Chapter 7 The first section of the Jinling Arrow Messenger flies to Liyang

On the avenue on the south bank of the Yellow River, a knight in red gallops westward, gradually entering the valley where two mountains stand between. Just when the sun was setting, the dark and long canyon seemed like a drawer opened out of the mountains. This is the world-famous Hangu Dangerous Road.Because its depth is like a long box, people at that time called it Hangu.This Hangu dangerous road is located on the south bank where the Yellow River suddenly turns into an east-west flow. It starts from Xiaoshan Mountain in the east, passes through the peach forest plateau where Kuafu died of thirst every day in the middle, and ends at Tongshui Ferry in the west. Yu Li.On both sides of the canyon, there are peaks and valleys, steep hills and twists and turns, and an avenue winding at the bottom of the valley. It is the only passage from Shandong (east of Xiaoshan) to Guanzhong, known as the natural danger of Hangu.More than a thousand years later, the "Shui Jing Zhu" written by Li Daoyuan of the Northern Wei Dynasty recorded the ancient Hangu Pass in this way: "The bank is deep and the sky is high, the valley is deep and deep, the gorge of the ravine, the car is not square, and it is called Tianxian".Wang Yuan, a famous scholar in the Eastern Han Dynasty, made an ambitious plan for the powerful Western power at that time: "Please use a pill of mud to seal Hangu Pass in the east. If you can't become a king, the disadvantages are enough to dominate." Such a precipitous majestic appearance and fortress functions are enough to show the desolation and precipitousness of Hangu's natural dangers in the Warring States Period.

In the Western Zhou Dynasty, Hangu had nothing to do with it.After King Ping of Zhou moved from Haojing to Luoyang, he confiscated all the Wei and Shuichuan, which was originally the land of the Zhou family king Ji, to the Qin tribe.After Qin became a vassal state, the world entered the turbulent Spring and Autumn Period.In order to prevent the princes of Shandong from invading westward, Qin State built a brick and stone castle at the east entrance of Hangu's natural danger. Following the place name of Hangu, it was called Hangu Pass.I don't want this simple Guancheng to have played a great role in the hundreds of years of fighting against each other. The rumbling chariots of the Shandong princes are always unable to cross this narrow and steep valley.With the hegemony of Qin Mugong and the expansion of Qin State, Hangu Pass became famous all over the world.In the early days of the Warring States Period, the State of Wei took the lead in reforms and became strong, and began to encroach on the poor and weak Qin State for a long time.The light cavalry trained by the famous general Wu Qi showed great power. In more than 20 years, Qin State's more than 500 miles of land on the west bank of the Yellow River was taken by Wei State in one battle.Hangu Pass and Xiaoshan Taolin Highland, which were natural barriers, were lost, and the eastern barriers such as Shimen Fortress and Tongshui Ferry were also occupied by Wei State.If Wu Qi hadn't been forced to leave the state of Wei later, this famous commander who fought seventy-four battles with the princes of the world without a single defeat would not have just oppressed the state of Qin to the west of Mount Hua.

The heavy horn sounded from the top of the city, and the red "Wei" flag was almost completely melted into the sunset. When the red-clothed knight flew to Guanxia, ​​the gate of Hangu Pass was closing rumblingly.That steed's black mount was extremely psychic. With a long hiss, it leaped past the stone gate that was about to close, causing loud applause from the soldiers at the top of the city. "Who is the passer--" the general at the head of the city asked loudly. "Scout from Huashan Camp—" A long answer was thrown behind him, and the knight was already a mile away.

Hangu Pass is the throat of Qin State, but it is an ordinary pass in the territory of Wei State.Therefore, the interrogation at Hangu Pass in the State of Wei was far less rigorous than that at the Hangu Pass in the State of Qin.The defenders at the top of the city saw that the person leaving the customs was in the uniform of a Wei State sergeant, and reported to the scout of the Huashan Camp, so they did not send flying cavalry to chase and interrogate. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the knight's horse is like a red cloud, passing the open field and the surging river westward.Seeing that Huashan in his left hand had fallen far behind him, the knight took off his red cloak and slammed it to the ground, turning into a black-clothed Qin knight.He cursed loudly angrily, and whipped the sitting horse violently!Shen Jun's black horse suddenly stood up, with a long neigh, spread its hooves and galloped into the air, heading west like an arrow.

Gradually going west, a black castle can be seen standing on the pale yellow and green field in the distance.From a distance, the castle looks small.In the afterglow of the setting sun, the silhouette of the castle is like a giant black beast.With the galloping horses of the knights in black, you can gradually see the armored men in black swimming in the arrow tower of the east gate facing the setting sun, and the word "Qin" written in white on the flying black banner. This is Liyang, the capital of Qin State.It is located on the north bank of Li River, a small tributary of Wei River.This small castle is the third capital of Qin Liguo in four hundred years.When the Qin State first established the feudal lords, King Ping of Zhou had already moved east to Luoyang.Haojing and Fengjing in Guanzhong had been reduced to scorched ruins during the Rongdi invasion, and it was impossible to be the capital of Qin.Qin Xianggong, the first monarch of the Qin Kingdom, set up the capital at the mouth of Chencang Mountain near his western base. The small castle was called Xibin.Qin Wengong, the second king of the state, moved the capital to the east for another three hundred miles, and established it in Yongcheng on the north bank of the Weishui River, where it remained stable for more than three hundred years.In the early days of the Warring States period, Qin State was repeatedly attacked by Wei State. Qin Xiangong was so strong that he resolutely moved the capital eastward to the small city of Liyang, which was less than 300 miles away from Wei State Huashan Military Camp, declaring to the world that he would never retreat westward. step!As the capital, this small city of Liyang was actually established as the frontmost military fortress.Although the city is very small, each side is only one mile, and the square is more than four miles square. It is the typical small town that was often said in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods, "a city within three miles, and an outline of five miles".But they are all made of big stone strips, the city walls are more than three feet higher than ordinary city walls, and even the archery tower is built of stone slabs.As the entrance and exit of the city gate, there are two huge and heavy rocks.In other words, there was not a single inch of wood in the entire castle's external defense structure, and ordinary fire attacks did not hurt the castle at all.But what makes people even more impressed is that the walls and watchtowers of this castle are all thickly painted with black mountain lacquer, which is black and smooth.This precipitous castle towering high on the bank of the Lishui River was closely guarded because it was close to the Huashan Camp of Wei State.In this twilight, the horns of the horns were already blowing from the high city, and the sparse pedestrians outside the city gate had already quickened their pace.After the trumpets sound three times, the city gate of Liyang will be rumbled shut.

The fast horse approached, but the black-clothed knight did not slow down, but stretched out his hand and took out a two-foot-long gold arrow in his bosom, holding it high.Even though it was evening, the grown Jin Lingjian still drew a shining arc on the horse. "The Jinling Arrow Messenger has arrived, passers-by get out of the way!" The city gate general raised his sword and shouted, two rows of soldiers stood still, and pedestrians inside and outside the city gate "wowed" and dodged beside the road. The black knight held high the golden arrow and galloped into the city.

In Liyang City, the street market is desolate and desolate.Compared with the bustling and beautiful night market in Daliang City, this place is simply a desolate and remote mountain village.The lights of the shops are scattered, and the pedestrians on the street are sparse.Under the faintly flickering lights, it can be seen that the people in the city are dressed in simple clothes, and sometimes there are firewood-carriers walking slowly through the street.On this short street leading directly to the Qin State Mansion, there is neither even a simple ox-drawn cart, nor a single luxuriously dressed person.The people in front of the shop were conducting simple transactions, or clearing money and goods, or exchanging goods, all in silence, without any disputes over bargaining.The short streets of the small town are quiet and orderly, everything is quiet, but there is no panic at all.All of these silently indicated that this small castle has experienced countless turbulent waves, and it no longer knows what fear is.When the proficient Jin Lingjian messenger galloped through the street, the horse did not neigh and no one made a sound, and no city dweller shouted loudly.

In an instant, the black-clothed horse approached a tall and simple blue-brick bungalow at the end of the short street. The brick house was surrounded by a high stone wall, with only a gray roof ridge leaking out.The gate in the middle is hewn from a whole huge stone, rough and solid.Two rows of black-clad soldiers stood in front of the gate in awe.The envoy of Jin Lingjian suddenly reined in his horse, and the horse stood upright, with its head raised and neighing.The general with the sword in front of the stone gate cupped his hands and said loudly: "There is an order from the emperor, the messenger of the golden order does not need to report, and goes straight to the political affairs hall."

The man in black jumped off the horse, handed over the reins to the general, and strode straight into the stone gate in a hurry.Unexpectedly, after a few steps, he staggered and fell to the ground, unable to get up. He shook his hand hoarsely: "Quick, help me, Zhengshitang." The four guards rushed up immediately, lifted the envoy and walked quickly into the Guofu Palace. It is said to be the Guofu Palace, but it is actually a nine-bay six-entry mansion, plus a backyard garden.If it were placed in Wei State, it would at best be the standard of a Chinese doctor's residence.In Qi State, it is no more than Shangqing's standard.The houses in the mansion are all made of extra-large square bricks, and the ground is made of bluestone slabs of the same color. There is no water, no flowers and plants. The only green is a small bamboo forest and a few pine trees behind the Zhengshitang.Simple and cold.The first entry is the clerical institutions of the national government, and the second entry is the central political affairs hall of the national government.The Zhengshitang is a six-room high-rise brick building, located in the center of the courtyard, with moon gates leading to the back on both sides.The political affairs hall itself is divided into two parts. The east side is the main hall where the monarch gathers ministers to discuss major affairs, and the west side is the study room where the monarch handles daily government affairs.In terms of practical function, the study on the west side is the soul and center of the government.

At this moment, the lights in the west study room have been turned on.This is a study room with neat and simple furnishings. There is no red carpet on the floor, and there are no luxurious items such as gauze curtains and curtains around.The most conspicuous are the three rows of bookshelves, full of bamboo slips and parchments, surrounding three walls.A huge map of various countries is hung on the wall facing the middle desk. The sheepskin on which the map is drawn has lost its whiteness and smoothness, and its dirtiness shows its age.There are long swords and bows hanging on both sides of the map.All the bookshelves of several cases are almost black and dark purple, which makes the Zhengshitang look mighty and mysterious.There is only one thick butter lamp in the room, which is not very bright, and the oily smoke from the windshield is still faintly visible.A man stood in front of the map, thinking motionless.Seen from the back, he was tall and straight, with no decorations on his black robe, and his hair was tied up with a black cloth.After contemplating it for a moment, he let out a long sigh, and punched the big sheepskin map with a heavy worry and anger.

A white-haired old servant stood guard at the gate of the Political Affairs Hall, expressionless and silent. The sound of hurried and heavy footsteps came from the courtyard.The white-haired old servant was alert and immediately walked down the steps lightly.Four sergeants hurried over with the envoy in black and placed them in front of the old servant.The emissary in black raised the golden arrow in his hand to the old servant with difficulty.The old servant immediately announced loudly: "The envoy of Jinling Arrow is here—!" With a sound of "Boom!", something seemed to be knocked down in the study, and there was a rush of footsteps, and the owner of the study came out quickly.In the dim light from the window, it can be seen that he is a honest-looking young man, with very slender and long eyes, thick lips, the corners of the mouth are hidden into the cheeks very deeply, revealing fortitude, heroism and calmness in the thick.He is none other than the owner of the study, Qin Guoxin's new king Ying Quliang, later known as Qin Xiaogong.He hurriedly came to the black-clothed messenger, squatted down to take a look, and without saying a word, he reached out to support the black-clothed messenger to carry him in. The old servant stopped him with his arms folded, "Your Majesty, I'm coming." As he spoke, he stretched out his hands and inserted them under the man in black, picked up the man in black, walked briskly up the steps and into the study.Qin Xiaogong hurriedly said to the four sergeants: "You go." When the sergeants bowed to their orders, he had strode into the study. The emissary in black was laid flat on the wooden couch in the study room, his face was covered with dust, he was dripping with sweat, and his chest heaved rapidly.Seeing Qin Xiaogong coming in, he struggled to get up quickly, "Your Majesty, it's a big deal, no, it's not good." Qin Xiaogong shook his hand, "Don't open your mouth yet." He turned around and ordered, "Uncle Hei, warm up the wine, hurry up!" , the old servant had already brought a brass basin of slightly steaming rice wine from outside the door.Qin Xiaogong took it and held it in front of the man in black.Tears welled up from the man in black, he grabbed the copper basin and drank it dry in one gulp.Qin Xiaogong took the copper basin and handed it to the old servant, then turned around and held the hands of the man in black, "Jing Jian, thank you for your hard work." A pot of hot wine made Jing Jian, the envoy of the Jinling Arrow, look ruddy, and sweat and tears flowed down his face.He lifted the corner of his clothes and was about to wipe it off, but Qin Xiaogong had already handed over a white cloth sweat towel.Jing Jian took it and wiped away the sweat and tears on his face, and he was refreshed immediately, but he was a handsome and handsome young man. If he didn't have the dark complexion that had been through the world, he would be regarded as a handsome and handsome man.He struggled to stand up and bowed deeply, "Your Majesty treats his ministers so well, how can Jing Jian repay him?" Qin Xiaogong laughed heartily, "How can Ying Quliang repay you for laying down your life for the country? The old Qin people don't lie, come and tell me the good news you brought back." Jing Jian was originally driven back full of panic and fear.He instinctively felt that Qin State had reached a real critical moment of life and death.From Fengze to Liyang for more than 2,000 miles, he only ate a few pieces of dry beef in the interval between feeding the horses three times in two days and two nights.The rough saddle had rubbed red flesh on the inside of his thigh, and the pain caused him to grit his teeth and inhale all the way.That rare horse from the Western Regions usually doesn't use a whip at all.But this time, his body was covered in bloodstains. Jing Jian was so sad that he kept cursing himself, but he still couldn't help but lashed out at the horse.He has only one wish, to fly to Liyang as soon as possible!But when he saw a monarch who was as young as him, Qin Xiaogong's extraordinary concentration surprised him deeply.Jing Jian, like most of Qin's courtiers, knew little about this monarch who had just ascended the throne for more than half a year.When he was young, Jing Jian had fought with the young master at that time for several years on the battlefield, and the two young knights had a close friendship.Some people ridiculed that if Ying Quliang became the monarch, Jing Jian must be the monarch's "jester".However, the war in Qin State was turbulent for years. Jing Jian moved to the western battlefield with his father early on, but Ying Quliang stayed in the east to fight against Wei State.It was only on the eve of the Battle of Shaoliang last year that he was ordered to transfer eastward and became a former deputy general of the army.Ten years have passed in a blink of an eye, and there is almost no chance for the two to meet each other.At the turbulent moment when the new king came to the throne years ago, Jing Jian was ordered by Yingqian to lead four thousand cavalry to hide and station outside the city of Yueyang for emergency response.Although it was not used because the situation was not chaotic, the loyalty of the former lieutenant general is well known.A month ago, it was rumored that the six nations would meet in Fengze for an alliance, and the new king, Ying Quliang, actually appointed the general directly, and sent Jing Jian as the envoy of Jin Lingjian to go to the Wei State for secret activities to inquire about the news.Jing Jian felt that the monarch must have smelled the abnormal smell of the Six Nations Alliance.Because in the history of the Qin State, there was no very special and important mission, and the Golden Order Arrow was never used.Anyone who holds the Golden Command Arrow can not only travel unimpeded in Qin State, but also can order Qin people to do anything they need when they meet Qin people in foreign countries.It is the first time for Xinjun to use the golden arrow, which shows his vigilance and attention to the alliance of the Six Nations, and his trust in his young friend.However, when the new king saw himself rushing back in a hurry, he actually stopped his struggle and reported, and cared for his pommel horse, Lao Dun, with unusual care and sincerity.As a child of an aristocratic family, Jing Jian has met countless princes and nobles since he was a child, and that domineering posture is almost a chronic disease that almost all nobles cannot overcome.But this young monarch is so simple and serious, there is not a single bit of exaggeration in his behavior and speech.For a moment, Jing Jian remembered an old saying, "Fortitude and dullness can become great tools". Although moved, Jing Jian was still in a hurry, took a breath and said in a heavy and hurried way: "Your Majesty, the Six Kingdoms of Shandong will form an alliance in Fengze. The leader of the alliance is King Wei Hui, and the leader of the alliance is that the Six Kingdoms will rule the world. More importantly, the Six Kingdoms have signed an alliance. The three covenants, first, the six countries will not use each other's troops. Second, delineate the circle of influence to annex the small princes. Third, the six countries will divide Qin, destroy Qin together, and then transfer the land to the Qi country for 200 miles." Qin Xiaogong stood opposite Jing Jian, his face became more and more gloomy.After Jing Jian finished speaking, he didn't speak or move for a long time, his eyes just stared at the dark night outside the window lattice. "Your Majesty?" Jing Jian was a little panicked and called out softly. Qin Xiaogong paced silently, turned to the bookshelf and suddenly asked: "How are they planning to divide Qin? Is there any unexpected plan?" "I bought a commander who guarded Fengze Xingyuan, and disguised himself as his entourage to patrol and guard outside the general account of King Wei Hui. But during the alliance ceremony, the commander was sent to the hunting ground to prepare for hunting affairs, and the minister also We had to go together. Because of the detailed planning of the alliance, I couldn't find out about it in a hurry. The next day after the alliance, I pretended to surround wild deer, escaped from the hunting ground, and ran back in the starry night." There was deep guilt in Jing Jian's words blame yourself. "It's irrelevant to the overall situation. Think of a way and continue to inquire." Qin Xiaogong's tone was very flat. Jing Jian cupped his hands and said: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will go to Daliang immediately!" "No need, you stay in Liyang, and you just send another operator for the inquirer." Jing Jian seemed to want to ask for orders again, but finally said "obey orders". Qin Xiaogong was still pacing, almost stopping every step, stopping more than walking.Standing in the hall, Jing Jian didn't know what to do for a moment.Seeing the heavy steps of the young monarch, he really felt the pressure in the monarch's heart.In the face of catastrophe, any panic may be normal.If the new monarch in front of him is crying or at a loss, Jing Jian knows how to comfort him, will tell him about the dangers that Qin has survived many times, and will give him various ideas that he has thought about on the way.But the young monarch in front of him never panicked even for a moment from the very beginning.This kind of concentration, this kind of calmness, made Jing Jian feel at a loss. He didn't know what to say or do, and he didn't even know whether he should tell his countermeasures. "Jingjian," Qin Xiaogong finally turned his head, calm as usual, "you go back and have a good sleep first. I have to calm down and think about it. Tomorrow morning, you will also participate in the political affairs hall meeting. I will wait for the monarch and ministers to discuss together. Solution. How?" "Take care, Your Majesty, I obey your orders." Jing Jian's voice trembled with excitement.