nycdaug Chapter 331
Chapter 331
Zhou Chu knew very well that Wang Changshan had ill intentions and might even collude with Anda's people to launch a sneak attack on him.
However, Zhou Chu didn't care. With the Tiger Legion at his command, Zhou Chu was genuinely afraid that Anda's people wouldn't come. As long as they came, it would be time for Zhou Chu and Anda's tribe to clash.
In this way, Zhou Chu wouldn't have to go to the vast grasslands to search for the Anda tribe.
However, Zhou Chu also knew that it was unrealistic to annihilate Anda's people in one battle on the grasslands this time, as the warhorses of the Ming Dynasty were still quite inferior to those of the Mongols.
This will be at most a skirmish; it will be difficult to encircle Anda's forces on the grasslands.
Unless they are surrounded, Anda's men can easily escape thousands of miles away after a single failed attack.
However, Zhou Chu would not easily let this opportunity pass. He wanted to catch them off guard and annihilate the fighting force of the Anda tribe as much as possible.
The population of a Mongol tribe is limited; killing one reduces the number of people. The more they annihilate this time, the fewer they will face when pursuing the Mongols across the grasslands.
"Lord Zhou summoned me here. Is he perhaps preparing to leave the city to suppress bandits?"
Wang Changshan and Hu Duo approached Zhou Chu in the main hall, their faces beaming with smiles.
“That’s right, but in warfare, the principle is always that supplies must be prepared before the troops move. My 30,000 troops, with their food and provisions, shouldn’t the surprise that Lord Hu mentioned earlier be delivered?”
Zhou Chu looked at Hu Duo in front of him and said with a hint of teasing.
After all, Hu Duo had acted as the middleman, so Zhou Chu would only talk to someone like Hu Duo who had official connections.
Upon hearing this, Hu Duo looked at Wang Changshan, who was standing to the side.
With a slight pang of regret, Wang Changshan took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and placed them on the table in front of Zhou Chu. This money was jointly contributed by the gentry and wealthy families in Datong City, and Wang Changshan, as the richest man in Datong, naturally contributed the most.
However, the thought that Zhou Chu would soon be eliminated and the money would return to him put his mind at ease.
Moreover, the largest money exchange in Datong City was owned by the Wang family. All the real gold and silver were stored in the money exchange. These banknotes were just pieces of paper. When Zhang the Blind destroyed these banknotes, wouldn't all the silver belong to the Wang family?
It must be said that Wang Changshan's plan was quite clever.
"Lord Zhou, this is one million taels of silver that I have collected from wealthy households in the city over the past few days. I have converted it all into bearer notes. Please accept it, Lord Zhou."
Wang Changshan's expression was very kind; those who didn't know him would really think he was thinking of Zhou Chu's best interests.
Zhou Chu took the silver note, glanced at it, and casually handed it to Chunlan.
"Take some men to the bank and withdraw all this silver."
Chunlan took the silver note and, leading a group of Imperial Guards, headed straight for Wang's Money Shop. One million taels was a lot of money and very heavy, but for such a large sum, the money shop should send a carriage to transport it.
Chunlan brought so many Imperial Guards with her, so even if the money shop didn't want to help with the transportation, it had no choice but to do so.
When Wang Changshan saw this, his face turned green. If this money were withdrawn, it would have little to do with his Wang family.
One million taels of silver would be a painful sum even for Wang Changshan. Although the Wang family was wealthy, one million taels was still a considerable amount, even an enormous sum.
But Wang Changshan couldn't find any excuse to stop Chunlan from exchanging money, so he could only worry helplessly.
"What's wrong, Master Wang? Are you feeling unwell?"
Seeing Wang Changshan scratching his head in confusion, Zhou Chu asked the question knowingly.
"Lord Zhou, the money has been paid. When would you like to leave the city to suppress the bandits?"
Wang Changshan changed the subject.
"What's the rush, Master Wang? I will definitely leave the city to suppress the bandits within three days."
Zhou Chu said.
How could Wang Changshan not be anxious? He wished Zhou Chu would leave the city to suppress the bandits right now, so that he could still keep the one million taels of silver.
However, Zhou Chu clearly wouldn't let him have his way, leaving Wang Changshan helpless.
"I hope Lord Zhou will keep his word, otherwise these wealthy gentry who have spent money might cause trouble."
Wang Changshan's approach was both soft and firm.
"No need for you to worry, Master Wang. Now that the army is temporarily under my command, it is my duty to suppress the bandits."
With the Tiger Legion now under his command, how could Zhou Chu possibly take Wang Changshan's threat seriously?
In the end, Wang Changshan was rebuffed and left dejectedly.
“Lord Zhou, this Master Wang is no ordinary man. There’s no good in offending him.”
After Wang Changshan left, Hu Duo looked at Zhou Chu meaningfully, seemingly advising him, but actually threatening him.
"What? You, Lord Hu, a prefect of Datong, have to defer to a merchant? Are you still an official appointed by the imperial court?"
Zhou Chu's expression turned serious.
Hu Duo broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this; he never expected Zhou Chu to slap such a huge accusation on him right off the bat.
"Lord Zhou has misunderstood. Never mind, I was just being nosy."
After Hu Duo finished speaking, he got up and took his leave.
The reason Zhou Chu said he would leave the city to suppress the bandits within three days was because he was still waiting for something.
Mother-and-child cannons.
The mother-and-child cannons were transported from Suzhou to the Tianjin dock by waterway, and then from Tianjin to Datong. The speed was not much slower than that of the Tiger Army, and they should arrive in the next day or two.
The area around Datong is quite different from Suzhou. Suzhou is flat, with only a few mountain peaks that are only two or three hundred meters high.
But Datong is surrounded by mountains.
According to information provided by Prince Zhu Junzhang, Zhang the Blind's lair is located on Cailiang Mountain, about 40 li east of Datong City. Cailiang Mountain is over 2,000 meters above sea level, while Datong's average altitude is about 1,000 meters.
Without someone to guide you, finding the bandits' lair in the vast mountains would be incredibly difficult, but things are different now. Zhu Junzhang handed over the traitor under Zhang the Blind to Zhou Chu, and the man is now in Zhou Chu's hands.
According to that man, Zhang the Blind's camp was easy to defend and difficult to attack, as solid as a rock. Even if ordinary people knew about it, they couldn't do anything to him. Therefore, Zhou Chu wanted to wait until all the cannons arrived so that he could bombard the bandit's den. Zhou Chu wanted to see whether his cannons were more powerful or Zhang the Blind's camp was more sturdy.
Not long after, Chunlan and a group of Imperial Guards escorted the money shop's silver-carrying carriages to the gate of Zhou Chu's current residence, where dozens of carriages were lined up one by one.
Fortunately, the place was relatively remote, so there weren't many people watching. Even if there were, they probably wouldn't dare to look at so many Imperial Guards.
Fortunately, the mansion that Yu Hai arranged for Zhou Chu was large enough to hold all the boxes containing the silver.
Zhou Chu wasn't worried about anyone daring to steal or rob him. Anyone who had the guts would be incredibly lucky and would experience what it's like to be surrounded by an army.
Not to mention that Zhou Chu's residence was guarded by the Imperial Guards, so not even a fly could get in, let alone a thief.
Another day passed, and the convoy transporting the cannons finally arrived outside Datong City and joined up with the Tiger Army.
Zhou Chu rode his black horse and led his elite Tiger Army straight towards Cailiang Mountain.
On the grassland, Anda led more than a thousand cavalrymen from his tribe straight towards the east of Datong City. Wang Changshan had someone tell him where Zhang the Blind was hiding. Anda was now only a little over a hundred li away from Cailiang Mountain.
"A mere commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard dares to stir up trouble on the grasslands?"
Anda sneered inwardly.