Chapter 9: Water Bandits (Part 2)
Gao Zhandao is not of high value, but he was born as a low-ranking officer in the army and is familiar with military organization and tactics. He is exactly what Zhang Xuanning needs, so he tried to recruit him. Otherwise, he needs to establish his prestige in front of his younger brothers. To establish his prestige, the best way is of course to go alone and kill all the twenty-odd people.
Since ancient times, one must have power before having skills, one must have authority before having grace. This is the most basic principle.
As for the original world, Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong's strategy of shouting out about conquering the world and then subduing this group of pirates, it was completely the behavior of a kid. If Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong had not already gained some fame and possessed the secret of Yang Gong's treasure house, this group of pirates would have been looking for a step up and a backstage, and they would not have pretended to be moved by the cuckold's spirit and belong to them!
Gao Zhandao was a military man, and he deeply felt his murderous intent. Life or death was decided with one word. He looked at his brothers behind him, then sighed and said, "The Bamboo Flower Gang is one of the most powerful gangs in the world. I have an irreconcilable relationship with the imperial court, and we brothers are willing to join."
It was to join the Bamboo Flower Gang, not to be truly impressed by Zhang Xuanning in front of him.
Zhang Xuan's eyes flashed with a strange light. He laughed and said, "Haha, if that's the case, then I will use my power as the incense master to allow you to join. Gao Zhandao, you can bring two bamboos and manage your brothers. Also, what is your position in the army?"
"I was promoted to the position of team leader." Gao Zhandao replied.
The captain is in charge of five fire teams, each of which has ten people, so in fact he has fifty officers, neither too big nor too small, which is just right for Zhang Xuanning's current situation.
"Well, when we get to Yangzhou, you will be the leader of the fourth group. Select ten people to go to the inland with me. The others will stay in Yangzhou. I will make arrangements for them." Zhang Xuanning sneered and said, "Also, you will be the head coach. On the way, you will follow the military law to make them adapt."
"May I ask who is the team leader? "
"It's like your fire chief. Ten people form a fire. We have ten people in a group. I have a squad leader under the team leader. He is in charge of five people and is the deputy team leader." Zhang Xuanning said earnestly, "However, since you are already my people, you must obey my orders. Otherwise, it's rebellion. Do you want to be an enemy of tens of thousands of brothers in my Bamboo Flower Gang?"
Gao Zhandao remained silent, clenched his fists, and refrained from speaking.
Originally, Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong had wanted to transport a batch of smuggled salt to the inland areas, and they also brazenly said that this private supervision was not about the issue of profit, but represented a wish of the two people, and could be regarded as a kind of practice. If they could complete it, it would prove that they had the ability to resist any enemy, etc. But in fact, what did these two naive little brats know? It was nothing more than stirring up trouble everywhere, and then fighting or fleeing. Apart from the practice of martial arts, everything else was idiotic.
For Zhang Xuanning, this was a real process of transformation. What bullshit was there in winning people's hearts? For Zhang Xuanning now, as long as he could get things done for himself, that was enough. As for the issue of people's hearts, let's talk about it later!
I know he is not convinced, but what does it matter? As long as he is willing to train his brothers according to military law, it will be fine. As for not wanting to contribute, that is courting death. After all, there are many junior officers in the world. If you have time, you can find one. I believe Gao Zhandao will also understand this.
They returned to Yangzhou a day later. It was a rainy day. They docked at the pier and the rain was still falling. Fortunately, there was an oilcloth in the cabin to prevent water from seeping in. At this time, the boat had not yet stabilized, but Suan Sicao had already jumped on board. Within a few minutes, he came back with some oil umbrellas.
He held one up and presented it to Zhang Xuanning, who took it.
The rain was falling lightly, and on the tiles, there was a tinkling sound. At this moment, the rain was coming down hard, and the sound of the falling drops was passionate, like hundreds of horses neighing at the same time, or tens of thousands of horses galloping.
Now that the ship has arrived at its own dock control area , there is no issue with safety, so the fleet sets off.
The long street, which was originally quiet because of the rain, was now filled with the sound of young people's footsteps. Zhang Xuanning was walking quietly on the street with an oil umbrella.
The sound of raindrops falling continuously on the stone slabs and tiles, combined with the hazy world in the rain, makes people feel melancholy and absent-minded.
Zhang Xuanning felt that listening to the sounds of rain, his mind seemed to calm down. He could hear every tiny sound around him, but he was detached from it. This was the so-called "moon in the well" state, which was truly a rare state!
Although the originally unstable "Moon in the Well" realm suddenly disappeared as soon as he had this thought, Zhang Xuanning couldn't help laughing. This world was really interesting. There was actually such a realm for warriors to upgrade.
"I listened to the spring rain in the small building all night, and sold apricot blossoms in the deep alley the next morning."
I don't know why, but I suddenly remembered this poem and recited it out loud. In an instant, I seemed to feel something inside me, and inadvertently, a feeling of elegance and grace emanated from him.
Looking around, seeing the change of expression of his younger brother and Gao Zhandao, Zhang Xuanning laughed again. In this world, superior martial arts have the power to change temperament and even appearance, so maybe there really is some cuckold spirit? I am really curious about what school or sect I have learned.
Walking on the street in the rain, there is an end to it. After a while, I arrived at my home.
Originally, although Yan Kuan's residence was not luxurious, it covered a large area and had many houses, which could accommodate at least a hundred people at the same time. Therefore, even if there were a group of more people, they could still accommodate them, but some arrangements had to be made.
"Master, you're back?" It was Jiang Feng who came out to greet him.
"Well, has anything happened recently?" The round trip to Yangzhou took half a month because he deliberately drove slowly along the way.
"No, the streets are peaceful, and the new brothers are very hardworking." Jiang Feng waved his hand, and naturally the new brothers got hot water, wiped their faces, and changed into new clothes.
"Where are Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong?"
"He's patrolling the streets. He hasn't come back yet."
"Very good. This is Gao Zhandao, the leader of the fourth group. Send someone to make arrangements to clean up the house and make room for the brothers to stay. Also, you are responsible for buying other things. You must make sure that the brothers are settled." Zhang Xuanning smiled and said to Gao Zhandao, "You also go and make arrangements. Take a shower, change into new clothes, and later, come with me to pay respects to Master Su."
"Yes, Master." No matter what he thought in his heart, it was too late to regret now, so he behaved like a soldier and responded immediately.
"Well, let's go to the street to buy some food, and then we'll celebrate in the evening." Zhang Xuanning thought for a moment and said, "Let others get to know the new brothers."
There is strength in numbers. An hour later, the house was cleaned and the windows were opened for ventilation. Five people lived in one room temporarily. The young brother who bought vegetables also came back with a cart full of vegetables. With him came two young chefs who were called back from the street.
"Master, we are back." The ones who spoke were Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong. They hadn't seen each other for half a month and they seemed to have changed a little. It seemed that learning some basic mental methods was still useful for their unparalleled talents. After all, they were only fifteen years old and had caught the last train of their years of cultivation. When they saw Gao Zhandao, they were both stunned.
"Master Xiang, who is this?"
"This is Gao Zhandao. Come, call him Brother Gao. Brother Gao is not familiar with this place, so you can be temporarily transferred to his subordinates to help him get familiar with the situation." Zhang Xuanning watched their changes in expression with great interest. Hehe, originally Gao Zhandao was their first batch of subordinates, but now these two have become Gao Zhandao's subordinates. What will happen?
Haha, I feel so happy when I think about it.
"Yes, Brother Gao." Both of them called out, and then Kou Zhong patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, Brother Gao, there is nothing in Yangzhou City that I am not familiar with. I don't know why, but as soon as I saw Brother Gao, I felt familiar with him, as if we had known each other for a long time!"
"Yes, I feel the same way." Xu Ziling also spoke.
"Okay, that's enough for us to get to know each other. Gao Zhandao, come with me to see Master Su!" At this time, both of them changed into new clothes, and the rain stopped and the sun came out again.
The two of them went out immediately. Yangzhou was indeed a prosperous and wealthy place. After the rain, the sky cleared and a large number of people were walking on the streets.
