My timeless tavern

Chapter 553 Yuan Chonghuan

Ming dynasty.

The third year of Chongzhen.

The Mid-Autumn Festival has just passed and the weather in Beijing has already turned a little chilly.

Especially for Yuan Chonghuan.

This middle-aged man, who came from a humble background, entered the official career as the son of a merchant, and became a powerful official in the Ming Dynasty by virtue of his military achievements, had now entered the darkest moment of his life.

He was naked, tied to a wooden frame, and taken to the West Market.

He did not feel cold even though the bitter north wind blew on his body. What really chilled him to the bone were the rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs that were thrown at him, as well as the curses that chilled his heart.

A year and a half ago, when he left the capital, he was warmly seen off by the people.

Even further in time, when the previous emperor was in power, he also passed by this street after having just won a great victory in Ningyuan, and the people shouted his heroic name.

Although it had not been long since the incident, he was accused of "buying rice and salt", "killing the general for money", and "allowing slaves to invade", and was labeled a treacherous bandit who defected to the Later Jin Dynasty and intended to rebel.

Yuan Chonghuan felt sad and even found it ridiculous.

As the governor of Ji and Liao in the Ming Dynasty and a powerful official of the second rank, he would be crazy to go and join those barbarians.

Could those barbarians allow him to be emperor?

Perhaps his only mistake was to kill Mao Wenlong without authorization.

But apart from his personal grudge against him, killing him was actually a good strategy for the Ming Dynasty.

He gave the other party many chances and advised him to retire, but not only did he not listen, he also threatened him secretly, and he was already becoming too powerful to be eliminated.

Holding the imperial sword and having discussed it with the cabinet ministers earlier, he killed him in order to quickly and easily stabilize the situation in Liaodong.

Now thinking about it, he could have been more roundabout and spared his life and left it to the court for trial.

Given the temperament of today's emperor, he would definitely kill him and would not be suspicious of himself because of this.

Even if something unexpected happened during the escort process, it would be better than now.

During the more than six months in prison, he reflected on his life countless times.

In addition to killing Mao Wenlong without authorization, he did two other things that were not appropriate.

One of them is the correspondence with Huang Taiji of the Later Jin Dynasty.

Although he had discussed it with important cabinet ministers, they did not agree, but he still did it anyway.

The reason for communicating was, firstly, to understand the other party's intentions, and secondly, to keep the channel for peace talks.

He had been in Liaodong for many years, and no one in the court knew the place better than he.

The amount of money needed to conquer and manage that bitter and cold land was enormous, and the financially strapped Ming Dynasty simply could not afford it, so he proposed the plan of governing Liao with Liao.

If one intends to completely wipe out these brutal barbarians of the Later Jin just for the sake of face, it will be a loss.

The Ming Dynasty’s problems were internal, not external.

Make peace with the Later Jin, sort out internal affairs, quell the rebellion, and wait until the Ming Dynasty is stable and the treasury is sufficient. Only then can these Tartars, who are like a thorn in the flesh, be truly wiped out.

He promised Emperor Chongzhen that he would pacify Liao within five years, and his plan was to use this as a basis to strengthen border defenses and force the Tartars to negotiate.

However, he did not expect that the Tatars had already attacked Beijing only a year after he took office and the defense had not yet been completely organized.

He had long been aware of the hidden dangers in Jizhou's defense and had even requested the court to add an additional general, but he was still surprised to find that the problem really lay here.

From a military strategic perspective, he did not think this matter would affect his own layout and planning.

The Tatar cavalry is powerful and few can match them in field battles, but siege warfare is not their strong point.

If they could use the city of Beijing to contain them and kill their few elite troops, it would be an opportunity for the Ming Dynasty.

The only problem is that this incident may cause the emperor to displease.

Yuan Chonghuan thought he had a clear conscience, and from his conversation with the young emperor before the expedition, he learned that the other party had lofty ambitions, which gave him some confidence.

As he expected, he led his army to come to the rescue and repelled the Tatars, preventing them from gaining much benefit.

However, rumors spread in the city that were unfavorable to him, saying that he had surrendered to the enemy.

He knew that this was a tactic of the enemy to attack his mind.

Anyone with a little common sense would know that he couldn't possibly do such a stupid thing.

The Ming Dynasty was prosperous, and he would be able to enter the cabinet and become a prime minister, a high-ranking official. There was no reason for him to surrender to those wild and poor barbarians.

The emperor's words of comfort put him at ease.

Unexpectedly, not long after, he was summoned into the palace by Emperor Chongzhen on the pretext of discussing military pay, and was subsequently imprisoned.

Yuan Chonghuan sensed that a disaster was imminent, but he also held on to a glimmer of hope, thinking that if he could explain his thoughts to the emperor, there might be a glimmer of hope.

After all, everything he did was for the Ming Dynasty.

He believed that if someone else were to be in such a chaotic situation in Liaodong, they might not be able to do better than he did.

But as he spent longer in prison, he began to panic.

Various news reached his ears.

When he learned that the prime ministers had been replaced several times, he suddenly realized that the young emperor was not what he had previously thought.

He is ambitious, sensitive, suspicious, and eager for quick success.

He thought about what he had done over the years, recalled the situation in the court, and combined it with the various information he had received. He realized that something was wrong.

He originally promised to pacify Liao within five years, but the Jin army marched south within a year, which was unbearable for the emperor.

He was given the imperial sword and promised to act at the emperor's discretion, but he killed Mao Wenlong without the emperor's approval, which was bound to touch the emperor's reverse scale.

The fact that he had privately communicated with Huang Taiji must have made him extremely furious.

What's even worse is that there are constant factional struggles in the court, and the Donglin Party, which is close to him, is now the target of oppression.

Under such circumstances, he was afraid that he would not be able to wait for a chance to survive.

After he had been detained for more than half a year, he finally received the verdict.

After hearing the news, Yuan Chonghuan's hands and feet turned cold, as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

If I had known this would happen, why would I have interfered in the chaos in Liaodong!

He was dedicated to making great achievements and serving his country and was loyal to his emperor, so he could not accept the current outcome.

Lingchi!

The most severe punishment of all.

In the past, all those who had been subjected to this punishment were extremely evil and treacherous.

How could he be so worthy as to be on the same level as those people!

Yuan Chonghuan cried and laughed, cursing the injustice of heaven and the emperor's stupidity, and was almost crazy!
After one night, he seemed to have aged by dozens of years.

His expression became wooden and his heart was as cold as water, and he allowed the people to throw those filthy things at him.

The blind obedience of the people is no different from what we did in the past!

Instead of enjoying a rich and comfortable life, he jumped into the quagmire of Liaodong in an attempt to cure this stubborn disease for the Ming Dynasty.

Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish. It cannot be done overnight.
An ignorant and incompetent monarch sits at the top of the political ladder, surrounded by a group of powerful ministers who only know how to fight for power. The fall of the Ming Dynasty is just around the corner!
Yuan Chonghuan was carried to the execution platform and covered with a fishing net that tightly bound his skin.

As the executioner shouted the first blow, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Then came the second knife, the third knife...

The people clapped and laughed, cheering loudly.

Yuan Chonghuan was trembling with pain and growled.

All his thoughts were interrupted, and the pain made his consciousness clearer than ever before.

He roared and raged like a wild beast, cursing the emperor's stupidity and the injustice of heaven...

After his tongue was cut off, his voice became a sob, which was drowned out by the frantic cheers of the people. He felt a burning pain with every breath he took.

Breasts, thighs, arms...

The smell of blood and herbs hits your nose.

He fainted from the pain several times and was awakened by cold water.

His eyelids were cut off, and he was completely unable to see due to the soreness and pain.

Those crazy voices and the pain that pierced his bones finally made his consciousness become muddled, leaving only endless suffering.

In this situation, dazzling images flashed through his vision and were captured clearly by him.

When he heard the "invitation", he instinctively chose to accept it.

Then he felt the noise around him disappear.

But that's about it.

Almost all the flesh on his body was cut off. The pain made his consciousness almost collapse, and he was about to fall down while staggering.

……

In the tavern.

In addition to Zhu Youjian who noticed the newcomer, Xu Xian and Yu Huatian, who were near the bar and facing that direction, also noticed it.

The miserable appearance of the other party made both of them shudder.

Seeing that he was about to fall, Xu Xian quickly stretched out his hand and waved it, causing a gentle breeze to blow by and lift him up.

Yu Huatian stood up and said to Ding Xiu and Lin Pingzhi: "Hurry up and save them!"

Their perceptions were extremely sharp, so how could they not see that this newcomer had already stepped into the gates of hell with both feet.

If they were in their respective worlds, faced with such a situation, they would have to kill him with one blow.

But this is a pub, and everything can be saved.

Ding Xiu and Lin Pingzhi turned around and were also startled.

After seeing the fishing net stuck to his flesh and blood, the two looked at each other in surprise.

"Is this a form of Ling Chi?" Lin Pingzhi asked.

"Who is so cruel!" Ding Xiu said as he looked around the tavern.

When he saw Hua Tuo and Sun Simiao sitting together, he waved to them hurriedly.

The two of them hurried over.

With the help of everyone, the half-dead Yuan Chonghuan sat down on his seat.

Hua Tuo and Sun Simiao examined him carefully and fed him pills to stabilize his vital signs, and their expressions became embarrassed.

With their current level, saving people is not difficult, but it will take some time and effort.

But there is a more convenient way in the tavern.

Just as the two were discussing whether to use acupuncture to wake him up first, Xu Xian had already walked over with a glass of wine.

"Let me feed him this glass of wine," said Xu Xian.

Hua Tuo and Sun Simiao looked at him.

"Thor gene wine?" Ding Xiu raised his eyebrows.

He just noticed Xu Xian's actions.

While everyone was discussing, the other party went to the bar and bought the drink.

"Yes." Xu Xian nodded, then looked at the two divine doctors and asked, "Can this wine help him recover?"

"Of course," Hua Tuo said with emotion, "It is his blessing to be able to enter the tavern and meet Master Xu."

"It's just a glass of wine," Xu Xian said with a smile, "It's good as long as it can save people."

That’s 100,000 time and space coins!
There was envy in the eyes of Ding Xiu and Lin Pingzhi.

It seems worthwhile to exchange my injuries for a glass of wine like this.

However, looking at Yuan Chenghuan's bloody appearance and imagining themselves being cut into pieces, the two felt a chill.

I would rather die than endure this kind of pain!

After Xu Xian received a positive answer from Hua Tuo, he used his magic power to turn the wine into a wisp that slowly fell into Yuan Chonghuan's mouth.

As all the wine fell into his mouth, some of the blackened flesh on his body began to wriggle.

Even the thing that was cut off between his legs was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Zhu Bajie, who came over to watch the fun, took out a robe and put it on the other person.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at the newcomer.

As his body recovered, Yuan Chonghuan gradually regained consciousness.

He felt numbness in his body, and the darkness in his eyes was gradually replaced by light.

His vision was completely clear and his eyelids had recovered.

When light appeared in his eyes, his first reaction was to close them tightly.

Two seconds later, he opened his eyes again.

It’s still that huge pig head!
"Hey, you're alive!" Looking at Yuan Chenghuan's appearance, Zhu Bahuan looked at him and smiled.

Yuan Chenghuan was a little confused.

Could this be the underworld?
But when did such a pig-headed god appear in the underworld?

"Brother, you are not dead." A voice suddenly came.

Yuan Chonghuan turned his head and saw a man who was more handsome than the woman.

Seeing him staring at him, Yu Huatian said with a smile: "I am Yu Huatian, this is the altar purifier Zhu Bajie..."

When he heard the name Zhu Bajie, Yuan Chonghuan's already clear mind became a little confused again.

Zhu Bajie?
Isn’t that the deity from the widely circulated “Journey to the West”?

Is this still alive?
Everyone looked at his confused expression and guessed what he was thinking.

Ding Xiu wanted to reach out and pat him, but when he saw the squirming flesh, he abruptly retracted his outstretched hand.

He looked at the other person's face, which had grown half of its skin, and said, "Brother, don't worry. This is the Spacetime Tavern, which gathers countless talents from all over the world..."

Seeing that her eyes had become more alert, he changed the subject and said, "But what's your situation? Why were you cut into pieces?"

Yuan Chonghuan had just regained some of his sanity, but when he heard the words "being cut into pieces", he felt a surge of fear and his body began to tremble.

"Don't worry, no one can hurt you here." Xu Xian comforted.

Lin Pingzhi followed up, "You just drank the Thunder God Gene Wine that Brother Xu brought. The injuries on your body will heal soon..."

"Yes, you can take it easy until your body recovers a little," Hua Tuo said.

"No matter what injustice you have suffered, you don't have to worry when you come here, we can help you!" Zhu Bajie in the Lotus Lantern looks very righteous.

Sun Simiao also spoke to comfort him.

Yuan Chonghuan gradually calmed down after hearing what the crowd said.

After listening to the introductions of several people, he still felt dizzy and a little bit unbelievable when he learned that there were not only Zhu Bajie and several Sun Wukong in the tavern, but also Erlang Shen and even Yuanshi Tianzun.

But as he watched his skin and flesh grow rapidly and felt the surging power in his body, he had to believe it.

There can’t be such a real dream in the world!
Moreover, he had a strong intuition that he could leave here and return to his original world in a moment.

……

(End of this chapter)