Starting as a centurion, he fought his way through the chaos of the world.

Chapter 14 Centurion

"Where did you come from? Don't you know you have to pay money to set up a stall on the street?"

Outside the crowd, someone shouted.

Seven or eight men dressed in black pushed through the crowd and walked in.

"They are from the Zhang family."

"Which shop on this street doesn't pay tribute to them? Now even those who come from other places to set up stalls are being skinned alive."

The surrounding crowd was whispering among themselves.

Zheng Yong also put away the stick, his eyebrows furrowed tightly, and the veins on his hands gripping the stick bulged.

But in the end, he took a deep breath and calmed down.

Although killing these people was not difficult, he would still have to wander again.

Moreover, he had really run out of money.

My old injury is flaring up again, and if I don't find a safe place to treat it soon, it could become very troublesome.

He could only cup his hands and say, "Gentlemen, I am new to this place and do not know the rules. How much silver should I pay?"

"Oh, at least you know the rules. Ten taels of silver, and you can do business here however you like. Otherwise, we'll kick your stall down today."

The leader of the Zhang family thugs said, shrug his shoulders.

Zheng Yong's cheeks twitched slightly.

"Brother, I really can't afford ten taels of silver. This is what I earned today, so it's all yours."

Zheng Yong was speaking.

He then took the copper coins out of the tray.

"boom!"

"You think you can get rid of us with this little bit of money? Do you think my Zhang family are beggars?"

The man opposite him disagreed.

He slapped the copper coin in Zheng Yong's hand to the ground.

At this moment, the other party finally couldn't take it anymore.

He turned around and prepared to leave.

"Stop!"

The Zhang family members stepped forward and placed their hands on Zheng Yong's shoulders.

"boom!"

The other person grabbed his arm and threw him away.

Then, with a kick, someone who had just rushed up was also sent flying.

Zheng Yong continued, leaping high into the air, his elbow striking a person on the head as it fell.

In the blink of an eye, three people were taken down.

And all of them were seriously injured.

The others dared not go any further and fled with their companions.

Lu Ming looked at his skills and nodded in satisfaction. These were all killing techniques from the military.

"Brother, you should leave quickly. No one has ever left Fenglei Town alive after offending the Zhang family."

Someone kindly reminded me.

Lu Ming, however, fixed his gaze on Zheng Yong.

"boom!"

Then, a silver ingot was thrown into his hand.

“I am Lu Ming, the centurion of Fenglei Town. If you are willing, you can come with me. The Zhang family can't do anything to you.”

If you don't want to, I won't force you; consider the money as your travel expenses.

Lu Ming's voice rang out.

Everyone around turned to look, and for a moment everyone fell silent.

Now, who in the town doesn't know the name of this centurion? He killed the Zhang family and got away with it without a care.

"I'll go with you," Zheng Yong said, pursing his lips. His previous actions had reopened his wound.

Moreover, although the Hundred Households were not regular border troops or imperial guards, they were only part of the city guard.

But for him now, it's a good place to go.

"Let's go then."

Lu Ming nodded.

Then, they headed towards the centurion's quarters.

After settling his wife in, he introduced Zheng Yong to everyone.

They were all men from the military, and they quickly became acquainted.

Lu Ming even specially invited a doctor to treat Zheng Yong's injuries.

By the time the medicine was prescribed, it was almost dusk.

"Sir, all the merchants in Fenglei Town have been notified. They will meet at Hefeng Tower tomorrow at noon."

Just after seeing the doctor off.

Sun Tian then walked over.

It turned out that in the morning, Lu Ming had asked Sun Tian to inform the merchants in Fenglei Town that he was hosting a banquet at Hefenglou the next day and that everyone must attend.

He was preparing to discuss matters related to commercial taxes.

"Have you agreed to everything?"

"I've received all the invitations, and they said they'll definitely arrive tomorrow."

Sun Tian said with a smile.

Lu Ming nodded and told Sun Tian to go about his business.

He went straight to the backyard.

He went to accompany his wife.

"Husband, I feel like the people in town are different from before. Have you run into some trouble?"

In the room, Li Xirou poured Lu Ming a cup of tea and then whispered something.

A hint of worry appeared on his handsome face. "Oh, why do you say that?"

“Aunt Zhang is usually very warm to me, especially after we defeated the bandits. She smiles at me every day and even invites me to her house for meals. But today she’s been avoiding me. Her husband drives a cart for the Zhou family,” Li Xiyue whispered.

Lu Ming raised an eyebrow. "That's how it is."

It seems something really has happened.

No one's sudden coldness or enthusiasm towards you is without reason.

Especially in Fenglei Town.

However, to reassure Li Xiyue, he said, "It's alright, don't worry."

On the other side, in the Zhang family's hall, although it was not completely dark yet, the lights had already been turned on.

What's most surprising is that there's a brazier in the center of the hall.

It was burning brightly with a crackling sound.

The head of the Zhang family sat in the position at the very top.

His fair face was illuminated by the firelight, flickering in and out of focus.

Next were the guests he had invited, all of whom were well-known merchants in Fenglei Town.

The heads of the Zhou and Wu families were also present.

The head of the Zhou family was a rough-looking man, dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit.

His body was bulging and his muscles were bursting.

The head of the Wu family had a pair of slanted eyebrows, a face full of fat, and his face was covered with small bumps, making him look like a fierce person.

Dozens of other merchants also came.

After everyone had arrived, the Zhang family head tapped his fingers on the table.

His hawk-like gaze swept over everyone before he said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, I heard that the centurion sent you an invitation?"

"Mr. Zhang, the invitation has been delivered, and I couldn't refuse, so I accepted it. However, I definitely will not go."

One merchant was the first to step forward and express their opinion.

"Bang!" At the same time, he threw the invitation in his arms into the brazier.

After exchanging glances, the others also stood up and took sides. "Mr. Zhang, rest assured, in this Fenglei Town, we all know who we can follow to achieve lasting wealth and status. That centurion thinks he can turn the world upside down just by finding some old and weak soldiers."

Don't worry, we will definitely support you!

After seeing that everyone had expressed their opinions.

The Wu family head's boisterous voice rang out, "Seeing everyone like this, our three families are very happy. You all know what the court is like now. That Lu Ming hasn't even grown up yet, he's just wearing a tattered tiger skin, and he wants to bully us in Fenglei Town. It's just wishful thinking."

The Zhang family head has already sent people to the prefectural city to inquire. Our centurion has no powerful backing; he bought his official position.

Therefore, your current awareness is a form of self-salvation.

I, Wu Feng, am making this clear: although I dislike Zhang Huai Ren's overly scholarly demeanor, on the matter of Fenglei Town, we are united against external forces. Even if the imperial court sends someone, they cannot lord it over me!

After saying that, Wu Feng turned and left.

After nodding to Zhang Huai-ren, the Zhou family head also left.

Clearly, the two were there to support the Zhang family head.

The latter then said with a smile, "Everyone, thank you for your support. I have prepared a small feast for you today. Please move to the restaurant."

As he spoke, he pulled one of the merchants outside.

As she passed the door, she whispered to the butler, "Are all the staff ready?"

"My lord, everything is ready. Please wait for news tonight."

After giving a subtle nod, the Zhang family head left.

At this time, the Hundred Household Office.

"boom!"

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Zhang Meng, covered in dust, rushed in.

He ignored the stares of others until he reached the back gate.

He then looked at a maid and said, "Girl, go and tell the master that Zhang Meng has returned."

"I'll go right away," the maid replied and walked inside.

A moment later, Lu Ming came out.

Upon seeing Zhang Meng return, a look of joy appeared on his face, without saying anything else.

It's good that they returned safely, because the roads are far from safe these days.

"Sir, the matter has been settled, and the letter of appointment has been brought back."

Before Lu Ming could ask, Zhang Meng spoke up excitedly.

As he spoke, he took out the letter of appointment from his bundle.

There's another brand.

Lu Ming smiled bitterly. Although he knew that the imperial court was rotten to the core, he had not expected this.

There wasn't even anyone to deliver the letter of appointment; Zhang Meng brought it back directly.

"Does Lord Qian have any further instructions?"

"Yes, Lord Qian said that a group of border troops who had retired seemed to have made some contributions. The General specially issued an official letter to place them in the city guard, but there were no vacancies, so he asked me to bring them back to our centurion's office."

Let's arrange for it to be placed here.

Zhang Meng looked worried, concerned that Lu Ming would be angry, since supporting someone required money.

Moreover, quite a few people were assigned to make arrangements this time.

At the same time, he was secretly annoyed. The city guards of that prefecture were not even full, less than a third of the authorized strength. The excuse that they couldn't assign people was just that, and they were keeping them to feed a few generals.

Now it's been directly dumped in Fenglei Town.

At this moment, Lu Ming showed no sign of anger. Instead, his eyes lit up as he asked, "How many people?"

They were veterans of the border army, and had even distinguished themselves; they were definitely elite troops.

The most elite troops in the Great Yu army were the Imperial Guards, followed by the Border Troops who were stationed on the border year-round.

Finally, there are the city guards, who are usually responsible for local security.

Therefore, the soldiers who retreated from the border must have been elite troops.

I'm too busy taking care of my baby to complain.

(End of this chapter)