knife

Chapter 284 An Old Friend with Mud on His Feet

Unlike the desolate surrounding villages, the area around the county seat was thriving.

Spring plowing is in full swing.

In Fang Xiaomao's view, it was similar to the situation outside the Great Wall.

The limited population is concentrated around the city, which provides them with protection, and they in turn provide the city with its daily necessities.

However, the area outside the Great Wall was sparsely populated and plagued by bandits. In the past, Yuan troops would often sneak in to cause trouble and raid.

Places like Boling County should be different.

But now it's in a situation almost like the area outside the Great Wall, which shows how much damage these continuous wars have done to the local economy, people's livelihoods, and order.

Not only were ordinary people dressed in all sorts of different clothes farming, but also soldiers in uniform.

It's clear that the general stationed here is someone who pays considerable attention to logistics.

However, considering that Boling is now under the control of Linghuye, how many generals outside the pass have not suffered from insufficient logistical supplies?
Generally speaking, generals outside the Great Wall have an extraordinary enthusiasm for grain.

Li Dachui never expected that the general stationed in Boling County would be an old acquaintance of his.

Linghu Zhishu.

Looking at Linghu Zhishu, who had his trousers rolled up, bare feet, and a hoe in his hand, Li Dachui could hardly believe his eyes.

It seems this guy isn't playing the trick of encouraging farming by sharing the joy with the people, but is genuinely farming with his subordinates.

"I heard from my men that two people have entered Boling County. One of them is clearly dressed as Fang Xiaomao. As for the other one, haha, Protector Li is always unpredictable, but once you know Fang Xiaomao, the other one is not hard to guess." Linghu Zhishu said with a smile, without the slightest embarrassment.

"Knowing I was coming, you made such a big fuss?" Li Dachui pointed at the other person's appearance.

Linghu Zhishu tossed the hoe to a guard behind him and said with a smile, "You look down on me so much?"

"No, that's not true!" Li Dachui said. "Back then, there were three heroes outside the Great Wall: Xiao Changche, Linghu Zhishu, and me, Li Dachui. How could I look down on you!"

"In other words, if it were someone else, I would definitely think he was humiliating me!" Linghu Zhishu laughed. "However, there was a time when I could stand alongside you, which is enough for me to boast about. Come on, since you're here, you're a guest, and you won't be short of food and drink."

Li Dachui watched as Linghu Zhishu washed the mud off his feet in the nearby ditch, putting on boots without even wearing shoes or socks. Although he was still smiling, there was a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

Linghu Zhishu was extremely capable, but his high position and the flattery and praise he received made him arrogant and overconfident. He didn't take anyone seriously, so he suffered one setback after another in the past two years.

Linghu Ye expelled him from the central government and sent him to a local post, perhaps to toughen him up.

It seems to have been quite effective.

A Linghu Zhishu who can calm down and stop floating in the air would be a worthy opponent.

The two walked side by side on the main road of the county town, with Fang Xiaomao and Linghu Zhishu's guards lagging far behind.

"What a pity!" Li Dachui said, looking at the desolate streets and the ruins that had not yet been repaired.

“It’s a real pity!” Linghu Zhishu said, “But recovery isn’t actually that difficult. If there were no war, Protector Li, he could recover to his former state in three to five years at most. In the past few months, those who fled to the mountains have been returning one after another.”

“It seems your policies here are working well, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to attract people back!” Li Dachui said.

"Although I cannot compare to you, Protector Li, I am still far superior to these incompetent officials within the pass!" Linghu Zhishu said proudly.

Li Dachui laughed loudly: "You flatter me, you flatter me. Fang Xiaomao said earlier that you and Commander Linghu must hate me to death. If I dared to show up in front of you, you would definitely kill me as soon as possible. Look at his eyes now, don't you feel regret?"

Linghu Zhishu turned around and glanced at Fang Xiaomao behind him: "What have you been plotting against Nianhu this time?"

"It's nothing, just washing my underwear for ten days!" Li Dachui laughed.

Linghu Zhishu laughed out loud: "Only you, Li Dachui, would scheme against even your loyal subordinates like this."

He stopped laughing halfway through, then said, "But these calculations can actually bring you closer together."

Li Dachui smiled without saying a word.

"If you ask me whether I hate you or not, then let me tell you, I truly hate you to the bone!" Linghu Zhishu shrugged. "But can hatred solve the problem? Can it make me stronger? No. Right now, our two families don't have any fundamental conflicts of interest, so why should I create another powerful enemy by targeting you?"

"That's the truth!"

"Moreover, I believe there is still a lot of room for cooperation between us in the future," Linghu Zhishu said with a smile. "Not just military, but also economic and even political. However, I am not qualified to discuss these things with you now. You came to see me, presumably to see my uncle. You can discuss these things with my uncle."

As they spoke, they stopped in front of a restaurant. "It can't compare to Deyiju in Tai'an City, but it's the best in Boling. Even He Zudao didn't touch this restaurant, which shows how extraordinary it is."

"Can this make that madman He Zudao stop? We definitely have to try it!" Li Dachui's eyes lit up. Linghu Zhishu strode in and shouted, "Brother, bring over your best feast!"

Since Linghu Zhishu was hosting a dinner party here, his men had already cleared out all other irrelevant people from the restaurant. Now, they were the only guests at their table.

Li Dachui is a gourmand and has always been very particular about food.

As the dishes were served one after another, he named each one before Linghu Zhishu could even introduce them.

Fried meat.

Quail and eggplant

Sweet and sour carp,

Big stew,
Sea buckthorn smiles

This series of actions not only stunned the boss who personally delivered the food, but also made Linghu Zhishu look at Li Dachui with suspicion.

"Didn't you say you'd never been here before?"

“Not having been here doesn’t mean I don’t know,” Li Dachui laughed. “My reputation for culinary delights is renowned beyond the Great Wall, so naturally I’ll be searching for famous dishes from all over the country. Besides, there are people from Hedong in Tai’an City, and they also have dishes like yours, but…”

Li Dachui took a bite and said, "Your dishes are the most authentic. These dishes in Tai'an City are all talk and no action!"

"I want to toast you!" Linghu Zhishu stood up, holding his glass.

Just as Li Dachui was about to get up, Linghu Zhishu pressed him back down.

"You should drink this while seated!"

“I can’t accept that!” Li Dachui said.

“I deserve this cup, because I am toasting you for your clever schemes that have brought the Northern Yuan into such a chaotic state. With three kings vying for the throne, they will have no hope of rising again for decades. Especially with you watching from the sidelines, I can even see their destruction is imminent.”

"I seduced Chen Liang and Chang Jian, don't you hate me?"

"Two different things!" Linghu Zhishu said, "The Linghu family has been confronting the Northern Yuan outside the pass for decades. Many of the Linghu family's good men have died at their hands, and countless of my family's friends and subordinates have been killed by them. Sometimes we cooperate, but they are still our enemies in the end. I am naturally happy that they have been destroyed. So this cup is a toast from Linghu Zhishu, a Qin man and a soldier outside the pass."

Linghu Zhishu respectfully raised his cup above his eyebrows.
Li Dachui solemnly raised his cup with both hands, "Li Dachui of Qin, I accept this cup of wine from you!"

The two drank it all in one gulp, then looked at each other and smiled.

Even though they were enemies in the past and it is unknown whether they will be enemies or friends in the future, they are no different in resisting foreign invaders.

Linghu Zhishu had colluded with the Yuan people in the past, but wasn't Li Dachui the same?

In this game of intrigue and scheming against opponents, it is already commendable to remain true to one's original aspirations.

"I hope we can become friends, not enemies, in the future!"

When bidding farewell to Li Dachui, Linghu Zhishu was filled with genuine emotion.

“Likewise!” Li Dachui said with a smile, holding the document Linghu Zhishu had given him. “Brother Linghu, I’ll say it again: if Commander Linghu is already far ahead of the rest of the country and enjoys widespread support before I destroy the Northern Yuan, then I will definitely become the guardian of the northern frontier of the new dynasty. But if Commander Linghu is not yet capable at that time, or even on the verge of collapse, then don’t blame me! I said this to Commander Linghu’s face as well.”

"If that day ever comes, what does it matter if I serve you?" Linghu Zhishu laughed and waved his hand. "However, Protector Li, matters beyond the Great Wall are not so easy to handle! Sometimes, being a step too late means being too late forever!"

"The one who laughs last laughs best."

Li Dachui laughed loudly and rode away on horseback.

Watching Li Dachui's retreating figure, Linghu Zhishu's smile gradually faded.

If Linghu's desperate gamble fails this time, then the person who left will become someone he can never catch up with.

"Young Master, this Linghu Zhishu is very different from before!" Fang Xiaomao exclaimed loudly into the wind.

"Setbacks are the best medicine for growth. If Linghu Zhishu spends a few years honing his skills at the grassroots level, he will surely become a great man. Linghu Ye is also a remarkable person. He can support his own son, but he puts his heart into this most capable guy in the Linghu clan."

"No matter how strong he is, he's still not as good as Young Master!" Fang Xiaomao laughed. "Young Master, when the time comes, shall we really take Linghu Zhishu in?"

"Even if Linghu Ye comes to me to join me, I dare to use him, do you believe me?"

“Of course I believe you. What young master wouldn’t dare to use you?” Fang Xiaomao said. “I think Chang Jian is completely devoted to you now!”

(End of this chapter)