Chapter 56, Two Counties' Views

  The next day at dawn, Zu Zhao went to the medical institute again and visited his sons Zu Cheng and Zu Zhong who had been arranged to gather information in Xili Village.

  Zu Cheng and others were robbed in the forest and were received by the government of Lingzhi County and taken to the county town, where they stayed at a medical institute for rest.

  Zu Cheng, Zu Zhong and others were mostly injured, but the injuries were not serious. After meeting with Zu Zhao, all of them hung their heads in shame and apologized to him one after another. They had acted arbitrarily, startling the snake by hitting the grass, not only missing the big opportunity, but also costing Zu Bao's life, so they naturally felt guilty. Zu Zhao did not blame them at all, but instead consoled them repeatedly, asked about their injuries, and arranged for them to return to Xu Wuxian County in batches over the next few days.

  Just past noon, another team of people came to Xili Village from Xu Wuxian. Among them were not only more than a dozen disciples who came to reinforce the Zu family, but also civilians and captives recruited by Wen County Wei. There are about 40 or 50 people in total. Obviously, Chen County Jun is still very dissatisfied with Zu Zhao's private action of bringing a large team across the border. Otherwise, he would not have sent Wen County Wei to support him so late, and only with such a small number of people.

  The news of the massacre outside the forest last night spread quickly throughout Lianzhi County. Some families were discussing it heatedly, while others were crying. Most of the captured or killed bandits were local peasants from rural areas, and their neighbors had not expected things to escalate so much, or perhaps they were desperate for a way out, hoping to survive by following previous examples. Now, not only have they vanished into thin air, but they also have to endure endless anxiety, fearing that they might be implicated themselves.

  The county lieutenant heard the rumor in Xili Village and was originally prepared to rest here for a while, but now he hurriedly rushed to the county town.

  Arrived at the county town, met with Zu Zhao and others in the government hostel, understood the ins and outs of what happened last night, then accompanied by Zu Fan and Zu Ling, rushed to the county government to visit Wang Xianjun, handed over the letter from Chen Xianjun of this county. Wen Tai returned from the county government after noon, came to the temporary residence of Zu Zhao and others in the hostel, ordered wine and food for a big feast.

  Zu Chao and others just saw this, already knew that Wen Xian Yu was 80% to 90% likely to have been treated unfairly in the county government. Not to mention it was during dinner time, but the county magistrate didn't even invite Wen Xian Yu for a meal, and such a big case went back and forth without taking up an hour, even if they didn't look at Wen Xian Yu's face, they could still guess roughly what happened.

  The wine table had just eaten halfway, and soon, Tian Xuan rushed to the scene with a hasty expression. After entering the door, he saw Wen Tai and Zu Zhao, and hurriedly apologized to Wen Tai and his party.

  "Sir, just now Lord Wang said something serious, I hope you won't take it to heart."

  "Hmph, what is Wang thinking in his heart? Don't I know already? This case happened within the jurisdiction of Linzhi County, and most of the culprits are also from Linzhi County. So if this case is cracked, it will be solely due to the credit of Wang, isn't that right?" Wen Tai was originally a rough and violent person, usually he wouldn't even give face to Chen Xian, the county magistrate of his own county, let alone a neighboring county's magistrate who had nothing to do with him. If no one had brought it up, he would have just buried his resentment in his belly, but Tian Xian specially came over to apologize and make amends, which gave him an opportunity to vent his grievances.

  Zu Zhao, who had been quietly observing without saying a word, had already seen through the situation, so when Wen Tai returned, he didn't say much.

  Tian Xuan's face was awkward, he glanced at Zu Zhao, then looked at Wen Tai, and for a moment didn't know how to get out of the situation.

  Zu Zhaizi knew that Tian Xian's intention was to ease the conflict between the two county governments, but unfortunately, Wang Jun's plan had too many hateful and infuriating aspects. Even if he wanted to mediate this matter, it would not be easy. He personally didn't care about Wang Jun's intentions of seeking credit, let alone that he still needed to maintain a relationship with the Tian family in the future, so at this time, he naturally couldn't remain silent.

  He didn't go to persuade Wen Tai, with Wen Tai's temper, the more he was persuaded, the less he would spit it out. So, he turned to persuade Tian Xian and said: "Tian Gong, thank you for taking the trouble to come and comfort, Wen Gong is a straightforward person, always speaking directly, don't take it to heart. Let's do this, Tian Gong's feelings, I will convey them to Wen Gong later, and I will persuade him again later. If Tian Gong is busy with official duties, then let's prioritize the official duties first."

  Tian Xuan understood Zu Zhao's meaning, and with a sigh, he nodded his head: "If Young Master Zu can understand the situation, I would be eternally grateful. Please also trouble Young Master Zu to explain a few words to Lord Wen on my behalf, so that I may take my leave without further disturbing him."

  Having said that, he looked at Wen Tai with an ambiguous expression and then turned around and walked out of the gate.

  Zu Zhao sent him to the horse post, although he didn't say much more, but his intention was also to remind Tian Xian, hoping to arrange for him to go to the prison cell to gather information as soon as possible.

  Returning to the inn, Zu Zhao didn't rush to comfort Wen Tai, but instead brought out wine cups and drank with him.

  After drinking a few more cups, Wen Tai couldn't help but start talking to himself, recounting the events of his visit to the county government office to meet with County Magistrate Wang earlier. After arriving at the county government office, County Magistrate Wang was still fast asleep, and he had to wait for half an hour before being seen. He had originally been sent by County Magistrate Chen to request that several captured bandits be taken back to Xu Wu for interrogation, but unexpectedly, County Magistrate Wang suddenly turned hostile, emphasizing that this case was under the jurisdiction of Lingzhi County and that without official documents from both county governments, Xu Wu County had no authority to intervene in the case across borders. He also said that he would investigate the responsibility of the Zu family's private actions.

  Zu Zhao believed that Wen Tai's words might have been exaggerated, but he didn't care about Wang Xianjun pursuing the Zu family's responsibility. Eight or nine out of ten times it was just an excuse for someone with the surname Wang. If they wanted to monopolize the achievement, they shouldn't make a big deal out of this matter now. Although the Zu family had secretly stored weapons and armor, in recent years they had been peaceful and divided, and had interactions with many frontier generals. Moreover, this time's bloody battle against the bandits was an act of righteousness.

  He followed Wen Tai's words and simply comforted him a few times. But since things have come to this, they can't continue to mess around on someone else's turf, so they had to return to Xu Wuxian first and make detailed plans, or report the matter to the county government and let the county government handle it.

  Wen Tai was still worried, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do, so he just drank several bowls of wine in silence.

  After lunch, Zu Zhao gathered Zu Ling, Zu Fan, and Zu Li, and they decided to set out today to return to Xuwu.

  Due to the severity of the injuries, many brothers are unable to move. Zu Zhao specially arranged for a group of brothers to stay in this place, on the one hand, to gather information about the Ling County government at any time, understand the progress of the case, and be prepared for the collusion with the Hu people; On the other hand, they can also take care of the treatment of the injured brothers. After recovery, these brothers can return to Xu Wu in batches.

  In the afternoon, Zu Zhao led the crowd of sons and younger brothers to set off first, while Zu Ling, Zu Li and others stayed behind as the second batch, mainly responsible for transporting back the collected armor, horses and other spoils. Although the commander of the Linzhou County had arrested all the bandits, he did not have time to sort out the spoils of war, so naturally the Zu family put these spoils together with their own armor, which would likely be requisitioned by the commander.

  Wen Tai and others followed Zu Zhao back to Xu Wu. Since staying here would be of no use, they could only answer truthfully after returning.

  Back in Xuwu, it was already near dusk, the sun had set in the west, and the sky was a dry, burnt red.

  Wen Tai and Zu Fan went ahead to return to the county town, going to the county government to report back. Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu, two brothers, also parted ways on the Xu Wuguan road. Before leaving, Zu Zhao was deeply grateful for the heroic assistance of the An Yangting Youxia children and promised that in a few days he would set up a banquet to invite them as a thank you. After that, Zu Zhao took his clansmen back to Beiguo Pavilion.

  Several young men galloped ahead on horseback, arriving at the Zhu Family Village earlier than the rest of the group, and quickly took care of all the necessary matters.

  Outside the gate of the backyard horse farm, many relatives gathered, including old people, women, and some servants from the village. These people seemed to be welcoming, but from their expressions, they couldn't see any joy or excitement, on the contrary, there was a sense of worry and tension. The men in the family went to fight against bandits in a distant place, before leaving, they inevitably felt heroic and proud, it's not uncommon for the whole family to respond to the call, but when returning, it's hard to avoid having other thoughts, no one wants there to be any casualties, let alone have their own family members among them.

  As they saw a group of ancestral family sons wearing iron armor and white clothes inside, the dull crowd finally had some reaction.

  Zu Zhao and others had hardly changed their clothes, the blood-stained places were still stained with blood, and the minor wounds on their skin had not been bandaged. The spear on his horse still had a striking blood stain. Seeing this scene, many people couldn't help but guess the danger of yesterday's battle. Zu Zhao rode his horse to the front, when those relatives waiting at the gate came forward to ask about him with concern and affection, which was touching. He knew very well that these relatives were hoping he would reveal the names of their sons who had died in battle, but he didn't say a word, only nodded politely and drove his horse into the backyard stable.

  With the help of several attendants, Zu Chao dismounted and removed his armor.

  Zu Zhan and several uncles were standing at the back door waiting, everyone's expression was solemn.

  Zu Zhao took three steps and hurried over to pay his respects to several uncles. Everyone was very enthusiastic, patted Zu Zhao on the shoulder, and deeply appreciated this time's victory over the bandits. In any case, although it deviated from the original plan and indeed cost some lives of the clan's children, achieving victory with such a small loss could be considered a great victory.

  When all the uncles finished speaking, Zu Yan finally came forward and bowed to Zu Zhao: "Brother, congratulations on the young master's triumphant return. Father is still in the central hall at this moment. Earlier, County Magistrate Chen had come, originally intending to wait for the young master's return before leaving, but then someone from the county government arrived, saying there was news from the prefectural government, so he left first."

  Zu Zhao nodded and did not ask about the news from the county government. He followed Zu Zhan to the central hall, accompanied by several uncles.

  In the great hall of the Zhong Tang, three elderly men from the clan and several seniors of the grandfather generation had all arrived. Gong Sunzhi and Chun Yubai were already standing beside them. Zu Hui sat solemnly in the first seat.

  Zu Zhao took off his shoes and entered the hall, bowed to several elders one by one, and then bowed to his grandfather again.

  Zu Jue's expression looked a bit tired, although he maintained his dignity, but also had an undisguised air of exhaustion. He slowly let out a breath and said emotionlessly: "Zhao Er, it's good that you're back safely. This time we thoroughly defeated the bandits, which can be considered as avenging our past grievances. However, when leading troops outside, the most important thing is to follow rules. You broke the rules, acted arbitrarily, if something went wrong, could you bear such responsibility?" His tone gradually became stronger in the latter half of his speech.

  However, since Zushao did not cause too much damage this time, the reason for speaking out to blame him is on the one hand hoping that Sun'er will have some understanding, and on the other hand it is also because if Zushao follows the established plan and goes with the dispatched soldiers, the result will definitely be better than now. At the very least, after the event, he can do a good job of writing articles to gain some fame for the Zu family. Now, taking private action without official support, the result is that the local government in Lingzhi County makes things difficult for him in every way, isn't it a loss?

  Zu Zhaoming's face showed a hint of shame, and he said in a low voice: "This time, I didn't want to explain too much. But yesterday was an emergency, and I had to make temporary adjustments. As for the mistakes, I am willing to take full responsibility."

  The ancestral home is a military family after all, and has always advocated for openness and integrity. Although this time, Zu Zhao took unauthorized action and was somewhat remiss, it's fortunate that he thoroughly defeated the numerous bandits in one night, and now he's showing his daring and responsible side again. In combination with Zu Zhao's past image of being knowledgeable and reasonable, there's no need to blame him further.

  Zu Jiu let out another sigh and said, "Zhao Er, you dare to act boldly, indeed a true man. This matter is settled then. Were there any casualties among the clan's younger generation?"

  Zu Zhao's expression gradually became stern, and he said in a loud voice: "Thirteen people were seriously injured, twenty-two people were lightly injured. Including Ah Bao, there are seventeen people who unfortunately died. Ten of them are our clan brothers, five are brothers from Anyang Pavilion who came to assist us, and two are county catchers."

  Zu Jiu took a deep breath, his expression filled with mixed emotions. This time, the Zu family had lost over a hundred people, with nearly one-tenth of them being casualties. It was indeed a severe price to pay. However, he didn't dwell on it too much, as in his youth, he had followed the great army into many battles against the Hu people and bandits, witnessing even more devastating losses that were too numerous to count. The battlefield is unforgiving, and even if Sun Wu were alive, it would be difficult to avoid casualties.

  After a moment of contemplation, he nodded slightly and said solemnly: "Whether it is the descendants of our family or friends from Anyang Pavilion, we will all pay our respects to them with thick mourning clothes. In a few days, we will choose a good day to hold a grand funeral for all the brave warriors who have made sacrifices for our ancestral home."

  Zu Zhao nodded and replied: "Yes, son will definitely handle this matter well, to comfort the spirits of brothers in heaven."

  Just as they were about to drop the subject, Zu Jie suddenly asked again: "I heard that last night you also encountered many barbarian thieves?"

  Zu Zhao replied, "Yes, there were also forty or fifty of them, and when these barbarian bandits were defeated and retreated, there were suspected to be other barbarian bandits coming to support them outside the border. It's not hard to imagine that the Hu people have made such careful preparations, they must have other sinister motives."

  The uncles and elders present couldn't help but whisper to each other, all thinking that there was something strange about this matter. Gong Sunzhi and Chun Yubai exchanged glances, but didn't say much.

  After a pause, Zu Zhao changed his tone and said: "The grandson had already made it clear to the lord of Lingshi County that he hoped the Lingshi County government would thoroughly investigate this matter. However, the king of Lingshi County is a greedy and selfish person who not only refused to listen to the grandson's opinion but also insisted on treating this case as an ordinary theft, and even attempted to tamper with the facts in order to gain personal benefits."

  Zu's face suddenly turned unpleasant, and he said in a cold voice: "Hmph, Wang Yan is indeed a mediocre person. With this case in his hands, it's inevitable that he will play tricks."

  Zu Zhaoyi's expression turned contemplative, and he let out a sigh, but didn't respond.

  Zu Jue said indignantly, "I will never let Wang Yan that little man do as he pleases. When the report is made to the prefecture, I will definitely argue this matter clearly, even if it means making a fuss at the provincial government office. Let's see if Liu Shijun gives me some face or not."

  Zu Zhaowu knew that his grandfather had connections with the officials of the province and county, so although he was worried that this matter would cause trouble for the Zu family, he thought that as long as the county magistrate and the provincial governor both vouched for him, even Wang Yan wouldn't dare to make a scene. After all, there were clear grounds for this case, with witnesses and evidence, and rumors outside also supported it; how could they possibly try to deceive people by saying things that weren't true?!

  At this time, Gong Sunzhi also spoke up and said: "The details of this matter, I can also testify to General Zu. At that time, even if we invite Gong Sun Taishou to come forward, it's not impossible."

  Zu Jie smiled and said gratefully: "With Mr. Gongsun's words, this matter will surely be turned around."

  After withdrawing from the Zhongtang Hall, Zu Zhao went to the back yard to receive the team of Zu Ling, Zu Li and others.

  Zu Ling, Zu Li and others were slightly slower than Zu Zhao, and only returned when it was almost dark. All the captured supplies were intact, including the injured horses of their own family, and even the captured Hu horses were brought back. Zu Zhao ordered the younger brothers to clean up all the armor and weapons in the backyard, and then put them away in the warehouse overnight. After finishing the handover of the backyard, he went to the kitchen to order a grand banquet for the next day to entertain the younger brothers who had gone out to fight against the bandits yesterday.

  It wasn't until nightfall that all matters were handed over and Zu Zhao returned to the inner courtyard to prepare for dinner.

  He had just walked down from the corridor when he suddenly saw a figure standing under a small stone pavilion not far away, it was Hu Nu Gulina.

  Gulina's long hair cascaded down her shoulders, with a simple hairband tied around her forehead to hold back her bangs. Under the moonlight, her profile looked cold and desolate. At first, when she saw Zu Chao appear, there was a hint of resentment and anger in her eyes, but as he drew closer, she saw that his white inner garment was stained with blood, and there was a shocking wound on his neck, causing her to slowly lower her head, her sadness palpable.

  Zu Chao arrived in front of the stone pavilion and asked: "You are here, is there something?"

  Gulinaer didn't raise her head to look at Zu Chao. She seemed hesitant, and after a long while, she turned around in confusion and left.

  Zu Chao gazed at Hu Nu's lonely and icy back, shook his head helplessly, and gradually felt sympathetic.

  Spring Festival has arrived, Spring Festival has arrived! Wishing all readers a happy new year. I hope in the new year, all readers can have their wishes come true and reunite with their families. I also wish everything goes smoothly for me personally. Hehe, hehe, I'm shamelessly asking readers for a red envelope as a good luck charm, thank you so much!

  I recently finished watching Johnnie To's "A Simple Life", a film with limited subject matter, which might be hard to find, but it's indeed a good movie. During the Spring Festival break, readers can try to find and watch it in their free time.