Sweep Yuan

Chapter 122 Blocking the Temple Gate, Chongba Emerges from the Mountain

clang!clang!clang!
Yuhuang Temple is located in the southern suburbs of Haozhou.

The bell tolled without its usual slow and solemn tone, becoming continuous and rapid, piercing through the morning mist and startling pilgrims who were preparing to enter the mountain, causing them to turn and flee.

The monks, who were performing their morning prayers, recognized the signal that the temple was under attack. They immediately panicked and fled the main hall, ignoring the reprimands of the monks in charge of discipline. They rushed to their quarters to pack their belongings, ready to escape by climbing over the wall as soon as they realized the situation was dire.

Don't blame these monks for lacking self-control. Seven years ago, our temple had to send a large number of young monks down the mountain to beg for alms because we didn't have enough money for incense and oil. No one knows better than these monks what the world is really like these days.

In this chaotic world, even those who live outside the secular world only have one life; they will still die if they are attacked by swords and spears.

The monk in charge of receiving guests ran out of the mountain gate with a heavy heart. After asking the soldiers blocking the gate what their purpose was, he returned to the temple to report the news. He was able to barely keep his composure, but he was so startled by the scene of the monks running around that he slipped and bumped into a tree trunk by the roadside, unable to get up for a long time.

"Senior brother, what happened outside?"

"We've been attacked by soldiers! There are so many soldiers in red outside the temple, and they sealed off the mountain gate as soon as they arrived!"

The guest monk, still dazed, finished answering the question before realizing that the monk who had helped him up had a rather heroic appearance, but was dressed in a tattered antaka robe. Annoyed that this novice had seen his disgraceful state, he snorted coldly and continued to stumble towards the monastery to find the abbot.

"This is strange. Weren't the Red-Clad Soldiers supposed to be very disciplined and not bother the people? Why are they suddenly coming to our temple to freeload? Did the temple's loan sharking incident drive a tenant to his death come to light? Or did some elder lose control of his underlings and offend some big shot?"

The valiant novice monk carried a tattered cloth bag on his shoulder and an iron ruler in his hand. His mind was full of doubts, but his steps were swift, and he ran to the backyard in just a few steps.

Dengdengdeng-

The novice monk found a secluded corner, took a running start, stepped onto the crooked old locust tree, quickly climbed up the courtyard wall, and jumped down.

"Hey, another one's run out! Guys, quick, don't let him get away!"

A dozen soldiers in red suddenly emerged from behind the rocks and trees, blocking the novice monk's path.

"and many more."

The novice monk looked at the positions of the soldiers in red and quickly calculated in his mind which ones to take down first in order to break through the encirclement, while his mouth kept moving.

“I’m just a novice monk, I don’t have to follow so many precepts. I recently killed a stray dog ​​and ate it. The temple doesn’t care about this. Why send so many people to arrest me? Sir, you must have mistaken me for someone else.”

"I'm not mistaken, it's him!"

The voice was familiar. The novice monk looked in the direction of the voice and saw another fat monk who had escaped from the temple before him but had been captured by the soldiers in red.

"He is Zhu Chongba, the man you are looking for!"

Are you really looking for me?
Who did I offend that they specifically named me and wanted to arrest me!

Zhu Chongba was puzzled, but secretly gathered strength in his legs. He had already chosen a target in his mind and was preparing to rush forward, knock him down, and escape when he saw the man suddenly stop his spear, clasp his hands in a salute to him, and say:
"Brother Zhu, our commander invites you."

Zhu Chongba was a generous and outgoing man who loved making friends in the martial arts world. In his youth, he herded cattle for a landlord and gained many close playmates. During the four years he spent begging for alms after becoming a monk, he met even more heroes. Who knows who might suddenly rise to prominence and lead so many soldiers?

However, he was an insignificant figure at the temple, with a lowly status, doing odd jobs all day long, and had almost no presence. He never thought that someone would lead troops to attack the temple, and that they would come specifically to find him. He was a little confused for a moment.

"No, who's in charge here? Are you really looking for me?"

……

At the gate of the Imperial Temple, Zhu Chongba met the commander of the Fourth Battalion of the Red Flag Battalion, who had invited him there.

"Tang Xiaosan, Tang He! It really is you! You bastard, you almost scared me to death!"

Zhu Chongba rushed over and punched Tang He's iron armor twice, making a loud clanging sound.

"Hey, this armor is pretty good! Tell me, what's the point of all this commotion today?"

Remembering Marshal Shi's instructions from last night, Tang He turned around and showed off his outfit.

"Hehe, Brother Chongba, how about it? Come back to Haozhou with me, meet Marshal Shi, and before long you'll be able to get a set of armor like this too!"

On the way here, the soldiers in red had already explained their origins to Zhu Chongba. Yuhuang Temple was not far from Haozhou City, and the monks in the temple knew more or less about Marshal Shi's deeds, but Zhu Chongba's focus was not on Marshal Shi.

"Oh! You want to order me around? Tang Xiaosan, you've gotten quite bold in the last few years!"

Seeing Zhu Chongba about to punch him, Tang He quickly begged for mercy.

“Brother Chongba, you know my abilities, how could I dare to order you around? It's like this…”

Last night, Shishan read Tang He's letter and was very interested in Chongba, asking him about his abilities.

Tang He originally wanted to answer "ten times that of himself", but then he remembered that he was already a commander and that the person above him was Marshal Shi, so he changed his answer to "his courage and strength are no less than Commander Fu's, his knowledge is no less than Deputy Commander Shao's, and his eagerness to learn is no less than Commander Zhou's".

Shishan, however, did not believe that such a person could be summoned with just a letter.

"Yuhuang Temple is not far from the city. Since Zhu Chongba has such ability and insight, he should know that the world is in chaos and the temple will not be peaceful sooner or later. If he wanted to join the army, he would have done so long ago. If you really want him to come down the mountain, then don't write letters. It's on your way, so I will allow you to take your troops to pick him up tomorrow."

The marshal's tone was one of suggestion, but Tang He interpreted it as an order. He immediately patted his chest and declared that he would bring Zhu Chongba down the mountain even if he had to tie him up. Tang He had known Zhu Chongba for many years and knew that the latter was astute, suspicious, and had a strong sense of crisis. Fearing that Zhu Chongba might run away before he knew the reason, he ordered his soldiers to surround the temple as soon as they arrived outside Yuhuang Temple.

Unexpectedly, they actually caught Chongba in the back mountain.

After Tang He finished speaking, he took out the letter he had written the night before and handed it to Zhu Chongba.

Zhu Chongba took the letter, but had no interest in reading it.

"Tell me, what kind of hero is Marshal Shi?"

Tang He had already written these things in his letter, but after all, he had only recently joined the army and his understanding of Shishan was not actually very deep. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"These are like gods. Anyone who has seen you once and registered, regardless of their status, the Marshal can remember their name the next time he sees you. Our Red Flag Battalion officers were originally ordinary people, but now they not only know how to fight, but they can also read."

And those scholars, no matter how arrogant they are, when they see our Marshal, what's that again? Right, they bow down!
Furthermore, our military system is completely different from that of the government army. Since you haven't joined the army yet, I can't explain it in detail, but it's quite intricate. Don't underestimate me just because I only command about three hundred men. If we were to engage the government army, even if we had a thousand or eight hundred men, the government army would be the first to be defeated.

Zhu Chongba gave Tang a look that said, "You're just bragging," but in the end, he was still somewhat tempted and said:
"If I join the army, can I become a higher-ranking officer than you?"

"That can't happen!"

Tang He blurted out, but seeing Zhu Chongba's pale face, he quickly added:
"I'm directly above Marshal Shi, there's no officer higher than me. You didn't expect that, did you? Hehe, even if you join the army, you'll only be my equal for now. But in the future, as the territory expands, the organization will definitely grow, and Brother Chongba will definitely be ahead of me."

Tang He deliberately concealed the difference between the Class A and Class B battalions. Since they were both called commanders, and he had always been overshadowed by Chongba since childhood, he was secretly pleased to finally have a chance to show off.

"That won't work!"

Zhu Chongba feigned anger and said:
"I'll come down the mountain if you want, but you can give up your position as commander and let me have it. You think you can be my equal? ​​Dream on!"

In the past, Tang He would have had to declare, "Mine belongs to Chongba."

But at this moment, he was somewhat troubled. After hesitating for a while, he decided to tell the truth. Looking at his subordinates beside him, Tang He pulled Zhu Chongba a few steps away and lowered his voice, saying:
“I’m not lying to you. The Red Flag Battalion has strict military discipline. I was appointed by Marshal Shi. The soldiers under my command are not my own. I can give up my command, but whether you can become the commander and who you will manage is not up to me or you. Only the Marshal’s word counts.”

"hiss--"

Zhu Chongba finally took the troops in front of him seriously, and then realized that these soldiers were completely different from the troops stationed in various places that he had seen before.

"Marshal Shi really does have some tricks up his sleeve!"

"That's not the case!"

When the topic of Shishan comes up, Tang He quickly regains his confidence.

"We just won a great victory in Dingyuan. The scene was... wow..."

"All right!"

Zhu Chongba couldn't stand Tang He's stinky appearance, so he kicked him in the butt and cursed:

"Damn it, if you wanted me to join the army, why didn't you come to the temple by yourself to persuade me? Why did you have to bring so many soldiers and make such a big fuss? With you causing this commotion, I really can't be a monk anymore!"

Tang He chuckled to himself. He had brought troops to escort Chongba down the mountain, which was both an order from Marshal Shi and also something he himself had his own ulterior motives.

If you don’t return to your hometown with your brocade clothes, it’s like walking in brocade clothes at night.

For so many years, when have I ever been able to hold my head high in front of Chongba?
But in front of Zhu Chongba, he dared not speak frankly.

"Didn't I hear that the old bald monk at Yuhuang Temple bullied Brother Chongba? He's been a monk for seven years and begged for food for four, and he still won't ordain you. I just want to get revenge. Brother Chongba, tell me, who are your enemies? I'll go and kill them right now!"

Having known each other for many years, Zhu Chongba knew Tang He's nature all too well. This fellow was clearly putting on an act, saying nice things, but if he were really allowed to kill him, he would surely spout nonsense like "the Red Flag Battalion has strict military discipline."

Moreover, he didn't even know if he could make a name for himself under Marshal Shi, so how could he easily cut off his own escape route?

"Forget it, without the temple taking me in, I might have been reincarnated long ago. Yu Huang Temple at least raised me for a few years. I was about to join the army anyway, so let bygones be bygones. I, Old Zhu, am grateful and will repay the kindness."

Inside the mountain gate, the monks were looking in this direction with alarm.

Zhu Chongba clasped his hands together, bowed three times to the temple elder, and chanted Buddhist mantras, his appearance solemn and dignified.

He then turned around, looked at the fat monk who had betrayed him in the back mountain, and walked over with a wicked smile.

"Zhu Chongba, what are you doing? Don't come any closer!"

"If I, Old Zhu, have a grudge, I'll take revenge!"

Bang bang!
Ahhhhh!
After a flurry of punches, the fat monk's head grew even larger, and Zhu Chongba felt a surge of satisfaction. He shouted to Tang He:
"What are you standing there for! Hurry up and take me to see Marshal Shi!"

……

P.S.: The struggle for supremacy at the end of the Yuan Dynasty cannot be ignored when talking about Zhu Yuanzhang. Everyone has at least one different Zhu Yuanzhang in their mind. In the world of time travelers, Zhu Yuanzhang is different again.

However, now that Zhu Chongba has fallen into the hands of the protagonist, will there be another Zhu Yuanzhang in the future?
(End of this chapter)