Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 923 Winning over
"This..." Suta smiled bitterly: "Okay, but you also know that I came to Jiaozhou to open up the sea route. Now that the sea route has been opened, if my father calls me back-"

"A general is not subject to the orders of the king when he is away from home!" Yuan Bao sneered, "Jiaozhou is thousands of miles away from Fanyang. If you don't want to leave, can your father force you? Besides, if you don't help me, who will you help?"

"Okay, I'll help you, I'll help you!" Suta shook his head helplessly: "In fact, I think Jumong is just a little arrogant, but he still has some skills. If he is used well here, he will be a good helper for you!"

"The problem is that he probably won't be willing to be my helper!" Yuan Bao pointed at the line behind him and said, "Look, does this look like being a helper?"

Suta turned around and saw the ranks behind him with strong soldiers and clanging armor. Maybe Yuanbao was right this time.

“My two brothers!” Jumong rode his horse to catch up with Wonbao and Suta, and rode side by side with them. He pointed at the charred villages and trees on both sides of the road and said, “It looks like you and the rebels had a fierce fight!”

Suta frowned. He didn't like Jumong's frivolous tone, but Yuanbao spoke for him: "These are the traces left by Suta before he came to Jiaozhou. After he came, the rebellion was quickly quelled!"

"Really?" Zhu Meng smiled and said, "I saw the spoils you sent from Jiaozhou. They are magnificent, especially the ivory. The price of ivory in the Fanyang market has been driven down to pieces. My brothers are very envious!"

"It was Heba Yun who commanded the attack on the capital of Linyi Kingdom. I was in Jiaozhi City at that time. You should envy him!" Suta replied coldly.

"Heba Yun?" Jumong laughed, "Then let me go next time, Suta! I'm sure I can do better than him!"

"Then you should look for Yuanbao!" Xu Tuo said, "According to my father's arrangement, he is the main commander in Jiaozhou. I am just here to open up the waterway from Cangzhou to here. I am here temporarily in a critical situation. When the situation in Jiaozhou stabilizes, I will leave!"

"So that's how it is!" Zhu Meng smiled and bowed to Yuan Bao: "Then I'll have to trouble you, brother Yuan Bao!"

Yuan Bao snorted coldly. He hated this mocking tone, but he also knew that he should not be angered by the other party: "How many troops did you bring this time?"

"My father gave me a ship as a reward, and 100,000 silver coins for clothing!" Jumong laughed, "The ship is similar to Sutako's 'Long Tailed Whale'. I used the 100,000 silver coins to buy guns, gunpowder, lead bullets and other things to equip my family's soldiers! My mother's family also contributed some, so in total I have three ships, more than 200 soldiers, and 40 war horses!"

"Did Father give each of you this much?"

After receiving Jumong's affirmative answer, Yuanbao said angrily: "He is very generous!"

"It's not so bad actually!" Jumong said with a wry smile, "When we came, the shipyard already had twelve slipways capable of building multi-layered schooners like the Thresher, and the speed of construction increased greatly. As for the 100,000 silver coins, they were given to us with one hand and went into the arsenal with the other, leaving not a cent. There was also the salary for the sailors, so it was a lot to pay. We were just a passing fortune! When have you ever seen your father do a business that lost money?"

"That's right!" Zhu Meng's complaint made Yuan Bao feel better. He looked him up and down again and said, "So you don't have any money in your pockets now?"

"That's right!" Jumong patted his waist. "We spent all the money we had before we left. If he hadn't forbidden us to borrow money, I would have spent all the money I could borrow!"

"It seems that you really have high expectations for this trip to Jiaozhou!" Yuanbao sighed.

"That's right!" Jumong laughed, "We left home thousands of miles away, it can't be because of the miasma, the scorching sun and the heat, right?"

A mile ahead, the sun shone on the river, the walls of Jiaozhi City, the Buddhist temples and the government offices. Yuan Bao turned around and looked at the troops on the official road behind him. "From your tone, it seems that you have tens of thousands of people under your command!" He sighed, "But I just counted them casually, and there are no more than 1,500 people in total. Look over there, what do you see?"

"It's just a wall!" Jumong shook his head in disdain. "What's so great about it? If it's built by humans, it can be broken by humans, not to mention that we have firearms!"

Yuanbao raised his head and looked at Jumong's face again. He was surprised to find that the other party was actually taller than him. The familiar face had lost its original childishness, revealing strength and arrogance, like a reef after the tide receded.

"I hope you can do as well as you said!" Yuan Bao said in a deep voice: "But if you want to steer the ship, you must first row the oars. In the army, before giving orders, you must first obey those who are higher in rank than you! For example, me and Suta!"

"Of course!" Jumong smiled and bowed to Yuanbao.

After a brief welcome banquet, Feng Sheng understood how difficult these young masters were. Yuan Bao gave him the task of accommodating these special guests. There were many empty houses in Jiaozhi City, but Wang Wenzuo's sons did not come alone. Each of them had his own retainers, horses, weapons, and a large amount of baggage. More importantly, the accommodation for each person must be worthy of their "status", otherwise it would easily be regarded as a provocation and insult. Feng Sheng was overwhelmed by this difficult task, and it was Suta who saved him in the end.

"No need to give them a house that's too big!"

"But, but they have so many servants and luggage! How can they accommodate them in such a small house?" Feng Sheng asked carefully.

"We can just find a few empty villages or vacant lots with good environment outside the city!" Suta said, "Jumong and his men are not accompanied by retainers, but soldiers. Soldiers should stay outside the city. As for them, we can just find a place in the city for five or six people to live in!"

"Will this anger them? They look like noblemen!"

"Don't worry about that. They and I grew up together!" Suta said with a smile, "We have been used to marching and camping since we were young. They are not so spoiled!"

Feng Sheng had no choice but to make arrangements according to what Sudatta said. To his surprise, even Jumong, who seemed the most arrogant, was easy to talk to about accommodation expenses. His only request was to give him a suitable pasture outside the city to graze his horses.

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Under the lemon tree in the garden of the governor's mansion, Yuanbao and the Suta brothers were having breakfast together. There was originally a pavilion in the garden, but half of it was blown away by a typhoon a few months ago, and Yuanbao ordered it to be demolished. This may be the highest place in the entire Jiaozhi City. From here they can easily overlook the entire city: narrow and winding alleys and wide streets, towering pagodas and temples, huts and gardens and palaces of the rich, as well as farmlands, rivers, and orchards outside the city walls. Sitting here, people will have a special feeling - they are gods, above everyone else.

"The governor!"

"It's Secretary Wang! Come here!" Yuan Bao waved to Wang Bo: "What can I do for you?"

"It's about counting the household registration in the city!" Wang Bo held two thick books in his hands.

"Oh! I remember now!" Yuanbao slapped his forehead: "Bring it here for me to see!" Wang Bo responded and handed the book to him. Yuanbao wiped his mouth, took the book and began to read it carefully. After a while, Yuanbao let out a long breath, closed the book again, and handed it to Xutuo: "Take a look?"

"I won't read it!" Sutuo pushed the book back and said, "Are you going to count the population in the city?"

"Yes, there are many projects in Jiaozhi City. If we don't check the household registration, we won't be able to collect taxes or do labor!" Yuan Bao laughed and said, "To be honest, I want to tear down the city wall!"

"Tear down the city wall? Why?" Suta asked.

"Convenient transportation! There will be many workshops and markets here in the future, and there will be many carriages and people running around every day. With only a few city gates, it will probably be blocked! I demolished a long section of the city wall facing the dock in Cangzhou!"

"How can that be the same? Jiaozhou is surrounded by bandits and barbarians. What if you tear down the city walls and the enemy attacks?"

"Yes!" Yuan Bao sighed, "So I want to clean up the surrounding counties after the rice is harvested this season!"

"Do you want Jumong and others to go?" Suta asked.

"Well, it's just right for them to do something serious so they don't have to sit around doing nothing all day!"

"That's fine, since you are the governor of Jiaozhou anyway!" Sutada picked up an egg and cracked it gently, looking nonchalant.

"You kid won't even help!" Yuan Bao cursed in a low voice. He shook his head helplessly and handed the book to Wang Bo beside him: "That's it. We will start cleaning up the houses in the city in two days!"

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The room was filled with smoke, Yasha was playing the erhu, Zhen'e was singing "The Ballad of Mulan" beside him, Yaoshi and Changnian were holding the spear, and when Yaoshi made a good throw, the onlookers exclaimed. Jumong was holding a wine glass, smiling as he watched the chaos in the room.

Heba Yun pushed open the door and walked in. He looked around the room, as if he was looking for someone. A smile appeared on Jumong's face. He stood up and stretched out his right hand: "Ayun, I'm here!"

Heba Yun responded and walked over, grabbing Jumong's arm. The two looked at each other, and Jumong laughed: "Ayun, I heard about it in Cangzhou. I can only say that you did a great job!"

"Luck is on our side!" Heba Yun smiled and said, "We had a safe trip. I also found a guy who is very familiar with the Linyi people's city. He provided a secret passage into the city!"

"Luck only stands on the side of the brave!" Zhu Meng smiled and picked up an empty cup, put it in Heba Yun's hand, and then filled it up for him: "Come on, how long have we not had a drink together!"

"Yes!" Heba Yun sighed and took a big sip of wine: "Jumong, you are right to come to Jiaozhou, this is where your future lies!"

"Really?" Jumong laughed. "At least I've earned a good ship and 100,000 silver coins!"

"You can get more here!" Heba Yun whispered, "Things you will never get in Fanyang, such as a crown!"

"Maybe!" Zhu Meng smiled and said, "Even for the son of the Prince of Hejian, some things are not so easy!"

"No way!" Heba Yun smiled and said, "It's much easier than for me, isn't it?"

Jumong laughed, but after a moment his smile disappeared from his face. “Honestly, I need your help!”

"Help with what?"

"I'm planning an expedition! Do you understand what I mean?" Jumong stretched out his hand and drew a circle around him: "Look, we have everything here. We have weapons, ships, gunpowder, the bravest warriors, and money, but we lack experience, and you have it. With your help, we can earn ourselves a crown!"

"Expedition? Isn't it too early now?" Heba Yun frowned: "Why not wait a while?"

"Wait? Wait until how long?" Jumong laughed.

"Wait until Yuanbao agrees. After all, he is the governor of Jiaozhou! He has much more experience in this area than you do!"

"I can't get the crown from Yuanbao!" Jumong said, "He only thinks about himself. Really, among his brothers, he may be the most selfish one. If Sutako is the governor of Jiaozhou, I can wait, but Yuanbao, haha!" He laughed twice, and his attitude was very obvious.

Heba Yun sighed helplessly: "Jumong, I really don't want to be dragged into the affairs between you brothers. After all, I am still an outsider!"

"This is not a matter between outsiders and insiders!" Jumong laughed and said, "Don't you want to get a crown for yourself? You can't get anything from Yuanbao, really. Just look at Suta. He solved all the troubles for Yuanbao, but how did Yuanbao thank him? He is his brother from the same mother!"

Heba Yun was shaken. "Ayun." Jumong put a hand on his shoulder. "Come with me, if you want."

The wind started to blow outside. Clouds passed over the pale face of the moon, like warships racing to sprint, colliding with each other, and splashing scattered clouds all over the sky. The stars were few and dim. Heba Yun heard the sound of the wind passing over the roof, creaking, and a wild cat whimpering in the wind, like a child crying.

They walked along the edge of the garden, which was dark and deserted. "Tell me the truth, Aun," Jumong asked. "How much did you gain from conquering the capital of Linyi?"

"A lot!" Heba Yun answered carefully, "You know, Brother Sutuo is a generous man!"

"That's right, but he's not the governor of Jiaozhou, and he's not the one who can make the decision here!" Jumong said, "If it were me, you could get more, such as the crown of Linyi!"

“Stop joking!” Heba Yun laughed. “Our power was very limited at the time. It was just a surprise attack. It was difficult to occupy the city, let alone become king!”