Do you have the strength to force me to join the Liangshan bandits?

Chapter 570 Zong Ze: If the current emperor were half as good as the Prince of Qi [3rd update]

Brother Yi gave a thumbs up: "Still going strong even in his old age!"

They also wrote down Zong Baoguo's name, and Brother Xiaoyi gave each of them, father and son, a waist tag.

The iron waist tag had the Qi army flag engraved in relief on the front and their registration number on the back.

Brother Yi instructed the father and son: "This is just the preliminary selection. There will be a preliminary selection on April 1st."

"Report here at 7:00 AM on April 1st. Do not be late."

Zong Baoguo and his son Zong Fang received their waist tokens and walked back. As they passed the middle of the line, they heard people talking.

Passerby A: "Do you know who that young general on the white horse was just now?"

Passerby B: "Who?"

Passerby A: "Zhang Kui!"

Passerby B: "Never heard of it."

Passerby A: "His master is Lu Junyi, the great general of Qi. Lu Junyi is the sworn brother of the King of Qi!"

Passerby B: "Hiss—"

Passerby A: "Don't rush to shout, do you know who the registrar is?"

Passerby B: "Who?"

Passerby A: "'Prodigal Son' Yan Qing!"

Passerby B: "So it was him? I heard that he was originally Lu Junyi's servant, but later he gained the appreciation of the King of Qi and made great contributions before he started his own household!"
"He rejected Zhang Kui, wasn't he afraid of angering Lu Junyi?"

Passerby A: "Don't worry! Don't you know that King Qi was once known in the martial arts world as the 'King of Justice'?"

"Not to mention Lu Junyi's disciple, I heard that even the King of Qi's adopted son came to register incognito!"

"Not a single preferential treatment!"

Passerby B: "Fair! Absolutely fair!"

Zong Baoguo and his son exchanged a glance and continued walking forward.

Munakata whispered, "Could it be just a pretense to win people over..."

Zong Baoguo remained noncommittal, and after walking a short distance, he overheard people discussing the matter.

Passerby C: "General Zhang, did you just return from suppressing bandits and come here to sign up?"

Passerby Ding: "What bandits are you trying to eliminate?"

Passerby C: "Haven't you heard? The King of Qi sent troops to wipe out all the bandits on the border of Qi!"

Passerby Ding: "Hey! Speaking of which, why doesn't he sweep away the bandits within the territory of Qi?"

Passerby C: "Nonsense! Where are there bandits within the territory of Qi?"

Zong Baoguo and his son exchanged another glance, and then Zong Baoguo asked his son:
"Everyone speaks well of King Qi, but everyone's just putting on an act?"

Zong Fang was speechless and could only nod repeatedly.

When the father and son reached the end of the line, they saw the young Zhang Kui again.

People lining up in front of and behind Zhang Kui were asking him about the bandit suppression. He was very approachable and answered every question, changing the subject when he couldn't answer.

Zong Baoguo and his son did not linger and walked straight over.

After leaving the small training ground, Zong Baoguo let out a long sigh.

Zongfang asked, "Why did Father sigh?"

"If the current emperor were even half as powerful as the King of Qi..."

Zong Baoguo stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head with a wry smile:
"Let's not talk about it anymore, let's find an inn to stay in."

Zong Fang curled his lip: "Not only does the Emperor not value Father, but he also believes the treacherous minister's false accusations and demotes Father..."

"shut up!"

Zong Baoguo glared at Zong Fang: "This is not something you can say. If you dare to talk nonsense again, get out of here and go home!"

Zong then dared not utter a sound.

While the father and son were discussing others, three burly men in the queue were also talking about them.

These three burly men were the guests sitting in the corner of the hotel.

The big-eyed, bearded, red-eyed giant whispered in his ear:

“Brother, that old man is even more extravagant than we imagined!” The giant Yaksha nodded: “He deserves our attention.”

Another burly man with a big nose said to the Yaksha giant, "Brother, we should also pay attention to that young general later."

Yaksha Giant: "Let's see."

When it was their turn, all three of them picked up the stone ox, and Yan Qing noted down their names.

After the three of them finished registering, they refused to leave and dawdled until Zhang Kui finally got to register.

"Brother Xiao Yi, do I still need to carry the stone ox?"

Zhang Kui asked Yan Qing with a grin, and Yan Qing pointed to the stone ox:

"Stop talking nonsense and pick it up for everyone to see."

Zhang Kui, eager to show off his skills, swaggered forward, grabbed the stone ox's horn with one hand, and deftly lifted it above his head.

After carrying the stone ox around once, Zhang Kui gently and skillfully put it back in its original place.

Without blushing, without a racing heart, and without panting, Zhang Kui asked Yan Qing with a smile:

"Brother Xiao Yi, how is it?"

Yan Qing: "It's alright."

Zhang Kui laughed heartily and looked around smugly.

He thought his sudden display of skill would amaze everyone, but to his surprise, everyone remained calm.

Zhang Kui asked Yan Qing with a strange look, "Brother Xiao Yi, is my move not convincing enough?"

Yan Qing suppressed a laugh and said, "The old man you were trying to cut in line with just now also lifted a stone ox like you."

Zhang Kui: Σ(⊙▽⊙“a
After an incense stick had burned, Cai Fu learned what had happened on the small training ground.

Bai Sheng: "Your Majesty, I have already dispatched messengers on horseback to Wuzhou to investigate this Baoguo father and son."

Cai Fu pondered for a moment and said, "Zong Baoguo, a native of Wuzhou, is sixty-one years old, with a dark complexion, and his son is Zong Fang..."

Wait a minute, could it be Zong Ze?

Cai Fu's eyes lit up. Zong Ze must have been demoted by Emperor Huizong of Song and was living in seclusion in the mountains.

According to historical developments, in 1122 AD, Emperor Huizong of Song pardoned Zong Ze and invited him to serve as an official.

Zong Ze was a vigorous old man. It wasn't until 1127 AD that he was recommended by Li Gang and appointed by Emperor Gaozong of Song as the governor of Tokyo and the prefect of Kaifeng.

Zong Ze was 67 years old at that time.

If it weren't for his unfulfilled ambitions and the resulting illness from grief and indignation, Zong Ze wouldn't have died after shouting "Cross the river!" three times.

It's only 1121 AD now. If Zong Ze were under my command, An Daoquan could take care of his health...

Living to eighty years old is a sure thing, isn't it?

Cai Fu was overjoyed. He had only intended to recruit heroes from all over the world, but he hadn't expected to catch such a big shot!
It was all worth the trouble!

Bai Sheng then introduced Cai Fu to the noteworthy heroes in the city, including the three strangely shaped, imposing men.

The world is full of wonders, so it's not surprising that they are strangely shaped and have outstanding talents.

Upon hearing this, Cai Fu went over and asked, "How many heroes have signed up?"

Bai Sheng: "There must be more than three hundred people now."

Cai Fu nodded. Actually, there were more people than he had expected. It seemed that the number of stone oxen weighing over 200 jin was a conservative estimate.

He instructed Bai Sheng to investigate and report back, and Cai Fu went to accompany Princess Tianshou to practice horseback riding.

Because Cai Ya and Li Ping'er brought Cai Fu double the joy, he couldn't help but neglect Princess Tianshou.

After Princess Tianshou protested, Cai Fu deeply reflected on his actions and realized that this was wrong; he must treat everyone equally.

It must be said that the biggest problem with spreading resources evenly is that there isn't enough time.

He also had to accompany Zhao Fujin to practice calligraphy, Hu Sanniang to practice swordsmanship, and Qiu Qiongying to practice shooting iron pellets...

Every time he was quiet and still at night, Cai Fu would ask himself, "What's so good about having more women?"

He now particularly misses the days when he had no women, when he could drink and laugh with his brothers, and sleep side by side with them.

Those happy days seemed to vanish the moment he had more and more women...

(End of this chapter)