Chapter 88 Revisiting old matters

Chapter 88 Revisiting old matters

Chapter 88 Revisiting old matters
Zhu Shenzhui shook his head. He had thought about this idea before he came here. It was indeed a good idea to avoid the limelight temporarily. As long as the people on Yangtou Mountain left and found a place to hide, they could return to Yangtou Mountain after the incident was over. In this way, they would not have to worry about being implicated.

But after careful consideration, this cannot be done.

If it was just Li Hu and his men, it wouldn't be a problem, but the problem was that there were quite a few people on Yangtou Mountain, more than a hundred of them. With so many people, including the elderly, the weak, women and children, how could it be easy to leave?
Besides, they were all refugees who had committed crimes and had long lost their household registration. Where could they hide after leaving Yangtou Mountain? I'm afraid they would be discovered by the government not far from Yangtou Mountain, which would only cause more trouble.

Besides, Yangtou Mountain has stabilized now, and the residence and farmland have taken shape. If he leaves, all of these will be lost, and the previous investment will become a bubble in the blink of an eye. What's more terrible is that Yangtou Mountain is now an important transit point for Zhu Shenzhui to store and transport salt. It is not easy for so many people to move, not to mention that there are so many salt goods. Moreover, if Yangtou Mountain is abandoned, if a gust of wind from Zhaowuling takes over this place, Zhu Shenzhui's way of transporting salt will be directly cut off. Such a loss is absolutely unacceptable to Zhu Shenzhui.

After hearing Zhu Shenzhui's idea, Zhou Anmin fell silent. He thought for a moment and asked Zhu Shenzhui, "So, what are your plans?"

"I've thought about it carefully along the way, and after much thought, I think it's better to strike first. Before anything happens, I'll take people to wipe out Zhao Wuling's gang. As long as the government is not involved, I don't think they will care about this matter." Zhu Shenzhui gritted his teeth and expressed his thoughts.

When these words came out, Zhou Anmin was shocked.

"Little brother, you...you don't want to fight Zhao Wuling, do you?"

"Exactly!"

"Hey, little brother, this is no joke. Swords and guns have no eyes. Fighting on the battlefield is not that simple, not as simple as your private fight. Since that guy can have such an idea, he must have a lot of people under him, and this person is so bold, and I don't know where he came from. What if..." Zhou Anmin said anxiously. He never thought that Zhu Shenzhui would have such an idea. This is his brother-in-law, and now their Zhu family has only this one child. If something unexpected happens, how can he explain to his wife?

Zhu Shenzhui thought about it. Although there were more people on Yifeng Mountain than on Yangtou Mountain, according to the information he had received so far, they were not elite troops. Moreover, they were just a bunch of peasants. Even if there were more people, what kind of combat effectiveness would they have? As long as they planned well and caught the enemy by surprise and killed Yifeng first, Zhaowuling would not be a threat.

"Brother-in-law, do you have any better idea than this?" Zhu Shenzhui asked back.

Zhou Anmin was stunned, smiled bitterly and shook his head. What good solution could he have? This was no ordinary matter. He was just a low-ranking postmaster. Even if he had the Jinyiwei system, he was just a low-ranking lieutenant.

If Zhou Anmin's position in the Jinyiwei was higher, even if he was a centurion or a trial centurion, it would be fine. At least at this level he could mobilize manpower and use the power of the Jinyiwei to act directly.

He was just an ordinary lieutenant and a non-staff member. How could he have such power? He had to rely on connections to get some information, not to mention such a big event.

Zhou Anmin might be able to get some credit by reporting this matter through the Jinyiwei channel, but he could not control the subsequent development. As Zhu Shenzhui said, if the government stepped in, it would not be difficult to solve the Zhaowuling incident, but it would be more troublesome to deal with the follow-up, especially if it did not involve Yangtou Mountain, which was beyond his control. He was a low-ranking official and was really powerless.

"Brother-in-law, you don't have to worry. You know I'm not a reckless person. Even if I want to attack Zhao Wuling, I won't act rashly without preparation."

"Is it possible to take a long-term view on this matter?" Zhou Anmin said, but he himself was not sure what he meant by this statement.

"Brother-in-law, the Zhaowuling incident must be resolved as soon as possible. We must act before the government does. Once a storm breaks out, we will be unable to deal with it. But it is not difficult to accomplish this task, but it is not easy to do it either. There are many details to consider, so after thinking about it, I need your help. This is what I think..."

Zhu Shenzhui immediately whispered in Zhou Anmin's ear for a long time. Zhou Anmin looked normal at first, but the more he listened, the wider his eyes became. After Zhu Shenzhui finished speaking, Zhou Anmin could not hide his gaze towards Zhu Shenzhui, and was extremely shocked.

He had always known that his brother-in-law was timid and would not have engaged in the smuggling of salt if he was timid. But he did not expect that Zhu Shenzhui was not only daring, but also had thoughts beyond his expectations. It was not something that an ordinary member of the royal family could have such a plan and consider it so thoroughly in such a short time.

For the first time, Zhou Anmin felt that he was a little unfamiliar with Zhu Shenzhui. He looked at him as if he was meeting Zhu Shenzhui for the first time.

"Brother-in-law, why are you looking at me like that?" Zhu Shenzhui asked with a smile.

"My dear little brother, what a pity...what a pity..." Zhou Anmin sighed. If what Zhu Shenzhui said could be put into practice, then the chances of success would indeed be quite high. Unfortunately, Zhu Shenzhui was not an ordinary person, he was a member of the royal family. The Ming Dynasty's control over the royal family was too strict. Even if there were talents among the royal family, the royal family would never use them.

Moreover, according to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, if you are a member of the royal family who only knows how to eat, drink and have fun and has no talent, it's fine. However, if you are talented and capable, you will be the source of disaster. This has been proven in the two hundred years of history of the Ming Dynasty.

If Zhu Shenzhui was just an ordinary person, with his courage and talent, he might be able to stand out and become a general or a prime minister in the future. Unfortunately, his status as a member of the royal family completely cut off this path. It can be said that he was born at the wrong time. If it was at the beginning of the founding of the country, Zhu Shenzhui might have had the opportunity to stand out, but now he can't even think about it.

"Brother-in-law, I have no other choice. It's for my own sake. You know how important Yangtou Mountain is. As long as we can keep Yangtou Mountain, it's worth it even if we have to pay some price. Besides, it's not a bad thing if we succeed. If we let a gust of wind start the incident, whether we can take Lingchuan or not, the local people will suffer."

Nodding silently, Zhou Anmin admitted that Zhu Shenzhui was right. There was also another sentence that Zhu Shenzhui did not say, but Zhou Anmin understood it in his heart. If this thing succeeded, it would also be of great benefit to Zhou Anmin himself. As a member of the Jinyiwei, he had the power to patrol and arrest. If there was a rebellion in a place like this, the Jinyiwei could also take care of it, even if Zhou Anmin was just a small lieutenant.

At that time, he would give up most of the credit and keep some, so that Zhou Anmin could take this opportunity to make further progress. Thinking of this, Zhou Anmin couldn't help but feel a little moved, and immediately thought hard.

"This matter is very serious. I have to consult with the general flag-bearer first."

"Of course, but brother-in-law, time waits for no one. No one knows when something might happen. We should do this as soon as possible. In addition, I must make some arrangements in advance and notify Wangjia Village to prepare as soon as possible. So the post station has to ask for your help."

"This is a small matter. I have the final say at the post station. So, I will go into the city now to discuss with the general flag bearer. You go directly to find Old Tang and ask him to pass the news to Pingyang immediately." After thinking about it, Zhou Anmin finally made up his mind and said decisively.

"it is good!"

Zhou Anmin was also a quick man. He got up and left in a hurry. Zhu Shenzhui stayed and wrote a letter in Zhou Anmin's office. After he finished writing, he sealed the letter with wax and then went to find Lao Tang.

Zhou Anmin had already made instructions to Old Tang before he left. After Zhu Shenzui handed him the letter, he did not ask any questions and arranged for the people at the post station to send it out immediately by fast horse. If there were no accidents, it would reach Pingyang in two days. After Pingyang received the letter, they would take it to Wangjia Village. Then the people in Wangjia Village would rush to Yangtou Mountain according to Zhu Shenzui's arrangement.

The post stations of the Ming Dynasty were not only guesthouses, but also served as postal services in later generations. The delivery of official documents and letters from the imperial court was also the work of the post stations. The post stations of the Ming Dynasty were spread all over the country, and there was a complete system for the delivery of letters between post stations, which was much more convenient and faster than that of private institutions.

Zhu Shenzui rushed directly to Zhou Anmin from Yangtou Mountain. In addition to asking Zhou Anmin for help, the transmission of information at the post station was also an important link.

If the message was delivered directly from Yangtou Mountain to Wangjia Village, even if Zhu Shenzhui rode at full speed himself, it would still take several days. Moreover, the round trip would be extremely tiring, and he would probably be exhausted by the time he finished the job.

Now, directly delivering messages through the post station is not only much easier and more convenient, but also relatively safer. If it were an ordinary person, it would be impossible to do it, but Zhou Anmin was originally the post station chief, and with his other identity as a Jinyiwei, it was easy for him to make these arrangements.

After dealing with this matter, Zhu Shenzhui went to the back to meet his sister.

Seeing her younger brother coming, the eldest sister Zhu Xiuer was very happy. She took Zhu Shenzhui and talked to him for a long time, and then looked up and down at her younger brother whom she had not seen for several months.

The two nephews were in the same mood when they saw their uncle coming. They were very happy, especially when Zhu Shenzui took out the gifts he brought for the children from his arms. The two children couldn't help cheering, thanked their uncle with a smile on their faces, and then jumped up and down to play aside.

"Little brother, how many days can you stay this time?" Busy preparing meals, today Zhu Shenzhui came, as an elder sister, naturally, I have to make a good meal for my younger brother. Zhu Shenzhui helped on the side, and the two siblings chatted while doing the work.

"Probably three or four days." Zhu Shenzhui answered casually.

"Only three or four days." Zhu Xiu'er thought for a moment and nodded: "Although the time is a bit tight, it is enough..."

"Sister, what is enough?"

"What else could it be?" Zhu Xiuer rolled her eyes at her brother, stuffed the firewood into the stove, picked up the fire tongs, fiddled with it a few times and put it aside: "Did you forget what I told you before?"

"What's the matter?"

"You bastard! You don't even remember such a big thing, are you asking for a beating?" Seeing Zhu Shenzhui's confused face, Zhu Xiuer raised her hand as if to beat him.

"Sister, what are you talking about? Why did you start fighting? What did I do to you?" Zhu Shenzhui hurriedly dodged to the side, looking aggrieved.

"What else could it be? It's just your lifelong event." Zhu Xiu'er said this angrily when she saw that Zhu Shenzhui had not come to his senses yet. Zhu Shenzhui then remembered what Zhu Xiu'er had told him when she came back last time.

(End of this chapter)