knife

Chapter 220 Bribery
The sounds of drums and gongs, and shouts of battle cries, resounded throughout the heavens and earth.
In the canyon, in the dense forest, and in the bushes, countless birds frantically took flight, soaring into the sky in a great swarm, while countless beasts ran blindly across the land in a panic.

Accompanied by clapping hooves, drums, and shouts, the horses drove the beasts toward a pre-defined area.

A large-scale hunt is underway.

Dressed in hunting attire, with a powerful bow at his side and dozens of eagle feathers stuck in his quiver beside his saddle, Ma Liang laughed as he smacked his horse's belly and roared, "Brothers, charge!"

As Ma Liang charged forward, hundreds of knights followed, whistling as they went.

Even a rabbit will kick an eagle when cornered, and a dog will jump over a wall when desperate. What's more, among the wild animals driven out, there are quite a few ferocious beasts.

A leopard leaped into the air, its agile body displaying a perfect curve in the air. Its sharp claws gleamed with a cold light in the sunlight, and its fangs gleamed in its wide-open mouth.

Ma Liang remained calm, drew his bow, and with a whoosh, an arrow shot straight into the leopard's wide-open mouth.

The beautiful leopard fell from the sky and was hit in a vital spot by such an arrow, dying almost immediately.

"Excellent archery!" Linghu Zhishu, who was closely following Ma Liang, praised loudly.

This is definitely not flattery.

For martial arts masters like them, it wouldn't be surprising to smash a leopard to pieces with a single punch. However, on a galloping horse, under such turbulent conditions, hitting a leopard in the mouth from within twenty paces with an arrow that travels down its throat and kills it without damaging its fur is quite difficult.

Everyone says that Ma Liang is a playboy who lives off his father Ma Dacheng, but Linghu Zhishu thinks that the outside world has probably misunderstood him. Putting aside everything else, just look at the hundreds of knights who followed Ma Liang on the hunt; their fighting power is quite terrifying.

There are martial artists who specialize in archery.

But this was the first time Linghu Zhishu had ever seen an army of hundreds or thousands of people who only practiced archery.

There was once a master archer under the command of the Tiele, who was probably killed by Xiao Changche or Li Dachui.

Such unorthodox masters are mostly used as support characters; they are far less effective in direct confrontations.

Ma Liang probably trained this kind of army specifically to complement his father's troops!

They have a clear understanding of their own position.

Such hunting is, in fact, not much different from fighting a war.

It's just that one of them is a wild beast.

No matter how ferocious these beasts are in their world, they will always be at a disadvantage when facing humans, especially when facing an organized army, where they will not even have the chance to fight back.

The prey piled up like mountains.

Whether it's a tiger, leopard, or bear, or a rabbit, pheasant, or weasel, anything targeted by these people is basically doomed.

As the soldiers excitedly gutted and skinned their prey, the aroma of meat filled the air as wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys. Whether boiled, roasted, steamed, or stir-fried, the soldiers, many of whom were skilled cooks, showcased their culinary talents in this relaxed hunting scene.

Even in the army, it's impossible to have meat at every meal. Being able to have a hearty meat meal once every ten days is considered a very good treatment.

Today is different; I can eat as much as I want.

The entire camp was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation.

A shady tent was set up between several large trees, and felt blankets were spread on the ground. Soldiers then cooked and brought over the best of the day's hunt, such as bear paws and deer penises, piling them up between the group.

Ma Liang broke the mud seal on a jar of wine, poured a full bowl for Linghu Zhishu across from him, and said with a smile, "Brother Linghu is a big shot from beyond the pass. He has visited Yangguan more than once or twice over the years, but this is the first time he has come to see his brother so formally. It's a rare treat, so I must properly offer Brother Linghu a big bowl."

His face was all smiles, but his words were like knives, making Linghu Zhishu quite uncomfortable.

Ma Liang is implying that he used to look down on him and didn't even consider him a person!

Fortunately, Linghu Zhishu was also thick-skinned. He picked up the bowl and laughed, "I didn't recognize a true hero in the past. Now that I know Brother Ma's abilities, I've come here eagerly. I was worried that Brother Ma would be angry with me and ignore me. But a hero is a hero. Brother Ma is magnanimous. I will punish myself with this bowl to punish myself for being blind in the past."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and gulped down the wine in the bowl, leaving not a drop.

Ma Liang laughed heartily, took a sip of wine, and said, "Brother Linghu must have come to bring me good fortune this time. Whether I'm magnanimous or not doesn't matter; I can't turn away money that's offered to me. Look at my brothers; their food, drink, clothes, and accessories are all top-notch—everything comes at a price. Besides, those uncles and elders back in the pass all have families to support, and they're barely making ends meet in this wretched place. My father is a skilled warrior, but he's no good at managing money. Even my old brothers are so poor they're practically starving! How can I, as their son, not share their burdens?"

That's quite an interesting statement. Linghu Zhishu picked up the wine jar and personally poured wine for Ma Liang.

"So, Brother Ma, even those uncles and elders in the pass will give you some face?"

"Of course!" Ma Liang said smugly, "If I hadn't been making money all these years, would those uncles and elders be living such a carefree life? Would they be able to buy land and property? Brother Linghu, I'm not bragging, but in Yangguan, sometimes my words carry more weight than my father's!"

"Very well!" Linghu Zhishu clapped his hands and laughed, "Then let's not beat around the bush. My Linghu family is preparing to enter the pass. I'd like to know how much it will cost Brother Ma Liang to cross the pass?"

"One hundred thousand people?" Ma Liang picked up his wine bowl and squinted his eyes.

"Of course, there won't be this many in the first batch!" Linghu Xiaoshu said with a smile. "That's why we need Brother Ma Liang to maintain control of Yangguan!"

Ma Liang held up one finger: "One million!"

Linghu Zhishu's face changed color: "That's too much!"

"That's not much!" Ma Liang snorted. "Once you leave, this damn area outside the pass will be occupied by the Yuan people, and Yangguan will become the front line. A little over a million? This is our money earned by risking our lives!"

"Isn't there still the Anxi Protectorate?"

Ma Liang chuckled: "If I let you go, Xiao Changche of the Anxi Protectorate would probably be tempted to eat us alive. How could he possibly help us? Brother Linghu, this is a fixed price, take it or leave it! And you have to pay first."

"It's always been the case that money and goods are exchanged at a clear exchange. How can you expect to pay the full amount before anything has even been done?"

“Because it’s a seller’s market!” Ma Liang said with a smile. “It’s a single source; no other company can provide this service, and you can only come to me.”

"What if we have an imperial decree from His Majesty the Emperor summoning us back to the interior to quell the rebellion?" Linghu Zhishu pulled out his trump card.

Ma Liang burst into laughter, "Brother Linghu, look at the situation inside the pass these days! People's brains are practically turned into pig brains from fighting. I don't care how you got the emperor's decree, but here, only money works. Nothing else matters. Without money, let alone tens of thousands of people crossing the pass, not even a fly can get through!"

After saying that, perhaps feeling it wasn't harsh enough, Ma Liang said viciously, "Even if a fly does fly over there, it has to leave its eggs behind."

"What if I take this imperial edict to your father? As far as I know, your father is still loyal to the court!"

Ma Liang sneered: "You can try, but let me tell you this first: before you contacted my father, my asking price was one million. After you contact my father, the price will go up."

Linghu Zhishu understood.

In Yangguan today, the one who truly holds real power is probably no longer Ma Dacheng, but rather this grinning Ma Liang.

Although the two didn't talk much today, it was clear that all the generals in Yangguan had probably been subdued by Ma Liang. No wonder the spies planted in Yangguan said they hadn't seen Ma Dacheng for almost a month.

He's probably been locked up by his son!

"I understand, but the amount is too large for me to make a decision on my own. I have to go back and report to Commander Linghu!" Linghu Zhishu said.

Ma Liang nodded: "Brother Linghu, go back and tell the Commander-in-Chief that time waits for no one! The lands east and west of the river are in complete chaos. He Zudao's army is fleeing towards Shandong, leaving a trail of blood wherever they go. If the Commander-in-Chief enters the pass now, the lands east and west of the river will be ours for the taking. If we don't seize this opportunity, what's the point of the Commander-in-Chief entering the pass? One million taels of silver, not a penny less! Of course, Commander-in-Chief Linghu can also try attacking Yangguan. Maybe I, Ma Liang, am no match for him and will be defeated in one battle! Hahaha!"

Linghu Zhishu stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Ma Liang, and turned to walk out.

His intentions had been made clear, and the price had been set, but the decision-maker was not him.

As he mounted his horse and looked back at Ma Liang, who was drinking heartily with his men under the shade of the canopy, Linghu Zhishu suddenly felt that he was truly useless.

It's one thing if he can't compare to Xiao Changche and Li Dachui, but Ma Liang, the playboy I always looked down on, turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. He was quiet until he made a big splash, and easily took control of Yangguan from his father.

The key is that he can still firmly control everyone.

I have seriously underestimated the heroes of the world!

With a sigh, Linghu Zhishu touched his face.

Over the past year, I've been beaten twice by my uncle, and I felt a bit wronged at first, but now it seems like I deserved it.

There are so many heroes in the world!

In this small area outside the Great Wall, are there really so many people better than me?
(End of this chapter)