Chapter 72

County Assistant, County Assistant, the assistant of a county.

The deputy of the County Magistrate, holding the third highest position after the County Magistrate and the County Chief.

The day before yesterday, Wu Fan stayed at Wagon Fort for so long, not for sightseeing or for eating and drinking, but with a purpose.

From Zhai Rang, Wu Fan had already learned all the information about the prominent figures in the territory of Yingyang. For example, the County Assistant before him, named Qi Zu'an, was forty-three years old, had one wife and six concubines, and two pairs of children. Qi Zu'an was not a good person, a typical representative of the collusion between officials and businessmen. A part of the Wang family's business profits belonged to him... otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed here so urgently.

The plump and white Qi Zu'an, looking like a flipped turtle, struggled to get up from the ground. Wu Fan, with keen eyes, went over to help him up and even smiled while brushing the dust off Qi Zu'an's body.

His appearance and expression were truly fawning.

Qi Zu'an panted heavily, his eyes fixed on Wang Jiao, who was already dead and hanging from the broken door latch. His white, plump face changed colors like a Sichuan opera mask, turning green, white, yellow, and red, one after another, a dazzling display.

Wu Fan smiled innocently and asked, "Why has the County Assistant come here?" He patted his head, pretending to have forgotten something, and asked embarrassedly, "What did you shout just now? Knife-cut noodles? What does that mean? I... I've never heard of any noodle stall around here! Are they good?"

Qi Zu'an stared deeply at Wu Fan. His already swollen body trembled with anger like a toad, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Wu Baihu! Look at what you've done! Breaking into a civilian's home and killing the whole family... is there still any law in this land!"

Wu Fan's face darkened, and he narrowed his eyes, staring at Qi Zu'an. He slowly said, "County Assistant Qi! You shouldn't eat just anything, or you might get a stomachache. You shouldn't speak recklessly either, or it could cost you your life!" Leaning forward slightly, Wu Fan's tone turned sinister, "Wang Jiao led his retainers to attack the Yingyang Eagle-Brave Guard's Hundred-Man Post! Injuring and killing the Emperor's personal troops is tantamount to treason, punishable by the extermination of nine clans! Co-conspirators... will also be exterminated! County Assistant Qi, you... wouldn't be in cahoots with Wang Jiao, would you?"

Qi Zu'an's heart skipped a beat, secretly blaming himself for being blinded by anger. He thought to himself, "This scoundrel in front of me seems to be fawning over me, like a sycophant. But if he were really a sycophant, could he have so silently and ruthlessly slaughtered the entire Wang family? Not everyone has the nerve! Moreover... treason is a serious crime! Just being involved means death!"

Suppressing his anger, Qi Zu'an gritted his teeth and said, "Wu Baihu! You can't just throw mud like that! I only received a message that someone was massacring civilians here, so I came..."

Wu Fan chuckled, interrupting Qi Zu'an. He clasped his hands and said with a twinkle in his eye, "I heard that County Assistant Qi has many ways to make money?"

Hearing Wu Fan suddenly use a gangster's jargon, Qi Zu'an was clearly taken aback and stood there for a long time.

After a while.

Having been in Yingyang for a long time, how could Qi Zu'an not understand? Realizing what Wu Fan meant, he raised his fine eyebrows and said, "What? Is Wu Baihu trying to take a cut? That's not right!"

"Ha ha ha..."

Wu Fan laughed sinisterly, his expression unchanged as he looked at Qi Zu'an.

Wu Fan was not in a hurry, for no other reason than that the Wang family's assets and businesses had nothing to do with him. If he could get them, great. If not, he wouldn't feel sorry.

Qi Zu'an, realizing the situation, became anxious. The Wang family's business was closely tied to his income! If Wu Fan held this matter over his head, he wouldn't get a single coin in the future.

Clasping his hands, Qi Zu'an said with a puzzled tone, "Brother! Friends in the same trade, let's share the spoils? (Since we're in the same line of work, let's split the Wang family's business?)"

If you give me face, I'll give you respect; the matter will be easy to handle.

Turning to the Eagle-Brave Guard, Wu Fan ordered, "Quickly inventory the Wang family's assets," and then, with a hearty smile, he put his arm around Qi Zu'an's broad shoulder and led him aside, saying, "County Assistant, since we're being frank, let's be even more open, shall we?"

Qi Zu'an nodded, what else could he do? The other party was clearly not a good person. If you dared to stop him from getting involved, he would really throw mud on your head and kill you!

Wu Fan pondered and continued, "The labor hiring at the Grand Canal dock and the slave trade are not monopolized by the Wang family. The profits are extremely high... Now that the Wang family is gone, it doesn't actually harm your interests! You are the County Assistant, in charge of the Grand Canal's management and flow. I am the Hundred-Man Commander of the Eagle-Brave Guard, in charge of the Grand Canal's supervision. If we work together, we can control a large part of the business, and they will have no choice but to listen, right? Based on this, we can transfer the Wang family's business to other local operators, directly obtaining pure profits from them, safe and risk-free. What do you think?"

Qi Zu'an thought for a moment and looked at Wu Fan, "Who do you want to entrust the Wang family's business to?"

Wu Fan shrugged and waved his hand, smiling, "I don't know, you need to handle it. Let's put it this way, I want a 5% pure profit. No more, no less. If I find any tricks... I won't be lenient. The rest is up to you! As for how much you take from the other party, I don't care, whether it's 30% or 50%, it's all up to your ability!"

Up to this point, it was a naked exchange of interests. Feelings, connections, and official positions were all superficial. Silver was the real thing!

In the past, Qi Zu'an only got 10% of the Wang family's business, already making a fortune daily. Now, with the opportunity to get more, how could he not be tempted?

After some thought, Qi Zu'an nodded, agreeing.

Turning back to look at the Wang family's residence, Qi Zu'an said, "What do you plan to do with that?"

Wu Fan pursed his lips and sighed, "What can I do? All the seized gold and silver must be turned over, otherwise, I can't explain the deaths of over a hundred people!" He paused, then looked at Qi Zu'an with a half-smile, "County Assistant, you are a shrewd person. You know better than I do what silver can be taken and what cannot. Why ask such a question?"

Caught in his attempt, Qi Zu'an's face turned red, feeling extremely embarrassed.

There was no way Qi Zu'an could resist the temptation. The Wang family's assets were indeed substantial and rich.

The deal was done, and Qi Zu'an no longer felt the same anger when looking at Wang Jiao's body; instead, he felt a bit relieved. Why? No reason. If Wang Jiao didn't die, how could he make more money?

After seeing Qi Zu'an off, Wu Fan sneered and evaluated him in his heart—[Blinded by greed, insatiable!]

Turning around, Wu Fan put on a smile, walked into the Wang family's courtyard, and called out loudly, "Brothers, hurry up with the inventory! I'll treat you to drinks tonight!"

As soon as he finished speaking—

"Great!"

"Thank you, Commander!"

"Drinks! Everyone, let's work harder!"

Hearing the excited cheers, Wu Fan smiled even more broadly, indicating that everything he had done was not in vain. His actions were supported... he had firmly established himself as the Hundred-Man Commander!

From the beginning, Wu Fan had planned to use the Wang family to establish his authority, warning the people of Yingyang that he, Wu Fan, was not a soft target. Additionally, it was also a way to win the hearts of the Eagle-Brave Guard at the Yingyang Hundred-Man Post.

Unlike in the Luoyang Thousand-Man Post, where Wu Fan was a lone wolf, the Yingyang Hundred-Man Post offered much more freedom, with many aspects that Wu Fan liked. He had decided to establish himself here. As the saying goes, "A fence needs three stakes, and a hero needs three helpers." He could no longer fight alone; he needed his own team!

...

PS1: Request for favorites, recommendations, likes, and everything else.

PS2: Thank you, Golden Orange, for the 100-point New Year's red envelope. Thanks.

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