The Villain, The Quack, Poisons The Two Protagonists At The Beginning

The Gukui people do not have a unified dynasty, and the leaders of various tribes do not obey anyone, and they have been fighting among themselves for a long time.

It was not until recent years that a ruthless man named E Shuo defeated other opponents one after another and united most of the tribes.

However, E Shuo was very clever and did not establish a country and proclaim himself emperor.

He knew that in terms of strength, he could not compare with Lou Zhen next to him, and he was not on the same level as Yan Guo.

Even though Gukui could organize tens of thousands of cavalry, in fact it had reached a state where all the people were soldiers, and most of the young and middle-aged men were drawn out to fight.

As for logistical supplies, it's even more nonsense. All the troops need are looted along the way, which makes it impossible to fight a long-term war.

Under such a situation, there is really no need to engage in the face-saving projects of founding a country and proclaiming himself emperor, so we should just continue to develop!

Therefore, E Shuo took the initiative to profess his vassalship to Yan State, and obtained a vassal title from the emperor, as well as some miscellaneous official positions;

Of course, the official positions are all empty. He became a minister mainly to ask for money from Yan State and continue to strengthen his own strength.

Yan Guo is also using E Shuo's power to deal with Lou Zhen, and the cooperation between the two parties is going smoothly...

It was only recently that there was a little trouble.

At this time, Es Shuo led his men to surround Gu Shixian and others. They did not launch an attack, but frowned and observed carefully.

In fact, just two years ago, when he went to Beijing to pay homage (to ask for rewards), he saw the emperor in person;

The emperor at that time was not so thin, and his face was not so ugly... But he still looked roughly the same, and his aura was also very appropriate. Could it be that he was really the emperor himself?

Gu Shixian recognized the alien leader in front of him at a glance.

E Shuo is not tall, but has broad shoulders and a strong body with strong muscles;

He has a flat face, a flat nose, and an obvious scar on the left side of his face; his skin is dark and rough, and his body hair is abundant.

The most obvious feature is his thick, slightly brownish-red beard, which is messy and dirty and has not been taken care of at all.

Although the two only met once, during the conversation, Gu Shixian saw that E Shuo was smarter;

E Shuo can also be regarded as a hero in the northern border. He can unify the Gukui tribes, but brute force alone is obviously not enough.

Moreover, he desires longer-term development and needs the support of Yan State;

After all, the increasingly powerful Lou Zhen is a more fierce and dangerous opponent than Yan Guo.

Therefore, Gu Shixian bet that E Shuo would not dare to hurt himself, which would not do him any good!

After thinking for a long time, Gu Shixian forced a smile and took the initiative to say hello: "E Shuo, don't you recognize me? Two years ago you came to Beijing to see me, and we had a drink together... You drank too much at that time. , seems to be doing some sort of bone dance?”

"Oh my, you are truly the emperor!" E Shuo hesitated for a moment, then got off his horse and saluted Gu Shixian.

Gu Shixian made the right bet, E Shuo was indeed a smart man.

At this stage, his primary goal is to make money and develop, not to confront Yan Guo head-on.

Killing Emperor Yan would not only bring no benefit to him, but would also bring disaster.

Only by keeping the emperor alive can he gain the greatest benefit.

When Gu Shixian saw E Shuo treating him with courtesy, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly returned the courtesy.

This is the first time he has saluted someone since he ascended the throne...

"Your Majesty, what's going on with you?" Es Shuo looked at the disgraced followers behind Gu Shixian, and actually guessed that the other party was running for his life.

"Yes... they are traitors." Gu Shixian also knew that he couldn't hide it, "There are traitors in Shuoning who rebelled and attacked the military camp at night... I, I got separated from the army."

The so-called army actually no longer exists, but that's all I can say.

After hearing this, Es Shuo just frowned and said nothing; but his expression changed subtly, as if he had some bad intentions.

Gu Shixian vaguely felt that the atmosphere was not good, and Baili Changhui also quietly moved his steps, closing the distance with E Shuo to within ten steps.

Within this range, he is sure to kill with one strike!

There are also monks among the foreign races in the north, but unfortunately the level of elixir refining is quite backward, making it difficult to reach the sixth level or above.

At least according to the intelligence obtained by Yan Guo, there is not a single heavenly master in Gu Kui's army. Baili Changhui is fully capable of killing all the guards around E Shuo with a small number of enemies!

At this time, Eshuo also noticed the old man with a white beard exuding murderous aura, hiss - he was obviously a ruthless character!

He unconsciously raised his hand and pressed the handle of the knife. The guards also became nervous and seemed to be ready to take action!

"E Shuo! I have something to say to you!" Gu Shixian didn't want to risk his own life, so he quickly raised his hand to avoid conflict, "I have always treated you well. I give you hundreds of thousands of taels of silver and silk cloth every year. Countless, why do you still invade my border and massacre my people? I came here not to fight with you, but to ask for an explanation from you!"

These words seem to be blaming Es Shuo, but they are actually emphasizing: I have given you many benefits, don’t forget them! As long as the current conflict is resolved, we can continue to cooperate in the future!

Of course Es Shuo didn't forget it. In fact, when he led his army south this time, he didn't really want to fight... because he really couldn't.

After hesitating for a while, Es Shuo finally let go of the handle of the knife, sighed and told the real reason for the conflict.

"Alas - Your Majesty, you don't know something!"

In the past two years, Gukui has been on good terms with Yan State. A large number of Gukui people have put down their weapons and gone to the north to do business, selling cattle, sheep, horses and other special products.

At first, the atmosphere was harmonious. The Gukui people sold livestock and meat at very low prices, and the civilians in the north were also willing to exchange grain, cloth and other materials in their hands...

However, this situation harmed the interests of the local powerful and warlords in the north!

You are mutually beneficial, but to whom will we sell the high-priced goods we hoard! ?

How will we exploit civilians in the future? Our good days of trading a skinny sheep for a slave girl are over! ?

Absolutely not!

As a result, these warlords began to target Gukui merchants and charge high taxes and fees.

Of course the Gukui people were unwilling, and there were many conflicts between the two sides, with bloodshed happening every three days;

Just last month, a Gukui caravan with hundreds of people was regarded as "border bandits" and was robbed and killed by the Yan Kingdom army!

Es Shuo was completely furious and immediately organized an army to go south to scare the northern warlords. At the same time, he also put pressure on the emperor and tried to demand high compensation.

But he never expected that this time Gu Shixian did not send an envoy to negotiate and investigate the situation, but directly went to the conquest in person!

Damn it! Why doesn't he follow the rules?

We Gukui people didn't attack the city, we just harassed them casually. Do you need to go to war in such a big way? ?

Es Shuo still hasn't figured out why the emperor didn't stay in the capital to enjoy himself, but insisted on running out to suffer...

"***...Is this the case!?" Gu Shixian was about to explode after hearing the cause and effect!

What the hell! These rotten people in the north! Causing me trouble every day!

It’s really impossible not to deal with them!

Oh, no, they acted first, and I am now being taken care of by them...

"Hoo, ho--" Gu Shixian took a few deep breaths, tried to adjust his emotions, and finally expressed his stance to Es Shuo: "Don't worry! I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter! Uh... you take me back to the capital first, I have many rewards..."

But E Shuo did not agree immediately. Instead, he rolled his eyes and secretly calculated how much money he would need from the emperor.

Gu Shixian didn't dare to take the initiative to offer a price, he just waited for the other party to make a request.

After a long while, E Shuo finally said: "Please first ask the emperor to follow me back to the camp to rest, and then we can discuss it again!"

"Uh...where is your camp?" Gu Shixian couldn't refuse.

"Not far, just to the north!"

...

The army marched north for a long time and unexpectedly came to a fortress in the Yan Kingdom - Niujiabao!

The Gukui people were stationed outside the city, and within the city walls were piles of corpses of Yan Kingdom cavalry!

Seeing this scene, Gu Shixian was stunned on the spot!

What the hell! This is obviously Xing Darong's army!

They were actually wiped out by the Gukui people in Niujiapu! How can this be! ?

How did Eshuo do it! ?

Gu Shixian couldn't figure it out, he was just shocked and began to doubt his life.

"Your Majesty, I am not to blame for this matter." E Shuo took the initiative to explain, "When we came over, most of these people were already dead. They all died of poisoning!"

"Poisoned!?" Gu Shixian actually couldn't believe it, "What poison is so powerful!?"

It is not difficult to poison a person, but it is almost impossible to poison tens of thousands of elites with cultivation level.

Poisoning food is exhausting, and poisoning water must ensure sufficient concentration and toxicity.

Dare I ask where in the world there is such a powerful poison? Unheard of...

Baili Changhui also had a skeptical attitude and stepped forward to check the body.

Hiss - I'm really poisoned!

However, the symptoms of poisoning are not unfamiliar. In fact, he just saw it a while ago... It was the kind of strange poison used by the assassin in the Miaoyin Tower assassination incident!

Of course, the dose of poison this time was larger, killing more people.

In addition, Baili Changhui also saw that many people were not poisoned to death, but hacked to death by Gukui people with knives...

But it was difficult to explain the situation at hand. He could only use his long sword to tap the wounds on the corpse and wink at the emperor.

After Gu Shixian understood it, of course he could only pretend to be stupid.

Even if he wants to settle the score with E Shuo, he has to wait until he returns to the capital safely...

"Your Majesty, we don't have this kind of poison in our hands! You have to believe me!" E Shuo was also excusing himself, "And we don't know how to detoxify and can't save these people...Rather than let them die slowly in pain , why not give them a good time!"

"Yeah...I understand." Gu Shixian nodded helplessly, "The poisoning has nothing to do with you..."

"It's that group of traitors, Zhong Peng's associates..." Baili Changhui, who was extremely intelligent, analyzed again, "The gang of philosopher thieves has not been completely wiped out, and there is still a top poison master hiding behind the scenes... He is in Tai Hospital He poisoned him at Miaoyin Tower, and now he follows the emperor to the north to poison him! It’s so abominable! This traitor must be caught and cut to pieces!”

That's right, the culprit for all poisoning incidents is this mysterious poison master!

Baili Changhui had never doubted that good-for-nothing Wei Lang;

The emperor took the "Spirit Devouring Pill" in the Imperial Hospital and his cultivation was damaged and he lost face. He drank a strange decoction in the Imperial Hospital and "nearly fell into the trap"... Now it is certain that 10,000% is this top poison. division!

He must also be the remnant of the former crown prince Gu Shizhe!

After a thorough investigation when we return, we should be able to find out this person’s identity!

However, there is another question, is this poison master colluding with Tang Wei and King Shuoning?

I'm afraid there are also philosopher thieves involved in this Tancheng mutiny!

With Tang Wei's strength and such a terrifying poison master, how should he deal with it! ?

Thinking back to the embarrassment of being poisoned in the Tai Hospital, Baili Changhui felt lingering fear and was completely unsure!

It is too dangerous to stay in the north and we must return to Beijing as soon as possible!

Thinking of this, Baili Changhui hurriedly approached the emperor's ear and whispered a few words, asking him to persuade E Shuo to get out of danger as soon as possible.

Gu Shixian didn't want to go back early, but E Shuo was quite scheming, and it was impossible to send the emperor back in vain without getting enough benefits!

Regarding the plan to return to Beijing, the two parties held another "discussion", and Eshuo issued the final conditions:

The emperor wanted to write a personal letter and send it to the capital;

The letter stated that Eshuo would escort the emperor south and arrive at Changping Pass in the north of the capital;

The capital must send 500,000 taels of silver and some jewelry, and Eshuo will only let the emperor go after receiving the goods!

"Hiss... five hundred thousand taels?" Gu Shixian frowned upon hearing this, "My price... is not as good as that of an oiran!?"

...

Wei Lang took Tang Yu and Ruan Ning all the way east to Lancheng.

Along the way, he found countless refugees in ragged clothes. Wei Lang stepped forward to inquire and learned that they were originally local civilians who were displaced because their family property was robbed by warlords.

Of course, you can also rent the fields of warlords, rent the houses of powerful people, and work for them to make a living;

But after careful calculation, after a lifetime of hard work, in the end I didn’t have much money left, so I just gave them voluntary services!

So these people are completely ruined and would rather go to the streets to beg for food than work!

There are also some people begging all the way south, planning to try their luck elsewhere. Maybe the powerful people in other places are not so dark...

"Hey... the world is as black as crows, it's the same everywhere!" Wei Lang couldn't help but sigh.

Tang Yu had nothing to say.

The northern border became like this, obviously inseparable from Tang Wei's "contribution".

In fact, the Tang family is not short of money, and Tang Wei is not the kind of greedy person;

But if he wants to consolidate his position and win over people's hearts, he must feed the greedy hungry wolves below...

Over time, the hungry wolves' appetites are getting bigger and bigger. After eating all the cattle and sheep, they will definitely eat humans...

At this time, do you want to persuade them to restrain themselves? Haha, it's too late.

Even if he wanted to punish them, it was the emperor's business, and Tang Wei would not offend others by himself.

While he was thinking about it, the carriage was suddenly stopped by someone.

This is a group of soldiers and horses from Lancheng, rushing to Tancheng to support the emperor.

When the leading general saw that the carriage was luxuriously decorated and there seemed to be a beautiful woman sitting in the carriage, he immediately sent someone to stop the carriage.

"Haha, where did you come from?" The general looked at Wei Lang with a smirk on his face, "This general suspects that there are foreign bandits hiding in your car. We must search it!"

"Hehehehe..." Unexpectedly, Wei Lang's smile was even worse than his own, "General, good luck! You chose an auspicious day for yourself!"