Chapter 5 Mei Xuelang, Drunken Knife King

After a moment of confusion, Chu Tianya felt that it was useless to be melancholy. It is inevitable for the Jin army to go south. Since it can't be stopped, it can only be defended in advance. But I am just a prison official, and I don't have a soldier in my hand - then I can only rely on the officials and generals of Taiyuan Prefecture!

Nowadays, the magistrate of Taiyuan is Zhang Xiaochun. Chu Tianya said that he knew him and didn't see him much. If he takes the liberty to run and say, "The Jin people are going south to invade the Song Dynasty" - in this big thing, how can a magistrate listen to a little official's mouth? At that time, it would be good luck for you to be beaten out by a random stick, and you may be imprisoned for the crime of demons.

In fact, according to Chu Tianya's understanding of the current officialdom of the Song Dynasty, Xiu said that he was a small official. Even Zhang Xiaochun himself may not dare to report this matter to the court easily.

The border ministers of the Song Dynasty did not easily dare to report the border danger to the court, unless the enemy had hit him, and only 100,000 urgently reported it. Because the court of the Song Dynasty hated those ministers who saw the wind and rain. In case the report does not start a war, and the imperial court spends a lot of money to deal with it, which is a great sin. Over time, such a common rule has been formed - no rabbits, no eagles, no beacon fire, no news. Therefore, the border guards of the Song Dynasty are always passive from time to time, and the imperial court is even more aware of it. It is difficult not to be beaten everywhere!

In addition, such a trend has already formed in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty: officials and officials stick to the rules and do not think about it. They open their mouths and close their ancestral teachings. As long as they know a few Confucian scriptures, recite a few winds and moons, and write a few good handwriting and paintings, they will have a worry-free future. In addition, the officials are exaggerating and happy, and they are elegant, despicable and pragmatic. It is a great achievement to be an official, but it is a great achievement to be in office. "corrupulous, corrupt and unmotivated" has almost become the overall pattern of the officialdom of the Song Dynasty. If an official is honest, pragmatic and faithful to his duty and dares to do practical things, he will be laughed at as a "common official" by his peers and be suppressed and excluded.

In such an environment, Chu Tianya is quite self-aknowledgeable - it is unrealistic to expect those officials who regard "inaction" as their motto to fight against gold to save people. So, is it feasible to report to the generals guarding Taiyuan?

Today, the one guarding Taiyuan is the famous eunuch in history and one of the 'six thieves' at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty: Tong Guan!

He not only mentioned all the military affairs of Hedong and Hebei, but also was responsible for contacting the diplomacy with Jin Guo. At present, there are tens of thousands of troops stationed outside Taiyuan City. It is an elite pro-military force recruited by Tong Guan himself - Shengjie Army, which belongs to the imperial forbidden army.

If Tong Guan can lead the army to defend Taiyuan with all his strength, there is still hope to resist the invasion of Jin!

"But Tong Guan is a famous treacherous minister, one of the 'six thieves of the subjugated country' in the Northern Song Dynasty. Historically, it was because he fled in battle and took away the main force Song army guarding Taiyuan, which finally led to the fall of Taiyuan..." Thinking of this, Chu Tianya couldn't help but feel more and more critical or even desperate.

After thinking about it again and again, Chu Tianya gritted his teeth and decided to be a dead horse doctor. Whether it's okay or not, let's try first!

Start with Tong Guan!

Thinking all the way, Chu Tianya came to Taiyuan Prison City.

The prison guarding the door naturally recognized Chu Tianya, and he went all the way into the prison unimpeded. After drawing a bet at the point and Mao, Jiang Laosan, a follower, invited Chu Tianya to no one's place and secretly stuffed him a small thing wrapped in a blue and white cloth.

Chu Tianya opened it and saw a crystal clear jade pendant the size of a thumb. This color standard is not very valuable and expensive. It also wears a red rope on it, which looks like a close-fitting thing worn by a woman around her neck.

Jiang Laosan apologized tremblingly and whispered, "Taibao, the little man came late and slowly. The gold and silver on Xue Yu's body were all searched by the old snakes and skins. The villain searched all over his body and finally found the jade pendant in his close-fitting clothes, so he used it to honor the Taibao.

Chu Tianya quietly wrapped the jade pendant in his arms and asked, "After Xue Yu was caught in, has anyone come to visit him?"

"No."

"What's his abnormal reaction?"

"As soon as he entered the prison, he didn't say a word like a dead man, and he was indifferent to others shouting, kicking, kicking, and robbing his property." Jiang Laosan said this and was suddenly shocked, "That is, when the little man grabbed his jade pendant, he suddenly roared angrily and tried to break free the rope to take my life... It scared me to death!"

Chu Tianya nodded and said that this jade pendant should be extremely important to Xue Yu.

When Jiang Laosan saw that his top boss Chu Tianya was in the mood to chat with him, he kept talking and said, "If you want to talk about Xue Yu, he was really the most resounding figure in those years! - Before he fell into the grass, he once worshipped the soldiers and horses of the famous government, but he was not a small official! It is said that he is a descendant of Xue Rengui in the former Tang Dynasty. He lost the halberd method of his ancestors, but he practiced a good knife skill. He is really unpredictable and brave! In addition, his appearance is even more Saibi Pan'an. For a moment, he didn't know how many women in the famous mansion were fascinated, so he was called 'Mei Xuelang', which is the most popular figure in Hebei.

Chu Tianya frowned slightly. He didn't expect that the old mountain was still a talkative, but it saved his own interrogation, so he took the opportunity to ask, "Do you know him very well?"

"The little man's hometown is the famous mansion." Jiang Laosan grinned and said lamely.

Chu Tianya nodded quietly and pretended to be careless and said, "The grass bandit is the grass bandit. It's useless to be an official before. Besides, is it necessary for a man to be so beautiful without relying on this face? It's needless to say that Xue Yuding is a thief who is full of evil, burning and killing ** | a vicious thief! - Jiang Laosan, do you think it is not?"

"Uh? ..." Jiang Laosan was stunned. First, he shook his head, but immediately nodded in fear, "Yes, what Taibao said is very true!"

"It's a fart. You're obviously perfunctory!" Chu Tianya rebuked in a low voice, "Don't you know him very well? Tell me what kind of person Xue Yu is? How can we get rich if we don't figure out his background?

As soon as Jiang Laosan heard the word "get rich", he smiled happily on the spot, so he stopped pushing and hurriedly said, "Xue Yu is the leader of the third chair on the Qixing Peak of Taihang. There must be many good men in the green forest who want to make him care of money or spend a lot of money to save him, so he wants to make a fortune from him. It's not difficult!"

Chu Tianya smiled and said, "You don't play with axes here. Do you still need to teach me? - Tell me, what is Xue Yu like?"

"Hey hey, Taibao has scolded many times. The villain just said too much. It should be beaten, it should be beaten." Jiang Laosan patted his mouth a few times and smiled, and said, "To tell the truth, Xue Yu... is really the number one hero. He is not only bold and loyal to save the poor. He is also very affectionate and righteous. Heroes in Hebei are happy to make friends with him, and his reputation has always been very loud. In the early years, he got married, and the husband and wife were very in love, which cut off the crazy thoughts of many women. For a moment, I don't know how many deep boudoirs and resentful women can't sleep at night. However, when his wife returned to her mother's house in Yanshan Mansion in Liao Dynasty a few years ago, she disappeared in the military chaos, and there has been no message so far! Some people say that her wife was taken to Liaodong by Jin Ren. Since then, Xue Yu's temperament has become crazy about alcohol, so he has the nickname of 'Drunken Knife King'. I heard that he always wanted to find his wife and hated the Jin people to the bone. Later, he fell out with the famous magistrate and seemed to kill people, so he was imprisoned. Later, he was rescued, and he went to Taihang to be a bandit.

"From 'Beautiful Xuelang' to 'Drunken Knife King'..." Chu Tianya said to himself, "This Xue Yu is really an infatuated seed."

"Isn't it!" Jiang Laosan patted his thigh and wanted to talk again. Chu Tianya interrupted him with his hand and gave him an ingot of small silver.

"Although this jade is not very valuable, it is rare for you to have such filial piety. You and I are going to be on guard tonight. You can make some drinks and sweets to spend the night. The extra one is a reward for you. Chu Tianya said.

"Thank you, Taibao!" Jiang Laosan took the silver gratefully, and Sa Huan'er ran away.

Chu Tianya looked around. There was a circle of torches in the prison. Several prisoners slept on the haystack, and several other prisoners gambled and drank in the case room on one side. A closed iron prison at the end of the corridor was a repeat offender, and Xue Yu was imprisoned there.

Chu Tianya walked to that side and said to himself: If their words are one-sided words, then Jiang Laosan's words are credible. Because he is a prisoner, he can't brag against the prisoners under him.

"Xue Rengui's descendants, Mei Xue Lang, Drunken Knife King... I'd like to see it with my own eyes!"

It was not difficult for Chu Tianya to get the key to the recidivist prison door. After a while, he opened the embroidered prison door.

"Creeking--" After the dull sound, a sour, musty and bloody smell mixed with a smell came to my face, which was extremely unpleasant. Chu Tianya couldn't help covering his mouth and nose, and took a torch before entering the cell.

At this time, he saw a man with a shawl tied to the cross prison frame, with strong hemp rope tied between his hands, feet, waist and neck. Maybe he had been pierced and tortured with force, and there were many blood stains on his body.

Just because he has loose hair, but he can't see his face clearly. Moreover, Chu Tianya opened the prison door and walked in with a torch. He still just nodded his head and didn't react at all, as if he were a dead man.

Chu Tianya turned around and closed the door, fixed the torch to the platform and then stepped forward. He only shook the jade pendant in front of Xue Yu. He immediately suddenly raised his head - "Give it back to me!!"

Only then did Chu Tianya see his eyes clearly. Although he was full of embarrassment and had the scars of a criminal scab, he could still see that Xue Yu did not live up to the name of "Meixue Lang" and was handsome.

However, his eyes were very cold and fierce, staring at Chu Tianya, just like a cheetah that was about to eat!

Chu Tianya looked at him and didn't say anything. He wrapped the jade pendant with the blue and white handkerchief and put it in Xue Yu's arms.

A confused look suddenly appeared on Xue Yu's face, "You..."

"Shh..." Chu Tianya made a silent gesture and whispered, "Bai Xun, let me save you!"

"Military division?" Xue Yu couldn't help but be stunned, "He came to Taiyuan?"

"Is he your military commander?" Chu Tianya raised his eyebrows unexpectedly, "I really can't see it."

"What is the name of the righteous?" Xue Yu looked up and down at Chu Tianya.

"Chu Tianya. The prison city of Taiyuan Prefecture is allocated. Chu Tianya looked at the window warily and said, "It's not easy to say much now. When I go back, I will discuss the plan to save you. But before that, you have to answer me a question!"

Xue Yu frowned and looked up and down at Chu Tianya again, "Yi Shi, please speak."

"What did you do in Taiyuan?" Chu Tianya asked.

Xue Yu suddenly wondered, "Why do you ask this?"

"It's very important." Chu Tianya said seriously.

"I won't tell you." Xue Yu's face suddenly became cold, and his tone became hard, "The righteous man will save him, but he won't save him. Don't threaten me with this."

"I'm not threatening you." Chu Tianya said, "I just want to know what kind of person you are; and I want to prove that they have cheated me?"

"I won't say it. You go!" Xue Yu turned away and didn't look at Chu Tianya. "Thank you for your kindness. Xue will die. He will never reveal any information!"

"So, it's a heavy responsibility for you to come to Taiyuan?" Chu Tianya has done a lot of interrogation. He has already practiced the work of capturing information from the prisoner's inadvertent words. At this time, he said, "Since you are one of the leaders of the Taixing Rebel Army and have sat in the third chair in Qixingzhai, you have personally risk and come to Taiyuan. It must not be a private matter. At present, the relationship between the Song Dynasty and the State of Jin is tense, and Tong Guan is sitting in Taiyuan - Xue Yu's jurisdiction. You are not here to assassinate Tong Guan or inquire about military secrets, are you?

Xue Yu suddenly turned his head and stared at Chu Tianya in surprise, "Who are you?"

Chu Tianya smiled indifferently, "Chu Tianya, a member of a small official in the prison city of Taiyuan Prefecture."

Xue Yu looked at Chu Tianya in surprise and vigilance, and said word by word, "No, you are definitely not a small official!"

"Why?" Chu Tianya couldn't help laughing, "Why don't I look like a bad official?"

"After wandering in the military officialdom, Xue wandered into the world and read countless people. You... don't look like a bad person at all!" Xue Yu suddenly said in a low voice, "Say, who the hell are you?"

"I really don't want to say it for the third time." Chu Tianya smiled helplessly, "If you don't believe me, you should believe in Bai Xun, right? ... It's not convenient to say much at this time. You can stay in prison at ease. When I go to discuss with Bai Xun, I will save you!"

"Wait! - If you don't make it clear, how can Xue believe you?"

Chu Tianya no longer talked nonsense to him. He took the torch and went out of the door and locked the big iron door.

"To get close to Tong Guan, you have to fall on Xue Yu..." He muttered, and a mysterious smile appeared on Chu Tianya's face and strode away.