In the northwest, dog days, a large wheat field, and in the distance of the wheat field, there is a tree.

One of the ragged people gathered under the tree, Zheng Huixin, an eight-year-old woman in tattered clothes, sweat stains on her face, and her hair cut short and messy, no one could tell that she was actually a girl. Her father, Zheng Laocheng, sat next to him, weak and exhausted like all refugees.

The Zheng family is in Yanzhou City, which was originally a good family of scholars, and Zheng Laocheng runs a private school, which is quite respected by the people nearby. When the city of Yanzhou was broken, the Tangut people plundered in the city and robbed most of the Zheng family's things, at that time, because the Zheng family had several private cellars that were not discovered, after which the Tangut people stabilized the situation in the city, and the Zheng family was not forced to the end of the road.

However, it is precisely because of the existence of several private cellars that the Zheng family is reluctant to leave, and they don't know where to go. The nearby Western Xia soldiers occasionally came to the door, and the family was often bullied, probably sensing that the Zheng family had surplus food, and the frequency of the Xixia people forcing the door gradually increased, and half a month ago, Zheng Huixin's mother died.

Zheng Laocheng did not tell her how her mother died, but soon after, her father, who was like a shell, took her out of the city and began to walk to places she did not know. There were also many similarly ragged homeless people on the road, the Tangut occupied the vicinity, and in some places you can still see traces of houses or cottages that were burned down in the war, where there are people, there are also large wheat fields, and sometimes Zheng Huixin will see the expressions of the people who are standing on the road like his father looking at those wheat fields, which is so empty that it reminds people of the sand on the ground.

When the Tanguts came to slaughter, they looted and slaughtered the city, but after a while, things calmed down and the surviving people returned to their old lives—no matter how they ruled. There must always be subjects. If you can't surrender to the Wu Dynasty and surrender to the Western Xia, it's the same life after all.

But Zheng Laocheng is a scholar, and he can understand that the more difficult days are like hellish scenes. Still to come. All the wheat that people planted in this year, all the harvest, is no longer theirs, and no matter how well the wheat is planted this autumn, most people have difficulty obtaining food. Once the former reserves are exhausted, the northwest will experience an even more difficult food shortage and winter, most of the people will be starved to death, only the real Western Xia Shunmin will survive after this. And such a submissive people. It's also not easy to do.

With the arrival of the harvest season, more and more people are able to see this scene, and there is a real hopeless pale in the eyes of those who look at the large fields of wheat on the road, they have planted things, which are still in front of their eyes, and they are growing so well. But already destined not to belong to them, waiting for them. Probably starved to death. There's nothing more hopeless than that.

Along the way, they would occasionally encounter Western Xia soldiers, who threatened the people with bows and arrows, swords and guns, and forbade them to go near the wheat fields, where they could sometimes see hanging corpses. It was noon. The group rested under the tree on the side of the road, Zheng Laocheng was too tired, leaned on the side of the road, and fell asleep shallowly after a while. Zheng Huixin sat next to her with her legs crossed, feeling her lips thirsty. If you want to drink water, you want to find a convenient place. The little girl stood up and looked left and right, and then walked into a col not far away.

She took off her pants in the col and squatted for a moment. I don't know when, my father's voice came faintly, and there was a little anxiety in his words. Zheng Huixin couldn't see the situation over there, so he broke two branches from the ground, and another voice came, but it was the shouting of the Xixia people, and his father was also anxiously shouting: "Huixin-daughter-where are you-"

The voice of the Tangut people was still ringing, and the father's voice stopped abruptly, and the little girl put on her pants and ran out from where, she saw two Tangut soldiers, one holding a bow and the other holding a knife, and they were drinking on the side of the road, and the people under the trees were in chaos, and the father's body was lying on the edge of a wheat field in the distance, with an arrow stuck in his chest, and a piece of blood.

"Ah...... Ahhh......h

The heavens and the earth were turning chaotic and pale, and she walked over there, but someone held her back......

Memories after that are confusing.

Someone fed her, someone dragged her along, sometimes on her back or in her arms. It was a middle-aged man in his thirties and forties, with shabby clothes, a burden on his back, and strong arms, and sometimes he talked to her, but her spirit was in a trance, and it rained again on the road. At some point, the companions were gone, and they passed through the desolate mountains, and the little girl certainly did not know where they were, but there were tall and low trees around, and there were rough mountain paths, and loose strange rocks.

At noon that day, it was sunny again, and they stopped in the little woods. Zheng Huixin was already able to eat mechanically, holding a small broken bowl to eat the fried rice inside, and suddenly, a voice suddenly sounded, screaming like a ghost.

"Bah-ah-"

Zheng Huixin only felt that her body was pushed, the sound of ping-pong sounded around, and the rapid and fierce voice of the Xixia people came from her ears, and in the overwhelmed field of vision, the figures were staggered, and the man who took her all the way waved the knife and waved the knife, and there was a red light in the field of vision. The little girl seemed to see him stab a Tangut man to death in the trunk of a tree with a sharp stab, and then the other's face suddenly enlarged, and he rushed over, took her in his arms with one hand, and ran quickly through the trees.

The trees are all in the field of vision to the back, the ears are the terrifying shouts, the Xixia people are also passing through, the man is holding a knife in one hand, fighting with the other party all the way, for a moment, the little girl felt his body shock, but it was the person who chased behind a knife, and the fishy smell permeated the nasal cavity.

In the blink of an eye, the light in front of them expanded, and the two of them had already rushed out of the woods, and the evil people of the Western Xia chased after them, which was a steep dirt slope, and the mountain sloped terribly, and the strange rocks were loose. The two sides ran and clashed, and then, the wind howled and the vision swirled.

The sound of the clamor had already sounded, and the man hugged the little girl, forcing the Xixia people to run down the steep dirt slope, and the footsteps of the two were accompanied by the speed of rushing down, and the earth and stones flowed rapidly in the field of vision, raising huge dust. Zheng Huixin only felt the sky shrink rapidly, and then, bang!

After a long time, Zheng Huixin felt her body move slightly, and it was the man who was holding her who was trying to get up from the ground. They had reached the bottom of the hill. Zheng Huixin turned her head hard, and saw that what the man was holding with one hand was a human head with blurred flesh and blood, and a cracked brain, looking at the man's hat and braids, he could identify him as the Tangut man. The two sides rushed down the steep hillside together, and the Tangut was at the bottom. The head was broken and bleeding, and the internal organs were torn, Zheng Huixin was protected by the man in his arms, and the injuries he suffered were the smallest, the man was wounded, with the blood of the enemies of Western Xia, and half of his body was dyed at this time.

"Are you alright?"

She heard the man ask weakly.

"It's okay."

The man put her down, untied the clothes of the Tangut in front of her, searched for it, and took the waist card and dry food from the Tangut. The sun is still blazing. The half-blooded man held a knife in one hand and a child's hand in the other, and staggered towards the other side of the mountain.

In the evening of that day, they came to a place, and a few days later, Zheng Huixin learned the man's name from others, his name was Qu Qing, and they came to the valley. It's called Xiaocang River.

**************

In June, in the middle of the river valley. The construction and training of troops every day have not stopped from beginning to end.

Everything is running smoothly as usual, and when the day's work is completed, the soldiers either go to listen to the storytelling, sing the opera, or listen to the news from the outside, the current situation. Let's talk about it with your friends. It's just that at this time, the blockade power of the Tangut people and the Jin people to the outside world has begun to appear, and the news from outside the mountains is relatively rare, just from this blockade atmosphere. Sensitive people are also often able to feel more personal information. Imminent crisis, pressure to act urgently, blah blah blah.

Xiao Canghe's dealings with the outside world are not just the way of the informant he released. Sometimes there are lost wanderers who accidentally enter the range of the mountains and wilderness - although it is not known whether they are foreign spies, usually the surrounding defenders do not embarrass them, and sometimes they will kindly send the small amount of dry food in the valley to send them away.

And in this kind of interaction with the outside world, there is also one thing, which is the strangest and most intriguing. The first time happened at the end of last year, there was a caravan that may have transported grain, there were dozens of porters carrying burdens to this mountain, it seemed to be lost, when the people of Xiaocanghe appeared, the other party was startled, put down all the grain burdens, and ran away like that, so Xiaocanghe harvested dozens of loads of grain that seemed to be sent. This kind of thing, when the spring was about to pass, happened again.

Not many people in the valley knew about the whole thing, and Ning Yi was directly in charge and sealed nearly 100 loads of grain and rice in the warehouse. And the third time happened at noon on June 11, when dozens of loads of grain were carried by porters and guarded to enter the range of Xiaocang River, but this time, they put down their burdens and did not leave.

An old man with white hair, but graceful clothes and sharp eyes, stood in the middle of the team, and when the secret sentinel defending the perimeter of Xiaocang River came, someone handed over the name post.

There are only three words on the name sticker: Left end Yu.

After a while, Qin Shaoqian, dressed in military uniform, greeted him from the valley. He is now a rebel who has rebelled against the whole world, but he is the only one who does not dare to slack off.

**************

When the Wu Dynasty was still prosperous, Emperor Jinghan Zhou Zhe had just ascended the throne, and there were three famous Confucians in the court, who were in high positions, and they could be regarded as like-minded. They planned a lot of things together, and the Secret Investigation Department was one of them, instigating civil strife among the Liao people and making the Jin people rise. These three people are Qin Siyuan, Zuo Duanyou, and Wang Qisong.

In the process of implementing these major events that have subverted the world, many problems have been encountered. Among the three, Wang Qisong's theory and methods are the most correct, Qin Hei originated from Confucianism and has deep attainments, but the means are relatively utilitarian, and Zuo Duanyou has an extreme temperament, but the family is very deep. After many alliances, they finally parted ways because of such and such problems. The left end of the blessing told Lao Zhishi that Wang Qisong left in a political dispute to protect Qin Siyuan's position, and after that, it was the Heishui Alliance of the Liao people who went south.

This time, Wang Qisong led his family to resist the Liao soldiers, and the men of the whole family were almost dead, leaving only Wang Shanyue with a single seedling.

After the Blackwater Alliance, because of the tragedy of the Wang family, Qin and Zuo further broke up, and there was almost no contact again. It was not until the later disaster relief incident in the north that Zuo Houwen and Zuo Jilan of the Zuo family were involved, and Qin Siyuan wrote a letter to Zuo Duanyou. This is the first contact between the two in many years. In fact, it's already the last contact.

After Qin Siyuan's death, the three people who used means to change the situation in the world are now the last old man left.

Many years ago, Qin and Zuo's two families became friends, and Qin Shaoqian was not the first time he had seen him, after so many years. The old man who was serious at the beginning now has more gray hair, and the young man who was once high-spirited has also been weathered by the dust and has lost an eye. The two sides met, there was not much greeting, the old man looked at the black blindfold on Qin Shaoqian's face, frowned slightly, Qin Shaoqian introduced him into the valley, and this afternoon with the old man worshiped Qin Siyuan's clothed mound in the valley, and the situation in the valley. I didn't talk much about it. As for the grain he brought, it was placed in a warehouse and sealed separately, just like the first two batches.

That night, Ning Yi, together with Su Tan'er and Ning Xi, participated in the family banquet to welcome the old man.

On the morning of the next day, Ning Yi came forward and accompanied the old man around the valley. Ning Yi had a lot of respect for this old man, although the old man had a serious face. But he also constantly looks at him as a brain in the rebels. In the afternoon, when Ning Yi went to see him again. Send over a few new bound books.

"This is what Qin Lao had been doing before he died. The few books he annotated, I am afraid that no one in the world will dare to read them in a short period of time, I think Zuo Gong can take them back to read. ”

"Notes on the Collection of Chapters and Sentences of the Four Books", signed by Qin Siyuan. Zuo Duanyou had only just woken up from his nap at this time, and reached out to stroke the cover of the book. His eyes were also quite moving, and his serious face relaxed slightly, and he slowly rubbed it twice, and then spoke.

"I've come here this day, and I've seen you in the valley. For food shortages, my Zuo family can help. ”

It was expected that the two sides would have contacts and talk about this direction. Daylight poured in through the window, and cicadas chirped in the valley. In the room, the old man sat and waited for the other party's nod to solve the whole problem for this small river valley. Ning Yi stood and was quiet for a long time before he slowly arched his hand and said, "There is a solution to the shortage of food in Xiaocanghe, and there is no need to bother Zuo Gong." ”

Zuo Duanyou looked at him, his eyes were like electricity: "The old man said that one is one, and two is two, and he has never liked to beat around the bush and bargain." When I was outside, I heard that the heart demon Ning Yi is cunning, but he is not a person who drags mud and water, and is gentle and indiscriminate. ”

Ning Yi arched his hand and bowed his head: "Old man, what I said is true." ”

"You're kidding everyone's lives?"

"If the Zuo family only gives food and doesn't say anything, I naturally want to take it. It's just that simple, isn't it? ”

The old man frowned, and after a while, he snorted coldly: "The situation is stronger than people, you and I ask for everything we need, and you can't be the Zuo family to protect you?" Ning family boy, if it weren't for the sake of the last line of the Qin family, I wouldn't have come, and I think you know this. The Zuo family helps you, you have what you want, but it won't check and balance you too much, you even killed the emperor, what are you afraid of? ”

Many major events in the world are sometimes related to the tireless efforts and consultations of countless people, and many times are related to decisions made in a few words. There is no doubt that there is a friendship between Zuo Duanyou and Qin Siyuan, he came to Xiaocanghe to worship Qin Siyuan, and his emotions after receiving Qin Siyuan's writings are by no means fake. But this kind of friendship is a gentleman's friendship and does not involve the overall situation. Qin Shaoqian also understood this, so he asked Ning Yi to accompany Zuo Duanyou, because Ning Yi was the one who decided in this regard.

With Zuo Duanyou's identity, being able to take the initiative to speak on the food issue can already be regarded as giving Qin Siyuan a face, but he didn't expect that the other party would give a refusal answer. This refusal is just a sentence, and it turns into a real problem, which is the imminent life and death of tens of thousands of people.

Ning Yi looked at him and said calmly: "I understand Zuo Gong's kindness, but Xiao Canghe does not accept the constraints of people who are not the same way. Therefore, Zuo Gong has good intentions, and we don't want food. The grain sent by Zuo Gong on the first two occasions is still sealed in the warehouse, and when Zuo Gong returns, he can take it with him. ”

After he finished speaking, Zuo Duanyou's eyes froze, he was already really angry, and he was about to speak, when someone suddenly ran in from outside the door: "Something happened!" ”

The person who came in was Chen Fan, and he glanced at Zuo Duanyou: "Ning Xi has an accident......

A small accident interrupted the confrontation between the two.

For a period of time, when there is nothing to do, picking wild vegetables, fishing, and looking for food have become the norm in the lives of the children in Xiaocanghe.

At this time, it is already dog days, and there is no solution to the problem of lack of food in the valley, and the people in the valley have not behaved in chaos under the management of Ning Yi, but the pressure can sometimes be pressed in the heart, and sometimes it will be reflected in all aspects that people see. The children's actions are a direct manifestation of this pressure.

You can eat things in the mountains, things in the water, wild vegetables, tree bark, and even according to the news that Min Chuyi said, there is a kind of soil that can be eaten. This makes the little Ning Xi feel very optimistic, but optimism is optimistic, the children and some women are picking wild vegetables, near the Xiaocang River, there are not many wild vegetables and plant roots that can be eaten, after all, there are not many, and the adults can also organize to hunt and dig a little farther away, and the children are strictly forbidden to go out of the valley. It is also because of this that every day he stays in this valley, the harvest in the small basket that Ning Xi carries is never much.

He just thought that he was too bad, and he couldn't endure hardships compared to Min Chuyi, and many times, after looking for a day, looking at his little basket, he was quite depressed. Min Chu didn't actually gain much in a small basket, but he could still share some of it from time to time. Out of vanity in asking for credit in front of his parents, he finally accepted it.

So every morning, he would divide Min Chu's half of a wild vegetable cake - he couldn't finish it anyway.

He never imagined that he would find a rabbit in the valley that day. When the fluffy little animal with two ears ran out of the grass, Ning Xi was a little frightened, stood there and pointed at the rabbit, and stammered Min Chuyi: "This, this ......"

The seven-year-old girl had already pounced on this side, and the rabbit turned and ran.

"Catch it! Grab it! Ning Xi grabbed it—"

"Ahhhh

The cries of the two children sounded chaotically on the small hillside, the two of them ran desperately, Ning Xi bravely rushed across the small mountain road, jumped off the high col, and blocked the rabbit's escape route, Min Chuyi ran from below to outflank the past, jumped over, and grabbed the rabbit's ears. Ning Xi rolled on the ground a few times, got up from there, blinked his eyes, and then pointed at Min Chuyi: "Hahaha, hahaha...... Uh......" He saw the rabbit caught by the little girl in her hand, and then fell down again.

"Uh, you catch it, catch it, it runs, it runs......" Ning Xi said and wanted to chase again, ran two steps and stopped, because Min Chuyi was looking at him strangely, there was some horror in that gaze, and then tears fell out.

Ning Xi wiped the corner of the forehead that the other party was looking at, and found that there was blood on his hand, he hadn't figured out what it was, and regretted that the rabbit in the corner of his vision was running farther and farther. The little girl cried out, and not far away, the female soldier in charge of taking care of her also ran quickly...... (To be continued.) )