"Zhu Su, kid, don't spit on anyone!" In desperation, Chen Hui stepped out from the crowd. "It was the Zhang family's idea to collude with the Japanese pirates..."
"Oh. You, Chen Hui, are Zhang Ren's bedfellow. Don't you know about colluding with Japanese pirates?" Zhu Su sneered, and Chen Hui was speechless. Zhang Dingbian sighed and said with a dejected look on his face: "Little King Wu of the Ming Dynasty, you are right. Our old Zhang is indeed not a hero."
"So, you are unwilling to let my niece go?"
"If you really want me to let her go for your sake, I can." Zhu Su looked directly at Zhang Dingbian, but his heart was already beating nervously:
"I think you have a lot of strength, I think you can exchange for a few more Tartars."
"Chen Hui's crime is unforgivable. Since you are willing to take responsibility for him, it is better for you to make contributions to pay for it. Now that our population in China is declining, we need someone to stand up and build cities for our Han people."
"You and I have made a gentleman's agreement. If you fight for the Ming Dynasty in northern Xinjiang for ten years, I will use your achievements in the future to pay for the crime of this female thief. How about it?" Zhu Su said.
Only then did he finally realize what he was doing. Zhang Dingbian is a hero that is rare among Han people in a hundred years, and he also has loyalty in his heart. If he were killed at will, or if he was allowed to be buried in the grass, it would be a huge loss to the whole of China.
Therefore, he had long thought of taking this opportunity to surrender Zhang Dingbian for his own use...
Zhang Dingbian frowned in thought. Beside him, his friends looked at him expectantly. Someone said: "Brother Zhang, why don't you just accept it?"
"When you were young, you vowed to kill the enemy and settle the border, so you gave yourself this name... You have indeed done your best to the Chen family, so why bother to help her with the wisdom of this life?"
"Why don't we take this opportunity and go to Northern Xinjiang together to fight those Mongolian and Yuan thieves! How many generations up in our family tree can there be anyone who has not been bullied by those Yuan people?"
Others also spoke to persuade him, and for a moment, it seemed as if everyone had turned against Zhang Dingbian alone. After hearing what the man said, Zhu Su suddenly realized that the name Zhang Dingbian also represented his ambition.
Thinking about it, in the Yuan Dynasty, the status of the Han people was low, and they were not worthy of serious names. They were all called by numbers. For example, Lao Zhu's name at that time was Zhu Baba, Chen Youliang's original name was Chen Jiusi, and Zhang Shicheng's original name was also Jiusi...
After the Yuanting rebellion started, they either asked a cultural person to name themselves, or they simply chose one themselves.
Lao Zhu is a maniac about naming names. He basically gave the names of famous founding generals such as Mu Ying, Li Wenzhong, and Lu Zhongheng.
Zhang Dingbian named himself Dingbian, which shows his lofty ambitions at that time. Zhu Su's call to persuade him to surrender was considered a mistake.
Over there, Chen Hui suddenly panicked and stepped forward to grab Zhang Dingbian's sleeve:
"Uncle, colluding with Japanese pirates really has nothing to do with me."
"My father has passed away now. Uncle, you can't leave me alone!"
Zhang Dingbian didn't answer in silence, seeming to be still thinking. Zhu Su watched coldly from a distance, but his fists were secretly clenched. If he could get Zhang Dingbian, a tiger general, it would be like adding wings to a tiger...
Finally, after Zhang Dingbian thought for a while, he slowly said: "Your Highness, King Wu, I, Mr. Zhang, have listened to what you said."
"You are right... What kind of hero can you be if you kill your own kind? The blood on our hands is indeed the blood of my Chinese heroes."
"Haha, it's ridiculous that I, Zhang Dingbian, am named after the two characters Dingbian. Hahahaha, Dingbian Dingbian, I have so much strength, but I am wasting my time in this land south of the Yangtze River. What kind of Bian did I choose?"
When Chen Hui heard this, his eyes darkened, but Zhu Su and Yao Guangxiao were happy. "So, you agree..."
"No." Zhang Dingbian shook his head. "Although I, Zhang Dingbian, have not read many books, I also know that a hero does not serve his two masters."
"Since I have pledged my allegiance to Brother Chen, I must live up to my name of loyalty. Besides, I am getting older now. If I wanted to surrender, we would have surrendered in the past..." Zhang Dingbian laughed at himself, but his tone was firm, revealing that A heroic spirit.
"What the layman said is wrong!" But Yao Guangxiao intervened and advised: "How can surrendering to the Ming Dynasty not be regarded as a name for loyalty?"
"As the saying goes, a gentleman sees an opportunity, and a wise man knows his destiny. When you are old, you will be strong, and you would rather move your heart with a gray head? If you are poor, you will be strong, and you will not fall into the clouds!"
"At this moment, it is time to show off the great ambitions of the past. Why should lay people adhere to these outdated rules and abandon the true interests of the family and the country?"
Over there, Zhu Su secretly gave Yao Guangxiao a thumbs up. This wave of assists was very timely. Whether or not Zhang Dingbian can be persuaded to surrender depends on this.
Zhang Dingbian fell into deep thought again. Zhu Su gently shook the folding fan, but his heart was already in his throat. After a while, Zhang Dingbian still shook his head: "Monk Daoyan, what you said is indeed true."
"King Wu of the Ming Dynasty, thank you for your words, which reminded us of our original intention in the past. I am not afraid of your jokes. Although I have been a wandering monk in the past few years, my heart has always been restless."
He touched Guangguang's head. "Even the abbot said that we still have unfinished karma and we are not the material to be a monk."
"I, Zhang Dingbian, am willing to go north to fight against the Yuan Dynasty!"
"Then you..." Zhu Su closed the folding fan.
"But we thought that we could kill the enemy in northern Xinjiang and make meritorious deeds without descending the Ming Dynasty." Zhang Dingbian changed the topic. "What we do is not for the titles and fortunes of the Ming Dynasty, but for the sake of settling the sins of this life and the original intention."
"Brothers, would you like to follow us and cause chaos outside the Great Wall?" Zhang Ding turned around and asked his companions.
"Why don't you want to?" The rangers also blushed. "Brother Zhang doesn't covet military glory and wealth. Could it be that we just covet glory and wealth?"
"I am willing to die for Brother Zhang!" the rangers shouted one after another.
"This..." Zhu Su was helpless. "Zhang Dingbian, you have also been a general. How could you not know that although you are brave, there are only a few of you..."
"In a battle between large armies, personal bravery is not worth mentioning... Well, maybe you, Zhang Dingbian, are an exception, but with your bravery, if you can serve in the army, you will definitely achieve greater achievements."
"What's more, Chen Hui's crimes are heinous..."
"Little King Wu, don't try to persuade me anymore, Lao Zhang, I have made up my mind." He was so heroic at this time, he cupped his fists at Zhu Su and said, "Although the effect is a little small, in the end, I will not let down my brother Chen."
"As for this girl..." Zhang Ding turned to look at Chen Hui. Chen Hui's face was as pale as paper: "I heard that the imperial court sent his brother Chen Li to Goryeo. Since we are going to Northern Xinjiang, we will send her with him. Go to Goryeo and let her brother keep a close eye on her."
"No!" Chen Hui looked horrified: "Mingting sent my second brother to that barbarian land because he must have wanted my second brother to die in a foreign land!"
"I'm not going there!"
"How can I tolerate your willfulness!" Zhang Dingbian's momentum surged, and Chen Hui suddenly deflated, shrinking his shoulders and not daring to say another word.
"This female thief colluded with the Japanese pirates, killed so many people, and even tried to assassinate my prince. Do you think it would be so easy?" Over there, Di Meng, dragging his injured arm with a bad look on his face, gritted his teeth.
"As for this matter, I know you must be upset." Zhang Dingbian sighed. "Then let's make this little girl kowtow to you to apologize!"
"Chen Hui, go and kneel down to His Highness King Wu..."
(End of chapter)
