The night is quiet, and the city is lived.

When the three of them got closer, they realized that the source of the light was a dilapidated hut at the end of the alley.

The window screen of the room was torn, and the autumn wind was shuttling back and forth inside and outside the window screen, blah

Although it is not yet the end of autumn, the weather can be regarded as high and crisp in autumn, but it is not unreasonable that the night is as cool as water, and the night breeze blows a lot and it has to be a little sad, but this family doesn't seem to care, and the window screen has not been changed for a long time.

Ganye couldn't walk steadily, but he still staggered to the door of the hut, and looked at the inside of the house through the pores of the window screen.

The movement of the three of them was too great, and the figure that was originally reflected on the window screen stood up and disappeared.

A moment later the door opened, and out came a sturdy man of twenty-four or five.

The man's hair was tied up haphazardly, his face was dark, his chest was half-naked, he was wearing linen trousers, and he stood barefoot in front of the threshold and looked at the three of them vigilantly, and did not say anything.

Gan Ye was drunk and crazy, but regardless of whether the other party refused to be thousands of miles away, he went up and grabbed this person's shoulder, spewing wine and shouting: "Brother, why don't you go to the wheat field to celebrate the harvest, but hide alone in this deep alley, it's so boring, brother, aren't you afraid that you can't drink us soldiers?" ”

The man looked at the mouthful of brothers lying on his shoulder, chattering endlessly, and then looked at Gan Yi Ganzi sitting on the threshold of his house, and secretly thought: I think it's a drunken soldier, just let them sober up for the time being.

He helped the three of them into the room and sat down on the seats, then made a fire to make tea, and in a short time placed three fragrant cups of tea on the table.

One cup per person, he handed it to Gan Yi and Gan Zi, who were still sober.

"Wake up with some hot tea."

After speaking, he squatted in front of the brazier and continued to boil tea in a crockpot.

Liangzhou is located in a remote area, so there is no so-called vassal elegance of the Central Plains, and it will not be cumbersome and exquisite.

Just like drinking tea, the Central Plains is called tea, choose a good pot of water, and the northwest from generation to generation is to use a clay pot to hold tea, boiled in a brazier, so that the tea flavor all comes out, the tea is thick and bitter, but the bitter is with aroma is the most suitable for decanting.

Because the tea is boiled in a clay pot, this tea is mostly called pot tea in the northwest.

Gan Yi rubbed his head and drank tea slowly, and said: "Thank you, my name is Gan Yi, these two are my second brother Gan Zi and third brother Gan Ye, dare to ask my brother's surname?" ”

The person squatting next to the brazier said in a muffled voice: "Don't dare to take the surname seriously, under Huo Qing." ”

Gan Yi realized that this man named Huo Qing didn't seem to welcome him, so he stopped talking, and looked at Huo Qing while drinking tea, he noticed that although Huo Qing was thin, his muscles were strong, especially his hands that were serving the charcoal fire.

Gan Ye was almost awake at this time, and when he heard that this person's name was Huo Qing in a daze, he called Brother Huo to himself.

He drank all the tea in the cup in one gulp, regardless of burning his tongue, and after drinking, he squatted beside the brazier with the cup and said, "Brother Huo, bring me another cup, this thing is much better than wine." ”

Huo Qing picked up the crockpot without raising his head and poured it with a bang, Gan Ye obediently took it, but the cup was full Huo Qing was still pouring, the boiling tea overflowed from the cup and scalded Gan Ye's hand, Gan Ye jumped up like a cat with his tail stepped on, and shouted: "Hot, hot!" ”

Huo Qing woke up suddenly, quickly raised his arm and put down the crockpot, and said apologetically: "I'm sorry, I lost my mind for a while, you don't care, right?" ”

Gan Ye smiled and said, "It's okay, it's okay, what is this, I have to thank Brother Huo for moving the three of us brothers into the house, if it weren't for Brother Huo, we wouldn't know which stinky ditch we were lying in." ”

Huo Qing hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Little brother is serious, but it's just a gesture, don't mention it, little brother, don't say any thanks." ”

Gan Ye said: "Okay, Brother Huo said that I don't need to thank you, then I'm not welcome, come on, I'll toast Brother Huo with tea instead of wine." ”

Huo Qing was stunned for a moment, and Gan Yi hurriedly said: "Brother Huo, don't care, my third brother is so virtuous, he speaks out of his mouth, and his preface does not match the afterword." ”

Gan Ye frowned and muttered: "My name is free and easy, why did it become a preface and a postscript?" ”

Although it was muttering to themselves, the hut was not big at all, and it was the dead of night, and the others listened to it so well that the three of them immediately burst out laughing, and the originally unfriendly atmosphere suddenly became warm.

Ganye pulled Huo Qing to get up and started making tea by himself, he handed Huo Qing a cup of hot tea and asked, "Brother Huo, what were you thinking just now, you can't give up, if I hadn't called you this pot of good tea, it wouldn't have been." ”

Huo Qing smiled bitterly and said, "It's all some tattered and messy things, don't mention it." ”

As soon as Gan Ye heard this, he stopped doing it, got up and said in a deep voice: "Brother Huo, but someone can't get along with you?" I'd like to see who's so fat, I'll cook him with a ripe skin! ”

Gan Yi Ganzi rolled his eyes in unison, this kid didn't have all the hair, and after listening to General Ma's scolding, he thought about getting familiar with people every day.

Huo Qing pulled him to sit down and said, "No one can't get along with me, who will get along with me as a butcher?" You can drink tea with peace of mind. ”

Gan Ye then sat down again.

Gan Yi said: "Brother Huo can come to us at any time if he is really in trouble, we will go all out and never shirk!" ”

"Look, look, you're here again, it's stopped, come on, come on, drink tea!"

When the three of them saw this, they didn't say anything more and drank tea again.

Before you know it, the night fades and it's early in the morning.

The three of them woke up to find that Huo Qing had gone out, and there were steaming rice porridge and baked cakes on the table, as well as a few delicious side dishes.

The three of them were already hungry, so they got up and sat down at the table after hastily washing up.

Gan Yi picked up the small bamboo strip left by Huo Qing and read it again, it turned out that Huo Qing had to slaughter the sacrificial livestock, so he left early.

The three of them immediately grabbed one hot biscuit after another and devoured it, and after a while, a pot of rice porridge and a basket of roasted cakes were eaten.

After eating, it was just time to return to the camp.

They didn't dare to delay, Gan Ye washed the dishes and chopsticks, and Gan Yi Ganzi cleaned up the bed.

After everything was in order, Gan Yi replied a few words, and then left Huo Qing's house and rushed to the camp.

When he walked to the yamen, he happened to see the county commander accompanying General Ma out of the yamen, and General Ma saw his brother at a glance, and the three of them had to go over as soon as he beckoned.

Walking closer, General Ma scolded with a smile: "Where did the three rabbit cubs come from, don't you drink flower wine, hurry up and recruit from the truth!" ”

Gan Yi hurriedly said: "The general can't defile people's innocence, the three of us brothers slipped out of the celebration banquet last night, touched a butcher's house in the eastern suburbs, drank tea all night, and just came out." ”

The county commander next to General Ma was slightly surprised when he heard this, and asked, "But Huo Qing from White Deer Lane?" ”

Gan Yi glanced at him and bowed his head and said, "Exactly!" ”

General Ma turned around and asked curiously, "Old Fu, how can you, a person who doesn't know firewood and rice, know a butcher so well?" ”

Fu Xianling smiled embarrassedly and said: "My lord, every time you come to me, you have to embarrass me, I don't mean to know this Huo Qing, but there are some things related to this Huo Qing, so naturally I will understand something." ”

"Then tell me about it."

Fu Xian Ling sighed and said: "Speaking of which, this Huo Qing is also a poor person, originally born in the Huo family of the scholarly family in this county, he has no worries about food and clothing since he was a child, Huo Qingzu has been famous for three generations, and he has served in the court, and he is very prestigious. ”

"In this way, when Huo Qing was twelve years old, when Huo Qing's family went to a valley for a trip, they happened to meet a group of bandits, and the bandits killed them without saying a word, and the poor family of twenty-five masters and servants were all slaughtered, and the blood stained the grass."

"Fortunately, Huo Qing was at the end of the playfulness at that time, and was accompanied by an old servant, who took the child to hide in the cave in danger and escaped the catastrophe."

"When I went home, I found that my home had been burned clean, and I heard from the neighbors that it was a fire set by Hanako, and finally died in the fire, but who knows, how can there be such a coincidence in the world, it is very likely that a group of people did it."

"Highly likely? Didn't you find the murderer? Ma Hao asked with a frown.

Fu Xian Ling hurriedly replied: "As soon as the incident happened, Huo Qing and the old servant reported to the official, I sent someone to investigate as soon as possible, how can this group of people be cautious, the house was burned to the ground, the arsonist also died, the murder in the valley is a knife to seal the throat, there are only some messy horseshoe prints, I have been tracking down for two or three months, and I have no clue but to report to the Assassin's Mansion, after the Assassin's Mansion sent someone to understand, Zhu Assassin's Mansion ordered the suspicious case to be filed, put it on hold for the time being, and it will be put on hold until now." ”

Ma Hao said in a sullen voice: "What happened later, you continue to talk." ”

Fu Xianling continued: "Later, Huo Qing had no close relatives, and the distant relatives were all people who were separated by several generations, so no one thought of helping the twelve-year-old boy. ”

"The old servant of the Huo family couldn't bear it, so he took Huo Qing back to his home, the old servant's son fought in the army, and the old man and a little granddaughter were left in the family, so they didn't care about having another Huo Qing."

"In this way, Huo Qing settled down in the old servant's house, experienced life and death, the young man swallowed the coarse tea and light rice every day, the old servant still went to find someone to work, Huo Qing also became an apprentice in the butcher shop, and then the craftsmanship was exquisite, and the old butcher was also happy to have someone to work for him, so Huo Qing had to do things, Huo Qing could also get some silver every month to buy a piece of clothing for the old man, and buy some snacks for the old man's granddaughter Yang Yu to eat."

"Huo Qing and Yang Yu's childhood sweethearts grew up to seventeen or eighteen years old, the old man was too old to hold on, and died of illness in a heavy snowfall, and gave his granddaughter to Huo Qing before he died, and then the two were lonely and struggled to live together."

Speaking of this, Fu Xianling looked up at Ma Hao, and saw that he frowned and listened intently.

So he continued: "Three years later, Yang Yu's father, who had not heard from him for many years, appeared, and he still rode a high-headed horse to return to his hometown, and the original nobody fought everywhere and became a general, this is the carp jumping over the dragon gate, so the majestic general's mansion was built soon, and Yang Yu, who was the general's daughter, naturally wanted to enter the general's mansion, but Huo Qing became a big obstacle, although it was a nominal husband and wife, it was not true that he did not worship the church, plus Yang Yu became the daughter of the general's mansion overnight, Marrying a little butcher again is the face of the general. ”

Yang Yu is another cowardly person who can only listen to his father's arrangement, so Huo Qing did not embarrass the Yang family, and moved to Bailu Lane alone to start his old business. General Yang felt guilty about him, but he often took care of Huo Qing's business, but Huo Qing and Yang Yu never saw each other again. ”

"Speaking of this general, General Ma, you also know it."

Ma Hao didn't raise his head and said, "Yang Yan." ”

Fu Xianling was surprised: "How can the general conclude that it is General Yang Yanyang?" ”

Ma Hao said in a loud voice: "Lao Tzu was with him back then, and I heard him talk about his daughter!" ”

Fu County Ling said: "That's it, I heard that General Yang's daughter and Liu Gongzi in this county are about to succeed recently, if General Ma doesn't have military affairs, he will drink this cup of wine as an uncle." ”

General Ma ignored Fu County's order, sighed and said, "Pitiful, it's a pity for Huo Qing." ”

He quickly turned around and said to the resentful three, "Take me to see Huo Qing!" ”

The three of them didn't dare to slack off, and immediately led the way, and the four of them left in a hurry, and Fu Xian Ling was left speechless at the entrance of the yamen.

At noon, Huo Qing walked into White Deer Lane with the guy on his back.

As soon as he entered the alley, he saw Gan Ye and the three leading a stranger sitting in front of his house, and he hurriedly walked quickly.

Gan Yi and the others saw Huo Qing also stand up, Gan Yi waited for Huo Qing to get close and said, "Brother Huo, we are here to bother you again, but this time it is our General Ma who is looking for you." ”

He pointed at Ma Hao and continued, "This is General Ma. ”

Huo Qing saluted and said, "See your lord, dare to ask your lord what you have to say?" ”

Ma Hao looked at him and said: "I know the matter between you and Yang Yan, I am Ma Hao of the Cruising Department, Yang Yan is my robe, I will make up for him if he can't live with you, I know that you are single, it is better to join my Cruising Department, and the official positions in the army are as you choose, what do you think?" ”

Huo Qing was stunned for a moment, and after a long time, he came back to his senses and said: "My lord is serious, Lord Yang doesn't owe me anything, but he is kind to me, he has great kindness, if it wasn't for General Yang's father taking me in back then, how would I have lived until now?" If you owe it, I owe the Yang family a great favor, don't say that. ”

General Ma rubbed the small pebbles that Huo Qing picked up when he was waiting for him.

"Okay, Yang Yan, let's not mention it for the time being, I really want to recruit you into the army, you see that now that it is a war, it is a man who has made meritorious contributions, are you willing to come to serve in our army?"

Huo Qing was flattered, and hurriedly excused himself: "The villain is just a man who slaughters dogs, how can He De be promoted by the general, I am terrified, although the villain has a lot of strength, but after all, it is embarrassing, and the general must not be humiliated, this matter must not be impossible!" ”

Ma Hao was not in a hurry when he saw Huo Qing's resignation, and said slowly: "You don't have to rush to answer me, I know you are worried, so don't be in a hurry, my words are put here, when will you come, when will the door of my cruising department be opened for you." ”

After saying that, Ma Hao patted Huo Qing on the shoulder, turned around and walked out of the alley.

Gan Yi and the three of them nodded at Huo Qing, and also followed the pace of General Ma.

Huo Qing watched them walk out of the alley and disappear before turning around and opening the door and entering the house.

In the middle of the night, it was as cool as water, and when the moon was in the sky, Huo Qing couldn't sleep.

The originally peaceful life is now making waves, he doesn't know how to choose, and there is a brilliant avenue in front of him overnight, which is a lucky thing in the world, but unfortunately he is worried, and he is destined to be unable to be broken.

Recently, there have been rumors among the people in the city that Yang Yu is going to marry the son of the Liu family, but after so long, there is no accurate letter, although since Yang Yu returned to the general's mansion with his father, there is no trace of their so-called husband and wife relationship, but people's hearts, there is still a layer to peel off a layer.

He and Yang Yu have been alone for many years, he still remembers the day when his family was ruined, when the old man of the Yang family took him home, Yang Yu, who had big eyes, handed him a petal of oranges, stuffed his mouth with oranges and vaguely asked him to eat them, he still remembers the taste of that petal of oranges.

The young man who had witnessed his own blood and hatred quietly added a wisp of vitality.

How can I forget, tiptoe to help him wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, curious eyes to look at him, from the first time they met, he was firm in a belief, he wanted to give her worry-free, give her peace.

Later, this feeling became even stronger after the old man's death, and he worked desperately to make her no longer drift.

Later, the world changed, and who would have expected that Yang Yan, who had no news from him, would become a general overnight.

Since then, she has been in the west, and he is in the east, with different gates in the same city, and he has no words and no hope.

The general's deep house and the young Bailu are separated by an official road, three main streets, four or five paths, and the official road lies in the center.

Since she left, he has not stepped on the official road.

At this time, he looked out the window at the bright moon, and felt that she was still vaguely warm in his arms, looking at the moon, full of moonlight and full of regret.

There are many regrets, how can regrets be regretful? He didn't know, he only remembered the old man's expectant eyes before he died, he just looked at the old man's eyes and promised to protect her for the rest of his life, although he didn't need to do anything as a little butcher like him now, but he promised him to keep.

He still remembered what his father said when he was a child, when he was angry: Man has no faith, but he is like a beast!

It was the only deep memory of his father in his memory.

It is easy to make a promise, but it is difficult to keep a promise, he only made one promise in this life, so he naturally has to keep it.

He also knew that General Ma was sincere, but the time was not right, and he felt that General Ma could understand his difficulties.

Huo Qing, who was thinking about the bed and surging on the bed, finally chose to abandon the bow horse, keep a promise, and never regret it.

Since then, the moonlight in the sky is her, and the bamboo shadow in the garden is her, in short: I only wish you well.

General Ma had been patiently waiting for Huo Qing for three days, but Huo Qing still hadn't arrived.

He didn't show any regrets, he didn't blame Huo Qing, he should always have his own choices when he was born.

During the period of stay in Lingju, the people of Lingju had a bumper harvest, the soldiers of the Wandering Department stole a leisure, and Ma Hao did not drink Yang Yuxi's wine, and finally had to set off again.

The whole army of the Cruiser Department marched towards Zhuoni.

Before leaving, Ma Hao transferred a private seal to Huo Qing from Fu County.

On the way to Zhuoni, because Huo Qing, Gan Yi, Gan Zi, and Gan Ye gradually reduced the fear caused by General Ma's killing of prisoners, they were able to chat with General Ma calmly.

General Ma's attitude towards them has always been consistent, and he really treats them as his sons and nephews.

And General Ma has a pity for Huo Qing, General Ma has almost nothing to ask for in his life, all he wants is a simple temperament, he feels it strongly from Huo Qing, and naturally appreciates it more.

Huo Qing rejected General Ma, some people said that he didn't know what to do, and some people said that he couldn't carve rotten wood, but it was just the words of the market.

In fact, in the eyes of discerning people, General Ma's transfer of private seals is already a great appreciation, do you know that a private seal is the belongings of Ma Hao, the general of the cruising department.

It can be seen how much General Ma appreciates Huo Qing, but the people in the market don't know the value of this private seal.

Huo Qing's story is not simple, but after a sea of blood and hatred, it is still pure to fall apart, which is not easy.

In the only time Ma Hao and Huo Qing met, Ma Hao knew with his eyes that Huo Qing was worthy of his sympathy, but it was a pity that everyone had their own ambitions.

Ten days later, the Cruisers arrived at Dhonny.

As soon as the cruising department entered the city of Zhuoni, it was welcomed by the local people, Zhuoni is the Han and Qiang settlements, not that all the Qiang people are traitors, a considerable part of the Qiang people have been registered in the jurisdiction of the Han people since the last two or three generations to become the people of the Han Emperor, this kind of Qiang people are mostly integrated into the life of the Han people, this kind of Qiang people are called familiar Qiang, and the other nomadic Qiang people are called Shengqiang.

Most of the Qiang people live on the southern border of Liangzhou, and the Han people in a difficult town like Zhuoni are naturally few people, and most of the original identities of the local Han people are not well studied, and almost all of them have been beaten by strong winds and waves, so they don't care when the Qiang people come to settle here.

Later, there were more and more Qiang people, and they were superior in numbers, and then the Qiang rebellion, the Zhuoni Han and Qiang tribes began to be wary of each other, and the original harmonious atmosphere was swept away.

So the family began to raise dogs, and then every day at sunrise the city full of dogs barking, Zhuoni people began to be busy for a day, so the strange thing Zhuoni was wittily called the dog city by outsiders.

Even so, the Zhuoni people are still in danger, although there are three classes of officials but after all, they are not stubborn armor soldiers, most of the Han people hope that Zhuoni can be stationed in a troop of soldiers and horses, and now the cruising department is naturally overjoyed to be stationed in Zhuoni, and it is not surprising that the welcome of the Qiang people is nothing more than to make a clear position, stay out of the matter, and divide the boundary with Shengqiang.

Zhuoni County Commander stood at the forefront, saluted and said: "Zhuoni County Commander Zhang Yu see General Ma!" ”

General Ma turned over and dismounted and helped up Zhang County's order and said, "Zhang's county order doesn't need to be polite. ”

"My lord has been tired all the way, I have ordered someone to clean up my villa, the environment is quiet, and please take a short rest for the adult and then wash the dust for the adult."

Ma Hao nodded and said, "Zhang County Ling is bothered. ”

Zhang Yu hurriedly said: "This is a matter for the villain. ”

After Ma Hao called Shen Yue and instructed him a few words, he went to the other garden with Zhang Yu and others, and Shen Yue led the cruise department to enter the school camp.

After everything was in order, Lao Chen and a group of men wanted to splash noodles with oil as a reward, the barracks suddenly boiled, and they all took action, and after a while, the aroma wafted out, and the three of Ganye Ganyi and Ganzi rushed to pick up three bowls of fragrant noodles and slipped out of the barracks and went to the street to wander.

Zhuoni City is not big, four main streets are horizontal and vertical into a tic-tac-toe shape, the houses are scattered and have a unique flavor, this place is not like the Central Plains with gorgeous pastel, it can belong to Liangzhou, influenced by Dunhuang Buddhism, the buildings are mostly decorated with cloud patterns, many temples and many Buddha statues, the three people visited the Buddhist temples in the small city and found no less than four, and the Taoist temple has only one is still tattered, only one old Taoist sits on the bluestone and is drowsy, which shows the victory of Buddhism in Xiliang.

This is also an indisputable fact, since the Ming Emperor of this dynasty dreamed of the golden people sent an envoy to the west, in the big moon branch met Mo Teng, Zhu Flange and returned, in Luoyang to build the White Horse Temple to promote Buddhism, Liangzhou is a place that can not be avoided, especially Dunhuang, the envoy from Dunhuang back and forth, left the seed of Buddhism in Dunhuang, Dunhuang has since become Liangzhou Buddha country, much courtesy.

It is not surprising that Buddhism flourished in Liangzhou.

The three of them are all people who survived in the pile of the dead, although they are born and raised in Liangzhou, but they have no feeling for the gods and Buddhas, and they really appreciate it all the way as statues.

Gods and Buddhas were originally for cowardly people, and people like them are not uncommon.

After they finished visiting the temple, the whole town was finished, the sky was also dim, the tired birds returned to the forest, the people were in charge of the lamps, and the lights lined with the broken walls and low buildings also had a unique charm, at this time the people had the protection of the soldiers and finally relaxed the tense nerves, if it was tense again, it would have to be a life and death, the Han people don't believe that it doesn't matter if they are born and ripe, and the same surname is also three points of incense, not to mention the same clan?

Don't think that you are a good person if you convert to Buddhism and recite a few scriptures, the Qiang people are the wolves in this desert.

In fact, this is true, it doesn't matter if you are born and you are familiar with Qiang, no one will believe it when you hear it, if it doesn't matter, why do you rob the Han people of their money when they loot, and only kill the Han people when they kill people? Why did the official army encircle and suppress the Qiang people before they left the city, and the Qiang people ran away? Most of the Qiang people in the city and the opposition have relatives in the opposing camp, but the way of living is different, who can do it to their relatives?

The Qiang people naturally also have some ink rules, which is the reason why the Qiang people can't get rid of the tail, and the officials and soldiers can't catch it, can't suppress it, and can't kill it.

But because of this, the imperial court has a steady stream of money to be transported, and the officials are naturally slack, stopping and stopping, and after so many years, the two sides have tacitly taken what they need.

The rebellion in the world is more or less like this, there is no black and white, black and white, slowly blending, slowly merging into one, and finally becoming an iron blue, heavy and depressing, just like the sky at this moment.

Fortunately, there are still a little lights surging in this iron blue, and the three people walking on the way back to the camp at this moment are just a drop in the thousands of lights.

Tomorrow across the mountains, everything is boundless.

The world is like a knife, how can you dare to see it clearly without an iron belly?