Two Realms: I use martial arts to ask for longevity

Chapter 423: Threatening each other, the devil rises again

"This is Chen Fengchi from the Pinghu Chen family and Zeng Shihong from the Zeng family."

Although he was worried and embarrassed, Wu Changsong did not bother to think too much and used his old face to introduce the two family heads.

"That day, the Red Lotus bandits came too hastily, and the two families gathered their belongings, dragged their families, and hurriedly crossed the river to seek help. It was a desperate and miserable situation.

During the time in Huangze, he thought about his hometown falling into the hands of thieves every day, and his face was covered with tears.

When they heard that Master Zhou had taken back Pinghu City from the Red Lotus Bandits, the two families were so overjoyed that they wanted to return to their hometown to do their best and do something for the villagers..."

When Wu Changsong spoke, he didn't sound like an old Taoist priest who was indifferent to worldly affairs. Instead, he sounded smooth and experienced.

They described "escape" as "asking for help" and coming back to collect the original land and property as "wanting to do my bit for the elders."

Zhou Ping'an couldn't help laughing out loud when he heard this.

"That's great. The three counties on the right side of Li are now in a state of disrepair, especially Pinghu City, which was just captured from the Red Lotus Bandits and is even more short of capable people.

If the two Patriarchs, Chen and Zeng, could recommend their own children to come and assist, it would naturally be a great thing.”

Zhou Ping'an agreed immediately.

"Not only the descendants of the Chen and Zeng families, but also the descendants of other families, if they want to come back, I would also welcome them here."

"General, you are so generous to Wang Han. We are grateful to you for taking back the land and shops. We will definitely spread the word about your might..."

"It's the same with my Zeng family. We have several talented young men in the clan. One of them passed the imperial examination this spring and we can recommend him to the general.

However, I hope the general will not make it difficult for me when I go to Beijing to take the exam next year."

The two family heads smiled happily and bowed repeatedly.

His expression, which had been a little reserved, became much kinder.

"Okay, okay, then just move back. No matter what, I have always treated everyone equally in the three counties of Liyou. Your family will never starve."

"what?"

The heads of the Chen and Zeng families looked bewildered.

What does it mean that our family will not starve?
The Chen family owned a total of 1,800 acres of farmland, and they had businesses including shops, mines, pharmacies, and grain stores throughout the city. Although they were not as rich as kings, they were definitely a wealthy family within the three counties of Liyou.

The Zeng family was slightly worse off, but their ancestor had once been a third-rank minister, and the family tradition of scholarship was passed down.

Whenever there is a disaster, they will not absolve themselves of themselves and will continue to buy land and slaves...

There are still 1,500 acres of land in Pinghu County.

The descendants grew up and each had their own way of making a living, such as running restaurants, bookstores, pharmacies, and raw silk.

Aren't people like this treated as guests of honor wherever they go?

When visiting the county governor's mansion, he would be invited to drink a cup of fragrant tea, talk about poetry, and reminisce about his age...

You said you're not hungry?

Before they could figure out what Zhou Ping'an meant.

Xiao Chengfeng lowered his head and chuckled.

"The fields?"

Chen Fengchi asked uncertainly, "I wonder when the general will inspect and return it?"

"Refund? What are you talking about, Brother Fengchi?
Let me put it this way, I welcome you to settle down in Pinghu.

However, the issue of land is more difficult to deal with.

Since it was the Red Lotus Thief who stole it, you should go and seek compensation from the Red Lotus Thief. Every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor, isn't that right?"

Zhou Ping'an picked up a cup of tea, took a sip slowly, and spoke slowly.

"That is reasonable, but the thief Honglian Ran has been executed and Pinghu has been returned to the court. Shouldn't the land be returned according to the law?"

Chen Fengchi's face had turned stern. He felt something was not right and could only argue with reason.

Since ancient times, it has been difficult to give up good fortune.

If it is just some money or some treasures, I can just give it up. But the other party has good soldiers and sufficient food, and is very powerful, so I cannot afford to offend them.

However, this is a family business and we must not let it go.

"Yes, General, please think twice before you act. Once the news of withholding the land of aristocratic families spreads out, it is likely to affect your reputation."

Zeng Shihong also spoke with deep sincerity.

"Qingyu? Look at this..."

Zhou Ping'an was not angry. He clapped his hands, and immediately a servant held a piece of paper on his head and presented it to him.

He took the paper, handed it to Zeng Shihong, and said with a smile: "Master Zeng has a long tradition of poetry and literature, and is well-educated. I'm sure he will understand this wanted notice.

Am I an official of the imperial court? I am a big thief, a wanted criminal. This head is worth 10,000 taels of silver."

He picked up the teacup, but didn't drink it this time. There was a hint of mockery on the corner of his mouth: "This general is not even an official, and the three counties of Liyou have fallen into the hands of thieves. Brother Fengchi, why don't you tell me. How did it return to the court? What law should be followed?"

Chen Fengchi and Zeng Shihong's faces turned pale.

A bright red notice was placed in front of him.

No matter how much they deny it, this is a wanted order representing the authority of the imperial court and cannot be changed by their will.

If we acknowledge the authority of this wanted list, then the question arises...

The other party is a traitor, and you ask him to return the land. Isn't that a joke?
Originally, the two of them didn't have much hope, so they just accepted being taken advantage of by the Red Lotus thief and considered themselves unlucky.

They just hope that one day, the imperial army will fight back and they will get their assets back.

There's nothing we can do if we can't get it back.

However, since Zhou Ping'an occupied the three counties, he has not harmed the people and has treated the people very well.

Even the refugees and beggars had a full meal to eat.

How can this be a thief?
It is no exaggeration to say that he is a saint and a gentleman.

As the saying goes, a gentleman can be deceived. Such a good man, a gentleman, should be able to get his land back, right?
The result was a heavy blow.

The other party can indeed be said to have a good heart, but to some people, it may not be a lie to say that he is a traitor.

The only difference between them and other anti-traitors is that they have not yet raised the anti-flag or shouted slogans.

There is no essential difference.

Wu Changsong saw that the atmosphere was not good, and hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "How can Junior Brother Zhou defame himself? Cui Guangling has been doing evil things, falsely accusing a good man of being a thief. People from all walks of life in Yunzhou will definitely report him.

My nephew, do not be anxious for now. This is a matter of reputation, so you must be careful. Otherwise, when the imperial army arrives to suppress the rebellion, it will be too late to regret. "

"Yes, now Lord Xiao Yuanfang has led 50,000 imperial guards to Yunzhou and is in charge of suppressing the rebellion in the southwestern prefectures. We must not draw his attention to Pinghu."

Chen Fengchi also chimed in. This old guy.

Zhou Ping'an took a look at Wu Changsong and understood. This elder was wholeheartedly standing on the side of Chongyang Peak and might have placed a heavy bet. Was he putting pressure on himself?

Now that the army to suppress the rebellion has arrived in Yunzhou, it is still up to the local bullies to decide who to attack.

The implicit meaning of his words is that if he is determined to be a rebel, the army to suppress the rebellion will arrive soon.

Zhou Ping'an raised his eyebrows slightly, "I'm not afraid, if Xiao Yuanfang leads the army here personally, I will naturally not fight alone.

Aren't the 50,000 Red Lotus troops stationed in Pingshan and Lanhua crossing the river to attack the city? Joining forces with them is also a solution."

"No!"

"Absolutely not!"

Several people looked pale at the same time.

Although the three counties on the right side of Li River are not very large in area, they have 100,000 elite soldiers.

I heard that these soldiers don't work all day and just focus on hard training.

They have three meals a day, sometimes with meat... and even receive a salary.

This treatment is exactly the same as that of a general's personal soldiers.

Other generals usually keep two to three hundred personal soldiers, and at most one to two thousand. They cannot afford more than that.

It is a bit of an exaggeration to say that the rest of the soldiers were a mob. Their training was slack and their weapons and armor were definitely not complete.

Don’t even think about getting enough food without working.

Most of the time, soldiers had to work hard in the fields, eating coarse grains and drinking thin soup throughout the day, and they were satisfied if they could eat half full.

One can imagine the combat effectiveness of this kind of soldiers in battle.

Who is as good at training troops and practicing formations as Zhou Ping'an?
If these 100,000 elite soldiers march eastward and form an alliance with the Red Lotus bandits, things will be serious.

I don’t know if the matter can be calmed down afterwards.

At least, Huangze County will definitely not be stopped.

Yunzhou may not be able to stop it...

The reason is very simple.

The Red Lotus Bandits are everywhere in the six counties of Yunzhou, with a total number reaching an astonishing three hundred thousand, and there are also many experts among them. The pressure on Yunzhou has already made it difficult for it to breathe, and it has to ask for help from the court.

It was under such circumstances that Xiao Yuanfang came to the four southwestern states.

There are too many places he needs to rescue, and he is not just focusing on Yunzhou.

As long as Zhou Ping'an showed no signs of rebellion, they could rest assured and even came to test the waters and ask for the good farmland.

Once the banner of rebellion is really raised, several counties will be immediately destroyed.

No one can take on this responsibility.

Chen Fengchi and Zeng Shihong were both trembling with fear, and Wu Changsong even broke out in cold sweat.

Once Huangze County was captured, the situation that the Yunshui Sect had worked so hard to build up in Yunzhou would be destroyed in one day.

He was secretly frightened: "Could it be that this Junior Brother Zhou really has this idea? After defeating Junior Brother Zhang, Yunshui Sect will have to place a heavy bet on him. If this is true, Junior Brother Zhang is in danger..."

"No, we have to start as soon as possible. Otherwise, not only will we not be able to take Yunzhou, but we will also lose Huangze County sooner or later."

Thinking of this, he forced a smile and said, "It doesn't have to be that serious. It doesn't have to be that serious. Junior Brother Zhou, please be patient. After I return, I will give you more advice. I hope that Junior Brother Zhou can be recruited.

The situation is too urgent now, and we need people right now. The court will not turn away a brave general like Master Zhou, so please be patient and wait..."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master."

Zhou Ping'an stood up with a smile and bowed.

It seems that there was no mention of joining forces with the Red Lotus Army before.

After instructing Xiao Chengfeng to send the guests away, he sat quietly in the lobby and thought for a while, then he realized that now was not the time to attack the city.

The soldiers were newly trained, and the rice seeds, wheat seeds, and beans were just sprouting...

The monsters were watching from the side, and the old crocodile was leading the monster soldiers and hiding.

In Guangyun County, Cui Guangling has even more sinister intentions and may take action at any time.

In terms of the danger of the situation, our place is even worse than Huangze County.

The other side still has reinforcements to rely on, but the three counties on the right side of Li have to rely on themselves.

If we really lose a battle, the whole thing will collapse and the good situation will be ruined in one day.

Of course, there is no question of gathering strength to create fortune.

The speed of practice will also slow down.

If this continues, when will I be able to break through to Zhenwu?

Thoughts were running through my mind.

Zhou Ping'an never relaxed for a moment.

He told the servants not to disturb him and went into the quiet room.

Today's sword training has been completed.

You can't relax for even a moment when refining the star bones.

Since the Qi Refining Stage cannot be achieved overnight, it is impossible to achieve the state of connection between heaven and man.

Then, we can only refine all 206 bones into star bones as soon as possible.

He tried, but even the old crocodile's body refining method could not break the bones he had sacrificed.

If the bones of the entire body really became star bones, the strength would be integrated from top to bottom and the combat power would definitely increase greatly.

Moreover, it should be able to withstand the seventh level explosion of the "Pure Lotus Body".

By then, even in the Zhenwu realm, it is not impossible to confront it head-on.

When I think of this, my heart is moved and my soul is shaken.

Zhou Ping'an was suddenly stunned and looked up.

The Nine Sons Subduing Demon Order on the desk lit up with a buzzing sound.

……

Asking for a monthly ticket.

(End of this chapter)