The common people don't care about it, and they can't see the seemingly peaceful torrent in Dongjiang, and they can't see the disaster that may come tomorrow. They can only see today's day, and they are running for today. It's the season of spring sowing, and there are not many pedestrians on the official road.
When the farmers working in the fields heard the thunder-like sound coming from a distance, they got up and looked in the direction of the sound. They are curious, and they also take the opportunity of curiosity to straighten up and relax. The children were playing on the side of the road, not yet at the age to notice why their father's tired and bent back looked so strange. They also didn't understand why his father put his hands on his waist when he stood up, gasped and sweated profusely.
Seeing that it was a formidable army approaching, the adults in the field began to call the children to leave the official road in panic. The children ran towards their parents' arms like chicken cubs that would sneak into their parents' wings in case of danger.
It's been a long time since I saw the army mobilized, so people are a little panicked.
The cavalry rushing over on the official road was aggressive, and the word Mu on the banner at the front made the common people breathe a sigh of relief.
It is the people of Mufu.
This place is not far from the bank of the Yangtze River, and you can see the embankment through the village.
A dozen or so horsemen and horses came from the direction of the Yangtze River to meet the team. The father holding the child in the field told the child with some pride that they were called scouts, and they were there to scout the way for the team. The child's eyes are full of admiration. At this age, he still thinks that his father knows everything. If he has any questions, he can get answers from his father.
The leader of the scouts jumped off his horse, ran a few quick steps, and then knelt down in front of a general in iron armor. Because he was far away, the people didn't know what he was talking about. Then they saw the armored general pointing forward, and the team set off again.
"Grandfather, in the future, I will also be such a great general!"
Said a boy nestled in his father's arms.
"good."
The father laughed heartily: "My child is ambitious!"
I don't know how many fathers have sincerely appreciated their children in this way, and then have to worry about how their children can live a little better in the future after a few years. The fact is, being ambitious is not the same as... being successful. If there are a million fathers who have ever been proud of their son's words like this, perhaps at most one of the million fathers can be proud enough to watch his son put on that armor.
The remaining nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine fathers, either teach their sons to plow the fields, or teach their sons to work, or... wipe old tears and pray at the moment their sons put on the livery Don't let your son die on the battlefield.
The team quickly passed through the villages and towns, and then rushed westward along the Yangtze River embankment. After walking for more than ten miles, the team stopped again, and there was a large ship parked on the riverside less than 200 meters away from the team's stop. This was the only place suitable for a large ship within a radius of 30 miles.
It used to be a very prosperous supply place for merchant ships. Ten years ago, the catastrophe of the Yangtze River submerged hundreds of miles on both banks, and this place was also destroyed. Who knew that the trestle bridge was exposed again after the water receded, but there was no damage. However, because a water village was built near the county town more than fifty miles away, the caravan had no ships and chose to park here.
Alone, only one ship.
There is no sign on the ship, and it is impossible to tell which firm it belongs to.
The general in iron armor waved his hand, and the team broke apart immediately. He jumped off the horse, raised his clairvoyance to observe carefully, and then gave a few low-level instructions. Then two hundred knights got off the horse and took out the weapons hidden under the cloak from behind.
It was a musket, something that many people in the Central Plains had heard of but had never seen. And Mu Guangling's Musketeers seemed to have something even more special. When it was first formed, Su Yang, the head teacher of the Penglai Sect, once asserted that this cavalry team was an army that could truly threaten great practitioners.
Two hundred people, a team of fifty people, surrounded the big ship, and then stopped tens of meters away, arrayed in a fan shape, aiming musket muzzles at the ship.
Mu Guangling took off the iron helmet from the top of his head, his face was gloomy.
He strode towards the boat, followed by eight generals in iron armor and holding long spears. In this cavalry team, only these eight people still use lances instead of firearms.
big ship
on deck
Fang Jie sat there alone, with a small table in front of him. On the table was a plate of steaming stewed fish. It was a river fish he caught with his own hands after dawn. After cooking for more than an hour on a low fire, the aroma Tangy. He was still in the mood to go to the shore and ask someone for two radishes, then cut them into thick slices and put them under the fish to stew together.
In the northwest, people in Fangu City are used to stewing fish like this. It's just that they don't have much time to eat fish throughout the year, and the small lake east of Fangu City only has a few months without ice. Fangu people are used to stewing radish and fish together, calling it fish pickles.
To be honest, after stewing for a long time, the taste of the radish is really better than the fish.
Not just radishes, but wide vermicelli are stewed together, and sometimes some pork belly is added. This way of eating must be regarded as a different kind in Jiangnan of the Great Sui Dynasty.
Fang Jie picked up a piece of radish and put it in his mouth, feeling the smell of fish.
He glanced sideways at Mu Guangling who was boarding the boat, then reached out to pick up the wine jug, and filled the empty glass on the opposite side with wine. Behind him, Mu Xianjun with a broken arm was sitting on a chair with a vicious expression on his face. When he saw his father, he cried like a child.
"Take the young master back."
Mu Guangling looked at Mu Xianjun's bare right shoulder, and his brows trembled involuntarily. The armored guards at the back hurried forward and helped Mu Xianjun get off the big boat.
"Changed my mind temporarily."
Fang Jie pointed to the chair opposite: "I planned to let my people take the young man to take a step ahead, but after thinking about it, it's better to return him to you first."
Mu Guangling sat down opposite Fang Jie with a heavy face, and waved his hands to stop the guard's intention to move forward.
"good smell."
Mu Guangling picked up a piece of fish with chopsticks and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly: "A person's attitude towards food can explain his attitude towards himself. It is true that Mr. Zhen Guo can cook a fish in such a delicate and slow manner. I naturally care more. So I don't understand why you deliberately target me. "
"The first thing you do when you come to Dongjiang is to ruin my layout in Beiliao people. I didn't pursue this matter because you are Wanyan Yong's uncle after all. I can find a reason for you. You I don't want my father-in-law to become your enemy in the future... that's enough reason."
"The second thing is that you killed two of my subordinates and sent the heads back to the mansion. I also found a reason for you, because these two people were indeed sent up by yourself for you to kill. If not The two of them found it by themselves, and you have no chance to kill them. This reason is enough."
"The third thing, you crippled one of my son's arms."
He looked at Fang Jie: "I didn't help you find a reason for this matter, because any reason is meaningless. Even if my son is wrong, it is not wrong in the eyes of my father. The wrong person will always be the person who hurt him. He Without an arm, it would be my father's fault if I didn't kill the man who lost his arm."
"That's right."
Fang Jie nodded: "It's understandable."
"So, I have no reason not to kill you."
Mu Guangling put down his chopsticks and looked straight into Fang Xie's eyes.
"I spent the whole morning stewing this fish, and I'll eat it again when I'm done."
Fang Jie picked a piece of fish fat and put it in his mouth, then took a sip of wine, it was very beautiful.
…
…
"Speaking of this has nothing to do with you crippling my son's arm."
Mu Guangling looked at Fang Jie and said.
Fang Jie drank the last sip of wine, looked at the remaining half plate of stewed fish and said with some regret: "I thought you would eat some, but I didn't expect to waste my kindness."
This sentence is a pun.
"The things you told me are not worth my son's arm."
Mu Guangling stood up and took a few steps back: "If Dongjiang is really facing disaster, I would rather give up marching into the Central Plains and defend every inch of land that I should hold. I thank you for telling me this, and the hundred thousand frontier troops also thank you You warned in advance. Everyone in the Mu family knows what is important. I can fight for the world for my son, but I can't lose Dongjiang for the sake of the world. But this has nothing to do with this battle between you and me gone."
"I never thought of telling you this to avoid this battle. If I want to avoid it, I don't have to stop, and I don't have to give you back your son. Maybe it's because I gave you back your son , you think that I am showing my favor to you... If you think so, you are wrong."
Fang Jie also stood up and stretched his body: "I return him to you because with his cultivation base, even if he has only one arm left, he can kill countless enemies on the battlefield in the future, because he can still serve the East. Jiang to do things. If he returns him to you, he still comes to me, and I will kill him directly next time."
"Why did you tell me news about foreigners?"
Mu Guangling suddenly asked: "If after I led troops into the Central Plains, foreigners invaded massively, and I would have to lead my troops back to defend in a hurry, I would suffer heavy losses. Wouldn't this be more beneficial to you? You seem to be being stupid when you tell me this now. One People who set their sights on the top should not make such a choice."
"You're wrong again."
Fang Xie said: "The one who puts his eyes on the highest place knows what must be put first."
Fang Jie rolled up his cuffs, revealing the white lining inside, which was very clean and refreshing.
"Let your people go back, it will inevitably hurt the innocent. Your Musketeers are meaningless to me. I got this thing before you. I only learned last night that you have a special Musketeers team , can deal with great practitioners. And I happened to kill a natural poison body before, and if I dilute his blood with some soaked ammunition, it should be able to corrode the cultivation base of great practitioners, right?"
When Fang Jie twitched the corner of his mouth and said this, he was a little smug.
"I just guessed this because your son brought that man to kill me, and I happen to be someone who is not afraid of this thing, so you should keep this team to deal with foreigners. Although there are no practitioners among the foreigners, But there are some mages who use meteorites to change the vitality of the world."
"Why do you know so much?"
Mu Guangling asked curiously.
"Who knows."
Fang Jie shrugged his shoulders: "Maybe it's because I worry more... Come on, I have to go back after this fight, I have to tell you not only about this matter, but also the various forces in the Central Plains, and the court. No matter how lively your own people are playing, you have to take a break, and there is one thing you guessed wrong. Just as you immediately gave up your plan to enter the Central Plains because of the possible invasion of foreigners, there are many people in the Central Plains who are willing to do this. And those who give up fighting for the time being. If you don’t believe me, just watch how many people are willing to wish you a helping hand when the foreign army sets foot on the land of the Eastern Frontier.”
Fang Jie said slowly: "Some things can change the position of each other as enemies. I always believe in this."
Mu Guangling was silent for a while, then shook his head: "There's no need to fight. I can't kill you."
He turned his head and looked into the distance: "I will save this vengeance to you on the day when I kill all foreigners."
He turned around and strode forward: "Fang Jie, let me tell you! The reason why I, Mu Guangling, was able to gain a foothold in Eastern Xinjiang, and the reason why the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty was unwilling to replace me, is precisely because I know what is important and what is not! The Mu Mansion has shed too much blood to defend the Eastern Frontier. Today, if there is another invasion by foreign enemies, the blood of the people of the Mu Mansion will never be shed behind others! As long as I don’t die, I will come to you again sooner or later! My son has an arm , can never be erased!"
Fang Jie watched the figure go away and clasped his fists.