Because most of the salt owls had fighting experience, there were not too many casualties. But what annoys them is that after winning a few games and suffering some casualties, these bastards became more and more courageous and acted more and more systematically! This caused some of them to have more and more casualties, and they had to stop and think of other ways.
After a year of recuperation, these refugees-turned-farmers have become much stronger. Moreover, they were formerly refugees, but now they have a chance to survive, so they are extremely loyal to Lian Sheng, and their cohesion is extremely high! So although their combat effectiveness is low, they actually form a strange balance with the Salt Owl!
But at this moment, a troop of more than 500 soldiers suddenly appeared outside Datong City! Everyone is familiar with this army. It is the Wu'an Army that returned victoriously from Datong after patrolling the border last year! And what’s even more striking is that the one leading the way is actually a team of uniformed guards!
Zhang Jingping was shocked by the sudden appearance of troops outside the city! Because according to the rules of the court, no matter what the court has to do, if someone is sent to come, they will definitely be informed in advance! But now there are so many soldiers and horses outside the city without any news. This is definitely not good news for him!
But at this time, he had no time to think about it. He hurriedly put on his official uniform and led people to the outside of the city. Fortunately, the person who came to report the news said that the soldiers outside the city were very well-behaved and stopped at the gate of the city and did not move. But this still scared the soldiers in the city! After all, the soldiers under the city are well organized, and they look like a strong army at first glance!
What's even more terrifying is the pair of Jin Yiwei at the front of the team! You must know that when the imperial court declares a decree, it will only send out a small number of royal guards as a guard of honor. Only when a house is searched and someone is taken away, a team of royal guards will be dispatched, so this is quite scary!
When he arrived at the city gate, the first thing that caught his eye was Liu Haojia, who was riding on a horse without even dismounting! Zhang Jingping's heart sank when he saw Liu Haojia looking at him with a half-smile but not a smile!
You must know that the last time Liu Haojia saw him, he dismounted his horse and walked over quickly from a long distance away. He was very polite and considerate! But looking at his current appearance, he is clearly here to cause trouble!
Zhang Jingping couldn't help but regret when he saw Liu Haojia's behavior! However, this was not the time for him to regret, so he could only step forward and bow and said: "I didn't know that the Marquis was coming from afar, so I didn't go far to greet him. It was really rude!"
Liu Haojia really wanted to give him a blow, but he didn't want to lose his etiquette, so he still jumped off the horse and handed over his hands and said: "I came in a hurry and without notice, Master Zhang, don't blame yourself!"
Seeing that Liu Haojia's attitude had softened, Zhang Jingping thought that things were turning around. He hurriedly smiled and said: "Nowhere, no where! It's because the official is not well-informed! The official..."
But Liu Haojia didn't want to talk too much with him, so he waved his hand and said, "Everyone, step back. I have a few words to say to Mr. Zhang."
When Zhang Jingping was stunned, the guards had already driven away everyone around him! Then Liu Haojia said slowly: "Master Zhang, when I first met your Zhang family, I gave you 30 heads as a gift. Is that considered generous?"
As soon as he heard this, Zhang Jingping's sweat dropped immediately! This is not only generous, it is simply generous to the extreme! 30 heads are paired with corresponding dominoes. This is a real military achievement and the foundation for a family of military commanders! Therefore, Zhang Jingping could only lower his head and said: "Master Hou is extraordinary, I am ashamed of myself!"
Liu Haojia continued: "You wanted to buy a head from me, but I gave Mr. Zhang three hundred heads directly to help him improve his title. Now that Mr. Zhang is expected to be promoted to a Marquis, I should congratulate him!"
When Zhang Jingping heard this, the sweat on his head fell like raindrops! He knew that he had done things inappropriately. He took such a big benefit but did not help at all. He only thought about his own interests, which caused the farmers to fight with the salt lords, and many people died!
At this time, Liu Haojia raised his voice slightly and said: "I did not ask for much in return for my two attacks. I only asked Mr. Zhang to take care of his own property and personnel, and at the same time, he also gave 20% of the profit to Mr. Zhang! But I don't know that Zhang How do you repay me, sir?"
Zhang Jingping knew that what he was doing was really wrong. He accepted such a big benefit from others, but he pretended to be neutral! But now that things have happened, he is no longer afraid! Because he felt that since Liu Haojia and
The salt merchant and grain merchant are already facing each other, and you may not have time to deal with him! At that time, they might even beg him to keep his land, properties and shops in Datong. So he suddenly raised his head and said, "Master Marquis, there is nothing you can do about it! Those businessmen are backed by powerful officials, and the lower officials cannot afford to offend them! But..."
When he said this, Liu Haojia stopped him and said: "I know that you sent many people to patrol inside and outside Datong City, trying to maintain this stability, but unfortunately it failed, right? What happened outside Datong City recently? After several fights, your men never arrived!"
Zhang Jingping said with a grimace: "The journey is too far. When the official received the news, he immediately sent people there, but when he arrived, the people had already dispersed!"
Liu Haojia knew from the look on his face that he had made up his mind to stay out of the matter! So he sneered twice and said: "In this case, I can only congratulate Mr. Zhang on his promotion!"
At this point, he suddenly raised his voice and said, "Come here! But the decree is about to be announced! By the way, Mr. Zhang is now officially telling you to arrange for the incense case to receive the decree immediately!"
Zhang Jingping was already prepared to have a big quarrel with Liu Haojia, but Liu Haojia in front of him was about to announce his decree! He had not expected this turn of events, but he still quickly ordered the preparation of the incense case.
But after he finished his instructions, he remembered that when the court usually announced decrees, they would either go to the Yamen or at home. I had never heard of decrees being announced at the city gate! So he wanted to go up and ask, but when he saw Liu Haojia who always had a cold face, he gave up the idea!
However, his men were still quick in their actions. They quickly found incense tables and other available items that complied with the regulations, and set them up directly at the city gate!
The large group of people gathered in front of the city gate was already very eye-catching, but now the people saw Zhang Jingping setting down the incense table and looking like he was listening to the holy teachings, which attracted even more people! As a result, the gate of the city was divided into three floors inside and three outside. Everyone wanted to hear what kind of imperial decree it was?
Moreover, it was the first time that a decree was announced at the city gate, and it attracted a large number of people to watch! Even the soldiers on duty on the city wall stuck their heads out from the city wall and looked down.
