knife

Chapter 596 Testing
Zhou Zheng stood in the restaurant, looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, his brows furrowed.

A dozen or so Southwest Wolf Soldiers died here. In the past, it wouldn't have been a big deal; they would have just died.

But things are different now.

There are tens of thousands of wolf soldiers in the entire city of Danyang.

Now, outside the restaurant, hundreds of wolf soldiers have gathered, clamoring for the restaurant to hand over the murderer.

If I had arrived even a moment later, I believe none of the people in this restaurant would still be alive.

As the governor of Danyang, the cases of various crimes committed by the southwestern wolf soldiers that have been sent to his desk in the past few days are almost as high as the pile of his own men.

But what can we do?

We have no choice but to suppress it.

Fortunately, the situation in Danyang City has been brought under control. The next step is to send troops to conquer Yong'an and Ruyin. At that time, the Southwest Wolf Army will be the main force in the conquest. Without them, Danyang can return to its former state.

As for those who have died or been injured, they can only be considered as having made contributions to the Great Chu!
"Guards! Lock all these people up in the dungeon!" With a wave of his hand, a group of county soldiers rushed forward and pinned the restaurant owner, manager, waiters, and cooks to the ground and tied them up.

A group of people shouted that they were wronged.

Zhou Zheng, however, had a stern face and said, "Take them all away. Not a single one of them is allowed to have any accidents. I will interrogate them personally."

There were also some clear-headed people outside who knew that Lord Zhou was saving these people's lives.

If they weren't locked up in the manor's jail, I'm afraid this place would be trampled flat by these wolf soldiers the moment Zhou Zheng left.

They'd still cause trouble if nothing was wrong, especially now that so many of their comrades have died here.

This restaurant has nice decor and good business; it would be strange if they didn't take advantage of it to fleece customers.

Money is a small matter; I'm afraid I might not even be able to save my life.

We'll lock them up for a while now, and release them once these wolf soldiers leave.

The business is probably doomed, but at least we've survived!

A commotion arose outside, and with several loud shouts, the wolf soldiers surrounding the area quickly dispersed. Zhou Zheng was somewhat surprised to see Na Wei arrive in person and went to greet him.

The Nawei of today is no longer the influential barbarian leader he was a few months ago; he will definitely become one of the most influential figures in the Great Chu in the future.

Others may not know, but Zhou Zheng knows very well.
According to the prior agreement between Xiang Ying, Xiong Yi, and Na Wei, Na Wei's daughter would become the Empress of the Great Chu.

The bait that Xiang Ying threw out could be considered a win-win situation.

Firstly, it would firmly bind Na Wei to their cause; secondly, it would also help those tributary regions in the southwest to convert their native chieftains to centrally appointed officials.

"Then why did the strategist come in person?" Zhou Zheng cupped his hands and asked.

“More than a dozen died at once, one of whom was a member of my family, so of course I had to come and see!” Na Wei squatted down, looked through the dead soldiers, shook his head, and then stood up again.

"The person who attacked me is at least more skilled in martial arts than I am!" Na Wei said, puzzled. "They might even be a master of the Innate Realm. Why would a master of the Innate Realm go after these people? It's really puzzling!"

Zhou Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Then, General, is it possible that some expert was resting and eating here, and your subordinates were not very respectful to him and accidentally offended him?"

Na Wei glanced at Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Zheng put it very tactfully.

And it's not just about what's happening right now. Na Wei couldn't possibly be unaware of how bad the discipline of the wolf soldiers in Danyang had been lately.

He deliberately ignored it.

Firstly, the fierce battle at Xianrenling had cost him too many men. Of the first five thousand elite troops to arrive, most of them were killed in action—they were all his trusted confidants and loyal followers. He needed to feed the men who arrived later, to let them know that following him, Na Wei, meant not only food, but also good food.

Secondly, he was also testing Xiang Ying and Xiong Yi's tolerance for him, and this tolerance would determine how much benefit he could gain next.

The fact that his daughter could become empress could not satisfy Na Wei's ambition.

Even if his daughter becomes empress, that only represents the future, while Na Wei still needs the present.

He had already tested the other party's bottom line.

Now that Zhou Zheng has expressed his dissatisfaction to him, it means that this test has reached its limit, and he can use this as a stepping stone to back down.

Next, everyone needs to unite and work together to deal with Jiang Qian, who has fled to Yong'an County.

That's a formidable opponent, and now that he's allied with Li Dachui from beyond the Great Wall, he's even more difficult to deal with. If we can't annihilate him with lightning speed, then our future will certainly be turbulent.

Turning around, he said to a burly man with a knife on his back, "Pass down the order: from this day forward, anyone who violates military discipline or disturbs the local area will be executed without mercy. After death, their bones will be cremated and scattered to the winds, and they will not be allowed to return to their homes for burial!"

"Yes, sir!" The burly man bowed and accepted the order.

The wolf soldiers inside the house who heard this order all turned pale.

Chopping off one's head is nothing to be afraid of, but to be reduced to ashes and not allowed to return to one's homeland as punishment is an unprecedentedly severe order, clearly indicating that the leader is determined to enforce military discipline.

Zhou Zheng was clearly familiar with the customs and traditions of these southwestern barbarians. Upon hearing the order, he cupped his hands and said to Na Wei, "On behalf of the people of Danyang, I thank you, General!"

Na Wei laughed and said, "We're all family, so let's not be so formal. Danyang will be my second home from now on. Since it's my own home, I should naturally take good care of it. How can I ruin my own home?"

"A visionary strategist!" Zhou Zheng chuckled.

“But there are some innate masters we don’t know about who have infiltrated Danyang. This is something we have to worry about!” Na Wei changed the subject and said, “Jiang Qian and Li Dachui are said to be innate masters. If they come, it will be very dangerous for you, Prefect Zhou, to bring out so few people!”

Zhou Zheng shook his head: "A wise man does not stand under a dangerous roof. No matter how arrogant Jiang Qian and Li Dachui are, they would not take this risk, because it is completely unnecessary for them!"

"Then guess who it is?"

“This person has many ways to kill these wolf soldiers, but he chose a method that allows us to guess his approximate cultivation level. Naturally, he has his own purpose. I think he will step forward on his own soon!” Zhou Zheng said.

"There are only so many innate masters, who would come to Danyang at this time?"

"Heroes always emerge in times of chaos!" Zhou Zheng said, "In the past few decades, you could count all the innate masters on one hand. But in recent years, they have emerged one after another. But it doesn't matter. Even if they are innate masters, they still cannot do something like a mantis trying to stop a chariot in the face of the general trend."

As the two were talking, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside. A rider rushed in, dismounted upon seeing the two, stepped into the house, and said in a low voice, "The General invites the Military Commissioner and Prefect Zhou to the mansion for a meeting!"

"What happened?" Na Wei asked.

"He Zudao, one of the Eight Towns of Jiangnan, has arrived!" the visitor announced.

Na Wei and Zhou Zheng exchanged a glance, both understanding who the innate master was.

"We haven't even met yet, but he's already killed so many of my men. I'll have to settle this score with him!" Na Wei roared.

(End of this chapter)