Jiuxi

Chapter 449 Chapter 447 [Is Marquis Lu married?]

To the west of Yunling is Shazhou.

This long and narrow area from north to south is home to hundreds of thousands of Shazhou people. The terrain is quite complex, with mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, and valleys staggered around it. It is difficult for outsiders to tell the direction of the road.

Not to mention that the Shazhou people have unique customs and habits, as well as very close and fixed ethnic ties. It is undoubtedly a fantasy for outsiders to lurk here.

Lu Chen took dozens of expert guards carefully selected by Qin Zilong and passed through the northern part of Yunling. He met the long-awaited Luo Jiujiu at the west foot, and then headed towards the interior of Shazhou.

Luo Jiujiu was still alone. What was different from the previous two encounters was that in addition to the long sword hanging by her waist, she also had a long whip in her hand.

She turned back to observe Lu Shen's guards and asked curiously: "What are those people talking about?"

Lu Chen said: "It's very rude to come to the door empty-handed. This is a gift for your family."

Luo Jiujiu said "Oh", but she didn't care too much. After all, the Yalong tribe was a large tribe with more than 100,000 people, so she wasn't so short-sighted.

Her eyes were wandering and she said quietly: "Where is that senior with unfathomable martial arts skills?"

In the open space behind an old locust tree, Lu Chen finally met the leader of the Yalong tribe in Shazhou.

Luo Jiujiu patted her chest and agreed with a smile.

The journey from Yunling to the outermost area controlled by the Yalong tribe was nearly thirty miles. Everyone set out in the morning and it was almost noon when they arrived at the first village.

Lu Chen secretly estimated that the size of Heishui Village was close to that of Daqi's upper-class county town.

The tribesmen looked at Lu Chen and his party with some curiosity and vigilance, but because Luo Jiujiu was present, no one stepped forward to make any hostile or provocative move.

Lu Chen briefly told the assassination case on Qingfeng Street, and then said: "Leng Jian Yin Qianjue is the strongest swordsman in the world. He was entrusted by others to kill me. If he misses the blow, he will stay away immediately. Ordinarily, this matter should be done by So far, after all, I have no enmity with him, but there is no guarantee that such a master will have any quirks. In order to avoid something like this happening again, Senior Yuchi left me early and talked to the best swordsman in the world. "

Apart from Lu Chen, the person who impressed Luo Jiujiu the most in the Qi capital was Yuchi Gui.

Lu Chen replied frankly: "Senior Yuchi is not here."

Although it was named after a village, what appeared in front of Lu Chen and his soldiers was a wooden city with a defensive system. It was by no means the kind of small village that could be seen at a glance.

Fortunately, the scenery in this area of ​​​​Shazhou is beautiful and unique, with beautiful mountains and clear waters. It is by no means the harsh mountains and rivers imagined by outsiders, and the journey is not boring.

"Okay, this girl allows you to have a soft meal for once."

"Not here?"

That night when she bumped into the ordinary-looking Yu Chigui in Moyuan, she felt, for the first time in her life, an irresistible feeling. It was an absolute disparity in strength that no amount of skill or courage could smooth out.

Since childhood, Luo Jiujiu's martial arts talent has been praised by others, which is why she dared to go to the capital of Qi to assassinate Hou Yu.

Luo Jiujiu nodded and said, "That's it."

When she thought about it, Lu Chen accepted the invitation from the leaders of Shazhou this time not only because of his trust in her, but also because a master like Yu Chigui would definitely accompany him. However, at this moment, she looked at the dozens of guards one by one. Unexpectedly, Yu Chigui's figure was not found, so naturally he could not hide his curiosity.

Lu Chen said with a smile: "That's why I told you that day, whether it is safe for me to come to Shazhou this time depends on Miss Luo's protection."

Luo Jiujiu asked everyone to take a rest at the outermost Beishan Village. After using up dry food and water, they continued on their way. They walked for about twenty miles and passed three villages before finally arriving at Heishui Village, which had a population of nearly 20,000 people.

As we go deeper into Shazhou, the population becomes more and more dense, and Heishui Village becomes even more lively.

All the way into the village, Luo Jiujiu became more and more relaxed, greeting the tribesmen on the roadside cordially from time to time.

Luo Jiujiu was slightly surprised.

Luo Yaozong looked to be in his early forties, and his first impression was that he was thick on the outside and thin on the inside. On the surface, he looked like a strong warrior, but in fact, he had a calm demeanor that should not be underestimated.

As for the fourteen-year-old boy standing next to him, his facial features are somewhat similar to Luo Jiujiu. He should be her brother Luo Hengshan.

Luo Jiujiu stepped forward and introduced: "Abba, this is Lu Chen, the Marquis of Shanyang of Qi State. Marquis Lu, these are my Abba and younger brother."

Just when Lu Chen took a step forward, Luo Yaozong spoke first: "I, Luo Yaozong, have met the Marquis Yang of Shanyang in Daqi."

This posture was a little low, and completely different from what Lu Chen expected.

But after all, he was a person who had seen the world, and he responded calmly: "Junior Lu Chen, I have met the leader of Luo Da." The young man Luo Hengshan looked at Lu Chen curiously. This Qi man looked pretty good and was very tall. He was tall, handsome, and had a temperament that he couldn't describe and was slightly envious of.

Luo Jiujiu secretly savored the names his father and Lu Chen called each other, and looked at Lu Chen with bright eyes.

Luo Yaozong smiled slightly and said calmly: "Marquis Lu has come from afar. Luo is not welcome from afar, so please forgive me for the rudeness of the villagers in the mountains."

To be honest, the scene in Lu Chen's imagination was definitely not so harmonious, let alone so elegant.

Although he knew that the Seven Divisions of Shazhou had had close contacts with Daqi in the past hundred years, it could be seen from Luo Jiujiu that they were deeply influenced by Daqi and were no different from the Qi people in many aspects, but at the moment Being on the border of Shazhou, a person who looked like a toast on the opposite side spoke in a clear voice, which still made him feel a little strange after all.

While thinking, Lu Chen said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone: "The big boss is serious in his words. I just hope that I will not regard this junior as a bad guest. This time I came in a hurry, and I only prepared some meager gifts, please accept the big boss."

"Marquis Lu was very kind, but Luo was disrespectful."

Luo Yaozong agreed and said to Luo Jiujiu: "Jiujiu, you first take Lu Hou's subordinates to settle down properly, and talk to Lu Hou for your father's sake."

Luo Jiujiu agreed sensibly and slipped Luo Hengshanti away.

Lu Chen followed Luo Yaozong to the main hall of the big house in front. After inviting tea, he said calmly: "When I met Miss Luo in the capital, I heard her talk about the customs and customs of Shazhou. I couldn't help but yearn for it. It just so happened that I His Majesty wanted to send envoys to Shazhou to make good friends, so I took the initiative to take over the task. Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I know that what Miss Luo said is true, and Shazhou is indeed a place of outstanding people."

Luo Yaozong knew very well the intention of his words.

Luo Jiujiu fell into the hands of Lu Chen in the capital of Qi State. He did not treat her harshly, but instead helped her take revenge on Hou Yu. Although this involves Qi's own power struggle, as Luo Jiujiu's father, he must accept this favor.

Thinking of this, Luo Yaozong said calmly: "My little girl is reckless. Thanks to Marquis Lu for helping me, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. Luo is very grateful for Marquis Lu's kindness. Some time ago, I learned from my little girl that Marquis Lu has arrived in Chengzhou. Luo So he asked her to invite Marquis Lu to Shazhou to express her gratitude. "

These words were a clear explanation to Lu Chen.

Because of Lu Chen's previous help to Luo Jiujiu, Luo Yaozong would lower his profile today and treat Lu Chen with super high standards, but this was only limited to the personal relationship between the two.

Just because Lu Chen could enjoy VIP treatment in the Yalong tribe, it did not mean that Luo Yaozong would cooperate with him in promoting good relations between Shazhou and Qi.

Lu Chen quickly came back to his senses and looked at Luo Yaozong with a bit more admiration and curiosity. If the man's words outside just now were suspected of being arty and pretentious, now even the hint of such words They are all so proficient that it is hard to imagine whether he is from Shazhou or Qi.

As if he guessed Lu Chen's doubts, Luo Yaozong took a sip from his tea bowl and said with a look of recalling the past: "Marquis Lu's visit to Shazhou this time reminds me of thirty years ago when I was still a young man. When I was a kid, I lived in Heluo City for a few years. In fact, it was not just me, but some people in the Seven Divisions had this experience. At that time, Qi State and Shazhou were as close as one, and Shazhou would be elected every year. Some children aged 11 or 12 go to Heluo City to study and then return to Shazhou when they are 17 or 18 years old.”

He looked into Lu Shen's eyes and said with emotion: "It's just that I didn't expect that I would be the last batch of Shazhou people to go to Heluo City."

Lu Chen suddenly understood. No wonder Luo Yaozong gave him the feeling of being a real Qi man. It turned out that he had spent his entire boyhood in Heluo.

The doubts in my heart were finally solved, and what followed was a very real problem.

Why was Luo Yaozong the last batch of Shazhou people to go to Heluo?
The answer is self-evident.

Nineteen years ago, eight thousand native soldiers were betrayed by the late Emperor of the Qi Dynasty and were buried in Yanziling in the northern suburbs of Heluo. This caused the relationship between the two parties to turn from closeness to enemies.

Lu Chen said calmly: "Big Chief, I am here this time hoping to repair the relationship between Shazhou and Daqi."

Luo Yaozong put down his tea bowl, nodded and said: "Marquis Lu personally came to Shazhou to show his sincerity, but this matter is far more difficult than you and I imagined. I believe that my daughter has told you about the internal situation in Shazhou. I will tell you the truth, even if Even if Luo wants to promote this matter, the leaders of the other six departments will not agree. The matter of Shazhou is never decided by one person alone. Even if only one leader objects, it will be difficult to move forward. "

Lu Chen had been mentally prepared for this and said calmly: "What the big leader said is true, but I think it depends on people. You have to work hard to know the result."

"He is worthy of being the leader of the Qi frontier army who is famous all over the country."

Luo Yaozong praised him, then suddenly changed the topic and said: "Marquis Lu is young and well-known to the world. I seem to have heard that you are not married yet?"

This topic jumped too much. Lu Chen thought for a moment and said truthfully: "It is true that we are not married, but before this junior leaves the capital, I specially issued a marriage decree to His Majesty, and the ceremony will be completed after a while."

"In other words, Marquis Lu is still alone right now?"

Luo Yaozong deliberately ignored the word imperial edict he said, and then said: "If you want to achieve the purpose of Marquis Lu's trip in a short time, Luo has a way, but I don't know if Marquis Lu has the courage."

Lu Chen was slightly startled.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became weird.

(End of this chapter)