In the capital of Guangyi Prefecture, there was a moat and a drawbridge outside the city. The city gates were opened before dawn and the drawbridge was lowered for the people to pass through. When the sky turned dark, the drawbridge would be closed and the city gates would be closed. If the travelers did not make it in time to close the city gates, they would either spend the night in the city or spend the night outside the city. There was no exception for the ordinary people.
It was said that when the Wu Dynasty unified the world, the city gates were not closed day and night. Now that the world was fighting for supremacy, especially in a place like Guangyi Prefecture which had a strong army, the city gates were no longer closed at night.
Outside the city, it was not completely dark. There were pots of oil that were set up at intervals. The flames were blazing, preventing people from approaching. The people on the city walls could not see them. There was a small group of people stationed outside the city, in charge of adding oil to the fire. At night, the soldiers outside the city would go up and down in the form of hanging baskets.
Niu Youdao came to greet Shang Chaozong. Bai Yao brought Niu Youdao to the city wall to wait.
Seeing that Niu Youdao was looking around, seemingly very interested in the defensive arrangements outside the city, Bai Yao would have suspected that Niu Youdao was a spy sent by someone to gather military intelligence if he did not know that it was unlikely. Little did he know that Niu Youdao, an archaeologist, was only interested in the night defense system in ancient times. This was because there were some things that had disappeared with time that could not be seen by archaeologists.
Not to mention Niu Youdao, even Yuan Gang paid attention to it. After following Daoye for so many years, he had more or less acquired some occupational diseases.
They waited until the latter half of the night. A group of torches appeared on the official road in the distance, attracting the attention of the guards on the city wall. The commotion at the city wall also alerted Niu Youdao and the rest who were resting in the city wall tower. They all came out of the city wall tower to take a look.
Not long after, nearly a thousand cavalrymen arrived. They were the people who were escorting Shang Chaozong and the rest. Shang Chaozong and the rest looked up and saw Niu Youdao standing by the torches on the city wall, waving his hand to greet them. There was also Yuan Gang who accompanied him silently like a shadow. The latter always had a cold look on his face.
No matter what, seeing Niu Youdao here more or less made them feel more at ease.
After verifying that they were on the same side and receiving orders from above, they lowered the drawbridge, opened the city gates, and let the group of people enter the city.
When they entered, the city gate was closed and the drawbridge was raised again.
Inside the city, Niu Youdao finally met up with Shang Chaozong and the rest. They cupped their fists and greeted each other.
"Daoye!" Hearing Shang Chaozong and the others address Niu Youdao in such a manner, both Bai Yao and Shou Nian were somewhat astonished.
Niu Youdao chuckled and said: "Prince, the Prefect Daren has already vacated a manor for the Prince and his entourage to stay in temporarily. It's getting late now, it won't be too late to pay a visit to the Prefect tomorrow." He winked.
Shang Chaozong and the rest had many questions, but when they saw Niu Youdao's eyes, they knew that it wasn't a good place to talk in front of so many people.
The group got on their horses again, and under the guidance of Shou Nian and the rest, they arrived at a manor in the city. The place wasn't small, and was enough for Shang Chaozong and the hundreds of people to stay.
Shou Nian took his leave after bringing them there. His mission was complete.
Shang Chaozong's personal army temporarily took over the manor, and immediately started a search. It wasn't that he didn't trust Feng Lingbo, but it was a routine.
After confirming that there weren't any problems, those who should rest took turns to rest, those who should be on duty, and those who should be patrolling went on patrol.
Shang Chaozong and the other core members entered the main courtyard. Even though they were travel-worn, they didn't have the mood to rest. They instructed people to guard the surroundings and not let outsiders near.
Niu Youdao knew that they had questions for him, and the moment they entered the living room, Shang Chaozong immediately asked impatiently, "Daoye, I heard that you're matchmaking me and Feng Ruonan, is that true?"
Niu Youdao nodded his head honestly, "If there aren't any accidents, this marriage should be set in stone. From what I see, Feng Lingbo is eager, and it won't be delayed for long. I reckon that Prince will officially marry Feng Ruonan in a few days." As he said, he chuckled and cupped his fists, "Congratulations to Prince in advance!"
Receiving confirmation, Lan Ruoting and Shang Shuqing looked at each other, and then looked at Shang Chaozong's reaction.
Shang Chaozong's expression twitched, "Daoye, why didn't you discuss such a big matter with me first?"
Niu Youdao sighed, "Ai, I was forced by the situation. That Feng Ruonan isn't very pretty, and I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to figure it out. Prince, just bear with it for a while! "
Yuan Gang didn't utter a word. He understood Daoye, and knew that Daoye didn't really trust Shang Chaozong and the others. He wouldn't easily reveal his trump card. If there were any tricks involved, or if someone obstructed his plans, he might be in danger. A veteran like Daoye wouldn't easily force himself into a desperate situation.
This isn't a question of whether he should bear with it or not. Shang Chaozong didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he knows that his relationship with Niu Youdao isn't very good, and there are some things that he can't directly question or express his stance on, fearing that it might cause Niu Youdao to be unhappy or have some misunderstandings. He's not stupid, and can tell that Niu Youdao has some reservations about his side, and hasn't fully pledged his allegiance. Even his sister Shang Shuqing advised him not to be too full of himself in front of Niu Youdao for the time being, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings. Some things should be said by her and Lan Ruoting.
Lan Ruoting said solemnly, "Daoye matchmaking this marriage, does it have anything to do with borrowing troops?"
Niu Youdao was amused, and teased, "Prince has become Feng Lingbo's son-in-law, so how can Feng Lingbo not protect Prince? Sending troops to Prince is very normal."
"Daoye, Prince is very anxious, don't tease him anymore." Lan Ruoting smiled bitterly and shook his head, and raised a few questions, "Why would Feng Lingbo agree to marry Feng Ruonan to Prince? Even if she were to marry, why would she lend troops to Prince, not to mention sending troops to Cangwu County with Prince? She can't possibly let Prince stay in Guang Guang County, that would be defying the imperial decree, and Feng Lingbo doesn't need to cause such trouble! "
Seeing that the other party was travel-worn from the long journey, and had yet to wash up, and had a tired expression, Niu Youdao didn't tease him anymore, and said seriously, "Of course it's not that easy to agree, there must be a condition, and the condition is to give him a hundred thousand crow generals!"
"Ah!" The few of them were shocked, because to them, a hundred thousand crow generals doesn't even exist, so they didn't expect Niu Youdao to use something that doesn't exist as a condition to negotiate with Feng Lingbo.
Lan Ruoting said worriedly, "Something that doesn't exist, not even a shadow can be seen, how can Feng Lingbo agree?"
Niu Youdao retorted, "Who says it doesn't exist? Isn't it enough to have His Majesty to prove it? "
The few of them were stunned, and couldn't react for a moment.
"It's very simple, talk about facts, reason, and make Feng Lingbo believe in the existence of a hundred thousand crow generals …" Niu Youdao roughly explained the process of persuasion, actually the logic was very simple, and it wasn't something hard to understand.
After listening to it, the three of them were suddenly enlightened, and were speechless. But they had to admit that it was reasonable, and Feng Lingbo found it hard not to believe, no wonder Feng Lingbo didn't hesitate to marry her daughter to him. The three of them were speechless, this fellow really dared to do it!
Shang Shuqing said worriedly, "This can only deceive him for a while, it won't last long, won't it be troublesome if we can't take out the thing later?"
Niu Youdao said disapprovingly, "Region Lord, I don't like what you said, how did it become a lie in your mouth? Do I look like a liar to you? "
Shang Shuqing thought to himself, if this isn't a lie, then what is? But on the surface, he still waved his hands, "Daoye misunderstood, that's not what I meant."
Niu Youdao: "I know that's not what you meant, I understand, there's no need to explain! Region Lord, this isn't called a lie, this is called a trick, have you ever seen a thief not steal because he's afraid of being caught? In the pugilistic world, there are all sorts of people, and all of them want to establish themselves in the pugilistic world, so they all have to show off their abilities, and rely on their own abilities. You haven't even taken the first step, and you're already worried that the boat will capsize, then don't play! In the future, Feng Ruonan will already be the Prince's wife, what, does Feng Lingbo really want to kill her son-in-law and turn her daughter into a widow? Besides, as long as we have the troops, we'll have a stable foothold, and space to display our abilities, we're not dead, can a living person suffocate to death? Sooner or later, we'll be able to turn the borrowed troops into our own. On this side, Feng Lingbo is just a puppet, and the ones who have the final say are the Heavenly Jade Sect. In short, it all depends on whether the Prince has any value to the Heavenly Jade Sect, and as long as he's valuable, so what if I tell them there's no such thing as a hundred thousand crow generals? They still won't give up on the Prince! At the end of the day, it all depends on whether the Prince can make them take a liking to him. Otherwise, even if they find a hundred thousand crow generals and give it to them, the Prince won't be able to do much without any value. Region Lord, the hundred thousand crow generals is just a means to cash in, don't worry about the fact that you won't be able to complete your mission with a hundred thousand crow generals, just think about how to make good use of this borrowed capital, and look forward, everything else is just fleeting clouds! In the pugilistic world, be it the wind or the rain, we'll deal with whatever comes our way, what's there to be afraid of? "
This opinion was rather unconventional, but it made the three of them feel enlightened. They had never heard of such a thing before, but when they thought about it, it did make sense. It was very refreshing, and the three of them suddenly had a strong confidence towards the future.
"Daoye is wise, Shuqing has learned something!" Shang Shuqing cupped his hands and bowed respectfully. His bright eyes behind the veil swept a glance at Yuan Gang, and he recalled Yuan Gang's reminder … To their situation, Daoye is more important than his cultivation!
Shang Chaozong looked at Niu Youdao with a trace of peculiarity in his eyes, it was respect!
Lan Ruoting, on the other hand, laughed bitterly in his heart. No wonder this guy was able to swindle Feng Lingbo into marrying off his daughter. This mouth of his could even turn a dead man into a living man!
"I don't have any wise opinion, I'm just facing reality, that's all. That, Prince, let's talk about something more realistic." Niu Youdao waved his hand at Shang Shuqing, coughed dryly, reached into his sleeves, and took out a piece of paper, handing it to Shang Chaozong. "This is the fee for this task, Prince, think of a way to settle it."
Shang Chaozong received the paper and opened it, and after reading it, he raised his head with a face full of suspicion. "You borrowed money from Feng Ruonan?"
Niu Youdao grunted. "I borrowed ten thousand gold coins, and the other party was supposed to pay a hundred thousand gold coins, but I thought of a way to help Prince save on the interest, and ten thousand gold coins is enough for the principal."
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