Xiao Qi looked around at the city, which was shrouded in gray sand. The first impression of the city on Xiao Qi was that it was hot. Here the earthy yellow and brown are the main colors, as if reflecting the light and heat of the scorching sun, shrouded in this light, just looking at it, Xiao Qi felt that he was sweating. The pedestrians walking on the street and the vendors on the side of the street, most of the men and women are short-sleeved shorts, revealing their bronzed arms and calves, all of which give Xiao Qi a strong sense of exoticism. The people who live in the border areas and are accompanied by the yellow sand have formed a unique culture and style that is different from other places in Longyuan.

Xiao Qi entered the city for the first time to inquire about news and buy supplies. He needed to figure out how deep the water could be. The mysterious dark feather, the unfathomable Suo Pingzhang, and the dominant Di Yuan, this city is destined to be not simple.

The city of Shajiang was more prosperous than he had imagined. There are many shouts and shouts on the streets, and many streets are even crowded, which is not inferior to the market of Benhai City.

Xiao Qi unconsciously glanced at a stall in the market. What makes this stall so striking is not that it displays a wide variety of goods, but rather that the display here is so shabby that it looks like a tattered place compared to the stall next to it. Under its backdrop, the hawker business next to it is particularly prosperous.

Xiao Qi approached with some curiosity. There were a few iron tools on the stall, all axes and pickaxes, and a few daggers, but the workmanship was really rough, and even the blades were a little cracked. The person sitting in front of the stall leaned on a stool, his hat covered his face, and there was a faint snoring sound, as if he was sleeping, and he did not shout and sell. It's no wonder business is so bleak.

Xiao Qi didn't have any spare money to help him, his eyes swept over the busy and noisy crowd, he seemed interested, and tried hard to squeeze through the noisy crowd. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of someone sneakily reaching out to the money bag around the waist of a girl in white in front of him.

Xiao Qi was far away, and he couldn't squeeze through the crowd around him, so he couldn't help it. It's just that the thief's hands haven't approached the money bag yet, like a violent hurricane blowing in that space, but Xiao Qi didn't feel anything around him, and he didn't see any movement, and the hands were broken in an instant as if they had been struck by something, and the whole body of the thief flew out diagonally.

Before Xiao Qi could react to what had happened, in the crowd, the back of the girl in white had disappeared.

Shajiang City is really not simple. Xiao Qi secretly smacked his tongue, thinking about where this was sacred, and at the same time tried to squeeze out of the crowd.

Then he walked forward, and suddenly caught a glimpse of a rustic tavern around the corner in front of him.

Xiao Qi walked in without thinking. It seems that no matter where there is, a place like a tavern, where people are dominated by alcohol, is full of desire to pour out, and it is always good to find out the news.

It was still noon, and there were already quite a few customers in the tavern. Xiao Qi casually found a table and sat down, asked Xiao Er for a pot of wine, and listened carefully to the surrounding movements to find a target.

The flask was placed on the table, and he hesitated to pour a small glass into his mouth. Although alcohol is forbidden in the barracks of Benhai City, there are always people who can take advantage of the loopholes and have a few drinks at night. However, Xiao Qi, who has always been a maverick, naturally has no chance to taste it.

The spicy taste swept through Xiao Qi's tongue, and he burst into tears. His eyes were blurry, but his ears were more sensitive, and someone at the next table seemed to be talking about something. Xiao Qi leaned over slightly, only to feel a smell of wine coming to his face.

A few men at this table are dressed as soldiers, although they have taken off their armor, but the style of the brown linen shirt and the boots under their feet are exactly the same, Xiao Qi has been in the military camp for many years, and knows that this kind of cloth with narrow sleeves is often worn by soldiers under the armor, and this kind of wide leather boots is the standard in the army. One of them seemed to be numb from drinking, and he spoke with a big tongue; "This Hou Ye's eastern crusade will definitely beat the east to the ground." The prestige of our Sand Frontier City will definitely spread throughout the entire continent!"

Someone else laughed and said, "You're just talking." I inquired clearly early in the morning, this time it was not the Hou Ye's Eastern Crusade, but the eldest prince led the army. And the main force is the Desert Wolf Battalion, which has nothing to do with us. ”

"Isn't he always involved in military and political affairs?"

The man shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Who knows, I heard that the tiger talismans were delivered to the Grand Prince's Mansion this morning. But this time, it was those guys in Yunzhou who asked Hou Ye for help, and Hou Ye definitely didn't care much, probably because he wanted to give the eldest son a chance to exercise. ”

"Hehe, marching and fighting, how can it be so easy. Even if the eldest prince brings the desert wolf camp, how can he say that he can fight it?"

"Naturally, there is difficulty, otherwise the Hou Ye will not let the eldest prince choose the accompanying generals by himself. With the assistance of generals, it is naturally different. ”

"It's strange to say, there are so many experienced generals in our Shajiang City, why did the eldest prince choose only that Suo Pingzhang? He just went to King Qin to fight for King Pingnan and King Chengji, and he didn't have any military exploits, and he couldn't rank in terms of qualifications or merits. ”

Someone laughed and said: "No matter how poor people are, they are still generals, and they are not comparable to pawns like us." ”

Xiao Qi heard Suo Pingzhang's name and listened more carefully.

Unexpectedly, their conversation came to an abrupt end. Immediately after that, the sound of tables and chairs moving, Xiao Qi looked up, only to find that they had all stood up and made a military salute in the direction of the entrance.

Xiao Qi looked in the direction of their gaze, his pupils suddenly contracted, this was an acquaintance.

Suo Pingzhang walked in with a smile. He smiled at Xiao Qi first, then walked up to the soldiers, and asked with a smile: "Who just said that Suo has neither military merits nor qualifications?"

A trembling man replied, "It's me...... But General Suo, you listen to me......"

Suo Pingzhang didn't show an angry expression, he just smiled and waved his hand, but sat opposite Xiao Qi. The soldiers looked at each other, and they didn't know why Suo Pingzhang seemed to be very familiar with the guy at the next table. But seeing that Suo Pingzhang had no intention of pursuing it, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's a coincidence to meet Xiao Gongzi here. Suo Pingzhang smiled and poured himself a glass of wine.

"Coincidentally? Didn't General Suo find it all the way? It's just that it took longer than I thought. Xiao Qi sneered.

Suo Pingzhang nodded approvingly: "Xiao Gongzi is right, Suo's power is still limited, if Hou Ye is interested in Xiao Gongzi, I am afraid that as soon as Gongzi enters the city, he will be taken down." ”

Xiao Qi ignored the threat in his words, since Suo Pingzhang came back to see him, he would not sell himself to Di Yuan. He glanced at the soldiers: "I heard that General Suo is going to go east, thousands of miles away, and I don't know how General Suo plans to borrow our knife to kill people?"

"Is this kind of trivial matter worth worrying about Xiao Gongzi?" Suo Pingzhang shook his head with a smile: "In this way, Suo Mou made a bet with Xiao Gongzi that Suo Mou would not go east with the army, and he would have to stay in Shajiang City to entertain Xiao Gongzi and his gang." As soon as he spoke, the faces of the soldiers changed slightly, and they exchanged glances with each other.

Xiao Qi raised his eyebrows: "If you want to disobey your Hou Ye's will, I'm afraid that one life is not enough." He paused, then said, "But this bet is interesting, what do you want to bet on?"

Suo Pingzhang took a sip of wine: "Just bet on a bar?"

Xiao Qi nodded silently. Then he stood up and threw down a piece of silver: "Then today, a meal of wine in exchange for General Suo's head, this is a good deal." ”

Suo Pingzhang smiled and asked, "Does Xiao Gongzi also want me to go east?"

"What?" Xiao Qi asked rhetorically.

Suo Pingzhang showed an intriguing smile on his face: "Then Suo Mou, there is one more reason not to go east." ”

Xiao Qi was noncommittal, turned around and walked out of the tavern.

Suo Pingzhang slowly drank the remaining wine in Xiao Qi's wine jug, and there was no trace of drunkenness on his face. The soldiers did not dare to come out and stood straight.

"You don't still have the luxury of getting out alive, do you?" Suo Pingzhang's smile was as warm as sunshine.

The soldiers were stunned for a moment, and then they all hurriedly knelt down: "General Suo, spare your life! We will never say anything about your rights and wrongs in the future...... And also...... We didn't hear a word of what General Suo said today...... I won't talk nonsense outside......"

Suo Pingzhang shook his head regretfully: "Do you think I'm trying to kill you?"

The soldiers looked up in confusion.

"If you talk about military and political affairs outside and leak military planes, the consequences will be serious, and you don't need to say it? ”

The soldiers quickly swapped colors, and the big tongue's eyes flashed with a fierce color. "Fight!" he jumped up and hugged Suo Pingzhang's waist. The rest of the people jumped on the same page.

In the gloomy tavern, there were a few dull noises. Suo Pingzhang threw the fragments of the bloodstained porcelain bowl in his hand on the ground, pulled a rag and wiped his hands. Then he smiled and walked out of the tavern to meet the bright sunlight outside.