Li Siye poked his head out of the water, rubbed his face with his hands and gasped. The surroundings were so dark that he couldn't see his fingers, and there was a sweet smell in the air. Waves suddenly rose around him, and another head poked out.
On the surface of the water, Li Siye could only vaguely make out his shining single eye.
Zhang Xiaojing stretched out his hand and wiped his face, huffing and puffing. After he calmed down, he pointed ahead and said: "If you go not far further, you will reach the nullah of the vertical street outside the square."
This is a section of culvert from Jinggongfang leading to the outside. Almost every village in Chang'an City has such a drainage design. This section of culvert is connected to the spring pool below the side courtyard of the Princess Mansion, and is responsible for regulating the water levels of the large and small ponds of the Princess Mansion.
The fact that they can poke their heads out of the water shows that the terrain is gradually rising and they are not far from the open channel outside the square wall.
The two of them stumbled to the exit, and finally saw some light. The stars in the night sky were dotted like silver sand, and the slightly cool breath of early summer came.
They leaned tiredly on the stone wall of the nullah, and their wet and heavy clothes clung to their bodies, making people shiver. Zhang Xiaojing supported his body and trudged forward, saying incessantly: "Go south along the nullah and check the situation. Tomorrow
I don’t know if I can escape from the city.”
Li Siye couldn't think about that much, nor could he care about that much. His mentality had not yet left the state of traveling and watching. The only burden was the sister left behind by his predecessor. Well, it was still a burden for the time being.
Running away was just another journey, but it was a pity that Li Meier was implicated. She had a brother who was a sinner. How could she bear such a death at such a young age?
In ancient times, there was such a punishment of sitting together. One person would be killed and the whole family would suffer. Maybe the Jinwu Guards had followed the clues and led people to arrest Li Meier.
Thinking of this, he suddenly waded into the water and changed direction, and said in a low voice: "No! I have to go to Dunyifang to find Mei'er!"
"Li Siye, come back!"
Zhang Xiaojing raised his hand to grab his shoulders and said in a hoarse voice: "Li Mei'er will be fine! What matters now is how you and I escape first!"
Li Siye thought Zhang Xiaojing was just comforting himself, so he pulled the soaked bun off his head, held it in his hand and said, "No, I can't feel at ease if I don't see her safe."
He walked forward stubbornly, even if it was wrong, it was his own opinion.
"Li Siye!"
Zhang Xiaojing rushed over, grabbed him by the collar, and pushed him against the wall.
"Listen to me, Li Mei'er will be fine. You have to believe me! Wen Wuji is my brother who served in the army for ten years in Anxi and died! Even if he is so lame that he only has one leg left, he can still keep Mei'er safe!"
"Si Ye, I can trust my brother, you must also trust your brother!"
Li Siye was stunned. He had no way of measuring the depth of his relationship with Zhang Xiaojing. It was just that they had been unintentionally involved in the demon case these days. They needed to join hands to face the crisis and save their lives; they needed to
Relying on each other and working together, even sometimes the two parties cannot communicate verbally. They can only rely on the honesty of their characters and the trust between them. They never think about who takes the greater risk or sins.
Now that things have come to this, does he still need to doubt the authenticity of the other party's words?
Zhang Xiaojing was from Jingzhao, and Li Siye was also from Guanzhong in his previous and subsequent lives. People in Guanzhong attach great importance to commitment and loyalty, especially to their friends and brothers.
The sound of the Jinwu Guard patrolling soldiers' footsteps could be heard above their heads. The two of them held their breath at the same time and maintained their standing posture. Zhang Xiaojing's hand was still on Li Siye's chest. In the silence, it seemed that they could only hear each other's heartbeats.
.
As the sound of the scabbard colliding with the thin scale armor faded away, Zhang Xiaojing breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "Jinwu Guard night patrol soldier."
Li Siye also smiled. He had passed the most dangerous pass, and nothing he encountered next would frighten him.
"Eh." Zhang Xiaojing raised his head suspiciously and pondered in a low voice: "It has been a long time since we walked out of the culvert, and only one group of soldiers passed by? If the Jinwu Guards want to strictly investigate and arrest us, they should not patrol the streets so frequently.
Just relax."
He pondered for a long time before nodding affirmatively: "It must be loose on the outside and tight on the inside, absolutely."
The two continued to wade through the water together, not daring to climb out of the open channel and walk on the road. Zhang Xiaojing led the way, stopping every few dozen steps and keeping silent to listen to what was going on around them.
Li Siye had no idea how to escape from Chang'an City, so he could only follow Zhang Xiaojing without asking him about any escape routes.
Zhang Xiaojing turned around and said in a low voice: "Although I have been a bad commander in Chang'an for only half a year, I have already seen all the filth hidden under the prosperous surface of Chang'an City, and I have also made some friends on the dark side. Although they are not as smart as the upper class.
It reaches the sky, but it can do things they can't do."
"We can use this culvert to go to Qinglongfang near Furong Garden. My friend lives in the place. As long as we can survive tonight's curfew and find him, we can escape from Chang'an City through his way."
Li Siye didn't doubt Zhang Xiaojing's words at all, but it was still a long time before dawn. They couldn't stay in the water for a long time. Even in the middle of the night in this summer, they would get cold.
Fortunately, the two finally found a bridge. There were stone platforms above the water on both sides of the bridge hole. The two climbed out of the water and curled up and leaned on the stone platforms.
Although they were exhausted both physically and mentally, they felt a sense of excitement after experiencing a disaster. Li Siye knew that this was related to adrenaline. He rested his head on the cold wall and forced out a smile and asked: "You said you have been an Anxi soldier for ten years, but that's right.
Tell me, what is it like to be a soldier in the Western Regions?"
Zhang Xiaojing did not answer him directly, but turned around and asked: "Do you also have plans to become a soldier?"
He didn't wait for Li Siye to answer, but said to himself: "Joining Anxi to serve the Tang Dynasty, and immediately receiving fame is an opportunity for every man of the Tang Dynasty to change his destiny, and it is also the dream of many people. I, Zhang Xiaojing, also had this in mind when I joined the Western Regions.
A dream. It’s a pity that I was unlucky. I was injured and was awarded the title of Flying Cavalry Lieutenant. However, I lost my job because I offended my boss, and I could only be an outcast official with no rank or rank.”
"To be honest," Zhang Xiaojing's pupils held back old grudges under his thick eyebrows: "You have missed the best opportunity to make a contribution. If we go forward a few decades, people will be more concentrated, most officials will be fair, and there will be no one in front or behind.
It’s easier to make meritorious deeds if there are constraints. But now, people’s hearts have changed. If you want to stand out, you can’t just rely on passionate courage. You also need..."
"What else do you need?" Li Siye asked, getting to the bottom of it.
Zhang Xiaojing opened his generous lips and smiled bitterly: "If I had known, I wouldn't be in this situation today."
"Just knowing is not enough," Li Siye shook his head gently, with a playful smile on his lips: "You still have to convince yourself that you can do it."
Zhang Xiaojing looked slightly startled, turned around and looked at him in astonishment, then patted his strong chest and said with a smile: "You are more transparent than me and have better foundation than me. Your circumstances must be different from mine."
Nowadays, Li Siye is not keen on being a soldier. He is still a little afraid of the fighting in the era of cold weapons. Even if he is a person who is used to seeing blood under his fists, how can he not tremble when he thinks of swords attached to his body and his skin and flesh will crack? The reason why he wants to
To understand the soldiers of the Western Regions is just an early adaptation to the course of life. If conquering Anxi was Li Siye's inevitable fate, he naturally could not escape. Not only could he not escape, he also had to give himself a period of psychological adaptation in advance.