gnovel Chapter 47 Entering the Village
Chapter 47 Entering the Village
After discussing it that day, they decided to come to Zhoujiabao.
Another day passed, and Li Chengye had gathered even more detailed information about Zhoujiabao.
It is said that Zhoujiabao is a truly secluded and high-rise mansion, heavily guarded at both ends, with a considerable number of people inside, and it is also said that there are two cannons.
Li Chengye was now all too aware of the power of artillery.
He had previously witnessed from the top of Yijun City that Wang Er's army was almost wiped out by a single cannon shot from the government troops.
He then personally led a group to the edge of Zhoujia Village to arrest villagers who were out gathering firewood and find out that they were two tiger-squatting cannons, no more than a person's height in length and as thick as a child's arm at the mouth, which were mounted on the corner tower of the wall.
In the past, when bandits entered the village, they were scared away as soon as the cannon fired.
Not only that, the walls of the Zhou family compound are also quite high, over ten feet tall.
As long as the people inside close the door and set off firecrackers on the wall, the people outside can take it down, but there will definitely be many casualties.
But seeing that they were dressed in the same armor as the government troops, Li Chengye came up with a plan.
That noon, Li Chengye led his men and swaggered toward Zhoujia Village, displaying the arrogance of the government troops to the fullest extent.
As soon as I entered the village, I saw a middle-aged man wearing a silk mandarin jacket and a scholar's scarf coming to greet me.
He looked up at Li Chengye on his tall horse and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Who are you, sir? What brings you to this poor, remote village of Zhoujia?"
Li Chengye, mounted on his horse, did not respond and instead feigned arrogance.
Liu Ye stepped forward and said, "My master, Master Li, is a commander of a thousand men under Commander Han of Tongguan Guard. He has recently been pursuing the bandit Wang Erliu to this area. I heard that a group of bandits passed through this direction a few days ago, is that right?"
Wang Er?
Didn't I hear he lost in Yijun? How did he end up chasing me all the way to Huangling?
Zhou Wenqi didn't understand what was going on, but he could tell that the people in front of him were fully armored and were indeed elite, not just ordinary poor guards.
"Oh, it's General Zhou Chongli from Tongguan Guard! My father, Zhou Chongli, is an old friend of Commander Han Chengju. He even mentioned a few days ago that he wanted to visit Commander Han at Tongguan Guard."
Li Chengye and Liu Ye exchanged a glance, surprised that the other party had such a relationship with Tongguan Guard.
At this moment, Li Chengye spoke up: "Since Master Zhou's family has this relationship with my master Han, I'll be frank. We're currently pursuing the bandits, and we're running out of supplies and provisions. We'd like to borrow some from Master Zhou."
"Ah...this."
Zhou Wenqi understood why the government troops had come to his house; they were there to beg for money.
But looking at the other side, a hundred or so men, fully armored and armed, he wanted to say "no," but he couldn't quite bring himself to speak.
The Shaanxi region is different from Zhili and Henan because it has many soldiers. As everyone knows, if these soldiers start committing evil deeds, they can kill and rob without end.
Therefore, if there is any room for negotiation, they will compromise; it's not worth forcing the soldiers to rebel over a few chickens or a few bushels of rice.
"Then... how much food and provisions does Your Excellency require?"
"We have two hundred people here, and each person needs two days' worth of food. I wonder if Lord Zhou can manage that?"
Zhou Wenqi breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the commander in front of him was at least "well-behaved" and not too greedy.
Two hundred people, two days' worth of food, each person gets four catties of grain, which is eight hundred catties. Although it hurt his wallet, it was much less than he expected.
It seems that her father's reputation still played a role.
"Alright, Commander Li, I'll tell my family to prepare a meal for the adults right away."
"Young Master Zhou is indeed loyal and devoted to the country."
"Actually, there's something else I hope you can help me with."
"What is it?"
"There are a few poor bastards in the village who refuse to pay their rent and taxes. We hope you can help us... and urge them to pay."
Li Chengye found it amusing, but still replied, "Okay, it's nothing, no problem."
Li Chengye followed Zhou Qiwen into the village, his eyes scanning the surrounding terrain along the way.
The Zhou Family Compound is backed by a steep earthen cliff, which serves as its natural barrier.
The walls of the entire courtyard are nearly 15 feet high, made of blue bricks all the way to the top, and polished very smoothly. People can stand on them and shoot arrows.
At the east and west corners, there is a solid brick and stone corner tower, more than ten feet above the wall, like a beacon tower on the frontier. Moreover, two cannons can be vaguely seen pointing at the road that Li Chengye had just walked.
The main gate of the courtyard was covered with thick iron sheets and studded with copper nails. It took several people working together to push the gate open.
At this moment, the door was half-open, and several servants carrying spears and swords could be vaguely seen walking around.
This is no ordinary wealthy family's residence; it's clearly a military fortress!
Li Chengye felt a chill run down his spine.
When he was about thirty steps away from the gate, Zhou Qiwen unconsciously slowed down and deliberately glanced at the dozen or so armored soldiers behind Li Chengye out of the corner of his eye.
A hint of wariness crept into the smile on his face; although they were still familiar with each other, the wariness was obvious.
Li Chengye saw through his thoughts and immediately said, "Brother Zhou, your residence is heavily guarded and not an ordinary household. It would indeed be suspicious if my large group of people went forward rashly and disturbed you."
I have long admired Lord Zhou's reputation for integrity. When he served as an official in the capital, he was upright and virtuous, which was admirable.
"Since I've come across this esteemed place, how could I not pay my respects to the venerable sir? Would you do me the favor of allowing me to bring two or three attendants inside to kowtow to you?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiwen's tense expression relaxed considerably. He thought to himself: This commander is quite sensible and considerate, taking my father's reputation into account by only bringing two or three people in.
With over a hundred servants in his own house, and only two or three people, he wasn't afraid of causing any trouble.
His smile returned to its genuine form, and he said, "Commander Li, you flatter me. My father will surely be pleased to know that you care so much. Please come with me."
Having said that, he stepped aside and led the way.
Li Chengye nodded slightly, and at the same time exchanged a quick glance with Han Sanhu, Liu Ye, and Yang Chongwang behind him. The group nodded almost imperceptibly.
Immediately, Li Chengye, along with Han Sanhu, Liu Ye, and Li Luo from the same village, stepped forward, hung their knives on their sides, and followed Zhou Qiwen into the courtyard empty-handed.
The rest of the men remained motionless at Yang Chongwang's gesture, like statues, their eyes fixed on Li Chengye's back.
"Crunch—Squeak—"
The heavy iron-clad wooden door was pushed open with great effort by four servants.
Inside the gate was a spacious front courtyard paved with bluestone slabs. On both sides of the corridor stood no fewer than twenty burly servants, each holding a white waxwood staff, a waist knife, and even a few crossbows, all staring at the gate.
Directly opposite the main gate is the hanging flower gate leading to the second courtyard, with a towering lintel.
Zhou Qiwen stood inside the threshold, turned around, and extended an invitation with a beaming smile: "Commander Li, my humble abode is simple, please..."
Before the word "advance" could even be uttered, a sudden change occurred!