Compared with the Central Plains, although the grassland is vast and relatively flat, it is by no means a complete road. Mountains, bubbles, woods, valleys and hills are even more mysterious because of the gentle terrain. It is no rare for a person from the Central Plains who has never been to the grassland to lose direction in the grassland than to get lost in the mountains.

Because of the arrival of the war, the number of troops stationed at Gubeikou increased, and of course, the scouts sent out were dozens of times, or even dozens of times as usual. The increase was not only the number of people, but also the exploration distance, from thirty miles to fifty miles, and then to eighty miles. Without the discovery of the Khitan army, the Gubeikou general extended this distance to a hundred miles.

The scouts' ride into the grassland for hundreds of miles is basically like committing suicide.

During wartime, the tribes on the grassland can be called "everyone is a soldier, and when necessary, women and children can fight - if they have swords and arrows in their hands, in this case, even if the scouts meet the grassland people hunting and grazing, they will be in danger of their lives.

This is the first time Zhang Zai has arrived in the grassland.

Even as a scout, he needed to keep a calm observation and cautious manner at all times, and he was deeply impressed by the magnificent scenery of the grassland. Along the way, the stunning gaze in his eyes never dissipated, and there was even more infinite passion in his heart, and he had the urge to recite poems and essays many times.

The two Confucian scholars who followed him also reacted in this way.

Writing poems by the water, climbing high and reading essays, and reading the scenery is the interest of books and business, which is the habit engraved in their bones. The lonely smoke in the desert is straight, the setting sun in the long river, why should the Qiang flute blame the willows, and the spring breeze does not cross the Yumen Pass... This is how these poems that have been passed down through the ages are obtained.

Since ancient times, there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Of course, there is no reason why the ancients are so beautiful than before.

Unfortunately, the roared cow eggs always had a dead face. Not to mention not giving them a chance to stay, they were not allowed to speak casually. This made Zhang Zai and others' belly full of Jinxiu Wen can only chew in their mouths a few times and then swallow it back.

It is really hard to recite poems, and it is even more uncomfortable than holding back the third urge. So before noon, when the cavalry team took a break, and when they were eating food and drinking water, Zhang Zai came to Niu Dan and asked the other party how they would find the traces of the Khitan army.

It has been a long time since everyone entered the grassland. Even if they searched for the left and right, the straight line was more than eighty miles away.

"The people on the grassland will definitely drive away a large number of cattle and sheep as military rations. A cavalry of 100,000 people will inevitably have more than one million cattle and sheep. How can such a large-scale livestock operation not leave any traces? Even if the Khitans intend to clean up, as long as we are more sensitive, we can always catch clues."

Niu Dan glanced at Zhang Zai and didn't want to talk about these military affairs to the other party, but when he remembered the commander's instructions before leaving, he could only be patient and say a few more words in a cold manner.

"Can't find the army, and can't find livestock manure? As long as we find them, we can infer where the Khitan army is, how many people are, and even the direction of their activities."

Speaking of this, Niu Dan suddenly sneered, "You scholars will not understand these things in the ranks."

"Do you know what is different from the feces of sheep and the feces of cows? Do you know how to judge the number of the other party's army by the traces of the weeds being damaged? Tell you that on the grassland, as long as you are careful enough and have a little luck, nothing will be hidden!"

Zhang Zai didn't expect that the military soldier with a vulgar and stupid name in front of him had such knowledge. In amazement, he opened his mouth and said quietly: "Cow dung is a pool, sheep dung is an egg..."

There was nothing wrong with this sentence, but when Zhang Zai thought of Niu Dan's name, he immediately closed his mouth, his eyes were complicated, and he looked at Niu Dan with strange and apologetic eyes.

It was no problem even if Zhang Zai shut up, but his eyes when he looked at Niu Dan, Niu Dan's eyes sank, thinking that this stupid scholar was sarcastic and wanted to have an attack.

But for the sake of the unity of the team, he just snorted heavily and stopped talking.

In fact, Zhang Zai wanted to ask how to judge the number of troops by the traces of the weeds being trampled and damaged, and to distinguish the difference between sheep manure and cow manure. It is already very rare for him, a scholar with five bodies, to be a scholar who is not diligent. This kind of thing is actually very ordinary, and he will be impressed once he has seen it. But when he sees Niu Dan's expression unwilling, he also knows that his verbal reactions have problems just now, so he won't say more.

According to Zhang Zai's character, if you face a scholar with a little knowledge, you will never hesitate at this time and you will definitely bow and apologize.

However, the cow egg in front of him looked vulgar. When the other party took off his bag, Zhang Zai saw lice crawling in his chicken-like hair. With a chill in his heart, a little bit of high-looking thought just arose and disappeared, replaced by a strong contempt.

The thought of apologizing will disappear completely.

"Brother Zhang, I heard that there are many masters and monks in the dynasty, and the Qingyi Yamen is even more omnipresent. Will there be strong people to help us when we go out to check the enemy's movements?"

Next to Zhang Zai, a fellow disciple with thin eyebrows and small eyes asked him.

Zhang Zai looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them. He shook his head and said solemnly: "You are too arrogant to yourself. Although there are many monks in the dynasty, there are also many Khitan monks. During the war, who didn't fight in his own position?

"Not to mention the Yuguan battlefield where hundreds of thousands of troops were gathered on both sides, even Guizhou in the west is in full swing now. We are just a few scholars, not important figures. Who has the leisure and elegance to take care of us? Do you think that you are now in Huainan and we are guests of the throne of Wu?"

Disciple Liu Dahe changed his slut and said, "Then don't we always have the risk of life?"

Zhang Zai said, "Why can't you and I be able to die in the border soldiers? Although I look down on vulgar men like Niu Dan, I have to admit their contribution to bloody battles and guarding the border. After all, everyone carried a head on their shoulders. On the battlefield, no one was as precious as anyone else's life."

Liu Dahe couldn't speak.

Zhang Zai patted him on the shoulder. He is one of Zhang Qi's most valued disciples. He is also at the level of a literary master. He has an extraordinary status in the Confucian Sect in Yangzhou. Everything cannot be done by nature. He has the responsibility to restrain himself and respect the overall situation, and appease the hearts of the disciples below.

He said earnestly: "In Luoyankou, the battle was invincible. The elite cavalry of the Wolf-fanged Army, who was the best in merit, was almost wiped out. Deputy General Zhao Nianci was killed in battle, and General Shangguan almost died. They were all brave men in the world. Which one is not the flesh of King An? Even they can wear a horse and wrap their bodies. What reason do we have to be delicate?"

Liu Dahe wanted to speak out but stopped several times.

When he arrived, his eyes became particularly strange when he looked at Zhang Zai.

When Zhang Zai was about to ask questions, he disturbed his head and said, "Brother Zhang, these words don't seem to be what you said.

"When you were in Yangzhou, you never had any good feelings for the fighters in the army. You only regarded them as a group of people with low life, no knowledge or vision, you only knew how to compete for your own food, and you didn't know what the great cause of the world was..."

Zhang Zai was stunned.

After Liu Dahe said this, he also found that some of his ideas had indeed changed these days after he came to the North, but he had not realized it before.

Zhang Zai thought carefully for a while and soon gained enlightenment. As a Confucian scholar who regards "I examine myself three times a day" as his motto, he is very good at thinking like this.

Zhang Zai looked at Niu Dan, who was laughing with dirty words and said to the soldiers with a sharp look, and said slowly: "Maybe it's because he has arrived at the border."

"In Huainan, the army and the Han fought for the benefit of the vassal states, and for the sake of some money and property, it is not vague to kill women, children, elderly and weak. In order to change this situation and make them loyal to themselves, the King of Wu used our Confucian school to promote the theory of loyalty and righteousness. Although there were some effects, because the time was still short, it was limited.

"But at the border... the soldiers here fought against the barbarians from the north, guarded the border bloodily, and defended the Central Plains behind them. Regardless of whether they had the awareness and belief to die for the country or not, what they did actually protected their compatriots.

"I went to see the graves of the dead in the north entrance. The dilapidated white banners fluttered in the evening breeze in the remote place. The graves with only more wooden monuments than mass graves are indeed particularly desolate. No matter how many princes I have looked down at the mud legs of the word "Dou" and the word "Dou" were not many, and I had to admire them at that moment."

Speaking of this, Zhang Zai paused for a moment. He originally wanted to say more, but for a moment, he seemed to sink into the memories of the scene that day, and there was no time to say the following words.

Liu Dahe Zheng said with a key point: "When I went to see with Mr. Zhang that day, I almost burst into tears. In any case, they died for the country. Even though they did not have the passion and talent to govern the country and pacify the world, what they did was worthy of our worship."

Liu Dahe sighed, looked at the northern grasslands and was silent for a while, and murmured: "There are many emotions and spirits in this world, but in terms of heroism, what else can you do to die for the country?"

The two looked at each other and said nothing more.

These words may not happen among ordinary soldiers. Because of the lack of knowledge, even if they feel it, they can only turn red eyes and fight bravely at the enemy with a knife, unable to express these profound truths.

At this moment, Zhang Zai and Liu Dahe were both moved, and an inexplicable flame burned in their chests.

But they could not react immediately. In their young and passionate bodies, the idea of ​​rectifying the border troops and writing their glory, their spirits, and sacrifices, and making everyone in the world admire and praise them.

The border troops only know how to fight to the death. No matter how dying their roars are, they are destined to dissipate in the violent or gentle north wind. Their feelings and life are destined to disappear silently in the years with the desolate tomb.

These soldiers who have fought for the people of the Central Plains to live and work in peace and prosperity for the wealth of officials and businessmen, and have fought for the figures that their families have been looking forward to every day and flowed into their last drop of blood. They should not have been ignored or ignored.

And now, there are a few scholars who can hold their pens.

Although at present, they are not harmonious with each other and do not like each other.

The cavalry team set off on the road again and set foot on the boundless grassland northward. After only an hour, Dutou eggs discovered traces left by large-scale cattle and sheep activities.
Chapter completed!