After leaving Zhending Manor, the mountains gradually became rugged, and the land became more barren. Although the mountains were still covered in green, the trees were not dense, and there were more pine trees. Sometimes, from afar, the mountains looked like they were covered with a layer of lichens. For Lou Shuwan, who was used to seeing the green fields of Jiangnan, this kind of scenery made her feel somewhat desolate and barbaric. Of course, ever since she joined Tian Hu, she had never felt safe or at ease. The nervousness in her heart and the illusion that she could be betrayed at any time persisted and could never be resolved.
"How long is it to Jixian?"
"About half a day." When Lou Shuwan turned her head to ask, a burly man next to her rode his horse over and answered respectfully. This man's surname was Qiu, and his name was Gu Yan. He was an expert under Tian Hu's command. After Lou Shuwan displayed her financial management and management skills and gained Tian Hu's trust, she assigned Qiu Guyan to be her guard and assistant. In the past few months, Qiu Guyan had a calm and quiet personality. He did not disobey Lou Shuwan's orders, and the two of them got along well.
"Since it's not far, send someone to Jixian first and arrange accommodation and food. We don't know when the Third Prince and General Yu will arrive. We probably have to stay for a few days. "
"Yes." Lou Shuwan gave the order, and Qiu Guyan immediately sent someone. Looking back, there was a troop of more than a hundred people at the foot of the mountain. They were escorting a few carts of goods. These people were Tian Hu's elite soldiers. As the leader, Lou Shuwan was wearing a grayish-yellow cloak and riding on a horse. Although it was not easy for her to stand in Tian Hu's army as a woman, she was now in charge of a part of the wealth and power. If she wanted to sit in a big carriage more comfortably, no one would say anything. However, since her position in Tian Hu's army was gradually stabilized, she had gradually given up the habit of sitting in a carriage. Once she went out, she would always ride a horse no matter how far she went. At the same time, she carried a dagger on her waist every night.
She did not know martial arts. Even though she had trained her strength, she could not compare to an ordinary man. She did not bring the dagger to hurt people, but to commit suicide when necessary. Whether she dared to do it or not was another matter, but it was indeed her original intention to bring the dagger. Occasionally, when she made a decision, she would touch the dagger sheath, and she would feel that she had gained some strength out of nowhere.
Of course, that was just an illusion. What really protected her from being bullied in Tian Hu's army was the influence of Prince Jin, Tian Hu himself.
When they first fell into the sphere of influence of Tian Hu's army, she and Lou Shuheng, who had been on the run all the way, were already at the end of their rope. As a man, Lou Shuheng's body had already collapsed, but she gritted her teeth and seized an opportunity to appear in front of Tian Hu. She volunteered to give him some advice. Tian Hu was originally a hunter, and later on, he fell into the wilderness and occupied a rather large territory. He had the ability, but his knowledge was still limited. After the bandits took over the land, there was a shortage of talented people in the transition from occupying land to governing. Lou Shuwan was therefore valued. It was similar to how the Lou Family was valued by Fang La in Hangzhou City.
Not only was she capable, but she was also beautiful. She was originally a girl from a wealthy family, so her upbringing and knowledge were not something that country bumpkins could compare to. Tian Hu's original plan was to take her into his harem. That would be the most reassuring way. However, Lou Shuwan rejected him several times with a firm attitude. In order to show his open-mindedness and at the same time, he was also unwilling to lose a talent who could help him do things, so he didn't use force. In fact, Tian Hu didn't understand that in Lou Shuwan's heart, if she really couldn't avoid it, she could only give in half-heartedly. After experiencing those things, she developed a huge sense of disgust towards men. She felt that they were ugly, but this kind of disgust wasn't to the extent that she would use her life to protect her chastity. After all, she had already lost her so-called chastity, be it physically or mentally.
Tian Hu didn't use force. Since then, Lou Shuwan instead received a lot of convenience in Tian Hu's army. Sometimes, she would use the tiger's skin as a flag and put on the identity of "Tian Hu's mistress" to hint at other men who were interested in her. Thus, speaking of which, her life in Tian Hu's army for the past year or so was basically smooth sailing. Apart from that muddle-headed second brother who hung out in the brothel all day long, the only thing she was really concerned about was the various things that the Tiger King had instructed her to do.
After distancing herself from men, she suddenly realized that it also felt pretty good to be a woman. Although there were often people who would look at her as if they wanted to strip her naked, she didn't care. So what if they were stripped naked? They would still jerk around, and then their eyes would roll back as if they were dead, a pitiful thing that was dominated by the lower half of her body. Just like those few people who were killed after doing those things to her body. They were also like that … After they vented, she found a dagger and killed all of them. For the sake of that instant where their eyes rolled back, they even lost their lives. Men were all stupid pigs. Did I really lose anything …? She would occasionally think about it, and then she couldn't help but laugh until tears rolled down her cheeks.
Only occasionally in her dreams at night would she think of a certain figure. It was like a nightmare — that figure called Ning Liheng. Even though she had a certain infatuation with him in the beginning, it wasn't that deep. However, everything that happened afterward left too many marks in her memory. The death of her father and brother, the destruction of her family, and the misery of being homeless and homeless — it was all because of that figure. When she thought of him, it was difficult for her to immediately think of revenge.
She knew that he had destroyed Liangshan, but she didn't know what he was doing now, so she didn't have any concept of revenge. If she kept working under Tian Hu, maybe one day, she would face him directly. However, even if she thought about it this way, she couldn't imagine what it would be like at that time. Only some bizarre fantasies that could not be told to others were clear. She thought of those tragic experiences. She thought of the man's thrusting and thrusting on her body, and then she could kill him. She thought of how she showed off in front of him when she succeeded, and how she was raped by him when she failed. Every time she thought of this, the fantasies became more and more bizarre. When she woke up, it was early in the morning. Her whole body was drenched in sweat, and her desire was burning. Her lower body was as soft as mud. Then she could only lie on her side alone until dawn.
Maybe one day, she would kill him, or he would kill her. This should be the only place for the two of them.
Of course, going to Lu Liangshan this time did not involve such complicated emotions.
Regarding Lu Liangshan, Tian Hu had the intention to extend his power there at the beginning of the uprising. That place was not comparable to the Central Plains or Hebei. It was located on the border and had been washed by blood for many years. The people were tough, and there were many scattered forces. It was difficult to apply the general rules of the jungle here. After all, things like rules existed to prevent people from dying together under the drive of desire. However, on this land, most of the people who could survive were fugitives. Whether they followed the rules or not, they could die at any time, so the meaning of the rules was not great.
The reasons for this phenomenon were complicated, but the most direct reason was still the lack of resources on both sides. The Liao people regarded the people in this place as pigs and dogs, and the martial artists regarded the residents here as unruly savages and unruly people who could not be ruled. Occasionally, a slightly larger force would rise here, but most of these forces were hostile to both sides. They were relatively closed, and then easily dispersed. This was because no matter how strong one's force was, it could not be compared to the armies of both sides. After Tian Hu's tentacles reached over, he also spent some effort to rope in a large number of companions here. However, his force was great for a single mountain stronghold, but for a place like Lu Liangshan, which was originally scattered like sand, it was really difficult to say where to put his force. Therefore, there had not been much progress.
Of course, for Tian Hu, extending his force to Lu Liangshan in the northwest had always been the icing on the cake. Even if the progress was not great, it did not matter. However, in the past year or so, the situation in Lu Liangshan had changed a lot compared to before. This caused Tian Hu to be unable to help but pay attention to it again.
A stronghold called Green Wood Stronghold had been developing and growing in Lu Liangshan for the past two years. They had even found a way to open up the smuggling trade routes on both sides, reaping huge profits. This was really coveting. At the beginning of the development of Green Wood Stronghold, Tian Hu's subordinate, Cao Hong, had noticed this place. He instigated a split in Green Wood Stronghold, trying to seize the opportunity to seize it. Later, he was killed by the female stronghold master who was highly skilled in martial arts.
This kind of thing was enough to cause a feud between the two sides, but at that time, Tian Hu felt that it was quite troublesome to go deep into Lu Liangshan to take revenge for this kind of thing. He could be considered a relatively straightforward person. Everyone was out to make a living, and if they did something wrong, they had to admit it, and if they were beaten, they had to stand up straight. The generals on his side tried to instigate a rebellion, but failed and were killed, so they could only swallow the matter. However, after such a long time, Lu Liangshan's development was still expanding. It had already turned from a fragrant steamed bun to a pot of fragrant steamed buns. He could not help but have an idea again.
It was said that the female stronghold master of Green Wood Stronghold, who was highly skilled in martial arts, was getting on in years. She was in her twenties and still hadn't gotten married. In that case, it would be a marriage alliance. This marriage alliance was different from the previous ones. The bargaining chip that Tian Hu was prepared to offer was Tian Shi, who was known in the army as the Third Prince. Tian Hu's family had three brothers: Tian Hu, Tian Bao, and Tian Biao. Tian Shi was Tian Biao's son. His martial arts weren't bad, and he was also handsome and talented. Once the marriage alliance was formed, the two sides would be one family. Moreover, Tian Hu's side was full of sincerity. Tian Shi wasn't going to marry a wife. As long as the other party nodded, Tian Shi would marry into Green Wood Stronghold, and definitely not have the other party marry over.
Apart from this, everyone had once studied how Green Wood Stronghold had developed. Generally speaking, once Lu Liangshan's power was formed, it was often filled with bitter hatred and extreme xenophobia. As a result, it didn't please anyone. However, after Green Wood Stronghold had developed, they were very well-behaved. The nearby Wu dynasty's military often received a share of their profits, and the benefits were quite plentiful. Green Wood Stronghold also cooperated with those who were insatiably greedy and divided their forces to attack them. It was very likely that they had a clear understanding of the backgrounds of many of the military's high-ranking officers. As a result, they were able to gradually gain a foothold.
Although such a Stronghold Master was a woman, she was obviously very good at controlling her own interests. Simply giving her a man probably wouldn't be able to satisfy the other party. Therefore, apart from Tian Shi, Lou Shuwan went over to act as a lobbyist. Both sides were capable women, so it should be easier to negotiate in this regard.
At present, the situation in the world was chaotic and difficult to settle. The imperial court was also busy recruiting the various mountain bandit forces in the north. It was obvious that the Wu dynasty's control over internal affairs had reached its limit. With the Tiger King's strength, once he joined forces with Green Wood Stronghold, he would definitely be able to achieve great things in the future with this source of income that connected the north and the south.
Lou Shuwan had already prepared this kind of speech beforehand and was continuously perfecting it over the past few days. Of course, everything was still based on meeting that Stronghold Master Lu Hongti.
That night, she and the convoy carrying the betrothal gifts stopped at Ji County up ahead, waiting for the arrival of the third prince, Tian Shi, and Tian Hu's general, Yu Yulin. Although the higher-ups in Tian Hu's army had made the decision, Tian Shi himself was also proud and wasn't very willing to marry into the family. He basically came here first with the attitude of running away from home to investigate Lu Hongti's situation. As for Yu Yulin, he was the person in charge that Tian Hu had sent to capture him and force him to Lu Liang for the betrothal.
At this time, they were already close to Lu Liang. Ji County was a large county. Although in the eyes of Jiangnan people like Lou Shuwan, everything seemed very desolate, there were indeed quite a lot of people. This was a divergence point towards the north. After this point, people would have to choose to exit through Yanmen Pass normally or go to Lu Liang Mountain to smuggle goods out. Before the prosperity of Lu Liang's smuggling routes, Ji County was only about half the size it was today. In other words, its prosperity had suddenly expanded in the past one or two years.
Because of this, everything in the county was still filled with a barbaric aura. The pedestrians were of all trades and all of them carried knives. It seemed that no one was a good person. Even the passing merchants had a murderous and bloody aura on their bodies. The emergence of the smuggling routes brought prosperity to goods, but the guarantee of safety did not increase too much. If some people came here without specific guidance, they would most likely not be able to find a way to cross the border. The most prosperous places were often the brothels and the knife shops. Most of the forces had their own settlements. Only the military dared to walk arrogantly in these places, but they would basically not touch the local forces. The power of the government was extremely small because there were not many people who dared to take up office here. A few years ago, there were even constables who were killed and hung on flagpoles. The forces here all had the same characteristics: high-profile, ostentatious, and crazy. Then, they would rise in batches, plunder the surrounding areas, eat and drink well, and then quiet down in batches …
Lou Shuwan stayed in Ji County for five days before Tian Shi and Yu Yulin arrived with more than two hundred soldiers. During this time, Lou Shuwan had already heard a lot about the female chief of the Green Wood Stronghold. It was said that she was highly skilled in martial arts and had already reached the level of a grandmaster. At present, she had a very high degree of control over the stronghold. It was temporarily impossible to sow discord and cause the stronghold to split. In addition, it was said that she was very beautiful. Thus, there were many people who had recently proposed marriage to the Green Wood Stronghold. There were even faint rumors that she had the idea of having a martial arts competition to find a spouse. There were many rumors outside, but no one knew whether they were true or not.
In Tian Hu's army, there were also people who had seen Lu Hongti, but this time, Lou Shuwan could not find her. Tian Shi's route was different. It was obvious that he had asked someone he was familiar with. After learning that Lu Hongti was highly skilled in martial arts and beautiful, his interest was piqued. He was twenty-five years old this year. His martial arts skills were not bad, and he was also handsome. He had long been tired of playing with ordinary women. Tian Hu occupied a place, and he had also played with many of those crying young ladies from wealthy families. At this moment, it was obvious that he had the idea of conquering Lu Hongti. After all, this world was ruled by men. Although he was going over under the guise of marrying into her family, with his own abilities, he might be able to conquer her. Once they were in bed, no matter how strong a woman was, she would still be completely obedient to him …
That night, the two groups of people met up and met each other. Yu Yulin was Tian Hu's trusted general and was also a rather heroic man. He was in his thirties, highly skilled in martial arts, and had a calm personality. If the other party looked down on Tian Shi, he would probably have the intention to make a move. It was also not the first time they had met Lou Shuwan. The next day after they met up, everyone broke camp and set off. More than three hundred people set off in the direction of Mount Lu Liang.
On the other hand, after Lou Shuwan and the others left, Ning Yi's caravan of more than a hundred people also approached Jixian.
"After we pass that area in front, the officials are useless." At dusk, the caravan set up camp. Zhu Biao pointed to the foothills in the north and turned around to speak to Ning Yi and the others. "Over at Lu Liang, it's even more chaotic than at Dulonggang. Those who can speak are either soldiers or mountain bandits. It's not that there aren't any commoners, but if they don't have any power, they can't even farm. Once you pass, you have to be careful. You can't be alone. The people here are ruthless and evil. "
"… Although it's not very good to say this, rather than dealing with scholars, it's better to deal with martial artists here." Ning Yi stood on a rock, covering his eyebrows as he looked forward. "Scholars often speak ambiguously. After receiving money, they will still play tricks on you. Once they turn around, they won't acknowledge it. Martial artists are much better. Although they are greedy, they do things as soon as they receive money. They are very straightforward. I prefer them. " After he finished speaking, he sighed. "But, it does look a little desolate … Shanxi …"
"Senior Lu's home is here. I've always felt that … it's really not easy."
Zhu Biao sighed. Several martial artists in charge of the teams around him also revealed similar expressions. This time, among the martial artists who followed Ning Yi up here, half of them were originally from Liangshan. They had also received training in the camp at Dulonggang. When Lu Hongti was still here, she had fought with them in the camp and beat them up. At this time, most of them had already repented and their attitudes had changed greatly. In addition to Lu Hongti's status as a grandmaster, they were very respectful of her. They felt honored to be taught a lesson by her. They regarded her as half a mistress and half a master. However, regarding the sympathy of the crowd, Ning Yi curled his lips and snorted disdainfully.
"What's not easy about it? Although it sounds like a rumor, she even spread the rumor of a martial arts competition for a spouse. When I get there, I'll definitely criticize her."
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