Early the next morning, Liu Xin left Liu's house. After changing his clothes somewhere, he left the imperial capital with two elite men from Dongchang who were formerly under Dongxiang's command.
Shortly after Liu Xin left, Senior Brother Cheng found Li and handed a letter to Li.
"Uncle Cheng, what is this?" Li was puzzled.
Brother Cheng smiled and explained: "There is something urgent at home, and I have to go back. Liu Xin went out in an emergency this morning. These are some official documents from Jinyiwei. I hope my sister-in-law can give them to Liu Xin for me."
Mr. Li nodded without doubting anything else.
Senior Brother Cheng immediately went out and left the Liu Mansion. His aura suddenly changed. The shrewd and honest person disappeared and turned into a brave and sharp one.
Hanzhong is located on the south side of the Shaanxi governor's territory. Starting from the imperial capital, it passes through Baoding Prefecture, Taiyuan Prefecture, Pingyang Prefecture, Xi'an Prefecture and finally Hanzhong Prefecture.
The journey is more than 2,000 miles, and even if you are running fast, you still need to rest along the way. You can travel up to 200 miles in one day. It takes ten days to arrive.
However, because the mission was urgent, Admiral Dongchang personally ordered three precious horses worth thousands of gold to travel four hundred miles a day, reducing the cost of the journey by half.
But as a result, the pressure on the Cavaliers will be great.
Although the two elites sent by Dongchang were ordinary soldiers, they both had the cultivation level of Xiaocheng. As for Liu Xin’s cultivation level, it is clearly marked in Dongchang’s information:
Xiaocheng's peak combat power
This was judged from Liu Xin's several shots, especially in the fight with the northern barbarian Bu He. Although the two only fought briefly, Bu He did not use his full strength. But just those two or three short moves would not have been possible without Xiao Cheng's peak combat power.
In addition to the three treasure horses, Dongchang also gave three pieces of inner armor produced by the military forging shop. Such an inner armor is enough to withstand attacks at the Xiaocheng level and effectively disperse the attack power. It can be regarded as the best among standard-level armors.
Liu Xin didn't know what the weapons of the two men in Dongchang were, because they were carrying the same wooden box on their backs. There might be swords or knives inside.
Liu Xin's weapon is a standard long sword that can only be used by thousands of households. The blade of the sword contains brilliance and is completely blue. At first glance, it seems that it is not made of ordinary iron. It should be a special metal refined in the workshop of the Ministry of Industry. Although it is the size of a standard sword blade, it is fully half lighter than an ordinary sword forged from fine steel.
Liu Xin has not done experiments on the hardness, but it is assumed that it will not be worse than the hardness of Bailian refined steel, otherwise it would be meaningless.
This weapon was found by Dai De'an after specifically asking Liu Xin about his needs.
Liu Xin has never touched a sword since he came to the imperial capital, and of course he has never really made a move with all his strength. Now that he has a good sword, Liu Xin feels more comfortable.
Four days passed in a hurry, and the three of them worked hard for a hundred days. At night, one of the people in Dongchang judged the direction and then looked for the inn.
After four days of contact, Liu Xin also knew their names.
Among them, Leng Peijun is a tall man whose personality does not match his surname. He communicates with Liu Xin the most on weekdays. He is good at communication and is very familiar with information such as inns, directions, routes, etc.
Gou Liangyu is a martial arts fanatic. He talks endlessly when talking about practicing martial arts, but has no interest in other things. Although he talks little on weekdays, he is not boring either.
From the chat, I learned that these two people were brought out by Yuan Dongxiang from the army. They were slightly older than Liu Xin, but they were still young people. Leng Peijun was 7 out of 20 and Gou Liangyu was 8 out of 20.
night, inn
"Sir, we will enter the territory of Shaanxi tomorrow. This place is uneasy now. Several groups of mountain bandits have gathered together. I heard that they are holding some kind of hero conference. The number of bandits is estimated to be more than 3,000, and this was only seven or eight days ago. Information, the current situation is unknown." Leng Peijun said while soaking his feet.
Soaking your feet is the most convenient way to speed up blood circulation. In fact, for Leng Peijun and Gou Liangyu, who were born in the military, their buttocks have already developed calluses, so even if they don't rest day and night, it won't be a big deal.
But Liu Xin was different. Although Liu Xin had a high level of cultivation, he was always on the mountain and only went down the mountain very rarely. Although the riding skills are good, the historical driving time is far behind, so the buttocks are still soft and soft, lacking the protection of calluses. After four hundred miles a day, even if they are protected by internal force, they are still hot.
The method of foot soaking was provided by Gou Liangyu when I was resting at night on the first day. The effect is good, and with the help of internal counseling, the buttocks will be back to normal the next day.
Liu Xin sighed silently in his heart, nothing in this world is easy. If you stick your head in your belt and become a soldier, you will have to endure these hardships and suffer these crimes. I'm afraid the suffering of the common people is even more difficult, otherwise they wouldn't have rushed to the military camp just above the axle height in order to survive.
Just to survive.
For the past four days, they had passed through the city without entering, and had only seen the mountains and wilderness outside. Occasionally passing by some villages and seeing the skinny, sallow appearance of the people would remind Liu Xin of the month before he rushed to the imperial capital to take office.
In fact, with his speed, it would not take him a month to reach the imperial capital. In addition to the fact that he was really not in a hurry, another reason was that along the way, he looked at the people and couldn't help but want to see more.
He would think countless times that if he had not been lucky enough to meet his mother, he might have been reincarnated before his consciousness was born. If I had not had the good fortune to meet the master and go up the mountain, I am afraid that I would be like the poor people now, digging for food in the fields, not having enough to eat, but also suffering from the oppression of the gentry and the threat of bandits.
Every time this thought occurs, he will be extremely disappointed with the country's upper echelons, wishing he could chop off their heads with a sword.
But he also knew how many people he could kill on his own. Moreover, after these people die, a new one will appear immediately.
The gentry class cannot be killed.
Because he couldn't do it, Liu Xin could only numb himself, pretend that he couldn't see what he saw, and forget what he thought about afterwards.
If it weren't for the order of the sect, he would rather travel around the world and be a traveler like the fourth senior brother, traveling through mountains and rivers. When encountering injustice, he would draw his sword and kill it!
Liu Xin never answered Leng Peijun's question. Leng Peijun and Gou Liangyu were not surprised by Liu Xin's fugue state from time to time on the road. After they simply soaked their feet, they left and poured the water. Went to rest.
When Liu Xin came back to his senses, the water was already cold, and Liu Xin didn't care. He finished pouring the water and was ready to rest.
Before going to bed, Liu Xin's ears suddenly moved and he heard noise coming from a distance.
He immediately came to the next room. Leng Peijun and Gou Liangyu lived in one room, and Liu Xin was in a separate room.
When they woke up, a clearer sound could be heard outside. Leng Peijun and Gou Liangyu, who were also warriors at the Xiaocheng level, had also heard the sound.
Internal strength can enhance the five senses, as well as the strength, agility, and reaction of the limbs. The reason why there is such a realm division as the Xiaocheng realm is because the six meridians are accessible, and after the internal force completes the small cycle, the power in these aspects can be gradually improved.
There is a huge gap between warriors who have reached this level and warriors who have not. Although the combat power may not be much different in the end due to various reasons, there is essentially a huge difference.
The postmen in the inn were ordinary people, and they might have fallen asleep a long time ago, so although the commotion outside became louder and louder, no one noticed it.
Quickly dressing up, Liu Xin and others left the inn and hid not far away.
This place is remote and rarely visited by people, and there are bandits gathering nearby. The three of them have already agreed to be careful.
There were more than a dozen fast horses coming in the distance. The few people in front were holding torches. They seemed to see the inn approaching, so they accelerated their horses.
When the fast horse arrived at the post station, the post soldiers in the post station were also awakened. Four post soldiers came out wearing inner clothes and holding weapons.
He rode out from among the fast horses and said to the postman from a high position: "I am Zheng Xiao, Deputy Qianhu of the Imperial Guard. Please clean the room quickly. We are going to have a rest!"
After that, a token was thrown out, and a postman quickly took it. After one glance, he knew whether it was true or not, and then he and the other three postmen acted together. The two went to lead the horses, and the two entered the post station. I went to clean and prepare.
"Prepare hot water, I want to take a good bath!" Another knight shouted loudly.
Not far away, Liu Xin and others looked at this scene and calmed down for a moment. Leng Peijun squinted his eyes as if to recognize the person. After a moment, he said: "Sir, this group seems to be the second generation of the imperial guards. The leader That one is Zheng Xiao, the eldest son of Marquis Jingchuan. The other two should be the descendants of Marquis Xuande and Marquis Jingning. These people all serve in the personal guards. Among them, Zheng Xiao has the highest position, Deputy Qianhu of the Imperial Guard! "
"How come a group of second-generation nobles came here?" Liu Xin was a little confused, but since they were not bandits, it didn't matter. Why did they come? It had nothing to do with them anyway.
I walked back to the inn room from the other side. The second-generation nobles and their guards were still there washing the horses' noses.
Although they are both second generation, they still inherit the habits from their ancestors when it comes to horses. For them, there are not many things that they need to care about, but horses are definitely one of them.
One of the honorable nobles saw the three precious colts in the stable of the post, his eyes lit up, and he quickly called Zheng Xiao and others.
"Zheng Xiao, these three horses are all precious colts!" The noble second generation stared at the three horses, his eyes shining, and he looked like he was salivating.
Zheng Xiao is considered to be the most mature one among this group of second-generation nobles. He saw the covetous look in this noble's eyes and immediately warned him in a cold voice: "Shi Wenbin, put away your inappropriate thoughts. Here is In the governorate of Shaanxi Province, the Hanzhong Military Horse Farm is nearby. If three precious horses appear at the same time, they are likely to be important figures in the military horse farm. This time we went to the military horse farm to select precious horses. Your father and my father spent a huge amount of money. You paid a price to get this opportunity, don’t cherish it!”
The second generation Shi Wenbin Xungui looked back angrily, muttered and left.
Zheng Xiao knew what kind of people these people were. As soon as they left the imperial capital, they seemed to open some kind of floodgates and let out the beasts in their hearts. They became domineering and tight.
But it was also because of his presence in the team that the fathers of these second-generation nobles were relieved to come out.
Everyone left. Zheng Xiao was right. They were going to the military horse farm to select precious horses. Since they could get them, there was no point in looking here. And it is very likely that as Zheng Xiao said, the owners of these three precious horses are not trivial.
Although they will transform into a fierce dragon crossing the river after leaving the imperial capital, there is no need to cause trouble with a local snake. Besides, there is no guarantee that the other party is a local fierce dragon.
A group of second-generation nobles were eating on the first floor of the inn. They deviated from the route and arrived at the inn much later. They were all so hungry that their chests were pressed against their backs, so some guards took out meat from the packages. , these were all prepared in the cities they passed through before. I asked the postman if he wanted some charcoal fire, and a group of people started barbecuing outside the post station.
In the night, green smoke curled up, and soon passed into Liu Xin's room on the second floor of the inn. Liu Xin's nose twitched, his eyes opened a thin slit, and he smiled and cursed: "Humph, Zhumen's wine and meat Smelly!"
A group of second-generation nobles were like wild horses running wild after leaving the imperial capital, and their excitement has not dissipated yet. Moreover, in this wilderness, there is no curfew, no spies with ears through the wall, and no elders nearby, so a group of young people feel extremely relaxed.
"Brother Xiao, you said you would take us out this time. In addition to choosing a suitable mount, you would also take us to do a big thing. Along the way, we are about to arrive in Hanzhong. Can you tell us about it now? Got it!"
A second-generation nobleman asked while tearing the chicken legs roasted by his own guard.
His words attracted the attention of several second-generation nobles. Suddenly, the eyes of the seven second-generation nobles sitting around the fire fell on Zheng Xiao's face.
Zheng Xiao did not ask his guards to help bake the food like other second-generation nobles. He always liked to do it by himself, turning the iron picks in his hands to make the meat evenly heated. The joints of his palms were wide and rough, and unlike several other second-generation nobles, Zheng Xiao The white and tender palms are completely different.
Seeing several people looking at him with unconcealed curiosity, Zheng Xiao knew that without telling them these days, his curiosity had grown to the extreme, and it would be unsightly to delay it any longer, so he said lightly: "This The main purpose of coming out this time is actually to take you to meet someone!"
Meet someone?
The second-generation nobles looked at me and I looked at you. Among them, Shi Wenbin laughed and said: "The person who can let us come out to meet each other is probably not born yet. Zheng Xiao, don't joke with us!" "
Shi Wenbin has the most arrogant temperament among all the people. With his domineering character, he has been suppressed in the imperial capital for a long time, and his temper has become more extreme. He is also the guy Zheng Xiao wants to keep an eye on.
Zheng Xiao smiled and ignored Shi Wenbin, but shook his head disapprovingly.
When Shi Wenbin saw Zheng Xiao ignoring him, he became angry. He stood up and sneered at Zheng Xiao: "Although we came out this time to choose our own mounts for our brothers, we don't have to come in person. It was your words that aroused everyone's thoughts. You should make it clear now. Since you said you want to take us to meet someone, then you should say, with our status, who do we need to take the initiative to meet? How many people in the world are there? Do people need us to take the initiative?”
Shi Wenbin's words were so domineering that the other second-generation nobles couldn't help but nod in agreement. Although in the imperial capital, they all behaved like wretches, but outside the imperial capital, in the world of Zhengyang, few of them would be let go. In the eyes.
They rely on nothing else but that their parents still hold real power.
Including Zheng Xiao, these eight second-generation nobles actually represent eight powerful figures who are rare among today's nobles.
Just like Zheng Xiao's father, Jingchuan Marquis Zheng Xinkou, is now the commander of the Eastern Army and a senior official of the third rank!
As for the arrogant and domineering Shi Wenbin's father, Xuande Hou was slightly inferior to Jingchuan Hou, but he was also the commander of the Northern Army and a third-rank official.
As for the other fathers, they are also powerful people in the military. The lowest grade is from the fourth grade commanding officer, which is equivalent to the grade of Jin Yiwei Dai De'an and Kou Gang!
The eight second-generation nobles put together, even if they face a third-grade official, the latter will still give him a smile.
Therefore, Shi Wenbin felt that it was too shameful for Zheng Xiao to ask a group of them to come all the way just to meet one person!
Liu Xin, who was on the second floor of the inn, was already ready to go to bed, but the voices of the guys downstairs were not quiet, and the warriors had sharp ears and eyes, so they could hear clearly. When he heard Shi Wenbin's words, his eyes suddenly opened, and he put on his pajamas. Temporarily dissipated, he listened intently to what was going on below.
A group of second-generation powerful people came out in a group, and he was curious who they were going to see.
At this time, a round-faced fat man among the second generation of nobles suddenly remembered something. He spoke quietly and asked uncertainly: "I really want to remember Qin Guogong's adopted son, who is on duty in Hanzhong. Brother Xiao, we want to meet him." Could it be him?"
The righteous son of the Duke of Qin!
Liu Xin couldn't help but smile. This person was exactly the person he wanted to meet as a royal guard.
Zheng Xiao's voice of denial came from downstairs: "It's not him. The adopted son of the Duke of Qin is far from qualified!"
Wow!
There was an uproar downstairs, and it seemed that the other second-generation nobles did not agree with Zheng Xiao's words.
Liu Xin didn't know that if divided according to military factions, the fathers of the people downstairs all belonged to the lineage of Qin Guogong Tuoba Yunhan. The righteous son of the Duke of Qin is half their young master!
Liu Xin listened intently. He didn't know the hidden information, but it didn't stop him from listening carefully.
Earning information while lying down is not a great thing.
You must know that although these second-generation people are arrogant and domineering, and all of them are playboys, when they were in the imperial capital, they were all very honest and had a stricter mouth than anyone else.
This meant we arrived at a station in the wilderness, thousands of miles away from the imperial capital, so we boldly started chatting.
No one answered Zheng Xiao's words. Although they knew there would be no spies eavesdropping and the guards following him were the most loyal in each house, the second generation still had to be wary of each other.
Although we are in the same boat now, we will not always be in the same boat.
The political thinking of the second generation of nobles is good.
Zheng Xiao is self-reliant and knows that he will definitely be able to accomplish something in the future, so he does not shy away from saying such things.
"The people we are going to meet this time are not from the military!" Zheng Xiao once again dropped a bombshell.
"They are not from the military, but they are officials from the local governor?" Shi Wenbin couldn't help but ask. He felt that Zheng Xiao was joking.
Outside the imperial capital, except for certain figures in the military, he did not look down upon those in other local official circles, even if they were governors of a province.
"Brother Xiao, stop teasing us and speak quickly!" Another second-generation man urged, his heart pounding back and forth and he couldn't bear it anymore.
Zheng Xiao smiled slightly, took a look at the meat he had baked by himself, and said with satisfaction: "I wonder if you have heard of the banditry in Shaanxi?"
"What does this have to do with the person you mentioned?" Shi Wenbin asked dissatisfied.
Zheng Xiao stood up and handed the roasted meat to his guard. The guard was stunned at first, and then quickly took it gratefully. Zheng Xiao gave the other party a gentle smile, and the guard immediately smiled as well.
Zheng Xiao walked up and came behind the frowning Shi Wenbin, and patted the latter's shoulders with both hands. The latter was about to break free, but the next moment he was stunned in place, because Zheng Xiao said:
"The person we want to meet this time is one of the leaders of this group of bandits!"
On the second floor, Liu Xin suddenly stood up and stared at the floor, as if he wanted to see Zheng Xiao's face downstairs through the wooden floor.
