Chapter 155 Goodbye
"Moving?"

The elder sister chewed the meat jerky, her voice a little unclear: "Hello, moving, we're going to Shuzhong, um, welcome you all."

After that, she looked at the bad guys moving things around in the yard, and hesitated again: "It's just that the place is not big enough, and it may not be able to accommodate so many people..."

"Eat your food, why are you butting in, kid?"

"Hmph." The elder sister was very dissatisfied. She angrily grabbed a handful of meat jerky and stuffed it into her mouth, causing her cheeks to bulge, which was quite cute.

The surrendered minister grabbed a gold ingot from the box, held it in front of his eyes and examined it carefully under the dim sky, and then casually threw it back into the wooden box: "Are all these vulgar things given by the palace as rewards? Not to mention the night-shining pearls and East China Sea pearls, there is not even a piece of jewelry?"

"Who among the warriors of the world doesn't like this silver-white thing?"

Xiao Yan, who was helping Ji Ruxue sort out the maps and documents, couldn't help but laugh and said, "Besides, Zhu Wen knew that I had no female relatives in my house, so why did he give me those rewards?"

But he immediately pointed to the other boxes and said, "There are more than a dozen pieces of fine Shu brocade. You can use them to make some clothes. The quality is pretty good."

After hearing the previous sentence, Ji Ruxue, who was silently packing up the letters, subconsciously paused, and then the tips of her ears turned slightly red. She quickly turned her head to cover it up: "The two pigeons are still in the backyard, I'll go get them."

"I'll go too, I'll go too!"

Sister jumped off the stool and hurriedly chased after him.

"Don't worry, we're leaving tomorrow, no need to rush to pack." Xiao Yan said with a smile, no longer showing the angry look he had at the Jiedushi Mansion.

Not far away, Jiang Chen smiled slyly, then entangled her hair with her fingers, raised her foxy face, blinked at Xiao Yan with her peach blossom eyes to tease him, and said in lip language: "Sister, I can reluctantly be your female relative."

Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle, but just shook his head and pretended he didn't see it.

Jiang Chen didn't care. She had been in a good mood recently, and even didn't want to leave Xiao Yan for the time being. She told herself more than once that this was very unkind and had seriously disrupted her original life trajectory.

"..."

The surrendered minister was just contemplating whether to stay or leave when Fu An brought in a tall, black horse in the yard.

"Captain, do you want to take these ten horses as well? According to the officer who delivered them, they were just transported to Youzhou a few days ago."

Ji Ruxue looked up and saw that the warhorse was indeed very strong, with a graceful body and shiny black mane. For a warrior going into battle, a suitable mount was like a close comrade-in-arms. She had only seen such a handsome mount at the hands of King Qi.

Zhu Wen dominated the Central Plains, but the north had always been his strong rival, and he had always been troubled by the supply of war horses, which was why the cavalry in the Daliang Imperial Army was far inferior to that of the Jin State. Being able to spend ten horses this time was indeed a special favor to Xiao Yan.

For such a divine horse, just taking care of it would probably be a hassle.

But to the two girls' surprise, Xiao Yan did not show much joy. Instead, he squatted down in the snow, looked at it carefully, then stood up and shook his head, saying, "It's a pity that this horse has been castrated."

Ji Ruxue frowned, but immediately guessed what Xiao Yan wanted to do.

"Are there any uncladed stallions?" Xiao Yan looked at Fu An.

The latter thought for a moment and nodded, "There are two horses with docile personalities. According to the horse officer, all the undocile war horses have been castrated..."

"Take the two horses back to Caozhou and let Duan Chengtian arrange for them to be kept as stud horses. Zhu Wen is willing to give away good things." Xiao Yan stroked the mane of the warhorse and chuckled, "Give the rest to Wang Yanzhang, Yuan Xingqin, Li Mang, Tian Daocheng and Yu Zhong. Keep one for each of the five of them. You also take one. As for the rest, see if there are any good ones among the brothers and give them away together."

Wang Yanzhang and the other two need no further explanation. They are the three most important generals under Xiao Yan. Tian Daocheng is a Yan person from Liaodong promoted by Xiao Yan. He is currently stationed in Yuyang with the new Yan soldiers. As for Yu Zhong, he is an officer of Dingbadu. Xiao Yan once gave him a sword. He is the first general in Dingbadu to serve Xiao Yan. He is now promoted to the commander of the Dingbadu infantry army and manages the infantry on the left and right sides of Dingbadu.

Fu An naturally understood the relationship between these people, but he still scratched the back of his head, feeling a little ashamed: "Captain, I have done nothing, how can I have the nerve to occupy a horse..."

"There are better ones in Mobei." Xiao Yan said calmly, "And you stopped Shuliduo from going south at Gubeikou half a year ago. I had nothing to reward you then, so I can make it up to you today."

Fu An suddenly understood, and was deeply moved. He clasped his fists and said, "I dare to die for the captain!"

"There are still a few boxes of silver ingots. Take two boxes and share them with the brothers in the branch. I don't need so much money by myself."

"Follow the order."

Fu An no longer refused. He clasped his fists and bowed to Xiao Yan, then bowed to the two mistresses and strode away.

Of course, there are two mistresses. For the bad guys in the Yanzhou branch, Ji Ruxue has been by Xiao Yan's side for a whole year, and countless people have seen it. Anyone who is not a fool can understand it.

As for Jiang Chen, the corpse ancestor, Fu An and others knew him very well. They treated him with respect and did not dare to be rude in front of him.

"Really want to leave?"

The surrendered minister saw that the movement did not seem fake and could not help but become curious.

"Li Zhen is anxious to remove my military power, so he will naturally find ways to prevent me from staying in Hebei." Xiao Yan walked to the table, looked at the gold-inlaid jade belt on the wooden tray, and said, "If I don't leave, he will be uneasy."

"Ok."

Jiang Chen became a little hesitant. She would certainly not go to the Central Plains. The Xuanming Sect was everywhere, not to mention that Bianliang was its headquarters.

She lived a secluded life in Xuanduwu and didn't want to care about these trivial matters. However, it was easy to attract attention if she followed Xiao Yan. She would have to disguise herself when she went to Bianliang, which was very troublesome.

Thinking of this, she became a little bored, and for a moment, some uncontrollable emotions filled her heart.

But Jiangchen still believed that she was just reluctant to give up this comfortable life, not this little thief named Xiao!
Ji Ruxue, who was standing by, suddenly became a little flustered.

She had received a letter from Miao Chengtian, which stated that the empress wanted to take her in as her adopted sister...

The girl's mood became complicated, which was rare for her. She glanced at Xiao Yan's back, a little dazed.

For a moment, everyone in the hall had their own thoughts.

Of course, except for the little Loli who had just finished eating the jerky and was lying on the bench with satisfaction and grinning.

……

The next day, the sky brightened.

Nearly two hundred brave cavalrymen armed with bows and swords escorted three horse-drawn carriages and several large carts as they slowly left the South City.

The civilians outside the city easily noticed this team. Some wanted to stop and watch, but were immediately urged by the officials to rush onto the scaffolding beside the city wall.

In addition, the refugees living in the shacks also saw the group of carriages and horses heading south from afar, and they just watched numbly with almost no expression.

The day after tomorrow is the Spring Festival, but the new governor in the city still doesn't pay much attention to their lives, and the relief food has indeed stopped. The news from the city is that the city is short of supplies and there is a riot in the north, so it is necessary to prioritize the supply in the city. The refugees outside the city will be immediately solved when the supplies from Daliang arrive. In the past few days, only the civilians who repaired the city walls are eligible to receive a ration. In this snowy Spring Festival, who knows how many people will be frozen to death or starved to death under the Youzhou city that was once full of hope.

There are rumors that Xiao Junshi, who loved the people like his own children, was envied by his colleagues from Bianliang because of his great achievements, and was marginalized to the extent that he had to return to Bianliang to avoid disaster. After hearing the news, the last glimmer of hope was completely crushed, and many refugees even began to quietly head north to survive.

On the road, Xiao Yan, wearing a cloak, looked back at the Youzhou city tower, then he squeezed his horse's belly, turned south without looking back, and said indifferently: "Let's go."

At the front, Fu An issued an order, and the entire team began to head south.

But in a moment, the sound of dense horse hooves came from behind, causing many bad guys to turn around to look.

"Xiao Shuai!"

Behind, a few riders finally caught up. Wang Yanzhang and several Longxiang Army generals dismounted without waiting for their mounts to stop and stopped Xiao Yan.

Wang Yanzhang's face was somewhat lonely and he said dejectedly: "What should we do if you leave?"

Several generals of the Longxiang Army nearby responded one after another: "Hebei was conquered by the military envoys, so how could Lord Li be so anxious to drive General Xiao back to Bianliang? Even if the incident goes to the court, we dare to speak for General Xiao!"

"Bah!" Wang Yanzhang said angrily, "I despise this kind of literati the most. Li Zhen is clearly trying to steal the credit from General Xiao. And because General Xiao shot one of his men dead with an arrow, he said that General Xiao should not stay in Hebei. I think this guy is just jealous!"

He looked around and shouted without hesitation: "How can a warrior like me be bullied by a scholar?!"

The noise was so loud that several heads popped out from the shacks in the distance and looked over here curiously.

"Brother Wang, please keep your voice down. Lord Li is on the top of the city wall..." A general pulled Wang Yanzhang's sleeve and reminded him kindly.

"I'm afraid of a bird!"

Wang Yanzhang shook off his hand and said with his neck stiff, "At worst, I can resign from this post as the right envoy of the Longxiang Army and become a general in General Xiao's mansion!"

Everyone around was speechless.

Wang Yanzhang is a very stubborn guy who is fearless and I'm afraid he could really do this.

"All right."

On horseback, Xiao Yan finally spoke, "No matter what Li Zhen is thinking, he is right. It will be troublesome for me to continue staying in Hebei. There is no need to be too suspicious. It will be embarrassing if it gets out. You stay in Youzhou and obey Kang Taibao's orders. Don't make trouble. And..."

He pointed at Wang Yanzhang and scolded him, "You fought so hard for this position, didn't you? Don't even mention resigning. You have to hand your resignation to the Imperial Guards for me to see. If I don't agree, you'll have to stay in the Longxiang Army for the rest of your life!"

Wang Yanzhang clapped his hands suddenly, and suddenly realized what was going on. He said belatedly, "That's true. When we return to Bianliang, we will also be under the command of General Xiao."

Several generals of the Longxiong Army were speechless again.

"Go back and don't embarrass yourself here. Your behavior is just like putting me on the fire." Xiao Yan waved his hand impatiently and was about to ride away.

Wang Yanzhang, however, hugged the neck of Xiao Yan's horse, and scanned the surroundings with his tiger eyes. He lowered his voice and said, "General Xiao, in my opinion, your act of harboring the enemy was too minor. Otherwise, how could Li Zhen have the guts to let you return to Bianliang? I'm not saying that going back is a bad thing, but now, how long will it take for you to send troops to Mobei?"

The generals who also knew the situation well did not say anything, but nodded in agreement.

"The most important thing is that Li Zhen stopped giving rewards to the troops." Wang Yanzhang whispered, "He said that the imperial court had already set quotas for all rewards, and that you should stop giving rewards and use them to rebuild Hebei.

This guy is really out of his mind. If this continues, the troops will surely be dissatisfied. He really thinks that he can suppress the troops with Kang Huaiying and the several thousand imperial guards. If you leave, the troops will complain even more. They are afraid that Li Zhen will abandon the donkey and take the opportunity to disperse the Yichang Army, Youzhou Army, and Lulong Army..."

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew very well that Li Zhen's level was not that low.

But one thing about him is that he is eager to make achievements.

During the time when Li Zhen was on tour on behalf of the emperor, all the achievements in Hebei were basically his. Is it urgent to rebuild Hebei? It doesn't necessarily need to be done in a hurry, but Xiao Yan's example is the first, so Li Zhen naturally doesn't want to fall behind. If he can make Hebei pay generous taxes to Zhu Wen in a short period of time, his contribution will not be less than Xiao Yan's.

That is why Li Zhen used the interests of the Hebei troops in exchange for his own achievements. Moreover, all the Hebei troops were surrendered soldiers, and Zhu Wen could not fail to make arrangements. He would definitely split up the Youzhou, Yichang and Lulong armies before he could sit peacefully on the throne in Bianliang.

What Li Zhen is doing now is nothing more than trying to figure out Zhu Wen's intentions. He may even be using Zhu Wen's will to split up the armies so that Hebei can be completely incorporated into Daliang. If Xiao Yan stayed in Hebei, this matter would definitely be handed over to him, which is also one of the reasons why Li Zhen wants to drive him away. It must be said that this is also a great achievement.

However, it was obvious that Li Zhen acted too hastily.

"The matter in Hebei has nothing to do with me." Xiao Yan shook his head and said, "You guys should behave yourself. I will definitely use you to quell the rebellion in the north. Maybe you will be credited with another achievement."

Wang Yanzhang was stunned for a moment, then whispered, "Are we really going to fight this thief seriously? Xiao Shuai, don't you have any backup plans?"

Xiao Yan smiled without saying a word. He kicked the horse's belly, pushed Wang Yanzhang away, and finally headed south.

Several generals of the Longxiong Army retreated to the side of the road, clasped their fists and bent over as they walked down.

"General Xiao, see you in Bianliang!"

Wang Yanzhang's eyes rolled around, as if he understood Xiao Yan's inexplicable smile.

He turned his head to the north and stroked his beard.

He had a feeling that this reunion would not last too long.

------

On the top of Youzhou city, Li Zhen, dressed in a purple robe, stood stroking his beard, with a man next to him holding an umbrella for him, looking contented.

Kang Huaiying stood by in the snow, with no expression on his horse face. When he saw the shadows of the carriage and horses completely disappear in the south, he said in a calm voice: "Isn't this move by Lord Li too offensive to Xiao Yan?"

"How can I say I am guilty? Why is it that Kang Taibao is afraid of the credit that was given to him?"

"Not really. I don't think it's a good thing to offend Xiao Yan."

"It doesn't matter. I have a way to make him willingly do it."

Li Zhen stroked his beard calmly and said, "The next step for the Grand Protector is to wipe out the rebellious army and reorganize the army according to the order of His Majesty. How can the great achievements in Hebei be taken by him alone?"

Beside him, Zhu Hanbin, who was holding an umbrella for him, chuckled and bent slightly.

"Mr. Li is wise."

(End of this chapter)