At night, there was silence all around.
Beside the official road, several bonfires were emitting dazzling light.
There were many corpses lying in the distance. Their clothes were stripped off and they were lying naked on the ground in a neat row. Their empty eyes were looking up at the sky, as if they wanted to ask for an answer.
Several thin horses were tied up, looking at their dead owners, shaking their heads uneasily.
He Shikai looked at the bonfire in front of him.
The flames were boiling, and new flames were constantly coming out of the dismantled timbers of the carriage, spraying everywhere.
He Shikai glanced at the generals in the distance and muttered unhappily: "Barbarian warriors."
His own knight approached him and asked in a low voice: "He Gong, these people are going to enter Beishuo territory tomorrow, are they really useful?"
He Shikai glared at him, "Do you really expect these guys to scare Liu Taozi?"
He Shikai took off the water bag from his waist, took a big mouthful and said slowly: "Liu Taozi is not afraid of them. We bring them with us for other purposes."
The knight narrowed his eyes and whispered: "My lord, that general and his subordinates are all drunk, why don't we take the opportunity to kill him, let a few brothers commit suicide, and then tell Hulv Xian that they were attacked.
Put the blame on Liu Taozi!"
"That's bullshit."
He Shikai said coldly.
The knight immediately did not dare to speak, and He Shikai looked at him again, "I can tell you, without my order, no one is allowed to make their own decisions or act rashly."
"I came here this time to appease Liu Taozi. He will not surrender to the king, but we must at least ensure that he will not vote for the puppet Zhou Dynasty."
"If he takes his cronies to the puppet Zhou Dynasty and opens the gates of various places, the Zhou people will be able to invade Jinyang on the 15th."
He Shikai also felt a little tricky at the moment.
Gao Zhan hated Liu Taozi so much that he gnashed his teeth. Liu Taozi caught him like that, causing Gao Zhan to miss many opportunities.
But he still had some worries in his heart.
He is not afraid of Liu Taozi leading troops to rebel. Liu Taozi's poor place cannot be self-sufficient in food. Moreover, this is his family's old base, and the military households are all his own family members. Even if he leads the military households in rebellion, there will be no food.
Ordnance will be finished sooner or later.
The military rations transported by the temple each time are given according to the six-month quota based on the number of local soldiers, which is very meaningful.
Gao Zhan was afraid that Liu Taozi would defect to the enemy.
Among the military households in the frontier fortress, there were not only his own family members, but also those of the puppet Zhou Dynasty.
The military provisions for the Puppet Zhou Dynasty have always been relatively sufficient. If the two are combined, there will be no need to fight for the throne of Qi.
He Shikai came to the frontier for two purposes. The first was to restrict Liu Taozi's continued development, disrupt his contacts with Shuozhou and Hengzhou, and isolate him!
The second thing is to try to appease Liu Taozi to prevent him from jumping over the wall in a hurry.
He Shikai rubbed his hands and kept thinking about how to tame this tiger.
He was quite excited.
He quite enjoyed this feeling.
The next day, when it was dark and bright, everyone continued on their way.
The official road leads into the distance, and there are gradually more dense forests on both sides. He Shikai is riding a horse, and some malicious prying eyes can be vaguely detected from the dense forests on both sides.
Fortunately, there are not many dense forests here, and we walked through it in a short time.
The wild dog disappeared from the hillside not far away with a bone in its mouth. The crow neighed loudly, but its location could not be found.
After passing through the valley entrance, I saw a simple checkpoint.
There was no checkpoint here originally, and of course, it is not considered a checkpoint now. It is simply a fence set up to keep away horses, and soldiers set up camp here.
On the opposite side, there is also a fence, and several soldiers are on guard around it.
The two sides faced each other with solemn expressions, holding the knife with their hands and looking unkindly.
He Shikai and others showed their place of passage, and then they were able to pass. The general guarding the pass said angrily: "There are thieves and robbers in the north, so be careful!"
The monk smiled and nodded, officially stepping into Beishuo's territory.
Some border soldiers stopped them, checked where they were passing, and then sent someone to take them there.
He Shikai was a little surprised. Unexpectedly, these frontier fortress people were quite polite and actually sent someone to escort them there.
Walking on the road, you can see many saplings on both sides. The saplings are planted at regular intervals, but they are not like road protection forests. They are not so dense. Looking around, you can see that the saplings are spreading all the way.
I smiled and asked the escorting soldier, but the soldier didn't speak at all, as if he couldn't hear anything.
After walking for a long time, I saw a group of busy people in the distance, who were repairing the village.
When we arrived at the river, we saw some people who seemed to be salvaging mud, and a brand new arrow tower rising from the ground in the distance.
The general from the big city looked disdainful and raised his head high.
He Shikai's face became increasingly serious.
Since entering Beishuo, he has not seen people begging along the road, nor wild dogs with bones in their mouths. All he has seen is a group of busy people.
Everyone is busy and seems to be doing something.
But what really made He Shikai feel uneasy was that there were no officials with whips or knights with crossbows around those who were doing things.
He vaguely felt something was wrong, but he couldn't say it.
The further you go, the more lively Beishuo becomes.
In many places, you can see newly built villages and walled cities, and you can see people busy on the farmland, and shepherd boys pulling cattle passing by from a distance.
He Shikai finally couldn't bear it any longer. He grabbed the general on the side and asked in a low voice: "Where did he get so many things??"
"ah?"
"who?"
"General Liu Liu, this place is the most barren. Where did he get so much money and food? He is building construction everywhere. There is no quiet place along the road. Where did he get so much money and food??"
General Pi pondered for a moment, "Let's grab it."
"When he first took office, many people came from Beishuo, saying that Liu Taozi sent evil men to ransack homes and kill people, killing people everywhere. He had demolished all the temples in Beishuo, leaving only one small temple.
"
"They were all stolen."
He Shikai's expression softened a little.
He looked at the desolate land around him again, and his heartbeat was not as fast as before.
If it is just based on robbery, it will be a one-time transaction that cannot be sustained. If it is used for construction now, it will not be sustainable in the future, and it will not develop to the point of being self-sufficient. That is easy to say.
They passed many new towns and villages along the way.
Of course, these are not considered cities. A good war horse can jump over their walls.
However, it was actually much more lively than before. People were coming and going, and some were sitting at the door to rest. When they saw the noble people passing by, they were not afraid at all and pointed and said something.
General Pi was furious and wanted to draw his sword immediately.
"General, this is Beishuo, and Beishuo is not Shuo. Indiscriminate killing is not allowed here."
The knight leading them suddenly spoke.
He Shikai was stunned, damn it.
You kid can talk?!
General Pi looked at the knight and became even more angry. He pulled out his sword and said, "Why don't Beisuo talk about Daqi Law?!"
"Speak."
"There is no rule in Da Qi Law that others cannot look at you when you are walking."
"Hahaha, I think you are deliberately going against us. Jin He was like this, and it is still like this now!!"
Just as the two screamed, the villagers in the distance suddenly stood up and ran back to the village.
After a while, I saw a group of people rushing out. There were more than sixty people. They could not be called armored soldiers. They were not wearing armor, but they had plenty of weapons. Among them were three powerful crossbows, which were already aimed at the soldiers.
Wait for a few people.
After them, more than a hundred young and strong men came out with hoes, stones and wooden sticks, and surrounded them with water.
General Pi never dreamed that one day he would be surrounded by a group of auxiliary soldiers and civilians!!
He yelled angrily, "Come on, whoever has the ability will go."
He Shikai hurriedly stepped forward and stopped him, "General, calm down and calm down. This is what the governor ordered. Do you want to disobey his military order?"
Hearing Hu Luxian's name, the general Pi calmed down his anger.
He Shikai apologized to the knight and wanted to give some money, but the knight did not accept it. He stepped forward to ask everyone to disperse, and then led them to move on.
General Pi stopped talking, just pursed his lips and looked fiercely.
He Shikai's expression wasn't much better either.
If this continues, the frontier fortress will know the general but not the temple.
Wuchuan.
The streets were extremely noisy, and knights galloped past on horseback from time to time.
He Shikai took a deep breath and looked at the general next to him.
"General, General Liu is a hot-tempered man. You can just sit aside later. Don't get angry, let alone have any conflicts with him!"
"I'm really afraid that the general will suffer a loss!"
General Pi was furious, "No matter how many people there are, they can't even try to scare me!!"
"I'm not afraid of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, so why should I be afraid of Anxi?!"
He Shikai's face was full of worry, but he was quite pleased in his heart. This was the effect he wanted. He originally wanted to cause some small confrontation, but now it seems that he doesn't need to say anything at all.
He Shikai then led him into the official office with great strides.
This was his second time here, and the changes were so drastic that even Shikai found it difficult to accept them.
The official office is not luxurious, not as majestic and spacious as those in the Central Plains, but there are quite a few officials inside. As soon as I walked in, I heard noises coming from all over the place. Every room seemed to be crowded. Full of officials.
The officials gathered at the door and had to queue up to get out.
They were brought to the main house, and two soldiers opened the door for them.
He Shikai took a deep breath, recited those words silently in his mind, and then quickly walked into the house.
"He Shikai meets General Anxi!!"
"The general is wise and mighty, but I dared to be disrespectful to him in the past!!"
He Shikai raised his head, said nothing, and slapped himself hard.
"Pa~~"
The voice was extremely loud, and his face instantly turned red. The slap marks were left on his face, and He Shikai felt a little dizzy.
For a moment, the room was extremely silent.
He Shikai slowly looked towards the superior, but saw a scribe. The scribe looked at He Shikai blankly, and He Shikai looked at the scribe in astonishment.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and then He Shikai asked: "Where is General Anxi?"
"The general hasn't arrived yet, you have to wait a while."
Heshi opened his lips and trembled, "Okay."
The scribe left in a hurry. He Shikai stood up and looked back at General Bi. The general was stunned at the moment. He looked at He Shikai in disbelief, cleared his throat and said, "You don't have to be so afraid. .”
"Um"
He Shikai nodded.
After a long time, the door of the house was pushed open, and a tall, strong man pushed the door in. He stood there and almost blocked the door. He walked quickly towards He Shikai and his men with a fierce momentum.
The visitor is none other than Liu Taozi!
Behind him were several cronies, who walked in with him.
He Shikai calmed down Xia Cai's emotions and suddenly saluted Liu Taozi.
"He Shikai meets General Anxi!!"
"I dared to be disrespectful to the general in the past. I really deserve to be punished!!"
"Pa~~~"
The monk raised his hand and then hit it again without any hesitation.
The burning pain finally made his face become symmetrical.
Liu Taozi passed between the two people, walked directly to the upper position, and sat down. His cronies stood beside him, and He Shikai hurriedly adjusted the direction of his salute.
Liu Taozi looked at He Shikai in front of him and said nothing.
Yao Xiong suddenly smiled and said, "My husband has been eating well recently, and his face has gained a lot of weight."
He Shikai smiled awkwardly.
Yao Xiong suddenly looked at General Pi on the side, and immediately shouted: "Who are you?! When you see General Daqi Anxi!! How dare you not bow to me?!"
The knight was happy and secretly looked to his side.
"Last General Gao Changshi pays homage to General Anxi!!"
General Pi suddenly knelt down in front of Liu Taozi, and his salute was much more formal than that of He Shikai.
He Shikai's eyes widened, "Hu Luxian is such a fierce general, his confidant and the leader of his own soldiers is so damn virtuous?"
Tian Zili said quickly: "It doesn't have to be like this. My general doesn't like the complicated etiquette the most."
Liu Taozi motioned for everyone to sit down. He Shikai and General Pi sat on the left, while Yao Xiong and Tian Zili sat on the right.
Liu Taozi looked at He Shikai and asked, "Why did you come to see me?"
He Shikai was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile: "I am here to pay homage to the general on the order of my king."
"Oh, what does your king want to do?"
He Shikai has met many people over the years, but no one is like Liu Taozi. He doesn't say anything or is polite, but directly asks why he is here.
He Shikai had no choice but to say: "General, I want to talk to you alone."
Liu Taozi waved his hand and asked the soldier to take the general to rest. Yao Xiong and Tian Zili still stayed here.
He Shikai had no choice but to continue:
"Your Majesty knows that there were some misunderstandings in the past, so he specially sent me to clarify the misunderstandings."
"My king likes you very much. You probably saw it when you went to Yecheng before."
"The king personally welcomed him and held a banquet to entertain him, and he did not hesitate to offend others."
"The king is straight-tempered, and so is the general. So I will be straight-tempered. The king sent me here to shake hands and make peace with the general."
"The Queen Mother detained the king in the palace. Of course the king was also very angry. However, the king said that he knew that you did this for your monarch. Thinking that the general could do this for his monarch, he loved the general even more.
, I feel that the general is a trustworthy subordinate."
"The king once said to me: He is willing to be a novice and a general to be Guan Zhong."
Liu Taozi looked at him calmly, "Thank you for your kindness. Your Majesty and I have no personal enmity. We are each our own master. You can go back."
He Shikai was quite helpless, so he had to speak more clearly.
"General, Your Majesty is seriously ill."
"And the prince is less than ten years old."
"If His Majesty dies, who can inherit the throne of Emperor?!"
Liu Taozi looked at him, "It's still unknown."
He Shikai stood up suddenly, "Only my king!"
"My king is the legitimate son, and he is also a man of great talent and strategy. All the ministers in the court respect his character, and all the nobles are with him! Apart from him, who else can be qualified?!"
He Shikai looked at Liu Taozi again, "General, if you are willing to support my king's ascension to the throne, the future will be limitless!"
Liu Taozi replied calmly: "This is the emperor's family matter."
"I have informed the king that foreign ministers will not participate in family affairs."
He Shikai nodded, "Then you just wait and see here. As long as you don't make any objection, you are the king of my family."
"General, my king values ​​you very much."
"He rewarded Old General Liu with a lot of property, because your official rank is equal to his. In order to maintain the etiquette, he also went to the temple to promote him. Now, he has the same status as the three ministers, and he has reached the first rank."
"There are also those who are friendly to you, such as Lu Qubing, Shi Yao, Dugu, Cheng Zhe and others. My king also expressed his merits to them one by one, gave them rewards, and sent soldiers to protect them."
"There is also your hometown, Zhangjia Village. Your Majesty has also sent people many times. The village officials there said that they wanted to send people from the village here. My Majesty felt that it was inappropriate because of the long distance. Those people were either old or young.
, how can we travel far?"
"The king specially sent some money and rewards, and also sent people to protect them."
The next moment, Yao Xiong stood up suddenly with a fierce expression on his face, "I'll fuck you."
Tian Zili quickly caught him, and he sneered and said, "Is King Changguang planning to use these people to hold the general hostage? To intimidate the general?"
"Do you really think my general cares about those individuals? It's ridiculous to threaten the general with some untouchables!!"
He Shikai was shocked, "What are you talking about? How dare I threaten the general? The general has made too many enemies in the country, and my king wants to protect them. General, you have misunderstood! You have misunderstood!"
Liu Taozi looked at him, the corner of her left eye twitched, and a trace of ferocity flashed in her eyes.
He stood up and looked at Yao Xiong beside him, "Catch this man, chop off his head, and send it to King Changguang."
He Shikai was begging for mercy when Yao Xiong pounced on him and punched him in the face. He Shikai fell to the ground immediately. Yao Xiong took off his belt and started to tie him up. Then he pulled out the knife and aimed it.
He opened his neck.
He Shikai was so frightened that he kept crying and trembling all over.
"Spare your life!! General, spare your life!!"
However, Tian Zili hurriedly stepped forward to stop him and said, "General, you can't fall out easily."
"So many people are still under Gao Zhan's control. If he rushes to take action, he will definitely kill people!"
Liu Taozi waved his hand, "They are just untouchables, let him kill them."
"It's just that this person threatened me that I will die today."
Tian Zili reacted quickly and hurriedly grabbed his hand, "General, please lock him up first. I'll tell him and I'll save his life first!!"
He Shikai cried and howled: "General!! Misunderstanding!! I don't dare anymore!! Spare my life!!"
Chapter completed!