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There is a trench suspension bridge outside the city of Quang Ngai County. The city gates were opened before dawn and the suspension bridge was lowered to allow people to pass. As soon as it gets dark, the drawbridge is closed and the city gates are closed. Travelers who enter or leave the city before the city gates are closed will either spend the night in the city or stay outside the city. Ordinary people have no accommodation.
It is said that when the Wu Dynasty unified the world, the city gates were almost open day and night. Now that the world is fighting for supremacy, especially in places like Guangyi County that have strong military and self-respect, the city gates can no longer be closed at night.
It was not completely dark outside the city. There were burning oil pots placed at intervals, with blazing fire, to prevent anyone from approaching but the people in the city could not see them. There was a small group of people stationed outside the city, responsible for adding oil and adding fuel to the fire. At night, soldiers outside the city rose and fell in hanging baskets.
Niu Youdao was coming to greet Shang Chaozong, and Bai Yao brought Niu Youdao to the city wall to wait.
Seeing Niu Youdao looking around, he seemed to be very interested in the defensive arrangements outside the city. If he didn't know better, Bai Yao would have doubted whether he was a spy sent from somewhere to inquire about the military situation. As everyone knows, Niu Youdao, who came from an 'archaeology' background, is only interested in the night defense mode similar to ancient times, because some things that have passed away with time cannot be seen no matter how much archeology is done.
Not to mention Niu Youdao, even Yuan Gang paid great attention to it. He had followed the Taoist master for many years and contracted some occupational diseases.
After waiting until midnight, a group of torches appeared on the official road in the distance, which attracted the attention of the defenders at the top of the city. The commotion at the top of the city also alerted Niu Youdao and others who were resting in the city tower, and they all came out. He climbed up to the tower and looked around.
Not long after waiting, nearly a thousand cavalry rumbled in. It was the people escorting Shang Chaozong and his party who arrived. Looking up, Shang Chaozong and others saw Niu Youdao standing next to the torch on the city wall waving, and Yuan Gang who accompanied them silently like a shadow. The latter always looked cold.
In any case, seeing Niu Youdao here is a bit reassuring.
The people above and below the city verified that he was one of their own. After receiving the military order from above, they lowered the drawbridge, opened the city gate, and let the group enter the city.
As the group entered, the city gate was closed and the drawbridge was raised again.
Niu Youdao, who had descended from the city wall, finally met Shang Chaozong and others and greeted each other with hands.
"Master Tao!" When they heard Shang Chaozong and others calling Niu Youdao like this, both Bai Yao and Shounian were a little surprised.
Niu Youdao chuckled and said: "My lord, the prefect has vacated a manor for the prince and his party to stay temporarily. It's getting late now. It's not too late to go see the prefect tomorrow." He blinked.
Shang Chaozong and others had many questions, but they also saw Niu Youdao's eyes and knew that it was not the place to talk in front of everyone.
The group mounted their horses again and, led by Shounian and others, arrived at a manor in the city. The place was large enough for hundreds of Shang Chaozong's entourage to be stationed there.
Shounian took the people there and left. His mission was completed.
The pro-army of Shang Chaozong temporarily took over the manor and immediately launched a search. It was not because they were worried about Feng Lingbo, but because of routine necessity.
Make sure there is nothing wrong, take the rest when it's time to take the rest, watch when it's time to be on duty, and patrol when it's time to patrol.
Several core figures from the Shang Dynasty Sect entered the main courtyard. Although they were busy with the dust, they were in no mood to rest and ordered people to guard the surroundings to prevent outsiders from approaching.
Niu Youdao knew that some of them had something to ask him. As soon as he entered the living room, Shang Chaozong immediately asked impatiently: "Master Dao, I heard that you are arranging a marriage between me and Feng Ruonan. Is it true or not?"
Niu Youdao nodded frankly, "If nothing else happens, this marriage should be a certainty. In my opinion, Feng Lingbo is eager and won't delay it for long. It is estimated that the prince will officially marry Feng Ruonan in the next few days." ." After saying this, he happily cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations first, Your Majesty!"
After receiving the confirmation, Lan Ruoting and Shang Shuqing looked at me and me at you, and then watched Shang Chaozong's reaction together.
Shang Chaozong looked twitching and said: "Master Tao, why don't you discuss such a big matter with me in advance?"
Niu Youdao sighed: "Well, the situation forces us to do so. That Feng Ruo man is not very handsome. Aren't I afraid that you won't be able to figure it out? My lord, please just make do with it!"
Yuan Gang remained silent. He knew Master Dao well and knew that Master Dao did not trust Shang Chaozong and his group very much. He would not reveal all his trump cards easily. If there was something fishy, if someone interfered with the plan, he would not be able to do anything. There will be danger in doing so, and a veteran like Master Dao will not push himself into a desperate situation easily. [oM]
Shang Chaozong couldn't laugh or cry, but he knew that the relationship between himself and Niu Youdao was a bit specious. There were some things that he couldn't directly ask or express his position for fear of causing Niu Youdao's dissatisfaction or misunderstanding. , he is not stupid, he can see that Niu Youdao has reservations about his attitude here and has not returned to his heart. Even his sister Shang Shuqing suggested that he should not be too full of words and deeds in front of Niu Youdao for the time being to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. She and Lan Ruoting would say some words.
Lan Ruoting pondered: "Does Master Tao's arrangement of this marriage have anything to do with borrowing troops?"
Niu Youdao was happy and teased: "The prince has become Feng Lingbo's son-in-law. How can Feng Lingbo not protect the prince? It is normal to send some troops to the prince."
"Master Tao, the prince is in a hurry, so don't tease him." Lan Ruoting smiled bitterly, shook his head, and asked a few questions: "How could Feng Lingbo agree to marry Feng Ruonan to the prince? Even if he gets married, what? I will lend troops to the prince, let alone send troops to accompany the prince to Cangwu County, so I won’t let the prince stay in Guangxi County. That would be blatantly resisting the decree, and there is no need for Feng Lingbo to cause such trouble!"
Seeing that the other party was tired after a long journey and had not yet washed up, with a tired look on his face, Niu Youdao stopped teasing him and said seriously: "Of course it's not easy to agree. There must be conditions, and the condition is to give him one hundred thousand crow generals!"
"Ah!" Several people were shocked, because to them, a hundred thousand crow generals did not exist at all, so they did not expect that Niu Youdao would use an nothingness as a condition to negotiate with Feng Lingbo.
Lan Ruoting said worriedly: "There is nothing, and I can't even see the shadow. How can Feng Lingbo agree?"
Niu Youdao asked back: "Who said it doesn't exist? Isn't it enough to have His Majesty help prove it?"
Several people were stunned and didn't react for a while.
"It's very simple. Just tell Feng Lingbo and convince Feng Lingbo that one hundred thousand crows will exist..." Niu Youdao gave a rough explanation of the persuasion process. In fact, the logical relationship is really simple and not difficult to understand.
After listening, the three people suddenly realized and were speechless. Is this okay? However, I have to admit that it is hard for Feng Lingbo not to believe her, so it is no wonder that Feng Lingbo did not hesitate to marry her daughter off. The three of them were convinced by this guy, and they really dared to attack him!
Shang Shuqing was worried and said: "This can only deceive you for a while, but it won't last long. Wouldn't it be troublesome if we can't get anything back later?"
Niu Youdao said disapprovingly: "Princess, I don't like hearing what you say. How come it's a lie when it comes to your mouth? Do you think I look like a liar?"
Shang Shuqing thought to herself, isn't this a lie? However, he still waved his hand on the surface, "Master Dao misunderstood, that's not what I meant."
Niu Youdao: "I know you don't mean that, I understand, no need to explain! Princess, this is not cheating, this is tactics. How many thieves have you seen who would not steal because they were worried about being caught? Jianghu The gangsters, from all three religions, all want to gain a foothold in the world, so they have to show off their talents and rely on their abilities. If you don’t even take the first step, if you are worried that you will capsize, then don’t play! If all the men become the wives of the prince, why, Feng Lingbo really wants to kill his son-in-law and make his daughter a widow? Besides, as long as we have the men and horses, a stable foothold, and room to display, we are not dead. , can a living person be suffocated to death by urine? Sooner or later, we will turn the borrowed troops into our own troops. Here, Feng Lingbo is also a puppet, and Tianyumen should really have the final say. In a word, in the end It also depends on whether the prince is valuable to Tianyumen. As long as it is valuable, what if they are told clearly that there are no hundred thousand crow generals? They will still not give up on the prince! In the end, it still depends on the prince himself. You can’t let people take notice of you, otherwise even if you find the One Hundred Thousand Crows General and give it to them, the worthless prince will still get nowhere. Princess, the One Hundred Thousand Crows General is just a means of cashing in, don’t worry about the One Hundred Thousand Crows General. If you can't do anything bad in the future, just think about how to make good use of the borrowed capital to make money. Even if you look forward, everything else is just clouds! Whether it's wind or rain, soldiers will stop the water and cover it with the earth. , what’s there to be afraid of?”
This opinion was quite different, but it made the three of them feel enlightened. It was really unheard of, but it did make sense when they thought about it. It was very refreshing to hear, and it also made the three of them suddenly have strong confidence in the future.
"Goodbye, Master Tao, Shuqing has learned a lesson!" Shang Shuqing bowed her hands respectfully. The bright eyes behind her scarf glanced at Yuan Gang again, remembering Yuan Gang's original reminder again... for your situation. , Master Dao is more important than his cultivation!
There was something strange in Shang Chaozong's eyes when he looked at Niu Youdao, he was in awe!
Lan Ruoting secretly smiled bitterly. No wonder this guy was able to trick Feng Lingbo into marrying his daughter. With this mouth, he could even talk about life and death!
"I don't have any high opinions, I'm just facing reality. So, Prince, let's talk about some practical issues." Niu Youdao waved his hand towards Shang Shuqing, made a fist and coughed dryly, then reached into his sleeve and dug it out. He shook out a piece of paper and handed it to Shang Chaozong, "This is the cost of this matter. Your Majesty, please find a way to settle it."
Shang Chaozong took the hand and opened it to look at it. After reading it, he looked up suspiciously, "Did you borrow money from Feng Ruonan?"
Niu Youdao hummed, "I borrowed 10,000 gold coins. Originally, if the other party caught me, I would have to pay 100,000 gold coins. I tried my best to help the prince save the interest. It is enough to pay back the principal of 10,000 gold coins."
what? Lan Ruoting and Shang Shuqing were both curious about the contents on the paper. They took it in their hands and browsed it, only to realize that it was a bet. ,.