Chapter 914
I chopped him up myself!
"Sir, this is good, this is pork belly!" The chef, an old man with a missing front tooth, saw Zheng Yi squatting beside him and quickly used an iron ladle to scoop up a trembling, bright red piece of braised pork and accurately placed it into Zheng Yi's bowl.
"Thank you, Uncle Wang." Zheng Yi nodded, picked up the piece of meat, and took a bite.
It's fatty but not greasy, melts in your mouth, and the flavor of the spices has completely permeated the shredded meat. It slides down your esophagus into your stomach and instantly turns into a warm current, dispelling the fatigue and chill of the past few days.
"Delicious! So delicious!" Not far away, Xiao Liu and Xiao Shitou each held a rough porcelain bowl that was almost bigger than their faces, filled with fluffy white rice and juicy fatty meat. Xiao Liu's face was covered in sauce, and even the tip of his nose had a piece of scallion stuck to it.
"Sir, my mother said she's never eaten such white rice in her life!" Little Stone said indistinctly while shoveling rice into his mouth. "My mother also told me to eat more, saying that it would give me the strength to push the shield!"
Zheng Yi looked at the two children, then at the soldiers and civilians around him, some holding bowls, some leaning against the city wall, some squatting, some sitting. Everyone's face was covered in dust and blood, but in everyone's eyes, there was a sense of contentment at having eaten their fill and a longing for tomorrow.
He devoured the rice and meat in his bowl, even drinking the last drop of soup from the bottom.
Guo Tianyou walked over carrying a basin, plopped down next to him, and mumbled as he stuffed meat into his mouth, "Sir, this meal was more satisfying than my wedding day. With this full belly, I feel like even if tens of thousands of beasts came, I could hold them off with a shield!"
Zheng Yi placed the empty bowl at his feet, ignoring Guo Tianyou's joke, and calmly looked towards the Blackwater River outside the city.
"Tianyou, now that you're full, you shouldn't just be thinking about how to fight back." Zheng Yi's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear amidst the noisy chewing and laughter around him.
Guo Tianyou paused in his chewing, turning to look at Zheng Yi. Having been by Zheng Yi's side the longest, he immediately sensed the unusual coldness in Zheng Yi's tone.
"What you mean, sir..." Guo Tianyou put down the basin in his hand, and his expression became serious.
Zheng Yi stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "Go and call Lao Tie, San Huai, Patriarch Han, Elder Liu, and Master Ku Lian to the side room. Bring the bowls, and we'll eat and talk."
Without saying a word, Guo Tianyou wiped his greasy mouth, turned around, and disappeared into the crowd.
After an incense stick has burned.
Inside the temporary side room on the city gate tower.
The fire in the charcoal brazier was burning brightly, and the room was filled with the aroma of pine wood and roasted meat.
Iron One-Eyed's stretcher was placed closest to the brazier, his hand still clutching the piece of fatty, sinewy meat, his face greasy from eating. Zhao Sanhuai leaned against the door with a large bowl in his hand, while Guo Tianyou stood by the window. Han Wuhen and Elder Liu each sat on a small stool, while True Person Kulian was the last to enter, holding two freshly made digestive pills in his hand.
Zheng Yi stood in front of the wooden wall with the map hanging on it, holding a burnt charcoal pencil in his hand, and drew a heavy black circle on the map.
That location, 120 li from Hongyun City, is a strategically important place called Baishi City.
"Have you all finished eating?" Zheng Yi turned around and looked at the people standing or sitting in the room.
"Delicious! Sir, do you have some new work for the brothers to do? Are you going to clear out the remaining stray animals in the Black Pine Forest?" Iron One-Eye shouted at the top of his lungs, almost spitting out the meat crumbs in his mouth.
Zheng Yi didn't answer Tie Duyan, but looked at Han Wuhen: "Patriarch Han, you are a businessman. Tell everyone, what percentage of the Huang family's fortune was lost in the Black Pine Forest?"
Upon hearing this, Han Wuhen's chubby face twitched slightly. He put down the bowl in his hand, took out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe his mouth, cleared his throat, and his eyes became shrewd and sharp.
"Since you asked, sir, I'll be frank." Han Wuhen held up three short, thick fingers. "This time, Huang Delong really went all out to kill us during the beast tide. He mortgaged three gold mines to buy the 'Soul-Controlling Heart-Locking Crystal,' and hired that rogue cultivator surnamed Wu. This expense almost emptied the Huang family's cash reserves in their banks. Add to that the guards and those three hundred carts of new rice, and the Huang family has definitely suffered a huge loss and a severe blow this time."
“But…” Han Wuhen’s tone changed, becoming heavy, “The Huang family’s foundation lies not in cash, but in White Stone City.”
Han Wuhen stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location circled by Zheng Yi: "Baishi City is the old stronghold of the Huang family, which has been in operation for five generations. Although the city walls are not as high as our Black Rock City, the terrain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The city maintains 1,500 elite family private soldiers year-round, and they are well-equipped. Most importantly, the Huang family controls all the iron mines and medicinal fields around Baishi City. As long as these mines and fields remain, the Huang family will be able to recover in less than three years."
Elder Liu nodded and added coldly, "Not only that. The eldest young master of the Huang family is now a steward of the outer sect of the Qingyun Sect. Although he is only an outer sect member, he is a figure of considerable importance within this area of several hundred miles. With this connection, ordinary mountains and cities would not dare to touch the Huang family in the slightest."
The atmosphere in the room gradually cooled down. The lively atmosphere of having just eaten and drunk one's fill was replaced by the coldness of reality.
Guo Tianyou frowned, looking at the map: "So we're just going to watch like this? That old bastard Huang Delong ran back to Baishi City, who knows what he'll be cursing us behind our backs. Once he recovers, who knows what dirty tricks he'll pull."
“He won’t wait three years,” Zheng Yi’s voice broke the brief silence.
He drew a straight line between Baishi City and Hongyun City with a charcoal pencil, his voice as calm as if he were talking about a trivial matter unrelated to himself: "Huang Delong is a vindictive businessman. Although he lost this time, he knows that our Hongyun City also suffered heavy losses in this beast tide. Right now, he's definitely not thinking about reflecting on his mistakes behind closed doors, but rather how to use the remaining resources of Baishi City to hire assassins, collude with bandits, and even report them to the outer sect of Qingyun Sect."
Zheng Yi threw the charcoal pencil on the table and glanced at everyone's faces.
“In my rules, there’s no reason to break a bone and let a snake slip back into its hole.” Zheng Yi walked to the charcoal brazier, looking at the flickering orange flames. “Since we’ve formed a deadly feud, we’ll get to the bottom of this.” The room was deathly silent.
Even Iron One-Eyed stopped chewing and stared wide-eyed at Zheng Yi.
"Sir...you mean..." Zhao Sanhuai swallowed, his voice trembling slightly.
"Thoroughly eliminate the Huang family. Take down White Stone City." Zheng Yi uttered these nine words, one by one.
"Hiss—" Han Wuhen gasped, his fat body jerking to his feet, knocking over the small stool beneath him. "Sir! This...this is unacceptable! White Stone City isn't some beast in the Black Pine Forest, it's a city of people! It's a city with over a thousand elite private soldiers! Our Hongyun City has just gone through a fierce battle, everyone is resting, and although the heavy infantry have changed their gear, they haven't really practiced siege warfare yet!"
"Moreover, the Huang family has the Qingyun Sect as their backer." Elder Liu's brows furrowed into a knot. "Our resistance against the beast tide is in accordance with the will of Heaven, and no one can find fault with it. But if we take the initiative to attack White Stone City, that would be starting a civil war. Once the Qingyun Sect blames us, they can easily send an inner sect elder over, and our Hongyun City will be wiped out!"
Han Wuhen and Elder Liu's reactions were exactly what Zheng Yi had expected. As beneficiaries of the existing system, their first thought after the danger had passed was always to avoid new risks and protect their existing assets.
Zheng Yi didn't get angry. He just turned his head and looked at Han Wuhen and Elder Liu with such deep eyes that people dared not look directly at him.
"Patriarch Han, Elder Liu, do you think the Qingyun Sect has time to meddle in such trivial matters?" Zheng Yi asked calmly.
"The demonic chaos in the south has already reached the foot of the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate. Countless of their inner disciples have been killed or wounded, and even the sect leader has gone into seclusion. In their eyes, a family of outer sect stewards is nothing but a fart." Zheng Yi's tone revealed a cold indifference that seemed to have seen through everything. "In this world, there is no place for reason anymore. Whoever has the strongest fist and the fastest knife is the rule."
He stepped forward, staring intently into Han Wuhen's eyes: "Even if we take a step back and the Qingyun Sect really wants to blame us, do you think we can escape responsibility if we don't act now and wait for Huang Delong to exaggerate what happened here and report that Hongyun City has a great treasure, attracting the Qingyun Sect to investigate?"
Cold sweat beaded on Han Wuhen's forehead. He wiped it with a silk handkerchief, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word. A businessman's keen intuition told him that Zheng Yi was telling the truth. "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." The wealth, resources, and terrifying cohesion that Hongyun City had just revealed had long been a tempting target for others.
If you don't bare your fangs, you'll be gnawed to pieces sooner or later.
"Dry!"
A loud shout rang out in the room.
Iron One-Eyed suddenly struggled to sit up on the stretcher, and due to the excessive force, dark red blood instantly seeped through the bandage on his chest. But he was completely unaware, and an extremely fierce light flashed in his single eye.
"Sir, you're right! If you don't kill the snake, you'll suffer the consequences! I learned this lesson when I was a bandit! Why can the Huang family hide behind and shoot arrows, while we can only take a beating on the city wall? They're ruthless, so don't blame us for being ruthless!" Iron One-Eye slammed his hand on the wooden pole of the stretcher, making it creak. "Sir, give the order! Although I'm broken, I still have hundreds of brothers who don't care about their lives! Just say the word, and I'll have people carry this stretcher to White Stone City and be the first to break down the city gates for you!"
"Boss Tie is right!" Guo Tianyou drew his sword from his waist, the tip striking the wooden floor with a "bang." "The defense has been so frustrating! We've been getting crushed by those beasts these past few days, and the brothers have been itching for a fight! Now that we have heavy armor and weapons, we'd be ashamed to wear these new suits if we didn't use those bastards from the Huang family as a sacrifice!"
Zhao Sanhuai leaned against the doorframe, slammed the large bowl in his hand onto the ground, splashing the remaining soup inside. He didn't say anything, but his actions spoke volumes. He reached for the chipped machete at his waist, rubbed the blade with his thumb, and held it in his hand.
The atmosphere in the room instantly reversed, and an extremely strong and aggressive fighting spirit surged in the small space.
Han Wuhen looked at the three men exuding murderous intent, then at Zheng Yi, whose face was ashen. He knew that the tide had turned, or rather, the tide had turned. This was no longer a situation that a businessman like him could control.
He sighed, and the hesitation on his face vanished instantly, replaced by the ruthlessness of a businessman making a big bet.
"Since you and the brothers have made the decision, I, Han Wuhen, can't hold you back!" Han Wuhen slammed his handkerchief to the ground. "War is expensive! Baishi City is 120 li away from us, and the road is difficult to travel. I'll go and gather all the mules and horses in the Han family right now, and prepare ten days' worth of dry rations, water, and medicine overnight. I'll personally escort the supplies, ensuring that the brothers can have a hot meal every day when they reach the walls of Baishi City!"
Seeing this, Elder Liu knew that further objection would be tantamount to being disrespectful. He coughed lightly, his tone becoming sharp: "All fifty elite guards of the Liu family will be incorporated into the vanguard battalion. Furthermore, I've been idle these past few days and have drawn one hundred 'armor-piercing talismans,' originally intended for self-defense, but I'm distributing them all to the brothers. Just stick them on arrows, and even if the gates of White Stone City were covered in iron, they could blast a hole in them!"
Master Kulian had remained silent until now. He slowly picked up two digestive pills and put them in his mouth, chewing them with a crunching sound.
"This old man is no fighter. But I still have quite a few dregs left from the 'Boiling Blood Ointment' I've been refining these past few days." Master Kulian chuckled sinisterly. "I'll mix them with some 'Muscle Softening Powder' and 'Bewitching Smoke' to make poisonous smoke balls. When we attack the city, we'll just throw them in with the wind... Hehe, I guarantee those private soldiers of the Huang family won't even be able to hold their swords properly."
Zheng Yi looked at everyone, and the coldness on his face finally faded a little. This was the kind of team he wanted to see. Not only could they defend, but they also dared to attack.
“Okay.” Zheng Yi nodded. “Since everyone agrees, let’s set some rules.”
He picked up the charcoal pencil again and slammed it three times on the map, marking the location of Whitestone City.
"First, this campaign will only punish the ringleaders, not massacre the entire city. Not a single member of the Huang family's direct line will be spared. Household servants and private soldiers who lay down their weapons will be spared. But anyone who dares to take the opportunity to plunder civilians or indiscriminately kill innocent people will be executed without mercy!"
Zheng Yi's voice carried an unyielding, ruthless air: "We're here to quell hidden dangers, not to become bandits. This army is meant to protect the country, not to bring ruin upon it. Guo Tianyou, you will personally oversee this military rule. Anyone who violates it will face the consequences."
Guo Tianyou straightened up: "Yes, sir! Anyone who dares to break the master's rules, I'll personally chop him up!" (End of this chapter)