Blade and Poetry

The wealth contained in "Traveling Ice City" is not suitable for publicity, so the reports focus on the other side.The fact that the Ninth Army arrived at the main battlefield in time to fight the fire and defeated the Iron Face Army with a very high loss ratio made Columdu South and everyone talked about it for a while. The army became famous in World War I.

I was taken to the hospital on the night of the Ice City Tour.My group of soldiers squeezed into the ward in turn, claiming that they were here to pay their respects to the sick face of the chief to make myself smile, but they all held a collective mourning meeting outside the door.I don’t know who spread the news that I like music, and several groups insisted on singing military songs at the top of their voices, fighting wits and courage with the medical staff who supervised me, and lined up in front of the hospital bed like a row of mountain bags.It's a pity that the singing is really unbearable to listen to - I was thrown out in the end.

According to the doctor, it will take at least half a month for my wound to heal completely.She very strongly suggested that I stay in the hospital to recuperate, so as not to affect the flexibility of wielding a knife in the future, so I gave the title of acting commander to Marcus and asked him to continue to lead the Ninth Army to follow the instructions.

During this period, the Ninth Army fought two more victories, shining brilliantly on the northern front.I was so relieved to hear the news that I even took a long vacation for myself after returning to the army, allowing Marcus to continue to serve as the commander, so I seized all the free time to practice knives.

The advancement to "Blade" depends more on the breakthrough of the swordsman's state of mind.Not only does it require years of experience, but it also requires an opportunity that can't be met.It was after the night in the ice city that I ignited another strange fighting spirit: I believed in my heart that no matter what kind of trials Karajan has experienced in the past two years, he can finally break through, as long as he can This matter, I will always achieve it one day.

This thought was suppressed under my identity and mission, but it became stronger day by day, so I couldn't help but secretly struggled with myself to pursue it.

I was trying to get back to the basics, and only used those few basic sword techniques repeatedly.I stand longer and longer in my spare time, but the number of times I actually swing the knife is less and less.The magic flowed through my hand and the knife, serving as a bridge between me and it again and again.I feel that I can hear the pulse in Charon, and whenever my heartbeat matches it, I seem to be closer to the critical monument of "Blade".

In April, the Pu Guojun launched a long-lost strong attack, and made a comeback aggressively, causing countless casualties along the way, but I smelled a hint of Jedi struggle from it.At the same time, I received a letter from the upper echelon, saying that a team of people will arrive at the Ninth Army in a few days to hold an award ceremony for me, hoping that I can take the lead in preparing for it.

Of course I saw that this was a hint that I wanted to return to the position of commander, but I just didn't want to understand it, so I wrote a five-page reply in a fluent manner, first responding positively to the award, After reporting on the current situation of the army, he praised the strategic arrangement of the upper echelon, and then changed his style of writing at the end, writing euphemistically:

"The interim commander of the Ninth Army is still Marcus. As a person who has not yet returned to his post and is about to resign, my lord Shaw Karl is not suitable to be ranked first in the ranks of honor recipients. Please consider it."

Sure enough, the criticism in the reply was focused on my sudden resignation.I hastily skipped over the qualifying words in that letter, underlined it, and learned my lesson in writing a second letter, complete with an official resignation form.I patiently wrote down a list of reasons for my resignation, and wrote another line to fight for it tenaciously:

"Many sergeants in the Ninth Army have repeatedly made military exploits, and the season for promotion seems to be approaching..."

Under such troubled waters, my award ceremony finally turned into a group recognition and military party.Marcus, Ferry, and several other captains were promoted to officers, and my rank was changed from second to third.Marcus was so overjoyed by the news that he didn't notice the unusual arrangement of the scene for a while.Feli was sharper than him, and while Marcus was still congratulating him and me, he asked me to step aside and talk.

"Marcus is still in command at this time, because you have decided to resign?" He asked me, "Don't you plan to notify Marcus in advance?"

"He'll know," I said, "let them have a little fun tonight."

"He's just being blinded for a while, and he'll figure it out soon," Ferry said. "Tomorrow morning, I think."

"I guess so," I said, "so I'm going to slip away tonight. I have something urgent to get done. Tell Marcus for me then: 'The army is in good shape, and with your cooperation It's mature'—you don't need me to say anything, Ferry. You don't need my prodding."

"Didn't come back after that?" Ferry said.

"Not coming back—before the war is over and you have several layers of military merit on your body." I said.

Maybe it was just as cruel to both of my long-time followers, but Marcus would make a gesture to wipe the ground with himself at this time-unless I changed his words or Ferry grabbed him-and Ferry would just Nod your head and agree.

"Give me a shout out to the leader of the team that just came in for the honor," I said to him, "the one who never smiled. I have something to say to him."

"Yes, sir."

Fei Li trotted out for two steps, then turned around again:

"In any case, we just want to fight north and south with you."

After he said this, he stopped looking back.He hasn't given up on the old title for me, but that last sentence is no longer a hold.I leaned against this willow tree, looked at the bonfire in the distance, and suddenly felt that I had seen a similar scene many years ago.

"The last time you saw a big bonfire," I said to the visitor, "were you at the Academy?"

"No," said the man, standing straight beside me, "it was the day before yesterday."

"You also have a party?"

"It was the fire in the alley," he said, "and most of the city was burned."

I recalled the marching route of the No.15 Army, sighed secretly, but said on my mouth: "As expected of Prince Coleman's sense of humor, it has a bit of bitterness and joy."

He didn't respond to me, and the branches hanging around his face were swaying, making it difficult to catch any expression after that.I didn't feel the pain of entertaining myself at all, so I continued:

"When we met for the first time today, Officer Coleman honestly confirmed the rumors in the market. He was really heroic and heart-wrenching—especially when he handed me the third-rank officer badge, he was very handsome."

It took me a lot of effort to hold back my smile, and while I was fiddling with the ring on my hand, I was thinking of giving him a few more similar words when the opportunity was rare.Coleman no longer gave me this chance, and suddenly raised his hand and pushed aside a large number of branches.

There was a void between us, and I could only meet his gloomy eyes.

"Vincent Shaw," Coleman said, looking straight at me, "how long do you want to hide this identity?"

"I didn't hide it from you on purpose," I said, "Didn't I ask you to come to chat—I don't believe that Columdunan's intelligence department can't find out Shaw Karl's real identity after two years. "

I held out my right hand to Coleman - it stayed in the air for a long time, and then he held it tightly.He shook it vigorously, and the unhappiness in his eyes subsided a lot.

"Don't die like this, Vicente," he said, "and don't reveal your identity, no matter what disguise magic you use. Du Ling will not kill you now, and the battlefield treats you very kindly, but magic will There are still a group of forces out of control, and Du Ling is investigating."

"Du Ling won't kill me, that's really new good news."

"It was only last year that I found out about your whereabouts," he said, "I only learned about Du Ling's despicable methods against you later - I apologize to you on behalf of my brother."

"You have nothing to do with this matter." I said, "I didn't intend to explain to you before, but I thought you might feel embarrassed about the cause and effect."

"I'm not embarrassed," he shook his head. "You can trust me: from now on, not only will Du Ling not hunt you down, but he will also not restrict your freedom."

"He promised you that?"

"During always had his reasons," Coleman said. "It wasn't all about what I said."

I swallowed an unspoken thank you and put my hand on his shoulder.I stood side by side with him under the tree, and no one spoke for a while.The branches messed up our hair; the young people in the distance were fighting and jumping around the campfire, laughing and laughing.

"I need your help, Coleman," I said. "At present, this matter is only you that can help me the fastest."

"You say." He replied.

"I need you to introduce me to During."

I am ready to make a promise when I say this.But Coleman didn't inquire about the reason, and only asked me straight to the point:

"Okay. Shall we leave tonight?"

Carrying Coleman's personal letter and document seal, I successfully arrived at the palace of the royal capital in the early morning of the next day.Coleman had made an appointment with Du Ling for me in the Butterfly Book; I was ushered into a room by the waiter waiting in the hall.

The room was very ordinary and small in size, just like any small meeting hall, with a few table lamps and wall lamps lit in the morning light.Outside the window is not very bright white, it is impossible to see what kind of weather it will turn into.

"Sit down?" said the person in the seat.

This is my first meeting with the current monarch of Columbus.He was wearing a deep black morning dress, which seemed to contain rigor and grace beyond his age.If someone is willing to compare his and Coleman's looks carefully, they may feel that they are strangely similar, which is especially obvious in the black eyes and the shape of the bridge of the nose-until Du Ling utters the first sentence.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said, "I need not sit down. As soon as I'm lucky enough to have enough time to finish my request, I'll be leaving soon."

He looked at me from the seat, and he couldn't tell whether it was the kindness, arrogance or non-derogatory indifference of the superior in his eyes.We looked at each other for a long time, and his expression moved slightly.

"Hello, Vicente Shaw," he said, "let me redeem my initial rudeness—'Sit down, please.' Or, if you still won't sit down, we can talk standing up."

As he said this, he actually pushed his chair aside and stopped not far from me.I tensed my body defensively, but he didn't seem to notice.

"You can tell me your plea now." He said without hesitation, "Please do what you want."

I recalled the speech I had prepared, and recounted it from the beginning:

"Those fighters in Pu Kingdom have long lost their fighting spirit. The pressure of the war on the southern front is already very light, but the northern front has to parry their life-saving raids from time to time, such as the recent battle of Ersai City, the encirclement and suppression of Yunshui City, in Gelun Dunan's army is intact, and Pu Guojun's desperate onslaught has repeatedly reached a situation where both sides suffer. According to my impressions on the battlefield and some background-related analysis, the facts should be as I judged——Pu Guojun's current situation Only motivated by the power and madness of the bishop behind him, he is willing to continue to bleed for nothing on the battlefield. The next battle is undoubtedly meaningless."

"I understand people's desire for the end of the war," During said, "so you have come to ask for peace?"

"I ask for another way to end the war." I said, "I want to go and assassinate the bishop of Puguo."

The previous Du Ling seemed to be listening to my words, but I couldn't tell whether the words simply flowed from his ears, and they were about to become a piece of uninteresting news in the morning.But now I am soberly aware of the difference: his gaze finally has a focus, suddenly sharpened.

"You should be able to guess, right?" he said. "You are not the first person to have a similar idea. I can tell you bluntly: Columdunan sent a dozen or so people for this. They either did nothing. Return, or perish halfway."

"I'm willing to make this a private operation," I said, "I don't expect assistance from the top. I just hope that the top can understand my movements and make it easier for me when I cross the country. If I succeeded, and I hope I can ask His Majesty for a reward."

"What you want is not a title," Du Ling said.

"Yes," I said, "I hope that after the Bishop's death—whether I come back alive or not—the court of Colendonen will restore my father's honor."

"This is not a reward," Du Ling said. "From your statement, this is more like an exchange."

"Maybe so," I said.

Du Ling was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned around to get something from a drawer.I caught a glimpse of the corner of a small envelope; it slipped quickly through his fingers.

"Redmonton Sean's reputation has not been damaged," Du Ling said, "although Toscaia did deliberately conceal the fact that he had intercourse with your father in public. Your father's death is not clear, and his meritorious service is not clear." It cannot be made public."

"Espionage, eh?" I said, "—my father?"

Except for the murderer who raised a knife on my father's head, I don't know who to really point my hatred at.Those surging blood and belief in revenge have become deep and silent over time.It was once persuaded by me to go back. It was not until I confirmed that the hatred of the country and the family could truly merge together at this time that it somewhat reappeared the way it was then—both impassioned and cautiously calculated by the designer. I put it on the agenda in one fell swoop.

"No country will admit espionage activities." Du Ling acquiesced to my statement, "Back then, Sean voluntarily engaged in the 'password string', unfortunately exposed his identity in Pu country in 842, and was captured by Aixental Galenno arrested and publicly executed."

"It didn't make a big splash," I said. "The people in power at the time handled it well."

"There is no denying that Toscaia, who was then in power, failed his friend," During said.He looked at me, and his eyes seemed to be mixed with an inexplicable pathos, and some ironic pity; and neither of these landed on me, but rested on an unknown distance, "Tosca Ya Yanci rejected any proposal to respond to Pu Guo’s provocation, and firmly stated a position that belongs to the king. However, he was not as perfect as others praised in private... He quietly sent a small team, enough to pass through inconspicuously. The border of Puge. But the team disappeared in Puguo, and disappeared together with your father's death."

"That's a good story," I said after a pause. "Maybe it's the kind my father likes."

"Whether you believe it or not." Du Ling said, "I didn't personally experience that period of time, so I can't judge whether he had a better choice at the beginning. I can only say that I also owe you an apology—out of Temptation, I do not hesitate to put the heroes in danger. But my desire is different from Toscaia's, and I am not happy with the large sacrifices required to grow the magic branch. So I think we don't need to stand for the time being. in a relative position."

"Then can our original deal be established, Your Majesty?" I stared intently at him in order to catch a certain moment when his gaze shifted.

"No." Du Ling said, "Toscaia King left your father an apology letter before he died. I will hand it over according to his last wish. It is up to you to publish or burn it. Your father Will appear in the list of martyrs in the Battle of Pu Song, although the detailed cause of death will not be included. I swear in the name of the king, I will never break my word today-this is my original intention, you don't need to exchange anything gone."

Du Ling looked at me who was in a daze, and unfolded to me the old letter with the wax in his hand.

"Even so, are you going to take the risk, Sean—no—Mr. Shaw?" he said.

"Yes," I put away the letter, feeling it twitch slightly with my fingers, "both public and private."

"That's good." Du Ling said, "Now I will provide you with an additional piece of information, which can save you some time: the bishop who is rumored to be traveling with the army is not real, and Aixental Galenno is still in Puguo 28th Street, Ninth City. Go there and look for Room [-], where the bishop gathers his cronies to hold gatherings at the end of every month. It is not a simple meeting hall; If you can finish it, there will be countermeasures to ensure your safety back to the city."

"Those supporters failed to personally assassinate Galenno?"

"Those people are not really under my control, they just cooperate with us," Du Ling said ambiguously, "and they can't get the bishop's personal invitation card from the bishop. The function of the invitation card is similar to identity verification, only the person holding the invitation card Only people can see the whole picture of the house.”

"Looks like invitations are going to be a problem," I said. "I'll try."

"You will always have a way," Du Ling seemed to say with deep meaning, "I still remember that fledgling pioneer."

I nodded in front of Du Ling, negotiated with him a few more key points of action, and immediately planned to leave.The sun outside the window had risen at this time, and I caught a glimpse there, and I was surprised that it would be a good weather in late spring.

"You talked about an exchange at the very beginning—you haven't made any new demands yet," During reminded me.

"I don't need anything anymore," I said, "so the 'deal' can probably be transformed into an 'act of charity', a moral sublimation."

I wished him good afternoon in advance, saluted him, and put my hand on the door of the room.

The door lock has not been completely turned by me, but I was stopped by the person behind me.

"Mr. Vicente Xiao, did you sign a mutual agreement when you were under house arrest?" Du Ling said, "Just now, I have decided to destroy it. You will no longer be bound by the magic above—— You are completely free."