The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 62 The Xue family’s plot
To the north of Anding County, there is the Xue family mansion.

Compared with the dilapidated Jiedu Mansion, the Xue family's mansion is luxurious and luxurious, with trees, rocks, ponds, and deep and picturesque courtyards. In winter, it is covered in silver and is extremely beautiful.

The population of Anding County is less than [-] households, and [-]% of the buildings are short and shabby wooden houses with earth walls. The streets are muddy and dirty, and ragged people can be seen everywhere, shivering in the cold wind.

In the dilapidated small county town, a beautiful house with Jiangnan gardens appeared, like a golden house standing on the ruins, which looked particularly abrupt and dazzling.

Deep in the mansion, there are groups of maids and servants, and several doctors are sitting around the bed, discussing the condition of Xue Ji, the old man of the Xue family.

Xue Xiuming was sitting in a brocade robe, and a young and beautiful maid served hot tea.

Xue Xiuliang was pacing with his hands behind his back, his face full of impatience.

"After talking for a long time, I want to ask you, is there any way to cure my father's disease?" Xue Xiuliang shouted.

One of the doctors hesitated and said: "Second Master Xue, please forgive me for being blunt. The old lady is 65 years old. His energy and spirit have been exhausted. I'm afraid his body and bones will suffer."

"Yes, the old man has reached the end of his life and can be saved by non-medical means, alas."

"We have tried our best, but to no avail"

Several doctors shook their heads and sighed.

Xue Xiuliang was furious: "You are a bunch of trash! You are still called a famous doctor. I spent a lot of money to send you to Jingzhou, just to hear you tell me that the old man is exhausted and can't be saved?"

Several doctors were trembling with fear, bowing their heads and not daring to speak. Old Mrs. Xue was aging naturally, and they really had no way to save his life.

Xue Xiuming frowned: "Shut up! Don't disturb dad!"

Xue Xiuliang glanced at the doctors viciously and snorted heavily.

"How many days does my father have?" Xue Xiuming said calmly.

The doctors looked at each other and discussed in low voices for a while. One of them handed over his hand and said, "I won't be able to survive two months at most."

In the bedroom, several middle-aged women cried loudly after hearing the words, lying on the bedside sobbing, calling sadly: "Master"

Xue Xiuming sighed and cupped his hands: "I understand, please take good care of me so that the old man can live more peacefully in his last days."

Several doctors returned the favor hurriedly.

When he came outside the house, Xue Xiuliang waved his hand to drive away the servants and said in a low voice: "Brother, we originally planned to take the old man with us to Fengzhou to visit Jiao Jixun after the spring begins. Now the old man is afraid that he will not be able to make it there. How can this happen? good?
If you can't go to Fengzhou and can't see Jiao Jixun, how can you ask him to support you in replacing Shi Jia and taking charge of the Changyi Army?When Jiao Jixun was leading the army in Baoda (Yanzhou, today's Yan'an area), the old man provided money and food for free to help him tide over the difficulties.

While the old man is here, Jiao Jixun is still very affectionate to you and my brother. Once the old man leaves, I'm afraid Jiao Jixun won't take the Xue family seriously based on the relationship between a son and a daughter.

Don’t forget, Jiao Jixun has six sons, and the one who married the Xue family’s daughter was just a concubine. Without the old man’s relationship, the Xue family would be speechless in front of Jiao Jixun! "

Xue Xiuming smiled, reached out and picked a peach blossom from the snow-covered peach branch, and gently wiped away the snow foam.

"Oh brother, you are talking, you are so anxious to death!"

Xue Xiuming said calmly: "If you can't go to Fengzhou, please ask Jiao Jixun to come to Jingzhou."

Xue Xiuliang's eyes widened: "How to invite Jiao Jixun to Jingzhou? Besides, what is the purpose of inviting him to Jingzhou?"

"The old man has passed away. Jiao Jixun is a son and daughter of the Xue family. Shouldn't he come to express condolences? By the way, I invite him to be a witness and let him know that the Shi family is no longer suitable to continue to be in charge of the Changyi Army!"

Xue Xiuliang was full of suspicion, and suddenly said in shock: "Brother, don't you mean to attack the Shi family?"

Xue Xiuliang raised his hand and made a decapitation gesture.

Xue Xiuming's eyes flickered with a cold light: "The Xue family has come to this point. If we can't go further to replace the Shi family in charge of the Chang Yi Army, there are only two endings waiting for us. Either we surrender and be squeezed out of the Chang Yi Army by Shi Kuangwei. We can do our best with peace of mind. A rich man. Either the two sides will fight each other and fight to the death. If it were you, would you be willing?"

Xue Xiuliang said: "Of course I am not willing to give in! Our Xue family is considered to be a strong military force in Jingzhou, why should we be inferior to the Shi family? If the Xue family had not contributed money and efforts back then, could the Shi family have a firm foothold in Zhangyi?"

"So, time is not waiting for us. Shi Kuangwei has become wary. He hired a young boy to be the secretary in charge, just to demonstrate against my Xue family!"

Xue Xiuliang sneered disdainfully: "The boy named Zhu is indeed a bit weird, but at most he is a bit quick-witted, so there is nothing to worry about! Is it possible that Zhuge Wuhou is still alive? Fengxiao is reborn? Does Shi Kuangwei think that he is looking for a hermit? If a high disciple comes, he can deal with my Xue family? Ridiculous!"

Xue Xiuming squinted his eyes and thought of the scene that day in the front hall of Jiedu Mansion, when Zhu Xiuli was reciting the Snow Fu under the eaves.

"That piece of "Snow Ode" is indeed embroidered with golden embroidery, and its literary talent is rare in the world! The person behind it must be a well-educated scholar with great strategies!"

Xue Xiuliang said doubtfully: "But Tanzhou Hermit, we really have never heard of Mr. Siyou!"

Xue Xiuming muttered: "Continue to send people to Hebei to investigate and find out where that kid is!" , we don't need to care about it. There are so many talented people in the world, what kind of waves can he make by himself?
In troubled times, it is the right thing to have money and food. The money and food of the Changyi Army are all in the hands of the Xue family. When it comes to soldiers and horses, if we add one piece to our hands, if we really want to fight, we may not lose to Shi Kuangwei! "

Xue Xiuming smiled lightly and said: "Meeting swords and soldiers is ultimately a bad idea. After all, my Xue family will be in charge of the Changyi Army in the future. These are the foundation of the Xue family!"

"Hehe, it is best for the eldest brother to be foresighted and think long-term, and to be able to become the governor without losing any blood. When the time comes, our Xue family will use the two prefectures of Jingyuan as the foundation and wait for the changes in the world situation.

I just don’t know how long the newly-established Liu Han court in Kaifeng can be stable. If the Central Plains is in chaos, my Xue family rises in the northwest and becomes the king and hegemon. It is not impossible to separate one side."

The more Xue Xiuliang thought about it, the more excited he became, and he had already begun to imagine the glorious moment when the Xue family would rise in the hands of his two brothers.

Xue Xiuming said calmly: "It's too early to say this now. Let's first think about how to deal with the current situation. Shi Kuangwei brought back a lot of brine stones from Longshan Pass this time. Don't you think it's strange?"

Xue Xiuliang thought about it and realized that it was indeed a bit suspicious. The brine stone was inedible, so why transport it all the way back?

"Also, the original plan to transport five hundred stones of millet and wheat to Pizhou in exchange for salt was canceled by Shi Kuangwei on the grounds of the war in Pizhou. There must be something weird in this! The Yajun came back from Longshan Pass and there was no news again. Where did their salt come from?"

Xue Xiuliang slapped his forehead and said: "What the elder brother said is really weird. I will send someone to find out right away. And there is Xu Xingsi. He has a backlog of salt farms in Yilu County. Yesterday he sent someone to urge us. Transport the food over quickly."

Xue Xiuming shook his head and said: "Send someone to tell him the truth. Without Shi Kuangwei's warrant, Jingzhou grain cannot leave the country. This matter cannot be rushed. Let's find out first.

In addition, the two thousand foreign troops in your hands must be trained quickly. Not to mention how elite they must be, at least they must advance and retreat in an orderly manner and enforce orders and prohibitions. If the situation changes in the future, this army must be reliable! "

Xue Xiuliang's face was filled with fear and he complained: "Brother, training is really hard. There are so many people in Zhe'an City that they can't even see a woman."

Xue Xiuming's eyes suddenly turned sharp: "Don't be nagging! You must hold those 2000 people firmly in your hands. If there is even the slightest mistake, you are the only one I will ask!"

"I know, brother." Xue Xiuliang responded softly.

"Send someone to pay attention to the news at Longshan Pass. If Wei Hu comes back, notify me immediately."

"Yes"

~~~
At the gate of Anding County, a group of traders from the south were loading goods and preparing to hit the road.

During their trip, they mainly trafficked a batch of dragon beard mats from Jingzhou to Jiangnan.

Jingzhou is rich in asparagus grass. As early as the Jin Dynasty, local households in Jingzhou used asparagus grass to weave dragon beard mats as tributes to the court.

This group of traders is run by a father-son family. The father is the big shopkeeper and accountant, and the son Kong Wuli leads several young people from the family to act as guards and clerks.

The elderly father squatted at the gate of the city, holding a piece of foxtail in his mouth and holding an account book in his hand. On the last few pages of the account book, there were a few lines of crooked words written like ghost drawings. The old father was squinting and talking.

"Dad, the tax has been paid, we can set off!" A man with a Jiangling accent came running over with a tariff bill.

"The tariff in Jingzhou is [-]% higher than elsewhere. Zhangyi Jiedu Mansion is so damn dirty!" the man cursed.

The old man patted the mud and snow on his butt and stood up, spitting out the grass blades in his mouth: "The tax was set by the Xue family, and it ended up going into the Xue family's pocket. It had nothing to do with Jiedu Mansion!"

"Shi Jieshuai doesn't care, who is in charge of the Zhangyi Army?"

The old man snorted: "Care? How to care? Who doesn't know that the Xue family is the local snake in Jingzhou! That's all, I don't think this ghost place will be peaceful. After this trip, I won't come this year. Let's see what happens!"

The man cursed a few words, saw the old father muttering while holding the account book, and said with a smile: "Father, what did you copy?"

The old father glanced at his son: "This is an article about snow. I heard it came from Jiedu Mansion."

The man suddenly lost interest: "Father, what are you doing copying this thing? You can't eat it! Besides, do you understand it?"

The old father flew up and kicked his son on the butt: "You little bastard knows nothing! Those rich owners in the south like to hire literati to write poems, songs, songs and songs!"

Those wealthy people like to listen to the beauties in Yingyuan Qingfang singing this tune!If I copy it and take it back, I might be able to sell it at a good price. Once it comes and goes, won’t the transit customs fees be paid back? "

The man wiped off the footprints on his butt and said with a helpless smile: "Okay, Dad, I will listen to you! The cargo is loaded, let's hit the road!"

The group of people drove out of Anding County and followed the official road to the southeast.

Amid the howling of the wind and snow, my father’s loud, tone-deaf voice came out:

"The north wind is cool and the sky is scattered, the dew is sweet and the sun is shining together. There are apples in the sun and weeping in the mountains. Who will return home when the road is long?

Who - and - return -"

(End of this chapter)