Many years later, in the world's records of that magnificent war, the Tang Empire's first counterattack began when Ning Que escorted the Empress and the Sixth Prince back to Chang 'an and killed Li Huiyuan.
But in fact, the Tang Empire's first counterattack did not come from Ning Que, nor from the Northern Battlefront Army who fought against the Golden Palace. It was not even from Chao Xiaoshu who led the Valiant Cavalry Battalion out of Chang 'an to face tens of thousands of invaders from the Eastern Border. It was not from the navy who turned the Qinghe River red and vowed not to surrender. It came from a farmer.
There was a village in the fertile fields in the south of the Tang Empire.
There was a stream next to the village, and there was a stone mill by the stream. Opposite the mill was a raised meadow with many grape trellises. The grapes on the trellises had been picked long ago, and only a few undeveloped grapes were left in the same place. They were covered with autumn frost and dust, and looked very inconspicuous.
It was a beautiful village, but it was not much different from the villages in the Tang Empire. It looked as inconspicuous as the bunches of grapes hanging under the grape trellises on the grassy slope.
There was a farmer named Yang Erxi in the village. Although he insisted that he was a painter, in the eyes of the villagers, this plump guy who could use a pitchfork and feed the pigs was, of course, a farmer, and the best kind. Yang Erxi could not refuse this kind of praise, so he could only silently accept it.
Like many rural men in the Tang Empire, Yang Erxi had been in the army. He fought with the Yans at the frontier fortress and killed the grassland cavalry. Even his painting skills were learned in the frontier army.
In the years after he retired from the army, he married and had children. He earned money to support his family and lived a peaceful and happy life. Except for some common quarrels in every family, there was nothing new and exciting in his life.
The tension and ups and downs of his life were all left in the frontier fortress many years ago. Except for meeting a big black horse who liked to eat big grain porridge, there was nothing new and exciting in his life.
Sometimes Yang Erxi missed those days in the frontier fortress.
One day, he was painting the wall of the public school with a bucket of tree paint. Suddenly, a yamen runner walked into the public school, pasted a piece of white paper on the wall, and then left in a hurry.
Yang Erxi made a fuss for two years, but in the end, the yamen still refused to increase the paint fee. He had been beaten up by his old father and harassed by his daughter for a long time, so he had no choice but to agree to paint the public school. He was already in a bad mood, and now he was even more annoyed. He thought to himself, "Can't these guys see that I'm painting? How can I paint with such a big piece of white paper?"
Of course, he would not admit that what annoyed him the most was that he could not read the words on that piece of paper.
The literacy rate of the Tangs was extremely high, but he had been mischievous since he was a child. This did not change even after he joined the army. He would rather be beaten than attend literacy classes, so now he was one of the few illiterates in the village. He was often teased by the children in the neighborhood, which became his biggest regret.
Fortunately, after a while, the bell rang in the public school. The people in the village heard the bell and came to listen to the law teacher explain what the court had announced.
The law teacher from the public school had not come out yet, but the literate commoners had already understood the contents of the white paper. This was because what was written on it was not a new law, but a battle report.
Everyone was silent, and their faces became very ugly.
Yang Erxi still did not know what was written on it. Looking at everyone's expression, he became more and more anxious. He grabbed a child who wanted to go home to inform his parents, waved his fist, and finally got the answer.
"The Northeast Border Military was ambushed in the Yan Kingdom and was defeated."
There was a lot more in the imperial court's document, especially for the people in the counties and villages in the Eastern Border. They were requested to evacuate as quickly as possible, and the prefectural armies of each province were to organize defenses on the spot, and men with military experience were to be recruited …
No one paid attention to these contents, because they were still a long way from the Yan Kingdom, and those words were not for them to hear. People were just shocked and angry at the failure of the Empire, and there was a lot of discussion.
Some people worriedly asked if the troops of the Yan Kingdom would attack here, and they were immediately ridiculed. No one believed them at all. Everyone firmly believed that as long as the imperial court sent the army, the Eastern Border would definitely be fine.
Yang Erxi had been very silent. After the crowd dispersed, he pulled the law teacher from the public school and seriously asked him about the contents of the imperial court's document.
He was not in the mood to paint again, and the county government did not pay him much.
When he returned home, he drank wine with half a pot of pig's trotters and a basket of dipped vegetables, and the more he drank, the more depressed he became.
His wife squatted outside the doorsill, scooping out the grape skins and dregs from the wooden barrel, preparing to make wine. Suddenly, she found that she had not heard her husband speak for a long time, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yang Erxi said, "Nothing."
His wife said, "You should eat some food. It's not good to drink on an empty stomach."
Yang Erxi grunted and continued to drink. The more he drank, the quieter he became, but his eyes became brighter.
Suddenly, he said to his wife, "I'm going on a long trip."
His wife raised her head and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Something happened in the East."
Yang Erxi told her the contents of the imperial court's document, and said, "I want to go and have a look."
His wife was stunned for a while, and then she laughed, the grape juice in her hand flying everywhere, and mocked, "Something happened in the East … East of your pigsty or the grape trellis? You speak as if the Tang Empire is your home. Are you the Emperor or the Empress? You're just a farmer. "
Yang Erxi said angrily, "I'm a painter, not a farmer!"
His wife did not take his words seriously, thinking that he was drunk. She lowered her head and continued to work, muttering, "Every time I drink, I like to talk nonsense."
Yang Erxi was silent for a moment, and then he said in a low voice, "I'm not drunk. It's written at the back of the imperial court's document that men who have military experience, as long as they are under 40 years old, will be conscripted."
Only then did his wife realize that the man was not drunk. She took her hands out of the wooden barrel, wiped them on her clothes, and said nervously, "The imperial court's conscription order is issued to the Eastern Border, what does it have to do with us?"
"We are close to Chang 'an, and the Eastern Border is far away. I'm afraid the imperial court's document will take a few days to arrive. Maybe by then, the Yans and those damn barbarians will have already attacked. What's the use of it then?"
"Even if the imperial court wants to conscript … they have to wait for the county government to organize it. Nothing has happened yet."
Yang Erxi said in a low voice, "But … what's the use of going alone?"
His wife said in a trembling voice, "But … what's the use of you going alone?"
Yang Erxi said, "Even if the Eastern Border is invaded, the imperial court will definitely set up a wartime yamen there. When I get there, I will naturally go to them."
The more his wife listened, the more uneasy she became. She screamed to the next room, "Father, come quickly!"
Yang Erxi slammed the table, and the vegetables and leftover pig trotters all fell to the ground.
He said angrily, "What are you shouting for! Why is your voice not so loud when I ask you to call me over for dinner? "
The courtyard door was pushed open, and a hunchbacked old man came in.
Yang Erxi stood up and said, "Father, have you eaten?"
The old man looked at the mess on the ground, smacked his lips, and said, "No."
Yang Erxi said, "Then let your daughter-in-law chop the leg?"
His wife looked at her father-in-law with tears in her eyes. She thought to herself, "I have always been short of your father's food. Last time, I didn't ask you to stew the pork leg. You can't be angry because of this. If you can keep this drunk guy at home, let alone the pork leg, I will chop my own leg to show my filial respect to you."
The old man did not speak for a long time.
Yang Erxi was a little nervous.
"You are so noisy, and there is only a wall between us. How can I not hear you?"
The old man said.
Yang Erxi was very strong and tall, but at this time, he honestly lowered his head, just like when he made a mistake when he was a child. He mumbled, "I am a retired soldier from the border army. If I don't go now, what's the matter …"
Before he finished speaking, the old man glared at him and shouted sternly, "What's so great about being a soldier? Your father, I, was also a soldier! I even became a colonel! What are you showing off here? "
Hearing this, his wife stopped crying and looked expectantly at her father-in-law.
The old man was silent again for a moment, and suddenly said, "If you want to go, then go. If I am not 60 now, but 40, I will go with you."
…
…
Yang Erxi took out a well-maintained boxwood bow from the compartment.
Then he put the sharp and reflective pitchfork on his shoulder. His wife tied a heavy leg of cured pork to the other end of the pitchfork and asked, "Do you want to tie a pot of wine?"
Wives in the Tang Empire usually had this kind of temperament. Seeing that they could not change it, they silently accepted it and then began to seriously take care of their men.
Yang Erxi said, "We are going to war. Drinking is against military discipline."
His wife put down the newly brewed wine, thinking that he was not a proper soldier, so what military discipline was there?
At this time, the two children ran home. The younger brother was panting and his face was red. He wanted to say something, but he could not. The older sister looked at Yang Erxi and said angrily, "Father, the public school is not finished painting, and the teacher is very unhappy. Do you want us to be unable to study and be like you?"
If it was a normal day, Yang Erxi would definitely lose his temper when he heard his daughter talk like this, and then carry the bucket of paint to the public school to finish the rest of the work. But today, he just smiled.
"Tell the teacher that I will finish painting when I come back."
Yang Erxi looked at his father and said, "Father, I am leaving."
The old man nodded and said, "Be careful on the road."
Yang Erxi kissed his wife on the cheek. It was a very loud kiss.
The two children had probably seen this kind of scene many times. They were not surprised, but curious about something else.
The son opened his eyes wide and asked, "Father, where are you going?"
Yang Erxi said, "To the east."
The daughter asked, "Father, what are you going to do?"
Yang Erxi said, "To war."
The daughter said excitedly, "Father, you must win the war."
"Of course I will win."
Yang Erxi laughed, carried the bow and arrows, and carried the pitchfork, and went out the door.
…
…
(I really like this chapter. When I was writing, I always felt a very clear child's voice asking me what I am going to do, and a deep male voice saying, I am going to war. This feeling is really good. I was a little happy writing, so I chatted a little.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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