latelenovela Chapter 234 Killing innocent people and claiming credit
Chapter 234 Killing innocent people and claiming credit
Chapter 234 Killing innocent people and claiming credit
Hanshan Square is where all the combat-ready troops in Hanshan have gathered, totaling more than 2 people.
Wang Wenzhou looked around and said loudly, "Brothers, I have just received a secret letter from Young Master Xu Yingjie. The rebel army is disguised as Hanshan Guard and is hiding in Jilong Mountain. This is a major taboo in military strategy. I have decided to join forces with Xu Yingjie to attack the rebel army and eliminate this threat."
Wang Wenzhou asked loudly, "Brothers, are you willing to follow me in suppressing the bandits?"
"willing!"
"It is everyone's responsibility to protect our homeland!"
The soldiers raised their arms and shouted.
"Alright! Bring the wine!" Wang Wenzhou ordered, and soon each soldier had a bowl of wine in his hand.
Wang Wenzhou drank the wine bowl in one gulp, smashed it, and shouted, "The army is marching! Follow me to annihilate the bandits! We will not return until victory is achieved!"
"We will not return until we win!" The troops were in high spirits.
Wang Wenzhou smiled slightly. "Xu Yingjie, don't blame me for being ruthless. You were the one who acted dishonestly first! With a formidable enemy at hand, you ran away first, trying to reap the benefits without lifting a finger. There's no such thing as a free lunch."
……
At Jilong Mountain, Xu Yingjie had not yet gotten up when Ma Deyun and others rushed in.
"Young Master, something terrible has happened!" Ma Deyun said anxiously.
"Hmm?" Xu Yingjie opened his eyes and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Yang Shan said with a worried look on his face, "Young Master, we are surrounded!"
"What? We're surrounded by who?" Xu Yingjie asked.
Ma Deyun replied, "It should be Gao Yingxiang's bandit army."
Xu Yingjie asked in disbelief, "How is that possible?"
Not only Xu Yingjie couldn't understand it, but the three great scholars couldn't either. Twenty thousand troops stationed here neither hindered the bandits' looting nor their attack on Hanshan. Why would the bandits, with nothing better to do, choose to attack us?
At this moment, a soldier rushed into the house and reported: "Sir, there are people shouting down below, telling us to surrender immediately, or they will set the mountain on fire."
Xu Yingjie frowned deeply. Coming from a military family, he knew all too well that stationing all troops on the hill was a major taboo in military strategy. He had only done this to hide his troops there, never intending to engage the enemy. If the enemy set fire to the hill, the forest would be engulfed in flames, and there would be no way to save them. More than 2 men would perish in the inferno.
"Young Master, what should we do?" Ma Deyun asked anxiously.
Lin Shan thought for a moment and then said, "Young Master, the only way out now is to pay for passage."
"Hmm?" Xu Yingjie looked at Yang Shan with a puzzled expression.
Yang Shan explained, “Young Master, we have no grudge against the bandits. They probably thought we were a major threat by stationing us here, which is why they attacked us. When we came, we had all the silver with us, and we were already surrounded. It would be difficult to break out. Why don’t we give the silver to the bandits and buy ourselves a way out?”
Xu Yingjie nodded and said, "That's the only way!"
Xu Yingjie and the three talented scholars arrived at the front of the battle.
Xu Yingjie ordered his soldiers, shouting, "Please bring your leaders over, our lord has something to discuss."
Wang Wenzhou cupped his hands in greeting to Li Zicheng and said, "Brother-in-law, let's go take a look together."
Li Zicheng said irritably, "What are you looking at? Just burn it down!"
"No!" Wang Wenzhou waved his hand and said, "Brother-in-law, Xu Yingjie is the heir of the Duke of Dingguo. If he dies, things will get really messy! If the court orders a thorough investigation, today's events might be exposed. Although I'm not afraid of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, we are all nobles after all, and we can't be so ruthless!"
Li Zicheng frowned and asked, "What do you intend to do?"
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Release Xu Yingjie, and then set the mountain on fire."
Li Zicheng said with a wry smile, "Instead of wiping you out completely, you're letting the tiger return to the mountain? Won't Xu Yingjie kill you later?"
Wang Wenzhou said disdainfully, "Brother-in-law, you don't understand! His own record isn't clean either. How could he dare to report the truth? Would he hide with a large army and sit back and watch the tigers fight? Chongzhen isn't stupid. If he really dared to say that, Chongzhen wouldn't let him off the hook."
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Besides, he didn't have any substantial evidence. This kind of lawsuit was brought to the imperial court. Both sides started spouting nonsense, and in the end, Chongzhen could only act as a peacemaker to quell the matter."
Li Zicheng shook his head helplessly. "No wonder I can't become a high-ranking official and can only be a postman. You officials have too many tricks up your sleeves."
Wang Wenzhou and Li Zicheng arrived at the front of the battle.
Upon seeing this, Xu Yingjie pointed at Wang Wenzhou and cursed, "You idiot Wang, you've gone too far! You actually led men to surround me! If you're so capable, go fight the bandits!"
Wang Wenzhou said disdainfully, "Brother Xu, try cursing again? Do you want to die? I'll set you all on fire and you'll all be burned to ashes."
Xu Yingjie immediately shut up.
Yang Shan respectfully said, "Lord Wang, we are all officials in the same court. Although we may have had some unpleasant encounters in the past, there is no need to press the matter so hard. Would it be alright if we offered some money to buy a way through?"
Li Zicheng was dumbfounded. "You officials of the imperial court really know how to play games! You can trade anything?"
Wang Wenzhou asked, "How much? One million taels of silver for each of you four. If you have the money, we'll let you out; if not, you'll be waiting to die!"
"Damn it!" Xu Yingjie cursed, "Wang Shazi, don't go too far! Are you robbing me?"
Wang Wenzhou said with a smile, "Brother Xu, don't be angry. You can't take money with you when you die. If you die here today, no matter how much money you have, you won't be alive to spend it!"
Yang Shan gently patted Xu Yingjie, signaling him not to be angry and that he would negotiate.
Yang Shan spoke up, "Lord Wang, we only have 20 taels of silver. We'll give it all to you as your military expenses, how about that?"
"Bah!" Wang Wenzhou cursed, "Yang Shan, are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? I spent 250 million taels of silver hiring these bandits. You only gave me 20 taels, not even a fraction of that!"
Yang Shan smiled bitterly, "Wang Shazi, you're really something! You actually joined forces with the bandits to attack Hanshanwei."
Yang Shan turned and glanced at Xu Yingjie, his gaze questioning.
Xu Yingjie nodded, acknowledging defeat.
Yang Shan said with a wry smile, "Lord Wang, please give us a way out! We only have 50 taels of silver. Really! If you don't believe me, you can search us when we pass through!"
Wang Wenzhou also knew that Xu Yingjie and the Four Talented Scholars had been almost ruined by him in Hanshan over the past six months, losing money without making any. The remaining 50 taels of silver was already considered a lot.
Wang Wenzhou beckoned to Yang Shan, signaling him to come forward and speak.
Wang Wenzhou said in a low voice, "Brother Yang, I'll be frank. With 50 taels of silver, the three of you and Xu Yingjie are safe. As for the other bandits on the mountain, I'm going to burn them all to death. If you agree, I can share some of the credit with you. Go back and ask Xu Yingjie if he agrees."
Yang Shan's face turned ashen. Damn, this is outrageous! That's over 2 lives! They might have tried to claim credit, but they only wanted the corpses. That idiot Wang, on the other hand, went straight for the killings!
After listening to Yang Shan's report, Xu Yingjie said helplessly, "Fine, fine! Let's do as Wang Shazi plans. After this matter, I will be transferred from Hanshan. If you also want to be transferred, I can help you."
Upon hearing this, the three talented scholars quickly said, "Please, young master, take us with you. Wang the Fool is too cunning; if we play with him, we'll be screwed over sooner or later!"
The 2 soldiers of Hanshanwei would never have known that "big shots" like Wang Wenzhou and Xu Yingjie didn't care about their lives at all. These big shots could use them as cannon fodder, and of course, they would also sell their lives for their own gain.