Chapter 847: Wu One Million Arrives
Liu Guangzuo whispered, "The Emperor probably did give him a hundred thousand taels back then, but with so much to spend on disaster relief and settling pacified rebels, that hundred thousand taels must have been gone ages ago. I reckon he's out of money by now; the nickname 'Wu Ten Thousand' probably doesn't fit anymore."
Hu Dawei scoffed, "Nonsense! If I had a hundred thousand taels, I couldn't spend it all in a lifetime. Couldn't spend it, absolutely couldn't spend it all!"
Liu Guangzuo retorted, "That's you! Try giving me a hundred thousand taels, and I'll blow it all in less than two months."
As they spoke, the civil officials ahead of them finally completed their formal introductions.
Hu Dawei remarked, "It's our turn now. Let's go make our introductions."
Liu Guangzuo agreed, "Right."
Together, they approached Wu Shen and offered a respectful salute.
"Governor," Hu Dawei announced, "I am Brigadier General Hu Dawei."
"Brigadier General Liu Guangzuo," added Liu Guangzuo.
He was merely speaking pleasantries. He planned to entrust the bandit suppression to Xing Honglang, Lao Nanfeng, and Bai Mao from now on, with no intention of heavily relying on these two.
Hu Dawei, still oblivious to his impending sidelining, pointed at the long line of carts and horses behind Wu Shen and asked curiously, "Venerable Wu, what exactly have you brought with you?"
Wu Shen declared proudly, "Silver. A million taels!"
"What?" Hu Dawei gasped, utterly astonished.
"Bloody hell!" Liu Guangzuo practically leaped in surprise.
The civil officials nearby had been straining their ears, subtly listening to the Governor's words. Hearing "a million taels," they could hardly believe it.
One by one, their gazes shifted to the convoy of carts behind Wu Shen.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"A million taels? He must be bluffing us."
"How could there possibly be so much money?"
Wu Shen strode over to one of the large carts and, with a swift movement, pulled back the oiled canvas covering a wicker basket. A flash of silver light erupted, revealing indeed a basket full of ingots—gleaming, shimmering silver.
The assembled officials collectively gasped, "Whoa!"
Wu Shen declared loudly, "I have arrived with a million taels of pure silver, determined to transform Shanxi into an impregnable stronghold of prosperity, to ensure all its people live in peace and contentment, and to bring tranquility and joy to this world. Gentlemen, if you are willing to lend me your aid, then let us work together diligently to invest this money wisely in construction. But if anyone intends to hinder my efforts, well..."
The Special Operations team soldiers, responsible for escorting the silver, uniformly took a step forward, backing up Wu Shen with a display of disciplined force.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized: every soldier stepped and landed in unison, creating a single, chilling thud that instantly stunned every civil and military official present.
They all assumed these were Wu Shen's personal household guards...
In these times, it was common for civil officials to bring private guards; figures like Hong Chengchou and Lu Xiangheng, for instance, had assembled their own powerful private forces, so it wasn't particularly unusual.
It was just that... Wu Shen's household guards were remarkably lavish. Every man was armored and carried an arquebus—truly worthy of a super-wealthy magnate wielding a million taels of silver.
All the civil and military officials bowed in unison, declaring, "From this day forward, we shall follow Governor Wu's lead!"
On that day, Wu Shen underwent a transformation.
No longer would he be known as 'Wu Ten Thousand,' but he had ascended in an instant to: 'Wu One Million!'
Yingzhou, southeast of the city, Beilou Village.
A contingent of Manchu soldiers advanced towards the village.
The Manchu general leading the charge wore a grim expression.
In recent days, the Manchu scouting parties had repeatedly fallen into Ming ambushes, suffering severe casualties. Nearly a thousand men had been lost, and hundreds of warhorses seized.
This greatly enraged Huang Taiji.
To raid the Great Ming only to suffer such heavy losses himself? It was hardly worth the effort. He had already commanded all his banner soldiers to be extremely cautious: if a raid wasn't successful, they were to retreat immediately, not get themselves killed just to grab some loot.
As for why the Ming army had suddenly grown so formidable, Huang Taiji was desperate to know.
Such intelligence, however, couldn't be gathered on the battlefield. He could only send spies to infiltrate the Great Ming court and slowly uncover the truth.
The general leading this current force had received strict orders: proceed with extreme caution, and retreat immediately at the first sign of trouble.
"That village ahead is Guanlou Village," a scout reported. "According to our intel, there are only 120 residents, and no sign of Ming troops."
"Excellent!" the general ordered. "Raid quickly, then withdraw immediately. No lingering."
Just as he gave these instructions...
...inside Beilou Village.
Inside, Lao Nanfeng, dressed in villager's clothes, was giving a pep talk to the other 120 "villagers." "This isn't your first performance," he said. "Last time, you played Manchus in 'A Little Soldier from the Daling River Border Army,' and I have faith in your acting skills."
The "villagers" chuckled. "Don't worry, Brother Nanfeng," they said. "Not only are we good at playing warriors, but we're also masters at playing cowards."
Lao Nanfeng roared with laughter. "Who plays well and who plays badly? I've got my eyes on all of you. After this battle, whoever delivers a good performance will get a chance to be an important supporting character, with a few lines of dialogue!"
The "villagers" erupted in joy. "Lines of dialogue?"
Lao Nanfeng affirmed, "With lines, comes the chance to take off. Whether you can become a supporting character, or even a lead, is entirely up to your own acting skills."
The "villagers" jumped with delight. "Damn, I'd really love to be a lead character just once!"
"Even if I can't be the lead, being a supporting character like Commander Chen would be fine."
"Shit, are you out of your mind? You want Commander Chen's role?"
"Commander Chen is famous now, too. I don't care how he got famous, as long as he is!"
As they chatted, a beautiful woman emerged from a nearby dwelling—the courtesan herself. She spoke up, "My soldier brothers, tell me, does my outfit still look like a village girl's?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison. "Not at all like a village girl."
The courtesan fell silent.
"You can't play a village girl at all," Lao Nanfeng stated. "Just stay put, don't come out and cause trouble. Hide properly in your room, set up the camera, and that's all. Don't worry about anything else, and whatever you do, don't run out of the house and mess things up for us."
The courtesan could only say awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I've caused trouble for all of you brothers."
A group of "villagers" immediately chimed in, "No, no, not at all troublesome! It's wonderful to have a lady here; it makes us all more spirited for battle."
Lao Nanfeng laughed, scolding them, "A bunch of weaklings whose legs turn to jelly at the sight of a pretty woman!"
Just then, a whistle sounded from outside the village.
Lao Nanfeng's spirits lifted. He grinned, "They're here! The Manchu scouting cavalry has arrived. Gentlemen, begin your performance."
The "villagers" instantly dispersed, scattering across the village
to their designated spots.
Some sat under eaves weaving bamboo strips, some dug in the earth behind houses, some stood by the latrine pit, scooping manure balls, others repaired rooftops...
Little Beilou Village truly appeared to be a tranquil, utterly harmless place.
Free read.
Comments