Chapter 145 The world is a huge makeshift team!
After conquering the insects in the thirty-six caves and seventy-two islands, Murong Fu's side became even stronger.

In comparison, the hundreds of people in the Beggars' Sect looked even more pitiful.

At this time, the Beggars' Sect was clearly divided into two groups.

The first group included Qiao Feng, Lu Zhang, and Captain Jiang. They made up the majority, and even Bai Shijing was among them.

The other group consisted of Quan Guanqing and others. They were smaller in number and were obviously isolated.

Although Quan Guanqing said there were witnesses, so far most of the Beggars' Sect still chose to believe Qiao Feng.

After being treated by Xue Muhua, Qiao Feng's injuries have improved a lot, and he is now racing against time to recover his martial arts.

He already had a premonition that a big disturbance was going to occur within the Beggars' Sect.

By now, he also believed that some scum in the Beggars' Sect were causing trouble and that there must be a misunderstanding. In order to settle this matter, he needed to restore some combat effectiveness.

At the same time, Qiao Feng was also thinking about Murong Fu.

From previous rumors, Qiao Feng believed that Murong Fu was a young gentleman, a not-so-rough Jiangnan knight.

But until this meeting, he had to admit that Murong Fu was not only an expert in martial arts, but also behaved in a way that was both good and evil, making him completely unpredictable.

When Li Xian said that Murong Fu was going to rebel or something, Qiao Feng was skeptical, but he had already caught a glimpse of Murong Fu's ambition to dominate the martial arts world.

Qiao Feng thought to himself: This man has close ties with the Queen Mother of Xixia, and they are even from the same sect. He also knows the Six Meridians Divine Sword of the Dali Duan Clan, so he must have a deep connection with the Dali Duan Clan. He has conquered many heroes, and his power is so great that it is frightening. What on earth is he going to do? Hey, right now our Beggars' Sect is about to have an internal strife, and I have been framed, and I have not yet cleared my suspicion. Why should I care about what others do?
Thinking of this, Qiao Feng couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Since he started to travel the world, it can be said that he has had smooth sailing all the way and has never encountered any powerful masters. But now he is in such a mess, and there are many dangers. The situation is turbulent and complicated. Qiao Feng just feels powerless.

Over there, Murong Fu gave a few instructions to the Dongdao heroes, then looked at the Beggars' Sect and said, "It looks like it will take some time for your Beggars' Sect witness to arrive, so I won't wait here with you. Do as you please!"

After that, Murong Fu, under the guidance of Ah Zhu, and a group of people entered the Tingxiangshui Pavilion.

Outside, there were three hundred plainclothes Iron Harriers, the Lingjiu Palace Guards, and the heroes of Dong Island, who were enough to intimidate the Beggars' Sect and prevent them from acting rashly.

"Cousin, our conspiracy to rebel has been discovered. What should we do?" Wang Yuyan said worriedly, "Why don't we just rebel in advance? I think the officers and soldiers in the two Zhejiang roads are vulnerable."

Murong Fei said, "Foster father, the elite troops of the Song Dynasty are all in the Western Army, and it is impossible for the Western Army to move south for a while. If you want to raise the banner of rebellion, I am willing to help you conquer the southeast. When the time comes, you can raise an army and let the Queen Mother support you in Daxia, and you can still establish your own territory."

Li Qiushui smiled and said, "It depends on what you want, Master. With the power you have now, it is enough to give the Song Dynasty a headache."

"For this matter, we naturally have to consult professionals. Let's wait!" Murong Fu said.

The professional that Murong Fu was talking about was naturally Tong Guan.

Tong Guan was followed by one of the six thieves, and was the first eunuch to be crowned king.

This person's ability may not be as good as Li Xian's, but his ability to scheme is definitely better than Li Xian's.

Being able to curry favor with others shows that one understands the system of the Song Dynasty very well, and this alone makes one very valuable.

Not long after, Tong Guan changed into new clothes, bandaged himself simply, and came to see Murong Fu.

When Tong Guan saw Murong Fu, he knelt down and said with a flattering look on his face: "I am here to see Master Murong. Master Murong is truly a man of heaven and earth, with the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix! Purple air comes from the east of Dragon City, and he is a supreme being, indescribably noble!"

Murong Fu said: "Stand up!"

"Thank you, Mr. Murong!" Tong Guan was not surprised.

Since Murong Fu is a rebel, it is normal for him to have some imperial airs.

Murong Fu said: "I heard that Li Xian's martial arts is called Sunflower Manual?"

Tong Guan said: "It is indeed called the Sunflower Manual."

Murong Fu asked, "Did he pass on the Sunflower Manual to you?"

Tong Guan said: "Yes, I have studied the Sunflower Manual for five or six years, but in terms of skills, I am not as profound as him."

Murong Fu asked: "He is willing to pass on such a precious martial art to you. What is your relationship with him?"

"In my heart, he is both my master and my adoptive father." Tong Guan said, wiping away tears. "I was an ordinary eunuch who couldn't even read. It was he who adopted me, taught me how to read and write, passed on to me the Sunflower Manual, and even taught me his military skills. It can be said that without his cultivation, I would not be where I am today. Even my biological father couldn't do as well as he did."

Speaking of this, Tong Guan felt extremely sad.

This outpouring of true feelings was not only a display of Tong Guan's inner emotions, but also because he was a truly extremely intelligent person.

Tong Guan knew very well that even an enemy would not like someone who was emotionless and would cut ties with his former master immediately after betrayal.

People appreciate loyal and righteous people more.

The more this loyal and righteous man is loyal to his old master, the more the new master with great talent and strategy likes him.

It’s like Cao Mengde has a special liking for Guan Yu.

Tong Guan naturally cannot be compared with Guan Yu. It is certain that he is afraid of death, but it is definitely not the case that he has no emotions at all.

Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect?
Tong Guan was grateful for Li Xian's ten years of cultivation.

All I can say is that human nature is complex.

What's more, it is no secret that Li Xian is Tong Guan's adoptive father, and Li Xian taught all his skills to Tong Guan, which Murong Fu saw with his own eyes.

If Tong Guan cursed Li Xian and completely cut off ties with him, not only Murong Fu, but even the people around Murong Fu would look down on him, which would be detrimental to his future progress.

As the saying goes, the greatest traitor appears loyal. No treacherous minister has the word "bad" written on his face. Instead, they all appear to be flesh and blood, and even have quite extraordinary qualities.

Moreover, there is another meaning behind Tong Guan's words, that is, Tong Guan has inherited all the true teachings of Li Xian. He not only knows the Sunflower Manual, but also knows how to march and fight, and can read and write. These are all top talents in the Song Dynasty.

If Murong Fu really had ambitions, he would naturally make use of talents like him.

After witnessing Murong Fu's martial arts, Tong Guan knew that the Song Dynasty was like a rabbit's tail that could not grow long.

Murong Fu's martial arts skills are better than Li Xian's, but he does not have Li Xian's ideological imprint of "superiority and inferiority, ruler and subject, father and son". Instead, he is a bit similar to Song Taizu.

In his time, Taizu was highly skilled in martial arts and was deeply trusted by Guo Rong, so he was appointed as an inspector. However, he eventually launched the Chenqiao Rebellion, put on the yellow robe, and did not care at all about the brotherhood with Guo Rong or the loyalty between the monarch and his subject.

Only such an ambitious person with no scruples in his heart can achieve success!

Only when people’s hearts are not bound by the rules of the world can they truly display their abilities.

However, the prerequisite is that you really have the ability.

Sure enough, Tong Guan's performance made everyone's impression of him much better.

Everyone thought: I thought this eunuch was afraid of death, but I didn't expect him to be grateful and dare to speak well of Li Xian in front of Murong Fu. He is not completely useless. Murong Fu is experienced and naturally knows Tong Guan's little tricks, but he doesn't expose it. He asked: "What do you think of your adoptive father?"

Tong Guan said: "My adoptive father is a master of his generation in terms of martial arts. Of course, he cannot be compared with you, Master Murong. In terms of the ability to march and fight, he is also a leader in the Song Dynasty. No eunuch in the Song Dynasty can match him. When Emperor Shenzong attacked Xia from five directions, my adoptive father led an army alone and never lost. He often told me about the kindness of Emperor Shenzong to him. He said that he and Wang Shao both advocated expanding the border, and finally had a question and answer with Emperor Shenzong, and was appreciated by him. If it weren't for Emperor Shenzong's appointment, he would still be serving in the palace. Of course, there is nothing wrong with serving in the palace, but the battlefield is more open to my adoptive father. Therefore, my adoptive father is loyal to the emperor and patriotic, has great ambitions, and is extremely talented. He is a wise eunuch."

Li Qiushui nodded and said, "That's true. Although Li Xian is my enemy, I have to admit that he is a wise eunuch for the Song Dynasty."

Tong Guan added: "But my adoptive father has a shortcoming that is not a shortcoming, he is too devoted to the country. Those old party ministers impeached him for being greedy for merit, but I know that he is not greedy for merit, but he is just determined to realize the ambition of reforming and strengthening the country for Emperor Shenzong. When the five-way expedition against Xia failed, after returning, my adoptive father vomited blood due to worry and anger, and his health has been much worse than before."

"Neither Wang Shao nor Wang Anshi liked my adoptive father. Su Che, Liu Zhi, Lu Dafang, Sima Guang, Fan Chunren and others from the old party hated my adoptive father to the core. My adoptive father was eventually impeached and demoted again and again. If it weren't for the kindness of Emperor Shenzong, he wouldn't even have been assigned to the Imperial City Department."

"But my adoptive father found out that you had become the consort of Xixia Yinchuan, and combined with the previous intelligence, he judged that you might be planning an uprising. After that, even though he could not mobilize a single soldier and could not get the Queen Mother's authorization, he still came all the way to deal with you for the Song Dynasty. In the end, he also died because of this."

"My adoptive father's biggest problem is that he read too many books written by Confucian scholars and believed them. But those Confucian scholars looked down on us eunuchs and never treated us as their own people! In this regard, I am much more clear-headed than my adoptive father. People should first plan for themselves before they can plan for the country!"

Tong Guan's evaluation of Li Xian was quite high.

Murong Fu said expressionlessly, "I had guessed it a long time ago. Your adoptive father was demoted to a position of no real power, so it was impossible for him to have the Queen Mother's authorization. He actually acted on his own. Although he died in my hands, he did justice to the Emperor Shenzong."

Then Murong Fu asked again: "Now that your adoptive father has spoken out, my rebellion may be leaked out. How do you think we can solve this problem?"

Tong Guan knew that this was a test from Murong Fu. He was startled and after a little thought, he immediately came up with an idea and said:

"This is easy to do. There are a lot of Taihu Lake bandits in the Taihu Lake where Master Murong is. Why don't you use the name of the Taihu Lake bandits to declare rebellion!"

Tong Guan's words were also shocking, and everyone thought the idea was incredible.

Murong Fu asked with great interest: "Go on! Why do you want to use the name of the Taihu Lake bandits to declare rebellion?"

Tong Guan said: "Because the Taihu Lake bandits have been a problem for many years, they have not become a force to be reckoned with, so the central government of the court does not take it seriously. Young Master Murong rebelled in the name of the Taihu Lake bandits, but he stood out among the flock of chickens, and the dragon hid among the fish and turtles. The court watched from afar and could not see the real dragon, so it did not care. In this way, it is easy to issue an edict of peace!"

"In our Song Dynasty, even murder and arson can be punished by imperial decree. This is also the family law of our ancestors! Master Murong, you can start a small rebellion first, then make some arrangements and accept the imperial decree. You can serve as a wing soldier in Liangzhe Road. If you are willing to spend money, you can even become a military officer of considerable status."

"As the saying goes, great people hide in the court. By then, Master Murong himself will be a military officer of the court. Naturally, he can make friends with heroes from all walks of life and secretly accumulate strength in the name of the court. Isn't that convenient?"

"At least with the imperial court's certification, those gangsters can no longer accuse you of being a traitor."

Murong Fu smiled and said, "Your idea is interesting. The court knows that I rebelled, and they accepted my edict of amnesty. No matter what rumors there are outside, the court will not believe them at all, and will not think it is a big deal."

Tong Guan said: "That's right! The Song Dynasty has millions of soldiers, many of whom were rebels in the past. After receiving money and food from the court, they just live a carefree life! The court is used to this."

Murong Fu asked: "Then how should we operate Zhao'an?"

Tong Guan said: "First, I will use my adoptive father's posthumous reputation."

"Your adoptive father's posthumous reputation?" Murong Fu asked, "How can we use it?"

Tong Guan said: "In the eyes of the literati in the court, eunuchs leading the army is an act of competing for their power. It poses a great threat to them, and it also highlights their incompetence and makes them lose face."

"This is the real reason why my adoptive father was impeached by the literati. However, my adoptive father has made great contributions, and it is very difficult for those literati to completely criticize him. But what if my adoptive father used the Imperial City Bureau to frame the famous Suzhou gentleman Murong Yuanwai, extorted Murong Yuanwai's property, and even forced Murong Yuanwai to rebel?"

"The scholars and officials of the old party like to report things on hearsay when they have nothing to do. They spread rumors everywhere. If they knew about this, they would definitely impeach my adoptive father vigorously. And because Mr. Murong and my adoptive father are hostile, they will all advocate appeasement. They will use their appeasement of the local gentry's leniency to highlight my adoptive father's tyranny!"

It is one thing that Tong Guan highly praised Li Xian, but when he used Li Xian, he really wanted to squeeze out Li Xian's surplus value.

Everyone thought Tong Guan's idea was ridiculous, but the more they thought about it, the more they felt it was very likely to come true.

"Interesting!" Murong Fu said, "We in Song Dynasty are very humorous!"

Tong Guan continued, "Then there is the money! As long as you, Mr. Murong, are willing to spend a lot of money in Dongjing City and into the hands of those old party backbones, you will naturally be a favorite in front of them, and they will continue to speak for you. In the end, the core of the Song Dynasty will be deceived! How can the central government of the court know the specific situation of the people if they deceive the superiors and the subordinates?"

Murong Fu asked: "Are those scholars so unethical?"

Tong Guan said disdainfully: "They are full of benevolence and morality, but in fact they are just a bunch of villains who are only interested in promotion and wealth! Cai Que of the New Party embezzled money when he was young, but was finally saved. The prime ministers are no more than this, let alone those people! People with high moral standards like Wang Anshi and Sima Guang are just rare!"

Murong Fu said: "What you said makes sense, but is the Song Dynasty really so easily deceived?"

Tong Guan glanced at Murong Fu, hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Mr. Murong, I think you may have overestimated the Song Dynasty!"

"From what I know, from top to bottom, eight out of ten people in the Song Dynasty court are incompetent, and less than ten percent are capable officials."

"The root of the problem lies in the Golden Throne Room in Dongjing City! The real ruler of the Song Dynasty is the Grand Empress Dowager Gao. This old woman only knows how to seize power and has no idea how to govern a country!"

"The scholars praised her as a female Yao or Shun, but she really knew nothing. She only wanted to maintain stability and the stability of her power."

"In fact, she is not the only one like this. Most of the scholars in the court are like this, such as Su Che, Fan Chunren, Liu Zhi and others. If they are asked to write articles, they will be very good. If they are asked to seize power, they will be very scheming. But if they are asked to really control floods, march to war, and manage the finances for the court, they are really bad!"

"Saving the people from their misery and making the ruler as good as Yao and Shun are just words in an article. They can't do it."

"Most of the high-ranking officials in the Song Dynasty court are in name only, and most of the generals in the army are useless. People like my adoptive father are really one in a million."

"And they really don't know how strong my adoptive father is. When we talk about martial arts, they sneer at him, thinking it's a story about a swordsman in a Tang Dynasty legend. My adoptive father said that the Beggars' Sect was highly praised by the Emperor Shenzong and the current government, but he was just lying in order to win over the Beggars' Sect. In fact, how could a group of beggars be taken seriously by the rich and powerful? They live a life of drunkenness and dreams, unaware of the dangers that are coming. In their eyes, the Song Dynasty can only last for another one or two hundred years. There was no trouble in the first hundred years, and there was no trouble in the next hundred years. They don't even have the ambition to unify the world. They just want to live in disgrace and enjoy this wealth and glory."

Tong Guan was indeed a eunuch who had a deep understanding of the Song Dynasty. His sharp comments made Murong Fu feel as if the clouds had been cleared and the sun had appeared.

No wonder during the Jingkang Incident, the Song emperor foolishly fell into the trap, leading to the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty.

The emperor's low intelligence, the incompetence of the bureaucrats, and the uselessness of the generals are all laughing stocks in history.

It turns out that the world is really just a huge makeshift team!

When we think about it again, given the national strength of the Song Dynasty, it actually remained in a stalemate with the Western Xia for such a long time. Tong Guan’s evaluation of the ministers and generals of the Song Dynasty as being in name only cannot be said to be wrong.

"Yes, the world is just a huge makeshift team. It turns out that the Song Dynasty is so weak!" Murong Fu patted Tong Guan on the shoulder, "You are a talented person. You can handle this matter. Don't be afraid of spending money. If you do a good job, you will have a bright future!"

"Thank you, Mr. Murong!"

"Call me Lord!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

Tong Guan's performance made Murong Fu finally understand why the emperor liked to use such eunuchs. It was really because these people were very handy to do dirty work.

And among all the eunuchs who have left their names in history, there is indeed not a single incompetent one.

Afterwards, Murong Fu asked Tong Guan to write out the "Nine Yang Manual" from memory, and prepared to make several versions of the "Nine Yang Manual" and send them to his East Factory.

The East Factory Supervisor Sikong Xuan has already been determined. Of course, if Sikong Xuan is unwilling to do so, Murong Fu will not force him.

As for Tong Guan, if the country is successfully established in the future, he might as well be given a future as the most beautiful girl in the Western Factory.

Jinyiwei, Dongchang, Xichang, they all need it!

(End of this chapter)