first minister

Chapter 311: Hiding the truth and succeeding

"Emperor?"

There was another sound, and Chen Fugui finally realized what he was saying, and following the sound, he turned out to be the leader of the group of beggars who had helped him when he passed by the dock in Xichu County that day.

It's just that now, his clothes are much neater. Although they are still old and have patches everywhere, at least they no longer look so tattered and unclothed.
"It's you?"

Chen Fugui nodded towards him and forced out a forced smile.

"My benefactor, come this way!"

Beggar glanced warily at the soldiers not far away, waved, and led Chen Fugui to a hidden bamboo forest nearby, and then took the initiative and said: "My dear friend, I see you look troubled, but what happened to you?" Questions?"

Chen Fugui looked at the young man in front of him, who looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, thinking about these things in his mind, and told him, is it good or bad?
Seeing that Chen Fugui was silent, the beggar said again: "Although my benefactor only gave us random gifts back then, for us, it was like rain after a long drought, and several of our brothers were able to survive because of this. We are so kind and virtuous, as long as we If there is a place where I can help my benefactor, I can even risk my life."

When Chen Fugui saw this, he risked his life and whispered: "Do you know that there is a way to bypass these soldiers?"

The beggar didn't ask any more questions and grinned, "My benefactor, this is the right person to ask. Not many people know as much about Xichu County as we do. My benefactor, please come with me!"

Chen Fugui was overjoyed and held the other person's shoulders, "Wait a minute. There are a lot of us."

Beggar was stunned for a moment, recalling the scene that day, "Or ten?"

Do you remember all this?
Chen Fugui couldn't help but be a little surprised, "I'll come here to find you in an hour, and we'll discuss it again. You can also help me think of a safe way. If things are difficult, there's no need. We can think of other ways."

The beggar handed over his hand and said, "Don't worry, benefactor. I'll wait for you here!"

After a while, Chen Fugui turned around again, carefully observing the situation behind him, and quietly returned to the forest on the outskirts of the city.

When he told Xia Jingyun the news, he added, "It's a very important matter. I don't dare to be expert in it. Master, let me make an idea. Do you want to believe him?"

Xia Jingyun had already thought about it quickly in his mind. He came here in secret that day. It was unlikely that these beggars knew his identity in advance and were waiting here. If so, then they were bribed and came to his door on purpose. It is even less likely to come.

What's more important is that he has no other option at the moment.

Just now, the guards acting as scouts by the road have discovered the sergeant from Chuning County who came to report the news. If he waits any longer, he may not be able to leave.

So he stood up and smiled, "One drink and one peck will have your own destiny, form good relationships, and achieve good results. I am willing to believe in the reincarnation of good things in this world. Brother Chen, I would like to trouble you to contact them again. If necessary, Make some preparations and let’s find a way to leave here as soon as possible.”

Chen Fugui nodded in agreement.

Not long after, the beggar boy was brought over by Chen Fugui.

Xia Jingyun smiled and said: "Little brother, you are fine."

When the beggar boy saw Xia Jingyun's familiar face, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, "I pay my respects to my benefactor."

Xia Jingyun lifted him up and said with a smile, "Today we have to rely on our little brother!"

The beggar boy said he didn't dare, and then asked: "What are your benefactor's plans?"

Xia Jingyun said: "There is a Changji store in this city, do you know about it?"

"Master Qin is so rich, I naturally know it."

"You can send someone to look for him and ask him to find a ship to send us away in the name of delivering goods. We will have our own way to win his trust. But the problem is that there are heavy troops at the docks and official roads. Guard, where can we reach the river bank and stop the boat?"

The beggar boy rolled his eyes and pointed to a hill not far away, "There is a path on this mountain that leads to the river. There is a dilapidated small fishing village by the river. We have a little sister whose grandfather used to be in the mountains. Orion, we walked by there once when we went to burn incense for her grandfather, and I still remember the way.”

Chen Fugui frowned, "But we are leaving against the current, and you are heading towards Chuning County again!"

"It's okay!" Xia Jingyun, Su Yanyan, and Qin Li shook their heads in unison.

Immediately, the two women fell silent and turned away from each other. Xia Jingyun then explained with a smile: "It is by going to Chuning County that we can gain the trust of the guards in Xichu County. It is not impossible to turn around on the water."

Now that the matter was settled, Qin Li took out a token of the Qin family and asked the beggar boy, in the name of the Qin family's chief shopkeeper of Longshouzhou, to ask Mr. Qin of Changji to prepare a ship to go to Chuning County to receive a batch of goods.

After the beggar boy left, everyone, led by Xia Jingyun, moved their positions, leaving only two guards in place to take care of them.

There are too many uncertainties on this trip, so I have to be cautious.

But it seemed that good luck finally began to favor Xia Jingyun and his party at this moment.

The Qin shopkeeper of Changji, a very distant branch of the Qin family, did not make any small moves. After seeing the token, he immediately took it seriously, arranged ships, and smoothed relations.

As Xia Jingyun and others expected, when they heard that they were going to Chuning County, the guards did not stop him because of the money in their hands.

On the other side, the beggar boy personally led everyone through the dark and gloomy forest, found the path among the thorns, and successfully arrived at the river bank.

Looking at each other's ragged appearance, everyone couldn't help but laugh and sigh secretly.

The day came and went quietly, and the night took back its rule.

In the hazy night, a man who looked like a general was sitting in a military tent next to the official road, silently holding a wine glass.

The soldier on the side said: "Centurion, General Xiong has sent a message. Should we ask the brothers to increase the search intensity?"

"Big shit! Aren't brothers tired enough these days? Is the imperial envoy mentally ill or something? Will he come to me?"

The general cursed angrily, "Besides, his 200 elite soldiers named Xiong can't imprison one person. I only have these [-] people. How can I imprison him? It's a good thing that he didn't find them. If he found them, he lost them." This is a serious crime! You should eat and drink when you should! Just show it off and check everyone who passes by, so that adults don't catch you in the future."

At the same time, a ship was slowly sailing on the water.

A little girl dressed as a beggar stood on the deck with the manager Qin of the Changji. The manager Qin looked around, "Where are you? Are you here?"

The little beggar's eyes widened and he looked around without saying a word.

"I'm asking you a question! Are you here yet?"

The little beggar's eyes suddenly lit up, he pointed to a place on the shore and said bluntly: "That's it!"

Shopkeeper Qin looked along and saw nothing but darkness, with only a vague outline, so he ordered the boatman to dock.

"Mr. Qin, I don't know how deep the water is on this shore, just in case..."

"If I ask you to dock, just do it. Why are you afraid that I can't pay you?"

The little beggar whispered: "This turned out to be a fishing village, you can dock."

When the boatman heard this, he tilted his head and looked at it, and his long-standing memory emerged, "Oh, it turns out it's here! That's okay!"

Soon, the boat docked.

The boatman set up a sampan, and then the sampan shook. A man jumped onto the deck with a tiptoe, glanced around coldly, and then said: "Come on."

Soon, Qin Li and Su Yanyan stepped onto the boat with the help of their guards.

The veiled Qin Li pretended to be her maid, which made the distant Qin family overjoyed. She repeatedly stated that she would fully cooperate with the girl's request, and only asked the girl to help and say a few good words in front of the eldest lady in the future.

Qin Li nodded naturally. This person saved them and his party this time, which was already a great achievement. Needless to say.

She and Su Yanyan stood on the deck waiting together, and unconsciously, they seemed to have become accustomed to each other's presence.

Xia Jingyun stood on the shore, looking at the beggar boy who had accompanied them until now, and his heart moved, "How about you come with me?"

The beggar boy did not hesitate, clasped his fists and said, "Thank you so much for your kindness, but I can't leave."

Xia Jingyun was slightly surprised, "Why?"

The beggar boy said seriously: "I still have a dozen younger brothers and sisters to take care of. If I leave, they will most likely die one after another. And you can't take us all away."

He paused and said with a smile: "What's more, I can see that my benefactor is a big shot. I think if I work harder and do something more, I will have more capital, and then I will seek refuge with my benefactor instead of fighting." For this small contribution, I beg you to reward me with a bite of food."

"This is no small feat."

Xia Jingyun smiled and looked at the thin but tall boy. In a daze, he seemed to have seen himself in the labor camp back then.

He took out a jade pendant and a banknote from his arms and put them in his palm, "When the storm passes, take this and go to Caogang to find Gang Leader Ye, or go to Chuning County and find Chuning County Magistrate Bai Yunbian. I expect you to do this." Great achievements! Come to Zhongjing to find me then."

After saying that, he turned around and boarded the boat.

The sampan was put away, the oars slid, carrying a boatload of people down the river, then silently turned around and went upstream.

The young man stood in the forest by the river, holding the little girl who got off the boat with one hand. With the other hand, he pinched the jade pendant in his hand and put it away solemnly.
-
After a night of darkness, the red sun burst out like a wheel, illuminating the vast plains.

On the plain, two continuous military tents faced each other across a wilderness, like two pieces of dog-skin plaster stuck between the green mountains and fields.British Duke Lu Rusong was wearing a battle armor and sitting in the Chinese army's tent.

In the military tent, there were several generals sitting on both sides below with serious expressions on their faces.

"Commander! The main force of the rebels has formed their formation near the river. How should our army respond?"

Lu Rusong said calmly: "Is there any news about the soldiers and horses in Longshou Prefecture?"

Everyone was speechless for a while, what time has it been? Why are they still thinking about what happened on the other side?
"Replying to the Commander-in-Chief, the messenger from Longshou State yesterday said that they will appear on the battlefield at the appointed time."

"Do you have their exact location at this moment?"

"Yes. It is hidden at the mouth of the Bird's Tail Valley."

Lu Rusong nodded, was silent for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "Although there are many rebels, they are a mob. When my army arrived, not only did they not surrender, but they also tried to resist the power of our army. I have been showing weakness for three days. , pretending to be defeated in three formations, just for Arrogant’s soldiers to gather the main force here and complete their victory in one battle! Everyone! Fight the overall rebellion, fight here! Make your wife a shadow, just for this one action! All generals obey the order!"

Everyone shouted loudly.

Military orders were issued one after another following Lu Rusong's instructions, and the generals who received the orders hurried out with their orders.

Soon, only one person was left in the military tent.

That was one of the two cavalry commanders of this army, Li Rufeng.

The British army of 3 people is different from the Wudang Army. This is a very standard Daxia army. Among the 3 people, there are 9000 baggage teams, 6000 cavalry teams, and 5000 infantry teams. .

The 6000-man cavalry team was divided into two, and Li Rufeng led one of the 3000-man elite cavalry.

"Your mission is to lead your team to break through the rebels after the battle begins. Don't look back. Quickly move here, and then clean up the nearby rebels on the spot, waiting for my commander to arrive."

Li Rufeng looked at the location on the map and his eyes widened in shock, "Commander, this."

Lu Rusong said solemnly: "This is a military order!"

Li Rufeng had no choice but to kneel down on one knee, clasping his fists and saying: "The last general takes orders!"

The central army of the rebels was completely different from the imperial army.

A dozen men sat crookedly, and the aroma of wine and meat filled the large tent, which was not particularly spacious.

"Everyone! The dog officials in the imperial court are all useless. Now we have been defeated three times in a row. They can only hide in their turtle shells and dare not come out! Today we will smash his turtle shell and eat his turtle meat. !”

In the middle of the tent was the rebel leader who called himself the Great Sage of Pingtian. Below him were his four great kings, the Eight-faced Heavenly King and other confidants. They all screamed upon hearing this.

On the left hand side of the Great Sage Pingtian was a middle-aged scribe with a goatee. He smiled and said: "Your Majesty, generals, don't look at the strength of this official army, but the heroes of all dynasties have risen up and become stronger. Get through this. Why?”

"Because only they have such sophisticated weapons and armor, countless supplies of money and food, and war horses that make us covet. If we win, those things will all be ours, and we can steal from an army of [-] people out of thin air. Turn into a hundred thousand strong army, and then sweep across the world, secure the Central Plains, the king will be proclaimed emperor, you will also be able to be crowned kings and prime ministers, and be prosperous forever!"

"So, in today's battle, we have gnawed this hard nut. Once we have gnawed it off, the real benefits will be countless. The position of leader of the rebel army will also be natural. We will hold half of the world!"

Everyone's faces turned red and their necks thickened by these words, and they wished they could immediately pick up their swords and mount their horses.

The Great Sage Pingtian nodded with satisfaction and picked up the wine bowl, "Brothers, drink this bowl of Zhuangxing wine! After the victory, you can step on the dog officer's head and drink!"

Amidst another burst of yelling and the sound of bowls being thrown, everyone left the tent.

The Great Sage Pingtian also put on his armor, picked up his sword, and, escorted by his own soldiers, walked onto the battlefield.

He came to the front of the formation and pointed to the river between the two sides. "The military counselor said before that if the enemy crosses the river and attacks them halfway across the river, they will win. Let's hold our troops still for now and wait for them to cross the river before attacking."

After waiting for a while, it seemed that the officers and soldiers could not bear the loneliness and began to cross the river one after another.

"Your Majesty is wise! The officers and soldiers have crossed the river!"

The Great Sage Pingtian was overjoyed and said, "Soldiers, follow me and charge out!"

Before he could finish his words, a burst of shouts of killing suddenly rang out from behind him!
He turned his head in shock and saw a burst of smoke rising into the sky not far behind his own military formation.

The officers and soldiers on the opposite side, who were still slowly crossing the river, suddenly accelerated and rushed towards their military formation.

"Don't panic! Don't be confused! The front army rushes forward with me, and let the rear army hold back the people behind!"

The Great Sage Pingtian shouted, and his soldiers rushed to convey the order, but he overestimated the panic of a group of rabble.

After the official cavalry rushed into the rebel formation at full speed, like a hot knife cutting through oil, the main force of the rebel army had already fled in all directions under the spreading fear. The sudden disintegration of the army formation clearly showed the battle. ending.

"Commander! Victory!"

"All that's left is to chase them north and wipe out these rebels as much as possible!"

The soldiers beside him shouted happily, but Lu Rusong still frowned, looking at the army that was attacking the rebels' retreat from the direction of Longshou Prefecture.

He seemed to be sizing up the opponent's fighting strength, and also seemed to be thinking about what would happen after the victory.

When the organization is broken up, the officers and soldiers will only be slaughtered, not to mention these rebels who are just a ragtag group.

Some people chased the bandits and wanted to capture and kill their leaders;

Some people took advantage of the rebellion to occupy Liang County and completely destroyed the rebel base;

The other part is the group of Xiao Fengshan's soldiers from Longshou Prefecture who came to join forces with the British to attack under the emperor's secret order.

Xiao Fengshan put away his spear, wiped the blood-stained tip, glanced at the military tents of the imperial officers and soldiers from a distance, and then looked at the battlefield where corpses were scattered all over the ground and there were still sporadic killings, and he said calmly: "Organize the army, class teacher! "

In front of the British Duke, a messenger came forward, "Commander, my state pastor said that the traitors have been identified, so I won't bother you any more. Congratulations to the British Duke for your great service!"

It was so subtle that even the big-head soldier who didn't understand what was going on understood it.

The British Duke said solemnly: "Master Xiao comes day and night to help me defeat thieves. He has done great service to the country and is even more grateful to me. If I just let him leave like this, wouldn't he be ridiculed by everyone in the world?" You will be severely criticized by His Majesty. Lead the way! I will personally invite you!"

Longshouzhou's three thousand soldiers and horses gathered together, and a scout leader suddenly rushed over, "Sir! It's not good!"

Xiao Fengshan frowned, "What's wrong?"

"A cavalry force from the imperial court occupied the Quewei Valley, the main road through which we retreated to Longshou Prefecture. Judging from the number of people, they are almost the same as us!"

"What?" The soldiers around Xiao Fengshan exclaimed.

"How can the imperial court be so vicious! We have good intentions and send troops to suppress the rebellion, but they want to intercept our return!"

"Sir, come with my team. I will rush over and clear a path for you!"

The crowd was excited and shouted with indignation.

To them, the court's behavior was too cold-blooded. They were fighting for the court, but the court only wanted to trap Xiao Fengshan outside Longshou Prefecture.

Xiao Fengshan frowned and said, "Come with me and have a look."

At the entrance of the narrow valley, Li Rufeng, with his three thousand cavalry, stood ready.

Just now, he charged through the rebel camp and passed directly behind the Dragon Head Army without stopping, blocking the place.

He knew that such an approach was unkind, but as Lu Rusong said, this was a military order, and he was a soldier.

He is still a soldier who has followed the Lu family all the way.

He could only remain silent, watching Xiao Fengshan leading the Longshou Army getting closer and closer.

"Get out of the way."

Xiao Fengshan sat on the horse and spoke calmly.

Li Rufeng responded with silence, but silence itself represented resistance at this moment.

Xiao Fengshan slowly picked up the spear, "Don't force me. The tip of my spear has never been pointed at my comrades."

Li Rufeng remained silent, but lowered his head slightly in shame.

At this moment, another sound of horse hooves sounded.

Amidst the tremors of the earth, the hearty laughter of the British Duke came, "Xiao Sanlang! But do you want me to come and invite you in person?"

(End of this chapter)