The motorcade stopped and stayed at the inn for the night. (《》)
The moon hangs in the sky, and the night is sultry.
The carriage parked quietly outside the door of the inn. The unharnessed horses stood quietly in front of the manger, chewing grass. Occasionally they snorted, wagged their tails, walked a few steps and then stopped.
Several soldiers squatted beside the fire and talked in low voices, smiling happily.
The bonfire was burning, and the firelight illuminated the outside of the inn as bright as day.
Su Qianqian, dressed in a red dress, was standing by the campfire, cooking a pot of delicious food.
Lu Heng sat on a small bench, reading a military report he had just received by the light of the fire.
The military report was sent from the Wuningyuan Corps on the Western Front.
In the letter, Wu Ningyuan, an old man, expressed his great dissatisfaction with Lu Heng's order to return to Beijing. In hundreds of words, he said that he must stay. As for the reasons for staying, there was not even half of it.
To sum up, I will not go back, even if I die!
However, at the end of writing, Wu Ningyuan wrote a few words in a helpless and sentimental tone: I am old, and if I don't go, I may not have a chance.
After reading the letter, Lu Heng sat blankly for a while and then put the letter away.
He knew the reason why Wu Ningyuan didn't come back, and also knew what Wu Ningyuan meant when he said, "If I don't go, I might not have a chance."
Think about last year's early spring, when we were saying goodbye in Tokyo, the old man's staggering figure, rickety body, and gray beard and hair swaying in the wind.
After a lot of effort, he couldn't get on the horse's back, but he praised the horse for being too tall. He laughed and said that His Majesty had rewarded a good horse.
On the side, Xiao Dapeng, who was holding the horse, turned his head and raised his hands to cover his eyes.
Lu Heng sat there quietly. After a while, the corners of his mouth curved into a beautiful curve.
However, after smiling for a moment, I found that the corners of my eyes were a little moist. (《》)
"Old man, go ahead as you go, no one is stopping you. But don't forget, next March, when the peach blossoms are in full bloom in the capital, you and I, and the emperor will have the banquet agreed upon!" Lu Heng said tightly.
Holding the military newspaper in his hand, he sighed sadly and said to himself.
"What's wrong?" Su Qianqian gathered up her skirt and sat next to Lu Heng. She turned her head and saw Lu Heng's eyes sparkling, her heart tightened, and she asked softly.
"Ha, it's okay, it was smoked!" Lu Heng shook his head, raised his hand to wipe the corners of his eyes, and said with a smile.
Su Qianqian looked at Lu Heng quietly without saying anything. She leaned over gently, placed her cheek on Lu Heng's shoulder, and quietly hid in Lu Heng's arms.
Lu Heng held Su Qianqian in his arms, stretched out his hand and stroked Su Qianqian's soft three thousand green hair, raised his head, looked at the crescent moon in the sky, and said nothing.
…
On the western front, there is solitary smoke in the desert, and the silvery moon over the long river.
Wu Ningyuan wore armor that shimmered with cold light, hunched over, stepped on the hard earth and stones under his feet, and walked up the high slope, counting silently in his heart.
Behind him, Duan Peng and Xiao Dapeng followed closely. They raised their heads and looked at the staggering steps of the old man walking in front. They lowered their heads and felt a sore nose.
The cold wind was blowing by, and the old man with white beard and hair walked step by step towards the low mound.
After walking up the mound, the old man turned his head and took a look at the second general who was deliberately behind him. He smiled, turned his head and said to himself: "You are really old!"
Turning his head and looking at the vast desert in the north, the old man's eyes were as sharp as an eagle, but there was a flash of tenderness in his eyes.
A month ago, after receiving an order from the Lu Heng Corps on the Middle Road not to participate in the Shuofang Battle, Wu Ningyuan's troops began to concentrate on dealing with the Turkic Youwang troops entrenched in the Hexi Corridor.
The war raged continuously for three months, and the war became stalemate.
But with the arrival of Duan Peng's 50,000-strong army, the difficult battle situation was instantly reversed.
During the Battle of Liangzhou, the Turkic Zuo King abandoned 30,000 corpses and fled. (《》)
The Zhou army also fought and opened the entrance to the Hexi Corridor.
In the next month, the unified army marched all the way along the Qilian Mountains. During this period, they fought three major battles with the Turkic King You.
The Zhou army with high morale conquered Ganzhou and Suzhou one after another. Most of the Hexi Corridor fell into the hands of the Zhou army.
In the shocking battle at Yumen Pass ten days ago, the Turkic Right King, who had been cornered, led an army of 70,000 under his command and resisted stubbornly.
In the cold wind, Wu Ningyuan, whose beard and hair were all white, was shirtless and beat drums in person to help out. Two generals, Duan Peng and Xiao Dapeng, took the lead and personally led the charge. The entire army of 100,000 men, fearless of death, charged forward one after another.
In that battle, the Turks entrenched at Yumen Pass suffered heavy casualties, with almost all their 100,000 cavalry lost. Three sons of the Turk You King were killed. Even the Turk You King himself broke off an arm and fled with injuries.
The bloody battle not only consumed the enemy, but also the Zhou army suffered heavy casualties.
Duan Peng's left arm was shot through by an arrow, but it was no big deal. He was bandaged and it was fine. But Xiao Dapeng was a little worse. After entering the city, he was unable to dodge during the fight with the Turks' right king and was cut off.
One ear. But luckily, the head is still there.
Both sides are elite troops from various countries, and no one surrenders to the other. The Wuningyuan Legion, which has traveled long distances and attacked thousands of miles, is far away from the hinterland of the Central Plains and fights alone. It can only move forward and cannot retreat. And the Turkic Right King who was forced into a desperate situation, if
If he withdraws from Hexi, it means that he has lost his territory in the Turks and will eventually end up being annexed. With no way to retreat, he will fight to the death.
The two sides met at Yumen Pass, which was destined to be a bloody and tragic battle.
During that battle, corpses lay everywhere in the city and rivers of blood flowed.
The next day, the surviving soldiers gathered the mutilated bodies of their comrades with tears in their eyes and buried them under the Qilian Mountains.
Wu Ningyuan led the entire army to kneel and kowtow to see him off.
As the sun sets, the sky turns red.
Looking at the erected tombstone, the soldiers could no longer conceal their sadness and burst into tears.
Conquering Yumen Pass means that the Hexi Corridor, which has been lost for hundreds of years, has returned to the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The road to the Western Regions has been opened again, and the connection between the Great Zhou Dynasty and the countries in the Western Regions will surely be strengthened. The political and economic significance is far greater than the military significance.
.
After resting in Yumen for three days, the army crossed the Qilian Mountains. The moment they stepped on the Mobei grassland, these more than 50,000 people officially embarked on the journey to conquer the Turkic Royal Court.
At nightfall, the soldiers who passed over the mountains fell asleep from exhaustion.
Wu Ningyuan, who couldn't sleep, simply got up, got dressed, and left the tent after hearing the cold wind howling outside the tent.
Afterwards, he took Duan Peng and Xiao Dapeng to a mound outside the camp.
"I'm old!" Wu Ningyuan raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead. After taking a long breath, he hunched his back, looked to the north, and sighed.
"I haven't seen you for twenty years. The eighth prince who was handsome and elegant back then is now an old man!"
The hunchbacked Wu Ningyuan stood on the mound, with his hands behind his back, looking at the vast desert under the melancholy moonlight, and said to himself.
"What about you? Ronger?"
…
Early the next morning, the convoy arrived in Zhengzhou.
The sun has just risen and the sunlight is shining on this ancient city.
The smooth and neat stone roads reflect the dizzying sunlight, which is a bit dazzling. The layer of mist floating on the streets of Zhengzhou has not yet dissipated.
Several vendors who got up early were parked on the street pushing wheelbarrows carrying wine and food. While yawning, they began to put up flags, set up stoves, and prepare to light a fire for business.
At this time, there was a ticking sound of horse hooves coming from the city gate that had just been opened.
The rising sunlight was a bit dazzling. The vendor set up an awning and squinted his eyes as he glanced at the city gate.
Fuwei Escort Agency? So many people? Big deal!
After seeing clearly the flag with the name Fuwei Escort on the carriage, the vendor felt happy and quickly asked his companions to get dressed. He put a white towel on his shoulders and sang Gao Sheng: "It's open!"
The voice was loud and clear, instantly piercing the mist that shrouded the city. The sun shone in, casting a warm light and shadow on the ground.
The motorcade came creaking and stopped beside the stall.
The car door opened, and a handsome young man in a long gown stuck his head out to take a look, then raised the curtain and walked out of the car. Then the young man stood outside the car and stretched out his hand to help a man who came out of the car.
The beautiful woman in the red dress.
After seeing the woman in the red dress, the waiter's eyes widened.
The handsome young man just glanced at him and sat down at the table with the fairy in red skirt.
The remaining fifty or so people took off their backpacks and sat down.
The young man took out a banknote from his sleeve and slapped it on the table.
"Waiter, serve the wine!"
The aroma of wine and food gradually spread.
Several waiters carried plates and quickly passed between the tables, bringing wine, vegetables and cooked meat to each table.
After the waiter helped fill the wine bowls, Yan Yunwei, who had been worried for more than ten days and relaxed today, laughed loudly, picked up the wine bowls, and clinked them together.
In an instant, wine splashed everywhere and the aroma of wine overflowed.
"Go one!"
Lu Heng turned his head and looked at those Yan Yunwei who were in high spirits, drinking from large bowls and eating meat in a free and easy manner. He laughed, turned around, looked at Su Qianqian with picturesque features beside him, and picked up the wine cup.
The two smiled slightly and touched each other lightly.
After a while, an old man who was walking his dog for morning exercise, dressed as a rich man, walked over with a local dog, eating and laughing.
When the old man reached the stall, he stopped.
Seeing the old man stop, the Yanyun guards who were drinking stopped immediately. They all stood up, grabbed the steel knives on the table next to them, and stared at the old man with unkind eyes.
The old man turned a blind eye to the eager gazes of the strong men beside him. He just smiled slightly, looked at Lu Heng sitting on the seat, smiled, and asked: "This young man, can you let me take a seat?"
Lu Heng waved his hand to Yanyunwei, telling them not to be nervous. Then he pointed to a chair opposite, with a smile in his eyes, and looked at the old man: "Sit!"