In the twenty-third (above) Helan Que's new deputy general defeated the old steward of Wuhou Mansion

Thundering Empire, the western frontier.

The north wind swept the white grass and folded, and the snow flew in August.

The snow in Western Xinjiang comes early, not like the "frost and snow at the end of the world" in the northern regions, and not like the "thousands of trees and pear blossoms" in the Central Plains - in the yellow sand desert of Western Xinjiang, snow is nothing more than endless mud, not covered by pure snow, and the cruelty of war comes more straightforwardly.

If Jiangnan Prefecture is a graceful and delicate moth with bright eyes and bright teeth, Fu Fan Shi Zhu, and a fragrant breeze when she twists her buttocks and walks around; the Central Plains is a small jasper with a moth eyebrow, looking forward to life, clear water out of hibiscus, and naturally carved and decorated; and the Northern Regions is a femme fatale beauty who is slim and jade, ice clear and jade, cold and thin under the cover, but actually hides needles in the cotton—then the border of Western Xinjiang is an unkempt crazy woman with a smoky fire, a big waist and a round waist, moving and still, from the face, skin, and fingers, and even with blood stains.

Unlike the words of the scholars of Jiangnan Prefecture, there are no wandering and down-and-out swordsmen in Western Xinjiang, there is no mud-walled inn with poignant stories, there is no pot of wind and dust spirits called drunken life and dream death, only the endless yellow sand that can be scooped up casually and you can catch dry bones, and the scattered shrubs that may drink human blood if you see a random one.

The snow in the western Xinjiang is also going fast, the desert is lonely, the sun sets over the long river, and the cow's tongue that grows tenaciously in the long yellow sand has taken advantage of the snow to sprout new sprouts.

Creatures who dare to fight against fate are respectable.

Even if they are hostile to each other.

Helan Mountain, Li Qingyun, who was covered in blood, cut off the head of the enemy general with a halberd, and the enemy army was killed.

Li Qingyun, who seemed to be praying softly for the enemy general who would fight to the death until the end of his life, was actually muttering: "It's a man! If you become a ghost male, you should quickly take your subordinates and ghosts to reincarnate together, don't come to suffer Lao Tzu!"

The once shy young man pulled up the heavy halberd, danced in a circular arc, carried the arrow, turned around and gave a deep order: "Clean up the battlefield." ”

Western Xinjiang camp, middle tent.

Xu Lin, a veteran who was strong and strong, stood up, walked to the front of the side of the main seat, and pulled out the military order in his hand: "Li Qingyun, commander of the night wolf battalion of the Guerrilla Legion of the Shizi Army, receives the order——"

Opposite the veteran Xu Lin, the chief of the right deputy seat, as soon as he returned to the camp in the western Xinjiang from Helan Mountain, he was ordered to hurry to the middle tent, and Li Qingyun, who had not had time to take off his blood-stained armor, stood up straight.

Li Qingyun stared at each other, walked to the main seat of the middle tent, and bowed half-way in front of the main seat.

The veteran Xu Lin said loudly: "After the study and decision of the Shizi Army, Li Qingyun, the commander of the Night Wolf Battalion of the Guerrilla Legion, will be promoted to the right deputy commander of the Shizi Army, and the Wild Beak Battalion and Leopard Head Battalion of the Spear Legion under the Shizi Army, the Tiger Ben Battalion and the Lion Roar Battalion of the Euphorbia Legion, the Rhino Horn Battalion and the Snake Kiss Battalion of the Axe Cavalry Legion, the Crocodile Bite Battalion and the Bear Fight Battalion of the Knife and Car Legion, and the Ten Battalions of the Night Wolf Battalion and the Night Owl Battalion of the Guerrilla Legion!

Li Qingyun raised his hands and took the military decree and tiger talisman: "Xie Wuhou - guard my thunder territory without losing an inch, and protect my stone-shaped military flag forever!"

On the main seat, Shi Qinlian stood up and took two steps forward, and nodded towards Li Qingyun: "Vice General Li." ”

The veteran Xu Lin helped Li Qingyun up, and hit Li Qingyun in the chest with a punch, the breastplate made a dull sound, and the veteran Xu Lin laughed happily: "Vice General Li! Vice General Li! Vice General Li! Hahahaha-Lao Tzu can finally shout this title again!"

In the middle of the camp in Western Xinjiang, the main generals and strategists of the Shizi Army Qi He, the post of right deputy commander who had been vacant for many years under the Shizi Army was finally succeeded by someone, and the "Zuo Lin and Right Li" of the Shizi Army were complete again.

The meeting dispersed, and the high-level generals and strategists of the Shizi Army left, leaving only Shi Qinlian and Li Qingyun.

Shi Qinlian no longer had a serious face, patted Li Qingyun's shoulder, and said with a pleased smile: "Little Lizi, you take Luo Yi's girl, go home together, and then let her take care of the baby in Wuhou Mansion." You don't have to rush back, stay in Liuye and drink with the lame man for a few days, and pick a good time to tell him that he is going to be a grandfather. When Shi Qinlian said this, he imagined in his mind what the cripple would look like after hearing the news, and laughed heartily: "Hahaha-I don't know how happy the cripple will be when he finds out!"

"My lord, I ...... The new commander of the Ninth Battalion, I want to ...... Take a while to ...... "The new right deputy commander of the Shizi Army is still very cramped when facing the commander Wuhou.

Shi Qinlian's voice sank, and he interrupted: "What's the matter?

Li Qingyun knelt in vain: "Your Majesty doesn't dare." ”

Shi Nianyuan rubbed his temples and kicked Li Qingyun out of the camp with one kick: "If you are told to go, you will go, you fuck it." ”

......

For some reason, the closer this year's Liuye City is, the heavier the snow will be.

Chinese New Year's Eve and a half, heavy snow.

I know that the snow is heavy at night, and I hear the sound of breaking bamboo.

The blowing window is brighter, and the moon shines on the snow for a day.

Early the next morning, many old people who slept less and got up early sighed that it had not snowed so much in Liuye City for more than ten years.

Under the rule of Wuhou, the county was safe and peaceful, Zhumen did not dare to smell dog meat, and the road rarely saw frozen bones, and most of the people were full of hope, hoping for a good year in Ruixue.

Snow-capped, the streets and alleys in the city are covered with snow and a half, the branches beside the road bear heavy snow pressure, hanging and deformed, and those proud trees and green bamboos who don't understand the reason for bending and stretching were crushed by the heavy snow last night.

The Liuye City Transportation Department had to take the initiative to negotiate with the Ministry of Politics to refine the responsibilities and subcontract them, and the level was clear. In the eyes of the people of Liuye City, the most obvious change is that the number of street sweepers has more than tripled all of a sudden, in order to ensure the smooth flow of the road, the street sweepers are busy clearing snow, transporting snow, and melting snow, and many armored guards have also been arranged to help.

Suffering those children who had never seen such heavy snow, crying and making trouble, begging everywhere not to clean up the snowflakes all over the city, some adults who were sweeping the snow on their tiles were annoyed by the children's pulling and messing around, so they grabbed the children and fed them a broom, and then taught the truth that the heavy snow weighed down the collapse of the house.

Surrounded by Yecheng City, thousands of mountains and twilight snow, into the eyes of the white.

Li Cripple, the chief butler of Wuhou Mansion, walked out of his pine and cypress courtyard, and his lame leg was stretched out in the snow with a long zigzag trace.

Li Cripple walked up to a young martial slave who was shaking the trunk of a Eucommia tree violently, stopped and said, "Be light, just shake the snow down, shake the tree too hard and break it, and when spring begins, it won't bud." ”

The young martial slave turned around and saw the lame butler, and nodded in fear.

Li Cripple, who had taken a new step, was stunned, and suddenly realized that he hadn't yelled at the young martial slave just now.

Cripple my bull temper, when did it suddenly get better......

Li Cripple shook his head, tightened the military attack, and continued to patrol the Wuhou Mansion.

Covering an area of nearly seventy acres, the vast mansion with nine entrances and nine exits, Li Cripple dragged his lame legs, less than three or two times a day, and more than eight or nine times, inadvertently, it has been 20 years since he left.

Walking through an arched courtyard gate, Li Cripple raised his eyebrows, bowed down with difficulty, pushed the spittoon box that had been moved on the ground back to the wall and straightened it, and then picked up the mixing stick on the ground and stirred the ashes.

Shi Nianyuan, who was wearing a snow-white fox velvet hat, approached with a brazier, and Li Cripple hurriedly stood up and shouted, "Young Master." ”

Shi Nianyuan walked in front of Li Cripple, looked at Li Cripple's rickety back, and said softly: "Li Shutu, you don't have the appearance of a big housekeeper, these little things will naturally be done by subordinates." ”

Li lame scratched his head, smiled and said, "I always feel that those fools don't let me rest assured that they don't do anything." ”

This picture is not uncommon in the Wuhou Mansion.

A lame man and a child wandered around the Wuhou Mansion side by side countless times, and when they saw something unpleasant, a lame man and a child sang and harmonized, teased and praised, and scolded the people in the mansion to the point of splitting their heads and covering their faces.

Day after day, year after year, the child gets taller and taller, the lame man gets shorter and shorter, the energy of scolding becomes weaker and weaker, and the speed of wandering becomes slower and slower.

Shi Nianyuan suddenly realized that Li Shutu was old.

Li Cripple felt the temperature coming from the brazier that Shi Nianyuan was carrying, and felt a lot warmer: "Young Master, have all your friends left?"

Shi Nianyuan shook his head and smiled: "No, Murong Shan didn't go to Xuqian Jiangbei with him, and he should be in Jiangtao Courtyard now." Shi Nianyuan stretched out his hand and hugged the snow-white little fox into his arms and said, "And her, Ruohu." ”

Looking at the amplitude of Li Cripple's rickets, Shi Nianyuan bent his legs and squatted a little lower.

Li lame squinted and laughed, wanting to reach out and tease the snow-white little fox, but he remembered something, took his hand back, laughed twice, and said happily: "Ruohu, hello...... I was much more energetic than half a year ago, when you were dying, and you didn't want to give me a hug to the lame. ”

A burst of inspiration flowed, a woman in a plain white dress and silver hair like a waterfall appeared in front of the two, and she could feel the status of Li Cripple in Shi Nianyuan's mind. ”

Li Cripple was really taken aback by this situation, although when he was in the army, he had the martial arts realm of a second-grade martial artist, and he had heard many strange stories about the Immortal Dao, but this was the first time he had seen such a grotesque scene.

The lame old housekeeper, who had passed the age of destiny, quickly calmed down and said happily: "My daughter is really handsome, but her hair is whiter than that of a lame woman. ”

In fact, Ruohu's silver hair is not as white as snow.

Shi Nianyuan found that Li Cripple's eyes had begun to be a little chaotic.

The three of them walked slowly in the Wuhou Mansion, and Li Cripple seemed to be very fond of talking today, talking about brick by brick, grass and trees.

Li Cripple said that he could easily walk through this huge mansion with nine entrances and nine exits with his eyes closed.

Li Cripple said that the courtyard wall had newly lost paint, and he would go to Wunu to repair it after a while.

Li Cripple said that the floor tile was newly cracked, and he would go to the palace guard to replace it after a while.

Li Cripple said that he and the young master had buried a nursing dog that had accidentally ingested rat poison and died under the big banyan tree.

Li Cripple said that he and the young master had quietly cast the fish grass they had made up in the pond together, and poisoned a pool of arowana that they had bought.

Li Cripple said that he and the young master had secretly dug a pit and under the courtyard wall together, and after covering it with residual branches and weeds, he tricked Mao San into stepping on it, but he also stepped into it.

Li Cripple said that he and the young master once climbed the old honey locust tree together when the double moon was full, and the crown of the tree was on the branches, and the young master once asked him: "Li Shutu, have you found it? Xuandu is really fucking terrifying!"

When passing by Lin Shen Courtyard, Li Cripple pointed to the bare maple tree in the courtyard, saying that it was also in the New Year's Eve on the first day, the young master and his wife lived separately on the first day, and in the middle of the night, he and the young master had been tinkering with fireworks under the tree together, and as a result, there was a loud bang, which blew up his and the young master's faces black, and blew up and down the Wuhou Mansion.

"That's the first time I've seen Madame beat the young master, but I'm really anxious, and I'm kneeling hard to plead for mercy!" Li Cripple's eyes were full of memories, and then he smiled awkwardly: "Madame's rare book that was trampled on barefoot at that time, I tried to repair it later, but there were many pieces missing, and the repair was incomplete." ”

Li Cripple pointed to the stone pavilion in the courtyard again, and the sword feather eagle was standing on the eagle stick in the pavilion. Li lame said with a smile: "After the young master went to the foothills of Lieyang Mountain to look for immortals and asked, Mao San and I often came to Lin Shen Courtyard, looking forward to the black-haired chicken flying back every day. ”

When passing by the tent room, Li Cripple walked over and pushed open the door as always, and shouted: "Mao San!

There is no figure of the God of Wealth in the room, Li Cripple looked at the side compartment, there is a bed, under the bed board, there is a secret road, there are hundreds of ghosts in the secret road, and it is estimated that there is also the God of Wealth who has stepped on the fairy road.

Li lame sighed silently, and then continued to talk about the interesting things of the past, I don't know if it was for Ruohu, or for Shi Nianyuan to reminisce together, or for himself.

Ruohu listened very carefully, chuckled from time to time, tilted his head from time to time and asked curiously, "Uncle Li, what happened later?"

Shi Nianyuan rarely had no gags, and when he wandered around with Li Cripple in the past, the two of them talked and laughed. But today, for some reason, Shi Nianyuan wanted to say a meat joke several times, and then laughed obscenely with Li Cripple, but he couldn't find the right time.

......

Yellow sand desert, a stone-shaped military standard carriage.

In the carriage, Li Qingyun's wife Luo Yi grabbed Li Qingyun's arm and snuggled tightly.

Li Qingyun was wearing regular clothes and said with a smile: "I still remember that three years ago, in order to expedite the order of the Marquis of Wu to the young master, I rushed back to Cangyun Liuye by myself, and killed six horses. That time, I had the courage to take you back to the camp in Western Xinjiang, and it was three years in a flash. The living conditions in the border areas are poor, and you can't get in touch with anyone in the barracks, except for some family members who come to visit. Luo Yi, thank you for your hard work. ”

Luo Yi shook her head and stroked her lower abdomen with one hand: "It's good to be with you, it's okay, it's not hard at all." Every time you go on an expedition, I pray to Heaven for your triumphant victory and for your safe return. ”

Li Qingyun lifted the curtain of the car and looked at the endless desert: "I haven't returned for three years, I don't know if my father's body is okay." ”

Luo Yi said angrily: "There is annual leave to take every year, but every time I persuade you, you always say that Hao'er Lang guards the frontier and benefits the people, and if there is no country, he has no home, so he has to stay in the camp in Western Xinjiang...... If it weren't for the adults this time, I would have thought you would have let me go back alone......"

Li Qingyun smirked a few times.

Luo Yituo stared at her cheeks and said softly: "Once, when you were a martial slave and I was a big girl, you just used such a clean and good-looking smile, so I couldn't forget you anymore." ”

Li Qingyun pulled away Luo Yi apologetically to hold his hand, got up and took out a large square brocade box from the big bag on the floor of the carriage, and carefully sorted it out after opening it.

Luo Yi looked at the badges and scrolls stacked randomly in the brocade box, and said with a joke: "Don't you usually never care about these feats?

Li Qingyun picked up a military merit medal, blew the dust, wiped it with his sleeve, and smirked: "Sort it out, show it to my father." ”

Luo Yi took out a handkerchief and helped her husband tidy up together: "You look like a child who has done something good, ready to go to an adult to invite merit for candy to eat." ”

Luo Yi didn't hear Li Qingyun's answer, she looked up and saw her husband stunned in front of an old military merit medal, so she asked, "Qingyun, what's wrong?"

Li Qingyun put down the first-class military merit medal that belonged to the deceased eldest brother, and shook his head: "It's nothing ......."

......

Wuhou Mansion, the main hall of the mansion.

Wuhou has been guarding the western frontier for many years, and the Wuhou Mansion is actually rarely opened.

But today, on both sides of the mansion, there are two rows of fish and dragon battalion armor soldiers who are as straight as guns, and their swords are solemn and quiet.

There is a young man wearing the marquis python robe, sitting in the main seat of the high platform, and a few cases in front of the young man, a seal-shaped Wuhou Mansion seal is placed.

In the hall, the six divisions directly under the Wuhou Mansion are in charge, and the heads of the political departments of Yecheng are left behind, standing neatly in the order of respect and inferiority.

Shi Nianyuan said calmly: "The normal procedure is over, let's talk about something else." On weekdays, I directly delegated power to the six divisions directly under the Wuhou Mansion, and almost did not interfere in the affairs of Yecheng. The political ministries subordinate to the imperial court have cooperated with the six divisions quite happily in recent years. ”

"I don't go around the bush either, the most talked about these days is the night walk of a hundred ghosts, this file is not difficult to check, follow the vine and touch the melon, it is easy to know that I did it. As a result, some officials sent a secret message, criticizing me for only purging officials below the seventh grade, accusing me of letting go of a lot of fish that slipped through the net, and encouraging me to continue to purge upwards. Shi Nianyuan bit down the three words "criticism", "accusation", and "instigation", and continued: "Since you are so bold, you don't need me to name them now, right?"

Among the officials in the hall who belonged to the imperial court, several knelt down.

Shi Nianyuan glanced at several kneeling officials: "I was in a bad mood that day and wanted to kill someone, so I picked some unlucky ones at random, and if I killed them, I would kill them." A few of you said that you should continue to kill and find someone to fill the vacancy as soon as possible, and you have made a lot of lists. I would like to ask, can you guarantee that there is not a single greedy outlaw in the list you have handed over?"

Shi Nianyuan stopped when he said this, and it wasn't until the silence in the palace where the needles could be heard that some officials began to breathe, and Shi Nianyuan continued: "The hundred ghosts traveled at night and killed some fat ducks. The people present are all thousand-year-old foxes, and they don't have to play any chats, don't you know, the new ones are all hungry skinny ducks?"

The corners of Shi Nianyuan's mouth hooked, and he continued: "Imperial court officials, when serving in each county, abide by the regulations of each county, and I know very well the officials I demoted. Not to mention other places, being an official in Cangyun County is a starving businessman, who wants to eat fat, how can he get fat? It's not just eating people and getting fat. ”

Shi Nianyuan sneered: "Let me ask again, according to what you presented, do you want me to continue to kill indiscriminately, you are so steaming human blood steamed buns? Or do you want me to get a group of hungry wolves to make up for the shortage, and then I will use your heads to explain to the people of Cangyun Liuye?"

The few people who knelt down nodded to the ground: "His Royal Highness the Prince of the World forgives the sin!"

"I don't care if you are really sincere for the people, or if you are pretending to be public and private, and you want to promote your relatives. In short, the vacated position, the Sixth Division will naturally arrange it properly, and you don't need to do much. After a pause, Shi Nianyuan said indifferently: "This is not the imperial capital Xuanyang, it is Cangyun Liuye." ”

Shi Nianyuan's Danfeng eyes narrowed, and he named a name: "He Shien." ”

In the front row of officials affiliated to the imperial court, an official with a big waist and round shoulders trembled, and immediately knelt down: "The minister is here." ”

Shi Nianyuan's tone was cold: "Among those twists and turns that don't want money, your name is mentioned the most, and it doesn't mix well." ”

He Shien touched the ground with his forehead, not daring to speak, Shi Nianyuan continued: "Don't be nervous, Mao San is not very good in other places, he is a good hand at settling accounts, and I have a little bottom of the fat you eat in my stomach." It is true that even your soul is black, but the little blood on the tip of your heart is still red, and what is precious is that you are for the people. ”

He Shien was shocked, bowed even lower, and almost threw himself to the ground.

Shi Nianyuan said loudly: "He Shien listens to the reward-"

Shi Nianyuan's words not only made He Shien's heart tremble. Left and right below the palace, they belong to the Wuhou Mansion and the imperial court appointee, and the officials of the descendant line look at the nose, nose and mouth, and mouth and heart, but the officials of the court are frightened.

Could it be that this excessively young son in power is going to make an example of the monkeys?

Shi Nianyuan continued loudly: "Reward a thousand taels of gold, a thousand catties of grain and rice, and ten thousand horses of brocade. ”

He Shien was nervous, and when he heard that Shi Nianyuan's words had stopped and there was no follow-up, he controlled his voice and did not tremble: "His Royal Highness Xie Shizi has rewarded ......."

"This year's snow is heavy, I don't think there will be people starving to death or freezing to death in the south of the city, He Shien, what do you think?"

Hearing Shi Nianyuan's words, He Shien, who was worried that Shi Nianyuan might reward poison and wine to death, finally loosened his tense heartstrings, the imperial law has a word, and the local princes have no right to control the life and death of officials appointed by the imperial court, but what is the actual situation, the ups and downs of the sea of eunuchs, and the number in his heart is not able to climb to such a position as He Shien.

He Shi'en threw himself to the ground: "His Royal Highness the Prince of the World is wise, naturally there will be no one!"

Shi Nianyuan looked at He Shien and nodded, then looked at the officials who had not dared to get up after kneeling down before and said: "Get up, it's cold on the ground, it's a big New Year, do what you should do - retire." Before leaving his seat, Shi Nianyuan nodded at the first armor of the Fish Dragon Battalion who was pulled to stand guard today, and under the cover of the helmet, Yu Dan's face was extremely complicated.