Chapter 27 Not Simple

Chapter 27 Not Simple

Chapter 27 Not Simple

"Leaving Sheep's Head Mountain?"

"Correct!"

"why?"

"Yangtou Mountain is not where I should stay." Zhang Xijun replied calmly.

Zhu Shenzhui smiled. What Zhang Xijun said was quite interesting. He was originally in the same group with Li Hu and others. It was also obvious that Li Hu treated Zhang Xijun very well. Not only did he have a high status in their gang, but he was also quite respectful when he spoke to him.

In this case, why did Zhang Xijun insist on leaving Yangtou Mountain? And why did he seek help from Zhu Shenzhui and offer to follow him?

Zhu Shenzhui asked: "Now Yangtou Mountain has grain, and after the land is reclaimed next year, Yangtou Mountain will be stable. If so, why do you want to follow me?"

Zhang Xijun shook his head and sighed. Just when Zhu Shenzhui thought he was going to tell the reason, Zhang Xijun suddenly said, "Sixth Master, if you can take me away from Yangtou Mountain, I can not only help you, but also help you take Li You away!"

Zhu Shenzhui was shocked.

"Sixth Master, Li You is Li Hu's only son. Since Sixth Master wants to use the people of Yangtou Mountain, it is not enough to just send a few people to stay in Yangtou Mountain. I know Li Hu and others very well. Only by holding Li Hu's lifeline can Li Hu be truly used by Sixth Master."

"Hahaha, Master, are you kidding? Tiger and I hit it off right away and are as close as brothers. This is not what you think..."

"Sixth Master!" Zhang Xijun said solemnly, "Let's be frank. Yangtou Mountain is strategically located and is on a strategic road. To the south is Gaoping, to the north is Changzhi, to the west is Anze and Fushan, and to the east is Yuxia Pass. If we can firmly occupy Yangtou Mountain, no matter what Sixth Master wants to do, we can move forward and backward at will."

"Sixth Master showed favor to Li Hu, it's nothing more than seeing the convenience of Yangtou Mountain, I admire you very much. But Sixth Master, if you want to do great things, it's not enough to just show favor. If Sixth Master wants to completely take Li Hu as your own, you must hold Li Hu's lifeline, and Li You is an important link. I can do this for Sixth Master, I just ask Sixth Master to take me away from Yangtou Mountain and follow Sixth Master."

As he spoke, Zhang Xijun bowed to Zhu Shenzhui.

Zhu Shenzhui squinted his eyes and looked at Zhang Xijun, and didn't say anything for a while. Until this moment, he suddenly realized that he had always underestimated the inconspicuous Zhang Xijun.

Since getting to know Li Hu and others, Zhu Shenzui has focused most of his attention on Li Hu, Lu Yishen and Hu Lin. Although he has had some contact with Zhang Xijun, they have never had in-depth exchanges.

Moreover, Zhang Xijun gave Zhu Shenzhui the impression of being just a scholar who was powerless and a poor scholar who followed the bandits. In addition, Zhang Xijun's personality has always been a quiet one. Even when drinking, he never takes the initiative to speak, and only gives a brief answer when asked.

It was this person who suddenly said all this to Zhu Shenzhui, directly pointed out Zhu Shenzhui's intention towards Yangtou Mountain, and reminded Zhu Shenzhui that if he wanted to control Li Hu and others, it was not enough to just show favor. Li Hu's only son Li You was the key. Li You must be firmly in his hands, then Yangtou Mountain could be completely at ease.

Zhang Xijun's words could not help but make Zhu Shenzhui alert. If Zhang Xijun was just an ordinary scholar, then he was too unexpected for Zhu Shenzhui. An ordinary poor scholar had such knowledge and scheming? Zhu Shenzhui absolutely did not believe it.

"Who are you? What are your origins?" Zhu Shenzui's tone became stern.

"Sixth Master, have you ever heard of Li Fuda?"

"Li Fuda?!" Upon hearing this name, Zhu Shenzhui's eyes suddenly widened.

Li Fuda was no ordinary person, he was a well-known professional rebel in the Ming Dynasty. In the first year of Zhengde, Li Fuda conspired to start a rebellion, but was exiled after his failure. Unexpectedly, he secretly escaped and changed his name to continue his rebellion. Later, he failed again and was caught and sent to Shandanwei again.

Afterwards, Li Fuda escaped again, this time running to Luochuan and starting another rebellion. After his failure, he changed his name again.

This time, Li Fuda learned from his previous mistakes. He bribed officials with money and food, pretended to be a craftsman in the capital, and obtained an official position. With the help of Guo Xun, the Marquis of Wuding, he got the position of the commander of Taiyuan Guard. It was incredible that a professional rebel could become the commander of Taiyuan Guard. At this time, Li Fuda changed his name to Zhang Yin and worked as an official steadily.

But the matter did not end there. In the fifth year of Jiajing, Zhang Yin was recognized and reported by his enemy. The case was brought from the local level to the imperial court. Jiajing ordered the case to be tried six times. However, as there was no substantial evidence to prove that Zhang Yin, the commander of Taiyuan Guard, was Li Fuda, and the case also involved Guo Xun, the Marquis of Wuding, it caused a struggle among the civil officials and nobles in the court, making it even more confusing.

In the end, because the witness turned against him and no real evidence could be produced after six trials, Jiajing, who was looking to use this case to crack down on the civil service group that had opposed him because of the Great Ceremony Debate, fanned the flames, and Zhang Yin not only escaped unscathed, but the informant was executed by Jiajing for falsely accusing an official, the officials who tried the case were implicated and exiled, and Zhang Yin was reinstated and the case was closed.

This case was called the Li Fuda case at the time. So was Zhang Yin, the commander of Taiyuan Guard, the professional rebel Li Fuda? There was no final result until the end. But during the Longqing period, this case was brought up again, saying that there was evidence to prove that Zhang Yin was Li Fuda.

But by then, several decades had passed, the parties involved and witnesses had long since passed away, and the so-called evidence was merely inference.

The Li Fuda case is a mystery, and the case happened in Shanxi. How could Zhu Shenzhui not know about it?
So when Zhang Xijun suddenly asked about Li Fuda, Zhu Shenzhu was extremely shocked.

Could it be that Zhang Xijun is a descendant of Li Fuda? Yes, if Zhang Yin, the commander of Taiyuan Guard, was Li Fuda, then Li Fuda used the pseudonym Zhang Yin, and his descendants would have the surname Zhang, and Zhang Xijun also had the surname Zhang. Is there such a relationship between the two?

"True or false, false or true, so many years have passed, who can tell the difference?" Zhang Xijun shook his head and sighed, then continued: "Zhang Xijun is just my pseudonym, and the name has no meaning to me, it's just a name. To be honest, Sixth Master, the reason why I have fallen to this point today is somewhat similar to Zhang Yin back then, but unfortunately I am not as lucky as Zhang Yin, and I don't have the support of Marquis Wu Ding behind me."

As he spoke, Zhang Xijun smiled bitterly, his expression somewhat miserable.

"Sixth Master!"

Zhang Xijun cupped his hands and said sincerely, "Although I am not strong enough to fight a chicken, I believe I have read a few books, know a few words, and understand a little bit of strategy. Yangtou Mountain is not a place for me to stay for long. Although Li Hu has done me a favor, he is just a warrior."

"Sixth Master has great strategic vision and is truly extraordinary. If you don't mind, I am willing to follow you and do my best for you. I hope you will agree..."

As he spoke, Zhang Xijun bowed deeply to Zhu Shenzui. Zhu Shenzui was silent as he looked at Zhang Xijun kneeling before him.

Until now, Zhang Xijun has not clearly stated his origins, but his words just now revealed some of it.

If Zhu Shenzui's judgment is correct, even if Zhang Xijun is not a descendant of Zhang Yin, I'm afraid there are some secrets between them that are unknown to outsiders.

In addition, whether Zhang Yin is the real Li Fuda has become a mystery, but Zhu Shenzhu knows exactly who Li Fuda is.

Zhang Xijun himself said just now that he admitted that his experience was similar to Zhang Yin's, which was equivalent to admitting that his identity was far more than just an ordinary scholar. So who was Zhang Xijun? Zhu Shenzhu guessed that he was probably from the White Lotus lineage, otherwise why would a good scholar mix with a group of miners? And even went to Yangtou Mountain to do a business with no capital?
"To accept or not to accept?" This question flashed through Zhu Shenzhui's mind again and again.

Zhu Shenzhu admitted that he had underestimated Zhang Xijun before. He did not expect that Zhang Xijun, who had always been inconspicuous, had such vision and ideas. The suggestion Zhang Xijun made just now really moved Zhu Shenzhu. He understood that Zhang Xijun was right. It was not only about using Li You to control Li Hu, but also about the importance of Yangtou Mountain. In fact, this was also what Zhu Shenzhu had thought of, but he had not had time to do it.

From this point of view, their ideas are the same. In addition, Zhang Xijun's reasons for joining him made Zhu Shenzhu feel that this person was not simple. So should he accept this person or not? Zhu Shenzhu fell into deep thought.

Zhang Xijun, who was prostrating himself on the ground, lowered his head and could not see Zhu Shenzhui's expression, and felt uneasy.

He is a smart man, he knows the current situation very well, and he understands the importance of Zhu Shenzhu. As long as he can impress Zhu Shenzhu, he can leave Yangtou Mountain. In Yangtou Mountain, people like him have no place to use their skills, but it is different around Zhu Shenzhu. Since he met Zhu Shenzhu, Zhang Xijun has been secretly thinking about this person.

What Zhang Xijun said just now was basically true. The reason why he took the initiative to surrender to Zhu Shenzhu was also based on judgment and consideration. Zhang Xijun took a risk by doing this today, but this risk could not be avoided. In his opinion, as long as his judgment was not wrong, Zhu Shenzhu would most likely agree to him.

Time passed by, Zhu Shencui didn't say anything, and Zhang Xijun couldn't help sweating on his forehead. Just when Zhang Xijun began to doubt his judgment and felt a little desperate, Zhu Shencui finally spoke.

(End of this chapter)