Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 215: Manshan Camp, Take Control
Zhao Yi Fu even forgot that he had to meet Wu Dun, the commander of the Manshan Camp.

He had been arguing with the ideas in the book for three days straight, and his head began to swell and ache.

At first, Zhao Xiangyu could understand and wait patiently, but gradually, she couldn't stand it anymore and came to ask, "Jun Xin, Wu Dun has been leaving you alone for three days. Don't you have any reaction at all?"

Zhao Yifu: "He left me alone for three days?"

"Oh, it's been three days!"

He finally came to his senses and then pondered, "I guess he's planning to keep his distance from me... But if he doesn't come to see me for three days, then he won't have a chance."

Only then did he look like he was about to get down to business.

"Let's go, everyone, follow me to the Barbarian Mountain Camp!"

Zhao Xiangyu asked, "What are we going to do?"

Zhao Yifu said, "Go check the accounts!"

He pointed to the box of gold.

Zhao Xiangyu immediately understood. She walked over, picked up the box full of gold on one shoulder, and walked outside, saying, "Get down quickly. Let's kill that old dog named Wu."

Wu Zhong touched his nose, feeling a little offended.

But there is no way, after all, she is our own daughter.

The cats transformed into servants and yamen runners stayed in the county government office, while Zhao Yifu, Zhao Xiangyu and twenty Zhao family warriors hurried to the Manshan Camp outside the city.

At the camp gate, they were stopped.

Two soldiers held their swords in front of Zhao Yifu and said, "This is a restricted area of ​​the military camp. No unauthorized persons allowed."

Zhao Yifu said, "I am the commander of the Manshan Camp appointed by the imperial court. Please don't stop me."

As he spoke, he raised a badge that came with the letter of appointment.

However, the two soldiers said, "What commander? We only obey the commander's orders."

Zhao Yifu was stunned.

If it were any other weak scholar, he would definitely be unable to do anything about it. He would either continue to fight with these soldiers at the door for a while, or go back and write a letter to complain.

But Zhao Yifu is obviously not an ordinary person.

He pushed the two soldiers away, then faced the tightly closed camp gate and pushed the heavy wooden door inward with both hands!

The heavy wooden door was pushed down directly. What kind of divine power is this?

Anyway, Zhao Xiangyu, a girl with supernatural powers, was amazed and felt a little depressed... As expected, this brother had become so strong that she could no longer beat him.

Zhao Yifu advanced smoothly into the camp, and sure enough, a group of people rushed out of the camp.

Seeing this, Zhao Yifu raised his arms and said, "Disperse them!"

Then he rushed forward unreasonably.

Zhao Xiangyu's eyes almost popped out. She didn't expect that her brother, who was obviously a scholar, could be so reckless.

A famous general in ancient times just needed to be reckless enough.

Anyway, Zhao Yifu now has the rare experience of charging into a formation.

People kept rushing out from the surrounding barracks, but Zhao Yifu ignored them and rushed straight to the innermost tent.

Who can stop us along the way?

He was invulnerable to swords and spears, and the soldiers in the camp knew that he was a military commander and did not dare to be too presumptuous... The most important thing was that this camp of soldiers had no courage at all!
When they reached the main tent, a general rushed out with disheveled armor and said, "Sir Zhao, even if you are the commander-in-chief, you shouldn't barge into the camp like this!"

This fat general looks bloated and has a round belly.

Seeing the fat Commander Wu, Zhao Yi Fu did not hesitate. He quickened his pace and pushed away the guards around him, then grabbed the iron armor on his chest and rushed into the tent.

Behind him, the Zhao family members consciously closed the tent and shouted at the surrounding soldiers to get out.

Fighting in the army over the years, especially experiencing many wars, has made this group of Zhao clan members very brave.

Anyway, none of the soldiers from the Manshan Camp dared to step forward and bring bad luck upon themselves.

Besides, he was a county magistrate of the seventh rank, and also held a position similar to that of a military inspector. Even if the governor really killed their commander Wu in the tent, it was not something they could do.

Inside the tent, Zhao Yifu said calmly, "But Commander Wu Dun?"

The fat general still managed to speak: "It is this commander. Should we give you an explanation for Lord Zhao's intrusion into the camp?"

Zhao Yifu said, "I don't actually need to explain it to you, but I'm a reasonable scholar, so it doesn't hurt to talk to you."

"I'm the commander of the Manshan Camp appointed by the imperial court. I have a badge and documents. Since when did I need your permission to enter this Manshan Camp?"

"If that's the case... then great! I'll execute you now, so that in the future the Barbarian Mountain Camp won't only know you, Wu Dun, and not the imperial court. If you do come and wear the yellow robe, it will cause even more trouble."

Wu Dun broke out in a cold sweat. How could this scholar be so vicious?
He was suddenly accused of being a rebel, and he really couldn't handle it!
Wu Dun then nodded and bowed hurriedly, saying, "General, Your Excellency the County Lady!"

"The soldier guarding the gate is new and doesn't know what's going on!"

As he spoke, he looked up at Zhao Yifu nervously, fearing that this scholar with a sharp tongue would not give in.

Zhao Yifu said casually, "Okay, let's put this aside for now. Now, should I discuss the crime of the Manshan Camp abandoning the city and fleeing?"

Wu Dun broke out in a cold sweat, this charge was even more serious!
He quickly said, "General, this is an order from Lu Jingluegong. We must reduce our forces and at least preserve the Zhangkou line in the southern part of the Jingxi Province."

He spoke cautiously, fearing that this statement would give Zhao Yifu another excuse.

However, Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "Yes, this is a problem. Lu Zhao was in charge of the southwest of the capital, but he sat back and watched the Liao Kingdom rush to attack Xiangyang... With your words, I know how to submit an impeachment memorial."

Wu Dun's throat made a gurgling sound. Wow, wow!
Does this mean you won’t bother him anymore?
This is to take him with him to mess with Lu Zhao, the local tyrant of the southwestern province of Beijing!

Otherwise, should we just mess with him?
Wu Dun's once honest face had turned into a bitter one, and even his round cheeks were twisted and wrinkled.

He said, "My Lord, you are too kind, too kind!"

"Lord Lu was also considering the overall situation. He just didn't expect that County Lord Zhao and Zhou Xiangyang were so capable of fighting, and they were actually able to repel Bei Liao's 300,000-man army."

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "This is indeed beyond the expectations of many people. After all, according to such expectations, Master Zhou and I should have been killed by now after the city was destroyed."

Wu Dun broke out in a cold sweat, and this time it was completely uncontrollable.

Zhao Yifu stopped talking nonsense with him and gave Zhao Xiangyu a look.

Zhao Xiangyu came to her senses immediately and put down the box full of gold in her hand.

Zhao Yifu asked, "I saw this box of gold at the county government office a while ago. Commander Wu, do you know where it came from?"

Wu Dun said flatteringly, "This... this is the resettlement fee I specially prepared for you, Lord County Lord. After all, you've just arrived and have just experienced the war, so I'm afraid you'll need to buy everything from scratch."

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "I appreciate your kindness, but the warehouses in Manshan County are empty. According to the previous account books, there should be at least 100,000 dan of grain and 140,000 taels of silver in the warehouse, right?" "Can you tell me where they went? Don't tell me about the Liao Kingdom's invasion from the south. We all know that the Liao Kingdom's troops failed to enter this county."

Wu Dun was stumped. He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "I was worried that these supplies would fall into the hands of Liao State, so I distributed them to the local people before leaving."

He spoke more and more fluently, and gradually he became more confident. "Your Excellency is worried that without the treasury, you won't be able to govern. Don't worry, Your Excellency, just leave this matter to me. I will definitely fill your treasury with all this grain and silver within ten days!"

Zhao Yifu shook his head after hearing this and said, "Forget it. The people here have just experienced war and cannot withstand such plundering by you."

Wu Dun suddenly lost his temper. He understood the hidden meaning behind Zhao Yifu's words and said apprehensively, "But my Lord, the treasury is really gone."

Zhao Yifu said, "If there's no deficit, then there's no deficit. We can just wait for the next round of taxation. Anyway, even if there's a deficit here, it's been offset by Liao's southern expedition, right?"

His words always have hidden meanings.

Wu Dun was a little scared. He felt that he really couldn't fool Zhao Yifu.

He said, "But County Lord, my camp in Manshan has run out of food."

Zhao Yifu asked, "What were you originally planning to do?"

Wu Dundao said, "Prepare... go to the county to collect next year's taxes..."

Zhao Yifu's eyes widened. He said, "Next year's taxes?!"

He lost his composure. His Yang Spirit instantly left his body, and the situation in Manshan County was completely absorbed in his mind. He then snorted coldly and said, "That's not next year's tax. It's clearly already been collected ten years from now!"

Now even Zhao Xiangyu showed an angry expression. How could people survive with this tax collection method that lasted for ten years?

She suddenly drew out her Su Nu sword and said, "Jun Xin, why not kill this bastard and show it to the public to appease the people."

When Wu Dun saw the tall and strong Zhao Xiangyu and the shining long sword that seemed to be about to stab his stomach, he immediately clamped his legs together but couldn't hold back the urge to urinate.

His trouser legs were instantly wet, and a foul odor filled the air.

"Please spare my life, my Lord! This is not what I meant. All the taxes collected are to support the army of General Lu!"

Zhao Yifu said, "Very good, this is another crime. I have to record it."

He didn't care about the strong smell of urine from Wu Dun. He found a table and spread out the paper, then took out a pen from his sleeve and started writing.

Those cold words were like a stab in Wu Dun's heart.

He discovered that this scholar was really vicious and was going to torture him to death.

Halfway through writing, Zhao Yifu asked, "By the way, do you have any evidence that Lu Zhao is plotting a rebellion?"

This time, Wu Dun seemed to have lost a shade of color due to being frightened.

Is it so direct?

No, are the scholars nowadays so reckless, always talking about things like "wearing the yellow robe" and "rebellion"?

Wu Dun wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "No, my Lord, listen to me, it's not like that..."

Zhao Yifu paused, then continued writing while muttering softly, "According to Wu Dun, the commander of the Manshan Camp, Lu Zhao has been levying heavy taxes on the local area. Not only has he postponed tax revenue for ten years, he has also withheld military pay to enrich himself. As a result, the entire Manshan Camp has not updated its military equipment for five consecutive years. Their combat effectiveness is worrying..."

He talked a lot while writing, and he actually talked about several things that seemed to be quite true.

Every time he said something, Wu Dun's eyes would get wider and wider... because Zhao Yifu was right about everything he said, but what made him despair was that in the description in Zhao Yifu's memorial, it was all Wu Dun's "credit"!
Wu Dun was completely numb.

He didn't know how Zhao Yi Fu knew so many secrets. Now he could only look at Zhao Yi Fu with a pleading look, hoping that this big guy would be so kind as to let him, a small commander, go.

These days, military generals are so humble.

He commanded the 3,000 men of the Manshan Camp. His rank was fifth grade, while Zhao Yifu was only a seventh grade county magistrate...

However, when Zhao Yifu still had the title of commander-in-chief without rank temporarily given by the court, a commander of the fifth rank would have to kneel down to speak even if he was humble.

When Zhao Yifu was writing a paragraph, he noticed Wu Dun's expression and suddenly handed the paper to Wu Dun and said, "If you are afraid, burn it."

Wu Dun took the paper immediately, but then he was stunned.

Can he really burn this paper?
Wu Dun timidly raised his head and looked at Zhao Yifu. He felt that this county lady dressed as a scholar was suddenly shrouded in a very mysterious aura, just like a god behind the misty fairy fog, full of mystery and fear.

"Have you considered?"

Zhao Yifu asked again.

Wu Dun asked with difficulty, "Excuse me, my lord, what will happen if I burn this paper?"

Zhao Yifu said, "Then I will punish you according to the law."

"Don't worry, I will be absolutely impartial and strictly follow the laws of Daxu."

"I can even guarantee that you will receive a fair trial from the King of Hell after you die."

Wu Dun's heart skipped a beat. Is it so straightforward?

He then asked, "If I agree to this petition, will my life be spared?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "Then you are the loyal and brave man who exposed Lu Zhao's evil deeds. The court will definitely like you."

Wu Dun listened and emphasized: "I mean, my safety!"

"Lu Zhao committed countless evil deeds, not just the ones I just mentioned. He also made friends with bandits to protect himself, colluded with the Liao Kingdom to persecute loyal officials, and embezzled funds for the city defense in southwest Beijing, causing many city walls to be unable to be repaired, etc..."

"Why is he still at large while we dare not speak out?"

"It's all because he actually controls the underworld forces in southwest Beijing. Anyone who dares to oppose him will be assassinated by the underworld forces... My Lord, I have suffered a long and arduous journey, and so have the people of southwest Beijing!"

"However, I am now worried that before this memorial leaves the southwest of the capital, my Excellency and I will both die at the hands of the powerful thugs in the martial arts world!"

He spoke earnestly and cried bitterly, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Zhao Xiangyu next to him was completely dumbfounded. This fat guy is so shameless!

Zhao Yifu smiled and helped him up, saying, "Don't worry. Don't you see where our Zhao family comes from? How could we be afraid of this tyrant from the southwest of Beijing?"

"Right, sis?"

Zhao Xiangyu immediately said with full fighting spirit: "Of course, my Zhao family Shenhe Villa has never been afraid of anything in the martial arts world!"

Zhao Yifu smiled and patted Wu Dun's thick shoulders and said, "Don't worry, if Lu Zhao wants to play the officialdom with me, then I will play the officialdom routine with him."

"If Lu Zhao wants to play Jianghu with me, then I will fight him according to the rules of Jianghu."

"If he were to flip the table and break the rules with me...haha, that would be fantastic!"

Wu Dun was confused after hearing this, but one thing was certain, Zhao Yifu's ways were also very wild, perhaps even wilder than Lu Zhao's.

This way he feels at ease, and he likes the unconventional approach.

　Forgot the timer
　　
　
(End of this chapter)