Chapter 48 The feeling of being taken care of
Chongshan Pass is not just a pass, but a fortress.

The city is four meters high, embedded between two mountain peaks and connected to Qianchong Mountain, like a terrifying giant beast lying between the mountains.

There are three camps guarding the city wall, in front, middle and back of the town mark. Outside the city wall, there are two camps on the left and right of the town mark, which support each other.

Since the Battle of Black Cloud Mountain twenty years ago, Chongshan Pass has continued to expand from an initial pass, with more and more people living inside and outside the pass.

Today, Chongshan Pass is divided into two parts. The North City is the original pass city, where the Zhenbiao Camp is stationed, and the South City is where the people live.

In the past, Chongshanguan City was the most prosperous city in the north. However, due to the invasion of the Hu cavalry, Chongshanguan City has become much more desolate.

But even if it is depressed, the city surrounded by mountains is still not comparable to the small county town of Anning County.

The caravan traveled slowly, and it took Yang Zhengshan and his companions three days to reach the city of Chongshan Pass.

If you ride a horse, you can arrive in one day. If you drive, you can arrive in the evening.

However, it takes three days to travel with a long caravan, because the caravan's carriages are full of goods and cannot travel fast, so the travel speed is almost the same as walking.

Yang Zhengshan chose to travel with the caravan because this was their first time to Chongshan Pass.

The convoy slowly entered the city gate. Yang Mingzhi and other young men from Yangjia Village looked at the tall city walls and shouted excitedly.

"Wow, what a high wall!"

“This place is even more prosperous than the county town!”

"Look, they're wearing armor!"

Yang Zhengshan glanced at this group of country bumpkins who had never seen the world and snorted with disdain.

But then he looked around, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise.

Well, he's a bumpkin too!

Although he had been to many big cities before, those big cities were completely different from the city in front of him.

The convoy slowly entered the city gate. All citizens entering the city had to show their passes and all carriages had to be searched.

The Lu family's caravan obviously had acquaintances here, so the caravan was very lenient during the search, and was let go after just a quick look.

However, when it was Yang Zhengshan's turn, the searching soldiers looked at him several times while holding his pass.

"Are you Captain Yang?"

Yang Zhengshan's expression changed slightly, and he said, "I haven't reported to the Dusi Yamen yet, and I'm not a centurion yet!"

Although Zhou Lan promised him a trial centurion position, he had not yet enlisted in the military and received an official position in the Dusi Yamen, so nominally he was still a commoner.

"Haha, my name is Zhao Yuan. General Zhou asked me to come and pick up Captain Yang. Please follow me, Captain Yang!" Zhao Yuan said.

Yang Zhengshan looked at him calmly, thinking that he was not a liar, and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Lord Zhao!"

"Haha, I am a centurion just like Captain Yang!" Zhao Yuan said as he led Yang Zhengshan into the city.

What he said was a compliment to Yang Zhengshan. Yang Zhengshan was only a trial centurion, not a centurion.

Yang Zhengshan said something to Song An and followed Zhao Yuan into the city.

A group of fourteen people, driving three horse-drawn carriages, followed Zhao Yuan to a house in the south city.

"This is the residence that General Zhou prepared for Captain Yang. Captain Yang can stay here first. General Zhou will come to see Captain Yang when he has time!" Zhao Yuan opened the gate of the mansion and welcomed Yang Zhengshan in.

This is a three-story courtyard. It’s not big, but much larger than Yang’s.

There are four rooms in the front yard, which serve as a study, tea room, etc. There are three main rooms in the inner yard, two east and west wing rooms each, and five back rooms in the back yard, as well as a back door for carriages to enter and exit.

Zhao Yuan led Yang Zhengshan around the house. "The bedding in the bedroom is new, there is plenty of firewood in the woodshed, and I have prepared rice, flour, grain and oil in the kitchen."

"If Captain Yang feels there is anything lacking, you can tell me."

Yang Zhengshan felt something was a little strange and asked, "Is this for me?"

"That's right, this is a thank-you gift from General Zhou. General Zhou has instructed that once Captain Yang is settled down, he can take the time to go to the government office to change the house deed!" Zhao Yuan said with a smile.

Suddenly, Yang Zhengshan felt like he was being kept.

It would have been fine if she had just given him a gift, but Zhou Lan actually wanted to give her a house. Although the house was not big, it was not small either.

To buy such a house in Anning County, it would cost at least six or seven hundred taels, while in Chongshanguan City, it might cost around two thousand taels.

Although Chongshanguan City is just a border town, there are many government offices of Chongshan Town here.

More government offices mean more officials, and more officials mean more families of officials.

When a new official takes office, he always has to buy or rent a house to live in.

But even if Zhou Lan wanted to support someone, she shouldn't have supported him.

If it were in his previous life, he felt that he might still be kept by someone, after all, he was a handsome and kind young man in his previous life.

But now, he is an old man of the grandfather generation.

That’s right, it’s that old man.

Here, forty is considered old age.

"When can I meet General Zhou?" Yang Zhengshan shook off the messy thoughts in his mind and asked.

Zhao Yuan shook his head and said, "I don't know about that either. General Zhou is very busy and he may not be able to spare any free time."

"But General Zhou has already made arrangements. Captain Yang will stay here first. When she has time, she will take Captain Yang to report to the Dusi Yamen."

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, "Then I won't be polite. I'll stay here first. Please ask Captain Zhao to say hello to General Zhou for me!"

"No trouble, no trouble!" said Zhao Yuan.

After Zhao Yuan left, Yang Zhengshan hurriedly asked Yang Mingzhi and others to put the things they brought into the yard.

Zhao Yuan’s preparations were very comprehensive, but Yang Zhengshan’s preparations were also very comprehensive.

Yang Zhengshan prepared carriages, clothes, beddings, food, oil, salt, etc. He even prepared a few tents and some charcoal, in case he would not be able to find a place to live after arriving at Chongshan Pass.

But now it seems that what he prepared was a bit redundant.

"Dad, are we going to live here from now on?" Yang Minghao was a little excited.

Yang Zhengshan stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking at the busy crowd, and said, "What are you thinking about? We are going to Linguan Fort. Even if this house is ours, we can't live here."

He served as an officer of a garrison, not in one of the five camps of a town, so he could only live in the Linguan Fort, but not in the Guancheng.

However, Zhou Lan once said that if Yang Zhengshan could achieve some results in training troops in Linguan Fort, she would transfer Yang Zhengshan to the left camp of Zhenbiao.

Yang Minghao approached Yang Zhengshan and asked stealthily, "Dad, will General Zhou really give us this house?"

They had been following Yang Zhengshan just now, and they heard everything Zhao Yuan said.

Yang Zhengshan frowned, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. If it does fall, it must be poisonous!"

After calming down, he felt that Zhou Lan seemed too good to him.

Giving gifts is fine, but giving a house is a bit too much.

Although the value of this house is not as great as the gifts Zhou Lan gave, a house is not something that can be given away casually.

He always felt that there was something strange about this matter, but he couldn't think of anything about himself that was worthy of Zhou Lan's concern.

If it was because he could train soldiers, then it would be enough to let him come to Chongshan Pass to serve as a garrison officer. There was no need to be so generous as to give him gifts and houses.

"Second brother, second brother!" Yang Zhengshan shouted.

"Dad, what's the matter?" Yang Mingzhi ran over and asked.

"You should go out more often these two days and find out about the situation in the city!" Yang Zhengshan said.

"Okay!" Yang Mingzhi responded without hesitation.

Yang Mingzhi is best at getting information.

This guy has some social skills and can talk to anyone on the street.

(End of this chapter)