Devil’s Advent

Situ Lei is a legend, and even counting his successive defeats at Xuehaiguan in his later years, which made the savages enter the customs, it is still impossible to completely deny the splendor of his life.

And the emergence of legends always needs stepping stones, also, always needs a foil.

The place where Situ Lei made his fortune was in Zhennan Pass.

This concubine, who was not valued at the beginning, accumulated a lot of military exploits and prestige by virtue of his successive victories against the Chu people in Zhennanguan, and was able to return to Yingdu to fight with his two brothers in the temple. It's a showdown.

Zhennanguan corresponds to Shanggu County of the Chu people. This is also the battlefield where the Chu people and the Situ family have confronted several times. Because of the frequent wars, the population of Shanggu County and all walks of life are not considered developed. Many places can even be said to be extremely desolate.

It's not just that the Jin people came in to take them captive. When the Chu army went out, they would also frequently recruit local people to serve the army. Under this kind of double exploitation by both the enemy and ourselves, Shanggu County can still become rich.

Originally, when the Chu people captured Zhennan Pass and the Qingluan army entered Jin all the way, the people of Shanggu County wept with joy, thinking that they would finally no longer have to suffer from the numerous wars, and that they, as border people, could transform themselves and enjoy the hinterland The treatment of the people.

Unexpectedly, the news of the defeat on the front line came. The Yan people who were defeated in the early stage suddenly defeated the savages and captured Yupan City. Finally, the Yan people's soldiers and horses pointed directly at Zhennan Pass.

The battle between Yan and Chu was imminent, and this atmosphere completely dampened the confidence and enthusiasm of the people of Shanggu County for their future life.

The most obvious point is that,

In this inn beside the post road, the proprietor is listlessly tapping his abacus, and the man leans there and dozes off.

It's not that there are no guests in the inn, but the guests in the inn also feel the same way.

The imperial court ordered grain collection to support the army ahead.

In order to save trouble and cost, the method of exchanging salt for grain was adopted, which means that merchants in Chu State are encouraged to purchase grain from various places and then organize transportation. After you hand over the grain at the border, the court will give you salt, which is equivalent to You are eligible to sell salt for a certain share.

This naturally attracted many merchants to organize caravans to transport food, but when everyone worked hard to bring the food, the court suddenly changed its mind. The remaining 60% must be filled with other things.

Good guy, in this way, these merchants actually turned into a net loss after deducting the cost!

The reason is that the state of Chu monopolizes salt and iron in name, but in fact, the big nobles from all over the country have the right to self-develop salt and iron in their fiefs, and some even make money privately.

The court of Chu State had just recovered from the rebellion of seizing the heir, and the treasury was already empty after some internal friction. Mishang Shuben of the household department wanted to use this method to reduce the pressure on the court to support the frontline, but the salt allocated by the household department was In name, it is the imperial court's salt field, but in fact, most of it is within the fiefdom of the great nobles.

Now that the nobles quit, they immediately started clamoring. Under pressure, the Ministry of Household Affairs had to revise its strategy.

The great nobles felt that they could "destroy the family and relieve the difficulties" for the country. If they recognized half of it, they were considered extremely conscientious and loyal to the emperor, and they also gave the court and the regent face;

After some mediation by the Ministry of Household Affairs, at least half of the share of Yanyin was kept, which can be regarded as continuing the matter and maintaining the dignity of the court;

As for whether these merchants who are responsible for transporting grain are making money or losing money, that is not what the elders care about.

Loss, it must be a loss, but you really have no place to reason, the court changes every day, and you need to ask for your consent?

At the same time, if you don't sell it, you can't do it. If you have to transport the grain back, the loss will be even greater!

And in this inn, the people who are sitting now are basically merchants who have transported grain, and everyone is very downcast.

"Are you used to this meal?"

Sitting in the corner, a man asked the handsome young man sitting beside him.

"It's okay. I'm not that delicate. Didn't I also eat the steamed bread you sent me before?"

Rice is a kind of existence between stir-fried vegetables and steamed rice. It is not hot yet, and it should be steamed early in a large pot and served in bowls.

There is also a layer of miso on top of the rice, which is a dead person.

Ask if there is any other food, the waiter said there is no more, and said with a smile that their owner is planning to close the inn in another ten days, even the cook has already been fired, the reason why the waiter is still here is Because he and his host are from the same town, they have to go back together.

Because of this, the inn now only provides this kind of food and tea, and there is no wine, because the food is expensive, and the price of the wine shop has also gone up. The shopkeeper is worried that he will not be able to sell it later.

Fortunately,

The princess is really not squeamish;

Coming all the way from Zhou County, first I hired people to go, and then I walked with other grain transport merchants. The journey was not easy to eat and sleep, but it was considered exhausting, and the princess didn't complain.

Before going to bed every night, I still remember to give Uncle Zheng a foot-washing water to help him wash his feet.

The princess ate slowly,

Looking up at Uncle Zheng,

asked:

"Why don't you eat?"

"I'm not used to it."

"………"Princess.

this moment,

The princess is really puzzled, who is the princess, herself or him?

After eating, it was getting dark outside, so Uncle Zheng took the princess upstairs.

Because the inn is about to close and the owner prepares to take refuge, there are no more bedding in the guest room, so you have to bring your own. As for the room fee, a little is charged symbolically.

After the bedding was laid, Zheng Fan took out the iron box, took out a cigarette, and put it in front of his nose.

"If you want to smoke, just smoke."

The princess knew it was tobacco.

Uncle Zheng shook his head and said, "It will leave a smell on your body."

"You are so cautious."

"It's not for us to go back safely."

"Yes, my uncle."

"Tomorrow morning, I will find someone to deliver the grain and grass we brought, and then we will go into the mountains."

Zhennan Pass is the throat from Jin to Chu, but it doesn't mean that if you don't go to Zhennan Pass, you can't get through it at all.

However, it is still passable, but the road is difficult to walk, and it is not suitable for soldiers and horses at all.

"Well."

The princess lay down obediently and began to rest.

Uncle Zheng also lay down and closed his eyes.

Because there is no other demon king around besides the magic pill, many things have to be considered and arranged by Zheng Fan himself. The identity of this grain transporter was arranged by the Fan family before, but on the way east, Uncle Zheng No one contacted the Fan family anymore.

Firstly, the further to the east, the Fan family's influence began to decrease; secondly, Uncle Zheng didn't trust anyone now.

At this time, the princess with her eyes closed said, "It is said that there are many wild beasts in the mountains, and there are also gangs of robbers."

"It's not a big problem." Uncle Zheng said.

I still have this bit of self-confidence, no matter what, I am also a sixth-rank warrior.

"Um."

The princess really began to rest, and her breathing became more even.

Uncle Zheng also put aside other thoughts in his mind and fell asleep.

…

The next morning, Zheng Fan got up, found a merchant who was on the road, delivered his grain, and settled the bill with Li Fu who had followed him all the way from Zhou County, and let them go back.

Afterwards, Uncle Zheng took the princess directly to the north instead of the east, and entered the mountain.

He took occasional breaks along the way, but most of the time he was still on his way. Uncle Zheng found a cave to camp at night.

The green python swam over, opened its mouth, and dropped a large piece of venison leg.

A few days ago, Zheng Fan and the princess were walking on the road, and the green python followed far away in the forest. After entering the mountain, it could show it, but it really didn't like Zheng Fan, so it left the venison Then turned around and wandered away.

Uncle Zheng lit up the fire, and after handling the venison briefly, he began to grill it.

The princess is checking the soles of her feet;

"Bubbled?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Well, kind of."

Zheng Fan took out a needle, put it on the fire and roasted it, handed it to the princess, and said, "Choose carefully yourself."

The princess took the needle and couldn't help complaining:

"You should walk more slowly today."

The princess is a golden branch and a jade leaf. It is the first time to enter the mountain, and the mountain road is not easy to walk. It takes a process of adaptation, but Zheng Fan took her today and walked very quickly.

"I don't want to cause extra problems. The grain and grass we carried along the way to deceive people are not handed over to our colleagues today?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

"I have delivered some money, so I can't guarantee..."

"Isn't it?"

"In these days, if you dare to do business, where do you come from such a pure and good person? Could it be that you still think that your people in Dachu are simple and honest?"

"It's like it's not like this in your country of Yan."

"It's all like this, it's all like this. I made my fortune earlier by robbing others."

"I didn't expect Uncle Hirano to have such a family history?"

"Actually, it has always been like this, but it sounds like it was a shame to rob some Wubao lords and rich landowners in the past, but in fact, they were also robbing later, but it turned into robbing a country and robbing a royal family, and became a big tycoon gone."

"It seems to be the truth."

"The venison is roasted, wash your hands, and eat."

At this time,

The green python went back and forth, opened its mouth, and a human head fell out.

The princess stared, but she didn't cry out in fright.

Uncle Zheng walked forward while nibbling on the venison, and flipped the head with his feet;

"It's actually the owner of that inn. It seems that he knows that I have money and wants to make another windfall before closing the inn and going home."

While eating the venison, the princess said: "Then he is really following closely enough. We have been walking in such a hurry today, and we can still keep up."

"Well, so, I have to go and see, let your snake lead the way."

"Xiaoqing, lead the way." The princess ordered.

"Xiao Qing?"

On weekdays, Uncle Zheng always called "your snake", but he really didn't know the name of this snake.

"What's wrong?" the princess asked puzzled, "Is there something wrong with this name?"

"Is there still a white snake?"

"never seen it."

"Then you can ask about it later."

Qing Mang led the way, and soon found two corpses in a low-lying area.

"Hold the crossbow, I'll go down and have a look."

The crossbow was exchanged by Uncle Zheng in the middle of the process. Although the state of Chu is under the control of salt and iron, because the big nobles have greater autonomy in the fief, many nobles sell weapons for profit.

This kind of crossbow is made in imitation of the military. Although it is worse than the regular crossbow, it is still enough. A merchant who was transporting food together in a place wanted to buy it for self-defense. I asked around and bought some more for good bargaining. , Uncle Zheng also accepted one.

Zheng Fan pulled out the knife and slid down the gap, and was surprised to find that there were weapons, bows and arrows next to the two corpses.

One headless corpse should belong to the innkeeper, and the other corpse still has the head, which is the waiter of the inn.

Uncle Zheng put the bow on his shoulder silently, and at the same time stretched out his hand to feel around the innkeeper's body. This is subconsciously used to him. If someone is killed without being searched, he always feels that he lacks a sense of ritual.

result,

touch, touch,

Uncle Zheng took out a token.

By the moonlight, one can vaguely see the imprint of the fire and phoenix on the token.

Uncle Zheng shook his head helplessly, he could only say that he was very unlucky, when he reached ninety-nine steps from a hundred steps, he ran into a hidden stake in Fengchao.

After marching all the way, it can be found that the Chu people are trying their best to chase and intercept the two groups of soldiers and horses in the direction of Mengshan and Qishan. There is basically no pursuit of the East Road.

Uncle Zheng thought he could go back safely this trip, but there was another disturbance.

I can only hope that the innkeeper just felt that he was a bit suspicious of temporarily harvesting food, so he brought his men to chase after him to have a look, and he didn't send a message to the Fengchao attendant behind him.

"Hey, tell your big snake to come down and see if you can eat them all. A porridge and a meal are hard-won, how can they be wasted."

"It's already full, and it can't eat anymore. If it is strong enough, it can't go on the road and has to sleep."

"Then you come down, and we will dispose of their bodies together."

The princess came down, and Uncle Zheng dug a hole, and she dragged the corpse into it.

After everything was dealt with, Uncle Zheng put his hands on his hips and gasped for breath.

In winter, the soil is frozen hard, and digging a hole is really tiring, and it is difficult to dig with a knife.

"When I go back, I have to ask someone for some bone water or something, so I don't have to be so tired next time when I destroy the corpse."

"Bone melting water?"

"Well, Lord Wei used it."

"Who is Lord Wei?"

"A viscount in our country of Yan has married dozens of wives."

"Then you can't learn from him."

"Ah."

"I can't write the name of the will." The princess joked with a smile.

have to,

At the beginning, Uncle Zheng used the words of "a tiger's body shook", but now it has directly become a joke for the princess to come back.

"Let's go further and find a place to rest."

I can't stay here for the time being, I have to stay away.

The princess didn't complain, and followed Uncle Zheng on a starry night.

"Uncle, I found that you cherish your life. Do you also behave like this on the battlefield?"

"The victorious generals on the battlefield all have one thing in common. Do you know what it is?"

"Good at strategy?"

"no."

"Excellent in martial arts?"

"No."

"what is that?"

"Not killed in battle."

"………"Princess.

"When a person dies, there is nothing left."

"Since you cherish your life so much, why do you still come to see me in Bieyuan?"

"Because I am willing to die for you."

"Although I know it's a lie, it still sounds quite useful in my heart."

"As long as you're happy, come on, I'll carry you on my back."

Uncle Zheng bent down,

The princess obediently got on Uncle Zheng's back.

"Am I heavy?"

"Not light."

"You said that you like fatter ones and purer ones. You can't dislike me."

"When a man says fatter, he means that the flesh grows in the right place; when he says purer, he means that he looks good without makeup."

"Unreasonable."

"It makes sense anyway."

In the woods late at night,

Uncle Zheng continued to march with the princess on his back,

The green python also seemed to have a premonition of some crisis, and began to scurry around from time to time, as if it was escorting.

By midnight,

Although Uncle Zheng was already sweating, he still didn't intend to stop, because he instinctively wanted to stay away from the place where the two Phoenix Nest Attendants died.

"Help, help, help..."

Ahead, there was a shout.

Uncle Zheng was stunned for a moment, but the princess said, "I heard a voice."

"I'm not deaf."

Because this is a canyon location, it is impossible to go around it, which is tantamount to going back, so Uncle Zheng decided to continue walking.

finally,

A burning bonfire appeared in front of the bonfire, and a woman was hanging from a tree beside the bonfire. The woman's clothes were somewhat torn, her hair was disheveled, and she was struggling there.

At this time,

The woman found Zheng Fan and the two, and hurriedly called for help:

"Heroes help, save the little girl; there were bandits at the little girl's house, they killed my husband and my parents-in-law, and tied me here, please, heroes, save me, save me, save me ……”

The woman looks anxious. After seeing Zheng Fan, it was like seeing a savior, and he struggled and shouted even more vigorously.

Uncle Zheng looked at the bonfire,

Look at the woman who was hung on the tree again,

Listening to the woman's cry for help,

Said with emotion:

"conventional."

"Buzz!"

Uncle Zheng shot out a crossbow arrow from above his head.

"puff!"

The woman hanging from the tree was hit by an arrow, her head bowed, and she died.

Uncle Zheng praised sincerely:

"Can."

The princess on her back put away the crossbow and said:

"I wanted to shoot the rope to let her down, but I didn't expect the shot to go crooked."

"pretty."

Uncle Zheng stretched out his hand to weigh the princess on his back, and pinched his hands in the lifting position,

road:

"No need to explain, well done."

finished speaking,

Uncle Zheng planned to continue on his way, completely ignoring what happened to this woman when she appeared here.

The woman was bound, with her hands, feet and head drooping, her body dangling slightly under the tree.

The wind in the canyon was a bit strong, and it blew a little echo, like a humming of a beetle.

However,

When Uncle Zheng just passed under the tree with the princess on his back,

The woman who was clearly shot to death by the princess earlier,

But suddenly raised his head slowly,

With a livid face, he looked towards Uncle Zheng and the princess diagonally below,

mouth open,

The tongue sticks out exaggeratedly,

Asked in an extremely depressing and hoarse voice:

"Why...why didn't you save me?"

—————

I was overdrawn a few days ago, and I was a little sluggish today, so I will update it and try to write more tomorrow.