Chapter 300: The King of Western Chu (I)

The town of Lifeng in the south of the capital city of Liyang is a hub of the vertical canal. Originally, it was just a remote village that no one asked for, but in just two decades, it has jumped to become a prosperous town of considerable scale, with everything that is available, and it is not inferior to the famous towns of the south of the Yangtze River at all.

There is a green shirt Confucian scholar carrying a small bag into the wind town, in the town of mixed fish and dragons is not conspicuous. There is a saying in Lifeng Town: people returning from the north are all cowards, and those going south are the golden ones. Because of the recent wind town often heard near the hoof bursts, constantly a large group of cavalry south to support the Guangling Road, said to be the big picture will be set, the court in the ear of the big shots, especially the military bigwigs, all make out of the children and grandchildren into the south of the army’s team, the most exaggerated is the two Liao Liao as one of the sea god of the customs of one of the veteran generals, only to let the first eldest grandson of the border of Liaodong from the hands of a solid lieutenant of the hard Official body, soon the grandson out of the border army in a hurry, thrown to the battlefield side of the Guangling Road, it is said to have become a change, became the commander-in-chief of the Southern Expedition Lu Shengxiang’s military staff, naturally, the future is very promising.

The Confucian did not find a resting place inn, but straight to lift the wind of the town’s well-known book market, a three hundred steps on both sides of the street are large and small book store bookshop, although the history of the town of the wind of the full counting of the town is only twenty years, but many stores also dare to play a hundred years of the old signs, only to buy the books of the people are more than a smile, lazy to care about what. The Confucian scholar did not pick those picked up the golden signboard of the bookstore, but crossed into the back half of the street a slightly narrow and dark small bookstore, the sparrow may be small but all the organs are complete, the bookstore of the father and son of two people, both engraving and selling books and also editing books, can not take what precious books for sale, and absolutely can not find that kind of non-court can not be engraved and printed large masterpieces, but the noble in the careful selection, and occasionally there are a few similar to the folk of the West Chu Nanjiu Occasionally, there will be a few copies of the Western Chu Southern Supervisory or Clan Engraved Books in circulation in the private sector, and it is purely a matter of personal preference if they don’t catch the eye.

Seeing this Confucian across the threshold, is entertaining a group of young guests of the middle-aged shopkeepers smile, and quickly put down the hands of the sale, quickly step forward to welcome, in front of the eyes of this Confucian is their store’s old customers, not many times, buy books is not much, but more than a decade, almost every two years will patronize once, the most important thing is to talk with his father so much, so that very few drink his father will always be an exception in his lifetime, have to pull the That the Confucian together to sit down and drink, said small drink, drink and drink can drink off a small two pounds of wine.

The Confucian smiled and asked Chu old brother, last time he chanted to find the face version of the “lights under the grass bugs singing”, I brought him. The middle-aged shopkeeper said frankly Mr. Cao, my father left last year. The Confucian froze for a moment, some sentimental, but still from the bag to pull out the book, the middle-aged man smiled and said gone, my father left when seventy one, the old man also often laugh before he left and said that life is seventy years old, this life is earned. Mr. Cao, my father is not sick, no disaster, sleep on the way out, we do not have to be too worried about the son. However, before my father left, can often read about Mr., said that if you can die with Mr. drink a small wine, then his life is really complete. That Cao surnamed Confucian apologized originally last year had the opportunity to come here to go, but then left in a hurry, coupled with the feeling that it is not very convenient, if I had known that, no matter how should come. This book you accept, turn back to the Chu old brother’s grave when the toast, burned is.

The middle-aged shopkeeper laughed and joked Mr. Cao that I will not give you silver.

The Confucian scholar quickly smiled and waved his hand, so many years of drinking so much wine for nothing, where is the good sense to collect money from you. By the way, if I remember correctly, your family fisherman and woodcutter that child should also perform the crown ceremony, right?

The middle-aged man seems to be talking about that brat on the gas, helplessly said do not mention that bastard thing, Mr. Cao you do not know, our family is not what poetry and books, not to say that the family of books, but at least it is every day to deal with the sage of the characters is not? Where did I think that the more the boy grows up, the more he does not listen to persuasion, on his thin bamboo pole body, insisted on joining the army, not long ago, followed a few good friends of the same age in the town, ran together to the county said that there is a back door can be dredged up, good luck directly to the south side of the war, the result is that he came back to the sullen, I asked and did not tell me anything, but every day the cock crows on the wake up to go run to the side of the canal, I would say that the boy is just young, do not know where under the sky, the canals, the canals, the canals, the canals, the canals, the canals, the canals, the canals, the canals. If you ask me, this kid is just young and doesn’t know what’s more comfortable than a peaceful life. Mr. Cao, the boy is old, I as a father can not talk, but he has been listening to you since he was a child, if you are not in a hurry to go, I’m going to find him, you must help to talk to him, if you can get him back to that tendon, I’ll send you a set of Western Chu Chongwen Hall edition of the Winter Snow Drops Libra Collection, which is a good thing that my father did not want to take away, and told me to keep as a heirloom to be handed down from one generation to the next. The book was a good thing that my father didn’t even want to take away.

Not waiting for Cao said anything, the middle-aged shopkeeper even business do not care, a smoke ran to the street to look for his son that the older the more people worry about.

Inside the store five or six young men and women guests chatting boredom, now the hot topic, naturally, the first push to start the side of the war in Guangling, are thought to be able to cover the conclusion of the time. These Beijing accent of the rich and noble children, worthy of living in the foot of the emperor’s character, speech between the vertical and horizontal, although the voice is not big, but the onlookers listen to the ground is very sound. With the evaluation of the court of all the leading generals of the war and ability, and the West Chu that gang of civil and military officials to count a pass, soon came to the West Chu restoration of the real backbone of Cao Changqing, the results of the two sides of the opinion of the opposing sides, one side said that Cao Changqing is only the martial arts cultivation and the attainments of the Weiqi outstanding, the real will be the river as a board of the closing skills, it is not enough to look at. The other side refuted that Cao Changqing is a skillful woman can’t cook without rice, lost in the West Chu shall not be the right place and time, never that big official son of chess tendons are weak. Argument, both sides are close friends, can not fight, so the last inexplicable transfer of the topic to the Queen of the previous dynasty of Western Chu, two young women talking about her are some pity, a brocade male snickered scourge of the country and the people of the red face of the woe is just the destruction of the Western Chu, the old capital of the city of the rumor is that the woman is bad luck of the Great Chu, otherwise to the original destiny of the Western Chu, there should be one hundred and sixty The old capital was rumored to be the woman who spoiled Chu’s luck. Soon there is another young man laughed and said, why the world is popular today “ten sheep nine incomplete” saying, not because that the Queen of Western Chu belongs to the sheep?

Not far away from the sideburns frost hundred green Confucian scholar, silent speechless.

A non-stop play a small ancient copper seal of the young man, laughed softly: “Not to mention the Cao Changqing reputation in fact difficult to substandard, that the king of the North Liang is really a handful of big fuzzy moves, the court has clearly relaxed the Guangling canal, even led 10,000 cavalry south of the Guangling Road, under the banner of the pacification of the rebels, but who does not know that in fact, is to relieve the siege of some of the remaining Western Chu, but the North Liang! Bossy to bossy, our court is indeed no way, after all, people in the hands of the control of the Northwest Gateway, known as 300,000 iron horsemen, my father in the Ministry of War with the people totaled, estimated how the cavalry should be about twelve or thirteen million. Alas, we are also really suffocating, if there is not a North Mang, they Beiliang Xu family should have long ago handed over the military power.”

That Confucian put down a yellowed ancient book, smiled: “Otherwise how to say that the world is afraid of ‘if’ two words.”

The gang in fact have long seen this green shirt literati, temperament is not vulgar, although not like an official, but the Liyang dynasty and field treatment of the readers are mostly more polite, and the world of hermits and elites is more like this high standard super group appearance, these famous young people come from the capital of the official family, the person will not be naturally evil face to the face.

The Confucian scholar smiled and asked, “I’ve always been very curious about why that young Northwest Clan King wanted to die fighting on the border, can you all solve the puzzle for me?”

A crooked-looking young man said in a loud voice: “He Xu Fengyen is not a martial arts appraiser, since no one will die if he Xu Fengyen dies, why don’t you take the Northern Liang cavalry to fight? If you lose, you’ll just run away, but if you win, you’ll be immortalized in history. If it were me, I would have fought North Mang, and I would have fought North Mang to death!”

The Confucian scholar asked again, “Then why didn’t he join hands with North Mang, 300,000 Northern Liang border troops, plus North Mang’s one million troops, together they went south to the Central Plains, compared to winning North Mang, isn’t it a better chance of winning?”

The young man froze for a moment, straightened up and said: “Surely the surname Xu dare not seek skin with the tiger, the North Mang barbarians are murderous by nature, coupled with the North Liang cavalry as a vanguard, when it is not easy to fight down the Central Plains, the North Liang can not be left with a few tens of thousands of people, North Mang, that old woman is not going to come to the hand of a river to tear down the bridge?

In the end, the surname Xu not only did not take advantage of the benefits, but instead give people cut off the head, the surname Xu is not a fool, will not do this kind of loss business? What do you think, sir?”

The Confucian nodded and smiled, “This reasoning makes sense.”

Then seemed to remember something, the Confucian waved his hand and said, “I can’t afford to be Mr., and I’ve never served in Liyang, my surname is Cao, you may as well address me as Old Cao.”

The handsome young man who was playing with the ancient copper seal tentatively asked, “Listening to the accent, Mr. Cao …… Oh no, Lao Cao, are you from the Guangling Road side?”

The Confucianist nodded and laughed at himself, “That’s why this is not an official.”

The people released, naturally feel that this person because of the Guangling Road scholars origin, so can not do big officials in the Liyang court, probably some knowledge and literati backbone, but also not willing to be a small official in the Liyang court, which is the two ends do not fall, simply as a year-round travel in the four directions of the poor readers.

Dusty Confucian first suddenly looked to the south, and then seemed to have the intention to leave, turned his head to the young men and women and said gently: “Originally, I also have a ‘if’ to say with you to listen to, but there is something need to go first, I’m afraid I can’t wait for the owner of this store, please help me say. I’m afraid I won’t be able to wait for the owner of this shop, so please do me a favor and let me know.”

A woman daintily said to stay: “It’s not too late to say ‘if’ before leaving.”

The Confucian scholar, whose temples were already gray but had a unique style, smiled and shook his head and said, “There is one thing that I really can’t delay.”

After saying that, the Confucianist walked out of the book store and walked along that small street towards the outside of the town.

He this way north, deliberately converge breath, so walk not fast, because there are some lift the wind town book store such a deceased friend to see, afraid of them in their own death in case of being affected by the fish.

The world is afraid of what if, the world is afraid of what if.

So his “if”, destined to this world no one can know.

If in his official stage, western chu restoration by his personally led the army waved north, at the same time Gu Jiantang’s Liyang two Liao border army south to Tai’an City, and Wang Sui resisted the north Mang hoofs take the opportunity to go south, Xu Fengyen’s three hundred thousand northern Liang iron cavalry because of a certain Jiang woman, choose to hold back. And there is Chen Zhi Bao lead Shu army sitting in Guangling Road, only need to involve Wu Chongxuan and Xu Gong two big army, even do not have to deliberately intercept Yan Zhi Wang Zhao Bing under the banner of the southern border army of Tai’an City, because it is simply too late.

Then would the world still be named Zhao?

He didn’t think so.

He, Cao Changqing, didn’t think so!

After this man slowly walked out of Lifting Wind Town, he took off his traveling bag and took out two chess boxes.

Allow me, Cao Changqing, to play one last game of chess for you.