Qiao Shaochu didn't care either. He just lowered his head, not knowing what he was thinking.
Tu Yufan gave Qiao Shaochu a meaningful look. He revealed his identity only for the second time. He looked at Zhang Ertou again. He glanced at Tu Yufan and his face immediately became guilty.
Zhang Ertou must have exposed something. Qiao Shaochu was showing him a hint. Tu Yufan sighed secretly, thinking he was a guy who couldn't keep his mouth shut.
Tu Yufan continued to ask him: "Why are you here?"
Qiao Shaochu said: "After my parents died, my eldest brother also died in an accident. My family was suppressed by our opponents. Some died, some scattered, and I was the only one who escaped."
Tu Yufan was puzzled: "This place is far away from the capital of Beixiang State, almost in the southernmost part of the country. How did you escape here?"
Qiao Shaochu showed a painful expression, and tried hard to hold back his sobs. He paused for a moment and said, "Three years ago, in order to train me, my father asked me to train with the army. On the way, we passed by Shayang Pass and encountered a group of bandits. The army quickly wiped them out, leaving only the leader to flee in panic. My father and several of his trusted followers chased to this mountain stronghold and killed him, only to find that this place was hidden. Moreover, my father also found a basement in the mountain stronghold."
Zhang Ertou's eyes widened, his breathing became rapid, and he almost fell down.
"I think you should know that there is a huge amount of wealth in the basement, including gold, silver and jewelry." Qiao Shaochu's tone was not very excited: "My father felt that something was wrong, so he searched around the village. Through some family trees, he found that this group of bandits should be descendants of the previous dynasty. They hid here under an assumed name. If they hadn't attacked my father without knowing their own strength, I'm afraid no one would have found this place."
"The people who followed him were all my confidants and loyal soldiers. Because my father still had to revive the civil strife in Linyi City, and the amount of wealth was astonishing, an army could not be transported at all, so he told the people around him not to tell anyone, because money can move people's hearts. My father wanted to wait until this was over before notifying the higher-ups. Later, after my father revive the civil strife, he was urgently sent to the battlefield, but was killed by a traitor, and his confidants were also killed by the opponent. This secret was only known to me. Before the family was destroyed, he was quietly sent out of the capital. I tossed and turned, and finally I could only think of settling down in this place."
Tu Yufan said bluntly: "You can use this wealth for yourself, there is no need to tell me."
He doesn't want to be trusted by others for no reason, he doesn't believe in support without reason, and he doesn't have the halo of a top star.
Qiao Shaochu mocked him, "You see, I am in good health and my martial arts skills are not low, but I was fed poison a long time ago. I won't live for many years. If I live longer, why should I put my hope on others? Brother Mo does not belong to Beixiang State, so I can trust you a little. I see that your martial arts skills are not like ordinary people. Brother Zhang said that you just want to compete for the world, why don't we cooperate?"
Zhang Ertou stood up excitedly and shouted: "I didn't say that, don't slander me."
Tu Yufan held his forehead with his hand. This was because everyone knew about his failure before he even started. Could he really do anything about it? Zhang Ertou, this idiot, was probably being tricked into revealing something without even realizing it.
He knocked Zhang Ertou on the forehead and said unhappily, "Brother Zhang, you can't reveal a single word of what I said the other day."
Zhang Ertou looked at himself with a hurt expression, accusing himself of not believing him.
Tu Yufan ignored him and reached out to feel Qiao Shaochu's pulse.
Feeling the almost faint pulse, Tu Yufan's heart sank. Qiao Shaochu looked so energetic, but it turned out that he was seriously ill.
It's a pity that I have only learned a little bit of Chinese medicine and can't treat the detoxification for him. Moreover, Qiao Shaochu comes from a wealthy family and even he is helpless against this poison. I'm afraid that even if I study for decades, it will not be enough.
Tu Yufan didn't say anything else. The three of them reached a consensus in this simple house.
Tu Yufan took advantage of this small village and began to develop his power as a businessman. He used Qiao Shaochu's fake identity to buy good farmland and recruit tenant farmers to farm the land. In the past, good farmland was not easy to buy. As the imperial court declined and corrupt officials were everywhere, it became much easier to use money to get things done. Of course, fists were still needed when the time was right.
Qiao Shaochu was proficient in training soldiers, and Tu Yufan asked him to train the surrendered refugees into soldiers and gradually develop them into an armed force.
In the future, he would secretly forge weapons and armor. Tu Yufan decided to create gunpowder, which did not exist in this world, at the right time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com