Just after the summer solstice, the Barren Bone Beach in the hinterland of Liangzhou had already turned into scorched earth under the scorching sun. The ground was cracked by the scorching sun, and the grass and trees were withered and yellow. There was no trace of green. Even the two horses walking on the loess road in the distance,
They are all twisting and changing under the rising heat wave, and only blurry outlines can be seen from far to near:
Jingle bell bell~
In the past, the Barren Bone Beach was a lawless place where caravans were rampant, but since the trade between the two dynasties, this place has been brought under the jurisdiction of the Black Flag Gang, and the internal peace has calmed down, and it has become a trade route for north-south exchanges.
Now that the Northern and Southern Dynasties are at war, although the trade routes at Heishiguan are difficult to navigate, the pass is under the control of the Wei Dynasty, and merchants are not prohibited from transporting supplies to the various tribes in the West Sea. The huge profits caused by the sharp increase in prices during the war have still offset the wartime
Risks of exiting customs.
For this reason, even in the height of summer in May, there are still many teams crossing the Barren Bone Beach. At noon, they can't rush on their way, so they all gather in the small town at the entrance of the Barren Bone Beach.
Huhu~
The hot wind blew the flag at the entrance of the town swaying back and forth, and the flag was also very characteristic of Liangzhou. It was a human skin of a horse thief, with the character "Hu" written on it to declare who the boss of the town was.
Ye Jingtang rode his horse and stopped outside the town, raised his eyes to look at the human skin hanging on the flagpole, and pulled up his collar to dispel the heat from his body after the long journey.
Yuhu and Huaiyan, who were following behind, had been pampered since childhood. Traveling in the Gobi desert in the scorching heat was obviously more difficult than it was for a rough guy like him.
After Yuhu turned over and dismounted, he directly pulled up the gauze skirt, exposing his ankles to ventilate the skirt.
The Queen Mother lifted up the gauze of the curtain and fanned the air with her hands. She also carried a small bamboo box on her back. Inside was a bird that was already stunned by the heat. She asked in a low voice:
"What kind of skin is this?"
"Human skin."
"Eh~!"
"It looks like the skin of a horse thief, don't be afraid."
"What am I afraid of? I went to Hongshan last year. I couldn't feel the heavy snow in the mountains in winter. Now it seems really barren..."
"The main reason is the lack of water. When the world is at peace in the future, we will find a way to open a river channel and divert the water from Tianlang Lake. The situation in Liangzhou should improve..."
Hearing Yuhu start to talk about the thousand-year project of digging the Grand Canal like Benben, Ye Jingtang secretly shook his head and led the horse into the town:
"We're at the place, let's go in."
Hoof-tapping hoof-tapping...
Since Ning'er and the others returned and everyone gathered in Jingjie City, Ye Jingtang didn't go out anymore because of his unknown physical condition. Instead, he seriously stayed in the city for seven or eight days.
Bingtuotuo was more impatient. After learning the Singing Dragon Picture, he didn't want to rest for a day. He took Yunli out the next day and began to search the rivers and lakes for the whereabouts of the last three pictures.
However, Ye Jingtang was strictly prohibited from running out by his wife, and the process of recuperation was nothing more than being a hard-working old scalper, getting up on time in the morning, and starting to reward Sanniang, Ning'er, and Qinghe after dinner.
It was basically noon when the rewards were over. After chatting with Hua Qingzhi, I had to go to the palace to accompany the hand warmer. Then I started to reward Benben, Yuhu, and Shui'er until they got up together the next day, 'schedule'
The arrangements were full, and it can be said that my life was quite fulfilling.
Ye Jingtang's body has basically recovered. Faced with this level of exertion, he is naturally comfortable and even a little overwhelmed.
However, the current major affairs have not yet been completed, and he cannot be regarded as the evil concubine who will cause trouble to the country and prevent the emperor from going to court early. After resting for a few days to make sure that there was nothing wrong with his body, he began to plan the next step.
The main purpose of the Southern Dynasty sending troops on this trip was to recover the tribes in the West Sea first, and then wait for an opportunity to invade the Beiliang mainland.
The ancestors of the tribes in the West Sea were the Northwest Royal Court, and they regarded the Southern and Northern Dynasties as barbarians. When the Northern Liang came over, they were invaders. The same thing happened when the Southern Dynasties came over, not much better than the Northern Liang. For this reason, they had no sense of identity at all.
feel.
For this reason, the King of Liang led his army out of the customs, and it was impossible to appeal to the people's wishes and get the support of the tribes in the West Sea. Even a few tribes who were pro-Northern Liang were still cooperating with the Western Sea Protectorate to block the troops of the King of Liang.
The imperial court wanted to regain the West Sea, and naturally it could not suppress it violently if it had a chance to win the hearts of the people. Therefore, the king of Liang rushed all the way to Jingjie City to deliver the documents, asking the imperial court to send the Night Terror Hall there as soon as possible.
Ye Jingtang is the successor of the Northwest Royal Court. The legal bloodline is legitimate, and it also has the foundation of the royalist parties such as the Wuma Tribe and the Dongming Tribe. If he goes there, he may not be able to integrate all the tribes in the West Sea immediately, but if he doesn't go,
The tribes in Xihai must have watched the fire from across the bank. Maybe King Liang had spent all his efforts to conquer the Xihai Protectorate, but then the tribes had stolen it and snatched it back.
After confirming that there was nothing unusual in the Night Terror Hall, Yuhu set off with his portable army, moving from Jingjie City to the neighboring Liangzhou. It took more than half a month to arrive in Liangzhou.
Yuhu, like Benben, grew up in Yun'an since childhood. Although he often saw the poor mountains and rivers of Liangzhou from the archives, he had never seen it with his own eyes.
When the army passed by the Deserted Bone Beach, because Ye Jingtang wanted to go to Hu Yanjing from the Black Flag Gang to ask for some information, Yuhu also ran out to visit privately incognito, while the Queen Mother followed her to revisit her old place.
The town where the three of them are currently located is the territory of the Black Flag Gang. There are quite a lot of people in the town, half of them are bodyguards and half of them are Jianghu people. They all look like gangsters. There are almost no normal people because of the hot weather.
, all sitting under the pergola or in the inn.
The last time the Queen Mother went to the tribes in the West Sea, she came to Barren Bone Beach. At this time, she looked at the peaceful town and nodded:
"Except for the human skins hanging outside, the town looks pretty peaceful. It feels much better than last time."
The empress also felt that this town was quite stable and explained:
"This is the territory of the Black Flag Gang. The leader of the Black Flag Gang, Hu Yanjing, is not only King Liang's henchman, but also a subordinate recruited by Ye Jingtang. It is reasonable for his territory to be in order."
"It turns out they are Jingtang's subordinates. No wonder, this is called the upper beam being right and the lower beam not being crooked..."
…………
Ye Jingtang also felt that the Black Flag Gang had managed the area well, so he walked around and took the two of them to the town's inn. Because Hu Yanjing hadn't come over yet, he went to the nearby water shop first.
The shop was just a thatched shed, with three water tanks placed underneath, and a well covered with a dustpan at the back. A tall, shirtless man, waving a cattail leaf fan in his hand, sat on a pony, with a simple knife beside him.
Ye Jingtang took three water bags from the side of the horse and handed them to the man guarding the shop:
"Three pots of well water, don't use the water in the jar, fill it up."
The man waving the cattail leaf fan stood up and looked up and down at the Night Terror Hall:
"Brother, it doesn't look like he's here for the first time. Why haven't you seen him before?"
"I worked as a escort on the Red River side for the past two years, but now I have changed my profession and make a living in the east."
The man looked at the two women behind them who were covering their heads and faces:
"Have you changed your career to be a kidnapper?"
A kidnapper is a trafficker, Ye Jingtang shook his head:
"The imperial court investigated this strictly and caught Ling Chi. Who took the risk to do this business in Liangzhou and just acted as a guard for others. Now the well water is still at the old price, one penny for a pot?"
When the man saw that Ye Jingtang was a native of Liangzhou, he spoke more boldly and waved his hand:
"Our Black Flag Gang is a serious gang. How can we raise prices like the Hongshan Gang and dare to sell a pot of water for one penny?"
"oh?"
When Ye Jingtang heard this, he couldn't help but think more highly of Gang Leader Hu:
"What's the price now?"
The man opened the wellhead in the shop and filled it with fresh well water:
"Our boss said that if we still charge money for the merchants and common people passing by, we don't care about the imperial court and the King of Hell, so we don't need to pay for the water."
"for free?!"
"Yes, just go to the inn next door and listen to a book. Water will be given as a gift."
Ye Jingtang frowned and looked at the lobby of the inn next to him:
"Listen to the book for one penny?"
The man paused and said, "Brother, aren't you kidding me? On such a hot day, a sixty-year-old man can sing and sing with a bandolier for a long time. How can one penny of silver be enough to earn him? Three cents per person, give one or two.
For the money, you can go to the small house in front, there is a better looking one..."
"grumble?!"
A shocked murmur came from the small bamboo box behind the Queen Mother.
The empress originally thought that the people of Liangzhou were not all unruly people like King Liang complained, but when she heard what happened next, she was stunned.
After all, as the emperor of a country, she had never drank well water for three coins per pot since she was a child. Three coins in Yun'an could buy dozens of kilograms of rice.
In order to understand the sentiments of the people, I just slaughtered Liangzhou several times, fearing that none of them would slip through the net...
Ye Jingtang brought Yu Hu over for a private visit incognito. He was taught a lesson by his subordinates from the very beginning. He was really speechless, but he still said:
"Does this look like Liangzhou? I thought I came to the wrong place. Gang Leader Hu is also very particular about people. He can obviously rob directly, but he still insists on asking me to listen to a story."
The man chuckled and handed the water bag back:
"Outsiders think that we Liangzhou people have no moral integrity. That's because they don't understand what Liangzhou is. If we really don't need money, are you sure you dare to drink this water brother?"
"That's really not true."
Ye Jingtang had long been accustomed to Liangzhou's customs and didn't care. After putting down a piece of silver, he took three water bags and led the horse into the stable of the inn.
The empress waited until she entered the inn before sighing in a low voice:
"Liangzhou is really a land of outstanding people. No wonder Hall Master Song of Honghua Tower curses and clamors all day long to return to Tiannan..."
Ye Jingtang shook his head and sighed: "This is not bad. With the current weather, if you go to Wangheya, you can get one or two for a pot..."
The Queen Mother opened the water bag and tasted:
"It's quite sweet. How did he know you were a local?"
"The water in the tank has been there for who knows how many days. You have diarrhea after drinking it. Besides, he thinks that you are a young child and you don't know the ropes. He may have secreted sweat medicine. After drinking it, you will fall asleep. When you wake up, you will not talk about the goods. You may not even have any clothes left."
Down."
The empress frowned: "How dare you call yourself a serious gang?"
"In Liangzhou, as long as you don't risk your life, you are an upright person. If you are deceived and abducted, you can only say that you are too young..."
While chatting casually, the Queen Mother and the Empress followed Ye Jingtang to the inn hall and sat down at a table in the corner. The Queen Mother also took out birds from a small bamboo box to cool down.
The weather was too hot at noon, so there were quite a few people who came here to buy water and then come in to listen to a book. There were about thirty people sitting at seven or eight tables. The storyteller was holding a Sanxian, sitting on a stool in the middle, and was talking in an old-fashioned way:
"Speaking of which, our Night Terror Hall Ye hero met Hua Ling with his bare hands. With one punch, the thick coiled dragon pillar on the Chengtian Gate was broken into two sections..."
Because they were all old jokes that had been told over and over again, the people in the inn were obviously not very interested. They were all enjoying the cool air and chatting about political affairs:
"It's not easy to leave in Shazhou. Now the imperial court and the barbarians of Beiliang are fighting. The barbarians outside Shazhou, seeing that the imperial court can't take care of them, are said to be fighting on Shazhou to support themselves..."
"Are you kidding? Those savages in the desert combined can't defeat the Hongshan Gang, and they can even attack Shazhou..."
…
When Ye Jingtang heard these chats, he was slightly puzzled and asked:
"Is there any news about this?"
The empress was also listening and said calmly:
"Shazhou reported it. The former Shazhou prefect established himself as the 'Shatuo King' when the world was in chaos. However, he was destroyed after the founding of the Wei Dynasty, and the remaining troops fled into the desert. Last year, the northwest royal court was restored.
Only then did he re-emerge, imitating the Pingtian Sect and calling it the Zoroastrian Cult, and started to recruit troops over there in Shazhou by making lies..."
Ye Jingtang nodded: "No wonder I haven't heard of it...can this Zoroastrian Cult become popular?"
"Preaching religion in the territory of Buddhism and grabbing believers can be successful. Unless the monk Shenchen passes away, we don't need to pay attention to him for the time being."
"Too……"
The two of them chatted for only a moment when the sound of hoofbeats from a large group of horses was heard outside the town.
The thugs who were watching the scene in inns, water shops and other places also quickly got up and ran to the street to greet him.
When Ye Jingtang saw this, he knew that Hu Yanjing was coming, so he stopped talking and waited quietly.
Not long after, a cavalry of more than ten people stopped at the door. The leader was Hu Yanjing, who was holding a simple sword. He was wearing an undershirt in the summer and was covered in sweat.
Hu Yanjing casually threw the weapon to the younger brother who came over. He turned over and dismounted gracefully. When he saw Ye Jingtang sitting in the inn, he did not make any move and just said:
"Feed the horse, you have to go out later."
After saying that, he asked the gang to wait outside. When they came to the table, they wanted to bow their hands and salute.
Night Jingtang was afraid that his identity would be revealed and frighten the Liangzhou heroes to death in the inn. He slightly raised his hand to signal Hu Yanjing to sit down, and then asked:
"What's the situation in the north now?"
Hu Yanjing was a general for his ancestors, and he aspired to be a minister of the dragon in his life. He made many bets. He was the lackey of King Liang, and also helped Prince Zuoxian's palace with smuggling. He also sent information to Ye Jingtang, but now Ye Jingtang is about to lose power.
, naturally became a die-hard fan of Night Terror Hall.
Hu Yanjing sat down at the table, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and whispered:
"There is news from Yanjing that the Northern Liang court is stepping up its efforts to refine elixirs. Those currently taking the medicine seem to include Eunuch Ziliang, Yin Shicheng, Hua Junchen..."
"Um?"
When Ye Jingtang heard this, he was slightly startled: "Hua Junchen was also given the elixir?"
Hu Yanjing nodded: "That's what the message from Mr. Cao said. I guess it's because Beiliang really can't find qualified people. Hua Junchen has become famous recently. He fought to the death in Bishui Forest to resist the powerful enemy. He can also be called
He is loyal and has a good background, so I chose him."
Ye Jingtang felt that Uncle Hua was really lucky, so he thought about it and said:
"Did Xu Tianying give it?"
"Xu Tianying has not made any achievements and has not submitted a petition. The Beiliang court will definitely not give it easily. It seems that Shuofeng City has talked about it, but Beiyun has not responded yet..."
Hu Yanjing said this, looked around again, and continued:
"In addition, Mr. Cao said that there seems to be movement in the west. Because the battlefield is in the tribes of the West Sea, Mr. Ye will definitely come over. The imperial court specially sent Eunuch Ziliang, Hua Junchen and others to protect the new King Zuoxian, and he seems to have brought them with him
A pill, I don’t know who to give it to..."
When Ye Jingtang heard this, his eyebrows showed a little solemnity.
After all, Sima Yue, the strongest among the tribes in the West Sea, was dead, and the only remaining top experts were the three kings including Qing He, and some guards from the palace.
Either these people have a problem with their stance, or they are just trash after taking the elixir. The Beiliang court will definitely not give it to them, so who can still use the elixir in the west...
Ye Jingtang thought for a while, frowned and said:
"Could it be for Monk Shenchen?"
The empress thought for a moment, shook her head and said: "Monk Shenchen is different from Beiyunbian. He is locked up in Shazhou and has no help. If he dares to take advantage of Beiliang at this time, he will either run to Beiliang to take refuge regardless of the life and death of thousands of disciples, or he will
He was surrounded and suppressed by the imperial court until he died.
"Although the elixir is powerful, it is not as good as the Minglong Picture. Monk Shenchen is already one of the three immortals on the mountain, and his status is at the top. If he has the intention to go further, the court will definitely win over him. There is no need to sacrifice the near and seek the far away. For the sake of a small gain in Beiliang, he will betray
The risk of personal disrepute.”
Hu Yanjing also felt that the three immortals on the mountain would not defect for a pill, so he thought about it and said:
"Could it be a 'destination plot'? When this news comes out, Lord Ye will definitely go to deal with Monk Shenchen. Monk Shenchen is not a clay bodhisattva. If you two fight, the masters of the Southern Dynasties will kill each other, and the fishermen of the Northern Liang will benefit...
…”
Even if Ye Jingtang didn't have this news, he would still find time to help Xiao Xigua beat up Monk Shenchen. However, Beiliang didn't know about this. This move was said to be Beiliang's delaying strategy to divert attention and lure him to the west.
Not impossible.
"Remember this in advance, I will check it carefully when I go back..."
Seeing Hu Yanjing sweating profusely in the night hall, he picked up the water bag and poured the water for him:
"You said Hua Junchen also went to the Xihai Protectorate?"
"There are only a few top experts that can be recruited now. Master Xiang Han and Sun Jin have to protect Emperor Liang, and it is impossible to come over, so we can only send people on the front line. In addition, Eunuch Yin neglected his duty to protect the Minglong Tu.
He was sent to the Xihai Protectorate to perform meritorious service, and Mr. Cao followed him around to obtain this information..."
"Cao Aning also went to the Xihai Protectorate?"
"Um."
"..."
Ye Jingtang didn't know why, but when he heard that his most powerful general, Aning, had also arrived at the Xihai Protector's Mansion, he felt that Little Zuo Xian King would have to accompany his father soon.
Hu Yanjing picked up the water bowl and took a big sip. He wanted to sigh a few words, but as he smacked his mouth, he felt that the taste was a bit familiar, so he asked tentatively:
"Master Ye, is this water poured from the well outside?"
Ye Jingtang put away his distracting thoughts and signaled to the old man who was still telling stories outside:
"Gang Leader Hu is good at doing business. He spent three coins to listen to books and also gave away a bottle of water for free..."
"cough--"
When Hu Yanjing heard this, he almost recited it in one breath and immediately stood up to deal with his short-sighted younger brother.
Ye Jingtang didn't mean to teach Hu Yanjing a lesson, he raised his hand and said:
"The following are just following orders. There is no need to blame. Just tell them to sell them as tea in the future. You have worked so hard to do so many things for the court. It is not worth losing your reward just for a small profit."
Hu Yanjing felt relieved and quickly clasped his fists:
"I understand, I will make corrections now. I will definitely remember Master Ye's teachings in the future..."
"Okay, let's go down and rest."
Seeing this, Hu Yanjing quickly got up to leave and ran out...
——
Name it:
I recommend a book called "Marriage at the Beginning, My Wife Overhears My Heart". If you are interested, you can read it~