Lord of the Desert

Chapter 539 Blocking the Road
At 2 PM, Hong Fan had just seen off Bu Tianze and Zhuang Liren, and after catching his breath, he was greeted by his military affairs team.

The newly formed team is headed by Xu Yuntao, with Lü Yunshi and Hong Lie as his deputies. Their main task at present is to recruit soldiers.

"Things are going much more smoothly than expected. Only a few days after the announcement, there has been a constant stream of applicants."

To project a certain image, Hong Lie wore a set of bright silver light armor today, looking quite spirited.

"Is it because of the twenty taels of settlement allowance after being selected?"

Hong Fan asked with a smile.

"Yes, but not entirely."

Xu Yuntao replied.

"It's mostly because the captain has extraordinary prestige in Liangzhou."

Since arriving in Xijing and officially accepting the appointment, he has addressed people by their titles and no longer calls them by their names.

"Commander Xu is joking. Where would I get such prestige?"

Hong Fan waved his hand.

“Hong… well, Captain, you probably don’t even know how high your reputation is in Liangzhou.”

Lu Yunshi began, still somewhat unaccustomed to his new relationship with his friend.

"In the Jinhai and Xijing area, the people almost regard you as an immortal being. In addition, the local powerful families and wealthy clans are willing to help you because of your reputation. It would be easy to recruit two thousand strong soldiers. If you don't care about money and just do it, I think it would be easy to raise tens of thousands of people in a short period of time."

“That’s good. I was worried that the people of Liangzhou wouldn’t want to leave their hometown and that we wouldn’t be able to recruit enough people.”

Hong Fan was overjoyed upon hearing this, and the discussion went even deeper.

"Since there is such a high demand, let's raise the standards a bit more—they must be from respectable families, free from illness, and preferably literate."

“The Shen and Zhu families each sent out teams to respond, and the leaders were both at the Hunran Realm; in addition, Gong Pengyun talked with me several times and also made up his mind.”

(Lu Yunshi)

"It would be best to urge Jincimen to deliver the six cannons as soon as possible; I will prioritize selecting strong soldiers as artillerymen, and they can start training as soon as the equipment is in place."

(Hong Lie)
"Recruitment is expected to be completed in August; preliminary training will begin in September, mainly focusing on military discipline and basic skills; the troops will set off in early October, aiming to reach Fengsui City before the heavy snows block the north and south of Hezhou in mid-November..."

(Xu Yuntao)

By the time all military matters were settled, the sun was already setting in the west, and it was almost 5 p.m.

Returning to the city from the western suburbs, Hong Fan traveled along the wide and smooth new-style official road.

The road is twelve meters wide, paved with cement and flattened with a steam roller; the Junchixing shock-absorbing carriages travel on the road as smoothly as boats, with almost no bumps.

"This road opened to traffic after the Spring Festival this year, and the Duke Zhuang personally cut the ribbon, setting a new precedent in Xijing."

Lu Yunshi, who was traveling back along the same route as Hong Fan, explained.

The cement production of Liangzhou Machinery Workshop was the highest in Kyushu. The idea of ​​paving roads with cement in Xijing had been proposed long ago, but it was always rejected because the road surface was too hard and would damage the horses' hooves, and the gray-white color of the road was not auspicious.

Unexpectedly, steel prices plummeted in the past two years, making horseshoes a cheap consumable; in addition, four-wheeled carriages, which require a smoother road surface, gradually became popular among the upper class in Xijing, which allowed this road to be successfully implemented.

“In the two months since I came back, I’ve seen several new reinforced concrete buildings in the city.”

Hong Fan observed the clothing of passersby through the gaps in the carriage curtain.

As Jing Huanxing's production capacity increased, the price of Xijing fabrics declined gradually.

"Who says otherwise? Everyone wants to claim the title of the tallest building in Xi'an. I know the owner of the Whale Rider, and last month I heard him say that he had bought new land in the east of the city and planned to build a twenty-story building. He asked me if I wanted to invest..."

Lü Yunshi leaned back in his chair and expertly took out wine from the cabinet and poured it out.

The wine pours into the glass with a crisp, clear sound; as the setting sun floats in the glass, the flavor is enhanced.

With a snort of the red flag, the carriage passed through the city gate.

Just as I was crossing the intersection, a person suddenly rushed out from under the eaves.

"Young Master Hong, Young Master Hong..."

Hong Fan lifted the window screen and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw that the person who stopped the carriage was a beautiful young girl. Although she was dressed as a maid, she was dressed in fine silk and satin.

"you are?"

The girl looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place her.

"Young Master Hong, don't you recognize me? I am Lingxi!"

The maid called out solicitously. Hong Fan then realized what was happening.

Lingxi was Shen Tiexin's personal maid, and the two had met many times during their trip to Tiannan; however, after two years apart, the little girl had grown into a beautiful young woman with a different demeanor.

"Why are you stopping me in the street? Has something happened to your young lady?"

Hong Fan asked solemnly, and Lü Yunshi was also somewhat nervous.

If anything were to happen to Shen Tiexin, the entire Xijing would likely be engulfed in bloodshed.

"No no."

Lingxi quickly shook her head.

"Miss is very kind; she simply asked me to invite the young master for a chat."

"Now?"

Hong Fan frowned and asked.

Given his current status and position, even if Venerable Yuanci were to issue an invitation, it would have to be ten days in advance. Apart from the direct descendants of the Heavenly Martial Saint royal family, no one would be so presumptuous as to invite him at the last minute.

"Yes, it's in Congyunxuan."

Lingxi pointed, and it was only a few dozen meters away.

The building is three stories old, and the interior decoration appears to be of medium quality.

Hong Fan glanced at her, increasingly bewildered: "Why didn't your young lady send an invitation to Asahi Prefecture if she wanted to see me? Why did she make you wait here?"

"Because the poster would certainly not agree."

Lingxi hesitated for a moment, then replied timidly.

“This is not what I said, it is what Miss said. She knew that the young master was going to Kaiming on official business today, so she brought me here early this morning and has been waiting all day.”

These words made Lü Yunshi's mouth water, shocked by the disparity between people.

"So, is it something urgent?"

Hong Fan hesitated for a moment.

As Shen Tiexin thought, he didn't want to provoke this noble lady of the Shen family again, but in any case, the fact that she waited a whole day showed her sincerity.

"I don't know..."

Lingxi couldn't answer this question, or rather, she didn't need to answer it at all—she simply clasped her hands together and pleaded with her eyes.

Upon seeing this, Lü Yunshi pushed open the door and got out of the car.

"It's not far from my residence; I can ride back by myself."

He untied his beloved horse from beside the carriage, clasped his hands in greeting, mounted it, and rode away.

Seeing this, Hong Fan went along with it.

"That's all."

He sighed and gestured for Shen Hong to park the car on the side of the street.

"You lead the way; I have a dinner engagement tonight and can't stay long."

Business should have been busiest at dusk, but the Congyun Pavilion was quiet and deserted, clearly having been booked by Shen Tiexin.

No matter which city in Dahua, the area near the city gate will always be bustling, but it will never be high-class.

The same applies to the Congyun Pavilion.

This restaurant is geared towards middle-class families. Its overall decoration level is much lower than that of Xingsheng Hall. Not to mention Shen Tiexin, even Hong Fu and Hong Qing wouldn't book it.

Compared to the notorious den of iniquity in Wangjiang Lane, the only advantage of this place is that it's located on the only route one can take after entering the city from the western suburbs.

The private room on the third floor had its wooden window half-open.

Two years later, Hong Fan met Shen Tiexin, who was eager to get up.

Her long, white hair, like silk, cascaded down her shoulders, adorned with a black hairpin at an angle. Her lips were painted with rouge, and a gold flower was embroidered between her brows. She sat upright in a light blue lady's dress, like a handful of cool snow in the sweltering summer.

This is the first time in five years, from the twenty-eighth year of the Zhenghe era, that Hong Fan has seen Shen Tiexin put on makeup.

(End of this chapter)