Chapter 949: Shaozhou Turbulence (I)

Song Yu and Leng Yiyi returned from the Teng clan in defeat, and did not rush back to Jinjianwu immediately. Instead, they ordered their subordinates to send the gifts prepared by Teng Sanshi back to Jingjiang Prefecture.

The two of them changed to fast horses, took a detour to the southeast, and headed straight for Shaozhou, which was fifty miles away.

At the beginning, Jin Fuyu transferred the 100,000 troops that he had secretly trained out of Hengshan Village, among which 20,000 soldiers were hidden in the remote suburbs of Shaozhou.

Shi Zhenshan, one of the eight masters of Jinjianwu and another "confidant" of Jin Fuyu, is currently training troops in Shaozhou.

Ever since Jian Zhong died in Tanggula Mountain and Xu Guangsheng died tragically in Yunya Ancient Town, Jin Fu Yu gradually became disillusioned with "outsiders" and decided to entrust the important task of commanding the troops to "his own people".

Among them, Shi Zhenshan and Wen Lian had the most experience in commanding troops and the best potential. Therefore, Jin Fuyu devoted all his efforts to cultivating them, hoping that they would transform from brave and knowledgeable martial arts masters to generals who could plan and command troops as soon as possible.

According to Song Yu's original words: "Now, Shi Zhenshan and Wen Lian eat well, wear well, and all the things they need are the best. The owner of the dock uses mountains of gold and silver to support them, but does not require them to earn a penny. Everything in Jinjian Dock must be picked by them first, and the rest will belong to us."

Although this remark was meant to be sarcastic, it also indirectly reflects how transcendental Shi Zhenshan and Wen Lian's status is in today's Jinjianwu.

Especially Shi Zhenshan, who was undoubtedly the most talented commander under Jin Fuyu. Compared with the elegant and refined Wen Lian, Shi Zhenshan's fierce and brave character was more suitable for commanding thousands of troops. As for Wen Lian, he was more like a military advisor who gave advice.

The two of them, one civil and one martial, one hard and one gentle, can complement each other and check and balance each other, which is the result of Jin Fuyu's careful consideration.

"I thought you would stay in the Teng tribe for at least three to five days. Why did you leave in the morning and return in the evening? Didn't that old fellow Teng Sanshi try to keep you?"

Before he showed up, Shi Zhenshan's loud and rough voice was heard first, which scared Song Yu and Leng Yiyi who had just sat down, and they almost spit out the tea they had just drunk.

After dusk, the sun had set but the golden moon had not yet risen, the sky was dim and dark, just like Song Yu and Leng Yiyi's mood at the moment, gloomy and depressed.

"Tempting us to stay? They didn't welcome us at all. They were very polite not to beat us out." Song Yu wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief and said self-deprecatingly.

"What do you mean?" Shi Zhenshan, a muscular man, strode into the room with meteoric strides, sat down opposite Song and Leng, picked up the teapot on the table, and drank it mouth to mouth. Then he wiped his hand and asked in a muffled voice, "When we went to Xiangxi before, they were always enthusiastic. Why did you fail this time? If old man Teng doesn't give you face, he doesn't give Jin Jianwu face. Are you rebelling against him?"

"You have been busy with military training during this period, and you know very little about what is happening in the martial arts world." Song Yu said helplessly, "The days of passion and enthusiasm are long gone, and now he is 'cold as ice'. Haha, Teng Sanshi's eyes have grown to the top of his head, and no one in the martial arts world can catch his eye anymore."

"Why?"

"Things are different now. Teng Sanshi relies on his close relationship with Xiao Zhirou and Yun Zhuiyue. The three families are united enough to look down on the world and dominate the martial arts world. Of course, they are fearless and don't even bother to play tricks with us."

"So, your visit was a complete failure and you didn't get anything out of it?"

"Shi Zhenshan, you have a really vicious tongue. You know that our efforts are in vain, but you still speak without any hesitation." Leng Yiyi said unhappily, "Teng Sanshi is a cunning old man. He answered every question he asked from the beginning to the end, and all he said were irrelevant words. What do you expect us to get out of this?"

"The most important thing is that they have broken the 'window paper' today. From now on, the Xiangxi Teng Clan will no longer be attached to anyone, and will no longer follow anyone's orders." Song Yu smiled bitterly, "Their words and deeds are all aimed at Jinjianwu. The meaning of parting ways is already obvious, and it's just missing from Teng Sanshi's mouth. No matter how much we say nice things, they won't even look at us. Now that things have come to this, what can we say? If the relationship between the two families is completely strained, how can we explain to the owner of the cave when we go back?"

"Do you think you can explain to the master if you return empty-handed?" Shi Zhenshan curled his lips and said bluntly, "According to what you said, what difference does it make whether we have a falling out with Teng Sanshi or not? If you go back and make excuses like this, not only will you not get the master's understanding, but you will be ridiculed by others. I heard that... Ding Ao and Dong Xiaoer are increasingly valued by the master. Even Ji Hou and Fu Yin are treated leniently by the master. If this continues, I'm afraid that there will be no place for us elders in Jinjianwu. Could it be that... you are planning to follow the example of Wen Lian and me and run to the garrison camp to seek a job?
"What? Are you afraid that we will take your job?" Leng Yiyi teased.

"Shi is just a rough man, and there are some things that I dare to say... maybe only I dare to say." Shi Zhenshan frowned and pondered, "What the owner of the dock cares about most is of course the plan to restore the country. But the Mongolian cavalry has been invincible in conquering cities and territories for decades, and it can almost be said that they are invincible. Now, Mongolia has occupied seven out of ten of the world, and the Song Dynasty, which is in a corner, is also lingering and in danger. Under such circumstances, we want to take back the territory of the Jin Dynasty from the powerful Mongols... How easy is it? To say something very treasonous, the owner of the dock is already not young, and his ambitions may only last for another ten or twenty years. I would like to ask you two, within twenty years... is it possible for us to overcome all difficulties and restore the Great Jin? Even if it is possible, how sure are you that you can live to see that day?"

"Shi Zhenshan, what do you mean by these words?" Song Yu's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he said angrily, "Could it be that you are wavering in your support for the great cause of restoring the country?"

"Of course not!" Shi Zhenshan said solemnly, "What I mean is that the great cause of restoring the country is not something that can be accomplished overnight, or even... not in one generation. During this period, accumulating soldiers, money and food is like spreading branches and leaves. No matter how luxuriant, it is inseparable from the support of the foundation. For us, the owner of the dock is the biggest foundation. Where is he? That is the core of power. Maybe one day in the future, the owner of the dock will personally lead the army to conquer the east and the west. But for now... Jinjian Dock is still the top priority. If we, the elders, are squeezed out by those 'outside monks' like Ding Ao and Dong Xiaoer, who can guarantee that they will not take the opportunity to deceive the owner of the dock? And then occupy the magpie's nest and replace us?"

"This……"

"Therefore, whether it is the garrison camp or the Golden Sword Dock, we must have our own people in control of the power." Shi Zhenshan said passionately, "Right now, the Dock Master has given us three tasks. If Ding Ao, Dong Xiaoer, Ji Hou, and Fu Yin can all take the opportunity to make achievements and return victorious, only you will be in disgrace and lose... not only will it be embarrassing, but you will also lose to them in public. By then, even if the Dock Master wants to protect you, I'm afraid he won't be able to open his mouth." "Brother Shi's words... are also sincere and heartfelt." Song Yu gradually understood Shi Zhenshan's intentions, and his stern expression suddenly eased a lot. He said bitterly, "To be honest, Ding Ao has stolen my limelight in front of the Dock Master more than once. And the Dock Master... seems to appreciate him quite a lot."

"The owner doesn't appreciate Ding Ao, but people with ability." Leng Yiyi interrupted, "We have followed the owner for many years, how can we not know his character? Jian Zhong and Xu Guangsheng are both like this. The owner's love for talent, even if it is not the best in the world, is second to none."

"Because of this, you must not make the slightest mistake, especially when competing with 'outsiders'."

"Do you think we don't want to help the owner?" Song Yu said angrily, "But Teng Sanshi is arrogant and stubborn, and he doesn't give us a chance to mediate."

"If he doesn't give you a chance, won't you find one for yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Looking at Shi Zhenshan who was pretending to be profound, Leng Yiyi raised her eyebrows and asked suspiciously, "Could it be... that you have news about Teng Sanshi?"

"no!"

"you……"

"Don't worry!" Shi Zhenshan waved his hand to interrupt the exasperated Leng Yiyi, with a mysterious smile on his face. "Although I don't have any news about Teng Sanshi, I have a secret that is even more shocking than Teng Sanshi. I believe that if you tell this secret to the owner of the dock, he will not hold you accountable for your poor performance, but will instead reward you heavily."

Shi Zhenshan's mysterious trick immediately aroused the interest of Song Yu and Leng Yiyi. The two sat up straight subconsciously, looking at the triumphant Shi Zhenshan expectantly, and asked impatiently, "What secret?"

"I caught a spy today. He has a different accent from us and is a stranger. He was sneaking around the gambling house in Shaozhou to get information about the underworld. My brothers saw that he was acting suspiciously, so they arrested him and interrogated him. The result was shocking. This guy is indeed not a simple person."

"Spies?" Song Yu frowned, "Where did the spies come from?"

"Customs."

"Outside the pass?" Leng Yiyi was startled. "What do you mean?"

"This kid was quite stubborn at first. He kept jumping up and down and cursing even when being severely tortured by the brothers. He didn't say a word." At this point, Shi Zhenshan showed a bloodthirsty grin on his face. "But no matter how tough he was, he couldn't be tougher than my methods. In the end, I chopped off four of his fingers, cut off one of his ears, cut off one of his tendons, and dug out one of his eyes, and finally pried open his mouth."

"This……"

"This person is from Taizhou, and he calls himself 'Taizhou Hongfu'."

"Taizhou Hong Mansion?" Song Yu and Leng Yiyi looked at each other, both confused.

"Yes! It's the 'Taizhou Hong Mansion'." Shi Zhenshan slapped the table, as if he suddenly realized something. "Their boss is called Hong Si. It is said that he is well-known outside the Great Wall and is considered a local tyrant."

"Hong Si?" Song Yu was stunned. "We don't seem to know this person. What do you say... have to do with us?"

"It doesn't matter whether you know Hong Si or not. What matters is where he is now."

"Where? Isn't it Taizhou?"

"No! He is in the place where you just 'hit the wall', the Xiangxi Teng tribe."

……

(End of this chapter)