Chapter 71: Internal Worries and External Troubles

  Liu Xiu and Liu He entered the main hall, Lu Min was chatting intimately with Xie Guanglong, he only glanced at him, using his eyes to indicate that he sit in the empty seat next to him, without saying a word. However, Xie Guanglong who was introducing the situation of Ju Yong Guan to him suddenly stopped the topic, turned around and looked Liu Xiu up and down. Before this, Liu Xiu had always been following behind Lu Min, with no distinction from others, Xie Guanglong never thought that the position Lu Min specially left was actually for him, he always thought it should be Liu He, the son of Governor Liu.

  Xie Guanglong looked somewhat surprised, and Lu Min smiled and introduced: "This is my junior fellow apprentice, Liu Xiuliu Deren from Zhuo County. This time I brought all of you young heroes to visit various passes and seek advice from everyone, it was his suggestion."

  Lu Min personally introduced Liu Xiu, and Xie Guanglong no longer dared to underestimate him. So many scholars and young masters came to Ju Yong Guan, making Xie Guanglong feel very proud. After listening carefully, it turned out that this was the suggestion of this young man, he added a few points of gratitude for being appreciated by others, and hurriedly stood up straight and gave a courtesy: "It's Liu Jun, I've admired you for a long time."

  Everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing, thinking that the two words "long admired" were really misused.

  Liu Xiu did not smile, he hastily stepped aside and bowed: "Liu Xiu is unworthy, dare not receive the great courtesy of the Duwei. However, as the guardian of the world's most important pass, the Duwei and all the brave warriors have protected our safety with great labor and merit, Liu Xiu truly admires you." He raised his wine cup to gesture to Xie Guanglong and the several military officers behind him, saying: "I dare to offer this wine, in respect to all the brave warriors."

  Xie Guanglong was taken aback, turned his head to look at those subordinates, and raised their wine cups in unison: "Thank you, Liu Jun." Then he raised the cup and drank it all in one gulp. Xie Guanglong wiped his messy beard, and his dark face added a few more spirits. He laughed loudly and said: "Lu Jun is a famous Confucian scholar in the world. I didn't expect him to be so polite to us military men. We are like mice jumping onto a scale, and we don't know how to behave. Today, please drink with me and let go of your worries. There is no music or dance here at the Ju Yong Pass, and these military men only know how to wield swords and kill people. They can't recite poetry or write essays. Let me tell you some stories about the nomads on the grasslands to liven up the atmosphere. If I'm being rude, please forgive me."

  Liu Xiu and others, since that day when they heard Yan Rou brothers talk about the customs of the Huns on the grasslands, were extremely interested, but had no place to find people with similar knowledge as Yan Rou brothers. Suddenly seeing this Guandu Wei also wanting to talk about Hun affairs, their interest was greatly aroused, and they cheered loudly. Lu Min, although somewhat displeased with his crudeness, was also very interested in hearing about the Huns and did not stop him.

  "Has Commander Dou been to Hudian?"

  "Hahaha..." A young man, about twenty-five or six years old, who appeared slightly more refined among the rough military officers, chuckled softly behind Xie Guanglong. He glanced at Xie Guanglong with a hint of excitement: "Commander Xie was once a great horse thief on the grasslands, known as 'Big Wind' and rivaling Huo Yanjun in fame. His nickname is also Amur Guanglong."

  "Wow——" Zhang Fei, Li Cheng and others couldn't help but exclaim, they had heard Yan Rou mention that many years ago on the grasslands there was another great horse thief called Yi Zhenfeng, never thought it would be this man in front of them, suddenly their eyes shone with a few more points of admiration: "You... how did you become the Colonel of Quyang Pass?"

  That book whispered a faint smile, and continued: "General Du saw the Xianbei people's strength greatly increased, frequently invading our Great Han border, the border general was powerless to resist, so he took the initiative to go to the Shanggu Prefecture government office to ask for orders, from a border soldier starting from scratch, relying on a knife and a spear, in just a few years, he repeatedly made military achievements, becoming this Youyongguan General."

  "Wow——" The young people let out an even louder cry of surprise.

  Xie Guanglong's dark face flushed with a red glow, and he waved his hand, saying somewhat embarrassedly: "Alright alright, let's not lose face in front of all of you over that little stinky matter."

  "It turned out to be a hot-blooded man." Lu Min sighed, also picked up his wine glass, and nodded at Xie Guanglong. Xie Guanglong was truly honored, hastily raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, probably a bit too excited, his hand shook slightly, spilling some wine on his chest.

  Liu Bei raised his wine cup, almost simultaneously with Li Cheng getting up from his seat. The two men looked at each other and walked together to Xie Guanglong's front, respectfully giving him a salute: "Respectfully to the strong warrior."

  Xie Guanglong blinked his big eyes and drank again in one gulp.

  One after another, others also came forward to toast, some toasted Guanglong, and some toasted the officers behind him, making these men somewhat busy and smiling with their mouths closed, not knowing what polite words to say, just drinking cup after cup.

  Zhang Fei walked up to the scholar and, raising his cup, smiled and said: "Your demeanor is calm and composed, you must be a learned gentleman. I am Zhang Fei of Zhuo County, courtesy name Yide. May I ask your honorable surname and given name?"

  That book assistant hastily stood up, with both hands clasped in front of his chest, and returned a gentleman's courtesy: "Zhao Yi from Changshan, courtesy name Ziheng, humbly serving as the chief clerk of the Youyongguan General, doing some miscellaneous writing tasks under Lord Xie."

  Zhang Fei nodded, and the two men clinked cups together. Only then did they down the wine in one gulp. Compared to those officers who were drinking with their heads thrown back, these two men had a few more points of elegance. Liu Xiu couldn't help but find Zhang Fei's humble gentlemanly demeanor somewhat amusing, but what he was thinking about even more now was Zhao Yi - he was from Changshan, could it be that he was related to the Changshan Zhao Zilong? He would have to find an opportunity to ask him later.

  After drinking a lot of wine, everyone calmed down and listened to Xie Guanglong talk about things on the grasslands. Xie Guanglong's appearance was rough and bold, but when he spoke, he had a certain elegance. He first talked about recent events on the grasslands, and then analyzed why the Xianbei people were able to occupy the former territory of the Huns for over a decade, becoming a nightmare for the Great Han border. There were many reasons for this:

  One was the emergence of a heroic figure like Tan Shi Huai, who not only excelled in martial arts and had few enemies, but also surpassed others in intelligence and was skilled at using people. He had under him a group of tribal leaders who were seasoned in battle, so he was able to unify the desert in less than ten years, and can be said to be comparable to the great Xiongnu king Modu of old.

  At the same time as the rise of the Xianbei, the Han Dynasty has been plagued by unstable politics and frequent natural disasters and man-made calamities. He spoke vaguely about the latter without naming names, but everyone could tell that he was referring to the struggle for power and profit among the imperial relatives and eunuchs. He said that due to the instability of the Han court, a large number of civilians had fled, including many craftsmen who brought various technologies from the interior to the Xianbei, particularly the technology of forging weapons and armor. During the rise of the Xianbei, they made significant contributions. Although these people were also lowly slaves on the grasslands, they received more attention than they did within the Han borders, at least they had enough food and clothing, because the nomads knew that with them, they would have better weapons and armor, and their chances of survival would increase.

  Apart from the craftsmen, it was the scholars who brought greater benefits to the Xianbei people. They were the literati who had been forced out of their homes by the tyranny of the eunuchs and had fled to the borders. The vast majority of them upheld the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, maintained their integrity, and refused to serve the non-Han peoples. However, the shameful behavior of a small number of scholars had a very bad influence. Originally, the Xianbei people were brave warriors but not skilled in strategy. Now, with these scholars on their side, they became not only good at fighting but also more cunning. They utilized the mobility of cavalry to launch surprise attacks on various states and counties along the borders of the Han Dynasty, leaving the Han government unable to respond effectively.

  "It's said that Tan Shi Huai has many such people under his command." Xie Guang Long finally looked at Lu Min with a complex gaze and said, "After you arrive in Shanggu, perhaps you'll have the opportunity to hear more news about him."

  Lu Min's eyebrows were tightly locked, her mood was very heavy, and she didn't speak for a long time. Finally, she let out a long sigh.

  Liu Xiu was puzzled by Xie Guanglong's words. The Beishi Market was in Ningcheng, which was the residence of the Protector of the Wuhuan, and it was already close to the border. Why didn't Xie Guanglong say that he had arrived at Ningcheng, but instead said that he had arrived at Shanggu? Unless he was referring to Zhuoyang, the seat of Shanggu Commandery. It wasn't strange for Huren to appear in Zhuoyang, and even Gaizhou had Hu merchants. However, if a big shot among the Huren appeared, it would be unthinkable. Firstly, capturing such a big shot would be a great achievement, enough to make many people jealous. Secondly, if people knew that such a big shot often came and went in the area under his jurisdiction, the local officials would find it hard to escape responsibility, and might even lose their lives.

  Was it possible that Gong Sun Du, who possessed a family heirloom of magical arts, would betray his own country?