The sun and dusk are four, and the heavens and the earth are in chaos.

The sky is getting darker and darker, and the bustling street market in the morning suddenly fades under the cover of the sun, leaving only dark green ruins in the vast night; Looking at the Great Zhou Shangjing in the twilight, quiet and silent, solemn, as if at this moment, all the pavilions and pavilions in this city, wine shops and tea shops, are under the huge canopy of shining stars, stationary, calm as a river of spring water, let the wind blow the lake.

The dense cold fog shrouded the inside and outside of the imperial capital, casting a shallow layer of frost on the huge capital; Suddenly, a full moon, which had lost its brightness, tore through the clouds little by little, revealing a pale brilliance, dazzling most of the lead-gray night sky until it became brighter and brighter.

On the other side of the night, the stars are like quicksand, paving the Milky Way winding, and the night breeze caresses it, and there is silence.

However, despite the beauty of the night view, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

Turn around a few streets, drive on the gallop road outside the Xihua Gate, remove the layers of dense fog, you can see from afar, the majestic imperial city located in the depths of the imperial capital, gradually become clear: the palace gate with gold nails and vermilion lacquer, it seems tall and cold, under the eaves covered by glazed blue tiles, there are several rows of palace lights, most of them are lit up with clusters of lights, and on the high wall of masonry, there is an auspicious pattern of dragon and phoenix engraved with dragons and phoenixes......

The gray sky, the drowsy palace, and the endless black clouds swallowed up the last trace of the sunset on the horizon.

The cold moonlight, under the bright tiles of the Taiji Palace, was blown by the wind and rolled up, through the heavy palace, drifted into the Xianyang Palace, floated into the Chongde Palace, wandered around on the sparkling Jinming Pond, and finally landed in the sacred imperial study.

Compared with the quiet harem, the imperial city around the front hall is not commensurate with the quiet atmosphere in the palace, especially the imperial study room that is in the inner court of the imperial city and is deep under the vermilion palace wall.

Outside the imperial study, the palace marshal Gao Yong's thick eyebrows and sword eyes, wearing a cross-legged head, lined with fish scale soft armor, with a lapel eagle robe, narrow sleeves and tight-fitting, waist wearing a gold leather jade belt, decorated with nine rings, a pair of black boots on his feet, his eyes are deep and cold, and he is guarding outside the hall without saying a word.

The night is like ink, and the moonlight is like water, gently sprinkled in front of the imperial study.

Light snow drifted outside the window.

At that time, outside the quiet imperial study, a graceful and luxurious shadow suddenly flashed; I saw that the queen Cao Qingxi, who was wearing a red dress and dragging the ground, was surrounded by her personal maid Yue'er and a group of palace eunuchs, slowly walking towards the imperial study, walking lightly and looking very dignified.

The queen mother under the moonlight, her complexion is jade, her eyebrows are elegant, and the red Luo long skirt she is wearing is the real red Yunxiu's regular dress in the middle palace of the national dynasty, the skirt is swaying to the ground, the lines are smooth and soft, without a trace of excess wrinkles, but it more and more sets off her demure and peaceful demeanor of the mother of a country and the majesty of the queen of the Great Zhou Dynasty who cannot be blasphemed.

Although the sky has darkened, it can still be seen that Cao Qingxi's demeanor is very gentle, as if all the joys, sorrows and sorrows have not left a trace on her face, and she is always gentle as jade and tender as water.

However, when Empress Cao walked to the door of the imperial study, Gao Yong, with a stern face, raised his arm expressionlessly and gently stopped the queen from the door.

"Sage and slow."

Seeing this, Cao Qingxi couldn't help frowning slightly, showing a little displeasure on his face, but he quickly eased up, and asked with a shallow smile under his lips.

"Your Majesty, isn't Your Majesty there?"

Gao Yong's expression was still as serious as ever.

"Your Majesty is playing a game, no one is allowed to disturb, and I hope that the saint will forgive his sins."

"Gaming? With whom? Can't even me go in?! Cao Qingxi bowed his head, and a pair of phoenix eyes quietly looked at the flickering imperial study in front of him, and he was suddenly curious.

"Yes, if the saint has something important, please come back later."

The queen groaned, and after a moment, she showed an elegant smile.

"Actually, it's not a big deal. I just heard that His Majesty is engaged in state affairs, so I asked the imperial dining room to make a few snacks that His Majesty likes to eat on weekdays. ”

After saying that, Cao Qingxi turned his eyes and motioned for Yue'er to put down the food box.

In the wind and snow, the queen mother in red clothes faced the imperial study, and her posture was full of blessings.

"Since Your Majesty has something to do, then...... I won't bother. ”

Cao Qingxi turned around, Gao Yong bowed to see him off, and those palace attendants, once again surrounded by a touch of red clothes from Her Royal Highness the Queen, and quietly left the imperial study; Gradually, Cao Qingxi's noble posture disappeared into the vast deep winter night and disappeared at the end of the palace like snowflakes condensed at the bottom of the lake! ……

The imperial study in the middle of the night, empty and silent, layer after layer of frost breath, mixed with countless cold, infinite, endless, excessive, just froze all the open window lintels, mahogany dwarf tables and cyan potted plants, and spread out little by little, until it completely enveloped this cold Northern Zhou Palace, and the chill pierced the night sky; Under the drape, in the Boshan furnace with a green glazed dragon handle, incense is swirling, and the green smoke is curling, just like the misty spring rain.

Surrounded by smoke, Xiao Changyao, the son of the Great Zhou Dynasty, holding an oil lamp in his hand, slowly walked to the mahogany dwarf table in the center, with light clouds and light wind on his face.

"I have a hidden intention, I can't go up to heaven and earth, I can't talk about my wife and children, only when you come back, can I talk to you."

Although there are high candles lit in the imperial study, the light is not very bright, and the candlelight with shadows and shadows shines on the young emperor's fair dragon face, as if smeared with a layer of golden halo.

Xiao Changyao's clothes today look very casual, wearing a pale yellow wide crane, red background silk, embroidered with Zong Yi and black, under the swaying light, eye-catching, a bright yellow hairband, hanging down the back of his head, as if integrated with the pale yellow crane on his body; Although this outfit is not as majestic as the crown, it is also unique, chic, uninhibited, and spacious.

At this time, Xiao Changyao was not like an emperor at all, but more like a hermit.

The wind was blowing under the feet of the Son of Heaven, and when he walked to the side of the mahogany dwarf, Xiao Changyao put down the oil lamp.

The candle burns brighter.

I saw that the small mahogany dwarf, flat spread a "map of the northern territory", with the help of bright candles, the city, the prefecture, the mountains and rivers and the pass of Zhendian, all in sight, clearly outlined; And next to the map, there are two boxes of chess pieces, a black box and a white box, a black box with white pieces, and a white box with black pieces.

At the same time, beside His Majesty the Emperor, stood quietly a young military attache wearing a black and brown crown and a military uniform; His eyes are sharp, his eyebrows are quite heroic, his body is as straight as a spear, his waist is strong and powerful, and at first glance he is a pair of steel and iron bones that have been refined by being diligent in archery and horse riding and archery since childhood.

This young military attache is none other than the sudden rise of the rookie among the sons of the imperial court's martial arts, and now he is preparing for the Donggong Qianniu when he is the deputy prince, the grandson of Li Yunchao, the king of Zhongshan, the son of Li Yuanzhong, the prince of Korea, and the twenty-nine-year-old governor of Yunzhou, the ambassador of Yingtian, and the assassin of Yunzhou - Li Huaiguang, the Marquis of Luoyin.

Xiao Changyao stood with his hands in his hands, quietly overlooking the desert and sea of the rivers and mountains in the north, looking at this great hegemony that had been fought by three generations of emperors, and was silent; After a long time, he slowly retracted his gaze and stretched out his hand to the Yunzhou area.

"Yunzhou, the north of the country, with 300,000 households, borders the desert in the south, and the Qin domain in the north. Although this is the place of four wars, it is also the key point of the soldiers of the past dynasties, this ...... I don't need to say more, you know better than I do. ”

Da Zhou Tianzi let out a long breath of turbid air and continued.

"Thorn Shi ......, you have been acting for three years, but the military power is still in the hands of him Xiao Changling, although the tea horse is a civil administration, but it is related to the lifeblood of the imperial court, once there is something ahead, the military horse is the top priority. I have said before, 'The commander of the northern realm, the country's heavy weapon, if you are virtuous, the Central Plains can be determined, and if you are weak, the society will be worried', but obviously, my second brother has become fatter and fatter in recent years, and his appetite has become bigger and bigger, and the land of Sanzhou in the north of the Great Zhou can no longer satisfy his devouring. ”

"Huaiguang."

Suddenly, the young emperor with a pale yellow crane looked calm, put his fingers together, reached out to the chess box near him, twisted up a sunspot, and gently landed on the nearest military fortress adjacent to the three states-"Yunzhou".

"I put you here, do you understand my intentions?"

Li Huaiguang bowed.

"Huaiguang understands."

The night was getting darker and darker, and Xiao Changyao's originally clear complexion became more and more lonely.

"The northern frontier of the Beijing Division, thousands of miles away, galloping endlessly, continuous supplies, and the feudal towns have their own troops, and the central government will suffer from its chaos. But after all, it is the old department of the Jingbei Army for more than ten years, and if he really wants to go into battle, he has to fight. This expedition to Liaodong, I ...... I am ready for a long battle, Huaiguang, I want you to cooperate with him sincerely, if you fail me, I will not allow you; If you lose the kingdom, the heavens will not allow you—"

Especially when it came to the last four words "God does not allow you", Xiao Changyao's tone was obviously hundreds of times colder than before, Li Huaiguang only felt a chill down his spine, and felt the weight of his responsibility, so he bowed again.

"Your ......, I am willing to do my best for Your Majesty, and I will die."

A cluster of ghostly lamps and shadows shone slightly on Xiao Changyao's cold and ice-like face, outlining the cold and cold facial contours of a generation of emperors.

"At least in wartime, do you understand?!"

"I understand." Li Huaiguang replied loudly.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Changyao moved the oil lamp to the center of the map, and took out a golden fish talisman from the imperial box on the case, and handed it to Li Huaiguang.

"Huaiguang, among the twelve guards of the Beijing camp, the three departments of the control crane, the eagle Yang, and the Tianjie are the three soldiers and horses left by the first emperor to me, among them, especially Li Qiong's control of the crane guard has the largest number of guards, and the most sophisticated armaments, guarding Jinggi all the year round, and guarding the imperial capital; Yunzhou Fortress has a great responsibility, and I can only rest assured if it is handed over to you, so this time, I want you to bring these 30,000 control cranes to Yunzhou together, and dismantle the whole training, which is not only beneficial to the imperial court, but also can form a containment of Jingbei, even if Xiao Changling has heavy troops, he has to be a little scruples. In this case, ...... can maintain the current stable situation for the time being, and this move will not only benefit the country, but also benefit the war. Huaiguang, I announced that you entered the palace for this. ”

His Majesty's intentions have been very clear. The Son of Heaven ordered Li Huaiguang to lead the control of the crane guard and stationed in Jieyunzhou, just to set up dark chess on the flank of Jingbei, and wanted to control the crane with 30,000 to restrain Xiao Changling's 400,000 army, killing two birds with one stone; Li Huaiguang held the fish talisman, and his eyes were extremely deep.

"The minister will live up to His Majesty's trust!"

Night snow in the capital.

The study was empty.

The Great Zhou Tianzi, dressed in a crane, stood quietly by the railing by the window, he stared into the distance, lonely staring at the snowy dark starry sky outside the window, and in the depths of the dragon's eyes, a ghostly light flashed, and along with the ghostly light in the pupils, it was an arc of laughter that slowly aroused under the emperor's lips.

A generation of emperors smiled charmingly, better than counting nine cold days, proud, indifferent, and cold.

"Ah, you forced me to do this."

……

The next morning, the snow finally stopped.

After a night of wind and snow, Shangjing is covered in silver inside and outside, and the city is full of enchantment; If you stand on the Fengqi Plain outside the city, look into the city, you will feel that the snow in Beijing last night is very large, only to see, the streets and alleys of Beijing, from Shuntianmen, Yongning Gate, Danfengmen to Zhongshu Province, Menxia Province, Guozijian, almost every building in front of the bronze horse, bronze lion, bronze sheep, are covered with a thick layer of snow.

Looking at this ancient Shangjing, all of them are covered with snow, as if invisibly, a pure white woolen blanket is spread, and the houses with stoves have long been covered with snow, revealing only black eaves and horses, tinkling in the wind.

At this moment, the vast clear sky, the haze is swept away, and the sunlight pours down from the clouds, rendering the winter morning light like fog when it is light, and like rain when it is thick; The huge imperial capital of the Northern Zhou Dynasty is like bathed in a hazy cloud and rain, changing the dullness that has been going on for days.

North City, the Eldest Princess's Mansion.

Compared with the Qin Wangfu in the west of the city, this is located in the north of Shangjing City, as the mansion of the handsome lady of Zhenxi who commands 300,000 strong troops, the pure black of the eaves is deeper than the eaves of the Qin Wangfu, the snow rock is planted with winter trees, the trees are covered with frost and snow, and the waterfall gradually condenses into an ice stream, the stone path is lonely and clear, and the rockery is extremely harmoniously integrated, and the two phases are particularly beautiful.

The luxurious and solemn Eldest Princess's Mansion is like a girl who has just woken up at this moment, and gradually opens her sleepy eyes under the call of the early winter sun and the cold wind.

Lonely and empty.

The courtyard is deep.

"Zheng—"

In an instant, two fierce sword qi pierced the sky, piercing the morning air of the Eldest Princess's Mansion.

With the two beams of sword qi jumping up, there were two handsome figures, one in the black clothes of Xuan Ming and the other in the white clothes of Aoshuang, which swept up in mid-air, showing two phantoms with clear black and white; Through the clothes, feeling the subtle and sudden changes of the heaven and earth, the posture of the two is extraordinarily wonderful, like two hardy Dapeng birds, flying freely, from time to time they also change their respective body styles, drawing an ethereal arc.

In an instant, the sword intent was like a waterfall, the sword shadows were flying, and the two dashing sword momentum that were as fast as lightning instantly illuminated the slightly narrow world of the four directions.

The sword light flashed, and the two figures landed flatly, touching the ground silently:

Xiao Yingxue in a black robe.

Xiao Changling dressed in white.

The two sisters and brothers stood coldly against each other, as if the two armies were in a confrontation.

A biting cold wind blew across the cheeks of the two miraculous commanders. But seeing Xiao Yingxue's handsome figure, she slowly leaned forward, a cold light came out from behind her, and the eldest princess's "Flying Frost Sword", which was as clear as snow, let out a low groan, buzzing; At the same time, Xiao Changling, who was standing proudly opposite, still had a calm face, his eyes were blazing, because the Chengying long sword had already been drawn out of its sheath, and on the blade, there was a brilliant sword light, which merged with the tip of the sword and converged into a strange angle.

Silence, surprisingly silent. Xiao Yingxue and Xiao Changling stood face to face, quietly holding their swords, as if they were waiting for a suitable opportunity.

They are sisters and brothers, close relatives, and alliances; One is the king of Jingbei, the other is the handsome lady of Zhenxi, all of them are famous and famous, all of them are heroes of the world, and they are two amazing talents, who are both in the same empire and support the vast commanders of the Great Zhou Empire's thousand-mile frontier.

The two of them looked serene, single-clothed and sword-fighting.

"Huh!"

In the wind, Xiao Changling took the lead in the sword, and his strength reached the extreme, he squinted his eyes slightly, with a hint of a playful smile, and sprinkled it on the eldest princess dressed in black; Soon, I only heard a soft snap, Xiao Changling raised his right arm smoothly, and the "Chengying Long Sword" in the hand of the King of Jingbei was full of ancient meaning and clear as autumn water, and there was a burst of dragon groaning, and then a sword was stabbed out in the style of burning the sky, and the tip of the sword was cold, like a white snake spitting out the core, and attacked Xiao Yingxue's delicate and jade face directly.

The blade, the blade, the soul of the sword, a sword shocked the world, and the cold sword of Shengxue illuminated most of Xiao Changling's resolute face.

It was an extremely simple sword, without any change of move, without any momentum, not even a hint of trembling; The bright sword body, the autumn water has no waves, and it is so smooth that it stabs out to the extreme.

It's just bending the elbows, just raising the arms, just moving the wrists, just stabbing out flatly, just the most awe-inspiring wind and thunder sword in this world, and a sword in the city.

At this time, the tip of the snowy and cold Chengying sword was only one foot away from the eldest princess's plain appearance, and the sword wind of the snow was blowing in her face, but Xiao Yingxue was still immovable.

A gust of wind blew, Xiao Yingxue smiled, her long black hair fluttering in the wind; With a flick of her fingers, the flying frost that condensed countless sword qi, with the help of the wind, carried a touch of white sword light, and drew a beautiful rainbow shadow in the hands of the eldest princess. The sword flower that soared into the sky vibrated so that Xiao Yingxue's clothes were hunting.

Like Xiao Changling, Xiao Yingxue's sword is also a sword that condenses all the wind and snow and thunder and lightning, and it is stabbed with a sword without modification.

Light when the sound.

Two swords strike.

Chengying and Flying Frost, two famous swords, emitted a series of crisp collision sounds; Swords and swords, blades and blades, rubbing countless brilliant sparks.

After the loud noise, Xiao Yingxue's body was like a luan bird, no, faster than a luan bird, like a snowflake rolled up by the howling wind, it turned several somersaults in the air, and it almost floated out fifteen zhang away; At the same moment, Xiao Changling's clear posture also leaned back slightly, and his toes smoothed out, only the black shadow long sword shrouded his body like rain, and he didn't know what invisible force he was resisting; In the end, I saw Xiao Changling sweeping his body and cutting down the long sword, so that he could rely on a sword to stabilize his figure.

The swords and shadows were staggered, and the two were separated by a few steps, which was a reluctant draw.

After a while, the two sisters and brothers looked at each other and smiled.

"Ah Pu, I haven't seen you for a few days, and I'm good at kung fu!" Xiao Yingxue brushed away the rust on the flying frost, put the sword behind her leisurely, and said with a smile on her face.

"Sister, your swordsmanship is not bad, and your brother is almost defeated." Xiao Changling slowly put his sword into the sheath, his expression was as plain as water.

Looking at himself, the second brother of his compatriot, who is usually not angry and arrogant, arrogant and inviolable, and has been named the "King of Jingbei", is so restrained today, which is really rare; Xiao Yingxue only felt that it was funny, and couldn't help but smile.

"Look, His Royal Highness King Qin, who has always been self-respecting, has become a humble gentleman today, which is rare!"

Xiao Changling smiled shyly and bitterly.

"My sister is used to making fun of her brother."

Another gust of wind blew, and the pale golden clear winter sun poured down on the whole body of the king of Jingbei; Xiao Changling in the sun, sword eyebrows and starry eyes, jade trees in the wind, dressed in white, with a smile on his face.

"I heard...... You're going back to Jinyang in a few days, aren't you? ”

The eldest princess's cold words drifted into Xiao Changling's ears. Xiao Changling's eyes were slightly downcast, as calm as a pool of deep water, and after a moment, he nodded and said.

"Yes, the army is about to level Liao, and Han Qing, as the lord of Jingbei, has an unshirkable responsibility."

In an indifferent word, the heroic style was revealed. The words are full of confidence and arrogance as a person who dominates 400,000 iron horses.

"In the end, he still hasn't been able to take away your military power." Xiao Yingxue's soft smile had a hint of sparseness, and she patted Xiao Changling's long shoulder, "Be careful in everything, remember, beware of cold arrows in the middle of the court." ”

Unexpectedly, Xiao Changling smiled, and in the dark pupils of his dark eyes, two cold sword rays flashed with dementors.

"Don't worry, they're not worthy of it!"

Suddenly, Xiao Yingxue held the "flying frost" in one hand, showing a thin smile slightly.

"Okay, it's time for me to go back to Pingliang."

"What?! War in the West? Xiao Changling's sword eyebrows were flying, but there were no waves in the ancient wells on his face.

Xiao Yingxue nodded.

"A few days ago, I received a secret report that after the advance, Tubo gathered an army of 100,000 and plundered Hexi, as if there was a tendency to move, the war was critical, and I had to go back to command the operation."

A solemn look covered Xiao Changling's face, he looked at the sky from afar, his eyes were scorching, like the sun that could not penetrate the thick fog; The voice of the king of Jingbei is like ice, and the faint voice is like the water of a great river flowing under the ice, which is endless.

"Sister, for many years, you and my sister and brother have been fighting the enemy side by side, working together, I resist Rouran, Jun resists Tibet, and our sincerity to the Great Zhou Dynasty is unmatched in the world. I think that at the beginning, in the battle in the clouds, I led the army to fight with Rouran, at the critical juncture, when I was dying, my sister came to help, this kindness, my brother has always remembered it, and I dare not forget it. In short, a thousand words, sister, if there is a place for the younger brother, despite the words, I will immediately send troops to help you! ”

Who knows, Xiao Yingxue waved her hand lightly, and just said lightly.

"Hey, there's no need, little Tubo, I can still handle it, let's take care of each other."

"In that case, take care." Xiao Changling's expression was surging, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

The cold wind under the eaves gusted, blowing up the white clothes of the king of Jingbei, like a dream, like a fantasy.

……

Snow falls in the imperial capital.

There is snow in Shangjing, there is snow in Jinyang, there is snow in the world, and the hearts of the people are north.