Xuande three years, early February.

The snow and ice have not melted.

The one-person-high stele stands on the endless field, and the cinnabar is filled in the sharp carvings, as if it is the eight characters of "where the iron horse goes, and the Great Zhou is levied". Thirty-eight years ago, Chu Ao, the king of Zhenbei, crusaded against the thirteen divisions of Beidi, and was invincible, and the thirteen divisions retreated to the north of the Xuexian River, and they did not dare to go south. Chu Ao set up a boundary monument to show the prestige of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Countless white cranes and black flags were erected to the south of the boundary monument, rolling under the heavy dark clouds, like a black wave. Chu Zhixia stood in front of the boundary monument, stretched out his hand to wipe the weathered dust on the stone monument, and there was a rough patch under his fingertips. Chu Zhixia clasped his hands together and recited a mantra to save the undead trapped here.

"This is where my father used to be." Chu Zhixia said suddenly.

Shen Zhou paused and asked, "Do you miss him?" ”

"I don't remember him anymore." Chu Zhixia said calmly, "I'm not familiar with him, maybe the storyteller knows him better than me." I wonder why he didn't continue to go north when he hit here thirty-eight years ago. Is it because the supply lines can't go deep, or because they feel that their destiny cannot be violated? ”

Shen Zhou didn't say anything, just shook her hand hard, even though it was the cold and hard of the hand armor.

Chu Zhixia unscrewed a pot of wine and slowly poured it on the ground.

Scouts waded in from afar.

"General, the Beidi people are here." The scout said nervously.

"How many people did they bring?" Chu Zhixia asked.

"As you asked, a thousand soldiers, just like us." The scout tightened the reins, a little confused about Chu Zhixia's meaning, "Do you want to continue negotiations?" ”

In the distance, Chu Shixia saw a dark shadow standing on the other side of the Snow Line River. The cyan eagle flag rolled in the wind, and the person who took the lead bowed slightly on the horse's back and signaled to Chu Zhixia.

"It's Erdan." Shen Zhou's eyesight was amazing, and he recognized him at a glance.

The tiger and leopard ride is a little restless.

Chu Zhixia raised a hand and pressed it down with a fist. Seeing this, the tiger and leopard rider forced himself to press down, Ye Qian clenched his teeth, his eyes were blood-red, and he waited for Chu Zhixia to give an order and rushed over to fight Erdan.

"It's not the time yet." Chu Shixia said, "The whole army listened to the order and retreated to a mile away. ”

"General, please allow your subordinates to escort you." Ye Qian strongly demanded.

"Stand down, it's an order." Chu Shixia said sternly.

Ye Qian had no choice but to take the tiger and leopard to ride back, and at the same time, the Beidi people on the other side of the river were also pulling a distance to the north.

Erdan fell backwards and waded loosely, carrying only a heavily armed man with him. After crossing the Snow Line River, Erdan turned over and dismounted, and greeted Chu Zhixia with a few courtesies. Shen Zhou stood beside Chu Zhixia with his sword, and quietly swept over the person beside Erdan.

"His Royal Highness the King of Zhenbei, long time no see." Erdan said without saying anything.

"We don't seem to be in such a casual relationship, Erdan Khan." Chu Zhixia glanced at him and said, "Aren't you afraid of an ambush?" ”

Erdan avoided this question, turned to look at the stone tablet on the edge of the Xuexian River, and said, "Your father is a hero of the Great Zhou people, but he is the blood feud of the Beidi people. Someday, I will wash away this insult with blood. ”

"We'll see." Chu Zhixia said lightly.

"Did you bring the heads of the Honji Thorn and the Khazar?" Erdan cuts to the chase.

"Nope."

"You're kidding me?" Erdan frowned.

The man beside Erdan immediately drew his sword, and the sinking boat slid his sword out of its sheath at the same time. The hilt of the sword slammed into the man's wrist with swiftness, and the blade spun around the side of his neck. The man's wrist was numb, but he didn't take it off immediately, and the blade only clicked on the ground for a moment before picking up Shen Zhou's jaw.

Chu Zhixia held down Shen Zhou's hand, and Erdan pressed the man's arm and pressed down tacitly.

"I hold the remains of your brother's own brother in my hand, and I have the head of your general, and I have taken up a place for nothing, so I think it is better to return it to its original owner. But I've never liked to suffer. Erdan Khan, do you have anything to exchange with me? Chu Zhixia raised an eyebrow and said.

"What do you want?"

"Instead of asking me what I want, what can I give?" Chu Zhixia smiled slightly, "If I speak, you can't afford it." ”

"The three princes of the first emperor of your country have been guests in our ministry for a long time, if Your Highness wants to invite back, the Green Eagle Department has no objection." Erdan pondered.

"I killed his brother, and I will accept his life sooner or later, without the help of Khan."

"I heard that Yongxue Pass is building fortifications, and the Green Eagle Department is willing to make peace talks for the time being."

"Do you believe that?"

Erdan smiled angrily and said, "Your Highness doesn't seem to have come empty-handed, so if you have any requirements, you might as well say it directly, and let me see your appetite." ”

"I heard that the new khan of the Baisha Department is a young boy who is less than five years old, and I would like to invite him to Yongxue Pass to talk about it."

"Chu Zhixia, don't you think this request is ridiculous?" Erdan asked coldly, "That's just a child." ”

"Don't pretend to be a living bodhisattva with me." Chu Zhixia said equally sharply, "The Khan of the Baisha Department is just a puppet in your hand, the mascot of the Thirteen Ministries, and it is unknown whether he is the widow of the old Khan of the Baisha Ministry." ”

Erdan stared at Chu Shixia for a long time, then suddenly laughed out loud and said, "Why do you think that the dead are more valuable than the living, and I would give up the Baisha Khan for the sake of two corpses?" ”

"If dead people are worthless, why are you standing here today?" Chu Zhixia played with the taste, "Hongji Thorn is the younger brother of the first mother of the Guibu Da Yan clan, and the heir of the old Khan. He died in the Battle of Honghu River, and he couldn't even return his bones to Beidi, do the nobles of the Qingying Department really have no opinion on you? ”

Erdan looked at Chu Shixia with a gloomy face.

"I understand you very well, and I also have a bunch of old things at home." Chu Zhixia sighed, "Actually, what is a dead person? People like us are going to step on the corpses of our comrades and climb the city walls. Unscrupulous means, no matter the cost. ”

"I realized that from the moment I stepped across the snowy river, I lost." Erdan had an epiphany and sneered.

Once he goes to the appointment, whether the negotiation is successful or not, Erdan will be the target of public criticism.

If you can't bring back the heads of Hongji Thorn and Hazar, the nobles of the Blue Eagle Tribe, especially the Gultai family, will not let Erdan go easily; If the Khan of the Baisha Department is handed over, all Erdan's previous arguments that "the Thirteen Tribes of Beidi are the people of the Immortal Heaven and should not kill each other" will be self-defeating.

Erdan can use force to suppress those who disobey, but each time he strengthens his grip on power, countless people are killed or injured. In the face of the fierce embrace of the snow pass, the internal consumption of the thirteen departments of Beidi is tantamount to chronic suicide.

"Or you can trade something else for it." Chu Zhixia said empathetically, "I heard that you killed Duoshu, Sukhbaru and Battell, and I am also very interested in the heads of the three of them. Anyway, you are a traitor to the Beidi people, three for two, you don't lose. ”

Erdan looked at her coldly.

Chu Shixia spread out his hands and said helplessly: "Okay, the negotiation broke down." ”

The man next to Erdan wanted to do it again, but was reprimanded.

"Morrigen, let's go." Erdan Road.

Chu Zhixia sent the two of them to ride a horse across the back of the Snow Line River, and said regretfully: "It's a pity that in order to show the sincerity of the negotiation, I didn't bring a bow and arrow." Do you think that if I shoot an arrow at his back, the god on top will turn the arrow around? ”

"I can try." Shen Zhou is eager to try.

"Forget it." Chu Zhixia held him down and said.

Even Chu Shixia had to admit that sometimes she was afraid, maybe the next person who had to pay the price for this reversed war was Shen Zhou. Therefore, Chu Zhixia was reluctant to let Shen Zhou lead the Nine Shadows Division to assassinate Erdan.

——

Embrace the snow pass.

"Morrigan, the general of the Blue Eagle Dortos, is the one who led the troops to break through the Wild Horse Castle. After Hongji was stabbed to death, Mo Zhigen was the first right-hand man under Erdan. Li Jiaoping said bluntly, "It is a beast that was hit by three arrows in the battle to conquer Wild Horse Fort, drew arrows and fought hard, and personally cut off the head of the general defending the city." ”

Chu Jin, who had not spoken, slammed his fist on the table - the general of the city defense of Wild Horse Fort was his subordinate.

Chu Zhixia nodded and commented harshly: "It looks like he is indeed a good dog who is pointing and fighting, Erdan has a look, and he can't wait to pounce on me and tear my throat." ”

The Hawkeye Guard led by Li Jiao controls the intelligence inside and outside the entire northern part of the country, and always hits the nail on the head when it comes to the movements of all parties.

"Erdan didn't even know what the general wanted, so he rushed to negotiate, which shows that the contradictions within the Blue Eagle Department are indeed very serious." Li Jiao pondered for a moment and said, "It seems that in the battle of Honghu River, it is not only us who suffered heavy losses. ”

Speaking of Honghu Chuan, Chu Zhixia was also calm, as if the wound had already healed and he didn't know the pain.

Chu Zhixia said: "If the war starts three years later, this trick will not work." ”

"In the short term, Erdan should not attack again. He needed time and energy to appease the ministries, especially the nobles of the Blue Eagle Ministry. Li Jiao judged.

Chu Zhixia didn't speak, and his tightly locked eyebrows didn't loosen.

"General, you don't look very happy." Li Jiao said tentatively, "Is Hawkeye missing any information?" ”

"No," Chu Shixia pinched his eyebrows and said tiredly, "I just have a bad intuition. ”

——

Blue Eagle Division.

The man with a leopard fur on his forehead went straight to the Golden Horde in a rage, followed by a dozen men who were also richly dressed and domineering.

Mo Rigen stretched out his hand in front of the Golden Horde to stop the person, like a stubborn stone, and said bluntly: "Da Nayan, you cannot trespass on the Golden Horde without the summons of the Khan. ”

"Nayan" is the honorific title of the Khan's brothers, but Erdan is not the old Khan's son, so these people are not related to Erdan. They are the orthodox children of the Gultai family, and the rightful successors of the Qingying Clan.

Da Nayan raised his hand and whipped Mo Rigen in the face, and scolded angrily: "You slave cub, do you think that if you are a general, you can step on my head and make a fortune? Even Erdan didn't dare talk to me like that! ”

"Mo Rigen, don't be rude, let Da Nayan come in."

Erdan's voice came from the Golden Horde.

Mo Rigen covered his bleeding face and answered "yes", and lifted the curtain for Da Nayan.

Da Nayan stepped into the Golden Horde with great vigor and high spirits, and a large group of children of the Gultai family rushed in behind him. Mo Rigen nervously followed, and quietly sent people to lead troops to surround the Golden Tent, ready to rush in at any time to control them.

Da Nayan didn't pay attention to Mo Rigen's small movements at all, and he asked Erdan on the leopard skin seat: "Didn't you negotiate with the Central Plains, where is the body of Hongji Thorn?" ”

"Big brother, the negotiations have broken down." Erdan replied calmly.

"Erdan, Hongji Thorn died to save you, and he also gave you the position of Khan of the Green Eagle Department! He was his father's youngest son, and he was supposed to be the master of the Blue Eagle Division! Da Nayan said angrily, "What kind of request did the Central Plains people make, so that you can't even bring his body back!" ”

"They want the Khan of the White Sands."

"The White Sand Department is an empty shell now, it's just a child who can't walk steadily, what about them?" Da Nayan was aggressive, "Do you can't, or don't you want to?" ”

"I can't." Erdan said sincerely, "Hongji Thorn is my father's biological son, and I also treat him as my own brother, but this matter is related to the gathering of the people of Beidi, and it is impossible for me to hand over the Khan of Baishabu." ”

"Excuses." Da Nayan sneered, "You wolf-hearted slave, I should have killed you the first day my father brought you back." ”

Erdan's face remained unchanged, and he said: "In the coming day, the world will break through the Yongxue Pass, the whole world will be the territory of Beidi, and the four seas of Kyushu will be blessed by the immortal heaven, where is the soul of Hongji Thorn, where is his hometown." ”

"Don't fool me with this set of the Central Plains." Da Nayan pointed at Erdan's nose and threatened, "If you don't give us an explanation for the Gultai family today, you won't want to stand and walk out from here." ”

Mo Rigen was so nervous that a layer of cold sweat broke out in his palms, and his murderous eyes looked at Erdan. Erdan was surprisingly calm, neither humble nor arrogant, and looked at Da Nayan with his eyes, signaling Mo Rigen not to act rashly. If Da Nayan loses a hair today, Erdan can't tell even if he is immortal in the heavens.

I can't help but be angry.

The handover of the power of the Gultai family to Erdan was already dissatisfied, but Erdan's brilliant achievements and Hongji's transcendent status ensured the power of the Gultai family in the Green Eagle Department, so they couldn't bear it.

But now that Hongji has been stabbed to death, and the slave generals promoted by Erdan have touched the interests of the old nobles, and vaguely rejects the rest of the Gultai family, they can't sit still at all.

"Big brother, have you forgotten your father's words?"

The clear female voice ran through the golden horde, and Erdan, who had not moved, suddenly got up, and a crack appeared in the solid composure. A woman in a crimson robe passed through the men of the Gultai family like a rich red, piercing the lifeless gray and black of the tent.

"What are you doing here?" Da Nayan said unhappily, "It's none of your business here. ”

Da Yan stopped walking towards Erdan, turned to stare at her brother, and suddenly raised his hand and slapped him. Da Nayan was stunned for a moment, and it took a long time to react, and he was about to fight back in annoyance.

Erdan grabbed his hand and said angrily in a rare way: "Big brother, you respect yourself. ”

The Da Yan clan looked arrogant, looked directly at them and said: "On that day, my father gave Erdan the surname, because he took a fancy to Erdan's talent, and placed his long-cherished wish on Erdan to unify the grassland and go south to the Great Zhou. The battle of the Snow Line River was a shame for the grassland, and the blood debt was repaid. My Gultai family has been brave for generations to be ashamed of Xueqi. Hongji stabbed to death, for the great cause of the grassland, and died a well-deserved death. ”

"Sister, I think you are confused, Hongji Thorn is your younger brother, and Gultai is your home." Da Nayan's eyes were sharp, "This man next to you, he still has to rely on our family now, so he is wholeheartedly devoted to you, and I don't know if our Qingying Department will change hands in the future!" ”

"I'm pregnant." Da Yan said suddenly.

Erdan and Da Nayan looked shocked at the same time.

"When?" Erdan guarded her movements cautiously.

"It's been three months." "The fetus has not yet sat down, so the Khan was not informed beforehand. The shaman said that it was a son. ”

Da Nayan's expression also became subtle.

"Khan, do you have anything to say?" Da Yan said to Erdan.

Erdan cautiously reached out and stroked her slightly bulging lower abdomen, and half-knelt on the ground with condescension. Da Yan's hands were warm and white, covered by Erdan's hands, and they were clasped one by one.

Erdan bowed his head and kissed her pregnant belly, and said solemnly: "I swear by everything I have, the first child born in the womb of the Yan clan is the only son of my Erdan in this life, the young master of Gultai, the son of the Qingying Department, and the future master of the grassland. ”

Da Nayan was silent for a long time, lifted the corners of his robe and knelt down. The people behind him also knelt on the ground in unison, and said in unison with Da Nayan: "Congratulations to the Khan." ”