At the beginning, I gave up my military power with a cup of wine, and I ascended the throne

Chapter 14 Killing someone with a borrowed knife

"it is good."

Pan Yuanshao's eyes were full of appreciation. "Both of the things you are going to do will offend people. In order to prevent the traitors from harming you, I have ordered my men to take the families of Ma Junwei and Zhang Zhubu to the governor's mansion."

"When you two have completed your mission, we will send it back. Do you have any objections?"

"No."

Ma Dai and Zhang Lian dared not object. Since Pan Yuanshao was clearly taking their families hostage, they had no choice but to give in.

Staying alive comes first.

"What's the matter? Why are you laughing so happily?"

At this time, Xiao Han, dressed in official robes, arrived late.

"Nothing. I just hit it off with Magistrate Ma and Chief Zhang, so I chatted for a while."

Pan Yuanshao looked respectful.

"Eat food and drink wine."

Xiao Han sat down and greeted the three people.

Ma Dai and Zhang Lian were in a daze throughout the entire banquet, until they walked out of the governor's mansion and the cool evening breeze blew on their faces, and then they came to their senses.

They looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.

"How to do?"

Zhang Lian asked in a low voice.

"What else can be done?"

Ma Dai smiled bitterly: "Just be the knife in Xiao Han's hand, at least our wife, children and ourselves can still be alive."

Kill with a borrowed knife.

But they still had to make the knife.

"I finally figured it out."

Ma Dai shook his head: "This new governor is definitely not a vain title, he is a ruthless man, we can't afford to offend him."

……

Governor's Mansion, lobby.

Xiao Han said: "I didn't realize that, Master Pan, your acting skills are really good."

"Just average."

Pan Yuanshao laughed and said, "It's mainly because Ma Dai and Zhang Lian are too timid."

"Hurry up in the next two days and recruit people from various county offices according to this list to fill the county government."

Xiao Han took out a piece of paper with names written on it from his sleeve and handed it to Pan Yuanshao: "We must completely control the entire Xiliang in the shortest possible time."

"no problem."

Pan Yuanshao did not ask Xiao Han where he got the list.

He knew clearly what to ask and what not to ask.

A powerful figure like Xiao Han, who has fought in the North for more than a decade, must have his own team under him. It's just a matter of being in the open or in the dark.

Moreover, for Pan Yuanshao, the stronger Xiao Han is in the dark, the greater the benefits he can get.

Xiao Han then instructed: "Assess yourself and promote as appropriate."

"Yes."

Pan Yuanshao nodded.

"General, Lord Ma Dai is back again."

At this time, Lu Ju came over and said, "I'm waiting at the back door. Do you want to see me?"

"See."

Xiao Han spoke.

Soon, Lu Ju led Ma Daizhe back to the lobby.

The Xiliang County Commandant knelt on the ground, holding the Xiliang Army's military token in both hands.

"what do you mean?"

Xiao Han did not answer it, but frowned, with a somewhat unhappy tone: "Could it be that Magistrate Ma does not trust me?"

"Don't dare."

Ma Dai said earnestly: "General, you are a god in commanding troops. I am a mediocre person. How dare I take possession of the military token? I will hand it over. I hope that the general will have mercy on me and assign me an unhurried job."

This tone is exactly the same as what Xiao Han said in Jizhou Marquis Mansion.

It's just that at that time he was retreating in order to advance.

At the moment, Ma Dai is expressing his loyalty, and this military token is a gift for meeting him.

"In that case, I'll put it away."

Xiao Han picked up the military token and praised: "Marquis Ma is loyal and courageous. I will have to take care of you in the future. I will rely on you a lot."

"General, your words are sincere."

Ma Dai bowed his head and said: "I am willing to be a running dog of the general. I will sacrifice my life and my soul for him. I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"Well, go back and finish what I asked you to do as soon as possible."

Xiao Han waved his hand.

"Thank you for your kindness, General."

Ma Dai bowed and left. Soon, Zhang Lian also returned.

He knelt before Xiao Han, weeping bitterly, gave out the names of many officials, and voluntarily donated 50,000 taels of silver.

A banquet.

Xiao Han once again performed the trick of giving up military power over a cup of wine, and successfully took control of the entire Xiliang County government.

The next thing to do is to let Ma Dai and Zhang Lian lead the troops to capture people.

"It's yours."

Xiao Han casually threw the military token, which was not even warm yet, to Lu Ju: "From now on, you will command the Xiliang Prefecture soldiers."

"Thank you, General."

Lu Ju put away the military order.

"In one month, we will conduct a military parade. Except for the two thousand soldiers who left Qimen Pass, no one of the remaining five thousand soldiers can be missing."

"General, don't worry."

Lu Ju nodded.

……

"Boom."

"Boom."

In the Xiliang land shrouded in darkness, there were loud thunders and white-hot lightning flashed across the sky above the governor's mansion.

It was like a giant raising his hand to tear the sky apart, and the shattered night sky condensed again in the blink of an eye.

"Be careful."

The captain in charge of patrolling the governor's mansion swept his sharp eyes around and said in a deep voice.

"promise."

All the soldiers responded in unison.

backyard.

The green bamboo is swaying.

The blue waves are rippling.

True Qi filled the air, and strands of true Qi wrapped around Xiao Han's body, changing unpredictably, with three completely different internal forces entwined.

His Three-Point Return to Origin Qi is becoming more and more advanced, and when he reaches the state of Three-Point Integration, that will be the day he becomes a Grand Master in the King Realm.

for a long time.

Xiao Han opened his eyes, and all the internal energy in his body dissipated.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the room.

With the help of the bright or dim light of lightning, the outline of the person coming can be vaguely seen.

His entire body was covered in a black robe, even his cheeks were covered with a black cloth.

"Owner."

The man in black robe knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice.

"Thank you for your hard work these years."

Xiao Han stood up, feeling the strong aura emanating from the man in black robe, and smiled with satisfaction.

"It's not hard to serve the master."

The man in black robe bowed.

"Have you figured it out?"

Xiao Han asked.

The black-robed man took out a thick booklet from his sleeve and handed it over with both hands: "It contains all the details of Xiliang officials and many aristocratic families."

Xiao Han took it, opened it immediately and looked at it carefully.

"This Cao family is not simple."

Xiao Han raised his eyebrows slightly.

"The Cao family of Shangyuan County is the richest in Xiliang. They control half of the salt, iron and weapons in Xiliang County, and have close ties with the Northern Wei, Shatuo and other miscellaneous Hu peoples."

The man in black robe lowered his voice and said, "The Cao family sells countless amounts of grain, salt and iron to the Shatuo and Tiele tribes every year."

"This is a fat sheep."

Xiao Han looked at the list and asked, "What is the relationship between Dingxi County Magistrate Cao Yang and Shangyuan Cao family?"

"It has nothing to do with it."

The man in black robe said: "Cao Yang is not from Xiliang. He was born in Shanzhou. He came to Xiliang six years ago and has been the magistrate of Dingxi County ever since."

"The Shangyuan Cao family has been rooted in Xiliang for hundreds of years. Their power is complex and vast. They have many retainers and even a private army of thousands of people."

"Cao family patriarch Cao Xiong, who has reached the Xiantian realm, ranks eighth among the masters of Xiliang."

"My second brother, Cao Xiu, studied under the great scholar Wang Yuan in Kyoto. He is very knowledgeable and currently serves in the court."

"My third brother, Cao Zhang, is in charge of the Cao family's weapons and salt and iron business. He often appears in the land of the barbarians."

"The Cao family also has three iron mines and five weapons smelting workshops, all in the Qilian Mountains."

“I didn’t expect that such a huge monster could be hidden in the remote Xiliang.”

Xiao Han became more and more interested in the Xiliang Cao family.

(End of this chapter)