Withdrawing south from Gong County, we first went to Xuzhou to meet Hu Kai. Although Xu Huai felt extremely unhappy because the generals and officials were lazy and fearful of fighting, he had a rare rest for a few days without having to worry about the war. They rested again at Qingyi Ridge yesterday.
After one night, we returned to Huaiyuan today over the mountains and ridges. I felt relaxed and not tired at all.
After the reception banquet, Xu Huai, Liu Qiong'er, Wang Ju, Fan Yong and others rushed to Ruyifang where the Wang clan lived.
Since the founding of the Dai Viet Dynasty, goods farming has been encouraged, and the city layout has gradually replaced traditional lanes with streets and alleys.
However, when the war came, considering the needs of defense and city control, Chushan County was newly established, with Huaiyuan as the county seat, and Xu Huai directly restored the Lifang system in the city.
Xu Huai sent Cheng Yi and Su Laochang to build walls in a step-by-step manner in Huaiyuan City, and included the semi-open houses and courtyards that were originally distributed along streets and alleys into relatively independent courtyards.
Based on square courtyards, the buildings in the city are newly divided.
In addition, Xu Huai also reorganized the households in the city, added Fangzheng and other officials, and implemented rural military drills in the city. The establishment of the county in Chushan was extremely hasty. Even at this time, there was no county government seal. Maybe the court
He was so busy that he forgot about this incident, but this chaos also gave Xu Huai great convenience in Huaiyuan, allowing him to maximize the military potential in Tongbai Mountain.
Except for the county government house where Xu Huai lived, the families of the generals and officials in the core of the Chushan camp were basically concentrated in Ruyifang and Huaiyangfang on the west side of the county government. Ruyifang and the south side of Huaiyangfang were
It was Xuan Yifang, the barracks where the garrison was stationed in the city.
Wang Hua, Wang Zhang, Shi Hu, Zhou Yong and others served as bodyguards. Xu Huai rushed to Xuzhou before, and they wanted to follow him closely. However, Xu Huai sent Fan Zongqi to lead people to Huayin, and they still settled in Huayin anonymously.
The Wang family from Yin County and their family members brought their children to Huaiyuan, but they actually arrived in Huaiyuan one day earlier than them.
Including Wang Ju, Fan Yong had already moved his family in Taiyuan to Tongbai Mountain. At this time, the Wang family and his family members living in Ruyifang were mainly old, weak, women and children, but there were more than 40 people.
Brothers Wang Xian and Wang Jun also came back specially to recognize and gather with their clansmen.
A night banquet was also prepared here. Xu Huai, Liu Qiong'er, Wang Ju, and Fan Yong came over and sat down again.
Outside, Xu Huai was the leader and Wang Ju was the assistant. But when he returned to the courtyard of the new residence of the Wang family, Xu Huai insisted on asking his seventh uncle Wang Ju to sit in the middle.
Deep down in Xu Huai's heart he resisted the clan system, but he could not be too far removed from the times, not to mention that the vast majority of ordinary people in the world still relied on the clan and had a strong sense of identity due to various limitations.
And Xu Huai also knew in his heart that not only at this time, but also for a considerable period of time in the future, the descendants of the Xu family and the Wang family would be the core force supporting him. For the clan, Xu Huai could only try to maximize its strengths and avoid its weaknesses.
Xu Huai insisted that his seventh uncle Wang Ju should sit in the middle and take the first place, which was to follow the tradition of the clan. However, after sitting down, he also emphasized that he would regularly use money and food from his salary to provide food and accommodation for orphans and widows in the clan.
, supporting children includes girls attending school to learn literacy and practice martial arts, but other than that they have no other privileges.
Xu Huai also hoped that the remaining members of the Wang clan and their generals would be widowed and work as hard as they could; and whether his children wanted to join the army or serve in the township and county government, they had to pass the examination and be promoted based on their qualifications.
Merit and service.
The Wang family is his relative, and the Xu family has been kind to him in raising him, and he treats them equally.
Of course, most of the core figures of the Xu family were born in the lower house Xu. Xu Xin also went through hardships to gain recognition from everyone. The hardships that the Wang family members have experienced over the years are even more unimaginable to ordinary people. The family training was also very strict in the early days.
No one was arrogant, and everyone was very satisfied with Xu Huai's arrangements. At this time, they were more indulging in the joy of the clan gathering.
The meeting broke up a little later, and Xu Huai and Liu Qiong'er walked side by side to the county government house. The moon was like a string, the sky was colorless, and the lead-blue sky was clear.
"When you returned to Huaiyuan, you didn't even ask about Wang Xuan's whereabouts..." Liu Qiong'er retracted her hands in her sleeves, and there were guards following behind her to prevent Xu Huai from catching her.
"Ah, where is Wang Xuan? It's not too late for me to ask now!" The soldiers were busy. It was rare to have such a leisurely time. Xu Huai clasped his hands behind his back and walked slowly in the alley between Ruyifang and the county government.
.
When I returned to Huaiyuan, I was so busy attending to various people and things that I really didn't notice that Wang Xuan didn't appear.
"You asked people to arrange the capital of the Zhu family in Dazhai. Wang Xuan no longer gets close to Mrs. Zhu, but she is also her grandmother and has to serve her. Wang Xuan got the letter early this morning and came to Huaiyuan from Lutai.
I don't know who was talkative, so Mrs. Zhu knew that it was you who came back this time, so she asked someone to come over and take Wang Xuan back. She scolded her and said there was no reason for a big girl to go to see a man outside her house in anger. Wang Xuan was so angry that she wanted to
Swear on the street!" Liu Qiong'er smiled and mentioned the reason why Wang Xuan failed to show up tonight.
Xu Huai could only spread his hands and smile bitterly, saying that there was nothing he could do about the matter.
Mrs. Zhu is not only Wang Fan's mother-in-law and Wang Xuan's grandmother, but also Zhu Hang's mother and the grandmother of Zhu Zhi and Zhu Tong. She cannot compete with the Lord of Ronngle County in the inner house, but she is also a well-educated and dignified person.
The owner of the family, Xu Huai, originally brought the Zhu family to Tongbai Mountain because he was worried that Mrs. Zhu would be difficult to deal with, so he simply sent the Zhu family to Lutai Dazhai to support him. Unexpectedly, the old lady was too bored in the mountains, but she was too boring to control Wang Xuan.
severe.
"Will Prime Minister Wang Chun listen to your persuasion and hold back for the time being and not quarrel with the officials and ministers who are bent on seeking peace?" Liu Qiong'er asked, "I heard that Prime Minister Wang Chun is not in good health. If
If you are demoted from the capital again, your body and bones may not be able to withstand it..."
Xu Huai raised his head and looked at the crescent moon above his head, and said: "It's hard to say. Sometimes it's not necessarily whether Zhu Hang and I will persuade each other, and it's not necessarily that Mr. Wang Cun doesn't know the truth of forbearing for the time being to plan for the future. More
People are always in control of themselves.”
Emperor Tianxuan, Wang Qiyong, Wang Boqian and other close officials all advocated for peace. Those who were timid of the enemy and fearful of war naturally tried their best to comply. But how could the generals of the main war faction in Bianliang City accept this matter calmly? How could they not be angry in their hearts?
Angry?
As the leader of the main war faction, Wang Zhen, if he could not bear to say anything about the current situation in the DPRK that was eager to kneel down and sue for peace, and the huge hidden dangers that suing for peace would bring, how would other generals who took the initiative to fight think of him?
Could this be Wang Zhen's betrayal of them?
Although Xu Huai longed for Wang Zhen to be forbearing, hoped that Wang Zhen would be in Bianliang when the Chi Hu people invaded the south for the second time, and hoped that Wang Zhen could support King Jing in his fight for the throne, he was not in Bianliang, so he lacked a layer of empathy.
It is impossible to determine what choice Wang Zhen will make in the end.
"It's rare to leave these trivial matters behind and stop thinking about them!" Xu Huai said as he stepped into the courtyard of the county government house and stretched his body.
If he really wanted to talk about something, he couldn't finish it even if he stayed up all night, but even if he didn't sleep tonight, he didn't want to use it to talk about things.
Seeing Xu Huai's bright eyes, Liu Qiong'er grabbed his calloused palm with her backhand and whispered: "You are so smelly, don't even think about touching me. I'll find someone to cook a pot for you."
Water, I’ll give you a good brush with the bristle brush later!”
After entering the courtyard of the back house, Liu Qiong'er turned around and walked towards the back room.
Liu Qiong'er had ordered people to prepare soup before. Xu Huai went back to the room, took off his clothes and armor, and picked up a letter from the pile of letters on the desk. After a while, Liu Qiong'er left with several servants.
He came in and carried a large steaming wooden barrel into the room. He also carried in a copper stove that burned charcoal and set up an iron kettle so that he could add hot water to the barrel at any time.
"Hey, keep these shorts, sit down!" Liu Qiong'er saw that Xu Huai was about to take off her clothes, so she hurriedly stopped him, but she saw that his shorts were already in tatters, and they were all covered up.
Unable to hold anything, he stretched out his hands to cover his face and waved to indicate that he should take off his clothes before sitting in the barrel.
"We haven't seen each other for a few months, don't you miss it?" Xu Huai usually washed his body with a basin of hot water in the army, but he didn't pay much attention to it. Now he sat in a wooden bucket of hot water and felt that all the pores in his body were wet at this moment.
He opened his mouth, grabbed Liu Qiong'er's soft and silky little hand and pressed it into the water.
"Don't make trouble, you are covered with dirt, do you want me to help you scrub it?" Liu Qiong'er couldn't retract her hand, so she opened her mouth and bit Xu Huai's chin, which was covered with stubble. Seeing that Xu Huai was about to push her too
He pulled the bucket and begged for mercy, "This bucket of water is too dirty. Please wash it quickly, and I will serve you again..."
Although Liu Qiong'er's body was weak and could not be ravaged, after two or three months of separation, she wished she could put all her thoughts into this death-defying lingering love.
It wasn't until the clear morning light filtered in from the paper-covered window that Liu Qiong'er couldn't hold it any longer, so she begged for mercy and made a truce. She snuggled into Xu Huai's arms wrapped in a thin quilt, listening to the crow of roosters from far and near, and said softly:
"At this time of year, the mountains are also becoming green, and the mountain roads and wild paths are full of fine yellow wild flowers, which are very bright. If we don't have to be busy with business today, let's go to Dazhai to see Mrs. Zhu first, and by the way, see Wang.
Xuan, save that little girl from getting angry and getting sick!"
"I still haven't closed my eyes and slept for a while. Why don't you catch up on your sleep during the day?" Xu Huai asked.
"..." Liu Qiong'er glared at Xu Huai with her beautiful eyes, but she still hadn't slept yet, but they couldn't sleep together as soon as Xu Huai returned to Huaiyuan, so they had to find a reason to go out of the city to avoid everyone.
She didn't want to yawn all day long to meet outsiders.
Besides, she had been tortured by Xu Huai for half the night, and her body bones were weak and she had no strength at all. If she struggled to do things or fell while walking, wouldn't she be ridiculed by others for years?
