Under the sky

Chapter 219

"Only one of the four brothers of the Yan family can inherit the throne, and I will treat all of you brothers equally."

When his father said this to Yan Xuting, Yan Xuting was only eight years old. His two brothers had heard this sentence earlier than him. He knew that his fourth brother would hear the same words when he was eight years old.

It is said that after hearing this, the eldest brother went to the three younger brothers and said, "Dad said that one of you can be the leader in the future, which is amazing."

This was what the second brother said. He said that his father probably had given up hope on his eldest brother at that time.

Yan Xuting couldn't help but smile.

Being the leader is what dad expects from all the brothers.When they were young, they saw how their uncle treated their father with respect and sincerity. They were afraid of offending their father with just one word. Even though he was his eldest brother and was favored by his father, he was only his subordinate after all. His father treated him just like he treated other subordinates. Same as next.

No matter how noble your status is, as long as you become a dog, you are still a dog.The second uncle was idle at home, and several of his unpopular cousins ​​could only find jobs in Chang'an. Occasionally, they would go to the uncle's place, and had to be looked down upon by the other cousins, which was a bad outcome even for dogs.

The fourth brother is useless. He is not as good as his elder brother in studying and practicing martial arts. He is ridiculed a lot by himself and the second brother.Every time he bullies the younger brother, the eldest brother will step in to stop him.The fourth brother knew very early that he would not be the next leader. He left Huashan when he was 19 years old and went out to make a living as the legitimate son of Huashan.

Dad didn't stop her, which was a good thing, even though he later became Tang Jueyan's personal bodyguard.This is not a shame. If he can marry Tang Jueyan and marry into the Tang clan, the fourth brother will immediately gain an advantage in the fight for the headship, and at least he will be able to gain strong support for Huashan.

Then he died in Tangmen territory without any explanation.

The eldest brother was very sad and cried for several days, which made himself and the second brother look unsympathetic and unreasonable. He didn't know whether to cry with him or to comfort the eldest brother.His father's face was livid. He didn't know whether he was more sad or angry. Was he ever sad about the death of his fourth brother?
Sometimes when I think about getting along with my fourth brother, most of the time I have my eldest brother by my side.The eldest brother is the one who has the most control in the family. He takes his younger brother to study, practices martial arts with him, and even gets scolded for his younger brother. Later, his younger sister Yingping was born. If he can breastfeed his aunt, he probably has to do it himself.

The eldest brother has always reminded the brothers of one thing, even if they lose the leader, brothers are still brothers after all.Why is he so naive?

"There are [-] horses and [-] disciples gathered. The problem is that there is no food." Jiang Hao said, "The granaries in Hanzhong have been burned down."

"Where are the people?" Yan Xuting looked around. Although the people in Hanzhong had just recovered from the shock, they were not in a hurry.He asked: "Didn't they burn the people's food?"

"No, there is no time." Jiang Hao said, "Unless we burn the city. They only stayed in Hanzhong for two days and left, so they can't scrape the land."

Yan Xuting gathered the remaining troops in the north of Hanzhong and joined Yan Jiuling. He planned to recapture Hanzhong, but when he heard the news of Qingcheng's withdrawal, he returned to Hanzhong and spent another three days gathering the remaining troops.

"Dad always said that if you are not ruthless enough, there will be trouble in the future." Yan Xuting said, "They should burn the city, drive the people north, and drag us down."

Jiang Hao didn't ask any more questions. He knew what the Third Young Master was thinking - to plunder the Hanzhong people's remaining food for the winter to fight this war.

"Chase!" Yan Xuting said, "block their way to Micang Road!"

Once entering Micang Road, the narrow road is not conducive to cavalry and is dangerous and difficult to navigate.

"I'm afraid it's too late." Jiang Hao said, "They have been gone for two days, why not wait for the reinforcements sent by the master."

"Fuck! That's my brother! Two of them!" Yan Xuting roared loudly, then got on his horse, "The cavalry goes first! The uncle will lead the rest of the disciples to follow!"

The fifteen hundred riders galloped for a day and finally caught up with the Qingcheng team.They saw the enemy troops at the rear. The leader was wearing thin armor and holding a silver gun. Yan Xuting ordered an assault.

With the sound of swords and bows and arrows like rain, Yan Xuting personally risked the arrows and led his troops to attack three times in a row, but in vain. It was not until more than [-] cavalry were left that he withdrew due to Jiang Hao's obstruction and watched Qingcheng's troops disappear.

"Catch up! We must catch up!" After meeting Yan Jiuling, Yan Xuting once again led his army to catch up.

Besides catching up, there is one more important thing.As early as after the fall of Hanzhong, he immediately sent people from Jinzhou West Road to Nanchong to inform his second brother that if he could retreat before the Qingcheng attack, he could kill those sons of bitches on Micang Road. Bare.

The most important thing is that letter, which must be delivered to the second brother as soon as possible.

■

"Bite tight." Wei Xihou caught up with the front army, and the Qingcheng disciples had arrived at the entrance of Micang Road.Micang Road is narrow and difficult to navigate, so Xie Gubai ordered the camp to be set up and allowed the disciples to enter in order.

Xie Gubai said: "There is no food in Huashan, so don't worry too much."

"They have food." Wei Xihou said, "You have forgotten that the people of Hanzhong also have to spend the winter."

"Those are the people of Huashan and have nothing to do with Qingcheng." Xie Gubai replied.He knew that if he burned the city, he could still delay Huashan for a few days, but he did not have the luxury of scraping the land. Not only could he not take away too much food and grass, but it would also slow down the march. At the same time, he was also worried that a civil commotion would cause unrest, so the top priority was to enter Mi Cang Road.

Someone has been sent to Qingcheng. As long as Shen Yuqing receives the letter, he will ask Master Ya to surround them and annihilate them before retreating from Huashan, and then come to rescue them. This victory may continue to expand, and even... a battle And Pinghua Mountain?

Forget it, that's too difficult, let's not make such delusions for now, Xie Gubai thought.

The most important thing now is the letter, which must be delivered as soon as possible.

■

"Slow down!" Old Tang Cake called to Zhang Han.

Zhang Han reined in the horse and kicked up the gravel rolling into the valley. For a long time, a muffled sound echoed, so thin that you couldn't hear it clearly even if you didn't pay close attention.

"Is this the way those dog paws from Qingcheng came from?" He picked up the kettle and took a few sips. "You bastard bitch, fuck! Fuck you!"

"This road is not fast, the distance is long, and it is too fast for the horse to carry." Old Tang Cake said, "Do you think it is a post station delivering messages, eight hundred miles a day?"

"Fuck!" Zhang Han cursed again.

Old Tang Cake said: "Have a rest and eat."

People need to rest, and horses also need to rest. I don’t know how long this thousand-mile journey will take.

It is said that the road to Shu is difficult, and it is difficult to reach the blue sky. It has many mountains, twists and turns, and a thin line of road, with old trees and hanging rocks.Zhang Han had heard of it but had never walked it. It was not until today that he saw how difficult it was to walk on the road to Shu. In some places, there was only enough room for two horses to walk side by side. Sometimes there were deep valleys on both sides, and sometimes the cliffs were steep and undulating.

I really don’t know how those people from Qingcheng got here...

The wind was so strong that it seemed like it could blow people down the mountain, but in fact it really could blow people down the mountain.Old Tang Cake said that when the wind is strong, you have to look up and pay attention. There may be falling rocks blowing down the mountain. With a smacking sound, a good-looking person may look like a good-looking person at the first glance, but turn into a sticky rotten pie the next.You have to be especially careful around your feet. If there are moss and brittle rocks, if your feet slip, you and your horse will fall to death on the pile of rocks at the bottom of the mountain.

Old Tang Cake was the leader and the only one among the group who had walked this road.

Zhang Han rested against the mountain wall, looking up from time to time to pay attention.Lu Jiao and Kong Congchun sat far away from each other. This was Lao Tang Cake's special instruction, so as not to kill a group of people with one stone.

He was indeed hungry. He took out pancakes and dried meat from his luggage and chewed them slowly. The three-finger-wide jade pendant tied with a red string hung sideways on his chest, which was particularly eye-catching.

He took this off from a Qingcheng squad leader.That happened during the Great War in Hanzhong. Zhang Han fled back to the city with the defeated army. The squad leader followed the Qingcheng army and rushed to kill him. He was caught up. The squad leader was very skilled in martial arts. He saw this man chop down two brothers with his own eyes.He was very scared when fighting this man, and used all the skills in his head randomly. If this man had not dodged the frightened horse and hit the cart behind him with his knife, he would not have been able to hit the opponent's chest with his own knife.

At that time, he felt that he had hit something strange, something hard, and it didn't look like he had hit flesh.The man did not fall down immediately, but instead swung his knife to fight back. He struck two or three more times like crazy, until he was sure that the other person was dead before he stood up panting.Panting, his feet felt weak at first, but then became hard again. When he was about to run away, he caught a glimpse of a red rope around the man's neck. He pulled it off and saw that it was a jade pendant. Was this what the knife had just struck?He put the jade pendant into his arms, turned around and ran away.

After killing someone, you become more courageous.He escaped from Hanzhong with the defeated army, and then took the jade pendant for a closer look.It was an octagonal piece of white jade, with one corner broken and a shallow scratch on it, probably made by his own knife.There were carvings on the jade, and it looked like it was worth a lot of money. He hung the jade pendant on his body, and deliberately hung it outside his clothes. Whenever anyone asked, he said he took it from a Qingcheng team captain.

This was his heroic feat, the feat he took away from those bastard bitches in Qingcheng.

"It's time to set off." Old Tang Cake said, "Be careful where you step."

"How long will it take?" Zhang Han asked.

"This road is about seven hundred miles. Let's hurry up. We can walk a hundred and twenty to fifty miles in one day and we can reach Tongzhou in five to six days. That's the boundary of Qingcheng. Let's be careful. We can feel at ease when we reach the Second Young Master's camp."

"For the lives of our family." Old Tang Cake said.

They all signed military orders. If they did not deliver the letter to the second young master, they would be executed.They all know how strict Huashan's military law is.

Zhang Han hated the Qingcheng people to death. They broke into Hanzhong, killed many brothers and comrades in arms, forced the Huashan disciples out of Hanzhong, burned the granaries, and made many people homeless.If it weren't for Qingcheng, I wouldn't be living in this barren mountain.

The horses were walking on the road, and soon they heard the sound of horse hooves, some haste. "Stop!" Old Tang Cake shouted to stop the team.Everyone reined in their horses and looked back. On the winding road about ten feet away, a figure emerged from the mountain wall. Judging from the color of his clothes... he was a disciple of Qingcheng?

Zhang Han pressed his hand on the handle of the knife, and Lao Tang Cake immediately stopped him.Several more figures emerged from behind the mountain wall, two, three, four...it turned out to be four people as well.

The Qingcheng disciples were shocked when they saw them. The two sides stared at each other from a distance of more than ten feet. Now they were really enemies, and the road was really narrow.

Fight or not?
The number of people is equal, and everyone is not sure. Even if they win the battle on such a small road, they don't know how many people will be killed or injured.If they were all seriously injured, where would they go to seek help in the wilderness?If you die...

Zhang Han thought of his parents and grandparents. The daughter-in-law he married just last year was pregnant and had to be buried with him.

The Qingcheng disciples had no intention of rushing over, maybe they had the same consideration. After a long time, the leading middle-aged man with a mustache twirled his beard, smiled and gestured for them to go ahead.

Lao Tang Cake gently rode his horse: "Let's go!" If Lao Tang Cake walks slowly, Qingcheng's team will be slower. If Lao Tang Cake walks fast, Qingcheng's team will be faster. Because of the different road conditions, he will follow sometimes near and sometimes far away. There is no trace of him, and he has been missing by about twenty feet recently.

Zhang Han and his party were on alert. They had to pay attention to the top of their heads and their feet. They had to look back from time to time to see if Qingcheng was doing anything weird.catapult?Isn’t this what Qingcheng disciples are best at?Or a bow and arrow?Although I didn't see them wearing bows and arrows.Zhang Han's neck was almost broken. He was impatient, irritable and angry. He just wanted to kill these Qingcheng dogs with his own hands.

When we set up camp on the first night, we saw no one from Qingcheng - they should have set up camp in the open space in front of us.

Zhang Han felt that his neck was so hard that he could break it with just one break.

"Do you know where this jade pendant came from?" Beside the campfire, Zhang Han held the jade pendant and rubbed it, boasting about his military exploits. "It was taken from a squad leader in Qingcheng. It has the same beard as the leader. I recognize the clothes. "

"I have never killed the squad leader," Lu Jiao said, "but I have killed a Qingcheng disciple in Hanzhong."

"A squad leader is much more difficult to deal with than an ordinary disciple." Zhang Han said.

"I killed two and cut off one leg. During the water battle in Yinghu Lake," Kong Congchun said, "Qingcheng disciples were swimming on the water. I stabbed them with a spear on the boat, and followed my brothers and killed two of them."

"That's poking a drowned dog." Lu Jiao said, "A group of people helped poke it."

The three of them looked at Old Tang Cake together. He was in his forties, a squad leader, skilled in martial arts, and must have many innocent souls under his command.

"Old soup cake, what are your impressive deeds?" Zhang Han asked.

"A matter of prestige?" Old Tang Cake stuffed the branches into the fire, making a popping sound.

"More than twenty years ago, when I was working as an errand in Gufendi, I had a conflict with Shaolin disciples. There were about [-] of us and forty people on the other side. It was a good fight. All the brothers were dead. I was hit by a knife and hid in It was in a sauce jar and was not found."

"Ten...three years ago?" He counted on his fingers. "I and other disciples went to suppress horse bandits. We were hit by an arrow in the thigh. I was unconscious for three days before I woke up."

"Last year, I followed the Third Young Master to Gansu to propose marriage. I was robbed and killed by Peng Xiaobei in Tianshui. I have never seen anyone with such high martial arts skills in my life. Leader Wu was forced to retreat. I mustered up the courage to fight and kill Peng Xiaobei. The beggar stabbed him, but was kicked in the face. Several of his breastbones were broken. He hid in a pile of corpses and pretended to be dead until the Iron Sword Silver Guard came to rescue him."

"During the Battle of Yinghu Lake, the boat I was riding on sank. I dived into the water. The surface of the river was full of arrows. I was holding my breath and didn't dare to stick my head out. I swam more than twenty feet straight and almost fainted. .”

"In the end, there was the Battle of Hanzhong. I was among the first batch of people to escape from Hanzhong."

Zhang Han was stunned. Is this the most impressive thing about Lao Tang Cake?

Old Tang Cake's dirty eyes scanned the puzzled and surprised faces of the three people in sequence: "Surviving is the most important and most prestigious thing."

"Tonight's vigil, there will be a shift every hour, and everyone has to sleep. You have to sleep peacefully and soundly." After Old Tang Cake finished speaking, he got up and went straight into the tent.

Breaking camp early the next morning, the group of Qingcheng disciples followed them again.Zhang Han felt that every hair on his body stood on end.How do you say something?What's the thorn in the back?He felt as if Qingcheng was holding a dagger against his spine. If he hadn't wanted to deliver a message, he would have turned back and fought with those people to the death.

The letter that the Third Young Master sent to the Second Young Master was the most important, related to the lives of their family.

"Why not let them leave first?" Lu Jiao asked.Zhang Han also had the same question. Those in front must always beware of those behind.

"After exiting the intersection, we are in the Qingcheng territory. He went out before us. If he shouts when he reaches the sect, we will all be arrested." Old Tang Cake said.

After walking like this for another day, Old Tang Cake quickened his pace, as if he wanted to get away from them.In the afternoon, there is a long and narrow road, about enough for two horses to walk parallel.This section of the road is very long, with almost no open space in the middle. At dusk, Lao Tang Cake asked someone to light a torch, slow down the horse's pace, and proceed cautiously.They haven't eaten yet, Zhang Han's stomach keeps growling, and the bunch of bitches in Qingcheng are always following him.

"We can only camp here. Once it gets dark, it will be dangerous to travel." Old Tang Cake frowned.Finally I found an open space, not small, but not big either, about ten feet in diameter, with a mountain wall on the left and a deep valley on the right.

The Qingcheng disciples were whispering to each other twenty feet behind, wondering what they were discussing.The road was narrow and it was too dangerous for them to set up tents on the spot. The team leader with a mustache suddenly rode closer.There was still a smile on his face.

Almost everyone put their hands on the hilt of the knife.

"Ha! Huashan brothers, my surname is Xu, and my name is Dongjia Xu." The mustachioed team leader introduced his subordinates with a smile, as if introducing friends. "The three brothers behind me, one is named Sun Sandao, the other is Wu Mansong, Er Er The one with the black spots is called Chen Hei'er."

"I didn't ask for your name!" Zhang Han shouted, "Go back!"

Lao Tang Cake stepped forward and cupped his hands and said, "My surname is Tang, just call me Lao Tang Cake. Do you have any advice?"

"I think we are all just on the road, borrowing a piece of land to get some tips." Xu Dongjia said with a smile, "Don't invade each other."

"One road, two people, who can trust whom?" Old Tang Cake said, "You have to suffer for a night, and everyone will be safe."

"Are you the messengers?" Xu Dongjia said, "We are going back to Qingcheng. Each one has his own master on the battlefield. This is either a battlefield or two groups of people, each going his own way."

"You are also delivering messages?" Old Tang Cake chuckled twice, "If you can't deliver, are you going to kill everyone?"

"Qingcheng does not have such tyrannical military orders." Xu Dongjia said, "But it is your duty to treat death as home."

"Do you think Huashan disciples are afraid of death?" Zhang Han shouted, "I have killed people like you before!"

"This does not need to be a battlefield." Xu Dongjia said, "The most important thing for us is to deliver the message. The sooner it is delivered, the better. You go first, and we will walk slowly, with both feet in mind. Four against four, you will die. When we die, no one's news is delivered, we only have four heads, and you are killing four families - you don't take advantage."

Old Tang Cake pondered for a long time, pointed to the edge of the cliff and said, "I will give you the land on the edge of the cliff, we will rely on the mountain."

Zhang Han said in shock: "Old soup cake!"

"Thank you." Xu Dongjia thanked him with his hands and waved for the other three people to come over.Several people set up a campfire, unloaded their horses and piled their luggage on the edge of the cliff, and then took out a small urn and pot.

pot?Not long after, Zhang Han smelled the aroma of meat and dough.They actually brought large pieces of bacon, pancakes, and pickles!
Huashan was without food after its defeat from Hanzhong. The dry food and dried meat Zhang Han had on him was scraped from the food stocks found by the folks in Hanzhong.When the Qingcheng group left Hanzhong, there was so much food that they had to set fire to it again, including large pieces of bacon and pancakes and pickles.

How the hell could he swallow this breath!Zhang Han suddenly stood up, pointed at the other person and yelled: "You are eating food from Huashan!"

That Chen Hei'er laughed and said, "I am from Qingcheng now. Is there a name written on the bacon?"

"Fuck your mother!" Zhang Han drew his sword. When the other party saw this, he also stood up and drew his sword. Lu Jiao and Kong Congchun stood up and drew their swords at the same time, and the two sides became tense.

"Get it clear, fuck!" The man named Wu Mansong pointed the tip of his knife at Zhang Han's eyebrows, "It was you Huashan who violated our Qingcheng border first, and you broke the rules first! We lost the battle, and Hanzhong was lost. You are shameless and shameless to come here. You naughty bitch! Damn it, the wife who stole my uncle’s wife is not even as cheap as you!”

"I stole! I stole from your mother, so I gave birth to this son of a bitch like you!" Kong Congchun yelled.

"The old demon Niger was inaccurate, and the head of the head borrowed the troops to fight Hengshan, and did your Qingcheng fart!" Lu Jiao cursed, "Is your head the son of the demon nun or the little bit?

"Fuck your mother!" Sun Sandao scolded, "Which grandson escaped from Hanzhong naked with their farts and urine? Want to eat meat?" He turned around and raised his buttocks, "Come and eat my shit, there is still something in it. There’s minced meat!”

Both sides became angry and yelled. A loud "clang" sound was heard, and the sound echoed in the valley. Both sides were shocked at the same time. It turned out that it was Xu Dongjia who hit the pot noodles with the knife surface and made the loud noise.

Old Tang Cake shouted: "Everyone be quiet! Zhang Han, step back!"

Zhang Han was scolded and suppressed his anger and retreated to the campfire.

Xu Dongjia smiled and nodded at the old soup cake, and said: "Everyone put away their weapons and sit down."

The three Qingcheng disciples then sat down angrily.

"Old soup cake, what does this mean?" Zhang Han lowered his voice, "Do you have any plans?"

"Send the letter to the second young master as soon as possible. This is the most important thing. Don't let me keep reminding you. Don't cause trouble and everyone goes their own way." Old Tang Cake said.

"Can you trust them?" Zhang Han said, "They must have other plans!"

"Vigil tonight, be energetic." Old Tang Cake looked at Xu Dong's house meaningfully.

Zhang Han was very energetic. He and Sun Sandao glared at each other for an hour, and even after returning to the tent, he could not sleep peacefully.These sons of bitches must have an ulterior motive and want to block our news?He thought about it, holding the knife tightly in his arms and rubbing the jade pendant.

Of course Zhang Han had this idea because he thought it would be best to get the other party's letter.Although I want to, I don’t dare.Neither party knew the details, Lao Tang Cake didn't want to take the risk, and Zhang Han didn't want to risk his family's life.

There was a loud "snap" sound, horses neighed, and figures outside the camp shook, and Zhang Han suddenly woke up.Those sons of bitches really took action! ?

He stood up and opened the tent with a knife, only to see Lu Jiao sitting on the ground, the horses tumbling and neighing, the bonfire swaying in the strong wind, Kong Congchun was fighting fiercely with Chen Heier, and Wu Mansong came over with a knife. .The tension and anger that had been suppressed for a long time finally broke out. Zhang Han shouted and slashed at Wu Mansong with one knife.Wu Mansong took the sword horizontally, and Sun Sandao slashed at him with his sword, shouting: "Kill you sons of bitches!"

Blood splattered.

(End of this chapter)