Chapter 90

Zhang Ke led his troops into Shuangshan Platform, which frightened one person, the team leader Han Gui. He led his subordinates to rush over and found that Zhang Ke had already entered the city.

"Idiots, all of you are idiots!"

An angry Han Gui frantically whipped a few deserters, cursing their parents.

"Ha ha ha, what a great show! Beating your own people won't scare me, Zhang Ke!"

Han Gui suddenly looked up and saw a young man in a cotton armor walking over, surrounded by people. His face was almost too young, yet he exuded a killing aura.

Han Gui gritted his teeth, pinched his bent thigh, and straightened his chest.

"Sir, I am the team leader of Shuangshan Platform. I have the duty to defend the territory. If you barge in like this, I won't be polite!"

Han Gui waved his hand, and his fifty to sixty subordinates, armed with knives and spears, surged forward.

Zhang Ke carefully observed these soldiers, none of whom had proper armor. Only a dozen wore tattered battle jackets, and the rest were in ragged clothes, with holes all over their leather and cotton coats. Their weapons were even more rudimentary, with broken swords and even farming tools. They looked far worse than the bandits from Xianshanhu.

"Can you take them down in half an hour?"

Yue Zixuan laughed heartily. "Sir, just watch!"

With a loud roar, Yue Zixuan led his troops forward.

Han Gui, looking at the advancing new recruits, was not particularly concerned. These boys looked too young, probably none of them were over twenty. His subordinates had been through many battles and were experienced; it was not yet clear who would win.

A few subordinates in tattered armor indeed charged forward bravely, raising their knives.

"Brothers, don't be afraid. Don't look at their numbers; they are all useless brats!"

The distance between the two sides was only forty to fifty steps, and they quickly closed in. However, these young soldiers looked strange; they stopped and stood still, like wooden statues. Were they waiting to die?

The group felt a moment of confusion but still raised their knives to strike.

Yue Zixuan's lips curled into a cold smile, and he suddenly shouted, "Level the spears!"

Swish!

The first row of twenty spears were raised, their cold tips pointing at the charging soldiers.

"Thrust!"

Another shout, and the long spears thrust forward, the charging soldiers colliding with a wall of spears. Plop, plop, plop, the sound of metal piercing flesh, and blood splattered. An old soldier was still brave; he desperately cut through two spears aimed at his chest, but two other spears pierced his ribs.

The soldiers pushed together, and his body was lifted. He screamed in agony, his limbs twitching like a frog, and soon he died from blood loss.

Of the five leading the charge, four were killed in the first round, and one was injured, rolling on the ground. Yue Zixuan was very angry.

They usually practiced well, but when it came to the real thing, their thrusts lacked power and accuracy, and some were just there to make up the numbers.

It was just a bunch of idiots; if they had met a real elite force, they would have been no match.

"Hmph, I'll train you until you die!" Yue Zixuan thought to himself.

Many new recruits also felt the hostile gaze and were on edge.

They all felt ashamed, but Han Gui and his men were terrified!

The five bravest were gone in an instant, and the rest looked at each other, suddenly someone threw their broken knife and ran.

Han Gui was no exception, running even faster than his subordinates.

The new recruits were stunned. How could these people run after just one round of attack? Were they even soldiers? How could they be so cowardly?

As everyone was at a loss, a small man suddenly shouted, "What are you waiting for? Capture the prisoners!"

This man led the charge, running faster than anyone else. The other soldiers, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly followed.

"I already thought they were weak, but I didn't expect them to exceed my expectations. Truly impressive!" Zhang Ke couldn't help but give a thumbs up, then fiercely lowered it.

Zhang Feng was not surprised, smiling, "Second Brother, don't say these military households. Even if the recruits have an incompetent leader, they will collapse at the first touch, which is not surprising. The young man who led the charge just now is quite interesting. He reacted quickly. If he is well trained, he might be a good material."

Zhang Ke also looked closely. The young man was the beggar who had bitten the prisoner to death a few days ago, named Chu Haitian, who indeed had a ruthless streak.

The battle turned into a game of catching chickens. In just over a quarter of an hour, Chu Haitian and two soldiers brought Han Gui to Zhang Ke.

"Sir, this guy is fat and has a big head. Do you want to cut off his head?" Chu Haitian greedily licked his lips.

"What are you thinking? We are here to escort the people back home, not to kill. Let him stand up."

Chu Haitian lowered his head, secretly cursing. Officials are hypocritical, even adults are no exception. He mustered his strength and kicked Han Gui hard.

"Brat, kneel properly, the sir is asking you!"

Han Gui winced in pain, almost breaking his waist, and struggled to kneel before Zhang Ke, crying, "Sir, I am blind, please spare my life, spare my life!"

"I won't kill you, but you need to deliver a message for me."

Han Gui bowed his head like a pestle, "Sir, please speak, I will deliver the message."

Zhang Ke, expressionless, said, "Go tell Xu Dianqian that I have suddenly received many refugees from Zhenyi Fort. I have no authority to interfere with Zhenyi Fort, but I cannot ignore the plight of the people. Therefore, I am escorting the people back and helping them settle. Assure Xu Dianqian that the people will be well taken care of. However, Daqing Fort is small, so I need to borrow some land from Shuangshan Platform. They are his people, I believe he won't mind!"

After Zhang Ke finished speaking, he ignored Han Gui's expression and had a few soldiers drag him out of the fort.

Yue Zixuan led the soldiers to take over the entire Shuangshan Platform and rushed into Han Gui's house.

"Chief, look, there's a box under the desk," a sharp-eyed soldier pointed out.

"What are you waiting for? Move it out."

The soldiers tried to lift the box, but it was so heavy that they couldn't move it. Yue Zixuan's heart raced, and he couldn't help but get excited. Shuangshan Platform was known for its gold mine, so maybe this box...

The more he thought, the more his hands trembled, and sweat broke out on his forehead. This box must weigh a hundred to two hundred pounds. If it was all gold, how much would it be worth? His blood surged.

"Let's take it to the sir for his inspection!"

Yue Zixuan and his men struggled to carry the box to find Zhang Ke.

At this moment, a large group of people were kneeling before Zhang Ke, the refugees.

Actually, they didn't really believe Zhang Ke's promises. Xu Dianqian had absolute power in Zhenyi Fort, and they didn't believe Zhang Ke could overthrow the Xu family.

However, superstitions will eventually be dispelled. When the new recruits easily defeated the city's soldiers and Han Gui was like a dead dog, their confidence surged. Perhaps there could be a change.

"Sir, the Xu family has bullied us. Please help us!"

"Sir Zhang, we all want to follow you. Please take us in!"

"Please, sir, please!"

...

Looking at the kneeling people, Zhang Ke smiled. "Fellow countrymen, Xu Dianqian sent you to Daqing Fort with ill intentions. I believe you know this. I, Zhang Ke, lead the troops and manage the people, but I am not here to give handouts. If you want to eat and wear warm clothes, you must work hard. Are you willing to do that?"

"No problem! Sir, we are not lazy. It's just that Xu Dianqian is too greedy, demanding too much, which we can't bear."

Zhang Ke nodded. "Good. I'll be straightforward. After the spring, the land will be re-divided, with thirty acres for each able-bodied man. I won't collect rent in the first year, one dou in the second year, and one-tenth from the third year onward. The only tax is the land tax. However, during the off-season, you must participate in labor, such as building bridges and roads."

The people looked at each other. Zhang Ke's conditions were already much heavier than the Ming Dynasty's agricultural taxes. However, compared to Xu Dianqian's twenty to thirty percent rent, it was much more reasonable.

After thinking, they all bowed their heads.

"Sir, we will follow your orders!"

At this moment, Yue Zixuan and his men arrived with the box. Qiao Fu saw Yue Zixuan sweating and couldn't help but laugh. "Old Yue, you are known as the Black Ox, with great strength. How can you be so tired from carrying a small box? Did you not eat?"

Yue Zixuan ignored Qiao Fu and hurried to Zhang Ke.

"Sir, this box is abnormally heavy. I suspect it might be gold. I didn't dare open it, please inspect it yourself!"

Zhang Ke frowned slightly but laughed carelessly. "Even if it's gold, what's the problem? Let everyone see!"

Saying this, Zhang Ke grabbed a steel knife and slashed the lock, then lifted the lid. Everyone stretched their necks to look.

"Ah!" Everyone screamed in shock.

Zhang Ke was also surprised. Inside the box lay a piece of gold about the size of a basin, emitting a faint yellow light.

"Doghead gold!" Qiao Tieshan saw it and suddenly shouted, "Such a large piece of doghead gold! It's a divine object, a divine object!"

---

(End of the page)