The morning dawned, and the golden sunlight lit up the valley little by little.

The sun was warm, but not enough to melt the ice edges hanging from the branches; The sun is gentle, but it can't resist the howling and sweeping cold wind; The sun was full of life, but it could not bring hope to the soldiers who were starving and cold in this valley.

No! There is still hope for them!

The young soldier guarding the mountain road straightened his back, and his bloodshot eyes stared at the other side of the mountain road, his eyes were earnest and full of hope. But there was no human figure on the other side of the mountain road, and not even the slightest sound could be heard—it was freezing cold, and the birds and animals in the forest were all extinct.

His gaze dimmed.

This road is tortuous and dangerous, and ordinary people are already very dangerous even if they walk in it, let alone gallop on horseback? If the horse is unruly or the rider is not skilled, he may stumble and fall off the cliff, and his bones will not remain. He naturally believed in Vice Admiral Lin's riding skills, but in case the horse was tired......

Deputy General Lin shouldn't have been allowed to take risks, but this mountain road was the last way for them to survive.

On that day, the Qin soldiers besieged the valley and besieged them without attacking, apparently intending to trap them in the valley. However, there was a shortage of food in the army, and the brothers reduced three meals a day to two meals, and they could only delay it for a few more days. General Zhou and Vice General Lin discussed in their tents for a day, and finally decided that Vice General Lin would ride out of the valley to Beijing to ask for reinforcements.

He still remembered that Vice General Lin raised his fist high when he came out of the valley, and promised a ten-day period with a solemn expression. But now that the deadline has passed, Vice General Lin has not returned as promised. The brothers only drank a bowl of porridge every day, and practiced day and night - only by maintaining their enthusiasm would they not fall in this cold wind. The harder they practiced, the hungrier they became, and they boiled the ice edges and filled their stomachs with water. And so they came on day by day.

But if Vice Admiral Lin doesn't come back...... Xiao Bing didn't dare to think about it anymore, but the frozen corpses of his brothers piled up under the hillside that he deliberately ignored and didn't want to think about now clearly appeared in his mind, reminding him that if Vice General Lin didn't come back, he would also be piled up under the hillside in a few days.

"Da-da-" There seemed to be the sound of horses' hooves on the mountain road.

Xiao Bing's expression was straight, and he immediately held his breath, and carefully identified it with his ears, for fear that he had auditory hallucinations.

"Stomping-" The sound of horses' hooves became clearer and clearer from far to near.

The creep's eyes widened suddenly, and his body trembled slightly with excitement.

I saw a black dot appear on the other side of the mountain road, and the black dot gradually enlarged, and sure enough, it was a person and a rider.

"Vice Admiral Lin!" The little soldier called out happily, and then gasped suddenly, "Shhh

This shout made his lips, which were chapped by the cold, crack even more, and only the blood came out a little red, and it was immediately frozen.

But the knight was almost before him.

The little soldier hurriedly spat on the palm of his hand, moistened his mouth, and then carefully grinned and joked to the knight: "Vice General Lin, you are two days late." I don't care, I'm going to ask General Zhou to fine your military pay to buy wine for your brothers! ”

Lin Yuan grabbed the horse in front of him, looked at him, frowned, and did not speak.

"What's wrong?" The little soldier was taken aback by his stern expression. In the past, Vice General Lin was a very amiable person, he never used his official position to oppress people, his brothers frolicked him, he never got angry, and often used his military salary to invite his brothers to drink, why today......

Lin Yuan's Adam's apple moved up and down, and the happy light in the young man's red eyes made it impossible to say the words that stalked in his throat. He held the reins tightly with his hand, and then let go of one hand to support the big burden on his back, motioned to the young man to look, and said with a smile: "It's okay, go and inform the brothers to wait in front of the general's tent!" ”

"Okay!" The young man's attention had been attracted by that big burden, where could he still notice Lin Yuan's abnormality? He happily agreed, turned around and ran to the place where his brothers were practicing without looking back, forgetting even the number of courtesies.

"This kid's frizzy stinky problem just can't be changed!" Lin Yuan scolded with a smile, but in the next second, his brows furrowed even deeper.

Seeing the young man's back slowly getting smaller, he finally shook off the reins, and clamped the horse's belly with his legs, "Drive!" ”

The horses that had been trekking for days neighed softly, and their legs trembled, and they only stood still, as if they could not run.

Although this Ziyanliu is a BMW in the world, it has been running tens of thousands of miles for days, and now it is exhausted and unable to support it. Lin Yuan couldn't bear it, reached out and stroked its mane, and sighed: "It's not that I'm ruthless, it's just that if you fall to the ground, I won't have time to take care of you, and when everything recovers in the spring of the next year, the beasts in this valley will come out to move, but I'm afraid that you will inevitably die in the belly of the beast." ”

As if he could understand him, the steed raised its head to the sky and neighed, its hind legs straining and its front hooves raised high.

"Drive!" Lin Yuan shouted loudly.

The steed struck forward sharply and galloped in the direction of the main tent, and the arrows flew like flies.

The main tent was empty, the cold wind blew the curtain from time to time, and a few figures in the tent appeared and disappeared from time to time.

Could it be that Qin Bing's undercover agent came to attack the main general?

Lin Yuan didn't have time to think about it, so he hurriedly grabbed the reins, turned over and dismounted and drew his knife, stepped forward in three or two steps, and pulled the curtain that was agitating back and forth in the wind.

"Hiss-" sounded, the curtain fell, and the tent suddenly brightened.

Where is there any sword and sword? Where is there any sneak attack? There is clearly only one person in the account!

Lin Yuan was stunned for a moment, and looked dumbfounded at the man sitting on the main seat leisurely wiping the sword body.

When the man was established, he was tall and strong, with tough facial features, dark complexion, a crown of hair, a dark crimson coat, and armor decorated with scales, and he was heroic.

This person is none other than Zhou Yi, the chief general of the Jin army.

"Are you idle in Beijing? Otherwise, why would you tear down my tent as soon as you come back? Zhou Yi's movements in his hands did not stop, and he teased without raising his head.

Lin Yuan also knew that he was reckless, so he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, coughed lightly, bowed down and said: "I saw that there was no one in front of the tent, and I saw the figure in the tent change, I didn't know that the general was practicing swords, and I thought it was a sneak attack by the enemy, so I rushed in, and asked the general not to blame." ”

"That's it." Zhou Yiben didn't mean to blame him, listening to his serious explanation, he couldn't help laughing, "For the sake of you being the Savior, I won't pursue you." ”

"General Xie." Lin Yuan thanked him respectfully and stood up straight, but he still felt strange in his heart, and couldn't help asking, "Why don't you see Wang Qing and Yang Ping standing guard in front of the general's tent?" How could they let you, General, stay alone in this tent, if the Qin army really sent people to sneak attack, what would it be? ”

"Wang Qing?" Zhou Yi's hand wiping the sword paused imperceptibly, and then continued to wipe it. The expression on his face was dark and uncertain, and his voice was faint.

"Wang Qing was found frozen to death in front of the tent three days ago, and now the body has been moved elsewhere. He was very good, and he kept the main tent until he died. Yang Ping is also very good, he also wants to stay in front of this tent, I don't allow it, send him to practice with other soldiers. ”

Lin Yuan's eyes were hot, like a fish in his throat. Although he had expected that soldiers would freeze to death on the way back, it was still very difficult for him to accept this reality when he heard it with his own ears.

"You don't have to be sad." Zhou Yi saw that his expression was gloomy, and he knew that he was sad for Wang Qing's death, so he comforted him softly: "You have worked this trip, and you have made a lot of contributions. After settling down the reinforcements and distributing the cotton clothes, let's rest first, nourish our spirits, and next, we have to settle this account with the Qin army! ”

Zhou Yi said that in the end, he was not just comforting Lin Yuan, his eyes burst with anger, that was the determination to burn the enemy to the ground!

But he didn't pay attention to every word he said, Lin Yuan's expression became sad.

"General!"

This Zheng Zheng man, who had spilled his blood on the battlefield and was still standing like a pine and heroically killing the enemy even if he was seriously injured, suddenly became short and knelt down suddenly.

"Boom-"

This sudden pressure caused the armor he had tied to his knees to shatter into pieces due to the weathering and erosion of years of fighting! Sharp pieces of iron dug into his flesh, and a trail of blood swam from his scarlet pants, but he still knelt straight as if he didn't feel pain.

"You!" Zhou Yi's face froze, and he slammed the sword in his hand on the bookcase in front of him, and said sharply: "What's the matter?" Stand up and talk back! ”

"No!" Lin Yuan said with a sad face: "My subordinates are incompetent!" Failed to complete the general's entrustment, and asked the general to surrender! ”

"What do you mean by that?" Zhou Yi stood up suddenly, slapped his hands heavily on the bookcase, leaned forward, and stared sharply at him, "What about the army that should be reinforced?" What about food and weapons? What about the soldiers' warm cotton clothes? ”

Lin Yuan's expression was painful, and he bowed deeply to the ground, "My subordinates are incompetent!" ”

Zhou Yi only felt a "buzz" in his head, his body was unstable, and he suddenly sat back on the main seat.

Lin Yuan raised his head when he heard the voice, and saw that his face was pale and sad, and hurriedly exclaimed: "Although my subordinates failed to bring back the military supplies this time, they are not without gain!" Now that the situation is critical, please take care of your health! ”

"It doesn't matter." Zhou Yi waved his hand at him, restrained his gaffe, sat upright, and said in a deep voice: "You get up, tell the truth of the matter in detail, and you must not hide it in the slightest." ”

"Yes." Lin Yuan bowed his head to answer, but he didn't get up, insisting on kneeling to explain the situation, and Zhou Yi had no choice but to let him.

"I arrived in Shangjing six days ago to see the emperor, and informed the emperor of the situation of our army trapped in the valley, shortage of grain and grass, and no clothes for the winter, and asked the emperor to send troops to support us. Who knew that the emperor was furious when he heard the words, and immediately ordered someone to pass on the household department to ask the emperor, I did not know the situation at that time, until the emperor sent the household department of the book, I knew that the emperor was concerned about my military food and clothing as early as a month ago, and the household department sent military supplies, but I didn't expect that the household department Shangshu Xu Jing was bold, and on the surface he prepared military supplies, but in private he actually secretly bought and sold. ”

When Lin Yuan said this, he looked at Zhou Yi with some concern, for fear that he would not be angry for a while, and his body would be angry.

Zhou Yi looked indifferent, and when he saw him, he only smiled coldly and said: "I knew that he was a greedy thing, and he was consumed by profit, what kind of things he couldn't do?" It's only hateful that the brothers fought bloodily, but let such a well-dressed man with the heart of a leech be sheltered! ”

When Lin Yuan heard this, he immediately said: "Fortunately, the emperor Shengming sentenced Xu Jing to be beheaded immediately!" ”

"Did you dispose of it at that time?" Zhou Yi frowned, "Although it is a fact that the old thing used his power for personal gain and sold military supplies privately, didn't the emperor order someone to examine it in detail?" Such a resolute decision is not like our emperor's usual style! ”

"I guess it was a decision made in anger." Lin Yuan explained: "The general doesn't know that in the case of smuggling military supplies, Xu Jing was only an accomplice, not the master's envoy. ”

"Accomplice?" Zhou Yi's eyes narrowed slightly, and his eyes were sharp, "With Xu Jing's current status, who else can control him?" ”

"Yes......" Lin Yuan seemed to be a little taboo about the person who was going to speak next, and lowered his voice and said, "It's the queen's mother." ”

The Queen? Rao is as calm as Zhou Yi, and he couldn't hide the surprised look on his face at this time.

"The queen lives in the harem, how can she support Xu Jing?"

Of course, there are several people involved, but the subordinates don't know much about it, so they won't list them one by one. It's just that there is one of them, and his subordinates remember it very clearly. Lin Yuan said: "That person is the grandson of Taifu Xie, known as Xie Yu, the third son of Xie." Because he is the queen's brother, the people in Beijing have a lot of respect for him in the face of the mother. Xu Jing once made a mistake, and he got out safely by taking Xie Yu's path, and Xu Jing also left a handle in Xie Yu's hand, and the queen mother used this handle to blackmail him and let him use it for herself. ”

Xie Sangongzi? Zhou Yi frowned and recalled the faces of several Xie family sons he had seen the year before last, and compared them in his heart, so he reluctantly matched some vague impressions with a young face, "Is the third son Xie you said who refused to study and entered the profession and threatened to do all the business in the world?" ”

"Exactly."

"He's not small." Zhou Yi sneered, he has always looked down on those sons and brothers in the capital who are powerless and will only rely on the family to make a fortune, "It's a pity that the arrogance is too much, and he dares to hit the abacus on the emperor, and now that the matter is exposed, I know that the queen will not plant everything on him in order to protect herself." In any case, he could not escape death. It's a pity that Mrs. Xie, who has been an honest official all his life, is now old, but he has to be affected by this disloyal and unrighteous granddaughter. ”

Lin Yuan sighed heavily, his expression was also a little regretful, and he sighed: "The emperor has issued an order to raid the Xie Mansion, and because of the old age of Mrs. Xie and the old lady, they were only removed from their official positions. And the rest of the Xie family, from the old lady to the little maid, should be imprisoned. The Empress was confined to Feng'an Palace, and Xie Yu was sentenced to death for the crime of buying and selling munitions, and he was beheaded when I left Beijing. ”

After he finished speaking, he untied the burden he had been carrying on his back and opened it carefully.

There was only one square brocade box in the baggage, Lin Yuan solemnly held the brocade box in both hands and held it high above the top, and said in a respectful voice:

"In this box is the head of the main culprit Xie Yu, and the emperor specially ordered me to bring it to give an explanation to the brothers."

"Zheng—" The muffled sound of iron falling to the ground came from outside the tent.

Zhou Yi and Lin Yuan were both in their hearts, and they followed the prestige, but it was the little soldier who was waiting for Lin Yuan at the mountain intersection before.

"Third brother...... Third brother he ......"