There is no rain in the spring, the distant mountains are like black clouds, a white cloud is moving slowly, wind chimes are hung on the ancient trees at the entrance of the valley, and only sparse bells ring occasionally.
The fishing boats were moored quietly on the lake, the firewood behind them was empty, and occasionally the cries of children could be heard.
This is a village near the lake in Wangchuan Villa. Wang Wei's house is on the mountainside behind the village. It is said that "at the foot of the north mountain in the south, the building is close to the lake." However, although he is rich in this landscape, he lives in the middle of the mountain.
But it was completely empty, except for the tea table, the sutra desk, and the rope bed.
Since the death of his wife, he has stopped taking concubines, eating fast, chanting Buddha's name, and living a life like a Zen monk. In addition, his mother passed away three years ago, so he has been mourning here, and just after the mourning period, An Lushan rebelled.
He has even taken over his Wangchuan property and is currently confiscating the tenants' accumulated grain.
That day, he was sitting in his living room meditating. Two thieves brought someone to see him. He looked up, was stunned for a moment, and said, "Pei Shi? Why are you here?"
Here comes his best friend, Pei Di.
The two thieves took a look inside the house and saw nothing. They pushed Pei Di and left, giving them a chance to reminisce with their old friends. Dayan still respected these famous poets.
"Why am I here? Of course I was captured." Pei Di entered, sat down cross-legged in front of Wang Wei, and said: "I have been living in seclusion in Zhongnan Mountain in recent years. A few days ago, for some reason, a band of thieves entered the mountain and occupied the view.
Temple, captured me too."
"I think we are going to launch troops in the Qinling Mountains with our officers and soldiers."
"I heard that Pei Qianyou went to Luoyang and returned to Tongguan." Pei Di said, "On the night of the Yuan Dynasty, An Qingxu held a banquet in Luoyang Palace for the traitors, paid tribute to the musicians, and wanted to imitate the saint's pear garden grand scene. He planned to bring you and me with him.
Go to Luoyang, and from now on you play the harp and compose songs, and I will play the flute to accompany you and perform for Hu Jie."
Wang Wei sighed, stood up, walked to the window and looked at the mountains in the distance, as if he wanted to see Chang'an on the other side of the mountains.
He thought of the tragic situation in Guanzhong and imagined the scene of the rebels feasting in Luoyang City. He sighed and composed a poem.
"Thousands of households are sad and the wild smoke is growing. When will hundreds of officials turn to the sky again?"
"Autumn locust leaves have fallen in the palace, and orchestras are playing on the pond of solid blue."
After hearing this, Pei Di felt dejected and said: "Chang'an is so close, but you and I are being captured and humiliated."
Wang Wei stopped stroking the rosary with his fingers, and suddenly made up his mind, saying: "It would be better to die!"
"Mojie." Pei Di quickly stopped him and said, "You are a Buddhist, how can you kill a living being?"
"It's okay for you to live in seclusion and hide from the world, but I'm different. I'm deeply favored by you. Now if you betray a thief and tarnish your loyalty, how can I have any face in this world?"
"Listen to me." Pei Di handed over a bottle of pills and whispered: "I know your intentions, so I brought this medicine here. After you take it, you will have dysentery symptoms. If you claim to be sick, you will not serve Yan Thief.
"
Wang Wei closed his eyes sadly and shook his head.
Pei Di held his hand and was about to continue speaking when a shout suddenly sounded in the distance.
"Who?!"
The two men immediately went out and saw the rebels who were collecting food in the village seemed to have discovered something and rushed towards the mountains and forests to the south.
An old tenant took advantage of the guard not paying attention and quietly walked over to Wang Wei. In the end, he bent over and trotted away.
"Alang, I have something to say."
"Come in and talk."
"Last night, someone crossed into Wangchuan from the Yaoshan Mountain and wanted to see Alang. The little old man told him that if Alang was willing to see him, he would meet under the ginkgo tree planted by Alang tonight."
Wang Wei thought about it and immediately guessed that the people arriving were probably officers and soldiers.
But how to see each other at night?
He thought about it and his eyes fell on the bottle of medicine in his hand.
"Pei Shi, you just said what will happen after taking this medicine?"
~~
In the 19th year of Kaiyuan, Wang Wei's wife Cui passed away at the age of thirty-one.
Wang Wei never wrote any love poems or mourning poems to her in his life. Only in that year did he personally plant a ginkgo tree on Nanshan Mountain. Twenty-four years later, the ginkgo tree has towered into the sky, and the pavilions are like a canopy. When the time comes,
In autumn, ginkgo leaves will fly all over the sky like colorful butterflies.
But in this early spring, there was only an ugly man hiding in the bushes behind the ginkgo trees, waiting for Wang Wei.
In the middle of the night, someone finally stepped on the dead branches on the ground and walked under the ginkgo tree. His figure was tall and thin, wearing loose robes, like an old monk. He first stretched out his hand and gently touched the straight tree trunk, and then
Then I looked around.
"I'm here, please come out."
"He is really a layman of Mojie."
Following these words with a strong Longyou accent, the ugly man came out of the bushes. He was very alert and asked: "How did you come out, sir?"
"I gave the guards some medicine and came here quietly while they were having diarrhea." Wang Wei turned around and said, "I've seen you before. Are you someone from Xue Bai's side?"
"Just call me Lao Liang. That's right. I came from Yongqiu and was ordered to support Chang'an. Of course, I didn't come alone."
Lao Liang turned around and pointed to the outline of the mountain on the south side, where a bright moon could be seen hanging on the mountain. He continued: "Since we are supporting, we have our own troops, baggage, food and grass, but we can't climb over the mountain like me.
"
"Being blocked outside the mountain?"
"yes."
Wang Wei then began to think deeply. After a while, he asked: "Are you literate?"
"knowledge."
"I brought a map of Wangchuan." Wang Wei took out the blueprint from his sleeve, unfolded it under the moonlight, and pointed, "We are here, in the hills, and to the south is the deep mountain where you came from."
"Young people know that you can't see anyone in an empty mountain, but you can hear people's voices."
"You actually know this poem?"
"I also like poetry." Lao Liang grinned.
Wang Wei continued: "Although there are no bandits in this area, the cliffs at the end of the mountains are steep, so soldiers and horses cannot get through. You can take people to the west, where there is a white stone beach."
Lao Liang said: "I've explored it and found that there is a river over there. The current is fast and the valleys on both sides are difficult to cross. If we walk along the river and go further and further west, I'm afraid we won't be able to reach Guanzhong."
Wang Wei smiled and shook his head and said: "At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Han Emperor Gaozu made an agreement with Xiang Yu, whoever enters Guanzhong first will be king. Han Emperor Gaozu also took your path and was blocked at Yaoguan Pass. He followed Zhang Liang's plan and
He planted flags all over Yaoshan and planted suspicious troops, and then 'circled Yaoguan, crossed Mount Laoshan, attacked the Qin army, and defeated the Lantian South'. Do you know where he circled from?"
"Can I bypass the Pass?"
"When you arrive at Baishitan, don't walk along the river, but find a small stream that flows into the river. On the edge of the stream, there is a spring called 'Golden Chips Spring'.
Where does the spring water come from?"
"Where does the water come from?"
Wang Wei pointed back and said: "Qianhu."
"But there is a mountain..."
Wang Wei nodded and whispered: "The lake is connected to the Jinchi Spring. In other words, the water flows through the mountain and has its own natural cave."
Lao Liang was overjoyed. He took the map without any explanation, rolled it up and put it away. He thought about it and then said: "In this case, horses, armor, food and grass still can't pass?"
"I don't know about soldiers, but what if you divide your army into one, attack the Pass around the back, and attack it from the front and rear?"
"Okay." Lao Liang understood, immediately stood up, and asked: "Sir, will you come with me?"
Wang Wei shook his head and said: "If I leave, on the one hand, your plan will be exposed, and on the other hand, my banker will be implicated."
He looked deeply at Lao Liang, with bitterness on his face, and said: "My reputation and integrity are all entrusted to the general."
"Don't worry, sir, he is a man who has made great contributions to suppressing the rebellion!" Lao Liang thumped his chest, making a thumping sound.
~~
Chang'an.
A few days after the Lantern Festival, the food and grass in the city became increasingly scarce, and the rebels' offensive against the city became stronger and stronger.
The reason why Li Longji escaped from Chang'an at that time was that he expected this situation. Xue Bai was not smarter than him, but he had more courage to face difficulties.
"There is no food and grass in the official warehouse. I must be a noble family, and there is no food in the family?"
That day, there was a meeting in Yanying Hall. When Xue Bai saw that no one else mentioned it, he took the lead in raising this issue.
In this critical situation, no one stood up and explicitly opposed this matter, and they tacitly allowed Xue Bai to send the imperial army to collect food from each family.
Li Cong still completely trusted him.
On the contrary, when leaving the Daming Palace, Yan Zhenqing reminded Xue Bai a few words and said slowly: "I know that when you were guarding the city in Changshan, Pingyuan, and Yongqiu, you also received food from big households, but Chang'an is different. There are more people with five surnames and seven
Hope, some families don’t even pay attention to the Tian family. I have collected all the food that can be collected in the city, and if I touch the remaining people, there will probably be some trouble."
"I understand that my father-in-law is not speaking for them, but he is afraid that they will surrender the thieves or support Li Heng."
Xue Bai was hesitant. It was not that he had not made up his mind, but he was considering whether he should express his feelings directly to Yan Zhenqing. Finally, he said: "And my response is simple. If you don't use thunderous means, you don't have the heart of a Bodhisattva."
Yan Zhenqing frowned and said: "Most of the people who support the imperial court in guarding Chang'an are these people. Once you use the butcher's knife, what is the difference between you and the thieves? If you can't suppress it, let them take our heads."
There is no harm in dedicating the city, but the Tang Dynasty may be destroyed in one day."
"My father-in-law said the words 'the most supportive'. I don't quite agree with it. If a small family pays one stone of grain to defend the city, it may be all their wealth. If a wealthy family pays ten thousand stone, it may be just a drop in the bucket for them. Who is more supportive of defending the city?
I can tell accurately."
Xue Bai said, his tone became a bit old-fashioned, and added: "Also, problems must be solved after all. Looking at the Tang Dynasty before this rebellion, all the places in the family were from aristocratic families. What about the imperial examination? In fact, we all know that,
Most of them are from aristocratic families, and there are only a few children from poor families every year. In the sixth year of Tianbao, the case of 'Ye Wuyi Xian' was first introduced, and our five sons of Chunwei caused a huge turmoil. In the end, how many children from poor families were selected as Jinshi? Only six or seven."
Yan Zhenqing naturally understood this and sighed: "I know what you are going to say. People with real talents and hard work can hardly express their ambitions. In the past, if they wanted to become officials in the court, they could go to the frontier to perform meritorious service and serve as generals and ministers. In recent years, Brother
The slave also blocked the last way to promotion, and the resentment accumulated, eventually leading to a catastrophe."
"My father-in-law also knows very well that it is not about An Lushan, but that the Tang Dynasty still leaves too few opportunities for the common people of poor families."
"Then what are you going to do? Can't you kill all the big families in Chang'an City? If you really want to do something, wait until the rebellion is over and change your family status and the imperial examination."
Xue Bai took it seriously and nodded, saying: "But if I am still afraid of them under such circumstances today, how can I dare to take away their door shade in the future? Liquidate their fields and tenants?"
Yan Zhenqing didn't say anything else. He was originally on Xue Bai's side, but he was just afraid that he would get burned if he acted too hastily.
Since Xue Bai had made up his mind, he just took care of it for him.
As expected, things didn't go smoothly, and we encountered the first resistance that day.
~~
"Whose family?"
"Wang Hong, the east house of the Wang family in Taiyuan. Maybe you have never heard of this person. I will only talk about his three brothers. Wang Wei, you are very familiar with him, and he is kind to you..."
Xue Bai said: "You know, it is easy for famous families to be kind to others because they have this condition."
Du Jin smiled and said, "When you were buried alive, it was Wang Wei who brought you back to Chang'an."
"Let's talk about this matter. The old man who drove the donkey cart wanted to help me, but why did he just say that Mr. Mojie was benevolent to me? Because he hired the carriage and he was from a famous family. No matter how well he was personally, he was the one who hired the carriage.
Simple, he also owns a thousand acres of farmland in Wangchuan and more than twenty miles of mountains and rivers."
"I know, we also have Luhun Villa."
"Yes, we are facing a national crisis, so I will donate it too."
Du Mei said: "Wang Hong has donated 70% of the family's food reserves, leaving the whole family's food rations for one year. I am not interceding on behalf of the Wang family, but I am afraid that people will say that you repay kindness with enmity."
"If each family takes out these stored grains, Chang'an can be defended for one more month. Even if the rebels cannot be driven back, the grain from Shu County will have arrived."
Having said that, Xue Bai actually thought about what he would do if the situation did not change. What if he encountered Zhang Xun's last desperate situation? Eat mice, eat tree bark, eat the leather on the armor...and then, eat
Human?
He had to work very hard to avoid falling into that situation.
But now, if the big households are not allowed to take out the grain, there will already be poor people in the city selling their sons and daughters.
"Wang Hong's other brother is called Wang Jin. You should also know him. He is now the military judge under Li Guangbi." Du Jin had to remind him, "You have to know that he has access to Li Guangbi's military supplies and supplies, and he can also
It affects Li Guangbi whether he goes to Chang'an to be King Qin or to go to Shuofang to support the new king. Are you sure you want to take away the last grain reserves of the Wang family at this time?"
Xue Bai smiled bitterly and said: "I have always known that this is difficult, so no one can do it, but I must be determined first."
"Okay, let me finish. Wang Hong also has an older brother named Wang Huang, who is appointed Shaoyin of Jiangling. Before retaking Henan, the grain and grass needed by Chang'an must be transferred to Shu County via Jiangling and then shipped there."
"I know." Xue Bai said, "I will personally take people to collect the food."
"Okay." Although Du Jin reminded him, she did not interfere with his final decision.
Du Mei stepped forward and said softly: "Please persuade Wang Hong and ask him to hand over the food on his own initiative."
"Um."
Xue Bai went out, thinking that perhaps in Wang Hong's eyes, his behavior was robbery. But in fact, it was the tax system, official system and the injustice of almost all systems in the Tang Dynasty that gave these people the opportunity to exploit the people unconsciously.
, leading to war and even the point where the country was almost destroyed.
He believed that Wang Hong had never thought of robbing anyone, because he and Wang Wei were very good friends, and he knew what a pure and clean person he was, but he did not intend to plunder anyone, which did not mean that his family was innocent.
If we continue to indulge them today, sooner or later, someone will "tread all the bones of the ministers in the streets." It doesn't matter if they trample all the bones of the ministers, but pity the countless innocent people buried with them in the world. It is a pity that the entire family, country, and world have been overthrown in the historical process.
…
"The Tang Dynasty was founded for more than a hundred years and created an unprecedented prosperous age. The old system is no longer adaptable. This rebellion is a reminder that we should make changes. How about starting from today, starting with you and me?"
When Xue Bai saw Wang Hong, he persuaded him with sincere words for a long time, and finally said this to comfort him.
"Xue Lang." Wang Hong sighed and said, "How about I give you another three hundred shi of grain? This is my annual salary."
He is a very kind-faced person. He is in his forties and his clothes are not luxurious, but very decent. He has always had a friendly attitude towards Xue Bai, and added something with a look of embarrassment.
"I haven't discussed this matter with Zhuo Jing yet. When she learns about it...well, Xue Lang will come."
Xue Bai bowed and said: "Brother Wang, please work with Chang'an City to overcome the difficulties."
"Am I not strong enough to overcome the difficulties together?"
"The enemy troops are approaching the border, and the soldiers and civilians in the city have to pay for the food reserves and distribute them centrally."
"Xue Lang's intention is to let the children in my family eat coarse cakes like ordinary people?"
"good."
Wang Hong was very surprised and couldn't help but said: "I am a direct descendant of the Wang family in Taiyuan. My ancestors have been around for thousands of years since King Ling of Zhou Dynasty. My wife was born in the Zheng family in Xingyang. When the sage chose a wife for King Rong, the Zheng family even refused. Ours
But your children don’t even have food to eat?”
"In times of crisis, even the saints and His Highness eat the same food as common people every day."
"So what?!" Wang Hong finally got angry and shouted: "If you don't give me my food, you still want to steal it?!"
"Bang."
With a sound, Xue Bai suddenly pulled out his saber.
He didn't try to persuade Wang Hong any more and simply ordered: "Get food!"
When Wang Hong saw the soldiers rushing into his house, his lips trembled with anger. He pointed at Xue Bai and said, "Let them stop! Otherwise, Xue Lang will regret it sooner or later..."
However, there was only one knife in front of him.
"Those who dare to obstruct will be killed without mercy."
~~
The reason why Xue Bai was the first to come to accept Wang Hong's grain was simply because he picked the weakest persimmon first. Although Wang Hong had the arrogance of a wealthy family, he was well-educated and kind-hearted after all. In the end, seeing Xue Bai let someone take the grain
, and didn’t dare to really pounce on him with all his strength.
But that day, someone still died under Xue Bai's knife.
Moreover, this person's status is not low. He is the brother-in-law of Concubine Yang, the husband of Mrs. Han, the father-in-law of King Guangping, and Cui Xun, who is an official secretary and young eunuch.
Xue Bai chose the Cui family as his second choice to receive food, because he considered the Yang family to be one of his own, not to mention that he saved the lives of the three ladies of the Yang family during the Chencang Incident.
At that time, Cui Xun was not too implicated because he was the father-in-law of King Guangping and a member of the Boling Cui family with a prominent family background. He did not escape with the Korean lady. However, after finding the saint, Cui Xun still chose to return to Chang'an. Firstly,
Be loyal to the saint, and the second is to reunite with your wife.
They had a good relationship with each other. Xue Bai even asked Yang Yuyao to say hello in advance. Unexpectedly, the negotiation finally broke down.
At first, they discussed it with nice words. Cui Xun kept saying that this was not about food, but about rules. If he handed over the food, he would not be able to explain to his in-laws.
"If our food was so easy to get, Emperor Gaozong would have taken it when he went to Luoyang for food decades ago."
"It's not about food now. The rebels are about to enter the city. Do you want food or your lives?"
"We want face!" Cui Xun suddenly shouted, "With my status, do I have to line up every day to wait for Qiu Ba to distribute biscuits?! If you ask me to hand over food today, will you have to drive me to the top of the city tomorrow?!"
Xue Bai still drew his sword in his hand and ordered his soldiers to pay for their food.
Surprisingly, Cui Xun rushed forward. He did not stand up to protect his wife when the imperial army mutinied. At this time, he actually stepped forward for food and pushed Xue Bai.
"Shuzi! Don't bully others too much!"
Xue Bai slashed him to the ground with his backhand.
He said, "Anyone who dares to obstruct him will be killed without mercy." He can't break his promise, no matter who the other party is. Otherwise, once people see a trace of weakness or hesitation in him, he will be doomed. People inside and outside the city are surrounded by tigers and wolves, and he
You must be ruthless and follow your words.
"puff."
Cui Xun didn't expect Xue Bai to be so merciless. He couldn't believe that he was about to die until he was lying in a pool of blood.
"You..." He pointed at Xue Bai and murmured: "If you try to take advantage of Third Auntie's nepotism, you will kill me..."
"Collect the grain!" Xue Bai urged without even looking at Cui Xun, with a cold face.
Over there, Yang Yuyao was going out with her sister. When she saw this scene, she covered her mouth in surprise.
"Alang!"
The Korean ladies and the family members of the mansion rushed forward one after another, covering Cui Xun's wound that was bleeding continuously and crying.
"Why is this happening? Why is this happening?! Don't you just want food? Just give it."
"It's not food..." Cui Xun didn't close his eyes and murmured: "It's not..."
Since he was able to escape Chang'an, he didn't care about the food at home. What he cared about was not letting Xue Bai trample on his privileges.
He couldn't explain why he resisted this matter so much before, but when he was about to die, he suddenly realized that what he hated was Xue Bai's attitude, which was clearly aimed at famous families like them.
Why don't you wait until a batch of civilians in Chang'an City starve to death before requisitioning food? The situation has not yet reached the point of exchanging food for food, the horses have not been killed, and the bark and leather have not been chewed. Why did Xue Bai's first
The first reaction was to ask for food from these people? Xue Bai was biased and was targeting them.
If you take one step back today, you will inevitably have to take a second step back tomorrow. Letting such a person who is hostile to the family take power is worse than letting the rebels attack Chang'an. It must be stopped.
The light in Cui Xun's mind became brighter and brighter... Finally, he passed away.
~~
By nightfall, the rebel offensive ended.
The corpses on the top of the city were dragged away, but the injured were still moaning.
Xue Bai, Wang Nannan, Jiang Hai and other generals received the military rations, sat on the ground, and casually chatted about the matter of defending the city.
Diao Wansui laughed loudly when he talked about the food he had received today. When he talked about Xue Bai killing Cui Xun, he even put his hands on his hands and shouted: "Well done!"
At this time, Jiang Hai reminded in a low voice: "Lang Jun."
Xue Bai turned around and saw Yang Yuyao standing there looking at him. He got up and walked over.
"Let's go for a walk?"
The two of them then walked south along the battlements. From time to time, they could see wounded soldiers with broken arms and legs, and servants with sallow faces and thin muscles.
Xue Bai would sometimes point to someone among them and tell some of their stories.
"That thin old man, everyone calls him Old Man Xiang, is actually only thirty years old. He looks old. A few days ago, the army rations were not enough, and each person could only receive one-third. He almost starved to death. When he was defending the city, he went straight to Cai Cai.
Planted in the boiled gold juice. You know, there are people in the city who even have gold juice... They are risking their lives to guard Chang'an, and I can't let them starve to death."
Yang Yuyao said: "I know."
Xue Bai said: "In the beginning, when we opened Fengwei Building, I said I would protect the Yang family. These words still stand today."
"I know, otherwise you wouldn't have risked your life to save me in Chencang."
"But there must be a running-in." Xue Bai said, "Your brother-in-law is the one who was lost in this process. I hope you understand."
After that, he raised his eyes and looked outside the city. He accidentally saw something. He raised his telescope and saw a horse galloping towards this side. When he got closer to Chang'an, he raised a horse from his arms.
small flag.
The moonlight illuminated the logo looming on the flag, and Xue Bai's heart also fluctuated with it.
Because he recognized that it seemed to be Lao Liang's flag.
"Xue Bai."
"You go first." Xue Bai ignored Yang Yuyao for the time being and said, "I'll be busy before..."
Suddenly, Yang Yuyao hugged him and said: "I came here to say that Yuhuan wants to see you. Besides, I don't blame you, sister is remarrying."