bookcurios Chapter 212 Departure
Chapter 212 Departure
Zhang Xiaofeng is the sixth child in Zhang Xuegeng's family. His nickname is Xiaoliuzi, and some people also call him Zhang Xiaoliu.
"My Liu'er is an excellent spearman, better than your fourth brother." Hearing Zhang Xuegeng's words, Zhang Xiaojun stopped waving the bright silver spear and looked at the person who came.
"Father, do you have something to ask me?"
Zhang Xuegeng took the cloak from the attendant, stepped forward to put it on Zhang Xiaofeng, and said earnestly:
"I have six sons, and now only you and your fourth brother are left. I originally wanted to lay down my butcher knife and find a pure land to live in peace, but the world is so big that there is no place for my Zhang family army."
"What's wrong? Did Fourth Brother fail in his mission?"
"I've been gone for over a month, and there's been no news for the past ten days or so. I'm worried, so I'm planning to send you out to look for him and investigate."
Zhang Xiaojun understood what Zhang Xuegeng meant. He guessed that Zhang Xiaosi was in great danger this time, but he didn't trust others to go look for him, so he wanted to go himself.
"Father, I will lead a thousand cavalrymen south to find my fourth brother!" Zhang Xiaojun clasped his fists towards Zhang Xuegeng and said confidently.
At present, if you go to the south, no matter what identity you enter the Zhou territory with, you will easily be questioned and extorted by local officers and soldiers. If you are not careful, you may be arrested as an enemy spy. Zhang Xuegeng is well aware of the mystery.
"Bring some elite soldiers and disguise them as fur traders. We have some covert contacts in Yan territory, which can be considered as commercial dealings."
No matter where the businessmen come from, they basically have an official as their background. The safest way for Zhang Xiaofeng to go south is to use these businessmen as cover.
……
Roland brought Dema and Yelu Feng, using the pseudonym Ye Lingfeng, and more than a hundred people. After entering Bingzhou, they headed south and arrived in Luoyang, where they searched everywhere for Guo Zian.
"Miss, we've made some inquiries and found that there are many families with the surname Guo in Luoyang, but there is definitely no scholar or juren named Guo Zi'an."
"People from the Central Plains usually have two names. Could he have used another name?"
Roland and the others had been here for over ten days, and were getting anxious waiting. They made an appointment with the person who was out looking for them today to meet at the teahouse.
"Have you heard that the former general, Guo Yaoshi, who surrendered, is leading the army to support Dingzhou?"
"real or fake?"
Two tea drinkers were chatting in a corner of the teahouse, and their conversation inadvertently drifted into Dema's ears.
She nudged Roland with her arm and glanced at the tea table where they were talking.
Roland understood, turned his head slightly, and listened attentively with bated breath.
"This Guo Yaoshi's son is the son-in-law of our Luoyang Zheng family. He is not someone that ordinary people can offend. Be careful with your words."
Another person in the chat whispered a warning.
"That Guo Zian you're talking about is just a playboy. He's an eighth-rank official in Deshui, just messing around."
"Ha ha ha ha……"
The warning did not work, but was instead despised and caused laughter.
"Pa..." Roland slammed the tea bowl on the table, and the tea splashed everywhere. Yelu Feng, who was standing beside him, was busy wiping his face, but he was actually laughing to himself.
Especially when he heard that Guo Zian was the son-in-law of the Zheng family.
"Let's go!" Roland shouted angrily.
Everyone got up and left the teahouse.
"Wow! This group of people have quite a temper, and one of them is a woman."
"You can tell at first glance that she's not a lady from a wealthy family. She's hanging around on the streets without showing her face!"
After Roland left, the tea drinkers continued talking.
"Deshui Eighth Rank Official, let's go to Deshui!"
With a target in mind, they decided to go and see whether Guo Zian was the person she was looking for.
Take a boat through Zhang County and you will reach Deshui County a hundred miles away.
"Are you looking for Guo Zi'an? He's been conscripted to Woniu City by Daming Prefecture. What do you want from County Magistrate Guo?"
The person being questioned was a squad leader at the county government office. Seeing that there were both men and women coming, they seemed to be quite familiar with Guo Zian.
"Well, we're traveling merchants, passing through here. A friend once mentioned that he was working at the government office here, so we came to visit him. However, we were a little skeptical at the time. He was only twenty, how could he be working at the government office?"
Roland asked this question because he wanted to confirm whether Guo Zian was the person he was looking for.
"County Lieutenant Guo's father is a mighty general in Daming Prefecture. He came here just to gain experience, so it's not surprising that he became a county lieutenant at such a young age."
Seeing that the squad leader didn't object, Roland knew that the age issue was correct. He handed over a dozen copper coins and said with a smile, "Is my sister-in-law at home?"
"His wife is at the general's residence and has not been brought to this county."
Sure enough, he still likes to be alone outside. Roland is sure in his heart that Guo Zian is the person he is looking for.
"I don't think this Guo Zian is a good person."
Even though Roland was upset, Yelu Feng did not forget to pour cold water on him.
"The person who lied to me deserves death."
Roland gritted his teeth and uttered these words.
"Then should we go to the military to look for him, or?..."
"To the military, but we can't reveal our identities."
"But last time they already knew we were from the grassland."
"It's all right. He just thinks we're fur traders."
Since no one is telling the truth, let's continue to pretend.
At this moment, Roland had already thought about killing Guo Zian or taking him away.
Once a woman has an idea, it's hard to pull her back, especially since she's a stubborn ox on the grassland...
He announced to the outside world that he was heading north to help Dingzhou quell the rebellion, but in fact, Guo Yaoshi brought his subordinates and his son with him and only came to Woniu City for defense.
"General Guo, are you going to collect taxes to suppress bandits and quell rebellions this time?" Pan Hu, the county lieutenant of Woniu City, asked with a flattering look on his face.
Pharmacist Guo looked at County Magistrate Qi Zhixing and asked, "County Magistrate Qi? What do you think?"
"Haha, old rules, I understand!" Qi Zhixing picked up the wine pot and filled it for Pharmacist Guo. He turned to Guo Zian and filled it again, then raised the wine glass and said, "Come, this humble official offers a toast to your superior."
Pan Hu knew that there were some questions he shouldn't ask, so he quickly picked up his glass and toasted Guo Zian.
"I apologize for my words. I will arrange the next program later. Please come and enjoy it!"
"Down there?" Guo Zian looked down and laughed evilly: "Hahaha..."
"Rebellious son, we are on this expedition to quell the rebellion. It's already outrageous to feast and eat so lavishly, yet you're still thinking about having fun?"
Pharmacist Guo's words suddenly woke Pan Hu and Guo Zian up, and they looked at each other in silence.
In the past, under the banner of suppressing rebellions, the army needed money and food wherever it passed. Not only did the local governments have to pay, but the imperial court’s finances would also allocate most of the money.
Woniu City is located on a highway. The imperial court would deliver food, money and other supplies here and make a fortune here.
In November of late autumn, Woniu City was quietly shrouded in a thin layer of chill, as if the whole world was gently awakened by the prelude to winter.
The north wind, with its biting coldness, blows rudely through every corner of the ancient city. Its every breath seems to be fighting against time, trying to carve its own mark on this ancient and dry wall.
The old wall, which has witnessed countless vicissitudes of life, now looks even more mottled under the ravages of the wind.
The cracks in the wall are like scars on the earth, deep and long. They are not just single cracks, but more like forgotten stories, quietly waiting for those who are interested to listen.
The murmur of falling mud on the wall, a sigh intertwined with time and wind and frost, echoes in the empty city walls.