Novoland: Eagle Flag Chapter 2: Sword twenty-three

In deep autumn, there is another layer of fallen leaves on the stone wall in the yard. The setting sun shone through a layer of thin clouds, and the light was a little dim.

By the fish pond in the backyard, Yi Tianzhan and Xi Yan stood side by side. Xi Yan threw the last piece of fish food into the center of the pond far away, and the fish took it in one gulp, leaving only a circle and a circle The ripples swayed.

Xi Yan clapped his hands: "This time something happened in the ancestral mausoleum, the Tai Tuo went to the field, demoted the minister of Honglu Temple to a commoner, and confiscated his family property. The forbidden army abolished twelve captains, and the military academy in charge that night executed thirty Six people. The search in the city is not over yet, don't move around if you have nothing to do."

"Baili Jinghong knows that the fire is not accidental, right?"

"Although the entrance was sealed by a landslide. However, an accident happened in the place where Cangyun's ancient tooth sword was hidden. Su Jieyu and Youyin disappeared in the same night. The king is not a fool. This time, the city was searched for a month. I was looking for you," Xi Yan looked at Chi Xin with his hands behind his back, "When are you going to leave?"

Yi Tianzhan shook his head: "I thought the last thing in my life would be to retrieve this sword for Tianqi. Now that I have found the sword, I don't know where to go."

"Does this count as a hand?" Xi Yan smiled.

"When I put the finger cot on that child's hand, I gave up. I know I can't handle that sword, and you probably can't either."

"The suzerains of the sky drive are not good, but the sword accepts the son of the barbarian tribe. It's a mockery."

"He was eroded by the sword. It's hard to imagine that such a young child can survive to the end."

Xi Yan nodded: "Northern Lu is a vast place where heroes run rampant. I have been to Beilu once and saw the scene of barbarian cavalry crossing the grassland. I feel that the sky and the earth are hanging upside down."

"I'm sorry. I didn't dare to fully trust you all this time, so I didn't tell you the secret of that sword." Yi Tianzhan said suddenly.

"Secret?" Xi Yan didn't seem surprised either.

"Haven't you ever wondered why Baili Jinghong, as the Duke of the imperial dynasty, covets the sacred object of Tianqi? Fight for him."

"I have doubted it. Although the king is not the king of tigers and wolves in troubled times, he is definitely not a fool sitting in the deep palace and dreaming."

"Baili Jinghong," Yi Tianzhan sneered, "The Cangyun Ancient Tooth Sword he wants is not a holy object to drive the sky, and he doesn't care about the power of the soul imprint weapon. What you want is actually a key, which can unlock the ancient arsenal of Heavenly Drive."

Xi Yan turned his head suddenly: "Arsenal?"

"Actually, the seven sect masters of all dynasties knew this secret, although no one had seen the location of the arsenal. But now there are not many people who really believe it. It is said that it can be traced back to the era of Da Chao. A great suzerain who was expelled made an alliance with Heluo. He led the elite warriors at the most critical moment and brought the Heluo refugees who were killed by the imperial dynasty to Yuezhou. Therefore, all the great volcanoes and Heluo are willing to follow He, according to his will, forged weapons suitable for human use. The entire construction took nearly two hundred years, and countless sophisticated weapons, including soul-printed weapons and armors with occult spells. Great mystics were collected in magic rings and poured into weapons. Finally, in order to store these equipments, the rivers dug through the entire mountain, using it as an arsenal, and set up powerful obstacles and spells around it Go protect it. When needed, the Great Sect Master holding the Cangyun Ancient Tooth Sword can open this arsenal, and he will immediately have the most powerful weaponry on the land of Kyushu."

Xi Yan was silent for a while: "Is that so? Do you want to open it? I can guess that that is your greatest wish."

"If it was forty years ago, I would definitely do this. But now," Yi Tianzhan pondered, "I don't know what the result of this arsenal being opened, maybe more wars, more deaths Many people. General Xi, I am not like you, I am already old. I know what you are doing in private, and there are many descendants of Sky Drive following you. But I am just afraid that the powerful power will be used by the wrong people , it would be better to let it be buried forever!"

Xi Yan lowered his head and smiled: "It is always to maintain a peaceful era, and the Cangming Eagle is really the most loyal sky-expelling warrior."

"Can the general arrange for me to meet that barbarian child? I don't want the person who has mastered the Cangyun Ancient Toothed Sword to end up in war."

Xi Yan nodded: "I've thought about this for a long time. Then, let me accept him as a student for you. If we can't tame the sword, at least we can teach its owner how to use it. "

"It couldn't be better." Yi Tianzhan turned his head and wanted to leave.

"I still want to ask something." Xi Yan said suddenly.

"You say."

"For a long time, you have said that You Changji is the rebellion of Tianqi. But as the great suzerain of Tianqi, why did You Changji rebel? As far as I know, there is no rebellious suzerain in the history of Tianqi .”

Yi Tianzhan took a deep breath: "As one of the seven suzerains, you should know these things. I didn't tell you directly because I don't know how to say it. Rebellion is just a way of saying, You Changji is not He did not deviate from the organization of Tianqi, he violated the will of Tianqi, and wanted to overthrow the rule of the Bai royal family and establish his own country."

"Build your own country?"

"He's tired of it. Fourteen years ago, when it was the darkest time for Tianji, the action of killing the warriors of Tianji was at its peak. At that time, if one of your three generations of direct relatives was Tianji, you They will be punished to go to the bitter cold place in Yebei, dig the frozen soil with their hands and a dustpan, and they will never be able to return home. As for the general, he probably cannot escape the death method of skinning and empowering." Yi Tianzhan's voice was faint, With a hint of coldness, "You Changji is the youngest of the seven suzerains. He has been working hard for this. In Jinbei Kingdom, there are about three or four hundred people who support his approach. They conspired in the wine shop, hoping that We can find the right person to convey the will of Tianqi to the emperor."

"So what do the other seven suzerains think?"

"The tradition of Tianqi will not cooperate with the authority. That would make Tianqi a weapon in the hands of ambitious people, so the rest of the Seven Suzerains tried their best to dissuade him. I was not in northern Shanxi at that time , I don’t know the specific details, I only know that the two sides collapsed in the end. The three or four hundred people who supported You Changji all died in the hands of the imperial court officer, and You Changji, who lost all support, passed his hope on to the princes. He visited Lei Qianye, the lord of Jinbei Kingdom, and in the following seven months, even the princes in Yuezhou and Wanzhou began to respond to his call in private. At this time, I was urgently summoned to Jinbei by the other suzerains. We Realize that things are out of our control!"

"You Changji proposed to overthrow the Bai family and re-establish the country?"

"Yes! We don't have much time to think about it, and we must internally punish it as a traitor as soon as possible. All six people covered the eagle emblem with their fingertips on the letter against You Changji, including me and your teacher. According to the rules, those who hold six suzerain finger gloves must obey the great suzerain who holds the Hoshino Eagle fingertips. But if these six people oppose the great suzerain with six suzerain finger gloves, the grand suzerain will be impeached. That letter The letter is also an order to kill, and since that letter was sent out, You Changji has become the enemy of Tianqi!"

"It turned out to be for ambition."

Yi Tianzhan was silent for a long time: "No, I have to admit, You Changji is not for his own ambition. He is just to save Tianqi, because he no longer believes that our patience and sacrifice will be in exchange for results. He Talk to me for the last time, saying that only absolute power can defeat the careerists in troubled times, because if the enemy is unscrupulous, your kindness is just a kind of cowardice."

"Because if the enemy is unscrupulous, your kindness is just a kind of cowardice..." Xi Yan whispered.

"Does that make sense?"

Xi Yan nodded.

Yi Tianzhan sighed for a long time: "But after all, that is just the hegemony of reincarnation. Even you, Xi Yan, when you sit on the emperor's seat in the Taiqing Palace, you will be overwhelmed by power." Corrosion. Even if you can guarantee that you will not be swallowed by human greed, can you guarantee that the person who inherits your power will also inherit your ideals and will?"

"I don't know."

"I don't know either. I'm old, and I'm not afraid of dying on the gallows of the princes, but I'm afraid of losing my heart. Then I'm sorry for the warriors who fought side by side with me, and I will never forget They sacrificed themselves to let me pass on the fire of Tianqi!" Yi Tianzhan's voice was like cutting iron, "You Changji used to be the person I was most optimistic about, but in the end I was the one who arranged to hunt down and kill him."

"He is the person you are most optimistic about..." Xi Yan looked at the cloud shadows flowing in the sky, "I often think these days, what kind of person is he? A person can be so strong Will, even in the end, when there is no hope, all the way to live is blocked, even friends and relatives are betrayed, there is only one charming girl in the whole world who still believes in him, and he can still fight to the death with his sword..."

Yi Tianzhan took out a letter from his belt and handed it to Xi Yan: "Look at this."

Xi Yan opened the envelope suspiciously.

"I was able to follow You Changji's route to Xiatang, so I naturally know You Changji's final whereabouts. He told me himself, and finally he entrusted a friend to send the Shadow Moon Sword to me in Qingdu In his hand. The handle of the Shadowmoon Knife is empty, and this letter and the list of princes are hidden inside."

"The princes who support You Changji against the emperor?!" Xi Yan's face changed slightly.

"Look at the first name on the list."

"Baili...Jinghong?!"

"Sixteen years ago, Emperor Ai came to the throne by killing his brother, and the princes did not respect him as orthodox in private. In order to shock the princes, Emperor Ai forcibly expanded the Yulin Heavenly Army, extorted violently, and exploited and oppressed the princes until the Northern Expedition of Emperor Fengyan. At that time, all the princes had the idea of ​​setting up a new emperor, but there was no one who stood up to call out. And You Changji appeared at this time. He was not only the leader of Tianqi, but also a descendant of the family. There is still a lot of power in Yunzhong County, a great nobleman second only to the Ye family in Yunzhong. Another thing that few people know is that You Changji's wife has a surname of Baili."

"Baili!"

"You guessed it right. Youyin's mother is Baili Jinghong's niece, so Baili Jinghong was the first to support You Changji, and You Changji went all the way south to find Baili Jinghong sought support. But You Changji did not expect that he would be expelled by the suzerain of Tianqi, let alone that Baili Changqing, the patriarch of the Baili family in the imperial capital, would react far beyond his expectations. While he was still doing At the time of the dream of the alliance princes, the envoys of the imperial capital had already rushed to the capitals of the princes with Baili Changqing's handwritten letter, and negotiated with the princes separately. This is the famous "Three Agreements between Monarchs and Ministers". The emperor and the princes reached a tacit agreement. The princes supported the emperor's orthodoxy, and the emperor only maintained the 20,000-strong Habayashi Heavenly Army, and at the same time reduced taxes to the level of the founding of the country. The princes achieved their goal, and the court captain of the imperial capital was waiting for his arrival in Nanhuai."

"Yes... Baili Jinghong betrayed him?"

Yi Tianzhan laughed silently: "Who else could it be? It is Baili Changqing, the head of the Baili family, who supports the emperor, and Baili Jinghong, who is separated from the family, will stand by a down-and-out warrior Is it?"

Xi Yan handed the letter back: "For this sword, the road was bloody, so many efforts to die, so many people died, is it just for a lunatic's fantasy about the new era?"

Yi Tianzhan put away the letter: "The reason why You Changji had the idea of ​​raising troops to revolt was because he relied on a pair of swords in his left and right hands. The ancient-toothed sword is the key to unlocking the arsenal of Tianqi. He thought that as long as he had these two, he would be able to send troops to the city of Tianqi and establish his own country. But his stupidity is that no matter whether it is a strong soldier in the hands of the princes or Tianqi All the weapons don’t belong to him. He is just a puppet in the hands of the princes, and the princes rely on him to open the arsenal of Tianqi. Pitiful such a puppet, but thinks he is the master of everything.”

The two fell silent, the cloud shadow slowly moved over, and the fish all sank. Xi Yan looked down at the water and remained motionless, no one knew what he was looking at.

"Do you like watching fish very much?" After a long time, Yi Tianzhan asked.

"I just wonder if You Changji is like a fish in this pond, thinking that he is swimming in the sea, but in fact it is just a pond dug for him by someone. But he still dreams of making waves in this 'sea' .”

"Are you wondering if we are swimming in the same pond someone else dug?"

"Actually, I think... until she dies, she doesn't know that the person she should really hate is right in front of her."

The two of them didn't speak any more, they just stood there quietly, watching the fish with their cigarette sticks in their mouths. The shadow of the fence cast by the sun gradually moved eastward, and gradually grew longer, and gradually the sun dimmed, and everything around became gray. The shredded tobacco was burnt out, and the two continued to watch the fish with the cooled pipes in their mouths. The wind wrinkled the surface of the water, and the fine rain fell down. The splashes jumped on the water surface, and countless ripples finally mixed together. The two of them covered their heads and ran back under the eaves. The rain suddenly became heavy. Bean-sized water droplets hit the roof and the cobblestones in the yard, and soon there were thin and rapid streams in the crevices of the stones.

"It's raining, does Mr. Yi have a piano?" Xi Yan suddenly turned his head and asked Yi Tianzhan.

"I don't have Dong Lu's long piano, but I have an old konghou from the next year. I take it with me all the way."

"The harp is just right, the long piano is elegant, how can someone like me caress it?"

Yi Tianzhan went back to the house and took out an old konghou. It was unpainted, elegant and simple, and the tung oil surface on it was already sanded. Xi Yan tried to flick the strings, and nodded slightly: "No wonder Mr. Yi never left this konghou all the way, it is indeed Zhang Haoqin."

"I didn't know that the general also likes to play the piano. I have the last bit of camphor tea left. I boiled it and listened to the general playing the piano. It's a pity that I don't drink alcohol, so I can't use it to help the general's killing spirit."

"You only know a few country tunes, how can you have any murderous spirit?" Xi Yan smiled.

Yi Tianzhan took the camphor tea wooden box and tea set and came out, the room was already pitch black, Xi Yan didn't play the piano, he sat on the ground in front of the door, facing the pouring rain, holding the vertical harp in his arms. Yi Tianzhan suddenly felt that he could not go out at all, nor could he break the tranquility of this moment. With eagle-like eyes, he could only see a black silhouette outside the rain curtain. The lines on the side of his face were so clear and clean, there was no sadness or joy, and he looked at Kong Hou with downcast eyes.

Xi Yan flicked his robe sleeves, and chanted in a long voice: "The temple is tall, the flute and drum are old, the candles and tears are red, how many people are singing?"

The momentum was extremely high, and it was as blue as the singing of a witch, and even the sound of the rain outside was suppressed by him for a while. The tobacco rod jumped on the string, but the voice was hoarse. The strings were a little wet, and there was just a flutter. Xiyan's cigarette rod stopped there, not moving for a long time.

"If no one listens to it anymore, why should anyone play it?"

He smiled softly, dropped the harp, got up and walked into the heavy rain without looking back.

[History]

In the first year of Emperor Cheng, the east land was safe and there was no war.

That year, Beichen rose into the star field of Zhongzhou, shining like a sword, and a meteor shower fell, damaging the farmland in several places. Qin Tianjian was uneasy, and presented the star map in front of the emperor's throne in the Taiqing Palace. A few days later, another ancestral mausoleum under the Eastern Palace of the Lower Tang Dynasty caught fire, burning dozens of main halls and auxiliary halls that had been built for hundreds of years to ashes. The new emperor came to the throne, thinking it was an ominous omen, he pardoned the prisoners all over the world, and exempted twelve cities in poor places from paying taxes. Apocalypse, what the historians of the imperial capital did not record, was that Xi Yan, the commander of the military hall of the Tang Dynasty, invited himself to be the teacher of the barbarian son Lu Guichen, and began to teach the academics of marching troops.

In the rainy autumn of Nanhuai City, the old man uncovered the silk and looked at the ancient giant sword.

The souls that could not be released from the sword were still roaring, and the real **** storm had already rolled up dark clouds in the sky of East Lu.

(Please look forward to Kyushu · Misty Record 3)