Three Kingdoms: I don’t want to fall in love in troubled times

Chapter 190

Youzhou, Shanggu County.

Since King Yan Zhao established this county, it has been the front line to resist the southward invasion of foreigners. Together with the neighboring Daijun and Yuyang counties, it forms the northern barrier of the Han Dynasty, protecting the undefeated Hebei Plain behind it.

Being located on the border for a long time, coupled with the sudden cooling of the Little Ice Age, this bitter cold land is full of debuffs, so much so that a large county governs eight counties, with a combined number of households of just over [-], and a population of no more than [-]. About fifty thousand.

The population is so sparse, of course, due to the previous Yellow Turban Rebellion and Xianbei raids, but it is mostly due to the spontaneous migration of the population to the interior.

In recent years, wars have been raging all over the Han Dynasty. The central government has declined and is unable to take care of the defense of the north. The Great Wall, which is so dilapidated that it can be used as a cultural relic, can no longer play a protective role. Xianbei and Wuhuan have become increasingly rampant.

Faced with this situation, the little tycoons have soldiers and food in their hands. If it is not possible, they can hide in the manor and wait for the Xianbei people to leave on their own. At most, they will lose some harvest, but they will not be injured. But the common people did not have manors, so they could only let themselves be exposed to the swords and horse hooves of the Xianbei and Wuhuan people.

It doesn't sound like a human life.

Therefore, even if the nobles in the Youyan Land actively resisted the foreign invasion and even reduced the land rent ratio in the hope of leaving as many civilians as possible, they still could not change the situation of "small run out of Shanggu, big run out of Youzhou".

So the question is, why did Lu Zhi come to a place like this to live in seclusion?

You must know that he himself is a pure native of Zhuo County. Zhuo County is adjacent to Zhongshan Kingdom and Hejian Kingdom in Jizhou. It is the prosperous place of the entire Youzhou. If Lu Zhi really wants to enjoy his old age in peace and stop being involved in worldly affairs, the most reasonable thing is The choice should be to return to my hometown.

As the sun sets in the west, strong winds blow up grass flakes and hit people head-on. Dozens of horsemen gallop along the Great Wall built by King Yan Zhao nearly four hundred years ago.

If you stop and take a closer look, you will find that after four hundred years of exposure to wind and sun, the foundations of these earthen walls have been covered with holes drilled by ants, and even cracks have occurred in serious cases.

"Shanggu County", Tian Chou looked excited and turned around and shouted: "We have arrived at Shanggu County!"

This is his unique ability - not only has a strong sense of direction, he can also match the specific scenery around him with the mountains and terrain in his mind, and he rarely makes mistakes. He can be called a walking GPS. This is why he dares to go around the grassland many times. The confidence of the road lies.

It has to be said that if this Youzhou hermit from Youbeiping had been born a few hundred years earlier, Flying General Li Guang might have been able to become a marquis.

Hearing Tian Chou's words, Xu Jiashu's spirits were lifted, and he felt that all the back pain all over his body had been relieved a lot.

It's a long way from Chang'an to Shanggu County. If we follow the normal route, we have to pass through the most chaotic area in the entire Han Dynasty. If we don't meet a guy like Yuan Gongdao, who is smoking and evil, many problems will arise.

Fortunately, Tian Chou led the way, and the envoys detoured through the grassland and returned to Youzhou along the same route. Except for the occasional encounter with a small group of herdsmen, there were no dangers along the way. If it weren't for him this time, I really don't know what to do.

Now that they finally arrived at their destination, everyone breathed a sigh of relief - no matter how magnificent the grassland scenery is, you will get tired of it after looking at it for a long time.

"I relied on Zitai to help me along the way." Xu Jiashu followed him. After thinking for a while, he finally said, "I wonder if Zitai would like to visit Mr. Lu with me?"

The peculiar celebrity collecting habit of time travelers is secondary. The main reason is that Xu Jiashu feels that if several famous hermits from Youzhou travel together, he will be responsible for showing them the justice of the court, and Tian Chou will be responsible for motivating them to express their feelings for fellow countrymen, and the chances of persuading Lu Zhi to come out of the mountain will be greater. A lot.

perhaps.

"I still have a mission, I'm afraid I won't give up halfway." Unsurprisingly, Tian Chou politely declined, "It's a long journey, and we will see you again if we are destined."

There may be many people in the world who are enthusiastic about fame, but Youzhou Tian Zitai is definitely not one of them. Since you agreed to Liu Bo'an's mission to Chang'an, you have already failed him by not bringing back Liu Hegong as agreed. How can you still have free time to do other things?

Being rejected by Tian Chou, Xu Jiashu did not intend to force it - the man in front of him had just declined the reward of the young emperor's cavalry captain not long ago. It seems that he is also a person with a heart of stone, and cannot be persuaded by a few words.

Tian Chou's acting style was too strong. Even if he didn't know that he had declined Cao Cao's marquis award four times in history, it didn't stop Xu Jiashu from admiring this ancient man of a similar age.

“The green mountains will not change, but the green water will always flow.”

Xu Jiashu originally wanted to imitate some free and easy parting words from martial arts novels, but when he recalled the little moments of getting along day and night along the way, the free and easy mood he pretended to be disappeared in an instant.

Tian Chou looks bold and free-spirited on the outside, but he is a rough-and-tumble man on the inside. He is especially experienced in traveling far away and takes good care of everyone. He is not a role that can be summed up by the simple word "guide".

"Zitai", he drove his horse forward slowly, and lightly touched Tian Chou's shoulders, "Take care."

"Tian Zitai has traveled far and wide, and has made friends with many foreigners, but people like Zimao are rare." Even though Tian Chou was used to seeing parting scenes, he couldn't help but express his true feelings at this scene, saying He comforted and said: "When the world is at peace, I will definitely go to Chang'an again and have a drink with Zi Mao!"

He has said this kind of thing like "Next time for sure" many times, but never once has it come true - in this era, except for those people who stand on the top of the mountain and are famous all over the world, every parting between ordinary people has a high probability of being... It's a farewell.

Just say it, don't take it seriously.

"Prepare the wine for Zitai," Xu Jiashu, who had a teary cat-like look on his face just now, emphasized seriously, "Zitai must keep his word."

Tian Chou didn't expect him to be so serious, so he smiled gently and said, "A gentleman from Youyan always does what he says."

"Miss", the guard captain behind him felt a bit toothache when he looked at the scene of two grown men reluctant to leave. Liangzhou men have no feelings and couldn't bear to see this. He approached Dong Bai and asked in a low voice, "Do you want to join me?" Go down and urge that man?"

"Huh?" Dong Baizheng was smiling brightly, but when he heard this, he frowned and scolded this expressionless guy with some displeasure, "What about that man? He is an envoy of the imperial court, so he needs to be called deputy envoy!"

"...as ordered."

Why haven't I seen you respect that young boy so much? He is still on duty. The guard captain cursed in his heart, Miss, don't be fooled by that pretty boy's appearance, right?

No matter what, in order to prevent your young lady from being deceived, you have to watch carefully!

Having made an appointment with Xu Jiashu to see him again the next day, Tian Chou no longer hesitated, got on his horse and turned to the southeast with more than [-] brave young men, heading straight to Jixian to find Liu Yu's life again, while the members of the envoy stayed where they were, looking at each other. Looking at each other.

Before, they relied on others to guide them, but now that they have arrived in Shanggu County, no one knows where to go next.

Lu Zhi came here to live in seclusion and escape from the world. Naturally, he would not show off as a great scholar of the world. Trying to find an old man hiding in this vast land was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

How can this be done?

Everyone looked at Xu Jiashu in unison.

"Deputy Commander," Dong Bai spoke first, almost calling out his cousin out of habit, "Where should we go next?"

【us】.

Well, isn’t this word a little too ambiguous?

Dong Bai gently covered his face, feeling a little hot - after arriving at the destination, he seemed to have relaxed a lot and became less cautious. He must be careful next time.

During this period, the two of them had a tacit understanding of helping each other conceal their identities.

Dong Bai was worried that after these guards knew Xu Zimao's identity, they wanted to take his head back to claim credit; Xu Jiashu wanted to deceive both sides, and was even more cautious in what he said, for fear that the enemies, Miss Lu and Dong Bai, would know each other's identities.

tnnd, playing Werewolf is not so brain-consuming.

"Uh"

Everyone was looking at him, which made Xu Jiashu feel embarrassed - they asked me, who should I ask?

"How about we go separately," he suggested hesitantly: "How about we meet in Guangning City in the evening?" Xu Jiashu also did some homework before coming - Guangning and Ning County are located on the edge of the Great Wall. They are the only two larger gathering places in the northern part of Shanggu County. If you want to find a city after passing here, you have to go to Zhuolu and Panxian in the central area.

Anyway, there are only a few places with people in the entire Shanggu County. As long as Lu Zhi is not really hiding in that nook and cranny, carrying a hoe and farming, then there is a high probability that he is among these places, and he is not completely blind. .

If there is any advantage to having a large land and few people, it is probably this.

"Absolutely not!" Upon hearing this ridiculous suggestion, the guard captain immediately stood up and sang the opposite.

Although he is called a guard, he is actually here to monitor the three envoys. If they get separated when they separate, wouldn't it be a dereliction of duty on his part? Moreover, his primary goal is to protect Dong Bai. If these hundreds of elites are scattered, it will be difficult to guarantee the safety of his young lady.

No matter how you look at it, this plan is unacceptable to him.

"it is good!"

Before the guard captain could begin to refute, Dong Bai and Lu Lingqi had already agreed at the same time. The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became strangely silent.

Not right.

At this time, no one cared about the objections of the guard captain. Instead, everyone was secretly curious about how the pretty deputy envoy, who was obviously being competed by the two women, would arrange the groupings. Even Sun Zi had a look on his face as if he was watching a show.

There was nothing we could do. After traveling for such a long time, everyone was really bored for a long time. It was rare to see a Shura field, and they couldn't hold back their excitement. If there was a fight later, should we help the long-legged girl or .

Well, it seems that there is no need to think about it, I must help my young lady.

Feeling that the two eyes were wrestling in the void like waves, Xu Jiashu looked to the left according to the iron law of "the left side loses when facing waves since ancient times". The man on the left was Dong Bai, who was slowly approaching!

Miss Lu, whose height and girth were suppressed in all aspects, narrowed her auspicious eyes slightly and looked at Dong Bai who was getting closer and closer. The cold light in her eyes made people shudder.

not good!

Xu Jiashu was sure that he had seen this scene before - if Lu Lingqi made another knowing comment like "dwarf" or "flat-chested girl", something big would happen. The hundreds of Xiliang elites behind her were not Eat dry food!

"Okay," he said quickly, interrupting the rising hostility between the two, "Brothers of the guard will protect the envoy, and the two girls will come with me."

A muddled plan.

Although doing this looks like the Asasi hero from Xiaoli, if you don't want to be hacked to death by the guards or stabbed in the heart by an arrow at this time, it's better to keep the water level.

You are all my wings.jpg

"cut"

There were subtle sneers from the disappointed onlookers. Xu Jiashu raised his head and looked up, trying to find out which guy was watching the fun and not taking it too seriously. You people want to make big news every day, clamoring to see rivers of blood flowing.

Is it possible that it will be the blood of the Sa family that will be shed by then?

The guard captain, who was ignored by everyone the whole time, wanted to argue, but found that his young lady had impatiently ran behind the pretty boy at some point.

How can it be repaired!

"Then let's do it." Dong Bai stuck his little head out from behind Xu Jiashu and told the guard captain in a serious manner: "You still have to protect the envoy. The deputy envoy and I will just make do, don't worry about me."

The guard captain was already numb. He stared at the pretty face with red eyes. He rolled up his sleeves and took a few steps forward to reveal his true colors in front of the young lady.

Unexpectedly, the female deputy who had not said a few words along the way reached for the quiver on her back, and instantly completed the bow and arrow. After a short sound, more than half of the arrow was buried in the ground, leaving only the arrow feathers shaking on the ground.

"."

Everything happened so fast that except for a few people close at hand, the guards who were feeding horses and taking a nap in the distance didn't even notice what was happening. The guard captain swallowed hard, turned around, called for his brothers, and left with Sun Zi surrounded.

What a perverted archer!

The three of them walked eastward along the city wall, but they didn't think this method would work. The Great Wall has been in such disrepair for a long time. How can anyone stay here to give heads to the Xianbei people?

To put it bluntly, I just want to avoid the crowd and enjoy the rare alone time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Miss Lu who was not leaving, and Dong Bai's mouth bulged slightly - it was all because of this woman who was as tall as a bamboo pole. If not for her, he could have had a good chat with Xu Zimao!

Lu Lingqi, on the other hand, kept her eyes straight and faithfully performed her duty of protecting the general.

"On the way here, I was thinking why Mr. Lu would come to a place like this." Xu Jiashu quickly raised the topic to liven up the atmosphere. "It seems that this place is not suitable for seclusion, right?"

"What else could it be for, but to protect the country and the people?" Dong Bai had already prepared: "Xianbei has become more powerful in recent years, and the court cannot take care of it. This is probably why he came here."

In order to avoid suspicion, she and Xu Jiashu had to pretend that they were not familiar with each other. They rarely had such opportunities to talk freely.

"Actually, not necessarily," Miss Lu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "After Tan Shihuai's death, Xianbei was leaderless and split into countless tribes. The threat is no longer what it was before, otherwise Gongsun Bogui would not be so relaxed."

She has lived in the grassland since she was a child and has a good understanding of the border situation. It is because of this that she knows how difficult it is to prevent the barbarians from going south to plunder without the support of the Great Wall, so subconsciously she does not believe that anyone would do it on her own. Do this kind of thing.

"Gongsun Bogui and Liu Bo'an focused on Youbeiping and Liaoxi County to protect the Liaoxi Corridor from being cut off. Shanggu County is a vast and sparsely populated area, so it should be a priority area to abandon. Xianbei is divided into countless small tribes, which makes it easier to harass southward. "

Seeing that the two of them were about to quarrel under his nose, Xu Jiashu was so anxious that he plagiarized clips from the simulation and sang the song "Swan Goose".

"Hong~yan, fly to~south~"

Dong Bai saw through his conspiracy to divert attention, covered his ears with his hands, and muttered, "If you don't listen, I will win." Miss Lu was even more straightforward, and her perverted vision captured the sounds of flying birds in the dim sky. Traces, raise your hand and shoot them down with an arrow.

The meaning is obvious, stop singing, Hongyan is dead.

Xu Jiashu had no choice but to shut up angrily.

Miss Lu waved her bow towards Dong Bai, a rare display of her skills. Just as she was about to use Luo Yan's power to continue the fight with her, she heard Xu Zimao's voice rang again.

"Come and see!"

The two of them just thought it was another childish trick and were ready to ignore it until he waved the silk book in his hand and shouted loudly: "This wild goose has a letter tied to its leg!"

　This is from yesterday, stop scolding, woo woo woo

　　ps: The biography of Hongyan is found in the "Book of Han". Although it was a lie told by Han envoys in order to rescue Su Wu, it at least shows that similar ideas were already made in the Western Han Dynasty and were not groundless.

　　As for why Lu Lingqi "happened" to shoot this one, we will talk about it later.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)