A knife in love

Chapter 114

Li Qiufeng followed the five men in Tsing Yi through the hall, and stopped before a stone gate at the north end of the cave.

Along the way, the five people in Tsing Yi intentionally or unintentionally surrounded Li Qiufeng, blocking his retreat in all directions.

Li Qiufeng naturally knew the thoughts of these five people, and thought to himself: "Look at the footwork of these five people, it is obvious that they have been practicing together for a long time. These people are planning to seize the court and usurp the throne, and Jin Yiwei doesn't know it at all. It's really strange."

There were two men in green clothes standing in front of the stone gate, and when they saw everyone approaching the gate, they immediately stretched out their hands to stop them.The man in Tsing Yi in front of Li Qiufeng took out a dark sign from his pocket and held it in front of him. When the two men in Tsing saw the sign, they immediately stepped aside with their hands down.

The stone door opened quietly.The man in Tsing Yi in front of Li Qiufeng took the sign back into his arms, turned around and said to Li Qiufeng: "Li Baihu, please stop."

Li Qiufeng stepped into the stone gate, but the five men in Tsing Yi did not follow.After he entered the stone gate, the stone gate closed behind him.

Inside the stone gate is a stone chamber.This stone room is quite spacious, with rosewood bookshelves, tables and chairs.There are many candlesticks hanging on the wall, and thick candles are lit on the candlesticks, illuminating the stone room like daytime.The entire stone room is elegantly furnished, just like the study of a well-educated Confucian family.

Behind the desk in the middle, sitting is Zhao Zhen.It's just that at this time he has changed into an official uniform, holding a scroll in his hand, and he is looking at himself.

There were several people sitting on both sides of the desk, including Xu Yingyang and Zhuang Hengyun.The other two were military officers, one wearing a helmet, and Li Qiufeng remembered that they were officers under Sang Liangtian.The other man was wearing leather armor and had no crown on his head. His head was cleanly shaved and only a few braids were braided around his head. He turned out to be a Tartar officer.

Li Qiufeng glanced at the Tazi officer, and immediately recognized him as the leader of the Tazi soldiers who led the Tazi soldiers to attack the people in Wuhu Villa that night outside the imperial mausoleum.

Seeing Li Qiufeng enter the stone room, Zhao Zhen put the scroll on the desk, stood up with a smile and said, "Lord Li has been traveling around these few days, it's really hard work."

Li Qiufeng stopped and said, "Master Zhao, Mr. Li is no longer a member of Jinyiwei, but now he is just a wanted fugitive. Don't mention the word 'Master' again."

Zhao Zhen smiled slightly and said: "You and I are the masters, these officials naturally understand. It's just that the matter has come to this point, everyone is still covering it up, it's a bit ridiculous."

Li Qiufeng said: "I don't know what your lord means by this."

Zhao Zhendao: "Lord Li, from the day you rescued Yan Dufei from the prison, countless people stared at you. Do you think it was you who went from the capital to Wuhu Villa, and then from Wuhu Villa to the imperial mausoleum? Did you kill it all the way with your own strength?"

Li Qiufeng shook his head and said, "Of course not. If it wasn't for someone behind the scenes, I'm afraid we would be stopped in Tongzhou."

Zhao Zhen clapped his hands and said: "Master Li understands that the joint is the best. The people behind Master Li could have come forward, but he is scheming and will never show up easily before the matter is absolutely sure, so as to give people an excuse."

Li Qiufeng remained silent, and Zhao Zhen went on to say: "Lord Li, I told you this to let you know that you and the people who entered the imperial mausoleum this time are just pawns in a game of chess. Where are the pawns going to be played?" , it’s not up to you to decide.”

"If it's really a game of chess, isn't Mr. Zhao also a chess piece?" Li Qiufeng said in a deep voice.

Zhao Zhen was stunned, then smiled and said: "With my status as an official, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a chess piece. It's just that people like Lord Li and this official still have a chance to get rid of the status of a chess piece."

Li Qiufeng said: "Li is confident that he is not a person who can be manipulated by others. Others want to be pawns, so just do it."

Zhao Zhen shook his head and said: "Lord Li's words are wrong. Master Li has great martial arts, everyone has seen it before. It's just whether it's in the rivers and lakes or temples, if you rely on brute force alone, you may fall if you walk a short distance. Yes. To do big things, you have to think about the overall situation, fighting and killing, after all, it’s just reckless and can’t accomplish big things.”

Li Qiufeng said: "Master Zhao wants to drive these martial arts people to fight and kill these few days, isn't it also reckless?"

Zhao Zhen shook his head and said: "Master Li, you are a smart person, I can tell you the truth. Those people outside are not even pawns. They are just an addition to our work this time, just icing on the cake, and Don't use them to draw wages from the bottom!"

Li Qiufeng said: "I don't understand that. Now Li is just a prodigal son in the Jianghu. How is he different from them?"

Zhao Zhendao: "Master Li has been in the palace for a long time, and he has always been patient. This is the skill of patience. Who can match ordinary people? The person behind Lord Li is a high-ranking person in terms of court; Almost no one in the world can compare with him. If such a character is used by me, it will be even more powerful. To be honest, if Mr. Li is not capable, we don't have to spend so much effort to invite you here. "

Li Qiufeng chuckled, and said: "Even if I'm really as good as Mr. Zhao said, if I don't listen to Mr. Zhao's orders, I'm afraid I won't be able to get out of this stone room alive."

Zhao Zhendao: "Exactly. If it can't be used by me, I will kill it to avoid future troubles."

Li Qiufeng said: "Master Zhao thinks he can kill me?"

Zhao Zhen said with a smile: "I'm just a literati who has no power to restrain a chicken. How can I kill Mr. Li? It's just that if I want to kill you, I don't need to do it."

Li Qiufeng said: "You want Master Xu and Erxia Zhuang to kill me?"

Zhao Zhendao: "They may not be able to kill you. Besides, I'm here, if Mr. Li makes a move, he will be the first to capture me as a hostage, right?"

Li Qiufeng said: "Master Zhao is really refreshing."

Zhao Zhendao: "Doing big things is sometimes like gambling. If you don't dare to risk your life to gamble, what is the difference in this life with those people who are full of wine and food? I have the confidence to persuade Lord Li to come here. , come with us to do this big thing.”

Li Qiufeng said: "Li is just a random person in the world now, and he has no interest in the big thing you want to do."

Zhao Zhendao: "But you are still here. If you are really not interested, why did you come here again?"

Before Li Qiufeng could reply, he heard the Tartar military officer yelling: "Master Zhao, what's the use of talking nonsense? If this kid knows the times, we'll use him. If he speaks cleverly, we might as well kill him. If Mr. Zhao If you don't want to get blood on your hands, I'll do it."

Li Qiufeng glanced at him sideways, and said, "Your Chinese is pretty good, I think you have spent a lot of time in the Central Plains."

Zhao Zhendao: "I'm afraid Mr. Zhao doesn't know the identity of this person? He is Mr. Shaobu, Commander of Duoyanwei. He has seven thousand cavalry under him. This time, he will work together with us to achieve great things!"

Li Qiufeng's face changed, and he said to Zhao Zhen: "Master Zhao, you are a well-learned scholar, and you were also a top-ranked Jinshi in the past. Don't you know that bringing foreign soldiers into the court will bring disaster to your descendants?"

Zhao Zhen's complexion changed, and he said, "Those who plan big things don't stick to small details. What's more, Duoyan Wei has been loyal to Daming for generations. If there were not three thousand Duoyan iron cavalry in the past, how could Emperor Chengzu defeat Emperor Jianwen's army and seize the world?!"

Li Qiufeng sneered and said: "Master Zhao is really forgetful. In the past, Emperor Chengzu used Duo's soldiers to resist the southern army. It's just that these Tartar soldiers were hired by Emperor Chengzu with money, not because they were loyal to Daming. Besides, in the battle of Jingnan, It was originally an internal turmoil in our Ming Dynasty. It is not a good thing whoever wins or loses. After these Tartar soldiers entered the Central Plains, they burned, killed, looted, and did all kinds of bad things. Therefore, Emperor Chengzu regretted it. After capturing Nanjing, he strictly ordered Duo Yan Bingma withdrew from the pass, but the Tartar soldiers wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos, and were defeated by Emperor Chengzu in a single battle. Master Zhao, do you still want these Tartar soldiers to wreak havoc on the Central Plains?"

Zhao Zhendao: "One moment, another moment. At that time, there was some misunderstanding between the two sides, which led to the chaos. Now we have made an alliance with Lord Shaobu, and after we agreed to drive out the rebels, Duoyan's soldiers and horses would never stay in the capital, so we That is, retreat to the outside of the pass and never harass the Central Plains."

Li Qiufeng said: "Are the Tartar soldiers willing to help you in vain? If Li's guess is correct, I'm afraid Mr. Zhao has already agreed to these Tartars. After the matter is completed, all the land outside the pass will belong to the Tartar soldiers, even beyond the Great Wall." Bei will no longer be owned by me, Daming, will it?"

Zhao Zhen remained silent, and after a while he said in a deep voice: "The bitter cold places outside the customs are not suitable for the people of our Central Plains to live in. For these barren lands, what is the use of military rations for my Ming?!"

"This is bastard talk!" Li Qiufeng was furious: "Every inch of land in the Great Ming Dynasty was bought by countless soldiers. If you give it away as you please, what good will it do to the beasts? Besides, if you lose the land outside the customs , the Tartar soldiers headed straight to the capital. When they want to fight, there will be no peace in our Central Plains. Zhao Zhen, can you read all the sage books in the stomach of a dog?!"

After finishing speaking, he turned his head and said to Xu Yingyang: "Master Xu, you have been serving in Beizhen Fusi for a long time. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Jin Yiwei has suffered a lot outside the customs every year in order to inquire about the military situation. Some brothers have even been captured by Tartar soldiers. Wait, the death is extremely miserable. Have you forgotten the bloody feud of these brothers and sisters?"

(End of this chapter)