Noon in Changyang City was no different. The bustling market was still lively, and there was still an endless stream of people coming and going.
Standing on the Fugui Restaurant, Xu Mu didn't look back until his eyes were tired.
According to Zhou Fu, someone will come to Fugui Restaurant today to talk to him about the boat and the oiran.
Xu Mu didn't understand. Logically speaking, he, a foreigner, should be the one to visit in person.
"Dong Xu's house! Dong Dong's house!" A boy running down the hall hurried up from downstairs.
"Dong Xu's house, when that person comes, he is waiting in the inner room A."
Xu Mu paused, straightened his clothes, followed the boy, and walked to the inner compartment not far away.
Before entering the door, Zhou Fucheng's frightened voice could be heard. Several guards stood coldly outside the door, each holding their long swords.
"Xu, Brother Xu, come in." Old man Zhou Fu's voice even trembled.
After missing a few guards, Xu Mu raised his head and found a young man in white, with his back on his back, sitting elegantly, with an upright posture.
"Brother Xu, please come and see me." Zhou Fu wiped away his sweat.
Xu Mu frowned slightly, guessing that the person who came today probably exceeded Zhou Fu's expectations.
The door of the inner compartment with the word A was slowly closed by the guards from outside.
The young man in white finally turned around and smiled twice at Xu Mu, but Xu Mu was stunned for a moment.
This person was clearly the one who eavesdropped inside and outside the compartment yesterday.
"Brother Xu, see you. Let's greet you."
After Zhou Fu pushed twice, Xu Mu raised his fists and spoke solemnly.
"Xu Mu, a certain family, met the young master."
"My little boss is polite. I'm a few years older than you. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Yuan."
Yuan surname?
"The country's surname is Hou." Zhou Fu said with a bitter face and his voice was hoarse and low.
"Shopkeeper Zhou, if nothing happens, just go get two bottles of wine. How about that?"
This sentence made Zhou Fu hesitate for a while, looked at Xu Mu twice, and then walked out.
"My dear boss, take a seat."
Xu Mu looked grave, took a seat from the side, and sat down firmly. In his heart, he didn't know what this prince with the surname of the country in the Daji Dynasty was doing. He really wanted to talk about the business of the oiran? This is not idle.
What.
In Changyang alone, he had heard the name of this marquis with the surname Guo more than once. It was said that he was the son of a good general. After his father and brother were all killed in battle, the late emperor took pity on him and adopted him as his adopted son, and gave him the imperial title.
surname.
His surname is Yuan, with the single character Tao. He joined the army at the age of fifteen and made great achievements in battle. He was once granted the title of Marquis and was planned to be the general of the Zhu Kingdom in the Northern Daji Dao. However, later the late emperor died and the young emperor ascended the throne, and he was forced to get involved in court battles.
, was relieved of his duties and returned to Changyang to become a happy marquis.
"What are you thinking, little boss?" Yuan Tao smiled and poured a cup of tea for Xu Mu.
"In this huge inner city, there will not be more than three people who can allow me, Yuan Tao, to pour tea myself."
Listening, Xu Mu had a strange look on his face. Chang Silang always liked to talk about this.
"Master Marquis, if I remember correctly today, it was about talking about the boat and the oiran." After receiving the tea, Xu Muping raised his hand and respected each other from a distance.
"This matter was taken care of for you yesterday. If you have time, just go to the small canal and ask a few more questions."
Xu Mu felt even more uncomfortable in his heart. If you want to spend money, it doesn't matter if you pay more. You will pay the money on the spot and leave the counter without any responsibility.
But listening to Yuan Tao's tone, it was clear that he was trying to please others.
"Master Hou, this is five hundred taels, thank you in advance."
Xu Mu calmed his voice, took a bag of gold cakes from his arms, and placed it carefully on the stage.
"My little boss is a smart man and knows how to protect yourself wisely." Yuan Tao sighed and took out only one gold cake, "One is enough. I just passed on a message and I will take back the rest."
"I understand that you are afraid of owing a favor."
These words made Xu Mu feel relieved. Chang Silang just hanged one, and hanging another Hou with the surname of Guo would be playing with fire and burning himself.
"Sit down for a moment and let's chat."
"Honored."
Yuan Tao picked up the tea cup and took a sip. He raised his eyes and kept looking at Xu Mu.
"I would like to ask my little boss, how does the scenery in the inner city compare to Wangzhou Border Pass?"
"It's even more beautiful." Xu Mu replied calmly.
He still couldn't figure out what the Marquis with the surname of Guo in front of him wanted him to do.
"In my opinion, the inner city is much uglier than the border." Yuan Tao said in a tone of voice, "On the other side of the border, there are some idiots like Tongziying. But you see the most in the inner city.
He is just a scholar who follows the trend."
Holding the tea cup, Yuan Tao suddenly laughed.
"They will say that our country is peaceful and the people are safe, our military is unparalleled, and all nations will pay their respects. Finally, they will write a few tooth-staining odes, hoping that the original memorial will be included in the court and known to the world."
"A few days ago, I met a few scholars who wanted to make a name for themselves. They boasted that they were proficient in bows and horses. Unfortunately, they had to be guarded to lift and hold the horses for fear of falling."
As Yuan Tao spoke, there was sadness in his eyes.
"At the time of the late emperor, no matter how bad things were, there were still hundreds of thousands of soldiers rushing to the border. But now, I am like a blind man and can't see anything. I can only hear clearly the sounds of ghosts and ghosts in my ears from time to time, which hurts human ears."
Xu Mu lowered his head, not knowing how to respond.
"These people just want to eat sweet fruits, but they don't know that these fruits are about to rot. No matter how sweet the fruits are, how long can they last?"
"The top priority is to find a way to stabilize the tree first, and then control all the borers and diseases in the roots and stems."
Listening to this, Xu Mu felt more and more weird.
Chang Shiro also said something similar, but that Chang's temperament meant that he just pulled out the tree and planted a new one.
But the Marquis with the surname of Guo in front of him wanted to support the tree and then find a way to cure it.
One teaches him to rebel...the other teaches him to save the country.
What kind of flip-flop is this?
Xu Mu almost wanted to leave. If he continued to listen, he might even have to drink some ecstasy soup.
"I've heard a thing or two about the little boss."
Yuan Tao returned to normal, stood up, and poured Xu Mu another cup of tea.
"The Xiaodong family must have heard that Hezhou is in a hurry. Seventy thousand Beidi people have begun to besiege the city. If the situation is good, I estimate that there will be more and more reinforcements from the Di people later."
"Master Hou, I don't understand this." Xu Mu said calmly.
Yuan Tao seemed not to have heard anything and continued to speak slowly, "I still have an old army at the border. They are all loyal, righteous and courageous people."
Xu Mu's heart skipped a beat.
Sure enough, Yuan Tao in front of him had already raised his head solemnly.
"I would like to ask my little boss to go to the border for me and take charge of these three thousand veteran troops."
"Master Hou, I am so virtuous and capable."
"With you, you dare to lead the villagers to repel the Di people who surrounded the village. With you, you dare to set up an ambush and kill two hundred riders. With the riding skills you created. And with you, you are also a bastard!"
"Why don't the Marquis go in person?" Xu Mu gasped, feeling very depressed.
"I can't go. There are a lot of people in Changyang who want to keep an eye on me. According to them, they are afraid that I, a picked-up insect, will rely on my military exploits to seek to usurp the throne."
"There are three thousand people. There are 70,000 troops in Beidi. The Marquis wants me to die." Xu Mu said calmly.
Even if he did go to the border, Xu Mu would not expect that the border officers, including Zhao Qingyun, would listen to him.
The down-and-out man with the surname Hou in front of him must have had all his rights squeezed out.
"I am indeed making things difficult for you." Yuan Tao said solemnly, "But in such a huge inner city, I can't find any other candidate."
"Your role is to be a surprise soldier and win by surprise. If something really cannot be done... you can dismiss the three thousand old troops and return to the inner city on your own."
Xu Mu sat in silence, not knowing how to answer the question.
"Don't worry, you still have time to think about it. This round of reinforcements have just arrived, and those old foxes in the court are still dreaming of winning the battle before negotiating peace."
"When there is another big defeat, at least more than 100,000 troops will rush to the rescue. At that time, it will be your chance to make a surprise attack."
"If I don't agree, will the Marquis embarrass me?" Xu Mu raised his head.
"No." Yuan Tao stood up, with disappointment in his eyes, "You can still stay in the inner city, work on your private liquor business, and be a safe and happy small business owner."
"But I know that when Tongziying went to defend the city, you were still in the city."
"Recalling the mountains and rivers of our era, the borders were once strong and the Great Wall could not fall. The seven million warriors of the era, wielding halberds and wearing armor, swallowed thousands of miles like fierce tigers."
"Don't forget, you are also a chronicler."
Xu Mu did not reply. Faintly, the head of Wangzhou City appeared in front of him again, intertwined with smoke and arrow rain.
"Don't be impatient, think carefully first."
Yuan Tao bowed, raised his hand, and placed the golden cake on the banquet table.
"I'll treat you to this meal. I hope it's not a farewell drink."