eight 2
Mr. Li was also startled and said, "Mang Keshan...you..."
Mang Keshan crossed his arms and looked around, then said with a smile: "Why... Mr. Li, I was afraid that you would get entangled here and be ambushed, so I came to help you. Don't you want to thank me?" Although he was laughing, his voice was indescribably terrifying. Liu Qingye shuddered when he heard it.
Mr. Li frowned and said, "Thank you for your concern. Now that the young master has been rescued, let's go back and report to the general." He looked at Li Mingxin again and said, "There's no need to hold this girl hostage..." As he said that, he let go of her hand.
"Report?" Mang Keshan said in a strange tone, taking two steps forward. "Mr. Li, do you want to report? Or, if I, Mang Keshan, don't come, you don't plan to go back?"
Mr. Li's face slightly changed: "What are you talking about? After saving the young master, I will naturally go back."
"Really?" Mang Keshan sneered. "It seems to me that you don't mean that, sir. Otherwise, why did you ask the spy to report that I was in Adaler when you knew that the young master was in this direction? If I hadn't been more careful, wouldn't I have fallen into your trap and chased him thousands of miles away? You...are you trying to compete with me for the credit?"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Li smiled coldly, untied Fu Chatao's acupuncture points, and helped him walk out, saying as he walked: "Then let's just say I want to compete with you for the credit. Now that the young master is safe, let's go back together to report to the general - if you are still not satisfied, then you go and report back, and just think that you saved the young master."
"Hahahahaha!" Mang Keshan burst into a terrifying laughter and jumped to block Mr. Li's way. "I go back alone? Haha, doesn't that make it easy for you? Han dog, I have long suspected that you are a traitor, and today you really showed your hand - you want to kidnap the young master and meet up with your friends who are against the Qing Dynasty and want to restore the Ming Dynasty, right? Where are they lying in ambush now? Does he want to report to them?"
"Man Keshan!" Fu Chatao shouted angrily, "Why are you so recklessly suspicious of Mr. Li? He has been loyal to my father for so many years, and he really came to save me. Stop talking nonsense, let's go now!"
"Young Master..." Mang Keshan took a step forward, "You have been fooled by this cunning Han Chinese! Look..." He pointed at Wu Shuiqing, "Look, isn't this woman the one who tried to assassinate your father last time? I said I wanted to kill her, but it was this Li who stopped me. When I gave this woman the 'Concubine Gaze Back', this Li repeatedly stopped me. If I hadn't been watching her day and night, he would have let her go long ago - I think they are in the same group! Not to mention the last time we went to wipe out the rebels in Adaler! Humph, I get angry just thinking about it... You say, if it weren't for this Li who secretly interfered and let these rebels run away, how could you, Young Master, be captured by them? How could Kehai and those soldiers be buried in the desert?"
Fu Chatao was stunned and looked at Mr. Li, but Mr. Li had no expression on his face. Liu Qingye suddenly had a little doubt: Yes, in the fight just now, Mr. Li did give in at every turn... Even when he broke in, he had the opportunity to kill me with one move, so why did he just press my acupoints? Now listening to what Mang Keshan said, could it be that Mr. Li is not a traitor, but a patriot who is in Cao's camp but his heart is with Han?
Mang Keshan smiled again and said, "So, my lord, you must not be fooled by these thieves. These Han people are all guys with ulterior motives. They are always plotting to take over our world..."
"You dog Tartar! Shut up!" Li Mingxin jumped up and spat on Mang Keshan's face. "What do you mean by your Manchu world? This great country originally belonged to us Han people!"
Before she could finish her words, she felt a strong wind blowing towards her. She tried to dodge, but the wind suddenly changed direction and pulled her forward. Before she could react, Fu Chatao rushed forward and stood in front of her, shouting, "Mang Keshan, don't hurt anyone here!"
Mang Keshan was afraid of hurting his master, so he quickly withdrew his hand and said, "My lord, this girl also came to assassinate the general last time. She is a traitor and must not be kept alive. I think there are Han and Uyghur people mixed together in this village. Most of them are up to evil. We should kill them all today to prevent future troubles!" After saying that, he turned around and called the Qing soldiers to come forward.
"Wait!" Fu Chatao shouted, "Who is your master? Who dares to move before I give the order?"
The Qing soldiers looked at each other and stopped.
Mang Keshan said: "Master, you are... If we don't get rid of these rebels, they will become our biggest trouble in the end."
"Mangkeshan, shut up!" Fucha Tao said angrily, "The emperor sent my father to lead us here to fight the ambitious Junggar people. Not to mention that the emperor advocates that the Manchus and the Han people should be one family, even if he doesn't say so, we are not here to kill the Han people, let alone the Uyghurs. If you kill people here today, who among the Uyghur and Kazakh tribes will ally with us in the future?"
"This..." Mang Keshan couldn't answer for a moment. Even Li Mingxin and Wu Shuiqing were stunned.
Liu Qingye was even more confused: when he was in Shanshan, he heard Fu Chatao talk about fighting against the Dzungars and protecting the people, and every word he said made sense, but he couldn't agree with the part about "collecting blood debts". After many incidents, these remarks were gradually forgotten. Even if he just heard Fu Chatao and Li Mingxin talking, he just thought it was a show he put on to trick Li Mingxin into letting him get away - but now, he actually ordered the troops not to move and scolded Mang Keshan in public. It doesn't make sense to say that he was just acting... Could it be... Could it be that not all the people in the Qing Dynasty deserved to be killed?
"Humph!" Mang Keshan suddenly sneered and said, "My lord, let me be honest with you. It is the general's intention to wipe out the rebels. My lord, you are still young, and you have been bewitched by these Han dogs. You will understand it in the future! I only obey the general. Today, I must wipe out these thieves for the general!" As he said that, he took out a token from his waist and shouted, "The general has ordered that anyone who has any connection with the rebels of the Chuandeng Society will be killed without mercy. These Uyghur people have held you hostage. Their crime is unforgivable. Let's flatten this place today. When we return, the general will reward us!"
As soon as the token appeared, the Qing soldiers seemed to see Fu Cha Kang personally supervising the battle. They no longer listened to Fu Cha Tao's resistance. The shouts were like mountains. In an instant, swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks and forks flashed coldly. The Ale tribe originally only had the elderly, the weak, women and children. Seeing the Qing soldiers' battle now, they were all trembling as if they had seen the massacre by Galdan that day. Only Wu Shuiqing shouted loudly and blocked the battle with a sword. Liu Qingye was swaying and trembling on his hoe, ready to fight desperately. Li Mingxin rushed to stop the Qing soldiers, but it was too late. She could only shout angrily and attacked Mang Keshan. But with her skills, even if she hit Mang Keshan, it would be like scratching an itch. What's more, Mang Keshan didn't even look at her. He waved his sleeves and shook her away.
"Stop!" Fu Chatao shouted, leaping up from the ground, picking up the scimitar that Li Mingxin had dropped, and landing in front of the Qing army. He put the scimitar to his neck and said, "Who dares to kill the common people here? Just try! I will die in front of you!"
The Qing soldiers were stunned and stopped with their weapons raised.
Fu Chatao said again: "Why don't you go back? Go back!"
On one side was the token, and on the other was the general's beloved son. The Qing soldiers looked both ways and did not dare to move.
Mang Keshan was extremely angry: "Master, you..." But he changed his mind and thought: Although Fu Chatao can threaten his life at this moment, if I pretend to retreat, capture him first, and then come back to deal with these rebels, what's the harm? He waved his hand and signaled the Qing soldiers to retreat.
But how could Fu Chatao not see through his trick? He said coldly: "Mr. Li, don't worry about me. You and Uncle Mangkeshan should take the troops back together... If... If I die... You can tell my father that it was Uncle Mangkeshan who dared to deceive the emperor and massacre the Uyghur people... I was forced to death by him!"
As soon as he said this, the meaning was very clear - he wanted to stay in the Ale tribe as a hostage. If Mangkeshan turned back halfway and did something unjust again, he would commit suicide on the battlefield!
Although the people of Ale tribe didn't understand what he said, they looked at him in surprise when they saw him defending with his own death. Liu Qingye stood beside him, and seeing that his expression was very resolute, without any pretense, he suddenly felt a sense of admiration in his heart: Master and I have always been seeking redress from the Qing Dynasty for the blood debt of the past. Last time in the desert, he almost lost his life, and his soldiers were buried in the quicksand. And today he actually risked his life for us and the Uyghurs who had nothing to do with him... In comparison, he is more like a hero than everyone in our Lantern Festival... But thinking of this, his heart suddenly shuddered: How can I respect the Tartars?
Just as he was staring blankly, he suddenly saw Fu Chatao snatch a sickle from the people around him, handed it to him, and said: "Liu Qingye, my life is in your hands - if the Qing soldiers dare to kill a Han or a Uyghur, you will kill me immediately."
Liu Qingye was startled. The sickle had already been stuffed into his hand, and Fu Chatao also put his throat against the blade and shouted: "Mang Keshan, why don't you take the troops back?"
Even though Mang Keshan was a skilled martial artist, he could not stop Fu Chatao as long as he wanted to die. He was so angry that his face turned purple. His eyes seemed to be spitting fire. He glared at the Ale people holding pitchforks and hoes, looked at Wu Shuiqing standing with a sword, looked at Liu Qingye and Fu Chatao, and finally his eyes fell on Mr. Li. He thought bitterly: It was all this bastard's fault! But he had no other plan, so he ordered: "Go!"
As soon as the order was given, the Qing soldiers turned around and retreated out of the field. Under the scorching sun, their weapons were still shining, but the dust was raised behind them, and their images gradually blurred. Soon, they had retreated to the entrance of the village.
The tribesmen of the Ale tribe were still standing stiffly. Fu Chatao tightly grabbed Liu Qingye, who was about to fall, and pressed the sickle to his throat - Mang Keshan had no chance to take advantage. He turned around angrily, glared at Mr. Li, and walked out of the field. But when he was halfway there, he suddenly jumped to the side and pulled up Li Mingxin who was lying on the side, saying: "Okay, the young master will be held hostage by you, and I will also take one of your girls - if the young master loses a hair, I will break this girl's neck!" While speaking, he kept walking, and when he finished the last word, he had already reached the front of the Qing soldiers.
"Ming Xin!"
Wu Shuiqing raised her sword and was about to chase him. But Mr. Li stretched out his arm and stopped her: "Don't be reckless!"
"You...you..." Wu Shuiqing stared at his face, "You..."
Mr. Li glanced at her and quickly turned his head away.
"Wait--" Wu Shuiqing shouted, grabbing Mr. Li's wrist at the same time, "You...you exactly..."
Mr. Li actually let him grab him without looking back or answering.
Wu Shuiqing said: "Hello... Hello... I have long suspected that it is you... I will recognize it as you no matter what you look like... You..."
Mr. Li silently brushed her hand away and said, "You're wrong."
"Wrong?" Wu Shuiqing smiled coldly, "Yes, I was wrong... I never thought you would become a traitor... I never thought you would become like this... But... Mingxin... Mingxin is yours..." Her voice trembled and she couldn't go on.
"Sir!" Fu Chatao said, "We...we should rescue Miss Li as soon as possible."
Mr. Li nodded and said, "Yes, I..."
Before he could finish his words, Wu Shuiqing shouted sternly: "I don't want you to save me! You...you don't deserve it! I don't want you to worry about my daughter!" After saying that, he jumped up and chased after her on the field.
"Sir...this..." Fu Chatao looked a little puzzled.
"Alas... Young Master..." Mr. Li seemed to want to say something but didn't say it. He clasped his fists towards Fu Chatao and turned around to chase after Mang Keshan and his party.
Liu Qingye first saw Mr. Li defending everyone and suspected that he was an anti-Qing patriot. At this time, he saw that Wu Shuiqing treated him like an old enemy, and he was confused: Is this Mr. Li an enemy or a friend? Will he be bad for my uncle and sister? Oh, no, I have to help my uncle! Thinking of this, he staggered to the stable to get the horse, but he felt dizzy and stumbled, and fell down. Fu Chatao came up to help him: "Don't be so stubborn... Sir, he won't hurt Miss Li."
Liu Qingye was stunned and asked, "Why?"
Fu Chatao said, "Don't ask me yet. Lie down and I will tell you slowly."
Liu Qingye never dreamed that he would be supported by Fu Chatao, and what was even more surprising was that he felt a warm current in his palms. It turned out that Fu Chatao was helping him to bleed. He was so surprised that he almost cried out. But he heard Fu Chatao say, "Don't move, otherwise we will both go crazy..." He quickly put aside his distracting thoughts and slowly adjusted his internal breath. After combining the strength of the two, the pain of the wound was slightly reduced and his spirit was much refreshed.
Fu Chatao saw his face turn red, so he helped him lean against the head of the bed and said, "Ah, our internal strengths seem to be similar."
That's right, Liu Qingye thought, the free flying flower palm and Songtao swordsmanship he used before are exactly the martial arts of my Songqiao Academy! He immediately asked, "Which sect is the master from?"
Fu Chatao laughed and said, "Haha, my respected master is Mr. Li whom you just met. As for which sect he belongs to, I don't know."
Liu Qingye was shocked and thought: Mr. Li taught Fu Chatao martial arts, so Mr. Li is a traitor to Songqiao Academy? No wonder Master Wu looked so strange when he saw him! However, Mr. Li's martial arts just now did not reveal any Songqiao Academy moves!
Fu Cha Tao said, "I don't know Mr. Li's name very well. He himself refused to tell me, and even my father didn't know it. But Mr. Li was just like you, and wanted to restore the former Ming Dynasty. Miss Li is a Han Chinese and can be considered a fellow traveler of Mr. Li. How could he harm her?"
Liu Qingye thought: This is the same as saying nothing. As early as when I was in Shanshan, I already knew that Mr. Li was a patriot against the Qing Dynasty, and now he has surrendered and become a traitor, how can we be comrades?
Fu Chatao didn't know what he was thinking, and said, "Besides, Mr. Li is more capable than Mang Keshan - many years ago, he once went to the enclosure to assassinate Emperor Shizu."
"Ah?" Liu Qingye only said that the Qing emperor was heavily guarded, and it took a lot of effort for Wang Chunshan and others to assassinate the regent Dorgon. But this Mr. Li actually assassinated the emperor alone. He was really brave!
"At that time, I was only six or seven years old." Fu Cha Tao said, "My father took me with him to hunt with Emperor Shizu. I remember that Emperor Shizu argued with my father about the principle of the unity of Manchus and Han people. He blamed my father and said, 'I just asked you to disband the anti-Qing organizations in the people, but you beheaded them all. It's too radical.' It was probably something like that. I was too young to remember it clearly."
Liu Qingye thought: Your father led the cavalry to kill everyone in Songqiao Academy, and blood flowed like a river. How could this be more than just extreme? But... alas, you saved my life today.
Fu Chatao said, "As they were talking, I suddenly saw a man rushing out from the woods - it was Mr. Li - he was holding a long sword in his hand and stabbed straight at the Emperor Shizu. At that time, Mang Keshan was accompanying the emperor to protect him, and he fought with Mr. Li. Both of them were very skilled in martial arts, and the fight was hard to tell. However, Mang Keshan's martial arts were tough, while Mr. Li's was to overcome strength with softness. So, if the fight lasted for a long time, Mang Keshan would inevitably be defeated, and the Emperor Shizu would..." He paused, and continued, "It's just that the emperor's hunting is a major event of our Qing Dynasty, and there are eight banners warriors to guard it. Moreover, the Emperor Shizu had just ordered Johann Adam Schall von Bell to help establish a Western musket team, which was extremely powerful. So, Mr. Li was eventually injured by the Western musket."
"So he surrendered?"
"No." Fu Chatao said, "Mr. Li said that he would rather die than avenge his master, his mistress, his fellow disciples, and - well, the people you always talk about - the people who died in the Ten Days of Yangzhou and the Three Massacres of Jiading."
Liu Qingye felt a little uncomfortable - "You always say it", these words coming out of Fu Chatao's mouth seemed to have some sarcasm.
"Mr. Li would rather die than surrender, and Mangkeshan said that he should be beheaded immediately. But Emperor Shizu disagreed. He said: 'If you kill one, there will be another. How long will you keep killing? If you keep killing like this, even if you kill all the Han people in the world, I am afraid there will be others who will rebel.' I remember this clearly-" Fu Chatao recalled, "At that time, Emperor Shizu pointed at me and said: 'My Mafa, father and uncle have killed many Han people. Do you want my son and your children to continue to kill the Han people?' Mangkeshan and my father were speechless. Emperor Shizu ordered the soldiers to release Mr. Li and asked him to persuade other Han people and tell them that the emperors of the Qing Dynasty treat Han people the same as Manchu people or Mongolian people."
Liu Qingye was shocked when he heard this: How could the emperor of the Qing Dynasty say such a thing? Could he be trying to deceive Mr. Li? I heard that they really liked to win over talented Han people. In order to subdue the traitor Hong Chengchou, Huang Taiji even used his concubines to make him his concubine... They probably wanted to win over Mr. Li as well!
Fu Chatao didn't notice his expression, and just continued, "After Mr. Li left, the Emperor said he was not in the mood to hunt and wanted to rush back to Beijing. Naturally, we all followed him back to Beijing. But halfway through the journey, Mr. Li came to assassinate again. I don't know who was able to protect the emperor, but the assassination was unsuccessful. But the Emperor let Mr. Li go despite everyone's opposition. Later, after returning to the capital, Mr. Li broke into the palace several times to assassinate the Emperor - I don't know exactly how many times, anyway, at that time, my father was still in the palace commanding the imperial guards, and I often heard him and my mother talk about this headache. He often said that Mr. Li was the most troublesome opponent in the world, and if anything happened, he would be charged with failing to protect the emperor. But he also said that Mr. Li was the helper he wanted most, and it would be a blessing for the Qing Dynasty if Mr. Li helped..."
Hearing this, Liu Qingye laughed coldly in his heart: Sure enough, the purpose is to win people over!
"I was present when Mr. Li attempted to assassinate Emperor Shizu for the last time," said Fu Cha Tao. "I remember it was snowing heavily at the time. Mr. Li stood in the snow, surrounded by musketeers. He was ready to accept death, but Emperor Shizu again shouted everyone away and wanted to let Mr. Li go. No one believed Emperor Shizu's decision, including Mr. Li, who had just taken a few steps when he suddenly turned back. He questioned Emperor Shizu, 'Don't play the seven capture and seven release trick with me. I am a Han Chinese when I was born and a Han ghost when I die. Even if I am reincarnated as a cow or a horse, I would not serve your Qing court.' Emperor Shizu said, 'I will not play tricks with you, and I don't want you to serve me. You are my people, and I hope that every one of my people can live well.' Mr. Li was stunned at the time, as if he didn't understand what Emperor Shizu meant. Emperor Shizu didn't explain to him, but just told his attendants to step back, let Mr. Li go, and then said lightly, ' As soon as he said this, Mr. Li suddenly knelt down. In the past, no matter how critical the situation was or how badly he was injured, he would not kneel down. But at that time, he knelt down. I was confused and didn't know what was going on. I saw Emperor Shizu quickly walked forward and helped Mr. Li up with both hands... I don't remember what happened later. But Mr. Li has been with Emperor Shizu since then. He didn't say his name, and he cut a cross on his face with a knife. When Emperor Shizu passed away, my father was transferred to guard the western border, and Mr. Li came to my father's account and became my teacher. I once asked him why he cut a cross on his face. He said that the Han people valued the words "loyalty and righteousness" the most. Emperor Shizu loved the people like his own children. He chose to be loyal to the people, but he didn't follow the former Ming Dynasty. He would not be ashamed to see his ancestors in the underworld in the future, so he destroyed his appearance. "
