Chapter 70: Wala Envoy
Chapter 70: Wala Envoy (The fifth update is available today, don’t get me wrong, it’s not a break)
The three big characters "Qingfengzhai" were carved on the bluestone.
A three-meter-high stone gate rose from the ground, with soldiers standing on it, holding long spears and wearing red scarves on their heads.
The whole piece of bluestone was transported to the top of the mountain by mule cart, mixed with yellow mud, rice paste and bricks to build this majestic village gate.
Along with the other three wooden fences, they are gradually being replaced by stone walls.
Qingfeng Village spared no effort in resource conservation. Village Chief Zhang did not accumulate any personal wealth and hired refugees to open up the mountains and chisel stones.
In just a short period of time, this mountaintop castle took shape, and the Wan Family made a great contribution.
After the demise of the Shennong Gang, Bailuo County was only thirty miles away from Yunwu Mountain.
The people from Qingfeng Village invaded the Wan family’s manor outside the city several times, and the threat they expressed was self-evident.
Qingfeng Village did not dare to attack Bailuo County and kill officials openly as they did with the underworld forces, but County Magistrate Wan was at a critical juncture in his promotion. Wan Guitian was afraid of delaying his son's future, so he secretly sent envoys to seek peace and exchange 3,000 dan of grain and 50,000 taels of silver.
All the money that Cao Long had extorted in previous years was returned with interest.
In addition, Zhang Yu specifically requested various official craftsmen.
Under the artisan household system, craftsmen who mastered high-end technologies had a low social status in the Ming Dynasty and were subject to extremely strict personal control.
During the reign of Taizu, while craftsmen were subject to restrictions, their basic treatment was also guaranteed.
Now, except for the Jinyiwei, which symbolizes the underwear of imperial power, all other national policies have gone astray.
In the eyes of officials, craftsmen were no different from slaves and could be bought and sold at will.
This stone city gate was built under the supervision of a master craftsman named Kuai Qiao.
The old man was in his sixties, with a muscular body and a hot temper. He had participated in the construction of the military fort in Datong Prefecture. However, this experienced old craftsman was sent to Qingfeng Village as a slave by the Wan family.
"This Zhang Zhaizhu is not an ordinary gangster, he has great ambitions!"
Iron Fist Club, Mu Laosheng thought to himself.
He looked up and saw two brand new arrow towers made of brick and wood on the left and right, which were integrated with the city gate. They were 48 feet high and each had 25 archers stationed on it. They guarded the slope in front of the village, making people who came in and out of the village feel terrified.
Someone smacked his lips and asked, "How much silver would it cost to build a brick and stone wall on the top of the mountain?"
Mu Laosheng pondered for a moment and said, "At least hundreds of thousands of taels!"
The man was surprised and said, "Qingfeng Village made a fortune from the Shennong Gang!"
Mu Laosheng smiled and said, "Three generations of accumulation have been used to make wedding clothes for others. From now on, there is no more Sikong Huan, the 'Seven Deadly Palms' in Pingyang Jianghu. There is more people like Zhang Zhaizhu. The old is replaced by the new."
A group of people walked into the village gate under the banner of the Iron Fist Society, carrying generous gifts and handing over name tags.
After the battle of Yunwu Mountain, several large and small forces came to visit Qingfeng Village every few days. Today was particularly lively because it was the birthday of Liu Dachui, the third leader of Qingfeng Village.
The Juyi Building was filled with guests and friends, with more than twenty tables set up.
Village Chief Zhang did not show up.
Liu Dachui's face was flushed and he drank dozens of cups in a row, accepting all the drinks.
Chang An, the newly defected 'Poisonous Snake Prince', followed Liu Dachui diligently and introduced the heads of various sects.
He has been in Pingnan for many years. He is good at speaking, has a wide network of contacts, and is familiar with the leading figures in both the black and white worlds.
"This is the leader of the Lotus Village, Wang Lianhua Village."
"I wish the Third Village Master good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains!"
Wang Lianhua had an ordinary appearance, a thin waist, and wore a flowered dress. There was nothing special about her temperament, except that she had two ox-horn short knives around her waist, about two feet long, like the sickles that mountain girls wore when doing farm work.
"Thank you, Village Chief Wang, for coming from afar to congratulate us. We must eat and drink well!"
Wang Lianhua smiled innocently: "Not far, not far, our two families are close neighbors. If you don't mind, I want to have more contact with Brother Dachui."
Wang Lianhua looks delicate and naive, but she is used to taking advantage of the situation and getting close to Liu Dachui.
Liu Dachui was an experienced man in the martial arts world. When he remembered the nickname of this woman, he shuddered. He smiled and perfunctorily passed it off, saying a few polite words, and turned to the next house. "Third village leader, this is Zhang Bai, the 'ghost fire boat'..."
During the banquet, a Wild Wolf Gang member asked in a low voice, "Brother Liao, why do I remember that the Third Village Master celebrated his birthday in autumn?"
Liao Quan smiled and said, "These days, the stronghold has been busy with construction, and 70% to 80% of the treasury savings have been used up. This time, the Third Stronghold Master's birthday is fake, and taking the opportunity to accept gifts is the right thing to do."
"This is a good idea. Who came up with it?"
"The idea came from Master Chen, who is in charge of finances, and the invitation was written by that venomous snake man."
In the underworld, using birthday celebrations to make money is a common tactic, and it is a case of both parties being willing to fight and be beaten.
No one cares when Liu Dachui’s birthday is. What they want is an opportunity to establish contact with Qingfeng Village.
Most of these underworld forces are friends from the underworld, but there are also righteous forces like the Iron Fist Society and the Dragon Spear Sect. Most of them are doing this for Fan Zhutian's face.
Mu Laosheng, the president of the Iron Fist Club, came in person. He had a life-and-death friendship with Fan Zhutian. Knowing that Fan Zhutian had joined Qingfeng Village and became the fourth leader, and finally stopped wandering around the world, he was so happy that he drank three bowls of wine in a row.
Mu Laosheng asked, "Brother Fan, what kind of person is this village leader?"
Fan Zhutian, wearing a brand new fur coat, said with a smile: "Zhaizhu Zhang has a chivalrous heart, heroic spirit, thunderbolt tactics, and a heart of a bodhisattva. He is a good man."
Fan Zhutian seems to be reckless, but he has a high spirit and will never flatter. It seems that although Zhang Zhaizhu lives in a mountain village, he is indeed a chivalrous man who has the heart to "enforce justice on behalf of heaven."
Mu Laosheng smiled and said, "Such a person can be recognized by Brother Fan. I really want to see him."
Many people came to celebrate Liu Dachui's birthday, wanting to meet the real owner of Qingfeng Village, but Zhang Yu had been practicing in seclusion and usually did not see outsiders, which inevitably made him seem arrogant and neglectful.
Fan Zhutian could only say: "The head of the stronghold has always been low-key and obsessed with martial arts. When he comes out of seclusion, I will personally introduce him to Brother Mu."
The front hall was noisy, but the bamboo forest behind the village was as quiet and peaceful as ever.
The snow on the branches and leaves has not yet melted, and the wind is whistling all around.
The number of wooden stakes increased from hundreds to thousands, forming a pattern of large and small plum blossoms. During this time, the owner's martial arts skills had made great progress.
The snow maple has lush branches and leaves, with new and old leaves alternating and a few dead leaves falling.
"Wala people?"
"Is Qingfeng Village colluding with the Grassland Wolf Court?"
The woman in red had her face covered, hiding in the crown of the snowy maple tree like a nimble swallow. She gently pushed aside the branches and leaves, and looked towards the open space in front of the bamboo forest a few dozen steps away.
There were two people standing outside the bamboo forest.
One of them wore a pointed red silk hat, a brown robe, horsehide boots, and a scimitar at his waist. He was obviously dressed as a grassland tribe.
The middle-aged man who was half a step behind was thin, but his appearance and clothing were from the Central Plains.
The Wala man shouted, "Wala envoy Yimuxing, on the orders of Prince Huoduan, pays homage to Zhang Zhaizhu!"
No one responded in the forest.
"Yimuxing is here to meet Zhang Zhaizhu on the orders of Prince Huo Duan!"
Yimuxing was Prince Huoduan's boyar and had an extraordinary status on the grassland. Even the border officials of the Ming Dynasty were treated with courtesy. He had rarely been treated so coldly, and a look of displeasure appeared on his face.
The middle-aged man saw this and said loudly, "Last year, when Elder Tong celebrated his birthday, my master had seen the style of Zhang Zhaizhu. He heard that Zhang Zhaizhu was being bullied by villains and was trapped in Pingyang, with no ambitions to achieve. My master likes to make friends with heroes and handsome men, and sent people to deliver letters and generous gifts. Why should Zhang Zhaizhu reject him?"
"The village master is in seclusion and does not allow outsiders to disturb him."
A tall woman in a moon-white robe came quickly, stepping on wooden stakes.
She was holding a long-handled daylily axe in her hand, using a heavy weapon, but her two long legs were spinning and her steps were quite flexible, obviously she had been trained by a famous master.
This is my first time putting this up on the shelves. I am very busy. Please give me a first order and monthly votes. This is the fifth update.
(End of this chapter)