The dream of a lonely hero

Only two brothers, Yan Yun and Yan Feng, were left in such a large venue. Yan Yun stood frozen with thoughts swirling around him. Just then he saw Yan Feng arrogantly commanding and beating the soldiers. He endured it again and again. If a quarrel broke out, outsiders would laugh. At this moment, he was facing his brother who was both familiar and unfamiliar. He was full of words and didn't know where to start. He was reminiscing about the past, admonishing, and teaching.

Yan Feng smiled slightly:"Brother! We haven't seen each other for a long time. Brother, I will pick up the wind for you." He opened the wine jar and poured two bowls. Looking at Yan Yun's preoccupied look,"We only talk about private matters and not official matters." The scene of Yan Feng bullying the soldiers lingered before Yan Yun's eyes, and Yan Feng could also guess why Yan Yun was unhappy.

Yan Feng said:"I didn't expect you and my brother to get together here. God has eyes! My brother went to the capital to take the exam and how did he get to Jinzhou City?"

Yan Yun said:"How is mother? Uncle Shang and other uncles are well"?

Yan Feng said:"Thanks to you, they are all doing well. Even my mother hopes day and night that you will be named in the gold medal and return home in fine clothes. Monk Feiyan will get married and start a business as soon as possible and have grandchildren.""

Yun regretted and remained silent.

Yan Feng said:"It doesn't matter if you lose your reputation in Sunshan, you will come back three years later. How did you come to Jinzhou City?"

Yan Yun told in detail how he left Zhenzhou Guiyunzhuang Daojing to rush to Jinzhou for the exam, and then asked Yan Feng how he came to Jinzhou.

After Yan Yun left Zhenzhou and returned to Guiyun Village, the teaching of martial arts by the"Eight Immortals" was basically completed. Whether Shang Quan, Yan Feng, Shang Feiyan, and Shang Feiyan can improve their martial arts depends on their own continuous practice. , the"Eight Immortals" traveled around doing chivalry and righteousness. Yan Feng is talented and smart, helping Aunt Ma to take care of all the affairs of Guiyun Village in an orderly manner. From time to time, she looks for opportunities to get close to Shang Feiyan. Yan Feng is romantic, suave, smart, well-behaved and knows Feng Yue. Shang Feiyan also fell in love with Yan Feng when he first fell in love. Because of their affair, one day Shang Quan caught Yan Feng and Shang Feiyan in bed and raped them in Shang Feiyan's boudoir. Yan Feng was beaten naked by Shang Quan and Shang Fei brothers to Guiyun Village. From then on, Yan Feng was penniless and wandered around the world, ordered again and again. He was at the end of his rope, and more than half a year of hard training made him mature ten years earlier than his peers, and he finally settled in the Jinzhou Xiangjun Shenwu Corps.

Yan Feng would never tell Yan Yun what happened to his monk Fei Yan and how he was beaten out of Guiyun Village by the Shang brothers. He said to Yan Yun:"Since you came to Beijing, I have carefully served my mother at home. I help Aunt Ma take care of the chores on the farm. Uncle Shang and the others travel around. Shang Quan and Shang Phu are incompetent. The burden of the Shang family falls on me. Shang Quan and Shang Phu not only do not appreciate it, but also obstruct them in every possible way.".

Yan Yun said:"Shang Quan and Shang Zhu are unworthy. Uncle Shang and Aunt Ma are as kind as a mountain to our family!"

Yan Feng said:"Brother, you are stupid! No matter how good it is, Guiyun Village is not in our own home. I am also a tall and dignified man. I can't ask my mother to live with me and endure the humiliation and burden of living under someone else's roof, just to go out and make a fortune in the family business." In the future, I will take my mother out to enjoy the blessings, and this will be Jinzhou. Before leaving, Aunt Ma repeatedly tried to persuade me to stay and offered me money, but I refused. I have a strong character and a strong ambition."

Yan Feng spoke plausibly, and Yan Yun believed it, as if seeing the shadow of Yan Feng in the past, and praised:"Brothers have backbone.""！

"of course! We, Yan Feng, don’t have any other abilities, but we do have backbone! elder brother! Come, let me give you a toast." Yan Feng rushed to Yan Yun and picked up the bowl.

Yan Yun looked at the food and wine on the table and frowned:"Jun Biao (Yan Feng's word)! Why do you smell the fishy smell?"

Yan Feng said:"What fishy smell is there? Is there any fish on the table?"

Yan Yun said:"It's not the smell of fish, it's the smell of blood."

Yan Feng said with a serious look on his face. :"The smell of blood! I have good intentions to help you, but you are so unreasonable! Do you know why you can't stay in the capital's Yamen? Do you know why you don’t want to be seen by others?"？

"Let’s not talk about that. How much does this table cost? This jar of wine costs less than two thousand dollars, which is the military salary of fifty Shenwu soldiers! You are drinking the blood of soldiers! Drink the blood of soldiers!"The anger that Yan Yun had been holding back for many days burst out like a surging Yellow River bursting its banks, with a sound like thunder.

Yan Feng did not expect that the weak Yan Yun would be so violent that he shook his head and smiled bitterly:"You! you! You are worthy, you are worthy of blaming me and teaching me a lesson! When you come out of Guiyun Village, your father-in-law gave you that black horse, which is worth three hundred thousand yuan and has a lot of money. It's a waste of your life and you have no money at all. When you are desperate, there are noble people to help you. If No, you are the target of drinking blood!"

Yan Yun’s eyes widened angrily and said:"Yan Feng! Yanfeng! Do you still have human nature?"

Yan Feng said:"Human nature, let me teach you what human nature is. Human nature is the law of the jungle. You felt compassion for those hard workers in the army building the roads, right? You pity them, right? Let me tell you, those who are pitied must have something to bully. Those who are pitied are synonymous with incompetence. Their today is my yesterday. No one pity me, let alone anyone to pity me! God finally favored me and I survived the disaster. I survived the disaster! If I don’t drink the blood of soldiers, sooner or later I will be reduced to the target of drinking the blood of soldiers. Wolves roam the world eating meat, dogs travel thousands of miles eating shit. If you still have any compassion, don't hang around in this world!"

Yan Yun gritted his teeth and pointed at Yan Feng with trembling hands:"How dare you be so cruel and shameless now that you are no more than a petty official? You are so bold. If you make it bigger, you won’t harm the country and the people!"

Yan Feng sneered and said:"Hehe! Yesterday I went to the casino to play, and my stock score was only"two points". It's pitiful, but God has eyes. Du Daguan's was"one point". I was only a little bigger than him, and this one point would make him bankrupt.! I am not a big official, but I am looking after you, a mediocre and incompetent person who has lived through the ages. If not for the sake of my compatriots, you are worse than a hard worker in the Xiang army building roads!" Yan Yun pointed at him with a palm Yan Yun grabbed Yan Feng's hand and twisted it. Yan Feng took advantage of the situation and used the"golden cicada to escape its shell" to dismantle Yan Yun's capture."If you are not surprised, you will be fined." He took the empty bowl where the wine had been poured and threw it at Yan Yun. Go. Yan Yun punched the bowl and smashed it into pieces.

Yan Feng was used to being arrogant in Qingsong Ridge, how could he bear such a scolding from his superiors? Anger arose in his heart and evil grew in his courage, and he jumped into the air with a move of"making waves" A series of heart-piercing kicks were directed towards Yan Yun's front heart and face, and he was extremely powerful. Yan Yun used the"Feng Feng Zhi Jin Cao" to dismantle him, turned around and dodged sideways, grabbed Yan Feng's feet with both palms and swung it, Yan Feng He was thrown a few feet away and fell to the ground. Ninja Yanfeng got up in pain for a long time, patted the dust on his body, and said:"Yan Yun, don't let the mouse stay in the nest! If you have the ability to beat me to death, my mother knows how capable you are!" Yan Yun looked at Yan Feng's painful look as he fell to the ground. After all, he was a brother who felt sorry for him. Yan Feng mentioned his mother again, and Yan Yun felt even more uneasy. He helped her He followed Yan Feng to sit on the chair.

Yan Feng said:"Yan Yun, if you want to hit me, just hit me. There won't be this shop after passing this village."

Yan Yun said:"Don't blame my brother for taking action. You acted so wantonly. Those who commit crimes include being deprived of pay, deducting military pay, enriching one's own pockets, breaking bones and sucking marrow, abusing soldiers, and disregarding human life. All of them are capital crimes including being banished from the army and even beheading! If you know that your mother will be angry to death, you should turn around and be safe."

Yan Feng also calmed down and said,"Brother, I don't want to become like this, but the world has forced me to do so. You tell me how you, a man with both civil and military qualifications, have fallen into such a state. Wang Jian and others can become officials just because they are born without being admitted as Jinshi. Shouldn’t we, poor people with no family background, be like cows and horses! When you first arrived, you didn’t know the depth of the pond in Jinzhou Xiangjun. If you were upright and innocent and would not speculate on the camp, not only would you be unable to move forward, but you would also become a enslaved beast. I don’t accept it, I don’t accept it! The world is unfair, the world is unfair! Having said that, there has never been any fairness in the world since ancient times. Living in this world without seeking wealth and fame is no different from an animal. I want to live a good life, and I want my mother to live a good life. We can no longer live the life of relying on others. Brother, you said that in terms of martial arts, we can't find many in the Xiang army in Jinzhou. You are even more versatile in both civil and military affairs. But Shangguan doesn't want this. What he wants is money, but we don't have that. What to rely on, just flattering and flattering. You tell me what a great opportunity you had back then. The Jinzhou Xiang army was under the command of Lord Tian Qin's personal entourage. If you were not so aloof, lowered your head a little, and were more diplomatic, it would have taken at least two to three months and more to a year and a half. Everyone who came down was at least the deputy commander of that battalion. I tried my best to ask the superior officer how much money he had to spend to become a team leader. For you, for mother, for the rise of our Yan family, and to avenge the murder, brother, can you change your way of life?"

Yan Yun said:"Remember a line from Taibai's poem:"An Neng can bend his eyebrows and bend his waist to serve the powerful, so I can't." happy face’"

Yan Feng said angrily:"Happy face, happy face! No money, no power, no glory and wealth, struggling to beg - how happy face! How did I survive the past six months, just like a beggar, begging along the street , hungry and cold, when I was about to starve to death and freeze to death, I had a great enlightenment - a great enlightenment! I have sound limbs and martial arts, why do I eat food that comes to me! Why don't I steal, rob, or rob! A true man walks in the world, as long as he wants to rob or dares No one can win, wealth is impermanent, and family fortune has no fixed path, and wealth and glory are just things in the pocket."

Yan Yun said:"This, how is this different from a robber?"

Yan Feng said:"Since ancient times, the world has been dominated by robbers and gamblers. Who are the emperors and generals who are worshiped by the ignorant people? Liu Bang, Yang Jian, Li Yuan, and Li Shimin in the distance are not robbers. The Liang, Tang, Jin, and Han Dynasties in the near future are not robbers." , Emperor Kaiguo of Zhou Dynasty, who is not a bandit? These people who were originally just like dogs and dogs relied on their boldness and luck to rob the world, and then they became the real dragon emperor. Big thieves are in the world, and small bandits live in temples. Why can't I do what they do?! Half a year of experience has made me terrified of poverty. I would dream about those days that lasted like years. When I wake up, my heart will beat with fear. I have no intention of becoming an emperor or general. I just want to be rich and glorious in official robes. I don’t want to be trampled on by others. Is it wrong? Is it over?"

Yan Yun said:"Jun Biao! Wealth and glory are what everyone wants, but they don't get it through proper methods. Poverty and lowliness are hated by everyone, but they don't get rid of them through proper methods. How can we feel at ease? When we were young Have you forgotten the book I memorized, 'A gentleman is associated with righteousness, a villain is associated with profit, and being unjust and getting rich and noble is like a floating cloud to me'?"

Yan Feng said:"My brother! You are pedantic. Look at the rich people in ancient and modern times who did what the saints said! Wu Qi, the famous general of the Warring States Period, did not return after his mother died. He killed his wife for glory, was greedy for money and lust, had liaisons with foreign enemies, and was cruel. To the extreme, in Wei, the Qin people did not dare to go eastward, and in Chu, the three Jin Dynasties did not dare to go south, and finally became a military god who has been famous for generations. The richest and most noble people today are the officials (Emperor Song Taizu) Chen Qiao mutiny and orphans A widowed mother has a lot of power in her hands. Is this called being kind, courteous, thrifty and generous? This is called being non-toxic and unhusbandly!"

Yan Yun's face changed drastically when he heard this and said:"You dare to accuse and abuse me today. This will lead to the annihilation of the entire clan!"

Yan Feng said:"Okay, let's not talk anymore. You have to accept the situation and go with the situation. Let's see who of us will be rich in the future."

Yan Yun said:"My brother advises you not to follow the heretical path again. Wouldn't it be better to stop at the cliff immediately and rely on your true talents and meritorious deeds to earn a robe?"

Yan Feng said:"You rely on your versatility in civil and military affairs to get your fame. I don't have it, but I have a life, so I will rely on my life to bet on my wealth."

Yan Yun said:"Jun Biao, Jun Biao, you are crazy!"

Yan Feng said:"Qiu Long, I have seen through you! Even if you are capable of literature and martial arts, you are no different from all other ordinary people. You care too much about your life, so you are submissive, timid, and cautious for fear of being affected. You have a great plan to build a career and get ahead. What's the point of living like this for decades or a hundred years? I, Yan Feng, would rather live ten years less than be without power for a day! The pursuit of glory and wealth urges me to live on the edge of a knife. Have you ever had a night of drinking wine and playing music every day? Even if I die today, I will earn more than you and those hard laborers in the army!"

Yan Yun said:"If you are so lucky, you are not afraid that one day your head will be missing!"

Yan Feng said:"Qiu Long, I despise you for being as timid as a mouse. Do you want to know when you are rich and powerful? You do things with your head on your back, while I do my work with my head on my belt. People who do things with their heads on their backs are conservative and old-fashioned. If you don't change and don't cross the threshold, you will eventually end up in a dead end. People who work with their heads in their belts dare to deviate from the tradition, go against the rules and follow the authority, and realize the power and change. In the end, the path will be full of flowers. If you continue like this, don't think you are a master of the people. , I dare to say that I am better than you today, stronger than you tomorrow, and stronger than you forever"!

Yan Yun was silent for a long time, unable to do anything about Yan Feng, who was stubborn and murmuring in front of him. Brothers Yan Yun and Yan Feng met in Qingsongling and made no plans. Neither of them could convince the other.

Yan Feng said to Yan Yun:"Although Qiu Long and we are brothers, how can we say that the real appearance of Lin Xiangru and Sima Xiangru is not the same? How can you and I be thousands of miles apart? Rotten wood cannot be carved, and I will not be in vain." You are talking, from now on, the Shenwu Team will only have Captain Yanfeng and Deputy Yanyun, and there will be no more Yan brothers. You are not allowed to interfere with anything in the Shenwu Team. Your job is to look after the Shenwu Team’s barracks." After saying that, he got up and mounted.

The military orders are like mountains, and Yan Yun has nothing to do, but he must report truthfully to his superiors and brothers:"Team leader, most of the rice and noodles in the kitchen are moldy and cannot be eaten anymore, otherwise it will kill someone!"

Yan Feng said:"Lieutenant Yan Yun, your job is to look after the barracks. Don't just sit back and worry about it!"

Yan Yun said:"If someone's life is lost, I can't afford it!"

Yan Feng said:"If someone is killed, it won't be your turn to bear the thunder. Sir, please don't forget that you are just the deputy of the team." He rode away.

Yan Yun looked at Yan Feng's back that quickly disappeared into the dust. Although he was helpless, he still dreamed that one day he would give up evil and turn to good. He looked at the table of food in front of him and said to himself,"It's okay, the Shenwu Team is working hard." Brothers who live one day also celebrate the New Year."

Yan Feng abolished all the officers and soldiers of Yan Yunding eating and working together as equals. The hard laborers of the Xiang army regarded Yan Yun as their savior, but Yan Yun was powerless. Go out to a mountain col two or three miles away from the barracks and practice martial arts. But Yan Yun could never forget it in his mind - the Xiangjun brothers in the Shenwu Corps were in unspeakable misery, and Yan Feng committed crimes wantonly, deprived himself of his salary, deducted military pay, enriched his own pockets, broke bones and sucked marrow, abused soldiers, and took human lives lightly. Yan Yun spent two days thoughtfully writing the"Five Policies for the Military Administration of the Sixth Battalion and Wudu Shenwu Team of the Jinzhou Xiang Army Command Department". In the brotherhood policy, he did not tell the truth about Yan Feng's various evil deeds. He just understated it. The purpose of improving the food of the soldiers of the Xiang Army and reducing the labor intensity of the soldiers was to save the soldiers of the Xiang Army from the days when they were worse than horses. It was also to protect the brother Yan Feng so that Yan Feng would not repent and lead to greater crimes.

One morning, the cooks Zhang Ning and Lao Ni were cooking. Yan Yun confessed that he went to the Sixth Battalion and the Fifth Capital on the pretext of going to Jinzhou City to buy clothes. Fortunately, he met Wang Xian, the deputy capital chief. Although Yan Yun was After all, Wang Xian, a subordinate, had stayed in the Du Commandery Office, so Wang Xian gave him some face. Yan Yun solemnly handed over to Wang Xian the"Five Strategies for Managing the Army of the Sixth Battalion and Wudu Shenwu Team of the Jinzhou Xiang Army Command Department". Wang Xian opened it casually and said coldly:"What you wrote is true, but I didn't even see it. It's understandable that Captain Yan wants to make a contribution, but you have to change this and that in just a few days. This is not just Slapping the face of the current team leader, Yanfeng, is also a slap in the face of the former team leader, Wang Xian. If you are young and have nothing to do, I won’t let you care about it. Besides, this is not what you, the team deputy, should do. Where is the wind? Go back, go back and do some serious business down-to-earth, don’t make trouble for nothing, just use your fists and embroidered legs to seek credit and gain favors, it’s just a waste of time"! Yan Yun still needs to explain. Wang Xian was not interested and walked away.