The light infantry who were originally at the front gradually accelerated their pace and gradually distanced themselves from the heavy infantry. Looking at the soldiers slowly disappearing from his eyes, Mulige felt heavy in his heart.
Although the front line was getting tighter, I had to put aside my unhappy emotions and follow the plans I had already made to inspect the merchants, workshops and agricultural departments in my territory.
Walking through the streets of Qingyang, the rainy and snowy weather of the past few days has passed. The sun finally shines on the land of Qingyang again, sweeping away the haze of the past few days. Merchants, big and small, have put out their best goods to attract the passers-by. people; small businessmen and hawkers were wandering around shouting and selling their products hard; girls and daughters-in-law who had been trapped at home for several days due to bad weather also invited each other to go out and go shopping in the market. The entire streets and alleys of Qingyang are bustling with people coming and going. Everywhere is full of vitality and the people are living and working in peace and contentment.
Seeing everything in front of me, almost all the worries quietly slipped away from my mind. The fatigue of staying up all night was also swept away. Do you see all this before you? My heart can't calm down for a long time.
Seeing me looking at the bustling cityscape in a daze, Xiao Tang, who was following me, coughed lightly, which brought me back to reality from my meditation.
"Sir, your schedule is very tight, let's hurry up." Xiao Tang said quickly when he saw that I had come to my senses.
"Okay, what are the plans for today?"
"In the morning, you will inspect the newly built iron smelting furnace and Dacheng Iron Works of Dacheng Iron Works. You will also give a speech at the Qingyang Chamber of Commerce. At noon, you will have lunch with business representatives. In the afternoon, there will be more activities. You will first go to the south of the city. We will inspect the construction site of the newly built river terminal, then go to the east of the city to review the training report of the reserve forces, and then go to the west of the city to attend the inauguration ceremony of our largest hospital in Qingyang. Finally, you will have to meet with those who came to Qingyang to visit you. Luo Jinping, a businessman from Wuhu County who is planning to invest in building a large-scale wood processing plant in Jinzhou, and his party had dinner together. This is the entire schedule." Xiao Tang gave a simple and concise statement of the day's schedule.
"Hey, Xiao Tang, can you arrange less boring inspections and interviews for me? I think I have to find a secretary. Otherwise, you will arrange work for me and deliberately try to tire me out. . Like inspecting the ironworks, ironworks and wharf construction sites, it is obviously Su Minshun's job, and meeting with businessmen is all his job. As for the completion of the hospital, it is your business. Why is it all blamed on me? Are you my superiors or am I your superior?" I was full of complaints.
"Sir, that's completely different. You are the lord of a city, and now you have been promoted to the high position of Jiedu Envoy. If you can attend these events, you will be a huge inspiration to people from all walks of life. This influence cannot be replaced by others. Adults should not regard these matters as trivial matters. This is exactly what a landowner should pay attention to. It is true that the army's expansion of territory and expansion of territory is very important, but without strong economic and financial strength and sufficient In terms of logistical support, I think it would be a fool's errand for the army to win the war." Without the presence of military personnel, Xiao Tang's words seemed much more presumptuous.
I seemed to be thinking about this issue, and Xiao Tang paused briefly without speaking. I actually didn't mean to take these matters lightly, I just wanted to steal some free time for myself. Unexpectedly, Xiao Tang took the opportunity to teach me a lesson.
"Of course there are some activities. If you have a wife, they can do it for you. But now, sir, although you have many confidantes, they are not officially married, so I can't take your place. Then I will have to work hard for you." Xiao Tang remained calm. brought the question back.
Since I officially assumed the position of Qingyang City Guard, Xiao Tang and some other subordinates have told me explicitly or covertly that I should prepare for marriage. After all, as the lord of a city, I have never heard of anyone who is not yet married, but I rejected them all. Although I like my current girlfriends very much, I prefer the free life I have now. There are so many beauties in the world, and I haven’t enjoyed them enough. How can I be trapped by the shackles of marriage? Besides, I am not very old yet, and Angel and Yingying also agree with my idea.
But as my subordinates, Xiao Tang and others hope that I can get married as soon as possible, so that I can give the imperial court a stable and mature image. As for my other ideas, they think it is not a problem at all. After getting married, I can still do it. Looking for flowers, asking willows, taking concubines and maidservants, who among the upper class of the empire does not have a group of wives, concubines, and lovers. The more women you have, the higher your status is and the more successful your career will be.
But I still don’t want to get married so early. This always makes me feel like I am aging before my time. Of course, this feeling is not common to outsiders.
"Come on, Xiao Tang, let's not argue about this issue anymore. You are the knife and I am the fish. I can only let you slaughter me. Lead the way!" I don't want to argue with Xiao Tang and the others on this issue anymore, although they are also arguing about it. I'm fine, but I have my own ideas. I don't want to be influenced by anyone on this issue. I bent down and got into the sedan, leaving only Xiao Tang and Su Minshun who were dumbfounded. I could only hear Su Minshun still mumbling there. He muttered to himself: "Huh, is there such fish meat in the world?"
It’s another busy day. In fact, I am very satisfied with this kind of life. When I walk beside the red iron smelting furnace in the iron smelting workshop and watch the batches of pig iron and wrought iron being produced, when I patrol the display in the iron workshop In the warehouse full of weapons, tools and agricultural tools, when I strolled by the increasingly formed river wharf and thought that in the near future merchant ships upstream and downstream will be able to transport goods in and out of various places along the river, when I saw the completion of the hospital When people suffering from illnesses can receive professional treatment, my heart always surges with inexplicable excitement. This is my city, and the people living here are my people. I have the right and obligation to let them Only by living a richer and happier life can I live up to the loyalty and expectations of the people on this side of me.
"Sir Shanzhu, the mountain col about five miles ahead is Xifengkou. The scouts have sent back the news and found nothing unusual." After hearing the news from the reporter, Shanzhu couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. , after 12 consecutive hours of uninterrupted rapid march, even the mountain tribesmen, whose physical fitness is far better than that of ordinary soldiers, began to feel tired, not to mention the possibility of facing a fierce battle soon.
"Okay, pass the order, occupy Xifengkou immediately, and prepare for battle immediately. Desha, after occupying Xifengkou, arrange for one brigade to be on guard, one brigade to start building fortifications immediately, and the other three brigade to seize the time on the spot. Rest." Desha is a sturdy man, and he is the captain of this light infantry regiment.
"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."
Five miles away, the troops marched forward quickly, and they arrived quickly.
Standing in front of the camp, Shanzhu took a breath of air, "This is Xifengkou, am I mistaken?" After getting a positive reply from the guide next to him, Shanzhu felt that the situation was a bit serious.
This Xifengkou is not a mountain pass with dangerous terrain at all. To be precise, it can only be regarded as two slightly higher hills with a slight slope in the middle, but the terrain on both sides is much higher and quite steep. A thoroughfare happened to pass through the slightly concave area, and that was where Shanzhu's army was preparing to defend. Fortunately, except for the gap of a few hundred meters at this notch, the other hundreds of miles are covered with lush virgin forests. This is Liang Chongxin's only basis for intercepting here, otherwise this plan will not be successful at all.
Although he was disappointed, Shanzhu still issued the order and ordered the troops to prepare for the fortifications in advance. The reconnaissance troops had also been sent out. After everything was arranged, before he could take a breath, a soldier rushed forward rolling and crawling. After entering the camp, before Shanzhu could get angry, the soldier's words had already made him give up his anger: "Sir, two miles ahead, we found a large number of enemy troops moving rapidly in our direction!"
Under Shanzhu's order, the soldiers who had just laid down to rest were forced to get up and file into the fighting position, preparing for the upcoming bloody battle.
Looking at the hillside not far ahead, Dubuque, who was riding on his horse, took a sip of strong wine to relieve the cold, while complaining to the deputy general Yan Tong next to him: "I don't know what kind of medicine my brother took. It's so cold today." Yes, let us come all the way here just to save the life of that bastard Shentuhua. Why? Shentuhua is not a fairy beauty, and she has no relationship with the elders, and she keeps causing trouble for us. Now, But my son wants us to sacrifice our lives."
Yan Tong next to him was much calmer, "The commander-in-chief probably listened to the advice of that mysterious figure who came from nowhere. It makes sense, but I can't figure out why the commander-in-chief listened to him?"
"Hmph, I heard that that person represents a huge force behind him, and my eldest brother is also very concerned about it. However, no matter how I ask, my eldest brother refuses to reveal which side that person represents. He only said that we will know when the time comes." Dubuque He replied carelessly, "What the hell, since eldest brother has given the order, we can just follow the order. Not far ahead is Xifengkou. After Xifengkou, it is not far from Shentuhua's station." Order the troops to quickly pass through Xifengkou!"