Chapter 494 Put down the butcher knife

The rain was still falling, and the rainwater poured on the eaves of the bell tower of Xiangji Temple and trickled down the dripping tiles.

The woods in the distance became more and more green in the rain, and the mountains looked empty. If the rebels were not still stationed here and lighting fires to barbecue, Xiangji Temple seemed to have returned to the tranquility of the past.

"Report! Marshal, the Tang Army has sent an envoy."

After Cui Qianyou heard the report, he raised his head. His bloodshot eyes looked hollow and had lost their former vigor.

He originally wanted to fight to the death, but the weather failed and a heavy rain delayed the opportunity to fight. In the past few days, the soldiers either fled or defected. The army was now in disarray and might collapse at any time.

Facts have proved that no matter how fierce a person is, there is still the possibility of compromise when forced to the point of no choice. Cui Qianyou tilted his head and said: "Bring him to the Heavenly King's Palace to see me."

In the Hall of the Heavenly King, a Maitreya Buddha is sitting in the middle with a smile, and the eight Vajras are lined up on both sides, glaring angrily.

When Cui Qianyou walked into the hall, he saw a middle-aged official wearing a red official robe burning three pillars of incense and worshiping the Buddha.

"Is it useful to worship Buddha?" Cui Qianyou sneered.

"If you believe it, you have it; if you don't believe it, you don't have it."

The middle-aged official put the incense in place calmly, turned around, crossed his hands and saluted meticulously, and said: "Zhongcheng, Yushi of the Tang Dynasty, Langzhong of Hubu, deputy envoy of Duzhi, transfer envoy of Gyeonggi Province, Yuan Zai, Xing meeting."

While they were talking, some rebel soldiers moved two tables, placed them in the Buddhist hall, and served wine and meat.

Cui Qianyou sat down directly at the main seat, laughed loudly and said: "Yuan Zhongcheng, please!"

"Being respectful is worse than obeying orders."

Yuan Zai felt troubled, but he still sat down and looked around. He saw two pieces of half-cooked meat on the plate with blood on them, and bright red wine in the cup.

Cui Qianyou picked up the meat with his hands and ate it until his mouth was stained with blood. Later, seeing that Yuan Zai didn't eat, he wiped his mouth and looked back and asked, "But you don't dare to eat meat in front of the Buddha? "

Yuan Zai looked kindly and said, "I have good news that I want to tell General Cui first."

"I know an eminent monk who has achieved enlightenment." Cui Qianyou said to himself: "His Buddhist name is Juehui, and he told me a story about his master persuading a butcher to become a Buddha. Have you heard of it?"

"In the second year of Emperor Gaozong's Yonglong reign, Zen Master Shandao of Xiangji Temple persuaded the people of Chang'an to become vegetarians. At that time, there was a butcher named Jing. Seeing that meat was becoming increasingly difficult to sell, he became angry and rushed to Xiangji Temple with a knife, intending to kill Shandao. Guide Zen Master."

"Destroying a person's wealth is like killing his parents." Cui Qianyou said with emotion.

Yuan Zai stood up, stood still in the hall, and said: "In the Tianwang Hall where you and I are at this moment, Jing Tu came in and raised his sword to kill Zen Master Shandao. He suddenly raised his eyes and saw a compassionate and solemn De. The sight was breathtaking. Jingtu suddenly felt a shock in his heart. His heart was as ferocious as ice meeting the sun. The knife in his hand fell to the ground and he knelt down to salute. Zen Master Shandao raised his hand and pointed to the west. The scene of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss appeared in the sky and told Jingtu , he has sold meat and killed countless lives for many years, committing endless crimes, and will fall into hell after death. Only by reciting the Buddha's name can he be reborn in the Pure Land."

He turned around and pointed at a tall willow tree outside the hall, saying: "Jingtu was so ashamed that he immediately made a wish to die. Then he climbed up the willow tree, clasped his hands together, chanted Buddha loudly, and fell to the ground to die. This happened later. It has become a popular saying of 'put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha immediately'."

"Hahahaha." Cui Qianyou clapped his hands and laughed, and said: "Yuan Zhongcheng is very good at telling stories. You can tell the same story much more vividly than Juehuai. Will you stay in our army to amuse me in the future?"

Yuan Zai suddenly smiled bitterly and did not dare to answer.

Cui Qianyou deliberately frightened him and saw that he was embarrassed, so he smiled proudly and said, "Let's talk and laugh with you, sit down, drink wine and eat meat."

Yuan Zai had no choice but to sit down again, picked up the wine glass and took a sip, and unexpectedly found that the wine was not bad.

He then picked up a piece of meat and said: "The imperial court knows that General Cui is forced to follow An Lushan. It is helpless and plans to pardon the general."

"Juehui advised me the same way." Cui Qianyou said: "He said that if the war continues, how many lives will be killed. It is better to submit to the court, put down the butcher's knife, and become a Buddha immediately. He is making me like Jing Tu. Go to hell."

Yuan Zai hurriedly said: "It's different."

"Then ask Monk Juehhuai." Cui Qianyou said, "Do you know where he is?"

Yuan Zai asked: "Where?"

Cui Qianyou raised his hand and pointed at the piece of meat in his hand, grinned and said with a smile: "Isn't it right next to your mouth?"

Yuan Zai was shocked, and the meat in his hand fell on the table. His face turned pale, and he quickly put his hands together and said: "Amitabha, Amitabha."

At this point, Cui Qianyou's momentum completely overwhelmed Yuan Zai, and a look of madness appeared on his face.

"Hahaha, Yuan Zhongcheng, do you have anything else you want to say to me?!"

This means that the last person who persuaded Cui Qianyou, Jue Huai, has become a meal on the plate. If Yuan Zai dares to continue to persuade, Cui Qianyou will roast him until he is as half-cooked as Jue Huai.

"His Royal Highness will ascend the throne soon." Yuan Zai lowered his head and said in a slightly trembling voice: "General Cui, don't you want to be Yuan Cong's minister?"

In fact, he was deliberately pretending to be scared. He had already heard that the rebels were eating monks recently. Because of this, Li Guangbi also punished a general who talked nonsense. However, it can be seen that the rebels have no food. , you are more likely to be convinced.

"Ascension to the throne?"

Cui Qianyou was a little unexpected. Li Cong's accession to the throne meant that he had broken up with Li Longji. So he would have to rely on him to deal with Li Longji in the short term. Li Heng would definitely not attack him and would give him a certain degree of certainty. power.

Yuan Zai said: "General Cui, guess who asked me to be a lobbyist?"

"Isn't it Li's long-lost grandson?"

"Nominally, the King of Peking sent me here." Yuan Zai said: "In fact, His Highness has a secret decree for General Cui."

Cui Qianyou's eyes lit up and he finally became interested. He took the secret letter from Yuan Zai and took a look at it, thinking about it.

Li Cong said in the letter that he wanted to make him the King of Guiyi and guard Fan Yang. Unfortunately, Li Cong did not have real power at present, and he had to rely on Xue Bai for the time being. He hoped that he could join him and attack Li Heng first, and then get rid of Xue Bai. From now on, the king and his ministers will share wealth and honor.

Cui Qianyou also noticed that Li Cong's title in the letter was "Xue Bai" instead of "Li Qian".

"General Cui." Yuan Zai glanced outside the palace uneasily and said, "The King of Peking must not let the King of Peking know about this matter."

Cui Qianyou sneered, put the letter into the drink, crushed it with his fingers, raised his head and swallowed it in one gulp, saying, "I agree to this condition."

Instead, Yuan Zai became embarrassed and said in deep thought: "His Highness's promise will definitely be fulfilled, but... the conditions of King Peiping are a bit harsh."

"Yeah?"

"He wants General Cui to be at his disposal after he surrenders."

Cui Qianyou looked angry and said, "If you had said this earlier, you would have been in my belly by now."

"If General Cui is willing to talk, how about meeting the King of Peking at Taoxi, Fanchuan tomorrow?"

Yuan Zai said, and then quickly added: "Don't worry, the King of Peking will not bring too many people. And he must not dare to attack the general, otherwise Fan Yang's soldiers will not think that he is sincere in surrendering?"

Cui Qianyou was not afraid of Xue Bai and said: "Then I will meet him."

Yuan Zai was overjoyed and bowed with a bow before exiting. Tian Chengsi came down from the bell tower and saw him off personally.

~~

Taoxi is located in the middle of Fanchuan River, on the north bank of Lishui River, and southeast of Duqu Town. It is surrounded by peach orchards and has beautiful scenery. It is summer, not to mention the peach blossoms. After days of heavy rain, even the wild flowers nearby have been knocked down.

Cui Qianyou sent sentries to investigate and confirmed that Xue Bai had not set up an ambush in Taoxi, so he went to attend the appointment in person.

He has made up his mind that he can submit to Li Cong, but he must not submit to Xue Bai. When we talk today, it is okay not to make him the king for the time being, but at least let him lead an army alone. This is the bottom line, and it is also what he will do in the future. A vassal town is not bound by the imperial court and does not tolerate any concessions.

The heavy rain affected the vision, and it was not until close that one could see Xue Bai leading a few people waiting in front of a cottage.

There used to be a beautiful village in Taoxi, but it is now abandoned because all the villagers were killed by the rebels. After a heavy rain, the remaining blood and bones were carried away by the stream along with the fallen flowers.

"After the First World War at Tongguan, I originally wanted to meet with the King of Peking! Unexpectedly, the King of Peking abandoned Luoyang and left without ever fighting, which is a pity!"

Following this arrogant voice, Cui Qianyou arrived in front of Xue Bai, got off his horse, and strode away, showing his majesty.

Xue Bai said: "Below Chang'an City, you and I have already fought against each other."

"Not enough." Cui Qianyou laughed and said, "The winner has not yet been determined."

"The general retreated, didn't he think he was defeated?"

"If you think so, why not start a battle at Xiangji Temple and have a good fight?!"

Cui Qianyou was convinced that Xue Bai wanted to recruit him.

In his opinion, Yuan Zai thought he was smart, but in fact he had revealed the unfavorable situation of the Tang army, that is, the conflicts within the royal family, which instead became a bargaining chip for him to take the initiative in negotiations. Does Xue Bai dare to fight decisively? Even if he can win, he still has to fight. How many troops are there to deal with Li Longji and Li Heng?

However, Xue Bai did not greet him with a smile as he expected, but said in a deep voice: "Cui Qianyou, I will give you one last chance!"

"What?"

"If you sincerely repent and bow before me and obey my orders, I will forget your past sins!"

"Another idiot who only knows how to talk."

Cui Qianyou turned his face without hesitation and looked at Yuan Zai behind Xue Bai. Yuan Zai and Li Cong still had secrets in his belly. He could kill Yuan Zai as soon as he opened his mouth. So Yuan Zai must be present. The person who is most afraid of the collapse of the conversation should immediately come out and say good things.

However, Yuan Zai seemed to be distracted and did not hear. He stood there leisurely with his hands in his sleeves.

Cui Qianyou was displeased and scolded: "Show me your conditions. If you don't sincerely appease me, then we will fight."

Xue Bai said: "I have already stated the conditions, hand over military power and bow your head and obey orders."

Cui Qianyou suddenly felt a strong murderous intention.

He squinted his eyes and scanned in the heavy rain. He didn't see any more ambushes. He only saw people standing at the windows of several cottages. Obviously, Xue Bai was dishonest and wanted to ambush him.

But no matter, he had inquired beforehand and it was impossible for the Tang army to have more cavalry. With his bravery, no one could stop him. On the contrary, he was very sure of killing Xue Bai. He led With more than twenty cavalry, and all of them wearing armor and armed with weapons, what can't be accomplished?

"Kill him!"

Cui Qianyou immediately kicked the horse in the belly, drove the horse forward, raised his sword, and his soldiers and knights also sprinted into the rain.

There was no need for bows and arrows in the heavy rain, so he was too lazy to shoot Xue Bai, so he simply moved closer, not afraid of the Tang army's crossbowmen.

"kill!"

Xue Bai gave the order to retreat and avoid the cottage.

Several generals of the Tang Army immediately stopped at the door, holding up several heavy barrels, and a general with a scar on his face shouted.
To be continued...