Chapter 177 The height of the temple (fourth)

An oil lamp was placed on the Hu table under the window lattice. On the Hu table was a white porcelain bowl, and there were some black medicine soups, and the sky was filled with bitter smell of medicine. The dim light kept jumping, making Hou Dayong and Guo Jiong's faces light or dark.

"The northern grasslands are vast and traversing thousands of miles. Strong tribes emerge on the grasslands, and several countries still confront each other in the Central Plains. If you are not careful, the tragedy of the Five Barbarians invading China will be repeated."

When Hou Dayong said this, he thought of the Khitan, Jurchen and Mongolian tribes who invaded the Central Plains in later generations. Of course, no one believes this history now, but the lessons of the Five Barbarians invading China are extremely painful. As a lesson from the past, what Hou Dayong said is not groundless. Guo Jiong is familiar with history books and is very familiar with this history. As the saying goes, there is no need to be a heavy hammer for the sound of drums. He will definitely feel the same way.

The Black Eagle Army defeated the Hu Hu in a row. Hou Dayong suddenly said that the Hu people on the grassland were so terrible that Guo Jiong was a little confused. However, after thinking about it carefully, he felt that this tragic phenomenon could not be reproduced, and he was secretly shocked. Guo Jiong knew that the governor must have some information, so he waited quietly.

"The county town of Lianxian has basically been built, and there are vast farmlands and pastures outside the city. After crossing the Yellow River, it is the front set. When you walk north, you will enter the sphere of influence of the Richie tribe. To the east is a vast desert, and to cross the Yellow River to the west is Helan Mountain. This is a strategic location where you can attack and retreat and defend. The Lion Camp will guard this place afterwards."

"I will transfer Tiechuanyuan and He Wulang to you as your deputy. Tiechuanyuan is resourceful and is a rare talent. He Wulang charges in the battle and is extremely brave. He is a rare brave general. There is also a special chariot battalion commanded by Chen Meng. If used properly, the person will be frugal. With the help of the three of them, the Lion Camp is enough to cross the Hetao." "After I return to the court, Guo Lang must lead this army well, and control Yinshan and Wuliangsuhai with the Richie troops, and control the front-end place in the hands of the Black Eagle Army."

Hou Dayong was originally sitting by the bed, and stood up as he spoke.

Guo Jiong was lying on the bed, sweat wet all over his body, and even the sheets were wet. He knew in his heart that Hou Dayong was very talented and stubborn. He was definitely not a thing in the pool. Since he joined the army in Cangzhou, his fate had long been linked to Hou Dayong. Guo Jiong forced himself to get up, but Hou Dayong was pressed on the bed and could not move. Guo Jiong gave up his efforts to get up and said, "Don't worry, Jiedushi. As long as the Jiedushi ordered, Guo Jiong would go through fire and water without hesitation."

After coming out of Guo Jiong's room, Hou Dayong sat in Wu Pingsha's ward again. Wu Pingsha was a loyal and brave old soldier who fought step by step from the sergeant. Now his waist, which was broken by a mace, seemed to be able to walk down the ground.

Wu Pingsha has always been quite depressed. He is a soldier and loses his ability to walk. His destiny is in the hands of others. Hou Dayong said some comforting words and sincerely invited him to the White Wolf Camp Coach Brigade in Tongxin City to explain the "small team offensive tactics". Wu Pingsha was originally discouraged and was preparing to go to the Invalides to support his old age and spend his life. Hearing this arrangement by the governor, he felt a little relaxed.

The field hospital and residence were not far apart, so Hou Dayong came out of the hospital without riding a horse. He was speechless all the way, and Luo Qingsong had never talked much, and he followed Hou Dayong with his hand in the hilt. When he walked to a cross street, there was a chaotic sound of "click, click" carriage from another wide street. The sound was not loud, but it was silent everywhere at night, and the "click, click" sound was particularly obvious.

Hou Dayong stopped. Seeing that three more carriages passed one after another, he turned around and walked towards another street. The two arrived at another street, and the carriages had disappeared in the darkness. A group of night patrol soldiers appeared in front of them on the street. A sergeant found the figure standing in the darkness and shouted: "Who is it? Come out and be inspected."

While the sergeant shouted, a sound of a sword drawing sounded. The patrol team's Huo Chang was careful. Seeing that both of them were wearing waist knives, he said, "Five-flowered Horse." Luo Qingsong stepped forward and said, "Carrot." After the command was met, Huo Chang smiled and said, "It's too late, why don't you go back to the camp?" Luo Qingsong said in a muffled voice: "Military orders are there, I can't help it."

The chaotic steps of the patrol team gradually disappeared into the dark night. Hou Dayong continued to move forward and saw a courtyard with lights, walking, talking and noisy sounds.

When Hou Dayong saw this yard, he immediately remembered that this was the yard of Wu Qilang's private salt dealer.

Wu Qilang was ordered to sell private salt, and was secretly protected by the Black Eagle Army military. However, the sales of private salt were competing for profit with the court, so Wu Qilang was still extremely careful in doing things and arranged for entering the city at night.

Hou Dayong knew what was installed on the carriage and was about to turn around and leave. Suddenly, four men holding sharp bones jumped out of the darkness, blocking the way. They fought in the narrow alleys at night. The tip of this sharp bones was very harmful and could easily penetrate the body. They were the most popular weapon for private salt dealers to fight in urban streets.

Luo Qingsong shouldered the responsibility of defending the Jiedushi. Although he knew that the Jiedushi was very skilled in martial arts, he did not dare to take it lightly. When checking the carriage, Luo Qingsong held a knife in his hand and followed Hou Dayong. After the other party surrounded him, Luo Qingsong casually held a knife flower, stood upright on his face, and squatted down slightly. This was the starting move of fighting in all directions at night. He just waited for the Jiedushi to attack first.

One person shouted softly, "Who dares to peek here and follow me into the hospital."

Hou Dayong knew that the other party was a private salt dealer. Shen Huaijing contacted these private salt dealers. Every time he entered the city, he had to notify Qian Xiangnan in advance. Then Shen Huaijing arranged for a man to answer and informed the contact code of the day. This procedure was agreed by Hou Dayong, and Hou Dayong said: "Five Flower Horse."

The leader replied in a low voice: "Carrot." Seeing that the other party was a member of the army, the leader calmed down and said: "Two soldiers, please forgive me for being rude. Please go to the courtyard temporarily. The master has something to ask for."

Hou Dayong suddenly said, "Would Wu Qilang be there? Let him come out."

When the leader heard this, his attitude changed immediately. If he could call out the name of the leader Wu Qilang, he must be a senior officer in the city. He said to his subordinates: "Put your knife away." He bowed and said: "Your Majesty wait for a moment, and I'll go and report it."

At first, two men flashed out of the courtyard. One of the men was quite tall. It was Wu Qilang, a private salt dealer who was conquered by Hou Dayong in Zhongmu County. The private salt dealer was banned by the court and was very tightly hunted. These private salt dealers were very secretive. In the Lingzhou army, only a few people knew the name of Wu Qilang. Therefore, Wu Qilang knew that the person coming must be an important figure in the Lingzhou army. After receiving the news, he hurried out.

Wu Qilang was cautious. He recognized the man as the governor Hou Dayong. Although he was a little surprised and suspicious, he did not salute and just bowed: "What are you doing for you? If you have any important things, please go to the other courtyard."

Wu Qilang led Hou Dayong and Luo Qingsong hid into the darkness along the wall, turned two or three turns, and came to a small door. Wu Qilang knocked several rhythmically. With a light "click", a small door hole appeared in the small door, and an old voice came from the small door: "Five states sailing?" Wu Qilang whispered: "The wind is gradually stopping."

The three of them entered the yard. The hunchbacked old man did not meet Wu Qilang. After closing the small door, he shrank and walked to a small room west. With the slight sound of the door, the hunchbacked old man was invisible in the darkness.

Wu Qilang then gave a great gift. He stood up and said, "The salt sales industry is profitable and has many bad rules. Don't blame the governor."

Trading private salt is a competition for profit with the court. The court has never been ruthless in catching private salt dealers. Beheading his head is like cutting a radish. Therefore, trading private salt is a very risky business. In order to survive, there are naturally many rules, and it seems extremely secretive to do things. Many secret gangs in later generations also adopted the same strategy as private salt dealers. The Feiying Hall built by Meng Shu also borrowed the methods of many private salt dealers. After Hou Dayong came to the Great Zhou Dynasty, he lived in the army and had nothing to do with the world. He watched Wu Qilang act tonight. It reminded Hou Dayong of the long-lost word - Jianghu.

The two sat in the house. Wu Qilang said respectfully: "The last time we received an urgent order, we wanted to transport a batch of salt from the river to Lingzhou. In order to avoid the Yanzhou army, we delayed a day and waited outside the city until dark before entering the city."

The emergency transfer of salt from the canal to Lingzhou was Hou Dayong's order. However, he only said that he would prepare a batch of salt from the canal as soon as possible, and there was no specific time.

Hou Dayong looked at Wu Qilang thoughtfully and asked, "How many salt traffickers were there in the Great Zhou Dynasty?"

"Salt traffickers are divided into three major gangs. The largest gang is in the Haizhou Gang. The big leader of the Haizhou Gang is surnamed Li, who calls himself Li Kuangsheng. He has more than 3,000 people under his command, dozens of sea boats, scattered in Cangzhou, Dengzhou and other places. The other gang is the Hanzhong Gang, with more than 1,000 people; there are also Zhengzhou Gang. The boss of the dragon leader Baren lives in Zhongmu County, and he also has nearly 2,000 people in his heart. With the support of the Jiedushi, the Zhengzhou Gang is now booming and has stolen a lot of business in the Hanzhong Gang."

Hou Dayong thought to himself: Zhengzhou is very close to Daliang, and these private salt dealers are all desperate people, and they are well-organized. If they are controlled by him, they can be considered a surprise soldier. Hou Dayong was a defensive envoy in Zhengzhou. He knew a little about the situation of Zhengzhou Private Salt Gang and asked, "Is it Ba Ren, the leader of the Zhengzhou Gang?"

“That’s right.”

"I heard that you all call Baren the eldest brother of Ba. Baren has been seriously ill for several years. Maybe one day he will not be able to get sick. Does Qilang want to replace Baren?"

Wu Qilang didn't know what Hou Dayong meant, so he quickly stood up and said, "The last general is now the commander of the Black Eagle Army infantry. He was ordered to sell salt. He dared not think about it." Wu Qilang has always been brave and was defeated by Hou Dayong's hand and was convinced, and respected Hou Dayong quite much.

Hou Dayong smiled and said, "These more than two thousand brothers are rebellious people. If there is no one who convinces the leader of the world, I don't know how many things will happen. Qilang was originally a brother of Brother Ba, so it would be natural to replace Ba Ren. I hope you will be the leader of the leader and take over the Zhengzhou Gang in your hands."

The dim oil lamp burst out with a "crackling" sound.

Wu Qilang heard Hou Dayong speak seriously, and it was not like a joke. "We and Brother Ba were eight, and I was ranked seventh. Ba Ren has two sons. The position of the leader of the Zhengzhou Gang is probably difficult to fall on me."

"The position of the leader of the private salt gang has always been a capable person. Qilang has made great contributions to the Northwest Salt Affairs. Baren is a sensible person. The last time I raised grain in Zhengzhou, he donated a lot. He should be able to figure out the joints. If he really can't figure it out, I can send someone to guide him."

Ba Ren was the leader of the Zhengzhou Gang. When facing the government, he was a local gentry. Ba Ren also had close ties with the court. When Hou Dayong was the defensive envoy in Zhengzhou, Ba Ren had visited Hou Dayong and donated food to the victims. Anyone with a big family and a big business must think twice about doing things. On the contrary, the refugees are more likely to be controlled by the powerful, so Hou Dayong said this.

After chatting with Wu Qilang for a while and learning about some of the strange things about the Private Salt Gang, Hou Dayong returned to Hou's Mansion from Wu Qilang.

The gate of the inner courtyard was closed. Hou Dayong gently pushed open the gate and heard Xiaoqing crying tenderly. Shi Gao Yueming hummed a song that he couldn't understand in Dangxiang slang. Shi Gao Luqi came out of the room with a basin. She didn't pay attention to Hou Dayong standing in the inner courtyard, pouring the water into a drainage hole, and walking back, while saying something. Shi Gao Luqi is a sharp-tongued woman, speaking very fast, just like stir-fried beans. Hou Dayong only knows some simple Dangxiang slang. Shi Gao Luqi spoke quickly and urgently, and Hou Dayong couldn't understand a single word.

Shi Gao Yueming said loudly in the house, and Shi Gao Luqi still snorted a few words quickly before turning into the house. Hou Dayong understood Shi Gao Yueming's words, Shi Gao Yueming told Shi Gao Luqi not to say anything. Although Shi Gao Yueming and Shi Gao Luqi are masters and servants, they are like sisters. Shi Gao Yueming rarely speaks to Shi Gao Luqi in this tone.

The weather in July is quite hot, with high walls in the inner courtyard standing, and there are Black Eagle Army guards outside. There is no problem with safety. Therefore, Shi Gao Yueming's door was half open, and Hou Dayong stood in the courtyard and could see Shi Gao Yueming's figure.

Shi Gaoyueming hugged Hou Xiaoqing and walked back and forth in the room. As long as Shi Gaoyueming stopped, Hou Xiaoqing would cry loudly. Shi Gaoyueming sang gently. He looked at Xiaoqing who was sleeping intently. Shi Gaoyueming's expression was quite familiar. Hou Dayong was about to raise his foot, but suddenly, a string of tears fell from Shi Gaoyueming's face and fell directly on Hou Xiaoqing's face. Hou Xiaoqing was not aware of it, and was still sleeping soundly in his mother's arms.

Hou Dayong has practiced "Tian Duan Gong" for several years and has achieved some success. Although the oil lamp is dim, he has excellent eyesight. Just like there is a high-powered glass in front of him, he can clearly see a string of tears on Shi Gaoyueming's face and a deep sorrow on her face. Hou Dayong couldn't help but be stunned. Shi Gaoyueming has an open-minded personality. Even at the most dangerous moment, he has a calm and generous expression and has never had such a sad expression on his face.

Shi Gaoyueming's father is safe and sound, and his daughter Xiaoqing is healthy and beautiful, and there is nothing else worth sad about. Why does Shi Gaoyueming's face look like this? Hou Dayong thought for a while, but couldn't figure it out.

The next morning, Hou Dayong invited Shi Hu to discuss the matter of transferring united troops to expand the Lion Camp.

After listening to Hou Dayong's suggestion, Shi Hu looked at his nose and his nose, and he remained silent. Hou Dayong did not speak, leaned on the Hu chair, waiting for Shi Hu to speak.

After a while, Shi Hu slowly said: "In this way, the Lion Camp is the best in the entire army, echoing the Richie troops. You can advance along the Yellow River and retreat into Yinshan. If you guess correctly, the Jiedushi has the heart to compete for the Central Plains."

Since defeating the enemy outside Cangzhou City, Shi Hu has been Hou Dayong's deputy and has participated in most of the secret matters. Over the years, Hou Dayong has recovered the remnants of Hunmeng and Fangdang's troops in Tubo, contacted the Richi's troops, and established military intelligence camps and equipment fifth battalions. The Black Eagle Army has gradually grown from a team of thousands to a strong army dominating the northwest. In Shi Hu's eyes, Hou Dayong's desire to compete for the Central Plains is revealed.

Hou Dayong did not expect Shi Hu to speak so straightforwardly. However, Shi Hu, nicknamed "Stone Buddha", has always spoken truthfully. He must have thought about what he said, and waited for him to say the following.

Shi Hu then said: "If Your Majesty is to be in the Shenwu year, if Brother Hou wants to launch a war from the northwest, I am afraid that the Central Plains will suffer from another disaster. Instead, it will give the Hu people an opportunity to take advantage of it. Brother Hou must think twice before acting."

Shi Hu thought about these words for a long time, like a thorn in his throat. Today, on the eve of Hou Dayong's departure, he finally said these words as a brother. Therefore, he did not call Hou Dayong the governor, but as before, he called Hou Dayong the brother of Hou.

Hou Dayong did not admit it or deny it, and said lightly: "How does Brother Shi view this matter?"

Shi Hu said bluntly: "Brother Hou is unique and it is understandable to be a hero in troubled times. Shi will do his best to assist Brother Hou in the Central Plains. However, His Majesty is also wise and powerful. Moreover, in his prime, in time, the Zhou Dynasty will be unified. If Brother Hou wants to rebel, he will be a traitor and will harm the people for thousands of years.

Shi and Hou Dayong had a deep relationship. At this time, he tried his best to persuade Hou Dayong. If he died, he would have no complaints. Hou Dayong looked at Shi Hu with a complicated expression. Every sentence Shi Hu said was reasonable, and Hou Dayong could not refute it for the time being.

If according to the history that Hou Dayong knew, Chai Rong would die of illness in the sixth year of Xiande, Zhao Kuangyin then put on a yellow robe and robbed the country of the orphan and widowed Chai family. This is the basis for Hou Dayong's plan, but this matter must not be treated by outsiders.

Seeing Shi Hu going straight, Hou Dayong stopped hiding and said, "When I was in Cangzhou, I came to the master's advice. According to what he said, Your Majesty should have passed away due to illness in the sixth year of Xiande. The imperial guard Zhao Kuangyin will be the emperor. Everything I did was to make the mistake of Xiande's sixth year of Xiande."

Shi Hu believed in Buddhism and disagreed with Taoist figures. Of course, Hou Dayong's god-blaming nonsense, so he said: "In the past four years, Brother Hou and I have such a close relationship with me. I have something to say. There is no need to use these words that Brother Hou doesn't believe in to deceive me."

Hou Dayong smiled and said, "The wonders of the world cannot be detected by us and ordinary people. If I have something to prove, I wonder if Brother Shi believes it?"
Chapter completed!