On the banks of the Surabaya River outside Yiyang City, the autumn breeze is getting cooler, and large areas of withered yellow reeds are swaying in the wind between the shallow water of the beach and silt.

"The reeds grow according to the water, and the slender branches are pulled out of the river mud, and it seems that the wind will break and bend at the slightest blow, but as long as the thousands or tens of thousands of them are hugged together, even if the wind is strong, it will only bring a whimper and blow away some reeds. The middle-aged man stood on the bank of the Surabaya River in a thin robe, pointing to the reeds not far away and speaking lightly to the pursuers behind him.

It is said that it is "chasing soldiers", in fact, it is true, because there is "escape" to "chase", but the middle-aged man did not think about escaping at all, he had "transcendent ambitions" and longed for "supreme way", so he was ready to be martyred.

The pursuers waited quietly, with their knives in their sheaths and arrows hidden in their boxes. After all, the middle-aged man in front of him is just a weak scholar, even if his teaching is wide in the world, and his protégés are spread all over the world, but he will be pierced and killed under the heavy arrow of imperial power. The armor made of black cowhide, by the river with strong water vapor, has been attached to a layer of frost "white yarn", especially at this time when the sun is long, and the cold air is especially into the muscles and bones.

A young man walked out of the chasing soldiers, wearing a literary and historical robe, obviously a scribe, he walked more than ten steps behind the middle-aged man, bowed and bowed deeply: "Student Meng Xueli, I have seen Master Wu." The middle-aged man looked back at the young man in front of him, with a short beard, his eyebrows and nose straight, quite graceful, and his heart moved, and asked: "But Meng Qian, the head of the twelfth year of Furui Pavilion Jining?" Meng Xueli's heart was slightly warm, and he bowed deeper, "It is the student dive, and the teacher knows me, fortunately." "Well, the posture is very good, the appearance is good, and the good material can be carved" The middle-aged man smiled slightly, and just wanted to encourage a few more words. In the team, a bearded man was squeezed out, the neat gown of the soap character, a tiger roaring copper belt near the waist, and a feather in the ear, it was the full-time trial department of the Criminal Department, and he roared recently: "You two sour Confucians, there is a lot of nonsense, Wu Tong and Wu Shiyuan, you will be tied, and you will return to Beijing with the Sprinkle family to be tried." After speaking, a mouthful of thick phlegm was fast and urgent, and flew over Zhangyu and threw it into Surabaya. The middle-aged man raised his eyes and smiled slightly, "You must not be a martial artist of the Demu Society." The swarthy skin of the soaphorn man was actually a little red, so he roared in annoyance: "Lao Tzu has been crawling for half his life, but he looks down on the white-skinned breeds born in the college, hehe, Lao Tzu has a lot of work in bed, and he has to work hard in bed." The middle-aged man was slightly stunned, pondered for a moment, and ignored him. The soaphorn man didn't intend to say much, and ordered left and right in a cold voice: "Come here, tie up this guy, and go back to Beijing to report on your work" "Slow, Your Majesty ordered, it's 'please' not 'arrest'" Meng Xueli hurriedly stopped the rude sergeant, and the black-faced Tisi also seemed to have scruples, and retreated to the side with a cold snort.

Meng Xueli took a few steps forward, bowed again, and then stood up to look at the middle-aged man, and said: "Master Wu is a great sage in the world, and the Holy Son of Heaven ordered the student to ask on his behalf." Your Majesty often hears Master Wu say that 'the people are heavy and the king is light', so he wants to know how heavy the people are, how light the king is, can Master Wu weigh it carefully?" The middle-aged man took a long breath, and the cold wind flowed through his nasal passages and poured into his chest, and his warm lungs were stirred by the cold air, which suddenly caused his whole body to tremble slightly. After a long time, the middle-aged man exhaled the cold air that had been warmed, looked at the boiling Surabaya, and said clearly: "The people are as heavy as a thousand Jun Surabaya, and the flow is endless; "Bold fanatics, blasphemy of imperial power, should be beheaded!" When Meng Xueli shook his head and smiled bitterly, the black-faced Tisi had already roared, "Untouchables are weeds, things that Lao Tzu doesn't use to wipe his ass." The middle-aged man squinted at the big man with dirty words, and his face was awe-inspiring: "Lord Tisi just said that he has been crawling and rolling for half his life, and he must not be from a rich family. With the poor background of an adult, he was regarded as a weed in front of the toilet before" The black-faced Tisi was stunned, and he was poor in words. The middle-aged man continued: "Even if the people are like grass, the reckless reeds in front of you are not just a collection of reeds and grass. However, when the reeds cross the river, it can make the ship sluggish and difficult to go up and down. Meng Xueli pondered slightly, but the black-faced Tisi was brutive, snatched the torch that the sergeant next to him had just lit, and threw it high into the reed. In autumn, the reeds are dry and flammable, and the fire suddenly rises, and the fire takes advantage of the wind to sweep away from north to south. The reeds are hollow and crackle when they crack, and the reeds are soft, and the ashes are burned out and fly all over the sky. Blackface Tisi laughed: "No matter how much grass there is, there will be no hairs left from the fire." "Why bother? Will it burn out? The next year will be a new wave of deeper and denser reeds. The middle-aged man looked at the red-hot sky and muttered. "Master Wu, come back to Beijing with us! After seeing Your Majesty, there may be a turning point. Meng Xueli stepped forward to persuade. The middle-aged man didn't answer, just turned around silently, walked to a sedan chair next to him, and bowed in. "Grandma's, the prisoner still has a sedan chair. The black-faced Tisi spat out thick phlegm again and shouted, "The prisoner is tied up and returned to Beijing!"

At this time, the sedan curtain moved slightly, and the middle-aged man stretched out his hand and beckoned to Meng Xueli. Meng Xueli stepped forward and bowed down and said, "Master Wu, what's the matter with calling students?" The middle-aged man's faint voice came from the sedan chair: "Qian, can you come to see the new reeds on the bank of Surabaya on my behalf in the coming year." Meng Xueli was stunned, and suddenly understood that the middle-aged man had the will to die, and the corners of his eyes suddenly reddened slightly: "It is a blessing for students to be able to appreciate the reeds in the river on behalf of the Wu Shi." The middle-aged man smiled, "Dive, next year's new reed will have a more elegant name." The reed is not hung with ears for the leaves, and the reeds are the first to be born. Therefore, the newborn reed can be called "La""~~" Meng Xueli stood in place and read this rather unfamiliar title, but the sedan chair had already gone away. From afar, the low-alcohol voice unique to a middle-aged man was heard, "Pale and white, the dew is frost." The so-called Iraqi people are on the water side ~~~~".

Most of the reeds on the edge of Surabaya have been burned out, and they are actually a remnant of the sun that has passed the western sky. This year's reeds have turned to ashes, but tomorrow's year has taken root and strung their stems in the fertile river mud created by the ashes.