Chapter 678 Gongqing
At dusk, the dusk drum was beaten three hundred times.
In Yongheli, Kyoto, the lights are bright on the avenue outside a wall.
Three hundred warriors wearing armor and Sichuan embroidered cloaks surrounded the place. They were all soldiers of Pingxi General Zhu Jun, and they were all brave and good at fighting.
A few days ago, Zhu Jun, the former general of Pingxi, was promoted from the general to the general by the Queen Mother He of Bing Dynasty.
This was a special title that the imperial dynasty had given to those who had made great contributions to Yuntai. Normally, no matter how great their achievements were, warriors would not receive this honor, but this time, they gave it to Zhu Jun without hesitation.
Several of these tooth soldiers once met the Queen Mother together with the general. They still remember that the Queen Mother held the hand of General Zhu with tears in her eyes, hoping that the general would work hard for the Han Dynasty.
Don't tell me, our Queen Mother He still has her charm, and the look of pear blossoms with rain makes these angry tooth soldiers feel anxious.
I don’t know how our general can endure it.
From how these tooth soldiers organized the Queen Mother, we can see the unruly nature of these people and the decline of the prestige of the Han Dynasty. But if it was just a few words of praise before, what they are going to do tonight is a business of truth and death, and if they do not do well, the clan will be implicated.
Therefore, no matter how much these tooth soldiers kill people, they will feel uneasy now. They just want the general to have a generous salary. We have to listen to the general, so we can only bite the bullet and do it.
At this moment, the tooth soldiers all looked at Zhou Ang on the horse intentionally or unintentionally, to see what he planned.
Zhou Ang was also in a dilemma at this time. If he had known that the master would suddenly be so angry, he really would not have said this. Now it's fine. He was the one who avenged the incident, and he will do the final thing.
But if he doesn’t do this, who can?
He and Zhu Jun are from the same hometown, and they are his own leaders. They can be said to be direct descendants. If he doesn't come to do this, Zhu Jun won't worry.
After hesitating for a while, Zhou Ang squeezed the riding crop and felt furious:
"Fuck it, at worst, I'll run away to Qingzhou later. My younger brother is doing well in Lao Cao's shogunate, and we will be indispensable in the past."
After thinking clearly, Zhou Ang flicked his whip and ordered a tooth soldier:
"Old Yu, go up and knock on the door."
This tooth soldier named Lao Yu was twenty-six-seven, with a strong body and a beautiful beard. When he heard that the little fellow behind him really nodded at him, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
His name was Yu Fan, and like Zhou Ang, he was also from Kuaiji. In fact, six of the ten tooth soldiers among them were from Kuaiji, or they were also from Danyang, and they were all Zhu Jun's disciples.
Yu Fan mentally scolded Zhou Ang, a son of an aristocratic family, who must retaliate for his actions, because his structure was too small. Didn't he just drink with his brothers and then divine Zhou Ang, saying that he would leave one son to inherit the family?
Then Zhou Ang said that he had cursed three of his brothers to death.
Alas, this is what he said himself. What does it have to do with me, Lao Yu?
Now Xiao Zhou's revenge is coming, and it seems that he will finally get his hands on this dirty work.
Zhou Angli urged again:
"Old Yu, why are you still dawdling? Hurry up."
With no choice, Yu Fan could only answer and walk towards the mansion with tall buildings in front of him.
It was only about ten steps from him to the front of the mansion, but Yu Fan was dripping with sweat and had cramps in his calves.
It has not been long since he came to Kyoto, and Yu Fan is no longer the country boy he used to be. He knows that these ministers in Kyoto are also human beings, and just like that, they are not even more virtuous than the nobles back home.
But when he thought about doing it, Yu Fan was still frightened. He secretly cursed himself for being a coward, and then, as if to encourage himself, he suddenly slapped the high door, as if to shake out all the fear in his heart.
The sudden knock on the door startled Zhou Ang behind him, and the whip in his hand fell to the ground.
He dismounted and saw that the tooth soldiers around him were not paying attention to him, so he stepped on the whip under his feet and kicked it aside.
Zhou Ang comforted himself:
“It’s not that we’re short of breath, it’s that Yongheli is too powerful.”
He looked at Yongheli and thought of the past.
Twenty years ago, he also visited Yongheli with his father. At that time, the owner was still Chen Fan, the old Taiwei from Emperor Huan's time.
Contrary to what the country people think, Kyoto is actually a huge palace city. Although it is large, there is not an inch of land left for ordinary people. Those who can live in Kyoto are all high officials and celebrities.
For example, the north side of the street within Xiyangmen used to be where the eunuchs lived. Yongkangli on the west side of Tongtuo Street used to be the residence of the three princes, and the east side was the residence of the generals. Within the Dongyang Gate, there are the residences of the imperial servants. It can be said that all the noble houses in Kyoto are high-end and luxurious.
The worst one among them was Zhi Suli who was on duty in Taicang and Guangan Second Department, which was already at the bottom of the Kyoto circle.
Ordinary people don't even think about living here, even if they have a foothold here.
And where is Yongheli that they are surrounded by at this time? It is where Zhu Liu Zongwang is.
At this moment, they were preparing to get Liu He, the son of Dazong Zheng Liu Yu.
The dull knock on the door echoed in Yonghe, but no one answered for a long time.
But Yu Fan didn't give up, and continued to pat Zhumen, until an impatient voice came from behind:
"What are you knocking on? Don't you know where this place is? It's already under curfew and the wall door is locked. Come back tomorrow!"
Yu Fan saw someone answering the door and said politely:
"We are the Jinwu Guards patrolling the streets. There is a Taishan bandit sneaking into the city. We just caught him, and then we saw him break into your house. Please open the door, we will take the person and leave immediately."
The voice behind the door was silent for a while, and then said in a relaxed tone:
"Go quickly, there is no one you are looking for here."
After speaking, he fell silent again.
Yu Fan glanced at Zhou Ang behind him and saw that his expression was still there. He sighed inwardly and continued to knock on the door.
Zhou Ang, who is so depressed, doesn't know how to replace me with someone else, and his hands are swollen.
After a long time, all the guests of the Liu family behind the door had woken up and gathered in the front courtyard. They realized that the Jinwu guards outside the door seemed to be unwilling to give up without taking anyone.
These retainers are all disciples of Liu Yu. They live and eat at Liu Yu's house on weekdays, and they also enjoy the political asylum Liu Yu provides them. So at this time, when the master's family is in trouble, they all come out one by one. The sword is ready to fight with the King Wu guard outside the door at any time.
This is the trend of this world. A big boss like Liu Yu who occupies the top ecological niche of the Han Dynasty has a large group of followers under him. On weekdays, he provides these people with opportunities, food and accommodation, so that they can live in isolation from ordinary people. To communicate in Kyoto, in return, these people need to devote their loyalty and even their lives to Liu Yu.
Wealthy families like Liu Yu can be found everywhere in Kyoto. In these deep courtyards, there are paramilitary groups that can dispatch hundreds of armed men at any time.
So at this moment, let alone a group of Jinwu guards outside, the imperial court has explicitly ordered Liu Yu to be captured. As long as Liu Yu resists, they will use knives to fight those people outside. At this time, hundreds of diners looked at Liu He in the middle and listened to his orders.
Liu He and Monk Zhang Er were confused at this moment. He had just asked the servants in the house to search the house, and he didn't see any strangers coming in at all.
Although there was no search in the back courtyard, the family members in the mansion were there, and they were always accompanied by healthy women, and no outsiders were allowed in.
Therefore, Liu He couldn't figure out what was going on outside?
After thinking about it, Liu He took the initiative to walk behind the door and asked outside:
"Which branch are you from? Who is your chief official? Let him turn over alone and tell me."
Outside the door, Yu Fan looked at Zhou Ang, but saw that he was still expressionless and had no intention of taking the initiative to talk. So not only was Yu Fan shameless, but also the other tooth soldiers around him felt that Zhou Ang was a No worries.
These tooth soldiers are all close men who guard Zhu Jun's tent with weapons. Why does the old master want to take down Liu He this time? If outsiders don't know why, they don't know?
Isn't it the reason you, Zhou Ang, reported everything? You started the matter, and finally you didn't dare to take it anymore? Regardless of whether these people were caring people, it didn't stop them from despising Zhou Ang at this moment.
But regarding this, Zhou Ang still looked calm.
Over there, Liu He, who was behind the door, didn't reply for a long time, and alarm bells started ringing at this time.
Now that the Taishan Army is stationed in Beimang Mountain, Kyoto is in chaos. There are always some thieves pretending to be the Southern Army to fish in troubled waters and want to harm the officials in various places. At this moment, Liu He has already regarded the people outside as those.
So, Liu He silently drew his sword, and all the disciples over there also drew their swords and held their swords.
Yu Fan, who was in front of the door, suddenly heard the sound of a knife being drawn inside, and yelled:
"I am Canglongmen Sima Zhou Ang, and I entered alone."
As soon as these words came out, Zhou Ang's face turned pale.
At this time, Liu He no longer believed the other party, and he became cruel and prepared to kill those people, so he asked the retainer to open the wall door.
And when he opened the door, he saw hundreds of armored men standing outside the mansion. The ghosts of the dead emerged and shouted:
"Close the door!"
But unfortunately it was already too late. Yu Fan, who was standing by the door, rolled into the door with a leap, and then cut off the arm of a guest with a knife.
At the rear, when the tooth soldiers saw Yu Fan charging in, they ignored Zhou Ang and poured into the door like a tide.
Those retainers only had weapons and no armor at all. How could they be the opponents of those armored soldiers? After a fight, except for a few people who were still protecting Liu He, the others dispersed in a hurry.
Practice has proved that loyalty is indeed scarce, especially in this world.
At this moment, Liu He was trembling all the time. He asked Yu Fan, who rushed in first:
"Who are you? Do you know where this is? You dare to go against me today. Do you think you can survive tonight? Zhu Pingxi's army is stationed in the city, aren't you afraid of death?"
Obviously, Liu He regarded Yu Fan as the leader of this group of people.
Then, before Yu Fan could speak, he thought to himself:
"What do you want? Money? Beauty? You can take whatever you have in the house. I will never retaliate."
At this time, Zhou Ang was still outside the mansion and had not even stepped inside the door.
So, Yu Fan among the group of tooth soldiers spoke. He sighed, looked at poor Liu He, and smiled.
Then he laughed unscrupulously, and all the tooth soldiers also laughed endlessly.
Yu Fan wiped the blood on the knife edge and said with a smile:
"No need, we are the tooth soldiers of General Pingxi's shogunate. We are here to get you."
Liu He couldn't believe it at all.
At this time, Yu Fan returned to the door, ignored Zhou Ang, and directly took out an order book from the trousers of Zhou Ang's horse, and then turned back again.
He unfolded the letter written by Zhu Jun himself and read it in Luoyang Zhengyin with a strong southern accent:
"Liu He, Marquis of Donghai, faced national calamity. He did not want to serve the country, but instead transported his family's belongings out of the capital. As a result, people in the city were shaken and confused, and they fled one after another. He violated the curfew and drove more than ten cars out of the city every day, and the soldiers were in an uproar. You are a clan member, If I can't serve my country and my family, how can I win over the public? If the Marquis of Donghai behaves so recklessly, he will be investigated and dealt with immediately."
After Liu He heard this, he felt ridiculous. Is it because of this? So Zhu Jun wants to take him?
Now all the ministers in the city are not like this. They just transferred some assets. Didn't they put all their efforts into defending Kyoto?
If they hadn't been communicating with Yuan Shao, would Yuan Shao's reinforcements be coming?
Now they just transferred a little bit of assets and are now shouting about beating and killing themselves? Aren't they in Kyoto? Is there anything more representative of their loyalty to the Han family than this?
So Liu He didn't believe this reason at all. He even asked Yu Fan directly:
"Then what does Zhu Jun mean? Just tell me. Don't you think it's ridiculous to say this reason?"
At this moment, Yu Fan looked at Liu He and saw that he really didn't look like he was just putting on a show, and he suddenly felt very blocked in his heart.
He, Yu Fan, was from Kuaiji. Does guarding Kyoto have anything to do with him? Has he ever eaten a grain of salary from the Han family?
But at this moment, when Kyoto is in crisis and the Han Dynasty is on the verge of survival, they, the remote southerners, who are ridiculed as "fathers" by the people in the Central Plains, take up arms and fight for the Han Dynasty until the last moment?
Why?
Isn't it because young people like them miss this big man in their hearts and miss the big man who makes them proud?
But what now?
The Gongqing clan, which has received countless favors from the country and the dynasty, are thinking about their own selfish interests at this time and want to jump ship? Isn't this ridiculous?
At this moment, Yu Fan was finally disillusioned with these ministers. Maybe they had never been great, but they looked high because they stood at a high place!
Yu Fan didn't want to say a word anymore. He drew his knife and chopped down the few retainers who were still resisting. Then he put the knife on Liu He's neck and said to his left and right:
"Brothers, this man is still wondering why we took him. Well, let's take him to ask the Lord to find out what crime he has committed!"
The tooth soldiers cheered loudly, and then started punching and kicking, ready to take Liu He back to the camp.
Until this time, a powerful but old voice came from inside:
"Stop! Whose order are you following? Don't tell me it's Zhu Jun. What I'm asking is, whose order is he, Zhu Jun, following!"
The tooth soldiers turned around and saw a tall old man dressed in purple, standing at the foot of the queue. One of the servants on the left and right was holding a seal, and the other was holding a book. They were lined up at the back.
Yu Fan understood that this person must be Liu Yu, the great lord of the imperial court. He knew that this person was loyal to the Han Dynasty, so he respected him enough.
He held his fist and left this sentence:
"Old Zongzheng, you ask who we worship? What we worship is God!"
After saying that, he ignored Liu Yu and turned Liu He back.
Liu He glanced at his father and was then taken away, leaving only the old man alone in the deep courtyard, very late at night.