Chapter 4: The Thief (Six Final Chapters)

Not long after escaping, Gao Yaxian suddenly realized that he had fallen into an extremely stupid big mistake. Turning his mount, he swooped down on the battlefield again. It's a pity that it was too late, Cheng Mingzhen and others disappeared in the land of Zhaozhou in an instant, like spring rain. Ren Gao Yaxian led people to rummage around the battlefield for twenty miles, but he couldn't even find a single figure.

The grain was burned, and the people were lost. With a stomach full of chagrin, Gao Yaxian went back to the camp to pay the order in frustration. Liu Heimin was busy dispatching troops and horses to prevent the Tang army from crossing the river, and after listening to the report, he was not too embarrassed for him. But soon, Gao Yaxian himself realized how wrong he had been.

Since Cheng Mingzhen appeared near the water, for more than ten consecutive days, news of being attacked by the Zhaozhou battalion has come from all over the country. These "rogues" who were familiar with the terrain of Xiangguo County formed a small team, or took advantage of the unpreparedness of the local defenders to infiltrate the county seat and kill officials. Or ambushed on both sides of the road and robbed Liu Heimin's men of the little grain and grass that they had finally deducted from the mouths of the people. Liu Heimin sent troops to recruit and suppress several times, but found nothing. There were too many people, but Cheng Mingzhen refused to fight, relying on the advantage of the large number of war horses in his army, and left. If there are fewer people, it will not be enough to stuff the teeth between the teeth of the Chaozhou camp. It is often the requisitioning party and the expropriated party that are reversed, and in the end, only Liu Heimin is left with a corpse.

And Liu Heimin can't draw too much strength to solve this thorn in the back. Li Shimin, the king of Qin, on the other side of the Zhangshui River, seemed to have a tacit understanding with Cheng Mingzhen, and constantly put pressure on Liu Jiajun. The Tang army was equipped with a large number of bed crossbows, and across the river, they could shoot people on the opposite bank. The Tang Army's baggage battalion was even more powerful, and in spite of the danger that the Zhangshui River might flood at any time due to the imminent spring flood, more than a dozen pontoon bridges were erected on the east bank of the river. Under the cover of bed crossbows and foot tension bows, every day, those pontoon bridges stretched several feet to the west bank. Once the bridgehead hits the river beach on the west bank, Liu Heimin has no second way to choose except for a decisive battle.

The days of waiting are the hardest. Sometimes, Liu Heimin even wanted to give an order, retreat a few miles, and let Li Shimin come over as soon as possible. The military rations in his hands have bottomed out, even if the Tang army still can't cross the river before the spring flood comes, and in the summer, the soldiers will be scattered because of the lack of food. And Cheng Mingzhen, the dog thief, is still harassing his rear, robbing the last bit of food that he scraped the ground. Every time the news of the robbery of the grain transport team came, Liu Heimin understood that the knife hanging over his head had fallen another inch. Since, sooner or later, the knife will cut off his head, he would rather that day come sooner.

Cheng Mingzhen's troubles for Liu Jiajun don't stop there. Although Liu Heimin ordered the news to be blocked, and as the military rations were robbed again and again, the brothers under his command still heard rumors that Cheng Mingzhen wanted to avenge the old lady's wife and kill all those who owed blood debts. Originally, Liu Jiajun's rebellion was to seek justice for Dou Jiande and all the Hebei heroes who were discriminated against and oppressed by the Tang Dynasty, but now it has become a personal grudge between Liu Heimin and Cheng Mingzhen. In the case of a bleak future, everyone's morale was already very low, and they suddenly found that the so-called national hatred that had been supporting everyone was just a family feud for some people, and the frustration in their hearts can be imagined.

No one is willing to give their life for a personal grudge that has nothing to do with them. No matter how high Liu Heimin's prestige in the army is, he can't force everyone to pay like this. It has been less than a month since Cheng Mingzhen came out of Ze, and the pontoon bridge on the east bank of the Zhangshui River is still not a short distance from the west bank, and Liu Jiajun is already panicking. Every night, people fled from the barracks at the risk of being caught and hanged in public. Many generals complained semi-publicly, saying that Dong Kangmai shouldn't have killed the red-eyed in the first place, and he didn't even let go of the woman, so that he provoked Cheng Mingzhen, a nine-headed Jiao. In the land of Xiangguo County, who is more familiar with a grass and a tree than a nine-headed Jiao? Almost all the tuntian sites were established by his own hands, and the people inside were closer to him than to his own family. He has personally surveyed almost all the mountains and roads, and knows them well. In the case that the location and people cannot be mastered, it is even more difficult to catch Cheng Mingzhen than to ascend to the sky.

"Can you blame me?" Dong Kangmai was complained about again and again, and finally reached the limit of patience, ran to Liu Heimin, and begged the other party to uphold justice for himself. "The woman was like a madman, and she cut down more than twenty of my men in a row. I didn't give the order to shoot her with arrows, did I stick my neck over and let her cut it off? ”

They are also unhappy in their hearts, just complain a few words! Ignore them, and you don't die! Liu Heimin's voice sounded extremely tired. At the request of everyone, he has corrected his name and established himself as the king of Handong. But this glorious title did not raise the morale of the brothers much. On the contrary, more and more people in the army began to think that when he instigated the rebellion, it was not to seek justice for Prince Dou at all, but to seek his own country.

Liu Heimin couldn't stop other people's mouths, and he didn't bother to defend himself. History is always erased by the victors, and if he is defeated, I am afraid that he will be burdened with more crimes. If he had defeated Li Shimin by luck, forced the Tang Dynasty to admit the reality of Hebei's secession, and buried Dou Jiande with the rites of the emperor, those rumors would naturally have slowly subsided.

Pushing himself and others, Liu Heimin didn't want Dong Kangmai to provoke unnecessary disputes at this time because of a few words behind others' backs. Everyone is now a grasshopper on a rope, and one is lost, and one is prosperous. Even if there is no Cheng Mingzhen's oath to kill everyone and fall into the hands of Li Shimin, the king of Qin, who can have a good end? Look at how Shan Xiongxin died, and then look at the ending of Yin Qiu and others, who still has the idea that the Tang Emperor will suddenly have a good heart and not blame luck in the past?

His kindness obviously cannot be understood by Dong Kangmai. Seeing that the other party was still blindly muddy, Dong Kangmai took a sip on the ground and said hatefully: "You don't care, don't you?" If you don't care, don't blame me for disrespecting you. From now on, if I hear anyone chewing maggots in the ground, I will cut off his tongue. You watch, I do what I say! ”

"Lao Dong!" Liu Heimin turned around suddenly, his white beard trembling up and down, "What do you mean by this?" Don't you think we're not in trouble enough? ”

"It's because there are so many troubles that I have to cut through the mess quickly!" Dong Kangmai raised his head and looked at Liu Heimin without fear, "Those who dare to spread rumors privately and disturb the hearts of the army will be killed!" Waiting for the battle, greedy for life and afraid of the dead, kill! Save your strength, ignore your colleagues, kill! If you are confused, let go of the strong enemy, and you should be killed! There are also those who secretly hide military rations, kill! Whoever allows his subordinates to escape, kill! Whoever talks about the victory or defeat of the battle, kill! Eye-to-eye with the Li family, kill! ……...”

He said more than a dozen killing words in succession, and his eyes were red, and his curled beard was covered with foaming stars. Looking at his hideous appearance, Liu Heimin couldn't help but take half a step back, and asked with a sneer, "Kill, good, kill if you kill." After all the killings, Li Shimin didn't have to cross the river. You give me another knife, take everyone's heads and ask for credit! ”

"I didn't mean that, you don't know ......." Dong Kang shouted angrily, took a few steps forward, and wanted to grab Liu Heimin's neck. Seeing this, the surrounding guards immediately drew their swords and unsheathed them together. Dong Kangmai heard the sound of the sharp blade grinding behind him, and suddenly realized where he was, and the big hand that had been stretched out halfway suddenly waved down and slapped heavily on his thigh, "I, I, alas, you should be interrupted, sooner or later, you will cause trouble!" ”

"Stand down, nothing to do with you!" Liu Heimin raised his eyes and repelled his guards. Then he smiled, forced back the unhappiness in his heart and asked, "Is there anything more important than the battle situation in front of you?" Lao Dong, you reckless nature has to be changed! Otherwise, I know that your character does not blame you, and the brethren will inevitably murmur in their hearts! ”

"Mutter, just mutter, whoever mutters, I'll ......" Dong Kangmai wanted to say cruel words again, realized that he was out of shape, grinned, and said in a relatively relaxed tone, "Am I still afraid of them muttering?" You're right, spitting stars can't drown people. But you still make a decision early, so blindly stubborn, it's not always a solution! ”

"I'm worried about that, too?" Seeing that Dong Kang bought back down, Liu Heimin no longer pursued his rudeness, sighed, and responded in a low voice, "Although the Tang Army is strong, as long as the brothers are willing to work together, before the Spring Flood, I guarantee that they will not be able to cross the Zhangshui." But sooner or later, the spring flood will end. Xiangguo County is too small, and the longer it drags on, the more unfavorable the situation will be for us! ”

"yes!" Speaking of the current battle situation, Dong Kangmai also felt discouraged, "Ashina family's suggestion, I don't know what you think about it?" I think the conditions they offer are good. Luo Manzi was busy confronting the Goguryeo people, and there was just a gap between Huairong and Changping! ”

"In that case, I'm afraid I'll be too sorry for the three words 'King of Handong' on my head," Liu Heimin sighed. It is not only the two parties concerned about the war situation in Hebei. Far away, the Turkic royal court also tried to extract millet from the fire. He sent someone to infiltrate the Central Plains early and secretly contacted the generals of Liu Jiajun. Dong Kangmai and Wang Xiaohu both have Hu blood, so they feel that the conditions offered by the Turkic royal court are very attractive. And Gao Yaxian and other Han generals would rather be a ghost killed in battle than go to the outside of the fortress to be an eagle dog for the Turks.

Liu Heimin himself is always hovering between going and not going. The northern part of the country is vast and sparsely populated, and the Boling Army and the Youzhou Army have recently been disturbed by Goguryeo and the Youzhou Army respectively, so as long as he can successfully escape to Zhuojun, he will be sure to pass through the junction of the two major forces of the Boling Army and the Youzhou Army. But when he arrived outside the Saiwai, half of his life's reputation was completely lost. In the future, when others mention him Liu Heimin, they will no longer think that he is a tough guy who dares to avenge Dou Jiande, has responsibility, and has courage. is a traitor who takes advantage of Dou Jiande's death and the grievances in the hearts of his brothers to achieve his personal goals!

Regarding Liu Heimin's scruples, Dong Kangmai thinks that it is not worth mentioning at all, "King Handong, isn't it just a name?" It's better to be alive than dead. Besides, we weren't the first to do anything about taking refuge with the Turks? He, Li Yuan, didn't he also recognize the Turks as his godfather back then, so he got half of the country? ”

"Alas!" Liu Heimin sighed again, noncommittal. Like many people in the north, after experiencing the rebellion of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, his blood was also mixed with Hu and Han. So deep down, I don't take the distinction between Hu and Han very seriously. However, in case he agrees with Dong Kangmai's opinion, with the other party's big mouth, he will definitely not be able to keep the secret. In that case, half of the generals in the Liu family's army will leave angrily, and the battle in front of them will already be defeated without fighting.

Just as he was hesitating, there was another sound of footsteps at the door of the military tent. Liu and Dong quickly looked up and saw Gao Yaxian covered in water, panting and running in.

"It's raining? Since when? I didn't hear it! "My heart is a little empty, Liu Heimin took the initiative to find words.

"It's been a while. There were several thunderbolts! Gao Yaxian wiped a few handfuls on his face and responded loudly. Seeing that Dong Kangmai was also present, he couldn't help but glared at the other party fiercely, "I went to inspect the river just now and found that the Tang Army was actually repairing the bridge in the rain. The fastest bridge was built less than a foot from the riverbank. On our side, the water is very shallow in some places. If the Tang army risked being washed away, it would be one zhang wide and could not swim a few times to step on the hard ground under the water! ”

"Arrows, they're all fools, watching others repair?" Dong Kangmai glared back without hesitation, and reminded loudly at the same time.

"The brethren let their arrows to stop it, but the wind was strong on the river, and it was not effective at all." Gao Yaxian glanced at him like an idiot, and continued to report to Liu Heimin, "The strong crossbow is okay." But there are too few strong crossbows in our army. Can't hold each other down at all! ”

"I'll go with you to see it." Hearing this, Liu Heimin couldn't sit still anymore, and walked out of the Chinese army's tent with his legs.

Outside, the rain was pouring down. If the rain continues according to this momentum, it will not take more than two days for the Zhangshui River to become a moat for the Tang army. No wonder Li Shimin sent people to brave the rain to repair the pontoon bridge!

"Heaven will not kill me!" Liu Heimin clenched his fists vigorously and looked up and laughed. After laughing, he waved his big hand and said with pride: "Adjust all the strong crossbows of each battalion." How long can it interfere with? Chunxun is coming soon, see if the person surnamed Li has the ability to fight with God! ”

"As long as the spring flood comes down, we can turn around and solve the surname Cheng first! This time, be careful, and send a bold man to lead the troops! Dong Kangmai was also very excited, waving his fists in the rainstorm and reminding loudly.

Such an obvious mockery, how could Gao Yaxian not hear it. But once again, the other party didn't entangle with him. Instead, he went up and pulled Liu Heimin's sleeve, and said anxiously: "King Han, listen to me." I think it's a bit weird! ”

"What a weird way!" Liu Heimin turned his head and asked with a smile, "Don't worry, let me finish dispatching the troops." Lao Dong, there are many people under your command who are good at archery, so hurry up and send them all to the river. By the way, I told the other brothers to pull out all the archers under their command and stop hiding. After these two days, I invited them to drink! ”

"Alas!" Dong Kangmai happily responded. Just as he was about to turn around, suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, smashing an old tree not far away.

"Protect King Han!" Gao Yaxian shouted, and flew to press Liu Heimin into the mud pit. The surrounding guards swarmed up, and although their faces turned pale from being frightened by the unpredictable sky, they still built a human wall around Liu Heimin.

"It's okay, it's okay, isn't it just a thunderbolt? Who hasn't seen thunder yet! With a white face, Liu Heimin got up from the puddle and slapped the mud on his body with all his might. Lao Dong, take my arrows to transfer troops. Lao Gao, thank you for what you just did. Next time, don't come closer, I'll see what God wants! ”

Dong Kangmai received the order and ran away. Gao Yaxian rubbed his hands in a hurry, "King Han, have you heard a word." Li Shimin's construction of the bridge in the rain at this juncture is really strange......."

Before the words fell, another thunderbolt rolled through the air. Immediately, a deafening shouting of killing came from the riverbank. "Report, King Han, the Tang army has stormed from the pontoon bridge!" A junior colonel stumbled out of the rain curtain and fell down in front of Liu Heimin, "The striker has landed on the shore......"

"What? So fast? Liu Heimin picked up the messenger, and at the same time glanced at Gao Yaxian. As a senior general in the army, since he had just discovered that the Tang army had attempted to cross the river before the spring flood, he should not have left the riverbank. Who sent a letter to the Chinese army? Do you have to rush to sell your own eyes? ‘

"They didn't wait for the bridge to be finished, and then they jumped into the river. There is a shallow section of water that can already be walked! The colonel wiped the rain from his face and reported the military situation loudly.

"Bring me my weapons and cloaks!" With the next words, Liu Heimin didn't need to listen anymore, stretched out his hand, and ordered the guards.

He is excellent in martial arts, and he has never met an opponent in the previous Dou family's army. This time, I also want to arouse the morale of everyone with my personal bravery. Gao Yaxian took a few steps back to the side, hesitated, gritted his teeth and stepped forward, grabbing Liu Heimin's arm, "This matter is strange. Think about it, why didn't Li Shimin rush to cross the ferry earlier, but waited for the flood season to come. Isn't he afraid that the waters upstream will rush down and drown his army? ”

Liu Heimin was stunned by the question, turned his head, and looked Gao Yaxian up and down. "What do you mean, hurry up?"

"I'm just inferring, I'm not sure!" Gao Yaxian was not a brave person in the first place, otherwise he would not have fallen for Wang Ermao that day, and in the case of winning steadily, he was frightened away by the other party's suspicious tactics. At this moment, he was stared at by Liu Heimin's knife-like gaze, and he felt even more hesitant in his heart, "I have been thinking about Cheng Mingzhen for the past few days. I have carefully pondered all his actions. King Han found out, he seems to have been circling around Lishui, Pingxiang, and Feixiang, and has never gone far. ”

"So what? He still dares to lead people to rush my camp? Liu Heimin asked impatiently while braving the rain and armor under the service of his own soldiers.

"I heard that all the dikes on the river were repaired by their husband and wife." Gao Yaxian thought about it and said stubbornly, "I'm not sure, but I'm a little scared!" ”

"Click!" Another explosion of thunder, shaking the earth back and forth. Liu Heimin's face suddenly lost its blood, and he didn't care about the earth-shattering shouts on the bank of the river, and ran back to the Chinese army in three steps and two steps. He tore off the map hanging on the tent wall, threw himself on the ground, and looked at it carefully.

This map was also drawn by Cheng Mingzhen for Dou Jiande back then. The mountains and rivers on it are very clearly marked. At present, Li Shimin led the Tang army to be stationed on the east bank of the Zhangshui River, and Liu Heimin himself led the army to be stationed on the west bank of the Zhangshui River. To the west of the west bank of the Zhangshui River, less than thirty miles away from the camp of the Liu Jiajun, is another large river in Xiangguo County. Before Cheng Mingzhen was in Ping'en Tuntian, the water flooded every spring, and the triangle sandwiched between the two big rivers was a mess. Cheng Mingzhen and his wife personally led people to rebuild the embankment, which created thousands of hectares of fertile land between Zhangshui and Lishui.

"Why didn't you say it earlier!" Stretched out his hand and pushed Gao Yaxian, Liu Heimin complained loudly. He has been looking forward to the spring flood, because the spring flood can make the water rise sharply and block Li Shimin's way. It is conceivable that these days, Cheng Mingzhen is looking forward to the arrival of the flood season, because the roaring water can just help him fulfill his oath that day.

"Bring all the soldiers and horses under your command, and you must reach the water embankment before Cheng Mingzhen!" Another thunderclap rang out, engulfing Liu Heimin's roar. didn't care about the prestige of the Wang family, he grabbed Gao Yaxian's neck and ordered loudly. "If you can't stop him this time, you don't have to come back. Let's wait for death together. Li Shimin crossed the river, and we will die. Li Shimin is not a river, we have to die without a corpse! ”

"Hmm!" Gao Yaxian nodded, turned around and walked out of the account. Whether it is Cheng Mingzhen's opponent who has enough soldiers and horses, he can't think about it now. Now they just want to rush to the upstream embankment one step earlier, even if they pounce on the air, verifying that they are just too suspicious just now, and it is better to be laughed at by Dong Kangmai and others than to stand here and wait for death.

Thirty miles away, the cavalry braved the rain to rush, and it was only a matter of an hour. When he saw the blue-black embankment behind the rain curtain from afar, Gao Yaxian's heart hanging in his throat finally fell.

Cheng Mingzhen is not on the embankment. So where will he be? Isn't it just for this time that he has been patrolling the banks of the river like a wolf these days?

"Click!" A bolt of lightning slashed, illuminating the roaring river in the distance. The flood on the Taihang Mountain has come down, and as an important water source for Juluze and an important tributary that flows into the lower reaches of Zhangshui, the river has always risen earlier than Zhangshui. The yellow water was sandwiched between stones and rotten wood, rolling up stormy waves. Under the frequent impact, the stones and wood were steaming, as if they were boiling a pot, up and down.

Gao Yaxian had no intention of watching this rare sight in nature. He took out the arrow from his side and handed it to his righteous son Gao Liang, "Go back and report to the King of Han, and the waterlogging embankment is safe and sound." Lao Tzu has been staring at this for the past few days. Let him rest assured to deal with Li Shimin! ”

"No!" Gao Liang bowed slightly, turned the horse's head, and rushed into the rain. Looking at the other party's sturdy figure in the distance, Gao Yaxian slowly turned his head again, and looked at the embankment not far away again. It can be seen that when rebuilding the embankment, Cheng Mingzhen was very attentive. A considerable length of the embankment has been reinforced with boxy black stones. "This kind of embankment, even if it is deliberately dug up, requires a lot of effort." With a little relief, Gao Yaxian thought with a wry smile. "It would be nice if Dong Kang didn't buy it so ruthlessly, Cheng Mingzhen relied on this embankment to live countless people back then. When he rebuilt this embankment, I'm afraid he didn't expect it to be used to kill people......."

Just as he was thinking about his thoughts, another flash of lightning flashed in the sky. "What's that?" Between the lightning and the fire, Gao Yaxian saw a few black things on the embankment. Before the brothers who came to watch came back to report, his heart suddenly contracted, his eyes widened, and he asked the nearest soldier, "What about Xiaoliangzi, is he already gone?" ”

"The Major General has been gone for a while!" The pro-soldier paused and replied blankly.

"Ahh Gao Yaxian let out an exclamation, and he turned his mount to chase after him himself. Another flash of lightning flashed in mid-air, and behind the rolling thunder, a low horn sounded.

"Fooled!" Gao Yaxian suddenly realized. If he didn't send someone to send the letter back, how could Liu Heimin rest assured that he would be entangled with Li Shimin on the riverbank? I am afraid that all the people sent by Li Shimin to cross the river are dead soldiers. sacrificed these thousands of people, but he could use the torrent to swallow the hundreds of thousands of troops in Liu Heimin's hands.

This Cheng is famous, and he is also vicious.

At this moment, it is too late to send someone to warn Liu Heimin. Behind the heavy rain curtain, the Tang Army of the brigade slowly appeared. is not only Cheng Mingzhen's Zhaozhou battalion, but also Wang Junkuo's Hanoi Army and Hou Junji's Flying Tiger Army. The three soldiers, who were known for their bravery and good fighting, surrounded them and completely blocked Gao Yaxian's retreat.

These days, Cheng Mingzhen is not the only one who robs and kills the grain transportation team under the banner of the Zhaozhou battalion. In an instant, Gao Yaxian understood. In the land of Xiangguo County, he, Liu Heimin and others are outsiders. Since Cheng Mingzhen was able to escape under Dou Jiande's nose back then, he naturally had countless ways to avoid the surveillance of Juluze's exit. There are also countless hidden and unknown roads for him to take the Tang army into Xiangguo.

The so-called pontoon bridge on the Zhangshui River was originally a disguise. Li Shimin didn't want to force the crossing at the beginning, but used the pontoon bridge to attract Liu Heimin's attention. In fact, he, like Liu Heimin, is looking forward to the spring flood that will come every year in the Zhangshui River.

Who gave him such a trick?

Except for Cheng Mingzhen, who is burdened with a deep feud in the sea of blood and is familiar with the terrain of Xiangguo County, who can there be?

Without giving Gao Yaxian any chance to regret it, the Flying Tiger Army brandished a horizontal knife and broke through the rain curtain. Caught in a desperate situation, the Liu family army, which responded in a hurry, became a mess, and was directly cut out of a huge gap by the Flying Tiger Army. Blood spurted down the gap, stirring with the torrential rain in the sky and staining the ground red.

It was the first drop of blood today, but not the last.

At a sharp angle with the Flying Tiger Army, the Hanoi Army also pounced, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, cutting Gao Yaxian's descendants into a pool of blood. Immediately following the attack was the cavalry of the Zhaozhou battalion, their movements were particularly fast, drawing an arc on the periphery of the battlefield from afar, and taking advantage of the fact that Gao Yaxian's military formation was pressed back step by step, they forced the military formation to flank and rear.

"Resist, don't mess around!" Gao Yaxian shouted loudly, trying to stabilize his position, and then looked for an opportunity to break through. Hopes were soon dashed, and under the siege of the three-way army, his poorly trained soldiers crumbled like snow in the sun. The left battalion commander was split in half by Wang Junkuo. The commander of the right battalion knelt on the ground and begged to surrender, and died under the chaotic blade. After the destruction of the left and right flanks, the Chinese army soon followed in its footsteps. Gao Yaxian instigated the war horse and left in the wilderness, and Hou Junji led a small team of cavalry in hot pursuit.

"Leave me alone, do what you have to do. Lao Tzu's horse is fast, after catching up with this person, he has his own way to escape! In a hurry, Gao Yaxian heard Hou Junji shouting on the embankment. He didn't have the courage to look back, his chest was tightly pressed against the horse's neck, and his legs were pounding desperately.

He remembered Cheng Mingzhen's words that day, "All those who have my mother's and my wife's blood on their hands, Cheng will not let go." One will not be spared! ”

Under the torrential rain, Cheng Mingzhen rushed his horse onto the river embankment. "Are you ready?" Holding back the dizziness of the rain-soaked wound, he asked aloud.

"It's all set. The drill has long been smashed into the crack of the stone, and as long as it is pulled out, the water itself can break the embankment! Wang Fei raised his head on the embankment, his face covered with water.

"Let everyone stop cleaning the battlefield and go straight to the embankment! Go as high as you can! Cheng Mingzhen nodded, his voice colder than the rain on his face. The soldiers on the left and right blew the horns, "Woo, woo, woo, woo......."

"Woo, woo, woo......." Not far away, there were countless horns in response. Hearing the call of the horn, the Hanoi Army, the Flying Fox Army, and the Zhaozhou Battalion, under the leadership of their respective middle-level generals, led their mounts to the pre-selected high places.

Wang Ermao stumbled over, hesitated, and slowly grabbed Cheng Mingzhen's arm, "We, do we have to be like this?" ”

Cheng Mingzhen silently pushed his arm away and did not respond. The rain in the sky was so heavy that the dark clouds rolled like a black dragon swimming in the clouds. I remember that year in Guantao County, it was also such a heavy rain. For the Zhou family's half-bounty money, he and Wang Ermao braved the rain to cover the grain, and their bodies were drenched.......

"Little Jiu!" Wang Ermao pulled him again, and there was already a pleading in his voice.

Cheng Mingzhen shook his head and waved the order flag with all his might.

The moment he walked out of Juluze, Liu Jiajun's ending had already been written. Now, no one can afford the guilt of disobedience. Besides, he didn't want to take it.

After going through so many things, he is no longer the Cheng Mingzhen he was back then. The only trace of softness left in my heart also disappeared completely with the death of the cuckoo.

Wang Fei took a few strong men and struggled to pull the cable. The steel drill that was tied to one end of the cable and the other end was deeply inserted into the embankment was slowly pulled out, and a stream of yellow water gushed out.

Another strand, then more. Countless uninhibited floodwaters gushed out from the holes in the levees, converging in mid-air into a yellow dragon with teeth and claws.

The body of the yellow dragon became thicker and thicker the more it gathered, and the more it gathered, the more hideous it became. In the lightning and thunder, the embankment, like a broken sieve, slowly trembled, trembled, and then collapsed a gap several feet wide. The long-contained torrent poured out, sweeping away everything that came its way.

On the battlefield, Liu Jiajun's corpse swirled and was mixed in the muddy water and rushed away. Several ownerless horses swam desperately in the water, trying to escape, but were repeatedly hit by the torrent carrying stones and wood, and soon turned into new corpses. The new corpses mingled with the old ones and roared away into the distance.

The 10,000 hectares of fertile land sandwiched between the water and the Zhangshui have completely turned into a country from this moment on. Countless corpses tumbled in the torrent, bleeding and slowly staining the torrent brown.

Everyone, whether it was the brothers of the Chaozhou Battalion, the Hanoi Army, or the Flying Tiger Army, even though they had experienced a hundred battles and killed countless people, standing on the pre-selected high ground, they couldn't help but turn pale and their lips trembled when they saw all this.

This is the wrath of heaven and earth, and in the face of the power of heaven, the human body seems so weak.

A bolt of lightning fell, followed by several more.

Under the lightning, Cheng Mingzhen opened his mouth and spurted out a mouthful of blood. In the dark, he saw an old man dressed in yellow and holding a cane coming on the waves, and smiled, showing a mouth full of white teeth.

"Say, I can fulfill your wish, as long as you say it, I can definitely help you realize it!" The old man in yellow smiled and promised loudly. "Mountains of gold and silver, fame and wealth are still as beautiful as flowers, say it, as long as you say it......"

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End

After the rainstorm, the giant deer is sparkling.

An old man with gray hair but a straight back, with a woman and three young men, escorted by a group of soldiers, slowly walked towards the depths of the Zedi.

The depths of the land have been uninhabited for many years, and many of the thatched-roof houses are dilapidated. But behind the dilapidated houses, there is a wide open space, clean and unplanted, as if countless soldiers and horses had once practiced here.

The white-haired old man slowed down, took a jar of wine from the young man's hand, sifted two bowls of wine, and silently placed them in front of the two tombs beside the empty field. Then he sat down with a smile and reached out to wipe the dust off the tombstone.

"Dadu protect, on the ground, cold on the ground!" One of the soldiers hurriedly stepped forward and handed over a felt mat. Returning from the Goguryeo class, passing through Hebei, Dongyi Dadu Protector, the founder of Dongping County, Cheng Zhen, left the army, and had to pick up his family to go to Julu Ze, which made it very difficult for them to be guards.

You must know that the veteran who now has the word "founding" on his head is already a peerless treasure for Datang. If you get a little cold in the swamp, you will definitely not be able to eat and walk around.

"Take it away!" The old man glared at him fiercely, not angry and arrogant.

The poor soldier was so frightened that he took a half step back, and almost didn't sit on the ground. Others may not know, but their guards know that most of their own guards look kind, but their names can stop children from crying at night in Liaodong. I think that back then, following Taizong into Liao for the first time, he fought from Beisha City to Pyongyang City. Later, the second time, the third time, and the latest time he entered Liao to quell the rebellion, which time was not cut off and the head rolled down? really angered him, I'm afraid I won't even be able to find a place to bury my bones after death.

"Give it to me!" The beautiful woman who had been standing beside the old man took the felt mat from the hands of her own soldiers, and ordered with a smile, "You go for a walk elsewhere, tell everyone, and look around to see the scenery." Don't worry, come back when you've had enough! ”

The guards clasped their fists gratefully and ran away. The beautiful woman silently placed the felt mat beside the old man, pounced on it, and then said with a smile: "Since my sister and mother-in-law are here, they must not want you to catch a cold." Let's sit on the felt, and the concubine will pour wine for her mother-in-law and sister first, and then go around elsewhere! ”

So saying, he sprinkled the wine in the wine cup into the earth, and poured two more glasses one after another, and placed them one in front of the tomb. She had heard her husband talk about the two women inside. I was very jealous of their place in my husband's heart, but there was no reason to eat each other's dry vinegar. Especially the husband's former wife, in the troubled times, it is not easy for the other party to accompany her husband without abandoning her. For herself, there is really no guarantee that she will choose a penniless dock coolie as her husband, and believe everything he says, and believe that he will earn a bright future for herself.

"Come here, goodbye Auntie!" Cheng Mingzhen glanced at his wife gratefully, and then nodded and called his three sons. As Cuckoo wished, he finally took a woman who was very good at giving birth. Each of the three sons is better than the other, and he no longer has to struggle in troubled times like he did back then.

The three youths smiled and accommodated their father very considerately. Is the founding hero, who has such a treasure, can he not be accommodating? Even His Majesty the Emperor, when he heard that his father was sick last time, wasn't he so anxious that he burned the fire? For the sake of his hard work, let me accommodate it. He's happy with the old man, and everyone is happy too, isn't it?

Watching the three sons respectfully serve wine to the cuckoo, Cheng Mingzhen smiled softly. With a wave of his hand, he ordered his son and his wife to go to the lake to see the scenery, "Go for a walk, in fact, this is a very nice place." No one comes to fish, and the water is clean! ”

The beautiful woman and the three young men said yes and walked away. Cheng Mingzhen poured one for himself and one for Du Juan, smiled, and wanted to say something. If you are ready along the way, you find that you don't need to say it at all. Juan Zi should know, she understands, she understands from the beginning.

Standing up slowly, he pulled out the horizontal knife at his waist and slowly danced in front of the tomb. Back then, she liked to stand in the crowd and watch him wield knives and guns, although his skills were not as vigorous as her.

He danced slowly, slowly reminiscing. Like water, the light slowly drifts away in front of you. Guantao County, Juluze, Ping'en, Lishui, Shangdang County, so many years together. Like lotus flowers, slowly blooming in the lake of memory.

She watched, kept watching.

Juluze, Liaodong, Beisha City, Goguryeo. In the knife bush, as soon as Dream turned back, he could see the concern in her eyes.

Over the years, it has been consistent.

The end of the book

Thursday, August 5, 2010