The imperial court intended to march westward, and when the news came out, the world was shaken. Some people secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and some people were puzzled, but no matter how those people reacted, it would not have any impact on Liu Xie.

Hebei's two strong rivalry is almost coming to an end, Gongsun Zhan was defeated by Yuan Shao, and after repeated failures, it seems that even his courage has been lost, and he will no longer be brave, and he will live in his own territory. However, Yuan Shao was preparing for war at this time, making the final preparations for completely dominating Hebei.

Liu Xie's reply for the Zhen family made Yuan Shao thunderous and a little helpless at the same time, Liu Xie acted decisively and picked up the five daughters of the Zhen family from Hebei before Yuan Shao, and the Zhen family in Hebei was divided, and the head of the Zhen family left Hebei with his children to set up another door, and those who were ready to put their money on Yuan Shao The Zhen family houses re-elected a family head. Yuan Shao also did not lose his mind because of this, and he worked against the imperial court. The purpose of Yuan Shao's marriage with the Zhen family was to fall in love with the Zhen family's money and grain, and Mrs. Zhen did not take away Hebei's money and grain when she left Hebei to split her family, so Yuan Shao naturally would not go to "kill them all". As for the future of the Zhen family in Hebei, what does it have to do with Yuan Shao?

In the early years of the Zhen family, it was convenient for Liu Xie to cooperate, and Zhen Jiang had prepared a family business for the Zhen family in Chang'an, and the Zhen family came to Chang'an with Mrs. Zhen, but it was actually just a move. As for the money and food left in Hebei, although it is a pity to lose it, this is the last explanation given to the Zhen family's houses, and it has nothing to do with the Zhen family in Chang'an in the future.

Liu Xie did not blame the Zhen family for leaving a large amount of money and grain in Hebei, although it was a little regrettable, but with the 150,000 stone grain that he had just obtained from Yizhou, Liu Xie did not care about the sin of the Zhen family's "capital enemy". The Zhen family had already established itself in Chang'an, and Liu Xie did not need to bother to support the Zhen family.

Although Liu Xie has no part in this expedition to the west, it does not mean that Liu Xie is willing to stay in Chang'an and wait, political affairs are worried about Xun Yu and Zhong Xuan, and military training is managed by veterans such as Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun, and those who really need Liu Xie to manage are all major events, such as meeting with the Black Mountain thief Zhang Yan.

The imperial court's preparation for the westward expedition does not mean that everything else can be left behind. Liu Xie defined this western expedition as plunder, and whether it was Zhang Liao or Dian Wei, Liu Xie believed that they could perfectly complete the task they had given them. However, the development of Guanzhong is inseparable from the population supplement, especially the newly acquired Jiuquan and Zhangye counties, where the proportion of Han people is relatively small, and if the Black Mountain thieves can be subdued, it will be of great help to the imperial court to stabilize Liangzhou.

Although Xun Yu objected to Liu Xie's personal risk, Liu Xie insisted on going, and even after setting an heir for himself in case of an accident, Xun Yu also had no choice but to comfort himself that the Son of Heaven went out this time to be an experience, and it was difficult to see a rainbow without experiencing wind and rain, and if he wanted the revitalization of the Han family, the Son of Heaven must be a master with a strong personality.

Liu Xie did not tell others when he left Chang'an, there were many people, and if he wanted to prevent the news from leaking, the best way was to minimize the number of insiders. In addition to Wang Yue, Liu Xie did not bring anyone else, and pretended to be a pair of grandchildren who returned to their hometown with Wang Yue, and embarked on the road to Hebei.

Didn't you go to see the Black Mountain thief Zhang Yan? I wanted to see Zhang Yan, but before that, Liu Xie was going to go to Wei County, Hebei Province in person, because there lived his master Tong Yuan, who had not yet met. Although it is said that he colluded with Zhao Yun to deceive Zhang Ren and said that he was the same family, the nonsense of accepting apprentices on behalf of the master can only be said when the master is no longer alive, this Tong Yuan is still alive and well, in case he runs to Chang'an to visit his apprentice on a whim one day, then this matter will be exposed.

There was nothing to do all the way, who would have thought that today he would be dressed as a ranger and run around? In addition, with Wang Yue's protection by his side, Liu Xie's safety is no problem.

On this day, Liu Xie arrived in Wei County. According to the address given by Zhao Yun, Liu Xie found Tong Yuan's residence. Tong Yuan's home is not in the city, there are three grass houses and a small courtyard, which looks no different from ordinary peasant houses, and it is estimated that no one will believe that Tong Yuan will live in this kind of place.

After calling the door, no one responded, so Liu Xie looked into the door curiously. This small courtyard does not have a courtyard wall, that is, it is surrounded by a fence, but Liu Xie does not want to become a gangster who forcibly enters the house, so it is more regular. After all, he is here to apprentice, not to find fault.

"Who are you? Why snoop inward? A question came from behind him, and when Liu Xie looked back, he saw a Taoist priest dressed up and looking himself up and down. This Taoist priest has a childish face, and at a glance he knows that he is not young, and Liu Xie is not rude, so he salutes and replied: "This old man, can the master of this house be at home?" ”

"No, he took his daughter-in-law to the city. Who are you? ”

"Oh, dare you ask when he'll be back?"

"Then who knows to go? Who are you? ”

"Boy Liu Xie, I heard that Master Tong's name is here, and I came to visit. Since Master Tong is not at home, the kid will come back another day. After Liu Xie said this, he was about to leave with Wang Yue, and it was only at this time that he found that Wang Yue looked serious, as if he was very wary of the old way in front of him.

"Judging by your outfit, you are also a martial arts practitioner, could it be that you are here to apprentice?" Lao Dao looked at Liu Xie curiously and asked.

"In today's troubled times, although practicing martial arts may not necessarily help others, it is still useful for self-preservation. If the old man has nothing to do, the boy will leave. ”

"Hey~ Why rush to go, it just so happens that Lao Dao is now idle and panicked, how about you stay with Lao Dao and talk about the conversation?"

"Didn't ask the Taoist Dharma name?"

"The name of the poor Dao law is not enough to worry about, boy, stay and talk to the old man."

"In that case, it is better for that kid to be respectful than to obey his fate." Liu Xie nodded in agreement. Anyway, Tong Yuan is not at home, and he doesn't know when he will come back, it is early now, and there is nothing to do after going to the city to stay, so it is better to stay and talk to this old Taoist, and he is idle when he is idle.

The old Taoist priest is a very talkative person, and Liu Xie is a nonsense from all over the world, and Liu Xie relied on the memories of later generations, but did not make the old Taoist faint, but talked to the old Taoist with a taste. Through conversation, Liu Xie knew that the old Taoist name in front of him was Yu Zhenzi, who was Tong Yuan's master, and the old Taoist Yu Zhenzi also knew the purpose of Liu Xie's coming here.

"Are you the son of today?" Lao Dao asked with some disbelief.

"It's like a fake."

“…… The son of a daughter, you can't sit down, you can't stay in Chang'an, what are you doing here? Although your guards are very powerful, I am afraid that he alone will not be able to protect you thoroughly. ”

"Thank you for your concern. But if I don't confide in my seniors, will my seniors guess my true identity? Liu Xie asked with a smile.

"Uh...... I don't see it, but you're a bold man. ”

"Since there are some things that can't be avoided, then you can only face them, and blindly avoiding them is not a thing, is it?" Liu Xie said with a smile.

This answer made Yu Zhenzi a little surprised, and looked Liu Xie up and down carefully, with his experience, it was not difficult to see if what Liu Xie said in front of him was sincere. As the Son of Heaven, it is very rare to have this kind of awareness.

"Then you came to visit Tong Yuan to ask him to go out of the mountain to work for you?"

"No, no, I'm here to apprentice."

"Apprentice? You have no one to do? ”

"Of course not, although the Han family is in decline now, there are still many people who want the Han family to be revitalized. I am not without generals there, Huang Zhong, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Zhao Yun and other generals can be called generals. ”

"Then why do you want to apprentice?"

"Seniors, watching them work hard for the Han, I, as the son of the Han, can only shrink back and enjoy the success, I can't help it. Even if I can't go into battle to kill the enemy, as long as I go to the front of the two armies, it will be an encouragement to the morale of the army. I don't expect to be the best in the world, as long as I can protect myself on the battlefield and not become a burden to others, I am satisfied. ”

"In that case, it doesn't seem to make much difference who you worship as your teacher."

"It's different, a famous teacher makes a high apprentice. I worshipped the king master in swordsmanship, and this kung fu right away, I think it is more appropriate to worship the child master. Liu Xie shook his head and replied.

"But my apprentice doesn't seem to be planning to take in apprentices anymore. Since beating his closed disciple out of the school, he has returned to Wei County to prepare for this remnant life, and you may be disappointed when you come back. ”

"Oh, don't force everything, if the child teacher really doesn't want to, then I can't force it. Hey...... In fact, no matter whether the teacher agrees or not, I have already visited the teacher, and whether he recognizes it is his business or not. ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"Seniors should have heard the phrase "accepting apprentices on behalf of the teacher. Before I came to Wei County, I had already worshiped Tong Yuan as a teacher through Zhao Yun, and this time I came to recognize the teacher. ”

"Zhao Yun? The closed disciple that my apprentice accepted? How's he doing? ”

"General Anbei was ordered to garrison Zhangye to ensure the retreat of the imperial court's expedition to the west, and by the way, to monitor the movements of Han Sui, Ma Teng and the Qiang people in Liangzhou."

"He's really used by you."

"That is, don't be suspicious of employing people, don't use suspicious people. Not only is Zhao Yun reused by me, but my other senior brother Zhang Ren will also follow the beggar army to conquer the Western Regions this time, which can be regarded as making the best use of his talents. It's a pity that the second senior brother Zhang Xiu defected to Lu Bu with his uncle, otherwise the four of us senior brothers would be able to work together. ”

"Aren't you worried that you will meet your second senior brother in the future?"

"I have a personal fate, and I will worry about it in the future, although the second senior brother's martial arts are good, but compared to the third senior brother Zhao Yun, it is inferior. My three senior brothers, the senior brother Zhang Ren focuses on the art of war, and the third senior brother Zhao Yun pays attention to personal martial arts, only these two senior brothers Zhang Xiu, both of them are proficient. What's more, although Lu Bu is brave, he is not the master, and Zhang Xiu has been following him, and he may not be able to live to be my enemy. ”

"If you tell me so much, aren't you afraid that I will go to the government to tell you?" Yu Zhenzi suddenly asked Liu Xiedao with a smile.

Liu Xie also shook his head with a smile when he heard this: "Seniors won't." The kid has always thought that the world can't afford to be unprofitable, and if the seniors want to report to the government, it must be that the government is willing to pay a price greater than the revenge that the seniors will incur if they denounce me, but in my opinion, the government may not be able to afford to make the seniors excited. ”

"Hahaha...... Interestingly, you kid is not only bold, but also very shrewd. Yu Zhenzi couldn't help laughing when she heard this. Lao Dao is now almost eighty, and to put it mildly, he really hasn't lived for a few days, and the disputes between the princes have nothing to do with him, and he has no reason to report to the government at all. I said that just now just to see Liu Xie's reaction, and Liu Xie's reaction made Yu Zhenzi feel very satisfied.

As Tong Yuan's master and father-in-law, if Liu Xie really apprentices to Tong Yuan, he is his own apprentice. How can there be a grandfather in this world who sells his grandson for money?

"Don't worry, if your master refuses to recognize you, I will break his legs." Happy, Yu Zhenzi boasted to Liu Xie about going to Haikou. Although Liu Xie didn't take it seriously, he immediately sent it over, and slapped Yu Zhenzi's eyebrows and smiled.

……

When it was nearly dusk, when Tong Yuan came home with his wife, he saw the door of his house open and a strange man sitting in the courtyard of his house. After carefully looking at it for a while, Tong Yuan exclaimed in surprise: "You are Wang Yue's brother Wang Xian?" ”

"The younger brother has seen the elder brother." Wang Yue said with a smile.

"Ha, how come you have time to come to me?" Tong Yuan asked with a smile, and as he spoke, he asked his wife to come forward and see Wang Yue.

"The younger brother has seen the sister-in-law." Wang Yue saluted Yan Yu, and then said to Tong Yuan: "The junior brother has nothing to do but go to the Three Treasures Palace, so this time he will naturally accompany someone to look for you?" ”

"What about the man?"

"I'm cooking in the kitchen with your master."

Tong Yuan was even more curious when he heard this, he took his wife to the city today to congratulate his brother Li Yan on his birthday, and originally wanted to invite the master to go with him, but the master was unwilling, and he, as an apprentice and a righteous son, naturally couldn't be forced. Master's temper Tong Yuan knew that if he could be treated like this, at least it would mean that this person was very popular with Master.

"Brother Xian, who is here?" Tong Yuan asked Wang Yuedao.

"My brother will know it after seeing it. Brother, remember to speak politely, your master and his old man like that person very much. Wang Yue reminded with a smile.

Being reminded by Wang Yue like this, Tong Yuan became even more curious, and was about to go to the kitchen to see who the person was, when he saw Master Yu Zhenzi holding a bowl in his hand, followed by a person walking out.

"Master Wang, the noodles are cooked, hurry up and bring them over."

Cooking is not difficult for Liu Xie, before he came over, Liu Xie also took care of himself alone, and laundry and cooking are not new to Liu Xie. After passing through, although Liu Xie no longer needs to touch his hands for daily things such as eating and washing clothes, Liu Xie has never let go of his hobby of cooking, and it can even be said that the imperial chef in the palace is more or less taught by Liu Xie.

Although he can't make a full banquet of the Manchu and Han Dynasty, it is difficult for Liu Xie to make some home-cooked food, not to mention that this time he is just cooking a bowl of noodles. Mixing noodles, stretching strips, and putting them in the pot, Yu Zhenzi is also responsible for burning the fire.

The world is big, and the food is the biggest. Tong Yuan and his wife had eaten, but Liu Xie and the others were still hungry. Tong Yuan saw that Liu Xie and the others were about to eat noodles, so he didn't bother at this time, and told his wife to make tea, while he stayed in the courtyard to watch a few people eat noodles.

"Would you like a bowl? There are still in the pot. Liu Xie made Tong Yuan look a little uncomfortable, eating by himself, standing next to him, and staring at himself.

"No, you can do it yourself." After Tong Yuan said this, he turned his head and asked Yu Zhenzi, "Master, how happy is today?" ”

"Okay, I met an interesting kid." After Yu Zhenzi finished speaking, he scolded Liu Xieyi and said to Tong Yuan: "This kid is here to apprentice, you must accept it." ”

“…… Master, the disciple is no longer going to accept apprentices. Tong Yuan replied with an embarrassed face when he heard this.

"Huh? You won't take it? ”

"I hope my father-in-law will forgive me."

Hearing this, Yu Zhenzi put down the bowl, looked at Tong Yuan and said, "You don't want to know who this kid is?" ”

"Since he doesn't plan to accept disciples, then who is he and what does it matter to me?" Tong Yuan shook his head and replied.

"Huh...... You've got a good temper. Yu Zhenzi smiled and shook his head, "Even if you don't want to accept him, your apprentice has already taken him under your door for you, and people are just here to meet you, the master who has not yet met." ”

"Master, the disciple has accepted a total of three disciples before and after, I don't know which one the master is talking about?"

"It's your closed disciple Zhao Yun."

"Zilong? This kid has always had a steady temperament, how could he suddenly make such a ...... as a substitute teacher and an apprentice Are you the son of today? Tong Yuan suddenly reacted in the middle of his words. Zhao Yun once mentioned in the letter he once wrote to himself that when today's son intended to worship himself as a teacher, he didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking that the Son of Heaven would have this kind of thought, that is, on a whim, and he forgot it after a long time.

Hearing Tong Yuan's inquiry, Liu Xie put down the bowl, stood up and saluted Tong Yuan respectfully: "Disciple Liu Xie pays a visit to Master." After speaking, without waiting for Tong Yuan to speak, he said to Yu Zhenzi on the side: "Meet the ancestor." ”

"Huh...... Disciples and grandchildren are exempted. Yu Zhenzi replied with a smile.

Tong Yuan saw that the master called Liu Xie's apprentice grandson, and couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart, looking at this posture, he just didn't want to accept the apprentice. looked at Liu Xie, and asked helplessly: "Why does the saint have to worship Tong as a teacher?" ”

"Because famous teachers produce high apprentices, since the disciples want to practice martial arts, of course they have to find a skilled apprentice."

“…… My master is also here, why doesn't the Holy One worship my master and his old man? ”

"No, I usually match the Zilong brothers, if I worship the ancestor, the generation will rise to the Zilong generation, I don't have any opinion, but Zilong is going to have trouble with me." Liu Xie shook his head and replied.

“…… Since the saint wants to practice martial arts, then Tong will say ugly things in front, and when he enters my door, he must endure hardships, and the saint will not regret it when the time comes. Tong Yuan saw that the matter had come to this point, so he could only agree to Liu Xie's apprenticeship.

"Only when you have to endure hardships can you become a master, and the disciples still understand this truth. It's just that Master Tong wants to teach his disciples, can he wait until he arrives in Chang'an before starting. ”

"Huh? Why is that? ”

"The disciple still has a little business to do, and when he is done with his official business, he will have time to accept the teachings of the Tong teacher."

“…… Is it convenient to talk to the teacher? ”

"Of course, the disciple is going to go to the party to meet the Black Mountain thief Zhang Yan and discuss with him about the future of the Black Mountain thief."

"Aren't you afraid that Zhang Yan will be unfavorable to you?" Tong Yuan asked with some frowns.

Seeing this, Liu Xie smiled and said: "Of course I'm a little afraid, but for the hundreds of thousands of Black Mountain thieves, this risk is still worth taking." ”