Chapter 4 first quarter

In the winter of the fourth year of Emperor Cheng of the Yin Dynasty, the northern capital of Hanzhou. According to the barbarian calendar, this year is the year of wind.The north wind came very early, followed by a blizzard, and the sky was rarely clear.The Qingyang herdsmen on the Shuofang Plain took their livestock and hid in Beidu City.Two months later, the thin sheep were almost killed, and the fat sheep had already been slaughtered. The lambs could not survive the severe winter, so they were all slaughtered, but the sky was still gloomy and iron gray, like the angry face of Pantar.The deep snow outside the city can trap people to death, it is inconvenient to ride a horse, and it is difficult to find a way. No one leaves the city easily, and there has been no news from outside for many days, and everyone feels uneasy.

There was a snowfall seventeen years ago, comparable to this one, it was like the end.The nobles killed the slaves to sacrifice to heaven, and the women killed the children conceived in Xia Tian one after another, because even if they were born, they would not be able to support them.Among the few children born in the northern capital that year was the maharaja's youngest son, Asule Pasur. The god Pantar became angry and punished Qingyang.Someone passed it on in private. There was a bad omen in the summer. The Maharaja, who had always been healthy, fell off his horse while hunting, and could not stand up since then.The news from the Golden Tent said that the Maharaja could no longer see, and the government affairs were all in the hands of the Eldest Prince Bimogan. There was also news that several Great Khans and the Eldest Prince had quarreled in the Golden Tent, and finally almost Draw a knife to face each other.From then on, the kings of the Great Khan kept their own villages and never entered the golden tent to discuss matters.

late at night. The new wind blows the snow, the vast expanse of whiteness passes across the sky, and the cold wind whimpers around the tent.I don't know who is blowing the jazz in the middle of the night, but it is also a low whimper, which is easily confused with the sound of the wind. It sounds like the person who blows the jasa does not actually exist, but is just an illusion caused by the wind. "It sounds so lonely." The eldest prince Bimogan was wearing a sable fur, standing at the entrance of the tent with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself. He parted the sheepskin curtain a little, and the snowflakes rushed in and dazzled his eyes.He closed his eyes slightly, opened them and looked outside silently, with a gloomy expression.

The second prince Tie You behind him became anxious: "Brother! This is not the time for us to sigh, the knives and guns of the sweat kings are delivered to our throats, you can think of a way!" "Tieyou, you don't understand. Listening to the sound of the siege, my heart is as barren as grass, and things with knives and guns are always unmotivated. Thinking about how many years we have fought with several uncles, What is the use of demoting Xu Dahan to the outside world? They are all descendants of Qingyang, and no one has benefited." "Brother, even if you have compassion in your heart, the Great Khans don't show mercy to us!" Tie You became even more anxious, "The scouts sent out reported that the sound of sharpening knives has been heard in the village of the Great Khans these days. All the sheep were slaughtered and roasted, and the wine cellar was opened to drink day and night. This is to do it! Brother, you..."

"Is she asleep?" Bi Mogan ignored his younger brother and turned to ask the little slave girl next to him. "I fell asleep. I drank a bowl of meat porridge before going to bed. I'm probably asleep now." "You go over there to serve, no one else comes in here." "Yes." The little slave girl answered and went out. Only Bimogan and Tieyou were left in the tent, Bimogan bowed his head and pondered for a while: "When will my three uncles gather all the troops?" "If they gather all the three cavalry and all the slaves who can go to battle, there are 70,000 people in total, and it will take about five days. But if they only wait for the three cavalry to arrive, it will take three days at most! Nine Kings Over there, tigers and leopards encountered a blizzard at the place where they crossed the mountain pass. It is better to walk with a horse than to walk. I am afraid that there are still seven days to go. Brother, now that there is no foreign aid, life and death are in our own hands. We can't wait any longer! "

"Three days..." Bi Mogan nodded thoughtfully, "Let our people stay alert and wait for the people from Chunguo to come." "Brother, are you still waiting for people from Chun Kingdom? People in Donglu are all foxes, and that Luo Ziyan is probably no exception!" Suddenly there were chaotic human voices outside the tent, and the little slave girl who had just left the tent ran back again. "What happened outside?" Bimogan frowned, "Didn't I ask you to serve at Madam's place?" "There are guests, Donglu's guests are here!"

The little slave girl's voice fell silent, and someone had already lifted the curtain, and a figure strode in with flying snowflakes.It was Ban Zhalie who lifted the curtain, Bimogan's most confidant companion, he entered the tent after the Donglu guest, drove the little slave girl out, turned around and closed the tent curtain tightly. "Brother Luo!" Bimo went up and grabbed the visitor's forearm. "This time I risked half my life to meet the eldest prince!" Luo Ziyan shook his head and shook off his hood, his face was green and his eyebrows were pale with snow.A few years later, he grew a thin beard, because the hot air from his mouth melted the snowflakes, and there were a few thin ice edges hanging from his beard, making him look extremely embarrassed.

He threw off Bimogan's hand, walked quickly to the brazier and sat down, put his hands out of his sleeves and put them together: "Fingers are frozen, I'm afraid they will die if this continues." Sitting beside him, Bimogan watched his fingers hooked and unable to stretch out, almost deformed, which must be the result of holding the rein of the horse all the time in the severe cold. "Just warming up to the fire is useless. If you don't want to lose your hands, you have to tear them apart." Bi Mogan said. "Leave it to the eldest prince!" Luo Ziyan also simply handed over his hands immediately.

"Bring oil!" Bimogan ordered the little slave girl. He rubbed mutton oil on his hands, held Luo Ziyan's hand and roasted it by the fire.Luo Ziyan's hands were completely devoid of temperature, the texture felt like a stone, and Bi Mogan rubbed it quickly, allowing the oil to penetrate slowly, and the surface of the skin gradually warmed up.Bi Mogan's movements slowed down, he slowly pinched one of Luo Ziyan's fingers, and suddenly straightened it forcefully.Luo?Yan took a deep breath, his face turned blood red, he held back and didn't cry out in pain.The pain subsided, and the stiff finger could bend slightly.

"Only one finger has healed, bear with the pain and take your time. If these joints are not loosened, you will be holding the rein for the rest of your life." Bimogan said. Luo Ziyan opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue: "Look, Eldest Prince, is my tongue frozen?" Bi Mogan didn't understand the meaning of his words, seeing his narrow expression, he frowned: "Of course I can't talk." Luo Ziyan smiled: "If you have a broken finger, it will be broken. I am a lobbyist, not a warrior, and I can't hold a sword. If I keep my tongue, I can fight with the prince."

"I've seen a lot of lobbyists, but Brother Luo is rare. How did you get into such a mess?" Bi Mogan also laughed.He quite likes this special envoy of the Chun Kingdom, unlike the common Donglu merchants on the prairie, this Luozi Yan Mingming is a scribe with no strength to restrain a chicken, but he has the wild spirit of a prairie man, likes strong alcohol, speaks loudly, When lobbying, people are excited and their eyes are bright. Luo Ziyan's expression became solemn: "We landed from the mouth of the Nanwang Gorge and headed north. At first, it was only light snow. Halfway through, the snow had not reached the chest of the horse. The sky was full of white snow, and we couldn't tell the way. Come. Thanks to the Yebei horse, it is really cold-resistant, and according to what the prince said, I took the old horse with a dead foal, and it was only by it that I found the channel of the Tainale River. The river traveled all the way up to the northern capital, and of the fifty people it brought, only seventeen survived." Bi Mogan nodded: "This year's snow was terribly heavy, and there has been no news from Beijing and the outside for a few days. But if it weren't for this snow, the city of Beijing might not have been so peaceful. Brother Luo probably didn't know when he came here. , several Khan kings turned against me in the golden tent, and swore that if my father passed on the throne to me in the end, they would leave the northern capital with their own population, cattle and sheep. But now that the road is blocked by heavy snow, they can only endure .” "Hold it?" Tie You snorted, "Where are the Great Khans holding back? They sharpen knives in their tents every night, waiting to come and chop off our brother's head! Mr. Luo, please persuade brother, he I still don’t act, and I’m so anxious that I turn around.” Luo Ziyan smiled: "Eldest Prince, what the Second Prince said is actually correct. Although I am not in the northern capital, based on my guess, the Great Khans will not leave the northern capital. They are all your uncles, surnamed Pasur, they can also be the masters of the northern capital in their hearts. Besides, if they leave the northern capital, relying on the population, cattle and sheep in their hands, they will be a small tribe on the grassland, and they will be swallowed up at some point. How could such shrewd people as the Great Khan do stupid things?" Bi Mogan nodded solemnly: "I know, Tie You said I was weak, and I admitted it. But my father is sick in bed now, and he hasn't tied the leopard tail around my wrist. Now I'm punishing the Great Khan. It will be rumored that it is killing relatives and usurping the throne. In this way, I will not be able to deter other tribes from the outside, and I will not be able to convince the nobles of Qingyang internally. At the meeting, I was honored as the majesty. I can't pass this test, and I still can't be recognized by everyone on the grassland." Luo Ziyan laughed: "The Eldest Prince's words mean that we Donglu people are orthodox, so I will tell the Eldest Prince an allusion about the Eastern Land." "Taught." Bi Mogan said respectfully. "Emperor Fengyan, the eldest prince, knows that he is a murderous demon in the hearts of grassland people, but he is an unborn hero in our Eastern Continent. When mentioning this 'Emperor Wu' in the history books, it is full of compliments. Can be translated Looking through the family tree of the Bai family, Emperor Fengyan was a concubine prince. He never had a chance to win the throne. At that time, several elder brothers of Emperor Fengyan held great power. Factions, but Emperor Fengyan's status is low and young, and only a few thousand Jinwu guards really support him. Relying on thousands of Jinwu guards to pull his brothers, the chances of winning are slim. Even if he can win in Tianqi City, he still has to Facing those Eastern land aristocratic families and vassal states who secretly supported his brother. But at this time, Emperor Fengyan’s father, Emperor Ren, was about to die. It can be said that if Emperor Ren’s edict did not write the name of Emperor Fengyan Bai Qingyu, he There will be no chance to gain control of Donglu again..." Luo Ziyan paused quietly. "How did Emperor Fengyan make the decision?" When Bi Mogan listened intently, he didn't have anything to say, as if he was being hung up in mid-air. Luo Ziyan smiled, three parts of his smile were leisurely, three parts insolent, three parts fierce, and one part full of confidence: "He used three thousand gold guards to riot in the palace and killed his brothers!" Bimo was stunned for a moment, and took a breath.He was moved.Thinking back to the bloody scene in the deep palace of the Eastern Continent decades ago, brothers fought against the wall, and blood splashed on the throne, he suddenly realized that he was still too young, and he saw power as a matter of control too simply, and he was far from understanding the cruelty and danger involved.He knew that Emperor Fengyan must have accomplished something. Bi Mogan never dared to think about it before with such violent means at such a critical time. Bi Mogan didn't know how much courage and wisdom it would take. He stood up silently, adjusted his big sleeves, and bowed to Luo Ziyan with the etiquette of Donglu people: "Brother Luo, please teach me!" Luo Ziyan also got up and bowed to Bi Mogan: "I have traveled thousands of miles just to explain something to the eldest prince. Anyone who wants to sit on the throne of power must take the most dangerous gamble. There is a world, and there is no place to bury the bones. Without such courage, it is better to be an ordinary person. If Emperor Fengyan did not have trouble at that time, there would be no such words as "Emperor Fengyan" in history. He will be only the thirteenth prince of Emperor Ren, and he will live in silence. He doesn't want to, because he wants to write his name in the history. Even if he dies for it, he will never regret it. The eldest prince has to make a decision, I have to figure out one thing, is the power of the Great Lord of the North Continent the Great Prince willing to risk his life to seize it?" Bi Mogan was slightly shocked, and lowered his head in thought. Luo Ziyan sat back by the brazier, straightening his fingers one by one.Every time, his knuckles made a crackling sound, and the severe pain distorted his face, but the young scribe still kept silent, watching the flames silently, without any pause in his movements.Listening to those frightening voices, Tie You rubbed his hands anxiously as he looked at Bi Mogan who was hanging his head and saying nothing. "I would like to ask Brother Luo a question." Bi Mogan raised his head suddenly. "Know everything." "Brother Luo is not a powerful minister of the Chun Kingdom, and he is not well-known in Liang Qiuhou's shogunate. Presumably, the offerings will not be very generous. But every time Brother Luo travels thousands of miles to the northern capital to find me, he has to take the risk of losing his head. Over the years, Luo My brother has been persuading me to train soldiers and raise horses, to master government affairs, and one day my father passed away, so I can ascend to the position of maharajah. This time Brother Luo almost froze to death on the way. When he arrived in my tent, he didn’t take care of his hands first, but Tell me this story." Bi Mogan paused and looked directly at Luo Ziyan, "Brother Luo, have you thought about why you did this?" "Good! Good! Good!" Luo Ziyan clapped his hands suddenly and laughed, "That's a good question, I can answer it." He put away his smile, and his face sank like water: "My grandfather is one of the three thousand Jinwu guards under Emperor Fengyan, and he is also a member of the 'Lion Tooth Club' secretly formed by Emperor Fengyan. He broke his leg on the night of the incident, and he will probably be as famous as the later "Tie Siche". Unfortunately, he broke his leg and has been a useless person since then. He can only go home with a salary and wait for the news of his colleagues' Northern Expedition. But he never said that he regretted it. He always talked about what he did that night. Originally, I was supposed to be a clerk in the royal family, but I met Liang Qiuhou and walked on this road. Now I think about my Grandpa, I think I am the same person as him. I am not taking risks for anything, not for money, not for women, and not for my status in Liang Qiuhou's shogunate. I do this because I want to do great things. Just like my grandfather did it to rebel and rebel, I, Luo Ziyan, did it to subvert the political situation in Donglu. There is no particular reason, some men are born with this kind of uneasy blood in their veins. Power and fame at any cost..." He twisted the corner of his mouth and laughed again, as if mocking himself: "This is my life, I accept it." Bimogan stood silently, staring at the charcoal brazier in a daze.Everyone stopped talking, and the sounds outside the tent became clearer, intricately entangled in the wind and then released.The sky and the earth are empty and desolate. "It sounds really lonely!" Bi Mogan said again when Jia's voice stopped.