Chapter Ninety-One: The mountains are high and beautiful, and the plains are fertile

The majestic and precipitous Taihang Mountain Tiger is entrenched in the vast land of China Shenzhou, stretching for hundreds of miles, with a maximum altitude of 1,800 meters, which is an important mountain range and geographical demarcation line in eastern China. Taihang Mountain is located between the North China Plain and the Shanxi Plateau, spanning the four provinces of Beiping, Hebei, Shanxi and Henan. Taihang Mountain is northeast-southwest trending, starting from Beiping Xishan in the north, south to the north bank of the Yellow River in northern Henan, connecting the Shanxi Plateau in the west, and bordering the North China Plain in the east, it is the natural boundary mountain of the eastern and southeastern parts of Shanxi and Hebei and Henan provinces. The mountain of Taihang Mountain is steep in the east and gentle in the west, and connects the Shanxi Plateau in the west. The eastern part transitions from middle mountains, low mountains, and hills to plains. The river that comes down from the plateau flows into the plain through the Taihang Mountains. The river is deep and clear, and because it is adjacent to the canyon, there are many waterfalls and turbulent waterfalls, so many springs have formed in the river valley and the piedmont area. Rivers and springs have nourished thousands of miles of fertile fields and millions of people for thousands of years.

Yufeng Mountain, located on the east side of the main mountain range of Taihang Mountain, is a side branch. west, close to the majestic Taihang Mountain; In the east, facing the flat and vast North China Great Plain, the altitude is 1,200 meters, lower than the Taihang Mountain, and stretches for eighty or ninety kilometers from north to south. From the perspective of military strategy and tactical value, Yufeng Mountain is a natural barrier in the middle of the eastern part of Taihang Mountain.

The Hulu Valley Basin is located on the east side of Yufeng Mountain. The Hulu Valley Basin, lying in the middle of Yufeng Mountain in an east-west direction, is about 123 miles wide from north to south, more than 30 miles long from east to west, and has a radius of about 400 miles. The shape is like a gourd, so it is called gourd valley. It is surrounded by dense and flourishing primeval forests, high mountains, deep ravines and ravines, which naturally form a small basin surrounded by arches. The gourd valley is divided into the front valley and the back valley, and is separated by a mountain beam with a steep and steep cliff of seven or eight hundred meters long and more than 100 meters high. In the middle of the mountain beam, there is a pass about 40 meters wide with rock walls standing upright. Seven or eight coal mines are scattered at the foot of the hills on the north and south sides of the former valley, with a large flat and open crop field in the middle, and a village not far away. Iron ore and copper ore are distributed at the foot of the north and south sides of the westernmost part of the back valley, and there is also a large flat and open crop field in the middle.

Outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering the Gourd Valley. Merchants who come to buy coal and iron ore can only negotiate transactions in the coal and iron sand yards in the open space next to the fork in the road outside the mouth of the gourd valley.

The headquarters of the Fang Family Guard is a small two-story building, located outside the valley mouth of the back valley, and the next few rows of bungalows are the guards dormitory, where two companies of soldiers are stationed.

Fangjiazhuang is located in the north of the back valley, and a few hundred meters to the north is the canyon into the mountain. Outside Fangjiazhuang is a flat and open crop field, where wheat has been harvested and corn and sorghum have just been planted. The houses in the square and regular Fangjiazhuang are built neatly and firmly. Fangjiazhuang is surrounded by a wall of four meters wide and eight meters high, built with rock walls with battlements, and the four corners of the city wall are watchtowers with shooting holes. A few hundred meters to the north of Fangjiazhuang is a steep and steep mountain covered by dense forests, and a mile to the south there is a hot spring river that flows gently from west to east with a width of 30 meters and a depth of 5 or 6 meters. There is a four-meter-wide three-hole round-arched stone bridge on the river. The chessboard-like streets in Fangjiazhuang, which is two miles long and two miles wide, crisscross and run through the east, west, north and south. The streets are lined with shops of all kinds, and Fangjiazhuang is like a small town and an impregnable castle. In the middle of Fangjiazhuang, there is a large mansion with three entrances and three exits and thick walls, which is the nerve center of Hulu Valley and the residence of the leader Fang Zhenhai's family - Fangxin Garden.

Fang Jiren rode all the way over, unintentionally browsing the scenery of Hulu Valley and the neat and clean street scene in Fangjiazhuang, he and Ma Fucai hurried straight to Fang Xinyuan one after the other.

Fang Xinyuan's two vermilion gates were open, and on each side of the steps of the gate was a granite lion with a tall and majestic eye, and on both sides of the gate stood two guards wearing German steel helmets and carrying submachine guns on their chests. Inside the gate stood a second lieutenant officer with a cross-body shell gun. On the gatehouse, too, stood two guards with submachine guns. Coming to the gate of Fang Xinyuan, Fang Jiren and Ma Fucai turned over and dismounted next to the stone lion on the east side of the gate. The second lieutenant officer and a soldier walked briskly down the steps.

The second lieutenant officer greeted happily: "Young master, here." The Seventh Master is waiting for you. ”

The soldier took the reins of the two horses.

"Okay, I'll go find him. This is our own brother, greet him. Feed the two horses fodder and drink water. Fucai, you stay in the front yard guest room to rest, waiting for me. After speaking, Fang Jiren hurriedly ran to the living room of the middle courtyard, shouting as he walked: "Seventh uncle! Uncle Seven! I'm coming! ”

In the living room of the main room of the middle courtyard, sitting on the Taishi chair on the left side of the Eight Immortals table in the living room, Fang Zhenhai heard Fang Jiren's shout, put down the book in his hand, and said loudly to the door:

"Hear me, what are you shouting?! Little Liuzi, have you lost your soul? ”

Fang Jiren lifted his shirt and wiped the sweat on his face into the living room, sat on the Taishi chair on the right side of the Eight Immortals Table, and said respectfully to Fang Zhenhai, who was sitting at the top: "Seventh Uncle, my little nephew has asked you to say goodbye." I haven't seen you in a long time, and I miss me. After speaking, he reached out and picked up the teapot on the table and took a few sips to the spout.

Fang Zhenhai frowned and looked up and down at Fang Jiren, who was dressed by the traitor, and pouted and said:

"Tut-tut. Look at your stinky virtue, where are you still like the young master of our Fang family? You drink slowly, don't choke, how can it be like drinking a donkey? Little Liuzi, why don't you stay at home honestly, and come to me in a hurry? ”

"Uncle Seven, I came to you to borrow troops, I have an urgent need."

"Why did you come to borrow troops from me again? How many times has this been? Little Liuzi. Didn't I tell you a few times? Have you forgotten? How difficult it is for the Fang family to save this little bit of family wealth over the years, and the current world is so chaotic, how can you let yourself mess around with your temperament? Uncle Seven can promise you anything. Borrowed soldiers?! No way! Borrow not a single one! ”

Fang Jiren stood up from the Taishi chair with a "pout", walked back and forth in the center of the living room a few times with a snort, and then sat down and held back his breath and looked at Fang Zhenhai begging bitterly:

"Uncle Seven, please, can you lend me a company's troops? I'll send it back to you as soon as I'm done with it, and I won't delay your work here. Just one company. ”

The lean, strong and strong Fang Zhenhai glanced at Fang Jiren with disdain and said mockingly:

"Look, look, panic like a rabbit, the dog bit your tail? Why are you panicking like this? See for yourself, where do you still look like the young master of the Fang family? Little Liuzi, don't worry, I panted out and said slowly, do you want to eat wild food and find Uncle Seven? ”

"Uncle Seven, don't interrupt. I'm looking for you to borrow troops. ”

"Little Liuzi, what are you doing here to borrow soldiers from Uncle Seven? Are you going to fight the Communist Party? What about fighting the Kuomintang? Or are you going to fight the little devils? ”

"Why am I beating the Communist Party and the Kuomintang? I'm going to fight the little devils. ”

Fang Zhenhai shook his head with disdain, and resolutely tried his best to dissuade him:

"Shhhh Little Liuzi, why are you going to fight the little devil? If he doesn't recruit us, we'll provoke them. You have nothing to do to provoke right and wrong. ”

"Why didn't you recruit us? Why am I okay? Before the wheat in our field was confiscated, it was burned a lot by the little devils. Franciscan said with a snort.

"Ahem, didn't you just burn some wheat? Burn it, burn it, our Fang family doesn't lack this, look at your stingy appearance, as for it? Fang Zhenhai said indifferently.

"Of course, I can't swallow this bad breath!" Francis said angrily.

"Alas, Xiao Liuzi, you let me say what is good about you, you can't be so blind anymore, you are the grandson of the long house, and you are both civil and military. My father and my eldest brother like you the most and value you the most, haven't they cultivated you carefully for so many years just to let you take over our Fang family's property in the future? Why don't you understand their hard work? Besides, you are not a small child, and it is time to get married and start a family, and if you change someone else, you will have a large group of boys and girls of your age. With the wealth of our Fang family and your kid's ability, you can marry three wives and four concubines home. Fang Zhenhai said bitterly.

"I understand, Uncle Seven, I understand the thoughts of my grandfather and my father, I don't need you to say it. But now that the Japanese devils have invaded our China, killing people everywhere and setting fire to forcibly occupy territory, now it is a national disaster and the nation is in danger, and there are still three wives and four concubines? You have to protect your life, your wealth and your country first. Seventh Uncle, every Chinese has a role to play in protecting the family and defending the country, and I am also doing this to protect the Fang family. When I defeat and kill all the Japanese devils, I will get married and have children immediately, and I will definitely take over the management of our Fang family's industry. But not now. ”

"Little Liuzi, in fact, I also know everything outside the mountain, but I only care about protecting the family and the hospital, protecting the safety of the Fang family, as well as property and shops, it is the responsibility of the government to fight against foreign insults and defend the country, what does it matter to me? Except for our Fang family, other things are the things that the sky is falling, and I won't send a single soldier, I can't use the foundation and family property created by our Fang family for several generations to let you fool around and toss around. Little Liuzi, you are grinding your teeth with me again for borrowing soldiers. ”