Chapter 5 The fourth round of Jade Perishing Fragrance Dispelling Cards, Heart Tracks, Blue Lights and Yellow Scrolls, Returning to Buddhism

After Zhao Xingde left Ganzhou with a Xixia army, he walked eastward, first returned to Liangzhou where he had spent a year, then crossed the desert, and finally came to the long-awaited Xixia capital Xingqing.Because of Xixia's recent victory in Ganzhou, Xingqing City was filled with a festive atmosphere of victory.It is impossible for Zhao Xingde, who was on the front line, to have imagined the great significance of driving the Uyghurs out of Ganzhou City, their base. Liangzhou was recovered before, and now Ganzhou is captured again. This is a major strategic victory for Xixia to obtain the right to do business in the Western Regions.

Prior to this, all kinds of commodities from the Western Regions, mainly fur and jade, had to pass through the hands of the Uyghurs in Ganzhou, and then transferred to the Central Plains and Khitan in the east.The Uighurs monopolized the benefits of doing business in the Western Regions, and made a lot of money from it.But from now on, this cash cow has fallen into the hands of the Xixia people.After the capture of Liangzhou, all the famous horses in the world will be taken away, which only brought obvious benefits to Xixia in terms of military affairs, and the capture of Ganzhou this time will surely bring immeasurable effects to the emerging Xixia Kingdom in terms of economy .In the Hexi Corridor, there are only two regions in Guazhou and Shazhou that are dominated by Han Chinese.Once these two places are obtained, the border of Xixia will border on the Western Regions, and isn't the Western Regions the gateway to the Western countries that hide countless treasures?

After all, Xingqing is the capital of Xixia, it is very different from Liangzhou and Ganzhou that Zhao Xingde has been to.Not far from Xingqing City is a desert area, but Xingqing is a capital city on a plain with many trees.Helan Mountain can be seen in the distance to the west of the city, and about thirty miles east of the city is the Yellow River.The surrounding rivers of Xingqing City are crisscrossed, ditches are like a net, the land is fertile and the crops are lush. There are six gates in Xingqing City. There are row upon row of shops in the city, and the streets are spacious and tidy.Zhao Xingde was very surprised when he first entered Xingqing City. The signboards and plaques on both sides of the street were all written in Xixia characters. The proliferation of such wonderful characters made him truly feel that he had come to a foreign country.As soon as he entered Xingqing City, he learned that the use of Chinese characters is forbidden here, and the government is forcing the use of the national script created in recent years.

In fact, not only in terms of writing, but also in clothing, makeup, and even greetings when meeting people, they have to change the popular customs of the Han people in the past and respect their own habits.From these aspects, it shows the reserve and pride of a nation that is gradually becoming stronger.Although it gives people a certain sense of humor, it is not something that can be laughed off.While wandering the streets, Xingde observed the passers-by on the road. He felt that the Xixia people were a mixture.But one thing he can be sure of is that this nation is superior to both Tubo and Uyghur.

The national policy of the Xixia Kingdom was formulated with the military as the center, but its internal affairs were almost completely modeled after the Song Dynasty, and it was also handled by the yamen at all levels of the government.Zhao Xingde asked passers-by, and found out that the school is located in a Jialan monastery in the northwest corner of the city.Unlike the Guozijian in the Song Dynasty, there were no students in the school, only more than 30 soldiers sent from various troops to learn Xixia characters.Except for Zhao Xingde, the others are all young Xixia people.The teachers of Xixia language in the school are all Han Chinese, there are more than ten teachers in total.Zhao Xingde stayed in a guest room in the temple.It has been a long time since he lived with so many Han people, so Zhao Xingde felt a kind of kindness in the temple.At the beginning, he was learning Xixia while doing odd jobs.Fortunately, before Xingde came, he had already mastered the daily language, so after a while, this course was considered acceptable.The teacher knew that he was originally a scholar, so he arranged a special task for him.Zhao Xingde helps the instructors compile the booklets to be issued to the students every day, and adds annotations to the relatively rare Chinese characters in the booklets.Soon, Zhao Xingde felt that he had returned to the literati life he was used to.

From the autumn of this year to the spring of the next year, Zhao Xingde devoted all his energy to learning Xixia Wen.From October to March, it is a happy winter.In November, the ditches that draw water from the Yellow River are frozen, and hailstorms often occur.In April, the Yellow River froze, and Xingde was ordered to compile a comparison table between Xixia script and Chinese characters. This was a very laborious task, and it took a long time.After entering the summer, the wind blowing from the northwest desert made the weather very hot, and the fine yellow sand crossed the city wall and fell on the ground in the streets and alleys of the city.When the wind and sand are strong, the day is as dark as the night.When there is no wind, there are often thunderstorms.

Since Zhao Xingde started to make a comparison table between Xixia characters and Chinese characters, he has devoted himself to it, often day and night.There are more than 6,000 Xixia characters in total, created by the Han people.These people are long gone now.If these instigators are still alive, it will be very easy to choose a more suitable one among the many synonymous Chinese characters corresponding to the Xixia script.Now that they are old people, no one knows the basic principles of creating these Xixia characters corresponding to Chinese characters, so Zhao Xingde's work is extremely difficult.

Until the autumn of the seventh year of Tiansheng, Zhao Xingde finally completed the formulation of the comparison table.Xingde came to Xingqing six years after Tiansheng, and it took a year and a half.At this time, Zhao Xingde had finally fulfilled his wish, and the Uighur woman and Zhu Wangli who had been obsessed with before had become very far away in his mind, and gradually faded away. Looking back on the past, the fierce battles under Zhu Wangli's command and the boring life in the border barracks, all these are like a nightmare, gone forever.It seems unrealistic to go back to Liangzhou or Ganzhou where I once lived.After living in Xingqing for more than a year, Zhao Xingde no longer wanted to go back to the front line.Even the image of the Uighur royal woman in his heart gradually became blurred with the passage of time.I remember that when he first arrived in Xingqing, Xingde often missed the Uighur woman strongly, and he could even feel the coolness of her slender hand in his palm when we parted.But now this accidental marriage seemed to have disappeared, and he even doubted whether he really had a romantic relationship with that woman.She is just the moon in the water, the flower in the mirror, why bother to go back to Ganzhou for such a woman?

After the comparison table was completed, Zhao Xingde fell into confusion about his own future.In the past, everything about the Xixia nation was new and I wanted to know more about it. For this purpose, I traveled thousands of miles to the Western Frontier and spent several years here.Now, he has lost his dream of the Xixia nation.The intense stimulation I felt when I first saw a Xixia woman in the market outside Kaifeng was not found in the city life of Xingqing.I used to think that there is a strong primitive atmosphere in the Xixia people, but today's Xixia people are no longer like this.Thanks to leaders like De Ming and Yuan Hao, the country was unified, and the people gradually became civilized and became subjects of the emerging country.For the benefit of the country, men don't hesitate to sacrifice their lives in wars outside, while women can overcome all difficulties and take care of housework at home.It seems that making sacrifices for the country has become a joy in the lives of Xixia people.

Xingde once responded to the emperor's policy in his dream, and preached He Liang's An Bian policy on the Golden Palace.And now if he had that chance again, he would not change.In fact, Xixia is far more powerful than those in power in the Song Dynasty imagined. The Xixia nation is an excellent nation.At present, wars are frequent and there is no time to take care of civilization and education, but once it wipes out all the surrounding enemy countries, it will establish a unique culture of Xixia, which will be completely comparable to the Han culture of the Song Dynasty.In order to eradicate the great troubles of the Central Plains in the future, the Song Dynasty should mobilize the troops of the whole country, and take advantage of the fact that Xixia's wings are not yet full, and wipe them out with one drum.It's a pity that none of the civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty made such a claim, but they stood by and turned a blind eye to Xixia's move to take Liangzhou first and then conquer Ganzhou.Xingde believes that at this time the big mistake has been made.

After thinking about it, Zhao Xingde felt that he had no reason to continue to obstruct the Western Regions.He has already mastered Xixia Wen, and has lived in Xingqing, the capital of Xixia, for more than a year. If you want to go back to the Central Plains, there are still ways.The Song Dynasty and Xixia did not sever diplomatic relations, but it is still the same as when Xingde came, and there is no open communication between the two countries.The relationship between Xixia, Khitan, and Song Dynasty is very delicate. Each side wants to see the other two parties fight with each other, and reap the benefits of the fisherman.Zhao Xingde lived in Xingqing for a long time, and he also noticed that despite the official prohibition, the people of the three countries still communicate in private.Therefore, if Zhao Xingde is determined to return to his hometown, there is still a way to go. However, Zhao Xingde had no intention of returning home.He also didn't want to go to Liangzhou again, he fell into a kind of hesitation.Deep down in his heart, he still often felt ashamed of Zhu Wangli and that Uighur woman, but returning to Ganzhou meant rejoining the army, and there would be no day of liberation.As long as I don't want to give up my life, I can't go back to that place.As for what fate the rescued Uighur woman would encounter later, or whether she had returned to her hometown, he couldn't imagine it anyway. In the blink of an eye, it was the spring of the eighth year of Tiansheng.In Xingqing City, everything is revived and full of vitality.Troops are stationed in and out, and they are frequently mobilized.In the streets and alleys, people are talking about it, and they are all talking about the war with Tubo again.Jiao Siluo, the leader of Tubo, collected the old tribes of Liangzhou who were expelled by the Xixia army, and incorporated tens of thousands of Uighurs who were expelled from Ganzhou City, and gradually re-formed the force against Xixia.In order to attack Guazhou and Shazhou, Xixia must first eliminate the Tubo forces that haunt the middle zone. The current situation is turbulent, and spring goes to summer without knowing it.One day, Zhao Xingde was walking alone on a street near the South Gate.The weather was hot, and after walking for a while, I was sweating all over.After crossing this street, when he was about to walk towards a market, a woman came face to face.Seeing her figure and gait, he couldn't help saying to himself: "Ah, it's her!" It was really the Xixia woman he rescued in the Tokyo market, with the same figure and face.Zhao Xingde walked towards the woman. "Do you remember me?" Xingde asked the woman. The woman stared at Xingde with an inexplicable expression on her face, "I don't know you." She replied. "Have you ever been to Tokyo?" "No." When the woman heard Xingde raise this question, she shook her head vigorously and couldn't help laughing.Seeing the way this woman smiled, Xingde realized that he had misunderstood the person.Although she looks like it, she really isn't. Xingde had no choice but to walk away resentfully.Looking at the pedestrians coming and going on the street, only then did he feel that he could find many people similar to that woman around him.Xixia women all have the same appearance characteristics, thick eyebrows, black eyes, and shiny skin. It has been a long time since Zhao Xingde considered his future as seriously as today.Because of the misunderstanding just now, he remembered the Xixia woman he rescued in the Tokyo market.Her plump figure and stubborn eyes made a deep impression on him at the time.He found that this impression has not diminished in the slightest.Xingde was excited again.He couldn't calm down for a long time, and wandered alone in the street. After he returned to his residence, he happened to meet a Xixia soldier who had returned from Ganzhou, and inquired about Zhu Wangli's recent situation from him.Zhu Wangli has been promoted to a general and sent to a place more than 200 miles west of Ganzhou to garrison. He led 3,000 troops to the post half a year ago.After hearing the news, Xingde immediately thought that Zhu Wangli wanted to fight a bigger battle this time on his westward trip.Zhu Wangli's aggressive gaze flashed in front of his eyes again.In order to participate in more intense battles, he volunteered to go to the frontline battlefield.As a Han general in a foreign army, Zhu Wangli had such courage, which was somewhat puzzling.But looking back at his achievements and what he saw and heard when he was with him, Xingde began to understand Zhu Wangli's behavior. Xingde said to himself in his heart, can he consider returning to the front line?As soon as he thought of this question, he immediately thought of the agreement he had made with Zhu Wangli, and the wish he had made to the Uighur woman.Although these things have long since passed and need not be taken very seriously, at this time he decided that he must keep these promises.Perhaps Zhu Wangli and the Uighur woman were still waiting for him, Zhao Xingde felt that he had found the way he should go, just like when he thought of Xingqing coming. After more than ten days, Zhao Xingde made all the preparations and joined a team going to the front line, and walked towards Ganzhou along the original road when he came to Xingqing. After arriving in Liangzhou, the troops decided to stay in Liangzhou for five days, and Xingde had to stay in the city.The city of Liangzhou is very different from three years ago.In the past, Liangzhou gave people the impression that it was a front-line base, but now there are rows of shops in the city, the streets are clean and tidy, and trees are planted on both sides of the road.Xixia script is already flooding here, and signs, texts, notices, etc. are all written in Xixia script.During Xingde's stay here, it rained continuously, so he rarely went out, and spent all day studying behind closed doors in the posthouse. On the tenth day after leaving Liangzhou, the group arrived in Ganzhou.Ganzhou is different from Liangzhou, and pedestrians are not allowed to enter.They stayed outside the city, not knowing what was going on inside the city.But judging by the continuous flow of troops in and out of the city, Xingde knew that Liangzhou was no longer what it used to be, and now it was an important military town. Xingde only stayed outside Liangzhou City for one night, and set off westward early the next morning, towards Zhu Wangli's residence.Not long after he walked, he met a supply unit heading west, and he decided to go with this unit.The journey further west from Ganzhou was also new to Xingde.On the first day he entered an area where rivers and beaches intersected, and the river was flooding everywhere.The next day, after walking for a whole day without leaving this area, we arrived at the shore of Xiweiqu at dusk.From here, walk fifteen miles southwest along the canal to arrive at the station of Zhu Wangli's troops.So Xingde bid farewell to the accompanying team here.He rested on its bank.As the sun sets and the moon rises on the western mountain, Xiwei Canal flows quietly like a white belt. Xingde is alone, taking advantage of the bright moonlight, slowly walking along the bank of the canal. Zhu Wangli's residence is in a small village at the foot of Qilian Mountain.Zhao Xingde saw the fortified wall of the station from a distance, and couldn't help but think of a huge cemetery.When Xingde approached the fortress, two cavalrymen rushed out from the gate and stopped him for questioning.One can tell at a glance that these two people are Han Chinese.After Xingde explained his purpose of coming, he was taken into Seine.After entering the gate, there is a narrow passage with earth and stone sandwich walls on both sides.This passage has seven turns and eight turns, as if leading people into a maze.Unexpectedly, at the end, there is a wide open square.In the moonlight, against the background of the mountains, there are several houses that look like civilian houses, but they are all barracks.It turned out that this was a small village. Since the army moved in, the tranquility of the countryside no longer exists, and the fortress is full of the serious and tense atmosphere unique to military camps. Zhu Wangli occupied the largest house in the fortress as his residence.Two cavalrymen brought Zhao Xingde to the house and asked him to wait in the vestibule.After a while, Zhu Wangli came out of the room.As if he was not sure whether the news the person told him was true, Zhu Wangli walked up to Zhao Xingde, stared at his face, and asked as if talking to himself: "you are still alive?" Zhu Wangli scanned Xingde with his eyes while asking questions.Not seeing each other for two years, Zhu Wangli has aged a lot.The luster on his face was gone, and there were some age spots on his forehead.His long beard glowed white in the lamplight. "If you haven't come back after a year, I think you may have died somewhere." After Zhu Wangli finished speaking, he suddenly said: "They're all dead." "Who died?" Xingde didn't understand what he meant. "already dead." While Zhu Wangli answered, he began to walk slowly. "Who is dead?" "Don't ask!" Zhu Wangli roared angrily. "I'm afraid it's the Uighur woman." Xingde continued to ask regardless. "Dead. People who die can't come back to life. Don't ask me in the future." "What did she die for?" "Sick and dead." "What disease do you have?" Zhu Wangli seemed to stop, but after a moment of hesitation, he continued to pace the room. "He got sick and died anyway. What a pity." "Do you feel sorry for the adults?" "It's like losing a city." "What last words did she have before she died?" "Like a lot of people I've seen before they died, she didn't say anything." "Then why does my lord cherish it like losing a city?" Zhao Xingde didn't know why Zhu Wangli felt sorry for the Uighur woman's death. "If she can survive, she will be the princess of a country." Zhu Wangli shook his head again and again, and kept muttering: "I said don't ask any more, so don't ask any more. I have done my best for what you entrusted to me." After speaking, Zhu Wangli turned and walked into the house. After a while, Zhao Xingde was passed in.The banquet in a hall was ready, Zhu Wangli summoned all the leaders and held a banquet to cleanse Zhao Xingde.At this moment, the previous haze was swept away from Zhu Wangli's face, and he looked energetic and radiant.He was very happy that Zhao Xingde came to his side again without breaking his promise.Although Zhu Wangli is a bit old-fashioned, he still does not lose the majesty of a brave general at the border. The next morning, when Zhao Xingde woke up, he found that Zhu Wangli and most of the soldiers were no longer in the fortress.Hearing that a dozen arrows were shot in from outside the Great Wall at dawn, Zhu Wangli rushed out with his troops and horses. Zhao Xingde inquired about the situation here from a soldier who stayed in the fortress.The soldier told him that there are small groups of enemies here to harass every day, so there are always some small battles to be fought.Zhao Xingde thought that the Uighur woman was no longer alive, so he traveled thousands of miles to this remote barren land, but even so, he had nothing to regret, there must be a place to go, isn't this where he belongs? Observing the fort during the day, I can see that its north, east, and west sides are surrounded by high walls, and there are steep mountains behind it.The fallen soldiers are buried on the hillside, and dozens of grave buns with decaying grass can be seen. Zhao Xingde lived in this fortress for three months.He also participated in expeditions every two days.The strange thing is that now he has no thought of cherishing life at all.The Uighur princess is dead, and he has nothing to do here except to fight.But he still wanted to find out how the woman died, but it was impossible to get any news from Zhu Wangli.As long as this matter is mentioned to Zhu Wangli, he will be furious and furious. After entering October, the mountains and fields in the northwest border have already shown the scene of winter.One day at the end of the month, a messenger suddenly came from Ganzhou, and he brought a military order.Zhao Xingde was passed to Zhu Wangli's residence, and he immediately read the military order written in Xixia script to Zhu Wangli who was illiterate. That night, Zhu Wangli gathered the whole army in the square to give lectures. "During this period of time, we have been fighting some painless battles, and now we are finally going to a decisive battle with Tubo. Our army will also participate in this decisive battle. As the vanguard of the Han army, I hope that everyone will go forward bravely and fight hard. Survive who will build graves for the dead." After dawn the next day, all the soldiers of the army worked together to demolish the fortress.Not finished until after dark.The troops marched towards Ganzhou overnight.The whole army was cavalry, and 3,000 men and horses marched across the river, across the desert, through the village, and rushed all the way to the outside of Ganzhou at dusk the next day.Only Zhao Xingde was left behind in this forced march.Zhu Wangli saw that Zhao Xingde couldn't stand the fatigue, so he sent two guards to escort him.They were late all day before catching up with the team outside Ganzhou City.On the field outside the city of Ganzhou, soldiers and horses of Xixia gathered, stretching as far as the eye can see. After Zhao Xingde and the others arrived, an order was issued from above that Li Yuanhao would have a military parade before going out the next day. Zhao Xingde got a pass and entered Ganzhou city alone.Zhao Xingde came to the square under the beacon tower and stood looking up.The city wall has been built and raised, and there are many sentries on it.There was no one on the beacon tower.Thousands of miles of blue sky, long wind howling, Xingde couldn't help but think of the scene where he met the Uighur princess for the first time here.When he revisited the old place, everything changed, and he lowered his head and let out a long sigh when he saw things hurt.The square was full of temporary barracks, Xingde passed through the crowd and walked straight towards the original hiding place of the Uighur princess. The city of Ganzhou has undergone great changes in the past few years. Based on his memory, Xingde searched everywhere in a large area of ​​nearby houses, but he never found the place where the Uighur princess was hiding. In the end, he had no choice but to give up this idea, return to the city, and then walk towards the east gate.At this moment, I saw crowds of people on the street, all looking in one direction, someone seemed to mention the name Li Yuanhao.Xingde also looked in that direction.A group of people came from a distance, and they walked in the middle of the street.The leader was majestic and majestic, riding a tall horse. Xingde recognized at a glance that he was Li Yuanhao who had met once outside Liangzhou City.Xingde stood there, planning to watch them pass before leaving the city.After Li Yuanhao walked over, the followers behind passed by Xingde's eyes.What surprised Xingde was that there was a woman in Li Yuanhao's team.He took a closer look, and found that the woman was exactly the same as the dead Uighur princess, without the slightest difference.In an instant, a group of people passed by, and Zhao Xingde ran a few steps towards the woman in order to confirm.Unexpectedly, when her horse saw someone running over suddenly, it jumped up in fright, and the woman on the horse yelled out in fright: "what!" Zhao Xingde also heard the woman's exclamation, the woman turned her head to look at Xingde, and then turned back immediately.She tightened the reins, stood up straight again, hurriedly urged the horse forward, and galloped away.After she caught up with Li Yuanhao, she didn't stop, but continued to move forward, and Li Yuanhao also chased after him. Zhao Xingde couldn't believe what happened in front of him, he just stood there blankly, not moving at all.She must be the princess of the Uighur prince, and she can never be wrong when she sees it with her own eyes.She must have seen herself too, otherwise she would not have run away.It's just that she is by Li Yuanhao's side, and it seems that she has an unusual relationship.Zhu Wangli is lying, she is not dead, she is still alive. Zhao Xingde was in a trance, walking back with one foot high and one foot low.As he passed through the crowd, it was as if he had stepped into no man's land, and at last he found himself back in the barracks somehow.Unknowingly, night fell, and all the troops lit bonfires.Zhao Xingde walked to Zhu Wangli's side regardless of the guard's obstruction. "I saw her! I can't be wrong to see her. How do you explain it?" He suddenly roared loudly.At this moment, Zhu Wangli is no longer the immediate boss in the eyes of Xingde.Zhu Wangli's face was red under the light of the bonfire, he walked towards Xingde slowly, and roared loudly: "I said she was dead, didn't you understand?" Zhu Wangli immediately understood that Xingde was talking about the Uighur woman. "You're lying, she's alive, I've seen her." "Bastard! She's already dead, and she's dead." Zhu Wangli stood up abruptly, holding the waist knife in his hand, looked at Xingde fiercely and shouted loudly: "Say it again, don't talk nonsense." Zhao Xingde thought, he must find out the truth about the Uighur woman, anyway, she is not dead yet.He made up his mind and said calmly: "I saw it with my own eyes, and Li Yuanhao..." Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Zhu Wangli pulled out the waist knife at once.He held the knife in his hand and pointed it at Xingde, Xingde couldn't help but backed up a few steps when he saw this.Zhu Wangli raised his knife and swiped a small tree trunk with the mouth of a bowl on the bonfire twice, causing sparks to fly everywhere. Zhao Xingde showed no signs of fear, he continued to say loudly: "I just saw it, she was riding a horse..." After speaking, he turned and ran away.Zhu Wangli followed closely with a knife in his hand.Xingde turned his head and saw Zhu Wangli chasing him, and ran even faster.He ran past several bonfires in the military camp, but saw that the bonfires were continuous and boundless.Xingde thought to himself, the army that Xixia invested this time may be tens of thousands.On the night when I first came to Ganzhou two years ago, in order to rescue the Uighur woman, I climbed onto the city wall and saw a large bonfire.Now there is nothing but fire in Xingde's eyes.Finally ran to the end of the fire, in front of them was a field immersed in darkness.Exhausted from running, Zhao Xingde sat down on the grass.His hands were covered with dew and felt a little cold.Suddenly he heard the heavy breathing of someone beside him.He took a closer look, only to realize that it was Zhu Wangli sitting on the grass, gasping for breath.Zhu Wangli looked at him. "You, still, dare, say..." he asked, out of breath.Zhao Xingde didn't say a word, he couldn't catch his breath, so he couldn't care less about talking.The two sat on the grass facing each other like this, looking at each other, panting heavily. Early the next morning, the troops stationed outside the city formed several square formations, came to the square on the west side, and waited in line at their designated positions.Then, the garrison in the city entered the square and lined up in their respective positions.Drums sounded on the city wall, and the army horses entered the square. There seemed to be tens of thousands of horses, lined up neatly, and standing at the side of the army at a certain distance. Li Yuanhao's military parade began in the morning.This time was different from the previous ones, Zhu Wangli's troops were arranged at the front, so as soon as they started, their team passed by.Even so, they could not leave first, and had to wait until the general review was over. In Zhao Xingde's eyes, at this time Li Yuanhao's five-short figure still did not lose the majesty of a commander.He drove side by side with the Uighur prince and daughter, and couldn't help but give the soldiers appreciative glances.Although Xingde has every reason to hate Li Yuanhao on such an occasion, deep down in his heart he always feels that a man should be like this, even if he loves his sons and daughters, how can he be heroic.By the time all troops finished their review, it was already sunset.The setting sun is shining, and the grassland in the west is golden.Bloody dusk hangs over the wilderness. Li Yuanhao finally boarded a high platform. At this moment, Xingde saw a figure appearing on the high city wall from behind his shoulder.Of course, the high platform on which Li Yuanhao climbed was far away from the city wall, and compared with Yuan Hao standing in front of him, the figure behind him seemed very small. Because of standing for too long, everyone was a little tired, and Xingde felt bored, so he looked around, so he accidentally saw the figure like a small black dot.Li Yuanhao was still chattering and admonishing the people below, but because the distance was too far, he couldn't hear what he was saying at the place where Xingde and the others were standing. Zhao Xingde suddenly found that the little black spot on the city wall did not move, and after a while, it flew down from the city, dragging a long belt behind it.It all happened in an instant, without anyone noticing.People in the square were still listening to Li Yuanhao's lengthy lecture, as if nothing happened.Li Yuanhao's voice came to Xingde's ears intermittently with the wind. This night was the last rest for the troops, and they began to advance westward early the next morning.Zhao Xingde swayed on his horse all day, and the yellow sand was everywhere, and he felt very tired. That night the troops camped by a dry river.Too tired during the day, Xingde fell to the ground and fell asleep as soon as he arrived at the campsite.Suddenly someone shook his shoulder violently. When he opened his eyes, he realized that it was Zhu Wangli standing beside him. Seeing that Zhao Xingde had opened his eyes, he said to him coldly: "This time it's real." Xingde was a little puzzled by his sudden words, he asked: "What is true?" "It's really dead this time, really dead." Zhu Wangli said it again with a cold expression, and then he fell to the ground all of a sudden. "Excuse me for being rude, what my lord said last time is not credible, I wonder if it is true this time?" Xingde replied loudly. "This time it's true. I jumped off the city wall yesterday and fell to my death. In the end, I'm still dead." When Zhu Wangli said these words, Xingde suddenly remembered the scene he saw yesterday that did not attract anyone's attention.That figure like a little black dot must be the Uighur princess. "How did your lord get the news?" Xingde was startled, and his voice trembled involuntarily. "Li Yuanhao postponed his departure date for one day because of this matter. I got the news from someone who knows the truth, and there is no mistake." After Zhu Wangli finished speaking, he lowered his head.The two of them were at a loss for words for a moment, but they couldn't find a suitable word to say, and they both stood there silent.It was Zhu Wangli who spoke first: "It's okay to say it now. In fact, I also like that woman. I still like it until now. I have never taken women seriously before, but since I saw you bring that Uyghur woman to me, she has messed up. I'm so upset, I can't help it." "Since this is the case, why didn't your lord fail to protect me all the time as I asked for?" "It's not that I didn't take care of her, it's just that Li Yuanhao found out later, and I couldn't do anything about it. That guy still killed her in the end." Zhu Wangli was so sad that he couldn't continue talking.But when he mentioned Li Yuanhao, it seemed that the commander in chief was right in front of him, and he couldn't help but straighten his body and look straight ahead. Xingde has never seen Zhu Wangli so downcast as he is now.Zhu Wangli seemed to be unable to find a place to vent his breath, so he stood up suddenly, exhaled heavily from his lungs and abdomen, and made a strange sound.He raised his head, turned his back to the sky, and stood there without moving for a long time. Xingde entrusted the Uighur woman to Zhu Wangli and then went to Xingqing, so he didn't know how Zhu Wangli treated her later, he finally explained his words today, thinking it was a good thing, it's time to reflect on it .Xingde recalls the scene when he met the Uighur woman yesterday.Her expression at that time included surprise, joy, confusion and sadness.When she saw herself, she rode away immediately. She must have felt at a loss and had to walk away. A year passed, and there was no news, and no one came back. Of course, it was my own fault.The Uighur women had no choice but to obey the destiny, and there was no other way.Wanting to be Li Yuanhao's concubine, in this difficult time, is actually understandable.She flew down from the city wall and ended her own life, perhaps just to express her true feelings.It seems that she can only use this method to clear her grievances.Thinking of this, Xingde was filled with deep guilt and endless pity for the Uighur woman. If she can return to her side a year later as promised, her fate will definitely be very different from what she is now. Although I dare not say that it will definitely bring her happiness, it will definitely not force her to jump off the city wall .Zhao Xingde thought for a while, and finally decided that she died for his own love.He began to regret his betrayal at the beginning. The troops marched towards Suzhou, the capital of the Uighurs.It takes about ten days to travel five hundred miles from Ganzhou to Suzhou.The next day they camped on a dry river bank, and thereafter entered a level field covered with a layer of fine stones and sand.Along the way, signs of the desert gradually appeared, and finally entered the desert completely.In the great desert, not a single blade of grass grows, only a piece of yellow sand that stretches as far as the eye can see, connecting the sky and the earth.In order to prevent the animals from getting stuck in the sand, wooden clogs were installed on the horses' hooves, and yak skins were wrapped on the camels' hooves. After three days of marching in the desert, at last they came to the bank of a great river and saw meadows.But after crossing the river, it was still a desert.The troops walked in the desert for another three days and came to the edge of a saline marsh.This large swamp stretched as far as the eye could see, and they walked for more than forty miles along the perimeter, all the way was covered with white salt and alkali, and reeds grew everywhere.After walking through the saline-alkali land, it is still a barren land with no grass.Gradually to the southwest, you can see the snow-covered mountains, and some trees and people appear along the road.Most of the trees in this area are apricot trees, whose branches are shaking constantly in the strong wind. On the eighth day after leaving Ganzhou, the troops entered Suzhou.Before coming here, they expected to encounter the Uyghur army on the road, but until now, there was no sign of a Uyghur.Surrounded by city walls, Suzhou City is a capital city. Most of the residents are Uighurs, and there are also a considerable number of Han Chinese living together.Due to the age and remote location, many Han people here no longer understand Chinese.Originally, the Uighurs had already lost Ganzhou, and this should be their final base, but they all withdrew without leaving a single soldier, abandoning the city.The Xixia army marched into Suzhou without bloodshed. Looking south from the city, the Qilian Mountains are shrouded in clouds and mist, and looking north, there is a piece of yellow sand and a boundless desert.城内有几处泉水，水质清澄，源源不断，形成溪流。岸边栽了许多百年老柳。这里汉代时称作酒泉，正是得名于当地的泉水水滴形似珍珠，而其味甘甜，有如美酒。 只有来到肃州后赵行德才感到，以前认为已是边远之地的甘州和凉州到底离京城兴庆不远，那里的生活条件还不错。这肃州城内总算是可以住人，只要出得城去，那怕仅一步之遥，就是堪称“平沙万里无人烟”的一片死亡沙海。 行德自从进了肃州城之后，触景生情，深切的怀乡之心油然而生。但他又总是认为自己并无资格眷念中原。从他早就读过的后汉书上，他知道张蹇和班超的故事。一千年前，班超仅带领三十六名部下，离京西行。此后他在西域度过自己的半生。当时班超所去之地，从现在的肃州西行，尚有万里之遥。班超晚年不胜归国思乡之情，在一封给朝廷的奏章中写道：“臣安敢企望回归酒泉，若能生还玉门，遗骨关内，则死而无憾矣。”而玉门关还远在肃州以西几百里开外的地方。 赵行德自从回鹘王女死后，已经断了回归中原的念头，认定自已的生命要在这西北大漠上结束。尽管深受怀乡之苦，他也能够强制自己漠然处之。 朱王礼将前军分作两部，任命赵行德为其一部的统领，行德在汉军中的地位随之提高。行德同时兼任朱王礼的参事。平时若无战事，也多有闲暇。一旦开战，朱王礼和赵行德又都变得与普通士兵并无两样，一起投身沙场，共同拼个你死我活。 回鹘王女的死还给赵行德带来了一个新的变化，他开始对佛教产生了兴趣。在开封时不用说了，就是在兴庆的两年里，行德对佛教也是漠不关心的。那时，他对剃着光头、身穿袈裟的僧侣除了轻蔑之外，没有其它的感觉。普天之下，舍孔孟之书，何言学说？自从进入肃州以来，行德逐渐感到需要追求一种绝对的信仰，最终归依佛祖，跪拜在其门下。行德对自己的心境竟然发生了如此的变化也感到不可思议，只有一点是明白的，那就是这些变化都是因回鹘王女之死而引起的。 身居边关，死人的事情简直就像家常便饭一样。事实上，行德每天都可以见到有人死去。有的人甚至前一天夜里得病，第二天一早就悄然死去。在城内转一圈，就可以看到一两具尸体。走到城外，被风沙半掩的尸骨更是随处可见。 赵行德越来越觉得在这个大千世界里人是十分渺小的，他们在这个世上的各种营生最终都是毫无意义的。而唯有宗教才使得人类的渺小和他们在世上的所有营生具备了某种意义。正是对此，行德产生了深刻的兴趣。行德对佛教经典的关心是始于一次偶然的机会。一天，行德无意中来到肃州城内的一座寺庙，庙内聚集了一大群听众，正在听一位汉人的和尚讲解法华经，行德见众人聚精会神，如痴如醉，一时好奇，他也站到人群的背后，听那和尚究竟讲些什么。由于隔得太远，他看不清那和尚的脸面，但却可以清清楚楚地听到他的声音。和尚讲经的语调就像是在低声吟唱一样。 他吟完这一段引子之后，开始讲解经卷。上古时代，有一位国王颁发了一道招贴，说是若有人能给他讲解法华经，他情愿为此人之奴。一日，一位仙人前来揭榜，他只与国王耳语片刻，国王便仰天大笑，似乎彻底醒悟。随之，国王舍弃了后宫三千粉黛和万里锦绣江山，与那仙人一道进山去了。此后，那国王历经了千辛万苦，终于证明了菩提，取得了正果。这些讲解都是行德以前不屑一顾的通俗演义故事，但是彼时彼地，却不知为何勾起了他的强烈兴趣。 过了不久，赵行德从城内的庙中借了一卷法华经，先将这一卷读完。而后益发不可收拾，一次又一次地去庙里借，最后将七卷全部读完。行德心中不知不觉生出了对佛经的兴趣。法华经读完后，他又开始读《金刚般若经》。为了更加清楚地弄懂其中的教义，他请庙里的和尚给他讲解了金刚经的注释书——大智度论。一次借几卷，在读经中，行德被这些与儒学哲理完全不同的佛教学说深深地吸引住了。他像是走火入魔，将大智度论数百卷经书逐一借出，在这边关的军营中独自沉溺于佛的世界。 部队进入肃州以来，已经过了四个月了，时值天圣九年三月。一天，突然探马来报，吐蕃大军挥师进逼，正向肃州杀来。西夏军奉命出城迎敌。 西夏军本部断后，向东进发。第二天在盐碱沼泽地附近与吐蕃军先锋接触。西夏军仍以朱王礼部的汉军为前路，但是吐蕃军却与此相反，将吐蕃本部布置在前面。 对于朱王礼和赵行德而言，都是第一次与吐蕃军大规模作战。西夏军排成一路长蛇，环环相接，纵队向前。吐蕃军摆了一个天女散花，大队人马漫山遍野地杀了过来。一眼望去，辽阔的原野上到处都是吐蕃的兵马，其中一半是骑兵，一半是步兵。 吐蕃军的这种阵势他们以前并未见过，所以双方刚一接触，就搅作一团。朱王礼率领的一彪马队一直冲入敌方中军，但队形仍然保持不乱。吐蕃军见这一队骑兵来势凶猛，不住地朝他们放箭。西夏军这条长蛇在布满了吐蕃军的原野上左冲右突，不断变换队形，时圆时直，翻转交叉，直搅得吐蕃军里阵脚大乱。 西夏军马队的铁蹄之下无数的吐蕃兵士丧命，但他们的弓箭也射伤了西夏军不少的人马，所以西夏军也在渐次减员。赵行德一时根本不知道，两军相互厮杀，到底谁家损失更大。他不时地听到朱王礼在身后大声疾呼，但却听不清楚他在喊什么。 行德逐渐感觉到他们正处在一个不利的位置上。倒并不是说他们已被对方包围，只是一旦停止奔跑，就会遭到吐蕃军飞蝗般的羽箭的攻击。行德乘朱王礼的马跑过来时，向他进言，吐蕃军的人多，应该先率队撤退，暂避其锋芒为好。朱王礼满脸通红，杀气直冲牛斗，他厉声问道： “无论如何都无法取胜吗？” 他问完后，马上又说： “好，就依你的，先撤下去吧，下次再说。” 朱王礼这个人一旦下定决心，行动起来是很迅速的。他立即让一队骑兵去传达他的命令。不一会儿，西夏军的马队就掉转了方向，长长的队伍从战场中撤了出来。 西夏军在远离战场的地方停了下来。经过短暂的休整，朱王礼命令再度进击。朱王礼和赵行德率两队人马组成连环之势，冲入敌阵。一场恶战迅即重新开始。 这一仗直杀到日落西山，夜色悄然笼罩着整个战场。淡淡的月光照亮了战场上的每一个角落。盐碱地的表面看上去像是上了一层珐琅釉一样，约显青色。夜间寒气逼人，已经开始出现霜冻。 由于夜色的笼罩，吐蕃军弓箭的作用已经大大减弱，战场上的局势正朝着有利于西夏军的方向发展。朱王礼改变了打法，他将部队分成几路，交替上阵，让己方的士兵轮番休息，而搅得敌方的人马一时也不得安宁。吐蕃军几度前来纠缠，都被朱王礼的马队冲散。 战斗直到深夜还没有结束。次日拂晓，朱王礼才下达了停止攻击的命令，他将部队召集到一起。吐蕃的前军几乎伤亡殆尽，全面崩溃。与此同时，至今尚未参战的西夏军本部已向布置在二十里开外的吐蕃大本营进军。 朱王礼率领人马回到肃州城内。他们刚一进城，就开始下起雪来。第二天下午，袭击吐蕃大本营的西夏军本部就高奏凯歌，踏雪归来。 战胜吐蕃之后不到十天，瓜州太守曹延惠就亲率千余骑人马来降西夏。这事真是始料未及，喜从天降。这样一来，西夏就可以不动一兵一卒，将瓜州置于自己的统治之下。 瓜州和沙州都是汉人的地盘。实权曾一度掌握在节度使张氏一族的手中。现在已被曹氏一族取而代之。节度使曹贤顺亲自坐镇沙州，而封其弟延惠为瓜州太守。然而瓜州离肃州较近，延惠恐遭西夏入侵，故自行来降，愿为西夏之臣属。 西夏对作为西域门户的瓜、沙二州垂涎已久，早就想寻机进军，只是这两个州的事情颇有点棘手，它们的统治者与以往已经攻克了的凉、甘、肃三州的统治者不同，不是吐蕃，也不是回鹘，更不是其支系，而是堂堂的大汉民族。虽然两州不在大宋的治下，已成一个独立王国，但也并不是说与宋朝一点来往都没有了。而且，曹氏的沙州节度使职务，名份上还是由宋朝任命的。要不是在瓜、沙二州与中原之间有异族盘踞，这两个州理所当然地属于宋朝。这两个州由于异族的隔绝，与中原分离，不得已才采取了独立王国的形式，成了汉人居住的岛区。但是虽然形同小岛，瓜、沙二州却地处河西走廊西部，扼守要冲，是名副其实的西域门户，所有西来的文化，都要经过此地才能传到东方诸国去。当然，所有从西域来的物产也要经过这里狭隘的通道，才能由骆驼运往东方。 现在，两州之一的瓜州自己来降，愿向西夏称臣，当然使西夏的统治者大受鼓舞。所以军中有很多人都认为，瓜州既已归于西夏，西去的第一道屏障不攻自破，此等千载难逢之机岂可坐失，何不乘胜进军沙州，一鼓作气，扫平河西走廊，完成打通西域之大业。在行德的队伍中也有人如此言传。但是，最后出人意料的是并没有继续作战，西夏军本部的大多数人马都撤离了肃州，只留下了朱王礼和其他两三支部队。肃州城地处沙漠之中，长久无雨，赵行德在这里每日并无什么事可做，所以他经常踏着沙土，去寺庙里借阅藏经，生活倒也安稳。