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Tang Weitian walked over with an empty bag, and the exit shook downward, "The last meal, and then there will be no grain of rice left." ”

There is a mountain pass between Hebei and the two states, which is still in the hands of the government, and it has been ambiguous before, and it has not thrown itself to either side, nor has it blocked the exchanges between the parties.

When Xu Ji came, he led nearly 100 soldiers and dozens of cars, and was released with a little bribe, but when he returned, there were only two people and one horse left, and he was stopped before he got close to the pass, Yecheng's official documents and a few kinds of jewelry were not easy to use, and the other party said clearly: "Let you go when the world is in turmoil, and now the imperial court is about to purge the chaotic army, we also have to manage it strictly, and the order just given last night is that even a mouse is not allowed to let go of one." You're unlucky, come one day earlier - find another way, I won't arrest you, even if it's a blessing. ”

The person who ran first was really beneficial, Xu Ji was trapped outside the pass, and there was no other way but to follow the officer's instructions to find a small village, there were still two families left in the village, and the old man of one of them was willing to lead the way, at the cost of ten yuan, so little that Xu Ji couldn't believe it.

When Tang Weitian left Yecheng, he took a bag of rice with him and wanted to buy some more, but the old man's family shook their heads together, claiming that there was no surplus food at home.

The old man took only a short distance, pointed to a mountain path hidden in the grass and trees, and said, "Keep walking along the way, you can turn to the opposite side in about a day, there are many forks in the mountain, you should be careful." ”

How to be careful, the old man didn't understand, and he refused to continue to lead the way, Xu Ji didn't care how much money he could, the old man turned around and left.

Xu Ji and Tang Wentian had no choice but to go on the road, the mountain road was steep, they had to give up their horses halfway, carry their luggage, find a leeward stone to rest at night, faintly heard the wolf howling and tiger roaring in the mountains, frightened, and didn't sleep well all night.

Tang Weitian complained that the food was about to run out before going to bed, for him, this was even if he had fulfilled his duty, he could eat the last bowl of rice in a solid manner, anyway, when he was at home, he was always short of food, and starvation was the norm, and he had already developed the habit of "everything will be said tomorrow".

In the middle of the night, Tang Weitian was awakened by a terrible wolf howl, rubbed his eyes, and suddenly saw that Xu Gongzi was not sleeping, kneeling beside him, with a blanket under his knees, and his upper body was straight, as if he was in a meditation.

Tang Weitian was startled, "Why doesn't Childe sleep?" ”

"I'm not sleepy."

"It's okay, the voice sounds close, but it's actually far away, and the wolves in the mountains are smart, and they won't easily get close to the path that people step on."

Xu Ji laughed, "I'm not afraid of wolves, in fact...... I was indeed a little afraid, afraid of the tigers and wolves in the mountains, afraid that there would be no food tomorrow, that it would be too late when I arrived at Yingcheng, that the troubled times would continue like this, and that there would be no end to it, and all this started because of me. ”

Tang Weitian yawned, "Childe thinks too much, none of these things have anything to do with you, go to sleep quickly, and hurry early tomorrow." We have money on us, and we can always buy food, but I've never seen so much money in my life......"

Xu Ji still didn't feel sleepy, "I pride myself on having the world in mind, but I can't even do a little thing, when you were carrying a bag of rice in Yecheng, I was still laughing at you in my heart for doing more, I didn't expect that rice is already more expensive than money in the world, we have money but no rice, if we die here, it will become a big joke." ”

"Hmm." Tang Weitian fell down and wanted to sleep for a while.

Xu Ji had no intention of nagging, but once he spoke, he couldn't control it anymore and had to continue.

"Sooner or later, the world will be in turmoil, and the situation dictates it, and it is not my work, but I am the one who uses the key to open the lock, and I think that if I can open the lock, I can lock it - as if I am blowing now, and the mountains are whistling, I think that the mountain wind rises because of me, and I think I can take back all the wind ......"

"Wind ......," Tang Weitian muttered.

"If there is power in the world, it is bound to have a handle, and those who hold the handle can determine the world, but where is the handle?"

"? yes, where is the bread? Tang Weitian licked his lips.

"Mr. Fan asked me to read the books of the sages, he thinks that the handle of the world is hidden in the books, but I have already read those books......"

Tang Weitian sat up and said blankly: "There is a cake in the book?" Why didn't you take it out earlier? ”

"Sleep, there is no bread in the book, I am talking about the 'handle' of 'authority', not the 'bread' of 'bread'." Xu Ji said with a smile.

"Oh." Tang was disappointed, lay down again, wrapped the blanket tightly, and whispered, "It's so cold." ”

The mountains are colder than the outside, Xu Ji's hands and feet are cold, but his heart is hot, but this fire is burning chaotic and has no direction.

"Let's hurry." Xu stood up, draped the blanket under him, and picked up the cane he had found earlier on the side of the road.

"Huh? Don't sleep? ”

"It's too cold, I'm afraid I'll freeze to death if I sleep, so it's better to walk."

"There's no way." Tang Weitian reluctantly got up, also put on a blanket, packed the package, and carried it all on his shoulders.

"People's hearts are the road, find the way to figure out the people's hearts first, the road over the mountain must go up, and then go down after reaching the top, but the people's hearts are happy and do not like the danger, so when it is steep, it will turn, but it is not too far from the mountain path."

Xu Ji said the first thing, Tang Weitian responded to it, but after he really went on the road, it was he who walked in front to identify the path, and pulled the son back from the wrong direction several times.

After a few times, Xu Ji smiled: "After figuring out people's hearts, you have to see is believing." ”

Tang Weitian walked out of the heat, not so sleepy, and said: "Childe thinks too much, he eats when he has food, he walks when he has a road, and he doesn't have to worry about it." ”

"What if there is no food to eat and no way to go?"

"Then ...... Then grab food, don't follow the road, and tell you, even if it's a thorn bush, I can get in and out. ”

Before they knew it, the two of them had reached the top of the mountain, the crescent moon was tilting to the west, the sky was full of stars, the mountain wind was becoming more and more arrogant, and the sound of whistling swallowed all the sounds in the mountain.

Xu Ji didn't have time to speak, he went down the mountain first, walked out of a way, and said when he felt that the mountain wind was lighter: "The mountain wind is invisible, maybe the general trend of the world is also invisible, and it is just empty to be busy." ”

Tang Weitian tightened his belt, "Don't be empty, I still expect Gongzi to take care of my full meal." ”

"Well, I'll keep you fed for the rest of your life."

"Hehe, that's good." Tang Weitian felt even hungrier.

At dawn, the road slowed down, and it was almost noon, when the two of them walked out of the mountains and found the main road.

Xu Ji looked back and sighed: "I didn't expect that I could really climb this mountain." ”

Tang Weitian said: "If I hadn't been looking for the way in front, Childe would have been lost a long time ago." ”

"That's right, it's all your credit...... You are the handle of this mountain! ”

"Please, Childe, don't always say 'bread', my harazi is running out of money."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mention it." Xu Ji didn't say it, he couldn't help but think about it, he vaguely understood something, but he couldn't grasp it or think it through.

In an abandoned village, the two finally saw the smoke on the first floor, there was only one old woman left in the family, who refused to ask for money, but was willing to share some thin porridge, Tang Weitian wanted to eat, was stopped by Xu Ji, left a lot of copper coins, and asked for two radishes to take away.

Eating radish raw, the stomach fire is even stronger, Tang Weitian grinds his teeth more than once, "Childe, do you say that human flesh can be eaten?" ”

"I can't." Xu Ji immediately replied.

"I've heard that in the early days, there were people who ate people."

"It's a troubled time, but it's not that yet."

"I think I'm almost there, but I won't eat the son, and I won't eat the living, there are so many dead people on the battlefield, it's okay to eat one, right?"

"I don't allow you to move this thought, the good and evil of people are often in a thought, and if you move evil thoughts, even if you don't eat people, you will go astray."

"Yes, I don't want to." Tang Weitian glanced at his son, and couldn't help but think that the rich kid's thin skin and tender meat looked delicious, and he was startled by this thought for a lifetime, and hurriedly ran to the front.

Tang Weitian is young, carrying all the luggage, and he still walks much faster than Xu Ji, and when he misses the smoke, Xu Ji can't shout back.

Xu Ji sighed and walked slowly, the soles of his feet were grinding painfully, as if he was walking barefoot on gravel.

It was almost dusk, Tang Weitian ran back again, his small figure carrying two big burdens, like a monster, waving his hands and shouting excitedly.

He actually held the bread in his hand, and while his right hand handed it over, he put the bread into his mouth with his left hand.

Xu Ji was surprised, he was too hungry, he took the cake and ate it, and asked vaguely where the cake came from, Tang Weitian nodded, only cared about eating the cake, and didn't have time to answer.

Tang Weitian ate quickly, took out two more cakes from his arms, and gave one to Xu Ji.

The dough cake was too dry, Xu Ji ate one was enough, turned to Tang Weitian's back, took out the skin bag from the baggage, there was still some water left in it, drank it himself, and handed the skin bag over.

Tang Weitian had a cake in one hand and a leather bag in the other, only to see his throat squirm up and down, and he ate the next cake in a moment.

"Where did the bread come from? Someone in front? ”

Tang Weitian was still nodding and eating, like a treasure bag in his arms, and kept taking out the cake from it, until the tenth, he exhaled a little, a little full, "The last one, do you want it?" ”

Xu Ji shook his head, Tang Weitian was no longer humble, he still ate quickly, but there was no water, and it was more difficult to swallow.

"There is a town ahead, and there are still a lot of people, but things are so expensive, I exchanged half of the plate for ten pieces of bread, which I wanted to use as dry food for the next few days, who would have thought ...... Alas, I'll buy some more later. ”

Xu Ji was overjoyed, "How far is the town from here?" Is there any news of Mengjin and Yingcheng? ”

"It's not far, five or six miles, news? I didn't inquire. ”

Xu Ji was taken aback, "Five or six miles back and forth, you are running around with your baggage?" ”

"What is this? When I'm really full, I'll run faster than that. ”

Xu Ji couldn't help but take a few more looks, Tang Wei was dark and thin, no matter how he looked at it, he was an ordinary country boy.

The bread was full of hunger, Xu Ji had the strength to go faster, and soon after nightfall, he finally arrived at the town, there was no inn in the town, and the two looked for a larger shop, and spent money to stay overnight, and got permission.

From the owner of the shop, Xu Ji heard some things, it turned out that he and Tang Weitian still went the wrong way, although they had entered the state, but they were greatly biased to the north, and they were getting farther and farther away from Yingcheng, but they were also able to meet people because of this.

"Yingcheng and Mengjin? I haven't heard the news from there, but I know that there are fewer and fewer customers coming and going these days, and things are getting more and more expensive. ”

Early the next morning, Xu Ji went to the market to buy two donkeys, and spent almost all the money on his body.

Tang Weitian bought a lot of cooked cakes and raw rice, it turned out that he was in too much hurry to buy yesterday, and the vendor sat on the ground and started the price, and today he bought it again, which was much cheaper, which made him very happy.

Xu Ji rode a donkey to walk, Tang Weitian didn't like to ride, put the burden on the back of the donkey, he still walked, after eating enough, he often walked in front of the road, and came back to report if he had nothing to do, and he didn't think he was tired at all.

After walking and resting, after five days, Tang Weitian ran back and reported that he saw a city, and passers-by said that it was Yingcheng.

The flag fluttered on the city wall, and the words on the flag had "Jin" and "Liang", Xu Ji stood outside the city and said to Tang Weitian: "I'm afraid we're one step late." ”