Hongwu twenty-one years, April sixteen, Mao time. Mobei, fishing Haiming army camp.

The rising sun in the early morning shines gently on the earth, and the cool breeze blows, mixed with a trace of warmth.

The soldiers who got up early to practice had already begun to bury the pot and cook, and a new day began. At this time, there was a black spot in the desert to the west that was moving towards the barracks, and the soldiers standing guard found that it was two people riding together. When he got closer, he realized that one of them was his own coach Lan Yu. I saw that the marshal's resolute face was still so serious, and his body was still so mighty. But the clothes on his body were full of holes, and his hands and face were covered with blood.

Guo Ying, the general on duty today, came up to greet him when he heard the news. Lan Yu ordered: "Pass my order to urgently gather five thousand light horsemen and stand by outside the camp. Tell Wang Bi to quickly prepare firearms such as oil, torches, rockets, and sulfur, and when you are done, you two will meet me in the tent. As soon as he turned his head, he said to Li Jia, "You come too!" and strode towards the handsome tent. Li Jia shook his head, sighed lightly, and followed into the handsome tent.

In the tent, Lan Yu marked Xiao Gu and the location where the yurt was found last night on the map of Wang Bi and Guo Ying, arranged this mission, and saw that Li Jia glanced at him, so he ordered Wang Guo and the others to wait outside the account. The guards also retreated first.

Only Lan and Li were left in the tent. Li Jia looked at Lan Yu with a murderous face, and persuaded with a pun: "Why bother to come? Anyway, the person is no longer there." This sentence moved to the bottom of Lan Yu's heart, and the anger, hatred, humiliation, helplessness, and inexplicable sadness that had been suppressed in Lan Yu's heart from last night to the present suddenly surged into her heart, and Lan Yu swung her right fist and hit Li Jia hard in the face.

Li Jia got up from the ground, rubbed his swollen face, spat blood, and whispered to Lan Yu: "Just go for the two of them, you don't want to go." Those rats are mutated creatures and cannot remain in the world. It is better to burn it, so that it will not harm people again. The people of the Demon Cult should have evacuated long ago, and those who were left behind must be the unsuspecting local herdsmen. Three days have passed since the great victory of the fishing sea, and the immediate priority is the withdrawal of the division. You have a heavy army on the border, and it is inevitable that people will be suspicious. The early withdrawal of the army can reassure the heart of the imperial court, and secondly, after a long battle, the soldiers will think of returning. Sanlai Demon Gate has been secretly plotting, which is not good for the army, and at present we do not know anything about its plan, and the enemy is secret. But there is one thing, once we quickly evacuate, cross the Xifeng Pass, and enter the pass, all the plans and arrangements of the Demon Gate will be frustrated. ”

After stopping and thinking about it, Li Jia said again: "The biggest hidden danger within our side during the withdrawal of the army is the seventy or eighty thousand prisoners. In addition to strengthening the guards along the road, before setting out, you can burn the captured weapons, armor, battle robes, battle flags, etc., in front of them, to cut off their thoughts materially, and secondly, to disarm them mentally and completely conquer the other party, so that they have no heart to resist. Lan Yu nodded yes, understanding that this is a technique to attack the heart, the most powerful, but it can be a soldier who surrenders without a fight.

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Li Jia said to Lan Yu: "You didn't observe the masked man who left first last night? This person is very important, he is the executor of the Demon Sect's plan, and if you find him, you can thwart the plot of the Demon Gate." ”

Lan Yu said: "This person is wrapped in a big robe, his face is always hidden behind the face towel, and he is sitting with his back to him, he is really 'hidden deeply', what else can be observed?"

Seeing that Lan Yu's mood improved and returned to normal, Li Jia also felt a little comforted, thinking that my punch was not in vain. With a smile on his face, he analyzed: "You're right! The deeper he hides, the more unseemly he becomes, the more curious I become." Did you notice what he was doing as he left?"

Lan Yu said: "Isn't there anything, this person bowed out." ”

Li Jia said: "Yes! You are used to seeing this ceremony, and he is used to it, what does it mean? He is very accustomed to practicing the etiquette of his own nationality, although this person is wearing Mongolian clothes, but he must be Han!"

Lan Yu raised the bar and said: "What is so strange about that, there are many Han people!"

Li Jia said with a smile: "At least the person you are looking for has been narrowed down by half! Besides, you don't need to find him, as long as you beware of such a person, you will be done after passing through the Xifeng Pass safely." ”

"Also," Li Jia said, "the moment he opened the curtain, the wind blew his robe, revealing the scabbard of the sword he was wearing. It wasn't an ordinary sword. That's a standard sword! The standard sword of a Ming officer!"

Lan Yu immediately understood. Since Qin Shi Huang ruled the world, the powerful imperial armies that existed on the land of China all used standard weapons, as strong as the Han and Tang dynasties, and even the Song Dynasty. Standard weapons can not only be mass-produced, save costs, but also ensure quality, and can also be used to determine identity and grade. In addition to sleeping, the generals who wear swords are all inseparable from their swords, and the swords have become part of their bodies. That person thought of changing his clothes, but he couldn't think of changing his sword! This person was probably from the Ming military!

Li Jia's words made Lan Yu sincerely admire and grateful, and was thinking about how to help Li Jia regain the "Book of Ink" after the class teacher returned to Beijing, but Li Jia said: "Okay, I've said everything I want to say, and the matter here is over for the time being, so don't go over it!"

Lan Yu hurriedly grabbed the corner of Li Jiayi's clothes and said, "Why is it over? The "Ink Book" has not been found yet! It is better to enter the customs together, and accompany you after my class teacher recovers. ”

Li Jia smiled: "I have received the general's wishes." But you are an important minister of the court and a military leader, so it is not appropriate to meddle in the rights and wrongs of the rivers and lakes, especially Momen, which was feared by the emperors of previous dynasties, and if you are involved, you will cause great disaster. The people in the demon gate are revenge, the means are vicious, and they cannot be prevented, and they will be unable to sleep and eat if they are provoked. Looking for your cooperation this time, I thought that I could find the "Ink Book" from the Northern Yuan Palace, but I didn't expect the Demon Gate Yellow Bird to be behind. This matter is already a matter between my Momen and the Demon Sect, and outsiders don't have to interfere. I have sent a signal that I will do my best and go north to the grassland, you don't have to worry about me. You have fulfilled the promise you made to me at the time, and there is no need to apologize. I'll go back to the account now and clean it up, and you can arrange for someone to notify Yuanmen to release it. With that, he opened the door and walked out.

Li Jia didn't have much with him, only a big backpack, which he simply packed, just asked the guards at the door for some water and put it in his leather bag, and then got up and came to Yuanmen.

Lan Yu stood alone outside the gate. Li Jia walked out of the barracks, and Lan Yu silently sent him off. Lan Yu's personal guard led the horse and followed from a distance. The two of them were silent all the way, and when they walked for almost eight or nine miles, Li Jia stopped and said to Lan Yu: "Send you a thousand miles, and you must say goodbye in the end." The general is busy with official business, so don't leave it at that!"

Lan Yu asked lightly, "I wonder if what you said counts?"

Li Jiaqi said: "What did I say?"

Lan Yu said: "The matter of collecting Yue'er into the ink gate!"

Li Jia was overjoyed: "Okay!" After speaking, he pondered for a while, and then said: "Today, five years later, I should come to visit." ”

Lan Yu asked, "How do you determine the five-year period?"

Li Jia said: "Regardless of whether the "Ink Book" can be returned to Zhao this time, my Momen and the Demon Sect will not give up, and it is unknown whether I can survive this time, in this case, I don't want to pull Blue Moon into this troubled water." Moreover, Blue Moon is exactly eighteen five years later, and he has grown up and can distinguish between right and wrong, and then you tell him about Momen, and everyone in my Momen is willing to join, not seeking fame and fortune, and having no regrets. ”

Lan Yu nodded and said, "It's okay, we also have a lot of official business and entertainment to face after we return to Beijing, so it's okay to take it slowly." ”

Li Jia said: "If I don't show up on the appointed day, Lan Yue can go to Jiangyin to find me." Li Jia is just a pseudonym, and his surname is Xu Mingjing, and his expression is silent. My Xu family is still a little famous in Jiangyin, so it's easy to find. When he entered the Xu family, he claimed to be an old friend of Mobei, and naturally someone arranged everything. ”

"Also," Li Jia, no, it should be Xu Moran continued: "The first town after entering Xifengkou-Zunhua, if you are seriously ill or poisoned during the march, you can go to Zunhua to find Wei Ci'an of Xuanjitang." This person is extremely clever, especially good at detoxification, but he is not known, usually does not show his medical skills, and lives in seclusion in the Hanging Shrine in the image of Mr. Bookkeeper. The 'Baicao Rejuvenation Pill' that I gave you last time was from him. As long as you say my exclusive code words and make gestures, he will know that it is my arrangement, and he will do his best to help you. "Teach Sapphire with code words and gestures.

Sapphire waved her hand back, and an iron guard led a horse to the end. This horse is tall, long and strong, and the most rare thing is that this horse is snow-white, and there is not a single stray hair. It's a good horse.

Lan Yu stroked the horse's mane with his hand very lovingly, handed the horse's reins to Xu Moran and said: "This horse's name is 'Tayan', just three years old, it is a Western domain foal, quite spiritual, and has saved my life several times. Your journey here is dangerous, and with it with you, you will be able to turn evil into good fortune. Immediately there will be a sack of gold, and you will take it. I know that you are thrifty, so gold is not for you to spend, it is a weapon. Sometimes, gold is the best weapon. Seeing that you didn't bring a blade, I brought you a sword by the way, this sword came from the Northern Yuan Palace, sharpening iron like clay, it should help you. ”

Xu Moran knew Lan Yu's temper, so he no longer shied. Step on the "stepping swallow", say "cherish" to the blue jade, and go west.

Lan Yu silently watched as the person rode away little by little, gradually disappearing on the western horizon, and then turned around and returned to the camp.

Lan Yu, who returned to the camp, immediately raised his account, arranged the withdrawal route, and issued the withdrawal order. When all the soldiers learned that they could return to the court, they cheered in unison.

At this time, Wang Bi and Guo Ying came back to resume their lives. As Xu Moran said, all the people in the Demon Gate have been evacuated, and the people who remain are local herdsmen after examination. After they surrounded the rat valley, they stuffed sulfur and fire oil into the rat hole, and then piled dry wood on the whole valley and set fire to the rats. When the giant Rat King tried to lead the crowd to fight back, he was killed by the soldiers on the spot. Only a small number of them ran away.

When Lan Yu saw this, he immediately set up his troops. The troops were organized into five armies, with Wang Bi as the vanguard and 10,000 light cavalry as the front army. 10,000 light cavalry guards on the left and right, Guo Yingshuai 10,000 heavy armored cavalry behind the palace, Lan Yushuai led the rest of the infantry and cavalry as the Chinese army, and all prisoners and treasures were guarded by the Chinese army. At the same time, six scouts were sent to investigate in all directions, in order to be foolproof.

150,000 Ming troops and 780,000 prisoners, the troops stretched for dozens of miles, and the flags fluttered. There is no head in front and no tail in the back, and the cavalry of the herald shuttles back and forth in the ranks, which is very spectacular. Although it was difficult to supply many people, the Ming army captured tens of thousands of cattle and sheep to solve the problem of food for everyone. It's just that the water source is scarce along the way, drinking water has become the biggest problem, people can bear it, and the horse will fall down if there is a lack of water, at this time Lan Yu will especially miss Xu Moran who can find a water source, it has been more than half a month since the breakup, I don't know if he has found the "Ink Book"?

Because there were thousands of captives of the harem concubines and princes of the Northern Yuan, they could not march for a long time, and the whole team marched during the day and camped and rested at night, from mid-April to early May, walked for more than 20 days, and still did not arrive, at this time the troops had been out of water for three days, and the people were sleepy and tired. At sunset, the scouts in front came with the news that Xifengkou was ahead, only a hundred miles away. Everyone was overjoyed, and Lan Yu immediately ordered to march overnight, and the soldiers entered the Xifeng Pass and rested.

Xifengkou is located at the east end of the Yanshan Mountain Range, Songting Pass was set up in the Han Dynasty, and it was called Lulongsai in the Tang Dynasty. It is surrounded by low-lying hills, which rise sharply from south to north, and the terrain is abrupt and difficult to navigate. The valley road formed by the Luan River makes it a natural passage between the north and the south. The place where the pass is located, the left and right cliffs are towering, and it is very dangerous. From this, you can go to the Daling River Basin in the northeast, go north to the eastern part of the Mongolian steppe, and enter the southwest through Zunhua and Jixian to Beiping, which is the throat of the very strategic position.

When the forward troops arrived, it was already the second watch. At this time, a bright moon hung high above the city pass, bright and bright. Lan Yu suddenly remembered that it was the fifteenth full moon tonight, and the last full moon seemed to be still in front of him, and he couldn't help but sigh in a low voice.

At this time, there was a commotion in the front ranks, and the troops could not advance. Lan Yu ordered to stop the advance, and was about to send someone to investigate, when the herald of the vanguard Wang Bi sent a message: the Xifeng Pass was closed, and the general guard refused to open the door. Submit the formalities tomorrow and verify your identity before you can enter the city.

Lan Yu looked at the tired soldiers around him, they had been out of water for several days, thinking of those wounded who were injured and waiting to enter the customs for treatment, he couldn't help but laugh angrily: "What a high-sounding reason! I want to see who is so bold?" You must know that the movement of hundreds of thousands of troops cannot be stopped at the same time, if it suddenly stops during a rapid march, it will have unexpected consequences, and it is easier to have a stampede of each other.

Lan Yu rode his horse to the front of the pass, and the city pass was also full of Ming troops, and the first of them was talking to Wang Bi. The man stood in an unlit place, unable to see clearly, but looked tall. I only heard him say: "The general has said many times, the city is open when the pass is opened, and it is closed when it is unitary, this is a rule for many years, and it is also the imperial court system." Even if you open the city, you have to verify the procedures and identity before you can enter and exit, how can you come and go freely, do you think this is the gate of your own house? It is useless to say more, and you will not retreat. The voice was deep and deep.

This deep voice reached Lan Yu's ears like a thunderclap—I heard this voice a month ago, in that yurt! This man is the masked man who walked out of the tent first! There must be a conspiracy for this man to obstruct tonight's entry for all sorts of reasons. Thinking of this, Lan Yu didn't say a word, and ordered: "Break through the pass and attack the city!"

The soldiers under him had already held back the fire in their stomachs, and Lan Yu's order was right in the middle of it, and they all shot out angrily and attacked the pass. How could the Ming army guarding the pass be the opponent of Lan Yu's men who had been in a hundred battles? In less than half an hour, they captured the city pass.

After entering the pass, Lan Yu asked the soldiers for questioning, and replied that the person who spoke in the city tower was Wang Shenghui, the deputy chief soldier of Xifengkou Pass. Upon investigation, it was found that this person had fallen from the castle tower and died during the attack on the pass, but his face was blurred with flesh and blood, but his identity could be determined from his clothes and sword. Lan Yu was deeply suspicious of the true identity of the corpse, but he had no evidence, so he gave up. Lan Yu asked the soldiers to rest for a while, and the next day the division returned to Beijing. Entering the Guannai all the way is calm, and the people in the towns and towns encountered along the way eat pot pulp, and greet each other on the road.

A month later, Lan Yu and his team returned to the capital in triumph.

”