Rogue with a knife on the right

【Chapter 2 A Curtain of Dreams】

10

Twelve years ago, dissatisfied with the rule of the shogunate of the Dahe Dynasty, the two northeastern states under the rule of King Yan took the lead in raising the flag and launching the War of Independence.With the support of the bordering Northern Kingdom, the Kingdom of Yan was established a year later. Dahe publicly acknowledged its sovereignty, but has always called it a "pseudo-Yan".

After the "Yan Erzhou" split, the hearts of the people in the country were in turmoil, and the prince Kaifeng wanted to reform the law.Everyone knows the aftermath. The reform failed, and the prince was beheaded for treason. The queen mother appointed his fourth brother Kaipei as the new prince, who soon succeeded him under the name "Ruian".

The train drove to Shouming, the capital of the puppet Yan Kingdom. In the distance, the tall city walls showed a cold and arrogant gray in the wind and snow.

The people in the car gradually woke up and looked outside.Black-clothed cavalrymen were patrolling back and forth in the snow, with iron hoofs and spears, and their faces could not be seen clearly.There is a dark cloud on the city wall. It is the soldiers guarding the city. They are killing, and the cannons are always aimed at the outside world, tightly wrapping the city.

This is the iron wall.

Lengshi Huadao also smelled a little unfriendly atmosphere.

The train started to slow down in front of the city gate, and several ragged prisoners stood facing the wall. Then, the soldiers shot each of them in the head, and the sound of the gunshots was shocking.At this moment, Huashima finally saw the power of this weapon, and also saw the scene of brains and blood splashing after shooting.

The prisoner is dragged sloppily into the sack, and the train passes through the door opening, and he cannot see what follows.

There is no dusk in Shouming City.When we arrived at the train station, it was already 05:30 in the afternoon, and the sky was only gloomy little by little. The brilliant sunset and fiery sunset did not exist here.

A team of soldiers picked them up from the car.Button-breasted military uniform, silver epaulets, and a shiny leather cap. In comparison, the Qing Lantern Guard's attire looked like an antique.Samurai|The sword is like a gorgeous decoration in this world of guns and cannons.

The snow has subsided a bit, but the cold remains undiminished.Huashima broke the silence and said, "Why are there so few people in the station?"

Empty platform, lonely lights, not even a seller of fried chestnuts.

"This is the last train to enter the city. The city gate will be closed at six o'clock." A soldier replied: "In order to maintain law and order, we have implemented a strict curfew system."

When they walked outside the station, the scenery finally opened up.

There is a fountain in the middle of the small square, with gray pigeons circling overhead.The children stood in three rows in bright red cloaks, and sang childishly in unison:

Snow-capped snow

rising sun

lights up my home;

Those who walk in the dark

Seeking the great light—

"This is...?" The leader of the second team of Qingdeng Guard was stunned.Could it be that they came here specially to welcome them?

The soldier of Yan State pointed to the top of his head and looked over. It turned out that there was a portrait of King Yan hanging under the eaves of the station, decorated with red silk and flowers.

"Every day, children aged five to ten will sing the national anthem in the square, praising our great King Yan." The soldiers were impassioned.

King Yan, the first "Grand Marshal" of Yan State, died of illness three years ago, and now his son is in power.

There was a row of cars parked at the other end of the square, Han Jingye was led into a single car, and the rest of them sat down in two cars.

The small space in the car made Huadao uneasy, and she had an urgent desire to speak, but seeing the serious face of Yan Guo's driver, she gave up.

Even though it is the capital city, the streets are unusually quiet and there are few people there.The surrounding old buildings have been demolished in sevens and eights, and the new-style western-style buildings built on top of them are nondescript, and some neon signs are full of Beiguo characters.The shop in front seemed to be doing a lot of business, and there was a long queue at the door. However, when the car approached, it was discovered that it was not a shop, but a so-called "resident distribution center", with a small food stamp in hand, waiting for the unified distribution of flour and eggs.

The car continued to move forward, and the "Jin Gong" suddenly appeared not far away, and then hid in the building.

After about 10 minutes' drive, they finally arrived at the resplendent reception and were properly placed in their respective rooms.

Between Huadao and Jiannan.The decoration in this room is completely in the northern style. There is a large maroon chandelier above the head, and the curtains on all sides are made of woolen material, which is very thick.What interested him most was the telephone landline on the bedside table. He picked up the receiver and put it down again, studying it for a long time.

"It's called a 'telephone', and I've seen it in the captain's and chief's offices," Jiannan said.

"It's amazing." Huashima muttered to himself, took off his cloak, and suddenly touched the pistol in his pocket.

He vaguely felt the danger of this trip to the north, so he took his gun with him before going out.Huashima looked around to confirm that Jiannan hadn't noticed, and quietly stuffed the pistol into the drawer.

"By the way, I haven't seen the captain since I got off the car. Where did he go?"

While packing his luggage, Jiannan said, "You should have heard that the captain is from a noble family, and of course princes and nobles will not live with us."

"That's right." Huashima opened the curtains and looked out.

dong dong dong.

After a sudden knock on the door, a waiter came in.Putting a stack of clothes on the cabinet, he lowered his eyebrows and looked down: "The Marshal invites everyone to enjoy the hot spring in the soup house after the dinner. Here are the bathrobes and towels for the two of you."

Unexpectedly, there is such a place in Yan Country, which has always been icy.

The heat was steaming, and the white mist filled the air, condensing into tiny water droplets on the lampshade.The lights are of course dim. They hang on the branches of the osmanthus trees, reflecting the water surface and swaying like a dream.

"The hot springs in Heze were not as comfortable as here." The leader of the second group, Zhang, put a towel on his forehead and rested his head on the stone wall.

Huashima walked to the hot spring with a jug of wine, first pushed the wooden basin containing the wine into the water, then took off her bathrobe and stepped into the pool.

"Hey! This way!" Jiannan waved at him.

Huashima walked slowly, the heat had already moistened the skin, and the water droplets slid down the curve of the muscles.He was just about to sit down, but the young man from Jiannan stopped him: "Oh, you have a good figure." He even touched him left and right.

"It's okay." He squinted and smiled.

"It's nice to be young. I think I was not bad in shape back then." Team leader Zhang sighed: "Now I'm old and fat."

"You are called Huadao, right?" Staff Officer Wang asked beside him.

"it's me."

He approached and squeezed Huashima's shoulder: "Well, the skeleton is very strong, it is the material for practicing knives."

This group of old green lantern guards like to make jokes about newcomers, the environment is warm and comfortable, and the wine is just right, so everyone is familiar with it, and the laughter continues, sweeping away the seriousness and gloomyness of the past.

Not far away, a light cough froze the air instantly as if by magic.

I saw Han Jingye sitting there upright, the candlelight outlined a gentle outline, as if a layer of wax had been coated on the carcass.Several women offered wine back and forth, full of coquettishness, but he was unmoved, his eyes fixed on the pool, blinded by the beautiful scenery of a good time.

So Huadao took the initiative to walk to Han Jingye's side, and said with a smile to the girls, "Are you all working hard against a rock here? Let us stare at the autumn water on the opposite side, without even looking at it."

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I didn't see such a handsome little brother just now." A woman with a big wavy hair approached Huadao, and her fingers touched her shoulders.

A few people over there pondered the situation and gathered together one after another.

So the girls posted one by one, and they all belonged to each other, and skillfully poured wine to persuade them.

"Don't let the captain drink anymore, he pours three cups." Hua Dao blocked a cup for Han Jingye.He cared about the man's slightly tired expression.

"You're playing tricks, no." The woman touched his temple lightly: "Why don't we play a game, the loser will be punished with alcohol."

"Let's listen to it," Staff Officer Wang said.

"Easy. Everyone tells a story, and let others guess which part is true and which part is false." She had a determined smile on her face, and she seemed to be an old hand.

Jiannan was eager to try: "I've played this game before. Then let's start with the person who suggested it?"

"You are very bad." The woman swung in front of Jiannan, cleared her throat, and said, "I stole a can of cream when I was a child, and my mother found out. I was very scared, so I ran and ran, and ended up on the stairs. I fell and broke my forehead."

Everyone looked at the woman, wondering if there was a scar hidden under her big soft waves.The woman unhurriedly twisted the ends of her hair, smiling ambiguously.

"The front is fake, but the back is real." While thinking silently, a little girl said bluntly.

"Tsk, Xiuli! I won't take you to play like this!" the woman scolded coquettishly.The girl named Xiuli clapped her hands: "Sister, hurry up and drink." So she drank it all, and everyone applauded and booed.

"Who's next?"

Xiuli pointed at Huadao: "Say it."

"Me?" Hua Dao was carefree, he played this kind of true and false games no less than the girls present, so he said: "I experienced a shipwreck before, and I was sent to Penglai Island by a big wave. I don’t remember. A powerful old man took me in and taught me to use a knife. Later, I left the old man and traveled around. On the way, I met a lady from a rich family. The lady saw that I looked like her, an old acquaintance, and she was very special to me. good......"

"The front is false!" Before he finished speaking, Jiannan interrupted: "How can there be such a bizarre story in the world? It's the same as the martial arts storybook. Is the old man called Zhang Sanfeng or Qingyun Xia?"

Everyone laughed.

"Hey, why don't you believe it?" Hua Dao shook his head and said, "What if I say the latter is fake?" He raised his head and glanced at Han Jingye.

"I know." At this time, another team member who has always been taciturn said: "That young lady must be the daughter of the master of Liuxin Pavilion, so I recommended you to join the Blue Lantern Guard."

Huashima was startled.

I see.He remembered that Wu Lingnan got him in through Liu Xinge Dojo, which made it easy for people to guess that he had some kind of nepotism with Liu Xinge - in fact it was not.

Instead of getting darker and darker, it is better to push the boat with the current.He raised his glass and smiled helplessly: "You all know the details, I really can't play this game, do it."

Over there, Han Jingye coughed again and stood up from the pool: "I still have tasks tomorrow, I'll go back first, and everyone should rest early."

The woman serving the wine hurriedly helped him put on the bath towel, and winked at the surrounding sisters.

The Blue Lantern Guards immediately felt guilty when the captain said this.When the country is in crisis, it's better to take less troubles.Everyone lost their interest, suppressed their smiles, and walked out of the hot spring with a sigh.

Only Huashima dismissed it and continued to pour wine.After everyone had left, he stared at the white mist and lost his mind for a moment.

"Hey."

Suddenly, a voice sounded.

It is beauty.

She didn't know when to turn back, squatting barefoot by the pool, tightening her light purple bathrobe: "You lied to them just now, didn't you?"

Huashima looks at her.

Xiuli held her wet hair behind her ears, looking innocent.She smiled and said: "The previous story is true, but the latter is false—there is no such thing as a big lady."

The author has something to say:

Yan State is a militaristic country with distinct classes~