065 times, depressed and detached from the grass on the plain, every year I wish a new glory

When Mei Yi arrived in Luoyang, Mei Xiaolang had just left the day before he led the army on the expedition. The car book guessed well, this time the Tang Dynasty really took Mei Xiaolang as the commander of the Western Expedition, and at the same time transferred Wang Fangyi of Tingzhou Assassin Shi to protect Anxi, and went out from Broken Leaf to join forces with Mei Xiaolang to jointly conquer the Turkic rebels, and there was a small episode in it.

The remnants of the Turks once again rallied to plot a rebellion, and this time it was different from the past, and the imperial court attached great importance to it, because the Turkic tribes of various surnames scattered all over the country suddenly became unusually united, and in a short period of time they gathered hundreds of thousands of troops, which was the largest rebellion on the border in recent years. Originally, under the years of blows and appeasement by the imperial court, the Turkic tribes scattered in the steppe desert had long been like a plate of scattered sand, and most of them had no intention or ability to confront the central government, so why did they suddenly form a group?

A very important reason is the appeal of the rebel leader, Ashina Cheshu is not the most powerful Turkic tribal leader, but the spiritual leader of all the Turkic nobles, a totemic symbol, or a "human rui". He is the descendant of Bishi Khan, the great unified leader of the Turkic period, and in the eyes of the steppe people, he represents the most noble blood of the Turks.

Bishi Khan, speaking of which has a lot of roots with the Tang Empire, can even be called the "father of the nation" of the Tang Dynasty. I think that when Tang Gaozu Li Yuan raised troops from Taiyuan, he did not raise the anti-flag, but respected Emperor Yang of Sui as the emperor, and played the banner of marching to Chang'an to support Yang Yu, the king of the dynasty, as the emperor, in an attempt to emulate Cao Cao and coerce the Son of Heaven to order the princes. When the army was raised, he was worried about the instability of the northern border and deliberately declared himself a vassal to the Turks, and respected Bishi Khan as his father-in-law.

Tang Gaozu Li Yuan once considered himself to be the foreign minister of Bishi Khan, although later the Tang Dynasty opened up thousands of miles and the barbarian tribes bowed down to the vassals, but this historical stain can never be washed away. After the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. The powerful Turks were divided into East and West, the Eastern Turks were destroyed, and the Western Turks were crippled, but in the minds of the Turkic tribes, the descendants of Bishi Khan remained their spiritual leaders.

When Ashina Funian and Ashdwin Fu were in power, they were suspicious of Che Ji but did not dare to kill Che Shu, so they had to protect and support him and call on the Turkic tribes in his name. On the surface, he was respectful, but in fact, he also sent heavy troops to put the car book under house arrest. Later, Fu Nian and Wen Fu rebelled and were exterminated by Pei Xingjian's army, which was equivalent to releasing the car book, and the mysterious and elite remnants that the Mei brothers encountered on the grassland were the car book and his guards.

Before Fu Nian was executed, the Tang Dynasty had no precedent for killing meritorious generals, and Fu Nian surrendered to Cheng before the battle to assist Pei Xingjian's army to quell the chaos. When he arrived in Luoyang, he was killed, and the remnants of the Turks were not satisfied. The news reached Luoyang, but Li was seriously ill. After the martial arts summoned the ministers to discuss with the court, it was necessary to send a commander to lead the army.

Cheng Wuting did not recommend sending people to the central part of the country, because the northwest region is vast and the climate is complex, and the distribution and migration of various tribes are also very complicated. It takes a general who is familiar with the local situation to command the army in order to take the strategic initiative, and Pei Xingjian just died of illness, and no one is familiar with the geography and military affairs of the northwest. He recommended Wang Fangyi, the assassin of Tingzhou, as the commander, who had been operating in the northwest for many years, was not only familiar with the situation but also had a high prestige among the local people.

Empress Wu's original plan, the coach of the Western Expedition should choose one of Mei Xiaolang and Cheng Wuting, but Cheng Wuting recommended Wang Fangyi. From a military point of view, Wang Fangyi is indeed the most suitable coach. But Cheng Wuting is a pure military general, and he doesn't think about other complicated things in his head.

That Wang Fangyi was a distant cousin of the late Empress Wang, and the Wu clan sat on the queen's seat only after overthrowing the queen Wang, and gradually grasped the power of the imperial court, and had many suspicions about the Wang family, so it would be good not to frame him, so how could he reuse it? Empress Wu did not adopt this suggestion, and appointed Mei Xiaolang as the commander to lead an army of 200,000 to the northwest. Wang Fangyi is the deputy marshal. He led 100,000 garrison horses in the northwest town to join Mei Xiaolang's army, and all military affairs were controlled by Mei Xiaolang. Both used Wang Fangyi to fight and didn't want him to make a head.

At that time, Mei Xiaolang already knew the news of his eldest son's exile in Wuzhou, and sent people to look around, and also greeted the state capitals in the vicinity of Jiangnan, and was very worried, but the state affairs were important, and he had to lead the army to leave Luoyang.

Mei Xiaolang knew in his heart that although he was the commander, he still had to obey Wang Fangyi's marching strategy in the northwest, and the life and death of hundreds of thousands of horses and horses, and the safety of the western border were not a joke. This battle must be won completely, and the Turks must be completely defeated, otherwise let Che Shu and others wander around again, and there will be endless troubles, and today's rebellion General Pei Xingjian has already predicted.

The day after Mei Xiaolang left Luoyang, Mei Yi chased after him from behind, and when he saw Mei Yi coming with an injury, his face was pale, Mei Xiaolang asked in surprise: "Mei Yi, who hurt you? Did my son have any accidents?"

Mei Yi knelt on the ground: "My subordinates are incompetent, the young master was kidnapped by a strong man, but I am powerless to rescue him." He didn't understand much about what Mei Zhenyi said before leaving, but when Luoyang heard that the Northwest Turks had rebelled and that the Duke of Southern Lu had led the army to the battle, he thought it all out in his heart, and broke out in a cold sweat.

After retreating, Mei Yi secretly reported to Mei Xiaolang about the experience of encountering Zuo Youxian, and conveyed what Mei Zhenyi said. Mei Xiaolang was speechless for a long time, his face was gloomy and he couldn't see any expression, but when he subconsciously took a cup of tea, the tea bowl in his hand snapped and shattered. Mei Yi knelt there on one leg for a long time and didn't dare to speak.

"You get up, it's not your fault, no matter how you fight wits and strength, you are not Zuo Youxian's opponent, and if you can send the news, you have already done your duty. Mei Xiaolang finally stopped being silent and reached out to help Mei Yi.

"Do you know why Zuo Youxian let you come to see me?" Mei Xiaolang asked again.

Mei Yi: "I'm ashamed, I can't stop Zuo Youxian, and the young master himself promised to go with him obediently, begging Zuo Youxian to let me come to report the news, and Zuo Youxian actually agreed." ”

Mei Xiaolang sighed, shook his head and said, "You still haven't seen it through, Zuo Youxian deliberately let you report the news." They have been traveling around the prefectures and counties in Jiangnan for many days, and they are probably waiting for this opportunity, and they are probably also in the calculation of Zuo You Immortal Land when they meet you. ”

Mei Yi was stunned: "My subordinates don't understand." ”

Mei Xiaolang: "What is the use of kidnapping my son and sending him to the front of the two armies, if I don't know? He let you come to see me, just to let me be sure of two things, one is that my son is not dead, and the other is that my son will indeed be taken to the northwest in the hands of Zuo Youxian." This must be confirmed privately and in person by my confidants. You are the best fit. ”

Mei Yi: "The Turks are at war with the imperial court, why are you sending a master to arrest my young master?"

Mei Xiaolang: "I have a grudge against Che Shu, and I am the commander of this expedition to the west, and taking my son as a hostage, no matter what the purpose is, it will not be harmful to them, and it will not be good for me." ”

Mei Yi: "Then how can we save the young master? At this time, Zuo Youxian may not have reached the northwest yet, so he sent someone to intercept him on the way?"

Mei Xiaolang shook his head again: "That kind of person, do you know which way he will go? I'm afraid I won't have to go to the northwest to figure it out. You remember, this matter must be kept secret and must not be leaked out, so that I can send my henchmen to talk secretly with the other party, and see what conditions can be made in private to save Teng'er, once the news is revealed, I have nothing to do. ”

Mei Yi asked worriedly: "What if the other party forces you to withdraw from the army, or wants you to be defeated?"

As soon as Mei Xiaolang slapped the table, he heard a loud noise. The wood shattered to the ground, and he gritted his teeth and said, "If this is the case, how can I joke about a son, with hundreds of thousands of troops and the safety of the people of the country!"

Mei Yi looked at Nan Lugong with respect, and at the same time thought of Mei Zhenyi's situation. I couldn't help but shiver. At this time, there was a report from the soldiers outside the tent - Ji Yuanzhen, the head of the Donghua Sect of the world's cultivation sect, led all the disciples in the sect to ask for a meeting. Mei Xiaolang was taken aback, stood up and said, "How could these masters come to the barracks?"

Mei Yi explained on the side: "The young master is in Wuzhou, and he once worshipped Donghua Shangxian Zhong Liquan as a teacher, and Donghua Shangxian has a lot of connections with Donghua Gate in the world. They are most likely here for the young master's business. ”

Mei Xiaolang was overjoyed: "Soon, please —— no, I'll go out to greet you personally!"

Zuo Youxian sat cross-legged, this sitting was all night, and when he opened his eyes, he smelled the aroma of barbecue. I saw Mei Zhenyi setting up a fire not far away, and a rabbit that had been cleaned and cleaned was roasted with a branch, and the oil drippings were sizzling on the fire, and bursts of green smoke were wafting.

Seeing Zuo Youxian open his eyes. Mei Zhenyi asked: "Senior Zuo, do you want to try my craftsmanship?" Unfortunately, there are no oil, salt, sauce and vinegar and other ingredients, I picked a few wild juices to smear, the taste should be acceptable, if you are not afraid that the wild fruits I picked indiscriminately are poisonous, just try it." As he spoke, he tore off a rabbit's leg and threw it over.

If Zuo Youxian could be brought down so easily, Mei Zhenyi, who was a disciple of Sun Simiao, would have drugged him a long time ago. Zuo Youxian smiled, took the rabbit leg and tasted it. The outside is charred and tender on the inside, and there is a slight spicy taste. couldn't help but boast: "It tastes really good, a pampered young master." How can there be a craft of roasting meat in the wilderness without borrowing oil and salt?"

Mei Zhenyi: "Don't forget that I have always lived in the mountains, and when my master Sun Simiao was here, hunters often sent wild game as medical expenses, and it was not unusual for me to roast rabbits." If you're satisfied, can you tell me what you wanted to discuss with me yesterday?"

Zuo Youxian looked at him, his face became serious, and he said unhurriedly: "If you promise to worship under my Zuo Dao Sect, take me as a teacher, and follow me to carry forward the Zuo Dao Sect in the future, this time I will try my best to save your life in front of the two armies, not only take you away alive, but also pass on your supernatural powers." ”

When Zuo Youxian said the three words "Zuo Daomen", it was not an ordinary simple sentence, but with a strange divine thought, which was directly printed in Mei Zhenyi's divine consciousness, containing a lot of information, and the land was a "witty word" magic spell. This information includes his own background, the origin of the left door, and so on. It's also convenient to deal with such a master, and you don't need to explain complicated things in detail.

Mei Zhenyi was stunned, a little stupid, and didn't say anything for a long time with her mouth open. It was not just because Zuo Youxian was surprised that he wanted to take him as an apprentice, but the impact of this kind of witty language special technique on him was too great, so much information was sent to the divine consciousness at one time, and it took a long time to digest, and this was also the first time he had seen this kind of magical power.

After a cup of tea, Mei Zhenyi breathed a sigh of relief, shook her shoulders as if she had "woken up", and said to Zuo Youxian with a wry smile: "Senior Zuo, your cultivation is superb and powerful, I admire it very much." But apprentices shouldn't be like you, right, how can there be a reason to kidnap first and then force?"

Zuo Youxian shook his head: "The kidnapping of you is entrusted by someone, and it has nothing to do with the matter of accepting apprentices." I really want to take you alive from the front of the two armies. And pass on your supernatural powers**, but the premise is that you must sincerely worship under my left door. ”

Mei Zhenyi: "You just sent me the Earth Divine Thought, and you have made the origin of Zuo Daomen clear, to be honest, I sympathize with the experience of my predecessors, but I don't appreciate your approach." ”

Zuo Youxian's face turned cold: "Sympathy? The world is impermanent, you don't need sympathy!" I only ask you. Would you like to apprentice?"

Mei Zhenyi's expression was a little funny, I don't know if I want to cry or laugh: "Senior Zuo, I also ask you a rhetorical question, my father is the prime minister of the dynasty and the general of the counterinsurgency, can I follow you around to rebel?"

Zuo Youxian replied lightly: "The master who taught you your homework in Jingting Mountain is that Xingyun Master, and her father was also the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. Isn't she also a down-and-out monk and a nun? The son of Nanlu Gong, how is the daughter of Chu Henan Gongdi? If you can't let go, you won't be able to get true cultivation after all, and you may end up worse than that Chu Yunxing in the future. You might as well come with me as soon as possible!"

Mei Zhenyi frowned: "It's not that I can't let go of fame and wealth, which can't be compared with worshipping the Left Daomen." ”

Zuo Youxian said coldly: "If you don't join Zuo Daomen, you will die for a lifetime, this is the way to seek good fortune and avoid evil." You won't be uninformed! If you are willing to worship me as a teacher, I will save your life. ”

Mei Zhenyi thought about it and said: "Senior Zuo, if I worship you as a teacher because I am greedy for life and afraid of death, will it be sincere? If you want to take me as an apprentice, you won't want me to be hypocritical, right?"

Zuo Youxian smiled: "You ask well, this is indeed a dilemma." Treacherous, greedy for life and afraid of death, what kind of spiritual path do you talk about? If you worship me as a teacher because of this, I can't agree to it. But now I want to take you as a disciple. and threaten your life, and they will not be able to accept you sincerely. - What should I do?"

Mei Zhenyi's eyes blinked: "It's easy to do, then you save me first, and then ask me if I want to worship you as a teacher, isn't it no problem?"

Zuo Youxian's smile became more and more vigorous: "Stinky boy, do you still want to be fooled by me? Let's have a delaying tactic first, and then let's get away with this catastrophe? After you have broken through the realm of Dacheng Immortals through your cultivation. I have a way to know if you are truly obedient to the left way, if you are suspected of deceiving the teacher and betraying the door. I'll be the first to kill you and clean up the portal!"

Mei Zhenyi shuddered slightly: "Senior Zuo, don't scare me, I haven't worshiped you as a teacher yet." Besides, I already have a spiritual teacher, so I have to ask my teacher. ”

Zuo Youxian waved his sleeves: "I don't care whose apprentice you used to be, as long as you sincerely worship my door, if you want to think about it, just think about it, but I want to tell you, time is running out, you have to decide as soon as possible." ”

Mei Zhenyi shook his head: "Senior Zuo, with your cultivation, you won't not understand, this kind of thing is only true and false, no matter how long I think about it, I'm afraid it's useless." ”

Zuo Youxian nodded straightly: "Stinky boy, what you said is good, there are some things that you can't figure out yourself, since I want to take you as an apprentice, I will naturally try to enlighten you." ”

What will Zuo Youxian do, Mei Zhenyi beat the drum in his heart, but after the next few days, Zuo Youxian did not behave abnormally.

He couldn't control what Zuo Youxian wanted, Mei Zhenyi didn't pin his hope of getting out of trouble, and kept planning to escape again, in fact, he had been quietly preparing for many days. This time there was no one to help him, and he was left to himself.

Since meeting Mei Yi on the road, Zuo Youxian's itinerary has changed, and after crossing the Yellow River, he was very careful all the way, walking through the mountains and avoiding inaccessible places, going straight north to Guanwai, and then turning west. Here is an endless prairie and intermittent hills, and there is no one in sight, even if there are herdsmen active in this area, Zuo Youxian is far away.

It's not that Mei Zhenyi hadn't seen a grassland before he crossed over, but he really hadn't seen this kind of grassland. The season is late spring and early summer, the grassland has just passed the rainy season, the grass is very lush, the height exceeds Mei Zhenyi's shoulders, and there are unknown wildflowers growing everywhere, and the purple and red are very bright. Occasionally, we pass through a few hills, and the trees on the mountains are not very tall, but grow strangely and lushly.

Standing on a high slope and looking into the distance, it is natural to think of the poem - "The sky is blue, the wilderness is vast, and the wind blows the grass and sees the cattle and sheep." "This is the grassland that is truly full of vitality, not the kind of low, barren appearance that I saw before crossing over! Mei Zhenyi sighed in her heart, and her hands were not idle, still holding the demon needle every day to find a place where "spiritual energy is full".