Delong

Chapter 501 Return (7)

Inside Fuling Pass, Bai Yousi was trying a case in the parade ground.

The case is very simple. Someone went to the mountains to pick wild autumn fruits and fell off a cliff and died... But the rest of the team said that among the people who went to pick fruits was that person's enemy, so this person's death was probably not accidental.

That’s why I come to tell you.

At this point, it is known that the enemy is real. Both of them are soldiers and captives. One was born in the north and the other was born in the vicinity of Jiangdu. One believed in the Black Emperor and the other believed in the Red Emperor, so they were naturally incompatible. As a result, when they were arranged in formation, they happened to be next to each other because they both had mild disabilities. Along the way, they had disagreements over the distribution of food and the establishment of camps, which led to constant conflicts... Just last night, because the new food was distributed in the city, the two sides clashed again over the grabbing of pots and bowls... If Cheng Mingqi had not always been strict in military discipline and Wang Zhen had not killed people without blinking an eye, I am afraid that they would have fought at that time.

The two were indeed together in the mountains when they fell off the cliff while picking fruit.

However, it is true that the deceased was not discovered until he rolled down a small cliff, and it is clear that his fatal injuries were contusions.

In other words, this appears to be a cold case.

After listening to the story, Bai Yousi glanced at the corpse in front of him and the people kneeling behind the corpse, and immediately realized: "Was it sent by Qian Tang?"

"Yes." The temporarily appointed "patrol" captain quickly agreed.

"I see."

Bai Yousi walked down as he spoke, then squatted down and pinched the dead man's wrist as if taking his pulse.

Just as everyone was in wonder, the next moment, fine, glowing true energy began to spread along the corpse's wrist to all parts of the body, one by one, layer by layer, first to the corpse's internal meridians, the twelve regular and eight strange meridians, making the corpse faintly translucent, then to the muscles and bones, then to the skin, and finally to the clothes, and soon the whole corpse was glowing with golden light.

Moreover, where the true qi passes, the texture is distinct, some are open and some are blocked, and hidden injuries and scratches on the surface are clearly visible.

After a while, Bai Yousi let go of his hand and stood up, announcing in a serious tone: "This man indeed only has a blunt injury, but there is a long stick-like force mark on his back, which is a bit strange. Was there someone holding a stick at the side at the time? What does the stick look like? Let's make a comparison!"

As soon as these words came out, the patrolman nearby threw a short stick, and the one kneeling down immediately kowtowed continuously: "Please spare my life, Lady White!"

He was so scared that he confessed directly.

"This is the man's walking stick..." the patrol captain explained quickly. "Does the steward need to verify it?"

"Just test it. It's not a big deal."

As he spoke, Bai Yousi peeled off the clothes on the back of the corpse, then lifted it up with one hand, facing the crowd. Then golden energy overflowed from his hand and flowed along all parts of the body, quickly revealing all the hidden and obvious injuries. Then, as expected, an obvious stick mark was drawn under the left shoulder of the back, but he dispersed the rest of the energy, leaving only this mark.

The patrol captain quickly picked up his crutch and compared it. At first, it didn't match. So he turned the crutch over and compared it with the head of the crutch, and the imprint was exactly the same.

The onlookers were amazed and talked a lot.

And that person just continued to kowtow and beg for mercy.

Bai Yousi waved his hand, signaling the patrol to take the man away for execution, but then turned around and frowned and asked, "Since Qian Tang has arranged this, where is the other person?"

The captain of the patrol team was the main participant in the incident. He thought that the other party was dissatisfied with Qian Tang leader Qian's unauthorized arrangement of such matters, so he went to look for him in a panic.

In fact, this was just overthinking by the patrol captain who was temporarily selected and appointed from the captives... Bai Yousi was not particularly averse to this kind of showing off in front of others, especially at the moment when she needed to exhaust all means to maintain the integrity of the team, let alone this kind of performance-style solving of the case. As long as it could calm people's hearts, even if she was asked to perform a sword dance, it would be fine.

She simply didn't understand why Qian Tang arranged such a thing and then disappeared?
You know, Qian Tang, who was originally in charge of official diplomacy with Dongyi, has been in charge of the task of "not caring about the general manager" after he was cut off in Jinao City and caught up with the team again. This time he is also directly responsible for the distribution of supplies in Guancheng... What does it mean that he can't find anyone suddenly?
Half a day later, when Bai Yousi almost thought that his confidant had been pushed off the cliff by a stick, Qian Tang finally came back, and he brought back a person who should not be considered a surprise, but still seemed to surprise Bai Yousi.

"Bai Sanniang."

Cao Ming's face turned bitter, and he could not hide his confusion. "Why am I here?"

Bai Yousi was obviously speechless: "Why did the King of Qi come here to ask me?"

"Who else should I ask if not you?" Cao Ming spread his hands and said, "I thought you had a smooth journey here. I heard that you said goodbye to Wang Yuande after you passed Caoguan and took the initiative to chase me. On the way, I found out that the Dongyi generals like Qian Zhide were killed by you. When I met Qian Fujun, I found out that you had broken through three passes and killed three generals along the way, and even accepted his deputy general as a surrender... What's the difference between this and going to war directly? And why did Wang Yuande let me go? Even if I take a step back, he must have known that Qian Zhide was dead when I set out, right? How can this not make people confused?"

Bai Yousi finally laughed: "Perhaps Wang Yuande is too selfish. The people who died before were Li Ziqi's descendants and the confidants of the King of Dongyi, but he not only doesn't care but is happy. Even Wang Yuanzhen may not be his man."

"Wang Yuanzhen is his man," Cao Ming reminded sternly. "I have inquired about him and I know that."

Bai Yousi tilted his head and thought for a moment, then continued to explain: "That means he didn't know Wang Yuanzhen was dead when you set out."

"Is it such a coincidence?" Cao Ming was furious. "Even if he really didn't know that Wang Yuanzhen was dead, you should have warned Wang Yuanzhen after you killed Li Qiusheng and Qian Zhide..."

"Maybe I did give him a warning?" Bai Yousi thought. "But I acted too quickly."

Cao Ming was speechless, gave up arguing with the other party, and asked instead: "What are you going to do next?"

"Although there are still a thousand miles to go, hundreds of miles of them are just barren Luolongtan. In the remaining hundreds of miles, if the route is appropriate, there are only two or three important places. We can just move forward." Bai Yousi answered calmly.

Cao Ming thought about it, put away all his emotions, and sighed: "This is the only way to deal with this situation."

"Having said that, there is still something that King Qi needs to do." Bai Yousi did not waste a moment.

"What's the matter?" Cao Ming was obviously frightened and alert.

"The Dragon Bone City ahead is fine, but it's dangerous. Going further, there are two large camps stationed at Luolongtan. It is said that each has 17,000 to 18,000 permanent guards. Although there are no masters, there are more than ten condensed and matured dan together. If they send troops to stop us in the wilderness, we will definitely be defeated." Bai Yousi said seriously. "Please ask the King of Qi to go to the nearby southern camp as an envoy and tell them that we only want to return to the west and have no intention of fighting... Luolongtan has an open terrain, so letting us go will not be a problem for them. But on the other hand, if they insist on taking action, our team may suffer a great loss, but we will definitely be able to inflict heavy damage on them!"

Cao Ming breathed a sigh of relief: "If that's the case, I'm willing to go."

Bai Yousi's face naturally smiled slightly.

Cao Ming hesitated for a moment, then asked again: "This is how we deal with the Luolongtan camp, then how are you going to get through the natural barrier of Longgu City which is even closer?"

Bai Yousi spread his hands: "Raid, beheading, forced surrender...what else can I do? I can't treat you all, right? Isn't it true that they hold banquets every time I go there?"

"That's right." Cao Ming thought for a moment. "Although Dragon Bone City is a natural fortress, it can't hold many soldiers. It's good enough to have a Condensation Pill guarding it... But if you deal with Dragon Bone City, you must block the news, otherwise it will be difficult for me to stay at Luolong Beach."

Bai Yousi nodded naturally.

Cao Ming was also very happy. Seeing that the other party agreed, he did not waste any time. Although he had just arrived, he still rode away hurriedly alone.

After the people left, a long time passed. Qian Tang, who had been silent before, followed Bai Yousi and worked for a while, but suddenly spoke up: "General Manager, I think what the King of Qi said makes some sense..."

"Which words make sense?" Bai Yousi, who was still on the training ground, just checking some tables without even raising his head.

"Li Ziqi and Wang Yuande's attitude is indeed not right..." Qian Tang narrowed his eyes and looked at his old boss.

"What's wrong?" Bai Yousi still didn't look up.

"First of all, neither Li Ziqi nor Wang Yuande can be cowardly or foolish. Quite the contrary. Li Ziqi is the Grand Commander and Grand Master. He played a great role in the Dongyi people's ability to survive the three expeditions. He is a hero among heroes. As for Wang Yuande, he also participated in the second and third expeditions. When I talked about him with the King of Qi just now, we both felt that he was a general of the younger generation of the royal family, but he devoted all his energy to running his faction. He was very ambitious. It was obvious that he wanted to follow the political tradition of Dongyi and become a powerful minister of the royal family. He might even want to succeed the throne... He is also half a hero."

"Makes sense."

“Since these two are heroes and tyrants, they should be more efficient in dealing with our journey to the west... If they really get the Supreme’s instructions, or if they can’t do anything to us, they should let us go and send us back earlier to save trouble... Qian Zhide is only loyal to the King of Dongyi. Maybe he can drive the tiger to devour the wolf, but I also think it’s absurd, not to mention Wang Yuanzhen and Li Qiusheng?
“And if they were determined to keep us, they would not have hesitated. They should have led the Grand Master and the army to wipe us out before we passed Caoguan.

"Even if they are reluctant to take action, they are afraid of us and want to use food and grass to wear us down. We have broken through two barriers in a row, which is enough for them to pay attention to. Why are they letting us go at this moment? Even the King of Qi can return calmly?"

"So, what do you think is going on?" Bai Yousi finally raised his head.

"I think they must have other plans... their own plans." Qian Tang said seriously. "They just want to use us to accomplish their goals... just like they might really want to kill Qian Zhide, but it must be bigger, otherwise why would they indulge us to this extent? And, if nothing unexpected happens, this should be ahead."

"I thought so too." Bai Yousi nodded, then lowered his head again. "But so what? The only thing I'm worried about right now is that I promised to bring these 100,000 people back, but in the end I couldn't do it."

"Yes, the current situation is no longer a situation where the arrow is on the string and has to be shot, but the arrow has already been shot... I am just giving a little reminder in case the general manager really doesn't care." Qian Tang was relieved, but asked again. "What does Longgu City say? Do they want to send troops as soon as possible?"

"No need." Bai Yousi raised his head again, his eyes bright as stars. "The defense of Dragon Bone City is not worth mentioning. I already have a plan."

Qian Tang naturally said no more.

In the evening of that day, Cao Ming, exhausted from travel, arrived outside Longgu City and stopped his horse on a small slope opposite Longgu Mountain. With the last ray of sunlight, he looked at this natural barrier, frowned slightly, and then began to cough violently.

The cough was the root cause of the Jiangdu military mutiny, but the frown was the result of the Wei Dynasty's sharp realization that he and Bai Yousi seemed to have underestimated the natural danger of this place.

Although he had learned about this city and this mountain from various military newspapers over the past decade or so, and had even seen a similar model, he was unable to realize some of the circumstances until he actually arrived there.

First of all, this city was built by the Dongyi people according to the terrain to prevent large-scale invasions from the Central Plains, or a fortress. If you really count its total area, it seems to be larger than Dengzhou City, because its walls were built along the direction of Longgu Mountain, so that the entire mountain is wrapped in it. However, due to the steep mountain and the fact that Longgu Mountain is rocky and almost barren, the actual usable area is pitifully small.

Just as he said before, this city is so cramped that only about a thousand people can enter. If Li Ziqi had personally entered the city to guard it during the expedition, it would have been fine. But now there is someone outstanding, how can he be a match for Bai Sanniang?
With such a scattered defense design, even a master would find it difficult to form a formation.

So where is the problem?

The problem lies in the narrow passage beneath this natural barrier.

Cao Ming could almost imagine that even if this city could be easily taken, it would take a lot of time for a hundred thousand rabble to pass through here, and they would be naturally divided into two sections by this mountain.

In fact, within this dark mountain city, even the topography is different when looking at the east and west sides... Although they all look yellow at first glance, the east side is a mixture of hills and plains, with yellow plants everywhere after autumn, and dotted forests and rivers; the west side is gray and yellow, but it is a typical Gobi Desert, only along the river, there are a large number of swamps, now in autumn, there are dense reeds and cattails everywhere.

For a moment, this remnant of the Wei Dynasty wanted to go back and remind Bai Yousi, and even wanted to suggest that he take a detour from the northern passage. But after thinking about it, Bai Yousi could not ignore this problem. On the contrary, so many people would probably encounter winter at Luolongtan if they took a detour to the north, and there would be many casualties... With this thought, Cao Ming felt that he had a long way to go, and for the sake of his old mother and his only remaining son, he had to do his best.

So he didn't care and rode west.

As the sun sets, heartbroken people are far away. It is not only Cao Ming who is working hard. On the banks of the Hutuo River in the northernmost part of Hejian, in the Fox Pond, there are also people who work until late at night and then light a bonfire.

To be honest, there are a lot of cattails, willows and reeds here, which is very similar to the swamp in the Gobi Desert that Cao Ming stepped into.

We are both wanderers in this world, so why should we meet each other?

Beside the campfire, smelling the burnt smell of fish, Cui Silang Cui Xuanchen stretched out his hand impatiently, as if he wanted to rescue the fish from his cousin, but at this moment, he suddenly felt an itch on the side of his right thigh, and when he reached in to touch it, he actually touched out the shell of a caterpillar that had died in autumn. Speechless, he quickly threw it into the fire, and then he couldn't help scratching it a few times through his clothes.

Among the people nearby, except for Cui Ershiqilang, who had a lower cultivation level and was concentrating on grilling fish, the other two all noticed what was happening and were a little sad. However, both of them were considered to be deep-minded people and did not show it.

Cui Silang was so smart that he quickly noticed the atmosphere, but he didn't know how to deal with it. He had to keep a straight face and even forgot to rescue the grilled fish from his cousin.

After a long while, it was Cui Ershiqilang who spoke again… He thought he had roasted the fish well, but when he handed it over, he found that the other side of the fish had been charred by the fire. He quickly turned back and said, “Uncle, the other side of the Hutuo River is Lu County. Why don’t we cross the river and stay there, but camp here instead? With your cultivation level, are you afraid of someone having bad intentions?”

It seems like he has some complaints.

The oldest person in the group, Cui Tang, the head of the Cui family who was sold out by Bai Hengqiu that day, just smiled when he heard this, and took the burnt grilled fish without saying a word, as if he was waiting for his junior Cui Silang to explain for him.

"Twenty-Seventh Brother, you misunderstood. We are not afraid of anyone." Unexpectedly, the last person who took the initiative to explain was Li Shu, the traitor of the Dragon Clan who was wanted for a bounty. He smiled and smiled as soon as he opened his mouth, and his demeanor remained. "I'm just worried that our whereabouts will be exposed..."

“Aren’t you afraid of being hunted down by the gang after exposing your whereabouts?” Cui Ershiqilang was still puzzled.

"I'm really not afraid of that." Li Shu said with a smile. "If I'm only offered a few dozen taels of silver, it means that they don't bother to pay attention to us at all, and just want to humiliate me. But wherever we go, we have to gather our strength to do things there. It would be ridiculous to expose it easily... Mr. Cui has a great reputation in Hebei, so it's best for us to hide for a while."

Cui Ershiqilang then nodded with a confused look.

"It's ridiculous that Xue Changxiong has such a big reputation, but he just sits there and waits to die." After hearing this, Cui Silang, whose lips were already black, finally couldn't help complaining. However, looking at his expression, it seemed that he was trying to divert his attention from the taste of the fish in his hand.

"The gang explained this matter clearly before." Li Shu said with narrowed eyes while holding the grilled fish. "After the three expeditions, Xue Changxiong, with the title of the general manager of Hebei, plus the Xue family background, the master's cultivation, the status of the Duke, and the troops of the Hejian camp, had both name and power, but he could not integrate the Wei forces in Hebei within two years... On that day, he was not the one who crossed the river to the south, but the gang crossed the river to the north. He had already lost."

"Not to mention crossing the river to the south, he can't even suppress Dou Lide and his people." Cui Ershiqilang couldn't help but complain. "If Gao Jibo could be wiped out, Cao Shancheng and our Cui family would turn to him. If Cao Shancheng and the Cui family turn to him, Qinghe would be his base in the southern part of Hebei. By then, Bohai and Wu'an would be unable to stand on their own. Wouldn't he be able to subdue Hebei to the point of being almost subjugated? After subjugating almost all of them, he would enter Yecheng, accept Li Ding, and subdue Luo Shu. When Feng Wuyi comes back, he will only obey him. He is basically the most powerful force in the world! He can go north or south! But he couldn't even eliminate Gao Jibo, and instead let Dou Lide and his people wait for the Chulong Gang, which led to the situation of Qinghe and Bohai for the Chulong Gang... He deserves to be in the current situation of waiting to die."

"Dou Lide is not that easy to suppress." Li Shu was thoughtful under the light of the fire. "At that time, Hebei suffered a lot from the three expeditions. Zhang Jincheng, Gao Shitong, Sun Xuanzhi, and Ergao who is still hanging around in Shanggu, including Han Erlang and Liu Heiyu who are now outstanding, all of them are from Hebei's righteous army, and Dou Lide is the most tenacious among them. This is also the confidence of Zhang Xing to cross the river that day... But no matter what, Xue Changxiong's inability to integrate the official forces of the Great Wei is his incompetence."

"Marriage, garrison, self-appointed officials..." Cui Silang thought about it, still confused. "He clearly used the name of the Hejian Camp to appoint many military officers and gathered many Hebei tyrants and masters of cultivation, but why didn't he even station troops in various counties? He brought six or seven or eight sons of the right age here, but he didn't marry into the Hebei nobles? Uncle, has he contacted us about the marriage?"

“No.” Cui Tang, who was eating fish seriously, finally spoke. Even a master had his mouth corners and beard painted black.

"Even Cheng Dalang from the Chulong Gang knew to become our relative at the first opportunity. That person was Zhang San... Although Zhang San was hostile to our family and specifically suppressed Cheng Dalang, he also knew to use us and gave us two leader positions. What on earth was Xue Changxiong thinking?" Cui Silang had originally just brought up the topic to divert attention, but the more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.

"I know a little bit about his thoughts." Cui Tang put down the fish and sneered. "Isn't it because he thinks that his family is a big family in Guanlong, so he doesn't regard Hebei as his base? Even if he wants to marry, it would be more reasonable for the sons of the Xue family to marry the Bai family, Dou family, and Sima family. At the very least, he would marry with the Zheng family in Xingyang, the Zhang family in Hedong, and other big families closer to him. What's the point of marrying with our Cui family?"

Everyone was stunned and had different reactions.

There is no other reason. This sounds absurd, but it seems reasonable... Xue Changxiong was born into a famous Guanlong family. He had been following the progress of this political group until four or five years ago. He witnessed the Guanlong Group's heyday. Isn't it reasonable to have such a Guanlong-centered idea?
Is he the only one like this?

Thinking of this, even Li Shu had to lower his head and look at the bonfire.

"You all said that he never thought about being a king, and he couldn't get out of the category of a subject, so he was left behind by Zhang San and Bai Hengqiu." Cui Tang continued to sneer. "Is it possible that this guy just looked down on Hebei and felt that his family was in Guanxi. If he had stayed in Guanxi, he would have been crowned emperor long ago?"

Li Shu and others remained silent, just staring at the campfire.

"In that case, if we go to Luo Shu again, we won't be left alone and ignored like we were with Xue Changxiong?" After a while, it was still Cui Ershiqilang who broke the silence.

"Luo Shu should be more pragmatic." Li Shu tried to comfort him with a smile.

"That's difficult." Cui Silang sighed. "In the current situation, if we want to achieve something in Hebei, the prerequisite is that Luo Shu and Xue Changxiong will join forces. Even if Luo Shu is more pragmatic and proactive, it takes two hands to clap. How can Xue Changxiong, who is like this, let them join forces?"

"Defense is still feasible." Li Shu said seriously. "Even if Zhang Xing delays, he will definitely attack Xue Changxiong within half a year. Although Xue Changxiong is unable to take the initiative to attack, it should still be feasible to hold the city for a period of time. By then, as long as Luo Shu is urged to send out the Youzhou cavalry in time to attack from both inside and outside, it will be enough to turn the situation around."

"Then what?" Cui Tang finally frowned and asked. "Even if he can hold on for a while, once the Chulong Gang retreats, Luo Shu really wants to be pragmatic and try to annex Xue Changxiong, right? And the Chulong Gang is so powerful, what if they turn around? After a few exchanges, the two families no longer trust each other, so the Chulong Gang can naturally annex them easily."

"Too difficult." Cui Silang also nodded. "The Chulong Gang has become a dominant force... In the battle at the beginning of the year, Bai Hengqiu saw the Chulong Gang's momentum and tried to stab them before going to Guanxi, but they eventually got through. Naturally, it's hard to stop them."

"We can suggest that Luo Shu form an alliance with Xue Changxiong. It would be best if he could humble himself and nominally be subordinate to Xue Changxiong. Then he can go south to use Xue Changxiong as a shield to defend against Zhang Xing, and then go north to attack the northern land. Once the eight dukes and seven guards of the northern land are in hand, he can naturally turn around and head south." Li Shu seemed to have an idea in mind. "And to promote the Youzhou-Hejian alliance, including the attack on the northern land, is the time for us to make achievements."

"The North... is not impossible." Cui Silang was stunned for a moment, then looked at his great-uncle.

"It seems that this is the only way." Cui Tang thought for a long time and nodded in agreement. "The Chulong Gang is powerful, but we have to go back to Qinghe anyway... Besides, if we don't count on the local forces in Hebei, can we count on the people in Guanlong? From Bai Hengqiu to Xue Changxiong, I have also seen clearly that no one is willing to regard us as equals!"

Obviously, this person still remembered that Bai Hengqiu sold out Cui.

Why did I feel that Bai Hengqiu could defeat the Chulong Gang with just one blow that day?

On the other side, Cui Ershiqilang wanted to nod in agreement, but suddenly remembered that Li Shu next to him seemed to be from a Guanlong noble family. He didn't know what the other person was thinking. His uncle's words seemed to be tentative, so he quickly pretended not to know and lowered his head to eat the fish.

Li Shu, on the other hand, couldn't help but laugh while holding the fish in his hand: "Zhang San is generous on the outside but cautious on the inside. He dominates the Chulong Gang and controls Henan and Hebei. We have no choice but to wander around. But the world is so big that there is always a glimmer of hope. What's more, we know the strengths and weaknesses of the Chulong Gang, and Cui Gong is responsible for Hebei and is a master, so we can rely on him. There are also many princes outside who can seek refuge... The current situation is much better than when I was wandering around in Dongyi... You don't know, when I just entered this Fox Pond, I realized that this place is very similar to the swamp in the Gobi Desert on the east side of Luolong Beach. When Yang Shen failed, I was alone in it, with no future in sight. Moreover, there was no town in front of me and no one behind me to rely on, and no one by my side. I even thought of jumping into the river to die, but I just held on. It's nothing like now, with all of you traveling with me and grilled fish to eat."

Cui Silang smiled, Cui Ershiqilang also laughed, and even Cui Tang clicked his tongue.

The atmosphere became much better as they ate fish together.

However, they had eaten most of the fish and their mouths were black. Three of the four people had top-level cultivation, but they smelled the sound of horse hooves outside the swamp first... They looked at each other, and Cui Tang, who had the highest cultivation, waved his hand, and the campfire stopped swaying, then quickly shrank and went out. The others also put down the grilled fish and listened in silence. Cui Ershiqilang, who could only guess what was going on, was even more alert and looked around.

But it was obvious that the group of people outside were coming for them. They stopped directly outside the Fox Pond, then completely dispersed, and then entered the pond and shouted.

Cui Twenty-Seventh Lang hadn't heard the voice clearly yet, but Cui Tang was already surprised and looked at Li Shu and Cui Xuanchen: "What's going on?"

"It should be true." Cui Silang smiled. "Of course we want to conceal our whereabouts, but if Luo Shu is a pragmatic person, he should have contacted the local forces in Hejian when Xue Changxiong lost his ambition. If the spies in Youzhou are all over Hejian, it shouldn't be too difficult for them to know that we have left the Xue family and are probably in Huzidian at this time."

Then he looked at Li Shu again: "Mr. Li, do you think so?"

"Of course, of course." Li Shu sighed. "It's just that Luo Shu is more pragmatic than we thought! Too pragmatic!"

Although Cui Ershiqilang didn't mention it, the other two naturally knew what he meant.

But Cui Xuanchen could only smile bitterly and persuade: "That being said, it's better than wasting time with Xue Changxiong."

Before he could finish his words, the bonfire had rekindled and even rose into the sky.

Seeing this, Li Shu stopped sighing and just sat there waiting.

After a while, a group of Youzhou knights found this place, but they did not dare to come forward. After waiting for a while, a person who was obviously the leader came here. Looking at the four people sitting still, he did not stop at all and bowed directly to the oldest Cui Tang and saluted: "But Lord Cui of Qinghe is in front. I am Jun Shu, the governor of the northern part of Youzhou, the governor of Anle County, the general of Fenwu, the Duke of Liucheng, and I am here to greet you on the orders of my master, Lord Luo, the general manager of Youzhou camp, the governor of Hebei Road, and the guardian of the north."

The four people sitting by the campfire were stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

After a long while, Cui Xuanchen was the quickest to react. He pointed at Li Shu beside him and stood up: "This... General Hou, not only is my great-uncle Cui Gong here, but Lord Li is also here."

Hou Junshu was also stunned, but soon came to his senses and was overjoyed: "Is Lord Li here too? That would be a double blessing. If we can get Lord Cui and Lord Li, wouldn't my master be like a tiger with two wings that can turn into a dragon?"

Li Shu then smiled and stood up, wanting to shake hands and chat with the other party.

And it was at this time that Cui Ershiqilang saw clearly... A few people had just eaten most of the fish and hurriedly put out the campfire, but from Mr. Cui to Mr. Li, the corners of their mouths were still black!
But so what?

I can only pretend I don't know, just like that northern governor.

On the second day after Li Shu, Cui Tang and others met Hou Junshu at the Golden Wind and Jade Dew in Fox Pond, Zhang Xing shamelessly moved into the palace in Yecheng and lived in the largest courtyard in the northernmost residential area.

The courtyard is located in the west of the palace. There is a medium-sized main hall in the front where meetings can be held. There are public houses on both sides for clerical and protective work. In the back is the residence, which also has more than a dozen rooms and a small garden. The northwest corner has three floors connected together, which can be considered a small building, especially the third floor, which is open on all sides... It is probably because of this ventilated small building that the whole courtyard is called Guanfengyuan.

In response, Chief Zhang did not even change his name and moved in directly with his luggage.

The only thing worth mentioning is that he allowed Qin Bao to temporarily live in Guanfengyuan on the grounds that Qin Bao's status as the leader had not yet been officially certified.

After moving into Guanfeng Courtyard, Chief Zhang immediately became busy... It wasn't that he wanted to cause trouble, but many people came to him to report and ask for instructions... Some were real requests, and some were fake, but Chief Zhang had made a promise before, so he didn't bother to make a fuss.

However, today, the person who came to ask for instructions must be genuine.

"Are you worried that the new law won't be implemented?" Zhang Xing thought in the small garden in the backyard. "Are there any clauses that people are resisting?"

"If that's the case, I'm not afraid." Cui Erlang Cui Suchen, the chief of the Criminal Law Department, looked relaxed. "Because if they really want to boycott, they will definitely cause trouble in areas with related interests, such as land measurement and granting and people's release. These areas are all under observation, and everyone knows what can be done and what can be done. If someone insists on boycotting, will you let them go if others don't say anything?"

Zhang Xing also laughed... because it was true.

Don't be fooled by the fact that he is laughing all day long, drinking sour plum soup or chatting with the villagers. But as a qualified politician and with many years of experience here, how can he not know the importance of land and population even if he is confused?
Apart from anything else, he knew everything about the people in the gang, including how the leaders in the upper reaches of the Jishui River pretended to be ignorant and kept the farm before the rebellion, how many workshops the leaders in the lower reaches of the Jishui River had, and who was buying properties in Dengzhou, which had been wiped out by the Hebei rebels.

He actually knew the real meaning behind Choi Su-sin's current topic.

"I don't want to take action against local officials and officials right now." Zhang Xing smiled and did not try to hide it. "It's not that I'm playing tricks on people, but I'm not prepared."

Cui Suchen suddenly became solemn.

"If we always expect things to be innovative from the top down, we are fooling ourselves." Zhang Xing put away his smile and explained seriously. "The Chulong Gang has been in operation until now, and even though it is a bit new, it is essentially a group of heroes and elites from the old Dongqi land that I pulled together. If we say that the foundation is deep and the top and bottom are united, it is still far from it... It happens to be wartime, a time to fight for the world, and we don't have enough experienced grassroots officials. If we clean them up and replace them at this time, it will go wrong."

Cui Suchen thought about it and asked seriously, "So the chief asked Zhang Shizhao, the prime minister of Wei, to be in charge of the Mengji tribe. Is it to train some young people to slowly replace him?"

"Yes." Zhang Xing nodded. "However, this position was requested by Mr. Zhang himself. He saw clearly that this was the real source of the new power."

Cui Suchen couldn't help but sigh: "When we first took the Jishui River and entered Hebei a few years ago, there was no system, and the prefectures and counties didn't have time to attack, but the chief insisted on this matter. Later, there were wars for years and we were almost out of breath, but the chief still insisted... Although everyone couldn't openly oppose it due to the chief's authority, in fact, no one agreed. Even now, only a few people are slowly realizing the benefits of this."

"It's a little late to talk about the benefits. It will probably take another two or three years for the benefits to slowly show up." Zhang Xing continued. "However, if you are worried that the "Law of Exiling Dragons" will not be widely accepted, you don't have to worry about the local government and officials. I have an idea..."

"Please give me some advice, Chief." Cui Suchen immediately perked up.

"How about you go down to the township pavilion and try the case yourself?" Zhang Xing said with a smile.

"What case am I trying?" Choi Su-sin was obviously confused.

"It's like this," Zhang Xing explained. "You take dozens of outstanding clerks and clerks from the Criminal Law Department and go to the villages around Yecheng to try cases during the slack season after autumn..."

This made it clear, but Cui Suchen was still confused: "Even if I am alone with dozens of clerks, how many cases can I try? And the people below will not dare to complain to me when they see an official like me."

“If the people in the countryside don’t dare to come to you to file a complaint, you can go to the counties to find the backlog of cases, find cases that can reflect the good governance of the new law, or find cases that have already been sentenced but can be corrected according to the new law, and then go to the township pavilion where the case occurred and call the people to judge…”

Zhang Xing explained.

"Don't worry about one person being powerless. In fact, the beauty of this method lies here... You personally lead people to visit a county, a dozen townships, and pick one case in each township. When you are done, come back, and then select seven or eight outstanding officials from the clerks following you. Let them take the lead, and then go to the counties of Wei County to select low-level officials from the counties to form a team, and continue to go to the rural pavilions to continue this inspection!"

Cui Suchen's eyes lit up. "What a good idea! If so, when the work in Wei County is done, it is estimated that it will not be winter yet. We can also select the best officials from the local Wei County officials who follow the inspection and know that we are going to promote the new law, and assign them to the Criminal Law Department. Then we can let them take the lead and go to the entire Xingtai, and even to Hebei and Henan to do inspections."

"Don't be so anxious." Zhang Xing said with a smile. "It's enough to inspect two Xingtai in one winter, and then go to Henan next spring... In addition, there is no need to let these local officials return to the Ministry of Criminal Law, otherwise we may not be able to support them. Just select the excellent ones for promotion, and make resumes and records for the rest, which will facilitate promotion in the future. However, the inspection process itself must ensure treatment and safety, and we can issue some money, food and cloth... As for safety, although we hope that some blind people will make trouble so that we can take action to establish our authority, we still have to protect our own people first."

"The chief has made such a thoughtful decision. If I don't do something about it, I will feel uneasy." Cui Suchen stood up and bowed to leave. "In that case, I will go to find Chen Zong to make a plan and implement it as soon as possible."

Zhang Xing nodded but didn't say goodbye.

Qin Bao, who was standing by, couldn't help but ask, "Third brother just said that he never expected innovation from the top down, but he was not ready to replace local officials...so he had the Mongki tribe?"

"Yes."

"Then isn't it also a bottom-up approach to use retired soldiers as grassroots rural officials?"

"Of course."

"Why don't you tell Manager Cui?" Qin Bao was a little surprised.

"Why should I tell him?" Zhang Xing turned around and looked at him. "He was the one who came up with the idea of ​​the Mongols, and I admitted it. I didn't deliberately hide anything..."

Qin Bao hesitated for a moment: "Shouldn't we be honest with others?"

Zhang Xing shook his head slowly: "Perhaps, but there is no need... Especially now, in terms of the situation, the Chulong Gang has become a force to be reckoned with; in terms of system updates, it will take two or three years to see results... It's better to keep things stable."

Qin Bao nodded: "I know, Third Brother is scared to death now."

Zhang Xing hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Actually, this is nothing... We should be careful when we go to Dengzhou."

Qin Bao sneered instead: "Who is in Dengzhou? Isn't it Cheng Dalang? Even if Cheng Dalang rebels, if I can't carry my third brother out, my life will be in vain."

Zhang Xing nodded and finally gave his bottom line: "We will go first, and several battalions of soldiers will follow behind. Xiong Tianwang and the Thirteen Golden Armors will also accompany us."

Qin Bao finally frowned: "Does Cheng Dalang really want to rebel?"

"Given his personality, he probably won't do that." Zhang Xing said frankly. "The problem is Luolong Beach. I have to go back there anyway... I can't help but feel scared."

Qin Bao finally understood, but then became dazed again, as if he was remembering the situation when they first met.

The two brothers were sitting there quietly when suddenly there was a commotion outside. They perked up and someone came to report immediately - Chief Steward Xie Minghe had returned, and brought with him more than 40 people from the main branch of the Jiangdong Xie family, which had been illustrious for hundreds of years, and had already arrived outside the city.

PS: Zhao Ziyue has started a new book, Sui and Tang Dynasties... Wagangliu...

(End of this chapter)