even the sound of the rain is added to it, cheering for this dance.

The girls stopped spinning, but the dance didn't end.

One after another, teenagers, even middle-aged men, stepped on the beat together, with their feet on the ground and their arms raised high, as if they were singing praises to the ancestors, and also seemed to be asking the heavens. , Why did the glory suddenly dissipate, and the people of China fell into a century of chaos, displaced, and became lambs waiting to be slaughtered?

The majestic voices became one, shaking the rain curtain.

Huan Rong closed the car window, leaned against the car wall, closed his eyes forcefully, and opened them again. The confusion faded away, leaving only firmness and determination.

"Go home."

"promise!"

While the carriage was moving, a goshawk flew from the north.

Passing through the long stone steps and crossing a stone bridge, the carriage stopped in front of the Assassin's Mansion.As soon as Huan Rong jumped off the shaft of the chariot, there was a loud eagle cry above his head.

"Ahei?"

Huan Ci made his eyes light up, and before he had time to get the sheepskin, he simply wrapped his long sleeve around his forearm to catch the flying goshawk.

"It's finally here."

He muttered in a low voice, stroked the eagle feather with his fingers, and felt a trace of moisture.

Huan Rong didn't stay in front of the door, and after a few instructions, he quickly walked into the front yard.

The goshawk flapped its wings twice, let go of Huan Rong's forearm, and flew low along with him.As a result, they didn't fly very far, and heard two immature tiger roars.

Three to four month old tiger cubs have not changed their deciduous teeth, but their physique has grown a lot, and they will no longer be regarded as domestic cats.

The king pattern on the forehead is clear, the pattern on the body is as wide as two fingers, the fur is smooth, the soles of the feet are wide, and the sharp claws are stretched out, showing the brave posture of the king of beasts.

"Roar--"

The cubs smelled Huan Rong's breath and came running one after the other.Follow Tiger Lady and Bear Lady to make sure they don't hurt anyone.

Seeing the little tiger running up to him, he fell over and rolled, his front paws folded on his chest, revealing his soft belly, Huan Rong's most direct reaction was to bend over and rub it twice.

"Hey!"

This move aroused Goshawk's dissatisfaction.

Forget about meat-eating pigeons, what about these two? !

Goshawk was very dissatisfied, and the consequences were serious.

An adult elk can be caught, let alone two cubs!

Ever since, under Huan Rong's shocked gaze, the goshawk swooped down, grabbed a tiger cub, and flew five meters high in an instant.

"Hey!" Lao Tzu makes you act like a baby, show your belly, and be arrogant!

"Ow—"

The little tiger was dumbfounded.

He suddenly left the ground, not knowing what was going on, and instinctively roared and struggled, not to mention how pitiful he looked.The other tiger cub turned up and roared into the air, baring its teeth and waving its claws.

Xiong Nu and Hu Nu were anxious, and when they had nothing to do, they suddenly heard Huan Rong say: "Ah Hei, come down."

The two turned their heads in unison, Huan Rong didn't seem to notice, staring at the goshawk in mid-air, wrinkling the word "Chuan" between his brows.

"Hey——"

"Get down!"

"Hey——"

"If you don't come down, there's no meat to eat!" Huan Rong paused, and then added, "Give all your share to Ah Yuan."

Before the words were finished, a chubby dove flew over, seeing the goshawk clutching the cub, it let out a "cuckoo" cry.If the pigeons also have expressions, they must be laughing at this time, and they are almost proud to say: You kid also has today!

Huan Rong was speechless for a long time.

Is this all perfect?

"Ahei, come down, don't hurt it."

In any case, the goshawk finally lowered his height, loosened his claws, and left the cub behind.Xiongnu quickly took two steps forward, catching the falling balls straight on.

The cub was really frightened, his ears were pressed together, and he kept barking.

Huan Rong caught Goshawk, but he didn't "hard-heartedly" reprimand him, he just waved his hands to the bear girl and the tiger girl, and said, "Take them down. Don't let them come to the front yard again."

"promise!"

The sisters agreed in unison.

The pigeon was still cooing, flapped its wings twice, and swooped once, but it didn't have the strength of the goshawk, and instead of grabbing a few feathers, it was slapped twice by the tiger's claws.

Huan Rong shook his head, and led Goshawk into the corridor.

The sound of the clogs gradually faded away, and the tiger girl and the bear girl straightened up and looked at each other with fear in their expressions.Fortunately, the cub was not injured, if not, I must be responsible for allowing the cub to leave the courtyard.

Back in the main room, Huan Rong asked his servant to fetch a soft cloth and wiped the goshawk's feathers himself.He also ordered someone to deliver fresh meat, picked up a few pieces and fed them to him, and finally made this man stop frying his hair.

He untied the bamboo tube from the eagle's legs, and pushed the plate full of fresh meat to the goshawk. Huan Rong waved away the servants and took out the silk cloth for a closer look.

There is not much content in the letter, just a few sentences, stating that the transaction is in order, there is no need to worry, all the people sent by Murong Chui will be sent to Youzhou.

In addition, mentioning the snowstorm in the north, most of the grassland livestock died, famine began on the grassland, Murong Ping was in a difficult situation, Murong Chui and Murong De were not short of food, but they were jealous of each other. After the spring, the battle situation in the north may change.

"Is there a shortage of food?"

Huan Rong frowned slightly, he didn't expect such a change.If they can't fight, won't the previous plan come to nothing?Looking at the contents of the letter again, the frown suddenly relaxed again.

Murong Ping was short of food, and so was the Rouran tribe.

What if there is no food?

With the usual thinking of these tribes, it is natural to swing a knife to grab it.It is conceivable that Murong Xianbei's internal strife will not end, and neither the Di people nor the Qin family who are adjacent to Rouran will live in peace.

"Do you want to intervene?"

Huan Rong leaned on the side of the couch, propped his chin with one hand, and tapped his knee with the other hand, one after another, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile line formed at the corner of his mouth, as if he saw a fish and was about to catch it with his claws Tabby cat.

You can't directly intervene, but you can fan the flames.

King Fu Jian had no news for a few days, and it was hard to guarantee that he was holding back some bad water. Let them be busy with other things, so as not to keep staring at the south.

"Just do it!"

Huan Rong sat up, put away the silk cloth, and planned to write a reply letter to Qin Jing, hinting to him by the way that the Rouran tribe could be led to the border of the Di people.

"If this matter is accomplished, both brother and Rong will benefit."

People in Ming Dynasty don't talk dark words before, and when dealing with people like Qin Jing, there is no benefit in talking about things, it's just a joke, it's better to go straight and explain your intentions.

Before the real sword is revealed, the two parties are still "allies".

As an ally, it is natural for mutual benefit.

Putting down the last stroke, drying the ink on the silk, Huan Rong thought about it, and added a line of small words at the end of the letter: I made an agreement a few days ago, I hope my brother will not forget it.

After finishing writing, Huan Rong felt a little regretful.Wanting to change to a piece of silk, he hesitated again and again, finally gritted his teeth, put the silk cloth into a bamboo tube, and tied it back to the goshawk's leg.

Goshawk was slightly dissatisfied.

Huan Rong smiled, brushed the goshawk's back feathers with his fingertips, and said, "You don't need to go now, wait until the rain stops before setting off."

Looking through the half-open window, the drizzle continued, and puddles had accumulated in the courtyard.

A few brightly colored birds gathered under the porch to hide from the rain, pecking at the corn sprinkled by the servants.Little did he know that there was a bird of prey in the house, its neck feathers were standing up and it was full of displeasure.

It rained for most of the day, and the dark clouds did not dissipate until the afternoon.

As the sun sets, the city is filled with water vapor, which is not as refreshing as when it rains.

Huan Rong went to the courtyard and raised his arms to release the goshawks.Putting one hand on his forehead, looking at the black spots gradually disappearing behind the clouds, his smile was a bit complicated, and finally slowly disappeared from his mouth.

In the next month, goshawks and pigeons traveled back and forth between the north and the south, and Qin Jing and Huan Rong kept communicating.

As Governor Huan expected, in February, when there was no heavy snowfall in the north, Murong Ping began to plunder, not robbing others, but only robbing Murongchui.I don't know if it's luck or something else, but after a few shots, he actually intercepted a batch of grain.

Murong Chui suffered a disadvantage, so he naturally refused to let it go easily.

The counselor spoke out, persuading Murong Chui to be cautious, lest he fall into other people's traps.

Murong Chui smiled wryly.

Even though he knew that the matter was not easy, but being slapped on the face by Murong Ping, he couldn't make a long-term decision.Why did the soldiers under his command follow him?One is the name of bravery, and the other is that it can bring benefits to everyone.

No matter what conspiracy is hidden behind it, if someone slaps you but doesn't fight back, you will definitely lose people's hearts.

If it were a few months ago, he and Murong De could join forces and take care of each other.Now, Murong Ping's soldiers are pressing down on the situation, Murong De moves behind his back, he is stepping on the edge of a knife, he has to be reckless.

Fortunately, Rouran's people are not in harmony, and there are not many tribes who are willing to help Murong.Otherwise, there may not be a [-]% chance of winning this battle.

The counselor tried to persuade him again and again, but Murong Chui just shook his head.

It's a pity that my wife and brother died of illness last year, and there is no one around me to discuss.Parents and children are at odds with nephews, and there are fewer and fewer people available.Otherwise, how could others take advantage of this opportunity to disrupt their grand plan of using Goguryeo to recharge their batteries and go south to restore the country!

In late February, Murong Chui and Murong Ping put on a stance and fought two consecutive battles.Murongde couldn't stay out of the matter, and the Rouran tribe also joined in one after another.

Several forces fought in a melee, and both Ku Moxi and Shi Wei became battlefields.

A large number of sheep slaves took the opportunity to escape, and Hu people who did not want to join the battle group tried to cross the border and seek refuge in Qin's jurisdiction, risking being intercepted and killed by the rebels.

The Youzhou caravan is temporarily stationed in Changli, taking the opportunity to recruit young craftsmen.

Following the practice of Youzhou, the Qin family registered the Hanhu who went south and managed them separately.Proposed by Qin Jing, Qin Yu asked Qin Ce to transfer a group of civil servants from Xihe to manage the new refugees.

In less than half a month, the recorded books were filled with wooden boxes, the Qin family got a lot of labor, and the Youzhou caravan also benefited a lot.The two parties have cooperated happily, and have decided on the time for the next food delivery, and Qin Jing will send a trilogy to escort the caravan southwards and return to Youzhou.

Not long after the caravan set off, the looting Rouran tribe appeared on the border.

Qin Yu is guarding Changli and cannot leave easily.

Qin Jing led [-] cavalry to intercept, and killed the Rouran tribe in the first battle, shaking their hearts and minds.Not a single prisoner of war was left, and all the dead bandits were beheaded and piled up on the border to make "Jingguan".

Qin Jing ordered someone to fetch a piece of wood, and carved a line of words on the wood with his sword: Whoever crosses this world, kill!

Such deterrents are extremely effective.

Since then, few Rouran tribes have dared to trespass on the land under the jurisdiction of the Qin Clan, let alone plunder.Even if there were, they would be beheaded by Qin Jing's troops.One tribe was more unlucky. They were chased for more than ten miles, but they still couldn't escape the knife in the neck.

The number of "Beijing Views" piled up on the border has increased to five. The strange thing is that the overlook is not horizontal to the border, but in a straight line, piercing the grassland like a sharp sword.

In order to survive, the Rouran tribe was forced to move westward to find trouble with the Di people.

Instead of chasing and fighting fiercely, Qin Jing led his troops back to Changli. After discussing with Qin Yu, they sent letters to Xihe and Pengcheng respectively, planning to stay in Changli temporarily to prevent further accidents.

In this regard, Qin Ce did not object, and sent [-] more troops to order the brothers to guard Changli strictly to ensure the stability of the border and prevent the people from being harassed by Hu thieves.

Fortunately, the Rouran Tribe didn't know this order. If they knew, they would definitely jump up and curse: Jingguan Capital has been built on the grassland, who is being bullied? !

When March came, the war between Murong Ping and Murong Chui became fierce.

The two sides fought fiercely and had no time to care about each other. The Goguryeo people took the opportunity to take back Wandu, but they were suppressed by Murong Ling who was guarding the rear. All the leaders were killed, and those who participated had their left hands cut off. , could not survive, and was directly thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

Most of the Rouran tribe moved westward and soon clashed with the Di people.

Fu Jian's old problem happened again, he did not execute the tribal leaders who violated the territory and plundered, but recruited them.The latter was so grateful that he patted his chest and agreed to take refuge, then ran away with his soldiers, returned to the tribe and joined forces with his "allies", and led his troops to fight again.

The border of the Di people was in emergency frequently, and Wang Meng learned about it while he was ill, and almost fainted from anger.

The north is not peaceful, and the south is also undercurrents.

The atmosphere in Jiankang City became more and more dignified.

Sima Yu was dying of illness, so Empress Dowager Chu went directly to the stage to win the support of the gentry, and asked the emperor to appoint a crown prince to act as regent.

The DPRK and China are divided into several factions, and their opinions are not unified.

When Sima Yu learned that he was ill, he issued three decrees in succession, summoning Huan Wen to Beijing, and sending his attendant Wang Tanzhi to Gushu to recruit Da Sima to the court.Xi Yin of Jingkou also received the order, but seeing that Huan Wen had not moved for a long time, he was suspicious, so he also stayed still, using excuses not to go to Jiankang.

Powerful ministers do not enter Beijing, court, Chinese and military positions are unclear, and Jiankang's waters are getting more and more muddy. For a while, no one dares to easily say which side will have the last laugh.

Huan Rong, who was far away in Youzhou, received good news. Huan Chong and Huan Huo wrote letters one after another expressing their intention to join forces.

Putting away the letter, Mr. Huan strolled to the corridor.

Looking at the dark clouds in the sky, just waiting for the spring thunder to explode and the heavy rain to fall.