When Yuanji entered the door, he saw Li Minglou sitting at the table, his brows and mouth full of smiles, like a pond full of water.

There is a letter on the table, and on the other side Jinju and Mrs. Wu are packing their bags.

A smile also appeared on the corner of Yuan Ji's mouth. As long as she received Wu Ya'er's letter, the young lady would smile.

Although there have been a lot of things lately, the lady is actually happier than before.

There is Wu Ya'er as a playmate in the distance, and the two letter-writing gentlemen at home can also make the lady laugh.

I just heard the lady’s laughter.

"What did Governor Wu say?" Yuanji asked.

Li Minglou sat up straight and called Uncle Yuan Ji, picked up the letter and handed it to him, saying: "He wants us to do a favor."

Yuan Ji read the letter, opened the map on the side and looked at it: "An Dong is the fortress of Shanxi and Henan. Governor Wu really dares to speak."

Anton is located on the border of the capital city. It currently faces enemies on three sides, but behind it is the headquarters of the Fan Yang Army in the capital city. It is like a tiger's beard. It looks fine, but if you reach out and stroke it, it can kill you.

Li Minglou picked up the seal on the table, turned it over and read the four characters "Mrs. Chu" on it: "I have given you such a big gift, so I have the confidence to speak."

Yuan Ji looked at the map and thought: "This deal can also be done. If Anton is captured, we can control Henan Road, and Han Xu will capture Shannan." He raised his hand and drew a circle on the map, "

The hinterland of the Central Plains will have no worries."

"Wu Ya'er will help if he wants Anton. Then it will be a two-sided attack." Li Minglou said, "You go and discuss this matter and see how to do this."

Yuanji responded yes.

The army quickly discussed and decided on a strategy, sent a message to the dowry army in Henan Province, and then told the prefect about the matter, and convened a war council attended by civilians and military generals. Of course, the leader was Mrs. Jiang Liang and Liu Fan of the State of Chu.

Listed as a guest.

This was a private meeting. Not many people participated, and those who could participate were close friends. Everyone was very happy. Although they felt that it was a bit dangerous to touch Fan Yangjun's tiger whiskers from such a distance, they thought there was nothing dangerous in these troubled times.

"Sitting in Guangzhou Mansion, several aristocratic families can still kill people." The magistrate sighed and slapped the case, "Madam, don't worry, although we have just experienced the Huang family's thief case, but now our Guangzhou Mansion is more cohesive than before the thief case.

One heart."

Other officials also nodded and said: "Madam, don't worry, we will stabilize Gwangju and other places so that the soldiers can fight without worries."

Chang Shi did not follow everyone, and seemed to be unconcerned: "There is nothing to worry about. Anton is not as far away as Yizhou, but Madam personally led troops and horses to help Yizhou."

This is also a kind of flattery. Other officials stared at him like arrows. Why wait until everyone has finished talking?

The prefect snorted in his heart and was reminded at the same time: "But madam, you can't go again this time."

The officials nodded in unison: "Mrs. Chu is in charge of Huainan Road. She is involved in the entire Taoist government and cannot be easily involved in danger."

Li Minglou looked around at everyone and said hello with a smile.

The matter was discussed and settled in this way, and there happened to be an envoy from the imperial court, so the soldiers and horses rushed to Andong in the name of escort, and everyone in Guangzhou Mansion became busy.

The generals prepared for war, the civil servants secured the city, and the news of the conferment of the Lady of Chu spread throughout Huainan Road, and officials from all over the country were ordered to come to pay their respects.

This time, there was no need for Li Minglou to come forward. In order to celebrate Mrs. Wu’s title of Madam of Chu, the wealthy families held banquets all over Guangzhou Prefecture, including wine and food. Businessmen from Yizhou even spent a lot of money on it.

Pot after pot of bone soup, the bones are paired with wine to add flavor to the soup, attracting countless refugees.

Accompanied by the crackling of firecrackers, Guangzhou Prefecture ushered in the New Year in a lively manner. After experiencing the official changes, the Ankang Mountain rebellion, the death of the emperor, and the ascension of the new emperor Linzhou to the throne, the Great Xia entered a nightmare-like year.

Chengyuan five years.

The nightmare continues.

The sound of firecrackers also sounded in Yangzhou City. It sounded lively here and there, but it always made people a little panicked, just like people playing with firecrackers are frightened.

There were people walking on the street, the shops were open, and there were customers in teahouses and restaurants. The waiters were either busy among them or standing at the door to solicit customers, but they looked a little frightened and looked at the street cautiously.

Soldiers and horses pass through the street from time to time. They are strong and powerful. With such soldiers and horses, the city will be safe. People on the street dare not look at them. They either stick to the wall to avoid them, or lower their eyes. Even those who are happily eating sweets

All the children turned their heads and got into the arms of their families.

A group of soldiers stopped in front of a shop.

There were many people in this shop, and the original bustle stopped for a moment, and the shop owner cautiously welcomed them out.

"It's quite lively." The leader immediately said, "Business is good, isn't it?"

The shopkeepers were full of smiles: "It's not bad, it's not bad. With Governor Ma here, business in Yangzhou City is getting better and better."

The general nodded with satisfaction: "Your wine is the most famous. Do you have any more? Give me two bottles."

The shop owner was busy talking about what was available, so he went inside to buy some wine and delivered it out. The general signaled to his subordinates to give them the money.

"No money, no money." The store owner waved his hand and backed away.

The general raised his brows: "Why don't you charge money? Am I eating and drinking and robbing for free?"

The store owner was so frightened that his tongue was tied. Fortunately, his ten-year-old son was clever and knelt down and kowtowed: "General, you led the troops to defend the city, which is why my family is safe today. You were injured and bleeding in the battle, and my wine can make the general

It is our honor to drink the blood shed by General Bu."

The general stared at the kid and laughed loudly. He leaned over and took the wine without wielding a knife: "Thank you very much. I will accept your blessing." He threw the wine to the deputy general behind him and said, "Gentlemen, the people have rewarded us.

, we are drunk together today.”

The soldiers and horses roared behind them.

The merchants on the street were inspired and offered wine, food and goods one after another. The general laughed all the way away, and everything he passed was bustling.

The restaurant owner here breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the child who was still kneeling on the ground and cried: "My son, you saved our whole family."

The guests behind him were busy slapping him to stop him: "Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry."

The restaurant owner wiped away his tears quickly, forced out a smile, and turned around to look at everyone: "Yes, yes, this is a happy event. Everyone, I'm treating you today. You can drink whatever you want."

In the past, drinking casually was such a joy, but now drinking is scary, and the guests want to laugh and cry.

"It's good to have wine to drink." A guest shouted, "Think about those people who are wandering outside and don't know whether to live or die."

Yes, yes, it's better than the best, but it's better than the worst. Everyone started shouting about drinking.

But an old man sitting inside held a wine glass and sighed softly: "We are just lambs to be slaughtered here."

They were raised, guarded and protected in order to serve as manpower, dig trenches, carry stones, work as cart drivers, and be pulled out at any time to replenish the troops.

In just six months, every month in the city, men ranging in age from sixty to ten were drafted into the army.

They will be given a sword and gun, or nothing at all, and they will be placed at the front when attacking the city.

Not because they are brave, but to serve as swords and arrows, rush into military formations, and fill trenches.

No one who was taken away to serve as a soldier could come back.

The atmosphere inside the store was sad and stagnant.

A guest picked up a wine bottle and poured it on his head, laughing loudly like crying: "What do you want to do with this? I have wine now and I will get drunk today."

So more people followed suit and poured wine into their mouths: "We are lucky and happy to be alive today."

But not everyone is so lucky. A group of city patrol officials stopped in front of a house. The door was clean, but unlike other houses next to it, this house did not hang peach charms, colorful flags or red lanterns.

"Master, my father and brother died while doing hard labor." A skinny young man came out and saluted the official, "My father and brother have recently lost their lives. We celebrate the festival and observe filial piety to express our filial piety."

He is polite and polite, and you can tell he is a scholar at first glance.

Only scholars at this time still have the leisure to pay attention to the ritual of keeping filial piety. Others bury themselves in a roll of mat to show their filial piety. The official smiled coldly: "What kind of work do your father and brother do? How long have you been there?"

He asked alone, and there was an official behind him who was flipping through the roster and answering.

After hearing the answer, the leading officer snorted: "He died after only one month. Your work has not been finished yet." After saying that, he waved his hand, "Then you go to work. This is how you express your gratitude to your father and brother."

A good way to show filial piety.”

The old, weak, women and children who came out of the door immediately knelt down. The reason why my father applied for the army at such an old age was to protect his young son who was studying. This was the hope of the whole family.

The officials didn't care about other people's wishes and took the thin young people away without explanation. Before leaving, two officials hung peach charms and festive red lanterns for them.

The old, weak, women and children kneeling in front of the door couldn't cry anymore, and sat on the ground in a daze.

Neighbors looked behind the door and couldn't bear to remind them in a low voice: "Go in quickly, don't cry, Governor Ma said that Yangzhou City will be celebrating the New Year, don't annoy them again, or you will die."

The old woman listened to the firecrackers, looked at the red lantern on the door, and then looked at the figure of her grandson who could no longer be seen, and murmured: "What's the use of this life?"

One neighbor burst into tears. It was indeed a life worse than death. However, he thought of the rumors he had heard on the street these days that Mrs. Wu from Guangzhou Prefecture had been named Mrs. Chu.

The emperor asked her to take charge of Huainan Road. She would fight over it. After all, Yangzhou also belongs to Huainan Road.

Yangzhou belongs to Huainan Road, so Ma Jiang also received a notice from Mrs. Chu. The notice was either written to him alone, or it was an official document containing the contents of the emperor's edict, and then asked the prefects and generals of each prefecture to go to Guangzhou Prefecture.

Come to see Mrs. Chu. Anyone who doesn't come is a thief.

Of course Ma Jiang will not go. He is a thief to begin with, but it would be humiliating to send such an official document to a person who is a thief to begin with.

"Are the military thieves now able to come and go freely in our Yangzhou city?" he shouted angrily, tearing up the official documents and throwing them on the ground.

Suddenly there were many fragments of official documents on the ground, and the civil servants and military officers sitting on both sides also began to tear up the official documents.

These are the officers and generals of the various states under the control of Ma Jiang in East Huainan Road. They have also received the official documents from Mrs. Wu.

When Ande Zhong gave the order to rebel, Ma Jiang immediately led his troops to surrender. In addition to the state capital that had already been agreed, he sent soldiers and horses to deliver the order. Local officials who accepted the order remained officials, and those who did not accepted were caught by the officers and soldiers.

Those who were killed were killed, and Ma Jiang's generals took over.
To be continued...