It’s still a bit chilly in Daibei in late March.
The north wind, yellow grass, dead trees and city walls that have been eroded by wind and rain make up this bleak world, just like Li Keyong's mood at this time.
He gently touched the wall of Jincheng Town with his hand.
My father sent people to dig out mountains and collect rocks, and built a small fortress on the Daibei grassland. He was born and raised here, and has left too many memories.
When he was young, he was his father's proudest son.
He was proficient in all kinds of martial arts. When he was fifteen years old, he went on an expedition with his father to suppress Pang Xun's rebellion. He was so brave and formidable that he was so heroic that he was nicknamed "Flying Tiger Son".
After a little while, he became a general in Yunzhou and sat on the seat of the defense envoy while laughing and joking with his colleagues. Shangguan saw it and didn't take it seriously, which made him even more proud. Who else can do this in the three states of the Datong Army?
Are you more suitable for this position than me?
Perhaps from that time on, ambitions have flourished.
The life after that was ups and downs. There were the embarrassment of being surrounded and suppressed by the army and being beaten back to the desert, the high spirits of defeating the Huangchao and claiming the first place in the victory, and the grief of the Shangyuanyi Incident...
The sworn brother integrated Guanxi, and he was attacking Hebei.
The sworn brother's troops entered Guanzhong, and he was attacking Hebei.
The sworn brother defeated Zhu Quanzhong while he was fighting in Hebei.
The sworn brother attacked and destroyed the four towns of Yun, Yan, Xu, and Qing. He finally stopped attacking Hebei, but it was too late.
This life, I have been living in a haze. I don’t know what I want, I don’t know what I want to do. Suddenly, I am approaching old age and my end is upon me.
Naihe, Naihe!
The withered hands moved to a place and stopped.
The handwriting written when he was young was blurred and difficult to read. But Li Keyong was still very happy. He tried hard to distinguish the handwriting on the stone and corroborated it with the memories that suddenly appeared in his mind.
He stayed here for a long time.
Li Xiji, Li Luoluo, Li Siyuan and others followed silently and waited quietly.
This day has finally arrived.
Li Keyong turned around and continued to move forward.
His body was already as thin as firewood, and it looked like a gust of wind would blow him over. Li Luoluo hurriedly stepped forward to help him, only to find that his father's withered arms actually contained strength that surprised him. His face was incredibly rosy, his steps were firm, and his eyes were bright.
.
He quietly wiped away his tears.
He is reckless, impatient, and irritable, but he is also an emotional boy who is prone to ups and downs of mood, a unique big boy of the Li family.
If my father was still resting in the hospital bed, he might be able to survive for a few months if he was lucky. But he chose to burn the last of his life and visit the place where he was born and grew up. Death might be in an instant.
Li Keyong stopped next to a dry well, squatted down and carefully stroked the edge of the well. He was stunned and didn't know what he was thinking.
Li Luoluo recalled the past when he ran to a well to play and was beaten by his father when he was a child. Perhaps this well was also the place where his father played with his playmates when he was a child?
Li Keyong visited dry wells, broken bridges, old trees and even barren meadows one by one with great interest. He stayed at each place for a long time, as if there was some treasure in the dry grass.
Perhaps, it is not weeds, but too many memories and emotions.
Li Keyong finally saw every place he wanted to see, and with the support of Li Luoluo and Li Sizhao, he walked into Jincheng Town.
The city was deserted, except for an old house where some servants were busy.
Li Keyong looked carefully in front of the mansion for a while, and then shook his head in disappointment. Things and people have changed, and it is no longer the old mansion in his memory.
"Why are you crying? Everyone will die, sooner or later, so why hate it!" Seeing the Liu family, Cao family, Zhang family and other wives and concubines coming over with red eyes, Li Keyong waved his hand impatiently to let them Back off.
Mrs. Liu was unwilling, but under Li Keyong's firm gaze, she left with her wives and concubines.
She knew that her husband's time had come and he had important things to explain. For a man on the battlefield, spending time with his family was a luxury.
"Everyone, please sit down." Li Keyong relaxed and leaned on the bed a little weakly, saying.
Li Xiji sighed inaudibly and sat down. The other more than ten civil and military officers who came after hearing the news took their seats one by one.
"Time is running out..." Li Keyong's eyes had lost their previous sparkle and dimmed at an alarming speed.
"If I have spare time, I would also like to visit Yunzhou, watch fish in Xuanhong Pond, and shoot willows in Tartar..." Li Keyong smiled and said, "I don't have time..."
After saying that, he focused his attention on Li Luoluo.
"My son is sad because I can't die on the battlefield?" Li Keyong looked at his eldest son and said, "My sworn brother is already on his way here, right? His nose has always been very good, and he can't hide any trouble from him." My son is already his son-in-law, and I don’t know if he will come with me this time. Da Lang, after I die, you will stay at home and guard your father’s graveyard, take care of your younger siblings, and don’t go anywhere. Even if you are bullying men in the countryside, You are a domineering girl who is extravagant and lustful, and your sworn brother will only scold you and will not really do anything to you."
"Grandpa!" Li Luo fell to his knees with tears streaming down his face.
Perhaps there is reluctance to leave his father, and also unwillingness to face fate. It is a complicated feeling, and perhaps he cannot understand it.
"Shatuo Sanbu..." Li Keyong no longer cared about the crying eldest son, and turned to Shi Jiantang, the general of Tianjingguan Town.
Shatuo is nominally three tribes, but in fact, under the integration of Li Keyong, it is now one tribe.
The intensity of integration is relatively strong. Currently, there are about 200,000 people living there, making a living by farming, herding, and hunting.
The number of people was not so small in the first place. In addition to those who died in the war, there were also a large number of strong soldiers who went to various places in Hedong to serve as soldiers. They gradually settled in prefectures and counties and became local people with registered households. In fact, it was not only Shatuo, but also people in Hedong. The same is true for other miscellaneous tribes - the "brother-in-laws" Liu Yu and Murong Sanlang are a good example.
One reason for consolidation is to increase centralization.
Among the three Shatuo tribes, namely Shatuo, Anqing, and Sage tribes, except for the Shatuo tribe, which is the "real Shatuo", the other two tribes are mixed with a large number of Sogdians, that is, the "fake Shatuo". But there are more than a hundred
Over the years, the three Shatuo clans have intermarried with each other and have been basically integrated. Now they are all "true Shatuo".
The new generation of "fake Shatuo" are the nine surnames of Zhaowu that were slowly annexed during Li Keyong's administration. They were the tribes that Shao Shude once coveted and wanted to win over when he was in Hexi.
Whether the real Shatuo or the fake Shatuo is meaningless now. They are aliens with high noses, deep eyes, curly beards and blue eyes. Although the Tang people and the Xia people are not very discriminatory towards the Tibetan people, the Uighurs, Dangxiangs, Qiang people, Tubo people and the like are still
Well, at least they look similar to the Han people. Shatuo people and people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu will have a little more difficulty, and they may have to suffer in the future.
"Dalang Shijia..." Li Keyong closed his eyes and said softly: "After I die, you can take your tribe to join your sworn brother. For my sake, he will take you in. Be his personal servant."
Qu, your life should be fine in the future."
Shi Jiantang was the son of Shi Jingcun (Shi Jingsi), the governor of Anqing who died in the Shangyuanyi Incident. He was thirty-two years old, brave and proficient in military strategy, and was a newly rising general in the Jin army.
"Yes!" Shi Jiantang was a little sad and a little relaxed after hearing this, and his mood was very complicated.
Li Luoluo's mood was even more complicated. Are the three Shatuo tribes leaving the Li family? For a moment, there was some resentment in his heart.
"Miao Jilie..." Li Keyong looked at Li Siyuan again and said, "You have been with me for many years. When I was at Shangyuan Station, if you hadn't been guarding me to the death, I might have died under the arrows of Liang people.
Already."
"Your Majesty..." Li Siyuan looked up at the roof to prevent tears from flowing down. After a moment, he said, "I will definitely do whatever your Majesty asks you to do."
"There are many soldiers and horses in the Xin Dynasty. Take control and don't cause any trouble. If the Xia people come, you can take care of it. I can't control that much." Li Keyong's voice became weaker and weaker, and he was a little breathless.
"Okay!" Li Siyuan didn't say much and agreed decisively.
After explaining these three things, Li Keyong named several more people one after another, explaining various things without getting tired of it. It wasn't until his face became very bad and everyone cried and persuaded him that he stopped for a moment.
"One more thing!" Li Keyong just closed his eyes and suddenly opened them again and said: "Ask my brother Kening to come back from Lanzhou and tell him that I have something to ask him. Zhou Dewei is temporarily responsible for the military and civilian affairs of the two states. Please tell me as soon as possible."
Go and deliver the order.”
Li Xiji signaled, and soon someone went out to arrange a messenger.
Seeing this, Li Keyong felt a little relieved, but he gradually felt tired. But he held on, waved to Li Xiji, and said: "Sanlang, sit closer, I have something else to say."
Li Xiji stood up and sat next to Li Keyong, weeping and said: "Your Highness, I am here. You are tired, please rest for a while. There is nothing important at the moment, we can talk about it later."
When Li Keyong heard this, he smiled and said: "That's right, it's not a big deal. I'm tired. When my adopted brother arrived, he told him that I figured it out. If I have another life, I will still fight with him.
I will definitely win this time. After winning, I will reward him with the title of prince and let him follow me to see how I conquer the world."
"Your Highness, your health is urgent, please rest for a while." Li Xiji advised.
Li Keyong looked at Li Xiji, his face was a little blurry. Li Keyong tried hard for a while, but still couldn't see clearly. He could only say: "Sanlang, sit closer. I haven't let you live this life for so many years."
It’s really shameful to live in such a rich and powerful life. Your talent and learning are more than enough to be a prime minister..."
"Your Highness, I'm right here." Li Xiji wiped away his tears, sat closer and said, "Let's rest for a while."
"Okay, take a rest. I still have something to say." Li Keyong turned his head with difficulty and muttered to himself: "I'm tired, I'm too tired. That's all, I won't fight with my sworn brother in the next life.
.I'm tired, tired..."
The sound gradually became inaudible.
Li Xiji held Li Keyong's hand and burst into tears.
Li Luoluo hurriedly took two steps, and then sat down slumped.
Ms. Liu walked out with red and swollen eyes, gently held Li Keyong in her arms, and shrugged her shoulders.
Li Siyuan and Shi Jiantang felt confused and empty.
Hedong was originally united under King Jin's tent. Now that King Jin has passed away, they don't know where they are going.