Lead clouds, cold wind, dead branches and white grass, winter snow...
On the loess road, the cloud scene paused slightly and looked up at the sky, reaching out to catch a piece of white snow, which was cold in my hands.
Feeling the cold snowflakes melting into water in the palm of his hand, Yunjing took out the oil-paper umbrella hanging by the bookcase and opened it.
This umbrella finally came in handy.
"Brother Yun, aren't you happy?" Ye Tian asked curiously when he saw that Yun Jing was suddenly in a low mood. While speaking, he also held up an oilcloth umbrella. His umbrella was very big and opened like a dusty mushroom.
.
Shaking his head, Yun Jing said: "I can't say whether I'm happy or not, I just think of the snow every year when I was a child and people would freeze to death in the village, so I couldn't be more interested."
"Oh, actually I don't like winter either. Whenever it snows, every family gathers around the fire, and I'm all alone. I hate snowing." After listening to what Yun Jing said, Ye Tian suddenly felt lonely and whispered.
On the side, Liu Neng got a bamboo hat from somewhere and took it with him. He mused slightly: "It snows every year and weeps every year. Every family hangs flags and every family is sad. If the sun is shining for thousands of miles, how can new graves be added overnight...
…”
Ye Tian was stunned after hearing this. He couldn't understand it at all. He curled his lips and said, "It's inexplicable."
"You know nothing," Liu Neng replied habitually.
Did Mr. Liu compose poetry impromptuly out of emotion?
No matter what, Yun Jing has no poetry talent and cannot judge whether the four sentences Liu Fuzi said are good or bad, but his poem describes the tragedy of human beings after snowfall very penetratingly.
"Let's go, there is a small town ahead. Let's stay there for one night today and hit the road again tomorrow. I hope there will still be a way to go by then." Yunjing looked forward and stepped forward.
After keeping up the pace, Ye Tian said in shock: "Brother Yun, it's not even noon yet, you can still continue on your way."
"I forgot to mention that there is a person I want to visit in that town. Regardless of whether the visit can go smoothly or not, I will probably be delayed today."
"Then let's go quickly, don't delay Brother Yun's business..."
Liu Neng, who was wearing a bamboo hat, curled his lips, "I have been with you for so many days and you didn't ask me for advice, but you went to visit some guys who don't have much ink in their stomachs. You really don't know the true master."
Today, Yunjing is less than 300 miles away from the real border battlefield. In fact, it can be said that he has arrived at the periphery of the war. Even though this place is still hundreds of miles away from the real main battlefield, he can still encounter it at any time.
to the enemy team.
War is never about head-on confrontation between horses and horses in one place, using devious methods to assassinate and harass, etc...
The town in front of them was not very big. Yunjing had learned about it before. It was smaller than Niujiao Town in his hometown, but its permanent population was in the tens of thousands.
In this bitter cold land in the north, there is a town with a population of tens of thousands. It is already considered an important town, even larger than some county towns.
In fact, that town is really an important town, leading to many places in the north. It is like a transportation hub, so it is naturally larger than many county towns.
Yunjing and the others had encountered many refugees before, all of whom had gathered here from many places further north and then headed south.
Snowflakes fell in pieces, getting bigger and bigger, and the distance began to become hazy.
There were hordes of refugees on the road. They were shivering from the cold, dragging their families with them south, and encountering winter snow again. Many people cried to the sky in despair and complained about God's ruthlessness.
Walking among the refugees heading south, Yunjing and the three of them were like fish swimming against the current.
Looking at the cloudscape in front of him and the endless stream of refugees beside him, Liu Neng's eyes flickered. After staying for so many days, he suddenly felt like leaving.
In previous years, there was a truce at the border at this time, but now there are so many refugees heading south, and the situation at the border can be imagined.
Although he, Liu Neng, has lived for hundreds of years and is accustomed to seeing all kinds of things in the world, he is still a living person, a master respected by countless people in Dali. He goes to the front line, where he has more important responsibilities and obligations...
"But you have to take that evil boy away when you leave. No matter what method you use, you have to kidnap him. No matter what, I don't want to waste such a talent..."
Thoughts flickered in his mind, and Liu Neng secretly had a calculation in his mind.
As we get closer to the town, although it can't be called a flood of refugees on the road, it can be said to be an endless stream.
If they can still survive in their hometown, who would leave their hometown to seek life in a distant place?
The town is called Sitong Town, so it is named because the place is well connected in all directions.
When they entered the town, Yunjing and the others did not encounter any difficulties. They checked the household registration and road signs normally and let them go, but the inspection was stricter than in other places.
Yes, Sitong Town has a city wall. After all, it is in the north, and the city wall is necessary because it must be ready to deal with enemy sneak attacks at any time, and the gatekeepers are not policemen but soldiers. This place has been taken over by the army, making it a major military town!
The city wall is not high, less than three meters. It is made of compacted loess and stones. There are traces of repairs in many places and it is still very fresh.
When he entered the town, he looked at the city wall for a moment, and Yun Jing couldn't help but be moved. There were dark red blood stains on many places on the city wall, and there were even broken arrowheads stuck in it, and there were even signs of being hacked by knives and axes.
Obviously, there has been a large-scale fight here, and it is not just a small fight in the world!
In this situation, there is no other possibility except fighting the enemy country.
Has the enemy's small group of rebellious troops penetrated so far into the country?
Entering the town, the streets are full of refugees whose souls have no place to rest. Their expressions are dazed and helpless. It's winter again, and no one can guarantee whether they will wake up normally tomorrow.
There are occasional bonfires burning on the street, and there are always people on three levels inside and three outside. Maybe in this cruel winter, only that pile of bonfires can bring some comfort.
As they walked, Yun Jing's heart suddenly trembled, his nose became sore and he almost shed tears.
Things he had only heard about in legends, he now saw with his own eyes.
On the street, some adults looked eagerly at the passers-by. They put their hands in their sleeves and squatted on the street with smiles that pleased them expectantly.
In front of these adults were some skinny children, some of whom were barefoot in the middle of winter, with shocking cracks on their feet from the frost.
What makes Yunjing's heart tremble is the straw on these children's heads!
That straw shows that those children are being sold on the street like animals.
The most unbearable thing in the world is now "bloody" in front of Yunjing. Maybe the people here are used to it, but this is the first time Yunjing has encountered it. He doesn't know what words to use to describe himself.
The heart-wrenching...
The fists clenched loudly.
Yunjing was temporarily unable to help these people. He looked slightly to the north. The war must end as soon as possible!
"Xiaoyun, anger can't solve the problem, and sympathy can't solve the problem. Because you are 'strong' enough, no matter which aspect, as long as you are 'strong' to a certain extent, your light words then will be better than what you are now.
Give it your all," Liu Neng said calmly beside the cloud scenery.
At this time, Liu Neng no longer wanted to show off around Yun Jing, but was really trying to remind him.
Nodding, Yun Jing said: "Young people understand the principle of achieving great things and benefiting the world at the same time."
"Well, it's good to understand," Liu Neng said calmly, but he also slowly chewed Yun Jing's words in his heart, "The more you think about it, the better it will be for the world." The more you think about it, the more flavorful it becomes. He said in his heart that this sentence should make the people in the capital live and drink.
The so-called 'scholars' listen.
Anyway, for some reason, Ye Tian felt that the old man Liu Neng was not as annoying as before.
After walking through the streets of the town for ten or twenty minutes, Yunjing looked up and saw an inn on the street and said, "Just stay here."
"Brother Yun, there are better inns over there, why do you want to stay here? I know you are usually frugal and don't like extravagance, but you are just curious." Ye Tian couldn't help but ask.
Smiling, Yunjing said: "It's nothing, I just think the name of this inn is friendly."
"What kind of guests are there? How can we be so friendly?" Ye Tian looked at the inn and muttered with his lips pursed. He didn't know many words yet, and he couldn't fully recognize the four words "Yelai Inn".
Although Sitong Town is now overcrowded, the occupancy rate of the inn is not high. After all, most of the people in the town are refugees and have fled. Who has the money to spend money to stay in an inn?
After booking three rooms, putting down his luggage and settling down, Yunjing left the inn alone and took the invitation to find the person he wanted to visit.
The next person Yunjing wants to visit is named Ran Liang. He is in his thirties and is somewhat famous in the north. However, his fame does not come from his knowledge, but from his chivalry and righteousness.
According to Yunjing's understanding, Ran Liang was once a county magistrate, but within two years of being a county magistrate, he became so jealous that he went out alone to suppress bandits many times, which led to the dereliction of governance and the loss of his official position.
After losing his official position, he seemed to have been freed from his shackles and went straight into the world of martial arts. However, he was a real scholar. He was able to get along well in the political world, and the circle of scholars was also very popular.
Yunjing visited such a rebellious person not to learn anything from him, but it would be good if he could discuss his knowledge and martial arts insights with him.
The snow was falling non-stop, and the sky and the earth were already completely white. As I walked on the road holding an umbrella, my footsteps were soon covered with snow.
When we passed an intersection, it was very lively. Hundreds of refugees gathered there, crowding towards the center.
Through the crowd, Yun Jing saw the situation in the center. He was slightly startled, then smiled and continued walking to Ran Liang's house.
He saw an acquaintance among the crowd.
Bai Zhi, who had been separated for many days, was actually among the crowd, distributing steamed buns and gruel to the refugees with a woman about her age, welcoming countless grateful people.
He should have said hello, but the other party was busy, so Yunjing wouldn't bother him for the time being.
Although the world is bitter, there are still warm moments occasionally.
On a bitterly cold winter day, with countless refugees, the figure distributing steamed buns is a beautiful sight, right?
Ran Liang's house is a large courtyard on the edge of the town.
When Yun Jing came here, he found that the door was closed, but the courtyard was quite lively...