Chapter 23: The hurricane passes, but the grass remains
In December of the first year of Yanxing, one late night, the first quarter moon had already set, the shadows of the mountains were dim and the trees were as dark as ink.
Among the mountains about forty miles southwest of the old road, there is a mountain village perched on the top of a mountain. It is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, and only one side has a winding path leading to the bottom of the mountain. There is a small village at the foot of the mountain, which is now abandoned and has been abandoned.
Occupied by the Liang army, they control the three-way intersection.
Obviously, a few years ago, there used to be a large mountain street market in front of this village, with dozens of households and three or four shops. It was a resting place for merchants traveling from north to south. There was also a market every other day, where some oil could be bought and sold.
Salt and groceries. Just because of the successive wars in Liangzhou, the mountain street is now completely in ruins, with piles of rubble and weeds all over the ground. Some of the houses in the village have been burned down, some have collapsed, and there are very few left. Three to four hundred
Some Liang people live in relatively sound houses, some just lie beside dangerous walls, and some live in tents.
At this moment, more than a dozen tents have been dismantled and bundled, ready to be carried away. The soldiers gathered in piles in the leeward place to warm themselves by the fire. The horses were gnawing on half-dried grass, and some were eating beans. The saddles
It is placed next to the horse and can be saddled at any time. The fire-headed army is divided into several places to cook. The firewood is burning under the temporary stove, and smoke is rising from the cauldron.
At this time, in a hall in the village, firewood and tung oil lamps were burning, and a meeting between Han people and Qiang people had been held for a long time.
After the Liangzhou Rebellion, the Han people gradually left Liangzhou and lived in places such as Sanfu or Yizhou. Although the Qiang people were defeated many times, their living space gradually expanded. After Dong Zhuo took power, there were fewer wars and their lives were even more carefree.
The Qiang tribe in this village moved here the year before last. There are more than 600 of them. After occupying this place, they reclaimed the abandoned fields at the foot of the mountain and herded sheep and horses in the mountains and forests. There was no government to impose taxes or corvee, and they were free and easy.
, very happy. And Jia Xu came to the stronghold just to appease them, and then buy some food from them and recruit some strong men.
"Sir, you have also seen that we Qiang people have lived here for three years and have no worries about food and clothing. On weekdays, we hunt in the mountains and forests. When we are hungry, we grill some rabbit and wolf meat. When we are thirsty, we fetch water from the mountain streams. What a shame.
How comfortable? If an enemy comes and we can defeat it, we will go down the mountain to meet the enemy. If we cannot defeat it, we will block the mountain road and build a stronghold to defend ourselves. The food in the stronghold will be enough for five years. Although the world is big, there is nothing to be afraid of.
.What you said to me about the heavenly soldiers of the imperial court is really of no use."
The Di Qiang leader of this village replied to Jia Xu in Qiang language. Apparently, Jia Xu had previously wanted to form an alliance and make friends with the Qiang people on the grounds that the imperial court would send troops to conquer Liangzhou, but they had refused.
They have not seen the imperial army in the past ten years, and many Qiang people in the mountains have forgotten what the army looks like. It is really incredible for them to fight for this.
But Jia Xu did not give up because of this. As a Liang native, he was also familiar with the Qiang language. At this moment, he slowly replied in the Qiang language: "I came here today not to talk about the imperial soldiers, but to talk to you all."
Make a friend. We Han people often say that when we are in good times, we must consider future risks. Do you really think that the current preparations are enough?"
The leader was extremely surprised when he heard this, and asked: "Then what do you think is insufficient?"
Jia Xu smiled and asked: "Can you let me see the strongest warrior in your department?"
The Qiang people discussed for a while, and finally recommended a man with broad shoulders. He stepped forward and said in a loud voice: "I am the one."
"Are you also the best shooter among you?"
"Natural."
"Then I want to see something."
The man smiled, took a hard bow made of elm wood from the village, and took an arrow. He drew it full in front of the village, and shot at the pine string in the dead forest. In an instant, a stabbing sound broke the silence, and then slowly spread.
The crisp sound of returning arrow clusters piercing the wood, and the flapping of wings and strange calls of a few disturbed owlbirds.
"Good archery skills!" Jia Xu clapped his hands and praised, and the Qiang people were very proud after hearing this. But Jia Xu immediately called someone from beside him and introduced to the Qiang people: "This is Wang Chang, he comes from the land of Youyan in the far east.
, is a famous martial artist in Liaodong."
When all the Qiang people saw that Wang Chang's back was as strong as a tiger's, they were all amazed. Wang Chang apologized to everyone, then borrowed a bow from the archery man, and borrowed another arrow. He stood at the place where the man originally shot the arrow, squinting.
Eyes looking into the dry forest.
At this time, the moonlight changed due to dark clouds, and he took a little longer to draw the bow, which made the Qiang people impatient, but before they could criticize him, Wang Chang suddenly fired an arrow, and the sound was like lightning.
An extremely clear "ding" sound came back, and everyone came back to their senses. They sent people to take a look, and it turned out that Wang Chang's arrow had penetrated the Qiang man's arrow shaft and hit the arrow cluster.
Only then can there be the sound of gold and iron striking each other.
When all the Qiang people saw this archery skill, they all regarded him as a god and admired Wang Chang greatly. However, the tall Qiang man who had just shot the arrow did not dare to take back the elm bow and wanted to give the bow to Wang Chang. Wang Chang
Chang couldn't refuse, so he had to accept.
At this time, Jia Xu said to the leader again: "Brother, do you think there is really only one way to go up the mountain?"
The leader wondered: "I have lived here for three years, and there is indeed only one path up the mountain. Could it be that you are new here, and you know the terrain better than me?"
Jia Xu smiled and shook his head, and ordered his entourage to blow the trumpet. The sound of the trumpet was like the sound of running water. Two quarters of an hour later, when a group of Qiang people were still in the clouds and fog, there were more than 40 Qiang people in military uniforms.
The Liang people came out from behind the stronghold. This shocked the Qiang people. They had clearly placed guards in front of the stronghold, but now there was no news. This made the leader exclaim: "Is there a shortcut to the mountain?"
?"
The truth is not the case. This is just a pre-arrangement by Jia Xu. After hearing the sound of the trumpet, his men climbed up from the cliff of the back mountain. But in this way, the Qiang people were even more impressed and immediately agreed to form an alliance with Jia Xu.
After the two parties had a banquet, some young men from the tribe were sent to accompany them as guides to lead the Liang people to continue searching for the nearby Qiang tribe. By the time Jia Xu finished the banquet and walked slowly down the mountain path, it was already midnight. When the soldiers in the deserted village saw Jia Xu's figure, they couldn't help but stand up and cast inquiring glances at him. Jia Xu nodded and asked them to sit down, saying: "You have followed me to three villages today. I think they are all here."
If you're tired, just rest for a while and we'll talk about the rest tomorrow."
After saying that, he asked his entourage to disperse and rest. He and Wang Chang walked to the bonfire in the center of the deserted village. There were still several people gathering around to warm themselves up. The leader was Zhang Xiu, the son of Zhang Ji. Zhang Xiu was with Zhang Xiu at this time.
Others complained that the wine was light, so Jia Xu untied a bag of wine and touched Zhang Xiu's shoulder with the wine bag. Then he sat down, handed the wine bag to him, and said with a smile: "Taste the Qiang wine.
But it won’t happen next time.”
Seeing that he was back, Zhang Xiu looked stunned. He took the wine bag, opened the mouth of the bag and took a sip. A look of joy suddenly appeared on his face, and he said with a smile: "Uncle Wenhe, what are you talking about? It's just that the winter night is unbearably cold and lonely."
, how can we survive this day without drinking to warm ourselves up?"
Seeing Zhang Xiu's frivolous behavior, Jia Xu felt very relieved and reminded him: "We have suffered a huge defeat and have lost countless brothers. Our morale is low. This is the time for a general to set an example. I heard that drinking can ruin things.
Now the imperial army has banned alcohol, you should learn from them."
Speaking of this matter, Zhang Xiu was immediately speechless. Last year's defeat in the battle of Longshouyuan was something that Liang people had always been worried about. After being on the battlefield for a long time, no one had ever been defeated, but in the joint battle
It was the first time for Liang people to suffer such a fragile defeat. So much so that after thinking about it, many people couldn't believe it and were unwilling to mention it. It gradually became a taboo among Liang people. At this time, Jia Xu mentioned it again, and
It was eerily quiet next to the campfire, as if the wind and snow were falling again.
Jia Xu had no choice but to turn to Li Xian and talk to him: "In the past few hours, has there been any news from your uncle Li Ying? He has been in Longxi for more than a month. Logically speaking, there should be news about his return by now."
Li Xian shook his head, with a frustrated look on his face, and said slowly: "Uncle Wenhe, not yet. There is still no news about my third uncle. I suspect that the situation is more serious than the worst."
"No." Jia Xu comforted him and said, "Han Sui is known for his cunning, and he is not a reckless person. He will not suddenly become murderous. It is normal for the princes of Xiliang to be unhappy when we suddenly occupy a county in Wudu.
There is no news from your third uncle, which is what I expected."
Speaking of this, Jia Xu himself couldn't help but sigh: "It's just that there are more than 20,000 of us now, cramped in one county. It is still too difficult for us to survive the winter and support ourselves."
Speaking of this, he couldn't help but think of Chen Chong, the culprit who put him in such a predicament. He took out a copper coin from his arms and looked at the traces of the cast copper in the flames. Among them, the four characters "Yanxing Five Baht" were very clear.
, looking at this copper coin, Jia Xu felt like he had seen Chen Chong. At this time, there was not much resentment in his heart, but a bit of admiration. He thought that he claimed to be a national wizard, but it was impossible to be like Chen Chong.
He improved the monetary policy as quickly as he did. It seems that there are so many things in the world that he, Chen Chong, cannot understand, but yet he is so pure and devoid of desires. It is really strange!
While he was meditating like this, Zhang Xiu took two more sips of wine and asked, "Uncle Wenhe, do we really have a chance to turn things around anyway?"
Jia Xu put the copper coins back into his arms, looked at Zhang Xiu's bright eyes beside him, and turned to look at the others. Almost everyone was looking at his face, waiting for him to speak. Jia Xu always adhered to the golden mean and did not want to
It attracts attention, but before you know it, he is already the leader of the Liang people.
Jia Xu knew that once he embarked on some roads, there was no reason to regret, so he sat up straight, looked around at everyone with a smile, hid all the regrets in his heart, and then said in a calm voice: p>
"We have been fighting on the battlefield for more than ten years, winning and losing. We have won so much in the past few years that we have forgotten that we actually lost more before. But why are we called the world's elite? Because when the two armies fought fiercely,
The killing was inextricable, and blood flowed like a river. It all depends on who can hold on for one or half an hour longer. Liang people have the hardest bones in the world, and they can hold on for a moment longer in the most painful times, so they have their current reputation!"<
/p>
"We were defeated last year, but we can still hold on, and there is still time for us to rise again! Although Liu Bei and Chen Chong are now in great glory, the trees are as beautiful as the trees, and the wind will destroy them. Even if they are surrounded and suppressed by many parties, they will definitely miss.
At that time! At that time, it will be our opportunity!"
"Now, we can only stay in Wudu County and continue to wait."
Finally, Jia Xu summed it up in words: "When the hurricane passes, only the grass remains."
The Liang people were very happy after hearing this and gained some confidence in their hearts. Seeing that they were a little excited, Jia Xu urged them to rest first.
After they all fell asleep, Jia Xu also entered the tent and touched the warm copper coins in his arms. Thinking of some unsaid words in his heart, he suddenly smiled, then took out the copper coins and said silently:
"You have made a big mistake."
"You are named Longshou. You come from a noble family. You are arrogant and compare yourself to saints and gods. Have you ever thought that people are just ordinary people? Going eastward, it is hard to satisfy your desires. How can anyone really resist the human heart?
”
He finally chanted: "The dew on the leaves, He Yixi."