My eunuch godfather

Chapter 13 Cooperation

The negotiations with the Renqiu County government ended in discord.

This band of outlaws numbered only a little over 150, but in the prefectures and counties of southern Hebei and Shandong, there were quite a few that had hundreds or even thousands of bandits.

Even if the number of bandits is reported truthfully, it will not have a significant impact on the performance evaluation.

Moreover, the Renqiu County government was unaware of Zhang Kun's eunuch godfather.

Even if they knew that Zhang Ye, although a court eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, had long been supervising taxes in Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou, far from the central government.

For the county magistrate and other officials in Renqiu County, currying favor with Zhang Ye would not bring them much benefit.

Chen Jizong was willing to spend so much money largely because he came from the Imperial Guard.

The horse-breeding warriors of the Imperial Horse Administration were registered in the three thousand households of the Imperial Guard: the front, the rear, and the central.

In other words, Chen Jizong valued Zhang Ye's position as the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration more.

Shortly after the county magistrate left, Xu Xin came to report.

"Supervisor, a few people have come to visit, saying they are bringing gifts."

"A gift?"

Zhang Kun paused for a moment, then asked Xu Xin to bring the leader over so he could see what was going on.

"I am a matchmaker, greetings, Your Honor."

The middle-aged man, who claimed to be the middleman, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying:

"I am here on Yang Hai's behalf. Yang Hai begs you to be lenient and spare him this time."

Zhang Kun vaguely remembered the name Yang Hai, and asked with a sneer:

"Yang Hai... I remember he once sent an old thief to steal things from an inn?"

"Your Honor, please calm down. This was not done by Yang Hai. It was a scoundrel nicknamed 'Dong Xiucai' who instructed him to say such things."

The mediator respectfully said to Zhang Kun:

"Yang Hai has already cut off that scoundrel's head. If the official is willing to be lenient, he can send it along with the swindler."

Yang Hai never intended to provoke you; it was all that scholar Dong who did it, and he was the one who instigated the fraud.

Yesterday, when the officials were suppressing the bandits, Yang Hai stayed in the back and did not engage you in battle.

It turned out to be the bandits who deserted in the face of battle.

"Please show some mercy?"

Zhang Kun smiled and asked the matchmaker, "How much will it cost?"

"Your Honor, Yang Hai is willing to offer 1000 taels of silver as compensation!"

The matchmaker offered a price that was hard to refuse, and respectfully said to Zhang Kun:

"If the official wants, Yang Hai can reveal the hideouts of various bandit groups, as well as the spies planted in the city."

These clandestine agents mostly run shops in the city, where they also purchase goods, and their counters are always laden with silver.

As long as the official doesn't report Yang Hai's name, it's fine; it would be best to pass it on to that scholar Dong.

Is this guy planning to use someone else to do his dirty work?

Indeed, in yesterday's battle, the other bandit leaders suffered heavy losses, and Yang Hai, who escaped unscathed, could take the opportunity to unify the martial arts world.

"Very good."

Zhang Kun was satisfied with the conditions offered by Yang Hai. "How about this," he said, "can you write official documents? How about you draft them?"

"I have some knowledge of documents and am willing to serve you, sir."

Thus, a mediator commissioned by a bandit leader drafted an official document stating that government troops had encountered and annihilated the bandits.

After Zhang Kun reviewed it, he asked Xu Xin to invite a scribe to confirm that there were no problems.

The matchmaker first delivered five hundred taels of silver, and after Zhang Kun copied the official documents and sent them to the various government offices, he delivered another five hundred taels.

There's also the head of the conman and the old thief, as well as intelligence on the hideouts and undercover agents of various bandit leaders.

......

After meeting the mediator, Zhang Kun set up a banquet at a restaurant near the post station to celebrate the victory and reward those who had contributed to the victory.

First, the spoils of war were cleared from the battlefield, and the horses and armor were confiscated.

The silver was over 540 taels, which was divided equally among the people, resulting in less than 17 taels per person.

Secondly, there were merits based on head kills and battle achievements. Since the battles were mainly fought on horseback, there wasn't enough time for everyone to collect heads, so they were also divided equally.

After killing the prisoners alive, including the two that Xu Hai brought, there were a total of thirty-four, one for each person.

Zhang Kun counted all the severed heads as those of notorious thieves, and awarded them ten taels of silver as a reward.

Those who want to gain official positions or promotions but don't receive a reward of silver can instead be given the heads of real notorious bandits.

As the leader, Zhang Kun took the only head of the notorious thief and used it to be promoted to the rank of one level.

This was identified by a matchmaker; the government has issued a warrant for his arrest.

The injured were each given five taels of silver for medicine.

Wei Sengteng and Zhao Qiguan, who commanded the battle, were each given thirty taels of silver as a reward, plus an extra head.

The total expenditure was 395 taels.

Zhang Kun originally planned to send out a portion first, and then send out the rest in Dezhou.

Now that Yang Hai has apologized, Zhang Kun has paid the full amount. He also made up for Wei Sengteng's previous request for a raise.

When Wei Sengteng received the silver, his face turned red, and he stammered, unable to speak, seemingly somewhat embarrassed.

Because the Renqiu County government refused to cooperate, Zhang Kun had Xu Xin hire a carriage to carry the bandits' heads and bodies.

The next day, they set off for Hejian, the prefectural capital, to see if they could reach a cooperation agreement with Hejian Prefecture and the Hejian guerrillas.

The distance from Renqiu to Hejian is sixty li, which can be covered in a day.

To Zhang Kun's surprise, the Sun family also wanted to go to Hejian:

It turned out that although the bride arrived in Renqiu City before the night, the groom's Guo family still demanded that the engagement be called off.

The Sun family, of course, objected. In order to marry his daughter into the Guo family, Old Sun offered a generous dowry.

They also gave various kinds of gifts and returned all the betrothal gifts and marriage proposal gifts from the groom.

If the marriage falls through, not only will the bride's reputation be ruined, but the Sun family will also lose at least two or three thousand taels of silver!

As for why they went to Hejian to demand an explanation?

Because the groom, Guo, felt unsafe in Renqiu, which had no garrison, he ran off to Hejian, which had a garrison.

The head of the Guo family, Guo Shengyuan's father, Guo Juren, lived in Hejian year-round.

"What a bastard! He's completely wasted his time studying the classics!"

After listening to the steward's accusations, Zhang Kun put on an indignant expression and angrily said:

"Being so frightened by the thief that he abandoned Miss Sun and fled could be described as cherishing his life and upholding filial piety."

I fought bravely to kill the bandits, rescued Miss Sun, and brought her into the city before the night was over.

He actually wants to annul the engagement! This is clearly a slap in the face to me!

The steward of the Sun family repeatedly agreed, but dared not say that Zhang Kun's "secret method" of saving the bride was also one of the reasons why the Guo family broke off the engagement.

The wedding procession included not only members of the Sun family, but also many hired workers such as rickshaw pullers, drivers, and musicians.

Zhang Kun's "secret method" was astonishing, but it actually brought Miss Sun back to life, so it quickly spread throughout the city.

"Alright then,"

Zhang Kun reached out and patted the Sun family steward on the shoulder, suggesting:

"You will come with me to Hejian, and I will help you demand an explanation from the Guo family!"

The steward of the Sun family sensed that Zhang Kun's motives were impure and that he definitely had other intentions, but he dared not refuse and could only agree.

......

Hejian City.

Zhang Kun, who had just transmigrated, had lived in this city for a period of time.

When the original owner of the body was seven years old, her adoptive father died of illness, and her adoptive mother chose to remarry.

She didn't bring the original body with her when she remarried; instead, she was fostered in her parents' home in Xinzhuang, twenty miles south of the city.

Fortunately, both the adoptive grandfather and adoptive uncle treated the original owner of the body very well, never lacking food or clothing, and even supporting her through several years of primary schooling.

However, the original owner of the body heard some gossip and insisted on going to the city to make a living and start his own business.

As a result, he developed a high fever after being caught in the rain, which led to his death. His body was then taken over by the current Zhang Kun, who devoured his memories.

"Supervisor, where do you live?"

After settling into the inn upon entering the city, Xu Xin jokingly said to Zhang Kun:

"Shall we don our armor, raise the banner of the River Works Battalion, and let you return home in style?"

"No need,"

Zhang Kun shook his head at Xu Xin, "Official business is more important. Find a scribe; I need to send a letter to the government office."