Ten miles east of Luoyang City, there is a strange camp. Outside the small dock fort in a radius, there was a ditch dug two people deep, and inside the rammed earth wall, there were only nearly a hundred dense and simple wooden houses.

On the city wall, Han soldiers with bows and crossbows wandered back and forth. In stark contrast to the defenders elsewhere, their wary gaze was always directed towards the inside of the fort, and rarely glanced outside the walls.

The mystery of such a bizarre phenomenon is actually not worth mentioning after it is revealed. This is because it is a cage for dangerous prisoners or prisoners of war. Almost all of the 1,200 apprentices under the successive lieutenants were selected from here.

On weekdays, this prison camp is also deserted, after all, the number of prisoners in the entire division is not large, and it is even more discounted to be able to meet the young and middle-aged prisoners who are locked up here.

Today, however, the situation seems to be different, and the open space on the edge of the huts is already crowded with ragged and unkempt prisoners, numbering in the thousands. It is no wonder that the Han army in charge of guarding is so nervous, with their 500 military strength, it is more than enough to guard more than 1,000 prisoners, but in the face of more than ten times stronger prisoners, no one dares to take it lightly.

Since the arrival of these prisoners, the camp guard has not slept soundly, and he has to keep one eye open when he dreams. He kept wailing in his heart, it's been almost two months, this group of people will neither kill nor release, and no general will choose the strong to fill the army, this is to grind me to death!

Complaining in his heart, this guard also knows the seriousness of the matter, and has always awakened the spirit of 120,000 points. Not only did the day and night patrols and the open posts and secret posts be properly arranged, but even the diet of the prisoners was slightly upgraded, so as not to provoke the slightest incident. Hugh said that these prisoners of war were from the rebels in Liangzhou, and there was absolutely no room for mistakes, and even the general who came to hand over the prisoners of war could not afford to offend. I know with my toes that once a prisoner escapes from prison or even a mass riot occurs, it is a trivial matter to lose his official position and dismiss him, and that Eagle Yang Zhonglang will definitely be the first to cut off his head.

In fact, the guard's mind may have been in vain, because these prisoners of war had almost lost any resistance mentality, because they were the remnants of the Five Thousand Heavenly Master Dao captured by Nanying outside Chang'an City in one fell swoop.

More than a year ago, Tianshi Dao brazenly raised troops in Hanzhong, and 20,000 troops attacked the city and pulled out the village continuously, and the Hanzhong defenders fought vividly, which can be regarded as a momentary glory. It's a pity that the good times didn't last long, first the master Zhang Xiu and the uncle and nephew of the big sacrificial wine Zhang Lu turned against each other, and divided the troops into enemies. Then in the battle of Nanzheng, not only the 10,000 most elite ghost pawn army was wiped out, but even Shijun Zhang Xiu and a large number of major generals were also killed on the battlefield.

The newly succeeded Shijun Zhang Jin was isolated and helpless, so he had to lead more than 1,000 remnants to retreat to Liangzhou in order to make a comeback. After a year of recuperation, relying on the remnants of the Heavenly Master Dao for many years of missionary work and the excellent situation of the Han army that was difficult to control Liangzhou, the Heavenly Master Dao survived and struggled, and finally revived, regathering an army of thousands of people.

It wasn't until the Yellow Turban Rebellion shook the world that the Heavenly Master Dao disciples realized that the opportunity had arisen again. If you want to fight back to Hanzhong and regain the glory of the past, the only way out is to rely on the forces of the warlords of Liangzhou who have been waiting for the opportunity to move, and rely on their invincible cavalry army to fight Liangzhou.

Shijun Zhang Jin ignored his dying illness and issued an order for all the elites to accompany him on the sickbed. When the news came out, thousands of Heavenly Master Dao believers were all overjoyed and high-spirited, and their hearts were full of pride and ambition to revive the Heavenly Master Dao.

It's a pity that fate once again played a big joke on them, or rather, the Celestial Master they had believed in all their lives had completely abandoned these poor believers. In the battle of Chang'an, they dramatically encountered the nemesis of natural enemies again, and defeat was not terrible, and perhaps it was inevitable. However, to everyone's heart, the Liangzhou army, which they had always relied on as the strongest helper, would abandon them at the most dangerous time, and throw the entire 5,000 troops alive to the Han army surrounded on three sides.

This is fate, destiny cannot be violated! Almost all the prisoners of war held this thought, they were already desperate, and they could no longer have any thoughts, even if the Han army dug a mass grave, it is estimated that many people will jump in like walking corpses. There are also many people who eat coarse dough cakes and wild vegetable soup that they don't get for anything every day, and they faintly give up on themselves with the feeling of "it's not bad if it's too much".

Time passed, and the prisoners of war had no fear of the unknown life at all, they ate, slept, slept, and spent each day in peace.

Until one day, the sound of thunderous horses' hooves shattered the silence inside and outside the prison camp, and also caused ripples in the backwater and gentle heart lake of the thousands of prisoners.

The prisoners were not panicked, nor nervous, they seemed to have seen everything through after two months of eating and waiting for death. On the contrary, they have a hint of curiosity, as if the environment that has been dull for a long time has finally had some fun.

Obediently following the wishes of the guards, they formed a dense formation in the clearing, waiting for the following.

A young general with black hair and a shawl strode in, and the flawless dragon and tiger stride and the arrogant mountain momentum between the eyebrows made all the generals who were guarding his side reduced to a rightful supporting role.

In the group of prisoners of war, there was a "buzzing" whisper, apparently guessing the identity of the general.

The young general strode up to the high platform in front of the prisoners of war, and unexpectedly showed a warm smile, and he exclaimed, "Ben will know, you bastards are guessing who Ben will be?" Right? ”

The rude words seemed to dilute the coercion he brought to the prisoners of war, and many of them smiled, the general did not seem to be so terrible, nor did it seem like he had come to torture people for fun, so would he bring some good news? It looks like it's going to be a wonderful day today!

A bold prisoner mixed into the crowd and shouted, "I wonder who the general is?" Is it here to save us? ”

The POWs let out a low roar together, save us? Is this kind of dream talk embarrassing to say? It's good not to kill us!

The young general smiled and nodded, and said very seriously: "You're right! Ben is here to save you! ”

As soon as these words came out, the audience suddenly fell silent, and everyone was stunned.

The young general frowned and exclaimed, "It seems that you are doing well here!" Eat when you open your eyes, sleep when you close your eyes, haven't you ever thought about going home? ”

"Home?" Everyone was stunned, and some of the dexterous people had begun to tremble with their hands and feet, and finally someone screamed: "General, we have all laid down our weapons, we are all pawns now, you can't kill us!" ”

There was a sudden uproar in the audience, and the prisoners of war finally reacted. Home, the word sometimes means to leave forever! They shouted hoarsely, expressing their long-standing resentment and resistance to sudden death.

The defenders were sweating and scolding and suppressing, but all kinds of shouting and shouting were chaotic, where could they stop it? The situation is about to spiral out of control!

"Phew! Shut up, violators will be killed on the spot! A thunderous roar suddenly shocked the audience, and a tower-like man strode out from the young general's side, picked up a pair of heavy iron halberds and swept towards the drum rack on the side.

In the horrified eyes of everyone, the huge wooden frame made a terrible cracking sound, bursting out of the sky full of debris and broken wood, and the heavy snare drum was also swept high, and it fell straight to the ground more than ten steps away before it crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

When the prisoners of war saw this momentum, their legs weakened in shock, and the audience fell into an eerie silence again.

"What the hell!" The young general reprimanded the big man and said, "Damage to public property must be compensated according to the price!" You're penniless, and you're not going to pay for it in the future? If you dare to be so reckless, I will definitely clean you up! ”

After the big Hannuo retreated repeatedly, the young general turned his head and said with a surprised look at the prisoners of war: "Someone is ruthless, the general has scolded!" As for you, what kind of madness are you having? Ben will just ask you if you want to go home, when did he say he would kill you? ”

One of the prisoners of war shouted: "General, you are a nobleman, you can't deceive me and other small people!" You must know that we are all waiting for sin, and the general will be so kind to let us go home? ”

"You're right! You are all sinners, prisoners of war! The young general nodded, "It's good to have a guilty heart, but why can't you summon up the courage to pay for your sins and go home with dignity?" ”

"The general is saying that he wants us to make amends?" A faint voice rang out, and a passage opened in the crowd of prisoners of war, revealing the man who spoke.

It was a young man in his twenties, and although he had experienced prison life, he still maintained a neat appearance, and his delicate face was full of fearlessness.

He slowly walked towards the high platform, and everywhere he went, the prisoners of war all bowed their heads and avoided them, showing their extraordinary prestige.

The young general's eyes lit up and he smiled, "Very good! It seems that you are their leader, and you can have a successful conversation with Ben that everyone will be happy with! ”

The young man bowed and said, "Sinner, Yan Pu, I've seen the general!" ”

"Ahh So you're Yan Pu? The young general's eyes lit up even more, and he said happily: "Ben General already knew your name, so he didn't expect you to be so young?" ”

"Each other, each other!" Yan Pu looked up at the young general, and said calmly: "I don't know how the general wants me to make the merits for the crime?" ”

"It's easy!" The young general said calmly: "The imperial capital Luoyang is now facing an unprecedented threat, and I hope you can take up arms and defend the Jingshi!" As long as he can repel the enemy army, the general will be free! ”

"Hahahaha!" Yan Pu suddenly burst out laughing, leaning back and forth.

"What are you laughing at?" The young general surprisingly did not show any anger, he quietly looked at Yan Pu who was laughing wildly, and there seemed to be a trace of pity in his eyes.

"Of course the sinners should laugh!" Yan Pu raised his head suddenly, and his sharp eyes met the young general's unyielding eyes: "It turns out that the general wants us to die again!" Pity me and other Heavenly Master Dao pariahs, who suffered countless deaths and injuries in Hanzhong, abandoned their families and abandoned their sons to Liangzhou, and became abandoned sons in a blink of an eye, and became prisoners of the lower ranks. Now, in order to fulfill the general's military exploits, he has to send himself to death in vain! Isn't that ridiculous? ”

"Fight! It's time for us to fight again! He laughed so hard that tears were about to flow from his eyes: "It's ridiculous that we people have been fighting for so long, but we don't know why!" ”

"Why are you fighting?" The young general was silent for a while before he said, "This is really a very heavy topic! Thousands of years of history, it is still a confusion trapped in our hearts! ”

"Yan Pu, do you think it's unfair for God to treat you?" He looked down at Yan Pu and said slowly, "After so many hardships, you still don't have a place to live in peace, and even live a precarious life!" Have you lost the courage to face life? ”

Yan Pu was slightly stunned, but sneered and said without an interface.

"Let's talk about your Heavenly Master Dao first, Ben will happen to know you very well!" The young general sighed softly, "You are all a group of poor people, and even maintaining your life has become a luxury, so you have united to the Heavenly Master Dao for a life-changing belief." From this point of view, it is the court that has failed you! ”

Yan Pu obviously didn't guess that he would say such a thing, and he couldn't help but open his mouth wide, his body trembling slightly. Many prisoners of war even reminisced about the past and wept.

"But you shouldn't!" The young general suddenly said sharply: "You shouldn't blindly follow Zhang Xiu for his own selfishness!" You are also from a poor background, don't you think that those who are in the war together, who are devastated, suffer and suffer, are still people like you? ”

Seeing that Yan Pu was about to answer, he waved his hand and said, "Ben Jiang hasn't finished talking yet!" Think about Taiping Dao again, they have millions of people, how can they be ten times stronger than you? But it still ended miserably! Why? Blind faith cannot buy food and clothing for the people, and the selfish desires of a few leaders cannot be an excuse for causing chaos in the world! This is the way of heaven, and those who violate this way will be defeated! ”

He said softly, "Aren't you obeying the Heavenly Master? Why haven't you even understood the way of heaven? ”

Yan Pu's face turned pale, and he couldn't speak.

"And you second one shouldn't!" The young general raised his voice again and shouted: "It's the ghost who followed the Xiliang rebels to attack Chang'an!" Think of the thousands of innocent people who fell on the Xianyang Plain, if there are really powerful ghosts in the world, they will surely wander around you and tell the tragedy in their hearts! And what about you? Where is your conscience? ”

The bodies of many prisoners of war finally began to tremble, and although they had not witnessed the tragic situation on the Xianyang Plain, they passed by the boundless graves when they were escorted back to the imperial capital by the Han army.

"Just now you asked Ben what he was fighting for?" The young general pointed to Luoyang City in the distance and shouted: "Then Ben will tell you first, Ben General, just fight for the thousands of innocent people in that city to not be poisoned by the rebels!" ”

He looked at Yan Pu and raised his head violently, smiled lightly, and said, "And you are fighting for yourself!" Defeat the enemy, regain your freedom, and never have to live a miserable prison life again. This is the hope for which you are fighting! ”

"The general's meaning, the sinners have understood! The previous crime of frivolity, please forgive the general! Yan Pu was silent for a while before he said, "But who can prove the general's guarantee?" If we really sacrifice our lives to fight and defend Luoyang, will the general really fulfill his promise? ”

"After talking about it for so long, it seems that you really don't know who Ben will be!" The young general smiled dumbly and said, "It's just that you have already recognized the general, but unexpectedly, the general is self-inflicted!" ”

"What is the general's honor?" Yan Pu also suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly asked.

The young general burst out laughing and said, "To be honest, we've all known each other for a long time!" Just because, from the city of Nanzheng to the battle of Chang'an, the Heavenly Master Dao existed in name only, and you became prisoners of war, and the culprit of all this is the general! ”

"Ahh The exclamation sounded like a mountain roaring tsunami, and Yan Pu felt as if he had been punched head-on, and he couldn't help but take a few steps back.

"If you know Ben's story!" The young general said proudly: "You should know that this general has never broken his promise in his life!" And those who sincerely follow Ben will protect them from harm, unless Ben will die! ”

"Your Heavenly Master Dao's Zhang Lu is the best example!" The young general raised his arms and shouted, "Do you want to return to your homeland alive?" Do you want to continue to live and work in peace and contentment under the teachings of the Heavenly Master? ”

"Why are you fighting?" He said, "That's what you're fighting for!" ”

PS: After a night of hard work, I finally handed in the paper before 12 o'clock! Call!