In the eleventh year of the war between the steppe barbarians and the demons for the pass of Danhu Mountain, the five members of the highlander senate finally agreed to convene a meeting of all the elders to discuss whether to activate the sacred oath and send troops to support the steppe barbarians.

The mountain pass of Danhu Mountain, which is said to be the birthplace of the north wind, is thousands of miles away from the highlanders, even the highlanders who are most vigilant about the demons think that as long as the demons do not cross the first mountain system in the north, there is no need to start the oath, and it doesn't matter who the mountain pass that grassland leads to the far north is in anyone's hands, anyway, the highlanders have no interest in the land of ice and snow.

The motion to activate the sacred oath was put forward by the standing army marshal Ao Zhiwu, who was also the current patriarch of the Ao clan, one of the four major families of the Highlanders.

Highlanders are the name given by other ethnic groups to the people of the western plateau, who generally call themselves the servants of Haotian and are the most devout people who believe in Haotian.

The eight million highlanders belonged to thirty-six tribes, which were allied with each other, and there were four main alliances, led by the four major families of Wo, Ao, Buyun, and Ne. The Worth was in charge of the sacrifices, the High Priest was the noblest of all the Highlanders, the Ne was the representative of animal husbandry and farming, the Buyun was in charge of handicrafts and commerce, and the Ao was in charge of the standing army for generations.

Since the abolition of royal power 300 years ago, the Highlanders have been republican, and the Senate of 121 senators is the supreme authority of the Highlanders.

In addition to the personal administration of justice, there are various administrative officials headed by the chief priest, the chief secretary, the chief treasurer, and the standing marshal, and the high priest is in a parallel relationship with the five-person ruler, and independently performs the duties of serving Haotian.

The noble high priest, the twenty-one-year-old Lord Wo Zhiduo, is recognized as the first beauty of the highlanders, and it is said that she has profound spells and powerful powers, of course, legends are legends, and no one has ever seen them with their own eyes.

Among the highlanders, these ten people are honored as adults, and only they have the right to have the word "zhi" in the middle of their names to represent the highest honor.

Although the Ao clan lost some prestige due to the defeat in the Thirty Years' War with the Central Plains Empire, Lord Ao Zhiwu was still one of the ten most prestigious people in the highlands, and he repeatedly submitted motions, and the Senate could not help but give face.

When the five people in power passed the motion, Ji Buyun happened to return to the Senate after a routine inspection of the sentry post, and learned the news for the first time.

Now, the entire Senate fell into an inexplicable frenzy because of the possibility of war, and the senators in purple senator robes gathered in front of the leaders of their respective alliances one by one with serious expressions, and the long-awaited heralds quickly set off, striving to deliver the news to the upper peak as quickly as possible.

Uncharacteristically, the idle Praetorian Guards gathered in the corridors of the Senate, where everyone was imagining and debating what kind of military formation to use, and the most suitable way to fight the ice giants who were tall and powerful, who were not afraid of death and did not know the pain

Those famous demon kings and fierce beasts have been wiped out by Emperor Xuanyuan in the great war three hundred years ago, and the current main force of the demon clan is these little minions who naturally sense the demonic intent. They fought on the cold and instincts, and although they were fierce, they were completely powerless, and the highlanders, with their military traditions, looked down on them.

After chatting with them for a few words, Ji Buyun turned to leave, and a colleague quipped: "Vice captain, this is going to that young lady's appointment again?"

It is an open secret that many young ladies of the noble family in Haotian City are interested in Ji Buyun, and these young ladies often come to the Senate to find him under various pretexts, hinting that they even openly want to date him.

Ji Buyun ignored them all, and he was not a peerless beauty like the high priest, he thought, there was no need to hang himself on a tree early.

In fact, like most of his colleagues, Ji Buyun also had a burst of excitement in his heart about the possibility of war, but after the excitement, he felt that it was useless to chat, and it was more realistic to concentrate on his bear hunting plan.

He's just a Praetorian Guard, and even if the war does come, it doesn't matter to him.

In the military system of the highlanders, the battle is the business of the standing army, and the Praetorian Guard is responsible for the security and security of the capital Haotian City, which is a supporting role, and the responsibilities of the two are very different.

The Standing Army was in charge of the war, and the Praetorian Guard could only patrol the Haotian City; the standing army's military uniform was black, while the Praetorian Guard's military uniform was blue; the appointment of the top level of the Standing Army must be approved by the plenary meeting of the Senate, and the power to appoint and dismiss personnel of the Praetorian Guard was entirely governed by five people.

The most important thing is that only after serving in the standing army is eligible to run for the Senate senators. Whether or not you can become a veteran is the only sign that highlanders can measure their success in life.

Becoming a veteran is Ji Buyun's biggest dream, but helplessly, according to the principle that the standing army only recruits pure-blooded highlanders, he, a hybrid of highlanders and Central Plains Empire, will never be able to enter the standing army. This means that he is destined to miss the glorious title of patriarch in this life.

However, thanks to his uncle, Lord Buyun Zhize, who is currently one of the five members of the Senate, at the age of nineteen, he has now served as the vice captain of the Praetorian Senate garrison, and is the youngest mid-level Praetorian Guard in history.

This position is a leisurely job and a good salary, which is enough for him to have no worries about food and clothing. The five of them have been in power for life, and his uncle is forty-nine years old this year, and it is no surprise that before Meng Haotian summons him, he will definitely be able to promote Ji Buyun to the deputy commander of the Praetorian Guard. This is the highest position that a non-pure-blooded Highlander can hold, and the goal is simple and easy to achieve, and he has time to enjoy life.

Ji Buyun's bear hunting plan has been planned for a long time.

It was the beginning of autumn, and there were many wild beasts in the sacred Fuyu Mountain in the southwest of Haotian City, and his goal was the Flying Bear, a bear with huge wings that could fly flexibly in the air.

The fur of the flying bear is very precious, light and warm, impervious to water.

This kind of bear is cautious and secretive, and the highlanders have special respect for those who can hunt flying bears, and they believe that flying bears are tigers with wings, which is absolutely false, tigers must eat meat, and flying bears are only vegetarians.

Ji Buyun really wanted to hunt a flying bear, and made a burqa out of its gray bear skin to shake his majesty in front of his colleagues, of course, it would be better if he hunted a verdant bird shaped like a sheep with red manes or caught a turtle bird that could avoid fire.

After being laid off, Ji Buyun changed the blue robe of the Praetorian Guard and changed into the gray robe of an ordinary highlander.

The dress of the highlanders was extremely simple, and both men and women often wore a wide robe, which was actually a pocket with two sleeves.

The color of the robes was strictly regulated, the robes of the senators were purple, the robes of the priests were white, the robes of the standing army were black, the robes of the Janissaries were blue, the robes of the common people were gray, and at the same time, it was strictly forbidden for anyone to wear red clothes.

The highlanders often contradicted themselves in their actions, they admired simplicity, but they built many majestic stone buildings, and took the trouble to decorate them with elaborate reliefs and sculptures; they admired bravery, but only the standing army-style bravery, which represented the collective and discipline, and scorned the individual's solitary fighting; and although they all wore the same robes, they made detailed rules about the color of the robes, and those of status usually embroidered the robes with ornaments to indicate their status.

Ji Buyun planned to go to Ant to discuss the bear hunting plan with him in detail, and by the way, he would eat. The ant was a teacher hired for him by his uncle, Master Buyun, and lived in a separate courtyard behind his uncle's house.

Ant is not a highlander, he is from the Central Plains Empire. According to him, he was a wandering warrior when he was young, but many highlanders believed that he was the most mysterious dragon guard in the Central Plains Empire.

Ji Buyun has never known what the dragon guard does, among the highland people who love legends, the dragon guard is sometimes the guardian of the dragon, and sometimes the guard of those dragon kings, there are different opinions, and there is no accurate answer.

However, the Highlanders are sure that the Dragonguards are a group of skilled people, who can do everything from heaven to sea, call the wind and rain, and their abilities are above their priests.

Ji Buyun has the most contact with ants, and he is deeply dissatisfied with these rumors, in his opinion, ants are just a samurai who can eat more than ordinary people.

Ant and Buyun are good friends, the two have known each other since the adult's business, and once saved the adult at the hands of the sand and dust thieves who were rampaging through the oasis vassal country. It is said that the desert thieves who gathered in the desert and were not afraid of death, and made the oasis subjects and past merchants smell bad, were so silent when faced with the ants that they were single-handed, that they did not even dare to breathe.

Ten years ago, when the ants came to visit Lord Buyun, who was elected as the five-person ruler, the Lord strongly retained him to settle in Haotian City, and by the way, taught Ji Buyun martial arts, military formation tactics, etc.

After Ji Buyun officially apprenticed, Ant first taught him a set of strange boxing techniques, which had a total of thirty-six extremely complex moves, with great emphasis on details and strict requirements for every breath and breath.

According to Ji Buyun's view, this set of complicated boxing techniques has no practical value, but the muscles and bones are good, and after practice, the body is light and healthy, and the mind is refreshed.

Before teaching him this set of boxing techniques, the ant asked him to swear in the name of Haotian God that he would never let anyone know that he knew this set of boxing techniques. After Ji Buyun spent three years and finally did all the movements as required, the ant told him that this set of boxing techniques was called the Dragon Dance, and at the same time, he had to practice this Dragon Dance several times a day when no one was around, and the conditions did not allow it, so he practiced silently in his head.

Ant spent ten years teaching Ji Buyun various fighting skills and military formation tactics, and his training was very strict, according to Ant, Ji Buyun's current swordsmanship is unrivaled among the highlanders. Except for the usual feeding moves with ants, Ji Buyun has not tried with anyone, I don't know if what he said is right, but even if he is right, it seems to be useless, the highlanders care about the rigorous collective battle formation and the seamless cooperation of the warriors.

Unlike the highlanders who advocate simplicity, ants have a strong love of eating, and their hands-on ability is particularly strong, every time he eats a meal he cooks, Ji Buyun feels that he should directly pull out his uncle's cook, who can only boil meat in white water, and bury him alive.

After coming out of the Senate, Ji Buyun instructed the guard Anya to go back and tell his uncle that he would go to the ants to say hello and not go back for dinner.

Twenty-one-year-old Anya has a typical highlander face, with clear water chestnut horns, he comes from the oldest of the highlanders, the An tribe, this tribe and the Buyun clan, is the highest level of metallurgical technology among the highlanders, and the metal weapons and utensils they make are important trade goods of the highlanders.

Thirty years ago, the An tribe was denied the right to enter the standing army for refusing the senate's order to raise taxes, which was the harshest punishment of the highlanders for violating the tribe, and the An tribe was abandoned from the core of power and completely marginalized.

At that time, the war between the Highlanders and the Central Plains Empire was at a critical stage, and the Senate had to raise taxes significantly in order to cope with the huge military expenditures, and the An tribe refused to carry out this order. The decision to punish the An clan was made by the Ao clan, killing one to make an example, and at the same time, it also had the meaning of attacking the Buyun clan who advocated peace.

The evening sunset shone lazily on the white marble square of the Highlander Senate, where many people gathered as usual.

Highlanders were eloquents, and discussions were part of their daily lives, and the Senators often addressed the public in the Senate Square, honing their skills and selling their political opinions.

Today, the eloquent orators are all expressing opinions on whether the Highlanders should initiate their vows, and when the neighboring orators disagree, they immediately engage in-for-tat debates.

There were many young women in the crowd, and when they saw Ji Buyun passing by, they boldly saluted him.

Highlanders are very defenseless for men and women, and it is the norm for young men and women to pay attention to the opposite sex they like, and the bold will even show their love in the street.

Ji Buyun was nicknamed the most handsome Praetorian Guard in three hundred years by his colleagues, he perfectly inherited all the advantages of his father and mother of the Central Plains, his body was slender and strong, his facial lines were much softer than those of the highlanders with clear water chestnuts, his hair was not so thick, his skin was fairer, and he had a temperament that was independent of the world, especially when he smiled. Every time he appears in the crowd, Ji Buyun will receive the attention of the young opposite sex, and he is used to it.

In front of the square is a wide bluestone road, there are many alleys on both sides of the road, and the tall drinking water tank extends from the Luoshen River in the west of Haotian City along the road to the mouth of these alleys, and then leads to the front of each house with a water distribution pipe.

Haotian City is located on a gentle stone hillside, the main buildings are made of local materials, many civilians live in the stone chamber hewn by the mountain, and then a simple courtyard is enclosed with stones in front of the stone chamber.

The stone chamber where the ants live is quite spacious, with four well-ventilated rooms, tall courtyard walls made of neat granite masonry, and more importantly, two apple trees in the courtyard.

In the stone city of Haotian City, the tree is a symbol of luxury.

When Ji Buyun pushed open the door of the ant's yard, the ant was sitting on a stone bench under the apple tree and grilling a deer leg.

Hearing Ji Buyun come in, he didn't look back, just pointed to the stone bench next to him with his right hand, motioned for Ji Buyun to sit, and then continued to concentrate on grilling his food.

This method of making is improved after he learned from the steppe barbarians, the deer legs are placed on an iron frame, he slowly turns the deer legs with his left hand, and holds a small brush in his right hand, constantly brushing various condiments to the meat. The yard is filled with the aroma of meat and condiments.

"God Haotian bless you, Master. Ji Buyun greeted the ants according to the custom of the highlanders, and then sat on the stone bench next to him to watch him barbecue.

I have to admit that Ant, an old guy who is usually a little lazy, is very serious when he concentrates on his work, and his eyes are full of piety, as if he is not barbecuing, but making a beautiful work of art.

The ant is not tall, his body is thin, his gray hair makes him look a little vicissitudes, and his eyes are very bright. He loves to be neat, his clothes are always clean, and all the cooking utensils and utensils are spotless. He himself said that he was not yet fifty years old, which was not too old among the generally long-lived highlanders, but the color of his hair made him look older than his actual age.

Ji Buyun called him an old guy in his heart, and in front of him, he respectfully called Master.

When the deer leg was finally roasted, the ant spread a few washed and clean cabbage leaves on the stone table, then placed the deer leg on the leaf and cut the meat into finger-wide strips with a sharp knife along the direction of the meat fibers.

Ji Buyun consciously went to the stone room to help him get wine, and brought two bowls out by the way. The ant poured a bowl of wine, took a sip of the freshly roasted venison, and then squinted his eyes and savored it for a long time. When he was reminiscing, Ji Buyun had already eaten five pieces of meat and drank a bowl of wine.

"When you eat, you should eat slowly rather than quickly, and you have to chew slowly to appreciate the beauty of food. "Ants are very particular about table manners.

"Get used to it, Master. Ji Buyun has become accustomed to this accusation of ants, and he does not take it for granted. It wasn't until he really tasted the food of the Central Plains Empire that he had to admit that what the ants said was indeed reasonable, and he should be respectful and awe-inspiring in the face of food.

"You're going to let me go bear hunting with you?"

"Yes. Ji Buyun had meat in his mouth and replied indistinctly.

The ant took a sip of wine, habitually squinted at Ji Buyun, and said, "The idea is good, I can be both a guide and a cook." ”

"I've considered the people I know one by one, Master, only you are the best candidate. While eating, Ji Buyun was thinking about how to compliment ants without leaving a trace.

"Flying bears are difficult to hunt, so it's better to ask your uncle for a bear skin if you toss like this. ”

"I want to hunt by myself, so that I can be majestic when I wear it out, and when others ask, Master, you also have face. Ji Buyun pondered the words, and at the same time quietly observed the ant's face.

Although the highlanders advocate simplicity, they will never refuse wine, as long as there is wine, they have always drunk it until it is all drunk. The ant is not a highlander, although he drinks every day, but he has always tasted it lightly, and has never drunk too much. Unlike the highlanders' bitter drinks, which are dried to the bowl, ants drink wine in small sips and generally stop drinking after tasting a bowl.

"Okay, I'll go with you. The ant took another sip of wine and promised Ji Buyun, which was completely unexpected by him.

The rhetoric prepared by Ji Buyun was useless, and now he didn't know what to say, so he had to drink. He drinks a lot, but his uncle at home doesn't allow him to drink, and he only has a chance to drink it when he is with ants.

"I've been bored at home for too long, so I'm going to Fuyu Mountain for a spin, and I can come back in three or four days, right?"

"Yes, Master. Ji Buyun was secretly happy in his heart, with experienced ants, the possibility of successful bear hunting was greatly increased.

"What time do you go?"

"The day after tomorrow. ”

The ant motioned for Ji Buyun to refill his empty bowl with wine, and although Ji Buyun wondered how the old guy made an exception today, he quickly poured him wine.

The ant squinted his eyes and looked at Ji Buyun for a while, and said, "Your uncle told me today that the Buyun caravan is going to the Central Plains Empire next month, and he wants you to be the captain of the caravan's guards." ”

"I'm not going. Ji Buyun replied instinctively, he understood why the ant had agreed to him so happily to hunt bears just now.

The ant sighed and said slowly, "Your uncle knows that you don't want to go back, so he wants me to convince you, well, I also think you should go back." ”

The ant said several times to go back. Where to go back to the Central Plains Empire Ji Buyun grew up among the highlanders and had no impression of his father's country, and the ant actually said that he should go back, and his first reaction was that the ant's language had obvious logical errors, and if he debated in the square, he would be refuted.

"Although you grew up among the highlanders, you are a descendant of the Central Plains after all, and you should go back and see. ”

Ant knows that the Highlanders are eloquents, and they have undergone rigorous debate training since childhood, and they are engaged in actual combat every day, so they try to tell the truth.

"It's a hundred times more prosperous than here, and there's a lot of stuff you've never heard of. "The ants began to lure.

"I grew up here, I'm used to it, and I don't want to change. Ji Buyun didn't want to discuss this matter too much with the ants, so he simply refused neatly.

The thirty-year war between the Highlanders and the Central Plains Empire ended in a crushing defeat for the Highlanders, and after the war, the two sides quickly signed a peace agreement, and the Highlanders ceded thirty oasis subjects in the border areas between the two sides.

Ji Mo is Ji Buyun's father, and he also has a twin brother named Ji Qian, who was supposed to be his brother as a proton, but he voluntarily came instead of his brother.

When Ji Buyun's father was still in the Central Plains Empire, he became friendly with Lord Buyun, who was a businessman, and after he came, he became closer, and the adult married his sister, that is, Ji Buyun's mother, to him. The couple was extremely affectionate, and after Ji Buyun's mother died of childbirth due to childbirth, his father was so grief-stricken that he drew his sword and killed himself that night.

So Ji Buyun was born an orphan and was raised by his uncle. In the nineteen years that Ji Buyun grew up, no one from the royal family of the Central Plains Empire had ever come to visit him.

Ji Buyun's father did not leave anything except for bringing him to this world, and hung a dragon pattern jade pendant from the royal family of the Central Plains Empire around his neck when he was a newborn child, but because of his bloodline, he would never be able to enter the standing army.

So every time his uncle mentioned letting Ji Buyun return to the Central Plains Empire, he resolutely refused, he didn't have any good feelings for that distant country, and he only resented it. Any topic about the Central Plains Empire was taboo for him, and he didn't even want to know about his father's situation in the Central Plains Empire.

"Today, the five-member government passed a resolution to convene a plenary session. Ji Buyun deliberately diverted the topic, and when they had disagreements in the past, they often used to change the topic to avoid the escalation of the conflict.

"Lord Ao Zhiwu's intentions are very deep. "The ant's words are unfathomable.

The purpose of ending the previous topic was achieved, and Ji Buyun didn't bother to guess what he meant by what he said, anyway, he would say it immediately.

The following process is typical of highlanders, drinking happily and talking about current affairs.

Unlike the general highlanders, who are entangled in the discussion of whether to send troops or not, Ant's attention is more focused on the intention behind Ao Zhiwu's strong demand for troops and the countermeasures of the five-man government.

Ji Buyun has always been meticulous and respectful of ants.

Ant believes that Lord Ao Zhiwu has three purposes: first, the Ao family has been declining in recent years, and the adults urgently need to return the Ao family to the center of the highlanders' sight, and the plenary meeting of the Senate is the most suitable opportunity; second, the standing army has not fought any war for 20 years, and the recruits urgently need war to make meritorious achievements, and Ao Daren, as the commander of the standing army, has to take action to stabilize the morale of the army; third, Ao is now thirty-five years old and still single. Ao's intermarriage tradition, the current high priest, the twenty-one-year-old Wo Zhiduo, known as the first beauty of the Highlanders, is the most suitable marriage partner, it is said that the two family leaders have communicated privately many times, as long as the highlander Senate plenary meeting is held, Ao Zhiwu's prestige will naturally increase, and when the time comes, he can propose to Wo Zhiduo in a dignified manner.

The marriage between the two adults has not been seen among the highlanders for a hundred years, which shows the good intentions of Lord Ao Zhiwu.

Although the five-member ruling side agreed to convene an extraordinary plenary meeting of the Senate, this was only to save face for Lord Ao Zhiwu, and they would definitely do their best to prevent the Senate from passing the resolution to send troops, so that everyone could understand that it was the five-man ruling army that led the highlanders.

After achieving the main purpose of convening an extraordinary meeting to enhance the prestige of the Ao clan, Lord Ao Zhiwu is not expected to be too confrontational with the five-member committee.

Therefore, convening an extraordinary plenary meeting of the Senate is the goal of Lord Ao Zhiwu, and preventing the meeting from passing the resolution of sending troops is the purpose of the five-person government.

Ant's comments made Ji Buyun feel empowered and suddenly, and he felt more and more that he had made the right decision not to waste his mood on the war and focus on the bear hunting plan.

When he came out of the ant's house, the moonlight was like water and the sky was full of stars, and Ji Buyun decided to take a long detour. Take a few more steps to move around, and by the way, use this time to think about how to convince your uncle and completely dispel his idea of letting him return to the Central Plains Empire.

Ji Buyun grew up in his uncle Buyun's family, his uncle only has two married daughters, he has always regarded his uncle as his father in his heart, and his uncle also regards him as his own son.

Ji Buyun believed that if he had pure highland blood, his uncle would not hesitate to let him inherit his position in the Senate.

Thirty-six huge torches were lit on the Senate Square as usual, and under the light of the fire, many debating highlanders gathered as usual, and Ji Buyun decided to go and see the excitement.

Unlike in the past, where the spectators were grouped in groups from east to west, today most of the audience gathered in front of the steps of the Senate. On the steps, a man dressed in purple veteran costume was preparing to speak, and the highlander, who had always been talkative, was rarely quiet at the moment, and everyone held their breath and prepared to listen to him.

Preparing to make a speech was actually the superhuman of Da Si Nong, who was a famous orator among the highlanders.

When the people were about to gather, Lord Ne began to speak. "God bless the Highlanders. His speech began with the habit of a highlander, and his voice was impassioned, not at all like that of an old man who was almost seventy years old.

"I think, I think to be exact. "He deliberately lengthened his voice here to grab the listener's attention. "Lord Ao Zhiwu's request to activate the Sacred Oath is completely ulterior motives and grandstanding. ”

Here he habitually paused, pressed his hands downward, and motioned for silence to the listener, even though the listener did not make any sound at all. Relentless and point-to-the-point assertions at the beginning are an important feature of the Highlanders' debates, in order not to leave room for the other side to fight back.

"Only when the demons threaten the safety of the human world can the sacred oath be activated. At the moment, we don't see anything wrong with the behavior of the demons. According to the contract signed between humans and demons, the first mountain system in the north is the dividing line between humans and demons, and the contract does not stipulate whether those mountains belong to demons or grassland barbarians. It was the middle ground between the two sides, and because the war that took place over those mountain systems was of the same nature as the war between us and the Central Plains Empire over the oasis vassal state, it was completely a conflict of interests between the two races, and had nothing to do with the others. We can't assume that the steppe barbarians must be justified just because one of the parties to the war is the demons, and the contract of three hundred years ago stipulated the right of residence of the demons in the Netherlands. ”

Then there is a long discussion about the right of the demons to occupy the first mountain system in the north and the fact that there is no need to send troops at all.,Judging from the content,The respected Lord Dasi Nong is completely a treaty faction.。

Since the signing of the contract between humans and demons, countless schools of thought have been born among the debated highlanders regarding the interpretation of this contract and the circumstances under which the sacred oath can be activated.

At present, the treaty faction that does not activate the sacred oath is the mainstream, because the mountain pass of Danhu Mountain was originally in the hands of the demons, and it was the grassland barbarians who took the lead in attacking and provoking the war, and the two sides had mixed victories in the eleven years of war that had been going on, and the demons did not have a significant upper hand.

Da Si Nong's speech was clear and logical, the arguments and arguments were interlinked, and the choice of words and sentences was obviously carefully prepared.

As Dasi Nong's speech reached its climax, nine of the thirty-six torches in the square were suddenly extinguished. There was not a hint of wind, and there was a slight uproar from the crowd, but the extinguished torches were soon rekindled by the Janissaries on duty, and the crowd continued to focus on the Great Sinon's speech.