Yang Ling strolled to the middle of the bridge while Zhao Sui led his four men to the other side. Yang Ling smiled and cupped his fists, saying, "Brother Zhao, it's been a long time!"
Zhao Sui was taken aback and stared at Yang Ling. Yang Ling looked familiar but could not recall when he knew the High Duke. He cupped his fists and returned the greeting, saying, "I don't deserve such a form of address from High Duke."
Yang Ling laughed and said, "Why can't I? We had a good chat during the Lantern Festival. Brother Zhao even spent some money to buy me a bowl of glutinous rice balls for supper. Have you forgotten about it? "
"Ah! That person … That person is you? "Zhao Sui was stunned.
Yang Ling smiled and bowed deeply, saying, "Yes, I am. Who would have thought that we would meet again today, but on this Five Elders Peak, we would meet again on the battlefield. The affairs of the world are treacherous, it really is a pity. "
Zhao Sui regained his composure and sneered, "High Duke, you are not here to catch up with me, are you?"
Yang Ling said in a relaxed manner, "Since we are old friends, there's no harm in catching up. Hehe, Brother Zhao, please take a seat."
Zhao Sui snorted coldly and sat down. Yang Ling also sat opposite him and crossed his legs. The wind blew against his robe and the four-clawed golden dragon on his robe looked like it was about to break out of the clouds. Yang Ling looked around and said, "The flower market in Shengfang Town is as bright as day. Today, I crossed the Immortal Bridge with the clouds and it's quite an interesting scene. My meeting with Brother Zhao is really poetic. "
Zhao Sui looked a little impatient, but Feng Lei, Li Hua and Liu Twenty-Seven looked suspicious and looked at Zhao Sui with a strange gaze. Zhao Sui looked back and suddenly saw something. His heart skipped a beat, "Could it be that they are suspecting me?"
At this moment, Yang Ling looked at the two flags on the opposite bridge and recited, "Three thousand tigers, straight to the land of Youyan; the dragon soars to the sky of nine and five, reopening the sky of chaos. Brother Zhao, you are so ambitious. This is the line used by Emperor Taizu when he rebelled against the Yuan and restored the Han. Does Brother Zhao want to imitate Emperor Taizu and be the founding emperor? "
Feng Lei and the rest were even more shocked. Most of them were illiterate. Even if there were a few who were, how would they know that this couplet was used by Zhu Yuanzhang? They thought that it was Scholar Zhao who came up with it. They did believe in Zhao Sui's literary and military strategies, but when it came to becoming an Emperor, they still leaned towards Liu Liu and Liu Qi. No wonder Madman Zhao was so hesitant when Xing Laohu proposed to go to Jiangnan.
No wonder he wanted Jiangnan. Did he have the idea? The current imperial court is unfair, and we want to overthrow the incapable ruler. This poem is just to accuse the Great Ming of being as cruel as the Mongols of the past, and we want to rebuild the Heaven and Earth. Surnamed Yang, could it be that you came here today to stir up trouble and stir up trouble? If that's the case, I'll take my leave. "
"Hold on, hold on! Hahaha, I'm just joking, there's no need for Brother Zhao to be angry." Yang Ling smiled from ear to ear, causing Zhao Sui's veins to bulge on his forehead. If he turned around and left like this, it would make him look guilty. If he didn't leave, he was afraid that Yang Ling would say something else. If his subordinates were all intelligent people, it would be fine. Otherwise, Yang Ling's words would make them suspicious.
Suppressing his anger, Zhao Sui flicked his sleeves and asked with his fierce eyes, "Is High Duke here to persuade us to surrender?"
Yang Ling said with a smile, "Exactly. Otherwise, why would I go to such a dangerous place?"
Zhao Sui threw his head back and laughed, "Hahahaha … High Duke Yang, haven't you seen it? We have gathered tens of thousands of people in less than a year. If the officials force the people to rebel, the people have no choice but to rebel; if the people want to rebel, they will be forced to accept it. Our actions are in line with the Heavenly Dao, in line with the hearts of the people. Our future is bright, how can you persuade us to surrender? "
Yang Ling couldn't help but laugh. "A bright future? Haha, ridiculous! What a joke! "
Feng Lei took a step forward and said angrily, "You pale-faced scholar, what are you laughing at? If it wasn't for this net, father would have smashed all your teeth out! "
Song Ai raised her eyebrows and strode forward, scolding, "How dare you! How dare you be so rude to the High Duke! If it wasn't for this net, I would have chopped your head off! "
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't try to show off! The net is still there!" Yang Ling stood up and advised with a smile. Then, he took two steps forward and said confidently, "Brother Zhao, you and I have known each other for a long time. Therefore, I dare not keep quiet when you are in danger. I dare to say that your rebellion will collapse in less than a year. The White Bandits and the Ringing Horse Bandits will be defeated! "
Zhao Sui also suddenly stood up and took three steps forward. He said proudly, "We have a strong army and are invincible. Our officers and soldiers are corrupt. We can only rely on our numbers to besiege and intercept us. We can only rely on our geographical advantage to defend ourselves. We have crossed the capital twice and are invincible. Our officers and soldiers are terrified. Collapse? Hahaha, you must be joking, High Duke? "
* * *
On the high right side, the Golden Eye Condor, who was standing behind a strange rock, lowered the bow and arrow and slowly released it. Just now, the arrow was pulled back like a full moon. This arrow was shot out as fast as lightning. Although he saw a young soldier suddenly walked behind Yang Ling and another soldier went to pull him back, he couldn't block the ray from his angle. Moreover, no matter how skilled he was, he might not be able to block the arrow from the Five-stone Bow in time.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Sui also stood up. He strode forward and talked to him through the net. From his angle, if the arrow was shot out, it would have to pierce through Zhao Sui's neck first before it could hit Yang Ling. Although he was illiterate, he could tell from the daily commands that these fierce generals in the mountains only knew how to attack and not defend. Zhao Sui was the only one who could mobilize the troops. This man was too important to the mountain, and his big brother had repeatedly told him not to hurt him, so how could he fire an arrow?
With a five-picul strong bow, even with his astonishing strength, he could only shoot six arrows at most before he would be exhausted. This arrow had been a waste of strength, he had to loosen the bowstring and relax a little.
Behind the rock, there was only a foot's space to stand. Beside the rock, there was a gap between the mountain and the huge rock. The bottom was unfathomably deep. Here, the mountain wind was blocked by the huge rock, echoing fiercely. He did not dare to stand for long, so he climbed up the rock again and looked at the bridge, waiting for an opportunity.
Just as the Golden Eye Condor climbed up the rock, he saw a flash of light from the corner of his eyes. He was shocked and thought, This is the reflection of a weapon! Without thinking, he immediately turned to the side and lay on the hot rock. His heart was pounding. The sky was blue with faint white clouds passing by. Looking up, he felt a little dizzy as the mountain wind whistled around him.
Who is this? There is someone hiding in the forest. Could it be a spy arranged by the soldiers? I wonder if he has found me. If … no! Could it be that Yang Ling's peace negotiation is fake and his real intention is to assassinate my marshal?
Thinking of this, the Golden Eye Condor was anxious. He immediately moved slightly and looked at the opposite side. He hunted in the mountains all year round. His archery skills were superb and his eyesight was excellent. Some people praised him for his accuracy in hunting foxes and rabbits in the forest. What kind of eyesight was that? It was just a flash of cold light, but he had already remembered the location.
On the other side of the thousand-year-old tree, Young Chu also angrily threw down his bow and arrows. Song Ai, who ran forward to scold Wu Hanchao, and Wu Hanchao, who rushed over to hold her hand, unwittingly became a shield in front of Yang Ling. His archery skills were not as superb as the Golden-eyed Condor's. His figure suddenly appeared in front of Yang Ling, and he could not retract his arrow in time.
The most dangerous thing to do was to expose oneself. If this arrow accidentally hit the other side, how could he have a chance to attack? Little Chu could not pull back his arrow in time and could only press down the bow. The arrow left the string and shot straight into the deep valley, disappearing in an instant.
Little Chu broke out in cold sweat. He placed his hand on the ancient tree, his heart thumping wildly. It took him a long time to calm down.
In front and behind him, there were still trees slanting out of the gorge. The lush greenery covered his figure, but the branches above his head were relatively sparse. The sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves and shone on the surface of the saber on his back. The cold light refracted and flashed across the corner of the golden-eyed condor's eyes, but he was completely unaware of it.
On the bridge, Lord Yang was still feeling smug. He said, "In raising an army, the most important thing is to assess the situation and make the best use of it. The most important thing is to know yourself and your enemy, to know what's good and what's bad. But all of you are doing everything against the good, how can you talk about success? "
The four generals behind Zhao Sui came over. Jiang Bin and the other three rushed forward and surrounded the two in the middle. Zhao Sui sneered and said disdainfully, "Please enlighten us, High Duke."
Yang Ling smiled cheerfully. "You call me High Duke? Looks like you know where the world's orthodox lineage is. Three thousand tigers, straight to the land of Youyan; the dragon soars to the nine and five, reopening the heavens of chaos. It sounds magnificent, but all of you want to replace the Ming and rule the world. But you don't know that times have changed. The situation today is very different from the Meng Yuan era.
Let me first talk about assessing the situation. The Meng Yuan was a different race. They treated the Han people extremely harshly, dividing the people into four classes. The Han people were like slaves in the eyes of the Meng people, so the people never submitted to them. At the end of the Yuan era, the world was in ruins. They lost the hearts of the people and the government was difficult to maintain.
But at this time, the Meng Yuan Prime Minister Bo Yan made a stupid move. He suggested to Emperor Yuan Shun that to eliminate the Han people's strength, the Zhang, Wang, Li, Zhao and Liu surnames should be killed. The Han people of the five surnames made up a quarter of the Han people in the world. These people had close friends and relatives, so this move was no different from slaughtering all the Han people.
Heroes from all walks of life started to rise up against the Yuan, completely in line with the hearts of the people. So in just a few years, they easily conquered the world. Such an outcome was both man-made and heaven's will.
But now? Ming Destiny had established the country for more than a hundred years and had a solid foundation. The Former Emperor Hongzhi was a rare wise ruler. During his 18 years on the throne, he chose the best and was diligent in governing the country and loved the people. After the current Emperor ascended the throne, although he was young and playful, he once let traitors cause chaos in the court. But the traitors were eliminated in less than two years. Ming Destiny's country did not decline. Now the Emperor is working hard to reform the government.
You know about the reduction of taxes in Hebei, Henan and Shandong? Cleaning up the land, clarifying the government, reforming the military, migrating to Liaodong, opening the sea to trade, encouraging farming, which one of these is not beneficial to the country and the people? Once these measures are taken, the people will have hope. Who will follow you to rebel?
Although you have gathered tens of thousands of troops, it will be difficult to expand in the future. The number of troops will only decrease. Don't you believe me? Look at Liu Liu and Yang Hu. In just a few months, they gathered 100,000 troops. Now they travel around Jiangnan and run into walls everywhere. How many people are still responding? You are all frogs in the well. You don't know the changes in the world. How dare you be so arrogant! "
Zhao Gao and Li Hua's faces turned pale. Feng Lei and Liu Twenty-Seven were indignant. Zhao Sui's hands were trembling. Every word Yang Ling said was like a sword stabbing into his heart. It was not that he did not consider accepting the offer of amnesty. After all, conquering the country and ruling the world was just a dream he had after being forced to become a bandit. Now, with the rapid response of the court, this idea had gradually faded.
At first, the court only focused on suppressing the bandits. The more they suppressed, the heavier the burden on the people. The heavier the burden, the more people would join the bandits. Therefore, Liu Liu and Zhao Sui were not afraid of the soldiers. Suppressing the bandits would cause chaos and the people's resentment and disappointment towards the court would grow. Not only the poor people, but even some scholars would join them.
However, after Yang Ling came out of retirement, he defeated Yang Hu in a big battle. He was chased out of Shandong where the court was in a mess and could recruit soldiers at any time. Then, he became the commander-in-chief of the bandit suppression and became the minister in charge of administration. He went back to the court to carry out reforms. At the front, he chased away the bandits and at the back, he rebuilt the country and took the opportunity to sweep away all the abuses of the court.
This scene was as if the White Shirt Army was burning the land in front while the imperial court was sowing the seeds in the back. Not only did the people have something to look forward to, even the soldiers of the Wei Suo who were most reluctant to fight heard that the imperial court was preparing to gradually implement the 'recruitment system' after two years of peace. They did not need to be the main soldier for generations, and they had the energy to fight. If this went on, the original hope would be hard to realize.
But … could he make the decision for his subordinates? Unless he was ruthless enough to kill Xing Hu, Feng Lei and Liu Twenty-Seven. But how could he, Zhao Sui, do such an unrighteous thing?
Madman Zhao was overwhelmed with emotions. After a long while, he took a deep breath and laughed. He said, "What a sharp tongue. Go on, how can we not know ourselves and not know the enemy?"
* * *
Red Lady was playing with the child in the room. Ever since Qi Chou took the medicine that she spent a lot of effort to get, he had completely recovered. With the Cui family's ancestral martial arts secret prescription to cultivate vitality and nourish Qi, the little guy was very strong.
Last winter, she had an ill-fated relationship with Yang Ling in Datong. Who would have thought that after being married to Yang Hu for so long, she had never gotten pregnant. After a night of love, she had conceived a baby and was pregnant.
She took advantage of the fall out with Yang Hu to live alone in the mountain behind the Cui family's stronghold. Later, when she could not hide her pregnancy, she used the excuse of going down the mountain to relax and secretly hid. She only returned to the mountain after she gave birth to the child. She pitied the child. Every time Cui Ying 'er, who was a mother for the first time, saw her child, she could not help but feel guilty.
Now the child was already seven months old. Seeing her own flesh and blood growing more and more adorable, her heart was filled with a mother's joy and satisfaction. She did not know if it was a psychological effect, but she always felt that the child was growing more and more like his father, the Yang Ling that she loved and hated.
Gently stroking Yang Qichou's face, Cui Ying 'er sighed faintly. "I fight and kill all day, it's really hard on you. Alas, your hateful father … "
Cui Ying 'er closed her mouth in disappointment and did not continue. With her strong and proud personality, even if she loved Yang Ling to death, with her awkward identity as a wife, she would not embarrass herself by coming to him to confess her love and be willing to be someone's wife. It was all for this child that she went to Yang Ling in shame, hoping that he could help her to avenge her father's death, so that she could stay by his side.
Hateful, that guy separated public and private affairs to such an extent. He was obviously a cruel official who coveted power, but he preached a lot of principles and refused to help. It would have been fine if they could not meet again, but when she went to Shandong, he went to Shandong to suppress the bandits. When she came to Shanxi, he killed his way to Shanxi. Unexpectedly, he refused to let her have peace. How could Red Lady deceive herself and forget this man that she would never forget in her life?
"Except for Scholar Zhao's two brothers, no one in the stronghold is willing to accept the enlistment. This time, Yang Ling came to negotiate peace, he will definitely not succeed. Big Brother Xing wants to go to Jiangnan, and he is the commander-in-chief. Scholar Zhao cannot disobey his wishes. It seems that after today, the army will have to prepare to go to Jiangnan, right? I hope … he won't come after us again. There are so many officials in the imperial court, why are they still showing him off? "
As Cui Ying 'er thought about it, she suddenly felt a little flustered. She hoped that he would not come after her again, but deep in her heart, she thought that from now on, they would never be able to see each other again. Her heart felt empty, and there was a kind of feeling that she couldn't scratch.
Although they could not be together forever, she always knew his every move and knew that he was close at hand. Her heart felt much more at ease. If there was really no news of him from now on … Cui Ying 'er secretly spat and blushed at her own lack of ambition.
The child woke up and looked at her with a pair of black eyes that were like dots of paint. Although his mother was dressed in men's clothes, in the eyes of this ignorant child, there was nothing strange about it. Even if his eyes were closed, as long as he smelled her scent, he would know that it was his mother, and he would immediately calm down.
Seeing her son's childish and innocent expression, Cui Ying 'er's face revealed a sweet smile. Her eyebrows and lips curled up, and her smile was like spring water. "With a son, everything is fine. He led the army to rebel and caused a great disaster. As a duke, how can he absolve himself? As long as Zhou Dean is killed and revenge for father and the relatives who died in the old stockade village, I will take this child and escape to the ends of the world. I will raise him well. Yang Ling … we are not fated in this life. "
Her smile was a little sad, and crystal clear tears slowly flowed out from the corners of her eyes. The child still did not understand the situation. He only cried out, opened his arms, and hoped that his mother would hug him.
At this moment, Third Aunt opened the door curtain and walked in. She muttered, "Big Brother Xing's illness is getting worse. Ai, he is always fighting and has no time to take care of himself. It is really troublesome."
Cui Ying 'er hurriedly carried her son and wiped away the tears on her cheeks on his swaddling clothes. From the back, it looked like she was hugging and kissing her son.
Third Aunt chuckled, "The child is getting more and more adorable, right? This child is so handsome and lovable. Auntie also loves him. Your Third Uncle always wants to kiss him, but after I kicked him a few times, he did not dare to. His old eyebrows are ugly, and his face is full of beard. How can a child with soft skin and tender flesh withstand it? That old thing is not happy about it. "
Cui Ying 'er also chuckled. She took the opportunity to pass the child to Third Aunt and said, "Auntie, you take care of him first. I am going out for a while."
Third Aunt asked doubtfully, "Where are you going? Today, there is a truce, and the soldiers have already left the mountain. There are more than ten scouts on horseback. Why are you afraid of a sneak attack?"
Cui Ying 'er tightened her waist scarf and conveniently inserted her dagger into the sheath. She said, "Oh … no, I am going to see … Big Brother Xing."
Cui Ying 'er walked out of the thatched cottage and faced the beautiful red sun. She took a deep breath and ran towards the mountain. The ill-fated relationship between the two of them was originally shameful. Now that it had escalated to the stage of an official and a bandit, it was difficult to even see each other. Today, he was negotiating with Scholar Zhao at Liuyun Crossing. She would go and take a look at him secretly. Perhaps … this would be the last time she would see him in this life.
※ ※ ※
The golden-eyed condor quietly poked his head out from behind the rock. He saw that the opposite side was lush and green. Between the luxuriant branches and leaves, the trees swayed in the wind like blue waves. There was nothing out of the ordinary. "Could it be that I made a mistake?" The golden-eyed condor was secretly puzzled. His eyesight was amazing. Although this person was famous for his divine strength and archery, his nickname was the golden-eyed condor. From this, it could be seen that his eyesight was very strong. At such a critical moment, how could he be careless and make a mistake?
The golden-eyed condor turned his head to look. He saw that the two parties were hugging each other and talking excitedly. He did not have a chance to make a move for a while, so he kept his cool and focused on searching in the other party's forest. He paid special attention to the place where there was a flash of light just now. Suddenly, another gust of wind came and shook the branches. The golden-eyed condor's eyes brightened. He had already found something.
Little Chu was wearing a night suit. If he was wearing colorful clothes like the golden-eyed condor, with the cover of the forest, the golden-eyed condor might not be able to find him. However, although he was lying on the tree and did not move, the golden-eyed condor still noticed that there was something wrong with this place. He stared closely at that place. The trees swayed, and the suspicious figure of Little Chu lying on the tree was also faintly discernible.
When another gust of wind came and shook the branches, Little Chu happened to move a little. The golden-eyed condor's face suddenly revealed a murderous smile. "There is indeed someone there. It seems that the soldiers want to assassinate Marshal Zhao."
He did not know when the two parties negotiating on the Fairy Bridge would return to their seats. The other party's assassin could shoot an arrow to kill Marshal Zhao at any time. At this moment, he could not wait any longer. He immediately took a sharp arrow and quietly moved a little to the right. This protruding boulder was not flat. The boulder was slanted to one side, and the side toward the end of the bridge was higher. With this kind of movement, he would not be afraid of being discovered by the other side if he knelt on the boulder and nocked an arrow.
"Squeak!" The bowstring vibrated. The golden-eyed condor squinted his eyes, like a bird of prey, quietly waiting for the best opportunity.
Another gust of wind blew over …
The branches swayed, the person appeared, and an arrow was shot!
As soon as the arrow was shot, the golden-eyed condor punched the stone and cursed in a low voice, "Damn it, f * ck!"
He immediately backhandedly took out another arrow and nocked it on the bowstring. He stared at the target position, holding his breath and concentrating, motionless. From afar, it looked like an iron man cast on the stone. It was rusted and colorful, but it still stood motionless despite the wind and rain.
Before the arrow left the bowstring, he saw that the man in green opposite him moved to the side. From the movement, it should be an unconscious movement. It could be that he saw the figure on the bridge and moved to find the right place to shoot the arrow. However, the timing was too coincidental. According to the golden-eyed condor's experience, he immediately knew that the arrow had missed.
Unless the opponent was deaf, it was impossible for him not to notice the arrow entering the wood. The golden-eyed condor concentrated, waiting for the opponent to react. Whether the opponent counterattacked or dodged, it would be impossible for him to avoid the second arrow. Just now, the arrow had left the original point just before the arrow left the bowstring, and he had no time to make another move.
The arrow released from the bowstring from a five-picul bow was unpredictable, and its speed was faster than lightning. It was difficult to dodge even on flat ground, let alone on a tree. Not to mention that he was mentally prepared and could predict the opponent's direction of action. The tree was fifteen or sixteen feet high. If he wanted to jump down, he had to be prepared to fall to death or be disabled. With this second arrow, he would definitely die!
"Swoosh!" "Clang!" The wind blew past his ears and made his neck burn. Before Young Chu could recover, a frightening buzzing sound came, startling him. He thought he had accidentally touched a hornet's nest. When he turned his head to look, he was scared stiff. A sharp arrow had pierced more than a foot into the wood. The arrow shaft was as thick as a thumb. It vibrated rapidly, creating a fan-shaped shadow. What a terrifying arrow!
Young Chu froze. He grabbed the bow tightly, his palms were wet with sweat. His body was stiff and motionless. After a long time, he slowly raised his head and looked in the direction of the arrow. When he raised his head, it seemed that the joints in his neck were cracking. From this angle, a clump of leaves happened to block his view. He could see a rock opposite him, and he guessed that someone was shooting from there, but he could not see the position of the person.
Such archery, such a strong bow, it was too terrifying. Perhaps in a close combat, this person would not be able to take more than three moves from him. But how much confidence did he have in shooting arrows like this?
Fight! Or leave?
The arrow was shot from the opposite side … Could it be that Zhao Sui had secretly arranged an ambush to assassinate Yang Ling? If so, with the skill of this sharpshooter, Yang Ling would not be able to escape today, and it would save him the trouble of doing it himself.
But now the other side obviously thought that he was sent by Yang Ling to assassinate Zhao Sui. Should he just run away like this? The rules of the church were strict. He came here under orders. If the other side failed and he did not shoot an arrow, would the Hierarch let him go?
Then what should he do? How to deal with this terrifying enemy who could not explain his true intentions? Kill this sharpshooter who was a threat to his life, and then complete the task of assassinating Yang Ling. Could he do it?
Big beads of sweat fell from Young Chu's forehead and cheeks …
Fight … or leave …
* * *
"I said you don't know, because there are many factions among you. It is impossible to unify and unite." There was a secret battle of archery in the forest. On the Immortal Bridge, Yang Ling was also using words as swords to attack the heart.
"Liu Liu, Yang Hu, Li Hua, Hong Niangzi, and you, Brother Zhao, each of you has your own team, your own mountain, your own flag. Can you really not fight for power and share a common enemy? Even if you are willing, if you are willing, your subordinates will all have to submit to others and submit to the people under you. Will they be willing? "
Yang Ling put his hands behind his back and sneered, "How can the power gathered temporarily because of the predicament talk about long-term? As long as you have a little bit of power, you will have the heart to fight for power and benefits. You will preserve your strength in the face of a tough battle. When there are benefits, you will ensure that you get them. These things that you can't avoid will inevitably cause the hearts of the whole troops to be divided. You will not be able to achieve anything. "
"Bah! What do you people in the imperial court know about loyalty in Jianghu? We brothers are united, how can we be so weak? Brother Qi was tortured in prison and refused to reveal any of our secrets. Brother Zhang Mao is extremely righteous and is the number one hero in Bazhou. You dog official, don't measure the heart of a gentleman with the heart of a villain! "
Feng Lei scolded and glared at Jiang Bin. His gaze was as sharp as a knife. If it wasn't for the iron net separating them, he would have rushed over and fought him to the death.
Jiang Bin shrugged indifferently and said with a drooping face, "Why are you looking at me? Since ancient times, loyalty and righteousness can't be both. I am a general of the imperial court, so I should put Ming Destiny first. "
Liu Twenty-Seven spat in disdain and scolded, "Bah! You are an official and we are bandits, but we are ten thousand times cleaner than you! "
"Damn you. Do you think you are so great just because of loyalty between brothers? You guys attacked cities and pillaged, raped women, and committed all kinds of crimes. You said you were enforcing justice on behalf of heaven, but after you guys burned and killed, I don't know how many poor people have lost their homes and died. I'm your mother, you guys attacked Bazhou, but where did you take my concubine?
You bastards, how can you bear to kill such a delicate beauty? You bastards who have committed all kinds of evil and deserve to be chopped into pieces by a thousand knives, you idiots, ignorant, stupid, and ignorant bastards! "
Jiang Bin stomped his feet and scolded. The more he scolded, the angrier he became. Liu Twenty-Seven was enraged by his scolding. He pulled out his saber and shouted, "Come here if you have the guts. Father will kill you!"
Jiang Bin didn't hesitate either. He gripped the two sabers in his hands and sneered, "You think you can do it? Come here and Father will kick you down the valley to become a tortoise! "
Yang Ling and Zhao Sui shouted in unison, "Shut up!"
Both of them were unwilling to give up. They kept their sabers and retreated while glaring at each other.
Yang Ling said, "Brother Zhao is wise and resourceful. You are a brave general. Unfortunately, you are only a branch of the Ringing Horse Bandits. It is difficult for you to lead the other branches. Once the Ringing Horse Bandits grow stronger, in order to merge the forces of the other branches, it is inevitable that you will be killed. Zhang Mao? Zhang Mao is only Heavenly King Chao of the Liangshan. Then who is the hypocritical Song Gongming who betrayed his friends for glory? "
Yang Ling looked at Feng Lei, smiled, and said, "You are a fierce general, but you only know how to fight and kill. You can't conquer the world even if you want to be a hero who can take charge of an area. To swear an oath with blood, to raise a group of people. Since ancient times, which rebel did not start like this? But what about once you have the power? Since interests are used to unite, interests must be used to divide. Since ancient times, those who ascended to the throne as commoners have all tried to find a crime to accuse them of. Why is that?
Because you, the sworn brothers who swore an oath of blood, know the background of the person who became the Emperor the best. You know that he is not a true dragon, the Son of Heaven, he is just a peasant. You treat him as a good brother, but not as a master who you respect … "
Yang Ling suddenly felt that something was wrong. How could he forget that the emperor was also a commoner? Although the other party was a thief and the four generals around him were not to be feared, it was better not to talk about this kind of thing. So he immediately changed his words.
Originally, he wanted to say that he would start his army as an independent nobleman. His reputation and power would be great from the start, and the people who pledged their allegiance to him would treat him as their lord. Once he gained control of the country, he would just follow the rules and be bestowed the title of King or Marquis. As an emperor, he would not feel threatened, and naturally, he would not go on a killing spree.
On the other hand, commoner emperors rarely had this kind of breadth of mind. That was because they took the same path as Liu Liu and the others. They called each other brothers and maintained this kind of organizational relationship based on loyalty and brotherhood. Everyone had their own independent forces, and they lacked sufficient fear of the great leader.
Then when he became emperor, the biggest threat would come from these former brothers. These people had not yet wisely changed their identity with the emperor from brothers to monarch and minister father and son. Moreover, they had a large army.
Generally, those who had seized the country and become emperors were not young anymore. He did not have time to let these arrogant soldiers and valiant generals adapt to their new identity and establish their own new order. For the stability of the country, for the future generations, the best method the emperor could adopt was to kill the meritorious ministers.
This vicious circle was also a solution without a solution. Who could guarantee that those meritorious ministers who died in vain did not have the ambition to become emperor themselves? There were too many examples of a country's young lord being replaced by a general who was the founding father of the country.
Attacking the city was the bottom line, attacking the heart was the top. Yang Ling believed that with history as a guide, these bloody realities could move these people's hearts and break a crack in their hearts. These things were told one after another. Not only did the three Zhao brothers, who were well-versed in literature and history, become vigilant and could no longer fully trust Liu Liu and Yang Hu. Even Feng Lei and the other generals who lacked a chord in their brains would fall into the trap. Now, they had to find another excuse. However, although the words were said early, it seemed that the three Zhao brothers had understood. Half of their goal had been achieved.
Yang Ling let out a sigh and said, "Don't be impatient. Yang Ling came here with sincerity to ask for peace and to analyze the pros and cons. I also hope that you can think about it carefully. It would be best if you can be in harmony. If you still decide to fight with weapons, we have said all we have to say and we will have no regrets in our hearts. Besides, know your enemy … "
* * *
On the bridge, there was a battle of words. In the forest, there was a battle of cold arrows. On the bridge, there was a stalemate. In the forest, Little Chu and the golden-eyed condor were also in a stalemate. The golden-eyed condor was a patient hunter, far more patient than Little Chu who was very patient in killing. Under the bright sun, he quietly knelt on the rock with one knee, squinting his eyes and motionless.
He once waited patiently under a tree for nearly four hours on a snowy winter day, waiting for the cunning Snow Fox to appear. With one arrow, he pierced through both of its ears, keeping the Snow Fox's fur intact and selling it for a high price. Now, he regarded Little Chu on the opposite tree as a cunning snow fox, and he was quietly waiting for his prey to come.
Perhaps he was just a lowly nobody, but with an arrow in his hand and an insurmountable moat between them, he wasn't afraid of any expert. Anyone in his domain could look down on him with disdain and pride, claiming to be a hero. Although Little Chu was under the shade of the trees, he was far more nervous than his opponent. His hunting experience and patience, as well as his archery skills, were far worse than his opponent.
His hands were sweating non-stop. He finally made the wise decision to withdraw from this battle. His feet slowly moved backwards, inch by inch. His eyes were fixed on the opposite side. He was about to get close to the tree trunk. At the same time, there was no shade above him. He was about to be completely exposed to his opponent's sight.
As long as he jumped up and went around to the back of the huge ancient tree, he could use the tree trunk as cover and escape from the other side of the tree trunk. He took a deep breath and suddenly moved. He curled his body and bounced off the tree trunk. He did a perfect turn in midair and stretched out a single palm to probe and slide on the tree trunk. As long as he went around it, he would be safe.
The green figure was like a wisp of smoke. With just a flash, the golden-eyed eagle on the opposite side suddenly resurrected from its petrified state. It drew the bow, released the string, and the arrow flashed like a meteor.
Little Chu's body just slid a foot away from the thick tree trunk. The eagle feather had already swept through the air. That kind of speed was hard to dodge even on flat ground, let alone in the air. A person who practiced the Thirteen Guardians Brute Training Kung Fu would not last more than ten minutes under the attack of thousands of arrows. No matter how good his Qing Gong was, he could not be faster than an arrow that left the bowstring.
"Puff!" The arrow pierced through his left rib, went through his heart, and nailed into the trunk of the ancient tree from his chest. Little Chu's body shook. His flying body froze and then slowly drooped down. His body was like a part of the ancient tree, nailed there forever.
No one knew of his existence, even if there were herb gatherers passing by the tree occasionally. The nameless Little Chu disappeared forever.
Many years later, this tree was coincidentally struck by thunder and fire and fell into the valley. Coincidentally, it was picked up by someone to be used as a woodworking craft. When the chainsaw passed by, an iron arrowhead came out from the wood and shot the unscrupulous boss in the throat, killing him.
The unlucky carpenter was locked up for investigation and driven away. His apprentice changed his profession and wrote a thriller about the reincarnation of life and death and karma based on the iron arrowhead incident under the pen name of "I Dream to Be a Boss". It was published on the largest Chinese website and won the monthly votes for a whole year.
Regarding the origin of the iron arrowhead, the book mentioned the mythical figures such as Zhang Guo Lao and Lu Dongbin. It also mentioned the great general who was sent to the ancient ferry of the Yellow River by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty to cast iron oxen and iron men. Of course, it also mentioned Yang Jiye of the Song Dynasty, Sun Feihu of the Pujiu Temple in the Romance of the Western Chamber, and Yang Ling of the Ming Destiny Dynasty. No one knew about Little Chu.
History was not written by nobodies.
The golden-eyed condor's arrow hit its target. He lay down on the stone sideways and let out a long sigh. He had shot three arrows. Before pulling the string for the third arrow, he held his breath and waited for a long time. He had consumed too much of his spirit and strength. He needed to take a rest.
He looked at the bridge. There was a gap where Marshal Zhao was standing. He only needed to take a few more breaths to relax his tense muscles and slightly trembling arms. Then he could shoot the fatal arrow. Yang Ling on the bridge was more dangerous than the assassin in the forest. He had to die.
"Just two more breaths." The golden-eyed condor thought. Inhaling, exhaling …
The sky was long and vast. It was so blue that people wanted to immerse themselves in it. There were soft white clouds and a wisp of mist. In the corner of his sight, there was a branch sticking out of the mountain. It made the tranquil and deep swaying of that day come alive.
"I can't wait too long. Even if they need a long time to negotiate, there are plenty of opportunities. But after a while, the angle of the sun will be too disadvantageous to me." The golden-eyed condor moved his hands and gripped his iron bow tightly. Then he stuck his head out to take a look. "Very good. This angle is still very good. There is a hundred percent chance of hitting the target."
He carefully moved forward to the side. His feet touched the only remaining line of rock below. From a distance, it was just a small gap between the protruding rock and the mountain. The gap was full of weeds. The branches that stuck out were red, yellow, and green. They were colorful.
Looking out from this small gap, the sky was high and the earth was wide. It was clear at a glance, including the target, Yang Ling.
The golden-eyed condor sneered and reached for the quiver behind his shoulder. There were still four arrows in the quiver. It was not easy to make these specially made giant arrows with carved feathers and wolf teeth. In this battle, he could shoot six arrows at most before his arms would be exhausted. There was no need to bring more.
When he touched it, there was no familiar feather feeling. The golden-eyed condor felt down in surprise. The wolf skin scabbard and the tin and copper ring quiver were still there. When he moved further up, there was nothing at the mouth of the quiver.
The long arrow was less than a quarter of the mouth of the quiver. There was no reason for it to fall. The golden-eyed condor looked back in surprise. He was so shocked that he almost jumped off the cliff. He was too focused on the bridge in front of him. He did not expect that someone would quietly hide behind him. He only saw a pair of bright, charming eyes.
That pair of charming eyes were filled with killing intent. She asked coldly, "Golden-Eyed condor? What are you doing here? "
The golden-eyed condor's eyes almost popped out. After a while, he stammered, "Cui … Deputy Commander Cui, you … what are you doing here?"
* * *
"Brother Zhao, with the power of the imperial court, why can't we wipe out Mount Zhongtiao? Yang first used peaceful means before resorting to force. He sincerely tried to appease you because he did not want to destroy the people. It was not because the imperial court was unable to suppress the bandits. Heroes, there are all kinds of reasons for your rebellion. It could be because of the corruption of the officials or because you are homeless. Now the imperial court is working hard and reforming. Do you really have to rebel? "
"From a righteous point of view, it is easier said than done to rebuild. Can Ming Destiny's country be so easily shaken? Liu the Sixth and Yang Hu said it was for the sake of the people. They were righteous and determined to save the world. But in fact, they were robbing and killing. To achieve great things, how many people do you want to put in danger?
Your army does not kill and does not rob. Although you have won the praise of the Revolutionary Army, can you represent the White Army and the Ringing Horse Army? The tallest tree in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Can they tolerate heretics like you? From a selfish point of view, you are either forced by life or stirred up by righteous indignation. That's why you rebel.
Now that the imperial court is getting rid of the corruption, it can be said that you have no reason to force the people to rebel. Forcefully rebelling will only lead to your own destruction. Surrender to the imperial court. For the public, you will be righteous to the people. For the private, you can seek your own benefits. As an official, it will benefit both the public and private interests. Why not?
Brother Zhao and the other leaders, you are all smart people. I hope you can think about what I said. Are you really going to sacrifice the lives of your families for that illusory dream of being the Emperor? As the saying goes, if you do not make a decision, you will only suffer. You should seriously think about what you will do in the future. "
His words were like a spear. Even Feng Lei, Liu Twenty-Seven and the others were speechless. Zhao Sui exclaimed in his heart, "Impressive!"
He cupped his hands and forced a smile. "I will remember Duke's heartfelt words. When I return to the stronghold, I will have to report to Marshal Xing before I can make a decision."
"Good! I, Yang, am sincere in recruiting you. I will show my sincerity. I will set a deadline of three days. Within these three days, the soldiers will not attack. I, Yang, will wait for Brother Zhao's good news! "
Zhao Sui took a deep look at him and cupped his hands together. "Farewell!"
Yang Ling also cupped his hands. Zhao Sui flicked his sleeves and left.
Yang Ling stared at their backs in silence. He sighed in his heart, Zhao Sui can be a hero but not a hegemon. This man is self-conceited, compassionate, not guarded against others, generous, but not ruthless and resolute. He has the intention to be independent, but he is hesitant, obsessed with loyalty, unable to decisively seize control of the troops under his command and achieve unification from top to bottom, how can he accomplish great things?
I have overestimated his ability. This person cannot decide whether the bandits of Mount Zhongtiao will stay or leave. Sigh! I will go back and prepare. Hopefully, Tiger Xing will be persuaded by him. Otherwise, a battle will be inevitable in three days' time!
The moment Yang Ling turned around, he too started walking back. Jiang Bin and Xu Tai quickly guarded him from the left and right, while Wu Hanchao and Song Ai brought up the rear, keeping an eye on Zhao Sui's movements while retreating to observe the lush green forest. It was only when they were about to reach the bridgehead that the two of them quickly turned around and escorted Yang Ling into the group of soldiers.
It was commendable that Wu Hanchao could put up such a good defense on this bridge. Moreover, he was bold. Yang Ling was wearing a layer of leather armor and a layer of chainmail, making it difficult for arrows to harm him. Even if the Rattling Horse Bandits had firearms, they would not be able to use them. Unless the best craftsman in the Bureau of Ordnance spent half a year to craft one or two of them, the accuracy would be too low. As for Yang Ling's face, with the sword in his hand, he could protect it well.
As soon as Yang Ling entered the crowd, he finally calmed down. There were only a handful of people in the world who could pierce through armor with a Five Picul Bow. If Wu Hanchao knew that there was such an expert archer in the crevice on the right side of the wall, who knew if his heart would continue to sink to the bottom …
Cui Ying 'er stood silently in the crevice. The swaying green leaves on the branches covered her face. The hard shell of her heart, which had always been hard, was finally peeled off in this environment where there was only hard rock, revealing her soft heart.
There was no one around. A dead man could not be counted as a person. The Golden-Eyed Condor was already dead.
Red Lady was also a person who had traversed the mountains since childhood and was accustomed to living in the mountains. With just a glance, she took a fancy to this place. This was the place where she could clearly see everything at the end of the bridge, and it was also the place where it was difficult to be discovered. Therefore, she quietly came to this place from the forest. She only wanted to sneak a glance at him before sneaking back.
When she was about to reach the rock, she saw someone on the rock. Red Lady's first reaction was to quickly escape, because … how could her female thoughts be exposed to the light? But she saw that the man had a bow in his hand and an arrow on his back. He was slowly moving towards the edge of the cliff.
Hiding in this place with a strong bow and arrow in his hand, who did he want to kill? As soon as Red Lady thought of this, she could no longer care about anything else. She immediately displayed the lightness skill that she had learned since she was a child in the mountains. Her feet did not touch the dust as she flew over.
She did not want to kill the Golden-Eyed Condor. Although this bastard who should have died ten thousand times almost hurt Yang Ling, since he came in time and Yang Ling was unharmed, killing the Golden-Eyed Condor, who was also a member of the mountain stronghold, was meaningless. The Golden-Eyed Condor relied on his extraordinary strength. Cui Ying 'er made up her mind to capture him and bring him back. She did not wait for anyone to plead on his behalf and immediately cripple his arms for violating the mountain rules.
Unexpectedly, people did not have the intention to kill the Condor, but the Condor wanted to peck at people's hearts. Although Li Hua and the others were the local tigers of Mount Zhongtiao, after the arrival of Zhao Sui, Red Lady and the others, any force was stronger than them. They had long been reduced to third-rate characters. Zhao Sui claimed to be a volunteer army. Now he came to assassinate Xing Laohu, Zhao Sui, and the other commanders. Moreover, Zhao Sui had always paid attention to military rules. How could he forgive him?
Besides, once the peace talks were successful, who would care about the interests of the bandits of Mount Zhongtiao? It would be strange if they were not played to death by the two Shanxi rich and powerful families, the Pu and Ji families. Thinking of this, the Golden-Eyed Condor's evil thoughts rose. The martial arts of the martial arts world paid particular attention to avoiding the strong and striking the weak. They could not open this narrow rock crack.
His divine strength was infinite. Although this Red Lady was famous, she was after all a delicate beauty. How much strength could she have? It was better to strangle her to death. Not only could he complete his Big Brother's order, but he would also not be discovered.
The Golden-Eyed Condor did as he thought of, but he forgot that muscular people also had the same numbness, the same acupoints, and the same numbness when their vital parts were poked by an expert with extraordinary finger strength. Therefore, there was one less person in the world who could draw a five-picul bow.
Red Lady replaced the Golden-Eyed Condor's position. She was also aiming an arrow at Yang Ling. With a pair of eyes that could only be unscrupulously expressed in this place, she released a lingering arrow of love.
The sunlight shone through the leaves and grass, shining on her beautiful face. She stared at Yang Ling's back in a daze. Her longing gaze followed him until his slender body was completely covered by him.
She was like the moon, her cheeks like snow, enduring to see the afterglow of the autumn. Together with the bright moon, rippling with the lonely canopy, the horizon is together with you. Swallowing the tiger, the sword is like a rainbow, smiling at the clouds and wind. Yuyang Nong, the reed is beating, the long spear roaring in the west wind.
Her eyes gently closed, her beautiful and neat eyelashes slightly blinked. Two streams of clear tears fell silently, falling into the abyss under her feet that no one had ever stepped on since ancient times. She suddenly turned around, her faint figure bouncing like a ball, and instantly flashed into the dense forest.
On the rock, the Golden-Eyed Condor looked up at the sky. Under the sunlight, only a pair of eyes still faintly revealed a bit of luster. In the sky, there was an eagle circling …
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