This is not the first time Chen Chong has spent the night on the grassland. It's just like today, with hundreds of people surrounding a blazing bonfire like a hill, looking at him with eyes no less fiery than flames. For the first time, Chen Chong seemed to feel that he was not here to give a speech, but instead He came to be burned at the stake, but he still had a vague feeling. Did Prometheus feel the same way when he stole the fire?
When Shi Sang made this request, he was a little at a loss. It wasn't because he didn't want to spend the night here, it was just that he never thought that Jiehu would ask him what he had learned in the capital. The person who made this request in particular was the Jiehu chief who had never left Bingzhou and had been driven by the Huns all his life. But since someone asked this question, Chen Chong was happy to answer it.
The snow had stopped for half a day, and Shi Sang picked out three fat sheep and grilled them on the grill. Several Jieren children looked on eagerly, their fingers inadvertently swiping the saliva at the corners of their mouths. Chen Chong looked at them with gentle eyes. The appearance of the Jie people is quite different from that of the Han and Huns. They have long beards and deep eyes. However, when they were children, there was no difference in their longing for beauty in their pupils of different colors.
Chen Chong sat in the crowd and smiled at Shi Sang: "Talking about my experiences, I'm afraid I couldn't finish talking here for a month without stopping. Brother Shi, where do you want me to start?"
Before Shi Sang could say anything, a young Jie man asked him first: "Master Taishou, do the people in Luoyang have much better food and clothing than us? I have seen Han merchants passing by us, and those clothes It is said to be made of silk and will shine in the sun. I heard it feels like water to the touch. Is that true?"
Chen Chong touched his head and said with a smile: "There is indeed such a thing, but in my opinion, clothing is enough to keep out the cold. Dressing luxuriously does not make people look noble. In fact, most of the lives of the Han people are similar to yours It’s the same, there’s no difference, your life is not worse than theirs.”
The young man's eyes widened in surprise, obviously not believing what Chen Chong said. Chen Chong shook his head and smiled: "Aren't there Han people south of you who are so hungry that they are rebelling? I heard that they should come here often to trade. Don't they look much better than you?"
This is true. The Baibo Army was raging in Xihe. Even the Jie people had met each other a few times. However, except for their appearance, their clothing and food were so similar to themselves that the Jie people did not even think of each other as Han people.
Shi Sang watched the young man retreat, then handed Chen Chong and others a bowl of buttermilk, and said with a smile: "Most of the Han people in the south are actually quite kind, especially their leader Guo Da. Although he looks more ferocious, he also doesn't Did he do something outrageous?" Chen Chong took the buttermilk and frowned when he saw him recalling: "But there are two generals under him who have quite a bad reputation. One is called Yang Feng and the other is Han Xian. Xiao Hu heard that Quite a few tribes have been plundered by them."
Chen Chong drank the buttermilk in one gulp, wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeves, and said with a smile: "These are all trivial matters, but Brother Shi, you haven't told me what you really want to know."
Shi Sang filled Chen Chong's cup again and sighed: "We Jie people still have the ballads of our ancestors, but it's been so long that we don't even know the meaning of the ballads, let alone where our hometown is. This is Xiao Hu The hometown of Xiao Hu is not only a subject of the Xiongnu, but also a subject of the Han. However, Xiao Hu knows a little bit about the Xiongnu, but not the Han. So Xiao Hu would like to ask you to tell me what you have seen and heard. What kind of heroes are there today in the Han Dynasty?"
"What kind of person do you want to hear about?" Chen Chong looked at Shi Sang. These words made Shi Sang look confused. He later replied: "I heard the Han people passing by tell me: Nowadays, the Han Dynasty is full of heroes, but it is a pity that the emperor is not here anymore." Cultivate virtuous government, otherwise the restoration of the country will be as easy as turning back! The prefect asked me what kind of person I wanted to hear about, but I couldn't answer him. The prefect said whatever he wanted, and Shi Sang just listened!"
At the end of the sentence, his eyes were like fire. Chen Chong looked at his resolute expression and then smiled and said: "In that case, it's very simple. Let me tell you about a few people I admire very much. Every time I talk to them, , are often ashamed of themselves, just like putting their hands into clear water, only to find that their hands are full of mud."
Shi Sang was surprised and said: "Listen to the eunuch's wishes, and those who speak are all noble people?"
Chen Chong nodded and sighed: "Brother Shi, how difficult is it to be noble in troubled times? It cannot be done by non-heroes.
I have a friend who is very tall and extremely powerful. He can pull out the tongue from a tiger's mouth and split mountains and rocks with a sword. Few people I know can match this. But what breaks my heart the most is his promise. When my friends and I were encircling and suppressing the Yellow Turbans in Yongqiu, there was a Yellow Turban dead among the scouts, which made us mistakenly think that someone in the city was responding. I sent him to lead a hundred soldiers into the city to negotiate, and then I realized that something was fishy. At that time, I was sweating like rain, and I hurriedly ordered 5,000 men and horses, and marched for three hours to attack the city, but there were fully 30,000 Yellow Turbans in the city! He can only enter the city with a hundred people, how can he hold it out? "
Speaking of this, Chen Chong looked gloomy, as if he was in that anxious and dark night again. Shi Sang was fascinated by what he heard and couldn't help but ask: "Could it be that this man fought desperately and died on the spot?"
"Although this is admirable, it can only be regarded as a martyr, not a hero."
Chen Chong came back to his senses, shook his head in denial, and then said with a smile: "Before leaving, this good friend of mine once told me: 'This trip to the city is like searching for something. When you enter the city, I will open the door to welcome you!' When I arrived! In front of Yongqiu City, he had been in the city for six hours. When I saw the city gate in the distance, I heard the sound of running from the distance, feet shaking like thunder, and smoke filled the air. When I approached the city gate, I saw him leaning on the door and holding a knife. His body was covered in blood, and the streets were filled with corpses behind him. Only a dozen of the hundred soldiers who accompanied him into the city were left, and all of them were injured. But he seemed to be normal, stroking his long beard, smiled at me and asked: "You have something different to say, I What do you say? "
Shi Sang couldn't help but wonder when he heard this: "Did this hero persist in the city for six hours?"
Before Chen Chong could answer, Wei Yan couldn't help but replied first: "Exactly! That was the battle where Guan Sima became famous! That day, Guan Sima realized that something was wrong, so he took the lead in the city and led hundreds of people to rush to the city gate. With a car The wood was a cover, and the thieves had few arrows, so they had no choice but to fight with Guan Sima. Guan Sima wore iron armor, captured a horse, and fought back and forth with the thieves. He could kill more than a hundred people with his own hands. The thieves were frustrated by this. When our army arrived, At that time, the bandit army was so panicked that they abandoned the city and fled. Our army defeated Chenliu County in one battle. Now the reputation of 'Guan Hu' is spread throughout the Central Plains!"
After hearing this, Shi Sang closed his eyes and meditated on the scene of a few people standing in front of the city gate to block thousands of people. He could not help but blush, and there was wind behind his ears. He sighed: "Such a hero is better than a million soldiers." , I wish I could see you!"
Some Jie children were sitting around, shouting equally excitedly: "Guan Hu! Guan Hu!"
Chen Chong took a leg of lamb, which was a little hot to his hands, and wrapped it in a layer of linen. He smiled and said, "If you have a chance, you will probably be able to see him next year. But Yunchang has an aloof temper, and not many people can stand it."
"How can extraordinary people be judged by extraordinary reasoning? Xiao Huli understands." Shi Sang calmed down and then asked: "With such a heroic figure, is there still a winner in China?"
"How can anyone like Yun Chang be better than him today?" Chen Chong took a bite of meat and continued after chewing: "There are only heroes in the world, each with its own uniqueness." He thought for a moment and then said: "Guangling Zang Hong , also a hero."
"Is he also a brave warrior?" Shi Sang asked.
"Although Zang Ziyuan is also good at archery, he is gentle and gentle, so how can he be considered a brave man?" Chen Chong shook his head and objected, and then sighed: "But Ziyuan's heart is as strong as iron. Even if he is an old soldier who fights on the battlefield, it is difficult to compare. "
Shi Sang was disappointed at first, then cheered up, and asked: "Why did the prefect say this?"
Chen Chong threw down the bones in his hands and said with emotion: "Ziyuan and I were familiar with each other in Taixue. He was dull, but it was not that he was poor in speech, but he became famous even if he didn't talk. At that time, Sun Zhang, the imperial attendant, tried to recruit him to join the imperial family. , among the Imperial Academy, he has no background, no connections, and no money. He is always summoned by others, how dare ordinary people not respond?"
Shi Sang didn't know the status of Chang Shi, so he was a little confused when he heard it. Xu Shu explained beside him: "The power of Chang Shi in the court is far greater than that of Da Qiequ in the tent."
Shi Sang was stunned, and then asked: "This person refused?"
Chen Chong shook his head and said: "He still went to the banquet. At that time, we didn't look down upon him because of this. We just thought it was natural. But who would have expected that he would go to the banquet at noon and come back at night with a head in his hand."
"It turned out that he had found out in advance the evil deeds of Sun Changshi's gang, and suddenly committed murder at the banquet and beheaded him in public! There were dozens of guards present, and they were all stunned for a while, and no one dared to move. He immediately acted on the spot His scandalous behavior was made public, including the crime of evil talk. If the emperor heard about it, he could be punished by the nine clans. As a result, Sun Chang's servants were red-faced and kept talking about promises. He repeatedly disowned him and had no choice but to let Ziyuan leave the mansion. When he returned, Ziyuan's face turned pale. As usual, he hung his head on the beam, and then snored like thunder, leaving us looking surprised and ashamed of not recognizing anyone else."
"What courage!" Shi Sang admired from the bottom of his heart. He couldn't help but take a sip of milk wine, and then praised: "What courage! Listening to the behavior of heroes makes people feel terrified. Thanks to the prefect, Xiao Hu also knows what it means to be a hero."
But when I saw him taking out his bamboo flute and playing it against the night sky, a majestic sound jumped between heaven and earth, like the pulse of mountains and rivers, the heart of myth.
That is music that belongs to the grassland.
Several Jie people then sang a song that Chen Chong had never heard before:
“If a man wants to be strong, he doesn’t need many companions.
Kites fly across the sky, and flocks of birds wave in both directions. "
He looked at Xu Shu, Wei Yan and others beside him who were still confused, and saw the twists and turns of the mountains and rivers in Xihe in the distance, which were completely different from the grasslands, so he kept thinking of the vast grasslands he looked at when he climbed to the top of Tanhan Mountain. Two hundred years later, there will be There was a short song that was constantly chanted by the Han people in the Central Plains, which made him couldn't help but add this short song to the music:
"Chilechuan, at the foot of Yinshan Mountain.
The sky is like a dome, covering the four fields.
The sky is blue and the wilderness is vast.
Cows and sheep can be seen in the windblown grass. "
Chen Chong murmured in a low voice: "It's just starting from scratch."
