Food shortage
Liang Hongyu had no intention of enjoying the scenery. She took Qiu Feng and a dozen guards with bows and arrows to hunt on the island.
They found a dense forest on the island and were overjoyed. Liang Hongyu ordered her soldiers to hunt separately, the more the better.
This dense forest is really vast, with large tracts of lush trees towering into the clouds and mountains rolling up and down. Everyone came out in the afternoon, and in a blink of an eye, half a day was almost over. They only shot seven or eight wild rabbits, pheasants and the like. It was getting evening, and they had walked a hundred miles without realizing it. If they didn't come back, it would be dark.
Just at this moment, a wild boar jumped out in front of them. The wild boar was huge and enough for them to eat.
Liang Hongyu drew her bow, and with a whoosh, the arrow flew straight towards the wild boar. Just when it was about to hit the wild boar, the wild boar jumped up and rushed into the forest.
The prey that was in hand flew away just like that. Liang Hongyu quickly chased after it. It was already dark and the light in the dense forest gradually dimmed. The wild boar ran left and right. More than a dozen people followed the wild boar in the forest for a long time. Finally, the sky was completely dark and the wild boar was lost.
As it was getting dark, Zhao Gou became extremely anxious when he saw that Liang Hongyu had not returned yet. He personally led a group of guards to look for her.
A white moon hung above the forest, casting a faint, cool glow. Zhao Gou led the others, carrying torches, into the depths of the dense forest. Liang Hongyu, with a look of embarrassment, led the others back. Suddenly, she saw a blaze ahead, and then heard someone shouting, "General Liang." She walked toward the flames, only to see a figure emerge from the flames. It was the emperor himself. Could it be that the emperor had personally brought people to look for her?
Just as she was stunned, the official smiled delightedly when he saw her. He ran over and hugged her, saying, "I finally found you."
Liang Hongyu's heart was shocked, and she didn't know where to put her hands in embarrassment. When the others saw this, although they were as shocked as Liang Hongyu, they just turned their heads away. Qiu Feng was even more shocked. Could it be that the emperor liked his own daughter?
Zhao Gou felt Liang Hongyu's tense body and immediately let her go. "I'm so happy to see you that I lost my manners. Are you okay?"
Liang Hongyu lowered her eyes and said, "It's okay. I'm sorry for your concern."
Zhao Gou ordered everyone to rest here first and then rush to the boat.
Everyone was hungry and tired. Dozens of guards, under Qiu Feng's command, started a fire and went to the waterside to cut and clean the wild rabbits and pheasants they had hunted. Soon, the bonfire was burning. The meat was sprinkled with salt and roasted over the fire. They also heated up some dry food and wine they brought with them and distributed them to the guards. Zhao Gou sat next to Liang Hongyu and chatted with her by the bonfire.
Liang Hongyu handed a pot of wine to Zhao Gou, who took it and said to her, "Since the first time I saw you, back in Xianning Temple, the moment I placed my hand in yours, I felt a sense of security I had never felt before. I have countless beauties in my harem, but I have never seen a woman like you, so heroic, yet also bright and charming. I-------"
Liang Hongyu seemed to anticipate what Zhao Gou was about to say, so she interrupted him, "Your Majesty, I have no desire for a harem. I only want to be a female general, defending my country and driving out the Jin invaders. Besides, I was once a prostitute, and I am unworthy of your love."
A sense of sadness welled up in Zhao Gou's heart. He sighed and said, "I have no intention of forcing you to be with me. I just hope you can stay by my side."
Liang Hongyu looked at the man in front of her. He was the emperor of the Song Dynasty and possessed supreme power. He was a man who looked down on all living beings, but at this moment his eyes were full of helplessness, loneliness, and even a hint of humility.
She suddenly felt a little reluctant, so she said: "As long as the emperor needs me, I will accompany you at any time, but please do not restrict my freedom."
Zhao Gou said lightly: "Okay!"
Liang Hongyu felt that the emperor today was not like the arrogant and cold-blooded man who looked down on everyone in the past. Today he seemed to be an ordinary person who had fallen into the mortal world. Then she dared to ask the question that had always puzzled her: "Your Majesty, the Jin people are invading from the south. As long as the men of the Song Dynasty are united and fight to the death, they may not be defeated. Why does your Majesty keep avoiding them?" Liang Hongyu did not use the word "escape" but "avoid".
When Zhao Gou heard the word "avoid," he knew she had something to say about his escape south. He felt a surge of anger, but today was the day he had finally gotten close to her, and he didn't want to use his status as emperor to harshly criticize her. So, he patiently said, "I am the Emperor of the Great Song. As long as I sit in this position, I must consider the greater good. Although others question my manliness, I do want to drive out the Jin invaders and welcome my mother back. But do the forces of the Great Song allow me to sit back and relax? Lin'an City collapsed at the first blow, and each army has its own selfish agenda. Previously, two saints were taken north. If I were also taken north, I'm afraid the Southern Song would be destroyed in an instant. I can only be this coward, despised by everyone, and wait for the future to slowly plan and enhance the prestige of the Great Song."
Liang Hongyu felt that what he said seemed reasonable, but it was inconsistent with her ideal of serving her country. She knew that her words had angered Zhao Gou. No matter when and where, he was the emperor of the Song Dynasty, the one who had the final say and controlled the life and death of others. She should not be so abrupt, so she knelt and said, "I have spoken out of turn. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
Zhao Gou stepped forward and helped Liang Hongyu up, saying, "I don't blame you. Perhaps the world will not understand me, but as long as I can live, I will definitely promise the people a peaceful and prosperous era."
Liang Hongyu looked at Zhao Gou in front of her, and seemed to see the young King Kang who was full of vigor and vigor and was ready to break into the Jin camp.
It is said that when Zhao Heng was emperor, the Jin army once again invaded the capital. Wanyan Zongwang proposed sending a prince as a hostage to the Jin camp. Zhao Heng summoned several of his courageous younger brothers to discuss the matter, but no one dared to respond. At this time, the 19-year-old Kang Wang Zhao Gou stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to go to the Jin camp to relieve your worries."
Zhao Heng then appointed Zhao Gou as the military advisor, and Zhang Bangchang, the prime minister, as his deputy, and two or three other officials to accompany them.
Wanyan Zongwang, intent on intimidating the enemy, ordered his elite soldiers, spears in hand, to stand on either side, under the pretext of welcoming him. Zhao Gou showed no sign of alarm. He slowly rode his horse to the front of the camp, dismounted calmly, and walked briskly toward Wanyan Zongwang's camp. If anyone tried to stop him or provoke him, he would glance at them coldly until they retreated in fear. Then he would continue forward, while Zhang Bangchang and the others followed timidly behind him, following closely.
One day, Wanyan Zongwang came to his tent and saw him reading a book. He challenged him by saying, "You Song people only know how to talk about war on paper, but in reality you are powerless. Let alone leading an army in battle, you don't even have the strength to draw a bow and hunt."
Zhao Gou heard this and saw a pitch-black iron bow behind him. He said, "Marshal, could you lend me this bow?"
Wanyan Zongmou laughed and said, "You want to draw this bow? This bow has been with me for many years, and even the bravest soldiers of the Jin Dynasty have not been able to draw it fully!" Then he handed the bow to Zhao Gou and ordered someone to bring the bow and arrow.
Zhao Gou stood up and took it, stretched out his arm, slowly pulled the bow open, and gradually drew it to its full length.
Zhao Gou looked straight ahead with a solemn expression. He suddenly turned around and aimed his bow at Wanyan Zonghan. Wanyan Zonghan was shocked and immediately dodged to the side.
Seeing this, Zhao Gou suddenly smiled, raised his head and shot the arrow. With a "whoosh", the sound of the arrow feathers rubbing against the air resounded through the sky.
Wanyan Zongwang was unconvinced and said, "Let's have an archery competition."
When the two men arrived at the archery practice ground, Wanyan Zongmou shot three arrows first. The first two arrows missed the bull's eye by an inch, and only the third arrow hit the bull's eye. The three arrows shot by Zhao Gou all hit the bull's eye.
Wanyan Zongmou's face turned pale. He stared at him for a moment before saying, "Are you really the Southern Dynasty Emperor's younger brother?"
Zhao Gou nodded and said, "I am the ninth brother of the current emperor, Prince Kang Zhao Gou."
That night, the Song army attacked the Jin camp. Wanyan Zongmou was furious and summoned all the Song envoys to his tent and questioned them harshly.
Zhang Bangchang burst into tears and said nothing. Zhao Gou remained calm and said, "We are in the Jin camp. How can we know the court's plans?" Then he said to Zhang Bangchang, "If you die for your country, you will die. There is nothing to be afraid of."
Seeing that his words and deeds were still neither humble nor arrogant, Wanyan Zongmou became more suspicious of his identity, so he sent someone to inform Zhao Heng and asked him to exchange another prince as a hostage. Zhao Heng had no choice but to send his fifth brother, Prince Su, to the Jin camp to replace Prince Kang Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou thus escaped the disaster and now became the emperor of the Song Dynasty.
After Zhao Gou returned, the people all praised him for his bravery. Liang Hongyu didn't know what had caused this brave young man who was not afraid of life and death and was full of vigor to become the one who was afraid of money like a tiger. Perhaps the throne that everyone in the world wanted to sit on could really change a person.
While Liang Hongyu was lost in thought, Qiu Feng handed Zhao Gou and Liang Hongyu a roasted rabbit leg. Zhao Gou suddenly felt hungry and took the rabbit leg and began to gnaw on it, saying as he gnawed, "It smells delicious! It's much more delicious than what I ate in the palace."
Liang Hongyu knew that Zhao Gou must be extremely hungry at this time. The rations on the ship could not last for a few days. Even the emperor had been very frugal with his food these days. In addition, Zhao Gou had been looking for her for half a day. Naturally, the food people eat when they are extremely hungry will be much more delicious than usual.
Suddenly, a roar came from my ears, shaking the valley.
Everyone looked back and saw a white tiger. They were shocked. It ran at an extremely fast speed and pounced on Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou was so scared that the rabbit leg in his mouth dropped it. He stood there in a daze without any reaction. Liang Hongyu, who was beside him, saw that the white tiger was about to pounce on Zhao Gou. In a hurry, she pounced on Zhao Gou, who was stunned there.
Qiu Feng ordered the frightened crowd, "Quickly take the bows and arrows, and shoot it with crossbows." Everyone finally reacted, some went to get bows and crossbows, and some picked up weapons on the ground.
The guard closest to the tiger raised his knife and stabbed, but was slapped by the white tiger. The guard screamed in pain, and his chest and abdomen were cut by the white tiger, revealing half of his intestines.
Seeing this, Liang Hongyu stood up, took out the sharp knife from her waist, and rushed towards the tiger. The guards hurriedly helped Zhao Gou up and dodged to the side.
The tiger also pounced towards Liang Hongyu. Liang Hongyu hurriedly bent back and raised the sharp blade in her hand. The white tiger immediately fell to the ground. Everyone looked and found that the sharp blade in Liang Hongyu's hand had cut the white tiger's belly when it pounced. The white tiger seemed unwilling to give up. After a roar, it turned over and pounced towards Liang Hongyu again.
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