When Li Congjing received the good news from Yunzhou, there were no rebellious troops in Lingzhou. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 When Yao Luo Ge Di Yin and Du Lun Lujia were defeated and fled, the siege troops of Lingwu County also dispersed at the same time. It was reported that nearly half of the 3,000 soldiers were killed or wounded, and less than 1,000 were able to stand.

In these days, Li Congjing focused on solving the problem of rectifying the difficult army. Now that Shi Jingjiao is dead, Li Congjing does not plan to purge the Dingyan army, but it is the proper meaning of the question to order the soldiers to disarm and return to the field. As for the Dangxiang clan, Li Congjing took the opportunity to order the nobles to move to Luoyang, remove the Dingnan military town, change the province to the province, and collect the middle soldiers in the army, so that their people would stop hunting and replant farmland.

Charuqi killed tens of thousands of Tatar soldiers in Yunzhou, which greatly damaged the vitality of the Tatar tribe, but did not exterminate it, and in the future, in the steppe, the Tatar tribe was at most a medium tribe, and it was almost impossible for it to grow and grow, and after hundreds of years, it would grow into the main culprit of endangering the border.

As for Barasi, although his crime is quite big, but in the end he is the leader of the Tatar tribe, in order to calm the hearts of the people in the grassland, Li Congjing did not order the execution, let Xia Luqi escort him to Luoyang, and give some rich and noble resettlement at will in the future.

The military newspaper said that after Xia Luqi settled the war in Yunzhou, he immediately left for Yikun Prefecture. There, the Lu Long Army led by Li Yanrao and the guards who supported the past were fighting a fierce battle with the Khitan.

Unlike the war in Yunzhou, the war in Yikun Prefecture was quite deadlocked. In the end, because the Khitan is a country rather than a tribe, the degree of civilization development is different, and the military is quite large, so it is not so easy to deal with.

However, Li Congjing didn't have anything to worry about, and it was an established policy to let Xia Luqi first set the Tatar department and then rush to Yikun Prefecture, and I believe that Yelu Deguang would not be much determined to fight the Tang army to the end after learning that Shi Jingjiao and Barashi were defeated one after another. According to Li Congjing's estimate, how long the war lasted only depended on Yelu Deguang's determination to subdue Yikun Prefecture and how much advantage the Tang army led by Xia Luqi on the battlefield.

Here, the palace army did not stay in Lingzhou for a long time, and it was inevitable to take a little rest after the battle, but it was not possible to delay the opportunity to march to Liang, Gan, and Su, so as not to let the Tibetans and Uighurs strengthen their defensive lines. In addition, Li Yanchao's offensive on the southern front was quite smooth, and he was advancing all the way, and was waiting to attack Hexi with Meng Ping's army according to the original plan.

Li Congjing wanted to go to Hexi and the Western Regions to see, "there is no reason for people to go out of Yangguan in the west" and "the spring breeze does not pass through Yumen Pass", he also wants to see the customs of Biansai, Gobi and the desert, find the relics of Huo Quai's wolf Juxu, and find the legend of the ancient country of Loulan......

But after all, these can only be thought of, since ancient times, there has never been a Chinese monarch in Hexi and the Western Regions. The place is too remote, the road is too narrow, the mountain is too dangerous, and the distance from Luoyang is too far, if the king goes, if there is any case, I am afraid that he will not even be able to come back. Even if Li Congjing is not afraid, the ministers will not agree, in case of a small disturbance overnight, it will be a disaster for the people of the country.

There is no one in this world who can do what he wants, even the king does not have much freedom, in the end, everyone is in their own cage, for the scenery outside the cage, just look at it from a distance, don't take it too seriously.

Li Shaocheng seized the time to rectify the Shuofang army, and suffered heavy losses in this battle, and the wounded should be treated, those who should retreat must be retreated, and how to replenish the shortage in the army are also particular. In addition, the construction of the relevant martyrs' cemeteries is also very fast, and it is not a problem to talk about meritorious deeds.

When the martyrs' cemetery commemorating the battle was repaired, Li Congjing found a time and led the army to pay tribute to the good life.

The terrain around Lingzhou City is flat, and the cemetery is built in flat land, except for the surrounding forests, there are no decorations. Inheriting the style of Li Siyuan, Li Congjing is still simple, and the army does not pay attention to luxurious decoration, especially in the cemetery. The stone steps and stone railings and steles are all simple and heavy styles, and the atmosphere of Jin Ge Iron Horse has some desolate meaning.

On the day of the memorial service, thousands of soldiers of the Shuofang army lined up in front of the cemetery, drinking the liquor of reverence for national heroes in the endless autumn breeze in the forest. For them, the border soldiers, the war is their own shadow, always left and right, the horse leather shroud is not a tragic situation, but a kind of luxury, many soldiers who have guarded the border all their lives, after dying in the war, there is not even a shroud, not burned by a fire, can have a pit into the soil for safety, are a great blessing.

Thousands of stone tablets, thousands of names. When they were alive, they wore armor and held sharp, lined up to meet the enemy, rushed into battle, fought and killed, lived in the military formation, fell in the battle formation, and now after they died, they were still lined up in a neat and solemn manner. They are heroes who defend their families and defend the country, they abandon their families and careers, and dedicate their lives and bodies to this country, leaving behind stories of joys and sorrows, mothers who lean on the door, and ladies who sit alone in empty houses. Heroes should not be ignored, so when Li Congjing built the first cemetery in Shishou County, he did not write the names of the fallen soldiers on a stone tablet, but let them have their own separate monuments.

When you are alive, the state has your place, and after you die, the country still has your place. This is Li Congjing's promise to the Tang Dynasty soldiers, and it is also the minimum guarantee to maintain their dignity.

Li Congjing wants to use such a cemetery to tell the world and future generations what war looks like, what Taiping looks like, and what the Tang Dynasty soldiers who defend them look like.

Behind every warrior there is a family, and now, their family can find their name and location in the cemetery, go to pay their respects, and remember them.

As family members walked in to fill the empty and compact cemetery with food, spirits and cries, Li Congjing stepped away. Even if he has been a king for several years, even if he is used to seeing life and death on the battlefield, he still can't bear to look at such a picture.

Walking out of the forest, before he got on the horse, Li Congjing was attracted by the noise not far away. When he looked up, he saw an old man, supported by a little lady, stopping a little colonel, talking something with tears streaming down his face. The old man kept trying to bow down, but the little colonel kept stopping him from bowing, and the two sides pulled together, some of them blocking the way. The soldiers who maintained the continuous maintenance left and right should have driven the old man away, but for some reason, they were a little hesitant.

"Check it out." Li Congjing motioned to Ding Hei.

Ding Hei walked over and returned quickly, and reported the situation in front of him to Li Congjing.

Li Congjing groaned slightly, "Invite someone over." ”

He told the guards to leave the road and stand by the roadside, and at this time there were many people coming and going to pay their respects, and he did not want to block the passage. After waiting for a while in the open space beside the road, Ding Hei invited the old man and the little lady over. The old man's legs and feet are slightly inconvenient, and he is a little dusty when walking, but the little lady of cardamom has been trying to support him, but he is always pushed away, and it can be seen from his hard look that the old man is stubborn and does not want to be taken care of. The two of them are dressed in sackcloth and shirts, so ordinary that they can't be more ordinary, the old man has a little white hair on his head, and the hair on the sideburns of the little lady is a little yellow, which shows that it is not a wealthy family.

"I heard that the old man stopped the military academy and didn't let him go, so he wanted the other party to promise you to enlist in the army?" Li Congjing bowed slightly, his face was pleasant, "The old man is this age, but he has already passed the time to join the army, why do you insist on doing this?" ”

Li Congjing is wearing a black robe, the decoration is simple, the old man can see that he is very status, but he doesn't know that the emperor in front of him is the Tang Emperor, because Li Congjing has explained in advance, so no one on the left and right told him, after listening to Li Congjing's words, the old man wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said goodbye, but his voice still couldn't suppress the trembling, "General, the old man was in the army earlier, and only because he was injured had some injuries, so he had to return to his hometown to recuperate." Don't hide it from the general, the old man is only a young man who is not confused, a colonel in the army, there are many old men of this age, the old man thinks that he has gone to the battlefield, and he can still kill thieves for the country. ”

This obsession made Li Congjing frown slightly, he thought about it for a while, and probably thought of a certain possibility, so he asked gently: "The old man insists on re-entering the army, but there are people in the family who are buried in this martyr's cemetery?" ”

These words came out of Li Congjing's mouth, which immediately made the old man emotionally collapse, he couldn't stand anymore, he fell to the ground with a puff, and cried heartbreakingly with his head, like a child who couldn't find a home, "Please have mercy on the general!" If you can let the old man re-enter the army and go into battle to kill thieves, the old man will be a cow and a horse in the next life, and then come to repay the general's great kindness! ”

The old man cried this time, which couldn't help but make Li Congjing a little stunned, and even caused the little lady beside him to kneel down and cry with her head down.

Li Congjing took a lot of effort to help the old man up, and sighed: "The old man has something in his heart, you might as well tell me, if you can help one or two, you can do it." ”

"Is the general really willing to help?" The old man raised his tearful face, his eyes full of unexpected hope.

"Old man, but that's it." Li Congjing said.

The old man is a person who has been in the army, and at this time, looking at the battle next to Li Congjing, he can probably know that the other party's identity is extraordinary, and maybe he really has the ability to let him get his wish, so he no longer has any reservations, and takes Li Congjing's hand and talks about the cause and effect.

"As the general expected, the kid from the old man's family is not on the battlefield this time...... But the general didn't know that the old Han kid didn't have the idea of joining the army, he was a scholar and wanted to gain fame. Before he joined the army, he passed the selection of Luoyang College and was able to enter Luoyang College. The general should know what kind of place Luoyang Academy is, as long as he goes, after completing his studies, he will be a nine-rank official...... It was the old man who kept forcing him to enlist in the army, so he had to give up his great future and go to the border ......."

The old man sobbed and complained, his face full of chagrin and remorse, "Don't hide it from the general, in fact, the reason why the old man returned to his hometown was not what the old man wanted, but made a mistake in the army and was expelled from the army." In the early years, the old man also killed thieves on the border, beheaded many barbarian thieves, and moved the team because of his merits. was expelled at first, and he was really angry in his heart, but more than that, he was reluctant, so he drank and bought drunk day and night, didn't work, and forced the kid in the family to join the army, thinking that one day, he could get ahead in the army, and get back the dignity that the old man had lost, so that the neighbors and villagers would know that my old Wu family is not a wreck......

The old man said intermittently, Li Congjing had been listening attentively and didn't bother, "It's because the old man is too stubborn, and it's also because the old man is too useless that he wants his son to pay off his debts for himself and walk the road he hasn't finished for himself, and he never thinks about his thoughts at all......"

"Since that kid joined the army, the old man has never drunk a sip of wine, and the old man regrets it in his heart, because he is too sorry for him. But the old man also has expectations in his heart, hoping that he can kill the enemy and make contributions, and return to his hometown in fine clothes, so that everyone is envious, and the old man can raise his head in front of his neighbors. The old man also thought that when the kid returned, he would be able to see the old man taking care of the grain in the field in an orderly manner, and he would be relieved and realize his grandfather's guilt towards him. The old man has been looking forward to that day, looking forward to it, and he doesn't want him to be rewarded for his meritorious service anymore, he just thinks that he can come back alive, and he can see his grandfather live like a human again, even if he has never asked the old man for anything, but the old man also wants him to know that his grandfather is not a heartless wreck, he is a man who stands up to the sky! ”

"But who would have thought that...... Who would have thought that there would be no such opportunity, never again. Waiting left and right, what he was waiting for was not the news of his return home, but the bad news of his death on the battlefield. The white-haired man sends the black-haired man, what was the old man doing before...... He never had a chance to go to Luoyang again, and the old man never had a chance to let him know that the old man felt guilty about him in his heart...... "The old man had already cried into tears, and his old body was trembling, but he suddenly wiped away his tears, straightened his waist and stood up straight, and bowed deeply to Li Congjing."

Then the old man's eyes were like iron: "I heard that Wang Shi is going to march into Hexi, so the old man wants to re-enter the army, follow the army to fight, and avenge my son with a blade and a thief!" Even if I can't kill the thief and avenge my son, the old man at least wants my son to know in the spirit of heaven that his grandfather has lived like a human again. The worst thing is that he has never spoken, those expectations of the old man, the old man has to let him know, although he didn't say it, but the old man knows it......"

Li Congjing looked at the old man in front of him and couldn't speak for a while.

"General!" Seeing that Li Congjing didn't say anything, the old man thought that Li Congjing would not agree to his request, so he bowed to the ground again, and his voice was like a cry, "Even if you can't kill the thief, even if it's just a border, the old man will rejoin the army again." Father and son of our border army, son inherits the will of his father, and has been fighting for the country for generations, regardless of merit or not, they should be in the army and die on the battlefield together......"

Li Congjing's heart was shocked, he helped the old man up again, and sighed: "The old man is sincere, how can I ignore it?" It's just that I don't know what the old man's son is called? ”

"His name is Wu Sheng! Wu hook's Wu, life and death! When the old man said the name, he puffed up his chest and looked honored.

"Wu of Wu Hook, life and death, Wu Sheng...... Wu Hook fights on the battlefield, fights for life and death with the enemy, Wu Hook returns to Guanshan, what about life and death, the old man...... Father and son in the border area, it is really singable and crying! ”

......

Lingwu County, somewhere in a wasteland on the outskirts of the city, there is a woman sitting on the ground with her hips bent, facing a river of autumn water, and blowing the Qiang flute on the side of her mouth.

The blue sky is always far away, the wandering white clouds are still leisurely, the Helan Mountain in front of him goes straight into the sky, and the Yellow River in the distance flows endlessly.

The people of heaven and earth are always so small in front of the mountains and rivers and the years. If people are so small, how can they talk about the joys and sorrows of people, except for the people who are in them, who can appreciate the hardships that pierce the heart?

The sound of the Qiang flute is melodious and enduring, it lingers in people's ears, touches people's heartstrings, and makes people even wake up from a dream, they can also deeply taste the bitterness and bitterness in it.

The sound of the Qiang flute gradually became quieter, and at last it was faintly inaudible, and it finally left the little lady's red lips, because the little lady was already covering her mouth and sobbing. The birds are decreasing in autumn, and the colorful butterflies that have long been nowhere to be seen among the plants and trees, have you ever seen the picture floating in the little lady's mind?

The sound of horses' hooves came from far and near, and a horse galloped.

The cavalry armor was there, and they rolled off their saddles not far away, and walked towards the little lady.

When the little lady heard the movement, she wiped away her tears, stood up, and saluted the visitor, "Brother Wu." ”

When Wu Chun saw the little lady's face, he knew that she had just cried, and couldn't help sighing: "If Yu Niang misses Wu Sheng very much, she can go to Lingzhou Cemetery to see him." ”

"No, he's not there!" Yu Niang clenched the Qiang flute, bit her lip and said firmly.

Wu Chun smiled bitterly: "Yu Niang still doesn't believe it, Wu Sheng is gone?" ”

Yu Niang's thin shoulders trembled slightly, and she desperately held back her tears, "Didn't you see his corpse in the army?" Since he didn't see it, he was naturally still alive! ”

Wu Chun bowed his head silently, since the other party was willing to believe that Wu Sheng was still alive, he couldn't insist that Wu Sheng was dead, fantasies were unrealistic in many cases, but it was undeniable that he could often give people the strength to persevere.

After a while, Wu Chun said: "I came here today to say goodbye to Yu Niang, Wang Shi has already advanced to Liangzhou, and he is going to Feng'an." ”

"Brother Wu is going to Feng'an?" Yu Niang was slightly stunned, and then her eyes showed a glint of hope, "Then will Brother Wu also follow Wang Shi to Hexi?" ”

Wu Chun shook his head, "It's hard to say...... It's possible! ”

"If Brother Wu goes to Hexi, if he finds Wu Lang......" Yu Niang said this with hope, she couldn't help but burst into tears, if Wu Sheng didn't die in that battle, the biggest possibility was that he was captured by the Hexi army, then he had a great chance of being in Hexi.

"If Brother Wu sees Wu Lang, please tell ......" Yu Niang desperately held the Qiang flute with both hands, the joints were white without the slightest blood, she tried her best to say the words that should have been said to Wu Sheng at that time, but did not say it, "Please tell Wu Lang that the slave has been thinking of him all the time and has been waiting for him......"

Wu Chun opened his mouth, but he couldn't say anything. The possibility that Wu Sheng is still alive is too small, and the possibility that he can see Wu Sheng again is even smaller, but at this time, in the face of Yu Niang's hopeful eyes, he can't say these truths.

In the past, the thief army pressed the border, the war had started, the city was in danger, he wanted to go to the battlefield again, she tried to stop it, but she couldn't stop it, so she put on armor for him.

Today, the thief army has been destroyed, the war has ended, thanks to the power of him and all the soldiers, Lingwu has been protected, Lingzhou has been safe, and he has disappeared, at this moment, she just wants to tell him:

She's waiting, she's thinking......

......

Shuo Fangjun erected a monument for him in the martyr's cemetery, engraved his name, and made him a national hero, but they didn't know that he was not dead.

Wu Sheng lay among the haystacks, opened his eyes, saw the blue sky, saw the white clouds swinging, and remembered the battle in Lingzhou, as if he was in another world.

On the same day, he followed Liu Renzhen to pursue the Dingyan army that went south to Feng'an, and when he retreated to catch up with Gao Xiansi after the victory, he was caught up by the Hexi horse army, Liu Renzhen led more than ten horsemen to break through, Wu Sheng fell into the battle and fought to the death, and was finally defeated, and was captured after being injured and exhausted.

Today, Wu Sheng's status is a prisoner, and according to the rules of Hexi, he is now a slave.

Slaves are the property obtained by soldiers on the battlefield and belong to private individuals, which is why Wu Sheng was not beheaded that day.

As a slave, he was quickly transferred to Hexi. Now, he is in an unknown place in Ganzhou, surviving among this pile of weeds. He was also taken to Hexi, along with one hundred and ten Shuofang prisoners.

"Wu Sheng, are you really not going to come with us?" A Shuofang prisoner touched Wu Sheng's side and asked Wu Sheng in a low voice while looking vigilantly at the Uighur cavalry on guard not far away.

"I have a wound in my leg that has not healed yet, and it is still difficult to walk, let alone run? If I go with you, not to mention that I can't escape, I'm afraid it will also affect you. Wu Sheng said bitterly, and the sadness in his eyes couldn't be dissolved.

Most of the captured Shuofang soldiers had now recovered from their injuries, and they did not want to be slaves of the Uighurs, so they naturally wanted to flee back to Lingzhou.

After these days of getting along, that Shuo Fangjun had a good relationship with Wu Sheng, and when he heard him say this, he couldn't help but feel very uncomfortable, but he also knew that this was the case. Fleeing from Ganzhou to Lingzhou, the journey was too long, there were countless difficulties, and it was indeed impossible for Wu Sheng, who had inconvenient legs and feet, to walk back.

"Do you have anything to bring back?" Shuo Fangjun asked.

Wu Sheng groaned, he remembered the bloody battle in Dingyuan City, he thought of the attack in Lingwu County, he thought of his father's wine jar and nagging, he remembered too much. After a while, he raised his head, tears streaming down his cheeks, gritted his teeth and whispered, "If you see your comrades in the Shuo Fang Army, tell them that I have done my best; If I see my father, tell him that I have not disappointed him; If you see my aunt and little sister, tell them that I love them deeply......"

Hearing these words, the Shuo Fangjun's eyes couldn't help but turn red.

"Is there anything else?" Shuo Fangjun forcibly endured the sour question in his heart.

"Nope." Wu Sheng shook his head.

Shuo Fangjun nodded, "Wu Sheng, take care." ”

With that, he got up and left. As a comrade, no matter how much I have to say, I don't know where to start at this moment.

"Wait!" Wu Sheng seemed to have thought of something, grabbed the other party, was silent for a moment, and suddenly said with bright eyes: "There is a pharmacy in Lingwu County, and there is a jade lady in the pharmacy, if you see her, tell her...... She is a good woman, let him live well, find a good family to marry......"

Shuo Fangjun nodded heavily and left here with Wu Sheng's expectations.

Wu Sheng lay down on the haystack again, and looked at the boundless blue sky again.

Over there, there seems to be a delicate little lady's face.

In a voice that only he could hear, he whispered: "Don't wait, don't read ......"