In the sixth year of Guanghe, it was night, November 9th, and the stars were dim.
The snow is getting heavier and heavier. After God's testing in the past few days, God finally figured out the reality of the world and began to let out the endless ice and snow to his heart's content, freezing the world.
I heard from the old man at Juqiaoyi that Jizhou has not seen such heavy snow in twenty years. With such auspicious snow, the coming year should be a good one, but it is a pity that the world is like this...
Juqiao Station has a long history. It is said that it was the place where King Zhou of Shang used wine ponds and meat forests to stock up grain. After thousands of years, the princes and generals who enjoyed themselves here in the past have long since died, but the mountains and rivers have remained the same.
At this time, Juqiao Post was a transportation post to the north of Chaoge. It was originally an important post for Chaoge to contact central and southern Hebei Province. In the past, there were constant business trips, and it was one of the largest post offices in Hanoi.
But this year, the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Hebei Province caused great chaos and unrest in all directions. Business travel has long been cut off. This Juqiao Station has naturally declined.
In the heavy snow, Juqiao Posthouse is illuminated like a bean, so warm and safe in this cold dark night.
"crunch"
A postman went out wearing a fat and tattered winter coat.
The reason why he went out on such a cold night was because there were three stage horses in the inn that needed his care. They were more precious beings than he was.
The thin postman first looked at the stable and was half relieved when he saw that it was not crushed by the snow.
He first cleared the snow from half the shed, and then added some clean turf to the three horses. This is the saying that horses will not be fat without weeds.
The postman's name is Xiao Han, and he is the son of the postmaster who was picked up from the gully. The reason why he was abandoned is not because Xiao Han has any flaws, but simply because he can't live anymore.
The postmaster was Lao Han, who had been the postmaster at Juqiao Post for generations, but no son was born in his generation. So, he adopted Xiao Han as his adopted son.
However, Lao Han has no intention of leaving his position to Xiao Han in the future. After all, he is only forty this year, and he still wants to work hard and give birth to a son.
Xiao Han had never thought so much. In this station, what he cared about the most were these horses. He felt that they were more humane than humans.
As the war intensified, the good horses in the post station had long been confiscated by the Han army and sent to the Qishui camp, so what was left in the post station at this moment were actually three old horses that could not be driven.
The consumption of horses at the post station was very large. Because how the Han Dynasty in Kyoto ruled this thousands of miles of territory, in addition to relying on those loyal officials, it relied more on the network of post stations that spread all over the world.
In order to maintain smooth and timely information, each inn must have multiple horses on hand, and these horses must be at least above average.
There is a saying, "The so-called thousand-mile horse always exists, but the bole does not always exist."
But in fact, there may be Bole, but there is really no thousand-mile horse. The kind of thousand-mile horse that can travel a thousand miles a day and eight hundred miles at night does not exist.
Generally speaking, for a single horse, an ordinary horse can travel one or two hundred miles a day. A good horse can travel about three hundred miles a day. And a famous horse that is unique in a thousand miles can travel a day.
Four hundred miles, but at most it can only be five hundred miles.
Therefore, the speed limit of the horse is here.
In normal times, in order to quickly convey messages between stations, the messengers who deliver military orders have to change horses instead of people. When they are often driven to the extreme, many of the horses in the station will naturally become useless.
But even so, these horses are very valuable property and can be rented to the countryside to pull plows. The same is true for Juqiao Station. Now these three horses are an important way to subsidize the station.
Therefore, whether it is emotionally or financially, Xiao Han does his best for the three horses.
Just as Xiao Han was combing the hair of the three horses, all three horses suddenly neighed in unison. Xiao Han was still surprised. Then he saw a group of people leading the horses and walking through the snow in the dark in the north.
Xiao Han was startled and looked again, no, it was not a group of people.
That endless long dragon is an army! And they are all cavalry.
Feeling blessed, Xiao Han did not shout, but just froze there, hoping that those people would not see him.
But it's a pity that these people came straight to this inn.
In the wind and snow, most of the black figures stopped, and only about a hundred people broke into the inn.
They were led by a man wearing a bamboo hat with frost and snow on his face.
What should I say about this person? Xiao Han couldn't tell. He just felt that this person was not an ordinary person.
Before this man came in, the guards beside him jumped into the post station like tigers and wolves. Then, there was a burst of chaos, and the four postmen in the post station, including Xiao Han, were taken out.
Xiao Han looked at the thief in confusion and listened to his words.
Elder Han knew a lot more than Xiao Han, and he was trembling all over at this moment.
Because he knew who these people were? They were the Taishan giants who were confronting the Han army at this moment.
That yellow headband and that special armband are indeed the Taishan giant thief.
Now that we think about this cavalry regiment descending from the sky in the snowy night, we can imagine what they are doing. Isn't it the Chaoge not far away?
And since it was a covert operation, how could they survive if they bumped into it?
Old Han ghost knows this, that's why he's shaking like this.
Old Han was not mistaken, this cavalry regiment coming through the snow was none other than our Soaring General Zhang Chong and his two thousand assault cavalry.
They sneaked out from Yecheng on the 8th and prepared to attack Chaoge at night. However, an unexpected heavy snowfall not only delayed the attack for a day, but also caused them to lose their way.
That's why they came to this inn, just to ask where they were at this time.
The one at the front of the crowd, wearing a bamboo hat, is Zhang Chong.
He looked at the old official who was shaking like a dog and said warmly:
"Old man, don't panic. I just want to ask you something, where are we? How far is Chaoge from here?"
Hearing this, Old Han shivered even more. He even heard the bandit saying that he was going to Chaoge, so there was no way to survive.
At this moment, Lao Han was lying on the ground exhausted, thinking that he would go to the underworld and humiliate his ancestors without having a son. For a moment, Lao Han burst into tears.
Zhang Chong saw Lao Han crying and not saying anything, so he smiled and said nothing.
Guo Zu on the other side was about to scold the old man, but Xiao Han on the other side suddenly said:
"Our place is called Juluyi, which is more than ten miles away from Chaoge."
After hearing this, the cavalry officers surrounding Zhang Chong couldn't help but smile. They were finally reaching Chaoge. This damn road, this damn Han army, this damn heavy snow.
Zhang Chong does not intend to kill these people. Some people will not be killed if they can. Where can they go under this heavy snow?
So, Zhang Chong prepared to lead his generals on their way through the frost and snow, but he still lacked a guide.
Thinking of this, he looked at Xiao Han.
But before Zhang Chong could ask, Xiao Han suddenly raised his head, looked at Zhang Chong and said the most important sentence in his life:
"General, I want to take you to Chaoge!"
As soon as these words came out, Lao Han, who was trembling since then, became anxious. Just as he was about to scold Xiao Han, he saw the evil man next to the thief staring at him fiercely, so he suppressed his words again.
After hearing what Xiao Han said, Zhang Chong asked:
"Don't you know that this is a thief? If you stay here at the inn, you might have a good life."
Xiao Han shook his head and revealed his true thoughts:
"I am the postman at this post station and I take care of three old horses. They were good horses that could travel hundreds of miles a day a few years ago, but now their legs are shaking every time they take a step. These horses were originally capable of going to the battlefield.
A good horse, but in this inn, it has become like this. So I was thinking that if these horses had a choice, they might choose to be a war horse."
Zhang Chong thought this person was interesting and asked:
"So you want to go to the battlefield? Don't want to die here?"
Xiao Han still shook his head and said honestly:
"I don't want to go to the battlefield. In fact, I don't know what I want to do. It's just that I think the general is a great hero, so I want to follow him."
Xiao Han's words made all the generals laugh. This man couldn't see that he still had this vision and knew that Qu Shuai was a great hero.
That's right, our General Soaring to Heaven is the greatest hero in this world!
Amid the laughter of the generals, Xiao Han's face turned hot and he was a little at a loss.
Zhang Chong did not directly agree to Xiao Han, but asked:
"Do you know how to get to Chaoge?"
Xiao Han nodded and said:
"My adoptive father often asked me to go to Chaogegu to sell wine. I'm familiar with it."
Zhang Chong asked Xiao Han again:
"Many times, although your current peace is ordinary, it may be the happiest time for you. If you follow us, you may never encounter this peace in your life. So, have you really thought about it?"
Xiao Han wanted to say something else, but Old Han next to him suddenly kowtowed to Zhang Chong:
"General, please be kind to Xiao Han. He is a child and loves the general's majesty and majesty, so he said some mindless words, but I don't think Xiao Han has thought clearly."
Speaking of this, Lao Han looked at Xiao Han aside, with a complicated expression, but said firmly:
"I have raised this child since he was a child, and I have seen it through my eyes. He is just like those horses. Some good horses are mixed among bad horses, and they just think that they are also bad horses. But as long as it falls in the eyes of a real Bole, a thousand-mile horse will still be a thousand-mile horse. After all,
I want to run to a wider world."
"so……"
At this time, Lao Han kowtowed heavily to Zhang Chong and prayed:
"So, please ask the general to accept Xiao Han. He is the thousand-mile horse. After all, he does not belong to this station."
Xiao Han beside him was stunned. He had never heard this from his adoptive father. He seemed to understand why his adoptive father would shake his head every time he drank the wine he bought. It will be passed on to him.
Xiao Han's eyes filled with tears when he thought that his adoptive father valued him so much. He never knew that in his adoptive father's eyes, he was like a thousand-mile horse.
Xiao Han was in tears, muttering what he wanted to say to his adoptive father.
Lao Han didn't see it, he just lowered his head and continued:
"Please, General."
At this time, Zhang Chong suddenly felt a little dazed. He seemed to have seen the old man Tian who was outside Xue's wall four years ago. This Tian Jun's father seemed to overlap with this old official at this moment.
Zhang Chong understood, he helped Old Han up, turned to Little Han and said:
"Now that you've made up your mind, just follow us. Do you have a name?"
Xiao Han looked at Old Han next to him, and then shook his head:
"I have been called Xiao Han since I was a child, and I haven't even gotten a name yet."
Zhang Chong nodded and first said to Lao Han:
"Old man, if you think I am not overstepping my bounds, I will give this child a name."
Lao Han suddenly cried. He bent over and cried to Zhang Chong:
"Thank you, General, for the name."
With that said, he took Xiao Han and knelt down together.
Zhang Chong looked at the heavy snow in the sky and said to Xiao Han word by word:
"My child, you will be called Han Gang from now on. You must remember this Gangyi where you were raised and know the painstaking efforts of your adoptive father."
At this point, Xiao Han, now called Han Gang, kowtowed heavily to Zhang Chong along with his adoptive father.
At the same time, Zhang Chong looked at the distance to the south hidden in the darkness with sharp eyes.
…
Zhang Chong's eyes penetrated time and space.
At this moment, Zhang Wen was looking north at the top of Chaoge City.
Of course, he couldn't see Zhang Chong's gaze. The Zhendong general was wearing a thick cloak and silently looking at a group of cavalry standing outside the north of the city under the canopy.
This team of horsemen looked good at fighting, and no one made any noise even in the wind and snow.
They watched a bamboo basket fall to the bottom of the city, and then one of their leaders stepped onto the bamboo basket, and then climbed up to the top of the city with a creaking sound.
The reason for this is that it is dark at this time and the four cities of Chaoge have fallen. This team of horse soldiers cannot enter the city, so they can only enter the city in this way.
But because this person was too important, Zhang Wen, in order not to make this person feel neglected, braved the heavy snow to receive him in person at the top of the city.
At this time, when this Han official was pulled up to the top of the city, everyone in the city found that his hands were above his knees, which was really weird.
Zhang Wen braved the wind and snow and personally took off his cloak and covered him, and then said warmly:
"Xuande, I have received your teacher's letter and know the purpose of your coming here."
Yes, this person is our old acquaintance, Liu Bei and Liu Xuande.
This person came here in the name of his teacher and led a cavalry team all the way through the Taishan Army's defense line. It took several life and death attempts to reach Chaoge.
After receiving Liu Bei, everyone no longer had to stay at the top of the city to enjoy the breeze. Zhang Wen took Liu Bei into a quiet room in the city. As for the cavalry soldiers who came with Liu Bei, they also had someone to warm and serve them after they entered the city.
After changing into clean clothes, Liu Bei appeared in front of Zhang Wen again.
Zhang Wen stood up unconsciously and praised Liu Bei:
"Xuande is full of heroic spirit. No wonder your teacher praised you in his letter."
Liu Bei didn't dare to praise Zhang Wen, and even now, Liu Bei was still a little uneasy.
Just because what kind of person is Zhang Wen? General Zhendong of the Han family. He just waited for him at the top of the city in the snow. He can no longer be called a corporal, but is completely inconsistent with etiquette.
What kind of person is he, Liu Bei? A small man who fights for food must bear the weight of such a great gift. And how can he, Liu Bei, be so dishonest and frightened by something that even General Zhendong cannot bear?
As expected, Zhang Wen invited Liu Bei to sit down and confided something to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei looked calm on the face, but his heart was already in turmoil.
…
"New Book of Shishuo" - "Jie Wu Chapter":
[General Han Gang was an old soldier. He met him on a snowy night and begged to stay with the army. When his father asked him why, Gang said: "The Han Dynasty is about to decline. There are treacherous people and no heroes to use force. What use can I be? Who can use me?"