On the winter solstice, outside Beichuan City, the snow is vast and endless.

A staggering procession, slowly marching in the bitter cold wind.

In the Ten Mile Pavilion, a teenager stood in the middle, sobbing with his head down.

The boy was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with chains on his wrists, his body shaking, and the sound of "ding" chains, and he was a prisoner.

A woman hugs the teenager tightly.

This woman is of medium stature, with a phoenix bun on her head, wearing a plain blue cotton cloak, and her appearance is dignified, with a round forehead and melon seed face, and a noble lady's appearance.

At this moment, the woman's eyes were full of tears.

"Don't blame the mother," the woman sobbed, "to the sea of suffering, to live well!"

"Why can't you save me?" the boy said hoarsely, roaring, trembling, and his eyes full of fear and despair.

The young woman's name is Gongsun Qian, the only daughter of Gongsun Lie, the former governor of Beichuan County, and the prisoner is her eldest son Lei Shaoxuan.

Fang Jie, the imperial court captain, "fornicated with the enemy country", and Gongsun Lie was involved in it and his home was raided. The man was sentenced to death and exiled to the Bitter Sea Wasteland, and because Gongsun Lie and the Queen Mother had an old relationship, the female dependents were able to be extrajudicially favored.

At this moment, Lei Shaoxuan is accompanying the death row inmates, escorting the sea of suffering.

The Northern Wei Dynasty and Xihu fought for many years, and the number of men decreased sharply. The Northern Wei Dynasty issued an edict that death row prisoners would not be beheaded, exiled to the Bitter Sea Wasteland, and put on death row camps to kill the enemy.

Those who are put on death row can be exempted from capital crimes by killing two enemies, and those who kill 10 enemies can be selected to join the barracks as non-commissioned soldiers, and they can return to their hometowns at the end of the conscription period.

The death row camps are all death row prisoners from all over the country, and they rush to kill in front of each battle.

Since they are death row prisoners, they are extremely guilty of crimes and innocent deaths, and naturally no one cares about their lives or deaths. The rations were poorly armed, they lacked food and clothing, and they were guarded against the unexpected, so naturally there was no one to train them, organize them to fight, and treat them as cheap consumables. Most of the condemned prisoners were killed or wounded in each battle, and few survived for a year.

Going to a death row is the same as death.

Gongsun Qian burst into tears, and the heart-rending pain filled her chest, where can she still speak? Holding her son tightly with both hands, as soon as she lets go at this moment, it is goodbye.

No one can leave the death row in the bitter sea alive, and what mother can endure life and death?

"Brother, when are you coming back?" said a voice timidly.

Behind Gongsun Qian, a little girl wearing a thick cotton jacket and a cotton hat flashed out.

The little girl is carved in pink and jade, with willow eyebrows and starry eyes, very cute. At this moment, her face is pear blossoms with rain, and she is sobbing in her mouth, she is Lei Shaoxuan's sister Lei Tong.

Lei Tong had already come to the pavilion with her mother, but the pavilion was full of people, which made her feel scared and kept hiding behind her mother.

Lei Shaoxuan let go of his mother, and his sister threw herself into his arms, hugged Lei Shaoxuan's neck tightly with both hands, and cried with a whimper.

Lei Shaoxuan's helpless, hesitant, and cold heart seemed to ignite a little starlight, and suddenly he had warmth and strength; hugging his sister's light body, like grasping a life-saving straw, he refused to let go tightly, and a little hope was born out of thin air in his blank mind.

"Ruyi," Lei Shaoxuan whimpered, "Brother will be back soon, you are waiting for brother!"

"Come back and tell me a story, or I won't sleep. Lei Tong shook Lei Shaoxuan's neck vigorously.

"Uh-huh!" Lei Shaoxuan choked up, his hands clenched tighter.

The heart is inexplicably cold and hard.

After months in prison, he became a little numb, and he knew his fate clearly, and he would say goodbye forever. Since fate cannot be changed, it is gradually accepted.

It's just that in the face of death, my heart is very helpless, hesitant, and afraid, and my heart becomes cold and hard.

"Madame, it's time to go. ”

A sergeant whispered.

The sergeant was in his early thirties, with a saber in his hand, a gray cotton cape, and a captain's sheepskin felt hat, a round face and a high nose, and eyes like stars.

This person is Ma Shaoteng, the inspector of the Beichuan County Metropolitan Division, who is responsible for the escort of the prisoners.

"There's Rauma Patrol. Gongsun Qian calmed down and said politely.

"Don't dare. ”

Gongsun Lie and Ma Shaoteng's father were comrades in the army, and this escort, Gongsun Qian entrusted Lei Shaoxuan to Ma Shaoteng's care.

"Hu Youde, along the way, take care of the young master carefully. Gongsun Qian endured her grief and turned to a servant next to her and commanded.

"Madame, rest assured. His voice was hoarse and low, and a big man stepped forward.

The big man was carrying a big burden, carrying a wooden stick as tall as a person, his head was like a dough, his nose and eyes were crowded together, his face was full of flesh, his face was full of scars, and he looked fierce and vicious.

"Brother, come back quickly, I'll leave you something to eat." Sensing something, Lei Tong's voice suddenly became anxious.

"Brother, the necklace is for you, and you won't be afraid to get lost if you wear it. ”

The younger sister took off the chain around her neck, held it high, and tried to hand it to her brother.

This wooden hanging chain is Lei Tong's most precious treasure, carved for Lei Shaoxuan's sister, and the word "Ruyi" is engraved on it.

Once, Lei Tong went out to play and got lost, and after finding it back, Lei Tong was very frightened and didn't dare to go out again, Lei Shaoxuan specially carved this wooden hanging chain, engraved his sister's name, and said to Lei Tong that he was not afraid of getting lost if he had a wooden card, so Lei Tong wore it all day and refused to take it off when he slept.

Lei Shaoxuan grabbed his sister's hand tightly, and finally let go in a whimper and reluctance, with tears in his eyes, turned around and left, never looking back.

Shili Pavilion, the figure of the mother holding her sister standing still is forever engraved in Lei Shaoxuan's mind.

Behind Lei Shaoxuan, the howling and crying came from afar, floating in the open field, mixed with the wind and pieces of goose feathers and snow, getting weaker and weaker, and finally couldn't be heard.

Lei Shaoxuan's heart, but this voice did not disappear for a long time, and in the empty heart, it set off a monstrous storm, making his heart full of inexplicable anger and unwillingness, but he was suppressed by the slightest reason, and did not let him roar.

"Why?"

Lei Shaoxuan's mind was full of this thought.

The thought almost crushed him, drove him mad, and burst out with infinite power, driving him onward, following closely the moving procession.

The prisoners wore wooden shackles around their necks and shackles around their wrists, and they were tied together in groups of five.

Lei Shaoxuan didn't wear a flail, but just a hand-locked chain, which was very thin and long, and could be hung on his shoulder.

Compared with other prisoners, such shackles are simply treated to the extreme.

Despite this, after walking for less than half a day, Lei Shaoxuan felt that his feet were getting heavier and heavier, his whole body was weak, he couldn't move his steps, and he dragged his body and moved step by step before he was behind the team.

Lei Shaoxuan tried to keep up with the team and walked forward.

Lei Shaoxuan knew that every time he was escorted, there were death row inmates. Most of the dead were old and infirm, and if he couldn't keep up with the team, the final result would be death.

The fear of death always tormented him, spurred him on, and made him struggle to move forward.

The wilderness is vast, and the mountains in the distance are majestic and continuous, and there is a majestic and open scene of its own.

The scenery after the snow is extremely monotonous.

Thousands of mountains and birds fly away, thousands of people disappear, the field is snow-capped, and there is a vast area.

The snow obscured everything, and it was impossible to distinguish between the southeast and the northwest, and it was impossible to see the road.

The team trudged through the snow, and the wasteland was vast and silent, except for the crisp sound of chains clashing.

I don't know when, the sergeant in the team took the lead and gradually began to sing.

The wind rises and the clouds fly.

The strong man cries, don't go home.

Go today, when will you return?

Buried in a foreign land.

The Qiang flute whimpered and dispersed with the soul,

The smoke is constantly drifting.

But when he saw the death of a strong man on the battlefield,

Who sees the monument erects in the mountains.

The singing is sad and tragic, adding a bit of vitality to the team.

The wind was cold, the mountains and rivers froze, and the team wriggled like a thin thread, passing through the wind.

In the evening, the team finally came to a ruined temple to rest.

In the west wing, a fire was lit by the prisoners, and the light of the fire reflected the figures in the windows.

The sergeant removed the prisoner's wooden shackles and remained chained in groups of five.

"In a group of five, sit together. One escapes, and the rest draw lots to behead one, and two escape, draw lots to cut off two. If you don't have to die, you can run. ”

After the sergeants finished explaining one after another, they went to rest, and only two sergeants guarded the temple gate.

Lei Shaoxuan was not locked with other prisoners, needless to say, this was naturally Ma Shaoteng's explanation. Most of the sergeants also got the benefits of Gongsun Qian, and basically did not embarrass Lei Shaoxuan, and let Lei Shaoxuan do his own thing.

Lei Shaoxuan was exhausted, full of worries, and lay in the corner of the room. Hu Youde wanted to talk to Lei Shaoxuan several times, but Lei Shaoxuan didn't care, and his heart was full of resentment towards his mother and fate.

He kept blaming his mother for not being able to save him.