Chapter 22 Along the Road (Part 1)
The next morning, when the first ray of sunlight shone into the yard, Zhang Xuanning woke up.
I just felt refreshed. The sounds of morning bells and drums echoed with the sound of pine trees in the mountains. The faint smell of incense seemed to float in.
After a night of meditation, I didn't improve my martial arts much, but I began to consolidate my cultivation. The previous enlightenment was not false. As long as I calmed down with the three words of tranquility, peace and slowness, refined its essence, and used it directly, it would be a treasure. As for not wearing shoes, it was too eye-catching and too sensational, so I decided to abandon it immediately. In the next few days, I should not make progress, but should warm up the rapidly growing internal energy.
"Please enjoy your meal, Mr. Zhang." Not long after, a young monk came forward and brought some vegetarian dishes. Although they were tasteless, they were still a thoughtful gesture.
After eating, he left without saying goodbye, and did not even wait for the monks and villagers to thank him.
At this time, it was only the winter of the tenth year of Daye, and Yang Guang was still four years away from his death. Therefore, it would take more than two years for the two little strong men to make their debut, and a full four years for the Pegasus Ranch incident to take place.
In this world, since Yang Guang was killed by Yu Wenhuaji's rebellion four years later, the situation in various places has intensified.
Those who had already dominated the land and claimed to be kings and emperors took the opportunity to expand their territory. Those who were originally Sui officials or were taking a wait-and-see attitude rose up one after another and became local forces.
Because gangs are extremely powerful in this world, after Yang Guang's death, gangs rose in power and expelled the original governors of their places. Most of them controlled a city or a place. The Bamboo Flower Gang and the Iron Cavalry Gang could both control several cities in a county.
Even some middle-class gangs could take advantage of the situation to rise up. For example, Qian Duguan, the leader of the Xiangyang Hanshui Faction, was a typical example. He drove away the Xiangyang prefect, formed his own army, and took control of the government.
The so-called Domination of the Villa only rose to prominence after Yang Guang's death. Its owner, Fang Zetao, was originally a general of the Sui Dynasty. After the emperor's death, he occupied Jingling and was actually the lord of a city.
But at that time, the government was still quite powerful. Although there were many heroes everywhere, most of the counties were still suppressed and could not cause unrest. Therefore, there was no point in going to the county town. If you were wanted, it would be bad.
"Is there a caravan going to Luoyang? Yes, but..." I asked at the roadside post station and an old man in the post station immediately spoke.
Zhang Xuanning did not say anything, but casually took out two coins of silver. Immediately, the old man was moved, put on a smile, and said respectfully: "Young Master, please wait a moment, I will arrange it right away."
After a while, the old man came back and said with a smile: "Yes, there is a seat in the Huang family's convoy to Luoyang, but it costs ten taels of silver."
Two coins can buy a bun, and one thousand coins is equal to one string, and one string is equal to one tael. Ten taels of silver is enough for an ordinary small family in the city to spend for half a year. It is really not cheap. Seeing his hesitation, the old man said quickly: "The Huang family's motorcade has hired guards, and the parking space is relatively spacious. These ten taels of silver are worth it."
"Okay, then I'll take it." Zhang Xuanning had a total of fifty taels of gold on him. The world was in real chaos, and even in this perverted world, there would be problems with the exchange, so he exchanged it early. Fifty taels of gold, five catties, was neither heavy nor light, but if it was to be exchanged for silver, it would be a huge amount, fifty catties, a heavy bag.
"Master, please follow me to meet the head of the Huang family."
"Of course." The world is not peaceful nowadays. Even if you are taking a ride, you must check the passengers' status to avoid being discovered or getting into trouble.
When I arrived in front of the convoy, I saw a middle-aged man. He was stout, strong and powerful, and obviously had some experience in martial arts. Behind him were a dozen strong men and young men, who must be members of his clan or other close relatives. They were all looking him up and down.
"Do you want to go to Luoyang?"
"Yes."
"Very good, ten taels of silver will provide you with dry food and water, two people in one cart. If you need other supplies, you can buy them yourself. How about it?" The middle-aged man looked at the elegant Zhang Xuanning and said.
"I want a car. I'll give you twenty taels. Please make some room for it!" Zhang Xuanning said directly. He took out a small piece of gold and threw it over. It was two taels of gold. "Add a little more to each meal. You can arrange it as you see fit."
The middle-aged man had already raised the price. Generally speaking, he would have agreed to it if the price had been reduced to seven taels of silver. Now he was offering twice as much. Even though he had taken up a car, it was still worth it. He took it with his bare hands and took a bite. It was indeed real gold. He nodded and said, "Okay, but don't cause trouble. Ah Zhu, take this young man to his car and add an extra blanket."
"Yes, father." A female voice said, and a young girl responded prettily. She looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, with a sweet smile, fair skin, and a well-proportioned figure. Although she could not be called gorgeous, she was youthful and pleasant, and could be considered a beautiful girl from a small family.
In ancient times, and only in this world, were there such women who appeared in public and openly did all kinds of work, just like in modern cities.
When I got on the carriage, I found it was a small horse-drawn carriage with some smell. Fortunately, it was a single person. If it was a double, it would have been even more crowded. I opened the window and saw the horse team starting to get ready to set off.
Although thieves and fighting can be seen on the road at any time, there are still many people on the road during the day, and merchants and travelers travel together to show their strength. Only people from the underworld dare to travel alone, or in groups of two or three.
Originally, there were not many horses in the South in real history. However, in this world, due to the existence of Pegasus Ranch, a first-class perverted ranch in the universe with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of horses, there is actually no shortage of horses in the South.
Look, all the cavalrymen of the caravan have mounted their horses, about thirty of them. Then at an order, the caravan officially started. Watching the scenery outside slowly receding, Zhang Xuanning seemed to be thinking about something.
If you want to fight for the world, you must first have a set of ideas and systems that are self-consistent, even if they are not perfect, so that others can follow them. This includes a complete plan, ideals, and the way power is distributed and ruled in the future . This was originally said by Kou Zhong, and this is indeed a true insight. Unfortunately, he never put it into practice.
This system actually existed for a long time for time travelers, but in this world, power is determined by martial arts. Gangs and aristocratic families are all based on martial arts. How to rule this world is very difficult. The general principles will not change, but the details must be discussed.
However, it is too early to say this. Going to Luoyang and then to Chang'an, the goal is to dig out Yang Gong's treasure while no one knows about it.
Only a person who is so stupid as to be mentally retarded would not take out Yang Gong's treasure immediately after knowing it. The fight for the world is not a game. Any known chips must be confirmed immediately. Even if one cannot take out the ten thousand armors, one can still take out a large amount of wealth and the precious items.
Well, there is no Goryeo, no Baekje, and no Silla in this world. Korea has been unified. The entire country is the Goryeo Kingdom. It is ambitious and has brought chaos to the Central Plains. It is indeed a scourge to the entire Central Plains region!
Also, we must find out why Fu Jun'er knew this secret. Was it an undercover agent from Goryeo, or did she get the information by chance? Although it should be a year later when she arrived in the Central Plains, no matter what, we must find out the threat of this woman. There is no other way.
As for how to deal with her, either kill her, cripple her martial arts and turn her into a prostitute, or reluctantly take her into the harem, we will decide when the time comes. Even a master like her who is close to the first-class has plenty of ways to destroy her.
He is not a traitor who would recognize a thief as his mother.
