Chapter 33: Western Qiang Claw
February 10th
Shen Kuo took a horse and headed north with Xu Chong. On the way, they talked about how to find the stronghold.
It turned out that the whole day yesterday to track down Yu Silang's whereabouts was quite a hassle. At first, Yu Silang's hiding place was determined to be in the city, but when he was found, it had been long gone. Finally, from clues, he found another residence outside the city, which he never mentioned to anyone. Only occasionally when he was drunk did he mention that he had a home outside the city. At first, the listeners thought he had a concubine, but Yu Silang's wife had died a long time ago, so there seemed to be no need to be secretive. Now it seems that his home in the city is more like a cover-up.
The two men arrived at a small hill, where the road was too narrow for the horses to move, so they led the horses forward. Along the way, Xu Chong was talking about the constables transferred from Jingdong Road that he had seen yesterday.
"I have met the experts in the Jingdong Road Criminal Court. The leader is Xiao Dalang, the Shadowless Suanni, who is known as the best tracker in the world. There is also Lei Laoliu, the Three-legged Toad, who is an expert in catching people. And... there is Wang Qiaoer, the Mountain Hawk, who has the ability to climb over the wall and onto the roof with her claws. Mr. Bao is planning to use his ability to climb over the two-meter-high wall of the manor and secretly open the outer gate, and then the team will rush in to arrest people. Mr. Bao said that in the past, it was best to catch bandits by surprise, so that the bandits would not fight back or commit suicide, which would delay their confession. This is in line with the military strategy of capturing the leader first..."
"Xu Jieji, speaking of using grappling hooks to climb over walls, on the day when Pan Jie encountered the hat monster, the brother named Wang Sheng used some kind of grappling hook to climb up the wall and chased the thing on the roof, and ended up chasing it to the Wood Elf class's shed before the other brothers?"
"That one is called Rongchui, also known as Xiqiang Claw. I have one too, but I haven't brought it to Tokyo. It was originally a thing of the Tanguts, and it's bigger and heavier than Wang Qiao'er's Jianghu Hook."
"Western Qiang claw? Tell me about it."
"Speaking of which, it was when Lord Fan was in office in Shaanxi that he used forts to restrain the Xixia cavalry. When the Xixia soldiers attacked the forts, they often took advantage of the short walls of the forts and did not bring ladders. They only used this Xiqiang claw to hang on the walls and climb up to seize the flags and forts, and they often succeeded. Another wonderful thing about this thing is that the joints on the claws can be folded, and when folded, it becomes a fist-sized chain hammer, so it is not only used for climbing, but also can be used as a hidden weapon for both cavalry and infantry. When Lord Fan saw it, he asked the craftsmen to make it according to the model, so there are quite a few border troops who can use this thing. Because it is used as an armor-piercing hidden weapon, it is quite heavy."
"Your brothers are really capable. But why didn't you use these people to arrest Yu Lao Si this time, but used the people from the Jingdong Road Criminal Division?"
"Because those brothers are also guards in the palace. Ever since the skeleton puppet was dug out in the imperial garden, some people have suspected that there are followers of Maitreya among the imperial guards. So they ordered us, the imperial guards from other places, to enter the palace and listen to the orders of the imperial guards and infantry division."
"I just heard you say that these officials from the Jingdong Road Criminal Court all have nicknames in the underworld, which I find very strange ."
"Brother Shen, you don't know that these people are originally from the underworld. They were pardoned by the court and recruited, and because of their skills, they stayed in the Criminal Justice Department, so they all have the title of underworld bandits."
"These gangsters are bound to have some banditry, right?" Shen Kuo was once extorted for "body search money" by yamen runners in Songzhou, so he didn't like these people.
"In recent years, the Maitreya sect has appeared in the Jingdong Road area. They often use some sleight of hand and evil magic. The local government can't catch them. They have to rely on these people's martial arts to recognize the martial arts methods, so they can catch a few. Unfortunately, they are all small ones."
"Since you have captured the little one, why don't you follow the clues and track down the mastermind?"
"Brother Shen, you don't know. Not only are the rules of the Maitreya sect very strict, but they are also very strange and difficult to track down."
"How weird?"
"The weird thing is that the leader and the Saint Lady are in charge together. Below them are three or four Gua Masters, and below them are a dozen or so incense masters, and finally the general believers. Moreover, the leaders above the Gua Masters do not show their true faces. They all wear masks when they gather for ceremonies. When Wang Ze was killed, there were three Gua Masters who were executed together. Now no one knows who the new ones are. These bandits usually give orders by sending tokens to their trusted aides to deliver them. They are not given personally, so it is useless to catch many small fish."
"After Wang Ze was executed, who will be the leader now?"
"There is no leader yet. I only heard that the escaped Saint Aunt is in charge. This sect is very strange. The leader is responsible for external affairs and plots rebellion, while the Saint Aunt is responsible for internal affairs and studies magic. It is said that these two are actually one, a pair of man and woman created by the thought of the Mother of No Birth. The male is the true and righteous one, called the Dharma King, and the female is the false and auxiliary one, called the Saint Aunt. Therefore, the Dharma King and the Saint Aunt are not divided into big or small in the sect, and they do not interfere with each other's affairs. Now that the king is dead, we are just waiting for him to reappear in the world, and the Saint Aunt, the clone, will judge the real body and then become the leader to complete the pair."
"Has no one ever seen the Saint Lady's true face?"
"The confession said that when the Saint Lady appeared, she was wearing a fox mask, but from the sound of her voice, she was a woman."
"Since she calls herself the Saint Lady, she must be a woman." Shen Kuo shook his head, feeling that Xu Chong was talking nonsense.
"Hehe, that's true. If they want to capture Yu Silang today, he must have a high status in the sect. If we catch him, we may be able to find out the true identity of the Saint Lady."
"There is another thing I don't understand. It has only been a few years since Wang Ze was beheaded. Even if he was reincarnated then, he is only a few years old now. Do these followers have to wait for another 17 or 18 years?"
"I discussed this matter with the divine judge Cui Bao yesterday..."
"This Judge of Divine Machinery is also the nickname of the Jingdong Road Constable?" Shen Kuo grinned. He really couldn't stand these strange nicknames in the underworld.
"Yes, these detectives and police officers are the best at identifying disguises in the martial arts world and can get some information. He said that the Maitreya sect has the theory of reincarnation of the real body and the protection of the clone. Wang Ze will reappear after being executed. How to find him is up to the Saint Lady."
"Then how can we tell the true body of the leader after his reincarnation?"
"This matter is not very clear. Some say it is reincarnation, some say it is possessed by a young boy. Anyway, only the Saint Aunt can determine the true body, so there is also a saying that the age difference between the leaders of all generations and the Saint Aunt is about ten years, because they must determine each other's true body and pass on supernatural powers. In the past, the Dharma Kings and Saint Aunts were mostly master and disciple first, and then became husband and wife."
"Were these all found out by the Divine Machine Judge?"
"Some of it was said by him, and the others were written in the official documents moved from Master Wen's house. Minister Wen once led troops to attack the Maitreya rebels in Beizhou, so he also studied this group of people carefully. He was also amazed at the strange rules within the Maitreya sect. He said that even if they only became master and apprentice before becoming husband and wife, it was still against the teacher's ethics and human ethics, and they should be killed and not allowed to cause trouble. However, it was this method that made this sect a centipede, which could not die even if it was cut into pieces by thousands of blades. Only by catching the leading man and woman and beheading them at the same time can we stop them from taking turns to become the leader of the sect, teaching each other evil arts, and causing endless troubles."
"Mr. Wen is still able to lead troops to fight. I only heard Lord Yang say that Mr. Wen is kind and indifferent, just like a teacher in the study."
"Lord Yang probably only knows one side of the story. As the saying goes, a merciful person cannot command an army. Minister Wen is definitely not a soft-hearted person. I also heard what Lord Bao said. When Minister Wen was at the peak of his powers, he dared to contradict the emperor."
"Tell me about it?"
"It all started when the government wanted to implement Prime Minister Fan's new policy to cut redundant officials, but the Minister of Culture disagreed."
"Wouldn't it be a good thing for the country and the people to cut down on redundant officials?"
"However, the Minister of Literature believed that scholars were the foundation of the country. Even redundant officials were selected through the imperial examinations. If they were dismissed without reason, it would hurt the hearts of scholars and shake the foundation of the country."
"What do the officials say?"
"The government said that if we support redundant officials, the money and food will be taken from the people, which will make the people suffer."
"How should the Minister of Literature respond?"
"The Minister of Literature said: Your Majesty does not rule the world with the common people, but with the scholars and officials."
"This statement is too overbearing, and seems to go against the teachings of the sages. Mencius said: The people are the most precious, but he never said that the scholars are the most precious."
As a scholar, Shen Kuo also felt that Wen Yanbo's words that Your Majesty and the literati share the world were somewhat useful, but it was too explicit and overbearing, almost a threat to the government. If you refuse to cut redundant officials without hurting the feelings of the scholars, wouldn't it only hurt the people?
"Who says it's not true?" Xu Chong sighed. "Yan Xiu, whom you met at the banquet that day, was once under the command of Wen Xianggong. He also mentioned an incident. When Wen Xianggong was in charge of the military and political affairs of Hebei, one day he heard that two soldiers were fighting and making noise outside the palace. At that time, he was annoyed that the pair of Wang Zeshenggu refused to surrender, so he ordered the arrest of the two soldiers and beat them to death in the hall without asking the reason. Alas... I think our Taizu was also an emperor on horseback, but now we, the soldiers, are as cheap as pigs and dogs in front of the civil officials."
"...Is it true? You know, what is said at a banquet cannot necessarily be taken seriously, right?"
"Yan Xiu must have seen it with her own eyes, and she burst into tears when she talked about it. It must be true. So every time I see Wen Xianggong in the Military Headquarters, although he is elegant and taciturn, I am still trembling with fear and dare not act rashly."
" It seems that the Minister of Literature is not as gentle as the rumors say."
"Fortunately, Lord Di Qing has become the Privy Councilor. He is also a soldier with tattoos on his face. He has set a precedent in the Song Dynasty. He can be regarded as a relief for the soldiers like us."
Xu Chong 's resentment surprised Shen Kuo a little, but it was all true. It was also well known that the Song Dynasty valued culture over military.
The two chatted as they led the horses up the mountain and saw horses tied on the side of the road in the distance.
"That's the head of the Jingdong Road Criminal Division."
After Xu Chong finished speaking, several police officers in black clothes started to look around in the woods. They looked different from the ordinary police officers. Xu Chong bowed to them. The two did not speak, but nodded to each other. It was obvious that this place was not far from Yu Silang's hiding place. The sound of chickens crowing, dogs barking, and people chopping wood could be heard not far away.
Xu Chong led Shen Kuo through the woods, where soldiers and constables were sitting in groups of three or four. The soldiers were transferred from the imperial guards and didn't know what they were doing here. The constables were all from the Jingdong Road Judicial Department.
When they reached the edge of the woods, they saw several policemen squatting there and watching. Shen Kuo followed Xu Chong to the side of them and saw a small farm at the foot of the mountain with smoke rising from the kitchen.
No one can be seen inside the courtyard wall, but the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard. A stream flows through the water gate under the wall and directly into the manor garden. The stream is narrow enough to cross, but there is still a small stone bridge built on it. There is also an exquisite waterwheel running on the stream , which hides a small stream of water into the flower garden. It looks like a retreat for idle people. The only thing that deviates from this tranquility and wildness is that the courtyard wall is a bit high. Such a quiet place should be integrated with the mountains and forests, and it seems that there should be no wall.
