Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Resurrection

Going out of Gaoque, crossing the Yin Mountains, and reaching Guanglusai, this was the last pass for the Han Dynasty to enter the grassland.Tomorrow, we will officially enter the Xiongnu area.A group of people lived in a barrier city and prepared enough food and water.Although they didn't walk fast, they were still a little tired after traveling for days, so everyone fell asleep early. The surroundings are gray, I can't hear anything, I can't see anything. There was only an invisible pressure, squeezing from all directions, making him suffocate. He struggled desperately, but like a bug caught in a spider's web, his body was entangled with one after another of invisible spider threads, and he couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried, instead, he tightened and tightened...

"what!" He cried out in pain, waking up from the nightmare. Outside the window, there is moonlight as cool as water. that dream... He frowned and thought hard. It's a little strange, that feeling...he seems to have experienced it a long time ago. hell!how is this possible? The young man died because of this stone mirror, and Wei Lu turned to the enemy because of this stone mirror... Maybe it is really ominous for a monster... He stared blankly at the roof of the guest house. Before touching the stone mirror, he started to be affected by the demon law? He shook his head with a smile, lay down, turned over and continued to sleep.

After crossing the vast desert, he finally came to Shan Yuting. Although he had imagined it countless times, before actually arriving, Su Wu never imagined that this land would look like this: A piece of thick green spreads out, extending to the horizon, like a huge fluffy green carpet, and on this green carpet, there are scattered many wild flowers, red, yellow, blue, white and purple, colorful, the wind blows , The flowers and plants slowly undulate with the wind, rustling, and it is so beautiful. An extremely wide sky-blue river meanders on the grassland, like a blue ribbon dotted on the green carpet, and several herds of cattle and sheep are scattered leisurely by the river to drink water and graze.

By the river's edge, there are more than a hundred domed huts, large and small. Some shepherds shuttled between the tents, talking and laughing, and walking with ease. Running from tent to tent, laughing and having fun.That kind of scene is so refreshing that one can forget all the troubles in the world for a while. Among them, the tallest golden-roofed tent, shining in the sun, is extraordinarily magnificent. Zhang Sheng pointed to the golden tent and said, "Look, my lord, that should be Shan Yu's golden tent." Su Wu looked at the vast and beautiful grassland in front of him, and murmured: "What are these barbarians thinking? Letting such a good life go, but insisting on invading the Central Plains again and again, so that everyone will never have a peaceful day. What are you drawing?"

And Hou Danyu is a middle-aged man with a bushy beard, tall and tall, with long hair hanging loose, two braids on each side hanging down to his ears, a golden crown inlaid with rubies on his head, and a dark purple suit. The brocade gown, with a golden rhinoceros around the waist, has a dignified appearance, not the weird barbarian king as imagined.It's just that on the face of this Chanyu now, there is no trace of the sincerity and fear of "the emperor of Han, my father-in-law will do it" in the foreign book, on the contrary, the expression is very arrogant.Regarding the generous gift from the Han Dynasty this time, I just glanced at the gift list and nodded slightly, but there was not even a word "thank you".

Su Wu couldn't help feeling slightly worried.Perhaps during this time, Shan Yu had already consolidated his position, so he didn't bother to play the role of that obedient and humble junior anymore. If this is the case, whether it is restarting the peace talks or finding the stone mirror whose authenticity is unknown, I am afraid it will be more difficult than expected. In the evening, Shan Yu hosted a banquet in honor of the Han envoys as usual.The banquet was held on the grassland, and there were more than two hundred people in the crowd.Judging from the color of their clothes, they are obviously the nobles of the Huns.

Bonfires, kumiss, roast beef and mutton, the aroma of food mixed with the aroma of mugwort that was lit to drive away mosquitoes, and there were various singing, dancing and wrestling performances during the banquet, which made people dazzled and overwhelmed. But Su Wu's mood never got better.He noticed that Shan Yu's attitude was always very cold. And Hou Shanyu was wearing casual clothes, sitting lazily on a leather cushion painted with patterns of tigers, leopards and bears, staring at the performance in the field, and carelessly fiddled with the knife in his cheese bowl with one finger.When talking to him, the answers are always one-on-one, and the attitude is perfunctory at a glance.

Su Wu looked at the Xiongnu nobles present. Who will be the traitor who stole the stone mirror?In his opinion, these two hundred or so barbarians, who were eating meat and eating meat, all looked similar, and none of them could be identified as Central Plains people at a glance. He remembered that the emperor said that Zhang Sheng knew Wei Lu, and turned his head to look at Zhang Sheng.It was discovered that Zhang Sheng was also observing the participants.Suddenly, Zhang Sheng's eyes stopped on a seat far away from him.Su Wu followed his gaze and saw a group of barbarians sitting around listening to a man talking, bursting into laughter from time to time.

Who is that person?What did Zhang Sheng see? But the group of people carried the bonfire on their backs, and they couldn't see their faces clearly. At this moment, Shan Yu, who was sitting on the upper hand, muttered something, like talking to himself, but the voice was enough for everyone in the mission to hear.Zhang Sheng's gaze jumped, and he immediately turned away from the group of people and turned to Shan Yu.I saw Shanyu shaking the wine glass in his hand, and repeated that sentence to a Hun who looked like he was in charge. Su Wu whispered: "What did he say?" Zhang Shengdao: "He said: 'The rice cakes we brewed in the beginning of the year seem to be gone soon, right?'"

Su Wudao: "What is he talking about?" Before Zhang Sheng could answer, Shan Yu glanced at the Han people and said a few more words, this time with a much louder voice. Zhang Sheng's expression turned ugly, and he said, "He said: 'The best things from the Han Dynasty are two: one is wine and the other is women. But we will not make these two things by ourselves. Now there are no princesses and relatives. , and there is no gift of wine and glutinous rice, I really don’t know where the sincerity of the Han Dynasty lies.'” Su Wu couldn't bear it and said: "It's too much! Could it be that the Han Dynasty asked them to negotiate a peace? As for good wine, it should be dedicated to the elders by the son-in-law. When talking about peace, Uwe Chanyu Xu used the crown prince's entry into Han as a hostage in order to seek a peace relationship. Failed to fulfill the contract. Where is their sincerity? Deputy Envoy Zhang, tell him directly!"

Zhang Sheng hesitated for a moment, probably considering whether to translate directly, when suddenly someone sneered and said something in nonsense.As soon as those words were uttered, all the noisy Hu people immediately fell silent, and all looked towards where the sound came from. Su Wu also followed the prestige, and the voice came from the group of Hu people who were sitting around talking and laughing just now. At this time, the Hu people had separated, and there was only a Hu man sitting in the middle, with a tall and thin figure and wearing an eagle hat on his head. It is shaped like a golden crown, its face is sunken in the shadows and it cannot be seen clearly. Only one hand is placed in the light, and it is playing with a gemstone dagger for cutting beef and mutton. On the thumb of the right hand is wearing a delicate jade. With a slender shape, one can tell at a glance that it is the kind of hand that can hold both a pen and a knife. Su Wu asked Zhang Sheng in a low voice, "What did he say?" "I said," without waiting for Zhang Sheng to translate, the man suddenly switched to fluent Chinese, "In terms of reason, the country that sacrifices women should know something interesting. Don't be stingy about this kind of thing, or you will miss the important thing Yes." When he said this, the man was still playing with the gem dagger in his hand, and as the dagger turned, the gems on the dagger flickered under the reflection of the fire. "What?" Su Wu only felt a buzzing in his head, and stood up abruptly. Zhang Sheng gently tugged at his sleeve, and whispered: "My lord, calm down." Su Wu glared at the face in the shadows, tried to restrain himself for a while, and then slowly let go of his clenched hands, and said, "Dare to ask if what you said represents your country's Shanyu?" The Hu man wearing the eagle crown sneered, turned to Qie Dan Hou Shanyu, and asked something in Hu language. Shan Yu nodded and answered a word. Su Wu looked at Zhang Sheng, but saw Zhang Sheng's whole body trembling. After a while, he said, "Shan Yu said: 'Everything that King Ding Ling said can represent me.'" What? Ding Lingwang? ! Health law? ! That traitor who fled from the mirror at night and burned Bailiang? The eagle-crowned barbarian lazily stood up, and his face entered the light. Su Wu finally saw clearly for the first time the culprit who caused this great disturbance. This is a man in his forties with slightly gray sideburns. He has a wide forehead and a straight nose. Under the slightly raised eyebrows are a pair of sharp eyes like a hawk. He has high cheekbones, a strong chin, and a bushy mustache. He had a beard, and there was a long scar on his left cheek that was left at an unknown time, which was not considered disfiguring, but on the contrary, it added a bit of toughness and perseverance to this face. Su Wu glanced at Zhang Sheng with a questioning look, Zhang Sheng nodded slightly, and said in a low voice, "It's him." Su Wu took a deep breath unexpectedly. In his imagination, a traitor who steals from a mouse and steals from the country and seeks glory should always have a cowardly and gloomy face.And the person in front of him, facing the envoy from the motherland, not only did he not have the slightest sign of a guilty conscience in his eyes, but was full of hostility and provocation on the contrary. Su Wu's heart tightened, and he faintly felt that this person in front of him was not so easy to deal with. "It turned out to be Wei Qilang," Su Wuqiang suppressed the disgust in his heart, and said coldly, "Congratulations to Gao Sheng." "Don't dare, the Imperial Envoy is also happy." Wei Lu casually played with the dagger in his hand, raised his eyelids, gave Su Wu a sideways look, and said in an extremely mean voice, "I heard that the Lord was raised in Shanglin Garden." Horses, right? Now, under the orders of the imperial court, to be conscientious, and to go on missions to foreign lands, it’s really glorious." Su Wu smiled lightly, and said: "Although Wu is not talented, he still knows loyalty. Unlike some people from the Qin Dynasty to the late Chu Dynasty, who were vegetarians and court salaries, but once they betrayed, they would spare no effort to attack the homeland than the enemy. I don't know what the plan is. Do you want to show it to your new master?" "On the contrary," Wei Lv said calmly, calmly, "What I'm saying is just for the sake of the emperor and his ministers, to remind the old master, so as not to do things that do not conform to his status and make people laugh at the foreign land." Su Wu was taken aback for a moment, not knowing why. Wei Lu walked up to Shan Yu, picked up the gift list, and read: "'One hundred bolts of brocade silk and silk, three hundred catties of wadding, and eight hundred hu of rice. Will taking it out hurt His Majesty's face?" Su Wu said angrily: "King Ding Ling, please explain clearly, what do you mean by this?" Wei Lv said: "You are now the official residence of Zhonglang General, right?" Su Wudao: "What's wrong?" Wei Lu nodded, and said: "Well, it's nothing. If I remember correctly, General Zhonglang has a rank of two thousand stones and an annual salary of one thousand two hundred. Just trying to send his brother away with just 800 hu grains? His brother is not even as good as an envoy?" Su Wu was choked by his sophistry for a moment, and at this moment, Zhang Sheng suddenly said, "If I remember correctly, Da Shanyu himself said, 'My son, dare to look at the emperor of Han' .Brother? I'm afraid Ding Lingwang has misunderstood his seniority." There was a bang, and Dan Hou Shanyu sat down heavily on the wine table with the golden cup in his hand, stood up and walked towards the Qionglu with a flick of his sleeves. Su Wu was stunned, and then realized that he also knew Chinese.Previously, when he talked with the members of the mission, he always had a blank expression on his face. After the interpreter finished, he would answer a sentence or two indifferently. It turned out that he was deliberately putting on airs. "This is Deputy Envoy Zhang, right?" Wei Lu turned to Zhang Sheng and said slowly, "I heard that Mr. Zhang is proficient in nonsense, so he must also know that in this place, youth, strength and courage are respected, not Seniority. The so-called noble and healthy, inferior to the old and weak; the strong eat fat, the old eat the rest. No one will buy it if you are proud of your seniority. In addition, you have to understand one thing, we are Shanyu marrying your princess, right? Because Shan Yu likes to be the son-in-law of the Han family, but because the royal family of your country only has women of this generation. If the queen mother of your country is young and beautiful, I will also be interested. Our great Mao Dun Shan Yu was back then Didn't you propose marriage to the Empress Dowager Lu of your country? Our country doesn't care about the widow's remarriage, but it's a pity that Empress Lu is old and frail, with gray teeth and fallen teeth. I know I'm not a spouse, so I have to thank you politely, otherwise it would be a good match Marriage. Ha..." Su Wu said angrily: "Shut up! Wei Lu, you, you are shameless! Do you think you are worthy of your ancestors when you say such words?!" "Ancestors?" Wei Lu tilted his head and looked at Su Wu, and said, "Hehe, this is the most interesting thing I've heard recently. Isn't this the son of Pingling Hou Sujian? I thought you knew it very well." Su Wu was taken aback for a moment, but he was a little puzzled for a while, and said, "What do you know?" Wei Lu sighed, and said: "My father was a Hu, my grandfather was a Hu, and my great-grandfather was also a Hu. When your father was the captain of Changshui, I was one of his 'Changshui Huqi'. My lord Think, how should I speak to be worthy of my ancestors?" Barbarians? He is a barbarian? ! This traitor who was denounced by the whole country was originally a barbarian? ! Wei Lu squinted at Su Wu, his eyes filled with mockery: "Why, no one told you? Well, now you know, so don't put on such an upright face in the future. Remember, I have always been I have never betrayed, I just returned to my real mother country. If I must say betrayal, I can only say that the period when I served the Han Dynasty was betrayal!" "Anyway," Su Wu adjusted his confused thoughts, and said, "You have also been paid by the imperial court, why did the Han lose to you? But..." "How did the Han lose to me?" Wei Lu suddenly stabbed the gemstone dagger in his hand into a roast lamb, and slowly glanced around at the envoys, with a deep chill in his eyes. "Master Imperial Envoy, how do you know?" Wei Lu's voice was so cold that every word came out of an ice cave, "That imperial court did not betray me?!"
After returning from the banquet, Su Wu vomited. Just now those Xiongnu nobles took turns toasting him, Wei Lu has been sitting there squinting, with a malicious smile in his eyes.He clearly knew that these people were instructed by Wei Lu to get him drunk and watch his jokes on purpose, but Zhang Sheng once told him that the custom here is to drink up to the limit, otherwise it will be regarded as an insult to the toaster, so , he could only drink one cup after another. Originally, he could drink well, but he had never experienced this kind of battle against a hundred. After drinking, he felt his tongue was numb, and every pore in his body exuded a strong alcohol smell. Lying on the felt blanket, my mouth felt bitter, my empty stomach was more uncomfortable than before, and my mind was still dizzy.Looking at the mutton oil lamp with dim light hanging in the tent, in the confusion of his mind, somehow, he remembered something - that Wei Lu himself didn't come up to take advantage of the fire! By the way, that traitor didn't drink a drop of wine from the beginning to the end today! He can't drink?Or... is there poison in the wine? ...Hey, where are you thinking! I can't think anymore, I'm dizzy... go to sleep...
...The surrounding area was gray, and an invisible pressure gradually enveloped him... Why are you here again? ! What kind of nightmare is this? This is where? ! The all-pervasive pressure squeezed him like a worm trapped in a cocoon. It's so boring! No, he needs to take a breath! He struggled desperately to create a gap for breathing... It's useless, I can't move my hands and feet for some reason, and the strength is still increasing relentlessly, bit by bit, getting bigger... He can't breathe! He's suffocating... "Ah, no!" he exclaimed in pain. "My lord, wake up! My lord, what's the matter with you? Wake up!" Su Wu opened his eyes, and Zhang Sheng's anxious face appeared in front of him. "My lord, what's the matter?" Zhang Sheng said, "Have you been haunted?" Su Wu let out a long breath, and nodded wearily: "It seems to be." Although he woke up, he was still very flustered.The huge pressure in the dream just now was so real and powerful.I don't know if Zhang Sheng came later, would he really be strangled to death by the power in the dream? Zhang Sheng noticed that Su Wu's expression was a little strange, and said, "What's the matter, my lord?" "Just now, it seems..." Su Wudao, "something is wrong." Zhang Sheng said: "Oh? What's the matter?" Su Wudao: "That dream... I don't know why, I always have the same strange dream during this period of time." Zhang Sheng thoughtfully said: "When did it first start?" Su Wu thought for a while and said, "Probably the day we stayed in Guanglusai." Zhang Sheng nodded, and said: "It's because of the unacceptable environment. After leaving the Yin Mountain, you will find the water and soil in Hudi. It's the first time for you to go out of the fortress, and you may not be used to it. The weather is fine today, let's go for a walk, my lord. There is a seat in Shan Yuting. Holy Mountain, I heard that the scenery is beautiful." The "holy mountain" Zhang Sheng mentioned is the highest place in the Shanyuting area. Standing on the top of the mountain, the breeze blows gently, carrying the fragrance of flowers and plants on the grassland, which makes people feel refreshed. There is a rock wall on the top of the mountain with a petroglyph engraved on it. Zhang Sheng stood in front of the petroglyph and looked at it thoughtfully. "Deputy Envoy Zhang," Su Wu walked over and took a look, "What's so interesting about that?" The petroglyphs were crude and naive, depicting a woman pointing at a dog, with some livestock such as cattle and sheep beside it.The strokes are blurry, and it is obvious that it has been aged for a long time. Along the way, starting from Yinshan Mountain, they often saw this kind of thing. The local people said that it was left by the practice of ancient wizards.These Hu people are vulgar and illiterate, no matter how they do painting and sculpture, they are far worse than those in the Central Plains, let alone a remnant of the ancient ignorance. "Unexpectedly, the original source is here!" Zhang Sheng exclaimed. Su Wudao: "What came from here?" Zhang Shengdao: "The legend about 'Qu Rong'." Dog Rong?Su Wu was startled.The imperial court has often mentioned this word in the edicts declaring war in the past two years. He never took it seriously when he heard it. Zhang Sheng explained: "It is said that during the time of the ancient Emperor Gao Xin, a woman in the harem suffered from an ear disease. She took out an object the size of a silkworm cocoon from her ear, turned it into a god dog, took away the princess, and gave birth to children. The ancestors of the barbarian tribes. Therefore, the Xiongnu were called 'dog Rong' in ancient times." Gossin?God Dog?It's really neither fish nor fowl.Su Wu thought it was a little funny, and said: "What do the barbarians know about the ancient emperors of the Central Plains? If we follow this statement, wouldn't the Hu Han belong to the same family? Why are you fighting for so many years?" Zhang Sheng shook his head and said: "In the past, no one really took it seriously. In the past two years, the imperial court has greatly promoted the style of respecting Confucianism. Some old Confucianists have dug up old scriptures from nowhere. It is verified that the Xiongnu is indeed related to an ancient emperor of the Central Plains, but it is a long time ago. , the explanations are confusing. Some say it is the Gaoxin family, some say it is the Xiahou family, and they have a nose and an eye." "What?" Su Wu was shocked by this shocking argument, and said, "The Huns are...the queens of the ancient emperors of the Central Plains?" Zhang Sheng looked at the rock painting intently for a while, and said: "Looking at this rock painting, that statement seems to be quite reasonable. Please look, my lord, the woman in the painting is pointing at the dog with one hand and holding a round object in the other. Isn't it just a legend?" Is it the woman who took out the silkworm cocoon from her ear? This dog is not only painted on the top, but also has a circle of diverging rays of light drawn around it, which should symbolize its holiness. The animals in the lower part of the picture are all drawn with horizontal lines , that means offering sacrifices to the gods after being slaughtered. By the way, this mountain is called a holy mountain, perhaps because the painting is about their origin legend." Su Wu frowned, and said: "If you cling to the ancient emperor of the Central Plains, don't you have to admit that you are the descendant of a dog? Isn't it unpleasant?" Zhang Sheng curled his lips in disdain and said, "Barbarians are stupid and ignorant. If your father dies and you marry your stepmother, if your elder brother dies and you marry your sister-in-law, what beastly things can't you do?" "Ha!" A sneer suddenly came from behind them. Startled, the two turned their heads abruptly. I saw Wei Lu standing more than a dozen steps behind them, his face was full of sarcasm, and he applauded unhurriedly: "Wonderful! Two fools can talk nonsense, and they can talk with great interest, too much!" Interesting! Not bad, go ahead." Su Wu said angrily: "Wei Lu! You..." Zhang Sheng said sarcastically: "One step is an official, and one minister serves two masters. Naturally, he is well-informed and knowledgeable, far superior to us. If there is anything wrong with what we just said, I dare to ask you to advise me." "I don't dare to teach you." Wei Lu waved his hand and walked over slowly, "Master Zhang is proficient in barbarian affairs and has a lot of knowledge. How can we "foolish and ignorant" barbarians be able to stand up to him? But, a wise man If you think about it, there is bound to be a mistake. The two adults have been researching for a long time, and it seems that they don’t even understand what the painting is - take a good look, is that a dog?!" Isn't that a dog?The two didn't know why, so they turned their heads and looked at the rock wall carefully.What is not a dog? Wei Lu said slowly: "A dog's tail is upturned, and a wolf's tail is drooping. The 'dog' you are talking about has erect ears and a drooping tail. It is obviously a wolf. I can't tell the difference between a wolf and a dog, and I still use this as evidence. Here Make a big fuss, haha, is there anything more ridiculous than this in the world?" Zhang Sheng couldn't help being surprised, the rock paintings were really as Wei Lu said.There is not much difference between wolves and dogs, and people usually only pay attention to the difference in their coat color and howling. However, this petroglyph was carved on the rock wall with sharp tools, and it was not dyed, and the painting did not make any sound. The preconceived theory of "dog Rong" naturally treats it as a dog. Wei Lu smiled triumphantly, and said leisurely: "Actually, as long as you read a few more books, the truth is not difficult to discover. Although the historians of the Central Plains are biased, they always leave some clues. "Mandarin" contains: "Mu The son of heaven Xishou Quanrong, won his five kings, and returned with four white wolves and four white deer.' Doesn't it mean that he conquered two tribes that worshiped wolves and deer? The Xiongnu respected wolves, and Donghu raised deer. Most of them, more than a hundred small ones, worship wolves and deer as gods everywhere. This is something that all the children on the grassland know, but the adults and gentlemen in the Central Plains don’t bother to understand it. , and spread rumors, and even made a joke about the 'dog army', it's really shallow and ridiculous!" Su Wudao: "So what if it's a wolf? Is it glorious after being a beast?" Wei Lu turned around abruptly and looked at him, a flame of anger flashed in his eyes, but the flame was fleeting and then turned into contempt. "Be careful what you say, Mr. Imperial Envoy." Wei Lu narrowed his eyes and slowly shook a finger at Su Wu, "You are not qualified to judge a nation you don't understand at all. Do you know what kind of wolf that is? You Do you know why Shanyu is called 'Shangli Gutu Shanyu'? This ethnic group is far older and nobler than any ethnic group you know, but you don't know that!" After speaking, he glanced coldly at the two With one glance, he turned and walked away. Su Wu stared blankly at the back of the hufu with a bun, feeling confused for a while. What kind of person is he? Wei Lu is the person who has come to Shiqu Pavilion the most times... Will he not understand ancient Chinese? !He has learned from my teacher Kong Anguo... He draws inferences from one instance, comprehends by analogy, is a rare genius... "My lord," Zhang Sheng said strangely, "What's wrong? What are you thinking?" "No, it's nothing." He came back to his senses, shook his head and said, "What did he mean by 'supporting the plow' just now?" Zhang Shengdao: "That's Shan Yu's traditional title. In Hu dialect, 'Chengli' means heaven, and 'Gutu' means son." Time passed day by day, and there was not much progress in the peace talks. Shan Yu's attitude was always lukewarm and unpredictable, as if deliberately delaying.Later, he simply took a group of relatives and nobles to go hunting, and left the Han envoys in Shan Yuting. Su Wu was not familiar with the situation here, nor could he understand the language here, so he was helpless.I wanted to discuss with Zhang Sheng, but Zhang Sheng also began to become erratic, going out often, I don't know what he was busy with.
There is grayness everywhere, pressure, invisible pressure everywhere... It's coming again, why is it coming again? Why do I keep repeating this dream? What kind of power is that? from where? What exactly does it want to do to itself? It was as if his chest was being pressed down by an extremely heavy boulder, and he couldn't breathe.Ah, no, not only the chest, but the whole body was covered by the huge pressure, I couldn't even move a finger, and my eyes, ears, mouth and nose were tightly covered. He couldn't breathe, not even a little.He struggled desperately, hoping to gain some looseness, to breathe even a small breath of air.But it was useless, he seemed to be tightly bound by something from head to toe, as if he was trapped in a cocoon, and the terrible thing was that the cocoon was still shrinking...shrinking... He's going to suffocate, he's going to die, he's going to be smothered to death! He will die in this nightmare and never wake up again! No, it can't be like this.He wants to live!He wants to break free from the pressure that binds him! But he really couldn't breathe, the remaining air in his body was squeezed out little by little, his hands and feet became weaker and weaker, his strength became weaker and weaker, he couldn't struggle more and more, and his mind gradually became blurred... There was a faint noise in the distance, and the huge pressure quickly receded from him like a tide. He is saved! He opened his eyes and let out a long breath. The hustle and bustle in the dream suddenly became much louder. It turned out that there was indeed a sound, and it was this noise from the outside world that saved him! He didn't listen carefully to what the noise was, he was recalling the dream.Because this time I woke up midway, the situation in the dream was very clear.He closed his eyes, grasped the residual impression, and tried to feel it. This dream, he seems... really experienced it! In the past…… No, not in the previous few dreams... It was a long, long time ago, a real experience... When exactly? How could there be such a weird experience? How could there be such a strange place in this world? For some reason, once I think rationally, the vaguely familiar feeling quietly fades away. No, this time he must figure it out!He shook his head, calmed down, and gently picked up the subtle feeling just now, like hugging a mass of invisible and qualityless chaotic air. He didn't look at it carefully, didn't touch it, but slowly comprehended the seamless whole , feeling bit by bit... Gradually, a distant, familiar feeling seeps out from a corner of my heart that has been closed for a long time... There was a hint of joy in his heart, he knew that this time he was finally getting close to the truth... "My lord! Get up!" Zhang Sheng staggered into the tent, "Quick! Go!" The truth that has been slowly revealed in the chaos quickly retreats into the dark corner of the unknown. Su Wu was taken aback and came back to his senses. In the distance, there are hurried footsteps, chaotic horseshoes, shouts and shouts of countless Huns, and the sound of metal and iron clashing, making a mess. "What happened?" Su Wu sat up, grabbed the saber beside his pillow, and said, "Why is it so messy outside?" Zhang Sheng didn't answer, he rushed directly to the corner of the tent, opened a suitcase there, frantically rummaged through the clothes inside, and said bitterly, "It's over, it's just that close... these idiots!" In Su Wu's eyes, Zhang Sheng has always been calm and orderly, and he has never seen him panicked like today, so he couldn't help but secretly startled, "Deputy Zhang, what happened?" Zhang Sheng's face was pale, and his hands trembling slightly as he rummaged through the clothes, he murmured: "I said I'm not ready enough, wait a little longer. I have to do it! This is good, it's all over! A good crossbow wasted for nothing!" Su Wu took a deep breath, walked quickly to Zhang Sheng's side, and said, "Deputy Envoy Zhang, you, did you kill someone?" Zhang Sheng said: "It's not me, it's them. I found a few insiders and asked them... oh, it's too late." While talking, he dug out two sets of Hu suits from the bottom of the box, and threw one set to Su Wu, saying hastily, " Change clothes quickly! We will leave immediately, the horse is outside the tent..." Surprised, Su Wu didn't pick up the Hu suit, grabbed Zhang Sheng's hand, and said, "Wait, tell me clearly, what insider? What did you do? Why did they arrest us?" Zhang Shengdao: "I know a person here, named Yu Chang, who is the commander of Wei Lu, and is willing to help us contact a group of people to assassinate Wei Lu." "Assassinate Wei Lu?!" Su Wu said in amazement, "Are you crazy? Who told you to kill him?!" Zhang Sheng glanced at Su Wu, his expression was like looking at an extremely bizarre monster: "My lord, what do you think His Majesty asked us to come here for?" Su Wudao: "Isn't it to... retrieve that stone mirror?" "Shi Jing?" Zhang Sheng sneered and said, "I came all the way here just for a mirror?" Su Wu's heart sank, and he faintly felt that something was wrong, and said, "Isn't it for Shi Jing? What is it for?" Zhang Shengdao: "What Your Majesty wants is the life of that traitor!" Su Wudao: "Nonsense! If you really want to kill him, why didn't His Majesty give me such a secret order? You are pretending to be smart..." "It's not that I think I'm smart," Zhang Sheng sneered again, "It's your lord, you are so unintelligent. Why did the rebel defect back then? Why did he steal the stone mirror when he defected? The entire palace probably You don't know, my lord." Su Wu stared, "You, what did you say?" Zhang Shengdao: "In the Changshui camp, he was the best in riding and archery. He entered the palace as a man, and was granted special permission to enter and exit the two pavilions of Tianlu and Shiqu. There are countless confidential documents and precious jewels in the palace. With his Skill, what can’t be stolen? Why is it that stone mirror? Just to break His Majesty’s mind and flatter the Huns? Then just go and steal the jade seal! He stole the stone mirror because he likes Mrs. Li!” Su Wu buzzed in his head, and said, "What? You, you said that Wei Lu..." "Yes! He likes Mrs. Li, the woman His Majesty likes the most in this world!" Zhang Sheng said loudly, "If the living can't fight, the dead will fight!" Su Wudao: "How, how could... No! Impossible..." "I really don't know why His Majesty chose you!" Zhang Sheng finally broke out unbearably, "Don't you really care about nothing but raising horses? Don't you know that Mrs. Li was a maiko before she entered the palace? Didn't you know that Wei Lu had saved his wife twice and almost lost his life? You didn't know that his wife died of dystocia, Wei Lu was like crazy, and almost killed the imperial physician? Bai Liang became angry, Shi Jing Stolen, anyone who knows a little bit of inside information immediately guessed that he did it? Are you living in another world?" Su Wu was dumbfounded. He was not surprised by Zhang Sheng's sudden change of attitude, but by the things Zhang Sheng said. The world seemed to have suddenly changed. He opened his mouth, unable to speak for a moment, and after a while, he said: "Yes, is there such a thing?" Zhang Shengdao: "You are either fake and noble, or you are really stupid! Even if you, Mr. Su, are a gentleman and don't bother to inquire about the secrets of the palace, don't you ignore the outside world? Why did your Majesty order Xu Ziwei to go north when he defected? Block the border, build a strong city for thousands of miles, one post every three miles, one post every five miles, and strictly investigate? Why did His Majesty ignore the taboo of military strategists and order Zhuo Yehou to send troops to the north to attack the Xiongnu in advance, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army of 20,000? Why in the past few years? Your Majesty has offered a reward again and again to recruit envoys to the Huns? Your Majesty has been chasing him! Paying such a high price for a broken mirror?! Can't you see that His Majesty hates him so much that he will do whatever it takes Put him to death too! I have been unlucky for eight lifetimes, assisting a fool to kill a lunatic!" Su Wu stammered: "Your Majesty wants...to kill him?! But, but Your Majesty never told me clearly." Zhang Sheng bitterly said: "Can this kind of thing be said clearly? A courtier dares to compete with the current emperor for a woman! Is it honorable to say it?" In a word, Su Wu suddenly felt like a complete fool.In a daze, I felt that something seemed to be wrong, but I couldn't tell where it was. "It's such a big matter, you..." He wanted to say why you didn't discuss it with me, but he swallowed it before he could say it—does he still have the right to ask such a question? "...but, but, to kill Wei Lu," he said with difficulty, "isn't easy? He has a high position and power here. Once he is assassinated, how can the Huns not know that we are involved? You act rashly, so many of us, how can we be so full of blood?" And back?" Zhang Sheng said impatiently: "We have discussed it, and the troops will be divided into two groups. Yu Chang and the others assassinated Wei Lu, and King Gou went to kidnap the Dayan clan—King Gou is the nephew of King Hunxie, who fell with Marquis Zhuoye three years ago. Here, his mother and uncle are both in Han, so he has always wanted to return to Han, wanting to make outstanding achievements to show his ambition. These days, when the opportunity came, Shan Yu went hunting and took away all the elite soldiers, and Shan Yuting left some women and children. Once the matter is accomplished, who would dare to act rashly if we take Da Yan as a hostage?" "What? Are you still planning to... hijack Shan Yu's mother?!" Su Wu felt his scalp tingle, and the matter was like a wild horse running wild, far beyond the control of a mediocre little man like him, "Then Now? What's going on outside? Did they find out?" Zhang Sheng stomped his feet and said: "The assassination failed, Yu Chang has been captured alive. Those idiots, they don't even know how to choose a few dead soldiers! They chose a ghost who is afraid of death, and went to report the news overnight, and called the nobles who stayed behind The disciples preemptive strikes... Sigh! I'm afraid we will be tracked down soon! Let's go, we are now taking advantage of the chaos and sneaking, maybe there is still a chance..." I see. Su Wu suddenly felt that everything was so ridiculous. For a task that he didn't know about, he traveled thousands of miles to a completely strange place, and when he knew it, everything was over. So what was he here for? But by this time, he was sober as never before. “走？”苏武道，“匈奴铁骑追上我们，用得了多少时间？！就算走得了我们两个，那使团其他人呢？我是不聪明，可还不至于笨到那个份上！眼下这种情势，一走了之岂不正落人口实，给匈奴以启衅开战的理由？” 张胜烦躁地道：“那怎么办？总不能就这么坐以待毙吧。” 苏武摇摇头，伸手拔出腰间的佩刀。 张胜脸色一变，跳起来一把抓住他的手，道：“你要干什么？” 苏武道：“我要干什么你还不明白？走不了，便只能死！难道非要到丧尽自己的尊严、也侮辱了我们国家的时候再死吗？” 张胜脸上掠过一丝不安，声音也低了下来，道：“是我连累了大人，但事情未必就……不可收拾。再说大人与此事无关，真到了那一刻，大人、大人只说不知道……” “不知道？”苏武忍无可忍地道，“你是副使我是正使，这么大的事，我说不知道谁信？你松手！趁着我现在还有死的自由……” 张胜不松手：“只要事情没到绝境，就还有一丝希望！大人何必如此？” 苏武怒道：“真到了绝境还来得及吗？！这种事，怕死就不要做，做了就别怕死！别给自己找苟且的借口！给我松手！” 张胜只得向帐外叫道：“来人！快来人！”常惠、徐圣等使团属吏闻声而入，见状大吃一惊，忙七手八脚地抱住苏武。 苏武道：“你不想死，别拖着我苟活！我是正使，代表国家，我不能受辱！松手！” 张胜道：“如果大人引刀一快，那才真是什么都说不清了……” “是啊，活着多好，”正在这乱成一团的时候，一个冷冰冰的声音响了起来，“一死，就什么都没了。” 随着话语，卫律在一群侍卫的簇拥下缓步走进营帐。 “都在这儿了，”卫律扫视了帐中众人一眼，点点头道，“不错，很好。” 哐的一声，卫律把一张空弩扔到张胜脚下，指着弩机上的刻字道：“'尚——方——造'！这世上好像只有一个尚方吧。张副使，你能解释一下这东西为什么会跑到匈奴来吗？” 张胜退后一步，道：“不，我、我不知道……” “你不知道？”卫律走到衣箱旁，踢了踢地上的胡服，道，“啧啧，退路都想好了，你不知道？张胜，你什么都知道，唯独忘了一件事：能用金帛收买的，还能叫死士？好了，废话少说。我想，你们心里也有数，这种事若放在汉朝，若是一班匈奴使节里有人涉嫌谋杀一位诸侯王、绑架你们太后，你们皇帝能让他活着回去？现在，我要告诉你们一个坏消息和一个好消息。坏消息是，我们单于刚刚闻讯已紧急赶回来了，得知你们的图谋，他很愤怒；好消息是，经过在下极力劝说，他愿意给你们一个机会，让你们当面解释一下。好好把握吧，如果你们的表现让单于满意，也许能获得赦免——你们应该知道怎么做。” 张胜嗫嚅着道：“不、不，事情跟我们没……” “不，丁零王。”苏武缓缓地道，“我永远不会做你希望我做的事。”说完，便以令人猝不及防的速度举起佩刀，向自己的胸口猛地刺了下去。 噗的一声闷响，冰冷的刀锋深深地刺进了肉体，有一股热流溅在手上。 卫律一个箭步冲上来一把抱住他，气急败坏地吼道：“急什么？我说过要你死吗？来人！快！召巫医……快召大巫……骑我的马去……” 卫律后半句是用胡语对他的侍卫说的，奇怪的是，那“大巫”一词，苏武听得明明白白，发音居然和汉语一样。 他心里一阵厌恶，只想大喊：不要让那些肮脏的巫术碰我！ 但他只是张了张嘴，什么声音也发不出来。 一阵空前的剧痛迅速袭来，卫律的吼叫声和营帐内的混乱离他越来越远，他的眼皮慢慢合上，眼前最后一丝光亮也消失了。
极度的痛楚消失了，他的身心进入了一种宁静无比的状态。没有疼痛，没有烦忧，他感到身心脱离了世间所有的束缚，轻松而安详。 他悬浮在所有人的头顶，平静地看着底下那具毫无知觉的身体，胸口插着一把短刀，衣衫被鲜血染红了一大片。他知道那是自己，可现在就像看着一具别人的身体，既不恐惧，也不悲伤。 Is this death? 倒也不坏。 昏黄摇曳的羊油灯下，人们围着自己的尸体忙忙碌碌，有胡卒进进出出叫人，使团的一些小吏在啜泣，还有人在周围窃窃私语，那些声音，仿佛隔着一层透明的屏障，遥远而隔膜。 卫律半跪在地上，伸手搭那具尸体的脉搏，过了一会儿，忽然焦躁起来，回头朝闹哄哄的人群怒吼了一声，众人一下安静了下来。 What a strange man. 现在死的，不是一个他本来就讨厌的人吗？从第一次见面以来，他就冷嘲热讽，处处刁难自己，现在看到自己死于非命，他应该高兴啊，焦躁什么呢？
胡巫终于来了，是一个身着黑色长袍，以黑纱蒙面的人，腰系一条五色彩带，头发上斜插着三根鸟羽。 胡巫一进营帐，帐中所有匈奴人包括卫律都立刻躬身退到一边，让开一条道来，显然，这胡巫在此地有着极高的威望。胡巫径直走到那具尸体旁边，蹲下来伸指探了探那尸体的鼻息，又拿起尸体的一只手搭脉。卫律问了那胡巫几句，那胡巫不答，只拿出一把小刀，熟练地割开那尸身伤处周围的衣物。卫律忙命人在帐中添几盏灯，不料那胡巫只看了一会儿，便叹了口气，摇了摇头站起来。 卫律焦急地对那胡巫说了几句话，似乎是在恳求。胡巫先是摇头，后来看了一眼地上的尸体，犹豫了一下，复又蹲下身去，伸手取下插在头上的一根羽毛，放到那尸体鼻下，仔细看着，忽然目光一动，站起来快速地指挥众人做事：在尸身旁的地上挖一个大坑，运来干燥的白羊粪，在坑中生起火来。那胡巫小心地调节坑中的火势，将干羊粪盖上，让坑中的煴火慢慢燃着，又拿来几根结实的木条，架在那大坑上，命人小心地将那具尸身面下背上平放于木架上…… 这胡巫在干什么？ 救他吗？ Why bother?生是如此疲惫的事，他真的不想再回去了。 他轻飘飘地升起，进入了一个黑暗无边的隧道。然而他并不感到恐惧，相反，在这无尽的黑暗中，他竟感到了从未有过的静谧和愉悦…… 在这前所未有的宁静里，生前千万往事，突然一起涌进他的脑海。 ……他的元儿，刚刚会走路，摇摇摆摆张着小胳膊向他扑来。 ……昆明池，凌波殿，皇帝说：朕要你去一个很远的地方…… ……妻整理着他的衣物，忧心忡忡地道：那里远吗？你要多久才能回来？ ……石渠阁中，太史令沉思着道：他似乎特别关注跟商朝有关的典籍…… 无数事情，从久远的过去到现在——甚至有些他以为自己早已忘却的细微琐事，顷刻间同时呈现。 那不是一眼瞥见无数片段景象，而是同时看到无数事件发生的整个过程！多么神奇的感觉！在生前，就算回忆，难道不是一件结束才能想另一件吗？ 也许人在活着的时候，只能亦步亦趋跟着时间的脚步前进，只有死后，才能获得如此超然的自由，高居于时间之上，俯瞰一切吧。 时间到底是一个什么样的东西呢？
卫律精疲力竭地走出穹庐，扫视了汉使团众人一眼，最后目光落在张胜身上。 “张副使，”卫律慢慢踱到张胜面前，道，“现在轮到我们好好谈一谈了。你今天可给我添了足够多的麻烦！你说，我该拿你怎么办呢？” 张胜浑身一颤，后退着道：“不！你不能……你、你敢碰我一根毫毛，陛下不会放过你的！” “我不能？哈！”卫律冷笑一声，道，“你不妨试试看！拿你们皇帝来威胁我？我全家上下三十余口都已经被他杀光了！告诉你，你现在不幸落在了这世上最不怕得罪汉朝皇帝的人的手里，他已经没什么东西可以失去了！所以，你最好收起一切幻想，好好合作。否则，我保证你会后悔活在这个世界上！” 卫律的目光如刀锋一般，里面有一种深深的寒意，以致张胜竟看得恍惚中不由自主地打了一个寒战。 卫律手一挥，立刻就有两名侍卫一左一右执住张胜押了下去。 张胜这才醒过神来，惊恐地挣扎道：“不，你不能这么做！我是大汉使节！两国交战不斩来使，你不能……” 两名侍卫押着张胜向远处丁零王的营帐走去，张胜的叫声越来越远，最后终于消失。 卫律指着使团剩余的人，向自己的近侍下令道：“把我的亲兵都调过来，加派人手，把这帮汉人全数关押起来，一个也不能让他们跑掉！”
丁零王的大帐中，火盆里的炭火熊熊燃烧着，旁边摆着一把铡马料用的铡刀，显然刚刚磨光，在火光的映照下，明晃晃的刀刃一亮一亮，显得异常锋利。 卫律道：“张副使，你的老朋友虞常可已经什么都招了，不过，我想要你的亲供。” 几名匈奴侍卫上前架起张胜，将他拖到铡刀旁。 张胜挣扎着叫道：“放开我！放开我！你们要干什么？” 卫律道：“你是左撇子吗？” 张胜脸上显出惊恐之色，道：“你、你想干什么？” 卫律叹了口气，道：“我想留着你的舌头答话，又想留着你的手写供词，那就只能打你暂时用不着的那只手的主意了。你不是左撇子吧？好，那就行。” 说着手一挥，两名侍卫立刻强拽着张胜的左手放到铡刀下。 张胜拼命挣扎着要往回缩手，却被按着死活动弹不得，急道：“不、不要……” 卫律走过来，轻轻弹了弹闪亮的刀刃，温和地道：“你见过这里铡草料吗？牧人都知道，铡草料的诀窍是，越短越好。'寸草铡三刀，不喂料也长膘'。所以，我们会从手指开始——别怕，很短的，一点一点地来，直到你愿意招供为止。这是一个简单方便的好办法。看着自己的身体一点一点地失去，那种感觉是很奇妙的。一般最多到手腕，都愿意招了，也有体质强壮的，能挺到臂肘，总之很有效。哪像你们的廷尉府，大动干戈几天几夜，整得人不像人，鬼不像鬼，还是得不到想要的东西！好了，你自己决定吧，是现在就招呢，还是等短上一截再招？” 张胜冷汗涔涔，道：“不，你、你杀了我吧……” 卫律道：“不要左手？那左脚也行，或者右脚？随你选。怎么样，想好了没有？”说着手摸着铡刀刀柄，忽地一紧，作势欲按下。 张胜大叫起来：“不！” 卫律的嘴角掠过一丝不易觉察的笑意，道：“怎么？” 张胜的表情几乎要哭了：“我、我招。” 卫律满意地挥挥手，做了一个“放人”的手势，道：“不错，你是聪明人。早晚要做选择，晚做不如早做。我见过一些蠢材，非要让自己短掉一截才痛快——手脚又不是指甲，切掉还能长出来！” 侍卫放开张胜，张胜一下瘫坐在地上，心有余悸地长出了一口气。
隧道的那头，有一道明亮的白光透出，他向那边飘然行去。 他看到，他去世的兄弟、好友、亲戚……许多人都在那里等他，他们微笑着，向他招着手。就是一贯不苟言笑的父亲，此时也站在那里，神态温和地看着他。 这一刻，他心里无比宁静。 有一个陌生的女人，也在那群人里，用一种慈祥的神情看着他。在那群熟人中，显得有些突兀。 Who is she?Why are you here? 更奇怪的是，她对他做着一个手势。那手势温和而坚定，以致他绝不会弄错其中的含义。 那手势的意思是：回去！ go back? Why? Who is she? 她要他回哪里去？ 这女人的眉眼之间有一点什么东西让他感到眼熟…… 他在哪里见过她？ ... 一丝喃喃的吟唱声从某个极其遥远的地方游出来。那声音飘忽不定，像幽灵一般，一会儿极远，一会儿又极近。仿佛蚊蚋绕耳，细微得难以捉摸，那声音撩拨得他渐渐生出一些焦虑。 他明白，那声音要引他回去。 No!我不想走！他的心在回答。那里太累了，放过我吧！ 然而那歌声依然执著地存在着，并渐渐清晰起来，仿佛一根细绳，一圈圈套绕在他身上，拖着他一点一点往回走。
卫律耐心地听着，等张胜说完，沉默了许久，忽然笑了，道：“张副使，你真是太聪明了。” 张胜一愕。 卫律道：“你们皇帝给你密旨，叫你暗中监视正使，你便以为你比你们正使更受皇帝信任？便以为自己有权便宜行事了？他叫你去找石镜，你找不到，怕无功而返，便自作聪明揣摩上意，以为杀了我比找出那面镜子更重要，于是冒险一搏杀人放火，对吧？” 张胜战战兢兢地道：“大王，我、我也是各为其主，我和大王……并无私人恩怨……” 卫律摆摆手，道：“不不，我不是说你不该暗杀我，而是说你实在太'聪明'了。你们皇帝的密旨，是有他的深意的。可惜，交给了你这么个'聪明过头'的能干人——你的小聪明，坏了他的大事了。你以为，他要找我算账，真是为了李夫人？你以为，他是那种会被一点儿女情仇冲昏头脑的人？张胜啊张胜，你错就错在，拿自己那点市井算计，去猜度一个绝世枭雄的心理！” 张胜愕然。 卫律挥挥手，道：“罢了，也是他有意给你们留下这样的印象，难怪你误会。他是多情天子，我是秽乱宫闱的淫贼叛臣。哈！多么吸引庸人的肮脏事。先泼上一盆污水，千夫所指，便说什么也不会有人信了。好了，我也懒得跟你废话，先把你刚才供述的都写出来吧。” 哗啦一声，侍卫将一堆笔墨木牍扔到张胜面前，张胜如见蛇蝎，往后一缩，道：“不，我不能……该说的我不是都已经说了吗？” 卫律道：“你是怕落下证据，毁了你的前程？”说着，俯下身去，同情地看着张胜道，“张胜，你在有些事情上太聪明，在有些事情上又太笨。都到了这个时候，还指望留条后路，将来好回去继续你的荣华富贵？动动脑子吧！他叫你监视你们正使，不是因为他更信任你，而是因为他谁都不相信！对于他，我远比你更了解。”说着将一支笔塞到张胜手中，“这件事情如果你真的办成了，你前脚把东西奉上，后脚等着你的，就是一杯鸩酒。你应该感谢我，在这里给了你一条生路。你现在归降，以后就在这里好好干，我不会亏待你。” 张胜的手颤抖着拿着笔，看着眼前的简牍，一颗颗细密的汗珠从他额头渗出。终于还是无比艰难地伸手拿过简牍。 卫律满意地点点头道：“这就对了。相信我，这是为你好。”