A trade caravan entered the territory of Liuzhou and came to the Mazong Mountain between Liangzhou and Qingcang City. At a glance, all one could see were brown desert hills, which were difficult to farm. The mountain was shaped like a row of geese going north and south. Between the mountain passes, the wind was strong and the sand flew like knives. The caravan going from east to west had to pass through here. After the imperial court incorporated the original three provinces of Beiliang into its territory, leaving this place was considered leaving the border. In the past 20 years, there was no lack of poets who traveled to this place, and many of their popular poems about the border were spread throughout the imperial court. This time, Beiliang set up Liuzhou. About half a year later, the Liyang imperial court issued an edict, and dozens of people were promoted. The main reason was that Yang Guangdou was promoted to the position of Governor of Liuzhou. The officials of the Central Plains had never heard of this person, but they knew that this was Zhao Ting having no choice but to admit that the Xu family controlled the sky in Beiliang. The imperial edict of Great Peace City was released almost at the same time as the news of Beimang's army invading the south. Immediately, there were people in the capital who rejoiced in other people's misfortune, saying, "Let's see how long you can run rampant in Beiliang." As the rumors of Beimang moving troops to the western border were confirmed, it actually washed away a lot of the haze of Guangling's defeat. In many people's eyes, as long as they did not attack the eastern border guarded by General Gu Jiantang, Liyang did not have to fight on two fronts. Secondly, Liang Mang's fight to the death was like a dog biting a dog. After all, if Beimang was a wild dog drooling over the fat meat of the Central Plains, then Beiliang was not much better. To the Liyang imperial court, it was always a disobedient watchdog, wild and difficult to tame.
As Beiliang gradually relaxed its restrictions on Liu Province, some refugees could not only return home to worship their ancestors, they could even join the army at the border. Furthermore, the old Beiliang from the three old provinces could also smoothly enter Liu Province, keenly searching for business opportunities. This group of horses traveling through Mazong Mountain was one such example. The owner of the group of horses was a large family in Lingzhou. For generations, they had been involved in businesses such as tea, horses, salt, and iron. Their ancestors had followed Ren Tu on many expeditions. After the Xu family settled down in Beiliang, the old man, who had only reached the rank of a fourth-rank general, died of an old illness on the battlefield. It was said that even the King of Beiliang had personally come to the mourning hall to pay his respects. This kind of honor could be counted on one hand within Beiliang, where there were as many general families as there were hairs on an ox. Following the death of the old Liang Xu Xiao, this treatment became even more of a protective talisman for this family. When other families' businesses at the border began to wither and become difficult to continue, their business became more and more unimpeded. They even successfully extended their family's branches into Liu Province. Within the group of nearly a hundred people, there were two outsiders. They were a pair of master and disciple. The people in charge of the group, who often traveled to dangerous places at the border, were not very welcoming. However, they heard that it was a popular official in Lingzhou, who even the Fu family could not afford to offend, who said that the son of an aristocratic family had nothing better to do and wanted to travel beyond the Great Wall. They had no choice but to accept him into the group. Other than the old master of the Fu family, who had painstakingly accumulated incense and incense, the next two generations of the younger generation had all followed the teachings of their ancestors and stayed away from the political scene. It was inevitable that they would show signs of fatigue. After all, they still had to act according to the mood of others. The nominal leader of the Fu family was the eldest grandson of the Fu family's third branch, Fu Zhensheng. He was then handed over to two experienced Jianghu people who were familiar with the border. This Fu Zhensheng had a scholarly air. However, it was rumored that the martial arts instructor in the family was full of praise for his talent in martial arts. As for the depth of his moves, no one had ever seen him fight. Zhao Jiabao and Feng Qianxiang, who had trained their discerning eyes through the ups and downs of Jianghu, were also not sure. The rule of Jianghu was that it was easy to look at the weak and difficult to look at the strong. Presumably, Fu Zhensheng's skills were not too bad.
The group of horses rested behind a mountain in the shape of a wild goose to temporarily avoid the wind and sand. Fu Zhensheng sat with his back against the mountain wall. He carefully picked up the newly made sheepskin water bag and drank a mouthful of the warm and smelly water. The Fu family had always had this tradition. When the children of the Fu family went to the border for the first time, they would have the older woman in the family sew a water bag and the male elder would hand it to them. Even though the new water bag had been dried to get rid of the fishy smell, it was still unbearable after it was filled with water. For the children of the wealthy, this was no different from a kind of torture. However, the Fu family was simple and honest. Most of the descendants had tough personalities. After Fu Zhensheng's initial discomfort, he was able to drink water without any change in expression. He glanced at the master and disciple standing in the distance. The master was about the same age as him and was handsome. He should have been the head of the group in Lingzhou, but for some reason, he came to the border to ask for trouble. The disciple was an unremarkable child. However, after entering Liuzhou, he was like a fish in water compared to many of the Fu family members who were used to going beyond the Great Wall. Fu Zhensheng observed carefully along the way. At this time, he said to the two seniors, "Uncle Zhao, Uncle Feng, that Xu Qi doesn't seem like someone who is going to the border for the first time. He doesn't need us to remind him. The amount of water he drinks each time is very appropriate and he never drinks because he is thirsty. The way he treats people is also smooth and slick, unlike those aristocratic children who don't know the ways of the world. Furthermore, there aren't many large families in Lingzhou that our Fu family is wary of. I have never heard of such a person. "
Zhao Jiabao, who had been a retainer of the Fu family for more than 20 years, did not need to bow and scrape before the head of the family. He also had a close relationship with the head of the third branch. Therefore, along the way, he taught Fu Zhensheng everything he knew. Hearing Fu Zhensheng's experienced words, his old heart was comforted. A sincere smile appeared on his old, mottled face. He nodded and said, "That young man called Xu Qi walks in the middle of the group and suffers less than young master, but his calmness and composure is not something that can be faked. The food he eats while riding and when he dismounts is the same as old bones like me and Qianxiang who are used to drinking the northwest wind. Logically speaking, there is something strange about him and we have to be careful. It is a good thing that young master can be more careful. Since young master has spoken, Qianxiang, you can also reveal the truth. "
Feng Qianxiang, who had a long saber on his back, smiled and said in a deep voice, "Young master, don't worry. Before the head of the family left this time, he privately told me and Old Zhao that although this Xu Qi's background is unknown, we can guarantee that his identity is clean and he is definitely not a bad person. However, Old Zhao and I both have selfish motives. We want to see if young master can see the difference between that pair of master and disciple, so we didn't say it clearly. Young master, please don't be offended. "
"Of course." Since young, Fu Zhensheng had been influenced by a family style that was very different from ordinary general families. His personality was introverted, and he slowly put away the sheepskin pouch. Pursing his dry lips, he said self-deprecatingly, "I only know the taste of the northwest wind after this trip. It really isn't much."
Fu Zhensheng suddenly sighed and said, "That Xinliu Province is a place where jackals and wolves surround. Previously, the trusted aide of the Beiliang Palace, Chen Xiliang, was indeed suspected of being soft-hearted. He paid too much attention to the gains and losses of one place and refused to abandon the city. In the end, he was surrounded by ten thousand horse bandits in Qingcang City and lost the lives of dozens of White Horse Followers for nothing. Beiliang has guarded the border for so many years, and such losses are rare. I also don't know what kind of person the new provincial governor, Yang Guangdou, is. If he is of the same origin as Chen Xiliang, this famous person of Mount Qingliang, then the future of our Fu family will be uncertain. Taking ten thousand steps back, Fu Zhensheng is dead and has delayed the great cause of Beiliang. If grandfather were still alive, he would most likely not allow this useless grandson of mine to enter the family. "
Zhao Jiabao was obviously not optimistic about the future, and said worriedly, "Our Fu family has worked hard for Beiliang for almost twenty years. In name, we are doing business at the border, but in reality, we are secretly looking for mines. Most of Beiliang's gold and iron mines are from the Fu family. This time, when we return to Liuzhou and Fengxiang to confirm the quality and output of that mine, I think it will be a little difficult."
Feng Qianxiang smiled and said, "In the end, I still hope that Beiliang can win this battle. Otherwise, the wealth that I have saved for most of my life will go down the drain. When that time comes, even if the King of Beiliang is standing in front of me, I will point at his nose and scold him. "
Zhao Jiabao laughed loudly. Seeing his young master's blank face, he explained, "When they heard that there was going to be a war, many of the heartless and cowardly large families in Lingzhou began to run out. However, they couldn't take their houses and fields with them, so they could only sell them at a low price. Originally, two thousand taels of silver might not be enough to buy a good house, but eight hundred taels of silver would be enough. Qianxiang took advantage of the situation to rob four houses, and for this, he even borrowed a thousand taels of silver from me. Speaking of which, it's strange. With such a big commotion, the government completely ignored it. They didn't care about the rule of asking their neighbors. Anyone who went to the government office would be able to get an official contract, and it wasn't even a white contract, but a real red one. Fortunately, the Governor-General's residence stopped at the last moment. Every time they leave the country, they are not allowed to bring more than a hundred gold and a thousand taels of silver. "
Fu Zhensheng asked curiously, "With so little gold and silver, could it be that they have to send people to and from Beiliang? Wouldn't those rich people find it troublesome? Even if they only have a hundred thousand taels of silver, a hundred gold and a thousand taels of silver, they would still have to travel fifty times. "
Feng Qianxiang shook his head and smiled, "It's simple. Actually, they don't have to bring gold and silver out of the country. They can just buy antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, and it's easy and convenient. After all, no one cares if they bring a lot of them away. When they leave Beiliang, they can still be exchanged for silver. Those aristocratic families who are good at appreciating antiques have suddenly turned into VIPs in every household. Young Master, you must have heard of the Fish Dragon Gang that inexplicably rose up in Lingzhou, right? Compared to their table manners, I'm not even worth mentioning. They're basically spending all their money to buy land and houses. I don't know where they got all that money from. After a rough calculation, the Fish Dragon Gang has already spent more than 800,000 taels of silver on real estate that I know of. The real amount has probably doubled. They're about to become a big landlord that owns half of Lingzhou. Even I, a man, admire the courage of the female gang leader of the Fish Dragon Gang. Young master, why don't you go and marry that woman? "
Fu Zhensheng wasn't someone who couldn't take a joke, but he still felt a little helpless. He mocked himself, "She's a heroine who is as famous as Mount Huishan Ziyi. How could she take a fancy to me?"
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