It has been nearly four hundred years since the Han Dynasty was founded.
Four hundred years have passed, and whether the emperor of Han Dynasty is good or bad, he is still the emperor.
It's like a good year, a bad year, it's the same year.
Some new ideas, but still many old habits.
Young people are willing to accept new ideas, but most old people cling to old habits, not because they don't know the benefits of new ideas, but because old people often only have these old habits left.
Because these habits are their life...
If these habits are denied, then does their life still have any meaning?
The sun had just risen from the horizon. Cao Zhen, who had not been able to close his eyes all night, took a long breath while looking at the rising winter sun.
Sleeping day and night is not as simple as imagined.
Since ancient times, human beings originally worked during the day and rested at night. Now they have turned upside down, like a big man upside down. It is not that he cannot survive, but he is very uncomfortable.
The guide was an old man, with more wrinkles on his face than the bark of a tree, but he was still in good health. He didn't seem tired at all when crossing mountains and ridges. On the contrary, Cao Zhen's soldiers, although it cannot be said that they were not elite, might still have armor on them.
When going up and down the ravine with a sword, you will inevitably be out of breath.
"I'm used to walking."
The old man said.
The old man has no name or surname.
The marching pot and stove were set up, and the mutton was chopped into pieces of different sizes and thrown into the pot with the bones.
The orange fire seemed to be the only warmth in this world.
On a cold winter day, a bowl of hot mutton soup, soaked in some black flour bread, and a bowl of it will bring back all the energy.
Cao Zhen ate a bowl with a slurping sound, exhaled a long breath, and then asked the guard to get another bowl and came back. Looking at the old man opposite, he took out a piece of mutton from his bowl and put it on the table for the old man to eat.
With his empty bowl, he sat down next to the old man and said with a smile: "Old man, how far is it from Beiqu?"
The old man did not express gratitude for Cao Zhen's kindness, but looked into the distance indifferently, "There are still two days to go."
The old man's eyes were slightly cloudy, as if years of vicissitudes had seeped into his eyes.
Cao Zhen looked at the old man and felt a little scared in his heart. After thinking about it, he took out a money bag from his body and handed it to the old man. "I came in a hurry and didn't bring anything good. A little gold and silver can be regarded as a reward... I'll take it."
Go back and supplement your family income.』
The old man glanced at the money bag and shook his head, "Thank you, sir, but I am alone, old man, with no family. I have no need for this money. You'd better take it back, sir."
Cao Zhen was a little embarrassed, but he didn't take the money bag back. Instead, he threw it beside the old man, "Well...it's okay to buy more food and wine to have a good time, so there's no need to refuse!"
The old man said nothing and did not touch the money bag.
The morning sun gradually rises.
The bonfire was filled up to prevent his whereabouts from being revealed.
Cao Zhen looked at the sky, feeling like an insect hiding in the night. He could only crawl out in the dark, but in the face of light, he could only shrink into the dark gaps.
It seems like it shouldn't be like this...
He should be the representative of the Han Dynasty's orthodoxy, why has it become like this now?
…
…
Fan Xian stood on the hill and looked around. In addition to the gray and yellow colors in front of him, there were only black and green pine trees on the low hills.
In the cold winter, not all trees are pines and cypresses.
Except for pines and cypresses, all other trees have lost their leaves.
Just like not everyone likes the same place.
Fan Xian didn't like Beidi or Beiqu. The reason he didn't like it was not that he really hated this land, but that he found that there was no light here. Just like the original shrubs, they were still alive when there was no tree trunk to cover them.
It can get some sunlight, but once the trees become shaded, the shrubs can only pitifully look forward to the little bit of light leaking from the gaps between the trees.
It's not that the shrub doesn't want to grow taller, it's that it's inherently restricted.
If you can enjoy the sun, rain and dew all to yourself, who would think about what poems and distant places to say?
Poetry, Fan Xian did not have it.
After all, Fan Xian is also from the North. He has some strength and manpower, but knows nothing about scriptures.
So only the distance is left.
If Fan Xian went to Shandong in normal times, what kind of good treatment would such a northern exile get in Shandong? Obviously, it would be great not to be crushed and ridiculed.
So Fan Xian must have meritorious deeds...
Cao Zhen is Fan Xian's opportunity.
Fan first reached the edge of a bush, and then shouted in a low voice. Under the bush on the side, a cover was lifted, and two or three people climbed out of the pit.
"How is it?" Fan Xian threw a wine gourd, "What changes are happening in the Beiqu Gongfang camp?"
The man who climbed out of the underground nest held the wine gourd and said carefully, "Yesterday, a group of soldiers came... about fifty or sixty people. It seemed to be a routine inspection. They left again in the evening..."
"Routine inspection?" Fan Xian frowned and asked, "Didn't we come here last time? Why check again?"
"..." The person responsible for surveillance was speechless.
Fan Xian reacted and waved his hand, "It's okay. I brought you some food and wine... Thank you for your hard work. Let's eat, drink and rest first..."
The people in charge of surveillance were overjoyed when they heard this and got up one after another. Regardless of whether their bodies were covered with black mud or their hands were covered in black mud, they grabbed wine and meat and ate and drank heavily.
Fan went down into the pit first, and was almost staggered by the stench in the pit. He resisted and pulled forward a while, and looked through the hollowed-out gap at the Beiqu Gongfang camp in the distance.
Beiqu Gongfang Yingzhai and Beiqu County are located along the Qu River.
Because after the factory uses water, it will inevitably bring some pollution to the water. Therefore, for the sake of safety, the county living area is built in the upstream area, some distance away.
There are garrisons in Gongfang Yingzhai and Beiqu County.
There are more troops stationed in Beiqu County. After all, there is a small school ground there.
There are also some in the Gongfang camp, and the number is about a hundred.
Although the number was large, Fan Xian knew that these garrison soldiers were ordinary county soldiers. Because Beiqu had not had any external threats for a long time, there was naturally no need for elite garrison.
After watching for a long time, Fan Xian didn't see anything unusual. Maybe it was because the war in Hedong was approaching, so inspections and inspections were stepped up?
After exiting the nest, Fan Xian took a long breath and felt that the ordinary air seemed to be sweeter.
Seeing the people watching here tearing at the flesh, like a starving ghost reincarnated, Fan Xian also felt that it was not easy, so he said: "If I just have to endure it for a few more days, after surviving these hard days, I will
Let’s take you to Shandong to enjoy the blessings! Does the Yang family know? The Four Generations and Three Dukes! They guarantee that we can all go to Shandong by then! That place is warmer than ours, and the door will not be closed when it snows. If you want to eat
I don’t even know where to look for someone who is good at talking! If you do this well, everyone will have their own land, and they will have food and wine every day! Everyone will have money!”
The people watching all laughed, "We are all grateful to Mr. Lang! Don't worry! Even if you die, it will never delay Mr. Lang's important events!"
Fan Xian also laughed, "What nonsense are you talking about? You all have to live a good life! You are all dead, what's the point of me living alone? We agreed to enjoy the blessings together, and we just want to enjoy the blessings together! There are also some drinks here, stay for the night
Keep warm... endure it for two more days..."
Wait two more days!
Yes, wait two more days...
…
…
In the land east of Hedong, the cold winter only showed a little ferocity, but in the northern desert, the wind and snow were unscrupulous.
The snow in the hills and forests is very thick.
Under the sunlight, the snow surface is very dazzling.
Zhang He was covered with fine gauze and stared at the snow between the mountains and forests.
There were no birds flying in the forest, and no small animals jumping out of the pine forest. It was as quiet as a dead land.
Zhang He frowned, got off his horse, thought for a moment, inserted his spear into his body, picked up a shield, and drew his sword.
"General!" The guard stepped forward, "Someone is here to take the lead!"
Zhang He nodded, "Be careful of traps."
There are some drag marks on the ground, perhaps left by the scouts who disappeared before.
Zhang He stood the shield in front of him, half-bent, and only exposed his eyes to scan the surroundings on the edge of the shield.
This is the angle between two hillsides, sheltered from the wind, and except for the woodland, the rest of the place is very open. Scouts will not miss this kind of place.
"Put your shield up! Load your crossbow! Move forward!"
The guard acting as a temporary commander shouted loudly. Under his command, Zhang He blended into the loose line of skirmishers and advanced like an ordinary soldier.
Zhang He discovered that a group of scouts had lost contact.
He is a very experienced general and a strong general who has experienced countless battles. He immediately noticed something was wrong and followed the scouts' traces to this place.
The personal guards also dispersed one after another. Zhang He's armor was the same as theirs. In order to confuse the enemy, he was the first to leave the crowd, just like an ordinary soldier. The guards giving orders were more like a team.
's leader.
There was still no sound in the dark pine forest, but it seemed that a tiger was hidden, watching them through the gaps in the forest.
Zhang He is implementing Zhao Yun's strategy. He needs to go around to the back of the Black Stone Forest and look for a suitable opportunity to give Cao Chun a fatal backstab.
Fighting head-on with Cao Jun will be a loss.
In cold weather, the mortality rate of wounded soldiers will be very high.
Even if there are military doctors accompanying the army, a ruptured wound will bring the risk of hypothermia. No matter how well it is wrapped, it is impossible to maintain the temperature as if there is no injury.
Therefore, Cao Jun's sinister intentions were undoubtedly revealed.
Cao Jun may not have wanted to win once and for all, but his biggest purpose was to consume.
Cao Cao occupied a large territory and had a large population, so fighting for consumption was actually Cao Jun's advantage. This time Cao Jun wanted to take advantage of the Hu people, which also reflected Cao Jun's strategic vision.
Similarly, Hu people are not completely trustworthy.
Although the Hu people said that they were innocent and were coerced, who can guarantee that when Zhao Yun and Cao Chun fight, the Hu people will not take the opportunity to stab them?
Regarding this battle in the Black Stone Forest, Zhao Yun could not and should not fight Cao Chun head-on. The goal that Zhao Yun wanted to achieve was to defeat Cao Chun's army while retaining a certain amount of strength.
So how to make good use of the Black Stone Forest and how to find Cao Chun's flaws is what Zhang He needs to do now.
Zhang He initially hated Cao Chun.
And I can't help but feel a little angry towards Xiahou Shang of the Xiahou family...
But after Zhang He arrived in the Northern Territory for a while, for some reason, his hatred for Cao Chun and Xia Houshang gradually disappeared. Now even if he knows that Xia Houshang is in Changshan, Zhang He has no interest in laughing at them.
, or bullying, meaning what it was back then, but what it is now...
Even the old institutions of the Han Dynasty were indifferent...
Zhang He couldn't figure out why this happened, but he knew it must be related to the people and things he came into contact with in the Northern Territory.
Within the forest, everything is quiet.
There was only the crunching sound of snowshoes on the snow.
"Enemy attack!"
Suddenly, a whistling sound sounded.
Under the snow, with snowflakes all over the sky, a foreigner wearing sheepskin rose from the ground, bowed and fired arrows angrily!
A bit of cold star pounces directly as the leader's escort!
The guard also noticed the arrow and immediately shrank his body behind his shield.
"Attack!"
The arrow pierced the shield, and the tail feathers trembled in the cold wind.
But the next moment, the guard yelled and fell to the side. I don't know when, another arrow was stuck in his leg!
The barbarian archer whose figure was immediately revealed was also taken care of, and he fell to the sky with a few crossbow arrows.
At the same time, in the forest, the originally flat snow surface was suddenly lifted up, and barbarians rushed out one after another, howling!
It turns out that these barbarians are hiding under the snow. No wonder it was difficult to find them before!
A burly Hu man held a huge stick high and hit the shield of a hussar soldier fiercely. The cowhide shield suddenly became shredded, and the soldier and the soldier were unable to stand still and fell to the ground. The Hu man
People seemed not to be affected by the snow at all. The snowflakes splashing all over the sky hit the helmet of the fallen soldier with a stick. The black helmet immediately flew far away, and the soldier's head also turned into the snow.
Bright blood flowers.
Zhang He shouted: "Form up!"
These guys are no ordinary bastards!
Although they were on guard, Zhang He's men were still caught off guard when these burly barbarians rushed out.
Most of these barbarians are wearing animal skins, and the weapons they hold are not swords, but mainly battle axes and clubs. Their power is very terrifying. Although they cannot break the armor of Zhang He's soldiers, the blunt blow of this power can
But it is more deadly!
In the blink of an eye, two or three soldiers died at the hands of these barbarians.
"Sex-eyed man!"
"shooting!"
The crossbowmen on the back line aimed and fired one after another, but because of the snow, the power of the crossbows was reduced. After these crossbow bolts hit these semen, except for a few who were shot in the vital parts and died directly, the rest of the semen instead
Like a wounded beast, it becomes even more violent.
Zhang He raised the snowflakes with his feet, blocking the sight of the person facing him, and then chopped them off with a single blow!
With a loud sound of "Dang!", Zhang He's sword collided with the opponent's battle ax.
Compared with the battle axe, the battle knife is naturally lighter and bounces high upon impact.
Zhang He did not forcefully control the rebounding sword, because that would destroy his fighting posture, so he just raised the shield in his left hand and directly hit the opponent's head and neck with the edge of the shield!
If it were an ordinary soldier, Zhang He's blow would have been enough to break the opponent's neck and kill him on the spot. However, the thick Semu man's neck was like a gnarled tree root. After being hit hard by Zhang He, he had difficulty breathing and was swollen.
His face was red, but he still held the battle ax high and wanted to slash it down at Zhang He!
Zhang He did not block the opponent's battle axe, but went a step further and once again used his shield to hit the opponent's neck exposed by holding the battle ax high for the second time.
The Semu man was hit twice in a row, and he finally couldn't help but cough violently. However, without even coughing twice, Zhang He's sword directly cut the Semu man's throat, sparing him the pain of coughing.
Snowflakes and bloodflakes splashed in the forest at the same time.
The originally peaceful forest land completely turned into a bloody battlefield.
Blood splashed on the white snow, and white smoke emitted.
The snow on the pines and cypresses fell down, blocking everyone's sight.
The brief confrontation ended quickly.
Although the Semu people are strong and brave, they have no armor after all. Most of them wear leather jackets and have little defense ability against sharp swords and spears. Most of the time, they simply use physical force to fight against swords and guns. In
After the initial discomfort, Zhang He's men gradually gained the upper hand, using shields and crossbows to harvest these powerful and brutal Semu people.
However, the damage to Zhang He's soldiers was not small. More than ten soldiers were lost.
Because the defense of the hussar armor is mainly against sharp weapons, it is basically difficult to avoid blunt damage. Many soldiers suffered bloody wounds, but their bones were broken and they died of internal bleeding.
Zhang He frowned as he looked at the corpses and weapons of these lustful men.
Where did these 40 or 50-year-old lustful people come from?
"General!"
Suddenly, soldiers stumbled out from the depths of the forest, with a slightly frightened look on their faces.
"Are there any enemies?"
Zhang He asked, holding a knife.
"No..." The soldier was obviously frightened and filled with anger, "These guys... eat people..."
"What?!" Zhang He was stunned for a moment, then took a long step towards the forest.
In an open space in the middle of the forest, there are some simple belongings of these lustful people, and on the tree trunks next to these belongings, there are some corpses hanging, some of them look like ordinary shepherds, and a few others
Ju Ze is the scout who disappeared before...
The chest and abdomen of the corpse had been broken open, the internal organs were hollowed out, and the cavity seemed to have been scrubbed with snow, and then it was hung on a branch like an animal.
The flesh on some corpses has been cut off, exposing the white bones.
There were ashes from the campfire in the middle of the woodland, and on the edge was an overturned pot and cauldron, covered in thick grease.
A disgusting smell of meat lingers around even in the ice and snow, as if the undead are crying and cursing...
