Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 66 Old Friend
Thousands of birds and all-rounders.

In the first month of the year, the land of Jingchu is still covered with endless ice and snow.

Except for the big rivers such as the Yangtze River and the Han River, the smaller rivers are almost completely frozen.

The war that swept across the north of the Yangtze River made the people lose interest in the New Year. They locked themselves in their homes and roasted firewood, as if they could find some sense of security in the heat.

For them, there was not much difference between the grass army and the official army. Wherever they went, they often caught chickens and sheep and raped young girls.

Even the Cao army had a slightly better reputation, after all, it had a positive record of punishing corrupt officials and opening granaries to distribute grain to the poor.

But after the tragedy in Jiangling spread, people heard that hundreds of thousands of people had been killed and turned into bones all over the city. They were so scared that they trembled in their houses, fearing that the group of ruthless bandits would come to their doorstep at any time.

The death toll was of course greatly exaggerated; the actual number of deaths was no greater than that of a slightly larger famine or plague. However, the scale of this kind of large-scale massacre was always the easiest to exaggerate through word of mouth.

Moreover, this is indeed the greatest atrocity committed by the Cao army in the three years since it rose up.

Therefore, it is becoming increasingly difficult to see human figures in the wilderness.

However, in this boundless snow-white wilderness, there is a solitary figure, wearing a straw raincoat and a conical hat, fishing on the frozen river.

Of course, this man is not a fool. He just uses a blunt object to make a hole in the ice and easily catches the fish that are longing to breathe fresh air.

The wooden barrel next to the fisherman was already full of fish.

A cold voice suddenly sounded from behind the fisherman: "Fishing alone in the cold river snow. Junior sister, you are not old, why do you feel as lonely as an old man?"

The speaker was wearing a blue military uniform and had a stern face.

He casually brushed off the snow on a large rock by the river, then sat down on the rock without fear of the cold, supporting his chin with his rough hands crossed.

"Hey, Li Guochang, why don't you stay in your Zhenwu Army? What brings you here?" The fisherman said leisurely, "Old man Song Wei refused to lend me the Pinglu cavalry. You're thousands of miles away. Do you think you can bring the Shatuo cavalry with you?"

She casually took off her hat, turned around, and her pair of almond-shaped eyes were clear and shining.

Even when she was wearing a fisherman's straw raincoat, she was breathtakingly beautiful, with both extreme grace and dignity, and alluring beauty that could topple a country.

Without her, this scene of the snow-covered river would be a clear and spacious ink painting. But with her as the centerpiece, it becomes a meticulously painted portrait of a beautiful lady, the bleak background serving only to highlight her gorgeous beauty.

However, this impeccably refined face lacks the heroic spirit that a famous general should have.

Li Guochang certainly knew that this was simply because this junior sister was not on the battlefield now.

"What a pity." Li Guochang sighed.

"What a pity?" Zhen Ranyu turned the bed under him and faced Li Guochang with deep eyes.

There was no trace of time on her face, she looked like a young girl in her twenties. But she exuded a refined and elegant aura that a young woman under thirty could not possess.

"I remember when you were a teenager, you weren't as pretty as the maids in my family. By your twenties, you were already the most beautiful woman in the world. Now, another twenty years have passed, and I'm afraid there's no woman more beautiful than you in the entire Tang Dynasty."

Zhen Ranyu just rolled his eyes and did not make any additional response to Li Guochang's words.

"But you have never married, let alone a daughter. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to worry about my family's marriage."

After saying this, Zhen Ranyu's tall eyebrows finally trembled: "You came all the way here just to say something like this to tease me?"

"As for your son Li Keyong, my only impression of him is that he's a crying kid all day long."

Li Guochang nodded. "But after I beat him a few times, he finally stopped stealing the maids' women's clothes and stopped putting makeup on his face."

Zhen Ranyu looked at the serious expression on Li Guochang's icy face and felt that he was really relieved about this matter.

It is difficult for people to see Feng Shuai’s emotions on his face, but it does not mean that Feng Shuai is a heartless person.

Just as she was about to answer Li Guochang, she suddenly heard a muffled voice again.

"Aunt, this middle-aged woman looks so hot!"

The person who spoke was a thin, sallow-faced boy with a pair of dead eyes and dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a teenager who deserved a beating.

"She is your great uncle, so be polite to her."

Li Guochang punched the kid on the head, making a sound of breaking wind, but the kid seemed to be fine and just let out a loud scream.

"Your son hasn't even gotten married yet, but your grandson is already this big? Oh, I just remembered that you are a Hu person." Zhen Ranyu showed a slightly teasing look.

Of course, the custom of adopting sons and grandsons had actually spread from the Hu people to the Han soldiers in the three towns of Heshuo.

"And they all got the surname of the emperor by following me." Li Guochang was not annoyed at all: "This one is called Li Cunxiao, and there is another one called Li Siyuan, who is younger and shy, so I didn't bring him here."

"So you just want to take your grandson out to see the world?" Zhen Ranyu asked.

"I suggest you take my grandson with you to deal with Wang Xianzhi. Otherwise, Wang Xianzhi will surely die, but many people on your side will also die."

The boy named Li Cunxiao also clashed his fists fiercely: "Fighting Wang Xianzhi? That sounds very interesting!"

Zhen Ranyu laughed dumbly: "You said your grandson can deal with Wang Xianzhi?"

"I'm not grown up yet, so I may not be able to beat him. But I can't beat him anymore." Li Guochang seemed quite frank.

Zhen Ranyu almost thought Li Guochang was making up a joke for a moment, but then she remembered that Li Guochang never had such a habit. Among his fellow disciples, Li Guochang was more serious than the others.

And there is no need for Li Guochang to belittle himself.

But it is hard to accept that a kid of twelve or thirteen years old can be stronger than the mighty Feng Shuai.

The four generals knew each other well and had fought each other many times. If Li Cunxiao's martial arts were obviously stronger than Li Guochang's, it also meant that he was stronger than Zhen Ranyu.

"If you don't believe me, forget it." Li Guochang showed a bored look, stood up, and patted the snow powder on his body. "Wang Xianzhi is a big fish, but even an anxious fish will bite."

Zhen Ranyu smiled and said, "I don't doubt it. But the more the fish struggles, the deeper the hook will penetrate. Even if the fish has a mouth full of sharp teeth, how can it bite a human?"

"It's so boring." Li Cunxiao yawned lazily: "Aunt, take me to the military camp to have a look."

"Just watch." Zhen Ranyu's eyes flickered, and suddenly he sighed softly, "Brother, I appreciate your kindness, but bringing a twelve or thirteen-year-old child to the battlefield will eventually make people laugh."

Li Guochang also showed a hint of emotion.

Even though the Four Generals of the Tang Dynasty were competing with each other, they grew up together and their relationship couldn't be that bad.

Li Guochang knew that even if he was just here to reminisce about the past, his junior sister would actually welcome him very much, but she just didn't want to say it out loud.

After all, they are all students of "that person" and share those invaluable memories.

"When I arrived, I heard that Huang Chao had already led his troops through Yique and entered the Sanchuan area." Li Guochang asked, "Do you think he was just bluffing and deliberately trying to kill Wang Xianzhi?"

"Li Guochang, you and I are competing with each other. Would I want you to die?" Zhen Ranyu showed a playful smile.

"So Huang Chao really felt that a large army could not arrive in time to rescue us and would easily be intercepted by the government troops. That's why he used this tactic of besieging Wei to save Zhao, trying to force you to return to rescue us."

"Luoyang, the Eastern Capital, is your defense zone. There are tombs of nobles on Mount Mang, and the royal cemetery outside the city. Even if Luoyang is safe, if bandits rampage outside the city, it would be a serious matter."

Zhen Ranyu expressed his approval of Li Guochang's words: "So if I kill Wang Xianzhi this time, everything will be over. Otherwise, considering the responsibility for the fall of Jiangling, I might have no choice but to take poison and commit suicide."

She still looked calm and composed, and obviously had no intention of returning to rescue Luoyang.

Because she didn't think Wang Xianzhi had any reason to be immortal.

If the entire army is put to death, the troops with insufficient psychological quality may collapse because they cannot adapt.

So she just silently pushed herself to death, just like many of her previous victories.

Li Guochang was not surprised by her actions. "Then how will you deal with Zhu Wen? Huang Chao will definitely send him with a light cavalry to rush a thousand miles to rescue Wang Xianzhi's troops."

"Zhu Wen is a truly brilliant young man." Zhen Ranyu's evaluation of this young man was quite high. "However, Wang Jian, the Loyal and Martial King, is more than qualified."

"It seems I have nothing more to say." Li Guochang said, "I brought some Yu Lu Tuan made with Saibei's fresh milk, and I'd like you to try them."

Yulutuan, also known as Diaosu, is a famous dairy dessert from the Tang Dynasty. The dough is carved with oil and is as white as jade.

Zhen Ranyu's eyes rarely showed a hint of joy.

It is almost human nature to love sweets, especially for women.

Even the world-renowned Marshal Yan is no exception.

If it is brought by my senior brother who grew up with me, the taste is even better than the royal pastries carefully made by the imperial chef.

The two old friends reunited and talked about their past. Although they were both over forty and not talkative, it was inevitable that they would talk a little bit, but their feelings were by no means fake.

However, at this time, the little brat Li Cunxiao was rushing around in the military camp quite rudely, bumping into several people in succession.

He stared at Chen Liqing's graceful back and her heavy buttocks swaying like a ripe peach from behind, and whispered to himself.

"This woman became a public carriage driver when she was twelve. She has a nice figure, but why doesn't she have that alluring scent?"

Of course, Chen Liqing didn't hear this, otherwise she would have exploded on the spot and been furious.

But Liu Xun, who was walking by, heard Li Cunxiao's evaluation of him clearly.

"This pretty boy looks like a coward. If he gets married in the future, he will definitely be a henpecked turtle."

"What are you saying, little bastard? I'm going to beat you to death!" No matter how well-mannered Liu Xun was, he couldn't stand it any longer and rolled up his sleeves on the spot.

Li Cunxiao was stunned for a moment, gnashing his teeth, and then sighed: "You look like a civil servant. If I accidentally beat you to death, my grandfather will blame me."

After saying that, he turned around and walked away with a swagger.

Considering that the other party was only a kid of twelve or thirteen years old, Liu Xun did not chase him after all, nor did he tell him that he was actually quite skilled.

It's a good thing he didn't do that.

"With such a foul mouth, he will definitely be torn into pieces by five horses in the future." Liu Xun was just thinking about it in his mind, and his upbringing as a scholar prevented him from saying this out loud.

Otherwise, his military career would have ended prematurely.

(End of this chapter)