Xu Fengnian and Xu Yanbing two cavalry quietly left the team very early, and under the guidance of a big spy from Fushuifang, they came to the dirt slope seven or eight miles northwest of the new city.
During this period, occasionally a team or a team of crossbowmen roared past in the distance. Compared with the past, there were one or two more knights in light armor but no swords and light crossbows in the scout team. The Liangzhou Frontier Army and the Fushuifang have screened out the people from the rivers and lakes. According to the confidential military files of the Huaiyang Guan Duhu Mansion, there are currently more than two hundred Central Plains Jianghu masters who have been secretly recruited into the Frontier Army scouts. This is undoubtedly a timely supplement for the frontier crossbowmen who often die in one battle when they meet on a narrow road. After all, in the first battle of recklessness, the battle damage of the Northern Liang scouts was a huge number.
When Xu Fengnian saw the figure of one man and two horses on the top of the slope, he didn't let Xu Yanbing follow him. He dismounted from the horse alone and led the horse along. The burly figure on the hillside who was still sitting on the ground did not stand up to greet the arrival of the young vassal, but just raised his head and squinted at the young man who Bei Mang now regarded as a big devil.
Xu Fengnian let go of the rein, and patted the horse's back lightly. The big A-shaped horse from Xianli Ranch in Beiliang stepped on the horse's hooves to look for horse grass alone.
Xu Fengnian asked with a smile: "Senior, what did you come back to Beiliang this time?"
The old man called senior was wearing a thick sable fur. When he got up, there was a rattling sound, revealing two thick iron chains, and two astonishing handleless sabers hanging from his waist. The old man stretched out his futon-sized He patted his buttocks with his palm, and the dust scattered all over his mouth. He grinned and said, "Boy Xu, I heard that after you ran back from Beimang, your martial arts cultivation has improved by leaps and bounds. Even Wang Xianzhi was killed by you? Afterwards, Tuoba Bodhisattva, Deng Taiah, Cao Changqing, you beat the other three great masters of the martial arts review, too? The limelight is the same for a while, but I am not convinced, grandpa, so I made a special trip from Beimanghe Xizhou to fight with you, how about it?"
Xu Fengnian looked around, and then suddenly ran to the tall old man obsequiously, rubbed his shoulders and said, "Senior Chu, old immortal Chu, master Chu... Are you tired after traveling all the way? Do you want to drink and eat meat? "
Probably because he didn't hit the smiling person with his hand, the old guy surnamed Chu calmly accepted the majestic King of Beiliang's flattery, without the domineering attitude he had before when he went to the door and smashed the scene, he smiled and looked at this guy who could be regarded as he grew up little by little with his own eyes , "It seems that you were really injured in Tai'an City. Otherwise, with your brat's virtue, you would have turned your face and refused to recognize anyone. Apart from anything else, you would have fought hundreds of rounds with Grandpa and me."
Xu Fengnian said unhappily: "A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, senior, don't be shameless, if I accidentally beat you to the ground, then you will run back to Beimang without looking back, which will delay He For the important matter that Lian Wuwei confessed, I will cry to someone."
The old man blew his beard and stared, and pressed the knife with both hands to fight, but it was a pity that the young man let himself be beaten and scolded. The white-haired old man sighed and shook his shoulders. It was nothing to reject the young man. Sincerely kneading, "Ghost spirit, that's right, Helian Wuwei begged me to come to Beiliang. Two things, one good news and one bad news, which one should I listen to first?"
Xu Fengnian said with a smile: "Listen to the bad news first, and eat sugar cane to make it sweet."
The old man who had been trapped at the bottom of Chaohu Lake for many years said in a deep voice: "Old Helian and I are both guest ministers from the lineage of Princess Beimang's Tomb, and I didn't hide it from you last time, but so many years have passed, what kind of princess?" The tomb is not the Princess Grave, the mind has long since faded away, even Luoyang went to Zhulu Mountain, and it is said that the half-faced makeup Xiao Niandou was also slapped to death by Huyan Daguan, so this time I am fine, Helian Wuwei is fine. It’s time to pay off the debt, this matter is settled, the old debt is settled, and the road will go to the sky from now on... "
Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes and said: "Okay, okay, hurry up and talk about serious things, my king is busy with a lot of things, and what I worry about is the general trend of the world..."
As a result, Xu Fengnian was slapped by the old guy, but he didn't fight back. He didn't seem to have this idea at all. He just helped his head, but didn't help him to show the beauty of the jade tree facing the wind. Instead, he touched a lot of fine gravel. , Riding a horse to meet the yellow sand is probably such a bleak scene.
After cursing with a smile, the old man restrained his smile, and said in a solemn tone with a rare solemn expression: "This bad news is really not small. Have you heard of the princess Qingluan of Beimang? That Fan Bainu, when you were His Highness the Prince of Beiliang, this lady has been flirting with Chen Zhibao for a long time, in fact, she should be called Yelu Bainu, a serious member of the Northern Mang royal family, with the surname Murong The old woman had the vengeance of killing her father, and she could only bear the humiliation before, but now it is different. After such a big defeat, the two confidantes the old woman used successively, Taiping Ling and Dong Zhuo, are now in the Northern Court and the Southern Dynasty respectively. It's not good."
Xu Fengnian nodded and said: "This is a reasonable thing. At that time, whether to fight Beiliang or Liangliao first, most of them just wanted to pick up soft persimmons and beat Gu Jiantang. Otherwise, the old woman would not have let the Liangmang fight. Tuoba Bodhisattva led hundreds of thousands of elite cavalry to patrol the Beiting grassland. In the final analysis, it was to suppress those "Yelu princes" and the grassland Da Xitiao. If Beiliang is successfully captured this time, it is good to say that the horses will step into the Central Plains just around the corner. Even if it hurts, you can bear it after all, but since you haven't even entered the Beiliang Pass, it's a different matter. No one likes to have nothing to gain from the dead, especially those gangs who have been used to plundering the border for hundreds of years. the Northern Mang Barbarians."
The old man glanced at this calm young man, hesitated to speak, curled his lips, the old man gave up the digression that had come to his lips, but continued the previous topic, saying: "The ambitious Yelu East Bed has returned to the north. Mang, this kid can't make waves at first, but he is no match for his good grandfather, Yelu Hongcai, who took care of his life in the three dynasties of Beimang. Yelu Hongcai, as one of the six people in front of the emperor's bed, was only ranked last, not a great person. When Shenzong died, there were five people, and he ranked third. At the moment when he was tossing to his death, there were five more important ministers in Beimang, boy Xu, do you know who they are?"
Xu Fengnian smiled and said: "General Yelu Shulie, Xu Huainan, a survivor of the Central Plains, Tuoba Bodhisattva, and Murong Baoding. Obviously, Yelu Shulie was quite old at that time, and he was reluctant to be the leader of the older generation of the Northern Mang Army. There is a seat, and Xu Huainan and Tuoba Bodhisattva are all confidantes who were promoted by the old woman, let alone Murong Baoding, who can be known just by their surnames, so Yelu Hongcai who is among them , the only confidant of the old emperor of Beimang, needs to protect the entire Yelu surname with his own strength. However, in the past ten years, the old man has almost never heard a word except for bickering and quarreling with Dong Zhuo when discussing matters. Leaving the North Court, the princes Yelu and Grassland Da Xitiao, who have lost their backbone, are naturally very disappointed with this old man."
The old man sighed and said, "Helian Wuwei told me in private that this time Yelu in Beimang finally got together, and let the Lord Qingluan enter Liyang Central Plains quietly, he must have drawn a big cake for Chen Zhibao, a big cake !"
Xu Fengnian frowned and said, "Will Chen Zhibao agree?"
The old man sneered and said: "I don't know the crookedness of these temples and battlefields, but old man Helian said that during the battle of Guangling Dao, Li Yang's attitude towards Chen Zhibao, the King of Shu, was not to be reused, and he was clearly suspicious. In Western Chu, when it comes to military exploits after the fact, Wu Chongxuan and Lu Shengxiang are most likely to compete for the first place, followed by Song Li and other young generals to share the military merits. Xun is no match. Do you think that Chen Zhibao, who is so proud and arrogant, even Liyang Emperor Zhao Dun also regarded him as a white-clothed soldier, would have no resentment in his heart? Anyway, even a layman like me thinks that Chen Zhibao will be aggrieved , the battle of Liangmang has nothing to do with him, let alone the war between the Liao and Liao Dynasties, he finally got out of Xishu, and in the end he can only eat some leftovers in Guangling Road, the so-called title of soldier saint? Isn't it just a joke?"
Xu Fengnian said to himself: "If Xie Guanying didn't have that disastrous defeat in the capital, this idea is not valid. But now... Fan Bainu, Yelu Bainu, Yelu Dongchuang, Yelu Hongcai... is to promise Chen Zhibao to be the new dynasty of Beimang Is it Xu Xiao? Everyone is seeking skins from tigers, will Chen Zhibao agree to Bei Mang just because he thinks that one day he will have the opportunity to rule the north and the south and accomplish what Xu Xiao did not do back then?"
The old man did not disturb Xu Fengnian's daze.
Xu Fengnian suddenly turned his head and asked, "What about Gu Jiantang? I don't think this Dazhu Congress will be won over by Bei Mang. Even if Wang Sui leads the Eastern Front, the outcome of the two sides will only be between five and five. Bei Mang didn't think about it." How do we deal with this difficult last famous general of the Spring and Autumn Period?"
The old man chuckled and said, "You guys are indeed old foxes and little foxes. Helian Wuwei had expected this. The old guy smiled and said to let you guess, because it seems that he only got some inside information vaguely, so don't act rashly." Draw conclusions."
Xu Fengnian squatted down, stretched out his hand and subconsciously grabbed a handful of hot yellow sand, and thought for a long time, "Although Zhao Wu, the king of Liao, is a hindrance, but the two Liaos are still an iron barrel, so the breakthrough point can only be moved to the west. Among them, there are actually not many people who can be ranked high. Jiedu envoy Cai Nan, Jinglue envoy Han Lin, and the deputy general of Hezhou are all puppets who frightened our Northern Liang cavalry early. Needless to say, Ji Zhou... Zhao Xiong, the king of the Han Dynasty, I can't understand this vassal king. When Feng Ziying and I passed through Jizhou, this king who stood side by side dared to come to our army one by one and chat with me. It was definitely not Zhao. Wu can be compared. Next, Yuan Tingshan, Yang Huchen, Han Fang, the three generals in power in Jizhou... Yuan Tingshan has his father-in-law Gu Jiantang and Li Jiayanbao as backers. There is absolutely no need to go south for Bei Mang as an internal response. Han Fang, to tell you the truth, he is a chess piece I laid out in the early years. Not to mention being loyal to Li Yang, at least he would not betray Li Yang for Bei Mang. The nomads in the north have fought for three or four hundred years, and hundreds of people with the surname Han died, anyone can seek refuge in Beimang, but Han Fang will not."
The old man stood beside Xu Fengnian, looking into the distance, his eyes were full of yellow sand and desolation, "I've told you the bad news, now I'll tell you the good news, but I don't know if it's good news or not."
Xu Fengnian, who was squatting against the wind, spread his palms, and the wind blew the sand away, and said softly, "Senior, tell me."
The old man said with emphasis: "Xu Fengnian, you should know that Helian Wuwei is in Beimang, and he is one of those festival-holders who firmly support the old lady. This time, my surname Chu can pass through the Southern Dynasty that is full of cobweb eyeliner and crow bars. The border, I came to your Beiliang smoothly and silently, of course it was not because I, Chu Kuangnu, was so capable, but because Helian Wuwei had a very secret conversation with the old woman, and there was no fourth party except the Taiping Order. People present, the old woman told Helian Wuwei, Beimang Yelu dared to go all out to cooperate with Chen Zhibao, then she would have the courage to form an alliance with you, Xu Fengnian, and she would only pay more! As long as you agree to betray Liyang, even if you can’t Take a soldier from Beiliang, and she will help you to a seat that you can't even imagine!"
Xu Fengnian shook his head and said with a smile: "This old lady, she has lost her mind and gone crazy."
The old man said with emotion: "People who are about to die are all about the same."
Xu Fengnian froze for a moment, "This is really good news."
The old man sighed, "Wrong, big mistake, the last sentence Helian Wuwei asked me to pass on to you was that if you finally reject the kindness of Empress Beimang, then Beimang's next expedition to the south will be at the expense of death! "
Xu Fengnian said indifferently: "Not to mention whether I agree or not, in the twenty years outside the Beiliang Pass, so many people died in battle, the answer has already been given."
The old man smiled, "Whether you agree or not is up to you, Xu Fengnian, and I just sent the word. From now on, Liang Mang will die or live, and I have nothing to do with half a coin."
Xu Fengnian stood up slowly, clapped his hands, and said with a smile: "Why don't we fight? I always remember the words of seniors all these years, no matter whether we can fight or not, we will talk after fighting!"
The old man said solemnly: "If you don't fight, you should have the demeanor of a senior. Besides, if you are injured, even if you win, you will still be suspected of taking advantage of others."
Xu Fengnian smiled without saying a word.
The old man blushed, stared and said: "Stinky boy! Don't push yourself!"
Xu Fengnian laughed out loud.
The old man stretched out his palm and patted the young vassal on the shoulder, with a melancholy expression on his face, "Since you were almost drowned at the bottom of Tingchao Lake for the first time, and you were rescued by me, to when you ran down to dive and hold your breath every now and then. , or else just bring me something to eat, to be honest, I watched you grow from a child to the current King of Beiliang... "
Xu Fengnian was a little embarrassed, and said awkwardly: "When I was in a bad mood in the early years, I often carried things to the bottom of the lake to tease seniors, and I hope seniors don't take it to heart."
The old man suddenly had black lines all over his head.
Xu Fengnian wisely shut up and stopped pouring salt on the old man's wound.
The old man smiled heartily: "On the way here this time, I heard that now in Liyang Jianghu, you don't mention you, the high-ranking fourteen martial arts critics, too high and unattainable. To be honest, grandpa, I also have self-knowledge. I beat you These monsters are nothing but the top ten masters of the Sifang sages selected by Daxueping, and the auspicious talisman Fourteen Chiefs made by copying the Spring and Autumn Thirteen, I really want to meet for a while!"
Xu Fengnian hummed, and reminded: "Although many of them are master masters who are trying to gain fame, it is better not to provoke some masters who are famous in the senior list. Martial arts leader Xuanyuan Qingfeng, Dongyue Jianchi Chai Qingshan, and Nanzhao's first person Wei Miao, the sword master Mao Shulang from the southern border, Cheng Baishuang from the Dragon Palace... "
The more the old man heard it, the more ugly his face became, and he said angrily: "You son of a bitch, just tell me who is grandpa and I can beat you up!"
Xu Fengnian rubbed his chin, "You have to think about it."
The old man, who was not in the mood to listen to Xu Fengnian's nonsense, strode away, got on his horse, rode with two riders, and was about to go south to the Central Plains to roam the rivers and lakes.
Xu Fengnian smiled and said: "Don't let me hear the news that you, senior, have been beaten to the ground just after you came out of the rivers and lakes."
The burly old man sat high on his horse and said angrily: "You boy, just wait for grandpa and me to kill all directions in the Jianghu of the Central Plains!"
The old man rode down the hill.
Xu Fengnian suddenly looked at the old man's back, and shouted: "Old man, I can firmly believe in my childhood thoughts in my life, and go to Wudang to practice martial arts because I saw you at the bottom of the lake, which made me believe that there are indeed masters in this world. of."
There are masters and gods in the world, and only one person can be the enemy of thousands of people, and only then can he have the opportunity to take revenge on his own.
So Xu Fengnian was extremely grateful to this old man whose lute bone was nailed into an iron chain, this senior who made him grit his teeth and persist in climbing the martial arts.
The old man didn't look back, and shouted loudly: "Pretentious! You have the ability..."
The old man suddenly realized that he couldn't say anything to beat this stinky brat, did he have the ability to become number one in the world? This guy didn't die in the hands of Wang Xianzhi, he fought with Tuoba Bodhisattva thousands of miles away, even one person fought against two people in Tai'an City.
The rivers and lakes are like this, and in the battlefield of the temple, how have you ever lost
At the end, the old man who was almost at the foot of the slope shouted: "Xu Fengnian, die after me if you have the ability! You kid remember, don't forget to buy some good wine and meat for grandpa and me!"