Huan Rong

On the night of the banquet, the guard of Youzhou and Wenwu Pengcheng met each other, and had friendly exchanges and discussions.

From lifting mills in situ to flying boulders, and even pulling ancient trees upside down, there are a variety of tricks, attracting bursts of applause and amazement.

It was really hard to tell the winner, so I simply took up the sword and fought a battle.With the strength of wine, both sides did not hold back.Although no one was killed, a few bruises and scratches were unavoidable, and the vegetation in the courtyard suffered even more.

Even so, the atmosphere is still "harmonious", and the relationship between the two parties appears to be "closer".

Dian Kui and Xia Houshuo were the most seriously injured. One had a blue eye socket, and the other had a swollen left cheek.

Although the arm on the shoulder was secretly exerting force, and the fingers were clasped too tightly. After the two brothers got married, they were both suspected of being dislocated, and their sympathy for each other was still undiminished.

Seeing this wonderful scene, Huan Rong sighed inexplicably, ordinary people really don't understand the world of generals.

At midnight, the banquet ended.

The noise faded away, and everyone was drunk and dispersed with unsteady footsteps.

The sky was covered with overcast clouds, and the rain was mixed with snow, covering the whole Xuyi.

On the top of the city, the state soldiers on duty wore thick jackets, drank hot soup, and took a short rest in the arrow tower.When the gong sounded, he immediately drank the soup base in one gulp, put down the pottery bowl, got up and stomped his feet, and pushed the door out with a sense of warmth.

"hiss--"

The winter in the south is not as dry and cold as in the north, but rather damp and cold.Without goose feather heavy snow, people can still turn blue from the cold.

"This rain and snow may last all night."

The state soldier grumbled, tightened his thick jacket, closed the wooden door casually, and walked into the wind and rain.

The fire on the city wall was flickering, sometimes extinguished by the rain, and then immediately ignited.

The city is quiet, without the noise of the day.

The square gates and fence gates of the four cities have all been closed, except for watchmen in coir raincoats, only private soldiers patrolling the cities pass by occasionally.The leather boots stepped on the bluestone road, making a dull sound.

In the camp in Beicheng, Qin Lei and the others slept peacefully without receiving orders.The servants of the Qin family who missed their families tossed and turned, still unable to suppress their irritability, and were bound to keep their eyes open until dawn.

The cold wind whizzed past, and the rain and snow became heavier and heavier.

The refugees who had just moved into their new residence lay on the couch, closed their eyes, listened to the wind outside the window, felt the warmth of this moment, and thought about the hardships of being homeless all year round and only relying on dead leaves to withstand the cold wind. A cloth pillow filled with wet wheat bran.

In the Assassin's Mansion, the servants were busy cleaning the guest room, and the lights had not been turned off for a long time.

Huan Rong returned to the inner room, casually put on his cloak, and walked to the window, feeling the cold night wind, most of the alcohol dissipated, and his drowsy mind cleared up a lot.

"Di people, Fu Jian."

Muttering in his mouth, his white fingers clasped the edge of the window, twisting a snow-white ice crystal.

Watching the ice crystals melt in his palm and finally turned into a small puddle of snow water, Huan Rong raised the corners of his mouth and slowly closed his five fingers.

"Lang Jun, be careful of catching a cold." Ah Mi walked into the inner room holding the tripod lamp, saw the wooden window was wide open, Huan Rong was standing in front of the window to blow the wind, and frowned disapprovingly.

"I just had a headache the day before yesterday, and I only said that the medicine the doctor had boiled was bitter, but Mr. Wang refused to pay attention..."

Before Ah Mi finished reading, Huan Rong turned around with a wry smile, took a cloth towel to wipe off the snow, and said, "Ah Mi, I understand."

"It's good that Lang Jun knows."

Ah Mi didn't read any more, with disbelief still on his expression.Decided to get up early to cook ginger soup, and make sure Huan Rong doesn't get sick.

If he knew what Ah Mi was thinking, Huan Rong would surely burst into tears.

The soup is bitter, and the ginger soup is spicy.

Comparing the two, it's hard to say which one is more difficult to enter.

"It's getting late, sir, let's rest earlier."

Putting down the three-legged lamp, Ah Mi went to the window and carefully closed the wooden window, not completely closing it, but leaving a small gap.

Outside the screen, two servants lit the brazier.

Even though the room is covered with earth dragons, the brazier is still lit every night.The charcoal is burned in the pot, and it is full of warmth, but the smoke is very little, and it will not choke the nose at all.

At first it was because Huan Rong was weak, and Ah Mi was worried.According to her point of view, it is better to be hot than cold anyway.

As the days went by, Huan Rong gradually got used to it, and if he didn't see the brazier one day, he would feel that something was missing.

When Huan Rong went to sleep on the couch, Ah Mi extinguished the lights, walked around the screen slowly, and said to the maidservant: "One person must guard for an hour. Don't let the charcoal fire go out, and don't close the windows and doors tightly."

"promise!"

"Your Majesty can only approach you if you have a call."

"promise!"

The maids and servants agreed in unison.

Before, a companion was sent out of Xuyi, and the whole family was punished as farm slaves. They were not allowed to be released from residence for several generations, but they had thoughts that they shouldn't have.With such a lesson learned from others, even if he had thought of climbing higher branches before, he is now scared away by eight or nine points.

Facing Ah Mi's sharp gaze, the two servants lowered their heads, their chins resting on their chests, and Wei Wei responded.He almost swore in person that he would never dare to approach Huan Rong in the slightest.

"As long as you know."

Ah Mi nodded in satisfaction, and ordered the two of them to continue to watch over the brazier, then turned and walked to the side room, intending to take a nap before dawn.

In the passenger compartment, Qin Jing did not fall asleep.

There is only one tripod lamp left, which shimmers like a bean.The room was dark, and there were slight explosions from the brazier from time to time.

It was too warm, too warm for him to get used to.

Qin Jing couldn't help but smile wryly.

Lying on the couch, her black hair spread out like silk.Looking at the top of the tent with deep eyes, a complex expression flashed across his face, then he closed his eyes, turned over, and forced himself to fall asleep.

The cold wind howled all night.

In the early morning of the next day, a row of ice edges formed under the eaves of the corridor.

Huan Rong ate too early and was forced to drink half a bowl of ginger soup.After eating the whole plate of candied fruit in one go, the spicy taste still remained in my mouth.

"Ah Mi, I'm really fine. I don't need to make ginger soup tomorrow."

While talking, Huan Rong stood up.

The servant immediately took up the cloak and carefully put it on Huan Rong.

The cloak is made of wolf fur, which is rare and skillful. It is stitched according to the fur color pattern, and the color transition is natural. Even if it is just the lining, there is no trace of patchwork.

A circle of black fur is inlaid along the neckline, which can keep warm and very comfortable.

Huan Rong couldn't recognize the species, but in terms of length and softness, it was definitely not wolf fur.

Walking out of the door, the sun is shining immediately.

Huan Rong narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky.Finding that all the dark clouds have dissipated, my mood is also cheerful, and I don't know how to smile.

Black fur covers the neck and slightly covers the chin.Under the sunlight, a piece of purple light is reflected, against the handsome face, showing mystery and elegance.

The boy was walking down the corridor, wearing slightly larger clogs on the soles of his feet to avoid getting his shoes and socks wet.The sound of footsteps came out, attracting the servant's curious eyes.Just looking at her made her cheeks blush.

"Lang Jun is getting more and more handsome."

"Hush—" Ah Mi is right by the door!

"Ah!" The servant girl who sighed hurriedly covered her mouth.

"Get to work."

The commotion among the servants did not attract Huan Rong's attention.

Today I am in a good mood and full of energy, without any symptoms of hangover.Emissary Huan hurried all the way to find Xun You and Zhong Lin's valet. Seeing that they were not in the room, he did not rush to leave, but took off his cloak, sat leisurely by the low couch, opened a scroll of bamboo slips and read carefully. .

About two quarters later, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door.

First Xun You, then Zhong Lin.

Seeing Huan Rong waiting indoors, both of them were stunned for a moment.Hearing his explanation of the purpose of coming, he immediately cheered up and drank a full cup of tea to drive away the last trace of hangover.

"It can be done." Zhong Lin said.

Xun You didn't nod in a hurry, but said: "Ming Gong, did the other party say how to cooperate?"

"Not really." Huan Rong shook his head and said, "Yesterday was not the time to talk about things, I only got the general idea, and I have to trouble Zhong Ren and Kong Yu for the specific details."

In short, he is responsible for signing and stamping, checking the general direction, and making credit guarantees.

How to manage this business, how to take responsibility, and how much profit can be obtained, requires Zhong Lin and Xun You to use their brains to fight for each other as much as possible.

"Don't worry, Minggong, this is a servant's job."

The two didn't refuse, they were gearing up, eager to try.

After discussing for a while, Zhong Lin took out the map from the wooden shelf, and Xun You moved the bamboo slips on the low couch.Huan Rong helped spread out the picture, holding a pen not dipped in ink, and drew a few broken lines on the picture.

"Just like the Tuyuhun merchants reached a contract, there are two ways to go."

Huan Rong moved his pen and first pointed at Chang'an in the territory of the Di people.

"Enter Tuyuhun from Chang'an, and then enter Jin; or directly enter Jin from Diqin."

"If you choose the former road, you need to pass through Ningzhou, Jingzhou, and Yuzhou before you can reach Youzhou. If you choose the latter road, you still need to pass through Jingzhou and Yuzhou."

If the Tuyuhun people are bold, they can still cross the border of the Di people and enter the old land of Yan State.

But no one with a brain would do that.

Ordinary cargo is fine, if you bring a large number of people across the border, it will inevitably arouse the vigilance of the Di people.It was found out that it was for the Qin family to give someone away, and the head [-]% had to be moved.

"Jingzhou is easy to manage, but Yuzhou is difficult."

The governor of Jingzhou was Huan Huo, and he had a pretty good relationship with Huan Rong.

Before doing cattle farming business with Jiangzhou, I got Huan Chong's favor.

After being reminded by the latter, Huan Rong took the initiative to contact Jingzhou, and half sold and half gave away a batch of cattle, which gained a lot of impression points for himself.Afterwards, you will be given a sword.As far as its value is concerned, Huan Rong not only did not lose money, but also made a lot of money.

This allowed him to further understand Huan Huo's character, which is convenient for him to deal with in the future.

The team passed through Jingzhou, so there must be a certain risk.But as long as the price is sufficient, I believe the other party will not deliberately embarrass.

The difficulty is Yuzhou.

"Yuzhou is now under the control of the family monarch."

Huan Da Sima was in Jiankang, and his control over the territory was not weak at all.Knowing that Huan Rong is doing a lot of construction in Youzhou and recruiting a large number of refugees, almost all comers are refused, and he vaguely senses that something is wrong.Send people to find out the general situation, immediately order the blockade of the state border, and strictly check the entry and exit of refugees and common people.

Huan Rong looked at Yuzhou with hot eyes, but in the end he was helpless.

"It is absolutely impossible to bypass Yuzhou."

Unless the team transporting the refugees turned north and went straight into the territory under the jurisdiction of the Qin family.In this way, regardless of the cost and consumption, if Qin's hands are darker and all the people are left behind, it will be useless for Huan Rong to jump.

"Master Ming is too worried."

Understanding Huan Rong's worries, Xun You said with relief: "Qin Silang went to Youzhou in person, which shows his sincerity. Besides, without Duke Ming, merchants would not be able to pass through Jingzhou, let alone go north. Qin's father and son are not short-sighted people. Before it is destroyed, it will not be easy to do evil with Minggong."

As for the aftermath, it's hard to say.

"What Zhong Ren said is reasonable. However, there is one thing that needs to be paid attention to." Zhong Lin added, "Hu merchants who sell goods in the market must be trustworthy. If they have a different intention, make a contract openly, and secretly report to the Di people, things will be difficult. If it does, it will lead to more trouble.”

With Fu Jian and Wang Meng's behavior, they will definitely publicize this matter and spread rumors that the Youzhou Assassin colluded with the Qin family and may rebel against Jin at any time.

When Qin Ce was still the owner of the castle, Huan Rong would be able to defend himself, and he would not be hurt too much.

Now that Qin Ce is king, his relationship with the Jin family is getting more and more delicate, and sooner or later they will become hostile.If someone with a heart pushes the flames, Huan Rong will definitely wear the big hat of "traitor" on his head, and he can't take it off even if he wants to.

Not to mention others, presumably Queen Mother Chu would be very happy to see this result.As the former ally of Xi Tingshi, it is likely that he will push behind him.

"This matter needs to be discussed in the long term." Knowing the strength of the inside, Huan Rong's heart sank slightly, and his expression became serious.

"Pengcheng and his party will stay in Youzhou for a few days, and they should discuss this matter carefully. Besides, the Tuyuhun merchants can't believe it, so they can arrange some private soldiers to act as guards. If something goes wrong, the future troubles can be eliminated."

Huan Rong is not short of money.

For him, problems that can be solved with money are not problems.

However, in troubled times, there are unique rules for doing things.Once gold and silver open the way and it doesn't work, you can only speak with a knife.

"My servant heard that Hu Shang led his family to settle in Luozhou." Zhong Lin said, "Why don't you discuss with Mr. Qin Silang and select a few people to be assigned to the Tuyuhun caravan?"

The Qin family can use the family to restrain servants, and so on, it can also be used on Hu Shang.

"There are also Hu merchants who settled in Yandu." Huan Rong said.

Wouldn't it be more reliable to use "our own people"?

Zhong Lin and Xu Xunyou shook their heads together.

"Of course it can take the initiative, but it cannot be done."

"Why?"

"Duke Ming must not get involved in such a matter, otherwise it will be used by others and will damage his reputation. On the other hand, the Qin family has done this for a long time, and they don't have too many scruples." Xun You paused, and suggested, "Ming Gong It's okay to have a lot of silk and copper coins, presumably the Qin family will agree."

"Businessmen pay more attention to profits and get enough benefits. Even if they feel resentful, they will not blame Duke Ming. Instead, they will feel a little grateful. If Duke Ming wants to, he can take the opportunity to win him over. Maybe it will be useful in the future. Zhong Lin added, obviously thinking about clearing obstacles for the future.

Huan Rong: "..."

"Ming Gong?"

"fine."

Huan Rong waved his hands and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, fortunately the two in front of him received his salary.

Good luck!

The plan is established, and Huan Rong will come forward to ask Qin Jing to discuss this matter.

Regarding interests, the counselors of both sides put on a posture, you come and go, they fight each other, and they don't give up a little bit.Even if no swords were used, there still seemed to be flashes of swords and swords flashing overhead, and a shower of blood might rain down at any time.

The numbers are relative, and the flashing sparks seem to be tangible.

Huan Rong and Qin Jing seldom opened their mouths, leaving the matter of bargaining to their subordinates.The two sat facing each other, spread out a map, and discussed which way to go.

"According to my opinion, we can go from Chang'an to Jingzhou, and then pass through Yuzhou."

Huan Rong frowned.

This road is the shortest, but Yuzhou is a big problem.

"I learned a few days ago that Yuan Zhen's grandson, the former governor of Yuzhou, is now in Youzhou." Qin Jing clicked on the map, and slid his fingertips across the border between Henan and Youzhou.

"Brother Qin, what do you want to say?" Huan Rong's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yuan Zhen's grandson is here, there must be no shortage of Yuan's trilogy and servants." Qin Jing leaned closer, looked at Huan Rong for a moment, and said in a low voice, "Why don't you come here and ask, Brother Rong? Does anyone know the secret route and can bypass the state border guards?"

Yuan Zhen has been in charge of Yuzhou for many years, and he has dominated one side, and the power in his hands should not be underestimated.

The ones left to Yuan Feng are all confidantes and soldiers who have fought a hundred battles. No one knows Yuzhou better than them.With these people leading the way, no matter how tight the defenses are, loopholes can be found.What's more, Sima Huan, who is new in charge of Yuzhou and is not very popular with the locals?

Huan Rong was silent.

"Brother Rong?"

"Let me think about it." Huan Rong didn't nod immediately.

"Okay." Qin Jing's eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't delve into it.

In fact, even if this method is not used, people can still be sent to Youzhou, but it is more troublesome.But since there are shortcuts to go, why bother to look far away?

It took three full days before the two parties finally settled on the contract.

The counselors who participated in the negotiations were exhausted and looked at each other with fear in their hearts.

On the surface, they still maintain a polite manner, admiring each other, quite harmonious.When facing Huan Rong Qin Jing in private, he always changed his tone: "He has a great talent, so we have to guard against him! If he becomes an enemy in the future, he may become a serious trouble!"

Collapse?

After talking for three days, we both found out some details about each other, and this idea was impossible to realize.

Regardless of what the two parties thought, the contract was finally reached. Qin Jing and Huan Rong signed and stamped it respectively, engraved it into two bamboo slips, and put them in the wooden box solemnly.

"The matter of Hu Shang is according to Brother Rong's will." Qin Jing said.

Huan Rong nodded, with a slightly stiff expression.Watching Qin Jing walk out of the main room, thinking of what to do next, she couldn't help pinching the center of her eyebrows, feeling a little tired.

At the same time, at the junction of the territory of the Di people and the Qin family, three carriages were speeding forward.

Behind the carriage, dozens of men in leather armor kept shooting bows and arrows to stop the Di people who were chasing and killing them.

The arrows flew down scatteredly, and the Di people followed neither far nor near, and strangely did not fight back.

On the carriage, a pregnant woman curled up in a corner, her hands were tied behind her back, her mouth was stuffed with a cloth strip, and she glared at a middle-aged man with hatred.

The man was dressed in a green cloth robe, with a pale face and a guilty expression, which soon became firm again.

"My sister, I can't do it for my brother."

The woman's eyes were bloodshot, and she was so angry that she struggled desperately with her arms and legs.Perhaps it was because he struggled too hard, his face suddenly turned pale, and he groaned in pain.

"Sister! What's wrong with you?"

The man was worried that the woman would make a mistake and the plan would change midway, so he hurriedly untied the cloth strip tied around the woman's mouth and asked, "But..."

Before he could finish speaking, the woman bit his tiger's jaw.

"He Yejin, you are unfaithful and unrighteous, you are a wolf-hearted dog lung! You took refuge in Di thief for gold and silver, killed the old master, killed hundreds of people in the He Ye tribe, and now you want to use me as bait, you will die, and people and ghosts will punish you !"

The woman's voice was hoarse, but her words were like knives, as if they were cursed.

She was born in the Kaye tribe, and originally belonged to the Gaoche branch.The ancestors were unwilling to submit to Xianbei, so they moved to the Western Regions, and gradually became the Hu of the Western Regions.Because of the friendship between the tribe and Liangguo, she married the eldest son Zhang Shi three years ago.

A few months ago, the capital of Liang State was destroyed, and Wang Meng led his army deep into the hinterland of Liang State.She fled to Shazhou with Zhang Shi. Regardless of her pregnancy, she took the initiative to ask for help from the tribe, and begged her father to come forward and contact various tribes in the Western Regions to fight against the Di people.

Unexpectedly, the brother who was originally an official in the Liang State had hidden malicious intentions. He secretly communicated with the Di people a few months ago. He wrote the letter himself, using his own sister as a bait, intending to lure the Qin family into the urn and pave the road to prosperity leading to Chang'an!

"He Yejin, you must die!"

"Shut up!" He Yejin slapped the woman severely, and said sharply, "If you are not honest again, I will kill the slave in your belly!"

The corners of the woman's mouth were broken, and bright red blood streaked down her face, she still showed no sign of timidity, her hands were covering her waist, her eyes became more and more fierce, like a she-wolf protecting her cubs.

"Kill the unborn child, He Yejin, you will be punished by the gods and become a pig and dog forever!"

"shut up!"

He Yejin was furious, and slapped the woman hard, gagged her mouth, his eyes were gloomy, and his expression was vicious, like a ghost in human skin.

Jingzhou, Nanyang County

Qin Jue, the fifth son of Qin Ce, had just arrived with five hundred servants and planned to meet Zhang Shi and his party.

Qin Jue has just turned nineteen and has not yet won the championship, but he has been on the battlefield for a long time, and he often sent troops with his father and brother.

This time it was supposed to be Qin Yu who came here, but Murong She didn't want Murong She to gather his strength suddenly and try to fight to the death.Qin Jue and Qin Jue led the army to fight, but they couldn't draw their hands, so they could only dispatch [-] cavalry and hand over the task of picking up the troops to Qin Jue.

"Lang Jun, there is movement ahead." The scout got off his horse and reported, "It's Mr. Zhang's carriage, and there are hundreds of people behind him."

"whole team!"

Qin Yu jumped on his horse and grabbed the spear that was stuck on the ground.

"Follow me to meet you."

"promise!"

Five hundred servants got on their horses one after another and galloped forward, leaving smoke and dust everywhere.

The backs of the cavalry gradually faded away, and a raven suddenly flew over, landed on the dead tree where Qin Yu tied his horse, folded its wings, and let out a piercing cry.