Luming Pass is a strategic pass and all the residents here are soldiers, so the accommodation conditions in the pass are not very good. Therefore, even though Concubine Rong and her companions stayed in the most comfortable place in Luming Pass - a residence in the back hall of Huwei Hall specially prepared for the county magistrate to occasionally inspect Luming Pass, the conditions still looked a little simple.
The residence was just a small courtyard with four rooms, two bedrooms, a dining room, and a side hall. There were two trees and some flowers in the courtyard. There were some ordinary furniture in the room, which was slightly better than a tent, but still simple compared to a better inn. Zhou Shouren used to live here just for show, coming once every half a year or a year. Since it was just for show, he naturally wouldn't make it too luxurious to avoid gossip from the defenders in Guanzhong.
The place where Yan Liqiang met Concubine Rong and others was in the side hall of that small courtyard. Not only Concubine Rong and Concubine Duan were there, but also Princess Anping.
The five women sat in the side hall, their eyes wide open, listening to Yan Liqiang recount the causes and consequences of today's capture.
After Yan Liqiang finished speaking, even Princess Anping turned pale. The other concubines, Concubine Duan, Concubine Rui, and Concubine Yi, all had fear and dread on their faces. Only Concubine Rong seemed to be a little calm on the surface, but one of her hands in her sleeve was already covered in sweat.
"So, if we are deceived by the governor of Luquan County today and leave Luming Pass to enter Gaoyi County, wouldn't it be like stepping into the gates of hell, waiting to be ambushed and killed..." Concubine Rong spoke, her voice full of coldness, "Lord Yan said that the governor of Luquan County has at least 5,000 troops, almost ten times our number. In this case, with the few people in our team, even if there are masters like Lord Yan and Elder Liu, the others will not be spared..."
Yan Liqiang nodded, "Yes, since Zhou Shouren is going to take action, he will be well prepared and won't give us any chances. Generally speaking, if we are ambushed by ten times the number of troops in a strategic location, as long as there is no major accident, we will basically be wiped out. There is no chance of luck!"
"What a cruel and vicious plot. Yesterday, I heard that the county governor sent people to deliver fruits and wine, and I thought he really wanted us to pass!" Concubine Duan said with fear, covering her chest. "That Zhou Shouren is too bold. How dare he do this..."
Concubine Duan had a charming and beautiful figure, especially her breasts which were tall and firm. When she patted her chest, it was as if there were two large jellies hidden under her chest, trembling a few times, which made Yan Liqiang unable to help but take a few more glances. Yan Liqiang discovered that Concubine Rong should have learned the action of patting her chest from Concubine Duan.
Seeing Concubine Rong's glaring eyes, Yan Liqiang quickly moved his gaze away, "This... Zhou Shouren didn't know that the ladies and the two princes were in the convoy, and he was afraid that we would find a chance to retaliate against him after leaving Luquan County, so he naturally wanted to take the risk and kill us all, so that he could vent his anger and avenge his son!"
"Thanks to Lord Yan, we escaped death again this time. But we still have to stay here tonight. Will there be any problems?" Concubine Yi said worriedly.
"Don't worry, ladies. The Zhou family father and son and their trusted backbones have been executed. The ordinary sergeants and officers in Luming Pass are innocent. Since they already know my identity, they will definitely not dare to have any more ideas. Ladies, just rest well in this courtyard tonight. I will take care of everything!"
Yan Liqiang's confident and calm demeanor made the women's eyes sparkle and they felt at ease.
"Then can we leave Luming Pass tomorrow?" asked Concubine Rong.
"As long as the governor of Luquan County returns with his troops tonight, we can rest here for one night and leave early tomorrow morning!"
"Do we have to leave tomorrow?" Concubine Rong frowned and said stubbornly, "I feel uncomfortable staying here. I don't want to stay here any longer. If we wait for Xiong Siwu to come back with his troops, can we leave tonight? Even if we find a place to camp in Gaoyi County, it will be better than staying here!"
"Sister is right. I also feel uncomfortable in Luming Pass. If we can leave tonight, it would be best to leave tonight. It doesn't matter if we have to walk at night!" Concubine Rui also said with deep feeling.
Concubine Duan, Concubine Yi and Princess Anping beside them all nodded.
Yan Liqiang still felt a little strange. What was there to be afraid of in Luming Pass? He thought of the movement of the snake and understood instantly. The scene at the entrance of Luming Pass had indeed frightened the women. Moreover, there were high walls on all sides of Luming Pass. When the women came here, they thought of the deep palace in the imperial capital. They always felt that they were trapped here, surrounded by tigers and wolves, and could not go anywhere. The psychological pressure was enormous, so they did not want to stay any longer.
"Since none of you ladies want to stay here any longer, then we should leave tonight. We should travel at night and find a place to stay in Gaoyi County!"
After hearing what Yan Liqiang said, the women all breathed a sigh of relief. Concubine Rong nodded and said, "I hope Xiong Siwu can come back soon so that we can set off earlier!"
"Don't worry, your majesty. Xiong Siwu will lead his troops in disguise to set up an ambush in Gaoyi County. He will definitely not stray too far from Luming Pass. If he does, he will bring too many people with him and make too much noise, which will increase the chances of him being discovered by the local government of Gaoyi County. So I am sure that Xiong Siwu will come back before dark tonight!"
"Lord Yan saved us again today. I don't know how to thank Lord Yan!" Concubine Rong's beautiful big eyes fell on Yan Liqiang again, full of affection.
Yan Liqiang tried his best not to make eye contact with Concubine Rong, but kept a serious expression on his face, "This is my duty!"
"Well, let's keep everything simple on the road now. When we arrive in Jinzhou, I will think carefully about how to thank Lord Yan. I hope Lord Yan will not be humble and refuse at that time. It is not the rule of the Han Empire to not reward meritorious service!" Concubine Rong said "concernedly".
Hearing Concubine Rong saying that she would think of how to thank him, Yan Liqiang's heart couldn't help but tremble twice...
…
Everything happened just as Yan Liqiang had expected. They just waited in Luming Pass for an afternoon. When the sun was about to set, there was a commotion on the official road on the Gaoyi County side of Luming Pass. Sima Qingshan had indeed returned with Xiong Siwu, the governor of Luquan County.
Standing at the junction of Luming Pass, Yan Liqiang, Liu Xi and a few others watched Xiong Siwu and his men returning to the pass. Liu Xi and a few others hissed and took a breath of cold air.
Xiong Siwu brought more than 5,000 troops, more than two battalions of soldiers, one infantry battalion and one cavalry battalion. Not only did they bring a lot of powerful bows and crossbows, they even brought ten iron-arm crossbows and thousand-machine arrows used to guard Luming Pass. When they came back, they were pulled by carts and horses.
"Fuck..." Liu Xitong couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, this is too cruel, all these big guys are used, if we really fall into his ambush, I guess except for you, sir, who else can survive!"
Meng Hui wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "Thanks to you, sir, we have passed this test again!"
Seeing these people coming, Yan Liqiang ordered the gate to be opened, letting Xiong Siwu and Sima Qingshan in. A moment later, Sima Qingshan brought Xiong Siwu to the top of the pass.
The bear Siwu was really tall and strong, his body like an iron tower. When he saw the man approaching, at first glance he thought it was a big black bear wearing armor walking towards him.
But don't be fooled by Xiong Siwu's seemingly burly appearance. This man is indeed very thoughtful. When he saw Yan Liqiang, he bowed heavily to Yan Liqiang and shouted, "Thanks to Lord Yan for eliminating the two traitors Zhou and his son and exposing Zhou Shouren's evil plot. Otherwise, I would have been deceived by Zhou Huairen today and almost made an irreparable mistake with them!"
"Master Xiong, please stand up, Master Xiong, please stand up!" Yan Liqiang also smiled and helped Xiong Siwu up. "All of this is a conspiracy by Zhou Shouren with ulterior motives. What does it have to do with Master Xiong?"
Xiong Siwu stood up and cursed indignantly, "That Zhou Shouren is a piece of shit. He actually lied to me and said that a group of White Lotus bandits disguised as the imperial cavalry wanted to pass through Luming Pass, and asked me to lead the troops to set up an ambush outside the pass to wipe out this group of White Lotus bandits. If I knew that the people Zhou Shouren wanted to ambush were the relatives of Lord Yan and Lord Luo, the governor of Jinzhou, and wanted to push me into the fire pit, I would have chopped off that bastard's head at that time. Lord Yan has finally eliminated a big threat for our Luquan County today..."
"Don't worry, Lord Xiong. In a few days, Lord Luo will definitely contact Lord Chen, the governor of Guzhou, to explain today's events. In the next few days, Lord Xiong will have to take care of the situation in Luquan County!"
Xiong Siwu's eyes flickered, and he eagerly held Yan Liqiang's arm with a smile on his face, "Master Yan's name is really well-known. I have heard of it for a long time. When I saw Master Yan today, I felt like we were old friends. Tonight, I will have a good drink with Master Yan. Master Yan is the number one master of the mechanism of the Han Empire. I, a rough man, would like to ask Master Yan for advice!"
"I'm afraid I can't do it today. I have work to do and can't delay for even a moment. I'm here just waiting to meet with Master Xiong and talk things out. Now that Master Xiong is back, I'll leave right away. We have a long time to go. If there's a chance, I'll definitely have another drink with Master Xiong!"
"Since Lord Yan has important matters to attend to, I dare not delay him. Let's make a deal. We'll get drunk together again when we have the chance in the future!"
"Okay, it's a deal!"
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.
A few minutes later, Yan Liqiang led his team out of Luming Pass again. Xiong Siwu also led a team of people to escort Yan Liqiang and his team ten miles outside the pass before returning.
Watching Xiong Siwu leading the team back, Sima Qingshan looked at Yan Liqiang eagerly, "Sir..."
Yan Liqiang, who was riding on Caiyun Zhuiyue, glanced at him, smiled slightly, and said only one sentence, "Do you know the shortest way from here to Jinzhou?"
"I know all the maps and books about roads, mountains and rivers of the entire Han Empire. I wonder what you want to ask, sir?" Sima Qingshan replied anxiously.
"If you know me, lead the way!"
Sima Qingshan was stunned at first, then he was overjoyed, "Thank you, sir!"
Yan Liqiang narrowed his eyes and looked at this "good bird". "You will gradually get to know the rules around me. In the final analysis, it comes down to doing your duty. Think about it carefully. Within your duty, you will have a rich and prosperous future. Beyond your duty, you will be doomed to a mountain of swords and a pot of oil. Do you understand?"
"I understand, sir, please rest assured!"
"Then let's go..."
(End of this chapter)