In December of the first year of Yanxing, one late night, the first quarter moon had already set, the mountain shadows were dim and the trees were as dark as ink.
Among the mountains about forty miles southwest of the old road, there is a mountain village perched on the top of a mountain. It is surrounded by cliffs on three sides. It was occupied by the Liang army and controlled the Sancha intersection.
Obviously, a few years ago, there used to be a large mountain street market in front of this village, with dozens of households and 34 shops. It was a resting place for merchants traveling from north to south. There was also a market every other day, where some oil could be bought and sold. Salt groceries. Just because of the wars in Liangzhou for years, this mountain street is now completely in ruins, with piles of rubble and weeds covering the ground. Some of the houses in the villages were burned down, some collapsed, and there were very few left. Some of the three to four hundred Liang people live in relatively sound houses, some are lying next to dangerous walls, and some live in tents.
At this moment, a dozen tents have been dismantled and bundled, ready to be carried away. The soldiers gathered in piles in the lee of the wind to warm themselves over the fire. The war horses were gnawing on half-dried grass, and some were eating beans. The saddle is placed next to the horse and can be saddled at any time. The Huotou Army cooked in several places. Firewood was burning under the makeshift stove, and smoke was rising from the cauldron.
At this time, in a hall in the village, firewood and tung oil lamps were burning, and a meeting between Han people and Qiang people had been held for a long time.
After the Liangzhou Rebellion, the Han people gradually left Liangzhou and lived in places such as Sanfu or Yizhou. Although the Qiang people were defeated many times, their living space gradually expanded. After Dong Zhuo took power, there were fewer wars and their lives were even more carefree. . The Qiang tribe moved to this village the year before last. There are more than 600 of them. After occupying this place, they reclaimed the abandoned fields at the foot of the mountain and herded sheep and horses in the mountains and forests. They were free and at ease without the government forcing taxes or corvee. Very happy. Jia Xu came to the stronghold to appease them, buy some food from them, and recruit some strong men.
"Sir, you have also seen that we Qiang people have lived here for three years and have no worries about food and clothing. On weekdays, we hunt in the mountains and forests. When we are hungry, we grill some rabbit and wolf meat. When we are thirsty, we fetch water from the mountain streams. How wonderful it is. How comfortable? If an enemy comes and we can defeat it, we will go down the mountain to meet the enemy. If we cannot defeat it, we will block the mountain road and build a stronghold to defend ourselves. The food in the stronghold will be enough for five years. Although the world is big, there is nothing to be afraid of. . What you said to me about the Heavenly Soldiers of the Imperial Court is really of no use."
The Di Qiang leader of this village replied to Jia Xu in Qiang language. Apparently, Jia Xu had previously wanted to form an alliance with the Qiang people on the grounds that the imperial army would conquer Liangzhou, but they had refused. Wudu County had not seen the imperial army in nearly ten years, and many Qiang people in the mountains had People have forgotten the appearance of a large army killing people. To have them fight for this is incredible.
But Jia Xu did not give up because of this. As a Liang native, he was also familiar with the Qiang language. At this moment, he slowly replied in the Qiang language: "I came here today not to talk about the imperial soldiers, but to talk to you." Make a friend. We Han people often say that when we are in good times, we should consider future risks. Do you really think that the preparations you have now are enough?"
The leader was extremely surprised when he heard this, and asked: "Then what do you think is lacking?"
Jia Xu smiled and asked, "Can you let me see the strongest warrior in your department?"
The Qiang people discussed for a while, and finally recommended a man with broad shoulders. He stepped forward and said in a loud voice: "I am the one."
"Are you also the best shooter among you?"
"nature."
"Then I want to see it."
The man smiled, took a hard bow made of elm wood from the stronghold, and took an arrow. He drew it full in front of the stronghold, and shot at the pine string in the dead forest. In an instant, a stabbing sound broke the silence, and then slowly spread. There was the crisp sound of returning arrow clusters piercing the wood, and the flapping of wings and strange calls of a few disturbed owlbirds.
"Good archery skills!" Jia Xu clapped his hands and praised, and the Qiang people were also very proud after hearing this. But Jia Xu immediately called someone from beside him and introduced to the Qiang people: "This is Wang Chang. He comes from the land of Youyan in the far east. He is a famous warrior in Liaodong."
When all the Qiang people saw that Wang Chang's back was as strong as a tiger's, they were all amazed. Wang Chang apologized to everyone, then borrowed a bow from the archery man, and borrowed another arrow. He stood at the place where the man originally shot the arrow, squinting. My eyes looked towards the dry forest.
At this time, the moonlight changed due to dark clouds, and he took a little longer to draw the bow, which made the Qiang people impatient, but before they could criticize him, Wang Chang suddenly fired an arrow, and the sound was like lightning. An extremely clear "ding" sound came back, and everyone came back to their senses. Someone was sent to take a look. It turned out that Wang Chang's arrow had penetrated the Qiang man's arrow shaft and hit the arrow cluster, making the sound of gold and iron hitting each other.
When all the Qiang people saw this archery skill, they all regarded him as a god and admired Wang Chang greatly. However, the tall Qiang man who had just shot the arrow did not dare to take back the elm bow and wanted to give the bow to Wang Chang. Wang Chang couldn't refuse, so he had to accept it.
At this time, Jia Xu said to the leader again: "Brother, do you think there is really only one way up the mountain?"
The leader wondered: "I have lived here for three years, and there is indeed only one path up the mountain. Could it be that you are new here, and you know the terrain better than me?"
Jia Xu smiled and shook his head, and ordered his entourage to blow the trumpet. The sound of the trumpet gurgled down like running water. Two quarters of an hour later, when a group of Qiang people were still in the clouds and fog, more than forty Liang people in military uniforms came out from behind Dazhai. This shocked the Qiang people. They clearly posted guards in front of the stronghold, but now there is no news. This made the leader exclaim: "Is there a shortcut to the mountain?"
The truth is not the case. This is just a pre-arrangement by Jia Xu to let his men climb up the cliff of the back mountain after hearing the sound of the trumpet. But as a result, the Qiang people were even more impressed and immediately agreed to form an alliance with Jia Xu. After the two parties had a banquet, they sent some young people from the tribe to accompany them as guides to lead the Liang people to continue searching for nearby Qiang tribes. . By the time Jia Xu finished the banquet and walked slowly down the mountain path, it was already midnight.
When the soldiers in the deserted village saw Jia Xu's figure, they couldn't help but stand up and cast inquiring glances at him. Jia Xu nodded and asked them to sit down and said, "You have followed me to three villages today. I think they all have." If you're tired, just rest for a while and we'll talk about the rest tomorrow."
After saying that, he asked his followers to disperse and have a rest. He and Wang Chang walked to the bonfire in the center of the deserted village, where several people gathered around to warm themselves up. The leader was Zhang Xiu, the son of Zhang Ji. At this time, Zhang Xiu and others were complaining about the lack of wine. Jia Xu took off a bag of wine, touched Zhang Xiu's shoulder with the wine bag, then sat down, handed the wine bag to him, and said with a smile: "Qiang people's wine." , you have a taste, but you won’t do it again.”
Seeing that he was back, Zhang Xiu looked stunned. He took the wine bag, opened the mouth of the bag and took a sip. A look of joy suddenly appeared on his face, and he said with a smile: "Uncle Wenhe, what are you talking about? It's just that the winter night is unbearably cold and lonely." , How can I survive this day without drinking to warm myself up?"
Seeing Zhang Xiu's frivolous behavior, Jia Xu felt very relieved and reminded him: "We have suffered a huge defeat and lost countless brothers. Our morale is low. This is the time for a general to lead by example. I heard that drinking will ruin things. Nowadays, alcohol is banned in the imperial army, so you should learn from them."
Speaking of this matter, Zhang Xiu was immediately speechless. Last year's defeat in the Battle of Longshouyuan was something that Liang people had always been worried about. After being on the battlefield for a long time, no one has ever been defeated, but it is the first time for Ryoto to be defeated so easily in a combined battle. So much so that after thinking about it, many people couldn't believe it and were unwilling to mention it, and it gradually became a taboo among Liang people. At this time, Jia Xu mentioned it again, and for a while, it was eerily quiet around the campfire, as if there was another wind and snow falling.
Jia Xu had no choice but to turn to Li Xian and talk to him: "Has there been any news from your uncle Li Ying in the past few hours? He has been in Longxi for more than a month. Logically speaking, there should be news about his return by now."
Li Xian shook his head, with a frustrated look on his face, and said slowly: "Uncle Wenhe, not yet. There is still no news about my third uncle. I suspect that the situation is more serious than the worst."
"No." Jia Xu comforted him and said, "Han Sui is known for his cunning, and he is not a reckless person. He will not suddenly become murderous. It is normal for the princes of Xiliang to be unhappy when we suddenly occupy a county in Wudu. There is no news from your third uncle, which is what I expected."
Just saying this, Jia Xu himself couldn't help but sigh: "It's just that now there are more than 20,000 of us, cramped in one county, and it is still too difficult for us to survive the winter and support ourselves."
Speaking of this, he couldn't help but think of Chen Chong, the culprit who put him in such a predicament. He took out a copper coin from his arms and looked at the traces of the cast copper in the flames. The four characters "Yanxing Five Baht" were very clear. Looking at the copper coin, Jia Xu felt as if he had seen Chen Chong. At this time, he didn't have much resentment in his heart, but rather some admiration. He thought that he claimed to be a national wizard, but he could not improve the monetary policy as quickly as Chen Chong. There are so many things happening in the world, and it seems that there is nothing he, Chen Chong, can't understand, yet he is so pure and devoid of desires. It's really strange!
While he was meditating like this, Zhang Xiu took two more sips of wine and asked, "Uncle Wenhe, do we really have a chance to turn things around anyway?"
Jia Xu put the copper coin back into his arms, looked at Zhang Xiu's bright eyes beside him, and turned to look at the others. Almost everyone was looking at his face, waiting for him to speak. Jia Xu always adhered to the golden mean and did not want to attract attention, but before he knew it, he was already the leader of the Liang people.
Jia Xu knew that once he embarked on some roads, there was no reason to regret, so he sat up straight, looked around at everyone with a smile, hid all the regrets in his heart, and then said in a calm voice:
"We have been fighting on the battlefield for more than ten years, winning and losing. In the past few years, we have won so much that we have forgotten that we actually lost more before. But why are we called the world's elite? Because when the two armies fought fiercely, The killing is inextricable and blood flows like rivers. It depends on who can hold on for one or half an hour longer. Liang people have the hardest bones in the world and can hold on for a moment longer in the most painful times, so they have the reputation they have now!"
"We were defeated last year, but we can still hold on, and there is still time for us to rise again! Although Liu Bei and Chen Chong are now in great glory, the trees are as beautiful as the trees, and the wind will destroy them. Even if they are surrounded and suppressed by many parties, they will definitely miss. At that time! At that time, it will be our opportunity!"
"Now, we can only stay in Wudu County and continue to wait."
Finally, Jia Xu summed it up with words: "When the hurricane passes, only the grass remains."
The people in Liang were very happy after hearing this and gained some confidence in their hearts. Seeing that they were a little excited, Jia Xu urged them to rest first.
After they all fell asleep, Jia Xu also entered the tent and touched the warm copper coins in his arms. Thinking of some unsaid words in his heart, he suddenly smiled, then took out the copper coins and said silently:
"You have made a huge mistake."
"Your name is Longshou. You come from a noble family. You are arrogant and compare yourself to saints and gods. Have you ever thought that people are ordinary and mediocre? How can anyone really resist the human heart when we go eastwards and have endless desires? "
He finally chanted: "The dew on the leaves is so beautiful."
(Jianyuan Yanxing ends)
