Chapter 10: The Viscount Arrives

Every single one of them, without exception, stared in a daze.

"This..."

"What is going on?"

"What is this thing?"

People exclaimed one after another, shocked and appalled.

They had originally thought these were just ordinary rolling stones, of which they also had plenty prepared, but the method of rolling stones could not pose much of a threat to Cavalry. Yet who could have imagined that this white stone would dissolve the moment it touched water! The heavier the rain, the more tragic the scene outside became. The ground was covered in this terrifying white.

Very quickly, the steam caused by the rapid rise in temperature made the Bandit and their horses lose their sense of direction, leading them to collide and trample one another.

This was one aspect.

The other aspect came directly from the terrifying corrosive power of the Lime!

"Damn it, what is this stuff?"

"My eyes!"

Screams rang out continuously, one after another.

When their eyes felt uncomfortable, they would rub them with their hands or flush them with water, only to discover that doing so would only make this burning sensation and agony grow even more intense!

"Lord Lu, what are you still waiting for? Charge out!"

Seeing that Lu Zhengyi was still in a daze, Liu Zheng hurriedly reminded him.

"Right, right, right, charge out!"

Lu Zhengyi snapped back to reality, brandishing his sword and shouting.

Because they had been warned by Liu Zheng early on, the hands and feet of these eight hundred Garrison were wrapped in sheepskin, and their mouths were covered with Oilcloth. In this way, the impact of the Lime would be kept to a minimum. The scourge of these Bandit had plagued Yinzhou for a long time; seeing that the four thousand Bandit had completely lost their combat effectiveness, how could they not seize such an opportunity?

Qin Zhangfeng also let out a shout and joined the ranks of the battle.

This fellow was fierce, and that was no exaggeration; with every swing of his blade, a head fell!

Very quickly.

Outside Yangzhou City, it had become a purgatory stained with white and blood. The Bandit had long plagued the common people and deserved to die; the eight hundred soldiers finally had a chance to avenge their grievances, so naturally, they would not show mercy.

In a mere half-hour!

The battle had already ended.

The Yangzhou Captain reported happily: "My Lord, we have completely annihilated the four thousand Bandit! We have captured one thousand War Horse!"

"Good, good, very good!"

Having achieved such a great victory, Lu Zhengyi was overjoyed.

"Young Master has great talent!"

"Thanks to the help of Young Master, Yangzhou is eternally grateful!"

At this point, without Lu Zhengyi needing to say anything, people began to express their gratitude to Liu Zheng one after another, especially those commoners who had helped defend the city; they looked at Liu Dong with eyes filled with inexplicable admiration.

To annihilate four thousand Bandit without losing a single soldier or horse—could even a divine being descended to earth accomplish this?

And at this moment, the most shocked were, first, Liu Zheng's father, Liu Dahao, who looked as if he were seeing his son for the first time and could not react for a long while. The other was Lu Zhengyi.

Wasn't it said that this was a spendthrift, playboy son? How could a playboy son be so "divine in the use of troops," strategizing from thousands of miles away?

A great talent!

After this battle, Yangzhou would not need to worry about Bandit incursions for at least five or six years; in this chaotic world, it could be called a place where one could live and work in peace.

"One should have a son like Young Master Liu! But, Young Master Li, what is this white substance..."

Lu Zhengyi did not hesitate to offer his praise. Others were also filled with wonder, one after another calling this item a divine tool for city defense.

In this era, who had ever seen such things?

This was even more poisonous than Crane-top Red!

Liu Zheng naturally would not reveal his secret, laughing it off: "Lord Lu, this is called Lime, and it is also a rare item; it took me three days to prepare even this little bit."

Lu Zhengyi clicked his tongue in wonder, and seeing that Liu Zheng did not wish to say more, he did not ask further, turning instead to express his envy toward Liu Dahao.

Liu Dahao hurriedly remained humble: "You are too kind, you are too kind!"

Liu Zheng said: "Lord Lu, the fifty soldiers we agreed upon..."

Lu Zhengyi laughed loudly: "Easy, easy! Today's great victory calls for a banquet to treat you both! Give the order to prepare a grand feast to reward the Garrison!"

Never mind fifty, even if it were a hundred, he would be willing to lend them!

"Yes!"

Someone soon went to make preparations, and only then did Lu Zhengyi look at Qin Zhangfeng, who had just returned from cleaning up the battlefield, his eyes flashing with intensity. This Qin Zhangfeng had personally slain at least two hundred Bandit just now; he was quite fierce. That such a brave warrior could not be used for his own purposes was a tremendous regret!

To demonstrate the integrity and generosity of Yangzhou, Lu Zhengyi immediately assigned fifty soldiers to Liu Zheng on the spot—the very fifty who had helped Liu Zheng burn the Lime.

Hearing that they were to follow Liu Zheng to that godforsaken Yinzhou, the fifty men were unhappy. Liu Zheng promised on the spot that as long as they followed him, each would receive a monthly salary of two taels of silver; the fifty men were overjoyed, which made the others incredibly envious.

That same day.

The entire Yangzhou City was as lively as the New Year, with pigs slaughtered and sheep butchered.

"Hahaha, finally I can have a good meal!"

Lu Zhengyi arranged for the three of them and the fifty soldiers to stay at the Post House; Liu Dahao smelled the scent of meat from afar, and his saliva could not be stopped. Throughout the journey, they had only eaten rations and water, and his mouth had been bland and tasteless.

Liu Zheng was preparing his pack nearby and chuckled: "We are not going to the banquet."

"What?"

Liu Dahao wiped away his saliva and cried out: "Son, your father, I..."

Liu Zheng said coldly: "Do you want to eat meat or keep your life?"

Liu Dahao shuddered: "Zheng, what do you mean?"

Liu Zheng smiled slightly and said nothing more.

He had long since seen that this Lu Zhengyi was not a person who could accomplish great things, let alone someone to work with. He was indecisive and lacked courage. If he could barely hold one Yangzhou, what great thing could he possibly achieve?

Tonight's banquet, I fear, is a Hongmen Banquet!

He remembered well the gleam in Lu Zhengyi's eyes yesterday when he saw those ten thousand taels of Silver Note; it was more greedy than any Bandit. In such chaotic times, officials killing people and seizing their property was not uncommon, let alone in a lawless place like this.

"Then... how are we to escape?"

Liu Dahao also realized this point and was suddenly drenched in cold sweat.

Qin Zhangfeng hummed from the side: "Young Master, have no worry. With me, Zhangfeng, here, I will ensure the two of you are safe!"

Liu Zheng was overjoyed: "Zhangfeng, are you willing to follow me to Yinzhou?"

Qin Zhangfeng bowed and cupped his hands: "Young Master has a heart for the world and treats me as a confidant. Zhangfeng is truly willing to follow, and would not refuse even at the cost of death!"

It was finally done!

Liu Zheng was ecstatic; gaining this one man was worth more than an army of thousands.

"Once it is dark, we can leave the city!"

Liu Zheng said.

Liu Dahao asked: "Zheng, what about those fifty soldiers?"

Liu Zheng laughed heartily: "I never intended to take them with us, but if I didn't say that, how could I make Lu Zhengyi lower his guard against us?"

Liu Dahao was dumbfounded, feeling that his son not only knew how to compose poetry, but his mind had also become much sharper. This ability to plan every step was simply better than when he did business.

Qin Zhangfeng, hearing this, was moved to tears, and felt even more that Liu Zheng was a man worth following.

At this time. County Marquis Mansion.

The atmosphere was joyful and exuberant.

"Congratulations, County Marquis! This great victory reported to Liangzhou Prefecture will surely allow you to rise steadily in your career!"

The Counselors were congratulating Lu Zhengyi.

Lu Zhengyi's expression, however, was slightly gloomy.

Rise steadily?

This great victory was certainly worth celebrating. But if it spread, it would be the result of that brat Liu Zheng's strategic planning and use of a Surprise Unit to win.

This made Lu Zhengyi feel as if a fish bone were stuck in his throat, extremely uncomfortable.

Moreover...

That Liu Dahao was truly wealthy, carrying ten thousand taels of silver! Of course, if it were just that, Lu Zhengyi wouldn't have any ideas. But a letter the Special Envoy brought from Liangzhou Prefecture hinted that there would be no crime in killing the two of them, which was what made Lu Zhengyi's desires difficult to suppress.

Ten thousand taels...

Yangzhou's annual tax revenue was pitifully low, and after covering expenses, if he could get five hundred taels into his own hands, that was already considered a good year!

"My Lord, are you worried about that yellow-mouthed brat?"

"This matter is not difficult..."

Several Counselors immediately guessed Lu Zhengyi's thoughts and began offering ideas one after another.

Lu Zhengyi chuckled, feigning indifference: "It's not that I'm worried about him, but what do you mean?"

A Counselor said insidiously: "At tonight's banquet, we shall..."

He made a chopping motion with his hand, and the other Counselors nodded in agreement.

Lu Zhengyi acted prim: "Is that appropriate? Besides, we are all colleagues..."

"My Lord, you don't need to do it yourself; leave it to us!"

"That's right, My Lord, just enjoy your wine!"

Soon, this group set the tone.

Lu Zhengyi, "unable to refuse their kindness," could only wave his hand and say he knew nothing and they should act as they saw fit.

The Counselors, imitating the Hongmen Banquet, prepared one hundred soldiers at the banquet, sharpening their blades.

Several spies were arranged at the Post House, seeing that the fifty soldiers were still feeding the War Horses and waiting for orders; they didn't get too close to the Post House, fearing they would startle the snake.

After nightfall.

Lu Zhengyi ordered someone to invite the Liu father and son, only to learn that the two had already secretly left.

"They ran?"

Lu Zhengyi's face changed drastically, and he roared: "What about those fifty soldiers?"

"They didn't take a single one, they only swapped for three War Horses!"

Bang!

"That Liu family brat, he insults me too much!"

Three days later.

Liu Zheng finally arrived in Yinzhou.

At this moment, he was melancholy.

The three of them were riding horses and arrived before a small hill. If they hadn't confirmed it several times with the farmers in the nearby fields, they wouldn't have believed that this was the famous Yinzhou.

Looking around, there wasn't even a basic city wall.

The city gate, which had the two characters "Yinzhou" written on it, looked like a large fence. Beside the fence sat a dark-skinned old man, and when he opened his mouth, half his teeth were missing.

Everything was the color of dirt; the road was the color of dirt, the buildings were the color of dirt, which caused the sky to be the color of dirt, the clothes people wore were also the color of dirt, and their faces were ashen like dirt...

This was a place that made one feel incomparably desperate at first glance.

Looking at the county town at a glance, there wasn't a single decent building or decent residence.

Occasionally, a few locals would walk by, their clothes barely covering their bodies, their frames gaunt, but they stared at the three of them with extremely fierce and guarded eyes. If it weren't for the long sword on Qin Zhangfeng's back, they would have certainly come over to question them.

"Is this... Yinzhou?"

Liu Zheng was very bewildered.

Liu Dahao's legs also went weak: "Son, shouldn't we just go back to Liangzhou? At the very least, I can still do some business... This, this, this..."

"Can you show a little backbone?"

Liu Zheng glared at him, pulled on the horse's reins, and shouted: "The County Marquis has arrived!"

Because it was empty, echoes rang out repeatedly.

Those numb people did not have much of a reaction, watching the three of them as if watching a play.

Liu Zheng rode his horse in a few circles.

"The County Marquis has arrived!"

"The County Marquis has arrived!"

Still, no one answered.