Two people and two horses ran northward. At dark time, they reached the western suburbs of Luoyang and found their sleeping place.
At dawn the next day, we set off westward, passing through Shaanxi County, arriving at Tongguan, crossing the Wei River at Sanhekou, and heading north along the Luoshui River to Yanzhou.
Along the way, you can see an endless stream of pedestrians, carriages, horses (and donkeys).
Some are transporting supplies to support the frontline war effort, some are moving their families south to escape the war, some are using old clothes and paper money to bring back the souls of fallen soldiers at the frontier, some are traveling long distances to visit relatives and friends, and some are forced by life to want to start a national disaster. Wealthy people, men, women, old and young, all kinds of people from all walks of life, their figures are full of sorrow and pain.
When Bai Yutian sees it, he feels pity in his heart, but when he leaves it, he remains filled with hatred. The five emotions are so mixed that it is difficult to describe them in one word.
"Monks amass wealth in prosperous times, and Taoist priests descend from the mountains in troubled times." To Wushan Taoists who are eager to get on their way, these words may sound good to them, but it is still difficult to really do something practical.
As a true Taoist, you should pay close attention to the needs of believers and promote your own Taoism. Sometimes it is difficult to express such kindness, so I would stop to perform rituals for the deceased and chant sutras to express my gratitude. Can you really be reborn in bliss? True or false, if the Taoist priest doesn't tell, who can tell clearly. But one thing is for sure, it can alleviate the pain caused by the war to the families of the victims, and it can be regarded as a slight comfort to the injured souls!
Passing through Dali and Chengcheng to Yanzhou Prefecture, Bai Yutian and Wushan Taoist seemed to be unpopular with some people.
No, I had just sat down at a roadside tea stall. The tea had just been poured, and before I could take a sip, several Song Bing uncles came over. Seeing that the two horses tied by the tea shed were good-looking and suitable for riding, I wanted to take them as my own.
A soldier said: "Whose horse is this? It has been taken away by the army." After saying this, he went to untie the reins with a brother.
Bai Yutian quickly drank the bowl of herbal tea in his hand, stood up, and said to the two Song soldiers: "Uncle, that horse is mine. We still have thousands of miles to travel, and we rely on it to act as a leg. You can do it." merciful."
An officer and soldier who looked like a young man came over and glared at Bai Yutian. Qingmao asked in an understated tone: "Little brother, is this horse yours?"
Bai Yutian replied: "It's mine."
The officer and soldier chuckled and said, "If you call it, will it agree?"
Bai Yutian said: "I'm afraid I can't because humans and animals can't understand each other's language."
The officer and soldier smiled and said: "It doesn't want to agree to what you call it, so it's not yours anymore. Take it away." He turned around, not wanting to talk nonsense to Bai Yutian.
Bai Yutian said: "This horse is mine."
The officer and soldier quickly turned around and spoke casually: "Little brother, don't toast and eat as a penalty, okay?"
Bai Yutian said: "This horse is mine."
The officer and soldier opened his eyes angrily and burst out with words: "Do you know that things are tight around the world? Do you know that there is a shortage of war horses? It would be good if I didn't catch you as a strongman to transport supplies. But you are so long-winded about requisitioning a horse. Isn't this life?" Are you itching to be too leisurely?"
When Bai Yutian saw the officer's saliva touching his nose, he felt it was dirty and shouted: "This horse is mine, it's mine. No one can take it away without my consent, not even the King of Heaven." No."
"Haha!" As soon as the officer finished speaking, he couldn't wait to kick out Bai Yutian, hitting Bai Yutian in the abdomen.
Bai Yutian contracted his lower abdomen instantly and bulged up instantly. With two chirping sounds, the officer and soldier fell out of the sky, including his feet.
The officer and soldier sat up on the spot and found that the pain in his ankle was severe. He quickly took off his shoes, pulled up his trousers and took a look. There was a circle of green around his ankle, which was about to turn into purple. The more he looked at it, the more uncomfortable it became. Bai Yutian shouted: "What magic did you use to harm me?"
When the other four Song soldiers saw and heard, they rushed over with their swords firmly in hand. They not only wanted revenge, but also wanted to establish their authority.
Bai Yutian hadn't had a fight in a few days, and his hands were itchy. He ducked a few times and punched a few times. The four Song soldiers all lay down, sighing together with bruised faces and swollen noses.
The soldiers of the Song Dynasty were different. They climbed up in one fell swoop, supported the officer whose ankle was misplaced, and walked away with great majesty. Even if he ran away, he would not forget to leave behind his power: "Wait for me!"
"Wait! I'm afraid it's impossible. I have to rush on my way after eating." Bai Yutian thought like this.
The store owner came over and said, "Sir, what do you want to eat? I'll help you make it quickly. After you eat, you can go on your way."
Bai Yutian tied the horse's reins, sat down and said, "Then bring some ready-made items, we are in a hurry."
The store owner said: "It's better to keep it simple." and walked away.
Bai Yutian drank the tea poured by Wushan Taoist and asked in a low voice: "Taoist, is this okay?"
Wushan Taoist took a sip of tea and replied coldly: "If there is any trouble, you are asking for it."
Bai Yutian smiled faintly, and when he saw the store bringing the food, he put on his posture and started eating.
The shopkeeper looked on, very happy, and said: "Sir, if you are going north, remember to take some detours and never take the main road."
Bai Yutian was puzzled and asked: "Uncle, why is this?"
The store owner said: "Those uncles just now are the defenders of Yanzhou Prefecture, guarding the border for the imperial court. How can they be offended by you? If you don't come back here to cause trouble, they will definitely be waiting for you ahead. Don't run into it. If we encounter him, he will be severely beaten, his skin and flesh will be torn apart, his finances will be confiscated, or his life will not be saved, and he will be buried everywhere and become a lonely ghost. Hey, what a world!"
Taoist Wushan answered: "You are so arrogant, no one will take care of you?"
The store owner smiled and said: "Sometimes someone takes care of it, sometimes no one takes care of it."
Bai Yutian had eaten a bowl of rice and took the opportunity to add more rice and asked: "There is someone in charge, but they still don't know how to restrain themselves?"
The storekeeper said: "They guard the border for the imperial court. Today they don't know their fate tomorrow. As long as they are not caught on the spot, they are killing people and setting fires. At most they will be scolded. But sometimes they are lucky and they go the wrong way and die at the hands of the Xia people. , and save us the trouble of worrying about him.”
Bai Yutian felt very uncomfortable hearing this and couldn't help but said: "Uncle, as a Song Dynasty person, you shouldn't say this."
The store owner seemed to be angry and said, "Sir, I'm not afraid to tell you. If my father hadn't said that I was a Han, I would have followed the Xia people long ago, and I would still be suffering from this cowardice."
Bai Yutian felt extremely uncomfortable hearing this and said, "Uncle, why do you hate Song Dynasty so much?"
The shopkeeper said: "Great Song Dynasty? The Great Song Dynasty's surname is Zhao. They only know the prosperity of Bianjing City. They don't know that his slaves have been domineering in this borderland for decades, and they don't know that the people on the border are like animals. Live the same life. If you are happy today, send someone to collect the tax, and give you a whip if you pay late. If you are unhappy tomorrow and you have no money to pay the rent, you will be beaten. We work hard and accept no complaints, and endure hardships, but all we get in exchange is not enough food. , Clothes are hard to keep out the cold, and it’s hard to talk about.”
Wushan Taoist interjected: "I've also heard some things. Is it really what you said?"
The shopkeeper smiled and replied: "My lord, if this were not the case, how could the Song Dynasty, which had tens of millions of people, be no match for the millions of people in Xixia? Over the past few years, there have been small defeats in small battles, and big defeats in big battles. It means that the people's hearts have not returned, and the frontiers have lost their support." It's difficult to clear, except for the tens of thousands of soldiers and horses of the imperial court, there are enemies everywhere. You have also experienced it just now. As long as they are happy, it is difficult for a Song Dynasty person to make decisions about his own property, let alone those foreigners who are difficult to achieve. "
Bai Yutian said: "The sages said that the world is a common people, the people are the foundation of the country, the government should be based on virtue, be virtuous, be trustworthy and harmonious, and be kind to neighbors. If it is really like what you said, they have not only failed to do it at all , and failed to live up to the vision of today’s Holy Emperor to rule the world with ‘benevolence’.”
The store owner said: "My lord, although I haven't read much, I still know how to write the word 'ren'. In the Song Dynasty, except for Emperor Taizu's need when he founded the country, he may be concerned about the world. Now everyone in the world has a surname. Zhao Liang, everything is stable, even if there is this word 'benevolence', it is still false benevolence and righteousness."
Bai Yutian said: "Uncle, the current Holy Emperor governs the country with benevolence. You must not talk nonsense."
The shopkeeper laughed and said, "I'm afraid it's not possible to govern a country with benevolence!"
Bai Yutian said: "Uncle, why did you say this?"
The shopkeeper smiled and said: "I heard that when the late emperor was in power, he squandered all the treasury and only had a few hundred people in the harem. Now the emperor is shouting about frugality every day, and the harem seems to have doubled several times, and the wages of the palace concubines and eunuchs seem to have also increased. It has increased a lot. When Empress Dowager Liu was in power, there were constant calls for crusade, but the world was silent. Now that the emperor is in power, ministers are constantly praising them, but the poor people riot at every turn just to stay alive. How can such an emperor be worthy of The word 'benevolence'! Even if it is paired with the word 'benevolence', it can only be good to the people around you, and it is just fake benevolence and righteousness."
Bai Yutian couldn't tell the truth from the false, so he asked Wushan Taoist: "Taoist, is this like it?"
Wushan Taoist put down his bowl and chopsticks and replied solemnly: "It seems that there is such a thing. Most of them are spread by rumors, don't believe it."
Bai Yutian stirred in the rice bowl, finished eating, drank a cup of tea, paid for the meal, got on horseback with Taoist Wushan, and galloped away along the road. The shopkeeper shouted from behind: "Your Majesty, sir, Remember to take a detour.”
Bai Yutian turned around and cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, shopkeeper!" The horse galloped several times, and the tea stall was left further and further behind.
Along the way, more than ten miles away, they just crossed a small stream. Bai Yutian and the two got off their horses, washed their faces, let the horses drink water, and were about to move forward. A pair of people and horses seemed to fall from the sky. As if, they quickly surrounded them, which really shocked Taoist Wushan.
Bai Yutian looked at the incoming people. They were thirty or fifty people whom he didn't recognize. At first glance, they looked like officers and soldiers, but at a closer look, they looked like bandits. It was hard to tell at a glance.
The officers and soldiers came ten feet in front of Bai Yutian, and an officer shouted: "Boy, you injured my men, you must have some medical expenses."
Bai Yutian smiled and replied: "I wonder how to compensate for the medical expenses?"
The general said: "In peacetime, this kind of injury can be healed in ten days and a half month, and it will be of no use. But now the people of Xia are ready to take action, and the war is tight, and they will not be able to heal. In order to recover quickly, I can only Internal tonic and external application, the medicinal materials can only be specially selected and used. You injured five of my brothers, each of them received ten taels of silver, a total of fifty taels."
Bai Yutian apologized and said, "General, I don't have so much cash with me. Can I accompany you in the future?"
The general said, "If you don't have any money, I'll lend it to you. Just use these two horses as collateral."
Bai Yutian Gongquan said: "Thank you very much, General! May I ask General Gao's name?"
A soldier jumped out and shouted: "Bold, the general is willing to lend you money. It is already a great kindness. How dare you ask your name again?"
Bai Yutian smiled and said, "Don't be surprised, sir. If you don't know the general's surname, how can you go there to repay his great kindness in the future?"
The general asked with a smile: "You really want to know? Do you think you can afford it?"
Bai Yutian smiled and replied: "If I don't ask my name, how can I repay your kindness in the future?"
The general turned around and said coldly: "It's not a pity to die for such stubborn people. Find a place to bury them." He stepped away.
