Chapter 23 1. Crossing the river

The Hutuo River is located in the south of Raoyang. The torrent is rushing, and the river surface is about several hundred meters wide. Finally, we, a group of exhausted desperadoes, were blocked by the river. Unable to move an inch, Wang Ba was ordered to visit, and the result in return made people tremble - the river was rushing, and there was no ferry on the river. Handan's pursuers are already approaching. Since our whereabouts were exposed in Raoyang, we have been completely beaten and chased.If you want to survive, you must not stop for a moment in your escape, even if you are so tired that you can't even breathe.

If you don't want to die, you can only bite the bullet and run forward, and you can't stop for a moment! However…… Hutuo River! The unfeeling Hutuo River blocked us on the river bank abruptly. The people who were physically and mentally exhausted couldn't bear such a cruel blow, and the number of fleeing soldiers was increasing day by day. Once these fleeing people met the pursuers of Handan, our whereabouts would be discovered immediately. The price of walking day and night in the wind and snow is painful. The exposed skin is covered with frost and snow, and all the exposed skin is cracked and sore, especially on the face.

On this day, I followed Wang Ba to explore the Hutuo River again, but still found nothing. If we can’t find a boat, we can’t cross the river. If we can’t cross the river, we can only wait for death. "Big Sima!" "Uncle Yuan!" Seeing us coming back, Liu Xiu and the others immediately rushed forward, "How? Can we find the ship?" I was just about to shake my head, but Wang Ba suddenly said: "There is no need to look for a boat, the river is already frozen! Wait for another night of snow to freeze solidly, and we can cross the river tomorrow morning!"

"Really? That's great!" Liu Xiu felt relieved, and everyone couldn't hide their joy. I bit my lip until the tip of my tongue licked a fishy smell. Wang Ba lied!The river never freezes over!However, if he didn't say that, people's hearts would be scattered, and all the soldiers would have escaped without waiting until tomorrow morning. That night, I hid in a broken thatched hut sheltered from the wind, snuggled into Liu Xiu's arms silently with tears in my eyes, and listened to the roar of the north all night. "Xiu'er, do you still remember the battle of Kunyang?"

"Yeah." He stroked my long hair and murmured. There were a group of soldiers lying beside us, snoring one after another, and the two of us whispered alone. "That day I prayed for God to have a spirit, and a miracle would appear, but..." I took a deep breath, "You said that I have a weft map on my back, does that represent my wish, and God can hear it? ? If this is true...if Weitu is really so magical, I hope...the miracle can happen again..." I choked up and couldn't speak any more, he hugged me tightly, his heavy breathing rang in my ears: "I know... Actually the Hutuo River didn't freeze..."

I covered my mouth and wept bitterly, holding my breath and crying like rain: "Xiu'er...I want you to live...I just want you to live well, even if it has to be exchanged with my life..." He took a deep breath and hugged me in his arms with all his strength, wishing he could rub me into his body and blend into his flesh and blood. The north wind screamed horribly all night. I passed the night in despair and heartbreak. The one hugging me tightly is my husband! Xiu'er... I would give my life in exchange for the hope of your life! Just because... I love you... ――――――――――――

Snow, flying in the air. Everyone's happy smiling faces bloomed in this snowy winter, the only ones who didn't smile were Liu Xiu and Wang Ba. The latter was shocked, while the former was silent.And I leaned indifferently on the stone wall on the bank, quietly looking at the Hutuo River that stopped roaring. The miracle happened again! The Hutuo River froze overnight. Although the ice layer on the river was not too thick, I could see the other side from where I was standing, and there was no sound of flowing water in my ears. The Hutuo River is freezing! Deng Yu and Feng Yi commanded the soldiers to dig up fine sand and spread it on the ice. First, they transported the horses and carts to the opposite side one after another. Watching the clumsy figure like a penguin who fell on the ice step by step, cautiously, I There was an unspeakable bitterness in my heart.

After Liu Xiu and Feng Yi explained a few words, they turned around and walked towards me. Seeing him approaching step by step, I couldn't help feeling nervous, crossed my hands, and kept twisting my fingers in my sleeves. He stood still in front of me, with calm eyes and no smile on his face. Such a serious Liu Xiu is very frightening. The momentum that has been accumulated for a long time seems to erupt from behind his smiling mask, covering him firmly. me. I couldn't move, I held my breath and bowed my head, not daring to look at him. Ever since I confessed my feelings last night, I dare not face this man head-on.

He is my husband and the man I love! I fell in love with him, and let myself let go of such deep feelings without knowing it, which was something I couldn't imagine before. I am in love with an ancient man!An ancient man from two thousand years ago...and he is my husband! It's only natural for a wife to love her husband, but... the two of us met two thousand years apart by fate. Should I give up, or should I continue to love?How can I continue to love? I am very confused, for him, for me...for our destiny, our future, I am so confused that I can't see where is the next stop?

I have never embodied such crazy and deep feelings!But I can't lie to myself, I am...really in love with him! But Xiuer, what about you?You treat me...but also... As soon as his arm hurt, Liu Xiu grabbed me hard and dragged me staggeringly all the way down the river.The icy river was slippery and untenable. Even though yellow sand had been sprinkled in advance, it was difficult to maintain balance when the feet were numb from the cold and could no longer have a good sense of grip. What's more, Liu Xiu didn't let me find a sense of balance at all. Without turning his head, he used brute force to drag me to slide on the ice. Such a rude behavior was not at all like the Liu Xiu I knew.

When I slid to the middle of the river, I finally couldn't help shouting: "It hurts..." The hand holding me shook violently, he finally turned around and let go: "I'm sorry." I didn't mean to blame him, but the anger and annoyance in his eyes pierced into my heart like a needle.I don't understand why he is angry?His anger came and went quickly, even if he was still angry, at least I had reminded him just now, and he was aware of it, so his emotions quickly calmed down, and he returned to normal in an instant. despair!despair!despair…… The ice under his feet trembled slightly, and a dark cloud suddenly appeared on the horizon along the coast. The pursuers in Handan seemed to have fallen from the sky! Liu Xiu and I looked at each other in blank dismay, and our faces turned pale in the next second. "Run—" Almost at the same time, the two of us ran towards the opposite bank with support, our feet slipped all the way, and we ran through the 100 meters that was not long or short. The golden drums were beeping behind me, and I looked back panting, only to see that the pursuers behind me had also descended to the river, and started to chase and approach on the ice. There were still seven or eight meters away from the opposite bank, and the generals on the bank were screaming hoarsely, and Deng Yu jumped up in a hurry. If Wang Ba and Yao Qi hadn't held him tightly, he would have jumped into the river long ago. My heart was beating like thunder, my feet slipped, and with a "pop", I fell into the mud. Liu Xiu hurriedly grabbed my arm and pulled it desperately.I was lying on the ice, and I just raised my palms when I heard a crisp "crack" sound, and a white gap cracked on the ice under my palms. I was out of my wits, and Liu Xiu picked me up by the waist. At that moment, crackling sounded like firecrackers one after another. Before I could react, there was a loud noise behind me, and the sound of the water shook, and the water droplets splashed by the surf splashed on my head. There were screams, screams, roars, neighing, and all kinds of terrifying sounds mixed together. The surface of the Hutuo River is like a valley of death on the verge of collapse! Liu Xiu hugged me and rushed to the opposite bank. The ice under my feet split at an astonishing speed. In an instant, I came to my feet. Just one step away from the river bank, the last piece of ice we stepped on collapsed, and my body sank. I felt like falling down. "Xiuer—" I screamed. With a tight right hand, my legs were submerged into the piercing river water from below the knees. Liu Xiu grabbed a raised stone beside the embankment with the five fingers of her right hand, and her left hand tightly held my right hand. The rushing river made my body sway from side to side, and the rock that Liu Xiu relied on might loosen at any time. I looked up and saw the people on the bank lying on the ground, trying to grab Liu Xiu's arm from above. However, his right arm is injured... the weight of two people cannot be carried by one injured arm anyway. "Let go..." I said softly. As soon as his right hand hurt, he grasped it with all his strength, causing my five fingers to hurt sharply. "Let go of me..." At that moment, my heart suddenly seemed to be relieved, and I couldn't feel a trace of fear. I calmly looked up at him and smiled faintly. What I said last night still echoed in my ears: Xiu'er...I want you to live...I just want you to live well, even if I have to exchange my life... I would give my life in exchange for your hope of life! I gave up and let go of my five fingers. He seemed to be aware of it, his eyes were furious, and there was an unprecedented determination in his eyes: "If you let go, I will let go... If you go to the sky, I will go to the sky, if you go into the water, I will go to the water... Where are you? where……" My heart trembled suddenly, and tears burst out of my eyes in an instant. The five fingers of the right hand finally clenched together again, and the ten fingers were intertwined, unbreakable. A large amount of crushed ice washed down from the upper river, colliding with my body from time to time.I gritted my teeth and held my breath to resist the tearing pain in my legs. After about five or six minutes, Feng Yi on the shore finally managed to reach Liu Xiu's arm, and everyone pulled him up with a concerted effort. My whole body was numb, my teeth were clenched, and Liu Xiu's left hand was always tightly entwined with my right hand. When everyone pulled me ashore, Liu Xiu hugged me tightly in his arms. His embrace was warm and firm, and I shivered, my drifting consciousness was a little clear, my whole body was cold, and my teeth began to chatter. The thin ice layer formed on the river overnight could not bear the large number of pursuers in Handan, and all of them collapsed. More than half of the soldiers fell into the water, screaming and struggling, and the water surface was thumping.Apart from being busy saving people, the remaining pursuers on the shore could only yell across the river to vent their anger. "Let's go!" Liu Xiu hugged me horizontally, and when she got up, her right arm trembled and fell weakly, almost dropping me to the ground. "Give it to me!" Deng Yu stretched out his hands from the side, "I'll hug her!" Liu Xiu smiled softly at Deng Yu with a bloodless face, but his subordinates did not make any movement to indicate that they would hand me over. The eyes of the two were fixed, and there seemed to be a layer of illusory blur between the flying snowflakes, blocking some things that I couldn't understand. Feng Yi walked over with his head down, and sighed with that unique magnet-like voice of nature: "I'll come." As he spoke, he stretched out his arms to pick me up. This time Liu Xiu did not refuse, he handed me over to Feng Yi. Feng Yi's embrace is softer and warmer than Liu Xiu's, I kept shivering, greedily absorbing all the heat from his body. "Don't worry, it will be fine in a while!" Feng Yi carried me on the horse, opened his robes and wrapped me tightly, and hugged me tightly, "I promise that nothing will happen to you again!"