On a spring morning, there was still mist in the mountains of Fujian. The winding road passed through the ridge in front, leading to the small county town not far away. When they saw the figures at the tea stall at the corner of the road ahead, Qu Longjun and Ning
Ji Ju frowned.
"Is that... the same group of people from last night..."
"You kill the official at night and dare to go out on the road to block people during the day. You are so tired of living, these guys."
"Do you want to hide?"
"No, let's see what they are doing...maybe they are not blocking us."
Although he didn't care about these little bandits in the mountains in terms of his skills, Ning Ji, who came from the southwest, was still a little shocked that these gangsters who had just committed a crime dared to appear on the road so brazenly.
At this time, Meng Piao, who was bruised and swollen on the other side of the road, had also seen the two people approaching. After a fight at night, Ning Ji was unparalleled in his domineering attitude. Although everyone listened to his words, although he was young, they also regarded him as someone with experience in the world.
Yan Youshu, a great master, could see clearly in the daytime from a distance of more than ten feet, and the expression on his face became suspicious. When he named the person, his companions around him also frowned and questioned him.
"Didn't you say that we met two men with sharp mouths and monkey cheeks, who beat everyone on sight..."
After a group of people were beaten, they went back and described the enemy as ferocious. When they met now, it was completely different. But even at night, the image of one of them carrying a sword and the other carrying two swords was very clear. At this time,
After looking at it, they got the number right, not to mention that after the two sides made eye contact, the young man carrying the two swords turned evil in his eyes, and swept the crowd here viciously, and he knew exactly where they were coming from.
"...If I had such an appearance, why would I commit any adultery? There wouldn't be any girls here."
Among the crowd, someone murmured.
"Shut up!" Seeing the person approaching, the eldest brother in the crowd gave the order in a low voice, and then said: "Famous people from the Jiangnan land, that's called fun, you know nothing!"
Everyone learned new principles of life and stopped talking. They didn't know that the two sides were far apart, so the other party couldn't hear what they said, otherwise there would be another conflict.
At this time, both parties had finished sizing up and confirmed that it was the two and one horse from last night, and the eldest brother who took the lead just raised his hand to greet them, with a smile on his face.
"Two heroes, two young heroes." The eldest brother who took the lead was not burly in stature, but looked thin and capable, but he had a friendly smile and a low voice. With a strong sense of etiquette and propriety, he walked to
He stopped at a place not far away and said, "Your Majesty came to Pucheng, and it was full of brilliance, but I missed the welcome from afar. I was in Hezhang in Xiapu City. I heard last night that a brother had offended two heroes. Today I came here to apologize, forgive me, forgive me...
…”
His attitude was polite and his advance and retreat were well-founded, which made people like him for a while. Ning Ji couldn't get angry anymore. At this time, he looked at everyone again, frowned and said angrily: "So many people are here, not to find trouble, but
What is it for? If you are angry, it doesn't matter if you draw a line and have a fight."
"Never fight, never cause trouble." The leader named Yu Hezhang had an unexpectedly gentle attitude. He didn't look like a gangster. He waved his hand and saw that the two of them seemed not interested in talking to them.
Da, quickly spoke again, "To be honest with you two heroes, Yu is from Pucheng County. After bypassing this mountain road, the first house in the village over there is where Yu's family's house is. I am a local landowner.
I also practiced martial arts when I was young, and I have always admired the heroes on the road. Whenever there are brothers from other places who come here, I am willing to do my best to be a landlord..."
His attitude was sincere, but Ning Ji and Qu Longjun were unwilling to talk more, and just moved forward: "We have something to do, but we are not interested in making friends, so do you want to use force?"
"That's not what I meant." Yu He Zhang followed, "It's just that since last year, the situation in Fujian has changed dramatically, and many things have happened in the world. The two young heroes came from other places, and they encountered such a misunderstanding last night.
Are you not curious about the reason? The two heroes met by chance. Yu knew that there was nothing to win their trust, but I had no ill intentions. I just knew that the two heroes were highly skilled in martial arts. For the sake of the righteousness of Fujian, I
I want to exchange some words with you two. Firstly, it is to prevent the misunderstanding last night from happening again. Secondly... I do want to make friends, but everything is based on your will. Yu Mou promises that we will finish talking.
, the two of you can set off, and Yu will give you a copy of the process, so you won’t be bothered. Of course, if you two want to stay in Pucheng, and you think Yu is okay, then the rest of the food, accommodation, and entertainment will also be covered.
But because of a certain arrangement, what about it?"
This person's attitude was revealed. Ning Ji and Qu Longjun looked at each other with genuine doubts, and frowned: "Just talking?"
Yu Hezhang nodded: "Just talk."
Qu Longjun said: "Shall we leave after we finish talking?"
Yu Hezhang said: "I will never make things difficult."
He watched the two people's movements and spread his hands forward: "My house is not far ahead, otherwise... why don't you two move?"
Qu Longjun shook his head and pointed to the tea stall: "It's right here."
"The tea stall also belongs to my family." Yu Hezhang smiled and spread his hands, "I mean no harm, please."
Ning Ji and Qu Longjun looked at each other, then walked to a tea stall nearby and sat down.
------------------
The small tea stall is located at the corner of the road. It is just a small thatched shed built on the side of the mountain. Looking beyond the tea stall, you can see the walled village where mountain people live in the mountain stream ahead. This is what He Zhang said.
The home is quite impressive at first glance, and further away in the field of vision, the city wall of Pucheng County is faintly visible as the road extends.
The tea stall used only earthenware pots and bowls from the mountains. Yu Hezhang brewed the tea slowly to show his sincerity, but Ning Ji and Qu Longjun naturally did not drink it. When the hot tea was poured, they just listened to the tea.
Yu Hezhang just said: "I don't know what the two young heroes want when they come to Fujian this time."
Qu Longjun looked at him with a cold face: "What I just said was that you had something to say, but now that you sit down, it's turned into a cross-examination?"
"That's not the intention." Yu Hezhang smiled, "There are just some things. If you know the purpose of the two of you, it would be better to talk about it... Anyway, then, I will tell you about it myself, but I don't know what the two of you are.
Are you familiar with the situation in Fujian?"
He picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. This time he did not wait for the two of them to respond, and said: "Fujian Road has been said to be seven mountains, two rivers and one farmland since ancient times. There are many mountains and ridges here. Although the scenery seems to be good, in fact
It is not a good place. It is a place of exile in peacetime. In troubled times, refugees from all over the country move in. Because they come from other places, it is called Hakka. It is also because of the large number of foreigners who live in such wild mountains and wilderness.
Survival is not easy, so we live in groups, and the clan is quite united."
He smiled: "However, although it is such a difficult place to survive, my place in Fujian has been quite loyal to the king for many years. In the past, each clan always used to produce a scholar and sell it to the emperor's family as a first-class one.
This is a great event that we Fujian people understand. Speaking of these years, what is the biggest event? The shame of Jingping, the fall of Jiangnan, the first two years... The new king was desperate and went all the way to Fuzhou by sea. This is actually
It is also a grand event that I, the people of Fujian, feel honored from the bottom of my heart.”
"However, after this incident, things turned out not to be as good as we thought."
Yu Hezhang took a sip of tea and paused.
"Two young heroes, come here from outside. In the past, I don't know if you have heard of what happened here. After the new king came here, most of us naturally supported him from the bottom of our hearts, but...
... Last year, many unpleasant things happened. There were plots, assassinations, and rebellions. In the middle of last year, several large businessmen were beaten. At the end of the year, there were several big clans near Fuzhou, the Pu family, the Chen family, the Rong family,
He committed treacherous and unethical acts, assassinated the king and killed his master, and after being defeated by the new king, their homes were confiscated. The few surviving members of the clan are still wanted by the court. From the perspective of outsiders, I am afraid it is indeed a troubled year."
When he said this, Qu Longjun across from him smiled slightly: "You all kept saying to kill the yellow dog last night, I'm afraid you won't be on the side of His Majesty in this matter."
"Young Master Long is very aware of everything." Yu Hezhang did not hide it and raised the tea bowl with a smile, "In the eyes of outsiders, I am afraid that there are many people in Fujian who are dissatisfied with Wang Hua and always want to cause trouble for the new king, but they have been found out many times.
. But today in front of discerning people, Yu said only one thing. Since the new king came, the taxes of the people in Pucheng County have more than doubled than in the past. In many cases, there are even disputes between the officers and soldiers and the people.
The tragedy of fighting each other occurred."
"Why is this?" Qu Longjun asked.
Yu Hezhang paused for a moment before speaking slowly: "... There are of course many reasons for this, but the most important one... I am afraid that the new king is young and energetic, and is bewitched by the people around him.
In the past two years, the officials sent from above have acted arbitrarily and brutally, often arousing public resentment and even killing many villagers. You two, look at Pucheng. It has many mountains and few fields, and life is difficult here.
The current tax has almost doubled, and the people in the mountains of Fujian are having a hard time..."
His words were heartbreaking and righteous. But Qu Longjun sneered: "Although I haven't gone to find out, I think this double tax may not be imposed by the emperor."
Yu Hezhang raised his hand: "Young Master Long is aware of everything, but as for this matter, the two of them went south all the way, and they know it for themselves, so there is no need for Yu to lie here. Fujian has high mountains and dense forests, and mountain people from all over the country have formed villages to build their own villages.
Bao, he had no choice. In the past, the taxes of the mountain people were collected by the local village elders. The taxes were taken from the people and used for the people. A lot of money was collected, which would have been spent in his own village, but the new king came to Fujian
, with a total of two hundred thousand officers and soldiers, he wanted to raise the army, where would he get the money? So he sent various officials over, using various excuses to suppress the village elders, and just wanted to collect the money for raising the army... To use military force, don't
Beyond that, you two will gradually understand these things."
He said this matter with great confidence, and Ning Ji also laughed: "No wonder, to put it bluntly, Yu Yuanwai is engaged in the great cause of rebellion. Could it be that he wants to invite our brothers to join him?"
"No such intention! No such intention!" Yu Hezhang waved his hands resolutely, "Who dares to do such a thing as rebellion? Two heroes, Fuzhou and several large families with long-standing family traditions, now the bloody graves
The taste has not yet dried up... The new king is a promising king who was killed on the battlefield. Under him, Han Gong controls the navy, and Yue Gong carries the Wei army. Which one is not strong in soldiers and horses? Even if the entire Fuzhou is combined, who dares to be the leader?
For their vanguard, there is no need to mention this matter. Yu stopped the two of them today to talk to each other, and it was definitely not for such an unwise thing."
Ning Ji became more interested at this time and stopped pretending to be aloof: "Then what do you want to do?"
Yu Hezhang lowered his head and held the tea bowl, and was silent for a moment: "This is related to the question I just asked."
He raised his head and looked at the two people: "You two... Fujian people are miserable. Your Majesty was deceived and failed to check the personnel, which led to traitors running rampant and the people having a hard time. But what if they rebelled? A few big businessmen and big clans were in front of them.
No one can defeat His Majesty's army. There were even assassinations last year. However, the imperial eagle dog Tie Tianying gathered a group of villains and ran rampant, covering the sky with one hand. Many righteous men in the world died because of him.
Under the cruel hands."
"Tie Tianying." Ning Ji frowned and snorted, "I do know this name."
"Young hero, how old are you?" Yu Hezhang stared at Ning Ji.
"The older generation has created a conflict that has not yet been solved." When he said this, his eyes turned cold, and he reached out and slapped it on the tea table with a bang.
Before he moved, a palm print was left on the hard wood. He really wanted to kill someone. When Yu Hezhang saw it, there was a burst of surprise in his eyes, but Ning Ji raised his eyebrows: "You said you
Yes, don’t worry about me.”
"Yes." Yu Hezhang held up his hand, "In addition to Tie Tianying, there are many people who help the new emperor to do evil, including a great scholar named Li Pin, who is good at telling lies, the eldest princess Zhou Pei, who is good at winning people's hearts, and
Many hawks, dogs, and vicious people have gathered together, so a head-on confrontation will result in death."
"Then what can we do if we encounter such a situation?" He spread his hands, "...until the end of last year, after several wealthy families such as Pu, Chen, and Rong were wiped out, the hero Cao received the favor of the Pu family.
Jin Long killed seven officials from above in Putian, and his family members also died at the hands of hawks and dogs. This shocked the whole of Fujian, and we and other green forest people gradually gained a backbone."
"Since the end of last year, with the encouragement of the hero Cao Jinlong, the son of the Pu family Pu Xingui, the daughter of the Chen family Chen Shuangran, and others, all the green forest people in Fujian have begun to respond to this sense of loyalty and spontaneously rise up to kill yellow dogs.
. Think about the two heroes, what a feat this is. The people of Fujian have spontaneously gathered together to protest... The officers and soldiers are powerful, and the eagles and dogs are powerful. No big family can say that they want to rebel. We have always respected Wang Hua.
, but he couldn’t stop these many indignant people, the heroes of the green forest, killed a tax collector, ran away into the mountains of Fujian, and chased him wherever he went... This matter is the righteousness of our Fujian today!"
When Yu Hezhang said this, Tu Qiong saw it and became enlightened. Ning Ji and Qu Longjun looked at each other, and then they understood many things. Qu Longjun then frowned slightly: "Could it be... that it's really for the sake of righteousness?"
Yu Hezhang smiled: "The most important thing is of course for the sake of righteousness. But on the other hand...we big families in Fujian, although it is impossible to openly say that I have opinions about His Majesty, in private, those who understand righteousness
And there is no shortage of them. Even though they can't offer any support on the surface, secretly, there are rewards for the heads of yellow dogs. In addition, there are righteous men from all over the country who are willing to lend a hand to help if they encounter any difficulties when they kill traitors.
, that is everywhere. Therefore, no matter whether it is fame, wealth or righteousness, our current Fujian will not let the righteous people feel cold."
When he said this, he paused slightly: "Actually, two young heroes, Fujian is already barren. In the past, there were not many heroes from outside. These things have happened in the past two years, but outside, here
There is a martial arts competition, where is the world of flowers? Last year, when these things happened, we said, can we find some heroes outside to help us defeat Iron Sky Eagle and these lackeys? We even thought about inviting the best in the world.
Leader Lin Zongwu Lin came to deliver justice, but he couldn’t even be invited.”
"...At the end of last year, I heard that a pair of Yue Fei's sons and daughters, one named Yue Yinping and the other named Yue Yun, set up a ring in Fuzhou. They were invincible opponents in three mountains and five mountains. Alas, it's shocking
It's sad and chilling. Oh, I heard that the woman named Yue Yinping is beautiful, but relying on her official status and the majesty of her father, General Yue, no man in Fuzhou dares to defeat her. It's really...
There is a lack of discipline!”
He was talking about Yue Yinping and stared at the two people in front of him for a while.
Ning Ji nodded: "General Yue is a close disciple of Iron Arm Zhou Tong. His children should have learned the true skills of Five Steps and Thirteen Spears and Fanzi Quan. If they have extensive knowledge of others, it's not surprising that you can't beat him."
Qu Longjun looked at the other party: "Go on."
"Oh." Yu Hezhang nodded, "Yu, I am on the key road between the north and the south, and I admire the efforts of heroes from all walks of life in Fujian, so I always want to do something. Therefore,
Whenever there are heroes traveling from north to south passing by, someone can't help but tell them something. As mentioned before, there have been misunderstandings and the two heroes are wary. That is inevitable, but
As a hero from Fujian, what if he is really willing to take action, whether for righteousness or fame and fortune? Or if he just does something casually? That is also a great deed for the country and the people..."
"Yu is not hiding these two heroes. We, as a people in Fujian, obey Wang Hua. If there is no one to rebel, no one can rebel. But the corrupt officials around the emperor cannot be tolerated by everyone, so they can naturally be killed."
.From here to Fuzhou, you two, whenever a yellow dog’s head falls to the ground, the rich families in various places will pay for their hard work. As long as you two observe carefully, there are people as loyal as Yu in every place.
Now, this is the reason why my brothers just asked you why you came to Fujian..."
When he said this, he lowered his voice. Qu Longjun on the opposite side looked calmly, but Ning Ji had already laughed: "You just want to rebel. That Cao Jinlong, Pu Xingui, etc., are they your top line?"
"Hey, they are all righteous deeds, but there is no way to go online. In fact, these righteous men at the front will probably die if they can't escape the hunting of hawks and dogs. Although we are loyal in our hearts, we are just fighting against some corrupt officials. We dare not really do it.
It offends Long Yan."
"But it doesn't matter, I'm not a good person either." Ning Ji raised his head, "What you said is really interesting."
Then of course I know you are not a good person... Yu Hezhang said in his heart, but smiled on his face, and briefly introduced the rewards for killing "yellow dogs" in various places in a low voice, and then said:
"Actually, Yu doesn't dare to tell you what the two young heroes are going to do. However, I also know that the two of them are very skilled. Now there is also a lively event. I want to tell you... The two heroes also know
, Fuzhou is a dangerous place where eagles and dogs gather now. Heroes from all walks of life have gone there many times to confront the Iron Sky Eagle, Yue Yinping, Yue Yun and others. In the past, they all came back defeated, but of course, such a thing
They won't give up once or twice. Now, the heroes Cao Jinlong and Cao who were just mentioned, as well as Pu Xingui, Chen Shuangran and other righteous children, I heard that they are all in Fuzhou, gathering strength and waiting for an opportunity to do something big... If the two of them are against each other
These important events are of interest. For example, as mentioned just now, if the young hero wants to kill the evil Tie Tianying for the elders of the family, he might as well go to Fuzhou and find some companions. Here, there are some clues about this, such as:
Tongfu Inn…”
At the tea stall, Yu Hezhang lowered his voice and spoke in detail. Of course he would not talk too much about the specific things, but as long as the two of them were determined to "kill yellow dogs" or go to Fuzhou to do some assassination.
The matter of Wang killing Jia was enough for them to find some clues. After these topics were finished, Yu Hezhang asked again whether the two of them intended to stay in Pucheng County for a while and try to kill a few "yellow dogs"
He tried, but after receiving a rejection, he didn't bother much anymore and asked someone to send Cheng Yi a ten-tael piece of silver.
When the two of them left the tea stall and went to the county town, they finally understood a large part of the current situation in Fujian. Nowadays in Fujian, almost no one dares to openly oppose the small imperial court in Fuzhou. However, large families in various places,
However, he secretly supported countless desperadoes and began to assassinate officials sent from above in various places. Each of these "righteous men" was an individual act, but the clans in various places secretly gave out silver rewards and protected these "righteous men".
Escape and hiding.
The little emperor, who tried to mobilize the grassroots and seize power from the big families with the slogan "respect the king and repel the barbarians", was drowned in this strange sea of "people's war".
I just don’t know how intense this kind of thing is in various parts of Fujian.
Qu Longjun had read books and naturally understood the significance of these things. As for Ning Ji, who had received more similar knowledge in the southwest, when both parties talked about it, they both had strange feelings in their hearts. Qu Longjun smiled and said
: "Then...you said that when they went to Fuzhou, did they want to kill the emperor again, or kill the lackeys around the emperor? And...Xiaolong, what do you want to do?"
Ning Ji thought for a while: "Actually... the reputation of this little emperor in the southwest is pretty good. In addition, there are a group of Zuo brothers who have participated in the Huaxia Army. Now they are helping them carry out reforms. That little emperor like Cao Jinlong
The dogs want to cause havoc, so of course I want to help them kill Cao Jinlong. But..."
He paused, then looked at Qu Longjun, his expression slightly complicated: "If possible, I will meet the siblings from the Yue family, and then...kill that bitch named Tie Tianying."
Qu Longjun also looked at him, and then understood the meaning in his eyes, smiled, and held his hand.
"It's fine."
she said.
"When the time comes, I will hide first."
In the morning, there were not many pedestrians on the mountain road, so Ning Ji squeezed her hand and laughed silly...
The two of them walked all the way into the city, and some of their expectations for Fuzhou finally became concrete...