Seeing that Ouyang De refused to accept the bag of silver, Dakui sighed and said: "In that case, senior, please listen to me."
Ouyang De couldn't help but ask: "The general has something to say, but it doesn't hurt to say it."
Da Kui said earnestly: "There are five thousand elite soldiers of our Ming Army stationed in Pingliang Town. On weekdays, if someone has a headache or a fever, he will have to trouble Mr. Ouyang of Jishi Hall in the town. Soldiers are all miserable. How can they have money to buy medicine for treatment? Now, After years of fighting, I don’t know when the military salary will be replenished. This money should be put in the locker to get medicine for the soldiers. Senior Ouyang, please don’t refuse anymore."
Ouyang De looked at the silver bag in Dakui's hand and sighed: "The general left his post and returned to Lanzhou to resume his duties. He still cares about the soldiers of Pingliang. I admire him. In this case, I will accept the money. During these days, I will often go hunting in the mountains. It will take some time to send the herbs together with the Pingliang Labor Army, General, don’t worry,"
Dakui handed the silver to Ouyang De's hand with a smile, cupped his hand and said: "In that case, I will say goodbye, junior."
Unexpectedly, Ouyang De called out: "General, stay here. There is something that the general needs to take away."
Da Kui was confused, but he saw that Ouyang De had turned around and returned home. When he came back, he was carrying a baggage in his hand. Ouyang De came to Da Kui and said seriously: "This is the tiger that the general killed. I know the organs of the tiger." It has been brewed with medicinal wine. It is very inconvenient to carry it on the body during the bumpy road. This tiger skin has been made into a soft quilt. The general has saddled his horse all his life and kept it with him to keep out the cold."
Dakui took the baggage and said with a smile: "Senior Ouyang is really thoughtful. Thank you, Zhang Dakui." After saying that, he handed the baggage to Yang Xiaohu and gave a solemn salute to Ouyang De. Ouyang De quickly returned the gift, and both parties were already inseparable. Abandon.
With the silvery mountains and the cool breeze and warm sun, Dakui and Yang Xiaohu galloped westward to catch up with Kang Maocai and his men.
On the way, Yang Xiaohu said loudly: "Father, before I left, Aunt Ouyang gave me some pickled tiger meat and said that I would keep it with me in case of emergency."
Dakui replied loudly: "You must remember the kindness of others in everything. When the world is at peace, you and I will come to visit Senior Ouyang again,"
Yang Xiaohu responded loudly: "Kid, remember this,"
The sound of hoofbeats could be heard, and in an instant, a procession of carriages and horses was in sight in the distance.
Dakui and Yang Xiaohu rode up to catch up with the team, then slowly rode their horses to the front of the team, walking alongside Kang Maocai.
"General Kang, if the world is at peace, where do you plan to go?" Da Kui was at a loss for words. Kang Maocai was a versatile man in both civil and military affairs, and he was also very strategic. Da Kui liked to chat with him. As the saying goes, those who are close to the red will be red, and they will be with each other more often. Heart-to-heart talk between smart people is of great benefit to their own minds.
When Kang Maocai asked, he couldn't help but smile bitterly and said: "Both of my parents died when I was young, and it was all thanks to my eldest brother to bring me up. We have three brothers, and I am the third. There was a famine in my hometown that year, and my eldest and second brothers both starved to death. When my eldest brother was about to die, he cut off his own arm and gave it to me. He said: If you are hungry, eat this arm and find a way to survive in a place with people. You are the only one left in our Kang family. Live well and don't break it. Kang family incense,"
When he said this, Kang Maocai's voice was calm, as if he was talking about ordinary household matters, but Dakui saw deep sadness in his expression.
"We have worked together for so long, and I still don't know where General Kang is from," Da Kui deliberately avoided talking to avoid making Kang Maocai sad.
Kang Maocai smiled and said: "I am from Qizhou, Anhui, and I heard that the general is from Jezhou, Shandong."
Dakui nodded and said: "Yes, from Wulitun, east of Jezhou City, Shandong Province."
Kang Maocai didn't ask any more questions, but said something out of the ordinary: "I once heard someone talk about the general. The general must know that in the army, you have to see life and death. Only a heart of stone is not easy to get hurt."
Dakui couldn't help being stunned and asked softly: "I would like to hear the details."
Kang Maocai sighed and said: "As a general, you should be considerate of your subordinates. Otherwise, it is not enough to unite their hearts. With thousands of troops working together, we can attack the city and conquer it invincibly." Da Kui felt the same after hearing this and couldn't help but nodded.
Kang Maocai continued: "The sergeants under my subordinates face me day and night, sharing weal and woe. As a general, I naturally treat my subordinates as brothers. Don't you know that the battlefield is bloody and cruel? A living brother today will become a withered skeleton in the wilderness tomorrow."
Looking at the white snow in the wilderness, Kang Maocai sighed: "The human heart is not as good as iron and stone. Over time, the general will inevitably have to judge the seven emotions, so hardening his heart is the best policy."
When Da Kui heard this, he couldn't help but think of the past. He thought about how majestic and glorious he was as the mighty general of the Jiangbei Red Scarf Army. But seeing his brothers around him die on the battlefield, he was heartbroken afterwards and became a soldier in Jiangnan. The General Secretary and many close friends around him, the whole army was wiped out in the battle of Daya Mountain. He was once again dejected, but he pretended that nothing happened and led the people of all ethnic groups to seize Shunyuan City. At this moment, he thought of all the things in the past, Dakui There was still a dull pain in my heart, so I simply put aside what was on my mind.
"Does General Kang have a young family?" Dakui asked as if nothing had happened.
Kang Maocai smiled and said: "I still have a wife and children at home. When the world is at peace, I will go home and enjoy the happiness."
Hearing this, Dakui chuckled and said, "I am no different. I only hope that the world will be peaceful and that I will be able to live in a rural area until my old age."
Kang Maocai nodded and smiled: "General, don't worry, there will be a day."
Speaking of women, Dakui felt pain in his heart again. Huang Ying didn't know what happened to her now. Also, during the trip to Yunnan, Dakui got to know Sima Yan, the owner of Yanchi Tower, and had a romantic relationship with her in Shi'ao Village. But when she arrived in Zhongqing City, Sima Yan disappeared without a trace. Thinking of this, Dakui not only looked up to the sky, but also silently thought in his heart: "Sima Yan, where are you?"
For many days and nights, Sima Yan appeared vividly in Da Kui's dreams. In the dream, Sima Yan's beautiful figure even overshadowed his first wife Huang Ying.
The autumn wind is clear, the autumn moon is bright, the fallen leaves gather and disperse, the jackdaws are roosting, and I know when we will miss each other. It is embarrassing at this time and this night. Enter my lovesickness door, knowing that I miss you bitterly. I miss you for a long time, and remember each other for a long time. I miss you for a short time and it is endless. Extremely, if I had known that it would be so disturbing to people's hearts, why would I not have known it before? This is a poem called "Autumn Wind", which is a famous work by Li Bai, the poet of the Tang Dynasty.
At this moment, Dakui's state of mind is just like what is said in "Autumn Wind Ci": If I had known that it would be such a troublesome thing, why would I not have known each other in the first place.
As darkness approached, the team reached a hill with a forest on it.
Da Kui stopped his horse and reined in his horse and said: "This is the boundary of Qinglan Mountain. We will rest here in the pine forest tonight. We will hurry up as soon as it gets light tomorrow. We expect to cross the Guanchuan River tomorrow night." After saying this, he ordered: "Yang Little Tiger Explores the Road,"
After hearing this, Yang Xiaohu galloped forward and ran straight to the pine forest ahead. Not long after, Yang Xiaohu rode out of the pine forest and waved to the team. Seeing that everything was safe, Dakui ordered the team to move forward. .
That night, the soldiers blocked the wind with a horse-drawn carriage, excavated earth and rocks to build a windbreak wall, gathered firewood and lit a bonfire. Everyone sat around the fire and hugged each other to keep warm. Da Kui was in high spirits and showed no signs of fatigue. He chatted with everyone all over the country until midnight and was still in high spirits.
Everyone was tired after walking all the way, so Dakui said: "You can rest while you wait, I will be on duty tonight."
Kang Maocai heard this and said hurriedly: "You are a general, how can you stay on duty all night? Let me do it tonight."
Dakui chuckled and said: "Who said the general can't stay on duty at night? I won't talk about useless things here."
The two couldn't argue, and finally decided to talk all night together. Although they said so, they stopped talking when they saw the soldiers sleeping soundly. After waiting for a long time, Dakui said: "This is how we will settle down tonight. One night, I will hunt some rabbits, and tomorrow morning I will make a pot of hot soup to relieve the cold for my brothers."
When Kang Maocai heard this, he couldn't help but asked in confusion: "It's dark in these barren mountains and wild mountains. Where can the general go to hunt rabbits?"
Dakui chuckled and said: "General Kang doesn't know. I, Zhang Dakui, was a woodcutter in my early years, and I am very good at trapping rabbits. I saw traces of hares on the way here, and I just happened to go to set the trap at this moment. You can have hot broth tomorrow morning," Dakui said and stood up. Seeing this, Yang Xiaohu also stood up and wanted to follow.
Da Kui asked with a smile: "What are you doing with me? It's proper to take care of the carriages and horses here with General Kang."
Yang Xiaohu hurriedly said: "It's all in the dark. My adoptive father is afraid of accidents when he is alone."
Dakui laughed and said: "With my ability, no one can hurt me. Even if there are tigers and leopards, Chai Liang is not afraid. Tigers can be killed, so what are you afraid of? Just relax here and I will come when I go." ," Dakui said, picked up the Dragon Song Sword and turned around to plunge into the dark night.
Yang Xiaohu couldn't help but squat down angrily when he saw this, and muttered: "How can such a general stay up in the middle of the night to hunt rabbits?"
Kang Maocai smiled and said: "The general is here to have fun, so we don't have to worry about it. I talked to him today, and I saw that he seemed to have something unspeakable in his heart. I must have spoken too harshly, which reminded him of the past. past,"
When Yang Xiaohu heard this, he couldn't help but asked: "My adoptive father is still physically injured. What should I do if something unexpected happens?"
Kang Maocai chuckled and comforted him: "Don't worry about the little general. The great general has his own destiny. Besides, he is also a man of unparalleled martial arts, so he has nothing to do."
Hearing what Kang Maocai said, Yang Xiaohu felt relieved a little.
In the dark of night, Dakui ran quickly eastward, paying careful attention to his surroundings along the way.
Rabbits always come out at night and day. They cannot see far in the dark night, but their hearing is extremely keen. If there is any noise, they will run for their lives. This gave Dakui an opportunity. During the run, the hare started to run away. There were five or six of them. Whenever he encountered a hare, Dakui would always throw a stone at him. Every time he struck, he would hit the hare, and the stone would turn the rabbit over.
In less than two hours, Dakui had already killed six rabbits.
Looking for grass and knotting a rope, he tied the rabbits together and carried them in his hands. He was thinking about shooting a few more, but he inadvertently saw the light of a bonfire flickering in the distance. Dakui couldn't help being startled, and now he moved towards the light of the fire with gentle hands and feet. Touched it,