"Squeak——"
With a soft click of the carriage's wooden door, a cotton boot slowly stepped out, stepping on the thick snow below.
After getting off the carriage, Xu Yuan's eyes immediately fell on the towering city wall not far away.
The heavy snow in the sky seriously hindered the view, but it did not affect the majesty of the mountain wall in front of us.
The whole scene is hidden in the wind and snow, like a giant beast crawling on the ground.
Due to the war, a curfew was implemented in Beifeng City. All freight was not allowed to enter the city at night. The south gate would not be opened to accept business travelers until dawn.
Thinking silently in his heart, Xu Yuan's eyes turned to the rest of the convoy.
The howling wind and snow were within sight, and these carriages carrying goods were arranged neatly.
They vary in size, with the largest beast carrying beasts even reaching a height of ten feet, and many of the carriages have been covered with a thick layer of snow.
Xu Yuan shook his head gently, exhaled a breath of hot air, and murmured to himself:
"Military vehicle frame. On such a scale, is it all ordnance?"
"Third Young Master is joking."
Li Yunqing also got off the car and came to him at some point. He suddenly laughed and said: "How can it be possible that so many carriages are all ordnance? The entire Beifeng City consumes a lot of food and grass every day."
Xu Yuan patted the falling snow on his shoulders, turned back and said with a smile:
"Your Highness, why are you down here? Don't you feel cold?"
Li Yunqing glanced at his bike frame and said with a smile:
"My second brother reads there all day without saying a word. He comes down to get some fresh air."
After some distance from Beijing, Xu Yuan ordered someone to buy an extra carriage at a post station.
He and Li Qingyan were in the same car, and the two princes were in the same car, making it convenient to rest.
And with Li Yunqing's temperament, living in the same room as Li Zhaoyuan would really stifle him to death.
Therefore, when Xu Yuan heard Li Yunqing's words, he understood instantly.
After a month of getting along with him, Li Yunqing almost understood the second prince's temperament.
I don’t know if he is just pretending, but the second prince is very serious. He is calm and precise in everything he says and does.
Being a leader is very reassuring, but being in the same position can be a bit boring.
Of course, this was as a playmate. If it was business, Xu Yuan would still like to do business with someone like the second prince.
Reliable.
After a moment's pause,
Xu Yuan turned to look at the giant beasts lying in the wind and snow, and said:
"Such a heavy snowstorm will make life difficult in the north this year."
Li Yunqing sighed, with a hint of sadness in his voice:
"The wind and snow are so heavy that the fertile fields in the northern part of the Three Continents of the Northern Territory will probably not be harvested this year. Didn't we see along the way that if it weren't for the imperial court's disaster relief, tens of millions of people would have starved to death in the past few months."
"."
Xu Yuan was silent when he heard this.
He had seen similar information in the internal reference of Xiang Guofu.
But after all, reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. After all, words cannot be as real as seeing them with your own eyes.
The weather in Di'an City was smooth, but half a month after they traveled north, the temperature began to drop sharply. It started with sleet and snow, and then heavy snow blocked the road.
Prices in some towns along the way began to rise uncontrollably.
The price of food in Di'an City is about four to five cents per catty. In Manzhang County, which is close to the northern city of Fengcheng, the price of food has soared to ten cents per catty.
The reason for the small increase was that the government released a large amount of stored grain into the market, and the imperial court sent many imperial envoys to deal with those traders who were hoarding grain and making it difficult for the country to make money.
Although officials in the extraordinary world are greedy, they generally don't dare to be too greedy, because there might be a cultivator hiding in the dark watching you.
However, these are the conditions in the city. The villages and towns passing through some remote areas can only be described in one word.
Starving people were everywhere, and there were no corpses left.
Heavy snow crushed houses and countless people froze to death.
Li Junqing sighed:
"Consort, do you think it is really right for my father and the others to choose to use troops against the barbarians under such circumstances?"
"."
Xu Yuan didn't reply immediately.
And at this time,
Li Qingyan got off the carriage with long legs and a red jacket in his hand: "What are you talking about? Where is the second emperor brother?"
Li Yunqing spread his hands and said, "Brother Huang is reading in the car, and my consort and I are talking about the heavy snow in the north."
After hearing this, Li Qingyan walked silently to Xu Yuan and helped him put it on while giving instructions:
"If your cultivation level is low, wear more clothes to keep out the cold. If you go further north, even an ordinary fourth-grade person won't be able to withstand the cold weather and the earthquake."
Xu Yuan looked at the tall woman next to him with some surprise in his eyes and said nothing.
When Li Yunqing saw this scene, he curled his lips, pointed at himself and asked:
"Sister, where's mine?"
Li Qingyan glanced back at his younger brother, neither cold nor indifferent:
"You don't have any hands?"
"."Li Yunqing.
Then, Li Qingyan raised his eyes and glanced at the dark sky, stretched out his hand to catch a crystal snowflake, and said softly:
"Xiao San, I don't know whether my father's decision is right or wrong, but I know that if this trip goes well, it will be a great achievement."
Xu Yuan sighed silently in his heart.
The crime is in the present time, but the merit is in the future?
The money for disaster relief in the northern border, plus the food and equipment for launching the war, would be fine if it succeeds, but if it fails, at least half of the treasury run by the emperor and his father over the years will be emptied.
After gathering his thoughts, Xu Yuan suddenly asked:
"Wu Yuan, how long will it take before the gates of Beifeng City can be opened?"
Li Qingyan replied calmly:
"If nothing happens, there will still be about half a quarter of an hour."
As she said that, she raised her eyes and glanced at the sky, a flash of fiery red flashing in her eyes.
Xu Yuan noticed her little movement and raised his eyes, but saw nothing and asked softly:
"What are you looking at?"
Li Qingyan replied softly:
"Flying Scout."
"Flying scout?" Xu Yuan raised his eyebrows.
Li Qingyan patiently explained:
"Although the battle lines have retreated to the Dali Mountain area, the fighting is still going on. If you want to open the city gate, you must first check the surrounding environment."
As he spoke, Li Qingyan suddenly cast his gaze in the direction of the city wall and frowned:
"Brother Imperial? What is he doing there?"
Xu Yuan subconsciously turned his eyes, but unfortunately, because of the wind and snow, he could not see over there.
"."
Li Zhaoyuan, who was dressed in a brocade robe, had arrived at the foot of the city wall alone at some point.
He stared at the traces on the city wall left by the equipment used to attack the city, and was speechless for a long time.
After a while,
Sighing softly, he slowly took out a pot of warm wine and silently poured it under Beifeng City.
As he was about to return to the convoy, he saw three people walking towards him on the snow.
Walking closer, Li Yunqing asked with an incomprehensible smile:
"Brother, are you paying homage to the fallen soldiers?"
Li Zhaoyuan's expression was calm:
"Not only the soldiers, but also thousands of common people in the north."
"Brother Huang is willing to offer a pot of sky sake as a memorial." Li Yunqing cupped his hand.
Li Zhaoyuan didn't care whether the third prince was sarcastic or sincere, and said quietly:
"With my current ability, this is all I can do."
Li Yunqing squinted his eyes, smiled and didn't answer.
Li Qingyan just remained silent.
Xu Yuan looked at the marks on the city wall, his eyes flashed with blood, and he suddenly said coldly:
"At the end of this trip, let's erect a monument for them."
"."
Li Zhaoyuan nodded in agreement and said: "When I return to Beijing this time, I will personally go to my father and ask my father to write inscriptions for these soldiers."
Xu Yuan shook his head and said:
"There are too many, and the Emperor cannot write them down."
There was a moment of silence.
The other three people present all realized what Xu Yuan meant by setting up a monument.
Li Qingyan stared at his back and remained silent.
Both princes were slightly surprised.
Xu Yuan was not very surprised by this.
Every time there was a war, there would be inscriptions and monuments. Even the previous emperors personally went to the battlefield to collect the bones of the fallen soldiers.
But that was erecting a monument in the name of a collective.
Engraving everyone's name was still a bit advanced in this feudal era.
But after thinking for a moment, both princes figured out the benefits of this period.
Li Yunqing touched his chin:
"The method mentioned by the Prince Consort is indeed feasible. With this honor, the soldiers should not be discouraged and it can inspire them to be more courageous."
Li Zhaoyuan pondered for a while and said:
"The act of erecting a monument must be carefully thought out. Only those who have made meritorious deeds can go up to this monument and become famous throughout the ages."
Xu Yuan was indifferent for a moment and said leisurely:
"Your Highness, I mean everyone."
"Everyone?" Li Zhaoyuan murmured.
Xu Yuan looked at him calmly:
"Whoever shed their blood to defend the northern border, whether soldiers or civilians.
"Saving your life for the North will naturally leave some traces of your time in this world for them."
The words fell, and there was silence.
Li Qingyan's beautiful eyes were complicated and she lightly pursed her lips.
Half an hour later, the city gate opened.
The heavy city gate was slowly raised, and the noise began at the deathly silent city gate. Huge rumbles of hoofs were heard outside the city gate, and the snow on the ground raised a majestic snow mist.
But the next moment, a hurricane blew up from the formation of the city wall, instantly blowing away the rising snow and mist.
Due to the war in the north, Beifeng City has been completely placed under military control.
The inspection of goods and personnel was extremely strict, but the soldiers in cold-weather uniforms at the city gate were already familiar with the process, and soon the city gate began to orderly swallow up various materials supplied to the city like the mouthparts of a giant beast.
Since Xu Yuan and others came here in secret, they had to line up to enter the city without identifying themselves.
But now the military monster carriages enter the city first, while civilian caravans like Xu Yuan and others can only queue behind.
When Xu Yuan was bored with waiting, he opened the curtain of the carriage and looked outside. Unexpectedly, he saw many ordinary carriages pulling goods.
After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan felt a little dumbfounded.
Nowadays, the roads are blocked by heavy snow and materials are in short supply. Except for the price of food, which is controlled by the imperial court, it is still stable, and other consumables are soaring. But these people actually dare to risk their lives to sell goods.
The instructor will not deceive me.
If a businessman is given a 300% profit, he can even sell the rope used to hang himself.
He closed the curtains and sat quietly waiting, while the carriage moved forward little by little with the convoy.
Two quarters of an hour later,
"Tuk-tuk-tuk-"
A knocking sound came from outside the carriage, and then a somewhat impatient voice came in from outside the carriage:
"The person in charge is coming down to inspect the goods. Hurry up and don't make any ink marks. We'll be waiting later."
Xu Yuan glanced at Li Qingyan standing aside.
Li Qingyan didn't say anything, and just opened the curtain slightly.
Xu Yuan also saw clearly the people outside at this time.
This is a middle-aged veteran who is nearly forty years old, wearing armor that belongs to Dub.
When he saw Li Qingyan's appearance, his pupils shrank suddenly, his legs trembled, and he subconsciously wanted to kneel down. However, he noticed the killing intent in Li Qingyan's eyes and held back, maintaining his original tone:
"Oh, it turns out it's Lao Wang. The road is blocked due to heavy snow and he still comes here to do business. Let's have a drink together next time."
While talking,
Dub waved to the soldiers who were about to inspect the convoy:
"Okay, my acquaintance, let me go."
As soon as he finished speaking, a convoy of Xu Yuan and others entered the city directly.
The streets in Beifeng City are somewhat empty. The years of war have meant that there are not many people in this majestic city. The streets are basically filled with soldiers wearing standard armor, and among them there are many large heroes hired by the court to fight. group.
The carriage drove slowly through the city,
Xu Yuan asked in a low voice what happened just now:
"Princess, that man just now was your soldier?"
Li Qingyan nodded, not caring:
"Um."
Xu Yuan raised his eyebrows and asked:
"Didn't it mean that many places in Beifeng City have been infiltrated by sect families?"
Li Qingyan glanced at him helplessly and said:
"A place like the city gate is the bottom line. It is impossible to leave it to those group of moths. Moreover, when I was in Manzhang County, I already informed my lieutenant general and asked him to replace the people guarding the city with strict confidants in the past few days."
Xu Yuan understood clearly and asked:
"Then where are we going now? Directly back to the military camp?"
Li Qingyan opened the curtain, looked towards the east of the city, and said:
"Not yet, everything must be done with caution. Let's go to the market first. Your father has arranged for the Black Scale Guards to pick us up there. They will directly invest in buying our "goods", and then they will Secretly shipped to the northern front."
Hearing this, a big beautiful image inexplicably appeared in Xu Yuan's mind.
After a moment of silence, he immediately shook the thought out of his mind.
Not to not to not to.
Handing over the goods shouldn't require a big shot like her to do it personally.
Along the way, the convoy was not unimpeded.
Even under military control, there are often conflicts among the northern frontier troops on the hilltops.
Under the pressure of war, it is easy for guns to go off and fights to break out.
Walking from the south of the city to the east, Xu Yuan saw two fights on the street.
Once it was the Yulin Army and the sect's border army, and once it was the Black Scale Army and a group of knights.
Eighteen or nine seventh- and eighth-grade cultivators fought into a ball, and a seventh-grade cultivator flew out and even smashed a nearby shop.
However, they all still maintained restraint and did not form military formations or use weapons.
Xu Yuan's eyes twitched when he saw these pictures.
No, you have to respect the skin on your body when you are patrolling the streets.
Li Qingyan seems to have become accustomed to this:
"Many of our brothers and comrades have died because of the indifference of other tribes. Such things are not uncommon in Beifeng City due to grudges."
Xu Yuan didn't say a word, feeling a little cursed in his heart.
With this level of internal strife, he could suppress the barbarians. It can only be said that Dayan is really full of martial virtue.
After a few quiet moments, a convoy of vehicles slowly drove into the market in the east of Beifeng City.
It was noisy, with constant quarrels over price negotiations.
Here are ruthless people who risk their lives in the snow and go north to sell goods. Naturally, it is impossible to compromise on the price.
Amidst this quarrel, Xu Yuan and others soon came to a relatively quiet shadow.
As soon as the motorcade stopped, Xu Yuan suddenly felt that the soft couch next to him had sunk a little.
immediately,
A familiar scent of poisonous roses gradually filled the car.
or2
(End of chapter)
