C21

Cao Yi smiled happily.

"You have some guts, kid. I really want to see what kind of expression that Yan Laoheng has on his face."

"Actually, I was quite scared back then, but after some thought, I felt that with teacher around, they would not dare to act presumptuously, so they dared to act in such a manner!"

No one would dislike compliments, not to mention that Zhang Zhou's flattery was not fabricated.

"That Feizi, you need to properly train him. He will be of great help to you in the future."

"Teacher, rest assured. As long as he doesn't go against the rules and doesn't act against nature, the students will definitely help him!"

"Hmm, well said. I don't consider myself to be a moral gentleman, but I will always stick to my bottom line of no harm to the people and no harm to the people. Don't forget this when you act in the future."

"I will remember your teachings!"

Zhang Zhou thought for a while and asked, "Then the man beside Yan Old Heng, who is he?"

According to what you said, this person should be Chen Chaoying. I have never come into contact with him, but I have heard intelligence mention this person before, this person's martial arts is extremely high, he is one of the old Sect Master's trusted aides and has a very high prestige in the Flying Dragon Gang. However, after the old Sect Master passed away, it seems like the relationship between him and the upper echelons of the Flying Dragon Gang is not harmonious.

"Looks like the gangs aren't always free to drink wine and eat meat!"

"That's only natural. As long as there are benefits, it's difficult to avoid conflicts!"

Zhang Zhou nodded and said with a smile, "Teacher, I still want to ask you something!"

"Speak!"

These days, Cao Yi was in a good mood and was very interested in Zhang Zhou's question. Of course, his attitude was also right.

"Teacher, what do you think the strongest martial arts expert looks like?"

Cao Yi thought for a while and said: "A real martial arts master? Hmm, I'll tell you one thing, it's also a private matter of the torturer world! That was many years ago, when I was still serving in the capital's torture camp. My master personally handled a case, and upon learning that the target had appeared in the capital, he had arranged for an encirclement and arrest. At that time, the master brought along a few experts of the Disciplinary Committee and a torture camp to Ying Prefecture. Because the goal was quite difficult, his master did not dare to be careless. He sent out another 300 Regional Army and also obtained the help of a few martial artists. "Counting the numbers, there were at least six hundred of them. Under the circumstances that we planned carefully and took up all the territory, we managed to kill five of them. But the result is …"

"What was the result?"

"Afterwards, this case was banned and was not allowed to be brought up again. My master also didn't tell me. After that case, he chose to leave the prison and return home. I knew then that the result was very miserable, but the exact result was only known after a very long time and after coming in contact with the sealed file. Of the over a hundred people who survived that operation, including my master, only thirty-five survived to return to the capital from the torture camp. "

"Those five people are dead?"

"Dead! People call it the Five Elements of the Demon Cult! "

"Devil Sect?" This title attracted Zhang Zhou's attention.

"Yes, but it was gone a long time ago. When the Devil Sect was still flourishing, I was still a child and was later killed by the combined forces of the imperial government and martial arts factions. I guess killing those five would be the last time I would be able to deal with the Devil Sect!"

Zhang Zhou felt a little regretful that he couldn't watch the liveliness from the bottom of his heart!

"Then what about that expert you saw with your own eyes, teacher?"

"So there really is such an expert!"

Zhang Zhou could not imagine the actual scene that was playing out in front of him. He could only use disbelief to describe his feelings.

"A few years ago, His Majesty was wary of Wu Lin Iron Bracers because of those martial arts experts. However, no matter how powerful an expert was, they could not withstand the combined assault of a thousand cavalry and ten thousand arrows! Under the army's iron hooves, the so-called martial arts experts seem somewhat pitiful! "

Zhang Zhou could not help but sigh, "However, that kind of expert level really makes one yearn for it!"

"Mm, that's right, when I was young, I also wanted to be happy with kindness and revenge, to behead traitors and exterminate evil, so that's why I ended up in the prison. However, after enduring for so many years, I discovered that too many things cannot be solved by force, so the plot towards those experts is also a lot less."

"Un, student also thinks that relying on just physical force to conquer a city isn't a long-term solution!"

"Not really. In this world, there are still some top experts who can use force to solve many problems. However, they are all extremely elusive existences. Most people would not even see one in their entire lives."

"Has teacher met them before?"

Cao Yi thought about it and shook his head. It was obvious that he felt that what he had encountered was not enough to be domineering.

"Then how do you know of such a person?"

Cao Yi smiled without a word. Zhang Zhou could no longer press on.

"The student feels that the person who can truly laugh at the world is a person like teacher!"

"Why?"

"Because teacher is the kind of person who can scheme and make decisions for thousands of miles!"

"Hahaha, you! This flattery is a little too much, but who wouldn't yearn to be able to laugh at such a great event? "

Cao Yi's eyes revealed a rare look of longing.

The region of Tang Dynasty is vast, low in the west, high in the east and low in the north. Its main water system consists of six rivers and three lakes, namely, Qinjiang, Lanjiang, Maotou, Rongshui, Yonghe and Jinghe, Lianhu, Yingzhou and Xinghu. Most of the Great Tang Empire used these rivers and lakes as its backbone and tributaries as their boundary. They divided the thirty-three prefectures into different regions. It was generally divided into six states: Dragon, East, River, Sheng, Cloud and Xiaoyunzhou, known as the North Six Prefectures; De, Gui, Su, Hui, Ying, Qing, Feng Ming, Zhang, and Wu Prefecture, which formed the most prosperous and prosperous ten prefectures of the Dutang; the South China Prefecture, known as the South China Prefecture; the South China Prefecture, South China; the South China Prefecture, South China; and the South China Prefecture, known as the Three Prefectures; and the South China Prefecture, South China and South China. Including the capital, which was slightly to the north, there was a total of thirty-three provinces.

The development of all aspects of the Northern Six Prefectures was far inferior to that of the south. It could not be said to be the worst. The Dragon Prefecture was the Military Administration Prefecture. It was a place where the border armies unified the world and had zero economic development.

After integrating with the underground forces in the north of the city, Flying Child began to form a transport caravan according to Zhang Zhou's instructions. Originally, it was not a big problem to form a caravan, but Zhang Zhou's plan was too big, and Flying Child could not solve it at all. Zhang Zhou personally hosted it.

Because of Cao Yi's contact, plus Zhang Zhou urgently needed to open up the management of Hezhou Lie. Zhang Zhou decided that the first step would be to simultaneously open commercial transport with the four neighboring states of Dongzhou, Xiaocheng Prefecture, Shengzhou, and Yunzhou. The greatest extent would be Hezhou Lie's sales, which would provide a favorable transport guarantee. Secondly, he wanted to use this time to create intercity trains and express logistics. The caravan would transport all sorts of goods along the way, big enough to transport and small enough to carry around for sale. Fees are charged by value and quality, and can be delivered to travelers. For ordinary people, going out on a journey without a horse or car was strenuous and unsafe. It was better now. The cost of the money was definitely much less than when he was travelling alone. Since he could travel by car and save effort, and also travel safely, why wouldn't he be willing to do that?

Zhang Zhou knew that ideas were easy to come by, but this was an important step in building his own business empire, so he had to carry out this plan at all costs.

The biggest problem was the shortage of manpower!

There used to be an escort office in Hezhou, which went bankrupt due to a loss of a heavy dart, and was taken over by Zhang Zhou and his men along with their horses. Plus, the number of men that the Flying Eagle could provide was less than 300, which was far from enough to sustain the situation. In the recruitment, he did not dare to be careless. In the end, he thought hard and thought of a way, which was to let Hezhou Prefecture, that is, the subordinate counties, conduct recruitment and propaganda, and be responsible for checking and recommending the situation. Those with a criminal record and history were resolutely eliminated, and were required to be healthy, be under forty years old, have experience in riding, and be paid well. With Cao Yi in charge, there was naturally no one that dared to be vague about this. They were extremely efficient at handling this matter, but in the end, it only took them a short period of time to be completely staffed. As for cohesiveness, it would take time and process to achieve slowly, so Zhang Zhou was in no hurry. Because the trade caravan's technical requirements were not high, they quickly completed the prototype construction. As for the operation of the specific configuration, it was decided by Feizi and the experienced escort.

It was not even the first month of the Lunar New Year when the imperial government conferred a reward on the Great Northern River King's case.

As per his wish, Cao Yi was transferred to the capital as the Board of Justice's right-hand attendant of the third rank. Zhang Xingzhi entered the capital's torture camp as a vice battalion. He was at the sixth rank. The most unexpected was that Zhang Zhou had unexpectedly broken the record and was promoted to the position of the head of the Hezhou Criminal Investigation Yamen. Many of the officials wanted to change their minds, but Zhang Zhou had actually miraculously completed it! Flying Child and the others also received several hundred silver coins as a reward, as well as a reward from the Hezhou authorities. It was similar to the title of the outstanding youth brawler in his previous life!

Zhang Zhou thought that he would have to do a lot of things and become a very, very big official.

However, the sudden leap in his cultivation left Zhang Zhou at a loss. His arrival during the past two days of the new year had given him a headache. He believed that he would not be able to do what Zhang Xingwen did, and it was necessary for him to have connections.

The first thing he did was pay his respects to Cao Yi, who was very satisfied with the reward. To him, only after entering the capital would he be able to display his greater ambition. As for the two most prized disciples, Zhang Xingzhi, he was promoted to the Meteor Artillery Battalion. As for Zhang Zhou, he was naturally happy. Cao Yi was both annoyed and amused at the same time.

Which of those adults hadn't painstakingly tempered themselves after so much effort? This was the process of turning a young man with sharp edges into a cunning and treacherous individual. There were too many things that even a book or master couldn't teach, and he could only rely on himself to understand them.

"... You don't have to worry too much about it. The new torture envoy is an old acquaintance of mine who has already passed through his prime. He probably came to Hezhou to retire, so he shouldn't make any big moves. As long as you don't step out of line, I will take care of you. When interacting with the other yamen officials, remember not to get too close, not too far away. He would grasp this measure himself. "Although your personality is tactful, it's still not enough to be reserved. It's easy to put yourself at the heart of the struggle, and what you're saying about being low-key is the truth behind being an official for a long period of time. You must remember this …"

"Thank you for teacher's guidance!" Cao Yi's earnest words calmed Zhang Zhou down. The two chatted for a while longer before Cao Yi said in a serious tone, "I have another matter to entrust to you."

"Teacher, just give me instructions!"

"After I came to Hezhou, I secretly trained a group of spies. These spies played a great role in the case of the Great North River King. That box, including the information about the Liu Pass Bridge, was provided to me by them."

Zhang Zhou didn't know why Cao Yi would suddenly say this, so he could only listen attentively.

"Some of them are old men who have retired from the torture, some are martial artists that I have taken in, and most are ordinary people who have received my kindness and are willing to work for me. They are all very difficult."

Zhang Zhou seemed to understand Cao Yi's thoughts. Cao Yi had left all these properties to him, he probably also wanted to take care of these people.

"Teacher, rest assured, I will take good care of these people for you!"

Cao Yi smiled and said: "Not just taking care of him, but taking over!"

Zhang Zhou was intrigued. After Cao Yi said this, he motioned for Zhang Zhou to wait, then walked into the back room. Not long after, he brought out a slightly hunched old man with an ancient face, with a pair of rough hands.

"This is my student, Zhang Zhou!"

Cao Yi first introduced Zhang Zhou to the old man, but the old man probably did not expect Zhang Zhou to be so young.

"Zhang Zhou, this is Old Yellow!"

Zhang Zhou quickly returned the greeting respectfully. The old man was able to get Cao Yi to personally invite him and to display a neither servile nor overbearing attitude. On the other hand, Cao Yi was not displeased and instead took it as natural. This old man's identity was naturally not simple. Cao Yi continued to introduce to Zhang Zhou, "Old Yellow used to be a criminal arrest, but later he retired behind the scenes and followed me around. It's been more than 10 years! He is a native of Hezhou, and his identity is that of a husband. When I went to the capital this time, it was hard for me to leave my homeland, so I decided to stay in Hezhou. I believe that the branches and leaves below are extremely useful to you in the future. It's not easy for these people to earn a living, but now that things have developed to this point, it's even more difficult.

Zhang Zhou knew very well the importance of intelligence personnel. These people might be ordinary, they might not be able to run a business, they might not have much ability, but they had an irreplaceable importance. A good intelligence agent was no worse than a general who could fight well, or maybe even higher! Zhang Zhou gave Old Yellow another big bow, then knelt on the ground towards Cao Yi and said with a trembling voice, "Teacher, rest assured, this disciple will not mistreat all of your old brothers. Those who have children will have no worries about their livelihood. Those who do not have children, I will send them off to the end of their lives! "

This sentence caused the weasel to be moved! The end-of-life! What a great debt of gratitude this was! That was to be done with the courtesy of a child! In this era, it was an extremely sensitive and ethical issue. He didn't expect that Zhang Zhou would give him such a heavy promise.

The old man also bowed deeply to Zhang Zhou, "Old Yellow thanks Lord!"

Cao Yi had entered the capital to become an official, so these people could not enter the capital with him. The first reason was that it was impossible to place them down, and the other reason was that they did not dare to use them again. However, it was a pity that Zhang Zhou decided to give up just like that. After all, what he had done in Hezhou was the most suitable place to take in these people.

The winery and Wang Tieshou also moved to the manor outside the city. Zhang Zhou also named the manor "Zhang Yuan".

In accordance with the plan, the manor began to expand with the aim of building an industrial park. After drawing a few districts, the area closest to the foot of the mountain was circled out of the core zone and a secret research and development area was constructed.

As the head of the hunt, Zhang Zhou didn't care if there were people who would be dissatisfied or jealous. He placed Wei Dazhi, Wang Sheng, Lin Jiu, and the others he trusted more, in an empty constable position and planted his trusted aides. Feng Xiaosu, on the other hand, was behind the scenes. While he was nominally in charge of the torture case, he was actually starting to establish his own database of the Nine Prefectures' businesses. As for the other constables, one of them was an old constable while the other was a horse constable. They would not go against him. There was also a guy who usually had his nose turned upside down. The punishment prison and the people's government had all been set up! There was only one goal in this whole matter, and that was that there could only be one sound from the yamen's door. Zhang Zhou thought that he should be overbearing when the time came to be overbearing. This way, he could avoid any future stumbling blocks.

However, Zhang Zhou's plan did not allow him to have the desire to fulfill it. His eyes were already fixated on the entire Hezhou City.

The main business of Hezhou was to the east of the city, which was divided into two districts. The east side was not complicated and was the only power, at least it used to be one of the biggest, with the government and yamen as its backer. It was the boss of Yun Zhongyue, another city in Hezhou, and the younger brother of a concubine of the King of Great Northern River, Li Yin.

Strictly speaking, Li Yin was a foppish and undisciplined bunch of people. With the second generation and the rich second generation leading the group, although it could not be considered a true underworld character, his background was extremely powerful. He had taken over half of the city of Hezhou. It wasn't that he wasn't going to clean up, but that his time wasn't up yet. Now, after a month, the government office in the prefecture was in chaos. The patrolling soldiers were too preoccupied with their own affairs, and all the yamen officials were scared witless. Thus, Zhang Zhou extended his hand.

Erniu was a very good kid. He was always good when he was silly, always being cute when he was good, always being evil when he was fierce. At this moment, he was standing behind Zhang Zhou like a bear, staring at Li Yin, who was trembling on the other side of the table. Li Yin wiped his sweat away as he stole a glance at the two men in front of him. With a trembling voice, he said, "Great Master Zhang, Master Zhang, I really am not a bandit! Aren't there any smaller ones on the arrest list? "

"No? "Then, I'll go back and write a letter. Let me add that there are a lot of people who have slipped through the net. Let's see if your royal brother-in-law can speak up for you then!"

Li Yin fell to his knees, his voice filled with tears.

"Master, can't you make a path? Can't I just leave?"

Zhang Zhou looked at him. Normally, this would be the best time to show off. After losing his power and status, his situation would be even better than that of a normal person!

"Get up, it's not like I'm going to take your life!"

Li Yin stood up shakily, not daring to sit down anymore. Zhang Zhou looked at him, feeling a little jealous. Before Zhang Zhou came here, he had already studied this person. Li Yin was a good-for-nothing, and could not be considered an evil person, but he was simply a brother who ate, drank, and had fun with all sorts of people. He had no other abilities, but he was adept at dancing and was good at social interaction.

"As long as it's big, it's big. As small as small, it's small. This is all part of my plan. Do you understand?"

"Understood, understood!"

"Don't even think about getting involved in these businesses of yours. Even if I don't interfere with them, sooner or later, they belong to someone else. If a big tree falls, you won't be able to protect it!"

"I'm not your brother-in-law, so I can't give you your old life. However, I can let you continue to live it comfortably. Who knows, maybe you will experience something different!"

Li Yin was a popinjay, but he wasn't a fool.

"Master Zhang, from now on, I will follow your lead!"

Zhang Zhou would not believe him. He took out a piece of paper and handed it to him.

"Let's just copy it seriously!"

"Master Zhang, you are trying to take my life!"

Zhang Zhou laughed: "I'm not writing, how can I trust you? Besides, as long as you are obedient, this is no different from paper! "

Li Yin understood what Zhang Zhou meant. With this forged letter from the King of the Great Northern River, Zhang Zhou could pinch him to death at any time. Li Yin was an astute person, but he was definitely not someone who could lead a life of suffering. It would be better to just kill him. After contemplating over the matter, he decided not to hesitate any longer. He found a pen and ink and started to write earnestly.

Zhang Zhou looked at the letter in satisfaction. This fellow had really written quite well. He folded the letter carefully and put it away.

"Young Master Li, you don't need to stay in Hezhou. Go to the capital and use your strengths!"

After finishing his words, he placed a few notes on the table, for a total of ten thousand taels of silver. After saying a few more words of advice, he got up and left!

Li Yin watched as Zhang Zhou disappeared, then burst into tears.

The next day, Li Yin, accompanied by a few strangers, left Hezhou to enter the capital.

In the same room with Yun Zhongyue, Zhang Zhou was happily describing how he entered the tiger cave of the Winged Flood Dragon Gang alone, how he defeated more than twenty people valiantly by himself, and how he subdued the achievements of Yan Laoheng. Finally, he took a large gulp of tea and said.

"Sis, do you think I'm very handsome?"

Guan Yu-niang didn't respond, she only looked at him gently. Zhang Zhou finally lost, his face was red, and he giggled, "Fine, fine, actually I'm someone who plays with his brain and wisdom, I disdain fighting and killing!"

Seeing his embarrassed expression, Guan Yu-niang could not help but cover her mouth and laugh. Then he got to the point.

"Old Su is someone I picked. Old Li is recommended by Old Yellow. We all trust him. It shouldn't be a problem to accompany Li Yin to the capital." "But you just gave the money to that foppish young lord to play with?"

As Guan Yu-niang got down to business, Zhang Zhou said seriously, "Sis, we will definitely enter the capital to develop in the future. Believe me, even though it looks useless now, but you will know in the future that this money will not be spent in vain!"

Zhang Zhou thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Li Yin was the first chess piece I set up in the capital!"

"Will we get into trouble?"

"I will be careful. There are some things that even if there are risks, I still have to do them!" Zhang Zhou's thoughts were naturally different from Cao Yi's. Cao Yi had the caution of being an official in this world, but Zhang Zhou was more ambitious towards the future!

"You are a man and you will have a big career in the future. Although I don't understand it, I will definitely support you!"

"Sis, I need you to manage all the businesses now. You've worked hard, so don't put too much effort into it. Dispatch whatever you need to." To be honest, even if I had to use all of my assets in exchange for your happiness, I wouldn't hesitate at all. You are healthy and happy, more important than anything else! "

Guan Yuniang really could not take it anymore. These words that seemed to be frivolous but were also sincere.