The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 188 Mutual Confusion
Black Tiger Village was destined to be sleepless that night. A Jin Dynasty spy chief, who had been lurking in the village for many days, was suddenly exposed. Who knew how much he had done and how many conspiracies he had plotted during his time in hiding?

The man in black will inevitably face severe torture; the bandits will not rest until they uncover everything he knows.

These rebel armies had an absolute blood feud with the Jin Dynasty, so they naturally wouldn't hold back.

It was unknown how long the man in black could hold out. Wu Chengyu didn't think he could. Ancient punishments were often more cruel and direct. Which member of the Jin royal family wasn't pampered and privileged? Not everyone could be like the martyrs of the Red Party in later generations.

However, Wu Chengyu no longer cared. What he had just done averted a calamity for Black Tiger Stronghold. The men in black could not send messages, so naturally no one would attack the caravan, and far fewer people would die.

He asked himself if he was worthy of the title "Brother Renyi," but of course he would never dare to accept a title like "Nine Provinces Unrivaled," which would shorten his lifespan.

Wu Chengyu silently returned to the large dormitory bed in the inn, once again immersing himself in the pungent, fermenting air. Old Man Liang had not yet returned, so he entered a state of internal breathing and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, everyone in the dormitory got up. Some washed up, some fed the horses, and Old Man Liang strolled back from outside. When asked, he said he had gone outside to relieve himself, but his eyes were bloodshot and filled with murderous intent. Wu Chengyu could vaguely smell the blood on him.

Half an hour later, the caravan set off, but a mother and her child were secretly abducted and taken away from the caravan. Although the two deliberately dressed as commoners, their noble origins could still be seen from many details.

However, the two of them brought their own carriage into the caravan, the kind with a sidecar. The mother and son stayed in the carriage every day, never getting out unless necessary, and rarely interacting with the caravan members. This had not previously attracted Wu Chengyu's attention.

The woman was probably in her twenties, and her child was at most five or six years old, still an innocent teenager.

Unfortunately, sometimes one's birth is a sin. Since these two came from the Shi family and enjoyed the family's luxurious life, with everything they wore and used made from the people's hard-earned money, then the sins committed by the Shi family would inevitably befall them.

If the rebels would listen to his note and have their lives spared, that would be best. If not, that was their fate, and Wu Chengyu would not interfere further; he was not that saintly.

Old Liang did not stay behind. As usual, he followed the caravan and sat in a carriage with Wu Chengyu. However, he was not as talkative as he was yesterday and remained silent, no one knew what he was plotting.

Wu Chengyu, on the other hand, was getting a little bored. It was at least two days' journey from Black Tiger Village to Dasanguan Pass, and without Old Man Liang to chat with, the trip would be extremely dull.

“Old Liang, I see you look troubled today, perhaps something is troubling you. I am well-read and knowledgeable, and I have a wealth of wisdom. Why don’t you ask me for some advice? Maybe I can help you.”

"Go away, go away. What's the point of asking you a bookworm? I'm telling you, no matter how many books you read, if you can't open your eyes and see the world, all those books are useless. If you have a righteous spirit in your heart, can you really be fearless?"

"Clinging firmly to the green hills, its roots firmly planted in the broken rocks. A thousand blows and ten thousand strikes cannot break its strength; it stands firm against the winds from all directions."

Fear actually originates from within yourself and has nothing to do with the harsh realities of the outside world. If you truly have no fear in your heart, who can force you to be afraid? Old Liang, don't you agree?"

"The poem is not bad, but it's easy to talk. You scholars are good at talking, but when it comes to actually picking up a sword, you become weak and trembling. I've seen too many of you over the years."

"Otherwise, how could our Han people's beautiful lands have fallen to the Jin dynasty? I have no time to waste arguing with you today."

After being rebuked by Old Man Liang, Wu Chengyu had no choice but to shut up. The old man clearly didn't want to talk, so why bother making a fool of himself? Unexpectedly, after the carriage continued for a while, perhaps feeling too heavy-hearted and wanting to confide in someone, Old Man Liang took the initiative to speak again.

"Scholar, what is your view on the current situation between the Song and Jin dynasties? Do you think the Song state still has the ability to recover the lost territories of the Han people?"

Since Wu Chengyu entered Shaanxi, including the conversation he overheard last night between the chieftain of Black Tiger Village and Old Man Liang, he has noticed that these people always refer to the Song Dynasty as the Song State. In their words, they no longer consider themselves Song people, but instead keep talking about the Han Dynasty's rivers and mountains.

Actually, this is a good thing. Based on what Wu Chengyu saw and heard, the Southern Song Dynasty was completely rotten to the core, and there was really no hope in sight. Of course, this can be considered as history proving it.

At the same time, Wu Chengyu never considered himself a Song person.

"Why bring up the State of Song? Regardless of Han Tuozhou's merits and demerits, has any history ever heard of a state beheading its own leader of the pro-war faction to sue for peace with an enemy state? From that day on, the State of Song was finished."

Upon hearing Wu Chengyu's words, Old Man Liang perked up. For the first time in days, he felt a sense of familiarity with the scholar before him.

"But that traitor Shi Miyuan is dead after all, so perhaps the Song court can do something in the future."

"After Cai Jing died, Qin Hui came along; after Qin Hui died, Shi Miyuan came along; and after Shi Miyuan? Maybe someone surnamed Jia will emerge."

Loyal ministers and good generals can be killed off, but treacherous ministers are like crops watered with manure—they keep appearing one after another.

Wu Chengyu's words plunged Old Man Liang into silence once again. In fact, it was certain that these rebels had fought desperately for many years and were not afraid to die or sacrifice themselves, but now the situation was deteriorating and the rebels were being wiped out one after another, so it was inevitable that they would feel lost.

It wasn't that they placed their hopes on the Song Dynasty court, but rather that they didn't know who to turn to.

Especially last night, when Old Man Liang personally interrogated that Jin spy, the guy finally broke down when all his fingers and toes were cut off and then he saw Old Man Liang raise a small hammer to smash his fifth limb bit by bit.

He confessed all his plans in detail, which terrified the Black Tiger Stronghold chief and Old Man Liang. If it weren't for someone helping to expose this guy, the entire Shaanxi rebel army would have been wiped out once his plan was launched.

Being able to know in advance and take preventative measures certainly averted a disaster, but what then? The Jin people's schemes will not stop, and Old Man Liang became increasingly confused.

"But the Jin cavalry is so powerful, what can we do to deal with them?"

Whether it was the rebel army or the Song Dynasty army, the Jin Dynasty's cavalry was their biggest threat. The rebel army was always defeated when faced with the cavalry's charge, and they had been barely surviving for years, completely helpless.

Ancient cavalry has always been a deadly weapon on the battlefield. The Jin Dynasty's eventual defeat was due not only to its own corruption, but also to the fact that its proud cavalry encountered the most powerful and terrifying cavalry in world history, and they were simply no match for them.

But the Han people didn't have such powerful cavalry, and Wu Chengyu was somewhat bewildered when he heard what Old Man Liang said.

(End of this chapter)