The night after he heard the tragic news, he lost his composure and almost went crazy. He rode into the city, burned down all the Taoist temples and monasteries in the city, and chopped up the clay and wooden sculptures on the incense table with his sword. The soldiers who came and lit torches stood silently beside him - he looked around and saw that the faces of the soldiers were so young that they made people feel distressed. They were the Li family soldiers that he had kept at all costs. Hearing the tragic disaster of his comrades, some people were in tears, some were gnashing their teeth in hatred, but no one said surrender, escape, or defeat.
"Heaven and earth are unkind, gods and Buddhas are blind!" Even his majestic mount seemed to know his master's grief and anger, and kept snorting and stamping his hooves. He pulled the reins and raised the sword. The burning flames were like blood, which set off his stern face. "Don't even think about talking about benevolence and righteousness with wild beasts! This blood debt must be paid by yourself, and Shanzhou can only be defended by yourself!"
He rode away, and behind him were the voices of his men bowing to him, shaking the heavens and the earth, "We are willing to die for you, General!"
He knew that every inch of land and every wall under his feet was soaked with the blood of his comrades. Under the high sky and the lonely moon, he came to the beacon tower alone, knelt on the ground, stroked the huge bluestone, and cried bitterly towards Pinglu.
Li Yanxian did not light the beacon fire that night. He knew that there would be no reinforcements.
This important place between the two capitals and the pass of Xiaohan had long been abandoned by the imperial court that retreated to Lin'an. The Zhao Song officials were only concerned with living in the prosperous Jiangnan area, with singing and dancing covering their eyes and silk wrapped around their bodies. How could those in power remember the people who were struggling in pain in the smoke and flames of war?
But he can't let go, he can't do it, he can't leave.
Even though this chaotic and bloody world is full of chaos and chaos, he just wants to use his loyal body to try to mend the crack in the sky.
After a long time, Shao Zhou watched the man finally put down the sleeves of his robe that were covering his face and smiled tiredly.
"That's good."
He was usually cold, but his smile was like the warm sunshine of spring. If Shao Zhou hadn't noticed that there was a deep blood mark on his fist that was pressed against his teeth, he would have wanted to let the hand of painting retain that smile, so that the world would remember it forever, instead of just locking it in this courtyard, so lonely that even the sound of the wind could be heard clearly.
The man seemed to have collected all the hostility around him, and for the first time, he asked Xiang Shaozhou in a gentle and friendly tone, "What is your courtesy name?"
"The boy's courtesy name is his own." Shao Zhou was helpless in response.
"Saving yourself is too tiring. Saving the world is too tiring. Saving yourself is good." He muttered to himself for a while, then tilted his head and looked over. "Go find a Taoist temple and say that an old friend wants to practice Taoism. See if they will accept you."
Shao Zhou was shocked and said in a stammer: "How can we let the general go there..."
"So what?" When he looked up, the north wind was blowing and a dead leaf broke free from the branches and floated slowly towards him. He did not dodge or avoid it, letting the dead leaf kiss the scar on his cheek. "When Li Jiedu returns from the Northern Expedition, there will be two of him in this city, right? How are you going to explain it?"
Shao Zhou sucked in a breath of cold air, not daring to reply. Seeing this, he suddenly laughed, laughing so hard that his whole body trembled, laughing so hard that tears glistened in the corners of his eyes, as if all the heroic souls who returned to the sky were attached to him, and he wanted to use this wild laughter to vent all the resentment and grievances of his previous life.
"The Song Dynasty went north to conquer the country and the two rivers were revived. Why should I hate it? I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me anymore."
3.
After Taoist Qinghui became a guest, Shao Zhou rarely saw him. Shao Zhou was worried about him and brought food, rice and wine to visit him in the Taoist temple, but the Taoist just asked him to put down his things without even saying thank you. Sometimes he wrote a letter with news of victory on the front line and threw it through the crack of the door, but he never got a reply.
On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Song Dynasty conquered two fortified cities, Taiyuan and Yuancheng. Upon hearing the news, the soldiers and civilians of Shaanxi Province all sang and danced with joy, with fireworks and fireworks welcoming the New Year, colorful lanterns and lion dances, and the excitement lasted until the 15th day of the first lunar month. However, the Lü Zu Temple on Yangjiao Mountain in the city remained closed, with moss all over the steps, as if it was isolated from the world.
As winter turns to spring, the Yellow River gradually thaws. Shao Zhou led the horses from the government office to Wanjin Beach to wash. This is the most beautiful scenery of Shanzhou. To the north is the vast and rolling Zhongtiao Mountains, to the west is the surging Yellow River, and to the south is the Shanzhou City with its rows of houses. At dusk, the waves sparkle, seagulls cry, and koi jump. Since ancient times, literati and poets have expressed their infinite passion for the mountains and rivers, so it is named Wanjin Beach.
Shao Zhou tied up his bridle, washed his horse, and let it go back to the city along the gravel road on the riverbank. He then looked into the distance. The golden light dotted between the waves was very lovely. There were several rafts traveling freely in the gentle water, and the fishermen's songs were leisurely in the ears. It was a leisurely and beautiful scene. The sound of the flute came to my ears intermittently with the evening breeze. The sound was sobbing. At first, I only felt that the person playing was quite good at music, and his emotions were gentle and lingering. As I listened, the sadness and resentment gradually subsided, and the desire for war and conquest rose. Although the listener was standing in a golden and red warm light, it was like being bathed in the cold moon with ice and snow on his head.
He was shocked by the sadness in the music, looked around and found nothing. He followed the sound and found that it was the Taoist Qinghui who he had not seen for several months. He stood facing the wind, looking down at the endless flow of the Yellow River and playing the music non-stop. His dark blue feather gauze robe was blown by the wind, and his sleeves fluttered, making him look like a fairy.
By the time Shao Zhou climbed up to the top panting, Taoist Qinghui had already put away his flute. Seeing him coming up to catch his breath with his elbows propped up, he couldn't help but look slightly irritated, "The soldiers are all strong and have been training their martial arts all day long. Why are you so weak? How did Shao Yun teach you? He allowed himself to be the commander, and didn't even think about finding a future for you?"
Shao Zhou didn't really blame him when he heard his words, but felt a rare sense of intimacy. He bowed politely and said, "General, you don't know, I have been weak and difficult to raise since I was young, and my father and brothers can't help but spoil me. Therefore, I just work hard on chores and live a peaceful life. I have never thought about fame or anything like that."
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