In the white world, a team of travelers trudged hard, looking from a distance, nearly half of their bodies were not in the thick snow, and the speed was as slow as a turtle crawling, and the picture was a bit gimmicky.

Liu Qun stood in front of the camp gate early and waited, and saw this group of travelers slowly approaching their camp from a distance, so he hurriedly led the crowd to meet them.

The travelers whipped away the snow from the thick leather with leather cords and sticks, and each one was burly and heavily clothed, like a vicious black bear.

Liu Qun personally stepped forward and presented the clay pot full of buttermilk to a short middle-aged man, with a slightly courteous and apologetic smile on his face: "It's cold, and I have to have Lao Bohaigong go through it personally, Qun is really ashamed." ”

That short middle-aged man was Duan Lan, the leader of the Xianbei Duan Division, and when he heard that Liu Qun was still calling himself a knight in the old year, his face that was frozen red by the wind and snow flashed a trace of loneliness, he took the crockpot and took a sip, and then sighed: "It's all an old thing, and now I am like Liu Gong, I am all a poor person who has been left behind, and the name is commensurate." ”

After Liu Qun heard this, he said with a straight face: "If there is no protection from the Duke of Liaoxi in the old years, how can Qun and the others survive in Liaodi." Although many of the characters in the old years are not there, they still dare not forget this feeling. ”

As he spoke, he led Duan Lan and a group of strong soldiers behind him into the camp, and chose a spacious camp to sit in, with Liu Qun and Cui Yue as companions.

After taking a seat, Duan Lan looked at Liu Qun with a grin and said, "Although the trip is hard, I think that as long as I enter Liu Gongying, I will have my own pure brew from the south, and my heart is hot." ”

"If you say that the rest is just down, but if it comes to this, how can there be any reason not to let Bohai Gong enjoy himself."

When Liu Qun heard this, he also laughed, raised his hand and ordered someone to send many wine urns, and personally poured wine for Duan Lan. The pure liquor was poured out, and a mellow smell of wine suddenly wafted through the whole house.

Hu Ren was already good at drinking, and this fine wine from the south was quite effective in keeping out the cold, and soon the sound of Duan Bu's strong soldiers drinking sounded in the whole house, and Duan Lan was no exception.

"The southern country is really not comparable to our wilderness."

After drinking several bowls of wine, Duan Lan twisted her messy beard and said with emotion, and then looked at Liu Qun and said, "Liu Gong passed on the book, saying that this year's business is going to change again?" But no matter what the variables, these wines are really indispensable, otherwise my subordinates don't know how to disturb me. ”

Liu Qun and they were able to gain a foothold in the wolf pack of the Liao Desolation, in addition to Liu Kun Yuyin, they have had another matter in the past two years. In the fourth year of Qitai in the south, Wen Fangzhi, the son of Wen Qiao, was ordered to go north to Liaodong, and established a stronghold directly under the southern Xingtai in Ma Shijin in Liaodong, and soon after, he got in touch with Liu Qun and others in Liaoxi.

At that time, Nanguo Xingtai was still making every effort to open up the west, and Yu Liaohuang only had some commercial and trade exchanges. Previously, the object of trade was only the Murong Department in Liaodong, but with the arrival of Wen Fangzhi, the scale of commerce had to expand, and it was also necessary to get in touch with more Liaodi forces.

Liu Qun and others only barely gained a foothold in Liaoxi, but thanks to his father Yu Yin, the large and small forces in Liaobian wanted to sell him an insignificant face, so Wen Fangzhi entrusted the affairs of Liaoxi to Liu Qun and others. Many forces in western Liaoning want to obtain a stable source of southern goods, and Liu Qun is the only choice here.

Of course, these trades need to be carried out privately, and neither the Qianguo that controls Liaoxi nor the Murong Department that controls Liaodong are very happy to see Zhongzhou Xingtai infiltrating too much in Liaodi, so the scale is not very large.

However, from the fourth year of Qitai to the end of the seventh year of Qitai today, these forces in western Liaoning have more or less carried out several successful trades, and they have all gained something from this, and have formed a tacit understanding that cannot be used by outsiders.

Through these commercial interactions, the living environment of Liu Qun and his subordinates was greatly improved. There are many reasons why it is still so simple and simple.

In Liu Qun's view, this can be regarded as a way to repay Wen Qiao's kindness and righteousness, helping the younger generations of the Wen family to gain a foothold in the famine, and not using it as a means of profit. The second is also to hide people's eyes and ears, and dare not get too carried away, so as not to be noticed by the Youzhou army.

There is another reason that Liaobian Hulu is cunning, although they make a profit from trading, they will not relax their suppression of Liu Qun's subordinates. Without enough self-protection ability, if Liu Qun and the others hoard too many goods here, they are really looking for death.

Therefore, the transaction between the two sides is often agreed on a time and place, and Ma Shijin will arrive in western Liaoning by sea or land, and the Hu people will pick up the goods by themselves. Liu Qun is here just as a channel for the two sides to contact.

Hearing Duan Lan say this, Liu Qun sighed, hugged his fists and said: "It's not that I want to make things difficult for the deceased, I can't hide it, don't talk about the shortage of goods in this year's trade, I'm afraid it is unlikely to continue." ”

Hearing this, Duan Lan's face suddenly changed, and she said quickly, "Why do you say this? I heard that the southern kingdom is a great victory this year, and even the lower Hebei and even the Bohai Sea are already under the control of the soldiers, so the passage is naturally more convenient, how can I say that it cannot be carried out......"

With the resumption of trade between the two places, the delivery of news has also become timely. These forces in Liao also know that the two major forces of the north and the south fought a big war at the turn of summer and autumn, and the state of Liao was not only defeated and lost, but even the national capital was broken and robbed by the Jin army, forcing the current lord Shihu to move the capital to the north, and in the middle of winter, they urgently requisitioned a group of manpower and material resources in western Liao.

It is precisely because of this that after receiving Liu Qun's message, Duan Lan ignored the wind and snow to block the way. Otherwise, although Liu Qun also has face, it is far from worthy of Duan Lan to come in person. After all, face is empty, and without strength, you can't get people's respect from the bottom of your heart. The two sides may have some old friendship, but with the death of Duan Liao and the fall of Duanbu, it is actually too thin to be countless.

There are many things that are hard to stop once they start. Duan Lan, the remnants of the Duan Division, are still quite strong in western Liaoning, but in fact, their survival situation is not good. Now the talker in Liaoxi is the state of Qian, and he is very wary of these remnants of their sections. At the same time, the Liao land is bitter and cold, the products are not abundant, and he has to bear a lot of military service and labor service assigned by the country, and Duan Lan maintains it very hard.

The transaction with Ma Shijin in Liaodong is actually not much compared to the entire Duan tribe, after all, this kind of private transaction is difficult to carry out on a large scale. But in the midst of poverty, even if it is only a small improvement, it is clearly visible, and the comfort to people's hearts is very strong.

Liao is deserted, there are not many products that can be used for trade, and the goods and goods from the south come from afar, naturally not to do good deeds, they need furs, medicinal materials and some precious minerals from Liaobian.

As early as the beginning of autumn, when he learned of the great victory in the war in the south, Duan Lan judged that the scale of trade could be expanded this year, because most of the tribal manpower was invested in the collection of these materials, and even the normal production and cultivation were somewhat deserted. Because as long as more southern goods are traded this year, whether it is for personal use or resale, the harvest will far outweigh its own production. This account, Duan Lan can calculate it very clearly.

However, Liu Qun suddenly said that he would interrupt the transaction, which naturally surprised Duan Lan. The furs and medicinal herbs that his department had stored this year would be useless if they could not be traded. If you don't get the expected returns, this winter will be extremely tormenting!

Hearing Duan Lan's questioning, Liu Qun also looked sad, and sighed a few times before he said: "Because of the deep friendship, I have a little support with you Bohai Gong." How is the war in China, I think Bohai Gong naturally understands that it is not far off for Xingtai to add new strength and attack the country in the north on a large scale. When this military was of great use, there were not many commercial goods that could be exported far away. ”

"If it's just this one, Liu Gong doesn't need to worry. No matter how many southern goods arrive in the country this year, our department can support them all. The momentum of the sect is strong, and the revival of the community is promising, and we, the servants of the border wasteland, are also sincerely happy. If Gong Liu can help me this time, I can assure you that if there is a need in the future, I will send Gong Liu back to China with my clan strength to welcome the king! ”

Duan Lan said with a serious face, he was not deceiving Liu Qun when he said this. Not to mention that the country of Qian and he already have a grudge against the clan, they are born by the strong lord of China, if the southern country can really kill the country, it is also the best choice for him to take refuge in the past, and he can't really be loyal to the country to death, right?

After Liu Qun heard this, he waved his hand and said: "If this is the only point, why should I bother Bohai Gong to go through it?" With your old friendship alone, this little thing is not enough to worry about. In addition, there is another case, originally I summoned Ma Shijin a month ago, please first lose a batch of goods and goods to your department. But not long ago, this batch of goods disappeared on the way, and I don't know where it was taken......"

"Is that so?"

After Duan Lan heard this, her face was already furious, and she shouted, "Who is the perpetrator?" Can there be a clue? ”

"I've been very sad lately, and I've been inquiring in many ways, but there is no conclusive news. Bohai Gong should also know that Wen Hongzu, the supervisor of Ma Shijin, is the heir of my cousin Wen Taizhen, and the younger generation is already difficult to do things, and as an elder, not only can I not help, but this kind of evil thing happens under my eyes, which is really ashamed. Before this matter is concluded, I will never dare to let the younger generation take risks, and I ask Bohai Gong to be considerate......"

When Duan Lan heard this, her brows were already tightly furrowed, and her thoughts were also turning rapidly. This kind of private transaction has lasted for more than two years, and the large and small forces in Liaoxi have benefited a lot from it.

What's more, this batch of goods is exclusively for their sections, so when the perpetrator makes a move, he really has to think carefully about the consequences. Although their Duan tribe has been wiped out, but now Duan Lan still has tens of thousands of people under his command, and there are five or six thousand strong soldiers, which is still one of the few forces in Liaoxi, and not everyone has the courage to bear his anger.

"Could it be a traitor from Liaodong Murong?"

Duan Lan pondered for a moment before asking again.

Liu Qun shook his head: "It's not Murong, the incident happened in Liaoxi, it must be the strong Liang of this realm!" ”

Originally, Duan Lan didn't have any other thoughts, but when she heard Liu Qun's denial so simply, she became suspicious in her heart. I just said that there was no information at all, why are you so sure now?

"That must be Yuwen traitor!"

Another young man in the banquet took the case and said angrily, this young man is Duan Lan's son named Duan Xuan, he looked at his father and said angrily: "Please allow me to count thousands of armor soldiers, and I will immediately kill Yuwen Camp and recover my goods!" ”

"Elders talk about things, how can you interject as a child, sit down for me!"

Duan Lan was irritable in her heart, and when she heard this, she roared and scolded her son, and at the same time, her eyes glanced at Liu Qun.

As the current leader of the Duan Division, Duan Lan is naturally not a young man who does not care about the world, and as Liu Qun's statement became more and more obvious, he naturally gradually became enlightened.

Of course, he didn't believe that the Jin State really traded with them across the sea to save them, and there must be other plans. Let them taste the benefits of commerce and trade first, and then suddenly cut off this way, naturally to urge them to do something.

In other words, in this year's war, the Jin State has completely locked in the victory of the confrontation between the north and the south, and now it is time to spare energy to really intervene in the Liaobian.

It's just that what kind of situation do the Jin people want to create in Liaobian? And how much interference will be put into it?

For a while, Duan Lan thought a lot and was not in a hurry to express his position. Now that the forces of the north and the south are compared, although he is far away in Liaobian, he also has an understanding. The fact is that the capital of the old nest of the Qiang Kingdom has been penetrated, and the lord Shi Hu has to be forced to move the capital.

Under such circumstances, their stance is biased towards the south, which is naturally in line with their interests in Donghu.

But things are not so simple, although the southern country is strong, but after all, it has not really controlled the territory of Liaobian. Although the Kingdom of Jin is weak, it is relative to the Kingdom of Jin, and it is very simple to kill them.

At present, Liu Qun represents the Jin State to cut off the threat of commerce, Duan Lan is secretly ashamed in his heart, even if their Duan Department is down, it is by no means that this mere material profit can drive them to fight with their lives! Of course, without such supplies, this winter is destined to be difficult and painful, but it is not yet to the point of endangering life and death.

Seeing that Duan Lan was silent, Liu Qun was not anxious, compared to the early years when he was tossing and turning around and sending people under the fence, he was very enjoying the current negotiation of pinching other people's necks, and he also understood more and more Wen Hongzu's young words and the overflowing pride of the general of Xingtai.

If it weren't for his personal experience and witnessing all kinds of power struggles, he would really be very willing to devote himself to such a powerful and majestic regime for the rest of his life, and use his talents to fight for fame before and after his death.

"Until this matter is decided, the border trade matter can only be suspended. All of this, because of the old feelings, I first ask Bohai Gong to talk about it. However, if nothing is obtained, the remaining parties are also asked. In addition to me, Ma Shijin will also send someone to ask later, and if necessary, after the sea route is unblocked next year, there will also be Wang Shi across the sea to ask. ”

Liu Qun said word by word, seeing that Duan Lan's face was even more gloomy, and there was no lack of happiness in his heart. This is a statement that Xingtai is determined to officially start interfering in Liaobian affairs this time, and will continue to invest forces. If Duan Lan doesn't cooperate, he will also negotiate with other forces, and even if he kills him, Xingtai will send someone again.

"Why did Gong Liu insist that this was not done by Murong traitors? I have a feud with my department, and Liu Gong naturally knows ......"

After a while, Duan Lan spoke again, this was also a big fear in his heart, he didn't know what kind of situation Nanguo wanted to create in Liaobian. Moreover, among the many forces in Liaobian, the Murong Department was the first to come into contact with Zhongzhou Xingtai, and Duan Lan was afraid that even if he was willing to take the risk to help Xingtai do things, the greatest interests would be encroached upon by the Murong Ministry.

"Liaodong Murong is dominant, this is a fact. The Liaobian force is weak under the current line, and its strength is temporarily suspended, which is also a natural choice. However, General Shen of the Southern Kingdom will not only care about the strength of his strength and the number of people. I have a friendship with Bohai Gong, and if I can return to the south by luck in the future, I must also keep this friendship and help each other inside and outside. ”

After hearing this, Duan Lan shook his head: "When the ancestor was here, it was often said that it was a great blessing to be able to control a great sage and master like Liu Gong. Although I am not as talented as my ancestors, I am also very happy to be able to be taught by Liu Gong often, how can Liu Gong abandon me lightly! ”

Hearing Duan Lan say this, a trace of shame flashed in Cui Yue's eyes in the banquet. Liu Qun also hesitated slightly, and after a while, he gave Cui Yue a look, and then said to Duan Lan: "I am only afraid of mediocrity, and I am very honored to be respected by the Duke of Bohai." Liaobian is like my hometown, and I can't give up this feeling. ”

Just one Liu Qun as a hostage could not satisfy Duan Lan, he pondered for a while and then said: "Liaoxi is the ancestral inheritance of my ancestors, and the poor country of the country lost its ancestral inheritance. I am weak and weak, and I dare not do everything I can to restore my old business, but many captives on the side are evil thieves galloping through my old court, if it can really help, I hope these thieves can be handed over to me to deal with. I don't know about this, can it be decided by Liu Gong? ”

Although Duan Lan is greedy, he is not without self-knowledge, knowing that with his current power alone, even if the Jin State comes forward to regulate and reorganize the affairs of Liaobian, it will be difficult for him to take advantage of the situation to monopolize Liaoxi and revive the old industry.

In troubled times, population is the most important, especially in the remote and bitter cold Liaobian. Therefore, he wanted to keep Liu Qun by his side, in addition to being a hostage, he actually valued Liu Qun's reputation for his ability to appease those who were cold.

"I can't decide this, but I'll make it happen."

After hearing this, Liu Qun bowed his head slightly and said, it should be said that Duan Lan's attitude was very unkind, not only to detain him as a hostage, but also to simply treat him as a messenger. But he has been in the wilderness for many years, and he has not suffered humiliation, if he can't even stand this anger, he and the rest of the people around him are afraid that he has been dead for many years.

Compared with his early years, the greatest gain from this suffering half of his life is to realize that the process is not important, but the result is important. He needed to use the strength of the Duan Department to disrupt the situation in western Liaoning and weaken the control of the state of Qian. Otherwise, with the old, weak, sick and disabled under his hands, he was afraid that he would be killed by the tigers and wolves around him before he could break out of the camp.

The two sides reached a preliminary consensus, Duan Lan did not leave, and stayed in Liu Qun's camp, but only sent his son and several cronies back to the tribe to gather troops to prepare for the work. Rebelling against the country, he doesn't have much psychological burden, the current wind and snow are blocking the way, it is not suitable for the army to be dispatched, even if the country is informed, he will not send troops to settle the chaos at the first time, it is indeed a good time to make a move.

Although he was strong in front of Liu Qun, he was very wary of him in his heart. Liu Qun has been fighting in Liaobian for many years, and he is very clear about the details between the Zhuhu tribes, and he has his father Yu Yin in his body, and now he has such a big backstage as Nanguo behind him, and it is not difficult to gather these tribal forces in western Liaoning to disrupt the situation.

At the moment, Liu Qun found him first, and Duan Lan was also glad in his heart, otherwise, it was very likely that he would be besieged and killed in ignorance. Now he is taking the lead, and he is worried that the situation will repeat again.