On winter nights, the whole land is covered with a layer of white light.
This was a heavy snowfall a few days ago.
Against the backdrop of the vast white earth, the stars in the night sky are even brighter and clearer.
It seems like you can just reach out and pick one off.
One hand was raised high, holding it in vain.
He put his hand back in front of him and released it. There were no bright stars, only clouds of white air floating.
This is the hot breath exhaled from the mouth and nose. When it is cold, it turns into white mist. The white mist rises and condenses on the eyebrows and beard for a moment, making the Starlight Mountain shatter and shine.
"The starry sky is so beautiful."
The hoarse voice said, with his outstretched hand resting on the back of his head, the snow crunching beneath him.
Under the starlight, this man was wearing a white leather coat, lying in the snow and blending into the earth. If it weren't for his eyes as bright as stars, he wouldn't have been able to notice it for a moment.
"yes."
Voices sounded around him, and the snow undulated, showing various figures.
"It's rare to see a starry sky like this."
"It turns out the stars are so beautiful."
"It's time to recite a poem."
"You're obscene."
"It would be nice if there was wine."
"Another piece of barbecue."
The chatter and laughter rang out randomly, making the freezing cold night a bit more lively. Just like enjoying the snow on a spring outing, admiring the stars on a winter night is also an elegant thing.
Suddenly, the hand just now was raised again. With this movement, the sound of voices suddenly came, and the world fell into dead silence.
In this deathly silence, another burst of sound suddenly sounded, as if appearing out of thin air and approaching instantly.
The horse's hooves kicked up the snow, revealing the animal skins wrapped on it.
It is this hide that muffles the sound of the horse's hooves, making it unnoticeable until you get closer.
This was a group of more than a dozen soldiers and horses, wearing armor and helmets under the starlight. The swords, guns, swords, halberds, and crossbows flashed coldly on their backs. Even in the snowy night, the speed of the horses did not slow down at all. Suddenly, the horse in the middle neighed and jumped from the ground.
A straight long knife cut off the horse's front hoof.
The horse neighed and fell, and the man on it also rolled down. Before the man could get up, a long knife had already cut off his head in two places.
Blood spurted out, instantly staining the snow red.
The entire team became confused, because people jumped up one after another on the snow, slashing at the cavalry with long swords and short axes.
With nonsense shouts, painful roars, and horses neighing, the originally cold land became noisy, but this noise was filled with flesh and blood.
A spear pierced a cavalryman and tore him off his horse. The spear was thrown away along with the cavalryman. The attacking man had instantly picked up a broad knife that had fallen to the side, and whirled around with a clang to hit the man behind him.
The sickle crashed open.
But in the end, because his feet slipped slightly, he was hit in the neck by a flying ax thrown by a cavalryman on the other side. He screamed and threw himself to the ground motionless. The blood stained the ground and his white robe, and he was once again connected with the earth.
Integrate into one.
The battle was cruel and short. Everything seemed to happen in an instant and ended in a tragic instant. The horses were either killed or fled. As a long knife penetrated the chest of the wounded without hesitation, the wailing sound disappeared instantly.
Quietness returned to heaven and earth again.
The starlight was still there, but the ground was no longer as white as before, instead there were bloody corpses everywhere.
There are gold soldiers and men in white robes.
The bearded man squatted in front of a man in a white robe and reached out to touch his still-open eyes.
"Boss."
A reminder sounded behind me.
The bearded man turned back.
"Am I becoming more sentimental now?" he asked.
None of the men behind him paid attention to him, either tearing off the weapons, robes and boots from the golden soldier's corpse, or lying on the dead horse and drinking blood.
"Boss, hurry up, take a few sips and leave." Someone said vaguely.
The bearded man shook his head.
"The meaning of life is not just eating and drinking." He said, swiping the knife in his hand, cutting off a piece of horse meat, and stuffing the bloody piece of horse meat into his robe, "There is also poetry and distance."
He tilted his head and thought for a while after saying this.
"That's probably what she said. It's been so long that I almost forgot."
The other men had already stood up and casually wiped the blood from the corners of their mouths.
"Boss, are you sentimental? Not to mention, you talk more than before." A man said.
"Are you saying I'm a talkative person?" the bearded man said displeasedly, "How can I be a talkative person? We are getting further and further north, and I can't even see my personal hair. It's so easy to talk back when I see one.
Hu Yu, I’m afraid that over time I won’t be able to speak our language.”
The men all laughed.
"Boss, you are really far-sighted," they said.
The bearded man's eyes overflowed with smiles, and his face was full of pride.
"That's right." He said, waving his hand, "Tonight we'll have a good meal and a handful of good firewood, and then we'll go."
The group of people did not stop and rushed northward in the snow under the starlight. Their figures slowly merged with the earth and disappeared.
When the sun illuminated the land, the place became noisy again as more soldiers and horses came.
Their dark helmets, bright red tassels, and mercury armor that resembled snow were on their bodies. Their faces were full of arrogance and brutality. They were the most elite cavalry in the imperial city.
Seeing these dead bodies scattered and frozen in the snow, they roared angrily.
"It's these woodcutters again."
"Why did they let them succeed again!"
"Are our warriors so useless?"
"Sir, they don't have many people left. The mountains are blocked by heavy snow. They don't even have fire sticks. They will definitely die."
"It would be too easy for them to die like that. They must die in our hands, skin and bones, to avenge the great emperor."
"Warriors, kill a woodcutter and get an official title."
Accompanied by this shout, the golden soldiers roared forward, and snow flew on the ground.
........
.........
Everything in the world seemed to be covered with snow, even the mountains, rocks and trees were no exception. The whole world seemed to be frozen.
But a snow-white lotus bloomed in this frozen place, as if it were a lake.
But in fact, this is a steep cliff.
One hand reached over and picked off the snow lotus.
Against the background of the snow lotus, this hand became more and more red and swollen, with frostbite covering it, which was unbearable to see.
This action of picking snow lotus is very difficult for such frostbitten hands, let alone picking up snow-covered stones with hands.
The man clung to the smooth cliff, his body tensed and his expression relaxed. He slowly put the snow lotus under his mouth and nose and smelled it. His increasingly haggard expression showed a bit of comfort.
"It smells so good," he said.
After saying this, the whole person suddenly fell downwards, as if he could no longer hold up the fall, but in fact he clung to the cliff dexterously and finally slid down to the bottom of the cliff safely.
"Look." He held up the snow lotus and shouted to the five men sitting around, "It's beautiful."
The five men looked over. Although they all looked haggard and had chapped lips, they all had smiles on their faces.
"Boss, why are you interested in flowers and plants again? Are you really going to become a little girl?" they laughed.
"What do you know? This is medicinal material." The bearded man said, carefully putting the snow lotus into his belt, "There is a guy who needs this. When I get back, give it to her, and the debt I owe will be settled."
It’s paid off.”
Others didn't pay attention to the debts he muttered about, but when they heard the word "go back", a trace of sadness flashed in their eyes.
Still, can you go back?
Although they all came with the intention of dying, they still want to go back.
Several people looked at the bearded man, watching him carefully and happily examine the leather pocket containing the snow lotus. In fact, there was no need to pick the flowers on the cliff. It was a waste of little energy, but because of the snow lotus,
The people you miss and miss can bring you spiritual comfort.
Think about it all the time, as if this person is right next to you.
Their smiles became a little sour, but their expressions became solemn the next moment.
"The gold thief is coming." they said, and people jumped up from the ground.
There was no knife or ax in his hand, only a stick made from broken branches.
But there was no fear in their expressions, and they seemed to be holding sophisticated weapons in their hands.
"Then bring a few more people on the back." The bearded man said even more casually, moving his hands and feet and making a creaking sound, "Let's get to work."
Following his words, the five of them hid behind the rocks.
The bearded man stood alone, a trace of sadness flashed across his expression, and he looked down at the leather pocket in his waist.
"It's a pity, you unlucky woman, you can't get such a good thing." He whispered, and the next moment he raised his head and his expression returned to unruly, swinging the long stick in his hand, waiting for the Yamaguchi cavalry to rush in.
.
The noise outside was getting louder and louder, but no soldiers and horses rushed in yet, which made the people waiting for the ambush look a little confused.
"Could it be that they don't plan to fight again and are just waiting to trap us to death?" said a man.
"Are these grandsons so timid?" another frowned.
The bearded man listened intently, and his expression suddenly changed.
"No, it seems that there is Zhou Yu." He said.
But it's not surprising that Zhou Yu is there. These Jin soldiers have also used Zhou Yu to seduce them.
"No, this time, it's true, and there are many people." The bearded man said, his voice trembling slightly.
This trembling was not because of fear, but because of some speculation.
Some impossible guesses.
Others also had complicated expressions, as if they wanted to be excited but were afraid of destroying their minds due to the excitement.
They never give themselves hope, because once they have hope, when the hope is shattered, they completely lose their will and are hopeless.
They remained alert and hid behind the rocks until there was a sudden bang in their ears, followed by the ground shaking.
"My God, this is not from the Qingshan Army..." the bearded man shouted.
But just as he was about to jump up, he heard a crashing sound above his head, and then heavy snow mixed with rocks rolled down.
The other people hiding behind the rocks did not have time to move, and the falling snow instantly buried these people.
With a crash, the valley fell into silence.
Outside the valley, the noise of fighting was even louder. I don’t know how long it took before everything calmed down. Then the sound of horse hooves filled the entire valley bit by bit from far to near.
"There is no one." A male voice said, with a bit of surprise, "Could it be that you can't hold on anymore and die?"
But the next moment, a hand suddenly stretched out from under the snow, and then a head came out shaking the snow.
"I'm going!"
The hoarse and angry voice drowned out the sound of horse hooves and resounded throughout the valley.
"We didn't die in the hands of the Jin people, but were crushed to death by the heavy snow. This is really a big joke!"
Following his movements, people from other places broke out, spitting snow and shaking their heads, but their expressions were full of unbelievable ecstasy.
However, the bearded man from before still looked angrily at the people surrounding him.
"I said, which one of you is working for you? Why are you so stupid?"
He raised his head, shook off the snow from his face, and saw clearly the people and horses in front of him, and then his voice stopped suddenly.
The people in front of him dispersed, and a woman appeared in sight.
She was not wearing armor, but was wrapped in a thick red cloak, and a white fluffy hat almost covered her little face.
She was also looking at the bearded man who was still half buried in the snow. She looked at it very seriously, scanning his head and face inch by inch, and then frowned slightly.
"Zhu Zan," she said, "Why have you become so ugly?"
Zhu Zan was furious and jumped out of the snow.
"There's something wrong with your eyes, woman," he shouted, "There's no one better looking than me in this world."
He jumped out, reached out to pat the snow on his body, and wiped his face randomly.
"Come on, take a good look at me. I'm like a tree in the wind..."
Before he could finish his words, Miss Jun had already jumped off her horse and rushed towards him, opened her arms and hugged his neck.
Her movement was so sudden that Zhu Zan staggered and almost fell.
"Hey, don't think you are like this. Forget what you said just now." He shouted, "Get up and take a good look. Where am I ugly?"
Although he said this, he did not push the person in front of him away at all, but stretched out his arms to hug him.
"Take a good look." He said again.
Miss Jun hugged his neck tightly and nodded heavily on his shoulder.
"I'll take a good look," she said.
Zhu Zan didn't speak anymore, but just hugged her tightly. I don't know whether it was because his body was stiff from the cold or because he was unskilled, but his movements were still a little stiff.
He should have hugged her a few more times to practice, he thought to himself.
........
............
When spring comes, the valley becomes more beautiful, but at this time the atmosphere is a bit tense.
A group of men looked at the girl in front of them with sad and worried expressions.
The girl was being led to a tomb by a woman.
The girl seemed to be frightened and stood motionless.
"History." Aunt Xiao stroked her shoulder and spoke softly, "I asked Jiuling to hide your father's affairs from you. You..."
Zhao Hanqing raised his hand and held Aunt Xiao's hand.
"Mom, I want to stay here alone for a while."
Aunt Xiao hesitated for a moment, then nodded and agreed.
She turned around and waved for everyone to leave.
"Sister-in-law, is this okay?" Xia Yong whispered worriedly, "Niuniu was happily waiting to see big brother all the way, but..."
Aunt Xiao sighed softly.
"I'm sure she understands," she said.
Suddenly Sister-in-law Xia let out a low cry.
"Oh, Niu Niu picked up the knife." She said.
These words startled everyone. They stopped and looked over, and sure enough they saw Zhao Hanqing raising a long knife in front of the tomb.
Before everyone could react, they saw her waving her long sword, creating a flash of light.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, this... didn't seem to be about hurting oneself, but...
Zhao Hanqing quickly put away his long sword, picked up a crossbow from the side, and fired ten arrows at a big tree trunk not far away without saying a word.
This was not over yet. Under everyone's blank gaze, she showed off her spear and sickle in turn.
"It turns out she wants to show her father how powerful she is." Aunt Xiao's eyes sparkled with tears.
Everyone also breathed a sigh of relief, and Zhao Hanqing, who was in front of the tomb, also let out a breath, threw his shield and spear aside, squatted down in front of the tomb, and looked at the three characters Zhao Zhiyi on the tombstone.
"Hey, dad, have you seen that I didn't embarrass you?" she said, raising her eyebrows with a bit of excitement, but not the slightest bit of sadness, "Am I good enough? Is there any blue that is better than a blue?
?”
The words on the tombstone didn't answer her. She looked at it quietly for a moment, and then took out three incense-like things wrapped in paper from her arms.
"This is what Sister Jiuling asked me to bring to you." She looked at the thing in her hand and lit it with a fire twister.
A puff of smoke came out and a strange aroma spread.
Zhao Hanqing looked at the three short incense sticks in his hand with a strange look on his face. It was obvious that she was also curious.
"Sister Jiuling said this is the cigarette you mentioned in your letter." She said, "She said you didn't write it in too much detail. She tried it, but she doesn't know if it's right."
The more she smelled it, the more curious she became, so she tentatively put it to her mouth and sucked it hard. She suddenly choked and coughed repeatedly. She squatted on the ground, sticking out her tongue and tears welling up in her eyes.
"It's really scary," she said. "No wonder you said you would die if you could take one more puff."
As she spoke, she placed the three short incense sticks in front of the tomb and looked at them quietly for a moment.
"Dad, you are very powerful, but Sister Jiuling is even more powerful than you." She said suddenly.
After saying this, he jumped up and backed away as if he was afraid of being beaten by the person in front of him.
With a little pride in her eyes, she slowly backed away step by step, and finally turned around and ran towards Aunt Xiao with a smile on her face.
Behind her, in front of the tombstone, three short incense sticks emitted curls of smoke and danced in the wind.