Chapter 68: Visiting Again

  Lu Haoshan said calmly: "About 120 miles northeast of Jiangyou, there is a place called Liu Bian Station. This station is not an ordinary station, but a collection point for the Jin Yiwei's intelligence gathering. The station chief Sun Xiongbin is a peripheral member of the Fanzi organization, specializing in collecting intelligence. I received a secret report that this Sun Xiongbin has been collecting intelligence on Jiangyou and trying to harm me. If Brother Yuan can help me get rid of Liu Bian Station and Sun Xiongbin quietly, I would be eternally grateful."

  Lu Haoshan added: "It's beneficial for both of us."

  "Alright," said Yuan San with a serious face, "we are now your personal bodyguards. You just need to tell us who you want to kill and we'll take care of it. No need to explain the reason to us."

  The army is the country's, since ancient times, relying on the tiger tally to command and dispatch, individuals cannot easily move, so private guards became the choice of many in power. Private guards are also called private soldiers, only listening to personal orders, from a semantic point of view, they are mercenaries. In fact, since the Zhou Dynasty, private soldiers have already existed, every dynasty has had people raising private soldiers, just with different scales. Taking the late Ming as an example, ordinary soldier training was insufficient, military discipline was corrupt, and many generals liked to raise private guards, the most typical being General Li Chengliang, known for his 8,000 private soldiers. Li Chengliang relied mainly on his private soldiers to guard Liaodong for 30 years, winning ten major victories in a row, even the arrogant Nurhaci was defeated and surrendered after Li Chengliang's death.

  This private guard is good, doesn't ask for reasons, regardless of right or wrong, directly executes. Upon hearing Yuan San's words, Lu Haoshan felt a sense of joy in his heart and said with an unchanged expression: "Alright then, I'll wait for Brother Yuan's good news."

  "Please rest assured, this humble Liu Bian Inn will surely be captured with ease. Just wait for our good news."

  Lu Haoshan nodded, not asking Yuan San how he was going to do it. As a professional bodyguard, he had already carried out countless secret missions and had extremely rich experience. After his master was thrown into prison, he could still escape from the sky net of the Imperial Guard with his family, such a person didn't need him to teach.

  "How are you brothers doing? By the way, I heard that two of our brothers got married the day before yesterday. Lü didn't even get a chance to drink a cup of wine." After finishing with the formalities, Lü Haoshan started chatting about some casual topics.

  Yuan San hastily said: "This is all thanks to your good fortune, the brothers all say you are a great benefactor. This cup of watery wine, no matter what, must be replenished."

  "It doesn't matter, it's just a small thing that can be ignored. Let's put it this way, after Brother Yuan gets rid of Sun Xiongbin and eliminates the great hidden danger in his heart, I'll host a banquet to welcome all of you, and at the same time, we can congratulate those two brothers who have just gotten married."

  "Thank you, sir."

  After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Lu Haoshan left with Liu Jinzhu, carrying him on his back.

  Lu Haoshan walked away, and Zhang Guang, nicknamed "Little Zhuge" in the private guard, came over and whispered: "Big brother, what does that Magistrate Lu want with you?"

  "It's nothing, just killing one person." Yuan San said lightly.

  After years of conquest and occupation in Liaodong, Yuan San had crawled out from piles of dead bodies countless times, with his hands stained with the blood of who-knows-how-many people, and his sword having taken the lives of who-knows-how-many souls. He had not only forgotten the terror of death but also become numb to life, including his own. What was most important to him now was cherishing the people in front of him, cherishing his wife and children, and cherishing these brothers who had gone through thick and thin with him. This kind of life was simply paradise compared to those days of fleeing.

  The saddest thing is not being used by others, but rather having no value that can be utilized.

  Zhang Guang exclaimed in surprise: "Murder, what is he going to do?"

  "Maybe there's a grudge, maybe it can't be tolerated, or maybe it's just a test for us to see if we can make use of him."

  "Big brother, what shall we do?" Zhang Guang said cautiously.

  "Alright!" Yuan San said without hesitation: "No matter what, others have taken us in, the old master has been thrown into prison and his life is uncertain. Now our grandfather doesn't love us, our uncle isn't close to us, we've all become fugitives. Although this Magistrate Lu wants to recruit us and use us for his own purposes, he's also a straightforward person. We're eating other people's food, receiving other people's salary, so naturally we should have the awareness of being private guards."

  Zhang Guang hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Big brother, I feel that you attach great importance to Lu Xianwei. Are you thinking of..."

  Yuan San smiled wistfully: "The old master is trapped in prison, and judging from the intensity of the pursuit by the foreign devils, it's unlikely he'll be able to turn things around. Our emperor is also prone to suspicion, so his life is at risk. Now, I'm just trying to find a way out for my brothers. That County Magistrate Lu may not look impressive, but he's a righteous man with a calm and composed demeanor. From the fact that he didn't hesitate to take us in, it's clear he's no ordinary person. This time, he asked us to kill someone, saying it was to ask for our help, but based on my years of experience, this is likely a test to see if we can be used by him. Moreover, once we've taken action, we'll have further cut off our own retreat route. However, we currently have no other choice."

  "Are we really doing him a favor?"

  "It's not good to say, but a good bird chooses the tree to perch on. If Master can come out, we will naturally go back to his side. If he can't come out, we also need to think carefully about it. Anyway, we have spoken before and can leave at any time. As for whether to stay or not, it depends on his performance and potential. Alright, let's talk about these things later. You let the big dog and the monkey go to Liubian Inn to explore the road first, and leave two brothers to guard the main gate. The rest follow me." Yuan San said resolutely.

  "Yes, big brother."

  Just as Yuan San was about to give the order, Liu Jinzhu exclaimed in surprise: "Shan Ge, that Liuyuan Inn is in Zitong, how did you know they were the ears of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

  "It doesn't matter whether they are the ears and eyes of the Imperial Guard or not, what matters is whether Yuan San and his gang obey my orders or not." Lu Haoshan said calmly: "Actually, I've never been to that Liu Bian Inn either, but I've heard people say it's a notorious black shop."

  "But... this..." Liu Jinzhu suddenly didn't know what to say, and the atmosphere at the Liu Bian Inn was also too tense. After all, it was just a test, and in the end, Lu Haoshan was just a sacrifice for Yuan San's inspection.

  "There's nothing to be said, in this day and age, if you want to live a better life than others, you either have to be luckier than them, smarter than them, or more ruthless than them. Otherwise, why should you get to enjoy the good life while they suffer?"

  Liu Jinzhu thought that if it weren't for Shan Ge using a fake letter to lure Li Xiangcai out and kill him, leading him down a path of no return, then Shan Ge would still be drinking wild vegetable porridge, and he himself might not have been beaten to death or starved to death. Who cares about those unlucky ones? In this era, human life is as cheap as grass, and people are easy to sacrifice each other's lives for their own survival.

  "Shan Ge, where are we going now?"

  "Back to the yamen," Lu Haoshan said with a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips: "Get some good rest, we have important business to attend to tomorrow."

  "Yes, Brother Shan, I'm listening." Liu Jinzhu said this phrase again.

  ........

  The next morning, Lu Haoshan took the people from the gift house and brought a plaque made of the best red wood by the most skilled craftsmen in the workshop to Zhaojiacun with drums and cymbals.

  The Zhao family was true to their word, and the 3,300 taels of silver they promised were delivered to the county government's treasury within two days. It can be said that they were very trustworthy and set a good example. Lu Haoshan also didn't hesitate, as soon as he returned, he had someone make a plaque and sent it to them with great fanfare, which was also a recognition of the Zhao family.

  When Lu Haoshan and his party arrived at Zhaojia Village again, unlike the first time they came, there were not only welcoming crowds, but also the reception personnel were obviously higher: this time it was not Zhao Min who was in charge of entertaining, but a thin old man with piercing eyes, and behind him followed several elderly people over 60 years old, while Zhao Min fell behind them.

  "Sir, the old man in front is Zhao Yuqing, the head of the village and the patriarch of the Zhao family. The ones behind him are the elders of the clan." Seeing Lu Haoshan's puzzled expression, Su Fang, the clerk of the ceremonial department, timely pointed out.

  Oh, so he is Zhao Yuqing, the leader of the Zhao clan. Although he has passed his sixties, judging from his appearance, it can be seen that he was a handsome young man in his youth. No wonder there are some similarities between him and Zhao Min's eyebrows and eyes.

  "Zhao Yuqing greets the honorable official, the county magistrate's esteemed presence has brought glory to Zhao Village." With a smile, Zhao Yuqing calmly paid his respects to Lu Haoshan.

  Lu Haoshan hastily supported him and said: "Don't dare, don't dare, Zhao Zong, no need to be polite, you are a great philanthropist in Jiangyou, this is killing the official."

  Some things, even if others show you respect from a distance of one zhang (a unit of measurement), you still have to return three points of respect in exchange. If not, it would give others a bad impression. Lu Haoshan noticed that although he was an official and Zhao Yuqing was a commoner, when the latter paid his respects, he referred to himself by name rather than using the humble term "xiao ren" (little person). This showed that he was proud at heart. It's no wonder - with his extensive connections, when he first settled down in this place, it was on the recommendation of a zhuangyuan (a high-ranking official), and if a zhuangyuan could be invited to do so, naturally he wouldn't put a mere county magistrate like Lu Haoshan in his sights.

  In fact, no one knows the inside story of this Zhao family, and no one knows what trump card this old patriarch Zhao has in his hand. Lu Haoshan didn't dare to lift it up, and quickly helped him up.

  He also donated over 300 taels of silver, which is truly admirable.

  Zhao Yuqing also pretended to be a little bit, Lu Haoshan supported him, and he stood up with the momentum. He looked at Lu Haoshan with an appreciative gaze and said: "Indeed, heroes emerge in their youth. County Magistrate Lu is young and talented, not only erudite but also kind-hearted, working tirelessly for the people of Jiangyou. Zhao is deeply respectful."

  "I dare not, this still needs to thank Zhao Laozu's generosity" Lu Haoshan said with a serious face: "I represent the county government, representing the parents and villagers of Jiangyou, thanking the Zhao family for their timely help in times of need. I specially brought a plaque to express the Zhao family's generous move and the deep friendship between us, please accept it, Old Master Zhao."

  Lu Haoshan finished speaking and gave a wink to the nearby bailiff, who quickly lifted up a placard covered with red cloth in front of Zhao Yuqing.