Song Jinjiang welcomed Kou Zhong into the hall and said with a smile: "Brother Kou is willing to come. He is a trustworthy person. What else needs to be explained?" Kou Zhong sat down and took the tea offered by Song Jinjiang's men. He looked out the window and said thoughtfully: "The rain has stopped." !
Song Jingang leaned against the back of the chair and looked out the window with him and said: Luoyang used to see this kind of rain only in summer. This trip has come early!
Kou Zhong put the tea cup on the table between them and looked at Song Jingang as if he was alert and said: What kind of cooperation does Brother Song want to cooperate with me?
Song Jingang said casually: I want you to save Li Zitong.
Don't turn around until you finish speaking to see the other person's reaction.
Kou Zhong said in shock: You really want me to assassinate Du Fuwei, right?
He thought that if the answer was yes, he could only refuse categorically. If he really wanted to kill Du Fuwei, he must do it with open swords and guns in the face of thousands of troops, rather than resorting to secret tactics. He had absolutely no clue about Du Fuwei. The feeling of disgust is indeed similar to the admiration and respect a son has for his father.
Song Jingang smiled calmly and said: This is only the last resort and it is difficult to achieve. I just want to ask Brother Kou to defend the Jiangdu for Li Zitong. On the other hand, I will attack Jingling and force Du Fuwei to retreat. Then Shen Faxing will not be able to do anything. .At the same time, Xiao Mian would also cross the Yangtze River and make a gesture to make Du Fuwei dare not act rashly.
Only then did Kou Zhong understand why Yun Yuzhen would go through the trouble of Song Jingang.
Song Jingang was indeed a man of great talent and strategy. While plotting to attack the Li clan, he did not ignore the military situation in the world at all.
If Li Mi and Wang Shichong were both defeated, Du Fuwei failed to advance northward, and Song Jingang could capture Taiyuan, Liu Wuzhou's power could easily extend to the key areas north and south of the Yellow River and become the most powerful overlord.
Kou Zhong frowned and said: But what good does this do to me?
Song Jingang said: Only by protecting Li Zitong and Du Fuwei will they not dare to attack Pegasus Ranch and the two big cities protected by it. At that time, as long as Brother Kou captures Jingling and Xiangyang, we can meet up in Luoyang. Whether they are enemies or friends, or whether the world is equally divided into two dynasties, we can think about it in the long term.
Kou Zhong laughed dumbly and said: "This is the first time that I have heard about whether we are enemies or friends. And Brother Song seems to be too respectful to me! Li Zitong may not be willing to listen to me."
Song Jingang said calmly: "Brother Kou, if you can subdue Wang Shichong, an old fox, what does it matter to Li Zitong? What's more, my lord has always had a good relationship with Li Zitong, and you have a glorious record of holding on to Jingling for ten days with only the remnant army, and Li Zitong shows up." When he's in a desperate situation, it's his turn to think calmly.
Kou Zhong smiled bitterly and said: Brother Song is probably the best guest after Su Qin and Zhang Yi. But I must discuss this troublesome matter with my brother. Can you wait a few more days?
Song Jingang said: I want to leave immediately but I will leave a contact person behind. As long as Brother Kou has arranged everything for you.
After Kou Zhong studied the method of contacting him and discussed the situation in Jiangdu, he said goodbye and left.
※※※
Xu Ziling sat alone in the hall waiting for Kou Zhong in the courtyard of a clever building built near the Tianjin Canal in Xuanfengfang in the west of the city.
This is the secret nest Wang Shichong provided to them to hide from others.
At this time, Kou Zhong came and sat slumped on the chair to his left. Uncharacteristically, he did not talk eloquently as usual.
Xu Ziling said calmly: What happened?
Kou Zhong said dejectedly: Yuzhi and I have officially broken up, and there is no hope of recovery.
Xu Ziling wondered: How could it be like this? With your impeccable tongue, Mr. Zhong, you can be a black deer or a horse, nothing can be undone.
Kou Zhong sighed: He is still a brother and he still wants to play tricks on me now that he is so miserable. Alas! My problem is that I only really fell in love with her at this time, so my good tongue is of no use.
Xu Ziling said in shock: Are you laughing?
Kou Zhong lost his voice and said: Laughing?
Xuan showed a bitter smile and looked directly at the new boots he had just bought and put on. He said: After I promised not to appear in front of her again, I was so distressed that I walked barefoot in the wind and rain. At that time, my whole body was weak and weak.
Breathing was not smooth, my eyes were blurry, and my heart was like a blacksmith's hammer hitting an anvil. The banging sound became heavier and louder, like thunder, and my brain was swollen and went crazy.
Xu Ziling stared at him in disbelief for a while before saying: Have you forgotten Li Xiuning?
Kou Zhong said sadly: When I got up this morning, I really forgot that she only had Song Yuzhi in my heart. Alas! This love break was even more miserable than that time. My whole body felt like I was drowning in the depths of the sea, and my heart was filled with pain.
Xu Ziling said: Let me go and talk to the third sister?
Kou Zhong said flatly: If it is not my brother, let it go. If I, Kou Zhong, want to compete in the world, why should I rely on my in-law relationship? Humph! I hope Yuzhi can still be happy without me.
Xu Ziling smiled bitterly and said: Don't think that she can't be happy without you. This is fine, otherwise how can we be worthy of Song Shidao.
Kou Zhong said angrily: "You still don't believe that I am sincere to the third sister?"
Xu Ziling reached out, grabbed his shoulders, shook him twice and sighed: You can forget about Li Xiuning, and you can also forget about Song Yu, so you can focus on other things!
Kou Zhong was silent for a moment, feeling Xu Ziling's comfort and concern for him, and then said: I have something important to discuss with you.
※※※
After hearing this, Xu Ziling said in a deep voice: Xiao Mian is finally going north!
Kou Zhongyi was shocked and said: It makes sense! And this is a plan to kill three birds with one stone. Xiao Mian and Xiang Yushan are both conspirators.
Xu Ziling sighed: Fortunately they can think of it. It can be seen that the one Liu Wuzhou wants to join forces with is not you, an unqualified son, but Xiao Mian. When they join forces outside the pass, they can first fall into Luoyang and then attack Guanzhong. One of the two Laozi is to the south and the other is to the south.
Only by cooperating in this way can the North have a chance to share the world equally.
Kou Zhong had already thought about this issue.
You must know that Kou Zhong now has no generals, no soldiers, and the Pegasus Ranch is not his subordinate. How could an overlord like Liu Wuzhou, who dominates one side and has Turks as backup, think highly of him? At best, Kou Zhong is just a very useful chess piece in his eyes. Because
Xiao Mian and others knew him well, so this plot must have been carefully conceived by Xiao Mian and others.
If he fell into the trap and used his influence to make Pegasus Ranch and the old troops of Jingling City attack Jingling with all their strength, then Xiao Mian could take advantage of the situation and capture Pegasus Ranch and the two nearby big cities. The most powerful ones were Shang Xiuxun and others.
Even though they knew that the Baling Army was crossing the river to the north, they still mistakenly thought that it was just part of a joint military operation. When they became a lone army without any support, they had no other choice but to surrender.
At that time, Xiao Mian would acquire a large area of land north of the Yangtze River, while Du Fuwei was stuck in Jiangdu and watched Xiao Mian encroach on his territory to the west.
At this time, Xiao Mian could send his army north to Luoyang to fulfill his dream of joining forces with Liu Wuzhou.
Kou Zhongdao: Ling, can you teach me what to do?
Xu Ziling said sternly: Because Sister Su is in Xiao Mian's hands, we are now in a defensive position. And any military operation must have a definite goal. But we cannot openly turn against Xiao Mian and at the same time preserve Pegasus Ranch, let alone
How should I teach you how to let dad succeed when there are so many contradictions and difficult situations entangled together?
Kou Zhong's eyes lit up and he said: "As long as we can defend Jiangdu without damaging my father's vitality, and Shang Meiren pretends to attack Jingling An and deal with Xiao Xian, we can solve the immediate crisis."
Xuanyou said distressedly: But there is no way to protect Jiangdu without damaging my father's strength. This is simply impossible.
Xu Ziling said: There is always a way, but we have to go to Jiangdu to grasp the situation before we can adapt accordingly. Now why not think about tonight's events first.
Kou Zhong looked at Xu Ziling's scarred face in silence for a while and said with a smile: "The carriage has been waiting for you for a long time. General Scarface, should we set off?"
※※※
When Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling arrived at the gate of Rong Mansion with Wang Shichong and others, they were also shocked by the lively scene.
Rong Fengxiang, a wealthy manor house in Luoyang, was built on a hill in the northeast of the city. It occupies a very large area and is very large in scale. At a glance, you can see that the houses dotted among the trees are very colorful.
In the middle of the square at the entrance, a huge Aoshan high-knotted colorful fence was erected. There were no less than ten thousand fancy lanterns hanging all over the square, which were so brilliant and dazzling that the inside and outside were as bright as day.
The congratulatory guests are constantly arriving, and the ladies in embroidered clothes are crowded everywhere. They are laughing and playing amidst the deafening smoke of firecrackers, especially the atmosphere of the New Year.
The house was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns everywhere, and all the maidservants went out to greet the guests.
Wang Shichong's motorcade also had a strong lineup. Nearly a hundred selected guards protected eight carriages and slowly entered Rongfu.
Xu Ziling, Kou Zhong and Ouyang Xiyi were riding in the same car together. When the latter saw the two of them curiously squeezing out of the car window, he smiled and said:
When I was young, I loved to join in the fun just like you, but now I avoid busy places.
Xu Ziling put on another mask and turned into an ordinary-looking man, unremarkable. At this time, he asked in his heart:
Seniors, have you ever heard of Ba Dao Yueshan?
Kou Zhongqi said: This man is very domineering just by his name. Where did you meet him?
Ouyang Xiyi was the only person other than Wang Shichong who knew Xu Ziling's identity, so she tried her best to conceal his identity. Hearing this, he looked nervous and asked: Did Xu Di really meet him?
Xu Ziling said: This junior just heard his name mentioned, so he must be curious!
Ouyang Xiyi visibly breathed a sigh of relief and said: That's it. Yue Shan was a master of the evil sect that was rampant in our generation. He was ruthless and ruthless in killing people. At that time, his reputation was especially higher than that of Zhu Yuyan. He was later defeated by Song Que, the Heavenly Sword, and disappeared.
.Song Que was only in his twenties at the time, and it was this battle that established his reputation as the best swordsman in the world.
At this time, the carriage stopped and Ouyang Xiyi didn't seem to want to talk about this man and urged them to get out of the car.
Kou Zhong just got out of the carriage, and the aroma immediately hit his nostrils. Cui'er, who was all dressed up, came up to him and said: "Welcome, Mr. Kou, to come to Rong Mansion. It is indeed an honor for Rong Mansion."
Kou Zhong said in astonishment: Isn't Manqingyuan open today? Why are you here, Cui'er, to welcome guests? Cui'er came over and held his arm affectionately, smiling charmingly: Boss Rong, can't he take a day off even if he's ordered to do so?
What's more, all the distinguished guests have come here, and our girl from Manqingyuan has no choice but to come here instead! The clever Mr. Kou deliberately asked the slave family about such a simple matter.
Kou Zhong enjoyed the squeezing of her breasts while paying attention to the movements in all directions.
The parking place had obviously been arranged in advance, so there were no other carriages. Wang Shichong and others got out of the car one after another and were greeted by Rong Fengxiang himself.
After Ouyang Xiyi and Xu Ziling got off the bus, they moved to the vicinity of Wang Shichong and took on the responsibility of protecting them with other masters and soldiers, including the traitor Kefeng.
Lang Feng, Song Mengqiu and Yang Gongqing were not present at this grand meeting. The former two were responsible for city defense and monitoring Yang Tong's movements, while Yang Gongqing commanded the troops stationed in the imperial city.
As for Dong Shuni, because of her relationship with Rong Jiaojiao, she had gone to Rong Mansion to join in the fun before noon.
At this time, Rong Fengxiang and Wang Shichong were greeting each other. Cui'er came to Kou Zhong's ear and complained: "Young Master is so tired that the slave family is miserable!"
How to compensate?
Some guests who came here unintentionally were politely discouraged by Wang Shichong's guards and turned around.
Kou Zhongzheng looked at Kefeng moving towards Xu Ziling, obviously wanting to touch the bottom of this stranger who suddenly appeared and said casually:
What have I done to harm Ku Cui'er?
Cui'er almost bit his ear and said: Last night, Qing Ju, Qing Lian and Qing Ping were allowed to accompany you, but you sneaked away again, and people are almost complaining to death.
Cui Er's soft words entangled with the sound of firecrackers and noises all around, the dazzling lights, Wang Shichong and Rong Fengxiang's pleasantries, Ke Feng's questioning of Xu Ziling, as if facing a powerful enemy, and the guards reminded him of the impending assassination. All these things are going on.
The following things flowed into Kou Zhong's consciousness like streams converging into a river, giving him an extremely strange feeling.
It was like being in a dream that you will never wake up from. You can only see the movements but not the sounds. I wonder if it is because of the long days of anticipation that everything in front of you feels as if you have experienced it before. It is so weird and creepy.
a feeling of.
Everything slowed down. When he watched Ke Feng approach Xu Ziling and speak in his usual kind and elder manner, he could clearly grasp the buzzing of the lips and the subtle changes in the muscles of the body when the two were talking.
action.
Then Ouyang Xiyi came to Xu Ziling's rescue, and then Wang Shichong and Rong Fengxiang walked side by side towards the gate, surrounded by maids and guards, and the guests gave way.
Cui'er's voice seemed to come from far away, lingering in my ears.
You! How should you compensate others?
The Qiuci beauty Linglongjiao who walked by gave him a fierce look and gave him a look of hidden resentment.
Kou Zhong replied quickly and said perfunctorily: In the next two days when I have some free time, I will go to Manqingyuan to compensate you.
But my heart was extremely shaken.
After many days of continuous fierce fighting training, he finally made a breakthrough in martial arts and reached a higher level.
Then he gently escaped from Cui Er's passionate entanglement and chased Wang Xuanying and Wang Xuanshu into the hall where drums and music were noisy.
※※※
Rong Fengxiang lives up to Luoyang's reputation as a wealthy man. The main residence, which consists of only three entrances, is full of luxury and wealth.
The front hall is not only large in area, high in space, ornately decorated, but its momentum is comparable to that of the palace. In the center, six gold cricket pillars with pink powder go straight up to the ceiling. The ceiling is covered with patterns and carvings. The caisson in the center is a three-dimensional relief of two dragons competing for the pearl. Other furniture,
The hanging ornaments are very particular.
At this time, there were nearly twenty banquet tables and more than a hundred guests gathered in the hall, but it still didn't feel crowded. There were only eight guards who came in with Wang Shichong, and the others stayed outside. Even so, plus Kou Zhong and others
This industry is still very powerful and powerful.
One was a politician in power in Luoyang and the other was a wealthy man with a birthday. Everywhere he passed, there were bursts of congratulations.
Under the leadership of Wang Shichong and Rong Fengxiang, they walked through the halls and corridors without stopping until they reached the back hall where only the most important guests were received.
The same spacious space as the front hall only has ten seats, four of which are in the middle and six seats are evenly distributed on both sides, highlighting the distinguished position of the four seats in the hall.
The guests who could be arranged into the inner hall were either the most prominent figures in Luoyang or distinguished foreign guests like Li Shimin and Tuli who were not well-heeled and could only attend the banquet in the other two halls.
The first thing Kou Zhonghuan saw was Dong Shuni, who was dressed as dazzlingly as a colorful sparrow. She was chatting and laughing happily with another beautiful girl who was indistinguishable from her in appearance but was very young and unique in appearance. They were surrounded by a group of seven or eight noble gentlemen.
Of course, this girl is known as the "Shuangyan of Luoyang" together with Dong Shuni. Rong Jiaojiao is indeed a natural beauty and attractive. Her eyes are full of enchantment as she glances at her, so she is affectionate and shy. Her manners are even more delicate, smart and graceful.
Wan Qian. She is a little taller than Dong Shuni. She is slim and has icy skin and snow-skinned skin. Who can win over her?
Dong Shuni only glanced at them, then pouted her lips with an air of disdain and stopped looking at them. It was as if even Wang Shichong was annoyed because of Kou Zhong.
On the contrary, Rong Jiaojiao's beautiful eyes flicked over Kou Zhong's body a few times before she pursed her lips and smiled, lowering her head. Kou Zhong's heartbeat also added to her moving expression.
On the left side of the entrance, there is a group of eighteen female prostitutes, all wearing low-snail buns, narrow-sleeved tops, tunic skirts and shawls, standing in three rows to perform.
From the harp, pipa, transverse flute, waist drum, shell, etc., the joyful and melodious melody resounded throughout the audience.
In the open space between the banquets, there were more than ten groups of people gathered, including Tu Li, Li Shimin, Wang Bo, Fu Qian and their close associates.
Song Lu also came and was chatting and laughing with Wang Bo and seven or eight people. However, Song Yuzhi was not seen. I wonder if he did not come to the banquet to avoid Kou Zhong.
After entering the back hall, all the guards dispersed to the side. Only Ouyang Xiyi, Ke Feng, Chen Changlin and Xu Ziling accompanied Wang Shichong. Under the leadership of Rong Fengxiang, they greeted the guests one by one.
Kou Zhong, knowingly or unintentionally, was watching the two brothers Wang Xuanying crowding into Dong Shuni. Rong Jiaojiao's group took advantage of the excitement and only Linglongjiao was left.
Linglong's charming eyes focused on Xu Ziling's handsome back and said in a deep voice: This person is a first-rate master. Where did Yi Gong invite him out? Why didn't he hear about it at all beforehand?
In order to accommodate her delicate and delicate figure, Kou Zhong bent his head and said in her ear: He is my brother, Xu Zilingqiao is pretending to be a powerful chess piece, and the girl will understand later.
Perhaps it was because of Koo Zhong’s frankness and lack of concealment that Linglongjiao surprisingly did not move away but instead met his gaze and said:
Why should such an important thing be hidden from us?
Kou Zhong said while feasting and showing off his beauty at a close distance: "Because we suspect that someone around Master Shangshu is a ghost girl, do you understand?"
Linglongjiao showed a shocked look, lowered her head and said softly: Are you sure I'm not a traitor?
Kou Zhong said softly: Of course, I am sure that the girl is beautiful, smart, open-minded and bold, and is the kind of person who would never do despicable things.
Linglong's face was slightly red and she whispered like a mosquito: I'm starting to like you! If you could go to Manqingyuan less often, I would have a better impression of you.
After saying this, he glanced at him before walking towards Wang Shichong.