As he spoke, several horsemen galloped in the distance, and the sound of hooves was like thunder. The first person wore a square hat and covered his ears, and under a closer look, it was He Tao.
Xu Ning looked back at Xun Guo and said, "Although he is nominally my senior brother, if he really does something hurtful to heaven and reason, I will never tolerate it! You just confront him face to face, and I will never take sides!" Xun Guo was grateful when he heard this.
He Tao saw Xu Ning from a distance, and he was still a few feet away, so he jumped off the horse, walked quickly, held Xu Ning's arm, and said happily: "Senior brother, I don't want to meet you here, it's really a great joy!"
Xu Ning returned the salute coldly and said lightly: "I never expected to meet my senior brother here, it was indeed unexpected. ”
He Tao didn't care about Xu Ning's coldness, but when his eyes touched Liu Tang, his heart trembled violently. If they had met in the past, they would have already drawn their swords and faced each other, but at this moment, seeing Liu Tang and Xu Ning standing side by side, they were both afraid and afraid. He asked sharply, "Senior brother, how can you be in the same league as this thief? Isn't it insulting Master's reputation?"
Xu Ning sneered: "No matter how bad I Xu Ning is, I also know the conscience of heaven and earth. It's really chilling to bully the people after you resigned, senior brother!"
He Tao was stunned by these words, and only after a while did he defend: "Brother Xian, how can you wronged me so much? How can I bear such a charge?"
So, Xu Ning summoned Xun Guo and asked the two to confront each other.
Xun Guo respectfully saluted He Tao and said: "I did borrow twenty taels from He Guanren to treat my mother's illness, but I didn't expect these twenty taels to become two hundred taels. ”
He Tao's eyes widened, and he shouted angrily: "Xun Guo, do you dare to tell my junior brother about the ins and outs of this matter!"
Xun Guo suddenly panicked, knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "I am guilty, I dare not deceive." I did ask for medicine for my mother, and I took the money. After my mother's condition improved, we discussed how to return the money to Mr. Ho. Since I only spent 12 or 3 yuan on medical treatment, I wanted to use the rest of the money to start a small business in order to pay off my debts as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, I met the steward of the big official's family, he lured me to the casino, I was confused for a while, and I lost all the money. Speaking of this, Xun Guo was already trembling.
Previously, Xun Guo had briefly informed Xu Ning of the experience. Although Xu Ning didn't like him to be cowardly by nature, he remembered that he was sincerely repentant, and there was an old mother at home who needed to be taken care of, so he intended to let him go, so he turned to He Tao and said, "That field steward, but your person?"
When He Tao heard this, he shouted and said, "The housekeeper once told me that Xun Guo took the twenty taels of silver you gave and the money he borrowed to gamble, and did not use it for his mother's medical expenses. I couldn't get angry, and I did send a housekeeper to his house to theorize, but I definitely didn't teach him to gamble!"
Xu Ning looked at He Tao carefully, although he was missing ears and looked strange, but his eyes revealed a sincerity, which did not seem to be fake. He turned his head to look at Xun Guo and asked suspiciously, "How can there be such a bizarre thing as a housekeeper borrowing money?"
Xun Guo choked up and replied, "This is indeed the case." I lost all my money for medicine because of gambling. The housekeeper of the He family found me and said that there is no reason to lose money in gambling, so he lent me two taels of silver to let me gamble again. And said that if he loses, he will be hes, and if he wins, he will be mine. At the beginning, I won a few handfuls, thinking that I could win back all the previous ones, but the more I gambled, the more I lost, and even the money that the housekeeper borrowed from me also lost everything. The housekeeper asked me for money, and I realized that I had been fooled. Later, he said that the money was given by He Guanren for medicine, and now I have gambled all of them, so he forced me to repay my debts, bought a few acres of my thin land at a low price, and increased the interest, which made my life difficult now. ”
After listening to Xun Guo's words, He Tao spoke after a while: "I borrowed twenty taels of silver from you to treat the disease, and it is true." But I also sent a butler to your house to persuade you to quit gambling, and gave him twenty taels of silver, and if you can reform your ways, this money will buy you medicine, and if you are still obsessed, at least you can buy some medicine for your mother to make ends meet. When did I let you gamble?", he looked at Xu Ning and said, "Senior brother, I am not good at management, and the housekeeper is taking care of all the affairs in the family. If it is really as Xun Guo said, it must be the housekeeper who is doing ghosts behind his back. He also told me yesterday that he had lent Xun money several times, but he had gambled it all out. ”
Xu Ning listened to the conversation between the two, and his heart was already clear. It seems that the key to this matter lies with the butler. Either He Tao was really innocent and was used by the housekeeper, or the housekeeper took advantage of He Tao's reputation and status to take advantage of it behind his back.
Xu Ning asked, "Where is the housekeeper now?"
He Tao raised his hand and said, "Oh, isn't that coming?"
Xu Ning looked into the distance, and in the distance, where the smoke and dust rose, a team of people rode horses and came this way. When he got closer, He Tao was shocked and said: "He was going to collect the field tax today, but when I learned about Xun Guo, I only sent someone to look for him, how did I know that I would also recruit the head of Yuncheng County?"
When Xu Ning looked at it, where was there any housekeeper of the He family? It was clearly Wu Ren and Mu Chong, the heads of Yuncheng County, who led hundreds of officers and soldiers to come at a gallop.
Liu Tang was furious and shouted: "You must be here to cheat and delay time, but you secretly moved to the government to rescue the soldiers!"
After saying that, he wanted to step forward and beat He Tao. Xu Ning stopped him and said, "Regardless of the truth of Xun Guo's matter for the time being, Senior Brother will not betray me." I think this matter is strange, and most of it is the housekeeper!"
Liu Tang didn't have time to ask in detail, but Xu Ning had already instructed in a low voice: "Brother Xian, you quickly take twenty people to sneak to the stone pass where we just went, and when I put down an officer and soldier, you will act like this." ”
Although Liu Tang was worried about Xu Ning's safety, he knew that Xu Ning's martial arts were strong and his soldiers were fast, so he didn't dare to delay a little, and immediately acted according to Xu Ning's words.
Xu Ning got on the horse again, and the horizontal gun immediately stood in the middle of the road, and seventy little minions lined up behind him, as if waiting for Wu Ren and Mu Chong.
When He Tao saw this scene, he cried bitterly in his heart.
At this time, Xu Ning's face sank, his eyes were like knives, and he approached He Tao: "Senior brother, this place is inaccessible, you need to tell me frankly, who are the officers and soldiers?"
He Tao smiled bitterly when he heard this: "If I say that this matter was not done by me, the junior brother is credible? I am the only one who knows that you are here." That's it, this life will be disposed of by the junior brother!" With that, he stretched his neck and approached Xu Ning.
Xu Ning saw him like this, and knew that it was not false, so he said to He Tao: "Senior brother blames you, didn't you just say that you ordered the housekeeper to come?
When He Tao heard this, he suddenly realized, and scolded in his mouth: "This bastard!" suddenly snatched a Pu knife, turned over and jumped on the war horse left by Liu Tang, just waiting for the officers and soldiers to arrive.
Wu Ren, the head of the capital, heard the conversation between the senior brothers from afar, and shouted loudly: "He Tao is a thief, he is guilty of a heinous crime, and he dares to fornicate with a thief, and look at me to take you!"
When Xu Ning heard this, he laughed and said loudly: "It's an honor for Xu to be here in person." If you want to arrest He Tao, and ask Xu Mou about the spear in his hand first!" After that, Wu Ren was furious, brandished a long pickaxe, and went straight to Xu Ning.
This Wu Ren is infinitely powerful, and the long pickaxe in his hand is one foot three feet long and weighs more than fifty catties, and he didn't take Xu Ning in his eyes at all.
Xu Ning caught a glimpse of that although Wu Ren was tall and strong, he was short of energy, and he had already planned a countermeasure in his heart. He sat firmly like a mountain, waiting for Wu Ren to approach, and when his long pickaxe came, he was on one side, dodged lightly, and stabbed Wu Ren in the thigh with a shot, only to hear a scream, Wu Ren fell off the horse. In this round, Xu Ning injured Wu Ren, and Mu Chong, the deputy capital head, was shocked when he saw this, he struggled to snatch Wu Ren back, and at the same time beckoned the infantry behind him to rush up.
Xu Ning had only a few dozen people, outnumbered, turned around and left. At this moment, arrows suddenly flew like locusts in the forests on both sides of the road, and the Song soldiers were caught off guard, and more than 20 people were killed and injured in an instant. The earth-shattering shouts were immediately heard in the forest, and Mu Chong looked up and saw that there were Liangshan flags in all directions.
Taking advantage of Mu Chong's undecided doubts, He Tao led the little minions to suddenly launch a counterattack, and Mu Chong's soldiers and horses were caught off guard and retreated. Seeing the loud shouts of killing everywhere, I don't know how many people from Liangshan, Mu Zhong didn't dare to fight, hurriedly beckoned the people and horses, and fled in the direction of Yuncheng.
The soldiers and horses scattered like a tide, and a housekeeper-like person was also mixed in, and fled in confusion. Xu Ning's eyes were like torches, and he recognized this person at a glance, how could he let him escape easily? He galloped on his horse, and with a hook of the spear in his hand, he flipped the butler's hook to the ground.
He turned to He Tao, and the corners of his mouth hooked up a sneer: "Senior brother, come and see, is this thief?"
He Tao glanced at it, and immediately recognized the housekeeper, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes: "You evil slave, I trust you so much, and all the family wealth is handed over to you to take care of, how dare you lie to me, give usury without permission, and attract officers and soldiers to arrest me?"
The housekeeper trembled, cold sweat flowed from his forehead, and he kowtowed again and again: "The son spares his life, and the villain knows that he is wrong." The villain was fascinated by gambling for a while, lost a lot of land in the master's family, and didn't dare to let the son know, so he had to privately borrow usury in the name of the son. ”
Xu Ning put the gun against the butler and asked him to explain how to attract the officers and soldiers, if there was half a lie, he would immediately take his life. The official family said that he heard the guy who ran the errand said that he met the leader of Liangshan by chance, and the leader and the master knew each other, so he wanted to report the master and the leader of Liangshan to the government together, and take the master as a thief in Liangshan, not only to solve his predicament, but also to get a piece of family property. So, he secretly went to report to the county, and the county commander ordered the head to follow him to arrest He Tao and the heroes of Liangshan.
When He Tao heard this, he was furious, and shouted: "You house slave who betrays his lord and seeks glory, the He family is almost ruined because of you!" As he spoke, Pu Dao waved his knife and split the housekeeper in half.
At this time, Liu Tang and Xun Guo had already walked out of the dense forest. When Xun Guo saw the tragic situation of the housekeeper, he was so frightened that he didn't dare to look directly at Xu Ning. Xu Ning looked at him so cowardly and sneered: "I am punishing the traitors, and it has nothing to do with you." It's just that you have to honor your mother well in the future and quit gambling, otherwise I Xu Ning will not be spared. ”
Xun Guo hurriedly saluted and said: "The villain must obey the orders of the leader, and he also knows how to observe the recent wrongs, and I hope to beg for forgiveness." ”
He Tao waved his hand and said, "It's okay, you go back and honor your mother." Xun thanked him and left.
It turned out that Liu Tang took more than 20 people to ambush in the dense forest according to Xu Ning's plan, and when Xu Ning stabbed Wu Ren, he touched the hidden arrow mechanism and killed Mu Zhong by surprise. He also planted all the flags he had brought with him into the forest, and more than 20 people pulled grass and beat trees in the distance, pretending to come as soldiers and horses. Mu Chong really had all the grass and trees, and he fled.
Xu Ning said to He Tao: "You and I are dealing with the head of the county, and now that the housekeeper is dead here, you must not be able to get out of it." Why don't you go up the mountain with me? ”
He Tao shook his head and said: "Hugh wants to mention the matter of going up the mountain again, I am stupid and unbearable, I just want to die peacefully." When I went back, I found a quiet meditation temple and lived my life. ”
Xu Ning couldn't stay, He Tao left by himself, and he didn't know where to go.
Xu Ning punished He Tao's house slaves, and Liu Tang re-revised the organs, marking the places where the ambushes could be made. Xu Ning came here with the Hook and Sickle Battalion and prepared an ambush.
Liang Shan designed to lead Hu Yanzhuo's military horses here, Xu Ning led the hook and sickle battalion to defeat Hu Yanzhuo's chain of horse formation, when Hu Yanzhuo fled, he was ambushed by the mechanism, and finally the whole army was annihilated, leaving only Hu Yanzhuo to escape.
Later, Hu Yanzhuo was captured by Song Jiang's design, and under Song Jiang's kind words and persuasion, he surrendered to Liangshan. (To be continued)