Li Junxian tugged on Fang Er's sleeve and whispered: "There is another master, why don't you go and touch him?"
The second roommate was almost crying, "Fifth brother, please keep your voice down, I really don't like fighting."
…
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Rui and the village leader Lai Ji laughed loudly and said, "So the village master is an expert who aspires to martial arts. It just so happens that the brother next to me has become an idiot in martial arts, so he has the opportunity to ask the village master for advice. one time."
"Don't you dare? Everyone, please!" The Lai brothers welcomed the people into the village very enthusiastically.
Fang Er took Xiao Rui's arm and said with a mournful face: "Brother Xiao, aren't you and Fifth Brother deliberately making me look embarrassed? I can't even beat someone who practices martial arts, wouldn't it be even more..."
Xiao Rui patted Fang Er on the shoulder and encouraged: "Yi Ai, you have to believe in your potential. It is better to work hard behind closed doors than to go out to make the same progress. Especially for those who practice martial arts, fighting more people is a shortcut to improve their martial arts."
Li Junxian also echoed: "Yes, Yi Ai, before we were on the water, and you lost because of seasickness. Now we are on land, and this is what you are best at."
Forget about seasickness...
I always feel like you are fooling me, but I have no proof. Fang Er scratched his head and said, "Then, let me try again when I get a chance?"
Xiao Rui and the other two laughed loudly and said, "Of course you have to try. If you can defeat the invincible opponents in Dongting, you will have achieved great success."
As soon as he heard about his military exploits, Fang Er's eyes lit up and he nodded quickly and said, "Then I'll give it a try!"
The cottage is very big, not only in scale, but also in size. At a glance, it doesn't look like a bandit's village at all, it is as prosperous as a county town. Xiao Rui was amazed along the way. He couldn't tell that the Lai brothers were not only talented in civil and military affairs, but also seemed to know how to build a city and run it.
"Master Marquis, you two generals, there is not much food in a remote place, and we rely on water. My brothers have prepared a small amount of wine and prepared a Dongting fish banquet. Welcome everyone, please take a seat."
Li Junxian grabbed Fang Er and said loudly: "Thank you all for your kindness, but I and Fang Xiandi are the marquis's bodyguards. How can there be any reason for the bodyguards to come to the table?"
"Master Hou, this..." Lai Ji looked at Xiao Rui.
Xiao Rui smiled and said: "Fifth brother, Yiai, let down your guard. If they really wanted to harm us, they would have dealt with us long ago. Why bother?"
"Haha, Brother Lai, Master Lai, you two are laughing."
Lai Hengpai smiled and said: "Where are you talking? It's normal for you to be vigilant as a bodyguard when you are away from home. General Li and General Fang, don't worry, our brothers, and even the entire Dongting Water Village, have no ill intentions towards the Marquis. We I will guarantee the Marquis’s safety in Dongting with my life.”
Fang Er urged: "Yes, Brother Li, you are worrying too much. Brother Xiao is very good at judging people. Besides, the people who took the boat along the way were very nice to us."
Li Junxian rolled his eyes, stared at the Lai brothers seriously and said, "Junxian does not doubt your character, but due to your responsibilities, for the sake of the Marquis' safety, I have a question that I would like to ask clearly."
"Excuse me, General. We brothers will tell you everything we know."
"We are strangers and are meeting for the first time. Why are you so enthusiastic? This is unreasonable. And when we visited the hometown of Chibi, you followed us secretly. If you say there is no other purpose, I don't believe it." Li Junxian He asked while staring at the two of them.
The Lai brothers looked at each other and laughed loudly at the same time. The village leader Laiji said: "Brother, it's up to you to explain."
Military advisor Lai Heng said: "For one thing, our brothers have heard about the name of the champion for a long time. Over the years, he has become famous both inside and outside the Tang Dynasty. Who knows about him in the Tang Dynasty?"
"Let alone defending the barbarians externally, let's talk internally, starting from the Chang'an City Yushitai asking for orders for the people, to destroying Buddhism to protect the people, to making fine seeds, making paper, opening academies... and so on, one after another. One after another, which one is not a major event that benefits the country and the people? The Marquis has long been a hero respected by everyone. "
"We brothers have admired him for a long time and admire him very much. We have long wanted to pay him a visit, but we know that we are reckless and dare not show our faces to disturb the Marquis."
Lai Ji added Du Ai: "Yeah, don't say that we are fans who admire the Marquis. Even if we are not, we don't dare to offend just when we see the things that the Marquis has done. Our Dongting Water Village has a population of tens of thousands, about There are 9,000 households, and 70% of them have memorial tablets dedicated to the marquis."
"It's not like I heard that the Marquis was going to pass by here on his way south, so the brothers wanted to do a favor secretly, like holding a boat or something. If they could meet the Marquis, it would be a life worth living."
"Unexpectedly, I actually met him."
That's it?
Li Junxian saw the clear eyes and sincere tone of the two men. Recalling the prestige of the Marquis in the hearts of the people, Li Junxian was convinced.
Lai Heng added Du Ai: "It's not just that, this is one of them."
"Secondly, General Li just said that we have met each other by strangers. No, in fact, we have an old relationship with the Marquis."
oh?
This made Xiao Rui curious, "I traveled all over the world when I was young, so I have been to Dongting, but when I think about it, I don't seem to have interacted with you. Could it be that I remembered it wrong?"
Laiheng waved his hand and said with a smile: "No, it's not that far. What we are talking about is the old days when we met Princess Changle. Princess Meng did not dislike it and spent a few days playing on Dongting Lake. The princess told us in detail Regarding the heroic deeds of the Marquis, he also said that he would introduce us to the Marquis in the future."
"General Li, we know that as water bandits, we don't dare to show our faces in front of the officials. We are not using the princess's light to meet the marquis. Please forgive us for our recklessness. But we really don't have any ill intentions. "
The leader of the village, Lai Ji, also echoed: "Yes, yes, we sincerely invite the Marquis."
This made Li Junxian feel embarrassed. He cupped his hands and apologized: "Junxian misunderstood you two, I'm sorry."
Xiao Rui laughed loudly and said: "Okay, okay, since that's the case, then don't be so polite. We are all friends. The reason why I traveled lightly this time is just to see and make more friends along the way. If If there is any division between the imperial court and the countryside, then there will be divisions."
"Come on, everyone, please have a seat."
…
I stayed in Dongting Lake for a few days, visiting the lake and mountains every day, and maybe watching the Dongting water bandits training naval warships.
The Lai brothers originally wanted to show their faces in front of the champion, but Xiao Rui smiled and praised him throughout the whole process, and didn't seem too impressed. This made the two brothers a little disappointed.
Although the champion is a famous general and military master, he has always been an army soldier. Does he also understand the war on the water? Why do you feel like he looks down on us?
So Lai Ji asked: "Master Marquis, you are a master in the art of war. Can you give us brothers some guidance on this battle formation?"
Xiao Rui was stunned for a moment and said honestly: "I was on land both times, so I don't know anything about water warfare!"
how come? ? ? The Lai brothers expressed disbelief.
