Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Overturn
At this time, the knock on the door was louder, and Gu Zhen said, "Lu Jian, you take this guy in first." Lu Jian led Xu Hai into the cave, followed by Shen Xiu, and Yao Qing was about to follow when Gu Zhen took it down. The torches in the hall were stamped out one by one, and suddenly it dawned on him: "Yes, there must be a mechanism in the cave to restore the iron beast head to its original appearance, but no one put the torches back in. If the Japanese pirates break the door, the wise will be able to guess based on this flaw. When it comes to the mystery of the beast head, only by knocking out all the torches can this gangster be unable to figure it out."
Thinking of this, I hated myself for always being late, so I couldn't help cursing inwardly: "Stinky fox." Just now he got into the hole angrily, and Gu Zhen crawled in after him. Although the entrance was narrow, the inside gradually widened, and the valley Zhen groped for a while, and found an iron ring, twisted it four times, and heard a creaking sound, the boulder closed again.
"Brother Gu is amazing." Shen Xiu said in a dark voice suddenly, "It's hard for Mr. Shen not to admire." Gu Zhen heard the jealousy in his words, and laughed: "I don't know how injured Brother Shen is, but I still have to give up." Brother help me?"
"Don't bother Brother Gu." Shen Xiu said coldly, "Ms. Shen is much better." After this incident, he was very afraid of Gu Zhen, afraid that he would use his support to plot against him, so he would rather bear the pain and go on his own.
Gu Zhen also took it easy, walking beside him, occasionally teasing Shen Xiu for his injured hands and feet. Grandpa is amazing."
In this way, when they saw a fork in the road, they searched for the signpost. After walking for half an hour in the maze, they were suddenly blocked by a stone wall.
Yao Qing was about to look for the signpost, when she screamed suddenly, the candle fell to the ground, and the corridor was completely dark.Lu Jian and Shen Xiu said in unison: "What's wrong?" Yao Qing was trembling all over, but couldn't speak.
Gu Zhen leaned over to touch the candle, lit it again, and at a glance, there was a dead body lying in the corner of the wall. It was expected to have been dead for many years, and only the skeleton remained. At first glance, it was truly terrifying.
Gu Zhen looked back and saw that Yao Qing's face was pale, and the lingering fear in her beautiful eyes was still there, so she couldn't help laughing and said, "Is there a time when the beauty is afraid? Haha, wonderful, wonderful."
Yao Qing gritted her teeth and said: "Smelly, stinky fox, do you want to die?" Although her mouth was hard, she was frightened in the end, and her legs felt weak, almost unable to support herself.
Gu Zhen laughed a few times, then stopped abruptly, looking at the skeleton with surprise in his eyes.Lu Jian also wondered: "Why did this person die here?" Gu Zhen squatted down, looked at the robe on the dead bone, and suddenly said: "This robe belongs to the royal family." Everyone was shocked when they heard the words, Gu Zhen lifted up his robe and said, "Look, this foundation is bright yellow, so it's not only a royal thing, but also a color that only emperors can wear."
Everyone was even more surprised, Lu Jian said: "Could it be that he is the emperor?" Gu Zhen didn't answer, he reached out his hand to grope around the skeleton for a while, and found a yellow silk package. When he opened it, he saw a jade seal with golden dragon buttons, crystal clear , was illuminated by the candlelight, and the light shone in all directions, illuminating the room.
Gu Zhen turned around, and the printed text was in seal script, and he couldn't help but read: "Designed to the sky, you will live forever..." After reading this, he suddenly stopped, showing a look of shock, and then looked at the package, but it was a piece of yellow silk On the cloth, there are some crooked writings on it: "rebellious uncle usurping the country, evil slaves rebelling against the master, no hope of restoration, eternal hatred, hateful, hateful..." wrote six "hateful" in a row. It was clear at the beginning, and gradually The strokes are scattered, and at the end of the writing, it is almost impossible to distinguish the handwriting.
Lu Jian couldn't help but asked: "What is this?" Gu Zhen sighed: "This is a book written in blood, written by this man before he died. It is so old that the blood has turned black." Lu Jian said: "Who is this man? ? Why did you die here?"
Gu Zhen said: "The posthumous writing is clear. He was an emperor, but he was betrayed by his uncle and took his kingdom. Later, his servants also betrayed him and wanted to kill him. He fled here before he died. Die alone."
Lu Jian asked in surprise, "Is there such an unlucky emperor?"
"Yes." Shen Xiu said coldly, "When Zhu Yuanzhang's grandson, Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunqi was in power, his uncle Yan Wang Zhu Di rebelled and invaded Nanjing and took his throne. Emperor Wen didn't know where to end..." Speaking of this, he stared at the square jade seal in Gu Zhen's hand, his eyes sparkling brightly.
Gu Zhen untied his dragon robe again, and said, "He was seriously injured before he came here." Everyone looked intently, only to see that the skeleton's left chest had four broken ribs and collapsed, Shen Xiu said: "This is the injury caused by the iron sand palm." .” Everyone felt something, there was a silence in the secret passage, and the passage was filled with a gloomy and miserable atmosphere, which made people's hairs shiver.
After a while, Gu Zhen suddenly broke the silence: "He was so seriously injured that he couldn't go far. The exit of this secret passage must be near him." He looked around, but he couldn't see the road sign. He was puzzled and stared at the corpse. He cupped his hands suddenly and said: "Brother Emperor, please offend me." After saying that, he leaned over and moved the skeleton away, and a steel ring was indeed exposed in the corner of the wall behind the skeleton.
Gu Zhen grasped the steel ring, pulled it back, and brought out a three-inch-long steel cable. He heard a bang, and the stone wall on the left turned over, revealing a door. Only when the filth is exhausted can we enter.
Gu Zhen held up a candle to shine a light, and suddenly said: "Be careful." When everyone looked at it, there was a corridor inside the door, but the wall was full of arrowheads, and there was a skeleton crawling near the door, wearing brocade clothes and soap boots, with several arrows protruding from his body. Tail, holding a scroll tightly in his hand.
Gu Zhen took the scroll, but unexpectedly the deceased grasped it too tightly, with a little force, there were a few clicks, and five miserable white finger bones scattered all over the ground.Gu Zhen said with a smile: "It's a sin." Zhan Zhou looked at it, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Lu Jian asked curiously, "What did you write?" Gu Zhen said, "This is an imperial edict written by Zhu Yuanzhang to his grandson, Emperor Jianwen." Lu Jian said, "Is it useful?"
"It's very useful." Shen Xiu said, "Having this edict is enough to prove that Emperor Jianwen is orthodox and Emperor Chengzu is a conspiracy. From this point of view, the emperors of Ming Dynasty after Emperor Chengzu are all usurpers who bullied their ancestors and destroyed their ancestors." Only one person is not enough to rule the world."
Lu Jian was startled when he heard it, but Gu Zhen said with a smile: "This is just talk, even if Zhu Di usurped the rebellion, this edict has gone through many years, but it is just a dead thing. , These days, whoever has soldiers and horses will be the emperor."
Shen Xiu snorted coldly, and said, "Really, why did Emperor Chengzu send the three treasure eunuchs to the Western Seas seven times to find the traces of Emperor Jianwen? Isn't it for passing on the imperial edict and the imperial seal?"
"What Chuan Guoxi?" Gu Zhen pretended to be surprised.Shen Xiu sneered: "Stop talking nonsense, don't pretend I didn't see it, the Chuan Guoxie is in your sleeve."
Gu Zhen smiled, noncommittal, inspected the corpse, found a red sandalwood chiseled gold waist plaque, and wrote "Commander of Jin Yiwei, Prince Shao Bao, loyal Bo Zhang".
Gu Zhen couldn't help laughing and said, "This rebellious and evil slave is such a great official!"
When everyone saw this situation, they all came to understand. They thought that when the city was destroyed and the country was destroyed, Emperor Jianwen escaped from the palace city through a secret passage with his trusted guards. To Zhu Di.For a while, the weak-natured emperor and the guards with ulterior motives fought to the death in this gloomy tunnel. In the end, the evil slave was injured by the mechanism in the secret passage, but Emperor Jianwen got a slap. Although he tried his best to shut down the engine, he kept the evil slave behind , but eventually died of his injuries and died in desolation.
Imagine the horror and tragedy at that time, everyone sighed, but when Yao Qing saw the dead body, she remembered some past events, felt very disgusted, and urged: "Don't worry about the emperor's servant, what's so good about the dead, don't you hurry up?"
Lu Jiandao: "But how to deal with the corpse?" Gu Zhen said: "Whether it's an emperor or a wicked slave, once they die, they are just bones of ignorance. This labyrinth is huge in scale, it's like the underground palace of the imperial mausoleum. It's okay to be their tomb Appropriate." Immediately raised the candle and moved forward, Yao Qing was afraid that there would still be corpses, so she would never dare to compete with him again.
After walking like this for a while, a stone step suddenly went upwards, almost vertically. After walking thirty steps, he saw the dome. Gu Zhen touched an iron pin as thick as an arm, and pulled it away. With a sense of freshness and coolness, Gu Zhen raised his head and looked up, the night sky was vast and the stars were shining brightly, and boundless pride surged in his heart.
Everyone came out of the secret way, except Xu Hai, who had somewhat joyful expressions on their faces. They saw the fragrance of flowers and plants, the shaking shadows of trees, and the many palaces in the distance, casting Cui Wei's shadow in the moonlight.Lu Jian couldn't help but asked, "What kind of place is this?"
Gu Zhen said: "This is the old palace city of Nanjing." Lu Jian was taken aback, Yao Qing frowned slightly, Shen Xiu chuckled, and said, "Wonderful, just shout, and everyone will die!" Gu Zhen looked at him After one glance, she said with a smile, "Then you might as well try it." Shen Xiu snorted, her gaze extremely gloomy.
Gu Zhen turned around, looked at the exit, shook his head and said: "There is a saying: 'You can see thousands of miles away, but you can't see your eyebrows, and a candle can illuminate the world, but you can't illuminate your feet.' Zhu Di searched all over China and made seven voyages to the West in order to find Emperor Jianwen. But I didn’t expect that this enemy is actually under the Nanjing Palace.” Speaking of this, he paused, and then said: “This secret road should have been built by Zhu Yuanzhang when he was building Nanjing, but it’s a pity he didn’t Use it, but leave it to the grandson." After that, cover the exit stone slab, and there is a mechanism under the slate, once closed, the iron pin will be buckled from the inside.
The exit is in the imperial garden, the night is already dark, and there are not many people around, only the low chirping of cold insects, one after another, exciting.Seeing that Gu Zhen closed the secret passage, Yao Qing asked, "Smelly fox, what should we do now?"
Gu Zhen said: "This palace city is huge, we might as well find a remote palace, where we can eat and sleep well, and hide for a few days." Yao Qing shook her head and said, "Zuo Feiqing's tracking skills are very evil, staying in one place After a long time, I will be found. During these seven days, I will leave Nanjing, and the farther I go, the better."
Shen Xiu smiled suddenly: "That said, I have a clever plan of 'fishing in troubled waters'. Before dawn today, there will be a big battle in Nanjing City. Taking advantage of the chaos, Junior Sister can easily escape Nanjing without the knowledge of Feng Junhou."
Yao Qing wondered: "What war?" Shen Xiu pouted at Xu Hai and said with a smile: "He made an appointment with Wang Zhi to attack Nanjing with internal and external cooperation, but unexpectedly my father knew it in advance and decided to plan and wipe out all these Japanese pirates."
Yao Qing's beautiful eyes lit up, and she asked, "When?" Shen Xiu looked up at the sky, and said with a smile, "Soon, it will be Jae Yin's time." Yao Qing raised her brows happily, and said, "Okay, let's go." Jian, while Lu Jian was still hesitating, Gu Zhen smiled and said, "You two are invited, and we will part ways here, and we will not send you far."
Yao Qing saw that Lu Jian's face was troubled, and a trace of anger flashed in her eyes. She bit her red lips and turned away.Shen Xiu smiled at Gu Zhen, and said in a dark voice: "I'm not guilty, but I'm guilty, brother Gu must be careful." After saying that, he curled up his injured foot, jumped and jumped, followed Yao Qing, and suddenly heard Gu Zhen's words. He smiled behind him and said, "Look, Lu Jian, does he look like a toad when he jumps around?" Lu Jian said, "In other words, he does look a bit like a toad, but he's more handsome than a toad."
Shen Xiu was furious, and thought of dozens of tortures in her mind, and slowly tortured the two of them to death.He gritted his teeth while imagining, but Yao Qing felt that he was too slow, so she supported his elbow, jumped like flying, avoided the guards in the palace, and came to a palace wall. Yao Qing planted the "evil factor" and gave birth to a Long vines, the two climbed over the wall by following the vines, and left the palace city through the Yushui River. Yao Qing suddenly smiled and said, "Senior Brother Shen, let's leave now?"
Shen Xiu was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "Junior Sister, what are you talking about? Where am I going after I leave you?"
Yao Qing looked at him, her water-shearing eyes seductive, she smiled lightly: "Senior brother, don't be stubborn, it's important to go home and heal your wounds, otherwise, if you really become a cripple, wouldn't Master Shen feel sorry for you?" After saying that, she turned around and left, Shen Xiu didn't give up, and shouted: "Junior Sister, go slowly..."
Yao Qing turned her head in response, blinked and said with a smile: "Yes, there is one more thing I forgot to say." A glimmer of hope lit up in Shen Xiu's heart, and she hurriedly said with a smile: "Good junior sister, I knew it, you are reluctant to leave me?"
Yao Qing giggled, shook her head and said, "Senior brother is lame, this time, no matter where I go, you won't be able to catch up with me." After she finished speaking, she stretched out her jade hand, beckoned to him, made another grimace, and slammed Unfolding his movements, he disappeared into the vast night.
Shen Xiu looked at her back, she loved and hated her in her heart, and felt relieved, she gritted her teeth and said, "This little goblin fell into the young master's hands that day, let's see how I can deal with you." After saying that, the wound ached again, and she said in her heart: " What the little goblin said is right, healing is the most important thing right now." Immediately, he jumped and went to the governor's mansion.
When Shen Xiu walked away, two people walked out from the shadow of Miyagi, it was Lu Jian and Gu Zhen, and Lu Jian was both surprised and happy: "Gu Zhen, you guessed it again, how did you know Ah Qing would leave Shen Xiu?" show?"
Gu Zhen said with a smile: "Based on the way she looked at you, if I expected it to be true, Yao Qing likes you, not Shen Xiu." Lu Jian was stunned, in disbelief: "You said she likes me? "
Gu Zhen said: "She asked you just now, and she clearly wanted you to accompany her, so I wanted to give her a try. If she likes Shen Xiu, she will definitely go with him when she leaves Miyagi. This watery woman, don't worry about it." "If she likes you, but she can't bear to get entangled with Shen Xiu."
Lu Jian looked at him with a strange look, Gu Zhen pushed him, and said with a smile, "What are you doing? Why don't you go after her?" Lu Jian said, "But, but..."
"Is it Hei Tianjie?" Gu Zhen said, "It doesn't matter, I've already caught Xu Hai, and my injustice will never be resolved. After that, I begged my father to seal your hidden vein. Good brother, don't ration me again!" It's Yao Qing, you don't know, the tigress in my family is so powerful that even the gods and Buddhas of the heavens are going to disperse."
"Your tigress?" Lu Jian showed surprise, Gu Zhen smiled and said, "Didn't you take her hidden weapon?" Lu Jian suddenly said, "It's that girl, she is..."
Gu Zhen interjected, "It's my daughter-in-law who hasn't been married yet." When he thought of getting his grievance cleared, he felt overjoyed, grabbed Xu Hai, and said with a smile, "I'm going to interrogate this guy. If you want me, come and knock me." The second gate on the left of Cangbo Lane in the east of the city." After saying that, he laughed, pulled up his sleeves, wore the moon and stars on his head, walked carefreely, and drifted away.
Lu Jian was disturbed by these words, and worried about Yao Qing's safety, so he immediately took big steps to catch up with Yao Qing.
He rushed for a distance, but no one was seen, and in a hurry, he performed "jumping numbness" and swished up to the roof of a house, looking from a height, through a group of houses, he suddenly saw a faint fire shooting out in the distance, Lu Jian was startled: "Is there a fire?"
When he saw the calamity, he suddenly forgot himself, immediately stepped on the roof, rushed up, and before he got close, he heard the sound of swords and swords, shouting to kill and shake the sky.Lu Jian leaned over and saw that "Luo's House" was in front of him. More than two hundred Japanese pirates in armor and armed with knives and guns were fighting bloody street battles with hundreds of Ming troops.
All the Japanese pirates came to this point, they were also forced by the situation, just now they broke through the iron gate and entered the stone hall with great difficulty, but they didn't see anyone. Shan, Chen Zishan was very wise and guessed that there must be a secret passage in the hall, but with his knowledge, he was still not enough to find out the mechanism. Seeing that the incident was imminent, the enemy escaped from the secret passage again, if he delayed, he would be caught by someone , the whole army was wiped out, and immediately ordered two hundred Kou troops to climb out of the deep well and kill them from Luozhai.
Although Shen Zhouxu didn't find the secret passage, he expected the Japanese pirates' lair to be nearby, so he set up an ambush. Once the Japanese pirates showed up, the police would go all over the place and immediately gather hundreds of soldiers, and the two sides would fight together.
This group of Japanese pirates is the elite of Xu Hai's subordinates, and the Ming army is the soldiers trained by Shen Zhouxu. Although their martial arts skills are stronger than those of the guards, their momentum and discipline are still inferior to these veteran bandits.
All the Japanese pirates huddled together in a group like a turtle, advancing separately and attacking together, advancing like a sharp spear piercing armor, invincible, retreating like a funnel of quicksand, trapping the enemy invisible.Even though the Ming army rushed in from all directions, their formation was thin and scattered. Although there were many people, they were rampantly attacked by the Japanese pirates and defeated one by one. In the blink of an eye, Lu Jian fell seven of them.
Lu Jian was very anxious, seeing Huan Zhongque and Chen Zi alone, shouting and shouting, he straightened his body and said sharply, "Huan Zhongque, who do you think I am?"
When Huan Zhongque raised his head, he suddenly felt a black shadow like a mountain, and the wind was pressing down on him. His hands were crippled, unable to resist, he bowed desperately, and rolled out on the ground.
Lu Jianfei lost his mind, and a "big Sumeru" bumped into a Japanese pirate to vomit blood.Chen Zidan yelled sharply, and slashed fiercely with the knife in both hands. Lu Jian stepped aside, stretched out his left hand, and took off his wrists with two clicks.
Chen Zidan screamed, and the Japanese knife was released.Lu Jian caught it smoothly, and in an instant, a sense of familiarity came to his heart, as if he had returned to that night, the shrine was dilapidated, the cold moon was silent, the Tianshenzong's stone armor had a long sword, and his face was ferocious.
"Heh!" Two Japanese knives and three red spears came together with strong wind and blood.
Starting from the handle of the knife, the length of the Japanese knife is thick and thin, soft and hard, and Lu Jian knows everything in his heart, as if the knife is forged, it will live with him and live together as one body.So, according to the nature of the Japanese sword, he drew a circle around his body from left to right.
There was a jingle, the knives and guns fell to the ground, and the five pirates groaned miserably, blood dripping from both wrists, and the tendons on their wrists were cut off.
Lu Jian's eyes were wide open, and he raised his Japanese sword and broke into the enemy's formation. In the direction of the long sword, blood was spattered on the wrists of the Japanese pirates, their weapons fell, and screams came and went.
All the soldiers were already on the verge of defeat, but unexpectedly, Lu Jian descended from the sky like a parachutist, and even rushed out from the center of the Japanese pirates' formation.
Most of these Japanese pirates are Japanese ronin, advocating the way of the samurai, fearless of death, and despite being at a disadvantage, they still resist hard.However, Lu Jian swung his knife here and there, picking at the other side's tendons.The Japanese people let go of their swords and guns, just like a poisonous snake pulling out its teeth, and a fierce tiger breaking its claws. They had no fighting spirit, and they were also slaughtered. After a while, most of them were killed or injured. The bandits were either captured alive or hacked to death.
Lu Jian looked at the corpses all over the place, and suddenly his heart felt miserable. He lowered his knife and looked around, but there was no Huan Zhongque in the corpses.He was slightly surprised, searched carefully, but still found nothing, just feeling puzzled, suddenly saw two generals rushing over, cupped their hands and said: "Fortunately, the strong men are helping, dare to ask the name..."
Lu Jian shook his head and said: "A small name is not worth mentioning..." Before he finished speaking, he suddenly saw a person running towards the end of the road, and he recognized it as Yan Weigui.I thought that once this person came, Shen Zhouxu would follow, if we meet again, it is hard to guarantee that he will not repeat the old story and want to stay by my side, nothing else, if it delays the search for Yao Qing, it is not appropriate.
Thinking of this, Lu Jian dropped the Japanese sword, turned around and left, the two generals were startled, and hurriedly said: "The strong man stays..." The more the two shouted, the faster Lu Jian walked, turned around the long street, and disappeared .He came and went suddenly, the two generals faced each other for a moment, extremely surprised.
Lu Jian ran fast and searched all over the streets and alleys, hoping that God would see him. When he met Yao Qing, who knew that Yao Qing had never seen him before, but he saw that there were Ming soldiers guarding everywhere, and the security was tight.
Lu Jian thought that a big war was about to start, and if he met him, he would be regarded as a Japanese spy, so he went to the east of the city in dejection, and found Cangbo Lane.
Lu Jian came to the second door on the left. There was a pair of lanterns at the front of the door, illuminating the door leaf brightly. There was a pair of brass taotie on the door with a copper ring in its mouth. He whispered, "Master Lu is good."
Lu Jianqi said, "You recognize me?" The man welcomed him in and closed the door again.Lu Jian took a look and saw that the man was about forty years old, dressed in a small hat, and had ordinary features. Only a flash of light in the middle of his eyes could reveal his majesty.
"My name is Yu Chuan." The man said respectfully, "I was lucky enough to meet Master Lu that night in Cuiyun Building."
Lu Jian patted his forehead and said with a smile, "I remember, did Gu Zhen ask you to give silver taels to those boats?" Yu Chuan said, "Master Lu is very memorable." But from beginning to end, it couldn't be more flat.
Lu Jian said seriously, "Brother Yu, don't call me Master Lu, I sound awkward." Yu Chuan shook his head and said, "I'm not Brother Yu, I'm Yu Chuan. Master Lu is a friend of Lord Gu, and Yu Chuan is Gu Ye Master’s buddy, Yu Chuan’s name is Gu Ye Gu Ye, so he should be called Lu Ye Lu Ye..."
Lu Jian was dizzy when he heard that, so he quickly turned around and said, "Yu...Brother Yu Chuan, what is Gu Zhen doing?" Yu Chuan said, "Master Gu is angry!" Are you angry?" Yu Chuan shook his head and said, "Master Gu is only angry when Xu Hai is dead."
Lu Jianlei was startled, and said in a voiceless voice: "Xu Hai is dead? Who killed it?" Yu Chuan said: "The villain doesn't know, Master Gu and Xu Hai stayed in the study and sent me to wait for Master Lu, when suddenly he heard a gunshot Hearing, I rushed to the study, and Xu Hai was already dead." Lu Jian was flustered, and said in a broken voice, "Is Gu Zhen okay?" Yu Chuan shook his head and said, "Master Gu is fine, but very angry."
"Take me to see him." Lu Jian walked towards the house, and Yu Chuan rushed to the front, holding a candle to lead the way.When he came to the study room, Lu Jian opened the door and smelled a smell of blood. He took a closer look and saw that there were many broken pages scattered on the ground.
Looking up again, I saw Gu Zhen sitting on the chair angrily, staring straight ahead.Lu Jian followed his gaze, and saw Xu Hai was sitting on a red sandalwood chair with his hands and feet bound, his face facing the sky, limp and tilted backwards, his hair was soaked in blood, and it had already clotted.
Lu Jian's heart sank, and he stepped forward to take a closer look. The face of the corpse was as white as paper, his eyes were wide open, and there was a blood hole between his eyebrows, from which red and white things flowed out.
"Don't look at it." Gu Zhen sighed suddenly, "It was shot by a bird gun." Lu Jian turned his head, and the two looked at each other, and they could see the wry smile on the other's face.
Lu Jian was stunned for a while, and asked, "What happened?"
Gu Zhen got up and took two steps, and said slowly: "I questioned this guy in the study, who was the traitor in Dongdao, and how he framed me? At first, this guy was stubborn, and he didn't want to say anything. Later, I used both soft and hard tactics, and then he loosened up a little. , just at this moment, the bird gun rang..." Having said that, he walked to the window and pointed to a small round hole in the window paper. The cracks around the hole were clearly visible like silk.
"This is the bullet hole where lead pellets entered the house." Gu Zhen opened the window sash again, and Lu Jian looked up. The window was facing a small building. shot."
Gu Zhen said: "If this is the case, this man's blunderbuss is really supernatural. Just by the figure cast on the window paper, he hit Xu Hai's eyebrow. Difficult. Hongshu was guarding outside the room at that time, heard the sound of the gun, and when he rushed upstairs, he saw no one."
Lu Jian murmured: "Can you guess what will happen?" Gu Zhen said: "Xu Hai is the leader of the pirates, the pirates will save him, and the government will catch him. Only one party must kill him!"
Lu Jian nodded and said, "Is there a traitor in Dongdao?" Gu Zhen nodded and said, "But there is one thing I can't figure out." He lowered his head and thought for a while, then Fang said, "If it's a traitor in Dongdao, you should kill me and hurry up. With my back to the window and closer to the building, it is easier to kill me. But why not kill me, but kill Xu Hai?"
Lu Jian also thought about it, and said: "Maybe he intended to kill you, but because of the shadow cast on the window, distorted and flickering, he missed and hit Xu Hai." Gu Zhen shook his head and said, "It would be too coincidental if he killed you by mistake. "
Speaking of this, both of them were confused, and they were silent for a while. Gu Zhen asked, "Where is Yao Qing? Didn't you come with you?" Lu Jian said, "I lost it!"
Gu Zhen's expression was astonished, he slapped the table suddenly, and laughed loudly: "Lost after chasing you? You're really promising." Lu Jian's face flushed, and Gu Zhen patted him on the shoulder and said, "Forget it, if she has you in her heart, don't you look for it?" She, she will come to you too." Lu Jian sighed, "So what if she has me in her heart? Xu Hai is dead..."
Gu Zhen heard what he meant, raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile: "Xu Hai is dead, and Wang Zhi is there!" Speaking of this, the haze on his face suddenly disappeared, and he was radiant, as confident as ever, He smiled and said: "Lu Jian, do you know this Wang Zhi? This person is named Wufeng. He was a supervisor and a businessman. The Japanese called him the old island owner, but the government called him the king of the pirates."
Speaking of this, he took Lu Jian's arm, walked out of the study and said, "This old fox is much more cunning than Xu Hai. It was extremely difficult to catch him, but he also came to attack Nanjing. Wang Zhi is a clam, Shen Zhouxu is a snipe, a snipe and a clam If you fight, the fisherman will benefit, and we are the fisherman."
Lu Jian said: "It's easy for you to say, these two people are not ordinary, in my opinion, they are not snipe and clam, but tigers, if one trick is not careful, you and I will not be enough for them to eat!"
Gu Zhen glanced at him and said with a smile: "You are much smarter. These two are indeed fierce tigers, but when two tigers fight, one dies and the other is injured. This time we have to go to the battlefield in person and wait for the opportunity."
Lu Jiandao: "You and I are both civilians, how can we come to the battlefield in person?" Gu Zhen said: "It's easy." After clapping his hands, a man appeared in the dark, over thirty years old, with a pointed mouth and cheeks, and a pair of small eyes showing a fierce look .Gu Zhen said: "Hong Shu, go and buy two armors for the officers and soldiers. The higher the rank, the better." The man bowed and walked quickly.
Lu Jian was surprised and said, "Can you buy the armor of the official army?" Gu Zhen smiled and said, "It's just two sets of armor, and it's not a crown and dragon robe. Why can't you buy it?"
Lu Jian blushed, and said angrily, "How can this be reasonable? Generals don't care about it?" Gu Zhen smiled and said, "They only care about money." Fashion has half an hour, we might as well eat while waiting."
Lu Jian was gloomy, and followed Gu Zhen to a hall. Outside the hall was a garden of orchid grass, although it was not in flowering period, it was still refreshing.
There is a plaque outside the hall, the handwriting is dim and unclear.In the hall, jade candles are burned high, with nanmu as beams and ebony as latticework. There are sandalwood tables and chairs on the ground floor. There are panlong incense cases on the table and an ancient furnace. A lacquered stool with two large azure earthen pots on which are planted with ground money.There is a large light ink painting on the front wall. In the painting, an old man is riding a boat with a detached expression, and the signature is written on the side: Chiyi Zipi, the master of Ruoxu hall on a certain day of a certain month and year.On the left and right of the large painting are two ebony chiseled UnionPay cards, on the right is "responsible to the rich and empty, and the benefits of the world", and on the left is "to gain wealth from all over the world".
The two sat down, and Gu Zhen said: "This 'Ruoxu Hall' and even the house belong to the old man. I haven't been here for three or four years. Now it seems that although Liang Yuan is good, it is not a place to stay for a long time."
Lu Jiandao: "Yu Chuanhong's book, are they all your buddies?" Gu Zhen said: "That's also left by the old man. He is loyal, smart and capable, but it's a pity that he doesn't know martial arts."
Lu Jian said, "Where's the ring from the God of Wealth?" Gu Zhen smiled, took out the emerald ring from his bosom and said, "What do you mean?" Lu Jian took a closer look, and found that the ring was dark green in color, with three streaks of blood running through the ring. The thickness is different, as if it is flowing and not living, the upper part of the ring is larger, like a jade seal, engraved with curved writing, and can't help wondering: "What is this character?"
"This is a stone drum seal character!" Gu Zhen said, "The first and last words are 'Wealth Tongbao', which means the precious money of the God of Wealth in the sky. Meeting it with mortal money is like a grandson meeting a grandfather. You have to be obedient. something." Lu Jian was surprised and said: "So, what those people said about the 'God of Wealth Tongbao, commanding the world' is really true."
"Do you believe this?" Gu Zhen smiled, "I'll give it to you." Lu Jian blushed, waved his hand and said, "I don't want it." income arms.
Lu Jian pondered for a while, then suddenly sighed: "Gu Zhen, no matter what, I am very happy today." Gu Zhen smiled and said, "Where does the joy come from?" Lu Jian said: "I didn't expect that you not only did not collude with the Japanese pirates, but also defeated them It is a pity that your father is not here, if he hears Xu Hai's words, your grievances will be gone."
"You're thinking wrong!" Gu Zhen shook his head, "I'm not a hero, I'm just a businessman, and I dealt with pirates only because they didn't obey the rules." Seeing Lu Jian's puzzled expression, he stood up, Pointing to the couplet, he said, "Have you seen this couplet? The words 'Chong Ying Xu' and 'Tong You Wu' in the couplet are all about business, and the so-called business is the rules in the shopping mall."
When he said this, he looked at the big painting, pondered for a long time, and said leisurely: "Chinese people have despised businessmen since ancient times, but they don't know that the way of business is the way of heaven. The sage said: 'The way of heaven is to make up for what is too much damage'. It is also the benefit of turning what is available into what is not available. For example, there is more tea in the south and less tea in the north. I buy tea in the south and sell it in the north. I take the surplus in the south and make up for the deficiency in the north. Is it a big deal? Good thing?" Lu Jian said, "Yes!"
Gu Zhendao: "Unfortunately, although the way of business is the way of heaven, but businessmen are ordinary people. In order to seek profit, they will do whatever they can, so the way of business is mixed with human way. 'The way of man is to make up for what is not enough', dedicated to robbing the poor. Helping the rich. For example, the four provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangxi have experienced years of Japanese invasion, people have been displaced, farming has been incessant, and official warehouses have run out of relief year after year. Before next year, there will be a great famine that will not happen in a century..."
Lu Jian was surprised and said, "Is this true?" Gu Zhen smiled lightly and said, "I am not the only one who understands this, but many wealthy households also understand that if you follow the principle of turning things into nothing, you should plan ahead and go to Huguang and Sichuan to buy them." Surplus food is used to make up for shortages in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangxi. But as far as I know, instead of buying food from other places, these people search for local food and hoard it, hoping to wait until the famine year and make a fortune. If they are allowed to Because, before next year, the price of rice is as expensive as pearls, and I don’t know how many people will starve to death.”
Lu Jian said angrily: "Is there no way for the imperial court to restrain them?" Gu Zhen sneered and said, "The old man in Jiajing practiced Taoism and became immortal every day, and the common people care about his business. As for other officials, they have a lot to do with these profiteers , just like Shen Xiu, relying on his father's power, he also hoarded a large warehouse of grain."
Lu Jian hesitated and said, "Shen Zhouxu, it seems, it doesn't seem like that kind of people."
Gu Zhen said: "He is not that kind of person, and he is suspected of conniving. If I gave birth to a son like Shen Xiu, I should be beaten to death with a stick." When he said this, he became a little excited, walked back and forth for a few steps, Gao He said: "In the way of business, if the way of heaven is stronger than the way of humanity, it is the right way; if the way of humanity is stronger than the way of heaven, it will become a crooked way. Among these crooked ways, the most hateful thing is the no-cost business of killing people and stealing goods, just like Japanese pirates, looting our China Common people, then transport the stolen goods to Dongying, or sell them at a low price, or give them away for nothing. In this way, Dongying’s lack of gold, jade, and Suzhou embroidery porcelain will be satisfied. The goods purchased by other merchants are transported to Dongying, or Worth nothing, or lose a lot of money..."
Lu Jian interjected, "Isn't there a sea ban in the imperial court? How can it still ship the goods to Dongpu." Gu Zhen said, "What kind of shit sea ban is the idea of those bureaucrats, and besides, Daming has a vast sea area, can it be stopped? "
Lu Jian suddenly said: "That's smuggling." Gu Zhen said impatiently: "Even if the smuggling is forced out by Jiajing, the sea business is the most profitable. If there is no sea ban, he can set up a company to collect tax money , The money so collected is enough to build ten more Beijing cities. Old Jiajing is really a big fool of his grandma if he has money but doesn’t make money.”
Gu Zhen was always smiling, and Lu Jian rarely saw him get angry, but seeing him blushing suddenly, he couldn't help laughing.
Gu Zhen felt that he had lost his composure, and when he was silent, he sat down and said slowly: "The Japanese pirates only do this kind of business without capital. In this way, not to mention the loss of business in Japan, the Chinese goods needed in the West and Southeast Asia can also be bought at cheap prices from the Japanese pirates. The world’s rich merchants have some maritime transactions. Since the sea ban, everyone’s livelihood has been very difficult. The Japanese pirates made such a fuss again, which made things worse. Seeing this situation, I thought privately, since the government is incompetent, I might as well try to save myself, so I spent a lot of money to collect ten red-haired warships, and ambushed them on the way back to Japan. The Japanese are greedy and greedy. Stupid, when returning to China, the ship was full of stolen goods, the draft was extremely deep, and it was suddenly attacked, not to mention escaping, and it was difficult for the ship to turn around. I divided the warships into two teams, fired artillery in turn, chased and intercepted them, and spent three hours hitting all the Japanese ships Shen, only Wang Zhi and Xu Hai left."
Lu Jian's blood boiled when he heard it, and he clapped the case and shouted: "This matter is so dramatic, your father doesn't know?"
Gu Zhen shook his head and said, "The Japanese died in that battle. Wang Zhi and others abandoned everyone and fled for their lives. Afterwards, fearing that the Japanese relatives would blame them, they falsely claimed that the ship was destroyed by a hurricane. , you don’t know, the Japanese pirates were defeated, and the people who came with the ship also fell into the sea and died, how many people didn’t survive...” At this point, he suddenly stopped talking, looked at the dark night outside the hall, and let out a long sigh.
Lu Jian was also in a daze, thinking that the Japanese pirates and the captives were on the same boat, whether to kill or save them, they were in a dilemma, if they were him, they would never be as decisive as Gu Zhen.Suddenly, he looked at Gu Zhen, and suddenly felt that the person in front of him was a little strange.
At this time, Yuchuan brought food, only a few plates, but it was bad shad, braised ham, red fermented bean curd, and two kinds of fruits.Gu Zhen said with a smile: "I only want to eat and drink for convenience. Don't think it's shabby, just settle for one or two." Lu Jian said with a smile: "I was often hungry when I was a child, and even these meals were something I couldn't even dream of eating." I was hungry, and immediately filled with rice, gobbled it up.
Gu Zhen looked at Lu Jian, suddenly feeling a little sullen, put down his chopsticks, poured a bowl of wine, drank one bowl, poured another bowl, drank three bowls in a row, and then raised his chopsticks to eat.
用罢饭，鸿书正好捧来两付铠甲，均是哨官服色，另有两口腰刀，陆渐忍不住问道：“这些值多少银子？”鸿书应道：“每副三百两，卖家与我相熟，故而甲胄之外，奉送两把腰刀。”
陆渐啼笑皆非，摇头道：“这些官军好不荒唐，难怪尽打败仗！”谷缜见他忿忿不平，暗自好笑，说道：“他们若不荒唐，便不叫官军了。”
两人换甲挎刀，信步出门。路上只见人马衔枚，往来无声，长街漆黑，火光飘忽，远远听着战靴霍霍有声，时来时去。
两人混在一队士兵后面，来到三山门外。但见内城与外郭之间，搭着一座十丈木台，四周堆满柴草，不知有何用途。
二人溜上城楼，沿着城墙，正一溜儿架着数十尊火炮，垛箭鸟铳弓箭。军士搬运器具，悄然来去，间或几声低语，被狂风一卷，倏尔散去。
两人职衔不低，站在那里，寻常士兵均不敢问。陆渐为这气氛所夺，正自出神，忽被谷缜拽入谯楼，爬到顶层。谷缜解下一副钩挠，飞挂楼檐，翻身上了瓦面。陆渐也纵身掠上，吃惊道：“你做什么？”谷缜笑道：“登高望远，看场好戏。”
陆渐愣了愣，举目眺去，明月西落，晓星渐沉，长风东来，卷得人衣发飞卷，肌肤生寒。这里已是南京绝顶，夜色未阑，万户萧索；大江东去，破开沉沉夜色；钟山叠嶂，于天地间分外苍莽。
忽听人语传来，低头望去，几名军士扛着一乘步辇来到城头，沈舟虚坐在辇上，手拈羽扇，指点远方，胡宗宪随在一旁，容色冷峻，不住颔首。
陆渐恍然道：“胡宗宪没有出城？”谷缜道：“虚则实之，实则虚之，所谓胡宗宪出城，不过是沈瘸子的诡计。”说到这里，他盯着沈舟虚，流露深切恨意。
“谷缜。”陆渐忍不住道：“你和沈舟虚之间，到底有什么仇恨？”谷缜皱了皱眉，寂然半晌，徐徐道：“那个商清影，你见过么？”陆渐道：“见过。”谷缜吐了一口气，一字字道：“她是我生身母亲。”
陆渐不觉目定口呆，回想起来，那晚在佛堂前，谷缜说得那番话，分明就是怨怪商清影抛弃自己，而他口中的“臭婆娘”，也必是那妇人无疑了。
霎时间，陆渐心内众多疑惑豁然贯通，但见谷缜低头不语，欲要劝说几句，却又自恨口拙，想不出精当的话来，二人一时沉默下去，唯有罡风呼啸，掠身而过。
蓦然间，那木台下火苗一蹿，腾起烧了起来，外郭上响起一阵喧哗，伴着叫声，木台渐被火焰吞没，火光烛天，十里可见。
陆渐甚是奇怪，转头望去，城中起了五六处火头，不觉吃惊道：“怎么回事？”谷缜道：“火是沈舟虚放的，汪直在城外，瞧见火起，听见喊声，必然以为徐海在夺取城门……”
忽听轰隆一声，吊桥放下，城门洞开，城头喊声更急。
城郊黑沉沉的，悄无动静，忽地火光一闪，亮起一点火把，黯若萤火，跳动几下，便如瘟疫蔓延，满山遍野涌起火光，密如繁星，汇聚成流，向着城中蜿蜒淌来。
“这么多人？”陆渐瞧得倒吸一口冷气。谷缜也觉惊讶：“麻烦大了，倭寇人数向不满千，这里看来，来者何止万人？”举目望去，只见沈、胡二人神色凝重，附耳交谈，不由心中快意：“沈瘸子设的狐狸套，却来了一头饿狮子，不，嘿嘿，一头大象才是，妙极，妙极，瞧是你捉它，还是它吃你？”
那火流压地而来，随风传来倭寇咆哮吼叫之声，初如松涛起伏，渐有山崩海裂之势。城头明军无不变色，两股战战，立足不稳。
火光越近，当先倭寇面目可辨，有的身披重铠，头戴角盔；有的布袍鬼面，赤足狂奔。千百口长刀冷光四射，寒气冲天。
沈、胡蓦地止声，深深对视一眼，脸上均有坚毅之色，目光双双投往城外。城开如故，倭军拥入，就当此时，忽听一声厉叫：“有伏兵，快退，快退……”那嗓子又高又细，如钢锥贯耳。陆渐一抬眼，只见一人站在外郭，披头散发，瞪着血红双眼，如一头恶狼，向天哀嗥。
“桓中缺。”陆渐几乎脱口叫出。忽见沈舟虚羽扇一指，令旗陡举，箭雨飙出，桓中缺被罩了个正着，身中数十箭，形如刺猬，从城头坠下，重重跌在倭寇阵前。
事变仓卒，当先倭寇望着眼前一堆血肉，惊得呆了，不及后退，身后倭军已汹涌而至。
依照沈舟虚之计，先除城内倭寇，再于外郭内城之间布下圈套，虚开城门，诱入汪直围歼。谁知桓中缺竟不怕死，叫破埋伏。沈舟虚无奈提前发动，羽扇再指，炮铳齐鸣，百余名倭寇首当其冲，嗷嗷惨嚎，血流满地。
陆渐瞧得心悸魄动，几乎喘不过气来。忽听谷缜一声冷笑，说道：“沈瘸子打仗却是外行。”陆渐奇道：“怎么说？”
谷缜道：“前方倭人听见桓中缺的叫声，目睹他的死状，因而生乱，倘若放任自流，势必向后反冲，扰乱本军阵脚。这就叫做借力打力，因敌制敌。眼下好了，沈瘸子图一时之快，一轮炮将这些倭寇打得非死即伤，替汪直除去大患，我若是胡宗宪，先定他一个'指挥不力'之罪，打他三百军棍。”他卖弄智谋，眉飞色舞，仿佛当真按住沈舟虚，大打军棍。
忽听倭阵中锣声大作，鸣金退兵。这支倭军，大半是来自东瀛的真倭，有大隅、丰后诸岛的渔民，也有萨摩浪人。倭人既憨且勇，崇尚权威，只需统帅令下，是战是退，绝无二话；华人“假倭”较少，如汪直、徐海之流，要么统帅三军，要么专为向导，险恶之处，尤胜真倭。
铜锣一响，几排倭人持盾抢上，抵挡城头炮石，余下倭军整而不乱，从容退向城外，几轮炮石打过，倭人尽已退到城外。
陆渐正觉可惜，忽见沈舟虚羽扇再指，城头放起一盏孔明灯，悠悠荡荡，飘至半空。霎时间，倭军阵后燃起点点火光，如一阵疾风，席卷而来。倭军起初中伏，尚且能退，如今腹背受敌，顿时起了一阵骚动。
陆渐讶道：“倭寇背后也有官军？”谷缜道：“那是俞大猷。”陆渐醒悟过来：“是了，徐海也曾说，俞大猷出城了。”
谷缜道：“他明里带兵出城，前往沈庄。倭寇当他中计，自然放心攻城。万不料俞大猷走到半途，杀了个回马枪，转而埋伏在倭军之后。倭寇攻城，他攻倭寇。哼，沈瘸子这一条连环计，端的歹毒。”说罢又瞪着沈舟虚，咬牙切齿。陆渐看得奇怪，问道：“你到底帮谁说话？不知道的，还当你是倭寇呢？”
“我谁也不为。”谷缜冷冷道，“为我自己罢了。”陆渐不觉默然，心道谷缜如此聪明，却怎的解不开这个心结，换了自己，生母总是生母，恨得一时，也不能恨一世的。但他想来容易，却不知这世上人越是聪明，心事越多，千丝万缕，盘根错节。谷缜纵是洒脱，也不能免俗了。
呜呜呜，一阵海螺声起，激越苍凉，在城池上空冲决回荡。继而咚咚咚战鼓雷鸣，倭军一扫颓势，忽又向城内奔来。奔至城门，随那鼓声，倏尔分为三队：
一队五千，密集成阵，在门前阻挡俞大猷；一队三千，牵制内城明军；剩下两千精锐，沿着石阶，直扑外郭。
霎时间，双方进退攻守，如犬牙交错，惊呼迭起，惨嚎刺耳。外郭明军箭石倾落，倭军死伤枕藉，箭石铅丸撞击铁甲铁盔，叮叮之声，急如骤雨。
谷缜不由赞道，“汪老贼有些门道！”陆渐问道：“甚么门道？”谷缜将手一指，说道：“你看，倭寇攻下外郭，会当如何？”
陆渐凝目一观，脸色忽变，失声道：“不好。”谷缜道：“怎么不好？”陆渐道：“外郭沦陷，倭人就能将俞大猷挡在城外，这前后夹攻之势，岂不破了。”
“好见识。”谷缜瞧着陆渐，微露讶色，笑道，“但还不止如此，外郭失守，明军地利尽失，汪直进可攻，退可守，乃是反客为主、死中觅活的杀着。这老贼不愧混世魔王，更能于如此混乱中瞧出胜负之机、死生之地。故而今日之战，谁得外郭，谁是赢家！”
说到这里，通向外郭的石阶，已然血流成河。攻城倭军列阵仰攻，顶牛角铁盔、戴鬼怪假面，五尺长刀一旦舞开，上下皆白；后排倭军，布衣光头，使二丈朱枪断后，远远挑刺，不令城下官军逼近；居中则是两队鸟铳手，一队填药，一队射击，但听号令，忽而射前，忽而击后，雷鸣电飞，断不虚发。官军虽占地利，仍敌不住如此攻势，眼瞧着倭军步步进逼，迫近城楼。
陆渐看得口中发苦，叹道：“沈舟虚号称天算，怎没算到这个？”
“他算到又如何？”谷缜冷笑道，“城上的官军不下一万，城下的官军约有两万，再算上城外俞大猷的五千人马，官军超过三万，倭寇一万有余。依人数算，以三敌一，万无不胜。只可惜，沈舟虚的谋算中，却有一个不得已的苦衷。”
陆渐道：“什么苦衷？”谷缜道：“若是俞大猷镇守外郭，倭军休想攻克；但沈瘸子这一计，偏要示弱诱敌，俞大猷威名远著，若不亲眼见他出城，汪直断然不敢进城；他若出城，却又无人镇守外郭，可说两难。沈瘸子虽以兵力补其不足，但千军易得，一将难求，看起来，除了俞大猷，无人能够守住外郭……”
话音未落，忽听一声呼喊，势如天崩。二人循声望去，城门前那队倭寇骚动起来，豁开一个缺口，呼啦拉突出一骑。那骑士身形魁伟，满身重铠，花白的胡须上沾满鲜血，手中一口大关刀刃口尽缺，鲜血长流。
“俞老将军！”城上城下，欢声如雷，外郭官军气势一振，竟将攻城倭军逼退两丈。
忽听一声悲嘶，俞大猷坐下白马骤失前蹄，歪倒在地。俞大猷关刀一顿，支住身形，低头望去，那马从头至脚血如泉涌，染红雪白皮毛，一双大眼黯淡下去。
“雪玉龙！”俞大猷失声惊喝。这爱马随他出生入死，历经百战，既是坐骑，也是密友。方才他见势不妙，当机立断，率精锐突入城中，欲要守住外郭。不料突围时随从战死，白马身中十余创，撑到入城，终于倒毙。
俞大猷按捺悲痛，举目一瞧，倭军登城过半，当即掷下关刀，一声龙吟，拔出剑来。
“俞大猷么？”倭军中响起一声怪叫，“他在哪里？”一道黑影急逾闪电，掠过人群，呼地落在俞大猷身前，厉声道：“你就是俞大猷？”
俞大猷剑术高绝，豪迈任侠，当年在岭南之时，一人一剑，斩苏青蛇，破康老贼，平服七十二峒，其后镇守东南，剑下游魂无数，倭人闻之丧胆，尊之为“中华第一剑”。此时闻言，浓眉一轩，颔首道：“正是俞某，你是谁？”那人厉笑一声，生硬道：“我乃东瀛大隅岛主辛五郎，特来领教。”
俞大猷关注战事，颇为不耐，挥手道：“你先出刀吧！”辛五郎一愣，蓦地跳将起来，怒叫道：“谁要你让，谁要你让……”俞大猷浓眉一挑，喝一声：“好！”
话音方落，刀芒剑影如长电裂空，一交而没。
霎时间，场中一寂，两方兵将，均被这光影夺去魂魄。
噔噔噔，俞大猷足不点地，直奔外郭；辛五郎两眼发直，长刀指地，喉中咔咔有声，一缕血水绕过衣襟，滴落脚前。
辛五郎一招陨命，倭人三军气夺，俞大猷奋起神威，直透倭阵，掌中剑光忽明忽暗，明如虹霓，暗如秋水，身周长刀纷坠，朱枪歪斜，箭矢如潮水涌来，猬集在铁甲之上，密密麻麻，莫可胜数。
一时间，长云如阵，天风更急，月沉西陲，东方未明；沉沉夜色如铅似铁，低压城头；天地间锣鼓喧天，摇魂荡魄，其中夹着一缕细细的海螺，呜呜咽咽，如泣如诉。
官军不耐久战，只一阵，便即退却。唯独俞大猷杀至外郭之下，方欲登上，忽而迎面风起，长枪刺来。俞大猷但觉有异，挥剑挑出，谁知这一枪劲力沉雄，沛然莫当。
俞大猷一剑未能挑开来枪，只得闪身避过，定眼瞧去，来人身高不足五尺，八字眉，塌鼻梁，面容愁苦，手中长枪杆如烂银，缨如血染。
“足下也是倭人？”俞大猷说话声中，刷刷刷又是三剑，刺翻三人，身周倭寇惊惧不已，蓦地发一声喊，齐齐后退，势成圆阵，将俞大猷围住。
那矮子默默望着俞大猷杀人，既不进击，也不后退，只徐徐道：“我不是倭人！老将军请退，再进一步，只恐得罪。”
俞大猷皱眉道：“足下高姓。”那矮子道：“落魄之人，若提姓名，有辱祖宗。”俞大猷道：“既知羞耻，为何还要助纣为虐？”
那矮子沉默时许，忽而叹道：“一日为寇，终身为寇。”俞大猷浓眉挑起，长剑一横，大笑道：“既如此，便出枪吧！”
那矮子目光星闪，语气仍是不紧不慢：“老将军的剑法，一半出自武当太极剑，一半得自'先天八剑'的震剑道。将军天赋超群，融会二者，卓然成家，故而快若掣电，慢如抽丝，刚有乘龙之威，柔有随云之势。但纵是如此，也胜不得区区这条长枪，还是退了得好。”
俞大猷瞧他见识过人，方才一枪，更有宗师气象，如此人物，投入倭寇，端的叫人费解。正感疑惑，忽听有人叫道：“樊老三，汪老让你杀个人，怎也这样婆婆妈妈？”声如洪钟，将喊杀声一时压住。
俞大猷闻言心动：“你姓樊，莫不是'幻神枪'樊家的传人？”那矮子神色越发愁苦，忽地压低嗓子道：“将军快走。”
俞大猷一怔，忽听那洪亮的嗓音哈哈大笑：“没错，他就是'幻童子'樊玉谦。”俞大猷回头望去，身后一个胖汉，身高七尺，腰围却有五尺，手提一对硕大铜锤。他身边立了一个俊秀男子，面如傅粉，目光诡谲，左臂缠绕金链，右肩担着一把金色巨镰。
谷缜远远看见，咦了一声，皱眉道：“竟是他们？”陆渐奇道：“你认得他们？”
“我不认得，却听说过。”谷缜道，“这朱衣人叫'金勾镰'，胖子叫'铜瓜锤'，矮子叫'点钢枪'，合称龙门三煞，名号俗气，但却是北方巨寇，纵横无敌。汪直请来这三个煞星，俞大猷怕是有难了……”说到这里，忽听屋瓦轻响，转眼一瞧，身畔空空，陆渐人影俱无。
谷缜这一气非同小可，心中大骂蠢材，但骂了一阵，定神细想，这陆渐若然不去，却也不似他的为人。想着叹了口气，望着城下战场，想起其中胜负来，但觉这一役无论谁胜，均是惨胜，对自己大大有利。只不过汪直若胜，会当如何，难以预料。倘若趁胜退出，却也罢了；但以如此死伤，换不来金珠宝货，这老狐狸不能服众，势必大权旁落，唯有大肆烧杀，方能出去倭人心中一口恶气。
谷缜越想越惊，心忖沈舟虚若败，固然害苦百姓；但若汪直败北，沈舟虚却又拣了莫大便宜；唯有二人同归于尽，才算是好。
正自盘算，谷缜寒毛陡竖，忽有所觉，他回头一可看，顿时浑身僵直。只见一个人黑衣蒙面，如鬼如魅，静悄悄立在屋脊后方。
谯楼屋顶便如一个大大的“人”字，以屋脊为界，谷缜在左，半坐半卧，蒙面人在右，半蹲半立，故而谷缜能瞧见来人胸腹以上，蒙面人一则没料到楼顶有人，二则心系他处，竟没瞧见谷缜。
一旦明白此理，谷缜顿时屏息凝神，竭力按捺心跳，生恐心跳太快，被来人听出动静。
不一时，那人一躬身，自背后卸下一支鸟铳，向下瞄准。谷缜看得奇怪，探头望去，大吃一惊，那铳口所指，不是别人，正是沈舟虚。
蒙面人瞄了片时，向铳口灌入火药，用搠杖筑实，他双手沉稳，目光专注，凝视铳口，近乎忘我。
谷缜望他施为，气不敢出，心跳转剧，心道：“如今官军形势险恶，俞大猷又被困住。沈舟虚名为幕僚，实为统帅，他若一死，无人指挥，官军势必溃乱……”想到这里，心中百味杂陈，忽见蒙面人筑药已毕，又灌入铅丸，再以搠杖夯实。
谷缜也不知怎的，嗓子里一阵干涩，不自禁咽了一口唾沫，心中似有一个声音高叫道：“夺母之仇，不共戴天。这人为你报仇，你感激他也来不及，又担心什么？哈，为谁担心，沈瘸子么？你要么疯了，要么傻了！至于那些百姓