Jianye City.
"It's getting colder and colder."
"It's not bad, I just added some extra clothes. It's snowing in the north. I don't know if it will snow here this year."
Two young men dressed as scholars in long robes were sitting at a roadside noodle stall. There were two bowls of hot noodles on the table, and they were chatting and eating. After a while, the two of them finished eating the noodles, threw down twenty copper coins, and walked straight into the nearby chess and card room.
I opened the curtain and entered the chess and card room. There was a charcoal fire burning in the lobby, and it was suddenly a bit warmer than on the street. There are many people in the house, those playing chess on the left and those playing cards on the right. This is a popular entertainment venue in Jianye City.
Originally, mahjong had not been invented in this era, and Ji Shu played it as a pastime for Yueying in his spare time. Unexpectedly, it gradually became popular in the Chu country. As expected, things that were popular in later generations were also popular a little while ago. Ji Shu simply asked the Industrial and Commercial Department of the imperial court to open many chess and card rooms in various big cities for profit, leaving the local ones to others.
"Shuffle the cards, don't be stunned."
On the street, a cavalry was slowly advancing towards the west gate. This was not a big deal. The only thing that stood out was that the cavalry were all female soldiers.
Many guests playing cards and chess upstairs couldn't help but take a few glances.
The middle-aged man, who was focused on playing cards, glanced at the young man opposite who always glanced secretly below, with a playful smile on his face.
"This is Her Royal Highness the Princess's White Jing Army. Usually they go out hunting with a few hundred people. Today, a few thousand people are probably heading north to Liangzhou."
The young man was obviously a scholar from out of town. He had never seen this female army before. When he heard that it was Her Royal Highness, the eyes of the army became brighter, as if they wanted to find the princess in the crowd.
No one was found, everyone had shuffled the cards and started playing. The young man looked away with a little regret and asked angrily.
"Why are you going there? I heard from the refugees fleeing in the north that Dong Zhuo was knocking his bones and sucking out his marrow. Liangzhou is very desolate. Lord Situ is now leading the Northern Expedition, and it is even more chaotic."
"bump!"
The wealthy businessman with a beard on the side grabbed the cards played by the young man and said with a smile.
"New news, I heard that Lord Situ fought as far as Chang'an City, but the granary in the rear was suddenly attacked by Lu Bu, and he withdrew his troops again. It's winter now, and the war is not easy to fight. I guess Her Majesty the Princess went to the front line to condolences the soldiers on behalf of Her Majesty."
This makes sense.
Everyone in Chu knew that His Majesty the Emperor came from a military background and always loved his soldiers the most. The treatment of the Chu army was also the best among the princes. Now that the war is not going well on the front line, I will send people to reward the soldiers in the future.
"Bang!"
A few people were playing cards, and the remaining young warrior who was a little strong couldn't help but speak.
"Tsk tsk, you have forgotten that His Highness's title is Princess Wu Ning. Hearing that she doesn't like women's clothing and prefers military uniforms, I guess His Highness is eager to go to the battlefield as soon as possible, so he took advantage of this opportunity to invite himself to the north. In a few months, we will We can also hear the news that Princess Wu Ning killed General Qin!"
"eat!"
The wealthy businessman raised his head and glanced at the crowd.
"Hey, haven't you heard anything else? I heard from other merchants that Ji Situ recruited troops in Yizhou without His Majesty's permission. You must know that there are 100,000 troops stationed in the Guangliangzhou battlefield. Yizhou It is also a territory that has not experienced war for a long time, and the number of soldiers that can be recruited must not be more than ten or two hundred thousand. Can the court rest assured? It may not be that simple for Her Royal Highness the Princess to go in person."
This can't be done, right?
The young man who started the conversation in the first place sneered.
"Those adults are sworn brothers. They conquered Jiangdong together and established the great foundation of Chu State. I don't believe that you, Master Situ, have treasonous intentions!"
"There are just such rumors, rumors! Of course, it may not be accurate, but who dares to say it is impossible? It is easy to share adversity, but it is difficult to share wealth and honor. Kujo."
"What a fool!"
The middle-aged man was overjoyed. He caught the nine tricks played by the wealthy businessman and spread his cards.
"Haha, give me money, give me money!"
"Oh, my broken hands
! "
After a while, there was only the sound of people shuffling cards.
The layout of the chess and card room is simple. There is also a chess room on the other side of the second floor. Unlike the noise there where the cards are played, it is much quieter here.
"Brother Ma, why are you so absent-minded? I almost won."
In the seat closest to the card playing area, the two people sitting playing chess were Meng Huo and Ma Liang.
After witnessing the prosperity of Chu State, Nanming Bo Mengdu, who had no intention of self-reliance, simply left Meng Huo and Zhu Rong to study in Jianye, hoping that they could occupy a place in the court in the future. With the princess taking care of Zhu Rong, and the court leaving him a mansion, Mengdu returned to Yunnan with Wu Tu Gu without much worry, but Wu Tu Gu would lead his army northward later.
Ma Liang sighed slightly as he thought about the rumors he heard in the market.
"Alas, the imperial examination will be held in two months. I should have concentrated on studying, but King Wei is preparing to proclaim himself emperor in the spring. The Northern Expedition is not going well. I am afraid that King Wei will also send troops to Chu after he becomes emperor. The state affairs are in chaos, and I am really worried. It’s hard to meditate.”
Zhu Rong sat next to Meng Huo, quite speechless.
"Brother Ma, you haven't even entered the court yet. What are you worried about? No wonder your eyebrows have turned white. Please be more relaxed. If you continue to worry, your hair will turn white."
Ma Liang was stunned for a moment, and Meng Huo also covered his mouth and started laughing, as if he had thought of something funny.
Emotionally, I am just an old man in your eyes, right? I'm only a few years older than you.
Ma Liang glared at Meng Huo and looked at Zhu Rong doubtfully.
"Get up, Miss Zhu Rong, won't you go north with Her Highness the Princess? I think Her Highness the Princess likes you very much, and she often teaches you martial arts."
Zhu Rong curled his lips, immediately discouraged and said angrily.
"Your Majesty, I am too generous. You asked me to serve in the army at the age of sixteen. Humph, your Majesty was better off when he joined the army than I am now!"
Zhu Rong's martial arts skills were extraordinary, and she was not inferior in battles with warriors like Wu Tu Gu. Ma Liang thought she had been recruited into the army by the princess. When Zheng heard this, Ma Liang nodded in agreement.
"Haha, can this be compared? At that time, there was great chaos and the Yellow Turbans were everywhere, and many people had no choice at all. But now, with the Great Ding, the Three Kingdoms are fighting for orthodoxy, and Your Highness will not let you go to the Ming court and you still have the energy to do it. When it comes to desperate times, You have to go even if you don’t want to.”
Meng Huo also expressed relief.
"Ah Rong, don't worry, you have more than a year before you can join the army. Look at me, I still have to wait for the big exam in three years before I can enter the court."
Zhu Rong immediately smiled after hearing this.
"Ah Huo, why don't you stop studying and join me in the army? With your strength, if I go and beg the princess, you will definitely be able to join one of the three elites."
this?
Meng Huo frowned. His martial arts were always inferior to Zhu Rong. He originally thought that Zhu Rong and Wu Tu Gu were already at their peak, so he didn't insist on it.
But when I arrived in the Chu Kingdom, I saw that Her Royal Highness easily defeated Zhu Rong and Wu Tu Gu with one against two, and then I even knew that there was a Grand Master who was stronger than Her Royal Highness. That was a strong man who fought among hundreds of thousands of troops, with almost ten thousand swords!
Meng Huo suffocated. He is confident that he will reach the current level of Zhu Rong and Wu Tu Gu in the future, but he is not very sure about going further. But in fact, there are more powerful people. In the conflicts between hundreds or thousands of tribes in Yunnan, A strong man that you cannot see at all.
Meng Huo didn't want to be taken care of by Zhu Rong in the army. He wanted to protect Zhu Rong in other ways, so he wanted to join politics. He helped Mengdu deal with tribal affairs and also helped various tribes to mediate conflicts. He had a lot of experience, so he simply picked up a book to learn Han Rao knowledge. Since he started studying, under the guidance of Ma Liang, he has discovered that a lot of knowledge is very beneficial to the development of the tribe, which has further strengthened his desire to learn.
The temperament of a young man is not enough for the outside world.
Ma Liang couldn't help but curl his lips when he saw that Meng Huo was suppressing his blush, but still refused to agree to Zhu Rong. The two of them are clearly in love with each other, showing off their affection for him!
He turned his head and looked in the direction of the palace.
"Chatang, there must have been a quarrel now."
