Outside Luoyang City, Zhao Ji stood by the carriage and stared at the back of the ox that was gradually disappearing from her sight. Her eyes reddened and she almost cried. If Liu Yuan were to turn around and meet him now, he would probably be unwilling to leave Luoyang.
The imperial court had a deadline of half a year to take office, and only a month had passed. Liu Yuan still had plenty of time, so he naturally had some plans for his journey north.
"We will cross the Yellow River to the north. First, we will go to Jieliang in the east of the river. Then, we will go north and pass through Pingyang. We will enter Shangdang Prefecture in Bingzhou. We will pass through Lu County and She County and enter Julu Prefecture. We will pass through Guangping and enter Ji County Prefecture. Then, we will pass through the State of Zhao and enter the State of Changshan.”
Xie Liang of Hedong was the hometown of Guan Yunchang and Xu Huang, the loyal generals. At the end of the Han Dynasty, he had to go and meet these two legendary figures. It would be better if he could recruit them. Guangping and Julu had a talent like Tian Feng, so they naturally couldn't miss out on him. Zhao Zilong, who had a white horse and silver spear, and Yan Liang, one of the Four Court Pillars of Hebei, were definitely not to be let go. Zhuo County had a butcher with ten thousand men against Zhang Fei and a shoemaker, Liu Bei. How could he not see them?
Although Guo Jia and the others found it strange that their lord did not take a shortcut and took a detour, they felt that it might be to tour the scenery along the way and observe the people's livelihood. They did not ask much, saving Liu Yuan a lot of saliva.
They walked and walked and soon arrived at the Yellow River ferry.
Liu Yuan stood on the bank of the river and looked at the clear water of the Yellow River. He sighed for no reason. At this time, because the vegetation on the upper reaches of the Yellow River had not been destroyed, it appeared so clear. Where was the muddy shadow of the later generations? There were carriages coming and going at the ferry. There were wealthy merchants dressed in luxurious clothes riding in carriages, there were coolies running errands and doing short-term labor, and even more were sallow and emaciated commoners living in poverty.
From time to time, three to five Taoist priests could be seen among the poor giving out talisman water and imparting teachings. Along the way, Liu Yuan only felt that the area around Luoyang was slightly better. After leaving the area under Luoyang's control, the number of homeless poor people increased along the way. The number of Taiping Sect Taoists also increased. They could be seen everywhere here. One could imagine how dilapidated the civil administration of the Great Han Dynasty was.
The reason why Taiping Cult developed so quickly was not so much because of Zhang Jiao's high level of deception, but rather because of the coercion of the imperial court and the aristocrats. Although Liu Yuan couldn't bear it, he couldn't do anything about it. Although he had some status now, he hadn't taken office yet. He had no land, no money, and no food. Even if he wanted these poor people to follow him all the way to Yuyang, he couldn't afford it.
Liu Yuan made up his mind. Once he took control of Yuyang County, he would work hard to develop agriculture and economy, and build a solid foundation. Then, he would turn back to gather refugees. These refugees were the most important war capital. Youzhou was vast and sparsely populated. After he expelled the Xianbei and Wuhuan, his territory would be even larger. These refugees were the prerequisite for his rise.
Guo Jia and the others were also cursing non-stop along the way. The age of thirteen or fourteen was the age when he fantasized about all beautiful things. Although there were refugees in Yingchuan, they were relatively rich. Therefore, he often thought that although the politics and people's livelihood of the Han Dynasty were chaotic, they were not hopeless. Only now did he completely give up. The imperial court had really reached the point of incurable disease and was about to collapse!
As he thought about it, Guo Jia raised his head and looked at Liu Yuan's back. He only hoped that he was a lord worthy of loyalty, although Liu Yuan had not revealed too many shortcomings.
It took two hours for Qiuniu to cross the Yellow River. He found a town to offer sacrifices to the five internal organs temple, then hurried on his way to the east of the river. There were more than 30 people (Liu Yuan originally had more than 50 people under him, but 13 of them were sent out for business, and 10 were left to protect the Cai Residence in Luoyang, so there were only 30 people left).
Logically speaking, scholars like Guo Jia and Chen Qun were physically weak and couldn't withstand running around for a long time. However, looking at the two of them, their steps were unrestrained and their faces were rosy. They actually didn't feel tired at all. Especially Guo Jia. This kid had been weak and sickly since he was young. He used to carry a wine pot filled with medicinal juice. He had to drink it from time to time to feel comfortable. Now, not only did he lose the medicine pot, he could even lift a hundred pounds and became a warrior. He often showed off his gradually bulging biceps in front of Dian Wei.
This was all because of Liu Yuan's drop of blood essence.
Since that night when they were bestowed with blood essence and taught the simplified body-strengthening technique and Taiji Fist, a month later, dozens of people had become fierce warriors. Among them, a few with good aptitude could now lift five hundred pounds and draw a four-picul bow!
Guo Jia and Chen Qun disdained to practice the Boorish Mantra, but they had a special liking for Tai Chi, which used stillness to control movement and slow speed to attack speed. They practiced it quite well, and both of them had a somewhat otherworldly aura. At a glance, they really looked like masters and hermits-although they were too young.
After this incident, Liu Yuan also discovered another astonishing characteristic of the Weapon Grandmaster's blood essence-the person who absorbed the blood essence would become more loyal to him! It was somewhat similar to the legendary Blood Clan in the West.
However, this was a good thing. Liu Yuan could only feel happy in his heart. When he thought about how no one would betray him in the future, how could he not feel a sense of accomplishment as the lord?
Hedong area, since ancient times, there have been many famous ministers and good generals. During the Warring States Period, famous politicians Zhang Yi, famous generals Li Mu, famous generals Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and Huo Guang of the Han Dynasty, as well as famous generals such as Guan Yu and Xu Huang, were born here. It was truly a land of outstanding people.
Xie Liang, Liu Yuan, and the others had crossed the entire Hedong County and finally arrived there after a few days. Along the way, there were some bandits who were not tactful enough to rob Liu Yuan. They only made Dian Wei, that nine-foot-tall man, stand in front of him and beat him up with his sandbag-sized fists. The bandits cried for their parents and fled in all directions. Every time they came down, some bandits would voluntarily join them. When it came to Jie Liang, there were nearly two hundred people in the group. It was so grand that people who didn't know better would think that the rebels were attacking the city. They were so scared that their faces turned pale.
Although Liu Yuan knew that Guan Yu and Xu Huang were from Xie Liang, Xie Liang wasn't young, so he didn't know exactly where he was.
As soon as they entered Jieliang District, Liu Yuan scattered his Mountain Bandits and asked them to search for Guan Yu and Xu Huang's whereabouts. He himself went to Jieliang County and told them to inform the county after they found out about the two.
After staying in Jieliang County for more than two days, his subordinates returned one after another. More and more of them gathered, making the county head and county captain nervous. They even specially sent people to inquire, afraid that Liu Yuan and the others would gather to cause trouble and rebel against the county town. This kind of thing had happened before.
After asking, he found out that it was the Marquis of the Han Dynasty who had arrived, causing the entire Jieliang County to be in a state of panic. They hurriedly set up a banquet to entertain him. Knowing that Liu Yuan had come to look for him, the county head couldn't help but smile. He secretly thought that Liu Yuan's work was too complicated. He only eliminated the county office and found the county magistrate to investigate. Why would he need to cast a net everywhere?
Liu Yuan was enlightened after hearing this. He said that he had not thought of it, but it turned out that it was his habitual thinking that had caused trouble. Until now, he had not really treated himself as an official. In his heart, he thought to himself, in the future, if he wanted someone to serve, he could just issue a conscription order. Now, most of the famous generals and good ministers of the three countries were still civilians, so why wouldn't they obediently submit? There was no need to go through so much trouble.
In order to curry favor with Liu Yuan, the county magistrate immediately checked the files and soon found out Guan Yu's hometown. At this time, another subordinate came to report that he had also found Guan Yu.
After letting Chen Qun control the Mountain Bandits who had just joined the army, Liu Yuan brought Guo Jia and his five subordinates out of the county town under the lead of the county government and headed towards the village where Guan Yu was.
In the distance, through the sparse forest, he could vaguely see a small town with simple and short walls. It was filled with a decadent aura, like an old man in his twilight years.
"Lord Marquis, look. That's Heguan Town.”"The Guan Yu you're looking for lives in the Guan Family Village not far from here."”
Vaguely, Liu Yuan heard the sound of gongs and drums getting louder and louder. The voice was filled with joy, which was out of place with He Guanzhen.
"This is…" Liu Yuan was puzzled.
At this moment, the others also heard the sound of gongs and drums. The bailiff listened for a while and said in realization,"Someone should be holding a wedding ceremony!”
Liu Yuan's interest was piqued. After so many years in this era, they had never seen a wedding. He immediately waved his hand and said,"Let's go and join in the fun."
The group of people quickly walked forward. Just as they were not far from the town, they saw a red carriage and red horse coming out of the town. Two yellow hussars with red flowers on their heads led the way, followed by a band of more than ten people beating gongs and drums. Behind the band was a black-maned horse, and on the back of the horse was a strong man with a sallow face, but a strong and stocky body, wearing a red wedding dress. The man smiled and bowed in all directions.
Behind the brawny man was a palanquin carrying eight people, which was where the bride was. Behind the palanquin, there was a band of drummers who were playing. Following the bridal procession, many commoners swarmed out of the town, laughing and pointing. The entire scene was lively and festive, suppressing the decadence of the town.
Liu Yuan looked at it for a moment and felt bored. Although it was better than entering the church, changing rings, and making vows in his previous life, it did not make him feel any other happiness. Thinking about it, the person who felt the best should be the groom.
All of a sudden, Liu Yuan's ears twitched. He raised his head, and after a while, a strange smile appeared on his face.
Following his gaze, he saw two people hiding in the woods beside the road that the bridal procession was about to pass by. Liu Yuan was also strong and intelligent, so he could hear their argument.
"Changsheng, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes!"
"Must we do this?"
"Yes!"
"That's not good. This is not giving Huang Tianba any face.”
... He was speechless.
The forest fell into a short silence. After a while, a cold voice said,"Gongming, if you're unwilling, just watch from the side.”He was calm and indifferent.
"Not good, not good. We are brothers, how can we not help you! However... This is indeed not good." The other person rambled on and on, feeling a little similar to the Star Version of Tang Sanzang. He did not know how the other person could stand it.
As they spoke, the bridal procession arrived in front of the small forest. Suddenly, two burly men more than eight feet tall jumped out of the forest. One of them had a red face and a short beard, while the other had a white face and no beard. Both of them looked dignified.
The two knights at the front did not expect that someone would actually block their way on this joyous day. They immediately pulled the reins of their horses in shock. The yellow hussar was also shocked. Its four hooves were in a mess and it started galloping. Following that, there was a chain reaction, and the teams behind were all in chaos.
"Guan Changsheng, Xu Gongming, what are you two doing?”
The knight steadied the horse and looked carefully. It turned out to be an acquaintance. He immediately shouted,"Leave quickly. Otherwise, if Chief Huang finds out, he won't forgive you!”The knight winked as he spoke. He was defending Guan and Xu.
At this moment, a deafening roar came from behind the team."Which heartless bastard!”
Then, he heard the sound of horse hooves beating on the ground like drums. In the blink of an eye, they had arrived in front of him.
"Alright, red-faced thief, Xu Gongming, if I don't beat the two of you until you're paralyzed today, my surname won't be Huang?!”The yellow-faced man jumped off his horse and pounced like a tiger, stirring up a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of the two.
Ever since Liu Yuan came to the east of the river, his attention had been focused on Guan and Xu. Now that he saw the groom surnamed Huang, he realized that the people were the cradle of experts! Looking at the groom's skills, even Dian Wei before he consumed the blood essence of a Weapon Grandmaster was only so-so.
He moved quickly, his body in the shape of a tiger, his feet digging into the ground, his hands slightly bent, his fingers turned into claws, his fingers relaxed and tightened, and his waist was like a big dragon, rising and falling rhythmically. He had obtained the essence of the Tiger Fist. Moreover, from the tone of his voice, Guan Yu and Xu Huang had been beaten up quite often.
"Interesting, interesting. I didn't expect that Guan Yunzhang, whose name has been passed down through the ages and is known as the Martial Saint, would actually be taught a lesson when he was young. Tsk tsk, if this matter were to be known by the Martial Saint worshippers in the future, who knows what kind of reaction they would have!”
Liu Yuan took a few steps forward, squeezed through the crowd, and watched the show with great interest.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]