Unconsciously, time passes with the heavens and the earth, and there is a lot of snow in the sky. The years have never stopped its footsteps for anyone, and the vagaries of the world are like clouds in the sky, and the white horse passes through the gap and is caught off guard.

In the spring of the sixth year of the founding of the Han Dynasty, the emperor's envoy and his entourage set out from Chang'an finally arrived on the western continent after trekking thousands of miles.

For most of them, the journey was far more treacherous than they could have imagined. Although I have long been prepared to endure the wind and sand, only after walking in person will I truly understand what the concept of the journey of ten thousand miles is.

However, the number of people who followed the emperor's envoy and finally set foot on the Western Continent has greatly exceeded the original scale. In addition to the attendants originally led by the final army, plus the people who came later, a huge team of thousands of people was formed.

But it turned out that after the assassination of the end of the day at the Yongning Gate in Chang'an, the news immediately spread to the Weiyang Palace. When Emperor Liu Ju heard this, he was furious. Even he didn't expect that some forces in Chang'an City had been rampant to such an extent. And this also strengthened his determination.

The emperor immediately sent more than 100 masters led by Feng Jiu, the head of the guard, to let them catch up with the final army as quickly as possible, and as his personal guards, they went to the Western Continent together. Until the task of protecting him is completed.

Such a special gift is already extremely rare. This also shows how seriously the emperor attached himself to this matter.

Protected by more than 100 palace guards, safety on the road is naturally not a problem. And with them came another unexpected figure, that is, Sima Qian, who had served as the Taishi Ling of the Great Han Dynasty for nearly twenty years.

In fact, seriously speaking, Sima Qian is no longer young. Although his body is very healthy, the years are not forgiving, but he unconsciously adds frost to his temples, and he has entered a long time without confusion.

This Taishi Ling, who is destined to carve a strong mark in the history of the Han Dynasty with a knife and pen, took the initiative to ask for his life this time and began this journey thousands of miles away after obtaining the emperor's consent.

His behavior not only surprised many friends, but even the final army was a little puzzled. When they walked to the upper reaches of the Wei River, they looked back at the surging river, flowing endlessly. Zhong Jun, who was a full ten years younger than Sima Qian, once asked the question in his chest.

"Time passes, life is short. I don't know when it will come to an end...... Why did Lord Taishi Ling give up a stable environment and endure the hardships of this 10,000-mile journey? ”

Sima Qian smiled faintly. Where the long wind rises, sand and dust can be seen. Presumably, not far ahead is the western border of the Han Empire, Yumen Pass.

"When I was a teenager, I followed my father on several trips to the mountains and rivers of China. Although I have only been to a few places, they have already left an unusual mark on my heart. Since then, I have had a wish to read all the books in the world and travel all over the homeland of Kyushu. Explore the changes of the past and the present, and pursue the road of the world...... I have been working hard to achieve this goal. It's just a pity that my life has an end, and there is no end to knowledge. The teachings expounded by the sages and sages in their books have been inexhaustible. As for the size of the world, it is beyond imagination. Alas! Every time I think of this, I only hate the smallness of my body, and it is difficult to achieve my wish. ”

Hearing Sima Qian's exclamation, Zhongjun nodded

。 In fact, many times, he felt the same way. It's just that because the two of them have different responsibilities, he spends most of his energy on handling government affairs, so it is not as strong as Sima Qian feels.

"Read 10,000 books, travel 10,000 miles, and the truth of life is in it. This is what someone said to me at the beginning, and I deeply feel the same way, and I still remember it. So this time there is such an opportunity, how can I let it go? Exotic customs, mountains and rivers geography, just need to be recorded one by one and returned to the annals of history. If I can see the integration and unification of the Western Continent and Huaxia Shenzhou with my own eyes in my lifetime, then even if I pay this remnant, I will have no regrets! ”

Sima Qian said so much in one breath, and the old man talked about the madness of youth, and he still looked unsatisfied. Junjun withdrew his gaze from looking at the river, and he stroked his hand over the wound on his chest, which had not yet healed. It's just that it's not the hurt that hurts, it's the heart.

"If I'm not mistaken, the person who said this to Lord Taishi Ling is Yuan Zhao, right?"

"Not bad! It was Yuan Gong. He's there, and he must still be there. ”

Sima Qian nodded heavily, and a leisurely look appeared on his face. He hadn't seen Yuan Zhao for a long time. This time, I insisted on coming without any effort, and I didn't want to see Yuan Zhao.

"Lord Taishiling, now that we are far away from Chang'an, it doesn't matter if you know...... The situation in the Western continent may not be good right now! ”

Sima Qian was taken aback. Although he also participated in the government's politics, he did not have any decision-making power on some major issues. Therefore, what is known and heard, cannot be approached to the core. Seeing the heavy look on Junjun's face, he had a hunch that there might be a lot of things that he didn't know had happened.

Junjun sighed. Since leaving Chang'an, the suffocation in his chest has been endured for a long time. Now that there is finally someone to tell, he no longer hides. The words that were not spoken to Dongfang Shuo and Sima Xiangru, he said to Sima Qian.

"The last top-secret news His Majesty the Emperor got came from the Yumen Guan General's Mansion. General Wei wrote in his own handwriting, the two kings rebelled, and defended the city. Yuan Zhao is missing, his fate is unknown...... His Majesty told me this when He was leaving. For the sake of stability, he didn't even let Shang Shuling and Imperial Doctor know for the time being. Therefore, our mission on this trip may be extremely difficult. ”

The splashing waves of the Wei River wet the placket of the clothes, and the spring wind still carried the chill of the steep. Sima Qian couldn't help but shudder. His heart tightened suddenly.

"I see! It is no wonder that His Majesty the Emperor was unusual, and made such a decision resolutely in the Hanyuan Palace, regardless of the opposition of the old ministers of the clan...... It's just that Yuan Gong will really suffer from injustice? ”

"Life is impermanent...... He, like us, is not God! ”

After saying that, the two people fell into a long silence. And in the subsequent trip, there is no other mood. Perhaps, apart from worrying about the situation on the Western continent, the only wish in my heart is to hope for a miracle to happen again.

When passing through the Yumen Pass, the great general Wei Qing sent a cavalry team of 2,000 people to protect them into the Western Regions, and along the golden avenue, they began to officially march in the direction of the Western Continent.

Wei Qing didn't say anything more to them. His face was a little pale, and he was in the middle of it

When he said goodbye, the final army clearly felt the thinness of his palm. It's just that if you are a little worried, it is not convenient to say more at this time. It's just to cherish each other, and then say goodbye in the wind and sand.

It's just that the final army, who is gradually moving away, doesn't know that Wei Qing, who insisted on personally sitting in Yumen Pass for the success of the western expedition, has been sick for a long time. And to make matters worse, he was wounded in the left knee by a stray arrow during the last battle to encircle the remnants of the hostile forces a year ago. Originally, this was nothing, but unfortunately, it was quenched with poison. Although he was treated with all his might by the military medical officers, it still caused a lot of damage to his body.

Watching the people with the mission of the emperor gradually walk away in the wind and sand, Wei Qing led his personal entourage of soldiers to return to Yumen Pass after another inspection of Jiuquan County.

The faces of the shops and people living in Yumen Pass are full of festive colors, and many families are collecting couplets and colorful door money. Wei Qing rode on the horse, feeling a little refreshed. It turns out that today is the Chinese New Year's Eve of this year. The military affairs are handsome, but I almost forgot.

When he returned all the way back to the general's mansion, he suddenly realized that three years had passed since the Han Dynasty launched its western expedition and rode out of the Jade Gate. And he himself, from Yanmen Pass to Yumen Pass, eight thousand miles of clouds and moons, experienced a hundred battles and waiting...... Twenty years have passed in a flash.

"Brother Qing, your future is not in the palace, but on the vast battlefield beyond the Great Wall. The man is a marquis, and his fame is ...... right away. ”

The words that the young man had said to him sounded in the ears of Hou Weiqing of Changping again, as if it was just yesterday. And they are thousands of miles away from each other, the sea and the yellow sand, life and death are unpredictable, and they may never see each other again. When I thought of this, the hot blood tumbling in my chest could no longer bear it.

All the guards jumped off their horses in panic. The general's blood stained his beard and cloak red. Against the festive colors of the city, it is particularly bright red and dazzling.

After this year's Chinese New Year's Eve, Hou Weiqing of Changping, who firmly guarded the back road of the Western Expedition at the cost of burning his life, is already 49 years old. When the bell rang, he dragged his tired body, sat at the head of the Yumen Pass, looked back at Chang'an, looked west, and softly made his last wish.

"Ju'er and Sister are healthy! …… Brother Yuan, I hope to see you again. ”

And when the final army and Sima Qian, who spent Chinese New Year's Eve on a long journey, officially set foot on the territory of the western continent, it was already spring blossoming.

Surprisingly, they didn't see the smoke and chaos they imagined, let alone the devastation of life everywhere. On the contrary, it is unusually calm everywhere, the grass grows and the warbler flies, and it is a thriving scene. It seems that the diseases and disasters that I saw in the Chang'an Emergency News did not happen here, but in another place.

The team of the emperor's envoys, who had a strange feeling in their hearts, began to advance at a rapid pace under the order of the final army, heading in the direction of the Han army camp that had been informed in advance.

A few days later, on the edge of a flat grassland, they finally met the team that had come to greet them. It seems that the details of their team have been known for a long time. Under the warm sunshine, a man walked slowly and alone on a horse.

"Brother Ziyun...... Oh, and Sima Gong...... It's been hard all the way. Don't you come unharmed? Hehe! ”