After Shizhou, all the way to the west, first there is an endless green grassland, herds of cattle and sheep, and felt tents. Sometimes it is longitudinal and horizontal, the wheat seedlings are green, the rivers meander in the meantime, and there are many small villages and towns.

Here is better than the place of the party Xiang Qi clan outside Shizhou, the living environment is better, nomadic and farming are uneven, although Xiazhou has just experienced a battle for power, but the people in this place have not been affected by the war, now it is the season of grass and green horse fertilizer, the people still have to work hard to graze, farming, in order to ensure this year's harvest.

Suizhou is outside Shizhou, and now they are too busy to take care of themselves, and Youzhou and Jingzhou are further west of Xiazhou, although they are far away, and now they have written to the imperial court, leaving aside the relationship between them and Li Guangrui, they may not dare to blatantly send troops to intercept and kill, but just in case, Shizhou still sent a large team of men and horses to escort all the way, and when they entered the territory of Xiazhou, Ai Yihai led his five thousand iron cavalry to receive Yang Hao, and the Shizhou defenders turned back.

From here, the Gobi Desert Beach began to gradually have the atmosphere of a desert, as far as the eye can see, there are rolling Gobi everywhere, although there is still some distance from the Mu Us Desert, but it is already full of the atmosphere of the Western Desert.

The city of Tongwan stands on this land.

From Tongwancheng to the east, there are three lines of defense here with the Song Kingdom, the outermost line of defense is the two states of Linfu, the second line of defense is Hengshan, and the third line of defense is Shizhou relying on the ancient Great Wall. From Tongwancheng to the west, it is Yanzhou and according to Lingzhou, from Lingzhou to the north, is along the Helan Mountain and the Yellow River basin of a large expanse, fertile land, from Lingzhou to the west, is the two states of Ganliang, the Hexi Corridor. The geographical location of Xiazhou is evident from this.

Now Yang Hao has seized Xiazhou, and has been supported by most of the tribes of the Tuoba clan and the remaining seven clans in the eight clans of the party, and has the spirit of the king of the northwest, although Youzhou and Jingzhou are in the heart of Xiazhou, and also control a large territory and some cities, and part of the Ganliang two states and the Hexi corridor are still under the control of Tubo and Huifu, and the forces of all parties are intertwined, but Yang Hao's strength ranks first, there is no doubt about this.

So when Yang Hao rushed to the city of Xiazhou, Mu En, Mu Kui, Tuoba Cangmu, Tuoba Haofeng, and many nobles of the Li family and Tuoba clan came out early to greet him, the young master of Xiazhou.

The decree of the imperial court has been handed down, confirming Li Guangcen's appointment to the post of martyrdom. The Li regime is hereditary and does not need the intervention of the imperial court, and Yang Hao is the only heir of Li Guangcen, and he is legally destined to be the master of Xiazhou. In addition, it was Yang Hao's strength that relied on the attack on Xiazhou, and Li Guangcen was seriously ill, and many leaders understood in their hearts that the throne of "all the generals who taught the five states to determine the difficulties and festivals" would soon fall on Yang Hao's head.

At that time, Yang Hao held the three titles of envoy of the difficult festival, envoy of the Hengshan festival, and generalissimo of the soldiers and horses of Hexi Longyou, and then had the support of the entire party Xiang Baclan, it would be easy to establish a more powerful regime than Li Guangrui, and even Hexi Longyou would fall into his hands and become a veritable king of the northwest. In this way, why didn't they give up to this young master?

What's more, the result of Lee Kuan-rui's enmity and reckless use of military force and waging wars everywhere over the years has not only not expanded his power, but has caused his territory to shrink day by day, especially this time when he secretly negotiated peace with the Tubo and Hui tribesmen and ceded a large area of grassland from the leaders of various tribes, which has aroused strong dissatisfaction among the people of all tribes.

Therefore, to welcome Yang Hao this time, the leaders of the tribe should do their best, and pull all the elite soldiers and strong generals of the tribe to strengthen their prestige, only hoping to leave a good impression on the young master Yang, if they can get his favor, they can get his reuse, get his reuse, and when they expand their territory and expand their power in the future, their tribe can follow the pace of the young master to grow stronger.

When Yang Hao rushed to the city of Tongwan, the city has lined up a phalanx to greet them, on both sides of the spacious and straight avenue, in the shape of goose wings, these warriors carefully selected by various tribes although the weapons and clothing are not uniform, but all of them are fierce and burly, the crotch of the war horse is abnormal, on both sides of the avenue one by one, thousands of troops and horses are silent, but a murderous aura of rushing to the face is coming, and Yang Hao is also secretly frightened.

If it weren't for the inner ghost in the middle of Xia, if he hadn't ventured through the Mu Us Desert, but killed all the way from Yinzhou, just look at these fur fur and leather armor, strong bows and sharp swords, and fierce warriors, I'm afraid he has exhausted his troops, and he can't even think of touching the edge of Xiazhou, "decapitation action" made him get the maximum benefit at the minimum cost, this powerful army will belong to him in the future, as soon as he thinks about this, his ambition is suddenly born, if it is not for the illness of his father-in-law in his heart, Yang Hao is really overjoyed at this moment.

Although he was worried about his father-in-law's illness, Yang Hao couldn't wait to gallop into Xiazhou City immediately, but when he saw the military parade carefully prepared by the leaders of various tribes, he still forcibly reined in the reins of the horse, he stopped on the horse, and his sharp eyes swept in front of the cavalry phalanx on both sides of the road, and then clamped his legs and whispered: "Drive!" ”

The war horse under the crotch was changed to a light gallop, and the rhythm of the entire guard brigade changed with him, and Zhi Yuxun consciously controlled the speed of the horse, stepped back two horses, and walked side by side with Ai Yihai, and the whole team galloped forward in an orderly manner.

The knights on both sides of the solemn are the most brave and warlike warriors of each tribe, and their eyesight is naturally not bad, although they are extremely respectful to Yang Hao, but it is the instinctive awe of the subordinate to the superior, until they see Yang Hao calmly change his pace, without the need for an order, the thousands of knights who followed him have a heart, like a person, brushing and changing the speed, from galloping, stationary, and slow, the whole change is like flowing water, natural and calm, without the slightest chaos, their eyes can't help but change, this is the sincere respect, This respect is a reverence for the truly powerful.

It is particularly difficult for the Northwest to survive compared to the Central Plains, so ...... Fearing the strong is an instinct that goes deep into the marrow of every grassland child, and if you want to conquer them, you will never be able to rely on a great birth alone.

Its speed is like fire, not moving like a mountain, its Xu is like a forest, Yang Hao used the simplest military parade to let the soldiers of various tribes witness that his army is a mighty division that has been in battle for a long time, and when reviewing the armies of Xiazhou, he quietly showed his strong military might, and the warriors of the tribes on both sides of the road were convinced.

The grassland boy has a cheerful temperament, and the ceremony is relatively simple, far less lengthy and boring than the red tape of the Central Plains.

Rushed to the Dingyan Jiedu Embassy, the middle door was wide open, the armor was lined up, Yang Hao and several generals under his command, as well as the heads of the various departments, walked in quickly, until the middle hall, only to see Zhang Pu accompanied the head of the seven clans of the party to greet him at the bottom of the steps.

There are eight clans in the core clan of the party, the Tuoba clan is the head of the eight clans, Li Guangcen is now the head of the Tuoba clan, and he is also the head of the eight clans of the party, and although Yang Hao now has the position of Hengshan Jiedu, but in terms of the status of the clan, it is inferior to the patriarch of the seven clans.

Yang Hao and these seven patriarchs have long been familiar with each other, and at the moment, when they saw that the ceremony had been concluded with the head of the Xifeng clan, Wulishu, the head of the Yeli clan, Suka, the head of the Xiangli clan, and the head of the Xiangli clan, Ge Luoluo, and others, they immediately asked Zhang Pu: "My father-in-law...... What's going on now? ”

Zhang Pu said heavily: "My lord looks fine today, I ate a bowl of japonica rice porridge in the morning, steamed buns in broth at noon, and a few pieces of mutton......"

Yang Hao was relieved when he heard this, but Zhang Pu continued: "Since the beginning of the year, Lord Li has had hemoptysis, perhaps because he was overworked when he went to Xiazhou, and after arriving in Xiazhou, his condition became more and more serious, and he vomited blood a few days ago. ”

Yang Hao's heart sank, and he hurriedly confessed his guilt to several patriarchs, and wanted to rush to the back house, Su Ka suddenly called him, hesitated for a moment, and said: "Young master, my lord is probably ......, while all the heads of the tribe are here, the adult should correct his name as soon as possible and establish his identity." ”

Yang Hao nodded heavily: "I understand, Lord Sukha rest assured." ”

When I arrived at Li Guangcen's residence in the back house, before I entered the door, I heard Li Guangcen's voice coming from the room: "Bastard, bring me the wine bag, believe it or not, the old man will tell you to fall to the ground?" ”

I only heard the voice of a young man in the room say timidly and resolutely: "My lord, General Zhang has instructed that adults must not be allowed to drink anymore, otherwise they will bury the little ones alive in the desert, and ask the adults to be gracious, don't be difficult for the villain." ”

Before Li Guangcen could say more, Yang Hao had already walked in and called, "Father-in-law." ”

Li Guangcen sat on the couch, his face was full of anger, but when he saw Yang Hao, he couldn't help but be overjoyed, patted the bed and said, "My son, come on, sit down next to my father." Hahaha, Sukha and Wulishu said to me in the first few days, you will be there soon, once or twice to make me happy, I don't believe it when I say too much, I can't imagine that you are really here. ”

Yang Hao looked at Li Guangcen's appearance, he hadn't seen him for a few months, he was getting thinner and thinner, his tall body seemed to be so thin that only a skeleton remained, his face was full of beard and unkempt, his hair and beard had almost become completely white, the wrinkles on his face were more dense, his face was gray and red, and he only had a pair of eyes, which were still shining and full of surprise.

Yang Hao looked at his appearance and vaguely remembered the first time he saw him, he was entrenched in a car, his face wrinkled like a knife and an axe. The burly and tall body sits steadily, giving people a feeling of Mount Tai pine and East China Sea Jieshi, arrogant and upright. Now he is clearly a weak old man, Yang Hao's nose is sour, and tears are shining in his eyes.

Li Guangcen was very happy, and when Yang Hao sat down on the edge of the couch, he took his hand, looked up and down carefully, and the more he looked at his face, the stronger the smile became: "Hao'er, when I was a father, I only thought that the clansmen would have a place to live, but I never dared to think that I would be able to return to Xiazhou one day." Now, I'm back, I'm really back, good son, it's my blessing to have such a righteous son as you in this life. ”

"Father-in-law......"

Li Guangcen raised his head, slowly scanned everything in the old house, and said softly: "Hao'er, this old house is the room where my father lived when he was a teenager, hehe, there are still a few knife marks carved on the pillar over there, that was when I was a child, when I measured my father's figure, so many years have passed in a flash, this life is really fucking short." ”

Yang Hao felt an ominous feeling in his heart, but Li Guangcen's condition, I am afraid that he himself understands it better than anyone else, Yang Hao couldn't think of any words of consolation for a while, Li Guangcen smiled, and said: "Actually, a few years ago, I have always felt that people live too slowly, too slowly, wandering on the grassland all day long, fleeing, killing, being hunted down, every day is so difficult, but God can't hear my prayers." Now, I think it's going fast, and it still can't hear ......."

Speaking of this, Li Guangcen's eyes were focused on Yang Hao, and he said in a deep voice: "Hao'er, God is too lazy to take care of our mortal affairs, everything has to rely on us." Xiazhou, now that it has been recaptured, Li Guangrui has also suffered retribution, you don't have to say anything, because my father knows his illness, a manly husband, I don't need to be like my mother-in-law and mother-in-law. I just want you to promise me one thing......"

"Father-in-law, you say."

Li Guangcen stared at him and said word for word: "I want you to promise me that you will do better than Li Guangrui and be better than my father, even if I die, the glory will be with me, and this glory comes from you!" ”

The tears in Yang Hao's eyes finally flowed, and he nodded solemnly and said, "Father-in-law, I promise you!" ”

Li Guangcen smiled happily, lay back on the couch tiredly, and said slowly: "Hao'er, you just arrived, all the heads of the department must want to see you, you go to work first, and then come to talk to me when you are done." ”

He rolled his eyes, and said to Zhang Pu, who was standing aside: "What you want to do, are you ready?" ”

Yang Hao turned to Zhang Pu suspiciously and asked, "What?" ”

Zhang Pu nodded to Li Guangcen and said, "Don't worry, my lord, everything is ready." Then he turned to Yang Hao and said in a low voice: "Your Excellency, you must gather the patriarch and head of the eight clans as soon as possible, publicly announce your identity, and ...... Weigh the authorization of the festival, and grant the adult to stay after the difficult festival. ”

After the festival stays, it is equivalent to the prince, second only to the figure of the festival envoy, and the establishment of this identity is also to announce his only legitimate heir to the heads of all clans. Although Yang Hao is his adopted son, this matter has long been known to everyone, but just like an emperor who died suddenly did not designate a crown prince, then the eldest son of the emperor may not necessarily be the inevitable heir, if someone replaces him by force, even if others have a slight remark, they cannot accuse him of being incorrect and usurping power.

Li Guangcen never forgot this matter, and even began to prepare for it, hoping to clear the last obstacle for Yang Hao. With Yang Hao's current military might, this obstacle is actually unable to pose any threat to him, and then people have three declines and six prosperity, and establish his legitimate inheritance status from the legal order as soon as possible, so that at any time in the future, others will not be able to take advantage of this matter to make a big fuss, so that he can justifiably become the legitimate heir of the Li regime.

Su Ka knew that Li Guangcen's life was on the verge of death, and at this time urged Yang Hao to correct his name as soon as possible, obviously he also had this scruples, after all, there are many descendants of the Li family, if Li Guangcen can't personally confirm the inheritance of Yang Hao, then legally speaking, the Li family's descendants still have the power to compete with him, whether these clansmen want to compete for the throne in the future, or if they are supported by the Great Song Dynasty or the Khitan to raise a puppet, there will still be considerable demagogic power for the Tuoba tribe.

Yang Hao nodded silently, wiped the tears on his cheeks, and just stood up, Li Guangcen suddenly said again: "Hao'er, ask him to leave the wine bag for me." ”

At this time, Li Guangcen looked like a greedy child, looking at Yang Hao with a pleading in his eyes. Yang Hao glanced at the little guy standing in the room and frowned, "Father-in-law, haven't you quit drinking?" ”

Li Guangcen licked his lips and said reluctantly: "Since I was two years old, my father dipped me in wine with chopsticks, and I have never left it in my life." Yes, this wine has harmed my body, but without this wine, I wouldn't have survived so many years of blood and blood. I know my own affairs, Hao'er, it's no longer good to be a father, I have nothing to do in this life, only to be greedy for what is in this cup, at this time, you still refuse to let me satisfy my appetite? ”

Li Guangcen's pleading gaze made him unable to say anything to refuse, hesitated for a while, Yang Hao sighed lightly, took the wine bag from the little guy's hand, and gently placed it in front of Li Guangcen's couch, Li Guangcen was overjoyed, just picked up the wine bag, but was held down by Yang Hao: "Father-in-law, only three sips a day." ”

"Huh?" Li Guangcen hesitated, and when he saw Yang Hao's gaze that could not be refused, he nodded with a bitter face.

Ermayina thrust the needle into the unfinished upper of the shoe, lazily stretched her waist, looked at the piles of shoes, socks, hats, and insoles on the kang, and looked at the mountains of raw materials that were still piled up in front of her, and couldn't help but feel sad: "Have I eaten a lot?" Will I eat the Seal Tribe? Why are you in such a hurry to get me married? Even if you get married, why do you have to make so many shoes, socks and hats? When a hundred pairs of pairs are done, people will be tired of cross-eyed. ”

The more she thought about it, the more angry she became, and suddenly her eyes rolled, and she picked up the scissors, picked up a paper pattern, and cut it dexterously.

Northwest Qiang girls are not only beautiful, but also ingenious, paper-cutting is a craft they will have since childhood, cut out of flowers and trees, portraits, all lifelike. After a while, a figure paper cut took shape under her cutout, this is a man standing sideways, looking at his costume, it is clearly a Central Plains figure, with a broad forehead, a high nose bridge, and a tight mouth, looking very handsome.

Ermayina took the silhouette of the paper figure in her hand, admired it complacently for a long time, suddenly ate and smiled, pulled out the needle and pricked the paper figure: "Pierce your little head, pierce your mouth crooked and slanted; Pierce your villain's hands, and make your money flow out; Pierce your little human eye, pierce your blind heart and ......"

"Lord Yang Hao, this is the old man's residence, hehehe, please here, this is the little girl's residence......"

"Pierce you...... Ah! Ermayina was happily pierced when she heard this, and her heart was suddenly startled, and a needle pierced her hand, and red blood beads suddenly appeared from her fingers.

As soon as Yang Hao stepped into the door, he saw a beautiful girl wearing an emerald vest, a tight waist tube skirt, a tile-shaped green kerchief on her head, a silver neck ring on her neck, her eyebrows curved like a crescent moon, and her chin pointed kawaii, looking at him with tears in her eyes......