The cold wind blew away the snow and dust outside the Desert Pass.
On the far horizon, chunks of leaden gray clouds were accumulating, as if another heavy snowfall was brewing, ready to fall at any time.
In the winter of the fourth year of Dahan Taixing, the weather seemed to be colder than in previous years.
In the past few years, even the dullest person can clearly feel that winter has become longer, coming earlier and leaving later. This is especially true in this desert borderland. Once October enters, basically
It was one heavy snow after another, shrouding everyone in this boundless cold, as if everything in the world was frozen.
A group of men and horses, wearing iron armor, wearing hoods on their heads, and wrapped in large cloaks, were quietly reining in their horses and standing on a hill.
Under the general's flag is General Zhao Yun of Pingbei in Youzhou.
The bitter cold in the desert is not just a lie.
Today, Zhao Yun is naturally a little thinner than when he was in Guanzhong. The lines on his face are more distinct like a knife and an axe, and his bare skin has a bronze color. His beard is not long, and in the cold wind
It was fluttering slightly. It was still a bit green when it merged with Beiyin Mountain in the past, but it has faded away completely.
Suddenly, two or three scouts pointed northward under the mound: "General! The men are coming!"
Zhao Yun looked up and saw that there was gradually some smoke and dust in the north. A group of about ten riders were meandering towards them. The cold wind blowing in the desert tore their robes, cloaks, etc. into disorder.
Not long after, they saw this group of people approaching, and the person in front was Zhang He.
When they reached the foot of the hill, Zhang He and others jumped off their horses and walked up the mountain.
Zhao Yun also dismounted and met Zhang He.
"General Zhao..." Zhang He saluted. Zhang He's eyes glanced at the armor on Zhao Yun's body, and then lowered his gaze.
Zhang He himself wore only leather armor. It’s not that Zhang He respected Zhao Yun so he wore leather armor, but because in such weather, he could only wear leather armor and leather robes...
Just like eating popsicles in summer, you must not choose those that are extremely frozen. Don't ask why you know this.
Unless they want to taste the charm and sweetness of iron pieces, leather armor and leather robes are the only choices for Zhang He and others in winter.
But Zhao Yun and others are different. Under the iron armor, there are not only cotton cloth, but also furs. Whether in combat or daily activities, basically no iron pieces are touched. This kind of craftsmanship and luxury, for Zhang He and others,
Especially for a few Xianbei people, this is unimaginable.
In Europe, it is common for people to regard a piece of armor at home as a family heirloom. In the current era of the Han Dynasty, the price of a piece of armor is already worth more than half a million yuan. The armor of a general like Zhao Yun starts at one million yuan. It can be said that Zhao Yun
This outfit is equivalent to wearing millions of dollars on your body...
Zhao Yun looked calm and returned the gift without saying much.
Zhang He curled his lips and didn't say much.
What can a defeated general do?
If Zhao Yun is willing to meet him, he is already giving him a lot of face. How can he be expected to be more cordial?
In the past, when Zhang He was under Yuan Shao, although he was not a very popular minister, at least everyone had to respect him when they saw him. At that time, Zhao Yun was just a bandit in the Black Mountain...
The rise of Zhao Yun has been regarded as a miracle for the Han Dynasty. It has been talked about by many people and has also given many people new hope. After all, a remnant of the Yellow Turbans and the leader of the Black Mountain bandits can now become General Pingbei, so what if he
How can he become famous if his skills are under the control of a hussar?
Therefore, this is one of the reasons why Zhang He led the Xianbei people to find Zhao Yun.
Another reason is the weather.
The severe wind and snow made all Zhang He's plans come to naught. Without enough food and fodder, no supply areas and pastures, migrating in an unknown direction in the wind and snow was no different from seeking death.
There was no way to go, and there was no place to stay, so looking for Zhao Yun became the only way to survive.
This is where the advantage of civilization lies.
Compared with other nomadic peoples in the desert, Zhang He and the remaining Xianbei people prefer to choose the more civilized Han people. At least even if the Han people kill them, they will not use their skulls to drink...
For Zhang He, it was not his original intention to cooperate with the Xianbei people. It was just forced by the situation at that time. Although he has now won over some Xianbei people and has about 3,000 fighting troops, the Hu people's fighting troops
Well, basically it's like that, it's easier to use than the Han militia, at least it's the militia on horseback.
Therefore, the number is not small, but it does not have anything to do with strength. In addition, Zhang He cannot have complete command authority over the Xianbei people. In many cases, it has to be passed through the second hand, so the dispatching cannot be called such.
Arms point.
Living with these Xianbei people is enough. Even if such a mixed army and horse go north, what will they do? Once a battle is fought, there will only be failure. It is precisely because of this that even if Zhao Yun no longer dislikes Zhang He and his attitude no longer
Even if Zhang He is cold, he won't say a word.
Zhao Yun looked past Zhang He and landed on the Xianbei people who followed Zhang He.
Several Xianbei people were somewhat embarrassed.
After all, they were in a hostile state before, and now they have become losers, seeking asylum from the Han people. Their morale has been invisibly reduced by three points. Under Zhao Yun's sharp eyes, everyone suddenly shrank their heads and did not dare to express their anger.
Zhao Yun didn't speak, and everyone didn't dare to speak.
Zhao Yun commanded the army and always took the lead when facing battle. There was nothing to say about his bravery. No one in the whole army refused to obey him. He also strictly abided by military discipline and was selfless. Even if his bodyguards violated military discipline, they would still be punished and punished. No one would be exempted.
, In addition, Zhao Yun lives a simple and hard-working life, does not pay attention to extravagant expenses, and does not have much fun in the army. When it comes to his character, he is even more thumbs up. Needless to say, naturally the whole army respects, fears and respects Zhao Yun.
Peace of mind.
In addition, Zhao Yun was favored by hussars, and from time to time he would be sent armor, sharp weapons, and good horses. Even though Zhao Yun was in the desert of Youzhou, his favor was not reduced by half. Therefore, under Zhao Yun's command,
The military here in Youzhou is extremely sharp from top to bottom, has strict military discipline, and has the demeanor of a strong military.
Zhao Yun suddenly asked coldly: "Among you, are there any who have brought troops into the territory of the Han Dynasty to harass the people? Are they raping and plundering? Are they massacring innocent people?"
Several Xianbei people suddenly felt excited.
These Xianbei people can understand some Chinese to some extent. Even if they can't understand it, they can still feel some problems from the tone...
At that moment, some Xianbei people fell to their knees with a thud, "General, general! Since the general arrived here, we, we have never done anything like this again! I can swear to God that what I said is the truth!"
』
Zhao Yun's eyes fell on Zhang He.
Zhang He smiled bitterly and said, "General Zhao, I am also a Han, how could you do such an unjust thing?"
Zhao Yun nodded slowly. Zhao Yun was not completely unreasonable or unreasonable, but Zhao Yun had his own insistence on some things.
Of course, what the Xianbei people said is also true. In recent years, the Xianbei people have been suppressed and beaten by Zhao Yun, so naturally they have no intention to go south to plunder every year. Don't look at how pitiful they are now.
, before Zhao Yun came, the Xianbei people were ferocious and did all kinds of evil, invading the borders and killing the people.
"Whether your words are true or not, you have to verify them yourself..." Zhao Yun did not want to investigate the things that happened before he came. "After entering the Han Dynasty, you should respect the Han laws. If there is any wanton behavior or bad people breaking the law,
You know the consequences."
Zhao Yun's voice was not loud, even in a light tone, but the coldness in his tone was as irresistible as the severe winter at the moment.
Several Xianbei people knelt on the ground, repeatedly promised and kowtowed in thanks.
As for the crimes committed by the Xianbei people before Zhao Yun arrived...
At that time, even the court was ignored, and all the local governors and captains ran away. If they deserved to be killed, those who abandoned the border areas and ignored their own people deserved to be killed even more!
It is understandable that one is bullied by foreigners because he is not strong. However, if he has become stronger, but when he sees foreigners, his knees become weak and he becomes half shorter. To some extent, this kind of person is better than
Foreigners who do evil are even more hateful!
After sending these Xianbei people to retreat first, Zhao Yun looked at Zhang He and asked, "What is the current situation in Mobei? Where are Ding Ling and Wuhuan's people?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang He slowly took out a parchment scroll from his arms. Zhang He's movements were very slow, even very careful. Even the parchment scroll did not dare to be handed to Zhao Yun directly, but was given to Zhao Yun.
The guards around Zhao Yun.
Zhao Yun took the parchment scroll in his hand, weighed it, and then glanced at Zhang He.
Zhang He smiled bitterly and said: "In the desert, there is a lack of pen, ink and paper... so we can only make do with it..."
Zhao Yun nodded slightly.
Who said the sheepskin was made of saltpeter, but I don’t know if the workmanship is incomplete or because of being in a hurry. It still has some smell. It is not as smooth as the leather of later generations, and the drawings on the leather are not written with pen and ink...
…
Zhao Yun reached out and touched it gently, it seemed to be charcoal.
Zhang He on the side lowered his head and remained silent.
A worthless person is not even as good as a pig. At least there are people who buy pork, but most people don’t want human meat. Zhang He had already considered it before coming to Zhao Yun. If he could not bring Zhao Yun any valuable information, then he would not care about Zhao Yun.
It's the same as being worthless...
What would you do with a person or item that has little value?
Perhaps it would turn Zhang He into a social figure who could only rely on himself, to show that the Cavalry General was magnanimous, open-minded and broad-minded?
Zhang He doesn't want to take that road, so Zhang He has to come up with something. Even if Zhao Yun doesn't ask, Zhang He will take the initiative to come up with it. But if it's the opposite, when Zhao Yun asks, Zhang He can't come up with anything, or even something.
I can't tell you anything, so even if you have martial arts skills, you won't get any good treatment.
But Zhang He still had some doubts. He had heard in northern Youzhou and the Xianbei tribe that Zhao Yun and others had magical powers, that they could be protected by gods, and could come and go unimpeded in wind and snow...
Of course, Zhang He thought these rumors were too unreal, but today when he saw Zhao Yun looking at the parchment he drew very carefully, he suddenly had a feeling...
Maybe these things are all true?
Otherwise, why do you feel that Zhao Yun and others seem to be preparing to go north?
Such weather!
Zhang He looked at the low dark clouds in the distance, then looked at the leather armor on his body, and lowered his head.
No matter from any angle, Zhao Yun seems to have no reason to easily raise his troops and go north. To be honest, in the Youbei Desert, it is actually far away from the Han Dynasty. Even if it was divided and beaten by Ding Ling and Wuhuan,
So what?
But Zhang He felt that Zhao Yun seemed to be looking at it very carefully, as if he wanted to find an offensive line... because Zhang He himself was so focused when he was looking at the map and planning.
Zhang He had countless thoughts in his mind, and then suddenly heard Zhao Yun say in a deep voice: "What is the sign here?"
Zhang He took a look and said, "It's a valley in the mountain where you can get shelter from the wind and snow."
Zhao Yun nodded slightly, then handed the parchment to the guard beside him, "Copy a few copies and send scouts to verify according to the drawing..."
The guard took the parchment and went down.
Zhao Yun turned around and looked at Zhang He. "General Zhang..."
Zhang He raised his hands and said: "A defeated general does not dare to be called this. If the general does not give up, I will call you by my name..."
Zhao Yun nodded slightly, "Jun Yi led his troops to surrender, but I don't know what his plans are for the future?"
Zhang He was a little hesitant. He knew that speaking out might make Zhao Yun suspicious, and it might even lead to worse results. However, Zhang He still said in a deep voice: "I would like to follow the general and fight in the Northern Desert!"
Zhang He did not want to return to the Central Plains.
Originally, Zhang He thought that if you want to be a good general, you must know some politics. And politics is gray or not so clean. So when Yuan Shao ordered Zhang He to kill Qu Yi, Zhang He did it. Although Zhang He himself knew that Qu Yi might have been wronged.
Zhang He first followed Han Fu when he defeated the Yellow Turbans. At that time, Zhang He thought that Han Fu was already a hero. What he didn't expect was that after Yuan Shao attacked him three times, Han Fu was captured without any resistance. Ability, which made Zhang He once doubt his own strength.
Is bravery on the battlefield really inferior to political skills?
In addition, Yuan Shao was in the early stage of his rapid rise. It was really a case of killing people and killing Buddhas. Even Gongsun Zan, who was sitting on a white horse, was defeated by Yuan Shao. The entire Jizhou was submissive to Yuan Shao. , which made Zhang He also have the "consciousness" that if he wants to climb higher, he needs to have political skills like Yuan Shao...
As a result, Yuan Shao declined rapidly, the balance of Jizhou was broken, and the political strife made the seemingly powerful Jizhou seem like paper. Before Zhang He could figure out what was wrong, it was teetering on the edge of collapse, and then here was a A hole, a flaw over there.
The power of Yuan Shao in Jizhou before was like a wonderful dream. When you wake up from the dream, what you see when you open your eyes are broken eaves and broken walls, old trees and dim crows.
Even after Zhang He surrendered to Cao Cao, he was still trapped in the political whirlpool.
Cao Cao boasted about Zhang He more than once in front of Zhang He and the Xiahou family of the Cao family, saying that Zhang He was his good general and that he could rest assured when letting Zhang He do things. Then he turned around and realized that the prefect belonged to the Cao family and the commander-in-chief was the Xiahou family. Yes, Zhang He is always either a partial general or a vanguard.
What crushed the balance in Zhang He's heart was Xia Houyuan's final blow.
In Yuan Shao's hands, Zhang He and others are just warriors, nothing more than hawks and dogs. They are used when needed and thrown away when not needed, but they will also be given some sweetness and maintenance to prevent them from killing something next time. It's easy to use. Those who are disobedient like Qu Yi will naturally be killed.
But when it comes to Cao Cao, even eagles and dogs are not ranked, just swords and guns. False praise is like polishing swords and guns, just to look good.
Zhang He didn't know what the situation was like in Guanzhong under the rule of the Hussar, but Zhang He guessed that it was similar. As long as there were nobles, where would there be no politics? Zhang He didn't want to try this kind of life anymore. He would rather die in On the battlefield, I don’t want to get involved in those dirty political fields again...
But this is difficult.
Even if Zhang He himself were to put himself in Zhao Yun's shoes, would he be able to trust an enemy general who was his opponent before? Would he still be able to keep him by his side to lead the troops in battle?
Zhang He lowered his head, and the light in his eyes gradually swayed as the silence lengthened, like a candle in the wind that was about to be extinguished.
"Why does Junyi want to stay in Youbei?" Just when Zhang He was gradually losing hope, Zhao Yun suddenly asked.
Zhang He raised his head and said: "I am from Muxian County, my family is rich, and I was wanton when I was young... I thought that by acquiring martial arts, I could protect the country and the people... Later, when the world was in chaos, I sold my property and ignored my parents to keep it... Later I voted for Hanzhou Mu, thinking that I would be able to return home in fine clothes, but I never thought..."
"...After a certain person left home, rebel troops crossed the border..." As Zhang He spoke, a tear fell from the corner of his eye, and then it dried up when the cold wind blew it, "..."
Zhao Yun was silent.
Sometimes, rioters who have lost their order are more terrifying than ordinary thieves.
"... A certain young man swore to defend his homeland, but a certain person failed to do so... He later belonged to Han Shijun, and he was supposed to protect him, but a certain person defected to Yuan Benchu... Yuan Benchu ordered a certain person to kill Pao Ze, but a certain person did not speak out... He led his troops to fight in Yanzhou, so a certain person We have never fought to the death..." Zhang He's face was twisted in pain, and he gritted his teeth and roared in a low voice, "I have accomplished nothing and have nothing in my past thirty years... Loyalty is not loyal, filial piety is not fulfilled, and benevolence and righteousness are even more impossible to talk about... ...I am living in this world now, and I have no shame in entering the Central Plains again...Only by dying on the battlefield can the evils of a lifetime be purged..."
"I hope the general will take you in!"
After Zhang He finished speaking, he kowtowed to the ground.
The cold wind howled, sweeping away the dust.
"...Well, Jun Yi can stay here temporarily..." Zhao Yun said slowly, "It's just that Jun Yi still needs to write a letter from himself and send it to Chang'an, waiting for the Hussar to make a decision..."
Zhang He suddenly raised his head, and then bowed deeply to Zhao Yun: "Thank you, General Zhao!"
If Zhao Yun is unwilling to accept him, even Zhang He's efforts will be useless. Think about it and you will know. For Qiaoqi, should he value Zhao Yun or listen to Zhang He? If Zhao Yun can get a word from him, Zhang He will be more likely to stay in Youbei. Five points!
Zhang He took a long breath.
Maybe in this life, there will no longer be a distinction between black and white!
Perhaps from now on, there will no longer be nightmares...
