Three Kingdoms' Great Agent

  The next day, Wang Lei and his party changed direction and headed towards Julu County.

  Nanhe County and Julu County are not far apart, and in one day's time, Wang Lei and his entourage arrived at Julu County by car. The horse carriage stopped outside the city, but the old man got off alone and walked towards the county town. Wang Lei wanted to go with the old man, but was sternly refused. The old man's strange behavior made Wang Lei even more unclear about the old man's origins.

  An hour later, the old man returned from the city.

  He returned to the carriage without a word, Wang Lei didn't ask any further questions and let Xiao Hao drive the carriage northwards. From Julu County going north, they passed through Pingxiang County, Ren County, then arrived at Yangshi County, finally entering Xiquyang County, which is located in the northernmost part of Julu Prefecture.

  Further north is within the territory of Zhongshan State.

  Wang Lei and his party left Julu County and soon entered the territory of Wuji County in Zhongshan State.

  It was already mid-July by then.

  The new county magistrate arrived, and the news quickly spread back to Wuji County.

  When Wang Lei and his party arrived at the county town, the soldiers of the county government office came out of the city to greet them.

  At the city gate, two horse-drawn carriages came driving over. The carriage stopped, and Wang Lei lifted up the curtain of the carriage door and walked out. He looked up and saw the welcoming team at the city gate, his mouth twitching and his eyes looking strange. Because the soldiers who came to welcome him were old and young, scattered all over the place, not a single one was decent. Moreover, not a single official from the county government could be seen.

  When he encountered such a situation, Wang Lei's heart sank, was this a warning for him?

  Wang Lei suppressed the surprise in his heart and asked: "Who is the person in charge?"

  "Reporting back to Your Excellency, it is I!"

  A sixty-year-old man with a thin and short stature walked over, looking sickly and listless.

  Wang Lei suppressed his discontent and asked: "What about the rest of the officials and soldiers in the county government?"

  The old man replied, "Reporting to your lordship, recently there has been news that the Black Mountain bandits are about to attack Wujixian County. The officials of the county government received the news and all fled with their money, and the few soldiers in the county government also dispersed, leaving only us."

  Wang Lei's face changed greatly, and his mood became even heavier.

  Thought it was a strong start, but unexpectedly encountered a mess.

  "Take the road and return to the county government!"

  Wang Lei sighed helplessly and let the old man lead the way back to the county government office.

  Returning to the county government office, Wang Lei was even more depressed.

  The entire county government is empty, and all the valuable things have been sold. There is not even half a cent in the treasury. Guo Yu, Guo Nvwang, Fu Bo, and Xiao Hao are busy in the backyard, sweeping it clean while preparing to eat.

  After lunch, Wang Lei, Du Qi and Guo Jia discussed matters in the study.

  Wang Lei's expression was serious, and he said in a low voice: "The situation in Wuji County is more difficult than imagined. Outside, the Black Mountain bandits are eyeing us covetously, while inside, there are countless worries. The situation does not allow for optimism!"

  Kuo Chia's expression was relaxed, and he chuckled: "In my opinion, this is what makes it interesting. If the one taking over were a complete Wuji County, there would be no danger at all, so what's the point of doing anything? It's only when things are like this that they become challenging."

  Wang Lei rolled his eyes, the problem was that there were too many problems in the county government.

  Du Kei thought for a moment and said slowly: "When we entered the city, the old soldiers at the county government office said that all the officials and soldiers had dispersed. This is a big problem. The county government must be operational to ensure the recovery of Wuji County. I think the top priority is to solve the major and minor matters of the county government and sort out the various affairs of the county government. Under the command of the county magistrate, there are five officials: Zeicao, Mendu, Gongcao, Zhubao, and Zhujie, but now not a single one is present, temporarily taken over by me."

  Wang Lei nodded and said, "As for internal affairs, I'm not familiar with them, so I can only temporarily entrust Brother Bo to take charge. When encountering matters that need to be handled, if it's urgent, just make arrangements directly without needing to report."

  "Yes sir!" Du Qi nodded in response.

  Wang Lei suddenly changed the subject and said, "Brother Bo Hou will handle the internal affairs of Wuji County, while I and Feng Xiao will solve the external troubles of Wuji County. According to the old soldier's words, the Black Mountain bandits may attack the county seat of Wuji County in the next few days, but there are no soldiers or weapons in the city, and even food and grass are a problem, how can this be solved?"

  Guo Jia smiled lightly and said, "Sir, this is actually not a difficult matter. In Wujixian County, there is the Zhen family clan, the Zhen family is extremely wealthy, with countless wealth, the county magistrate can directly visit the head of the Zhen family, borrow troops, borrow money, and borrow grain from the Zhen family, I think the Zhen family will not refuse."

  "Bang! Bang!"

  There was a knock at the door outside the room.

  "Come in!"

  The door opened and an old soldier rushed in, saying: "Sir, it's bad! The Black Mountain bandits are heading to Wuji County to kill!"

  "What?"

  Wang Lei suddenly sat up and his expression became even more serious.

  The bandits from Hei Shan arrived too quickly.

  Wang Lei made a prompt decision and ordered, "Feng Xiao, the situation is urgent. Organize the soldiers within the city to close the four city gates and delay the Black Mountain bandits' attack. I will immediately go to the Zhen family to borrow troops. Although it's a critical moment, it's also the best opportunity to borrow troops."

  Guo Jia smiled lightly and nodded, saying: "Please rest assured, Guo Jia will definitely not fail in his mission."

  Du Qi looked at the two with full confidence and shook his head in his heart.

  The Black Mountain bandits are heading towards Wuji County with a mighty force, and they must have a large number of people. Even if he borrows troops from the Zhen family, it would still be like hitting a stone with an egg. However, this is not his problem to consider, as he excels in internal affairs and only needs to take care of things within the city.

  Three people each had their own business, Guo Jia and the old soldier left the county government office and rushed straight to the city gate.

  Wang Lei carried the black gold spear and left the county government office, heading towards the Zhen family home. He arrived at the gate of the Zhen family's house in the fastest speed, knocked on the door, and soon a servant poked his head out to ask: "Who are you looking for?"

  The attendants saw the black gold spear in Wang Lei's hand and were frightened.

  Wang Lei's expression turned serious as he said, "Please inform the master of the Zhen family that Wang Lei, the county magistrate of Wujixian County, has come to visit."

  "Yes, yes!"

  The servant hastily went to inform, and before long, the master of the Zhen family, Zhen Yan, walked over with large strides. Zhen Yan saw Wang Lei holding a seven-foot-long black gold spear, and his heart skipped a beat, but his face showed no expression, smiling and saying: "County Magistrate has come to visit, what's the matter?"

  Wang Lei said straightforwardly: "Master Zhen, the Hei Shan bandits have arrived and are killing people. Wu Ji County is in danger every day. As the newly appointed official, I don't have any soldiers or weapons under my command, so it's difficult to fight against them. Therefore, I'm asking Master Zhen to lend me 100 strong and brave guards to follow me out of the city to fight against the enemy."

  Zhen Yan had a disbelieving expression, shaking his head and saying: "The Black Mountain bandits are attacking the city, a hundred men can't hold them off!"

  Wang Lei snorted and said disdainfully, "The Black Mountain bandits are nothing but a bunch of local ruffians, not worth mentioning. I've come to borrow 100 young soldiers from the Zhen family master, just to boost morale, without intending to engage in a fierce battle with the Black Mountain thieves. The Zhen family is the richest in Wujixian County, with assets worth millions, and if the Black Mountain bandits breach the city, the Zhen family will have to spend countless amounts of money to get rid of them. If the Zhen family master lends me 100 young soldiers and we repel the Black Mountain bandits, the Zhen family will avoid this disaster, it's a risk-free deal, why not give it a try?"

  Zhen Yan thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright, I'll trust County Magistrate this once."

  Immediately, Zhen Yu ordered people to summon the guards from the mansion.

  Zhen Yan is a generous person, without holding back the number of people, directly gave Wang Yue three hundred people, and also gave Wang Yue a good horse. Wang Yue rode the horse and galloped away with the borrowed three hundred people towards the city gate.