Chapter 3 Chapter Thirty-Third

Starting from Fudun City, when the shadow of the city finally disappeared from sight, Tang Kai let out a long breath and said, "General Chu, thank you very much." With a sullen face, I just said in a low voice: "You don't need to thank me, you can thank your aunt, that's what I owe her." He was probably a little puzzled, so I ignored him and patted my horse and walked forward.The weather is getting colder every day, and the cold wind blows like a knife, but my heart seems to be colder than the ice for ten thousand years. It is nothing when you get it, and you really realize how valuable it is when you lose it. Most things in the world are like this.I looked up at the sky, which was overcast with possible snow.If snowflakes are flying all over the sky, will I see Xiao Xinyu in the dark?

Traveling day and night, I arrived at Ghost Howling Forest.I told everyone to be careful, although Zeng Wanggu promised me to leave, but I still didn't dare to be careless.After passing through Gui Xiaolin, nothing happened. It seems that Zeng Wanggu has kept his promise and has already led people away. Something happened when I came here, but when I went back, it went so smoothly that I couldn't believe it.After eleven days of walking, we have arrived at the imperial capital Ximen.Because Beining City is still fighting hard, the south gate has been blocked, so we can only go through the west gate.When I saw the Jiaotian Pagoda on the west mountain from a distance, I almost felt relieved to be born again.

It was more than two miles away from the city, Cao Wendao and I were both chatting and laughing in a relaxed state of mind, when suddenly he seemed to have heard something and asked, "General Chu, did you hear anything?" My heart sank, I only thought it was some bad news, and after listening to it, I seemed to be calling out vaguely.I said: "Could it be...Could it be..." I didn't dare to think too much about it, but I was really worried that it was the sound of the snake people having invaded the imperial capital, burning and killing the city.Cao Wendao's hearing seems to be better than mine, he listened and said: "It doesn't seem like crying, it can't be a bad thing."

When it was more than a mile away from the city, the voice could be heard clearly, and it really was bursts of cheers.I let go of my heart and said with a smile: "Fortunately, I'm really afraid that something might go wrong." When I arrived at the west gate, I saw lights and festoons on the door, and some doormen were climbing up and down to decorate.Cao Wendao said with a smile: "Ha, I never thought that the emperor would know that we have returned from victory and welcome us so grandly." I said: "Is there such a thing, there must be other happy events."

When leading the team into the city, an officer saw us approaching and greeted us, "Excuse me, general, which team are you from?" I handed him the token Guan Wen issued to me by Marquis Wen when I left. He looked at it and said, "You came back from Tianshui Province? How is the war there?" "The snake people have been driven back." The officer showed a smile: "It's really good news. General Chu has made such a contribution. He has won all three routes. Lord Wenhou must be very happy when he comes back." I put the token back in my arms and said puzzledly, "Your Excellency has gone out too?"

"One month ago, Marquis Wen led an army to attack King Di in the north and beheaded ten thousand people. King Di asked to surrender, and he will be back around tomorrow. General Deng won the victory in aiding Juluo Island in the east, and he just came back yesterday. It's been a month of three joys." Marquis Wen has quelled the rebellion of the Di people!I couldn't help being surprised.It took only one month for Marquis Wen to calm down Di Ren's arrogance, which is really remarkable.I smiled and said, "How about the battle in Beining City?" The officer's face suddenly sank: "Oh, even Beining City is still a little tight."

Beining City is the main target of the Snakeman, and the other three roads are just scabies after all, so now is really not the time to celebrate.I couldn't help but frowned slightly and said: "Beining City is still in a tight spot, why are you celebrating?" "That's the prince's big wedding." The officer replied, and suddenly called out to the gatekeeper who was hanging several flower baskets on the gate tower: "It's crooked! You hang it crooked!" At this time, Cao Wendao patted his horse and came to me and said, "General Chu, what is the happy event?"

"The prince is getting married." I don't know why, but I was upset.I always have a dislike for that handsome prince. After entering the city, I first went to Marquis Wen's mansion to pay the order and bring Tao Shouzhuo's gift in. Because Marquis Wen hasn't come back yet, I have to come again when he arrives.When the vanguard battalion was driven back to the station, there were only more than 800 people left at the time of departure, and a lot of barracks were vacant, and more than 160 people died in Fudun.I left everything to Qian Wenyi to deal with, and asked Qian Wenyi to share the belongings that Tao Shouzhuo gave me equally among all the soldiers. I took the horse to the side of Tang Kai's car and said, "Brother Tang, do you have any relatives and friends in the imperial capital?" Is it?"

Along the way, Tang Kai brought two women, one old and one young, in the car. He also knew that Tao Shouzhuo had seen through his clumsy plan long ago. Tao Shouzhuo actually let them go because of Xiao Xinyu. Ashamed, he didn't answer us all the way.At this time, the two women had already got out of the car, and Xiao Ruyu also changed back into women's clothes, looking like Xiao Xinyu.The other is Xiao Xinyu's mother. I put them in an empty house. Xiao Xinyu's mother is very grateful to me. She didn't know that Xiao Xinyu was actually forced to death by Tao Shouzhuo because of me, and their lives were actually bought by Xiao Xinyu's life.I didn't dare to face them again. After setting them up, Tang Kai came out and followed me with a dejected look on his face.When I reached the gate, I turned around and patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Tang, don't think too much, let's start again now."

There was an expression on his face that he didn't know whether to cry or laugh.Knowing that he is not a capricious villain, my perception of him has improved a lot. I was probably discussing Xiao Ruyu with Xiao Xinyu that day, but he didn't know that he was already in Tao Shouzhuo's arrangement.When Zhou Nuo was punished, Xu Nanjiang didn't kill him, it was probably Tao Shouzhuo's order.Tao Shouzhuo was full of tricks, but he never thought that he would keep his promises. At this time, I no longer had the suspicion and fear of him at the beginning. Tang Kai nodded and said: "General Chu, thank you." He sighed and said: "I actually planned that day if you handed me over to Tao Shouzhuo, then I would die with you. Anyway, Governor Zhou is dead. Tao Shouzhuo will kill me sooner or later."

I thought of Tang Kai's Slashing Iron Fist, and I couldn't help but feel a little scared, and I couldn't help blinking. He also noticed my movement, and sighed again: "At first, I had the heart to sacrifice my life for Zhou Dudu, but now I have nothing. That’s it. General Chu, tell me, which is more important, the country’s crisis or the kindness of knowing you?” He was talking about Zhou Nuo.Zhou Nuo trusted him very much, but Wu Jiudeng, another bodyguard, had already betrayed him.If he followed Zhou Nuo, he would definitely join the rebellion. At that time, Tang Kai might feel a little uneasy.When he asked me that, I really couldn't answer.If Marquis Wen also has ambitions... I didn't dare to think anymore, in fact, I didn't even know what I would do.I also sighed, "I don't know either. All I know is that the common people want to live a stable life, and it doesn't matter who is on stage." This world is like a stage, and the people on the stage are naturally only princes and generals, and the common people can only act as spectators.Regardless of whether it is talking about relieving the people from the upside down, or talking about benefiting the people, in the final analysis, it is nothing more than playing tricks for the ambition of standing in the center of the stage.It's just that when I say this, it seems to mean that it doesn't matter if you want to overthrow the emperor.Tang Kai was a little surprised, he opened his mouth and couldn't speak, I suddenly felt a little slip of the tongue, and patted him on the shoulder and said: "Brother Tang, sitting and eating mountains and empty fields is not an option, you should find a job and do it." Tang Kaidao: "What can I do? I only have strength, plus I can punch..." I suddenly thought of Shao Fengguan.In June, Dongping City was destroyed. After Shao Fengguan fled back to the imperial capital, because of Zhen Yining's incident, Marquis Wen got angry with him and dismissed him. At this time, Shao Fengguan opened a security agency in the imperial capital, and he didn't know what to do.Originally, I wanted to go to Xue Wenyi to ask for some more hand crossbow arrows, but now I want to go to see Shao Fengguan first. If he wants someone, I can introduce Tang Kai to him. Shao Fengguan's Pingning Escort is located in the south of the city.When I arrived in the south of the city, I found the escort agency after asking people.As soon as he entered the door, someone suddenly shouted: "It's General Chu, what brought you here?" That was Zhuge Fang from the former Shaofengguan's Chinese army.After Shao Fengguan was dismissed, Zhuge Fang also abandoned his official position and came to follow Shao Fengguan. At this time, he was dressed in a tent and holding an abacus in his hand. No one would have thought that this person had led an army to fight in battle .I said, "Brother Zhuge, is Brother Shao there?" Zhuge Fang said: "Master Shao took a business ticket and went to Juluo Island, and he won't be back until a month later." After Deng Canglan repelled the Japanese, Juluo Island was in a state of disrepair. At this time, the south side was completely occupied by snake people. Juluo Island, which had always been a place of alienation before, suddenly flourished, and there was an endless stream of people going to do business.It's just that I was a little disappointed to hear that he wasn't there, so I chatted with Zhuge Fang and went to the Ministry of Industry to have a look. Xue Wenyi did well in the Ministry of Industry, but he was injured so badly that he could only sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Due to lack of exercise, he suddenly became obese.When he saw me, he was carving a wooden statue. I called him, and he was overjoyed and said, "General Chu! Are you really back?" I smiled and said, "What are you saying, it seems that I must have died in the hands of the snake man." He patted himself on the face and said, "It should be hit, it should be hit." I took out the hand crossbow and said, "Brother Xue, thanks to your hand crossbow for saving my life this time, it's just that I used up all the arrows, do you have any more here?" He put down the things in his hand and said: "Yes, yes, I know you can use them, so I made a lot of them when I had time, and I'll bring them for you." He pushed the wheelchair in, and I noticed that what he carved in his hand was a pair of male and female dolls cuddling together. Both were fat and naive, but the male doll looked a bit like himself.At this time, Xue Wen also took out a box, saw that I was looking at the statue, and said with some embarrassment: "I'm getting married, she asked me to do it." I was surprised and delighted and said, "Are you going to get married? Whose daughter? Is she really that fat?" He was a little embarrassed and said: "Of course not." He took out another statue from his arms. It was a very slender woman. Although she was not as beautiful as Qin Yanchun back then, she still had delicate features.I smiled and said, "You must buy me a drink then." He grinned and said: "Naturally. Even if Zhang Longyou is busy then, let him have a glass of wine." I said: "By the way, what is Zhang Longyou doing?" "His whereabouts are very mysterious. I heard that Marquis Wen has something important for him to take care of, and I haven't seen him for a long time. I heard that he is likely to succeed Wang Rong as the right servant of the Ministry of Industry." The four people who escaped together from Gaojiu City have all made progress at this time, it seems that Zhang Longyou climbed the fastest, Wu Wanling has also been promoted to the school captain, fortunately my post of general has been restored, and I am not too far behind. Xue Wen also looked at the statue in my hand, and suddenly said with emotion: "I would rather be a peaceful dog than a troubled person. Now I really understand this. I really hope that the snake people can be defeated as soon as possible, and the world will return to peace." Even if the snake man retreats, can it really be peaceful?I wanted to smile wryly, but I couldn't say anything.Suddenly I remembered Tang Kai again, and I said, "By the way, brother Xue, what work do you have in the Ministry of Industry?" Xue Wenyi was startled and said: "What's wrong?" "A friend wanted to find something to do first." Xue Wen also said: "The Ministry of Industry is about to recruit a few handymen. Why don't you let him do it. I am a Yuanwailang, and I have the right to do so." I said: "That's good." I put the statue down, and felt that the statue was so exquisitely carved that I couldn't put it down.Xue Wen also said: "General Chu, if you like it, I will give it to you. I will carve another one." I smiled and said, "Come on, this man's face looks like it's yours. It's not good for me to hold it. It's better to teach a man to fish than to teach him to fish. Can you teach me how to carve?" Xue Wen also said: "This is actually simple. I will give you a set of carving knives. If you practice more, you will be able to carve it naturally." He stretched out his hand and pressed a button on the table. This table must have been designed by him too. It was very exquisite. When he pressed it, a drawer jumped open by itself. Inside was a very delicate wooden box with a layer of varnish on it.He gave me the box and said with a smile: "I made this for fun, it's very delicate, don't take it lightly." Xue Wenyi also gave me a piece of cork for me to practice with the knife. I opened the box to take a look, but found that there was already a finger-sized female figure inside.Although it was small, the statue was carved extremely finely, even the strands of hair were carved out, and it looked like Qin Yanchun, but the carving hadn't been finished yet, and the lower half was still a piece of wood. Xue Wenyi still couldn't forget her, but probably he also forgot that he still carved this statue.I took it out and said, "You put a statue in it." He took it over and looked at it, then sighed: "I forgot. Oh, don't think about it, anyway, she is going to be the princess." I naturally knew who the "she" he was talking about was.Thinking of that time when he threw away Qin Yanchun's statue, I feel a little depressed.Seeing that he was fascinated by the statue of Qin Yanchun, I whispered: "Then I'm leaving." When I walked out the door, I saw that he was still staring blankly at the statue. Back at the barracks, I told Tang Kai about it, but unexpectedly Tang Kai declined.Probably he still has some pride in his heart, and he refuses to be a handyman.After being rejected by him, I couldn't help being a little annoyed, but thinking of Xiao Xinyu, I felt a little soft-hearted.Xiao Xinyu is willing to die for her mother and sister, no matter what, I can't just ignore those two women. At dawn the next day, I heard cheers and thunderous noises around me. I was taken aback, turned over and jumped up, put on my clothes and walked out the door, only to see many soldiers on rest running past the door.I grabbed one and asked, "What happened again?" "Lord Wenhou's class teacher is back." The soldier broke away from me and ran forward again, and I felt a burst of joy in my heart.On the map that Marquis Wen showed me when I went to Tianshui Province last time, besides Beining City, there were three emergency places. When Wenhou came back this time, there was only Beining City left.I dressed neatly, called two guards and walked towards Marquis Wen's mansion. As soon as I arrived at the gate of Marquis Wen's mansion, I saw a crowd of people, full of cars and sedan chairs of officials of all sizes.Those were people who came to congratulate them. I informed the porter, and it took me a while to get my turn.When a family member led me in, once I entered the hall of Marquis Wen’s mansion, before I saw anyone, I heard Marquis Wen’s voice: “General Chu, congratulations.” I walked in, and Marquis Wen was standing in the hall, and two servants were still cleaning up.I knelt down in front of him and said, "My lord, the last general Chu Xiuhong fulfilled his mission and returned to pay the order." Marquis Wen pointed to the chair and said, "Sit down and talk, sit down and talk." As soon as I sat down, he smiled and said, "Did Tao Shouzhuo kill Zhou Nuo?" I said: "Your Excellency, you have learned a lesson." I told the story of Fu Duncheng back and forth, and Marquis Wen was fascinated by it.I dismissed Xiao Xinyu's matter, and when I finished speaking, a sneer appeared on the corner of Marquis Wen's mouth and said: "You Tao Shouzhuo, you really have some skills." I said: "My lord, the last general is still a little worried, I'm afraid I've been tricked by Tao Shouzhuo, but in fact he himself has the heart of disobedience." Marquis Wen said: "Tao Shouzhuo is not that brave, hmph. Also," when he said this, he suddenly glanced at me and said, "Why didn't you tell me about Xiao Xinyu?" I was so frightened that I fell to my knees and said, "My lord, I was fooled by Tao Shouzhuo in this matter, and I really dare not tell my lord clearly." But I was filled with regret and fear in my heart.Marquis Wen must have placed someone beside Tao Shouzhuo, and this person is probably very close to Tao Shouzhuo, so even Marquis Wen knew about this kind of thing.I actually wanted to hide it from Marquis Wen, it was really a wrong idea.Marquis Wen glanced at me, and sighed again: "Chu Xiuhong, your resourcefulness is indeed far inferior to that of Tao Shouzhuo, and that woman fought to the death again, so it's inevitable that you will fall for him. One wisdom, don’t be self-righteous, that’s fine.” I kept talking, and didn't dare to say a word. I just said in my heart: "Who is Marquis Wen arranged next to Tao Shouzhuo? Why didn't he remind me at that time?" The man saw it so clearly. If he reminded me, Xiao Xinyu would also won't die.It's just that that person must have been hiding very deeply, and Marquis Wen must have ordered him not to show up no matter what, Xiao Xinyu's death is not worth his revealing his identity. Marquis Wen turned around, put his hands behind his back and said, "No matter what, this matter is finally complete. Tao Shouzhuo, hum." He snorted twice again, and I felt chills, knowing that Marquis Wen was already planning to deal with Tao Shouzhuo.Tao Shouzhuo is still useful now, but if the snake man is really repelled in the future, Marquis Wen will definitely deal with him first. For Marquis Wen, everyone is just a tool, which can be thrown away when it is used up.Shao Fengguan can be sacrificed, so why can't I?This time sending me to Tianshui Province, I am afraid that Marquis Wen has already made plans to have me killed by Zhou Nuo.Even if he said he treats me like a son, but after all his son is only Zhen Yining. Marquis Wen seemed to be thinking about something with his hands behind his back. I knelt on the ground uneasily, not daring to get up. After a while, Marquis Wen turned his head and said, "Chu Xiuhong, how many people are there in the Qianfeng camp?" "My lord, there are more than 800 people left." Marquis Wen nodded: "Eight hundred men. As long as they are used properly, eight hundred elite soldiers are enough to be worth a million soldiers. Get up." I stood up, still a little uneasy.He didn't finish reading, but said: "Tomorrow you get up early and wait for me at the north gate." "Yes." I didn't dare to say more, so I agreed and said goodbye.When he walked out of Marquis Wen's mansion, he could still feel the coolness on his back. Does Marquis Wen trust me?I'm afraid not necessarily.If necessary, he can give me up at any time.I sat on the horse and looked at the sky blankly.From time to time, people are busy walking by. In this era, everyone is equally precarious, so they live day by day. The sky was overcast, and it seemed that it was going to snow. Early the next morning, I asked Cao Wendao and Qian Wenyi to make arrangements for the Qianfeng camp, and then walked towards the north gate alone.As soon as we arrived at the north gate, it was still dark, and after waiting for a long time, a carriage drove over, it was Wenhou's special car. When the car was approaching, I jumped off the horse, knelt on the ground and said, "My lord, the last general Chu Xiuhong obeys orders." Marquis Wen raised the curtain of the car, and smiled when he saw me: "Chu Xiuhong, you're so early, come in." I handed Feiyu to one of Marquis Wen's attendants and got into the car.The car was very big, almost like a hut. Marquis Wen was sitting cross-legged on a blanket, in front of him was a small table with a charcoal stove on it.The charcoal fire was red, and there were a few cakes baked on it, and a jug of wine beside it. I don't know what Marquis Wen was thinking, but he didn't put it on the fire to warm it.The car runs extremely smoothly, and you can barely feel the car moving when you sit in it.Marquis Wen took a small cup and poured me a glass of wine, saying, "You haven't had breakfast yet, come, have a taste, this is the newly butchered calf's kidney pie, it's pretty good." He picked up a pointed chopstick and inserted a cake.This cake is only as big as the mouth of a cup, round and swollen, and the skin of the cake is browned and crispy. When the chopsticks are pierced into it, some oil will flow out from the hole, and a fragrant white gas will come out.Marquis Wen handed me the cake, I thanked him, took the cake and took a bite.The inside of the pancake was hot, and the beef kidney was probably covered with a layer of oil, and some seasonings were added. When bitten down, it was extremely tender, with the slightly charred pancake crust sandwiched, it was delicious.Although it was very hot, I ate it in three or two bites. Although beef is not too expensive, ox kidney and ox tongue are very expensive delicacies, and most people can't afford them. I have never even seen this veal kidney pie before.Marquis Wen watched me gulp down my food, he smiled and said, "Actually, the calf's kidney cake should be served with ice-cold wine. You can have a sip of wine." I had never heard of the term wine, so I picked up the glass and looked at it.The wine was dark red, like a ruby ​​in the cup.Although the car was very stable, the wine in the glass was still shaking slightly.When I poured the wine into my mouth, I could only feel a fresh and sweet taste. Although the wine was not strong, it mixed with the taste of the burdock biscuit, it was indeed a kind of enjoyment that I had never tasted before.Marquis Wen also picked up a glass of wine and said, "This red wine is colored with cow's blood. It tastes best when it's iced. Chuxiuhong, how do you drink it?" I swallowed the food in my mouth and said, "My lord, I have never eaten such a delicious thing." Marquis Wen smiled: "Then you should eat more, you will still have strength after a while." Work hard?I was in a daze, not knowing what he meant by that.Marquis Wen stopped looking at me, and raised the curtain to look outside.The car has left the north gate and is walking on the official road.After the rebellion of the barbarians in Wozhuang Island was wiped out, the north gate suddenly became deserted. At this time, it was almost dawn, but there were few people on this official road. I ate two more pies, the car swung and turned uphill.The official road leads to Juluo Island and does not go up the mountain, so we have left the official road now?I didn't dare to ask where Marquis Wen was taking me, so I just sat still.Seeing that I didn't eat, Marquis Wen said, "Are you full?" "My lord, I'm full." There was another unpredictable smile on Marquis Wen's face: "That's good." The car did not know how many turns it had turned, but it was getting darker and darker outside. The sky was cloudy, and we were walking through the mountains and forests, and it became even darker.Suddenly the car swayed and stopped, and someone said: "Lord Wenhou, the last general Bi Wei obeys the order." I always thought that Bi Wei was helping to defend Beining City, but I didn't expect him to come back.Marquis Wen jumped out of the car, and I followed him down.When I got out of the car, I saw Bi Wei standing straight in front of the car, giving a military salute.Although his military rank is one level higher than mine, this military salute was unintentionally directed to me.I couldn't help thinking proudly and looked at him.Seeing that I also got out of Marquis Wen's car, Bi Wei was shocked and said, "My lord, he..." "General Chu Ping Tianshui Province has just returned, and tomorrow he will go to the palace with Cang Lan to receive the reward. I will take him to see it." Wenhou is still smiling.He is not tall, almost a head shorter than Bi Wei, and half shorter than me, but he seems to be looking down when talking.I also bowed to Bi Wei and said, "General Bi, the last general Chu Xiuhong has seen General Bi." Although I can be regarded as a popular person in Wenhou's fancy, Bi Wei is a general after all, and his military rank is one level higher than mine. It is said that he will soon be promoted to deputy general with Deng Canglan.If this is true, it would be unprecedented for Bi Wei and Deng Canglan to stand side by side with the famous generals of their predecessors even though the thirteen uncles were only deputy generals in the court. Bi Wei didn't say much, just said: "My lord, why didn't Brother Deng come?" He probably felt that Deng Canglan should be above me no matter what, and it was inconceivable that Marquis Wen called me instead of Deng Canglan.Marquis Wen said: "Canglan has just arrived, and there are still some things to do on his boat. Where's Longyou?" Bi Wei gave another military salute and said, "Mr. Zhang is preparing inside, please review." Zhang Longyou was originally here.I haven't seen Zhang Longyou since I came back, and Xue Wenyi also said that he rarely sees him. It turns out that Marquis Wen is really useful.I don't know what Zhang Longyou is doing, Marquis Wen has already walked in, and Bi Wei and I hurriedly followed. After walking a few steps, Marquis Wen suddenly stopped.I only wondered what happened again, but I saw Marquis Wen raised his head to look at the sky and said, "It's snowing." Since the beginning of winter this year, the imperial capital has snowed several times, and now that it is the end of winter, it is still snowing unexpectedly.There were snowflakes, and the sky was white, and the snow fell really fast.I stretched out my hand, and a snowflake fell on my palm, which turned into water immediately.Marquis Wen looked at the sky, and suddenly said in a low voice: "Ten years of war have washed away the blood and dust, and the snow is new every year. Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers are not the same, and this body is still the same as last year." This is a poem written by Wang Tian, ​​a veteran of the former court when the great emperor took over the kingdom, "Thoughts on Snow in the First Year of the New Dynasty in New Spring".In that year, the empire was established in blood and fire, but due to the haste, the corpses of those former ministers who died righteously had not been completely buried, so some elders gritted their teeth and called the empire "a country built with corpses", It is said that Guozuo will not last long.Wang Tian was the grand master of the former dynasty, but he did not commit suicide when the emperor broke through the imperial capital. Instead, he led all the officials to surrender, and was scolded bloody by the survivors.When he wrote this poem, he probably meant to express his love to those past colleagues.At this time, Marquis Wen began to recite this poem, but he didn't know whether it was just "Yu Xue" in it, or there were other deep meanings. Bi Wei said on the side: "This poem sung by adults is really good..." Before he finished speaking, Marquis Wen's face darkened. Seeing that Marquis Wen's complexion was not good, he immediately swallowed the ass in fright.I couldn't help being a little amused. Although Bi Wei is not ignorant, he probably never knew the way of poetry. I have read some of them. Although there are more limited than Bi Wei, at least I know these things.I bowed and said, "Wang Tian's poem is indeed a good poem, and it is very appropriate for my lord to recite it at this time." A smile appeared on Marquis Wen's face again, and he turned to Bi Wei and said, "Bi Wei, I told you that the talents of a general don't just know how to fight blindly, you should also read more books at ordinary times, your books are too few. .” Bi Wei repeatedly said yes, and when Marquis Wen turned his head and walked forward again, he gave me a hard look, probably annoyed that I made him look so ugly. Along the way, there are many defenders, but there are three steps for one post and five steps for one sentry.This is a valley, the widest part is only three or four zhang. Although it is narrow, carriages can still pass through it, but Marquis Wen is probably afraid of accidents, so no carriages are allowed to enter.We walked hundreds of steps, crossed the valley, and there was a cliff in front of us.This cliff is hundreds of feet high, and there is a round hole in the wall.When Marquis Wen arrived at the entrance of the cave, he turned his head and said, "It's very dark inside, be careful." Bi Weiben was here, so he told me this. The cave was crooked and there were few torches, so I followed Wenhou and Bi Wei carefully into the cave.After walking for another distance, I saw light in front of me, and as soon as I went out, it suddenly became clear that there was an open space with a radius of one mile.I didn't expect there to be another world here. I was taken aback. Marquis Wen stopped and said with a smile, "Chu Xiuhong, it's your first time here. How do you feel?" There are people coming and going inside, at least hundreds of people, almost like a small market town.Those people were busy and didn't know what to do, and some of them were gathering together.After we came in, a soldier guarding the entrance of the cave shouted: "Lord Wenhou is here!" Someone heard the sound and came over.This person was wearing a thick winter coat, and it turned out to be Zhang Longyou.He saw me from a distance, and his face also showed joy. When he came to us, he knelt down in front of Marquis Wen and said: "The humble Zhang Longyou has seen the adults." He was still a recruit who had never seen the world before, but now he had a dignified demeanor, a bit of a minister's demeanor.Marquis Wen helped him up and said, "You Long, get up. How is it going?" Zhang Longyou also had an uncontrollable joy on his face: "My lord, the initial test has been successful." Marquis Wen also showed a smile on his face, turned to me and said, "Chu Xiuhong, I just want you to see the Shenlong Cannon jointly created by Zhang Yuanwai and Jinbu." I remember that when I was still in Wuhou's army, Zhang Longyou made a kind of skyfire flying dragon arrow, which looked like a car. After being ignited, dozens of arrows were shot at the same time, and the power was extremely powerful. The Shenlong Cannon must be similar to this . Zhang Longyou led us forward, those people were surrounded by a group, when they saw us coming, they scattered in twos and threes, revealing the things in the middle.It was a cylinder that was several feet long, mounted obliquely on a shelf, it was black and seemed to be made of fine iron.Zhang Longyou walked up to him and said to Marquis Wen: "My lord, do you want to test?" Marquis Wen nodded, and Zhang Longyou shouted to the little official beside him, "Fill the medicine." Someone opened a trap in the cylinder and poured some black powder through it.That thing smelled like sulfur, it was gunpowder.After the installation was done, the trap door was closed, and another person poured some broken iron in from the front, and looked at Zhang Longyou.Zhang Longyou said to Marquis Wen: "My lord, please step back, just in case." He spoke solemnly, and we all took two steps back.Zhang Longyou looked ahead, and there were two pillars tens of feet away, stretched with cowhide.Someone nearby came with a lighted torch, he took it, and lit a thin rope drilled out of the iron cylinder.The rope ignited with a "Zi" sound and burned inward very quickly. I was surprised when suddenly there was a loud noise in my ear, as if a thunderstorm had hit me, which made my ears buzz. There was a loud noise, but there was a vast expanse of smoke in front of my eyes, and the smell of sulfur was extremely strong.Marquis Wen stretched out his hand to fan the white smoke, and said, "What's the matter?" There was a burst of smoke, and Zhang Longyou walked over.With a happy expression on his face, he turned his head and shouted: "Bring the cowhide here and show it to the adults." Two people came over carrying the cowhide.At this time, the white smoke had dissipated, but there was still some ringing in my ears.The two put the cowhide in front of Marquis Wen, and Marquis Wen rushed forward, touched it with his hand, and said with a smile, "It really is done." The cowhide was riddled with holes, as if it had been stabbed hundreds of times with a sharp knife.I was taken aback and stepped forward, saying: "Zhang Longyou, what is this?" Zhang Longyou's face was also full of pride: "General Chu, this is the Shenlong Cannon. I have done experiments, and within fifty steps, one cannon can penetrate three layers of cowhide." There are three layers of cowhide here?I knelt down and touched it, and sure enough, it was three cowhide pasted together.Cowhide is extremely tough, usually one layer of cowhide can be used to make soft armor, but the Shenlong Cannon made by Zhang Longyou can penetrate three layers of cowhide, and its power seems to be no less than that of the Thunderbolt Crossbow.Although the Thunderbolt Crossbow can fire five or six arrows in a row, the area affected is far less than that of the Shenlong Cannon.Snake people like to rush forward when attacking. If they encounter this dragon cannon, they will definitely suffer a big loss. Marquis Wen touched the cylinder happily, and said, "How far can this Dragon Cannon hit?" "My lord, this Shenlong Cannon takes two to three catties of medicine, and can eat as much as you want, about five catties, and can hit a hundred steps away at the farthest." Hit a hundred paces, that's not too far.But if the forward battalion is equipped with thunder crossbows and dragon cannons, it will be far away and close. With the power of this dragon cannon, if the enemy knows it, they may not dare to bully within a hundred steps. Marquis Wen reached out to touch the barrel of the Shenlong Cannon, then suddenly turned to Bi Wei and said, "Bi Wei." Bi Wei stood up straight suddenly: "The last general will obey the order." "You immediately order two hundred people and practice day and night. You must be proficient in the Shenlong Cannon." Bi Wei saluted again, and said: "Follow the order." He seemed to glance at me, as if expressing his pride to me.I didn't care about entanglement with him, so I hurriedly said to Zhang Longyou: "Zhang Longyou, why don't you forge a few more Shenlong cannons?" Zhang Longyou looked at Marquis Wen, and Marquis Wen nodded at him. He amplified his voice and said, "General Chu, the Shenlong Cannon has not been completed yet. One is that it is too cumbersome, and the other is that it takes too much medicine. The ashes in the barrel must be cleaned, otherwise it will be difficult to load the next shot, and the range of the shot is no more than a hundred paces, so it can only be used in close combat." I suddenly remembered the thing about homemade gunpowder in Dongping City, and said to Zhang Longyou, "Is your formula still sulfur nitrate six and charcoal powder one?" Zhang Longyou nodded and said, "What's wrong?" "I tried it and found that reducing the sulfur to a little less than carbon powder seems to be more powerful." But Zhang Longyou was also taken aback: "There is such a thing? All the alchemy books I read before used this formula. Do you still remember what kind of formula you used?" I was thinking about that time when I prepared gunpowder in front of the Snake camp in Dongping City.That time there was very little sulfur, so I reduced the amount of sulfur, I said: "It is about forty catties of nitrate, six catties of sulfur, and ten catties of charcoal powder." Zhang Longyou did some calculations and said: "It's roughly seven nitrates, one sulfur and two charcoals." He suddenly hit me on the shoulder and said with a smile: "General Chu, you are so timely! I never thought that this formula can be changed. " He turned around and said a few words to a handyman next to him, the man agreed to go down, Zhang Longyou said to Wenhou: "My lord, please wait a moment, I will verify what General Chu said right away." Although Marquis Wen didn't know about these recipes, he also knew that what I said was very inspiring to Zhang Longyou.He said to Zhang Longyou, "I'll go and have a look too." Zhang Longyou was turning around to leave, but stopped when he heard the sound, and said: "My lord, this is very dangerous..." Marquis Wen laughed and said, "If you can't beat the Snake Man, that's the greatest danger." Zhang Longyou took us to a hut.The other houses in the valley were all built of wood, but this hut was built of stone, hanging in a corner.As soon as they entered, several people in white robes were carrying some bottles and cans. Those people's faces were covered with a cloth, and only a pair of eyes were exposed.When entering the door, Zhang Longyou said: "My lord, General Chu, General Bi, please take out the iron utensils on your body, no naked flames can be seen inside." I remember Zhang Longyou said at the beginning that when smashing sulfur and nitric charcoal together, you have to use a wooden pestle, and you can't see iron objects.I handed over the Baipi knife on my body, and Wen Hou and Bi Wei also handed over the saber to him.Zhang Longyou asked a servant to put away the knife before leading us in.The hut looked small from the outside, but it wasn't too small when inside. There was a platform made of mud in the middle.Zhang Longyou directed them to do it for a while, and after filling three jars, he said to Marquis Wen: "My lord, let's go outside and try it out." Marquis Wen looked at the jar and said, "What is this?" Zhang Longyou cleared his throat and said: "The gunpowder in the first tank is six sulfur, six nitrates and one charcoal, the second tank is seven nitrates, one sulfur and two charcoals, and the third tank is six nitrates, one and a half sulfur and two and a half charcoal." of." Marquis Wen was very interested and said, "How do you want to try?" "Bizhi takes the same amount of gunpowder from these three formulas, and then ignites them to see which one is the most powerful." Zhang Longyou is indeed a master student of the Danding School of the Shangqing School. At that time, I knew to change the formula, and the gunpowder was more powerful, so I didn't think about it. Zhang Longyou immediately thought of this method after hearing me. He wanted to find a way to use it.火药威力最大的配方来。我大感钦佩，若不是文侯在跟前，我真要赞他一声好了。 文侯点点头道：“甚好，你试吧。” 张龙友的办法是用同样的白布包取了三包火药，拣了一块平地，在地上挖了三个浅坑，每个坑相距五尺许。三个布包都埋下了，他道：“大人，请当心些，不然被碎石崩着了。” 他带着我们到了一边避一下，命人点着引线。引线烧得很快，几乎是同时烧到了头，我们只听得一声响。响动过后，张龙友已急不可耐地冲了出去，我还没回过味来，他已叫道：“大……大人！” 他的声音也有些发颤，我吃了一惊，只道他出了什么事，也顾不得向文侯请示，便冲了过去。那三包火药刚炸过，白烟还没完全散去，张龙友站在前面，一脸惊喜。I said: "What's wrong?" 张龙友指了指地上，突然一把抱住我，笑道：“太好了！改用这等配方，神龙炮的威力定能增大五倍！” 地上，以那三个浅坑为中心，出现的是两个大坑。第一个坑是埋那种旧配方火药的，炸成的坑有一尺之宽，但另两个坑却已相接在一处，成了一个大坑了。这两个浅坑相距五尺，那么点燃后炸出的坑定能有五尺多宽，威力也当真一下大了五倍。我又惊又喜，原先虽知用这配方比老配方威力大，但我并不知威力到底能大多少，张龙友如此试验，一目了然，威力大了几倍都能知道。他的心思缜密，果然是个人才。 文侯已走了过来，张龙友放开我，一下跪倒在他跟前，道：“大人，再给卑职一个月，神龙炮定能增强三倍射程。” 文侯从张龙友那种欣喜若狂的样子里也已知道大有进展，他笑了笑道：“如此甚好，还有三月天气便会转暖，届时蛇人定会大举进攻，这神龙炮便要大展神威，帝都上下，尽当传颂张员外，不，那时可是张侍郎之功了。” 张龙友道：“这都是托付大人之德，卑职不过附于骥尾，焉敢有奢望。有大人的洪福齐天，卑职定不辱命。” 他当了一年的官，马屁功夫也大大见长，而且他把功劳全归之于文侯的“洪福齐天”，提都不提我，我心中隐隐有些不快，只觉得张龙友好像已经变得陌生了一些。 从山谷中回去时，文侯一直低头不语，若有所思的样子。我不敢多嘴，跟在他身后，心中只是想着文侯方才说的天气转暖，蛇人就要大举进攻的事。现在正是一月，天气正冷，此时已下起雪来，一路上纷纷扬扬的都是雪花。这样的天气，实在不是厮杀的季节，现在诸军都由文侯调度，万一他所料不确，后果则不堪设想。他到底有什么把握算定蛇人要等开春才会大举进攻的？ 我正胡思乱想着，文侯忽道：“楚休红。” 我“啊”了一声，行了一礼道：“末将在。” “蛇人势大，值此危急存亡之秋，你以为该如何做？” 我道：“末将以为，天道无常，我等只能全力所为，纵然不能取胜，也要一尽人事。” 文侯看着窗外，叹了口气道：“蛇人的势力越来越大，纵然在北宁城挡它们几个月，也不是长久之计。不过，不能取胜的话，那还是识时务则为俊杰，避其锋芒也无不可。” 我吃了一惊，叫道：“什么？”我纵然对与蛇人的战争没有太大的信心，但也没想到文侯会说这样的丧气话，听他的口气，似乎有让北宁城守军也退回来之意。我道：“此事万万不可，那些妖兽绝不是见好即收的，我们一退再退，不能永远退下去。大人，势成燎原，那就悔之晚矣。” 文侯笑了笑，道：“楚休红，你的刀术练得怎么样？” 我不由一怔，也不知文侯怎么说起这些来，只是道：“该是在一般人之上。” “出刀时，你是手伸直出刀力量大，还是先将刀收回来再出刀力量大？” 我不再说话了。文侯的意思我当然明白，不论是刀术还是拳术，如果手臂没有发力的余地，自然力量都不大的。但是战争不是简简单单的出刀或是出拳，东平城弃守，大江北岸的居民定居点被蛇人破坏殆定，难民虽然大多再向北逃，逃跑未及死在蛇人兵锋之下的却也有不少。北宁城是帝都南面的门户，那儿村落也有不少，一旦北宁城弃守，那些村落势必仍要放弃，又要有多少百姓死在战乱中了。死守北宁城，虽然军队力量有所分散，但却让百姓有了个喘息的余地，可是在文侯心目中，那些百姓大概都可以忽略不计的吧。 文侯见我不再说话，只道我也想通了，他伸弹在案上一弹，道：“如今朝中二太子一党仍在蠢蠢欲动，已多次攻击我老师玩寇，若不能有一个说得过去的战果，只怕帝君会收回我的兵权。唉，楚休红，战阵上的一刀一枪还是明的，朝中的一刀一枪却是看不到的。我也知道将北宁城守军抽回来，会有多少百姓无辜送命，但此时实在也没有更好的办法。” 我跪下来，又行了一礼，低声道：“末将明白。” 二太子因为中了文侯的计被夺去兵权，但是他内有江妃，外有兵部尚书路翔支持，势力仍不可小视。江妃是帝君最为宠爱的嫔妃，她的表兄路翔官拜兵部尚书，虽然现在被文侯压得没什么动作，但他们一定在盼望着能搬掉文侯这块大石头。 车慢慢开着，雪花纷飞，虽然下了还不多久，但地上已积了一层。雪也许能掩盖一切，但是我知道，那下面的暗流和地火，不论掩盖得多深，终究有一天会暴发出来的。