Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 204: Repeated Face
"Ha ha ha ha……"

In the main hall, Tuoba Huaiguang laughed when he heard this: "Is Liu Jilong crazy? Why should I give up Shanzhou?"

"Let's not talk about anything else. How much grain can Shanzhou's more than 100,000 mu of arable land produce? And how much money and grain does this sturdy Shanzhou city need?"

"Is Liu Jilong crazy? He sent you here to talk nonsense?!"

Tuoba Huaiguang laughed at Liu Jilian and Cui Shu, but Cui Shu had a calm expression and looked at Tuoba Huaiguang with indifferent eyes.

Gradually, Tuoba Huaiguang could no longer laugh because he realized that Cui Shu was serious.

Seeing that Tuoba Huaiguang stopped laughing, Cui Shu said slowly:
"My commander said that he must recover the two states of Shankuo."

"If you and Shang Jiedushi are willing to give up Shankuo and the other two states, he can allow you to migrate with your tribes and herds."

"At that time, you will be supported and become the leader of hundreds of thousands of Tuyuhun tribes, and Shang Jiedushi will get the lands of Duomai and Weixi."

"If you two are unwilling, my commander will not be anxious, because my tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Longyou are more willing to take it personally!"

His voice was slow, yet threatening.

Several foreign generals were speechless, but Tuoba Huaiguang looked vicious: "I defeated Lun Kongre who led more than 100,000 people to attack Shancheng. What are you worth?"

Facing his threats, Cui Shu remained calm, as if he was looking at a child baring his teeth and claws.

"Shang Yanxin also thought the same as you, but his head has been hanging in Linzhou for several years."

Cui Shu suppressed Tuoba Huaiguang's arrogance with just one sentence. Tuoba Huaiguang's face looked a little unnatural, but he still spoke harshly.

"Tell Liu Jilong that if he wants Shanzhou, he should come and get it in person. I'll be waiting for him here!"

"Goodbye..." Cui Shu turned around and was about to leave, but was continued to be stopped by the foreign soldiers.

The foreign soldier looked at Tuoba Huaiguang, who said coldly: "Let him go!"

Upon hearing this, the foreign soldiers let Cui Shu pass, and he left without any intention of stopping for a moment.

After he left, several foreign generals spoke up: "Liu Jilong is fierce and has conquered the eleven states of Longyou in just three years. Can we stop him?"

Liu Jilong's deeds were widely spread throughout the Fan land. He conquered eleven states in three years, which was a level that even Lun Kongre could not achieve at the peak of his power.

Because of this, the Tibetan tribes along the border were very wary of Liu Jilian, and some Buddhist tribes even called him the Ming King or the reincarnation of the Elephant King.

Now that Tuoba Huaiguang was going to lead them to go to war with Liu Jilong, they naturally felt a little scared.

In response, Tuoba Huaiguang glanced at everyone fiercely: "What are you afraid of?"

"I can stop Lun Kongre, but I can't stop Liu Jilong?"

"What Ming Wang, Xiang Wang, and Gou Jiao Wang are nothing but Han slaves who bleed and die if their heads are chopped off!"

"Pass on my military order, mobilize all the slaves in Shancheng and Huangshui, and store enough catapults and firewood for Huangshui."

"I want to see how Liu Jilong, this dog slave, can get into Shanzhou!"

Tuoba Huaiguang made harsh remarks, but the general next to him tried to test him: "But Shangqi Liben has a close relationship with Liu Jilong. Will he defect to Liu Jilong?"

"Then he is a traitor to Tubo!" Tuoba Huaiguang said bluntly:

"After I defeat Liu Jilong, I will deal with this traitor first!"

Faced with his outrageous words, the foreign generals looked at each other, not daring to refute him openly. They could only worry about their future in their hearts.

While they were worried, Cui Shu, after leaving the Jiedu Yamen, hurriedly led the elite cavalry from Longyou out of the city and retreated towards Longzhi.

Three days later, Cui Shu withdrew to Longzhi and took Shang Moyan to Didao City in Linzhou.

However, at the same time he returned to Didao, Cao Mao, who was going to pick up the bride on behalf of Liu Jilong, also led his men into the territory of Didao County.

Cao Mao sent light cavalry to inform Liu Jilian first, while Gao Jinda had already ordered people to decorate the city with lights and colors and prepare for the procedures on the wedding day.

Twenty miles away from Didao County, Cao Mao and Chen Ying led their troops to set up camp. Among them, guarding Lady Xiaoqi were more than a hundred elite cavalry led by Feng Bangyan and Yang Zhiwen and dozens of slaves who came with her as a dowry.

In addition, more than 3,600 hungry people were used as laborers, carrying Miss Xiaoqi's dowry and resting outside the camp.

"Please help me with my hard work for another two days. After the wedding is over, we can return to Xingyuan Prefecture."

In front of a green tent somewhere, Yang Zhiwen and Feng Bangyan bowed and appeased more than a hundred elite cavalrymen who had taken off their armor, and the elite cavalrymen also hurriedly returned the greeting.

After a while, as Yang Zhiwen asked everyone to disperse, they went out to rest.

Yang Zhiwen glanced at the green tent and listened to the faint sobbing sound. He couldn't help but frowned, then quickly relaxed and looked at Feng Bangyan.

"Meicheng, Miss Xiaoqi will have to take care of me."

"Don't worry, Brother Dezhi." Feng Bangyan bowed in return, then turned and walked towards the green tent.

Outside the tent, a strong woman holding a dagger was guarding. When she saw Feng Bangyan coming, she hurriedly opened the tent curtain for him.

The curtain was opened, Feng Bangyan walked in, and saw three strong women surrounding Madam Xiaoqi, holding dark blue and blue Yiyi and Xidi in their hands.

"My dear, Miss Qi doesn't want to wear green clothes..."

When the three strong women saw Feng Bangyan coming, they immediately complained, and the Seventh Lady also sobbed:

"Brother has always loved women, but now he is marrying her to a warrior from a remote area. Could it be that the love they had in the past was all fake?"

"You guys retreat first." Feng Bangyan frowned and looked at the three strong women. Upon hearing what he said, the three strong women hurriedly walked out of the green tent in green clothes.

After they left, Feng Bangyan picked up the chair and sat next to Madam Xiaoqi.

"I have told you many times along the way that Liu Jilong is not an ordinary man. He has a handsome appearance and looks like a god. But you, Miss Qi, don't believe in me."

Feng Bangyan was also helpless. He had put a lot of effort into arranging for Liu Jilong to marry his sister.

Now that the marriage has been arranged, my sister has become ungrateful.

"Brother, don't lie to me. I've seen military officers from Shannan before, haven't I?"

"How can those military officers, who are sweaty, dark and strong, be called handsome?"

Feng Bangyan stood up after hearing this, and angrily said, "How can they compare with Liu Jilong?!"

"Liu Jilong is only 22 years old, 8 feet tall, with a strong back and slim waist, and a majestic appearance."

"If it weren't for Brother Dezhi's good fortune to meet him, I wouldn't have had the chance to facilitate your engagement."

Madam Xiaoqi said nothing, but just lowered her head and sobbed. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her eyes were as charming as waves. I felt pity for her.

Feng Bangyan felt so distressed that he could only say, "Well, don't cry for the next two days. Liu Jilong will pick you up in the south of the city tomorrow. I will allow you to open the window and look at him then."

"If you don't believe me, send the two servants with you to see him."

"Of course I love you, but Liu Jilong is a god-like man. Whether you two can get married and how long it will last depends on how much he likes you."

"Brother, why are you humiliating me?" Lady Seven looked at him angrily.

Feng Bangyan was speechless and could only say, "You will know when you meet him tomorrow whether what I said was mean."

After he finished speaking, he turned away, and did not allow the strong women to dress Xiaoqi in green.

Soon, her two personal maids were sent into the tent to comfort her.

She lay on the couch and cried silently all night, which made the two maids feel very distressed.

The next morning, the three armies began to move towards Didao, and Miss Xiaoqi was escorted onto the carriage by strong women.

The team of more than 4,000 people advanced towards Didao at a very slow pace.

The 3,600 starving people selected from Shannan West Road were basically young and middle-aged people.

They didn't know their fate, they only knew that they could get two kilograms of corn for every day's work.

Seeing Didao getting closer, many of them were worried about their future lives.

In response, Cao Mao slowed down his horse and rode side by side with Yang Zhiwen and Feng Bangyan.

"General Yang and Magistrate Feng are about to arrive in Didao. These 3,600 civilians..."

"It will naturally be up to you, Lord Cao, to arrange."

Yang Zhiwen knew what Cao Mao was thinking, but he agreed without hesitation. After all, these young men were Miss Xiaoqi's dowry.

In response, Cao Mao smiled and nodded: "If that's the case, then I will send someone to pacify them."

After saying this, he shook the reins and came to Chen Ying's side.

"Send some brothers to the rear army to spread the word to those young men, and tell them that the government has learned of their hardship and has decided to settle them in Daxia County, Linzhou."

"During the pacification period, the government provided grain and cattle, and in the first three years, wasteland was reclaimed, and all the produce from the reclaimed land was deposited into the county warehouse."

"All reclaimed wasteland, after three years, shall belong to the person who reclaimed it, and shall be taxed at the rate of one fifth of the annual tax rate, and miscellaneous taxes shall be strictly prohibited."

"In addition, the oxen issued can be sent to the county government for breeding. After seven years, three calves can be returned to the county government, and the rest will be returned to the settlers."

Cao Mao explained to Chen Ying, and Chen Ying listened to everything. In the end, he decided to lead people to publicize the policy of appeasement himself.

It was noon, and after four hours, the team finally reached the outskirts of Didao City and saw endless farmland.

Between the cultivated land and the wasteland, there are people working.

The civilians in Shannan West Road were looking at them with envy at this moment.

They had been in Longnan for nearly a month, so they naturally knew the Longyou Protectorate's policy of reclamation and land reclamation for the people of Longyou. If the officials of the prefectures and counties in Shannan West Road were as honest and pragmatic as those in Longyou Road, they would not have become starving people.

Thinking of this, their eyes dimmed and the team in front gradually stopped.

At this time, Liu Jilian was bringing many officials from Longyou Road to welcome the bride outside the south gate of Didao.

Thousands of armored soldiers were lined up on both sides of the official road, and at the city gate were Liu Jilian, who was wearing green clothes and an official hat, as well as officials from various states such as Gao Jinda, Chen Jingchong, and Geng Ming.

Except for Li Ji, Shang Duoluo, Cuoben, Huke Guang, Zhang Chang, Ma Cheng, Zheng Chu and Cui Shu who were not in Linzhou, almost all the other provincial governors came.

"Cao Mao and the others are here, let's go!"

Liu Jilong shook the reins of his horse and led everyone towards Cao Mao and his men.

At the same time, Chen Ying also brought his elite cavalry to the rear army.

They ordered the laborers to put down the dowry, and then told them the arrangements made by Longyou Dao for them.

Upon hearing the news, they cheered excitedly, and the cheers also spread to the front.

"Liu Jieshuai..."

"Come on!"

Yang Zhiwen, Feng Bangyan and Cao Mao saw Liu Jilong. The three of them dismounted and bowed, and Liu Jilong nodded and said:

"You two don't need to be so polite. Brother Meicheng is now my eldest brother, so don't be so reserved."

"Yes……"

Feng Bangyan also knew that Liu Jilong's words were just politeness, so he did not use the pole to climb up, but returned the greeting respectfully.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong looked towards the carriage not far away that was surrounded by many strong women.

"That's the Seventh Lady's carriage, right?"

"Exactly."

Yang Zhiwen responded to Liu Jilong, and Feng Bangyan also thought of what happened last night, so he said enthusiastically:
"Please ask the commander to bring the carriage into the city."

"Okay!" Liu Jilong did not hesitate. After all, he had a lot of things to do.

In a breath, he shook the reins and approached the carriage, while the strong women and servants who came with the dowry all stared at Liu Jilong.

Inside the carriage, two maids excitedly closed the windows, and Lady Qi asked with red eyes, "How is it?"

"My dear son, he is so handsome! Lady Qi, please come and have a look!"

"Yes, Miss Qi, please look!"

The two maids chattered excitedly.

Qi Niangzi nervously opened a corner of the window and just in time saw Liu Jilong coming towards her on a tall horse.

Qi Niangzi, who was originally listless, now stared at Liu Jilong intently until Liu Jilong turned his horse's head and went to a place where she could not see him. Only then did she close the window and look away.

When she turned around, her cheeks were already flushed, as if she had put on rouge.

"Well... he has a very good appearance, much better looking than those envoys for the imperial examinations in Chang'an."

As she admitted, the carriage began to move, approaching the city.

Seeing the carriage moving, Lady Qi hurriedly ordered, "Change my clothes into a dark robe and a tiara."

"Yes!"

The Seventh Lady, who couldn't be persuaded by the three strong women last night, now took the initiative to ask the maid to change her clothes.

Soon, she changed into a dark blue Yiyi and a blue Xidi, and her headdress became more exquisite.

Even so, she was still not satisfied, and said in a tearful tone: "My eyes are red and swollen and ugly, he will definitely not like them."

The two maids looked at each other, not knowing what to say to comfort Seventh Lady.

Seeing this, Lady Qi said to the two maids, "If Mr. Liu wants to see me, you can tell him that I am tired from the journey and that it would be better to get married tomorrow and then see him again."

"Yes..." The two maids nodded. This was all they could do.

Seeing this, Qi Niangzi carefully opened the window again, wanting to see what Liu Jilian was doing. However, Liu Jilian was walking right in front of the carriage and she couldn't see him clearly, so she could only look elsewhere.

After this sight, she felt that Didao was not as remote a place as she had imagined.

The streets here are wide and clean, and the houses and courtyards along the streets are mostly made of bricks and tiles. The people are wearing relatively new silk and linen clothes.

"Seventh Lady, Didao looks even richer than Nanzheng."

"There are just too few people. It looks lifeless."

"The people here are not afraid of the state soldiers? That's really strange."

"Of course I'm not afraid. Mr. Liu is so handsome, so he must be a kind-hearted person."

Inside the carriage, the three women were chattering about the situation of Liu Jilong and Di Dao.

But before they could have enough fun, the carriage stopped in front of the Linzhou government office.

Liu Jilong rode forward and said to Yang Zhiwen and Feng Bangyan:
"I have always lived in the inner courtyard of the Protectorate, and have never bought a house. How about placing Miss Qi in the inner courtyard of the state government office, and then taking her to the Protectorate from the inner courtyard of the state government office tomorrow?"

"Follow the commander's arrangements." Neither of them refused, and Liu Jilong also looked at the carriage that Qi Niangzi was riding in.

"In that case, please ask my brother and Yang Canjun to accompany Miss Qi. I will return to the Protectorate first."

"Tomorrow at noon, I will send Weizhou Governor Chen Jingchong and Chengzhou Governor Geng Ming under my command to pick up the bride."

Liu Jilong gave the two of them some instructions, then turned his horse around and left with the team.

"Why did Mr. Liu leave?"

"He's gone?" Hearing the maid say this, Seventh Lady hurriedly looked outside, and sure enough, she saw the backs of Liu Jilong and his men leaving.

Fortunately, before he could feel disappointed, he saw Feng Bangyan riding a horse towards him and knocking on the window with his hand.

Lady Qi quickly opened it and asked anxiously, "Brother, why did Mr. Liu leave?"

Seeing him like this, Feng Bangyan showed an expectant expression, with the corner of his mouth slightly raised.

The Seventh Lady finally reacted and her cheeks blushed.

"Liu Langjun will arrange for you to rest in the state government office for one night. Someone will come to pick you up at noon tomorrow and take you to the inner courtyard of the Protectorate."

"In addition..." Feng Bangyan wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he said:

"Get off the car and go to the bedroom in the inner courtyard of the state government first. I will go there to talk to you."

"Okay!" Qi Niangzi responded actively, then got off the car, covering her face with a round fan, and walked into the provincial government surrounded by strong women.

It was cleared out by Liu Jilong that all the soldiers in the provincial government office had been cleared out, and all the confidential places were locked, with only the doors to the inner courtyard left open.

Soon, Qi Niangzi moved into the inner hall of the inner courtyard, while Yang Zhiwen and his people lived in Yin Hotel in the provincial government.

After Feng Bangyan had settled everything, he went to the inner hall to look for Qi Niangzi. He then dismissed the maids and sat in the main seat to talk with Qi Niangzi.

"Have you ever seen what Mr. Liu looks like?"

Feng Bangyan was sitting on his horse with a golden sword, and Qi Niangzi's cheeks were slightly red. She nodded and said, "I saw it. He is very good-looking, even better looking than the imperial scholar in the capital."

Seeing Qi Niang like this, Feng Bangyan said, "You have never seen him before, so there are some things I have not told you."

"Liu Jilong has been in the army for nearly six years, but he has never found any women."

"When we came to propose marriage, his generals offered him three concubines."

Feng Bangyan paused, and Qi Niangzi took a deep breath and calmed down, "Heroes often have beauties. It's normal for a hero like Liu Langjun to have three concubines."

Seeing that Lady Qi was not angry, Feng Bangyan said, "If you can think so, then it is naturally very good."

"For a man like him, even if he doesn't want it, his generals will have to fawn on him, so concubines are indispensable."

"As my mother, you should not compete with the concubines for favor. You should be more generous and help him manage the inner courtyard."

Feng Bangyan was worried that Qi Niangzi would get jealous, so he couldn't help but educate her, and Qi Niangzi listened patiently.

"Liu Jilong is very loyal and righteous. After you marry him, as long as you keep his inner court peaceful, your position as the mother of the family will be unshakable by anyone."

"If you get jealous, you'll end up being at a disadvantage."

"Don't worry, brother..." Lady Qi nodded and said:
"Grandma and mother have taught girls before, so girls naturally know."

"But I see that Mr. Liu is very impressive, so I can't help but worry that he will look down on me."

Lady Qi was a little anxious, but Feng Bangyan smiled cheerfully and said, "Don't worry about that!"

"If the famous family knew that he had married, they would not instigate him to divorce."

"No ordinary family can compare to your birth as a daughter of a famous family. As long as you don't make mistakes, Liu Jilong will naturally love you."

"In short, you should listen to my brother's advice. After you marry him, you should take good care of the peace in the inner court and try to give birth to a child as soon as possible."

"Yes..." Lady Qi responded, with Liu Jilong's figure in her mind.

(End of this chapter)