His Royal Highness might not be an expert in the art of war, but he was definitely not a layman. Looking at Yanhuiguan Pass, which had been abandoned on the chessboard of the war between the two dynasties, he felt incredible. Not only did it not have the desolation of a declining city wall, but it was even more majestic than the mark on an old map in the Prince's Mansion. He roughly calculated from a distance. It was obvious that the square city had been rebuilt. The city had expanded from six to nine miles. The city walls were made of rammed earth and bricks. There were battlements outside the city, and there were countless horse-stopping walls covered with bricks. Even the commanding platform had been erected. It looked like a miniature fishing platform. Hsu Fengnian, who did not intend to enter the city, immediately recommended himself after looking at the city wall of Yanhuiguan Pass from afar. He followed Liu Nerong, Gongsun Yang, and the three young men from the Fish-dragon Gang into the city. Since there were no city guards, there was no need for any guide. Hsu Fengnian walked into the city and subconsciously narrowed his eyes. The first thing he did was not look at the people coming and going, but at the barbican, which was not built outside the city but inside the city, according to the old military book.
The barbican would be built outside the city. Moreover, the inner barbican of Yanhuiguan Pass had holes dug in the city wall for soldiers to hide. Hsu Fengnian had heard Li Yishan and Xu Xiao talk about military affairs at the strategic level. They occasionally mentioned the improvement of the barbican, so there was the idea of setting up the barbican to hide soldiers. However, the inner barbican was mostly used as a defensive posture for big cities. Yanhuiguan Pass, which was sandwiched between the two dynasties, could withstand the ravages of thousands of Iron Cavalry even if it had to defend desperately?
Without anyone to rely on in the barren desert, isolated and without help, Yanhuiguan was a piece of chicken rib that could not be tasted good no matter how much seasoning was added. To actually spend so much money and effort, what was the intention of the mastermind behind this? Hsu Fengnian suddenly had an impulse to pull out this nail.
Gongsun Yang, who had been exiled in Beimang when he was a teenager, showed a strong sense of nostalgia.
Gongsun Yang took two steps forward, as if he was taking the initiative to collide with two children at the same time. The two children, who looked six or seven years old but were actually three or four years older, did not fall. They slid past Gongsun Yang like swimming fish. Seeing Liu Nerong's surprise, Gongsun Yang chuckled and said, "It's just a few taels of silver. This is called paying respect to a stake in the mountains at the border. It's a common thing. If you don't pay, these children have a lot of local gangsters behind them, which is tantamount to slapping them in the face. You can't avoid being blackmailed by a large group of people. But you can't pay too much. Few fools carry too much money when they go out. Once you become a fat sheep to be slaughtered, it will be more troublesome."
Following the direction of Gongsun Yang's hidden gaze, Liu Nerong really saw a middle-aged man with a ruffian aura at the corner of the street. He took the money bag from a child and weighed it in his hand. When he met Liu Nerong's eyes, the face of the man with the hideous tattoos on his arm didn't change at all. Instead, he impatiently gestured for her to get lost.
Liu Nerong did not know whether to laugh or cry. She whispered to Gongsun Yang, "In Yanhuiguan Pass, are all thieves so bold?"
Gongsun Yang, who was limping, smiled and said, "Here, officials and soldiers are all rats crossing the street. Thieves and bandits are the bosses."
Gongsun Yang hesitated and said, "Miss, we can't stay here for long. Last time at Tuma Pass, the old man thought he was going to die. He did not want the horn bow that had accompanied him for most of his life to be drawn, so he broke the bowstring himself. The bowstring is specially made, and the material can only be found at the border. The shop is not easy to find."
Liu Nerong nodded and said, "It's not a problem. Uncle Gongsun can go find the string. Let's arrange to meet at the city gate in two hours. Is that okay?"
Gongsun Yang thought for a moment and said, "Miss, remember not to enter the shops with little business. Most of these shops have big backers to be able to take root in Yanhuiguan Pass. They make a lot of money and are not easy to deal with. Also, buying things in a place like Yanhuiguan was naturally a lot more expensive than buying things in other places. This money should not be distressed. The more you haggled, the more those shrewd merchants would sell things at a higher price. They would not feel any pain even if they shouted the price to the heavens. Also, in Yanhuiguan Pass, although you have to endure when you encounter big things, you must not lower your head and show your cowardice. At the border, where people rely on their fists to make a living, it is easy to attract flies that bully the weak and fear the strong. These people have noses better than dogs and eyes sharper than eagles. "
Liu Nerong remembered all of this in her heart. Before Gongsun Yang left, he added, "If you don't see me in two hours, don't wait."
Liu Nerong was just about to speak, but Gongsun Yang waved his hand and left without saying a word.
After hearing the warning, the young men of the Fish-dragon Gang, who were not afraid of tigers, immediately shrank back, which made Liu Nerong angry. Only Hsu Fengnian stood beside her calmly. He had the potential to attract flies, which had attracted the interest of the woman with the mink forehead, and also the ability to frighten some snakes and rats. After all, a young master who dared to enter Yanhuiguan Pass was not a weak scholar. He would only come to the border to study if he had nothing better to do. Previously, there was a great literary master who was famous for his frontier poems and only took his page to visit the border. In less than half a month, someone took his broken finger to ask for a huge ransom from his family. Fortunately, his family was rich and he handed over the money. The border kidnappers were quite trustworthy. Moreover, the literary master had a relationship with the border army, so he went back alive. As for the page boy, it was said that he was dismembered by the impatient kidnappers who waited for the ransom.
At the real border, the folk customs were extremely simple and plain.
As Liu Nerong, Xu Fengnian, and the others walked, a woman wearing skimpy clothes walked towards them. Her clothes were thin, and her breasts were swaying. The woman was petite, and she was half a head shorter than Liu Nerong. However, when a burly man bumped into her chest, she quickly kicked him in the groin. She lifted her leg and retracted it in one breath. She didn't even look at the man who was three times her weight but was rolling on the ground. She probably despised him for being noisy, so she turned around and kicked the hairy man in the chest. Her embroidered shoe directly stepped into the pitiful man's chest. The woman's expression didn't change as she lifted her foot up, and blood dripped down endlessly.
Some cheered loudly, some ridiculed, but there was no one who spoke up for justice when they saw a murder case.
When the woman saw Hsu Fengnian, she smiled charmingly. When the two brushed past each other, she slapped Hsu Fengnian's butt loudly.
The three people from The Fish Dragons behind Hsu Fengnian were stunned.
Liu Nerong turned her head and looked at the woman who didn't forget to look back at Hsu Fengnian. Then she looked at the man surnamed Xu who was walking straight ahead. As if sensing Liu Nerong's resentment, Hsu Fengnian said helplessly, "What? Do you want me to shout molestation? When the time comes, you'll be the only heroine on the whole street. It'll be fun. "
Liu Nerong turned her head and the corners of her mouth curled up.
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