Aoyama

Chapter 325: The Jianghu Is Not Worth It
The Zhang family's carriage slowly drove towards the inner city.

Someone in the carriage sang with great enthusiasm: "Outside the capital, swords rolled up the snow, and the divine guns split the sky. Long live the emperor, the flags destroyed hundreds of thousands of enemies. The drums of war drove the souls away, and the five armies lit up the wolf smoke. Dare I ask if the leader of the bandits can be executed at Chongli Pass?"

"Red armor reflects the cold light, and the victory message spreads to the nine borders. Inside the camp, fine wine is warmed, and outside the camp, sacrifices are offered to loyal and virtuous people. The living pick up the broken halberds, and the dead entrust the cuckoo. I wish to use my body to protect the country again!"

There were eight people crammed into a carriage, and the smell of sweat was overwhelming.

Chen Ji leaned against the carriage and looked, and even Li Xuan, who was already old, was singing along in a low voice.

He asked curiously, "The lyrics are all about the Shenji Battalion, Wansui Army, and Wujun Battalion, but there is no mention of the Yulin Army. What are you singing about?"

Qi Chenzhuo said embarrassedly: "This is our Daning's victory farewell song "General's Order", and it is sung like this. But in the past, only the three camps in front of the emperor could sing it, and we dared not sing it. If they sing it, it will be majestic and the people will applaud, but if we start to sing it, we will be laughed at... We just won a victory, so we should sing it too."

Sure enough, the army's spirit and energy are nurtured by victory.

Duo Bao leaned against the wall of the carriage, looking out through the swaying curtains. "Before I went to Guyuan, I was full of ambition and thought I could finally make achievements. But when I arrived in Guyuan, I realized how cruel war was. When I was killing the enemy, I hoped that the war would end soon. But when I returned to the capital, I always dreamed that I was still in Guyuan, with a spear piercing the chest of the thief of Jing Dynasty, and blood flowing down the spear shaft onto my hand. I was afraid and missed him."

Qi Chenzhuo jokingly said: "Why don't you stay in Guyuan?"

Duobao glanced at him and said, "Why don't you stay in Guyuan? What nonsense are you talking about?"

Qi Zhuozhuo glared at him: "Before, I was incompetent and you didn't take me, the deputy commander, seriously. I won't argue with you. Today, I saved you several times with the iron wolf whisk in my hand, and you still talk to me like this?"

Duo Bao opened his mouth and changed the subject: "Coach, this formation was yours, right? If we had used this battle method in Guyuan, perhaps half of my 500 Yulin soldiers would have survived."

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "It was because I often thought about the battle in Guyuan after I came back that I came up with this formation."

Duobao suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."

Zhang Zheng on the side said sourly: "I will go to Panjiayuan Ghost Market tomorrow to buy a way to become an official, and join the Yulin Army for fun."

Qi Chenzhuo sneered, "Didn't you look down on our Yulin Army before?"

Zhang Zheng sneered: "We just won a battle, and you're already so arrogant?"

Chen Ji was too lazy to listen to their argument and interrupted, "Where's the second sister?"

Zhang Zheng explained, "She said she had an appointment with her sisters to go to the North Jiaofangsi in the inner city to watch an opera today, so she left early when she saw that you were all right."

Chen Ji was puzzled: "Listening to an opera?"

Zhang Zheng hummed, "There's a new play called 'Bianliang Ji' over there, it's been extremely popular in the capital these days."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Did Second Sister leave any instructions, such as what needs to be adjusted in the formation?"

"No," Zhang Zheng shook his head. "She said that you only need to get used to each other and become more tacitly acquainted. This is a slow process and you can't rush it. By the way, she asked you to be careful of that Mr. Qian, Qian Ping."

"Oh?"

"She found out that this person was from the Wansui Army, and that he was decisive and capable. He was no ordinary person."

……

……

Mr. Qian was wearing a black gown and walking in the alley.

There are blue bricks and gray tiles on both sides, and lanterns hanging high above the head.

He has walked in these alleys for twenty years and can come and go freely with his eyes closed.

Over the past twenty years, the top performer in Yanzhi Hutong has changed from Xiao Fengxian to Sai Jinhua, and then from Sai Jinhua to Xiao Lihua. The opera that customers like to listen to has changed from "Dingxi Mountain" to "The Story of the White Boat", and then from "The Story of the White Boat" to the current "The Four Dreams of Nanjing".

People around him come and go, but these alleys remain the same as they were 20 years ago and 20 years later. And what he likes is still Dingxi Mountain, where he stood outside the brick wall and listened to the music when he first came to Beijing.

When Mr. Qian walked into Baishun Hutong, there was no more obscene words or erotic remarks, and he seemed more simple and pure.

He arrived at Baiyu Garden and clasped his fists to the man standing in front of the door and said, "Please inform him that I am here to pay a visit to Mr. Qi."

The left hand is a palm with five fingers together and stretched out, which represents the "five lakes"; the right hand is a fist with four fingers clenched, which represents the "four seas".

Mr. Qian put his fists above his forehead, which is a courtesy when meeting elders.

The man glanced at him and clasped his fists at his chest and abdomen: "Wait a moment."

After saying that, he turned around and limped into Baiyu Garden.

After a while, the man came out again and said politely, "Mr. Qian, Mr. Qi wants to see you."

The man led Mr. Qian into Baiyu Garden, and walked along the winding path through pavilions and towers. When they crossed a white marble bridge, they saw Mr. Qi sitting by the pond feeding the fish.

Hearing the footsteps, Lord Qi did not stand up, but asked casually without turning his head: "Is the Qian family kid in trouble?"

Master Qian clasped his fists and saluted again: "May I ask Lord Qi, are the people who appeared in the capital these days members of the Sanshan Society?"

Mr. Qi picked up a handful of red worms and threw them into the pond. The moonlight shone on the koi swimming in the water, sucking the red worms into its mouth.

He said calmly: "Why did you think of the Sanshan Society?"

Master Qian thought for a moment and said, "This group of people have seen blood and must have killed people. Although they don't have a tacit understanding in the fight, they can still enforce discipline. Lord Qi is an expert and naturally knows that a stick fighter can't do this... but the Sanshan Society can."

Qi Gong smiled and said, "My Sanshan Society is just a group of old soldiers and disabled soldiers. We don't deserve such praise. Let me ask you, are there any physical defects in that group of people?"

Mr. Qian stood behind Mr. Qi and shook his head, "No."

Lord Qi picked up some more red worms and threw them into the pond. "Do you know why our Sanshan Society only accepts remnants of the army? Because we are from the lowest class. Once you enter our doorstep, your descendants will not be able to take the imperial examination. The Daning Law clearly states that if we beat up innocent people, our crime will be increased, and if innocent people beat us up, our crime will be reduced. If a decent girl marries someone like you or me, the clan can expel her from the family tree."

At this point, Lord Qi looked up at Qian Ping and said, "So, as long as those remnants still have a chance to survive, my Sanshan Society will not accept them. When you wanted to join my Sanshan Society, I rejected you with this reason, right?"

Qian Ping lowered his eyes. "So it seems that the group is not from the Sanshan Society. Could it be the Cao Gang? I heard that Han Tong came to the capital quietly and hid in Chongnanfang. The Cao Gang also suddenly moved around frequently. This person usually moves around south of the Yellow River. Now he suddenly came to the capital. Does he have any plans?"

Qi Gong thought for a moment and said, "Although I don't know what Han Tong came to the capital for, he is like a frightened bird at the moment. The Cao Gang has never lacked money and will never make trouble over money. Don't worry, he must have come for other things."

Qian Ping frowned: "If it's not the Sanshan Society, or the Cao Gang, then who could it be?"

Lord Qi did not answer, but asked: "I heard that the formation is difficult?"

Qian Ping hummed, "Both offensive and defensive. When the enemy used bamboo yesterday, the sticks were able to deal with it. Today they switched to iron weapons, and beat the stickmen of Heji so badly that they didn't know where to go. I think that formation is very suitable for street fighting. If it weren't for the fact that ordinary people couldn't use the iron weapons, the cavalry would have had a headache. It's just that these people don't have tacit understanding, otherwise the Jingchao thieves would have been killed without any mistake."

"Oh?" Lord Qi finally looked up at Qian Ping: "Are you serious? You retired from the Wansui Army, don't joke about this."

Qian Ping said sincerely: "It is absolutely true... Lord Qi has left the Wansui Army for forty years, why should he still worry about the military formation."

Lord Qi smiled and said: "If it can reduce the number of deaths of my soldiers, then this is a good formation."

Qian Ping's expression was gloomy: "But the nobles in the court don't care how many people survive or die in a battle."

Qi Gong glanced at him and said, "Even if they don't care, there will be others who do... You came to me today not just to inquire about the background of that group of people, what else do you want to do?"

Qian Ping clasped his fists and said, "I want to give up Hanjiatan Hutong and Lishamao Hutong and join forces with Fu Ruixiang to fight the enemy. I would like to ask Mr. Qi to be the middleman."

Mr. Qi said calmly, "Qian Ping, a few days ago you and the leader of the Ji, Wang Huan, asked me to be the middleman to decide the ownership of Li Shamao Hutong through a wrestling match. This hutong already belongs to Fu Ruixiang, so how can you use the word 'let'? It's against the rules."

Qian Ping remained silent. Qi Gong grabbed a handful of red worms from the jar and threw them into the deep pond. The koi in the pond suddenly started to scramble for the worms. "Qian Ping, do you still remember what you said to me when you asked me to join the Sanshan Society?"

Qian Ping was silent for a moment: "I don't remember."

Lord Qi was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "Okay, I won't argue with you about those old things. You can let me be the middleman, but don't break your promise this time."

Qian Ping bowed and clasped his fists, saying, "Sure."

At this time, a man from the Sanshan Society came to report: "Mr. Qi, Wang Huan and Zhu Guan have arrived together."

Lord Qi stood up and patted the dirt off his hands: "Let them in."

The man came back, leading two men, one fat and one thin, across the courtyard to the front.

Zhu Guan and Wang Huan both said politely, "Mr. Qi."

Qi Gong looked at the two men and said, "I heard from Xiao Qian that He Ji wants to form an alliance with Fu Rui Xiang to fight off the foreign enemies together?"

Zhu Guan of Fu Ruixiang said first: "Mr. Qi, I am just here to watch the fun, I have no intention of forming an alliance."

The fat Wang Huan frowned: "What do you mean?"

Zhu Guan sneered, "What do I mean? Have you forgotten that you sent thousands of masters to set up a trap in my Zhengbeifang Casino? Also, you clearly lost Li Shamao Hutong to me, but you still refused to let go. What can I say to someone like you? Alliance with you, bah! Now that a dragon from the river has set his eyes on your business, you deserve it!"

Wang Huan rolled his eyes and said, "When did I send a thousand masters? How come I didn't know? Also, I told Qian Ping to give you Li Shamao Hutong a long time ago. Didn't he give it to you?"

Zhu Guan and Qi Gong looked at Qian Ping together. Qian Ping was silent for a long time: "I made the decision on my own."

Wang Huan laughed: "Look, I, Wang Huan, am a man of my word. How could I do such a thing as betraying my loyalty? It's all because my subordinates are ignorant. Don't be so fussy. Tomorrow I will give you both Hanjiatan Hutong and Lishamao Hutong."

Zhu Guan looked at Qian Ping, then at Wang Huan: "Do you think that we can just let it go just by singing the same tune? If we want to form an alliance and fight the enemy together, we must have an explanation for what happened before. According to the rules of Jianghu, those who betray their loyalty will be stabbed three times and stabbed six times. How about this, I don't want you to be stabbed three times and stabbed six times, just cut off a finger."

Wang Huan frowned, "Zhu Guan, don't be so shameless! That brother is one of your men. You wanted to cheat him, but ended up cheating me. How do you handle this?"

Zhu Guan looked up at the night sky and said, "Then wait until he destroys your company and Hutchison Whampoa, then come and settle accounts with me. I'll be waiting."

Wang Huan's eyes widened: "Thief Sun!"

However, at this moment, Qian Ping suddenly said loudly: "According to the rules of the underworld, I will do it."

After saying that, Qian Ping pulled out a dagger from the waist of the man from the Sanshan Society beside him, and cut off his little finger with a wave of his hand.

Everyone present was stunned.

Qian Ping raised his bloody left hand and said calmly, "Two leaders, I have faced that group of people head-on, so I know their capabilities. If Heji and Fu Ruixiang don't work together, they will be defeated one by one. Today, I ask the two of you to swear an oath of blood and fight off the foreign enemies together."

Zhu Guan stared at Qian Ping for a long time and said, "Since someone has followed the rules, then the past is written off."

Qi Gong said to the man, "Please bring the statue of the ancestor."

The man entered a main room, took out a painting and unfolded it in front of everyone. The man in the painting had a full beard and ferocious eyes.

Lord Qi put his hands behind his back and said, "Since the two of you want to swear an oath of blood, I'll be frank with you."

Fatty Wang Huan smiled flatteringly and said, "You say."

"First, the 'ban on private fighting' order. From today onwards, Hutchison and Fu Ruixiang are prohibited from private fighting. Anyone who takes the initiative to provoke a fight will have a finger cut off and be expelled from the capital."

"Second, 'First comfort, then divide.' If there is any spoils, one-third will be given to the families of the gang members who died in the battle, and the remaining 70% will be divided equally."

Wang Huan said helplessly: "There is nothing worth seizing from that group of people."

Qi Gong glanced at him and said, "The rules are stated in advance. I don't care whether there are any. Third, 'three truths and one lie'. When you two exchange information, you can conceal one key piece of information, but the other three must be true."

"Fourth, the 'one-year agreement'. After the external enemies are eliminated, you can wait one year before you can seek personal revenge. Within one year, the two of you must live in peace."

After that, Lord Qi asked solemnly, "Can you do it?"

Zhu Guan and Wang Huan answered together: "Yes."

Lord Qi waved his hand and said, "In addition, each of you will send a hall master to be held as a hostage by the other side. If anyone betrays us, the hostage will be killed first."

Zhu Guan responded: "I, Wang Pizhi of Fu Ruixiang, can go to Hutchison as a hostage tomorrow."

Wang Huan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then looked up at Qian Ping: "Qian Ping, go to Fu Ruixiang to be a proton."

Qian Ping was slightly surprised, but finally said, "Okay."

Lord Qi was also a little surprised. When Wang Huan urged him, he waved his hand indifferently and said, "Swear an oath."

Zhu Guan swore: "In the past, our hatred was as deep as the sea, and today our blood is thicker than water. If you break this oath, I will have my heart pierced by thousands of arrows, and my ancestral temple will collapse."

Wang Huan said, "We will share the ups and downs of the martial world and judge right and wrong together. If you break the covenant, I will allow you to dig up my grave and mutilate my body, and you will fall into the hell forever."

The man brought a bowl of wine in front of the two men. They gritted their teeth, cut their palms, dripped the blood into the bowl, and drank it all.

Lord Qi glanced at the two and sneered, "Remember, the two of you, don't betray your promise. If there is even a grain of selfishness in this blood wine, it will be the laughing stock of the capital for a hundred years... Go."

Zhu Guan and Wang Huan left, but Qian Ping was stopped by Qi Gong.

When Baiyu Garden was quiet, Lord Qi looked at Qian Ping and said softly, "Qian family boy, this world is not worth it."

Qian Ping tore off a piece of his clothes and bandaged the wound on his left hand: "Mr. Qi, what is the Jianghu?"

Qi Gong answered irrelevantly: "Twenty years ago, I asked you in front of the Baiyu Garden why you wanted to join the Sanshan Society. You said you wanted to come to my Sanshan Society and become a man who stands tall and proud."

Qian Ping sighed, "It's hard for Lord Qi to remember."

Mr. Qi put the fish food can beside him and said, "You squatted outside my yard for fifteen days. How could I not remember it? But after you switched to Hutchison, you only helped Wang Huan do dirty things. People in the martial arts world cursed you and said you were Wang Huan's number one lackey. How could you sleep after hearing those words?"

Qian Ping looked at the fish pond and whispered, "Mr. Qi, you make it sound too easy. After the battle of Chongli Pass, I returned home with 70% of my military pay withheld, only to find that my family's land had been occupied by the powerful and there was no land left to farm. I went to live with my childhood friend, but he wanted the little military pay I had, so he set up a gambling game to harm me on New Year's Eve. I killed two people and fled in a hurry, changing my name."

"When I arrived in the capital, I was penniless and could only work as a waiter at Deshenglou. The boss promised me 600 wen a month, but he kept it for half a year and never paid it. When I urged him again and again, he called the yamen runners to arrest me."

"I was in Baiyu Garden for fifteen days, but you refused to take me in. It was Wang Huan who gave me a way to live and a meal. No matter what others say, I have sold my life to him. I served my country at Chongli Pass, and now I have served Wang Huan with justice. I have no regrets. Lord Qi, this is my world."

This time it was Qi Gong's turn to be speechless. After a long while, he waved his hand weakly and said, "Go away."

Qian Ping clasped his fists again: "Thank you, Mr. Qi."

Lord Qi watched Qian Ping walk away, and the man beside him whispered, "Lord Qi, you shouldn't be this middleman. Wang Huan and Zhu Guan are not good people. If they don't do anything strange, our Sanshan Association will also suffer from its reputation."

Mr. Qi shook his head and said, "Don't worry about them. Go to Lishamao Hutong tomorrow and find a room. I want to see the formation of that group of people in person and see if they can force out the boss behind Fu Ruixiang."

The man agreed and limped out.

Halfway through the walk, he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned around and said, "By the way, Mr. Qi, the Third Master is back. He asked someone to tell him that he brought back a batch of ginseng and that we need to find a way to transport it into the city."

"understood."

(End of this chapter)