Lord of the Desert

Chapter 245
"This is the common meaning of the clan."

Hong Pan's words resounded.

"As long as you need it, whether it's ten, twenty, or thirty people from Zhu Yiqi, it's up to you to decide who to deal with and how to do it."

"Except for your Uncle Wei who was still in the Shakou guard at that time, the remaining six of us signed and agreed."

When Hong Fan heard this, he suddenly felt that the thin paper in his hand weighed a thousand catties.

For him now, a single penetrating realm warrior is not worth mentioning.

But expand that number dozens of times, and it is well-equipped and well-trained, and the meaning is completely different.

Taking the [-] Zhu Yiqi as an example, if there is an intelligence advantage, under the command of Hong Fan, there is a high probability that they will not miss the innate masters of the middle and low ranks.

Such authority can be said to exceed the general sense of the head of the family.

Zhu Yiqi has two leaders, Hong Sheng is the leader, and Hong Ming is the deputy.

Even Hong Wu couldn't ignore these two people and mobilize half of the manpower to do things for him with one sentence.

Because of this, Hong Fan seldom hesitated.

"Uncle Pan, this is a bit of a gamble..."

He put down the letter and looked at Hong Pan.

However, the other party's gaze was more determined than his.

"It's my family from the Jinhaihong clan who brought it here, how can you say it's a gamble?"

Hong Pan said seriously.

"Brother Fan, although you are young, your ideas are more correct than anyone else's."

"Not only in practice, even in terms of knowing people and doing things, the uncles in the clan are not qualified to give you advice."

"So we are all relieved to give you this burden."

He spoke earnestly.

Hong Fan finally nodded, and the flames in his hands were churning, burning the letter paper to ashes.

"After talking about the above three major matters, there are two more things that you will decide after you come to Xijing."

Hong Pan continued.

"The first one is about Brother Sheng inheriting the patriarch and the title of Zhen Guo Xiaowei."

"Your Uncle Wu is in his forties this year, and his martial arts cultivation has been stuck for nine years. I'm afraid he won't be able to go any further."

"So according to him, once Brother Sheng breaks into the realm of sympathy between heaven and man, he will open the ancestral hall to hold a clan meeting and give up the position of patriarch."

When Hong Fan heard this, he had no objection.

In terms of contribution to the family, he far surpasses Hong Sheng; with a star in his body, his concubines are not important.

It's just that Hong Fan can't take the position of patriarch.

Because he didn't want to live in Jinhai for a long time.

Although the head of a clan represents power and honor, he must also undertake executive duties and exercise decisions.

It is meaningless to appoint a patriarch who is not in the clan all the year round and cannot find someone when needed.

"In addition, the decree of Shenjing's visit in June was sent. In addition to Jiayu, some gold, silver and silk were also given, and there may be follow-ups."

Hong Pan said again.

"In the first battle at the beginning of the new year, the contribution of the clan is shared by the whole city. The snake general who was promoted to the sixth sacrifice was also beheaded by the clan leader at his own risk."

"With this foundation, you Uncle Wu and the others want to use some methods to see if it is possible to raise the title..."

This is actually a trivial matter.

The salary of Zhen Guo Xiaowei is [-] shi a year, and the salary of Feng Guo general who goes up to the next level is only [-] shi a year.

The difference of 100 taels of annual tribute is nothing to the Hong family, and some honors are not worth mentioning - the level of Dahua's family background, in the final analysis, depends on martial arts.

But a long-buried doubt in Hong Fan's heart rose again.

What is Zulong's attitude towards the struggle between alien races and human races?

Safeguard the land and secure the people, garrison troops on the border, dispatch the strong, provide pensions after the war...

From the perspective of Hongfan traversers, the Dahua court seems to be quite lacking in the above aspects.

He didn't mention this to Hong Pan.

Dahua has been here for 300 years, since it has come all the way, there is no need for a Hunranjing to worry about it.

After finishing a few important matters, Hong Pan's face became relaxed.

He picked up the teacup, drank the first sip of tea, and then talked about the rest of the trivial arrangements.

"There are ten more people who came back with me this time. They were specially sent by the clan, and they are still with me now."

"The leaders are the two Guan Tongs, Shen Hong from Zhu Yiqi's third team, and Hong Jie from the first team."

"The two of them each brought four old soldiers in the family, all of whom had seen blood with the snake man on the battlefield."

Hong Fan was slightly surprised.

Shen Hongyuan was his teammate, they went to the Red Stack Mountain together, and their friendship can be described as profound.

Hong Jie is a side boy who joined the team in the same period as Hong Fan. At that time, he shot three arrows and hit three arrows, which left a deep impression on him.

"Send them for what? To protect me?"

Hong Fan asked with a smile.

"It's not enough to protect you, of course."

Hong Pan also laughed.

"However, it's no problem to stay in the Asahi Mansion, expel Xiaoxiao, and protect your aunt's family..."

The two chatted and laughed for a while, and drank a whole pot of tea.

It was close to noon, Hong Fan got up and sent Hong Pan out of the study.

The courtyard is deep, the clouds are light and the wind is light.

The scorching sun shines on the flowers, and the delicate flowers make shadows.

No one around.

The two had just stepped down the steps side by side, but Hong Pan took a few steps forward and knelt down on one knee.

This is the etiquette only available to the patriarchs in the clan.

Hong Fan has been in Dahua for more than a year, and he only saw Hong Jian when he was issuing military orders.

"Uncle Pan, what are you doing?"

Hong Fan frowned, and stepped forward to help.

However, Hong Pan remained motionless and only clasped his fists.

"I was ordered to come here today, I already have too much rambling, but there is one more thing I have to mention!"

He said solemnly.

Hong Fan didn't help anymore, he took a step back and listened sideways.

"Brother Fan, it's not just me, other uncles far away in Jinhai also know that you have deep pockets and ambitions."

Hong Pan said word by word, looking directly into his nephew's eyes.

"But no matter when and where, please put your personal safety first..."

"You must know that your body is already half the weight of Jinhai Hong's!"

When Hong Fan heard this, he was silent for a while, then nodded heavily.

"I see."

He turned back and accepted the gift.

······
In the evening, Hong Fan hosted a banquet in Chaori Mansion.

On the one hand, it was to welcome Shen Hong and Hong Jie, and on the other hand, it was to introduce them to Zhan Yuanzi and Bai Jiaci.

Different from the past, this time the food was ordered from the Xingsheng Hall, so Aunt Liu couldn't resist Hong Fan's wishes, so she also joined the table.

Shen Hong still had a bald head and was still forthright, chatting with Zhan Yuanzi quite speculatively.

On the contrary, Hong Jie was a bit restrained and couldn't treat Hong Fan as a peer.

After drinking and eating, Xijing City has been caged under the moon.

Hong Fan sent back to Hong Pan, and went back to the martial arts field to practice sand control for an hour.

After taking a shower from the well, he walked back to the house along the side garden, but saw a person sitting alone in the pavilion, sprinkling fish food into the pond casually.

"Jiaci, why are you so idle today?"

Hong Fan called out and stepped into the pavilion.

The thousand reds in the water instantly dissipated.

"Actually, I have no idle time, but there are some things I haven't figured out yet."

Bai Jiaci shook his head.

Hong Fan sat down in the pavilion.

After a moment of silence, the koi gathered on the water again, fighting for the remaining floating food.

"Today at Shen time (three o'clock in the afternoon), I went to Mingyue Tower and met Miss Hongli."

Bai Jiaci said suddenly.

"A small quiet room, a table of snacks, and a pot of Lihuabai new wine, all in one hour."

"I also picked up the cheapest time of the day, and it still cost six taels of silver."

As he spoke, his smile bloomed for a moment, and then disappeared quickly.

"Looking at you like this, is it because you didn't have a good chat?"

Hong Fan asked.

"It was good."

Bai Jiaci replied.

"It's just that I couldn't help but ask the same question from last time."

"You mean, why does she want to be an oiran?"

Hong Fan came back to his senses and said.

"Correct."

Bai Jiaci nodded and looked at Hong Fan.

"I only found out today that the three Huayins on the Qiqiao Festival were all virgins—because ordinary singers sell beauty, while oirans sell elegance."

"No wonder she wants to be the courtesan."

Hong Fan suddenly said.

"That's right, as an oiran, you don't have to pick up guests at will."

Bai Jiaci's voice was faint.

"But there are thousands of daughters in the few fireworks alleys in Xijing."

"Everyone wants to be an oiran, but there is only one oiran a year..."

When he said this, he turned his head and sneered.

It seems to be laughing at Hongli, and it seems to be laughing at others.

The laughter dispersed, and the garden became more silent.

"Hong Fan, how many years have you practiced martial arts?"

Bai Jiaci asked suddenly.

"Almost four years."

Hong Fan returned.

"I have six years."

Bai Jiaci lowered his head.

"In the past, I just practiced in the spirit dog gate and didn't think about anything."

"But recently, I often have a thought - why do I want to practice martial arts?"

Hong Fan didn't speak any more.

He could tell that Bai Jiaci didn't need anyone's answer.

The wind slipped through the fingertips, slightly cold.

The two sat in silence like this.

until the fish are gone.

Until the moon is in the sky.

Until there was a rustling sound in the garden, like waves startling the night.

"It's autumn."

Bai Jiaci said softly.

Hong Fan got up and looked back. When he looked down, he saw the endless summer that was full of flowers and seemed to be blooming forever.

Fangyuan is immersed in the moon at this time.

Xia Hua burst into tears and married Xifeng.

PS: There is only one chapter today.

Bai Jiaci is a microcosm of Dahua Wuren, and writing about him with some pen and ink is for some expression.

But after all, the second half of the chapter is too uninformative. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end I still didn't delete it.

In addition, the first order was [-] when it was put on the shelves, and it has been ordered more than [-] today.

It's a small milestone.

(End of this chapter)