Chao Yong and his party did not deliberately avoid it, but they all wore sun hats. There were occasional checks along the way, and they did not dare to inquire in detail when they saw their group dressed in bright clothes and angry horses, so there was no danger along the way.
The road to Shijie Village was far away, and the Zhang family and his daughter had been working hard for many days, so Chao Yong did not go to see the Ruan family and the three heroes, but took them directly to the Hulu Zhugui Hotel in the dry land of Lijiadaokou.
A few people tied up their carriages and horses, and when they entered the hotel, a bartender had already come over to take a seat.
Behind the counter, Zhu Gui saw these people, old and young, accompanied by their wives, wearing bright clothes and angry horses. When he was thinking about how to take away the money and horses, he saw one of the young men said to the bartender: "Chao, I'm in Dongxi Village.
Yong, may I ask if Chief Zhu of Dryland Hulu is here?"
Zhu Gui was Liangshan's eyes and ears. Not long ago, he also knew that Lin Chong led Chao Yong of Dongxi Village and the three Ruan clans of Shijie Village up the mountain to have a drink. He also knew that secretly the leader Wang Lun was more wary of Lin Chong.
Zhu Gui wanted to make Liangshan stronger. When Lin Chong went up the mountain, it was Zhu Gui who persuaded Wang Lun to keep Lin Chong. Between Wang Lun and Lin Chong, he also favored Lin Chong.
At this time, I heard that this young man was Chao Yong, and he hurriedly came out and said: "It turns out that it is brother Chao Yong, and this is Zhu Gui."
Chao Yong saw that Zhu Gui had grown up in stature and had a tall appearance. He was indeed a good man, much better than Du Qian and Song Wan. He immediately introduced Zhu Gui to Coach Zhang and the master and servant of the Zhang family.
Zhu Gui heard that it was Lin Chong's younger brother, so he quickly ordered his men to send a message to Lin Chong.
Within a few moments, Lin Chong rushed in from the back door.
Mrs. Zhang was already looking forward to seeing Lin Chong, who had become much thinner. She didn't care about the people watching and threw herself into Lin Chong's arms and started crying.
Lin Chong looked at the haggard-looking madam and listened to Mr. Zhang crying about his lovesickness and helplessness after the assassination. He also had tears in his eyes and softly comforted his madam.
After a while, the two of them remembered that everyone was there. Lin Chong took his wife to see his father-in-law, came to Chao Yong, and worshiped: "Thanks to Brother Yong's rescue, Lin Chong and his wife can be reunited. Please accept Lin Chong's three greetings."
Chao Yong quickly got out of the way, pulled Lin Chong up and said: "Since the younger brother and the elder brother are friends, the elder brother's wife is my sister-in-law, so it's not worth a trip."
Lin Chong was also a generous person. He patted Chao Yong on the shoulder and said, "Good brother."
Chao Yong knew that they had a lot to talk about when they reunited after a long separation, so he clasped his fists and said: "Now that my brother and sister-in-law are reunited, I still have something to go to Tai'an Prefecture, so I won't go up the mountain with my brother. I will come back to bother my brother and sister-in-law when I have time in the future."
Lin Chong said hurriedly: "Brother has traveled thousands of miles for his brother, so at least he went up to the mountain to have a rest and let us husband and wife talk to express our gratitude."
Chao Yong smiled and said: "I really have something to do. I will come back to bother you when I am free another day. I hope you don't bother me then."
Lin Chong saw that Chao Yong had decided to leave, so he had no choice but to pat Chao Yong on the shoulder and said: "Brother, be careful along the way. If there is any place where you need my brother, let someone send a message."
Chao Yong responded to Lin Chong, made a bow and said: "I will regret it later."
After leaving the foot of Liangshan Mountain, Chao Yong and his two men took the road to Tai'an Prefecture.
It turns out that March 28th is the birth anniversary of the Holy Emperor Tianqi of Dongyue. As usual, there is a temple fair every year, and there is an endless stream of people coming from all over to offer incense. In order to make the annual temple fair a grand event, Tai'an Prefecture also organized
They set up an arena and let heroes from all over the country dance with spears and sticks, and those who performed well were rewarded with financial rewards. Since it was unlucky to see blood, they also held a sumo wrestling competition. The officials, wealthy households and generous pilgrims in the city would all give some money and gifts to the winners.
The top spot attracts sumo wrestlers from all over the world to compete every year, which is very lively.
This year's temple fair is even more lively, and this matter is directly related to Chao Yong.
In the early morning of February of the first year of Xuanhe, all the officials arrived. The leader of the church, Daojun and the Emperor, arrived belatedly. Although Zhao Ji tried hard to cheer up, he still couldn't hide the sleepiness on his face.
This Taojun Emperor, the leader of the religion, can be regarded as an emperor throughout the ages. Unfortunately, it is not the civil and martial arts that most emperors value most, but his various acrobatics, such as piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, kicking and playing, playing bamboo, tuning silk, and playing the flute.
There is nothing that Zhao Ji doesn't know how to play, sing and dance about, and there is nothing that he doesn't know how to play, and there is nothing that he doesn't love. Especially his accomplishments in calligraphy and painting can be regarded as a master of the contemporary era.
With all these hobbies, he naturally has less energy to deal with political affairs. In other words, he is not very interested in political affairs in the first place. When Zhao Ji was still King Duan, he would spend all day admiring flowers and moonlight and completely ignore the affairs of the court.
If a wealthy and idle man were allowed to be an idle prince for the rest of his life, he would probably have a good death, and perhaps he would be able to remain among the people a good name as a romantic prince and a master of calligraphy and painting.
Unfortunately, things are unpredictable. Zhao Ji's brother Zhe Zong died suddenly and left no heirs. For some reason, Empress Xiang fell in love with Zhao Ji, a wealthy and idle man, and made him the emperor.
Zhao Ji suddenly changed from a wealthy and idle person to a nine-five-year-old man. At first, Zhao Ji was a little happy, but within a few days he got tired of it. When he was a prince, having fun every day was his business, but when he became an emperor, he was tired of it every day.
There are so many annoying things to deal with. Today there is a locust plague in Jingdong, and tomorrow there is a flood in Jiangnan. There are always endless troubles to deal with every day. Being an emperor is not as enjoyable as being a prince.
Fortunately, he later discovered Cai Jing among the civil and military officials. Not only was he a master of calligraphy, he was also an able minister in governing the world. Within a few years of taking charge of three provinces, the treasury had accumulated 50 million yuan in property, and the people of the world were prosperous.
With his ministers capable of governing the world, he could live in peace and contentment, leaving all political affairs to Cai Jing.
When the eunuch saw Zhao Ji sitting down, he said in a sharp voice: "If you have something to do, leave early to play. If you have nothing to do, roll up the curtain and leave the court."
As soon as he finished speaking, Si Tianjian came out and said: "Your Majesty, a meteor fell on Jingdong last night."
When the emperor heard that the stars were changing, he did not dare to neglect it. He cheered up and asked, "Is there any sign of the appearance of the meteor?"
"The stars in the sky guard the sun and the moon, just like the officials and the people in this world are attached to the emperor. Now that the stars suddenly fall, there is a fear that the generals will rebel and the people will be displaced."
When the officials heard this, they immediately started discussing, and several civil servants also looked at Cai Jing thoughtfully.
Cai Jing's expression also changed. He was in charge of the three provinces. He handled most of the world's government affairs. It was his responsibility to displace the people.
If this statement is confirmed, the emperor will have to issue an edict. As a grand master, once someone takes the opportunity to attack him, he may have to retire from office. He hurriedly said: "Since the Holy Emperor ascended the throne, everything has been going smoothly, and occasionally there are small incidents.
In the event of a disaster, the imperial court also provided timely relief, so people would never be displaced. According to my opinion, the birthday of Holy Emperor Tianqi of Dongyue is approaching. It is thought that Holy Emperor Tianqi came down to earth to enjoy the incense of the world, and the Holy Emperor issued an order to Daqing Day in Tai'an Prefecture.
It’s the birthday of Emperor Qi Sheng.”
However, Cai Jing was a member of the Holy Family, and the emperor specially allowed him to go to the capital once every five days to handle affairs. He could usually handle official affairs at home. Therefore, he had great power, and many ministers in the court attached themselves to him.
As soon as Cai Jing spoke, all the party members came out to respond. Now is the time of peace and prosperity. How could the generals rebel and the people be displaced?
Zhao Ji didn't know what else he was thinking about. When he saw all the ministers saying this, he said: "It is exactly what the grand master said. This year, Tai'an Prefecture will be celebrating the birthday of the Holy Emperor Tianqi. All ministers can retire without incident."
Several Qingliu people in the court originally exchanged glances with each other to see if they could take the opportunity to bring down Cai Jing. They didn't expect that the matter would be determined so quickly, and they could only continue to lie dormant.
When the emperor was still drunk and enjoying himself, he didn't know that the world had been turned into a mess by himself and other traitorous officials, and the people were displaced.
At the same time, the eunuchs and maids in the palace were discussing quietly. First, someone in Jinling Palace found the statue of Taizu crying, and then in the temple of the late Emperor Shenzong, blood flowed out from time to time between the gaps in the square tiles on the floor of the toilet hall.
It has been flowing like this for several days in a row, and many people think it is an ominous sign.
This year, due to the decree of the Holy Emperor, Tai'an Prefecture held a very grand event. The top sumo wrestler was rewarded with a thousand guan by the government alone, not to mention the money and gifts provided by many rich families and pilgrims, thus attracting sumo masters from all over the world.
Coming in droves.
In the past two years, Jiang Zhong of Longtok Prefecture was the number one sumo wrestler. Because he was nine feet long, the people in the world gave him a nickname, "Chiang Menshen". He was good at spears and sticks, and was especially good at sumo wrestling.
In the past two years, he has defeated hundreds of sumo wrestlers from all over the world and won a lot of money and materials.
Although Chao Yong had never learned sumo wrestling, he relied on his supernatural power and quick reflexes and was confident that he could defeat Jiang Menshen and come out on top. Chao Yong came to the market from all over the world not to compete for money or material, but because of the temple fair.
There are many people.
The two of them traveled non-stop all the way, and finally arrived in Tai'an Prefecture on the 27th. However, they arrived a little late. They checked several inns along the way, but they were all full. In the end, they had to pay some extra money to let one in.
The couple settled down after giving up a room.
The two visited Daiyue Temple, burned incense, and took an early rest.
Around the third watch of the next day, a burst of drum music was heard, and the incense officials and the Holy Emperor in the temple were praying for their birthdays. Around the fourth watch, Chao Yong and his two men got up, tidied up for a while, then left the shop and followed the flow of people.
People who came to burn incense today were really crowded. The huge Dongyue Temple was filled with people at once, and the roof beams were full of people watching.
A mountain shed was built in front of Kaning Hall. The shed was covered with gold and silver utensils and brocade grosgrain. There were five horses tied outside the door, all with saddles and bridles. They were all used by wealthy officials to reward the top sumo wrestler.
.
On the high platform on the side, the Honshu magistrate personally led the officials, big and small, to sit on the throne. An old official, holding a bamboo bat, went up to the platform to offer sacrifices. After worshiping the gods, he invited this year's sumo opponents to come out and compete.
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a dozen people holding a sedan, lining up the crowd, and walking in swaggeringly. The God of Chiang was sitting on the sedan, and twenty or thirty disciples came to the offering platform, cheering from behind.
Jiang Menshen walked up to the stage and said: "Four hundred military prefectures, more than seven thousand county governments, good deeds and fragrant officials, respectful to the Holy Emperor, all help to bring benefits. Jiang Zhong received it in vain in the past two years. According to the usual practice, if he pulls it out again this year
I won the first place, but I can’t do more than three, so I won’t come next year. It’s a pity that I haven’t met my opponent in the past two years. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The two sun and moon, one unites the universe, south to Nanman, and Beiji.
You Yan, do you dare to come out to compete with me for something this year?"
After saying that, I saw a man coming up with a bucket.
Jiang Menshen's disciples were all standing close to the offering platform, and they were standing densely all around.
Let's say that Jiang Menshen first took off his arms, except for the scarf, which was wrapped in a Shu brocade jacket. He drank a ginseng drink, took two sips of the divine water, took off his brocade jacket, and revealed a body of fat.
When everyone who came to compete saw that Jiang Menshen was over nine feet tall and covered in fat, they were frightened at first, and for a while no one came on stage.
In front of the stage, one of Jiang Menshen's apprentices saw that no one dared to come on stage, and said proudly: "People say there are many heroes in Qilu, but I don't think so. Master has defeated so many men from Qilu in the past two years, and no one dares to come on stage this year."
Another person also said: "That is, if you want to say that our master in sumo wrestling is the best in the world. If we want to say that a good man is in Hedong, we have to look at him. Guan Yu, the general in Hedong, is the best in the past. When I went on a pilgrimage, as early as in Chongning
In the first year of his reign, he was granted the title of Duke Zhonghui. In the second year of Daguan, he was granted the title of Prince of Zhaolie Wu'an. In all dynasties, no hero could have such ability."
When the two explained their explanation, a man from Jingdong was angered. He quickly stepped onto the stage, took off his shirt, cupped his fists and said, "Qingzhou Wang Li, please enlighten me."
However, Jiang Menshen set up a barrier, and when the man couldn't bear his temper and came forward, he just put his arm around his shoulders and lifted him off the stage with a strong force, which made Jiang Menshen's disciples cheer for a while.
Several men came on stage one after another, but they were all pushed off the stage by Jiang Menshen with brute force. When ordinary people came on stage and compared with Chiang Menshen, they were like children and adults, how could they withstand his strength.
Seeing that the situation gradually became colder again, Jiang Menshen's disciples became more and more proud.
"It seems that Master is in the lead again this time. If we had taken the advantage earlier, we could have gone home earlier."
Chao Yong watched below for a long time, and saw that Jiang Menshen only relied on his strength to win, and felt relieved. If he were to compare strength alone, he would definitely beat Jiang Menshen, but he was not as big as Jiang Menshen and could not control the scene.
, if you go up too early and beat Chiang Men-shen, and then another good sumo wrestler comes up, you may lose by accident.
Chao Yong didn't have Yan Qing's ability, so naturally he didn't dare to be as high-profile as Yan Qing. After seeing through the reality of Jiang Menshen, he and Chao San found a teahouse nearby to rest.
At noon, I heard the gongs being beaten over there, indicating that the sumo wrestling was about to end, and then I came to the stage again.
Chao Yong pushed his way through the crowd, walked quickly onto the stage, and took off his shirt.
Jiang Menshen saw that he was born in the 1700s and 1800s. Without waiting for Chao Yong to speak, he said impatiently: "Someone's kid is here to join in the fun. Get off the stage. When the master gets the goodies, I will give you some to buy candies."
Chao Yong said: "I didn't want to come to power, but you masters and apprentices are too rude. You don't know the methods of Qilu heroes, but you boast about Haikou and say that all the heroes are in the east of your river. Today Chao Yong of Jezhou came to power, not to fight for gains, but to
In order to promote my name as a hero of Qilu. If Chao Yong defeats this door-god Chiang and comes out on top, I am willing to exchange all the goodies for white rice and give them to the poor people in the city."
"well said."
"Throw this guy from Hedong down and let him know that I, the hero of Qilu, am powerful."
Most of the people in the audience were from Qilu, and when they heard that he didn't want any favors, they couldn't help but cheer.
After Jiang Meng Shen heard this, he narrowed his eyes and looked at Chao Yong. Although people who dare to say such things have some tricks, Chao Yong is not very tall and young, so he doesn't take it seriously.
Chao Yong followed the example of the previous people and set up a portal, just waiting for Jiang Menshen to join.
After fighting for a long time, Jiang Menshen lost his patience and wanted to grab the spoils as soon as possible. Seeing that Chao Yong did not attack, he took a big step and grabbed Chao Yong's arms with his two big hands like cattail leaf fans, wanting to do the same as before.
Throw Chao Yong off the stage.
Chao Yong didn't know how to sumo, and he didn't dare to loose his steps. Seeing him step forward, he met Jiang Menshen's hands with both hands, clasped his fingers together, and competed with each other.
Jiang Menshen has been wrestling for three years, but he has yet to meet anyone who dares to compete with him. With a ferocious smile, he squatted down and compared his strength with Chao Yong.
"This young man is too reckless. With Jiang's stature, how can you compete with him in strength?"
"Yes, I hope Jiang Menshen won't be too vicious and hurt this young man."
"This young man seems to be smart, but he does things without thinking. Hurry up and admit defeat to avoid being poisoned."
When everyone was sighing for Chao Yong, they saw that Jiang Menshen's face was red from holding back, and the veins in his neck were bulging. He was obviously very labored, but Chao Yong was smiling, as if he was just playing with others.
Jiang Menshen tried his best, but Chao Yong's hands felt like iron pliers. No matter how hard he tried, Chao Yong's fingers were tightly clasping his hands.
Chao Yong raised his eyebrows at Jiang Menshen and said with a smile: "You defeated everyone with your brute force. Today I will defeat you with my strength, so that you know that there is heaven outside the world, and there are people outside the world."
After saying that, he suddenly increased his strength.
Jiang Menshen suddenly felt that Chao Yong's fingers turned into red-hot iron pliers, and his palm-like hands were instantly pinched and turned blue. Drops of sweat fell from his forehead. He gritted his teeth and held on for a few breaths. Finally, he couldn't help but struggle and wanted to shake off.
Take off Chao Yong's hands.
Chao Yong saw that Jiang Menshen was already confused, so he rushed in, released his left hand and inserted it between his legs, pressed his chest with his shoulder, and lifted up Jiang Menshen, who was more than nine feet tall.
, shouted "Get off!", lifted up his left hand and released his right hand, throwing Jiang Menshen off the ring.
The four to five-foot-high ring, coupled with Chao Yong's forceful throw, made Jiang Menshen unable to move for a long time. Only then did he realize the feeling of the person he threw off the ring.
"good"
"Divine power."
When everyone saw that Chao Yong defeated Jiang Menshen, they couldn't help but cheer.
When the governor of Tai'an Prefecture saw that Chao Yong had won and the time was almost up, he also wanted to make a good story happen. He immediately went on stage and personally announced that the sumo wrestling was over and that Chao Yong came out on top.
Seeing Chao Yong's supernatural power and being guarded by officers and soldiers, Jiang Menshen's disciples did not dare to cause trouble, so they carried Jiang Menshen back to his hometown in despair.
Chao Yong wore red flowers and paid homage to the Holy Emperor Dongyue. Hearing people say that the magistrate was honest in his work, he asked him to help exchange the spoils he won for rice and distribute them to the poor people in the city.
The rich people and pilgrims in the city gave money equal to one thousand guan, plus the 1,000 guan from Tai'an Prefecture, for a total of 2,000 guan, which could buy a big house in Tokyo, but Chao Yong exchanged it for white rice and distributed it to the people in the city.
Such a generous act naturally became the talk of the town. People from all over the world said that Chao Yong of Jezhou was generous and righteous, and his strength was comparable to that of Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu. He was also nicknamed "Little Overlord" in the world.
(The regiment trained by Jiang Menshen in Water Margin is from Dongluzhou, but there is no Dongluzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty, or it refers to Luzhou. Luzhou was established by the Northern Zhou Dynasty. In the third year of Chongning, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, it was changed to Longde Mansion, which belongs to Hedong Road.
The state government is in Changzhi City, Shanxi Province.)
(Guan Yu’s canonization began during the reign of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. During his lifetime, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty consecrated Guan Yu four times. After that, the emperor continued to consecrate Guan Yu, and it was only in the Qing Dynasty that he was revered as a Martial Saint.)