Chapter 56: Turning Black and White Upside Down

  "Third brother, although Lu is eager to recruit talent, you don't have to rush into it. Discuss it with the other brothers first and then get back to me, it's not too late." After moving the hearts of these people, Lu Haoshan spared no effort in buying people's hearts, clearly eager to immediately take this elite team under his command, but still gave enough respect.

  The private guards of the governor, naturally, are elite and don't need to be mentioned. With them around, it's like having a group of tiger-like thugs. Normally they follow Yuan Chonghuan, so they must have a deep understanding of the training methods of the Genghis Khan Iron Cavalry. With them here, I can create a second branch of the invincible Genghis Khan Iron Cavalry. This is simply the best gift from heaven.

  Yuan San said with some worry: "Sir, actually during the escape process, we've been discussing this issue and my brothers have long wanted to find a place to settle down. Now that conditions are so good, it's like running into a noble person. Yuan San believes they will definitely agree. He still has some confidence and prestige in this regard. Those brothers aren't worried, but now the humble one is worried about you, sir."

  "Worry about Lu Xiang? Yuan San-ge, just be straightforward."

  "Yuan just made a big case in Jiangyou, and you rashly accepted me, a small person. Won't the people of Jiangyou have an opinion about this? Even if you can handle this matter well, we are now wanted criminals by the imperial court, and there are still Jin Yiwei agents chasing us from behind. I'm afraid it will bring disaster to you, sir. This matter requires careful consideration." Seeing Lu Haoshan's boldness, Yuan San couldn't help but think of his own situation.

  These are very realistic problems, it's better to say earlier than later. Whatever the matter is, let's discuss it first and avoid more disputes later on.

  Lu Haoshan said with a serious face: "Director Yuan and so many generals in Liaodong have sacrificed their lives, shed blood, and can be said to be loyal and brave. However, they were still envied by petty people, slandered, and now they are in this situation, I don't know how many generals' hearts have been chilled. I believe that history will give Director Yuan a clean slate and the generals a fair evaluation. Now, Director Yuan is being framed by petty people, deeply trapped in prison, and many petty people are taking advantage of the situation to kick him while he's down. However, besides these petty people, there are also upright officials, brave generals, and kind-hearted civilians in the Ming dynasty. I, Lu, am a humble person with little influence, but I still have some dignity left. Brother Yuan, please rest assured, you can protect the country and the people of the Ming dynasty, you can fight for them to the death. Now, all we ask is for a place to settle down, this request is not excessive at all. Nothing more needs to be said, just stay here, as long as I have food to eat, you will never go hungry."

  This speech was so righteous and majestic, especially the kind of heroic spirit that moved even Yuan San to emotion. After fleeing outside for so many days, suffering so much hardship, and experiencing so much tribulation, he had finally found someone who understood him, which was truly too rare. Yuan San said excitedly: "Adding flowers to brocade is certainly delightful, but sending charcoal in the snow shows true kindness. Sir, with these words of yours, I, Yuan San, am convinced by you. From now on, whatever you command, this brother will acknowledge."

  Just now he was called "sir", now he changed his mouth to call him "brother". But Lu Haoshan didn't get angry, instead he was happy. He said so much and finally gained a true heart. It can be seen that Yuan San has high prestige in the private guard team and it is very likely that he is the captain. He could say such words, which means he is truly willing to make friends with him.

  After this conversation, everything can be discussed and negotiated smoothly from now on.

  "Alright, Yuan San-ge, let's skip the pleasantries. You go gather those brave and loyal men to discuss, I'll be here waiting. Everything else is up to me. As for the relatives who were thrown into prison, they can't be released just yet, we need to follow procedure. But don't worry, Yuan San-ge, I've instructed my men not to make things difficult for them. Later, I'll send someone to deliver some food and blankets to the prison, it's a bit of an inconvenience for them tonight."

  "This is nothing, we've been through thick and thin on this journey, what hardships haven't we endured? Now that we have a roof over our heads, it's already quite good." Just now when Lu Haoshan ordered his subordinates to treat those prisoners well, Yuan San was watching from the shadows nearby. It was precisely because of this that he had always had a favorable impression of Lu Haoshan.

  The two of them discussed the details again, and Yuan San left with a satisfied heart.

  When leaving, Lu Haoshan originally wanted to send him out of the county government, but Yuan San shook his head and took a step from the window, jumping left and right, although he was tall and big, once he moved, he was as agile as a spirit cat. The nearly one-zhang-high wall was stepped on with his foot, and he flipped over and climbed onto the wall, saying that it was incredibly agile, and the county government seemed like his backyard, coming and going freely. After Yuan San left for half a moment, Lu Haoshan still didn't hear anyone sounding the alarm.

  Alright, the gap is too big, can't put too much emphasis on those catchers.

  After Yuan San left, Lu Hao San found Liu Jinzhu, who was still dizzy, in a dark corner of the yard and shook him awake, saying gruffly: "Alright, Jinzhu, get up, the ground is cold."

  Liu Jinchu woke up and grabbed Lu Haoshan's sleeve, saying: "It's not good, Brother Shan. There are ghosts! Just now, when I walked to this place, my eyes blurred for a moment, and a ghostly shadow flew in front of me. Then everything became unclear. Brother Shan, let's move away from here."

  Poor Liu Jinzhu, he was so scared that his face turned white. This is not surprising, as he had limited experience and was born in a small village, where he had never seen such an expert before, and really thought he saw a ghost.

  "A stranger doesn't have the guts." Lu Haoshan knocked on his head and said irritably, "This county government is a serious place, what kind of dirty thing would be here? Just now it was an expert who knocked you out, don't scare yourself."

  "What's wrong, has a master snuck in? Brother Shan, are you alright?" Liu Jinzhu hastily asked, while looking around at Lu Haoshan to see if he was injured.

  Lu Haoshan smiled and said: "Alright, nothing's wrong. Now have the kitchen prepare some more midnight snacks, and then give them to those women and children we caught tonight."

  "Come on, Shan Ge, it's so late and you're still delivering food for them?"

  "Not only did they send food, but also sent blankets and quilts to them, can't let them freeze."

  "But why are they being so good to them? They've paid silver." Liu Jinzhu said in surprise.

  Lu Haoshan patted his shoulder and said: "Alright, let you go do it then, don't ask so many questions. Come back later, there's something important I need to entrust to you."

  As soon as he heard that there was something important to be entrusted to him, Liu Jinzhu immediately became spirited and responded with a sound, and immediately went to make preparations. Now he has learned a lot, the most important of which is: even if others can't see their own potential, they must let others see their efforts.

  About half an hour later, Liu Jinzhu deeply slipped out of the county government office and quickly disappeared into the darkness, while Lu Haoshan went to visit Cao Hu, who was injured on duty.

  .......

  The traditionally simple and honest Jiangyou County has witnessed a horrific case of family extermination, which is like a heavy bomb that shocked the entire county. Early in the morning, people were discussing it enthusiastically, adding oil to the fire while talking about what happened last night. Since it was a midnight bloodbath, the scene had not been cleaned up yet, and many citizens gathered at the ruins of Baiyuan Pharmacy to watch the commotion. Before long, officials from the county government arrived to clean up the scene.

  Soon, the onlookers felt that things were not as simple as they had imagined. Many people witnessed the catchers sorting out a large number of weapons and other items at the scene. Before long, some tightly hidden letters were also searched out, and even a large flag for rebellion was found. This was a serious crime punishable by death! Even the onlookers couldn't help but take a few steps back, fearing that they would get into trouble with the authorities. Many people pointed at the medicine shop, saying that they had suspected it all along.

  The county magistrate was a man who got things done, and the people of Jiangyou thought they would have to wait three to five days for the case to be solved. But that afternoon, everyone heard some astonishing news: the case had been solved, and the yamen runners were posting notices all over the city.

  Many people were shocked and puzzled, with some gathering around to read the notice. A busybody even shook his head and started reading aloud: "... The local customs are simple and honest, respecting teachers and morality. Last night, a murder occurred at the Baiyuan medicine shop in the city. It was initially thought that it was committed by a wandering outlaw, but in fact, it was an imperial secret agent who took action to eliminate rebellious elements. The Baiyuan medicine shop is actually a stronghold secretly established by the rebel leader Miao Mei, waiting for an opportunity to lure bandits to plunder Jiangyou County. Now that the ringleader has been executed, we hope others will take this as a warning and not believe rumors lightly, lest they suffer the consequences of losing their heads and bringing disaster to their entire family."

  When the good news spread, the crowd was in an uproar. Who would have thought that the Baoyuan Medicine Shop was a den of thieves? And that Manager Qian had colluded with the rebels to rob and cheat their fellow villagers? Many people had witnessed the seizure of weapons and other evidence from the medicine shop. Now, with the official notice from the government, combined with the poor reputation of the Baoyuan Medicine Shop, which had often cheated the common people, all fingers were pointed at it. Many people cheered loudly, while the County Magistrate ordered that the bodies be hung on the city gate for three days as a warning to others.

  It was originally a case of extermination, but Lu Haoshan made some slight adjustments and immediately distorted the truth, erasing all traces and making everything seem perfectly normal. Not only did he cover up the incident and protect Yuan San and his family members, but he also profited from it by confiscating the assets of Baiyuan Medicine Shop's owner, adding a large sum to the county government's coffers, which after consolidation, resulted in another property for the county government.

  Great accomplishments are not hindered by trivial matters. To say that the Baiyuan Medicine Shop lost credibility first, and Yuan San's revenge came later, the method was a bit drastic, but Qian Zhanggui also deserved his punishment. It's just that those few apprentices suffered, never mind, I'll find an opportunity to secretly compensate them later.

  Of course, being injured and cooperating with Lu Haoshan's Cao Hu also gained a lot of benefits.

  Lu Haoshan successfully recruited twelve elite subordinates, including Yuan San. It was not easy to recruit these people, and Lu Haoshan had put in a lot of effort. He personally helped them find houses, bought furniture and daily necessities, and even arranged for their firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Each person who joined him also received a settlement fee. In addition, he promised to pay each private guard a monthly salary. Yuan San and his group were extremely grateful, and the women and children all wanted to kneel down in thanks to Lu Haoshan.

  After fleeing for several months, they finally had a place to settle down.

  While recruiting and appeasing this team of elite private guards, Lu Haoshan did not forget about taxation. On the third day after hanging the corpses on the city gate to expose them to the sun, taking advantage of the remaining prestige, County Magistrate Lu Haoshan personally issued an order, with Chief Scribe Zhang Yunhui leading the team, to start the great undertaking of taxation. Cao Hu was lightly injured but did not retreat from the front line, dragging his wounded hand, and led the bailiffs to collect taxes from the people.

  Honestly pay taxes, that's called obedient people. If they don't cooperate, then they are disobedient people. The best way to deal with disobedient people is forced collection.