Chapter 068 – Back Shadow

When Xu Fengyen and Yu Dilong returned to Fu family’s horse troop, naturally they did not get any good face, Xu Fengyen apologized to Feng Qianxiang, the latter used the slope to get off the donkey, but also did not be unforgiving, he this kind of old geezer is clear, going out, more familiar friends is more road, today other people ask for themselves, maybe tomorrow they will ask for someone else. Horse team continues to move forward, through the horsehair mountain, along a dry for many years of winding river, Yu DiLong hand holding a handful of greenish needle thatch grass and mallow, from time to time into the mouth to chew out the poor juice. After worshipping the master, the master did not teach him how to teach the world’s martial arts, there are only seven kinds of spitting method, spitting six, inhalation only one, the master was half a joke said, according to this stupid method of diligently practicing, once attained the realm of realization, equal to the sleep is also practicing martial arts, may be able to someday breath into the thunder. Yu Di Long just do it, anyway, in addition to the same old breath in and out, this child also has nothing to do. Xu Fengyen rode on the back of his horse, occasionally paying attention to Yu Di Long’s exhaling, more often than not, he was in a state of delirium.

Fish and Dragon Gang in addition to the beginning lurking that set of whisking water room spies, after that there are more follow themselves from Hui Mountain Da Xue Ping into the north liang big guest secretary Hong Phyo, quietly into it, recently there are more jianghu notorious sinking sword grotto master Mi Fengjie by virtue of the finger Xuan means, when it comes to sit in the position of the offering, that dead woman Fan Xiao Chai is also hiding in the shadows to protect Liu Nirong, the latter has already been known as north liang jianghu in the most powerful money of the woman. Of course, the guy who really pays for the big purchase of fields and mansions is Xu Fengyen. Xu Fengyen even moved out from the hearing tide pavilion more than a dozen boxes of martial arts manuals, allocated to the fish dragon gang, although all are second and third-rate things, but enough to let the people of the Jianghu crowded through the head also want to be among the fish dragon gang, now the fish dragon gang, is really the face of the lizi have, no one dares to say that this world’s 10th gang is all a bunch of rabble. Xu Fengyen does not expect these oily jianghu people to give Beiliang to sell their lives, but the Great War opened, Beiliang needs a solid backyard, the number of people has reached 2,000 people of the fish and dragon gang, the least can ensure that the grain silo of the Lingshou is as stable as a rock.

If the Fish and Dragon Gang is just the icing on the cake, then the Fu family in Beiliang, has been in the snow for a whole twenty years! Fu Zhensheng is in this family, to his father’s generation of seven people to lead, leading the clan and close friends, quietly set foot on the land of the three states of Beiliang, a few years ago the footprints even to the western region. To a family’s strength, for the northern Liang found eighty percent of the mines, just Fu family old and young are also strange, why obviously most of these mines are “open mountain” is not difficult, why the northern Liang government is only recorded in the file, sending soldiers to tightly seal the mountain, is not to go mining. Fu Zhensheng’s father had personally found a huge iron mine, the year smelting iron can reach 600,000 pounds, while the Liyang Dynasty in the end of the Yonghui iron yearly income total is only 6.5 million pounds. Fu Zhensheng’s father also helped Beiliang find a mercury production area in Ganquan County with a total annual income of 1,600 pounds, which is nearly 30% of the entire Liyang. In addition, there are three major copper-producing “pits” in Beiliang, Chengshui field, Baoxing field, Jiannan pit, and all of them, without exception, are not the work of Fu’s family. Why Xu Snapdragon will personally go to the Fu family’s old man’s memorial hall to pay respects? This is the reason, later Liang Mang war, than the competition is not only the number of border army armor, to the North Mang’s national strength and the toughness of the North Liang, once the fight, both sides know very well, who can not make a hammer to smash the opponent’s feat, the key is to look at who has accumulated down to the family base, can be delayed for a longer period of time. Beiliang looks like salt and iron official camp by those local bossy will be kind of portal control, like private, sick, in fact, Li Yishan has long been put forward, “the benefits of the mountains and rivers, bursting at every turn to exhaustion,” so it has been simply prohibited mountain sealing mines, and never reported to the imperial court, but by local officials to enrich their own pockets of blindfolds, the local authorities all the year round at the expense of a fixed amount of tax! From Beiliang outside the purchase of related materials, but the method is hidden, and are accumulated over time in small quantities, not too striking, the court side, even if some insightful people noticed the traces, but also not good to raise a division to ask for punishment, because not only is the Beiliang Road, the Emperor is far away, Beiliang Youzhou Lingshou adjoining a few states, in addition to the Gu Jiantang’s old department of generals in the command of the military, the local size of the government offices are also the same was penetrated by the In the past ten years, those officials, who is not an official for a period of time will be rich, out of office when both the reputation and oil and water? What’s more, this is conducive to the jurisdiction of the people’s livelihood of the things who are doing, the law is not responsible for the masses, the court is not going to want to smash down a top of the hat of treason and treason? When the human butcher Xu Snapdragon was alive, the civil and military officials in the temple, which dare?

The team of horses slowly moved forward against the wind and sand.

Xu Fengnian bit his lip.

Xu Snap definitely did not leave him, his son, a messy Northern Liang.

Instead, it was a Bei Liang with strong armor!

Xu Fengyen slightly skimmed his eyes and saw Fu Zhensheng’s horse pivoting and coming in on horseback, then riding alongside him. Xu Fengyen looked at this young face that could not see half of the world, his heart was filled with guilt, Fu Zhensheng’s father was the one who found that gold mine west of Fengxiang town, he himself stayed put and continued to explore, and let his beloved return to Beiliang to report the good news, as a result, he died in the hands of a group of horse thieves that were roaming around, in addition to Fu Zhensheng’s father, there were sixteen Fu family sons and daughters who died in the battle together, and the body has not been found so far. And Fu Zhensheng this for the family drag Lingshou children, once in a road after the injustice, was a group of local playboys blocked in front of the door of the alley beatings, Fu family did not therefore with the Northern Liang cry injustice and complain, hibernation in the territory of Lingshou whisk water room spies, strict rules, and will not be so for the Fu family, the third son of the first eldest strong head. The wind and sand were raging, Fu Zhensheng had to say loudly, “Mr. Xu, there are still more than ninety miles away from Qingcang City, we intend to rush all night long and finish this journey in one breath, I hope that Mr. Xu can hold on for a while.”

Xu Fengnian nodded without hesitation and smiled, “It is only right that the guest follows the host. This time, my disciple and I traveled to Qingcang City, thanks to Mr. Fu’s care along the way, I hope I can buy you a drink sometime in the future.”

When Fu Zhensheng heard the title “Mr.”, he obviously froze for a moment, this was a well-deserved title of respect, which was hardly used between people of the same age. What’s more, he Fu Zhensheng this life has no hope of success and fame, not to mention the luxury of going to the sands to wrestle for the military success of the scholar feudal lords, only want to inherit his father’s legacy, continue to travel through the mountains and rivers of Beiliang, originally thought that I am afraid that the whole life there will be no outsiders will not address themselves as a gentleman. A time some blush, face also more than one point of heartfelt smile, just want him Fu Zhensheng with an almost stranger guy attentive pleasantries, but also too difficult for this has never been in the official field of dye tanks in the young people have been crawling. But Fu Zhensheng looked at the man’s look, for some reason, seems to feel a very strange sincerity, this kind of face, in Lingzhou both embracing and xenophobic anointed children’s face is never see, those people, look at their own these powerless and penniless children of the Fu family, never only condescending sneer and pity.

Xu Fengyen said: “Qingcang military town to the west of Lin Rou Cai Anshan and Fengxiang Ma Liuko, these two earth emperors are now subordinate to the Liushu Assassin’s Office, nominally one became Lin Rou city pastor, one became Liushu vice general, in fact, they are in the North Liang army under close surveillance, do not dare to create chaos. Your horse team’s trip to Fengxiang should be much more peaceful than expected.”

Fu Zhensheng of course could not have imagined that there would be nearly a thousand iron horsemen secretly escorting his horse team, at this time, he did not dare to have the slightest bit of carelessness, but it is not good to dismiss people’s goodwill to their faces, so he laughed.

After a moment of silence, Fu Zhensheng suddenly asked, “Taking the liberty to ask, Mr. Xu’s Qi is long, he must be a martial arts practitioner, I just don’t know if he practiced swords or knives?”

Xu Fengnian laughed: “At first, I practiced swords, and later I had practiced swords as well.”

Fu Zhensheng probably felt that this male son of surely illustrious status was too greedy to chew, and at that moment, he did not know how to answer, and after holding his tongue for half a day, he could only say, “I was practicing swords since I was young, but I never managed to reach the top of the ladder. In the future when we return to Lingzhou, if we can still meet, we might as well spar.”

Yu Di Long secretly bared his teeth.

Thinking to himself that this guy is really powerful, he wants to spar with his own master in martial arts?

Xu Fengnian hmmmed, then asked with a smile, “How come I haven’t seen you wearing a sword?”

Fu Zhensheng laughed and said, “I am used to using a cool sword, but nowadays we are not allowed to wear a cool sword privately in Northern Liang, so I can only find an ordinary short sword and stuff it in my traveling bag.”

Next, Fu Zhensheng really can’t find the words, continue to go ahead and lead the horse team to drive all night, until late at night, the horse team finally arrived outside Qingcang city, Fu Zhensheng once again steered his horse to Xu Fengyen’s side, said: “Mr. Xu, we won’t go into the city, so we’ll leave you here.”

Xu Fengnian clasped his fists, “Have a safe journey.”

Fu Zhensheng was a bit worried, “The city is forbidden late at night, how will Mr. Xu enter the city? Although at this time there are elite horsemen patrolling all around Qingcang City, but this land of stragglers has after all only been subordinated to Beiliang for a few days, and we really can’t spare any manpower on our horse team side ……”

Xu Fengyen smiled and said, “It’s fine, I have a legitimate doorway to enter the city.”

Fu Zhensheng inevitably staggered, to this person again a high regard, to know that the Northern Liang border military law is extremely strict, not Lingzhou territory soldiers and horses can be compared. Since this was the case, Fu Zhensheng also stopped talking nonsense and bid farewell to each other.

Horse team in bypassing Qingcang city not long, heard an unusual hoofbeats, not only is Fu Zhensheng worried, sitting high on the back of the horse nervous outlook, and even drew out the short sword, even Zhao Jiabao and Feng Qianxiang are full of gravity, especially in the horse team in a connoisseur in the sticking to listen to the sound of no less than thirty riders, which makes the Fu family team of horses are like a formidable enemy, in the life of the land of the stragglers, in the past, as long as it is able to ride on a horse, that is extremely solid! In the land of the displaced people, in the past, as long as you can ride a horse, it is extremely difficult to deal with the outlaws, horse fighting skills, only on the words of single combat, can not even lose to the elite cavalry in the Beiliang Border Army. Although Fu’s horse team has more than a hundred people, Zhao Jiabao and Feng Qianxiang is also a martial arts body jianghu good, but really want to fight for their lives, which can not die, afraid of more afraid of a fishy, was followed by a large group of horse thieves on the trail, this way can be a few alive to arrive at Fengxiang military town are difficult to say. However, temporarily acting as a scout of a Fu family knight rushed back, actually full of joy can not hide, said aloud: “Young master, is a standard Dragon Elephant Ride, is our own people in Beiliang!”

Everyone was as relieved as if they were relieved, and they smiled at each other. The Dragon Elephant Cavalry under the Young Lord’s personal command, that was the iron cavalry of the iron cavalry of Northern Liang, last year, when they fought those military towns in Gusei Prefecture of Northern Mang, it was just like a strong man bullying a little lady.

That a standard dragon elephant cavalry in a hundred paces away from the horse stopped, only a standard commander look like a rider to continue to move forward, and rolled over off the horse, fast forward, this kind of initiative, so that the Fu family team of horses are confused, even if this standard of thunder and lightning dragon elephant cavalry in the city outside the night patrol, see their status with the common people almost common people, but also do not need to be this kind of solemn treatment, right? Fu Zhensheng and Zhao Jiabao Feng Qianxiang although unknown, but all hurriedly dismounted to meet, that robust armor standard long not only wear a new type of Northern Liang sword at the waist, the hand also holds an additional one, to the Fu family as the head of the three people asked in a deep voice: “Who is Fu Zhensheng Fu Gongzi?”

Fu Zhensheng replied respectfully, “I am.”

The standard bearer, who had a hideous scar on his face that slanted across his entire face, unprecedentedly squeezed out a smile, striding forward, holding his sword in both hands and handing it to Fu Zhensheng, saying, “Our king …….”

The standard chief hurriedly swallowed back the second word that almost came out of his mouth and said, “Our Prince, said that in order to thank you for escorting us on this trip, he would like to give this knife to Mr. Fu.”

Fu Zhensheng received the new Liang knife that even many miscellaneous generals in the territory of Lingzhou had only heard of its name and not seen its shape, that standard bearer grinned and said, “Our eunuch told you to rest assured to wear the knife, it’s hard to say when you return to Lingzhou, but as long as it’s in the territory of Liuju, no one dares to talk about this.”

Fu Zhensheng froze on the spot, that the standard commander mistakenly thought that this kid is timid, afraid that his words do not work, worried that elsewhere to the people caught in the act, will not be able to eat a pocket to go, he that is in the Dragon Elephant Army in the famous irascible temperament, almost about to go berserk, but hurriedly repressed, trying to maintain “pleasant”, but in fact, has already let Zhao Jiabao and Feng Qianxiang feel a strong killing flames, not to mention with this standard face-to-face Fu Zhensheng, almost thought this standard to turn over and kill people, behind the more than thirty solemn and cold fine horsemen, in the moonlight iron armor, even if the Fu family team of horses have the confidence to deal with an equal number of horse thieves, there is not a trace of confidence in the standard of the thirty-horsemen under the charge to escape. After the commander sent the sword, turned around and left, muttering, as if to say that this surnamed Fu’s mother-in-law is not cool, the next Fu Zhensheng they can not really hear.

After the commander mounted his horse, a standard cavalry disappeared in a flash.

It came and went like the wind.

Zhao Jiabao looked at Feng Qianxiang and asked softly, “Older brother Qianxiang, doesn’t it look a bit like that vice general of the Dragon Elephant Army, ‘Scarface’ Wang Lingbao?”

The corners of Feng Qianxiang’s mouth twitched as he laughed dryly, “That’s impossible.”

Fu Zhensheng mounted his horse and dangled his Northern Liang Sword, laughing, “How could it be! Uncle Zhao, Uncle Feng, let’s go.”

Zhao Jiabao looked self-deprecating and laughed, “That’s right, if it’s really that legendary Wang Lingbao who once wrung down seventeen Spring and Autumn generals and is notoriously bad-tempered, we won’t be enough for him to clean up with one hand.”

In the distance, on the walls of Qingcang City, the standard-bearer walked behind Xu Fengnian, bowed his head and cupped his fists and said in a deep voice: “Your Majesty, the sword has already been sent out. The last general has also mobilized 800 riders to follow behind, and will gradually increase the number of men along the way. If the Fu family’s horse team dies, not to mention a single person, or even a single horse, Your Highness, you will rip off Wang Lingbao’s head and use it as a urinal!”

Xu Fengnian nodded and said to himself, “It can be said that apart from you guys, it is also the Fu family that gives Beiliang the capital to fight North Mang to the end.”

Wang Lingbao raised his head and looked at this back.

It wasn’t always hunchbacked like the Great General’s later years.

But Wang Lingbao clearly remembered that when the Great General was in his prime, as long as he stood there, he was standing on top of the sky!

Wang Lingbao rubbed his face fiercely.

Xu Fengyen turned around and asked with a smile, ”Vice General Wang, if I remember correctly, you entered the Northern Liang Army at the age of fourteen, or was it the Xian Deng Battalion? That’s almost thirty years of fighting, right?”

Wang Lingbao was a bit flustered, reddened his face and stiffened his neck, “Your Highness, I’m not old, thirty years of war is just a battle, I haven’t fought enough!”

Xu Fengnian glared.

Wang Lingbao instantly shrunk his neck, heck, this prince is after all the one who killed Wang Xianzhi, old son to serve a soft, not shameful, right?

Xu Fengyen couldn’t help but laugh, “The person who knows the movement of that troop on this side of Liuzhou, you count as one, in order to cover for them, give you a battle to fight, how about it?”

Wang Lingbao subconsciously rubbed his hands together and asked, “This battle, is it big?”

Xu Fengyen said, “There is definite news on the spy report, saying that Fengxiang city shepherd Ma Liuko, the thief’s heart is not dead, and the North Mang eye to eye.”

Wang Lingbao carry on anxious eyes, then habitually cursed: “Dog day Ma Liu Ke, on his thousands of minions, are not enough to carry out a random lieutenant under the command of the old man to fill the stomach of …….”

Xu Fengnian laughed: “Are you going or not?”

Wang Lingbao wiped his mouth, a bloody “naive smile” appeared on his face, he said: “Go, why not? Mosquito leg is also meat, not eat for nothing.”

Xu Fengnian waved his hand.

Wang Lingbao ran all the way down the city.

Turning his head, he looked at the back again.

Always felt that the Great General was standing there again.