Chapter 17: Appreciation of the Great
"Tsk, an ant who is not even a warrior really thinks he is a big shot."
Staring at Xu Chong's back, Zhou Ze sneered with disdain.
"Let's talk business. You knew that the rebel had reached the Tongmai realm, so why did you push it to Xu Chong?"
Wu Wenjing's face turned serious, and he said, "Fu Yuanlong is not so easy to fool. If he accuses us of colluding with traitors..."
The Blood-Clothed Guard is extremely powerful and is also of the seventh rank, so Fu Yuanlong can easily control him.
A simple frame-up would be enough to get him killed several times, so how could he not be worried?
"Your Excellency is overthinking. Fu Yuanlong is cheating us."
Zhou Ze waved his hand and said with a relaxed look: "As the general commander of the Blood Robe Guard, why did you leave the fifty warriors under your command unattended and chase the enemy thousands of miles away alone? You didn't even go to the garrison to borrow soldiers, but asked our county government for help instead?"
"You mean...he has a secret ?"
Wu Wenjing raised his eyebrows.
"It must be so."
Zhou Ze said confidently, "So no matter whether we catch the traitor or not, he won't make a big deal out of it. We don't have to worry at all."
“That makes sense.”
Wu Wenjing nodded and said, "But if his plan fails, there's no guarantee that he won't vent his anger on us, right?"
"That's why I suggested letting Xu Chong do it."
Zhou Ze raised his lips, "If Xu Chong alone can't make the general calm down, then what about Xu Youan's dirty money?"
"What dirty money?"
Xu Chong's voice suddenly sounded at the door, causing Wu and Zhou to shudder violently.
“…”
Zhou Ze cursed in his heart and said angrily: "You heard wrong, the county lord and I are discussing how to search for him."
"Yes, that's what we were discussing."
Wu Wenjing nodded quickly and asked, "Dianshi Xu came back just to eavesdrop, right?"
"Why do you have to judge others by your own standards?"
Xu Chong said sternly, and arched his hands with a sour face: " I just thought of how to catch the rebels, and came back to borrow people from you, sir."
"Borrow someone?"
Wu Wenjing was stunned: "There are more than 100 people in the third squad, aren't they enough for you to command?"
"It's just a normal matter, but this time it's about rebels, so I can't afford to be careless."
Xu Chong paused after he finished speaking, and spread out his hands, looking like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water: "Of course, if you don't want to lend it to me, forget it, I'll ask someone else for help with this matter."
"you……"
Wu Wenjing's face turned cold, and just as he was about to scold, Zhou Ze spoke first.
"Master Xu is right. We should support him."
Zhou Ze said this and gave Wu Wenjing a look.
"...Well, there are thirty-seven people in the inner squad, you can call them all."
Wu Wenjing pondered for a moment and nodded.
"Besides that, I also need the keys to the Yellow Book and the Armory."
Xu Chong said again.
This time Wu Wenjing did not rush to refuse, but looked at Zhou Ze.
"Hmm... the Yellow Book is fine, but what do you want the key to the armory for?"
Zhou Ze asked.
The Yellow Book is a population list that records information such as hometown, name, age, number of people, assets, etc. What is left at the county government office is just a copy and it is not something important.
But the armory is different.
"Ah."
Xu Chong sneered and said sarcastically, "You two adults are sitting in the county government office without having to fight to the death, but I and my men are going to charge into battle, so it's not too much to prepare some means to save our lives, right?"
Wu Wenjing and Zhou Ze looked at each other and smiled at the same time.
"Lord Xu has made thorough considerations, which I cannot match. I will give you the warrant now."
…
More than 200 yamen runners from both the inner and outer shifts gathered at the gate of the county government office, creating a huge crowd.
Unlike in the past, these 200 men all put on armor - a type of armor that was mainly made of cloth with iron plates only on the chest, back and torso.
In addition, all members were equipped with swords and shields, and even thirty powerful crossbows.
This was barely put together by emptying the entire armory.
Unfortunately, there are no firearms.
Xu Chong sighed with some regret, cleared his throat and began to mobilize.
"With such a big display, I'm sure you're confused and frightened."
"I can only tell you that this is not a war. It is just a search for a vicious fugitive."
"There is only one thing you need to do, obey my orders!"
"Since I have opened the warehouse and armed you to this extent, I naturally hope that everyone is safe. No, it would be best if no one is injured."
"But let me be frank. If anyone dares to cheat at this time, don't blame me for turning hostile."
The tone, expression, and the majesty brought by the positive yang energy made the three hundred people have no intention of refutation at all, and they just listened quietly.
Only Liu Er gritted his teeth, took a step forward, turned around and faced everyone, and said loudly: "Do you remember those three people of Xie Mazi?"
"I won't mention some things. I am not clean myself."
"But you may not know that it is because of you, sir, that Xie Mazi and the other three were buried there and their names were left on the tombstone."
"I don't know if you are afraid of death following such a master, but I, Liu Er, am not afraid!"
The personal testimonies of colleagues are far more credible than the threats and inducements of superiors.
Liu Er's words moved everyone present and their eyes became more determined.
"grown ups!"
Liu Er turned around and clasped his fists to Xu Chongyi: "Please give the order!"
"good!"
Xu Chong looked at Liu Er with admiration and said, "I want you to gather your white servants and divide them into three groups..."
The so-called white laborers were people who did not receive any salary from the court but took the initiative to help the government office. They were usually people who worked to make ends meet or whose families needed the government to take care of them.
A regular yamen runner often had two or three unemployed runners under him.
According to Xu Chong's estimation, two hundred yamen runners plus the unemployed laborers would total more than six hundred people, which was barely enough.
"Liu Er, you take one hundred brothers and two hundred white servants to the city wall, one for every sixty steps, and divide them into three groups to take turns standing guard. Bring whistles and blow them at any time to sound the alarm."
"Zhao Liu, you will lead fifty brothers and fifty white servants, and divide them into three groups to patrol the streets day and night. You will also bring whistles."
"The rest of you follow me."
"I will personally lead the search!"
Xu Chong's orders were issued one by one, and those who were called immediately stepped out and hurried away with their men.
At the end, Xu Chong did not forget to add one sentence.
"Remember, keep a close eye on your men. In this critical moment, if anyone dares to maliciously disturb the people and make the search more difficult, don't blame me for using severe punishment!"
Not far away, a pair of eyes were silently watching this place.
"He is methodical, thoughtful, and a talent."
Fu Yuanlong showed a hint of admiration in his eyes, and then shook his head: "It's a pity that without martial arts, you can never be on the stage."
He had originally wanted to find out what was missing and fill in the gaps, but he was surprised that he could not find any fault with Xu Chong's arrangement.
As for those weapons and armor, he didn't take them seriously at all.
These standard garbage are no different from paper to those in Tongmai Realm.
Unless you can find it when the other person is unconscious.
But is this possible?
Fu Yuanlong thinks it's unlikely.
