Chapter 18 Chapter 19

The first ray of dawn is conceived under the horizon, and soon it will tear the gap of the dome, and paint a magnificent pattern on the sky that has been silent all night. The starry sky on the grassland is still so low, as if you can touch it with your hand.The night was stained by the dawn, and the thick black was infiltrated with rose red and dark purple, and finally melted into a deep blue, like the boundless sea at the end of the universe.A person walking under the vast starry sky is like a fish in the water. When he lowers his head, his liver and gallbladder are covered with ice and snow.

Xiangsi woke up from the nightmare and couldn't fall asleep anymore, so she got up in her clothes and came to the deserted city wall.Leaning against the dangerous wall, she gently picked up the thin clothes, letting the night dew wet her hair. In one month's time, the bet with Zhongjie will come to fruition.Today's deserted city has food, contiguous houses, large herds of horses for grazing, tens of thousands of mu of rice that is ripened by secret medicine and is about to be harvested, and the smiles of the people are happy and satisfied. Let the deserted city be free and prosperous, this is the promise she made.

After going through untold hardships and giving up too much happiness, all this will eventually come true. However, will it? What is the meaning of the third chapter Thangka left behind by the heavy robbery?The iron cavalry and the giant mastiff all had the power of a mysterious demon, and they almost destroyed the deserted city with just a small test of their sharpness.The thangka with the ferocious skeleton painted on it is obviously the most proud trump card of Zhong Jie.What kind of catastrophe does it herald?How can the deserted city, which has suffered a lot of disasters, struggle to escape from the fate of destruction again?

Even if he escapes this catastrophe, what kind of verdict will I Dahan make? One month later, the two will put their city on the balance of fate and wait for the verdict.In the hands of Zhongjie is the city of silver that has risen miraculously with the blessing of Brahma, and contains weapons that can crush any golden city.But in her slender hands, she only holds the newly ripened ears of rice and the happy smiles of the people. Among these, in the mind of a foreign Khan who believes in war and killing, which one is more important? Xiangsi looked at the gently undulating rice fields in the night wind, her clear and beautiful face was full of sadness.

A very light sound of horseshoes came from a distance. Acacia was stunned, and dodged to hide behind the city wall.Through the cracks in the masonry, she saw a group of horses approaching the deserted city silently. There are probably hundreds of horses in the team, and each horse is tall and handsome, and its coat color is as black as the night sky, without a trace of variegation, obviously it has been carefully selected.The horse's hooves were also wrapped in thick black cloth, and they only made a very slight noise when walking.The rider was wrapped in a black cloak, his face invisible.The team walked slowly, blending into the quiet night on the grassland, without disturbing the tired and sweet dreams of the residents of the deserted city at all.

Looking at the mighty cavalry, Xiangsi frowned tightly. These knights are obviously not ordinary people, why did they come to the deserted city before dawn? Could it be that this is the third trick of the heavy robbery? The leader waved his hand, and more than a hundred black horses all stopped, stopping under the wall of the deserted city. The huge team stopped without making any sound, obviously they had been trained for a long time. With the help of the meager starlight in the sky, Xiangsi found that those horses were still carrying huge burdens on their backs, and the burdens were also covered with thick black cloth, so it was impossible to see what was inside.While stunned, those riders dismounted one after another, quickly unwrapped these packages, and piled them up neatly outside the gate of the deserted city, forming a hill.The riders quickly retreated to their horses, and waited for the man's order with their hands down.

The leader waved his hand, and the riders pulled out a feathered arrow from behind with their backhands, nailing the reins of the horses deep into the ground.Then, forming a single file, they left their horses and returned on foot the way they had come.The whole process was so neat and quick, without any extra noise. The team walked past the leader without a sound.But the man seemed unwilling to leave immediately, he took the reins and stood on the horse under the starlight, silently. The man's status seemed to be very high, and the riders who came with him did not dare to urge him at all, so they had to wait not far away.

After a long time, the man looked towards the direction of the deserted city and let out a soft sigh.Finally, he got off his horse and was about to leave with the riders. At this moment, Night Breeze lifted his cloak, revealing a faint profile. The starlight shone on his face, so clear. Behind the gap in the city gate, Xiangsi couldn't help blurting out: "It's you?" The man turned his head in astonishment, and the sound of footsteps was heard for a while, and the black-clothed riders swiftly formed a semicircle to protect him in the middle, guarding him heavily. A smile gradually appeared on Xiangsi's face. She pushed open the dilapidated city gate, walked up to the man, and saluted, "The Great Khan is here, and the people of the deserted city are honored and favored."

The man was startled, seeing that Xiangsi had recognized him, he no longer concealed it, took off his cloak, his long brown hair spread out in the night wind, revealing a heroic face, it was I Dahan. My Dahan looked at Acacia, then at the desolate wind around him, and couldn't help frowning: "It's so late, why don't you go back to the city to rest?" Xiangsi looked up at the dawn that was about to break, and said with a smile: "It's so early, why didn't Khan rest in the camp?" At that moment, she looked up at him. pretty. I Dahan sighed inwardly.The lotus goddess who shocked the Northland, the legendary commander who saved the deserted city, at this moment, is just a girl who is independent under the dangerous wall, showing a slight smile in the twilight.

The water-red dress was wetted by the night dew, and it stuck to her slender body, making it look so thin.Embroidered curtains, flowers before the moon, should be the place where she appeared, but fate just wanted to push her to the battlefield of war. Isn't it cruel to let her weak shoulders bear such a heavy responsibility? My Dahan restrained his emotions and looked solemn: "Your bet with the national teacher is about to expire. In order to allow the deserted city to be built, I specially sent you these luggage." Baggage?Xiangsi shifted her gaze to those black parcels piled up high.

I Dahan waved lightly, and several people immediately stepped forward, drew a short knife from their waists, and stroked lightly on the package.There was a soft rustle, and rice, barley, and sorghum poured out like running water, emitting a faint fragrance.Several other packages were also untied, revealing the thick felt tent inside.Behind them, the black horses tied in place were grazing leisurely with their heads down, apparently also part of the "supply". Xiangsi shook her head, "Thank you for your kindness, but Huangcheng can't accept these." She raised her head with a smile, her eyes were gentle and firm, like the last star at dawn: "Huangcheng and I want to win this bet fairly." She raised her head with a smile, her eyes were gentle and firm, like the last star at dawn: "Huangcheng and I want to win this bet fairly." My Dahan was taken aback for a moment, then waved her hand to signal her not to mind: "The construction of the City of Silver has been assisted by various parties from the Mongolian Kingdom, but the deserted city has not received any support. It is just to show the fairness of the bet. , to give you these baggage.” Xiangsi looked at the followers behind him, each of them was covered from head to toe under a black cloak.Even those pure black horses have black cloth wrapped around their hooves to avoid making noise when they move.Such a secret cavalry, appearing before dawn, obviously, is not as open and aboveboard as he said. She lowered her eyes and sighed softly: "Since it is a bet with the national teacher, the deserted city should not receive the assistance of the Great Khan." She knows very well that Zhongjie and I Dahan are the masters of divine power and the secular kings.As early as the Genghis Khan era, the royal family and the Eight White House had reached a sacred agreement to support and guard each other and share the authority of the two realms of man and god.At any time, theocracy and royal power must be consistent. If the two conflict, it will have a disastrous impact on the Mongols.Therefore, Chong Jie will never easily offend the majesty of I Dahan; and similarly, I Dahan will not interfere with Chong Jie's actions casually. As the national teacher of the Mongolian state and the owner of the Eight White Houses, Chongjie, it is only natural that the Silver City he built was helped by Al Dahan.The deserted city is just a gathering place for the rebels, a fish that slipped through the net under the majesty of the Mongolian cavalry.In any case, it should not receive any assistance from Mongolia.What's more, from the very beginning, the bet in Zhong Jie's eyes was far from a fair contest, but just a game.It was just a blow to her faith, and it was also a three-month long slaughter of the deserted city. My Dahan shouldn't have helped her. What he's doing now has begun to cross the boundaries demarcated by the sacred agreement and violate the majesty of the theocracy of the Eight White House.The alliance between kingship and theocracy has existed for thousands of years. Once there is a crack, no one can predict what kind of consequences it will bring to Mongolia. Xiangsi sighed softly, no matter how heavy robbery treats her, she does not want to see that this rift that may affect the fate of the entire Mongolian family was born because of her. I Dahan looked at Acacia and was silent for a moment. He really shouldn't have come.He just needs to wait for the bet to expire and make the due judgment.If there is no accident, he will push the withered and ruined city to the altar with his own hands, and he will also open the gate of the City of Silver with his own hands, release the power like a god and demon inside, and burn the whole world with the fire and blood of war. But he really wanted to take a look at what had changed in the deserted city over the past month or so.He could never forget that under the setting sun in the sky, that woman in water-red clothes had relentlessly told him with an arrow. She asked him to promise his people a future without arrows. What will this future look like? He was upright by nature, so he quickly put aside these thoughts, waved his hand and said, "You just accept it, and Khan will deal with the rest." Xiangsi still shook her head, she raised her eyes, and said softly: "But today's deserted city does not need the reward of sweat." My Dahan was a little bit astonished, looking at the black packages piled up like a mountain, he said: "You need food." A smile floated on Xiangsi's cheeks, she stretched out her hand, pointing to the place where the dawn was shining: "Khan, please look." Dawn has come, and the blue light is about to illuminate the entire earth.Following her fingers, a large area of ​​rice ears undulates gently in the morning breeze, and the rice field stretches forward, sinking into the night that is not yet completely clear, and it is hard to see how vast it is. I Dahan couldn't help being shocked. How is this possible? In just over a month, how could so many rice fields be reclaimed in a deserted city that has nothing but ruins?Where did they get their seeds, their oxen, their tools?And how can these rices sprout seedlings and ears in such a short period of time, and are about to mature? Could it be that this woman is really the lotus goddess blessed by Brahma, who has mastered the spell of the secret demon? Xiangsi looked at him with a smile, her eyes were as bright as the moon, as if she was waiting for his question. An Dahan's shock was only for a moment, and then he pointed to hundreds of black horses and said, "But you still need livestock." Xiangsi bowed and saluted: "May Khan follow me to the top of the city to take a look?" I Dahan nodded. When the two came to the city wall, Xiangsi raised his sleeves and pointed to the east of the deserted city.The dawn just broke through the sky, and under the faint light, a piece of lush aquatic plants spread along the gentle slope, stretching as far as the eye can see.At the top of the gentle slope, a fence as tall as a man encloses a huge pasture, where a large group of maroon horses are gathering together, sleeping peacefully on the ground, as if they have not yet woken up from their night dreams. I Dahan was moved again. He had just roughly counted that there were more than 500 bay red horses in this group, and judging from the general outline, each horse was extremely handsome.For the grassland nomads, such a group of horses is a huge wealth that is more precious than gold, and it is definitely not something that a deserted city can have. An Dahan looked at the pasture and remained silent for a long time, as if he hadn't recovered from the shock.Acacia didn't bother, and stood beside him quietly. For a long time, he looked at Acacia with hesitation in his eyes: "Maybe, you still need tents." Acacia smiled lightly, and her red sleeves flew across the air, leading An Dahan's eyes to the new city in the deserted city. Rows of cyan boards broke through the ground and spread along the future city wall of the new city.They are built of blue bricks, not tall, but clean and tidy.In the middle of the board is a flat street, with brand new wooden doors facing each other.Some doors were pasted with red paper and calamus were hung.Outside the wooden door is a newly opened tidy courtyard, with plows, hoes and other agricultural tools placed under the fence.The new soil in the center of the yard is still fresh, and the newly planted jujube trees are gently stretching their branches and leaves in the early summer morning breeze. An Dahan looked away and let out a long sigh. He really did not expect that such a change would take place in this deserted city in just one month.The land that was supposed to be stained with filth and blood, in the hands of this woman, glowed with vitality that no one could help but marvel at. His eyes fell on Acacia's thin body, and he couldn't help feeling a burst of emotion in his heart. The Baiyin Liancheng was built at an incredible speed, creating an unprecedented miracle.This is the joint result of Brahma's blessing and the entire national power of the Mongolian Kingdom, and it is also a miracle accumulated by thousands of slaves with blood and bones. But the woman in front of him has nothing but a gentle smile and firm belief. How did she do it? Could it be that she and the city she built were really blessed by Brahma? As soon as this thought came up, my Dahan's heart was shocked. Brahma's blessing to Sanlian City is a belief passed down by the non-celestial clan for thousands of years, and no one can doubt it. He instantly restrained his thoughts, stared at Xiangsi, and said in a deep voice, "Then what do you need?" This time, he said "you" instead of you. The guards in black were thrown under the city wall, and there were only two of them in the ruined city, facing each other silently.I Dahan secretly hoped that the woman in front of me who had given everything for the deserted city could ask for something for herself. In this way, his heart can be slightly at peace. Xiangsi raised her head and looked at him quietly, her eyes full of sincerity.In the morning breeze, she took a step back, bowed and bowed: "Please, after one month, the Great Khan grants freedom to this city." Her water-red skirt rose in the rays of the sun, like a new blooming lotus, which was deeply burned in his eyes, bringing a deep tingling pain. I Dahan stretched out his hand, trying to help her up, but finally did not. He stood in the morning breeze, speechless for a long time.As the Great Khan of Mongolia, he can give her all the precious things in his hands, but he cannot put his personal emotions above the beliefs and achievements of the entire nation. Xiangsi stood up gracefully, and said with a smile, "If Dahan finds it difficult, you can give me the answer in a month." She raised her head, and her gentle eyes were full of firmness: "I believe that Huangcheng and its 24,000 residents will win this bet fairly." "Also gain liberty and prosperity." An Dahan pondered for a moment, and finally nodded solemnly: "Ben Khan will make a fair judgment." Xiangsi broke her face and smiled: "Since that's the case, why don't Dahan and I make a bet?" Xiangsi broke her face and smiled: "Since that's the case, why don't Dahan and I make a bet?" Another bet? My Dahan frowned slightly: "What do you want to bet?" Under the soft morning light, Acacia's smile was gentle and pure, making the condensed air around her light up: "It's very simple, just bet on how long it will take you and me to walk slowly to reach the end of this rice field." end." She smiled and pointed to the luggage under the city wall: "If the Great Khan wins, I will accept these gifts; if I win, as long as the Great Khan accepts a gift from me." My Dahan was slightly taken aback, compared to her life-and-death pact with Zhong Jie, this gamble was as easy as a child's play. Acacia is full of smiles, and it seems that she is indeed just playing a game. My Dahan estimated in his mind that it has only been more than a month since the land was cultivated in the deserted city. Even if a thousand acres of rice fields were miraculously opened up, the distance from one end to the other is only three hundred feet.Riding slowly, you can finish it in a short while.So he said: "At most, it's only a moment." Xiangsi smiled, and bowed her skirt gracefully: "Please come with me." The two walked down the city wall, each selected a black horse, and rode along the rice field ridge.The guards in black didn't dare to follow, so they had to stay in the city and wait. The sky has completely dawned, and the brilliant morning glow gathers in the sky, flying towards different directions.A reddish light enveloped the entire earth.The contiguous paddy fields are like blue woven carpets, and when countless pieces are connected together, they become a sea of ​​rice. The thin morning mist has not yet dissipated, shrouding the blue ocean in strands, like a milky white gauze.The gauze tent is undulating, gradually being dyed with magnificent colors by the rising sun, and then dyed with heavy ears of rice.Hundreds of millions of bent rice plants shook gently in the morning breeze, making rustling noises.This sound echoed in the empty grassland, and merged with the soft sound of the wind, playing the most spectacular movement on the earth. My Dahan and Xiangsi rode forward slowly, with the waves of rice rising and falling on both sides, and the fragrance of the soil came, the two of them seemed to be in the blue ocean, with no end in sight. I Dahan looked at the continuous paddy fields, and became more and more silent as he walked.Xiangsi didn't speak, and quietly rode behind him.The morning breeze lifted the sleeves of the two of them, bringing a touch of coolness.The two walked slowly through the undulating waves of the ears of rice, and heard the slight sound of the wind and the ears of wheat embracing behind their ears. After three quarters, the two of them saw the end of the rice field. A round of red sun gushes out from the horizon, as if polishing the sea of ​​rice fields a little bit, dyed with brilliant colors.As the morning wind undulates, thousands of golden rays of light dance on the rice sea, casting mottled shadows, like pearls rolling on a vast brocade.The waves of rice fluctuate, and the sun is swaying. I don't know whether it is the turbulence of light and shadow, or the swaying of ears of rice. An Dahan reined in his horse, pointed at the rice fields with his whip, and sighed: "You have won. You have created a miracle." Xiangsi smiled and shook her head: "It's not me, it's the deserted city that created the miracle." "It was the people of the Great Khan who performed the miracle." I Dahan was startled. Yes, she was right, the deserted city was his territory, and the people in the deserted city were also his people.They were originally the most humble and poor group of people under the rule of Mongolia.But now, they used the shortest time to turn the ruins into fertile soil. Xiangsi raised her head and stared at him. Her soft hair on the temples was wet by the morning mist and pressed against her warm and jade-like cheeks. Given the opportunity, we can create more miracles.” "We can make the deserted city not only have rice, horses, houses, but also silk, tea, paper, pearls, and beautiful jade in the warehouses of the deserted city. People are dressed in beautiful clothes, and the city is singing and dancing. The deserted city is not just a city, It is the most prosperous, free and rich city on the Mongolian territory." She paused, and said word by word: "Forever." I was taken aback. Since the age of legends, building a rich, free, and eternal city has been the dream of the Mongols, and it is a belief that every descendant of the Golden Clan cannot abandon. But shouldn't this dream be realized by the Iron and Fire of the Three Linked Cities?How could it appear in the deserted city? Dahan shook his head.In his heart, rice, horses, and houses may still be miracles that can appear in the Northland, but silk, tea, paper, pearls and jade only exist in the fertile Central Plains.There is only one way to make them appear in Mongolia's warehouses--war and plunder. Xiangsi seemed to see his doubts, and said with a smile, "This is the gift I want to present to Da Khan." She bent down and plucked an ear of wheat from the rice field beside her. The green branch was held by her slender fingers, and she wrote invisible handwriting stroke by stroke in the void in front of Al Dahan. Only two words: Mutual market. I Dahan looked at her and waited quietly for her to continue. Acacia's soft voice spread among the soft sounds of rice ears, but it was so clear: "I hope the Great Khan can build a market on the border. The people of Mongolia and Han can trade freely here, and we can use horses , furs, and felt blankets in exchange for tea, silk, porcelain, and jewelry from the people of the Central Plains.” "There is no need for war and blood, but equal commerce. Exchange labor for another kind of labor, and richness for another kind of richness. We can grow a lot of rice, domesticate a lot of horses, and then exchange them for bright treasures from the Ming Dynasty , a prosperous capital, and lasting peace.” I Dahan looked at her, unable to answer for a while. The mutual market is indeed a good idea. The people of the two ethnic groups can get what they need without fighting for years.As early as many years ago, some Mongolian nobles with deep Sinicization had thought of it.But the opening of the mutual market is by no means as simple as building a market on the border, but involves the overall situation of the relationship between Mongolia and the Ming Dynasty. The establishment of the Ming Dynasty overthrew the Yuan Empire and expelled the Mongolian forces from the Central Plains.The Mongolian iron cavalry retreated beyond the Great Wall, but did not give up their coveting of China.In the following decades, border wars continued frequently, causing numerous casualties among soldiers and civilians.After the Battle of Ming Yingzong's Tumubao, the hostility between the two sides became more serious, and even the envoys hadn't seen each other for many years, let alone open border exchanges. What's more, the city of silver that has been robbed is about to be built, and the day when the army herds horses to go south is imminent, how can the mutual market be opened at this moment? Ida couldn't help but frowned deeply. Acacia stepped forward immediately, and solemnly handed the ear of wheat to Dahan, and said softly, "My gift is just a suggestion. Now that the gift has been sent, how to decide is entirely up to the sweater." An Dahan raised his head, the sun was shining brightly, and the surrounding rice ears were undulating, reflecting the golden halo.Just like that evening, the brilliant sunset reflected by the arrow in her hand. He solemnly put away the ears of wheat: "After one month, Ben Khan will give you a fair verdict." Xiangsiyuan looked at his back as he galloped off on horseback, the melancholy clouds deep in her eyes gradually dissipated. In any case, this once-abandoned city finally had hope of victory.