Chapter 173

  Qingzhou, Tianyi City.

  Heaven gives birth to water, this place is adjacent to the great sea and rivers, with well-developed fishing and shipping industries. Also, because it is far from the border, unlike Youzhou which suffers from frequent harassment by the Rong tribes in its harsh and cold lands.

  Ke Fangbo arrived here, far away from the Rong tribe, but still couldn't cheer up.

  The lord of Tianyi City and he were old acquaintances, Tianyi City was adjacent to Luoye City, and they had a lot of business dealings with each other. The relationship between them was still good. This time, Fang Boshan escaped here, it was to surrender to the other party, wait for the Rong tribe to kill enough and rob enough, and then return to be his own city lord again.

  But after staying for a few days, the feeling was not very pleasant.

  The other side also did their due diligence as a host, after having eaten several meals, they brought up the topic at a banquet: "You, my brother, have come to take refuge with me, of course I'll ensure your safety. We're a big household with a large business, and we can afford to add another mouth to feed." Of course, being a big household with a large business has its own set of troubles - as soon as you open your eyes, there are hundreds of people asking for food from you. This kind of trouble, my brother, you must understand.

  Got it. Fang Bo Shan doesn't understand anything, since he came to seek refuge, how can he not give the other party any benefits?

  Today a gold ingot, tomorrow a silver ingot, Madam Pearl Jade must also like it, take it away, take it away...

  Old brother, I'm too embarrassed to ask, but to be honest, your little nephew still wants a sword. I heard you have a precious sword...

  He came to Tianyi City to take refuge, and Fang Bo Shan brought a lot of gold, silver, and jewels. However, after arriving here, he couldn't help but think that the family property he brought was still his own...

  In Luoye City, he was a man above all others, and no one else needed to be taken seriously except for the King of Youzhou. But here, he and his family could only live in a small courtyard, and their food, clothing, and daily necessities were naturally not comparable to those in Luoye City. The key point was that they had to look at others' faces wherever they went, even if the other person was just a maid or servant. This feeling...made Fang Boshan somewhat uncomfortable.

  "Lord of the castle, Lord of the castle..."

  Qiao Ye rushed in from outside the hospital.

  "Shh, keep your voice down!" Fang Bo-shan looked around cautiously: "There are ears on the other side of the wall. Don't address me like that here, or others might think we have ulterior motives."

  "Castle lord... isn't it unnecessary to be so cautious?"

  "Better be careful, how's the thing I asked you to investigate going?"

  "I asked people who came from Youzhou, and they said that before they left, the Rong tribes had not yet arrived."

  "They haven't even arrived yet, could it be that they've taken Blackstone City and run away?" Fang Bo Shan pondered, if that's the case, he'd hurry back, no need to rely on others for food and shelter.

  "City Lord, could it be that Cheng Da Lei is blocking the Rong tribe?"

  Fang Bo Shan gave him a white eye: "Are you still sleepy in the morning? Can a few mountain bandits stop the Rong tribe, that's the Northern Barbarian Department!"

  "The Rong tribe has already breached the Blackstone City, and it's only logical that they wouldn't stop their southern invasion. However, after all this time, they still haven't reached Luoye City. Perhaps, it's indeed because of Cheng Dali."

  Fang Bo Shan fell into deep thought, and after ruling out all possibilities, the most impossible one became the truth.

  Can a single mountain bandit really hold off tens of thousands of northern barbarian cavalry?

  "Let's investigate further!" Fang Bo Shan said: "Get a clear understanding of Qing Niu Mountain's movements!"

  "Yes!"

  ……

  The city of Youzhou, on top of the city wall.

  "Many are prepared with strong crossbows and large bows; if you want to defend a city, bows and arrows are indispensable."

  Yang Long wore armor and helmet, walking quickly on the city wall, inspecting his own city.

  "The craftsmen in the city have been working day and night to make them, and within a month, they will be able to produce 100,000 arrows." Li Shan followed closely behind him.

  "In January, will the Northern Barbarian Department give me a month's time? Hurry up, it must be quick! This battle absolutely cannot afford to have any losses!"

  Yang Long stopped in his tracks and walked up to a soldier who looked very young, with an air of innocence on his face.

  Yang Long stopped and looked him up and down, patting the dust off his hat.

  "How old is he this year?"

  "Reporting to Your Majesty, sixteen!"

  "Alright, alright!" Yang Long patted his shoulder heavily: "You're a good kid, are you afraid of going to battle?"

  "Don't be afraid!" The soldier stood up straight and puffed out his chest.

  "Haha, I'm scared too, how can you not be afraid." Yang Long stopped laughing and suddenly became serious: "Protecting the family and defending the country, should we stop just because of fear? I'll be afraid with all of you, when the great war comes, I'll fight alongside all of you!"

  The soldier stood at attention with his back straight, his body trembling with excitement.

  Yang Long patted his shoulder and left with his advisors and generals.

  Until Yang Long walked far away, the soldiers were still excited and flushed with red faces.

  "Hey, isn't that the King of Youzhou? I didn't expect him to be talking to Little Wei."

  "Our King of Youzhou is a good man, I heard that it was he who drove away the Rong tribes back then!"

  "Following him will never go wrong!"

  Some soldiers were discussing, and Yang Long had already walked far away. He hadn't been resting well these past few days, constantly inspecting the city defenses.

  The war is coming, he had to be cautious. Although the Rong tribe was formidable, they were also bullying the weak and fearing the strong. The city of Youzhou was considered the most fortified in all of Youzhou. As long as they knew it was hard to conquer, they would retreat. Anyway, among so many cities in Youzhou, why did they have to attack the hardest one, the city of Youzhou?

  "What are all those people doing down there?" Yang Long stood at the city gate and looked down.

  "They were all refugees from various places who wanted to take refuge in the city."

  "Drive them away! What if some bandits take advantage of the situation and sneak in!" Yang Long stopped.

  "We've already sent people to hurry them up, but they're determined to enter the city."

  "If you can't drive them away, then kill them. Do I need to teach you such a simple truth?" Yang Long let out a cold hum.

  Report!

  One of the scouts climbed up the city wall and knelt down in front of Yang Long: "I have investigated, Your Majesty, the Rong tribe has not yet crossed the Qingniu Mountain!"

  "Not yet arrived." Yang Long furrowed his brow, calculating the time, it shouldn't be like this, after all, the Rong tribe's marching speed was quite fast.

  "What about those bandits from Qingniu Mountain? Where did they escape to?"

  "Nor have they been seen coming out of Qingniu Mountain."

  "Huh!" Yang Long furrowed his brow tightly, subconsciously recalling the way Cheng Dairen had blocked the road back then. Could this fool really be planning to stop the Rong tribe?

  "Let's investigate again and find out what's going on with Qingniu Mountain!"

  "Yes!"

  Qingniu Mountain is the last dangerous place in Youzhou, and Youzhou is the last line of defense in the northern part of the empire. If Qingniu Mountain is broken, then Youzhou has no danger to defend, if Youzhou is broken, then the Rong tribe can enter directly, and Ji Zhou, Qing Zhou, and even Jing Zhou will all fall into danger.

  In a land shrouded in fear, everyone knows that the Rong tribe is launching a large-scale invasion. Will the events of 30 years ago be repeated? Everyone's heart is racing with anxiety.

  Many people, like Yang Long, have sent scouts to infiltrate the Qingniu Mountains. Unbeknownst to them, countless pairs of eyes are fixed on this place: city lords from all over, bandits who cannot escape with their lives, and wealthy families who cherish their property back home...

  The obscure Qingniu Mountain has never been as much in the spotlight as it is today.

  But Cheng Dairen knew nothing about these things, he was busy sharpening his knife.