Lord of the Desert

Chapter 114
On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival has just passed.

Yu Qinghua of the festival went to the snow.

The east wind comes every other year.

The north wind that has swallowed sand and snow for several months has subsided slightly, giving up part of the four fields in Liangzhou.

On the top of the mountain, at the foot of the cloud, the cold wind and hot current meet, making a drizzle.

The grass and trees sprouted.

Hong Mansion, Ming Shan Tang.

Plum blossoms and bamboo leaves adorn the windows.

The five people in the room are divided into host and guest.

Those who came were Gong Mingyuan, the old man of the Gong family, who had a complete six-vein cultivation, and two young children.

The Gong family is the first family in Tongguang City, Liangzhou.

Its contemporary patriarch, Gong Heng, has an innate peak cultivation base, below the Liangzhou Xiyuan Magnetic Realm, and is known as the number one in combat power.

The Hong family was in charge of receiving the "Huo Xuming King" Hong Ming and Hong Sheng.

"It's really a last resort to take the liberty to visit just after the Lantern Festival."

Gong Mingyuan bowed his hand in the seat.

"But what Gong said just now, I ask your family to consider it."

He wears a high crown on his head, his face is white and beardless, his skin is so thin that the blue veins under it can be seen clearly.

At this time, Gong Mingyuan invited each other softly, but he was so powerful that no one dared to despise him.

"I have always known that people in the world tell the world's affairs, but I didn't expect the news to go so fast..."

Hong Ming laughed rudely.

Tongguang City is three hundred miles southwest of Jinhai, adjacent to the southernmost end of Jinsha Hanhai.

"It's only been a little over a month since my families in Jinhai joined forces to destroy Haifei, with the New Year in between. I didn't expect that even Tongguang City, three hundred miles away, knew about it!"

Hong Ming looked at the three members of the Gong family meaningfully.

"Shanghai Fei has been entrenched for many years, and now it has been uprooted in one fell swoop. This is a great achievement. How can it be compared with ordinary things?"

Gong Mingyuan complimented.

"Furthermore, there are many marriages among the great clans in Liangzhou, and the New Year's exchanges are indispensable in the first month, so the news spread naturally and quickly."

What he said was quite right—after the New Year's Eve, many children from other families came to the Hong family to pay New Year's greetings to their uncle, and they bragged and spanked while eating and drinking.

The two of the Hong family nodded slightly.

"We understand what Elder Gong means."

Hong Sheng accepted the words.

"We did confiscate some in the war of flying at sea, but it was much less than expected."

"It's said that the cunning rabbit has three lairs. Wan Guangji is a cautious person, and he doesn't know how many lairs there are in the sea of ​​sand."

"We estimate that many of the belongings were scattered and hidden elsewhere by him."

He said with a wry smile.

The faces of the three members of the Gong family were slightly cold.

"However, as you said, we did find some things that your family lost."

Hong Sheng continued.

"There are about a few jade pendants, and wooden cabinets and furniture with your family's emblem."

"I will arrange for these things to be delivered to the place where you are staying, and return them intact."

After he finished speaking, he drank half a cup of tea by himself.

This is the meaning of seeing off guests.

However, the three members of the Gong family had no intention of leaving.

"Ms. Gong thanked Eldest Young Master for his kindness."

Gong Mingyuan thanked him, but there was no thanks in his words.

"However, according to what I've heard, your family has benefited a lot from this triumphant return."

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere immediately became tense.

"Why did Elder Gong say such a thing?"

Hong Sheng squeezed out a smile.

"The rumors in the streets and alleys are all baseless."

Gong Mingyuan shook his head and directly refuted.

"I heard that the team of Jinhai Zhujia came from the city of the twelfth lunar month, and they brought back hundreds of horses and dozens of carts."

"After counting the goods, the total value is at least 5000 taels."

"Where did you hear that?!"

Hong Ming asked in a deep voice.

The number given by the other party is too accurate, so someone must have informed it.

Hong Sheng's heart skipped a beat, but compared to King Huo Xuming, he was still calmer after all.

Gong Mingyuan smiled slightly.

"Ming people don't speak secretly, so Gong will speak out."

"Half of Liangzhou knows that when Jingsha Gong was still around, even though Hai Fei had the courage to do so, he did not dare to harass the caravans in Jinhai City."

"A few years ago, Wan Guangji plundered from all directions, shed our blood, and robbed our flesh."

"It's a pity that we haven't been able to find his lair, otherwise my Patriarch would have made a move!"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the Hong family and the two, and he took out a thin booklet and a waxed letter from his arms and handed them to them.

"This is the account of the palace family's loss of property due to sea flights over the past few years. The time, place, and number of casualties of each crime are recorded."

"The letter was issued by Tongguang Chengcheng Shoufu, as proof."

Hong Sheng and the others flipped through the book one by one, and opened the letter by the other, and each read and checked it.

Eleven attacks were recorded in the account, and the total value of the property was assessed at 5000 taels of silver.

This is not counting the lost fleet and manpower.

"Of course Gong knows that Lord Hong personally led a team to suppress the bandits this time, and your family also suffered many casualties."

Seeing that the two of them had finished reading, Gong Mingyuan said again.

"If what I've heard is correct, more than forty people should have died in the battle, with about a hundred and seven casualties?"

This number was too accurate, and the Hong family frowned once again.

"So in terms of emotion and reason, it is impossible for us to return all of the 5000 taels."

"Why don't you just return 5000 taels, and the rest will be considered as remuneration, how about it?"

When Hong Ming heard this, his face was as gloomy as water.

Fifteen thousand taels of silver is almost five times the annual balance of the Hong family.

This money can buy thousands of acres of land, or Zhu Yi can be armed with horses, armor, and a full set of weapons three times.

"Your Excellency, this is the snake man!"

Hong Ming said sarcastically.

"Mr. Hong doesn't know where Elder Gong heard the number of 5000 taels, but anyway, my Hong family doesn't have any."

"It's still the same sentence, we will send back those things with the palace family emblem..."

"The rest, it's useless for anyone to covet them!"

In the end, he was already stern.

······
An hour later, the reception room of Xiongguangyuan.

Hong Ming and Hong Sheng came to report to Hong Jian.

Also present were Hong Wu and Hong Li, as well as Hong Fan who was specially called to listen.

"Counting the Quan family and the Lu family who came to the door two days ago, this is the third batch to come over after the year."

Hong Sheng said.

"The three families are all belongings that have come to be robbed by Haifei."

"The Quan family asked for 1 taels, the Lu family asked for 5000 taels, and the Gong family who came today asked for the most, a total of [-] taels."

"Three families plus a total of 3 taels, which is half of the total war profit."

The war profit he mentioned naturally did not include what Hong Fan had found in private.

Only three members of the Hong family know about the 150 hundred taels of silver notes and the suspected blood essence of the dragon's heir.

"You just want to take away 3 taels for empty talk?"

Hong Wu said with disdain.

"This time it's the elder brother who is in charge, and we still have to pay so much loss."

"Now the goods have been distributed to each family, and there is no name on the gold and silver. I think they are daydreaming!"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and he wanted to speak again, but his elder brother raised his hand to stop him.

"Have you checked the accounts brought by these three companies?"

Hong Jian asked.

"I asked Qiude to personally test it."

Hong Ming replied.

"It can't be said that they are completely matched, but five or six out of ten are matched."

"Considering Haifei Fei's sales of stolen goods over the years, I'm afraid their accounts are correct—after all, there are letters from the city guards of Yuquan and Tongguang to prove it."

(End of this chapter)