Chapter 24: Red Cliff Road

"The He family's foundation is there; how can the unworthy descendants not return?"

He Lingchuan rolled his eyes: "There are eyes and ears on both sides; do you have to make me say it plainly?" He leaned into his father's ear, his voice like a mosquito, easily covered by the sound of horse hooves. "Our whole family was killed by the Emperor; why do we still have to return to work for him?"

He Chunhua frowned: "Otherwise, where else is there a place to display ambition?"

A great man builds achievements; doesn't he need to rely on something?

"The Baling Kingdom in the west can also do it; doesn't our Qiansong Commandery border four countries? I think the monster country in the northeast is also good..." He Lingchuan watched the six directions and dodged the slap He Chunhua was about to fan on his head. "Besides, the country is in turmoil, and those commoners who raised banners to rebel dare to call themselves grassroots kings! Look abroad again; the changing of emperors is like a revolving lantern! I heard that the Xuan Kingdom in the east changed eleven emperors in twenty years, and the shortest one was only in office for nineteen days."

A proper high-risk profession.

Which nerve of this stinky kid is wrong, thinking about treason all day? He Chunhua said with a straight face: "A small country, can it compare with Great Yuan? We have been a country for more than sixty years, and the preparations are complete."

Hehe. He Lingchuan let out a long breath: "We are nine deaths and one life this time; Father, don't you want to tell me some heart-to-heart words?"

He Chunhua was slightly surprised, and suddenly stared at him: "What has possessed you?"

This came unexpectedly, and He Lingchuan broke out in a cold sweat on his back.

"What?"

The eldest son was brave but not a delicate person; he shouldn't have seen through his reservations. He Chunhua looked at him twice and said in a deep voice: "Don't say such things that will lead to beheading in the future."

A gust of wind and sand blew, and He Lingchuan sneezed.

Father's mind is also very deep.

Both are old and calculating masters. But this made him feel a little relieved.

It seems that Governor He was passively involved in this whirlpool, but who calculated who behind the scenes?

￥￥￥￥￥

State Preceptor Sun's team finally stepped onto the Red Cliff Road.

Passing through the mountain belly, a world of yellow sand appeared before their eyes, vast and boundless.

One sand dune after another stood in the hot wind; some were as small as dirt piles, and some were dozens of zhang high, comparable to big mountains. But they were not as hard as mountain cliffs, because some giant dunes would disappear overnight and suddenly appear in other depressions.

All plants disappeared, without a trace of green.

Looking around, there was only vastness.

And the Red Cliff Road was opened in the desert, five zhang wide, enough to accommodate several carriages side by side. The stone bricks on the ground couldn't see their original color, becoming uneven under the thousands of steps of merchants coming and going. Some bricks were new, because Black Water City and neighboring countries had contracted parts of the road maintenance; others were ancient bricks that hadn't been replaced, the black on the surface varying in depth, but layered one on top of another.

This made the Red Cliff Road crawl in the sand sea like a gray-black giant snake.

Zeng Feixiong also walked beside the He father and son, and seeing He Lingchuan curious about the bricks, he explained: "There are bloodstains on the bricks, new and old. There are many sand bandits on this road, and many battles have occurred."

"By the way, some bloodstains were left over a hundred years ago. The Red Cliff Road was the troop and grain transport road of Panlongcheng back then; it is said that countless great robberies occurred around these few roads."

To attack and besiege the city, one must cut off the opponent's reinforcements and grain.

When He Lingchuan heard him say this, he felt the bloody air rushing toward his face.

So many cruel killings, so many living lives, so many determined calls to protect the home and country, were finally buried by the endless yellow sand, and nothing could be left behind.

Three years after the destruction of Panlongcheng, the Western Luo Kingdom perished; six years later, the Xianyou Kingdom also perished.

This pair of old enemies fought for decades, and finally both fell, falling into the dust of history.

"Is this the reason why everyone hangs the 'Zhong Flag'?" He Lingchuan pointed to the flag fluttering high at the very front of the team.

This was clearly the army of the Great Yuan Kingdom, and the leader was the venerable State Preceptor Sun, but a big "Zhong" character was embroidered on the team's flag.

People today walk the ends of the earth, but have to hang the old flag of the previous dynasty; it is unimaginable.

In fact, it was not only their team; almost all moving travelers on the Red Cliff Road raised the Zhong flag high, as if passing a message to the entire desert.

Of course, all teams would put away the Zhong flag after leaving the Red Cliff Road before entering the territory of other countries, so although He Lingchuan had heard of it, he rarely saw this flag.

"Resentful spirits and mutated monsters roam the desert, eating whatever they catch, but they don't step on the Red Cliff Road, because this is the route the Great Wind Army walked countless times back then. Everyone hangs the Zhong flag to pay tribute to the Great Wind Army of the past, and also to seek peace for themselves."

If He Lingchuan had to say, that wasn't paying tribute, it was clearly counterfeiting.

Zeng Feixiong pulled away the cloth covering his face, spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the handkerchief, and put it away: "Spit and urine cannot be sprinkled on the Red Cliff Road at will; they must be collected and taken away, otherwise it will be regarded as disrespect and will annoy the heroes here."

He Chunhua also said: "In the past, many countries didn't believe in evil and didn't allow their merchants to insert the Zhong flag to walk the Red Cliff Road. As a result—"

"As a result, they had to allow it later." He Lingchuan understood. "Living people don't need to be angry with the dead."

Just at this moment, several loud roars came from behind.

Everyone looked back and saw a snow-white puppy running out of another team walking behind, leaving the Red Cliff Road in two or three steps, running toward the nearest sand dune.

Its little master was a five-year-old girl; once the dog was out of hand, she subconsciously raised her legs and chased.

Soon, she also left the Red Cliff Road.

Her family hadn't reacted yet when the guard rushed over from behind and shouted at her: "Come back! Come back quickly!"

The shouting sound He Lingchuan and others heard was his call.

The child's mother was a noblewoman, who walked over and said dissatisfied: "Lower your voice, don't scare my child!"

"If she doesn't come back, your child will be gone!" The guard shouted again, "Come back quickly, the monster is going to eat people!"

The desert was as empty as a still painting, and not a single wild animal appeared.

The girl stood still, looked at the team, then looked at the little white dog in the distance, and hesitated.

The child's mother said disdainfully: "You go and hold her back."

The guard wouldn't do it; he didn't want to leave the Red Cliff Road for even a step.

The child's mother had no choice but to run toward her child, hold her in her arms, and walk back.

Nothing happened.

"Useless man..." Before the noblewoman finished her sentence, the ground under her feet suddenly collapsed.

A big mouth suddenly appeared from bottom to top, swallowing her and the child in one bite.

The scream was tragic and short.

At this time, they were less than three steps away from the Red Cliff Road.

After the monster appeared, it didn't rush to dive, but moved quickly toward the white dog not far away.

This thing was a bit like a sole, with its mouth on the top of its head, its body shape like a big round plate, flat and flat, and its color was similar to yellow sand. If it hadn't jumped out by itself, even if He Lingchuan had leaned close, he might not have discovered its existence.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 25 =====