After the secret envoy left, Ren Qi carefully opened the envelope.

While he was reading the letter, Fan Ciwu returned to Yuyuan overnight.

The next morning, he arrived at Ren Qi's territory with more than 20 followers on an empty stomach.

He still has the same idea.

Food is in short supply, so save as much as possible.

Ren Qi was very happy about Fan Ciwu's arrival. He not only served each of them a bowl of porridge, but also stewed a large cabbage for the first time.

The two ate and chatted.

"What did Wang Jun say?" Ren Qi asked first.

"His attitude is very clear. He is willing to work alone, but not in partnership, especially with you!" Fan Ciwu replied.

"Heh," Ren Qi laughed a little sadly, "As expected, when people leave, the tea gets cold."

"Don't worry about him. What do you think?" Fan Ciwu asked in a comforting tone.

"What can I think?" Ren Qi spread his hands. "When I surrendered to the imperial court, my troops were reduced to only two or three thousand. Although we have gathered more than ten thousand people now, they are all disaster victims who came here because of our reputation. We can only create momentum, but we can't confront the imperial army head-on."

"So you won't send troops?"

"I have the good intention but I am powerless!" Ren Qi sighed.

"really?"

"If it's false, I will be struck by lightning!" Ren Qi stretched out three fingers of his right hand, pointed to the sky and swore.

"Well then," Fan Ciwu breathed a sigh of relief, "I will send people to guard the outskirts of Yu Garden to keep an eye on you in the next few days. You and your people must stay in Yu Garden and cannot leave. After the task is completed, I will give you some silver."

"Deal!" Ren Qi agreed without hesitation.

After the two men reached an agreement, Fan Ciwu returned to his territory and mobilized his troops to prepare to rob tax silver.

Wang Jun, leader of the Yuyuan Army, was also preparing.

Ren Qi and others seemed to be doing nothing, but they were actually preparing for something big.

As the tax money was about to arrive, various forces near Yuyuan took action.