On the night of the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, candles were lit in every corner of the Li Mansion. The arm-thick candle still burned under the snowflakes, shining with an unyielding fire. Above the main hall, there is a large square table, on which are placed the bronze statue of the ancestor Fuxi, and a handful of sandalwood is erected on the huge incense burner.

At this time, in the main hall, the mother-in-law Li Xiao'e and Yue Yinhua were kneeling in front of the incense, praying to the ancestors and worshiping the heavens. The mother-in-law babbled for a long time, not only worshipping the ancestors of the Yue family, but also worshipping the gods and Buddhas in the sky. The mother-in-law had only one request, and that was to bless Yue Fei with a victorious return.

Li Xiao'e prayed after her mother-in-law, praying that the ancestors of the Yue and Li families would bless Yue Fei with his victorious return, ensure that the People's Army would continue to grow, and of course, also bless Li Bashao and his mother-in-law with good health. In the end, Li Xiao'e touched Yue Yinhua's head and prayed for the healthy growth of Yue's brothers and sisters.

Eight-year-old Yue Yinhua blinked at her grandmother and mother with big eyes (she has now called Li Xiao'e and called her mother. Kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and talking at the same time, it felt funny, but she didn't dare laugh. She memorized their prayers in her heart, and when they finished speaking, Yue Yinhua also began her own prayer.

"Grandpa, grandpa, and many grandfathers in the past, you must bless my father to win a big battle and return safely. You must bless my brother Yue Yun from being injured at all, and bless Brother Niu Tong to grow taller. I also want to bless the silver bottle to grow longer and more beautiful. ”

Yue Yinhua's last prayer made both her mother-in-law and Li Xiao'e laugh. Li Xiao'e took Yue Yinhua's hand and said with a smile, "The silver bottle is already very beautiful, no matter how beautiful it is, it is the first little beauty in the world." ”

Yue Yinhua hesitated for a moment, and she whispered something in her mouth to the incense burner. This time, neither the mother-in-law nor Li Xiao'e heard clearly. Asked Yue Yinhua, Yue Yinhua didn't say anything, but got up from the ground and ran out with a smoke.

But both the mother-in-law and Li Xiao'e guessed what Yue Yinhua was praying for. must be praying for the safety of his mother, Liu. Toddler mother-lover. Even if the mother-in-law and Li Xiao'e are good to Yue Yinhua, they can't replace Liu's status.

The mother-in-law's face was a little unhappy. If it weren't for the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was not appropriate to be angry, and the mother-in-law would have already begun to reprimand Yue Yinhua. In the eyes of her mother-in-law, the Liu family dislikes the poor and loves the rich, and she is really not worthy of being Yue Fei's daughter-in-law.

Li Xiao'e persuaded in a low voice, "Mother-in-law, don't be angry. Doesn't it mean that Yinhua is a filial daughter? We should be happy. ”

The mother-in-law nodded, looked at Li Xiao'e and said, "E'er, you and Wulang are not young anymore." When Gorou returns victoriously this time, you can go to the church and get married. ”

Li Xiao'e immediately turned red. just said in a low voice, "Everything is up to the mother-in-law." ”

The mother-in-law looked at the bronze statue of Fuxi behind Sandalwood, and suddenly asked with a little worry, "Why didn't Goro have any news yesterday?" Doesn't this kid know that the family is thinking about him during the Chinese New Year? ”

Of course, Li Xiao'e understands that her mother-in-law's true meaning is not this. She knew that her mother-in-law was worried about Yue Fei's defeat. I just didn't dare to say it in front of the gods. So Li Xiao'e immediately smiled and said, "Mother-in-law don't worry. The snow was too tight for the pigeons to fly. The news must have been delayed on the way. I think Fei Ge is celebrating the New Year with all of you at the moment. ”

The mother-in-law shook her head and said with great certainty, "I think so." Gorou loves the New Year the most. I don't think of the soldiers who will fight on the front line. Okay, let's go out and see your aunt. Gorou took away other people's sons and grandchildren, if we don't give her New Year's greetings, who will give her New Year's greetings? ”

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Ying Tianfu was the busiest with his mother-in-law and Li Xiao'e. Now that Yue Fei is not in Yingtianfu, only the two of them can represent Yue Fei. When they walk on the streets, they can stabilize the hearts of the people who are nervous. As for the custom that women should not show their heads, it has long been impossible to implement in Yingtianfu.

Li Qingzhao has always advocated that women can hold up half the sky in Yingtian Women's Studies. In addition, Hua Xiaoqi's garment factory recruited all female workers. There are those who speak for women, and there are those who recruit women to work. Of course, the status of women has risen a lot.

Although the mother-in-law is conservative, she has no opinion on elevating the status of women. In fact, since ancient times, even in the Ming and Qing dynasties, where etiquette was the strictest, only Miss Qianjin could not go out of the door. The daughter of the peasant family has always had to show her head to work in the field.

Just when his mother-in-law and Li Xiao'e were visiting relatives, Yue Fei was leading 3,000 elite cavalry troops to advance towards Huazhou in the wind and snow.

After half a month of confrontation, Yue Fei finally decided to take the lead in seeking change. Chinese New Year is one of the most important festivals of the Song people. In the first five days of the Chinese New Year, it is not advisable to use swords. But Yue Fei decided to break this taboo.

The reason why this is so is because the Jin Bing on the opposite side also began to pay attention to the New Year. Just like the barbarian peoples in the past, they despised the Central Plains civilization on the one hand, and envied the Central Plains civilization on the other. Even though they put on an arrogant face, they still dissolved the Central Plains civilization into their lives.

The Jin soldiers on the opposite side have begun to set off firecrackers on the 28th of the Lunar New Year to celebrate the New Year. Zong Han also sent a messenger to send a letter to Yue Fei, proposing a seven-day truce so that the soldiers on both sides could spend the New Year together.

Yue Fei readily agreed.

But on the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve, a wave of golden soldiers braved the wind and snow and sneaked near the camp with the sound of firecrackers from the rebel camp. However, their attack happened to be calculated by Yue Fei, and as soon as the two thousand Jin soldiers who came to attack the camp rushed into the fifth barracks, they were stunned to find that what was waiting for them was not the drunken rebels, but the eight hundred brightly backed elite horsemen.

Killed all the Jin soldiers who came to attack the camp, and used the heads of the Jin soldiers to build a Jingguan outside the fifth barracks. And hung a couplet on the Beijing Temple. The upper link is the new year, the new year, and the lower link is the golden soldier, the golden horse, and the golden head. The banner is a thank you gift.

When Zong Han saw this couplet, he immediately became angry. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, a day of celebration for thousands of families, the Jin soldiers and the Protector Army started fighting again. The two sides fought all morning, but the Jin soldiers still could not break through the first barracks. Yue Fei's banner was still hunting and fluttering over the fifth barracks.

The furious Zong Han didn't know that Yue Fei was no longer in the camp at this time.

Yue Fei and Xue Bi had already planned and prepared to attack Huazhou on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Since it can't eliminate Zong Han's main army, let's first destroy the men and horses he sent out one by one. It is better to cut off one of its fingers than to hurt its ten fingers. As long as Yan is wiped out, and then Kaide Mansion is used to kill Saili, and Xiangzhou, which is guarded by the traitor Liu Wending, Zonghan's army has only one way to retreat.

For long-distance runs, the number of people should not be too large. Yue Fei thought for a while and decided to take only three thousand elite horses to Huazhou. Although the number of people is more than ten times different from the number of people who have finished pulling out of speed. But in this kind of raid, victory is never in numbers.

Of course, the 800 Beiwei army had to go. The rest of the cavalry were carefully selected from other cavalry ranks. After all, the men of the Central Plains are not as hardy as the Jurchens who grew up in the white mountains and black waters. In the end, Yue Fei finally selected 2,200 elite riders.

The mad cow Jiao Wentong, the double-gun Luo Yanqing, and the Khitan Xiaoshan, all volunteered to go with the army. These generals understood that although it was difficult to run in the snow, it was often an opportunity to build up miraculous achievements.

In particular, Xiaoshan also grew up in the icy and snowy Mobei, and he believed that he was more cold-resistant than the generals of the Central Plains. So the first one took the initiative to ask Yue Fei for battle.

If the cavalry selected by Yue Fei to say that there is no complaint at all, it must be false. After all, during the Chinese New Year, not only could they not eat meat and drink wine in the camp of the rebel army with other soldiers, but they had to brave the wind and snow to travel hundreds of miles. But when Yue Yun, who had just turned ten, also took the initiative to ask for battle and wanted to attack Huazhou with his father, all the cavalry closed their mouths.

Because none of them want to admit that they can't even compare to a child.

Yue Fei agreed to Yue Yun's request. Today's Yue Yun can already dance two iron cone guns weighing about thirty catties like the wind, and has the ability to go into battle to kill the enemy.

Seeing that Yue Yun was going into battle to kill the enemy, Niu Tong, who was impatient with loneliness, also went to Huazhou. However, Yue Fei rejected Niu Tong's request. In Yue Fei's opinion, Niu passed through Yu Reckless, and he had to grow up a little more before he could go into battle to kill the enemy.

After eliminating the 2,000 Jin soldiers who attacked the camp, Yue Fei led the 3,000 most elite cavalry to leave the camp of the rebels without stopping, braved the wind and snow to travel more than ten miles west, avoiding the eyes and ears of the Jin scouts, and then ran all the way north, arriving at Jishui at noon.

Zhang Heng, the boat fire, had already received Yue Fei's information and was leading dozens of big ships to wait on Jishui. It took an afternoon to transport all the men and horses through Jishui. That night, the 3,000 elite horses rested in a village on the shore of Jishui.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Yue Fei said goodbye to Zhang Heng and led three thousand elite horsemen to continue to run north, disappearing into the ice and snow flying in the sky.

Zhang Heng's personal soldiers looked at the cavalry heading north, and said in disbelief, "Commander Zhang, Yue Shuai is too unkind." This is a big New Year, and he even has to lead the troops north. Isn't he afraid that the cavalry will complain? ”

Zhang Heng's face showed a look of reverence. He looked at his soldiers and asked. "Is there resentment on the faces of those cavalrymen? No. I could only see the murderous aura and battle intent that rushed straight into the clouds on the faces of the three thousand spirit riders. Do you know why? ”

The soldier shook his head.

Zhang Heng said with great admiration, "Didn't you see that even the ten-year-old eldest son Yue went into battle in person? If a ten-year-old child can brave the snow, is no other cavalry as good as a child? ”

A strange expression suddenly appeared on the face of the pro-soldier. "Commander Zhang, don't say it, the average cavalry is really not as good as the eldest prince Yue. I saw with my own eyes that he could dance two iron cone guns weighing thirty pounds like the wind. ”

Zhang Heng smiled, "Tiger fathers have no dogs. It's the eldest son of Yue. ”

But Yue Fei still underestimated the lethality of the cold weather. Huazhou is more than 400 miles away from Mengzhou. In the cold winter, it is snowy again. Even though all the elites in the army were selected, the men of the Central Plains were not as good as the Jurchen Iron Cavalry after all. In such cold weather, galloping on a horse requires not only courage, but also endurance.

After three days of running in the snow, many cavalrymen were almost at their limit. At least 400 cavalry were left behind, and they could only rest in the nearest village or stockade. On the fifth day, more than 300 cavalry were left behind. By the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, they were only thirty miles away from the city of Huazhou, and there were only 2,125 cavalrymen following Yue Pegasus.

But to Yue Fei's relief, and to the other cavalrymen's dumbfounded, the ten-year-old Xiao Yue Yun never fell behind. After eight days of rapid marching, Yue Yun's little face was also torn by the cold wind. But Yue Yun pursed his lips tightly, and never shouted bitterly.

Xiao Shan, who was born in a bitter cold land, was full of praise for Yue Yun. "Although the eldest prince was born in the Central Plains. But in my opinion, it is more hardy than our Khitan children. ”

Yue Fei was relieved and distressed when he heard it.