Volume 1: Kyoto Winds and Clouds Chapter 57: Rescuing Hostages with Wisdom and Strength

  Liu Zhang, accompanied by Qiao Taiwei, Cai Yong and Zhou Yi, arrived at the foot of the pavilion. The robbers keeping watch outside saw Liu Zhang and his companions and immediately asked: "Hey, how's your discussion going? Are you going to give us money or not? Speak up quickly! I haven't got all day to stand around here!"

  Liu Zhang smiled and said, "The negotiation is not bad, but how do we know you won't take the money and not let us go? Qiao Xiao Gongzi is only five years old this year, what if he gets scared?"

  "What do you want to do?" The bandit sneered, "Now the young master is in our hands, and we have the initiative. If you want us to release the young master first, that's impossible. As for credibility, ours is much stronger than the government's!"

  "I wouldn't be naive enough to think you'd let the young master go first!" Liu Zhang smiled and said, "Why don't I exchange a hostage with you instead? This way, we can avoid harming the young master, after all, he's just a five-year-old child. Who doesn't have children, who doesn't have parents? You should show some understanding for us!"

  "This..." The bandit hesitated and said: "Qiao Xiaogongzi is the only son of Qiao Taigong, his status is extraordinary, who can compare with him? Using a person of no importance to exchange for such a noble person, do you think we're stupid?"

  "Of course, it won't be insignificant!" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "I am the son of the Governor of Youzhou, a direct descendant of the Han imperial family, and the younger brother of the current Emperor. I don't know how I compare to that little General Cao?"

  "Who are you?!" The bandit sized up Liu Zhang, saw that he didn't have anything unusual about him, and said: "This young master, judging from your attire, you should be a big shot. Although I don't know why you're looking for trouble, I don't dare to take you hostage. A five-year-old child would be better!"

  Liu Zhang shrugged and said, "A five-year-old child is easy to control. Didn't you guys ask about Commander Qiao's temperament before coming here? If I were in his place now, Commander Qiao wouldn't dare give the order to attack and kill. If you refuse, not only will you not get the money, but your life will also be gone. Not to mention that Young Master Qiao is Commander Qiao's most beloved! Old Man Qiao is a ruthless person who doesn't even recognize his own relatives when he gets angry!"

  "It's all the same whether jade or stone is burned!" The bandit's ferocity also came up.

  Liu Zhang shook his head and said, "You all deserve to die, but the five-year-old child is innocent. I'll give you an opportunity not only to get the money but also to escape with your lives. Later, you can take the money and find a place where no one knows you to live a good life, wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

  "This..." The bandit was somewhat moved by Liu Zhang's words, but he didn't dare to trust him easily. The bandit thought for a moment and said: "Let's discuss this, how about it?"

  "Of course!" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "You've been waiting in the attic for so long, you must be hungry. Why don't I have someone send some food and water over? Don't worry, I won't put poison in the food or water. If you don't believe me, you can have Qiao Xiaogongzi eat first. If there's a problem with the food or water, you can kill him immediately!"

  "Good!" The bandit nodded and said: "You just send some food and water over here!"

  "Wait a moment!" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "If you have made a decision, let someone call me!"

  The bandits returned to the attic with expressionless faces, and Liu Zhang also brought Cai Yan and others back to the main hall of Qiao Fu.

  "Master, do you know of any medicine that can be added to food and wine, which would delay the onset of its effects until several hours later? Best if it's the kind that causes numbness in the body!" Meanwhile, Liu Zhang didn't idle around while Commander Qiao ordered his servants to prepare the meal.

  Cai Yong is a good man, if it's about playing the zither, chess, calligraphy and painting, he won't lose to anyone. As for poisoning people, Cai Yong really doesn't have that kind of skill. However, just because Cai Yong can't do it, doesn't mean others can't. Qiao Taiwei is a veteran general who has held power, when he was young, he was also a decisive and ruthless leader. As for poisoning people, although he doesn't often do it, it doesn't mean he can't. Qiao Taiwei said: "I know of a medicine that is colorless and tasteless, after eating it, within an hour, one will become dizzy and their body will be numb, unknowing..."

  "This is the best!" Liu Zhang nodded very satisfactorily, these bandits were all old rivers and lakes, if they used anesthetics, they might be exposed, only special things could defeat the enemy.

  After about half an hour, the servants of the Qiao family mixed a large amount of anesthetic into the food and wine to be sent to the robbers. The robbers were also very cautious, they first released Young Master Qiao, let him eat his fill, and then started eating themselves. Of course, Young Master Qiao didn't eat much, after all, the dishes mixed with anesthetics weren't very tasty, but these dishes were delicious for the robbers.

  After eating and drinking enough, the robbers also came up with a countermeasure. They kidnapped the child for money, not to die. In fact, they were also instigated by others to find Jo Taoyi, but they never expected that Old Jo would be so ruthless. When Liu Zhang entered the attic, when Jo Xiaogong was released from the attic, Jo Taoyi didn't know whether to cry or laugh!

  Inside the attic, the bandits looked at Liu Zhang who was tied up and couldn't help but feel a little stunned. They really didn't think there would be such a foolish person. The leader of the bandits couldn't help but laugh: "Sir, I don't know what you're thinking, but you just came in like this, aren't you afraid that Qiao Xuan will give an order and those soldiers will rush in and get you killed?"

  "Is General Qiao the same as Qiao Xuan?" Liu Zhang heard the bandit say this, and his heart somewhat understood the identities of the two little girls in the main hall. He couldn't help but laugh: "So General Qiao is indeed Qiao Xuan, really a lovely old man. However, I believe he won't order an attack on us."

  "Why? Did Old Man Qiao really get persuaded by you?" The bandit leader said in doubt: "I heard that Old Man Qiao's stubborn temper can even make the emperor yield to him three times, he can't possibly be persuaded by a little kid."

  Liu Zhang asked in puzzlement: "You clearly know that Old Man Qiao has a stubborn personality, yet you still dare to kidnap his son?"

  "Somebody told me that Old Cao is most fond of his youngest son, and I just came!" The bandit chief said angrily: "Who knew this stubborn old man would disown his own kin? By the time I found out, it was too late to turn back!"

  "Who told you?" Liu Zhang smiled and said: "If you honestly tell me, maybe I can spare your life!"

  The bandit leader laughed and said: "You can't even save yourself, how dare you speak so boldly!"

  Liu Zhang sat up and said to the leader of the bandits: "Who told you that I am in a precarious situation myself? Hmm?"

  "Ah!" The three robbers felt something was wrong, and saw Liu Zhang suddenly exert his strength, the ropes on his body snapping inch by inch.

  After exercising his wrists that had been bound for half a day, Liu Zhang smiled and said: "How about it? Are you going to confess honestly now or wait until I capture you all and subject you to severe torture?"

  "Hmph!" The bandit leader snorted: "You're alone, we have three..."

  "Bang!" A loud noise, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun rushed up to the attic and called out to Liu Zhang: "Big brother!"

  Liu Zhang smiled and said: "Now it's three against three, do you still think you have a chance of winning? By the way, I forgot to tell you, don't you feel a bit dizzy and numb in your body?"

  "Despicable! You've poisoned our food?! Brothers, let's fight to the death!" The bandit chief roared and rushed towards Liu Zhang.

  Liu Zhang dodged the bandit leader's attack and shouted loudly: "Take him alive!"

  Z Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei were originally born to be fierce generals, even if they were only in their teens, they weren't people that a few thieves who had taken anesthetic could withstand. In less than ten breaths, the three bandits were captured. If Liu Zhang hadn't wanted to spare their lives, it's likely that with just one encounter, the three bandits would have been finished!

  "Who are you?" The leader of the bandits was captured and stared at Liu Zhang with great resentment, his anger had nowhere to vent.

  Liu Zhang smiled and said, "Let me formally introduce myself. I am the fourth son of the Governor of Youzhou, the younger brother of the Great Han Emperor, and Liu Zhang, who was just appointed as the General of the Five Offices and the Marquis of Guanjun yesterday!"

  "Are you Liu Zhang, who led tens of thousands of Wu troops with no resistance from the two thousand people?" The bandit leader gazed at Liu Zhang with a face full of admiration, and the anger in his eyes seemed to turn into small stars!

  "Huh?!" Liu Zhang was shocked, he understood that heroes needed to be exaggerated, but not to this extent. Tens of thousands of people, even if one person spat on him, it would be enough to drown him, and even if he stood still and let 2,000 people chop at him, they could cut him into pieces until there was no human shape left. Liu Zhang rubbed his nose and said: "If there's no other Liu Zhang, the person you're talking about should be me, but I brought 8,000 troops!"

  The bandit leader shook his head and said, "No matter how you won against Wuma, no matter how many troops you brought with you, you are indeed a hero among the Han people! Because in the four hundred years of the Great Han, only Emperor Wu of Han had ever defeated foreign tribes. As you are a hero, I'll tell you that the one who instigated us to come to Qiao's house and cause trouble is a side branch of the Yuan family!"

  "Yuan family? Yuan family again!" Liu Zhang was extremely angry. He could see that Qiao Xuan was an upright old man, and he had always had a good impression of such people. Just like Bao Zheng or Hai Rui, perhaps they were somewhat unfeeling, but they were worthy of respect. Qiao Xuan may not have reached the level of Bao Zheng and Hai Rui in terms of pleading for the people, but just because he disregarded his own son's life and death to uphold national law, he was not someone that the Yuan family could compare to. Because by the end of the Han dynasty, the law had already become extremely weak in its ability to restrain the aristocratic families and officials!

  "You come with me to testify against the Yuan family, and I'll let the Luoyang Magistrate reduce your punishment!" Liu Zhang led the three bandits out of the pavilion, and Qiao Xuan and his two companions immediately came forward.

  "No way, we still have family!" The bandit leader said weakly: "Besides, we don't have a chance anymore!"

  "Big brother! Look quickly!" Following Zhang Fei's voice, Liu Zhuang saw that the other two bandits' mouths and noses began to bleed profusely with thick black blood. Liu Zhuang was shocked in his heart, this is a symptom of poisoning, he looked at the leader of the bandits again, only to see the leader coughing violently twice, spitting out a large block of black blood from his mouth, mixed with some broken flesh. Soon, all three bandits were dead!

  "Ah..." Qiao Xuan exclaimed in surprise: "Xian nephew, what's going on here?"

  "Hurry, go and see if the young master has been poisoned!" Liu Zhang suddenly thought that if there was a traitor in the Qiao family, the medicine given to the three bandits might not be anesthetic, which would be troublesome! Upon hearing Liu Zhang's shout, Qiao Xuan, who was already nearly seventy years old, rushed out with superhuman speed, as if blown by a gust of wind.

  Thanks for the reward from Yuan Yijing brothers!