The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 454: Abbot Xuanci: Gouzi, you have changed

"The Khitan Xiao Feng was expelled from the Beggars' Sect and has nothing to do with it. Why do you all still use the old address? Brothers, how have you all been?" Being called Gang Leader Qiao filled Xiao Feng with mixed emotions, and he clasped his fists in return.

Upon seeing Xiao Feng, Xiao A Zi's lips curled slightly, but she spoke discontentedly, "King Xiao is so bold and courageous! Just now, you led an army of 100,000 to capture Yanmen and break through Taiyuan, and now your army is heading straight for Henan. The Song court hates you to the core, but can do nothing about it. That's why the Beggars' Sect and Shaolin held a martial arts conference to drive you, the King of the Southern Court, out of the Central Plains."

At this point, Xiao A Zi paused slightly, then raised her thumbs with a smile and said, "I never thought that King Xiao would come to me on his own initiative. How much do you despise the heroes of the Central Plains?"

Xiao Feng felt a familiarity in Xiao A Zi's voice. Upon closer inspection, he couldn't help but smile. "I was wondering who was so sharp-tongued. Turns out it's you, girl. But why are you running off to Shaolin Temple in Songshan instead of staying by your beleaguered husband's side? Oh, so that's how it is. You want to become the leader of the martial arts world, and with the help of the heroes of the martial arts world, resolve your husband's crisis?"

"Hmph, my husband has unparalleled martial arts skills and extraordinary abilities. What can a mere clown do to him?" Little A Zi snorted. "I was bored at home, so I wandered around. I accidentally conquered the Xingxiu Sea, won the favor of Child-Lao, and became the Young Master of the Lingjiu Palace. I heard that the Shaolin Martial Arts Conference was exciting, so I came here. You actually dared to come to Shaolin at this critical moment. I admire you, I admire you!"

Just as Xiao A Zi was about to continue mocking Xiao Feng, she suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves outside, followed by the arrival of thousands of cavalrymen. Xiao Feng, with a look of helplessness on his face, said, "Now Xiao Feng is the King of the Southern Court. He is no longer the free and easy knight-errant. Originally, I just wanted to meet with my brothers and friends, but the military advisor wouldn't allow it, and the generals objected. In the end, I had no choice but to bring three thousand cavalry guards with me to make the journey."

The heroes were all in an uproar when they heard this. They had originally seen that Xiao Feng had only 20 to 30 followers, all of whom were second-rate, but they were not afraid of him. However, when they heard that there were 3,000 Khitan cavalrymen at the foot of the mountain, they immediately panicked.

Abbot Xuanci chanted a Buddhist name, and the look he gave Xiao Feng suddenly became a little different: Gouzi, you have changed. You were not so cowardly before.

Xiao Feng spread his hands slightly, feeling helpless: the head follows the butt, becoming the King of the Southern Courtyard, enjoying the pleasure of holding power and taking revenge, but he must pay the corresponding price.

However, there is no shortage of brave men in the Central Plains martial arts world, especially the martial arts heroes of Shanxi, who hate Xiao Feng to the core. How can they not hate him when their own homes have been conquered?

"King Xiao was originally a Khitan noble. It is commendable that he was awarded the title of King of the Southern Courtyard for his meritorious service in saving the emperor. But can you really forget the kindness of the Qiao couple in raising you as you grew up with Zhongyuan?" Abbot Xuanci played the emotional card.

Xiao Feng laughed heartily and said, "How could I forget the kindness my parents showed me in raising me? The Qiao family was poor, and when I was young, I even fell ill and had no money for medical treatment. Fortunately, I met Master Enshi Xuanku, and I diligently learned martial arts and achieved great success. Later, I joined the Beggars' Sect and became their disciple, Master Wang. I was taught the Dragon Subduing Palm and even became their leader. However, the Beggars' Sect was unable to bring wealth to my parents, until..."

It was not until recently that Xiao Feng became the King of the Southern Courtyard and gave Qiao Sanhuai and his wife a life of luxury. Even if they wanted to farm, they had a golden hoe and could freely cultivate land and raise chickens and sheep in the back garden of the palace.

After hearing Xiao Feng's description, the heroes couldn't help but frown. "Did you forcibly turn the palace into a farmhouse?" However, this filial piety was truly impeccable.

But can't you be a little flexible and set up a farm outside for them to manage, instead of destroying the well-maintained back garden of the palace?

Seeing that filial piety was intact, Abbot Xuanci mentioned the Beggars' Sect again. "After being the leader of the Beggars' Sect for so many years, can the relationship between you and your fellow Beggars' Sect members really be dissolved so easily? During this invasion of the Song Dynasty, you captured Yanmen Pass and broke through Taiyuan. How many Beggars' Sect members suffered?"

"I have been the leader of the Beggars' Sect for eight years. I have been thinking about fighting against foreign enemies and defending our country, but I have neglected the livelihoods of my brothers in the gang. If it were not for the hundreds of thousands of taels of silver donated by Brother Murong every year, I am afraid that my brothers would be even more sad. Even so, the Beggars' Sect brothers have helped me a lot during my return to the Central Plains. Without the help of the Beggars' Sect brothers, I don't think it would be easy to take Taiyuan." Xiao Feng's words embarrassed the Beggars' Sect members. They only knew that Taiyuan had fallen, but they didn't know that the Beggars' Sect disciples were also involved.

After hearing Xiao Feng talk about the hard life of the lower-level disciples of the Beggar Gang and his return to the disciples after he captured Taiyuan, everyone was speechless. Xiao Feng still cared about the old friendship and directly gave them land, property, and even official positions, which made them a little unable to accept for a while.

The eyes of the heroes towards the Beggars' Sect suddenly became a little different. They thought, "You, a group of tough guys with thick eyebrows and big eyes, have actually surrendered?"

Elder Xu, Elder Chuan Gong, Elder Wu and others looked at each other in disbelief. Some of them could not believe that this was true, but it was indeed unreasonable that there was no news at all from the Taiyuan branch.

"Amitabha, King Xiao was in great glory when he was the leader of the Beggars' Sect. His true feelings were revealed when he fell into trouble. Deputy Leader Ma never left him, and Young Master Murong took great care of him. King Xiao invaded the Central Plains, but did he ever think that one day he would have to go to war with Young Master Murong?" Abbot Xuan Ci knew that Deputy Leader Ma was dead, the murderer was unknown, and even Xiao Feng himself was a suspect, so he pushed Murong Fu out first.

Hearing this, Xiao Feng couldn't help but let out a long howl, and then his eyes flashed with coldness as he said, "It is precisely because of Brother Murong that I am willing to lead my troops into the Central Plains. If it weren't for Brother Murong, I would definitely not do this."

The heroes were in an uproar when they heard this. Many smart people suddenly thought that the Murong family seemed to be in a precarious situation now, surrounded by enemies and besieged by many wealthy families. At this time, if Xiao Feng led his troops into the Central Plains, it would be possible for him to help resolve the crisis.

Abbot Xuanci had not expected Xiao Feng to respond in this way. He chanted a Buddhist chant, his mind racing, and asked, "If the imperial court appoints Master Murong to lead the troops to fight against you, what would you do?"

Xiao Feng laughed heartily and said, "Of course, I will lead a hundred thousand troops to crush him all the way. It would be best if we could capture him alive and make him give me advice. Then, I can defeat the corrupt imperial court in one fell swoop and send them fleeing in disarray."

"The Murong brothers were exceptionally talented, both civil and military. They passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty. When they were exiled to a remote county, where rebellions were rampant and the people were suffering, they brought order within a year, and within three years, they were promoted to the head of the prefectural capital. Later, they were promoted to prefect, and Yazhou's governance was unparalleled in Sichuan and Shu. The imperial court didn't offer much support, instead sending many corrupt officials. If it weren't for the Murong brothers' exceptional talents, I'm afraid the favorable situation would have been ruined."

"Under the rule of the Murong brothers, Yazhou Prefecture prospers and thrives. Streets are free of looting, and people have ample food and clothing, surpassing even the most prosperous areas in Sichuan and Shu."

"The Murong brothers developed commerce, and local specialties emerged one after another. The taxes levied on merchants from Tubo and Dali continued to rise."

"Brother Murong has been rectifying the government. Yazhou Prefecture has always ranked first in the Song Dynasty in assessments, and many talented people have emerged."

"Brother Murong is guarding the border, and the Tibetan army can't move forward."

"Then, the imperial court took away all his achievements with a mere empty title. Corrupt officials from the court rushed in, turning the prosperous Yazhou Prefecture into a mess. The border troops also saw their combat effectiveness drastically reduced due to corruption, facing the danger of being annihilated by the Tibetan army."

"Yazhou Prefecture was originally the seat of the imperial court. Brother Murong's concession stemmed from his own motives, wanting to transition from military to civil service and integrate into the mainstream upper class of the Song Dynasty. But he was wrong, utterly wrong. His concession only made those ruthless bastards more reckless, instead of recognizing his kindness."

Xiao Feng sneered, "Brother Murong built Yazhou Prefecture, and they swallowed it up and ruined it. Brother Murong's business is spread all over the country, making him rich, and they are jealous and want to take it away. In their eyes, Brother Murong, who came from a military background, has never been one of their own. Brother Murong realized this and rose up in resistance. As you have seen, the result was that the entire Song Dynasty rose up to attack him, or rather, to divide him up."

"If the court uses the Murong brothers now, it would be like using a knife to kill someone and lure the tiger away from the mountain. They are using me to kill the Murong brothers and transfer them away so that they can better devour the Murong brothers' foundation." Xiao Feng stared at Abbot Xuanci and said, "If Master were in the Murong brothers' position, what would he choose?"

"Amitabha," Abbot Xuanci chanted, then paused for a moment before asking, "If King Xiao were in Master Murong's shoes, under what circumstances would he be willing to come out of seclusion?"

Xiao Feng chuckled and glanced at him, saying, "Brother Murong's need is obvious: family transformation. In his mind, family, or rather, family, is the most important thing. At this point, all we need to do is acknowledge the Murong family's status, return what was taken from him, compensate for the damage, and sincerely grant them real power. Trust those who employ you, and don't employ those who you doubt. With Brother Murong's broad mind, I believe he will choose to leave the family for the sake of the peace of the Song Dynasty."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this. Many of them had close ties with wealthy families and knew roughly how much loss Murong Trading Company had suffered. It would be very difficult to ask them to pay compensation. On the one hand, the loss was too great. If they really paid compensation, the wealthy families would also be seriously injured. After all, they did not gain much from this dispute, but only damaged the huge interests of Murong Trading Company.

Furthermore, these wealthy families were accustomed to being arrogant and would not admit their mistakes to the Murong family, whom they looked down upon. Let alone compensation, even if they asked him to come out of retirement, their attitude might not be very good. And from their understanding of Murong Fu, although he was popular, he had a rather strong character and would not abandon his family to protect his enemies at this time.

"Is King Xiao truly so disregarding our old friendship and intent on unleashing a bloody storm, causing the Song Dynasty to be plunged into constant war and suffering for the people? King Xiao's words express dissatisfaction with Young Master Murong's plight, but has King Xiao ever considered that your actions might make Young Master Murong's situation even more difficult?"

Xiao Feng shook his head and said, "No, I have three armies of over 200,000 men, crushing the enemy like a broken bamboo. We only need to capture Tokyo Bianliang and then march south to Suzhou. When the army reaches the border, I will invite Brother Murong to come out and promise him a high position. Then all problems will be solved. When the time comes, we will avenge our grievances and revenge our enemies. Anyone who has robbed Brother Murong will be returned. Those who injure others will be arrested, and those who kill will be punished with their lives. With Master Murong's ability, if he holds a high position, the Central Plains will be brought to peace."

You have conquered such a vast empire, yet you actually want to ask Murong Fu to govern it on your behalf. Is there such a good thing?

"If the Song Dynasty court invites Master Murong out of retirement and offers him a high position, will King Xiao be willing to put down his weapons?"

"Haha, if the Murong brothers were to fight for supremacy in the Central Plains, Xiao Feng would be willing to serve as their lackey. But is that realistic? Warriors like us will never rise to prominence in the Song Dynasty. If we do, we will be suppressed and killed. The Murong brothers are the perfect example. Can you really not see this, or are you just pretending not to see it? Is such a court really worth sacrificing our lives for?"