Seeing that he had calmed down, Chu Yucheng turned to Zu An and said, "Zu An, you've come at the right time. I wanted to take some people to rescue the master and madam, but these guys just wouldn't listen to me. Please help me persuade them."
After saying that, he turned to the officers and said, "You must think we are the second or third wives, that's why you won't listen. Now that Ah Zu is here, he is the eldest daughter's husband, the legitimate wife. Now you should believe me, right?"
The officers continued to shake their heads: "Without the military tally, it's useless for anyone to come."
"Is this what you're talking about?" Zuan pulled out a token.
Upon seeing this, the officers all knelt down and saluted: "Where righteousness lies, we will follow to the death. Heaven bears witness, and our red robes are our testimonies!"
Chu Yucheng and Chu Hongcai, who were standing to the side, were dumbfounded. They had just tried to persuade them with all their might, and their throats were hoarse from talking, but these guys remained unmoved. Then, as soon as Zu An arrived, they knelt down.
Can you please stop being so snobbish?
Zuan said in a deep voice, "Come back to the city with me to save the Chu family."
He had originally thought of saying something to motivate them, since they were about to go against the Imperial Guards, and anyone would hesitate. But the officers didn't need any motivation; they quickly went down to gather their soldiers, and soon the troops were assembled.
Seeing Zu'an's astonishment, Chu Yucheng's words answered his doubts: "The Red Robe Army followed our Chu family ancestors in battles across the country with utmost loyalty. All the new soldiers after that were fathers and sons, and the wives they married were also maids of the Chu family. In this way, generation after generation, every member of the Red Robe Army was a servant of the Chu family, and their fate was already completely tied to the Chu family."
His tone was full of pride, clearly showing a great sense of honor towards the Chu family's army.
"Of course, in order to prevent anyone in the clan from using this army to cause trouble, an ironclad rule has been established that the clan head must be present in person or have a military tally to mobilize it." Chu Yucheng looked at him with envy, "I didn't expect my uncle to pass on the military tally to you. It seems you really trust him deeply."
Hearing this, Chu Hongcai couldn't help but snort, clearly quite dissatisfied: "Let me make this clear first, this time I'm not doing this for you, but for the Chu family, and at the same time, I hope to protect my mother, since she didn't participate in the previous rebellion."
Zu An smiled slightly: "Brother Chu is a gentleman, and I have always admired him. If the Chu family can get through this crisis safely, I believe that the master and madam will surely pardon your mother."
It's strange, really. Chu Tiesheng was such a treacherous and despicable man, yet his son, apart from being a bit infatuated with Qiu Honglei when he was chasing after her, was otherwise quite upright. They were completely opposites.
Hearing him say that, Chu Hongcai's expression softened considerably, and he whispered, "Thank you!"
He naturally knew Zuan's current status in the family, and with his promise, there would obviously be no major problems with his mother's situation.
Immediately afterwards, the three men led three thousand red-robed soldiers in a grand procession toward Bright Moon City.
Upon arriving at the city gate, they found it already tightly shut. Many soldiers stood guard on the city wall, but seeing the crimson army, they all felt parched and their hands, holding weapons, were sweating profusely.
They had long heard of the Red Robe Army's formidable reputation; if a real battle broke out, their local garrison would be no match for them.
A general shouted angrily at the city gate: "You left your post and came here without orders from above. Is your Chu family trying to rebel?"
Zu An recognized the other party as County Commandant Pang Chun, so he spurred his horse forward and picked up the military tally: "Who said I didn't receive orders? I am here on the orders of Lord Mingyue to lead men back to guard the Chu family."
Pang Chun said, "The Imperial Envoy is currently investigating the Chu family. If you go back like this, wouldn't that be open rebellion?"
Zu An said coldly, "It's just that lately, all sorts of villains have been trying to take advantage of the Chu family. We were worried that the Imperial Envoy was being misled, so we went to reason with them. Now the Chu family is facing a life-or-death crisis. If you, the County Magistrate, want to stop me, don't blame me for not showing any mercy."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Red Robe Army roared in unison, drew their longswords, nocked their bows and arrows, and assumed a posture ready to attack at any moment.
Zuan had never understood why, in a cultivation world where individual martial prowess was so strong, what use was an army?
But in that instant, he understood that although the individual cultivation levels of these red-robed soldiers were not high, a faint blue light flowed around their bodies as they advanced and retreated. That was the effect of a magic array, which seemed to be able to gather all their power together.
In that instant, he clearly felt that the pressure from this army far exceeded what he felt when facing Liu Yao!
The soldiers on the city wall were even worse off. The overwhelming pressure made them pale and cold-handed. They all looked to Pang Chun, urging him to make a decision quickly.
Pang Chun also looked nervous. He knew that these local garrison troops, who had been out of battle for a long time, would definitely not be able to stop the elite Red Robe Army. But he had a duty to fulfill, so how could he let them into the city?
It seems that the only option is to die for one's country.
Just then, a carriage slowly drove from the outskirts of the city, noticed the situation, and stopped near the city gate.
The carriage curtain rose, and a graceful woman in a simple white dress slowly stepped out: "Lord Pang, why is the door closed in broad daylight? Open the door quickly, I want to come in."
Pang Chun was both amused and exasperated: "Miss, can't you see the current situation?"
The newcomer was none other than Xie Daoyun, the daughter of the city lord. She turned around with a look of realization and exclaimed, "Oh, so Young Master Zu is here too?"
Pang Chun, standing on the city wall, twitched her face. "Miss, your acting is just too fake."
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