Chapter 64: To Save the Beauty, Fall into a Gambling Den (Part 1)

  Yi County is indeed a good place, where the local environment nurtures its people. Yi County in Xigong Prefecture isn't very famous because it wasn't well-known in the Central Plains to begin with, unlike cities like Luoyang or Chang'an that everyone knows about.

  However, Yi County is absolutely notorious in the surrounding cities. The neighboring counties also have a reverent attitude towards Yi County, because the people of Yi County are really too fierce, they often resort to violence, and at the slightest disagreement, they draw their knives. In Confucian terms, the people of Yi County lack education and moral cultivation.

  To its right is Hejian Commandery, to the south is Boling Commandery, to the west is Maiyi Commandery, and to the north is Zhuo Commandery. In between lies Shanggu Commandery.

  Among these five counties, the ones with the most vigorous folk customs are Maiyi County and Zhuo County, as well as Shanggu County. Shanggu County is mediocre compared to the top but superior to the bottom, and compared to Maiyi County and Zhuo County, it's like comparing a sheep to a big grey wolf. However, if compared to Hejian County and Boling County, this little sheep suddenly transforms into a big grey wolf.

  Who is the governor of Zhuo County? It's Luo Yi, Marquis of Jingbian!

  Luo Yi's martial arts skills are truly exceptional, and in terms of military prowess, he can even hold his own against the great General Yang Lin. His deployment of troops is also unparalleled, making him a standout among the generals of the Great Sui dynasty.

  Luo Yi was originally a minister of the Northern Qi, his father Luo Yong had already been enfeoffed as a noble during the Northern Qi, and later because of his high prestige, the ruler of Qi enfeoffed him as Duke of Yan, with his fief located in the Yan Mountains. This title of Duke of Yan was also hereditary, showing that the Luo family was very prominent in the Northern Qi.

  Luo Yungang died young, and Luo Yi had already inherited the title of Yan Gong. Luo Yi was exceptionally brave, with a strong sense of justice, and was known for his integrity and simplicity. He wielded a silver spear with unparalleled skill, earning him great fame among all tribes in the desert.

  Na Langyi was originally the son-in-law of Qin Xu. When he heard that his father-in-law had passed away, he launched an attack on the Great Zhou. The King of Leshan, Yang Lin, led troops to punish Na Langyi, and they fought a fierce battle with each other. In the end, they admired each other's bravery, and Na Langyi was persuaded by Yang Lin to surrender to the Sui Dynasty. By then, the Great Zhou had already ceased to exist, and Yang Jian had ascended to the throne.

  Before surrendering, Luo Yi proposed three conditions, if they were met, he would surrender; otherwise, he would fight to the death. What are these three conditions?

  First: Although Luo Yi surrendered to the Great Sui, the 100,000 elite soldiers under his command only listened to him and were stationed in Yan Mountain forever; Second: Although Luo Yi surrendered to the Great Sui, he did not have to go see the Sui Emperor, listening but not obeying; Third: In Luo Yi's territory, he had the power of life and death, and the court could not intervene.

  These three conditions seem harsh, but they are reasonable. Yang Lin agreed as soon as he heard them, because at this time Yang Lin had other things to attend to and it would be best to calm down Luo Yi's heart. The battle in front cannot be fought with the rear courtyard on fire.

  The imperial court's document came down to respond to Luo Yi's request, and the edict was actually that famous bandit Dou Jiande at the end of the Sui Dynasty. At that time, he was still an official, and he also had a superficial relationship with Luo Yi. The document said: Appoint Luo Yi as the Marquis of Jingbian, commanding his own strong army of one million soldiers, dominating the north of Hebei, making the desert lose its courage, and the Turks' hearts cold. Not listening to the call, but listening to the declaration, having the power to kill or spare, forever being the garrison chief, and inheriting this position for generations!

  Yang Lin and Dou Jiande parted ways after they finished dealing with Luo Yi's affairs. Dou Jiande returned to fulfill the imperial edict, while Yang Lin fled to Dengzhou, where he went to quell a rebellion. He never came back, and remained garrisoned in Dengzhou until this day.

  The bravery of the county of Zhuo is not just due to Luo Yi's individual efforts, but more importantly, it is because of his eighteen elite cavalrymen from Yan and Yun, who are truly feared by their enemies and have a notorious reputation that has long been known throughout the various tribes of the great desert. Especially the tribe of Jie, they don't even dare to set foot in Zhuo county, intimidated by the notorious reputation of the eighteen riders. The people nearby are also afraid, so there aren't many bandits or robbers around Zhuo county.

  Yan Yun's eighteen riders wore cold clothes, with curved knives at their waists and masks on their faces, only revealing their eyes. They were wrapped in black cloaks from head to toe, wearing Hu people's boots with daggers attached. Each of them carried a large bow on their back, and on each person's shoulder was a fierce hunting eagle. This cavalry unit was often sent by Luo Yi to the Mongolian Gobi Desert and the northeastern barbarian tribes.

  During the Northern Qi, the Turks saw that the Central Plains were divided and wanted to take advantage of it to get a share of the spoils. They launched a large-scale invasion of the northern border under Luo Yi's rule, killing and looting. Luo Yi led the "Yan Yun 18 Riders" in a surprise attack, defeating the Turks greatly.

  During the Turkic retreat, Luo Yi led the Yan Yun 18 Riders as the vanguard, followed by thousands of cavalrymen, and again defeated the Turks. Luo Yi pursued deep into the grasslands to the Turkic Liao Department's garrison, killing tens of thousands of men, women, and children, leaving none alive. From 70- or 80-year-old elderly people to newborn babies, all met the same fate. The scene was truly unimaginable and chilling. However, Luo Yi and his Yan Yun 18 Riders did just that. From then on, the Turks regarded the "Yan Yun 18 Riders" as devils and dared not invade Luo Yi's territory again. Luo Yi thus declared a great victory.

  The notorious name of Raozhou and other places is also spreading rapidly, as long as it is Rao Yi's territory, no one dares to make trouble, including Liu City, Huaiyuan, and Jinzhou.

  The fierce folk customs of Maiyi County in the west are inevitable, since the border between Tuyuhun and Central Plains cannot be opened in places like Zhuo County, Tuyuhun can only consider other places. The best place is naturally Yanmen Pass.

  Yanmen Pass thus became a must-attack place for the Turks to attack the Central Plains. After entering Yanmen, you can see that it is Mayi County. Mayi County developed and grew slowly under such circumstances. How could the folk customs not be bold?

  Living in war every day, human life is cheaper than a dog's, anything can be done to survive, theft and robbery are trivial matters, happening every day, basically five out of ten people have blood on their hands, cold-bloodedness can be fully expressed there.

  Shangyuguan is a place that has managed to survive among so many monster counties, and it can't help but have a rough folk culture. Especially in Yi County, this small county town used to be quite affluent, but in recent years, things have been getting worse and worse. At the root of it all, there are just too many thieves and bandits.

  Weidao is the number one bandit in Yi County, but not many people know about it. Weidao has a lot of business in Shanggu Prefecture, and they are very diverse, covering half of the prefecture. He has opened stores everywhere, and his business is so diverse because he does everything, inserting himself into every kind of business, doing whatever makes money.

  The territory of Shangyu County can be taken down by half, let alone a small Yixian County. One hand cannot make a sound, and Wei Daoer is in cahoots with the government, while the Shan family has a good relationship with the Yang family, so there are only three voices in Yixian County.

  One voice was Wei Daoer's, one was Shan Jia's, and one voice was Wang Xu Ba's.

  This Wei Daoer naturally doesn't need to be said in detail, having power and influence, the main business of the single family is not in this small place of Yi County, so there are not many conflicts with Wei Daoer, plus the relationship with the government is good, so it has also survived. Speaking of Wang Xu Ba, it must be said that he is a unique person, who can be named together with Wei Daoer and resist each other will not be a simple character.

  It is said that Wang Xu Ba had a younger brother named Wang Jun Lang. The two brothers were originally young servants in the Taoist temple, and they learned internal martial arts from the old Taoist priest. His younger brother Wang Jun Lang went down the mountain very early and followed Li Mi to mix around. Due to his intelligence and good martial arts skills, he quickly gained Li Mi's appreciation and was recommended by Li Mi to Yang Xuan Gan, thus entering the Great Sui Army, and now has a promising future.

  Wang Xu Ba is also very impressive, relying on his brother's relationship and his own hard work, he has actually established himself in Shanggu County. The county is divided into two halves, one half occupied by Wei Dao Er, the other half shared among Wang Xu Ba, Shan Jia and those individual households.

  Wang Xubao and Wei Daoer were the most incompatible, their biggest income was from wine houses and casinos, so they often clashed, frequently undermining each other to make things difficult for one another.

  Li Mi hastened to the Shangguo County and joined forces with Shan Xiongxin, who was preparing to return home. The group quietly waited for Xiao Shouren to arrive at Shangguo County.

  But things are so coincidental, and in just two days after arriving at Shangyu County, news came that Xiao Shouren was already fighting with the imperial court's people at the wooden house in the wilderness, and Zhang Ba, the Eight-Armed Nezha, had lost his life at his hands.

  Li Mi felt something was off after hearing the news, those top-notch insiders were actually sent by Yang Xuan Gan. Lu Qing Yun's junior sister and brother are currently working under Yang Xuan Gan, ever since getting the news from Lu Qing Yun, the junior sister wanted to take advantage of her senior brother's position, so she told Yang Xuan Gan everything about the Qian Kun diagram in one go.

  Yang Xuan was overjoyed when he heard the news, it was as if someone had handed him a pillow while he was thinking of sleeping. After inquiring carefully, he decided to send out an expert to retrieve the Qiankun diagram.

  That's why there was that scene in the wooden house on the wasteland. Li Mi knew about this matter, and his relationship with Yang Xuangan was really close, just like brothers, or even closer than brothers. However, at that time he had more important things to do, so he didn't participate, but he knew all the details clearly.

  Yang Xuangong had explained the matter of taking the Qiankun diagram, and two copies of the message were sent out. One was reported to himself, and one was reported to Li Mi nearby, so it would be good to have a response.

  Li Mi had only just arrived in Shanggu County for less than two days when he received news that the mission to retrieve the Dry Heaven Chart had failed. He called over the high-ranking official who had let Lu Qingyun off and asked him in detail, discovering that Xiao Shouren was involved again. It seemed his plan needed to be changed; this matter wouldn't be resolved simply by waiting for Xiao Shouren to enter the city.

  So he hastily called up his men and Xuan Zhongxin to hurry to the wooden house in the wilderness, and then slowly searched for Xiao Shouren's whereabouts. Li Mi was afraid that after Xiao Shouren experienced the incident at the wooden house in the wilderness, he would be suspicious and take another route, so he couldn't sit still and personally went to investigate again to be sure.