The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 253 Death of Xue Xiuming

The doors and windows of the earthen house leaked, and snowflakes blew in through the gaps. The temperature gradually became colder, like an ice cellar.

Zhu Xiu rubbed his hands vigorously and kept breathing into his palms.

The blood at the corner of Li Guangyan's mouth solidified and turned black. He opened his arms and tied them to the iron rings on the wall. He clenched his fists tightly, like a wounded wolf licking his wounds, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy in front of him at any time.

Shi Xiangwen sat against the wall and dozed off with his head propped up.

He was wearing a loose, thin robe, but he didn't feel cold. This physique made Zhu Xiu envious.

"These are all the events of Li Guangbo's death in Liangyuan County more than a year ago. I also explained Li's death to you in detail. Believe it or not, these are the facts."

Zhu Xiu folded her arms and rubbed her arms vigorously, jumping on the spot a few times. This winter is really cold. I don't know if it was caused by the cold air in Siberia or the cold high pressure on the Mongolian plateau.
Li Guangyan struggled, the iron rings on the wall jingled, and bursts of sand peeled off the wall.

"Absolutely impossible! You thief! You can't even try to lie to me!" Li Guangyan roared hoarsely.

Zhu Xiu spread his hands and said in a pitiful tone: "This is the first time I met you. In comparison, you naturally trust Xue Xiuming more. But it is a pity that he is a wolf in sheep's clothing. , Li Yiyin, and you are just tools he uses to achieve his goals.

But it is a pity that because I stopped this conspiracy cleverly and promptly, the Xue Xiuming brothers' plan to gain the power of the rebel army went bankrupt.

In order to intensify the conflict between the Chang Yi Army and the Ding Nan Army, he did not hesitate to set fire to death with his own hands, and framed the blame twice, so that your party, Xiang Li, regarded our Zhang Yi Army as an enemy bandit.

But now it seems that Xue Xiuming's life in the Dingnan Army was not easy. Although you are also a descendant of the Dangxiang Li family, you are still different from Li Guangrui after all, right? "

Zhu Xiu rubbed her chin, wandering back and forth under Li Guangyan's hateful gaze, and continued talking: "You, Li Guangyan, are not a fool. How could you not know that leading the Wuyuan soldiers deep into Yuanzhou is actually a relatively dangerous thing.

Rather than saying that Li Guangrui was stubborn and encouraged you to lead his troops south to Pinggao County to burn, kill and plunder for fun, it would be better to say that you also had some intention to please and wanted to use this to deepen the brotherhood between you and Li Guangrui. .

Your father, Li Yijing, is a sick man with a good reputation but no real power. There are five brothers in your family. Li Guangbo died short-lived and early. The other three brothers have no future. Only you, Li Guangyan and Li Wulang, are full of sinews. You are tall, brave and have superb martial arts. You can be called A strong man of a generation, he also got the nickname of a powerful Taibao.
Cough cough~ Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean to laugh at you, in fact, I also want to be a macho, but my strength doesn’t allow it.”

Zhu Xiu spread her hands to express her helplessness. Li Guangyan gritted his teeth so hard that Zhu Xiu was really afraid that he would break her teeth.

"Logically speaking, your father and Li Yiyin are cousins, and your clan is considered a direct descendant of the Dangxiang Li clan. In order to unite the clan, Li Yiyin will definitely win over you and treat your family well. Needless to say, there will be prosperity and wealth.

It's a pity that your family has such a powerful person like you. At a young age, you bravely won the three armies and gained great reputation among the party members.

If I were Li Yiyin, I would have to guard against you. Even if I didn’t kill you, I would still have to find an excuse to drive you to a secluded place far away from the core of power and let you station in Wuyuan with thousands of miscellaneous soldiers. This is the reason for staying in Yanzhou."

Li Guangyan roared angrily: "Nonsense! My uncle treats me with the same kindness as father and son! You thief, don't even think about sowing discord!"

Zhu Xiu stepped back to avoid being sprayed by his saliva mixed with blood.

Zhu Xiu sarcastically said: "Yanzhou is the traditional sphere of influence of the Dingnan Army, but apart from some salt benefits, its biggest role is just a buffer zone between the party members and the northwest vassal towns in Guanzhong.

In other words, the so-called Wuyuan soldiers are of no importance at all. Based on the current momentum of the Nanyuan army, even if a dog is tied to Wuyuan, no one will dare to take a step forward.

Sending your famous nephew to Wuyuan, what else is it if it’s not exile?What a Li Guangyan, what a powerful Taibao. Li Yiyin treats you as a thief, but you keep calling him affectionate to your uncle. You are really despicable! "

Li Guangyan was trembling all over, his muscles were tense, and veins popped out on his forehead. He was extremely angry, and his fierce eyes seemed to want to eat people.

Zhu Xiu sneered: "You called Xue Xiuming your brother-in-law and took in his lost dog. Little did you know that Li Guangbo and the Li family were murdered by him! You respect Li Yiyin as your uncle and obey his orders. Little did you know that in Li Yiyin's eyes, you are The biggest obstacle to the stability and transition of Dangxiang Li's regime is that as long as you exist, Li Guangrui will not be able to stably continue to hold the power of the military Jiedushi!

Li Guangyan, you don’t even know whether the people around you are humans or ghosts. I really fucking pity you! "

Zhu Xiu's sarcastic words were like cutting out the heart and flesh, piercing the depths of Li Guangyan's heart.

The door of the earthen house was pushed open, and the whistling wind and snow poured in, making Zhu Xiu shiver from the cold.

"Young Envoy, Xue Xiuming can't hold on any longer." Yan Ping entered the room to report.

Zhu Xiu wrapped her wool jacket tightly, smiled at Li Guangyan and said, "Let's go, go and hear what your good brother-in-law has to say."

Yan Ping waved his hand, and several sergeants from the Beihu Camp rushed in. They lowered Li Guangyan's arms from the iron rings on the wall, tied his hands behind his back, and stuffed a ball of rags into his mouth.

Li Guangyan was pushed to the ground, writhing and struggling, but unfortunately he was not Shi Xiangwen, he was overwhelmed by four or five soldiers with big arms and round waists, and completely lost his resistance.

"Dalang, let's go." Yan Ping led his men to escort Li Guangyan forward, and Zhu Xiu turned around and shouted.

Shi Xiangwen yawned and stood up, squeezed out of the small earthen house, and stretched his waist.

"Let's build a snowman together." Shi Xiangwen pointed to the half-finished white bear in the center of the pasture.

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "You go first, I will come later."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "Give me another half hour and I'll come to you when I'm done."

Shi Xiangwen pinched the seam of his nails, his innocent face looked serious.

"Don't worry!" Zhu Xiu agreed.

Shi Xiangwen swayed his huge body and walked towards the pasture.

Zhu Xiu smiled and quickly caught up with Yan Ping.

Outside the earthen house where Xue Xiuming was imprisoned, as soon as he got closer, he could feel the heat waves. Every piece of earth and stone was baked and heated, like a brick kiln.

Yan Ping asked the sergeant to escort Li Guangyan into the house, and Zhu Xiu followed suit. A wave of scorching heat hit his face and instantly enveloped his whole body, as if he had stepped from the Antarctic in the cold season to the equator in the scorching summer.

The smoke from the fireworks in the earthen house was so strong that it made people cough repeatedly.

Xue Xiuming hung on the wall in a state of exhaustion, sweating from being baked, and his bloody clothes were soaked and dried by sweat. Repeated several times, the whole person was severely dehydrated, his face was pale, his lips were bloodless, his head was drooping, and he could not see it when he got closer. I can smell the stench of feces and urine.

"Wake him up." Zhu Xiu covered her mouth and nose.

Li Guangyan cast an angry look at Zhu Xiu, his mouth was blocked, and he roared in his throat. Two sergeants from the Weihu Camp pulled out Yanling knives and put them on his shoulders. The slightest movement would mean death.

Yan Ping slapped Xue Xiuming twice from left to right, causing Xue Xiuming to groan in pain, thick blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, his sleepy consciousness became a little clearer, he narrowed his swollen eye slits, and saw a blurry figure shaking in front of him.

".Kill me." Xue Xiuming suddenly started whimpering, his voice hoarse and crying, as if he was begging for mercy, completely losing the toughness he had before.

In this sealed oven, I can feel the moisture in my body draining little by little. The mental devastation brought about by this kind of slow death is more painful than simple pain.

Xue Xiuming is now unconscious and moaning in pain, unable to bear this chronic torture. "As the saying goes, it is easy to survive but difficult to die. Mr. Xue, do you know what choice you should make now?" Zhu Xiudao.

Xue Xiuming raised his head with difficulty and tried to look in the direction of the sound. Unfortunately, due to severe dehydration and half-awake consciousness, it was difficult for him to focus his sight and he could not see the figure clearly.

".I said." Xue Xiuming's voice was hoarse and weak. He bit the tip of his tongue hard and used the pain to keep himself awake.

"Hmm~" Li Guangyan struggled to get closer, but was held down by the sergeant from the Flying Tiger Camp.

Zhu Xiu said in a deep voice: "How did Li Guangbo die in Liangyuan County?"

Xue Xiuming coughed twice in pain, his breathing was rapid, and he began to sweat coldly all over his body. Yan Ping signaled a sergeant to take a small bowl of water, opened his mouth and drank it.

Xue Xiuming swallowed greedily and drank half a bowl of water, which cheered him up a bit.

"Say it, as long as you say it, there will be more water to drink." Zhu Xiu said coldly.

Xue Xiuming licked his lips and spoke slowly and hoarsely: "I sent Xue Xiuliang and his people to Liangyuan to assist Li Guangbo and the soldiers from other towns to rebel and capture the county government office. Then I asked Tao Wenju to poison him with mercury."

Li Guangyan was shaken all over, his eyes widened in disbelief, he stopped struggling and twisted, and stared closely at Xue Xiuming's mouth, not letting go of every word that came out of his mouth.

Xue Xiuming gave a general overview of sending Tao Wenju to poison Li Guangbo, which is basically the same as what Zhu Xiu said to Li Guangyan just now.

Zhu Xiu glanced at Li Guangyan, who was stunned, and smiled coldly.

"And Mrs. Li, how did she die?"

Xue Xiuming groaned in pain: "Give me some water."

"Tell me! How did Mrs. Li die?" Zhu Xiu said sharply.

Xue Xiuming gasped for air. The few words he just said had exhausted all his energy.

"On the day Mrs. Li fled Anding County, I sent people to block the door of her room and set her on fire." Xue Xiuming said slowly and hoarsely.

Li Guangyan's angry eyes were bloodshot, his mouth was gagged and he couldn't make a sound, but there were beast-like growls in his throat.

He wanted to rush towards Xue Xiuming, but was pushed down by the sergeants led by Yan Ping.

Xue Xiuming heard some movement and turned his head stiffly, trying to see what happened.

Zhu Xiu said coldly: "Why do you want to kill Li Guangbo and the Li family?"

Xue Xiuming said feebly: "Once Li Guangbo dies, Dang Xiang Li will definitely pursue the case. In order to make amends, Shi Kuangwei may drive you out of Jingzhou."
Li's death was an accident, she. She realized that I was related to Li Guangbo's death and had to kill her.
Once Li is dead, the Zhangyi Army and the Dingnan Army will completely become enemies, and I will have the opportunity to use the party members to fight for power with Shi Kuangwei.
Ahem~Water. Give me water."

Zhu Xiu turned around and walked out of the earthen house indifferently, followed by several sergeants escorting Li Guangyan.

"Young Envoy, do you want my subordinates to invite him to warm themselves over the fire again?" Yan Ping said bitterly.

Zhu Xiu shook his head: "He has no value anymore, there is no need to waste firewood."

"Your subordinate chopped him up and fed him to the dogs?" Yan Ping drew out his knife.

Zhu Xiu glanced at Li Guangyan, who had a dull expression, motioned to the sergeant to take out the cloth from his mouth, and said with a smile, "What do you think should be done with it?"

Li Guangyan hesitated for a moment, his eyes became fierce, and he growled: "I will kill him with my own hands!"

"Okay!" Zhu Xiu readily agreed, "Untie General Li."

"Young Envoy?" Yan Ping was anxious and stepped in front of Zhu Xiu to stop him. This man was very skilled in martial arts. Once he got into trouble, he was afraid that the Young Envoy would be in danger at such a close range.

Zhu Xiu waved his hand: "Although General Li is not afraid of death, he does not want to die in vain. If he can survive, why must he ask for death? General Li is a smart man and should understand this truth."

Li Guangyan stared at him with his sinister wolf eyes. Gradually, the fierceness in his eyes faded away little by little. He lowered his eyelids and looked a little depressed.

"Untie!" Zhu Xiu smiled slightly, pointing to Yan Ping and the sergeant of the Tiger Camp beside him, "With the best fighters of the Zhangyi Army around, why should I be afraid?"

Several sergeants from the Beihu camp puffed up their chests proudly and looked solemnly, keeping a close eye on Li Guangyan. If this person did anything untoward, they would risk their lives to protect the young envoy's safety.

Yan Ping drew his knife and cut the rope on Li Guangyan's body, then retreated to Zhu Xiu with the knife and stared coldly.

Li Guangyan silently threw away the hemp rope on his body, and looked at Zhu Xiu gloomyly.

"Now you believe that sometimes people's hearts are black or white, and you can't tell just from the outside. While he is smiling and talking to you, he may be holding a knife in his hand behind his back." Zhu Xiudao.

Li Guangyan was silent for a while and said coldly: "Just like you are now."

"I don't have a knife in my hand, I only have a heart that wants to make a sincere friendship with you." Zhu Xiu spread his hands and smiled.

Li Guangyan turned his head and looked towards Tsuchiya, and Zhu Xiu winked at Yan Ping.

A sergeant dragged Xue Xiuming out of the earthen house and threw him at Li Guangyan's feet.

Xue Xiuming shivered from the cold, fell to the ground and curled up into a ball.

Being frozen by the mud and snow, and the cold wind blowing, he became more energetic. He raised his head tremblingly and looked blankly.

Li Guangyan stretched out his hand, and Zhu Xiu asked Yan Ping to hand him the knife.

"Brother-in-law" Li Guangyan looked down, and after a while, he called out in a low voice.

Xue Xiuming rubbed his eyes and finally saw clearly that the person standing next to him was Li Guangyan. He grabbed his trouser legs with trembling hands: "Wu Lang. Wu Lang, save me."

Li Guangyan's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly raised his hand and swung the knife. The sharp blade passed across Xue Xiuming's neck, and a dazzling scarlet spurt spurted out, dyeing the mud and snow red.

The body fell to the ground and the head rolled aside.

Zhu Xiu breathed a long sigh of relief and glanced at the horrifically dead head.

Several blood debts have only been completely settled now, and it can be considered an advantage for him.
(End of this chapter)