The one who followed Guo Ning back was naturally Wang Shixian. And what followed Wang Shixian was not his two ancient Wang companions, but a skinny donkey.
That night, Guo Ning did not tell Wang Shixian in detail what his successor would do. He only said, if brother Shixian can trust me, just come with me and you will not suffer any loss.
Wang Shixian was doubtful, and he didn't know whether Guo Ning was talking nonsense.
A small soldier who fled to Hebei actually regarded Mongolia as his opponent in his words, as if he was some great person who could do great things. If it had been anyone else, he would have been laughed at on the spot.
Laughing, I thought Guo Ning was crazy.
But Wang Shixian was rescued twice by Guo Ning, and there was some sense of friendship. He heard Guo Ning's analysis of the positions of various forces in Anzhou with his own ears.
With what?
Wang Shixian himself knew better that the origins of the entire Wanggu tribe were complex. They had been distributed along the Dajin border fortress in the past hundred years, and the relationship within the ethnic group was very alienated. The king of Peiping, Alawusi, who took refuge in Mongolia, was almost the same as the Wanggu tribe in Gongchang Prefecture.
No connection at all.
It is of course Wang Shixian's good hope to rely on his identity as an ancient Wang to seek refuge in Mongolia and seek glory and wealth. However, under the fierce war and danger, it is normal for him to be crushed into powder if he is not careful. In any case, a fierce man like Guo Ning,
You have to pull them together with all your strength in order to maintain the safety in front of you.
Therefore, Wang Shixian agreed to Guo Ning's request and agreed to unite the two families in one place.
He then suggested that both families might as well settle at the Wanggu camp in the east of Xinqiao Ying.
Guo Ning immediately said that Xinqiao Camp is too close to Wocheng County and Yujiazhuang, so it must be further away so that the two parties can rest assured and we can prepare with peace of mind.
Wocheng County is the administrative seat of Anzhou and the residence of Tu Shanhang, the governor of Anzhou. The Yu family in Yujiazhuang is the leader of the local clan in Anzhou, and is where the various clans in Yujiazhuang conduct daily business and exchanges. Why is it so far away from these two places?
How can we feel at ease? What exactly is the preparation Guo Liulang is talking about?
Wang Shixian became more and more confused. But he was a warrior who had survived many battles, and one judgment was very clear. That is, at any time, whoever has the biggest fist will have the final say.
So he quickly corrected his attitude and said cheerfully: "It is indeed better on the other side of the Kuijun River! Whatever you say, Guo Liulang!"
At that moment, Wang Shixian asked two subordinates to go to Xinqiao Camp to gather their scattered companions, and he followed Guo Ning to Xiangjun River.
After Wang Shixian fell into the hands of Xiao Haohu, he was tortured and suffered a lot. Guo Ning also suffered injuries, especially the arrow wound on his back that was torn again during the fight, and the flesh and blood of the wound adhered to and rubbed against the clothes.
He felt severe pain every step he took.
At first, they could rely on perseverance to support themselves, but later on, both of them were very tired. They could not walk more than ten or twenty miles, so they had to stop and rest for a while. Fortunately, there was a village community that Guo Ning was familiar with halfway.
We rested in the village and had a good night's rest.
When the people in the village heard that Guo Ning had killed Xiao Haohu, they were in awe, and the next day they diligently provided a donkey to take his place.
Since the time of King Sejong, the nine herding stations set up by Dajin in the border areas and the northeastern hinterland have existed in name only. Both the army and the people were short of horses, and many people in various places raised donkeys to make up for the lack of livestock power. But three years after arriving in Da'an, the imperial court tried its best to
After searching, donkeys have become a rarity.
Guo Ning thanked him, left a long knife with a good steel blade and paid the price of the donkey, and then set off on his way.
Guo Ning and Wang Shixian were both good riders, and they were also good at riding donkeys. They piled their weapons and armor on the donkeys' backs, and took turns riding the donkeys to rest. Finally, they returned to the Xiangjun River camp after the fourth day.
The first few children who saw Guo Ning came up and touched Guo Ning's armor and weapons happily.
After his brother passed away, Lu Shu missed him day and night. The more he missed his brother, the more he hated Xiao Hao and his subordinates and gnashed his teeth. He only lamented that he was young and weak and could not join Guo Ning in killing the enemy.
The half-child scolded his companions, came up and looked up and asked: "Brother Liulang, are you back? Have you really avenged my brother?"
"This is my younger brother Lu Shu. His elder brother is my Alixi. He was killed in a sneak attack by Xiao Haohu just a few days ago." Guo Ning explained to Wang Shixian, and he replied sternly to Lu Shu:
"That's natural. I've cut off the enemy's head!"
"It's good to chop off heads! It's even better to chop off more heads! It's also good to shoot them to death with arrows!" Lu Shu clenched his fists.
"That's natural. All the damned people have died by the sword!" Guo Ning touched Lu Shu's head: "Ah Shu, go tell your sister that guests are coming and prepare some food."
Lu Shu saluted like an adult and took the lead in leading the way, asking his companions to report quickly.
"Brother Shixian, I'm living in a bit of embarrassment these days. Don't dislike me."
"Haha, no, no."
Wang Shixian agreed, followed Guo Ning out of the water, and saw the shacks and the people waiting eagerly beside the shacks.
What a shack it was! It was so dilapidated!
Wang Shixian couldn't help but say "hey".
This place is actually more shabby than Wang Shixian imagined, and it is far inferior to the village where Wang Shixian settled in Xinqiaoying. With Guo Ning and his friends around him being strong and good at fighting, as long as they are willing to put aside their status and have some means,
Why are you so embarrassed?
From this we can see that Guo Liulang was indeed as stubborn as Wang Shixian remembered him, but his vision was not necessarily very broad.
However... the Guo Liulang he had seen in the past few days seemed to have changed a lot, so much so that Wang Shixian felt a bit unfathomable.
It's really strange.
The two of them followed Lu Shu all the way to Guo Ning's residence.
After sitting down and exchanging a few words, Lu Han brought the food. At this speed, it seemed that he had been preparing it all the time, so he could just make a fire to heat it up temporarily.
The food itself was very poor, consisting of nothing more than gruel mixed with wild vegetable leaves, and pancakes baked from whole grains of beans and wheat.
Guo Ning was really thirsty and hungry, so he took a wooden bowl and drank the porridge in big gulps, licking the bottom of the bowl clean. The hot soup and hot water swayed in his stomach, which made him feel very comfortable. He looked up and saw, Wang Shixian's text
He ate slowly and elegantly, while a few children outside the door poked their heads in, looking at the pancakes and drooling.
Guo Ning smiled, picked up two pancakes, walked outside the door, broke them into small pieces of similar size according to the number of children, and gave one piece to each of them.
The children left happily, but Lu Han followed them out, looking a little unhappy.
"Ahem, I killed Xiao Haohu and his important men." Guo Ning said.
"It's too dangerous! Don't do this again!" Lu Han lowered his head and said.
"There's no danger, that guy is no match for me." Guo Ning laughed twice.
There was a small dry and chapped wound on his lower jaw. It was itchy probably because he drank hot soup. He raised his hand to scratch it, and the dense stubble made a rustling sound: "The kids are very hungry. Go get some more."
Food, please let everyone eat. Today and tomorrow, Tudan, the governor of Wocheng County, and the Yu family of Xinqiaoying will send people to deliver prayers and greetings. By then, there is no need to worry about food and clothing expenses!
"
"Giving gifts? How could Tudan Governor and the Yu family of Xinqiaoying come to give gifts?" Wang Shixian had a very good ear. He came out holding a wooden bowl and asked repeatedly.
Guo Ning asked back: "I remember that here in Anzhou, at the end of October last year, we received an order from the imperial court to upgrade the local military jurisdiction and patrol envoy to the capital commander and establish the capital military department. Brother Shixian, have you ever thought about why Tu Shan was the governor?
The Anzhou Dujun Division has not been established yet? Why does he value Xiao Haohu so much? Why did Xiao Haohu immediately summon the Yu family of Xinqiao Camp to see him after he wiped out many defeated armies? "
Didn't you talk about gifts? Why are you mentioning these again?
Guo Liulang, you have really changed. You don't even speak like a normal person anymore.
A series of questions almost staggered Wang Shixian: "Ahem... Liulang, it's up to you to talk, I'll listen."
"Tu Shanhang is a son of a nobleman in Zhongdu, a relative of the emperor of the clan, and has countless important ministers and generals. He himself is also a well-known rising star. Although he is a foreign official, he is ambitious. I think that his intention to seek the military governorship of Shuntian Army is
Brother Shixian must also know about it. This kind of person, as the governor of this state, cannot gather strong soldiers and horses to serve as a military commander. The reason is nothing more than the constraints of the local big family."
"It's those families near Xinqiao Camp headed by the Yu family!"
"That's right!" Guo Ning said eloquently: "The governor wanted to perform meritorious service on the battlefield and serve the imperial court. But in the past two years, Anzhou's household registration has been reduced by 40%, and the number of strong men has been reduced by 60%.
The disadvantages are extreme, and the people's hearts have long been in turmoil. Who among the local wealthy families in Anzhou is willing to send their sons and sons to die on the battlefield? Naturally, they will do their best and obstruct them in every possible way. That's why Tu Shanhang launched the rout of troops in Anzhou.
idea."
At this point, Guo Ning sneered: "Xiao Hao and Hu don't have a good reputation. Why would Tu Shanhang still use him? He just wants to use this mad dog to bite the local clan! And Xiao Hao
Hu is also working hard. Once he sweeps away the armies, he immediately gathers his troops to intimidate the Yu family and other clans..."
"But Xiao Haohu was killed by Liu Lang?"
"If Xiao Haohu dies, the hundreds of Xi troops at Gaoyang Pass will inevitably be in chaos. Tu Dan, the governor, will definitely seize this opportunity and directly control the Xi army. In this process, I, Guo Liulang, sometimes use Tu Shanhang to
Sometimes it is a tool to intimidate Xi Jun, and sometimes it is the target of his promise to revenge Xi Jun. It is also possible that at some point, he will become the chief officer of Tu Shanhang's next military department... The power of officialdom is nothing more than this, but the premise is that I
It's best to stay here at Xiangjun River and not to act rashly, lest the situation changes again."
"Hiss..." Wang Shixian gasped: "Then, where is Yujiazhuang?"
"The grain-shooting army and the prison army in Anzhou have been mobilized for many years and have long ceased to exist in name only. Therefore, Tu Shanhang is just a short-term state general, and the Yu family and other clans can defy the odds. If Tu Shanhang has three people under his command,
With Xi Jun as a wolf and a tiger, how far do you think he can go? He has a military department and wants to continue recruiting troops. Is it okay to set up another military department? He wants to urge the local government to pay food.
Is it okay to check the progress of tax payment? He wants to check the household registration and see the origin and number of expatriates under the names of local wealthy families, is it okay?"
"He has the status of a court official, and no matter how powerful he is, he can certainly do it."
"Then, as long as there is a smart person in Yujiazhuang, Tu Shanhang will not be allowed to control Xi Jun stably. We must find an opportunity to let Xi Jun fall apart. So, who is Xi Jun's natural enemy?"
"Well……"
When Wang Shixian was about to answer, the children who had taken the pancakes and went out to chew them happily came running over again with a huff.
The leader was Lu Shu.
"A group of people came over. They brought many boxes, cages, and horses. I asked them to wait outside! They said, there is a letter from you, Liu Lang!" Lu Shu finished breathing heavily and handed Guo Ning a letter.
When he opened it, he saw a lot of words written on it. Guo Ning was impatient to read the polite words and went directly to the end, where he said: "If you don't want to go to the court to give a speech, you will rarely talk about your feelings. Because you are busy with common affairs, you will not be able to do so. I sincerely wish to
I send you my old man to serve as your deputy, and I have some small gifts in a special form. I would like to send you this letter respectfully."
At the end of the article, the signature was exactly that of Tu Shanhang, with a monogram of flying dragons and phoenixes attached.
"This gentleman is really good at calligraphy." Guo Ning said.
"Where are the gifts? What kind of gifts are there?" Wang Shixian asked.