The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 53 Return to Jingzhou
At the end of November, Shi Kuangwei led his army on the way back to Jingzhou.

Wei Hu led [-] tooth soldiers, plus [-] town troops mobilized from all over Yuanzhou, for a total of [-] troops stationed at Longshan Pass.

Beware of the cunning Tubo people who came back and blocked the pass again.

Fanzi, who lives on the snowy plateau all year round, has great experience in fighting in the cold winter.

Wei Hu also has an important task, which is to secretly mine the rock salt mines outside the Pass and transport the salt rocks to Anding County, Jingzhou, where Zhu Xiu will be responsible for making the salt.

Shi Kuangwei was very thoughtful. As early as when Guan Tieshi led his people to mine salt mines, he set the stream area as a forbidden area and strictly prohibited the people in the pass and unrelated people from the army from approaching.

At first, the fifty or so military men who had witnessed the complete process of making salt were assigned to Zhu Xiu's command by Lao Shi with a wave of his hand. Everyone's name was registered and managed uniformly, as the backbone of the salt workshop in the future.

Salt and iron have always been monopolized by the imperial court, and the Changyi Army also had salt officials in name. If it was reported that the Changyi Army secretly made salt and sold it, the imperial court would definitely pursue it.

More importantly, this technique of producing refined salt from rock salt mines has always been only mastered by the Salt Pond Supervisory Office.

Mastering this method is equivalent to holding a source of wealth. If it is leaked, it will definitely make people jealous.

Seeing how tightly Shi Kuangwei suppressed the salt-making method, Zhu Xiu knew that this gangster planned to secretly make and sell salt, firstly to balance the ridiculously high salt prices in the two prefectures of Jingyuan, and secondly to generate revenue for the Changyi Army.

As for the Kaifeng court, what should we do with a dynasty that was destined to be short-lived?

At this point, the two foxes, one old and one young, reached a consensus and tried every means to hide it from the court and make a fortune in silence.

Going east along the Jingshui Valley, heavy snow was falling all the way, but Zhu Xiu's mood was different from when he came.

When she came here, looking at the bleak winter scenery in the northwest, Zhu Xiu felt a sense of desolation in her heart.

When I left, I let go of my grudges, accepted the current situation calmly, and had some expectations for taking root in Jingzhou in the next few years or longer.

The winter wind howls, and the thorns are as cold as a knife. On both sides are the snow-covered and continuous Kongtong Mountains.

After walking out of Kongtong Mountain, you head east into Qiugu County, Jingzhou.
The wind and snow were very strong, setting off the roar of the wind in the valley, but it could not stop the footsteps of returning people.

Zhu Xiu was wrapped tightly in a woolen jacket, and wore a large, fluffy felt hat, with a face scarf covering her face, with only her eyes exposed.

The gray donkey has black eggs on its crotch. Felt hangs down from both sides of the saddle to keep out the cold. The hooves are wrapped in linen to prevent them from slipping on icy stones.

The wind and snow were blowing so hard that he could hardly open his eyes, and large flakes of snow stuck to his face. He lay half on Heidan's back and followed the team forward slowly.

Zhu Xiu rubbed her palms vigorously and looked up. Snow was flying all over the sky, and the sky and the earth were completely white.

Look at the Jinghe River running through the mountains in the distance. It has become a frozen jade belt.

In this damn weather, the temperature must be ten or twenty degrees below zero.

Zhu Xiu wailed and continued to lie on Heidan's back, using the donkey's body temperature to keep warm.

He was a little lucky that he didn't go on the road alone with Ma San.

Otherwise, there would be no need for wild wolves and bandits. This heavy snowstorm alone could kill them.

Amidst the sound of wind and snow, the high-pitched singing of the Changyi Army soldiers came from the front.

"The iron mountain is broken, the desert is comfortable. The two captives are strong, even the Qionglu. With the North Sea on its back, it is dedicated to Kunyu. The year comes to invade the border. Or Fu Yudu. The emperor ordered the marshal to work hard for his ambition. Defeat Dingxiang and surrender to Kuiqu."

Soon, singing sounds could be heard all around Zhu Xiu, and everyone opened their throats and sang "Iron Mountain Broken" by Liu Hedong.

Although the tone-deaf roar was not pleasant to hear, it sounded desolate and majestic in the wind and snow.

Zhu Xiu was infected by the loud singing, and her heart gradually became hot. She couldn't help but roar along:
"Hundreds of barbarians break the courage, border gangsters. Mighty and glorious, Minggui District. Benefit from countless sacrifices, the merit is insurmountable. Officials and ministers worship the hand, but the emperor's motive"

Riding on a donkey and singing songs in the wind and snow, we unfortunately missed a heart-warming hot pot meal.
Three days later, the team passed through Quaigu County and arrived at Qingshiling. In two days, they could return to Anding County.

Back in Jingzhou, the wind and snow have eased, but the temperature is still so cold that it turns to ice.

Zhu Xiu was wrapped in two sheepskin jackets and a piece of cut-off felt. She staggered among the team like a clumsy and stunted cub.The gray donkey Hei Dan was exhausted while crossing the Kongtong Mountains, and lost his temper. As soon as Zhu Xiu came near, he stood still and glanced sideways at him with a pair of big, dark, moist eyes.

With no other choice, Zhu Xiu could only measure the land with his own feet in a humanitarian spirit.

Feeling someone poking him from behind, Zhu Xiu staggered and turned around, only to find that it was Shi Lingyan who was also tightly wrapped.

This girl was holding up a piece of dried mutton that exuded a warm and burnt smell. She took off her felt hat and had a pair of round eyes with a smile.

Zhu Xiu tremblingly stretched out his hand to take the dried meat, bit it hard, and chewed it for a few times. It was hard and mushy, and he added too much salt, which made him panic.

No matter what, it is always a happy thing to have meat to eat in the wilderness, in the ice and snow.

"Thank you~" Zhu Xiu muttered vaguely, turned around and continued walking forward.

Shi Lingyan trotted to catch up, "Zhu Xiu, wait for me! You haven't told me yet, why can salt be ground out of stones? Why is the salt boiled in an iron pot not poisonous?"

Zhu Xiu chewed the meat hard and said vaguely: "Just call me Brother Zhu and I will tell you!"

Under the brim of the felt hat, Shi Lingyan stared at him with round eyes. The girl's crisp voice came from under the scarf: "My father said that you are fifteen this year and one year younger than me. You should call me Sister Yan'er!"

Zhu Xiu stuffed the last piece of dried meat into her mouth and said, "Yan'er."

Shi Lingyan smiled with round eyes and was startled: "Then?"

Zhu Xiu retracted her hands into her coat, rolled up her sleeves, and sniffed: "If there's nothing else, just call me Yan'er!"

Shi Lingyan realized that he had been taken advantage of and said angrily: "Only Daddy can call me Yan'er, and you are not allowed to do so!"

"Yan'er!" Zhu Xiu yelled and ran forward with a smile.

"Zhu Xiu, stop!" Shi Lingyan was ashamed and annoyed, and chased after him.

Young men and girls in heavy leather jackets were chasing and fighting on the mountain trails. The soldiers looked sideways and smiled back.

Sitting high on horseback, Shi Kuangwei was walking among the front troops. He glanced back and grinned.

Guan Tieshi on the side laughed innocently.

Old Shi glanced at him and snorted, "You're laughing!"

Guan Tieshi clasped his fists and said in a low voice: "The handsome master will leave all the mountain trekking to Zhu Xiu. I'm afraid that in a short while, he will have to call him uncle because of his humble position, right?"

Lao Shi had a strange smile on his black face, stroking the curly black beard on his chin: "It's still early, it's still early! Of course it depends on Yan'er's wishes for this kind of thing! Hehe~~"

Guan Tieshi chuckled and said: "With Zhu Xiu's skills, if he has the intention, Lingyan will not be able to escape his grasp."

Shi Kuangwei glared and said: "How can my daughter be so miserable? She was deceived by a brat with just a few words?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Lingyan's clear and delicate laughter came from the side of the mountain stream, and there was a bit of shyness in the laughter.

Lao Shi looked around with wide eyes and saw Zhu Xiu and his daughter walking side by side. Zhu Xiu didn't know what he said, which made Shi Lingyan feel ashamed and happy. He hit Zhu Xiu with his little fist, not lightly but not hard. It looked like It's flirting.

".This little bastard!~"

Lao Shi gritted his teeth, his dark face trembled, and he couldn't help but secretly worry about his daughter.

Silly girl, you have to be careful, don't be easily fooled by the brat!
"Shitou, return to Anding and protect Zhu Xiuzhouquan closely! Don't give those people a chance to jump over the wall!"

Shi Kuangwei took a deep breath and warned in a deep voice.

"Don't worry, handsome man. I know how powerful I am from my humble position!"

(End of this chapter)