After Chen Chong returned to Chang'an, he sent people to Kunming Pool again the next day, hoping to find the blind old man again, and also searched the surroundings. If there were any people who lived alone in Kunming Pool like the old man, they would be moved out and found elsewhere.
Settled elsewhere,
Then start repairing it.
The people sent did indeed find more than ten secluded houses, but they could not find the blind old man who kept the big dog. At first, Chen Chong thought that they did not know the way around, so he asked Tian Zhao to go there again, but Tian Zhao could not find it either.
When I found it, I just said that the spring rain was continuous, the road was difficult to travel, and the reeds looked vast in the distance.
There are no trails or signs,
I really don’t know where to go.
After that they searched several more times,
Still missing, the experience that day seemed like a dream, but everyone who went there still clearly remembered it. So they said privately that they were afraid they had met some immortal to show you the way! Chen Chong told them to keep strict guard.
There is a word of mouth prohibition, and this matter is not allowed to be spread outside. I just say it is nonsense.
But that night, he had a hazy dream. When he woke up in the middle of the night, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and his mouth was dry. He could only hear the long breathing of his wife beside him, and his mind slowly stabilized. Thinking back
I could barely remember any part of the dream I had just now. I just vaguely remembered that it was a nightmare, with firelight and the sound of knives and axes everywhere. He lay down again,
I couldn't fall asleep for a long time after thinking about it.
I don’t know how long it took, but I suddenly found myself in front of the Zichan Temple in Xingshan, with no one around. Although he was wearing plain Confucian clothes, a silk scarf on his head, and a green sword hanging from his waist, and he was already an adult, he still
I chose to step in and salute Zichan.
When he bowed and stood up, the scene around him suddenly changed and became the courtyard of Yingchuan's home. A person walked by in front of him. He looked over and saw that wasn't his uncle Chen Ji who disappeared during the Qingzhou Rebellion? Chen Chong had a lot to say to him.
He said that he quickly chased after him, but Chen Ji couldn't see him at all. He just kept walking forward and bumped into a wall. Chen Chong didn't have time to think too much and bumped into it soon after.
One black and one gray before my eyes,
It slowly lit up again, and as a figure gradually became clearer, Chen Chong looked intently. In front of him, there was an old man sitting upright, wearing a simple linen robe, holding a crane stick diagonally in his hand, and his hair had already turned white. He said kindly
Looking at myself, it is Chen Shi, my grandfather who passed away nearly nine years ago.
Chen Shi asked him: "Have you suffered any hardships in these years?"
Chen Chong put his left hand into his sleeve, shook his head softly and said, "It's not bad, it's easier than my grandson imagined."
Chen Shi sighed and said to him: "If it's too hard, don't embarrass yourself too much, but just try your best."
Chen Chong deliberately showed a relaxed expression and comforted his grandfather by saying: "My grandson has always been casual, how could he do so much."
Chen Shi's expression was extremely serious. He tapped Chen Chong with his crane stick and said: "The disaster will be in these two or three years. Don't be smart, think more about yourself, and you can only do things if you survive." Chen Chong had not yet refuted.
, then I heard my grandfather continue to say: "You have the virtue of fire, and you are a true dragon of Yanhan. You have regretted it. You will have to hide in the abyss. Don't be discouraged!"
Chen Chong was stunned, but before he could ask any further questions, the person in front of him suddenly turned into Zhang Jiao, who was holding a burning brazier with him. Zhang Jiao became much younger and energetic, far less weak than when he saw him in person.
There is a dark brilliance in his eyes, which seems to have the magic power to capture the soul, rather than the despair and powerlessness before death.
Zhang Jiao held a talisman in his hand. He threw the talisman into the brazier. The talisman burned violently, and fine white smoke rose. The fire in the brazier dimmed strangely, and the surrounding sky dimmed.
It also became dim.
Zhang Jiao looked at Chen Chong and said with a smile: "My chess game is over, it's your turn."
Is this actually chess? Chen Chong looked at the brazier in front of him in surprise. He watched the surroundings getting darker and darker, and felt a strange angina pain in his heart. But he didn't know how to play, and as he watched, the surrounding area became darker and darker.
The darkness of the sky meant that his consciousness became increasingly depressed. He could not see Zhang Jiao clearly, nor could he see himself clearly. He murmured: "What is a chess piece?"
There was a voice in the dark, very small at first, but soon it was as loud as thunder, and the voice roared at him: "You are a chess piece!"
He saw a young man coming from the darkness again. Chen Chong felt that his features were like his own when he was young. The young man said to him: "If there is still darkness in your eyes, it must be that you are not bright enough."
Yes! I am the chess piece! Chen Chong suddenly realized that he used up his last strength and stretched out his hand to the last flame. The moment his fingertips touched the flame, the flame seemed to have encountered catkins and jumped up to his body like a snake.
The arm then spread to his whole body, turning into a huge wave of flames in an instant, and Chen Chong's eyes suddenly turned red.
I don't know how long it took, but the red slowly faded away again. Chen Chong was a little surprised. He wanted to move again, but found that he had no body and could not move anything.
A blind old man walked to the brazier, looked down at the pile of ashes, and sighed: "Do you still have to choose this way?"
Chen Chong asked him: "Who are you?"
The blind old man said: "I am you."
"Me? How can you be me?"
"Everyone's destiny has been predetermined, but many people cannot know it. But there are a very small number of people, or at very special times, a bright light will suddenly flash before their eyes. At this moment, they can vaguely perceive their destined destiny.
”
"Do I feel it now?"
"Now you feel it." The blind old man asked Chen Chong, "Can you tell me the reason? I can't figure out the reason for your choice."
Chen Chong was silent for a while, and he smiled and said: "There is no reason."
The blind old man looked at him for a while and sighed: "That's an unexplainable reason!"
"No." Chen Chong said: "I have the opportunity to do this. This is enough. There is no need to ask anything else."
"Is this the answer?" the blind old man asked in surprise. He then smiled and replied: "It is indeed a good answer."
Just as he was talking about this, the dust was rising outside, people were shouting and horses were neighing, and there was gradually the sound of weapons and armor clashing. Just as he was puzzled, he saw Yide running towards him covered in blood with a sharp arrow in his mouth, and shouted indistinctly.
: "Yiling was defeated, my eldest brother's life and death are unknown, Soochow has already invaded!"
"Yiling's defeat? How is it possible!" Chen Chong opened his eyes and struggled out of his dream.
The sky outside was hazy and still dark. Cai Yan opened his eyes dimly, turned around and looked at him doubtfully, and asked, "Ting Jian, what's wrong?" Chen Chong smiled and only let Cai Yan continue to rest, but he continued to rest.
I can’t sleep either.
He put on his clothes and went to see his second son in the side room. The second son was born in February last year. Chen Chong named him Chen Zhang, with the small Chinese character Azhi. The wet nurse was still asleep, but when Chen Zhang heard the movement outside the door, he was immediately surprised.
Woke up. He was not as smart and sensible as Chen Shi was when he was young. He just looked at himself with his hands open, his round eyes smiling.
Chen Chong teased for a while, his mind calmed down, and he went to Xiaozhuzhong to review the documents. During these days, although there was no major event, there were many famous people coming from Guandong. Chen Chonggui was the captain of the Sili school, so he had to meet them.
As a result, many Hebei military information has not been approved yet.
What worries Chen Chong the most is the Wuhuan rebellion.
In order to resist the north-south pincer attack by Ke Bineng and Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan's first priority after withdrawing to Youzhou was to recruit new troops. However, in the battle of Tanhan Mountain, Gongsun Zan lost more than 30,000 good horses, which was difficult to make up for and he was unable to rebuild.
Cavalry, so he sent his envoy Yuyang to contact Wuhuan Shanyu Tadun, hoping to obtain a batch of Wuhuan horses. Tadun did not like Gongsun Zan, and in addition, Xianbei in the east had previously harassed Lulongsai, and Wuhuan also suffered casualties.
, so I don’t agree.
This made Gongsun Zan extremely dissatisfied. He said to Tian Kai and others: "I am a prince of the Celestial Dynasty and the Patriarch of Northern Xinjiang. Do you think that because I have been defeated for a while, I dare not kill people?" So he sent people to inquire privately.
When he learned that there were 8,000 fine horses at Wuhuan in Pinggu, where Wuhuan Ranch was located, Gongsun Zan immediately seized them without asking. After hearing about it, he felt that he was a southerner in his heart, and he launched an army to rebel in August last year.
Since the Wuhuan annexation, Wuhuan has settled in Daijun, Shanggu, Yuyang, Beiping, Liaodong, and Liaoxi counties. There are millions of people, not inferior to the southern Xiongnu. At this time, Tadun rebelled, and the ghosts suddenly ignited.
Most of the state is beacon-fired, stretching from Changli in the east to Gaoliu in the west. North of Pinggu and west of Baitan are all the places where Wuhuan plundered.
By the end of April, Gongsun Zan had conquered more than ten battles in the east and west. Although he won every battle, he could only barely pacify Daijun and Shanggu, and the Jingqing was still far away. At this time, news came again that Yuan Shao of Jizhou
Compared with Monan Ke, he is able to mobilize his troops and generals, and seems to be ready to make a move.
How to deal with this matter? Chen Chong thought for a while, thinking that if Gongsun Zan continued like this, the situation in Youzhou would only continue to worsen. However, as the pastor of Youzhou, he could not be dismissed hastily. He still had to follow the example of Yanzhou and gradually decentralize power.
It was more appropriate. Thinking of this, Chen Chong began to write a reply and ordered Gongsun Zan to suspend the offensive and stick to the left and right sides of Jixian County.
After writing the letter in his hand, Chen Chong prepared today's statement, asking the Chancellor to discuss the resettlement of Wuhuan's school captain. Halfway through writing, Chen Chong thought that Wuhuan was getting stronger and stronger, and it might be difficult to convince the public with the position of school captain. Maybe
The general should be promoted from lieutenant to lieutenant to show that the government attaches great importance to it. With this thought in mind, he threw down the writing in his hand and took another one to write again.
After the general finished his work, it was still dark and bright, and it was estimated that there was still half an hour before the Ming Dynasty. Chen Chong was moved in his heart, so he simply walked to the front yard in plain clothes and walked alone along the wall of the mansion.
The spring breeze was blowing, the willow leaves were swaying, and there was a fragrance in the air, which lifted his spirits a little. Because it had just broken, everything around him was in a layered gray-blue, which made Chen Chong feel a little calmer.
There is a kind of tranquility, listening to the sound of my own footsteps while thinking about what happened in my dream.
Is it a revelation? Or is it really a pure dream? Chen Chong has no answer, but he can’t let go.
After a while, a yellow light floated in front of his eyes, which made Chen Chong come back to his senses. He turned around and looked around. He was actually in front of Zhizhong Cao. He suddenly had an inexplicable feeling, as if there was a natural divine power, gently coming from behind.