The first to arrive in Youzhou was the vanguard of the Hundred Battles Army, and Lu Longjun is an old man, the then chief general Zhao Hongyin, is also an old face, Li Yanrao went out of the city to greet each other, arrange camping matters, and Zhao Hongyin talked very happily.

The army that went out to conquer the Khitan was led by the crown prince Li Chongzheng and the privy envoy Xia Luqi, the former was the envoy, the latter was the commander of the camp, and the elite of the forbidden army came, and the famous generals were also the elite of the forbidden army, and the famous generals, except for the part of Hexi and Anxi, such as An Chongrong, Gao Xingzhou, Wang Sitong, Li Congzhang, Li Yanqing, etc., all accompanied the list, but Meng Ping did not come with the army, as a general who had completed his military achievements, he now commanded 50,000 forbidden troops to sit in Luoyang.

Zhao Hongyin did not stay in Youzhou for long, he was a pioneer, and he had the position of a pioneer, so he went to Yikun Prefecture two days later. After arriving in Yikun Prefecture, Zhao Hongyin immediately arranged to be stationed, and sent a large number of rangers and scouts, according to the custom, the enemy forces within a radius of 50 miles on the other side were cleaned up in a dragnet style.

As the 150,000 troops crossed the border one after another, the people on the front line of Youzhou all heard the rumor that the empire was going to destroy the Khitan, so the crowd was excited, and the women, children, the old and the weak spontaneously organized, carrying wine and meat to eat and guarding the official road.

- However, more young and strong people have long been organized to transport all kinds of supplies for the army and ensure the logistics supply of the army.

......

It's still early autumn, and it's still the thistle border.

There is a small shop made of wooden sheds next to the official road, which still looks quite simple, there are still only three or five wooden tables and a few benches, which are simple but not messy, and the tables and stools are placed very neatly.

Next to the wooden cabinet, an old man was still reclining on a rattan chair, squinting to enjoy the afternoon sunset, humming an unknown song in a low voice, and his fingers were rhythmically tapping on the armrest, looking complacent.

By the stream, a melodious flute sounded as usual, tactful and long, just like the early autumn wind, and the fallen leaves floating in the wind, with a touch of gloom and sorrow, but as light and agile as a fairy. The customers in the store were unconsciously attracted and turned their heads to look over.

The thin old man, who was humming a strange tune, stopped what he was doing, got up slightly, and looked at the stream. There was still pity in his old eyes, which had been clouded, but in addition to pity, there were some indescribable emotions.

The flute was no longer played by the brook, but a middle-aged woman, except that her complexion was still smooth, making her look less than thirty years old. After a song, the woman did not wait for the old man to call her to entertain the guests, but took the initiative to come back from the stream.

After smiling and talking to the old man, the woman went into the shed, took the initiative to greet the few guests in the shed, asked them about their needs, and served them tea.

There was not much to do, and when the woman had done so, she moved a small stool, sat down beside the old man, and gossiped with him. The sunset sets from the eaves of the shed, exuding a little warmth.

"The official temple will distribute food and silver money to you every year, which is enough for you to have no worries about food and clothing, why do you still have to guard this small shed, tossing back and forth every day, you are not too tired?" There was a hint of reproach in the woman's gentle tone.

The old man laughed, revealing his gums that had no two teeth left, "What about worrying about food and clothing?" If you don't have anything to do, you'll be idle, and you'll really be eating and waiting to die. Although this shed is not big, it is a good place for passers-by to rest, and I guard this shed, and I don't know how many people it will be convenient every year. ”

The woman admired and was helpless, so she had to say, "I said why when I looked at the account book yesterday, I found that you still put money upside down every year, so you didn't expect to make money." ”

The old man smiled like a mischievous child, revealing a sense of self-satisfaction.

From time to time, a cavalry team appeared on the official road, not a soldier in the army, nor a merchant team, not to mention fresh clothes and angry horses, but also dressed extraordinary, so that the discerning person can know at a glance that it is not an idle role, like a big family traveling.

The old man on the rattan chair, his eyes narrowed, and the essence of his eyes flashed, revealing the fluctuations of his mood. Because he found an old man, to be precise, an old man who was dressed the same as many years ago.

The old man, who was not confused in his old age, carried six knives on his back.

There are not many people in this world who can carry six knives. In fact, the old man has only met one in his life. In fact, what impressed him so far was not the man who carried the six knives, but the person who followed.

Right now, in front of the man with six knives on his back, there is a young man in brocade, with a white horse with a jade belt, a handsome god, and no crowned hat, which means that he has not yet reached the age of the crown.

The cavalry stopped outside the shop, and the young man in brocade dismounted, walked up to the old man, saluted, and said with a smile: "The old man is well." ”

The old man smiled peacefully, and took away the faint essence in his eyes very well, "What is Lang Jun doing?" ”

"Come and ask for a bowl of tea." The young man's smile is neither light nor heavy, not deliberately modest, but makes people feel kind.

The woman in the pergola looked a little strange, and when she saw the young man in brocade, she hesitated to go to the ceremony, and before she could make up her mind, the old man had already asked her to serve some tea, and the woman put away her mind and concentrated on doing something that she had not done for many years.

While the woman was serving the young man's tea, the old man looked at the man with six knives on his back, "Have you and I ever seen it?" ”

The man stood beside the young man, not leaving an inch, and said with a smile: "Liu Lao has a good memory, in the second year of Tongguang, he went here with his master, and he also asked Liu Lao for a few cups of tea. ”

Liu Lao showed a look of reminiscence, nodded after half a ring: "It is indeed the second year of Tongguang." I will not forget that it was that year, when His Majesty went out of Youzhou and led a hundred battle troops to defeat the Khitan thieves at Hulukou......

Saying that, Liu Lao looked at the middle-aged man, "I can't imagine that it's been almost 20 years, and I can see my feet again today, and my demeanor has not diminished back then, which is really fortunate." ”

When the young man in brocade heard this, he turned his head to look at the middle-aged man, with a teasing smile on his face, "I still wondered before I left, why did I come back to Youzhou, you have to get this outfit, and carry six knives on your back, it turned out to be for people to recognize." ”

The middle-aged man said hesitantly: "I think back then, I also had a lot of glorious deeds in Youzhou!" ”

At this point, Liu Lao's gaze at the young man in brocade was very different, but neither of the two sides took the initiative to reveal his identity.

"Not surprisingly, after this year, there will be no more Khitan thieves in the north. The soldiers and people on the border of Youyun have been guarding the border for the Tang Dynasty for hundreds of years, and the heavy burden on their shoulders can finally be unloaded. The young man in brocade said to Liu Lao with some emotion.

Liu Lao nodded, with vicissitudes in his cloudy eyes, "Youyun soldiers and civilians have been fighting for the Tang Dynasty for hundreds of years and for China for more than a thousand years, and they have been fighting with the barbarians north of the Great Wall. From generation to generation, from generation to generation, inside and outside the Great Wall, I don't know how much blood has been stained and how many bones have been buried...... The strength of the country is uncertain, and the border troubles have been going on for many years, and the military and people in the clouds are both sad and helpless, but in all fairness, everyone is also looking forward to the day when the border troubles are truly eliminated, and they can live a peaceful life forever. When His Majesty went out of Youzhou, it was called the blessing of the clouds, and the sky that changed the clouds also made me see a little hope...... I never thought that this hope would become a reality in less than 20 years......"

Speaking of the past and his own personal experience, Liu Lao said more, and the young man in brocade mostly listened quietly, and occasionally responded to two sentences.

Before I knew it, more than an hour had passed, and the cavalry regrouped and set off again. The young man in brocade said goodbye to Liu Lao, and when he was leaving, the young man in brocade had neither bold words, nor made any promises, but his eyes were more determined.

He didn't need to make bold words, let alone make promises, because the task of his trip was to put his pride into practice and turn his promises into reality.

Seeing the cavalry disappear from view, Liu Laofu lay on the rattan chair again, humming a small tune slowly. It's just the smile on his face, but he can't hold it anymore, it is the joy and pride of seeing some kind of great cause and glory inherited by the younger generations.

"Do you know who this young man is?" The woman asked as she sat down next to Elder Liu.

"How can you not know?" Liu Lao said with a smile, "That swordsman was His Majesty's personal guard before, and now who can let him accompany him to escort him, besides the prince?" ”

The woman chuckled and said, "His name is Ding Hei, and he has just seen me, but like you, he didn't break this chat." ”

"Then the prince doesn't recognize you?" Liu Lao said strangely.

The woman replied: "The prince has not grown up, I have retired from the military intelligence department, I have lived in Luoyang for many years, and the prince is a diligent prince, that is, when two came back to the palace to pay a visit, or when the palace held a banquet, they met, and now I am dressed like this, where can he recognize it in a hurry." ”

Liu Lao nodded, took the tea in the woman's hand and took a sip, "Xi'er, you've been back for two days, why don't you see Du Qianshu's kid come back to see me?" Could it be that this kid is getting bigger and bigger, but his filial piety is getting less and less, isn't it strange that I have these two bowls of coarse tea? ”

"That's not it, he came back to Youzhou this time, he was with Wang Pu, and he wanted to plan to deal with the Khitan civil affairs after the war, and he couldn't be separated when he was busy, so don't blame him." Liu Xixian said with relief.

Liu Lao snorted and pretended to be dissatisfied, "The water splashed out by the married granddaughter, and the elbow turned out!" ”

Before he finished his sentence, several horses appeared on the official road, led by Du Qianshu, who dismounted and trotted over.

Seeing Du Qianshu coming, Liu Lao's eyes narrowed slightly.

This guy who trotted up was no different from when he was a child, but in the end he married his childhood sweetheart, the cardamom girl who did not hesitate to follow Li Congjing's caravan, and also went to the West Building to find him for an answer, the infatuated little lady who did not hesitate to become a killer in the military affairs department, but also wanted to be closer to him.

......

When Li Chongzheng arrived at Gubeikou, the war in Yikun Prefecture had begun, although he insisted on going to the front line, but was still stopped by everyone, and finally he stood on the pass of Gubeikou, facing north and listening to the Jin Ge Iron Horse there. '

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