The war horses galloped, the wind gusted, and the dust was rolled up innumerable.

The summer sun was fierce, burning the earth, and the tall barren grass by the roadside hung its proud head in the sunlight that once pointed straight to the sky.

Because it was too hot, and there was really no great danger along the way, Baizhan who had been in battle as a light cavalry had collectively unloaded his light armor for the first time, and all of them were dressed in gray-yellow clothes, and it was no longer clear whether it was dust or the original color of the clothes. And the war horse is also tired from the long run, and the sweat beads on the horse's neck flow like a stream when the tentacles touch it.

"Yuanlie, it can't go on like this, it's too hot, you have to find a place to rest." Wen Tianxiang rode his horse to catch up with Ye Yingwu, because Ye Yingwu's mount was the best among these horses, so he gradually surpassed many war horses, and ran from the original middle position to the leading position. If you don't stop, it's not a big deal to kill one or two war horses, after all, there are still hundreds of war horses in a hundred battles, but it would be very inappropriate to let this Ye Envoy take the lead.

Ye Yingwu looked back, not only was the war horse's nose spraying rough air, but many people were also panting, and beads of sweat were flowing on their foreheads. The brief coolness of the rainstorm has dissipated without a trace, replaced by a dull heat.

Nodding, Ye Yingwu also felt that he was a little dizzy, and his throat was a little dry because of excessive sweating.

"Envoy, there is a village half a mile ahead, it seems to be uninhabited!" The sentry rode towards the hundred battles and stopped before Ye Yingwu. After all, no one had walked this road, so Ye Yingwu carefully sent three groups of sentry riders to the front.

"Revisit." Ye Yingwu took a breath lightly, it is best if there is no one to live, but there is no shortage of dry food or the like, and it is the best choice not to reveal his whereabouts.

Another cavalryman kicked up a burst of dust: "Qi Yu envoy, there is no one in the village, there is a river in the west of the village, and the woods are very dense." ”

"Congratulations, envoy." Wen Tianxiang said with a smile while panting, although the dry food is sufficient, but because the weather is too hot, there is not much water left in the water bladder, and now it seems that God has sent this gift to the door.

Behind Wen Tianxiang, Yang Bao, Jiang Tie and a group of Tianwu soldiers all showed joy on their faces, and the Yang Fu who galloped all the way was covered with dust and almost dyed the black clothes yellow, and there was a ray of light flashing in his eyes, if there was a stream, he would be able to rinse it well, and there was no better news for a girl.

The last sentry also appeared in his eyes, and before he could get closer, the voice had already come with the wind: "Qi Yu envoy, the village ** has three vertical and three horizontal six roads, and there are countless lanes. The subordinates found a few pheasants in the north of the village, and they were afraid that they were left unattended. ”

The soldiers, who had been on the road for days and had been eating dry food for several days, subconsciously straightened their waists.

Ye Yingwu also rubbed his hands and smiled: "Okay, let's go over, I'm afraid it's God's blessing." However, the formation that should be lined up is not bad at all, Yang Bao, you take fifty brothers to enter the village from the north side road, Jiang Tie, you take fifty brothers to enter the village from the south side road, and the rest of the people follow a certain person to enter the village from the middle. ”

"The last general obeys!" Yang Bao and Jiang Tie were also overjoyed, and hurriedly shouted loudly.

And Ye Yingwu rolled his eyes, why is there always a kind of self-devil commander who rushes towards the flower girl with a bunch of devils and traitors?

――――――――――――――――――――――――――――

From afar, it looks like an empty village.

Some of the dilapidated houses have even been cleaned of the thatch and tiles on the roofs, and perhaps most of the earthen walls that once stood tall have fallen into the crumble, looking like a scumbag. Except for the middle road, which runs through the village, the other roads can only be called sheep intestine paths, winding forward in the barren grass, appearing and disappearing.

"Have you ever walked these paths?" Ye Yingwu waved his horsewhip and pointed to the road in the barren grass and asked a few sentries just now.

There was a slight embarrassment on his face, and the last sentinel who came back shook his head: "Returning to the envoy, it was the negligence of his subordinates who did not ride a horse over. ”

can also understand the mood of these soldiers under his command who are in a hurry to come back to report the good news, Ye Yingwu did not delve further, but still glared at them fiercely, and several sentry riders knew that they were eager for quick success, so they all lowered their heads in shame.

And Yang Bao and Jiang Tie had already led fifty people each along the sheep intestine path slowly. It's not because they don't want to pass quickly, but because the path has not been walked for a long time, and it has rained, and some sections are even muddy, while others are overgrown with grass.

Ye Yingwu took a breath lightly: "Let's go." ”

However, before the words fell, a shout came from the right!

"Trap!"

In the center of the sheep intestine path, because of the accumulated soil for many years, I can't even see any difference from the surrounding big pit, like a bottomless pit that devours people, if it weren't for the quick eyes of the Tianwu Army soldiers behind him, the soldiers who explored the road in front would definitely fall straight down.

And Ye Yingwu was even more shocked for no reason, there was no way, this kind of big pit already had too much psychological shadow for him. Of course, now is not the time to worry about this, since there is a trap and it is still in the middle of the road, it means that someone did it on purpose, and it is not for the purpose of hunting animals, but for the defense of the village!

"Hidden!" Ye Yingwu shouted loudly and jumped off the warhorse, and the rest of the Tianwu soldiers were not slow to react, they dismounted one after another, and the crossbows in their hands had all been wound, until the cold and silent village in front of them. The blazing sun shone on his face, but no one dared to move in the slightest.

Gently inhaling the scorching air, Ye Yingwu looked at the battle armor that was close to the horse's back, and couldn't help but pat his leg with remorse, if it weren't for the lack of armor on his body, the Tianwu Army would not have taken a defensive posture in front of this unknown hidden power.

"There really wasn't anything abnormal just now?" Ye Yingwu's voice turned cold, and the three sentry riders who were holding crossbows beside him just now also looked embarrassed, regretting why they let go of the paths on both sides in a daze, even if they fell into it themselves, it was better than being looked at like this by Ye Yingwu now.

After hesitating for a moment, the three of them shook their heads firmly, and one of them touched the sweat on his forehead and said: "The three of them have explored four or five houses, and there is already a thick layer of ash and cobwebs inside, and most of the houses are even difficult to shelter from the wind and rain, so it stands to reason that there should be no one in them." ”

Ye Yingwu nodded, stood up, and was so frightened that all the soldiers of the Hundred Battles hurriedly stood up with him, for fear that cold arrows would really come out of nowhere. Ye Yingwu looked at the entire human wall around him, smiled to himself, and walked straight into the grass, in the direction of the place where the pit appeared. And where was Wen Tianxiang willing to let him go alone, and glanced at Yang Xu, who was pressing the sword behind Ye Yingwu.

Yang Xu was stunned, then nodded solemnly, and hurriedly followed with more than ten people. Now Yang Bao and Jiang Tie are one south and one north, and Wen Tianxiang is a civil official, so only Yang Xu can protect Ye Yingwu's left and right.

The accident was the south road that Jiang Tie was in charge of, when Ye Yingwu arrived, the commander of the Hundred Battles Capital frowned, looking ahead, this path circled and twisted, in fact, it entered the village from the southwest corner of the village, and the houses on both sides of the road into the village were obviously higher than other houses, not so much houses but two relatively low fortresses, and these houses also obviously opened more and smaller windows, obviously easier to shoot arrows to the outside.

"What's going on with the pit up ahead?" Ye Yingwu squatted down and asked.

Jiang Tiezheng was looking ahead intently, and suddenly heard Ye Yingwu's voice, and subconsciously almost fell, and only after relieving himself did he hurriedly say: "Envoy, it was the last general's negligence that he didn't notice that there was such a mechanism here, and I ask you to forgive me." ”

"There are even traps outside the deserted village, I'm afraid no one can think of it, there is no need to blame yourself." Ye Yingwu said with some dissatisfaction, but he was dissatisfied with Jiang Tie's self-blame. At this time, he squatted on the side of the pit, this pit is not deep, but a row of sharp bamboo thorns at the bottom of the pit is very neat, if you fall directly, it will be more auspicious.

The bigger and deeper thieves have fallen, are you still afraid of this. Ye Yingwu smiled instead, Jiang Tie and Yang Xu beside him looked at this Ye Envoy Jun and smiled inexplicably, although the second monk couldn't figure it out, but he had seen too much of the subtleties of this Ye Envoy, and he said that he had some plans.

"What about the envoy?" Jiang Tie asked tentatively

Ye Yingwu frowned: "The paths on both sides seem to be easy to defend and difficult to attack, if there is no special design, it would be impossible to say." Although the road in the middle is quite smooth, and the houses on both sides of the road are also very low, if you really defend it, use some deer and horns to block the center of the road, I am afraid it will be difficult to enter, but what I saw today does not seem to be prepared, maybe this is just the original formation of this village. ”

With the information returned by the three sentinels, there should not even be any defensive equipment in this village that can be used, so it naturally does not look like it is ready for battle.

"The bamboos are all yellowed, and the pits are covered with moss, which obviously doesn't look like they were dug freshly." Yang Xu continued, pointing with his hand, it was the bamboo thorn in the pit. Sure enough, a row of bamboo thorns looks quite intimidating, but the roots are not only yellowed but also eroded by years of rain moisture, and there is already a rotten appearance, I am afraid that people will fall down to crush these bamboo thorns, and along the perimeter of the pit, the moss has a little coolness, and it is definitely not freshly turned soil.

With the level of the veteran Youzi who explored the way in front of the Tianwu Army in a hundred battles, it was impossible to plant a head on a newly dug pit.

"Envoy, there are also a few traps found in the north!" A soldier hurried over, "General Yang asked what to do. ”

"Keep going, be careful, and spread out all the flags," Ye Yingwu stood up and said, "I don't believe that there will be people in this Great Song Dynasty who will rebel against Wang Shi." Even if there are a little Diao people, is it possible that the Tianwu Army will not be able to eat dry rice in a hundred battles! ”

As soon as Ye Yingwu said it, Jiang Tie and the surrounding soldiers were a little ashamed. They are the hundred battles of the Tianwu Army, the elite of the elite, the strongest trump card in Ye Yingwu's hands, could it be that they were frightened by a small deserted village? Then what qualifications do you have to follow the envoy all the way west to Luzhou?

A hundred battles continue to move forward, like a slow and irresistible trident.

The once heavy training and its own elite made it easy for Baizhan to cross the pits on the two paths, and on the avenue, a few tripwires were also found that were almost integrated with the land, and the iron chain had already been rusted, as if confirming Ye Yingwu's speculation.

"There is no one in the south of the village!"

"There is no one in the north of the village!"

Jiang Tie and Yang Bao sent people back one after another to report, and Ye Yingwu's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally fell to the ground. After all, this is the land of the Great Song Dynasty, and the people of the Great Song Dynasty are on this land, if they jump out, Ye Yingwu really doesn't know if he should kill the killer, after all, he also knows that this village is so postured, it is definitely not just to defend the Mongolian Tartars, but more to defend the rebellious army of the Great Song Dynasty, because only the rebellious army can make them able to stop it, how can the overwhelming Mongolian iron cavalry be stopped by a little trap?

There is no one in the village, and there is no need to continue to unfurl the flag, after all, it is better to keep a low profile. As the red flag in the south and north of the village disappeared, the sound of Jiang Tie and Yang Bao ordering firewood was faintly heard, and Ye Yingwu's face that had been tense finally relaxed.

And the other team of Baizhan also confirmed that there is a small river in the west of the village, although it is only two or three zhang wide and not deep, but it is enough, at least the water source is not worried.

"How long will you stay here?" Wen Tianxiang looked at the surrounding houses, although they were dilapidated, it was better than sleeping in the wilderness. Not only him, hearing this question, Yang Xu and the surrounding Tianwu soldiers all subconsciously pricked up their ears.

After a moment of silence, Ye Yingwu looked up at the scorching sun that was already in the afternoon, and smiled heartily: "The wind and dust all the way, the weather is hot, I think everyone is tired, so I have been here today, and I will hurry again tomorrow morning." ”

I don't know who was the first to breathe a sigh of relief, and then the whole village erupted in cheers, and the people who were looking for firewood and hunting pheasants also subconsciously accelerated their movements.

"Let's go, I think there is the ancestral hall in this village ahead, and I want to see who is the divine who can run this village to such a scale." Ye Yingwu looked at the house in front of him, which was obviously larger than the other houses, with a curious look on his face.

This ancestral hall is quite large, and it actually occupies the entire central position in the village, but looking at the high wall and the thick gate, Ye Yingwu smiled bitterly, obviously the people who built this place regarded this ancestral hall as the last place in the village, I have to say that from the beginning of construction, this village is for defense, in order to protect itself in this troubled world.

I just don't know who has such vision and strength.

The plaque on the ancestral hall is gone, but there is no dust in the surrounding corners, and it is thought that someone has taken it away. The heavy gate was hidden, and a few sentry riders had entered it just now to investigate roughly, but it had been untouched for many years.

Just by the overgrown weeds and muddy ground in the courtyard, you can tell that no one has cleaned it for many years. Ye Yingwu sighed softly, I don't know how many untold stories have been buried in this barren grass, just like the real history has ruthlessly annihilated the people around him one after another.

Directly in front of the lobby, the same door is hidden, only the window frames are left on both sides, there is no window paper, window lattices, and even the columns supporting the lobby have been mottled with red paint, showing the original color of wood. The tablet in the lobby as an ancestral hall is naturally the same as the plaque outside, but the incense burner is still there, and it has long been impossible to distinguish whether it is dust or ashes inside.

"Once prosperous, but now defeated, I'm afraid it's the same." Ye Yingwu often sighed, stretched out his hand and brushed it on the platform built of good bluestone, and his hand was a thick layer of ash and the solemnity that had been forgotten in the times.

"It's rare to make you sad." Wen Tianxiang said with a slight smile from the side, but there was a hint of bitterness in this smile, the waves in Ye Yingwu's heart, these people present, I am afraid that only he, who has experienced the ups and downs of life and has seen too many things, can understand one or two.

But now is not the time to be sad.

"I just don't know where this huge family disappeared in the end." Ye Yingwu smiled bitterly, and turned to the ancestral hall, "It's not much use to keep the tables and chairs in the front hall, let people chop and burn the fire." ”

The back hall is a different scene.

A stone stele stands outside the back hall, I don't know how much wind and rain it has experienced, there are already some cracks on it, and the wild grass grows tenaciously from the cracks in the bluestone slab, enveloping the stele. Ye Yingwu took a deep breath, walked to the stele with a deep foot in the weeds, and gently stroked the body of the stele, which was still quite smooth.

There are very few words on the stele, and there are several big characters on the front "the hometown of the Shen family in Longxing".

On the reverse side is the inscription, "Longxing Shen family, after the ancestors were not filial, they were humiliated by business." However, the wars in Ezhou are frequent, and the Longxing Mansion on Jiangnan West Road of the Emperor Song Dynasty is the Xiongzhou of the world, and it is difficult to resist one or two, and the descendants of Xiao are trembling, and those who stay in Longxing are one or two, and those who return to their hometown here, although they are closer to Ezhou, fortunately, there is a large army stationed, and my hometown is located and remote. Neighbors, all for the ancestors after the village, self-preservation, do not seek to hear, but to live in this troubled times, fortunately even, hope that my ancestors in the sky, bless the children and grandchildren here. ”

Ye Yingwu, Wen Tianxiang, Yang Xu.

Everyone looked at the stele in amazement and was silent.

With a long sigh, Ye Yingwu's hand slammed on the stone tablet, I don't know if he harmed the Shen family in Longxing Mansion, or if it was the destiny of heaven. They came here to take refuge in the battle of Ezhou, I don't know if they thought that many, many years later, when they had returned to Longxing Mansion, the first to come here to pay tribute to them was the person who indirectly killed more than 100 lives of their whole family.

Fate is often like this, playing tricks on people in applause.

It's like one incomprehensible reincarnation after another, no matter how you dodge it, it will eventually end up where it should end and enter the next round of fate.