Jiuxi

Chapter 443 Chapter 441 [Top of Yunling]

The green hills are faintly covered with water, and the grasses in the south of the Yangtze River are not withered in autumn.

Heading west from Yongjia City, passing Lulingyi, and following the official road across Hezhou and Huzhou, you can enter the territory of Luzhou.

Further west is Chengzhou, the current western border of Da Qi.

In terms of territorial area alone, Chengzhou ranks first among the thirteen states in Jiangnan. However, whether in terms of population or wealth, Chengzhou is far inferior to Huaizhou, let alone Xinzhou and other places surrounding Yongjia City. Compare.

Before the Yuanjia Incident, Chengzhou's status in Daqi tended to be insignificant, because at that time the Seven Tribes of Shazhou were still loyal vassals of Daqi, and there were no border defense concerns in Chengzhou.

Later, with the death of 8,000 local soldiers at Yanziling, the stance of the seven tribes of Shazhou changed accordingly, and the western border of Chengzhou suddenly became precarious. Da Qi had to set up a governor's office here, with four armies of Qingjiang, Youlong, Bolu and Anhua, with a total force of nearly 50,000 people to guard the long border.

After Li Duan ascended the throne, he sent envoys to Shazhou many times just to repair the relationship between the two sides, but no progress was made.

It wasn't until the Hou Yu case broke out and Lu Chen established friendship with the daughter of Shazhou Yalong leader that there was hope of resolving this 19-year grudge.

Starting on October 2, Lu Chen, Lin Xi and hundreds of guards traveled day and night. It only took them five days to arrive in Luzhou. Lin Xi then crossed the river with his brothers from the Seven Star Gang and headed north, while Lu Chen and The large troops waiting here gather together.

Qu Gong turned to look at the face of the acting governor, and said softly: "Brother Tong, don't worry too much. Judging from the current situation, Hou Yu is not biting randomly, and the court will not want to involve himself. After all, Cheng The stability of state politics is very important.”

Tong Shiyuan's eyes lit up and his expression finally softened.

Qu Gong is okay, he has little connection with Hou Yu's case. After all, Hou Yu specializes in military affairs and does not need to bribe him as the governor of Chengzhou. At most, he can give him some benefits occasionally.

Tong Shiyuan did not dare to go to the people in the Sutra Weaving Department to inquire about the information. This period of time was extremely painful.

It wasn't until the news came that Lu Chen had put down the rebellion in the capital and was about to come to Chengzhou to inspect the border on behalf of the emperor, that he finally breathed a sigh of relief, and what followed was the relief of waiting for death.

Qu Gongze smiled and said: "Isn't this an obvious thing? Hou Yu was deprived of his title and exiled. His Majesty sold the Seven Divisions of Shazhou to save face, otherwise the matter would not have become a big deal. Even though Hou Yu made many mistakes, he was the one who killed him. The people of Shazhou are not the people of Daqi. Your Majesty wants to take this opportunity to repair the relationship with the seven tribes of Shazhou. Of course, such an important matter must be sent to a capable and important minister. Who is more suitable than Shanyang Hou? "

Officials at all levels in Chengzhou were curious about the young imperial envoy who was said to be highly favored by the emperor and wanted to see what kind of hero he was in person. However, the two military and political officials were obviously not in a happy mood.

At this moment, several cavalrymen galloped up from the front and shouted: "Your Majesty, the imperial guard of honor has arrived five miles away."

Now that Hou Yu is defeated and suffers disaster, Qu Gongze will of course push him away completely.

After about a stick of incense was burned, the imperial envoy flag symbolizing the majesty of the imperial court came into view, and on the official road were more than 10,000 Beijing troops with bright armor and neat military appearance.

The two officials looked at each other, quickly arranged their clothes, and led hundreds of officials at all levels to greet them eastward.

Tong Shiyuan, who served as the temporary governor, could not hide his gloomy look. Even he would not believe it if he said that he had no knowledge of what Hou Yu had done.

Although he thought so, he might not have no hope in his heart.

A few days later, in the eastern suburbs of Qingjiang Fucheng, flags were flying and people were crowded.

Tong Shiyuan was silent for a moment when he heard this, and then said with a forced smile: "I hope it's as Brother Qu said."

In the past few months, he had been terrified, fearing that when he opened his eyes, he would see an imperial edict to arrest him and return to Beijing for questioning. After a large number of spies from the Sutra Weaving Department arrived in Chengzhou, the panic in his heart reached a peak. However, what he didn't expect was that not only did the people from the Sutra Weaving Department not arrest criminals in Chengzhou, but the imperial court seemed to have completely forgotten about the Western Frontier. There was no governor-general to rectify Tong Shiyuan, nor was Lei Lei so angry that he went to war.

Tong Shiyuan sighed softly: "In that case, why does Your Majesty have to let Shanyang Marquis lead troops to patrol the border? You and I both know that compared with Jiangbei's border defense, the enemies faced by Chengzhou are not strong. Although we don't have Shazhou people It would be very difficult for them to cross Yunling and launch a massive attack."

When the long team stopped, Qu Gongze and Tong Shiyuan stepped forward quickly and greeted the imperial envoy in unison.

Chengzhou is already in sight.

Led by Qu Gongze, the governor of Chengzhou, and Tong Shiyuan, the acting governor of Chengzhou, civil and military officials from the two provinces arrived to prepare to welcome Lu Chen, the border patrol imperial envoy from the capital, the Marquis of Shanyang, the Minister of Military Affairs and the marching commander of the Jinwu Camp of the Beijing Army.

Qu Gong raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, and said calmly: "Brother Tong, don't worry, after this Lord Lu arrives, we will only treat him as an ancestor. Whether we want gold, silver, treasures or beauties, we will give him He feels comfortable serving him, but he is still worried that the court will hold him back in the future? "

In the silence, a man in military uniform appeared in front of the team and said to Qu Tong and Qu Tong: "Liu Yin, the deputy commander of the Jinwu Camp Zhenwei Army, has met Qu Jishi and Tong Dudu."

Qu Gong was slightly startled. Although the general named Liu Yin opposite was very young, he still did not dare to be careless. He smiled and asked, "May I ask Commander Liu, where is the Imperial Envoy?"

Liu Yin said calmly: "The Governor of Haojiao knows that the Marquis has important things to do, so he will not come to Qingjiang City for the time being. He asked Mo to tell the two adults that it is important to concentrate on taking care of their respective government affairs, and there is no need to worry about his whereabouts. In addition, the Marquis previously sent someone to ask the Governor to prepare a camp outside Qingjiang City to facilitate the garrison of the Beijing army. I wonder if it can be done? "

Qu Gong felt a little aggrieved and did not dare to show it on his face. He nodded and said, "As far as I'm concerned, Lord Marquis, this matter has been settled and all the food and supplies are ready."

"Thank you, Lord Governor."

Liu Yin bowed his hands and said to Tong Shiyuan: "Tong Governor, the Marquis wants you to do something."

Tong Shiyuan said slightly nervously: "Excuse me."

Liu Yin said: "The Marquis hopes that the Commander-in-Chief can prepare the rosters of the Qingjiang, Youlong, Bolu, and Anhua armies within three days, as well as the detailed resumes of captains and generals above. We must put an end to those who are free of charge." quota. The Marquis also said that if the Governor can handle this matter well, it can be regarded as a meritorious service."

Tong Shiyuan's heart tightened and he responded: "The general will definitely get it done." A moment later, the imperial guard of honor and more than 10,000 Beijing troops, led by Chengzhou officials, headed directly to the camp outside the city that had been prepared in advance.

Tong Shiyuan ignored the bewildered subordinates not far away and said with a soft smile: "What is this? A show of force?"

Qu Gong stared into the distance, shook his head and said: "Brother Tong is too worried. In my opinion, this imperial envoy has a practical style. No wonder His Majesty values ​​and appreciates him so much."

A thought suddenly popped into Tong Shiyuan's mind. He couldn't help but look to the distant west and murmured: "You mean..."

Qu Gong said seriously: "I guess Shanyang Marquis should be near Yunling now. Brother Tong, don't think too much, just follow his instructions honestly. Such people are not the ones we can scheme with and deal with. "

Tong Shiyuan sighed softly and nodded with a complicated expression.

……

The mountain color has no fixed appearance, like smoke and dark blue.

More than seventy miles to the west of Qingjiang Prefecture is Yunling, which separates Daqi and Shazhou.

This is not the inaccessible lofty mountains like the Shuangfeng Mountains in the west of Huaizhou, but a natural barrier composed of countless low mountains and gentle slopes that stretches for hundreds of miles from north to south.

The roads in Yunling are narrow and complicated. Travelers can pass through without problems, but they cannot allow large armies to advance straight through.

In late autumn, the vegetation here is still lush and green.

A cavalry group appeared at the east foot of Yunling Mountains, led by Ye Jitang, the brave general under Lu Chen.

The soldiers rested on the spot. A school captain came to Ye Jitang and asked in a low voice: "Captain, our Lord Marquis has really gone to the mountain? Do we want to go up to protect him?"

Ye Jitang gnawed on the dry food and said calmly: "The Marquis has soldiers around him. Moreover, he has to meet a very important guest today. It is not convenient to bring too many people with him. Let's just wait here with peace of mind."

The captain nodded in agreement.

The guest Ye Jitang mentioned was Luo Jiujiu, the eldest daughter of the Yalong tribe in Shazhou.

Wearing a red dress, she climbed to the top of a mountain more than a hundred feet high. Looking at the figure standing on a flat and smooth boulder admiring the scenery, she couldn't help but quietly slow down her steps.

Among the trees, Qin Zilong watched this scene, turned to the other soldiers and said, "Okay, spread out a little more and just stare outside."

Luo Jiujiu, who was still dressed in red, was getting closer and closer to the figure. Just when she was about to shout, a gentle voice came into her ears.

"Miss Luo, I traveled more than two thousand miles across mountains and rivers to get here. Do you plan to scare me to death first?"

Lu Chen turned around and looked at her with a smile.

Luo Jiujiu seemed a little depressed, but there was a bright look in his eyes, and he said with a graceful greeting: "Luo Jiujiu meets Mr. Lu."

Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh and said: "It's quite similar to what I learned."

Luo Jiujiu also laughed, raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "That's right, this girl is very smart."

The mountain breeze is refreshing, and the woman's features are picturesque and natural, as if they are integrated with the vast and sparse world on the border, making her particularly free and unrestrained.

Such a demeanor was completely different from her behavior in Yongjia City.

Lu Chen nodded and said: "I can see that Miss Luo is very talented and intelligent, which is beyond the comparison of ordinary people of our generation."

"I haven't seen you for a few months, and you've actually changed."

Luo Jiujiu lightly jumped onto the boulder and said with a smile: "When you were in the capital of Qi State, although you were young, you were no different from the old officials in the Qi State court. You were like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. Young people are generally deep-tempered. When I saw you today, I realized that you can also joke."

Lu Chen asked with great interest: "So in your opinion, which form is better?"

Luo Jiujiu said: "Of course it is now! By the way, you must have just arrived in Chengzhou, right? Why are you so anxious to meet me? Do you miss me?"

When Lu Chen heard this, he couldn't help but secretly sigh that the environment has such a great impact on people. Today's Luo Jiujiu and the red dress complement each other perfectly.

He did not take advantage of the situation and said gently, "Miss Luo should know the most important task of my trip."

Of course Luo Jiujiu knew, she was very aware of Lu Chen's identity and status. The Emperor of Qi specifically asked him to come to Chengzhou, obviously hoping that he could repair the relationship between Da Qi and the Seven Divisions of Shazhou.

Thinking of this, Luo Jiujiu, who had just been cheerful and bright, frowned slightly, looked at the magnificent world in front of him, and sighed softly.

(End of this chapter)