Not far from this lullhouse, hidden behind the ruins, is the bustling Ma family, where the houses are much better than this one, but far more noisy than here - adults shouting at children, there are too many unknown people arguing, and unlike the somewhat mysterious but calm conversations here, too many people's words contain varying degrees of resentment, dissatisfaction with the status quo, and pointless quarrels and even fights.

A quarrel also broke out in the luxurious and quaint main house of the Ma family across the street from this dilapidated house.

"Patriarch, the clansmen can't stand it anymore, more than a dozen families live in one house, not to mention crowded, it's hard to even eat and eat, how long will you stay up like this?"

"Patriarch, the people of Lingzhou have withdrawn, can the people on the city wall withdraw half?"

"Big brother, there are only more than 2,000 people from Lingzhou, give me 5,000 people, and I will go out of the city to destroy them!"

"Shut up!" With a burst of shouts, Ma Zurong, who was sitting in the first place, stood up, and his knife face became more and more gloomy, "Hu Da will not give up on his people, difficulties and dangers are the tests he gives us!" According to the letter, the day after tomorrow is the wedding day of the thief surnamed Naluo in Lingzhou, and their warriors will definitely relax their vigilance, and the opportunity for our Ma family has come! ”

An old man with a white beard and a turban asked, "Is the patriarch's message accurate?" That gang of strongmen in Lingzhou is not a good match! The warriors who attacked our Wubao before were so fierce that no one could resist them......"

"Ma Siyuan, just keep to yourself and be your elder, the patriarch can't allow you to question it!" Ma Zurong, who had a gloomy face, lost his former calmness, or he didn't have the concept of respecting the elderly in his bones, "Don't forget, I didn't hold you accountable for the loss of Wubao before!" ”

"......" Ma Siyuan glared, after all, this Xingzhou City was not the Wu Fort he once defended, and there were many cronies of this nephew next to him, so he could only take a few steps back and be silent.

"Big brother, I want to be a pioneer! Kill all those Lingzhou barbarians! The strong man who had clamored to send troops before stood up, and it was Ma Zuming, Ma Zurong's most trusted blood brother.

"No way!" Ma Zurong flatly refused, and motioned to the attendant next to him to hold down his younger brother with his eyes, "The Wang family and the Cao family in the city are not clear, you have to stay in the city to prevent the Wang and Cao families from cutting off my back road!" As for playing ......"

He looked around left and right, and directly named him: "Coyote, Ma Xuanyi, the few Uta people who were collected before are under you, they are more familiar with Lingzhou, my Ma family currently has a total of 12,000 soldiers, tomorrow you go and select 4,000 people to be responsible for attacking Lingzhou!" ”

"Yes, Patriarch!" Ma Xuanyi, the named coyote, stepped forward, crossed his hands over his chest and bowed, his face had a long and narrow scar, which was the remnant of the previous escape from the desert, but the scar had not healed, and the bright red scar looked particularly hideous.

Ma Zurong deliberately chose his nephew to lead the team, not because he valued the role of the Uta people's guide, but because of this, this dispute was caused by it, and now the disaster affects the whole clan, weighing the pros and cons, his choice can only be like this, of course, he still has to do the work of face, "Coyote, Lingzhou Luo Kai is the first fierce man, this time the army must be very dangerous, the soldiers and ordnance are you to choose, how to fight is also under your full command, but there are other requirements?" ”

Ma Xuanyi, who was brainwashed by the Ismaili sect, was full of resentment at the previous attack on Wu Bao, where could he understand the calculation in Ma Zurong's heart?

His eyes were red, and he shouted, "The coyote will no longer be entrusted by the patriarch!" Hu Da supremacy! ”

With Ma Zurong's decision, the people who gathered in the hall began to silence, because the war was about to start, and no one knew whether their children would be involved, and they didn't know if they would lose their lives at the moment they didn't know.

suppressed the noise of everyone, Ma Zurong's face was not excited, and his face was still cloudy, "Rest at ease tonight, gather at the school tomorrow, coyotes choose people, and prepare to fight in Lingzhou in the afternoon!" Let's all go back and prepare...... Zu Ming, you stay! ”

After sending everyone away, and sending out along with the attendants, Ma Zurong said to his younger brother: "Second brother, why are you so confused! ”

"Big brother, why am I confused again?" Ma Zuming is actually not stupid, but compared to his brother, he has more "muscles than brains".

Ma Zurong patted his head, a little helpless, but he had to bother to explain, because this brother was the most loyal to him, and it was also the guarantee for him to sit firmly in the position of the patriarch, so he had to say patiently: "Why did the dispute between the Ma family and Lingzhou Luo Kaixian start, you all know that it is most suitable for him to stand up for the coyote, not to mention that he has studied in Kashgar for so long, and after coming back, he has provoked a strong enemy without making an inch......

Ma Zuming still didn't figure it out, and argued: "Big brother, coyote, phew, what kind of ability does that kid Xuanyi have to command troops?" When you give the warrior to them, is not you handing the sword to the enemy? ”

"Stupid!" Ma Zurong slapped his younger brother in the face, still sighing in his heart that he was doing so much, it was better to tell him what to do directly. Thinking about this, he changed his words and said: "Someone will make trouble in North Street tomorrow morning, you take someone to North Street to guard it, and say that the Wang and Cao families intend to join the power of Lingzhou to plot against my Ma family, understand?" ”

Ma Zuming was generous, and he didn't care about his brother's slap with little strength, and asked a little suddenly: "Big brother, ...... you mean?"

"Still don't understand?" Ma Zurong instructed with some hatred: "You are the commander of the ordinary soldiers, and you know best which ones are the best hands, except for those who must be guarded on the city wall, they will be brought tomorrow morning!" ”

After saying this, I didn't understand that it was really Yumu's head, Ma Zuming finally figured out his brother's plan, patted his chest and said: "Big brother, don't worry, I keep all the good hands in the family, Xuanyi's guy has looked down on his family since he came back from Kashgar, and he has caused such a big disaster, let him die!" ”

Ma Zurong sighed, it would be nice if it was as simple as his brother said, but as the leader of the family, he has a lot of ideas that he can't say, although the coyote is reckless, but after all, it is also the strength of the family, and he doesn't want to give up until the last resort, but the situation of the Ma family is really not good at the moment, the messenger sent to Xiazhou to contact the Yeli family was robbed and killed when he went out of the city, if it wasn't for the people who escaped back injured, I'm afraid it would not be known now, and the people sent to Kashgar don't know if they can arrive safely in winter, I don't know if they will be intercepted in the same way, now it seems that it is difficult to survive this winter, the Wang family and the Cao family in the north of the city are obviously watching from the wall, I am afraid that watching their own side and the Lingzhou people lose is what they want to see the most.

Ma Zurong suddenly found that his family suddenly fell into the situation of enemies on all sides, although the Ma family, which was originally in contact with the party and the Gelulu people, was not a big clan, but it was also a fish in water, why did Luo Kai arrive in Lingzhou first, everything seemed to have become different.

Thinking of the elder surnamed Luo in Lingzhou, Ma Zurong suddenly felt a little frightened, "Zu Ming, the behavior of the people in Lingzhou today is very strange, I am a little uneasy, don't go back to the house at night, just rest here with me, you and my brothers together, no one is afraid!" ”

"Ha, big brother, please rest assured!" Ma Zuming is self-sufficient.

……

Northeast of Xingzhou City, Wang's old house.

It is still a hall where discussions are often held, and three people, one thin and one fat, two old and one prime-aged, are deliberating

The thin old man wearing a white bear skin sat on the low couch and commanded, "Third brother, Erlang, the movement of the people in Lingzhou today is different, and I am afraid that it will be restless at night, remind all houses to pay attention to vigilance, and it is best for the soldiers at home to sleep in armor to prevent someone from attacking at night!" ”

"Father, you have celebrated your birthday before, and the Ma family has sent gifts, if there is chaos, do you want to help one or two?" The prime man known as Jiro replied.

The thin old man was stunned, and then said: "If something happens at night, it must be related to Lingzhou, and the actions of the Lingzhou people outside the city during the day must be coming to the Ma family, what is the relationship between the Ma family and my Wang family?" Erlang, don't mention this matter, it's about the strong dragon in Lingzhou, and my Wang family can't afford it! ”

"What the eldest brother said is very reasonable, Erlang, you just have to tell the family general to keep his duty, and my Wang family really can't get involved in foreign affairs." The fat old man repeated the explanation, turned his head and asked: "Big brother, there is news that Lingzhou Naluo Kai is going to get married one day after another, and most of the small people in the vicinity are going to watch the ceremony, should my Wang family send someone to go?" ”

"Hmm......" The thin old man pondered for a while, and sighed: "Since Jinyang was burned more than 20 years ago (1), the line of my Wang clan has fallen apart, and now even the small people who have returned from the Western Regions can't deal with it...... Third brother, prepare tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow you go to Lingzhou to congratulate, as for how to deal with it, you can make your own decisions......"

……

To the west of the Wang family's old house, in the courtyard of the Cao family, Cao Yixing and his subordinates were eating and drinking.

"Lingzhou Naluo's subordinates can really be called fierce!" The clever man swallowed the broth in his mouth with three knives, and couldn't help but say, "Chief, did you see the leading guy on the city wall today?" Looking like a white bear, I dare to say, you can't beat that guy! ”

"! Three knives, you bastard trying to stir things up again? Cao Yixing, who had no size at the dinner table and didn't care much about etiquette, opened his mouth and scolded.

"Hehe...... sneered" Sandao laughed twice, and then turned his eyes to the man sitting next to him who was sitting with his head bored and eating meat, "Wow, Brother Hulu is the most cunning, you have eaten two of the big beef legs!" ”

"Smack!" The gourd that was stuffy and gnawed raised his hand and slapped the back of Sandao's head, and then raised his head and said slowly: "You are afraid that the world will not be chaotic, don't you just see the people of Lingzhou behaving strangely during the day and want to watch the excitement at night?" ”

Sandao was not annoyed, grabbed a cow's hoof and gnawed it, muttering vaguely in his mouth, "Who dares to bet with me, either tonight or tomorrow night, there will definitely be chaos on the other side of the Ma family!" ”

It's a pity that the active Sandao waited for not the words that should be gambled, but a mocking boo and ...... The sound of nonchalant munching swallows.

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(1) Jinyang was burned, Jinyang, the ancient city that began to be built during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, had been the capital of a number of county regimes, and in the middle and late tenth century, when the last capital was set here of the Northern Han Dynasty, in 979 AD, Zhao Guangyi, Taizong of the Song Dynasty, destroyed the Northern Han regime built by the Shatuo people, and then moved the gentry and rich households in the city to Bianjing, Luoyang and burned down the Jinyang City, the old and young in the city were killed and injured countless times, and then decided Fenshui and Jinshui to irrigate the city, and the ancient city was destroyed. The Taiyuan Wang family in the Five Sects and Seven Hopes that the Tang Dynasty often said should have its main home in Jinyang.