In Youzhou border rouge county, the Tao family is a famous family that can be called the county, the children of the clan have both civil and military in the Youzhou officialdom, and the Tao family style is simple and thick, the Tao family owner Tao Jinzao is very famous, built a righteous storage grain, and opened a warehouse for disaster relief in Youzhou many times. At the moment when the million-strong army of Beimang pressed Beiliang, many big clans in Rouge County followed the concept of governing the family in the three caves of the cunning rabbit, allowing the young children to secretly transfer out of Beiliang with their property, but the Tao family did not make any movement.

A group of more than a dozen people rode to the Tao family mansion in the middle of the night in the spring, in the night, the horse's hooves stepped intensively on the bluestone road that erected six archways given by the imperial court, which was particularly crisp and melodious. Tao Jinzao, who was over fifty years old, received a secret report that he was caught off guard before, hurriedly put on his clothes, set out with his family, opened the door, and a family of more than 100 knelt respectfully under the stone steps outside the door. The first rider is a young man with a heavy robe, behind him is a one-armed old man with two snow-white eyebrows, and a woman in white who is better than a northland athlete.

Tao Jinzao's two granddaughters knelt side by side, and couldn't help but muster up the courage to peek at the son-in-law who was smiling and helping his grandfather, he was really handsome, with a good skin and a better temperament, and they guessed that it was a certain Central Plains family who took advantage of the cold of the scholar and rose to power? In the past, I could always hear that the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River were handsome and elegant, and there would be a smell of books when they raised their hands and feet. But of course they guessed wrong, it is true that foreign scholars have seen stitches and needles to occupy seats in the Beiliang officialdom, but except for Yu Luandao, there are only a few people, and there is really no one who is qualified to make the Tao family master so prosperous, and the one who made them fall in love at first sight is the king of Beiliang who led ten white horses to travel from Weifu to Rouge County at night.

Xu Fengnian and Tao Jinzao walked into the door quickly, and saw that the child in a woman's arms was born with a delicate aura, so he took off a jade pendant from his waist and gave it to the child with a warm smile as a gift. Then Xu Fengnian first let the old and young women and children of the Tao family disperse to rest, leaving only Tao Jinzao and Tao Wenhai father and son to accompany them, there was no polite greeting, Xu Fengnian lowered his voice and asked bluntly: "The last batch of spies from Lingzhou have been properly placed?"

Tao Jinzao, who was in a stirred mood, calmed down his emotions and reported: "This group of twenty-six people has been installed everywhere, and the three groups of people have a total of eighty-one people, plus the four second-grade little grandmasters and fifteen third-grade masters who were secretly sent to Rouge County from the palace before, they can secretly cooperate with each other, and they are ready, just waiting for the Beimang dead soldiers who have infiltrated into the country to throw themselves into the net." Now that the gates of the border have been closed, and the elite crossbowmen of the border army and the local scouts of Youzhou are roaming around, even if some fish slip through the net, it is difficult to go deep into the hinterland of Youzhou to assassinate officials. ”

Xu Fengnian nodded.

Naturally, Tai Pingping, Sui Xiegu and Bai Ma Yi would not participate in the secret talks, leaving only Xu Fengnian and the Tao family father and son to sit in a private room, and the lush green bamboo could be seen outside the window. At the end of last year, there was heavy snowfall in Liyang, especially in Beiliang, this year's inverted spring cold is not as cold and difficult as before, but Xu Fengnian did not take off the fur after sitting down, Tao Jinzao Tao Wenhai and his son were also given a seat to sit down, but it is obvious that in the face of this famous young vassal king, even on his own territory, he is still very restrained, but like a shabby guest, the old Tao family head is in awe, and Tao Wenhai, who served as a lieutenant of a middle county in Rouge County, is admired and feared.

Soon a graceful woman brought hot ginger tea, put it down, and then went to the corner of the room to sit down on her knees, bent down skillfully to open the drawer, and placed more than a dozen precious spices on a small table with red sandalwood texture in front of her. There were typical "three pieces of master and maid" on the Tan case, a bottle, a furnace and a box, and the stove was the main bottle box for the maid.

Xu Fengnian took a sip of ginger tea in both hands, and suddenly the cold was dispelled a little, and the heart and spleen were warm, in this rare gap of floating and idle, he subconsciously looked at the woman who gave people a quiet and peaceful feeling, probably she was the kind of so-called moving woman with weak bones and muscles, dressed lightly and appropriately, but the chest, the connection between the waist and hips and the kneeling legs, all kinds of rounded curves did not disappear because of winter clothes. Of course, Xu Fengnian is not so charming, and he doesn't have the slightest idea of having something with her, but such a brilliant woman is really pleasing to the eye. Xu Fengnian is an expert in the appreciation of elegant plays, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a grandmaster, otherwise Tai'an City will not be eager to be swept away by His Royal Highness the Prince of Beiliang in the early years with a seal as a "fake" calligraphy and painting, Xu Fengnian looked at it at a glance, and knew that the brass incense burner came from the hands of the famous Huang Yan of the "South Cast", the stove was very ancient, diluted and strong, after years of maintenance, it exuded a bright red color, like the essence of a famous sword. If there is no accident, the ash in the furnace will be the residue of agarwood burning for many years, accumulated, "ten years of burning incense and half furnace ash".

Xu Fengnian was a little absent-minded, his eyes kept staying near the young woman, Tao Jinzao smiled, his eldest granddaughter has been reluctant to marry for so many years, so that he was ridiculed by some old friends who couldn't get married as "the Tao family has a daughter, and strange goods can live". Different from his lively-minded father, Tao Wenhai has always been secretly observing the king of Beiliang who "the prodigal son does not change his money", because the Tao family has a hidden identity in the water room, Tao Wenhai has participated in the transmission of military intelligence in Beiliang very early, especially in Youzhou, compared with the descendants of the ordinary Beiliang clan, Tao Wenhai's curiosity about Xu Fengnian is richer and deeper.

Xu Fengnian retracted his thoughts and said calmly: "It's rude." ”

The woman smiled.

Xu Fengnian took a heavy sip of ginger tea, put down the teacup, and said in a deep voice: " According to the information dug up by Chu Lushan from the Southern Dynasty, the Empress of Beimang asked Li Mibi to arrange a plan for assassins to go first before the soldiers and horses were moved, and the forces in the rivers and lakes of Beimang were divided into two parts, most of the top masters and all the last martial artists entered the army to serve, and the middle-level masters were divided into Li Mibi, the big leader of the Beimang spies, to accurately assassinate our border army generals and civil officials in Beiliang, they would not go to the Beiliang Protectorate where Chu Lushan was located to kill themselves, but like Tao Wenhai, you are indispensable in Beiliang at the same time, and relatively lack of personal protection of the backbone officials, is the best assassination target for the Beimang dead。 ”

Xu Fengnian stretched out his fingers and gently turned the teacup, " The border passes north of Liangzhou are all military towns in the city, with great depth, it is difficult for the other party to find opportunities, Youzhou is much more complicated, although there are large and small Wubao beacons in the area of Hulukou, but the original intention is mainly to block the rapid advance of the Beimang army, to deal with these secretly sneaking cobwebs dead soldiers and masters of the rivers and lakes, it is beyond their power, even if General Yan Wenluan and Youzhou General Huangfu Liang have sent sixteen elite rangers of about 500 people to hunt and kill the fish that have slipped through the net on the border line, I believe it is still difficult to work. The real battlefield in the direction of Youzhou will still take place in the territory, so the peregrine falcons in Wutong Courtyard and Fushuifang mainly have to keep an eye on border counties like Rouge County. But don't look at the peregrine falcons have already set out in their nests, and when they really calculate, they are destined to be in a hurry. ”

Tao Wenhai glanced at his father Tao Jinzao lightly, the latter nodded, and Tao Wenhai said: " Lord Wang, what Xia Guan is most worried about now is that after Beimang enters the country, the team will be scattered, and each team will be led by one or several top masters, even if we have the peregrine falcon eagle secretly protected, and the message was transmitted before death at the cost of his life, the dead soldiers near us rushed to the battlefield to suppress the battlefield at the first time, I am afraid that the other party has hidden its strength in the previous attack, in fact, there is no intention to retreat if the blow is successful, and then we may have a second round of heavy casualties, and when we come back to our senses, we have to concentrate a few major forces to intercept, maybe the rest of the enemy's cutting-edge forces have begun to quietly move again, we naturally take care of one and the other。 ”

Speaking of this, Tao Wenhai wanted to speak again and again, obviously hesitating. Xu Fengnian smiled: "It's okay to say it directly. ”

Tao Wenhai said straight to the point: "After all, our Beiliang is only a sparsely populated place, and this kind of war that competes with each other and consumes the strength of masters is not advantageous. In particular, the four major forces of Beimang Daodaozong, Qijian Yuefu, Gongzhufen and Tibing Mountain have all sent elites to join them, and there are many long-established Beimang Demon Dao heroes who have also been driven by Li Mibi, and our side must be at an absolute disadvantage in the number of second- and third-grade martial arts masters, but it is precisely this kind of role that can give the most decisive effect in the battle between assassination and counter-assassination, and our large number of light cavalry rangers are difficult to play. ”

Xu Fengnian nodded and said: "In fact, there are five first-class masters with clear identities on the Beimang side, namely the Elder of the Daode Sect, the Great Le Fu of the Chess and Sword Le Mansion, the Little Thoughts of the Princess Tomb, and the two demons on the list, so this time the entire old bottom of the Beimang rivers and lakes has been dug out by His Majesty the Emperor, and our Youzhou is the first touchstone for the old woman to rectify the rivers and lakes." ”

Tao Wenhai and Tao Jinzao, the father and son, looked at each other, and they both saw the deep worry in each other's eyes.

Xu Fengnian smiled: "Of course, the good news is that except for that little thought of 'half-face makeup', the rest are only the Vajra Realm and the Finger Xuan Realm. Moreover, among the second-grade small masters, most of them are chess and sword music, and the realm of this kind of master is not low, but if you want to talk about life and death, it may not be comparable to the third-grade martial artist of Beiliang. ”

Tao Wenhai smiled bitterly and was speechless, the enemy is so strong and difficult to defeat anyway, this doesn't seem to be good news to be celebrated.

In the corner, the woman sitting on her knees slowly stirred the incense ash evenly, cut the agarwood into small pieces, and the charcoal and incense were full of just the right amount of graceful beauty. Because tonight's conversation will certainly not be short, her movements will not be hurried.

Tao Wenhai said cautiously: "Lord Wang, the lower officials dare to mention yì ......"

Xu Fengnian quickly said: "Do you want the Wu family to come to Youzhou to fight the fire?"

Tao Wenhai, who was a little embarrassed, nodded.

Xu Fengnian shook his head and said, "The Wu family swordsmen want to stay on Chu Lushan's side in case of accidents, and they can't move yet." ”

Tao Jinzao Tao Wenhai knew that the long-eyebrowed one-armed old man beside King Beiliang was a well-known sword immortal figure who had become famous in Liangzhou City before, but of course they didn't think that this kind of master would leave King Beiliang's side, the key was that even if their father and son had poor eyesight, they could see that King Beiliang was very "weird" at the moment, like only a tragic victory with great vitality after the war, if he was unfortunate enough to guess it, then the old man of the sword immortal could not leave without permission. In fact, Xu Fengnian was in the case of the calm of the Tai by his side, and he hoped that Sui Xiegu could help, but the old man didn't take the situation in Youzhou seriously at all, and he was disrespectful to the old man.

But of course Xu Fengnian will not be restrained, let the Beimang forces show off their power in Youzhou, in addition to the transfer of the Wutong Courtyard Breeze Water Room, and listen to the Chao Pavilion masters, he also let the Shenjian Cave Master Mi Fengjie of the Zhixuan Realm come to Youzhou, and cooperate with Fan Xiaochai, who was the granddaughter of Fan Baoshan, the general of the old Northern Han Town, the former Zhixuan realm, is not the Zhixuan of the true person of the Daode Sect can be compared, and Fan Xiaochai's current strength, in the face of what chess and sword Lefu second-grade little master, even if it is one against two, she can win steadily, with her deformed stubborn character, maybe against the three, can be burned。 In addition, the Qi practitioners of the Guanyin Sect have quietly rushed to Youzhou, and they will not directly mix in this troubled water, but they will try their best to keep an eye on those first-class masters who are "short-lived" during the war, and will pass on the military information to the nearby Peregrine Falcon Eagles, so that Youzhou can have a target.

This war must be a bloody battle composed of many small-scale contact battles, once the two sides meet, they are destined to either die or be wounded, there is nothing to retreat from, the competition is which side moves more quickly and more hidden.

Tao Jinzao Tao Wenhai just guessed that the king of Beiliang was seriously injured, but Beimang Li Mibi knew it unmistakably, so the storage of Sui Xiegu would be a point that Beimang needed to focus on, in Xu Fengnian's opinion, in addition to the princess's tomb Xiao Nian would be the backhand of Sui Xiegu as an imaginary enemy, there should also be a top master who hid deeper. Of course, the "top" in Xu Fengnian's eyes will naturally not be on the same line as Tao Jinzao and Tao Wenhai.

Xu Fengnian asked, "Is there a more detailed map of Youzhou?"

Tao Wenhai hurriedly got up and went to the study to get the map, and brought back a large stack, both the Youzhou territory map and the county map, and spread out the largest Youzhou Quanzhou-shaped shì map on the table, and then placed the small four or five separately. Not everyone dares to hide these things privately, once the government finds out, it will definitely be arrested and fed in prison. Xu Fengnian stood up, Tao Jinzao and Tao Wenhai also hurriedly got up, Xu Fengnian inquired in detail about the distribution of dead soldiers in various counties and counties in Youzhou, thinking about checking and filling in the gaps. The three of them will naturally talk about the topography of various counties and counties, Tao Wenhai was surprised to find that this vassal king even knows the geography that many locals of Rouge County can't tell clearly, and he even casually says about the garrisons and leading captains in various places, and even the resumes and military management characters of those military generals with a rank of no more than six or seven grades are clear, Tao Wenhai inevitably suspects that he is a small county lieutenant and cannot escape the eyes of the law, and for a while he finally put back his heart in his stomach and mentioned it again, for fear of leaving a bad impression on the young vassal king.

The three of them chatted for two full hours, and the young woman sat quietly on her knees in the corner except for adding incense, tea and candles.

Her name is Tao Sandalwood, she is not so decently courteous for the king of Beiliang, in fact, she began to pay attention to Xu Fengnian very early, when he was just the infamous His Royal Highness the Prince. Tao Sandalwood's father, Tao Xuanlong, bought a famous painting from the Beiliang Palace, which was from the "Dragon Palace Lady" from the former Western Shu State, when she saw the two extremely large seals and seals "fakes", the whole person was stunned when she saw it, there are such violent bastards in the world? As long as they are well preserved, maybe they will be put on the desk to watch and appreciate in 500 or even 1,000 years later, this guy is not afraid that they will be stinked for 10,000 years because of those two words The Rouge County Taishou Hongshan Dong's blue eyes were added, and he felt that this person was a material that could be made, especially when His Royal Highness the Prince became the queen of Beiliang, Tao Xuanlong was once again promoted unusually. Tao Sandalwood over time, on the intermittent collection of no less than 30 pieces of calligraphy and painting printed with Xu Fengnian's seal, which may not be all fakes, like Xu Fengnian's side is now privately praised by the Beijing collection everyone as a fun "urgent chapter", and there is a concise and vivid Fengxiao shape seal with rough meaning, and the "loquat" on the child and mother print, is even more memorable.

So Tao Sandalwood slowly felt that she had known this man for a long time.

She knew every news he had come from Liyang Jianghu over the years, from the court in the capital, and from the Beiliang officialdom.

She put her hands lightly on her knees, raised her head and looked at the man who had never been domineering, every time he frowned, every time he smiled warmly, she carefully took it into her eyes, as if she was collecting treasures.

After another hour, Xu Fengnian smiled and asked the elderly Tao Jinzao to go to bed first, and continued to chat with Tao Wenhai, and the topic was wider, no longer limited to Youzhou or even Beiliang, but included the government and military of Liyang and Beimang, and the local people of the two dynasties. The head of the Tao family had gone to his granddaughter Tao Sandalwood when he was leaving, and asked her to cook tea and prepare some pastries to eat. So after moving to the small couch by the window, she sat on the seat between King Beiliang and her uncle Tao Wenhai, which was a bit of a three-legged humor.

When the sky was white, Tao Wenhai, who was radiant and not sleepy at all, still got up to say goodbye and left, he asked the King of Beiliang to allow Tao Sandalwood to walk around the Tao family mansion with him, Xu Fengnian smiled and nodded in agreement.

The two walked towards the Tao Family Library, and there was a shoulder distance between the two from beginning to end, without any feeling of being separated.

Xu Fengnian apologized: "Miss Tao has worked hard. ”

She shook her head and smiled: "It's not hard, it's that my grandfather may be a little disappointed, but I'm not disappointed, I'm very content." ”

Xu Fengnian smiled heartily, and said bluntly: "You don't have to worry about getting married, now the handsome scholars who go to Liang to become officials have grabbed a lot of them, and there are many people with good character and talent." ”

Tao Sandalwood snorted, approached the attic, and said: "The world's book collection values the edition and the full rank, for example, the well-engraved Fengban books, there is a page of one hundred taels of silver and a set of gold is worth a thousand gold, but our family library does not pick this, my grandfather feels that nothing is as important as the words of the sages on the book, instead of spending a thousand taels of silver to buy a set of Fengban, it is better to buy a hundred sets of ordinary books, so the number of books in this library is not less than those big books in the Central Plains, and if there are readers to borrow books to read, they are all unimpeded." ”

Xu Fengnian nodded and said, "I heard that your Tao family will also be fully responsible for the food and accommodation of those who study in the cold, which is very rare." The style of study tours of the Northern Liang scholars is far inferior to that of the Central Plains, but Rouge County does not lose to the south of the Yangtze River because of your Tao family. ”

Tao Sandalwood said softly: "My father said that a thriving and wealthy family is like a person with full skin, but if the yang energy is too strong and is not regulated, it will inevitably hurt the internal organs one day, so our Tao family's disaster relief, borrowing books and treating neighbors well year after year are all a necessary treatment. ”

Xu Fengnian quipped: "With this one seat, your father can be more than enough to be a county guard." ”

Xu Fengnian walked to the gate of the Tao family's mansion, and said to Tao Sandalwood when he crossed the threshold: "You go back first, the woman is very hurt to stay up late, and I have to go to the archway to wait for someone." ”

She squinted her eyes and smiled brightly, and said playfully: "It's okay, I really want to know who in the world can make the King of Beiliang wait." ”

Xu Fengnian laughed.

The two stood under a torii.

I don't know how long I waited, but in the distance at the end of the field of vision, a carriage and a team of more than 100 white horses finally appeared.

Tao Sandalwood turned her head and saw him smiling.

She saw him walking briskly to meet him, but she didn't follow, and stood there watching his back drift away.

The carriage and the cavalry came to a neat stop, and Tao Sandalwood saw a young woman with an unclear face stepping down from the carriage.

Xu Fengnian looked at the woman who came all the way from the Liangzhou Palace, and asked softly, "Is it cold?"

She shook her head.

A certain rider who came with Bai Ma Yicong did not dismount suspiciously, but nodded after meeting Xu Fengnian's eyes, then turned the horse's head and rode away.

The knight had no sword and no crossbow.

There was only a heavy iron gun.

But there is a shot on this horse.

The whole Youzhou can't be messed up.

Xu Fengnian asked Bai Ma Yicong for a war horse, first picked her up on the horse, and then turned over on the horse himself, holding her and riding together.

Xu Fengnian said apologetically: "I promised you to see all the scenery of Beiliang before." ”

She leaned into his warm embrace and did not speak.

Xu Fengnian clamped the horse's belly and galloped along the road where Bai Ma Yi had never come.

Except for the two of them, there was no one around, and she raised her hands to her mouth with a radiant face, and said with a very childish smile: "Xu Fengnian took Lu Chengyan's white horse to Beiliang!"

The white horse goes north cool.

Thousands of miles away!