The four riders who don't cause trouble, stay or stay in such a big Dazhan city, are like dropping water into a huge ravine, which can't stir up anything at all.
Xu Fengnian left the restaurant soon after discussing matters with Zhang Xiucheng. Qingzhu Niang only said a word when sending them off, saying that he gave her a word when they were parting last time, and she returned it to him this time. Xu Fengnian smiled and said he accepted it.
Zhang Xiucheng went back to the window of the private room and watched the four riders go away on the street without turning around. The woman was slowly clearing away the jugs and wine glasses on the table, and the delicate plates containing the wine and side dishes. Zhang Xiucheng asked curiously: "Qing Zhu Niang , what is that sentence? Can you say it?"
Qingzhu Niang smiled gracefully: "There is nothing you can't say, last time he told me to live well, there is no greater reason in the world than this."
Zhang Xiucheng said with emotion: "This world is going to be chaotic."
Qingzhu Niang asked in a low voice: "Who is he? If you can't say it, then don't say it."
Zhang Xiucheng turned around, feeling a little puzzled, "I really can't tell, but I've talked to him so much, Miss Qingzhu, didn't you guess it?"
Qing Zhu Niang's cheeks were slightly red, "I don't know what I was thinking at the time, anyway, I feel like I can't remember anything now."
Zhang Xiucheng was stunned for a moment, and held back his smile, "Just treat him as Xu Lang. Anyway, his true identity will be revealed one day. At that time, even if you escape to Beimang and close your ears, it will be useless. Judging from his treatment It can be seen from the details of the maid, not to say that she is a good person, but she is definitely not bad at all."
Qingzhu Niang rolled her eyes at this Taoist priest who always liked to laugh at himself and only slayed demons in the pile of old papers, and said softly: "He is bad."
Zhang Xiucheng went inside if he didn't know, and he didn't want to get involved in this mess, so as not to be a stranger inside and out. By the way, in the eyes of the scholars in the Spring and Autumn Period, after Shenzhou Lu Shen, some unscrupulous scholar said a very damaging statement, which was widely circulated, that is, "Xu Xiao is not a human being inside and outside when looking in the mirror." After Zhang Xiucheng took root in Jizhou, he didn't understand at first, but later he realized that he was scolding the old King of Liang for killing too many people, and that he was a fierce ghost who broke into the world of heaven. As for others such as "the general walks, one high and one low", this is simple and clear, and it is insinuating that Xu Xiao is a lame man, "the upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked", which used to be used to make fun of Tu Tuobei and his eldest son Xu Fengnian. Liang, but as Xu Fengnian's reputation grew, few people mentioned it.
Zhang Xiucheng sighed, it's a pity that he couldn't take a look at that great general who had achieved a good death with great achievements. Concentrating on these useless thoughts, Zhang Xiucheng glanced at the sky outside the window, he should go out of the city as well, the boss is still waiting for his news. Zhang Xiucheng suddenly sat back to his seat, asked Qingzhu Niang to put back the cups, chopsticks and dishes, poured a glass of wine, and began to drink slowly.
She leaned against the window, quietly looking at the bustling city in a foreign land.
…
After Xu Fengnian's four riders passed the wild goose pass north of Dazhan City, they abandoned their horses in order to prevent any accidents. They hiked over mountains and ridges, and traveled quickly northward on mountain roads where firewood hunting was rare. Both Mi Fengjie and Fan Xiaochai looked at the child with admiration. It's not surprising that he is so enlightened at such a young age, but it doesn't make sense to have such strong internal strength. Of course, they didn't think that the shepherd boy Yu Dilong had inherited half of Wang Xianzhi's mantle. During the trip to Jizhou, Mr. Feng was able to accurately find Xu Fengnian in six years and passed on the battle situation in Youzhou. When a group of four people ran along a canyon on the high back, Xu Fengnian stopped suddenly again and raised his arms to support the handsome Hai Dongqing who fell through the clouds. Mi Fengjie saw that the usually calm King of Beiliang was a little dignified this time, standing on the edge of the cliff in a daze. Yu Dilong sat down on the ground, took off his pair of sturdy leather boots and lifted them upside down, pouring out the gravel that hurt his feet.
Mi Fengjie couldn't help asking: "The battle at Hulukou is not good?"
Xu Fengnian shook his head and said, "In the first contact battle at Zaomazhai, Chu Lushan and Yan Wenluan's losses were actually within the expectations of both sides. But judging from the intelligence I've received so far, some of the battles outside the battlefield" "Accident" must be taken seriously. Yang Yuanzan personally led the vanguard and went straight to the city of Wogong. Since ancient times, the northern nomads who lived on horseback for half their lives were naturally proficient in riding and shooting, but the early days of the Dafeng Dynasty were still against them. The prairie forces maintain an absolute advantage. You may not have imagined that even at the end of the Dafeng period, even without relying on the strength of the city and the elite bows and crossbows, the battle between the Feng army and the prairie cavalry could still be a draw. The two sides reversed the outcome, that is, Over the past two hundred years, countless times of border trade with private goods for profiteering, plus the return of captives from the south for two hundred years, the northern grasslands have a considerable number of craftsmen and ironware. Running north brought a rich population, profound Central Plains culture, and a subtle concept of war to Beimang. Dong Zhuo's private army attached importance to infantry, siege, and auxiliary soldiers, which is one of the significant changes."
Xu Fengnian squatted down, grabbed a handful of loess, held it lightly in the palm of his hand, and said, "Bei Mang claims to have invested 300,000 troops on the Eastern Front. If we push forward 30 to 40 years, we are in the Central Plains, Spring and Autumn and Nine Kingdoms." In the early days, I would have taken it for granted that the so-called 300,000 soldiers and horses would be about 100,000 soldiers. Even if the civilian laborers who transported grain and grass and the auxiliary soldiers responsible for maintaining the equipment were added, the number would not reach 300,000. This kind of future Xu Xiao may not be the first person to have the bad habit of strengthening his courage before the battle, but Xu Xiao is definitely the most resolute and thorough general who resisted, since he attacked the separatist forces in Liyang At the beginning, he had 5,000 soldiers and horses, so he said 5,000. Later, a big joke was made. When the Northern Han Dynasty was first attacked, the frontline generals of the Northern Han Dynasty heard the spies saying that Xu Xiao brought 20,000 soldiers when he went out to defend the city. The general pinched his fingers and calculated, okay, according to the old rules, there are no more than six or seven thousand people, and at most ten thousand, there will be some fights in this battle, so there is no need to retreat. In the end, the general of the Northern Han Dynasty was captured by Xu Xiao, and he was killed before he beheaded and sacrificed to the flag. He yelled at Xu Xiao for being a big liar, Xu Xiao was so angry that he kicked half of the general's teeth, and cursed back, "I said 20,000 is 20,000, no lie, such an honest person, you have face Calling a liar?!'”
Yu Dilong was originally dangling the two boots, as if he wanted to get some wind in the boots. Hearing this, I also calmed down and raised my ears to listen to Master talk about something that is far away from him, "war".
Xu Fengnian clenched his five fingers, feeling the coolness brought by the loess in his palm, and said with emotion: "Not to mention the middle line of Liangzhou in Beimang and the west line of Liuzhou, there are 300,000 soldiers on the east line of Youzhou, and there are as many as two hundred thousand soldiers." More than 100,000 soldiers, and the remaining 100,000 auxiliary soldiers are actually no different from soldiers. Bei Mang rides more and steps less. Dong Zhuo made a rule. This time, soldiers are not allowed to set up tents during the attack. Sleep, open your eyes and mount your horse to fight. The reason why there are 100,000 auxiliary soldiers is more to target the fortress system in Hulukou. When Yang Yuanzan deals with the Zaomazhai fortress group, he will hand over the auxiliary soldiers from all walks of life to attack the city. Most of the generals in command of the 100,000 auxiliary soldiers are the descendants of the Spring and Autumn Period, or they are the survivors of the Spring and Autumn Period in their 40s and 50s. However, Yang Yuanzan's pro-army and Hong Jingyan's Rouran cavalry, these main cavalry directly bypassed the village Fort, drive straight down, and strive to advance to the city of Wogong as quickly as possible. When the army is approaching the city and the siege equipment arrives, the rear front line has almost been cleaned up, and the conscripts in Longyao Prefecture who are responsible for the supply of food and grass can be supplied. Continue to go south safely. So in this battle, Bei Mang and Dong Zhuo fought very "Central Plains"."
Fan Xiaochai said coldly: "In this way, the fortress to the north of Wogong City is clearly a dead word. Why didn't Youzhou just line up the three cities of Wogong, Luanhe, and Xiaguang in the northernmost part of Hulukou? Did you stop the Beimang army from outside the pass? You don't have to worry about the big forts being slowly eaten away by the Beimang cavalry army. After all, you Beiliang don't care about the lives of soldiers because of the reputation of being the most powerful man in the world. inside!"
Mi Fengjie looked at this lady with the eyes of an idiot, and there was a smile on the old man's withered face for the first time, of course, this kind of smile must have nothing to do with kindness. This is not to say that Mi Fengjie caught the loopholes in Fan Xiaochai's words at once. The Cave Master Shen Jian's idea is extremely simple. The generals of Beiliang who have been soaked in blood on the battlefield and lay among the dead, especially proved themselves with the Spring and Autumn War How could a talented veteran like Yan Wenluan be a fool for fame
Xu Fengnian did not laugh at Fan Xiaochai for standing and talking without back pain, or for being a frog in a well, but raised his fist holding the earth and tapped the canyon at his feet, and said calmly: "The mouth of the gourd is not here. I can imagine how big the mouth of the gourd mouth is. In terms of military affairs, not only are there particular considerations for where to build a city against a mountain, where to build a pass, where to build a fort near a water, and where to build a flint according to a dangerous place. There are all kinds of complicated workarounds. Hulukou is the most advantageous terrain in Beiliang Road and the only defense area with natural depth. You are right when you say that the soldiers of the fortress should die. Soldiers who are dangerous and defend are not dangerous enough to 'guard alive', they can only defend and 'defend death'."
Xu Fengnian clenched his fists tightly, and the wind and sand on the cliff hit his face, making his temple hair tangled, and said: "Beiliang only told Liyang Hulukou that there can be 150,000 to 60,000 northern barbarians, but most people in the Central Plains don't want to believe it. From the beginning, Wen Luan wanted the 50,000 Youzhou defenders in the three cities and two hundred fortresses of Hulukou to die in Hulukou..."
Xu Fengnian, whose tone was always calm, paused for a moment, then smiled, "I'm afraid that even if Zhongyuan heard about this, he would pretend not to hear it. Maybe he said oh, and then there was no more. It's time to drink and enjoy the snow." Xue should talk about it, and enjoy life to the fullest."
Fan Xiaochai bit her lip and asked stubbornly: "One person is willing to fight to the death, a hundred people are willing, even if a thousand people are willing, but the 50,000 people on the border of Youzhou are really willing to die at the mouth of the gourd knowing that they are going to die? Parents gave them two legs, won’t you escape?”
Mi Fengjie was finally able to teach this girl who knows nothing but killing with confidence, and said with a sneer: "You, the legacy of the first-class nobleman of the old Northern Han Dynasty, how can you know what the people of Beiliang think. The general is in charge Beiliang has only been in the past twenty years, and the military spirit is still there. What's more, the border of Beiliang has not been a peaceful life for so many years. When soldiers fight, go to battle and kill the enemy, Beiliang is the best in the world, not just relying on Beiliang's big horses and bows In the final analysis, it's that kind of anger that holds it up! Do you, Fan Xiaochai, understand?!"
Xu Fengnian was noncommittal, and said in a slightly bitter voice: "Beiliang has always claimed 300,000 cavalry, and those who are good at Liyang have always been curious about how much wealth Xu Xiao saved for me, how many cavalry and infantry, how many frontier troops and local garrisons are there?" how many."
Yu Dilong asked softly: "Master, how many are there?"
Xu Fengnian was in a trance, and after turning his head, he smiled softly and said, "Guess?"
Yu Dilong shook his head.
Xu Fengnian looked at the northwest sky again. There used to be an old man who didn't know when he was old. He liked to say "guess the word". It was your father.
Xu Fengnian put away this little thought, and said in a deep voice: "The Hulukou Youzhou garrison is willing to defend to the death. There is a reason you mentioned by Mi Fengjie, but the more important thing is that you didn't say it. There are less than two million households in Beiliang, and it is limited by the small area. The region, no matter how it is recuperated, has a population of less than ten million. So let me ask you a very simple question. There are only two million households in the area, and there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Beiliang. Which households are not in the army? ?! If the Beiliang Frontier Army is destroyed, which households don’t need to wear onyx?!”
Xu Fengnian gritted his teeth and said: "Among them, almost all the young and strong in Youzhou are in the local army of Youzhou. Behind all the garrisons in the three cities of Hulukou and the two hundred fortresses, is their hometown, which is almost a short distance away! If one more person dies, the family may live more One day! It's that simple!"
Xu Fengnian stood up slowly, and said: "Yan Wenluan, who is in charge of Youzhou's military affairs, has established an unwritten rule. When Xu Xiao was alive, countless Youzhou officials lashed out. After my succession, Huang Shang All the scholars who went to Liang, all strongly demanded that this rule be abolished."
Mi Fengjie didn't know about this, but Fan Xiaochai, who became the spy of Fushuifang, knew it very well.
"The frontier army in Youzhou has an iron law. No matter who is retreating before the battle, once it is verified, the whole family will be executed!"
"Yan Wenluan once told me personally that he doesn't have to be the commander of the Beiliang infantry, and he can even hand over the military power of the Youzhou border to others, but this rule can't be changed until he dies in battle. I, Xu Fengnian , can't do it either!"
Xu Fengnian let out a foul breath, narrowed his eyes and murmured softly: "This is war, this is Beiliang."
The mountain wind was fierce, Xu Fengnian stood on the edge of the cliff, a little far away from the three of them, and seemed a little alone.
Fan Xiaochai hesitated for a moment, and asked, "What do you do next?"
Xu Fengnian smiled and said, "Do whatever you can. I've been doing the same thing all this time when I came to Jizhou."
Mi Fengjie, who had noticed something before, carefully asked: "Is the prince trying to return to the pinnacle of martial arts?"
Xu Fengnian replied: "The mountain is poor and there is no way out, and even if there is really no way under my feet, I have to find one myself."
There is a huge stone Buddha outside Dunhuang City, with Xiongshan as the embryo.
Day after day, year after year, the Buddha looks at the world with a smile and shows compassion for the world.
In the main hall of Wudang Mountain, there is Emperor Zhenwu, who has stood with his sword for hundreds of years.
In the holy temple, the most holy, the second holy, and many accompanying sages are still dead.
He meditated softly: "Consider yourself freely, no one is here, no one is here, ask yourself where you are at this time, and you will be at ease knowing where you are. Tathagata, Buddha, Buddha, Tathagata, there is a future, there is a future, how to get this life, it has passed If you see the Tathagata."
Taoism sits and forgets to realize longevity. Buddhists visualize and seek to let go. Confucianism respects benevolence, respect, propriety and Hongyi.
Xu Fengnian closed his eyes, stretched out his hands, and let the strong wind blow away the yellow sand in his palms.
…
When Xu Fengnian finally rushed to Hengshui City, the middle-aged man who specially put on a plain and clean Confucian shirt went out of the city alone to greet him, saying a word and giving him something.
When Xu Fengnian rode away on his horse, the No. 2 man in the sixth year of Yonghui bowed to say goodbye.
"I left Jiangnan in the seventh year of Yonghui, and I took a bag of soil from my hometown with me. Fourteen years later, the soil has long since dissipated, leaving only this old cloth bag. I implore that after my death, the horseshoes of Beiliang will one day be able to step on Beiliang. In the hinterland of the Mang, when the time comes, take a handful of soil from the Northern Mang and sacrifice it to Jingtang!"