Novel in MTL

Introduction to Great Heat

The weather was so hot that it was about to fall into fire, and even the wild dogs were lying in the shade at the base of the city wall, sticking out their tongues. At the hottest hour at noon, the guards on duty had to take turns to drink water and rest after standing for a while. The sun is hot, through the knee armor

Like a small knife cut on the flesh, the sweat soaked the clothes on the back after a while, and was dried by the sun after a while, resulting in

There was a white layer of salt frost, which stained the skin and flesh like it had been pierced again with a knife. When everyone jumped into the river to take a bath at night, their shoulders and backs would be red and swollen like bacon.

But there is also fun. Today is a great heat, and the custom in Laolan City is to eat mutton soup, so take advantage of the early morning sun

Before leaving, the weather was cool, more than 300 sheep were slaughtered in the kitchen, and countless pots of sheep soup were cooked, and they ate up and down. The weather was too hot to hold the meat, and the unfinished mutton was picked up from the pot. The cooks loaded clean water to rinse the square bricks on the tower, and then dried the mutton neatly under the sun. It only takes two days to dry the mutton into jerky, which can be used as dry food in autumn and winter.

Zhao Liu stood on the sentry post in the big sun field of the city tower for about half an hour, before he was replaced to drink water. Lao Bao, who was on shift with him, learned a new trick from nowhere: pasting pancakes on the sun-baked wall tiles.

I don't know how he stole the fine white wheat flour from the kitchen, reconciled it with water, and used a stone stick to grind the dough until it was almost thin.

In order to see through the light, when the sun is at its worst at noon, stick the dough that is as thin as a cicada's wing on the hot wall bricks, and white smoke will rise immediately. After a post is over, the pancakes will be cooked .

The mutton soup comes from the noodles, so delicious!

Lao Bao baked a dozen or so cakes with a handful of noodles, and everyone who was replaced could chew the cakes and drink the cold water freshly drawn from the well, even the weather seemed less annoying . It's hot as long as it's hot, anyway, the hottest is only half a month, once August enters, maybe just overnight, when the north wind blows, the pastures turn yellow, and there may be snowflakes in the sky.

Great heat and severe cold, like burning knives, cut the flesh of everyone in Laolan City, but if the skin peeled off in the sun, there was clear Laolan River water to soak in, and badger seed oil to smear on chilblains. When the spring and autumn are good, we will celebrate as usual.

Tianxi rode his horse out to hunt wild game and came back for extra food. There were three thousand soldiers stationed in Laolan City, and there was no one who would not have fun in these hard days.

Lao Bao took off the last two pancakes, and suddenly heard someone behind him say: "Hey, you learned my way to pancakes, and don't leave me a piece.

The person who came was a young man who had not reached the weak crown, wearing the same rattan armor as Lao Bao, but his stature was a full head taller than Lao Bao, who was more than one round older than him. The sun at the border had tanned the boy's skin, but his eyes were even darker, like two crystal balls. He glanced at the pancake, and Lao Bao quickly stuffed it to him: "Eat it, don't talk too much."

"You can shut my mouth with pancakes? Old Du in the kitchen is still yelling today, and lost a bag of fine white wheat noodles." The young man put one pancake into his arms, and the other pancake After putting it into his mouth, there was a crisp sound, and he bit off most of it. He picked up the thin and crispy crumbs that kept falling with his hands, and said vaguely: "That's the first spring of the big guard this year.

Someone was sent from Wanxi City to make snacks for the Seventeenth Emperor's grandson. It turned out to be stolen by you.

Lao Bao said: "Don't talk nonsense, there is no bag of white flour, I just grabbed a handful because I saw that there was no one in the kitchen."

The young man ate the pancakes three times and two times, and said with a smile: "Stealing a bag is stealing, stealing a bag is stealing, stealing military rations."

But you will be punished heavily, do you know? "

Old Bao smiled slyly: "What I took belonged to the emperor's grandson, not the military rations. This punishment can't be punished! Besides, didn't the seventeenth emperor's grandson say it a long time ago, to share the blessings and share the hardships! We eat What, he will eat whatever. Isn’t this fine rice and white flour shared among the family’s fellow robes?”

The young man scratched his hair, and was about to speak, when he heard the distant beeping, his expression changed. In the blink of an eye, there was a second blare, which was the early warning issued by the ranger scouts placed outside the city every day. Everyone had heard it, and couldn't help but turn pale with shock.

Although the tattooed people seldom invade the border towns in summer when the water and grass are luxuriant, but Laolan City is located in a dangerous position, and they dare not neglect it even for a moment. The young man immediately grabbed a bow in the guard room, and everyone took bows, arrows, knives and guns one after another, and ran up the tower together. The sentry guard on duty had already stretched out his body and looked into the distance. At this time, the third whistle sounded again.

The boy beckoned, and someone handed him a pot of arrows. He tried the bowstring and pulled out a feathered arrow. At this time, the tower was already full of soldiers, and they lined up separately, their swords drawn. In the early years of the founding of the country, Taizu won the world with bows and horses, and he ruled the army very strictly. If the three-way drum is played all over before the formation is completed, it will definitely lose its head. Now the country has been peaceful and prosperous for more than a hundred years

In the year of 1999, the whole world obeyed, all the barbarians were naturalized, the world was lifted, and even the army was not as strict as it was when the country was founded. It's just that Laolan City guards the northwest, and the generals guarding it in the past have never dared to slack off.

The smoke and dust can be seen from a distance, and under the clear sky and scorching sun, it seems that a burst of dark clouds suddenly rolled up. Xie Chang'er, who was lying under the city wall listening to the sound of the enemy's hooves, finally raised his right arm high and stretched out five fingers.

"Five thousand!"

Someone loudly reported the number of enemy cavalry to the defenders on the tower.

Five thousand cavalry was an unprecedented heavy attack, and the people of the tattooed village could only get together these five thousand cavalry because they had lost all their belongings. Yingmin has been weak in recent years, and has long since lost the weather of the past. In the early years of Shengyou, Hussar General Du Shen defeated the Yin people in Tuyuan River, and the court also took this opportunity to set up the Zhenxi Protectorate in Yuanxi. During the Chengshun period, most of Zhenxi guarded Pei.

Dedicated to attacking instead of defending, after several battles, the people of Ying were forced not to enter and plunder on a large scale. In recent years, at most, a hundred horsemen occasionally disturbed the frontier around the beginning of autumn. For decades, Laolan City has not fought such a big battle.

Zhao Liu's palms could not help sweating, and his index finger hooked to the bowstring trembled slightly. The boy standing next to him was very depressed

Jia Qi simply put down his bow and took out the last pancake from his bosom.

"Crack!" With a crisp sound, the cake seemed to be scattered between the lips and teeth, and then was chewed loudly. Everyone's heartstrings were so tense that they were about to break. Everyone looked this way. The young man was eating cakes in a leisurely manner. The bow and arrow were placed on the low battlements in front of him. He carefully held the cake crumbs with his hands, Under people's attention, he still eats leisurely. horse

The sound of hooves has already rumbled, like the distant thunder of summer—it also rains in Laolan City, but it rains less, so every time it rains, it feels like a festival. Everyone happily took off their clothes and jumped into the two miles, Take a hard shower.

Zhao Liu couldn't help feeling anxious when he heard the sound of the young man eating pancakes. He couldn't help but look back at the young man, who was just pouring the last pinch of crumbs into his mouth, licked the corner of his mouth with infinite affection, and then took a deep breath.

"Rise!"

The young man's voice was clear and loud, with a calm majesty, it exploded in everyone's ears like thunder, and everyone stood up.

Consciousness complied with the daily training, knelt and squatted, fastened the bowstring, and aimed at the billowing smoke outside the city from the crenel.

The young man also drew his bow fully, his posture was upright, and his whole body went in and out with a force, and the bowstring was pulled into a full moon by him.

This bow was lighter than the bows he usually used, so he drew it very carefully, as if afraid of breaking the string.

The enemy was getting closer and closer, and the smoke and dust gradually dispersed, and even the flag flying in the wind gradually became clear. Everyone couldn't help being stunned, because the word "Zhenxi" was embroidered on the Chibian Xuan flag. At this moment, the scouts had already galloped back, and they shouted loudly to the tower: "It's my town's west guards! It's General Pei!"

The sound of the scouts was loud, and everyone on the tower could hear them clearly, but they couldn't withdraw their bows and arrows without giving orders, and everyone fell down.

Turning his eyes to look at the young man, the young man leaned out and saw clearly the leading flag in the smoke and dust, as well as the tall flag under the flag.

The general on the big horse was tall and did not wear a helmet, and his hair was loose. He was Pei Xian, the guardian of the west of the town. The young man with a silver helmet and a spear on his back was Pei Xian's son Pei 

Xian. And behind them are the prestigious Zhenxi Cavalry of the Kingdom Dynasty.

The young man breathed a sigh of relief, and said in a low voice, "Withdraw!"

All the arrows were withdrawn from the strings, the knives and guns were put away, the young man ran down the tower, the drawbridge was rolling down, Pei Xian took the lead, and before the drawbridge was completely leveled, he had already jumped onto the bridge head. The young man ran to welcome him out of the city gate, and shouted happily: "Pretend to be uncle! Ah Yuan!" As far as he could see, Pei Xian and Pei Yuan were wearing plain white linen belts on their right arms, and they could not help but gasp .

As soon as Pei Xian saw him, he reined in the reins, the horse neighed and stood up, abruptly stopping its hooves. Pei Xian was skilled in riding, and he took advantage of the situation to roll off his horse and fell to the ground: 

"Pretend to pay homage to His Royal Highness." Behind him, Pei Yuan got off his horse without making a sound, and also knelt in the dust.

The young man looked at the plain white hemp belt tied around Pei Xian's arm in amazement, and called again: "Uncle Pei.

Pei Xian was lying on the bridge, but tears were streaming down his face: "Three days ago, Wanxi received a letter from the Hejian Mansion saying that His Majesty was killed by that traitor Sun Jing at the 30th birthday banquet in early June. Your Majesty... His Majesty has already died. God.

The boy seemed to have been hit by a heavy punch, and he couldn't help but take half a step back.

Pei Xian burst into tears: "The thieves instigated against the Jinwu army, closed the palace and slaughtered the city. 

The prince died for the country, and Lu Gan, Zhao Gan, and King Jin

The kings, kings and sons were all killed, and countless concubines and princesses died in the harem... General Yunchang Han Chang protected the grandson, fought a bloody path, and finally escaped from the capital, but was dispersed by the chaos outside the city, and now the grandson Life and death are unknown, and it is not known whether he is still alive.

The young man stared blankly at Pei Xian, while Fang Dang, the guardian envoy of the feudal town in his prime, knelt there, weeping loudly. The young man finally heard his own voice, and seemed to be muttering, "What about my father?"

"His Royal Highness Liang Wang did not enter the palace due to illness and survived. It is said that he has been detained by the rebels as a hostage." 

Pei Xian finally wiped away his tears, and said in a long way: "The minister and the towns in the west have made a decision, please set up The Seventeenth Emperor's grandson is the Crown Prince who oversees the country, and orders all the soldiers and horses in the world to work hard for the King." He raised his face and said, "His Royal Highness, please wait for your request!"

Standing under the scorching sun, the young man seemed to still be a little dazed looking at the clear water of the Laolan River not far away. The Zhonglan River that circles the city has become a natural moat, sparkling in the midday sun. Smashed gold, dazzling eye

The young man finally turned his eyes back to Pei Xian's face, his tone was already calm: "General Pei, I cannot grant your request.

"Your Highness!" Pei Xian raised his head suddenly, with tears running down his face, and his eyes were sad and angry.

"My grandson

Pei Xian said loudly: "The state affairs are in turmoil. When Lai Changjun, the grandson is still a child even if he is still alive! Besides, the grandson is only the eldest son of the crown prince, and he is not named at the end. Now the world is full of wars, and the country is at a critical moment of life and death. , How can a little doll who doesn't know about personnel and affairs be appointed as Junshi 1.

"General Pei!" The young man's voice was stern, revealing an indescribable majesty: "The elder brother's name is just and right, how can he speak lightly of the emperor!" He seemed to sigh in an inaudible way: "Besides... the father is now in the hands of the grandson. In the hands of thieves, if you let me supervise the country, wouldn't you put the father on it."