Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 127: The crime of secretly storing weapons and armor, the troops enter Mount Zhongnan

On the mountain path, Wu Feng ran hurriedly, followed closely by his three fellow apprentices.

"Big Brother! Big Brother! Run slower!"

Wu Feng stopped and waited for the three men to catch up.

Leng Yu said, "Big Brother, to investigate the rumors, Third Brother and I can go alone. Why do we need four of us to go together?"

No sword, no words.

Tie Quan explained his confusion, saying, "Fourth Junior Brother, do you know what the crime is under Ming Dynasty law for secretly storing weapons and armor?"

"This... is the crime of treason!"

Leng Yu immediately understood everything.

As the saying goes, one piece of armor is worth three crossbows, and three pieces of armor will send you to hell. This shows how serious a crime it is to secretly store armor.

Rumor has it that Wang Chongyang secretly built an armory and hid countless weapons and armor. This was tolerated before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and it didn't matter whether it was true or false.

Now that several decades have passed since the founding of the People's Republic of China, it is very troublesome to determine whether this matter is true or false.

If this is true, then Chongyang Palace has committed the crime of secretly storing weapons and armor.

As officials appointed by the imperial court, how could they continue to stay in Chongyang Palace to help?

Even if it's just a rumor and they can't confirm whether it's true or not, they still have to avoid suspicion!

"What if it's fake..."

"It would be best if it's fake, but then Chongyang Palace would lose its reason to ask for help."

"What does this have to do with their request for help?"

"As soon as the Sun Moon Divine Cult sent out its troops, rumors started spreading here. Apparently, they came here for this reason!"

If the rumor is false, then the Sun and Moon Sect came here for this purpose, targeting the ancient tomb, and it is also a false rumor.

In this way, Chongyang Palace would have no chance of asking for help.

Otherwise, how do I write this letter asking for help?
Brothers, my neighbor is being targeted and is being robbed. Although his family doesn't have much wealth, you must come and save me!

Leng Yu's face showed anxiety: "So, regardless of whether this matter is true or false, both sides are blocked?"

Tie Quan patted his shoulder and said, "Not only that, no matter whether the rumors are true or false, as officials appointed by the court, we cannot help Chongyang Palace anymore before they are verified to avoid suspicion.

Moreover, judging from Changchun Zhenren’s behavior just now, this matter is very likely to be true..."

At this time, Wu Feng, who had been deep in thought, suddenly said, "It's not completely impossible."

"What? Big Brother has figured out a solution?"

"Ah."

Wu Feng nodded and said, "Although the rumor may indeed have been spread by the Sun Moon Sect, Chongyang Palace can pretend to be completely ignorant of the matter. They can just assume that the Sun Moon Sect is targeting Chongyang Palace and then ask for help.

As for the matter of the weapons and armor from the ancient tomb... Chongyang Palace can pretend to be unaware of it, but as officials appointed by the imperial court, we have heard rumors and it is only natural for us to apply to the court for troop deployment to prevent these weapons and armor from being taken away by criminals!"

Leng Yu's eyes lit up: "This method is very clever. First, Chongyang Palace can seek help, and second, the imperial court can use its military power to stop the Sun and Moon Sect."

Wu Feng said: "In this case, as long as Chongyang Palace and the Ancient Tomb Sect are completely separated, the blame will naturally not be attributed to them.

But this plan has a big flaw, and that is... time!
We will apply to the court to dispatch troops, but it will take time. Until then, Chongyang Palace will have to resist on its own."

Leng Yu said: "It's better to have a solution than not to have one."

Wu Feng said, "But now that we've gone down the mountain, we can't go back up there to tell the news to avoid suspicion. We have to have someone else tell us. Also, the fact that there are weapons and armor hidden in that ancient tomb is obviously top secret. How did the Sun Moon Divine Cult know about this? Please investigate in secret."

After saying that, he set off down the mountain again.

The others were puzzled, but they also followed him down the mountain.

Seeing the four people walking away, Yang Guo jumped down from a tree, turned around and walked back to Chongyang Palace.

Soon, Chongyang Palace took action according to Wufeng's plan.

But just as Wu Feng said, whether it is the support from other sects around or the troops from the imperial court, it will take some time for them to arrive.

The Sun and Moon Sect is already on the way and will definitely reach Mount Zhongnan before these reinforcements arrive.

What's even worse is that as new rumors spread, more and more martial artists came.

After all, the previous rumors only said that the women of the Tomb Clan were extremely beautiful and that they were holding a martial arts competition to find a husband.

She is said to be a beauty of heaven, but few people have seen her, so naturally not many people come.

But this time, it was said that the Tomb Sect had hidden countless weapons, armor, gold, silver and jewelry!

Things like this are exactly what everyone in the world pursues most.

Therefore, the number of people attracted by this rumor can be said to be several times more than before.

Before the Sun and Moon Sect's troops arrived, there were already over a thousand people from all walks of life at the foot of Mount Zhongnan.

"There are more and more people..."

There was an anxious atmosphere in Chongyang Palace.

"Although no one has gone up the mountain yet, it's clear that these people just don't want to be the first to come forward. Once the Sun Moon Cult arrives..."

"The Sun Moon Divine Sect already has two thousand members. Adding these people from the foot of the mountain, the number is probably over three thousand!"

At this time, there were not only the original people in the palace, but also many people who stood in the same camp as Chongyang Palace, such as Yue Buqun, Ning Zhongze and others from the Huashan Sect, as well as some from other small sects.

But even so, compared with the number three thousand, it is really not worth mentioning.

"Don't worry, Master Changchun."

Yue Buqun said: "The people at the foot of the mountain are all here for the gold and silver treasures in the ancient tomb, which conflicts with the goals of the Sun and Moon Sect. Perhaps they have already clashed before that.

Besides, Huashan is very close to Zhongnanshan, so support should arrive soon."

Just as he finished speaking, a Quanzhen disciple ran in and said, "More than ten masters have come down the mountain, claiming to be Huashan disciples, here to support us."

Qiu Chuji stood up and said, "Come in!"

Soon, more than ten people were led to the mountain. Qiu Chuji took a look and found that among these people, there was only one grandmaster, many innate people, and even a few acquired people.

This lineup is indeed a bit weak.

Although they were only sending people for support, it was impossible for the Huashan Sect to send out all its forces, but sending just such a small number of people was indeed too few.

Qiu Chuji said, "It turns out to be Liu Yugu from the Huashan Twin Jades. He has brought all the Huashan disciples to support us. Thank you very much."

"No need to thank me!" Liu Yugu said with a fist salute.

Ning Zhongze flashed out from behind and asked, "Why did Huashan send so many people?"

Liu Yugu said, "I was just about to ask Master Changchun about this. Rumor has it that Master Chongyang hid a large number of weapons and armor in an ancient tomb. Is that true?"

Although this sentence is a rhetorical question, it answers Ning Zhongze's question.

It’s all because of that rumor!

If this were true, Chongyang Palace's secret storage of weapons and armor would constitute a serious violation of Ming Dynasty law. Anyone who formed an alliance with Chongyang Palace at this time could be implicated. Under these circumstances, the Huashan Sect's willingness to send support was a truly righteous act.

Qiu Chuji quickly said, "The Grandmaster has ordered that all Chongyang Palace disciples are forbidden to approach the ancient tomb. Therefore, whether there are weapons or armor in the tomb, we... really don't know!"

Liu Yuru nodded and said, "That's... the best!"

It is not known whether there are weapons and armor in the ancient tomb, but with Qiu Chuji's words, whether he really doesn't know or pretends to be ignorant, the Huashan Sect has a clear excuse.

With the strength and background of the Huashan Sect, as long as there is such an excuse, there is still room for maneuver as long as they do not directly confront the court.

Although there are few people coming, in the current situation, coming is out of friendship, and not coming is a duty.

At least the Huashan Sect sent people, and they were a grandmaster and several innates.

Many of those who are closer to the Huashan Sect have not made any movement so far.

As for those who are farther away, it is hard to say whether they are unable to come due to time constraints or are afraid to come due to the rumors.

Then, Yin Zhiping led everyone to stay in Chongyang Palace and entertained them.

Two days later, smoke and dust rolled up, and two thousand soldiers of the Sun and Moon Sect arrived at the foot of Mount Zhongnan.

In front of the town, many martial artists had already nominated seven innate masters to wait.

Among these seven innates, there is the Ghost Hand Thief from Taihang Mountain, the Water Bandit Youlong on the water, and the so-called hero Chen Dang who is famous in the border area. They are all people from all walks of life.

Seeing two thousand soldiers and horses galloping towards them, they were all shocked and thought: No wonder the Sun and Moon Sect has so many masters but is so famous. The troops here are not much different from those of the imperial court.

Then there is the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, which was originally a group of soldiers and generals who escaped because of their involvement in the Lan Yu case. They did not inherit any advanced martial arts, but their method of training soldiers was probably inherited from the imperial court.

No wonder it is so majestic.

The troops stopped in front of the town. Xiang Wentian and Shangguan Yun dismounted and clasped their fists, saying, "Xiang Wentian, Right Emissary of the Sun Moon Sect, and Shangguan Yun, Master of the White Tiger Hall, greet you all! Are you here to greet me? Are you also joining my Sun Moon Sect in the search for Chongyang's treasure?"

The Great Thief Ghost Hand laughed and said, "You two are right. This is exactly our purpose. However, Chongyang Palace is unusual. We can only wait here for the Sun and Moon Sect to arrive so that we can go up the mountain together."

"Haha, easy to say, easy to say!"

The two people from the Sun and Moon Sect did not refuse. They immediately stopped their troops outside the town and entered the town with several of their subordinates.

In the largest restaurant in the town, people were drinking and chatting.

After a round of drinks, Xiang Wentian said, "We both understand what you all mean. Since we have the same goal, let's see if our interests will also be aligned after we achieve it."

Shangguan Yun said, "The leader has said that we must take back the weapons and armor. As for the gold and silver supplies... we will divide them among you. How do you think?"

"Good good!"

Everyone was overjoyed. Their goal was gold and silver. As for the weapons and armor, they were not worth mentioning to them.

After all, some of them are individual individuals, and some are just small forces. They are not like the Sun and Moon Sect, which is so large and powerful that they dare to ignore the laws of the Ming Dynasty.

The great hero Chen Dang said, "I admire the generosity of the two of you. However, the founder of Quanzhen Chongyang was also a great man of his generation, with countless achievements. If there are any magical classics left..."

Xiang Wentian said, "Of course, we'll copy one and share it with everyone!"

Everyone was even happier.

The pirate Youlong asked, "That's great, but how do we deal with Chongyang Palace on the mountain?"

Ghost Hand laughed heartily and said, "We have a combined force of three thousand men. How many men does Chongyang Palace have who dare to oppose us?"

Shangguan Yun stopped him and said, "That's wrong. Our target is the Ancient Tomb Sect, not Chongyang Palace. Why do we have to compete with Chongyang Palace?"

Everyone was stunned: "What does Shangguan Hall Master mean?"

Xiang Wentian said, "Let me write a visiting card and send it to Chongyang Palace!"

Then a visiting card was sent to Chongyang Palace, saying that he would meet the Taoist priests of Chongyang Palace on the mountain road tomorrow morning.

In Chongyang Palace, everyone felt strange seeing the other party doing this.

But now the Sun Moon Sect and all the other sects and groups gathered at the foot of the mountain have joined together, with more than three thousand people. The Chongyang Palace cannot stop them with such a small number of people, so they can only take one step at a time.

The next morning, the two sides met in front of the mountain gate.

"Xiang Wentian, the Right Envoy of the Sun and Moon Divine Cult, greets Changchun Zhenren, the Taoist priests, and everyone else."

Xiang Wentian greeted him very politely.

After Qiu Chuji responded politely, he asked, "What was the purpose of the visiting card you sent me yesterday?"

"When you come to Mount Zhongnan, you must first learn about Chongyang Palace."

Xiang Wentian said, "There have been rumors recently that the Ancient Tomb Sect has a large collection of weapons and armor hidden within it. That's why our Sun Moon Sect is here. But before we do that, I need to ask, what's the connection between Chongyang Palace and the Ancient Tomb Sect? Will Chongyang Palace protect the Ancient Tomb Sect and stop us from searching for the treasure?"

Qiu Chuji said, "Master Chongyang did have some connection with the ancient tomb, but the relationship has faded over the years. Although we are neighbors, Quanzhen disciples do not enter the ancient tomb.

Therefore, we have no idea whether there are weapons or armor in the ancient tomb!"

In any case, they must confess at this time, otherwise not only Chongyang Palace will be in trouble, but the Huashan Sect that came to support them will also be in trouble.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Wentian burst into laughter and said, "So that's how it is! I misunderstood. I thought the weapons and armor in the ancient tomb belonged to Chongyang Palace!"

"No, of course not."

"So, if we want to go to the ancient tomb to search for weapons and armor, Chongyang Palace will not stop us?"

"No!" Qiu Chuji gritted his teeth.

"Since that's the case, then my Sun Moon Divine Sect must naturally show respect to Chongyang Palace. Pass on my order: all my subordinates, after going up the mountain, must not offend Chongyang Palace in the slightest!"

"Yes!"

After the order was issued, Xiang Wentian looked at Qiu Chuji again and said, "Since that's the case, we'll go up the mountain!"

He then led the others, bypassing the road in front of them and going up the mountain.

After watching these thousands of people disappear into the forest, everyone turned back to Chongyang Palace.

Yue Lingshan said in surprise, "This Right Envoy is quite polite. Could it be that today's incident is just going to be forgotten like this?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Guo said, “On the contrary, the most dangerous time has arrived!”

"what?"

Yang Guo said, “Although they are being very polite, it’s because they want to avoid giving anyone a chance to talk and offend the Quanzhen faction. But now, everyone from the Sun Moon Sect and all the other sects have come to Mount Zhongnan. It can be said that they have fulfilled the prerequisites for taking advantage of the situation.

From now on, no matter which side wants to harm Chongyang Palace, they can simply pretend to be from the other side. If they want to be held accountable later, they can simply shift the blame to the other side.

In this way, they have lost their last concern and can do whatever they want on this mountain!"

Everyone listened to his explanation, and whether they understood it or not, they all understood it at that moment.

Guo Fu asked, "Should we have stopped them just now?"

"That's even worse. They're here for the Ancient Tomb Sect. What reason does the Quanzhen Sect have to stop them? If they do that, we'll have to fight those three thousand people right now!"

"This doesn't work, that doesn't work, is there no other way?"

Yang Guo sighed and said, "There's nothing we can do. The enemy has three thousand men, while we only have one or two hundred. The devil is growing, the Tao is declining, and we are at the mercy of others. Whatever we do now will be wrong. This is truly... helpless!"

(End of this chapter)