On a lonely and cold snowy night, gentle goose feathers fall on the small world, accumulating great affection.
People's Qi and blood are hot and can be activated easily. In addition, the two people's hearts are boiling at this moment, which makes them burn even faster. After a few steps, Zhang Xun and the Second Madam's legs and feet became agile. In just one step, he was already in front of the other party.
"How did you come?"
Zhang Xun's blurted out question seemed superfluous. He looked at the clothes held in his wife's arms. After being married for decades, they already understood each other. Maybe you don't understand you better than the other person. After all, she still felt sorry for him, but he also felt sorry for his lover.
"Seeing that Alang didn't come home late at night, I came to look for him."
Although Zhang Xun's tone was a bit reproachful, the second lady still answered. She pulled off the cotton hat on her head and was about to hand over the thing in her hand. Zhang Xun didn't take it, but turned his back and said back to Mo Sheng in the courtyard:
"Mr. Mo, please forgive me. My wife is stupid and came here uninvited. I sent her right away."
Mo Sheng is not a person who is ignorant of worldly affairs. This is not a secular politeness, but a basic human sophistication. Although Mo Sheng rolled his eyes at the many clichés in this world, he had to be among them. Hearing Zhang Xun's greeting, he quickly walked forward and came to the two of them. Everyone who came was a guest. He calmly He looked at Zhang Xun, the lady who came late at night, and then bowed and saluted.
"It turns out to be Mrs. Zhang. Please forgive me for missing you from afar."
The second lady hurriedly turned aside to acknowledge the salute, nodded and bowed in return, and answered:
"Mr. Mo scolded me for disturbing me late at night. I really shouldn't have done it. It's just that Mr. Zhang didn't come back late at night. I guess the government affairs have not been dealt with. I didn't expect it to be very windy and snowy tonight. I was afraid that the two adults would get cold at night, so I took it upon myself to do it." I suggested that I bring some things to keep out the cold. I hope Mr. Mo will forgive me for being so abrupt and inconsiderate."
These words were clear, generous and appropriate, and Mo Sheng also figured out the identity of this uninvited guest. It turned out to be a wife who missed her husband. On this snowy night, she was worried that her husband would be cold, so she specially came to bring warmth. It's just that the woman was only thinking about her sweetheart's feelings, but completely forgot that she was also suffering from the cold. She stood in the wind and snow for so long just to put on warm clothes on the person who made her cold.
I don't know if it's cold, but I don't know if it's cold.
After the two parties greeted each other politely, Mo Sheng, as the host, naturally had to invite the guests into his room. Although his inner room only had one more roof than the courtyard, he still couldn't lose his etiquette.
So the three of them walked into the hut one after another. By the light, Mo Sheng looked at the second lady.
She is dressed as an ordinary official woman, wearing a wrap-around cotton robe and a large cloak. Her hair is black and styled in an ordinary woman's bun. There are not many hairpins to embellish it. She has good eyebrows and a slim face. She looks in her thirties or forties. Sui, although not as rich and noble as many official women, is still graceful, generous and decent, and has a gentle manner. Mo Sheng made an excuse and led Zhang Xun outside the courtyard. The two of them started gesticulating and talking in the snow.
The second lady entered the so-called inner room. She looked at the frozen and hard food on the table. With just one glance, she could see the situation here. Firstly, she had developed it from handling housework for many years. With a sophisticated eye, Mo Sheng's residence is too clean, so clean that even mice can't hide it. After all, in such a broken nest, mice have to go back crying when they come.
The second lady quickly put the warm robe in her arms on the ground. As for the neat warm robe that she paid special attention to at the beginning, now she was not worried about whether it was appropriate or not. With her hands free, the second lady put away the food and wine on the table. , repacking the lacquerware food box that Zhang Xun had brought when he came. Although he knew that there was no wine in the jug, he still shook it habitually. As expected, it was empty. The two of them had already drank more than two kilograms of wine. After clearing the table, the second lady picked up the warm robe again and put it on the table. After looking around for a while, she walked to the corner, neatly gathered the hay around the broken manger, and carried it to the ground where the two of them were sitting opposite each other. Going back and forth, he gathered the hay cleanly and piled it neatly where the two of them were going to sit. There was not a single messy hay anywhere in the room except under the buttocks of the two of them.
After gathering the hay, the second lady deliberately flattened the hay pile on her man's side and used her hands to feel which pieces were higher and which ones were lower. After it was even and suitable, she took out the wool felt blanket on the table and spread it on it. On the hay, pull it left and right to make it as comfortable and soft as possible. After laying this side, the second lady thought about it again and spread the fox fur coat that was originally intended to cover Zhang Xun's legs on the haystack on Mo Sheng's side. After also tidying it up, the remaining piece It was difficult to distribute the long-breasted warm robes.
She had planned in her heart that she would bring a total of three warm robes for this trip. One was planned to be spread on the chair, one to be draped on the body, and one to cover the legs. But he never imagined that Mo Sheng's place would be like this. The formal and rigorous hearth hall in her imagination had turned into a shabby house with a vast courtyard. The woolen felt blanket she had prepared to spread on the hardwood seats had to be spread on the earthy haystack, and the fox fur clothes were also spread on it. It became someone else's cushion, but she was really in trouble as to who should leave the third long-breasted warm robe, and she couldn't make the right choice. Naturally, I want my man to wear it, but I can't waste my thoughts in vain. But in this case, Mr. Mo will have other opinions. But if she gave up her long-collared warm robe to the so-called beggar, she would refuse it ten thousand times. Why would she give something that she had brought with her through hardships to an outsider?
It's all my fault for that beggar-like Mr. Mo. I really don't understand why my husband pays so much attention to him and talks to him endlessly on such a cold day. Both of them are weird.
After thinking for a while, the second lady looked at the two people outside the courtyard holding branches and gesturing on the snow, and shook her head slightly. She really couldn't think of how to distribute them, so she simply folded the long-sleeved warm robe again and put it on the table. On one side, he paused, and then pulled it a few inches toward his husband. It seemed to be still in the middle, and the few inches out were not very obvious. Then he picked up the food box and left the inner room. As for the long collar Let the two of them distribute the warm robes themselves. After walking a few steps, he came back and raised the lamp in the oil lamp on the table. The room suddenly became much brighter and seemed much warmer.
The two people in the courtyard saw the second wife coming out and stopped talking. Mo Sheng didn't say much, said hello and returned to his shabby house. Zhang Xun looked at his wife, his face was slightly red from the cold, and he was holding the food. He's hands were also red, he waved his hands, and the two of them walked out of the courtyard.
"I still need to discuss something with Mr. Mo. You go back first. It's cold outside. Don't worry about me anymore."
"I know, you go ahead, I'll leave now."
The second lady listened to her husband's slightly harsh words, responded and said no more. She picked up the hat on her warm robe again, carried a gauze lamp in one hand and a food box in the other. She looked at her husband, turned around, and Walk the way you come and go. After taking just two steps, he was stopped by Zhang Xun. Zhang Xun took a step forward, lowered his head and bent his body. He reached out to the hem of the second lady's warm robe and pulled out a few hay leaves stuck to the warm robe. He stood up straight and looked at the somewhat astonished lady. Smiling slightly, he opened his mouth and said:
"Go back, be careful on the road and walk slowly."
The second lady's face didn't know whether it was getting colder or not, and it was getting redder and redder.
Watching his wife go away, Zhang Xun walked towards the shabby house, still holding the few hay leaves tightly in his hand.
Back at the broken house, Mo Sheng was still standing in a daze. Zhang Xun looked at the broken house, which had changed a lot at this time, and then looked at the haystack that looked much more comfortable and warm. He smiled, and the two half-hundred-year-olds looked at each other. The men were a little embarrassed and really didn't know what to say. As the host, Mo Sheng broke the delicate atmosphere. He laughed and extended his hand for Zhang Xun to sit down again. The two men laughed involuntarily.
The soft and warm feeling underneath me is certainly much better than the cold and hard floor.
Mo Sheng thought of his wife for no reason. If Suiyang City could be defended, it would be time for him to return to his family. He had been living outside a lot these years. If he could go back, he would have to stay at home for a longer time.
That somewhat willful girl, since she became the mother of her own baby, the two of them haven't had a word in private for a long time.
"In March, Linghu Chao, together with the rebel generals Li Huaixian, Yang Chaozong, and Xie Yuandong, led more than 40,000 troops to Yongqiu City in an attempt to capture Yongqiu City in one fell swoop. At this time, our troops in Yongqiu City There were only 2,000 defenders, while the opponent had 40,000 troops. Both the soldiers and civilians in the city were panicked and frightened. Seeing this, I analyzed the situation with all the soldiers. I thought that the enemy knew what was true and false in our city, so there must be some misunderstandings. In my mind, if I can catch him by surprise now, I will be frightened and collapse. If I take advantage of it, I will collapse. After listening to my analysis, all the soldiers felt that this was feasible and very encouraged. So I sent a thousand people to guard the city. I personally led a thousand men, divided them into several small teams, and suddenly rushed out from the three gates of the city. Fortunately, I also practiced bow and horse riding and archery when I was young. Although I was not good at it, I just fought to the death, led the soldiers, and rushed straight to the rebels. In the formation. Just as I expected, although the enemy troops were numerous, they never thought that we would do the opposite. The incident happened suddenly and I was panic-stricken. After being charged and killed by our troops several times, the formation was in chaos. Fearing General Nan's invincible bravery, they fled in all directions and retreated to the camp."
The two people who sat down again started talking again, and Zhang Xun continued to tell the story of the Yongqiu defensive battle.
"The next day, Linghuchao, who had suffered a loss, gathered his troops again and prepared to attack the city. He placed hundreds of stone cannons around the city and began bombarding them. The city towers and the low walls on the city were all destroyed. The enemy was powerful, so they had to hold on to the death. , I ordered people to erect wooden palisades on the city to resist the rebel attack, and at the same time ordered craftsmen and officials to repair the city wall. The rebels took advantage of the power of the stone cannons to climb up the city, and I used the method in the military book to bundle up the wormwood. Filled with grease, lit on fire and dropped it, the rebel soldiers were afraid of being burned and stopped climbing the city. In the days that followed, our strength was weak and we could only wait until the rebels relaxed, go out to raid and harass, and defend the city while building walls. , but also took advantage of the depth of night to sneak attack on the enemy camp, working hard physically and mentally in order to survive in the cracks. In this way, all our generals took the lead, eating with armor, fighting with wounds, and risking their lives to hold on for six years. In more than ten days, there were almost a hundred large and small battles. Seeing that they could not take down Yongqiu in a short time, Linghu Chao and others discussed withdrawing their troops. My spies here learned that the rebels were about to retreat, and reported As for me, after discussing with the generals, I decided to lead my troops to pursue the victory. Sure enough, I gained something. I captured more than two thousand rebels alone, and almost captured Linghu Chao alive. The Yongqiu defenders saw the enemy army defeated and their morale was greatly boosted. , the persistence is stronger.”
As Zhang Xun described, Mo Sheng became more and more interested in Zhang Xun's process of guarding Yongqiu. Zhang Xun gave the lecture and Mo Sheng asked the questions. Mo Sheng had only seen Zhang Xun's information a few days ago, although he knew that he was He was able to lead troops to defend the city and was able to do both offense and defense in the face of several times the number of enemies. However, he still didn't know the specific details of the battle.
"After that, Linghu Chao will definitely not give up. The situation in Yongqiu is dangerous. How did you manage to defeat an enemy several times stronger without defeating him?"
The two talked across the table and tested each other. Mo Sheng humbly asked Zhang Xun for advice. Zhang Xun did not hide anything. He recounted the battles of the year, starting with how to make enemies with Linghu Chao and kill the six school captains who were about to surrender to the enemy. , until now when I rush to Suiyang, what battles I have gone through to guard Yongqiu, etc., it is concise and eloquent.
"Yongqiu City is located on the main road from Luoyang to Jianghuai. Merchants have always prospered, and the land is vast and rich. The people have lived in peace for a hundred years. The foundation is much better than that of my Zhenyuan County. Linghu Chao and I The two counties are adjacent to each other and have always been familiar with each other. This person entered the official position with his family background, and his ancestors were also from a loyal and brave family. However, he did not expect that Linghu Chao, who had been favored by God, faced the traitors and did not want to serve the country but was greedy for life and feared death. I became a traitor who sold myself to others for glory. I was ashamed to have an old relationship with such people. After capturing Yongqiu, I executed all of them. From then on, Linghu Chao not only hated me for taking the city, but also hated me for annihilating the family. . So Linghu Chao bit me and refused to let go of the city twice. Although he wanted to eat my flesh alive, he knew that it would not be easy to take Yongqiu by force, so he came up with a plan to lure him to surrender. The third time Linghu Chao, who was approaching the city, was really calm. He greeted me at the city wall as he had before, and used words he had already thought out to persuade me. He said that now Li Tang had too much time to take care of himself and had no troops to send. The world's affairs were over, and he could only hold on to the dangerous city. , who cares?"
"Oh, I wonder what Mr. Zhang's answer is?"
Zhang Xun was not in a hurry. He wanted to drink a glass of wine out of habit, but when he felt empty, he realized that there was no more wine to drink. His wife had packed up the drinking utensils and took them away. He had no choice but to retract his hand and continue to answer Mo Sheng's words.
"Linghu Chao persuaded me to be loyal to no master, but I don't know that in my heart, Li Tang is the world, and the whole world belongs to Li Tang. He is greedy for life and afraid of death, and he insists on mentioning the word loyalty, which is really humiliating himself. I Then he took advantage of his will and replied, "I have pledged myself to be loyal and righteous throughout my life. Where is my loyalty in today's actions? You have received heaven's grace in this life but do not want to repay it. Although I am old, weak and disabled, God's way is on my side, and you and other thieves will surely be killed." Master Wang is exterminated. Even though he is dead, he will not be able to escape the infamy for a hundred generations!"
After Mo Sheng listened to Zhang Xun's words, he never expected that this gentleman with an elegant appearance could say such crazy and sharp words. Not to mention Linghu Chao who ran away in shame after hearing this. Any traitor in the world who had surrendered to the enemy would be surprised after hearing this. I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep well.
In this way, Zhang Xun and Linghu Chao began a battle of wits and courage. In May, Zhang Xun and Linghu Chao continued to attack and defend in Yongqiu County for more than 40 days. Linghu Chao couldn't attack for a long time, so he could only continue to add more troops and generals, striving to capture this dangerous Yongqiu County town as soon as possible. After fighting for several months, tens of thousands of people died on both sides. Linghu Chao had lost his hatred for Zhang Xun and only wanted to capture Yongqiu quickly so as to open the door to Jianghuai. If he can no longer capture Yongqiu, his life on Anlu Mountain will be even more difficult. Linghu Chao heard that An Lushan had been in a bad situation in the recent war and was struggling. As a result, An Lushan became even more irritable and would kill to vent his anger. Even his close men were whipped by him. He who surrendered, He didn't have much foundation to begin with. If he hadn't had an old relationship with Yan Zhuang, the troops he killed would probably have been beaten by An Lushan ten or eight times.
Zhang Xun didn't know Linghu Chao's suffering. His own life was already very difficult. While holding on, he looked forward to Datang's rescue. He waited and waited, and waited, but the flag of Li Tang's army did not arrive. But what awaited was the fall of Chang'an.
The emperor has escaped!
This news was undoubtedly fatal, and what made matters worse was that the news that came like a bolt from the blue was not received first by his side, but by Linghu Chao, his opponent. Since Yongqiu had long lost contact with the outside world, Zhang Xun was unaware of the situation outside at that time. After Linghu Chao got this huge news, he immediately sent a letter to recruit Zhang Xun to surrender, saying that the situation was irreversible and it was better to surrender as soon as possible. Yan Jun, save more innocent casualties.
"Mr. Mo, I would like to ask why the good situation suddenly reversed. Didn't you say that Anlushan's westward march was blocked at Tongguan and could not move forward, and the road back to Fanyang from the north was also cut off by Li Guangbi and Guo Ziyi. The imperial court everywhere Army, they only occupy a few prefectures and counties such as Bianzhou and Zhengzhou. Under the encroachment, the defeat of Anlu Mountain is irreversible. Why did it happen that Changan was defeated and the emperor left!"
"As the saying goes, soldiers and horses are alive, but people's hearts are stupid!"
"Oh, I wonder who the idiot sir is talking about is?"
"There are so many stupid people, including Wang Sili, Yang Guozhong, Ge Shuhan, and the most stupid one, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji!"
Mo Sheng's unkind words shocked Zhang Xun to the core, and he was shocked and then furious. He stood up suddenly and glared at Mo Sheng in front of him. Although he himself often scolded Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong for their treacherous ministers and traitors, the emperor could not do that. He was a serious Confucian scholar. The first duty of a Confucian scholar was to be loyal to the emperor and patriotism. As the common leader of the world, Li Longji was naturally the first belief of their Confucian students. Although the Li Tang royal family claimed to be the Taoist Supreme Emperor after Xuanyuan and Emperor Laozi, among their Confucian scholars, the emperor who ruled the world was still the first. Now there are people who are not shy about criticizing their own beliefs in front of him. Even if the emperor has made huge mistakes, as a minister, the first thing is to advise, not to slander and abuse. Suddenly someone dares to scold the emperor. This is undoubtedly an insult to the emperor. The disrespectful words are treasonous, and they deny Zhang Xun's belief and obliterate his original intention. Such a person should be killed with a three-foot sword.
Zhang Xun's hand had already grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist, his eyes were burning, and he glared condescendingly at Mo Sheng across the table.
Mo Sheng saw Zhang Xun's actions, he was neither hasty nor slow, his sitting posture didn't change much, his legs were still crossed, he just raised his head, his eyes met with Zhang Xun's, one burst into flames, and the other Indifferent as ice. Mo Sheng's eyes were calm and there was a sneer at the corner of his mouth. The two of them just stared at each other for a long time.
The journey home is always brisk and pleasant, and everyone has a strong feeling for home. The second lady, who was returning home at this moment, did not know that the two people in the broken house were at war with each other. There was no wind and snow in her world, and all that was rippling in her heart were spring flowers and autumn moon. Although she was over forty and her daily life was filled with trivial matters, her husband's bend was like a spoonful of honey added to porridge, enough to make her sweet for a long time.
She didn't drink, but she felt a little drunk!
