Dahan first prince

Chapter 106 The wind blows, and the ashes disperse
"Sir, it's here..."

Half an hour later, in the eastern suburbs of Chang'an City.

Arriving at the edge of a remote withered forest, Xiao He finally got off the bullock cart with a worried face, looked thoughtfully at the dead forest in front of him, and could no longer see the slightest vitality in the withered forest.

Not long after, a tall and burly figure with a black cloak on his body and half of his face covered by a silk cloth came out of the dead wood forest.

Seeing the pair of familiar pupils, Xiao He couldn't help but turned slightly, and nodded slightly to the coachman and guards accompanying him. After a while, there was no third person within a range of fifty steps around the bullock cart.

Seeing this, Xiao He didn't say much, he just turned his body slightly and lifted the curtain behind the bullock cart.

When the man got into the bullock cart, he was about to lift the silk cloth on his face, but Xiao He raised his hand slightly.

"Jianghou's return to Chang'an has a lot to do with it."

"It's better not to show your face to others..."

Hearing Xiao He's words, Zhou Bo, who was hiding under the cloak, couldn't help but froze, and finally nodded slightly.

"What is His Majesty's order?"

Without any politeness or pleasantries, Xiao He went straight to the point.

Although just now at the prime minister's mansion, the little official only said, "A guest is coming from Xinfeng, please go to the eastern suburbs of Xiangguo to talk about it", but just by this seemingly plain "greeting", Xiao He has already guessed who is coming. identity of.

——Four years ago, that is, in the winter and October of the sixth year of the Han Dynasty, Xiao He's position as Prime Minister has been promoted to Prime Minister by Liu Bang today!

Although it sounds like Xiangguo and Prime Minister just changed their names, the two are fundamentally different!
The phase of the country is the phase of the country. The "country" here does not refer to the world, but simply refers to the princes.

For example, decades ago, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han, Chu, and Qi who ruled the Kanto region, and the seven heroes of the Warring States Period, including Qin, were the heads of all the officials in the court, and they were all "Xiangguo".

Even now, kings with different surnames, such as Lu Wan and Zang Tu, who were canonized by the Han Dynasty, or clan princes Liu Jiao, Liu Fei, etc., their kings can also be called "Xiangguo".

But the prime minister is no longer the prime minister of a country or a place, but the prime minister of the world!

It is precisely because of this that when Liu Bang was still the King of Han, Xiao He's official position was "Han Xiangguo", with a rank of two thousand stones.

After Gaixia, when Liu Bang ascended the throne and became the emperor of the Han Dynasty, Xiao He's official position became a 'Prime Minister'.
And now that Xiao He has been changed to 'Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty', the one who is still called 'Xiangguo' can only be an old friend of Feng Pei's background who has known Xiao He for a long time.

For example, Cao Shen, Marquis of Pingyang who served as the jailer of Pei County in the former Qin Dynasty;

Another example is Jiang Hou Zhou Bo, Wu Yang Hou Fan Kui and a few other people in front of him.

Among these three "old friends from Fengpei", Cao Shen, Marquis of Pingyang, was far away in Qi State, serving as the prime minister of the emperor's eldest son Liu Fei, so it was impossible to "come from Xinfeng".

As for Marquis Fan Kuai of Wuyang, since the year before last, after Lu Ze, Marquis of Zhou, was killed in a strange battle in Daidi, Liu Bang and this old friend of the past have gradually drifted away.

In addition, this time, the emperor Liu Bang sent someone back so mysteriously after he left Chang'an on the expedition, which made Xiao He already have some expectations for Liu Bang's confession.

——In today's world, there is only one thing that can make Liu Bang go through so much trouble, leave Chang'an first, and then send someone back to do what he ordered...
Thinking so, Xiao He raised his head with a serious face, but saw that Zhou Bo did not speak, but silently took out a letter box half a palm long and about the thickness of a thumb from his bosom.

On the letter box, there are three anti-peeping objects of wax paint, ink pad, and hemp rope!

"Before a certain person left, His Majesty said: Your Majesty knows the No. 1 book in this book, and Marquis Feng is the second person. It must not be known by the third person!"

Saying that, Zhou Bo did not forget to take out two pieces of Huozhe from his bosom, and handed them to Xiao He.

"Also please look at the book in the pocket quickly, Xiang Guo."

"After reading it, put the book in your bag and burn it with your own hands!"

"When I see this bag disappears in person, there is no more than an inch, and the mission of this trip will not be considered complete..."

Hearing Zhou Bo say these words without looking sideways, the serious look on Xiao He's face involuntarily became a little heavier.

He lowered his head with deep worry, first broke the end of the tube, the piece of ink pad with wax paint on it, and then untied the hemp rope that was pressed under the ink pad and wrapped around the bamboo tube, and finally, The lid of the barrel mouth is opened slightly.

Tilt the bamboo tube, shake the mouth of the tube downward towards the hand, and then dropped a small piece of cloth that was at most three inches long and never more than one inch wide from the bamboo slips to the center of Xiao He's palm.

In an instant, Zhou Bo hurriedly lowered his head as hard as he could, even though his chin had reached his chest, he did not forget to close those tiger eyes firmly.

Seeing Zhou Bo's posture, Xiao He finally let out a sigh, and slowly stretched the cloth rolled into a barrel.

When he saw the few numbers on the piece of cloth, he had expected this, Xiao He couldn't help but widen his eyes suddenly, his teeth were trembling...

——It wasn't Prime Minister Xiao who killed the Marquis of Huaiyin!
——It wasn't Prime Minister Xiao who killed the Marquis of Huaiyin! ! !
——It wasn't Prime Minister Xiao who killed the Marquis of Huaiyin! ! ! ! ! !

At that moment, Xiao He's whole mind was occupied by this soul-stirring sentence!

"No······"

"Xiao Xiang!!!"

Xiao He murmured in horror, he didn't even utter the word 'non', and saw Zhou Bo, who was sitting in front of Xiao He, cupped his hands abruptly, still in the posture of wanting to pierce his chest with his chin.

"Your Majesty knows No. 1 of this book, and Prime Minister Xiao is the second!"

"Among the universe, there must be no third person to know!!!"

The tone was full of panic, but he tried his best to lower his voice twice, Zhou Bo shook his head slightly, dripping some sweat from his brows.

"If Marquis Feng has no intention of killing someone, don't say anything else!"

"Thank you so much!!!!!!"

Seeing Zhou Bo's half-word 'no' in his own mouth, he trembled slightly in fright, and cold sweat dripped from between his closed eyes, Xiao He's expression changed, but he finally managed to stabilize his mind.

"Old man..."

After opening his mouth for a while, seeing Zhou Bo's figure tightened again, Xiao He finally gave up his plan to apologize.

Squinting his eyes, he turned his eyes to the piercing and soul-stirring seal script, keeping the eight characters firmly in his heart, Xiao He clasped his hands together, rolled the piece of cloth into a roll, and put it back in the bamboo tube. Inside.

Looking up with an uncertain expression, Xiao He finally sighed and got out of the car beside Zhou Bo when he saw that Zhou Bo was still keeping his head bowed and hands folded.

It wasn't until Xiao He stepped on the ground outside the car and sensed the shaking of the car that Zhou Bo raised his head slightly, wiped the sweat from his eyes with his sleeve, and backed out of the bullock cart.

Then, under Zhou Bo's direct gaze, Xiao He covered the bamboo tube, placed it on a small pile of dead leaves, and lit the fire with the two firefoils that Zhou Bo handed him earlier. .

Seeing the gradually burning fire and the slowly rising black smoke, both Zhou Bo and Xiao He's faces were heavy.

Although he didn't know what he was doing, Zhou Bo knew clearly in his heart: what was burned along with this scroll of bamboo slips was a fresh life that played an important role in the Han Dynasty and would surely go down in history in the future!
As for Xiao He, he knew a little more than Zhou Bo.

Xiao He knew that what Zhou Bo witnessed was the burning process of this bamboo slip.

As for myself, I will witness the number one hero of the Han Dynasty, the unique famous general in the past 500 years, under my own witness, like the bonfire in front of me, slowly burn out the last trace of life...

After an unknown amount of time, a burst of thick smoke rose suddenly from the blazing fire.

The land man seemed to be choked by the thick smoke, and sent a gust of wind at the right time, blowing away the pile of black powder that could not be seen from its original appearance.

Seeing this, Zhou Bo stepped forward and squatted down, picked up a wooden branch, and turned it over carefully.

After making sure that no harm was left, Zhou Bo threw down the wooden branch, stood up, clapped his hands, and bowed to Xiao He.

"The mission is over, so-and-so, farewell!"

After saying that, without waiting for Xiao He to turn sideways to return the salute, Zhou Bo suddenly rushed into the dead wood forest, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Watching the black cloak disappear from sight, Xiao He couldn't help but sighed leisurely, and shook his head with a gloomy expression.

Looking at the incomparably vast and lifeless dead wood forest in front of him, Xiao He felt an inexplicable sadness welling up in his heart.

"A hundred years ago, this place might have been full of towering giant trees, but today, it is all dead trees..."

"Ah·······"

"Yes······"

"Even if it is dead and rotten, the rotten wood here is still a thing of the mountains and rivers, and it is your Majesty's private property..."

Leisurely lamented, Xiao He couldn't help but smiled miserably, turned around while shaking his head and sighing, and came behind the ox cart.

In the distance, the guard who was watching on tiptoe waved, Xiao He resolutely lifted the curtain and sat in the carriage.

Feeling a little tight in the chest, he simply opened the curtain of the car, but the tightness in the chest did not stop at all, and was relieved a little by the autumn wind blowing.

Xiao He's eyes could not help but once again locked on the endless dead wood forest not far outside the car.

"Binghou Xiaohe..."

"Pingyang Marquis Cao Can..."

"Liu Hou Zhang Liang..."

"Fan Kuai, Marquis of Wuyang..."

"Marquis of Huaiyin, Han Xin..."

Whispering softly, Xiao He looked at the dead wood forest with a little sadness leisurely.

——The rabbit dies and the fox is sad, things hurt its kind...
"Ugh······"

"Today's rotten wood is Huaiyin..."

"I don't know what the future will be, my Marquis Feng, but is this a dead tree?"

"Is there such a forest of rotten trees in Hanzuo Sheji and Gaomiao?"

Thinking secretly, Xiao He finally didn't dare to say what was in his heart.

"Master?"

The coachman waited for the probing voice to come, and finally pulled Xiao He's scattered thoughts back into the carriage which was about ten meters square.

"Let's go."

Mo Ran gave an order, and the ox cart moved slowly towards Chang'an City.

The curtain was drawn by Xiao He.

Xiao He's heart has also been drawn by Liu Bang...
(End of this chapter)