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Chapter 227: Xi Zhong
Chapter 227: Xi Zhong
September 25, 2017
After Ma Pian's stunning appearance, the Strong Yin Clans immediately became docile, not daring to mention anything about besieging Lu HaiKong's forces again.
That night, Ma Pian didn't say much. He merely informed them that Li Xiong needed to rest due to health reasons and that someone from the mountain camp would be sent over to discuss matters with them after some time.
The discussion, of course, was about compensation. Lu HaiKong demanded twenty thousand gold worth of resources from each of the five families. He left it up to them to decide whether to pay or not, but the consequences of non-compliance were clear to all present.
After delivering this message, Ma Pian left without hesitation, leaving no trace of his departure. When the door was opened again, Ma Pian and his group had vanished.
Upon Ma Pian's departure, the members of the five families were drenched in sweat, feeling as if they had just walked through the gates of hell. Despite the entire encounter lasting only a few minutes, not a single person from the families remained dry-backed.
However, after Ma Pian's exit, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Since Ma Pian had indicated a willingness to negotiate, it meant the bandits did not intend to treat them as they had treated Wang Hao. Consequently, there was no need for the families to engage in a life-or-death struggle with Lu HaiKong.
Still, no one could guarantee that the mysterious group, who had appeared out of nowhere while the county troops were summoned to besiege Lu HaiKong, wouldn't eliminate them first.
More importantly, these families had tasted the benefits of dealing with Lu HaiKong and saw the potential for it to continue. They were overjoyed at this prospect, and as for the twenty thousand Allied Forces who had been annihilated, they were mostly lowly peasants. If there were any clan members among the fallen, it was a sacrifice made for the family's interests.
As for the twenty thousand gold in resources, the five families were in pain, but they had no choice but to agree. How they would deliver this compensation was a story in itself.
According to the families' understanding, Lu HaiKong's camp had no one skilled in external affairs except for Li Xiong, who was unavailable due to health reasons. Therefore, the person sent by Lu HaiKong might not be familiar with the local prices and situation.
This provided them with ample room for manipulation. While they wouldn't dare to cheat Lu HaiKong directly, they would minimize their losses as much as possible.
During the wait for Li Xiong's replacement, the five families repeatedly discussed and finally each produced a list of items totaling twenty thousand gold. They planned to deceive the person sent by Lu HaiKong when they arrived.
On the third day after Ma Pian's visit, the person appointed by Lu HaiKong to succeed Li Xiong arrived. He was a tall, slender young man dressed in a scholarly robe, his face pale. Accompanying him was a robust middle-aged man and a group of fifty bandit bodyguards.
This entourage made an impressive entrance as they arrived at Zhao Jia's residence, meeting with the five families, including Zhao Jia.
Initially, the elders of the families, seeing the youth's inexperience, thought he would be easy to manipulate. They tried to sway him with complaints and persuasion, hoping to minimize their losses.
Unexpectedly, this seemingly sickly young man was incredibly difficult to deal with. He saw through many of the families' carefully laid traps with just a glance, and with a few concise words, he left the five families' representatives drenched in cold sweat.
After a series of confrontations, the elite families gained no advantage over the young man, but during the subsequent interactions, the young man's attitude was surprisingly lenient. He chose to laugh off situations where the families were clearly being unreasonable.
This was actually a simple strategy. Initially, the young man ruthlessly exposed the families' schemes, sending a clear message that he wasn't some naive youth they could easily deceive. But his subsequent attitude also conveyed that he wasn't an unfeeling person.
With this combination of toughness and leniency, the communication between the young man and the elite families became much smoother.
The young man spent three days in Qiangyin, and during this time, the elite families' attitude towards him underwent a significant transformation. From their initial disdain, they gradually began to take him seriously and eventually became wary of him.
In just three days, the five elite families had elevated the young man's status to a level above even Li Xiong. This rapid change in such a short time was a clear testament to the young man's exceptional abilities.
After three days, when the young man was about to leave, he took with him a list of supplies willingly provided by the five families. The young man was satisfied, and the families deeply remembered his name.
This young man, named Xi Zhong, was the same historical scholar who had shown interest in Lu Hai Kong during the recruitment event.
Five days ago, when Lu Hai Kong was defeating Wang Hao, he wasn't available, so Wang Jun, a busy man, met with Xi Zhong. Despite the brief encounter, Wang Jun remembered Xi Zhong, and when Lu Hai Kong returned, Wang Jun mentioned Xi Zhong to him.
(End of Chapter)
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