Ningjiao City is located in Liangzhou's main traffic road, north to Big Yellow City, south to Chang'an. Every jizhou call military forces grain is necessary here.
It was probably also because of this that the satrap in Ningjiao City was much richer than the one in Salt Lake City. However, the few private courtyards of his family were sufficient to accommodate Xu Han's thousands of troops.
As for how many people's lipids and ointments the satrap had scraped by relying on the favorable conditions of the day and place, one could tell from this one or two.
However, Xu Han did not have the intention to pursue this satrap.
After dinner, the group sat in the courtyard.
"The Manor Army has already arranged for them to stay in the City Lord's courtyards." A bearded middle-aged man walked up to Xu Han and said.
This middle-aged man was called Hou Ling, and he was now the commander of the thousand Tiance Prefecture troops. Loyal, although sometimes careless, but thick and thin, is a good soldier.
"Yes, it's been hard, General." Sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, Xu Han nodded.
The other party understood, so he backed up and retreated.
At this moment, Xu Han turned to look at the middle-aged man dressed in a red robe. "Mr. Guan, how is Ziyu's injury?"
This middle-aged man was called Guan Ruhong. He was one of the red-robed officials who had accompanied Mr. Lu here. He was skilled in medicine. Today, he was the Fang Ziyu who had fainted under his care.
Hearing this, Guan Ruhong hurriedly cupped her hands and said respectfully, "I'm just frightened. I've already woken up. Although I'm still in a bad state, I don't have to worry about my life anymore."
"Yes, it's been hard on you, sir." Xu Han frowned and nodded.
"It's all my rudeness today. Brother Xu, please don't blame me." Yue Chengpeng said at that time. Although his temper jumped, he was definitely not an arrogant person. Thinking about what had happened today, he felt somewhat guilty.
Hearing this, Xu Han smiled at Yue Chengpeng. "It has already happened. Brother Yue, if you don't tell me, sooner or later someone will say it. Brother Yue, there's no need to blame yourself." Xu Han said with relief. Then, with a serious expression on his face, he asked again, "Since Brother Yue escaped from the Exquisite Pavilion, can you tell me what happened that night?"
At that time, Yue Chengpeng also put away his usually cynical appearance, and with a calm gaze, he told the whole story.
Hearing his story, Xu Han and the others frowned.
Even though he had anticipated this matter before he left, Xu Han was still a little overwhelmed when it really happened.
He had the heart to ask about Song Yueming's situation, but Yue Chengpeng and the others wanted to flee, so they naturally didn't have time to pay attention to this. Xu Han's heart sank because he knew Song Yueming's temperament too well. If that was the case, then Song Yueming would probably be in danger now.
…
Deep into the night, everyone dispersed.
Ye Hongjian saw that Xu Han was not depressed, so she pulled him out of the courtyard and said that she wanted to go out for a stroll.
It was already late at night, and the shops in the streets of Ningjiao City had long since closed. There were only a few pedestrians on the way.
Xu Han knew that she was trying to dispel him, so he simply agreed.
"Are you worried about Song Yueming?" Ye Hongjian suddenly asked as she walked along the empty street.
"Yes." Xu Han nodded calmly. He had nothing to hide from Ye Hongjian.
Ye Hongjian comforted, but after saying that, she felt that this reason was somewhat far-fetched and her voice instantly softened. "Good luck has its own heavenly appearance. It's useless for you to worry about him. Besides, Yue Chengpeng also said that he didn't see Song Yueming, so it wouldn't be his turn to take action against Sikong Bai …"
Xu Han knew that she had good intentions, so he couldn't bear to tear her apart. He bitterly smiled and said, "Brother Song's choice is ultimately his own. Life and death are his own paths."
Finally, he paused and added, "Everyone should have their own path."
Hearing this, Ye Hongjian turned her head to look at the youth. Seeing that his slightly relaxed expression did not seem to be fake, the girl felt a little relieved. She suddenly asked, "What about your path?"
Hearing this, Xu Han was stunned. A trace of confusion appeared on his face.
"I don't know." He shook his head.
"The young master of the dignified Tian Ce Mansion can actually say that he doesn't know?" Ye Hongjian widened her eyes, her face full of surprise.
Xu Han knew that she was deliberately teasing him and said indifferently, "That's what the old man left me. With such a big stall, I don't have such ambition. If he hadn't died, how would I have gotten it?"
"However, he is my master after all. He has saved my life. Since he wants me to do it, I'll give it a try."
"You're making things difficult for me." Ye Hongjian curled her lips. Obviously, she was extremely disdainful of Xu Han's obedient attitude.
"Of course I know that the position of Manor Master Tiance Prefecture is a great benefit. I just …" Xu Han paused for a moment before saying, "It's just that sometimes I envy Brother Song very much. There are things that I can die for."
"I, on the other hand, seem to have been pulled by something invisible, living passively… I don't like this…"
Ye Hongjian could tell that Xu Han was feeling depressed. She also put away her teasing intention, and her expression became serious. "Actually, you also have a choice. You can escape from the Exquisite Pavilion, and you don't have to be the head of the Tian Ce Mansion."
But at that time, Xu Han looked straight into Ye Hongjian's eyes and whispered, "No, I don't have a choice."
Ye Hongjian was stunned. When she heard Xu Han's words, her face immediately turned red.
She stamped her feet and shyly turned her head away, ignoring Xu Han.
Seeing this, Xu Han smiled slightly and said, "Actually, it's not just this. What happened in the Exquisite Pavilion made me suddenly understand a truth. People who want to live according to their own will must be strong enough. The reason why I am always arranged and always pulled is because I am too weak." Therefore, I want to become the Manor Master of Tiance Prefecture. I want to have my own power. "
As he said this, the aura around the youth seemed to have changed.
The specifics were different. Ye Hongjian said it was not true, but she felt that he finally had a little bit of the appearance of the Tian Ce Mansion 's Manor Master.
This change made the girl happy in her heart. She turned her head to look at Xu Han and a faint smile appeared between her brows.
…
Just like that, the two of them walked for a long time. It was almost 11 o'clock. The two of them were planning to return to the manor to rest. After all, they still had to continue their journey tomorrow.
However, at this moment, a burst of restlessness suddenly came from the direction of the city gate, as if someone had clashed with the patrolling soldiers.
The two of them exchanged glances before turning around and heading towards the city gate.
However, in the dark night, a group of ragged-clothed civilians huddled together, seemingly wanting to enter the city, but were stopped by the soldiers guarding the city. The loud noise alarmed the surrounding residents. Seeing that the situation was somewhat difficult to control, the leading officer hurriedly sent several soldiers to the City Lord's Mansion to invite the satrap to deal with it.
Xu Han also frowned at that time. He keenly noticed that these civilians seemed to be different from ordinary beggars. Although their expressions were in a sorry state, they were carrying some luggage. Most of them were even carrying their families with them. They were more like refugees who had come from somewhere.
Xu Han's mind sank. He pointed his toes to the ground and jumped up high. Upon seeing this, Ye Hongjian hurriedly followed.
The two of them raised their heads to look at the city wall, but the sight that entered their eyes caused their bodies to tremble, and it was difficult to calm down for a long time.
Outside Ningjiao City, there were densely packed crowds of tens of thousands of people. They were all refugees from unknown places. As time passed, more people were slowly gathering in the distance.
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