Things are always harder to do than you think.

The Great Sui Dynasty sent more than a million troops to attack Liaodong in the summer, and after returning to Zhuo County, most of the soldiers and horses were disbanded on the spot, and only those soldiers from the Inner Prefecture and a few troops who went to quell the rebellion remained intact. The organization was disbanded, and the soldiers could go home separately and wait for a new call order while clearing the fields. The generals had nothing to do, so they had to follow the emperor's chariot. Therefore, at present, there are more than 20 martial arts positions above the third rank who have returned to the dynasty with the holy car, and there are even more generals of the fourth rank and from the fourth and fifth ranks. Among them, those who have a prominent family background, or who are already over the age of sixties, naturally don't care about getting a piece of money and living a leisurely life. And those young generals who were in their early thirties and had some ideas of making contributions in their hearts had to sharpen their heads to find the real shortcomings.

There are many monks and little porridge, and the position that is really lacking is naturally ridiculously expensive. And Xuzi is now a general from the fourth rank of martial arts, and his position is neither high nor low. Arrange for him to go out to lead an army alone, and his qualifications are too thin. If you are a subordinate to other generals, your military exploits are too prominent. Therefore, he could only wait slowly, cultivating his body in the long waiting process.

The year is a leap year, with two Septembers. In the second half of September, the power of the East China Sea thief Peng Xiaocai swelled rapidly, threatening the security of the state and county, and after the imperial court got the report, it thought that the thieves were not strong enough to mobilize the army, so they sent the son of General Hu'er to lead the army to conquest.

When the second September came, Liu Yuanjin, a thief from Yuhang, took the four places of Biling, Dongyang, Huiji, and Jian'an, and his strength expanded to the entire southeast coastal area. With the support of his subordinates Zhu Xie, Guan Chong and others, Liu Yuanjin established himself as the emperor. The imperial court was furious and felt that it was necessary to send heavy troops to exterminate it, so it sent Zuotunwei generals Tu Wanxu and Guanglu Dafu Xia Yujuluo to lead the army.

Following the car of His Majesty the Emperor, Xuzi walked from Boling County to Hengshan County, and then from Hengshan County to Zhao County. Seeing that the leap month was almost over, he still hadn't made up for any of the shortcomings.

Xuzi finally felt the taste of raw meat, depressed, but there was nothing she could do. He had already used the money he should have made, and the person who received the gift always greeted him with a smile, praised his excellent exploits with a smile, and then sent him out with a smile and asked him to wait patiently.

The days of waiting, I don't know when it will come to an end.

Poor Xuzi finally understood why Yuwenshu was in such a hurry to take the Xiongwu camp in his own hands. It was the only team that was neither big nor small, and suitable for the young man to be the manager. Having such a team in your hand is equivalent to riding a horse galloping on the road to the rank of official. Not only can they make personal contributions, but they can also establish their own faction in the army. If you lose it, your official position as a loyal and brave man will be promoted again, and it will be a tree without roots and a fish without water. And Yuwenshi and the possession of the Xiongwu Battalion are equivalent to allowing the Yuwen family to derive a vibrant branch in the army.

Xuzi, who has grown up slowly, understands the more he understands the mysteries of officialdom, and he becomes more and more helpless. In the days of waiting to fill the vacancy, he met many idle generals, but rarely made friends. He tried to keep himself as gregarious as he could, drinking and getting drunk with all the generals, trying to forget about the troubles in front of him, but after midnight, his mind was unusually clear.

Poor Xuzi only learned the surface of officialdom, but did not understand the essence of officialdom. At present, Lord Pei Lian, who is in charge of the military department, is patrolling the northwest, and several adults in the other military department either dare not offend Yu Wenshu, or they don't say it. In this case, of course, no amount of gifts he gives will be effective.

"General Li, if not, you wait. Lord Pei Lin is about to come back, and a fierce general like you, your lord will naturally make reasonable arrangements. This time, the imperial court has already chosen someone for Lu Xingxing's errand. The boss and deputy generals are all there, and the lower officials really can't help! Yu Qingyi, the undertaker of the Ministry of War, explained in a low voice while sending Xuzi out of the courtyard. The house of the yamen of the temporary conscription department was too narrow, and it was delivered to the door in three steps and two steps. "As a grain officer, how can I do it? You are a martial arts general, and you have to use a knife blade to make good steel! If you go slowly, the next official will not be far away! (Note 1)

The gate creaked, pushing Asahiko's hope into the howling cold wind again. He shook his head helplessly and slowly walked towards his warhorse. It has already arrived in Wei County, and more than 200 miles away is Liyang. More than three months ago, he and Heifeng galloped across that land, full of spirit. And now, his master is idle, and Heifeng has also lost weight.

He reached out and gently wiped the frost from his head. Hei Feng also sensed his master's helplessness, lowered his head, and gently licked the back of his hand. In the long winter, this is the only warmth. Asahiko smiled and patted the horse's neck hard to cheer up her old friend. Black Wind shook his head, and his brown fur flew, followed by a long hiss, lonely and desolate.

"It's a good horse, and it's an old stable, I'm afraid it's not what he wants!" In the cold wind, a unique greeting came.

Li Xu turned around when he heard the sound and saw a face full of smiles. This face he had seen before when he was in Liaodong, when he had just been appointed as a lieutenant by His Majesty the Emperor. That day, this person stood in the middle of the ranks of civil officials, and his smile was the same as today, lazy and a little depressed.

"I've seen Lord Dugu!" Li Xu took a few steps forward and clasped his fists in salute. He remembered the name of Dugu Xue, the squire of the Criminal Department, very clearly, and the absurd proclamation of the wanted thieves Xu Dayan and Li Fuli in the border counties of the Great Sui was written by this person.

"General Li doesn't need to be polite, it's cold, it's troublesome to come and go!" Dugu Xue took the mount, stretched out his hand from the fur fur, and returned a flat hand. "Isn't General Li too cold, it's cold and snowy, he doesn't bake the fire in the house, and he rushes here to eat behind closed doors!"

Li Xu knew that the scene of being turned away just now had fallen into the eyes of Lord Dugu and his entourage, so he smiled bitterly and did not answer. Cui Qian told him that wealthy families would not help people who had nothing to do with their interests, unless you had something available to them. Confiding in them about their ordeal will serve no purpose other than to add some conversation to each other in the middle of the night.

"Why are you in such a hurry to make up for the shortcomings?" Dugu Xue didn't seem to feel Xuzi's resistance hidden behind his smile, pointed to the closed door with a horsewhip, and added in a low voice. "These people are all clay puppets, and they have to be manipulated by others no matter how they move. It is useless to beg them! ”

"This is the only way the Admiral knows!" Li Xu pulled the reins and flew on the horse. This is not a true statement, there are other ways to do it. Since he was free, several people have vaguely hinted in front of the banquet that the daughter of a certain family is still waiting to be in the boudoir; An old man is over 50 years old, and he is still weak on his knees, looking forward to a righteous son to inherit the family business; There are countless disciples under someone, but none of them have become talents, and the mantle is waiting to be passed on....... and so on, each road is more convenient than bribing the officials of the military department and waiting for arrangements, but the price of each road is greater than giving jewelry.

"Meritorious service, well, fame and wealth, everyone chases it, but where is the end?." Dugu Xue deliberately slowed down, waiting for Li Xu's mount to follow from behind.

"The last general just wants to contribute to the country." Li Xu thought about it and replied very cautiously. He couldn't guess what Dugu Xue's purpose was for accosting him today, but the other party did have a favor for him. If you don't say a few words of greeting, it is really rude to whip away.

"You've really grown up to be so good at talking!" Duguxue, the waiter of the Criminal Department, shook his head and sighed lightly, not knowing whether he wanted to express what he meant to praise or sarcasm. He seems to be very idle today, deliberately entangled with Li Xu, the powerful martial artist.

Li Xu replied with a smile again. He was not good at words, but he was on guard in his heart, and he was more cautious in his words. Dugu Xue saw that he was not interested in talking, and he also smiled and closed his mouth. The two of them and their retinue split into two waves, slowly passing through the blue-gray street that emitted a faint white smoke. The huge contingent that accompanied the emperor's personal expedition created many problems for this small city called Anyang, and the slightly neat houses on both sides of the main street were forcibly requisitioned into official offices. As a result, there are hardly any pedestrians on the city's main street, and there is no cooking smoke on either side of the street, and the wind whins under the eaves with broken snow, making people wonder if they have entered a ghost.

"If this continues, there will only be more and more bandits everywhere, and I am afraid that the imperial court will not be enough to send out all the generals. When the time comes, are you still afraid that the war will not be fought by you? After walking for a while, Dugu Xue pointed to the towering city wall in the distance with a horsewhip and said abruptly.

This is a great contradiction, but it is a fact. In the autumn, the people did not harvest enough food because of the shortage of young and strong. In order to continue the conquest of Goryeo next year, the imperial court refused to reduce taxes in various places. This winter was surprisingly cold again, and from Ueya-gun, the wind and snow almost followed the footsteps of the royal car southward at the same time. The people were cold and hungry, and between freezing to death and being a rogue, most of them would surely choose the latter. In order to provide supplies for the bandits, the imperial court became more and more afraid to use the grain stored in the warehouse. If the cycle continues like this, the result will inevitably be as Lord Dugu said, and Xuzi really doesn't have to worry about having no battle to fight.

Li Xu smiled and continued to remain silent. He didn't dare to pick up, the other party's surname was Dugu, he was a member of the late Empress Dowager's clan, no matter how much he made a big fuss, His Majesty the Emperor would not pursue it for his own mother's sake. But others can't, since they don't have the capital to make a lot of nonsense, honestly keeping their mouths shut is the best way to survive.

"I can't imagine that a small setback will actually make General Li, who is thousands of miles across Liaodong, so decadent!" Senior Dugu sighed and continued to chatter.

"The last general is a military general, don't talk about political affairs lightly!" Li Xu replied lightly. has already accompanied the other party for a long time, in terms of etiquette, he has done enough today, "If Lord Dugu has nothing else to do, the last general will leave and return to the camp!" ”

"Don't be in a hurry, accompany me to see the scenery outside the city!" Dugu Xue shook his head and said in a tone that was close to begging.

"It's better to be respectful than to obey your fate!" Li Xu couldn't refuse, so he had to accompany this person to continue wandering aimlessly in the cold wind. Several mounts quickly passed through the city gates and onto the dirty official roads. Outside the city walls is another world, large and small shacks scattered into the distance with the official road as the main axis. In order to protect the safety of His Majesty the Emperor, the homeless, beggars, and lowly families were driven here by the government, and they were not allowed to enter the city to escape the cold, no matter how strong the wind in the wilderness, until the royal car was gone.

Dugu Xue's mount stopped in front of a shack. The owner of the shack heard the sound of horses' hooves, opened the small door made of straw and branches, and poked out half of his head. When he saw clearly that there were two lords dressed in government clothes and several errand servants who had made him homeless, he screamed in fright, rushed out of the "home" door, and fled into the distance.

This person's actions affected many "neighbors", and soon, there was no one in the shack near the mounts of Li Xu and Dugu Xue. The ragged people fled far away, as if they were going to be in great trouble. Once they had reached what they thought was safe, the group turned around and crouched silently against a wall, shoulder to shoulder, shivering in the cold wind. They didn't know what the purpose of the two great masters was. But no matter what the other side does, they don't have the strength and the courage to resist for the time being.

Many people's fates are written from the day they are born, and perhaps they have struggled. But when they found that all struggles were in vain, they learned to endure.

endure all pain until the day when you can't bear it anymore.

"Did you see it, this is also Da Sui!" Dugu Xue let out a long sigh, he was much older than Li Xu, but because of his good maintenance, he looked like he was only in his early thirties. It's just that when he speaks, he is in high spirits, and there is an indescribable sense of vicissitudes in his tone.

"The last general saw it, the last general was young, and his family was also very poor!" Li Xu nodded and replied. If you see too much of this kind of scenery, people will become numb sooner or later. For Duguxue and others, maybe they can also express their compassion. For him, it was something he had experienced, and it was a past that he never wanted to repeat in this life.

"And that's also Da Sui!" Duguxue pointed to the blue-gray city wall behind him. In the autumn, in order to defend against bandits, the walls of Anyang Castle have just been renovated. The bluestone plastered on the exterior of the city walls is so new that it makes the whole city look like it was just built.

"The last general knows!" Li Xu laughed lightly. He understands the concept of loneliness. Among the wealthy families he knows, this person is one of the few who still has a sense of responsibility.

Inside and outside the city walls are the Great Sui, on one side is prosperity, and on the other side is poverty. Maybe before long, there will be a war inside and outside the city, and as a warrior, you must choose a side to protect.

"Actually, your character is really not suitable for staying in the court!" Lonely Xue also smiled, pulled the reins of the horse, and led everyone to walk back.

"My lord has seen it, and the last general has been trying to find a way to release it!" Li Xu nodded, and the guard in his heart gradually relaxed. The other party is not soliciting himself on behalf of a certain family. This is a visionary who has felt the destructive fire coming from the bottom of the earth.

Once a wildfire is burned, it is impossible to distinguish whose blood is noble and whose blood is low.

"Your biggest backer is the emperor, you don't have to talk nonsense to others at all!" Dugu Xue whipped the back of the horse's buttocks fiercely and quickly ran towards the city gate.

"Your Majesty?" Li Xu paused for a moment, and then remembered the gold medal in his arms. He instantly understood all the hints of Dugu Xue, and at the same time, he was at a loss in his heart.

Does the emperor remember me? Asahiko sat on horseback and thought dizzily.

One of the attendants' mounts slowed down and pulled down a pile of horse manure. Then, he accelerated again and rushed into Anyang City with everyone. Before the sound of horses' hooves died down, several young beggars rushed out of the shack in the distance, with their bare red and swollen feet, and stepped on the horse manure.

Fresh horse manure can cure frostbite, and the little beggar who is the first to rush to the target feels the warmth in the dung mass, laughs, and his face is full of happiness.

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