At the foot of Mount Tai, the red flag flutters, the gongs and drums are noisy, and the barracks are full of people coming and going. Outside the gate, the soldiers held the halberd, mighty and majestic, inside the gate, there were a few cases, and a group of people surrounded the registration. It turned out that it was Yanzhou soldier Cao Zhang Ruoxu who was organizing the winter recruitment work.

Zhang Ruoxu is thin and upright on the outside, wearing a green robe on the outside, a white knee-length crotch jacket on the inside, and a horizontal knife at the waist, looking majestic and solemn. He walked around the camp to ensure that the recruitment process was carried out smoothly.

The quota for pre-recruited soldiers has long been broken down into counties under their jurisdiction, and then sent to villages, and each security officer notifies the conscripts to come and sign up for the army. If the target is not met, the government will sometimes send people to various places to arrest strong men.

Several young conscripts were visiting various parts of the barracks, only to see propaganda slogans pasted on the barracks walls and wooden pillars, which read: "When you are young, you are determined to be martial, and when you grow up, you will serve the country and join the army," "The country and the people must be prepared for danger, and the country will be rich and the army will be strong before it happens," and "Young people with lofty aspirations will make meritorious contributions to the army, and hot-blooded men will be determined to serve the country."

Some were written by Zhang Ruoxu, and some were written by Wang Shunxi, the manager of the book. In the evening, the manager submitted the registration list to Zhang Ruoxu for review, and Zhang Ruoxu signed his name after review.

Guan Ji said: "Zhang Bingcao, there has been a shortage of soldiers in various counties and townships recently, if you can't complete the task on time, the superiors will blame you, how can you do it?" ”

Zhang Ruoxu said: "Continue to put pressure on all localities, consolidate the responsibility of guarantee at all levels, and ensure that the soldiers are handed over on time and in full." If the shortage is really too big, I will ask the assassin to decide! ”

On the morning of the next day, Zhang Ruoxu went to the barracks to supervise the recruitment of troops as usual, and young people who had rushed from various counties and townships to enlist in the army arrived one after another to sign up.

Zhang Ruoxu was talking to the officials about something, and suddenly a group of people came from a distance, clamoring, as if there was an argument. Zhang Ruoxu went over to ask what happened so that he could mediate the dispute.

The leader said: "I am the Baozheng of Yizhou, and I have notified him to sign up here on schedule, but he rushed to get married, and then escaped from the army on the grounds of being newly married!" ”

A handsome and somewhat thin young man said: "When he informed me, I had already explained the situation to him, and I was already married, and I should not be recruited!" "The people around you have a word for you, and they have their own words.

Zhang Ruoxu looked at the fire and said: "This matter has been completed, and you can't regret it, since you have come to the barracks and come here, you will be safe if you come!" Yizhou Baozheng has worked hard, Zhang expressed his gratitude for your hard work! ”

The thin young man was still arguing, but Zhang Ruoxu ignored him and led Baozheng to register. Several soldiers came and took the emaciated young man into a small dark room and criticized and educated him.

After sending Baozheng away, Zhang Ruoxu inspected everywhere and saw that there were many more young people who came to report than yesterday, so he randomly selected a few people to ask about the family situation.

While he was asking, he heard a noise in the distance, and Zhang Ruoxu looked at it, and it turned out that several officials were escorting a young man to report to the army.

The young man was tall and strong, bound by ropes, struggling to get out, unwilling to report for duty, and several officials punched and kicked him to tell him to be honest.

Zhang Ruoxu walked over to help him untie the rope and asked why he was reluctant to apply.

The young man said: "My name is Lu Ziwei, I am from Qinzhou, I came to visit relatives and friends at the foot of Mount Tai, and I played by the way, but I was caught by this tolerance, and I wanted to be a strong man, so I didn't do it." They tied me up and sent it here, is there any justice in this world? ”

Zhang Ruoxu persuaded him: "Your kid is young and strong, and it is the time to contribute to the country, how can you be idle, greedy for life and afraid of death, and evade recruitment?" If you still want to escape, military law is waiting! ”

The official waved the killing stick, several soldiers pulled out their horizontal knives, and a cold light emitted from the ground, Lu Ziwei shrank his neck in fright, and did not dare to struggle anymore. The official drove him to the place where Wang Shunxi, the secretary of the house, signed and detained.

A few days later, with the concerted efforts of the vast number of officers and men, the recruitment of soldiers in Yanzhou was completed on time and in full, and Zhang Ruoxu held a celebration and commendation meeting to present certificates and certificates to the advanced workers in the recruitment of troops in various counties.

After the recruitment work is completed, the recruited soldiers will be dispersed and sent to the border passes and the prefectures to dismantle and chong prefectures, and guard the border passes and replenish the military government. The day before the dispatch, a young woman came to the gate and asked to see her husband.

After the Yuanmen report, Zhang Ruoxu came out to receive and saw a pretty and slender beauty coming, her hair combed half up, wearing a yellow silk jacket and a purple silk skirt, her waist wrapped in purple and yellow Luo Jian Mo belly, her feet wore green silk socks and blue embroidered shoes, like winter plum and spring willow, with affection and body, fragrant and charming.

The beauty introduced herself: "The concubine's name is Qi Hongniang, a native of Yizhou, she is sixteen years old this year, and she is newly married Yan'er, but her husband was arrested as a soldier, and her in-laws are old and frail, and the concubine has no livelihood, so she rushed to visit Lang Jun!" ”

Zhang Ruoxu saw that she was beautiful and lovable, so he asked her who Langjun was. Qi Hongniang said: "Lang Jun's name is Yang Yingtai, and she is from Yizhou. Zhang Ruoxu sent someone to call Yang Yingtai to come and recognize him.

After a while, Wang Shunxi brought Yang Yingtai, and it turned out that he was the handsome and somewhat thin young man. Qi Hongniang pounced on Yang Yingtai as soon as she saw her, and the two hugged each other and cried.

Although Zhang Ruoxu and Wang Shunxi were accustomed to seeing joys and sorrows and parting from life and death, they still sighed in the face of this situation, quietly withdrew, and let the couple complain to each other.

Qi Hongniang presented Yang Yingtai with a thick cotton coat and said: "This is made by the concubine with the cloth woven by herself. ”

Yang Yingtai took the cotton clothes and said: "The military government will issue Shu shirts, jackets, cotton hakama, single hakama, and heads. The lady should put her mind on taking care of the second elder. ”

Qi Hongniang said in tears: "Lang Jun is so ruthless, throw the concubine down!" Less than ten miles away, you'll be homesick! How far the road is to go over the mountains and mountains to the border pass! After parting tonight, when will Lang Jun be able to come back? Please leave your promise, concubine wait! ”

Yang Yingtai also shed tears: "The dark night in winter is full of stars, witnessing my love for my wife!" The sea is dry and the rocks are rotten, and the heart will never change, unless the mountains are not mausoleums, the rivers are exhausted, the winter thunder is shaking, the summer rain and snow, the heaven and the earth are together! ”

After talking for a long time, Qi Hongniang and Yang Yingtai reluctantly waved goodbye.

Zhang Ruoxu looked at Qi Hongniang's figure in broken steps, thinking about her lonely life in the future, and chanted a poem:

The iron-clad soldiers have worked hard for a long time, and the jade chopsticks should cry goodbye to the future.

The young woman in the south of the city wants to break her bowels, and she recruits people to look back in the north of the thistle.

The next day, Yang Yingtai was supposed to be sent to Yangguan in the northwest to guard it, but Zhang Ruoxu saw him pitiful, and deliberately changed his tune and talked to the strong Lu Ziwei.

Lu Ziwei said generously: "I am a single person, I have no worries about coming and going, Yang Jun's family has a wife, it is advisable for him to go back alive as soon as possible." I'll be sent by the soldiers! ”

Zhang Ruoxu was overjoyed and said: "Wow, this is what a man looks like!" Then I will send you to the distant Dunhuang Yangguan to guard the border pass, do you have any opinions? ”

Lu Ziwei replied loudly: "No opinion!" Zhang Ruoxu said: "Okay, I'll send Yang Yingtai to the relatively close Jibei as a soldier!" ”

After the recruitment and repatriation of soldiers, there was nothing important for the time being. In the first month of the first year of Yongchun, Zhang Ruoxu took a long vacation and planned to return to his hometown in Yangzhou to visit relatives.

He and his wife Xie Qingfang packed their luggage together, wrapped their feet around, and rode south in a carriage with a son and a daughter.

On the way, passing through Qufu County, the hometown of Confucius, Zhang Ruoxu and his entourage got off the bus and walked to visit the Confucian Mansion, the Confucian Temple and the Confucian Forest. Zhang Ruoxu led his son Zhang Gui and daughter Zhang Mei to bow to the tablet of the ancestor Kong Xuan's father.

The next day, board the car and continue south, passing by Weishan Lake, standing on the edge of the lake to watch the sparkling, blue waters of the lake, fishing boats shuttle back and forth on the lake, casting nets to catch fish.

Passing by Lema Lake again, watching the sun rise from the vast blue waves, reflecting the colorful and changing waves between the lake and the sky. At the water's edge, there are various wild grasses such as wild pond artemisia, small fluffy grass, white grass, wolf's tail grass, nightshade, wild perilla, water knotweed, cattail, etc., shivering in the north wind.

Then go south to Shanyang, Zhang Ruoxu's family got off at the edge of the ditch and boarded the boat, and took a passenger boat to row along the ditch to Yangzhou. It was night, the moon was in the sky, and Zhang Ruoxu stood on the bow of the boat enjoying the scenery on both sides of the canal.

He thought that Yang Yingtai and Lu Ziwei should have arrived at the border pass, and Qi Hongniang also returned to Yizhou, enjoying a round of bright moon at this time, but their moods were different.

Zhang Ruoxu sighed: "I am the happiest, I don't know how many people can go home by the moonlight like me, only the westbound moon shakes the feelings of the woman and sprinkles the woods by the river!" ”

returned to Yangzhou, met his parents, and the family achieved a happy reunion. Zhang Ruoxu's mood was extremely comfortable, facing the spring breeze, embracing the rainbow, and rushing forward bravely.

On a spring night, after the family had dinner, Xie Qingfang went out to visit the house, Zhang Gui reviewed his homework, and Zhang Mei studied as a female worker. Zhang Ruoxu was full of wine and food, came out for a walk, and walked all the way to the Qujiang River in the southern suburbs of Yangzhou.

At this time, the spring tide of the river is high, and the water is connected to the sea, and the bright moon rising from the sea seems to be gushing out with the tide.

Zhang Ruoxu walked along the pavilion, and then stood by the river to admire the moon and watch the tide. For a while, thoughts were like springs, poems flourished, and good sentences blurted out: "The spring river tide is even with the sea, and the bright moon on the sea is born together." Thousands of miles with the waves, where there is no moon in the spring river! The river flows around Fangdian, and the moonlit flowers and forests are like hail. ”

There was a lonely moon in the bright night sky, and the river and the sky were so fused that even the tiny dust could not be seen.

Zhang Ruoxu thought under the beautiful night view: Who first saw the moon on the riverside? When did Jiang Yue shine at the beginning of the year? Life has been infinite for generations, and Jiang Yue is only similar every year. I don't know who Jiang Yue treats, but I see the Yangtze River sending water.

He thought of her husband Yang Yingtai and Lu Ziwei again, and thought of the slender and lonely Qi Hongniang, and said to himself: Zhengfu is like a white cloud, slowly drifting to a distant place, and the woman is standing under the maple forest by the water's edge and is sad. Whose wanderer is on the boat on the river? Where is Qi Hongniang lovesick on the bright moon upstairs?

The moonlight that keeps moving upstairs in Mingyue should shine on the makeup mirror table of poor Qi Hongniang! Hey, rolling up or lowering the curtain can't block the moonlight, the moonlight shines on the anvil, and the past comes back.

At this time, Yang Yingtai and Qi Hongniang looked at a bright moon together, but they couldn't communicate with each other, this is the hatred and bitterness of the world! Qi Hongniang really hopes that it will flow with the moonlight and shine on her husband Yang Yingtai.

The wild goose flies in the sky, but it can't fly out of the boundless moonlight. Ichthyosaurs swim or jump in the river, stirring up circles of ripples.

Last night, Qi Hongniang dreamed that the peach blossoms had fallen into the idle pool, and half of the spring had passed, and poor Yang Yingtai had not returned home. The river is about to run out with spring light, and the moon on the river and the idle pool is about to set in the west.

The moon that sets in the west slowly sinks and hides in the sea fog, and the position of Yang Yingtai and Qi Hongniang is as infinitely distant as Jieshi and Xiaoxiang, and it is difficult to meet!

Thinking of this, Zhang Ruoxu turned around and left, returned home, took out a pen and paper, and quickly wrote down his thoughts and thoughts, and wrote down his feelings about the husband and wife since he served as a soldier.

In the early morning of the next day, Zhang Ruoxu recalled the moonlight last night, borrowed Chen Shubao's old Yuefu title, and created a lone Yuefu poem "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night" that spanned the Tang Dynasty.

His friend He Zhizhang was full of praise after reading this poem and dedicated it to Shangguan Wan'er for appreciation.

Shangguan Wan'er commented: "This poem has a total of 36 sentences, 252 characters, four sentences and one rhyme, a total of nine rhymes. Smooth and tactful, lingering, lingering, not powdered, with its own posture! The five characters of the moonlit night in the spring river are refined into a strange light, which cannot be separated, which is really a big deal in the chemical industry! ”

Shangguan Wan'er read this poem aloud to the emperor and the queen of heaven, and the emperor said with interest: "This poem shows the sorrow and parting of the husband and wife with a small and fresh style, pure and natural, without powder, it seems that my poetry style will take this poem as an opportunity to achieve a big change!" ”

Shangguan Wan'er said: "Your Majesty means that "Spring River Flower Moon Night" is a milestone in the history of poetry of our dynasty? The Emperor nodded. The queen of heaven said: "In the past, I used to pay attention to the beautiful and superficial literary style, but now when I hear this natural and beautiful literary style, I don't feel that my ears and eyes are new!" Hehe. ”

"Spring River Flower Moonlit Night" was created in the era of the two saints, and it is a solitary story that spans the whole Tang Dynasty. If the conquest of Goguryeo shows the peak martial arts of the Tang Dynasty, then this strange poem undoubtedly shows the peak literary brilliance of the Tang Dynasty's poetry!

This shows that in the era of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the Two Sages of the Queen of Heaven, the martial arts of Wenzhi and martial arts have reached the peak of the history of the Tang Dynasty, because of the glorious achievements of the Battle of Baijiangkou and the Battle of Goguryeo, and the immortal masterpieces of "Preface to the Pavilion of King Teng" and "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night"!