Even Zhu Zhaozhou was speechless upon hearing this. As a commander himself, when he heard that Lü Tu was indeed as loving as his soldiers, as the legends said, and that he was willing to go to such lengths for the sake of four dead soldiers, he nodded in understanding: "This subordinate understands."
Zhu Zhaozhou didn't care, so the other generals naturally didn't dare to say anything more. Don't underestimate Lü Tu just because he only brought 800 cavalrymen. The aura he exuded was enough to shock and terrify people.
Moreover, Nie Yun had previously managed to hold out and fight back against 200 axemen when ambushed, so how could they possibly dare to challenge Lü Tu again?
The body of the murdered lieutenant was quickly dragged away, and apart from the bloodstain on the ground, there was no trace of his existence left in this world.
At this moment, Zhang Shirong cried out, "General Lü, I beg you, please don't kill my son!"
Lu Tu stared at him coldly: "You have no right to bargain with me."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Tuoba Yue raised his hand and slashed, killing Zhang Shirong's eldest son.
Looking at the familiar face beside him, Zhang Shirong cried out in tears of blood, "Lu Tu, you murderous maniac! May your son, Pi Yanzi, die a horrible death!"
As he cursed, Zhang Shirong's family members behind him collapsed one after another.
Lu Tu was not provoked. He didn't care at all who was behind Zhang Shirong's actions. They were all his enemies, and he would kill them one by one later. Lu Tu just stared at Zhang Shirong with an indifferent expression.
Zhang Shirong suffered the deaths of his relatives one after another before his eyes. If the killing of his wives and concubines was only a 100-point blow to him, then the killing of his son was a 1000-point blow to him!
After all, in the traditional Chinese mindset, these wealthy people don't care who their wives and concubines are, since they can always remarry if they lose one.
But when their sons died one after another before their eyes, no one could bear it. On the land of China, sons represent the continuation of the family, so that their bloodline would not be erased from the world.
No matter how much money or power a person earns in their lifetime, they still think about paving the way for their children, especially their sons. They will even go to great lengths to lay a solid foundation for their sons, hoping to ensure the family's continued prosperity.
Lu Tu's domineering and decisive actions struck Zhang Shirong right where it hurt. For a middle-aged man, the pain of outliving his child is an unbearable one.
"Father, I don't want to die!" came the voice of Zhang Shirong's youngest son from behind.
Zhang Shirong gritted his teeth: "Father won't let you die!"
Lu Tu gave a wicked smile: "That's not necessarily true."
Knowing what Lü Tu was about to do, Zhang Shirong quickly interjected, "Wait a moment, General Lü, I'm willing to tell you everything!"
"explain!"
Zhang Shirong hugged his youngest son tightly, wiping away his tears as he said in a deep voice, "It was Zhao Wuyou of Huai Shuo who sent me to Wuchuan to do business. Lu Tu, if you have the guts, go and kill Zhao Wuyou. What kind of skill is it to kill a commoner like me!"
Lu Tu then turned to look at Zhao Qingyao, whose eyes flashed with a cold glint.
Zhang Shirong continued, "If you can let me go, I can plead with Zhao Wuyou on your behalf..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lü Tu waved his hand, and Tuoba Yue sent Zhang Shirong and his son to their deaths on the spot.
Tuoba Yue placed the Mo Dao on Zhang Shirong's corpse, wiped away the blood, and sneered, "A family should go on their way together, all in one place."
Then Tuoba Yue turned to look at the wealthy Wuchuan men kneeling in a row behind him: "Which of you are Zhao Wuyou's men from Huai Shuo?"
All the wealthy households hurriedly waved their hands and shook their heads, explaining, "General Lü, you are wise! We all support any order you give. Just now, Captain Nie asked us to prepare money and provisions, and we have already done so. We had no idea what Zhang Shirong was doing!"
Lu Tu nodded: "Alright, get up."
Upon hearing this, the wealthy men breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up, still bowing repeatedly to Lü Tu: "Thank you, General! Thank you, Princess!"
Lu Tu said loudly, "We are all from Wuchuan. Wuchuan used to be in a mess because of Yun Tian. Various forces wanted to divide us up. Our primary goal now is to unite. After seeing your performance today, it was very good. I believe we can definitely unite."
The wealthy households wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads and hurriedly said, "Yes, we must unite! I am willing to donate 100,000 catties of millet to General Lü and his soldiers!"
"I'm willing to donate 30,000 jin of flour!"
"I'm willing to donate 1,000 jin (500 catties) of salt!"
...
In a series of such cases, each wealthy household essentially emptied their grain reserves and donated the vast majority of their food.
Zhao Qingyao used a white cloth to make a record, and then handed it to Lü Tu through the carriage window: "Husband, it's all recorded. Send someone to receive it."
Lu Tu raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhao Qingyao gratefully, saying, "Alright."
He then handed these over to Nie Yun, asking him to redeem himself through meritorious service. He selected 3,000 newly recruited soldiers to be responsible for transporting the goods.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that all the grain was prepared. Nie Yun reported, "Reporting to elder brother, this time the wealthy households in Wuchuan donated a total of 800,000 catties of various grains, 20,000 catties of salt, 2,000 horses, and countless cattle and sheep."
Lu Tu nodded: "Well done. Have someone go to the center of Wuchuan market and erect a monument for them, clearly listing the details of their donations."
"Yes, sir!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingyao and Zhu Zhaozhou looked at Lü Tu with eyes full of admiration.
This one move alone was enough to shut up all the wealthy households. After all, they were native to Wuchuan and would definitely care about their reputation. Lü Tu had essentially traded his reputation for the grain from them, which was acceptable from the perspective of the wealthy households.
More importantly, through this method, Lü Tu has already bound these wealthy households to his side. Once the front line in Wuchuan suffers a defeat and Wuchuan is captured by others, the stone tablet will naturally be used as a list for purging.
Therefore, right now, almost everyone in Wuchuan, from top to bottom, is hoping that Lü Tu can win!
During the day that Lu Tu was waiting there, he had already sent someone back to inform Xiao Zhong, asking him to make room for the 30,000 soldiers.
"Everyone, move out and head back to the city!"
Thirty thousand soldiers, along with transport convoys and cattle, sheep, and horses, stretched for miles in a grand procession.
It also absorbed many refugees along the way, who voluntarily joined Lü Tu's ranks.
Lu Tu accepted all offers without hesitation, since he had already decided to make Kuishan Village his base of operations from now on.
At this moment, Lu Tu's foresight in preparing for the village began to show its effect. When Zhu Zhaozhou and the others saw the city walls, which were much taller and wider than those of Wuchuan City, they were all stunned!
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