Chapter 167: Fighting for Hetao (32)

Liu Chengtong, the chief secretary of the Black Eagle Army, followed Liu Cangmang and others, and carefully avoided the small Hu tribes such as Dangxiang and Khitan. They crossed countless dry canals, passed through countless grasslands and Gobi, and went straight to the Liji tribe's headquarters.

After passing by a small tribe of the Khitan tribe, the group entered the land commonly known as "Xitao". The scenery changed. Looking from afar, the boundless grassland connected the sky and the earth together. The grassland, the sky and the clouds all dissolved into one. From a close distance, the grassland in May is full of green, and countless wild flowers dotted it, full of vitality and vitality.

Seeing such a beautiful place, Liu Chengtong felt his mind suddenly open. He rode his horse on the grassland for a while, and sang the widely circulated "Chi Le Song" casually: Chi Le River is under the Yin Mountains. The sky is like a dome, covering the four fields. The sky is vast and the wilderness is vast. The wind blows the grass and sees cattle and sheep.

Liu Cangmang followed closely behind and heard a heroic song "Chi Le Song", which was sung quite melodiously by Liu Chengtong. Although the music was good, it lost the original charm of "Chi Le Song". He grabbed the horse's belly and passed Liu Chengtong, and sang the "Song of Bending Willows" which is also a famous song of the Northern Dynasty: A healthy man must be fast, a fast horse must be strong, and a fast horse must be strong, and then he will leave the male and female.

The Northern Dynasty folk songs were mainly recorded in Chinese after the Northern Wei Dynasty. They were collected and preserved by Yuefu organs after they were introduced to the Southern Dynasty. There were about 60 songs passed down from generation to generation. Liu Chengtong read poetry and books well, and more than 60 folk songs of the Northern Dynasty were well-versed. At this time, the "Song of Broken Willows" sung by Liu Cangmang was similar to the tune he knew, but the taste was completely different. Liu Chengtong originally wanted to continue singing another song, but felt that he could not sing Liu Cangmang's broadness no matter what, so he smiled and said, "It's so great to ride a horse on the grassland and listen to Brother Liu's natural sounds. Can you sing another song?"

Liu Cangmang had a little sweat on his head. He said, "Wu Lang's voice is one of the best in the Lijun. Ask him to sing one." Wu Yongsheng was in a bad mood because his cousin died in Lian County and died in battle. He said in a muffled voice: "I won't sing." Liu Cangmang knew his thoughts and advised: "A person cannot be resurrected, let alone the battle in Lian County is purely a tragic death. If you want to settle the accounts, you can only count them on the Khitans."

Wu Yongsheng lowered his head and walked for a while. Suddenly, he sang the famous song "Longtou Song" in a high-pitched manner: The flowing water at the Longtou flows away from the mountain. I missed my whole body and floated in the wilderness. The morning was bright and the city was in the morning, and I stayed in Longtou at the evening. The cold could not speak, and the tongue was rolled into the throat. The flowing water at the Longtou sounded sobbing. Looking at Qinchuan from afar, my heart and soul were cut off.

After Wu Yongsheng finished singing, the group remembered the tragic scene of the battlefield. They all remained silent. Liu Chengtong also sang this song "Longtou Song", but the tunes he had learned were too melodious, far less than Wu Yongsheng's sang, sad and heart-warming.

In the evening, the sky was dyed with sunset, and some peaks were seen from afar. A few white smoke drifted in the air, and countless dogs barked.

A sound of arrow rose from the grass in the distance, and soon, a rapid sound of horse hooves approached from afar. Dozens of riders in Xuanyi gradually showed their heads and came to Liu Chengtong and his party.

Liu Cangmang, Liu Cangjin, Wu Yongsheng and others all turned over and dismounted. The three of them knelt in front of a middle-aged man's horse motionless. The man was shocked when he saw Liu Cangmang and the other three were injured, and his face was not revealed. After he dismounted, he glanced at Liu Chengtong with a knife-like look, and then looked at Liu Cangmang, saying: "Why are you only the three of you back? What about General Wu?"

Liu Cangmang whispered a few words to the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man glanced at Liu Chengtong, then turned around and walked north for a hundred steps. Liu Cangmang followed the middle-aged man and explained the battle in Lian County in detail.

The man's eyes looked like fire. He raised his knife-carved face, squinted his eyes, and said, "Two thousand riki elite soldiers were actually destroyed by the Black Eagle Army in one battle. Is the Black Eagle Army really so harmful?" Liu Cangmang remembered the battle in Lian County and said in convincingly: "According to my observation, the Black Eagle Army is as strong as the guards of the Khitan Palace, and is not his opponent." The middle-aged man knew Liu Cangmang's character and knew that he would not talk. After hearing this, he had nothing to say for a moment. He hit Gaobang's horse whip with a horse whip, making a series of "puff, puff" sounds. After a long time, he asked: "You said that Hou Dayong, the commander of the Black Eagle Army, intending to contact the Lijiu Department. What does he mean?"

Liu Cangmang shook his head and said, "Hou Dayong did not have a detailed discussion with me. He sent Liu Chengtong, the chief secretary of the Black Eagle Army, to discuss the matter. It was the Zhou people. Without further ado, they brought the Zhou people to the edge of the camp and asked Elder Wu to forgive the crime." Because the Richie tribe valued scholars, Liu Cangmang added another sentence: "Liu Chengtong was born as a Jinshi."

The middle-aged man was the brave general of the Richie Army, Wu Yuezhou, and one of the five elders. He was brave and resourceful in combat. At this time, the Richie Army was pressed by the Khitans step by step, and life was not easy. If you communicate with the Zhou army, it might be a good thing. I pondered for a while and said, "This matter is very important. You must go through the Presbyterian Council to decide. It is better to blindfold him into the camp according to the rules." For hundreds of years, the Richie Army has survived in the cracks between the Huhu. In order to prevent the secrets of the tribe, he is particularly sensitive to outsiders. Any outsider entering the camp must wear eye masks.

Wu Yuezhou turned around and walked to Liu Chengtong, knocked Liu Chengtong's shoulder with a horse whip, and said, "He looks quite strong, not like a scholar. How many years have he been joining the army?"

Due to the fact that Wu Yuezhou has been riding horses all year round, his legs are in a circle and his body is wide and strong. If it weren't for knowing that he was a Han family in advance, Liu Chengtong would have thought he was a Hu person. Liu Chengtong went on a few missions to dangerous situations, and had long since changed from a Pianpian court official to a shrewd and capable soldier. He did not care about the attitude of the middle-aged man. He casually brushed the place where the horse whip was hit by with his hands, and bowed: "I have been in the army for three years."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Yuezhou suddenly changed his face, pulled out his waist knife, placed it on Liu Chengtong's neck, and scolded, "What do you want to do when you are here?" Liu Chengtong experienced many dangers and encountered countless threats. He was as brave as a tiger and as careful as a haircut. Wu Yuezhou's threatening actions could not scare him. Liu Chengtong smiled slightly and said, "Is this the way of hospitality in the Richie tribe?"

Seeing that Liu Chengtong was not afraid at all, Wu Yuezhou put away his knife and said, "Ha, ha" and said, "Who said that he is a scholar? You are very brave and a good man." Wu Yuezhou turned over and said to his subordinates: "Go back to the camp."

Liu Cangmang came to Liu Chengtong and bowed, "According to our location, you need to blindfold your eyes when you return to the camp, please don't blame the secretary."

The Rich cavalry came and went like the wind. After walking for more than an hour, after turning several small hills, a dark red stone mountain appeared. The stone mountain was about three or four hundred meters long, not very high, but extremely steep and difficult to climb. In front of the stone mountain were scattered with trunks. The trunks of these dense bushes were as thick as wrists, and the thinner branches were also as big as thumbs. It can be said to be a natural barrier.

The Rich Cavalry walked left and right in the bushes like the Eight Formation Map, and soon came to a narrow passage at the foot of the stone mountain. The passage was trumpet-shaped, and the intersection could only accommodate two war horses to pass at the same time. The more you walked in, the wider the passage became. When you reached the end of the passage, you suddenly opened up and a piece of grass that could not see was visible.

Under the setting sun, the dark red stone mountain surrounds a large piece of lush grassland in its arms like a red belt. The most amazing thing is that there is a clear river on the inside of the stone mountain. It surrounds this grassland and then gathers into a small pool. The river water flows to this small pool day and night, but the small pool always maintains the same water level. Moreover, the water temperature remains unchanged all year round, warm in winter and cool in summer, just like a humble gentleman with a deep cultivation, not afraid of honor and disgrace, and not stirring up the waves.

After entering the stone mountain, Liu Cangmang took off Liu Chengtong's eye mask. Liu Chengtong looked around and smacked his tongue. "What is this place? Could it be the legendary Peach Blossom Land?"

Liu Cangmang's conversation was quite good. Liu Cheng passed the Jinshi and had a natural and profound knowledge. Along the way, the two talked about poetry and essays, and they felt that they met too late.

The Richie tribe originated from the Jiangnan gentry, and the tribe members valued poetry and etiquette. After coming to Shishan, in order to maintain the tradition, the tribe members started Yixue. All young people in the tribe must be sent to Yixue for six years. After six years of study, those who have achieved success can directly be promoted to Shishan College. Generally speaking, only one-quarter of Yixue students can be promoted to Shishan College. The Shishan College system is two years. After the two-year period, the top ten people stayed at Shishan College to teach, and the other students scattered into various battalions and acted as low-level officials.

Due to the Yixue system, although the Richie tribe has been exiled to the grassland for a hundred years, it not only survived tenaciously, but also maintained the tradition of the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River and was not assimilated by the Hu tribe.

The two sages who founded the Richie tribe at that time also set a rule: the same surname as the Richie tribe cannot marry, and women can only marry men from the Richie tribe, but men can marry women from the Hu tribe around them. However, before the Hu tribe women reaching thirty-five years or after coming to the Richie tribe for less than ten years, they are not allowed to enter the stone mountain. Those who violate the order will be executed.

Through these methods, the population of the Lijiu tribe has flourished and will last for a hundred years.

Only in the past century have people born in the grasslands, including Uighurs, Turks, and Khitans, and successively established powerful Dekhanate countries. The Richi tribe was in the abdomen of the Hu tribe. Whenever the Hu tribe flourished, the Richi tribe had to withstand waves of attacks. Although it had lasted for a hundred years, it was difficult for the earth to develop.

Liu Chengtong was like a poor boy who had never seen the world, walking through the stone grasslands and seeing everything was fresh.

Along the way, there were tents scattered on the meadows of stone mountains. Many women and children were playing in front of the tents. Some cows and sheep were eating grass leisurely. Countless ferocious big dogs were not afraid of this group of people, with their swords and bows, ran to the horse, showing their sharp teeth, and threatening everyone in a low voice.

After walking along the river for a long time, some blue-gray brick houses gradually appeared. The more you walked forward, the more brick houses there were, and finally it looked like a city.

Liu Chengtong was placed in a small yard. At this time, the sky was dark. Through the window lattice with strong smell in the south of the Yangtze River, the stars in the sky were flashing in the deep sky.

A little boy brought some exquisite desserts. He was only fifteen or sixteen years old. He looked quite handsome, strong, and was similar to Liu Chengtong's height. He smiled shyly and said, "This is a Jiangnan snack, and the taste is very authentic. Please ask the sir to taste one or two, and then come on the main meal."

Liu Chengtong listened to the elegant language of the boy. When he remembered Liu Cangmang mentioned the Yixue system, he thought of him and asked, "Have you ever been to Yixue?" The boy smiled politely and said, "In the Richie tribe, every boy must go to Yixue. I am a student of the academy." Liu Chengtong was a little surprised and said, "I heard that everyone who can enter the academy is the best. I must be outstanding in talent and learning." The boy smiled but did not answer and bowed, "Sir, use it slowly, I am in the side room, just shout if you have something to do." Just as the boy bowed, Liu Chengtong saw the little boy's index finger and middle finger with thick calluses. This was the trace left by practicing archery.

The main meal that came was Hu Feng, a large bowl of mutton soup and a large bowl of horse breasts. Liu Chengtong drank the soup in big gulps, waiting for the clan leader to see him.

The highest leader of the Rikyu Ministry was five, one of the five tribes, Liu, Wu, Li, Zhang and Chen, and formed a Presbyterian Church. This Presbyterian Church originated from the Presbyterian Church of the Hu tribe. The Rikyu Ministry lived among the Hu tribe for a long time and inherited this Presbyterian Church.

The news that the two thousand elite troops of the Rikyu Ministry were wiped out reached Shishan, which shocked the five elders of the Shishan Mountain, Liu, Wu, Li, Zhang, and Chen gathered in the conference hall.

Liu Cangmang, Liu Cangjin and Wu Yongsheng knelt in the middle of the conference hall. Liu Cangmang was the best eloquent, so it was up to the cause and effect of his affairs.

Liu Hongye is the president of the council, but in fact he is the patriarch of the Lijiu Ministry. Liu Hongye has been through a long battle formation and is extremely confident about the combat effectiveness of the Lijiu Ministry. After listening carefully to Liu Cang's narrative, he turned his body and said to the elders beside him: "Since last year, we have fought hard with the Liao general Yelu Daguang, and the business route has been cut off. The outside world naturally stopped. I didn't know that the Shuofang Jiedushi had been replaced by Hou Dayong. What is the origin of this person? Is it even more harmful than Feng Jiye?" After a brief pause, Liu Hongye said: "The Black Eagle Army has only 5,000 people, and has surrounded and annihilated two thousand Liqi Army and more than 1,500 Liao Army. Although it is better to attack the camp, its combat effectiveness should not be underestimated."

Wu Yuezhou is the youngest among the five elders, and is in his early forties. Although he became an elder, he is still a front-line general of the Richie Army. He said angrily: "The Liao general is a horse thief, good at guerrillas, weaker than marching and formation. After being attacked by the Black Eagle Army, he actually escaped at the last minute. It was because the Richie Army escaped at the last minute, which caused the Richie Army to be attacked from both sides, resulting in the death of two thousand elite soldiers in Lian County." Wu Yuezhou was full of voices and expressions. "If you catch the Richie Army, you must tear him to pieces to sacrifice to the spirits of the two thousand children in the sky."

Another elder, Chen Hongfeng, was only in his early fifties. He was extremely white and had pretty eyebrows. However, a scar on his left forehead was as thick as chopsticks, adding some murderous aura out of thin air. As a result, the scars on Chen Hongfeng's face were constantly twisting, like a swimming little snake. On that day, the Liao general Yelu Daguang led the army to press forward step by step. Although the Richi army repeatedly defeated the Liao army, the Liao army was in great power. After Chen Hongfeng commanded the Richi Northern Route Army and was attacked by the independent officials, the situation was once in danger. Chen Hongfeng first agreed to negotiate peace with the Liao army, which was why the Richi army was recruited by the Liao army.

Chen Hongfeng quietly pulled out a delicate and sharp dagger from his arms. He came to Liu Hongye with a pale face and said, "I first agreed to the peace agreement. The two thousand children were killed by me." After saying this, he raised his left hand, waved his knife in his right hand, and cut his little finger down. Chen Hongfeng's mouth twitched for a moment and said, "I have not avenged great revenge, keep my life for the time being. After taking revenge, I will die to thank the tribe members."

Chen Hongfeng was very fast. When everyone present reacted, his finger was broken. Liu Hongye quickly came to Chen Hongfeng and grabbed Chen Hongfeng's right hand. Chen Hongfeng did not resist and allowed Liu Hongye to take off the dagger and said, "Elders have a share in peace talks. If you want to say that I have the greatest responsibility, I don't have to blame myself so much."

After the medical officer bandaged Chen Hongfeng, the five elders repeatedly asked Liu Cangmang and the other two and discussed for a long time.

After Liu Chengtong had enough food and drink, he waited for the summons of the elders of the Ministry of Rehabilitation in the yard. Seeing that the night was getting deep, Liu Chengtong thought that he would not see the elder of the Ministry of Rehabilitation tonight. He walked around the courtyard for a while. When he was bored, the little boy seemed to know Liu Chengtong's thoughts and sent a collection of poems from Tang people. Liu Chengtong held the book and lit up the oil lamp. Only then did he find that the Yuefu and quatrains of the book were mostly from the frontier. On the abdomen of the Hu tribe, he rereaded the poems of the frontier with the swaying lights, which naturally had a different taste.

Liu Chengtong was reading interestingly, and a slight sound of footsteps sounded in the yard, and then he heard the little boy greeting in a low voice: Elder Liu.

On the way from Lian County to Shishan, Liu Chengtong and Liu Cangmang had a good conversation. Liu Chengtong had a preliminary understanding of the Lijiu Ministry and knew that the Lijiu Ministry had five elders, Liu, Wu, Li, Zhang, and Chen, and Liu Hongye was the executive elder. He had a very high prestige in the Lijiu Ministry. He heard the boy call the person "Elder Liu" and hurriedly stood up.

The door was gently pushed open, and an old man wearing a blue-clothed round-necked silk gown walked in slowly, followed by Liu Cangmang. If it weren't for the old man's slightly curved Hu's waist knife hanging on his left waist, it would be no different from the Confucian scholars in the Central Plains. After entering the house, the old man bowed and said, "It would be a pleasure for a guest to come from afar."

Seeing that the old man looked ordinary, he was just an ordinary Confucian son, and he really didn't have the majesty of the first elder of the Richie tribe, he said, "I'm very disturbed by Liu Chengtong." The old man laughed and said, "I was a Jinshi from the head of the secretary, but he didn't have the sourness and rottenness. The old Liu Hongye admired him very much."

Liu Chengtong looked at Liu Cangmang, and Liu Cangmang understood Liu Chengtong's eyes and said, "This is Elder Liu." Liu Chengtong bowed and said, "It turns out that it is Elder Liu, and he is rude."
Chapter completed!