Chapter 1 Hu Yanzan killed a thief for revenge
In 960 AD, Zhao Kuangyin successfully launched a mutiny in Chenqiaoyi and established the Song Dynasty, known as the "Song Taizu" in history. China has once again slowly moved from fragmentation to unity.
In the early days of the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, China's unification was not yet complete. Small countries such as the Southern Tang, Wuyue, Houshu, Northern Han, Southern Han, and Liao were still a serious concern for Song Taizu. The Northern Han Dynasty was the country that Song Taizu first wanted to incorporate into the Song Dynasty.
After hearing the news, Liu Jun, the king of the Northern Han Dynasty, immediately summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures. The official Hu Yanting advised him to become a minister to the Song Dynasty. Liu Jun was very hesitant after hearing this. At this time, Ouyang Fang, the deputy privy envoy, stood up and said: "The Northern Han Dynasty is in the important area of ??Jinyang. Our ancestors have made great achievements here. Can't we even be able to hold on? I am afraid that Hu Yanting had an affair with the Song Dynasty and used this strategy to persuade him to surrender. , Your Majesty should kill this traitor!" Liu Jun had no opinion to begin with. Hearing what his ministers said, he was about to nod in panic when his uncle Zhao Sui hurriedly came out to relieve the siege and said: "Hu Yanting is also loyal. If the Lord is suspicious, there is no need to kill him. He can just be demoted to a commoner and return to his hometown." Hu Yanting was saved from death.
After Hu Yanting thanked the emperor for his kindness, he packed his bags that day and took his family on the road to his hometown in Jiangzhou. But Ouyang Fang refused to give up. He regarded Hu Yanting as a thorn in his side, and only by getting rid of him could he relieve his hatred. So Ouyang Fang called his confidants Zhang Qing and Li De, and said to them: "You two will lead hundreds of elite soldiers now to drive them all to death when Hu Yanting leads his family back to their hometown. There will be a big reward when you come back." Zhang and Li took the order and immediately led their soldiers to pursue Hu Yanting.
At this time, Hu Yanting and other people arrived at Shishan Post. It was getting late, so they decided to stop and rest here and set up camp. That night, he was having a drink with his wife, telling about his misfortunes in his later years. Near the second watch, he suddenly heard shouts and torches outside, and someone reported that bandits were coming to rob the camp. Hu Yanting was shocked and quickly asked his family to leave first. Zhang Qing and Li De led their troops to swarm in, killed all Huyanting's family, old and young, robbed the treasure and left.
Due to the sudden incident, and the fact that Hu Yanting brought only his family members and entourage back home, he was unable to resist. Only the concubine Liu, holding her young son and hiding in the toilet, saved her life. , escaped this disaster. At the fourth watch, Ms. Liu sighed and said: "Who would have thought that my family would suffer such a disaster, leaving my mother and son helpless." She burst into tears as she spoke. Suddenly someone asked from behind: "Why is the little lady in pain here?" Mrs. Liu used the starlight to look at the person who asked the question carefully. The man walked forward again and asked, "Whose family are you from? How come you are here alone?" Mrs. Liu then replied, "I am the side wife of Hu Yanting, the admonishing doctor, because I followed my husband back to his hometown. But when I got here, I didn't expect to be robbed by strong men. They killed the whole family, leaving only me and the nursing child, hiding here with nothing to do." After hearing this, the man said angrily. "I am the leader of the two houses of Hedong Prefecture, and my surname is Wu Mingwang. The people who killed your husband and your whole family are Zhang Qing and Li De, Ouyang Fang's personal followers. You should quickly escape with your children." After that, he left.
Mr. Liu was about to set off when she suddenly heard another shout from outside, and another group of strongmen rushed in. When they saw Ms. Liu, they couldn't help but take her mother and her son to see the leader Ma Zhong. Ma Zhong asked: "Who are you and why are you holding the child here?" Liu replied: "I have been wronged..." and then told the story of the murder of the family. Ma Zhong said: "The people on night patrol came to report just now that an official in the post was robbed. We were about to come to seize the gold and treasure, but it turned out that there was such an injustice. If you are willing to follow me back to the village, I will definitely raise the child. Do you think it would be okay for me to avenge this injustice for you when I grow up?" Liu quickly said, "I am willing to go with the king." Ma Zhong then took Liu's mother and son back to the village. After Ma Zhong settled Liu's mother and son in the house, he and his men went out. Mrs. Liu secretly sent people to the post to collect the bodies of her family members and bury them in one place, intending only to avenge the injustice and raise her children.
Seven years passed in a blink of an eye. Liu's child has grown into a mighty young man. Ma Zhong named him Fulang, sent him to school, and taught him martial arts.
Fu Lang was born with an iron-colored face and red eyes. He looked exactly like Wei Chigong, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty. Although he was also studying, he preferred to practice martial arts. Whenever he had free time, he would study the art of war. Therefore, by the age of fourteen or fifteen, he was already proficient in the art of war, horse riding, and archery, and could even use iron spears with ease. Seeing that the child was so promising, Ma Zhong adopted him as his adopted son and named him Ma Zan.
One day, Ma Zan went out with his father Ma Zhong on errands and saw some porters carrying a plaque that read "Ouyang Fang of Shangzhu Kingdom". Ma Zhong was very unhappy after seeing this and said: "This guy framed the loyal minister Hu Yanting fifteen years ago and was not satisfied with demoting him to a commoner. He actually sent people to kill his whole family, and only his youngest son survived. . Alas! If I knew his younger son, I would definitely go with him to avenge him." Mazan had a strong temper and said after hearing this: "If I were Hu Yanting's younger son, I would go and kill him now. That enemy!" Ma Zhong responded: "Son, ask your mother about this, she will tell you the answer." So, Ma Zan rushed back to the village to ask his mother Liu. Shi. Mrs. Liu cried and told him: "Son, you are Hu Yanting's son! Back then, Ma Zhong took in our mother and son out of kindness, but he is not your biological father!"
After hearing what Liu said, Ma Zan was so angry that he fainted. Ma Zhong rushed to rescue him. Mazan woke up and shouted to take revenge. Ma Zhong knew that Ma Zan's reckless behavior would bring bad luck, so he quickly advised: "Ouyang Fang is not an ordinary person! He has great power and many good soldiers. If you want to avenge this revenge, you must take a long-term plan. You must not rush. !" Mazan was also a sensible person, and after a moment of sadness he decided to listen to his adoptive father's words.
Coincidentally, Ma Zhong’s friend Geng Zhong, the leader of Helan Mountain, came to visit at this time. When Ma Zhong was reminiscing with an old friend, he heard that Geng Zhong had acquired an "unexpected horse" and wanted to sell it to Prime Minister Ouyang Fang. Ma Zhong hurriedly said: "Since it is a good horse, sell it to my son. Ma Zan, my son, has been fond of martial arts since he was a child, and has always been clamoring for me to get him a good horse."
The same goes for Geng Zhong. A generous man, seeing his old friend say this, gave the horse to Mazan. Ma Zhong immediately held a banquet in honor of Geng Zhong, and during the dinner, cups were exchanged. While he was slightly drunk, Ma Zhong told Geng Zhong about Ma Zan's revenge. Geng Zhong heard this and came up with a plan, asking Mazan to bring the BMW to Ouyang Fang's house, but only as a gift but not for sale. Mazan could keep the horse and raise it under the pretext of giving it away, and then look for a suitable opportunity to take revenge. .
The next day, Ma Zan led the "black dragon horse" to Ouyang Fang's house. Ouyang Fang's eyes lit up when he saw the BMW, and he exclaimed: "What a horse!" and asked Ma Zan how much the horse was worth. Mazan said, "It's priceless." Ouyang Fang originally thought that Mazan wanted to use this priceless horse to get an official position, but he didn't expect that Mazan said that he just wanted to stay and serve the prime minister and he was satisfied. Ouyang Fang secretly took a look at the young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes in front of him. Not only did he get a BMW for him, but he also didn't want money or an official position. He just wanted to serve him. He was very happy and agreed to Mazan's request.
Mazan was very smart and served Ouyang Fang very attentively, so he was deeply favored and trusted by Ouyang Fang. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival in the seventh year of the Kaibao reign of Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty (AD 974), Ouyang Fang and his wife were drinking in the pavilion while admiring the moon, and became drunk unknowingly. The lady helped Ouyang Fang back to the room, and Ma Zan followed behind. Walking into the corridor, Mazan felt that the opportunity had come, so he quietly took out the dagger and prepared to attack. Unexpectedly, he encountered the housekeeper carrying a lantern to take Ouyang Fang back to his room to rest, so Mazan had to put away the dagger again.
Some time later, the uncle Zhao Sui reported Ouyang Fang’s murder of Zhongliang. The leader of the Northern Han Dynasty was also worried that Ouyang Fang's excessive power would threaten him, so he dismissed him as prime minister. Ouyang Fang was dissatisfied and simply resigned and returned home. The leader of the Northern Han Dynasty approved his request, so Ouyang Fang returned to his hometown with his family.
September 9 this year is Ouyang Fang’s birthday. Ouyang Fang held a banquet at his home, invited many guests, and drank with everyone. Mazan looked at everyone drinking, but his revenge had not been avenged for a long time. He felt very depressed, so he had to drink alone to the moon, and almost shed tears.
Perhaps there was some divine will. At this moment, the servant came to Ma Zan and said that it was Ouyang Fang who called him. Mazan was so happy that he quickly hid the short knife in his sleeve and walked into the study.
At this time, Ouyang Fang was lying on the bed and asked Ma Zan to stay by his side. Mazan agreed while holding the dagger tightly.
At the fourth watch, Ma Zan saw that Ouyang Fang was already asleep and there was no one else in the courtyard, so he took out his short knife, grabbed Ouyang Fang's chest and shouted: "Do you know Hu Yanting?" Son?" After Ouyang Fang heard this, he was so frightened that he was completely drunk. Knowing that he could not escape this disaster, he hurriedly said: "I will give you all my wealth, please spare my life!" Mazan was not willing to spare him, and his hand The knife fell, and Ouyang Fang died before he could struggle. Ma Zan then killed more than 40 people in Ouyang Fang's family, old and young, to relieve his great hatred.
Before leaving, he also wrote a poem on the door of his house: "Shooting at bullfights with great ambition, the old hatred in my heart will be put to rest for a while. I clearly killed Ouyang Fang, but instead made a grievance in Hedong."
Ma Zan rode his "black dragon horse" back to Ma Zhong Village. After saying goodbye to his parents, he went to join Geng Zhong and Geng Liang in Helan Mountain.
Mazan hurried on the road and saw an evil mountain in front of him. As he was watching, he suddenly heard the sound of drums from behind the hillside, and several strongmen stepped out to block the way. Mazan rushed forward, raised his knife and hacked one of the little bosses to death. The rest of the men immediately went up the mountain to report. The leader of the village, Geng Zhong, immediately came down the mountain with his clothes on. When he saw it was Ma Zan, he quickly got off his horse to meet him, picked him up the mountain and became the third generation leader of the village.
After staying in the mountains for some time, Mazan couldn't sit still and asked Geng Zhong for orders to go to Jiangzhou to rob some money and food for the village. Geng Zhong agreed and allocated him three thousand soldiers.
Under the banner of "Hedong's hatred", Ma Zan led his soldiers to Jiangzhou, but he did not expect to be ambushed. Jiangzhou City Guard Zhang Gongjin ordered his crossbowmen to ambush on the roadside, and then led 500 soldiers out of the city to fight. The two fought for more than 30 rounds. Zhang Gongjin pretended to be defeated and fled back to the city. Ma Zan led his troops to pursue him. As soon as he reached the drawbridge, he was shot by an ambushed crossbowman. In an instant, arrows rained from the sky, killing half of Mazan's men. Ma Zan was too embarrassed to go back to see Geng Zhong, so he could only escape on a small road. Unexpectedly, he was captured alive by a gangster using a trip horse rope on the side of the road.
The name of the owner of these minions is Ma Kun. Hearing that the man he captured was Ma Zan, who was defeated in Jiangzhou, he wanted to offer him to Zhang Gongjin in exchange for some reward money. During the escort, Ma Zanxing was rescued by the leader of the village, Li Jianzhong, who was imprisoned for watching a theater and then escaped from prison. Later, he and the leader of the village returned to Xinjian Village. Mazan then changed his surname back to Huyanzan.
Liu Xiongyu, the acting head of Xinjian Village, saw the old village head coming back and quickly held a banquet to welcome him. During the dinner, Liu Xiongyu complained endlessly. It turns out that since Li Jianzhong left, Luo Qing, the leader of the Six Villages, has been collecting land money from them every year. Before he finished speaking, Luo Qing came with a few soldiers to ask for money. Li Jianzhong originally planned to take action in person, but was stopped by Hu Yanzan. Hu Yanzan asked for orders to capture Luo Qing alive, and Li Jianzhong immediately assigned him 200 soldiers to go with him.
Hu Yanzan persuaded Luo Qing to retreat, but he didn't want Luo Qing to pull out his gun and stab him without knowing what he was doing. But he was no match for Hu Yanzan. After Hu Yanzan fought with him for five rounds, he relaxed his arms and lifted Luo Qing off his horse. The soldiers swarmed up, tied up Luo Qing, and escorted him back to the stronghold.
Li Jianzhong was very happy and ordered his men to drag Luo Qing out and behead him, and invited Hu Yanzan to drink and celebrate with him. Unexpectedly, when they had just finished drinking half the wine, a gangster came to report that Zhang Ji from the fifth village was dissatisfied when he heard that Luo Qing was captured and came to ask for a fight. Huyanzan went out to fight again. Zhang Ji used a knife and Hu Yanzan used a gun. The two fought for only two rounds before Zhang Ji was defeated and was stabbed to death by Hu Yanzan under his horse. Upon seeing this, Zhang Ji's men fled one after another. Huyanzan led his soldiers to the stronghold of Luo Qing and Zhang Ji, packed up their belongings, and burned the stronghold.
Luo Qing and Zhang Ji's soldiers fled to the Taihang Mountains to join Ma Kun. When Ma Kun heard that Luo Qing and Zhang Ji had been killed, he was furious and ordered his eldest son Ma Hua to lead an army to attack them. Li Jianzhong was very angry when he heard that someone was challenging him again. Hu Yanzan added: "Brother, you don't have to go out personally. I'll think of a plan to catch Ma Hua up the mountain."
Hu Yanzan returned to the tent and fell asleep quickly due to his drunkenness. In the dream, the immortal taught Huyanzan martial arts moves. When Huyanzan woke up, he found that the armor he wore in the dream was still on his body. He felt it was very magical and quickly asked his subordinates to check if there was a temple nearby. I didn't expect that there really was one not far away. An ancient temple.
At dawn the next day, Hu Yanzan and his men went to the ancient temple and found that the statues in the hall were exactly the same as the immortals who appeared in his dream.
After returning from the ancient temple, Huyanzan came to the foot of the mountain to face MCA. Within two rounds of the two of them, Hu Yanzan used the moves he learned in his dream to defeat Ma Hua and capture him alive.
Ma Kun was shocked and angry when he heard that his son had been captured, and ordered his second son Ma Rong to rescue Ma Hua. Ma Rong was still no match for Hu Yanzan and was beaten and fled.
Ma Kun felt very depressed when he found out. Ma Kun also had a daughter named Jintou Ma. When he heard that his two brothers had been defeated, he volunteered to challenge Hu Yanzan.
Hu Yanzan led his troops down the mountain to fight, and fought with Ma for more than thirty rounds. Ma pretended to run away, and Hu Yanzan chased after him. He vaguely felt that there were ambushes around him, so he did not dare to be careless, so he stopped chasing and turned back.
Ma Kun watched the battle from the sidelines and felt unhappy when he saw Hu Yanzan being brave and resourceful. At this time, a soldier suddenly came to report that Ma Zhong, the leader of the first village, had led his men to help. Ma Kun quickly went down to the village to greet Ma Zhong and his wife Liu.