Normally, if a general like Lu Bu is stationed in the Western Regions, the horse thieves should have disappeared. Otherwise, if they are caught by Lu Bu, it will be like cutting melons and vegetables. But the problem is that Lu Bu is no longer in charge now, and has gotten into the horns of Buddhism, which has led to the number of horse thieves gradually increasing.
Just like the Big Apple City, known as the capital of freedom and light, isn’t it also an underground gangster, where big thieves are rampant?
Order does not mean there is no chaos.
There is light, not that there is no darkness.
Money can make ghosts push the grinding, and money can also make ghosts push the grinding.
Especially in places without faith, money appears to be even more powerful and scruples.
In a desolate stone mountain in the Western Regions, there is a cave. A fierce man in groups inside and outside the cave was laughing and making fun of him. On one side of the cave, there are piles of small and small jars. From time to time, people pour sour vinegar water out of the jar, and sometimes it spills on the ground and no one cares.
There is no water source here.
The nearest water source is also ten miles away, so no one will come here normally. The advantage is that no one will think that there will be people in places without water, so just need to clean up the traces. The strong winds in the Western Regions will soon bury the remaining marks, and naturally there will be no soldiers following the marks and follow them to track them down here.
The disadvantage is that if you want to live here, you have to store some daily water. Those jars are used to store water. However, if you store ordinary water, it will probably not smell more than three to five days, so you can only store alcohol, or it cannot be considered sour vinegar water for alcohol.
These light wines were sold back from the market twenty miles away.
The water source point ten miles away is their outpost.
And in the small market twenty miles away, they also have their eyes.
They are the largest and most brutal group of horse thieves in the Western Regions, killing people, robbing goods, and doing all kinds of evil.
But I don’t usually do much, but once I do it, the caravan will inevitably be everywhere.
Many little horse thieves claim to be their subordinates, but in fact their subordinates never recruited them among the horse thieves, but gathered them among the Qiang people, because they are the remnants of the Baima Qiang, the remnants of the Qingyi Qiang, the Kushan mercenaries, and descendants of the Ma family.
"This world has always been like this, the strong swallow the weak. In the jungle, on the grassland, between tigers, leopards, cattle and sheep, and between people..." Ma Xiu said slowly, "I didn't understand it very much at first, but now I understand it..."
The small grottoes they were in were not big, but they were still dry, obviously as the residence of Maxiu and Pang De.
"At the beginning, I was full of anger, but now, I'm no longer angry." Ma Xiu sat on a rock, holding a wine bag in his hand, with a bit of alcohol on his face. He obviously had drunk a lot, but was not drunk yet. "When I realized this, I suddenly found it very interesting."
Pound sat on one side, silent.
"You should ask me why it's interesting?" Ma Xiu shook his wine bag, then whispered a few sips.
Pang De raised his eyebrows, "Do you need it?"
"Yeah." Ma Xiu nodded seriously.
So Pang De asked seriously: "Please tell me why it's interesting."
"Okay," Ma Xiu raised his head, "The yin and yang in the world are opposite. There is a sun in the day, and there is naturally a moon in the night. The weather is round and waxing, this is the way of heaven. When people live, they have to eat and drink, which is also the way of heaven. So we want to live, just like the sun and the moon rise and set every day. There is no reason, no excuse, no concealment, it is just the way of heaven, and it is natural."
Perhaps it is because the Western Regions have a strong atmosphere of Buddhism, and even Ma Xiu seems to be practicing Zen.
"The way of heaven is ruthless. I remember reading a book before, and I forgot what it was written, but it seems that it also said that the way of heaven treats a grass, a tree, a horse, and a person equally. For the way of heaven, it is the same, just like stones, rivers, sun, moon, stars, do you understand? It's the same!"
Pound nodded, "Same."
Ma Xiu looked at Pang De with his neck tilted, then shook his head, "Different... No, it's not that he said different, but that you are different, no, it's that you are saying different... Well... forget it!"
『…』 Pang De looked at Ma Xiu and said after a moment, "Young Master, after drinking this last porridge, go to bed."
"I am the young master!" Ma Xiu stared at Pang De, and then curled his lips for a while, "Okay, listen to yours...we are all the same...so, no young master..."
"You are the young master." Pound said, "But this is the last bag."
"The last bag... Well, okay, but you have to listen to me..." Ma Xiu looked at Pang De, "I think I have figured out a great truth... I must say it, otherwise I might forget it later..."
Pang De nodded, "Young Master, please speak. Do I need me to write it down?"
『Yes, yes! Write it down!』Ma Xiu laughed, 『Go and get the pen!』
Pound said: "We have no pens. We only have swords and guns."
"Uh..." Ma Xiu was stunned for a moment, "Then use a wooden stick or something to write it, just write it here!"
Ma Xiu pointed the sandy ground on the side of the stone.
Pound nodded, pulled out the knife from his boots, and squatted on the ground, "You say, I'll write."
"Okay!" Ma Xiu coughed twice, cleared his throat, and then pondered for a while, "Uh... where did I just talk about it?"
"Same? Or different?" Pang De wasn't sure either.
『Same! Yes, same!』 Ma Xiu slapped his leg with a snap, 『Yes! Same! Do you know why he said it was the emperor, not the heavenly way? Because the emperor can be different, but the heavenly way can only be the same!』
Pang De raised his eyebrows, "I don't understand."
"Ah!" Ma Xiu jumped off the stone, walked back and forth twice, and stood still, "I heard before... the Han Dynasty first used Huang Lao to govern the country, but later Emperor Xiaowu changed it to a emperor... It's probably the same meaning, and then this is the key, the way of heaven! Huang Lao's way of heaven is the same in the world! Do you understand? Stones are the same as plants and trees, mountains and rivers, cattle and sheep are the same as people, and then this emperor is the same as us!"
Ma Xiu shouted and waved his arms, "Same! Do you understand?! If you talk about the way of heaven, it will be the same! The same! Equal! Stones, trees, cattle and sheep, us, the emperor, etc., are all the same!"
Pound listened and wrote, but he stopped halfway through.
"Write!" Ma Xiu stared, "Didn't he say he wanted to write it down?"
Pound was silent and continued to write.
Ma Xiu nodded with satisfaction, continued to circle around and said, "The Emperor of Han was afraid that we would understand the true meaning of the Heavenly Dao, so he did not dare to use Huang Lao, but used those sour scholars to cover up the truth for the emperor! Yes! That's it! And we must announce this truth to the world! Let everyone in the world know that the emperor is no big deal, just like ordinary people! Like stones, cows and horses! This is the Heavenly Dao! Heavenly Dao! Haha, hahahahaha...'
"The way of heaven! I understand the way of heaven!" Ma Xiu excitedly raised his wine bag and drank wine, and then danced around him, "I understand! Hahaha, the way of heaven! The same! Hahahaha..."
Pang De lowered his head and looked at the words he wrote on the ground. He was silent for a long time. After a moment, he suddenly felt that the surrounding area had become quiet. When he turned his head, he found that Ma Xiu was lying directly on the ground and fell asleep.
Pang De stood up, his eyes turned back and forth on Ma Xiu and the words on the ground for a few times, then turned around and left the small cave and walked outside. "It's already late, and everyone who should go to bed should go to bed. Whoever fucks the fuck will whip him and wake up after waking up! Who is on duty today? Come here! Go patrol with me!"
The noisy horse thief outside saw Pang De speak, and they crouched their necks and each crawled back into the cave, just like insects on the sand returning to the nest, and it became quiet in a blink of an eye.
The wind blew across the grotto, carving the surface of the grotto into a strange look.
Pang De took his men to patrol the grottoes, and then asked the people on duty to stay guard. He himself returned to the small grottoes, looking at Ma Xiu who was sleeping and the words on the ground.
Is there any essential difference between the wind in the Western Regions and the wind in the Han Central Plains?
Is there any fundamental difference between the stones in the Western Regions and the stones in the Han Central Plains?
What is the difference between the sun, moon and stars thousands of years ago and the sun, moon and stars today?
Ponder thought, but he couldn't find the answer.
It's dark.
Then it was dawn.
Just like it has been for thousands of years, no more than a minute, no more than a second, no more than anyone's will.
Ma Xiu woke up and saw Pang De beside him, "Ah? Ling Ming, have you not rest?"
Ponde nodded, "I'll take a moment. When I'm tired next time, I'll make up for it."
After pausing for a moment, Pang De asked: "Young Master, do you remember what you said yesterday evening?"
Ma Xiu patted his head, "What did I say? I...I really want to remember that I said a lot, but what did I say specifically..."
Pound signaled, "Over there, you asked me to write it down, and said you would forget it."
"Ah?" Ma Xiu walked forward a few steps and stood in front of those words. After a moment, he widened his eyes, looked back at Pang De, and pointed to the words on the ground, "This...this...this...this is what I said?"
Pound nodded, "I remember what you said."
『Ah, hahahaha…』 Ma Xiu stretched out his feet and quickly smeared the words on the ground, 『How could I say such things…』
Ma Xiu turned his head and smiled dryly, "This... Ling Ming..."
Ponde waved his hand and said, "I know... no one is here."
"I don't mean that..." Ma Xiu was silent for a while, "No, I did think so, but this... can't be said...
Just when Ma Xiu didn't know what to say, someone shouted outside the small grotto: "Head! Someone is here, like Ermazi!"
Ermazi is an eyeliner arranged by Ma Xiu and others outside.
The Kushan people are here.
On the west side of the small village twenty miles away from the grottoes, there is a small water pool.
Ma Xiu met with the Kushan people.
『My friend…』 The Kushan people said in a weird accent, 『You disappointed me…』
Ma Xiu hugged his hands in front of his chest and said coldly: "So you are here to blame me?"
"No, not all." The Kushans said some puzzling words, "My friend, I'll bring you good news..."
'Good news?' asked Ma Xiu.
'Yes, good news.' The Kushans whispered, 'My great general sent a monk... It is said that he successfully let the terrible, cruel butcher put down his knife...'
"Butchman? Oh...what? This is impossible." Ma Xiu said, "You must be kidding."
The Kushan people spread their hands, "I don't like to joke, and I never joke. This is true, but how much I have put down... is not good, so I need my friends to help determine..."
'That's confirmation, forget it, don't care about this.' Ma Xiu said in a deep voice, 'What do you mean is that Lu Feng first put down his knife and learn Buddhism and don't kill people?'
"Yes, my monk, he won't lie, that's what he said. That's a terrible and cruel butcher. If he could put down the knife, wouldn't it be good news?" The Kushan people smiled and said, "But the butcher may also pick up the knife again... It would be very bad, very bad... So I need to make sure... My friend, I think you can definitely help me...
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content later! "So you want us to confirm whether that guy's knife has really been put down? Do you think we are fools or lunatics? That's Lu Fengxian!" Ma Xiu said with a glaring eyes, "If you really let go, then it's okay. If you don't let go, we will die!"
Back then, Lu Bu led less than 3,000 people to kill the entire Western Regions, coaxing countless Hu tribes like cattle and sheep everywhere, and then completely destroying the Kushan people's power in the Western Regions in one fell swoop, the memory of the nightmare of many people still remains in the nightmare of many people.
Now it is said that Lu Bu put down his sword and stopped fighting, believed in the Buddha, and started chanting scriptures and stopped fighting, who believed?
The Kushan people smiled and said, "I give you money. A lot of money. My friend, you can offer a price."
"Maybe many people will die!" said Ma Xiu.
The Kushan nodded, "That's right, so I can give a big price. But, my friend, the movement must be big! It must be big! Do you understand? Otherwise, we will not be able to determine whether we have put down the knife..."
Ma Xiu stared at the Kushan people and nodded after a while, "How much can you pay..."
Ma Xiu instigated the Lushui tribe and the Baima tribe, and now he can also instigate other tribes. As long as he has enough money, he can attract enough life-salary people here in the Western Regions.
The Kushans discussed with Maxiu for a while, and after discussing the price, the Kushans left first.
Pang De walked over and stared at the smoke and dust that were leaving the Kushan people, "What are they going to do?"
"They paid for our lives and asked us to do something to see if Lu Fengxian really put down his sword." Ma Xiu said.
Pound said, "Are they stupid? Why?"
"I said that some eminent monk went to preach the Dharma to Lu Fengxian..." Ma Xiu sneered and said, "I can put down the knife? Maybe Lu Fengxian was chanting the Dharma while holding the knife... Unless Lu Fengxian really became an idiot... No matter what, anyway, Kushan gave money, we were looking for someone, as long as Lu Fengxian didn't find us."
After so many times as a horse thief in the Western Regions, money is their lifeline. If you have money, there will be people and horses, and if you don’t have money, there will be nothing.
Pang De frowned, "Young Master, this matter is very dangerous. If I mean, I mean...
Ma Xiu sighed, "I know, but the Kushan people are our main source of money... If we refuse, will the Kushan bastards sell us backhanded? Anyway, the Kushan people just want to make things bigger and want to see if Lu Fengxian really put down the knife, so Ling Ming, what will happen if we say we don't do this? Now the Kushan people give us at least 30% first... and then according to the subsequent situation, give us... As long as they can still use us, we only need to worry about one aspect..."
"This is only temporary." Pound said.
Ma Xiu smiled, his smile was bleak, "Who isn't temporary?"
Pound was silent.
『Okay, please think of a solution,』 Ma Xiu said,『Anyway, the Kushan people's money has arrived, we will deduct half of it first, and then use the rest to recruit people...but it's very troublesome. If these people know that they are going to deal with Lu Fengxian, they may not come...If we hide it first, well, it's not OK, and we won't say that we will be backfired...』
Everyone likes money, but if you have money but have no life, it is meaningless.
At the same time, horse thieves also have to be trustworthy unless they can silence them. Now that Kushan people want to make big things, they obviously involve many people, and it is impossible to silence them all. Therefore, using means of deception and deception is equivalent to destroying the reputation Ma Xiu has established over the years.
A horse thief without reputation will really lose all his protective colors. The rabbit also knows not to eat grass beside his nest, let alone human beings. If there is no credibility and reputation as a cover, not to mention whether the Hu tribes around him will cover up the news, even Ma Xiu's subordinates may not be able to hold it back.
So both of them were a little worried.
After a moment, Pang De suddenly thought of something, but his expression was a little hesitant.
As soon as Ma Xiu saw it, he asked: "Ling Ming, what are your countermeasures? Tell me out quickly!"
Ponde nodded, and then slowly said: "I just thought of what you said yesterday..."
'Those? Oh...' Ma Xiu waved his hand and said, 'Those are all wine talk...'
"No, young master, what I mean," Pang De said hesitantly, "The Kushans are not going to be bigger... and then we can't expose them... Then I wonder if we can... After all, there are too many unfair things in the Western Regions and too many defeated people..."
During the three or four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, countries in the Western Regions fought endlessly. Even if Lu Bu did not come here, many tribes in the Western Regions were still defeated and the country was destroyed. The original princes and nobles became slaves...
"Ah ha!" Ma Xiu exclaimed, "This method... really... let me think about it..."
The two stood silently for a while.
The wind blew, lifting the dust.
"It seems...you can give it a try..."
"You can't look for horse thieves all."
"Yes, besides horse thieves, you also have to find ordinary people."
"There must be a reason."
"Well...just say yes, yes, the way of heaven?"
Chapter completed!