Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 46: Fight or Run
Camp Roar...
Zhang Shou's knowledge of these two words was limited to various text materials, and the image materials were basically guesses of later generations, but this did not prevent him from instantly realizing the seriousness of this matter. However, at the same time, he suddenly thought of what Zhu Ying had told him, and then he just used it to poke Zhang Chen.
When he went to look at Zhu Ying, Zhu Ying happened to be looking at him as well.
"Isn't it coming for Zhang Chen?"
"Someone must want to seek revenge on Zhang Chen!"
Zhu Ying shouted out with great confidence, and she was immediately happier when she found out that Zhang Shou also had the same idea. She glanced at the anxious Zhu Hong and said angrily, "Ah Shou and I can run away, and those playboys here can run away, but what about all the men, women and children in this village? Dad once told me that the rebels are the scariest. They burn, kill, rob and commit all kinds of evil!"
My dear little ancestor, you know they are doing all kinds of evil, but you still want to resist? Zhu Hong was so anxious that the veins in his head were about to burst.
But the next moment, Zhang Shou said something that made him calm down suddenly, as if a bucket of ice water was poured over his head.
"Everyone knows that the capital city has the largest number of troops stationed at the foot of the emperor, and the defense is the most strict. There was a camp riot in the Linhai camp, and officers were killed. Logically, shouldn't the soldiers who finally escaped from the camp hide in the mountains and forests to avoid the limelight? But they did the opposite and headed straight for the capital. Are they trying to walk into a trap, or do they want to perish together with the enemy?"
Zhu Hong didn't even bother to look at Zhu Ying, whose eyes lit up with surprise and approval, and asked very carefully, "Does Mr. Shou think that this news is a fraud?"
Zhang Shou thought about it and shook his head gently: "There shouldn't be any problem with the information channel of the Zhaoguo Mansion, but is this the news that the lady passed on to you, Brother Zhu?"
"No... it's because the eldest daughter left the capital for a short stay, so the secret agent of the Duke of Zhao near the capital sent urgent news." Zhu Hong didn't have time to think about whether it was appropriate to tell Zhang Shou about this secret matter. Besides, he couldn't hide it in front of Zhu Ying. "The man came here at full speed, with a token as proof. He left immediately after bringing the news. He said he was going to the capital to report to the Madam."
"Let's not talk about whether the news is true or not. As long as Brother Zhu reveals this news in Cuiyun Room, most of the people here are children of noble families who have never experienced anything. Do you think everyone will panic and run for their lives immediately? At that time, they will push and shove, and they will hinder each other. Anything can happen... What ordinary people do in a critical situation is sometimes more terrifying than a rebellious army!"
Zhang Shou's words were extremely solemn. Zhu Ying couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart. She nodded quickly and said, "That's right. I've also heard from my father that when the northern barbarians invaded, the people in the border areas fled with their elderly and children, trampling on each other. It was a horrible sight. Moreover, if someone deliberately released our people from the Zhaoguo Mansion to report the news, but planned to intercept us on our way of hasty escape, wouldn't we fall into a trap if we left?"
Unexpectedly, Zhu Ying could understand his meaning so quickly. Zhang Shou smiled at her in appreciation and immediately added, "Yes, there is another possibility to consider. If they are not here for Zhang Chen, once someone knows that so many noble children in the capital are here, they may intercept such a group of people to threaten the court. Therefore , it may be better to hold on here and wait for help than to rush back to the capital."
Zhu Hong's face turned pale after being talked about by Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying. He couldn't help asking, "Mr. Shou, you make it easy. How can we defend this village, which is flat on all sides?"
"Well..." Zhang Shou gently stroked his chin, then looked at Zhu Ying and smiled, "Those guys in Cuiyun's room, although I can control them as a nominal teacher, after all, I am not as familiar with them as you, Yingying..."
Seeing Zhu Ying's eyes light up, he chuckled and said, "How about you go and scare them and recruit their guards? I will go to the village to gather people right away. If I'm not mistaken, there should be more than one Yang Laoguan among the villagers who followed your father to fight in the war."
It is impossible to say that Zhu Ying is fearless. The biggest situation she has encountered since she was a child is an assassin. But if she goes back rashly, she may encounter danger on the way. Moreover, she cannot escape alone, leaving behind so many people in the village who are good to her. Therefore, she suppressed the fear at the beginning.
At this moment, when she heard Zhang Shou say that Yang Laoguan, a highly respected man in the village, had fought in the war with her father, she was overjoyed.
"Mr. Yang has fought with my father? That's great! Go to the village and find him to gather some men. I'll gather all the guards of these guys. We can gather at least a few dozen people! I want to see what kind of rebels dare to attack us!"
"Then I'll leave it to you!" Zhang Shou smiled and nodded to Zhu Ying, then strode away.
As he left, Zhu Hong couldn't help but ask, "Miss, do you really want to stay like this? What if Mr. Shou is just talking and actually wants to take this opportunity to leave first..."
"Are you stupid?" Zhu Ying glared at Zhu Hong with her eyebrows raised, her tone extremely annoyed, "It was the same with Zhu Yu's incident before. If you had reported to me after teaching him a lesson, how could he have leaked the news and caused someone to come and provoke? You still doubt Ah Shou? Do you think your vision is better than my father's and my grandmother's, or do you think it's at least better than mine?"
"I definitely don't mean that..."
Seeing Zhu Hong hurriedly apologizing, Zhu Ying said neatly, "A Shou asked me to do this because he thought I was more familiar with the people here than he was, and I could lose my temper. Besides, those idiots wouldn't make a fuss about leaving if they saw me staying. My words are more effective than those of him, the last disciple of Grandpa Ge! As for the village, of course he has more prestige than me because he has been here for more than ten years!"
"Okay, stop talking nonsense. Go find some people. First... um, call Zhang Chen and Lu Sanlang to me! Even if I have great abilities, I can't suppress a bunch of wimps. I have to start with the important people and suppress them layer by layer... Wait, maybe there is a faster way!"
When Zhu Ying was planning to establish his authority, Zhang Shou had already hurried to the village. He went straight to Yang Laoguan's house, and just as he entered the door, the sharp-eyed Yang Dalang hurriedly called out: "Dad, the young master is here!"
Zhang Shou was very satisfied with Yang Dalang's address, but the next moment, Yang Laogong poked his head out of the main door and immediately came out in surprise and joy: "Sir, if you have anything to say, just call me over. Why did you come here in person?"
"Time is urgent, let's stop talking nonsense." Zhang Shou grabbed Yang Laoguan's sleeve and half-dragged the old man back into the house. Then he concisely repeated what Zhu Hong had just said.
As he spoke, he observed Yang Laoguan's expression and found that the old man who was smiling at first gradually stopped smiling, and finally, the pair of eyes that used to smile so much that they were often squinted, revealed a bit of murderous intent and solemnity.
"I never thought that after so many years of peace, our village would be treated as a soft persimmon one day! The eldest lady and her husband are really great. If you encounter a wolf, it is better to fight than to run. Otherwise, you will be chased to death!"
Yang Laogong smiled murderously, and then shouted at the top of his lungs: "Big brother, open the boxes for me and take out the food utensils from before. Second brother, go door to door to call people, Deng Erniu, Qiao Hu, Si Baozi, Liu Da..."
He called out more than a dozen names and heard two responses without hesitation from outside the door. He rolled up his sleeves, and veins bulged out on the dry skin of his arms. But what was more eye-catching than these veins was the bulging muscles.
Seeing Zhang Shou glance at his arm, he chuckled and waved his arm twice, then said nonchalantly: "I haven't fought for many years, I don't know if it's because I'm not good at it. Just wait for our good news, let alone a hundred or so soldiers, even if there are more, we can definitely deal with them if we can spare 20 or 30 strong men from the village, young and old!"
Zhang Shou had originally had such a guess in his mind, and now that the guess was about to become a reality, although this was a good thing that could make people feel at ease, he was moved in his heart and finally said softly: "Lian Po is old, but he can still fight. Of course I will trust you. But it is better to be safe than sorry. Before we fight, why not come up with a strategy to outsmart you?"
When Zhang Shou and Yang Laoguan finished their plan, they met the villagers who had been summoned. They saw that after the initial shock and anger, the large group of people immediately calmed down, and then took up their respective tasks without saying a word, and went back to gather the younger people. Zhang Shou then said goodbye to the confident Yang Laoguan and returned to Cuiyun Room with brisk steps.
Even if they are his old subordinates, Duke Zhao left so many people in this village to take care of his "future son-in-law". Is it really... okay?
Strictly speaking, this seems to be a taboo, right?
Zhang Shou was wondering in his heart, but when he walked around the panda screen wall and came to the Qingfeng Xulai Hall, he saw Zhu Ying coming out happily. When the two met, Zhu Ying said happily: "A Shou, I have done everything!"
Zhang Shou couldn't help but have a bad feeling, and immediately asked cautiously, "How can we solve this problem?"
"Haha." Zhu Ying smiled proudly, "I called Lu Sanlang and Zhang Chen over, explained the pros and cons to them, and then asked them to gather everyone else. I invited them to taste tea under the pretext of drugging everyone except the two of them."
Miss, you are really...too awesome! Besides robbers, who would carry that kind of medicine with them these days...
Zhang Shou took a deep breath and then had to admit that Zhu Ying's use of drugs to treat a group of people who were likely to cause trouble rather than help was indeed a stroke of genius. So he gave her a thumbs up in admiration.
Faced with Zhang Shou's undisguised praise, Zhu Ying became even more delighted.
"Those guys have a lot of followers and guards, but once something happens, they are definitely not united. So, I told them that the rebel army has now spread to the capital area, and I sent people back to the capital to ask for help. I told them to stay in the Shuibo Buxing Pavilion and the two bamboo houses next to it, keep an eye on their master, keep the other houses empty, and don't cause trouble for me!"
Zhang Shou naturally understood everything: "In other words, the people you have gathered now, in addition to the eight people in your family, are Zhang Chen and Lu Sanlang's guards, a total of more than 20 people? That's good, what matters is unity, not quantity!"
"That's right! Those rebels had better not come. If they come, don't even think about leaving!" Zhu Ying clenched her fist happily, looking like an expert. "Zhang Chen and Lu Zhutou are easy to control. Besides, you might need them, so I'll keep them. Otherwise, why would I need them? I'll ruin them!"
While feeling both amused and annoyed, Zhang Shou couldn't help but secretly admire Zhu Ying's sharpness.
That’s right, he really needs Lu Sanlang and Zhang Chen. Otherwise, if Zhu Ying has to act alone, it would be too thin... Even if they are hostages, it would look better with two more, right?
