"Brave warrior Dian, I just heard you're going up the mountain to hunt tigers?"
Dian Wei was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"That's right. My elderly mother, wife, and children still need money and food. Although I am a wandering knight, I am unwilling to do things like robbing the people and my fellow villagers."
Perfect timing... There's a small hill on the way to Fengqiu from here. It's said that a large, dangerous insect lives on that hill.
A certain family intended to hunt down this monstrous insect that plagued the village, and sell its pelt and flesh to support their children.
Zhao Hao nodded and slowly picked up the wine bowl to toast Dian Wei.
"As expected of brave warrior Dian, you are a man of loyalty and righteousness. This bowl is for you!"
"Hey, you're to my liking, buddy. Here, I'll return the favor with a bowl!"
Old Dian doesn't care about so many formalities; he just wants to drink as much as he can reasonably.
"May I ask, brave warrior Dian, how long would it take you to hunt a tiger?"
Dian Wei thought for a moment, glanced at the blazing sun high in the sky at noon, and pondered.
"If we set off now, and are lucky enough to encounter that giant worm soon... we can make it back tonight."
But if you're unlucky, you can always wait two more days.
Zhao Hao nodded slightly. "Brave Warrior Dian, wait for me a moment."
Afterwards, Zhao Hao pretended to return to the carriage, but actually took out the items from his spatial storage and gave them to Dian Wei.
“Brave warrior, take these water belts, dry rations, shoes and clothes with you.”
I will wait for you here for two days. If you can come back within two days, I promise your family will be safe and sound from then on.
Two days later, I had no choice but to leave and continue my business trip to Luoyang.
Dian Wei was taken aback, not understanding what Zhao Hao meant.
Seeing this, Zhao Hao had no choice but to continue explaining.
“That tiger is a treasure from head to toe. If you, brave warrior, can hunt it down and return safely, you will have proven your strength. And I, who travel the world and trade far and wide, naturally need a strong and brave bodyguard like you, brave warrior Dian.”
Regardless of whether Dian Zhuangshi accepts my invitation to become my bodyguard, I am about to travel to Luoyang. I have heard that the Xiliang soldiers there are extremely ruthless and prone to injuring people with weapons.
As long as Dian Zhuangshi protects me along the way, I will naturally have enough wealth to reward him, so that Dian Zhuangshi and his family will no longer suffer from poverty and hardship for the rest of their lives.
"These rudimentary things are my investment in you, Dian Zhuangshi. If you successfully hunt the giant worm and sell it to me first, I will absolutely not treat you unfairly!"
Seeing that Zhao Hao spoke earnestly, Dian Wei finally believed him.
"Hmm...you are indeed a good person, and a very honest one! Well, anyway, I've already prepared the weapons and bows for the hunt. With your help, things will be much easier."
Come, let us finish drinking this wine and eating this meat.
"I, Lao Dian, am off!"
"good!"
Dian Wei ate until his stomach was bloated before slowly getting up. He bowed to Zhao Hao in thanks and then walked step by step toward his destination.
"Young master, we..."
"No need to follow him, the place he's going isn't on our way. It's good to stay here for a couple of days and wait for him to come back."
"Eh? Young master, did the waiter hear you say that you and your guards will be staying at our establishment for two days?"
"Okay, go arrange it."
"Okay!"
Zhao Hao didn't have any free time for the next two days.
This place is bustling with people, and Zhao Hao could take this opportunity to gather intelligence about Yanzhou.
These merchants are all loose-lipped, and they casually discuss any information they encounter on the road in the taverns.
For example, Cao Cao tried to persuade the Yellow Turban rebels in Yanzhou to surrender, just like Zhao Hao had done, but ended up being humiliated by the rebels.
For example, the Yellow Turbans in Runan are approaching Qiao County in Pei State, and they are sure to carry out plundering. Now, the villagers near Runan are constantly fleeing or joining some Wubao forces in order to protect themselves.
Finally, seeing that the campaign against the Yellow Turban rebels was going badly, Zhang Miao and Liu Dai immediately ordered Bao Xin's troops to continue stationing in Jibei, and Cao Cao's troops to be stationed in Juancheng, forming a unified defense line to guard against the Yellow Turban rebels.
Therefore, Chenliu, Dongjun, and Jibei were relatively stable. However, in other parts of Yanzhou, bandits were rampant.
Our Cao Cao is the most pitiful. Because he wanted to make a name for himself, he lined up his troops at the front of the battle at Hulao Pass. He had already lost 80% of his soldiers last time, which greatly weakened his strength.
This time, he could only huddle in the northernmost town of Jiyin, and only with the help of his good friend Wei Zi was he able to barely get a foothold.
“Young master, Cao Cao doesn’t seem that impressive, so why do you value him so much?”
Moreover, he's opposed you twice.
Zhao Hao was taken aback. "Twice? There was only one time at Hulao Pass, where did this 'twice' come from?"
Yuwen Chengdu smiled, leaned closer to Zhao Hao, and whispered.
"On the day Commandant Qin Yilu died in battle, it was Cao Mengde who said, 'I will take care of your wife and children!'"
Young master, isn't he going against you? This is clearly what we should be doing...
Snap!
Zhao Hao gave Yuwen Chengdu a heavy elbow strike in annoyance, correcting his tone.
"What do you mean by 'we'? That's me... and is that something you can just talk about?"
"Hehe, yes, yes, it's what you should do, young master."
Ignoring Yuwen Chengdu, Zhao Hao looked at the sunset and felt a pang of longing for his family in Jinyang.
"Forget it, there'll be plenty of time to dig wells later. Chengdu, Cao Mengde, who survived several defeats, must have some merit. People can't always judge by appearances, just like that..."
"You mean Liu Xuande, the magistrate of Gaotang? Don't worry, young master, everyone in Chengdu knows the names of the three people you mentioned by heart!"
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