Sui and Tang Dynasty Generals

Chapter 43: Unexpected Discovery, Helpless Hesitation
"Lang Rui!"

"Duan Kai!"

"Jia Xuan!"

On the main street of Xin County, densely packed people all gathered together, watching the county official who was counting the names in front of him.

"Look, as long as you are willing to go to Qinghe County to kill the rebels, you can get thirty coins. If you can successfully defeat the rebels, the reward will be at least two hundred coins regardless of your achievements!"

"I couldn't help wanting to sign up, but when I thought about the elderly and children at home, I decided not to!"

"That's right, but there are still many people who come to sign up today..."

The people looked at the posted notice and talked about it.

Fu Zihou was also in the crowd. Looking at today's reward, he saw that it had increased a lot. Then he looked at the men queuing up to register, observed them for a long time, and shook his head.

In the past, he seldom used the method taught by his teacher to observe people, but in the past few days, Fu Zihou was surprised to find that his talent for selecting the best from the crowd was much higher than observing ants.

In addition to observing behavior, expressions, eyes, and breathing as taught by the teacher, Fu Zihou's mysterious premonition also played a big role. Even if Fu Zihou did not interact with others or ask questions, he could still make a rough judgment just by observing from a distance.

However, Fu Zihou was not sure how accurate it was.

After all, humans are not emotionless ants. It is impossible for them to choose their own opponents and fight against those chosen by their teachers, as they did in the village.

Thinking back to when the teacher picked the ants and always picked them accurately, Fu Zihou was a little curious. If the teacher was here, would he be surprised to find out that it was easier for him to observe people than ants?

on the street.

Fu Zihou was about to leave when he noticed a man in his thirties next to him, who was looking at the posted notice, breathing rapidly, and seemed to be thinking about something.

Fu Zihou had not intended to speak, but he finally spoke.

"Brave man! If you believe me, then don't go today if you can. If you must go, remember to go with those three people! One is Xiong Ruixiang, one is Kong Yan, and the last one is Du Lang!"

Fu Zihou spoke to the man, pointed at three men not far away, and then turned and left.

They had never met before, but perhaps because he was depressed, or perhaps because he saw the look in the man's eyes, he guessed that the man must be in great need of money, so Fu Zihou finally gave him a reminder.

Fu Zihou was not sure that his judgment was correct, but in Fu Zihou's eyes, it would be better for this man to stand with the three people he chose than with others on the battlefield.

As for whether to believe it or not, it is up to the man to decide.

"Ok?"

Cao Yong frowned, looking at Fu Zihou who had already left the crowd, feeling somewhat puzzled as to how Fu Zihou knew that he was planning to register and even told him to walk with the three men.

But looking at the disappearing figure, thinking of his seriously ill mother at home, and his wife and children who were lacking food and clothing, Cao Yong took a deep breath, turned around to look at the notice, and then walked towards the man in the queue.

Inside the Fu family's residence.

As it got dark, everyone in the Fu family was having dinner. Although Aung and Old Liu were greedy, they knew that wine was very important to Fu Zihou and even the Fu family, and they should not just enjoy it for themselves.

"You! You and Zhi'er have been out less recently. I heard that there was a war in Qinghe County and many people sent by Qian County died. Your father and I are worried that one day, the city will forcibly recruit soldiers!"

Tao continued to instruct Fu Zihou as usual.

Seeing this, Zhang also looked at her son Fu Zhi, indicating whether he heard it.

"Mother, don't worry, Hou'er cherishes his life more than anyone else!"

Fu Zihou said with a smile, asking his mother not to worry.

Fu Zhi also nodded quickly to his mother and wife.

"You can go to Li's house more often if you have nothing to do!"

Upon seeing this, Fu Rui looked at his wife Tao and breathed a sigh of relief. Then he looked at his son Fu Zihou and gave him instructions.

Fu Rui and his wife Tao like their future daughter-in-law Li Cha from the bottom of their hearts.

Having seen the spacious mansion of the Li family and the children of Li Qiong and Li Cha, they all felt that Li Qiong was a woman of great character. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also independent, strong-willed, and talented in both civil and military affairs. Their son was simply not worthy of her. Even if there was an engagement, even if the Fu family could be as powerful as the Li family, their son would not be able to seduce her.

Li Cha is still better. She is well-behaved and sensible. Although she cannot speak and is born with disabilities, which are ominous in the eyes of others, this also makes them, as parents, feel at ease, at least Li Cha will not look down on her son.

The key point is that the son doesn’t mind Li Cha’s defects at all, and is more willing to take care of Li Cha and teach Li Cha to read.

"Ok!"

Fu Zihou nodded repeatedly after hearing his father's instructions. After eating, he went to the door alone and sat down, looking at the night scene outside the yard.

"Hou'er, are you really not going to send some wine to your grandmother Li?"

Aweng's voice came from behind. Fu Zihou turned around and saw Aweng's embarrassed and hesitant look.

Fu Zihou knew that A-weng was thinking that since everyone in the family had a woolen quilt, his aunt, mother, and cousin's wife would not only have new clothes for themselves, but they could also make one for everyone in the family. So he kept looking at the wine all day, wanting to be good to the Li family, to repay the Li family, and to send some to the Li family to try.

Fu Zihou also wanted to do that. Grandpa didn't like to owe others, and Fu Zihou was the same.

But at the moment, there is no prominent family behind this wine, so it cannot be sent over.

"Aunt, wait a little longer! If we send it to Granny Li now, if the news gets out, it will not only cause trouble, but also harm Granny Li! Wait a little longer, during the Chinese New Year, those uncles will come back, then we can let Granny Li's family have a taste!"

Fu Zihou said, let Aong be patient for a while.

"Hey!"

Aong also knew that what Fu Zihou said made sense, but when he thought about the fact that he was receiving favors from the Li family every day while the Fu family could not give him anything, he felt uncomfortable.

"Dad, just bear with it! Zihou is the grandson-in-law of the Li family, and he can bear it! Don't cause any trouble!"

Zhang also reminded.

"Am I that confused?"

Grandpa looked at Zhang's worried expression, frowned, and said unhappily.

If he was confused, he wouldn't have not sent it until today. It's just that his eldest daughter-in-law talks too much.

The door of the house.

Fu Zihou looked back at the night sky. From the news he heard from Uncle Changsun, it seemed that although Gao Shida and Dou Jiande were still together on the surface, a rift had already developed between them.

No wonder in history, when Guo Xuan, the commander of Zhuozhou, heard that Dou Jiande had led his troops to surrender and that Gao Shida had killed Dou Jiande's wife Cao, he did not doubt it and was eventually attacked and killed by Dou Jiande's troops.

If Fu Zihou's guess is correct, at the beginning, Gao Shida saw that Dou Jiande was more famous than himself, and wanted to use Guo Xuan and the Sui army to kill Dou Jiande. However, his plan was resolved by Dou Jiande, who defeated the Sui army in one fell swoop and killed Guo Xuan.

What Gao Shida did not expect was that Dou Jiande's fame soared because of this and he became the most famous person in the world.

This also made Gao Shida, who was behind him, know that Dou Jiande did not dare to fight against Yang Yichen, but he still did not listen to Dou Jiande's advice, personally led the troops, and ordered the entire army to fight against Yang Yichen. It was not that Gao Shida doubted Yang Yichen's strength, but that he had been forced into a corner by Dou Jiande.

In Gao Shida's eyes, if he won, his reputation would soar and he would surpass Dou Jiande in one fell swoop. If he lost, he could also eliminate all the soldiers in the army who were loyal to Dou Jiande, so that his power would not be quickly taken away by Dou Jiande. The best result was that Dou Jiande died in the battle with the Sui army.

Gao Shida was not a smart man, but he should have bribed Dou Jiande's confidants. However, he still failed in the end and died in the chaos.

at the moment.

Fu Zihou felt helpless when thinking about the situation in Qinghe.

As long as the war in Qinghe County was not resolved, Fu Zihou would not be able to go from Qinghe to Liyang.

........................

The next day.

Fu Zihou arrived at Li's house early.

But what Fu Zihou did not expect was that the Li Mansion was quite lively today. Not only was there a lot of carriages and servants outside the gate, but even the front yard of the Li Mansion was filled with scholars.

"That's him! He almost married Junior Sister Qiong!"

"So it was him. I don't know where he got the nerve to do that. Fortunately, I sent someone to inquire about it early on. It turns out that he is the son of a merchant!"

"Haha, the son of a pariah, that is the sixth girl with an unlucky birth..."

"This is in the Li residence, keep your voice down!"

Fu Zihou was walking in the front yard when he suddenly became aware of people pointing and talking. He could not help but look towards the pavilion in the distance.

What came into view were a dozen or so scholars in their twenties.

"Zihou!"

Just as Fu Zihou met the eyes of those scholars and saw that they were looking at him with mockery and disdain, before he could think much, the voice of Uncle Changsun came from beside him.

"Uncle Changsun!"

Fu Zihou greeted softly.

"Zihou, there are too many people in the mansion today, why don't you go back first!"

Changsun Nonggui looked at Fu Zihou with concern. She had not expected that Li Jingjie's disciples would be so excessive as to send people to Luoyang and spend money to go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to investigate the situation of the Fu family.

Now everyone knows that Fu Zihou is the son of a merchant.

With so many people in Li's mansion now, she was afraid that Fu Zihou would feel uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, auntie. Zihou is fine. Where's Cai'er?"

Fu Zihou knew that Uncle Changsun was worried, so he shook his head to indicate that he was fine.

Fu Zihou had long been accustomed to these words. Many people, by chance, became rich and powerful and became officials. However, this did not mean that their sons would necessarily be well-educated. On the contrary, the truly well-educated ones were the children who carried the family's reputation, like the children of Cui Yuzhe, Zhao Han, and the Xie family.

The Fu family chose to make a living by doing business for his father in order to support his family! In Fu Zihou's eyes, his father was a man of integrity.

So compared to himself, Fu Zihou sympathized with Li Cha. That little girl was born without choice. She clearly did not owe anyone anything, but let alone these people, even the people in the world would harbor malice towards people like her.

"Ca'er is fine, she's in the backyard!"

Changsun Nonggui said softly.

Looking at the place not far away, as Li Qiong led the maid carrying tea to the pavilion, the scholars and men finally stopped mocking Zihou, and Changsun Nonggui also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Aunt, Zihou wants to go and see..."

Fu Zihou looked at his aunt Changsun and was about to say that he wanted to see Cai'er when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the flower garden behind him.

Fu Zihou turned his head and saw five followers with blood on their bodies, carrying a man in with panic-stricken faces.

When Fu Zihou saw clearly that the man being carried was Cui Yuzhe, he was stunned.

Seeing Cui Yuzhe's pale and weak face, and deep bloodstains on his shoulder wound and abdomen, Fu Zihou frowned, a little worried.

Cui Yuzhe is a good person, he can’t die!

Fu Zihou didn't breathe a sigh of relief until he heard the servants and a middle-aged man who came hurriedly report that Cui Yuzhe was seriously injured and unconscious.

"Everyone! Is there anyone who can come up with a plan to resolve the crisis in Qinghe? If anyone can resolve the siege of Qinghe, my Cui family will reward you handsomely and will remember your kindness!"

Seeing that Cui Yuzhe was not dead, the middle-aged man felt relieved. Then, with an angry look on his face, he quickly walked to the main hall, turned around and shouted to everyone in the front yard, bowed and asked loudly, his eyes scanning everyone.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the scholars in the courtyard began to discuss the matter. However, after discussing it over and over again, they could not come up with a plan. Even they themselves realized that there were many loopholes in the plan and were too embarrassed to speak out.

"Without strong soldiers and generals, no matter how good the strategy is, it will be useless!"

"That's right! I heard that all the soldiers who went to help Qinghe were killed and defeated! Now fewer and fewer people dare to go!"

"How can we come up with a plan when we don't even have any soldiers..."

Under the pavilion, the young men who had just laughed at Fu Zihou also started talking and shaking their heads.

Everyone could not help but hold their breath as they glanced at Li Qiong, the master's daughter, and their eyes were full of admiration. They all tried to come up with ideas to attract the attention of the beauty.

Of course, equally important is Cui's promise. If they can really come up with a way to lift the siege of Qinghe, this would be a favor from Cui!
It is enough for them to last a lifetime and they will not have to worry about their career.

"Brother!"

Fu Zihou looked at the unconscious Cui Yuzhe, and then saw Cui Wenjin running over in a hurry. At this moment, Cui Wenjin no longer had the arrogance of the past. Her tired cheeks were full of tear marks, and she looked weak.

Fu Zihou could understand that Cui Wenjin must feel bad seeing his brother, who used to pamper and care for him, become like this.

But Fu Zihou didn't want to get involved in this matter.

War is a place of life and death, the way to survival and destruction. We must investigate it carefully and be cautious.

The battlefield is not a good place.

But looking at the people around him, and thinking about the fact that the siege of Qinghe had not been lifted for a long time, Fu Zihou felt helpless. How could he go to see Xie if the siege of Qinghe was not lifted?

If it really doesn't work, why not try it yourself?

Fu Zihou was a little hesitant, but as he had never been to the battlefield, he was also a little nervous.

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(End of this chapter)