Volume 1 Chushan Bandits Chapter 30: The Xu Family Head
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Seeing Xu Wuliang approaching, Xu Huai smiled bitterly.
"Uncle Wu Liang, you are going to scare me to death!"
Having just fought with all his might, and now facing another swordsman master of the same level, Xu Huai didn't think he had more than a 50% chance of escaping unscathed in the second battle.
Xu Wuliang was of course worried about Xu Huaicai so he followed him secretly. However, he did not expect that Xu Huai, who was risking his life in actual combat for the first time, was much more steady than he imagined. The peddler, who was quite skilled, did not find any chance of turning defeat into victory under Xu Huai's knife from beginning to end.
Apart from the fact that the peddler looked down on him and that Xu Huai had taken the lead, Xu Wuliang did not think that he could have handled it better than Xu Huai, and even had to admit that saying so was a bit of self-aggrandizement.
Xu Wuliang asked Xu Huai to sit aside and rest. He searched the peddler's body and threw it into the stream along with the pole. Apart from a few pieces of silver and a hundred copper coins, the peddler had nothing special, but the pole that could be used as a scabbard to hide the long knife was made with great care.
Considering that the assassins would definitely track them down, and they would not be able to completely conceal the traces of the fight, they simply made it more chaotic, creating the illusion that many people had ambushed and killed the peddler. Only then did Xu Huai and Xu Wuliang quietly return to Tieshi Lane in the night.
Ge and Xu Xiaohuan were confused. They opened the gate with a lantern and were shocked to see that Xu Huai's shirt and trousers were all stained with dark blood. Liu Qiong'er, on the other hand, was so nervous that she heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Xu Wuliang and Xu Huai returned safely.
"Take it and wash it. Don't let others see it and don't ask any questions!" Xu Wuliang took the bloody clothes that Xu Huai had changed and gave them to his wife to wash.
When she came at noon, she saw Xu Huai also serving in the Qinzhai. Ge still looked down on him. At this moment, she took the bloody clothes with trembling hands, rolled up the bloodstain inside, and walked to the backyard with a pale face. She secretly felt that getting two hundred taels of silver to pay off the debt was not that easy. She really had to sell her life.
The fierce attack consumed a lot of energy, but one should avoid overeating. Xu Huai simply ate something and did not return to the military camp. He went to sleep in Tieshi Lane.
In late spring, the weather in Tongbai Mountain becomes warmer. There is no need to close the windows at night. The moonlight can shine in and fall on the brick floor in front of the bed, like rippling water waves.
Xu Huai couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He kept thinking about the battle beside the creek over and over again in his mind. Now he thought that he should not have fought the peddler at such a fast pace and frequency. He should have controlled the rhythm better and saved energy.
The method of concealment should not just be about concealing one move at a time, but about being able to face more powerful enemies calmly.
Men should pursue durability.
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At noon the next day, beside the Yesenzigou, Zheng Hui stood on the dirt road in a blue shirt, staring at the messy footprints in a daze.
Two strong men came over along the beach of the creek.
"Mr. Zheng, the body was washed down by the stream for seven or eight miles and landed on a rocky beach at the mouth of a bay. There were wounds on the right arm, left armpit, and both legs . The most fatal one was the cut from the left chest, which was very clean and neat, like the eagle pecking force of the Fumang Knife, which can be used as a knife or a gun. Mr. Zheng's guess was not wrong. Old man Wang Bing redeemed Liu Qiong'er from Yuehonglou as bait to lure us to take the bait. Their tricks really didn't fool Mr. Zheng. However, this man's knife skills are not much worse than those of Master Dong and Master Chen. It's a bit difficult to deal with."
Chen Zixiao stood aside with a gloomy look on his face.
Zheng Hui and Dong Qifeng both guessed that there was something fishy going on. Their own people kept silent, but asked him to arrange people to explore the trap. How could he feel happy?
It would be fine if he was just an ordinary bandit in the village, but Liu Shiquan was a rare man under his command who was both skilled in martial arts and good at lurking and gathering information. His death by the stream made him feel as if he had lost an arm.
"Master Chen, Liu Shiquan may seem like your confidant, but he is secretly dissatisfied with Tang Biao's death, but he hides it deeply. If not, I would not use him to test whether Tieshi Lane is a trap. Don't feel sorry for him dying here today," Zheng Hui gently pressed Chen Zixiao's shoulder and said, "If you don't believe me, go back and ask Wu Qi if Liu Shiquan said anything weird behind your back. But we have to leave now. We can't stay here for long!"
Chen Zixiao took a deep breath and said, "I don't feel sorry for Liu Shiquan's death, but the Xu family is very powerful in Tongbai Mountain. The old soldiers of the Jingsheng Army that you mentioned, Mr. Zheng, are mostly the backbone of the Xu family's militia. Xu Wufu relies on them very much and will not easily abandon them. I think that relying solely on the power of Hutouzhai may not allow Mr. Zheng to get what he wants..."
"The matter is more difficult than imagined, and we need to be patient and unravel the mystery. We must not be impatient," Zheng Hui said with a worry-free smile, "Besides, Master Chen has surrendered to the court with two hundred bandits, and it is not convenient for the Prime Minister to directly come forward to speak for Master Chen. Even if the Prime Minister secretly makes some efforts, Master Chen will be transferred to another place to serve as an inspector. Master Chen may not feel freer than staying in the mountain stronghold. However, if Master Chen leads a large number of bandits and the prefectures and counties cannot control him, the Prime Minister will come forward to recruit him at that time. Not only will it be glorious, but the assignment he arranges will also satisfy you, Master Chen!"
"..." Chen Zixiao stared at Zheng Hui in amazement, and asked hesitantly, "Isn't this just raising someone? What are you raising..."
"Master Chen, do you mean to protect yourself by keeping the enemy?"
Zheng Hui said these four words without caring, which even Chen Zixiao found abrupt and awkward, and laughed,
"The big families in Tongbai Mountain have been secretly communicating with the mountain stronghold in recent years. It seems that the horse road has been reopened, but the people are still exploited and the people are suffering. The mountain stronghold no longer accepts people, so Huaiyuan, Nanxiang, Tongnan, Yushan and other places are full of displaced people. If Master Chen takes this opportunity to recruit soldiers and horses in Tongbai Mountain, alert the prefectures and counties, and alert the court, this is the major concern for people's livelihood. How can it be said to be nurturing the enemy to protect oneself?"
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Even though they expected the assassins to track down the enemy near Yesenzigou, Xu Huai and Xu Wuliang did not have the ability to set up an ambush there and kill several powerful assassins.
At the same time, they were also worried that the assassin would be desperate and break into Tieshi Alley. So the whole day, apart from practicing swords and guns in the yard, they just strolled around Tieshi Alley and surveyed the terrain.
Towards dusk, Xu Huai met two soldiers who came from the military camp to the market to drink. Upon learning that Xu Wujiang and Xu Xin'an had just returned, he wrapped his old bow with a piece of sackcloth and hurried back to the military camp.
When he returned to the military camp, he saw Xu Xin'an standing in the yard talking to Wang Bing. Xu Huai walked over and asked:
"Why did you come back just now? Where are Uncle Seventeen and his family?"
"We went back to the military camp to report to Lord Deng, but we didn't expect that the master of the family would come back from Biyang today and leave Uncle Seventeen there to talk. I will leave the office first." Xu Xin'an said.
Xu Huai was slightly startled.
He had no impression of Xu Wufu, the head of the Xu family.
The Xu clan has been multiplying in Tongbai Mountain for nearly ten generations, and now has two to three thousand people, distributed in various villages near Yuhuangling, south of Huaiyuan Town.
There are more than 300 direct descendants of the Xu family who are within the five generations of the eldest son.
Given Xu Huai's previous situation, it was difficult for him to have any chance to get close to the head of the family, Xu Wufu, let alone get to know him.
In Xu Huai's shallow impression, Xu Wufu was about 45 or 46 years old, short and strong, with a dark face and a rather unattractive appearance. Xu Wufu did not stay in Tongbai Mountain to cultivate himself, but worked as an official in the provincial government.
He usually lived in Biyang City, and would return to Lutai Village for a while only when the rent was collected and when the young and strong members of the clan took advantage of the slack season to train.
In the Tongbai Mountains, which are 70% mountain, 10% water and 20% farmland, the Xu clan and the nine branches of the Xu clan, the richest branch of the clan, including Xu Wufu, control a total of more than 10,000 acres of farmland, in addition to pastures for raising cattle and horses. If necessary, the Xu clan can mobilize six or seven hundred strong soldiers from the various villages in Lutai. The North Village, where the ancestral hall is located, usually has forty or fifty armed farmhands for protection.
The Inspection Office had more than twenty soldiers, all of whom were members of the Xu family or farmers of other surnames who had surrendered to the Xu family.
This meant that not only officials at the level of the Bianyang County Magistrate, but also officials at the state level could not ignore the presence of the Xu family in the local area.
Xu Wufu returned to Huaiyuan from Biyang today. Was he due to other matters, or did he make a special trip back to Huaiyuan after learning that another major robbery had occurred on Zoumadao?
"You two can talk slowly if you want."
Xu Xin'an had just returned. Wang Bing knew that Xu Huai must have something to inquire about. He stood nearby and it was inconvenient for Xu Xin'an to reveal everything without reservation, so he nodded and walked away first.
"What information did you get when you went to Hutouling? Why did it take you three or four days to come back?" Xu Huai asked.
Although Hutouling is located in a remote area, it is only forty miles away from Huaiyuan Town. With Xu Wujiang and Xu Xin'an's agility and strength, they can cross the mountains and run back and forth in a day.
Generally speaking, according to Deng Gui's instructions, if anyone else could make the trip to the foot of Hutouling Mountain, they would be considered thoughtful. However, even if Xu Wujiang brought Xu Xin'an with him, and was more responsible than others , it was still worrying that they stayed here for such a long time.
Xu Xin'an never hid anything from Xu Huai. He pulled him to the front yard and said, "We have reached Hutou Mountain. The situation is a little unusual. Uncle Seventeen and I went to the nearby villages and found out that the weather in Hutou Village has changed. Guess what?"
"What's the matter?" Xu Huai asked.
"The former leader of Hutou Village, Pofengdao Tang Biao, was defeated by the second leader Chen Zixiao. Now Chen Zixiao is the leader of Hutou Village," Xu Xin'an said. "Chen Zixiao was originally an outsider in Hutou Village. He committed a crime and fled to Tongbai Mountain to live as a bandit. He has no roots here, but I didn't expect him to recruit seven or eight good fighters this time. Not only did Chen Zixiao defeat Tang Biao, but several people in the village who didn't obey him were also killed. The other bandits were all subdued. I said before that the two major robberies and the kidnapping of hostages in nearby villages were all led by Chen Zixiao. I didn't expect Pofengdao to be defeated long ago!"
Hearing Xu Xin'an's words, Xu Huai was not surprised, but still frightened.
Liu Qiong'er overheard in Yuehonglou that the assassin knew Chen Zixiao of Hutouzhai. Of course, they directly helped Chen Zixiao to usurp the throne and seize power so that they could take complete control of Hutouzhai more cleanly and efficiently.
The question now is whether Xu Wujiang realized the abnormality and whether he reported the information to Deng Gui truthfully.
Thinking of this, Xu Huai asked:
"Have you informed Lord Deng of all this news?"
"Of course. Lord Deng sent us to Hutouling to spy on the bandits. Do we have to hide it when we come back?" Xu Xin'an thought Xu Huai's question was silly, and said, "Do you think we are going there to eat?"
Xu Huai was about to groan in pain:
Xu Wujiang realized that Wang Bing’s encounter with bandits was not a simple matter, but he still failed to connect the changes in Hutou Village with Wang Bing’s residence in the military village.
Xu Wujiang did not even realize that the fundamental reason for the incident in Hutouzhai was that the assassin mistakenly thought that the old soldiers who returned to Tongbai Mountain from Jingsheng Army were involved with Wang Bin and Lu Xiong.
However, just because Xu Wujiang couldn't think of it doesn't mean that Deng Gui wouldn't connect all of this after knowing it.
Over the past month, seeing Deng Gui's reaction after Wang Bing encountered the bandits, Xu Huai had already deeply realized that he was not a simple person. He might even have been suspicious of the unusual unrest in Hutou Village a long time ago.
Of course, Xu Huai did not regret not explaining the real situation to Xu Wujiang and the others in advance.
If Xu Wujiang and Xu Xin'an hadn't concealed the incident, Deng Gui would have been kept in the dark. If they hadn't concealed the incident, it would have only delayed the incident for a few days at most...
