Chapter 37 Chapter Thirty-Seven

This rainless summer is so dry that weeds will grow in people's hearts.The sky is as hot as a red-hot furnace, and the ground is as hot as a baked cannon.Sun Wu's heart was so agitated that he was going crazy. The prison cage sent him to the border of Wu State, and the chariots and armored disciples sent him back to Gusu.The quiet mountain country home was suddenly burned to ashes by the fire, and the former general's mansion became the residence of his family. The circle of life was too big, and it turned back to the original place after more than ten years .After all, things are different and people are different. In Sun Wu's mind, the General's Mansion is also a cage, so stuffy that he can't breathe.It should be said that yesterday's Sun Wu was already dead, and he was buried and buried. After life and death, after a lot of humiliation, he hates the vanity now!He also knows that there is a terrible danger hidden behind this vanity. Look at it: the king of Wu State beat Wu Zixu to pieces, but let you live in the general's mansion again. Does it mean that you are full of food and leisurely all day long?No, King Wu is asking you to march, fight, fight, die, and die on the battlefield!However, Sun Wu hated blood and blood very much in his heart, hated and avoided war!He definitely wants to repeat the "old tunes" of "no war" and "cautious war" in front of King Wu.Once he spoiled the king's favor, once he rejected the king's appointment, what would be the consequences?Will it hurt Silk Girl and Yiluo?Will the family be destroyed?

It was too hot, too hot. They're going to kill you.He talked to himself.There should be a result now, he said to himself again. You have no escape!He yelled, a cry that surprised himself. The silk girl came out in response: "Changqing, are you alright?" "It's okay, it's okay, what can I do?" Sun Chi also came later: "Father, I want to ask you about Taigong's art of war..." "Stop talking about the art of war!" Silk Girl and Sun Chi looked at each other. "Ah, you guys - go down!" Sun Wu realized that he was too rough, so he tried to be more pleasant.

Both wife and son are innocent. Outside, the chariots were rattling, and the horses were rustling. The army mobilized from the south was passing through Gusu City, and assembled under the Gusu stage.There are soldiers and spears everywhere outside, and there is a tense atmosphere of war. King Wu is about to send troops to attack Qi. Wu Wangfu sent someone to announce that he would go to the court at five o'clock tomorrow morning to discuss matters. Tomorrow morning, five watch! What did you say to him?You said, I quit! What about him?He said, destroy your nine clans.Sun Tzu was talking to himself again.

The silk girl said, "What's the matter with you, Changqing?" "It's nothing, it's nothing." His heart was too depressed. He went to visit Wu Zixu, wondering what happened to Wu Zixu who had been beaten with a stick. After all, he was an old man in his sixties, and the white-haired Wu Zixu almost died after being beaten with a cane for forty years.The pain in the flesh, muscles and bones is really unspeakable.He was recuperating on the bed, but he could only lie on his stomach, not daring to lie flat, and groaned in pain when he touched the wound.Of course, Wu Zixu's groans were only groaning behind closed doors at home, and he didn't want Wu Wang Fucha and Dazai Bopi to hear him. He was so stubborn by nature.What is more bitter is his heart.This meal was easy to beat, and I told him clearly that if the ring was given, the ring of killing could be released at any time.It was clearly a warning to him, either follow the king's will, stop mentioning the hidden dangers of the Yue Kingdom, and fully assist the king to go north to attack Qi; or, just shut up, and don't get burned again.For Wu Zixu, who is staunch and upright, and who entrusts his wealth and life to the state of Wu, it is impossible to go along with the flow, and it is also impossible to keep silent. Then, it is only a matter of time before Fu Chai kills him.Wu Zixu understood this in his heart, and the pain lies in the word "understand".

The family members came to report: "General Sun is here to see you." Wu Zixu wanted to sit up, but he had a sore on his buttocks, and the pain was unbearable, so Sun Wu hurriedly helped Wu Zixu to lie down. Sun Wu: "Brother Zixu, you have suffered for Sun Wu!" Wu Zixu: "Who suffered for you?" "Sun Wu hurt you!" Wu Zixu smiled: "The general said this, is he trying to recruit me to be your cronies? You are wishful thinking." "It seems that Wu Zixu's stick injury doesn't hurt." "Do you want to try it?" "If you don't try, you will know."

"Oh," Wu Zixu said with a sigh, "Your Majesty is not beating Wu Zixu for your Sun Wu, but for Wu Zixu! I always tell the truth, and I will not go against my conscience. I have already offended the king and his side." They just found a reason, spoke with a stick, and breathed out a bad breath. Wu Zixu assisted the former king and Shaojun for decades. He didn't know that he had a family, but only knew that he had a country. He didn't expect that they would... call me old and suffer The pain of this stick!" "You call yourself a hero?" "Injustice!"

"Do you dare to rely on the old to sell the old?" "Injustice!" "Who knows your injustice? You will inevitably be beaten." "So, should Wu Zixu be beaten? Haha, yes, hahahaha, he deserves it!" After telling the joke, Sun Wu pondered for a moment, and said seriously: "I'm afraid this stick is still light! The king's ax has already been sharpened!" Wu Zixu turned over and sat up enduring the severe pain: "Changqing, tell me, the battle of Wuyue and Fujiao trapped Goujian in the small area of ​​Kuaiji Mountain, and it only took a flick of a finger to destroy the Yue Kingdom, but the king listened to Bopi. Slander, negotiate a peace, how do you say that?"

"The Sum of Subjugation." "Today, Goujian, King of Yue, has been sent back to the mountain, and it is becoming a serious problem for the Wu Kingdom. Goujian must be the one who destroys Wu in the future, but the king is so happy that he wants to go north to conquer the Qi Kingdom. What do you say?" "The War of Subjugation." Wu Zixu had a stick sore, lay down, and sighed: "Okay, when the Wu Dawang summoned you tomorrow, you said the same thing, I think you are not just suffering from the stick, I am afraid that the nine clans will not escape. A disaster in a different place——Wu Zixu won't be able to save you this time."

silence.heavy. Wu Zixu closed his eyes for a while, and said: "To be honest, Wu Zixu has already seen his destination. I sent the youngest son to Qi State a few days ago, asked Bao to raise him, and changed his surname to Wang Sun." Sun Wu was shocked: "Is there such a thing? King Wu beat Qi, you dare to entrust your son to Qi!" Wu Zixu's eyes were dim with tears: "Helpless, helpless, I, Wu Zixu, did such a shameful thing!" Sun Wu bowed: "Do you still remember that you mourned Sun Wu ten years ago? I owe you a favor. Now it seems that Sun Wu needs to sacrifice brother Zixu alive. Please accept my worship."

"Wait a minute." "What else do you have to say?" "Tomorrow at five o'clock, the king summons you and me. We happen to be on the same road. It is a blessing to die with General Sun." Wu Zixu laughed.Sun Tzu also laughed. Laughing bitterly. Sun Wudao: "Thinking of me, Sun Wu, I have long been unwilling to get involved in wars. My only wish is to go back to the mountains and forests, to be unconstrained, not to be fettered by any king, but I can't do it." Wu Zixu: "You don't want to be fettered by the king, but the king wants to fetter you! Everything is in the abyss. Well, go back and get ready."

"what to prepare?" "A piece of spirits on the road!" ... Sun Wu returned home, feeling even more depressed. What he cared about the most was the safety of the whole family, he was deeply afraid that he would suffer alone and affect the whole family, but there was no way out. Yiluo and Bonu came with their three sons. Sun Chi, Sun Xing, and Sun Ming all put on their armor.Sun Wu was taken aback when he saw it: "What is this for?" Sun Chi: "The state of Wu is employing people, please forgive my son for his unfilial piety, and leave now." Sun Tzu: "Join the army? You three?" Sun Chi: "I voted under the command of General Hua Deng. Thanks to General Hua Deng, he treated me differently and ordered my younger brother Sun Ming to serve under the general's account. Sun Xing and I will join the army. Father, please rest assured." Silk Girl interjected: "Go, after all, you are the queen of the general." Sun Tzu was impatient to hear this. "What will be the next door, what will be the next door?" Sun Chi: "Father, the three of us brothers will take care of each other." Sun Wu didn't know what to say to the three sons who joined the army and resigned from home.He knew what was going on with soldiers, he knew.Silk Nu was admonishing her sons lovingly and solemnly, "Don't dishonor the reputation of the general's father, and he will eventually rise to the top." He knew how the soldiers rose to the top. The last resort is to siege the city. What is the scene of the siege?The soldiers climbed up the ladder like ants. As soon as they showed their heads, their heads were cut off, how big their necks were, and how big their bloody holes were.His sons are now doing ants and doing siege work.Silk girl took out three pieces of cooked cowhide and said, "Take it with you, sleeping in the wild can prevent moisture." He knew that whether it was wounded by spear or arrow, whether it was cut by a sharp knife or pierced through the chest, whether it was killed immediately or the next day , The death method of the soldiers is the same, they are all buried under a piece of loess in a foreign land, a wild ghost for thousands of years, and never return home. He heard Yiluo sobbing, and said: "You three, Sun Ming, is the youngest, he is only sixteen years old, sixteen years old, sixteen years old! My brother has to take good care of my brother. My concubine can't go with you, you have to take care of yourself Take care of yourself, take care of yourself!" He saw Yiluo arranging Sun Ming's armor with tears streaming down his face.He thought that this might be caused by something called "fate": You spent most of your life fighting in the north and south, leading troops to fight, and in the end you hated war, but all your sons went to join the army and became soldiers. , from scratch.Is it not enough for you to see the death of thousands of soldiers, and you also need to taste the pain of losing your parents and children in the war? The three sons knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said goodbye. Sun Chi: "Father, mother, concubine, we should go." Silk Girl: "Master, tell the children a few words." Yiluo: "I don't know what year and month we will see you again." Silk Girl: "When we meet again, everyone will be successful!" Yiluo: "General, you...don't want them to go?" Sun Wu shook his head: "Going is better than staying." Silk girl: "Then let's go, the man has strong ambitions everywhere." The three sons kowtowed: "Forgive my son for not being filial!" "My son is gone!" "Parent, mother, concubine, take care!" Yiluo cried bitterly. The silk girl's eye circles were also moist. Sun Wu said: "If you don't leave, what are you waiting for?" The three sons turned and left. After Sun Chi, Sun Xing and Sun Ming had left the house, Sun Wu shouted a parting request: "It's a good thing to do for yourself--" Late at night. It was terribly dark, and the surroundings were terribly quiet.There is no wind, and the heat cannot dissipate, making this dark night sticky.The cicadas sang until midnight, as if they had died all of a sudden, and never sang again.The crickets began to move cautiously in the east?in the west?in the south?in the north?I don't know where, so I answered. General Sun Wu's mansion was completely dark. The flint was beating, and sparks were splashed out with a short sound. Finally, a candle was lit, and the flame slowly enlarged. The first thing to appear was Sun Wu's hands covered with blue veins and spots of brown spots, and the squeezed forehead on his forehead. Wrinkles together.The light began to crawl between Sun Wu's gray beard full of vicissitudes, several cases, curtains, hanging sword and tripod, opening up a small space. Sun Wu carefully opened the bamboo slips on the case. Eighty-two Art of War!Nine-volume array map! With a bang, he put the bamboo slips away again, put them on the table, and sat there blankly, motionless. It was so quiet all around, so quiet that Sun Wu didn't even dare to cough, so quiet that everything seemed to be frozen, even his blood was frozen, it was so quiet that something seemed to happen.His hand with protruding veins caressed his bamboo slips full of the art of war. At this moment, he could feel the pulse rhythm on the bamboo slips, and felt that the bamboo slips were breathing, and it was in sync with his breathing.No matter which backcountry he lives in seclusion, no matter which corner of the world he lives in captivity, as long as he unfolds these bamboo slips, he is still a mighty general. Every word on the bamboo slips is full of his life, and expresses his pride and courage.He muttered to himself, you can't live without me for a day, and I can't live without you for a day.He said, more than thirty years!The scrolls of bamboo slips in front of him summed up the reasons for the victory and defeat of more than 30 years of wars in the world, and the picture scrolls of hundreds of years of battlefields were all condensed in one size.Of course, of course, in the bamboo slips, there are flashes of lightning and screams of thunder, thousands of troops galloping in formation, majestic attacks, witty detours, confusing camps, and thrilling fights.Without these, can it still be called the art of war? But, but, he, Sun Tzu, after going through bloodbath and fire, he watched wars, battles and battlefields from high above the clouds; he watched death and destruction; Exclaimed "the soldiers are fierce and the war is dangerous"!Exclaim that war is a place of life and death!Exclaimed that the long battle will kill the teacher and destroy the country!Exclaiming that raising troops to attack the city is the worst policy!Exclaiming that a soldier who does not fight and defeats others is a good man!How many people in the world know his good intentions?How many kings in the world are not warlike?Perhaps, Duke Huan of Qi once had the feat of winning without fighting, but Duke Huan of Qi died, and his maggot-covered body was thrown on the coffin for sixty-seven days!Perhaps, Helu, the first king of the state of Wu, could still heed his warnings in his early years. He said that the people were overworked and the people were in dire straits, so the war against Chu was shelved for six years. However, Helu was dead, and Helu's son, Fu Chai, was violent and fatuous. The southern expedition to Yue did not end well, and he wanted to go north to conquer Qi.They want to use Sun Tzu, as long as Sun Tzu leads troops to fight; they want Sun Tzu's art of war, and only use his tactics to kill. ; This is the reason why Sun Wu stayed away from the royal court and lived in seclusion.Sun Wu picked up those bamboo slips that were soaked with his blood, like holding a baby.They, Fu Chai and Bo Pi, want to dismember you, Sun Wu, and dismember your art of war.Only those short-sighted villains will regard your art of war as a weapon for fighting and killing, and only those manic patients suffering from convulsions will regard your art of war as a man-eating beast.These mediocre villains are just like flies looking for a gap to maggot for a little bit of profit in front of their noses.These muddle-headed "gentlemen" are going to kill you because your opinion is against them.Sun Tzu, what should you do?Sun Wu, what about your art of war? Can a little candlelight from your art of war illuminate the dark night of the world? He wanted to yell manically, maybe, shouting for a while, it would be a little more enjoyable. Yiluo is here, he knows it.Just by hearing the sound of the skirt and soft footsteps, he knew it was Yiluo, yes. Yiluo: "General, what's wrong with you?" "Ah, nothing..." "Can't the general sleep?" "How long has the former king Helu been dead?" "Twelve years." "So, Fu Chai has been twelve years?" "Twelve years." "It's twelve years. Twelve years, yes. Counting back and forth, I was in Wu's army for twenty-two years of conquests, and another ten years-it's more like hiding than hiding. Tibet. A total of twenty-two years of narrow escapes!" Suddenly Sun Wu thought of He Lu again. He Lu was at the mountain pass in Quli, on that rainy day, with that frighteningly pale face... "I want you to forgive Sun Wu for the rest of your life," He Lu told his son Fu Chai before he died. Does the former king Helu know that Fucha will not forgive you Sun Wu after all?He must have known, otherwise, why wouldn't he let go of his bleeding hand? You said on the Wu Wangtai, "The king's life is not accepted", and you gave the death order, "Executioner, serve with axe and axe!" It's full of dust... Helu lost his second concubine, and he still appoints you as a general.But Helu died, and no more virtuous kings have been born.If He Lu was alive, would you still be in the army? There are two heads, Meifei's and Sanfei's. Yiluo!Why is Yiluo born so similar to her compatriot sister Concubine San? Yiluo came to your side to remind you to remember this?Is it because God is deliberately torturing you and making you restless all your life? Sun Wu said: "At that time, Sun Wu was too young!" Yiluo asked in surprise, "What did you say? What did you say?" "Yiluo, you don't hold grudges against me, do you?" "What's the matter with you, general, is it okay?" As he said, he came to fan Sun Wu. Sun Wu pushed her fan away: "Why did He Lu, the former king, die after losing a toe? Is the life of the former king so delicate?" "There's something wrong with you, General, why do you always think about these irrelevant things?" What is marginal?What is rambling? He remembered those battlefields again.He remembered that in the frosty autumn dusk, he rode his horse across the old battlefield.He reined in his horse, turned his head to look at the silent battlefield, and looked at the place where his youth was left.At this time, he could hear the sound of shocking sand rushing to his face, sharp arrows piercing through bones, and white knives cutting his throat; at this time, his war horse would prick up its ears and neigh in terror.He will never forget that scene, his beard and hair were covered with frost, his rhinoceros armor was bitingly cold, he looked around, only saw a yellow sun crumbling, but he could not see a living bird. Not a single person was seen moving.The cries of lonely souls and wild ghosts rang in his ears!Who is this, whose cry?Are they the two sons of veteran Ah Chang?Is it the lesson from General Cai Guo that Tuogu gave him?Or Shen Yinshu, the famous general of Chu?Who has no parents?Who has no brothers?Who has no wife and daughter?Who is willing to throw himself on the cold ground and never be able to go home?At this time, his eyes were wet, and he looked towards Gusu with hazy tears, and suddenly he thought of the silk girl and son whom he had not seen for a long time, of Yiluo, of Yiluo's bright eyes, bright teeth and gentleness... His heart twitched intermittently. Since then, he decided to bid farewell to the pommel horse, bid farewell to the army tent, and disarmed and returned to the field, right?But what year, month and day did this happen? "The three children are under Walden's tent?" he asked. "Yes, Walden." "Who remembers the one who sent them to the army, who?" "General, this may be... a way out." "Survival? Ah—yes, maybe. What day is it?" "It's the third watch." "At the fifth watch, I was called to go to court..." "General!" Yiluo rushed forward and hugged Sun Wu tightly. Life and death?No, it's still early, it's only the third watch.All three children are gone, they are soldiers now. soldiers!He suddenly thought of those Yue soldiers who fought in the battle of Que Li. Three hundred naked young men came over together, and then, standing in a square line, they saw their own throats and cut off their heads.Heads all over the ground, blood all over the ground... Sun Wu yelled: "Light up the lamps! Light up the lamps! Light up all the lamps!" Yiluo hurried to light the lamp.She lit up all the candles, and the room was filled with white flowers. Yiluo: "General, the lights are all lit up, look, they're all lit up." Lights dance on the bamboo slips. Sun Wu: "What should we do with these bamboo slips?" "What can I do?" Sun Wu stared fixedly at Yiluo, and after a long while, he said: "I'm leaving, so I'm leaving... What should I do about these things? The most worrying thing is these bamboo slips. King Wu will come and take these bamboo slips away! But They don't understand me, they don't understand the art of war that I have painstakingly written down, they just want to kill, kill, kill!" Yiluo knew what Sun Wu meant by "go", and her heart was trembling.She hugged the bamboo slips in her arms all at once, as if she was hugging Sun Wu and something that could save her life. Sun Wu snatched the bamboo slips nervously: "No! No, no one can understand my art of war, my original intention, and my intention! No matter what I write, it is a waste of effort. In this case, it is better to burn it, so as not to be stupid. The king uses it to harm the people!" As he spoke, he frantically tore down the bamboo slip; the bamboo slip made a crackling sound and threw it all over the floor, "My efforts are all in vain! In vain! Burn, burn!" Yiluo was completely stunned: "You, you are crazy!" Sun Tzu: "Crazy! Crazy is better than sober!" Yiluo: "What are you going to do, you!" "Before I go to see Nafucha, burn it, quick!" Yiluo felt that Sun Wu was in a state of irritability, depression, pain, sorrow, and almost collapsed in the face of continuous pressure and in a helpless state of wanting to stop.Who can be sure that this is not Sun Wu, not his and her last moments?She suppressed her grief and said to Sun Wu patiently and softly, like coaxing a child: "Okay, let's burn them all, huh? Let's burn them, okay? Changqing, let me burn them, okay?" Sun Wu stared blankly at Yiluo picking up the bamboo slips on the ground one by one, and went behind the curtain. After a while, he saw fire rising from the bronze tripod. Sun Wu was dumbfounded.Yiluo came back into the house. Sun Tzu: "Burn it?" Yiluo: "Yes." Sun Tzu: "Who told you to burn it?" Yiluo almost laughed: "Didn't you order me to burn it?" Sun Wu: "Ah... yes, it's me. It's just such a fire! Well, it's clean now. Eighty-two articles, nine scrolls... Decades of hard work, burn it!" Yiluo yelled angrily: "General!" Then, she lifted the curtain. Eighty-two Art of War!Nine Scrolls!It was intact, and not a single bamboo slip was burned. Yes, why is Yiluo willing to burn those bamboo slips?Even after Sun Wu yelled "burn it", he really asked Sun Wu to burn it himself, he would not go.The eighty-two articles on the art of war and the nine volumes of formation maps are not only the brainchild of Sun Wu's life, but also the materialized soul of Sun Wu. Yiluo knew these things deeply, so he made such a beautiful joke with Sun Wu. It can only belong to his and her confidant and intimate joke.Yiluo asked Sun Wu: "Is it still burning? There is still time to burn it!" Sun Wu smiled bitterly: "You——ah!" Yiluo said: "Only Yiluo knows, sometimes you are really like a little doll, you made me burn a skirt!" Sun Wu sighed, "Oh, only in front of you, Yiluo." Yiluo: "Of course, everyone in the world does not know that Sun Wu is an awe-inspiring general!" "What do you do with these things?" "Don't worry, don't worry, Yiluo has already arranged it. Wrap it in three layers of oilcloth, put it in a pottery urn, seal it with wax, dig three feet of ground, and bury it in the ground. Except for Tian Di and his wife, you know, I know, God knows, and Earth knows. May I ask the general, are you at ease?" "So, I'm relieved." "The general will go to court on the fifth watch, so please take care." "Go and rest for a while." "Let me accompany the general..." The sky is still dark, and the night is getting a bit cooler. The candlelight is flickering, and it will be blown out by a gust of wind at any moment.Yi Luoyi was in Sun Wu's arms.Her heart was very sad, very disturbed.She was afraid that this would be the last cuddle, and she really wanted to cry, to wail deeply, but she held back. "General, is it the fourth watch?" "Four more!" "General, can you hear a few words from Yiluo?" "Didn't I listen?" "General, when you saw that stupid Fu Chai when you were young, can you stop repeating those old tunes?" "What did you tell me to say?" Sun Wu pushed Yiluo away again. Yiluo: "General, before this time, Yiluo won't say these things—general please forgive Yiluo's abruptness. General, you are persistent. General, you don't change your original intention. General, you regard death as home, but please do it for yourself. Madame and Yiluo think about it, we can hardly bear the pain of parting! General, after you have gone through the war, you strongly advocated "no war" and "cautious war". Chen Qing. But, you also know that the princes of the world are fighting for a piece of jade and a horse. Where is there a prince who does not fight? Where is an emperor who does not eat blood? Can you change the wildness of Fucha? Can you Can you wake up Fu Chai's insensibility? Can you persuade him to stop fighting and turn wars into jade? Can you stop him from emptying the country to conquer Qi and fight for hegemony? No, you can't. If this is the case, why do you need to waste your words and incur the disaster of killing yourself?" "Could it be that you told me to praise Fu Chai's battle of subjugation?" "No. You can keep silent, you can keep silent." "Silent? Don't speak? You call Sun Wu a submissive villain?" "General, general! Yiluo is also desperate and helpless! Please forgive Yiluo for speaking bluntly. The general's military art is like the sun and the moon pulling the clouds, but it's a pity that it is now rainy and the general's military art is the first thunder in spring. It's a pity All the kings in the world are deaf! Today Yiluo has buried the art of war well in the ground, and I hope that in a hundred years or a thousand years there will be a king who will be the general's bosom friend. I'm afraid, I'm afraid, the general has a dream today, and after a hundred years, the dream will not come true! " "You, what are you talking about? Sun Wu is in a dream?" "General, sweet dreams are hard to come true..." "Stop it!" Sun Wu was roaring. Yiluo only thought about one thing, which was to save Sun Wu from the axe. She burst into tears and wanted to continue: "General..." Sun Wu looked at her with pleading eyes: "You, let me be quiet for a while, okay?" Sun Wu heard Wu Zixu say that he was dreaming.But when these words came out of Yiluo's mouth, he felt extraordinarily thrilled.But he has to admit that in the world, a virtuous king has not yet been born; he has to admit that it may be really difficult to realize his dream in this life.Admitting this, for him, was painful and cruel.Yes, since what you repeated in front of Wu Wang Fucha was all nonsense, why did you repeat it?Why bother? You might as well be a mute! Suddenly he gritted his teeth, bit off his tongue, spit out half of his tongue on the ground with a puff, and passed out.Yiluo turned around and saw that Sun Wu's mouth, body, and the ground were covered with blood, and seeing the mass of purple-black flesh on the ground, he cried bitterly and screamed: "General! General! I killed you..." Silk girl Hetian When Di heard the sound, the silk girl called Yiluo roughly, "Go away! Go get the medicine!" Sun Wu woke up, moved his lips enduring the severe pain, and could no longer speak.