Chapter 385 – Lao Tzu’s Son

After the grand parade and hanging of the plaque at the city gate, Li Gongde, the strategic envoy, led Xu Fengyen to the general’s residence near the south gate. The main imperial road runs through the north and south, and the civil and military government offices are located on both wings of the residence, and along the way, Li Gongde, as one of the two governors of the city, spoke at great length, talking about the height of the main wall of the border city, the length of the interlocking city road, the number of crossbows at the top of the city, and the amount of arrows and armors in stock, which is as if he were telling his family how much silver is kept in a certain box, and how much coins are kept in a certain cabinet. It is like reporting how much silver has been put in a certain box and how many coins are in a certain cabinet.

The Lord Secretary even can withstand how many Northern Mang stone throwers can withstand any one of the main city walls, how many Northern Mang soldiers are attached to the city and other details, are able to speak out, as well as the foot of the crowd of this axis above the mobilization of forces, how to build a second line of defense once the main city gates are breached and how to assist in the defense of the small-scale cavalry at critical moments, the old man are well aware of. Not to say Xu Fengnian impressed, Chu Lushan and Yuan Zuozong are some face to face, Jin partridge Zhou Kang and infantry vice marshal Gu Dazu and many other generals are all wide-eyed, the former Jiangnan Lingshou is recognized as “power in the Zhong family, the money in the Li family”, Beiliang Road, the officialdom are aware of the iron rooster for the official skills and money has a way, have not heard of Lee! The Li Gongde do things, can also be so watertight!

Close to the general’s residence that has not yet been fully completed, Li Gongde suddenly laughed: “a refusal of the North City, used up the harvest from the Western Sichuan Nanzhao deep forests, and then in my North Liang storage for many years of huge wood, the city required boulders is almost the Lantau Cave to the bottom of the sky, not to say that these far away, I think the generals must be high up in the south, has been completely invisible to the head of the dragon and tiger’s tail of the two small mountains. From the first of the Guan domestic garrison one after another northward Guanwai build city, then after most of the border army are turn to devote to this, Guan domestic people are countless ……”

Speaking here, the old man stopped speaking and smiled.

Li Gongde this originally in the northern Liang military generals in the official reputation reputation is extremely bad civil officials, at this moment, that kind of undisguised will to wind up, where there are early years of Qingliang Mountain Council Hall that Xu family sycophant half shadow?

At that time, I’m afraid that in addition to the “teacher from the same school” and the rank of Chu Lushan, no one is willing to take care of a state official Li Gongde, Qingliu celebrity Yan Jiexi naturally disdained to be with, even now has resigned from the original Liangzhou assassin Tian Peifang, the early years have always been unable to pull the face of the man and this person to call him a brother. When the northern Liang decided to build the refusal of the north city, everyone mistakenly thought that the young feudal king is not really intended to let Li Gongde preside over the situation, but will be the Lingzhou officialdom tossed into a mess of the Lord of the Secretary for the Secretary to be sent out of Guanwai, and thus hidden, one to the name of its relegation, and the second good for the Xu Beihao, Chen Xiliang or Chang Sui and other direct line of the heart of the paved the way, but did not know that Li Gongde really in the refusal of the north city here to get a firm foothold! Song Chang Sui, Tian Peifang, Wang Linquan, responsible for the three specific directions of the Governor’s Deputy Supervisor, only the head of the Lord Secretary of the Lord look forward to, there is no intention to hollow out Li Gongde, and Li Gongde also lived up to the expectations of the role very quickly, I have to say that in the northern Liang Road as the leader of the civil officials, the guy, really want to be pragmatic, no ambiguity, everything is hand in hand, with Li Gongde private chat with Song Chang Sui, the sentiment that is “to put an end to the travel, and the generals and craftsmen with their food and rest, in exploration, rammed earth, materials, military code, cantonment, etc., all have knowledge, although not dare to say that all-knowledge, but also can not be counted as a layman, and ultimately can be commanded by himself, in the back of the head, not to be mistaken for the big things”.

Li Gongde suddenly slyly continued: “Your Majesty, tonight’s celebration banquet, all expenses, Qingliang Mountain can not save ah!”

Yan Wenluan, the veteran marshal of the infantry army who probably never talked to Li Gongde in his entire life, unprecedentedly picked up, “Lord Li’s beating the autumn wind this time is not half bad.”

Xu Fengnian reached out and pointed to the Lord Transit Envoy of Beiliang Dao beside him, laughing: “Our big treasurer in charge of money is here, his words are more useful than mine nowadays.”

Xu Bei Hao hesitated for a moment, then nodded and smiled, “That’s good, originally I intercepted a box, probably there are two paintings and calligraphies by Sui Ying, the Saint of Painting of the Dafeng Dynasty, an inkstone with Buddha’s hand on the green end made by the old Southern Tang Emperor, a jade seal of ‘Wang Wu’ from the end of the Qin Dynasty, fifteen or sixteen pieces of pieces, it’s not difficult to sell five or six thousand silver pieces. It’s not difficult to sell them for 5,000 to 6,000 dollars. After the celebration banquet, you guys refuse to go to North City first to move out some with Qingliang Mountain Lord Song’s side, turn back I sold this box of objects, should be able to fill this hole soon, and also have some spare, then all handed over to Lord Li.”

Once Xu Beihao said this, everyone turned their heads to look at the young vassal king unannounced.

Xu Fengnian rolled his eyes.

The entire room burst into laughter.

Probably, Xu Beihao was the only one in the world who dared to stab our new Liang King so openly.

Afterwards, there are three major celebrations, the military generals are divided into two groups, Yan Wenluan, Chen Yuntui, He Zhonghu, Liu Yuanji and Lin Doufang, a group of meritorious old men who have experienced the Spring and Autumn wars, and Yuan Zuozong, the youngest, is also involved in them, for the Xu family in Qingliang Mountain and the Northern Liang border army, this Yuan Baishuang is an indispensable presence, after all, in the matter of military affairs, Yuan Zuozong is the only one to be able to be compared to the White Sage of Soldiers, Chen Zhibao, in terms of military use. Everyone, although the northern Liang is very many famous generals, but really can let Chen Zhi Bao sincerely admire the character, probably only Yuan Zuozong, Chen Zhi Bao repeatedly said that Yuan Zuozong is the most underestimated in the Spring and Autumn war in the Liyang military a general.

While Beiliang Capital Protector Chu Lushan personally led the other group, Wang Zhi, Cao Xiaojiao, Hong Xinjia and Hong Piao were included, while Beiliang Road Deputy Festival Minister Yang Shenxing also appeared at the banquet.

The third was a literary banquet hosted by Li Gongde, Huang Shang and Tian Peifang, mostly scholars and readers, with a number of Lu’s sons and daughters interspersed among them.

Xu Fengyen a drink a drink over, although all is a cup of green ants wine a drink, but in fact three down is only a small two pots, mainly no one to death to persuade, this is not surprising, Xu Snapdragon in the world said, under the sun the worst character of the guy, is that those who rely on their own good liquor like to persuade the wine, wine, this thing, you have to drink high to be considered a real fun, otherwise it can only be a sin. Of course, Xu Snapdragon said so, but as long as caught than their own poor alcohol guys, persuaded to drink a little bit of no ambiguity, was persuaded to drink the guy, said you this guy how many victories, have to drink a cup of drink over, how many lost, I Xu Snapdragon are to help you remember it, do not want to be worn shoes, this day do not drink a few cups of wine, will be over the top, right? Who else has heard that your grandson has just started studying, so you have to drink this wine, and I heard that your son has been beaten up by someone who wants to rob him of his woman? You’re a father, you need to drink to relieve your sorrows! However, although Xu Snapdragon’s ability to persuade people to drink is unrivaled, but as long as it is drinking with people in Qingliang Mountain, no matter how many people drink with him, he did not not get drunk, can be said to be vomiting, so to speak, the taste of wine is also considered sloppy.

Don’t think that the martial arts people who are used to life and death will drink more freely, in fact, the literati drinking open, that is called bold and unrestrained, Xu Fengyen almost can’t get out of the banquet, for example, the mountain master of the Green Deer Cave academy, Huang Shang, had to pull him to drink three big cups full of each, and then resigned from his post in a light body of Tian Peifang also began to fall into a well, said three cups too much, he only drank with the king of the two cups will be enough. If not Xu Beihao was there to help stop, Xu Fengyen estimated that even if he had seven or eight pounds of green ants, he would have to obediently get down. In the end, Xu Fengyen and Xu Beihuan, who were full of alcohol, walked out of this general’s mansion and walked on that main road slowly heading north.

Xu Beihao softly said, “Before Li Gongde got drunk, he bought something from me.”

Xu Fengnian was a bit surprised and joked, “Did the sun come out of the west? Our Lord Secretary has never been a collector of gold and silver, and has always scoffed at antiques and artifacts.”

Xu Beihao laughed it off, “It’s a small private seal on one side, since it’s the treasury of the Listening Tide Pavilion, the material is of course not bad, in my opinion, it’s been passed down from generation to generation, and due to frequent use, the color of the vermilion ink is excellent, but these are secondary, do you know what the seal text is?”

Xu Fengnian was dumbfounded, “That’s where I can guess.”

Xu Beihuan waved both sleeves, not knowing if it was waving away the wine breath or waving away the sadness, “It is the four characters of ‘My servant’s heart is like water’, that is, the meaning of honesty and self-control, innocence is like water. If it was back then when Yan Jiexi didn’t leave Beiliang, he came to buy this small seal, or even Tian Peifang whose reputation is still quite good, I am not surprised. But for Li Gongde to come and buy these four characters, isn’t it a bit comical?”

Xu Fengnian frowned.

Xu Beihuan asked with a smile, “Then guess again, how much silver did Li Gongde use to buy these four characters?”

Xu Fengyen said indistinctly, “For this celebration banquet, Li Gongde was not convenient to pay out of his own pocket openly, otherwise he would have been suspected of overstepping his bounds, so he used this method to help us cushion our Qingliang Mountain with silver?”

Xu Beihao stretched out two fingers and wiggled them.

Xu Fengnian couldn’t help but say, “Twenty thousand silver? In the early days, the only hero under the sky who could gouge silver out of Li Gongde’s hands was that guy Li Hanlin. At that time, the money for drinking flower wine was all paid by Li Hanlin, only that every time he went home, there was no shortage of his father to clean up and complain.”

Xu Beihao shook his head and laughed, “Two hundred.”

Xu Fengnian was stunned, “Two hundred taels of silver? This Uncle Li ah!”

Xu Fengyen laughed heartily, also for the first time, he called Li Gongde as Uncle Li. In the final analysis, Beiliang Xu Snapdragon Xu Fenian, two generations of the Xu family, and Li Gongde Li Hanlin, two generations of the Li family, all have a great love affair. To put it bluntly, when Yan Jiexi rebelled against Northern Liang, Xu Snapdragon actually intended to make things a little difficult, not too much, but definitely will not let Yan Jiexi go so lightly. Li Gongde, very early from the Yang court side of the news, the old First Minister Zhang Julu once intended to let this person as the Ministry of household minister, the jurisdiction of the Guangling Road and Jiangnan Road tax matters, we must know that Li Gongde is just a state assassin only, although the rank and salary with a minister are the same, but from the Yang Beijing officials have never been higher than a product, let alone close to the son of God’s eyes of the actual power of the minister? So a scholar of Yan Jiexi out of the literati, for the Liyang is just a surprise, but Li Gongde to stay, it is unthinkable. As for Xu Fenian and Li Hanlin’s friendship from playing together since childhood, there was no need to say more.

Xu Beihao smiled and squeezed out a word from between his teeth, “Wan!”

Xu Fengnian thought he heard wrong, “What?!”

Xu Beihao gently exhaled, sighing, “It’s two million taels of silver.”

Xu Beihuan continued, “At that time, Li Gongde told me that he had diligently accumulated this huge family business in his life, and originally wanted to let his son Li Hanlin live a life of clothing and food, just that he couldn’t use it now.”

Xu Beihao turned his head to look at Xu Fengyen, raised his arm, clenched his fist and patted his chest, “Earlier the old man was just patting his chest like this and told me, he said that my Li Gongde’s son, Li Hanlin! The captain of the Northern Liang White Horse Traveling Crossbowmen! What else do I need his father’s silver for?”

Xu Beihao stopped walking, turned to look at the clan residence, and repeated the old man’s last words, “I, Li Gongde, can be looked down upon by anyone in my life, only I cannot be looked down upon by my son!”

Xu Fengnian rubbed his cheeks with both hands and asked softly, “Orange, do you think I should remove Li Hanlin from Liuzhou?”

Xu Beihuan snapped angrily, “Bullshit!”

Xu Fengnian laughed, looking up in the direction of Liuzhou to the west, “Li Hanlin will definitely say the same thing.”

North of Qingcang City in Liuzhou, Kou Jianghuai and Xu Longxiang had already started the second frontal blocking battle against Huang Songpu’s army.

Only half of the twelve hundred Liangzhou White Horse Traveling Crossbowmen that had rushed to Liuzhou remained.

Six hundred robes remain under Captain Li Hanlin’s command.