Chapter 5 Chapter 1: The Lion of Troubled Times 5

Down to the Tang Dynasty, in the city of Nanhuai. On August 28, it was early autumn.The autumn wind is gradually picking up, and the grass and trees on both sides of the market have already turned pale autumn colors.The sound of the watchman's clapper came, adding to the sorrow of autumn. General Tuoba's mansion, in the simple nave, the host and the guest sat opposite each other, not talking.The green smoke of burning tobacco curled up, and the guest in a black robe was smoking a pipe, but his eyes stayed on the hibiscus tree in the courtyard. "The Thunder Cavalry of the Red Army from Liguo is a mighty soldier in the world. General Xi is ready?" the master broke the silence.

"The lord of the country bestowed a gold talisman and an iron horse seal, and sent an order to go to war. The lord of a country speaks like a mountain, and the matter is now irreversible. Xi Mou only hopes to live up to the lord's entrustment and return victorious." "General Xi is an important minister of the lord, the lord issued an edict, didn't he discuss with General Xi?" "The seal of the sword and the edict were sealed with wax paint in a vermilion box, and the servants in the palace sent them directly to the house. I have never even seen the face of the lord."

There was a long silence in the hall, and the guest slowly exhaled a puff of green smoke. "Apart from you and me, is there anyone in the Tang Dynasty who can control military affairs?" The master raised his brown eyes and looked directly at the visitor. "This is not a question that a courtier should ask. Since I am an official of the princes, I can only ask for rebellion under the imperial edict. General Tuoba should understand my situation." The guest responded lightly. The master pondered for a long time, then nodded: "Tuoba has dispatched 20,000 horses within three days, and the amount of food, fodder, vehicles and battles is as much as General Xi asked. If there is nothing else, please forgive Tuoba for seeing off the guests."

"Okay!" The guest tapped the table, got up and went out. Until he had already stepped out of the middle hall, standing under a bright moon that was about to be full, he heard the master's low voice from behind: "The one who can order the lord to issue an edict to go to war is not you or me, but..." "There are some things that don't need to be said." The guest went straight out. The host sat alone in the hall, looking at the cup of tea left by the guest.The cup is full, and the guest has not taken a sip. Everyone in the Lower Tang Kingdom knew that Xi Yan, the commandant of the Wudian, was at odds with the general Tuoba Shanyue. Contact each other.Tonight, Xi Yan suddenly came to visit alone, Tuoba Shanyue was surprised and disturbed, and arranged to meet the guests in the middle hall, but he didn't know the reason for Xi Yan's visit.However, with a whisper before Xi Yan left, Tuoba Shanyue vaguely understood the other party's worry.It seems that when the situation is delicate, the two opponents are not without the same interests.

But Xi Yan still didn't take a sip of the tea from General Tuoba's mansion. For a long time, Tuoba Shanyue always felt that there was a strong hatred between him and this calm opponent.When Xi Yan's smiling eyes met Tuoba Shanyue, they suddenly changed. Become not like Xiyan himself. Xi Yan stepped out of the general's mansion step by step, and the shadow of a vigorous military uniform flashed in the shadow beside the door.The young man's sharp eyes looked around, and hurriedly approached Xi Yan's ear: "Uncle, how are you?" "What's the matter?" Xi Yan casually responded to his nephew, "It's nothing."

Xi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.The two famous generals worked together for twelve years in the Lower Tang Dynasty, but they never faced each other alone.Although Xiyuan didn't understand what the gap between the two was, but he was Xiyan's nephew, and he regarded Tuoba Shanyue as an enemy without thinking.Tonight, Xiyan suddenly visited Tuoba Shanyue without any entourage. Xiyuan was like facing an enemy. Not only was he armed and waiting outside the mansion, but he also secretly ordered a hundred soldiers under Xiyan's tent to hide in a street with hard bows. Outside waiting for orders.As long as there is a slight change, he will fire into the air, and he will rush into General Tuoba's mansion to see blood.But at this time, Xi Yan didn't even have a lot of hair, and Xi Yuan would not rashly show his uncle the big battle he had prepared.

"To kill, the generals use schemes, the lieutenant generals use strategies, and the subordinates use war." This is what Xi Yan often talks about.Hiding a weapon and acting sneakily, it seems that his behavior is not as good as that of a general. If he speaks out, he will inevitably be reprimanded by his uncle.Xiyuan also has self-knowledge.But as long as his uncle is safe, he doesn't care about face. Outside the General's Mansion is a wide and flat avenue, which runs from north to south and leads directly to the forbidden palace.At this time, the night was quiet, and there were no pedestrians, only a carriage with a red light in Honglu Temple slowly passed by.The moonlight shines on the bluestone pavement polished by the soles of pedestrians, which is not so cool.The bright moon hangs under the eaves of the tower, and the weeping willows brush the canopy of the carriage.

Xi Yan took the reins of the horse, and suddenly said to his nephew: "Let's walk back." Before Xiyuan could answer, Xiyuan had already let go of his slow walk and walked up the path with his hands behind his back.The two uncles and nephews were silent, walking in the clear moonlight breeze, Xi Yuan looked at his uncle's back in a toga, and felt that Xi Yan's expression tonight was a little sad. After walking for a long time, Xi Yuan bravely asked: "Uncle, you and General Tuoba..." Xi Yan froze for a moment, then smiled, which slowly faded away again.He looked at the water surface of Qingjiang Pond in the distance, and was silent for a long time: "Xiyuan, have you been in battle yet?"

"No." Xi Yuan shook his head.He could see that Xi Yan was in a trance. He had followed his uncle since he was a child and hadn't been to the battlefield in person. No one knew these things better than Xi Yan, so there was no need to ask. "The lord issued an edict, as a warrior, he will go into battle to kill people," Xi Yan looked at his nephew, "You say, is it right? Is it wrong?" Xiyuan was stunned for a long time, then shook his head, felt something was wrong again, and nodded.He meant that he didn't know, but he was worried about being misunderstood by Xi Yan, so he shook and nodded, shaking his head.His speech is blunt and he doesn't look like an uncle at all, so he is often so embarrassed.

Xi Yan looked at it, shook his head and smiled: "When you go to battle to kill someone, you cross the horse with a knife. You don't know the name of the opponent, and the person is already dead. You are loyal and responsible, but the relatives of that person will hate you for the rest of their lives." "Then, is it wrong?" "If it's wrong," Xi Yan said leisurely, "then we've all been wrong since the day I taught you swordsmanship..." A burst of violent hoofbeats tore through the silence, as if several fast horses were chasing each other and approaching rapidly from behind.In such a late night, there were still people who dared to gallop on the streets of the capital, Xiyuan suddenly became alert, pressed the epee on his waist, and leaned behind the horse.The swordsmanship taught by Xiyan is better than foot combat, and Xiyuan's swordsmanship is also quite profound. If the enemy comes, as long as he hides behind the horse and dodges the thrust, Xiyuan is confident that he can face more than three cavalry alone.

Xi Yan still had his hands behind his back, but turned his eyes to look in the direction of the fast horse.The chariot and horses riding in Honglu Temple were walking behind their uncles and nephews, but suddenly five healthy horses appeared behind the chariot.By the moonlight, the knights on horseback held eight-foot-long poles in their hands, and four of them shook the poles together, attacking the person on the black horse.The coordination of the four riders is extremely ingenious, and they are scattered at the four corners of the black horse.Some of the four long poles were pierced, and some were swung horizontally, making low-pitched wind noises, blocking all the space around the opponent. And the warrior on the back of the black horse turned out to be empty-handed. He suddenly turned over and leaned back on the saddle, dodging two long poles, and then one of the long poles that was stabbed passed his back, and the other had already pierced his heart, but he grabbed it.Swinging the long pole, with Shen Xiong's whistling, and with the great strength at the end, he was able to grab it with one hand, and the opponent couldn't break free in a hurry.With a flick of his wrist, a shock came back along the pole, and the warrior who was holding the pole almost let go. The samurai holding the pole suddenly cheered up, let out a loud roar, and raised his arms vigorously.His physical strength was amazing, and the warrior on the black horse was actually lifted off the horse by him while holding the long pole.The remaining three cheered and smashed down the long pole against the wind, hitting the back of the black horse warrior.At this time, the black horse warrior was flying in mid-air, already in a desperate situation.But as he freed his right hand from the long pole, pulled out a touch of blue light around his waist, and with a flat swing, he chopped off all three tough wooden poles by a foot.The three poles went empty, and he had already landed on the roof of the carriage at Honglu Temple. "Okay!" Xi Yan clapped his hands and applauded. Being able to use such a horizontal slash in mid-air, the black horse warrior's agility and flexibility are absolutely extraordinary, and what is even more rare is his calmness in mid-air without fear.Xi Yan put his hands behind his back as if he was watching a play, but he never noticed the pale face of his nephew next to him, as if he saw something extremely terrible. The moment the black horse warrior stabilized on the roof of the carriage was exactly the moment when the opponent's strength was weak.He exerted his strength again, and the long pole was bent into a bow shape, and the opponent could no longer hold it.With a shake of the long pole, the owner has changed. "He got the gun!" The remaining three warriors exclaimed in unison. The strange thing is that what the black horse warriors got was obviously a long pole, but what they shouted was a gun. The long pole fell into the hands of the new owner, and it really became a gun!The samurai on the roof circled and waved the long pole, and then suddenly paused, the long pole came out with a sharp spear line, piercing an opponent's face.It was just the simplest straight stab, but the opponent roared in fear, turned over and rolled off the horse, not daring to be sharp at all.Afterwards, two straight thrusts were equally fierce, and two more opponents reined in their horses and retreated, not daring to approach.Only the warrior whose pole was taken was left beside the carriage. His skill seemed to be the best among the four companions. Out of the waist saber. The two people on the roof of the car held a long pole and a sharp sword respectively, and looked at each other in the bumps of the carriage.The long pole has an advantage in terms of length, but what the opponent holds is a famous blade that glows green, and both sides have their own scruples, so they stalemate for a while. Xi Yan laughed softly, got on his horse, and followed the frightened chariots and horses in hot pursuit.Xiyuan groaned in his heart, but he could only follow closely behind. The carriage drove past a weeping willow, and Xi Yan suddenly smiled and said: "Okay, the winner has been divided!" When Liu Si brushed past the face of the sword-wielding warrior, the warrior holding the long pole suddenly jumped up.He stretched his body in the air, like a giant black eagle spreading its wings. Following this movement, a fierce gust of wind slashed down, as if splitting a mountain and cracking rocks! He carried the weight of his whole body and whipped him down in the air! The opponent raised his sword one square, and a two-foot broken rod flew out of the blade.However, the momentum of the long pole remained undiminished, and it slashed on the roof of the carriage like a long knife.As the warrior holding the long pole fell to the ground, the entire roof of the carriage collapsed in a puff of smoke. The panicked driver held on to the two horses driving the carriage, but the sword-wielding warrior on the roof fell headlong into the carriage. The samurai with the long pole did not win all the battles.Just as he was confronting the sword-wielding warrior, the remaining two riders were already catching up like a whirlwind, pulling both ends of a long rope.As soon as he landed, he was locked tightly by the long rope.The two riders led the long rope around him and spun around him, and finally pulled violently, tossing the man who was wound up like a spool to the ground. Several samurai rushed forward and surrounded the powerless opponent.Several people looked at each other, threw away the weapons in their hands, raised their feet and stomped on the man fiercely.Those warriors were all wearing hard leather boots, and they stomped on them mercilessly, cursing angrily: "Are you crazy? Get up and be crazy with the boys? You don't even know how you died if you trampled to death!" The strange thing is that the person who was stepped on didn't say a word. Xi Yan, who stopped his horse and watched from a distance, lighted the pipe leisurely, took a puff quite comfortably, and smiled at his pale nephew: "Xiyuan, why do you look so ugly?" "I...I...I'm fine," Xiyuan shook his head vigorously, "I'll pass the order to the Jinwu guards patrolling the streets." "What kind of Jinwu Guard are you looking for?" Xi Yan smiled, "Aren't you the Jinwu Guard?" Seeing his nephew's embarrassment, Xi Yan suddenly laughed, and walked slowly into the group of people, leading the horse.He travels in commoner clothes, and his identity cannot be seen in the night.The group of warriors were also unimaginably arrogant. They knew that someone was coming, but they still couldn't step on them, cursing and swearing while stepping on them. "Everyone, the moon is clear and the breeze is so elegant!" Xi Yan said with a smile. "It's none of your business, if you don't want to court death, just get out of my eyes!" "Hehe," Xi Yan smiled at his nephew, his face suddenly changed, "Lei Yunzhengke, Ye Zhenghong, Fang Qizhao, Peng Lianyun!" The sound was like thunder, and several warriors were startled to lift their feet and hang in the air, standing there dumbfounded.When they turned their eyes to see the face that seemed to be smiling but not smiling, the surroundings were so quiet that a needle could be heard falling. "General... General!" The four of them were so frightened that they forgot the military salute. "And our Major General Ji Ye? My nephew is your best friend. I was worried about your safety just now, but now I don't look right," Xi Yan smiled and looked at the "spool" on the ground. Xiyuan had known for a long time that it was his friend who was fighting on the street again. The technique of snatching a gun with bare hands is rare in the entire Daliu camp. There is only one girl who has the courage to gallop on the street at night and fight on the street. wild. In the distance, another steed approached like lightning.Xi Yan turned his eyes and saw the young warrior on horseback with a look of panic, holding a long knife with a sheath.The young samurai who rushed over could only see a few samurai in uniform surrounding a man who was tightly entangled in a rope, thinking that his friend was undoubtedly captured.Before he had time to identify the identities of the people present, he rode close, lifted the reins and jumped up, swiping the long knife and scabbard down in mid-air, the first one was Xiyan's shoulder! The long knife was less than half the length of the long pole, but when he swung it in his hand, it had the power of Ji Ye's swing to smash a car.He rides the horse, leans forward, and swings the saber. The three movements are coordinated perfectly, but the saber in the sheath has the power of thunder.Xi Yan smiled coldly, but did not draw his sword, his shoulders sank, and the opponent's knife was gone.And at the moment of passing sideways, Xi Yan slapped the opponent's leg hard! The new rider landed a few steps and stopped in the distance. Suddenly, the young warrior realized that something was wrong, covered his face and clamped the horse's belly, and was about to flee. "In our Nanhuai City, only your family has that kind of sword strength," Xi Yan shouted coldly, "My lord, why are you running?" Lu Guichen had no choice but to roll off his horse, honestly led the horse and lowered his head, and walked up to Xi Yan.Almost none of the young generals in the Daliu Camp in Nanhuai City stood by Xi Yan's side, except for Lu Guichen and Ji Ye who were students under Xi Yan's name, and the others were also learning military formation in Xi Yan's military school. The students gather together on the street, but the situation is indescribably weird.Xi Yan sneered and smoked his cigarette stick, without saying a word, the students knew that they had caused a catastrophe, and all of them stood with their heads down in fear, only Ji Ye was tied to the ground, and he had no chance to stand with his head down. "What's the matter?" After a long time, Xi Yan asked calmly. Several students exchanged winks, and it was Lei Yunzhengke, the second son of Taiwei's Mansion, who, relying on his father's prestige, had a little bit of courage, raised his head and said, "Ji Ye stole our money!" "Why did Ji Ye rob you of your money?" "If he loses the bet to us, he will pay a thousand dollars. We..." Fang Qizhao hadn't finished distinguishing, and suddenly realized that he had slipped his tongue, and the rest of the people stared at him fiercely. "Oh," Xi Yan nodded, "It turns out there is still gambling. But I know that Ji Ye has always been poor, how could he lose money to you?" "I... lent it to him." Lu Guichen whispered. "If you lose money in the casino, you have to be able to afford it!" Xi Yan added a touch of anger on his face, looking at Ji Ye on the ground, "If you can't afford to lose, you still gamble. Killing you is a trivial matter, and it will ruin my reputation!" Ji Ye gritted his teeth, looked coldly at Lei Yunzhengke and the others, turned his head away and did not speak. "It was them who were rude first, and Ji Ye..." Lu Guichen couldn't help it. "Disrespectful?" Xi Yan raised an eyebrow. Lu Guichen was dumb, lowered his head, and suddenly stopped talking. Xi Yan narrowed his eyes, looked at this group of students who had their own ulterior motives, and suddenly smiled.With this smile, the haze cleared away immediately, and the sky cleared up after the rain. "Alright," Xi Yan said, "We have been weak for a long time in the Tang Dynasty, and martial arts are not strong. Instead of spending your time in brothels, you might as well stretch your muscles and study martial arts." The students looked at Xi Yan with a gentle expression, talking eloquently, as if they had escaped from death, and even Ji Ye's expression relaxed. "The status of the eldest son is precious, so it is inconvenient for Xi Yan to punish. For the rest, each will be fined for three months!" Xi Yan said leisurely, "When you return to the camp, each of you will work as a coolie for fifteen days!" As if a thunderbolt struck the top of everyone's head, everyone raised their heads and looked at each other.For these aristocratic teenagers, it doesn't matter whether they are fined or not, but the fifteen-day coolie is simply killing them. "General," Lei Yunzhengke stood out from the crowd with more courage, "According to the military regulations, the gambling is only a one-month fine, and the fight is only two months, why do we need to do coolies? " Xi Yan sneered: "I won't punish you for gambling, and I won't punish you for fighting. I punish you for slack in military affairs! Four majestic Jinwu guards, the pillars of the country, were beaten to the ground by a Ji Ye, and even tripped the horses. It’s all used, and it’s still light to lose the face of our Tang soldiers and punish you for half a month of hard work!” Xi Yan waved his sleeves, turned around and was about to leave. "General," this time it was Ji Ye who was underground speaking, "Then I won the battle, why do I have to work as a coolie for half a month?" Xi Yan glanced back at him: "Punish you for losing money and repaying debts, it's too bad for gambling!" He seemed to be relieved, laughed a few times, and walked out slowly, leaving a group of students dejected, only Xi Yuan followed closely.Xi Yan took his own horse and strolled under the weeping willows on Yanjie Street, turned to look at his nephew, slightly surprised: "Xiyuan, your face..." Xiyuan looked gloomy, and quietly pointed to the Honglu Temple carriage that had been chopped apart by Ji Ye. Xi Yan turned his head, the smile on his face suddenly seemed to be frozen by ice, and slowly, a hint of bitterness was added to the smile.On the carriage exposed to the moonlight was Duan Chenyue, Minister of Honglu Temple, trembling naked, and beside her sat a naked woman with a slender waist and pink legs, who was the famous Yan Ji Su in the brothels of Nanhuai City Xiaoqiu. "Master Duan..." Xi Yan hugged his sleeves and bowed. "General Xi..." Honglu Siqing was still trembling. "Since he became my student, my troubles have become bigger and bigger every day." Xi Yan muttered to himself.