After noon, a sudden gust of wind arose, and in a moment the clouds were thick, and snow began to fall. The earth suddenly turned white. Yang Hao was afraid of taking the wrong road, and repeatedly reminded Han Sui to pay attention to the road, but Han Sui smiled and said: "I have walked this road no less than a hundred times, even if I close my eyes, I can walk back." ”

The snow was still falling, and everyone was covered with a layer of snow. Suddenly, a town appeared in front of him, and Yang Hao secretly exclaimed: "According to the time calculation, you shouldn't return to Hengsai Town at this time." I have not heard of any other town within a radius of 100 miles, but where is it? Han Sui saw that he was suspicious, so he smiled and said, "There is a ghost town in front." ”

It is indeed an abandoned town, not a small castle, with three streets in the east, west, north and south, and the remains of stone and blue brick walls on all sides. The city is in ruins, except for a lone domed house in the northwest corner.

Han Sui pointed to a city gate made of large bluestone and said with a smile: "This place is called Dongsai Town, and it has a population of more than 10,000 at its peak, which is larger than Yongfeng at that time. It was originally a dirt mountain, called Yuanbao Mountain, the garrison cut its east, west and south sides, and built a stone wall by virtue of the terrain, the wall was nine zhang high, smooth as a mirror, it was really a difficult place to go that was not opened. The north side of the wall is built with huge stones, and the wall is made of blue bricks, which is ten zhang high. In the early years of the Yuan Dynasty, the Uighur army of 50,000 people besieged the city for eight months. It is known as 'the golden city is not broken'. ”

Yang Hao glanced at the majestic city wall, although it has been abandoned for many years, he can still feel the majestic posture and bustle of his heyday.

"Why did you abandon it later?"

"Because two Uighur princes had been killed in battle under the city, and the kingdom had renewed its alliance with the Uighurs, the soft-boned ministers had deposed him in a gesture of goodwill to the Uighurs. They destroyed the town of Dongsai, but the Uighurs rebuilt the megalithic fort. What a wonderful irony! Han Sui said in a rather fierce tone, and then pointed to the domed house and said, "There is an old monk living in that Daqin Temple, let's go over and ask him for a cup of hot tea." Yang Hao looked at the sky worriedly. Han Sui said: "It's okay, from here you will go forty miles southeast to Hengsai." ”

Daqin Temple has long been dilapidated, surrounded by withered grass and vines, and it does not look like it is inhabited. Yang Hao was suspicious in his heart, and the round wooden door suddenly opened. A Hu man wearing a fur hat walked out briskly, with a look of surprise on his face, and opened his arms and hugged Han Sui. He glanced at Yang Hao and asked with a smile, "You are Yang Hao, the halberdor?" ”

Yang Hao was shocked in his heart: What kind of person is this Hu man, who would know his class in the assassination horse camp? He pressed the handle of the knife and was about to ask, when another person walked out of the round door and said coldly: "You don't have to be suspicious, they are all your own people." I asked Brother Han to bring you here. It was Meng Bochang in civilian clothes who spoke.

Yang Hao asked in surprise: "Brother Meng, which one are you singing?" Han Sui said with a smile: "Don't tell lies in front of real people, stab Han Sui in the horse camp." Then he pointed to the bearded man with a leather hat and said, "He is the halberd Cao Feng." is a Persian, his ancestor moved to the Tang Dynasty during the Lin De period, and accumulated military merits to become the general of the Yulin Army. ”

Yang Hao was very shocked in his heart, he never expected that Han Sui was also a person from the Assassin Horse Battalion, and he was also a horizontal knife with a status far above himself, it seemed that he had been planning to lead himself here for a long time. And he followed him unconsciously, this scheming should not be underestimated.

Meng Bochang said lightly: "Come with me, Master Zeng has been waiting for you for a long time." Han Sui was overjoyed when he heard this, took off his fur hat and handed it to his entourage, and strode into the domed house.

The space inside the house was very small, because the roof collapsed a corner, and the cold wind swept the snowflakes directly into the house. Yang Hao looked around, but he didn't know where Master Zeng was as Meng Bochang said.

Cao Feng walked to the center of the house and stomped the ground with his foot, and with a "boom" sound, a secret door appeared on the northwest wall. After Cao Feng waited for the three of them to enter the secret passage, he closed the secret door and guarded the outside.

The dark passage is more than 30 zhang long, only allowing one person to pass through, at the end is an ordinary wooden door, Meng Bochang knocked three times, pushed open the wooden door, and in front of him was an eight-foot square secret room, there was a brazier in the center of the secret room, and a scribe in his early forties was facing the fire. Yang Hao didn't know him, but judging from Meng Bochang and Han Sui's attitudes towards him, this person's status in the camp should be far above the two.

"These two are Han Sui and Yang Hao." The scribe asked Meng Bochang, and Yang Hao was secretly surprised: "It turns out that Han Sui is also seeing him for the first time." ”

"It's Han Sui, Lord Zeng, I've been looking forward to you coming for a long time." Han Sui looked very excited.

"I also wanted to come a long time ago, but the road was not very smooth, the Judgment Hall, Xiao Tsing Yi's secret agents were everywhere, and more than a dozen brothers lost their lives in order to protect me." The scribe surnamed Zeng sighed, squinted at Yang Hao, and did not speak again. He beckoned the three of them to sit down around the brazier, tore off his sleeve and took out a letterhead wrapped in oiled paper and said: "The chief manager has an order, and ordered the sword Zeng Chongyang to be responsible for instigating the Tiande Army, and all the subordinates of the Thorn Horse Battalion in the Tiande Army are at Zeng Chongyang's disposal." ”

Zeng Chongyang showed the letterhead to the three of them, the letterhead was not signed, the handwriting was strong and powerful, and it was a family of its own. Meng Bochang and Han Sui both nodded after reading the letterhead, and Yang Hao didn't say anything.

Zeng Chongyang threw the letterhead in the fire and burned it, and said to the three of them: "The above has been decided, on the first day of the first month, the three places will work together." The other two places are all bluffs, attracting the attention of the eunuchs, and only the Tiande army is real. After the deed was completed, I was appointed as the guard of the Tiande Army, and the meritorious people were all promoted to one level. Meng Bochang and Han Sui were overjoyed when they heard this.

Zeng Chongyang suddenly turned his face and said coldly to Yang Hao: "The chief manager is very angry about your defection to the Shence Army, and he should have severely punished him. You should know what to do. "Yang Hao has a word of suffering, but he only promises.

"Bochang, tell me about our plan." Zeng Chongyang seems to attach great importance to Meng Bochang.

"On Chinese New Year's Eve, I led the Fengzhou Assassin Mansion Guards and two cavalry brigades of the Left Army into the Assassin's Mansion, imprisoned Meng Chu and his subordinates, obtained the left and right army talismans, and at the same time welcomed Lord Zeng into the city. Han Sui led the main force of the left army of Tiande and the first part of the right army to march into Feng'an, and joined forces with Liu Yifeng, the assassin of Feng'an, to take Feng'an City. Yang Hao led the patrol camp of Hengsai Town to enter the city from the south gate of Yongfeng at the fifteenth watch of the first month, attacked the Yongfeng Assassin Mansion, imprisoned Meng Wei and the officials of Yongfeng Prefecture, and took over Yongfeng City with Zhang Cheng, the captain of the prison gate. Zhang Yannian, the guard of Huzhen, took over the defense of Hengsai, Wufeng, and Changqing at the same time to prevent Hebei ghost towns from taking advantage of the fire to rob. When Han Sui attacked Feng'an City, Liu Yifeng, the assassin of the Shi Dynasty, will lead the assassin Shifu guards and the patrol battalion to attack and kill the prison army Chang Kun, welcome you into the city, and raise the right arm of the righteous soldier to wrap a white scarf as a number, after taking Feng'an, you will immediately lead the army east into Jiuniang Pass to prevent Wang Qian from entering the east to rob. ”

After Meng Bochang finished speaking, Yang Hao's mind was buzzing, and he couldn't cry or laugh in his heart. The blood stains on the jade steps of Daming Palace had just been wiped off, and the Tiande Army was about to smoke again. He couldn't have imagined that Meng Bochang would attack Meng Chu behind his back, could it be that for the sake of the so-called righteousness of the monarch and the minister, he could ignore his family affection?

"I think Bochang's arrangement is very appropriate, I don't know if the two of you have anything to add."

"There are at least sixty defenders at the south gate of Yongfeng City, and there will be a fight when they enter the city. The south gate is only one mile away from the southern camp of the Tiande Right Army, and the reinforcements will come to help at that time, won't it be a failure? Yang Hao said worriedly.

"You don't have to worry, I've already arranged this for you. At the end of the first and fourth days of the first month, when you rush to the south gate, someone will naturally receive you into the city. Zeng Chongyang said a little sarcastically, "Local customs, Chinese New Year's Eve regardless of rich or poor. At that time, the Assassin's Mansion will set up an all-night gambling game, and the people are the most sleepy and powerless during the fifth watch. Zeng Chongyang waved his hand, and it seemed that victory was just around the corner.

"Bochang, what I'm most worried about now is Meng Chu's talisman, are you sure you can find it?"

Meng Bochang replied: "He hid the talisman in my Sanniang, I have seen it with my own eyes, and there will be no mistake." ”

Zeng Chongyang nodded, stood up and said, "Victory or defeat is here, three please." ”

……

The Chinese New Year is the most festive and peaceful day of the year, but this Spring Festival has become a pass for Yang Hao.

After returning from Dongsai Town, Han Sui officially handed over the patrol camp to Yang Hao, and he took fifty soldiers to Yongfeng City in the name of giving gifts. It's the New Year, it's human nature to send some New Year's goods and walk around. Who of those officials who received the New Year's goods was embarrassed to ask Han Sui if there was a warrant for soldiers to enter the city with so many people? After giving the gift, Han Sui set off for Benfeng Prefecture, and the fifty elite soldiers he brought with him were reduced to pieces and hid in Yongfeng City.

It was Yang Hao's idea to set up an ambush in the city, although Zeng Chongyang swore to himself that he had arranged for someone to take him into the city. But for some reason, Yang Hao didn't trust this Zeng. He told Han Sui about his idea, and Han Sui also agreed, and he chose his favorite infantry army Zheng Hou Jie to take on this position.

Hengsai Town is lit up with lights, and every household welcomes the New Year.

Qing'er began to prepare the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner several days in advance, and Yang Hao looked at her thin and busy figure, feeling very guilty. He couldn't tell Qing'er about Qing'er's actions on the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve, but he couldn't bear to leave without saying anything, so he lied that the Tiande Army had a new judge, who was selfless and extremely strict with the town below.

Therefore, although it is the Chinese New Year, the night police patrol must not relax at all, so as not to hit him on the muzzle of the gun and shame himself. Qing'er was silent for a while when she heard this, and said, "It's okay if you don't come back, I just made an appointment with Mother Qin and them to play cards." That being said, it was hard to hide the disappointment on his face.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, snowflakes fluttered, and at dusk, Yang Hao put on his clothes and said goodbye to Qing'er. The patrol camp poured out, and the soldiers quietly disappeared into the gray night in their white cloaks.

Hengsai Town is seventy miles away from Yongfeng City, everyone set off when the sky is dark, and at the end of the third watch, they have arrived at Yongfeng City. More than a dozen red lanterns on the arrow tower in the south of Yongfeng City were swaying in the morning breeze, and there was a solemnity all around. The soldiers guarding the city huddled in the arrow tower to drink and gamble, and there was a lot of noise. Occasionally, some people come out to take a look, the earth is snow-white, white does not hide treachery, since you can't see anything, it is the world is peaceful.

The biggest official in the city tower is a team deputy named Erlai, who held a banquet last night to spend the festival with the soldiers in the city. After drinking for a day, he started a gambling game, but he didn't dare to play more, the stakes were too big, and the big ones were staggering. But back on the city tower, Er Lai sat in the village and set up a gambling game. Only in front of the soldiers can Er Lai find the feeling of being a banker.

Two days ago, the military salary, which had been delayed for half a year, was issued, with 10 taels and 8 yuan of silver per person, in addition to 1 or 2 yuan of New Year's red envelopes. The soldier has no home, no mouth, no worries, and he really doesn't know where to spend his money if he doesn't eat, drink, gamble, or prostitute money.

Yongfeng is a big city, and there are more than a dozen music houses and music halls in the city, and the Hu girls are both charming and beautiful. However, Meng Wei was too strict in governing the army, and once the soldiers and prostitutes were discovered, no matter who rewarded eighty military sticks first, eighty sticks could not be beaten to death and were forced to do coolies for three years, with this ban, who would dare to make a mistake? But for gambling, Meng Wei has a different attitude, turn a blind eye to it, that can't be helped, who will let him take this bite himself.

"Bang!" The gates opened, and a cold wind poured in.

"Ouch! It's cold! It's cold! Fuck, who's so rude, close the door! Er Lai shouted loudly, he caught three turtles in a row, no matter how good his temper was, he would go crazy, not to mention that Er Lai's temper was not good.

"Who! Close the door! Erlai roared again. Grandma's, this one is not a turtle ten after all, but it's a fucking Tianjiuyi! Erlai has a belly full of fire, and he needs to find someone to vent his evil anger.

――――――

Note: Daqin Temple is a Nestorian building. Nestorianism is the Nestorian sect of Christianity introduced to China during the Tang Dynasty, that is, the Assyrian Church of the East, which originated in present-day Syria and is regarded as the earliest Christian sect to enter China, becoming an active field of sinological research. During the Tang Dynasty, it flourished in Chang'an for a while, and was mostly believed by non-Han people. There are still a small number of Christians in Hong Kong today.