The Legend of the Condor Heroes: I became one of the Five Great Masters by drawing cards

Chapter 29: Juzhou Governor
"Stop talking nonsense!" Gu Ping'an urged, "Take me to see the governor!"

"Yes, yes, young man, please follow me."

The leader bowed and nodded all the way and brought Gu Ping'an to the reception room.

"My men have already reported it. Young man, please sit down and have a cup of tea. The governor hasn't gone to bed yet, so I guess he'll be here soon."

Gu Ping'an couldn't really sit there and wait, so he paced back and forth in the hall anxiously, and looked out the door from time to time.

About half a cup of tea later, footsteps were heard. It was Juzhou Governor Pushan Anzhen.

This man has a high forehead and a broad face, a straight nose, drooping eyebrows, and long hair in a braid. He has a typical Jurchen appearance.

He was over six feet tall and strong, not like an ordinary civil servant, but more like a military general.

"Lord Pusan!"

As soon as he showed up, Gu Ping'an immediately went forward to greet him.

"Don't worry, Young Master Gu. Please tell me in detail."

Although Pushan Anzhen also had a solemn expression, he was not panicked and seemed to be a steady man who had seen the world.

"The delegation was heading to Haizhou today when they were ambushed by bandits. There were about a hundred of them, and they were planning to rob a passing caravan, but they stumbled upon us."

Gu Ping'an informed the situation according to the prepared words.

"The captain of the delegation's guards spoke rashly and revealed the envoy's identity, which intensified the bandits' spirit. We had no choice but to protect the young prince and fight our way back into the forest. Unfortunately, we were still surrounded."

Gu Pingan sighed and continued, "With my martial arts skills, it's not difficult for me to escape on my own, but it's not possible to do it with the little prince."

"Manpower is sometimes limited," Pushan Anzhen knew that he was a favorite of the young prince, and took the initiative to comfort him. "This group of bandits is numerous and powerful, so it's not your fault."

"That group of people captured the young prince and used him as a hostage. That's why they asked me to come back and report the news so I can get the ransom for the young prince's safety."

"Ransom? How much do they want?"

"Twenty thousand taels of gold"

"Hiss!" Pu San An Zhen took a breath of cold air, "So many!"

"The young prince and I also reacted in the same way, but the situation was stronger than us, so we had no choice but to agree first and then go to the governor to discuss a solution."

Gu Ping'an spread his hands and threw the problem over.

Pushan Anzhen pondered for a moment and then asked, "Did they say where to send the ransom?"

This governor is indeed no fool!

Gu Ping'an thought to himself, but showed a bitter smile on his face.

"I was also trying to trick them into revealing their hiding place, but unfortunately they weren't fooled. They just said that once I collected the ransom and left the city, someone would show me the way."

Hearing what he said, Pushan Anzhen's thick brows knitted together, and he couldn't think of any good solution in a short time.

“This matter cannot be delayed”

He thought intently for a while and then shook his head.

"The Crown Prince of Zhao is no ordinary imperial envoy. This time he is on a mission to Lin'an with a heavy responsibility. If we delay for too long, the Mongolian envoy will overtake him."

The rank of the Jin Dynasty governor was not very high, but as a Jin person, Pushan Anzhen also knew the importance of this mission.

In addition, he comes from a family of two generations of famous generals and is well versed in military affairs.

Under the current circumstances, if the Song and Mongolia join forces, the Jin Kingdom will be difficult to resist.

"If we report this to His Majesty now and send another envoy, I'm afraid it will be too late."

Seeing that he was so smart, Gu Ping'an struck while the iron was hot.

"As for now," Pu San An Zhen pondered for a long time and sighed, "I'm afraid we can only find a way to raise the ransom."

Gu Pingan was delighted, but his expression remained calm: "These 20,000 taels of gold are not a small amount."

Pushan Anzhen really couldn't come up with such a large sum of money. He was a talented general, but although he was a provincial governor, he was not good at making money. His political achievements were mediocre, and he looked forward to leading the troops to war every day.

This is also the reason why he deliberately sent spies to infiltrate the Red Turban Army.

The reason why Gu Ping'an did not go to find the prefect this time but came to him was because the governor had no military power.

Pushan Anzhen thought about it and came up with an idea.

"The wealthy merchants in this city are very wealthy, and I have never forced them to pay tribute. But now that the situation is urgent, it's time for them to contribute!"

These words hit Gu Ping'an's heart.

"Without further delay, Young Master Gu, follow me!"

Born into a family of military generals, Pushan Anzhen was a man of swift and decisive actions. He immediately ordered his men to prepare horses and took Gu Ping'an straight to the Xu family mansion.

The guard on night watch saw that Young Master Gu had returned with the Governor by his side, so he naturally did not dare to neglect him. He quickly sent a servant to pass on the message and led the two men into the main hall.

When an important person came to visit, Mr. Xu, the richest man, didn't even bother to change his clothes and hurried out to greet him.

"The Governor and Young Master Gu came to visit late at night, I don't know..."

He had just fallen asleep and was dreaming about the return of his stolen property when he was woken up in a daze. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.

Pushan Anzhen looked nervous and took his hand and said, "Mr. Xu, there is trouble in Juzhou!"

"In trouble?" Xu Hong felt the pain from his large hand pinching him, and he regained some consciousness. "Why do you say that, Governor?"

"Your Excellency, something has happened." Gu Ping'an had a bitter face and spoke in a low voice.

"Is this true?!"

The last bit of sleepiness Xu Hong felt was completely gone.

He specially set up a banquet and worked hard to please the young prince, just so that he could say a few good words to the important people after he returned home with honor.

Although he is the richest man in the state, he is far from being an imperial merchant. This is a good opportunity for him to make further progress.

Now this good opportunity is just wasted?
He was thinking too simply.

Gu Ping'an spoke at the right moment: "Mr. Xu, do you know why the governor said Juzhou was in trouble?"

"Oh, yes." Xu Hong came back to his senses. "Why is that?"

"The mission is of great importance. It is to prevent the alliance between Song and Mongolia. If it fails, our Great Jin will be in danger!" Gu Ping'an said, sighing deeply.

Pushan Anzhen continued, "Sir, think about it. The consequences are so serious. The imperial envoy was in Juzhou. The prefect and I will certainly die. But if the emperor is furious,

"When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?" Xu Hong's face suddenly showed fear, and cold sweat broke out. "I'm afraid the whole Juzhou will be vented with anger!"

This is not just a matter of missing an opportunity; I'm afraid even my job will be ruined.

"This is truly a disaster sent from heaven!" Xu Hong sighed, looking up to the sky. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him, and he hurriedly asked, "The governor has come here so late at night. Do you have any way to deal with it?"

"For now, we only have a glimmer of hope."

"I hope you will explain clearly!"

Gu Ping'an and Pushan Anzhen sang the same tune, and after laying the groundwork for so long, they finally made their intentions known.

"The ones who attacked the delegation en route were bandits," Gu Ping'an explained. "They knew the young prince's noble status, so they kidnapped him and asked me to come back for a ransom."

"ransom?"

Business people are always sensitive to money. Xu Hong immediately realized what was going on and asked, "Are they asking for such a high price?"

Gu Ping'an sighed and nodded.

"How many?"

"Gold, twenty thousand taels!"

(End of this chapter)