Seeing Hsu Fengnian's contemplative expression, Chu Lushan continued, "According to current intelligence reports, Dong Zhuo and Murong Baoding have both chosen to bide their time. This is within reason. The anger of the old woman of Beimang is enough to make them suffer. As for Liuzhou, everything is going according to plan. The only variable is that the deputy general of the western front, Zhong Tan, has gone missing. Huang Songpu's 170,000 or 180,000 elites of the Southern Court have chosen the same route as when Liu Gui attacked Qingcang City. Now, it all depends on whether or not Kou Jianghuai's attack has the ability to make Huang Songpu lose his sense of propriety. Otherwise, if Huang Songpu smoothly advances all the way to Qingcang City, our chances of victory are not high. The battle of Liuzhou can only be fought outside of Qingcang City. "
Hsu Fengnian suddenly said, "I will have eight hundred White Horse soldiers enter the Iron Stupa. Starting from me, I will have all fourth-rank generals and above send out a portion of their personal guards. I want the Iron Stupa to recover to four thousand men within a month. Then, they will follow Yu Luandao's Youzhou cavalry into the battlefield of Liuzhou."
Chu Lushan paused. He crossed his fingers and placed them on his abdomen. Narrowing his eyes, he carefully considered the pros and cons.
Hsu Fengnian walked to the door. "Before Xie Xibian left Liangzhou, he made a suggestion to me. However, the risk is too great. Moreover, for all of Liangzhou's border army cavalry, it means a great number of casualties. Most importantly, this kind of loss may not be something that Beimang can bear."
Chu Lushan asked curiously, "Oh?"
Hsu Fengnian laughed self-deprecatingly. "Fortunately, Xie Xibian also said that he would personally go to the border of Liuzhou and asked me to wait for a month. He also said that perhaps by then, he would overturn that suggestion himself."
Chu Lushan laughed. "Actually, when Your Highness made the decision to secretly send ten thousand Youzhou cavalry into Liuzhou, you already approved of Xie Xibian's strategy of Liuzhou, right?"
Hsu Fengnian nodded. "I think it's better to take a big gamble than to wait helplessly for Beimang to push forward."
Chu Lushan leaned against the door and sighed inexplicably, "Da Chu's double walls, Kou Jianghuai, Xie Xibian, and Yu Luandao, three young foreigners."
Hsu Fengnian's face darkened. "Isn't that too rash?"
Chu Lushan gave a vague answer, "It's hard to say."
Hsu Fengnian did not leave the courtyard. Instead, he sat on the doorstep.
Chu Lushan looked a little embarrassed. He didn't know whether to sit or stand. After all, the threshold was only a small space. With his body size, he estimated that if he sat down, the young king would be squeezed out. So, he had to think of a compromise. After crossing the threshold, he sat on the doorstep.
Hsu Fengnian asked, "Lu Qiuer, if Xie Xibian really did what he said, would your group of Beiliang elders be angry?"
Chu Lushan, who had his back to the young vassal king, didn't answer the question, "I remember that under Li Yishan's plan, the local forces in Beiliang were turned upside down and moved to what is now Liuzhou as a sinner. The Xu family army finally took root in this strange land and gained a firm foothold. At that time, there was a celebratory feast on Mount Qingliang. At that time, His Highness looked at all the generals in the hall and drank until he was dead drunk. For some reason, he said something that didn't fit the occasion. The general idea was that if the Xu family wanted to rule Beiliang for a long time, it wasn't enough to rely on war swords alone. Internally, they also needed to provide a stable life for the people under their jurisdiction. The Xu family army couldn't be on horseback for the rest of their lives. After getting off the horse, in addition to enjoying life, they also needed to work hard to govern Beiliang."
Chu Lushan raised his head to look at the blue sky. "It was also from that time that many martial artists left the army, like Lin Doufang and Hu Kui. There were also many literati who flourished in the officialdom, like Li Gongde and Yan Jiexi. However, Adoptive Father was still worried in private. He felt that it was because his reputation was too bad that Beiliang had abducted scholars who couldn't come to study abroad. He felt that it would be very difficult for Wang Ye to inherit the position. At that time, he had probably just chatted with Teacher Li. For the first time, Wang Ye spoke of the scholarly principle that flowing water does not rot and the pivot does not decay. After he finished speaking, he deliberately looked at us foster sons with a straight face. Yao Jian and Ye Xizhen, these two old pedants, couldn't hold back their laughter. As for me, I naturally hurried to flatter Wang Ye. Old Qi was the most simple-minded. He asked Adoptive Father what he meant and made Adoptive Father very happy. He then repeated what Teacher Li had explained to him, making Adoptive Father very happy. So, the one-track minded Old Qi is the one who is truly foolish and blessed."
Chu Lushan's tone was calm as he said, "Wang Fei has a Bodhisattva's heart. She is good to us six foster sons and has no prejudice against anyone. However, her good methods are not the same. She always urged me to study more, that fellow surnamed Chen to laugh more, and that Yao Jian and Ye Xizhen to exercise more … But among the six of us, I, Lu Qiu 'er, and the other four didn't necessarily listen to her every time. Only Old Qi was different. As long as Wang Fei said something, it was more effective than an imperial edict. Sometimes, when he made a mistake, even though he knew that Wang Fei wouldn't blame him, he still felt uneasy. When Wangfei passed away, the six of us were all pallbearers. It was very strange. Even the guy surnamed Chen and Yuan Baixiong's eyes turned red. I even cried my eyes out. On the other hand, Old Qi was expressionless. I asked why, and this fool said that his adoptive mother had gone to heaven to become an immortal, so he was not very sad. He just somewhat … somewhat missed her. "
Xu Fengnian smiled and said, "So when I was young, every time I got into trouble, I would look for my sworn brother, Qi Dangguo. As long as I got someone to pass a message to him, he would immediately bring his troops over. At that time, I didn't think too much about it. I just felt that this sworn brother was the most straightforward. Not only did he help me solve my troubles, he never nagged, never deliberately tried to reason with me. He was carefree and always looked fearless. I felt that even if the sky fell, he would help me hold it up. I remember that in my early years, in a remote county in Lingzhou, which was still called Feng Zhou, Li Hanlin, Yan Chizi, and Kong Wuchi, the four of us had a conflict with a group of descendants who didn't know our identities. We were chased into a mess by the other party's private army. At that time, Qi Dangguo happened to be patrolling with a few old generals near Feng Zhou. When he heard the news, he immediately led two hundred cavalry and charged over, tearing down the Yi Sect of those families as firewood. That disturbance was very big. Because Zhong Hongwu, who was the Commander of the Northern Liang Cavalry, and a large group of generals from Lingzhou supported him, it caused Qi Dangguo, who should have been promoted to Lingzhou's Deputy General, to lose his future. After that, Xu Xiao was very angry. Because he didn't dare to get angry at me, the Crown Prince who was used to being lawless, he gave me a fierce beating. I felt sorry, so I secretly brought two jars of Green Ant Wine to apologize with Yan Chizi. At that time, I knew that Qi Dangguo would definitely lose his official position. Firstly, I didn't have the confidence to make Xu Xiao change his mind. Secondly, at that time, who in the Northern Liang Army was willing to listen to me? I couldn't rely on myself to give Qi Dangguo a similar official position. I was already mentally prepared to see Qi Dangguo drowning his sorrows in alcohol. I didn't expect that when I went to his house for the first time, his face was full of surprise.
Chu Lushan shook his head. This time, he did not address him as Prince. "Little Nian, you are wrong."
Hsu Fengnian was a little confused. "Hmm?"
Chu Lushan slowly said, "I have a rough idea of the scene you are talking about. When Old Qi saw you, it was not as if he had seen his adoptive father, but as if he was a farmer who thought he had no future. He suddenly saw his younger brother, who had been away from home for many years, return home. Moreover, he did not look down on his older brother, so he was very happy and proud."
Hsu Fengnian was silent for a moment. He smiled bitterly and said, "At that time, I only knew how to indulge in wine and women. What future could I have?"
Chu Lushan smiled and said, "Perhaps in Old Qi's heart, you have always been promising. In this matter, not to mention Yuan Baixiong, even I, Lu Qiu 'er, am not as good as him. Among the six people, only Old Qi felt that you, His Royal Highness, was promising. He never doubted that you could become a man like your adoptive father in the future. Using the catchphrase of Old Qi, whose ancestral home is Dongyue, it's this kind of thing: 'What's the point of reasoning?' "
Hsu Fengnian sat on the threshold in a daze.
The Protector General of Beiliang had his back to the young Lord, and the young Lord had his back to the coffin.
Two living people and one dead person, both of them were speechless.
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