It's broken, and was picked up by a femme fatale

The Shen family was settled in a side courtyard of the Zhu family compound.
Upon learning that Shen Beixuan had helped his daughter stop the enemy, Old Zhu treated him as a guest without saying a word.
He ordered the servants to vacate the side yard and clean it up for the Shen family to stay temporarily.
It is easy to get thousands of soldiers, but it is hard to get a general.
Just based on his skills and amazing marksmanship, it would be beneficial to make a good friend of him.

Father Shen, Mother Shen and Shen Danfeng stepped into the yard.

I was immediately stunned by the exquisite furnishings and beautiful scenes in the courtyard.

I'm good!

The courtyard wall is really high, and the gravel road is really beautiful...

Wow, there are flower beds, rain corridors, pavilions, lotus ponds, and many koi swimming around!

Such a luxurious and beautiful courtyard, I’m afraid only the county magistrate can live in it, right?

The reactions and expressions of these three people were pretty much the same as what Judy had guessed.
However, she noticed that Shen Beixuan's eyes were as calm as a still pond.
Neither excited nor disgusted, it was as natural as eating and drinking.

Oh, it looks like he is indifferent to fame and disgrace and regards money as dirt.

Why can a peasant from the countryside be so calm?

Judy was puzzled, but she didn't say anything.

Anyway, he has nowhere to go for the time being, but there will be plenty of time in the future.
Judy had heard since she was a child that it would take a long time for animal trainers to tame birds of prey and wild animals, sometimes even several years.
It’s okay, I have plenty of patience!

She was patient, but Nanyun Zhen couldn't wait any longer.
In catching the spies, two were killed and one was injured. In the pursuit, the cavalry team lost six war horses. These two debts were a huge loss!
So, several leaders of Nanyun discussed it.

This matter cannot be let go like this, we must seek justice from the Zhu family.
Otherwise, don't hang around in Qilabang...

Two or three leaders said that an envoy must be sent;
We questioned Zhuxiantai righteously and promised that similar incidents would not happen again in the future.
The three little leaders advanced and retreated together.

It means that a tough approach must be taken and the Zhu family must be ordered to hand over the murderer!
Leader No. 1 knew exactly what the two groups were thinking.

Anyway, he is the boss, if he doesn't come forward to seek justice,

Naturally, he was scolded and his reputation was ruined.
However, once he and the Zhu family fall out, there will definitely be a fierce fight.

And these bastards can just sit back and watch the fight, and when his strength is greatly reduced, they will replace him.
Hey!

This is a very smart plan. Just wait and see how I will deal with you!
With a thought in mind, Leader No. 1 said righteously:

"Is there any need to say this? Since they killed Nanyun's people,
We should not only rebuke them, but also gather our forces to fight them! Who is in favor and who is against it? "

Ok?
The leaders all had different expressions and were speechless for a moment.

Zhuxiantai was already very strong, and with Sanchapu, it was clearly stronger than Nanyun.

Once a war breaks out, both sides will suffer losses.
More importantly, there is an unwritten rule in Nanyun.
As long as the war breaks out, the No. 1 leader has the power to mobilize troops.
That is, all the militiamen were under his command.
This is equivalent to handing over everyone's assets to the other party, which is absolutely not acceptable!

After a moment of silence, Leader No. 3 spoke first:
"What the chief said is correct, but...

We are a country of etiquette, and we should always use courtesy before force, what do you think? "

The intention of the attack was basically the same, so the remaining leaders also agreed.

"I think it's okay. Let me ask clearly first..."

"Yes! Even if we have to fight, we must have a legitimate reason..."

"Yes, we can fight at any time. To be cautious, let's find out the truth first..."

When they all finished speaking, Leader No. 1 said with a smile:
"Oh, so, the brothers mean to ask first this time?"

The second leader had no choice but to nod and say:

"Well, we are polite and others are speechless...

But, I think that this alone may not be enough..."

Leader No. 1 asked, "So what do you want?"

Leader No. 2 said:

"The Zhu family is very ambitious. I think.
It's time to find two helpers for Nanyun, so that we can keep each other warm together...

If a war breaks out, we can still take care of each other, what do you think?"

This idea sounds good, but the second leader also has selfish motives.
Because Nanyun Town is not only adjacent to Sanchapu, but also connected to Taojiajiao and Shangsha.
However, the second and third boss happened to have close ties with these two places.
Once the three pins form an alliance, their strength will surpass that of the No. 1 leader.
It must be said that the leader of Nanyun Town,
None of them is a good person, and they all have seventy-two holes in their hearts.

Leader No. 1 smiled and said:

"Well, I'll trouble you to notify Shangsha as soon as possible and ask him to come to our place to discuss..."

The second leader asked: "How about we notify them to come over together..."

"That won't work. It's hard to please everyone and we won't be able to reach an agreement on anything.
It would be easier to talk to them one by one!"

Nanyun will definitely win against these two back gardens in a one-on-one duel.
This will put sufficient pressure on the opponent, thereby gaining more benefits for oneself in the negotiation.

Everyone knows this routine.
The second in command could not go against the will of the crowd, so he nodded in agreement.

So, everyone agreed in advance,
Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, we will hold separate talks with the two target allies.
And, here comes Leader No. 1,
They will also send representatives to protest and negotiate with the Zhu family.

Time flies, and the next day comes in a flash.

The "envoy" of the No. 1 leader came to Sanchapu and met Zhu Yingjun.

"…We hope you can give us an explanation!"

Zhu Yingjun smiled slightly: "Do you have any evidence?"

The messenger said boldly:

"Our wounded are still alive, and the dead are still on the seventh day of mourning, and have not yet been buried.
If you don't believe me, Mr. Zhu, you can come to our town and see for yourself!"

Zhu Yingjun smiled and said:
"I'm sorry, I'm very busy with my official duties right now and I can't leave.
Otherwise, you go back first, and I will definitely visit you when I have time later!"

Although the messenger Nanyun wanted to say something,
However, Zhu Yingjun's followers forcibly took him back to the lounge, where he was not beaten or scolded, and was given good food and drink.
Zhu Yingjun's approach was very simple. He first showed his strength and arrogance.

This is not for the messenger to see, but through the other party's mouth,

Tell the leaders of Nanyun about your arrogance to humble them.

They say that arrogant soldiers will be defeated, while pitiful soldiers will win...

Trying to make your opponent misjudge is a real benefit to yourself.

In order to achieve this tactical goal, Zhu Yingjun deliberately made some arrangements at Sanchapu.
Including but not limited to lax management, lax military discipline, gambling among militiamen, alcoholism, bullying of civilians, and all kinds of bad behaviors.

Sure enough, not long after the messenger was driven out of the militia headquarters, the scouts reported that
This guy was walking around town.
He looked around with a shifty look in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was here to find out what was going on.

"Haha! Don't stop him, let him watch and watch as much as he wants!"

At the same time, the tax collectors sent by the state lord also arrived at Nanyun Town.

I learned that the prince wanted to collect taxes for one year.
The number one leader couldn't refuse openly, so he just avoided the meeting and played hide-and-seek.

However, the tax collectors and their attendants searched everywhere and found nothing.
At dusk, the tax collector threatened:

"Just wait, I'll come back tomorrow!"

The leaders laughed happily when they saw the tax collectors return empty-handed.
Come on, you can always find someone in charge, but it will be all in vain anyway!

If you still want to collect taxes from Nanyun, wait until next life!
The people from Shangsha came to Nanyun, and when they drank together in the evening,

Leader No. 1 spoke bluntly.

"Nanyun and Shangsha are neighbors, we will both benefit if we unite, but we will both suffer if we separate. It will be good for both of us to form an alliance!"

The Shangsha representatives expressed their deep agreement and were willing to work together on the basis of peaceful coexistence. Next, we will get to the point.

Nanyun Town is strong, Shangsha Town is weak.
Leader No. 1 naturally made the following conditions to the other party:
Shangsha supported Nanyun with fifty young and strong men, and gave them five hundred dollars a month as protection money.

In the current turbulent times, these two points are not excessive.
However, the representatives of Shangsha are veterans.
I just politely said: I will inform the Shangsha leader when I get back and give you a reply as soon as possible.
After all, negotiation is a process of bargaining, and nothing can be done in one go.

If so, there is probably something fishy going on!
The next day, representatives from Taojiajiao arrived.
Leader No. 1 followed suit and offered the same conditions to the other party.

The representative from Taojiajiao was quite cunning and said:
"It is an indisputable fact that Nanyun is stronger than us.
It has always been the strong helping the weak, never the weak helping the strong.

If Nan Yun is really sincere, he should strongly support Taojiajiao!"

Leader No. 1 laughed loudly toward the sky:
"In this world, big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimps,

Only if Nanyun becomes stronger can we keep our territory.

If you are unwilling to give up even this little bit of profit, how can you talk about forming an alliance?"

The Taojiajiao representative saw that Nanyun had stopped pretending and understood the principle of doing business.

After all, we cannot compete with the other side, and spending money to buy peace is also a helpless choice.

But he changed his words.
"Taojiajiao is short of people and money. Why don't we sponsor a batch of silk, hemp, bamboo and wood..."

Taojiajiao's business is not flourishing.
But the agriculture and forestry industry is still good, so I thought of the "goods exchange" method.

Although the No. 1 leader was not very satisfied,
However, silk, hemp, bamboo and wood can also be considered war preparedness materials, and having them is better than having nothing!
"Well, if that's the case, I don't want to force you.
Please submit goods worth one thousand dollars within five days!"

The Taojiajiao representative nodded in agreement.
After all, a thousand dollars' worth of goods, according to their value,
It's only five or six hundred dollars, which is most beneficial to them.

In this way, Nanyun Town and Taojiajiao reached a preliminary intention to form a quasi-military alliance.

Meanwhile, Shangsha Town was still wrangling with Nanyun Town.

The publicans and their attendants,

I went to Nanyun Town three times, but each time it was in vain.
This incident soon became a laughing stock among the soldiers and civilians of Nanyun.
They obviously can't get anything, but they are still very diligent. City people are so stupid!
Until the day of frost,
The leader of Qila State sent an invitation to the No. 1 leader of Nanyun, saying that he was going to attend the engagement party of the leader's niece.

The leaders of Nanyun discussed it and felt that the leader had bad intentions.
Leader No. 1 definitely cannot go, because if he is detained he won’t be able to come back.

Although they are constantly quarreling among themselves, they are still able to be wholehearted in dealing with the outside world.

However, since they have invited us, we must be polite.

So, everyone collected two hundred dollars and a cart of gifts and sent them to Bangcheng.

However, the prince was furious when he saw the envoy and angrily accused the people of Nanyun of being ungrateful.
Not only did he return all the gifts, he also ordered 300 city defense troops to leave the city, approach Nanyun Town, and prepare for an attack.

Several leaders in Nanyun were puzzled.

what?

Is this old dog thinking it’s too little?

These days, if you can just collect some Ami tofu, then you can just collect some Ami tofu. Three hundred city defense troops are coming to attack Nanyun?

Are you thinking too much?

Do you believe that I can go to the county magistrate's office and report you for mobilizing troops without authorization and settling personal grudges?

Hehe, no matter what happens or not, it will definitely be enough for you to drink a pot!

Nanyun Town was actively preparing for war while deploying its troops.
On the one hand, he sent envoys to ask the city defense troops to withdraw their troops.
But the commander of the city defense army remained unmoved.
"Excuse me!
The superiors have ordered that routine training must be carried out for three days!

By the way, we only brought 299 people this time, you just need to report to the county!"

Damn!

Several leaders in Nanyun were a little confused.

He doesn't eat anything soft, and he doesn't eat anything hard. Did this prince take the wrong medicine?
At noon, there was a front line only three miles south of the town.
There were bursts of gunfire from volley guns.

The leaders suddenly became nervous.
This is the notorious "Foreign Rifle Team", we cannot neglect them.
So, under the repeated insistence of other leaders,

Leader No. 1 also had to dispatch a hundred of his men to assist other troops in defense.

That night, the Nanyun Town defense soldiers had just finished their meal and were about to rest.
But I heard the city guards beating gongs and drums.

The drum beats seemed to be attacking.

Everyone was so frightened that they quickly took up their defensive positions, staring intently at the front.

But after waiting for a long time, there was still no movement.

The three or four hundred militiamen and young men all thought it was a false alarm, so they returned to their rooms and went to bed again.

Unexpectedly, at midnight,

There were several places in front of the front line where the sound of suona and gunfire could be heard.

My God, everyone was awakened and cursed...

What are these bastards doing, not sleeping at night?
However, night raids are a tactic that cannot be ignored.
So, under the command of the leader, everyone put on their shoes and returned to the defense line with one foot high and one leg low.

The night was cold and frost was heavy, and the Nanyun soldiers were tossed around in a daze.

In the long and boring wait, they all became "chickens pecking at rice".
Suddenly, at some point, there were some subtle gunshots.

But, no one cares anymore.

As long as the city defense army doesn't charge head-on, who cares...

Ah, I’m so sleepy, I’ll take a nap for a while!

However, two quarters of an hour later,

Looking at the breathless night watchman, the leaders of Nanyun were stunned...

What the hell?
A large number of Zhuxiantai troops occupied the town?

Where did they come from?!

Soon, the peddler scout, who had almost recovered from his injuries, appeared in front of the leaders.
"Dear leaders! I am negotiating with you on behalf of the Zhuxiantai militia!"

The Nanyun leaders looked ashen.
The current situation is too unfavorable for them...

With the city defense troops in front and Zhuxiantai behind, they were surrounded.

What's even more terrible is that from top to bottom, every one of them,
Everyone’s property and family are in the hands of the other party. How can we fight?
Leader No. 1 suddenly remembered Chihe Village and the advice given by the young man from the Shen family...

I really didn't expect that today, here, his prophecy would come true?
"What do you mean?"

"Put down your weapons and I will spare your lives!
If you cooperate, we will also give you some money to ensure that you and your family leave safely!"

The second leader couldn't help but yelled:

"What's the difference between what you're doing and killing everyone? Isn't this too much?"

The peddler scout said calmly:

"My master, you have been merciful enough by not taking the family members of the militiamen to the front of the battle!"

Everyone couldn't help but shudder.
They know very well,
If such a scene were to occur, the entire Nanyun Militia would surely collapse.
Not to mention the militiamen, if their families were brought here, the leaders would have no choice but to surrender.

Alas! I am the meat on the chopping board, and I have to endure it even if I have to hold my nose... (End of this chapter)