Chapter 205 The foothills of Xiong'er Mountain, meeting with Xi Sheng
Yang Tai, the commander-in-chief of the troops and horses of South Jingxi Road, had wandering eyes at this time. He stared uneasily at the Dagushan minions sent by Ji Sansi to report to him. Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and his expression was sometimes ferocious.
Scary and sometimes uneasy.
Since he established connections with everyone, he sold military pay and food after serving as the Military Supervisor on South Beijing Road, and used large sums of money to bribe high-ranking officials in the court to be promoted to high-ranking officials. Later, he continued to engage in corruption and bribery... and his status in the army naturally increased.
The higher he is, the more he has successfully taken over the military power of the South Jingxi Road. Now all the middle and lower-level generals in the military prisons in the states under his rule respect him. In addition, he has also made some appointments with Xue Kewen, the Prison Department of the South Jingjing Road.
The two worked together in a conspiracy. They bullied the superiors and concealed the political circles in the west of Beijing. Most of the local and state government officials were also wise and protective people, which made them even more unscrupulous. Except for the Caosi and the Finance Secretary, they had all the power on the southwestern road of Beijing.
Hold it in your hand.
However, unlike Xue Kewen, Yang Tai, the military commander, did not have a non-resident position. He also had to accumulate merits and transfer to the Song Dynasty border administration office, or serve in the third yamen of the Forbidden Army in the capital. But at this juncture,
Xiao Tang, who had recently become popular in the capital, was appointed as a pacifier by the officials and sent to Dengzhou. The pacifier was not much different in rank from the commander-in-chief of troops and horses, but he happened to be the supervisor on Yang Tai's head.
A special envoy from the imperial court to examine his dereliction of duty.
As for Xiao Tang... Yang Tai knew that he had a good reputation. It was difficult to cover up important matters such as whether the military in various states was deserted or whether military pay and food were replenished. So whether Xiao Tang was seeking a good reputation or reporting on it,
Even though he was guilty of corruption for personal gain and self-stealing, he still took the opportunity to get rid of his stumbling block and seize all the military power on the southwestern route of Beijing. He had reasons for doing so. Therefore, as soon as he arrived in Dengzhou from Xiaotang, Yang Tai worked hard like a filial son and a virtuous grandson.
In order to flatter Xiao Tang, firstly I wanted to test Xiao Tang's tone, and secondly I also wanted to take this opportunity to show weakness. While buying Xiao Tang, I sent him a signal: if you become big after you come here, we will make a fortune together.
At first, Xiao Tang smiled and accepted the benefits of Yang Tai's filial piety. When he was relieved, several thieves from Xiong'er Mountain and Funiu Mountain who had been against him for a long time in Dengzhou came out to cause trouble again. Instead of robbing homes and houses, they
After breaking through the state capital, the bandit leaders Xi Sheng, Teng Kan, and Teng Xun seemed to be even more willing to cause trouble for him, the commander-in-chief of soldiers and horses, at every turn. And whether Xiao Tang should come to lead reinforcements and capture Xiong'er Mountain in one fell swoop
The leader Pan Zhong wanted to take the opportunity of exchanging prisoners of war to interview Xi Sheng, who was very prestigious in Dengzhou Green Forest. This made Yang Tai's heart suddenly rise again.
The bloody feud between Yang Tai and Xi Sheng can be traced back to when Xi Sheng was serving as the regiment training envoy in Dengzhou. At that time, the two brothers Tengkan, a tiger who went down the mountain, and Tengsi, a tiger who ate and seduced, were known as the number one among the green forest thieves in Dengzhou due to their martial prowess.
, Yang Tai used many tricks for his own gain, but he was a coward when marching and fighting. Most of them relied on Xi Sheng's ability to lead troops and form formations to deal with the Teng brothers.
During a battle to encircle and suppress the Teng brothers, Yang Tai personally led his troops to a village at the foot of Funiu Mountain. There were two to three hundred villagers in that remote and desolate village, some of whom were young and strong and could not bear the oppression of the bullies and corrupt officials.
So he joined the Teng brothers and became strong men in the green forest. The other peasant families in the village who were related to the young men were already hostile to the government, and they were even less likely to betray their children and nephews to inform the government and the army.
Yang Tai didn't have the patience to do anything to comfort the villagers in the village. He thought to himself that these unruly people had become the spies of the strong men in Funiu Mountain. It was better to get rid of them all, so as to deter the thieves in Funiu Mountain. But. It was time to take action. Regardless of whether they were related to the Funiu Mountain strongman or not, Yang Tai was afraid that the news would be leaked, so he just kept doing nothing. He ordered his soldiers to kill all the people in the village, old and young!
At this time of year, many unscrupulous generals often do things like killing good people and taking credit for their merits. Doing so will not only gain more credit, but also shift all the blame to the green forest bandits. For Yang Tai, why not do it? But His unscrupulous behavior angered Xi Sheng, who was already very angry under his command. In anger, Xi Sheng angrily scolded Yang Tai, saying that he would report such ugly behavior to the military commander and severely punish Yang Tai. Tai's atrocities!
Even if Yang Tai could get through the connections and get rid of this serious crime, with such a stain on his resume, it would be difficult for him to be promoted in the future. Yang Tai was cruel, so he framed Xi Sheng for colluding with the thieves and harmed him. The lives of the whole family, Xi Sheng, Liu Yuan, and Pan Zhong fought their way out of the army and fled all the way to Funiu Mountain. The Teng brothers respected Xi Sheng as a good man, so they supported him and gathered together at Xiong'er Mountain. This is how we are today. thing.
"It's okay to be greedy for military pay. I'm a thief. Who among the military commanders in all the states in the Song Dynasty is not greedy? But when Xiao Tang saw Xi Sheng... he would definitely expose all the scandals about me. , So, if Xiao Tang wants to do something with me, won't I be dead?" Yang Tai gritted his teeth and thought bitterly in his heart. His cold and sinister eyes looked at the confidant sent by Ji Sansi again, and his thoughts Come alive.
Dagushan Ji thought twice, Ni Wei and the two green forest strongmen were actually a group of thieves that Yang Tai secretly formed an affair with in order to support the bandits' self-respect. No matter how greedy Yang Tai was in the army, his tentacles could not reach the southwest of Beijing. He went to the Caosi Finance Department on the way, but he could tell Ji Sansi, Ni Ting and others from time to time where the inspection department's defense was lax, where there were often wealthy merchant caravans passing by but no official troops were stationed... Wait. Ji Sansi led the bandits to kill people and steal goods, so he could get a share of the pie.
"I asked them to get rid of Xi Sheng for me in the past, but there was no chance... Although it is very dangerous to get involved with Xiao Tang again, but if they can be eliminated together, wouldn't I be able to sit back and relax?" Thinking of this, Yang A fierce light flashed in Tai's eyes. He raised his head and shouted to the minions in a deep voice: "Ask your king to do it, but be sure not to reveal my name!"
"Yes! I understand, little one!" The man responded respectfully, then sneaked out of Yangtai Courtyard, drove his horse out of the city and headed straight for Dagushan Mountain.
The day for the meeting between Xiao Tang and Xi Sheng arrived. When Xiao Tang drove his horse into the foothills of Xiong'er Mountain, he saw mountains and mountains in the distance. The mountains were all heading towards the main peak of Xiong'er, like thousands of mountains worshiping. Nearby, large and small green dragon walls surrounded the surroundings. Spreading its wings to fly, it looks like five dragons holding the saint. It can be said to be Xiongshan Weiwei, Guanluo Dangdang.
There are countless rugged mountains among thousands of ravines, which are not only beautiful, but also dangerous. At this time, the officers and soldiers under Xiao Tang's command, under the command of Dadao Guan Sheng and other generals, were all waiting in the corner of the mountain. Although Xiao Tang and Xi Sheng were fighting against each other, They all had the same opinion, but the officers under Xiao Tang were worried that the thieves were despicable, and were afraid that the meeting with the bandits would be false and they would wait for an opportunity to harm Xiao Tang. The strongman leader under Xi Sheng was also wary of the cunning of the officers and soldiers, and deceived his brother into meeting. In order to catch all the leaders of Xiong'er Mountain.
The place where Xiao Tang and Xi Sheng met was an open valley in the foothills, and there was no way to place a large number of ambushes around it. It was the most suitable place for negotiations. And although the four people Xiao Tang came to negotiate with included Xiao Li, Guang Huarong, and Buyi Jianqing. There are four people: Xiao Jiasui, the prodigal Yan Qing, and the red-faced tiger Yuan Lang. All of them are either highly skilled in martial arts or clever in mind.
The mountain topography of Xiong'er Mountain had already been explained to Xiao Tang's confidants by officials in the Dengzhou Army Division. At this time, Xiong'er Mountain and Funiu Mountain's troops were facing each other across the valley from the officers and soldiers at the foot of the mountain, which was far away from the place where Xiao Tang and Xi Sheng met. There is some distance. Although the forest is deep and dense, the government troops and the strong men of the two mountains have already controlled the important roads in the valley in advance, for fear that assassins will take the opportunity to sneak into the valley and lay secret arrows.
But at this time, deep in the dense forest, Ji Sansi and Ni Wei led two hundred men to cut down thorns and sneak quietly in the forest. The main mountain range of Xiong'er Mountain was adjacent to Dagushan and Xiaogushan. Ji Sansi knew exactly where to climb. , where can they sneak to the empty valley at the foot of Xiong'er Mountain? They used trees and weeds to hide their figures, and the situation in the valley from a high position was even more clear. There were not many hidden places in the valley, and two hundred bows were fired at the same time. Xiao Tang and Xi Sheng, how can they survive?
Xiao Tang crossed the mountain road under the protection of Xiao Jiasui, Hua Rong, Yan Qing, and Yuan Lang. Not long after they arrived in the valley, they saw Xi Sheng, Teng Kan, Teng Si, and Liu Yuan, the three strong leader Xiu Sheng, from a distance. Come slowly.
Xiao Tang stood up straight, raised his hands to Xi Sheng and said with a smile: "Boss Xi is such a good leader, I, Xiao Tang, admire him very much!"
Xi Sheng was slightly startled, then he clasped his fists and returned the salute: "Xiao Renxia is so polite. In the battle that day, we couldn't win or lose."
Xiao Tang laughed loudly and said: "Leader Xi is proficient in formations and knows the mysteries. Even many generals of the Imperial Army who have been fighting for a long time are not as good as you. It's a pity... alas!"
Originally, Xiao Tang had intended to praise Xi Sheng as soon as the two parties met. When the atmosphere relaxed a little, Xi Sheng listened to Xiao Tang's words again and sneered: "Xiao Renxia wants to get to the point so soon?"
Xiao Tang said calmly: "When good men meet, they should first talk about their friendship. Brother Xi, please take a seat."
Xi Sheng's face was cold, and he sat on the ground. Xiao Tang looked at Xi Sheng steadily and said: "Why don't you take Wu Gou and collect the fifty states in Guanshan? Please go to Lingyan Pavilion for a while, like a scholar and a marquis of ten thousand households. Brother Xi studied the military books hard, I wonder how much ambition you have?"
Xi Sheng was unmoved, and he said cheerfully: "Of course a noble person like Xiao Renxia, who is a powerful person in the court, can get what he wants, but like us who are destined to be thieves, Xiao Renxia doesn't have to use words anymore." Have you won people’s hearts?”
Without waiting for Xiao Tang to say anything more, Xi Sheng said with bright eyes: "Besides, Xiao Renxia is here just to recruit people and persuade them to surrender. Can I wait for you?"
Xiao Tang smiled slightly and said with a pun: "You can say yes, you can also say no."
Xi Sheng was startled, then he looked up and laughed: "Hahahahaha! Did Xiao Renxia want to warn me to wait and not to stir up trouble when you are the pacifier of South Jingnan Road? If this is true, the officials and generals of the Song Dynasty will take it seriously. They are all the same!"
Xiao Tang asked in confusion: "Why did Brother Xi say that?"
Xi Sheng snorted heavily and said: "Officials and generals only want promotion and wealth. They keep saying that they will eat and pay for the country, but in fact they only want political achievements and gain power and wealth. They can do any lowly thing!" That's why I, Xi Sheng, disdain to associate with scum like you!"
Yuan Lang, the red-faced tiger on Xiao Tang's side, couldn't help but take a step forward and said: "Chief Xi, Xiao Renxia is not the kind of person you said..."
Teng Kan, the tiger who was coming down the mountain from Xi Sheng, looked familiar to Yuan Lang. When he saw him coming out to talk, he also stepped forward and asked: "You...could it be that you are not the red-faced tiger Yuan Lang from Shiliang Mountain!? What the hell?"
The extravagant man also became a dog for the government!?"