novelAbuy Chapter 44 Discusses Cooperation
Chapter 44 Discusses Cooperation
"One, two, three, four..."
Li Chong silently counted the people who came out from behind, secretly shocked.
The tea shop, which didn't look very big, actually had seven or eight men hiding in the back. If you include Jia Zhuo, the number was almost double digits.
Moreover, these men all looked menacing and menacing.
At this moment, Zhongmei struggled with her arm: "Let go, you're hurting me."
Seeing so many people staring at him, Li Chong couldn't help but feel a little nervous, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on Zhong Mei's hand.
Upon hearing Zhong Mei's voice, the others could no longer contain themselves. As Jia Zhuo led everyone out, Zhang Tianfu and a few others surrounded them.
"Let go of Xiaomei!"
"Let go if you don't want to die!"
Some people even brandished knives.
Seeing the situation was turning bad, Jia Zhuo quickly ran back and stood in front of the crowd, shouting, "Don't do anything rash! Don't do anything rash!"
Li Chong loosened his grip slightly, but still held onto Zhong Mei's wrist tightly. Judging from the group's posture, he dared not easily let go of this protective charm.
At this moment, Zhong Mei was also unhappy, but her target was not Li Chong.
"What did you say? Zhang Tianfu, who gave you the right to call me that? Are you asking for a beating again?"
Upon hearing Zhong Mei's words, Zhang Tianfu, who had been so imposing just moments before, immediately deflated: "Well, big sister, I was just trying to save you."
"Do I need your help?" Zhong Mei said with disdain. "I'm back this time to tell you some good news: we can fight our way back! Don't be so impulsive about saving me."
Jia Zhuo sized up Li Chong for a while, then stepped forward and said, "Yes, yes, Xiao Mei'er is right. Don't be so impulsive. You guys, step back and don't be so tense."
"Strategist." The men were somewhat puzzled.
It could be seen that Jia Zhuo kept giving them meaningful glances, and the group then took a few steps back and dispersed, but they still subtly surrounded Li Chong.
Jia Zhuo then looked at Li Chong, stepped forward, and bowed.
Before he could speak, Li Chong spoke first.
Looking at Jia Zhuo with a half-smile, Li Chong slowly said, "Strategist? It sounds like Mr. Jia holds a high position on the mountain."
Having some guesses about Li Chong's identity, Jia Zhuo, a scholar by birth, couldn't help but blush.
Among a group of uneducated, rough men, he served as the strategist, and naturally, he had no problem speaking classical Chinese phrases.
However, in front of officials who came from proper imperial examination backgrounds, Jia Zhuo, who prided himself on being educated, inevitably felt somewhat embarrassed.
Of all professions, only studying is noble.
The rising status of literati since the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty made the whole society yearn for scholars. Even bandits couldn't help but show some respect to those who passed the imperial examinations.
Jia Zhuo did feel somewhat ashamed to call himself a strategist in front of Li Chong.
"What strategist? It's all just flattery from everyone. Please don't mention it again." Jia Zhuo bowed and asked, "May I ask your name? If Xiao Mei'er has offended you in any way, please forgive her."
Zhong Mei retorted, "Second Uncle, what do you mean by 'offended'? We're cooperating; we're fighting our way back up the mountain to avenge my father!"
Jia Zhu glared at Zhong Mei, then gave Li Chong a forced smile.
Looking at the two men, Li Chong felt much more at ease. It seemed that his status as a county magistrate still carried considerable weight.
Thinking about it, that makes sense. This group of people has already become like stray dogs. If they dare to kill the county magistrate again, they will have no place to stand in the entire Yanggu.
They're not stupid; they wouldn't go looking for their own deaths.
Of course, Li Chong wouldn't easily relax his brows until the situation was completely clear.
Li Chong raised his other hand to indicate: "My surname is Li, and I am honored to hold the position of magistrate of Yanggu County. Mr. Jia, please have a seat, and let's chat slowly."
Jia Zhuo looked at Zhong Mei, and seeing Zhong Mei nod, he bowed repeatedly in greeting.
"I never expected it would be the county magistrate in person. I have been very rude."
Behind him, the men exchanged bewildered glances. Had Zhong Mei really succeeded? But why was she with the magistrate?
Moreover, how dare this newly appointed county magistrate come alone?
Li Chong waved his hand: "Sir, there's no need for such formalities. Just as Miss Zhong said, I've come here specifically to discuss the matter of suppressing bandits. If there's anything we can do to cooperate, I'm not afraid to make an exception for you all."
Jia Zhuo was quite surprised: "Is this true? Is the county magistrate really willing to cooperate with us?"
Would a high-ranking official of the imperial court really be willing to cooperate with a group of down-on-their-luck bandits? Although he admired officials, Jia Zhuo subconsciously still didn't quite trust the officials of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Li Chong said slowly and deliberately, "Then we'll see if you're actually useful."
As he spoke, Li Chong looked around at the somewhat resentful men.
"If this is all the people you have, then let's not even talk about cooperation. I'll let it slide for Miss Zhong's sake. Just behave well as obedient citizens from now on; that's much better than living in the mountains."
Zhang Tianfu couldn't help but retort, "Hmph! If we don't go to the mountains, are we supposed to be exploited by you corrupt officials?"
"Tianfu!" Jia Zhuo scolded.
After Zhang Tianfu stopped speaking, Jia Zhuo stroked his few strands of goatee and slowly said, "Judging from the magistrate's words, it seems that the bandits in the mountains are already caught in the net. But as far as I know, the magistrate and the county constable are at odds, and it seems that they cannot mobilize the county's archers. In that case, how can they suppress the bandits?"
"Sir, your information network is indeed excellent," Li Chong replied calmly. "In that case, you must also know that this county has raised a considerable amount of money. With money, recruiting men is a piece of cake. Without him paying, this county can still gather its own troops."
"hehe."
Jia Zhuo shook his head slightly: "With the magistrate's extensive knowledge, how could he not have read military books? With hastily recruited and weak soldiers, what are the chances of victory against bloodthirsty bandits? If the magistrate fails to suppress the bandits, he will probably be attacked by the masses, and the magistrate will likely not fare well in the performance evaluation of Yanggu County."
"Then what can you do to help me?" Li Chong stared straight at him.
After going through all this trouble, Li Chong was just trying to get him to reveal his bargaining chips.
If it's supposed to be a collaboration, we need to show some sincerity first.
Jia Zhuo naturally understood Li Chong's meaning, but compared to the county magistrate, they were indeed the weaker party, so Jia Zhuo didn't take it to heart.
"If the magistrate is truly determined to defeat the bandits, we have more than twenty skilled men who can lend you a hand. Moreover, Xiao Mei'er's father is the former leader of the mountains, and he has many former subordinates under his command. If we recruit them properly, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."
"Wait, that's not right," Zhong Mei suddenly interjected, "What about Uncle Hu and the others? If we include them, we have at least..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw Jia Zhuo give her a meaningful look, and her brows furrowed and her mouth slightly parted.
She seems to have said something wrong.
Zhong Mei was so focused on being on equal footing with Li Chong that he was eager to demonstrate his power that he forgot to communicate with Jia Zhuo, and now his true colors have been revealed.