Chapter 7 Section 7: Small Boat(7)

The imperial capital faces south, three hundred and eighty miles away, Xiongguan rises to meet the sky. Bai Yi and Xi Yan walked side by side, while Bai Qiulian and Mo Xue's two steeds walked slowly, their manes fluttering in the wind.Xi Yan was holding an ebony tobacco rod that was rarely removed from his body, lazily pressing the hilt, and the scabbard of the ancient sword knocked on the saddle with a clang.And Bai Yi sat upright on the horse, his figure was as lean as a spear, he frowned slightly, and looked around. What they are doing is the military path in Shangyang Pass. This city pass has not had any residents since it was built, so all the facilities are used for military purposes.The straight and horizontal stone-built military roads divide the entire city gate into small squares, each of which is a barracks. Once the bells are lit and the bells roar, all the soldiers stationed in the city can quickly gather to defend the city.

At this time, two days had passed since the tragic battle, but there was still a strong smell of fireworks in the city gate, traces of thick smoke and blackness were everywhere, and unburned firewood could be seen everywhere on the road.Bai Yi forcibly threw 300,000 catties of burning firewood into this city gate, forcing Ying Wuyi to leave the city in a haste to fight a bloody battle. "The design of this city gate is exactly the same as the detailed map hidden in my home." Bai Yi sighed softly, "I don't know what kind of genius designed it at the beginning, and how much hard work it took. This pass was built just now. Emperor Qiangwei really tried his best to guard the gate of the imperial capital for his descendants. It is not an exaggeration to say that it will never fall."

"But it was still conquered by you, and it was nothing more than poisoning and fire attack, so Ying Wuyi had to go out of the city for a decisive battle." Xi Yan glanced at Bai Yi and smiled casually, "You praise this city now The city will never fall, are you taking this opportunity to praise your military strategy as unprecedented?" Bai Yi wasn't angry, didn't smile, and had no expression on his face: "Ying Wuyi was also eager to fight me, right? That's why he left the city. Moreover, if it wasn't for the time to return home, he would have retreated and defended himself. We may have to pay a higher price. I am not so proud that I think I have conquered this pass with mere skill."

Xi Yan smiled without saying a word, and patted Mo Xue on the neck, and Mo Xue started to trot.Bai Yi's war horse, Bai Qiulian, trotted along with him. The two steeds, like old friends, let go of the vigilance and might of their war horses, and ran with their hooves flying and their manes dancing, like two little horses chasing each other on the grassland. Like a pony.Bai Yi frowned even tighter, but he didn't restrain Bai Qiulian.Xi Yan ran in high spirits, his body undulating naturally with the horse's steps, holding the cigarette stick between his fingers, breathing the oncoming wind and laughing loudly.

After running for a while, Xi Yan pulled the reins abruptly, and Mo Xue stopped with a long hiss.Xi Yan turned his head to look back from the way he came, and Bai Yi also stopped his horse and met his eyes.Bai Yi was slightly taken aback. At this glance, he suddenly felt that he saw the Jinwu Guard in front of the Taiqing Palace more than ten years ago again, with a lazy face, a self-deprecating face, and an unconvinced face. "What do you have to say?" Bai Yi asked. "Do you remember that the two of us walked this road, that was when we were still serving as Jinwu guards in the imperial capital." Xi Yan stroked the short beard on his chin, "At that time our official position was low, Feng Yulin General Cheng Du Xue’s orders were sent to Shangyang Guan Gong. The first thing he did when he entered the city was a number of strict orders. I remember that one of them was not to run a horse unless it was a letter. , is to beat the army stick five times. I remember that we were led to the barracks along this road, trembling all the way, holding the reins tightly, for fear that the horse would run away and violate the military rules."

He suddenly smiled: "Now in Shangyang Pass, if I run to the end, who can stop me?" Bai Yi was stunned for a moment, and then smiled a little: "Actually, I also remember this. At that time, we Jinwu Guards who came from the imperial capital were regarded as a bunch of rich dudes. I despise it. There is also a prohibition saying that unless someone guides the way, you are not allowed to leave the barracks and look around. Violation of the order is spying on the military situation, and you can directly push it out to be beheaded. I later became an official of Chuwei, so I never had a chance to come to Shangyang Pass. This time Before leaving, I regretted that I did not violate the military regulations and took the opportunity to see the structure and layout of this city gate. I only relied on a map to determine the strategy. I let it go."

Xi Yan had a look of contempt, and snorted lowly in his nostrils: "The higher the title of you these years, the more magnificent you are, and the more boring you are. It's the same thing. In the past, now you take your horse for a run, looking high-spirited for fun, but you look bitter and bitter, and everything has to be related to your military affairs, making it difficult to talk to you." He waved his cigarette stick and pointed at Bai Yi's face from a distance: "A person like you is just born to be a famous general, and you can't do anything else. If the world is stable, you can't stretch your ambitions, and you have to go to the mountains to dig a hole yourself. buried."

"Ambition?" Bai Yi smiled lightly, "How can I have any ambitions? I am just a cart horse, because of the whip behind me, I have to move forward step by step. I can't compare with you, General Xi, You have the aura of lofty aspirations, but back then we were so soft-spoken, even a small guard dared to order you not to run. I guessed that you couldn't swallow this breath in your heart. More than ten years have passed, and you are already the Earl's You still have to show your identity. You said that you were trembling on this road back then, but I didn’t believe it. I only heard that you were full of disbelief back then."