Chapter 8: Exorbitant Demands

  "Now that Hu Dahu has been punished and Yang Baihu has also met his fate, is it just going to end like this today? Everyone disperse, everyone disperse..."

  Zhou Guangbi didn't want to make things complicated, so after hearing Yang Bo's guarantee, he simply waved his hand at the people in the hall. Thinking about how this new hundred-household head had made such a big deal out of it, Zhou Guangbi felt extremely annoyed. To say that Yang Bo had planned this beforehand was unbelievable, but as soon as he had started, Yang Bo had taken advantage of the situation and created such a big fuss. If not for his own habit of being moderate in his dealings with others, and if Wang, the deputy hundred-household head, wasn't so foolish, today might have ended in disaster for him. Thinking about this, Zhou Guangbi couldn't help but feel some admiration for Yang Bo.

  "Wait a minute..."

  Just as the hundred households were about to leave after setting up their tables and chairs, Yang Bo's voice suddenly rang out.

  Is there still good show to watch?

  Today's thrilling drama has been one scene after another, and they're all getting a bit overwhelmed. And now it's still not over? Those who were excitedly waiting have sat back down again. Today is really worth the trip! I'm sure these past few days will bring up many new topics of conversation. Just Yang Bo and Xiaocai entering the house with that ambiguous attitude has already brought out sly smiles from many people.

  "Sir, I have something else to report..." Yang Bo bowed his hands slightly towards Zhou Guang.

  You think it's over just because you've brought Hanzi up? One trick at a time, I went through so much trouble with this big show, crawling and climbing everywhere, even biting off a huge chunk of my tongue, and the profit hasn't been settled yet...

  Zhou Guangbi's eyebrows furrowed involuntarily as he said slowly, "Yang Baihu, is there anything else?"

  "Ah, it's like this," Yang Bo said with a smile. "Today I went to inspect several coastal forts under the jurisdiction of Majiatun. Alas, the system in Majiatun is lax and the military preparations are not in order. As an official, I am worried about this..."

  "Not right!" Zhou Guangbi's vigilance was very high, and as soon as he heard Yang Bo mention "system" and so on, he had a bad feeling that this kid was going to cheat people again. His old self wasn't going to fall for it. Looking at Yang Bo sighing and clutching his chest, Zhou Guangbi gritted his teeth and said: "Original Hundred Hu, the adult has been bedridden for a long time, and the military discipline of Majiatun is indeed slack, but isn't Yang Hundred just taking office? It's the perfect opportunity to show off one's skills. I believe that with a young talent like Yang Hundred, who is strict and wise in governance, the appearance of Majiatun will definitely be renewed."

  "What the adults said is extremely true, it's just that the troops have not moved yet, and the grain and grass are going first..." Yang Bo began to open his mouth wide "With so many people in Maojia Village, each person eats horse feed, I don't even have a single coin, how can you ask me to rectify the military preparations?"

  "How are you?" Zhou Guangbi hummed in his heart, "Does he have any silver now?"

  "Sir knows that I have just taken office, that...," Yang Bo surprisingly stuttered "that, sir, may I ask if it's possible to halve the annual silver tax for Maojia Village this year?"

  The hall echoed with gasps again, this Yang Baihu has a big nerve...

  How dare he say such a thing?

  "How much did he pay originally? Moreover, whether to waive or not is none of my business. It seems Yang Baihu has mistaken the dock?" Zhou Guangbi was furious.

  What a joke! The exemption of silver tax, isn't that just skinning the flesh off Zhou Guangbing's body?

  "Alright, alright, let's not talk about money for now, that's too common. Isn't it? How about this, sir, take a look and just allocate some troops and horses or whatever is available?" Yang Bo started making exorbitant demands.

  "No!" Lord Zhou swept his sleeve and refused without hesitation, not even giving him a chance to return the money.

  "I heard that Ping Shan Island has recently been visited by another group of pirates?" Yang Bo also didn't rush

  Yang Bo's words sparked a flurry of discussion in the hall. Ping Shan Island is very close to Shi Tuo, and this coastal area has already suffered greatly from pirate invasions. Now, another group of deadly pirates has appeared, and it's uncertain when they will land and start burning and killing. Everyone still remembers clearly that last June 20th, the pirate Ma Sanbao landed at Xiahe Village in Ling Shan Wei, plundered Xinyang Salt Field, burned and killed, and committed all sorts of evil deeds. The two armies of Lai Deng Prefecture were deployed, but they pushed the blame onto each other. Ma Sanbao's bandits roamed freely for six days before slowly retreating by sea, leaving the imperial army to gaze out at the sea in dismay, crying out in frustration...

  Some say that the pirates on Pingyuan Island were originally defeated soldiers from Dengzhou who were forced to flee and gather at sea, while others say that this group of pirates was a result of internal strife among several hall owners under Ma Sanbao, which split off into a smaller group. Others claim that Liaodong was occupied by the Tatars, causing many refugees to flee...

  In short, there are various claims, but none of them is accurate.

  Zhou Guangbi naturally knew about these situations, but he also had no solution. The coastal fortifications were already famous for their emptiness, and even if they could predict the pirate attacks, what could they do to resist them? There were many military households in the area, but these military households were still able to get out of bed every day to chop wood and cook seaweed, thanking heaven and earth. The only ones he could rely on were his own dozens of family servants.

  But Yang Bo's words were said in front of so many people at the Wei family home, if something happened that day, he would have already cleared himself...

  Yang Bo saw Zhou Guangbi's face was gloomy and uncertain, so he quickly handed over a list.

  The people in the hall looked at Zhou Qian's face getting darker and darker, followed by a loud slap on the table, making a "bang" sound, and the room fell silent again. Everyone's heart was churning...

  Is this Yang Baihu a dog? He just bit Vice Commander Wang, and now he's going to bite Lord Zhou Guangbing? Many people are also guessing what was written on that note that made the commander so furious.

  "Yang Baihu" Zhou Guangbi beckoned to Yang Bo with a wave of his hand, and the latter hastily wiped his face and ran to his side.

  "Yang Baihu, the governor of Qingzhou, may hold a high position and wield great power, but he can't control this small stone mill of mine. Listen to my advice, little brother: it's better for people to know their limits..." Zhou Guangbi lowered his voice and whispered to Yang Bo.

  "Wise and enlightened leader"

  Yang Bo shouted a sentence towards the countless people below, and those who didn't understand thought they were discussing pirate affairs.

  Yang Bo lowered his voice and said, "This humble one is trying to share the worries of the adults! I heard that two years ago, a group of pirates came to Jiacang Town. If it weren't for Lord Zhou standing up at that time, it wouldn't have been so easy to settle down. Lord Zhou single-handedly repelled the enemy, and although this humble one has only just arrived, thinking back to Lord Zhou's majestic appearance when he intimidated the villains with his solitary presence, I am also moved...

  Yang Bo's flattery hit the right spot, and Zhou Daren momentarily forgot about Yang Bo's arrogance, smiling and waving his hand: "Those are all old stories, let's not mention them, let's not mention them..."

  Few people know the truth, Zhou Guangbi was still a hundred households at that time, and the pirates of the sea landed in Jiacang Town to negotiate with the local Wei Suo's thousand households. Just when they were worried that they couldn't find anyone, the Thousand Households prepared to force him to take over, but Zhou Guangbi didn't know who pushed him, and this unlucky task fell on his head...