Jing Xu, the bandit leader of the Southern Border, did not suspect anything at first. He followed the "Southern Border Garrison" who came to deliver the message to save Fu Zhi Cheng. As he walked, the experienced bandit found a problem — the man who led the way seemed to be leading him to the place where the bandits often "rang the bell".
There were often such places in the mountains of the southwest. The terrain was extremely complicated and it was a natural maze. People who were not local would not be able to find their way in. There were many underground holes, and the people in the mountains could hide in ambush and come and go like a shadow.
The bandits usually thought of ways to lure people in and then kill them. It was a place where one person could be killed at a time. It was used to deal with famous escorts and gangs in Jianghu. In slang, it was called "ringing the bell".
Although Jing Xu was running in a hurry, his mind was not in a mess. When he got close, he was shocked and realized that this was a "Zhong Liao". A layer of cold sweat appeared on his back. He stopped abruptly and questioned the "Southern Border Garrison" who was leading the way. In just a few words, there were already many loopholes. The leader suddenly wanted to hurt someone, but after being restrained by the bandits, he actually took poison and committed suicide.
Jing Xu was shocked and immediately ordered his men to return. On the way, he met two of his brothers from the village who were covered in blood. Only then did he know that his lair had been destroyed. When they hurried back, all they saw were broken tiles and burnt corpses.
Ten years of accumulation turned into ashes overnight.
"Big brother!" A bandit who looked embarrassed staggered over and grabbed Jing Xu's arm. "Secret passage, don't panic. We still have a secret passage!"
There were many mountains in the southwest. Most of the bandits were cunning. There were many secret passages in the mountains that could be used to escape through the earth.
If an enemy came up the mountain, the bandits on the mountain could escape through the secret passage into the Shiwan Mountains. Even the Black Eagle in the sky could not catch them.
When the other bandits heard this, their eyes lit up.
Jing Xu, however, shook. His expression was wooden and there was no joy.
He watched helplessly as his subordinates happily searched for the secret passage. He knew in his heart that the secret passage was useless.
If the enemy just went up the mountain to kill people with real weapons, most of the bandits on the mountain could escape through the secret passage. No matter what, they could not shake the foundation of the mountain. But they burned the mountain.
Even Kuai Lantu didn't know what he had burned.
Jing Xu stood still for a long time. Suddenly, there was a sharp cry not far away. He heard the people who went to search for the secret passage shout in despair, "The secret passage has collapsed!"
The bandit leader closed his eyes.
In this inconspicuous secret chamber at the foot of the mountain, what was stored was not real gold and silver like the apricot forest, but purple gold.
Even the Black Iron Battalion was struggling to make ends meet with the Violet Flowing Gold that the Imperial Court had given to the local garrisons, not to mention the garrisons in Nanjiang. Fu Zhi Cheng naturally had his own ways. Kuai Lantu received a secret report that Fu Zhi Cheng had a close relationship with the great bandit leader, Daoist Jing Xu. However, he did not know that Daoist Jing Xu was actually the 'shopkeeper' of Fu Zhi Cheng's Purple Stream Gold smuggling business.
Bandits were in the business of robbing and plundering. Jing Xu helped Fu Zhi Cheng to contact the black market and smuggled Purple Stream Gold. It was impossible for him to not take advantage of it. But he admitted that he was not greedy and only kept ten percent each time. Fu Zhi Cheng knew about this and had always acquiesced to it.
Just before this, Jing Xu had just sent the latest batch of Purple Stream Gold to the garrisons in Nanjiang. There was only ten percent of Purple Stream Gold left in the secret chamber at the foot of the mountain. Who knew that it would become a death sentence? After it was ignited, it blew up the secret passage in the mountain and killed everyone in the mountain.
Was this a coincidence? Could this be a coincidence?
Jing Xu remembered that a long time ago, someone told him, "A gentleman talks about righteousness, a villain talks about profit. Those who gather for profit will scatter for profit." He and Fu Zhi Cheng gathered for profit. Now that the matter was exposed, Fu Zhi Cheng could easily abandon him. There were so many bandits in the mountain. If Jing Xu was eliminated, he could support countless more.
A subordinate came forward and said with a sobbing tone, "Big Brother, let's dig up the secret passage. There might be some alive."
Jing Xu stood indifferently and just shook his head.
"Big Brother!"
There were cries everywhere. Jing Xu suddenly shouted, "That's enough!"
All the survivors stood on the scorched earth and looked at him.
"Follow me." Jing Xu's eyes gradually turned red. He was like a ferocious beast that was ready to devour people. He lowered his voice and gritted his teeth, "Fu Zhi Cheng is heartless. Don't blame me for being unrighteous. It's been so many years. Do you really think I can't deal with him?"
"There are many mountains in Nanjiang and many mountain strongholds. These mountain bandits have formed their own system. As far as we know, there are a total of three bandit leaders." In the Apricot Forest bandit's nest, Changgeng took out a tattered sheepskin map and pointed it out to Gu Yun. The markings on it were extremely complicated. The topography, climate, what kind of roads, what kind of carriages and horses could be used, and so on.
Gu Yun had seen such a map in Jiangnan and recognized it. It must be the work of Linyuan Pavilion. He looked at Changgeng thoughtfully under the oil lamp. He didn't say anything and signaled him to continue.
Gu Yun mixed 3,000 Xuan Tie soldiers into the caravan that was heading south to return home. With the signal of a smoke signal, they moved stealthily in the middle of the night. When Kuai Lantu's guards besieged Fu Zhi Cheng at the top of the Apricot Forest, they descended from the sky. More than 20 aerial assassins, Black Eagle, took control of the dog-eat-dog mountaintop. The Black Armor and the Black Cavalry split into two groups and cut off the tens of thousands of Nanjiang troops at the foot of the mountain.
The Commander-in-chief was captured and the Black Iron Battalion came in person. The Nanjiang troops had a large number of people, but they were like a flock of sheep that didn't know how to resist and were dealt with by Gu Yun.
When a Commander-in-chief didn't lead troops to kill people but to boost their courage, no matter what kind of fierce army followed behind him, they would become a carriage of sheep.
However, before the chaotic battle in the Apricot Forest could be cleaned up, Changgeng brought another piece of news.
Changgeng: "The power of these three bandit leaders divided Nanjiang into three parts. Normally, they live in harmony, each controlling the bandits within their territory. They are all more or less connected to the Nanjiang troops. Among them, the most special one is the northernmost Jingxu Taoist."
Shen Yi asked: "Why is this person special? Is he the most powerful? Or is he the most closely related to Fu Zhi Cheng? "
Changgeng: "Because he is secretly transporting Purple Gold for General Fu."
Gu Yun's eyelids twitched and he abruptly raised his head: "How do you know? Why did you come to the southwest this time? "
Four years ago, when the monk Liao Ran led him to Jiangnan, Gu Yun already had a faint guess in his heart. Linyuan Pavilion was far away from Jianghu, so it was impossible to completely monitor the interactions between the loyal officials in the court. The reason they were able to discover the flood dragon disaster in the Eastern Sea was probably because they were tracking the black market Purple Gold among the people.
Changgeng smiled softly, seemingly unwilling to say more, only saying: "Jianghu people have their own ways. Godfather, you don't have to worry."
Gu Yun raised his hand to stop him from speaking, his face darkening as he said: "You should know what kind of crime it is to smuggle Purple Gold into the court. If you are caught, you will definitely die. The Purple Gold black market is filled with desperadoes. A gentleman doesn't stand under a collapsing wall, do you understand?"
Shen Yi was extremely embarrassed as he listened on the side. He wished he could blush for Gu Yun. When he was lecturing others, he was so righteous and eloquent, as if the smuggling of Purple Gold had nothing to do with him!
Chang Geng didn't argue with him, nor was he anxious with him. He just looked at him with a smile that wasn't a smile. His face clearly said, "I know all about your little matters. There are outsiders here, so I can't expose you."
Gu Yun was stunned at first, but then he immediately reacted, thinking: "What? This little bastard even found out about me? "
Changgeng pressed Gu Yun's hand: "Godfather, don't be in a hurry to be angry. Listen to me first."
Changgeng put his hand on the back of Gu Yun's hand. His palm was warm, and his knuckles were distinct. He used the strength of grabbing a chick to gently grasp it. But for some reason, it brought about a strange feeling.
Gu Yun suddenly felt a little awkward. Friends and brothers were very close. Hugging, shaking hands, playing around, and even hugging and kissing each other was nothing. There weren't so many formalities between military leaders, especially among the ranks. But this action was too "clingy". Gu Yun's fingers couldn't help but twitch slightly, momentarily forgetting what he wanted to say.
Changgeng said without changing his expression: "Just now, Ge Chen used a wooden bird to send me a message, saying that Jingxu's mountain was burned down."
Gu Yun: "… Ge Chen?"
Changgeng: "It's Ge Pangxiao."
Gu Yun glanced at Sun Jiao. Ever since Kuai Lantu died and Fu Zhi Cheng was arrested, Lord Sun had become a weak and pitiful little quail. Other than trembling, he didn't know how to do anything else. Gu Yun found someone to watch over him.
It was easy to understand this matter.
Fu Zhi Cheng had long known the whereabouts of Gu Yun and the others. If he really wanted to disassociate himself from the bandits, why would he rush to take action at this juncture? Didn't he confess to killing people to silence them?
Recalling Sun Jiao's stupid "I have already colluded with Governor Kuai" from the beginning to the end, it was Liao Ran. It was obvious that the Ministry of War wanted to forcefully promote the drumming order, and Kuai Lantu wanted to get rid of Fu Zhi Cheng. The two sides hit it off and instigated the bandits and Fu Zhi Cheng to fight each other in front of the Marquis of Stability. At that time, no matter how much Gu Yun wanted to protect Fu Zhi Cheng, he couldn't reverse the facts.
The wicked person who set the mountain on fire was most likely Kuai Lantu.
However, it was impossible for Kuai Lantu to know the true relationship between Jingxu and Fu Zhi Cheng. Otherwise, he wouldn't have set the mountain on fire. Even if Kuai Lantu colluded with the bandits, this crime might not be enough to sentence the Southwest Governor and Commander of Nanjiang to death. If Kuai Lantu knew that Fu Zhi Cheng was smuggling Purple Gold through Jingxu, he definitely wouldn't have burned the evidence so hastily. Smuggling Purple Gold was a rebellion.
"There are three sources of Purple Gold in the black market," Changgeng said in detail, "The first source is from the imperial family. Although the laws are strict, there are always rats who take risks for personal gain and steal the Purple Gold from the imperial family. They mix it with impurities and sell it to the people. The second source is from the black market. It's those who risked their lives to search for Purple Gold outside the Great Pass and dug it out with a narrow escape. The third source is from overseas. The reason why we specially came to investigate this is because the final source of Purple Gold is Nanyang."
Gu Yun suddenly sat up straight, "Are you sure?"
Changgeng nodded silently.
Shen Yi's expression also became serious.
They all knew that Purple Gold was not produced in Nanyang.
When Purple Gold from overseas flowed into Daliang's black market, it was directly traded with foreigners. It was tied to a fixed line and connected to a fixed person. It would not be transferred from other people. The risk was too high.
If someone really used Nanyang as a cover and controlled the Purple Gold black market in the southwest from eighty feet away, then the person behind the scenes would take such a big risk and hide so deeply. It was definitely not purely for trading Purple Gold.
Changgeng said, "Nanyang is not within our borders. Our ability is limited. We have sent people to Nanyang several times, but they all returned in vain. This is one thing. There's also Taoist Jingxu who hasn't shown up yet. Godfather, I think that when a bandit comes into contact with Purple Gold, he definitely won't think of getting a mountain of farming puppets to open up a wasteland for farming."
After listening, Gu Yun pondered for a moment. He stood up and blew a long whistle. A Black Eagle quietly descended from the sky and landed in front of Gu Yun.
Gu Yun frowned slightly. In the blink of an eye, he issued three military orders.
"Two teams of Black Eagle scouts, bring this map. Take advantage of the night to find out where the three bandit leaders of Nanjiang are. Take down the bandit leaders first!"
"Arrest the Nanzhong patrol guards and thoroughly investigate who gave Kuai Lantu the idea to use this method to instigate Fu Zhi Cheng and the bandits."
"Interrogate Fu Zhi Cheng. Jiping, you go."
Everyone received their orders. After Gu Yun finished speaking, he couldn't help but squint his eyes. Even Shen Yi did not notice that something was wrong. Changgeng had already grabbed him. "Godfather, did you … bring your medicine? It's almost dawn. Why don't you rest for a while? "
Shen Yi only came back to his senses when he heard the word "medicine". At the same time, he felt a little strange. Changgeng's eyes seemed to always be glued to Gu Yun. He could immediately detect any movement.
Gu Yun habitually wanted to deny it.
Changgeng interrupted, "I haven't tried the acupuncture method that Miss Chen gave me last time. This matter may not be over yet. I'm afraid there will be more changes. Godfather, let me try it."
Gu Yun then remembered that Changgeng already knew. There was no use in hiding it. He said, "I'll go to the back and lie down for a while." He tacitly agreed that Changgeng would follow him.
Changgeng carried a set of silver needles, some common medicine, a few pieces of silver, and a few books in his luggage. Gu Yun had already discovered that this child looked like a dog at first glance, but in fact, he only had two sets of clothes with him. He changed them back and forth. He could not figure out why Changgeng, who had to use all kinds of martial arts to take him out to go to the market when he was young, refused to stay in the capital no matter what. Why did he have to suffer all kinds of hardships in Jianghu?
It was fresh for one or two months, but was it still fresh for four years?
Changgeng had performed acupuncture on many people. At this time, he was facing Gu Yun alone, but he was inexplicably nervous. He did not even feel like this when he first learned acupuncture from Miss Chen. He could not help but repeatedly wash his hands. He almost washed off a layer of skin on his hands until Gu Yun could not bear it anymore. He urged, "Miss Chen taught you for half a day, but she only taught you how to wash your hands?"
Changgeng swallowed his saliva. His voice was a little tense as he asked carefully, "Godfather, can you lie on my lap?"
Gu Yun did not feel that there was anything wrong with it. After all, it was not a lady's lap. He could just lie down. However, he really wanted to open his mouth and ask, "Can you do it or not?" However, he was afraid that it would increase the pressure on Changgeng, a dabbling doctor. Thus, he held back his words. He only thought very liberally, "I'll go all out.
I won't die anyway. "He was prepared to receive a few needles. Unexpectedly, Changgeng was not as bad as he thought. He did not feel anything when the thin needles entered his acupoints. After a while, the familiar headache came. He did not know if it was Gu Yun's psychological effect, but he really felt much better.
Gu Yun relaxed and could not help but ask, "You followed Linyuan Pavilion through wind and rain. What are you after?"
If he really wanted to serve his country, he should return to the capital and enter the imperial court as a prince. As a dignified prince, why would he follow Linyuan Pavilion's reckless Jianghu people to investigate the Purple Gold?
Changgeng paused, but his hands did not stop moving. He tactfully refused, "I did not ask Godfather where the poison in your eyes and ears came from."
Gu Yun, "…"
Changgeng smiled and thought that he had blocked him. Unexpectedly, after a while, Gu Yun suddenly said calmly, "When I was young, The Old Marquis brought me to the battlefield in the northern border. I was grazed by a barbarian's poisonous arrow."
Changgeng, "…"
Gu Yun said, "I'm done. It's your turn."
Gu Yun was an expert at pretending to be a wolf, a bear, or a grandson. He said a sentence expressionlessly. Truth and lies were mixed according to his mood. There was basically no trace of him. Changgeng could only rely on his intuition to feel that there must be some exaggeration in his words.
"I … I want to take a look," Changgeng said, "Master Liao Ran used to tell me that as long as there is heaven and earth in one's heart, no matter how big the mountain is, it is just a corner. Mountains, rivers, seas, and all living things, if you often look at others, you will be able to see yourself when you lower your head. If you have not taken care of a seriously ill and dying person, you will think that the bruises on your body are serious injuries. If you have not drunk a mouthful of yellow sand and gravel, you will always feel that the Golden Spears and Armored Horses are just a majestic shadow. If you have not eaten chaff and swallowed vegetables, aren't you just moaning about the difficulties of the people's lives? "
Gu Yun opened his eyes and looked at him.
Gu Yun's gaze gradually regained its focus under the effect of the medicine. Changgeng dodged slightly at first, but then he calmed down and calmly met his gaze. However, he still could not look into Gu Yun's eyes for a long time. If he looked too much, it was as if there was a golden box on his chest that could not dissipate heat. It was burning and roasting. His back was numb. He subconsciously closed his legs and almost could not sit still.
Gu Yun suddenly said, "Your teacher's surname is Zhong, Zhong Chan, right?"
Changgeng was slightly taken aback.
More than ten years ago, he was convicted because he contradicted the late Emperor and deceived the Emperor. All the civil and military officials pleaded for mercy for him. In the end, he was only dismissed from his position and did not let the old general be imprisoned. After that, he disappeared without a trace. During the rebellion in the Western Region, the late Emperor panicked and thought of the old general, but he could not find him. "Gu Yun sighed," When you shot the arrow, I knew it was him who taught you. No wonder the people I sent often lost track of him.
Is he still healthy? "Changgeng responded.
Gu Yun did not speak for a long time.
He did not tell Changgeng that Zhong Chan was also his teacher a long time ago. Was it a coincidence or intentional that the Linyuan Pavilion recommended Changgeng to him?
He could not help but look forward to it. He had brought up the little prince from the age of ten. Would he eventually grow up to be a pillar of support?
Gu Yun gradually fell asleep as his thoughts ran wild. In a daze, he felt as if someone was touching his face.
When he woke up again, the sky was already bright. He pushed away the thin blanket that someone had covered him and said in a deep voice, "What's the matter?"
The Black Eagle at the door said, "Marshal, the three bandit leaders gathered overnight and formed a mob rebel army near the mouth of Nandu River …"
Gu Yun frowned.
"They have more than ten Baihong and dozens of heavy armors. If I'm not wrong, these mobs also have 'Eagles'."
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