Xie Ming

Chapter 65: First Exploration of Jiulong Town

After he finished speaking, Qiu Zhizhong saw that Xiao Lang was intending to tease him, so he quickly retorted.

"Come on, forget it!"

"As the saying goes, those who keep company with vermilion will become red, those who keep company with ink will become black. Following you, what good shit can I hold back?"

"I think I used to be known as Mr. Qiu among people."

Now, the trouble has been solved, and Qiu Zhi's mind has finally cleared up, and he feels more at ease.

"Hey! Okay, okay! Don't be so shameless!" Xiao Lang wanted to interrupt at the right time.

"Hey, by the way, there is something I haven't had the chance to tell you about before."

"On the 19th, on the east bank of the Hunhe River in Xiangshan, you staged a trick to execute Ma Su with tears, and the prince personally came forward to plead for mercy, and only then did you save him!"

"Oh, yes!" Xiao Jingchuan nodded in agreement.

"Hey, after we got to Sanpo, the prince once talked to me about this in private. He was so smug, thinking that he had won the hearts and minds of the people! He seemed to think that he had a certain control over your team!"

"It's really hard for me to hit him hard!" Qiu Zhizhong had a helpless expression.

"Haha, I know what it is."

"Isn't this good? The prince is young after all, and he just has the mentality of a child. This will make us feel more at ease!"

"Alas, in this world, there is no distinction between good and bad people!"

"Do I look like a bad guy to you?!"

"Be a good person on the surface, have moral integrity, and with moral integrity, can you command the army and rule the world?"

"Liu Wenbing and Gong Yonggu only remember that they owed me, Xiao Jingchuan, a life. As for the soldiers, they only understood that I was the one who could execute the nobles and relatives with military orders, and that was all!"

"I am the one in charge of the army. Even though he is the crown prince, he can only ask me for mercy in order to save his royal family!"

"He's trying to win people's hearts. Isn't that a joke?"

"With such frivolous words, others may remember your kindness, but they will not really follow you and work hard for you!"

"This is especially true in the military!"

"The most important thing is to establish authority and rules! Without authority, it is difficult to enforce discipline."

"But of course, just having power is not enough, especially for a small start-up team like us."

"You have to be considerate of everyone's feelings!"

"They are soldiers, they are human beings, not animals! If they are suppressed for too long, they will explode!"

"Can you keep a straight face all day long?"

"You have to give them confidence. You have to be willing to sacrifice yourself at any time to entertain them, so that these guys can relieve the negative psychological pressure caused by marching and fighting!"

"It's easy for me, every day!"

When approaching Qiu Zhizhong, Xiao Jingchuan had the rare opportunity to express his frustration, saying everything he knew!
"Haha. All right!"

"You, Old Xiao, have worked hard and made great contributions! I admire you, isn't that enough?"

"What's the point of you telling me? I don't lead any troops, so it's useless to learn this experience!"

"Besides, I really can't handle your tricks. It's too shameless!"

"I have a mental block!" Qiu Zhizhong said sarcastically.

"Isn't it okay for me to just talk nonsense?!"

Xiao Lang retorted and kicked Qiu Zhizhong in the butt, but Qiu Zhizhong dodged nimbly.

"General!" "General!"

At this moment, Gu Changting, who was responsible for clearing the way in front, suddenly ran back to report.

"General, we are almost at the entrance of the town."

Upon hearing the news, Xiao Jingchuan calmed down and he and Qiu Zhizhong quickly followed. The three of them gradually walked out of the dense forest.

After exiting the forest, there was a spacious mountain road made of earth and rocks in front of us. There were pedestrians and horses coming and going on the road. It seemed that there were quite a few people coming and going to the villages and towns. Although it was not very lively, it was already at the level of a county town. It was unlike the past few days when we were in the mountains and forests and could not even see a ghost.

Less than a hundred steps north of the mountain path, the stone archway at the entrance of Jiulong Town can be seen!
This kind of stone archway is very commonly used in some mountainous areas. Villagers in the town often use local stones to build the base, fully demonstrating the natural, simple and original beauty.

After seeing the town entrance, Xiao Jingchuan led Qiu Zhizhong, Gu Changting and the other two, mixed in with the people entering the town and walked inside slowly.

Jiulong Town is connected to the town entrance by a main street of equal width. There are many shops on both sides of the street, supplying all the daily necessities of the town.

Xiao Jingchuan walked slowly into the town and looked at the overall structure and layout of the houses in the town.

He was wondering why there were so many Hui-style buildings in this northern mountain town!
The high white walls, pointed black tiles, and the two-courtyard main house mixed together with other northern-style houses are quite strange to look at.

Gululu.
Gu Changting's stomach was rumbling with hunger.

"General, we haven't had breakfast yet!"

"I see there's a breakfast stall up ahead. How about we eat something first?!" Chang Ting begged with a restrained smile.

Xiao Lang nodded, and the three of them walked towards a wonton stall on the left.

"Hey! Excuse me, give me three bowls of wontons and six sesame cakes!" Xiao Lang ordered.

"Okay! Please sit still for a moment, I'll get it done in no time!"

As he spoke, the stall owner, a white-haired old man, hunched over with a towel draped over his shoulders, agreed with a kind face.

"Old man, your town is strange. Why are there so many Hui-style houses built in the central part of the town?" Xiao Jingchuan seemed to be chatting casually.

"Hey, this gentleman looks unfamiliar. You must have never been to our Jiulong Town!"

"To be honest, in Jiulong Town, the most common family in the town is the Xu family. Half of the households have the surname Xu."

"Moreover, the Xu family's ancestors were from Huizhou in the south. They were quite wealthy. After moving to the north, they settled in the current Jiulong Town in Sanpo."

“So, considering the influence of their ancestors, the closer to the center of the town, the more Hui-style houses there are. They have been passed down from generations and have been there for a long time!” The old stall owner put the wontons into the pot and responded with a stiff smile while doing his work.

"Haha, I see!" Xiao Lang laughed back.

"So, Dad, your surname is also Xu?" Xiao Lang asked again.

"Haha, my surname is Li, and my wife is from the Xu family! When we were young, it was hard to make a living, so I moved to the town with her, and we have been here for most of our lives!"

The old man said he wanted to marry into the family, and he looked quite embarrassed about it. Xiao Lang understood and didn't want to ask any more questions.

As the two were talking, the wontons came out of the pot steaming.

The stall owner used a colander to scoop out the wontons, divided them into three large bowls, added some condiments, and brought them to the small square table next to the pot in front of Xiao Jingchuan and the other two.

"Please enjoy your meal, my three guests!" said the old man with a bow.

"Oh, by the way, Father Li, is there anything going on in town today?"

"When I first entered the town, I heard someone say that the clan leader and all the prominent clan members went to the ancestral hall to discuss matters! Why is that?"

When Xiao Jingchuan arrived at the town entrance just now, he overheard two men dressed as peddlers whispering nearby. It seemed that the clan leader was leading people to discuss matters in the ancestral hall, and the things they picked for the employer might have to wait a while before delivery. So Xiao Lang made up his mind to remember it and now asked the old man to seek explanation.

Upon hearing this, the old stall owner surnamed Li was startled and looked around hurriedly. It seemed that this matter was not easy to explain.

"Oh, sir, it's just as you said, something big happened in the town yesterday!"

(End of this chapter)