Chapter 22 Chapter 21 Bonfire, Besieged on All Sides

Flying Daggers, Farewell My Concubine, this is the most tragic and tragic elegy in history.Zhang Liang sent people to sing Chu's folk songs around the Chu army, creating a famous example of psychological warfare in the world's military history. In October 202 BC, Guling. The Han army huddled in deep ditches and high fortifications, deeply closed and firmly refused.The Chu army rushed forward again and again like raging waves, and retreated helplessly. When Xiang Yu retreated from Guangwu and hurried back to Pengcheng, he got the news that Liu Bang led the Han army to chase him.This already excitable man became like a raging beast.In the past, when he was angry again and no one could dissuade him, as long as the poppy came to him, leaned on his broad chest, and raised her tearful eyes to look at him, he would be like a raging head. The male lion slowly crawled to the ground and became docile.

This time he swung his sword angrily, and chopped a tall lamp post in the camp into several pieces.Even when Poppy cried and knelt down for him, his eyes were still wide open, his sword stood upright like a stone sculpture, and no one dared to approach him. Are people still so unfaithful?I just released your father and wife, and I have treated them with courtesy in the past two or three years, and I have never touched them. Not only are you not grateful, Liu Bang, you are ruthless as soon as you return them. Do you have any conscience?How beautiful it sounds, the gap is the boundary, and there will be a truce from now on, each will not invade each other, and share peace, it is a complete lie!Why do I, Xiang Yu, always fall for this scoundrel again and again?Next time, I will catch someone from your Liu Ji and immediately chop it into a meat paste, and I will never show kindness again!

He had just obtained some military rations recently, so he ordered the whole army to eat, and turned around to meet the Han army. As soon as he arrived in Guling (now north of Huaiyang, Henan Province), he encountered the Han army. Taking advantage of the unstable foothold of the Han army, Xiang Yu charged forward. He personally led his troops to lead the battle and killed the Han army on their backs.Xiang Yu suddenly saw the King of Han in front, and the enemy met, he was extremely jealous, and immediately urged the black horse to charge forward.When Liu Bang's generals saw Xiang Yu approaching the King of Han, they hurried forward to stop him.Xiang Yu swung his halberd and stabbed at him, one after another fell off his horse, and he was absolutely unable to parry.

Liu Bang knew that Xiang Yu was red-eyed, and he wanted to put him to death quickly, so it was better to go, and quickly turned his horse's head and fled up the mountain under the protection of the generals. Xiang Yu chased after him for a while, but he disappeared Liu Bang. Afraid of an ambush, he hastily withdrew his troops.Liu Bang also packed up his remnants and defeated generals, found a place with steep terrain and set up camp, ordered his soldiers to build fortresses and dig trenches, stand firm and not fight, wait for the princes from all walks of life to come to join forces, and then fight Xiang Yu decisively.

This time the Han army and the Chu army suddenly encountered each other, and after Xiang Yu personally led his troops to charge and kill, all the Han army, from the king of Han to the generals and soldiers, trembled in fear.Xiang Yu went into battle with extraordinary momentum, not to mention that he was already irritated. Generals who dare to challenge him, just look at his god-like and brave posture on the black horse, plus he stares at you with his peculiar double pupils, roaring A sound has already made you numb all over, and your soul is scattered, how dare you fight with him?What's more, his arm strength is extraordinary, at most one or two rounds, he will pick you off the horse, no wonder the last time Lou Fan was so frightened that he turned around and ran away, first of all he had a nervous breakdown!

The panic-stricken Han army was so frightened that they curled up in the deep ditch and high fortress for a few days, and trembled when they heard King Xiang come to call for battle. Liu Bang was looking forward to and waiting bitterly. He sent people to inquire around, and as soon as he saw the team of Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Yingbu coming, he would come and tell him. Waiting day by day, the days that should come have already passed, but there is no news, and there is no shadow of a soldier.What is the reason? However, Xiang Yu, who was at odds with him, led his troops to challenge him day and night, and he had to put him to death soon.He ordered day and night patrols to stand ready.I wanted to join forces with the princes to destroy Xiang Yu, but I didn't expect that if the princes didn't come to meet, Xiang Yu wanted to destroy him instead.

If the princes don't come, what can I do? Liu Bang stood alone on the high slope outside the camp for a long time. Fortunately, he had sent someone to send the Taigong and Empress Lu to the pass.It's October again, according to the Qin system, the New Year is here again, and the cold air hits people in late autumn. When will the army and horses fight?At present, the princes stand still, what strategy should they adopt? You should ask Zifang, he sent someone to invite Zhang Liang. Zhang Liang came soon. "Zifang, the princes have not arrived, what should I do?" Zhang Liang thought for a while and told Liu Bang bluntly: "King of Han, please put yourself in the shoes of the king. If the king of Han is a prince but has not obtained a fief, would you be willing to invite troops to the meeting?"

Liu Bangli said bluntly: "I have made Han Xin the king of Qi and Peng Yue the prime minister of Wei. Isn't that enough?" Zhang Liang replied: "Yes, although Han Xin was appointed king of Qi, it was not out of the original intention of the King of Han. Of course he felt uneasy. The same is true for Peng Yue. When he was about to settle the land of Liang, the King of Han ordered him to assist Wei Bao. Now that Wei Bao is dead, of course Peng Yue wants to be crowned king, but the King of Han has not granted it for so long, can he come and work for the King of Han?" Liu Bang also felt the same reason, nodded and said: "Then, how does Zifang think we can get them to come to the meeting?"

Zhang Liang said: "I think the most urgent thing is to send envoys to tell them overnight that if they can work together to defeat Xiang Yu, then after the matter is completed, all from the east of Chen to the East China Sea will be sealed to Han Xin. From the north of Suiyang to Gucheng, all Give it to Peng Yue. Then the two will send troops here soon." So Liu Bang sent envoys flying horses to Qi and Liang overnight to convey Liu Bang's will, and both Han Xin and Peng Yue readily agreed to march immediately.At the same time, Huainan Wang Yingbu and the Han general Liu Jia marched into Jiujiang, recruited Zhou Yin, the general of Chu, and recruited Jiujiang soldiers to meet Liu Bang.

The three armies of Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Yingbo soon came to meet up, Liu Bang got out of the predicament, and his army was greatly shocked.Only then did he remember Zhang Liangma's previous advice when he was defeated in Pengcheng, and he had told him that there were three people he had to rely on to defeat Xiang Yu. Looking at it today, isn't that really the case? The war situation began to turn sharply again. Xiang Yu led his 100,000 hungry and exhausted troops and retreated to Gaixia. He originally wanted to go back to Pengcheng, but now the return route has been cut off. He has been ambushed by Liu Bang's 300,000 troops , Han Xin is directing this final decisive battle, a tragic ending is waiting for him.

In the play, Xiang Yu's army of 400,000 is against Liu Bang's ten major armies; in Gaixia, Liu Bang's army of 300,000 is against Xiang Yu's army of 100,000.History has turned upside down, and the battle between Chu and Han is about to fall. A moonlit night in severe winter. The moonlight was hazy, and a lone moon slowly passed through the clouds, leaking a pale moonlight from time to time.In the second half of the night, the sword-like frost covered the ground with a layer of white ice, and the biting cold wind swayed the dead branches of the forest. Under the moonlight, scattered and moving shadows were cast on the frozen field. Among these tens of miles of mountain villas, there are layer upon layer of camps, with the Chu army camp in the middle, surrounded by Han army camps layer upon layer.At this time, except for the sentries, the soldiers on both sides had already gone to sleep.The piles of bonfires used to drive away the severe cold have burned weaker and weaker, and some have been extinguished, leaving only extinguished ashes. At this time, the cold and hungry soldiers in the Chu camp woke up from a nightmare, and their frozen hands and feet did not seem to be part of their bodies.For the past few days, I have not been able to control my fullness after eating one meal a day, and my hunger has added to the threat of cold.They all know that the King of Han has set up an ambush all around them. The Chu army has no reinforcements outside and no food inside. The soldiers and horses were hacked clean. Then, in the utter silence, they wondered if they were dreaming.They could clearly hear the folk songs and folk songs of the Chu country from afar.Immediately, their frozen hearts were like spring returning to the earth, the snow melted and the ice melted, the flowing water gurgled, and everything came back to life.They seem to have returned to their hometown, and saw the familiar mountains and rivers, fields, villages, cattle and sheep, and saw the smiling faces of fathers, wives and children, calling out to themselves!It had been a long time since they heard such a friendly and familiar local accent. They sat up unconsciously, and even walked out of the camp despite the severe cold, looking at the Han army camp from a distance, where the bonfire was burning brightly.It was from the piles of yellow fires that the folk songs and music of Chu State came... So groups of Chu soldiers walked towards the piles of warm bonfires that made them yearn for. Xiang Yu also woke up. It was Yu Ji who woke him up: "My lord, wake up! My lord, listen, what is this sound? In this deep night, Jiangdong's music and singing came from the Han camp!" This peerless beauty who overwhelms the city and the country, she is proficient in rhythm, can sing and dance, but she lives in the middle of this cruel battlefield, trapped in the siege of life and death.She tied her frail life to the battle of blood and fire of a hero in troubled times.Willing to share victory with him, or perish with him.This is a kind of physical commitment that extraordinary women can do, even if it is a tragedy. Xiang Yu was taken aback when he heard it: "The besieged song came from the Han camp. Could it be that the land of Chu has been completely occupied by the Han army?!" He couldn't sleep anymore anyway. Xiang Yu got up and put on his armor, his mood had never been so bad.These days, there is a problem that haunts him like a nightmare, making it difficult for him to get rid of.This is why he is convinced that he is an invincible general, but why does the victory always not belong to him? Is this fate? He felt more and more as if the curtain was about to fall, as if the end was approaching.Is it a little too fast?He's only in his early thirties!Qin Shihuang, who was in the crowd with his uncle to watch the tour, once said with pride, "I can replace him!" In an ambush! God, what am I not as good as him! Sons and daughters love each other, but heroes are short of breath.Seeing this peerless beauty next to him, who was about to be destroyed in iron and blood with him, this tough man who had killed 200,000 people without even blinking his eyes broke his heart.He drew the sword in one hand, supported the poppies in the other, and sang generously with his hoarse and masculine voice: He held up his unyielding head, tears glistened in his blood-red eyes, a hero who is all-powerful and invincible among thousands of armies, at this moment, his blood was boiling, and he opened the gate of emotion, letting his unyielding heart surge like a stormy sea. diarrhea. He looked up at his head motionless, letting the tears flow freely. Poppy's eyes were red from crying, and she also let out a mournful voice with a choked voice, which was so sad and melodious, and her voice was moving.On the most tragic battlefield in Chinese history, a pair of desperate heroes and beauties actually sang a tragic and desolate duet of male and female voices at this moment, which has become a swan song that has been passed down through the ages! After singing, the camp was extremely quiet, and the howling of the cold wind in the wilderness could be heard late at night... Xiang Yu raised his head, closed his eyes tightly, the cold iron armor on his chest was shaking up and down, two lines of cold tears flowed down his dark and rough cheeks, hitting the iron armor on his chest one by one, his hands were in pain I twitched and trembled, and the hilt of the sword slipped from my hand... Suddenly, a piercing scream of despair sounded in his ear. He suddenly opened his eyes, only to see that his heavy sword had been snatched away by the poppies. Like a flash of lightning, the sharp and heavy sword lightly touched the slender beauty's neck, Her blood immediately stained Qingfeng red.Poppy's weak body fell to the ground, not as heavy and heavy as the sword fell to the ground with a bang... The moon set, and it was dark, silent, and extremely cold before dawn, and the positions on both sides of Chu and Han fell asleep.There was a cavalry force of 800 men, who lightly stepped on the ground with wrapped horseshoes in severe frost, and broke through Liu Bang's ambush on all sides without anyone noticing, and rushed out of the encirclement. The next morning, Liu Bang discovered that Xiang Yu had already escaped from the encirclement. What was even more surprising and lamentable was that Xiang Yu broke through with the dead poppies.It's not in vain for this beauty to love this all-powerful hero so much, and to give her life for him. Later, people will see very beautifully repaired poppy tombs in many places of interest, but in fact they are all boring arty.It is said that more than 2,000 years later, a farmer from a production team in Dingyuan County dug a very rough and simple tomb in the field. Except for the bones, there was only a rough stone carved with the words "Tomb of Poppies". The humble handwriting.It is conceivable that after Xiang Yu escaped from the siege with Poppy's body, he simply and affectionately buried her here to avoid the victor's insult.This is far more sincere, precious, and full of affection than those magnificent royal cemeteries. What puzzled Xiang Yu was that he felt that he was so mighty and invincible, but he couldn't defeat his opponent.In fact, he never dreamed that the besieged last night was a psychological and spiritual warfare carefully directed by Zhang Liang. Perhaps this was also a spectacle in the history of war in China and the world. The decisive battle between the two armies is not only a contest of force, but also a contest of soldiers' psychological quality and spiritual strength.Soldiers who have absolutely no mental breakdown and mental exhaustion may still have good combat effectiveness.On that still cold night, there was actually a war going on, and it was psychological and spiritual. As the saying goes, if there are more than one hundred people, there are all five categories.Zhang Liang asked each army to find someone who was born in Chu State and could sing Chu folk songs and play Chu folk music.After these people were selected and gathered, and after a few days of training, they were sent to the forefront of encircling the Chu army camp last night.A group of three, a group of five, surrounded the Chu army.In the dead of night, they sang Chu folk songs loudly and played Chu folk music by the blazing bonfire beside the military camp.One after another, mellow and melodious.For a moment, people feel that this is not a battlefield where the two armies confront each other, and it is no longer full of bloody massacres and desperate contests, but a scene of peace, with the melody and singing, so intoxicating. It was these folk songs and tunes that aroused the lovesickness and tears of Chu soldiers.After years of continuous fighting, the fields in my hometown have been deserted, the old parents in my hometown are waiting to be fed, and the wives and children in my hometown are looking back with tears... Since then, besieged on all sides has become a symbol of a hero's end and hopelessness. In this way, Xiang Yu led more than 800 riders to break through Gai, and when he crossed the Huai River, only a few hundred people could keep up.When they arrived in Dongcheng (now southeast of Dingyuan County, Anhui Province), there were only 28 riders left. When they broke through the encirclement of the Han army and were scheduled to meet at three places east of the mountain, two more died, leaving only 26 riders.Finally, when Yu Tingzhang on the edge of the Wujiang River picked him up and crossed Jiangdong by ferry, Xiang Yu had no face to see Jiangdong's father Dong, a doomed hero and his 26 soldiers, walking towards the final dead end... Half a month later, a huge tomb was erected on a hillside in Gucheng (today's Shandong Dong'a) in Ludi, and the stone tablet in front of the tomb was engraved with "Tomb of Duke Lu". This is the resting place of the dead hero. I remember that King Huai of Chu enfeoffed Xiang Yu as Duke of Lu when he first enfeoffed him.After Xiang Yu was killed, all the Chu lands surrendered to the Han, except Lu who refused to surrender.Liu Bang was angry. Now he has commanded all the soldiers in the world and flattened the land of Lu casually.Could it be said that a little Lu dared to contend and compete with Liu Bang, the king of Han? Zhang Liang persuaded him: "Lu State is the homeland of Confucius and a state of etiquette. The King of Han should appease him. What's more, the world will be unified in the future, and it is more necessary to rule the world with benevolence and righteousness, instead of harsh punishments like the Qin Dynasty. " Therefore, Liu Bang thought that it was a country that kept ceremonies, so he ordered Xiang Yu's head to be shown to the fathers and villagers in Ludi. They surrendered when they saw that Xiang Yu was really dead. The world was initially settled, and Zhang Liang suggested to Liu Bang that in order to calm people's hearts and show your generosity and benevolence, and at the same time, you once joined forces with Xiang Yu to fight against Qin, and you are both leaders of the rebel army. Xiang Yu should be buried and held a grand memorial. Liu Bang agreed to bury King Xiang in Gucheng with the ceremony of Duke Lu. He led Zhang Liang and his civil and military officials to the tomb in plain clothes.Liu Bang saw that the tomb had been arched, and under the loess where the grass had not yet grown, a person who had a life-and-death contest with him not long ago had been buried here. Under the cover of this loess, Liu Bang felt that his mortal enemy, who had been inextricably killed in the past, is now resting in the tomb, but can he be at peace?What was buried in this tomb was not a complete body, but a bloody mass that had been chopped into five large pieces. The first piece is his head.In the end, he got off his horse and fought with the Han army on foot. In this way, he also killed more than a hundred of the Han army, and he was also covered in scars.Originally, this piece should have belonged to Lu Matong, the Sima of the Han Cavalry, but Xiang Yu had no intention of fighting again, so he ran into Lu Matong head-on.He recognized his old subordinate at a glance, and said loudly, "Aren't you my old acquaintance?" When Lu Matong saw Xiang Yu, he panicked and didn't know what to say, and couldn't do anything for a while.During this embarrassing hesitation, Wang Yi happened to come, so he said to Wang Zui, "This is King Xiang!" Xiang Yu said to Wang Yi calmly, "I heard that the king of Han issued an order that whoever gets my head, Xiang Yu, will be rewarded." Make ten thousand households with a thousand pieces of gold, and I will fulfill you!" After saying that, he slayed himself and fell to the ground. As soon as Wang Yi cut off his head, dozens of people rushed over.Seeing such a scene, they rushed forward to fight for this headless corpse. Even if a piece of stump and arm were chopped off, it would mean a heavy reward to the Marquis.So dozens of people fought desperately to kill each other in front of the headless corpse.The person who wanted to capture this bloody headless corpse was hacked into a bloody headless corpse himself.In order to compete for this headless corpse, dozens of new corpses were dropped. Humans are more cruel than wolves when they are cruel. In the end, there were only four people left, and they swung knives around Xiang Yu's headless corpse, just like cutting up a cow and sheep in the case of slaughtering livestock.These four people are Langzhong Qi Yang Xi, cavalry Sima Lu Matong, Langzhong Lu Teng and Yang Wu.Before Xiang Yu was alive, none of them was his opponent on the battlefield; after his death, he was hacked at will by these four unknown soldiers like a hero.Especially that Yang Xi, who met Xiang Yu head-on not long ago, was stared at by him and roared, everyone was startled, and they backed up several miles at once.At this moment, by luck, he cut off a corpse and became a hero and hero in an instant.The five people each threw a piece of blood and flesh in front of the King of Han to ask for a reward. Liu Bang bent down to see it, and the smell of blood made him sick and almost vomited.He quickly moved his gaze aside, he really wanted to chop these few people who asked for credit into a pulp!Then, they put together the five large pieces of blood-stained meat, and only then did they see the general outline of Xiang Yu, which was really shocking. Is this the all-powerful Overlord of Western Chu? Liu Bang suddenly thought, if I lose, won't I be chopped up like this? When the emperor, who had just ruled the world and was about to ascend the throne, kowtowed to the five broken corpses of the loser, he couldn't help feeling sad and burst into tears.He had been besieged by Xiang Yu many times, and he was in a desperate situation. Whether it was the Hongmen Banquet, the defeat of Pengcheng, or the breakout of Xingyang and Chenggao, or the encounter with Xiang Yu in Guling not long ago, if he was captured and killed, wouldn't it be the same? Shattered into pieces?If you succeed, you will be a king, if you lose, you will be a bandit.If Xiang Yu defeated him, wouldn't he be able to lie in a splendid underground palace like Qin Shihuang after his death?Then this sacrifice will be reversed again, life has ups and downs, fate is capricious, and today is at the climax of life, who can protect him from falling into the abyss of eternal doom? Liu Bang cried bitterly. He was mourning for others as well as himself. The winner also shed endless tears. A winner will become a loser one day. After the worship ceremony, Liu Bang and Zhang Liang walked slowly side by side, surrounded by civil servants and generals, he felt a little irritable.He wanted to find a secluded place to have a chat with Zhang Liang, but when he looked up, there was a lush pine forest on the other side of the mountain, and behind the forest was a bend of clear water, and he and Zhang Liangxin walked towards that side without rein. Liu Bang said: "Zifang, King Xiang is also a hero of the world. Although he was defeated, he did not admit his defeat." Zhang Liang said: "Yes, I heard that when he was chased to the east city, there were only 28 riders left. King Xiang also said to his subordinates, "It has been eight years since I started my army, and I have experienced more than 70 battles. Everything I attacked was unbreakable, and I never retreated, so I could become the overlord of the princes. But I didn’t expect to be in such a predicament today. It’s not that my force is inferior to the opponent, but it’s God’s will. God wants me to perish! Now I can only fight It's your life and death. I'll open the way for everyone to break through. I want you to take another look. My Xiang Yu's majesty is still there. You see, I still want to kill them. I want to prove that it's not that I can't fight, but that the sky will die I!" Liu Bang said: "That's true. He always thought that he was invincible and shouldn't fail. When he finally fell into a desperate situation, he still wanted to show that he was invincible." Zhang Liang said: "I heard that there were three times like this. One time, when there were only twenty-eight riders left in a tight siege, he said, "Let me take a general for you." After speaking, he rode up and beheaded a Han. General. The second time was when he was surrounded again after breaking out of the siege. He killed a captain and hundreds of people with his horse, and proudly asked his entourage, "What do you think of me?". The third time was the last time when he gave up his horse and fought hand to hand. , and another hundred people were killed by him. At this time, he was covered with wounds and knew that it was irreversible, so he killed himself. King Xiang thought he was brave and unparalleled, but in the end he didn't understand why he couldn't win. Isn't that true? Is there something pathetic about him?" Liu Bang said: "As a general, King Xiang is indeed rare in ancient and modern times, but he lacks and cannot tolerate someone who can strategize for him. How can he not fail?" People seem to have a nature to sympathize with the losers. Liu Bang seems to have forgotten that the hero he sympathizes with is his sworn enemy. The army and the officials have been left far behind by them. Perhaps because it is far away from the main point, it is not a battleground for military strategists. The eight-year war did not leave any traces here.Despite the cold winter, the pine forest here is green, the cold water is clear, quiet and peaceful, and it is a good place to recuperate. Liu Bang lingered and forgot to return, and sighed: "It's a great joy in life to be able to rest here for a while!" Zhang Liang said with a smile: "Your Majesty is thinking of retiring before the founding of the country and enthronement?" Liu Bang admitted frankly: "I am really exhausted physically and mentally!" Suddenly, he found an old shepherd in the forest far away, and said, "Let's go and have a look!" After saying that, the two galloped away, and the old shepherd turned around and drove his flock to the depths of the pine forest. Liu Bang stopped his horse and shouted loudly: "Old man, please wait a moment, we have something to ask you!" The old shepherd had no choice but to turn sideways, only to see that his gray beard and hair covered most of his cheeks, and he wore a broken bamboo hat low.He waved his hands and gestured to them. "What are you gesticulating?" Liu Bang said. "He said he was deaf and dumb." Zhang Liang explained from the side. "Forget it, let's go back!" As soon as the two turned around and walked away, Liu Bang suddenly said, "Why is this person's figure so familiar?" Zhang Liang said: "I also have the feeling of meeting an old friend." Liu Bang seemed to realize something: "Ah, where is Hou Cheng from?" Zhang Liang suddenly realized: "People from Gucheng! He is a Confucian student from Lu State!" "Turn around!" The two urged their horses to gallop into the pine forest, bypass the thorns and come to the lakeside. Only a few sheep were gnawing on the dry grass.The two called out loudly to the dense forest: "Hou Cheng——! Ai Qing——!" "Bosheng—! Come out—! The King of Han is looking for you—!" In addition to the echo in the pine forest, there are only bursts of pine waves.Zhang Liang suddenly shouted loudly: "King of Han, come and see!" When Liu Bang came to Zhang Liang, he saw two pairs of broken shoes and a line of footprints left on the soil by the lake. Liu Bang knelt down suddenly, bowed to the lake, and cried bitterly: "Hou Cheng! Bo Sheng! I have failed you, you shouldn't just go like this!" A bay of cold water, glowing with microwaves, this is the end of Dongping Lake. Zhang Liang stopped Liu Bang and helped him mount his horse. Just as he was about to go back, he saw a group of knights galloping towards him.They found that King Han and Zhang Liang were missing.I hurriedly searched around and found it. "Send someone to salvage him and build a tomb for him!" "Your Majesty, don't disturb Bosheng, let him sleep peacefully in this peaceful and peaceful world, and let him become one with the world, which is more noble than any rich burial." Liu Bang seemed to understand, but didn't say a word. He felt that he owed too much, too much to Duke Hou... The sound of horseshoes went away and disappeared, and the pine forest and even the pine waves also subsided.At this moment here, the sky is silent, the forests are quiet, the cold water is silent, the mountains are silent, and even a sheep is lying motionless in the grass. The old shepherd came back from the depths of the pine forest, came to the lake, picked up the rags and put them on his feet, and drove the sheep slowly, gradually disappearing into the deep mountains beside Dongping Lake...