Star Trace Gate

Lingnan Prefecture, on the long street outside the government office.

Bau looked at Fatty Wu who was kneeling on the ground. After a brief pause, he waved his hand to disperse the soldiers and walked forward.

On the ground, when Fatty Wu saw him walking towards him, he immediately curled up even lower, with his head almost touching the ground, and said, "Sir, I'll be lower so it's more convenient for you to step on, hehe."

Bau didn't even look at Fatty Wu, just stared straight ahead, put his foot on his back, bent down and entered the sedan.

The curtain slowly fell, and Bau's voice came from inside the sedan: "Let's go."

"Step aside!"

"Back off!"

Several attendants stepped forward, holding their swords in their hands, and shouted at Fatty Wu to leave.

He supported himself on the ground and stood up in a slightly awkward position, standing outside two rows of soldiers. He didn't shout or move forward.

Soon, the queue moved forward and only Fatty Wu was left standing there.

As he slowly left, his daughter had neither a look of loss on her face nor any shame or indignation as she knelt on the ground to serve as a stepping stone. She just watched him leave with a normal expression.

Fatty Wu's emotions were really stable, because in his heart, up to this moment, he had not paid any price for this matter, so whether the matter succeeded or not, he would not suffer any loss.

Kneeling on the ground as a stepping stone, is this a price to pay?

Hehe, that’s bullshit!

You were born in a humble family and lived in troubled times. If you don’t learn to kneel down, do you expect to learn how to be an emperor?

Alas, if Mr. Lu understood this principle, those sisters-in-law...why would they need my third brother to persuade them every day?

On the long street, the line of soldiers protecting Bau Jiaozi had already reached the intersection.

When Fatty Wu saw this scene, he bent down and brushed off the dust on his body.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the sedan chair suddenly stopped, and an old slave turned around and ran back, shouting: "That... that, the bandit leader of Jingshan, our master wants you to come up and have a chat."

Fatty Wu was stunned for a moment, then he immediately trotted over to greet him: "Here I come, the villain is here."

……

After a while.

Fatty Wu got on Jiaozi, but he knew that he was fat and might squeeze Bau, so he carefully sat near the door.

Bau sat on the inside with his hands in his sleeves and his eyes slightly closed, looking as if he was in a trance.

There could be no probing at this stage, and it was even more impossible to wait for Bau to speak first, so Fatty Wu immediately clasped his fists and said, "Lord Bau! My sworn brother, the eldest and second elder brothers, both died unfortunately, and I was forced to become the head of Jingshan. After I sat down, I felt deeply uneasy and worried, and I have always wanted to meet you. You are the sky of Lingnan Prefecture! Only when you nod, I can sit on this chair with peace of mind."

"hehe."

Bau smiled, still with his eyes slightly closed, and asked: "This Lingnan Prefecture is vast, with wild men and bad guys everywhere. Government affairs are not decided by the government; Jianghu affairs are not decided by the government: the name of the Qianli Green Camp is much more famous than my small government office! Can you sit firmly on the chair? All you need is a nod from your head."

"The reputation of the Qianli Green Camp is great, but it is nothing more than a sect." Fatty Wu clasped his fists and said, "You are the upright official with the seal of the imperial court."

The political and military situation in the southern border is quite complex and unusual. In the beginning, the Lich Kingdom was established through the alliance of various tribes. After the establishment of the country, although the leaders of various tribes have become high officials, respecting the imperial power and obeying the orders of the court, their influence and ruling power in the local area cannot be underestimated, and even exceeds that of the court.

In Lingnan Prefecture, the reason why the Thousand Mile Green Camp is so famous and powerful, and only obeys the orders of the Dragon Head, is because the Dragon Head’s father was the leader of the largest tribe here, and he had followed the dragon during the war to establish the Lich Kingdom.

Therefore, the imperial court trusted Long Shou, and this place respected him as the most respected person; on the contrary, although Bau, who represented the imperial court, was the highest military and political leader here, he was still far inferior to Long Shou in terms of influence here.

However, Qianli Green Camp is very disciplined in many matters and has always kept its distance from Bau’s people, so the two sides have always lived in peace.

This is also the reason why Bau didn't want to communicate with Fatty Wu just now, because the other party is from Qianli Green Camp, and if he rashly comes to him with unclear intentions, it will easily cause rumors.

In short, this area of ​​southern Xinjiang is a bit like the rise of the Yuan Dynasty in real history. The forces are somewhat chaotic, and it is also full of backstabbing and conspiracy.

Inside the sedan, Bau said one sentence and then said nothing more.

However, Fatty Wu did not let the words fall on the table. Instead, he smiled flatteringly and said, "Sir, I came here this time because I have admired you for a long time. I came here to pay you a special visit. I have nothing else to bother you with."

Bau still didn't speak.

Fatty Wu smiled and raised his big fat hand. He turned over his palm and called out a very delicate sandalwood box: "I heard that you love rare antiques. Coincidentally, a few days ago, I was drinking with the little prince Huai of Qingliang Mansion, and he specially gave me a string of Buddhist beads. It is said that it was worn by the previous abbot of Tianyin Temple in the Daqian Dynasty for decades. It has the effect of warding off disasters and protecting blessings. Hehe, you can enjoy it."

When Bau heard this, he slowly opened his eyes and said, "You have a close relationship with the young Prince Huai of Qingliang Mansion, right?"

"Some walking around, some walking around." Fatty Wu smiled and handed over the Buddhist beads.

Bau did not refuse, but took the beads and played with them briefly: "Qingliang Prefecture urgently needs to use trade methods to improve people's livelihood. Haha, you have earned a lot of money from him, right?"

Seeing that he took up the topic of Qingliang Mansion, Fatty Wu immediately agreed: "There is indeed cooperation, but it is just some petty profit business. A few days ago, the young King Huai came back from traveling and was upset. We drank until dawn... He was drunk, so he gave me this string of Buddhist beads."

Bau glanced at him and didn't respond.

"Alas, the land of Qingliang Prefecture is too narrow and difficult to develop." Fatty Wu took the initiative to speak: "The Daqian Dynasty is eyeing him covetously, and will attack him sooner or later. Little King Huai couldn't sleep all night, and wanted to solve the development problem by expanding the territory. He talked to me all night about the situation in the foggy desert in the hall."

"Expanding the territory?"

"That's right." Fatty Wu nodded.

"Haha, the foggy desert, even my southern Xinjiang doesn't dare to enter it casually, but he still wants to enter it. He overestimates his own abilities."

"Yes, I told him the same thing." Fatty Wu said helplessly, "However, if Qingliang Prefecture cannot expand its territory, invigorate people's livelihood, recruit soldiers and become bigger, it will sooner or later be attacked by the Daqian Dynasty and become a dead end. The loss of these businesses of mine is not a big deal, but the main thing is... without Qingliang Prefecture as a buffer, my Lingnan Prefecture may have to face the threat of the Daqian Dynasty again, and the situation will be difficult."

When Bau heard this, he completely understood Fatty Wu's intention.

If we can’t go to the Misty Gobi Desert to expand our territory, then where else can we go?

Qingliang Prefecture cannot develop and will be conquered sooner or later. Without a buffer zone, Lingnan Prefecture will become a fast channel to face the iron hoof of Daqian.

The Buddhist beads were given by King Huai, and the words were said by Fatty Wu, so the intention is very obvious.

However, Fatty Wu couldn't say it openly because it was related to territorial expansion. His involvement in the process was actually no different from treason and selling out the country. Once he was caught, he would be cut into pieces.

At this point, Fatty Wu, who had been too active, stopped talking.

Bau was silent for a moment, then looked down at the beads and said, "It's a rare item. You're thoughtful, Fatty Wu."

When Fatty Wu heard this, he felt happy and immediately replied, "As long as you like it."

After about half a quarter of an hour, the sedan chair slowly stopped, and Fatty Wu and Bau got off together.

"I am going to meet a distinguished person. Please do as you please." Bau's face became cold again. He just said this indifferently and walked into a large mansion.

The soldiers stood in two lines at the door.

After Fatty Wu watched Bau leave, he turned around and looked at the old slave who followed Bau.

"Master Wu, are you often in Lingnan Prefecture?" The old servant couldn't call out Fatty Wu's name before, but after the other party got on the sedan chair once, the former's attitude immediately became very respectful, and his old face was smiling like a chrysanthemum.

"Changzai, Changzai, I have an adopted son who has some things to do in Lingnan Prefecture recently. He is in the inn opposite the government office." Fatty Wu replied sensibly.

"Very good, move more."

After saying this, Fatty Wu clasped his fists and said goodbye. The old servant walked him about ten meters away before stopping and returning.

When things got to this point, Fatty Wu finally saw a ray of hope.

The gift of meeting was accepted, and Bau did not refuse the expansion of the territory. This was a good sign. The meaning of the old slave's words was very simple. If there is anything in the future, I will call you. The master will not say much to you, and we can just talk between ourselves.

Fatty Wu was very happy and immediately returned to the inn to meet his four adopted sons.

He deliberately left one person behind to wait for the letter again, while he took the other three and rushed to the headquarters of the Qianli Green Camp.

On the road, we rode as fast as we could.

One of the adopted sons asked, "Adoptive father! The borderland connecting Qingliang Prefecture is originally the territory of our Qianli Green Camp, so why don't we discuss it with the people at the headquarters first, but instead look for Bau?"

Fatty Wu looked at him like he was an idiot and said, "Without the court's permission, I, the Green Camp, cannot speak for the king with important officials! You should first find the people at the headquarters and give them benefits. If they agree, but Bau refuses outright, this will be impossible. Then the benefits given first will be wasted, right?"

"Can I get back the benefits I was given? What's the difference between this and King Huai, who has low moral character?" Fatty Wu added.

"Godfather is so talented!" the adopted son replied admiringly.

"Damn, that string of Buddhist beads is worth three hundred thousand star sources. I have already paid the price for this matter. Even if I break my horse's legs, I will make this happen!" Fatty Wu gritted his teeth.

The adopted son wondered, "If this fails, won't we lose 300,000 star sources in vain?"

"Where in the world is there a business that is guaranteed to make a profit and has no risks?" Fatty Wu said into the night breeze, "I have so many sisters-in-law to support, so I have to be bolder."

……

Two days later.

In Qingliang Prefecture, both sides of the Qingliang River are covered with vast ocean.

Ren Ye stood in the muddy porridge shed like a mud monkey, looked up at the sky, and finally let out a long sigh: "Alas, the rain has finally stopped!!"