Chapter Sixteen: Loyalty, Filial Piety and Righteousness
Am I dead? Or am I alive? Mengdie, Ning'er, Aunt Yun, where are you all?
Suddenly, Meng Xinghe opened his eyes suddenly. The dazzling sunlight immediately shot through the window lattice. Meng Xinghe's eyes swayed and he was confused. He only felt that his brain hurt. He couldn't think of anything. He was covered with a thick quilt. Covering him up in hot sweat. Meng Xinghe couldn't stand it anymore. He reached out and started to get off the bed.
At this moment, Aunt Yun, who had not closed her eyes for three days and nights in a row, was lying next to the bed and sleeping for a short while. She was awakened by the sound of Meng Xinghe waking up. She raised her head and tucked her scattered black hair behind her head. Chen Ran He found that Meng Xinghe was actually sitting on the bed and looking at her intently. He immediately asked Aunt Yun, who had long ago asked the Bodhisattva to shorten his life and protect Meng Xinghe from waking up safely when Meng Xinghe was in a coma, to be stung by him slightly. She turned red. With red eyes, he said with great concern: "You're awake, are you hungry? I'll cook red bean porridge for you."
Her concern was very simple. Meng Xinghe shook his groggy head: "Where am I? Haven't I been blown away by Li Chengqian's artillery?" In order to prove that he was still alive, Meng Xinghe pinched his own lips hard. His face hurt. It proved that he was not dreaming. He almost burst into laughter: "I am indeed lucky. If I survive the disaster, I will be blessed later."
Meng Xinghe jumped up from the bed. Aunt Yun thought when she saw him jumping around. My sister said that this guy possesses the two highest martial arts cultivations of the Demon Sect and the Holy Sect. Although he does not know martial arts, his internal strength is incomparable. . That’s why he was able to survive the bombardment of the artillery. Now it seems that he has regained his previous dignity. Aunt Yun is not happy. She smiled and said: "This is the center of Taihu Lake. Since the army of the Tang Dynasty captured Hukou .In a few days, they successively captured the places previously occupied by the Taiping Army. They are now stationed on the shore and preparing to attack the Taiping Army’s camp in the center of Taihu Lake.”
"What." Meng Xinghe, who was just happy, immediately became nervous: "You mean the Tang army has already attacked Taihu Lake."
Aunt Yun nodded and said: "You don't need to panic. Taihu Lake is eight hundred miles in radius. It is not so easy to capture. Besides, during the two days when you were asleep, our Taiping Sect started to have uprisings in both Liaodong and Dongdu. The Tang army has divided its troops to resist, making it even harder to attack us. Now that you have woken up, I am relieved. I don’t want to worry about anything else."
Aunt Yun started to act coquettishly. Meng Xinghe held her in his arms and said, "I, Meng Xinghe, can be considered a beauty in anger."
"Why. I regret that I rebelled against the whole world for an old and beautiful woman in front of tens of thousands of Tang troops. I heard that there was a woman in the Tang army. After capturing Hukou, she ordered people to dig three feet into the ground to dig someone's body. The body was found. It seems that you really have deep love for someone and you are so loyal." Aunt Yun lay in his arms and shed tears as she spoke. When she saw Meng Xinghe under the bombardment of artillery, her heart broke. She was not the only one who was broken. This enemy was born to make women cry.
Meng Xinghe guessed that if there was a resolute woman in the world, Du Xuan would be one of them. I think he would have become the traitor Li Chengqian said. The Tang Dynasty would not allow him to gain a foothold. Instead, he felt that he should be treated as a traitor. I feel more secure in the Taiping Sect. However, even though I have joined the Taiping Sect, my relatives far away in Chang'an don't know what happened to them.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt uneasy. He was even more worried that Li Shimin would operate on them as a warning. Meng Xinghe couldn't sit still for a moment. He also didn't hide anything from Aunt Yun. He said: "Xiruo, I want to sneak into Chang'an immediately to take my mother away." Waiting for someone to rescue them. Now that I have become a member of the Taiping Religion, with Li Shimin's character, I will definitely not let them go. I might use them to make a fuss that day. Now that people in the Tang Dynasty don't know that I am still alive, I will act boldly. .And there will be less worries in the future.”
When Aunt Yun heard this, she felt even more ashamed. She cried in her voice: "I'm sorry. It was me who put you in a dilemma. If Yang Xiruo had died on the canal back then, I wouldn't have put you in a dilemma today. I was the one who hurt you." Yun Yun said. Her aunt pushed Meng Xinghe away from her arms. She already felt that Meng Xinghe, who had a bright future, had now become a bandit. She resented herself even more in her heart. She turned around and wanted to run out.
How could Meng Xinghe let her escape? He grabbed her and held her in his arms: "You want me to lose my wife and lose my army. Now the whole world knows about our relationship. You just want to escape." .Where else can I escape?”
Aunt Yun struggled for a few times but couldn't get rid of her. She beat Meng Xinghe hard, quite domineeringly, and said, "Can you let go?"
"Hold on. If you run away, then I'll find someone to wash and cook for me." Meng Xinghe acted rogue.
Aunt Yun glared at him. She was about to raise her hand to hit him. Coincidences often happen. The boudoir in the room had been pushed open with a creak. The little junior sister appeared in front of the door with a sneaky look: "Second Master." She just called out and immediately turned away. Seeing that Meng Xinghe, who had been walking like a corpse a few days ago and couldn't get up, was alive and kicking again. Then she found that this guy was actually holding her second master. She immediately covered her eyes with her hands: "Don't look. I didn't see anything." Then he ran out with a clatter.
Aunt Yun didn't have time to chase her. Meng Xinghe laughed. The junior sister didn't get angry. She obviously admitted the matter between herself and her second master. I don't know what kind of situation Mengdie would be in.
"Hey." Aunt Yun sighed. Her face turned slightly red and she said, "My enemy, I asked you to torture me. Get out of here quickly."
"Then why don't you leave?" Meng Xinghe refused.
"I'm not leaving. I won't leave for the rest of my life." Aunt Yun's voice was a little louder. "Get out quickly. Hongdou made such a fuss. All your brothers will come over later. Aren't they laughing at me?" "Aunt Yun pushed Meng Xinghe directly out of the door.
Meng Xinghe stood outside the door and knocked hard: "Don't. My head is still dizzy. My waist hurts a lot. I can't move my whole body. I'm still a patient."
Aunt Yun leaned against the door latch and raised her head slightly: "If you don't open it, can you still bite me?"
Meng Xinghe thought to himself that he would be afraid in the future. But at this moment, due to the moderate voice of the junior sister just now, all Meng Xinghe's brothers who were concentrated in this courtyard were attracted. I heard that Meng Xinghe had woken up. Come. They were even more excited and kept running over.
"Third brother." Mr. Chai's face was full of snot and tears, and he hugged Meng Xinghe: "That bastard Li Chengqian actually dared to bombard third brother. How can our Dragon Gang swallow this tone? Third brother, what are you saying? Just tell me how you want his kid to die."
Meng Xinghe waved his hand: "Second brother, now is not the time for revenge. Let me ask you, can you bring all the people from the Dragon Gang?"
"There are a total of 37,800 brothers in the gang, except for a few who stayed behind in Jiangdu and Chang'an at any time. The rest have all been brought with them. Now they have been integrated into the Taiping Army. They are at the mercy of the third brother." As early as the Taiping Rebellion. Young Master Chai, who had a long-term vision, began to prepare everything. Originally, the Long Gang were going to help the third brother fight against the Taiping Army. Who knew. Ever since Li Chengqian bombarded Meng Xinghe at Hukou, the world was abuzz with rumors that Meng Xinghe openly rebelled for a woman. .The members of the Dragon Gang were accidentally incorporated into the Taiping Army and joined in the anti-Tang Dynasty. However, no one in the gang said they were unwilling. On the contrary, they were more passionate than before.
"What about our whitewashed business? Because of me, I'm afraid I can't open it anymore." Meng Xinghe asked again. After he became a traitor, everything he had in the Tang Dynasty would probably be a thing of the past.
Mr. Chai listened to his question. There was obviously a look of evil on his face: "That bastard Li Chengqian not only sealed up all our stores in Jiangdu, but also ordered people to burn down the aloe vera cultivation base of the third brother. However, it is worth celebrating. Before he took action, we had already transferred all the money in the store to a safe place. Only I, Xue Rengui, and Luo Feng knew about this matter. When we recruit troops in the future, we will definitely send them. Come in handy." Young Master Chai is following Meng Xinghe anyway. Wherever he is, Young Master Chai will be there. Even if Meng Xinghe rebels, Young Master Chai will be the first to support him. He even fantasizes that he can become the founder of the country in the future. What about the hero?
Meng Xinghe had a rough understanding of the situation outside. He continued to ask: "What about Mr. Lu? Has he been plotted by Li Chengqian?"
"Not yet. The old man is the governor of Jiangdu after all. Li Chengqian definitely doesn't dare to accuse him. Besides, third brother, you were forced to rebel by him. It has nothing to do with the old man. You can't influence him yet. It's just that the old man heard that you entered. After the Taiping Religion, I haven't eaten for three days. I often sigh in my room that the Tang Dynasty is going to die."
It’s good that the old man wasn’t implicated. Meng Xinghe glanced at the people behind Mr. Chai. Xue Rengui, Luo Feng, Gao Gao, and those who were the oldest members of the Dragon Gang, as well as some new members he didn’t know. Meng Xinghe, the mysterious behind-the-scenes boss who has been rumored to be mysterious in the Dragon Gang, finally spoke. The first words he said were: "Brothers, now that I, Meng, have implicated you, you will also become a rebel. Now, as long as it is not If you are willing to stay in Taihu Lake, go to the accountant and receive fifty taels of silver as a reward. From now on, go down to the mountain and live a good life. I will never stop anyone." Thinking of going against the imperial court in the future, this is no child's play. Meng Xinghe still wanted to be able to leave. If he doesn't, let's be the king of the mountain with him on Taihu Lake. If he doesn't take the initiative to hit others, others won't be able to hit him easily.
"Crack."
Meng Xinghe just finished speaking. Luo Feng, who was standing next to Xue Rengui, walked out. He threw the sword on his waist on the ground. His face was sullen, as if he had made a big decision, and he said: "Meng Da, I'm sorry. "He only said five words and already buried his head.
Meng Xinghe could understand. Luo Feng was different from this group of people. His father was a loyal general of the Tang Dynasty. How could he rebel after being a loyal minister: "It's not a big deal. When we get to the battlefield in the future, don't be soft-hearted. A grown man will have grudges." Be clear. Kill when you need to kill. Leave when you need to go. There is no ambiguity."
Luo Feng nodded dullly, turned around and left.
Everyone stared at him intently. Xue Rengui even called out "Lao Luo" reluctantly. His voice paused for a moment: "When we meet on the battlefield in the future, remember that your first target is to kill me. Otherwise, I Xue Rengui will definitely not say that he recognizes your brother."
Chai Shao also said: "Just like you, Brother Xue. Although Brother Chai and I don't know martial arts, if we meet on the battlefield and die under your gun, I can still close my eyes."
The two of them simply said goodbye to Luo Feng. Meng Xinghe didn't say much. He just hoped that he would not meet Luo Feng on the battlefield in the future.
Luo Feng walked a few steps. Hearing the words of farewell from Mr. Chai and Xue Rengui behind him, he lifted his steps and walked forward with difficulty. When he was about to walk out of the end of the yard, he finally turned around and faced the hundreds of people behind him who were watching him. He cupped his fists and saluted, and said: "Meng Da, Brother Chai, Lao Xue, and all the brothers from the Long Gang treat me, Luo Feng, like brothers and sisters. Luo Feng is grateful for this great kindness. A true man should pay attention to the three words of loyalty, filial piety and righteousness." My father was born in the Tang Dynasty and could die standing up. Why don't I, Luo Feng, show sincerity to all my brothers? When I leave, I just want to go to Chang'an to say goodbye to my mother at home. I will no longer be a member of the Luo family. I will not disgrace my father's great name. .It also fulfills the loyalty between our brothers. After this matter is completed, Luo Feng will definitely come to Taihu again to have a drink and talk with the brothers and raise the big flag together."
We are brothers. Why should we be close by flesh and blood? Luo Feng clasped his fists and turned around resolutely and walked out of the courtyard. The ancients often lamented the righteous soldiers of Yan and Zhao. Now, the sonorous loyalty, filial piety and justice have brought tears to the eyes of everyone present. No wonder. There was no Luo Feng in the history books of later generations. But it was because of this. Meng Xinghe felt that the weather in Taihu Lake had become much colder. The sky was even filled with fog.