Gonggong Ji and Gao Wanjun led the army to rest in Yongzhou City for only one day, and then set off again. Because it's near the end of the year. Everyone wants to get back to Kyoto before the Chinese New Year.

The march of the great army is not as fast as the post station sends a war report. You can change horses at the post stations along the way, and you can do it non-stop. Therefore, it can be rushed from Yongzhou to Zhongzhou in about ten days. But the march of the troops is not good, even if it is a rapid march, it will take at least half a month to reach Zhongzhou City.

Xiao Ding said goodbye to Zhao Laixi, Fan Sanpang and others one by one and embarked on the road to Beijing. At the time of separation, he repeatedly instructed several people to return home after the recruits were dismissed and told their families not to worry about him. Also, be sure to guard against the man in black.

What has kept Xiao Ding at ease at home is the mysterious man in black, and I don't know if he has been to the house again in the past month or so.

The army marched all the way to the southeast, passing through Jinzhou, Yanzhou, Jingzhou and other prefectures on the way. Zhongzhou is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River and belongs to the Jiangnan region.

The horse that Xiao Ding rode was still the one he rode when he came to join the army, and this horse didn't know which one of the Jianghu people who went to Luoxia Mountain, but it was actually a good horse. Xiao Ding has fought on the battlefield several times, riding this horse. Now, Xiao Ding and this horse are also familiar with each other, and after the run-in period, Xiao Ding's riding skills at this time have also improved.

After a long journey of nearly half a month, the large army finally crossed the Yangtze River on the 29th day of the lunar month and arrived outside the city of Zhongzhou.

The forbidden army could not enter the city, but could only be stationed in the forbidden army camp outside the city.

Gong Ji ordered people to prepare a car and prepare to return to the palace to resume his life. Gao Wanjun and Luo Simao prepared to ride back to their respective mansions. Only Xiao Ding has nowhere to go.

I heard Gonggong Ji say that tomorrow is the New Year, and it is impossible for the emperor to summon his courtiers for the time being. When the emperor can summon Xiao Ding, we have to wait for the next year to see when the emperor is free.

When Xiao Ding heard this, he slandered in his heart, and said in his heart that this damn emperor can really toss people! He rushed over from Yongzhou with great difficulty, but he didn't summon him. Isn't this a delay, I was thinking about going home for the reunion year, but now for your emperor's words, I can't go home for the New Year, and now I'm in Kyoto, and you don't summon it, it's really annoying!

But since I'm here, I can't stay in the barracks outside the city all the time, I always have to go into the capital to have a look. After all, it's Kyoto, and I've traveled back in time, but I've never seen what ancient Kyoto was like.

Xiao Ding followed Gao Wanjun Luo Simao into Zhongzhou City, and saw that this Zhongzhou City was really prosperous, with streets and alleys, shops, people coming and going, and bustling. The roadside stalls are also full of all kinds of New Year's goods. All kinds of shouting, bargaining, and crowding.

Gao Wanjun and Luo Simao were more familiar with Zhongzhou City, and they helped Xiao Ding find a first-class inn to live in, and then they went back to their homes.

Fortunately, the governor of Yongzhou rewarded Xiao Ding with one hundred taels of gold, otherwise he would not even have the money to live in the hotel when he came to Zhongzhou.

After booking the inn, Xiao Ding decided to go out for a walk, it was almost noon, so he went out to find a place to eat and treat himself. These days' rapid marches are naturally impossible to eat well.

Naturally, he didn't have to ride a horse when he went out to eat, and his horse had been led to the backyard by the innkeeper to feed the fodder. His huge mace had been carried into his room by Ding. Naturally, you can't take this big hammer with you when you go out. When he first entered the inn, the shopkeeper saw him carrying such a large iron hammer, and his legs trembled with fright.

Xiao Ding only brought the saber given to him by Zhou Zhizhou, and also carried the satchel with the beaded crossbow on his back, plus the dagger he used to use before was also inserted in his waist. Then walk out of the inn.

After walking around the street for a while, I saw that the street was full of people who went to buy New Year's goods, and it was very lively. He walked aimlessly, and unconsciously came to a restaurant, he looked up at the plaque of the restaurant, and saw that it read "Shun Fuhua Restaurant" five big characters.

Seeing that the façade of this restaurant is not small, with three floors, Xiao Ding felt that it should be good, so he raised his legs and walked in.

The guy in the restaurant was very enthusiastic, and when he saw Xiao Ding walking into the restaurant, he did not dislike Xiao Ding because of the shabby clothes he was wearing. Instead, he greeted Xiao Ding warmly: "Guest officer, are you going to eat?" Please inside please? ”

Xiao Ding nodded, looked around, and saw that there were a total of more than twenty tables in the hall on the first floor, almost full.

"Guest officer, how many are you dining? Are you going to sit in the lobby on the first floor, or do you want to go to the private room on the second floor? The guy greeted him with a smile and asked enthusiastically.

Xiao Ding just wanted to come out to see the excitement, and he also wanted to have an in-depth understanding of the capital, if he entered the private room, he would eat and drink alone, which would be a little boring. So he said to the guy: "I'll eat alone, just sit in the hall on the first floor, what are the signature dishes in your restaurant and help me recommend a few things!" ”

As soon as the restaurant guy heard Xiao Ding say this, he knew that this was a master who was not bad for money. Don't look at the tattered clothes on Xiao Ding's body, look at his sword and temperament, he doesn't look like a person with no money. The shopkeeper has been in the business for many years, welcomes and sees off customers every day, and has seen all kinds of people, so he doesn't think that Xiaoding is the kind of person who has no money and comes to eat and drink.

"Okay, guest officer, you may be visiting our restaurant for the first time, right? Did you know that the best dish in our restaurant is duck. Zhongzhou osmanthus duck, Zhongzhou plate duck, Zhongzhou salted duck, fried duck with artemisia, duck blood vermicelli soup, steamed duck paw, stewed duck gizzard, bamboo shoot tip duck tongue, Zhongzhou spicy duck neck, etc., are the signature dishes of our restaurant. Guest, what do you want to order? The guy followed Xiao Ding's side and introduced him warmly.

"Bring me a salted duck, a bamboo shoot tip duck tongue, a duck blood vermicelli soup, and then if you have any cold dishes here, help me choose one." Bring me another pot of your best wine! Xiao Ding said.

"Guest officer, the best wine in our restaurant is called Beauty Drunk, the price is very expensive, it costs ten taels of silver a pot!" The guy kindly reminded.

"It's okay, just come up!" Xiao Ding said boldly. My heart said that I had a hundred taels of gold in my arms, do I still care about your ten taels of silver?

While the two were talking, Xiao Ding had already come to an empty table in the innermost corner and sat down. It's a corner, and it's dark, so no one wants to sit here.

"Okay, what about you, you sit down and wait for a while, I'll go and bring you a pot of tea first!" After wiping the table with the rag on his shoulder, the man said to Xiao Ding.

"Let's go serve tea, I'm thirsty." Xiao Ding commanded.

The guy answered and turned around to serve tea, and Xiao Ding raised his head and looked at the diners around him.

Seeing the dozen or so tables of guests sitting in the hall, most of them were dressed as ordinary citizens, and when I looked at the clothes of those people, I knew that they were local tyrants and wealthy businessmen.

There are also two tables for the unusual diners. One of the tables was in front of the window not far from Xiao Ding's table, and around the table sat seven or eight people dressed in uniform red clothes, embroidered with flame patterns. They all had blades on their bodies, some hung on their waists, some on their backs, and some on the table.

Just look at this outfit and you'll know. These people must be from the rivers and lakes, but Xiao Ding suddenly felt that the people wearing this kind of clothes seemed to have seen them before.

The red clothes of the flame group! Xiao Ding quickly recalled in his mind, and suddenly remembered the battle he saw outside the snake cave at the top of Luoxia Peak when he went to Luoxia Mountain last time. Yes, they should be from the Divine Fire Hall!

The person at the other table who caught Xiao Ding's attention was an old man sitting in the corner opposite Xiao Ding. The old man, too, was alone, with a childish face and a strong spirit, sitting alone in the corner drinking, but with a broad-bladed sword on his back. The sword spike hung on the old man's shoulder, dangling with the old man's drinking movements.