Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Soon after, the sun rising from the horizon dispelled the morning fog, and the boundless wetlands on both sides of the Liaohe River could be clearly seen.Hundreds of waterfowl rise from the reeds and pass over the heads of travelers.In the reeds on the bank, there are birds scrambling, splashing water, flapping wings, and courtship calls everywhere. It seems that these birds are also having a big party.

As the boat passed Laoyekou, the river began to turn southeast, and the two sides became gentler, and there were many more river forks. These river forks were covered with forests of rushes, reeds and various aquatic plants. Many waterfowl inhabit it, looking at the black crows in the past, and there are many fewer boats on the river.

What is shown in front of Dahe Huai'en is such a wild and wild land.Due to the sweltering climate, there are all kinds of mosquitoes everywhere, some of which are as big as a person's little finger, and they bite people so badly that if one is killed, there will be blood on the hand.

At night, Dahe Huai'en arrived in Hangan, which means "a place with a lot of fish" in the words of the local natives. This is a small island in the middle of the river, and they will spend the night here.When the boat just docked, crowds of natives gathered around and looked at the group of uninvited guests curiously. Most of them wore fish-skin tanned clothes. In order to avoid mosquito bites, their bare skin They were all tarred and had a nasty smell.

These fishermen were even more savage than the nomads of the meadows.At this time of year, they gather here to salvage the catches in the river and dry the fish. This is a tough and smelly business, but it is also very profitable. Every summer, the migratory fish schools upstream will gather at On the river, even without fishing nets, many fish can be killed with wooden oars, and the whole island is full of fishy smell.

"Why do we have to live in this ghostly place?" the boy servant asked, "Even if we live on a boat, this island smells like fish, it stinks to death!"

Dahe Wynn didn't speak, he smiled: "You think dead fish smell bad, but in fact, dead fish smell much better than dead people!"

"Dead?" The boy servant was stunned: "What do you mean, sir?"

Dahe Huai'en pointed to the distance: "Did you see it? Do you know what those dots are? "

The boy servant looked at Da He Huai'en's fingers, and saw a little light flashing in the distance. From the distance, it should be the shore: "I don't know, what are those?"

"That's the pine nuts lit on the grassland. It's only used by people who are driving at night!" Da He Huai'en sighed: "There are actually people driving at night on the grassland. It's going to be a mess!" After that, he didn't wait After the boy servant spoke, he walked to the market not far away.

As soon as the next day dawned, Dahe Huai'en boarded the boat again and continued to drive downstream. There were fewer and fewer boats on the water, and the banks on both sides became more and more deserted. There were no farmhouses or villages in sight, only occasional sightings by the river. The safari hunters in the reeds mainly hunt and kill wild animals with rich fur such as otters, and then sell the fur to traders.Even the boy servant stopped asking questions, he was used to the wildness around him.

In the evening, the boat arrived at Uerta, which is the farthest Shouzhuo City in Liaodong of the Tang Dynasty. Passing through here, disembarking and going north is the real barren land.It is said to be a city, but it is actually just a small stone village with less than [-] steps around it. The soldiers guarding the village are either sinners exiled from the interior, or local gangsters serving in the Tang Dynasty.Although Da He Huai'en is a general in the Tang Songmo Dudu's Mansion, according to the military law here, no one is allowed to enter the city as soon as it gets dark, so he can only spend the night in the village outside the city.Their living quarters are terrible, that is, the kind of semi-underground mud houses. These houses are so small that you even have to crawl on your knees and hands to enter them. They are called underground nests by the locals.

Because there will be attacks from other barbarians at any time, in order to avoid being used by the attackers, once there are signs of enemies, the guards in the city will destroy all the houses outside, so no one will come here Spend effort building a better home.The people living in these houses are all vagrants of unknown origin, including Han farmers who lost their land, Mohe exiles expelled by tribes, Baekje people and Goguryeo people who fled after the subjugation of the country.

Everyone here looks out for themselves and doesn't like to meddle in other people's business. No one grows crops because someone will grab them when they harvest. Some of them fish for a living, some are bootleggers, and some can repair weapons. Armor, some can tan fur, each has its own special skills, even the guards in the city turn a blind eye to them.

In the early morning of the next day, Dahe Huai'en came to the city, and he asked his subordinates to blow the horn.The guards in the city immediately learned that Liucheng's military envoys had arrived.

The envoy's name is Modolosheng, a man over fifty years old, with a gloomy look, only one eye, and a height of nearly two meters, just like the one-eyed giant spirit in mythology.His face, which had suffered from smallpox, was covered with pockmarks, as if a piece of cowhide had been sprinkled with white sesame seeds.

Years of living in a place where there are more beasts than humans has made him more stern and rough, but he is a real soldier, guarding the place vigilantly like a white stork, and his one eye seems to never be used. Close up, staring at the barbarians in the distance, but also at the guards inside the city. To be honest, it's hard to say which one is more dangerous, these guards or the barbarians outside.

He often got up from the bed irregularly and patrolled the sentry. If he found any mistakes, he would order the wrongdoers to be hanged. For him, whipping and sticks are already a kind of mercy.However, he is also a generous person, never withholding military pay, and can distribute the spoils of war fairly, so the soldiers in the city admire and fear him at the same time.

"I've heard of your reputation!" Mo Dolousheng welcomed Dahe Huai'en into his room and poured honey wine for him: "Anyone who can be a shooter here is a good man! Yes Now, where are you going when you pass by this time?"

"North!" Dahe Huai'en pointed out, "what's the matter, is there any news here?"

"There is going to be a war!"

"Is there going to be a war?" Dahe Huai'en asked, "What did you hear?"

"Heard the wind?" There was a smile on Modo Lousheng's ugly face, which made people look even more terrifying: "You don't need to see or listen, just smell it with your nose. The place was filled with the smell of war. The leaders on both sides of the river were drying dried fish for army rations, and the young and strong boys were heading north in groups. They crossed the river and headed for a destination. Give me 3000 men, and I'll cut them all down if I can, hang the leader from a tree, and drive the rest back. These guys are hungry for war and plunder, really, I doubt they've got 10 people!"

"So many? Are you talking about the fake Goguryeo king?"

"Who else is there?" Modolousheng sighed: "The traitor Jian Mou Cen made a little baby as king, saying that he was the grandson of the last king of Goguryeo. The Luo people sent troops to support them. Seriously, if you stay here for an extra month, you can see these guys, and they will definitely not let this place go!"

"Can you hold it here?"

"I can only do my best!" Modolo took a sip of wine: "You have seen all the situation. I have a total of 200 people guarding this small stockade. Half of them are criminals from Hebei and Shandong. half of the country are local savages. I want my soldiers to do what they are ordered to do, and I will do what they are told to do. I am ordered to stand, and I stand. I am ordered to lie down, and I am to lie down. If I fight, I will fight until my last breath, if it is destined to be like this, I also know how a man should die!"

"Can't we ask for some reinforcements?" Da He Huai'en asked, "Build the walls higher and dig the trenches deeper!"

"Reinforcement?" Modo Lousheng's terrifying face made a grimace: "Damn it, of course I asked, but do you know how the Shangguan answered me? Most of the young and strong soldiers have already been transferred to the west to fight Tubo Barbarians, even my two sons have gone, and the rest have to support the Ungjin Governor's Mansion and Pyongyang. There are Silla people looking for trouble there, and even Liucheng is guarded by some old and weak. I urged I got impatient, and finally sent 200 people to me—they are all young children like willow branches, who can't even draw a bow, and I really don't know where to put them!"

"I saw a lot of people in those mud houses outside the city, all of them are strong and strong men, why don't you recruit them!"

"I don't know their details!" Modolosheng sneered, "There are all kinds of people there. Letting them enter the city is like throwing a poisonous scorpion into the bed."

"Okay!" Dahe Huai'en sighed, and he took a sip of wine: "I have brought you bad news. Chief Xue led 1 troops to fight against Tubo, and was defeated in Dafeichuan. Only less than [-] Thousands of people escaped back!"

"There are less than 1 people——" Modolo Sheng's face froze, this man like steel became old in an instant, Dahe Wynn noticed that his shoulders had collapsed, and tears flowed from the corners of his eyes, he couldn't help regretting After saying these words, he knew that the two men who followed Xue Rengui to Longyou were the only blood relatives Modolo was born in this world.

"This is just the news I heard, maybe not—" Dahe Huai'en explained.

"That's all!" Mo Duoluo turned his head and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes: "There will always be a day when there will be a murderer, and there is nothing to be sad about. What is the court going to do next?"

"I don't know, but I must fight again!" Da He Huai'en said.

"Hmm!" The old man's face became a little more angry: "Victory and defeat are a common matter in military affairs. The Tubo people have offended the majesty of the Tang emperor, how can they just stop like this? By the way, what do you want me to do?" ?”

"I'm planning to go overland, and I need a good guide!"

"No problem, I will prepare it for you later!" Modo Lousheng stood up and looked down at Dahe Huai'en: "I don't know what you are going out for this time, but I know that a good guy like you is here I will definitely not lie on the bed wasting time, do it well!"

After leaving Ulta, Dahe Huai'en and his party continued to head north.As Modo Lousheng said earlier, they can often see groups of young and strong men heading northeastward on the grasslands. These hurried men are holding simple weapons and wearing leather and linen cloth Like the poorest savages.But their faces were shining with excitement, as if something was motivating them.

"Lang Jun, what are these guys going to do?" The boy servant asked in a low voice, "It looks like they are on a pilgrimage to worship a Bodhisattva? Do you want me to go and inquire?"

"Alright!" Dahe Huai'en looked at the boy servant. This boy servant has been with him for five or six years, and he is only fifteen or sixteen years old. He has a friendly face and pleasant words. It's really good to inquire about news.

The boy servant responded and rode his horse over. Soon he came back and said, "They said they are going to join the good king!"

"Good king?" Dahe Huai'en frowned, but he still couldn't think of anyone worthy of this title. If it had to be said, the only one who had something to do with "good king" was King Gwanggaeto of Goguryeo. But the problem is that this person is from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, more than 300 years ago.He thought about it for a while, then he rode his horse and chased after the group of men, and asked, "Who is the good king you mentioned just now, why haven't I heard of it?"

Seeing Dahe Wynn's appearance, those people knew that he was not an ordinary person, and they didn't hide it, so they started to tell.It turned out that the good king they were referring to was a puppet supported by Jian Mucen, the Goguryeo rebel force at that time.In order to prevent the remnants of Goguryeo from supporting the members of the Goguryeo royal family after the retreat, the Tang army took away all the royal family members they could find.But Jian Mucen had no choice but to find An Shun, the grandson of the penultimate king of Goguryeo, as a signboard. In order to increase his appeal, he claimed that An Shun was the reincarnation of Gao Tande, the famous Gwanggaetu king in Goguryeo history. , became a "good king".

"The surname is not the same surname, so you have to stick it up. Isn't this a joke?" The boy servant laughed when he heard this.

"The centipede is dead but not stiff. Goguryeo has been established in Liaodong for six to seven hundred years, and its appeal is really extraordinary!" Dahe Huai'en sighed: "This matter should not be so simple, there should be people behind it! "

"You just went there, for what?" Dahe Huai'en asked: "This is not a joke. Datang just destroyed Goguryeo. If you know this kind of thing, you will definitely send troops to conquer it. What will you do then?"

"We are not afraid!" A young and strong man at the head said with a smile: "The gods are no longer on the side of the Tang. If we can drive away the Tang people, we can all become high officials!" (End of this chapter)