(twenty two)
In the vast darkness, a man who had just escaped from the feast was walking alone.
He first walked to a roadside restaurant and stopped for a moment, then spent all his money in exchange for a jar of warm wine.
Yuyi Town is always lively and joyful at night. Although it is not as lively as in the hot summer, it is obviously much more popular than a place with a curfew.
The gourmets and drinkers were all chatting and drinking. Others saw a man dressed up at night, and soon smelled the aura of wealth and gentry. So someone asked a question: "Who is this young master in the Zhao family?" You were too stuffy at the wedding banquet, so you just came out for some air?"
Unexpectedly, as if he had a grudge against the speaker, the noble gentleman casually dropped a curse-like joke and said: "You guys still have the heart to drink here? That's right... A disaster is about to happen, so it's time to enjoy yourself. Nothing wrong."
"Hey, why are you talking?"
"Just because you have a good family background, you can say whatever you want to criticize others?"
"Tsk! Let's leave him alone. Who would suddenly leave the banquet and go out to drink? He must have been kicked out of the house! Hahaha..."
After hearing this, the noble prince took another swig of wine angrily, and staggered away from the restaurant, holding on to the passers-by and the fence, like a blind man lost on the road.
In the next three days and three nights, people could hear stories about this noble young master in any dark and damp place in Yuyi Town.
He calls himself He Ba Hongyi and is the son of the general of Wuchuan Town. Whenever hunger overwhelms all physical sensations, he will abandon all self-esteem and walk to anyone who may help him - this person may be a restaurant merchant, or a wealthy gentleman, anyway, he must look respectable. , because He Ba Hongyi felt that this kind of people would not care about wasting a little food.
When he met such a person, he would go up and grovel, and plead with a playful smile: "I am Heba Hongyi, the son of the general of Wuchuan Town. As long as you are willing to give me some food, when I regain my status in the future, I will definitely give you back double the amount!"
Obviously, no one believed He Ba Hongyi's words. On the contrary, those beggars who he didn't like at all, those who lived like mice in narrow caves, were willing to give him some food when he almost starved to death on the street. , and ask for nothing in return.
During the day, Heba Hongyi huddled on the street corner, silently lamenting the harshness of the world.
Some people gathered in wine shops to discuss the direction of the war. They chatted and deduced victory or defeat as if they were aloof. Some speculators learned of the urgency of the war early and fled. The whole family hurried out of the city on carriages and donkeys, heading straight for the Central Plains. There are also some children from aristocratic families who were punished with hard labor. They know that the savior in their hearts is coming soon, and their rebellious hearts are ready to move.
At night, He Ba Hongyi slept in a loess cave with his beggars, but he never paid attention to these beggars. He always looked aloof, thinking that he could see through the warmth and warmth of human nature, and would always make ridicules in the ears of his companions. , talking loudly and annoyingly.
However, when he fell asleep, he would always cry secretly and talk about complaints and complaints in his sleep. But after one night, even he realized this fact, so he quickly decided that he would only rest when other beggars went out to beg, and would never sleep at night again.
The arrogance and shame brought by his family background did not allow He Ba Hongyi to show cowardice in front of those he despised. However, he was completely unaware of this and always thought it was his pathetic ambition - his desire for honor and status. , distinguish yourself from ordinary people.
In fact, if he had not been given the surname "Heba", everything he pursued would not have existed at all, and would have been nothingness from the beginning: As the illegitimate son of a Han woman in a traditional Xianbei family, Heba Hongyi's existence was obviously that of Wuchuan Heba. shame.
People who think they see reality clearly often forget to see themselves clearly, and often don’t realize it until it’s too late when they have lost everything.
In order to find a way to resist the invasion of the coalition forces, everyone in Yuyi Academy mobilized their efforts to find the young master Heba who had been living on the streets for several days. It was not until the fourth day after Zhao Kuo's coming-of-age ceremony that Zhao Xiaomei found traces of He Ba Hongyi next to a culvert based on the servant's information.
The younger sister saw Heba sitting dejectedly by the river. Without saying a word, she asked the servants on her left and right to tie Heba Hongyi into a carriage and take him back to Yuyi Academy.
After hearing the news, Bai Feng, the owner of Yuyi Academy, rushed to the gate of the academy to greet him. He Ba Hongyi was restrained and stepped out of the carriage. Seeing that the young swordsman was still treating him so sincerely, he suddenly laughed loudly.
"Bai Feng, you just want to get more military information out of me, why are you so pretentious? It's better to torture me directly. Anyway, there is no difference between the two, and the end result is the same - what should be said, I will definitely say it; I will never say anything that shouldn’t be said.”
After hearing this, the disciples around Bai Feng all spoke out to refute.
Jingji has always regarded Bai Feng as his idol. He knew that his senior brother was indeed sincere and wanted to recruit talented people, so he retorted: "Master He Ba, you really let down senior brother Bai's good intentions with your malicious words and suspicions! "
"Humph, I've known for a long time that he is just like this villain, saying one thing and doing another." Yue Qingling assumed the airs of an adult and crossed her hands on her chest. Yue Qingling imitated Murong Yan's gentle tone and retorted: "Although Senior Sister Murong always said, 'Young Master He Ba once promised to save me, which is a sign of kindness.' But didn't this guy still fail to save Senior Sister from the villain in the end?"
Bai Feng looked at He Ba Hongyi in silence for a long time, with a fierce and helpless look in his eyes. In the end, he only replied: "Everyone, please go back to the front hall to discuss it first."
After a while, everyone gathered in the hall, but they saw that a map of North Town had already been erected in the lobby, looking like a command camp during wartime.
Bai Feng was sitting in the upper seat, with a map drawn on parchment hanging behind his back. He Ba Hongyi was sitting ten feet in front of him. Zhao Xiaomei was sitting behind Bai Feng to listen, and tried her best to assist Murong Yan when something important happened. ability.
Zhao Xiaomei and He Ba Hongyi drank hot tea and warm wine one after another and exchanged greetings. They thought Bai Feng would be more eager to ask questions, but unexpectedly, the young swordsman was more composed than anyone else and remained silent.
He Ba Hongyi followed his plan and did not intend to talk to Bai Feng. He continued to ask his little sister, "Why don't you see Miss Murong? Is she busy taking care of the patients?"
"No, Sister Murong is no longer helping in the Youyi Clinic." The younger sister replied: "Now, she is taking care of daily affairs in the Six Diseases Clinic."
"Six Disease Museum?" He Ba Hongyi asked: "Is the Six Disease Museum built now?"
"Yes." Bai Feng took a sip of tea, licked the chapped corners of his lips that looked like they hadn't been touched by water all day, and replied: "Thanks to Brother He Ba's help, a large number of homeless people in Yuyi Town were saved. There’s a real place to live.”
"Stop hating me." He Ba Hongyi said: "Senior Brother Bai, if you want to ask anything, just ask."
"Then, I won't be polite." After Bai Feng said that, he stood up, pointed to the west and north lines of Yuyi Town on the map, and asked, "I want to know how many troops there are on the west and north lines respectively. ? Among them, how many percent are Xianbei people, how many percent are Han people, and how many percent are Rouran..."
He Ba Hongyi suddenly sneered "haha", interrupted Bai Feng's question, and then sneered: "I said, Senior Brother Bai, Daxia Bai, are you planning to use a cunning plan to disintegrate the six-town coalition forces? "
"Um..." Bai Feng's eyes suddenly narrowed, as if he was trying to figure out something: "So what?"
"I advise you to give up as soon as possible." He Ba Hongyi said: "The coalition forces in the six towns have at least 150,000 troops, among which Wuchuan Town has the most harsh military management, which is simply inhumane... In my eyes, such an army, They are an army like 'animals'. There is only one possibility to destroy their unity, and that is, you are stronger than them."
"An army of beasts?" Zhao Xiaomei muttered and suddenly took a breath of cold air.
He Ba Hongyi continued: "Obviously, Yuyi Town is now alone outside the six towns. It is weak and weak. If we fight again, we will simply attack the stone with an egg."
"Okay... okay." Bai Feng touched his forehead repeatedly and sighed, and replied disappointedly: "Brother Heba, please excuse me for now. I won't entertain you anymore."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Feng frowned and walked outside to greet his disciples and servants to prepare horses and carriages, saying that he was going to Zhao's house to discuss important military affairs. Seeing this, the little sister hurriedly followed out after a moment.
