On the bank of the roaring Yellow River, a row of men with disheveled hair and bloody faces were pushed to the ground. Behind them was a group of shirtless men holding hatchets. Governor Wen sat high above him with an expressionless face.
Throwing down the command arrows, all the swords and axes fell, the men's heads fell to the ground, and blood spurted out.
The women screamed sharply and were stripped naked and humiliated by the officers and soldiers. Their unbridled laughter and desperate calls for help were mixed together, making people's scalp numb and their hearts bleeding.
The mute aunt's clothes were half taken off, she broke free from the officers and soldiers and ran to the Yellow River. She looked back in despair, her hair was scattered, her face was gray, and then she jumped into the Yellow River resolutely...
Yuan Feng couldn't bear it any longer and screamed wildly to break away from the rope, but a dozen spears stabbed at him at the same time, piercing his body. The huge pain in his body and the pain in his heart combined, making people miserable.
With a loud cry, Yuan Feng sat up, his face covered with sweat, it was another nightmare! He had often had such a dream after escaping from Shibali Fort.
In the tent, the campfire had turned to ashes, and the meat on the shelf was already cold. Widow Wang opened the curtain and walked in. She lamented: "Brother Feng, at least we can have some food. How can we keep going like this?"
Yuan Feng was speechless and struggled to move his body out of the tent. In order to save the villagers, he was covered in bruises and all the blood was lost. He finally escaped with a group of people including Wang Xiaoga's grandma and Big Lao Zhao, but the brothers
However, he, Yu Gu, Hu Laizi and hundreds of other fellow villagers were separated, which was a disaster.
Outside the tent, the west wind howls and the sun sets. This is the edge of the desert, a desolate barren land. Yuan Feng is independent in the wind. He takes out a flute and plays it. The sound of the flute is like crying, as if he is telling his love for his relatives.
longing and endless sorrow.
In the abandoned old castle in the distance, the sound of pipa is heard, and the sound of flute is played. Every evening, there will always be someone playing the pipa in that old castle. The setting sun shines, the desert sand is like snow, the lonely sound of flute and the cheerfulness
The sound of pipa singing in harmony adds a bit of life to this desolate scenery.
Yuan Feng knew who the person playing the pipa was. She was a little girl living in a nearby village. Those who escaped from Shibali Fort had been walking in the desert for more than ten days, and they met at the end of the road.
The people in this village were lucky enough to survive and followed them to the place where they lived and stayed temporarily.
This village is called Liqian. Outside the wall made of rammed earth, there is a wooden wall. The fortification is even more stringent than Shibali Fort. What is even more amazing is that the appearance of the Liqian people is similar to that of the Han and Turkic people.
The people are all different. They are tall, have dark red skin, high nose bridges, deep eye sockets, and golden blue eyes, but their language is the same as the Han people.
The Liqian people are so kind in their ancient ways that they never ask about the details of these refugees and provide them with food and drink for free. This is the edge of the desert, and the land is even poorer than Shibalibao. The people live in extreme poverty. There are no strong men in the village, only the old and the weak.
and women. The arrival of the refugees has added a lot of burden to them. Fortunately, blacksmith Zhao is good at repairing tools and cooking utensils for the villagers. Widow Wang and other women are also used to doing work, weaving wool blankets, making fires for cooking, etc.
Everything can be done, and both parties can get along peacefully and harmoniously.
In the blink of an eye, another year is approaching, and the Liqian people, like the Han people, have begun to prepare New Year's goods. The nearest city is also three hundred miles away. The road is desolate and wild wolves are infested. It is really difficult to live without a man. Yuanfeng is the only young man in the village.
, led a group of women on their way to the city to buy new year goods.
On the camel's back, Yuan Feng took out his flute and played it again. When he heard the sound of the flute, the girl on the other camel also took out his pipa and played it. This girl was the one who often played the pipa in the old castle on the edge of the desert.
Her name is Yulia. She is sixteen years old this year. She has fair skin and golden eyes, but her eyebrows are delicate and Han Chinese. When he sees her, Yuan Feng can't help but think of the mute aunt and Meng Xiaodong.
Playing the pipa is a technical job. At a young age, Yulia has already played the pipa to perfection, which is amazing, but she mostly plays happy songs, so Yuan Feng stopped here, but when Yuan Feng stopped,
Yulia also stopped. She tilted her head and asked Yuan Feng: "Hey, why do you always play sad songs?"
Yuan Feng asked back: "Then why do you always play cheerful music?"
Yulia said: "Because the gentlemen in the city like it. I learn pipa just so that one day I can go to the city to play music for girls, like my brothers, and earn money for the family."
Music girls...are people similar to singers and dancers. It is just a humble profession, but in Yulia's eyes, it seems that this is the goal of life. Yuan Feng asked casually: "What do your brothers do?
What?"
Yulia's eyes dimmed suddenly: "I have eight brothers. Two died five years ago, one died the year before last, and two died last year. I don't know how many are left now. My brothers are in Ganzhou.
Eat food and serve as soldiers..."
A good man should not be a soldier, a good iron should not be hammered with nails, and a good daughter's family will not aspire to be a happy girl. Liqian people, why on earth do you live such a sad life? With an unsolvable mystery, Yuan Feng marches in
In the endless desert, camel bells are ringing, sand dunes are undulating, and the winter sun is still shining brightly.
Log on to 6 to watch the genuine version of "Martial Arts Empire". Welcome to the online game of the same name.
After trekking for several days, we finally arrived at the destination of our trip - Liangzhou.
Liangzhou is a city in the east of the Hexi Corridor. The Hexi Corridor is a narrow strip between the desert and the Qilian Mountains. Moistened by the snow water of the Qilian Mountains, this place is rich in water and grass, rich in cattle and sheep, and is considered a treasure in the desolate northwest.
, there have been constant wars for a long time. Turkic Mongols, Tubos, Xixias, and Han people came and went to kill each other. The city walls changed flags. Now Liangzhou is still under the control of the Han people. Liangzhou has a government. It is logical that it is under the jurisdiction of the governor of Gansu and obeys the orders of the imperial court.
, but the prefect of Liangzhou has been monopolizing this place for decades. The Liangzhou army and horses obey the orders but not the propaganda, and are outside the court's laws.
Liangzhou City is majestic and tall. The walls are not as mottled as Lanzhou City, and there are no overgrown weeds. Red flags are fluttering on the city top, and armored soldiers stand on both sides of the city gate, not checking the flow of people passing by.
Due to geographical reasons, Liangzhou no longer has obvious Han urban characteristics. From the pedestrians passing by, to the music playing on the streets, to the magnificent minaret mosques, everything has an exotic atmosphere.
The city gate was crowded with a large number of people waiting to enter the city. Yuan Feng also got off his camel and squeezed into the crowd. His keen eyes suddenly found a notice posted on the side of the city gate. The shadow figure on it was none other than himself! Yuan Feng quickly used it
Wrapping a towel around his face, he followed the noisy crowd into the city in silence.
The city is bustling with activity. People in various ethnic costumes are selling goods loudly in their own ethnic languages. The aroma of barbecue fills the whole city. Raisins, walnut kernels, carpets, Central Plains tea, silk, and porcelain are all so dazzling.
Yulia came to Liangzhou for the first time, and her face turned red with excitement. After a long time, she sold the wool blanket that the villagers entrusted them to sell, and exchanged it for dozens of silver coins. The aunts went to buy new year's goods separately, and Yulia
Liya entrusted it to Yuan Feng and agreed to meet at the gate of the city at sunset.
Yulia held two silver coins in her hands, and beads of sweat broke out on the tip of her nose in excitement. In addition to buying new year's goods when she went to the city, she also wanted to buy a new pipa. It turned out that the one was already worn out, and the strings had been broken several times.
times.
Two silver coins were the annual income of Yulia's family. The little girl held it in her hand and looked at it again and again. She also knocked it against her ear. When she flicked it, the silver coins would make a long and melodious sound.
Pleasant.
The girl couldn't put it down and looked at the silver coin again and again. Suddenly she tilted her head and looked at Yuan Feng's profile seriously. Yuan Feng was shocked by her look and turned around and asked, "Is there a flower on my face?"
"Don't turn away, let me take another look." The little girl looked at it carefully and compared it, and finally jumped over and placed the silver coin in front of Yuan Feng's eyes: "Look, the person on the silver coin looks like you."
On the silver coin is a relief of the profile of a young man, with several elegant official script characters on top: half a tael in the first year of the founding of the Han Dynasty. This is the first time I have seen this kind of Qian Yuan seal, and I can't help but hold it in my hand and look at it carefully.
He couldn't tell whether the profile of the man on the silver coin looked like his own, but looking at this man, he always had an indescribable feeling of intimacy in his heart.
Yulia snatched back the silver coins and skipped forward. Yuan Feng followed unhurriedly. After walking for more than ten steps, Yulia suddenly stopped and looked at the delicacies on the roadside stalls.
I can't walk anymore.
This is a kind of pastry, made of walnut kernels and highland barley flour, with raisins and red and green fruits sprinkled on it. It looks extremely attractive. Yulia grew up in a remote village. Where has she seen such delicacies? Little girl
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and asked cautiously: "How do you sell this?"
The cake seller was a Turkic man with a ferocious face. He rubbed the sharp knife on his leather boots and replied: "One penny."
One penny per pound is not expensive. Yulia calculated it carefully and gestured on the large slice of cake: "Cut a little bit for me."
The Turkic man wielded a sharp knife and cut it at an angle. As a result, he cut out a trapezoidal cake and threw it into the weighing plate. It made a clang sound. It looked more like a hard stone on the Gobi desert than a soft and delicious snack.
.
"Eighteen catties and six taels, so if you count your eighteen catties, that's a total of thirty-six emperor heads.",
Yulia was completely dumbfounded. She originally thought that five or six copper coins would solve the problem, but it actually cost thirty-six silver coins to buy it. Are these cakes made of gold?
"I...I can't afford it." Yulia muttered, spreading her palms, and the relief figures on the two "Emperor's Head" silver coins were shining brightly in the sun.