Chapter 57 The Old Man's Identity

  Black Golden Snake Spear!

  This was given by the old man to Wang Lei, and Zhang Yan mentioned asking about the old affairs of the Taiping Army. As soon as Zhang Yan opened his mouth, it was the black gold spear used by Wang Lei, without a doubt, there is a great relationship between the two.

  Could it be...

  Wang Lei took a deep breath and calmed himself down before answering: "The Black Gold Spear was given to me by an elder."

  Zhang Yan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked again: "What about the martial arts used by the county magistrate? When I led the army to besiege Wuji County that day, what kind of person taught the county magistrate the Wujin Snake Spear technique?"

  "Teachings from seniors!"

  Zhang Yan's heart was stirred up and asked: "What is the name of the county magistrate's elder?"

  Wang Lei shook his head and said: "I don't know!"

  "What? Impossible."

  Zhang Yan felt incredulous, her expression slightly cold, and her tone somewhat stiff as she said: "Since it's the county magistrate's elder who gave you the weapon and taught you martial arts, how could he not know his elder's name? The Black Gold Snake Spear and this set of martial arts are extremely valuable, and the relationship is ordinary, absolutely impossible to obtain. Could it be that the county magistrate thinks Zhang Yan is joking, so he intentionally lied to deceive Zhang Yan?"

  Bai Wei took a deep breath and said seriously, "Please be assured, County Lord. The General has no malicious intentions. If the General really wanted to attack Wuji County, he would have ordered his army to attack on the day you took office, rather than withdrawing his troops. I think, County Lord, you wouldn't believe that your martial arts skills intimidated the General, would you? No matter how strong one's martial arts are, they are limited by human strength and cannot withstand the General's army. The reason for the withdrawal is because of the Black Gold Spear in your hand and the martial arts you used, County Lord should understand."

  Wang Lei took a deep breath, his heart full of joy and relief.

  It turned out that this was the reason why Zhang Yan led his troops to retreat on that day. If the old man hadn't given him the black gold spear before coming to Wuji County, the consequences would have been unthinkable. None of this seemed thrilling when I didn't know the truth, but after knowing the truth, I realized how dangerous it was at the time.

  It's just a little short of being completely finished.

  Luckily! Luckily!

  Wang Lei shrugged and replied seriously: "Zhang Dashuai, I really don't know the old man's name. The only thing I know is that his surname is Du, and nothing else."

  "How old?"

  Zhang Yan leaned forward and asked hurriedly.

  "About sixty years old!"

  "How's your figure?"

  "Thin and not very tall, with an ordinary appearance."

  "Good, good, good, it must be Du Zhenren without a doubt, it must be Du Zhenren." Zhang Yan couldn't help but shout in excitement and asked anxiously: "May I ask County Magistrate Wang, where is Du Zhenren?"

  "Wang Lei replied: 'Right in the mansion!'"

  Splash!!

  Zhang Yan was so excited that she stood up, and her mood was even more elated.

  Wang Lei was even more puzzled, it seemed that Lao Ye Zi's identity was not ordinary!

  Zhang Yan said nervously: "Please inform County Magistrate Wang that Zhang Chuyan, under the command of Zhang Niujiao, requests an audience." Chuyan was Zhang Yan's original name. Before Zhang Niujiao died, Zhang Yan had always used the name Chuyan. It wasn't until after Zhang Niujiao's death, when he was promoted to become the commander-in-chief of the Black Mountain Army, that he changed his name to Zhang Yan, a name which has been retained ever since.

  Zhang Yan asked Wang Lei to pass on the message, and his words were surprisingly nervous, as if a student had seen a teacher, or an ordinary citizen had suddenly met the head of state, with an excited and nervous expression overflowing from his words.

  Wang Lei saw this and had already determined that Old Master Du's identity was not ordinary. To make Zhang Yan so, Old Master Du must have a story in the Taiping Army.

  Wang Lei stood up, "You wait for a moment, I'll go inform Old Master."

  He stood up and left the study room, Bai Rao asked nervously: "General, will the real person meet us?"

  "I believe it will."

  Two people in the study room, quietly waiting for Wang Yue's news.

  Wang Lei came to the old man's courtyard, at this time the old man's room was still lit with an oil lamp and had not rested yet. Wang Lei came to the door outside and knocked on it, saying: "Old master! It's me."

  "Come in!"

  An old voice echoed in the room.

  Wang Lei pushed open the door and walked in, with a respectful expression, saying: "Old master, Zhang Yan and Bai Rao have come to the county government office, asking me about the Wujin Snake Spear and your affairs, wanting to see you."

  The old man's expression stiffened, and he suddenly let out a light sigh, saying: "Please come in!"

  Wang Lei turned and left, and the old man sighed again.

  Before long, Wang Lei, Zhang Yan and Bai Rao arrived in the room. After seeing the old man, Zhang Yan paused for a moment, then took two quick steps forward, came to the front of the old man, bowed his hands and said respectfully: "Zhang Yan has seen the true person!"

  Bai Rao leaned against a gourd and drew a calabaza, saying: "Bai Rao has seen the true man!"

  "Sit down, all of you. I am no longer a real person. The one sitting in front of you is just an old, worn-out man on the verge of decay, not worthy of General Zhang's courtesy."

  Wang Lei sat beside him, feeling puzzled in his heart.

  At this moment, Wang Lei had confirmed that the old man was a Yellow Turban, but the problem was that the old man had once been in the military, so what's going on? Wang Lei's mind was confused and couldn't figure out what was going on.

  The old man noticed Wang Lei's doubts and slowly explained: "Tiger Head, what you know about me is true. I used to be a soldier, always fighting against the Xiongnu in the north. Later, I got tired of the corruption in the army and left. Then, I met the great teacher Zhang Jiao, followed him to gather troops and rebel, wanting to bring peace to the people."

  Here is the translation:

  "Up to this point, the old man's face was filled with regret and he sighed: "Unfortunately, it wasn't long after gathering the crowd that I discovered Zhang Jiao gradually changed, losing his original intention of serving the country and its people. Instead, he indulged his troops in plundering the common folk everywhere. I had a falling out with Zhang Jiao, and on top of that, we had differing opinions on some policies at the time, which deepened our conflict. So I left the Taiping Army and came to Ye County to settle down. Not long after, I took you in, and you know what happened afterwards."

  Wang Lei finally understood after listening.

  This old man beside him is also a quite powerful figure.

  Unfortunately, he didn't leave his mark in history.

  Zhang Yan continued, "The True Person's martial arts are extraordinary, and the Black Gold Snake Spear is invincible. Moreover, the True Person's strategies are always meticulous and have been of great help to the Yellow Turbans at that time. Unfortunately, the True Person left too early, if the True Person had not left back then, the Taiping Army would not have been annihilated by the government and fallen to its current state."

  The old man's eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness, shaking his head and saying: "Even if I stayed behind, it would be impossible to avoid the outcome of failure, at most adding one more dry bone. At that time, Zhang Jiao's strategy was wrong from the start, without foundation, losing the hearts of the people, and also offending the powerful clans of the time. Facing immense pressure, the Taiping Army had no chance of winning. Even if I stayed behind, it would be a futile effort."

  Zhang Yan agreed with Lao Yeye's words, and suddenly said: "Zhang Yan sincerely invites the real person to come out of the mountain. I am willing to give up the position of General of the Black Mountain Army, let the real person command the army under his command, and take us to fight again in the world."

  The old man shook his head and chuckled, "I'm just an old bone now, I don't have the energy to stir up trouble anymore. As long as I can live out my days in peace and quiet, and see Tiger Head achieve something, I'll have no regrets."

  Obviously, the old man regarded Wang Lei as a family member.

  Wang Lei smiled and said: "Don't worry, old man. Wang Lei will definitely not disappoint your expectations."

  After a pause, Wang Lei's gaze shifted and fell on Zhang Yan, smiling and saying: "General Zhang, I didn't expect that there was such a relationship between us. Since this is the case, we can discuss cooperation."

  "Want to collaborate?"

  Zhang Yan's eyes narrowed, and a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.