Chapter 480: Getting Ready to Go

As the last town in the northwest of the Wei Dynasty, Honghe Town naturally became the front line during the war. Endless military tents were stationed on both sides of the Red River, giving the originally remote town a somewhat chilling feel.

Outside the 'Glacier Escort Agency' located in the corner of the town, there were several black police officers patrolling back and forth with their knives pressed, and there were several carriages parked in the courtyard.

Pei Xiangjun dressed up as a smart and capable female boss and stood at the door of the escort agency. Song Chi, who was about to report the affairs, reported the gang affairs:

"The local gangs are really unethical. I worked hard for several months and finally brought people from the south to support the gang. I thought about going out twice to test the water, but the result was great. The goods were sent from here to Wangheya, where they were given sweat medicine during the day and jumped by immortals at night. Within thirty miles, they would encounter a village bully who blocked the road and asked for money.

"My apprentice didn't dare to drink water randomly. He walked cautiously to Xiguan City. He thought he would be safe once he got to the city, but he never thought that someone would dare to pretend to be a Yamen officer and come to ask for bribes.

"My apprentice invited those servants to dinner in order to make ends meet. As a result, he drank a lot of wine and passed out. When he woke up the next day, he only had the clothes on him and even the knife was missing..."

Pei Xiangjun actually had a good impression of Liangzhou Jianghu because of the night terror. Now that he is really doing business here, he understands what "Ten Liang Nine Bandits" is. She said a little helplessly:

"When you are new to doing business here, it is normal to be deceived. If you suffer losses a few times, you will naturally know the way. Just pay double compensation to the sponsor for the lost goods, and it is not a big deal."

"It's nothing to lose goods, the main thing is to be embarrassed. My apprentice still has a chess piece from Honghualou, and he just has the words 'Night Terror Hall' written on his face. Who would have thought that these heroes from Liangzhou would treat everyone like this?" They treat everyone equally and don’t recognize the flag at all. I suspect that if the current emperor hadn’t paid attention, he would have been led away by these little guys..."

"That's not the case, Your Majesty, but the Hei Yamen did lose two good horses. It is said that the horse thieves pretended to be local fellows and sent cold melons to relieve the heat. The two detectives were enjoying the cold, eating melons and chatting. When they turned around, they saw that the horses were gone. I ran to catch up but failed to catch up. When I looked back, I saw that the fellow villager was gone too. Prince Jing was almost furious when he learned about this and personally led a team out to catch the thief..."

"It's really eye-opening to dare to attack people from the black government... No wonder the young master is so impeccable in his work at such a young age. None of the heroes who can get out of Liangzhou are good..."

…

Because Xuanji, the real person, accompanied Dongfang Liren to go out to suppress bandits, and Ning'er accompanied Qinghe to contact the subordinates of the Dongming Department, there were not many people in the backyard of the escort agency.

Hua Qingzhi was sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed by Luzhu, looking around in the small courtyard where Ye Jingtang had lived since childhood, whispering to each other:

"Young Master Ye lived here when you were a child?"

"Well, before I came here, I didn't know how poor Liangzhou was, and I didn't know how miserable Mr. Ye's life was when he was a child..."

…

Ever since she was kidnapped by Xue Baijin and brought to an enemy country, Hua Qingzhi has been living in the home of Ye Jingtang. Although she was living in a foreign country and had no one to rely on, Ye Jingtang treated her with courtesy and her wives and concubines did not take care of her. After living there for a while, she was Got used to it too.

Then the empress moved to Liangzhou, and Ye Jingtang wanted to follow her to deal with the affairs of the Xihai tribes, so she naturally followed. Although Ye Jingtang promised to send her home, now the Southern Dynasty surrounded Pingyi City, and Tianlang The lakeside was the frontal battlefield. She wanted to return to Hudong Road through Tianlang Lake, but it was obviously still a long way off.

Hua Qingzhi's legs and feet were inconvenient and she was unable to return to Beiliang on her own. She didn't know how long she would have to stay, so she felt a little melancholy. Fortunately, after walking around for a few times, Hall Master Song's cry came from outside:

"Eh?! The young master is back..."

…

Hua Qingzhi's eyes lit up, and before she could give any instructions, Luzhu kindly helped push the wheelchair and ran out directly...

———

Hoof-tapping hoof-tapping...

Two fast horses ran through the loess bags of Honghe Town, and the secret guard palace maid who was waiting at the camp near the town rushed over with the royal chariot.

Although the empress and Ye Jingtang were together in the future, their relationship was not made public after all. There was no reason for a majestic emperor to live in Ye Jingtang's home. For this reason, after arriving at Honghe Town, he took the Queen Mother behind him and walked towards the welcoming team. go.

Ye Jingtang stood under the loess bag and waved to the hand warmer secretly waving goodbye. After watching the two of them board the chariot, he turned and headed for the town.

Because the imperial army was camped near Honghe Town, Liangzhou heroes naturally did not dare to go any further nearby. The few people in the town also moved inland to avoid the war, making the town much more depressed than before.

Ye Jingtang rode into the town on horseback. He looked up and saw several people sitting in a small tea shop on the street. The cold and charming Ning'er stood alone outside the tea shop, looking down at the only person sitting there. Judging from the color of the puppy's coat, the little milk puppy with its tail wagging should be the breed of the black dog that often barks after people.

Qinghe was sitting in the tea shop, next to Jiang Laojiu from the Dongming tribe and several tribesmen, who seemed to be discussing things.

Ye Jingtang dismounted and just walked nearby when a big black dog emerged from the street and snatched the puppy away. It looked like he recognized him as the tyrant of Honghe Town and knew how to avoid taboos.

Luo Ning also raised her eyes and looked around:

"Where's the bird?"

"A cavalry team of unknown origin was discovered in the Hongfeng Lake area. They headed outside the customs. Birds are following them."

Ye Jingtang came to help Ning'er smooth her hair around her ears, and looked into the tea shop:

"What's going on over there in the West Sea?"

Luo Ning has been accompanying Qinghe and communicating with various departments in Xihai these days. She said:

"All the tribes in the West Sea are following the four major tribes. Currently, the Dongming tribe and the tribes with whom they have good relations are already preparing for war. They have gathered more than 6,000 strong men, but there are no weapons and horses. The Wuma tribe and Xuanhao tribe are waiting and watching, while Qinghe tribe Negotiation is useless, you have to give enough commitment in the past, and then they will lead the ministries and Beiliang to overturn the table.

"The Gouchen tribe is the main soldier of the tribes in the West Sea. It can draw 20,000 elite soldiers from this tribe alone. But because you killed Sima Yue, the Gouchen tribe is afraid that you will be liquidated after you take power. The tribe is divided into several factions. Some of them want to restore the country. , some are on the fence, and some are closely connected with Beiliang. Anyway, it’s quite chaotic..."

The tribes in the West Sea are more than a hundred small states that govern their own affairs. Although after forming a federation, their military strength can be comparable to that of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the chiefs of each tribe will consider their own ethnic groups first, and the royal court secondly.

This resulted in the fact that all the tribes in the West Sea were monolithic only when they were strong. Once they declined, King Tianlang's dominance would decline until the royal court disintegrated. For this reason, the northwest royal court in all dynasties only lasted for two or three generations at most.

The Night Terror Hall has the foundation laid by the three generations of Tianlang King in the past. It is not difficult to re-establish the royal court, but it is not as simple as raising one's arms and shouting. You still have to have good talks with all the ministries.

Fortunately, these matters can be studied by the ministers and staff of the imperial court, and he does not need to think about them.

After Ye Jingtang and Ning'er chatted for a while, seeing that Qing He was still chatting about business and would be busy for a while, he put the horse back to the escort office first.

Because all the people in the town had moved away, there were no outsiders around the escort agency, just some patrolling police officers.

As soon as Ye Jingtang arrived at the door of the escort agency, he found Uncle Song and Sanniang coming to greet him. He greeted with a smile:

"Uncle Song, didn't you go to the county town for business? Why are you back again?"

"Oh, don't mention it. I was discussing business with the wealthy people in the county. They assured me that my work in Honghualou was reliable and that no one would dare to mess with me outside the customs. But I turned around and lost the escort..."

As a martial artist who came from a bodyguard bureau, Ye Jingtang knew the seriousness of throwing a bodyguard.

After all, the escort agency not only delivers goods, but also occasionally gives away people or important personal belongings. Many donors don't care about the small amount of money they will be compensated for afterwards. They only care about whether the things to be transported can be delivered to the place safely and on time.

Once a dart is lost, the reputation of the bureau will be greatly reduced. There will be less business in the future, and it will be difficult to raise the price.

When Ye Jingtang saw that the bodyguard had been thrown away, he frowned and asked:

"Where did you lose it?"

"Xiguan City, the people below were drugged by someone pretending to be an official. I don't even know who stole it..."

Pei Xiangjun came closer and said softly:

"It's just a batch of Jiangzhou fabrics that was lost. It's not a big deal. You are in a high position now and have a lot of things to do. You can just let me deal with these trivial matters..."

When Ye Jingtang heard Uncle Song's description, he had already made a close guess in his heart and said:

"Ask the people below to go to Guanxi County to find Tuesday Dog, and ask him to send the goods back intact. If he doesn't acknowledge Uncle Song, go over and question him personally."

Song Chi's face darkened: "Did the dog do it this week?"

"Not necessarily, but he definitely knows who it is."

Song Chi was considered a semi-big shot in Tiannan. He had been educated since he came to Liangzhou, and he was still confused and didn't know who to look for. He was very angry, so he turned around and walked out:

"I'll go directly over. These Liangzhou barbarians dare not even recognize the flag of Honghua Tower. They are really rebelling..."

Ye Jingtang felt that Uncle Song was about to have a cerebral hemorrhage after spending half a year in Liangzhou. He wanted to comfort him, but Sanniang held his arm and pulled him into the house:

"Okay, you have to worry about such a trivial matter. If you really become Prince Tianlang in the future, you won't be exhausted. Come in and rest. Is it hot outside?"

"fine."

Ye Jingtang asked the big black horse to go back to the stables by himself. After entering the gate, he hugged Sanniang's waist, squeezed the plump moon, and looked around:

"Where is Li Ren and Shui'er?"

Pei Xiangjun naturally did not resist being pinched, and it was a bit funny when he said this:

"The two detectives under She Long lost their horses. King Jing was so angry that he personally led the team to suppress the bandits. Shui'er followed as a guard. I don't know if they were caught..."

Ye Jingtang shook his head at this and sighed: "Most of the head catchers came to Liangzhou for the first time. Before I left, I asked She Long to tell them to be careful. She Long still didn't believe that someone dared to disturb the head of Lord Yama. Now it's okay Now, I have a longer memory..."

Gulu gulu~

The two chatted for only a few words before the sound of a rolling wheel came from behind the escort office.

Pei Xiangjun quickly moved Ye Jingtang's hand away, stood upright, smiled at Hua Qingzhi who showed her head, and then quickly entered the back house.

Ye Jingtang came to the front and said with concern:

"Are you used to living here?"

"It's good, but it's a bit hot at night..."

Hua Qingzhi knew that Ye Jingtang went out yesterday morning to inquire about the information in Beiliang. After chatting for a while, she asked:

"What's the situation outside the customs now?"

Ye Jingtang knew that Hua Qingzhi was thinking about going home, so she smiled and said:

"The situation between the two armies is not good, but I got good news. Uncle Hua went to the Xihai Protectorate."

"Um?"

When Hua Qingzhi heard this, her eyes were naturally happy:

"Daddy is at the Xihai Protector's Mansion? Is he here to pick me up?"

Ye Jingtang shook his head: "Uncle Hua is now highly valued by the Northern Liang court, so why would he come here to pick someone up? He was just sent here to serve as a guard for the young Zuo Xianwang. I will leave for the border area soon and take you with me. As long as I meet Uncle Hua, you can take the Northern Liang ship back to Hudong Road."

Hua Qingzhi was naturally happy to hear that her return home was settled, but after thinking about it, she had an unreasonable hesitation in her heart.

After all, if she went back, she would be back to the time before she was kidnapped. Ye Jingtang would definitely not go to Hudong Road again in the short term, and it would be difficult for the two to meet again in the future.

Hua Qingzhi pondered for a moment and asked again:

"When do we leave?"

"Yesterday we found a group of people with unknown movements in the Gobi Desert. We have to follow them and leave tonight."

"So urgent?"

Hua Qingzhi moved her lips, pondered for a while, and returned to the courtyard in her wheelchair:

"Then I'll go pack my things."

Ye Jingtang had to pack up and leave, so he didn't try to stop him. After watching the master and servant leave, he returned to his room and began to pack up and prepare.

Not long after, the sound of horse hooves was heard again outside the escort agency.

Ye Jingtang had just finished washing up and came to the courtyard to look around. He saw Da Benben wearing a military uniform and riding on a horse, with a precious sword, Chihu, hanging around his waist. He turned over and dismounted at the door, his face as gloomy as water and very unhappy.

And behind him were the high-level officials of the Black Ya headed by She Long and Shang Jianli, all of whom kept their heads down in silence.

Ye Jingtang came to the entrance of the escort agency with a towel and glanced around:

"Have you caught the horse thief?"

Dongfang Liren felt ashamed when he heard this. He walked up to take the towel and wiped the sweat off his forehead:

"No. I am really surprised that a ghost messenger from the Black Court could have his horse stolen by a little ghost from Liangzhou, and I can't even find any clues. I just went to the military camp and more than a dozen generals were talking about this in the big tent. They almost put the word 'good-for-nothing' on my forehead..."

She Long had been scolded for a day. At this time, the big and strong man couldn't even raise his head. He muttered in a low voice. Gu:

"It was the first time Zou Hu and his men came. When they were patrolling, the people nearby gave them water and melons. I thought the local people were simple and honest. Who knew someone would dare to target the Black Yamen? This has never happened in the Central Plains..."

Ye Jingtang felt that these Black Yamen chiefs had been disciplined, and said:

"The horse thieves are all horse thieves. They are more familiar with the terrain than I am. If we don't catch them on the spot, they will go into the Gobi Desert and it will be difficult for even gods to find them. Just be more careful in the future. Go back and rest."

"Thank you, sir!"

Several Black Yamen high-level officials were as if they had been pardoned. They bowed and ran away.

Ye Jingtang wanted to ask about Shui'er's whereabouts, but when he looked around, he found Shui'er playing with a puppy outside a teahouse on the street with Ning'er. He didn't say much and hugged Benben into the house;

"Okay, calm down. I've suffered losses before, and I was almost robbed by the female leader of Hongshan..."

Dongfang Liren was not distressed about losing two horses, but was annoyed that he was conspicuous in front of the army with strict military discipline. He said sullenly:

"It's not easy for you to grow up safely in Liangzhou and stay out of the mud. By the way, the last time I came here, I didn't find Liangzhou so smoky..."

"You came here with me last time, so you naturally didn't encounter many outrageous things. Liangzhou is mainly poor and lacks education. When the world is peaceful in the future, the court will build more industries here, and the people will have work to do and food to eat, so there will naturally be fewer people who steal chickens and dogs..."

While chatting, the two came to the backyard.

Ye Jingtang helped fetch water for Benben, who had been running in the Gobi Desert for a day, to take a bath.

Dongfang Liren pulled the collar to cool Fathead Dragon, tiptoed to look at Hua Qingzhi's yard, and found that Hua Qingzhi was packing things. He was a little curious and came to the house to ask:

"What is she packing?"

Ye Jingtang poured water into the bathtub and responded:

"I have to go out tonight. Hua Qingzhi's father is in the West Sea Protectorate, so I will send her back."

Dongfang Liren closed the door and untied his belt:

"Are you really sending her back?"

"Because I kidnapped someone by misunderstanding, I have to send her back. I can't keep her here forever."

Dongfang Liren actually regarded Hua Qingzhi as a concubine who was about to come in. Seeing Ye Jingtang saying this with a normal look, she put her skirt aside, supported herself with both hands on the bathtub, sat on the edge of the bathtub, and tilted her head to look at Ye Jingtang:

"Are you really willing to do this?"

Ye Jingtang knew what Benben meant, shook his head and smiled:

"I'm not a pervert, how can I force someone to stay just because Master Xue tied him up unwillingly?"

Seeing this, Dongfang Liren frowned slightly: "Why? You want someone's body and heart?"

"How is that possible?"

Ye Jingtang looked a little helpless, standing in front of Benben, looking him up and down, and then raised his hand to push up the silver fat-headed dragon bellyband.

Dongdong~

Two white and flawless balls suddenly popped out and swayed slightly a few times.

Dongfang Liren was talking about something, and was caught off guard. She quickly raised her hand to cover it, but Ye Jingtang grabbed her wrist. She frowned and said:

"How dare you! I'm sweating all over, let me wash first..."

"It's okay, I'll help Your Highness wash..."

"No, alas~..."

Dongfang Liren still wanted to hide, but she was no match for Ye Jingtang at all. In the end, she leaned back in the bathtub and let Ye Jingtang help wash her fat head dragon:

"The situation outside the pass is unclear, remember to be safe when you go out."

Ye Jingtang kneaded the dough while holding the dragon that he couldn't even hold with one hand, his eyes full of smiles:

"I'll just show my face, and I'll be back after the affairs of the West Sea tribes are finalized. It won't take long."

"Hmph, I'm not in a hurry. If you dare to leave for too long, I'll take care of you..."

...

——

I'm really tired of writing, and I don't have any inspiration at all. My writing habits are really not suitable for writing long novels or2.