Chapter 2: Become an Official (Part 1) After an ambush battle, the horse thieves hacked to death more than 230 wolf riders and more than 230 people, and also stole more than 300 war horses, but they themselves only died in battle.
Seven people, more than 20 people were slightly injured. At the cost of it, everyone's arrogance suddenly rose. Several nearby tribes were eager to give it a try after receiving Ashina Choyu's order. However, the remnant soldiers who fled back heard that thousands of horse thieves had come to reinforce them, and they were frightened.
They all retreated back to the camp.
Liu Hongji and others saw that the Turks were timid, so they no longer concealed their whereabouts and marched straight towards Yanshan. The tribes along the way saw the smoke and dust raised by the cavalry and did not dare to step forward to stop them. They only dared to send their own young men to follow the smoke and dust from a distance
After hearing the news, Queyu ordered three thousand wolf cavalry to come. The horse thieves had already crossed the Gu River and retreated into the Yanshan Mountains.
Yanshan was already the border between the Sui Dynasty and the tribes outside the Great Wall. No matter how tyrannical Ashina Queyu was, he was not willing to take the risk of war with the Sui Dynasty at this time and cross the border with heavy troops. Instead, he sent a small group of troops into the mountains to suppress the bandits. Wolf Cavalry may not
The opponent of the horse thieves looked at the rolling mountains, he sighed helplessly and returned to the grassland in dejection.
Mountainous areas have always been dominated by horse thieves. In recent years, people's livelihood has been declining in the Sui Dynasty. Many people who could not survive had to take desperate risks. Therefore, there are so many gangsters in the mountains. Liu Jizhen raised the flag of a gust of wind, and someone immediately came to help everyone and organized the horse team into a group.
Zero, a few days later, he successfully passed through the Great Wall and then gathered his war horses together, pretending to be a large caravan returning from selling horses outside the Great Wall, and continued towards the Central Plains.
I don’t know what tricks the horse dealer Zhang Liang used. He didn’t take any money from the checkpoints and bridges along the way, and let them all pass, allowing the huge horse to reach Miyun smoothly. It was only one day away from Yuyang. If you go further south, you have to fight with Luo.
Liu Jizhen's tiger-fighting cavalry encountered Liu Jizhen's unruly style. He first booked an inn and invited everyone to get drunk. Early the next morning, he and Zhang Liang paid the reward for this trip, and divided them into 150 horses.
Say goodbye to everyone
"Good brother, come to my village and rely on your skills. There will definitely be a chair to sit on in the Juyi Hall!" Before leaving, Liu Jizhen patted Li Xu on the shoulder and persuaded loudly.
"Liu, Brother Liu, I, I have to go home and have a look first!" Li Xu smiled and declined politely. After thinking about it for a few days, he still couldn't muster up the courage to join the horse thieves. Although Liu Jizhen and others had an upright character.
to his appetite, but when he thought of his parents' disappointed eyes, his heart had to calm down again
"Grandma, if you don't come, you won't come. Why don't you just think that I am a horse thief? One day I will get a khan to show you. When you beg me to join the gang, I will have to test your belly.
No ink!" Liu Jizhen curled his lips in disdain and sneered.
"Liu, Brother Liu, I, I do..." Li Xu's face turned red again, just like the leaves on his head that had been beaten by autumn frost.
Liu Jizhen was not really annoyed with him. Seeing Li Xu being so embarrassed, he smiled and shook his head, and whispered: "Everyone has his own grandma's ambitions. I won't force you. In fact, there is no difference between being an official and being a thief. One understands
Just go ahead and grab one in secret. When you can't survive, come to me in the mountains and tell me your name as Guifeng. I guarantee that no one in Yanshan Mountain will dare to lay a finger on you!"
"Thank you, Brother Liu!" Li Xu said gratefully. Although they chose different paths, he still regarded each other as his good friend in his heart.
"Thank you, if you don't have the ability, no one will want you!" Wu Heitai, who was standing nearby and watching the fun, interrupted loudly.
"You're the only one who's smart!" Liu Jizhen glared at him fiercely, cursed and wanted to retaliate, but resisted and turned his horse's head around, leading the minions into the distance like the wind.
"This man can be called a hero, but he has just become a reckless man!" Watching Liu Jizhen and others walk away, Zhang Liang sighed and shook his head, turned around to look at Li Xu, and asked with a smile: "Little brother, I was with you that day.
How have you considered what you said?"
"Me?" Li Xu scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to answer. While hesitating, Liu Hongji came up, patted him on the shoulder and said, "My little brother is very good at martial arts. It's a pity that he was buried here. I planned to take him with me."
How about going to meet a great uncle and find a family background? Brother Zhang and I want to go together again?"
Seeing Liu Hongji step forward, Zhang Liang's face immediately became sad and he took two steps back slightly. He forced a smile and said, "Brother Liu himself is still waiting to be punished. If he is recognized by the government on the road..."
"Then shopkeeper Zhang doesn't have to worry about it. The shopkeeper has sent someone to order the horses that should be allocated to us. Tomorrow morning, the two of us will set off for Huaiyuan Town!" Liu Hongji's expression changed, and the words in his words changed.
Although he was polite, his tone was very stiff
Seeing that the two were about to fall out, Li Xu quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Brothers, please don't be angry. It was my younger brother who acted inappropriately and didn't make things clear to everyone." He looked at Liu Hongji and then at Zhang Liang,
He added with a smile: "Brother Liu suggested it first, and Brother Zhang suggested it last. It's all for the sake of my little brother. Anyway, I don't have anything serious to do, so I will follow Brother Liu to Huaiyuan first, and then go south to look for Brother Zhang. That's it."
feasible?"
Liu Hongji and Zhang Liang looked at each other, and each took two steps back. They had lived and died together on the grassland a few days ago. If they fall out over a trivial matter, it's really not worth it. It's better to get together and part ways, and leave each other with each other.
room to see
Thinking of this, Zhang Liang sighed, shook his head and said: "I have also heard about Brother Liu's uncle. He is indeed a responsible big man. But now, I am very suspicious of him. Once he gets bad luck, I am afraid that everyone around him will
Everyone will be implicated. If Brother Liu is in trouble in the future, just come to me. Even if I only have one bowl of rice left, I will share it with you two!"
As soon as these words came out, Liu Hongji also softened, shook his head, and replied in a low voice: "A man, if you can get your fame immediately, why bother to come to him with a person, just to wash away this thing from Xu Zi and me?"
The crime of deserting does not necessarily depend on the success of the person, but your boss has a very big plan, and he is not a man of courage and courage. I am afraid that he will harm others and yourself in the future. If you are in trouble one day, just come to Lao Liu and say a word, we
The brothers share wealth and wealth."
Everyone looked at each other and smiled. Without further words, Li Xu couldn't figure out which of the two people were talking about, Shi Bo or Dong Jia. He laughed in confusion and covered up the embarrassment in his heart.
Zhang Liang immediately took out his account book and distributed fifty good horses to Liu Hongji according to everyone's agreement before leaving the fortress. The 300 military horses captured in the riverside ambush were not included in everyone's agreement. According to their respective merits that day, Li Xu
Niu Jinda and Wu Heita were also allocated dozens of good horses. They were traveling on the same road as Zhang Liang, so they simply discounted the horses under their names to the prices on the plug.
Zhang Liang, follow him to the boss's place to withdraw money.
Early the next morning, Liu Hongji and Li Xu went east together, and Zhang Liang and others went south to say goodbye. Wu Heitai caught up with him, opened his arms and strangled Li Xu around the waist, and cursed: "You little bastard, don't always think about it."
To get rich, you have to have life to make money. Brother, I have to protect Lao Zhang going south. I don’t have time to care about you. You should be careful. If you can’t do it, just ride on the black wind and run away. Go to Brother Liu. Who will eat it?
The leopard dares to enter the mountain to catch you!"
Li Xu punched him on the shoulder, and he was very reluctant to invite him to Huaiyuan to find him in the future. Thinking about the outcome of this trip, he still didn't know what the outcome would be, so he had to hide his thoughts. But Wu Heitai was very clear in his heart.
Seeing that Li Xu was about to speak, he shook his head and added: "If you don't go to the public house, you will go to hell. Your brother and I are born to have enmity with the government. Instead of going to the nobles' doors and listening to the shouts, it is better to have a good time."
Become a horse thief..."
"That's not a long-term solution after all!" Liu Hongji heard that what he said was really outrageous and interjected in a low voice.
"What does long-term mean? When you are young, you are a thief, when you are big, you are the emperor!" Wu Heita curled his lips and retorted unconvinced.
"Xu Zi, Teller's grazing injury is not healed yet. You can't ride within a month. You can take these packets of medicine with you. Apply the big packet externally and mix the small packet into horse feed. Remember to apply it twice a day and feed it twice!" Niu Jinda took out a medicine.
A string of dirty cloth bags was hung around Li Xu's neck. It seemed that he had a deeper affection for animals than for people. There were no words of farewell, only worries about Teller Piao.
"Thank you, Brother Niu! I will definitely remember it," Li Xu bowed on his horse and said
"No thanks, no thanks. If you run out of food one day, come to me to learn the craft. I still have dozens of secret recipes that haven't been verified..." Niu Jinda looked at Li Xu's strong muscles like an animal, and smiled.
answer
Zhang Liang, a local rich man, failed to win over Li Xu for his boss. Although he had some doubts in his heart, he was very generous with his actions. He ordered someone to withdraw two thousand money, wrapped it in a package, and forced it into Li Xu's hand, "Take it and buy it."
Wearing two clothes, when you meet a noble person, you can't let others look at you. Since ancient times, people have respected people, and dogs bite ugly people. No matter how good that man is at recognizing people, he is blocked by his subordinates and can't see him outside. So are you.
It’s a waste of time!”
There were many rare things in Li Xu's package. He didn't lack this little money. Seeing Zhang Liang's enthusiasm, he didn't dare to brush off his kindness, so he had to accept the money with a smile.
Everyone waved goodbye at the fork in the road until each other was out of sight, then they turned around and went to Li Xu, who was still a deserter and did not dare to go home. He drove his horse and followed Liu Hongji along the barren land at the foot of the Great Wall where the officials were too lazy to bother.
Heading east and then north, we stayed overnight at Xiaoxing. After a few days, we bypassed Lulongsai and arrived at Liucheng County.
At this moment, Liucheng is already a place of war preparation. Young and strong civilians from all over the country are carrying mountains of supplies on their shoulders and carrying them to the three counties of Liaodong one after another.
, donkeys, and mules drove in large numbers to the front line. Among the chaotic crowd, Liu Hongji and Li Xu, who were carrying more than a hundred war horses, seemed inconspicuous. Most people looked at their clothes and the weapons on their waists, and thought they were
The two of them were on duty to deliver war horses to the front line, and they took the initiative to get out of the way.
"We are rushing to the front line, so we cannot be considered deserters. Just to raise supplies for the country, we took an extra detour and delayed our trip for several days!" Liu Hongji pointed to the city gate in front of him with his riding crop and said with a smile.
Not for taking Li Xu to Huaiyuan Town
If you follow Zhang Liang and go south, even if Zhang Liang's employer has great hands and eyes and clears the two of them of being deserters, the fact that they went in the opposite direction of the army will still be ignored and they rush their horses to Liaodong, which can only count as two.
For the sake of the more than a hundred war horses, people delayed the gathering. Even if Liu Hongji's uncle didn't say anything, no one had the nerve to investigate the matter further.
"Brother Liu is so thoughtful, I admire him!" Li Xu responded with a smile on horseback. He had come to Liaodong after all. From last autumn to now, he had spent a whole year just going around in a big circle, and he still hadn't escaped.
Thinking about the distance between this place and Minbu, he felt a pain in his heart for no reason. He walked straight west from Liucheng and could reach Ruoluoshui in three days. If he turned north, he would see Crescent Lake not far away...
He smiled bitterly, feeling as if someone had punched him in the chest. He was in a state of self-pity. Suddenly he heard a commotion at the gate of the city, and several people dressed as officials rushed out beating gongs.
"Fellows and fellow countrymen, the county governor has issued an order to arrest the Jiangyang thieves Li Fuli and Xu Dayan. Anyone who has seen these two people should report to the government as soon as possible. I will reward you with five pieces of money and ten pieces of silk!" After that, he held up several large notices.
Get up and stick it high to the city wall, big trees and dilapidated buildings near the city gate.
"Li Fuli?" Li Xu felt that the name was very familiar. He mobilized his horse and walked a few steps towards the notice closest to him. Two monster heads with fleshy faces and huge fangs immediately rushed into his eyes. It was
In a carefully polished wanted order, the county governor charged the two monsters with: colluding with horse thieves, attacking Turkic tribes, setting fire to more than 300 miles of pasture, and thousands of cattle and sheep, causing the displacement of countless Turkic people...
"These two monsters are so capable that they actually set fire to a Turkic tribe!" someone in the crowd shouted excitedly
"Look at that face, you don't look like an ordinary person!" Someone pointed at the monster's head on the notice and commented, their eyes full of admiration.
People laughed and applauded in low voices for what happened thousands of miles away. The Turks were friends of the emperor. They came to the Central Plains to eat without paying, and they grabbed things when they left. Someone taught them a lesson. It was too late for everyone to be happy. Who is interested?
Let alone helping the government catch a thief, how could someone with such a strange appearance appear in broad daylight?
Thousands of miles away, Ashina Queyu whipped the desk angrily, tearing a stack of account books into pieces and sending papers flying everywhere.
"I will never be a human being until these two guys light up the sky lanterns!" He shouted angrily, two hundred thousand stones of military rations. Every time he thought about it, he shivered with pain. How could this fire be lit so skillfully?
The grain depot that he had carefully hidden was burned to the ground. It was the military supplies he bought with a lot of money. He was waiting for the opportunity to take advantage of the Sui Dynasty's overwhelming troops to rush to Liaodong and the country was empty. He crossed the Great Wall in one fell swoop to seize the opportunity.
The Ashina family purposely drove away the Suotouxi people and built this wooden city...
Everything was in vain. Without enough military rations, the Wolf Cavalry would not be able to go south to make achievements, and he would have no chance to succeed the Khan...
"Damn you wild boy!" Ashina Queyu cursed bitterly. He had already sent out the protest document to the Sui Dynasty. Yang Guang was friendly to the Turks and would never offend his 'friends' for the sake of two idiots. As for those
Border fortress officials would not even use their black gauze hats to intercede for two deserters.
At the south gate of Liucheng, Liu Hongji patted Li Xu on the back and commented with a smile: "These two robbers are so ugly!"
"It's ugly, it's ugly!" Li Xu shook his head and drove the horses around to the east of the city.
Note 1: The three counties of Liaodong, the main front line of Yang Guang’s first attack on Goryeo, are divided into Liaodong, Yanjun and Liucheng, which respectively correspond to the current western Shenyang, western Liaoning and Chaoyang Jinzhou areas.
