Chapter 89
"Have you ever heard of Ganzhou's paper and cashmere? To be honest, I came from Ganzhou, so I know the techniques of making paper and cashmere. Although what you are doing makes money quickly, it is still somewhat dangerous. Why don't you consider letting your brothers do this, boss?" Lin Shuge said.
Yang Yan, who was sitting below, had a glimmer of joy in his eyes, and looked at Lin Shuge and Yao Dajiang expectantly. Some of the other small leaders seemed to be thinking about something, some looked disapproving, and some even looked angry.
"Boss, I think this person is just trying to flatter us. He clearly doesn't want to cooperate with us, and he even came up with the excuse of making paper and cashmere."
"That's right. If we can really make money, it will be our turn."
"I think he just wants to stall for us to let him go, Boss, don't fall for his trick."
"We are bandits. We go up the mountain to drink and eat meat. Why do we have to do hard work? I might as well go down the mountain and continue selling firewood."
Everyone was talking at once, and suddenly the whole hall was filled with noise.
"Shut up, everyone." Yao Dajiang shouted.
"What does Magistrate Lin mean by this? Are you planning to recruit us?"
"The boss has misunderstood. I just saw that there are so many brothers in the village, and it is not easy for the boss to support the whole village. Besides, the people in Qingquan County are poor and cannot support the entire village at once." Lin Shuge said loudly.
On his way here, he saw that the roads were deserted and people closed their shops early in the day. There were not many shops on the streets. People were probably frightened by these robbers and dared not go out.
This is the case in the county town, so one can imagine what the situation is like in other towns and villages.
He suppressed the anger in his heart, looked at Yao Dajiang with a smile, and seemed to be someone who was easy to talk to.
"The boss took good care of me today, which shows that he is a friendly brother in normal times. I hope that the boss will consider it carefully for the future of our brothers." Lin Shuge's expression was soft, and his tone showed that he was really thinking about him.
Yao Dajiang's face was heavy. "You have a point, but this concerns the entire village. I still have to discuss it with my brothers. County Magistrate Lin will stay in the village for a few days." He winked at Yang Yan, "Take County Magistrate Lin to rest."
Yang Yan stood up and gestured, "Lin County Magistrate, please come this way."
"The boss is leaving."
Lin Shuge walked out under everyone's gaze and let out a sigh of relief.
"I thought you weren't afraid?" Yang Yan said from behind.
Lin Shuge squinted at him and asked with a half-smile, "Why is the Second Master here?"
Yang Yan was startled and did not answer.
Lin Shuge didn't ask any further questions and gestured for him to continue leading the way.
"Is the papermaking and cashmere you mentioned really feasible?" Yang Yan asked again.
Lin Shuge just smiled and said nothing, "Let's go, it's too early to talk now."
Walking through several corridors, a few minions patrolling with weapons walked by from time to time. When they saw them, they saluted and greeted Yang Yan. Lin Shuge looked at the knives in their hands with a deep gaze.
"Don't even think about escaping. The security here is tight and you can't escape by yourself." Yang Yan reminded.
"What if someone helps me?" Lin Shuge stared at him and said slowly.
Yang Yan avoided his gaze and said, "Don't be delusional. Most of the people here are loyal to the boss. Why would they come to help you?"
"That's not necessarily true. Some people may be in Cao's camp but their hearts are with Han. Oh, yes, you may not have heard of this sentence. It probably means that some people may be in a den of thieves but their hearts are towards the light." Lin Shuge said with deep meaning in his eyes.
Yang Yan looked at him for a long time without saying anything, his eyes full of emotions, and finally fell silent again.
"You'll stay here for a few days. Tell them to do anything you need. I've already greeted them and they won't make things difficult for you. But don't think about moving around casually." After saying this, Yang Yan turned and left.
Lin Shuge said sincerely: "Thank you, Second Master."
Yang Yan returned to the lobby again. He thought there would be a lot of noise, but it was quiet at this moment. Only Yao Dajiang and a few high-ranking officials of the Shanzhai were left. After he sat down, Yao Dajiang asked, "Do you think what he said is true or false?"
Yang Yan said calmly: "It should be true. I have heard some things about Ganzhou. It is said that the people there live a really good life."
Yao Dajiang walked over a few times with him on his back, "Alan, what do you think?"
The confidant, A Lan, smiled and said, "I don't think so. We are so strong, how can we make paper? I suggest that we get him to agree as soon as possible. There are so many mouths in the village, and it costs a lot of money and food just to open their mouths every day. The last time we did something, it was not enough to feed us for half a month. I guess we have to do something big this time."
Someone echoed, "Maybe this is Lin's delaying tactic. He doesn't look like the coward that Ma Youliang was before. He treats gold and silver like women."
At this point, some people began to say some obscene words.
"You don't even look at what he looks like, you look like a woman. If he weren't a man, I would have robbed him a long time ago. That must be the feeling..."
"Okay, everything still depends on the boss, so say less useless words." Yang Yan said with a slightly cold look in his eyes.
Everyone looked at Yao Dajiang, who had a tense brow and said nothing.
"Boss, I think we should just let him cooperate with us. We can't let what happened last time happen again."
"Yes, big boss, the last time the news leaked out, so many brothers died, and the man surnamed Ma lost his job, which led to the court sending this man surnamed Lin over. You didn't make a decision when you should, and now you are suffering from the chaos."
"Boss, are you attracted to him? That's easy to say. If you really like him, I don't believe he won't agree under the threat of the sword."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Yao Dajiang waved his hand and said, "We must make sure he agrees to cooperate with us tonight."
"Agree to do good things with the boss?" someone joked.
Yao Dajiang smacked his lips, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. Everyone immediately understood his intention and went out, cursing and laughing.
Only Yang Yan stayed. Yao Dajiang asked, "Do you have anything else to say to me?"
"Master, Lin Shuge is not a good person. If we force him, we will probably end up in ruins."
"I know, I know. He's fine. I won't use force against him. He didn't tie up those people. I can't bear to let a beauty suffer."
Yao Dajiang had a look of pity on his face, which made Yang Yan feel sick, so he bowed and said goodbye.
As night fell, birds and animals kept chirping in the forest, and the noise of bandits could be heard in the distance. Lin Shuge looked outside the door. It was dinner time, and as expected, the guards were changing shifts.
He stood up and opened the door, and the guard at the door immediately said, "The boss has ordered that you are not allowed to go out unless necessary."
"I'm going to the bathroom."
The lackey hesitated, and Lin Shuge said, "Your second in command told you not to make things difficult for me. Do you want to disobey him?"
The minions gritted their teeth and let him out, but still followed him from a distance. Lin Shuge saw a minion coming over. When the two were about to hand over, he quickly dodged and blew a whistle. In a moment, a pigeon flew over. Lin Shuge tied something to the pigeon's leg and let it go.
"who?"
A man walked out of the night. It was Yang Yan. "Is this how you pass on information?"
Lin Shuge looked at him warily, then calmed down and asked, "What's the matter with you coming here, Second Master?"
"Just to remind you to be careful."
"Looks like they're going to use force?" Lin Shuge said with a smile.
Yang Yan nodded, "What are you going to do?"
"That depends on whether the Second in Command will lend me a hand."
"Do you really have the ability to wipe out this place in one fell swoop?" Yang Yan asked with doubt in his eyes.
Lin Shuge looked at him steadily without saying anything.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the door, including a man's cursing and a woman's crying. Lin Shuge walked over quickly and saw a woman running towards him desperately, with several minions behind her chasing and cursing.
The woman's clothes were disheveled. When she saw Lin Shuge, she realized that he did not look like a bandit, so she ran to him desperately, knelt down and said, "Please save me."
Lin Shuge helped her up, took off his outer clothes and put them on her, protecting her behind him.
"Who are you? Get out of my way." He then said to the henchmen beside him, "Go and capture that bitch for me."
The minion stepped forward, but Lin Shuge dodged it by moving sideways.
"Stop it, Meng Qing, let them retreat." Yang Yan hurried over and said.
"I was wondering who it was, it turned out to be the second in command, you are here to ruin my business again," Meng Qing said angrily, "You are a robber and you are still pretending to be a gentleman."
Yang Yan's face looked a little ugly, "We have guests today, please don't embarrass yourself."
"Are there guests? What guests?" Meng Qing stared at Lin Shuge and a minion beside him whispered something to him.
"Okay, so it's you. You captured my brother Meng Hu, and now you're in the hands of Huyashan. Why are you still being polite?" Meng Qing was about to rush up with a knife in his hand. Lin Shuge touched the small crossbow tied to his wrist.
"Meng Qing, don't be rude."
Meng Qing stopped abruptly. When he saw A Lan, he knew that he was Yao Dajiang's confidant and did not dare to neglect him. "My brother is still imprisoned in the county government. Now that the culprit has been caught..."
"Meng Qing, get out of here." Ah Lan slapped him, "Lin County Magistrate, I'm sorry to scare you. The boss is waiting for you in the lobby."
Meng Qing gritted his teeth and left angrily with his men because of A Lan's order.
Lin Shuge gave him a cold look, walked over and said to Yang Yan, "Please take good care of her for me." Yang Yan made eye contact with him and said, "Don't worry, I will do as you say."
Lin Shuge followed A Lan to the lobby. The room was brightly lit. As soon as he entered, he felt countless eager eyes staring at him.
It seems like this is a Hongmen Banquet.
"I wonder what the boss wants to talk to me about?" Lin Shuge asked directly.
Yao Dajiang looked him up and down, "Lin County Magistrate, after discussing it with the brothers, we still think it's better to cooperate with you. It just so happens that Meng Qing has returned today, and the mountain stronghold is also short of money and food. I heard that there is a rich family in the county with a beautiful daughter. We must invite this lady to come up and have a seat. As for other matters, we need the help of Lin County Magistrate."
Lin Shuge sneered, "What if I don't want to?"
Yao Dajiang walked up to him and saw that his face seemed to be covered with frost. He sniffed softly at his ear and said, "It's better for County Magistrate Lin to agree to it, otherwise I can't protect you."
Lin Shuge suppressed the nausea in his heart and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Yao Dajiang was about to speak when a lackey came in to report: "Boss, there are suddenly a group of extra troops on the east side of the stronghold. The brothers can't hold on any longer."
Then someone else came to report: "A group of people have arrived from the west of the stronghold. The leader is very fierce and is about to kill us."
"What?"
While Yao Dajiang was stunned, Lin Shuge quickly put the arrow in his sleeve against his neck and said, "Don't move. If anyone dares to come forward, I will kill him right here."
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