When the lanterns are first lit, the joy is still lingering.
Although Xiangyang County is not as magnificent as Chang'an, the nightlife is just as luxurious.
Xiangzhou is a large port that connects the north and south. There are as many wealthy businessmen and travelers as crucian carp crossing the river. This also means a huge source of wealth. As a result, Xiangyang's commercial port was extremely active, and restaurants and inns were often full. The food in the cup is delicious and the food is not cold. Famous dishes from the north and south can be found here. In Lefang Yingyuan, the fireworks alley and the land of willows are the most dazzling and joyful place.
The beauties in the south of the Yangtze River are different from the beauties in the north and Guan Nei. They have a small and exquisite taste of Xiaojiabiyu. It's as if there is an aura of smoke and water on the Jianghan River all over his body, and he is gentle and pleasant, and his soft words are fragrant. A woman who can make a living among the orioles in Xiangyang City is definitely not an ordinary person. In ordinary people's homes, there are many good girls with "ajar doors" who occasionally pick up guests secretly to earn some skinny money. For those men who are tired of wives and concubines at home and who are tired of prostitutes, this is a different kind of pleasure-seeking excitement.
There are constantly travelers traveling among the flowing rivers and ports, spreading word of mouth about Xiangyang's romance. Over time, Xiangyang, a romantic place, became famous far and wide. It is like a pink pearl, exuding beautiful spring light and dotting the Yangtze River and Hanshui.
Pang Fei and Zhao Chong walked side by side on the famous Puhua Long Street in Xiangyang City, looking around with great interest. On both sides of the road were prostitutes soliciting customers with their charming voices and their sweet voices. They probably received hundreds of flirtatious glances along the way. It was beautiful and delicious, and even though they had not eaten or drank, they didn't feel hungry.
Pang Fei couldn't help but laugh and said: "This place is really lively. I don't know how many men have ruined their family business here, and their bones have been exhausted from playing."
Now that he is here, Zhao Chong is simply relieved. He smiled and said: "General Pang, is this okay? Is there a girl you like, let's go in and have fun?"
"It's boring." Pang Fei shook his head repeatedly, "These women who are used by thousands of people, no matter how charming and charming they are, are meaningless. Just like the mutton bone soup that has been boiled several times, you can no longer smell the fishy flavor."
Zhao Chong then snickered and said, "Is it possible that General Pang prefers the 'ajar door' style?"
"What does a door ajar mean?"
"It's...private prostitution in private houses!" Zhao Chong said, "Many women from good families, some married and some widowed, secretly pick up clients in order to make some money. This is one of the unique beauties of Xiangyang, but the general doesn't know this? "
Pang Fei was greedy in his heart, and said with joy on his face: "Is she really... a woman from a good family?"
"That can still be false!" Zhao Chong said with certainty, "I am a native of Xiangyang. It is not clear who is a good family and who has fallen into trouble? Don't tell me, I also prefer the half-closed door, hehe! Yingying! A place like the Garden is full of hypocrisy and intoxication. Just now, the women there treat you as their husband's sweetheart, but they don't recognize you in the blink of an eye. When you leave the door, you feel guilty. It's different! Even if you go, they may not be willing to pick you up. Whether they are willing to sleep with you or not depends on your personality and your personality. Her appetite is all that matters. If your subordinates don't know how to play chess, calligraphy, and calligraphy, or are sweet as honey to make the woman happy, then there's nothing you can do if the overlord takes advantage of her. of!"
"Is it so fun? Then I must go!" Pang Fei felt itchy after being told that, and rubbed his hands, "Do you know where there is a suitable half-open door? Don't be that old widow who has breastfed seven or eight children. . She should be younger, more beautiful, preferably tall and plump, and know something about poetry and wine."
"Haha! General Pang is indeed a person from Chang'an. He is tired of everything and tastes bad!" Zhao Chong winked and smiled, "Don't tell me, I really have the most suitable half-closed door... What a pity, this A woman's eyes are higher than her head, and ordinary men can't get into her eyes. I have never smelled it. She thought I was a night-scented person in the past. Don't you think it's annoying? ... Her husband drowned just a year after she was married! She is still young, not yet twenty. She was a famous beauty in Xiangyang City. Men who wanted to marry her could queue up from here to Buguidu, even if it was General Pang who met her! She is so amazing! She is so charming and versatile, and she is famous for her poetry, poetry, and music. But it’s a pity that she can’t help but be lonely. . However, there are very few guests that she can accept. Generally speaking, they are either handsome young people with great talents or well-known dignitaries. General Pang, do you want to go and have a look?"
"What are you waiting for? Let's go!"
"The fake show is real, the real show is fake... Since we are going out together to have a good time, we have to make it more realistic!" Pang Fei thought while licking his lips: From the time he left Chang'an to now, I'm afraid I haven't been there for a month or two. Close to the woman's side. But I'm so suffocated... Today is such a rare opportunity!
The pace of the two of them was quite fast. They walked through the streets and alleys of Xiangyang City for about a cup of tea, and stopped in front of a small village.
"Oh, this family is quite impressive." Pang Fei couldn't help but sigh.
"Of course. How can someone who dares to fall in love marry her?" Zhao Chong shook his head and said, "When she got married, Xiangyang was shocked. Because the person who married her was the only son of a well-known local wealthy gentry with a rich family. Wan Guan's reputation spread far and wide! It's a pity that the only son was caught in a storm while out on a boat and was lost."
"Stop talking nonsense, what is this woman's name?"
"Xu Liang. We usually call her 'Hua Niangzi'." Zhao Chong said, "In the local customs of Xiangzhou, 'Hua Niangzi' specifically refers to a stunning beauty who is one of a million in beauty."
"Is it really so evil?" Pang Fei couldn't help curling his lips, "If you want to say that there are so many beauties, there can't be more than the Imperial Palace, right? I've really seen a lot. I just want to see how good this pretty lady is. pretty!"
"General Pang, please hurry up and invite me!" Zhao Chong pointed to the door, "The door is ajar. If you don't believe me, push it open."
"Really?" Pang Fei stepped forward suspiciously, and used a little secret force to push the seemingly closed door, and the door creaked open as expected.
"It really is!"
"Go in, what are you waiting for?" Zhao Chong said with a smile.
"Aren't you coming in together?" Pang Fei asked.
"This kind of thing... of course you can only go in one at a time!" Zhao Chong smiled and shook his head, "After a while, she will close the door tightly when you go in. Whenever she wants to receive guests again, she will leave the door open again."
"That's it..." Pang Fei muttered in his heart and said, "Then what are you doing?"
"Of course I will stand here and wait for the general to come out!" Zhao Chong said with a chuckle, "Don't worry, I won't go far. Lady Hua never lets guests stay overnight. You will come out soon, and we will go to the inn to stay. , I’ll go buy some wine early tomorrow morning so I can do business when I get home.”
"Okay, wait a moment." Pang Fei felt relieved, opened the door and walked in, thinking: I am never afraid of it even in the dragon's pond and tiger's den, so why should I be afraid of you, a widow
When I walked in, I saw only an exquisite two-story building. There was also a flower garden in front of the building, and the rockery and flowing water were quite elegant. Pang Fei couldn't help but laugh and said: It is indeed more interesting to go to a place like this to find romance than visiting a brothel!
Walking along the flower path towards the small building, when I got downstairs, I saw lights on the second floor and a piano string playing. In the night sky, I heard a clear female voice coming from above my head: "Your distinguished guest is coming from afar, so I don't have time to greet you. Please forgive me."
"Flower lady, you don't have to be polite. I'm so admired by you that I came here to ask for a drink." Pang Fei said straight to the point.
At this time, the window on the second floor was pushed open, revealing half of a woman's body.
Pang Fei took a quick look and suddenly became a little crazy.
"My mother, is there really such a stunning and alluring little widow?" He couldn't help but swallowed a mouthful of saliva and cursed in his heart, "Bah, she's so worthless! Where can the beauties be prettier than those in the palace?... Uh, Maybe it’s been too long since I’ve touched a woman, but this pretty girl is really intoxicated!”
The woman on the second floor has almond-shaped eyes and peach cheeks, and her cheeks are as soft as gel. Her jade fingers, like spring green onions, are gently touching her cheeks. She is smiling, exuding the watery gentleness unique to Jiangnan women. There was endless affection in his eyes, as if there was a wave of clear water flowing in the microwave. Her well-proportioned and plump figure was dressed in a red dress, with a large piece of hollow on her chest. Revealing her towering snow-white breasts. At this moment, she was leaning slightly forward and looking downstairs. Her deep cleavage seemed to be rippling gently, which made Pang Fei's heart tremble.
"My husband is very nice, and his accent doesn't sound like someone from Xiangyang." Lady Hua lightly opened her red lips and said.
"Hua Niang is indeed very wise and knowledgeable." Pang Fei said with a smile, "I am Pang Fei, a native of Chang'an."
"Oh, but you are a distinguished guest from Chang'an?" Lady Hua asked with a slightly surprised look on her face, "Why are you here from afar? Doing business, traveling, or visiting relatives and friends?"
"None of them." Pang Fei smiled.
"That's..." Hua Niangzi frowned slightly, tilted her head slightly, and asked playfully and confusedly.
Pang Fei couldn't hold it in anymore. He was afraid that Lady Hua would not let him go upstairs, so he blurted out: "To be honest, I'm here to be an official."
"Being an official?" Hua Niangzi showed a slight joy as expected, "May I ask Mr. Lang, what position do you hold? ... Mr. Lang, don't think that the slave family is nagging, the slave family will never deal with the gangsters who are not doing their job properly."
"It's okay to tell you." Pang Fei was generous and said with a smile, "I am a warrior and have just taken up the post of Captain Guo Yi of Xiangzhou Military Mansion."
"Xiangzhou Guoyi? Then... the official is not young!" The lady Hua obviously showed a hint of surprise, "Seeing that Mr. Lang has a kind face and is only a young man, he has become such a high official. He is really young and promising. Please invite Mr. Lang. Come upstairs!”
After saying that, Hua Niangzi raised her hand and threw down a bunch of things from upstairs. It jingled on the ground and turned out to be a bunch of keys.
Pang Fei was overjoyed, picked up the key and walked to the door of the small building. He saw Ruoda's copper lock hanging on the door. He couldn't help but smile in his heart: If this didn't impress her, she really wouldn't be able to board this building. Small building! ... I feel so good tonight, it’s a hundred times more interesting than visiting a brothel!
…
In the early morning of the next day, after the bugles in the military camp stopped, the entire army gathered for early training, and Qin Mubai personally presided over it.
After yesterday's execution of Scar's sword at the gate and the killing of people to establish their authority, the whole camp was in a state of order. No one dared to regard military orders as child's play anymore. This can be seen from the speed at which all the soldiers gathered. It was fast, quiet and orderly, without the sloppy and chaotic situation of yesterday. Everyone had some nervous and serious expressions on their faces, making them look quite serious.
Seeing this scene, Qin Mubai was secretly satisfied. It seems that Scar Feng’s killing was not in vain. This sword attack really frightened most people and also suppressed some evil spirits.
The whole camp began to practice, which was nothing more than ordinary events such as running, rock climbing and archery. There was no need for Qin Mubai to take responsibility for each detail. He inspected the school grounds. Naturally, these ordinary soldiers could not compare with the elite Hundred Cavalry soldiers. They could not be described as fancy fists and embroidered legs or brute force and recklessness. . But there is nothing that can be done about it right now. They are just a group of ordinary soldiers.
It's three poles in the morning, the morning training is over, and it's time to have breakfast. Qin Mubai returned to the Zhongjun tent and asked the people around him while eating breakfast: "Why hasn't Pang Fei come back yet?"
"I don't know! Maybe I bought some wine and are on my way!"
"Has Zhao Chong come back?"
"The Zuoying Marine Corps and the entire battalion trained together. No one from Zhao Chong was seen during the morning training just now."
Qin Mubai paused while eating and muttered: "When did Pang Fei act so procrastinatingly? Buying a drink for one night is not enough."
"Perhaps we will come back soon. General, please wait. If General Pang comes back, I will ask him to come to the general to order some mao."
"Um."
It was until noon, but Pang Fei and Zhao Chong were still nowhere to be seen.
Qin Mubai's heart tightened, knowing that something bad had happened. He secretly sent several hundred riders out of camp to search Xiangyang City. Half a day later, he reported back in the evening, saying that even after searching the entire city, there was no trace of Pang Fei and Zhao Chong. At this time, the two still have not returned to the military camp!
"General, has something unexpected happened?" asked the Baiqi soldiers.
"Don't make any noise and keep a close eye on the news." Qin Mubai ordered, "It seems that something is a little strange. Could it be that Du Chengyuan did something to arrest these two people?"
"Will something happen to them?" Baiqi soldiers asked worriedly, "If we kill Zhao Chong to silence him, and then detain General Pang, it is very possible!"
Qin Mubai frowned, feeling regretful in his heart: I was careless, I was so careless! Xiangyang is Du Chengyuan's territory. In such a large city, there may be his minions anytime and anywhere! If Pang Fei and Zhao Chong really fall into his hands, they may be detained or silenced!
It's true that the Dao is one foot higher than the devil, this bastard, he did something evil so quickly!
"General, why don't we fight him with open swords and guns?" the Baiqi soldiers said angrily, "You've really gone against the grain, and you dare to attack General Pang!"
"Without evidence, Du Chengyuan can live and die without admitting his guilt. Doesn't that mean we are making trouble unreasonably?" Qin Mubai frowned and waved his hand, "Besides, it doesn't necessarily mean that Du Chengyuan captured Pang Fei. You Think about it, why did Du Chengyuan want to capture Pang Fei? "
Several Baiqi soldiers present looked at each other and thought hard for a while, and someone said: "That's right. If I were Du Chengyuan, I would never commit a crime against the odds at this time and capture Pang Fei. If it is to avenge Feng Dao Scar, right? , then we should target the general directly. Capturing Pang Fei will only arouse us and put him in a disadvantageous situation."
"Good point." Qin Mubai nodded with sharp eyes, "Then who else wants to capture Pang Fei? Obviously, capturing Pang Fei is not just to kill him, otherwise Zhao Chong would not have disappeared together. "
"Could it be that the other party is trying to blackmail us?" Someone among the Hundred Cavalry soldiers asked in surprise, "Now that even Zhao Chong has disappeared, we have finally decided to give up on the counter-intentional plan we just made - the other party is so sophisticated. Scheming! General, I thought that even if Du Chengyuan didn't do this, he still had something to do with it! Otherwise, how could the other party know that we were using countermeasures against Zhao Chong, and how could he know General Pang and Zhao Chong so coincidentally? We went out together and picked such a suitable time to start? "
"Well said!" Qin Mubai clapped his hands and said, "It can be seen that the other party's background is not small, and it is very likely that it is bigger than Du Chengyuan. From this we can infer... In Xiangzhou, Du Chengyuan is not The most powerful character. He still has the upper hand, but he is just following orders and passing on information. "
"Who could that be?" Everyone asked in surprise, "Could it be... that he is the one from Xihetao - Lord Cao of Song Dynasty?"
"It's possible!" Qin Mubai took a deep breath, thought for a long time, and said, "Now we can basically rule out the possibility that Du Chengyuan arrested people directly, but it is very likely that he tipped off the information. And where Du Chengyuan is - Let's call him an organization - there are other leaders in the organization he belongs to, that is, the leader of Song Cao who has never been seen before. If he captured Pang Fei and detained Zhao Chong, what was his reason? What’s the purpose?”
"General!" One of the Hundred Riders said in surprise, "If the one who captured General Pang is a water ghost, they would be too daring! Those who dare to let them take such a desperate risk must have huge benefits!"
"Selling food?!" These two words suddenly popped into Qin Mubai's mind, and he patted his head: Yes! Didn't I ask Zheng Anshun to discuss the five hundred thousand stone grain business with the people from Zhengchang Lianghao? If the other party really has such a large batch of food to sell, how can it be hidden from the eyes of our army? If you want us to let go, holding Pang Fei hostage would be a good strategy!
"General, what should we do now?" All the soldiers asked anxiously.
"Don't be impatient." Qin Mubai waved his hands with a stern expression and said, "Now this is all our hypothesis without any evidence. Now we have to prepare for the worst, that is, Pang Fei and Zhao Chong have been Killing, but this is unlikely. If this is the case, it must be Du Chengyuan's revenge in anger. This is simple and clear. But if the other party just takes Pang Fei as a hostage, then it is still possible. It’s just the beginning. If this is possible, then they will definitely contact me again, because it is me who makes the final decision, not Pang Fei.”
"General, from your tone, do you want to explore the tiger's den yourself?" Everyone was surprised.
"That's right." Qin Mubai raised the corner of his mouth slightly, with a cold grin on his face, and said, "It seems that our opponent is a little more powerful than we thought. If we don't enter the tiger's den, we will wilt the tiger's cubs? You must remember to be conservative. Secret, don’t let the news of Pang Fei and Zhao Chong’s disappearance leak out. As expected, I will find something when I go to Xiangyang City alone.”
"General, this is too dangerous!" Everyone objected unanimously and said, "How about you let us brothers accompany you?"
"No, there are too many people and it is easy to make things happen." Qin Mubai waved his hand resolutely, "If I were Lord Song Cao, and saw that I brought so many people here, either I would not contact me, or I would secretly get rid of you. If it’s lost, contact me again.”
"How can we be afraid of Xiao Shuigui! General, take us with you!"
"Shut up, this is a military order!"
"yes… "
It was getting late, Qin Mubai put on his civilian clothes, and prepared to leave the military camp secretly alone and head to Xiangyang.
When I walked to the gate of the military camp, I heard someone arguing there.
"How many times do you want me to tell you that the military is under strict control and no one is allowed to come or go at will?"
"Do you want to go away or not?" A very rough voice shouted, "If you don't go away, I will knock you away! I have made it clear that I was sent by the King of Wu to find General Qin! It’s something important! You can’t afford to delay it!”
"If you dare to break into the military camp without permission, we will shoot you with random arrows!"
"Then try it! I'm going to tear you watchdogs alive!" The voice roared like thunder.
"Yuwen Hongtai, stop it!" Qin Mubai shouted and walked over.
The sergeants were startled and hurriedly stood aside and saluted with clasped fists: "General, this man didn't know the password and didn't have the rules to break into the military camp at night. When the villain stopped him, he started to beat people!"
"Hey, you little monkeys, how dare you sue me?" Yuwen Hongtai's copper eyes widened, and he was about to hit him and take action.
Qin Mubai suddenly stretched out a hand and put it on Yuwen Hongtai's chest, like a palm holding down a galloping horse. Yuwen Hongtai was unable to move forward.
All the soldiers were stunned: "True divine power!"
Yuwen Hongtai was also stunned for a moment, hurriedly put away his hot temper, took two steps back and turned around with a silly smile: "Brother Qin, I was wrong, I was wrong..."
"Brothers, please continue to patrol the camp. You are doing the right thing. You should stick to your posts so strictly and with a ruthless face." Qin Mubai nodded in praise of the sergeants, "Although this person is an old friend of mine, he is not allowed to be released without the password code." He enters."
"Yes, General!" The sergeants clasped their fists and bowed happily, formed a small team, and went to patrol the camp as usual.
Yuwen Hongtai grinned and scratched his head with a silly smile: "Brother Qin, don't blame me. I am really in a hurry, otherwise I wouldn't break into the camp."
Qin Mubai winked at him: "Speak somewhere else."
The two of them strode forward, leaving the military camp far away to a small forest. Qin Mubai said, "Tell me, what's going on?"
"Something big happened!" Yuwen Hongtai Tongling's eyes widened and he said nervously, "Your Highness asked me to inform you... Zheng Anshun is missing!"
"What?!"
"It's true, I don't dare to lie to you." Yuwen Hongtai said blankly.
"Idiot, you're still stunned!" Qin Mubai slapped him hard, "Follow me to the Governor's Mansion!"