In the northwest of Jingzhou, mountains stretch, and a large river meanders through the mountains. This is another larger tributary in the upper reaches of the Jinghe River.

On the top of an isolated mountain, a wet and cold wind mixed with fine snowflakes was blowing. Zhu Xiu and Yan Ping struggled to climb to the top of the mountain with crutches.

The road up the mountain was covered with mud and snow, making it slippery and difficult to walk. Zhu Xiu panted with her hands on her hips and glared at Yan Ping complainingly, wondering why he chose such a remote and difficult place.

Yan Ping smiled and muttered a little aggrievedly: "Young envoy, please don't blame me. Li Guangyan led the party members to enter Qingzhou. There is only one way to go. If you take the official road between the two states, it is too conspicuous and easy to

It arouses suspicion. If you think about it for a while, you can think that our Zhangyi Army deliberately let go of the party members..."

Zhu Xiu groaned and said nothing, but Yan Ping was telling the truth. He was doing a full show and would rather suffer more to avoid more trouble in the future.

"Young Master, look quickly, Li Guangyan and Lady Hongyu are here too." Yan Ping pointed to the north slope of Gushan.

Zhu Xiu squinted her eyes and saw snowflakes falling, and two figures climbing back and forth on the northern hillside.

Looking around, the entire hillside was covered with white snowflakes, and two tiny figures fell on it, like two moving black spots.

Zhu Xiu and Yan Ping came forward with crutches, one foot deep and one foot shallow, walking in the thick snow.

Li Guangyan was dressed in a shabby winter coat with bloodstains all over his body. His messy hair was tied randomly behind his head. He was breathing heavily and blowing out thick white air. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked tired, but he could not hide the indescribable light in his eyes.

Li Guangyan looked at Zhu Xiu, his chapped lips twitched, as if he didn't know how to speak, he put his palms on his chest and lowered his head slightly.

Bi Hongyu, who was following him, used a long knife as a crutch and stood silently, her expression as cold as the weather in the wilderness.

She was wearing a fur hat, which made her face look even more petite, her nose was red from the cold, and her bright red lips were gasping for air.

At first glance, the two of them looked a bit like a couple on the run.

"It went well, right?" Zhu Xiu said with a smile.

Li Guangyan nodded, turned and pointed to the north slope: "We can reach Qingzhou by going around the foot of the mountain and walking out of this mountain range."

Zhu Xiu looked and saw in the distance that on the muddy and winding path at the foot of the mountain, the party prisoners were marching slowly, like a long black worm, slowly crawling between the mountains.

"Qingzhou is so vast and sparsely populated that it is difficult to find supplies. We still need a batch of food and water before leaving the state border." Li Guangyan said solemnly.

Zhu Xiudao: "This is easy to handle. Later, Pan Mei will appear near the state border disguised as a caravan with military supplies. You will lead your army to plunder. Pan Mei and her men will flee in panic, and the supplies will be obtained smoothly."

Li Guangyan thought about it and thought it was feasible, and then asked: "How can we contact each other?"

Zhu Xiu pointed at Bi Hongyu: "Hongyu's ventriloquism is outstanding. She is also a special instructor of the Zhangyi Army, specializing in ventriloquism training. All the orderlies in the army who are good at ventriloquism are her apprentices."

Li Guangyan glanced at Bi Hongyu in surprise, not expecting that this fierce woman had another special skill.

Li Guangyan led his army to flee north, and Pan Mei led his army to pursue him.

Of course, Pan Mei's pursuit was just a show, and she shouted loudly, but in fact it was just to make the party members run away.

In order to rob food and grass in a seemingly reasonable way, Li Guangyan also led the Dangxiang prisoners to stage a good show of robbing the camp in the middle of the night. He boldly attacked and defeated the pursuing enemy troops and grabbed a large amount of military rations. With sufficient food, the Dangxiang people could escape all the way to

The northwest boundary of Jingzhou.

After this battle, Li Guangyan became even more famous among the Dangxiang prisoners. The Dangxiang people regarded him as their lucky star and the hope of leading them to break out of the enemy's blockade and return home.

These man-made "miracles" on the way to escape greatly increased the party members' confidence in survival. Whenever they were exhausted on the way to escape, and even wanted to stay and fight the enemy to the death, an invisible hand would support them.

Li Yiyin and his son abandoned them, and the entire party aristocratic group ignored their life and death. Only Li Guangyan shared the joys and sorrows with them and led them to miraculously fight a bloody road.

Li Guangyan encouraged them that as long as they escaped to Gyeongju, the pursuit of the Changyi Army would be greatly slowed down. The Dangxiang prisoners believed this and followed Li Guangyan firmly.

Snowflakes are falling, and the winter wind echoes in the mountains and fields.

Li Guangyan looked at Zhu Xiu with complicated eyes, feeling both gratitude and resentment in his heart, and the many emotions were complicated and intertwined.

Zhu Xiu ruthlessly tore the fragile emotional bond between him and Li Yiyin and his son, forcing him with a knife to embark on a path that he had thought about before but did not dare to actually embark on.

At the same time, he was also somewhat grateful. It was Zhu Xiu who helped him see himself clearly and gave him the courage to face the ambition deep in his heart.

Zhu Xiu gave him his life and gave him the opportunity to realize his ambition.

Zhu Xiu seemed to be aware of the complicated emotions in Li Guangyan's eyes, dusted off the snow foam on his body, and said calmly: "Whether you are grateful to me or you hate me, since you choose to return to Xiazhou, you will be destined to take this road, unless

....”

Zhu Xiu looked at him and said sarcastically: "Unless you act like an ostrich like before, bury your head in the sand, continue to pretend to be deaf and dumb, and deceive yourself and others, or you can put down your dignity and pride and kneel in front of Li Yiyin and his son to beg for life.

Be a faithful slave....

But I want to tell you that it is never safe to leave things like fate to others. It must still be in your own hands. If you want to live, you must be your own master!"

Li Guangyan lowered his head and was silent for a long time. The confusion and complicated emotions in his eyes disappeared completely, replaced by a firm and sharp light, like a sword that wipes away the dust to reveal its true colors, like a head that licks its wounds and moves forward silently.

A lone wolf.

"I owe you a life, and I will be your most loyal friend!" Li Guangyan said in a hoarse voice, solemnly clenching his fist and punching his chest hard.

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "Have a good journey. Return to Wuyuan, settle down your men, and then go to Xiazhou to see Li Yiyin, and tell a good cry about what happened in Jingzhou, and tell a perfect escape story of a narrow escape.

In order to appease the clan members, Li Yiyin may pretend to feel guilty and transfer you back to Xiazhou, Yinzhou to serve. When the time comes, he must try his best to shirk it. The closer you are to Li Yiyin and his son, the more surveillance you will receive. You must find a way to stay in Wuyuan.

You can show your deep hatred for Zhang Yijun and me, threaten to take my head for revenge, and other sad and angry words. In short, you must make people believe that there is an irresolvable personal grudge between you and Chang Yijun.

The Yuanzhou Racecourse is another great gift I give you. You can send troops to occupy it, raise horses there, and recruit people in the name of the racecourse garrison. I will send people the initial funds, and you will be responsible for the profits and losses later...

As long as you stay in Wuyuan peacefully, Li Yiyin and his son will not do anything to you for the time being. They will most likely not interfere with such trivial matters as raising horses to make money and recruiting troops. What you have to do is to slowly accumulate strength and let others

My wings are fuller..."

Li Guangyan listened carefully and kept every word Zhu Xiu said in mind.

"When can I return to Xiazhou openly?" Li Guangyan said in a low voice.

"As long as Li Yiyin reigns, you will have no hope of seizing power. You will have to wait until he dies and wait until Li Guangrui succeeds as the leader of the Dingnan Army!" Zhu Xiu said lightly.

Li Guangyan's thick black brows knitted together and he looked at him solemnly without speaking.

Zhu Xiu spread her hands: "I know that Li Yiyin is still strong when he is over forty, can shoot a two-stone bow, can eat three to five kilograms of meat in one meal, marries several brides every year, and has his sons and daughters every year.

Birth...According to this calculation, this guy may not have any problem living for another twenty or thirty years."

"Not bad." Li Guangyan looked ugly and spat out two words dryly.

"But the sky is unpredictable, and people are prone to misfortunes and misfortunes. Who knows whether this guy will fall to death while riding a horse, fall into a latrine and drown, eat meat and drink alcohol to death, or die from exhaustion due to too many women..." Zhu

Xiu smiled sinisterly.

Li Guangyan's face trembled and he was speechless.

"So, instead of worrying about when Li Yiyin will die, it is better to focus more on managing yourself. The stronger you accumulate in Wuyuan, the greater the possibility and easier it will be to seize power when you return to Xiazhou in the future!"

Zhu Xiu warned.

Li Guangyan took a deep breath: "I understand!"

After a pause, he said in a deep voice: "What do you need me to do for you?"

Zhu Xiu smiled and asked: "You have nothing, what can you do for me?"

Li Guangyan was silent.

Zhu Xiu stood on tiptoes a little, patted his broad shoulder, and said comfortingly: "Our cooperative relationship will last for a long time. In the future, I will be an official in Kaifeng and you will be the king in Hetao. I really need someone like you."

Help from powerful allies!”

Li Guangyan nodded and stared at him with deep eyes: "I hope we can be true friends. If we become your enemy, it will be a terrible and interesting thing!"

Zhu Xiu shrugged, shaking off the snowflakes from his body, and smiled brightly: "I hope so!"

Li Guangyan clasped his fists heavily, turned around and walked down the north slope, standing in the distance and waiting.

Zhu Xiu stepped on the snow and walked up to Bi Hongyu, hesitatingly saying: "Have you really decided to go back to Wuyuan with Li Guangyan? It's still too late to change your mind now. Come back with me and send someone else..."

"I've decided!" Bi Hongyu interrupted coldly before he could finish.

Zhu Xiu rubbed his hands and said melancholy: "To be honest, Li Guangyan's development in Wuyuan is very important. There is no one with outstanding ability and trust in me who follows him. I am really worried... I just let you go,

I still feel a little reluctant to give up..."

The corners of Bi Hongyu's lips curved up slightly, a glimmer of light flashed deep in her eyes, but her face remained cold as she said: "Li Guangyan doesn't have a capable person to help him, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to accomplish anything. With me here, it will be easier for you to contact him."

"But... there is no hope of your return once you leave. It may be three to five years, or it may be ten to eight years... When Bi Zhenhai comes back, he will complain about me when he knows that I sent you to help the party members.

...." Zhu Xiu hesitated, unsure of what to pay attention to.

Bi Hongyu said calmly: "This is my own decision and has nothing to do with anyone else! I will explain it to my brother when he comes."

Seeing her firm attitude, Zhu Xiu sighed: "Okay, just remember to put your own safety first in everything! If things fail, you can try to find a way, but if you die, it will really be over..."

Bi Hongyu glanced at him and muttered: "That's embarrassing~"

"Let's go~"

After saying this casually, Bi Hongyu turned around and strode down the hillside with her back to him, raising her hand and waving.

The two figures gradually moved away in the wind and snow, disappearing into the vast white mountains.

For some reason, Zhu Xiu suddenly felt a sense of loss in her heart. She looked up and sighed, and the crystal snow foam hit her face, making it cold...

~~~

As the New Year approaches, Anding County is bustling with activity.

The people of Jingzhou, who have worked hard all year, are looking forward to the arrival of the New Year.
To be continued...