It's spring, the Huai River is quiet, the song is clear and cool, there are peach blossoms on the water in the distance, and catkins on the clothes nearby. Take a boat, hold two oars, sit with three people, come with the water, and go with the wind.
Zhao Gao and Wei Liao sat leisurely on the boat, and the boatman paddled them all the way eastward along the Huaihe River. Suddenly, the clear song stopped, and was replaced by an awe-inspiring, solemn, and masculine ancient song: "Sincerity is both brave and martial, and ultimately strong and undefeatable. Although the body is dead, the spirit is spirit, and the soul is resolute and heroic."
Zhao Gao's expression changed and he suddenly chuckled. The sunlight originally gave his handsome face a soft color, but with such a smile, his eyes instantly became sparkling, making him even more beautiful.
"Why does this generous and tragic song make the children laugh?" Wei Liao had been touched by the singer's awe-inspiring voice before, and his heart was full of pride. He was about to use his voice to reconcile, but he didn't want to be laughed at by Zhao Gao, and all his emotions were gone. A clean one.
However, there was no trace of embarrassment on Wei Liao's face, because based on his understanding of Zhao Gao in the past two years, he knew that this young boy, who was still in his prime, would not be so frivolous.
"Heh, I guess this place is not far from Shouchun City, the new capital of Chu State, senior." Zhao Gao answered the question, but Wei Liao was not in a hurry. When an elder who is decades older asks a question to a younger person, the answer will never come out.
Sure enough, Zhao Gao held his hat with his hand and listened for a moment and then said: "It has been several years since we moved the capital [1]. Just now I heard the sound of soft rice all the way. The younger generation also said that the people of Chu are really willing to shrink in Shouchun City and let it grind. Guangzhi was so angry that he didn't expect to hear such a generous and sad song before entering the city. The depression that had been stuck in his chest was washed away, so he expressed his feelings."
Wei Liao raised his hands and smiled and said: "Haha, my little friend is indeed a wonderful person." He paused and then suppressed his smile and said: "But there are still a few sober people after all, otherwise Qu Zi would not have written 'Everyone in the World' "When it is turbid, I am alone in the clear; when everyone is drunk, I am alone in my sobriety." Such sentences are passed away with hatred."
At this point, Zhao Gao suddenly remembered something and immediately asked: "I heard that in the past, the King of Chu sent people to the Dongting Lake to invite the senior, but the senior refused because the Wei people did not want to serve Chu?"
While the pot-bellied Wei Liao listened to him, he changed his posture to a more comfortable position and nodded, asking Zhao Gao to continue. Zhao Gao continued with a smile on his lips: "Senior, it is okay to deceive the King of Chu with these words, but it is not possible to teach this junior to believe it."
Wei Liao laughed loudly and said: "In the past two years, you have really revealed my temper, haha." However, after saying this, Wei Liao thought of something and his face darkened again. When Zhao Gao saw this, his heart became clear, so he suppressed his casual expression and said in a deep voice: "Junior would venture to guess that what senior should be thinking about at this time is - if he doesn't want to be in the same situation as Qu Zi, where should he go to spread his passion? "
"My little friend asked this, is there an answer?" Since Zhao Gao mentioned it, he must have some calculations, so Wei Liao didn't just ask casually. He is approaching his seventh birthday, but he has been unable to become an official for a long time, and he tosses and turns every time he thinks about it. In the past few years, others have said that he has been traveling around the world for his love of mountains and rivers but not for fame and fortune. Only he knows that traveling around the world is just a way of covering up his inner cowardice in the name of indifference and detachment.
At the age of twenty-four, he completed his studies and returned to Wei State. After ten years of hard work, his mother country could not use him. Later, in order to escape, he simply wandered around. As luck would have it, as he grew older, his fame grew, and even the King of Chu came to invite him to come out. When he saw the envoy, he had actually thought about becoming an official, but when he calmed down, he realized clearly: the King of Chu was just a mediocre man and not a wise king. He didn't even have the courage and courage that a king should have. How could he help such a person? How will there be results?
"In my opinion, the answer I want is to the west of Hangu." Zhao Gao pointed behind him, and a clear voice interrupted Wei Liao's thoughts. He looked at Zhao Gao in astonishment and murmured: "Little Friends said...Qin?" It's not that Wei Liao of Qin has never thought about it, it's just..."Thesis, now that Lu Buwei is the prime minister of Qin, he is kind to the king of Qin, and he is like Japan in Qin; in terms of martial arts, Meng Ao and Wang Jian are both As a good general and deeply trusted by the King of Qin, I join Qin..."
"I heard that King Qin's health is deteriorating, and now he can only rely on medicinal stones to hang him up..." After saying this, Zhao Gao was silent for a moment, then casually picked up a piece of catkin stained on his clothes, and blew it gently, causing the catkins to blow. After spinning, he returned to the vast Haotian. That year, catkins were all over the sky. He rested on the baby's short legs and took a nap. The baby took the catkins off of him and did the same thing. "If Qin changes hands, the situation will inevitably change."
"The largest number of the descendants of the King of Qin is only thirteen. If the owner really changes, how will I know whether the new king can serve him?" Zhao Gao smiled unpredictably: "In the past, I was a civil servant in the State of Zhao and I met the eldest son several times. I guarantee that I will be a wise king in the future." At this time, Wei Liao didn't know that Zhao Gao had only met the eldest son a few times, let alone that Zhao Gao had said so much today with the purpose of "just meeting him". The eldest son, who had passed a few times, tricked him into entering Qin.
"There's not even a word about the eldest son. The eldest son in your mouth is just a concubine..." Before he finished speaking, Wei Liao himself was stunned. He remembered the relationship between Lu Buwei and the eldest son he mentioned just now, and looked at Zhao suspiciously again. He glanced high and then asked solemnly: "My little friend, are you sure?"
The corners of Zhao Gao's mouth curled up slightly, he turned his body slightly, and then gently put his hand into the river. The cool river water passed through his fingers, bringing out a series of ripples, which reflected the The brilliance of the spring sun instantly turned into gold fragments and wrapped around his clean fingers. Just listen to him say calmly: "Senior, just wait and see."
Wei Liao pondered for a moment and felt relieved. However, looking back at Zhao Gao's Qingyuan Ningdan, Wei Liao was confused again: "I am blind, and I still can't see what my little friend is thinking. In the past two years of getting along with my little friend, I have always been confused. I lament your indifference and detachment. But on the other hand, I am always paying attention to the general trend of the world. I am curious, living in the world, how should I choose in the future?"
Wang Chong had asked him the same question before. He withdrew his hand from the water and suddenly laughed: "High mountains and long rivers are clear and far away, but the ups and downs of the world are even more grand. Zhao Gao... is just a common man, and he has never wanted to stay out of it. "
They had dinner at noon and continued heading north. The destination of their trip was Lanling, so they did not stop at Shouchun City, the new capital of Chu State. The two of them traveled all the way through mountains and rivers until dusk, when they finally saw some people. "I and... uh... and the teacher have been walking all the way. We are hungry and tired. Seeing that the sky is getting dark and we don't have a place to stay, I wonder if the strong man can go for a while?"
Zhao Gao and Wei Liao were both a little weird when they mentioned the word "teacher", but they restrained themselves very well, so the Orion didn't notice. The hunter looked to be in his early thirties, dressed in animal skins, and looked bold and capable.
"I said I was lucky enough to hunt a crane today. It turns out that we have guests from the mountains. Gentlemen, I'm not that particular here. Please come in." The hunter waved the crane he was holding in front of their eyes and patted them again. He patted the door frame and said cheerfully.
Zhao Gao and Wei Liao originally wanted to salute him and say "Thank you", but this felt superfluous, so they simply expressed their gratitude and dispensed with the false courtesy. However, I still felt something was wrong when I looked down at my sword before entering the door. I was about to put it at the door when I heard the hunter say: "What are you afraid of? I am a broken hunter, why am I afraid that the two of you will eat me?"
"Haha, I'm so annoying." Wei Liao twirled his beard and stepped in first. Zhao Gao smiled helplessly, nodded slightly to him, and followed in. "There is nothing else in this house. I just hunted this one today. I think you scholars all like to be poor and sophisticated, so I wonder if you two dare to try it."
Just now, Zhao Gao noticed the crane in his hand. He and Wei Liao had not eaten for half a day and were already hungry and thirsty. Besides, he had never been so particular about it, so he was eager to give it a try. The three of them were sitting in the thatched hut, preparing to light a fire, but found that there was no firewood at home. The Orion turned around and took off some thatch from the roof. Seeing this, Zhao Gao smiled leisurely and said: "It seems that I read it last night at the right time." Then without thinking, he took out a few volumes of books from his bag and handed them to Orion: "If you have these, they will burn longer."
"I also said that these things are the lifeblood of you scholars. I didn't expect this gentleman to be so cheerful, haha." Wei Liao was also a person of good temper, and immediately agreed: "Today, I will burn books and cook cranes. It will ruin the scenery. It's wonderful. Extremely, extremely wonderful!”
That night, the three of them gathered around the bonfire to burn books, warm wine, and cook cranes. It was a very enjoyable time. Orion looked at the swords that the two men put aside and couldn't help but ask: "Both gentlemen can actually swordsmanship?" Zhao Gao followed his gaze and looked down at his own sword, thinking about the experience of the past two years and suddenly felt a little confused.
Two years ago, he happened to meet Wei Liao while riding horseback in Dongting area. At that time, Wei Liao was overjoyed when he saw the stirrups he had drawn and asked someone to make. He also said: If this thing is used on a war horse, the cavalry's feet will have a place to borrow strength on the battlefield, and their hands can be free to fight on horseback. By then, the cavalry's combat effectiveness will be doubled. Then he pulled Zhao Gao and asked him how he came up with the idea.
Zhao Gao couldn't say that he had traveled through time, and he didn't want to shamelessly take this kind of thing on himself, so he just blamed the idea that a deceased senior came up with. At that time, Wei Liao felt a little regretful after hearing this, but he was still in high spirits. Even if he was not willing to let him go, he would take him home that day and ask him to talk about the novel ideas that the senior had. Since the other party was an elder, it was difficult for Zhao Gao to refuse at that time.
They talked like this all the way. Gradually, Zhao Gao began to be surprised by Wei Liao's skills and knowledge, while Wei Liao was amazed by Zhao Gao's magnanimity and opinions. In this way, we had a great time chatting back and forth, and we immediately introduced each other to the mountains and rivers. confidant. Wei Liao has always been unruly and unruly, and even changed his title from "younger student" to "little friend".
Later, when Wei Liao saw that he was unable to restrain a chicken, he even proposed to teach him how to practice swordsmanship. Even though Wei Liao is nearly seventy years old and still has a big belly, he has been apprenticed to famous swordsmen from various countries since he was a few years old. Later, he learned to be a Ren Xia and traveled around various countries with swords for many years. His skill is very good.
Zhao Gao thought that having more swordsmanship around him would make walking much easier in the future, so he immediately agreed. After practicing swordsmanship with Wei Liao, Zhao Gao found that he learned too late and could not have the decades-long foundation that Wei Liao and the others had, so he simply gave up on the vigorous method and worked with Wei Liao to think of some techniques for moving a thousand pounds with four ounces. . Even if you encounter a strong master, your meager tricks will still be of no avail, but ordinary opponents can always defend themselves.
Wei Liao didn't like false etiquette. He never regarded himself as "master" when teaching Zhao Gao swordsmanship. From the beginning to the end, he called Zhao Gao "little friend". However, Zhao Gao neither wanted to caress his rhinoceros, nor did he want to suffer in vain. He was so kind to him that he took a compromise and insisted on calling him "senior", so when Zhao Gao and Orion introduced Wei Liao as his "teacher" just now, both of them were a little weird.
In the past two years, Zhao Gao had stayed with Wei Liao again and again in order to learn swordsmanship. Until half a month ago, he accidentally mentioned that Xun Qing discussed military affairs in Zhao State in the past, and Wei Liao's division sent military strategists. Zhao Gao wanted to go to Lanling to talk to Xun Qing about him. Zhao Gao remembered that Zhang Xian had worshiped Xun Qing as his teacher, and he must be in Lanling, so he nodded and agreed, so the two of them would appear here today. at.
"You don't believe it, strong man?" Zhao Gao asked while slowly tearing apart the crane meat in his hand and putting it into his mouth, while looking at the hunter leisurely.
