Hsu Fengnian had an additional "nameless" young attendant by his side. He rode a horse and wore armor, but he did not carry a cold saber or crossbow. He was serious in speech and manner and had a lot on his mind. Hsu Fengnian traveled all the way to the north. He did not deliberately win over this talented young man. It was not that he did not want to, but it was meaningless. Whether Hsu Fengnian talked to him about the national interest or high official position and generous salary, it all seemed ridiculous and comical. This was because his name was Xie Xibian, Cao Changqing's favorite disciple. He was one of the Twin Jade Annulus of Da Chu who stood out during the Guangling Taoist War. Most of the students of Da Chu were now placed in the major academies of Lingzhou, far away from the troublesome places. Only Xie Xibian proposed to go to Beiliang Pass to take a look. Of course, Hsu Fengnian would not refuse. He now somewhat understood the mentality of the late Emperor of Liyang, Zhao Dun, and Chen Zhibao. Some people, even if they could not be used, as long as they were by his side, they would be like a devastatingly beautiful woman standing in front of his eyes, equally pleasing to the eye. And to be fair, compared to Kou Jianghuai, who was unruly and unbridled, the gentle, respectful, and thrifty Xie Xibian made Hsu Fengnian feel more at ease. Getting along with Kou Jianghuai was like drinking a large bowl of strong wine. It was delightful, but he had to worry about whether or not he would get drunk. Getting along with Xie Xibian was like drinking a small cup of tea. It did not hurt his stomach, and he did not have a headache.
Along the way, Hsu Fengnian would only greet Xie Xibian when he received a spy report from the Fushui Fang. The spy reports were mostly from the higher-ups of the Liyang imperial court. After Xie Xibian finished reading them, he kept them one by one. Every time he received a piece of paper, it often meant that Da Chu had lost a battle line, or that several cities had fallen. Xie Xibian only became more and more taciturn, and there was no obvious change in his expression. One by one, familiar generals of Da Chu were beheaded and became the military exploits of Liyang's leading generals. One by one, familiar names chose to surrender to Liyang. The territory that Da Chu controlled became smaller and smaller. Wu Zhongxuan, Lu Shengxiang, Song Li, and even Xu Gong and Yuan Tingshan appeared more and more in the court reports. Da Chu's power was gone, and this was undoubtedly the end. The last court report was to inform the world that the Emperor of Liyang would personally lead the army to the West Chu Rampart in the beginning of summer. At the same time, he issued an edict that as long as the rebel armies of Da Chu gave up resistance, the imperial army would not kill a single person on the battlefield. The people of Guangling Road would still all see them as Liyang people.
As they approached the North Jiebei City, Hsu Fengnian received a concise spy report from the Gyrfalcon's claw. This time, he did not pass on the military intelligence to Xie Xibian, but the latter rode his horse over with a gloomy expression. He wanted to say something but stopped.
Hsu Fengnian did not wear any armor. Instead, he wore a simple and elegant scholar's robe. He only wore a cold knife and a dragon-patterned jade pendant. He slowed down his horse and turned to Xie Xibian, saying, "After Cao Changqing died, he scattered his fate energy into Guangling Road. You are not a Qi cultivator nor a martial artist of the Celestial State. Perhaps you do not understand the deeper meaning of this. To put it simply, from the moment of Cao Changqing's death, Guangling Road's fate energy, which had not been completely extinguished by the Jiang family of Da Chu, began to truly belong to the territory of Liyang. If Liyang did not deal with it properly and started a massacre on the battlefield, or continued to make things difficult for Guangling on the issue of taxes, then it was very likely that Guangling Road would retaliate. Although the possibility of Yan King Zhao Bing rebelling immediately was not high, it was not completely impossible for him to take over Guangling. Therefore, Cao Changqing's death left a way out for the people of Guangling. No matter who they belong to, those who succeed must treat them well."
Xie Xibian murmured, "Seeking benevolence and obtaining benevolence, seeking justice and obtaining justice …"
The two words' obtaining justice 'sounded pleased. At this point, Xie Xibian lowered his head, his lips trembling.
Hsu Fengnian could only somewhat awkwardly console him, "General Xie, I do not dare to have extravagant hopes that you will enter the Beiliang Frontier Army. After all, in name, we are fighting against Beimang and guarding the country for the Zhao family of Liyang. But regardless of the outcome of the war in Liang Mang, I will guarantee the safety of your five hundred people in West Chu. No matter how chaotic the world is, if I, Hsu Fengnian, want to keep your five hundred people in peace, I can still do it. "
Xie Xibian turned a deaf ear to him, his face full of sorrow, muttering to himself, "When I was young and studying, every time I flipped through a book and read Taibai's poetry, I read that kind of grand and magnificent writing of a flourishing age, I always had an infinite yearning. Something like 'I must drink three hundred cups of wine in one go', something like 'the immortal waved his hand for me, as if listening to Emei's ten thousand valleys pine trees', I really felt that if I stretched my neck and shouted it out loud, it still would not be enough to satisfy me. But at that time, the teacher always said that Taibai's poetry talent was too high, that the immortal's aura was too strong, that it was as if it was thirty thousand feet above the earth, but it might not be the best poetry in the world. The older the scholar, the more experienced he was, instead, he would be more open to Old Du's simple poetry. 'I wonder how many souls I summon when I close my eyes', 'Deep in the battlefield at night, the bright moon shines on the white bones', it was really simple and straightforward. Where did the boundless talent come from? But reading it now, it's really, really … "
Xie Xibian was already choking with sobs. He raised his arm and wiped his cheeks with all his strength.
This was perhaps the difference between Xie Xibian and Kou Jianghuai. The latter's experience of life and death was not as profound as the experience of honor and disgrace. Xie Xibian's will would be depressed, while Kou Jianghuai would be full of vigor.
Hsu Fengnian looked toward the dusty Jbeicheng and said, "General Xie, from Jbeicheng to Qinghe, and then to Huaiyang Pass, Liuya and Fuling, two towns, you can go anywhere. I will arrange for people to accompany you. If you want to see the two cavalry units outside Liangzhou Pass, it won't be a problem."
Xie Xibian had already regained his composure. He nodded and said, "Thank you, Wangye."
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