Chapter 148 I Just Want to See You

In the yard,

A fox and a black cat were chasing a flock of chickens,

A duck stood on the periphery, swaying its body as if it had gotten its revenge:

Quack quack quack!

Marquis Zheng and the Sword Saint sat on small stools, a square stool between them holding melon seeds, peanuts, and some candied fruits.

Liu Ruqing was brewing tea on a small stove nearby;

Gifts brought by guests couldn't be opened upon meeting, so the things Zheng Fan brought were neatly placed on the table in the house.

The melon seeds and fried peanuts were snacks that the old woman had ordered Liu Dahu to quickly run out and buy;

She herself,

After getting over her initial trembling legs,

Immediately took a basket to buy a lot of vegetables.

Now,

The old woman was squatting in the corner killing fish, seeming to want to show off, wielding a kitchen knife with practiced ease.

Tian Tian and Liu Dahu sat together, Liu Dahu taking out his collection of wooden knives and swords for Tian Tian to choose from.

These were all toys that the Sword Saint had carved for him in the past.

But now, he didn't use wooden knives, he started practicing with real ones.

Yes,

His father was the Sword Saint, but he practiced the saber.

Because everyone was practicing the saber and horsemanship, preparing for joining the army and charging into battle in the future. Swords, to be honest, unless you reached Marquis Pingxi's level, using a sword to arrange formations and command, or could reach Li Liang Shen's level, still able to charge through thousands of troops with a sword;

Otherwise,

It was better to honestly practice the saber.

Tian Tian wanted to practice the saber like his godfather, this was something Tian Tian was very sure of, so he chose a wooden saber and held it in his hand.

"Thank you, brother."

"Hehe."

Liu Dahu also loved this child who looked like he came out of a New Year's picture.

Inside the kitchen,

"You're pregnant, let me do it," Si Niang said.

"Look at what you're saying, it's only been a few months, it's nothing, not as delicate as you think. In the past, women had to work in the fields even when they were about to give birth."

"That's different," the Princess said.

The one in your belly is the Sword Saint's child.

Everyone had their own limitations, such as the Princess, who was born noble and with a noble bloodline, naturally carrying some habits.

The implication was actually that others were ordinary children, but this one was not ordinary.

She knew that if the Sword Saint had this child, then the Sword Saint would be completely tied to Fengxin City and next to the Marquis's residence.

In this way, not only her husband's generation, but even her children could enjoy the Sword Saint's protection.

Of course, the Princess wouldn't foolishly put "bloodline" or "status" on her lips, even in the Marquis's residence, she would deliberately downplay it, because her husband came from the common people.

Moreover, she could clearly feel her husband's… disdain for bloodlines.

"What's so different? My man said that when a woman is pregnant, more activity is good for childbirth," Madam Yu Wu said, "Besides, you two are truly great nobles, how can you let…"

"Thump thump thump thump…"

Si Niang started chopping vegetables, the kitchen knife drawing afterimages on the cutting board.

"…" Madam Yu Wu.

This noble person was really… really good at cooking.

"Stoke the fire, first stir-fry a couple of dishes for the men to enjoy with their wine," Si Niang said.

"Okay."

Madam Yu Wu sat behind the stove, lit the fire, and started cooking.

The Princess saw this and sat down beside her.

"No, no, no, it's dirty here, noble, it's dirty here."

"It's okay, it's okay, I've never stoked a stove in my life, I want to try."

This wasn't a lie.

Of course, another reason was that the Princess didn't want to have nothing to do, it would be too awkward.

…

"This time, things at home are pretty much settled."

Zheng Fan said while cracking melon seeds,

"At Xuehai Pass and Zhennan Pass, Ke Yan Dong Ge has one ten thousand regular troops, and Jin Shu Ke has two ten thousand regular troops. It's all been settled."

Regular troops don't include auxiliary soldiers, which is a real military force that can be pulled out for field battles and charges.

Ten thousand stationed at Xuehai Pass was more than enough. Not to mention that the Snow Plains were now a mess, even if another Barbarian King emerged, Ke Yan Dong Ge wouldn't release a single soldier without the Marquis's order. With ten thousand regular troops, plus the laborers in the city, even if there were more barbarians, it would be impossible to break through Xuehai Pass in a short time.

Jin Shu Ke had to face the Chu people, so the pressure would be greater.

There was actually a force stationed at Jing City, it was an outpost. To the north, at the end of Shanggu County, was Zhennan Pass. Giving Jin Shu Ke twenty thousand troops would ensure Zhennan Pass wasn't lost, and he could still have the strength to do some things according to the Marquis's needs.

These two passes were the most important places in Jin;

Back then, they were known as the three great passes of Jin, along with Nanmen Pass.

In fact, compared to the battles at Xuehai Pass and the confrontation of nearly a million troops at Zhennan Pass, the Marquis's current military arrangements for these two places really couldn't be considered impressive.

But real battles were never a game of stacking pieces. Xuehai Pass was basically stable, Zhennan Pass could be reinforced by troops sent from Fengxin City at any time if there were any movements from the Chu people.

And if the forces in the Marquis's residence couldn't contain the Chu people, then they would immediately request reinforcements from the imperial court. Then, it would be another national war.

As for Fengxin City,

There were a total of three garrisons.

One garrison was the two ten thousand iron cavalry personally led by Liang Cheng, the most elite knights, the best warhorses, the best armor, the sharpest weapons. These twenty thousand cavalry could be said to be the true trump card of the Marquis Pingxi's residence!

In Liang Cheng's words, the combat power of this force was definitely not worse than that of the same number of regular troops of the Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army back then, and it was the kind of combat power that hadn't experienced the wars in recent years and hadn't replenished new soldiers.

Liang Cheng's force could be said to be the only true mobile field force in eastern Jin, used to be vigilant and ready to put out fires at any time.

Then, there were the two garrisons of Gou Mo Li and Ding Hao, guarding the periphery of Fengxin City.

Ding Hao's garrison actually only had five thousand regular troops;

Gou Mo Li's garrison had more than ten thousand.

The garrison in Fengxin City, various government offices and the Wangfu guards, had a separate system, nominally headed by Xue San and Fan Li.

Relatively speaking,

Back then, Gong Wang and Ying Du had small actions, absorbing more money and food, also had unspeakable reasons, even, it could be said that they were forced.

Because the Marquis's residence only gave him ten thousand regular troops, which meant that Gong Wang's troop quota was smaller than before!

The same was true for Gongsun Zhi, also a quota of ten thousand, although their troops were actually more than that, but the supplies were cut off, so it was difficult for them to move.

Moreover, the Marquis's residence used the Biao Hu system to forcibly integrate and apportion, taking away a lot of their old foundation to replenish other garrisons. This was clearly digging your foundations and blocking your development.

However,

Gongsun Zhi had always been indifferent, he was a Yan person, he had a good mentality;

Moreover, he had already broken with Li Bao's son once before, so how could he break with the Marquis's residence again?

Li Bao's son didn't have the ability to deal with him back then, but now the Marquis above his head could really chop off his head!

Most importantly, if he had any other thoughts, wouldn't he be a man of three surnames?

Gong Wang became a victim after being warned once.

In response, the Blind Man and Liang Cheng had made a special trip to visit them in the spring, having heart-to-heart talks to comfort them.

Eastern Jin was now focusing on development, everyone should tighten their belts, endure some hardships, overcome difficulties together, and in the future, everyone would definitely have more opportunities to develop, and so on.

Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi naturally patted their chests to express their understanding of the Marquis's spirit, and were willing to unconditionally obey all decisions of the Marquis's residence.

So,

Now, from an accounting perspective,

Not counting the Fengxin City garrison, the remaining seven garrisons, combined, had less than ninety thousand regular troops.

They were basically Biao Hu, and their families could also enjoy Biao Hu benefits if they ate rations.

In terms of cost,

Xuehai Pass and Zhennan Pass were respectively the locations of the trade fairs with the Snow Plains and Chu, similar to the customs of later generations. Apart from the taxes that had to be handed over to the Marquis's residence on the surface, the hidden income under the table was enough to offset their cost expenses.

In Fengxin City, the troops under Ding Hao and Gou Mo Li were in a state of half training and half production.

So, the real "enclave" to raise troops, pure expenses, was only Liang Cheng's unit plus Gong Wang and Gongsun Zhi, who were forbidden from stretching their claws.

Now, the large-scale spring plowing had long been completed. By autumn, the people of Eastern Jin would no longer have to eat that potato paste. Everyone's lives and the Marquis's financial situation would also steadily improve.

There were also benefits to having a blank slate. There were no local clans to hinder you, and all the land belonged to the Marquis's residence, no, it was state-owned.

Almost all workshops were under the Marquis's residence;

The people here farming were equivalent to all the military farms under the Marquis's residence's accounts.

In another space-time, Emperor Taizu of Ming created the Weisuo system (military colony system), which was later made into a joke and considered impractical, but it was actually very effective when it was first established. It was only later that the Weisuo land was invaded and occupied by various forces and dignitaries, and the deprivation of the means of production eventually led to the degeneration of the Weisuo. These were not a problem at all in the current Marquis Pingxi's residence, in Eastern Jin.

In other words, despite raising these troops, it was not the limit of what the Marquis's residence could currently do, because there was no need to reach that limit now. The foundation was still very thin, and there was no need to overspend.

When there was a real war and there were not enough troops, then servants would be conscripted with regular troops as the backbone.

The current requirement was to be sufficient and able to protect oneself.

Then,

Work hard to farm, work hard to develop commerce, work hard to develop workshops,

Turn Eastern Jin into a war potential…

Oh no,

It was a paradise for the people.

Of course, now that Marquis Zheng went out, he could also boast that he had 100,000 iron cavalry under his command. If he encountered any conflicts, he could also put on an act that you had to give this Marquis an explanation, otherwise, even if this Marquis could swallow this breath, the 100,000 men under this Marquis wouldn't agree!

Of these 100,000, less than 40,000 were truly of the same quality as the Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army, mostly concentrated in Liang Cheng and Jin Shu Ke's units.

But,

It was enough to scare people.

"I don't understand what you're telling me, but I can tell that Eastern Jin has been managed very well recently, and this place, the people here, my home,

Can be free from the ravages of war."

Marquis Zheng nodded and said, "That's naturally no problem."

"That's good. Also, let's talk more about this trip to the capital."

The Sword Saint really had self-awareness when it came to military affairs.

"Regarding the trip to the capital, I actually have a lot of ideas, but I can't actually say them."

"You can't?"

"Yes, because unless it involves my interests, the Marquis's residence's interests, or Eastern Jin's interests, I'm not qualified or have the room to comment on other aspects.

The general idea is,

You and I, with a group of people, go to the capital.

We pass through Li Tian City on the way, and then we join Old Tian.

Then we go to the capital together,

Then,

It's probably Old Tian sitting and I'm following behind,

Old Tian sees which prince he doesn't like, and I'll go and depose that prince,

I'll echo whatever Old Tian says, I'll nod and say uh-huh-uh-huh.

Yeah,

That's about it,

That's probably how it'll be."

The Sword Saint frowned.

"What's wrong?" Marquis Zheng asked.

"Suddenly, I don't want to go with you anymore, it's a little embarrassing."

"…" Zheng Fan.

The Sword Saint looked at the house,

And said;

"I really want to be with her, really, Zheng Fan, you should have a child sooner."

"…" Zheng Fan.

"I didn't think so before, but now, I have a real attachment in my heart, and I'm very happy."

"…" Zheng Fan.

The Sword Saint then sighed again,

And said:

"But I'm really afraid you'll die, because you're really unlucky sometimes. I still can't imagine how, that time it rained, the stone from the trebuchet could hit you on a horse from so far away?"

"…" Zheng Fan.

"If you die, this courtyard won't be peaceful anymore."

"Actually, with your ability, taking your family into seclusion, life wouldn't be bad."

The Sword Saint shook his head,

And said:

"But that's not the life I want to live, nor is it the life they want to live."

Whew,

Could you not gasp so much when you speak?

You scared me, I thought you were going to quit and not accompany me to the capital.

"Zheng Fan."

"Yes?"

"I'm very worried that your Yan Emperor hasn't planned to stop yet."

"Hehe, where else can he fight? The Snow Plains are now like a nest of quails, the Chu Kingdom has just fought, and the Qiang Kingdom's border troops haven't been transferred away even to fight the Chu Kingdom in the southeast.

If His Majesty is still not satisfied, he can't risk his life and not live his life and go fight the barbarians now, right?"

The Sword Saint heard this and said nothing more.

He wouldn't say too much about fields he wasn't good at, because past experience showed that he would only mess things up.

"Cough cough…"

The Princess ran over and asked:

"Husband, can we serve the dishes?"

Zheng Fan nodded,

And said;

"Just put it here, and bring a few more chairs and stools, let's all eat together."

A meal,

Marquis Zheng's family ate happily;

The Sword Saint's family cooperated as much as possible to pretend to eat happily;

In short,

After a happy meal,

Marquis Zheng didn't stay long, and said goodbye with his wife and children.

The old woman originally wanted to send the guests off,

But suddenly realized,

She couldn't send them off,

They lived next door!

After Marquis Zheng left,

In the small courtyard,

The flock of chickens that had been bullied by the fox and cat earlier began to frantically chase the duck;

Madam Yu Wu went back to lie down and rest, and the old woman cleaned up the dishes without asking anything.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had reached a consensus on this point;

Of course, after the Marquis personally came to visit today, they were even more determined not to ask about men's affairs.

Men had their own brains, their own ideas, and their own thoughts. As women, they shouldn't ask too much.

Although,

They didn't know that most of the time, the Sword Saint didn't actually have any ideas or thoughts;

The enlightened Sword Saint,

Now only responsible for killing people with his sword, not responsible for using his brain.

However, the old woman still reminded:

"Don't forget to reciprocate the gift."

When people give you gifts, you have to return the favor.

Although the old woman didn't understand what the point of holding a hundred-day celebration before the child was born was, since it was held under this name, and people came to the door with gifts, regardless of how light or heavy, regardless of whether they were from the Marquis's residence, they had to reciprocate.

The Sword Saint nodded.

Liu Dahu shouted;

"Tian Tian said he likes to eat sachima."

"That dry and hard snack?" the old woman asked.

"That's right."

"Then go buy it now, don't deliver it today, deliver it first thing tomorrow morning. Remember to buy more, it doesn't have to be expensive, the Marquis doesn't care about that, but you have to focus on being warm, there has to be a lot of it, take a basket to buy it," the old woman instructed the Sword Saint.

"Okay," the Sword Saint nodded.

Then,

The Sword Saint took the basket, the carrying pole, which was Long Yuan.

Carrying the carrying pole,

The Sword Saint went out.

Liu Dahu hurriedly chased after him, following the Sword Saint.

The father and son walked on the road,

Liu Dahu occasionally looked up at his father, but didn't ask anything, just smiling foolishly.

"What are you smiling so foolishly about?" the Sword Saint asked.

"Dad, you're really amazing," Liu Dahu said.

Any father would be happy and satisfied when his son was proud of him, and the Sword Saint was no exception.

Although,

There was something called Zheng Fan in the middle of his son's pride.

"It's okay," the Sword Saint said modestly.

"Dad, are you the Marquis's secret bodyguard?"

"Huh?"

"The father of one of our classmates is the Marquis's bodyguard, wearing a flying fish uniform, he's very proud."

After Liu Dahu entered school, the school also divided classes.

Equivalent to regular classes and future officer training classes.

In the words of the Blind Man, it was the true Whampoa Military Academy under the Marquis Pingxi's residence.

Many of the children there had parents who were either generals in the army or people in the Marquis's residence.

The Sword Saint suddenly thought of this,

The reason he had Zheng Fan come to the door this time to declare their relationship was, first, to give his family real security, and second, he felt that he couldn't be so selfish anymore.

He could give his son a beautiful and confident childhood,

But he didn't,

He liked a peaceful life,

But his son,

At that time, had to take the initiative to hold up himself in the street when he met a classmate, who was healing from an injury and walking with a crutch, and loudly call him his father, afraid that others wouldn't know.

His son was very sensible, that was true;

But he,

Could have become a capital for him to show off to his classmates in the school, which could have made him happier.

In the end,

In the past,

He was still selfish.

At this time,

Liu Dahu asked;

"Dad, have you seen the Sword Saint at the Marquis's side?"

"Hehe, I've seen him."

"I've seen him too. Last time I went to Yingdu with the Marquis, I saw the Sword Saint, but he was wearing a bamboo hat and I couldn't see his face, but we all thought the Sword Saint was amazing, the strongest swordsman in the world."

"Hahaha, that's for sure."

"Dad, you haven't answered me yet, have you seen the Sword Saint's real face?"

"Son, do you want to see it?"

"Yes!"

In an instant,

Long Yuan, which was being used as a carrying pole, was immediately unsheathed,

Turning into a red swimming dragon that soared into the sky,

A powerful and terrifying sword qi,

Rose from the ground,

Shaking the Qi of the entire Fengxin City!

In an instant,

Black shadows surged from all directions. Among them were the Marquis's guards, as well as hidden stakes and military scouts, all experts responsible for protecting the security of the Marquis's residence and the city;

When they discovered this horrifying sword qi, they immediately thought that a strong enemy had entered the city and quickly rushed here.

After surrounding the place,

Among them,

There were many people who had seen the Sword Saint's true face,

Immediately,

Someone knelt down and asked;

"Lord, what happened?"

"Lord, has an assassin entered the city?"

"Lord, where is the assassin?"

In the sky,

Long Yuan was still soaring,

Drawing a gorgeous sword qi rainbow.

On the ground,

Yu Hua Ping stood with his hands behind his back,

And said faintly:

"It's nothing, it's just that my son, wants to see me."

——————

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