Chapter 193

"That is very good."

Seeing Li Ying and Hu Tai Gong so sensible, having agreed to all the conditions, Zhang Jie was extremely satisfied.

Although he had full confidence that he could take down the two manors just as he had taken Zhu Family Manor,

why not save a little effort, energy, and time?

Moreover, being able to fully receive the supplies of Zhu Family Manor today was because he had caught the Zhu family off guard,

breaking through Zhu Family Manor before Master Zhu and the others had time to destroy food, horses, and other supplies.

Zhang Jie did not dare to guarantee whether Li Ying and Hu Tai Gong were the kind of ruthless people who would rather burn their own manors to the ground

than leave a single grain of food to aid the enemy.

After all, people who could stand firm in an era like the Great Song,

dealing with corrupt officials, bandits, and river pirates for many years while remaining standing,

might be bad or cruel, but they were certainly not too stupid.

Furthermore, with Zhu Family Manor watching from the sidelines,

if Hu Tai Gong and Li Ying were truly such indecisive people,

they would likely have been eaten by Zhu Family Manor until not even the dregs remained.

At this moment, Hu Tai Gong stood up from his chair and cupped his hands:

"Chieftain, we accept all of Liang Shan's conditions,

but we hope that you, Chieftain, can also agree to one condition of ours."

"Tai Gong, please speak."

With the Li and Hu families being so sensible, Zhang Jie felt he couldn't be lacking either.

As long as the condition wasn't too excessive, he could agree to it immediately.

Even if it were a sugar-coated bullet, with his strength standing in a position of absolute superiority,

he had the confidence to eat the sugar coating and fire the bullet back.

"We hope that my little daughter will have the opportunity to serve by your side, Chieftain."

Hu Tai Gong clapped his hands, and Hu Sanniang, who had been hiding behind her brother Hu Cheng ever since arriving at the Zhu Family courtyard, walked out slowly.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Zhang Jie's brain, which had become increasingly intelligent after several sharings, stalled for a moment.

He didn't know what kind of trick Hu Tai Gong—no, it should be Hu Tai Gong and Li Ying—were playing.

In the center of the living room, Hu Sanniang, extremely shy and with a face as red as a ripe

red apple, slowly untied the black cloak on her body.

"This, this..."

Zhang Jie was speechless as he looked at Hu Sanniang, who had taken off her cloak.

It wasn't that Hu Sanniang was dressed very revealingly at this moment,

like a 21st-century late-night streamer who couldn't wait to strip off the last shred of clothing.

On the contrary, Hu Sanniang was dressed very conservatively,

with long garments tightly wrapping every inch of her skin.

However, she was not wearing the military uniform she had worn to meet Zhang Jie earlier, but had instead changed into a lady's dress.

Her already beautiful figure and appearance, set off by the well-fitting lady's dress,

were even more beautiful than peach blossoms, more delicate than flowers!

Zhang Jie couldn't help but glance sideways at Hu Tai Gong, Hu Cheng, and Li Ying:

You use this to test a cadre; what cadre could withstand such a test?

'He is, after all, a hot-blooded young man.'

Seeing Zhang Jie somewhat dumbfounded, Hu Tai Gong chuckled inwardly, knowing that this move of using a beauty trap had been the right one.

With Hu Sanniang by Zhang Jie's side to frequently whisper in his ear,

the lives of their Hu and Li families would be preserved.

And they would not be like Zhu Family Manor, where all the adult males died at Zhang Jie's hands, leaving behind helpless orphans and widows.

"Chieftain, I hope my little daughter can serve by your side to put our hearts at ease."

Knowing that one cannot lie in front of an ambitious hero,

to avoid leaving hidden dangers for the future, Hu Tai Gong stated their purpose bluntly.

"Very well, let Miss Hu serve under my command from now on."

Knowing that the weak, like Hu Tai Gong and the others, needed a guarantee when facing a strong man like himself who possessed absolute violence,

Zhang Jie thought for a moment and had no choice but to agree.

Without this, it would not be enough to put the hearts of Hu Tai Gong, Li Ying, and the others at ease.

"Chieftain, let me serve you."

Having received permission, Hu Sanniang slowly walked to Zhang Jie's side, imitating the maids at home,

picked up the teapot, and added hot tea to his cup, which was already more than half empty.

However, perhaps because it was her first time doing such a thing, she was a bit clumsy and flustered.

Zhang Jie didn't mind; seeing a beauty like this had its own unique charm.

Of course, if it were Ru Hua, it would be pretentious and she would be beaten out with sticks.

There was no helping it; Zhang Jie admitted he was just such a visual creature.

So-called love at first sight is nothing more than being attracted by appearance.

"Zou Ji Satirizes the King of Qi to Accept Advice": Those who say my wife is beautiful to me, are partial to me.

Zhang Jie: Beauties prettier than my wife, please private message me~

Wu Song and the other personal guards, however, were staring fixedly at Hu Sanniang, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

As long as Hu Sanniang dared to make any suspicious move, they would immediately draw their swords and hack her to death!

Although they all knew that Zhang Jie's martial arts were beyond their imagination,

protecting Zhang Jie was their responsibility.

When it required Zhang Jie to take action himself, it was their dereliction of duty, and they could only atone with their deaths!

"Chieftain, we take our leave."

After their goal was achieved, Hu Tai Gong and the others took their leave sensibly.

"Good, I will have the military advisor and the others discuss the specific details with you, Tai Gong, tomorrow."

Zhang Jie nodded slightly.

Hu Tai Gong and the others had come in the dead of night, and it was already very late.

Hu Tai Gong was not a night owl like Zhang Jie, who often stayed up until 1 or 2 AM, and was already exhausted.

Li Ying, Hu Cheng, and the other energetic middle-aged and young men were still fine.

After seeing Li Ying and the others off and telling them to go discuss more precise terms for the merger of the manors with Chen Wenyun, Wang Lun, and other

capable assistants tomorrow,

Zhang Jie asked Hu Sanniang, who was trying to adapt to her work as a maid but still felt a bit uncomfortable, with some curiosity:

"Miss Hu, I killed Zhu Biao,

and I heard he was your fiancé; don't you hate me?"

Hu Sanniang raised her fair hand, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and said in a tone of relief:

"Chieftain, you killed Zhu Biao; I am grateful to you, so how could I hate you?"

"The reason I was engaged to Zhu Biao

was merely to maintain the alliance between Zhu Family Manor and my Hu Family Manor.

Our Hu Family Manor is weaker, and we wanted to obtain protection from Zhu Family Manor through marriage,

while Zhu Family Manor also used this to consolidate its position and win us over,

to counter the increasingly powerful Li Family Manor.

There was not a shred of affection between him and me."

Zhang Jie carefully recalled the content of the three attacks on Zhu Family Manor and found that it was indeed as Hu Sanniang had said.

There was no clear description of affection between Hu Sanniang and Zhu Biao,

and their engagement was essentially a political marriage, lacking an emotional foundation.

Zhu Biao's attitude toward Hu Sanniang was also closer to indifference than love.

When Liang Shan attacked Zhu Family Manor, Hu Sanniang was captured, but Zhu Biao made no attempt to rescue her, instead letting her be captured alive by Lin Chong.

"I never liked Zhu Biao to begin with; I only dealt with him for the sake of my family.

I thought my fate was set, but I never expected you, Chieftain, to appear out of nowhere."

Hu Sanniang looked at Zhang Jie, her clear, water-like eyes shimmering.

There was gratitude for him breaking her established fate, as well as resentment for being sent by her father and brother under the pressure of his military might,

and at the same time, a little bit of admiration.

For her, who preferred martial arts over feminine finery and loved wielding spears and sticks, and admired the strong,

her husband should be a great hero whose martial arts were far above her own.

Although Zhang Jie currently appeared to be a scholar and his martial arts were not outstanding,

how could he not be a strong man if he could command such powerful Liang Shan troops?

No matter how well one practices martial arts, it is only enough to fight a few or ten people,

and even the peerless fierce generals in history were only enough to fight a hundred people,

but the military strategy Zhang Jie displayed was enough to fight ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand!