Xiaohe is the son of Yan Shifeng's gardener. When Yanbei was conquered, he and Wan Wan were arrested together. According to Wan Wan, it was her extraordinary bravery that saved Xiao He, who was so scared that he wet his pants and cried, and took him away from the clutches of Da Xia. But Chu Qiao heard that it was a child who rescued Wan Wan and carried her on his back for more than a hundred miles in the snow before they found the rescue team from the Datong Guild. It seems that the child was Xiao He.
In the vast snow, two children's families were broken up, and a teenage child carried another child on his back and trekked more than a hundred miles in the snow. It is really unimaginable.
When she returned to the study, Yan Xun was not in the room. Chu Qiao went around his room but didn't see him. She asked the servant guarding the door, and the soldier said that he had just seen the prince and it seemed that he went to the back mountain.
Luyi is located in high terrain, and the City Defense Office is located at the highest place in the city, with a small hill behind it. Chu Qiao, wearing a thick fox fur coat, trudged up the mountain step by step. From afar, she could see only a solitary tree on the top of the mountain, with stones on both sides and no grass. Yan Xun was sitting on a rock. The dead tree looked a bit ferocious under the night sky. Chu Qiao's footsteps startled him. Yan Xun turned around, stretched out his hand to Chu Qiao from a distance, and said with a smile, "You're back."
"Well," Chu Qiao took a few steps forward, panting slightly. She held Yan Xun's hand, sat beside him, and said with a smile, "Wan Wan gave me a horse. She said it was the Horse Head King from Huihui Mountain. It's very beautiful."
"Don't believe her," Yan Xun sneered, "She has sent many people war horses these days, telling everyone that they are the horse kings of Huihui Mountain. Yesterday, she gave me two horses, saying they were a male and female king. According to her, the horses under Huihui Mountain may all be independent groups, and each one is a horse king."
Chu Qiao was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and chuckled. Thinking of Wan Wan's mysterious look, she couldn't help but say, "What a child."
Yan Xun squinted his eyes at her, "You seem to be less than her age, right?"
Chu Qiao did not comment, "I am mentally mature."
Yan Xun turned his head, the moonlight shone on his face, there was a layer of light mist, making his face look a little pale. Chu Qiao asked, "Are you feeling better? It's so cold here, why don't you go back?"
"Nothing, I just want to sit for a while." Yan Xun shook his head, looking at the city below, and said lightly, "When you were away a while ago, I always felt restless. Now that you are back, I can settle down and take a good look at Yanbei."
There were thousands of lights at the foot of the mountain, and it was quiet and peaceful. In the distance, a long military song came over, which seemed a bit desolate and solemn. Yan Xun suddenly sighed, "Ah Chu, Yanbei is very poor, and there are endless internal struggles. It is no longer the Yanbei of the past. Have you been disappointed these two days?"
Chu Qiao turned her head, but saw that Yan Xun didn't look at her. She said softly: "If Yanbei is still the Yanbei of the past, then we don't need to work hard for it."
Yan Xun's body trembled slightly, but he didn't say anything.
Chu Qiao held Yan Xun's left hand. His hand was very cold, as cold as ice. His little finger was gone, and the only four fingers he had were long and rough, covered with calluses. Some were from practicing martial arts and holding a knife, while others were from doing rough labor. He didn't look like a noble at all. Chu Qiao held his hand tightly, put it to her lips and blew gently, then rubbed it, raised her head and smiled, "Speaking of poverty, is there anyone poorer than the two of us back then?"
Yan Xun turned around and saw the girl with bright eyes and white teeth. Her smile was like a flower sparkling with dew in the night. Thinking of the past, he suddenly felt a little sad. How could I forget the first New Year I spent in Zhenhuang City. The entire imperial city was filled with the sound of joyous firecrackers, the sky was full of fireworks, and the palace was filled with stringed and musical music. In a dilapidated house in the most remote part of the northwest of Shengjin Palace, two children huddled in a shabby house that was drafty on all sides, wearing everything they could to keep warm, including tattered cotton wool, sheets, and window curtains, like two little beggars.
There was a small pot in the middle of the ground. They were roasting a fire and adding firewood continuously. The girl's face was flushed as she kept stirring the pot with a small spoon.
Half a bowl of white porridge per person and a few frozen salted radishes were their New Year's Eve dinner. Yan Xun felt upset and refused to eat out of spite, so Chu Qiao held the bowl to coax him and explained the truth to him one by one. Later, Chu Qiao fell asleep, leaning on Yan Xun's shoulder. Yan Xun lowered his head and looked at her. He saw that she had chilblains on her hands. Although she had eaten, her stomach was still rumbling. She looked pale and thin, and it seemed as if she would never grow taller. At that time, he swore in his heart that one day, he would make her live a good life. But, after so many years, she is still following me around, through life and death.
"Ouch!" Chu Qiao suddenly screamed, looking very frightened.
Yan Xun was slightly stunned and asked, "What's wrong?"
"We buried the wine in the palace, but forgot to drink it when we left."
Yan Xun smiled, a sharp cold light flashed in his eyes, and he said in a light tone: "Don't worry, there will always be a chance."
It was a simple sentence, but it contained such a sharp edge. The man looked straight ahead, the cold wind blew across his temples, across his cold features, and slowly blew towards the vast land of Yanbei.
"Yan Xun, you said that the food and weapons will be solved in the short term. Are you sure? Although Li Ce said that he would tacitly allow us to enter and exit the Bian Tang black market, our demand is too large and I am afraid it will alarm the upper echelons."
After thinking for two days, Chu Qiao finally asked the question in her mind. Yan Xun raised his eyelids slightly, and after a long while, he whispered, "Huai Song."
"Huai Song? Why would Huai Song help us?"
"I have met Princess Huaisong."
"Nalan Hongye!" Chu Qiao was startled, her eyes widened, she stared at Yan Xun, and after thinking for a long time, she said in a deep voice, "So, what you said to Li Ce before that you wanted to get military supplies through the Bian Tang black market was just a cover? Your real purpose is to borrow the waterway of Southern Xinjiang, find an official amulet, and be able to enter and exit Huaisong freely, right?"
Yan Xun nodded, "You are right."
Chu Qiao frowned and said, "Bian Tang and Huai Song are at war. We are indirectly supporting Huai Song's iron ore and gold. Does this count as standing on Huai Song's side and being an enemy of Li Ce?"
"What should we do?" Yan Xun turned around, his eyes sharp, "Bian Tang doesn't want to be an open enemy of Daxia, and doesn't dare to support us with food and military supplies. I can only look for a third party. You can't ask me to go to Daxia to buy food, right?"
Although she felt a little reluctant, Chu Qiao had to admit that Yan Xun was right. She should be thankful that Huai Song had the courage, otherwise, they might have to open the Meilin Pass and do business with the Quanrong people.
"Ah Chu, do you think Li Ce doesn't know my intentions?" Yan Xun sighed and said slowly, "No matter how careful and flawless we act, thousands of grain carts have to pass through the border of Bian Tang safely and go through the black market. Do you think Li Ce doesn't know anything?"
Chu Qiao raised her head, her eyes flickering slightly.
"He's just pretending not to know. From Bian Tang's perspective, it would be best if Daxia and Yanbei fought to the death, preferably for eight to ten years, and then perished together. Huai Song's support for our food and grass is in Bian Tang's interests, so they acquiesced. After so many years of the Three Kingdoms, Bian Tang's enemy is not just Huai Song. The biggest tiger is entrenched in Hongchuan. Li Ce knows this better than you."
Yan Xun sighed slightly, looking into the distance at the myriad lights at the foot of the mountain.
"Besides, we really can't hold on for too long. The war between us and Daxia is a long-term one. We must look ahead and not exhaust all resources. Yanbei has been in war for years, and the Quanrong in the north are constantly harassing the border. Every autumn and winter, the people are robbed and the people suffer from the ravages of war. The losses are too great. They are all looking forward to my return to Yanbei, but they don't know that as long as I come back, a full-scale war will break out on a large scale, and their The suffering will only get worse. You said at the meeting before that the people are the foundation of the Yanbei Righteous Army. I heard that many families now have no food for the winter. If there is no supply this year, the people will freeze to death or starve to death, and our already stretched situation will become even more difficult. I must give them a signal, a belief, that is, as long as I come back, their lives will be better, only in this way, they will follow me loyally. "
Chu Qiao nodded, feeling a little sad, and said softly, "That's it."
"Ah Chu, don't think too much, it will all pass."
Yan Xun patted Chu Qiao's shoulder and smiled firmly, "We have survived so many hardships. Is the situation now worse than before?"
The night wind was a little cold, blowing on Chu Qiao's face. Her eyelashes were very long, black and thick, like two small fans. She smiled and said, "Yan Xun, I believe you."
Yan Xun's eyebrows moved slightly, and for a moment it seemed that something passed through his eyes, but in the end he said nothing, but just stretched out his hands to hold her, and kissed her forehead lightly, his lips were cold and wet. Chu Qiao leaned in his arms. His chest was hard and broad. Through the thick fur coat, she could still hear his steady heartbeat, beating so firmly, one by one. Their movements were very natural, and it seemed to have always been like this for the past eight years. Neither of them spoke, and this tacit understanding was like aged wine, emitting a rich fragrance from time to time.
Supporting each other in times of trouble seems too plain and inappropriate for their age. However, those painful experiences have already made them mature; the excitement and passion are still there, but they have long been well hidden.
"Yan Xun, who will Daxia send to attack Yanbei? Meng Tian? Zhao Che? Who else?"
"Meng Tian is already old," Yan Xun's voice was solemn and a little hoarse in the night wind. "As for Zhao Che, I'm afraid he will be in trouble."
"Oh? Why?"
Yan Xun smiled slightly, lowered his head and flicked Chu Qiao's forehead, frowned deliberately and said: "Chu, are you asking me about this on purpose?"
Chu Qiao rubbed her forehead and grumbled, wrinkling her nose and said, "When I'm with you, I don't want to use my brain."
Yan Xun was both amused and confused. It seemed that no matter how wise a woman was, she would always have a feminine side.
"After the rebellion in Zhenhuang, bandits from various places were waiting for an opportunity to move, and some local princes also carefully tested the power of the Zhao family. In addition, the plague in Zhenhuang was spreading, and the Zhao family had no choice but to move the capital. This was the first time in a hundred years that the Zhao family was so weak, and almost became a laughing stock in the world. However, only Zhao Che did not evacuate, but stayed to guard the capital independently, protect the people of Zhenhuang, resist the bandits, and intimidate the princes. He established a high prestige in both the military and political circles. Do you think that with the tolerance of Emperor Xia and the royal family of Daxia who are eyeing him covetously, as well as the group of old guys in the Imperial Elders Council, will they tolerate him?"
Chu Qiao nodded, "Yes."