In the council hall of Black Tiger Stronghold, the stronghold chief Zhang Hu and his two sworn brothers, Zhang Xiong and Zhou Ping, sat on large, bandit-like animal-skin chairs and spoke.
Zhang Hu was the vanguard general of the Chu family army, highly skilled in martial arts and tall in stature. Zhang Xiong was even more imposing than his sworn brother Zhang Hu, clad in animal skins, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with dark skin, resembling a brown bear. Zhou Ping, on the other hand, was more refined, with the physique of an average middle-aged man.
Zhang Hu looked grave, Zhang Xiong was excited, and Zhou Ping was worried.
"Brother!" Zhang Xiong exclaimed excitedly, "Are you really going to hand over all the brothers?"
Zhang Hu remained silent.
Zhou Ping then said, “Brother, we all know you care about the Chu Family Army. However, most of the young men in our stronghold are martial artists, including Zhang Xiong and me. We will certainly follow you, but have you considered that once we leave Black Tiger Stronghold and change our name to the Chu Family Army, with military discipline and laws, will those brothers who are used to being wild agree to it? Besides, even General Fan is unwilling to come out of seclusion. If we rely solely on our Black Wind Stronghold, what kind of Chu Family Army are we?”
Zhang Hu remained silent.
Zhang Xiong got anxious and slammed his fist, as big as a clay pot, onto the wooden chair, causing cracks to appear on the ironwood chair.
"Big brother! Second brother is right!"
Zhang Hu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The Chu family army has treated me well. Now that the hope of revitalizing the Chu family army is imminent, I, Zhang Hu, cannot forget their kindness."
Zhou Ping said, “Brother, think about this. Can that group of people who came today really represent General Fan? In my humble opinion, neither the man surnamed He nor the man surnamed Chu are good people. Especially the hundred or so men that the man surnamed He brought, they are all experts. They invited Miss Fan, it is very likely that they are using General Fan’s name and the name of the ‘Chu Family Army’ to trick you out of your military power. Otherwise, why wouldn’t General Fan come in person with such a good opportunity…”
Zhang Xiong, being impulsive, immediately said, "Second Brother is right! I see that Miss Fan is so weak and frail; she must have been kidnapped by He Yunxiao! They're just here to deceive you, Big Brother. Please don't fall for their tricks!"
Zhou Ping continued, "Brother, our Black Tiger Stronghold has grown to eight thousand brothers, making us the strongest among all the old forces. You are also the vanguard general of the Chu family army, possessing both strength and prestige, which commands respect. If you wish to revitalize the Chu family army, you can certainly take the lead yourself!"
Zhang Xiong immediately agreed, "Second Brother is right!"
Zhang Hu seemed to have been persuaded by Zhou Ping. He was not at ease with either Miss Fan or the two young men who came with her.
"Zhou Ping, go and summon all the leaders of the old factions, and also invite Miss Fan. We need to discuss the future of the Chu family army."
Zhou Ping exclaimed with delight, "Great!"
...
At night, the council hall of Black Tiger Village was brightly lit.
Chief Zhang Hu sat at the head of the table, with two rows of seats below him, in order, occupied by Fan Ziruo, Sun Qiang, Wu Jian, and others.
The leaders of the former Chu family army who came to meet at Black Tiger Stronghold, along with their respective subordinates, filled the originally spacious Black Tiger Stronghold council hall to capacity.
Fan Ziruo was Zhang Hu's first target, and she also had the most impressive support team behind her.
The lineup included He Yunxiao, Chu Fan, and Pang Jian, all ninth-rank members, plus three eighth-rank leaders from the Short Knife Gang, along with Chu Xiaoxiao, who "didn't know martial arts," and Jiang Wuyou, who "had no identity." This lineup, on the surface, was stronger than the Short Knife Gang at its peak, second only to the Iron Eagle Gang, the largest gang in Yinjing.
Of all those seated in the room, only Fan Ziruo was a woman.
Although the men of the Chu family army outwardly respected General Fan's daughter, none of them actually took Fan Ziruo seriously. Fan Ziruo's renowned reputation among scholars was of no use in Black Tiger Stronghold; the illiterate warriors only recognized fists the size of sandbags.
Compared to the frail Fan Ziruo and the unreliable He Yunxiao, Chu Fan, with his plain appearance and resolute gaze, is more popular.
In the arena, some former leaders were wearing civilian clothes, while others were still wearing Qi army uniforms. The uniforms were not uniform either, as they included Qi army uniforms from various regions.
Zhang Hu sat at the head of the table and slowly recounted his experiences in the Chu Family Army. When he got emotional, many of his former brothers from the Chu Family Army burst into tears.
One of the leaders said, "Reorganize the Chu family army! Make a great contribution to overturn the court's verdict! Let the Princess clear our general's name!"
"Let the Princess clear the General's name!"
He was deeply moved when he heard a group of men shouting.
Is Mengbao really that popular? Everyone trusts her so much! All her hard work day and night has paid off; we must give her a good compliment when we get back!
After everyone calmed down, Zhang Hu glanced at Zhou Ping. With the latter nodding affirmatively, Zhang Hu continued, "With a formidable enemy before us, the brothers of our former Chu family army are even more united. Now that we have gathered 15,000 brothers, it's time to elect a leader."
He Yunxiao was taken aback, then suddenly said, "Isn't it 80,000?"
Seeing that He Yunxiao was deliberately causing trouble, Zhang Xiong glared at him fiercely.
Zhang Hu explained, "There are 80,000, but many more brothers are on their way. Six or seven thousand brothers have already arrived, and together with the eight thousand from Black Tiger Stronghold, that makes a total of fifteen thousand."
He Yunxiao's face fell. The promised 80,000 Chu family troops had suddenly shrunk to 15,000? Was this just empty promises? Were they taking advantage of my weak and easy-going nature?
He Yunxiao glared fiercely at Sun Qiang and Wu Jian, who looked away guiltily.
Zhang Hu continued, "I suggest we vote to elect the leader of the Chu family army. What do you brothers think?"
None of the people present were fools.
Black Tiger Stronghold has 8,000 people, more than all other teams combined. Moreover, most of the smaller teams live in Black Tiger Stronghold, eating and sleeping at Zhang Hu's place, so they feel obligated to vote for him.
This vote, though seemingly a vote, was actually predetermined.
He Yunxiao and Fan Ziruo also noticed something amiss.
Before Ruobao could say anything, He Yunxiao couldn't hold back any longer.
Damn it, they first lured my poor baby out with empty promises, then they came up with some kind of vote to elect people. What the hell, votes, votes, who can elect the landlord?
He Yunxiao leaned down and whispered in Ruobao's ear, "Ziruo, what do you think?"
Fan Ziruo said in a low voice, "If we can revitalize the Chu family army, it doesn't matter who is the leader."
He Yunxiao nodded. Ruobao's vision was indeed impressive. Since Ruobao, the direct descendant of the Chu family army, hadn't said anything, he didn't say anything more.
Although Fan Ziruo remained silent, He Yunxiao forgot that there was more than one successor of the Chu family army present.
And then there's the protagonist, Chu Fan.
Chu Fan spoke up righteously, "I think it's inappropriate. The leader of the Chu family army should be the most capable person. Miss Fan is virtuous and talented, and I believe she should be the leader."
All eyes in the room turned to Fan Ziruo the moment Chu Fan spoke.
Chu Fan stood behind Fan Ziruo, and in the eyes of others, he was naturally Fan Ziruo's subordinate. His words would therefore be interpreted as Fan Ziruo's intentions.
Driven by his protective instincts, Zhang Xiong scoffed, "Does Miss Fan know martial arts? What rank is she?"
Upon seeing this, Sun Qiang and Wu Jian both stood up to speak for Fan Ziruo, saying, "We have seen with our own eyes that Brother Chu under Miss Fan's command is as brave as ten thousand men!"
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