Hsu Fengnian stopped here. Xu Xiao waved his hand and said with a smile, "Support from both inside and outside? Daddy was more than happy for those rotten sores and pus to leak out on their own. It was disgusting to always hide them. Some people, after all, had been through life and death for half of their lives. Father could only turn a blind eye to them. In the early years, he had promised them that as long as they did not die on the battlefield, he would take all the women, money, and official hats. Father owed the dead a lot in this life, but for those who were alive, he felt that he did not owe them much. Take Zhong Hongwu for example. The first time his father met him, he was only a sergeant. At that time, his father jokingly asked him how high he wanted to be in the future. Zhong Hongwu said that he would be satisfied if he could be a lieutenant with seven to eight hundred strong brothers under his command. If he could kill anyone he didn't like, his life would be worth it. There was also Yan Wenluan, an interesting young man when he was young. He always said to me that he wanted to be a horse dealer in the future. That way, even if he died, he could die on the back of a horse. If he was a peace official who did not have to worry about food and clothing, he said he would not be willing to ride a horse in his old age. He was afraid he would die on a woman's belly. Sometimes, Father looked at those old people who were gradually getting fat and suddenly felt that he did not recognize any of them. Back then, there were brothers who dared to scold Father for being disappointing, saying that if Father was a general, he would be better than Xu Xiao. There were old brothers who were willing to go crazy in the middle of the night, carrying a jar of wine and running to Father's tent to compete in drinking and drinking. There were old brothers who smiled and threatened Father that if they did not set a marriage, they would not be brothers. At that time, Li Yishan and Zhao Changling were still there. Zhong Hongwu, Yan Wenluan, and a large group of people were not old. Chen Zhibao, Yuan Zuozong, and the other children did not need to be said. At that time, Father liked to fight the most. He was never afraid of people dying. Father was not afraid, who dared to be afraid? If you did not have the guts, then scram back to your wife to warm the bed. So as long as there was a battle to fight, they would go crazy. If there was no battle, they would shamelessly ask those officials for a battle. You want money? Father is not good at that. I will give you as much as I have. You think it is not enough? Then let's put it on credit first. Once I win the war, you can just let your men take the chests away with carriages! Military merits? That's fine, as long as you give me some leftovers, don't treat the brothers who risk their lives too badly. As long as your descendants come to the battlefield, it'll be fine even if they're tens of thousands of miles away from the battlefield. After the war, you'll still give them a lot of military merits for free. This way, who wouldn't be willing to do business with Father? Only a fool wouldn't do it. Then, the imperial court began to know that there was a young barbarian surnamed Xu who came from a poor background in Liaodong. After he made a name for himself, he was not greedy for money or achievements. He just wanted to die on the battlefield. Thus, in the end, the court officials who had a good relationship with Father were very willing to give the troops weapons, hoping that Father's military achievements would allow them to speak loudly in the court. The enemies who did not have a good relationship with Father were even more willing to say, "You, Xu Xiao, are tired of living? Then you can go gnaw on the hardest bones and fight the hardest battles to the death." Afterwards, Father fought and fought his way south. Those lofty pillars of the imperial court, the noble clans and aristocratic families who had always looked down on Father, were finally willing to open their eyes and take a look. Only then were they somewhat afraid. Unknowingly, how did that barbarian Xu's troops become so majestic? "
Xu Xiao grinned, extending a hand. "Fifty thousand cavalry. Father used fifty thousand cavalry to destroy Northern Han. That year, the young emperor of Northern Han clamored with your father, saying that the one surnamed Xu was not worthy of your mother, Wu Su. He also said that your mother was blind and was not worthy of practicing the sword. Father did not argue with him. In the end, Father led six hundred elite cavalry, directly charging through the gates of the Imperial Palace and into the Throne Room. That fellow was paralyzed on the Dragon Throne, so frightened that he wet his pants. "
Hsu Fengnian's eyes were warm as he smiled. In reality, he had long since memorized this story by heart. He had heard it so many times that he was sick of it. However, he was different from the impatience that he displayed on his face in the past. Now, as long as Xu Xiao was willing to speak, he was willing to listen.
Xu Xiao suddenly smiled awkwardly. Clearly, he was thirsty. Waving his hand at Yuan Zuozong, who was deliberately standing far away, he said, "Go get two jugs of white wine. There is no need to warm it. The hotter it is, the better."
Yuan Zuozong quickly returned with two jugs of wine, one for Xu Xiao and one for Hsu Fengnian. After a pause, Xu Xiao no longer spoke of his past. Softly, he said, "Han Shengxuan is dead. Liu Hao is also dead. The only ones left are Benxi and Zhao Huangchao. What Father could not do, Son has done. Father is even happier. This time, Father left Beiliang not only to give Yan Wenluan and the others one last chance, but also to walk the same path as you. On the way, I went to the Jin Family's mansion. I did not want to make things difficult for them. However, I heard that the old man of Jin Lanting, Jin Right Chancellor, was scared to death on the same day after knowing that Father did not enter. "
Hsu Fengnian said helplessly, "You did not let them have a good New Year."
Xu Xiao dismissed it with a smile. He looked towards the northwest and slowly said, "Father has been thinking about one thing for the past two years. If Northern Mang is truly determined to go south regardless of the overall situation, then in the end, how much of the family's wealth will I hand over to you? Father had fought so many battles in his life. There were wins and losses, but he rarely won. But when he lost, it was really tragic. There were two times when he was almost completely wiped out. It was so tragic that no one thought that father could make a comeback. After losing the battle, I saw those young faces that were blackened by gunpowder. When they saw Father, they could still smile. They did not feel that they followed the wrong person. Father was aggrieved. At that time, I swore that even if Father was lucky enough to become a high-ranking official and have a son, I must let this kid go to the battlefield in the future! It was only in this way that Father felt that he had not let down those soldiers and felt a bit better. But when Father really did have a son, it was like when the Zhao family wanted to invite you to the capital to be their son-in-law. In truth, Father had thought of agreeing. At that time, Father thought that if he had to feel guilty, he should feel guilty toward Father alone. When Father went to the underworld, Father would apologize to Old Brothers. In his heart, Father still selfishly hoped that his son would not suffer such a fate. Then, Father took some wine to Tide-listening Pavilion to drink with Yishan. Did you know? Yishan directly threw the wine out of the room. It was only later when he heard that you had run off to roam the jianghu that I went to drink with him to drown my sorrows that Yishan finally smiled. He drank so much that Father could not stop him. "So in the past few years, after many old generals took root in Beiliang, many fathers were heroes and their sons were cowards. When their sons caused many disasters, they had to clean up their messes. Some of them left some face and directly came to Mount Qingliang to beg for mercy. Some of them thought that I couldn't see and sneakily did even more wrong things. They killed people to silence them and eliminate them by the roots. Their methods were not inferior to those of the Spring and Autumn War. Some of them were even more direct. They thought that since Father had risked his life to build his family business with Xu Xiao, it was no big deal for his own son to kill a few people and bully a few women. Murder and arson became a matter of course. Why didn't they think about why they were willing to put their lives on the line to fight Xu Xiao back then? Why did they not hesitate to kill officials?"
Xu Xiao fiercely gulped down a mouthful of wine. He asked with a smile, "Father originally wanted Yishan to do some things, but Yishan said that you would not let him do it no matter what. What were your thoughts?"
Hsu Fengnian calmly said, "You have a notorious reputation in this lifetime. Do you think you haven't been cursed enough? Only among the old generals and soldiers of Beiliang do you still have a good reputation. You're not afraid of being scolded for not cherishing old feelings, but I am. Before those new Emperors ascended the throne, the previous Emperors would quickly help remove the imperial schemes of those old meritorious men. Don't use them on Beiliang. If it were me, you would more or less be at ease, and I would have even less of a burden. Zhong Hongwu was just killing the chicken to warn the monkey. In the future, in Beiliang, favors are favors, and rules are rules. If anyone uses favors to break the rules with me, I will have them pack up and scram. This time, when I return to Beiliang, I will first go to the desert in the west and win over the hundreds of thousands of sinners who can mount and fight. After that, I will travel all over Beiliang's territory. I don't believe that I can't walk through Liyangjiang Lake and Beimang before I can walk through my own Beiliang. "
Xu Xiao nodded with gratification and continued to drink.
Xu Xiao swallowed the last mouthful of strong liquor and shook the empty flask. He said softly, "When we arrive in Beiliang, don't be in a hurry to win over the sinners' forces supported by Mount Yi. Accompany me to take a look at the Beiliang cavalry first, okay?"
Hsu Fengnian bit his lip and smiled. "How can a father always ask his son if he's okay?"
Xu Xiao threw the flask into the lake and also smiled. "How can a father repeatedly ask his son to go out and take risks?"
Xu Xiao put his hands in his sleeves and looked up at the sky. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Last time, I might have been busy killing people along the way and didn't feel it. Now I know that the south is cold to the bone. Father is old."
Hsu Fengnian silently took off his red fox fur hat and pressed it on Xu Xiao's head. He gently pulled it down and covered the old man's ears.
The old man moved his lips and suddenly turned around.
It was as if he didn't want his son to see his old tears and his heroic past.
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