On the early morning of the seventh day of March, the weather was still a little cold, but the mountains in Guanzhong had completely shed the spring snow, revealing a green-yellow color, just like the wheat seedlings in the nearby fields. The busiest time in spring has passed, and the farmers are free again, so they make appointments with each other, prepare hunting bows and swords, and plan to go into the mountains to collect some wild animals. So on both sides of the road, women weaving bamboo baskets can be seen everywhere. Above their heads, migratory birds returning from the north have also built new nests, and their joyful songs are heard along the road, which makes Chen Chong, who is riding among them, also feel happy.
In the past four years, he has been in charge of the center, and all military matters have been left to Liu Bei. Since he does not have to lead the army in battle, there is naturally no need to ride horses. However, Chen Chong still rode his horse out of the city from time to time. Firstly, he hinted that he was always ready to fight and did not dare to relax a little. Secondly, he had been sitting in the cramped house for a long time, which made him feel depressed. Only by galloping in the wind could he feel relaxed.
But now that he is a highly respected minister, he can no longer travel alone as he did when he was young. The staff accompanying him at this moment include Tian Zhao, Wu Yu, Li Yi, Yang Xiu and others, and there are also more than ten soldiers guarding him. Riding horses on the road, many pedestrians took the initiative to avoid them. Even if they were walking slowly, no one around them dared to step forward. This made Chen Chong feel slightly lonely and thought to himself: There seemed to be many people accompanying him, but he But he seemed to be alone.
But this sentiment lasted only for a moment, and he was forgotten about it in an instant. Chen Chong clearly knew what he was doing, who his companions were, and even more aware of the consequences of his actions. Experience tells him that time spent regretting is the most meaningless. Only by constantly moving forward can we go further.
They walked all the way to Kunming Pond, and when they arrived, it was already a quarter past three o'clock. The rising sun was only a faint outline in the clouds, but the sky was already clear, and they could see white clouds, clear wind, and clear water, which was refreshing. Chen Chong walked along the willow forest on the east bank and saw two brown stone statues, so he stopped here.
Although Yang Xiu was good at writing, he was not good at riding a horse. At this time, he was out of breath when he got off the horse. His two horses were fighting and he could not stand upright. He asked Chen Chong: "Ming Gong, although I traveled in the past, I could only leave the city for two seconds." , why did you walk for most of an hour today?"
Chen Chong glanced at him and said with a smile: "Dezu is only twenty years old, the age when his blood is surging. Are you complaining now? I still hope that in a few more years, you will guard one side, and then go rampant in Mobei and strangle Shi Yanran." ah!"
Yang Xiu sighed and said, "Then Mr. Ming has found the wrong person."
"Dezu is saying that I look down on you?"
Yang Xiu said: "Xiu is a general's talent. Duke Ming gave Xiu a pommel and horse. That is naturally a misunderstanding."
Yang Xiu's self-explanatory boast made everyone laugh. After Chen Chong stopped laughing, he turned to look at the Kunming Pond in front of him and explained the purpose of his trip: "At the beginning of last year, Fuzhong built the Gaode Canal on the north bank of the Weishui River. In two months, I'm afraid it will The canal construction is about to be completed. The canal construction went smoothly and a lot of money was saved. I was wondering what to do with it, so I came here to take a look."
When everyone heard this, they suddenly felt something. Kunming Lake was built during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu. At that time, there was a provocation from the Kunming Kingdom in the southwest, and the navy had to cross the Dianchi Lake. Emperor Xiaowu used the lowland as the basis, dug four water holes into it, and created a large pool of 300 hectares, which was used to train the navy. , and named it Kunming Pool.
It's just that Kunming Pool is man-made, not a natural formation. After the Ming Dynasty, the four water channels were blocked and the water could not be conveyed enough. Then it shrank by nearly half. It was far from the vast smoke and boundless sky and Han Dynasty at that time. Captain Sili mentioned rebuilding Kunming Pool at this time. Is he planning to build a large water division? It's just that there haven't been any troubles in the south, so there's no need for it.
Li Yi suddenly remembered something and said to Chen Chong, "Ming Gong, at the beginning of the year, your Majesty sent Zhao Yilang to talk to him, saying that the palace was in disrepair and had many dangerous walls. He wanted to get a little money to rebuild the palace. Ming Gong used it." Kanto postponed it on the grounds of tight financial resources. But now that we have more money, we should repair the palace first, otherwise His Majesty may be resentful."
Chen Chong waved his hand and said with a smile: "You don't have to worry about this. I have already told His Majesty that there is no need to worry about the palace. The country has already decided, and the government will have more taxes. If the Kunming Pool is rebuilt, one can train the navy, and the other can make fertile land." We can irrigate the fields, and when the war subsides, we can also build a palace here to escape the summer heat. It is really a multi-purpose thing, and Your Majesty has no objection."
Having said this, everyone was speechless, and they followed Chen Chong around the pool to look at the terrain. After decades of low tide, reeds have grown around Kunming Pond, and wild ducks and rabbits can be seen coming in and out from time to time. However, they are still afraid of people. When they hear the sound of horse hooves, they will drill back and forth in the reeds, causing the green gauze tent to sway back and forth.
A blue duck feather floated to Chen Chong's face, which suddenly reminded him of the years in Taoyang, Zhuo County. On a whim, Chen Chong turned to his followers and asked if they wanted to hunt. The accompanying soldiers brought arrows and hunting bows, of course they agreed. But the staff like Yang Xiu often have sad faces. It is already difficult for them, the disciples of the Third Assistant, to know how to ride a horse, so why talk about archery and hunting?
The scene was very chaotic for a time. To this day, Chen Chong's archery is still not good, and he can only shoot a half-stone bow. He is far inferior to Liu Bei and Guan Yu, but he is considered to be the best among this group of people. Only Tian Zhao and Wu Yu are the children of farmers in Bingzhou and have practiced archery all year round. He was capable of shooting eight out of ten shots with a bow. After half an hour, the team of about twenty people had only obtained more than thirty rabbits and a dozen wild ducks, most of which were obtained by Tian and Wu.
Everyone walked to the west bank of Kunming Pool. It was almost time, so everyone stopped to rest. Tian Zhao was not satisfied, so he cut the rabbit meat into strips, threw it to Wu Yu and said, "Ayu, find a wooden pole and sharpen it, and put the meat on it. Let you see how I shoot the vulture." "Everyone was surprised when they heard this. Chen Chong explained that teenagers in Bingzhou often play like this.
Wu Yu put a sharpened wooden pole through the flesh and raised it high to attract vultures. Unexpectedly, after a while, they actually saw several black shadows appear in the sky, circling around them. At this time, Tian Zhao drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and when the vulture came down to grab the food, he released the arrow. Tian Zhao fired three arrows in a row, and then the sound of falling objects was heard one after another. Everyone looked closely, and it turned out that he had actually shot two. One of the vultures was hit by an arrow in its wing. It was fluttering and struggling on the ground, causing dust to fly. Its fallen feathers were dancing in the wind, but it could not fly. Tian Zhao saw this. He laughed and asked Chen Chong how his archery skills were.
When they reached the south bank of Kunming Pool, the sky gradually darkened, and suddenly the clouds became dense and a spring rain fell like oil. Chen Chong said: "I've seen it almost, let's go back." The group put away their bows and arrows and urged their horses to move quickly. When they reached a shallow slope, a white shadow suddenly jumped out from the reeds next to it and ran forward. .
"It's a white deer, pure white!" Yang Xiu said excitedly, then hit his mount with a whip and galloped away in pursuit. Everyone followed behind and ran to a house together, bypassing several hillsides, and saw the white shadow running towards the reeds. It seemed like I was back around Kunming Pool again. There were puddles everywhere, but the so-called white deer was missing.
Although the spring rain was not heavy, after being wet for a long time, I couldn't help but feel wet and cold. I don't know who cursed secretly. As soon as the words fell, a roar came from the reeds nearby, and several tall, ferocious-looking dogs pounced. out. Wu Yu was startled. He tightened the reins with his left hand and drew the bow with his right hand. When the horse's hoofs were steady, he was ready to shoot the arrow.
"Wait!" Chen Chong shouted to Wu Yu. He noticed that the reeds began to move again, and soon, another person emerged from the reeds behind the dog. "Hey," the man shouted to the dogs as soon as he came out. The big dogs, which had been extremely vicious just now, suddenly became quiet. They ran back to the man and started wagging their tails at him.
The man stood still with his cane, ordered the dogs to lie down, and scolded them: "You are rude, you didn't see the real dragon here!" The dogs seemed to understand their master's words, and they lay on the ground and whimpered for mercy.
The man chuckled, leaned on crutches, stepped forward and saluted everyone. Chen Chong saw that he seemed to be very old, with his small eyes narrowed. It was already dark and he could not see his true appearance. But his hair and beard are all gray and white, and his body is short and thin. He wears a gray linen robe and wears a pair of straw sandals on his exposed feet.
The old man said: "It is rare for a puppy to meet new people, and it has little knowledge. I hope you will forgive me." Wu Yu drew back his bow and waved to him.
"Xiao Ke's thatched cottage is nearby. If adults don't mind it, you can take shelter from the rain and have a glass of wine to warm up."
Everyone looked at each other, and Chen Chong said, "That's fine, I'm just bothering the old man." They got off their horses, led their horses and followed the old man into the reeds. The dogs are very well-behaved now, jumping and running ahead. When we got out of the reeds, there was really a hut in front of us. Set up in an open area surrounded by water on three sides. Only then did I realize that the reed bush just now was the only entrance.
The grass in the open space around the house has been cleared, and many vegetables are planted next to it. The old man led everyone into the hut and lit a fire in the middle. The room was small, and the brazier didn't have much charcoal. The old man said apologetically: "There are too many reeds, which can easily ignite the fire. I don't want the fire to be too big. Please forgive me."
Then the old man took out a wine jar from under the bed and several pottery bowls. He placed the bowl in the middle, picked up the wine jar and poured wine. Everyone noticed that he did not look at the wine bowl with his eyes, and the wine flowed out, but did not spill outside. Tian Zhao stood up gently and waved his hand in front of the old man's eyes, but the old man didn't seem to notice. The old man put down the wine jar, and then said softly: "Yes, my eyes are almost closed, but I can still see a little. I can see the surroundings for miles around better than you!"
Chen Chong patted Tian Zhao and gave him a slightly reproachful look. Then he turned to the old man and said, "Does the old man live here alone?"
The old man chuckled and replied: "Yes, there was a war in Guanzhong a few years ago. My wife and son were all dead, so I came here to avoid the war."
"Then life is not easy!"
"How is that possible? There is no tax here, and there are wetlands all around. The soil is very fertile. I grow some vegetables and let these guys help me catch some game. I live a good life."
When Chen Chong heard this, he thought that he planned to rebuild Kunming Pool, which would probably be flooded and affect the old man's livelihood. He felt a little guilty in his heart, and he whispered: "Old man, are you willing to live in the city? "
"In the city?" The old man sighed and said, "You are nobles, and you are still interested in hunting here. But Xiaoke is an ordinary citizen and blind. How can he gain a foothold in the city? Forget it, forget it, this place is still clean. If something goes wrong here, with these guys accompanying me, I can always find a place to live." As he said this, two big dogs ran over and stuck out their tongues to lick the old man's head. Palm, the old man couldn't help but laugh.
"The old man speaks so clearly, he is really like a god." Chen Chong was also very emotional after hearing this. He called his entourage over, intending to leave a fur coat as a reward for being a guest.
The old man smiled and continued: "When I was young, I learned fortune telling and some speaking skills from others, so I pretended to be open-minded, but in fact I just comforted myself and didn't regret it."
Yang Xiu heard that he had learned fortune telling, and he suddenly became interested and asked the old man: "You can't see, how do you read faces?" The old man smiled and said, "Xiao Ke, you can read faces. Master, do you want to try it?" "Yang Xiu smiled and stretched out his hands in front of him. The old man said "offended" and started from his shoulders to his fingers. After touching it, he was silent.
"How is it?" Yang Xiu asked.
The old man sighed and said: "Young Master is extremely smart and rich, but his life and death are hanging by a thread. It's not like he has a long life!"
Yang Xiu sneered, obviously not taking it seriously. The remaining people heard what he said was so strange, so they all stepped forward to ask him to read their faces, but Chen Chong was the only one who couldn't move. After everyone touched it, everyone got the prophecy and said they would be rich and powerful, so they were all happy.
At this moment, the rain stopped and the sunshine gradually came through. Chen Chong led everyone to thank the old man and prepared to leave. Before leaving, Yang Xiu suddenly turned around and asked: "Old man, you said you couldn't see it, but when we met, you said there was a real dragon here. What do you mean?"
For a moment, everyone fell silent and looked at Chen Chong and the old man.
The old man took a long time to say: "Although I am blind, I can still see Qi in my eyes."
"Angry?" Yang Xiu frowned.
"The Qi of the Five Virtues. You are just a gray mist in my eyes, but there is clearly a fire dragon hovering in it, swallowing the sun and the moon, shining brightly, making my eyes unbearable pain."
"Do you mean to serve the emperor?" Yang Xiu asked again. As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Chong shouted sternly: "Dezu, don't talk nonsense!"
Unexpectedly, the old man laughed, waved his hands and said: "No, no, the circulation of the five virtues is a natural principle. The dragon is a dragon, and the emperor is the emperor. That is different. The fire dragon in my eyes is the fire virtue. It swallows up the sun and the moon and uses its body as fuel to continue the virtue of fire. Ten years ago, I saw that the virtue of fire in the world was declining and no new virtues were born, so I took refuge here. Unexpectedly, I saw this real dragon, fire. Virtue has been revived."
Chen Chong heard this and asked, "How long do you think the virtue of fire lasts?"
The old man said: "It is not advisable to change your fate against the will of heaven. When the real dragon dies, the virtue of fire will decline again." At this point, the old man burped and said, "When people get old and drink wine, they suddenly like to say I hope you gentlemen don’t mind these drunken words.”
