The mountains and rivers are shattered, the wind throws catkins, and the life experience is shaken by the rain. ------"Crossing the Lingding Ocean" by Wen Tianxiang of the Southern Song Dynasty
It is said that Chen Long flew to the west wall of the Southern Palace and swam under the Canglongmen Bridge on the east wall. After much hard work, he finally discovered the culvert of the water prison. After digging under the water for more than an hour, a small cave was finally dug out.
This small cave at the bottom of the water goes east and west deep into the bottom of the wall, just enough for Chen Long to enter and exit. By digging upward from the bottom of the cave, you can dig into the culvert. There is no need to work underwater, and there is no need to worry about the patrols in Nangong. see. If we come here again tomorrow night and dig along the culvert in the direction of the water prison, we will definitely be able to break open the drain of the water prison and rescue Ma Yuanyi without anyone noticing.
Chen Long was confident about halfway through digging. He calculated the time and found that it was almost early in the morning. He remembered that he had to go to Quefei Hall to find a tunnel, so he hurriedly got out of the cave and swam under the Jinshui Bridge in front of Quefei Hall.
There was no waterway to go, so Chen Long waited quietly under the Jinshui Bridge, counting the time for the patrol to pass by. When a group of patrolmen walked across the bridge, Chen Long floated up from the water, raised his eyes to the shore and watched. He saw the group of patrolmen holding torches, walking to the gate of Quefei Hall, and walking along the base of the hall towards the gate. Went right.
Chen Long pressed his hand on the shore, stood up, and quickly disappeared into the shadow of a tree on the shore. Under the cover of flowers, we arrived at the left side of Quefei Hall. Seeing a row of window lattice high up on the left side, he jumped up like a civet cat and grabbed the window edge with his left hand. His right hand had reached into the crack of the window with the Qinglong Dagger, looking for the window latch and opening it.
With a gentle push, the window door opened silently. Chen Long walked in without waiting for it to fully open, grabbed the inner edge of the window with his backhand, and closed the window door. A group of patrolmen happened to pass under the window. Chen Long felt that it was very dangerous. When he brought Zhang Ning here tomorrow night, he would have to wait for this group of patrolmen to pass by.
As soon as his hand was released, Chen Long fell on the open space of the hall like cotton wool. My eyes slowly adapted to the darkness in the hall, and I saw that at the end of the open space was a high platform with a dragon bed facing south and facing north. I could imagine the scene of Han Ling Emperor sitting on the platform and congratulations from hundreds of officials.
Chen Long quickly leapt to the dragon chair. If there was a tunnel exit, it would be not far from the throne, making it easier for the emperor to escape. Chen Long had little knowledge of ancient mechanisms. Fortunately, he had a brain in his head and began to look up ancient tunnel mechanisms.
The dragon chair was thick and placed in the middle of the high platform. Chen Long fumbled around for a long time and found nothing strange. He simply sat on the dragon chair and stroked the armrests covered with carved dragon heads. Feelings arose in my heart. Although this throne was extremely expensive, it was not an auspicious thing. Since ancient times, palace struggles had brought countless blood.
The faucet on the armrest has become very smooth after being rubbed by the emperor for several times. Chen Long had no clue in his mind. He subconsciously followed the carved lines and ran his fingers across the faucet heads, counting the number of faucet heads in boredom. Suddenly, I felt one of the faucets tremble slightly, as if it was not firmly fixed.
Chen Long's heart moved, and he groped carefully with his fingers again. Sure enough, there was a faucet, which trembled slightly when his fingers passed by. His fingers stayed on the faucet head, and with a slight press, the faucet lowered down and sunk into the armrest.
Chen Long was overjoyed, knowing that he had found an authentic mechanism. He hurriedly got under the dragon bed, and when he looked at the ground, there was no movement. I searched around the dragon bed, but there was no change. The dragon's head gradually rose and returned to its original state.
Chen Long was confused and couldn't help but look around. The empty space in front was used by ministers for their audience, and there would definitely be no exit. Seeing that there were layers of curtains behind the dragon chair, it seemed unnecessary. Chen Long pressed the faucet again and quickly searched through the layers of curtains. When he searched for the last curtain close to the back wall, there was suddenly a subtle sound of hard objects closing in the silence. Chen Long straightened up and rushed behind the curtain where the sound came from. When he lay on the ground to look, he happened to see A floor tile in the corner slowly rose from the ground and closed, fitting tightly again.
Chen Long's heart surged with overwhelming joy. Even though this mechanism was very sophisticated, I still discovered the exit. It was really God's will. While he was in ecstasy, there was suddenly a loud roar of people outside. Chen Long turned from joy to shock. He knew that a large number of guards from the North Palace had gone to the Nangong to clean up. It was impossible for him to return the same way, so he pressed the dragon bed again. The faucet on the handrail jumped into the tunnel with a whoosh. After a moment, the floor tiles slowly closed from behind, and the eyes fell into darkness.
Fortunately, Chen Long brought a fire fold wrapped in oilcloth. After shining it, a tunnel about two meters high appeared, looking straight to the north. The fire turned to the left and found that there was a branch road heading southwest from here, and I didn't know where it led. Chen Long searched for a long time, but could not find the mechanism to open the floor tiles from the tunnel. Since there was no way out, Chen Long simply walked north along the tunnel, while exploring the tunnel's exit at Mang Mountain, calculating the distance in his mind. .
About walking under the Beigong, Chen Long saw another fork on the side and knew it was the exit leading to the Beigong, so he ignored it. After walking north along the tunnel for about an hour, several steps appeared in the light of the fire. Chen Long knew he had reached the exit and quickly stepped up.
At the top of the steps was a short stone door. Chen Long pushed it hard several times, but it didn't move at all. Chen Long knew that he still had to find a mechanism, so he groped around on the ground and walls.
The walls and floor were smooth and there were no abnormalities at all. Chen Long saw a big stone next to him, which was very uncoordinated in the tunnel. He wondered how there could be such a big rock in the tunnel. His heart moved, and he picked up the big stone with all his strength. Sure enough, the stone door slowly started to move, revealing a gap. .
Chen Long was ecstatic that the passage out of the city was finally completely opened. Putting down the big stone, the stone door began to slowly move back. Chen Long swung out of the tunnel before the stone door closed. The stone door slowly closed behind him. When he looked again, it was just a stone wall.
Chen Long saw that the tunnel exit was in a dark cave. There was a bush in front of the cave entrance, and the location was very secret. Chen Long used a dagger to clear the way, and finally walked out of the bushes to the top of a hill in Mang Mountain, where he saw the dark city of Luoyang in the distance before dawn. Remembering that Lu Chang was still waiting outside the west wall of Nangong, he quickly took up his Qinggong and flew towards Luoyang City.
Once again borrowing the bottom of the boat to secretly return to Luoyang from Shuimen, Chen Long quickly rushed to the west wall and found the impatient Lu Chang who was waiting. At this time, the sky has turned white, and the merchants have begun to prepare for the morning market. The two of them are wearing night clothes, and they will definitely become a joke by dawn. Hurrying slowly, we finally made it back to the safe house before dawn.
Zhang Ning felt uneasy and got up early to wait for Chen Long in the hall. Fang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the two of them returned safely. Chen Long changed his outfit, called Zhou Buyi and Zhao Da, and told a few people about the entire night exploration. They were shocked and overjoyed when they finally found out that they had discovered the Mangshan exit.
While everyone was chatting, Hao Pu and Hu Ji hurried over. Seeing everyone there, they reported: "Master, it's not good. Lu Zhi received the imperial edict this morning and has already begun to mobilize the army to attack the Yellow Turbans. He is working with Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun. Lead the troops out of the city. The movements of Tang Zhou are unknown, but this morning we found General Lu Zhi riding out, followed by a mysterious carriage. I wonder if Tang Zhou is also going to follow Lu Zhi out of the city."
When Zhang Ning heard that the imperial army was mobilizing and wanted to attack the Yellow Turbans, his joyful expression dimmed. Chen Long heard about it, comforted Zhang Ning a few words, and took a few followers to the street to watch.
The main street has been closed, and only citizens are allowed to watch on the roadside. I saw rows of soldiers with bright swords and armor, marching in goose steps with overwhelming momentum, slowly pouring out from Pingcheng Gate and crossing the Tianjin Bridge. Zhao Da whispered: "These are just for show to the people. The real camp is fifty miles east of Luoyang City, not far from Hulao Pass."
Chen Long nodded slightly and said to Zhao Da: "When the streets are opened, I will bother you to find Liu Deran of Lu Zhi Mansion to find out whether Tang Zhou followed Lu Zhi out of the city." Zhao Da nodded in agreement. When Chen Long stared, he saw a general, riding a white horse, with a steel gun hanging on the bird's ring victory hook. He had majestic shoulders, a mighty appearance, thick eyebrows and big eyes, a steel beard exploded, and a The golden helmet, wearing a red battle robe, accepted the cheers of the people majestically. When he asked Zhao Da, it was Zhu Jun, the right middle man. Everyone watched for a long time, but Lu Zhi and Huangfu Song were nowhere to be seen. They thought they had left Luoyang. After the team left the city and martial law was lifted, Zhao Da hurriedly went to find Liu Deran.
Chen Long returned to the library and saw Zhang Ning sitting in the hall silently, with a worried look on his face. Lu Chang and Zhou Buyi did not dare to speak, so they stood outside the hall and waited. Chen Long squatted in front of Zhang Ning and whispered: "Mei Niang, are you worried that Tang Zhou followed Lu Zhi out of the city and we will have no chance of revenge?"
Mei Niang shook her head in silence, and after a while she slowly said: "That's not the case. What I'm worried about is that Tang Zhou is familiar with his father's marching arrangements and garrison locations. This time Lu Zhi takes him on an expedition, my father may be caught off guard."
Chen Long finally understood and quickly comforted him: "How about I send Hu Ji to Jizhou to find your father and let them be prepared?"
"I didn't go there in person. Even if I could find my father, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to believe it. If I took my letter with me, I would be afraid that someone would find it out along the way and it would end up killing Hu Ji." Zhang Ning pursed his lips, as if he had made up his mind. He said with full of affection in his words: "Long Lang, I originally wanted to never be separated from Long Lang after escaping from Luoyang this time. However, due to the current situation, the gluttonous people in the court and the rich and powerful people can't tolerate it. No father. As the saying goes, how can you allow others to snore and sleep on the side of the bed?" At this point, tears were shed.
This was the first time that Zhang Ning called Chen Long "Long Lang". Chen Long heard the sadness in Zhang Ning's words and couldn't help but hugged this beautiful woman with a wandering life. He felt that Zhang Ning's tears wet his chest. shoulder.
Zhang Ning choked and continued: "This time I am separated from Long Lang, I want to rush back to Jizhou to find my father and help him duel with the imperial soldiers and horses, hoping to escape unscathed. If unfortunately he dies, Long Lang must not take advantage of me. I wish you could set up your ambitions, rise up as soon as possible, and return a peaceful world to the people. Then I can comfort my soul in heaven." After saying that, he lay on Chen Long's shoulder and started crying.
Chen Long felt miserable. Apparently Zhang Ning had a premonition that his father's death was imminent, and he even made up his mind to die and uttered these last words. The pride of protecting the beauty in her arms gradually surged in her heart, and she whispered in Zhang Ning's ear: "My wife, Mei Niang, don't say such sad words. After escaping from Luoyang, I will go to Jizhou with you, vowing to protect the safety of my father-in-law." .”
Zhang Ning opened his eyes with tears and looked at Chen Long. Seeing Chen Long nodding firmly, he couldn't help but said: "Long Lang, you have great ambitions that have not yet been realized. The world cannot live without you. This is absolutely impossible."
"My beloved wife, listen to me. Although I have great ambitions, Lingling is in a corner with few people. Although there are great talents such as Gongyan and Gongfu, everything has just started. It won't take ten or eight years to even think about it. Fight for world supremacy." Seeing Zhang Ning looking at him intoxicated, Chen Long continued with a look in his eyes: "I will go to Jizhou with you. Brother Ma and I are here. Lu Chang, Hu Ji, and Hao Pu are all highly skilled in martial arts. With Zhou Buji's wisdom, although we cannot go into battle against the imperial troops, we can at least ensure the safety of you and your father. And I have also been interested in Jizhou for a long time. I don't know what other gains I will get from this trip. Exactly. Kill two birds with one stone.”
When Zhang Ning heard Chen Long call her his beloved wife, she was already satisfied and whispered: "That's fine. It's true that my father's yellow scarves are mixed, good and bad, and they can't unite to fight. If my father is defeated, I am willing to take him to Lingling and fully assist Long Lang in his struggle for hegemony." How about the world?"
Seeing that Zhang Ning's worries turned into joy, Chen Long smiled and said, "With the help of my fairy-like beloved wife, it will be difficult for me, Chen Long, to succeed!" Before he could finish his words, Zhang Ning had already offered his fragrant lips and sealed Chen Long's lips. The words behind the dragon.
The kiss was sweet, and the door was pushed open with a clang. Zhou Buyi ran in stupidly and said: "Master, Zhao Da is back!" He looked up and saw the two of them hugging each other and kissing. He was so frightened that he turned around and ran out again, leaving behind Chen Long and Zhang Ning, with dark lines on their faces, were messy in the wind.
Chen Long quickly separated from Zhang Ning and called everyone in. Zhou Buyi was the last one to come in and stood far away from the two of them. Chen Long smiled and said: "Yuan Zhi, bring your Luoyang drawings." Zhou Buyi was trembling with fright at first, but when he heard that he was just taking the drawings, he went away happily knowing that he was not blamed.
Zhao Da reported that Tang Zhou indeed followed Lu Zhi out of the city in a carriage. Chen Long took the map in Zhou Buyi's hand and ordered: "Yuan Zhi, Hu Ji, and Hao Pu, you three will set off immediately and hire a boat at Xiaopingjin Ferry on the Yellow River. As long as Lu Chang and Zhao Da are here, you can .”
Zhao Da interjected: "Why hire a boat? Those boatmen are not our own, so they will inevitably leak the news. I have a small boat on the pier here, and Hu Ji and I can drive it." After that, he pointed to the map and said: "After leaving the water gate , go east along the Luo River, and merge with the Yishui River to directly connect to the Yellow River. Going upstream along the Yellow River, you can reach Xiaopingjin Ferry in half a day."
Chen Long said happily: "This is better. You must arrive at Xiaopingjin before midnight tomorrow evening and early morning the day after tomorrow. However, the ferry may be guarded by troops. You can park the boat on the shore ten miles west of Xiaopingjin and meet there. . Zhao Da, you can lead them to the boat quickly. Go back quickly, Luoyang will need you to continue to be in charge in the future." The three of them obeyed the order, went to pack up their belongings, and hurried off with Zhao Da.
Chen Long asked Lu Chang to rest and agreed to meet at dinner. He took Zhang Ning back to the bedroom, thinking about his actions at night. The passage had been opened and his beloved wife was by his side, and he couldn't help but feel infinite pride in his heart. The palace in the divine capital of Luoyang is so tall, majestic, magnificent, beautiful, and heavily fortified. Why don’t you just let me come and go?
