Jianhu City is located between Qinghe and Langya, roughly similar to the location of Dongping Lake in the modern world. The capital is similar to the capital in the modern world, but Yanmen Pass is in Shanxi.
It is said that Yanmen Pass and the capital are both in the north, but in fact they form a triangle with Jianhu City. Going to Yanmen Pass will not pass through the capital at all, so Zhuque must trick Zhao Changhe into taking a detour together.
The journey was very long, and Zhao Changhe, as usual, took many detours. He walked north for who knows how many days. Gradually, he felt the autumn air and saw wheat ears and golden trees on the roadside.
Similar to the devastation we saw along the way south, the northern plains were not much better.
Apart from the bases occupied by aristocratic families such as Qinghe, Gusu and Langya, the situation in most places in Shenzhou was very bad. It was clearly the autumn harvest season, but it looked like a poor harvest. At this time, both the north and the south were at war, and the government was more urgent in collecting taxes and conscription. Zhao Changhe had seen countless "The Stone-Hill Official" and "The Newly Married Parting" along the way.
There are countless people who gather together to plunder and occupy the mountains to become kings. In fact, in many places, people have attacked county governments and robbed granaries. Compared with the so-called mountain bandits when Zhao Changhe first came to your place, they have evolved a lot, from Wang Lun to Song Jiang.
It's been less than a year... The version of the copycat bandits has been updated, and Boss Zhao can no longer keep up.
The closer we got to the emperor, the less good it seemed. Although it wasn't as bad as the crowing of cocks in a thousand miles, it was enough to feel the chaos of the year.
Considering the actions of the Wang family, we have already officially entered a chaotic era and it is no longer the "prologue".
If the current situation in the south is that the landlord class organized armed forces to deal with Maitreya, then the invasion of the northern barbarians should still be resisted by the empire's elite border troops. From previous observations, it is known that many border army generals or county chiefs in border areas have close ties with the Wang and Cui families. It is unknown who the chief general is, who can calm these people and work together to resist the enemy.
And if this commander wanted to be like Wu Sangui, what would be the consequences? If the Wang family withdrew their troops, what would be the result
Another point that puzzled Zhao Changhe was that the capital was the place where the emperor guarded the country's gate, so why did the Hu people avoid this place when they went south and go through Yanmen
Or is it because of Xia Longyuan’s deterrent power
"Of course it's because of Xia Longyuan's deterrent power. In his prime, he could really destroy an army by himself. Being number one on the Heavenly Ranking is no joke. He is much, much stronger than Wang Daoning, who is at the bottom of the list."
"Who is the commander of Yanmen?"
"Marquis Jingyuan."
Zhao Changhe was stunned for a moment, then tapped his head: "Oh, I remember now, the ninth on the Earth Ranking, Huangfu Yongxian? The imperial court is actually quite powerful."
Zhuque said leisurely: "Of course she is not weak, otherwise how could she have held on for so long? Do you really think that Tang Wanzhuang was the only one holding on? If she is so useless, we would have rebelled long ago, so why are you still covering it up?"
"So what is General Huangfu's political stance?"
"How should I know? You have already entered the capital. Go and find out for yourself from Tang Wanzhuang."
"It seems like you were rude to Tang Wanzhuang, but you seemed to have some respect for Huangfu Yongxian? You even called him Marquis Jingyuan instead of his name."
Zhuque said calmly: "Those who are defending the country from the enemy should be given some proper respect. If the Four Elephants Sect conquers the world in the future, such good generals should also be won over, right?"
"What if you guys conquer the world, where will Tang Wanzhuang be?"
"If you join the sect, I will give her to you as a slave."
“…” Zhao Changhe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Zhuque also found it interesting. The perspective and considerations of Zhao Changhe along the way...
Zhuque was certain that Zhao Changhe really had no intention of becoming a prince, but his perspective was naturally in this direction.
Or it should be said that it is not quite the same as the prince's perspective. Instead, it is a bit like a detached perspective, observing and overlooking the world, analyzing the causes and possible deductions.
Rather than being a prince's perspective, it is more like the eyes of gods and Buddhas slightly revealed above the clouds.
As Zhuque thought about it, the interest in him gradually disappeared, and he felt a little nervous.
She asked cautiously, "You said you only wanted to be a chivalrous man."
"Yeah, didn't I do anything chivalrous all the way here?"
Not only that, Zhao Changhe had wasted a lot of extra time on the road because of many unfair things, otherwise he should have entered the capital by now. Zhuque couldn't blame him for wasting time, she knew very well that if this kind of thing stopped Zhao Changhe, he would be angry with her.
Zhao Changhe believes that being chivalrous and fighting for justice is the main purpose of his martial arts training.
How dare you say you were born a bandit.
As a result, the leader of the Demon Sect who killed people without blinking an eye accompanied the hero on the way and saved a lot of people, such as the elderly and orphans. In the end, he did not get nothing in return. He gave them all messages and placed them in the nearby branch of the Four Symbols Sect, just as a way to recruit new members.
In fact, the rise of the Demon Cult in troubled times was mainly due to this, and Maitreya Cult was more typical in this regard. The Four Symbols Cult was also forming a private army of the Demon Cult, but it was not as hungry as Maitreya Cult.
In fact, the Four Symbols Sect is more elite in this regard, because the true identity of Xuanwu Zhuque... knows much more than Maitreya.
With all this in mind, Suzaku continued to ask, "You said you only care about being a chivalrous man, but I don't think that's the case with you."
"What? More macro?"
"Um… "
"Knights-errant aren't just those who help the weak and punish the strong when they see injustice. There's another kind of knight-errant." "Which one?"
"The greatest heroes serve their country and their people."
Suzaku: "... Where did this concept come from? This thing is called a hero? Why don't you just say you are the Demon Suppression Division?"
"Who said it wasn't? It turns out that every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country!" Zhao Changhe laughed and spurred his horse to a gallop: "A white horse with golden reins gallops to the northwest. May I ask who this boy is? A knight from You and Bing... He sacrificed his life for his country and regarded death as homecoming! He is nothing but a hero!"
"Gee!" The black horse galloped away.
Suzaku sighed. This was not the answer she wanted.
In fact, Zhao Changhe knew what kind of answer this young lady wanted. After all, a sect always talks about gods and Buddhas no matter what... But it was not what she wanted.
Miss Winged Fire Snake was sent by the Suzaku Venerable to follow him. Although he said verbally that he was not sending a woman, it actually contained a strong hint of this kind of meaning. So Zhao Changhe always wanted to tease her and even wanted to hug and kiss her. Maybe this little sister herself also subconsciously had some of that intention? Even if she didn't, she had to pretend to have that intention, which led to an ambiguous relationship between the two parties from the beginning.
But Zhao Changhe didn't want to use the specious "divine astrology" to cheat. That kind of scumbag was done by Xia Longyuan, not him, Zhao Changhe.
Let’s talk about feelings and how nice it would be to be close to each other... Because before we knew it, this young lady had become the woman who had been with him the longest, besides Chi Chi.
We have been walking together, sleeping together, accompanying each other, and fighting with swords for nearly a month.
Familiarity and habit are terrible forces, just like when Luo Qi woke up in Beimang, she found herself sleeping soundly with Zhao Changhe in her arms. The same thing happened to Zhuque. She herself hadn't noticed that she used to protect the ball with both hands against his back when the horse was bumping, but now she was too lazy to do that. She would bump the ball against his back from time to time, but she didn't feel it, and neither did he.
Sometimes, my hands were subconsciously around his waist, and I didn't feel it, and neither did he.
The horse galloped, and with the young lady's arms around it, a majestic city appeared in the distance, and under the dark clouds covering the sky, it was as oppressive as a mountain.
After nearly a month of wandering, autumn is approaching and the capital is in sight.
Zhao Changhe, who had been calm all along, suddenly became a little nervous. He almost had the urge to rein in his horse, but he forced himself to suppress it and slowly moved forward.
The capital has always been a place I avoided, and I never wanted to touch it so early, but now that the fate has come, why not explore it
"You can't go in here wearing a pig face." Zhuque dismounted from his horse and said, "I will find a way to get in myself. You can just go into the city directly."
Zhao Changhe asked: "How can I contact you after I get in?"
Zhuque chuckled: "Don't try to find out my true identity... You'll be the focus wherever you go anyway. I'll find you after I've dealt with my affairs."
After saying this, he quickly disappeared.
Zhao Changhe no longer wore the pig mask, restored his original appearance, and reined in his horse to enter the city.
"Stop, no horses are allowed to run in the city, dismount and lead the way!" The spirit of the guards at the city gate was better than in any city I had seen before.
From what I have seen before, they are all lazy. No one cares whether you ride a horse or not. It’s good enough if they don’t extort a city entry tax.
Zhao Changhe did not care about the guards' obstruction. Instead, he felt that it was reasonable. He dismounted and took out money to pay the city entrance tax.
The guard waved his hand and said, "First time here? The capital does not require a city tax. Just hand in your pass and go in honestly. Look at the knife on your back, don't get into a fight. Tang Shouzu is in the capital now, you lawless people should take it easy."
Zhao Changhe couldn't help laughing: "You guys really respect Master Tang."
"Of course." The guard was too lazy to say more to him and stretched out his hand: "Where's the pass?"
Zhao Changhe had never checked for a pass in the past, and he had never thought of getting one, but he understood that the capital needed one, especially during wartime. Just as he was having a dilemma, he heard laughter from behind him: "A pass is only used to confirm identity. This person's identity is known to everyone in the world, so why bother looking at it again?"
A group of people turned their heads to look, and saw a young man waving a folding fan, laughing and saying: "Qianlong Thirteen Zhao Changhe, you had posted a wanted poster for him before, how come you don't recognize him?"
For Qianlong Shisan, the capital city was no big deal, and the onlookers didn't care much either, and continued to check before entering the city.
But Zhao Changhe clearly saw that the expressions of many guards had changed slightly.
He could almost feel that there was another storm brewing. He was certain that the five words "Zhao Changhe enters the city" would sweep across the capital in an instant.
Zhao Changhe sighed: "Mr. Dai, aren't you from the Dai family in the northwest? Why are you here?"
It was the young master of the Dai family in the northwest who appeared during the Langya Sword Contest. Zhao Changhe even forgot what he had done at that time.
Master Dai laughed and said, "Who doesn't have some property in the capital..."
“This is called the Beijing Office?”
"What is that?" Master Dai asked leisurely, "Do you have a place to stay when you come to Beijing? Do you want to stay at my house?"
(End of this chapter)