Book of Heaven and Mysteries

The snow in the first year of Jingde in the Northern Song Dynasty was heavier than the snow in Bianjing in any year. The ice surface of the Yellow River is as cracked as a tortoise shell, and dark yellow river water seeps out from the cracks. It condenses into thin ice in the cold wind, reflecting the pale skylight. The Liao army camps on the north bank stretched for dozens of miles. The wolf-head flag was torn by the north wind, and the golden thread on the flag flickered in the snowy light, like countless pairs of watching eyes. The bonfires outside the camp formed a galaxy, and the aroma of roasted whole sheep mixed with the smell of horse manure floated across the ice, stinging people's nostrils. This was the Liao army celebrating their small victory over the past few days, but they didn't know that this "victory" was just the struggle of trapped animals. Zhenzong Zhao Heng huddled in the dragon carriage, looking at the gray sky outside the carriage, his Adam's apple twitching. The curtain of the dragon chariot was lifted open by the wind and snow, and the hem of his dragon robe was stained with snow flakes, like a layer of frost. This was his third visit to the front line of Chanzhou in person - the first two times, he hid in Bianjing on the pretext of "dragon body discomfort" and put all the burden of resisting the Liao Dynasty on Kou Zhun. At this moment, the shouts of killing outside the dragon chariot penetrated the wind and snow, like sharp knives piercing his ears, making his temples pound. This novel and its characters are purely fictitious. Any similarity is purely coincidental and should not be imitated.