The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 218 Tiger Hunting in August ([-])

Outside the west gate of Anding County, there are several simple shops with thatched huts set up beside the official road, selling tea, wine, or meals.

Business travelers sometimes missed the time to enter the city, and the city gate was closed, so they had to stop and rest in a nearby restaurant.

The conditions are naturally incomparable to those in the city, but they are still better than sleeping in the wilderness.

In one of the restaurants, a banner hung on a flagpole in front of the door read "pear bad" in big black characters.

Pear lees wine is a special product of Anding County, brewed from a kind of sour pear grown in the nearby forest.

The pear flesh tastes too sour, but the wine produced has a unique taste and is loved by local drinkers.

In the county, most wine shops, restaurants, and restaurants can brew pear wine, but each brewing skill is high or low, and drinkers can choose at will according to their own tastes and preferences.

In the afternoon, there was not much business in the residence. Under the thatched hut, there was only one customer at a table near the back.

Wei Hu has been sitting here for more than half an hour.

He was dressed in coarse linen and short brown clothes, and carried a short knife. Apart from being taller than ordinary people, he was inconspicuous among the crowd.

Jingzhou is a place where ethnic groups live together. In addition to the Han people, there are also a large number of Qiang, Tubo, Uighur, Shatuo people, as well as some traders from the Western Regions.

Wei Hu's skin color and appearance are more like those of Tubo people, and there are many "miscellaneous people" like him in Jingzhou.

Wei Hu ordered a pot of pear lees wine and a plate of oily pine nuts. He took a sip of the wine and ate two pine nuts, which gave him a unique taste.

Although the di shop was simple, the home-brewed pear glutinous rice was quite good. Wei Hu ordered a second pot and tipped the shopkeeper an extra ten cents, which made the shopkeeper bow to him and thank him.

Outside the city, business is conducted by ordinary businessmen and travelers, and it is rare to encounter wealthy merchants who spend a lot of money.

When the second pot of pear grains was almost finished, two fast horses galloped from the west gate of the county seat.

Wei Hu put down his wine cup, stood up and looked towards the official road.

The person who came was none other than Houzan, accompanied by a close soldier.

Arriving outside the Di shop, Houzan dismounted, handed the reins to the soldiers, and walked into the hay shed.

Another wealthy man on horseback arrived, and the shopkeeper happily welcomed him out. Before he could open his mouth, Houzan glanced at him with a cold look and shouted: "Get out!"

The shopkeeper was startled, wondering how this official could be so grand, and immediately laughed and didn't dare to come near.

Houzan sat opposite Wei Hu and said displeasedly: "Why do you come to a place like this?"

Wei Hu filled a glass of wine for him and said with a smile: "People in the city are too arrogant to be on guard. It is safer to go out of the city to meet."

Houzan said coldly: "Is it necessary to be so careful?"

Wei Hu said: "It's never too much to be cautious. Zhu Xiu has a team of people under the banner of 'Zang Feng' who specialize in intelligence spies and are very pervasive in Jingzhou."

Hou Zan disagreed and sneered: "Everyone talks about how smart Zhu Xiu is, but I can't see how smart he is. He had a relationship with Chai Rong in Cangzhou in his early years, and he did not know what tricks he played to coax Guo Wei to like him. With this With the support of these two people, he is what he is today.

I observed him carefully for a period of time and found that the boy was at least a little clever, sharp-tongued and eloquent.You, the majestic Zhang Yijun, can't even suppress a young boy like this. How can I safely cooperate with you? "

A trace of annoyance flashed in Wei Hu's eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "Zhu Xiu is cunning and cunning. The military envoys must not take him lightly, otherwise he will suffer a big loss."

Hou Zan sneered: "I came here on the emperor's order, is it possible that Zhu Xiu and Shi Kuangwei still dare to assassinate them secretly? Without further ado, what is the purpose of this meeting?"

Half a month ago, not long after Wei Hu came back from Longshan Pass, he looked for an opportunity to visit secretly.

Wei Hu now has the title of Commander Ya, but does not have the power to command the army. The only direct lineage is still stationed in Zhe'an City in the name of garrison, but in fact he is being closely monitored.

Hou Zan also heard about Wei Hu's incident at Longshan Pass. He originally intended to wait for the news to subside before trying to contact Wei Hu. Unexpectedly, Wei Hu took the initiative to come to his door.

The two talked all night, unknown to outsiders.

After that, he pretended to be a stranger in front of others, and occasionally met him in the military camp or Jiedu Mansion, but they only made eye contact.

No one knew that they had already had in-depth contact in private.

This secret invitation to meet was also initiated by Wei Hu.

The reason why we chose to meet outside the city was to avoid the many informants in the city.

But in Hou Zan's opinion, it was unnecessary.

Wei Hu did not argue with him and said: "I went to see Tao Wenju a few days ago. This man was severely punished for a minor offense and has deep resentment towards Zhu Xiu. I think we can win over him."

Hou Zan showed some interest: "Continue talking."

Wei Hu said again: "Last time we met, you said that the government has long intended to rebuild the Zhangyi Army, let Shi Kuangwei return to Kaifeng, and replace him with a reliable person to sit in Jingyuan.

However, when replacing border vassals, there must be a reasonable name, otherwise it will easily arouse suspicion among local vassals and shake people's hearts.

Three generations of historians have managed Jingyuan, there are many supporters in the court, and now there is Guo Wei's full support, there is no name, and the officials are not easy to move. "

Later he praised: "That's true. As long as there is conclusive evidence, the officials can issue an order to summon Shi Kuangwei back to Beijing for interrogation. Once Shi Kuangwei leaves, the officials will definitely order me to fully take over the Zhang Yi Army. By then, only Zhu Xiu will be left. If If he dares not to hand over power, he is disobeying the king's order and suspected of treason. This envoy can order the Feilong army to take him down!
If it doesn't work, you can also call Fengxiang Army Zhao Hui, Jing Nan Army and other soldiers to help. Forgive Zhu Xiu, no matter how treacherous the little thief is, he will not escape the imperial court's suppression. "

Wei Hu said: "Tao Wenju worked in the salt factory before and had the power over the salt factory's money. He was responsible for all salt transportation and payment transfers in Zhenhai camp. As long as Tao Wenju is surrendered and he finds a way to get the salt factory's account books, This will provide solid evidence that the Changyi Army secretly instructed the Zhenhai Camp to sell illegal salt."

Houzan considered it carefully and asked, "Are you sure this person is reliable?"

Wei Hu smiled and said: "He committed a minor offense and was severely punished by Zhu Xiu. He was also expelled from the Changyi Army. He has deep resentment in his heart. If he is given a chance to turn over, he will definitely seize it.

Tao Wenju is a smart man and one who refuses to be mediocre. If we give him some sweeteners, he will willingly come to our side. "

Hou Zan stared at him for a long time: "I don't care what you plan to say to the emperor. I only want evidence that Shi Kuangwei and Zhu Xiu disobeyed the imperial court. If the matter is leaked, I will never support you and plead for mercy."

My military envoy came to the Zhangyi Army on the emperor's order. Even if Shi Kuangwei and Zhu Xiu cannot be brought to justice, they cannot turn around and let them catch me.

What the officials want is for the Changyi Army to transfer power smoothly, not to fragment it and allow foreign enemies to take advantage of it. Do you understand? "

Wei Hu had a gloomy face and nodded slowly.

The meaning of Houzan is obvious. If his conspiracy with Tao Wenju is discovered and Shi Kuangwei is angered, Houzan and Feilong Army will never stand out and break openly with Shi Kuangwei.

Houzan also had his own plans.

First of all, he had just arrived at Changyi Army and did not dare to act rashly.

Secondly, what the officials want is a reliable person loyal to the court to sit in Jingyuan, not to completely dismantle the Zhangyi Army.

Jingzhou's strategic position is extremely dangerous. It guards the eastward advance of Tubo and Hou Shu. It is the horn of each other with the Fengxiang army and blocks the Hou Shu army to the west of Longshan and Qinshan.

If Zhangyi's army is in chaos, there is no guarantee that the Tibetan and Houshu armies will not be ready to move.

When the time comes for the court to hold him accountable, he will definitely be blamed for provoking civil strife in the border town.

Houzan knew what kind of character the master of Kaifeng was, and it was impossible to expect him to exonerate himself. There was a high probability that he would suffer everything silently.

I would rather get no credit than bear the blame in vain.

After the matter was agreed upon, Houzan showed a somewhat satisfied smile, picked up the wine cup and took a sip, and found that the taste was good, so he started to savor it again.

"After I get the evidence, I will go there personally to open the cover and present it to the official."

Wei Hu suddenly said in a deep voice.

Houzan was stunned for a moment, his eyes narrowed into slits, like a poisonous snake spitting out a message.

"can."

After thinking for a moment, he smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

Wei Hu raised his head and drank it all in one gulp, threw down the wine cup and left with fists in his hands.

"Come here from the store, your wine is good. How much more do you have? I want them all."

Houzan greeted the store owner with a smile.

~~~
Jiedufu, the county seat.Shi Converse has been a little idle lately.

My daughter accompanied Fu Jinzhan to the agricultural reclamation area to experience life. I heard that she spent the whole day fishing for fish and shrimps, catching crabs and digging out bird's nests, and lived a leisurely and happy life.

Lao Shi was very envious. This was the day he dreamed of most when he was a child.

It's a pity that I don't have this blessing.

He received strict instruction from his father since he was a child. He practiced martial arts during the day and studied at night, regardless of the cold or heat.

I have practiced martial arts well, but I haven't read much in the book.

Lao Shi always believed that it was because he was too tired from practicing martial arts during the day, so he dozed off at night and had no intention of studying at all.

Otherwise, he, Lao Shi, should be a man of great general and prime minister status.

When he was young, he practiced martial arts and studied under the strict control of his father. At that time, what he envied most were his friends who ran around outside all day long.

The friends are fishing together, fishing for shrimps, and walking the dogs to catch chickens. That is joy.

As he got older, Shi Kuangwei followed his father into the army. He began to practice courage by killing prisoners, and gradually grew into a strong general in the army.

Martial arts training and military camps have become all memories of Shi Kuangwei's childhood.

Thinking that his daughter could now enjoy life without any worries, Lao Shihei showed a happy smile, feeling that his hard work for most of his life was worth it.

He fought everywhere and risked his life on the battlefield, not just to buy peace and stability for his children.

The only thing that made him unhappy was that Zhu Xiu also suddenly ran to the farming area, saying that he wanted to accompany Fu Jinzhan and fulfill his friendship as a landlord.

Mrs. Fu has come all the way to visit, she can't just throw people into the farming area and be done with it.

Although what he said was correct, Lao Shi always felt that Zhu Xiu had something up his sleeve.

It is true that Fu Jinzhan is a widow, but she is young and beautiful, and she and Zhu Xiaozi are old acquaintances. What if the two of them have been together for a long time and fall in love?

Zhu Xiaozi has always been a vegetarian, and he is also an unruly person who does not follow etiquette and law. God knows if he will be obsessed with sex and hook up with Madam Fu.

Lao Shi was very worried about this.

In addition, Lao Shi was also worried that his daughter had fallen into Zhu Xiu's trap.

When he thought of Shi Lingyan and Zhu Xiu being in the land reclamation area and having a lot of opportunities to get along with each other alone, Old Shi felt uneasy.

If Zhu Xiu used his strength, Lao Shi would not be afraid, relying on his daughter's martial arts skills, he could beat Zhu boy on the ground with both hands and feet.

She was afraid that Zhu Xiu's sweet words might fool her stupid daughter.

Old Shi calculated with his fingers that it had been almost half a month since Zhu Xiu went to the reclamation area, and he hadn't even sent back a letter.

What if Yan'er comes back in a few months with a big belly?
Unprepared for becoming a grandfather, Lao Shi couldn't bear the excitement.

"No! We have to send someone immediately to ask about Zhu Xiaozi's current situation and warn him not to act recklessly!"

Shi Kuangwei slapped his forehead. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. He trotted along the corridor, plunged into the inner study, wrote a letter quickly, and called his bodyguard to quickly deliver it to the farming area and hand it over to Zhu Xiu.

After doing this, Lao Shi felt a little relieved and returned to the study room to sit on the Taishi chair and sip tea slowly.

Lao Shi kept comforting himself in his heart, Zhu Xiaozi was thin and weak, even if something happened with Yan'er, he didn't have the strength to make him be promoted to grandpa in a short time.

Zhu Xiu found a carpenter to tailor-make a Taishi chair that was quite comfortable. Shi Kuangwei was leaning on it, with his legs on the desk, leaning back, squinting his eyes and about to fall asleep.

His feet swayed, knocking over a pile of documents piled in the corner of the desk, and the messy book pages fell all over the floor.

Shi Kuangwei muttered and squatted on the ground to pick it up.

Most of them are official documents exchanged within the Changyi Army, as well as some more confidential information related to agricultural reclamation areas and resettlement areas.

Shi Kuangwei piled them up casually, not bothering to look at them.

Anyway, Zhu Xiu was in charge, so he could just wait and see the results.

Suddenly, among the scattered documents, a paper bag made of rough paper caught his attention.

He has seen this kind of paper bag, which is specially used to collect and organize confidential information, which is information that will not be used in the short term but is particularly important.

"What a careless brat, throwing such important things everywhere."

Shi Kuangwei shook his head and muttered, picked up the paper bag and dusted it.

The seal of the paper bag was not sealed with paint. Shi Kuangwei thought for a while and took out a stack of bound papers inside.

Written in cinnabar red ink on the front page were two eye-catching characters: Top Secret

There is also a series of ghostly numbers below.

Shi Kuangwei thought about it and realized that he seemed to have never seen this top-secret information.

After thinking about it, he sat back in his chair and started flipping through the pages.

This information letter was naturally sent back from the Zangfeng Camp. The title on the second page read: "In May of the second year of Qianyou, details of the turmoil in Anding County."

Shi Kuangwei was surprised and couldn't wait to look back.

This intelligence investigates the true story of the turmoil in Anding County more than a year ago.

The turmoil nearly spread to the whole city, and Shi Kuangwei was seriously injured, almost losing his life. Naturally, he was deeply impressed.

To this day, the turmoil of that day is still vivid in my mind.

However, the cause of the turmoil has long been found out. A fire broke out in the county government warehouse, a large number of grain stores were burned, and there was a serious shortage of military rations. The news spread and the soldiers were panicked.

Several commanding officers placed by the Xue family in the Yajun took the opportunity to incite the sergeants to revolt. The Yajun soldiers who did not know what was going on broke into riots, rushed out of Yacheng and poured into the streets, looting the people in the city.

Why are the incidents that have already been investigated revealed now?
Shi Kuangwei was full of questions and read word by word, but the more he read, the more frightened he became.

The investigation report pointed out that the Yajun mutiny could have been controlled from the beginning, but at that time some of the troops were suddenly transferred away by Wei Hu, nominally to guard the outer city to prevent the Xue family's troops from taking the opportunity to attack.

Before the Ya army was reorganized, Wei Hu, as Ya commander, could mobilize a considerable number of troops even without military orders from the commander.

There seemed to be no problem with this matter at the time, but subsequent analysis revealed many doubts.

The conclusion of the investigation by the Zangfeng Camp was that Wei Hu knew in advance that the Yajun would mutiny and deliberately removed some of his troops, leaving only those cronies planted by the Xue family.

At that time, Wei Hu was commanded by two of his closest confidants, Chu Xing and Pang Guangsheng, who were the generals responsible for executing this order.

Based on this calculation, Wei Hu is very likely to have maintained secret contact with Xue.

"Bang~"

Shi Kuangwei knitted his brows into the Chinese character "Chuan" and hit the table with a hard palm. His face was as dark as the gloomy sky before a storm, full of angry thunder.

"Come on!"

With an angry shout, Shi Kuangwei immediately ordered to capture Wei Hu and interrogate him personally.

A personal guard stood outside the door of the inner study, clasping his fists in agreement.

Shi Kuangwei opened his mouth to speak but couldn't. His expression suddenly changed, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Send someone to summon Guan Tieshi back to the city immediately."

The personal guard took the order and left.

Zhu Xiu is away, and the only person he can fully trust is Guan Tieshi.

It's better to call Guan Tieshi back to discuss it first.

(End of this chapter)