The storm is about to come, black clouds are rolling, and thousands of feet of yellow sand are rolling between the sky and the earth, making a roaring sound.
Liangzhou is more desolate than Lanzhou. There is much wind and sand, little vegetation, and the environment is harsh with hot summers and cold winters.
On the parapet at the top of the city, neat red flags were flying.
Qin Mubai and Xue Wanche stood side by side on the top of the city, looking up into the distance, their armors rustling in the wind.
"The sky is filled with clouds of sand, and demons are dancing wildly. A storm is coming, and Liangzhou is a barren mountainous area. Even good weather is hard to come by." Xue Wanche said with emotion as he looked at the rolling yellow sand and the rushing black clouds.
Qin Mubai raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said with a smile: "I think the country is picturesque."
Xue Wanche was startled for a moment, then smiled and said: "Young Marshal has a broad mind and ambitions."
"I'm just optimistic." Qin Mubai smiled and asked, "Have you not found Hou Junji yet?"
"Hey!..." Xue Wanche shook his head with a wry smile and said, "He came to Liangzhou alone, without a caretaker or a family. Sometimes he crowded with the doormen in the yamen's ear room, and sometimes he was drunk or drunk. Xiangyuan even slept on the street or under a bridge, and was even dragged out of a horse pen. He behaved strangely and had no fixed abode, and because he was once a prominent official and had a fiery temper, he was one of the best in Liangzhou. Because of his official status, no one dared to ask about him. I, the governor of Liangzhou, was once his general, let alone a general under his command. Now I sent more than a dozen people to Manzhou City to find him, but they couldn't find him. ”
Qin Mubai nodded and said, "Don't worry. Anyway, we still have many other things to do. Maybe he will come back on his own sometime. Go ahead, let's go to the military camp to see how the relocation and defense change is going. What's up?"
"That's fine."
Not long after, a heavy rain poured down, covering the entire Liangzhou. Lightning flashed, thunder poured and rain poured down, and the military camp was muddy. It was difficult to move and unload the baggage and other items, so the men and horses had to rest temporarily. Qin Mubai and Xue Wanche inspected the military camp. The generals in the military camp never held umbrellas, so they were soaked to the skin.
In the evening, Xue Wanche said that the food in the army was poor, and the young marshal was afraid of being cold due to being caught in the rain, so it was better to take a warm bath in a better wine shop and drink some wine to drive away the cold.
Although Liangzhou is generally desolate, it has become a business and travel transit point since Lanzhou's "Great Development". Therefore, there are many restaurants and hotels, mostly Hu businessmen.
Xue Wanche invited Qin Mubai to have a drink at Qingyuan Tower in the city, saying that the Sanlejiang and moxibustion lamb legs there were more famous. Although they were not as good as Qinxian wine and Chang'an famous dishes, they still had a different flavor. The guest did as he pleased, so Qin Mubai naturally did not refuse.
The two of them took with them three or five followers, put on casual clothes, and headed to the Qingyuan Tower in the city. Qin Mubai asked his subordinates to inquire, saying that Hou Junji was still not found, so he had to give up temporarily.
As large as Liangzhou City, most of them are bungalows with mud and tile walls. Only a few relatively neat small brick buildings have been built on the central street of the city, which are wine shops and hotels where business travelers come and go. On weekdays, this place is quite lively, with businessmen and travelers constantly hawking and drinking. Just because of the recent war in Liangzhou, many shops have closed due to panic. There are also some anxious business travelers who are forced to stay here and are not allowed to leave for the time being.
A few people walked for a while and entered the shopping street. The surroundings seemed a bit deserted.
Xue Wanche sighed: "In the past, this was the liveliest and most prosperous place in the city. It was always crowded with people. After months of fighting, Liangzhou has become a lot desolate!"
Qin Mubai frowned and said, "It will be fine once we get through this period. By expanding the border defense to keep the enemy out of the wild, Lanzhou can have internal peace. This is one of the reasons why I asked you to switch defenses to Yumen Pass and Yang Pass." After a fierce battle, although we always won without losing the city, the people were still afraid, and the business trip was cut off. In the final analysis, when fighting against the barbarians, we who live in the city will always suffer more, except those on the battlefield. The casualties and losses suffered by the city and the people are difficult to estimate. "
"What the Marshal said is true." Xue Wanche said with deep feeling. "Since last winter, Liangzhou began to suffer from military disasters. Since then, taxes have been reduced to nine out of ten, people's hearts are floating, business travel has been cut off, and the entire city is no longer as prosperous as it used to be. The sky is full of panic and tension, and there are even more criminals. I just hope that this battle will be over soon, otherwise Liangzhou will always be so lifeless, and it is really not a place for people to live. "
Qin Mubai nodded, smiled and said: "Remember not long ago, that is, two years ago, Lanzhou was almost what Liangzhou looks like now. Don't be impatient, it depends on manpower. As long as you quickly expand the defense line and stabilize it in Yu and Yang As far as the Puchang Sea line, when my father builds the Anxi Protectorate in Gaochang, the Helong area will gradually become as stable as a rock. From then on, the Tang Dynasty expanded its territory thousands of miles, and General Xue played a great role!"
Xue Wanche was flattered in a moderate way, and he was a little elated. He cupped his hands and said: "If you can achieve a small feat in a humble position, it is all by following the young marshal and his son to gain some advantages. If it is said that merit is the greatest, your lord and the young marshal It will definitely go down in history!”
"Haha!" Qin Mubai laughed, and the group also laughed in cooperation.
Just as everyone was chatting and walking past a small colorful building, the originally closed wooden door was suddenly opened, and several burly men came out carrying a drunken man and put him on the ground in front of the street. The big men clapped their hands and said nothing. They just spat at the drunken man with resentment and disgust, then went back and closed the door.
The drunken man was thrown into the street, which immediately attracted some people to watch. A few people who came closer glanced twice, covered their noses and frowned, and walked around quickly. The man lay motionless on the ground as if dead. He twitched occasionally, but spit out piles of filth from his mouth.
Qin Mubai raised his head and glanced at the small green building, knowing that it was a prostitute. So I didn't care and prepared to go around. At this time, Xue Wanche exclaimed in a low voice: "Hou Junji?"
Qin Mubai couldn't help but be startled and looked at him suspiciously: "No way?"
"It's true!" Xue Wanche suddenly looked embarrassed, pouted at the two pawns next to him, and motioned for them to carry Hou Junji away so that he wouldn't be embarrassed on the street.
"Wait a minute." Qin Mubai stopped his entourage. He walked over and squatted next to the drunk man. He reached out and turned him over. When he saw it, he saw that it wasn't Hou Junji
Although I didn't have much contact with him, in the past when I was working in Chang'an, I would always recognize him when I met him without looking up.
Hou Junji started out as a soldier and was famous for his bravery at a young age. During the struggle for supremacy at the end of the Sui Dynasty, he was introduced to the shogunate by Li Shimin. Because of his outstanding heroic achievements in combat, he was entrusted with important tasks by Li Shimin and was promoted step by step. During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he also gave Li Shimin advice and supported him. From then on, he was deeply relied on by Li Shimin and became one of his confidants. His popularity is not inferior to that of Yuchi Jingde, one of the "Four Great Heroes of Kaiyuan", and even far better than that of Qin Shubao and Cheng Zhijie, the former generals of the Prince of Qin.
After Li Shimin ascended the throne, Hou Junji successively held important military positions such as General Zuowei and General Right Wei, and was granted the title of Duke of Lu. With a background as a military general, he also transferred to study civil affairs, and served successively as the Minister of the Ministry of War and the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he did so with great success. These are actually only the secondary points. The most important thing is that he was ordered by the emperor to learn the art of war from Li Jing, and followed Li Jing in the northern and southern campaigns. He made great military exploits and became the most active Mesozoic general in the military after Li Shimin ascended the throne. He was unparalleled in the limelight for a while. , can go hand in hand with Li Ji. When he became the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he also took care of the affairs of the Hongwen Palace, which meant that he had the real power of the prime minister to participate in the discussion of politics!
Before the Prince Incident, Hou Junji even overshadowed Li Ji, who kept a low profile and was stationed outside. He was the most popular military representative in the court. But it was this sudden political turmoil that dragged Hou Junji, who was once famous for a while, from the clouds into the mud, and fell into ruin.
At that time, when Changsun Wuji was trying the case of the prince's rebellion, there were many dissidents who were killed and excluded, and Hou Junji was the biggest one among them. Just because Hou Junji was in a prominent position and had made outstanding contributions in the past, Changsun Wuji did not (or was "unable") to completely destroy Hou Junji. He was only charged with being an "accessory to rebellion" and was demoted to Liangzhou. .
Hou Junji, who was in his early forties, was at the peak of his life, but was kicked to death, and he was the only one who could understand the feeling. As for whether he really participated in the rebellion, Qin Mubai didn't know, but Changsun Wuji "needed" Hou Junji to rebel, so he had to be "conspired by".
At this moment, Hou Junji, who was covered in mud and his face was filthy, was looking up at the high Qin Mubai with drunken eyes, and kept spitting out wine stains from his mouth.
"Quickly, carry him away!" Xue Wanche waved his hand anxiously, signaling to his followers to get him back quickly so that he wouldn't be embarrassed here.
"Take him to Qingyuan Building together, arrange for him to bathe and change clothes, and let him sober up and rest." Qin Mubai said lightly, but there was no room for refutation or doubt.
"Young Marshal, isn't this bad?"
"Everyone has times when he is frustrated." Qin Mubai stood up and said calmly, "How can I tolerate being disliked by my brothers?"
"Okay!" Xue Wanche sighed, looked at Hou Junji with frowning eyebrows, and said, "Hey, it's quite pitiful, but it's also quite irritating. I can't match the young marshal's ambition - you are still standing there, resisting others , let’s go!”
Just as the group was about to leave, the door of the brothel opened again, and a turtle slave rushed out of it. He nodded and bowed to everyone, and said flatteringly: "A few of them must be friends of this Marquis. He is also a high-ranking person. I don’t dare to disturb you, but my boss has orders, so I have to ask you for a favor. "
"If you fart, let it go!" Xue Wanche shouted as he was angry and had nowhere to vent his anger.
"Yes, yes," the turtle slave murmured, "This Lord Marquis... spent more than ten days in the shop, and all the money he brought was spent on credit. Originally, the shop did not dare to ask for it. I didn't even dare to bully him into defaulting on his debt, but the shop was indeed a small business and couldn't afford it. In the past few days, the Marquis was full of customers, and eight girls accompanied him to eat, drink and have fun every day. , got very drunk and even beat and scolded others and smashed tables and chairs... so... therefore... "
Qin Mubai gritted his teeth in annoyance, took off a money bag from his waist, weighed it in his hand, and said, "How many girls are there in your store? How much is the entire store worth?"
"Ah?" Turtle Slave was startled and didn't know how to answer.
"I'm asking you a question!" Xue Wanche shouted, "That's the answer!"
"Uh... there are only about ten girls in the shop, and the population is only twenty people. The shop is rented from the landlord, and we can't decide..." Turtle Nu said timidly.
Qin Mubai casually threw the money bag to him and said, "It's yours. Take over this brothel for me. From now on, you will be the shopkeeper here. If the Marquis comes to spend money again, you You are not allowed to charge a penny and you must serve him like your ancestors. As for how to negotiate with your boss and how to run the business, that is your business."
The turtle slave stood blankly on the spot, at a loss.
Xue Wanche hurriedly snatched the money bag from his hand, pulled open the rope and shook it, a bunch of golden lumps fell out, which made the turtle slave's eyes dazzled.
"Damn turtle slave, are you stupid or crazy?" Xue Wanche said angrily, "This gold is enough to buy three shabby shops like yours. You are lucky, stupid boy! You are still stupid, why don't you get out of here?"
"Ah! Yes, yes!" The turtle slave finally came to his senses, holding the pile of golden lumps as if he had found a treasure, and ran back to the brothel like a dog with its tail chopped off.
Xue Wanche sighed, and said in an annoyed and funny tone: "Young Marshal, you don't have to spoil Hou Junji like this, do you?"
"How do you call this habit?" Qin Mubai smiled and said lightly, "When I am frustrated and lonely, I will want to drink and get drunk. At this time, even the most beautiful women in the world are worse than dirt in my opinion. . At this time, if someone can buy a large jar of wine to drink with me, that person will definitely be my best friend."
"I understand..." Xue Wanche nodded, sighed, and said, "Young Marshal, I didn't expect that you are still a careful person and very loyal."
"Is it possible that you thought I was unloyal in the past?" Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"Uh... that's not what humble position means!... What humble position means is that it is a great blessing to have a friend like the young commander!"
When everyone arrived at Qingyuan Tower, several of their entourage asked You to come to the waiter to give him a drink, while Hou Junji went to bathe, change clothes, and drink sobering soup. Qin Mubai and Xue Wanche sat in an elegant pavilion. There were also some silk and bamboo zither music in the pavilion behind the bead curtain. The drinks were decent, at least it was considered "high standard" treatment in Liangzhou.
"The young marshal is laughing." ”
"It doesn't matter. I'm not particular about these things." Qin Mubai replied with a faint smile, not thinking about these things at all.
He has been thinking about how to "deal with" Hou Junji.
The word "deal" appeared in Qin Mubai's mind, which was really weird.
In his impression, Hou Junji was a man of strong character and arrogance. Let it be the past, even if he was Qin Mubai, the Prince Consort, a celebrity before the imperial court, or the young master of the Qin family, the new master of Lanzhou, Hou Junji would not put it in the corner of his eyes.
Anyone who has spent time in the court knows that Hou Junji was respectful and submissive to only one person in his life, and that was Emperor Li Shimin. In addition, he didn't take Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling or even his mentor Li Jing seriously.
Therefore, although Hou Junji and Li Jing had the title of master and apprentice, their relationship with each other was not harmonious, and they even stopped communicating with each other until they died. It is said that Hou Junji wanted to learn the art of war from Li Jing, but Li Jing was unwilling to teach him. This was because Hou Junji was rebellious and had a wild temperament. If he learned the art of war, it would be a disaster in the future, and it would definitely bring disaster to the country. So Hou Junji went to the emperor and asked the emperor to issue an order for Li Jing to accept Hou Junji as his disciple.
Forced by helplessness, Li Jing had no choice but to do it. But when he taught Hou Junji the art of war, he naturally had reservations. For this reason, Hou Junji was very angry and sued Li Shimin, saying that Li Jing "violated the imperial edict" and did not do his best in teaching the art of war. Li Jing explained to Li Shimin, saying that if the military techniques I taught him were mastered and mastered, it would be easy to defend and defeat the enemy in front of the formation. No matter how much he wants to learn, his intentions are not right.
Li Shimin naturally couldn't blame Li Jing, and he also understood Li Jing's intentions. If Hou Junji is allowed to inherit all of Li Jing's skills, when the older generations like Li Shimin and Li Jing pass away in the future, who can still control Hou Junji
It was precisely because of this incident that Hou Junji and Li Jing fell out and became enemies.
Qin Mubai thought that if he used the status of "students from the same school" to get close to Hou Junji, it would not only be bad, but also bad.
Hou Junji, this is a fierce and fierce horse. Of course, if used well, it will be a peerless horse. How to control it depends on one mind.
The two drank for a long time, and it was already dark after about an hour. Hou Junji was still taking a bath. Xue Wanche became a little impatient and said: "Young Marshal, why don't you go back to the camp and rest first. When Hou Junji wakes up from drinking, I will ask him to go to the camp to pay homage."
"We are all military people, why bother Luo Lu so much. If he doesn't come, I'll just go and have a look." After saying that, Qin Mubai stood up and picked up a plate of hot lamb leg. He picked up a bottle of wine and said with a smile, "After all, he is also my senior brother. As a junior brother, there is no harm in serving him for a while."
Xue Wanche snorted coldly, feeling extremely annoyed. The majestic head of the Lanzhou Metropolitan Governor's Office, who manages tens of thousands of people and thousands of armies, treats a loser who has been demoted and lost power in such a lowly manner. It is really aggrieved!
Hou Jun gathered all the people to soak in the bathtub. Next to them were two resentful soldiers who patiently rubbed their backs and shoulders. After Hou Junji was done, he put his hands on the edge of the bucket and covered his face with a steaming towel. He was wagging his fingers and instructing the two soldiers where to rub and press. It was quite enjoyable.
Qin Mubai walked in, pursed his lips, and signaled the two soldiers to go out. As if they were pardoned, the two of them let go and ran away. Xue Wanche couldn't stand it any longer, so he gently closed the door and left.
"Don't stop, keep squeezing. My shoulders are sore." Hou Junji grumbled, still covered with a towel.
Qin Mubai smiled, put down the mutton and wine bottle, walked up behind Hou Junji, put his hands on his shoulders, and pressed his hands.
Perhaps because he was still drunk, Hou Junji's reaction was a little slow, but he didn't have any strange reaction at all. With the hot towel covering his face, he was breathing heavily and seemed to be dozing off.
Qin Mubai didn't call him, and actually massaged him for a while, at least for a stick of incense. Hou Junji lay in the bucket like a dead man, unable to move.
After a long time, Hou Junji reached out to his face, touched the towel, took a dip in the bucket, and without looking back, said calmly: "The water is cold."
"I'll ask the waiter to change." Qin Mubai said.
"No need." Hou Junji paused, turned his head, looked at Qin Mubai with a half-smile, and said, "Your craftsmanship is quite good, Grand Governor."
Qin Mubai smiled easily, handed over the meat plate and wine bottle, and said, "Your stomach is empty. Come on, eat something. You were very drunk just now, so we didn't wait for you to finish eating first."
Hou Junji was not polite, stretched out his arms from the bucket, grabbed the mutton with one hand and stuffed it into his mouth, picked up the wine bottle with the other hand, raised his neck and poured it into his throat.
Qin Mubai stood aside like a boy, holding a meat plate, still with a smile on his face.
Hou Junji, on the other hand, was like a prisoner coming out of a starvation prison. He ate without any gentry style. After eating all the meat and drinking the wine, he put the jug on the empty meat plate with a long tut. He burped loudly and said coldly: "To show your love for nothing, it is either adultery or robbery. Tell me, what do you want to do with me, a loser, Governor Qin? Oh, they all call you, Young Marshal."
"You are really right, I do have something to do with you." Qin Mubai didn't care, threw the plate and wine bottle aside, clapped his hands, and said, "I know you are unwilling and unconvinced, but you are afraid of running away. It was an unjust death, so now I am living in extreme pain, and I can only anesthetize myself by being dissolute.”
"How I live is none of your business." Hou Junji turned his back to Qin Mubai, wiped himself with a towel slowly and politely, and said coldly, "Tell me why you came. Although I, Hou Junji, have done a lot He is a young civil servant, but at heart he is a warrior who bends the bow and shoots arrows. He doesn't like to beat around the bush and make excuses. "
"Okay, that's refreshing!" Qin Mubai stroked his palm and said, "Since we are on the same boat..."
"Wait!" Hou Junji suddenly interrupted Qin Mubai loudly, "Who is in the same boat as you?"
"We have a common enemy, so we are in the same boat. Isn't this wrong?" Qin Mubai said.
Hou Junji hesitated for a moment, noncommittal, and continued: "Even if we have a common enemy, we are not friends. I, Hou Junji, have never had friends."
"But you have had colleagues and comrades-in-arms." Qin Mubai said, "Who has accompanied you on the battlefield in life and death in blood all these years? How can you, Hou Junji, be so brave and good at fighting that you can kill thousands of troops? How many people in the same army know each other and are friends? But it is necessary to work together against the same enemy. I don’t need to tell you, a veteran of the battlefield, to understand this."
"What you said makes sense." Hou Junji seemed to be a little disdainful, but also a little desperate, "But you, a big shot who has always been in the spotlight, what is the purpose of coming to me, a down-and-out person? You just Aren’t you afraid of causing my bad luck and being purged by Changsun Wuji?”
"Ha! If I, Mr. Qin, were afraid of his eldest son, Wuji, I would never set foot in Lanzhou again today." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "I came to you for a very simple purpose. I have a hundred thousand soldiers under my rule in Lanzhou, and I I can't control it. But this is your specialty."
Hou Junji froze, turned his head and looked at Qin Mubai in disbelief: "What did you say?"
Qin Mubai smiled sincerely and said: "The Governor's Office of Lanzhou is still short of a marching commander, and my relatives in Yifu are also short of a general in Yifu. If you don't mind, senior brother, please come and help me. "
"What did you call me?"
"Senior brother."
"..." Hou Junji turned his head and fell into silence for a long time.
Qin Mubai was not in a hurry and stood patiently, waiting for his reply.
The room was quiet, not a sound was heard.
After a long time, Hou Junji opened his mouth and said -
"I, Hou Junji, have experienced ups and downs in my life. I have tasted everything. Right now, all that is left in my life is wine, meat and beauty. I don't want to try that ridiculous feeling of ups and downs again. Go away and don't come back again. Find me."
Qin Mubai was not in a hurry. If Hou Junji could be persuaded and surrendered so easily, then he would not be the all-powerful Hou Junji who smiles proudly on the battlefield. He nodded and said: "I won't force you, and I'm not in a hurry. One year, two years, ten or twenty years, as long as I, Qin Mubai, am still in Lanzhou, the door of the Governor's Mansion will always be open for you. In Until now, just enjoy your life in Liangzhou. As long as you don’t kill people or commit crimes, no one will bother you anymore.”
"Play hard to get, right?" Hou Junji sneered, "It seems that you have learned the true story of Li Yaoshi. Not only the art of war, but also how to deal with people."
"If senior brother doubts my sincerity, you can let time prove it." Qin Mubai said, "It is useless to talk too much, so I will stop here. You can rest for a while, I won't disturb you anymore."
After saying that, Qin Mubai walked towards the door.
Just as he opened the door and was about to walk out, Hou Junji behind him suddenly said: "Qin Mubai, why are you jumping up and down doing all these things? In the end, it's all in vain. All fame, wealth, merit and popularity are all in vain. Ethereal things. After all, you are still young, and you only know how to do these stupid things with passion. When you go through what you have to experience, you will be as frustrated as I am. I advise you not to waste your efforts. In this life, you should let go of what you should enjoy. This is life. "
"Maybe you are right." Qin Mubai turned around, smiled at him, and said, "As you said, I am still young. If I don't do a few stupid things when I am young, I will remember them when I am old. Isn't it a greater sadness to be completely blank? In this life, I should let go of what I should enjoy and what I should fight for, and I should not let go of anything that should be fought for. This is what I, Qin Mubai, want. Who is willing to die in obscurity? Are you, Hou Junji, really willing?"
"Who... is willing to die in obscurity?!... Me, Hou Junji?"
.
[This chapter has 7,000 words, and I am gradually getting back into shape...]