The great man will live forever

Chapter 240: The trapped dragon ascends to heaven (comforting Hebei)
Fatty Liu and his two followers followed the black jade unicorn all the way, following carefully so that he would not be discovered.They carefully observed every move of the black jade unicorn, trying to find a safe way into the alchemy room of Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum.

They carefully passed through the dark passage and groped forward in the darkness.

Unfortunately, despite Fatty Liu's caution, the trap caught him by surprise.

"what!"

"Du Qiang!"

One of the followers accidentally stepped on the mechanism and was killed instantly.Fatty Liu felt a little sad and wanted to save him, but it was too late. Du Qiang, the follower, fell directly. As for what was below, he could already predict that he would not survive.

He was deeply saddened, but he knew there was no time to grieve but to move on.

"Qiuer, we have to be more careful on the road ahead. If you are afraid, just go back." He turned to look at another follower.

"General, you saved my life and Lao Du's. Without you, we would have died long ago."

Qiu Er shook his head and refused, with tears in his eyes, filled with sadness and determination.

"Okay, then you must be careful later."

Fatty Liu continued to move forward with another entourage.They finally arrived at the alchemy room, but they did not expect that the black jade unicorn was already waiting there. The black jade unicorn looked at them with cold eyes.

In fact, the black jade unicorn had already noticed their presence when the mechanism was triggered.

"I didn't expect a mouse to sneak in. Who are you?"

He looked at Fatty Liu and saw that there were only two people. He relaxed a lot. He felt impressed, but he couldn't remember it. After all, it had been 30 years. Fatty Liu returned to the hotel after being introduced by Wang Mang's servants Xia Xia and Dongmu. He worked as a janitor for a few days.

Fatty Liu burst out laughing, laughing and crying, "Who am I, haha, who am I? You killed my Xiaocui and asked me who I am?"

And that Taoist priest, who killed my eldest brother and my second brother, where is he now?What kind of monster is you?After so many years, I haven’t aged yet, and my skin will shed. I remembered that the corpse outside Xindu City was skinless. Could it be that your skin came from him?Is he Wang Mang?No wonder Wang Mang's personality was different before and after, and he killed his son many times. "

"It turns out it's you. It's been more than 30 years. I thought you were dead. My husband asked me to pay attention to you. I haven't paid attention to you yet. I thought it was a little shrimp. I didn't expect to be able to enter here. It's awesome. Now that you're here, don't leave. ."

A low roar cut through the silence of the alchemy room, and the black jade unicorn launched an attack. He pulled out the soft sword from his waist and stabbed directly.

"kill!"

Fatty Liu held the long sword in his hand tightly. The sword's light was like lightning, and he struggled to resist the fierce attack of the black jade unicorn.With many years of swordsmanship training and combat experience, he has demonstrated excellent swordsmanship skills.

The attendant Qiu Er on the side also drew his long sword, and together, one on the left and one on the right, they attacked the black jade unicorn.

He was an old fox for hundreds of years. He had been a killer during the Warring States Period. His figure was as agile as a swallow, and his sword skills were wild and exquisite. Every time he swung his sword, he accurately pointed at Fatty Liu's vitals. With one against two, he actually... Not falling behind at all.

"Clang clang!"

The long swords intertwined and cut through the night sky, making a harsh metal collision sound.

The black jade unicorn attacked fiercely and with ease. He had a strong body and ferocious attack power. There was a mocking smile on his ferocious face, and his body flashed quickly, setting off a whirlwind around Fatty Liu.

Fatty Liu moved his steps and quickly dodged to one side. The murderous sword passed by him, bringing with it drops of blood.

"General." Qiu Er's expression changed drastically.

"Leave me alone, kill, I just want him to die."

Fatty Liu had a fierce look in his eyes. He had been waiting for this day for 30 years. Regardless of his injuries, he turned from passive to active and struck with a sword-flower slash. The sword light was like a blooming flower, slashing towards the black jade unicorn.

The black jade unicorn roared angrily, without giving in, and jumped up suddenly, dodging the fatal blow of Sword Flower Slash.However, Fatty Liu used a series of sword techniques, and a series of sword lights struck the black jade unicorn, blocking its escape.

The more Fatty Liu fought, the crazier he became. He let out bursts of roars. Qiuer on the side suddenly turned into a black shadow and swept towards the black jade unicorn. The two danced with a thousand layers of sword flowers, forming an invisible sword net, forcing Qiuer to Jade Qilin can no longer get close to them...

This is destined to be a battle of blood and fire, a struggle between life and fate. Even though the black jade unicorn is highly skilled in martial arts, Fatty Liu and his men are not bad at all. They came from the pile of dead people of the rebel army and cannot be killed. Few people.

Especially Fatty Liu, who has experienced too much over the years, and his martial arts skills are constantly improving. He is even more desperate in his fighting style. He does not care about his injuries at all. He and his confidant Qiu Er suppressed Black Jade for a while. Kirin
Masters often fight very quickly, and the fight seems fierce, but the time is very short, only a moment later.

"Ah!" The black jade unicorn found the right opportunity, and the soft sword was about to pierce Fatty Liu's chest. He had no time to hide, and his heart went cold when he saw him. Qiuer on the side rushed forward, blocking this fatal blow. one strike.

"Pfft" Blood spurted from Qiu Er's body onto Fatty Liu's face. Qiu Er, regardless of his injuries, hugged the black jade unicorn's sword fiercely and held his hand to prevent him from breaking away.

He was using his own life to buy this time for Fatty Liu. The black jade unicorn's face changed drastically, and he was about to let go, but Qiuer rushed forward again and hugged his leg tightly.

Fatty Liu seized the opportunity and quickly killed him. The black jade unicorn kicked Qiuer away, but it was too late. He rolled around, but he still didn't completely dodge. He was directly slashed by a sword on his arm, and blood spurted out. And out.

"what!"

Fatty Liu didn't care about anything and pursued the victory. The black jade unicorn immediately pulled out another small dagger hidden beside him, and the two began to fight, back and forth.

But after all, the black jade unicorn's hand was injured, and its physical strength and speed were declining. Fatty Liu was going crazy, his eyes were red, and he didn't care about himself at all. With a cruel heart, he directly let the black jade unicorn's dagger plunge into his chest, and then The left hand firmly grasped his hand, and the right hand penetrated the black jade unicorn with the sword...

"I didn't expect that I would fall into your hands. It's okay. Just wait for another life." The black jade unicorn said helplessly, with blood in his mouth. He seemed to be saying this, but he took out a black one from his arms. Want to swallow something.

Fatty Liu felt something was wrong, so he immediately snatched it away and swallowed it without blinking. In just a moment, he felt that his whole body seemed to be more powerful, and his whole body seemed to be burned. The face of the black jade unicorn changed slightly, and Fatty Liu The whole person roared angrily, and kept hitting his face with his hands and fists while riding on top of him...

"Ah, ah, ah, ah!"

Until the black jade unicorn was beaten beyond recognition, Fatty Liu seemed to have exhausted all the power in his body. He was also very weak, but he magically felt younger.

Perhaps it was an illusion. He panted heavily, found Qiuer's body, buried him, and then stripped the black jade unicorn naked, inside and out, and never let go, except for finding one who wrote The token with the word "Qilin" means nothing.

Then he rummaged through the place carefully and found something similar to the black stuff he just ate in the alchemy furnace. He went to the next two halls and found several barrels of sealed mermaid ointment.

"Could this be the legendary mermaid ointment? The kind that lasts for thousands of years."

He was shocked when he looked at the several burning lamps around him and then looked at the lamp oil. It was almost the same as the one in the bucket.He saw many medicinal materials in another side hall, many of which he could not name. Then he found the words engraved on them in a hidden place. It was carved with a small seal. It was a unilateral prescription and it read: The elixir of longevity says: "With the body of the first generation, the essence of flesh and blood, Tianshan snow lotus, century-old ginseng, thousand-year-old agarwood, 500-year-old Ganoderma lucidum..., it is called longevity medicine, which can help people live for three hundred years, and keep youth forever!" "

Immediately, he seemed to understand something, holding the remaining dark medicine in the alchemy furnace, "Could this be the secret of his youth? Does the medicine of longevity really exist?"

Feeling strong in his body, he found a small pool of water outside and used it as a mirror. He found that he didn't seem to have changed much. He stayed here for a few more days, but he found that as time passed, he became younger and younger. I had white hair on my temples, but it turned black.

……

At this time, Liu Xuan established his capital in Luoyang and controlled Chang'an. However, although the Xinmang dynasty fell, all the states and counties north of the Yellow River held a wait-and-see attitude and did not submit to the Gengshi regime. The Red Eyebrow Army developed rapidly in Shandong and became increasingly powerful, as well as "Hebei "Three Kings", Tongma, Youlai, Kaixiao, Gongsunshu and other separatist forces...

Liu Xuan first made Luoyang his capital and showed signs of great achievements. He first sent several envoys to various parts of the country to do pacification work, and all officials who could serve in the reform of the political power were reinstated.

Zhu Tuna took the opportunity to say something again, wanting Liu Xuan to kill Liu Xiu. After all, he was the one who killed Liu Xiu's brother. If he didn't kill Liu Xiu, he would not be able to sleep well.

But Liu Xuan refused, and Liu Ci spoke for Liu Xiu. After all, Liu Ci was also a member of the Nanyang clan, and was now the chief disciple of the Gengshi Han Dynasty. During the uprising, he still followed Liu Xiu's eldest brother, breaking bones and connecting them. Tendons.

In Liu Xiu's mansion, Feng Yi pointed to the map and said to Liu Xiu: "The land of Yanzhao in Hebei Province dominates the Central Plains and controls Shuomo in the north. It has always been famous for its bravery and fighting skills and the emergence of many famous generals.

After the defeat of Xinmang, the situation here became even more complicated. There were foreign invaders in the north, Chimei in the east, and dozens of refugee armies numbering in the millions, running around.

The mercenaries of various forces are self-respecting and are in chaos. If Liu Xuan wants to dominate the world, his top priority is to appease the forces in Hebei and take this most important strategic place into his own hands. "

I have to say that Feng Yi is worthy of being one of the 28 generals of Yuntai later and a victorious general. Feng Yi has a great strategic vision.

The Hebei he is talking about here is not the later Hebei Province, but refers to the area north of the Yellow River, south of the Yanshan Mountains, east of the Taihang River, and west of the Bohai Sea, at the junction of North China, Northern Saipei, Northeast China, the Central Plains, and the Eastern Coast!
Hebei has a superior location, with both land and sea, mountains and rivers on its back, vast plains, abundant products, and a large population. It is located in a key location at the intersection of the north and the south.

On the surface, the Hebei area seems to be in a plain area with no danger to defend. It belongs to the land of the Four Battles. The terrain conditions are far worse than those of Guanzhong, the land of the Four Fortresses, but this is not the case.

Hebei was called Jizhou in ancient times and ranked first among the nine ancient states. Today's Hebei and Shanxi are the main bodies of ancient Jizhou.

From the perspective of mountain topography, there are Yanshan Mountain and Bashang Plateau in the north, and the majestic Taihang Mountains in the west. The two mountains are connected and support the "framework" of Hebei's terrain.

The terrain of Hebei is high in the northwest and low in the southeast, sloping from northwest to southeast.The widespread terrain of mountainous plateaus determines that Hebei can be located in the north and west. The Yanshan Mountains and Taihang Mountains are connected to form a complete defensive barrier in the north and west of Hebei. threats.

The ancient capitals of Xiongzhou are dotted all over the place. In addition to Beiping, there are Handan, the capital of Zhao, Xingtai, the capital of Shang, Yecheng, the "ancient capital of the Six Dynasties", Dingzhou, the royal city of Zhongshan, Yixian, the capital of Yanxia, ​​as well as Baoding, Zhengding (also known as Dongyuan, Zhending), Shijiazhuang, etc. They are all located in the urban belt at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain.

Moreover, the folk customs in Hebei are strong and fierce, and there are many tragic and generous people in Yan and Zhao, who have been famous throughout the world since ancient times.After King Wuling of Zhao started riding and shooting in Hufu, Hebei became an important source of Chinese cavalry.Therefore, with the elite troops of Hebei and properly used, we can compete with the world.

It has a rich history and a splendid culture. The idioms it has produced are very impressive: Handan learns to walk, snipe and clam fight, old horse knows the way, horse is empty and north of Hebei, Hufu rides and shoots, complete jade returns to Zhao, bears thorns to plead guilty, Mao Sui recommends oneself, gets angry, breaks cauldron and sinks boat, fights with the last ditch, hears chicken dance... …

It also profoundly affected the course of history. The Battle of Zhuolu and the Battle of Julu that took place here were both decisive battles, which profoundly changed the strategic pattern.

Later, Liu Xiu started from Hebei and dominated the world.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yellow Turban Uprising led by Zhang Jiao, a Julu man, dealt a heavy blow to the Eastern Han Dynasty, causing it to exist in name only, and eventually led to the formation of the Three Kingdoms situation.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Wei unified the north on the basis of Jizhou. With sufficient military supplies and strong national strength, it was always in an invincible position.

An Lushan raised troops in Fan Yang, starting the "Anshi Rebellion" that lasted for eight years, and the prosperous Tang Dynasty came to an end.

Due to the loss of the "Sixteen Youyun Prefectures", the Song Dynasty was always facing threats from northern nomads, so Hebei was regarded as "the foundation of the world"!
The Jin Dynasty destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty, and its Eastern Route Army marched south from Hebei, leading to the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty.

King Zhu Di of Yan raised troops in Youyan and launched the "Jingnan" campaign. He succeeded in seizing the throne and became the founder of the Ming Dynasty.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng captured Beiping from Shanxi via Hebei, and the Ming Dynasty fell.

Later, Wu Sangui led Qing soldiers into Shanhaiguan...

These have profoundly changed the course and direction of history.

Liu Xiu naturally knew the importance of Hebei. He looked at the map and said helplessly: "How could your Majesty not know the importance of Hebei? It's a pity that the special envoy he sent to appease Hebei was bossy, arrogant and domineering. Not only did he fail to appease him, but he also failed to appease him. He angered the ancient governor and was killed."

"Hmph!" Liu Xiu sneered after saying this, "You have really lost all your face and prestige. If you can't send the right people to appease Hebei now, I'm afraid he will soon lose his seat in Luoyang's Nangong." ”

Feng Yi nodded and said: "Liu Xuan should be worrying about the selection of candidates at this time. Uncle Wen, why don't we take advantage of this moment..."

Liu Xiu understood instantly, and the two of them cherished each other, "I think so too, but His Majesty has not completely let go of his suspicion of me. The situation is relatively tense now. If I take the initiative to ask for help, I will definitely be suspected."

Feng Yi sighed, thought for a while, and said: "In order to escape the hostage of Wang Kuang and others, Liu Xuan is supporting his cronies, especially Prime Minister Cao Jing and Chief Situ Liu Ci. We can find a way to persuade them and let them recommend them. you."

"Liu Ci is easy to talk to. Come and be friendly with me, but I am not familiar with Prime Minister Cao."

"You can start with Cao Jing, the prime minister of the left, and his son, Cao Xu, the minister."

So, after some work, Liu Ci said to Liu Xuan: "Liu Xiu is the best candidate to go to Hebei to recruit. And it is only suitable for Liu Xiu to go to Hebei."

Besides, whether Hebei can be settled will indeed determine the fate of the reform regime.At that time, there was a popular nursery rhyme in the south: "You can't get it, it's in Hebei."

However, generals from the Green Forest Army, represented by Grand Sima Zhu Tuna, strongly opposed Liu Xiu's patrol in Hebei.When Liu Xuan killed Liu Yan, it was Zhu Tuna and Li Yi's strong suggestion. The reason why Zhu Tuna and the others did not let Liu Xiu go was very simple. It was not that he had no ability, but that his ability was too strong.

Liu Xuan was in a difficult situation, and Zhu Kun's objections were very reasonable. Let him go. Liu Xiu's power was growing and it would be too dangerous. If he was not allowed to go, it would be even more dangerous if the recruitment work in Hebei was not done well.

Zuo Prime Minister Cao Jing strongly supported it, "If there is a more suitable candidate for Da Sima, just say it."

Zhu Tuna was speechless, where could he find a more suitable candidate?

After some hesitation, in October of the first year of Gengshi (23rd year), Gengshi Emperor Liu Xuan sent Grand Sima Liu Xiuxing to cross the Yellow River north to comfort Hebei prefectures and counties.

This time he only brought a dozen or so people with him. This trip seemed to be unlucky, but it turned out that miracles would continue to happen.

(End of this chapter)