How could Cao Peng not recognize the young general in front of him?
Or, it would be more appropriate to call her ‘female general’!
This young general is Lu Bu's daughter, Lu Lan. I think she saved him from the siege when he was in Xiapi. Later, when he was in Marquis Wen's mansion, he only heard his voice but never saw him, so his voice was not unfamiliar to him.
When Lu Lan spoke, there was no particularly strong Huai accent, that is, Xuzhou accent. Her accent had a hint of Guanzhong accent, which was somewhat similar to Zhou Cang's in this regard.
But thinking about it, it seems normal.
Lu Lan was probably born in Bingzhou, raised in Guanzhong, and moved to Xuzhou in a rough and turbulent way, but his accent in his early years has been fixed.
Cao Peng said with a smile: "Young Master, have you forgotten? I had a conflict with General Hou Cheng and Wei Xu in Xiapi earlier, and I was saved by the Young Master. Peng was very grateful. It's a pity that he never found a chance to thank the Young Master in person. He never thought that he would be in Hainan today."
Meet the young master in the west."
For a girl who likes to dress up as a boy, calling her son may make her happier.
At the same time, Cao Peng was a little disappointed.
Could it be that she looks so featureless that Lu Lan can't even remember herself?
"Oh...I remembered!"
Lu Lan smiled and pointed the silver gun at Cao Peng, "You are the guy who killed Uncle Song's horse and made him unable to hold his head up even now."
"Well!"
"Hey, you are quite capable. Although Uncle Song is not a master, he is still very powerful in the army.
I didn’t expect to be beaten so badly by you... Your name is Cao Peng, right? Why don’t we fight and let me see what you are capable of?"
This girl is really a wild girl!
When Cao Peng heard this, he immediately couldn't laugh or cry...
"Lingqi, don't be rude."
At this time, another horse rushed out from the team.
Immediately a young girl sat down, also an acquaintance of Cao Peng, Qi'er.
Obviously, this Qi'er is Lu Lan's guard. Different from the last time they met, Qi'er today is wearing a suit of aqua armor and a plain green cloak. On the Ma'an Bridge, there is a painting pole halberd hanging, look like this
Zi, her martial arts should come from Lu Bu.
"Sister Qier!"
Cao Peng stood on his horse and raised his hand again.
"Why didn't Magistrate Deng come?"
"Ah? Are you here to see my brother-in-law?"
"Bah, why am I looking for your brother-in-law? Don't talk nonsense."
Qi'er blushed and spat.
Only then did Cao Peng realize that what he just said seemed to have some language errors.
"When his wife and her family come over, won't they come to greet them?"
lady?
Cao Peng was stunned for a moment and then realized that Qi'er should be talking about Cao Nan and others.
A carriage slowly drove over and stopped in front of the team. A young woman was seen holding a baby in her arms, and with the support of a girl, she slowly stepped out of the carriage.
"elder sister?"
When Cao Peng saw the young woman, he was extremely surprised and quickly dismounted his horse to greet her.
The young woman is none other than Cao Nan.
But Cao Peng didn't understand how Cao Nan and Lu Lan came together?
"Afu!"
The moment Cao Nan saw Cao Peng, he was also extremely surprised.
Although the sister and brother had only been separated for two or three months, it felt like they were separated every year. Cao Nan smiled broadly and walked a few steps quickly. Cao Peng hurried over and stretched out his hand to support his sister.
"Sister, today is the last batch of sea people to arrive at Duigouji, so my brother-in-law has to keep an eye on it. I have already sent someone to inform him, and I think he will come soon. I also got the news, so I came here in advance.
Sister, are you having a smooth journey?"
"Of course it goes well. With me here, who dares to provoke you?"
Lu Lan said with a smile, and Qi'er could only shake her head helplessly.
Cao Nan couldn't help but smile, "Yes, if I hadn't met Miss Lu on the road, I might not have come so smoothly."
In the distance, the sound of horse hooves sounded.
Lu Lan suddenly showed excitement.
He saw two fast horses rushing over at lightning speed. Lu Langang wanted to rush over to stop them, but Qi'er held him back.
"Lingqi, don't be rude."
"But……"
Lu Lan wanted to say something else, but the two horses were already approaching.
Wang Mai and Deng Fan dismounted from their horses, took two steps towards Cao Nan, stepped in and saluted, "Sister, I'm late to greet you, I hope you'll forgive me."
"Tiger head, big bear!"
Cao Nan said happily, taking two steps forward at the same time.
"You two have grown taller again."
Wang Mai and Deng Fan have indeed grown a lot taller. Wang Mai is now almost 175cm tall, while Deng Fan is closer to 180cm. Both of them are muscular and majestic. In comparison,
Cao Peng still looked very thin, at least from the outside, he seemed to have very little flesh on his body.
Lu Lan pouted and said softly: "Didn't you say that Haixi is very chaotic? Why can't you see even a shadow of a bandit along the way?"
Cao Peng had a sharp ear, and he heard Lu Lan's words very clearly.
Does this girl want to fight bandits?
Qier smiled apologetically at Cao Peng, as if she was apologizing to Cao Peng for Lu Lan.
"Who is this……"
Cao Peng changed the subject, looked at the girl next to Cao Nan, and asked doubtfully.
This girl is about twelve or thirteen years old. She is dressed like a little maid. But she is very beautiful. Although she is still in bloom, her beauty is already revealed. She is wearing a small white cotton robe and standing timidly next to Cao Nan.
, was looking at Cao Peng secretly.
Her eyes were like eyes, and quite lively.
"Oh, this is Guo Huan." Cao Nan said with a smile, and then waved to the little girl to come over.
"She is Uncle Guo's youngest daughter... Uncle Guo heard that I was coming over and was afraid of the bumpy road, so he asked Ah Huan to accompany me so that he could take care of me."
I see!
Cao Peng smiled at the little girl, but the little girl lowered her head and looked shy, which made people feel pity.
But Cao Peng felt that Guo Huan's actions seemed to have some artificial elements in them. It gave him the feeling that this little girl was acting, deliberately pretending to be delicate. This is a very calculating woman!
Cao Peng couldn't help but feel a little unhappy.
"Thank you Mr. Lu for protecting me all the way."
After the greetings here, Wang Mai and Deng Fan talked to Cao Nan, and curiously visited the sleeping baby, Deng Ai, in Cao Nan's arms.
Cao Peng thanked Lu Lan from the side.
Lu Lan said: "Actually, that's not the case. I was just in a bad mood, so Sister Qi'er took me out for a walk.
Unexpectedly, I happened to bump into the county magistrate’s wife on the road, so we came together! She was very nice and told me many interesting things.”
As Lu Lan was talking, she suddenly said to Qi'er: "Sister Qi'er, let's play in Haixi for two days, okay?"
Qi'er frowned, seeming a little embarrassed, "Sir, it's the New Year's Eve soon, and Marquis Wen will be back soon, so it might not be good for us to be outside..."
"I don't want to go back..."
Lu Lan ran to Cao Nan's side and pushed Wang Mai away arrogantly.
"Sister Cao, can I go to Haixi with you and play for two days?"
Cao Nan was startled, raised his head and looked at Cao Peng, only to find that Cao Peng was talking to Qi'er in a low voice.
I hesitated for a moment, but nodded gently.
Although Lu Lan is a bit unruly, she is still a very well-behaved child on the whole. Along the way, she came into contact with Cao Nan, who also liked her quite a bit.
She didn't know what kind of person Lu Bu was.
But he knew that Lu Bu was Deng Ji's boss.
If he could establish a good relationship with Lu Bu, maybe Deng Ji would have an easier time in the future?
This is also a common problem among most women in this era. Cao Nan was thinking about Deng Ji, but she didn't understand the outside world at all.
Moreover, she couldn't bear to refuse a charming and naive woman, so she nodded and agreed.
"If Miss Lu goes, how can I not welcome her?"
Wang Mai and Deng Fan didn't know Lu Lan, but seeing Cao Nan agree, they didn't have any objections.
"Sister, let's get in the car. Ah Fu has ordered people to clean the county government office and is waiting for you."
"Okay, okay, okay!"
Cao Nan nodded repeatedly and boarded the carriage with Guo Huan.
"Afu, let's go."
Cao Peng is talking to Qier.
"Miss Lu, what's going on?"
Qi'er said softly: "Isn't it the marriage that Marquis Wen decided for her?"
"marriage?"
"Don't you know?"
Looking at Cao Peng's confused look, Qi'er replied: "Marquis Wen has arranged a marriage for the young lady, and it is a marriage to Yuan Shu's son."
"oh……"
Cao Peng suddenly realized it.
The romance of the Three Kingdoms also records the marriage between Lu Bu and Yuan Shu.
However, Cao Peng was never quite sure when the two of them got married. In Cao Peng's view, Yuan Shu's decline was obvious and his demise would only come sooner or later. According to Lu Bu's temperament, he should not get married to Yuan Shu. No.
Thinking about it... Cao Peng still ignored the attraction of a wealthy family to Lu Bu. Even if Yuan Shu was a rebel, he was still a descendant of the Yuan family of the Fourth Generation and Three Dukes, and was the mainstream group of this era. During this period, he really didn't pay attention
The outside world basically accompanied Chen Qun to examine the development of Haixi and understand the specific situation of Guangling County... Even for a period of time, Cao Peng thought that his little butterfly had another effect.
Unexpectedly, Lu Bu ended up...
"The young lady was unhappy and had a dispute with Marquis Wen.
It’s just that a few days ago, Marquis Wen was at home and he was under strict supervision. But now, Marquis Wen has gone to Mount Tai, so the lady sneaked out."
"Sneaking out?"
"Actually, it's not considered sneaking. The little madam knows...otherwise she wouldn't have let me follow her."
It seems that both Diao Chan and Lu Bu's wife Yan have great trust in Qi'er.
"That……"
"The young lady is holding her breath. It is estimated that it is impossible for her to go back now. If she runs out again and causes trouble, it will be troublesome. It is better to let her go to Haixi. I will send someone to inform the young madam. Wait for the young lady to calm down.
If you do, you will go back naturally, how about it?"
Qier looked at Cao Peng.
Cao Peng thought for a while and nodded in agreement.
In any case, Lu Lan rescued him from the siege in Xiapi, and Qi'er also helped him.
He kept this favor in mind and had to return it. Moreover, Lu Bu's reputation was not good, and that was Lu Bu's business. In Cao Peng's opinion, it didn't seem to have much to do with Lu Lan. So he let Lu Lan and the others stay temporarily.
Being in Haixi can be regarded as repaying Diao Chan's kindness...
When Qier saw Cao Peng agreeing, he immediately smiled.
Her eyebrows turned into crescent moons when she smiled, which was particularly touching.
In this way, Cao Peng mounted Zhao Yebai, and Lu Lan and others also mounted their horses one after another.
A group of carriages and horses drove slowly along the official road towards Haixi County. As the owner, Cao Peng naturally had to accompany Lu Lan and Qi'er. So Wang Mai and Deng Fan followed Cao Nan's carriage on both sides and separated the carriage.
Curtain, and Cao Nan talked, telling each other about their experiences after separation.
"Haixi looks pretty good."
Lu Lan sat on the horse and asked curiously: "Why did I hear people say that it is dangerous here? Are there groups of bandits?"
"Well, there were bandits in the past, but they are much better now."
"Really? Then your brother-in-law is quite capable... By the way, isn't your name Cao Peng? Why does Sister Cao call you Ah Fu?"
"this……"
"Also, I heard that some time ago, pirates attacked Haixi. Is it true?"
Lu Lan is just like a curious baby, constantly asking questions.
Qi'er smiled slightly and automatically fell behind. Cao Peng didn't look impatient and patiently introduced Haixi to Lu Lan.
The smile on Lu Lan's face gradually grew...
"Afu, you are good at martial arts, but your body is a bit weak.
Look at you, you are so weak, how can you do big things? You should be like my father, you can be considered a man. Well, you should eat more in the future and strengthen your body. Then no one will dare to provoke you in the future... Look at me
Dad, who dares to steal his horse?"
Lu Lan chattered endlessly, like a chatterbox.
It's no wonder that since she was a child, she followed Lu Bu and wandered around. Apart from Qi'er, she no longer had any friends.
Cao Peng seemed to be about the same age as her, and his speech and behavior were very gentle, so it was normal for her to have a good impression of him.
After finally finding someone who could talk, Lu Lan naturally started chatting.
Suddenly, there was a loud commotion ahead.
Cao Peng looked up and saw a dark group of people rushing towards him.
"what happened?"
Lu Lan panicked a little and shouted loudly: "Get ready to meet the enemy!"
"Miss Lu, don't be nervous, we are one of our own."
Cao Peng had a sharp eye and recognized the origin of that group of people at a glance.
The first few men were none other than the nine leaders of Haixi County. Behind them were businessmen, local gentry, and hundreds of people in a dark crowd.
The official road was blocked, Huang Zheng was at the front and loudly shouted: "Haixi father heard that the county magistrate's wife was coming, so he came here to greet her."
"Huang Zheng, what are you doing?"
Cao Peng jumped forward on his horse and shouted sharply.
Huang Zheng said with a smile on his face, "Mr. Cao, we heard that the county magistrate's wife was coming, so we spontaneously came to greet her. County Magistrate Deng worked day and night for Haixi, and even though the lady came, she couldn't come back. I'm waiting for you
Although the people can't help Magistrate Deng solve his problems, they are still willing to show their sincerity. You see, one hundred and twelve merchants from Beiji Market have come... Those who did this just want to express their feelings."
"You old bastard!"
Cao Peng waited for Huang Zheng.
Why didn't he understand Huang Zheng's thoughts?
Although I blamed him on my lips, I was still somewhat grateful in my heart.
Deng Ji will not come back to greet Cao Nan. My sister won't say it, but she will definitely feel uncomfortable in her heart. Huang Zheng put on this posture, thinking that my sister will feel better. He doesn't want Deng Ji and Cao Nan, because
This incident caused unhappiness.
"Hey, it seems like this one-armed county magistrate is quite popular."
Lu Lan whispered to Qier.
Qi'er quickly said: "Miss, how can you call Magistrate Deng like that?"
"He... doesn't Xiapi always say that?"
"No matter what, County Magistrate Deng is an official appointed by the imperial court. Those ignorant people are just jealous, so it is inevitable that there will be slander and belittling in their words. You can't listen to their nonsense and see Deng County when you turn around
Order, you must not be rude.
When you come out now, you represent the face of Marquis Wen.
If you lose your etiquette, Marquis Wen will be disgraced... For a while, you'd better stop talking nonsense, do you understand?"
Lu Lan stuck out her sweet tongue and nodded.
Cao Peng walked to the carriage and whispered to Cao Nan through the curtain.
Cao Nan was also very surprised by this sudden and grand welcome. However, in her heart, she was more filled with joy and pride.
This shows that Deng Ji did an outstanding job in Haixi!
Think about it, a year ago, Deng Ji was just a minor official in Jiyang County, but now he has become a respected and loved parent official.
How could Cao Nan not be happy about this?
So, with the support of Guo Huan, she stepped out of the carriage with her beloved son in her arms.
"Huang Zheng, a humble citizen, has met the county magistrate's wife."
One or two hundred people saluted at the same time, and the scene was quite spectacular.
The smile on Cao Nan's face became even brighter...
"Sister Qier, what is hanging on the top of that city?"
Lu Lan suddenly pulled Qi'er and asked softly.
Qi'er looked in the direction of Lu Lan's finger, and her face suddenly turned pale.
It's a human head!
The heads have been dried one by one and are hanging under the city wall. At a glance, there are almost a hundred of them.
"That's the head of a pirate."
"ah!"
Lu Lan covered her mouth and let out a soft cry.
Lu Bu went into battle and killed countless people. But he loved his daughter very much and never wanted her to see such cruel scenes.
Lu Lan practices martial arts and is even more of a showman.
Lu Bu just hoped that she could strengthen her body, and never thought that one day she would go to the battlefield to kill people. So, despite Lu Lan's fuss, he had never seen such a cruel scene. Those dried bits and pieces
Her face changed accordingly.
Wang Mai explained: "The pirates attacked a few days ago, and these were the gangsters who were killed at that time.
Nowadays, a large number of sea people have come to Haixi. Without some means of deterrence, it is difficult to make these people honest... Afu said that killing one person can bring peace to a hundred people, so he is willing to do it; killing ten people can bring peace to a thousand people,
I am willing to do it; killing a hundred people can bring peace to ten thousand people, so I am willing to do it.
This is also a last resort. Once the sea dwellers settle down, these heads will be disposed of..."
After listening to what Wang Mai said, Lu Lan's mood seemed to have stabilized a lot. However, the way she looked at Cao Peng's back also changed.
Could this frail, delicate-looking young man say such harsh words?
Lu Lan felt a strange throbbing in her heart.
Cao Nan also saw those heads. But she was not frightened. On the way here, she heard people say that Haixi County was in chaos.
She is also someone who has seen the world!
I remember when she and her parents were caught by Huang She, Cao Peng and Deng Ji arranged to kidnap them halfway.
She had experienced all those bloody scenes, not to mention a few dried human heads? She still had a warm smile on her face, chatting with Huang Zheng and others. But secretly, she held Cao Peng's arm tightly.
From the row of dried heads, Cao Nan could already imagine what kind of life Deng Ji and Cao Peng had lived in Haixi in the past few months...
