In the early spring of the fifth year of Tianxuan in Dayue, the weather has not yet recovered, and there is still thin snow between the jungles of the valleys.

In Tongbai Mountain, on the trail from Huainan West Road to Tangzhou from Guangzhou to Jingxi South Road, a carriage was slowly moving.

"Grandpa, where is this?"

The delicate and delicate little hands like tender green onion lifted the curtain of the car from inside, and a tender white and beautiful face popped out.

The slopes were rugged, and the girl's clear eyes crossed the vast dense forest, and a wide river to the north passed through shallow valleys.

As the upper reaches of the Huai River, the river channel located between the broad gorges and shallow valleys of Tongbai Mountain is sometimes wide and sometimes narrow as the terrain changes; there are piles of people in the turbulent water flow from time to time to time.

The rocks were exposed on the beach.

Not to mention the boat with deeper water, even if the bamboo rafts and wood are queuing downstream during this season, it is very dangerous; the girl saw a fishing boat from afar and stopped

In the river slab with water whirlpool in the distance, the fisherman wearing a straw straw hat and a hat couldn't see his appearance clearly. He sat on the bow of the boat and fished, but he was indescribable leisurely.

Several ospreys seemed to be afraid of the cold weather, and stood with their heads raised and shook their dark brown feathers.

The girl is only twelve or thirteen years old, but her eyebrows and eyes are as delicate as picturesque. Her little face, like a snowy little snow, has not yet lost her childishness, as if the warm sun in the early spring has become two or three different parts of charm.

A bright taste.

The girl's face showed a confused look at this moment.

At dawn, she set out from Xinyang County. She sat in the carriage and put it in her wet nurse's arms to make a good sleep. Only then did she wake up, dizzy and swelling.

Yes, looking at the thin and cloudy weather, I don’t know where I am going.

The green-shirt scholar who was sitting with the driver and enjoying the scenery of the mountains and rivers along the way was over 60 years old, with a clear and slim face. He turned around and said to the girl:

"There are still thirteen or fourteen miles to Huaiyuan Town - from Huaiyuan Town to the west, the road is not easy to walk, but it still takes more than one hundred and thirty miles to reach Biyang County.

In the city, we went to Huaiyuan Town, rested for a night before embarking on the road.”

Seeing my grandfather mentioning Huaiyuan Town, a place name that sounded strange, but his heart seemed to be filled with endless emotion and could not sigh, the girl was curious.

The chilling voice asked, "Where is Huaiyuan Town? Have my grandfather walked this road before?"

"My husband's footprints are all over the world, more knowledgeable than me, the one who runs around the world. Of course, he has walked through this horse-drawn road among Tongbai Mountain; and when it comes to the horse-drawn road, he said that

The Huaiyuan Town in the middle has a lot to do with the adults.”

The coachman turned around and smiled at the girl.

"What do you say?" the girl asked curiously.

The coachman smiled and said, "Tongbai Mountain is also known as Chu Mountain. Yu Gong said, "Huai River comes from here". It stretches for 300 miles and stretches across the Tang Dynasty, Guang, Sui, Yingzhou-

The horse trail we are walking at this time was in the Spring and Autumn Period. Starting from Guangzhou, passing through the Qianxia Kuan Valley in Tongbai Mountain, you can reach Biyang County, Tangzhou in two or three days.

It is a shortcut to connect the east and west on the south bank of the Huai River. However, the road is far away and dangerous. In the years of peace, many bandits have cut paths and robbed the road. In the past, the business trips on Huaixi South Road,

It would rather go around a large circle from Cai Ying and other places north of the Huai River to Deng Tang and other places than take this shortcut. In the fourth year of Yongxi, my husband had just arrived at the Privy Council Beijing.

The West Court Office was appointed and wrote a letter to the court to set up a new patrol camp at the entrance of Baijian River into the Huai River, and more than a hundred soldiers were placed in case of bandits, which made the road on this horse-drawn road.

Business and travel are gradually increasing; market towns along the road are also flourishing. This Huaiyuan Town is next to the newly established military camp in the fourth year of Yongxi, and is also a water and land transfer between Tongbai Mountain

Wherever there is any goods transported out of the mountain in the surrounding villages, it is often traded there. It is also the largest grass market in Biyang County in Tongbai Mountain, and it is becoming more and more crowded.

Mao, the bustle is not under Xinyang County..."

"Really? Then we really have to rest for two days in Huaiyuan Town!" the girl shouted excitedly.

The scribe in the green shirt hesitated, and the coachman advised: "The lord has been resting in Huaiyuan Town for two days. Old Lu just took the time to visit the old man who had not seen for more than ten years.

friend."

"I haven't seen each other for more than ten years? Is he also an old soldier of the Jingsheng Army?" asked the Qingshan scholar.

"My old friend is Xu Wuxuan. My husband was appointed as the magistrate of the Jingwu Army. Maybe he heard of this name!" said the coachman.

The coachman is a little younger than the scribe in the blue shirt. His face under the bamboo hat is also steep, his temples are half white, but his eyes still have a glimpse of people's hearts.

profit.

He held the whip in his right hand and hugged it in his sleeve, grabbed the reins in his left hand and controlled the horse. The back of his hand and a small piece of his wrist were exposed to the cold air, but there were several ferocity on it.

The scars intertwined and knotted.

Perhaps it was the memory that was unbearable to look back on in the dusty old things, the coachman's thin face covered with fine wrinkles had a faint sadness; then he was slightly hunched

The hunched body suddenly stood up, revealing a fierce aura that was unwilling to be hiding.

The scribe in the green shirt seemed not to notice the subtle changes in the coachman's expression. With a slightly turbid look at the vast mountains and forests in the distance, he said leisurely:

"I have served in Jingsheng Army. Although I haven't been for a long time, I am still an old man from Jingsheng Army. How could I not know that Xu Wu, the commander of Wang Xiaocheng's personal guard in front of the tent

What about Xuan? I remember that he was not tall, but his arms were capable of capturing tigers. He was a hero in the Jingsheng Army! Why, he did not stay in the army later

middle?"

"Wang Shuai died in Jingzhou, and the court ceded Jingzhou and other places to the Dangxiang people, and the people of Jingsheng Army dispersed - the court was worried that the generals and soldiers of Jingsheng Army missed the old commander,

So he dismantled all the soldiers and soldiers from other places, recruited new soldiers to fill them. It was then that Xu Wuxuan returned to his hometown on Huaihang at that time. Unexpectedly, when I parted with him, Jingzhou, they were more than ten of them.

Years have passed,"

The coachman said to the scribe in blue shirt,

"I heard that the Xu family is a big family in Tongbai Mountain. Xu Wuxuan always admired the adults when he was in Jingsheng Army. My husband rested for two more days in Huaiyuan, and Xu Wuxuan would definitely be prosperous.

I am entertained by my husband.”

"I am already guilty of leaving the court, so how can I make friends with local wealthy families without knowing the taboo?" The literati in green sighed, "Leaving Bianjing, you will have to protect you all the way."

Gift, Wang Bing is very grateful - it only takes one or two days to travel from Huaiyuan to Biyang; since you want to make friends on Huai, let’s leave now!”

"If my husband is anxious to rush, I will not be too late to see Xu Wuxuan when I return home. I have no news for more than ten years, and it will not be possible for these three or five days," said the coachman Jian.

He said, "Cai Ying is not a broad-minded person. Chen Huai, the minister of the Ministry of War, Zhang Kuo offended him and was demoted to the court. He was killed by bandits on the way..."

"There is no evidence for those things. The assassination is just a sensation. Brother Lu should not think too much," said the literati in the green shirt. "The coachman doesn't want to have a lot of impression on the court officials.

Bad, argued, "While the people's livelihood is withering, there are more bandits in the mountains and fields than in previous years, but it is a fact."

"Although there is no evidence that the death of Chen Huai and Zhang Kuo was done by Cai Ying, he was not relieved to send his husband to Biyang," the coachman was still in his heart.

I feel that the deaths of Chen Huai, Zhang Kuo and others are related to Cai Ying, who was in charge of the Privy Council at that time. I secretly feel that after Biyang, Cai Ying may not let go and persuaded him, "Don't you, my husband."

I am afraid of offending thieves such as Cai Ying, and I am not afraid of life and death, but I cannot help but care about Miss Xuan's safety."

"I am guilty and I have no obstacles to Cai Ying and others' actions. There is nothing to worry about," the middle-aged man wanted to smile calmly, but he couldn't suppress the sadness in his heart.

Chu, finally couldn't help but sigh, "I'm just worried that Cai would greedy for merit and not be fully prepared, but he rashly raised an attack on the Khitans, leaving a great trouble that could not be taken away.

Pick it up!"

"Cai Ying's thief was a thief who was in the Western Army, and he stole the achievements of others to claim himself. His husband opposed him leading troops to attack Yan, which was understandable. However, the people of Chihu rose.

Starting from the north of Mo, the Khitan cavalry was repeatedly defeated in Yinshan. This indeed shows that the Khitans are weak. All the officials in the court think that this is our dynasty's regaining the old land of Yanyun from the Khitans.

What do you think of a good opportunity?" asked the coachman.

The Qingshan scholar said: "The Chihu people rose from the north and south of Yinshan Mountain, and they defeated the Khitan cavalry repeatedly. It is also true that the Khitans seemed to be afraid of the north.

Therefore, the Dukes often advocated joining forces with the Chihu people to attack Beiyan, which was to see the advantage of driving tigers and swallowing wolfs. However, what if the evil tigers and swallowing wolfs? Our dynasty is in the north.

The contact is a vicious tiger! The Khitan is in its late reign, the nobles and officials are greedy for enjoyment, exploiting the people, and the army is also very corrupt. In comparison, the situation in our dynasty is better

But it is not without worries. You have been to many military towns in the past few years, but except for the Western Army, which have a few elite troops, other imperial guards are

And the soldiers of the provinces, how many soldiers do you think can fight? For more than a hundred years, our dynasty has become a problem. Have all these been eradicated? I am not

Opposing the opportunity to take back Yanyun's old land was actually a plan by Cai Ying and the others, which was too hasty..."

The coachman has a long life of ups and downs, and can understand the dangers of the world, but he is not very familiar with military and national affairs.

He has always admired the character and noble character of the literati in Qingshan. He was worried that his grandparents and grandchildren would be in danger on his way to Tangzhou. He followed him from afar, so he went all the way.

Escort, but at this time I heard what the Qingshan scholar said, and wanted to comfort him, but I didn't know where to start.

The scribe in Qingshan smiled and said, "Oh, I am no longer in his position, and it is useless to think too much--"

The girl died early since childhood. She grew up in front of her grandfather's knees as a child. Although she was influenced by her, she was still young and seemed to understand military affairs. At this time,

Laughing at her grandfather, she said, "Maybe these are all grandpa, you are worried about nothing, and in the end you will be ridiculed by Cai Ying and others..."

"I hope so!" The scribe in the green shirt waved his hand, as if he wanted to dispel the endless worries and worries in his heart.

"My husband, you and Miss Xuan enter the carriage!" said the coachman suddenly.

"What's wrong?" The scribe in green clothes asked in surprise when he saw the driver reaching his hand under the shaft of the carriage and taking out the sword wrapped in a bag cloth.

"There is someone on the cliff!" The coachman raised the bamboo hat slightly and asked the Qingshan scholar to look at a stone cliff in front.

The section of the road they were walking on was climbing over a slope, which was more than twenty feet higher than the Huai River lying across the valley to the north;

There is a gap at the ridge of the mountain, and there are rugged rock cliffs seven or eight feet high on both sides, rising up in the air, as if the beak of an eagle was crossed in front of the road.

The coachman had never entered Tongbai Mountain in the past, but in his early years he heard his old friend Xu Wuxuan talk about the terrain near Huaiyuan Town. Looking at the unique landform of this slope, he knew that

Is this the famous "Eagle-mouth" in the east of Huaiyuan Town?
To be continued...