In the eyes of the people of Liyang, Beiliang was a land of death. It was only a matter of time before the people were plunged into misery and suffering. Thus, when a carriage traveled from Hezhou to Youzhou and not from Beiliang to the outside, it seemed like they were going against the flow.
The coachman was a one-armed man with one empty sleeve. He held the reins with only one hand and tried to control the carriage as steadily as possible. Fortunately, compared to the simple carriage, the horse pulling the carriage was rather tall and strange. The middle-aged coachman did not need to spend much effort to control it.
An old man bent down slightly and lifted the coarse cloth curtain blocking the wind and sand. His gaze passed over the one-armed man's shoulder and looked forward. He was silent and did not put down the curtain for a long time.
The coachman turned his head and said softly, "Father, if I remember correctly, there are still a dozen li before we see the boundary marker between Youzhou and Hezhou."
The old man nodded, his expression somewhat absent-minded.
The coachman frowned and said, "Even if Beiliang has never acknowledged the imperial court's edicts, father is still the deputy administrator of Beiliang in name. Would that Hsu Fengnian dare to kill someone? Since this is the case, why would father lower yourself to curry favor with Beiliang? If word gets to the capital … "
The old man left the carriage and sat behind his son. He waved his hand and interrupted the temporary coachman's words. He smiled and said, "So what if some rumors get to Great Peace City? The foundation of the Yang family has never been in the center of the imperial court. Ever since the defeat of Guangling Taoism and your father went to the capital as a criminal, from His Majesty the Emperor to a little sixth or seventh rank official of the Ministry of War, who has treated father well? Other things aside, the tens of thousands of old soldiers of Ji Province that father raised were taken away by the imperial court just like that. When you go to Ji Province as a deputy general, you are only allowed to bring three thousand soldiers and horses. This is built on the premise that you need to keep Yuan Tingshan in check. Otherwise, don't even think about bringing a single soldier back to Ji Province. "
The coachman was none other than Yang Huchen, who had lost an arm in the battle against the remnants of West Chu. Now, together with Han Fang, the descendant of Valiant Bravery, whose family had their grievances redressed, he was the Deputy General of Ji Zhou. Yang Huchen not only had to prevent Yuan Tingshan from raising troops in Ji Zhou, which was an important border area, but he was also a chess piece for the Zhao clan in Li Yang to monitor the King of Han, Zhao Xiong. The old man was, of course, Yang Shenxing, the newly appointed Deputy Administrator of Beiliang. He was one of the eight great generals of the Four Campaigns and Four Towns in the past. In the past year, he had lived a miserable life in the capital where he was bullied by dogs. Not only did he have to live in fear, he was also laughed at by his colleagues in the officialdom. From time to time, he would be dragged out to drink. Although they said that they were helping the old general drink to relieve his worries, in fact, it was more or less the same as being dragged out to walk a monkey. They would find ways to sprinkle salt on the old man's wound. When it came to the skill of observing people and adding insult to injury, almost all the officials in the capital were great masters. If Yang Huchen had not been appointed Deputy General of Ji Zhou by the Ministry of War, which meant that the Emperor had not completely lost his patience with the Yang family, it was likely that the people sent off by the old man this time would not have been a few kittens and puppies, but none. This time, the old man passed through Jingji, West Ji, and Ji River. Although the old man did not have the intention of forming relationships with people, the fact that no one showed any interest along the way still made Yang Huchen, as his son, feel bitterly disappointed. Thinking back to the year when the Yang family sent troops from Ji Zhou to Guangling, what a grand occasion it was. At that time, if one was not at the level of County Chief, one could not even think about getting a seat at the Yang family's private banquet.
Probably sensing Yang Huchen's anger, the old man patted his son's shoulder and laughed softly. "Huchen, you can't blame the world for being so cold. Ever since I became a general, the Yang family has been used to doing whatever they want in Ji Zhou. We are not good people. The Yang family has bullied men and women many times. Now that we have suffered retribution, it is normal."
Yang Shenxing looked around. The scenery in Hezhou was not very different from Ji Zhou. After all, they were both at the northwest border. After autumn, the grass was yellow like dirt. It could not compare to the beautiful scenery in Jiangnan where half of the city was green. The old man slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "On the other hand, retribution comes early, which is a good thing. If it comes too late, perhaps the court won't even give you the chance to be deputy general of Ji Zhou to make up for your mistakes. Besides, compared to that old man Yan Zhenchun who has already died on the battlefield, I am much luckier. Don't look at how Zhao Kui is only second to Lu Shengxiang in the Southern Expedition. Right now, that old man is like an ant on a hot pan. I dare to bet with you that if he loses the battle, he may not even be able to compare to Yan Zhenchun, much less me. That is because the favor the court has given us old generals has been used up on me and Yan Zhenchun. Thus, Father's mood when he left the capital this time was not as bad as others thought. In truth, after leaving that Great Peace City that made people tread on thin ice, Father's mood was much better. Along the way, I thought through many things. "
Yang Huchen was relieved of a great burden. No matter what, as long as his father did not have too many worries in his heart, it was a good thing. He was confident that he could lead the Yang family to rise again.
Yang Shenxing smiled. "This time, I had someone send a secret letter to Mount Qing Liang in private, pleading Beiliang to send an envoy to the Youzhou border to receive me. As long as I don't see them, I, Yang Shenxing, will not take a step into Beiliang. I will just wait at the border. I, Yang Shenxing, was once a general. Now, I am putting on such a humble and pitiful attitude. Of course, this cannot be considered heroic behavior, but so what? Everyone in the capital is waiting for the news of my sudden death in Beiliang to spread, or for Hsu Fengnian to wantonly humiliate me on some occasion. I will not let them have their wish. Face is fake, but inside is real. The Yang family is in a precarious situation. Father is the face of the Yang family in the court. If it is gone, then it is gone. As long as you, Huchen, can stand firm in Ji Zhou again, in five or ten years, the face will run back to the Yang family. At that time, even if you don't want it, perhaps other people will be willing to kneel and beg you to accept it. "
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