Chapter 19 Section Eleven

"This winter's wine has evaporated, enough to drink for a whole winter." This was the first sentence the Maharaja stepped into the tent.Amochi raised his head cautiously, and saw that Maharaja was holding a round-bellied and rough-faced earthenware pot in his hand, and the faint pear-like aroma of wine wafted in, which was a little intoxicating.Qingyang's fine wine has the reputation of "Qingyang Soul" in Donglu. Although it smells like the fragrance of fruit, it is one of the strongest fine wines.The fermented crude wine is only steamed in late autumn every year, and people in the Qingyang Department rely on this strong wine to survive the winter.

The Maharaja put the clay pot on the small table beside the bed, sat on it cross-legged first, turned his head and glanced at Amochi: "The spectacled dragon has grown taller again. Don't disturb Muli and Madam, go find two Cup here, Hesa ​​and I have a taste of the freshly steamed wine." Amochi responded, avoided the eyes of the female slaves nervously, and returned with two deep cups laden with silver. Along the way, he only saw a few unfamiliar warriors half-hidden sideways behind the tent.There were a lot of people coming and going in Mu Li's house, and no one paid attention to them, presumably they were the Maharaja's people.

Amochi felt uneasy and didn't dare to think too much, so he trotted back to the tent.He put the cup on the small table, and the old man was already sitting on the bed with Maharaja with his head shrunk. In addition to the new wine, he also had a roasted deer leg, which Maharaja tore and ate with his hands without using a knife. "Didn't you disturb the outsiders?" The Maharaja was extraordinarily gentle, pouring wine for Hesa ​​and himself while chewing on the deer leg. Amoji shook his head. The majesty tore off a piece of venison and handed it to him, motioning him to sit on the cushion beside him: "The eye dragon is very capable. When Dahesa was a child, he stole a leg of lamb roasted in the palace during the Lamb Festival, and hugged it close to his body in his robe. In the middle of the night, before he even stepped out of the tent, he was discovered by the old majesty."

The old man's face seemed to be red. "Dahesa drinks." The maharaja said casually, "the leg of lamb that night was the most delicious, I still remember it now. I wanted to share the leg of lamb with Dahesa at that time, and it would be okay for each of us to bring out half of it." It's easy to see, but Dahesa is unwilling and wants to take it all alone." The old man held the cup and took a sip, looking awkward. "The wine that was steamed that year was also the strongest. We all wanted to go out with the wine and get drunk, but we couldn't find food to go with the wine, so we all wanted to steal it. Later, Dahesa was ordered by the old majesty He was ridiculed by everyone for riding a horse with his butt naked in the snow. He kept his head covered and refused to come out for a month. At that time, Dahesa was fourteen years old and I was eleven."

The Maharaja drank a full glass of strong wine. "Shahan, we haven't drank face to face for many years." He looked at Dahesa. The old man's expression suddenly became a little strange.He lost his usual look, silently looking at the clear liquor in the silver cup, as if looking at his own reflection inside.The quiet inside the tent made people feel uneasy, and Amochi looked nervously at the Maharaja and then at the old man.It was the first time he heard the name "Shahan", which should be Dahesa's real name.People know that Dahesa's Donglu name is Li Changchuan, but this name cannot be called, and no one in the Qingyang tribe seems to know his barbarian nickname before he inherited Dahesa's status.

Amochi suddenly felt that the old man actually had too many things that he never told him. He never knew that the acquaintance between Maharaja and Dahesa could be traced back to childhood. The old man scratched his bare forehead and smiled. "Why is the wine a bit bitter?" Maharaja frowned. "Is it because the millet in the wine is moldy?" Dahesa took a sip and tasted it. "It's all new millet." The majesty poured out the wine, poured a new glass, and tasted it again, "It's all right now, there was bitterness in the glass just now." The atmosphere in the tent seemed to suddenly become harmonious. Dahesa began to tear the deer legs, and the maharaja took turns pouring wine.As it was getting dark, Amochi sneaked out again and dragged back a nine-branched copper lamp in the Donglu style and lit it, and the nine flames illuminated the tent brightly.Maharaja and Dahesa didn't talk very much, they just ate and drank. Gradually, both of them got a little drunk. Dahesa blushed a bit like a teenager. Amochi also saw the drunk Maharaja for the first time. He swayed a little top-heavy, and the iron armor on his body jingled.Both of them were humming some pastoral songs that Amochi couldn't understand. The old man became happy, and finally snatched the deer leg bone and gnawed on it.

"What exactly does Majesty want to tell me?" The old man gnawed on his bones and wobbled. "There is a small thing, show it to Hesa." The Maharaja picked up a tightly bundled square package from his side. He swept away the things on the table, and untied the cotton cloth outside, exposing the vermilion wooden box.A Mochi felt that the box looked familiar, and his heart skipped a beat, remembering that it was the box that the Nine Kings brought back from the south, containing the head of Zhenyanbu Longge Zhenhuang.The majesty opened the box lightly, and the red brocade was indeed the head that had been drained of lime. Amochi's scalp was numb, but he dared not move.

The Maharaja pulled out the small saber from his chest and stabbed it through the mouth of the head, prying open his tightly closed teeth.The dead man's muscles and bones had already stiffened, and the frightening low sound made Amochi more and more uneasy, and the Maharaja stared at the dark mouth, and there was a little smile on the corner of his mouth. "I knew it was here," he murmured, "I knew he was hiding here." Maharaja stuck two fingers into his head and picked something out of his mouth.Under the light, he slowly spread out his palm, and there was a light blue jade button-like thing lying in his palm, shiny and lovely.The old man leaned forward to look left and right, and shook his head.

"It's the exquisite jade that I gave to Boluha back then. Erlu said he didn't find it from him, so I knew it was in his mouth. This jade can be blown, and he always holds it in his mouth." Maharaja Gazing at the jade in front of the fire, he remained silent for a long time. Maharaja wiped the jade with his sleeve, and suddenly put it in his mouth.It was too late for Amo to stop.A slowly drawn out whistle sounded in the tent, very faint and empty.When the jade blew, it was a bit like a shepherd's bone whistle, but the sound was a little deeper, as if the sound was heard from a distance through the water.The Majesty played a tune that Amochi had never heard before. It was very long and lingering, with a chill like autumn wind.There were a few wrong sounds, which sounded intermittent, but when the tune was played, the Maharaja was so serious that Amochi didn't dare to make a sound, and stood quietly to the end and heard the end.

"It's the song of Zhenyanbu. Boluha played it to me before, but I can't think of remembering it..." The majesty spat out the jade in his palm and held it tightly. The candlelight was dimmed by the incoming breeze, and the old man threw the deer leg bones on the little table. "Even if you have this kind of affection, it's too late to regret. The Zhenyan Department is gone, and Longge Zhenhuang is dead. The Maharaja's good friend when he was young, now only my old bones are left. When will the Maharaja kill me?" Me?" He squinted, looking into the darkness where the lights couldn't reach.

Amochi's heart beat violently, his whole body became weak, and he almost got up and knelt down. The Maharaja was unusually quiet, and only shook his head: "Shahan, are you saying that I shouldn't crusade against the Zhenyan Department?" The old man put his hands on his waist, hugged his robe tightly, moved his buttocks, and turned his back to the majesty: "You still ask me if you know?" "I'm guessing. If you don't tell me, how would I know?" The old man remained silent, bowing like a shriveled shrimp.The majesty shook the silver-washed cup, watching the wine inside swaying around. "Amo tells you to go out." After a moment of silence, the old man tilted his head, "There is no business for you here." Maharaja waved his hand: "Shahan, are you going to pass the seat of Dahesa to Eye Dragon?" The old man froze for a moment, stared at Amochi, then at the majesty, and nodded solemnly. "Let's keep the spectacled dragon too, Shahan, tell me." The old man lowered his head and thought for a while, then fumbled out a small suede pocket, put a bag of cigarettes in it, lit it, and exhaled a puff of blue smoke. "A few years ago, the north wind blew fiercely. I heard that the large pastures in the north were very sparse, and only the Tiexian River had good grass." The old man's voice was low and sandy, as if he was telling a story, "Suobei, Lan Horses, Shachi, Jiuzheng, which of the big tribes put the horses and sheep on the pasture of Zhenyanbu by the Tiexian River? How big is the pasture in the Tiexian River? How can it accommodate so many animals? Eating bald grass , you have to eat grass roots, and if you eat all the grass roots, there will be no new grass next year, no new grass, everyone will starve to death, but at this time, a small tribe of the Zhenyan tribe rebelled, and they wanted to oppose the Kulig Conference. The Yan tribe was wiped out, and all the clansmen moved north, and finally the pasture was vacated, and everyone is happy, which is very good." "Hmm." The Maharaja responded in a low voice. "Cheating the blind!" The old man put the smoking pot on the bed, his gray eyebrows raised high, "Who is Longge Zhenhuang? Is the lion on the grassland a fool? Who doesn't know the outcome of the anti-Kuriger meeting? He has tens of thousands of warriors in his true face? Shuobei, Lanma, Shachi, which tribe can't destroy him? But he still wants to rebel, why does he rebel? If he doesn't rebel, he will starve to death! The majesty heard what Asule said If you can’t even drink meat porridge, can you be a traitor? Can you also be a traitor? Can you also be a traitor?” It was rare for Amochi to see him so angry. His beard was trembling, his whole body was trembling, his old fists were clenched tightly, and his shriveled skin seemed to be splitting open. "Hmm." The majesty still responded in a low voice. The old man took a deep breath, gradually calmed down, knocked on the cigarette pot, and shook his head: "Isn't Longge really rebellious? He has no way out, his grassland has been taken by someone, and the sea is behind him. Could it be?" Tell him to retreat into the sea to graze? If it were me, I would do the same!" Amochi's eyes went dark, and he only felt his ears buzzing. "I think you will rebel too." The majesty actually nodded, "Shahan, you are right, I know why Boluha rebelled. The last tribute from the Zhenyan Department the year before last, Boluha's letter said Yes, people in the Zhenyan tribe starved to death. In some places, people eat hay like cows and horses in winter. If it doesn’t work, the herdsmen will kill horses and eat horse meat. Several big tribes say that the Zhenyan tribe robbed their cattle and sheep, and killed them. There are few people, but their deaths are not as many as those of the Zhenyan tribe who died of starvation. Can’t they kill the Zhenyan tribe by themselves? They will send envoys to Beidu to ask us to send troops from Qingyang. Yang's forces have wiped out the Zhenyan tribe, and the grassland in Tiexianhe is still divided among the tribes. Dahesa can see this kind of trick, but can't I see it?" The old man stared blankly at the majesty. The majesty shook his head: "But Boluha is too stupid. It's not a big deal for the Zhenyan tribe to rob cattle and sheep, and kill a few people from other tribes, but he thought that the system of the Kulig Conference was wrong, and the alliance of the seven tribes was wrong. , This is wrong, too wrong. The Kulig Conference is a system that has existed for hundreds of years. King Xun established this system, and our Hokuriku Seventh Division is considered a country. Opposing the Kulig Conference is tantamount to treason There was a Kulig meeting. Although the small tribes were still exploited, it was better than hundreds of years ago when they were kings. At that time, you killed me and I killed you. People died every year on the grassland, and everyone robbed other people's wives to be reborn. Child, the child has been brought up and went to the battlefield. For hundreds of years, King Xun has been regarded as a god by everyone. Because of this, even I dare not say a word against the system established by King Xun. How about it?" The majesty drank the wine in the glass and looked at the candle, his eyes seemed to be looking into the distance. "That's it, is it really necessary to wipe out the entire Zhenyan tribe?" Dahesa hesitated, "Among the several big tribes, King Dadri Khan of the Lanma tribe who had made friends with the maharaja earlier was punished. The old lord of the Yi tribe was killed by his son, and several old patriarchs of the Chao family in the Qingyang tribe died or were demoted. Now that Longge Zhenhuang is also dead, who else on the grassland supports the majesty?" "Beruha must die." The Maharaja said in a low voice, "Beruha is not the only one who wants to break up the Kulig Conference. How many people want to be the second king and unify this grassland by themselves , to be the unchanging maharaja who will be passed down from generation to generation. They are not Boluha, they will be satisfied with their own grassland, and their people can graze with peace of mind. They are going to kill people, and only they and prisoners of war will be left on the grassland , and then the grassland will become a truly big country just like the Eastern Land, and the Maharaja will become the Great Emperor of the Eastern Land." The majesty's voice became serious and deep: "So no one can mention the dismantling of the Kulig Conference on the grassland. Whoever talks about it, I will kill him. We barbarians will never kill each other again. Hundreds of years ago, everyone They are all brothers, and if there is a war, the one who dies will still be my own brother!" The old man sat up straight suddenly, and when he turned his head, the Maharaja was looking at him intently.The two looked at each other, and the old man's lips trembled: "But..." Maharaja sighed lowly: "Shahan, you have ignored me for more than ten years. Back then, you were the one who predicted the celestial horoscope and pushed me into the position of Maharaja, but I became Maharaja and did a lot. It's something that doesn't suit your heart. But do you think that the Maharaja really wants to do what he wants, so he can do it? Why did I kill King Dadri Khan, and why did I kill Boluha? When we were in a decisive battle with the Ministry of Zhenyan , the White Wolf in Shuobei is only two hundred miles away from Beidu." "White Wolf Group?" Dahesa's face changed, "Is Lou Yan going to rebel?" The White Wolves is a terrible name. Shuobei is the second largest tribe on the grassland. Lou Yan, the head of the Lou family, is the lord of Shuobei. He always brings ten thousand warriors riding giant wolves with him, known as the White Wolf Group.In the entire prairie, only Shuobei has the ability to tame wolves. They captured white snow wolves from the snowfield west of Huta River, raised them from childhood, and turned them into mounts.The most feared cavalry of the Qingyang Tiger and Leopard Cavalry is the White Wolf Regiment. Ordinary war horses are all intimidated by the ferocious big wolves. Not only the swords of the White Wolf Cavalry are weapons for killing people, but the claws and teeth of the white wolves can also tear apart the bones of war horses. The belly pulls out the intestines.When the thick wolf smell wafted from the side of the grassland, the entire cavalry herd would howl in horror, as if the doomsday was coming. Not long after the Maharaja succeeded to the throne, Shuo Beibei rebelled and fought all the way to the city of Beidu. In the end, no one could win. Shuo Beibei finally handed over the flag, expressing his submission to the Maharaja, and paid tribute to his two daughters as the Maharaja's Yan family. , the Maharaja honored Lou Yan as his father-in-law.Shuobei was reunited with the Kulig Conference. Over twenty years later, the bloody battle in Qingyang is still fresh in people's memory. When they talk about it, they think of thick and sticky blood everywhere on the city gate after the fierce battle of siege. Slowly dripping, extremely ferocious. "Not only Shuobei, but also the big tribes of Jiuzheng and Shachi put their cavalry next to the northern capital. I don't want to attack Beluha. Will they join forces to attack our Qingyang tribe? I don't know, Shahan you do you know?" Dahesa shook his head silently. "No one knows, but I can't take this risk." The maharaja's voice was low and powerful, "I am the maharaja of Beilu and the lord of Qingyang. I have no choice." The majesty got up, clutching the jade, walked slowly to the entrance of the tent, opened the sheepskin curtain and waved his hand vigorously.Amochi stretched his neck to look, under the desolate moonlight, the jade light flashed and disappeared, a small bead disappeared in the grass, like a grain of sand falling into the sea.The relationship between the Maharaja of Beilu and the leader of Zhenyan disappeared in the vast grassland, like a dream, and there is no trace left. "So just like that, Boluha died. If I were the same as I was back then, I would risk my life to protect Boluha and kill all those people one by one, so what? How many people came to beat me, and what am I afraid of? But I can't, I am the maharaja of the grassland." "This is fate," the majesty shook his head, "it was born." Dahesa looked at his back quietly, did not speak for a long time, and finally picked up the wine jar and knocked on the side of the glass, saying in a low voice, "It's empty." The majesty turned around and sat down: "I came to you because I have something to say. I said so much because I was worried that you would not help me. Shahan, you are the person I trust the most. I have something to do, and only you can help me." The old man froze for a moment, then recovered his lazy look.He hugged his robe tighter, and tilted his head: "Don't lie to me, what else do I have to do? I am not as good as a wooden plow when riding a horse, and I am not as good as nine kings when commanding an army. Several princes They are all much better than me, I am an old man, I just wait for Pantar God to accept me to enjoy blessings in heaven, I will not listen to you lying to me." The majesty ignored him, and said to himself: "Shahan, why do you think we can't defeat the Donglu people?" "Needless to say? Except for horses, armor, swords, bows and crossbows, we can't compare to the Donglu people in anything. We don't have as many people as them. How can we defeat the Donglu people?" The majesty shook his head: "I don't think so. We do not have as good equipment as the Donglu people, but we have the best cavalry on the land, and our soldiers are the bravest. If one person fights ten Donglu people, the Donglu people are still afraid. But the people on our grasslands are scattered. How can there be millions of people in the Northland? There are not only these people in a big country in the Eastland. There are seven tribes. You don’t recognize me in the seven tribes, and I don’t recognize you. , Fighting back and forth. So many good men died in the fight, if they formed an army, Donglu would have already beaten them down! Disagreement among people is the biggest problem." The old man tilted his head to look at him, but didn't speak. The majesty cleared his throat: "Since I came to the throne, I have been thinking, why do we have so many wars in the Northland? It is said that King Xun gathered seven tribes and unified our clan. Twenty years later, less than 10% of our clan members remained, and 90% of the people who died established meritorious deeds, which were also stained with blood. I read the book and counted, every forty or fifty years, there will always be a big war. The coast in the south goes all the way to the foot of the mountain in the north, and countless people die, so that it can be quiet for a while. So in the past, the position of the maharaja was rotated among the tribes. After 40 or 50 years, other tribes will definitely occupy the northern capital. Our youth Yang has been able to occupy the northern capital for more than 70 years, and he may also be blessed by Emperor Fengyan of the Eastern Land. He made two expeditions to the north with the Fengyan Iron Brigade and killed hundreds of thousands of my seven tribes forty years ago. Only then can I maintain Qingyang. " "What do you say?" The old man stared, "Could it be that the Donglu people are doing us good by killing us?" Donglu Fengyan Emperor Bai Qing, posthumously titled Emperor Wu, invigorated the army, deterred the frontiers, and finally roared across the seven seas, and even sent the Allied Forces of Sixteen Nations to conquer the barbarians in the north.The Fengyan Iron Brigade made two Northern Expeditions. With the help of excellent weapons and formations, they killed the barbarian warriors to the point of blood. In the hearts of barbarian children, they are like the demon gods of the Eastern Land. Amochi thought the same as the old man, but he didn't dare to say anything. "That's right." The majesty nodded, "It is precisely because hundreds of thousands of people died that time that our status in Qingyang can be preserved. I have thought about it for a long time, the first battle in forty or fifty years is like a catastrophe, and the ghosts linger .In fact, in the final analysis, it is just the barrenness of our Hokuriku. At present, there are about 5 million people in the Seven Departments, but can the land in Hanzhou really support 5 million people? The nobles eat lamb and drink, but the herdsmen and slaves are not Rats are caught and eaten, and people are starved to death. At this time, there is only one battle. Every time there is a war, only half of the people are left. The two million people are supported by the land, and they are all women. Children. But in another 40 to 50 years, two generations will be born, and the land will no longer be able to support them. Therefore, in order to rob water, grass and cattle and sheep, there will be more wars and more deaths. The only way to kill the extra people is to kill the rest. To survive. Beluha's rebellion is an example." Dahesa could not help but sit up straight. "If you are a maharaja, Shahan, what can you do?" "Me?" Dahesa shook his head vigorously, "I can't be a maharaja." "Donglu!" The majesty suddenly grabbed his wrist, causing him a burst of pain, but he couldn't break free, "Shahan, it's Donglu! Donglu is a granary, a granary where everyone can eat rice and wheat There is a lot of land to graze cattle and sheep. As long as our barbarian cavalry lands on the Eastern Land, they will no longer be afraid! Think about it, our cavalry has been fighting from the south bank of Tiantuo Strait, our horses are fast, It only takes one month for Qingqi to run under the imperial city of Donglu. Nothing can stop our cavalry in Beilu. We can bypass their checkpoints and directly enter the most fertile places. Why should we guard the grassland? We barbarians can also be the masters of the world!" The old man stared at him blankly, his face was a little pale, as if he didn't know the Maharaja.It was also the first time Amochi saw Maharaja like this, as if suddenly there was a spark, igniting the raging fire in Maharaja's heart.His eyes were piercingly bright, blood was flushed on his pale face, he lowered his voice but couldn't suppress the excitement, like a young man eager to fight, there was a rush of blood in his veins. "There is a sea between us and Donglu!" The old man yelled after a long time, "Your Majesty, think about it. If it weren't for the sea, your father, King Chindahan, would have gone to Donglu long ago. That's the sea." , a hundred-mile-wide strait, horses have no wings, cannot fly to the sky, we have no boats, no!" "No! We have! We have boats! We..." The Maharaja stopped suddenly, and a figure rushed into the tent. He hurriedly pressed the hilt of the sword at his waist, and the cold iron sword was half unsheathed, and he was about to pounce. "Big...jun!" The person who jumped in was stunned for a moment, then suddenly knelt down. Amochi also came back to his senses and saw clearly Mrs. Ying who was kneeling on the ground. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she was trembling in panic. "Get up." The Maharaja put away his sword. Mrs. Ying did not get up: "Majesty, my son... my son, he... can't do it!" With a "pop", the cigarette pot in the old man's hand fell to the ground.