Chapter 41, Pre-landing Plan

  Zu Zhaohui still had some doubts in his mind. The Taiping Dao would not start planning a rebellion at this time, which was inconsistent with history and the actual situation. So what is the purpose of the giant deer sending someone to respond? Or will it just be someone using the banner of Da Xianliang Shi to take advantage of local Taiping Dao believers?

  He stared coldly at Wang Zheng, knowing that although Wang Zheng was a key figure, he knew only so much. At this moment, to resolve the doubts in his mind, he could only find out about Deng Mao's whereabouts as soon as possible. As one of the masterminds behind this incident and later becoming a notorious Yellow Turban bandit leader, Deng Mao would certainly be more aware of the inside story of this horse robbery case.

  "Where is Deng Mao now?"

  "What? Deng Mao... Deng Mao... I really don't know..."

  "Think it through before you speak." Zu Zhao coldly interrupted the other person, strolling over to the other side of Wang Zheng, finally stopping her toes in front of the short knife.

  Deng Maolai was drenched in cold sweat, his whole body soaked with icy water, and he was now thoroughly awake. His mind kept racing on how to answer this question, if he betrayed Deng Maolai, he feared that there would be no good outcome in the future. Even if Deng Maolai was caught or killed, sooner or later someone else would come to avenge him, day after day, and this fear would never end. But if he didn't speak, these people in front of him were definitely not kind-hearted, suffering torture, and this pain was unbearable.

  "Wang Zheng, if you dare to conceal again, no one can protect you. As long as you are willing to speak now, it is a meritorious service, and our family will ensure your safety. Afterwards, we may even reward you with another sum of silver." Zǔ Zhàn's mind was quick-witted, and in the moment when Dèng Mào hesitated, he anticipated what the other party was worried about, so he hastily added.

  Zu Zhao looked at Zu Zhan, didn't say much. In fact, he also understood that if Wang Zheng hesitated and refused to speak, it meant that the other party must be hiding some secret. Although Zu Zhan provided another solution, for Zu Zhao, as long as he confirmed that the other party knew where Deng Mao was, that was enough, and he would definitely find a way to make him talk.

  The king's words were cut off, and he wanted to speak several times, but in the end, he still hesitated.

  Zu Chao couldn't wait any longer, and suddenly bent down to pull out a short knife from the ground.

  This one action shocked the entire audience for three minutes, and Wang Zheng was so frightened that his gallbladder almost burst.

  "Spare my life, spare my life... I'll say it... I'll say it. But even if a lowly person like me says it, finding them will probably be... probably not easy..." Wang Zheng cried out in a panic.

  Zu Chao didn't stop his movement, he directly placed the knife on the opponent's neck, and the blade had already cut out a blood mark.

  "Listen up, this isn't official business. I can kill you and no one will ever hear about it." He threatened in a forceful tone.

  "Yes, yes, I'm a lowly person... I dare not..."

  "Where is Deng Mao now?" asked Zu Zhao, his grip tightening, and more blood foam immediately seeped out from Wang Zheng's neck.

  "Your subordinate... Your subordinate only knows that Deng Mao said, to send a cart of grain to the northeast thirty miles from the county town at the beginning of next month, and someone will come to meet. Your subordinate... This time your subordinate really didn't lie, your subordinate is just responsible for sending grain and so on." Wang Zheng almost said with a mournful voice.

  Several of his fellow clansmen couldn't help but start discussing in hushed tones.

  "Thirty miles northeast? Where is that?"

  "Our county town is heading northeast, and soon we will arrive at Lulong Pass."

  "It's not our county town, it's thirty miles northeast of Lingshi County."

  "That's still unclear. I remember several years ago someone went on a business trip and said that to the east of Lianyungang County was a large area of forest."

  "King Zheng, and another question for you," after a moment of contemplation, Zu Chao asked calmly, "Where was the place where you all met before the horse robbery operation?"

  "Ah?" Wang Zheng secretly cursed, he knew that the person in front of him was indeed a formidable and ruthless character. Anyway, everything that should be said had been said, and what shouldn't have been said had also been said. The situation had already developed to this point, and no matter what, the outcome wouldn't change. "I've bumped into you twice before, once with many people, and once with few people. Both times... were in the desolate wilderness northeast of the county town."

  By this time, Zu Chao had more or less learned what he wanted to know.

  "Take care of him." After reminding them of this, he turned around and left with the others.

  Wang Zheng was still shouting and begging behind him, asking Zu Chao for a way out.

  Zu Zhao had already made up his mind, thinking that this kind of scoundrel was of no great benefit, and having one more or less wouldn't make a difference. On the contrary, having one less would be doing the people a favor by eliminating a scourge. For now, he wouldn't consider how to deal with Wang Zheng, just locking him up in the manor for the time being, or handing him over to Zu Fan tomorrow to be detained, and waiting until the whole matter had come to a satisfactory conclusion before considering whether to fulfill Zu Zhan's promise.

  Returning to the middle hall, Zu Chao did not sit down. He stood with his hands behind his back, standing above the hall, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, and his face was almost cold and unfeeling. The other ancestors who followed him into the hall, either standing or sitting, perhaps had not encountered such things in the Zu family for too long, and there were indeed many unexpected places in the reaction of the eldest son these past few days. Never having seen a gentle and elegant youth, he would show a side that was even more mature than an adult, wasn't it astonishing?

  "What should be done about this matter, Young Master?" asked Zu Yan, walking forward with a serious expression.

  "Tomorrow morning, have someone go to the county and report this matter from start to finish to Ah Huan and County Magistrate Wen." After a moment of contemplation, Zu Zhao said calmly.

  Zu Zhan nodded, without any objection, and followed the rules as he should.

  "For the time being, don't mention Han Yigong." Zu Zhao added with a hint. He knew that Han Dang was still a prisoner waiting for punishment, and he feared that notifying Wen Xianwei would lead to unexpected complications.

  "Alright..." Zu Zhan didn't think much of it.

  "Also, the young masters of the Zhuang family have been making preparations for the past two days." Zu Zhao continued.

  "The Grand Duke, why not wait until the beginning of next month when Wang Zheng goes to deliver grain and take action then?" suggested a uncle named Zulíng.

  "That's right, although we know the general direction where the thief is hiding, but the specific location is still uncertain. Why not use Wang Zheng as bait?" Another young man echoed.

  Zu Zhan looked at Zu Zhao, his expression also indicating that he agreed with this statement.

  "It's only the 27th today, and if we have to wait until next month when Wang Zheng delivers food, it will take at least three to five days. If we act too early, it will arouse suspicion, and if we're too late, there will be a flaw. Now that Wang Zheng is being held captive by us, the news of his disappearance will soon reach the bandits, and not only will they not fall into our trap, but they'll also slip away early, and the clue we've finally found will be broken again." Zu Zhao explained calmly.

  After listening to Zu Chao's analysis, everyone nodded thoughtfully. Although this statement is not necessarily 90% reliable, it is absolutely possible and the possibility is not low.

  Zu Zhan sighed: The young master is indeed insightful.

  At this time, Zu Ling asked: "Doesn't the young master mean that the faster the better?"

  Zu Zhao said in a calm tone, "Although it's said that way, there should be some arrangements made. After meeting with Wen County Wei and Ah Huan tomorrow, we'll discuss this matter together. Since it involves crossing counties and prefectures, there must be some preparation involved. It's best to start acting two days later, and we must catch the thieves off guard, and capture them all at once!"

  He let out a sigh, he was not much older than Zu Zhao, and his status was not as high as those of the direct line uncles. However, he had read a few years of books and was familiar with sword fighting, archery, and horse riding skills, so he had some understanding of this matter of stealing horses. After listening to Zu Zhao's words, he still felt that he was being too presumptuous, and couldn't help but say: "This is an important matter, it wouldn't be a bad idea to wait until dawn and ask for the old master's instructions before making a decision."

  Zu Zhao said without hesitation: "This matter is to be reported to Grandfather, of course. However, the necessary preparations should be made, and I believe even Grandfather will not object. Let's do it this way for now."

  Everyone stopped talking about other things and whispered to each other again.

  Zu Zhao called Zu Zhan and Zu Ji to the outer corridor of the house and said to them: "This matter is very sudden, just now I heard what Han Yi Gong said, he found Wang Zheng in the market. The market is crowded with people coming and going, afraid that there will be walls with ears. As I said earlier, if we want to bring these thieves to justice, we must act quickly."

  Zu Ji nodded seriously and said, "What the young master says is correct."

  Zu Zhan was somewhat puzzled and asked: "If that's the case, Young Master won't be planning to take action early tomorrow morning?"

  Zu Zhao shook his head and said, "It's not that our Zu family village doesn't have the ability to handle this matter, it's just that such a big fanfare of crossing borders to catch thieves is really too showy. So this matter must have the support of the county government. After dawn, report to the county government and make arrangements accordingly, at least one or two days are needed."

  Zu Zhan nodded in agreement, while Zu Ji looked puzzled and perplexed.

  After a brief pause, Zu Zhao continued: "At dawn, Aji, you go to Lingzhi and find Acheng and Azhong. Tell them about this matter. If Acheng can contact some old friends in Lingzhi who are willing to help, then let Acheng go ahead and investigate the situation first. Even if we can't find where the thief is hiding, at least we need to figure out the specific route."

  Zu Zhan worried: "What if Ah Cheng and the others scare away the snake while beating the grass?"

  Zu Zhao said, "A large group of people going ahead will only startle the snakes in the grass. With fewer people, it's actually more convenient. After all, we need to make preparations and arrangements beforehand, and we must have enough information in hand. If we rush forward rashly, I'm afraid the time spent searching for the thieves' den will be enough for these thieves to escape."

  Although Zu Zhan didn't say anything more, there was still a hint of worry on his face.

  Zu Zhao said, "A Zhan, after dawn, you also go to An Yang Pavilion. This time the number of thieves is not small, and there are distinctions between light and dark, so the more people who can help at that time, the better."

  Zu Zhan nodded in agreement and replied: "I understand."

  Zu Ti (266-321), courtesy name Shizi, Han Chinese, from Fanyang County (now Laiyuan, Hebei). A famous general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. At the end of Western Jin, he led his relatives and friends to escape the chaos in Jianghuai. In 313, as a fierce military general and governor of Yuzhou, he launched a northern expedition. Zu Ti's troops were strictly disciplined, gaining the support of people from all over, recovering large areas south of the Yellow River within a few years, making Shi Le dare not invade the south, and was promoted to General of the Western Garrison. Later, due to his strong power, he was suspected by the imperial court and was restrained by Dai Yuan. In 321, Zu Ti died of worry and anger due to internal conflicts in the imperial court, posthumously awarded as General of Chariots and Cavalry, and his troops were taken over by his younger brother Zu Yue. After his death, the northern expedition failed just before success.