Chapter 68

When Wu Fan arrived at the Yingyang Guard Hundred Household Office in Yingyang, he thought he must have come to the wrong place.

However, the crooked, gold-embossed red plaque hanging outside the gate, with the three large characters “Yingyang Guard” inscribed in seal script, told Wu Fan — this was indeed the Hundred Household Office, the place where he was about to take up his post.

Bricks and tiles were scattered everywhere, the marks of sword and axe slashes on the red-painted gate were still fresh, and the blood, diluted by water, was a pale pink, emitting a sweet and pungent smell that attracted countless flies, buzzing incessantly...

[The previous Hundred Household Zhou Ling was killed, and someone killed him in his own stronghold? Did Zhai Lingling do it? No, that should be impossible. Although Zhai Rang did not say it outright, his words implied that Zhai Lingling killed Zhou Ling on the way back from Luoyang. Then, what exactly happened at the Yingyang Guard Hundred Household Office?]

Wu Fan stood at the gate, silent for a long time.

“Who are you? Why are you spying on my Yingyang Guard Hundred Household Office?”

Suddenly, a person walked out from the gate, hand on the hilt of his sword, his face twisted with anger, looking quite fierce, as if ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

However...

Upon closer inspection, beneath that anger, there was more fear and unease.

Wu Fan was not wearing the white brocade and black eagle emblem that represented his status as a Yingyang Guard Hundred Household, and he was not displeased by the other party’s rudeness. He looked at the person inside the gate, who was wearing the eagle emblem, and took out his appointment letter, saying, “I am Wu Fan, the new Hundred Household of the Yingyang Guard Hundred Household Office! I have an appointment letter to prove it! Who are you?”

Perhaps because Wu Fan looked too young, the man looked at him with suspicion for a long time before bowing and saying, “Greetings, Hundred Household! I am Lin Xinshan, the Chief Banner of the Yingyang Guard Hundred Household Office!”

Wu Fan nodded, acknowledging the greeting.

Walking straight into the office, Wu Fan asked, “Chief Banner Lin, what’s the current situation at the Hundred Household Office? Can you tell me?”

Lin Xinshan, a burly man with a rough voice, said in a deep tone, “Eight days ago, Hundred Household Zhou was assassinated...”

Wu Fan interrupted, “Eight days ago? Where?”

Lin Xinshan was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “By the Grand Canal... in a brothel.”

[Eight days ago, in a brothel, it seems the incident at the Hundred Household Office has nothing to do with Zhai Lingling.]

Wu Fan muttered to himself, looking at Lin Xinshan, signaling him to continue.

Lin Xinshan continued, “The incident at the Hundred Household Office happened yesterday...”

At this point, Lin Xinshan seemed unable to continue, his face turning red, and he let out a sigh after a long pause.

Wu Fan’s steps had already reached inside the office, where he saw a desolate scene, with only a few Yingyang Guards in eagle emblems curiously looking at him.

Stopping, Wu Fan turned to stare into Lin Xinshan’s eyes and said, “Speak your mind. You can hide it from me for a while, but not forever. Don’t tell me the Hundred Household Office is in this state because of internal strife?”

Lin Xinshan was visibly uncomfortable with Wu Fan’s words, sniffing and gritting his teeth, he said, “It was done by the Wang family from the southern city! They claimed that Hundred Household Zhou owed them money...” Lin Xinshan clenched his fists, looking very dejected, as if he dared to be angry but not to speak: “A large group of people came, and one of our brothers was killed on the spot. The remaining sixty or seventy were injured, and Chief Banner Ju Zhe even lost a leg! I took the initiative to let them all rest at home...”

Wu Fan suddenly took two steps forward, patted Lin Xinshan’s sword, and asked, “What is this?”

Lin Xinshan remained silent.

Wu Fan tugged at Lin Xinshan’s eagle emblem uniform and asked again, “What is this?”

Lin Xinshan did not respond.

Shaking his head with a smile, Wu Fan’s expression became strange.

After considering for a while, Wu Fan took out over a hundred taels of silver from his pocket, threw it to Lin Xinshan, and said, “I just arrived and am not familiar with the situation here. We will be working together in the future. Since my brothers have suffered, I cannot share their pain, but I can show my concern. Take the silver, buy some wine and meat, and deliver it to the injured brothers. Consider it my personal gesture!” He then changed the subject: “Also, pass on a message for me: those who can move tomorrow should come to the Hundred Household Office to meet me. I will be waiting. Go!”

After sending Lin Xinshan away and dismissing the other Yingyang Guards, Wu Fan found a spot and basked in the sun as if nothing had happened.

In reality, Wu Fan was thinking.

Calculating the time, Wu Fan’s instinct told him — the Wang family was not targeting the Hundred Household Office, but him, Wu Fan. However, the Wang family did not expect that he did not arrive yesterday but stayed at Wagon Fort for a day and only came to the Hundred Household Office today. The Wang family miscalculated the date, and their attempt to intimidate him failed.

Speaking of the Wang family, anyone who dared to cause trouble at the Yingyang Guard Hundred Household Office must not be an ordinary person but someone with significant power and influence in the area. Coincidentally, Wu Fan learned from Zhai Rang that there was a Wang family among the local powerful clans. This Wang family was involved in the transportation and slave trade, known as the “Three Haves” — money, people, and connections.

“Click.”

Opening the fourteen-form saber case, Wu Fan took out a piece of silk from his pocket and slowly wiped the saber in the case under the sunlight. The blade was cold and sharp, and his eyes slowly filled with a killing intent.

Not for any other reason.

Wu Fan understood clearly.

Being overly soft and compromising would not work. When it was necessary to be firm, one must be firm, to show others that he was not to be trifled with. Only then could he establish himself. Especially in a new and unfamiliar environment, one must have both a smiling face and a stern one. One must firmly hold the power of speech and not let others manipulate him. Before he even took office, someone wanted to give him a warning. If he tolerated it after taking office, how could he stand his ground?

Besides these thoughts, Wu Fan had other considerations.

For example — Yingyang was a good place.

Yes, a good place.

Yingyang County was chaotic, with bandits rampant, powerful clans domineering, and corrupt officials rampant.

Yingyang County was wealthy; where would there be trouble without profit? Where there is profit, there are people, and where there is great profit, there is competition!

Compared to the Thousand Household Office of the Yingyang Guard in Luoyang, the Hundred Household Office in Yingyang County had fewer constraints and more freedom, giving Wu Fan a very comfortable feeling. Just as he said when leaving Luoyang, “The sea is wide for fish to leap, and the sky is high for birds to fly.” Here — there was much to be done!

Understanding clearly, one can act clearly.

Wu Fan had already decided what he would do next.

First, he needed to establish his authority!

...

PS1: Happy New Year, may you have a prosperous and lucky year.

PS2: Request for favorites, recommendations, likes, and red packets. I’ll ask for anything shamelessly. Insomnia at midnight, refining the outline, the next part will be very exciting.

PS3: Recommend [bookid=3380526,bookname=《Three Kingdoms: Summoning Mighty Generals》], one-sentence summary: Guan Yu vs. Qin Qiong, I think it’s a good idea.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends