The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 291 Luzhou Meeting
Outside Luzhou City, in the gray wilderness, the wind and snow howled.

Occasionally there were three or two pedestrians passing by on the muddy official road, but they all hurried on, not daring to stay longer in the cold wilderness.

Inside the city gate, the soldiers who were guarding the city sat together, huddled in the corner to take shelter from the wind, lit a fire to keep warm, laughed with each other, and discussed which of the celebrities in the city's flower shop was the most beautiful.

The rapid clatter of horse hooves came from far away, and the soldiers turned their heads to look, wondering who would be traveling in such a cold weather, against the wind and snow.

"Woo ~ woo ~"

Several shouts were heard, and four powerful Hexi horses stopped outside Luzhou City.

Behind them, there was a giant man with an iron rod on his shoulders and long hair with a lion's mane. He ran as fast as he could and arrived after a while.

One of them took off his bamboo hat, revealing a long beard and a red face, looking exactly like the most beautiful Guan Gong in the world.

I saw him looking up at the plaque hanging above the city, and his voice sounded like a broken gong: "Finally arrived in Luzhou! When I went to Zhenzhou, Hebei to join the army, I passed by here and stayed in the city for a few days. I didn't expect that the black-hearted shopkeeper While I was out, I sneaked into my room and stole my money, tens of pennies!

Later, the damn birdie also falsely accused me of not paying the rent, but I found out and beat him up. He lost one of his legs and burned the whole guest house!

The cruel Luzhou government sent officers to capture me, but I was beaten to death and rushed out of the city, never to come back again."

Pan Mei looked up at the mottled plaque on the top of the city with a bit of sadness.

Now six or seven years have passed in a blink of an eye, and he is no longer the young and reckless young man who first joined the army.

"That unscrupulous shopkeeper was blind, and dared to extend his dirty hands to General Pan. He deserved a good beating! General Pan killed well, and it can be regarded as eliminating a harm for Luzhou City!"

Tao Wenju also opened his bamboo hat and smiled flatteringly, his nose was red from the cold, and his appearance was quite funny with his sharp mouth and monkey cheeks.

Zhu Xiu untied the rope around his chin, took off his bamboo hat, and looked up at the towering city head.

They came all the way from Jingzhou, relying on the horses' extraordinary strength, but they didn't waste much time.

Hu Guangyue said with a smile: "Young Envoy, let's go into the city first to find a place to stay, rest for one night, and then continue our journey tomorrow."

Zhu Xiu nodded and smiled at Shi Xiangwen beside him: "Is Dalang hungry?"

Shi Xiangwen touched his shriveled belly and nodded heavily with his big head.

The soldiers who were hiding in the city gate to warm themselves by the fire came out in twos and threes, and each one slowly gathered around them with a flattering smile.

I don’t know where this group of outsiders came from. They were wearing coir raincoats and bamboo hats, and their appearance could not be discerned. However, seeing that the horses they rode were all good-looking horses, they were probably either rich or noble people, so they did not dare to offend.

There was also the giant man who was more than half taller than an ordinary person. The thick iron rod on his shoulder that was as thick as an arm probably weighed several hundred kilograms and could smash a person into a pulp with just one swing.

The city gate guard looked around at the people timidly and found that except for the youngest official with red lips and white teeth, the rest of them did not look like good people.

"You guys are paying tribute to the little official! May I ask where the little official and his entourage came from? Where are they going? Do you have any proof of past record?"

A small team was standing up and asked respectfully.

Zhu Xiu winked at Tao Wenju, and Tao Wenju hurriedly took out the documents of several people from their bags and showed them to the guards for inspection.

"We are coming from Chang'an and going to Mingzhou." Zhu Xiu said with a smile.

The team is checking that the voucher is correct and returning it with both hands.

Tao Wenju took it angrily and snorted heavily in his nostrils.

These certificates were issued by the Jingzhao Mansion, and the names, places of origin and identities are all fake, only the physical characteristics of the individual are true, and it can be done for fifty pennies.

As soon as the team heard that they were going to Mingzhou, they hurriedly said: "Young officials don't know something. Mingzhou can't be gone now!"

"Oh? Why?" Zhu Xiu was shocked and pretended to be confused.

The team was saying: "Commander Guo Wei was left behind in Yedu and rebelled. Mingzhou is close to Yedu and has been occupied by Marshal Guo's soldiers and horses. The official roads are blocked and entry and exit are strictly prohibited. The army is in chaos. I'm afraid there will be danger if the officials and their entourage go there!"

Zhu Xiu was surprised and said: "I wonder if what the elder brother said is true? My family has been in Chang'an for generations, but I have also heard of the reputation of Marshal Guo. Marshal Guo is a hero of the world, how could he suddenly rebel?"

"Hey~ The official documents from the imperial court have been spread all over Hedong and Hebei. How can there be any falsehood! The little people are ordered to do things, so they don't dare to talk nonsense!"

The squad was sighing: "Those of us who serve as soldiers and eat food know the reputation of Marshal Guo better than the petty officials! Being able to be Marshal Guo's soldiers is a blessing earned in previous lives. It's a pity that little people are not blessed and do not have this fate. .”

The soldiers next to him touched him and winked, signaling him not to talk nonsense.

The team hurriedly laughed and said: "Anyway, the little people don't know what big things happened in the court. They only know that there are orders from above and they are followed."

Zhu Xiu smiled and pursed his lips at Tao Wenju. Tao Wenju understood and took out a three-ounce silver collar and handed it to the team leader: "Take it! My young master will reward you!"

"Oh~ This little guy doesn't dare to accept the reward!" The team was overjoyed and declined in panic, but their hands clenched the silver collar tightly.

The soldiers beside him showed fiery eyes. This reward was more than all of them's monthly salary combined, and everyone got a huge amount in their hands.

This little official has a lot of money and must be a noble son from Jingzhao Mansion.

Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "It's cold. Share it with the brothers to buy more fuel for the family."

"Thank you, little official, for the reward!"

The team was thanking the soldiers gratefully.

The team was still holding a shadow drawing in their hands. They hesitated to unfold it, then waved and shouted: "Please enter the city with your young officials!"

Zhu Xiu noticed what he was holding in his hand, and said with a smile, "But it's a shadow painting issued by the government? There are bandits in Luzhou City?"

The team was laughing and said: "It's not a bandit, it's a rebel named Zhang Yongde. I heard that he is the son-in-law of Marshal Guo. Now that Marshal Guo has fallen out with the court, the court has designated Marshal Guo as a rebel, and Zhang Yongde is naturally implicated. "

Zhu Xiu smiled calmly and said: "How long has it been since the government issued arrest documents? Is there any movement of this person?"

"We have been posting notices all over the city for three days, but there is still no clue. The officials in the government only asked us to strictly investigate those who enter and leave the city."

The team was saying it nonchalantly.

Zhu Xiudao: "Since it is a business matter, we'd better do it in a formal way. You unfold the shadows and figures and compare them one by one with our faces."

With that said, Zhu Xiu asked Pan Mei, Tao Wenju and others to take off their hats and reveal their faces, leaving the team to compare the portraits.

"Oh~ What did the little official say? He looks like he is a child of a wealthy family. How could he be involved with a traitor to the imperial court?"

Although the team was speaking politely, they quickly unfolded the portraits and glanced at everyone's faces. "The villain just said that this portrait has nothing to do with the official!"

The team was relieved in their hearts, rolled up the portrait and waved back, "Invite the officials to enter the city!"

"Thank you!" Zhu Xiu cupped his hands, lifted the reins and shook it slightly. The red boy on the Jinshan Divine Horse under his crotch sneezed loudly, and walked towards the city gate with his hoofs.

Suddenly, among the crowd leaving the city, a tall man carrying firewood got into an argument with a soldier, and the team hurriedly led people over.

The man stood out among a group of sallow-looking villagers. Although he was wearing a tattered old winter coat, with moldy reed wadding exposed from the damage, Zhu Xiu still saw something different about him.

With a move in her heart, Zhu Xiu hurriedly asked Pan Mei and others to follow and ride over to have a look.

The man carrying firewood wanted to leave the city, but there was something wrong with the certificate he produced, and the soldiers refused to let him go.

"That man, my young master wants all your firewood, but you have to help us pick it up at the hotel outside the city!"

Pan Mei shouted loudly.

The man carrying firewood looked at Pan Mei for a moment, then looked at Zhu Xiu who was riding on horseback not far away, his eyes suddenly bursting with light.

As if he was afraid of being noticed, he hurriedly lowered his head and replied angrily: "If you go more than ten miles, you will have to pay another twenty cash!"

"Don't worry! I can't miss you!" Pan Mei waved him over carelessly.

When the team saw Zhu Xiu asking for someone, they hurried over and said with a flattering smile: "The little official won't enter the city?"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "I can't go to Mingzhou, so I plan to take a detour to Xingzhou. I'm in a hurry on my schedule, so it's better to hurry."

"Hehe, then I will send off the little official."

The team was clasping their fists politely, looking at the man carrying firewood, hesitating for a moment and scolding: "Give the small officials a lot of firewood. When you go in and out of the city, you must take it to build the mansion." It’s not easy to use the official seal of your office in the county!”

The man seemed unconvinced, and the urn shouted back: "Why is it not working? The county government is no longer an official of the imperial court? Everything was fine before, so why do you need to issue a general document? You are not doing business, you are just messing around. We, the common people.”

The man's words made a lot of people feel the same, and they all responded, and some commotion broke out at the crowded city gate.

"Fart! We're not following orders!"

The team was jumping up and down in a hurry, yelling, "You naughty guy, you have the guts to go to the official and yell at us. What are you yelling at us for?"

The man continued to argue, but Pan Mei laughed and dragged him away.

A group of six people turned back to the official road and continued walking northwest along the road.

Arriving at the edge of a wild forest covered by heavy snow, with no outsiders around, Zhu Xiu got off his horse, walked up to the man carrying firewood, and said with a teasing smile: "Brother Zhang, this firewood seller is so bold! How dare you argue with the city defenders!"

The man laughed loudly, took off the heavy load of firewood on his shoulders, grabbed a handful of snow from a dead branch and wiped it on his face, wiping off the pot ashes on his face, revealing a fair and handsome face, none other than Zhang Yongde.

"Why are you here? How did you recognize me?" Zhang Yongde clasped his fists at everyone.

Zhu Xiudao: "Half a month ago, I received an urgent report from Kaifeng in Jingzhou. I knew that a big change had occurred in Kaifeng City. I was worried that the court would be unfavorable to Guo Shuai and Chai Shuai, so I hurriedly set off for Yedu."

After a pause, Zhu Xiu said with a smile: "Brother Zhang's disguise is full of holes, and anyone who is familiar with it can see through it at a glance!"

Pan Mei curled her lips and said: "How can anyone wipe the pot ashes only to wipe their face? The face is black, but the neck and hands are white. And you, a country boy, are wearing a shabby winter coat but a pair of cow leather boots. If it weren't for If your feet are full of mud and snow, these boots will give you away~"

Zhang Yongde was stunned and lowered his head to look at his feet. It was just as Pan Mei said.

How could a country man selling firewood afford expensive leather boots?

Zhu Xiu smiled and said nothing. In terms of experience in traveling around the world, Zhang Yongde was naturally not as good as Pan Mei.

"Alas~ I was careless in my haste. If I hadn't met you, I'm afraid I would have had to fight my way out of Luzhou City today." Zhang Yongde shook his head with a wry smile.

"By the way, why is Brother Zhang in Luzhou?" Zhu Xiu asked curiously.

"At the beginning of October, I went to Zhaoyi Army on orders from Commander Guo. The heavy snow closed the city and delayed it for some days. I wanted to return to Yedu in mid-November. Unexpectedly, I suddenly heard a sudden change coming from Kaifeng. I was also Inexplicably, he was determined to be a traitor to the imperial court!

Now Luzhou has posters of my shadow all over the city. I have been hiding for several days, and I just found a chance to escape from the city today, but something almost went wrong."

"Where is Fourth Sister?" Zhu Xiu looked concerned.

Zhang Yongde looked at him strangely: "My father is seriously ill. My wife rushed back to her hometown in Yangqu half a year ago to take care of her. She is still in Yangqu now. I have already tried to find a way to ask someone to take the letter to Yangqu, so that she can take the family and the children into the mountains to escape. , come back after the wind blows."

Zhu Xiu suddenly realized that Zhang Yongde's family left Kaifeng early, no wonder they were unscathed in that bloody coup.

Zhang Yongde married Guo Qing, the fourth daughter of Guo Wei, and they were married for two years. They were a loving couple. When they returned to Jingzhou from Puzhou and passed through Chang'an last year, Zhu Xiu had met him and his wife.

"How is the current situation in Kaifeng? Does Brother Zhang know?"

Zhang Yongde shook his head and said solemnly: "I only know that the three old ministers Shi Hongzhao, Yang Bin, and Wang Zhang were killed. My father-in-law and Chai Shuai were both designated as rebels against the party and ministers. The officials have issued an edict that anyone who follows my father-in-law is a traitor. Now The Yedu area has been sealed off, and troops are being mobilized near Kaifeng."

Zhu Xiu probed: "Does Brother Zhang know the situation in Kaifeng City?"

Zhang Yongde shook his head and said he didn't know.

Zhu Xiu sighed and smiled bitterly, not knowing how to speak.

It seems that Zhang Yongde only knew the first half of the Kaifeng Incident and did not know the bad news of the second half.

Half a month ago, Zhu Xiu received a secret report from Ma Qing, saying that Liu Chengyou summoned Murong Yanchao back to Beijing. He knew that the dramatic changes in the three years of Qianyou had begun, so he hurriedly came all the way from Jingzhou.

Along the way, news of Kaifeng was received in Puzhou. As recorded in history, Liu Chengyou raised his butcher knife high and slaughtered the whole family left by Guo Wei and Chai Rong in Kaifeng.
For Liu Chengyou, who wanted to eliminate his ministers and gain imperial power, this was a bad move that pushed him into the abyss.

The foundation of Zangfeng Battalion in Kaifeng was almost completely eradicated by Li Ye. Ma Qing and Chen An were lucky to escape death.

Kaifeng is too far away from Jingzhou, and the water is terrifyingly deep. Zhu Xiu knows that he is not able to jump in yet and does not dare to jump. The only thing he can do is to rush to Yedu as soon as possible to ensure that this shocking upheaval can be likened to It was as smooth as ever in history.

"Let's go~ Let's take a detour to Xingzhou and then return to Yedu!"

Zhu Xiu's face suddenly turned a little gloomy, she sighed softly, got on her horse and drove away.

Zhang Yongde saw something from the change in Zhu Xiu's expression, and his heart sank, silently walking at the end with Shi Xiangwen.

The group rushed to the Guanyi station ahead and tried to find a way to get a horse for Zhang Yongde before they started on their way.

(End of this chapter)