In early summer, as the sun rises, a layer of mist shrouding Dongdu City gradually disperses, revealing what may be the largest city in the world.
To the north of the city is Beimang Mountain. A group of extremely magnificent palaces stands against Beimang Mountain and across the river, named Ziwei Palace. From Beimang Mountain to Luoshui, there are not only palace groups, but also Ziwei Palace. There are more than fifty squares in the city to the east of the palace, which is Luoyang County; there are more than ninety squares in the flat land south of Luoshui, which is Henan County. Together, they form the fundamental body of the city.
In addition, there are seven or eight functional small towns around the city. On the west side of the city, countless artificial lakes and artificial canals have been dug to form the huge Xiyuan and a natural water system for city protection. .
It is precisely because of Xiyuan and Luoshui that passes through the city that the increasingly hot Dongdu City is shrouded in mist every morning.
It has been ten days since Zhang Xing arrived in the eastern capital. Unlike Qin Bao who joined the Jinyi patrol of Fusi in Taichung Town of Jing'an as soon as he arrived, the traitor army only stayed at the Marquis of Ji'an Mansion in Tongtuofang, north of Luoshui, for three days before the Han Dynasty. , starting from the fourth day, he moved to Xiuyefang, rented a small courtyard by himself, and became a patrol sergeant in the capital under Fusi, Taitung Town, Jing'an.
It is commonly known as Jingjiehu.
The rent was paid by the public, so after the matter was handed over to the official at the north gate of our house, he rented the side courtyard of his house directly. And because the small courtyard was next to the gate, Zhang Xing rented the house almost every day during these seven days. When it started to fog up early that morning, I was awakened by the movement in front of the square gate. Then I got up and went to the breakfast stall of the square official's house to eat, and then came back to read. I developed a good habit of going to bed early and getting up early.
Generally, after the fog clears, the entrance and exit of the shop becomes smooth, and the street becomes lively, the Jingjiehu colleagues from Dongzhen Fusi will come looking for him.
This day is no exception.
"Colonel Zhang, is Colonel Zhang here? It's time to patrol the streets. Your two friends are already waiting for you in front of the square gate." The voice of Brother Liu, the square official, sounded on time.
Zhang Xing, who was dressed in standard cloth clothes, didn't respond when he heard the words. He just put the books he borrowed from the Marquis of Ji'an into a box on one side, casually tied a forehead wipe on his forehead, picked up a knife next to him and put on the embroidered bow. After the knife came, he stood up and opened the courtyard door. He held the knife directly on the threshold and saluted the person who knocked on the door to thank him:
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Liu. I'm ready now. Let's go out now."
One more thing, the so-called gatekeeper's main job is to open and close the gate, and may also serve as the morning and evening summons on the street in front of the gate... To put it bluntly, he is the lowest-level official, the owner of the stall, etc. It is a popular name among the people.
A similar situation is that of Zhang Xing's "School Lieutenant". This is not a real officer, but a regular sergeant at the lowest level of the Beijing Neighborhood Affairs Department of the Dongzhen Fusi Office under Jing'an Terrace. Commonly known as a "School Lieutenant" or "Lishi" among the people. It just sounds nice.
Turning around, seeing Zhang Xing being so nimble, Fangzhu Liu, who was about fifty years old, seemed to have expected it, but he still looked around after Zhang Xing closed the door and went to the courtyard: "Reading again early in the morning?"
"Yes, if you have nothing to do, it's better to study." Zhang Xing turned around and closed the door, answering casually.
"If I'm not practicing martial arts, I'm reading books and practicing calligraphy. I have no time to spare... It's rare for a young man like you to be so motivated." As the two of them walked to the square gate outside, Brother Liu couldn't help but sigh along the way. "With such ambition, it is bound to become a big situation in the Eastern Capital."
"The Eastern Capital City is huge, and it is at the feet of the Emperor. It has always been difficult to live in it." Zhang Xing, who had a knife tied to his waist, was honest. "I don't expect anything big. I'm just interested in reading and practicing, and I don't have time to have fun."
This was true, but Master Liu naturally didn't believe it.
The two chatted a few words casually, and when they came to the gate of the courtyard outside, they saw a daughter of about fourteen or fifteen years old wearing a light yellow shirt coming down with a bamboo drawer from the breakfast stall. Zhang Xing naturally stepped aside for a moment. Brother Liu's eyes also became gentle with the naked eye... For no other reason, the visitor was the young daughter of the gatekeeper... When his daughter's face turned red and lowered her head, Zhang Xing went straight forward, and sure enough he saw When two colleagues arrived, the older one named Wang and the younger one named Zhao were already waiting inside the square gate. One of them was eating a free steamed bun from the stall of Mr. Liu. When they saw Zhang Xing coming out, they After swallowing the buns, they all waved hello.
Zhang Xing stepped forward, said a few words, each smiled, and then started patrolling the streets together.
The so-called street patrol is nothing more than walking back and forth twice on the cross street formed by the four symmetrical lanes of Xiuwen, Xiuye, Shangshan, and Jingshan, pretending to suppress public order, and then you can break up at noon and go home to spend the afternoon. , and then meet up again in the evening and go to the Jiekou Bridge to meet a serious Qipin Jinyi General Banner, and just give an explanation and handover.
Work is very relaxing, and Zhang Xing likes it very much. He has been doing this for the past seven days.
However, this time, the three of them patrolled the street until noon and came to the intersection as usual. Zhang Xing was about to go back and continue reading. Unexpectedly, the two people walking in front did not say a word, but turned around and headed north, and then turned to the south bank of Luoshui. On top of half a water street.
The Luoshui River crosses the Eastern Capital, and is used by the capital and worshiped by soldiers and civilians of all states in the world. Bulk goods from the north, south, and east come in through this waterway. There are countless warehouses and docks. The river is incredibly prosperous and can be regarded as the most important place nearby. Therefore, the inner and outer areas are The Si (house servant), Jing'antai, Miyagi Forbidden Army, and Nanya Administration all have dedicated official officials to connect with them, or directly participate in supervision.
Because of this, in the past few days, although Zhang Xing had known that half of the bustling water street was located near Shangshan and Jingshan, he had always thought that this place was not within the scope of his work.
But now it seems that there may be another explanation.
"Brother Zhang, we won't hide anything from you either."
After walking for more than a hundred steps along the bustling street under the golden embankment of Luoshui River, I saw that Zhang Xing was still silent. A slightly younger Zhao Lieutenant accompanying him was so impressed that he couldn't help but speak first. "Your transfer was too sudden. You were almost forced in from above, and you couldn't find out any details. Therefore, Banner Master Feng and we didn't dare to recognize you easily. We only asked the two of us to take you to patrol the cross streets. I don’t dare let you come to Water Street here, so don’t resent our brothers.”
Zhang Xing smiled: "This is the truth, how can you resent the two brothers?"
"That's good." Wang, the captain who was a few years older, nodded when he heard this. "Besides, everyone who brought you here today, including the banner leader and below, and we both think you are a decent person and are determined to recognize you as a brother... Let's go to Mr. Feng Qi's home to sit down and talk about your origins. , the same way we brothers usually do."
"Thank you two brothers." Zhang Xing remained unfazed at all.
Just like that, after walking a few more steps, the old Wang suddenly stopped and pointed to a flag-hanging wine shop in front of him protruding from the wall of Jingshanfangfang and introduced it briefly:
"This house is our own property, Mr. Feng Qi. My sister-in-law personally works as a wine seller. Everyone usually gathers there without any scruples... The flag owner and several other brothers are all waiting... But Brother Zhang , finally do you have anything to ask? Our brothers have been walking with you for six or seven days, and we are considered a closer group, so don’t worry."
Zhang Xing nodded, thought for a while, and immediately asked: "Our flag master Feng is a serious seventh-level general banner, in charge of four squares, and can be regarded as a luxurious figure on the street. I wonder if he has a nickname? If not What are your concerns? Can you tell me about it to my brother?"
The two 'camp captains' looked at each other. The young Xiao Zhao looked a little anxious, but the older Lao Wang smiled and replied: "I won't hide it from Brother Zhang. There is nothing to hide. Our flag master is indeed There used to be a nickname. I heard it called by an old man in a nearby gang in the early years. It is said that it is called the Muddy Sugar Iron Hand... The muddy water, the sugar of honey, the iron of steel... This is probably the same as the sugar made by Zongqi in the early years. It’s related to the business, I don’t know what it means specifically.”
Zhang Xing raised his eyebrows, but he felt interesting, and his expression was rarely vivid.
Just like that, the three of them said nothing and entered the store directly from the wooden steps hanging from the wall.
It was afternoon, and although the whole store could not be called noisy and lively, there were still people sitting in close proximity, which was a special place. But unlike other places, when I saw three Jing'antai 'school captains' with embroidered knives on their foreheads entering, the laughter and discussion in the store didn't stop at all, as if they knew whose property this was.
In other words, they came here to discuss business and have food and drinks just because they knew whose property this was.
"Xiaoyu."
The young Captain Zhao greeted a young maid who was serving wine from a distance. "Can the flag master be on the second floor?"
"What a stupid question!" The young maid turned around and scolded her, revealing seven points of color, one point of breasts, and two points of sweat. "Could it be anywhere else? If you have time to flirt with me, why not do some work for me!"
Xiao Zhao didn't care about being scolded. Instead, he smiled and moved forward to tease the other person. Even the old Wang didn't care at all. As he walked in, he held hands with a graceful middle-aged woman behind the counter: " Sister-in-law, if you continue to tire Xiaoyu like this, I’m afraid Xiao Zhao will feel distressed to death.”
"Then let Xiao Zhao redeem her... I spent thirty guan to buy Xiaoyu from Ren Yazi. Now that I have grown up like this, it is not worth a hundred guan. This is still useful. The price is priceless, so who makes the store count on her? But after all, Xiao Zhao is my brother. If he really comes to redeem, he only needs fifty guan..."
The woman raised her head, talking about Xiao Zhao, and her eyes of different colors were tactful. She didn't know whether she had blood from other ethnic groups or the blood from the two Lich clans mentioned in the book, but she stared directly at Zhang, who had just arrived. OK.
"Is this the new Brother Zhang? With this figure, he looks like the vanguard of the Fifth Army."
"Sister-in-law, you have good eyesight." Zhang Xing smiled and held the knife in his hands.
The MILF was about to say something with a smile again, but she suddenly froze together with the senior captain next to her. After a moment, she quickly pointed to the second floor with her finger: "Go quickly, I will see you off with you." Good wine and good food.”
Zhang Xing nodded and went directly upstairs. The elder king also turned around and called Xiao Zhao who was teasing the maid, and hurriedly followed.
When I got upstairs, I saw the bearded General Feng Qi leading two small flags, and seven or eight "school lieutenants" with their horses and golden swords waiting in the largest room in front of them.
Those who know this posture will naturally know that this is a sergeant under the Fusi of Taitung Town, Jing'an who is responsible for the security of the capital. Those who don't know, may think it is a gang member on the street.
Of course, I guess it’s pretty much the same.
Zhang Xing didn't show any pretense, he still greeted him properly and said:
"Flag Master."
"What flag leader?" General Banner Feng, who was only about forty years old and was nicknamed "Sugar Hand", smiled slightly and stepped forward to help him up. He did not show the coldness of the previous few days, but instead looked kind. "Unless there is some opportunity, it will be difficult to get promoted in this life. I have never cared about this. I just work on the street and just call me brother... But Xiao Zhang, you are so young. I heard that you still keep reading the book all day long. I’m afraid that he will have great potential in the future.”
Zhang Xing shook his head repeatedly, still sincerely: "I'm just a little more curious, I think reading is interesting, I have no other hope... I made the flag owner laugh."
"It's okay." Mr. Feng Qi waved his hand, pointed to the three reserved seats, sat back, and then got straight to the point. "Both Lao Wang and Xiao Qian said that you are a decent person, but there is one thing that will always make us feel uneasy if we cannot ask clearly... Xiao Zhang, what did you do before?"
"The middle base army is on duty." Zhang Xing did not hesitate at all, nor did he mean to hide anything.
"Looking at your behavior, we all guessed that you were from the military." Under General Feng, except for Lao Wang who already knew about it downstairs, almost everyone changed their expressions, so much so that they pondered for a moment before replying. "But I didn't expect it to be the Fifth Army... Xiao Zhang, let me ask you carefully, aren't the Fifth Army still fighting against the Dongyi people in the east?"
"Brothers all understand the situation, and I'm afraid you've guessed it." Zhang Xing replied half-truthfully and half-falsely. "Yang Shen rebelled, cut off the army's rations, and was already defeated at the front... Now here in the capital, I can't tell whether the court deliberately blocked the news, or whether the defeat was so disastrous that it hasn't spread yet. Anyway, as far as I know , basically all the upper five armies were gone. I happened to meet a group of cavalrymen on the way back alone. There was a black belt among them who acted fairly. He wrote a letter for me, and then came back to find Jingantai. However, when I returned to the capital, I discovered that all my old connections were in the military, and there was no news about them. It was like a stone sinking into the sea. Although I returned to my hometown, it felt like I had arrived in a new place, so I had to close up every day. Read at the door.”
There was still noisy downstairs, but there was a moment of silence upstairs.
After a long while, General Feng Qi gave a wry smile: "Actually, as officials, we always know more information than ordinary people. With Yang Ni's actions, everyone could guess that the front line was going to be defeated, and it was going to be a big defeat. , but I didn’t expect to be defeated so miserably. Only a few people escaped, and almost no one dared to say defeat... But now that the two hundred thousand elites are gone, the Dongyi people will definitely invade the coast again, and the news will come sooner or later. Spread slowly, and Yang Ni has ruined the Central Plains like this, sooner or later there will be a big storm here in Dongdu, and we all must be prepared."
These words seemed to be addressed to Zhang Xing at first, but seemed to be addressed to everyone later, and several people in the room nodded a lot.
"But no matter what, Xiao Zhang's details are very different from our guess, so we can rest assured." Feng Zongqi came back to his senses and continued to sigh. "From now on, he will share the rules here on Water Street... It's a new arrival and he has crawled out of the dead, so there is no need to rush him to do something hard, just take his time... Also, we have to do business in the evening. There’s no need to come here specifically, just come here and have fun when you have time.”
With that said, without waiting for Zhang Xing to thank him, Feng Zongqi stood up and passed the crowd and walked out. Everyone quickly got up to see them off, but he waved his hand to stop them. Everyone sat down for a while, but General Feng Qi never responded. Instead, drinks, meat and vegetables were brought to them one after another. Everyone was probably used to this place, so they just came to eat and drink with the door open.
However, since it was mentioned that the situation was going to be bad, the topic was not brought to Zhang Xing, who was supposed to be the protagonist. Instead, he talked about the rising price of rice and noodles, Yang Ni’s prison sentence, and Dongyi’s invasion of the coastal areas, including Daxing-Chang’an, the western capital. There was a routine administrative dispute with the eastern capital Luoyang-Henan.
Of course, some people accidentally mentioned a little bit about Water Street's business, which was basically the same as the gangs, and there was even information about competing with other gangs.
Zhang Xing was also happy to be a listener.
When he was full of wine and food, he calmly said goodbye to everyone, and in the afternoon, he returned to the gate of Xiuye Square alone. However, he was blocked by a string of extremely high-standard car frame honor guards, and he took a rest in front of the gate.
PS: Thanks to Mr. Xue Luofeng, the new alliance leader. This book is 27 cute and he is also an old book friend.
