Chapter 9 Chapter Nine First Walk in Xiazhou

After passing Shizhou, all the way to the west, there is an endless green grassland at first, with herds of cattle and sheep, and felt tents blooming.Sometimes there are criss-crossing paths, green wheat seedlings, winding rivers, and many small villages and towns. The living environment here is better than that of the Dangxiang Seventh Clan outside Shizhou. Nomadism and farming are mixed. Although Xiazhou has just experienced a battle for power, the people in this place have not been affected by the war. Now it is the When the grass is green and the horses are manure, the common people still have to work hard to graze and cultivate to ensure this year's harvest.

Suizhou is outside Shizhou, and now it’s too busy to take care of itself, while Youzhou and Jingzhou are both further west of Xiazhou. Troops were sent to intercept and kill, but just in case, Shizhou sent a large group of troops to escort them all the way. After entering Xiazhou territory, Ai Yihai led his 5,000 cavalry to pick up Yang Hao, and the Shizhou defenders turned back. . Going further from here, the Gobi beach gradually began to have a desert atmosphere. As far as the eye can see, there are rolling Gobi everywhere. Although there is still a distance from the Mu Us Desert, it is already full of the atmosphere of the Western Regions desert.

Tongwan City stands on this land. From Tongwan City to the east, there are three lines of defense with the Song State. The outermost line of defense is the two states of Linfu, the second line of defense is Hengshan, and the third line of defense is Shizhou relying on the ancient Great Wall. Chaos, looking east based on this, can be said to be as stable as Mount Tai.Going west from Tongwan City, you will have Yanzhou and Lingzhou. From Lingzhou to the north, there is a large piece of vast and fertile land along the Helan Mountain and the Yellow River Basin. From Lingzhou to the west, there are Ganzhou and Liangzhou. , Hexi Corridor.Xiazhou's superior geographical location can be seen from this.

Now that Yang Hao has seized Xiazhou, and has won the support of most of the Tuoba clan and the remaining seven clans in the eight clans of Dangxiang, he has the air of the king of the Northwest. Although Youzhou and Jingzhou are both in the heart of Xiazhou, they also control it. A large area of ​​territory and some cities, while Ganliang and Liangzhou and a part of the Hexi Corridor are still under the control of Tubo and Huihe, and the forces of all parties are intertwined, but Yang Hao's strength is firmly ranked first, there is no doubt about it . So when Yang Hao rushed to Xiazhou City, Mu En, Mu Kui, Tuoba Cangmu, Tuoba Haofeng, and many nobles from the Li family and Tuoba family came out early to welcome him, the young master of Xiazhou. .

The court's decree has come down, confirming Li Guangcen's position as envoy of the Jiedu Envoy.Li's regime is hereditary and does not need to be interfered by the court. Yang Hao is Li Guangcen's only heir, and he is destined to be the master of Xiazhou legally.In addition, it was Yang Hao's power to attack Xiazhou, and Li Guangcen was seriously ill. Many leaders knew in their hearts that the throne of "teaching all the generals to teach the five states to fix difficulties" will soon come to an end. It will fall on Yang Hao's head. At that time, Yang Hao will hold the three titles of Dingnan Jiedushi, Hengshan Jiedushi, and Marshal of Hexi Longyou Bing Ma, and with the support of the entire Dangxiang Bashi, it will be easy to establish a regime stronger than Li Guangrui. It is not impossible for him to become the veritable Northwest King.In this way, why didn't they submit to this young master?

What's more, over the years, Li Guangrui has made enemies everywhere, resorted to militarism, and launched wars everywhere. Not only did he not expand his power, but it made his territory shrink day by day. The large grassland has even aroused strong dissatisfaction among the chiefs of the ministries. From this point of view alone, it is in their vital interests to be able to change a Patriarch. So this time to greet Yang Hao, the leaders of the tribal group have put all their minds to bring all the elite soldiers and generals of the tribe to strengthen their prestige. They only hope to leave a good impression on Young Master Yang. If they can get his favor, Then they will be able to get his respect, get his respect, and when they expand their territory and expand their power in the future, their tribe will be able to follow the steps of the young master and grow stronger.

When Yang Hao arrived at the foot of Tongwan City, a waiting formation had already been formed at the foot of the city, lined up in the shape of wild goose wings on both sides of the spacious and straight avenue. Uniform, but all of them are sturdy and burly, the horses under their crotch are abnormal, there are square formations on both sides of the avenue, thousands of troops and horses are silent, but a murderous aura rushing towards the night, Yang Hao is also secretly shocked . If Xiazhong hadn't had an inner ghost, if he hadn't ventured across the Mu Us Desert, but had come all the way from Yinzhou, just look at these fur warriors, with strong bows and sharp knives, mighty and mighty warriors, I'm afraid he would have exhausted himself Even if he can't reach the edge of Xiazhou, the "beheading operation" has allowed him to obtain the greatest benefit at the smallest cost. This powerful army will belong to him from now on. As soon as he thinks about it, his ambition suddenly arises. Thinking about his adoptive father's illness in his heart, Yang Hao was really overjoyed at this moment.

Although he was concerned about the illness of his adoptive father, Yang Hao wished he could gallop into Xiazhou City right away, but when he saw the military parade carefully prepared by the tribal leaders, he reined in his horse forcibly. His eyes flicked past the majestic cavalry phalanx on both sides of the road, and then he clasped his legs and shouted softly: "Drive!" The war horse under his crotch was changed to a light gallop, and the rhythm of the entire bodyguard team changed with him. Zhe Yuxun consciously controlled the speed of the horse, retreated two horses, and walked side by side with Ai Yihai. The whole team was in order Go forward in sequence.

The knights standing on both sides of the stand are the most valiant warriors in various tribes, and their eyesight is naturally not bad. Although they are very respectful to Yang Hao, it is the instinctive awe of the inferiors to the superiors, until they saw Yang Hao calmly changed his pace , without giving an order, the thousands of knights following behind had a tacit understanding, and changed their speeds like one person. From galloping, standing still, and slowing down, the whole change was like flowing clouds and flowing water, naturally calm and without any confusion. Their eyes couldn't help changing, and only then did they sincerely pay respect. This respect is the awe of the truly powerful.

Survival in the Northwest is more difficult than in the Central Plains, so... awe of the strong is an instinct that goes deep into the bones of every grassland son and daughter. If you want to conquer them, you can't do it just by relying on a great background. It is as fast as fire, immovable as a mountain, and as slow as a forest. Yang Hao used the simplest military parade to let the soldiers of all tribes witness with their own eyes that his army is a mighty army that has experienced many battles. When the troops of the various ministries of the state were fighting, they quietly showed their mighty military power, and the warriors of the tribes on both sides of the road were convinced.

The prairie boy has a straightforward temperament, and the ceremony is relatively simple, far less tedious than the red tape in the Central Plains. After meeting the chiefs, Yang Hao was rushed into Xiazhou City by the stars. Arriving at the Dingnan Jiedu Mission's Mansion, the middle gate was wide open, and there were many soldiers standing there. Yang Hao, several generals under his command, and the heads of various ministries walked in quickly. It was not until the middle hall that Zhang Pu was accompanied by the head of the Seven Clans of Dangxiang at the bottom of the steps. Welcome. There are eight clans in the core clan of Dangxiang, and the Tuoba clan is the head of the eight clans. Li Guangcen is now the patriarch of the Tuoba clan and the head of the Dangxiang Ba clan. The status in the middle is even lower than that of the seven patriarchs. The seven patriarchs are waiting in the middle hall, maintaining their status without losing respect. Yang Hao and these seven patriarchs had known each other for a long time. Now that they had met Wu Liaoshu, chief of Xifeng clan, Su Ka, chief of Yeli clan, Ge Luoluo, chief of Xiangli clan and others, they immediately asked Zhang Pu Said: "My adoptive father...how is it now?" Zhang Pu said solemnly: "My lord looks fine today. He ate a bowl of round-grained rice porridge in the morning, steamed buns in broth at noon, and a few pieces of mutton..." Yang Hao felt relieved when he heard this, but Zhang Pu continued: "Since the beginning of the year, Mr. Li has been suffering from hemoptysis, perhaps because he was overworked when he went to Xiazhou. After arriving in Xiazhou, his condition became more and more serious. He vomited blood, I was afraid that Mr. Li would make a mistake, so I hurriedly sent a message, asking Mr. Li to come immediately." Yang Hao's heart sank, and he hurriedly confessed his crimes to several patriarchs, and was about to rush to the back house, when Su Ka suddenly called him, hesitated for a moment, and said: "Young master, my lord is probably... They are all here, my lord should rectify his name early and establish his identity." Yang Hao nodded heavily: "I understand, Master Su Ka, don't worry." When I arrived at Li Guangcen's residence in the back house, before I entered the door, I heard Li Guangcen's voice from the room: "You bastard, bring me the wine bag. Believe it or not, with a word from this old man, I'll make your head fall to the ground?" I only heard the voice of a young boy in the room timidly but resolutely said: "My lord, General Zhang has ordered that you must not let you drink anymore, or you will bury the little one alive in the desert, please forgive me, don't make things difficult for the villain. " Li Guangcen was still waiting to say more, but Yang Hao had already walked in and called out, "Father." Li Guangcen was sitting on the couch, his face was full of anger. When he saw Yang Hao, he couldn't help being overjoyed. He patted the couch and said, "My son, come and sit down beside Weifu. He told me the next day that you will be here soon, once or twice to make me happy, but I don’t believe it anymore, I never thought you would really come.” Yang Hao took a look at Li Guangcen's appearance. He hadn't seen him for several months. He became thinner and thinner. His tall body seemed to be so thin that only a skeleton remained. , the wrinkles on his face became more dense, his face was gray and red, and there was only one pair of eyes, which were still shining brightly, emitting a radiance of surprise. Looking at his appearance, Yang Hao vaguely remembered the first time he saw him, he was entrenched in a car, his face was wrinkled like a knife and an axe.The burly and tall body sits firmly, giving people a feeling of the pines of Mount Tai and the stones of the East China Sea, aloof and tall.Now he is clearly a frail old man, Yang Hao's nose is sore, and tears well up in his eyes. Li Guangcen was very happy. When Yang Hao sat down by the couch, he took his hand and looked up and down carefully. The smile on his face became thicker the more he looked at him: "Hao'er, I was only a father at the time." I thought that the clansmen would have a safe place to live, but I never dared to think that one day I would be able to return to Xiazhou. Now that I am back, I have really come back. My good son, for my father, I have a son like you in this life. My luck." "Father..." Li Guangcen raised his head, scanned everything in the old house slowly, and said softly: "Hao'er, this old house is the room where my father lived in when he was young. Hehe, there are still a few knife marks carved on the pillar over there. It was when I was a child, when I was measuring my body for my father, so many years have passed in a flash, this life is so fucking short." An ominous feeling surged in Yang Hao's heart, but Li Guangcen's illness, I'm afraid he knows better than anyone else, Yang Hao couldn't think of any words of comfort for a while, Li Guangcen smiled, and said: "Actually, a few years ago , I have always felt that people's life is too slow, too slow, wandering, fleeing, killing, and being hunted on the grassland all day, every day is so difficult, but God just can't hear my prayers. Now , I think it passes too fast, it still can't hear..." Speaking of this, Li Guangcen's eyes were fixed on Yang Hao, and he said in a deep voice: "Hao'er, God is too lazy to care about our mortal affairs, everything depends on us. Xiazhou has been taken back now, and Li Guangrui has also suffered You don't need to say anything if you want retribution, because you know your illness as a father, you are a man, and you don't need to act like mother-in-law and mother-in-law. I just want you to promise me one thing..." "Father, tell me." Li Guangcen stared at him, and said word by word: "I want you to promise me that you will do better than Li Guangrui, better than being a father, even if I die, the glory will be with me, and this glory comes from you!" The tears in Yang Hao's eyes finally flowed down, he nodded solemnly and said, "Father, I promise you!" Li Guangcen smiled happily, lay back on the couch tiredly, and said slowly: "Hao'er, you have just arrived, and the leaders of all ministries must want to see you, you go to work first, and come talk to me when you are done." He turned his gaze, and said to Zhang Pu who was standing beside him: "Is everything ready for you to do?" Yang Hao turned to Zhang Pu suspiciously, and asked, "What?" Zhang Pu nodded to Li Guangcen, and said, "My lord, don't worry, everything is ready." Then he turned to Yang Hao, and said in a low voice, "My lord, please gather the patriarchs and leaders of the Eighth Clan as soon as possible, publicly announce your identity, and ...It is called the authorization of the festival, and it is granted to the adults to decide the difficulty of the festival and leave it behind." After Jiedu stayed, he was equivalent to the crown prince, a figure second only to Jiedu envoy. The establishment of this identity was also announcing his only legal heir to the leaders of all ethnic groups.Although Yang Hao is his adopted son, this matter has long been known to everyone, but just like an emperor who died suddenly and did not designate a prince, then the eldest son of the direct emperor may not necessarily be the inevitable heir. If someone replaces him by force , even if other people have some criticisms, they can't accuse him of gaining the wrong position and usurping power. Li Guangcen never forgot about this matter, and even started preparations long ago, hoping to remove the last obstacle for Yang Hao.With Yang Hao's current military power, this obstacle can't actually pose any threat to him. Then people will have three declines and six prosperity. Only by establishing his legal succession status from the legal order earlier can others be unable to do so at any time in the future. Using this incident to make a big fuss, he became the legal heir of the Li regime. Su Ka knew that Li Guangcen's life was at stake, so he urged Yang Hao to rectify his name as soon as possible. Obviously, he also had this level of scruples. After all, there are many descendants of the Li family. The clansmen of the clan still have the power to compete with him. In the future, no matter whether these clansmen want to fight for the throne, or they are supported by the Song Dynasty or Khitan as a puppet, they will still have a considerable deceptive power to the tribes of the Tuoba clan. of. Yang Hao nodded silently, wiped the tears from his cheeks, and just stood up, Li Guangcen suddenly said: "Hao Er, tell him to leave the wine bag for me." At this time, Li Guangcen looked like a gluttonous child, looking at Yang Hao eagerly, with pleading eyes in his eyes.Yang Hao cast a glance at the young servant standing in the room, frowned, and said, "Father, haven't you given up drinking?" Li Guangcen licked his lips, and said reluctantly: "Since I was two years old, Daddy dipped his chopsticks in wine and gave me to eat. I have never left it in my whole life. Yes, the wine has hurt my body, but if I didn't This wine, after so many years of blood and rain, I can't bear it. I know what I do, Hao'er, being a father is no longer enough. I have nothing else to do in my life, only greedy for what's in this cup. At this time , are you still unwilling to let me satiate my appetite?" Li Guangcen's pleading gaze made him unable to say no. After hesitating for a while, Yang Hao sighed softly, took the wine bag from the servant's hand, and placed it gently in front of Li Guangcen's couch. Li Guangcen was overjoyed and just picked up the wine bag but Yang Hao held it down: "Father, you are only allowed to drink three sips a day." "Ah?" Li Guangcen hesitated for a while, seeing Yang Hao's irresistible gaze, he nodded bitterly.
Ermaina inserted the needle into the unfinished shoe upper, stretched lazily, looked at the piles of shoes, socks, hats, insoles on the kang, and looked at the piles of shoes still piled up in front of her. Raw materials, I can't help but feel sad: "Do I eat a lot? Will I eat up the Xifeng tribe? Why are you in such a hurry to marry me? It's fine to marry, why do you have to do so many shoes, socks and What about hats? When a hundred pairs are ready, people will get cross-eyed." The more she thought about it, the more angry she became, her eyes rolled suddenly, she picked up the scissors, picked up a paper pattern, and started cutting deftly. Qiang girls in Northwest China are not only beautiful in appearance, but also ingenious. Paper-cutting is a craft they have learned since childhood. The flowers, trees, and portraits they cut out are all lifelike.After a while, a paper-cut of a character took shape under her cutting. This is a man standing sideways. Looking at his clothes, he is clearly a character from the Central Plains. With a broad forehead, a high nose bridge, and a tight mouth, he looks very is handsome. Ermaina held the silhouette of the paper figurine in her hand, admired it complacently for a long time, then suddenly giggled, pulled out the needle and pierced the paper figurine: "You little human head, it makes your mouth crooked and your eyes slanted!" ;Pricking your petty hand, piercing your money will flow out; piercing your petty eye, piercing your eyes and heart will also blind you..." "Master Yang Hao, this is the old man's residence, hehehe, this way please, this room is the little girl's residence..." "Prick you up... oops!" Ermayna was having a good time piercing it, but she was startled when she heard this, and the needle pricked her own hand, and bright red drops of blood burst out from her fingertips . As soon as Yang Hao stepped into the door, he saw a beautiful woman wearing a green vest, a tight waist skirt, a tile-shaped green handkerchief on her head, a silver neck ring on her neck, crescent-shaped eyebrows, and a kawaii pointed chin. The girl was looking at him with tears in her eyes...