The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 239
The autumn sun hangs high and the sky is as clear as blue.

A gust of autumn wind hits along the foothills, fading away the scorching heat of summer and bringing a bit of coolness.

The mountains are covered with brown and yellow lichens, and the eyes are full of withered vegetation. The further west you go, the more bleak the atmosphere becomes.

At the foot of the winding mountain, a team of more than fifty riders rested in an open hay field by the river, burying pots to make rice and fetching water to feed the horses.

There are sentries watching on several higher hills around.

Along the river to the east, there is a cliff five or six feet high, where the river water falls, forming a small waterfall.

The water flows against the rocks at the foot of the mountain, making a gurgling sound.

Several plants of seabuckthorn grow on the edge of the cliff, their rhizomes penetrate deeply into the broken soil rock, and the dry dark brown branches are covered with hard thorns.

In autumn, sea buckthorn not only has sharp thorns, but is also studded with abundant orange-red fruits.

Accompanied by a crunching sound of leather boots crushing gravel, a majestic and heroic man wearing a scarlet brocade robe, a jade belt tied around his waist, a saber hanging on his waist, and a silk right-angled futou on his head walked to the edge of the cliff and stretched out his hand from I picked a fruit from a sea-buckthorn branch, twisted it between my two fingers, and stuffed it into my mouth.

The sea buckthorn fruit has a strong sour taste. The man frowned with his straight eyebrows, chewed carefully, and soon relaxed his brows. Instead, he tasted some aftertaste from the sourness, picked a few more, rubbed the dust away, and put them into his mouth.

Two other big men in green and brown military robes approached with swords, one with white face and big ears, the other handsome and handsome, they were Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde.

The two of them also picked fruits from seabuckthorn branches and tasted them, but they both looked bitter from the sour taste.

"Puff~" Zhao Kuangyin spat out the broken bits in his mouth and said with a smile: "It's so sour, how can you eat it? It's useless to keep it. It's better to cut it all with a knife."

Zhang Yongde chose to swallow it silently, and carefully looked at the branches and fruits of sea buckthorn, and kept the appearance of this plant in his heart. If he encounters it in the wild in the future, he will know what it feels like, and he will not touch it again unless he has to.

Zhao Kuangyin drew his knife to cut off the seabuckthorn branches. Zhang Yongde shook his head and said: "This bush grows here alone, far away from water sources for irrigation, and only relies on heaven and earth for nourishment. It has survived for unknown springs and autumns, so it is better not to cut off its vitality easily."

Zhao Kuangyin loosened his grip on the knife and said with a smile, "Brother Hua Yi has a compassionate heart."

A rare smile appeared on Zhang Yongde's serious face. He pointed to the fruits covered with thorns and said: "These fruits are sour and difficult to swallow for people to eat, but there is no guarantee that other birds will use them as food. You If we cut them all off, not only will these bushes be destroyed, but other living creatures will also be cut off invisibly."

Zhao Kuangyin laughed and said: "Listening to what Brother Baoyi said, I seem to have committed many sins unknowingly, and I feel so ashamed!"

Zhang Yongde looked down at the broken rock and soil under his feet, and said: "The vegetation here is sparse, and water and soil conservation is not easy. If the roots of the plants are not embedded in the rock and soil, I am afraid that it will not be long before they are completely broken and weathered, and this cliff will be Most of it will collapse. This is the fixation effect of the plant's rhizomes on the soil."

Zhao Kuangyin carefully thought about Zhang Yongde's words and realized the truth behind them. He said in surprise: "Brother Baoyi is very knowledgeable! From which book did you read these subtle truths? I will also introduce you to someone."

Zhang Yongde looked towards the northwest mountains and said quietly: "It's not from the book, but I heard it from Zhu Xiu."

Zhao Kuangyin was stunned, and said with a smile: "So that's the case. No wonder many vocabulary sounds quite novel, and the tone of this speech is also familiar."

Chai Rong stood on the edge of the cliff, holding his knife against the wind, and remained silent. His deep eyes looked at the undulating ridgeline in the distance.

Zhao Kuangyin and Zhang Yongde looked at each other with wry smiles on their faces.

Chai Rong was depressed because of Guo Wei being questioned by the officials in Kaifeng, and he was in a bad mood. They didn't know how to persuade him at this time.

The two of them thought of Zhu Xiu in unison. If that boy was here, he would definitely have a way to persuade him.

"How far is it from Anding County?" Chai Rong suddenly asked.

Zhang Yongde said respectfully: "This place has entered Jingzhou territory. Judging from the march map, there should be more than [-] miles left. According to the previous speed, we will arrive in another four or five days."

Zhao Kuangyin smiled and said: "Zhu Xiu sent someone to deliver a message, saying that he was going out of the city to meet him. I think I should be able to see him at the post station closest to Anding County."

A smile flashed across Chai Rong's lips, he nodded and said, "Let's go, continue on our way."

After using simple meals, the sergeants filled the fire pit, doused the embers, restored the hay field to its original appearance, and wiped away as many traces of the march as possible.

This is the basic requirement for Chai Rong to lead the army. Even if it is only a march for non-military purposes, the sergeants under his command are required to follow the wartime standards.

The cavalry galloped along the rugged mountain road. After crossing the mountain ridge, there was a gentle and then downhill section where they could gallop and speed up their march.

More than two hours later, the cavalry arrived at a mountain pass.

This place is close to an unknown tributary of the Jing River. The tidal flats and wetlands beside the river beach are muddy and difficult to navigate, so we have to slow down and ride through.

Zhang Yongde flipped out the military map, unfolded it, and checked to see how far away the nearest station was, and whether he could arrive before this evening.

If not, prepare to sleep outdoors.

Suddenly, there was a siren two miles ahead, and the sharp siren pierced the silence of the valley.

That was the alarm sent by the scouts looking forward.

"alert!"

Zhao Kuangyin pulled out the knife with a clang and roared loudly.

Half of the sergeants immediately dismounted and rushed forward to protect the left and right wings.

Zhang Yongde took off a bright silver gun from the hook on the packhorse beside him, strode to the front, banged the iron gun on the ground, and stared at the front of the valley with a serious face.

The other half of the sergeants stood with their bows and arrows ready, alert to possible enemy situations that might appear at any time.

rumbling~
There was a rumble on the ground, and the puddles all over the ground made ripples. A large group of cavalry was quickly approaching from the front.

Chai Rong was riding on horseback, holding the reins in one hand and pressing the knife with the other. His expression was indifferent and his eyes were still.

"Chirp! Chirp~~"

In front of the dimly lit valley, three more whistles, one short and two long, came from the scouts, which meant that the alert was lifted and the incoming troops were friendly troops.

Zhang Yongde frowned and raised his hand to signal the sergeants not to relax their vigilance.

Zhao Kuangyin asked strangely: "Could it be that Zhu Xiu is here? This place is far from Anding County, so he wouldn't come here to greet him?"

Chai Rong put down the hand holding the knife, his expression still calm and calm.

Waves of roars and shouts came from afar, and the rumble of horse hooves trampled the ground, appearing at the end of the line of sight.

A large black and red flag embroidered with the word "Chang Yi Army" was first seen by Chai Rong and others, followed closely by a smaller flag with the word "Zhu" embroidered on it.

"Is it really that kid?" Zhao Kuangyin muttered secretly.

Zhang Yongde looked carefully, and sure enough, at the front of the oncoming cavalry, he vaguely saw a sneaky man who stretched his neck and looked around.

A little smile appeared on the corner of Zhang Yongde's mouth, but it disappeared quickly, and he returned to a cold and serious face, waving his hand and ordering the release of the guard.

Chai Rong's eyes flashed with light, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Uu~uh~" There were shouts of reining in horses, and then Li Chongjin's manic laughter came from the team: "Haha~ Good cousin, we are here to pick you up!"

Zhu Xiu poked his head out from behind Li Chongjin and looked at him, grinning with white teeth and a bright smile.

Li Chongjin pulled Zhu Xiu off his horse. Zhu Xiu stumbled and almost fell, and he hit him on the back angrily.

Chai Rong and Zhao Kuangyin also dismounted and strode forward to greet them.

"Zhang Baoyi, I haven't seen you for a long time, but you still have a dead face. You didn't even call me cousin when you saw me. Be careful, I will go back to Kaifeng and file a complaint with my fourth cousin, saying that you are looking for flowers in Chang'an and molesting good women!"

Li Chongjin laughed and teased Zhang Yongde, baring his teeth and claws in front of him like a giant monkey.

The corner of Zhang Yongde's mouth twitched, and he turned his head and ignored it.

"Hmph!~ You are really boring, and I don't know what my fourth sister likes about you! By the way, I have made great progress in my martial arts recently. When I get back to Anding, let's have a showdown!"

Li Chongjin waved his fist arrogantly and walked past him in a swaggering manner.

Zhu Xiu followed closely behind, bowed with a smile and said: "Brother Zhang, I haven't seen you all this time. Are you okay?"

Zhang Yongde nodded slightly, cupped his fists and said, "That's good."

Zhu Xiu pointed at Li Chongjin, then pointed at his own head, and whispered: "Brother Zhang, don't be the same as him. You also know that there is something wrong with this black guy's brain."

The corners of Zhang Yongde's mouth twitched, as if he wanted to laugh, he nodded and held back, and looked away.

Zhu Xiu bowed in apology and walked forward quickly.

Li Chongjin and Zhao Kuangyin's eyes intertwined, each snorted coldly and were too lazy to talk to each other.

"Haha~ Cousin, we haven't seen each other for a few months, do you miss me?" Li Chongjin stepped forward and gave Chai Rong a bear hug, patting Chai Rong hard on the back.

Chai Rong also laughed, and along the way, a lot of the gloom that gathered between his brows was dispersed.

Zhu Xiu cupped his hands and smiled: "Brother Zhao, are you okay?"

Zhao Kuangyin smiled heartily and said: "Thank you for your concern, my dear brother. Brother Yu, everything is well. I wonder how my dear brother is doing?"

"Haha, my little brother is doing well too! When I heard that Chai Shuai and his two eldest brothers had arrived, I was so happy that I went out of the city to welcome them!"

Zhao Kuangyin joked: "Brother Xian came out of the city to greet me. He traveled quite far. I'm afraid it's still hundreds of miles away from Anding County, right?"

Zhu Xiu said seriously: "How dare I neglect to welcome Chai Shuai and Brother Zhao and Brother Zhang? Of course, I have to run farther to reflect my sincerity and the hospitality of our Zhangyi Army."

The two looked at each other and laughed.

"Brother Zhao, please wait a moment. My younger brother will go to meet with Chai Shuai first."

"Please, dear brother!" Zhao Kuangyin smiled, stepped out of the way, and watched with a smile as he walked quickly towards Chai Rong.

"Sima of the Zhangyi Army Marching, Zhu Xiu, Governor of Jing Prefecture, pay homage to Chai Shuai!" Zhu Xiu solemnly bowed to the ground.

Chai Rong stepped forward quickly, first helped Zhu Xiu up, then clasped his fists and said with a smile: "You have now left the Tianxiong Army, and I am no longer the tooth commander of the Tianxiong Army. You and I have no affiliation, and there is no need to hold on to my position. It's good to meet each other with courtesy and to be friends of equals."

Zhu Xiu said sternly: "Once I am a subordinate of Chai Shuai, I will always be a subordinate of Chai Shuai! No matter where Zhu Xiu is and what position he holds, Chai Shuai has sent him. Even if we are separated by mountains of swords and seas of fire, Zhu Xiu will definitely come to see him!"

Chai Rong was startled, then showed a helpless and touched smile.

This tone of voice was filled with a familiar smell of shamelessness.

Li Chongjin curled his lips and muttered to himself, he and Chai Rong were cousins. How could it be that Zhu Xiu was so respectful to his cousin Chai Rong, saying casual words of loyalty to him, but he often yelled at him, and even let him get angry? Shi Xiangwen beat him to relieve his anger.

He asked himself that he and Zhu Xiu were also brothers, so why was there such a big gap in treatment?
Zhang Yongde shivered all over. It seemed that the humidity in the valley was getting thicker in the afternoon, and it seemed that he was disgusted by Zhu Xiu's words.

Zhao Kuangyin stood aside with an unchanging smile, and his bright eyes were a little more thoughtful.

So far, Chai Rong seemed to be the only person Zhu Xiu took the initiative to please, and he couldn't figure out why.

Chai Rong patted Zhu Xiu's shoulder with his gentle palm, and said with a gentle smile: "You and I have a fortune-telling friendship in Cangzhou. We are both brothers. There will be no need for these false courtesy in the future. The most valuable thing about brotherly friendship is understanding. Guo The privy secretary recommended you to the imperial court because of your merits, not because of me, if you want to thank him, you can thank him personally when you see privy secretary Guo."

Zhu Xiu blinked, thinking that Chai Rong mistakenly thought that he was grateful and loyal because Guo Wei recommended him to the court.

Zhu Xiu rolled his eyes and said: "Privy Secretary Guo is in charge of the imperial military affairs, so our Zhangyi Army is naturally under the control of Privy Councilor Guo. Regardless of their kindness, Zhang Yijun and Zhu Xiu are still considered to be Privy Councilor Guo's subordinates. Chai Shuai is a dragon and a phoenix among people. , and he is the eldest son of Privy Council Guo. He will definitely ascend to a high position and control the center in the future. Zhu Xiu and Zhang Yijun will still be under the command of Commander Chai."

Chai Rong was stunned for a moment and smiled helplessly. He didn't know why Zhu Xiu had to use mechanical methods to forcefully demonstrate the affiliation between them.

Zhu Xiu turned around and waved to the [-] elite cavalrymen of Zhangyi Army. When the messenger saw them, they took out two command flags, one red and one green, and waved them.

The five hundred sergeants dismounted, and it could be seen that they had gone through countless trainings. Although there were a few scattered parts, the overall look was neat and uniform, which was quite spectacular.

"Boom, bang, bang~" The five hundred sergeants drew their swords in unison, and the sword array composed of bright and new Yanling knives glowed with a dazzling white light.

"Warmly welcome Mr. Chai to visit Jingzhou for inspection!"

Five hundred sergeants roared in unison, repeated three times. The sound resounded throughout the valley, causing birds outside the valley to fly away.

Chai Rong was stunned again and pointed at Zhu Xiu, dumbfounded.

This kid knows how to fix all these fancy things.

Zhu Xiu smiled and cupped his hands, beaming with pride.

Li Chongjin was very jealous and made up his mind to let Zhu Xiu put on such a grand pomp and organize a special welcome ceremony for him next time.

Zhang Yongde sighed, Chai Rong would inevitably have some sycophants around him.

It's just that Zhu Xiu is different from other cunning people. Not only is he a good talker, but his ability to solve problems and troubles is also first-rate.

Zhao Kuangyin had a smile on his face, but the focus of his thoughts was on Zhu Xiu's words of "ascend to the high position and hold the center".

It may seem like just casual flattery, but it seems to mean something.

"Zhu Xiu specially went out of the city to welcome Chai Shuai! I, the first commander of the Zhangyi Army's Yajun and Majun, will clear the way. Chai Shuai, please!"

Zhu Xiu bowed his head again and spoke loudly and solemnly. He stepped aside and extended his hand to invite Chai Rong to get on the horse first.

Chai Rong had no choice but to get on his horse, raise his whip and shout: "The whole army listens to the order, let's go!"

Five hundred Zhangyi Yajun mounted their horses and galloped forward, followed by Chai Rong with more than fifty cavalry of personal guards.

Zhu Xiu trotted to keep up with Li Chongjin, riding on the same horse as him and catching up.

(End of this chapter)