Zhao Jiabao made a sound of surprise. That pair of master and disciple had disappeared right under their noses. The few people of the Fu family who were close to outsiders also did not notice. Fu Zhensheng carried the heavy burden of Beiliang and his family on this trip, so he was somewhat disgusted by Xu Qi's decision. He looked up at the sky and said, "Let's wait for them for an hour. If we still can't find them, then we must set out. The journey between heaven and earth is truly difficult. We can't indulge them."
Xu Fengnian, who had brought Yu Dilong into Liuzhou, circled around to the other side of the mountain and saw a pair of unexpected acquaintances. It was Song Dongming of the Deer Song clan and his attendant. The two of them looked at each other. Song Dongming was stunned for a moment before he laughed heartily, "From the beautiful Wudang to this barren place, I can still meet this young master. It really is a small world. If young master is not worried, I still have half a bottle of wine here. It's the Green Ant from Northern Liang. The wine is very strong. When it enters the mouth, it burns the throat, but after a while, it actually becomes cool. This Song has also just started to drink this wine. If I had known earlier, I would have bought a few more bottles. I regret that I was worried that I would not have enough money and bought two more bottles of Green Ant on me."
Hsu Fengnian did not say much. He took the bottle of wine, raised it in the air, and poured a small mouthful. He handed it back to Song Dongming. The latter smiled and asked, "Why don't you drink a few more mouthfuls? It won't hurt."
Hsu Fengnian shook his head and smiled. "I, Xu Qi, won't steal your beauty."
Seeing Hsu Fengnian introduce himself, Song Dongming probably thought that the young master with the Beiliang accent did not know who the Deer Song family was. He said, "I am Song Dongming. My ancestors live in Deer County in Jiangnan. To have met you twice, fate is not small …"
Before he could finish his sentence, Song Dongming's face was hit by the wind and sand. He reached out and grabbed the mature yellow grass that had left the ground and turned into flying catkins. He sighed, "Two withers in a year, drifting with the wind."
The errand boy suddenly stretched out his finger and shouted, "Sir, look! Is that the smoke signal?"
Following the servant's finger, Song Dongming saw a thick smoke signal rising from the desert. It should be from the direction of Qingcang City, reporting to Liangzhou that they were safe. They had not seen this when they first entered Liu Province. No wonder his servant was so surprised. Song Dongming muttered to himself, "The ancient books say that the smoke signal here is different from the Central Plains. it is named for burning wolf dung. The smoke is straight and extremely black, and the wind cannot blow. But looking at it, other than the smoke being thicker, there is no difference between the smoke and the Central Plains. "
Hsu Fengnian laughed softly. "I'm afraid that's a mistake made by some frontier poets. In the northwest border, there may occasionally be smoke burning with wolf dung, but that is because there is not enough cow and sheep dung. Most of the materials are obtained locally. Desert poplar and red willow wood are used as firewood, supplemented by flammable reeds that can be found everywhere. Furthermore, the fire beacon of the Beiliang Frontier Army is strictly regulated. If the patrolling cavalry finds that there is not enough fire beacon, all the officials up to the fourth rank will be beheaded on the spot. No matter who pleads for mercy, it is useless. In the past twenty years of Beiliang, because of this' small matter ', more than three hundred people have died. In the first four or five years, it was relatively less. This year, at most, more than sixty soldiers who neglected their duties were killed in one go. "
Song Dongming was shocked. He drank a mouthful of Green Ant Wine before saying, "Two generations of kings have taken over the throne. The Beiliang Frontier Army is different from the other armies. There are many unruly and unruly old generals who hold the military power. They should seek stability and prevent chaos. Why are they so ruthless? In addition, there is a rumor that they secretly killed the Huaihua General Zhong Hongwu because of a disagreement. Aren't they afraid of causing a mutiny? Young Master Xu, from what you said about the smoke, it is obvious that you are familiar with military affairs. Can you explain a little to Song Dongming? "
Xu Fengnian smiled and asked, "Just because of a disagreement?"
Song Dongming was very smart. Although he was trying to sound Xu Que out at the beginning, he knew that he would not be able to speak the words of an expert. He restrained his expression and said, "There are many leaders in the Beiliang Army. The new king has to kill the chicken to warn the monkey. Otherwise, before the war starts, it will be difficult to convince the people with military achievements."
Hsu Fengnian listened to this general explanation and lost his desire to talk. He planned to return to the Fu family's caravan. He had to protect them until they reached Qingcang City. At that time, there would naturally be an elite cavalry team secretly escorting them to the newly discovered mine in Fengxiang. If the Fu family, who had contributed a lot to Beiliang, knew that the King of Beiliang was personally escorting the king, what would they think? Would they think that their hard work over the years was worth it? Of course, Hsu Fengnian would not let them know the truth. This might be something that Xu Weixiong, who emphasized details, did not like. As a ruler, he was not willing to buy people's hearts. Song Dongming saw that Hsu Fengnian was about to leave and quickly said, "Young Master Xu, I heard that there are two young aides in the Beiliang Palace. The King of Beiliang's Northern Courtyard's grandson, Xu Beizhi, has become the governor of Lingzhou. This is because the King of Beiliang does not suspect the people he uses. Instead, he used the poor scholar, Chen Xiliang. It can be said that he does not care about the quality of the people he uses. He is very good at attracting the talents of the poor families in Beiliang. Boldly speaking, if your Beiliang Dao were to form a country of its own, then these two people would definitely be the future Prime Minister's aides. However, since ancient times, important officials in the imperial court have all gone from public to private. They first used their talents and knowledge to enter the center of the imperial court. After they entered the eyes of the Emperor, they were able to walk to the side of the Emperor. In that case, your Mount Qing Liang does not seem to follow the rules too much. "
Hsu Fengnian nodded and said, "We do not follow the rules too much. However, speaking of which, what do you think are the pros and cons of this kind of exceptional promotion?"
Song Dongming smiled slightly. It was probably because he was talking about something that he was good at. His entire person suddenly seemed to have an extraordinary aura. He spoke tirelessly, "In the short term, buying bones with a thousand gold is naturally a good thing. It is especially beneficial to appease the scholars. Since even Chen Xiliang, who was thwarted in two major matters in succession, was not punished by the King of Beiliang, then why can't we, scholars, who are well-read and have a bellyful of literature and literature, whose background is not inferior to Chen Xiliang's, become high officials?"
Hsu Fengnian very rudely interrupted Song Dongming's words and asked, "What does Mr. Song think of Chen Xiliang's stubbornness in defending Qing Cang? Do you think that the King of Beiliang should be punished or not? "
The servant had long disliked this fellow surnamed Xu. His master's vision and knowledge were so great that even the famous Chinese scholars in Gangnam-do would have to listen attentively to his master's lectures. This Xu Qi was indeed a barbarian in Beiliang. He only looked like a scholar, but his bearing and knowledge were a mess. Wasn't his master flirting with a blind person? The servant was just about to speak up and teach this untactful fellow a lesson when he was glanced at by Song Dongming, scaring the most disciplined servant into silence. Song Dongming continued, "As for Chen Xiliang, both reward and punishment should be used. This person seemed to be muddle-headed during the defense of the city, so much so that everyone in Beiliang thought he was someone with great ambition but little talent. However, they did not know that Beiliang does not lack soldiers, good swords and horses, or even money. The only thing it lacks is the people's hearts. "
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