Chapter 103 Meeting the Mobei Hu

The second year of Kaiping, March 24, spring.

Inner city, Imperial Street.

Today is neither the fifth nor the tenth day of the lunar calendar. Although there are many stalls near the Daxiangguo Temple on the east side of the Imperial Street, they are generally closed except for the past two days. But in recent days, whether it is open or closed, the winding streets around the Daxiangguo Temple are already full of people, and it is difficult to squeeze through.

A man in his thirties rode his horse among the crowd, but in the end he could not move, so he had to lead the horse.

Daxiangguo Temple is not a high-end commercial district or residential area in Bianliang City. It has a stronger atmosphere of urban life. There are densely stacked houses on both sides of the street. In addition to the houses, there are many kinds of food shops, grocery stores, and restaurants.

There are live signs outside almost every store, shouting at passers-by, but the effect is minimal.

Almost everyone rushed in one direction.

Over there, there was a small ring, on which two strong men were fighting fiercely, in a kind of wrestling that was becoming popular these days, also known as sumo. There were areas divided by the ring, filled with people, watching the fierce fight on the ring, and occasionally there would be cheers or shouts of frustration.

Next to this lively arena, there is a tall building with a plaque reading "Anle Pavilion". At this moment, a man holding a gong and drum came out and kept beating it to announce the winner of the two sumo wrestlers.

Every time this happens, some people become extremely excited, but they don't know how much money they have won from this sumo match.

The middle-aged man leading the horse looked at it silently, then raised his eyes to the words "The Best Dish in the World" on the plaque and was about to step into the building.

A busy guy wiped his sweat, came over to stop him, and then kept smiling.

"Don't blame me, sir. The attic is fully booked. Please wait a moment. If you are not in a hurry, the sumo arena next door is ours. You can take a seat and have a look. It's just for entertainment..."

"What if I'm really hungry?" the man asked in a muffled voice.

"Why don't you try ordering takeout from us?" The waiter said with a smile, "You just need to leave your address, select the dishes, and then go back and wait. It will take 15 minutes in the inner city and 25 minutes in the outer city. The stir-fried dishes that even His Majesty praised will be delivered to your house."

At the same time, as they were talking, a figure suddenly rushed out from the main door.

His body was very agile, and he didn't bump into anyone wherever he passed by as people were coming and going. Moreover, when he saw that the street was crowded with people, he jumped up without hesitation, and his toes touched the wooden pillar on the wall, and he disappeared into the distance among the layers of buildings in an instant.

Even in this upside-down state, the several food boxes he was carrying were stable, not even tilted at all.

A servant came out from behind and shouted, "Brother Xiaobei, Manager Duan said that if you don't go through the side door next time, he will break your legs..."

The people on both sides of the street seemed to be used to it. They laughed and some even whistled.

"Brother Xiaobei, run faster! Start the timer!"

The man leading the horse narrowed his eyes.

The waiter who served him did not explain much, but asked confidently: "Sir, have you made any plans?"

The man was silent for a moment, then took out a visiting card from his arms.

"I am Wang Yanzhang, and I am here to visit Censor Xiao on the orders of Prince Jun. I heard that his family moved here..."

The guy was stunned for a moment, then squinted his eyes and looked at the man in front of him who was wearing a short-collared military robe, had a stern face, sharp eyes, and looked a little fierce. Then, he stretched out his hand to lead him.

"Why is Wang Ya Ya so late? My A Lang has been waiting for a long time."

…………

In addition to the lobby, private rooms, kitchen, backyard and attic, the entire Anle Pavilion also has a courtyard at the very back.

The land of Bianliang City is very valuable, but Xiao Yan is now quite favored by Zhu Wen. He was summoned to the palace twice recently, but it was because of Zhang Zhenniang's request. He personally cooked a few side dishes again and was rewarded with a piece of land, which is this courtyard.

As Wang Yanzhang followed the waiter through the backyard, he heard a series of "crackling" sounds. Although he could not see the exact source of the sounds, he could guess that many accountants were banging on their abacus.

But before he had time to think about it, he was led by the waiter to a walled courtyard.

Outside the gate, there were still two guards standing with knives drawn.

They were dressed in dark blue armor, which consisted of a top, a skirt, sleeves, and shoulder guards. It was extremely fine, especially since they each wore an iron-studded rain hat and a visor on their face, which made people sense a faint murderous aura.

Wang Yanzhang noticed that the two guards were holding swords, which should be Tang swords...

The guy introduced with a smile.

"This is Alang's family general."

Wang Yanzhang nodded slowly, followed them through a corridor, and entered a pavilion.

Although the pavilion is elegant, it does not have incense and other things that a luxurious home should have.

While they were still discussing matters inside, the two of them waited outside.

Behind the screen, a gentle woman's voice came out intermittently.

"The reservations have been booked until the tenth day of next month, and the takeaway business is getting tight again. Shopkeeper Duan said that he might have to hire more people, as the current staff is a bit overwhelmed..."

"You can discuss this matter with Madam Miao and Shopkeeper Duan. You don't need to ask me about everything."

"..."

After a while, a woman's figure came out from the side door of the hall, and the waiter walked over.

"Ah Lang, Wang Ya Ya has arrived."

"Invite him in."

For some reason, just by hearing this very calm voice, Wang Yanzhang subconsciously became a little nervous.

In terms of official position, although he was only a yamen attendant in Kaifeng Prefecture and had no rank, his level was actually similar to Xiao Yan's Imperial Censor and even the sixth-rank Youzhou Guoyi Commandant, and there was no need to make a distinction between high and low.

However, he is now just a subordinate of Zhu Youzhen who is not very famous. Zhu Wen may know him as a young general, but he probably has never learned about him in detail. On the other hand, the latter is now famous in Bianliang and has a certain reputation in front of the emperor. It is needless to say whether the official rank is high or not. In today's Daliang, as long as you can get the emperor's favor, you can be sent at any time.

Dispatching is the real power.

Thinking of this, he straightened his clothes, waited for the screen to be removed, clasped his fists and said in a solemn voice.

"My name is Wang Yanzhang, nice to meet you, Censor Xiao."

When he looked up, although he had already prepared himself mentally, he was still surprised at the latter's youth.

In the sight, the young man who was no more than about 10 or 20 years old was sitting with a faint smile. He was wearing only a casual suit with a round collar and narrow sleeves, and an old hat. However, he was quite different from the sharp edge as rumored. He looked rather gentle as jade.

"Wang Yaya, Xiao has long heard of your great name."

Xiao Yan stood up and extended his hand to invite him to sit down, and said with a smile: "You and I are both warriors, so let's address each other by our military titles, okay?"

"Whatever the captain wants, it's fine."

Wang Yanzhang was a ruthless person. He was not interested in coming here today, but he did not dare to disobey Zhu Youzhen's order, so he had to enter Anle Pavilion alone. Now, looking at the overly young Xiao Yan, not only did he not feel nervous, but he felt a little dissatisfied for no reason.

How can someone this young climb above him?

Thinking of the latter's reputation as a "jester", Wang Yanzhang no longer had much hope for this trip.

"Wang Ya Ya has been under the command of Prince Jun for quite a while."

"Since your majesty was conferred the title of King of Liang, I have been a general of the Jun King family."

"In this case, the Ya Ya has lived in the city of Bianliang for many years. Bianliang is prosperous, and the Ya Ya is truly enviable." Xiao Yan said with a smile.

Wang Yanzhang said with a straight face, "Since you said that we are both warriors, don't you know what warriors want in this world? Bianliang is prosperous, but I am over 30 years old, but I can only see my former colleagues making achievements on the battlefield, while I live in this city of Bianliang and have made no achievements."

After that, he hummed again: "Not everyone is like the captain, Jian is in the emperor's heart."

He emphasized the last four words, which was very abrupt. He did not hide his envy or even jealousy at all. However, Xiao Yan did not care and said with a smile: "With the ability of a yamen guard, he should shine under the command of King Jun. How can he say that he has no achievements?"

Wang Yanzhang smacked his lips but said nothing.

He came here in disguise this time, keeping a low profile. He didn't know what the relationship between Xiao Yan and Zhu Youzhen was, and he was afraid that it would bring him trouble. For this reason, he didn't dare to complain in front of Xiao Yan. He knew that he was a little careless, but he still had some political acumen.

Wang Yanzhang stood up impatiently and clasped his fists in a hasty manner. "Captain, what exactly did you come to see me for? Can you please speak frankly? I am a rough man and cannot understand those nice official words. I hope you will not beat around the bush."

Having said that, he had actually made up his mind to refuse whatever Xiao Yan asked him to do. The worst that could happen was that he would go back and get punished by Zhu Youzhen.

What future can a gigolo who runs a brothel have?
Xiao Yan slowly pointed at the table, looked at Wang Yanzhang who was eager to leave, and smiled brightly.

Then, amid his clapping, Ji Ruxue walked out from the side door holding a wooden tray.

On the plate, there lay a silver token and half a gilded tiger talisman.

Ji Ruxue placed the wooden tray on the table, stood beside it with her arms folded, and said nothing.

Xiao Yan gently picked up the token and asked with a smile: "Wang Yaya, do you have any further ideas?"

Wang Yanzhang was stunned. "Captain, what are you doing..."

"wrong."

Xiao Yan shook his finger slowly and said, "Now, the yamen should call me as a military envoy. I have received the imperial edict from His Majesty, and I will be the cavalry envoy of the left vanguard of the Hebei Camp, leading 800 Longxiang troops and heading north on light cavalry."

"Now, I will give the Ya Ya two choices." Xiao Yan stood up from the main seat, paced back and forth, and said: "One is that the Ya Ya continues to stay in Bianliang and serve as the Ya Ya of Kaifeng Prefecture. However, I will speak well of this to Prince Jun, which may help the Ya Ya get ahead as soon as possible."

Wang Yanzhang took a step forward without thinking: "What other choice do we have?!"

"Secondly, the yamen runner resigned and later became a general of Mr. Xiao, following the army northward." Xiao Yan said in a light tone, stopped and stared into his eyes.

The latter was stunned for a moment.

It was not until this moment that he inexplicably felt that the young man in front of him, who was still smiling, looked particularly cold.

Ji Ruxue stood aside, quietly.

Having been with Xiao Yan for a long time, she was a little worried when facing such a scene earlier, fearing that others would not follow Xiao Yan's plan. But now, she is confident. From Caozhou to Luoyang, and then from Luoyang to Bianliang, in her experience, there is nothing that Xiao Yan cannot do.

"I'll resign, family general..."

Wang Yanzhang chewed over these two words, as if weighing the pros and cons.

"King Jun will have no objection."

Even after hearing this, Wang Yanzhang was still a little hesitant.

He was a pure warrior, without many thoughts in his mind, but he knew that these two choices might give him a completely different second half of his life. But if he chose the latter, who knows what the consequences would be.

He paced back and forth, hardly daring to look up to hide his difficult expression.

But immediately, he saw the token that Xiao Yan used to tap his thigh gently.

The Longxiang Army was a part of the emperor's personal guards, and was an elite unit of the cavalry. Its predecessor could be traced back to the left and right personal troops of Xuanwu Town. Zhu Wen valued them highly and often sent them to garrison important places. They would not be sent out unless they were in a fierce battle. It is conceivable how much military merit could be gained by leading such an army northward.

The light cavalry marched north and accomplished unprecedented feats...

Wang Yanzhang's eyes turned red, he gritted his teeth, raised his head and said in a deep voice: "When will the troops be dispatched?!"

"The day after tomorrow."

"Dry!"

Wang Yanzhang let out a low shout, and finally stopped hesitating. He knelt on one knee and saluted with his hands folded.

"General Wang Yanzhang, I pay my respects to the military envoy!"

Xiao Yan remained calm and held up his hands steadily.

Then, the gilded tiger talisman was placed in Wang Yanzhang's hands.

"The Longxiong Army is yours."

"What does the military envoy want?" Wang Yanzhang was stunned.

"How did eight hundred light cavalry arrive in Hebei without anyone noticing? General Wang needs to think carefully about it." Xiao Yan said, "After this battle, I guarantee that you will be one of the left and right military commanders of the Longxiang Army."

Wang Yanzhang was overjoyed, and then he patted his chest and guaranteed: "The military envoy can rest assured to leave it to me! Before we reach Youzhou, if any news leaks out, I will bring my head to you!"

"However, I still don't understand. The military envoy handed the person over to me, so you are going to..."

Xiao Yan smiled, walked out of the pavilion with his hands behind his back, and stood in front of the steps.

"Some things need to be prepared early."

------

Hundreds of miles to the east.

Caozhou.

The night is dark and the moon is bright in the sky.

In the endless wilderness, hundreds of riders and horses stood quietly with their mounts. Each rider had a war horse, and two riders led a pack horse, forming a long procession.

Fu An held the hilt of the knife, crushed the letter in his hand, and patted Qiu Sima on the shoulder.

"The captain wrote to me, saying that Mr. Kuaqiu is indeed a great talent."

Qiu Sima, who had gained a lot of weight, smiled so hard that his face almost broke. He nodded and said, "It was all thanks to Brother Fu's advice. I dare not take any credit for it..."

"It's yours, I won't snatch it away."

Fu An still looked as carefree as the beggar half a year ago, and said with a smile: "When Qiu Sima enters the central government in the future, don't forget to help me."

Sima Qiu was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly.

"I am very grateful for your appreciation, Captain!"

Fu smiled and got on the horse.

"Let's go, let's go meet the barbarians in Mobei."

Afterwards, hundreds of riders put on bamboo hats in unison.

"Order!"

…………

It is April now and the sky in the south is already full of spring.

The flying snow in the north still whistled over the camp, stirring the flickering campfire.

There was a shadowy figure in the big tent.

"Queen, an envoy from Liaodong."

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(End of this chapter)