Chapter 42 The veteran is late
He Basheng was not in his residence in Huazhou City, but in the east village of Huazhou City, which was not far from the city.
This time He Basheng provided money to help Li Tai, but he couldn't just put down his things and leave, so he rode his horse to Chaoyi Township under Wuquan in the east of Huazhou City under the leadership of soldiers from He Basheng's house. Go.
Chaoyi is close to the Yellow River and is named after the high hills and mountains in the northwest. Chaosan was not well-known in later generations, but nowadays it is the most important defensive stronghold in the eastern part of Huazhou City in the Western Wei Dynasty. It is close to the Yellow River, and not far to the northeast on the other side is Yubi City, which Gao Shenwu hated several times.
He Basheng has a manor in Chaoyi Township, southeast of Chaoshan, and he went there today to host a wedding for a veteran of the tribe.
It was already morning when Li Tai arrived at Huazhou City, and it was already evening when he arrived at Chaoyi.
Huazhou was originally the front line of the confrontation with the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and this area was close to the Yellow River and the front line among the front lines. Although there is no lack of fertile soil in the countryside, there are almost no farmers working on it. There are only large and small manors enclosed by fences.
The layout of most of these manor houses follows the method of fortification. There are ditches inside and outside the fences to keep out horses, and defenses such as sentry towers and arrow towers can be seen everywhere. There is a chilling atmosphere everywhere with strong walls and clear fields.
"The line along the river is often disturbed. In addition to the east bandits, Jihu from the border areas east of Hedong and Fenbei often cross the river to harass. Therefore, Daxingtai divided the land among the generals, and the tribesmen stayed here, and captured the rest of the thieves. Good location!”
Li Tai visited the house many times, and became familiar with He Basheng's soldiers. When he was on the way, the soldier pointed to the manor on both sides of the road and introduced: "Most of the imperial capital is my family's estate. Going south to Heyang Township, Li Sikong took over the village. In the third year of Datong, after the battle of Shayuan, Li Sikong and Taishi attacked Hedong and conquered Fen and Jiang. Therefore, Daxingtai was divided into two townships: Linhe. Home, arrange the troops, and serve as the continuation of the Chaoshan garrison."
Li Sikong was Li Bi, one of the Eight Pillar Kingdoms in later generations.
In the Battle of Shayuan, Li Bi fought bravely. When the left army Zhao Gui was at a disadvantage, Li Bi personally led his troops of sixty cavalry to intercept the Eastern Wei army. This was the most critical factor in the Western Wei's victory in this battle.
Li Tai didn't know that Li Bi worked with He Basheng to regain Hedong after the Battle of Shayuan, but he was quite excited when he heard the stories from He Basheng's soldiers. Fighting with an iron horse, splitting the earth and becoming a knight is a man's romance. Although he is unable to reach it now, he really yearns for it.
He Basheng's manor is very large in area. It is located at the lower edge of Chaoshan. It has ravines and tidal flats along the river. It covers at least 300 hectares. It is far from comparable to Li Tai's manor in Shangyuan.
To the southwest of the manor is a large area of cultivated land, at least hundreds of hectares of fertile land, which made Li Tai's mouth water.
This is truly a big manor and a big industry. Hundreds of hectares of water and fertilized fields, and tens of thousands of dan of food every year are at your fingertips! Next to it is the ever-flowing Yellow River, with abundant water resources. With such an industry, it is difficult not to make a fortune.
Envy is envy, but Li Tai also understands that such a rich industry is obviously not something he can possess now. He Basheng and Li Bina were both the top military generals in the Western Wei Dynasty, so they could enjoy such benefits.
Moreover, the Yellow River is now the boundary between the Eastern and Western Wei Dynasties. Although the industry here is fertile, it is also the front line of the confrontation between the two hegemons. Even if Li Tai was given the garden property here, there wouldn't be that many troops stationed to resist harassment.
He calmed down and rode his horse up to the high slope in the garden with He Basheng's soldiers. In the manor, the lower slope is used for farming and the upper slope is used for living. The entire high slope is a military camp, with rows of houses and clear boundaries, which can easily accommodate two to three thousand people.
The group of people arrived at the lobby of the camp. He Basheng inquired about the whereabouts. He pointed at Li Tai from a distance and laughed and said, "Young man is very lucky. I am in charge of the banquet village, and you can still come here after hearing the news!"
Li Tai dismounted his horse and bowed in front of him, saying: "The key to managing a business is diligence and frugality. If you can get food and wine from other families, you can save yourself a meal. You are a young scoundrel, and you will do what you smell. My uncle can't avoid me!"
After some banter and pleasantries, Li Tai followed He Basheng to the hall. The hall was already full, and most of them were loyal veterans who had followed He Basheng for many years. The deep feelings between each other have already exceeded the upper and lower definitions of status.
He Basheng took Li Tai's wrist and introduced him to everyone in the hall, saying he was the nephew of an old friend. Everyone in the hall was also very enthusiastic, or they were not good at expressing their opinions, so they all came together to toast.
Li Tai walked all the way through the banquet and drank several large bowls of wine as soon as he reached the hall. Fortunately, his ability to drink was not bad, and the alcohol content of these private brews was not too high, so he barely showed any signs of timidity.
Even so, when he sat on the seat, he was already drunk and his eyes were blurry.
Seeing him like this, He Basheng couldn't help but laugh, and ordered someone to serve buttermilk to relieve the hangover. Before they could say a few words to each other, it was already the auspicious time for the newlyweds to bow.
Today's wedding was held by more than a dozen veterans of He Basheng's army. The oldest had followed He Basheng all the way when he was in Wuchuan Town. The brides were unmarried women chosen among the soldiers.
Veterans don't like complicated etiquette, and after choosing an auspicious day and time, they don't care about the six etiquettes. Couples of newlyweds line up to enter the hall to pay homage to the lord and see the robe, which is considered a ceremony. They will not be disappointed because of simple etiquette.
"This disgusting creature is called Ajiu. It comes from my family name, and he is my fake son! He was named Jiujin because he was born as Jiujin. He was abandoned by his mother in the wilderness, but he actually knew how to raise and suck breasts. I was He was still a teenager, so he picked him up and adopted him, and he became an adult. He followed me for more than thirty years, but when he went to Jiangnan, he thought the old name was ugly and asked Dr. Li Lang to change his name. Is it a sheep? …”
He Basheng pointed at the newlyweds entering the hall, introduced him to Li Tai with a smile, then pointed at the groom with gray beard and hair and said with a smile: "I'll choose a beautiful girl for you, isn't Anugao happy?"
Li Tai was also happy when he heard this. Nine pounds at birth would be less than five pounds in later generations. He was a completely premature baby. But seeing that the groom, He Baxi, still looked strong and powerful, he was really lucky. No wonder he could follow him. He Basheng went all the way from Beizhenlang to Jiangnan and back again.
He Basheng was in his thirties, and the bride next to him looked cute and charming at only fourteen or fifteen years old. Hearing He Basheng say this, his mouth was grinning from ear to ear: "Whatever Aye gives me, I will do it." I’m so happy! I’ll have a baby next year and a daughter the year after that…”
Later, a newlywed couple came to the hall, but He Basheng's expression became much more serious. He pointed at the groom and said, "Zhu Meng'er was returning from the south to the north and traveling to Xiangyang. Hou Jing, the bandit from the East, led his troops to stop him. On the mountain road, You took off your clothes to cover me, but you froze to death on the way! When he passed away, I promised him that I must make his bloodline strong. After we get married, you will take off your armor and return home to have children. Don't let me break your trust!"
When the strong man Zhu Meng heard this, he suddenly looked unhappy: "If the servant returns home, who will carry the flag for the lord?"
"You are so arrogant! Who here is not a brave man? Who can't hold the flag for the lord! Go back to the house and serve your wife, isn't it better than eating dirt in the battle?"
Hearing this, everyone in the hall shouted and cursed. Although the tone was vulgar, the atmosphere was warm.
All the newlyweds came to the hall one after another to pay their respects, and He Basheng also gave gifts to each of them. All the newlyweds told endless love stories.
Li Tai attended and watched, and was quite moved by the harmonious relationship between the upper and lower levels. He couldn't help but dream about whether his subordinates would follow him so unswervingly, no matter whether he was prosperous or frustrated.
After the newlyweds came in and worshiped, He Basheng pointed at Li Tai and said with a smile, "It's not easy to arrange the food and drinks for this wedding banquet. Since Li Lang is attending this gathering, he can't just show off!"
Hearing what He Basheng said, everyone in the hall also started making noises. However, Li Tai stood up and looked at the newlyweds and said with a smile: "Uncle has given everything to me, both in love and in things." Although I am moved by this loyalty, if I give you a generous gift, I will inevitably offend the master. I wish all the newcomers a speedy heir and many children. I will set up a teaching hall myself. If I cannot teach well, You can come in and spit on me!"
"Let wine be a promise, wine be a promise! He comes from a well-established family, and he is most knowledgeable and has high hopes. You can't just let your descendants live in ruins while you wait for them to live in ruins. If you join his family and fail to become a doctor, look for him to hold you accountable!"
After He Basheng heard this, his eyes brightened, he stood up, patted Li Tai on the shoulder and laughed: "What I talked about today is about my confidant's plans for the future, and it is definitely not a joke! I have already remembered these words in my heart, if the boy If you don’t do it well or thoroughly, I won’t let you go easily!”
Hearing Li Tai's words, not only He Basheng beamed, but the married people also looked happy and came forward to toast and say thank you.
Although these people were all born in the military, they followed He Basheng to the north and south and gained extensive knowledge. Naturally, they knew the world's preference for famous families and the value of Li Tai's promise.
Infected by this atmosphere, Li Tai welcomed all the newlyweds who came to toast, and he became drunk without realizing it. But he still managed to maintain some sense, and because he was afraid of making a mistake after drinking, he sat back in the table and remained silent.
Perhaps due to the stimulation of alcohol, his perception was sharper than usual. After looking around, he found that although He Basheng looked happy, he was frequently frowning. Trembling under control.
He knew that He Basheng's life was about to end, so he couldn't help but feel a little worried after seeing this, but before he could speak to remind him or persuade him, the drunken He Basheng had already raised his hand and stuffed a whole roasted leg of lamb on his food table. .
"Apan, eat more, eat more! You are new from Dongzhou, and I treat you as my nephew. Seeing that you have good food and wine, I feel that my sons and daughters will also be full, warm and worry-free..."
He Basheng was very drunk now, and looked at Li Tai with slightly red eyes: "When I returned to Toxi, I still had some private plans to seize the opportunity to start a business. But Black Otter is indeed a genius. Although he is a backward person, Junior, but more ruthless and thoughtful than my brothers...
I no longer have any desire to be powerful, and none of my old members and relatives dare to see each other in person. I only hope that Daxingtai will trust me and follow Wang Ye eastward to meet my children in this life! "