Chapter 43, From Long-term Planning

  In the side hall, Chen Xianjun, Wen Xianwei, Zu Fan and others took their seats one after another.

  When Zu Zhao rushed to the inner courtyard, Zu Ling had already given a detailed introduction to the situation at dawn, and Chen Xianjun and others had a clear understanding. Wen Tai and Zu Fan both had serious expressions, and before Chen Xianjun could make any statement, they expressed their own views in unison. On the way to Zu's village, Wen Tai and Zu Fan rode horses ahead, and the two had already discussed it privately, while Chen Xianjun in the sedan chair still looked sleepy.

  Wen Tai thought that at present, people should be sent to the prefectural government immediately to request Governor Liu Zheng to issue a proclamation, and at the same time, gather the county's soldiers and strong men to quickly rush to the place where the bandits are hiding in Lingzhi County for a search. Zǔ Fán added that it would also be better to report this matter to the Lingzhi County government, so as not to provoke cross-border disputes, and jointly attack the bandits with the local county government's troops.

  Chen Xianjun originally still had a sleepy look, but after listening to Wen Tai and Zu Fan's words, he suddenly became spirited, as if he had been splashed with a basin of cold water on a cold day, and immediately perked up.

  "Cough, cough, I thought this matter should be considered from a long-term perspective."

  "Let's deliberate carefully, deliberate carefully? Deliberate again and the thieves will have escaped without a trace." Wen Tai shouted, unable to hold back his temper.

  "County Master, what we are discussing is nothing but a plan. As long as things go according to procedure, this matter will surely have an outcome." Zu Fan said with courtesy.

  "Magistrate Chen, if the county government is not convenient to take a stand, my ancestral home will not lack brave men." Zu Ju, although a cautious person, also needs to come forward and put pressure on Magistrate Chen at this time, so he deliberately said so.

  "Eh, General Zu's words are right, protecting the border and ensuring the people's safety is within my official duties. It's just that this matter is quite complicated at present, involving cross-border issues, if not handled properly, it might lead to unnecessary misunderstandings." Chen County Magistrate said with a laugh.

  "County Master, please forgive me for speaking out of turn," At this time, Zu Zhao stood up and bowed to County Master Chen with a serious expression. He then said in a calm and composed tone, "Wang Zheng was caught at the market, he is the liaison between the bandits. If we delay too long, they will surely become suspicious. This time my family has suffered great humiliation, if we don't clear our name, it would be unforgivable to our ancestors and unbearable for the widows and orphans. Please, County Master, I beg of you to take action on behalf of the people and capture all the bandits in one net."

  "Ah, Da Gong Zi, what you're saying is..." Chen County Jun was about to make excuses.

  "County Master, every year when winter comes, the county will prepare for thieves. Today, the weather is not peaceful, and bandits are growing in number. Even if we don't eliminate these bandits today, they will surely gather their forces to attack after winter, and who knows what kind of situation it will be then? If preparing for thieves is not beneficial, or if there are too many losses, how will you explain it to the prefecture on that day? Why not take advantage of the bandits' weak momentum now, and destroy them in one move? Not only can we avoid future troubles, but also intimidate the entire region. Isn't this a double gain?" Zu Zhao took advantage of Chen County Master's uncertain tone and immediately said again.

  These words are reasonable and well-analyzed, causing the people in the hall to nod their heads in agreement. Although crossing borders is a troublesome matter, if this action is treated as a routine anti-theft measure, then there's another way of looking at it.

  Facing the pressure from his ancestral home and the county magistrate's elbowing, Chen Xianjun was at a loss for what to do. If he still tried to gloss over the situation, he might not be able to interact with his ancestral home again in the future. Moreover, although he liked to observe from the sidelines, he also had the ability to distinguish right from wrong. After listening to Zu Zhao's analysis twice, he more or less sensed the interests involved.

  After some deliberation, he thought to himself that this matter could only be handled by the book, and as long as everything was done by the rules, even if something went wrong, it wouldn't lead to disaster. With this in mind, he dragged out his official tone, pretending to deliberate, and then, like a wise ruler accepting advice, said: "The young master's words are reasonable, indeed, with exceptional insight. This matter is truly urgent. Very well, let's do it this way for now. County Magistrate Wen, later you and Secretary Wang will discuss this matter, prepare all the necessary documents, and I will send them to the prefectural government immediately."

  Then, Zu Zhao briefly told the situation of his sons and younger brothers who were hiding in Lingzhi County. A few days ago, after hearing that this matter was related to Lingzhi County, Zu Fan specially arranged for someone to collect maps of Lingzhi County, which he also brought with him today. Now he took out the map, spread it out in front of everyone, and marked the location according to what Zu Zhao said.

  "In my opinion, we should be prepared to set out at any time. Once Ah Cheng and Ah Bao have gathered more information, we will surround the enemy with lightning speed and catch them off guard." Zu Fan Zheng said.

  Zu Zhao subconsciously took a glance at Zu Fan, and even if Zu Fan didn't mention it, he would still emphasize it later, which is indeed the same heroic vision.

  "This matter, Zhuang Shang immediately set out to prepare. Zhao Er, you will make arrangements later." Zu Jiu said with a general-like dignity.

  "Please rest assured, grandson will take care of it." Zu Zhao replied casually. In fact, he had already instructed everything in the early morning, and all the young men in the village were eager to get started, with all the equipment in the warehouse now placed in the backyard and stable, ready to be distributed after noon.

  At noon, Chen County Jun and Wen County Wei took their leave first and returned to the county government to prepare relevant documents.

  Sun Yu Pu took advantage of this free time to find Zu Jue again, politely hoping to go together to help. Zu Jue had a few moments of hesitation, but thinking that the other party was after all the deputy governor of Xuan Tu County, he had an official position, and had some help in terms of prestige and kindness, so after reluctantly making a polite gesture, he finally agreed.

  After getting the news, Gong Sunlong immediately ran to the backyard to find Zu Zhao and excitedly told him about it.

  Zhang was busy wiping various swords, after hearing Gong Sunlong's words, he couldn't help but think secretly again: What are Chun Yupei and Gong Sunzhi going to do? Not in a hurry to pack up and leave, but instead getting involved in this matter?

  "Alon, hasn't Old Master Gong Sun mentioned anything about his trip in the past few days?" Zu Zhao asked Gong Sun Long.

  "End the journey? Where to?" Gong Sunlong asked back with a puzzled expression.

  "Oh, nothing. I just hope you can stay a few more days and not rush back to Xuanzhou County." Zu Zhao understood in his heart, so he casually made up an excuse to get past it.

  "Haha, definitely, I'd rather stay here until the end of the year. I don't want to go back to Hou City so soon, recently there have been many things at home that my second uncle can't handle, and the most troublesome thing is the foreign tribes in the northwest and northeast." Gong Sunlong believed it was true and readily agreed, also complaining a few sentences about his family matters.

  Zu Zhao's expression changed slightly, and he immediately found some key clues from Gong Sunlong's words.

  "What's this? The outsiders are causing trouble again?" He asked, intentionally steering the conversation.

  "Alas, it has never stopped. In the northwest, there are Qiang people and Wuhuan, in the northeast, there are Goguryeo people. Especially the Goguryeo people, who repeatedly invade our borders, making everyone anxious. I have thought many times about finding my second uncle to discuss this, gathering all the benefits of the county to teach the Goguryeo a lesson and see if they dare to be arrogant again. However, my father never takes me to meet my second uncle, so there's no way for me to speak up. I heard that my second uncle has repeatedly asked the provincial government for help, but they have not responded. Our county of Xuanxian is short-handed, and the border officials and soldiers are often not replenished, all old, weak, sickly, and disabled, really helpless." Gong Sunlong poured out his grievances all at once.

  Zu Zhaoming sank into thought, after Emperor Wu of Han defeated the Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty was truly awe-inspiring to all sides, and the surrounding small countries voluntarily paid tribute and surrendered. Before Wang Mang usurped the Han, the Goguryeo people had always been vassals of the Han. Until Wang Mang demoted the King of Goguryeo to a marquis and recklessly mobilized Goguryeo for war, ultimately forcing Goguryeo to rebel. Taking advantage of the change between the two Hans, the King of Goguryeo not only annexed other small tribes around him but also invaded the four commanderies of Han, during which he gradually developed from a tribe into a national regime.

  At the beginning, Xuantu County was set up outside the Great Wall. It was precisely because of Goguryeo's repeated encroachment and occupation that the Han Dynasty moved Xuantu County three times. Now, Xuantu County has been transferred from outside the Great Wall to inside the Great Wall, and some territories belonging to Liaodong Commandery have also been allocated.

  The arrogance of Goguryeo was only curbed later when Gongsun Du took control of Liaodong and launched a preemptive attack on Goguryeo.

  Zuo Zhao secretly suspected that the Gong Sun family might not have such a strong influence in Xuan Tu County after all, and it was more remote and backward than You Bei Ping County. It was nothing but relying on the identity of Gong Sun Wang or this governor. He couldn't determine for the time being whether this matter had anything to do with Gong Sun Zhi's mind, but in any case, it added another layer of understanding.

  After taking Gong Sunlong to select a suitable weapon, Zu Zhao had him and other Gong Sun family children wait together, and then come to the horse farm side after receiving the notice. After sending off Gong Sunlong, Zu Zhao went to a small courtyard next to the West Wing, where he met with Han Dang alone. Han Dang had been rushing for dozens of miles from afternoon till night yesterday, and although he was tall and strong, he couldn't help but feel exhausted after such a ordeal, and when Zu Zhao came to find him, he was still sleeping soundly with his head covered.

  Taking advantage of Han's washing time, Zu Zhao, being a meticulous person, ordered the servants in the west wing to quickly prepare some meat porridge and meat cakes.

  Han didn't mind the cold winter weather, and in the yard, he drew two buckets of water from the well. First, he wiped his body with the well water, then directly poured a bucket of water over his head to rinse off. After returning to the house, without drying himself, he put on his clothes. Seeing the hot food arranged on the small table in the hall, and looking at Zu Zhao standing outside the door, he smiled to himself, and then invited Zu Zhao to come in.

  Zu Zhao briefly told Han Dang about the arrangements made by County Magistrate Xianjun and County Wei, as well as the current actions taken by Lingxian.

  Han Da looked up with his neck and swallowed the meat porridge in big mouthfuls, touched his mouth and said loudly: "The surroundings of Lingzhou are most familiar to me. The thirty miles northeast of the county seat that Wang Zheng talked about should be a hilly forest area, and further back is a vast desert wasteland of nearly 100 square miles. If Master Zǔ wants to take action, Han Mou is willing to lead the way."

  Zu Zhaohad considered this, and Han Dang's martial arts skills and familiarity with the local area of Lingzhi County could be of great help. However, he was still worried that as a fugitive, if anything went wrong, he would not be able to withstand the influence of the Zu family in Lingzhi County.

  Han Dang saw Zu Zhaowu and remained silent, then burst out laughing: "Zu Gongzi is a man of honor, but you can rest assured. I, Han Dang, was able to return to Lingzhou yesterday, and I have a way to escape unscathed. The bandits' calamity is also something that I, Han Dang, cannot tolerate. To eliminate the harm for the people, justice comes first. This time it's also related to my hometown, so don't implicate me in injustice, Zu Gongzi!"

  Zu Zhao heard this, and immediately also showed a smile, happily saying: "Brother Han has said so, I naturally cannot not comply. Please Brother Han rest assured, no matter what happens afterwards, I, Zu Zhao, will certainly do my utmost to ensure that Brother Han returns unscathed."

  After lunch, Zu Zhan returned from Anyang Pavilion and informed the Zhang brothers that they had agreed to come and help.

  The Zhang brothers are gathering the local youngsters and familiar knights, each with a horse and a sword. If they set out tonight, their family will send someone to notify them at any time, and they will rush over immediately. Moreover, they also agreed to meet at Beiguan Pavilion before noon tomorrow, regardless of whether they take action or not, just to have a clear command when taking action.

  Zu Zhao told Zu Zhan to take a rest first after his hard work.

  Before the city gate was closed at dusk, the county government finally sent a message. Zu Fan sent someone to Zu's village to report the news, saying that in the afternoon, County Magistrate Chen had drafted two documents, which were sent separately to the prefectural government and Lingzhixian County Government. The messenger also repeatedly instructed that County Magistrate Chen must require waiting for the response from the prefectural government and Lingzhixian County Government before taking action.

  Zu Zhao sent away the visitor and immediately went to see his grandfather, telling him Zu Fan's words verbatim, but deliberately omitting Chen County Jun's "repeated reminders". Xu had no choice but to follow orders, but this time going to Pinggang County where the county government was located would take at least three or two days back and forth. This didn't even count whether Governor Liu Zheng could review the documents in a timely manner and make a decision. In view of the current situation, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, as long as he can get the approval of the County Magistrate's Office, crossing borders would be justified.

  That night, Zu Jiu gathered several young and strong men from the Zu family who had a reputation for bravery. Without much ado, he gave them instructions with a very stern expression, requiring them to fully arm themselves according to the number of people they had assembled that day. The next day, as soon as they received word from the county government, they would set off directly for Lingzhi County.

  Apart from this, he nominally let Zu Zhao lead the crowd of younger brothers, but instead arranged for Zu Ling, Zu Li and Zu Ke to take care of Zu Zhao. Although Zu Zhao's performance in recent days has indeed shown leadership talent, and previously intimidated over a hundred invading Hu horses with a small number, also proving his bravery, after all, he is still young and the only legitimate heir of the Zu family. Zu Jiu is already old and no longer as bold and heroic as he was in his youth, now seeking caution in all things.

  In the hall, Zu Chao did not reveal any expression, calm as still water.

  Zu Ling, Zu Lie and several other uncles were famous in the county when they were young. Zu Ling once single-handedly knocked down three armed robbers during a robbery in the early years, which was also a commendable thing at that time; Zu Lie was a collateral descendant of a concubine, who was not valued by his family when he was young, but because he had been participating in escorting the ancestral family's business team to and from Hu territory for many years, within seven years, he shot and injured more than 50 bandits who dared to rob on the road, establishing his reputation in the family.

  As for the other uncles, they were either recommended as "Brave and Upright" by the county in their early years or had held military positions in the county or border areas.

  Although the ancestral home has not produced any outstanding figures in recent years, there have been people with some achievements in various fields. The family's military background and the bold folk customs of the northern border have made many of its descendants fond of martial arts and good at fighting.

  Even if Zu Zhao has shown some remarkable talent recently, in a large family like this and in front of such a group of uncles and elders, it can only be a topic for a while.

  However, after the crowd dispersed in the hall, Zu Zhao still came to the backyard horse arena, found a few young men who had practiced with him at Xihua Bridge, and ordered them to inform all armed young men tonight that no matter when they received the county government's oral message tomorrow, they would set off on the road after noon. At night, he also informed Han Dang of this arrangement in advance.

  Han nodded without any objection and said that tomorrow they could take a shortcut to go directly to Shunlin in the northeast of the county.

  I can only update once today, I'm really sorry. Hope all readers will forgive me and also hope you can collect it, give a red ticket, thank you!