To the south of the Juma River is the boundary of the Great Zhou, and there are important towns such as Xiongzhou and Bazhou in the east; To the west is Yizhou. Yizhou southbound is Dingzhou...... Zhao Shuyuan is between Yizhou and Dingzhou.

The name of Zhao Shuyuan is probably because many households in this place have the surname Zhao. Zhao Hu is an eighteen-year-old sturdy descendant in this village, he is the only seedling of this family, his father and mother have long wanted to start a family for him, and there are many matchmakers, but Zhao Hu has always been unwilling; He was thinking about Xu Erniang from the same village.

After a while, I will find someone to propose. Zhao Hu pondered in his heart, and followed his father from the courtyard gate into his yard. Both father and son were bricklayers, and when they had just returned from helping to build tiles in the morning, they were watering and washing their arms in the yard. After a while, his mother came out with water, and Zhao Hu took out a bag of copper coins and said, "Mother help me put it, I have enough money to buy a horse." ”

His mother muttered a few words about the use of buying a horse, and it costs food, and then nagged that his son should start a family.

Zhao Hu smiled: "Mother is still worried that I can't find a daughter-in-law?" I want to find Xu Erniang! ”

"I'll ask your third aunt tomorrow." He said a word.

Zhao Hu hurriedly said: "Don't be in a hurry for a while, wait for me to buy a horse!" ”

He looked at the large tiled house in the courtyard that had been newly built last year, and the low wall with rammed earth, and stood there without looking back and said, "I have to get some flowers and plants to plant behind the wall, and I will also plant two peach and plum trees in the yard." As soon as spring begins, it's full of flowers! ”

Zhao Hu wants to make the house look better, after all, it is not easy to repair this house, a family of three gets up early and works greedily in the dark, not only farming, but also raising pigs, sheep and chickens...... In addition to this, they had to serve as conscripts and pay a lot of food. But fortunately, after years of sweat and frugality, the Zhao family is getting better and better.

Now he has a new house, a storehouse of grain, and a cellar of copper coins. When the family's sheep are sold, and some of the copper money saved, Zhao Hu plans to buy a horse...... When the time came, as a wealthy descendant, under the praise of the villagers, he put on new clothes, rode a tall horse, and went to marry the beautiful Xu Erniang.

Zhao Hu imagined for a while in his mind, and he was so happy that he almost wanted to dance, so he shouted loudly to the kitchen: "There is still a little time to eat, I will go out to cut some grass to feed the sheep and come back." ”

As soon as I walked to the gate of the courtyard, I suddenly heard the sound of a clattering basin. Seeing a group of people rushing to the road in the village, the villager shouted: "The Khitans are coming!" Folks, hurry up and pack up your things and go! ”

An old man of the same clan scolded: "Zhao Hu, what are you still doing in a daze!" Go and call your parents, get some food and clothing, and leave immediately. Everyone went west into the mountains, or crossed the river south to Dingzhou. ”

"Deed...... Khitans? Zhao Hu was stunned and stunned.

The old man said: "The Khitans came on horseback, if they don't hurry, they can't run if they want to!" ”

At this time, Zhao's father in the firewood shed and the woman in the kitchen came out to look, and the people outside were shouting "the Khitans are coming", everyone panicked, and the dogs in the village were barking everywhere. Not long after, someone from the uncle's family came over and asked Zhao Hu's father and his family to go together. Everyone gossiped and said that the Khitans were extremely fierce, killing people, setting fires, looting and doing anything.

"Bring the sheep out...... But what about the food in my house and in the storehouse......" the woman wept in a hurry.

"Why, why!" Zhao Hu stared at his reddened eyes with a look of anger.

He knew how long it would take, how much effort and sweat it would take to build up this new house. There is also the grain in the warehouse, which is intensively cultivated in the field, and the old lady is not so attentive, and she eats coarse grains to fill her stomach, and finally saves it. The animals in the pen also grew up after a few months. He has been helping his father and mother work since he was a child, something that the family has accumulated for many years. These things allow his family to live a down-to-earth life, live like a person, and be praised by people near and far. Originally, I was waiting for the family to be better in the future, save more money and food, and buy a few more plots of land......

Zhao Hu became more and more annoyed, and shouted: "I won't go anywhere, whoever enters my house, I will kill the dog!" ”

Zhao Hu was already strong, and he could win occasional fights with others, so he was angry and went into the firewood shed to find a woodcutter. His father and mother were so frightened when they saw this, and their relatives also persuaded them that the Khitan people came with perseverance, and there were so many people that they could only be sent to death if they went desperately. His father and mother persuaded him and his relatives to go first, and they watched at home, but Zhao Hu did not leave.

At this time, the chickens and dogs outside were flustered. The old man of the Zhao family said that his son was the most important person in the family, and he was afraid that he would cause trouble, so he found a rope, tied Zhao Hu strongly, and let his uncle's donkey cart take it away.

…… In the afternoon, the sound of horses' hooves rumbling could be heard outside. The old man Zhao and the old woman bolted the doors and windows, held things against them, and then took a firewood knife and hid in the house.

After a while, he heard a "bang" knock on the door, and then a loud "bang", Old Man Zhao was horrified, holding the firewood knife tightly against the wall and staring at the door. Immediately, several big men in armor rushed in, they looked at the firewood knife in Old Man Zhao's hand, and they shouted loudly, and the one in front carried the hammer to his shoulder. Suddenly, with a "whoosh", an arrow flew over, hitting the eyebrows of the old man Zhao, and he fell down without screaming.

The woman was stunned for a moment, and immediately cried and threw herself on the corpse of Old Man Zhao. A big Khitan man came over, kicked her over, grabbed the woman's arm and dragged her out, leaving her in the courtyard. Outside, some foot soldiers with only a few pieces of iron on their bodies also rushed in, pouring into the house and looking for it.

The woman lay on the ground and could not move, watching as a group of people led the pigs and sheep from the pen, and others carried out with sacks of grain. Later, someone threw a torch into the firewood house, and the firewood burned, and soon spread like a tiled house, and the whole house gradually burst into flames.

…… Zhao Hu broke free from the shackles the next day on the way to Xishan and came back along the road. Before he reached the place, he saw that the village was filled with smoke, and he hurried home, only to see that there were still a few blackened earthen walls, and there was still smoke in them, and there was nothing left...... Zhao Hu suddenly felt cold in his hands and feet, sad and angry. hurriedly ran into the yard, saw him still curled up on the ground, and hurriedly ran over to help him up.

When the woman saw Zhao Hu, she said with red eyes: "Your father is dead, dead...... What are you doing when you come back, flee quickly. ”

Zhao Hu cried, helped his mother to the side of the fence and leaned against it, hurriedly took a wooden pole, ran to the ruins to look for it, and finally found the shocked and burned body in the black ashes. He dragged the body out of the rubble and sat on the ground, pounding and crying.

After crying for a while, he remembered that another man was coming, and ran out of the yard with a wooden pole. When I ran to the Xu family's house, I heard a cry inside, so I walked in, and saw that the courtyard was in a mess, all kinds of sundries were thrown everywhere, but the house had not been burned down. A corpse rested on the door, and an old woman was crying in Nawawawa, her eyes swollen from crying. Zhao Hu stepped forward and took a look, the dead person was an afterlife, Xu Erniang's younger brother. He hurriedly asked, "Auntie, Erniang escaped?" ”

The old woman was still crying and pointed her finger.

Zhao Hu looked in the direction and saw that it was a grass shed. He walked over and saw that there were some broken women's clothes inside, and there were blood stains on the grass. His brain buzzed, he clenched his fist and slammed it on the door of his head, turned around and choked up, "What about people? ”

The old woman said, "Hide in the cellar...... Snatched ......"

Zhao Hu was full of grief and anger, lifted the wooden pole and rushed out, surrounded by ruins, he woke up for a while, where to find someone to vent the shame and anger in his heart? What can you do if you find the Khitans?

……

On the city wall of Yizhou, a heavily armored and heavily armed Jiedu made Sun Xingyou stand there with a blue face, and a robed official next to him was talking: "The Liao army is burning, killing and looting on our territory, and the festival marshal is watching like this?" ”

The general said angrily: "This time the Liao people entered the Kou, not only to fight the grass valley, but at least tens of thousands of horses!" Can I wait to defend Yizhou City first, and if the city is broken, you will have good fruit to eat? ”

Another humanitarian: "Hurry up and go to Xiong and Ba Ercheng for help." ”

Sun Xingyou raised his head and took a deep breath, then turned his head and said, "It's useless." The Liao army entered the Kou, and the cities were the first to defend their own towns, and there were no troops to be transferred out to fight with the Liao army; Besides, who will lead the armies? This matter has been sent by the marshal to report to the imperial court in an urgent manner, and everything is waiting for His Majesty's order. ”

He said coldly: "You are now going to stay tuned at night, inspect the city defenses of various gates, arrest spies, and beware of the Liao army from seizing the city!" ”

The generals clasped their fists and said, "Wow." ”

Sun Xingyou looked up, and a big cyan flag was fluttering in the wind, with two words on it: Da Zhou.

Sun Xingyou and the surrounding military generals and officials did not say a word.

At this time, I suddenly saw a group of people with long poles walking from the post road under the city, and there were no pedestrians around, just a group of people and horses. Sun Xingyou and the others watched vigilantly. After waiting for a long time, the group of twenty or thirty people walked to the bottom of the city, raised their heads and shouted.

A military general in the city shouted, "Who is coming?" ”

A descendant said: "Let's join the army!" ”

The people in the city muttered: "If you come to join the army at this time, won't it be a spy bought by the Khitans?" ”

The military general who shouted shouted said loudly again: "Who is the person, and who is the name?" ”

The latter replied: "Zhao Shuyuan's people, the family was killed by the Khitans, and we joined the army to take revenge......

The military general said: "Now the whole city is under martial law, and you can't enter or leave." You'll come back in a few days. ”

The gang did not respond, but they did not leave the city. A few arrows were quickly fired from the city, and they retreated some distance. The person who shouted to the city just now was Zhao Hu, and Zhao Hu was at a loss when he saw this; Another posterior said: "The Khitans are in Yizhou, and the generals in this city dare not come out, they must be cowards!" I heard that the emperor who just ascended the throne in Tokyo killed tens of thousands of Liao cavalry in Zhuozhou that year, so we might as well go to Tokyo to join the forbidden army! ”

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