Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 2379 The old days are gone (plus more)
The Protectorate of the Western Regions of the Great Han Dynasty.

Hercynian.

Now Haixi has been renamed Dingxi.

That night.

Lu Bu had a long, long dream.

Although I can't remember the specific content of the dream, but the memory that remains vaguely seems to be full of sadness and helplessness...

It's like facing the passage of time, the feeling that you want to grasp it, but you can't grasp it no matter what.

To be honest, Lu Bu felt that he was not as brave as before, at least it was difficult to handle on the bed.

Does this have anything to do with dreams?

Lu Bu didn't know.

Lu Bu muttered, then sat up from the bed, glanced at the golden-haired chick who was sleeping soundly beside him, rubbed his temples, and was slightly dazed.

After conquering the Western Regions, there seems to be no direction.

The Western Regions are huge, but in reality they are also very small.Regardless of the size of the place, the population is not large. These cities in the Western Regions are concentrated in some places with water sources and pastures. There is a large tomb of evil spirits in the middle, and there is no human habitation at all.

What's more interesting is that these countries in the Western Regions, regardless of how much they clamored before, they really waited for Lu Bu to arrive with his troops, and they would lower their flags and surrender without saying a word!
Once, as soon as Lu Bu's army arrived on the ground, two countries that surrendered came.

There are two small countries on the left and right. I don't know which side Lu Bu is going to fight, so I dare not bet, right?
Many countries in the Western Regions have only one city.

Anyway, it's not like he never surrendered to a big man back then, and it's not a big deal to surrender again now.

As for face, can that be eaten?

Among the countries in the Western Regions, many are still in the semi-slavery system. Kings, or city lords, have been passed down from generation to generation, while the people around the cities are the eternally exploited.The lives and wealth of these people, as small as a piece of cloth or a piece of soil, belong to the city lord.

The city lord is supreme, and then there are all kinds of officials who work for the city lord, suppressing the bottom people who don't know a single word, and don't even know what to do if they want to resist.For these city lords, they just changed the object of tribute. In their city, they are still "kings".

At the beginning, Lu Bu felt that such a life was very cool.

But after a long time, Lu Bu suddenly felt a little bored.It’s like at first I thought that golden hair, red hair and brown hair were all good, but after a long time, I felt that it was not much different from other meat, it was just a different skin, and I couldn’t understand what Lu Bu said, Not to mention any communication, I don't know whether I am playing or being played...

"such a pity……"

Lu Bu suddenly regretted that when Li Ru was going to the west, he did not go with him.

If you follow Li Ru all the way to the west, maybe there will be more interesting things?
Lu Bu pinched his beard, recalling Li Ru's smile when he left...

Lu Bu seemed to feel that Li Ru's smile was also in his dream. What does this mean?
...(O_o)??...

Outpost of the Western Regions.

This is a warning post for Dingxi. Generally speaking, there is a force of one Shi, led by a Shichang.

The checkpoint is actually very simple, it is a watchtower, and under the watchtower there are a few houses, a piece of land surrounded by low walls.In places like the Western Regions, dry earth walls don't even use masonry, and the compacted soil can withstand ordinary rain and snow. As for heavy rain, it is basically unlikely to occur.

A few soldiers are practicing, shooting at a fixed target of thirty paces.

The soldiers on duty on the sentry tower stretched their heads and looked down, "Hehe, the third ring... tsk tsk, it's too weak..."

"Stop talking nonsense!It was just blown by the wind! 』

"Fuck the wind!Why didn't I feel the wind at all? 』

"Get out of your asshole! 』

The checkpoint located at the edge of the Western Regions seems to be repeating a peaceful day amidst the noise.

Shi Chang came out of the earthen house, holding his saber, and yawned big.

In the latter part of the night yesterday, Shichang led people on duty.

Standing guard from midnight to morning is also the most exhausting. Not only will you be sleepy, but more importantly, you will be hungry.Especially there are only two meals a day, and here at the checkpoint, you can’t eat with an open stomach, you always have to save some, or if the next wave of supplies is a few days later, it’s hard to find even a root of grass in these four fields, so why don’t you just eat the soil and drink it? Northwest wind?

"Boss, when will the next supply come? 』

Except for the soldiers on duty last night, the other boys were full of energy.Of course, the side effect is that you are more likely to be hungry and eat more...

"Three days, um, maybe five days.Who knows? 』

"Sir, do you want me to take two brothers to look around, maybe I can catch a hare or something? 』

"fart!Do you want to go out and play wild?In this weather, even rabbits may not even have mice! 』

"What a long time, when will this grass grow again?" 』

"When it rains and the ice melts, it will be February anyway..."

"Grow grass earlier...the grass will grow, and there will be more bunnies..."

"Hey, that is, when the time comes..."

The two looked at each other, and at the same time showed a smile that everyone knows.

Winter is hard work. When spring grows grass all around, herbivorous and carnivorous animals gradually come out from every corner, and then they can naturally go hunting around, make tooth sacrifices, etc., without counting the days. , and then eagerly counting the food to live.

"Practice well!The bow and arrow may not be accurate, and even the rabbit and the roe deer will miss it! 』

"Hey! 』

Just as they were talking, some smoke and dust suddenly rose in the distance...

"That's... a situation! Er Mazi on the sentry tower roared, pointing in the direction of the smoke and dust, "It's so long!Someone is coming over there! 』

Shi Chang changed color, rushed up to the sentry tower, clasped his hands and looked into the distance, after a while he exhaled, "It doesn't look like a thief... It seems that there is our identification flag behind..."

Not long after, the cavalry approached the checkpoint.

"stop!Stop there and don't move! 』

"Who are you? ! 』

The few riders who came to hold back the horses were covered in mud and dust.There were streaks of sweat rushing out of the muddy ditch on his face.

The person at the front of the line raised his head and shouted at the checkpoint, "We are under Chang Shi's command!"Go to Dingxi to report! 』

A person with a long history?

In the Western Regions, there is only one person who is called a long history.

Li Ru.

Shi Chang above the checkpoint suddenly saw the sackcloth tied on the heads and arms of these cavalrymen, he was stunned for a moment, and blurted out: "Chang Shi... what's wrong with Chang Shi?" 』

... (⊙_⊙;) ...

"Which of you is the team leader?" 』

"The chief guardian summoned me! 』

Among the cavalry who came to report, one stood up. "I am, take me there. 』

Lu Bu's guard took a look and nodded, "Follow me, please." 』

Pass through the courtyard gate, walk through the corridor, and arrive at the main hall.

On both sides of the main hall of the Dingxi Mansion Yamen, there are braziers, and a tiger skin is spread in the middle.

Lu Bu was sitting on the tiger skin, frowning and staring at the man who walked in from the door.

"Are you under Chang Shi's command?" 』Lu Bu didn't know all the soldiers, especially some of Li Ru's subordinates didn't have much contact with people like Lu Bu.

The visitor took out the seal and token representing his identity from his pocket.

Lu Bu checked it out, "Meng Ti Meng Qu Chang..."

"It's right here..." Monty lowered his head slightly.

Lu Bu looked at the sackcloth tied on Monty's helmet and arms. The sackcloth had lost its original color due to the long journey, and turned a bit gray and black...

"Li Changshi..." Lu Bu took a breath, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

Monty showed some sad expression, "Report to the Chief Protector... Changshi him... is already worthless..."

Even though he was somewhat prepared in his heart, when he really heard the news, Lu Bu's eyes were still wide open, and he was speechless for a while...

After a long time, Lu Bu let out a long sigh, "When did it happen? 』

Monty bowed his head and began to tell.

Birth, old age, sickness and death are a kind of helplessness in life.

Every year when winter comes, especially when the weather changes drastically, it is a threat to some elderly people or people who are not healthy.

As for Li Ru, he has both aspects.

Perhaps it was a judgment of his own body, or perhaps a perception of life. When Li Ru felt that his life was coming to an end, he did not choose to stay in the Western Regions or return to Chang'an, but chose to go west and walk along the road. Peacock River, North River all the way to the west.

Pass through Qiuci, pass through Shule, pass through Dawan, and enter Guishuang...

Even if Li Ru wanted to reach the West Sea where Gan Ying had visited back then, he wanted to go further...

But it's a pity that Li Ru's body can't hold it anymore.

In fact, in the second half of the journey, Li Ru could no longer rely on his own strength to get out of the car. He needed human help to get on and off the car, and he became thinner and thinner, just like a layer of skin covering his bones. Even those Dawan Guishuang The soldiers at the checkpoint met and learned that under such circumstances, Li Ru was still going west, and they all admired him.

A flickering candle will eventually burn out.

After the cold wave hit one day, the temperature dropped sharply, and Li Ru suddenly collapsed.

When he was in a daze, Li Ru knew that he was not going to make it, and when he was dying, he reluctantly confessed a few words, and never waited until the morning light of the next day.

According to Li Ru's last wish, Li Ru's subordinates found a hillside facing east and buried him there.

The first ray of sunlight every morning will fall on Li Ru's tombstone, allowing Li Ru to see the far east and see his hometown...

After Li Ru was buried, Li Ru's subordinates were divided into two parts, most of them will continue to go west until they find the legendary land of Great Qin, while the other small part will be led by Mengti , Report back to Chang'an.

""Buried on the slope to the east, there is no need to establish an heir after death, the tombstone does not have a title, and there is no need for secret transmission of his knowledge"... Is this Li Changshi's last words? ’ Lu Bu asked.

Monty nodded.

Lu Bu was silent for a long time after hearing what Mengti said, and finally waved his hand to let Mengti go down to rest. After all, Mengti had not completed his mission here, and they still needed to continue eastward to Chang'an Sanfu.

After Monty went down, there was silence in the hall.

Lu Bu frowned and broke the silence, "Li Changshi... what do these four sentences mean?" 』

Just to explain the funeral?

It seems to be.

"Hi!The chief guardian, isn't it just to explain some things behind, what's the big deal? ”Wei Xu rolled his eyes, then clapped his hands, and laughed, “Well, that’s it!Isn't it better now? 』

Lu Bu squinted at the past, "What's the matter? 』

"General Protector," Wei Xu smiled, "Before Li Changshi suppressed us like this, or controlled us like that, now...hehe, isn't it better now?"I can't control it anymore!Now the Western Regions are in the hands of most of the protectors, who say what they say, and when an order is issued, who would dare to disobey all countries in the Western Regions?Isn't it a good thing? 』

Wei Xu had been restrained by Li Ru many times before, and he didn't have much affection for Li Ru. Now that he heard that Li Ru died, he only felt joy in his heart. If it weren't for the place where Li Ru was buried too far away, Wei Xu might still want to go. Jumping on the grave or something.

Lu Bu's face darkened, "Get lost! 』

Wei Xu was taken aback, "Huh? 』

"Someone told you to get out!" ’ Lu Bu glared at Wei Xu.

Wei Xu shrank his neck, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and slipped out of the hall in desperation. After turning out of the courtyard door, he glanced back sideways. There were two gurgling sounds in his throat, and he spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm, and left with his mouth curled up.

Lu Bu was sitting in the hall, looking up at the top, like a wooden sculpture, he didn't move for a long time, his face was expressionless, and he didn't know what he was thinking...

After a long time, I heard a soft sigh floating in the air.

...(o□`o)...

When Fei Qian received the news of Li Ru's death, it was already the New Year.

In addition to asking Monty to bring back some information about the journey that he had handwritten before, Li Ru especially emphasized that Fei Qian should not pursue him...

Because Li Ru knew that his identity was a problem, so it was undoubtedly the best result to disappear into the world in obscurity.

Fei Qian was silent for a long time, and for some reason suddenly remembered a few words.

"The one who used to be rich wants to be retro.

"Those who are being rich must maintain the status quo.

"The one who has never been rich wants to innovate...

"Probably so, probably! 』

An old era will pass no matter what, and a new era will follow. In the overlapping process of the old and new eras, each individual is small, but also great.

Just when Fei Qian hadn't completely shaken off the influence of the news, Cui Jun came.

Cui Jun prostrated himself in front of the hall with a terrified expression.

As for the reason why Cui Jun came from Taiyuan in such a hurry, any fool must be able to understand it.

Fei Qian was silent for a long time, and stepped forward to help him up.

"Follow me." As Fei Qian said, he left the mansion of General Hussars.

After leaving Chang'an, walk west along the Weishui River for a while, and you can see a Zhuangzi on the bank of the Weishui River. Opposite that Zhuangzi, there is another land that is leveling the foundation. Obviously, it will start after the land thaws in the spring. building.

"Here... Feixiongxuan..." Although he did not enter the Zhuangzi, Cui Jun, who was standing on the hillside, could still see the words on the big plaque at the entrance of the Zhuangzi.

There is still some snow on the hillside.

Fei Qian rode on horseback, and his breath formed a faint white smoke in the air.

It is said that when it is minus twenty degrees or lower, the exhaled breath will be frozen into slag before the formation of white smoke.Fei Qian didn't know whether this statement was true or false, because he didn't want to try to practice this issue at all.

The only thing that is certain is that Dahan's winter is getting colder and colder.

When Fei Qian was still in Luoyang City before, sometimes he only needed to wear an extra cloak in winter, but now in addition to the cloak, he not only wears leather armor to keep out the cold, but also pads the inside of the leather armor with newly produced cotton , and then you can move more freely in the wild.

Compared with the warm winters in Dahan in those years, there may be a difference of nearly ten degrees now.A year down a little, looking back, it feels like a lot of difference.

It's like the Feixiongxuan in front of you.

There were originally two people in Feixiongxuan, but one left later, and now there is only one Yuan Shang left.

But soon there will be new residents here...

Liu Zhang.

If there are no accidents along the way, Liu Zhang will become a resident here in about six months.

Living in Feixiongxuan, there is no rent, a separate room, free meals, two meals a day, and free clothing, one set of winter clothes and one set of summer clothes every year.You can read a book, you can be in a daze, you can lie flat if you want to, and you can go crazy if you want to go crazy.The only thing is that you can't be Zhuangzi, and you have to become a "spectacle" for others from time to time.

as it is now.

"Four generations and three lords..." Fei Qian raised his head slightly, looking at Feixiongxuan.He was too lazy to go in, and he didn't want to say hello to Yuan Shang, or to show his superiority in front of Yuan Shang, Fei Qian just had some emotion.

When Fei was lurking in Luoyang back then, let alone meeting Yuan Shao and Yuan Shang, even if he wanted to meet the stewards in Yuan's mansion, he had no way.When I went to Yingchuan to participate in the lecture of Xun's other courtyard, the surrounding people shouted "the model of the world" one by one, and pushed Fei Qian aside.In Suanzao, no one was required to be present, and those two thousand stones who were intriguing had no choice but to raise the position of the leader of the alliance and put it in front of Yuan Shao...

Yuan Shao Yuan Benchu, who was full of ambition back then, did he ever think that his favorite child would one day become a "spectacular" scenery for others, placed in the yard for others to see?

Cui Jun seemed to understand something, or because of the cold weather in the wild, his face turned pale.

Fei Qian raised his head slightly, "Yuan Benchu...is considered a soldier...and the one here is just a fly maggot..."

Cui Jun lowered his head with his sleeves folded, half a horse behind Fei Qian, blinked his eyes twice, and listened quietly.

"Husbands and warriors are equal to me, and they are human beings.Not gods, ghosts, or strange beasts.Fight in the yellow sand, die in the underworld, live without fear of death, die without hesitation, strong and magnificent! 』

"However, when a warrior dies, the flies will come first, licking his blood, scratching his scars, eating his flesh, remnants of the dead, dancing around, thinking that he is proud, and comparing himself to the hero of the warrior.The soldiers are dead, and they are no longer driven away, so the flies attack their wounds more and more, clamoring and boiling, only talking about their decay, only seeing their defeat, claiming to be immortal, noble above the soldiers. 』

"It is true that there are many who see the scars on the bodies of soldiers, but few who see the deficiencies on the bodies of fly maggots." 』

"Soldiers pay more attention to death silently, while flies maggots noisily despise life..."

Fei Qian opened his hands, "This time in the world of great men, in this world, the most important thing is bloody warriors, not innocent fly maggots!" 』

"Yuan Ping understands? 』

(End of this chapter)