Chanzhou, an ancient place, was established in the fourth year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty. It was established and abolished several times, and it rose and fell in three hundred years.
The existing Chanzhou City was built across the river by the guard general Li Cunshen in the fifth year of the Zhenming Dynasty in the Later Liang Dynasty. It has two cities, the north and the south. The south is straight and the north is arched. It dominates the plain and looks like a crouching tiger, so it is also called Crouching Tiger City.
In the third year of Tianfu in the Later Jin Dynasty, the administrative office was moved from Dunqiu to this place. More than twenty years later, several generations of commanders have changed. Now it is the first month of the second year of Zhou Guangshun. The person guarding Chanzhou is none other than the prince of the current Zhou Dynasty, Zhenning Junjie.
Du envoy Guo Rong.
The New Year has just passed, the warm sun is shining, spring is budding, the ice on the four rivers of Chanyuan has quietly melted, and the charred willows on both sides of the ancient river have also sprouted some green buds.
On the small slope in the north of the city, two men, one handsome and the other handsome, reined in their horses and looked far into the distance. They saw the city's high walls, thick walls, waving flags, and magnificent buildings above them.
Yi is like a tiger lying on the Desheng Ferry of the Yellow River, strangling its throat and roaring in the Central Plains!
The barbaric man, who was wearing a Chu-colored narrow-sleeved short coat and dressed as a general, clicked his tongue, slapped the saddle with his big hand, and shouted to the handsome young man next to him: "Young Master, don't say anything yet.
It really looks like a big bug!"
The young man stood upright against the wind. He was thirteen or fourteen years old. He was wearing a brocade moon-white round-collared robe with a bright smile. He looked like a man and a woman.
Since she had not yet been crowned, she tied her black hair into a neat high bun, which made her shoulders straight and her back straight.
Narrowing his narrow eyes, he said leisurely: "The Jinjin River flows to the north, and the two cities of Jiao and Jiao are facing each other. Uncle Wang, the land of Chanzhou has been the site of four battles since ancient times, the battle of Jin and Chu cities and Pu, and the battle of Qi, Wei and Maling.
Right here, it was called Kunwu in the Xia Dynasty, and it was the capital of the Wei Dynasty in the Spring and Autumn Period. It has both natural spirit and form, and its energy can swallow thousands of miles like a tiger."
Uncle Wang chuckled, rolled his shrewd little eyes that did not match his savagery, crossed his hands and saluted, and praised: "My husband is a talented man, I admire him!"
The young man's expression dimmed, but he recovered quickly and laughed and cursed, "Flattery!"
He turned the horse's head, whipped it and slapped it, and said loudly: "The final destination is the Yingchun Gate of Chanzhou City. Uncle Wang, come and have a race to see if your one foot of black can't catch up with my moonlight, which is thousands of miles white!"
"Come here!" It was rare for the smart man to see him so interested, so he cheered up and chased after him.
The man on duty at Yingchun Gate today is a tenth general from the Third Army on the right wing of the Zhenning Army. His surname is Tian and his nickname is Erniu. He was promoted to tenth general due to his military merits. When the soldier was registered in the army, he saw that he had not given a proper name and his nickname was rough.
On a whim, he gave him the name "Ping" with a wave of his hand. The soldier who couldn't even write the name was flattered and quickly took out five pieces of silver and handed it over.
Seeing his cleverness, he joined the army and assigned him a job as a gatekeeper. Now it is the fifth month. Every month, the geese pluck their feathers and the oil and water are deducted from the filial piety and rewards, and there is still one or two.
When I got a hundred coins, the original five coins had already been paid back.
Nowadays, it costs five cents to earn a pound of rice in the city. In an ordinary Kuo household, one's monthly extra money is equivalent to one month's food rations for a family of three.
Sometimes Tian Ping would lie in Widow Liu's arms, feeling that he was so wise and mighty, pinching the widow's smooth little face, and the five coins were really well spent.
At noon, Tian Ping ate two bowls of Sanlejiang. His whole body felt warm and comfortable. He was lying comfortably on the inner door and sleeping soundly.
I could vaguely hear the neighing of war horses and the sound of armor clashing. My heart was horrified, and I suddenly woke up. I picked up the sword and hand crossbow, rolled over to the door, stuck out half of my face, and looked towards the outer door.
I saw a man dressed as a general, standing in front of a half-grown man. He was surrounded by brothers guarding the door, and they were facing each other in a tense confrontation.
Tian Ping breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his tasseled helmet, and strode towards the outer door.
Separating the crowd, the first thing that caught sight was the two strong horses. Tian Ping's eyes lit up and he couldn't help shouting: "What a horse!"
He has been in the army for nearly ten years, and has experienced three dynasties. The emperor has changed four times like a revolving door, and there is a nickname in the capital called the Elder of the Three Dynasties.
When he first joined the army, he was selected into Shi Chonggui's bodyguard horse army because of his excellent riding skills. He knew horses well but could not afford to raise them.
The two horses are both more than five feet tall at the shoulders, have cut manes and tied tails, and hold wooden sticks in their mouths. They are clearly dressed as war horses in the army.
If you look closely, you will see that the horse's body and bones are jagged and upright, its shape is like a sharp edge, its cranium and face are like the back of a sickle, its eyes are like hanging bells, its nose is like a golden cup, and its ears are like bamboo sticks. It should have the blood of a good Turkic horse.
The horse gear is also very neat, including danglu, tassels, mud barriers, cloud beads, etc. There are also some gingko leaves hanging on the autumn belt and chest belt, which makes it even more luxurious and extraordinary.
In today's world, people who can ride such a horse are either princes or nobles, or high-ranking officials such as military commanders and envoys.
Then he turned his eyes to look at the short-bearded barbarian. He was not afraid at all when faced with the encirclement of more than a dozen soldiers. He was holding a bright horizontal sword in one hand, and the other hand was on his waist, where he had a short crossbow. , the murderous posture is like the Kung Fu of the Tianxiong Army, and he is tightly protecting the elegant young man behind him.
Tian Ping had some calculations in his mind and pressed his hands, signaling the soldiers to put away their spears and halberds first.
"What's going on?" Tian asked with a straight face.
"These two men came on horseback and did not dismount when they reached the horse-rejection area. We tried to collect the weapons that killed people, but he refused, so a conflict broke out." A young soldier beside him answered briefly. road.
Tian Ping's expression softened, thinking that luckily there was no trouble.
Then he turned to Uncle Wang, ignored the sharp blade that was approaching his brow, crossed his hands and saluted, and said: "I'm sorry to disturb you, but in Chanzhou, you are forbidden to carry weapons in person. May I ask if you have any official position?"
Uncle Wang snorted coldly and said proudly: "That's natural. It's just that the sergeants in your team are very arrogant and want to take people without asking."
After saying that, he handed over a wooden scroll with a small silk ribbon on it.
Tian Ping took it, summoned a small soldier from the team behind him, and said: "Han Cuo is great, it's your turn to take action."
The soldier surnamed Han is thin in stature, pale and beardless, and has a timid face. At first glance, he looks like a poor man from the countryside with little literacy.
He took the notice, opened it and scanned it a few times, and saw that there were several large and small red seals, all of which were issued by the Ministry of War in the third year of Liu Han Qianyou's reign, obviously sealing the old notice.
However, in troubled times, artifacts are often changed. Not only are most of the old officials from the previous dynasty not dismissed, but they are also given titles because they support the new emperor. It has only been a year since the new emperor ascended the throne. This situation of stagnating old officials is quite common. , as long as the person is not on the arrest document, the court will recognize it.
He then compared Uncle Wang's appearance: "He is six feet tall, has a broad face, small eyes, and three moles on his forehead..." After confirming that it was correct, his face changed slightly, and he hurriedly whispered to Tian Ping: "The ten generals are one of the tooth soldiers in the Tianxiong Army. The deputy soldier and horse envoy also has an eighth-rank deputy lieutenant Xuejie."
When Tian Ping heard that he was from a dental school with an official rank, his expression became respectful.
Having been in the army for many years, he certainly knows the status of Nei Ya soldiers in Jiezhen. Moreover, he has been awarded the eighth rank of Wu Sanguan. He must be the direct descendant of Wang Yin, the Jiedushi envoy of Tianxiong army, and this young man , must be the heirs of the Wang family. Fortunately, he had a clear look and did not offend them.
As soon as he thought of this, Tian Ping hurriedly raised his hands to sue himself and said: "I didn't expect that the soldiers and horses were in front of me. I am really offended."
Uncle Wang glanced at him sideways and asked coldly: "Do you still want to read the talisman to convey the message?"
Tian Ping shook his head repeatedly and bent down lower: "No, no, no, this accusation cannot be false. Shangguan can just enter the city."
Uncle Wang looked down upon such flattering villains and was about to scold him, but was interrupted by the young man.
"Forget it, Uncle Wang, business matters are important."
Uncle Wang immediately gave up, sang a song, turned around and said to Tian Ping: "My husband is generous and won't argue with you. You and I are both beaten in the army, so I will give you a word of advice. Although you are a spiritual person, Wake me up, but your subordinates don’t even know how to look at them. You need to control them well and don’t use weapons rashly, so as not to collide with nobles who are not easy to talk to in the future, and I am afraid that disaster will happen.”
Tian Ping claimed yes and kept bowing to express his thanks.
Uncle Wang glared and scolded: "Why do you thank me? You should thank my husband."
Tian Ping was so frightened that he turned to the young man and kept compiling. The young man sighed slightly, waved his hands and got on his horse. Tian Ping saw this and rushed forward to move the horse away. He also directed the soldiers to clear the road, and then lined up on the roadside. Looking forward to it.
The young man saw it interestingly. When the horse passed by him, he asked, "I just heard you shouting "Good Horse". Do you know anything about horses?"
Tian Ping answered honestly: "The little man's family has been a horseman for generations. He was drafted into the army when he was young and was selected into Shi Chonggui's Guardian Army."
"Oh? With a family background, no wonder I can join the army." The young man joked. Tian Ping said he didn't dare, and the young man asked again: "What's your name?"
"The villain's name is Tian Ping."
The young man nodded, looked at him intently, then lightly clamped the horse's belly and leaped a few feet away. Uncle Wang hurriedly stepped on the horse to follow him, fell behind him, and escorted him into the city.
Chanzhou was originally a military fortress, with the north and south cities facing each other across the river. Desheng North City was the seat of the state government, and there was also an urn city built inside.
After Guo Rong took charge of Chanzhou as a prince, he sent a commander of the Zhenning Army to stay in Wengcheng, first to intimidate Xiaoxiao, and secondly to assist the patrols in both directions to arrest thieves.
The young man and Uncle Wang were riding tall horses. As soon as they appeared, they attracted a group of sergeants standing guard behind the wall. Nearly a hundred pairs of murderous eyes looked down at them. Uncle Wang's heart was awe-inspiring. He urged his horse to catch up with the young man and quickly right next to.
Seeing Uncle Wang nervously looking around as if facing a formidable enemy, the young man smiled brightly and said jokingly: "Why did Uncle Wang do this?"
Uncle Wang frowned and replied seriously: "I don't dare to be careless as a young man with a daughter's body."
The young man smiled quite touchingly: "You saved my life and protected me for another year. When I meet Aye and Aweng, I will ask for credit for you."
Uncle Wang shook his head: "This is my duty. I don't dare to take credit. I have been raised in the house since I was a child. This life was given by Alang. It is a great favor to survive. I dare not not try my best. I only hate that when Liu Chengyou was in trouble, I was away on business. , otherwise I have to risk my life to save a few more. Now that you are protecting Xiao Lang and you see A Lang, I should commit suicide and apologize."
Looking at Uncle Wang's sad expression, the young man consoled him: "I know you have been feeling guilty this year, but life and death are fateful. This is the fate of our family. It cannot be resisted by human power. Please keep your life. I still have it." It’s of great use.”
Uncle Wang wiped away his tears, crossed his hands and said, "If I am told, I can go through mountains of swords and seas of fire!"
"You don't have to go up mountains of swords and seas of fire. As long as you go to the army and control thousands of warriors for me, that's enough." Young Piaopiao said.
"Going to the army? Don't you want me to be a guard?" Uncle Wang asked doubtfully.
"You are more useful in the army than staying with me all day long. I can't live my life again in vain." The young man looked at the sky and said deeply.
There seemed to be a deeper meaning in the words. Uncle Wang smacked his lips and thought to himself that Xiao Lang had gone to hell, and now that he had survived the catastrophe, he had regained a new life, right?
So he lowered his voice and asked: "Xiao Lang, now that your destiny has been decided, do you want to do something big?"
The young man glanced sideways at him, and his voice turned cold: "How many times have I told you, don't ask questions you shouldn't, and you are not allowed to drink alcohol at night."
After saying that, the horse galloped through the arch of Wengcheng. Behind the door was a vast world.
