After leaving Zhending Mansion, the mountains gradually became rugged and the land conditions became more barren. Although the mountains were still covered in green, the forests were not dense, and there were more and more pine trees. Sometimes looking from a distance, the mountains seem to be covered with only a layer of lichen. For Lou Shuwan, who is used to seeing the green fields in the south of the Yangtze River, this kind of scenery makes her feel a bit desolate and barbaric - of course, since she took refuge in Tian Hu. Since then, she has never felt safe and secure in her heart, and the tension in her heart, the illusion that she will be betrayed at any time, has been consistent and unsolved from time to time.
"How long is it from Jixian?"
"It will take about half a day." When Lou Shuwan, who was on a horse, turned her head and asked, the burly man next to him approached the horse and answered respectfully. This man, surnamed Qiu and named Gu Yan, was a master under Tian Hu. Lou Shuwan showed her financial management and management skills. After gaining Tian Hu's trust, she assigned Qiu Guyan to be her guard and deputy. For several months, this Qiu Guyan had a calm and quiet personality, and he did not violate Lou Shuwan's orders, and the two sides got along well.
"Since it's not too far away, let someone go to Jixian first and arrange accommodation and food. The third prince and General Yu will arrive, and we probably have to stay for a few days."
"Yes." Lou Shuwan gave the order, and Qiu Guyan immediately sent someone there. Looking back, there was a team of more than 100 people walking at the foot of the mountain, pushing several carts of goods all the way forward. These people were all elite soldiers under Tian Hu. As the leader, Lou Shuwan was riding a horse in a gray-yellow cloak. Although it is not easy for her to stand in Tian Hu's army as a woman, she is in charge of part of the wealth and power at this time. If she wants to ride a big car more comfortably, others will not say anything. However, since her position in Tian Hu's army has gradually stabilized, she has gradually given up the habit of riding a car. Once she goes out, she must ride a horse no matter how far or near she is. At the same time, she also carries a dagger around her waist where she can easily handle it day and night.
She has no martial arts. Even with a certain amount of training, his own strength is still inferior to that of an ordinary man. Bring a dagger, not to hurt others, but to use it to commit suicide when necessary - whether you dare to do it or not when it comes, but this is indeed her original intention to bring the dagger, and occasionally touch the dagger when making decisions sheath. It will also feel a little more power out of thin air.
In fact, of course it is an illusion. What really protected her from being bullied in Tian Hu's army was the influence of Jin Wang Tian Hu himself.
When she just fell into the sphere of influence of Tian Hu's army, she and Lou Shuheng, who had fled all the way, were at the end of their lives. As a man, Lou Shuheng himself had collapsed, but she gritted her teeth and seized an opportunity to appear in Tian Hu. before. Mao Sui suggested some ideas for the other party—Tian Hu was originally an hunter, but Luo Cao later occupied a large area. He has the ability, but his knowledge is limited. After the bandits occupied the land, in the transition from land occupation to governance, talent was scarce, and Lou Shuwan received attention for this. It is a similar situation to the fact that the Lou family was taken seriously by Fang La in Hangzhou City.
At the same time as she has the ability, she is beautiful in appearance, she is a beautiful woman, her upbringing and knowledge are not comparable to some local turtles. Tian Hu's original idea was to take her into the harem, which is the most reassuring way, but Lou Shuwan refused several times, with a firm attitude, Tian Hu showed open-mindedness. At the same time, he didn't want to lose a talented person who helped with things, and he didn't use his strength. In fact, Tian Hu didn't understand. In Lou Shuwan's heart, if he couldn't avoid it, he would have to push it halfway. After going through those things, she had a huge disgust for men and thought they were ugly. But this kind of disgust is not enough to protect chastity with life. After all, the so-called chastity, whether physical or psychological, she has already lost.
Tian Hu did not use force. Since then, Lou Shuwan has received a lot of convenience in Tian Hu's army. Sometimes she makes a big banner with tiger skin and poses as "Tian Hu's mistress" to hint that other men who are interested in her have also restrained a little. . So speaking, for more than a year, her life in Tian Hu's army was basically smooth. Aside from the second brother who had been in the brothel all day, all she really cared about was the various things at hand, as explained by the Tiger King.
After staying away from men, she suddenly discovered that women feel good about doing things. Although there are still people who look at her with the kind of eyes that will strip her clothes off, she doesn't care, so what if they are stripped naked, the same thrusts and thrusts, and then they roll their eyes like they are dead Like, a poor thing dominated by the lower body. It's like the people who were killed after doing those things to her, too... After they vented, she found the dagger and killed them all. For the moment when his eyes rolled and he lost his life, men are stupid pigs. Did she really lose anything... She would occasionally think like this, and then she couldn't help laughing until she burst into tears.
Only in the occasional midnight dream, she would think of a certain figure, like a nightmare - the figure named Ning Liheng, even if she had a certain infatuation with him, it was not very deep, but Everything that happened later left too many imprints on her memory. The death of her father and brother, the ruin of her family, and the misery of being displaced all the way, were all because of that figure. When she thought of him, it was difficult for her to think of revenge in the first place.
She knew that he destroyed Liangshan, but she didn't know what he was doing now, so she had no idea of revenge. Under the command of Tian Hu, he has been working upwards, and maybe one day, he will face him head-on, but even if he thinks about it like this, he can't imagine what it will look like at that time. Only some bizarre and unspeakable imaginations will become clear. She thinks of those tragic experiences, the way that man is pushing and shoving on her, and then she can kill him, and the show of power in front of him when she succeeds. , thinking of being humiliated by him after failure - every time this happens, the imagination becomes more and more bizarre. When I woke up, it was mostly in the early morning. I was sweating profusely and the quilt was soaking wet. My desire was burning, and my lower body was as soft as a swamp.
Maybe one day, she will kill him, or he will kill her. This should be the only thing the two of them belong to.
Of course, going to Luliang Mountain this time did not involve such complicated emotions.
Regarding the area of Luliang, Tian Hu had the intention to extend his power to it at the beginning of the uprising. That place is neither better than the Central Plains nor Hebei. The land on the borderline, which has been washed with blood for many years, has strong folk customs, and there are many scattered forces. It is difficult to apply the general laws of green forests here. After all, this kind of thing exists to prevent everyone from perishing together under the drive of desire, but in this land, the people who can survive are mostly desperados, and whether they follow the rules or not, they may die at any time. The meaning of the rules is not so much.
The reasons for the formation of this phenomenon are complicated, but the most direct reason lies in the threshing valleys on both sides. The Liao people regard the people in this place as pigs and dogs, and the warriors regard the residents here as unruly savages and treachery. Occasionally, some larger forces will arise here, but most of these forces are hostile to both sides and are relatively closed. Then it was easily broken up, because no matter how powerful your forces were, they couldn't compare to the armies on both sides. After Tian Hu's tentacles stretched out, he also put in some effort to win over a large number of companions here, but his power is very large for a single cottage. But for a place like Luliang that was originally fragmented, it was really hard to say where to make efforts, so to talk about progress, it has always been nothing.
Of course, extending Luliang's power to the northwest has always been the icing on the cake for Tian Hu, and the progress is not that big. It doesn't matter. However, in the past year or so, Lu Liangshan's situation has changed a lot compared to before, which made Tian Hu unable to stop paying attention.
A stockade named Qingmu Village has been growing in Luliang in the past two years. It even managed to get through the smuggling trade routes on both sides and gained huge profits. This is really coveted. At the beginning of the development of Qingmu Village, Cao Hong, a subordinate of Tian Hu, noticed this place, and he instigated the split of Qingmu Village. He tried to take the opportunity to seize Qingmu Village, but he was killed by the strong female village owner.
This kind of thing was enough for the two sides to form a relationship, but Tian Hu felt that it would be troublesome to avenge this kind of thing and go deep into Lu Liang. He is a relatively bachelor, everyone came out to mix, and if he did something wrong, he had to admit it, and he was beaten and stood at attention. The general on his side incited rebellion in the past, and was unsuccessfully killed, so he had to swallow the matter. However, after so long after this incident, the development of Luliangshan is still expanding. He had already changed from the original one to a pot of fragrant buns, and he couldn't help but make up his mind.
It is said that the female village owner of Qingmu Village is very old and has not married in her twenties, so she should get married. This marriage is different from the previous ones. Tian Shi of the third prince. Tian Hu's family has three brothers, Tian Hu, Tian Bao, and Tian Biao. Tian Shi is Tian Biao's son. He has good martial arts skills, and he is also handsome in appearance. Once married, the two sides are one family. Moreover, Tian Hu is full of sincerity. Tian Shi didn't marry a wife in the past. As long as the other party nodded, Tian Shi was in the marriage to Qingmu Village, and he definitely didn't want the other party to marry him.
In addition, everyone has studied the pattern of making a fortune in Qingmu Village. Generally speaking, once the power of Lu Liangshan is formed, it is often bitter and bitter, extremely xenophobic, so it is not flattering in any way. However, after the development of Qingmu Village, it is very good. The nearby Wu Dynasty military often receives the other side's profit, which is very sweet. For some insatiable guys, Qingmu Village is also a combination of vertical and horizontal, differentiated attacks, and even Yu probably has a clear understanding of the details of many generals in the military, so he can gradually stand on his feet.
Such a village owner, although a woman, obviously has a very powerful control over his interests. Just giving a man away may not satisfy the other party. Therefore, besides Tian Shi, Lou Shuwan was a lobbyist in the past.
Now that the situation in the world is chaotic and uncertain, and the imperial court is busy recruiting various bandit forces in the north of An'an, it is obvious that the Wu Dynasty's control over the interior has reached its limit. With Tiger King's strength, once they join forces with Qingmu Village, they will be able to do a great deal in the future with such a source of money from the north and the south.
Lou Shuwan had prepared these kinds of speeches before, and they were still improving them in the past few days. Of course, everything was still subject to seeing the village owner named Lu Hongti.
That night, she and the convoy carrying the dowry stopped in Jixian County in front, waiting for the arrival of the third prince Tian Shi and Tian Hu's general Yulin. Although Tian Hu's army made a decision, Tian Shi himself Arrogant, he is not very reluctant to enter the family. He basically came here to investigate the situation of Lu Hongti in the attitude of running away from home. As for Yulin, Tian Hu sent him out to arrest him. To press him to go to Lu Liang and the person in charge.
At this time, the place was close to Luliang. Jixian was a big county. Although in the eyes of people from the south of the Yangtze River like Lou Shuwan, everything seemed desolate, there were indeed a lot of people. This is a diversion point going north. After this period, people have to choose to go to Yanmen Pass to exit normally, or to smuggle out to Luliang Mountain. Before Luliang's smuggling channel flourished, Jixian County was only about half the size it is today. That is to say, its prosperity was in the last year or two. suddenly swelled.
For this reason, everything in the county town is still full of savage atmosphere. Pedestrians are three sects, and most of them have knives on their bodies. It seems that no one is good. Even the merchants in the past have a murderous and bloody aura about them. The advent of smuggling roads prospered the goods. However, the guarantee of safety has not been improved too much. If some people take the liberty to come here and do not have specific channels to guide them, most of them will not be able to find a way to pass the test. The most prosperous places are often brothels and knife shops. Most of the forces have their own settlements. Only military men dare to walk arrogantly in various places, but basically they will not touch the local forces. The power of the government is very small - because there are few people who dare to come here to take office. A few years ago, there were even those who were killed and hanged on the flagpole. The forces here have the same characteristics, high-profile, public, and crazy, and then they rose up in batches, looting the surrounding area, eating fragrant and spicy. , and then quiet down in batches...
Lou Shuwan stayed in Jixian until the fifth day before Tian Shi and Yu Yulin came here with more than 200 soldiers. in this period. Lou Shuwan has also inquired a lot about the female village owner of Qingmu Village. It is said that she has high martial arts skills and has reached the realm of a master. Currently, she has a very high degree of control over the village. There is no possibility, other than that. It is said that she is very beautiful, so there have been many people who have proposed marriage to Qingmu Village recently, and there are even faint rumors that the other party has the idea of recruiting relatives by martial arts. There are rumors outside, but I don't know if it is true or false.
Tian Hu's army. There are people who have seen that Lu Hongti, but this time Lou Shuwan can't find anyone. Tian Shi's route was different. Obviously, he asked someone he knew. He only became interested after learning that Lu Hong was highly skilled and beautiful in martial arts. He is twenty-five years old this year. He is good at martial arts and handsome. Ordinary women are tired of playing. Tian Hu occupies a place. Thought - after all, this world is dominated by men. Although it is in the name of being a nephew, it is not necessarily impossible to conquer her with her own abilities. Once she is in bed, no matter how strong a woman is, she will not be obedient to her...
That night, the two groups met and met each other. That Yu Yulin, as Tian Hu's top general, is also quite a heroic person. He is in his thirties, with strong martial arts skills and a calm personality. If the other party sees that Tian Shi is not good, probably he is also intentional. It was not the first time that Lou Shuwan and them had met. On the second day after the meeting, everyone set off from the camp, and more than 300 people marched in the direction of Luliang Mountain.
On the other hand, after Lou Shuwan and others left, a convoy of more than 100 people from Ning Yi's side also approached Jixian.
"After that, the officials are useless." At dusk, when the convoy camped, Zhu Biao pointed to the foothills to the north, turned around and said to Ning Yi and the others, "This side of Luliang is better than ours in Dulonggang. The side is still in chaos, and the people who can talk are either the army or the bandits, and the common people are not without it, but if there is no power, the land will not be able to grow. You have to be careful when you pass, you can’t be left alone, people here are cruel ."
"...Although it's not a good thing to say, it's better to deal with warriors here instead of dealing with literati." Ning Yi stood on the stone, covering his eyebrows and looking forward, "This literati thing, I talk a lot of the time. It’s ambiguous, and even cheating with you when you receive money, and you don’t recognize it as soon as you turn your head. The warriors are much better. Although they are greedy, they do things when they receive the money. They are very bachelors. "However, it does look a little desolate... Shanxi..."
"Senior Lu's home is here, I always feel... It's really not easy."
Zhu Biao sighed like this, and there were several warriors in charge of the squad around who also showed similar expressions. Among the warriors who followed Ning Yi this time, half of them were from Liangshan, and they were all trained in the camp at Dulonggang. When Lu Hongti was still alive, he fought with them in the camp and beat them. At this time, many people have repented and their mentality has changed greatly. In addition to Lu Hongti's identity as a master, they admire her quite a bit. After being taught by her, they feel honored and regarded as half a proprietress and half a master. However, Ning Yi pouted and sneered at the sympathy of everyone.
"It's not easy. Although it sounds like a false rumor, there are even rumors about recruiting relatives by martial arts. When I pass, I have to criticize her."
The sun was setting, although he said such words, but when he remembered Lu Hongti's appearance, he still felt a warm feeling in his heart like the sun shining on his face. If he really ran to talk to her, would she feel Still like a little daughter-in-law, sitting beside the bed and letting herself speak. Thinking about it for a while, as calm as him, I can't help but look forward to it. And as he said, the army received the money and started doing things—as long as it didn’t fight with the Liao people—basically, they still did their best, and now that the Liao Kingdom has been destroyed, the next Luliang Mountain will have a rare opportunity to rest for several years. , In a few years, how far can it develop... Everything is ahead.