stubborn thief

Chapter 159
After more than a year, the desolate ancient road of Wuding River remains the same as before.

He Renlong parked his horse at the bend of the river for a while, and then walked north, the ground was full of yellow sand.

Human beings are animals that learn from each other.

Even though Wu Zimian had gone to the capital to serve as King Qin, and He Renlong came to Yulin City again, he still didn't dare to bring too many horses.

When they arrived at Yulin City, they entered the military headquarters and waited for a long time before seeing Du Wenhuan, who smelled of alcohol.

There were many generals sitting in the hall, and Du Wenhuan sat at the head, looking no different from when he was young, at most, he was a little less vigorous and a little more majestic.

He Renlong didn't dare to look too much, and hastily bowed down to salute.

"The humble Yuhebao is guarding He Renlong, and I'm going to greet Marshal Du."

Du Wenhuan seemed to be drunk, with his arms propped on the chair, pointing to He Renlong in the hall.

He said to the unsmiling generals on the left and right: "Oh, He Renlong is here."

He Renlong raised his head and smiled apologetically, and Du Wenhuan said, "Renlong, I remember...you were on the defensive when I was a guerrilla general, right? After all these years, why are you still on the defensive?"

Du Wenhuan became a guerrilla general in the last years of Wanli.

But that was when the two of them had the most recent official positions. Before the year of the apocalypse, Du Wenhuan was promoted to general and deputy commander-in-chief, and then Ningxia Yansui took turns. Military officer.

And He Renlong, in the small place of Yuhe Fort, spent year after year guarding the yellow sand with his eyes raised.

"Returning to the commander-in-chief, I am ashamed of the grace of the Holy Grace if I have not made an inch of merit in a humble position."

"Get up quickly, don't keep praying."

After He Renlong got up, he greeted the generals in the hall one by one.

Those standing in the hall are all guerrilla generals.

"Zuo Guangxian, the guerrilla general of the Zuo Battalion."

"Guerrilla General Bai Bangzheng of the Right Battalion."

"Guerrilla General Cui Zongyin."

"Guerrilla General Li Guoqi."

"Guerrilla General Li Mingfu."

"Guerrilla generals appease the people."

To be honest, He Renlong knew these people.

But when there were so many guerrilla generals in Yansui Town, He Renlong didn't know.

When he was busy returning the gift, Du Wenhuan said, "General Ai Mu of Yan'an was besieged in Wen'an Station and asked for help from Yulin Town. General He knows, right?"

"The humble job knows."

Before He Renlong came, he had already estimated this matter in his heart.

The horse soldiers who reported to Yulin passed through Yuhebao first, and the incident had already spread in Yuhebao long before the news was reported to Yulin.

In fact, the people in the castle may not have had a deep impression of Liu Chengzong in the past.

Everyone is too hungry to eat, and they have no interest in anyone else.

But I couldn't help hearing this name all the time, not to mention being able to eat enough, now Liu Chengzong is well known in Yuhebao.

Everyone knows everything about him after he joined the army.

The last time Li Bei's troops were wiped out, which was only half of the troops, it was shocking enough. This time, Aimu's troops, who were nearly full, were surrounded in Wen'an Station, and they were beaten to ask Yulin for help.

In fact, this incident made people laugh at He Renlong behind his back.

Such a fierce servant, why did you let him go?

He Renlong was well aware of these things, but he was also very helpless. Before that, who knew that Liu Chengzong could fight so well?
Isn't it enough for Qiu Fang to kill two Tartars with his hands?

In addition, Liu Chengzong's most powerful talent is shooting wild geese.

He didn't show any skill either.

Yuhebao is not a place where one can show one's abilities.

Otherwise, He Renlong wouldn't have wasted ten years here.

"General Ai sent people from Shenmu to find the old man, to break the siege of Wen'an Post." Du Wenhuan said, "But now that the bandits have entered Shanxi, they are temporarily unable to deal with Liu Chengzong. He used to know you well."

He Renlong didn't quite understand this sentence.

These words seem to be said by the general officer of Shanxi.

A group of bandits entered Shanxi, so the general officer of Shanxi was unable to take action.

When the bandits entered Shanxi, what could the Yulin commander-in-chief have to do?
He Renlong clasped his fists and said, "Back to Commander, Liu Chengzong was indeed a humble servant."

"That's right, you send someone to tell him that arresting Yan'an guerrillas will not do him any good."

Du Wenhuan pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said: "3000 taels, 3000 taels of silver, let him withdraw from Wen'an post, let Ai Shen return to Yansui."

He Renlong was stunned, 3000 taels... What is the concept of 3000 taels?

His garrison monthly granary, Xinhong, and firewood are added together, which is ten taels of silver per month.

After spending ten years in Yuhebao, he only earned 200 taels of silver.

Surround a general to make money like this?
He Renlong wanted to take the Yuhebao brothers out to do dark work.

It's just who paid the money?Yulin Town may not be able to afford it, and if they can afford it, they will not give up. Could it be that Mi Zhiai's family paid 3000 taels?

Who knew that Du Wenhuan said immediately afterward: "If he has a heart for the imperial court, His Majesty and the Governor-General are now discussing suppression and appeasement, and they will pay ten thousand taels of silver. It's okay to give him a representative to serve the country."

He Renlong's brow was sweating.

The co-author was to ask Liu Chengzong to pay 3000 taels of silver, and then let Ai Mu go.

Just now he was still thinking about how he got into Liu Chengzong's camp.

What kind of mentality should I have in the past to talk to my former subordinates.

Is it appropriate to be more respectful, or to put on airs of an old officer.

Let’s forget it after hearing this, he will not enter Liu Chengzong’s camp even if he is killed, if he goes with this condition, once he enters, he will not be able to get out.

He cupped his fists and said, "Marshal, what should we do if he disagrees?"

"disagree?"

Du Wenhuan obviously didn't think about this issue.

You are a grassroots bandit from a mere family background, and I am the commander-in-chief who governs the second town of Yulin, Guyuan. If I send someone to appease you, will you still refuse?

Du Wenhuan couldn't find a way to refuse. He turned to look at the guerrilla generals around him, and everyone laughed.

Zuo Guangxian didn't laugh at He Renlong, but just clasped his fists and said, "General He, the former General Li was defeated by the leader of the bandits, and some of his troops fled the chief Ma Ke back. Break the array."

"This time General Ai's subordinates came to ask for help. They said that there were four thousand men, and the soldiers were very powerful and strong, and there were many horses. They borrowed the light of the wind, and returned from Shanxi. They must have looted a lot of goods. , the general is very suitable."

When He Renlong thought about it, it was true.

Report 4000 people, disperse 1000 mobs, and leave [-] people to eat military food and garrison in the local area, which is actually quite beautiful.

At that moment, he cupped his fists and said, "Yes, the humble official knows."

Du Wenhuan nodded and said with a smile: "Okay, since that's the case, then Du will be waiting for the general's good news in Yulin."

When He Renlong exited the lobby of the military headquarters, he heard the laughter of the generals in the hall, and Du Wenhuan's complacent words asking the generals to train.

"After King Qin, the troops of each department are very empty. You should hurry up and train your troops for future use."

On the way back to Yuhebao, He Renlong was very upset.

He has given up the routine of going to Yulin every year to ask for military pay, and he no longer asks the court to allocate money for repairing the fort.

Especially after seeing so many guerrilla generals in the hall.

There were some people there, such as Guan Fumin, whose father, Guan Bingzhong, was Du Wenhuan's old boss and a former general of Yulin.

Du Wenhuan treated him like a nephew, but He Renlong couldn't compare to him.

But if more people are above him, their physical strength must be stronger than him?

This was a humiliating prostration, but He Renlong was used to it. Every time he went to Yulin to ask for military pay for the soldiers in the past ten years, he felt far more humiliated than this time.

On the contrary, this time, his former subordinates surrounded the general in a small post city.

It actually made him feel elated in his heart.

You fellows above me are nothing more than that!

A window was opened in his mind, always thinking about doing his own job well and finding a job in his place, but after ten years of thinking about it, he failed to do it well, so he had to think of another way.

Thinking of this, He Renlong smiled unconsciously on horseback.

The confidant next to him, He Yong, immediately stepped forward and asked: "The general is very happy to come out of Yulin today. Is there any happy event for the commander-in-chief?"

"Happy event, not yet, He Yong." He Renlong turned his head and asked, "Do you dare to meet Liu Shizi?"

See Liu Shizi?

He Yong had the same reaction as He Renlong at the General Military Office a while ago, numb.

Seeing him like this, He Renlong couldn't help laughing, and paused for a moment before saying: "You and Liu Shizi were quite acquainted in the past, go and meet him, Marshal Du wants him to pay 3000 taels of silver to retire, see if he is willing." willing."

Before He Yong could react from the sluggishness, He Renlong said again: "Whether you like it or not, this is a matter for the court. Now Liu Shizi is also a commander in chief. Don't argue with him, let alone threaten him."

"Just bring a message, otherwise you may not be able to come back alive."

After hearing his words, He Yong felt a little relaxed. If he just said a word, he felt that it would not be so dangerous.

After all, in the past, when Liu Chengzong went out to hunt, he would return whatever he hunted that could be used except the meat required by the government. He had never swallowed his prey privately.

It is said that the two have no personal enmity.

He Yong took a deep breath and said, "Okay, then I'll go back and prepare to set off. Right now, he's surrounding General Ai in Wen'an Post, so it's easy to find him."

"Yes, you are going to see him."

He Renlong searched around, took out three taels of silver from his arms and handed it to He Yong: "You can use these on the road, and then there are... and this."

He really didn't have anything good on him. Looking left and right, he couldn't find anything he could take out.

In the end, He Renlong took off his saber, handed it to He Yong immediately, and said, "Take this saber and hand it over to Liu Shizi. It's a welcome gift."

"Here, General, is this the year you won the martial arts exam?"

He Yong didn't dare to pick it up. He was deeply impressed by this knife. The patterned steel rolling ball goose feather knife made of iron in the Western Regions is the best knife he has ever seen in his life.

He used to play with it while fetching the knife for He Renlong, and secretly pulled it out of the scabbard twice, and it was very comfortable to hold in his hand.

He said, "General, is this knife going to Liu Shizi?"

"The whole Yuhebao knows that I like this knife."

Seeing that He Yong refused to answer, He Renlong's determination was swept away, he took out the knife and looked again, finally filled with reluctance, but he gritted his teeth and closed it again.

"This knife has been with me for more than ten years, and it was only stained with blood once. It was a few years ago when I killed a brother who ran away. I didn't make any fucking achievements."

He patted his chubby belly, and said with a ruthless face, "Just like me, well-maintained, fat and strong, what the hell is it for? Take it!"

The saber was forced into He Yong's hands, He Renlong said: "You have another thing to do this time, bring a few more people with you, they must be Mi Zhi's old brother, ask around about who went out from Yuhebao Brother, and the younger generation of Mizhi Luocao, see you all."

"If you can drink and eat meat, you can talk; if you can communicate with each other, you can communicate." He Renlong reminded: "It's best to find those bandit camps, and leave a brother to play in the camp."

He Yong was taken aback by the words, and after a pause he stammered: "General, is this a traitor?"

"Then talk to the thief, do you know who Du Wenhuan is? Do you know what the first thing he said when he saw me today?"

He Renlong didn't go to look at He Yong, he drove straight on, half a horse's head forward.

He Yong could only look at his back and hear the voice: "There are a group of guerrilla generals standing in the official office, two of them were recommended by Yulin, and one was born in a general's family, without martial arts, they are all young children."

"When he saw me today and talked about the past, the first thing he said was that when he was a guerrilla general, I was on the defensive. When he saw me today, I was still on the defensive. Those kids were laughing."

"How funny? More than ten years have passed, and ten years have passed since his uncle Jun died, and his son is now the commander-in-chief of Ningxia. I congratulate Renlong! He Renlong is still on guard."

He Yong couldn't speak, so he could only walk along with He Renlong.

After walking forward for more than ten steps, He Renlong turned his head calmly: "Brother, what have we been doing these past ten years?"

He Renlong's words hit He Yong's forehead hard like a big stick.

That year He Renlong was admitted to the martial arts examination.

He Yong was working as a long-term worker in the Chang's compound, and his mother carried a basket of eggs, so she couldn't help but drag him out of the Chang's compound, and handed him to He Renlong.

Lu Niang asked him, do you want to be a long-term worker for the rest of your life?

What's so bad about being a long-term worker for a lifetime, you don't have to pay taxes, not to mention the Chang family's cook is so pretty.

But Niang said that the cook would not marry a long-term worker, and said that the neighbor's brother Long was going to be a general in the martial arts examination.

Let him go to the battlefield to defend Brother Long from arrows and knives, and act as a horse.

In the future, he will make meritorious deeds and risk his life to ascend to heaven.

He looked at his mother's cracked hands, thinking about the little cook from Chang's family, and nodded heavily.

Chicken and dog ascend to heaven.

From that day on, he followed He Renlong's saddle to Yuhebao to practice martial arts.

In the second year of Tianqi guarding the fort, he shot and killed two captive Tartars, but they failed to attack, and the corpses were taken away by the Tartars.

He Renlong blocked three arrows by wearing armor at the top of the wall, and the armor in the cloth mask was older than his father, and it was all fucking rusted.

Ancestors bless you, save your life.

From that year on, he was the head of Brother Renlong's servant.

It was also from that year that the imperial court stopped paying.

The mother got tuberculosis before the chickens and dogs ascended to heaven, and the little cook got married long ago.

After all these years, He Renlong suddenly asked what their brothers have done all these years.

He Yong didn't know, he really didn't know.

For several years, they have been thinking hard about the hundreds of mouths in Yuhebao, and tried all the methods, but this matter is like the mother's tuberculosis, which cannot be cured by the law, and the cook's marriage cannot be stopped, there is really no way.

In his hazy memory, he heard He Renlong say: "Get this matter done, we're leaving Yuhebao and trying to find a way to go up."

He Yong didn't say anything, he didn't want to care about following the thief or not.

Just nodding heavily.

Chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!
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Note:
32 taels of silver for deputy generals such as Yuelin, Xinhong, and firewood; 26 taels for participating generals; 22 taels for guerrillas; Two; six taels for a thousand; four taels for a bar; two and four for a hundred; one tael for a team.
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"Du Zhi Zou Yi Xin Bao Si"

　Good morning!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)