Xu Mu had no intention of staying in Hezhou, and without even saying goodbye, he took more than 400 people and rushed coldly from the south gate to the inner city.
Zhao Qingyun sat on the city wall, holding a pot of wine in silence in the cool breeze. No one drank with him, so he raised his head and drank a few sips, and the wine jar smashed on the wall.
It must be that the rainy season has passed, and the moonlight tonight is rare and bright, reflecting the bright hall in front of the official road, even the lanterns are omitted.
Xu Mu sat on the carriage and checked the injuries one by one. He was relieved when he found that several people in the village were indeed suffering from dysentery.
"My boss, there were dozens of people in the village at first, but when the officials came to arrest the husband, there were hundreds of them. When they entered the house, they robbed it, and then killed people after they robbed it."
"Everyone had no choice but to escape from the village. Along the way, they encountered several groups of crazy refugees and government soldiers, and many people died."
"In the end, there were only a few of us left." Xiniang's voice became even more somber.
Xu Mu's chest felt slightly astringent. It was a long way into the inner city and he couldn't bring so many villagers with him. For this reason, he even helped choose a good place to go.
But no one thought that Beidi would call so soon.
"Come to the inner city with me. Caiwei will definitely be happy to know that you are going home." Xu Mu comforted her.
Xi Niang looked excited and did not forget to kneel down and kowtow to Xu Mu.
"Get up, you are not an outsider."
Xu Mu smiled and lowered his head. At his feet, Xiniang's two children were already sleeping soundly on his knees.
…
"Good news! Good news!"
"Zhao Qingyun, the general who defeated Beidi, combined with the divine power of a hundred thousand veteran households to defeat Beidi's 130,000-strong army!"
In the streets of Changyang, countless cheers came one after another. For this great victory, the restaurant offered half price for three days, and the artillery shop played hundreds of fireworks in the clear sky in broad daylight.
Even the flower ladies in the Qingguan Hall, the money they paid for the night today has dropped by 30%.
The most lively one is definitely Shuixie Academy.
In one morning, at least a hundred hymns were written out of nowhere, almost causing the master swinging a folding fan to smooth out his goat's beard.
"Ahem."
Yuan Tao sat under the weeping willow tree and coughed for a long time before taking a breath. There was unconcealable excitement on his face.
"My little boss saved at least half of the world this time."
"Master, they all say it's Zhao Qingyun's military exploits."
Yuan Tao's face was calm, without any anger.
"If my little boss wanted it, if he wanted to become a prime minister, he would have taken it long ago."
"What do you mean, Master?"
Yuan Tao sighed deeply, "He is a very smart person. He knows...ahem, he knows that I am trying to win over him."
"Then Master, why didn't you let him get military honors in the first place?"
"If I said this, I would be making a bad move. Everything must be reversed. The little boss seems to be relying on others, but in fact he is a proud and proud person."
"His choice may not be to take my Yangguan Road or Xiao Haitang's single-plank bridge."
"But I... don't have much time."
Gu Ying, who was standing by, suddenly looked anxious.
Yuan Tao raised his head, his extremely handsome facial features could not reflect his pale face.
"Gu Ying, I'm poisoned."
…
After half a month's journey, we finally arrived at Laoguan.
Xu Mu raised his head and looked at Laoguan in front of him. He seemed to have received news of the great victory at the border pass. Not only were there fewer officers and soldiers patrolling, but also many civilians doing repairs.
"It's really hopeless." Chen Jiaqiao frowned.
At any time, being prepared for danger in times of peace is the most basic operation of a dynasty. But in this era, God knows how bad it has become.
Xu Mu frowned and asked more than 400 men and horses to leave the official road and go around the plum forest towards the path.
At this time, tens of thousands of refugees who were following them all knelt on the ground and thanked Xu Mu with red eyes. If Xu Mu hadn't slowed down and sent food from time to time, they would never have been able to reach the inner city.
"Boss, I just saw a round of official announcements." Zhou Zun came back, his face full of anger.
"What's wrong?"
"Those officials all said that it was Zhao Qingyun, that greedy dog, who defeated hundreds of thousands of Beidi troops! Boss, I'm angry!"
Xu Mu's face was calm, not too angry.
"Let me ask you, are you willing to serve the Great Discipline at this time?"
"Of course I don't want to!" Not only Chenjiaqiao, but also the more than 400 riders behind them all shouted angrily.
As early as this trip to the border, they all saw what a state of ruin this great era had become. If 60,000 veteran households had not been killed, they would probably have died in a foreign land.
"That's right." Xu Mu smiled lightly, "If you want to achieve military success, you can at most exchange it for silver and robes, armor and weapons. But don't we have enough of these things?"
The carriages accompanying them were packed to the brim.
"Zhao Qingyun is not a fool. If he steals this military merit and goes back to Changyang to report on his duties, he will only take all the military merits for himself and will not give me away."
"Boss, you are right to say that, but I am still not convinced. That greedy dog did nothing and was promoted very quickly." Chen Sheng said angrily from the sidelines.
"With a rotten chessboard, no matter how shiny the chess pieces are, they are useless."
"Master, please lift the chessboard." Chen Jiaqiao said with a smile.
Xu Mu gave Chen Jiaqiao a strange look. It was a good time. He would probably be persuaded to rebel in the future.
But no matter what happens in the future, in such troubled times, self-preservation must be the first priority. Fortunately, the thousands of private soldiers Yuan Tao gave to the notarizer were put to use.
Even though he only has more than 400 people now, you must know that these 400 people all survived the rain of arrows and falling rocks.
People need to be brave.
With good courage, everything can be settled.
"Master, I will be going home in a few days."
This sentence made the more than 400 people running around look bright and energetic.
"When we return to Horseshoe Lake, my boss will take out all the Zui Tianxian from the cellar and drink with you all."
"My boss, what if Madam won't let me do it?"
"Hey, Brother Sheng, my sister-in-law is the most reasonable. I want a drink, but Brother Mu won't give it to me, so my sister-in-law secretly gives me half a jar."
Xu Mu stretched out his hand, placed a heavy chestnut on top of Si Hu's head.
"Brother Mu, Xi Niang has also returned. This time, not only is there good wine, but also good meat. Brother Sheng, even the mules won't eat the food cooked by your mother-in-law."
Xu Mu thought Chen Sheng would be angry, but unexpectedly, the guy licked his face and agreed.
"Brother Tiger, I don't like food either."
"Oh, I'll go back and talk to Sister Lian right now."
"I'll knock you silly tiger down with a monkey punch."
Gong Dog sat on the top of the carriage, and when he heard the joy, he let out a "clucking" laugh.
Xiniang sat aside, holding her child in her arms. The men's harsh words made her rarely smile shyly.
In the speeding carriage, Xu Mu looked at the passing scenery.
His heart really began to miss her.
His little maidservant wife might be standing on the roadside in the forest, wearing a bun and a light white skirt, her eyes full of anticipation.
It's time to wait.
That day, there was a chaos of war and chaos, so I took my little maid and my wife out of the city.
Xu Mu sat quietly, with Gu Jing Wubo's expression as if he had already returned home.