In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 717 Is this still the official road?

Chenjiacun.

After leaving Yongliang County, Zhang Hehe did not return to Taiping County, but went directly to Chenjia Village to meet Chen Dao and truthfully told Chen Dao about Yang Zheng's request.

"You mean Yang Zheng from Liangzhou wants to see me?"

Chen Dao looked at Zhang He sitting opposite him, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Yes."

Zhang He nodded firmly: "King Yang said that if you are willing, he will come to Chenjia Village to meet you in person."

"You've come to Chenjia Village in person..."

Chen Dao fell into deep thought. He wasn't surprised that Chenjia Village had caught the attention of Yang Zheng, the ruler of Liangzhou, because Chenjia Village was too close to Liangzhou. Just a dozen kilometers north of Chenjia Village would lead to Yongliang County in Liangzhou. Such a short distance would have been unremarkable if Chenjia Village were an ordinary village, but it was so special that it not only had a large population but also a variety of unique products...

It would be almost impossible for a village like this to go unnoticed by the Liangzhou authorities.

Chen Dao had anticipated this situation when he agreed to let Zhang He expand his business to Liangzhou.

To be honest, Chen Dao wasn't particularly opposed to Yang Zheng wanting to see him.

Chen Dao himself had no ambition to dominate, but he was also well aware that in this chaotic world, it was almost impossible for Chenjia Village to remain unscathed.

Therefore, Chenjia Village had to rely on or invest in a certain power, and the Yang family army in Liangzhou was undoubtedly the power that Chen Dao favored the most or was most willing to invest in.

Perhaps because the territory they occupied was relatively barren, it seemed to discerning people that the Yang family army lacked sufficient resources and had little chance of conquering the world. However, if we were to say which of the various rebel armies in the Nine Provinces Chen Dao most hoped would win the world, it would definitely be the Yang family army.

Among the countless rebellious forces throughout the entire Nine Provinces, only the Yang Family Army truly treated the people well, never plundering a single penny of the property of the people under its rule, and instead frequently opening granaries to distribute grain to relieve the people.

From this perspective, Yang Zheng and Chen Dao are actually the same kind of people. They both have sympathy for the poor and have extreme disgust for the powerful families who leech off the people.

That's why Chen Dao agreed to let Zhang He transport Chenjia Village's products to Liangzhou for sale. Besides expanding the market, the most important reason for doing so was that Chen Dao hoped Zhang He could attract the attention of Yang Family Army and then make contact with them.

As Chen Dao had anticipated, Zhang He did indeed attract the attention of the Yang family army, and even caught the eye of Yang Zheng, the leader of the Yang family army.

After noticing Zhang He, Yang Zheng's response reassured Chen Dao considerably.

Yang Zheng's decision to send Zhang He back to deliver a message instead of directly launching a large-scale military invasion shows that Yang Zheng harbors goodwill towards Chenjia Village.

Since Yang Zheng has good intentions, then cooperation with Yang's army can be put on the agenda!

Chen Dao pulled his thoughts back and said to Zhang He, "You can write back to Yang Zheng and say that I am willing to meet with him."

"it is good."

Zhang He turned and left.

After Zhang He left, Chen Dao immediately turned to Chen Cheng and instructed him, "Cheng-ge'er, ride on Chi Yan Yi and personally go to the county town to invite Prefect Zheng to Chenjia Village. Make sure he brings along the county magistrates from each county."

"Yes."

Soon, a giant bird took off from Chenjia Village, carrying Chen Cheng into the sky.

…………

…………

Three days later.

In Yongliang County, a group of a dozen or so people rode warhorses out of the south gate and headed straight south.

"Yang Shuai, aren't we a bit short-handed?"

Yang Erlang, riding on his horse, said with a hint of worry, "This time, Yang Zheng only brought ten guards with him to Chenjia Village. Although these guards were all selected from the best of the best in the Yang family army, with such a small number, it is probably difficult to guarantee our safety."

After all, Chenjia Village was located in Qingzhou, and Qingzhou was a completely unfamiliar place to the Yang family army.

"A lot!"

Yang Zheng said with a smile, "We're going to discuss business, not to fight a war. Why do we need so many people?"

Since Yang Zheng had already said that, Yang Erlang couldn't say anything more, so he simply stopped talking and focused on continuing on his way.

Because they were riding horses, Yang Zheng and his group traveled very quickly and arrived at the border of Liangzhou around noon.

"Yang Shuai".

A man in the group who had been to Taiping County pointed to the boundary marker ahead and said, "Once we pass this point, we'll be in Taiping County."

"Ah."

Yang Zheng nodded and said, "Speed ​​up a bit and try to reach Chenjia Village before sunset."

"Yes!"

Everyone responded in unison and quickened their pace.

After crossing the boundary marker, completely different scenery appeared before our eyes. Yongliang County was covered in white, while Taiping County was completely free of snow. Although they were two adjacent counties, they seemed like two different worlds.

Of course, the temperature in Taiping County was not warm at all. The howling wind on the official road felt like knives scraping against their faces. Fortunately, the group were all martial artists with strong physiques, so they were not afraid of the cold.

However, due to the cold weather, the official road was deserted and desolate, with only the sound of horses' hooves echoing, giving people a sense of bleakness and oppression.

And so, the group continued their solitary journey along the deserted official road. After an unknown amount of time, they finally came into view of some people.

"There's someone ahead."

Seeing the figures appear at the end of their line of sight, the men in the group all breathed a sigh of relief. Although they were all martial artists and not afraid of the cold, walking on the deserted, windswept official road still made them feel a sense of oppression.

Therefore, everyone in the group felt much more relaxed when they saw signs of human habitation.

"If I'm not mistaken, Chenjia Village should be just ahead."

Yang Erlang rode forward, and soon the scene before him made him freeze in place.

Unlike the empty and desolate scenery before, the official road ahead was bustling with people. But what shocked Yang Erlang the most was the road surface that was completely different from the one under his feet!

Yang Erlang looked at the yellow dirt road beneath him, then at the brick and stone road ahead, and exclaimed with wide eyes, "Is this still an official road?"

Why is the road here like this?

"Isn't this too extravagant? Using bricks and stones to pave the official road in the wilderness?"

Why is the road ahead paved with bricks?

"..."

Not only Yang Erlang, but the men accompanying him also stared in astonishment at the flat, hard road ahead, their heads buzzing.

They were all elites in the Yang family army, having fought countless battles, large and small. And when fighting, marching is always unavoidable.