novelden Chapter 326
Chapter 326
In the end, Wang Changshan chose to compromise and allowed Zhou Chu's men to enter the Wang family.
Once inside, Zhou Chu discovered that the Wang family's private army was far larger than he had imagined, with three or four hundred men in sight and countless others hidden in the shadows.
However, Zhou Chu was not afraid at all. The lowest-ranking officers he brought were all elite members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Although they were not as good as the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the capital, they were far superior to these private soldiers.
Zhou Chu followed Wang Changshan to the main hall of the Wang family and saw many familiar faces, including Hu Duo and the officials that Zhou Chu had previously detained in the military camp.
Zhou Chu released these people from the military camp yesterday. No wonder Wang Changshan was so anxious. It must have been Hu Duo and his men who came to tip them off.
"Lord Hu, it seems I see you everywhere."
Zhou Chu looked at Hu Duo in front of him and teased him.
"You flatter me, Lord Zhou. Master Wang is hosting a welcome banquet for you and has specially invited me to join in the drinks."
Hu Duo said with a big smile.
"So, Master Wang is quite powerful, able to command the prefect of Datong?"
When Zhou Chu said this, he looked at Wang Changshan who was standing next to him.
"Lord Zhou, you flatter me. Lord Hu admires you, not because of me. He simply wants to drink with you until we're both drunk."
Wang Changshan smiled.
"Master Wang, you'd better speak frankly. I'm busy with military affairs and don't have much time to drink and make merry with you."
Zhou Chu glanced at Wang Changshan, showing no respect whatsoever.
Hearing this, Wang Changshan was secretly annoyed, but he was powerless to do anything about Zhou Chu.
"Lord Zhou, Lord Hu, let's talk somewhere else."
Wang Changshan gestured for him to enter.
Hearing this, Zhou Chu was not afraid. At this moment, the area outside the main hall of the Wang family was full of his people. Shen Lian and Yu Hai followed him on the left and right, respectively. Zhou Chu followed Wang Changshan directly into the side hall next to him.
Hu Duo followed him inside.
The moment Shen Lian and Yu Hai entered the side hall, they began to observe its layout and whether anyone was hiding there.
After a careful inspection, the two confirmed that there were no other people hiding in the side hall, nor were there any traps or mechanisms set up. They then nodded to Zhou Chu.
"Lord Zhou is being far too cautious."
Wang Changshan smiled.
"Be careful with the ten thousand year ship."
Zhou Chu ignored Wang Changshan's slightly sarcastic words and sat down directly.
"What brings you here, Lord Wang?"
Zhou Chu looked at Wang Changshan and said.
"Lord Zhou, you may not know this, but the bandits outside Datong are rampant. My caravan and other merchants' caravans in Datong are frequently robbed by bandits. And the Mongols on the grasslands are simply lawless."
Wang Changshan said with a face full of resentment.
"What do you mean by that, Master Wang?"
Zhou Chu looked at Wang Qianshan with a half-smile.
"What Master Wang means is that he wants to ask you, sir, to go out of the city to suppress the bandits and restore a bright and clear world to the people of Datong."
Hu Duo chimed in from the side.
"Oh? Is that what you mean, Master Wang?"
Zhou Chu countered with a question.
"My lord, you may not know this, but the most powerful of these bandits is called Blind Zhang, also known as One-Eyed Dragon. This band of bandits has over a thousand members and their methods are extremely ruthless."
Wang Changshan did not answer Zhou Chu's question directly, but continued speaking.
"What exactly does Master Wang mean?"
Zhou Chu spoke calmly and unhurriedly.
“On behalf of all the gentry in Datong City, I would like to request that you, sir, go out of the city to suppress the bandits. If you agree to go out of the city to suppress the bandits, we will prepare a big surprise for you.”
Wang Changshan finally couldn't hold back any longer and said...
In his mind, since he couldn't get rid of Zhou Chu in the Wang family, he would use the name of bandits to eliminate this commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The previous prefects had also been eliminated by this method.
He deliberately concealed a lot of information about Zhang the Blind's band of horsemen. For example, the band of horsemen did not only number a thousand, but more than three thousand. They were jointly supported by the Wang family and many merchants in Datong City.
They even had some crudely made armor, which, although incomparable to the armor of the Ming army, was more than enough to deal with Zhou Chu in Wang Changshan's view.
They could even contact the Mongols to launch a pincer attack on Zhou Chu, thus ensuring their safety.
"Surprise, what is a surprise?"
Zhou Chu looked at the two of them and asked.
"What a surprise! It's a real surprise!"
Hu Duo gestured and exaggerated his words.
But the two of them refused to say what the surprise was, which was undoubtedly just empty promises to Zhou Chu.
But Zhou Chu never eats flatbread.
"Lord Hu, please ask Master Wang for me what exactly a surprise is, what the hell is a surprise?"
Zhou Chu looked at Hu Duo and said, word by word.
"surprise...."
Hu Duo was about to continue trying to smooth things over, but seeing Zhou Chu's aggressive gaze, he couldn't say anything more.
"Master Wang, what is a surprise?"
Hu Duo looked at Wang Changshan and said.
Looking at Zhou Chu and Hu Duo's gazes, Wang Changshan understood that if he didn't offer specific benefits, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard probably wouldn't be tempted. Giving too little wouldn't work either, since he knew that in the past few days, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already confiscated two to three million taels of silver from confiscated homes.
"The surprise is that when Lord Zhou went out of the city to suppress the bandits, I and the local gentry of Datong City jointly contributed one million taels of silver so that Lord Zhou could reward the entire army."
Wang Changshan slapped his thigh and said.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu did not respond, but instead looked at Hu Duo.
"Lord Hu, what exactly is a surprise?"
Zhou Chu wanted Hu Duo to be the witness. As the prefect of Datong Prefecture, Hu Duo would naturally not deny the matter afterward, given that the three of them were present.
"Lord Zhou, the good news is that when you go out of the city to suppress the bandits, I and the local gentry of Datong will contribute one million taels of silver to reward the entire army."
Hu Duo reluctantly made the guarantee. He knew very well why Zhou Chu was doing this – to drag him onto the same boat. At this moment, Hu Duo regretted it. Why did he have to get involved in this mess?
"So this is what they call a surprise?"
Zhou Chu slapped his thigh and said.
"Master Wang, brilliant!"
Zhou Chu gave a thumbs up.
"Master Zhou, be hard!"
Wang Changshan complimented.
"Lord Zhou is both tall and strong!"
Hu Duo added with a broad smile.
"Then, Lord Wang, please make your preparations well. Within seven days, I will definitely leave the city to suppress the bandits."
Zhou Chu estimated the time; the Tiger Legion would arrive in Datong in about four or five days. To be on the safe side, Zhou Chu added a few more days.
"Is Lord Zhou truly telling the truth?"
Wang Changshan said with a look of delight.
“Of course it is true. The bandits are so lawless. As an official serving His Majesty, I cannot sit idly by. I vow to wipe out the bandits and Zhang the Blind.”
Zhou Chu spoke with boundless pride.
Shen Lian and Yu Hai watched Zhou Chu act so well. Shen Lian was already used to it and didn't react much, but Yu Hai was seeing Zhou Chu like this for the first time and could only suppress his laughter.