Chapter 104 – Good Bird Good World

The carriage slowly stopped, Xu Fengyen let go of only one incense stick work with the water tank out of the general Huyan Guanyin, stooped down and lifted the curtain, see there are three riders parked next to the stage road, not armored, jianghu shorts attire, very clean and sharp, but with the martial arts people are different from the waist are wearing a Beiliang knife, one of the young riders is especially colorful, the face of the crown like a jade, the back of the horse hangs a not too big sturdy leather pouch, inserted five or six branches of Short halberd. Xu Fengyen saw these familiar faces, smiled and jumped off the carriage, stomped his feet, it was cold, the ground of the stagecoach road was hard, the three riders saw His Highness get off the carriage, rushed to turn over and dismounted, Xu Fengyen waved his hand, signaling that they should not toss those red tape and etiquette. Three riders are phoenix word battalion white horse righteousness from the origin, in the northern Liang vaguely become the most is the root of the handful of people, not to mention the three in the Hong Shuwen in the Iron Gate Pass a battle, let a person scratch the eye, holding a double sword, slaughtered six imperial guards and a golden sword guards, nicknamed Hong Ruthless son of the young rider now become Wang Zhi vice general, nominal top of the Changshui Lieutenant’s title, the last time the Fish and Dragon gang in the county of Longqing has also been exposed, this time was transferred to the Lingshou Xu Fengnian remembers that when he asked Wang Zhi for someone, Wang Zhi was shivering with pain and had the look of a dead father and mother, and then quickly changed his face and asked His Highness for two real lieutenants as compensation. Xu Fengyen asked Hong Shuwen for his warhorse, while this Changshui Lieutenant rode with his swordsman, four people, three riders, plus a carriage, and together they traveled to Huangnan County. Xu Fengyen smiled and asked, “Hong Shuwen, Ning Emei taught you the short halberd?”

Hong Shuwen, who always gives people a kind of desert lone wolf ruthless temperament beside His Highness, obediently converged a lot of phase from the heart of the hostility, actually some a few shy, nodded his head and said, “General Ning said that I have some halberd talent, when I am used to using a short halberd, and then teach me the halberd.”

Xu Fengyen also did not intentionally take words to enlist the people, after a few sentences of small talk, he pushed his horse forward.

Near noon, to the Huangnan County border town, holding the horse, the town more than the New Year’s Eve fair, the people of the nearby villages have come to buy new year’s goods, there are county officials take this opportunity to set up a stage to light candles to say good books, for the parents of the official line of teaching people pro-people, but the Northern Liang people’s style of pugnaciousness, on this kind of thing is only as a hilarious joke to see, away from the Yangzhou County of other states and counties of this kind of to the official career embellishment of the line of work, but also quite solemn and dignified, to say that the good books of the person must be Clothing clean, in Beiliang there are non-donkey non-horse suspicion, many are slightly literate officer to go up to the string, and even some like to show off the lieutenant rolled up his sleeves on the stage to shake his head, like Xu Fengyen at this time to stop and watch from afar, the stage slurred on the small official even if it is the same old tune, and still read the wrong passage, some of the good memory has long been well familiar with the children on the coaxing, the children a hullabaloo, around the side of many adults also followed! Cheers, the small official fell face, stared and stretched his fingers, caught a man on the angry scolding, the man is not afraid of this chicken feather order arrow of the small official authority, the big voice to scold, and then the man’s mother-in-law also eyes charming flirting a few sentences, the small official was not really annoyed, mouth, take the opportunity to tease the breasts of the woman, but the north of the Liang women where can be thin-skinned oil lamp, a few lines of rhetoric and non-vegetarian language on the small official made the In this unseemly clamor, the stereotypical and pedantic saying of good books has become a festive event that everyone enjoys.

Xu Fengnian looked around and asked Hong Shuwen to find a restaurant, as long as it was clean. The group ate lunch and continued to move to Huangnan County, Xu Fengyen temporarily bought a wide sable hat for Huyan Guanyin to cover her forehead and eyebrows, so that her posture is not too shocking, the three escorts who left the Feng Zi Camp and turned to infiltrate the local officialdom in Beiliang always kept their eyes open, especially Hong Shuwen, from beginning to end, Huyan Guanyin seemed to be non-existent. Re-mounted, by the marketplace folded into a post road branch road, Beiliang post road in addition to the bright surface of the state county county three level division, in addition to many of the passes between, there are several more able to eat silver hidden post road, a lot of seemingly burdensome post pawns are with heavy money to raise, if it is not the Beiliang financial strength is not able to support, Xu Snapdragon still have a large amount of money to be implemented. The Liyang court in Zhang Julu insisted that the tax “diarrhea” poured into the northern border of this taotie belly, south of Jiangnan, most of the stagecoach road to varying degrees was abolished and reduced, Zhang Julu in the building Zhang Lu is very harsh reprimanded a few of the local members of the Beijing, a slight change of heart after the incident, it was immediately restored to the norm, coupled with a stagecoach road compared to the Zhang Julu to personally Catch the horse political matter, the chief minister adults do not have three heads and six arms, really can not be divided into too much energy to go in the stagecoach road to rectify on the matter must be personally, and the Gu Party hold the Ministry of War for eighteen years, Zhang Julu not only interfere with the horse political, but also directly to the amazing oil and water of the horse political piece of fat meat and even the bowl are end of the military up and down the heart of the grievances have long since been born, and therefore the red eunuch Sun Tanglu last time a trip to the north of the country, back to the capital before saying a night! He returned to the capital to talk about the affairs of Northern Liang that he saw with his own eyes, and after mentioning the stagecoach route, he let His Majesty the Emperor fall into a deep thought and speechlessness for a long time. Xu Fengyen did not whip the horse fast, the Northern Liang war horse iron hooves under the stage road developed, this is a double-edged, can ensure that the troops and horses food and grass run quickly at the same time, if the Northern Mang 350,000 border troops defeated the Northern Liang iron horse, then it can be a drum to cross the border, there is no doubt that the road to the south is unobstructed. The reason why the Zhao family to Xu Snapdragon again and again, even the salt and iron matter have turned a blind eye, all the years of transport into the Liang is not too difficult, not afraid of the Northern Liang gateway to open up the scourge of the Central Plains of the concern, and later to let Chen Zhi Bao into the Shu, but also do not look forward to Xu Fengyen in charge of the Northern Liang military armor, the court has done the worst, in case of the Northern Liang Xu can not afford to support the Zhao room in the northwest of the beam, at least there is Chen Zhi Bao’s Shu as a second line of defense. To the Xu Snapdragon Zhang Julu this level, conspiracy and trickery in fact become less meaningful, art power, in the end, or get the power to get the world.

Xu Fengyen waved his hand towards Hong Shuwen and said: ”Captain Hong, nowadays, Beiliang has as many honorary and loose officials as there are hairs on the ground, not to mention lieutenants, even generals are all over the streets, if I remember correctly, Beiliang is the same as Liyang, the civil and military official ranks and loose official ranks together amount to seventy-four ranks, coupled with all those scattered grants and donations, it is simply impossible to even count them all. If I take back all of them someday, or get rid of most of them, tell me, what will happen to the officialdom of Beiliang?”

Hong Shuwen hesitated for a moment.

Xu Fengnian smiled, “There’s no harm in speaking straight.”

Hong Shuwen said in a deep voice, “Your Highness, then our Northern Liang will really be in a mess. If the hearts of the people in the rear are unstable, those who sold their lives to the generals on the border, who are not dragging their families nowadays, will also be unsettled. Let’s say humble Hong Shuwen’s family, dad was due to military service, was awarded a sixth grade cloud riding lieutenant, uncle some knowledge, also sealed a in Beiliang is not too common from the sixth grade Confucianism Lang, these have grade no title, in the local is also the father with the old brothers get together face, really want to say to take this thing to make profit to scrape the land, want to do can’t do it, if all of a sudden was taken away, the old guys are also If it is taken away all of a sudden, the old guys will also be cold-hearted, and it is even worse than not having thousands of taels of silver. Your Highness, I dare to say something in my heart, this time I heard the elders of my family say that the foreign scholars have come in thousands, all of them have come to snatch their rice bowls with the old Beilang, this time I went to the general’s mansion in Lingzhou from Longqing county, I also heard a lot of rumors, all of them are unfavorable to your Highness.”

Xu Fengnian nodded his head and smiled, “Many people have joined together to stir up the dark winds and light ghost fires, and have warmed up the fire stove that is the officialdom of Lingzhou, ah. I’m afraid that there are still quite a few people working diligently to add firewood to the stove, this end of the year in Northern Liang is quite different from previous years, it really isn’t cold at all.”

Hong Shuwen was a bit puzzled that His Highness the World Prince was still laughing? Because Hong Shuwen is his highness “close minister” reason, in the local small prestige of the Hong family this time did not go to the pile of people, closed the door, ignore the disputes, has been a lot of relations with the original good family isolation and alienation. To Hong Shuwen on the battlefield to kill the enemy by no means ambiguous, Hong Shuwen has always felt that the man should be in the sand to throw his head and spill blood, has not yet become a glorious general, has thought about the return of the horse leather wrapped in a corpse. But to pinpoint the ills of the time would really take his life, since His Highness asked about this crop of pandemonium muck, this once in the family dared to slap the aunt half dead Hong Ruthless son can only have one to say one.

Xu Fenian slowly said: ”The right medicine for the right disease, the urgency is different. Then the first real power in the hands of the generals of this order finalized, the border army first do not touch, Hong Shuwen, first with you through a bottom, I intend to set up in accordance with the terrain of the Northern Liang fourteen full five grade lieutenants, lieutenants to the territory of the name of the dangerous passes, Lingshou accidentally there are only three, Wang Zhi will go to the border with the West Sichuan Mi Cang Ling Road E guard Lazikou, the other two, one to the temporary Lingshou vice general of the Han Laoshan, the rest of the one to let the whole of the Lingshou fight! Go, I do not believe it, such a big piece of fat meat will not have smart people hooked, as long as the lieutenant, means that from a large number of day to day with the trivial dealings with the school lieutenant lieutenant, called a side of the vassals is not too much, as long as someone is willing to take the lead to start the infighting, the next thing to do a lot of good. Originally Han Laoshan’s position, I intend to give you, but your current military success is not obvious, Han Laoshan behind the banner of Xu Snapdragon, after all, where he can convince the masses, you can not, so I first put you in the Lingshou Generals House to save up a bit of seniority, although I can not be disposed of Lingshou officialdom with a quick and easy way to cut through the chaos, but a little bit of no blood, doomed to say that it would not be able to say that you will need to use you, Beiliang local lieutenants lieutenant! I don’t think there are many opportunities to chop people up, you don’t take it seriously. In the future, when I leave Lingzhou, you most likely have to give Lingzhou new assassin Xu Beihao help, I believe you know my relationship with Xu assassin, ugly words in advance, if he made a mistake, you Hong Shuwen shoulder that head simply can not afford to compensate.”

Hong Shuwen subconsciously wiped his neck, hemmed and hawed and laughed: “Anyway, your highness said what I will do, no second thoughts, but can you ask your highness for a favor?”

Xu Fengnian laughed and scolded, “Why are you the same as Wang Zhi? If you have an ass, let it go!”

Hong Shuwen whispered, “Your Highness, when there is a battle on the border in the future, you can’t forget Hong Shuwen.”

Xu Fengyen asked, “Twenty years ago, the reason why so many people joined the military was because there was no peace anywhere, they all went for the glory and riches, and if they gambled, they might be able to wrestle their way into an official position. But now is not the same, you Hong Shuwen how to let go of the stability of the official not to do, have to go to the border to fight for their lives? Tie the head on the waistband of the pants is very cool ah? Or do you think you can’t be a big official on the ground?”

Hong Shuwen as long as grinning, there are some inherently sinister, “Hong Shuwen is different from others, is not accustomed to the days of idleness and pleasure, especially after mixing with His Highness, a day does not kill people will be uncomfortable, to go to the green house to find tender flesh of the women to have a good time, after the pain, feel tired, can not help but to wring their necks. This disease is estimated to be incurable, and will only be able to go to the border to kill people.”

Xu Fengnian smiled, not commenting.

In a peaceful world, the people sleep. When they woke up, their homes were still there, people were alive, they labored every day, and if they still had one or two good thoughts, this was a good world.

Hong Shuwen is definitely not a good bird in the eyes of the people, but without people like Hong Shuwen and Li Hanlin, the good world of Northern Liang will not last long.