The majestic Xingqing Mansion was already in sight, and Sun Tu couldn't help but slow down his horse a little, raised his head and took a closer look. Although the capital of the Xia Kingdom is not as good as Bianjing of the Great Song Dynasty, it also has its own unique rough and heroic side. The high wall made of only rammed earth with almost no decoration is unforgettable. .
"Qianli, this is your first time coming to our capital of Great Xia. How do you think it compares to Nanjing?" Xi Fengchang also came to his side at this time and asked with a smile.
Sun Tu thought for a while and then said casually: "Xingqing Mansion is more spectacular than Nanjing, and the city is much larger than Nanjing. And judging from the strength of the city, it is more difficult to capture than Nanjing." He said. He also looked up deliberately at the soldiers and horses patrolling in the snow at the top of the city. The weather here was much better than that of Bianjing City, which was less well-armed.
Hearing his praise of Xingqing Mansion, not only Xi Fengchang, but also the King of Yue laughed: "Yes, our Xia capital is naturally stronger than Nanjing City of Liao Kingdom. But we cannot be complacent, after all, Liao has five capitals , and it is said that Linhuang Mansion in Shangjing is more majestic than Nanjing, and it is also a fortified city that is easy to defend but difficult to attack!"
After saying a few words, everyone vibrated the reins again, urging the horses to move forward faster, and soon arrived in front of the south gate. The south gate of Xingqing Mansion is different from other cities. There is not only one gate, but two gates located side by side within a distance of less than a mile apart.
This arrangement is of course not to facilitate the entry and exit of the people, but to separate the ranks of ordinary people from the officials and nobles, so that those with noble status no longer have to squeeze together with the merchants and lackeys. From this arrangement alone, it can be seen that the internal hierarchy of Xia Kingdom is quite strict, and Sun Tu and the others naturally walked through the wider city gate on the right.
When their team, consisting of more than 2,000 horses and hundreds of carts, arrived in front of the city gate, the soldiers guarding there had already seen the opportunity and came forward to salute. When they learned that it was His Highness the King of Yue and others who were coming, they nodded and bowed, and smiled flatteringly. Even when some carts were stumbling due to the uneven road surface, these soldiers immediately stepped forward to help push and pull them. They got up, which naturally made the King of Yue very satisfied, so he rewarded them with a bag of copper coins.
Just as these soldiers were thanking and sending the team through the city gate and walking along the long street into the city, they suddenly met a horse team of seven or eight people in front. Even if this team saw the banner of the King of Yue being played, they did not dodge, and directly blocked the team's path. Then the strong man in front of him clapped his horse and shouted loudly: "The eighth son of the Xifeng family is in the team." In?"
The soldiers who were originally clearing the way had already drawn their swords and were about to do something. After hearing this greeting, they hesitated and asked: "Who are you waiting for, and why are you looking for Mr. Xi Feng?"
At this time, Xi Fengchang and others who walked through the city gate a little slower also saw them. The eighth son of the Xi Feng family, who was still smiling, suddenly frowned and explained to the King of Yue: "Then He's a man under my third brother. It seems he's there too, and he should be here to see my nephew." After seeing him nod, he urged his horse forward to meet him. But Sun Tu slowed down at this time. If
He looked thoughtfully at the brothers who had just reunited here.
As early as when he was in Shunjun City, Sun Tu had already seen that the relationship between the brothers of the Xifeng clan was not very good. This was not only because of the conflict between Xifengchang and Xifengjian at that time, but also because of the conflict between Xifengchang and Xifengjian at that time. When Chang chatted with him on weekdays, he almost never mentioned the past between himself and his brothers, let alone missed his two brothers who were far away in the capital.
But now, when they arrived at Xingqing Mansion and entered the city gate, Xi Fengyao suddenly appeared. Sun Tu did not think that he came to pick them up out of brotherly love. On the contrary, his appearance will never do anything good!
Facts have proved that Sun Tu's judgment is indeed good, because as soon as Xi Fengchang stepped forward to meet Xi Fengyuan, the scene quickly cooled down. The former did not even get off his horse, but directly asked: "Third brother is here today." Why am I doing this? If something happens, can't you wait until I get home?" As an important minister in the court, the Xifeng family naturally has a mansion in the capital, and now it is here The two brothers Xi Fengyun and Xi Fengyao, who are officials, are in charge of the family.
"I came here to pick you up, of course, because I miss you, eighth brother, so I can't wait for you to come home. On the other hand, it's also because of a major event. A major event related to my Xi Feng clan requires your cooperation." Although Xi Fengyao was a little dissatisfied, he did not get angry and said with a smile.
"Oh? But what kind of big event can make you, Third Brother, so eager to wait for me at the gate of the city?" Xi Fengchang became more vigilant and asked, staring at the other party. This was not only because of the big event he said, but also because at this time Xifengchang had already thought of a question. How could Xifengyao know so accurately that he would arrive at Xingqing Mansion today
This is not the pick-up from the airport or car in the future. The arrival time has been set in advance, so I can wait in time. In this day and age, there are too many variables on the way to a certain place from hundreds of miles away. It is too common to arrive sooner or later than three or five days. Xi Fengchang did not think that his third brother would wait near the south gate several days in advance. Until he shows up. So the only explanation is that someone in his own team was tipping him off, and they even passed the news within the past two days! In other words, there is someone secretly hiding in his team!
This was obviously something that Xi Fengchang couldn't accept, so he seemed more and more vigilant at this moment, even thinking of ignoring any of the third brother's requests and just going over there first! But Xifeng Yao would not let him leave like this, so he quickly revealed his true purpose: "I heard that this time, eighth brother, you got a BMW from the north, and you want to use it as my Xifeng Yao." I would like to present a birthday gift to the emperor. I wonder where the horse is now. Can you let me have a look?"
"Is that why?" Xi Fengchang had some doubts in his heart, but before he could make a decision, two men behind him had already led the tall and strong horse that was all white and much more majestic than the horses around it. He walked up and said, "I've met the Third Young Master. This is the BMW that the Eighth Young Master spent a lot of money to buy!"
At this moment, even Sun Tu's expression suddenly changed. These are the insiders who can control the team's behavior, right? How brave they are, how dare they sell Xi Fengchang, who is apparently their master, so blatantly, you have to know that Xi Fengchang is
Feng Chang hadn't even ordered them to pull the horses out yet!
Xi Fengyao ignored the gloomy look on Xi Fengchang's face at all. His admiring gaze swept back and forth on the horse, and then he couldn't help but praise: "It's really a rare BMW. Eight I really have a good eye. But I want this horse first. As for the gift, we will find a solution then!" With that, he waved his hand and asked someone to come forward and take the horse.
In fact, he didn't even need his men to lead the horse. The two guys who took the initiative to jump back had already led the horse and were about to pass. This made Xi Fengchang so angry that his face turned green and his body began to sway. He suddenly shouted loudly. He shouted angrily: "Stop it!" As he said that, he spurred his horse on, whipped out the riding whip in his hand, and hit the two insiders hard on their faces. At the same time, several guards around him also stepped forward decisively. , blocking their way!
There was a flash of anger in Xi Fengyao's eyes. He never expected that Xi Fengchang would resist so directly and fiercely. Because in his memory, the eighth brother of a few years ago was simply inconspicuous, so how could he dare to compete with him? But as a result, today's situation was somewhat beyond his expectation.
But at this time, facing thousands of people, he really didn't dare to rob directly. He couldn't rob so many people, so he could only shout: "Old man, you are so impudent. How dare you do it to Third Brother?" You are showing off your power in front of me!"
The whip in Xi Fengchang's hand struck the two naiying fiercely in the face like a vent, until they rolled to the ground and begged for mercy. Then he stopped for a moment and looked at Xi Fengyao with a cold face: "Third brother, this horse is I bought it, and my father promised that I would give it to the emperor as a birthday gift. Now you are going to take it. What's the point? Do you really think I'm easy to bully?"
"Didn't I tell you that this horse is of great use to me!" Xi Fengyao said with a dark face: "Did you know that the prince has known about this horse, and now he is waiting in the restaurant over there? I’m sending this BMW over!”
As soon as these words came out, the scene suddenly became cold again. Even the King of Yue, who originally wanted to step forward to mediate, stopped and looked thoughtfully at the large restaurant in front of him, and then Then he saw the familiar luxurious carriage parked not far from the restaurant. It was the car of his brother, Prince Li Renai!
In fact, the Xixia Kingdom has always maintained its true nature as a nomadic people. Even dignitaries usually ride horses when they go out, such as the King of Yue. However, because the prince had been influenced by Han Confucianism since he was a child, he actually preferred to ride more magnificent carriages. For this reason, the emperor specially sent people to the Song Dynasty to find the best craftsmen to build several luxurious carriages for him. This is one of them. one.
This car alone is worth nearly ten of the best horses in the country. It is also the symbol of the prince's arrival. At least someone like the King of Yue can recognize it at a glance. After confirming that what Xi Fengyao said was true, King Yue stopped, not wanting to get involved too deeply.
And Xi Fengchang over there, his expression changed again at this time: "The prince has actually fallen in love with the BMW that I, Xi Feng, want to present to the emperor?"
"Exactly, because the prince is now worried about not being able to find a treasure that suits his needs as a birthday gift, so when he learned about this horse, he asked me to ask for it from you." Xi Fengyao said with a threatening tone. : "Eighth brother, you don't want to disobey me, do you?"