With Yu Yu here, the journey that originally took three days now took only two days, and Xuan Shaoning rushed to the outside of Pingzhou City in the evening of the next day. Pingzhou is located directly behind the Jingshi, in the valley of the three mountains, the land is barren, the transportation is inconvenient, and it is not a strategic place, and the people have always been quite poor. In front of me, the female wall on one side of the wall of Pingzhou City has collapsed, and the city gate is also dilapidated, shaking incessantly in the cold wind, like an old man with a candle in his last years. On the low city wall, two defenders of the city could be seen dozing listlessly, unaware of Xuan Shaoning's arrival.

Hey, Xuan Shaoning couldn't help sighing, jumped off his horse, raised his head and shouted loudly towards the city wall: "Captain Xuanjia, please open the city gate!" ”

This angry shout woke up the two sleeping defenders, who jumped up and looked down at the city in a dazed and unexpected manner.

"Who? Say it again! ”

"Xuanjia Military Academy Captain Xuan Shaoning!" At the same time, take out the token in your arms and raise it high so that they can see it more clearly. When the bronze token engraved with the word "Xuan" was slightly reflected in the sunlight and shone with a dazzling light, the two of them woke up like a dream. One blew the trumpet, and the other busily opened the gates.

Squeak, the mottled city gate let out a sour wail, and Xuan Shaoning led Yu Yu into the city slowly. In front of him is a straight bluestone avenue, but unlike Jingshi, both sides of the road are full of dilapidated houses, some of which can barely maintain the complete shape of a house, while others are more than half collapsed, as if they have just experienced war; Pedestrians were also very scarce, most of them were dressed in patched linen clothes, and some were even unclothed, and everyone looked strange and frightened when they saw Xuan Shaoning.

Although he had a general understanding of the situation in Pingzhou before he came, he was shocked by this decaying scene when he was really in it. Think about how prosperous Jingshi is a hundred miles away, how drunk and gold-addicted, but this place seems to be a forgotten land, it is simply the difference between cloud and mud. The people here look yellow and thin, lacking vitality, and it is not easy to think that it is not easy to eat a full meal. Xuan Shaoning was already a little skeptical about the authenticity of the legend, and at the same time he was a little hesitant about his hasty decision, could it be that the old man was playing with himself at all? However, even the princess is supportive, and King Yu and Commander Pei have no clear objections, and it is basically impossible for them to make mistakes at the same time, and it seems that they have to continue to visit.

Just as Xuan Shaoning was pondering while walking, a person who looked like a servant appeared in front of him. This person is of medium age, although he is also yellow and thin, but he is stronger than the common people, and the clothes on his body have faded, I saw him clasped his hands into fists and asked with a serious face: "Look at your clothes, I think it is from Jingshi, I don't know what to call it?" ”

Xuan Shaoning also clenched his fists and saluted back: "Down there is Xuan Shaoning, the captain of the Xuanjia Military Academy!" ”

Hearing the words "Xuanjia Army", the officer's eyes lit up obviously, and he said with a little surprise: "Even if it is Captain Xuan, then come with me!" ”

Xuan Shaoning followed the official for a while and arrived at the Pingzhou Mansion, which turned out to be the end of this bluestone road. In any case, Pingzhou Mansion Yin is also the grade of the fourth grade, but this mansion is really a little unworthy, the eaves can be seen from time to time broken and missing green tiles, the wall also grows a lot of thatch, the two wooden doors are painted off, and the door knocker is rusty.

"Lord Captain" the official called, and Xuan Shaoning turned around and realized that a guard had come to take the reins in his hand, so he handed the jade to the guard.

"Lord Captain, please here, Lord Fu Yin is already waiting." The official introduced Xuan Shaoning into the inner courtyard, and it is conceivable that the so-called inner courtyard is just a patio-like open space, sparsely planted with a few trees, all covered by heavy snow, and Xuan Shaoning can't see what kind of tree it is. Directly behind the patio was the palace, and at this time, there was already a person standing at the door. It wasn't until I got closer that I found that this person was wearing the official mansion, fifty years old, it was Yin Tenghui of Pingzhou Mansion!

The dignified and upright Fu Yin would personally stand at the door to greet him, which really surprised Xuan Shaoning, even if it was dilapidated, Fu Yin should have the appearance of Fu Yin after all.

"Xuanjia Military Academy Captain Xuan Shaoning see Lord Fu Yin!" Xuan Shaoning immediately gave a military salute, knelt down on one knee, and clasped his hands into fists to show his respect.

"Captain Xuan's courtesy, please get up quickly!" Fu Yin hurriedly ran a few steps in front of him to help Xuan Shaoning, took his hand and walked towards the inner room, "My mansion can't be compared with other places, it's really cold outside, Xuan Xiaowei should go into the house to rest." ”

"Thank you, Lord Fu Yin!"

"Can you give the token to the old man to take a look?"

"Naturally!" Xuan Shaoning immediately reached into his arms and took out a bronze medal, the front of the bronze medal was engraved with the word "Xuan", and on the back was a goshawk with wings spread and sharp eyes, making a catch, and a purple tassel was tied below.

Teng Hui took the bronze medal presented by Xuan Shaoning's hands, carefully held it in his hand, and observed it carefully, with a meaningful expression. After brushing his goatee, he returned the bronze medal to Xuan Shaoning, and said, "Please don't blame Captain Xuan." ”

"The subordinates don't dare, Lord Fu Yin should be so careful!" Xuan Shaoning, who had just sat down, immediately stood up and replied when he heard this.

"Captain Xuan, please take a seat, there is no need for so many courtesies here in the old man. You don't have to call me 'Fu Yin Fu Yin', just call me Teng Hui. I don't know why the school captain came to Pingzhou this time? ”

"By no means, the last general should still call Lord Teng. That's the case, the last general came to Pingzhou this time to recruit troops. Then Xuan Shaoning explained in detail the story of Emperor Liang's decree to allow the expansion of the Xuanjia Army and his failure to recruit troops in Beijing, but the strange old man and princess were hidden.

"The old man has also heard about this matter, the Xuanjia Army is the pillar of my beam, and it is also a blessing for Pingzhou to be able to help Captain Xuan. I just don't know if Captain Xuan has a plan? ”

"I thought about it a little, and asked Lord Teng for advice: There are six counties in Pingzhou, and first, I also asked Lord Teng to help send people to each county to post notices, vigorously announcing the recruitment of the Xuanjia Army, as for the paperwork, I have already prepared it; Second, I hope that Lord Teng can send someone with me. ”

Teng Hui was about to listen to Xuan Shaoning's big talk, but he didn't expect it to end in just a few words, which surprised him a little, but he didn't show it at all, but asked with a smile: "That's it?" ”

"Yes, there's Lord Lautten!"

"Where do you come from, it is also a blessing for the people of Pingzhou to be able to help Xuanxiao Lieutenant. I've arranged a side room, Captain Xuan is resting for a while, and the cook is preparing lunch......"

Without waiting for Teng Hui to finish speaking, Xuan Shaoning interrupted: "There is a lot of trouble, Lord Teng's kindness has been understood, but the matter is urgent, and the general will set off." ”

A hint of strangeness flashed in Teng Hui's eyes, as if he wanted to comfort: "Captain Xuan really set off immediately?" ”

Xuan Shaoning nodded firmly and heavily.

"Well, then. Yue Yunfeng! ”

"The subordinates are here!"

"I order you to follow Captain Xuan and try your best to assist in recruitment!"

"Subordinates obey!"

Xuan Shaoning left his seat, stood up and began to carefully examine the half-kneeling person in front of him: he was dressed in a black guard suit, with white flowing clouds on the cuffs and edges; The edges of a pair of official boots have been yellowed, and the black on the surface has obviously faded a lot, slightly whitish; The scabbard of the portable saber is worn in many places; Raising his head, he had a square face, the subtle wrinkles at the corners of his eyes revealed his age, and there were pale cyan stubble marks at the corners of his mouth.

Teng Hui saw that Xuan Shaoning had been looking at Yue Yunfeng, and said: "Yue Guard is my personal guard, not only is his kung fu acceptable, but more importantly, he is an authentic Pingzhou person, that is, he was born in Yijun", Teng Hui deliberately increased the volume of the last two words, and also lengthened the tone. To his surprise, Xuan Shaoning didn't react, as if he didn't realize it at all.

"Then thank you, Lord Teng, if you don't have anything else to instruct, then the general will also set off." Xuan Shaoning arched his hand and said.

"The old man also wishes Captain Xuan all the best!"

Seeing that Xuan Shaoning and Yue Yunfeng led the horses out of the mansion, a person who looked like a master came behind Teng Hui and said in a low voice: "This person's intention is obvious, do you think he will be different from before?" ”

"It's too early to make a conclusion, and it depends on what he does, righteousness ........" Teng Hui sighed, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.

It was almost the middle of winter, and the sky had begun to snow, Xuan Shaoning took a faintly frozen hand, turned his head and saw Yue Yunfeng, the other party was riding on a horse seriously, his eyes were looking straight into the distance, and his hands were tightly grasping the reins, as if the cold wind had not blown on his body.

"Guard Yue" Xuan Shaoning called softly, "We have been walking for two days since we set off from Pingzhou Mansion, and Pingzhou is not big, but everywhere we pass through is deserted. ”

Yue Yunfeng lowered his head after glancing at Xuan Shaoning, looked very respectful, and replied: "Pingzhou can be regarded as the poorest of the eight states in the southwest, the land is barren, the people are poor, and the population is sparse, so what Xuan Xiaowei saw is also reasonable. ”

"The barren land is determined by heaven, haven't all the successive governors thought of changing it?"

"As far as I know, Fu Yin does his best, and he can only say that he does his best to obey the destiny of heaven."

"Guards Yue's orders? Could it be that Lord Fu Yin is the same? ”

"The destiny of heaven is hard to violate, how can human beings change it? Captain Xuan's disbelief in fate is just a personal choice. ”

It was difficult for the conversation to continue at this point, and Xuan Shaoning knew that he couldn't ask anything more, so he had to change the topic and said, "It should be Wolong County ahead, right?" ”

"What Captain Xuan said is that it is Wolong County, there are still some people settled there, and we can put the list there."

Wolong County, when I heard the name, it was quite imposing, but when Xuan Shaoning entered the town, he felt a huge gap: dilapidated houses, chaotic streets, dilapidated signboards squeaked in the wind, in the middle of winter, there were no pedestrians on the streets, and basically all the shops were closed. The two dismounted and walked slowly on the street, taking this depression in their eyes, such a scene, even if the list was posted in the center of the town, no one would see it, could it be that they had to knock on the door from door to door? Obviously, this will not work, but how do you bring the people together?

Xuan Shaoning couldn't help frowning slightly, and at this moment Yue Yunfeng asked, "Captain Xuan, look, there is an open shop ahead!" Following the direction of Yue Yunfeng's finger, Xuan Shaoning saw that there was indeed a very small door with the door open, and there was a little heat coming out of it.

"Let's go, let's see!"

Walking to the front of the store, Yue Yunfeng stepped forward and gently pushed the door with his hand, and asked at the same time, "Is anyone there?" ”

An old man with a white beard turned around, his cloudy eyes widened, and he looked at the visitor with some horror, "Who are you?" As soon as the words came out, the old man immediately saw the clothes on his body and the saber he was wearing at his waist, and hurriedly changed his words: "Two officials, forgive the old man for being dizzy!" ”

Xuan Shaoning looked at the old man in front of him, his face was vicissitudes, his face was furrowed, his cotton clothes were patched everywhere, and his exposed hands were rough and dark, still trembling slightly. Xuan Shaoning said with a smile: "The old man doesn't need to panic, we are indeed from the government, and we happened to pass by the town, and I felt hungry and wanted to ask the old man for something to eat." ”

After a few words, the old man seemed to have taken off some precautions, but the uneasiness in those eyes still did not escape Xuan Shaoning's eyes, "The two officials sit casually, the old man is cooking porridge, if the officials don't dislike it, please wait for a while." Then he turned around and stirred in a small pot with a spoon in his hand, and the slightest heat he had seen on the street before was produced when cooking porridge.

Xuan Shaoning looked at the small room: directly opposite the door was a long brown table that was one person long and half a person high, the long table was a little mottled, and the back of it was also empty; On the right side of the long table are two wooden chairs, modeled after the Taishi chairs, but now the color on the chairs has faded, and one of the chairs is missing a foot, and if you look closely, you can see that the chairs are already covered with dust; On the left side of the long table is where Xuan Shaoning is located, there is a square table, the table body is pitch black, compared to the long table and chairs, this square table is a lot cleaner, Xuan Shaoning and Yue Yunfeng are sitting on both sides of the square table, on the other side of the square table is placed a small iron pot, under the barbecue of the charcoal fire, the pot is exuding the aroma of food.

"Dang", a porcelain bowl with a notch on the edge was placed in front of Xuan Shaoning with hot porridge. "There is no other food in the old family, only this porridge cooked with brown rice, and I hope the officials will not dislike it."

Although the porcelain bowl was quite full, Xuan Shaoning saw that the so-called porridge was basically water, and the few rice grains had been boiled and sunk to the bottom of the bowl, and the bowl in front of Yue Yunfeng was the same. Xuan Shaoning glanced back at the iron pot, it seemed to be empty, and it seemed that all the porridge was already in the two porcelain bowls in front of him.

"Old man, you gave us all the porridge, so what do you eat?" Xuan Shaoning asked.

The old man clenched the spoon tightly with both hands, swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said: "The old man is old and doesn't eat much, don't dislike the two officials, this is really all the food in the old man's house." Speaking of the back, the old man had a vague pleading tone.

Xuan Shaoning didn't move to get the pair of chopsticks with a slight stain, but said to the old man with a smile: "Old man, on the next trip, all you see are ruins and broken walls, deserted, you are the first person to see it, but because Pingzhou is too barren, everyone has moved elsewhere?" ”

"Well, what the official said...... Although we were poor, we were able to grow some food and not starve to death, but later, the fields were also barren, and the neighbors and villagers fled from starvation...... If this was thirty years ago, where could there be such a field......." Speaking of sadness, the old man couldn't help but cry.

Although Xuan Shaoning was also moved, he was touched by that sensitive time and asked, "Old man, you said thirty years?" How was it thirty years ago? ”

"Ah......." The old man just wanted to speak, but he caught a glimpse of Yue Yunfeng standing behind Xuan Shaoning, and hurriedly changed his words: "Old and old, confused......." After saying that, he turned around and raised his hand to scoop the only remaining soup in the pot.

Seeing this scene, Yue Yunfeng took over the conversation and said, "Captain Xuan, why don't we finish drinking this porridge and hurry." ”

"Okay" Xuan Shaoning stood up, didn't look at the porridge on the table and Yue Yunfeng beside him, walked straight to the horse, turned over and got on the horse, Yue Yunfeng could only follow closely when he saw this.

The two who continued on the road did not have any more conversations, Xuan Shaoning locked his sword eyebrows along the way, and after walking for nearly an hour, he was suddenly attracted by the rut marks on the dirt road in front of him. Liang Guo set up official roads in each state, paved with cloud granite stones, smooth and rough is very suitable for travel, while wealthy states will expand official roads to county roads, and as poor as Pingzhou, even official roads are dilapidated, and many sections of roads are already completely dirt roads.

Now Xuan Shaoning is walking on the dirt road, and the rut marks on the dirt road are not unfamiliar to him, this is left by the wheel of the ox cart, and it is also an ox cart that has been in disrepair for a long time, so the traces on both sides are of different depths, and it seems that the wheel on one side is almost on the verge of falling apart. Looking forward along the rut, there was no edge in sight, Xuan Shaoning rode his horse and walked slowly along the tracks, and suddenly whipped and galloped. This shocked Yue Yunfeng, and before he could shout, he was already far behind, so he had to fight to catch up. The two of you chased me for more than half an hour, and a series of dilapidated tents began to appear in front of Xuan Shaoning's eyes, and this time, he accelerated his speed.