In the evening, the setting sun dyed Xihai City red.
Lu Bu stood at the head of Xihai City, overlooking the Gobi Desert.
The yellow sands of the Gobi Desert in the Western Regions, and then as soon as the sun shines, it suddenly seems like the sky and the earth are a bright red. From time to time, the wind whizzes by, rolling up large amounts of dust, as if there are thousands of troops lurking in the wind and sand.
Same.
The wind in the Western Region is very interesting. It is not a gust, but a stream, as if it has a concrete entity. Once a person is caught in the strong wind, it is like being attacked by thousands of gravels.
If you are thin-skinned, your defense will be broken in an instant.
Of course, the sandstorms on the Gobi Desert in this uninhabited area were even more terrifying in later generations. A jeep even got stuck halfway on the road and then encountered a sandstorm. Although the car and people were not blown away, the paint on the car body was polished by the sandstorm.
…
The steel plate is directly exposed and can be directly painted with new paint.
Perhaps it is because of this that people who have been tempered in the Western Regions have a somewhat tough aura.
"Are there a large number of horse thieves in the vanguard camp?" Lu Bu asked.
Wei Xu nodded.
Military intelligence cannot be concealed. Lu Bu soon learned the news reported by Chen Ada, but Lu Bu didn't pay much attention to it. Because he was no longer young and his cock became hard when he saw a beautiful woman.
, his eyes turn green when he sees military exploits. Regarding the word "horse thief", Lu Bu was somewhat uninterested, so he asked the question very calmly.
"What did Chen Ada do?" Lu Bu frowned, "I heard there was a horse thief some time ago, why are you still so careless?"
Wei Xu nodded, "It is true that as the Lord said, Chen Ada was a little careless... However, there are not many people in the forward camp, and horse thieves are hard to guard against. Sometimes negligence is inevitable." On the surface, it sounds like this.
Wei Xu was pleading for Chen Ada's innocence, but in fact he had already placed all the responsibility on Chen Ada.
Lu Bu pondered for a while, "Well, what are you going to do? Do you want me to go?"
Wei Xu straightened his back and said, "My lord, please don't underestimate me. I don't take this mere horse thief lightly! Haha, even if my personal martial arts skills are not as good as my lord's, but my lord has soldiers and horses by my side, what else can I do?"
Maybe you're afraid of these horse thieves? Don't worry, my lord, I will definitely catch them when I go this time! Don't worry, my lord!"
Lu Bu nodded, "Okay, you can go to those horse thieves. But if something goes wrong, you must report it in time, and don't rush ahead... By the way, is there any movement in Guishuang?"
』
Wei Xu hurriedly said: "I haven't received any news yet. What my lord is saying is that this time it may be a trap by Kushan? But neither the secret whistle nor the eyeliner reported that Kushan troops were dispatched..."
"Well, it's better if it's not Guishang..." Lu Bu nodded, then smiled, "I hope Guishan can send a large army to come and have a good fight! As long as it takes a heavy blow, the Western Region will be stable for ten years.
!It’s a pity that these Kushan people are like hiding in a mouse hole, refusing to come forward... Tsk!』
Wei Xu quickly raised his hand and said, "My lord is wise! We have a lord..."
"Okay, okay, there's no need to say these words! Go and prepare, but be more careful!" Lu Bu waved his hand, "In the battle formation, you must be bold, but you must also be careful! Go!"
Wei Xu took the order and left.
Lu Bu looked at it and seemed to think about it for a while, then he patrolled around again, chatted and joked with some soldiers and the military academy, and then got off the city wall and walked home.
Not only Lu Bu didn't care too much, but many people in Xihai City also didn't care when they heard about the horse thieves.
These horse thieves are like the wind and sand in the Western Regions. Who knows when they will blow up and then disappear again. It is so common to hear about it...
When Lu Bu returned to the inner courtyard, he met Xiaocao and found out that his little girl had contracted the cold. So he asked Xiaocao what the doctor said and walked towards Xiaocao's courtyard.
Children are naughty and sometimes playful. After sweating, they encountered a big temperature difference between morning and night in the Western Region, especially in autumn and winter. Naturally, they caught a cold, but it was not a big problem.
I took some prescriptions and drank some ginger soup, and after sweating a little, I felt much better.
The little girl was very skinny, not like her mother at all. After she regained a little energy, she began to purr. When she saw Lu Bu coming, she ran over and hugged Lu Bu with a squeak.
He called Daddy angrily, and then Lu Bu was so happy that he showed his eight big teeth.
"What have you been doing these past two days? Have you encountered anything interesting?" Lu Bu asked while hugging the little girl.
"Yes! Storyteller! Snare drum! Dongdong! Bang bang!" The little girl waved her arms. If Xiaocao hadn't said she had a cold, she wouldn't have been able to tell at all.
Lu Bu sat down and asked the little girl to sit aside. Then he listened to the little girl's dancing and narration, and carefully looked at the little girl's complexion. He felt that there was nothing wrong, so he laughed and said to Xiaocao.
: "Look, you are my girl. What are you afraid of from the cold? It's a trivial matter! But you can't go out these two days. You have to wait until the cold is completely gone."
"Ah... no, no!" The little girl thrust herself into Lu Bu's arms and pushed her head against Lu Bu, "I want to get out! Get out!"
"Ah haha, okay, okay, wait two days, wait two days, I will take you out and ride a big horse, okay?" Lu Bu laughed, "Didn't you say you wanted a square-shaped halberd last time? That thing
Heavy, you are not suitable to hold it. I will find you a short spear another day. It is almost the same as my father Fang Tian’s painted halberd. How about it? Do you like it? Do you want it?"
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" The girl jumped up and waved her hand as if she was holding a spear.
Xiaocao smiled helplessly on the side, "Husband, if you give it to her, the family won't be in trouble..."
Lu Bu waved his hand and let the little girl play by herself, and then said: "If you like it, try it first. Give it a try. Maybe she will feel tired from practicing martial arts and can study peacefully."
"I hope so." Xiaocao sighed.
Xiaocao can now be regarded as Lu Bu's wife, but she is just Mrs. Ru.
The little girl's attention was diverted and she went off to play.
Xiaocao looked at it with a gentle smile on his face.
Lu Bu turned to look at Xiaocao, and then said with a smile: "You should also go out for a walk when you have time, ride a horse or something. This place is very similar to Jiuyuan, there is a very vast land, you can run around wherever you want!"
Xiaocao nodded, but after a moment, he sighed softly.
"What's wrong?" Lu Bu asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Xiaocao shook his head.
Lu Bu didn't believe it and asked again. Xiaocao whispered: "Actually...it's nothing. I just feel...although this place looks like...but after all it's not..."
Lu Bu's smile slowly faded, and then fell silent.
"Husband, ah, this..." Xiaocao became a little embarrassed, "Husband, that's not what I meant..."
Lu Bu also sighed, waved his hands and stood up, "I know this is not my hometown, I know, I know..."
Although Lu Bu's tone was not harsh, it already felt like a severe reprimand to Xiaocao, who suddenly burst into tears and felt at a loss.
When Lu Bu saw it, he quickly stepped forward and gave Xiaocao a hug, "It's okay, it's okay. I don't blame you. I also miss my hometown... It's just that I can't go back now. I can't go back. Do you understand? Wait a moment."
Time, we can go back in a few years...』
Xiaocao leaned into Lu Bu's arms and nodded.
Lu Bu touched Xiaocao's hair, and then smiled, "Look, the girl is still young, isn't she? The road is not easy to walk on. Isn't it just right when she is older? Don't think too much about it."
After sitting for a while, Lu Bu came out of Xiaocao's courtyard, turned around the corridor, and walked towards the inner courtyard further back.
Mrs. Yan had been waiting at the entrance of the courtyard early. When she saw Lu Bu, a smile appeared on her face: "Well, my husband is well."
Lu Bu nodded.
Several servants and maids filed forward, took off Lu Bu's robe, brought the washing utensils, item by item, step by step, and then lined up again to go down.
"Oh, there are so many people every time..." Lu Bu twisted his neck, "Don't you think it's a little noisy?"
"These people? How come there are so many of them?" Madam Yan stepped forward and rubbed Lu Bu's shoulders and neck, "I heard that those aristocratic families in the Central Plains had to wait for a hundred people just to eat! How many of us are there!"
I also think it’s a little lacking, and it doesn’t suit your husband’s status as the Protector!”
"The Great Protector! Hi!" Lu Bu shook his head and smiled, "What is the identity of the Great Protector? I am just a warrior."
"How can your husband say that?!" Madam Yan put more force in her hands, but it did not hurt Lu Bu. On the contrary, it made Lu Bu feel more comfortable. "In this Western Region, your husband is the heaven of this Western Region!"
"Ah haha." Lu Bu smiled, and then said, "That's not what you said... This Grand Protector is almost the same as a prefect, except that it is a little bigger here in the Western Region."
"Prefect?" Madam Yan asked, with a look of surprise on her face, "So young?"
"The governor is still young?" Lu Bu was startled.
Mrs. Yan was also startled, "Ah, no, I mean, I mean... this, um, the prefect is just one place. This Western Region is so big, there are so many countries..."
"There are so many countries, but they are just one Western Region." Lu Bu said with a smile.
"Then..." Madam Yan blinked, "Then which one is bigger, Marquis Wen or the Protector?"
Lu Bu laughed heartily, "This is different. Let's put it this way, one of these two is fictitious and the other is real. They are not the same thing at all."
In fact, it is not very appropriate to say that "Marquis Wen" is fictitious, but if you have a title but no real power, it is easy for various problems to arise, and sometimes even "the county magistrate is not as good as the current one". Lu Bu also said before
I didn't know much about this, let alone Mrs. Yan, who was both from the Northland with him at the time. Neither of them were very knowledgeable, and they only learned about official positions later.
Lu Bu's current situation is a bit complicated, and his official positions are relatively confusing. Dong Zhuo's, the imperial government's, and later Yuan Shao's, Yuan Shu's private commitment, and now Fei Qian's enfeoffment are all different from each other.
Of course, for Lu Bu now, the one with the greatest authority is still Fei Qianfeng, the Protector of the Western Regions.
At the same time, Lu Bu's current workplace in the Western Regions is also a bit complicated. There are Han people who were in the Western Regions before, and some who migrated later. There are even some who are divided into Feiqian's, Li Ru's, Lu Bu's, Longyou Gang, and Guanzhong
Wait...
Lu Bu had led everyone on a crusade, and the army was very powerful, so it seemed that the situation was more or less harmonious. But after Lu Bu stopped, the people following him suddenly seemed to be unable to find any target.
Plus Wei Xu...
Of course, Wei Xu has always said that he is solving troubles for Lu Bu, but in fact Wei Xu creates troubles himself, but the problem is that Wei Xu himself doesn't understand it at all.
Obviously, Wei Xu did not have Lu Bu's military force at all, so in the Western Regions, a region that relatively values force, Wei Xu's name was not as loud as Lu Bu's, and Wei Xu wanted more people to listen to his orders.
, and he doesn’t have Lu Bu’s force, so of course he will do it in a completely different way from Lu Bu.
If at this time, there was a shrewd and powerful internal affairs figure like Li Ru in the Western Regions to take charge, then that would be fine. Even if Wei Xu jumped around again, there wouldn't be any trouble, but Li Ru's body couldn't support it.
,died.
Lu Bu was unstoppable on the battlefield and had the air of a general, but after stepping off the battlefield, he exposed areas where he was lacking, just like his conversation with Madam Yan.
The problem is not very clear. The so-called family background is like this, but whether it is Lu Bu or Madam Yan, or the "family" composed of the two of them now, they are relatively simple and cannot be said to be very powerful.
If Lu Bu could calm down and follow the strategy left by Li Ru and do it step by step, it is impossible to say that relying on the prestige he gained in the Western Regions in the early days, he would be able to achieve a feat that could be passed down from generation to generation.
The current conflicts in the Western Regions seem to be unplanned, but Lu Bu has not yet shown his weak side. Many people in the Western Regions still think that Lu Bu is a terrible beast and dare not compete with him...
Not only was Lu Bu unaware of these imminent problems, he was even thinking about other things. For example, he felt that it would be good to return to his hometown as Xiaocao said. Returning home in fine clothes was a good thing after all.
"I heard..." Lu Bu closed his eyes and enjoyed Madam Yan's massage, "Jiuyuan is recovering well now... There are also some descendants from the Northern Desert who were said to be the descendants of Wang and Li... again
The city is being built and the fields are being restored, it’s very lively...』
Madam Yan listened, then stopped her movements and turned to face Lu Bu, "Did you listen to what that bitch was saying again?"
"Ah?" Lu Bu opened his eyes, and then avoided Madam Yan's eyes, "How is it possible? I have been away from my hometown for too long, and I just miss it a little bit. This homesickness is a common sense of human ethics. Why, you don't want to think about it."
Hometown?』
"I don't want to." Mrs. Yan said categorically, "What's there to think about in that wretched place? No matter how much you think about it, it's still the same. Let me tell you, husband, if you go back to your hometown, what will you do?"
"What to do?" Lu Bu pondered for a moment, "I remember... Well, to be a rich man? Buy some land, buy some cattle and sheep..."
"Then you herd sheep and cattle every day? Huh? You are a great protector and a world-famous Marquis Wen, just to go home and herd cattle and sheep?" Madam Yan suddenly became furious, "Husband, why... you don't even want to
For your own sake, you should also think about your children. Do you want your children to follow you to herd cattle and sheep?! Then how many times have you lived and died over the years, and for what purpose? It is better to be in the Northland from the beginning, then it is still herding cattle.
Sheep, what’s the difference?』
Lu Bu was startled. When he first left the North and went to Dingyuan, apart from his hatred for Xianbei going south, he really only thought about how much he could be rewarded for his meritorious service, and then go home to buy some cattle and sheep.
"Well..." Lu Bu muttered, not knowing what to say for a moment, and his face became somewhat depressed.
Madam Yan is just an ordinary woman. She is jealous of Xiaocao being favored by Lu Bu, and she will scold her like a maid. But if she really wants to harm Xiaocao, Madam Yan can't do it. She is just trying to talk.
It's just a matter of pleasure. On the other side, she loves Lu Bu, takes care of him, arranges all kinds of food, clothes, etc. for Lu Bu, and is busy with various things in the inner house. But at the same time, she doesn't have a long-term vision and loves vanity.
Lu Bu is proud of being the Protector-General, and of course, more importantly, she is the Protector-General's wife.
Madam Yan hopes that Lu Bu will be a majestic big man, not a shepherd in the northern desert. Even if Lu Bu will have a second Xiaocao or a third Xiaocao, she can accept it, as long as she is still a shepherd.
That's enough for Mrs. Yan, so when she saw that Lu Bu seemed a little unhappy because of her words, she quickly changed the topic, "Husband, don't talk about these unhappy things... By the way, didn't you say that before?"
Do you want any "merits"? I heard that July 15th is a festival of some sort, and then you offer sacrifices to your ancestors and perform rituals for wandering ghosts. The best way to accumulate "merits"! Husband, let's do such a festival too.
,what do you think?
"Oh? Is there such a thing?" Lu Bu was also interested. He had been thinking about the issue of merit recently. Now that he heard that holding such a ceremony can accumulate merit, he naturally felt very good, and he continued
He nodded and said, "Yes, of course! It's just that there are only a few days until July 15th, is it too late?"
"I have been preparing for a long time! It's just in time!" Madam Yan said with a smile, "Besides, isn't there sister Xiaocao to help?" Madam Yan mentioned Xiaocao just for Lu Bu's sake. Of course, this kind of
Regarding external matters, this is the best moment for Mrs. Yan to assert her sovereignty. After all, although Mrs. Ru also enjoys the same treatment as the wife, she is still a deputy position just like the vice president.
Lu Bu didn't know much about the relationship, or even if he did, he didn't think much about it. He just thought that he could use such a festival to feel what the so-called "merit" is.
Since the purpose is to sacrifice ancestors and appease the lonely ghosts, then of course the bigger the Dharma conference is, the more powerful the "merits" will be. Isn't it just that I can feel the changes more?
"Then let's do it! A big event!" Lu Bu made a decision, "On July 15th, there will be a big celebration!"
But what Lu Bu didn't expect was that before the ceremony could be held, the bad news came first...
