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Within an hour of the opening of the north gate of Dunhuang City, no one entered or exited the north gate, perhaps the pain of the siege of the barbarian coalition army a month ago had not completely passed, so people did not dare to approach the north gate.

Now even the most money-hungry cross-border merchants dare not risk the world's condemnation to go to the north to do business, so the north gate looks extremely depressed.

Gradually, the sun came to the middle of the sky, today is not a sunny day, the sky is gray, the sun is weakly sprinkled on the earth, it can't bring a trace of warmth at all, plus there is some wind, the northwest wind blows up the snow particles on the ground and hits people's faces.

Hu Qi, the city gate official, took seven or eight city gate guards and seven or eight tax collectors to huddle in the city gate hole of the north gate, avoiding the howling north wind outside, since no one entered and exited the city gate, they just used the angle of the city gate to avoid the north wind, and did not give up the lookout, naturally there would be no well-fed Shangguan to come here to punish them.

One of the city gate guards hurriedly ran out of the corridor, sweating profusely, he came to Hu Qi's side, quietly took out a large wine jug from his leather jacket, handed it to Hu Qi, and said, "Head, now that the wine shops in the city are out of stock, I ran several streets to buy some bad wine and came back."

I don't think anyone will enter or leave the north gate today, can we close the gate early and go home?"

Hu Qi took the flask and poured a big sip into his mouth, a spicy and heart-burning smell of bad wine rushed to his throat, and a flame quickly ignited in his stomach, Hu Qi shivered, feeling much warmer on his body, he looked at the guard's eager eyes, raised his hand and stuffed the flask into the guard's arms.

Hu Qi was much warmer, so he poked his head out of the hole in the city gate, looked at the sky, and said: "It's not yet noon, you just want to go home and rest, don't dream, at least you can't close the city gate until the time is over."

Today is the day of the opening of the city, last year just experienced a siege battle, now everyone must cheer up, carefully guard the city gate, if there is a mistake today, the officials will investigate it, no one can protect you. ”

"Eh, it's not too late, it's not too late, just don't stay up until Shen Shi!" The gate guard heard that he could go home an hour earlier than usual, and immediately became much happier, and also picked up the flask and poured a sip of wine to keep himself warm.

When the others saw that the foreman had drunk, they immediately came up to the city gate guard and asked the guard for a drink, but it was just such a wine jug, and it was not the turn of one person to take a sip.

While everyone was frolicking, suddenly there was a crisp sound of horses' hooves from the long corridor, and all the gate guards and tax collectors stopped playing.

Hu Qi bounced up from the ground even more reflexively, instantly pulled out the Tang knife on his waist, and looked nervously into the corridor, and the other guards and tax collectors were also frightened and pulled out their waist knives and whistle sticks.

Through the dim light of the corridor, Hu Qi saw a figure leading a horse out of the corridor, and the sound of horses' hooves was particularly clear in the empty corridor.

First the feet and legs, then the waist, and then the neck, Hu Qi finally saw clearly who was coming, he breathed a sigh of relief, put the knife back into the sheath, hugged his fists and said: "Li Daxia, it turned out to be you! What do you want to do now when you go out of the north gate?"

The person who came was Li Mao, who walked out of the corridor with a firm step leading a black horse.

The road of Dunhuang City is built relatively low, and it is impossible for people to ride horses directly through the road, which is mainly to prevent the Mengyuan cavalry from driving horses directly into the city after breaking through the city gate, so the knights who enter and exit Dunhuang City have to get off and walk in and out.

Even the manned carriages and wagons that enter and leave Dunhuang City dare not be particularly tall, because they are too high to enter Dunhuang Mansion at all.

Li Mao, who was dressed in a heavy fur, led the horse out of the city gate, squinted at the sky, turned back to Hu Qi and said: "Lord Hu, so many Tang people died last year, today is the first day to open the city, I want to go and pay homage to the Xuanwei Monument, I don't know if it's okay!"

Hu Qi was immediately in awe, he didn't expect Li Mao to go to worship the Xuanwei Monument on the first day of the opening of the city, he is worthy of being a famous ranger, and he always has a patriotic heart in his heart!

Hu Qi hurriedly clenched his fists and said, "Li Daxia, don't call me an adult, I'm not an adult." Since you have a chivalrous and benevolent heart, you will naturally get the world! The villain also wants to go to the Xuanwei Monument to worship, but he can't withdraw from his duties, so please ask Li Daxia to help the villain also take a stick of incense. ”

Li Mao patted the horse on the hips of a few paper garlands and a large bag of incense candles and said, "Of course, do you want me to help you with a stick of incense?"

Li Mao's last sentence was said to the other guards and tax collectors, they didn't expect this legendary hero who could take the head of a general in the army to speak so well, and immediately put together his name to protect himself, hoping that Li Mao could help them with a stick of incense for a while.

Li Mao wrote down the names of these people one by one, and finally turned on his horse and beat the horse away.

Hu Qi and his brothers watched Li Mao leave with admiration and envy, and secretly praised in their hearts: "Sure enough, it is the temperament of a heroic man, and if there are more heroes like this in the Tang Kingdom, there is no need to worry about the invasion of foreign races!"

Li Mao went back for less than an hour, and when he returned, the paper garland and the incense and candle bags were gone, and it seemed that the worship had been completed.

Hu Qi led his brothers forward to thank Li Mao, who said a few polite words to them, and led the horse along the road back to the outer city.

Hu Qi shook his head and said: "Such a good man, it's a pity that he doesn't want to join the border army, otherwise he will be a tiger general!"

One of the guards at the bottom said: "Everyone has their own ambitions, even if Li Daxia didn't join the border army, he wouldn't still protect us weak." But seeing his hurried expression today, is there anything else to do in a hurry?"

After Li Mao returned to the outer city, he did not stop all the way, but passed directly through the outer city and arrived near the Yongdao in the south of the city.

At this time, the carriages and caravans gathered near the south of the city have already dispersed, and those who should go out of the city have gone out of the city, and those who have sent people have also gone back, and there are basically no carriages and horses in front of the road leading to the south gate in the south outer city, and the street is very deserted.

Only two carriages and horses were parked lonely far from the entrance of Yongdao, Li Mao urged the horse forward, came to the window of the first carriage, and said through the curtain: "Uncle Jiu, I'm back, let's go." ”

I saw that the curtain of the carriage was quickly lifted, revealing Xu Jiu's smiling face, he nodded and said, "It's good to come back, it's good to come back! It's going to be too late soon, I thought you wouldn't be able to catch up." ”

Li Mao smiled and said, "Uncle Nine, your worries are unnecessary, I, Li Mao, have made a promise, how can I not fulfill my promise?"

Xu Jiu smiled and said, "Yes, yes, it's Uncle Jiu who thinks too much, so let's hurry up." ”

Li Mao nodded and said, "Okay, little bolt, little pillar, let's go!"

The driver of the two carriages, a half-year-old boy of fourteen or fifteen years old, hurriedly raised his whip after hearing the order, and the two single-drawn carriages walked slowly.

These two half-sized children are not very old, but they are skilled in driving handles, and they are not novices who have just started at first glance, and the horses pulling the cart are also specially trained horses, very docile, and they walk smoothly towards the road.

These two children, one is called Xiao Zhuzi, the other is called Xiao Zhuzi, Xiao Zhu is an orphan, when he was ten years old, he was sold to Xu Mansion by his teeth, he is a capable child, and he has been on the handlebar for three years.

Xiaozhu is not an orphan, his parents are still alive, but there are eight brothers and sisters in the family, and he really can't afford to raise them, so he is placed in the Xu Family Chamber of Commerce to work.

Xiao Zhuzi's parents were reluctant to let their children go to live in other cities with the Xu family, but last year, there was a siege by the barbarian coalition army, which made Xiao Zhuzi's parents feel that Dunhuang City was not so safe for the first time, so they agreed that Xiao Zhuzi would move inward with Xu Jiu's family, at least he could leave some incense for his own lineage.

Li Mao jumped off his horse and tied his mount to the back of the first carriage, each with the other horse tied to the back, fearing that the horse would be injured on the way.

Li Mao walked to the side of the second carriage and said, "Aunt Jiu, Xiao Ai, I'm back, and now we're going out of the city." ”

Xu Ai hurriedly lifted the curtain on the carriage, revealed his little face and said, "Brother Li, is everything done?"

Li Mao nodded and said: "Yes, I didn't worship the Xuanwei Monument when I came, and I went to make up for it this time, I may not have the opportunity to worship the Xuanwei Monument in this life, and I don't want to leave such regrets." ”

Li Mao nodded and said, "Brother Li, it's cold outside the car, don't freeze, go to my father's carriage to warm up." ”

Li Mao smiled and didn't speak, but walked a few steps and jumped into the wheel of the first carriage, but he didn't enter the carriage, and he wasn't sure if the city lord and the garrison would let him get out of the city smoothly, so he had to stay outside the carriage and respond at any time.

The two carriages passed through the empty market and came to the small square in front of the Yongdao, only more than twenty zhang away from the Yongdao, Li Mao finally breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed that no one would stop him and the Xu family from leaving.

At this moment, when the three gongs sounded, a vote of sergeants poured out of the corridor, and then many people poured out from the markets on both sides and behind them.

Li Mao secretly said that it was not good, turned over and jumped on the roof of the carriage, raised his eyes to look around, and saw that hundreds of people were rushing towards the two carriages, blocking all the retreats in the front and back of the carriage.

Li Mao only felt that his eyes were about to split, and he lifted the fur fur on his body, and was about to draw his double knives, but found that these people who came to him stopped two feet away from the carriage and did not attack the carriage.

Only then did Li Mao see clearly that there were many people he knew, including the old men of the Xu Family Chamber of Commerce, the generals and soldiers of the border army who looked familiar, and many people of Dunhuang City who had never met before.

The people who came out of the corridor were Mr. Ma Qian and Mr. Huang Qian, and the two of them looked up at Li Mao on the roof of the carriage together, and Mr. Ma Qian said: "Don't panic Li Daxia, we are here to see you and Mr. Xu's family, come down quickly." ”

Li Mao said in a deep voice: "Even if they came to see us off, why are they sounding gongs and besieging us?"

At this time, a big man walked out, it was the original head of the Xu family's guard, Master Guo, he laughed and said: "This idea is mine, we are grateful to Li Daxia for his righteousness, thank the Xu family for taking care of him for many years, I originally wanted to send you and the main family openly, but you left quietly, isn't this a slap in the face of our people? So I suggest that everyone scare you, and now it seems that the effect is very good." ”

"That's right, Li Daxia, you say goodbye like this, how can the people of Dunhuang feel at ease. ”

"Yes, Uncle Xu Jiu, come out and see you, you have taken care of us for so many years, I want to send you to the old man's home"

“......”

Everyone looked at me and expressed their gratitude to Li Mao and the Xu family, Xu Jiuye had already left the carriage at this time, bowed to the surroundings, and Li Mao also jumped off the roof of the carriage.

Mr. Ma Qian and Mr. Huang Qian each came over with two bowls of wine, and Mr. Huang Qian said: "Li Daxia, although you are not a part of our border army, the border soldiers of Dunhuang City are still grateful to you for making several key moves, so that the border army has suffered a lot of losses, and they entrusted the two of us to toast you with a bowl of wine!"

Li Mao felt that his eyes were red, and he took the wine bowl and drank it all, one bowl, two bowls, three bowls, four bowls!

After drinking the wine, Li Mao raised the bowl high with red eyes and said: "Border army brothers, Li Mao now has a promise to fulfill, I can't wait to fight on the battlefield with you, please take care!"

All the border soldiers present shouted in unison: "I wish Li Daxia a smooth journey!"

Another time, the old man of the Xu Family Chamber of Commerce was led by Master Shen, who took over the Chamber of Commerce, to toast Xu Jiu, and the guests on both sides were the hosts, Xu Jiu was extremely generous to his subordinates, and naturally got everyone's respect, and the two sides cherished each other, and some young servants and maids cried.

In the end, the city gate official of Nancheng came to urge, saying that when it was almost time to close the gate, the crowd of people who saw them off reluctantly got out of the way, and let the two cars of Li Mao and the Xu family enter the Yongdao.

It wasn't until he couldn't see the crowd behind him in the corridor that Xiao Bolt quietly asked, "Master, you haven't told me and Xiaozhu where you want to go before, can you tell me and Xiaozhu now?"

I only heard Xu Jiu's relieved voice coming out of the carriage: "Yes, it's time to tell you! Our ultimate goal is Yuezhou City, but our first stop is Suzhou City!"

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