Although Ji Zhuzi and Budai Monk joined forces to surpass Wang Zhixing in strength, Wang Zhixing was very cunning. His leaping skills were superb. Once in danger, he would leap up and fly onto a tree. After avoiding the danger, he would make a sharp turn again and attack with a sword.
It was a wonderful and dangerous confrontation, with the two sides entangled with each other and it became a stalemate.
Wang Zhixing had no chance to assassinate Zhu Li. Time passed quickly and half an hour passed in a flash. Suddenly, there was a roar of running sounds in the distance. Countless torches illuminated the entire Shuozhou city as bright as day. The supporting guards had arrived.
In the light of the fire, countless palace guards, led by Yang Zaixing, were seen running madly towards the bank of Shuo River. Zhu Li discovered this scene, and the three people fighting against him also obviously saw this scene.
Wang Zhixing's face darkened when he saw this. He suddenly shouted, "Zhu Li, clean your neck and wait. I will come to take your head sooner or later."
As soon as he said this, he kicked the willow tree and threw himself into the Shuo River. With a "plop", he disappeared into the river in an instant. It was obviously impossible for Jizhuzi and Budai Monk to stop him.
After returning home, Zhu Li rested for a night.
The next morning, he couldn't wait to go and pay a visit to the two masters, Ji Zhuzi and Budai Monk.
For Zhu Li's safety, these two followed Zhu Li and others back to the governor's mansion last night and were placed in the guest room to prevent Wang Zhixing from making a surprise attack.
"Two seniors, thank you very much for saving my life. If you hadn't helped me last night, I would probably not have been able to come back." Zhu Li bowed in gratitude and said sincerely to Ji Zhuzi and Budai Monk.
"You are welcome, sir. I happened to stay in Shanyang when I came to the north this time. I was bored at night, so I decided to go for a walk with the monk. It was also your fate that we ran into Wang Zhixing." Ji Zhuzi said politely, and then said in surprise: "I heard that the sir was stabbed through the heart, but he is still alive and kicking. This is beyond my expectation."
He was really scared. Anyone who was stabbed through the heart would surely die. Such a bizarre thing happened right before his eyes. How could he not be suspicious
Zhu Li didn't have a crooked heart, nor did he have any special talents, but he had the Classic of Mountains and Seas. The Wu Peng in the Classic of Mountains and Seas gave him an elixir of immortality, which saved his life in time.
If he didn't have the Classic of Mountains and Seas, he would have died even if he had ten lives. Thinking of this, he immediately bowed and said, "Two seniors, you seem to know Wang Zhixing's background very well. Can you tell me a thing or two?"
The Secretary Supervisor was like a lingering evil spirit. Whenever Zhu Li was not careful, he would appear and stab him, almost taking his life several times.
Even a clay figure can have a temper, let alone Zhu Li, who is not made of clay, so he is naturally inexplicably angry.
The monk looked at Jizhuzi, who nodded imperceptibly. The monk then said, "You are from Xuzhou, have you heard of the rumor about the Xuzhou Silver Knife Army?"
"Silver Knife Army?" Zhu Li was confused. He had never heard of it.
Seeing Zhu Li's expression, Budai Monk knew that he had never heard of it, so he said calmly: "In the third year of Xiantong, the Xuzhou Silver Blade Army
The leader of the gang was Wang Zhixing."
The third year of Xiantong was 862, which was six years before Zhu Li in this life was born. Such a big commotion happened. As people from Xuzhou, Zhu Li's parents should have known about it, but I had never heard them talk about it.
"Wang Zhixing once captured Xuzhou and recruited 2,000 fierce and fierce soldiers, calling them the Silver Knife, Carved Flag, Door Spear, and Horse-Carrying Armies. The Silver Knife Army was created at that time and was later wiped out by the imperial court. For some reason, the bandit leader Wang Zhixing did not die, but was taken in by an old eunuch in the palace." Jizhuzi explained.
"Is it the old eunuch from the Secretariat, the one who ordered to hunt me down?" Zhu Li narrowed his eyes. He had only offended Tian Lingzi among the eunuchs. From the conversation between several people last night, he learned that the old eunuch's surname should be Liu. For some reason, this person was so obsessed with killing him, which made him very angry.
"Yes, this old eunuch is very famous. His name is Liu Xingshen. He was once the lieutenant of the Left Army of the Shen Ce Army. During his time in the court, he implemented benevolent policies and reduced taxes. He was deeply loved by the people and was a rare virtuous eunuch."
"The current Lieutenant of the Left Army of the Shen Ce Army, Liu Jishu, is his adopted son. He was the one who took the lead in supporting the emperor and even killed several older princes left by the previous emperor for this purpose."
"Some time ago, there were rumors that he was dead, but for some reason, he suddenly came back to life. The situation was very strange. Some said that he was a ghost who had returned to his body, while others said that he was possessed by a ghost. There were all kinds of rumors. The two of us have never seen him in person, so we dare not speculate." Budai Monk did not hold back and told him even the rumors.
But when Zhu Li heard about reincarnation and possession by ghosts, he immediately thought of himself. Could it be that this Liu Xingshen was also a time traveler from somewhere else? Zhu Li was stunned for a moment.
Ji Zhuzi thought Zhu Li was worried about his own safety, so he consoled him, "Your Excellency, don't worry. Yanshan Haichanzi almost killed you last time because he believed the words of a traitor. In order to make up for his mistake, he will send his junior disciple Xingchenzi and his eldest disciple Dong Ningyang to Shuozhou to protect your family."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Li looked at Ji Zhuzi in disbelief, and was pleasantly surprised: "Is what you said true?"
“Hahaha, of course it’s true. The two of us went to Yanshan in person, and Haichanzi promised in front of us.” Budai Monk patted his chest and said, “Xingchenzi’s martial arts may not be as good as his senior brother Haichanzi, but compared to Wang Zhixing, he is not much weaker. What’s more, there is Dong Ningyang, who is a top master of Wu Po Tianguan. As long as you are alive and keep doing good for the people, they will always protect your loved ones.”
Zhu Li was startled when he heard this. It has always been his ambition to benefit the people, and it was also the teaching of his master Wu Dao. But sometimes, what you think is benefiting the people may not be seen that way by others. This is just one of the reasons.
No one is a saint. In life, there are always a few people or things that make you unable to control your emotions and impulses. What if at that time, the Taoist priest in Yanshan thinks that he is not benefiting the people, will he take his relatives hostage
Thinking of this, he became a little worried again.
But then again, these people are people that Zhu Li cannot afford to offend. If they come, can he stop them? Moreover, because of Wang Zhixing, his family members in his mansion are all gone.
They really need a powerful master to come and protect them. When he thought of this, he felt relieved. What is coming will eventually come. If you don't take what God gives you, you will be punished by God.
In the third year of Zhonghe, there was a severe famine in Guanzhong, with dead bodies of people everywhere.
Many refugees flocked to other states and counties, with the largest number fleeing to the Hetao area.
Due to the continuous war, the grain harvest in Yangzhou was poor. Fortunately, many residents had stored a large amount of dried fish at home, so they could barely get by. After discussing with his ministers, the newly appointed Huainan Jiedushi Yang Xingmi made a decisive decision to encourage residents to develop fish farming, and even other side businesses gradually emerged in Huainan.
The Prime Minister of Yangzhou, Yuan Xi, even praised in public that the decree to store fish for emergency use was the only good thing the evil man Lu Yongzhi did in Yangzhou. Little did they know that Lu Yongzhi was forced to issue this decree by Zhu Li.
The food famine in Yangzhou also affected Xuzhou. Han Zhi quickly sent people to report to Shuozhou. Zhu Li decisively ordered to purchase the surplus grain of Heshuo residents at a high price. In addition to supporting Xuzhou with a part of it, the rest was used to build charity granaries on the spot and store the surplus grain in the granaries for emergency use.
In September, Zhu Xuan, the governor of Puzhou and commander of the cavalry and infantry of the Tianping Army, expelled Cao Cunshi, the governor of the Tianping Army, and proclaimed himself the governor of Tianping.
In October, Qin Zongquan ravaged Henan, and the court ordered Zhu Wen to suppress the rebellion. In order to show favor, he gave him the name Zhu Quanzhong. From then on, the old rogue Zhu Wen changed his name to Zhu Quanzhong.
In Hedong, Li Keyong used all his strength to deal with Meng Lifang. The two sides used Luzhou as the battlefield and launched a fierce battle with fighting spirit and courage.
In the same month, Yelu Sala, Yelu Shilu and Yelu Xiadi of the Khitan Dala tribe, together with the Xi commander Xia La Ge and the Tuhun chieftain Bala, combined the three tribes and a force of more than 200,000 soldiers to attack Lulong.
When Li Keju, the governor of Lulong, heard the bad news, his face turned green. He immediately ordered Yue Pengju to lead 60,000 troops to defend Juyongguan. At the same time, he sent a messenger to report to the court over a distance of 100,000 miles and request support. He also privately wrote letters to summon the local military governors to go to support.
Zhu Li of Shuozhou also received Li Keju's letter requesting help.
In the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion, Zhu Li, Li Hanzhi, Yang Zaixing, Guo Qizuo, Guo Chongtao, Wang Yueyao and others discussed the Lulong request for assistance.
Guo Qizuo was calm and composed, with his eyes half-squinted; Guo Chongtao had a gloomy expression, as if he was in a dilemma about something; Li Hanzhi and Yang Zaixing had solemn expressions. Zhu Li was right beside them, so they only had to follow orders. It was obviously not their turn to think.
Zhu Li looked at Guo Qizuo with cold eyes and said, "Sir, what do you think of the Di people's large-scale migration southward?"
When Zhu Li asked, Guo Qizuo immediately responded, "The Khitan people have a long history. They originated in the Xilamulun River and the Laoha River basin. They are a cross between the Xiongnu and Xianbei."
"The ancient Khitan had eight major tribes, namely Xiwandan, Hedahe, Fufuyu, Yuling, Rilian, Pilier, Tuliuyu, and Yuzhenhou. They originally lived in the north, worry-free, following the water and grass. As the tribes prospered, they finally had ambitions and began to develop southwards."
"During the Northern Qi Dynasty, Emperor Wenxuan Gao Yang led his troops to defeat the Khitan who were heading south, captured more than 100,000 people, and the prosperous Khitan declined; during the Sui Dynasty, the Khitan prospered again, but was attacked by the powerful Turks, and had to lie dormant again, relying on the wings of the Turks."