Hutou City is a nail that must be pulled out by the Beimang army going south.
Hutou City is huge and majestic, and has always been known as "there is no second place in the frontier, and there is no parallel in the northwest". It is four and a half miles long from east to west and about five miles wide from north to south. After Beiliang Road took six years to complete, it is said that half of the huge rocks and trees in the northwest of the dynasty were exhausted. There are twelve winches and crossbows in the north of Hutou City. The arrows have seven lanes. The arrows are as big as rafters, with iron leaves as feathers, and they are as fast as thunder, and can reach seven hundred steps away! At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, when Gu Jiantang attacked the old Southern Tang Dynasty, he used this crossbow to shoot through a large naval ship of the Southern Tang Dynasty to demonstrate his combat power in Liyang. If it weren't for the deterrence and restraint of these giant bed crossbows, but for the Beimang infantry to push the attacking equipment wantonly, the defense of Hutou City would never be as strong as it is now, using more than a thousand catapults to attack a city. City, this kind of thing that only a lunatic can do, only appeared once in the middle period of the Dafeng Dynasty from prosperity to decline in history. The city that suffered that time was the capital of Dafeng Kingdom, which was not inferior to Tai'an City in scale. Of course, today, although the same number of catapults have accumulated on the central line of Beimang, the weight of the catapults is only 20 to 30 catties more. Hype falling" offensive.
In addition to being easy to defend and difficult to attack, Hutou City is also because there are two military towns in the rear, Liuya Fuling, to help contain Beimang, so that Hutou City will not follow in the footsteps of Xiangfan's "ten-year isolated city". The six thousand cavalry who took the initiative to attack could echo the elite cavalry of Liuya Fuling, and the Huaiyangguan line of defense was only a hundred miles away from the four towns of Chongzuka in the rear, and they all dismounted to defend the city and rode their horses. The elite Beiliang frontier army shot. If it weren't for the fact that Beimang's central line forces were sufficient and had an absolute advantage in numbers, then Beiliang would take the lead in launching a large-scale cavalry battle at any time. So in the spring of the second year of Xiangfu, Hutou City became the only protagonist, attracting most of the attention of both Lu and Mang.
After Beiliang Dufu or Xu Fengnian personally decided to defend Hutou City for a year, under the auspices of Song Dongming, Deputy Economic and Strategic Envoy, and Tian Peifang, Governor of Liangzhou, Liangzhou quickly added more than 10,000 yuan to the two towns of Liuya Fuling. The infantry, including 4,000 young and strong men in Liuzhou, carried a large amount of equipment and luggage, all the way north, and entered the two military towns under the strict escort of the white feather guard led by Qi Dangguo himself. For this reason, Beimang dispatched 20,000 cavalry troops to bypass Hutou City in an attempt to go south to intercept, but in the end they did not fight the Baiyuwei, and only two small-scale contact battles broke out. After that, Beimang should have guessed the strategic intention of Beiliang, and stepped up the attack on Hutou City. Its siege method was mainly born out of Hulukou in Youzhou. Hutou City has many new ideas. In addition to the catapults, the craftsmen of the Southern Dynasties also produced a large number of toad carts for the Northern Mang army to fill up the trenches, as well as flying towers for the archers to climb and shoot and smash the battlements at the top of the city. Lincheng piled up soil to build mountains, and even sent cave masters to explore the terrain, digging tunnels day and night to collapse the city wall or pass through the city. For this reason, Hutou City made various responses. Beimang infantry regarded death as home, rushed forward and threw it into the ditch covered with thatch branches. The gap between the firewood and the final ashes and soil only increased by a few inches, which was far from Beimang's expectations. Hutou City dug ditches in the city wall to intercept the crypt, and attacked it with fire. Nearly a thousand soldiers from Beimang were smothered to death, and their deaths were miserable. Hutou City had already been prepared for the continuous offensive of nearly a thousand catapults in Beimang. Liu Jinu had planned carefully and had already ordered people to prepare more than 400,000 pieces of adobe, which were used to supplement the city wall before the battle. It is not as strong as the original rammed earth wall, but this makes the catapult that Beimang originally used to win the game just a fancy object for icing on the cake. When Beimang used the most stupid method to build a mountain outside Hutou City, and everyone under the head of the Wanfu took the soil, Liu Jinu used his own way to counter Beimang, digging tunnels to empty its foundation, and sinking Beimang in one fell swoop. There were thousands of enemy troops, and when the landslides and ground cracked, the dust was flying, and even the Beiliang Dufu, which was far away in Huaiyang Pass, could be seen.
Even Chu Lushan, who seldom praised others, couldn't help exclaiming, "What a Liu Jinu with both offensive and defensive skills!"
As for the Bei Mang general who suffered a lot, for this famous Bei Liang general who has long been famous, everyone is more and more eager to eat his flesh.
After Liuya Fuling each received 5,000 infantry to help defend the city, the Qingqi of the two towns were able to completely let go of their hands and feet. The two towns of Liuya Fuling replaced or supplemented their horses, and turned to pursue explosive power as their sole purpose. Xu Fengnian and the Duhufu formulated a rule for Liuya Fuling. The next battle should be based on two hundred miles. Opportunity, you don't need to report the military situation to the Duhufu, you can go out of the city to find the Northern Mang Cavalry Army to fight, the requirement is only to be able to preserve the main force after the battle, regardless of victory or defeat! This is an unbelievable military order for the Beiliang frontier army, and there is such a good thing that they will not be punished after losing a battle? The two chief generals of Fuling and Liuya even went to Huaiyang Pass to inquire about this matter. They were afraid that the message was wrongly delivered, but the answer they got was yes. The prince and Chu Duhu are looking down on the strength of the cavalry of their two towns. Suffocated, the Fuling Army Town Cavalry Army quickly took thousands of "new daughter-in-laws" who had just married from several large ranches, and found a vent. A side cavalry fought fiercely, and the 4,000 Beiman cavalry army was defeated in a deadly battle and fled westward. A cavalry captain named Qifu Longguan Jianyan Wei Liang, the town leader of the army, could not pursue him, and Wei Liang refused to listen. Dissuaded, chased and killed for more than 30 miles with the tail, ambushed for the eight thousand Mang cavalry, followed the last Qi Fulong of the Fuling cavalry at the critical moment, led five hundred horses to break through the formation and went straight to the Beimang Dazhu, and after that After swearing to death, this bought precious time for the main force of the Fuling cavalry to retreat. There were as many as six arrows embedded in the iron armor of Qifu Longguan, and there were only less than one standard of five hundred troops left. Although Beimang lost more in this battle than Beiliang , but the Fuling Cavalry Army on the second line of defense at the Liangzhou Border Pass was almost wiped out. Even if there were still 5,000 infantry defending the city, without the cavalry, the original two-winged defense line would be broken. For this reason, Wei Liang went to Huaiyang Pass to take the blame, but Xu Fengnian did not punish the Fuling general, but promoted the Qifu Longguan who was thrown into the Fuling Army Town as a small captain by himself, and promoted him to the captain of the captain. The school inspector under his command commanded the 1,000 cavalry army after making up the quota, and set up the Zhanzhu Battalion, allowing the battalion to increase its strength as appropriate every time it made a meritorious service, and finally set the upper limit of 3,000 cavalry. This is another notable event after the Hupu Battalion of the Hulukou Infantry Army was withdrawn and the Youzhou Cavalry Army newly set up a non-retreating camp. A blockbuster in the Beiliang frontier army.
In the Protectorate of Beiliang, Chu Lushan was discussing with the general whether to transport troops to Hutou City. The dispute between the two sides was fierce. The focus of the dispute was whether the huge price paid for opening this road was meaningful. Fifteen thousand people is not a problem, the real problem is whether they can get in. For the time being, Liuya Fuling's cavalry can only prevent Beimang from launching a stable offensive in the south of Hutou City. There is a world of difference between Nanmen swaggeringly supporting Hutou City. The one who insisted that the price of sending 15,000 people into Hutou City would probably be the loss of more than 10,000 cavalry troops, while the opposing side insisted that such a loss would underestimate Beimang's combat power and determination. , Bei Mang is worried that the situation cannot be opened, this is the northern barbarian dozing off, we will send pillows from Beiliang, let alone lose 10,000 cavalry, even 30,000 people will not be enough to fill the big hole in the south of Hutou City. Then someone suggested that the two towns of Fuling and Liuya attack at the same time, advance boldly, and harass the Beimang army stationed in the Longyaner Plain, so as to provide cover for the transfer of troops in the direction of Huaiyang Pass. But soon there were objections. With the brains of Dong Zhuo and others, this seemingly kind but inferior use of soldiers was tantamount to saying hello to the northern barbarians, lest they would not know that our northern Liang had made a move.
Chu Lushan, who was surrounded by noise, said calmly: "With the increase of Liuya Fuling's troops, Bei Mang must have guessed our intention to use Hutou City as a support point, otherwise they would not have ridden Fuling a few days ago. The army is playing tricks. So now Beimang is guessing when we will support Tiger Head City, not whether we will support Tiger Head City, there is no doubt about it.”
When Chu Lushan spoke, the audience fell silent immediately, and all the rebellious frontier generals naturally pricked up their ears and listened intently.
Chu Lushan continued to say nonchalantly: "Then we will try to pick an unexpected opportunity to accomplish this matter. If there is no such opportunity, then we have no choice but to not do it. Everyone, Hutou City must be defended, but don't forget The original intention of why we want to defend Hutou City is not to defend the city, but to preserve our Liangzhou defense line to the greatest extent and exchange troops, even if our frontier army exchanged one life for two Beimang barbarians, It's also meaningless. Of course, during the period, we can take advantage of the trend to attract a few Beimang cavalry troops to leave the main force, or even simply put 15,000 people behind Huaiyang Pass without moving, but we can let Chongzuka The entire cavalry army of the town is dispatched, and there will be a large-scale battle that Beimang has never imagined, and if it is won, it will withdraw."
When Chu Lushan said this, he stretched out his fingers and tapped his head, and said with a smirk: "There is Liu Jinu in Hutou City, and he will do a good job of defending the city. Everyone here, apart from our two legs, we also have The four legs of the war horse help to run, so don't go all the way to the dark. After all, now we and the Beimang army are staring at Hutou City and Huaiyang Pass, and everyone is in a snail shell In the dojo, the two sides are intriguing, and it depends on whose Taoism is more unexpected."
Although no definite conclusions were drawn about the support of Hutou City, after Chu Lushan spoke, the generals present no longer had any objections. After that, Chu Lushan accompanied Xu Fengnian for a walk in the Duhu Mansion, and Chu Lushan sighed softly: "It's a pity, it's self-defeating."
Xu Feng said with a young smile: "Maybe it's because people are not as good as heaven is. Just think of me as a stone and drop it on my own foot."
Chu Lushan shook his head, still with a regretful expression. At that time, after Xu Fengnian issued the military order to the two towns of Liuya and Fuling, Wei Liang's rash pursuit and Beimang's ambush were actually expected by the Duhufu. Within an hour, a long-distance cavalry army from Qingyuan would join the battlefield and eat up the Beimang decoy cavalry army and the follow-up ambush army in one go. It's just that suddenly a little captain who has a sense of crisis and dares to fight to the death, Qifu Longguan, destroys all the layouts, Xu Fengnian and the Duhufu have to be dumb and suffer from Coptis chinensis. This kind of opportunity belongs to the fact that the shop will disappear after passing the village, and if it is gone, it will be gone. Beimang must have thought that Beiliang would not "repeat the same mistakes" and break into the ambush circle, and Beiliang would lose it accordingly. Great opportunity for a chain suit.
Chu Lushan laughed suddenly, "The Ministry of War in the capital finally remembered to ask us about the military situation of the Beimang offensive."
Xu Fengnian sneered and said: "Don't talk about it, if the people at the frontiers of the Ministry of War had the courage to go to Hulukou in Youzhou or come to our Huaiyang Pass, I wouldn't stop them from watching the battle. Now that I'm gone, then There is no such thing as lying down and enjoying happiness in the world.”
Chu Lushan nodded, a little gloating, "That mad dog Yuan is now in danger of riding a tiger. Wang Jingchong and Daru Shiwei gave him a great victory with both hands. Now the government and the public are all sneering at Beimang's combat power. Yuan Tingshan also got his wish and became the general of Jizhou. It is estimated that Gu Jiantang would like to kill this son-in-law who only cares about his own promotion and fortune. Is it difficult to ask for money, food, and weapons from the military department of the household department? This is not the case. Liang Liao said that they would build a Modao infantry formation of 6,000 people. Money no' crisp answer?"
Xu Fengnian said with emotion: "Looking back now, at that time Yuan Guo was promoted from the Ministry of Rites of Qingshui Yamen to the Ministry of Households in charge of the money bag of the dynasty. The seats will only be headed by the Ministry of Rites, followed by the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of War. The Ministry of Households is only slightly higher than the Ministry of Punishment and Works. The leak in the house happened to be raining overnight, and Yuan Guo then stood in line at the Xiaochao meeting and made a mistake. The only suspense is whether he or Lu Baijie from the Ministry of War will leave the sixth department sooner."
Chu Lushan sneered and said, "In the final analysis, the new monarch does not trust Gu Lu's disciples from the bottom of his heart, and the change of Liyang's registration is not a test for Yuan Guo and others. Isn't there a rumor that he will set up a deputy envoy in the territory under the jurisdiction of the vassal king? I reckon that both Lu Baijie and Yuan Guo have to get out of Tai'an City, one goes to the southern border to hate King Yanchi, and the other goes to the place where he recently became a vassal."
Xu Fengnian nodded and said: "There will definitely be one in Nanjiang Dao. Most of them are Tangxi Sword Immortals who disappointed Zhao Zhuan and didn't regard him as his own from the beginning to the end. On the King of Han's side, if the performance is good, Yuan Guo still has a chance to return to the center of the court. Lu Baijie is sure to spend his whole life tossing and turning in the local area, and there is one less Minister of the Ministry of War, so there will be a series of promotions and changes. It can also appease some local military generals, and kill two birds with one stone, after all, posthumous titles are something that only happens after death, but the official position in the Ministry of War is real."
Chu Lushan sneered: "Except for the chaos in the temple when the Liyang Zhao family lived in a corner, it has not been such a dazzling high-level turmoil for many years."
Xu Fengnian shook his head and said: "Actually, it's not the same. The current chaos is caused by ordinary people watching the excitement. In fact, there is order in the chaos, and the Beijing officials know it well."
Chu Lushan nodded and said: "So Qi Yanglong still has a few brushes, and he is indeed the old guy Zhao Dun used to replace Bi Yaner."
Xu Feng said with a young smile: "Zhao Zhuan is willing to reuse Tan Tan Weng sincerely, which proves that he, a young emperor who is busy warming his dragon chair with his butt, has not lost his mind."
Chu Lushan and Xu Fengnian unknowingly walked outside the corridor of the yamen house where Yu Luandao worked at the beginning. They stood under the eaves, one with fingers crossed, and the other with sleeves folded. These two biggest figures in Beiliang, standing side by side like this, looked Somewhat funny.
Chu Lushan exhaled lightly, watched the cloud of mist dissipate slowly before his eyes, and said: "Youzhou Cavalry Army has a Yu Luan Saber, and Xiaguang City also has a Liu Haojian who has made meritorious deeds many times. Now Liangzhou has some It's a good thing that I passed the Qifu Longguan Pass. I'll wait for who will be the first to stand out among the hundreds of thousands of refugees in Liuzhou. And that Hong Piao seems to be not bad, and his temperament is a bit like Huang Fuping. Born for troubled times."
Xu Fengnian said helplessly: "There is also a kind of sandalwood in Beimang, and it will gradually surface in the future."
Just as Chu Lushan was about to speak, a Captain Bai Mayi suddenly walked into the yard quickly, with a strange expression on his face, he clasped his fists and said in a deep voice: "My lord, Lord Protector, there is a person asking to see him, claiming to be Jianghuai, the Taoist of Guangling."
Even Xu Fengnian and Chu Lushan couldn't help but look at each other.
Which song is this
Chu Lushan asked with a smile: "Should we sweep the couch to greet each other, or leave this famous general of Western Chu who is famous all over the world?"
Xu Fengnian said to the white horse Yi Cong: "Bring him here."
Soon a burly young man appeared in their field of vision, which seemed to mean that this person brazenly broke into the field of vision of the entire Beiliang frontier army.
Kou Jianghuai, who entered Beiliang Road alone, did not carry a saber or sword, nor did he have many scholars, not even as elegant as many scholars who went to Liang, but more like a local scholar in Beiliang, who looked like the kind who had read sages Books are also characters who can ride horses and kill enemies.
Kou Jianghuai glanced at Lord Protectorate who was really hard not to be seen, then stared at Xu Fengnian, and said straight to the point: "Xu Fengnian, I, Kou Jianghuai, can work for Beiliang, but there is a condition, if one day I have to bring a Wan Beiliang's iron cavalry rushed to Guangling Road, as for what to do, you don't have to worry about it, Kou Jianghuai is confident that it is worth 10,000 cavalry."
Chu Lushan laughed and said: "Those brothel courtesans are not as thick-skinned as you, Kou Jianghuai. If you say that you, Kou Jianghuai, are on the side of Guangling Road, let alone be able to serve as a military force of 10,000, it is 23,000. I can bear it, but when you get here, where do you have the confidence to be worth 10,000 Beiliang iron cavalry? Why, the confidence you got from beating Zhao Yi and Song Li? Just the "excellent" combat power of their cavalry ? Give me Beiliang cavalry to carry shoes?"
Kou Jianghuai's face was ashen, still staring at the Northwest feudal prince who was younger than him.
Xu Fengnian shook his head and said, "If you want to use Beiliang cavalry to break the situation, I will not agree."
Kou Jianghuai had a sarcastic smile on his face, "I didn't expect that the vassal king with the most powerful troops in the Liyang Dynasty would only have such courage. You, Xu Fengnian, don't know that the more Guangling Road makes the Liyang court suffer, the Zhao family will really rely on you in the northwest Is it the Xu family? As long as you, Xu Fengnian, are willing to lend me soldiers, will the imperial court dare to make things difficult for Beiliang with registration and water transportation? Take a step back and say that I will not attack Beiliang cavalry openly if I borrow soldiers. The banner of the army. Taking two steps back, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for Beiliang to change the country’s surname from Zhao to Jiang? Whether it’s the princess, Cao Changqing, or me, Kou Jianghuai, they are destined not to be the Liyang Zhao family, not only will they not delay Beiliang's hind legs..."
Xu Fengnian said calmly: "To be honest, I also thought about this kind of thing in private when I was bored. I gritted my teeth and gave you 20,000 to 30,000 cavalry troops, and Guangling Dao will be taken. But if I want to help you Western Chu to fight for the world Let alone 20,000 to 30,000, even 50,000 to 100,000 is a drop in the bucket. Do you really think that Chen Zhibao of Xishu and Gu Jiantang of Liangliao are two wooden stakes? Do you really think that the more than 100,000 elite frontier soldiers in southern Xinjiang are just watching a show? Said to wait for your surname Jiang to become the emperor and support the Northwest with all your strength, I am afraid that Beimang will drive south long ago. Kou Jianghuai, you say that my vision is not big, I don’t deny it, but your vision is even smaller.”
Xu Fengnian suppressed a smile and said: "Furthermore, you are a poor talker, especially the way of using sign language that is not astonishing and endlessly deadly. How much can you cheat some copper coins, as for you, let alone 10,000 rides, you can't take Beiliang with just one ride."
Chu Lushan smiled happily.
Kou Jianghuai did not show the reasonable anger, but regretted and relieved. The young man stood silently in the yard, looking a little lonely and desolate.
Xu Fengnian walked down the steps and asked, "Do you know why Cao Changqing didn't let you lead the army?"
Kou Jianghuai said indifferently: "He thinks I'm just a general, not a handsome one. I should see the farther city of Tai'an, not the gains and losses of Guangling Dao."
Now it was Xu Fengnian's turn to be surprised, and asked curiously, "Then what do you think?"
Kou Jianghuai said calmly: "I only know one thing, only Xichu's own power, so what if we hit the city of Tai'an?"
Chu Lushan said in admiration, "You're not stupid. It's just that you, Kou Jianghuai, have a bigger appetite than the conscientious Xie Xizhen."
Kou Jianghuai looked at this "hill" and asked back: "As a general, between Xu Xiao, who has been defeated and defeated repeatedly, and Ye Baikui, who has won hundreds of battles in his life and only lost one in the end, how do you feel?" Who do you choose to be?"
Chu Lushan nodded and said, "It makes sense."
Kou Jianghuai laughed at himself, then turned around and left.
Xu Fengnian didn't make a sound until he walked out of the yard.
Chu Lushan asked in a low voice: "Is this really the way to let this river-crossing jiao slip away?"
Xu Feng said in a young voice: "Compared to Kou Jianghuai, I still appreciate Xie Xizhen who works hard."
Chu Lushan hummed, "Xie Xizhen feels at ease when using it, but Kou Jianghuai is hard to say."
Xu Fengnian suddenly shouted: "Kou Jianghuai, come in, the footsteps are so slow after leaving the yard, who are you showing?"
Kou Jianghuai really turned around and appeared at the gate of the courtyard.
Xu Fengnian said with a smile: "How many Beiliang cavalry you can take away depends on your own ability. From today on, not only Huaiyang Pass, but also the cavalry from Liuya Fuling town will be mobilized by you, and go to Beiliang Loss, as many Beimang people as you can kill, I will give you as many cavalry as you want except for the big snow dragon cavalry and the two heavy cavalry. But let me tell you in advance, those cavalry are not for you to fight Tai'an City, It’s just to help you save some vitality of Western Chu. Then you have to bring everyone back here. In fact, you and I know that Guangling Road is not suitable for you, Kou Jianghuai, but Beiliang is just right for you. This deal, you do it Don't do it?"
Kou Jianghuai's expression was uncertain.
Xu Fengnian stretched out his finger, "Okay, okay, the trick of asking prices all over the sky to pay back the money, I, Xu Fengnian, is also your senior, you Kou Jianghuai came with this idea from the beginning, I didn't bargain much, you just Let's be content."
Kou Jianghuai smiled, "I'm not good at acting, but you, Xu Fengnian, don't try to act cheaply. Once Western Chu is defeated and the general situation is over, you really can let go of our princess and not save her? Why don't you lead soldiers to rob people? I just want to It’s just helping you find a step down.”
Xu Fengnian nodded solemnly and said, "Well, it seems that we are not good birds?"
Chu Lushan was a little speechless looking at the twists and turns in front of him, young people nowadays.
Kou Jianghuai, who was covered in dust, didn't see the outside world and said: "Is there any place to sleep? I'll sleep well for a day and a night first. I'll talk about the matter of leading the soldiers to kill the barbarians in Beimang when I'm full of sleep."
Chu Lushan scolded with a smile: "You are the uncle."
When Kou Jianghuai was led away, Xu Fengnian looked up at the gray sky and fell into deep thought. After walking down the steps, Chu Lushan didn't make a sound to disturb, and stood quietly by the side with his eyes closed.
After a long time, Xu Fengnian said slowly: "Even if Kou Jianghuai uses a pseudonym, it's hard to say the pros and cons in the future."
Chu Lushan was a little puzzled, "Let's not worry about the imperial court, it's almost the worst situation now. A Kou Jianghuai can be used as 10,000 riders, but it's really not that kid bragging, there is Zhou Kang and Gu Dazu sitting on the front line of Qinghe Chongzuka , don’t worry about anything, but there is really going to be a big battle here at Huaiyang Pass, Huang Laifu and others can’t do it, so I can only fight in person, and we can relax a lot with Kou Jianghuai. Why do you still say this?”
Xu Fengnian said bitterly, "Maybe I'm thinking too far."
Chu Lushan quickly understood, and said with emotion: "It's a bit far away. But far away can't quench my thirst."
Xu Fengnian nodded and smiled, "That's right, let's use Kou Jianghuai to solve the urgent need first."
Chu Lushan hesitated for a moment.
Xu Fengnian patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the yard.
Chu Lushan stood where he was, muttering to himself: "Are you afraid that I, Chu Lushan, would really throw three hundred catties of meat on the battlefield one day, so I agreed to Kou Jianghuai to stay?"
…
Tomb-sweeping day is approaching.
At this time of year, there is no rain in Beiliang.
The hearts of the people in Beiliang Road have also stabilized. Hutou City in Liangzhou has always been as stable as Mount Tai, and the crumbling Xiaguang City on the other side of Hulukou has also been defended. Liuzhou's young and strong entered the frontier army of each state one after another, and suddenly there was a real powerful general surnamed Kou on the head of the two towns of Liuya Fuling, whose nominal title was Lieutenant General of Liangzhou. With Youzhou Yuluan's outstanding military exploits outside the gourd mouth, the Liangzhou border gate is not surprised by this. This also proves from the side that the young feudal lord has more and more control over Beiliang's military affairs, which is definitely not something that can be done just because his surname is Xu.
The solar term of Qingming is located at the turn of mid-spring and late spring, when the weather is clear and the scenery is bright, and everything is visible, so it has this name. In the past, Beiliang and the Central Plains were roughly the same. Apart from the tradition of sweeping tombs and offering sacrifices to ancestors, there were also things like praying with night lights and planting willows to ward off evil spirits. Nothing was explained. Tomb-sweeping Day is originally one of the ghost festivals, and when the willows are sprouting and turning green, the phrase "the poplar branches are on the door, and a hundred ghosts cannot enter the house" is very popular. It's just that many thorny characters in Beiliang have either left the country long ago, or they have been dealt with submissively, so there is no controversy about such innocuous little things.
In the second year of Xiangfu, there was no rain in Liangzhou, and the weather was soft and pleasant.
However, the state city where Qingliang Mountain is located in Liangzhou has a kind of silent solemnity, and big shots are constantly pouring into the city with their own horses. Except for Chu Lushan, the Protectorate of Northern Liang, who stayed at Huaiyang Pass, Yuan Zuozong, the commander of the cavalry army, who did not go south, and Yan Wenluan, the commander of the infantry army, who was sitting on the border of Youzhou. Gu Dazu, He Zhonghu, Chen Yunchui, Youzhou Inspector Hu Kui, Youzhou General Huangfuping, and even the Economic Envoy Li Gongde and Lingzhou Inspector Xu Beizhi all arrived one after another.
This is the first time that Xu Fengnian's hereditary succession as Queen of Beiliang, Qingliangshan Prince's Mansion has gathered stars like this, and the grand occasion is unprecedented.
The next day was the Ching Ming Festival. Two riders from the Liangbei Border Pass entered the city quietly in the night. After entering through the south gate, they walked north along the main street and headed straight for the legendary Liyang Chaoye. Beiliang Palace.
Kou Jianghuai, the deputy general of Liangzhou under the pseudonym Kou Beishang, turned his head and smiled at Xu Fengnian who was beside him when he was riding slowly: "Is there anyone going to the palace to assassinate you now? Probably not. Xu Fengnian, one of the four great masters in the world, whether he is King of Beiliang, no one dares to seek his own misfortune."
Xu Fengnian laughed it off.
After really getting acquainted with this Kou Jianghuai, Xu Fengnian realized that despite his ruthless appearance, this guy is actually a chatterbox. Along the way, the embarrassing stories about Xu Fengnian's first trip to the rivers and lakes have almost been solved by Kou Jianghuai. On the contrary, Kou Jianghuai never took the initiative to ask about the military affairs of Beiliang, and occasionally talked about the Guangling military affairs that could affect the hearts of the world. Among them, there is such a general. Kou Jianghuai, who practiced swords, saw that Xu Fengnian not only traveled with Li Chungang, but also had an intersection with Deng Tai'a, his eyes shined brightly. , So when Xu Fengnian told the truth about the old man in sheepskin fur who likes to dig his feet and earwax, Kou Jianghuai, who collapsed on the spot, was silent for about a whole half a day, finally regained his composure, and babbled, "So that's the demeanor of a master." Don't go with the world, no wonder I can practice the world's first-class sword, it seems that I also have to wear a dilapidated fur coat." In the end, when Xu Fengnian said that the appearance of the Peach Blossom Sword God is not at all charming, in fact, he is better than Kou Jianghuai After being "approachable", Kou Jianghuai became silent again. After Kou Jianghuai finally healed his wounds, Xu Fengnian said again that he had only practiced martial arts for three or four years, and he had trained a great master by luck. This made Kou Jianghuai, who was actually quite good at swordsmanship, heartbroken and shut up completely. Until now when he entered Liangzhou City, Kou Jianghuai finally came back to life.
After being able to vaguely see the lights of Qingliang Mountain, Kou Jianghuai suddenly felt relieved and said: "Although you deliberately said it lightly, in fact, I know that it is hard for you to have today's scenery."
Xu Fengnian smiled lightly and said: "If saying this can help you to balance your mind, then you can understand it this way. Well, let me do a rough calculation. I probably started practicing knives in Wudang, from the second-rank junior master, to the land The realm of heaven and man above the gods, really counting, six realms, it seems to be broken more than once a year. By the way, you seem to be a small master now, and you have not reached the diamond realm. After that, you may become the number one master in the world."
So Kou Jianghuai stopped talking.
When the deputy general of Liangzhou entered the majestic palace, he was still sick.
Two young tigers, Kui Xing, rushed to greet Xu Fengnian, and the tiger nicknamed King Kong jumped directly into Xu Fengnian's arms. The older sister "Bodhisattva" also gently bit Xu Fengnian's robe.
Then Xu Fengnian left Kou Jianghuai in Tingchao Lake, and took the two happy young tiger Kui to the Wutong Courtyard. The second sister Xu Weixiong and Lu Chengyan were naturally there, busy with those young women who have the reputation of "female Hanlin" The second sister just looked up at Xu Fengnian and then lowered her head. Xu Fengnian walked to Lu Chengyan's desk. What surprised him was that Wang Chudong also had a place in Wutong Courtyard. The desk was next to Lu Chengyan, as if she was writing a book. The "Northern Liang Heroes Collection", which is destined not to be paid attention to by the Liyang literary world, when Xu Fengnian moved a chair and sat between them, the little girl was still dazed with a pen in her hand. The playful appearance of being in a daze seriously made Xu Fengnian and Lu Chengyan meet each other Smile.
Not far away, after Xu Weixiong finished a spy report, he put down his pen, rubbed his wrist, and said softly: "Lu Xu will enter the capital in a few days, you should have Mi Fengjie and Fan Xiaochai tie him up to Qingliangshan Yes, Vice-Employee Song will be much more relaxed."
Xu Fengnian raised his hands, and begged for mercy: "Didn't I kidnap Kou Jianghuai back, and I've made up for it."
Xu Weixiong stared and said: "Kou Jianghuai didn't come to Beiliang, it's just 'no', but Lu Xu, who helped Zhao Xun submit a plan, went to Tai'an City and was used by Zhao Zhuan, but it would harm Beiliang, it's a 'missing', How can the two be confused?"
Xu Fengnian had a bitter expression on his face, not daring to refute.
Lu Chengyan didn't help the words to save him, but just smiled at him.
The belatedly "winning book" Wang Dongxiang Wang Dawenhao finally found Xu Fengnian sitting very close to him, and he was so frightened that he fell back with his chair and Xu Fengnian was young. Gently stretched out his hand and pulled the chair back to its original position. Wang Chudong, who was making a joke, was ashamed, as if he wanted to find a place to hide, like a panicked little fox. Xu Fengnian made a face at her, and she immediately smiled brightly, her eyes narrowed into crescent moons, and her cheeks also had dimples.
Xu Fengnian smiled and said: "Don't be too tired, remember to combine work and rest. You can also practice that set of Wudang Mountain Boxing in your spare time."
Xu Weixiong said unhappily: "Stop talking while standing, it won't hurt your back."
Xu Fengnian cautiously rolled his eyes at Lu Chengyan and Wang Chudong, and the maids of Wutong Courtyard whose table was in that direction couldn't help laughing secretly.
Xu Weixiong was about to continue lecturing, Xu Fengnian hurriedly got up and said, "I'll go to Mr. Song's side to have a look."
Seeing the king of Beiliang running away with two tigers and kuis, the atmosphere in the Wutong Courtyard seemed to be a lot easier.
Xu Fengnian’s treatment at Song Dongming’s side is of course the same as the coldness he received at Wutong Academy. Now the Deputy Economic and Strategic Envoy’s subordinates are mostly young scholars who are outstanding in their work and knowledge in Beiliang. The director, but compared with the younger generation in Jianghu, they admire and envy Xu Fengnian's status as a great master. These scholars are more sincerely awed by Xu Fengnian, the master of 300,000 cavalry, after they have a deep understanding of the current situation in Beiliang. So when Xu Fengnian and Song Dongming, who was taking a break from their busy schedules, drank tea together, those young people were all paying attention to the young feudal lord's every move. Song Dongming put both hands on the teacup that Xu Fengnian cooked and poured the tea himself. He was not in a hurry to drink the tea, but to dispel the spring cold. He said softly: "All the scholars who went to Liang have arrived, and the families of the soldiers who died in battle have also arrived. There are some words in this The voice must be indispensable, and I hope the prince will not take it to heart."
Xu Fengnian nodded.
There are some gossip, just like when many people heard that he went outside Gourd's Mouth, they thought it was the same tone of bravery, and Xu Fengnian really didn't want to pay attention to it.
Some were weeping in agony, Xu Fengnian didn't dare to listen to them.
After chatting about Beiliang's government affairs, Song Dongming got up and walked out of the house with Xu Fengnian. The middle-aged man who had been cultivated by Yuan Benxi as a prime minister hesitated for a while, and said, "I used to want to be an economic envoy so that I could better use my hands and feet." After getting along with Li Gongde, I feel that I still hope that he can continue to serve as a strategic envoy. I am in Liangzhou and Mr. Li is in Lingzhou, so there will be no delay."
Xu Fengnian nodded and said, "Since Mr. Song said it, there is no problem."
Song Dongming stopped and said with a smile, "I still have a lot of business to deal with, so I won't be far away."
Xu Fengnian smiled and said, "It should be so."
Song Dongming said to Xu Fengnian's back: "I used to only know that Beiliang is a place where warriors use their troops. Now Song Dongming and many scholars have found that Beiliang is also a place where literati 'write'. I want to replace these people with the prince. Say thank you."
Xu Fengnian turned his head and smiled happily.
Song Dongming blinked suddenly, suppressed a smile, and said: "My lord, there are several junior girls in my Song family, all of whom are virtuous, and they all wrote to me, saying that even if they steal, I should send them a letter." Back to some small things like the prince’s seal and copybook. The most courageous one has longed to travel the rivers and lakes and be a heroine since she was a child. She said that it would be best to send her a piece of the prince’s clothes. If there is no If the things are sent back, she will break up with my uncle."
Xu Fengnian touched his forehead in embarrassment.
Song Dongming laughed heartily, and said, "I'll let me see the clothes, and just give me a few copybooks with four or five characters written by my lord."
…
On the night before Qingming, Xu Fengnian sat alone on the top of the mountain, watching the lights of the city at the foot of the mountain gradually go on and off, and drank a pot of green ant wine.