The blades of the soldiers are cold and the wolf smokes, and the bloody war drums beat in the remnant sun.

At that time, the power of the Zhou royal family was declining, and there were many large and small vassal states within the dynasty. In order to seek hegemony, the attacks between countries are endless, and the war is endless. Jin is a large country in the Central Plains, and it has a long-cherished wish with its neighbor Xianyu in the north. In the seventh year of Jin Jun Jiwu, in order to avenge the defeat of Pingzhong two years ago, the Jin State gathered heavy troops to go north, broke several cities in Xianyu, and won a big victory.

The war began from Jingcheng Pass and burned to the foot of Ningjia City, and the once prosperous and wealthy city was instantly turned into ruins, and hot blood was sprinkled all over the place, soaked in the mud, flowing all over the river, and dyeing the whole sky red. The wind passed through the lonely city, and the yellow sand buried the dry bones. Look at the dilapidated houses, and listen to the mournful and indignant wails, tearing hearts and lungs, and weeping blood. This is war, cruel, tragic and helpless. War is a game for kings, and once this game of territory and flesh and blood begins, no one can stop it.

At the beginning of the war, the leaves on the tips had just been dyed yellow, and the day it ended was already the middle of winter.

The wind is cold, and the north snow covers the yellow sand. The victorious Jin army drove on the way back, and the bloody battle was won for several months, and the tired faces of the soldiers were hung with joy, which was the heartfelt joy of life, and that joy could not be extinguished even if it was a cold wind that howled and roared. But there are always winners and losers in wars, and joy is only shared by the winners. At the end of the procession, there was another group of people who were staggering and staggering.

They were captives, numbering more than two thousand. Among these captives were soldiers, commoners, and nobles who had not had time to escape. The former class disappeared the moment the city was breached, and was replaced by a new name given to them by defeat: Fish. The two countries are at war with each other. Xianyu people hate the Jin soldiers, and similarly, why don't the Jin soldiers hate Xianyu? Like grasshoppers, these captives were tied hand in hand, tied in groups of hundreds, and driven away like cattle by the soldiers of the Jin Kingdom wielding cold whips. I can't live alive, but I can't give up to die. They don't know where the road lies ahead, but they must be miserable, gloomy, and hopeless. The wind is cold and the snow is cold, it is difficult to walk, dragging a stiff body, the desperate hearts, they are silent or weeping, the corpses of the resistants have long been buried in the heavy snow, and the cold long whip Tiege roars from time to time with the mood of the master, or cuts their faces with teeth and claws, or pierces and pokes into their hearts, ruthlessly terrifying.

There are many troubled times, and people are not as good as mustard. Life does not follow wishes, death does not follow wishes. It's hard to die, it's even harder to live, helpless, what's the point, just sigh, God's will makes people.

On this day, the sky will be dark but not dark, the overwhelming goose feathers and snow are falling down, the cold wind is biting, like a knife scraping the faces of passers-by, sharp pain.

This is the Xianyu border area of Fanzhongyi, bordering the Jin Dynasty.

Under the howling wind and snow, the half-grown boy led a black horse to walk on the vast snowfield. He was fifteen years old, tall and slender, dressed in a neat blue winter robe with narrow sleeves, a fur hood, and a long sword, which he carried behind his shoulders and carefully wrapped in green cloth. The ground was covered with snow so thick that it reached the calves, and every step forward left a deep pit of snow under your feet. Because the wind was too strong, the boy tilted his head slightly and closed his mouth, and a strand of hair leaked out from under his hat and flew in front of his face with the wind. His cheeks were blown red, and his lips were cracked with blood, and he looked a little embarrassed, but he didn't hide his handsomeness. His facial features are excellent, with deep contours, sharp edges and corners, and a heroic and awe-inspiring spirit between his eyebrows and eyes.

The boy was not alone, and he was accompanied by an uncle and two younger brothers.

At this moment, the two junior disciples followed closely behind the young man, stepping on the snow pit that the young man walked out of. The three of them were dressed in the same way, wearing blue robes and carrying long swords. Uncle Xue's surname is Xue Mingxian, just entered the year of establishment, humble and elegant, gentle and moderate, famous for his medical skills in the world, the world praised a little Shennong, but it is easy to save others and difficult to save yourself. He has frosty hair like snow, and his heart disease has been incurable for many years. Two junior brothers, one is Zigu and the other is Zizhang. They are all disciples of the Heavenly Trench Sect, and they are traveling with their uncle.

Menxia is located in the depths of Daba Mountain at the junction of Chuba and Qin, starting from Menzhong a year and a half ago, all the way to the north, through the Qin State, into the Yiqu, Linhu and other Rongdi places, and then to the Snow Country Beiyan, to the south across Xianyu. The destination of the next stop is the Central Plains powerhouse - Jin, which is also the hometown of the young man after many years of absence.

"Senior Brother Ziji, how long will we have to go?" The little junior brother was panting with his luggage on his back, and every time he said a word, a cloud of white air came out of his mouth, but the cold north wind immediately blew it away. The little junior brother is still young, he will be in his early tens, and his appearance is still very immature. He was thin and thin, but his cheeks were round and fleshy, his eyes were large and shining, his eyelashes flickered, he was innocent, his thoughts were hard to hide, and his joys, angers and sorrows were all in his eyes.

The young man's name is Ziji, and he encouraged his junior brother as he walked forward: "If you grit your teeth and hold on a little longer, it will be soon." "In the past few days, they have passed through many villages and towns, which are as empty as ghost towns, and there is no place to stay. Walking in the cold and snow for several days, sitting and lying in the wild, even he couldn't hold it anymore, not to mention the youngest Zizhang, fortunately, Zigu helped with his bags all the time, trying his best to help Zizhang reduce his burden.

Zizhang's face was wrinkled, and at this moment, he was extremely eager to have a warm bed. So he began to fantasize, trying to pull himself out of the cold snow. I don't know how long it took to walk, but it was already completely dark anyway, and by the light of the moon and snow, they barely moved forward.

The wind blew more and more fiercely, cold into the bone marrow, Zizhang felt that his whole body was frozen, his hands and feet were not too big to obey the call, he walked and tripped over something, a stumble, an exclamation, he fell to the side. The new snow is fluffy and soft, and there is no pain in this fall, but it seems to have fallen into cotton, and it is inexplicably comfortable.

Ziji heard the voice behind him, hurriedly stopped his steps and turned around and asked, "Zizhang, are you okay?" ”

"I'm fine." Zizhang propped his arms and tried to get up. Suddenly, his hand touched a hard object under the snow, and he chuckled inwardly, not knowing what it was, but the scaly touch was enough to make him creepy. He flicked his hand away, screaming and jumping.

Ziji was startled by his shout: "What's wrong?" ”

Zizhang shouted: "There is something, there is something, there is something under the snow." As he shouted, the snow on the ground trembled slightly, as if something was waking up from below. Zizhang was frightened enough, so he hid behind his senior brother Zigu nearby, pulling his sleeve and refusing to let go. Zigu is as his name suggests, he is a young man who looks upright and stubborn, the same age as Ziji, his appearance is clear and upright, his face is square and long, and the contour is prominent, because he always loves to frown, he is a little serious, he protects Zizhang tightly behind him, and at the same time, he makes a slightly calmer gesture in the direction of Xuelinzi in the distance. Then he and Ziji glanced at each other, and both of them drew their long swords behind their backs and held them horizontally in front of them, looking at the snow vigilantly.

At this time, the snow layer moved again, and slowly, a bag began to bulge from below. Suddenly, a bloody hand came out from under the snow. This scene made several people's faces change. It was a pair of hands that belonged to a man, covered with scars and blood, and it stiffened upward, its fingers trembling and spreading, and then very quickly, it fell limply again, and stopped moving.

Ziji was startled at first when he saw this, and then immediately calmed down, stepped forward with a sword, he half-squatted to the side of the hand, frowned and quickly brushed the snow, revealing an arm under the snow, and took a closer look at it by the moonlight, the reddish-brown narrow-sleeved kudzu rattan coat: "It seems to be a Xianyu soldier." ”

Xue Xian was benevolent, he stepped forward with a solemn expression, knelt directly in the snow, and said eagerly while pulling the floating snow out: "Quick, get his head out first." ”

Xue Xian cooperated with several people, and soon, the people under the snow were dug out. Buried under the snow is indeed a Xianyu soldier, and he is not an ordinary soldier, he wears an iron helmet and iron armor, which is the costume only a general has. He was almost completely frozen, and was badly wounded, and the ground he had been lying on under the fresh snow was covered with a large pool of blood. At this moment, he still maintained a forward crawling movement, his left hand stretched forward with all his might, and in his right hand, he still held a blood-stained broken spear tightly.

Xue Xian and Ziji turned the person over very carefully, and now in front of them was a young and pale face, his eyes were half-open and half-closed, as if he was awake, but his pupils were dilated, and he seemed to be unconscious. Xue Xian quickly cut his pulse, checked his trauma again, and frowned.

Ziji also frowned. He had seen death, and the look on the face of the man in front of him brought back bad memories for him, it was a dying expression. "Uncle Shi, can this person still be saved?"

Xue Xian said solemnly: "It's hard to say, but if he wants to live, I will save him if he wants to live." As he spoke, he began to take off the cold, heavy armor of the wounded. Then Xue Xian took off his robe and tightly wrapped the clothes with body temperature on the body of the wounded.

The snow is still falling, and the wind is still blowing. A moth crescent moon hangs in the dark night sky, illuminating the way forward for travelers with the cold and faint moonlight. The border city of Xianyu is now ten cities and nine empty, and there are almost no people. It was not an easy task to treat such a seriously injured patient, even for Xue Xian, who was known as the little Shennong, and for this they had to go to the nearest city, Shiyi, a border city of the Jin Kingdom.

Medicinal herbs, they need a lot of medicinal herbs!

Xue Xian put all his outer robes on the wounded, while he himself wrapped another robe from Ziji, because the size of the teenager and the adult were different, the sleeves and hem were shortened, and the cold wind was blowing into it. Ziji put his fur hood on the head of the injured man, and took the initiative to take on the task of carrying the Xianyu soldier, he walked calmly in the snow step by step, and the snow under his feet creaked and creaked. They had horses, but considering that the horse had been bumped and the man had been badly wounded in the lower back and abdomen, they decided to carry it on their backs.

After walking for a while, this time from a distance, you could see the beacon tower of the Jin border. At this hour, the city gate was already closed, and if they wanted to enter the city, they had to go through many checks, and the identities of the people they rescued were still unknown, so in order to prevent unnecessary trouble, they took a detour to the north and took the wild road.

Maybe it was because he felt the body temperature on Zhao Ji's body, the Xianyu soldier warmed up a little, and finally had a trace of consciousness, although there was still chaos in his brain, he knew that he was rescued. Feeling that he was being carried, he opened his eyes in a daze, and saw the scar behind the young man's ear, which was very long, from the ear to the side of his neck. This consciousness lasted only a short time, and soon he fainted again.

Jindu Xinjiang

As the capital of the Jin Kingdom in the Central Plains, Xinjiang City is known for its prosperity and vastness. The north and south are surrounded by mountains, the two rivers pass through the city, the roads are vertical and horizontal, and the shops are lined up, it has to be said that looking at the various vassal states, the cities that can be compared with Xinjiang are really only a handful. It is now in the middle of winter, the weather is cold, the ice and snow are sealing the city, and there are pedestrians on the crowded and bustling streets in the past.

Jin has six qing. Behind the six Qings are the six families, between these six families, there has been a long-term struggle, and in the past hundred years, either the east wind has suppressed the west wind, or the west wind has pressed the east wind. Now the most powerful is the Fan family. Fan Ying, the lord of the Fan family, is now serving as the chief doctor of the Jin Kingdom, in charge of political affairs, commanding the Chinese army, and is powerful.

Fan's mansion is located in the east of Xinjiang City, covering a wide area, with simple architecture and very magnificent. Every ten meters on Fuzhong Road, there is a standing stone lamp, which is finely carved and has its own meaning. In the evening, a group of slaves wrapped in garcinia yellow linen clothes were lighting the stone lamps along the road with flints, and the stone lamps were built quite high, and the young slaves knelt down in the snow as human cushions, and the snow was deep and cold, and they were thinly clothed, and they were barefoot in straw sandals, all of them were frozen and stiff, and their faces were purple. They passed by a flower forest, there were Yin Yin red plums in the forest, there were also cloud-like plum and white tea, and the Dongrui Hall behind the forest was brightly lit, and there was a faint sound of laughter from the little masters. The slaves knelt on the ground, almost eight or nine years old, trampled on the soles of their feet, and their limbs were covered with cold and bone-chilling ice and snow, and he couldn't help but look at the yellow and clear lights not far away, which looked incomparably warm.

"Ugly slave, what do you see, you are born with a cheap life, if you don't work hard, I will throw you to the back mountain to feed the dogs." The steward kicked the slave on the head and scolded. No matter what they do, they are wrong, and when they are in a bad mood, they have to beat and scold, but when they are in a good mood, they still have to beat and scold, even if they are obedient and well-behaved, it is useless.

The snow is getting heavier and heavier, the wind is blowing colder and colder, and this ice and snow can freeze deep into the marrow of human bones. However, for the Dongrui Hall, which is close at hand, all the cold and snow outside must be covered with a warm halo, even if the wind and snow are fierce, it can be seen that the north wind is sweeping the snow and the red plum tips are pretty.

In the warm inner room of Dongrui Hall, several half-grown teenagers are playing together, competing for victory and defeat with pot throwing. They were dressed in gorgeous winter robes of great value, accompanied by smiling gentle maids, eating and drinking at will on plates of delicate pastries and fruits, and their faces were full of smiles, all of them looked like they did not know the world.

The slaves who lit the lamps went away.

is the same age, but the judgment is like mud.

Not far behind this Dongrui Hall is the family of the Fan family, and the children of the same clan often gather here to play. The huge inner room was covered with soft mats made of fine reeds and straw, and six pairs of boots were neatly arranged around the seats, and the bronze lamps of the Rui beasts in the four corners of the room were lit, and the soft yellow light of the room was lit.

In the center of the mat, there was a bronze pot with a narrow mouth in the shape of a standing crane, in which seven or eight feathered arrows had been hit, and there were scattered on the ground that had not been hit, and these arrows all had winged tails of different colors, and the most colorful of them was gold.

With a "bang", another feathered arrow with a golden winged tail hit the center of the pot.

There was a young girl standing in front of the pitcher line. The girl had a pale complexion, an excellent countenance, and a pair of eyes that were large and smart, reflecting the candlelight clearly, as bright as the stars in the sky. She is tall, wearing a fire coral colored robe, straight sleeves, knee-length, neckline inlaid with a circle of snow-white white fox velvet, the belt is interlocked with gold hooks, and a pair of white jade crane rings are falling. At this time, the girl stood there, her face tilted slightly sideways, her lips pursed and she couldn't stop the upward arc of the corner of her right mouth, and her eyes were full of victory.