Chapter 15 Chapter Fifteen

Seeing the glowing Jade Buddha, Zhao Zhen's face darkened, and he raised his hand lightly before Ge Huaimin rushed in to arrest him.Di Qing is highly skilled in martial arts, if he really resists, Zhao Zhen will be afraid that Di Qing will do his best. Empress Cao quickly grabbed Zhao Zhen's arm and said, "Honorable Majesty, wait a minute, I have something to say." Zhao Zhenhan said in a cold voice: "What else is there to say now? Di Qing's deception is the most unforgivable crime." Empress Cao said anxiously: "My lord, Di Qing did not lie." Zhao Zhen was startled, looked at Empress Cao suspiciously, and then caught a glimpse of Bao Zheng's strange face, suddenly his heart sank, and he vaguely felt that something was wrong.

Bao Zheng knelt down and saluted suddenly: "My lord, please forgive me for the crime of deceiving the emperor. In fact, the Jade Buddha is not what I said, so we can know whether others have lied." Zhao Zhen froze, Zhang Meiren's face changed.Both Chang Ning and Qiu Minghao frowned, unable to understand what was going on for a while.Zhao Zhen's face was as heavy as water, and he said slowly: "But it turns out that this Jade Buddha does sometimes shine." He was thinking in his heart, "Could it be that Bao Zheng wants to overthrow Namo Buddha's statement in order to protect Di Qing?"

Bao Zheng said: "That Buddha is indeed called Namo Buddha, but it doesn't have the supernatural powers of knowing right and wrong. It can emit light only because the jade that makes Buddha is a kind of gentle jade from the top of Kunlun in the northwest. This kind of jade has a Features, if touched by human hands, it will glow due to the heat of human hands." Slowly turning his head to look at Zhang Meiren, Bao Zheng said: "Because Di Qing dared to touch the jade because he had no regrets in his heart, the jade will glow. I just want Ask Meiren Zhang why the jade didn't shine after you entered. Is it because you told yourself a lie and didn't touch Namo Buddha?"

Everyone was stunned, Di Qing heard it in the dark room and understood what was going on, but couldn't help worrying about Bao Zheng.To put it bluntly, Bao Zheng's method was nothing more than taking advantage of his guilty conscience, but Bao Zheng lied to Zhao Zhen for him, Di Qing, contradicting and questioning Zhang Meiren, and the consequences were worrisome. Bao Zheng has never had any friendship with him, but Bao Zheng treats him more desperately than his life and death brothers. This is Bao Zheng, the man who knew he wanted to offend the emperor, but also wanted to reveal the truth...

Hearing Bao Zheng's question, Zhang Meiren's face turned blue and white, and suddenly shouted: "You are lying, when the queen went in just now, when you touched the jade, didn't it shine?" Thinking of this, Zhao Zhen immediately said, "That's right, why didn't the Empress shine when she touched the Jade Buddha?" Empress Cao glanced at Zhang Meiren, and said softly: "Because when I entered the dark room, I was just like you. I made a show and didn't touch the Jade Buddha." Zhang Meiren gritted her teeth tightly, her face turned as white as snow, she had inadvertently fallen into Bao Zheng's arrangement.Or it should be said that this game was jointly set up by Empress Cao and Bao Zheng to test who is telling lies.

Everyone understands that they dare not touch the Jade Buddha if they tell lies.And now it is not Di Qing who dares to touch the Jade Buddha, but Zhang Meiren. Beauty Zhang is lying! Yan Shiliang was silent at the side, seeing this, he suddenly said: "Bao Zheng, you are really bold, do you know that by doing this, you have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor?" Bao Zheng was silent, but there was no regret on his face.Empress Cao said softly but firmly: "Just now, the Holy Majesty also said that in order to seek the truth, there is no harm in talking big words. Since the Majesty said so, Bao Zheng used some means to seek the truth. It is understandable." Turning to look at Zhang Meiren , Empress Cao was about to speak when suddenly her face changed drastically and she took two steps back.

Everyone didn't want to, and didn't dare to look at Zhang Meiren. They all knew that although the truth was revealed this time, Zhao Zhen was definitely not happy.Zhao Zhen also couldn't understand why Zhang Meiren wanted to lie to frame Di Qing. Seeing Empress Cao's expression changed, he turned to look at Zhang Meiren, and suddenly his expression changed drastically. He stepped forward and said, "Beauty, what's wrong with you?" Only then did everyone see that Zhang Meiren's face was gray, and there was a trace of black blood overflowing from the corner of her mouth, showing signs of poisoning.

Zhang Meiren looked at Zhao Zhen, and only had time to say a few words, "My lord, I... didn't lie." As soon as she finished speaking, she fell limply. Zhao Zhen was terrified in his heart. He never thought that things would turn out like this. He no longer cared about the case, and shouted: "Hurry up... hurry up and send the imperial doctor." Everyone present was shocked, wondering why Zhang Meiren was poisoned, could it be that there was an invisible murderer hiding in the dark place of the palace? The imperial doctor came, in a hurry.Empress Cao was also surprised, but she was the most shocked person here. Seeing that the situation had changed, she signaled Bao Zheng and Di Qing to retreat.Everyone didn't expect this kind of result, and they quit the university one after another.

Bao Zheng came out of the palace, frowning tightly, as if he was thinking about something, Di Qing said apologetically, "Brother Bao, I'm afraid I'll be a burden to Brother Bao because of my affairs." Bao Zheng still had a businesslike expression, and said: "It's all my duty. No matter who it is, I have to deal with it like this. Why did General Di say that he was involved? Just now..." He was about to say something, but his eyes flashed too weird , shook his head and said: "Brother Di, I still have something to do, so I'm leaving for the time being."

Di Qing had a lot of preoccupations, and although he was out of trouble, he was full of doubts.Why did Zhang Meiren want to kill him?Who harmed Zhang Meiren?Did Zhang Meiren lie? It is said that when a person is about to die, his words are good. Even after Zhang Meiren was poisoned, she said that she did not lie, but Di Qing did not lie either. Could it be that there is really something hidden?Everything seemed clear at first, but the more Di Qing thought about it, the weirder he felt. After returning to the Guo Mansion, Han Xiao hurried over and whispered in Di Qing's ear: "General Di, it's not good. According to our information, these days, Yuan Hao took advantage of the peace talks with the Song Dynasty to fortify the wall and clear the country to wait for Khitan , Not long ago, the Khitan army was defeated. And the Khitan turned their anger on us because they failed to use troops against Xia, and instead stationed troops in Youyan, showing signs of going south to invade the Song Dynasty."

Di Qing's face changed slightly, and his brows frowned.After a long while, he said: "I'm afraid the court will have news about this matter in a few days. We can't do much, we can only wait for their decision." For several days, Di Qing stayed behind closed doors, thinking about what happened after returning to the capital, and always felt that there were many mysteries in it.And there are undoubtedly two things that puzzled Di Qing the most: why Zhang Meiren framed him, and who wrote the letter exposing the Eighth Prince's secret? Although he has been living in the Guo Mansion, the news of Di Qing has not been cut off. When the new law was implemented, all the people rejoiced.However, there was a discordant note in it. Although Wang Gongchen no longer pursued Di Qing and Zhong Shiheng, he finally joined Zhang Kang and Teng Zijing in the matter of envoy money.Zhang Kang was transferred to another place, and Teng Zijing was relegated to Baling County. When the new law was quickly implemented across the country, Khitan suddenly raised troops. For a moment, the aura of the cold front of war had condensed in the sky above Kaifeng Mansion, and even froze the enthusiasm for the reform. Although there have been frequent wars in the Northwest these years, it is still far away from Feng, which makes people see flowers in a fog.But back then when Khitan sent troops to the south, they pointed straight at Kaifeng like a broken bamboo, and made the Chanyuan alliance, which was a painful experience.Everyone was apprehensive, fearing that if Song and Khitan fought again, the common people would suffer again. Above the Great Song Temple, put aside all internal strife for the time being, and consider dealing with the Khitan people first. After a few more days, Fan Zhongyan suddenly arrived at the Guo Mansion. When Di Qing saw Fan Zhongyan coming, he was slightly surprised, but very happy.The capital is no better than the northwest. In the northwest, he has brothers, but in the capital, his true friends are very few.He regarded Fan Zhongyan as a friend. After Fan Zhongyan took his seat, he was not polite, and said straight to the point: "Di Qing, I am here this time to ask for something." Di Qing didn't know what Fan Zhongyan was asking for for a moment, but he said immediately: "If Mr. Fan has an order, just say it." He knew that what Fan Zhongyan was asking for was by no means a personal matter. Sure enough, Fan Zhongyan said: "Khitan stationed troops in the land of Yanyun, and intends to go south. Right now the northern border is tight, and the emperor is worried. Hundreds of civil and military officials have discussed for a long time, and feel that it is not too late. I should send someone to Khitan to analyze the interests and disadvantages of the Empress Dowager Xiao. It is the best policy to persuade Empress Dowager Xiao to withdraw her plan to send troops." Di Qing knew that a woman surnamed Xiao was in power in Khitan at the moment, just like the Empress Dowager Liu of the Song Dynasty. Khitan has been established for many years. In terms of prosperity, of course it is far behind the Great Song Dynasty, but if it has a vast territory and strong military strength, it is far superior to the Great Song Dynasty. After the founding of the Song Dynasty, the soldiers of the three dynasties Taizu, Taizong, and Zhenzong were used to fight against Khitan, but it was not as good as one generation after another.At the time of Taizu, he was still able to counterattack and seize land, regaining Jinyang, Waqiaoguan and other lost land.It's a pity that Taizu passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Taizong sent troops to repeat Taizu's dominance. He didn't want to be defeated by Khitan people in Gaoliang River and fled back in a donkey cart. It can be said that he was in a panic.At the time of Zhenzong, he was driven south by the Khitan people to establish an alliance under the city. The Great Song fought against the Khitans, and it was not as good as the previous generation. They only felt that the Khitans were the natural enemies of the Great Song, so they naturally felt inexplicable fear of the Khitans. However, Shengzong of Liao, who was allied with Zhenzong in the city, has passed away. Before his death, Empress Qitian was established as the empress dowager, and Yeluzong was really the son of heaven. There are always striking similarities in the past, and now Yelu Zongzhen, the ruler of Khitan, was born of a court lady and adopted by Empress Qitian.But there are still subtle differences in the past.In the Song Dynasty, Empress Dowager Liu monopolized all the power and did not allow others to get involved. She sent that court lady Li Shunrong to guard the spirit, but that court lady from Khitan—Xiao Yujin, was able to unite with her brothers to take power quietly. The Empress Dowager Tian conspired against her, and instead put her under house arrest. Xiao Yujin imprisoned the Empress Dowager Qitian, taking advantage of the Khitan King Yeluzong's young age, he monopolized the power, and is currently calling the shots in Khitan.Unlike Empress Dowager Liu, this Empress Dowager Xiao is even more high-profile, not only wantonly eradicating dissidents, promoting brothers and slaves, but also raising troops everywhere. A few days ago, she was invincible against Xixia. For some reason, she turned her anger on Song Dynasty and sent troops to Song Dynasty. Di Qing had already known these past events from Han Xiao, and seeing Fan Zhongyan mentioning the mission, he also felt reasonable. In Di Qing's view, after all, the Song Dynasty's military is weak, and it needs to eat every bite. Right now, the main task is to fight against the ambitious Yuan Hao.If it is true to fight against Khitan, Yuan Hao will come from the northwest to stab the knife, and I am afraid that the Great Song will collapse.Di Qing thought of this, and said: "Since the imperial court has decided to send someone to Khitan, I don't know why Fan Gong is looking for me?" Fan Zhongyan said: "Going to Khitan as an envoy is very important, but it is also very dangerous. To be honest, few officials in the court are willing to go. I can't go in person because I want to preside over the matter. Make Khitan." Di Qing said: "Master Fu is a prudent and practical person, if he goes on an envoy, he would be a good candidate." Fan Zhongyan said: "However, Fu Bi is going to go to Khitan as an envoy, but I invite you to go with him. I wonder if you are willing to go?" After finishing speaking, he looked at Di Qing expectantly. Di Qing was stunned for a while, and said, "I'm going? Why would they let me go?" He thought to himself, "A few days ago, Wang Gongchen and the others wanted to send me overseas. The task of going to Khitan was difficult. How could they let me go? Where are you going?" Fan Zhongyan smiled slightly, "They all said that the heart of Khitan tigers and wolves, only General Di can not weaken my Great Song Guowei. Besides, the last time you and Mr. Fu went to Tibet as an envoy, although things may not work right now, but your ability There is no doubt about it. You are really the best candidate for this mission." It turned out that Khitan intends to send troops to the south, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but panic when he heard that.Zhang Meiren was poisoned, but luckily survived, but she was always bedridden.Shocked and angry, Zhao Zhen ordered Qiu Minghao to investigate the matter immediately, but did not let Bao Zheng get involved. Zhao Zhen listened to Empress Cao's words and asked Bao Zheng to find out the matter because he wanted to be fair and fair. Many times, the facts were extremely cruel.After Zhang Meiren was poisoned, Zhao Zhen was full of regrets and stayed by Zhang Meiren's bed all day long.But Khitan intends to raise troops. Seeing that the country is in trouble, Zhao Zhen can only put aside the matter of Zhang Meiren for the time being and call a group of ministers to discuss countermeasures. All the military officials in North Korea, Chinese and Chinese agreed that it would be best to send envoys to persuade Queen Mother Xiao not to send troops if there is no war yet.Without Di Qing, the ministers spoke in unison this time, but when it came to who would go on an envoy, they all encountered difficulties. When the two countries are at war, the situation is unpredictable, and if the mission goes wrong, it will be a deadly deal.At that time, Khitan was also looking for trouble, and the imperial court sent Xia Song as an envoy, but Xia Song cried and begged not to go, which was made a joke.But it's a joke on others, but it's a tragedy if it falls on yourself. When the ministers were at a loss, Fan Zhongyan volunteered, but Zhao Zhen refused.At the time of the current reform, it is Fan Zhongyan who is taking the lead, how can he go far to the northern border?Seeing this, Fu Bi finally stepped forward and was willing to go to Khitan as an envoy.The ministers breathed a sigh of relief, and did not want Fu Bi to make a condition, that they would go on an envoy with Di Qing. Zhao Zhen didn't know whether to blame Di Qing or apologize for wronging Di Qing, Wen Fubi suggested, noncommittal. However, it was not all smooth sailing for Di Qing to be sent as an envoy. Wang Gongchen brought up the old matter immediately, and suggested that Di Qing was reckless, contradicted his superiors, and beat the civil servant Wen Yanbo, so he might not be a good candidate for the envoy.But Fan Zhongyan's words made Wang Gongchen speechless, Fan Zhongyan said: "Wang Zhongcheng doesn't want Di Qing to go on an envoy, does he want to go with Mr. Fu?" Wang Gongchen was an expert in internal fighting, but an outsider in external fighting. He was in awe of the bitter cold land of Khitan, and thought that he had nothing to talk about with the barbaric Khitan people, so he remained silent. There were many twists and turns, but Fan Zhongyan didn't want to bother Di Qing with these trivial matters, but just looked at Di Qing with hope.Seeing this, Di Qing stopped evading, and immediately said: "Since Fan Gong thinks that I can go, I will do my best." Fan Zhongyan smiled gratifiedly, thinking that Di Qing had been training for many years, and in terms of vision, bearing and courage, he was better than many people in the court.He knew what was on Di Qing's mind, and he also knew that many things were unfair to Di Qing. It can be seen that every time Di Qing faced a national crisis, he was determined to take responsibility and was moved in his heart. When Di Qing sent Fan Zhongyan out of the mansion, he saw the worry in Fan Zhongyan's brows, and couldn't help asking: "Fan Gong, don't worry about going on an envoy. I think the Khitan people have been at ease for many years, and they haven't regained the sharp minions they used to have. If we really want to go to war, we don’t have to be afraid.” Fan Zhongyan said: "According to my guess, Empress Dowager Xiao wanted to raise troops this time, but because she was defeated by Yuan Hao, she was eager to regain face and make up for the loss on Da Song. If she really wants to send troops, I'm afraid it's impossible. But I That’s not the thing to worry about right now.” Di Qing asked: "Why is Mr. Fan worried, do you need my help?" Fan Zhongyan looked at Di Qing, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes were full of smiles.Di Qing suddenly discovered that Fan Zhongyan was much older again.The wind and rain in the northwest, like knives and arrows, polished Fan Zhongyan's strength of character, but it was also killing his years.When I think of this, I feel melancholy. Fan Zhongyan said: "This matter seems small, but it is very troublesome. After Xia Song was demoted, Shi Jie tied up an "Ode to the Holy Virtue of Qingli"..." Di Qing knew about it.Shi Jie is a direct speaker of the Imperial College and a staunch follower of Fan Zhongyan.Guozijian is one of the five supervisors of the Nine Temples in the Song Dynasty. It is mainly responsible for preaching and teaching business and classics. It has a high prestige among poor scholars in the world. Xia Song was demoted from the capital, and Shi Jie wrote "Ode to the Holy Virtue in Qingli", in which he directly said that Zhao Zhen's use of Fan Zhongyan and others was "the progress of all sages", and Xia Song's kicking out of the Privy Council was called "a traitor's departure". ". This article can be said to have caused a sensation in the capital, and the people rushed to recite it, so even Di Qing knew about it.Seeing that Fan Zhongyan was so worried, Di Qing said, "Master Shi has told the truth, so it seems to be all right?" Fan Zhongyan sighed and said: "A villain is like an unburned charcoal. If you don't move him and don't turn him over, he will extinguish after burning for a while. But if you stir it up, he may burn even more fiercely, even worse. It's out of control. I knew early on that the new law was first enacted, and there must be many obstacles. Although I don't want to live in peace with some people for a while, it doesn't matter if it can benefit the country and the people. At present, Ouyang Xiu, Cai Xiang, and Shi Jie have good intentions , but I don’t know that the world is dangerous, and if I make a strong enemy, I am afraid that it will not be long before I will be counterattacked by my opponent. This is expected, but if it delays the reform, I don’t want it.” Speaking of this, Fan Zhongyan smiled and said: "But I will deal with these things. Di Qing, the envoy is a long way away, and the weather is dangerous. Take care." After saying that, he turned and left, thinking to himself that although Lu Yijian had been in power for many years However, he has always had a way of dealing with villains. Now if Lu Yijian can be persuaded to re-enter the court as an official and support the new law, the reform is expected to happen.Thinking of this, he immediately went to Lu Mansion. After Di Qing waited a few more days, the imperial court ordered Fu Bi and Di Qing to go to Khitan as envoys! Fu Bi and Di Qing had cooperated for a long time, so they didn't say much, and now they packed lightly and traveled lightly. They chose the sunrise from Bianjing, crossed the Yellow River, and headed straight to Khitan. There is a difference between this mission and the last trip to Tibet, the last mission was done in secret, but this time the mission to Khitan is done with caution.Therefore, in addition to Di Qing, Fu Bi and others, there are still dozens of forbidden troops following.Some people sent official documents along the way, and local officials received them. Those forbidden soldiers knew that they followed Di Qing as an envoy, and they were all elated, they didn't feel that it was a pain to go on an envoy, but felt it was a great honor.Di Qing's rise from an ordinary member of the army to his current status is undoubtedly extremely legendary in the eyes of the imperial guards.Being able to go on a mission with Mr. Di Qing once, even if you are old in this life, you still have a past worth showing off. Along the way, everyone listened to Di Qing's instructions and galloped on their horses. It was not a day's journey. After passing through Ansu this day, you can see mountains in the distance in the distance, and green grass in the distance.There is a wind blowing to send coolness, and the grass is fresh and fresh.Seeing the scene on the way along the journey, everyone couldn't help but cheer up. But Di Qing knew that after crossing the continuous mountains, he would reach the territory of Khitan.The future is uncertain, and the mission is not as beautiful and moving as the scenery along the way. At this moment, Han Xiao came over and whispered something in Di Qing's ear.Di Qing nodded, and said to Fu Bi: "My lord, there is news that because autumn is approaching, the Khitan Kingdom mainly conducts the autumn bowl, so they should go to Fuhu Forest near the Shangjing Road. According to the usual practice, Empress Dowager Xiao should also Follow, if we follow the usual practice and go to Zhongjing, we may only come to Zhongjing to meet them after Qiu Nabo, why don't we go directly to the place where they are, I don't know what you like?" Although there are forbidden soldiers following, Di Qing Or privately let Han Xiao and others follow secretly and be responsible for inquiring about news.The news that Han Xiao got was often faster and more accurate than the news from the officials. Di Qing was afraid of going the wrong way and wasting time, so he sent Han Xiao to prepare in advance. Fu Bi fell silent, feeling a little embarrassed for a while. Today Khitan is divided into five provinces, namely Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing, Liaoyang Mansion in Tokyo, Datong Mansion in Xijing, Youzhou Mansion in Nanjing and Dading Mansion in Zhongjing. The Khitan's Nanjing is the former Youzhou, and the Khitan's Xijing is the present Datong, Shanxi. Both Nanjing and Xijing were occupied by the Khitans during the establishment of the Song Dynasty, and the Central Plains were never taken back by the Song Dynasty.Xijing and Nanjing are also important military routes for the Khitan people. During the Chanyuan alliance, the Khitan people drove straight down from these two routes, attacked the Central Plains, and approached Kaifeng. And Zhongjing is in the north of Nanjing and Xijing, and because it is bordered by Nanjing, it is developing quite prosperously now. Envoys from Song, Xia, and Koryo have always been in Zhongjing to wait for the Khitan Lord to summon them.Di Qing asked Fu Bi to go to Shangjing Road to meet the Khitan King directly, which was inconsistent with the rules. But Fu Bi also knew that Di Qing had good intentions. Because although the Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing is considered the Khitan's current power center, in fact, the Khitan people have always retained their nomadic way of life, moving from season to season and making their homes with horses and chariots.Therefore, the emperor of Khitan did not stay in Bianjing all day long like the Song Dynasty, but was more like wandering around. The ruler of Khitan still adopts the four-season hunting system, that is, hunting, patrolling and living in different places in spring, summer, autumn and winter. This method is called Nabo. In spring, most of the Khitan kings live near Tokyo, and in autumn, most of them will go to Shangjing Road.This rule has never been changed, and the ruler of the Khitan state is uncertain, and the situation is uncertain, so the envoys of various countries may have to wait for several months, or even longer. Di Qing wanted a quick decision, so he suggested that Fu Bi go directly to Shangjing Road for an interview.Fu Bi knew that this method was straightforward, but he was afraid that it would break the rules of the Khitan people and be detrimental to the peace talks. After hesitating for a long time, Fu Bi said, "Anyway, if you want to go to Beijing, you have to go through Zhongjing. Why don't you make plans after arriving in Zhongjing?" Di Qing also knew what Fu Bi was worried about, and immediately agreed. After passing through the mountains and mountains, they went straight to Nanjing, and then stepped into the border of Zhongjing. Nanjing and Zhongjing in Khitan are close to the Song Dynasty, and the customs and customs are much closer to the Central Plains, and many people who live there are also from the Central Plains.The bustling market is not as prosperous as Bianjing, but everyone is here, just like in the Central Plains. After Fu Bi, Di Qing and others arrived at Dading Mansion, they entered the official office to submit documents, followed the etiquette of envoys to see the Khitan King and Queen Mother, and discussed the matter of stationing troops on the border.Although Empress Dowager Xiao is currently in power, Yelu Zongzhen has been enthroned after all, and will participate in government affairs, big and small. Half a month after the document was submitted, there was finally a reply from the Privy Council of Khitan South Court, saying that Empress Dowager Xiao had a decree to invite Song envoys to go to Shangjing to hunt down tiger forests! After Fu Bi heard the news, he could only smile wryly, thinking that if he had listened to Di Qing's words earlier, he wouldn't have to wait here for a long time.On the contrary, Di Qing comforted Fu Bi, saying that since the Empress Dowager Xiao is going to meet us, it means that she will go south for a while.It made sense for Fu Bi to think about it. Although he spent some time in Zhongjing, as long as the Khitan did not send troops, his mission would be considered somewhat fruitful.However, when Empress Dowager Xiao said that she could hunt, the word was full of fighting spirit. Could it be that Empress Dowager Xiao wanted to use this to establish her prestige in front of the Song envoy?Fu Bi was a little worried at first, but he also relaxed when he saw that Di Qing was acting as if nothing had happened. Di Qing and others set off for Zhongjing on the second day, turned northwest, and went straight to Fuhu Forest on Shangjing Road.The road was bumpy, and everyone quickly entered the vast grassland. The sky is gray and the wild is vast, and the wind blows the grass and the cattle and sheep are low! The vast grassland is like a vast ocean, and people walking in it are like a solitary boat on the waves, feeling small and humble, feeling confused and emotional.Everyone was not familiar with the terrain of the grassland, fortunately there was Han Xiao, and fortunately there were Khitan people sent by the Privy Council of the Khitan South Court to lead the way along the way, so that everyone would not get lost in it. Along the way, I saw tents dotted like flowers blooming in the grassland, cattle and sheep jumping like active elves in the grass waves, and the shepherdess athlete galloped among them, full of tenderness and boldness.When Di Qing saw him, he suddenly thought in his heart, if he hadn't been a general in his life, if he hadn't entered the capital, and only lived here with his beloved horses and sheep, and lived a happy life, it would really be worthless. But does he still have this chance?When I think of this, my heart is slightly sour. On this day, when the sun set at dusk, the golden rays of light sprinkled on the endless green grass, full of magnificence.A wind blew the green grass down, and many tents appeared in front of them. It turned out that they had unknowingly arrived at a tribe in Khitan. That tribe is the Bird tribe of the Khitan subordinate tribe.The officials sent by the Privy Council explained the whole story to the head of the Byrd tribe, and the head of the tribe treated the envoys of the Song Dynasty with hospitality.At night, with a blazing bonfire, the tribe roasted the whole sheep and prepared songs and dances for Di Qing and others to enjoy. Although Empress Dowager Xiao intends to send troops, Khitan and Song Dynasty have been at peace for decades after all. In the eyes of the common people, the two sides are more like friends than enemies. Di Qing had no intention of singing and dancing, and while Fu Bi was socializing, he quietly left the ranks of the carnival, sat down on a hillside outside the clan village, and looked up at the starry sky. At this time, the moon is like a hook, and the stars are like eyes, and the sultry moonlight spreads on the endless grass waves like mercury, like a lover's eyes. Di Qing stared blankly at the crooked and eyebrow-like Yue'er for a long, long time... When footsteps were heard, Di Qing turned his head and looked over. Seeing Han Xiao approaching, he smiled and said, "Why don't you sing, dance and drink with them? The people in us are the ones who are most familiar with the grassland style." Han Xiao doesn't know martial arts, but apart from martial arts, he seems to know nothing.He is familiar with all languages, customs and customs, and knows too many things. Di Qing has always been curious about how Zhong Shiheng could find someone like Han Xiao.Han Xiao himself seems to have too many secrets. But he regarded Han Xiao as a friend and never asked.Sometimes between friends, it is true that you need to listen, but sometimes you have to leave the necessary space for the other party. Han Xiao came over, sat in front of Di Qing, looked up at the sky with his hands folded, and said, "General Di, this time Empress Dowager Xiao asked us to go to their place of autumn bowls. For some reason, I always feel that things are not that simple. Judging from this reception, their hostility is not too obvious, so I can't figure out what this old woman is thinking." Di Qing smiled slightly, "Don't think about it if you don't understand it. You will know when you go. Anyway, we also have people to keep an eye on the eastward direction of the Khitan people, and we haven't found their intention to increase Yanyun's troops. By the way, there is Zhang Meiren's Got a clue?" Han Xiao shook his head, "Beauty Zhang is the daughter of Zhang Yaozuo, and Zhang Yaozuo was born as a Jinshi, and his identity has been innocent for many years. I have already told you these things before leaving Bianjing. If you say that the only thing that is a bit controversial Yes, since the emperor fell in love with Zhang Meiren, Zhang Yaozuo has been promoted a little quickly. But I heard that Bao Zheng has participated in several books on this matter." Di Qing thought to himself, "After much deliberation, I only thought that it might be because of Yuan Hao that this beauty wanted to frame me. But right now, it seems that this may be negligible. But if it wasn't for Yuan Hao, Zhang Beauty deliberately dealt with me. What is it for?" Han Xiao turned his head to look at Di Qing, and suddenly said: "General Di, although Bianjing is prosperous, it is not suitable for you. In fact, it is a good thing for you to avoid disaster in the grassland this time." Di Qing smiled indifferently, "I have been asking for orders to go to the northwest, but the family law of my ancestors stipulates that there are no permanent generals. I am afraid that I will not be able to go to the northwest for a while. I am not here to avoid disaster, but because I feel that since I have the ability to There are things that should be done.” Han Xiao showed respect in his eyes. He knew that Di Qing's words came from his heart. But Di Qing thought in his heart, "What's more, I know Yushang definitely wants me to do this!" Looking up at the stars, Di Qing murmured: "I don't know when I can enter Shazhou? I don't know when the world will be peaceful?" Han Xiao lowered his voice and said: "General Di... our Feng Ming..." Before finishing speaking, Di Qing raised her eyebrows and said in a low voice, "Eh, that's not right." Han Xiao was slightly startled, and turned his head to look at the clan where Fu Bi and the others lived. He saw that the bonfire was still raging there, and the singing was faintly wafting in the wind. He didn't know what was wrong.However, Di Qing ran a few steps quickly, climbed up a high slope again, and leaned on the ground to look into the distance.Seeing this, Han Xiao hurriedly followed, and before he reached the high slope, he heard the sound of horseshoes, as anxious as a drum. In the dark night, two groups of people rushed towards this direction one after the other. The team in front is relatively small, all wearing green clothes, but only a dozen people, while the team in the back has as many as fifty or sixty people, all of them are in black clothes. When Han Xiao saw Lai Qi for the first time, he felt awe-inspiring. He only thought that these people were here to rob the clan, or they were here for the envoys of the Song Dynasty.But he knew something was wrong in an instant, because the team behind gradually approached, and after a whistle, feathered arrows flew over like rain. A war horse hissed sadly, and one of the dozens of men in Tsing Yi in front was shot off the horse.All of Yu were agile, either whipping their horses to avoid the rain of arrows, or swiping their whips to knock down long arrows. All of these people were superb equestrian skills. In the dark night, Di Qing saw that the men in Tsing Yi in front looked tough and anxious, but they all guarded the front man in unison. The man at the front had a dark complexion and his lips were tightly pressed. Although he was young, he didn't show any fear under this kind of arrow rain. Behind the young man, a man with a beard suddenly shouted, and the dozens of horsemen suddenly reined in, bowed and strong.Hearing the sound of "Chi Chi" in mid-air, dozens of arrows have been shot back. Although there were not many feathered arrows, they were as fast as shooting stars. The men in black who were chasing them were caught off guard, and five or six of them had already been shot down.The rest of the crowd shouted, but they didn't back down, they just separated the two teams and outflanked them. Di Qingren was on the hillside, seeing those people were skilled in equestrianism and agile, he thought to himself that most of these people were Khitan people, no wonder the Khitan army had been fighting all these years, Song had nothing to do with them, these people did have their own unique skills.But if the two teams are both Khitan people, why do they fight? The men in black divided into two groups, and they had blocked the way of the men in green.Amidst the shouting and shouting, only the "chi chi" sound of feather arrows was heard, flying across the air, in the dark night, there was an indescribably thrilling feeling. In an instant, more than a dozen people in black had been shot dead, and there were no more than ten people in green. The young man at the head suddenly let out a low cry and fell off his horse.It turned out that an arrow shot out and hit the horse's head of his mount.The arrow was so powerful that the long arrow sank into the horse's head, leaving only clusters of arrows. The man in black cheered loudly, stepped on his horse, and a spear danced, stabbing the young man on the ground. The remaining people in Tsing Yi were shocked and came to protect them one after another.Seeing that the spear was about to stab the young man, one of them rushed forward, hugged the young man, rolled on the ground, and avoided the spear. It was the bearded man who rescued the young man. The sound of "Zuoduo" was endless, the spear pierced the ground, and the cold air was awe-inspiring.The bearded man suddenly got up, hugged the young man and ran towards the hillside.He was nimble in his hands, but after all he was holding one person, and within two steps, he was overtaken by Sanqi. The spears staggered and thrust forward. The man couldn't dodge in time, he threw the young man out while shouting loudly, but the three spears stabbed him and nailed the man on the spot. While the man shouted angrily, before he died, he grabbed the spear, pulled a man off his horse, swung his knife, and hacked the man to death.But the horse's hoof stepped on it, and the man was trampled to death on the spot. There were tears in the young man's eyes, but he kept running. At this moment, there was a sound of "嗤", and an arrow pierced the sky, almost hitting the young man's vest... The man in Tsing Yi shouted, his face was shocked.A brilliance suddenly appeared in the mid-air, the long arrow was about to sink into the young man's body, suddenly it made a "ding" sound, and rushed into the mid-air, and shot to nowhere. Everyone was stunned, two horses galloped forward, unable to hold back the momentum, their spears flickered, and were about to stab the young man's vest.In the dark night, I saw another flash of brilliance, as if the moonlight from the sky was suddenly drawn into the world. The bright moon is in the sky, and the knife is in front of you. Horror suddenly flashed in the eyes of the two people who were wielding the spears, and there were two "chi chi" sounds, and the spears snapped off. Everyone only saw an unforgettable scene in this lifetime, the two men in black stabbed out with spears, then suddenly paused, and the brilliance suddenly shone on the two of them.Immediately afterwards, the two spears broke their arms and heads. Blood spurted out, staining the night sky red.The horse has no owner, and hisses sadly at a loss. But no one went to look at the startled dead man anymore, everyone was looking at a person standing beside the young man.The man suddenly appeared out of the dark night, like a demon, and suddenly drew his sword.Single-handed rampage, just one knife, beheaded two men in black? What kind of sword technique is this, so domineering and fierce, who is this person, so weird and unpredictable? Everyone's heart was pounding, looking at the man standing with a knife... The one who made the knife was Di Qing!