twelve 3
"Useless thing!" Mang Keshan slapped the soldier, and the soldier immediately fell to the ground and died with blood in his mouth.
"Master Mang Keshan, don't worry." Zhong Rui walked back to the table and said, "There is only one spy. What can he do? Even if he runs back to find Li Yunsheng, Li Yunsheng can't come. Master, take people to search first. Whether you find him or not, it doesn't matter. I will guard here. If he dares to come, he will never come back."
Mang Keshan said: "Okay, if Li Yunsheng comes, it will be even better. We can catch him too." After that, he threw the cup, ordered three or five soldiers, and walked out the door.
Fu Cha Kang shook his head and said, "Alas, this Mang Keshan, my Qing Dynasty can accommodate half of the Han officials in the court, but he can't tolerate a Mr. Li - with such a broad mind and temperament, how can he achieve great things!"
Zhong Rui agreed: "What the general said is true...but what if Li Yunsheng insists on saving these rebels?"
Fu Cha Kang glanced coldly at the people in the cage and said, "Li Yunsheng has followed Emperor Taizu and me for many years. Although his ideas are sometimes too fanciful and unrealistic, he is knowledgeable and talented, comparable to Taizong's first strategist Fan Wencheng, and he is also a martial arts master... As the old saying goes, 'It is easy to get thousands of soldiers, but it is difficult to get a good general' - these people are conservative and stubborn. There is no need to keep them to confuse Li Yunsheng. If Li Yunsheng really comes and these people still refuse to surrender, then..." He put his palm across his neck and made a gesture of killing without mercy.
He said this in a very low voice, without any intention to scare the people in the Chuan Deng Society. Liu Qingye was listening, but he was shocked: Fu Cha Kang was so cunning and cruel, but he still had such a fancy to Li Yunsheng. If Li Yunsheng came, with his ability, he would definitely be able to save the people in the Chuan Deng Society. However, I am afraid that once he comes, there will be some hidden traps in this stone chamber, and the people in the Chuan Deng Society will die immediately... What should I do? Why not take advantage of Mang Keshan's absence, fight to the death, and hold Fu Cha Kang hostage first?
This is the only way out! Liu Qingye quietly approached Fu Chakang and Zhong Rui, holding the knife in his sleeves, waiting for Zhong Rui to lower his head and pour the wine before he gave it a try.
However, Zhong Ruifang stood up and suddenly froze, staring at him thoughtfully, and leaned over to whisper something in Fu Chakang's ear. Liu Qingye couldn't hear what he said, but he saw Fu Chakang suddenly smile and said, "Okay, that's it, you do it."
Zhong Rui said "yeah", then took out a small medicine bottle from his bosom and said to the other side of the cage: "Since you want to be loyal to the previous dynasty, the general is willing to help you become loyal subjects. Here is poison, put it in the wine and ask you heroes to drink it." Then he took a pot of wine, poured all the powder in the small medicine bottle into it, shook it a few times to mix it, and turned around and said: "You, pass the wine to the heroes."
Liu Qingye didn't know whether he was referring to himself or the soldier next to him, but he immediately stepped forward and said, "Yes." He took the wine jug, paused for a moment, and then secretly poked his Huantiao acupoint with his right hand hidden in his sleeve. He immediately staggered and leaned on the table.
Zhong Rui and Fu Cha Kang were both stunned and asked, "What are you doing?"
Liu Qingye said: "Sir... who... who hit me with something... I can't move my legs..."
Zhong Rui was a martial artist, and he knew immediately that someone had pressed his acupuncture points. He shouted, "Protect the general--" and went to the door to see what was going on. Liu Qingye took advantage of the soldiers rushing forward and surrounding Fu Chakang, and quickly picked up the wine pot on the table, intending to switch it. But at this moment, he suddenly felt a numbness on his back. Zhong Rui had turned around and poked his Zhishi acupoint with a finger, and reached out to grab the wine pot in his left hand: "The general tried to persuade you with such kind words, but you turned a deaf ear to it. You will die together." As he spoke, he raised his left palm and was about to hit Liu Qingye on the top of his head.
Liu Qingye turned his head and looked at Cao Mengsheng in the cage. Seeing that he was looking at him with concern, he thought: "Well, even if I die immediately, at least my master has forgiven me... I finally rescued my master." It turned out that he was holding poisoned wine in his right hand and Fu Chakang's wine pot in his left hand. Zhong Rui did not take the poisoned wine away.
"Bah! Zhong Rui!" Cao Mengsheng suddenly shouted from the cage, "Give me the poisoned wine. If you have the guts, let's have a one-on-one duel. How can you be called a hero by bullying the young?"
Zhong Rui and Fu Chakang exchanged glances and said, "Okay, Cao Mengsheng, I'll give you a chance. I'll toast you a glass." Then he took the wine pot in Liu Qingye's right hand and poured himself a glass of wine. After drinking, the bottom of the glass was shining. Cao Mengsheng on the other side also picked up the glass and drank it all without saying a word.
"Okay, let him out." Zhong Rui waved his hand to signal the two soldiers beside him to open the door.
Cao Mengsheng was carried out, without a trace of strength in his body, obviously he was hit by the "Gaze of the Imperial Concubine". He stared at Zhong Rui and said: "Mr. Zhong, you are also a man of the world, do you want me to compete with you like this? I have also drunk the poisoned wine, are you afraid that I will escape?"
Zhong Rui said: "Humph, I am indeed afraid that you will run away. Anyway, now we are discussing the life and death of your apprentice, so of course your apprentice will fight me, and you just watch from the side."
Cao Mengsheng said: "You despicable villain, he is just a child, how can he compete with you?"
Zhong Rui said, "It will take about an incense stick of time for your poison to take effect. I will not kill him during this time, and you can still give him some advice. After an incense stick of time, your poison will take effect and he will die - but the general thinks you are not as stubborn as those traitors, so I will give you a chance. If you regret it, both master and disciple can survive." After that, he slapped Liu Qingye's acupuncture points with his palm and said, "Boy, come on!"
Liu Qingye was overjoyed when he heard him say this, and thought to himself: "This traitor drank the poisoned wine and doesn't even know it. I only need to fight him for a stick of incense, and then he will die of the poison. It won't be too late for me to deal with Fu Chakang then!" With determination in his mind, he pulled his left palm diagonally, made a feint, and then launched a fierce attack towards Zhong Rui's chest with his right fist.
Zhong Rui smiled coldly, dodged sideways, and made a sword gesture with his right hand to pierce Liu Qingye's left palm Yuji acupoint. Liu Qingye changed his straight palm into a hand knife, avoiding his attack and cutting his wrist, but he also turned his wrist and turned the sword gesture to pierce Liu Qingye's back of the hand Hegu acupoint.
Liu Qingye's heart trembled, he turned around, took a wrong step, retracted his left hand, and hit Zhong Rui with his right elbow. Zhong Rui smiled, grabbed Liu Qingye's Quchi and Shousanli with his left hand, and said at the same time: "Cao Mengsheng, have you thought it through? Are you going to serve the court? Or wait for death?"
Cao Mengsheng said coldly: "Qingye, hit him with the Liangmen acupoint with the 'Human Face Peach Blossom'!"
Without thinking, Liu Qingye held his right hand across his chest and used his left hand to point at the Yufu acupoint. However, after getting close, he suddenly turned and hit the Liangmen acupoint. Zhong Rui was shocked and took two steps back, saying, "Cao Mengsheng, you have such good martial arts skills, why don't you come out to do something and serve the court, but you are so eager to die?"
Cao Mengsheng snorted coldly and said, "Qingye, 'Hanmei is blooming' to attack him in the palace."
Liu Qingye immediately followed his instructions and jumped up, slapping Zhong Rui in the face with both palms. When Zhong Rui raised his palms to meet him, he suddenly dropped down quickly, changed his palms into fists, and hit Zhong Rui's Zhongfu acupoint.
Zhong Rui relied on his internal strength that was better than Liu Qingye's and his lightness skill was also slightly higher. He leaned back slightly to avoid Liu Qingye's fist, then floated to the side, and while Liu Qingye was unable to retract his hand, he went straight for his Chize acupoint.
Liu Qingye was horrified, but fortunately Cao Mengsheng shouted at the side: "Follow the flowers and willows!" He applied the instructions and finally resolved the situation.
Zhong Rui was really not in a hurry to take his life. He took a stance and asked him to attack. He then said, "Cao Mengsheng, why are you so depressed? In life, we study and practice martial arts to make a career. After death, who cares whether we will be remembered with a good name or a bad name? Besides, those who write history are all historians of the Qing Dynasty. Can anyone who is loyal to the Qing Dynasty leave a bad name?"
"What a joke!" Yan Tiebi suddenly cursed in the cage over there, "Since ancient times, everyone has to die. Leave your loyalty to the history. Do you think history is written in black and white? Justice is in the hearts of people."
"Justice is in the heart of the people." Fu Chakang interrupted, "Emperor Gaozu of Han was born in the grass, and after he seized the Qin Dynasty, did anyone want to rebel against Han and restore Qin? Emperor Taizu of Song became emperor after the Chenqiao coup, and he established the Song Dynasty. Did anyone want to rebel against Song and restore the Later Zhou Dynasty? Emperor Taizu of Ming Dynasty killed the Yuan Dynasty emperor and all his trusted ministers to seize the world. Did anyone want to rebel against Ming and restore Yuan? Why did the Qing Dynasty rule the world and have all these troubles?"
Yan Tiebi sneered, "Emperor Gaozu of Han, Emperor Taizu of Song, and Emperor Taizu of Ming were all Han Chinese. They rebelled against dynasties that had run out of luck. They themselves were good emperors who worked hard and loved the people, so the people naturally did not rebel against them. As for you Manchu Tartars... humph!"
"Han people?" Fu Cha Kang said, "Mr. Yan, I have long heard that you are a disciple of the great scholar Qian Qianyi. I am just a warrior, so I am naturally not as knowledgeable as you. I dare to ask you, where did you get the word Han people?"
Yan Tiebi said: "Han people, naturally, since the Han Dynasty, the Chinese people are called Han people!"
Fu Cha Kang said, "The word Han people only came into being after the Han Dynasty. Before that, there were Wu people, Zhao people, Chu people, Yue people... and after that, countless barbarians and Xiongnu moved into the Central Plains, and they were all called Han people. How do you know that there is no barbarian in the genealogy of Tang and Song ancestors? The Ming Taizu won the world by relying on the Persian magic religion. Why don't you say that he is not legitimate? Han Gaozu, Song Taizu, and Ming Taizu rebelled against dynasties that were doomed. Didn't the former Ming Dynasty also have doomed? Didn't you listen to the nursery rhyme 'Zhu's wheat flour, Li's mill, make a big steamed bun, and give it to the neighbor Zhao big brother'? The former Ming Dynasty was overthrown by Li Zicheng. He was not a good emperor, so he gave it to me, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. How do you say that the emperors of the Qing Dynasty were not diligent in government and loved the people?"
He talked incessantly and actually stunned Yan Tiebi, who was unable to speak for a long time.
Fu Cha Kang said, "Mr. Yan is full of articles, why did he become a bandit?" He stood up and poured himself a glass of wine: "In the world of my Great Qing Dynasty, most of the people are Han Chinese. In the court of my Great Qing Dynasty, half of the officials are Han Chinese. The palace of my Great Qing Dynasty also needs martial arts masters like you. I also hope that you will choose the right tree to inhabit, and don't let your good skills go to waste--" As he said, he drank the wine in the glass and said, "I toast to you all. If you are willing to surrender, you don't have to accompany me. If you are not willing to surrender, please accompany me with a glass of poisoned wine to see you off!"
"Hmph, I will drink it even if you don't toast me!" Wang Chunshan shouted, "We are Han Chinese in life and Han ghosts in death. Even if I, Wang Chunshan, turn into a fierce ghost, I will rebel against you Tartars!" After that, he took the wine and drank it all. Then, Liao Yuan, Wu Shuiqing, Chen Luohui and others also drank the "poisoned wine" one by one.
During this moment, Liu Qingye and Zhong Rui also fought for more than ten rounds. During the fight, Liu Qingye gradually discovered that Zhong Rui always waited for him to make a move and then looked at his direction before taking action. The moves that Cao Mengsheng pointed out were exactly the moves in the "Free Flying Flower Palm" where the direction of attack and the actual direction of attack were different. He had gradually mastered this set of palm techniques, so he specially picked such unexpected moves to deal with Zhong Rui. In addition, with Cao Mengsheng's guidance, after fighting for a while, Zhong Rui was really frightened secretly - Zhong Rui was called "Jade-faced Li Kui", and was naturally a character who was good at using a broad axe. Now he was competing with Liu Qingye in boxing and kicking, and he encountered a set of boxing techniques that were specifically designed to restrain him. He was really getting worse and worse.
Of course, Liu Qingye and Zhong Rui were far apart in martial arts, so they could only protect themselves but not win. However, he secretly saw that Fu Chakang had drunk the poisoned wine and was trying to persuade the people in the Lantern Festival to surrender without knowing it. He thought to himself: This is great. When both of them have died of the poison, I will find the antidote for the imperial concubine's gaze and we can work together to deal with Mang Keshan!
The wine glass was soon passed to Yan Tiebi. Yan Tiebi hesitated for a moment, but still raised it to his lips. Wang Chunshan saw it and patted him on the shoulder and said, "Third brother, no matter how talented we are in literature and martial arts, we will not serve the Tartars and help them harm our compatriots." Yan Tiebi's hand trembled slightly, but he finally gritted his teeth, raised his head and drank it all, and passed the glass to Meng Hu.
The soldier outside the cage poured wine for Meng Hu, but Meng Hu loosened his grip and the cup fell to the ground. "I don't want to drink." He said, "General Fucha, I am willing to submit to the court."
Everyone in the cage was shocked. Liu Qingye also looked at Meng Hu in astonishment. This distraction almost caused him to be caught by Zhong Rui, so he had to concentrate on dealing with him. But his heart was churning like a river and sea: "Uncle Meng actually surrendered? He actually surrendered?"
Wang Chunshan angrily cursed, "Sixth brother, aren't you afraid of becoming a sinner for eternity?"
Meng Hu smiled and said, "An eternal sinner? General Fu Cha is right - learn the civil and martial arts and sell them to the emperor. Let me tell you what will happen after your death! Wei Zheng surrendered to Li Shimin, so why can't I, Meng Hu, surrender?"
Wang Chunshan was so angry that he almost fainted. He pointed at him and said tremblingly: "Okay... okay... you traitor!"
Fu Cha Kang laughed loudly and said, "Excellent, excellent. I have long heard of Mr. Meng's talent. He is comparable to Zhuge Kongming. Wei Zheng surrendered to Li Shimin!" He immediately said to the soldiers around him, "Come, open the door and invite Mr. Meng out."
Liu Qingye saw from the corner of his eye that the cage door was really opened, and Fu Cha Kang personally helped Meng Hu out. Liu Qingye did not dare to look at it any more, but he did not believe that Meng Hu would surrender: "Is a lifetime of reputation as a hero ruined just because of a moment of cowardice? Or is it that the old thief's words are so exaggerated that even a person like Uncle Meng was fooled? If it were me, would I surrender or not?" He suddenly thought of Li Yunsheng again: "The Tartar Emperor treated Mr. Li with courtesy, and Mr. Li surrendered to the court. I secretly admired him in my heart. The old thief Fu Cha personally helped Uncle Meng out of the cage, and Uncle Meng surrendered to the court. Why can't I tolerate it?"
He didn't have the heart to think about it. He only heard the people in the cage lantern party cursing loudly, "traitor" and "running dog" all attacking Meng Hu. But Meng Hu seemed to be unconcerned, sitting down at the table with Fu Cha Kang, and took another pill handed to him by Fu Cha Kang.
"This is the antidote to the 'Gui Fei's Gaze' that Mr. Meng was poisoned with." Fu Cha Kang said, "Mr. Meng will be my honored guest from now on."
Meng Hu swallowed it without even looking at it, and said, "General Meng spared the lives of Adaler and Shanshan twice, and today is the third time. The general is magnanimous and magnanimous, which is admirable. Whether it is poison or antidote, I will swallow it."
“General—” Zhong Rui shouted, jumped out of the battle group, and tried to snatch the pill from Meng Hu’s hand. Seeing that he had already swallowed it, he stretched out his hand to strangle him by the neck and said, “General, this man is very cunning, I’m afraid it’s fake!”
Fu Cha Kang said, "How dare you! When you surrendered, did I ever doubt you?"
Zhong Rui was startled, but his right hand did not slow down, still reaching for Meng Hu's throat. But at this moment, Liu Qingye drew out his waist knife and slashed at Zhong Rui's neck with lightning speed. At the same time, his left palm slapped Fu Cha Kang's shoulder well point and shouted: "Hand over all the antidote quickly--"
Zhong Rui was slightly stunned, then let go of Meng Hu, leaned back to avoid Liu Qingye's blade, and let out a strange howl, "The incense stick time is up. I don't have time to play with you, little kid!" Before he finished speaking, he kicked Liu Qingye's wrist, and before Liu Qingye could react, he struck him with another palm and grabbed his shoulder blade.
Liu Qingye was willing to risk his shoulder being dislodged, and suddenly turned around to face Zhong Rui, put one hand on his shoulder to hold Zhong Rui's hand, and used the other hand to grab Zhong Rui's scapula. Zhong Rui was such a person, how could he be caught by him? He turned his wrist and grabbed Liu Qingye's hand. However, he didn't know that Liu Qingye was ready to die. If Zhong Rui knew that he was poisoned, he would definitely try to get the antidote. Now Zhong Rui's hands were busy. As long as Liu Qingye could hold on for a moment, Zhong Rui would die from the poison.
How had Zhong Rui ever seen such a fighting style? It was just like a wrestling match in Manchuria. He was considered a well-known figure in the martial arts world, but he was actually hugged by a younger boy in such a miserable way. He was really furious. He shouted angrily and used his internal force to shake off Liu Qingye's hands. At the same time, he punched Liu Qingye in the chest and abdomen, knocking him flying and hitting the wall.
Liu Qingye was hit in the chest, and his eyes went dark immediately. Then his back hit the wall, making him feel like his internal organs were turning upside down. But he thought to himself, he must hold Zhong Rui back no matter what! At that moment, he supported himself and stood up to attack again.
Zhong Rui shouted, "Boy, what kind of desperate fighting style did your master teach you?"
Liu Qingye forced a smile, staggered to his feet against the wall, and glanced at Zhong Rui.
Zhong Rui shook his head and reached out to untie Fu Cha Kang's acupuncture points. At this moment, Meng Hu suddenly pointed his finger at Zhong Rui's Qi Hu acupoint.
"General Fucha," he stood tall under the surprised gazes of the whole room, "thank you for the antidote, and thank you for your trust. Unfortunately, I, Meng Hu, will never surrender to the Tartars - where is the antidote for the poisoned wine? Bring it to me!"
"Uncle Meng," Liu Qingye was overjoyed and shouted, "The traitors got the wrong thing. You didn't drink the poisoned wine, they drank the poisoned wine! Hurry up and ask them for the antidote for 'The Imperial Concubine Looks Back'..." At the same time, he shouted to Zhong Rui, "Zhong Rui, if you don't want to die, bring the antidote for 'The Imperial Concubine Looks Back'!"
“Hahahaha…” Zhong Rui suddenly laughed wildly, “Poisoned wine… Do you think there is really poisoned wine? There is no poison in either pot of wine! I just put a little flour in it!”
Meng Hu and Liu Qingye were stunned. Seeing that Cao Mengsheng and Zhong Rui were both unharmed, they thought something was wrong. But Meng Hu still shouted, "Stop using flowery words!"
Zhong Rui said, "Humph, why would I lie to you? When I persuaded Hong Chengchou to surrender, I also used a pot of fake poisoned wine. I put him in a desperate situation and he surrendered. I tried the same trick again today, but I unexpectedly ran into a bunch of stubborn guys like you!"
Meng Hu said: "No one is poisoned, that's a good thing - but now you are in my hands, why don't you hand over the antidote for 'The Imperial Concubine's Gaze Back'?"
Zhong Rui rolled his eyes: "You are dreaming!"
Fu Cha Kang said, "Well, Mr. Meng, you are really smart. You tricked me. The antidote is in the brocade bag on my body. You can take it!"
Meng Hu looked at Fu Cha Kang suspiciously, and seeing that he looked indifferent, as if he had no other options, he took out the brocade bag from him and took out the pills. It was indeed the same as what he had just taken. He immediately took one pill and gave it to Cao Mengsheng, and then gave the rest to Wang Chunshan in the cage.
The brothers of the Lantern Society in the cage all looked at Meng Hu with gratitude. Meng Hu turned back and said to the soldier who held the key, "Open the door!"
The soldier trembled as he glanced at Fu Chakang, then at Zhong Rui, and walked towards the cage with a bunch of keys rattling around. At this moment, he suddenly heard a loud shout from the door, "Wait!" and saw Mang Keshan rushing in from outside.
As soon as he appeared, Liu Qingye's heart immediately turned cold, but Meng Hu had already attacked with a palm. Mang Keshan laughed strangely and calmly fought back, saying: "You have such a small skill, and you still want to show off?"
Meng Hu gritted his teeth and ignored him, just attacking. Liu Qingye knew that Meng Hu was definitely not a match for Mang Keshan, so he just staggered forward to help, but several guards had already shown their weapons to him.
Mang Keshan said: "If you don't want to drink my toast, then don't drink my penalty drink either. Just give in and die!"
Cao Mengsheng saw that Mang Keshan's palm was red, and his moves were getting faster and faster. He was about to kill Meng Hu, so he quickly put the pill to his mouth. But with a "chi" sound, a hidden weapon passed in front of him and hit the pill away. Someone shouted, "Everyone, don't take that pill!"
Everyone was stunned, and suddenly they heard a "whoosh" sound, as if a strong wind was blowing, and the dozen or so torches in the huge stone chamber were extinguished at once.
Liu Qingye recognized the voice of the person coming, it was Li Yunsheng. He was delighted, but then he felt his collar tighten and he was lifted up. Mang Keshan's voice rang out like thunder above his head: "Protect the general! Protect the general! Li Yunsheng, you really rebelled!"
In the darkness, no one could see each other clearly. All they could hear was the clanging of weapons, mostly from the soldiers fighting each other. Mang Keshan cursed a few words in Manchu, then quickly used a lighter to light the torch.
I saw a group of soldiers still hacking randomly, Fu Chakang and Zhong Rui still sitting in the same posture, the door of the cage was closed, Wang Chunshan and others were inside, but Cao Mengsheng and Meng Hu were nowhere to be found.
