Xu Deyan started from the capital in early September. He was a civil servant who was powerless and had to travel thousands of miles to Liaodong to take office. He was naturally unavoidable. There might be risks on the way and it was impossible to take office alone. Yang Yong sent him five Eastern Palace guards to accompany Xu Deyan all the way to Liaodong.

When Xu Deyan set out, the leaves in Daxing City had just begun to wither and yellow. They went north and the weather became colder and colder. By November, when Xu Deyan and others arrived in Liaodong, the first snow in Liaodong had already fallen. Along the way, silver was covered with silver, and huge ice hangs on the branches, crystal clear.

Several guards were from the north, and this situation was common. However, Xu Deyan had seen such a beautiful scenery for the first time. He ignored the cold and pulled the curtains of the carriage and looked at the beautiful scenery on both sides greedily. Fortunately, when Mrs. Xuanhua heard that Xu Deyan was about to arrive at the border, she was afraid that the border would be too difficult. Not only did she give Xu Deyan a large sum of money, but she also gave Xu Deyan several of the best fur coats in the palace so that Xu Deyan would not get sick from the cold on the road.

During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Yingzhou was the most remote city in the Central Plains in Liaodong. Xu Deyan wanted to go to the Dongyi School Guardian Mansion. The city where the Dongyi School Guardian Mansion was located was called Dongyi City. It was still more than 200 miles away from Yingzhou and was located in the center of the Khitans. This was the foundation of Gao Baoning, a traitor of Qi State. In the third year of Daeding, the first year of Kaihuang, the first year of Kaihuang, the crown prince of this dynasty, Yang Yong, personally led his troops to attack Gao Baoning's camp, and wiped out Gao Baoning, who had suffered for several years. He personally appointed Luo Yi as the Dongyi School Guardian, and maintained the peace of the Da Sui Dynasty for more than ten years.

When he arrived in Yingzhou, Xu Deyan thanked Wei Yi, the governor of Yingzhou, for his retention. After only one day of rest, he continued to move forward regardless of his fatigue. As soon as he left Yingzhou, he saw that there were endless grasslands with fewer and fewer pedestrians. Sometimes, vendors hired large trucks to walk in a row.

Because it was snowing and the road was slippery, although Xu Deyan and his journey changed their horses in Yingzhou, they still walked for more than three days for more than 200 miles. Not long after they set off on the fourth day, a tall black shadow appeared on the grassland. The black shadow suddenly stood up on the gentle grassland, like a mountain that made people look up to it.

Although Xu Deyan was well-informed and approached, he couldn't help but feel shocked when he looked at this Dongyi City that had been built for less than ten years. He saw the prosperity of Jiankang and the majesty of Daxing City, but this Dongyi City gave Xu Deyan two words: huge.

The foundation of Dongyi City is itself a circular mountain peak. The peak is only about five or six feet in front of it, and the main peak behind it is more than a hundred feet high. Such a mountain can only be considered a small mountain in the mainland, but it looks particularly prominent in such an endless grassland. Dongyi City is spreading the ground from the peak in front, with the city wall as high as three feet high. With the city tower, it is almost ten feet from the foot of the mountain to the highest point. People stand below and look at the military land guarding with spears above and feels blurred. The soldiers on the top floor look down and it seems to have arrived in the Lilliput Kingdom.

Because the city is built on the foundation of the mountain, it must go up from the steps. From the foot of the mountain to the flat ground in front of the city gate, there are more than fifty steps in total. There are also sloping paths for carriages and cavalry next to it. From the foot of the mountain, whether it is the horse pulling the carriage or the horses under the five guards, they are already sweating, and breathing. It can be imagined that if the enemy dares to attack the city, this slope alone will consume most of their energy. When they get under the city, they can only be slaughtered.

The gate of Dongyi City was open, and there was a team of soldiers guarding each side with spears. Judging from the crowds that were flowing through the door, the prosperity of Dongyi City was probably no less than that of a medium-sized county town in the Central Plains. Most of the people entering and leaving were dressed by herders, and there were very few Han people. The people entering the city were holding more or less a few animal furs in their hands. Obviously, they wanted to change some goods they wanted to use in the city, but the fur on their hands that were gone, and they were replaced with the urgently needed salt, tea, cloth, etc.

A small number of people would use carriages or ox carts to pull the fur to enter the city for exchange. However, except for two wheels, their carriages were made of simple wooden boards nailed together. Although there were barriers on both sides, they did not cover them like Xu Deyan's carriage. As long as the curtain was put down, the carriage and the outside were two worlds. When they saw Xu Deyan's carriage, many people showed curious expressions.

Maybe when I saw the five guards around Xu Deyan's side, they all looked fierce and were not easy to mess with. Or I was a little ashamed of looking at this exquisite carriage, and no one really got close to talk to him.

The soldiers guarding the city on both sides ignored most people, as if they were just decorations. However, when they encountered a cart carrying cart into the city, two soldiers would come up and check it up and down, and estimate a tax amount based on the value of the cart loaded, so that they could only get in after paying the money. Xu Deyan's carriage was naturally stopped.

There were many precious brocades on his carriage, a few pieces of fur clothes, and several bags of gold and silver. These were rewarded by the prince and Mrs. Xuan Hua. Xu Deyan had no relatives in the capital except his wife. His wife and Mrs. Xuan Hua naturally did not need to use these things. He only brought some valuable things together. The soldier opened the carriage and looked at it in a daze. He probably had never seen such a visitor. After calming down, he immediately said: "There are several pieces of brocades and three pieces of fur clothes, and it requires a tax of one hundred cents."

In addition to silver and money, the items in Xu Deyan's car are worth more than hundreds of trump cards, and they only pay a tax of one hundred cents, accounting for less than one percent of the total value of the goods, which is far lower than the city gate tax of the 20-1-1-1-year tax in the Sui Dynasty. Xu Deyan originally wanted to take out his official letter to exempt him from tax, but when he heard that he only paid a hundred cents, he changed his mind and put a hanging of copper coins in the hands of the sergeant and asked: "Brother, why is this tax so low?"

The sergeant smiled slightly: "The lieutenant has an order. This is the northernmost place in our dynasty. The business travelers from the Central Plains have long journeys. They have already drawn taxes at least several times on the road. If the taxes are high and the business travelers are unwilling to come, the government will not only not be able to withdraw taxes, but will also lead to material collapse. It is better to collect less and make business travelers profitable. The merchants, governments, and the people will benefit."

Xu Deyan nodded slightly when he heard this. He had obtained some information about Luo Yi, a captain of the Dongyi school in the capital. He was born in the East Palace and had a strong martial arts skills. Since he became the captain of the Dongyi school, there were first Khitans, then Xiren, Shiwei people, etc., and everyone who did not accept it was killed by Luo Yi. It can be said that people were killed like a slaughter. However, it is precisely because of this that the Sui Dynasty has maintained the stability of Liaodong. Even the Goguryeo people who were ready to move before have changed their qualities when talking about Luo Yi.

Xu Deyan originally thought that a general like Luo Yi would be brave, and he would probably not be very proficient in people's livelihood. It can be seen from the words of the soldiers just now that Luo Yi might have gained something from internal affairs.

After paying the tax, the sergeant signaled that Xu Deyan could enter the city. The coachman shouted and the carriage restarted. However, a noise suddenly came from the foot of the mountain. Xu Deyan couldn't help but turn his head and look back. He couldn't help but be stunned. At the lowest level of the city steps, several herders kowtowed and kowtowed to the direction of the city gate, muttering to themselves.

"What are they doing?" Xu Deyan's heart was filled with a question. When he wanted to see again, the carriage had already entered the shadow under the city gate, blocked the sight of several herders who were kneeling down on the steps just now.

After entering the city, the road was even more lively, but Xu Deyan lost interest. He always had to think about the few people who had just knelt down. Are these people wronged or were they asking for something? But in their unclear spoken language, Xu Deyan heard more like a pious person. This feeling was more like the sentences he heard in the temple.

Pious? Xu Deyan shook his head at a city. Anyway, he would stay in this city for three years in the future. It would not be too late to understand this matter after he settled down.

The guardian Dongyi School Guard was easy to find. Xu Deyan just asked a guard to ask passers-by, so he let the coachman rush to the middle of the city. When he arrived at a tall house, the carriage stopped. Xu Deyan got off the carriage and looked up at the house. There was a large plaque above the house, with six big words "Guardian Dongyi School Guardian."

Below the plaque, there were four great men standing motionless, like four statues, with five steps from the main road to the threshold. On the steps, lifelike stone lions stared at passers-by with big eyes, as if they could choose people to eat at any time, giving the entire leader a sense of majesty to protect the Dongyi Mansion.

Xu Deyan respectfully took out his official book, climbed the steps, and gave it to a soldier standing like wood: "The lower official came from the capital under the order of the Eastern Palace and wanted to see the lieutenant."

The commander of the Fengche was from the fifth rank, and the difference between the third rank of the commander of the Dongyi School was too great. Moreover, Xu Deyan wanted to serve under the other party's account, so he naturally could not lose etiquette.

The sergeant moved his hand and took the official letter. He just glanced at him for a few glances and immediately returned it to Xu Deyan: "The lieutenant is out of the city and is not in the mansion. You can go back first."

"This... I wonder when the lieutenant will come back and can the subordinates enter the mansion and wait?"

"This is not accurate. Maybe it's possible to return in the evening, maybe several days or half a month. If the lord is not here, there will be no guests in the mansion." The sergeant replied expressionlessly.

Xu Deyan was stunned. Luo Yi was not in the city. Just as he was about to ask again, an escort shouted: "Rareless, we are coming from the capital thousands of miles away. Luo Yi should come back to see us even if there is something big."

These guards sent Xu Deyan all the way here, and they worked hard without saying that they wanted to return to the capital as soon as possible. When they heard that Luo Yi was not there and had not even had time to come back, they couldn't help but feel angry. In addition, they came from the Eastern Palace, so they did not have much awe for ordinary third-rank officials.
Chapter completed!