My Chinese ancestors

Chapter 41 The heavy snow touches people’s hearts

Scattered snowflakes turned into heavy snow at night, and it continued to rain for two days. The walls of Ding'an City were covered with snow, and the rows of houses were covered with snow.

The snow is still falling, and the New Year is approaching. Every house on the street has posted peach charms, and the merchants have hung up brand-new lanterns. They smile and bow to everyone they meet, hoping to gain good popularity.

The cold wind was whistling along the long street, and the bustle and bustle of people diluted the chill. Many passers-by stopped at each stall along the street, grabbing family and friends, looking at some gifts, and bargaining with the vendors.

"...Paintings have become very expensive these days. How about ten cents per painting?"

"Look here, oh, it's such a big fish. Where did you catch it? What, seventy cents? Why didn't you ask the government if you wanted it?"

"How do you sell rouge gouache? My wife just ran out of it. Come on, shopkeeper, wrap up this year's new ones."

"Me too!"

.......
"...Have you heard that there have been very few disaster victims causing trouble recently?"

On the bustling street, the sounds of shouting and selling floated over the waving flags and flags, and voices came from the slightly opened windows. The second floor of this restaurant was noisy, with literati and elegant guests talking softly. Occasionally, I saw When you see acquaintances, you stand up to say hello. The acquaintances who come over shake the snowflakes on their cloaks and come to greet them. There are also travelers and merchants from all over the world who rest here, drink wine to keep warm, talk loudly, and sometimes talk about unpleasant things. , pointed in a certain direction and cursed, eliciting some words of comfort from others.

At this time, a businessman wrapped in fur clothes and brocade robes put down his wine glass, deliberately exposed the jade ring on his finger, and continued talking to the guests of the wine shop who were looking around.

"In July, when the drought was severe, when I was passing through Ding'an City, my goods were robbed once. Fortunately, they only took some silver and food and let us go. I thought we would encounter another enemy this time. Jie Dao, what happened? We entered the city smoothly."

There was a hint in his mouth, which also aroused the recognition of several vendors at the next table and echoed:

"Brother, don't talk about it. It's really like this. This is the third time I've passed by. This second and third time I haven't encountered any victims. I won't tell you today. I haven't discovered it yet."

Hearing the echoes of several vendors at the next table, the merchant in brocade robes who just spoke smiled, raised his glass to the other party, took a sip of wine, and continued the conversation.

"I inquired about this later and heard that many thieves and disaster victims believed in a sect called Taiping Dao. Does any of you know what happened?"

In addition to the business travelers passing by, most of the people on the second floor were literati and poets in the city. When the businessman asked, some of them tightened their collars.

"Brother, you're right to ask about this. I know a little bit about Taiping Road. I've been in contact with it a few days ago. It's pretty good."

A greenwood man, probably from Dirty Street, looked over from the corner.

"What's so good? Tell everyone."

The scholar stood up and whispered to the people around him: "The leader of Taiping Taoism, who calls himself a great sage and good teacher, said that the world is equal, that the world should be a fairyland, and that there should be no distinction between high and low. All living beings should enjoy peace and prosperity!"

hiss--

The second floor was filled with gasps.

Someone asked in a low voice: "There is no distinction between high and low. This is too bold. The prefect of Ding'an City doesn't care?"

"I don't know, but there doesn't seem to be any trouble on Taiping Road. The great virtuous teacher often heals diseases for poor people, and I heard he can do magic." Although the scholar is a scholar, he still half-believes the strange rumors. He Then he said: "I think that the great sage has a very high reputation in the surrounding villages, and the prefect does not dare to arrest people randomly, so he should send Taiping Road away. Yesterday, I went out to enjoy the snow with my friends, and found that every household in the surrounding villages was hung with yellow cloth."

As soon as he said this, everyone's faces became a little solemn, and someone near the window smiled while holding a cup.

"As long as our country is not in chaos, why should everyone worry about it? Drink and drink, and stop talking about political affairs."

After such a reminder, many people came back to their senses and said repeatedly: "Yes, drinking and drinking are not ours to worry about. The prefect and the county magistrate don't care, so what should we care about."

"But Taiping Road is quite good. For the sake of the people at the bottom, I saw the Marquis's third young master talking to the wise master outside the city. The two seemed to have been friends for many years. "

"That's right... I also remembered one thing. I heard that the Third Young Master is not an ordinary person. In the past, I thought he was just relying on the Marquis's mansion to be tyrannical. But I heard from my brother-in-law who is a cadre of the government that the Third Young Master can lead troops to fight. , in August, he killed many assassins who attacked the Hou Mansion. He went to collect the corpses at that time, oh, tell you guys, he pulled several carts of corpses out of the city."

"When did you get the news? Let me tell you, didn't a batch of grain come into the city in the past two months? The government said it was brought from elsewhere. I tell you, this batch of grain must have been given by the great master of Taiping Dao. The third young master’s.”

"This Third Young Master is really familiar with him from all religions and professions... he can be considered a powerful figure."

Two long streets separated from the building.

The two horses trotted through the noisy streets, and soon they left the city gate and ran into the white wildness, leaving a series of horse hoof prints that extended into the distance, and then disappeared in the corner of a certain forest.

The accumulated snowflakes trembled slightly as the ground shook twice, and the accumulated snow fell down with a rustling sound.

"drive!"

On the back of a war horse, Su Chen waved his whip and cracked the air. The horse ran over the edge of the cliff, and then galloped down the gentle slope. After a while, a camp with fences covered with icicles and snow appeared in the field of vision. There are also banners with the words "Dong" and "Xiliang" flying in the cold wind.

Whoosh...

The bow string was tense, the sound of arrows cutting through the air, the rows of wooden stakes vibrating with continuous banging sounds, and the feathered arrows rested on them and trembled.

"Change!" An armored figure walked across the snowy road and shouted to the archers in the second row.

The formations were rotated, more than 20 bows and arrows were raised, the strings were tense, the fingers pulling the strings maintained their movements, and the arms shook with difficulty. The voice of the person shouting the command from the side shouted again: "Steady..." Then, the voice Loud: "Put -"

Swish swish swish... bang bang...

The arrows shot straight and were nailed to the wooden stakes standing on the opposite side. Some of them missed the wooden figures or were nailed to other people's wooden stakes.

The junior high school student who shouted slogans rushed over and kicked the buttocks of the two recruits who missed their shots. He shouted: "You can't shoot accurately at twenty steps, and your eyes are on your butts? Do you want to open your eyes? Go away and shoot them." Take back the arrow!"

The two recruits blushed and did not dare to refute. Amidst the laughter of the other soldiers, they ran through the snow to pick up arrows.

Galloping horses entered and exited the camp gate. Xiao Xiao turned his head and saw two horses rushing into the central village one after the other.

There were more than a dozen bonfires burning here, and more than a hundred Xiliang soldiers squatted on the ground to warm themselves up by the fire. When the war horses came over, they all stood up and said, "Greetings to the Third Young Master!"

"Where is your General Dong?"

Su Chen took off his cloak, threw it to a soldier and walked towards the tent with a loud voice. Thirteen followed. Now he was also wearing leather armor. He pressed the hilt of his sword majestically, walked to the tent and straightened his back.

"General Dong is at the school grounds." The soldiers guarding the tent quickly replied.

The school ground is not far from here. It has been expanded twice in a month and is enough to accommodate 1000 people. When Su Chen led Thirteen there, hundreds of shirtless soldiers waved steel swords and followed the leading general's moves. During the training, loud shouts of "huha" broke out from time to time.

On the high platform over there, Dong Zhuo, who was wearing armor and wearing a golden sword, was sitting on a chair, holding the serrated knife in his hand. When he saw Su Chen walking towards this side, he gave a few words to a promoted lieutenant to let him live well. After looking at the soldiers training, he got up and got off the general platform, went over to meet Su Chen, and the two of them walked side by side around the school grounds.

"How is the recruitment of new soldiers going?" Su Chen was wearing a cloud-patterned brocade robe, with one hand behind his back, and the other hand holding a riding crop and waving it casually at the side of his leg. He looked at the shirtless soldiers in the school field, "Training like this, Aren’t you afraid they will catch the cold?”

"When Dong used troops in Xiliang, the conditions were even worse than this. If we can't train a troop of soldiers and horses that can fight hard, and encounter a stalemate battlefield in the future, I am afraid that in a short time, all the soldiers will run away. Net." Dong Zhuo clasped his hands behind his back and followed Su Chen's gaze as he looked at the school grounds, "However, the number of soldiers recruited has decreased a lot recently. There are more than 800 people in the camp now. Looking forward to next year, we may be able to raise 1000 soldiers by the beginning of spring. People, but there’s a problem before you.”

"what is the problem?"

"We don't have enough food to last until next year, so we have to find a way."

Su Chen was silent for a moment and then said: "Mr. Dong, the official warehouses in the city can barely cover the expenses of the victims and officials outside the city. It's the middle of winter now. Where can I find food for you? However, I have a way."

As he spoke, Su Chen spread his hands back. Thirteen took out a folded piece of paper from his arms, unfolded it and put it in Su Chen's hand. Su Chen said: "This is the stronghold of some bandits and robbers recorded by the government. , but it’s a bit far away from Ding’an City, so you can take it and have a look, find a few fat cottages, and serve it in one pot.”

"Haha... This is good. With this thing, it will be easier for the bandits to find them." Dong Zhuo took the paper and glanced at the content on it, with a sinister smile on his face, as if he had seen a lot of food piled up in the military camp, " Just take this opportunity to let the new recruits see blood."

After explaining the matter, Su Chen was also ready to leave. Now the eldest brother has gone to Yanjing, and the second brother has lost an arm and is unwilling to go out at all. Now he is busy working in the city.

"Immortality, wait."

Dong Zhuo held the letter and called him, "Although the Xiliang army is small in number, it is beginning to take shape. It needs a cavalry now, and there are thirty war horses in the camp. Unfortunately, there is no general to lead the cavalry. I still have time to call Lu Bu out." Bar."

"I tried my best, but..." Su Chen turned around and looked at Dong Zhuo in front of him, "Isn't Mr. Dong afraid that Lu Bu will fight with you as soon as he comes over?"

"Back then, he didn't kill me for the righteousness of the world. Now there is no righteousness for the world. Perhaps, my son Fengxian died once, and he already knows the path in his heart."

"Well, I'll give it a try when I find the time. I've been a little busy lately, and half of the family matters fall on my shoulders."

Su Chen accepted the matter. He had not tried hard to think of a way to call Lu Bu out before. He was also considering the grudges between Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu. Since Dong Zhuo didn't care, he had nothing to worry about.

After bidding farewell to Dong Zhuo, Su Chen got on his horse and returned to Ding'an City. His sister-in-law Su Huan and several maids and servants were cleaning the snow in the front yard. His mother Xiao Wei was coming out from the second brother's side with tears in her eyes.

After going up to see the ceremony, Su Chen returned to the side courtyard of the south chamber. Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty was floating on the roof, using a broom to brush off handfuls of snowflakes. In the study on one side, Cao Cao was sitting behind the desk, writing quickly and processing a letter. I was so busy sealing the document that I grinned.

Hearing the footsteps, he looked up and saw Su Chen coming back. The King of Wei threw away his brush and narrowed his eyes with murderous intent.

"I told you to let Gu handle some things for you. It only took two hours before Changsheng left. You know, Gu didn't handle his official affairs so seriously back then!"

"King Wei, calm down. You continue to deal with it. Later I will ask Shisan to call the widow from before."

"Hmph, how could I believe you?"

Cao Cao shook his robe and sat down, picked up the brush again and continued to correct the political affairs on his desk.

……

"Calculating the time, it will be a few days before my eldest brother enters Beijing."

Walking under the eaves, Su Chen looked at the white snowy scene in the courtyard and thought, with scattered snowflakes floating on his handsome face, feeling somewhat concerned in his heart.

When his thoughts came back, he had a golden token in his hand, walked into the house, and gently closed the door.

(End of this chapter)