piratefiction Chapter 56 Wu Han's Ambition
Chapter 56 Wu Han's Ambition
The next morning, Lu Yuan had just woken up and eaten something when he was about to go find Lao Huang and ask him to inform everyone to gather at the city gate at noon.
"Bang! Bang!"
A series of urgent knocks sounded on the door.
Without even guessing, Lu Yuan knew who had come; no one but Zhou He would use such force.
After opening the courtyard gate, I saw the other person standing outside, looking shifty and sneaky.
"What's up?"
"Let's go inside first," Zhou He said, pulling Lu Yuan into the courtyard. After closing the door, he whispered, "Wu Han sent word last night that there's a big deal out there, asking if we want to do it?"
"How big?" Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"It's said to be some military equipment that the Sun family secretly sold to the border regions," Zhou He said.
"The imperial court has long since banned the salt and iron trade with the northern barbarians, yet this scoundrel still dares to sell weapons," Lu Yuan said in a deep voice.
Because once these weapons fall into the hands of the Northern Barbarians, they will become sharp weapons to strike at the warriors of Dayong.
After a moment's thought, he continued, "If that's really the case, shouldn't we find an opportunity to leak this to the imperial court and have them deal with the Sun family?"
"Hey, what are you thinking? You think the Sun family would dare to do this deal on their own? There are big shots behind them. If we really spill the beans, even if the Sun family and the people behind them are implicated, we're finished."
Even the Zhou family can't protect you and me.
Do you really think these military families have no eyes and ears? They're also seething with anger, but they can't afford to offend their superiors.
The affairs of the imperial court are complicated. Without absolute power, we should just mind our own business.
"If you're willing, you can make some money this time outside the city. They won't dare to make a big fuss. As long as there's no evidence, it'll just be forgotten. You can also help Wu Han get revenge and collect some interest."
Zhou He spoke up.
Lu Yuan nodded: "Then what are we still considering? When should we set off?"
"If possible, the sooner the better," Zhou He said in a low voice.
Lu Yuan nodded: "I'll go get the things."
After saying that, he took some essentials and went out, but he didn't bring any weapons or armor.
He couldn't do this openly; concealing his identity was inevitable.
After leaving the city, Wu Han should not be short of supplies.
Since the Sun family suffered a blow last time, no one has been following him anymore, so there's no need for the two of them to hide anything anymore.
After making some preparations, they headed out of the courtyard.
After leaving the city, we headed straight for the black pine forest.
After walking for less than half an hour, they saw a burly figure standing at the edge of the forest, his bald head very conspicuous.
He was wearing iron armor.
With a long sword at his waist and a dark gold axe in his hand, it was none other than Wu Han. He looked much wilder and fiercer than before.
Upon seeing him, Lu Yuan and his companion first put on the prepared masks to avoid being recognized by Wu Han's men, and then jumped off their warhorses to greet him and give him a hug.
It's noticeable that Wu Han is much stronger than before.
"Haha, long time no see, you've grown quite a bit in physique." Lu Yuan said, looking at Wu Han, who had completely changed.
"I'm nowhere near as good as you. You even managed to kill Silver Arm Iron Falcon. I really can't imagine what you can't do," Wu Han sighed in a low voice.
His men had already been driven away to a distance.
Then he pulled Lu Yuan and Zhou He to sit down by the campfire.
Then, a pot of wine was handed over.
"Do you have a plan? When will you make your move?" Lu Yuan asked, taking a sip of his drink.
"The day after tomorrow, they will have a caravan heading out of the border. It is said that the eldest son of the Sun family will lead the team. I estimate that even if I could win against him, I would probably suffer considerable losses, so I thought of you two."
"There are about fifty or sixty of them. One is at the Tendon Refining stage, five are at the Bone Forging stage, about ten are at the Body Tempering stage, and the rest are ordinary guards," Wu Han analyzed.
Lu Yuan glanced at him: "How many men do you have under your command right now?"
"Two hundred men, eight to enter the country, plus me, the Bone Forging expert," Wu Han said without hesitation.
These days, he's doing quite well in the border region.
Both their own strength and the number of people under their command have increased.
"Okay, it's settled then. We'll rob his goods the day after tomorrow." Lu Yuan took a bite of the roasted lamb leg.
"Well, if this succeeds, the strength of my team will be greater, and at least each person will have a set of armor," Wu Han grinned.
Then he pulled out a stack of silver notes from his pocket: "I haven't looted much silver during this period, only a little over eight thousand taels. You two can split it first. After we loot the goods, the silver is yours. I only want the armor and weapons."
Clearly, Wu Han has great ambitions; he is not satisfied with having only the current number of people under his command.
Just as Lu Yuan and Zhou He were about to politely decline, Wu Han said seriously, "We said before that this team belonged to Lu Yuan. Now that we have achieved something, it is only natural to give feedback. There is no other meaning behind it."
I've kept mine too. Don't tell me you don't want it, or you're looking down on me.
Hearing him say that, Zhou He took the silver notes, counted out three thousand taels for himself, and then gave five thousand taels to Lu Yuan: "You are the boss, this is what you deserve. Wu Han is right, there is no need to be polite."
Seeing the two of them like this, Lu Yuan did not press the matter further.
Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, and these military families in the northern frontier are said to keep private armies outside the border for self-protection in critical moments. It's not unreasonable for him to keep one as well, as it's a precautionary measure.
After the silver was divided...
Wu Han stood up and said, "Let's leave first. Come to my village tonight and have a good drink."
Lu Yuan did not object. He and Zhou He got up, mounted their horses, and headed towards the village that Wu Han had mentioned.
The two were genuinely curious, since neither of them had ever seen a counterfeit version of the mountain village before.
After walking for about several dozen miles, they entered a forest and saw a sizable mountain stronghold standing there.
It was all built of wood, and looked quite simple.
Wu Han laughed and said, "We bandits just rob once and then move on to another place. This is just a temporary place to stay. You can make do for a few days."
After saying that, he led his men inside.
When he returned, many people came up to greet him.
"The boss's."
"The boss is back."
......
At the same time, he looked at Lu Yuan and Zhou He, who were wearing half-face masks, with a questioning gaze, but did not dare to ask any more questions.
As darkness fell, the three of them began drinking in their makeshift camp.
Wu Han also occasionally let out a hearty laugh.
At that very moment, inside the dungeon of Yanzhou in the Dayong Dynasty, a man wearing a mandarin duck battle jacket and a black cloak walked out of the dark cell while wiping the blood from his hands.
Faintly, all around were piercing screams.
He was a commander of the Embroidered Garrison in Yanzhou.
A few days ago, a high-ranking spy from the Northern Barbarians, who had been planted in Dayong, was captured in Yanzhou. The spy had just emerged from his dormant state when he was caught. Moreover, this person held a high position in Dayong and had just extracted a piece of information.
Some high-ranking members of the Northern Barbarians are hiding in the Icefield Fortress.
Although the spy didn't know the exact status of the other party, he was certainly very distinguished.
Upon receiving the news, the commander naturally dared not neglect it.
As soon as he stepped out of the cell, he said to his trusted centurion, "Immediately send a message by carrier pigeon to Saicheng, explaining the situation and ordering them to arrest the hidden Northern Barbarian high-ranking officials."
"My lord, I'll go right away. However, the nearest Embroidered Uniform Guard is located along the line between Youzhou and Yanzhou. It will take at least two days for the news to reach Saicheng."
"Send a message first. If he's still alive, there's no need to say anything. If he's escaped, send men out of the city to chase after him. As long as he hasn't entered the territory of the Northern Barbarians, he must be brought back," the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard said coldly.