Zhao Shu leaned over and fiddled with the cold snow, looked at the vast wilderness, and asked: "Are these all Mr. Wang's fields?"
Old Man Hu nodded and said, "Yes."
Zhao Shu clapped his hands, glanced at Old Man Hu, and asked: "Looking at your words and deeds, have you been a soldier before?"
"Master Hou Mingjian." Old Hu cupped his fists and handed over his hands: "I was once the halberd commander of the Xuanwu Army. After the battle, I settled here."
"Xuanwu Army?" Zhao Shu was slightly happy when he heard the name: "Are you from Xuanwu County?"
"Yes... is there anything wrong?" Old Man Hu was worried.
"I am also from Xuanwu County." Zhao Shu suddenly smiled and said, "I never thought that I would meet a fellow countryman here."
During the Five Kingdoms War, Xuanwu County was originally a place where Huaxu and Youxiong fought over each other. A large number of refugees from China gathered in Xuanwu County.
The so-called refugees are not ordinary civilians. They are usually wealthy families in the Middle East. Only they have the financial and material resources to move their families and take refuge.
These refugees built forts and gathered in Xuanwu County, forming multiple refugee armies. In the early years, the Huaxu Kingdom issued seals to them, appointed them, and provided them with some food and supplies, so that they could delay the attack of the Xiong Kingdom.
The refugees in Xuanwu County would also merge with each other and later form a Xuanwu Army. However, in the face of a large-scale attack by the Xiong Kingdom, the Xuanwu Army suffered a disastrous defeat and had to obediently submit to the Huaxu Kingdom. After Shouyang wiped out the troops, the Xuanwu Army was also disbanded.
The families of the soldiers were dispersed and resettled in various places.
"I'm ashamed, I've never seen Mr. Hou's face before." Old Man Hu said.
"Back then, when the Xiong Kingdom invaded, I still had to flee with my grandfather. I'm not a prominent figure." Zhao Shu didn't care, and then asked: "Then after you move to Shanling County, will you have land to settle down?"
"There was some at the beginning." Old Man Hu said: "Twenty acres for each adult male, and ten acres for each woman and child."
Zhao Shu frowned and shook his head: "It's too little. Usually, a hundred acres of land can feed four or five people. And the local government plans to farm the land, which is often tampered with. If I'm not wrong, what you get should be some scraps."
The barren fields in the corner of the country. If they can’t bear the heavy taxes imposed by the imperial court, someone will definitely donate their fields to the Wang family in Chiyang.”
"Indeed, it is indeed true." Old Man Hu was very shocked. Zhao Shu seemed to be at the scene in person, describing what happened to the soldiers and civilians of the Xuanwu Army back then.
Zhao Shu estimated that the local officials who were responsible for planning and granting farmland colluded with the Chiyang Wang family from the beginning. The purpose of granting barren land was to make these Xuanwu soldiers and civilians unable to pay taxes, so that the Chiyang Wang family could smoothly
merger.
"You...why don't you resist?" Zhao Shu asked.
Old Man Hu was confused when he heard this. What does "resistance" mean? Did Marquis Zhenming want them to commit rebellion? Old Man Hu hesitated and did not dare to respond, for fear of saying the wrong thing.
"It's because I didn't think well." Seeing the other party acting like this, Zhao Shu sighed helplessly: "Your life is already difficult. It's not easy for you to come to the county to find me."
He is also a veteran who experienced the Five Kingdoms War. Old Man Lin has a wife, children and a small family. He is not alone like Wang Miaoshou from Chengyang County. Not everyone can give up everything and fight for his life.
"Master Marquis, people from the Wang family in Chiyang are here." A soldier came to report: "They also brought hundreds of servants with them."
"I know." Zhao Shu sneered twice and set off back to the village.
When Zhao Shu arrived, he saw hundreds of tribesmen blocking the villagers in an open space, and surrounded them all together with the few soldiers Zhao Shu had brought.
"You are really brave! Are you going to rebel?" Zhuangtou was furious and pointed at the villagers: "I tell you, don't think that you are climbing a high tree because you really think that someone will seek justice for you! Mr. Wang's words are,
Wang Fa! You are ignorant and colluding with outsiders. Today I will open your eyes! Come on, arrest all the women and cut off one finger of each man to teach you a lesson!"
Immediately, some servants rushed forward and tried to snatch the woman, causing bursts of screaming and crying.
Zhuangtou was about to laugh when he heard a cold snort coming from outside. The inexplicable coldness frightened everyone, and the servants froze in place, unable to move.
"Wang Wang of Chiyang asked someone like you to be the head of the village, are you expecting to die soon?" Zhao Shu came floating up, but without him making his hand and chanting a mantra, the crowd naturally separated. He raised his hand gently, and those who snatched women
The protagonist was pulled into the air by an invisible force, and his body and limbs began to twist unnaturally.
"You can know your father from your son, and your master from your slaves." Zhao Shui looked coldly, and with a flick of his finger, all the limbs and necks of several servants were broken, and they were killed on the spot, like rag bags being thrown to the ground.
Now Zhao Shui has a deeper understanding of the art of air restraint. Not only can he restrain other people's body movements, he can also suppress breathing, and even forcefully break limbs and bones.
"You, you..." The village leader raised his finger and pointed at Zhao Shu. Seeing this horrific scene, he was so frightened that he couldn't say a single sentence.
"Did you just say that you wanted to cut off your fingers?" Zhao Shui snapped his fingers in the air again, and an invisible blade passed by. All the fingers of Zhuangtou's hands were cut off at the base, and his clothes were stained with blood. He immediately fell to the ground and screamed.
When hundreds of Buqu servants saw this situation, they had no idea how Zhao Shu did it. They all wanted to retreat, and no one dared to step forward.
Just when Zhao Shu thought that the village head's screams were annoying and was about to kill him, a man jumped up from behind the servants. With a flick of his sleeve, the village head fainted immediately and his whole body was swept away by the magic power.
"Fellow Taoist, isn't this a step too far?" The visitor had a dignified face, and was dressed in a white robe with gold threads. He was simple and elegant with a bit of nobility, and his cultivation and magic power were quite good.
"Fellow Taoist?" Zhao Shu asked with a gloomy face, "Who are you?"
"Poverty-stricken people should not let the wind blow, monks from Qionglong Mountain."
"Qionglong Mountain?" Zhao Shu thought for a moment, then said: "Oh, I remembered, it was the sect that despised Chongxuan Hall more than seventy years ago. It claimed that Liang Guoshi was just a mediocre person who relied on the shadow of his predecessors.
Senior, you dared to ask for immortal scriptures without any shame, and ended up being attacked by Master Liang with a sword. I didn’t expect that there would be a remnant like you."
Namo Dangfeng was very well-mannered, and was not angry. He just twitched the corner of his mouth, and then said: "The previous head was ignorant and arrogant, and offended the immortal family, so he was executed. Pindao is now a guest of the Wang family in Chiyang, and he came here specially.
Mediate disputes. My Taoist friends are superb in cultivation, but their behavior is a bit violent. It should be noted that the immortal way cherishes life, and killing in vain may deceive the true spirit."
Zhao Shu was silent for a moment, staring at Mo Dangfeng curiously, and then said with a smile: "Your cultivation level is not superficial. I have seen monks who have been guests of high-ranking families, but like you, almost
It's the first time I've ever seen the word 'running dog' written on my forehead."
Mo Dangfeng cupped his hands and said, "That really made fellow Taoists laugh."
"That's enough, I don't have any Taoist friends with you." Zhao Shu waved his hand: "Where are the people from the Wang family in Chiyang? Should I just send you here?"
Mo Dangfeng replied: "The head of the Wang family in Chiyang is the minister of the dynasty. If Marquis Zhenming has important matters, he might as well return to Dongshengdu first."
"You are chatting with me, right?" Zhao Shu asked: "Is your young master Wang Zhongding in the Green Pearl Garden beside Huansha Pond now?"
Mo Dangfeng's expression did not change, but he was shocked. He didn't know that Zhao Shui had already inquired about the situation of the Wang family in Chiyang in the local area, and during the execution of the law, he had sent Lutan officers and soldiers to spy everywhere, and even discovered that
Several warehouses of the Wang family in Chiyang have been transferring silk fabrics to other warehouses in recent days, with unknown intentions.
"Young Master Wang is not involved in secular affairs and often retreats to practice cultivation. Marquis Zhenming asked the wrong person." Mo Dangfeng smiled and said, "But I can send a message to the local elders of the Wang family and ask them to ask Marquis Zhenming
Explain clearly."
"It's still a bunch of nonsense." Zhao Shu was not in the mood to listen anymore. The Wang family of Chiyang asked Mo Dangfeng to deal with him. It was obviously a perfunctory matter, so he took out the Shenhu Token and said: "Go and bring it to Wang Zhongding."
If so, I will visit you later."
Mo Dangfeng vaguely felt Zhao Shu's whole body's Qi moving, and he felt wary. A white light flashed in front of his eyes, and the blade of light suddenly appeared on his body.
Whoosh!
There was a sound of cracking silk, and the sleeves of Mo Dangfeng's gold-threaded white robe were twisted into pieces, but he himself barely escaped with his dexterity. Looking closely again, he saw a tall tiger-headed general holding an ax in his hand.
Standing in front of Zhao Shu.
"Marquis Zhenming, please tell me if you have something to say!" Mo Dangfeng shouted quickly.
Zhao Shu was too lazy to talk nonsense. This Mo Dangfeng volunteered to act as a lackey. If he didn't show him some colors, it was not enough to scare the Chiyang Wang family, so he directly summoned the powerful general, swung a long-handled heavy ax, and headed towards Mo Dangfeng.
Chop away.
The Divine General Huwei originally did not have a weapon in his hand. Zhao Shui referred to the form-destroying golden ax method of the Jiangzhen Hall, combined with the Huwei Spitting Edge Curse, pondered carefully, and refined the token, so that when General Huwei appeared,
Being able to hold an ax and ax has more killing power.
The mighty tiger general who looked like a statue made of iron, swung his heavy ax with lightning-fast movements, creating a golden wind and white light. The Wang family members who were closer were involved in it, and they were immediately torn to pieces, with no whole body left.
Mo Dangfeng raised his arms up and down and dodged one after another to avoid the attack of the axe. When he saw Zhao Shu showing no mercy, he secretly gritted his teeth and raised his hand to shake out an exquisite folding fan. When he unfolded the fan, he could see an ink painting of green mountains.
He straightened up his body and raised his fan to generate wind. The green mountains on the fan looked like real objects, and several huge rocks appeared out of thin air. Don't let the wind attack the enemy and smash them directly towards Zhao Shu.
"Condensed gas is a bit interesting." Zhao Shu said lightly. The villagers behind him were so frightened that they cowered down when they saw the giant rock coming.
Then he saw Zhao Mianxiang being colorful, his eyes blooming with purple flowers, his true energy flourishing, and his body-protecting fairy clothes turning into a strong barrier, covering the villagers behind him and blocking all the giant rocks.
"Do you know what happened to those who threw stones at me last time?" Zhao Shu raised his hand and waved away, and the broken rocks were photographed one after another. For a moment, sand and rocks were flying, like countless sharp arrows piercing armor, counterattacking.
Mo Dangfeng couldn't help but feel frightened when he saw countless rubbles coming towards his face. Although he also had the ability to condense Xuanzhu, Zhao Shu was obviously far above him, and no matter how magical the magic weapon was, or his magical skills, he couldn't match it.
of.
"Why are Marquis Zhenming so aggressive?!" Mo Dangfeng waved his fan left and right to generate wind, which dispersed the flying sand and rocks. Before the smoke and dust dispersed, the mighty tiger general held a sharp ax and used the force to break up the mountain and chop it down heavily.
Mo Dangfeng relied on the protection of Xingbu's body energy. Although he was not split into two pieces on the spot, his shoulder was injured, and the blood immediately dyed his white robe red. He reluctantly took advantage of the situation and retreated, looking very embarrassed.
"I'll give you a lesson." Zhao Shu said, "You keep saying that you are a noble being in the immortal way, but you help the Wang family in Chiyang to abuse the people. If your words and deeds are inconsistent, you are in vain to be called a person in the immortal way."
Mo Dangfeng was really anxious now. He didn't want to get entangled anymore. He waved his fan and caused a commotion on the ground. The rock barrier and stalagmites burst out of the ground, blocking the movements of the mighty tiger general. Then he attracted a large amount of fog to cover his traces and flew away into the distance. get away.
"Should I stop him?" Lu Wangji, who had not appeared in the distance, called over.
"No, I just want to teach him a lesson." Zhao Shu said, "It seems that as a guest, Mo Dangfeng is far inferior to you."
"People who cultivate immortals are supported by high-ranking families and serve as guest ministers. They will not die for them." Lu Wangji said: "Most monks and guest ministers just defend the children of the family from assassins and guard against evil spirits. Like Mo Dangfeng, they take the initiative to stand up. In response to the situation, I think I have something to ask for from others."
Zhao Shu shook his head and chuckled. Seeing that Mo Dangfeng was defeated, the servants of the Wang family in Chiyang also fled one after another. They were already frightened to death by the mighty tiger general.
"This, this..." Old Man Hu looked at the blood on the corpses on the ground. He did not expect that things would get to such an extent. This Zhenminghou was clearly here to cause trouble for the Chiyang Wang family.
"I've frightened you." Zhao Shu raised his hands and flicked his sleeves, and the fire passed by, burned the corpses, and said to the villagers: "I will deal with the Wang family in Chiyang personally. Folks, please relax, I won't implicate you. ."
…
"Several cargo ships loaded with silk and silk fabrics have set off at this moment."
Wang Zhongding was lying on the soft couch, his head resting on Miaoyinnu's thigh, and he said to Qian Shaobai below: "You three treasures will really have a huge appetite and eat all the silk stored in our Shanling County."
Qian Shaobai bowed and said: "To make the prince laugh, the rice and millet promised earlier have been prepared. As long as the silk and silk are delivered to the border between the two countries, they can be exchanged for rice and millet immediately."
"It seems that the nobles in the imperial capital are also impatient." Wang Zhongding asked with a smile: "Since the Xiong Country has been flooded and droughted for many years, and so much rice and millet are spent on purchasing silk, won't your people rebel?"
Qian Shaobai responded with a wry smile: "Some unruly people causing trouble are nothing to worry about. And this is not something a villain should worry about."
At this time, Wang Zhongding looked outside the palace and saw Mo Dangfeng returning, covering the wound on his shoulder.
"What? Zhao Shu has fallen out?" Wang Zhongding asked.
Mo Dangfeng replied anxiously: "That Zhao Shu is unreasonable. I was planning to invite him, but he suddenly took action. I was frustrated for a moment, please forgive me."
"It's really a waste of money for you." Wang Zhongding rolled his eyes and rubbed his cheek against the flesh of Miaoyinnu's thigh: "Looking at your past diligence, go away, I don't leave any incompetent people here."
"Master! I can continue to serve!" Mo Dangfeng immediately knelt down: "Please give me a chance!"
Qian Shaobai secretly looked at Mo Dangfeng. This man's cultivation was not simple, but he was so humble in front of Wang Zhongding, almost treating himself as a slave.
"What do you think?" Wang Zhongding turned to look at Miaoyinnu.
"Sir, are you going to deal with that Zhenminghou Zhao Shu?" Miaoyinnu whispered softly.
Wang Zhongding was impatient: "He is relying on the favor of the unscrupulous emperor and is unscrupulous. He clearly wants to cause trouble for the Wang family in Chiyang. I have wanted to kill him for a long time!"
"If the master has made up his mind, the slave family can invite a few fellow practitioners and friends." Miaoyin slave said with a charming smile: "And hasn't the master already arranged the manpower?"