The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 168 True Enemy: Zhao Daer and the Black King

In early April, Fu Zhaoxin sent someone back to Dazhai, Hexi Province to get in touch with Chai Rong. The two parties agreed on a time and place to meet and met.

There is a Chenghuang Temple ten miles northwest of Chaoyi County. On weekdays, people occasionally go there to worship.

Nowadays, wars are raging in Puzhou, the incense is much less popular, it is relatively quiet, and it is not harassed by the rebels, so Zhu Xiu designated this place as the meeting place.

On the appointed day, Zhu Xiu, Zhao Kuangyin, Fu Zhaoxin, Li Chongjin and others arrived as promised.

A few people pretended to be traveling merchants and came in mule carts, but they didn't attract anyone's attention.

Sergeants from the Beihu Camp and Fu Zhaoxin's men were scattered around the Chenghuang Temple, always on alert.

The terrain here is high and broad, with a loess plateau behind the temple and a few poplar trees scattered on the loess mounds.

If there is any movement within a few miles, it can be clearly seen outside the Chenghuang Temple, and there is no possibility of being ambushed and attacked.

After tying up the mule cart, Zhu Xiu and others walked around the temple, gave some coins, and found an open-air tea shop outside the temple to sit down.

Shi Xiangwen had a peculiar physical appearance, so Zhu Xiu did not take him with him during this meeting and asked him to stay in the town and wait.

The old man who ran the tea shop brought four earthen bowls and a large pot of herbal tea. Zhu Xiu opened the bowls and filled them each.

Li Chongjin held the earthen bowl in both hands, muttered "Thank you brother" with his swollen mouth, and then took a few sips and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Li, you're welcome." Zhu Xiu smiled kindly.

Zhao Kuangyin's lips flashed with sarcasm, and he picked up the bowl and took a sip.

Li Chongjin looked at him sideways, put down the bowl with a bang, and said angrily and vaguely: "Zhao Da'er, what do you mean? I hate your sarcastic face the most! If you have anything to say, say it openly!"

Zhao Kuangyin put down the bowl and said with a slight smile: "Hearing the word 'Thank you' from King Hei, Zhao was deeply surprised and a little emotional!"

Li Chongjin stared and said, "What are you feeling?"

Zhao Kuangyin sighed: "If you don't fight, you won't know each other; if you don't fight, you won't know each other!"

Fu Zhaoxin just picked up the bowl and took a sip. He choked on the tea, touched his chest and coughed repeatedly. He had a strange look on his face, wanting to laugh but helpless.

Li Chongjin was startled, then realized, clenched his old fist and said angrily: "Zhao Da'er, don't try to use your words! I am indeed no match for Shi Dalang, but I am more than enough to deal with you!"

"Brother Li, please come down and take the initiative!" Zhao Kuangyin was also unwilling to be outdone, sneering and holding his fists.

Seeing the sparks igniting between the black and white evil eyes, Zhu Xiu quickly smoothed things over and said: "Brothers, please don't be impulsive! Please calm down! Both eldest brothers are under the command of Tianxiong Army, so please take care of our friendship!" When Chai Shuai arrives and sees the two of you fighting, what will you think? You two don’t want to lose etiquette in front of Chai Shuai, do you?”

Zhao Kuangyin and Li Chongjin glared at each other, and then looked away with a heavy snort.

Zhu Xiu breathed a sigh of relief, and Fu Zhaoxin cast a grateful look at him.

Since Li Chongjin was knocked unconscious by Shi Xiangwen half a month ago, he has been hit hard and has been autistic for a long time.

Li Chongjin was very confident in his martial arts, and his uncle Guo Wei personally praised him as "the best tiger general in the world".

But why did the tiger turn into a sick cat in front of Shi Xiangwen?

Li Chongjin was not convinced, and insisted on letting Shi Xiangwen fight him again in a dignified manner.

Zhu Xiu arranged the match.

The situation was much better than last time. After getting rid of the mentality of underestimating the enemy, Li Chongjin improved his skills and pestered Shi Xiangwen to perform one hundred and eighty moves.

In the end, Shi Xiangwen was so irritated that he almost forgot Zhu Xiu's instructions not to hurt others, and knocked Li Chongjin unconscious twice with a heavy punch.

After waking up, Li Chongjin did not look for trouble or get angry. Instead, he was ecstatic and was extremely polite to Shi Xiangwen and Zhu Xiu.

According to Li Chongjin, he finally found an opponent he looked up to, the goal of climbing in his life.
What a hot-blooded older single man in middle school. If it weren't for his normal mind, Zhu Xiu almost thought this guy had been beaten stupid.

In this way, Li Chongjin is indeed "unconscious without beatings". Two violent beatings taught him the principles of life and let him know that the Black King can also kick the iron plate sometimes.

Shi Xiangwen only listened to Zhu Xiu's words, and only Zhu Xiu could communicate with him normally, which made Li Chongjin very admired.

He changed his previous attitude of being contemptuous of scribes and was polite to Zhu Xiuke. The eldest brother and the younger brother called each other very unkindly.

Li Chongjin is willing to put aside his prejudices and misunderstandings and take the initiative to make good friends. Of course, Zhu Xiu is happy to see this happen.

Only after we got chatting together did we realize that the two of them had a certain affinity for each other and felt that they were late to meet each other.

Li Chongjin wanted to make Zhu Xiu his acquaintance, but considering his status and future prospects, Zhu Xiu declined and said sternly: "We are two brothers in the same generation, why should we stick to false etiquette?"

These words deeply touched Li Chongjin's heart, and he excitedly called out to his confidant.

Li Chongjin had a heated fight with Zhu Xiu, but he was somewhat at odds with Zhao Kuangyin.

Li Chongjin has an impetuous temper and makes wild moves, while Zhao Kuangyin is calm and calm. Their personalities are at odds with each other and they both dislike each other.

They are both martial arts practitioners. The last time they fought, there was no winner because of Shi Xiangwen's obstruction. They both had a sense of anger and fighting spirit in their hearts.

Li Chongjin often found faults and quarreled, and Zhao Kuangyin was tit for tat. The two fought several times, but they were still indifferent.

The more this happens, the more the two of them want to gather strength and strive to defeat each other completely next time.

With both sides being big brothers, Zhu Xiu felt helpless and didn't know how to persuade.

Fortunately, the two of them quarreled and fought, and they both knew how to use their weapons. They didn't use their weapons at all, and they didn't use their dead hands. They were purely fighting with fists and kicks.

Li Chongjin's nose was bruised and his face was swollen, and Zhao Kuangyin was lame and had a broken arm. They haven't stopped for half a month.

If I hadn't gone out today and waited for Chai Rong to arrive, I'm afraid even Zhu Xiu wouldn't be able to persuade him to have a fight first.

In front of the City God's Temple, four big men arrived on horseback. The leader was Zhang Yongde, but Chai Rong was nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Yongde looked around and went straight to the tea shop.

After noon, the area near the temple was deserted and there were few pedestrians along the way. Occasionally, there were vendors picking up goods and shouting as they walked.

Zhu Xiu and others saw Zhang Yongde coming and hurriedly got up and walked outside the tea shop to greet him.

Zhang Yongde flew off his horse, clasped his fists and said, "I've seen Envoy Fu, Brother Li!"

Just as Fu Zhaoxin was about to speak, Li Chongjin took the lead and shouted hurriedly: "Where is my cousin?" Zhang Yongde said: "There is a war today. Commander Chai has to cooperate with the army and cannot keep the appointment, so he sent me to meet you first."

"Is there a war?" Li Chongjin's eyes flashed.

Zhang Yongde nodded without saying much, looking towards Zhao Kuangyin and Zhu Xiu.

Zhao Kuangyin clasped his fists and said: "I didn't expect that it has been nearly a year since I said goodbye to Kaifeng! Hug my brother, I hope you are well!"

Zhang Yongde said: "We only knew that you were in the Zhangyi Army when news of the two wars in Qizhou and Huazhou came. We couldn't hear any news about you for a long time, and we thought you were in danger on the way. General Zhao sent people to inquire several times. Chai Shuai has been hiding your whereabouts because he was worried about your father. It is better to find a way as soon as possible to ask someone to send a letter home so that your father can feel at ease."

Zhao Kuangyin said with shame: "Someone didn't think well about this matter, so Chai Shuai and Brother Baoyi had to worry too much."

The two looked at each other and smiled, somewhat caring about each other and feeling like they were close to each other.

Zhu Xiu rolled his eyes back and forth between the two of them, and felt a chill inexplicably.

These two guys are really passionate about each other, and they can't say anything about it.

Li Chongjin pulled Zhang Yongde and muttered: "What, you are familiar with Zhao Da'er? This guy has a treacherous look on his face, he is not a good person!"

Zhang Yongde was stunned, wondering why Zhao Kuangyin got the nickname Zhao Daer after he went to Jingzhou, and said softly: "Brother Zhao has been in the Tianxiong Army for almost two years, and Chai Shuai trusts and appreciates him quite a lot. After getting along with him, I felt very close to him."

"Hey~" Li Chongjin curled his lips and didn't ask again.

Zhang Yongde and Li Chongjin met when they were teenagers. They are familiar with each other and get along fairly well.

Zhang Yongde knew Li Chongjin's temper, and seeing the disdain on his face, he knew that he and Zhao Kuangyin had some misunderstanding.

"Brother Zhang! Long time no see, I miss you so much!" Seeing that Zhang Yongde didn't seem to see him, Zhu Xiu took the initiative to come forward, bowed to him with a bowed face, and squeezed his eyes hard, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

Thinking about saluting alone seems not enough to express the excitement and joy of their long-lost reunion, Zhu Xiu took a step forward, hugged Zhang Yongde firmly, and patted his back with both hands: "My little brother's longing for big brother Zhang is like pouring the water of the Wei River!" It’s also hard to tell.”

Zhang Yongde was born with a cold face, and because he was angry with Zhu Xiu and sneaked into Jingzhou without saying hello and hid for nearly two years, he deliberately turned a blind eye because he wanted to teach him a lesson.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Xiu didn't notice him at all, and hugged him as soon as they met, leaving him with nowhere to vent his anger.

Zhang Yongde's body was a little stiff, and he opened his hands at a loss. His cold face trembled and he was a little embarrassed.

Zhu Xiu snickered, to deal with a serious and upright person like Zhang Yongde, he had to use some unscrupulous methods.

In two years, Zhu Xiu has grown much taller, but compared to the tall Zhang Yongde, he is still more than half a head taller, and his body is also much thinner.

"Brother Zhang's figure is still so strong and fit. I can't help but think of the time when Brother Zhang took me for a ride together in Cangzhou City."

With a flattering smile on her face, Zhu Xiu patted Zhang Yongde's chest and gently squeezed his thick arms, admiring and sighing with emotion.

Zhang Yongde hated people with Long Yang's love the most in his life. He couldn't stand being too close between men. He immediately took a step back subconsciously, twitched the corners of his mouth and said with a forced smile: "After you left Cangzhou, your whereabouts are unknown. Chai Shuai asked everywhere but couldn't find you." I found out later that you had arrived in Jingzhou. Let’s go into the tea shop and sit down to talk, so as not to attract anyone’s attention!”

Zhang Yongde clasped his fists at everyone, stepped over Zhu Xiu, and ran into the tea shop as if he was running away.

Zhu Xiu grinned and smiled secretly. This guy wanted to challenge her, but he had already seen through his little thoughts.

In the tea shop, everyone was sitting around the table. Zhang Yongde drank several sips of herbal tea to get rid of the cold feeling in his body.

"Seven days ago, Guo Shuai received an urgent report from Qizhou. Meng Chang, the leader of the puppet Shu Kingdom, sent [-] troops in order to attack and disperse the pass. Guo Shuai was worried that if the war in Puzhou dragged on for a long time, the Shu army would take the opportunity to invade and give Li Shouzhen Just a chance to survive.

After convening the generals for discussion, they decided to attack the city as soon as possible.A storm was organized the day before yesterday, and Li Shouzhen personally climbed to the top of Puzhou City. The rebels' morale was high and they resisted tenaciously. Our army suffered heavy losses.They attacked again yesterday and actually killed two generals, the commander of Shenjie Army and the deputy envoy of Zhenguo Army. Equipment such as ladders and rams were also seriously damaged, and the morale of the army was depressed.
Today, Commander Guo ordered to cut down trees to make siege equipment. The entire army retreated to Dazhai to rest and recuperate. Commander Guo, Commander Chai and Mr. Wei took a boat to go south along the river to survey the terrain and find ways to break the city."

Zhang Yongde spoke solemnly, the battle in Puzhou City was more difficult than expected.

Li Chongjin pounded the table and shouted: "No matter how tall and dangerous Puzhou City is, how can it compare to Kaifeng City? When I followed the late emperor and his uncle to attack Kaifeng, I was also the first to attack the city! I will definitely participate in the next attack and lead the attack personally. Army, I don’t believe we can’t defeat this Puzhou!”

Zhao Kuangyin said calmly: "When Emperor Jin was kidnapped by the Khitans, there were only a few Khitan generals left behind in Kaifeng City, and a group of remnant defeated generals who bowed to the Khitan people. The army had no intention of fighting. The late emperor went south from Taiyuan and swept across the Central Plains. , with overwhelming prestige, it is no problem to conquer the precarious city of Kaifeng."

Li Chongjin glared and said angrily: "Zhao Da'er, what do you mean? Do you doubt the achievements I made back then?"

Zhao Kuangyin smiled lightly and said: "Brother Li bravely climbed the city. After the war, he was commended by the late Emperor Chrysostom and was awarded the post of Yuhou of the Forbidden Army. It stands to reason that Brother Li had already been appointed the Duyuhou more than two years ago, but why is he just now? To be a small commander in the Tianxiong Army? Others are getting bigger and bigger as they get higher, but Brother Li is getting smaller and smaller. He is really rare in the world."

Li Chongjin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his face full of embarrassment.

Zhao Kuangyin pretended to be enlightened and said with a smile: "I remembered it. Later I heard that when Brother Li was on duty in the palace, he stumbled into the bedroom of a concubine because he was still drunk. The late emperor saw that Guo Shuai was in trouble. In order to save his face, I wanted to reprimand him, but unfortunately General Guo was very strict in running the army. He petitioned to remove Brother Li from all posts, and he was imprisoned in Dali Temple for three months before he was released. This incident also became a good story in Kaifeng, and everyone knew it. Guo Shuai is said to be able to distinguish between public and private matters!"

Li Chongjin's black face was like burning coals, and he stared fiercely at Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhang Yongde and Fu Zhaoxin suppressed their laughter, they also knew about this.

This was the first time Zhu Xiu heard about it, and she didn't expect that Li Chongjin had such a violent past. He got drunk while on duty and even broke into the harem rashly.

If it had been anyone else, I'm afraid my head would have moved elsewhere.

"Zhao Da'er! I want to fight you to the death!" Li Chongjin was furious.

Zhao Kuangyin said coldly: "When the counter-rebellion is over, I will definitely accompany you!"

Li Chongjin said angrily: "I will go back now and ask Commander Guo for orders to lead an army to attack the city! Do you dare to compete with me to see who can attack Puzhou City first?"

"Hmph!~ Why don't you dare!" Zhao Kuangyin showed no sign of weakness.

Fu Zhaoxin held his forehead as if he had a headache. Zhang Yongde looked at the two of them in surprise. Looking at their postures, they seemed to be incompatible with each other.

Zhu Xiu knew that Zhao Kuangyin must have heard Li Chongjin say bad things about Zhang Yongde before, so he retorted.

Oddly enough, Zhao Kuangyin had a fairly good-natured temper and was relatively tolerant of others, but he and Li Chongjin were at odds with each other.

Zhu Xiu hurriedly acted as a peacemaker: "The two elder brothers must not be impulsive. This place is still under Li Shouzhen's control. It's better to keep a low profile and be cautious when we meet and talk, so as not to attract attention. Even if the two elder brothers want to compete with each other, they should wait Let’s talk about it after we finish the business.”

Fu Zhaoxin smiled and said: "That's right, let's talk about business first."

"Humph!~"

The two glared at each other and sat down.

Zhang Yongde sighed. From now on, the two of them will be under the command of Tianxiong Army, and they don't know how much trouble they will cause.

(End of this chapter)