From the Ming Dynasty, we will conquer the world

Chapter 40: Governor Hu, let me bear the infamy of Xu Xing... (6500)

After Qi Jiguang woke up, he wanted to go directly to Taizhou City, but was persuaded by Xu Xing to stay in Southern Shaolin to recuperate.

The reason given by Xu Xing was very simple.

Nowadays, Southern Shaolin is regarded as the territory of the Great Sage Hun Tian. Under Xu Wei's operation, no one would have thought that Qi Jiguang would collude with this pure-blooded traitor and hide here.

If Qi Jiguang had waited until his injuries had healed before taking action, he would have surely become a surprise force.

For Qi Jiguang, this reason rooted in the art of war was much easier to accept than Li Shizhen's statement that "this place is more suitable for recuperation", so he stayed.

During the period when Qi Jiguang was recuperating from his injury, Xu Xing also went to Taizhou City once. With his astonishing body movements and "extremely empty" level of boxing, he did not attract anyone's attention.

Not only Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei were waiting for Xu Xing, but also the eunuch Lu Fang, who held the seal of the Imperial Household Department from the inner court.

Although this "internal minister" is quite old and has a head full of white hair, his face is extremely fair, his skin is delicate and smooth, like porcelain, his breathing is long, and although he is wearing a python robe, he has an ethereal and immortal air.

This is simply the best portrayal of “white hair but a youthful face”.

Lu Fang looked Xu Xing up and down, his eyes were shocked, and he said with emotion:

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that there is a Grandmaster as young as you in the world. Young man, are you really a reincarnation of a great demon as the rumors say?"

Xu Wei was quite unhappy when he heard this. Although he did not show it, he cursed in his heart.

How dare you, an androgynous old thing, bring disgrace upon my family?

Xu Xing just smiled and asked directly:
"You should be aware of the inside story of the Hangzhou incident. Whether it is to be resolved by the rules of the underworld or the official rules, figure out a way."

Hu Zongxian suddenly raised his head, his throat rolling, and he seemed to want to say something but stopped. He had never expected that Xu Xing would dare to talk about killing officials so lightly in front of Lu Fang.

Lu Fang shook his head and said frankly:
"The palace will investigate the matter of Zheng Michang and He Maocai, and we will certainly have a fight, but that will not be now."

As the Prime Minister, Lu Fang was a man who was extremely good at observing the situation, and his position was always on the side of the emperor.

For him, stabilizing the southeast is the top priority.

For this reason, even though Xu Xing was a criminal convicted of killing officials, Lu Fang could tolerate him as long as he did not openly raise the banner of rebellion.

Xu Xing also had psychological expectations for this result, not to mention that he was not without a backup plan.

At worst, he could reveal his identity as "The Great Sage of Chaos" and kill Lu Fang right here.

Xu Xing had already recognized that Hu Zongxian was a man who was used to being a paperhanger and was used to being bullied by both sides.

This type of person always wants to consider the overall situation, but lacks the ability to break the impasse. They can only maneuver around minor details but cannot truly guide the situation.

Therefore, even if Xu Xing killed Lu Fang here, even if Hu Zongxian was furious, he would not be able to do anything. Instead, he would help him cover up the news.

If Governor Hu suffers any more, his uncle will be the one to bear the brunt of the insults.

Therefore, after understanding Lu Fang's position, Xu Xing just raised his eyebrows and smiled, his eyes defiant and his laughter wantonly.

"Xu has never refused a challenge in his life. Since you are willing to do so, I will certainly accompany you, but..."

Xu Xing stared at him, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's, and he spoke word by word:
"You should cherish the remaining days."

Lu Fang nodded slowly and agreed:

"With your boxing skills, you are indeed qualified to fight me to the death."

Even though he was talking about his own life and death, Lu Fang's tone was still so calm and gentle. As soon as he opened his mouth, there was a momentum that covered the whole area.

Seeing that Lu Fang "showed weakness" so easily, Xu Xing's evaluation of him actually rose to a higher level.

All the civil and military officials in the court knew that although Yan Shifan was known as "the best boxer in the court", he was still relatively inexperienced after all.

In the Ming Dynasty, when it comes to boxing, there are only two masters: in the outer court, it is "the guardian of the sky" Lu Bing, and in the inner court, it is the "internal minister" Lu Fang, the eunuch.

All the civil and military officials in the court knew that Eunuch Lu's boxing skills were superb, but to what extent were they superb? Perhaps only Zhu Tiandu could understand.

——However, Xu Xing was confident that he could kill him.

After a few words of agreement on the battle, the two of them also reached a tacit understanding.

A tacit understanding that allows two people to cooperate with each other even if they don’t trust each other.

Hu Zongxian had a complicated expression when he saw this scene. Although he was secretly relieved, he was also worried. He just wanted to use some means when the time comes to prevent them from fighting to the death.

Xu Wei also breathed a sigh of relief.

He was not afraid of anything else, but he was afraid that Xu Xing would lose his temper and beat Lu Fang to death on the spot, which would make it difficult for Hu Zongxian.

After listening to the whole process of Xu Xing saving Qi Jiguang, although Lu Fang couldn't stand him as a chivalrous man who would draw his sword when angry, he still looked serious and saluted:
"No matter what, the palace will accept your kindness."

Xu Xing raised his palm and said calmly:

"I did these things because I wanted to do them, not because anyone owed me a favor. Instead of thanking me, you should thank Dr. Li."

Lu Fang naturally recognized Li Shizhen, who had worked at the Imperial Hospital. In fact, he had a very good impression of this Imperial Doctor Li, and they also had a personal relationship. He said with emotion:
"The skills of Dr. Li are indeed becoming more and more extraordinary, but it's a pity that he has focused too much on medical skills. His boxing skills are not as good as before, and his fame has also been lost."

There was a deep regret in Lu Fang's words; he truly felt sorry for Li Shizhen.

Xu Xing frowned and shook his head when he heard this.
"Practicing martial arts to cultivate oneself is the way, and being a good doctor is also the way. People like him and his path should be remembered forever."

Although Xu Xing loves boxing, he has never had the tyrannical idea of ​​regarding the level of martial arts as the only value orientation. He has always regarded boxing as a hobby and just for his own entertainment.

As for the word "fame", to a modern man like him, it doesn't matter at all.

Lu Fang looked at Xu Xing in surprise, but didn't say anything. He just said hello to Hu Zongxian and left.

He understood his embarrassing position and tried his best to act as just a bodyguard in Taizhou City, not commenting on specific strategic deployments. Now that he had made his attitude clear, he would not stay in the way.

Hu Zongxian winked at Xu Wei and chased after him, leaving space for the uncle and nephew.

After they left, Xu Wei was obviously much more relaxed and introduced the current situation to his nephew.

Since Zhu Tiandu landed, although the pirates have been roaming around the southeast with Xiangshan as the center, causing wars everywhere, they are all small groups committing crimes and have not gathered to launch a large-scale attack on the city. The defenders in various places can barely cope with it.

Although this was good news, Xu Wei's expression was somewhat solemn.

“I originally thought that once Zhu Laolong left, the Japanese would be in chaos, and they would be eager to fight, and take Taizhou first to prove their strength and persuade the Japanese daimyo to cooperate with them in invading the Central Plains.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Laolong's control over the Wa Kingdom had reached this extent. On the surface, he went there to launch a surprise attack on Xiangshan and show an attitude of swallowing up the Central Plains, but secretly he was luring the snake out of its hole so that he could catch it all in one fell swoop.

By the time he has reorganized the various forces within the Japanese territory and launched a general attack, I'm afraid there will be trouble."

Xu Xing didn't care much, he just said:
"Zhu Laolong has already set up this trap. Even if we want to stop it, it is beyond our reach. He needs time to reorganize the Wa Nu Kingdom, and we also need time to wait for Qi Yuanjing to recover."

Having said this, Xu Xing said nothing, but took out a piece of white paper from the desk and gently wrote a few big words.

——Promote the plan.

Xu Wei knew that he was on guard against Lu Fang's hearing, so he nodded slightly and said:
"In that case, let's wait. With you and Qi Yuanjing here, we are not afraid of a head-on fight with Zhu Laolong. We are just afraid that he can transfer some experts from the Japanese country, which will make it difficult to guard against.

And their firearms are also a point.”

Xu Wei sighed. This scholar, who was always good at planning and never showed weakness, actually had a rare look of reluctance on his face.

In front of his nephew, he naturally didn't bother to hide anything.

In terms of wisdom, even though the world is so big, Xu Wei doesn't think he will lose to anyone. But in this strategic battle of strength, even a good cook cannot cook without rice.

Xu Xing said calmly:
"It's nothing more than fighting the enemy with our own army and covering the water with earth. Qi Yuanjing also asked me to bring some people back. Although his muscles and bones have not recovered in the past few days, he has figured out a way to train soldiers. I'll take this opportunity to try it out."

Xu Wei frowned:

"Now there are Zhu Polong's spies inside and outside Taizhou. I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to lead people all the way from Taizhou to Southern Shaolin."

Xu Xing shook his head and said:
"Just pull out my apprentices and replace them with a dozen officers from the old Taizhou camp.

There are still some warrior monks left in Southern Shaolin. With these people as the backbone, we can at least form a team of several thousand people, which is enough. "

"Will we make it in time? Will it make too much noise?"

Xu Wei asked three questions at once, but Xu Xing thought very calmly and analyzed:

"Since I have taken the position of the king of the mountain in Southern Shaolin, it would be strange if I didn't make some movement. This will just attract Zhu Polong's attention and relieve the pressure on you.

He always seeks to be cautious when doing things. If I make some noise, before the decisive battle, he might send people directly to Southern Shaolin to eliminate me as a variable.

As for the issue of time, don't worry. The injuries I caused Zhu Polong will take at least three months to recover.

If he dares to start a war within these three months, I will just kill him and the problem will be much simpler.

As for three months later, our new army should have completed training and be qualified to be used as a surprise force. Even if they are fighting in a full array, they should not lose to the pirates on the thirty-six ships.

The only variable is Zhu Tiandu. However, this is a problem that must be faced no matter what, so let’s do our best.”

When he said the three words "kill him", Xu Xing's expression was extremely calm, as if Zhu Polong was just a pig on the chopping board in his eyes, and he could kill him whenever he wanted.

Xu Wei's eyes flickered for a moment, and suddenly he said:

"You don't mean to..."

His lips moved and he made the shape of "borrowing a hen to lay eggs". Xu Xing couldn't help but shook his head and with a flick of his brush, he wrote six big words.

——That’s what we both want.

Xu Wei applauded and exclaimed:

"My dear nephew, you are becoming more and more shameless."

Xu Xing blinked and wrote again:

"Each each other."

Xu Wei stood up and said slowly: "Then I will go talk to Eunuch Lu and ask him to take people out these days to make a show of sweeping away the Japanese pirates and training the troops.

You can take this opportunity to take those people away."

Xu Xing nodded and added:
"On my way here, I also marked the locations of some secret sentries outside Taizhou City. I'll take this opportunity to sweep them all at once, and also to give Zhu Polong some eye drops."

Xu Wei looked at him for a while, then suddenly said:

"Tafa, are you...going to succeed?"

Xu Xing wrote lightly:
"Half of it has been done. Whether the remaining half can be done depends on how capable Zhu Tian is."

Xu Wei was shocked by his attitude. After a while, he smiled and said with emotion:
"No wonder Lu Fang doubted your origins. After all, even I, your uncle, often wondered whether you were a reincarnated spirit or a celestial being."

Xu Wei could be said to be the person who was most familiar with Xu Xing in this world. He saw and remembered the many strange things displayed by his nephew, but he never said them out loud.

However, when they met again this time, Xu Wei could clearly feel the transcendent aura from Xu Xing.

He had a hunch that perhaps the two of them didn't have much time left to spend together.

Seeing his uncle sighing again, Xu Xing waved his hand and said:
"Let's talk about it after it's done."

Seeing that he was still like this, Xu Wei's slight disappointment quickly dissipated, and he pretended to sigh in disappointment:
"Okay, okay, okay. Anyway, your uncle's life is to wipe your ass. If I can wipe the ass of an immortal, then I, Xu Wenchang, have not lived in vain."

Xu Xing hummed and replied:

"The immortal even cooked for you. How can this be considered a small blessing?"

The two looked at each other and laughed.

The next day, Lu Fang did as he said and did not make trouble at this critical juncture. Instead, he followed Xu Wei's strategy and led his troops out of Taizhou City, making a huge noise.

Xu Xing also took the opportunity to bring more than 30 apprentices and a group of officers from the old Taizhou camp out of Taizhou City.

After returning to Southern Shaolin, Xu Xing didn't even need to recruit people himself, as a group of men from the martial arts circles in the southeast came to the foot of the mountain and join him.

Thirty percent of them came here because of the name of “Great Sage Hun Tian”, and the remaining seventy percent came here because of the banner of “righteousness from all corners of the country”.

When Xu Xing asked about their purpose, the leading man just laughed loudly and said firmly:
"All of us received favors from Master Yue in the past, but we didn't have the chance to repay him, so we are here now."

When Yue Daohai did not rebel against the thirty-six ships, although he was known as a pirate, what he did most was to lead people to travel around the southeast to wipe out the Japanese pirates. Therefore, many warriors in various parts of the southeast were grateful for his behavior at that time.

Although Zhu Tiandu colluded with the Japanese pirates and caused a sea disaster, Yue Daohai's reputation was also greatly affected.

But there are still people who believe that the unparalleled heroic spirit of Yue Erye, who was willing to be loyal to all heroes in the world, would never go along with Zhu Tiandu.

Now, they are here.

These few words made Xu Xing excited. He said nothing, but clasped his fists heavily and led this group of people into the mountain gate.

Of course, there are also many pirate spies who want to take the opportunity to sneak into the Shaolin Temple.

However, with Xu Xing's level of boxing skills, even the slightest expression and mood fluctuations could not be hidden from his eyes.

Therefore, these people died happily.

Even Qi Jiguang did not expect that Xu Xing could actually help him build a team in such a short time.

Looking at the huge flag flying on the mountain gate and the group of warriors with ugly appearances and obviously bad backgrounds, Qi Jiguang felt quite strange.

He looked back at Xu Xing and asked:

"Tafa, you won't really..."

Xu Xing smiled innocently and harmlessly:
"General Qi, these are all good citizens, good citizens."

Qi Jiguang looked at him for a while, then held his belt, looked into the distance, and said with emotion:
"Tafa, I can guess a little about what you want to do, and I can probably say I know a little about you, but I still want to know how far you plan to go."

Xu Xing shook his head and said with a smile:
"General Qi, you are mistaken. We are not trying to cause trouble, but to restore order."

He also stood beside Qi Jiguang, looked into the distance, and said leisurely:

"Over the years, I have traveled from the border in the north to overseas in the south, and have seen many things and met many people.

The more I see and the more I know, the more I understand that this is not just my wish, but the wish of the people of Southeast Asia and the people of the world."

Xu Xing turned his head and looked at Qi Jiguang, his eyes shining like a ball of fire that was about to burn into Qi Jiguang's chest.

"Brother Yuan Jing, don't you think that the person should take responsibility for the situation that the world has come to?"

Qi Jiguang had been taught to be loyal to the emperor and to serve the country since he was young. Although he vaguely knew what Xu Xing was thinking, he still felt a chill down his spine when he heard him say it so bluntly.

Qi Jiguang frowned and his face twitched a few times. He was about to say something to refute, but the words were stuck in his throat and he couldn't come out.

Having lived in the southeast for a long time and experienced the issue of replacing rice with mulberry trees, how could Qi Jiguang not understand who was behind the scenes?

As a warrior, especially a martial arts master who had reached the realm of "utmost sincerity", Qi Jiguang had no way to deceive his own heart no matter what.

In the past, he could still turn his face away and not face the ugly truth, but when Xu Xing tore off the veil without any scruples, Qi Jiguang could no longer ignore it.

Moreover, Qi Jiguang suddenly remembered something else.

——Death of Yu Xujiang.

When Qi Jiguang first heard Lu Bing say that there was a magical object hidden in the palace that could heal the wounded, he was already a little indignant, but he couldn't show it in front of Lu Bing.

Even if we put all these aside, there is one most crucial issue that Qi Jiguang could never avoid.

With Yu Xujiang's martial arts skills, why would he be so eager to achieve success, ultimately resulting in irreparable injuries?

Isn’t it because the palace’s attitude is unclear and it doesn’t support Southeast, forcing the two of them to compete with Zhu Tiandu in the absence of supplies?

Zhu Tiandu controls the Wa country and the sea routes through thirty-six ships. Even if something goes wrong in his martial arts, he can make up for it with a lot of precious medicinal materials, or he can proceed more slowly and cautiously.

And what about the two of them?

Not only was he responsible for commanding the Southeast War, which was a waste of energy, but he also lacked food. If he wanted to catch up with Zhu Tiandu, what else could he do except take risks? !
What about the money? Where did it go?
Qi Jiguang also knew one thing. At the beginning of this year, when the palace was reconciling the accounts, it was said that the Ministry of War had built thirty warships for the war in the southeast, at a cost of three million taels of silver.

However, out of these thirty warships, ten were used to transport timber for the construction of the palace, and the remaining twenty were borrowed by the palace's Maritime Customs without any justification.

In the end, Qi Jiguang didn't even see the shadow of a warship. How ridiculous!
Qi Jiguang was not a narrow-minded person. He could also understand the difficulties of the country. After all, in recent years, many provinces had suffered from droughts and floods, natural disasters had been endless, and the court was simultaneously fighting on both the north and south fronts, so it was normal that supply was difficult.

But what he couldn't understand and accept was that the court not only didn't help, but actually hindered him!

The campaign of "changing rice to mulberry" almost ignited all the anger in Qi Jiguang's heart.

Even a brave general like him couldn't figure out how to win this battle.
Qi Jiguang was a fierce general on the battlefield and was not afraid of dying from thousands of spears and swords. However, the feeling of complete failure before the actual battle even started made him so frustrated that he almost went crazy.

Now, looking at the fire burning in Xu Xing's eyes, Qi Jiguang opened his mouth many times, but in the end no words came out, and he could only smile bitterly.

Xu Xing just looked at the general quietly without provoking him. After a while, Qi Jiguang suddenly asked:
"How confident are you that you are going to do this?"

Hearing this, Xu Xing couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"Brother Yuan Jing, do you think too highly of me, or do you think too little of Zhu Laolong? How can I be sure of such a thing?"

After saying this, Xu Xing patted Qi Jiguang on the shoulder and praised him seriously:
"However, since Brother Yuan Jing is so confident, I think Zhu Laolong is really not worth worrying about. Otherwise, let's talk about the details of that matter first."

Although Qi Yuanjing knew that he wanted to use this joking attitude to ease the atmosphere, he still said solemnly:

"Tafa, no matter what, Zhu Laolong is an enemy that cannot be taken too seriously, so you still have to be serious."

Xu Xing knew that Qi Jiguang was serious, so he ignored the incident and smiled slightly, saying:
"Brother Yuan Jing, I will naturally save it. I will trouble you to train these people. I should also make some preparations for this old Dragon King and study the boxing techniques left by Yu Xujiang.

If this fist can really subdue Zhu Laolong, Yu Xujiang's spirit in heaven will rest in peace."

Qi Jiguang nodded first, then shook his head, recalling that iron-willed man, and sighed:
"If Brother Yu heard this, he would probably be unhappy again. He has always believed that death is the end of everything, and he wants to die cleanly.

But you are right. No matter what, we should kill Zhu Laolong and then make plans."

When this name was mentioned, Qi Jiguang's eyes narrowed unconsciously, and his gaze became sharp, carrying a cold and solemn murderous aura.

Xu Xing knew at a glance that after experiencing a life-and-death experience, General Qi's boxing skills and martial arts had improved greatly.

After handing over this group of people to Qi Jiguang, Xu Xing went to find Qi Dazhu again, said a few words to him, and took back the Sanfeng Blood Classic from him and gave it to Li Shizhen.

This genius doctor, who came from the Imperial Medical Bureau and had once served Emperor Jiajing, not only had superb medical skills, but also had a profound understanding of the Dao of Alchemy.

So, Xu Xing asked him to help him decipher the mystery of the Blood Sutra. When Li Shizhen saw the Blood Sutra, he was quite excited. He didn't even ask where it came from, and began to study it day and night.

Lu Zhu also settled down in Southern Shaolin, but he did not practice boxing. Instead, he either learned medical skills from Li Shizhen, or went to various places to see the statues of Bodhisattvas and Arhats, or came to Xu Xing to see the remains of Bodhidharma.

The drizzle followed him all the time.

Xu Xing knew that his good friend was seeking a way to concentrate his sincere boxing power and become a grandmaster, so he did not disturb him.

Time flies, and it is now two months later.

Facing the bright moon, Xu Xing stood side by side with Qi Jiguang. He looked at the moonlight for a while and suddenly said:

"General Qi, we have only been training for two months. Is that enough?"

Qi Jiguang understood Xu Xing's meaning, smiled slightly, and said confidently:
"In terms of stepping techniques and boxing, I am not as good as you. In terms of military tactics, you still have a lot to learn. Two months is enough."

When Qi Jiguang talked about military training, it was like Xu Xing talking about boxing, he talked endlessly and with great enthusiasm.

Seeing him like this, Xu Xing suddenly remembered something.

——It seems that in previous history, it only took Qi Jiguang two months to train the Qi Family Army.

So it seems that this group of people now are what the "Qi Family Army" should be like in this world?
Thinking of this, Xu Xing became somewhat excited. What exactly is this legendary iron army that has won victory after victory and never suffered a defeat like?

Just as Xu Xing was thinking, another group of people were coming from the sea, braving the wind and waves under the moonlight.

Their target is Southern Shaolin!
(End of this chapter)