The three of them, Zhao and Tong, took a break from the wind and water, traveled at dawn and stayed overnight, and within a day they entered the boundary of Hebei East Road.
Now there are two roads in Hebei, the west road is separated by Taihang Mountain, and the east road falls into the hands of Tian Hu.
The east road was separated by the Yellow River, and the west also fell into Tian Hu's hands.
Tian Hu guarded the hinterland of Hebei Province, occupying 31 counties in eight states, with the Taihang Mountains at his back, the Yellow River in front, the Liao Kingdom in the north, and the Song Dynasty in the south.
For a while, no one could do anything.
The three of them, Zhao Tong and Zhao, had already put on their horses and headed north along the east bank of the Yellow River, running past Cangzhou.
There is no state capital to the north of Cangzhou, only two county towns. Going further forward will reach the border of Song and Liao.
The border of the northeastern section of Hebei Road is actually bounded by the Yellow River.
The Yellow River starts from Henan Prefecture and goes north for thousands of miles. When it reaches here, it suddenly turns a right angle, from north to east, and then flows into the Bohai Sea.
Opposite this section of the Yellow River is Nanjing Road in the Liao Kingdom, and its capital is Xijin Prefecture.
The person stationed on Nanjing Road was the cousin of Emperor Tianzuo, the grandson of Yelu Zongzhen, the Xingzong of Liao Dynasty, the nephew of Yelu Hongji, the Daozong of Liao Dynasty, and Yelu Chun, who was granted the title of King of Qin and Jin.
Yes, Yelv Chun's title is King of Qin and Jin.
In the second year of Baoda, Emperor Tianzuo fled to Jiashan, and the ministers directly supported Yelu Chun, the king of Qin and Jin Dynasty, as emperor, named Emperor Tianxi, made Emperor Tianzuo the king of Xiangyin, and sent envoys to express his gratitude to the Jin Kingdom. , begging to become a vassal.
If the Liao Dynasty can be regarded as one of the orthodox kings of this era, then there will be one more emperor of Qin or Jin in history.
He is now staying in Nanjing, and the Liao Kingdom's resentful army was originally organized and recruited by him.
According to the normal time, in the past few years, that is, in the ninth year of Tianqing of Liao Dynasty, the Jin army would capture Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing of the Liao Kingdom. In the second year of Baoda, the Jin army would capture Dading Mansion in Zhongjing.
However, due to the death of Wanyan Aguda, this matter has been completely postponed, and now Shangjing is still in the hands of the Liao Kingdom.
However, the situation is not optimistic. Although Shangjing has not been lost, some territories in the north and east of Shangjing have fallen into the hands of the Jin Kingdom. The Jurchens have deployed heavy troops in this area and will launch an attack on Shangjing, the capital of Liao, only in the morning and evening.
At Fengshui Crossing on the bank of the Yellow River, many Song troops were patrolling here. Zhao Tao just took a look from a distance and took Yue Fei and Ouyang Bei around to the west.
It is impossible to cross from the normal ferry. Even if you cross, there will be Liao troops waiting on the other side.
He planned to go around to a less crowded place. After all, the distance was not short and rugged. Moreover, the border between Song and Liao was not very well defended. There had been no war for many years. The defenders on both sides of the strait Very sparse and very lazy.
In the evening, they came to a small village. The three of them went into the village to buy food, and someone came to talk to them and asked if they wanted to cross the river.
After confirming the authenticity and asking for a good price, when the night got a little dark, they went to the river and secretly boarded the boat. Then they crossed the Yellow River and came to the other side, officially setting foot on the border of the Liao Kingdom.
Then we worked hard, and after a few days, we finally entered Shangjing Road. When we actually arrived outside Shangjing City, it was already August 15th.
Shangjing was heavily guarded at this time. On the one hand, the Jin Kingdom was extremely oppressive and worried about Jurchen spies sneaking into the city. On the other hand, the Khitans also learned to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and were afraid that something bad would happen on this day, so they conducted an investigation. Still very close.
Zhao Tong took out three road signs and identity documents from his body. They were all faked by himself and looked more genuine than the real ones.
At the city gate, a piece of silver was placed under the book's lead and handed over. It was said that he was a merchant from the Bohai Sea who came to watch the market in the city. The Khitan soldiers guarding the city secretly took the silver, glanced at it, and waved to let it go.
After entering the city, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. They saw that the capital city was huge and had a very large population. Although it was not as prosperous as Tokyo, it had a different style.
The commercial buildings on both sides of the street are all built with blue bricks or ashlar stones. They are very tall and have a rough and desolate overall style. However, there are some subtleties in the details. At first glance, they are imitations of Song Dynasty.
Zhao Tong didn't know where Xiao Min lived, so after thinking about it, he went to the fur shop on the roadside to find out. The shop owner laughed loudly when he heard this: "Dear guest, you are attracted by Lin Ya's wedding and want to watch it?"
Zhao Tong smiled and said: "Exactly, exactly, please let me know."
The shopkeeper shook his head and ridiculed: "You didn't ask where Dashi Linya lived, but you asked where the princess lived. I don't think you were watching the ceremony, but you wanted to see the princess's face, right?"
Zhao Tong's mouth twitched when he heard this: "I'm really ashamed that my brother saw it."
The shopkeeper said: "What's the shame? The princess is a famous beauty in Beijing. Who wouldn't want to take a look? Even when I came home from the shop in the past two years, I always took a detour to go there."
Zhao Tong touched his chin and said: "Brother is indeed a charming person, I admire you!"
The shopkeeper smiled and said: "The beautiful BMW is my Khitan's favorite. It seems that you are not from my tribe. Where did you come from?"
Zhao Tong said: "The younger brothers are from Bohai. They came to watch the market in Shangjing. They heard that Lin Ya was getting married and admired the name of the princess, so they wanted to take a peek."
The shopkeeper waved his hand: "You Bohai people are all petty, but my Khitan daughter never behaves like a little girl. She doesn't need to peep. If you want to see me, just wait in front of the house from a distance!"
Zhao Zanli said: "My lesson is right, please inform the princess's mansion."
The shopkeeper said: "You go north to the center of the city, and then keep going east until you encounter Silver Lion Street. You can see it not far after entering."
Zhao Tong nodded, and then went out to take Yue Fei and the others to look for him. The shopkeeper shook his head from behind and said to himself: "It's good to be young, alas..."
After about half an hour, the three of them finally arrived at Silver Lion Street, and saw that it was a street lined with noble houses.
Although there are some commercial shops, most of them are silk and satin shops, gouache and rouge shops, jewelry shops, bookstores, etc., and there are no inns or restaurants.
Walking along the street, it didn't take long before I saw a horizontal plaque reading "Liaoxi County Prince's Mansion" hanging on the door of a tall mansion.
Because the two Khitan surnames are either Yelu or Xiao, the surname is not written on the house, only the official name, otherwise it will be impossible to identify which family it belongs to.
Zhao Tong stood not far in front of the door and took a look. He saw that it was quite lively at the moment. Some maids and servants were coming in and out, carrying things, and red lanterns were hung on both sides of the gatehouse. He didn't know whether it was to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival or to celebrate the coming of the Mid-Autumn Festival. of great joy.
Yue Fei whispered: "Brother, your friend has a very high official position."
He looked at the plaque on the title "Prince of Liaoxi County" and thought that Zhao Tong's friend was the king of this Liao family.
Zhao Tong narrowed his eyes and said: "The Liao Kingdom is about to fall apart, so what's the use of officials?"
Along the way, he and Yue Fei deduced the future situation of the Liao Kingdom, and came to the conclusion that there was a high probability that the Liao Kingdom would not be able to escape the fate of destroying the country!
No matter how you look at it, with the current decadence and weak military power of the Liao Kingdom, it may be difficult to survive under the suppression of the Jin Kingdom's powerful military force and unabashed ambition like the rising sun.
What's more, there is a Song Dynasty in the south that is eyeing it. Although the Song Dynasty is also weak, the Liao Dynasty is sandwiched between the two. I am afraid that I will die even if I don't want to!
This will be a major change in imperial power, a redistribution of land, the exchange of artifacts, and a reshuffle of the world.
This will be a major change in imperial power, a redistribution of land, the exchange of artifacts, and a reshuffle of the world.
Yue Fei said: "Senior brother is right, but doesn't the Liao Kingdom know it?"
Zhao Tong shook his head: "There are sane people at all times. Even in the most dim-witted empire, there are still people who can see through the general trend before its collapse. But we cannot prepare for a rainy day many years in advance. When the general trend is now, how can we avoid this ruthless crushing? "
Yue Fei was silent and lost in thought.
Zhao Tong said: "Let's go, go find a restaurant outside this street to eat and drink, and then find an inn to stay first."
After he finished speaking, the three of them turned and walked out into the street. At this moment, an eagle's cry suddenly came from the sky.
The sound was sharp and harsh, and its penetrating power was so strong that it could be described as shocking the sky and stopping the clouds.
"Why does the eagle scream so loudly?" Yue Fei asked in surprise. He looked up and saw a big bird with black feathers and golden claws flying in the mid-air.
Yue Fei immediately changed his color. This eagle is so big. No, no, this is not an eagle but an eagle. However, such a large body is extremely rare even among eagles.
Zhao Tong and Ouyang Bei also looked up. Zhao Tong put his hands on the awning and squinted his eyes, while Ouyang Bei's eyebrows twitched. This big bird looked a bit familiar...
In mid-air, the big eagle was flying happily. It was in a good mood. I saw its left paw scratching, and then scratching.
Well, practice your claw strength.
Then he switched to his right paw, scratching once, then again, and then again.
Well, he is invincible. Who can compete in the world? Xiaxia, quack, chirp, invincible! So cool!
When the big eagle saw the mansion below, it came back so quickly that it was home. It circled and wanted to fly to the mansion.
Um? There are so many two-legged beasts down there, why are some of them looking up to the sky?
What are you looking at? Have you never seen a divine eagle?
The big eagle is a little unhappy. It is doing well in the city now. Who doesn't recognize it? Why are there two-legged beasts so ignorant that they actually looked up at it for so long!
The big eagle was angry and wanted to swoop down to scare these two-legged beasts.
It just did what it said, and immediately rushed downwards, but only half of it fell, and suddenly its body stagnated in the air.
Its two round eyes were wider than usual. That two-legged beast, why did that two-legged beast look familiar? That's, that's...
The big eagle let out a horrified scream, ten times louder than before, and raised its head straight into the sky.
Oh my god, what did it see? It must have seen it wrong, is it the two-legged beast? Is it the extremely terrifying two-legged beast from back then?
Is he that scary guy who flicked it over the head, poked at its neck, stroked it when nothing happened, and lifted it upside down to pluck its hair?
It's him, it must be him!
The big eagle checked again at high altitude, and saw the two-legged beast below, raising one hand to make a plucking motion. The big eagle was so frightened that it immediately shrank its neck and flew away.
Zhao Tong cursed on the ground: "You heartless guy, you have forgotten who saved your life in the first place!"
Ouyang Bei also said: "You really have no conscience. Fortunately, I caught a hare and gave it to it."
Yue Fei wondered: "Senior brother, does he know this big bird?"
Zhao Tong said angrily: "Go out and find a restaurant and sit down and talk!"
A few people left, and the big eagle circled back to the sky above the mansion from another place, circling twice. The more it thought about it, the more wrong it became, and its brain was a little insufficient.
In fact, such a big bird basically has some spirituality, and this alien species is even more human-like, but it is a bird after all, and there are some things that it cannot understand.
It does know that when Zhao Tong rescued it, it suffered the pain of pulling out the arrow, and the pain of stroking it as if it were another flat-feathered bird. It will never forget it.
The carving head was not very good, and he didn't know why he saw Zhao Tong, but he knew that Zhao Tong left it and its owner, and then it followed its owner to this big city, and never saw the two-legged beast again.
Why did these two-legged beasts appear at this moment? No, no, it needs to go find its owner and report this matter...
Xiao Min was sitting in the room in a daze at the moment. There was a bronze mirror in front of her, reflecting her flowery and jade-like face, but there was no trace of happiness.
She didn't know what she was thinking. The Jin army was approaching, the Liao Dynasty was in danger, today was the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion day, and she was going to marry Lin Ya in a few days.
Her mind was in a mess, and she was so flustered that she seemed to be losing her mind. She thought of that person again, and the letter that person sent a few years ago. The words in that letter were simply shocking. She was half-convinced. The person said that he had the King of Dali's Testimony, but, but...
But there was no news about that man anymore. She heard that he went to suppress the rebellion, to fight against the rebels, and... got married!
This ruthless and unjust bad guy is really a bad guy. He deceived her into being young and ignorant, deceiving her into being simple and trustworthy, and deceiving her into seeing how dangerous things in the world are.
Xiao Min was thinking sadly when suddenly the door opened with a creak. She saw the big eagle coming in from the bronze mirror, and then closed the door clumsily with its wings.
She suddenly wanted to cry. When she saw the big bird, she thought of that person even more. This was what the person left for her and left her alone, as well as the red gelding horse.
The big eagle suddenly screamed "quack, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak, croak".
Xiao Min was stunned. She had never seen Big Bird look like this before. He seemed to be in a hurry and wanted to express something to her.
She reached out her hand and gently touched Diao Yu and said, "Do you have something to tell me?"
The big eagle nodded. It could understand, but it couldn't speak. Only then did the eagle realize that it didn't know the language of the two-legged beast.
It was so anxious that it was spinning in circles on the ground. It had no choice but to express the fact that the two-legged beast was coming.
Seeing how anxious it was, Xiao Min couldn't help but stand up and said, "What happened? I've never seen you like this before?"
The eagle let out a loud scream, then stretched out its beak to bite the hem of Xiao Min's skirt, and dragged it outside. This was the only way the eagle could think of. Master, go to the street and take a look. The two-legged beast is here. .
Xiao Min was confused and followed it outside.
The eagle is actually very big. If it stood up straight on the ground, it would be almost as tall as a person. This is why it is called the divine eagle by people in the mansion and even people who know it in the city.
However, Xiao Min's figure is also extremely tall. It reaches about the position below Xiao Min's ears. However, Xiao Min feels that this eagle can still grow. After all, the lifespan of large eagles can be as long as more than 80 years. This eagle is only ten years old now. Or so, not yet fully grown up.
One person and one bird walked out, and the maids and servants greeted them one after another on the way. When they walked out of the mansion and came outside, the bird looked at the street and saw that there was no one there. It was dumbfounded. Where did the two-legged beast go?
It rushed to where Zhao Tong was standing just now, flapping its wings and screaming and jumping. Xiao Min walked over and asked doubtfully: "Here... did something just happen?"
The eagle was so anxious that it turned around on the ground. It couldn't do it. It had to find the Two-legged beast. The owner seemed to have been looking for the Two-legged beast. It had seen the owner cry secretly. It must have something to do with the hateful Two-legged beast. Since it was looking for the Two-legged beast on the ground, If not, then go to the sky and see if you can find any trace of the Twolegs.
It suddenly leaned down and raised its wings slightly. Upon seeing this, Xiao Min walked over and climbed onto the back of the eagle. Then he saw the big eagle spread its wings, which were more than ten feet long, and flew up into the air with Xiao Min...
(End of chapter)
