Lu Tu waved his hand and said, "Hey! Since I've already given the order, you'll lead the team this time. You don't need to care about what others think."
Feng Lie and Feng Xiao exchanged a glance, a hint of emotion flashing in their eyes. However, Nie Yun's words just now seemed like a thorn, subtly pricking their hearts.
Moreover, they knew how much pressure Lü Tu would be under in this incident. To reassure Lü Tu and to silence any dissenting voices, the two of them nodded secretly.
He then bowed to Lü Tu and said, "Reporting to my lord, please give us two brothers a mission. If we fail to fulfill it, we are willing to sign a military pledge and remain soldiers forever!"
Upon hearing this, everyone else present was stunned. This pledge was indeed too big. To remain a lowly soldier forever meant that their future prospects were directly cut off. Wasn't this a huge risk?
Even Nie Yun looked at the two of them with some surprise: "There's really no need for that."
Feng Lie glared at Nie Yun and said, "Squad Leader Nie, you've said all the right and wrong things by yourself. Now, let's gamble our futures on this one. Do you dare?"
Nie Yun hadn't expected them to refuse such a way out. Provoked by their words, he lost his temper and said in a deep voice, "Let's gamble! What are we betting on?"
Actually, the two brothers hadn't decided what to bet on. Their main concern was to project an impressive image, otherwise they would always be looked down upon. After all, they were taken in from among the refugees and, unlike others, had never had the opportunity to showcase themselves.
They themselves knew that Lu Tu valued them only because of Xiang Ze, which annoyed the somewhat arrogant Feng brothers.
Just when everyone was at a loss, Xiao Zhong, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and bowed to Lü Tu, saying, "My lord, since everyone hopes to have a chance to prove themselves, I happen to have a suggestion."
Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. If there was anyone in the entire Kuishan Village who could win everyone's heartfelt respect, besides Lü Tu, it was probably only Xiao Zhong standing before them.
After all, everyone has seen Xiao Zhong's conduct over the years. Although he controls the food, clothing, housing, transportation, and finances of thousands of people in the village, he has never engaged in any act of embezzlement or favoritism.
Not only did he manage the village's internal affairs in an orderly manner, but he also won the hearts of the people. In particular, Xiao Zhong would give a speech and give rewards to everyone every morning, which further strengthened Xiao Zhong's image of fairness in everyone's mind.
"Mr. Xiao, please speak!"
Lu Tu nodded to Xiao Zhong: "Speak freely."
After standing up, Xiao Zhong looked towards the south and pointed, saying, "As you all know, since Lord Lü rose to power, all the bandits in Wuchuan City and around our village have fled in terror. Right now, those hills to the south are their strongholds. So, since the three of you want to make a bet, why don't you each lead some men to wipe out those bandits? Whoever does it cleanly and efficiently, and kills the most bandits, will win!"
Feng and Xiao exchanged a glance, then clasped their hands in a deep voice and said, "Alright! We are willing!"
Seeing this, Nie Yun retorted, "Who's afraid of who! I've been itching for a fight lately, these guys are in for a lot of trouble."
Xiao Zhong understood Lü Tu's intentions: he wanted to test the Feng brothers and also use this incident to give Nie Yun a warning.
He then suggested, "Since we're making a bet, both sides need to show sincerity. The Feng brothers have already signed their pledges; what about you, Nie Yun?"
After glancing sideways at the Feng brothers, Nie Yun said in a deep voice, "If I lose to them, I will kowtow to them and apologize!"
Upon hearing this, many people present frowned. Nie Yun's reputation in the village, apart from Lü Tu, was already among the top three. How dare he play such a big game?
Moreover, if Nie Yun really loses, wouldn't that mean that these soldiers are not as good as the Feng brothers who fled from the Red Turban Army?
The Feng brothers realized that they could not agree to this bet, so they took the initiative to ask Lu Tu, "Your Excellency, I don't think we need to kneel. If we lose, we will be content to be lowly soldiers from now on. If Nie Yun loses, he can just call us brothers 'brother'."
Lu Tu raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected the Feng brothers to have such emotional intelligence and magnanimity, which even exceeded his expectations. His opinion of the two of them was also greatly elevated.
He nodded and said, "Alright, I agree. You will each lead 50 men to suppress the bandits later!"
Nie Yun waved his hand: "Brother, it's just bandit suppression, we don't need so many people."
Lu Tu glared at him: "Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. With more manpower to help, the other brothers will bleed less. When are you going to get rid of your bad habit of showing off?"
This was the first time he had directly reprimanded Nie Yun in front of so many people, but it also showed Lü Tu's attitude.
After all, Nie Yun's harassment and questioning of the Feng brothers was the trigger for this incident. Lü Tu would never have insulted the Feng brothers, since they weren't very familiar with each other.
But Nie Yun is different. Lu Tu is grooming him to be his second-in-command, so naturally he will need to be taught some tough love. If Nie Yun can't even handle this kind of hardship and reprimand, then he won't amount to anything in the future.
Nie Yun was scolded harshly, then cupped his hands and said, "I understand, elder brother! But I want to add a wager: if I lose, or if I don't wipe out as many bandits as the two brothers, I will treat them with the respect due to an elder brother whenever I see them from now on!"
Lu Tu said loudly, "Good! Now the bet is fair. Liu Yang, arrange the men for them, and they can set off immediately!"
The three agreed and left immediately.
At this moment, Xiang Ze stepped forward first, cupped his fists apologetically to Lü Tu, and said, "I'm sorry, sir, I'll try to persuade the two of them later and tell them not to act rashly."
Lu Tu looked at him with amusement: "What's so great about that? Do you think my brothers, Lu Tu's brothers, are inferior to the Feng brothers in bandit suppression?"
Xiang Ze was taken aback, and quickly waved his hand: "Sir, you know that's not what I meant, I just..."
Lu Tu stood up and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I was just joking with you. Actually, no matter how their fate is, it won't affect my deployment here. Just treat it as training."
Upon hearing this, Xiang Ze gave Lü Tu a deep look. Only then did he understand why Lü Tu was able to stand alone in such a complex situation in Wuchuan. His magnanimity and composure were far beyond what Xiang Ze could match.
Xiang Ze even wondered if Lü Tu had been part of the Red Turban Army, they might not have ended up being so easily wiped out and fragmented by the imperial army. Perhaps they might have even made it to the capital...
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