The news that Woolley had beaten Sean and seized the weapons of more than a hundred soldiers quickly spread throughout the entire Salt Marsh Town. As a result, the town was in an uproar, and people rushed to tell each other. Soon, people in all the streets and taverns were exaggerating the events as if they were there.
There are naturally many different opinions about Wu Lai, with mixed reviews...
"Lord Wu Lai is really amazing. He must have a great backer to support him."
"After all, Governor Wu Lei is still a little young. Doing this will do more harm than good..."
"Lord Wu Lai is the most courageous consul I have ever seen. I am already 72 years old, and I have seen so many consuls that I cannot even count them with my hands..."
The mixed reviews are caused by differences in perspectives and positions, but there is one thing that all the residents of Salt Marsh Town agree on, and that is - there will be a good show to watch.
It is worth mentioning that most of the townspeople hope that Wu Lai can be the final winner, because although Wu Lai is young and cruel and bloodthirsty, everyone can see that he really wants to make Salt Marsh Town look good.
In fact, what is more important is that if Wu Lai has any problems because of what happened today, the canal protection project may be aborted. That not only means that everyone will lose a temporary income, but they may also have to pay out of their own pockets to repair the retaining wall - Salt Marsh Town is not comparable to those cities, and the town's share of the cost has always been calculated per person.
…
When Sean opened his eyes, the first thing that caught his eye was a stone ceiling. He glanced around and took in the stone walls, the edge of the bed, and Henry's face beside the bed with mixed emotions.
After touching his forehead and cheeks subconsciously, Sean sat up from the bed: "Henry, you sent me here?"
Henry quickly replied: "Yes, Lieutenant General Sean, this is the customer service of the official residence, the conditions are simple, you are wronged."
"Where are my people?" Sean was about to get out of bed, but as soon as he moved, he felt dizzy again and a little nauseous. His body suddenly swayed. If Henry hadn't been quick to catch him, he would have fallen off the bed.
"Hiss..." The pain from his forehead made Sean couldn't help but take a breath. After he felt a little relieved, he asked, "Henry, how long have I been lying here?"
"It's been half a day," Henry replied, thinking that lunch time had already passed for quite some time. This kid Wu Lai was really ruthless, as he had managed to knock Sean unconscious for so long.
"Half a day?" Sean couldn't believe it, but he had to believe it because he knew Henry wouldn't lie to him.
"Henry, where are my soldiers?" Sean asked again.
"Well, they are all in the training ground." Henry hesitated and answered, "Woleglindo said they were mutinous, so the militia seized their weapons and drove them to the training ground to gather, and let the militia guard them..."
"What?! Disarm?! Guard?!" Sean frowned and glared, and was about to curse when a cough was suddenly heard outside the door.
The one who fakes a cough is the Guru.
Gulu walked in with a smile, nodded and greeted Sean first, then glanced at Henry, frowned, and said, "Tribune Henry, why are you still here? Lord Woolley's meeting is about to begin."
"Didn't you say before the evening..." Henry had only asked halfway when he realized that Guru was trying to drive him away. Since he knew this was the case, Henry could only leave obediently. Judging from the current situation, Wu Lai had the upper hand for the time being, and he didn't want to be slapped for the third time.
After Henry left, Gulu smiled and said, "Lieutenant General Sean, you were busy as soon as you entered the town today. Although we have met before, I have never had the chance to introduce myself to you properly. So, let's just treat it as an official acquaintance now, okay?"
"Aren't you Baker's assistant?" Sean frowned. Guru was right. As soon as he entered the town, he started to drive people away and cause trouble. He had no time to pay attention to strangers. When he first saw Guru, Guru was helping Baker sort out the account books, so Sean immediately ignored him.
"That's why I said that we need to get to know each other formally." Gulu smiled and took out his identity bronze badge calmly, "My name is Gulu, Gulu Kochi, the first heir of the Kochi family in Saipan City-State."
"The Koch family?" A hint of surprise flashed across Sean's eyes. The Koch family was not a small family. To put it bluntly, an officer of his level was not even worthy of the Koch family's attention.
"So, citizen of Gulu, why are you here? Has the Kochi family also started a salt business?" Sean asked hurriedly.
"Oh, no. Even if I have to do it, it will be for the future. The reason why I am here is because I am Wu Lai's friend and aide. To put it bluntly, I am here to be at Wu Lai's disposal." Guru's answer surprised Sean, because Guru's words were too intriguing. Think about it, the first heir of the Kochi family actually said that he was here "to be at Wu Lai's disposal." Based on this, it can be inferred that this Wu Lai is a bit of a jerk. At the very least, he will be someone the Kochi family strives to cultivate and push forward.
The Assyrian territory has such a habit that the big families are willing to work hard on those with good potential, piling financial, material and relationship resources on them, and will even spare no effort to push them to high positions. Once successful, although the gains may not be more considerable than Lu Buwei's rare goods, the benefits are much greater than the costs, and it can also allow the family's prosperity to continue longer.
Just think about it, with so many benefits, how could you not flock to it.
"So Wuleglindo is from your Kochi family..." Sean said as he started to figure it out in his mind.
This is a bit tricky. I can't afford to offend either side. What should I do? Sean thought to himself.
"Your understanding is correct." Gulu raised his eyebrows and interrupted Sean. In front of Wu Lai and his elders, Gulu would of course be humble and polite, but there was no need to give Sean too much face. "I don't like to go around signing. Let's be direct, Lieutenant General Sean, I'm here to remind you that you made a big mistake. Destroying Wu Lai's plan means being an enemy of Wu Lai, the Koch family, and the people behind Wu Lai. Lieutenant General Sean, with your strength, you actually did something like this today. It's too rash."
Sean frowned. He wanted to refute, but he couldn't open his mouth because he knew that Guru was telling the truth. He, Sean, didn't have the strength to provoke such a Wu Lai.
The guru glanced out the window and suddenly asked, "Do you hear the noise in the streets outside?"
Sean listened for a moment, nodded and replied, "Yes, it's very noisy."
"The townspeople of Salt Marsh Town support Wu Lai very much, because everything Wu Lai does is for the good of Salt Marsh Town, as well as for his and the future of the Kochi family." Gulu turned around, his smile no longer on his face. "As soon as you entered the town, Lieutenant General Sean, you disrupted the canal protection project. Not only did Wu Lai and I feel disappointed, but the people of the entire town were also very angry. That's why they are making such a fuss. Now there are hundreds of townspeople gathered outside the official residence. I heard that they want to organize themselves and go to Lunvington City to file a complaint. They also said that if Lunvington City doesn't get a satisfactory answer, they will go to Assyria City and file the case to the end."
"Accusation?" After a moment's shock, Sean suddenly felt a little uneasy. After all, he was only a deputy general of the South District. Bullying individual civilians on a normal day was not a big deal, but it would be a problem if it aroused public anger. If the matter really became a big deal, it was hard to say whether Hodge would protect him.
"There must be someone behind them fanning the flames. Alas, I'm afraid only Wu Lai can suppress them now. The rest, huh, are trash." Gulu did not hide his contempt at all. To put it bluntly, he really looked down on Hubble and the others from the bottom of his heart.
Someone is behind the scenes fanning the flames? Only Wulai can suppress it? After Sean chewed on these two sentences several times, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind - Guru is hinting that the person who fanned the flames and the person who could suppress it are the same person, Wulai Grindo! Seeing that Sean's face was cold and he didn't say anything, Guru smiled, because he knew that Sean understood.
"Lt. General Sean, I guess you don't know much about Wu Lai, but there's no need for us to discuss it here. You can ask about it in detail after you return to Lunvington." Gulu said, "But I can tell you responsibly that Wu Lai is a person who likes to make friends very much, whether this friend is open or secret. He once said, 'There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests'. Lieutenant General Sean, it's not difficult to become Wu Lai's friend. You just need to stand on the right side. Standpoint determines everything..."
As Sean listened, his brows slowly relaxed...
…
Holding a meeting in a restaurant is a helpless move. In the Assyrian territory, there is no aristocratic meeting at the town level, so there will be no special meeting rooms. Having said that, town-level officials only need to handle the matters assigned by their superiors. All the rules and regulations are well defined. If there is something that must be discussed, just talk in the office. There is no need to hold a meeting.
Wu Lai felt that it was necessary to hold meetings at the village level, not to mention the town level. Otherwise, how could we gather ideas, how could we deploy work, and how could we do things openly?
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Wu Lai's "Lua Lu" is naturally not a game suitable for all ages and is fair to all, but a game of pulling hats - although there is no such thing as a black hat in the Assyrian territory, it does not prevent Wu Lai from thinking so.
So, the meeting began.
Although Tours had not returned yet, the number of people attending the meeting was not reduced - in addition to Woolley, Hubble, Baker, and Henry, Guru and Thain also attended.
Hubble and the other two would not find it strange that Guru attended the meeting, but it was incredible that Sean also came to join in the fun. You know, his hundreds of subordinates are still squatting in the training ground and being watched by the townspeople. It seems a bit inappropriate for him to come here.
Could it be that he was here to pick a fight with Woolley? When Hubble finished thinking this, he glanced around and saw the same guess in Henry and Baker's eyes.
Wu Lai was the last one to come in. After taking the chief seat without any hesitation, he nodded to Guru, who smiled slightly and brought the small wooden box that had been placed at his feet when he entered the room to the table. He opened the lid of the box and took out a bottle of ink, a thick notebook and a quill pen.
"Everyone, especially Hubble, Henry, Baker, and of course, Tours who didn't make it back in time, from now on, you all have to get used to the way I govern Salt Marsh Town, such as holding meetings." Wu Lai tapped the table with his fingers and said.
Guru smiled, spread out a thick notebook, dipped the tip of his pen in ink, and began to write quickly.
"This is called a meeting record. No matter how many meetings are held in the future, someone must be arranged to record them. There is no need for flowery words or to cover up or conceal anything. Just be true to the facts of the meeting." Wu Lai pointed at the notebook where Guru was writing and said.
Hubble and the others exchanged glances but said nothing. Sean continued to sit opposite Woolley with a stern face, not saying a word.
"It is a great honor that we have invited Lieutenant General Sean from the South District of Lunvington to attend the first formal meeting of the Saltmarsh Town Governor's Mansion. From this point of view, Lieutenant General Sean cares about and supports Saltmarsh Town. Lieutenant General Sean, on behalf of Saltmarsh Town, I welcome your arrival." Wu Lai said with a smile.
"Archon Wu Lei, I'm just here to find a chair to sit on." Sean turned his face away arrogantly, exuding disdain from his whole body.
Henry and the others were moved when they saw this, and they secretly exchanged glances with each other.
"Let me first tell you something that happened today." Wu Lai glanced at a few people and frowned. "This morning, at the canal protection site, Lieutenant General Sean and I had some unpleasant things happen, which resulted in a mutiny among the soldiers. If it had not been stopped in time, there might have been a river of blood in Salt Marsh Town today. Don't think I'm exaggerating. Think about it, if the soldiers get out of control, how will the uninformed townspeople react?"
Henry couldn't help but glance at Sean. Seeing that he was still sitting there with a cold face and tightly pursed lips, he began to wonder how Sean could allow Woleglindo to talk nonsense? Mutiny, how could it be a mutiny? It was clearly you, Woleglindo, who started it first and knocked Sean unconscious. That's why Sean's men started to quarrel.
Hubble also glanced at Sean secretly, and then he had the same idea as Henry in his mind.
Baker frowned, sensing something was wrong.
What happened to Sean? Did he accept benefits from Wu Lai?
"I had a disagreement with Lieutenant General Sean. In the final analysis, it was because the two sides failed to communicate in time. Moreover, General Sean was an excellent officer who loved Assyria. So when he saw that the protective wall of Salt Marsh Town was gone, he naturally misunderstood the canal protection project and thought that it was destroying the defense of Salt Marsh Town." Wu Lai smiled slightly and looked at Lieutenant General Sean. "Lieutenant General Sean, am I right?"
Everyone looked at Sean. Even Guru stopped, threw his pen into the ink bottle, leaned back against the back of his chair, and stretched.
Sean narrowed his eyes, stood up suddenly, and slammed his right fist on the wooden table: "Wullegrindo! Do you dare to be more exaggerated?!"
When Sean shouted loudly, Hubble and Henry were delighted, but Baker was shocked and quickly turned his attention from speculating on Woolley's intentions to Sean.
Wu Lai frowned and waved his right hand: "Lieutenant General Sean, if you have something to say, just say it."