Chapter 4 one

"Are you Mongolians?" "No, Your Majesty, we come from China." "China? That ancient, beautiful, and mysterious East?" "Yes, Your Majesty." "Why did you come to Khwarazmo?" "We are travelers, Your Majesty, and for us adventure and adventure are part of our lives." "Where have you all been?" "Many places. We've been to Tibet, India, the Kipchak steppe, and we've been to countries along the Mediterranean Sea." "Why didn't you leave Khwarazmo before the war started?" "That's right, Your Majesty, during our family's stay in Yulongjiechi, my son contracted a strange fever. Although I tried my best, I still couldn't save his life. My daughter-in-law couldn't bear the blow , fell ill, and we couldn't leave here immediately. Later, you know, we couldn't leave if we wanted to."

"I heard that you have excellent medical skills and cured many people's illnesses in Yulong Jiechi." "I am ashamed, Your Majesty, but even so, there is nothing I can do about my son's illness." "I understand that. There is no universal doctor. Your reply is very fluent." "Yes, Your Majesty. This is the second time for me to come to Khwarazmo. This time I stayed in Yulong Jiechi for a long time, enough for me to learn to use the language here." "Do you like our country?" "I like it very much. Khwarazmo is a beautiful country."

"Unfortunately, she is being trampled on." "Yes, Your Majesty." "Who is this young girl to you?" "She is my daughter and my assistant." "Will she see a doctor too?" "Know a thing or two." "In Yulong Jiechi, many people like you very much. Your name is..." "My name is Shen He, His Majesty the King. My daughter's name is Shen Qingya." "Shen Qingya, Shen Qingya. I don't understand the language of your country, but the name is not a mouthful at all. Your daughter is wearing our local clothes, a white gauze covering her face, revealing only a pair of star-like Bright eyes, although I can't see her face, but her eyes can laugh and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compliment." "I trust you. Come on, come forward and help me see my illness." "Yes, Your Majesty. Is it the right leg?" "Yeah. Since yesterday, the right leg hurts at first, but then I don't feel anything." "Let me take His Majesty's pulse. Well... As I expected, it is a disease of wind evil. Fortunately, the cold and dampness has not invaded for a long time, and I can treat His Majesty with acupuncture and moxibustion." "I heard that you have a magical silver needle." "Acupuncture is the quintessence of Chinese medicine."

"Yes, I read it in a book about China, but I couldn't believe it at the time. How long do you think it will take for my legs to return to normal?" "It will take at least thirty days. During these thirty days, I will stay close to His Majesty and treat His Majesty at any time. I only have one request." "you say." "My daughter-in-law is sick, and my two granddaughters are still young. I hope His Majesty will allow Qingya to go back to take care of them every day. In addition, some medicines I prepared are placed in the castle, and Qingya needs to go back to the castle to get them."

"Okay. Mie Li, go and get my carriage ready, it's exclusively for Miss Shen these days." "Thank you, Your Majesty the King. Qingya knows how to drive a carriage. With a carriage, it will be much more convenient for her." "Really? Your daughter is very capable. To be honest, I don't want more people to know about my illness, so as not to give those conspirators with ulterior motives a chance. Mie Li, go and kill my illness." Take the token and hand it over to Miss Shen. No matter where Miss Shen goes within these thirty days, no one will stop her. Of course, Doctor Shen He, I will take back the token and the carriage when I recover from my illness. In addition, for the sake of safety, I can only let you stay in the castle temporarily."

"Everything is at the discretion of His Majesty." "Very good. Doctor Shen He, now, should you treat me?" "Yes, Your Majesty the King. Qingya, give me the acupuncture box and put it beside the bed. You go back to the castle now and fetch the blood-activating pill I prepared, and give it to His Majesty the King tomorrow morning. Remember, it's in a purple porcelain bottle, I want seven pills; for the black porcelain bottle, I want fourteen pills. Also, tell your sister-in-law that I won’t be going back to the castle for the time being, and I ask her not to worry and take care of the child.”

"Yes, father." This is the first time that Zalandin and Mieli heard Qingya speak, soft, mellow, like the voice of nature.Zalandin suddenly had a strange idea, wondering what his face would look like behind the veil?Must be as breathtaking as her eyes and voice? Under Mie Li's guidance, Qing Ya withdrew respectfully. The night became more silent, and there was rumbling thunder in the distance, blowing a slight breeze into the torn sky, dispelling the condensed sultry heat little by little.Qingya took a deep breath of the clean air that rushed towards her, and galloped along the long and narrow street paved with blue ashram. For a while, the sound of wooden wheels rolling over reverberated in the empty surroundings.

The carriage did not drive directly back to the castle.After being imprisoned in that gloomy ancient castle for too long, Qingya is like a bird that broke out of the cage, only wanting to fly freely.She suddenly thought, since there is still some time before dawn, why not use Zalandin's token to go out of the city and go to the Amu Darya River to breathe the long-lost water and grass breath? The Amu Darya River flows quietly under the cover of night.Qingya parked the carriage on the bank, took off her shoes on the carriage, raised her skirt, and walked slowly along the river beach.It is said that the Mongolian army had breached Yulongjiechiqian City two days ago, and the constant flashes of flames on both sides of the bank indicated that both sides in the confrontation were on high alert.War is terrifying, as soon as the war is over, she must leave here quickly with her father, sister-in-law, and little niece, and she will never hear the sound of artillery that makes her heart tremble.

Just thinking about her own thoughts, she might as well trip over something under her feet, Qingya fell forward.She stood up and shook the wet clothes, and couldn't help laughing.Suddenly, the laughter got stuck in her throat, Qingya's eyes widened, staring at a dark gray figure under the hazy moonlight in astonishment. The chest still hurts, a bit dull, but not as oppressive as it was at the beginning.For a while, he fell into the huge clouds, and the stars and the moon above his head were within reach... for a while, he was in the hunting ground, and a colorful tiger rushed over. The mount under his crotch was frightened, and he was thrown to the ground. He rushed over and pressed on him, almost suffocating him... In a daze, he seemed to be chasing Mie Li in the desert again, Mie Li turned his head and smiled at him, raised his hand and shot an arrow, and the arrow shot straight his heart.He yelled and tried to open his eyes, but felt a pair of soft and wet hands covering his eyelids, and fell asleep again.All the dreams were fragmented, only one face and one voice always appeared in the dream, but Batu could never remember where he was and where he was going.He clearly saw Zuhan and his father, Uerdo and Bie Erge, but he just couldn't catch up with them.

His vision was blurred, and his chest and ankles ached sharply when he moved a little.He tried to open his eyes, but in the end he always gave up in vain, and began to experience another vision in a dazed state.Sometimes he thinks it's good that he can be with that gentle and beautiful face, he would rather never wake up.Sometimes he instinctively hopes to grab something real, and at this time he will hold hands. In his still vague memory, these hands are small, soft, and wet, very much like his sister Wei. Xuan's hands.When Weixuan was young, he held her and taught her how to ride a horse, and she always asked him to hold her hand tightly together with the rein.He suddenly remembered that Weixuan was still a little girl, and the face he saw was charming and mature, definitely not Weixuan's delicate face like that of a porcelain doll.He also saw another face, with some scattered eyes, equally strange and equally kind, and together they formed part of his dream. Long dream, endless dream, I do not know how long, he finally decided to wake up, he tried again and again, the eyelids became heavy, he told himself that as long as he opened his eyes, he could get rid of all these nightmares .He lifted his eyelids up little by little with difficulty, and a dazzling light pierced into his eyes like a needle. Although it was accompanied by a burst of pain all over his body, his heart opened up a lot. "You finally woke up..." Staying in half-awake and half-chaotic thinking, Batu really saw the face that he was attached to, and heard the voice that he had heard countless times but couldn't catch.He made one last effort, and the will came back to him. "You..." He tried to make a sound. "Can you talk? That's great!" What appeared in his sight was a beautiful face, which belonged to a young girl. At this time, out of surprise, she held his hand. Batu looked into the girl's smiling eyes with some surprise. "you are me……" "You can't talk much yet. I found you by the river with an arrow in your chest. You have been in a coma for seven days and seven nights, and I have been worried that I won't be able to revive you." The girl said excitedly, her words pulled out. It all sounds a bit intermittent. Badu wanted to ask something, but a burst of fatigue struck him, and his eyes closed involuntarily.However, this time is different, he no longer needs to fight the nightmare, but enters a weak comatose state. When he woke up again, the first thing he saw was the dim light of an oil lamp on the window sill and on the table, illuminating the room dimly.The house is surrounded by various large lattice wooden frames, on which many grain and wine jars are placed.Batu has been to many places, and he has also seen storage rooms used by people in the Central Plains to store sundries, but he has never seen a room like this.Then, he noticed that he was sleeping on the floor next to the wall in only a loose underwear, with thick hay and a half-new quilt under his body, which was quite comfortable.The girl was not in the room, he struggled to sit up, and sweat soaked his whole body immediately. "How can you move around? Lie down!" Batu was surprised to see the girl walking down the creaking wooden ladder step by step with an oil lamp in one hand and a basket-like object in the other. , A scorching light shot into the room from the slightly opened door behind the girl.He didn't realize that there was such a ladder in the room just now, this room is really strange, where is he? The girl put the oil lamp on the table and leaned over to look at Batu.Her hair was wet and exuded a pleasant smell.Her attire looked familiar to all, like the attire of Central Plains women. "I feel better, I want to get up and take a walk." Batu murmured. The girl stretched out her hand to touch Batu's forehead, observed his expression again, and finally nodded. "You are indeed much better, but you can't move for the time being. Come on, I'll help you sit up, you have to eat something first." She took out a bowl of overcooked meat porridge from the basket, blowing it gently with her mouth , and handed the spoon to Batu. "People are like iron and rice is steel. The body has been seriously injured, and there has been no water or rice for seven days and seven nights. How can I not eat?" Batu had already smelled the tempting aroma of rice, so he almost grabbed the bowl and devoured it greedily.Seeing him like that, the girl felt both distressed and funny: "Slow down, don't worry. In the first few days, you really can't eat too much." Inadvertently, Batu exerted force on his feet, and immediately felt a sharp pain in his ankle. His face became sallow, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he also resisted not saying a word. "You must have an iron will. After walking through the gates of hell, I am afraid that no one can keep silent except you. Even when you are unconscious, it is rare for me to hear you moan." The girl I don't know distressed but said with appreciation. Badu smiled a little embarrassedly.A delicate fragrance of flowers and plants wafted from the girl's skirt, a fragrance that Batu had been familiar with since he was asleep. "My feet..." "Broken bone. I connected it to you, but my technique is not good. My father won't come back for a while. I'm really anxious." "Your father..." "He is treating King Zalandin and lives in the king's castle." "Oh?" "You don't have to worry. In my father's heart, there are only healthy people and sick people, and there are no enemies or friends. Besides, you are not a bad person." "That's not what I mean. I mean, where am I now?" "This is a castle close to the Amu Darya River in Yulongjie Chicheng." "Well, you saved me?" "It's just a coincidence, and you shouldn't die." "Your father is a doctor?" "He is a traveler, and he also practices medicine to save people. Looking at your armor, you must be a Mongolian. I had to hide you in the basement so that no one would find you. You got an arrow in your left chest, but luckily your heart was not hurt." Pulled They all suddenly realized that the girl spoke fluent and standard Mongolian. "Are you a Mongol?" The girl smiled and shook her head. "You speak our language?" "My family lives in the country of Dali (it was called Yunnan after the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty). I traveled to many countries with my father since I was a child, and I learned the languages ​​of many countries without knowing it." "you are amazing!" "Really? You are also amazing. I have never seen a person as tenacious as you. To some extent, it is your tenacity that saved you. Okay, let's stop here, you should shut up I closed my eyes and rested for a while. If I think I like you another day, I will tell you my story, and now I am going to deliver medicine to King Zalandin." The girl said, took the oil lamp from the table, turned and left lightly. "Girl!" Batu called her again. The girl turned her head while holding the wooden ladder, and looked at Batu with a smile. "Can you tell me your name?" "My name is Shen Qingya. Just call me Qingya." Qingya left.Batu quietly recalled everything that happened after he was shot by the arrow, but all he could recall were those incoherent dreams.Later, his thoughts naturally returned to the night when he and Ordo discovered that the second uncle had brought the artillery... Watching Wuliang Hetai and the convoy transporting artillery turn into the second uncle's camp, Batu leaned over and grabbed a piece of grass from the ground, chewed it slowly in his mouth, and waited for Ordo to catch up from behind. The mood at this time is completely different from when I first came out with Ordo.At that moment, thinking of the lack of progress in the siege of Yulong Jiechi, and thinking of Zuhan's anxiety and dissatisfaction, his heart was particularly heavy.It should be said that he did not agree with his father seeking a safe method of warfare from the beginning to the end.He has fought against Mie Li, and he knows Mie Li's strong and unyielding character. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for his father's "soft attack" to play a role.Yulong Jiechi's rich possessions also make the siege meaningless. A protracted siege will only increase the casualties of the attacking side. Batu really wants to take Yulong Jiechi as soon as possible and report the victory to Zuhan. He knew what Urduo's concerns were, but war had no rules, and sometimes he could do anything to win.Even if the father and the second uncle have different ideas, so what?For the reality that has become a fact, the father will surely accept it without further investigation, right?He doesn't care about his father's reprimand, as long as he can win Yulong Jiechi, he really doesn't care about any punishment from his father.What's more, he believed in his father, and with his loyalty to Zuhan's cause, even if one day he found out that his sons had concealed the artillery from him, he would definitely forgive his son.Generous, stable, and without any ambitions, in this point, Ordo is most similar to his father, so, as long as he doesn't mention everything tonight, Ordo will definitely keep his mouth shut. Ordo walked slowly.He was very uneasy, but he couldn't think of any reason to refute Batu.Orduo was only one year older than Batu, but Batu showed different opinions and ambitions from him since he was a child. As he grew older, Batu made great achievements in many battles, thus winning the victory of Zuhan and his father. His reliance and preference also won the respect of Orduo—even more than a brother should have.For this reason, Ordo seldom had disputes with Batu.But this time was different. In this long-standing conflict between the father and the second uncle, Batu did not hesitate to side with the second uncle, which made Erdo feel strange.When he felt the peace of Batu chewing the grass roots in his mouth in the dark, he was relieved again. No matter what he thought, it didn't matter anymore. He had to stand by Batu for everything that had happened and would happen. While maintaining him.Who made him Batu's eldest brother?Or put it the other way around, who made Ba the younger brother he was most proud of? "Brother, what a cool breeze, do you feel it?" "You seem to be hoping for rain?" Ordo asked absently. "Yes. If it rains, it will not affect the power of the artillery, but it can help us control the fire. Of course, this idea is a bit naive. Maybe the second uncle will use fuel bombs. I understand the second uncle's personality. If Yulong Jie Chi's defenders are stubbornly resisting. It is entirely possible for him to overturn every roof tile of Yulong Jiechi and destroy his enemies. Jie Chi, any price is worth it." He said, stretching comfortably, "Brother, I think I will be able to sleep well tonight, and tomorrow morning, I will have a cannonball with my second uncle." Wake up together." Batu said jokingly.Seeing his smug look, Ordo couldn't help but smile wryly.You can sleep well, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep this night.Ordo thought to himself. Batu was right, he was really awakened by the sound of the rumbling guns. He and Erduo came to the army, and soon, Jochi also rushed there with his guards and Bie Erge.The Mongolian army took the lead in Batu and Nantugan, and Chagatai placed all the artillery in the camp of Nantugan.Batu had ordered his troops to prepare for the ascent of the city. He watched Yulong Jiechi trembling under the artillery fire. The sound of shells whizzing past was mixed with the neighing of war horses, and the huge bombardment sound was deafening. Shu Chi sat on the horse and watched the movement on the city, the city wall was slowly being blasted, and the defenders continued to fall to the city.He looked back at the three sons who were surrounding him. Ordo avoided his sight with a guilty conscience, but Batu and Bie Erge couldn't hide their excitement, especially Bie Erge, who was dancing and eager to try. , looking at his appearance, as long as he gives an order, he will definitely be the first to climb the Yulongjie Chicheng Wall. "Batu." "Huh?" Badu replied, looking back at his father with some doubts. "When did your second uncle bring the artillery?" "It should have been last night." Batu replied calmly.What he said was not untrue, Chagatai indeed transported the artillery to last night. The dick!Jochi sighed in his heart, he didn't know whether to complain or praise. "Is the army ready?" "Okay. I'm waiting for Nantu Gan to take action. Father, don't worry, I won't let Nantu Gan climb the city wall of Yulong Jiechi before I do." Jochi smiled helplessly.He didn't expect that his seemingly calm and sophisticated son would have a child-like competitive spirit.Only Orduo saw that his father had no intention of complaining, and secretly heaved a sigh of relief. The sound of artillery from the Gan camp in Nantu gradually became less and less.Batu stared at his father, and Shuchi observed the other party's movement calmly, and nodded to Batu for a moment.Batu drew out his sword and waved the army to cover and kill Yulong Jiechi like a tide.At this time, Zhu Chi grasped the timing very accurately. Almost at the same time, the sound of artillery in Nantu Gan's camp stopped completely, and Nantu Gan's army also rushed out after him.There were only ruins left in the front city. Under the bombardment of powerful and intensive artillery fire, the defenders could not continue to fight. Most of them retreated to the back city, and those who had no time to retreat scattered to various houses. Considering that it was hard to guard against backstabs, Chagatai ordered soldiers to bring fuel and was about to set fire to the houses when Jochi heard the news and rushed to stop the soldiers who wanted to light the fire.Chagatai was furious and quarreled with Jochi.Wo Kuotai was worried that the two elder brothers would become more and more quarrelsome, so he hurriedly ordered his eldest son Guiyou, who had just entered the war, to lead 10,000 soldiers to wipe out the stubborn defenders of Yulongjiechi from house to house, and the rest took advantage of the victory to attack Yulongjiechihou City. At this time, Zalandin and Mieli had retreated to the rear city to supervise the battle. The rear city was protected by the wide Amu Darya River, and only one pontoon bridge could pass on the river.Chagatai was unwilling to cooperate with Shuchi in the battle, and deliberately dawdled to delay the time, so Jochi had to lead his troops to the Amu Darya River first. On the other side is the other half of Yulong Jiechi.Before the complete fall of the front city, Zalandin and Mieli withdrew the main force to the back city intact, so the defensive strength of the back city was no less than that of the front city.Moreover, across the wide river, it is difficult for artillery fire to exert its power, which makes it more difficult to attack the rear city than the front city. Jochi still sent envoys into the city to surrender first, and Zalandin's answer was to raise the envoy's head high above the city.Jochi was filled with grief and indignation, and immediately sent Batu to lead 3,000 cavalry across the bridge to attack the city.Seeing 3,000 cavalry rushing to the bottom of the city, suddenly thousands of arrows were fired from the top of the city, and the Mongolian soldiers fell from their horses one after another.Knowing that he could not win, Batu hurriedly ordered the army to retreat. At this time, the gate of the city opened wide, and Mie Li put on his whole body to lead the army to fight out.The two sides fought on the pontoon bridge. The Mongolian army could not stand firmly on the rickety pontoon bridge, and most of them were killed in a blink of an eye.Mie Li intercepted Batu, and it was the first time that a pair of old rivals met face to face.The agility and agility of the two were originally comparable, but Badu gradually adapted to the shaking of the pontoon, and instead took the lead over Mieli.Just when Batu was fighting more and more courageously, a cold arrow flying from the top of the city hit Batu on the left chest, and Batu staggered back to the bridge railing. Mie Li was overjoyed and approached Batu, intending to capture him alive. Batu's whole body seemed to be collapsed, but he still gathered all his will, and at the moment Mie Li's hand stretched out to his shoulder, he fell on his back into the turbulent Amu Darya River.Mie Li grabbed the air, leaned on the railing, and watched with regret that Batu was swept up by the river, and disappeared in a blink of an eye. Jochi's reinforcements were not enough, and the blood of three thousand soldiers stained the Amu Darya River red.Yulong Jiechi played a triumphant song at the head of the city, Mieli waved the battle flag to the Mongolian army in a demonstrative manner, and calmly retreated into the city. After an unknown amount of time, a few raindrops fell into the river, splashing a round eddy like foam. Then, the raindrops became bigger and faster, and finally formed a fine rain line.The bloodstains on the bridge and by the river were washed away by the rain, and the traces gradually disappeared. Death showed the freshness of the past in a frozen manner.Life and death, life is set off heavy because of death, and death is endowed with tragedy because of life. The rain curtain mercilessly covered all the statues of the living and the dead, equally pale and helpless.Chahetai and Wo Kuotai who came after them were completely stunned by the tragic scene in front of them. Chagatai was in pain and anger, and just as the words of reproach came to his lips, Wo Kuotai stopped him in time.Chagatai suddenly noticed something strange, he looked at Jochi's motionless back, and at Orduo and Bie Erge who were wiping away tears, a burst of inexplicable fear struck him, and he almost didn't dare to ask any more questions.After a long, long time, Jochi turned his head, his face washed by the rain was as pale as snow, but his eyes shone with a calm light, so calm that it reminded people of death. "Don't tell Father Khan. Don't tell Father Khan just yet," he whispered softly. Brother Bie'er stomped his feet vigorously and cried out.Ordo blocked his mouth tightly with his fist, and forcibly suppressed the mournful sob that rushed to his throat.Chagatai and Wo Kuotai nodded blankly.Chagatai felt extremely uncomfortable.He was at odds with Jochi, but he cherished Batu's talent from the bottom of his heart; he also knew Batu's position in Father Khan's heart, and if Father Khan knew the bad news, he didn't know what kind of blow he would bear.Batu is still so young, that's all... Jochi's empty eyes passed through the rain curtain, crossed the city wall, and stayed in the distant sky. He seemed to turn a blind eye to everything in front of him. Suddenly, a mouthful of blood spurted out from his mouth. He tilted and fell straight on the ground. Get off now.Chagatai and Wo Kuotai were shocked, they stepped forward and hugged Jochi, feeling overwhelmed with compassion, their tears mixed with the rainwater flowed down.