Chapter 61: Zhang Cheng is really a butcher (for Brother Meng
As a group of sergeants dragged away the headless corpses of the gangsters, more than seventy heads stained red with blood were scattered in front of the martial arts hall in the south of Dushi Castle.
The sergeant's combat boots kicked into the dark red blood mud, splashing up bright red water droplets, which were particularly conspicuous under the sunlight.
Most of the thirty gangsters left to be killed in the west were languishing on the ground, and some were so frightened that they fainted. With a wave of the firing squad officer's hand, ten more gangsters were dragged away.
Go to the bloody hell-like open space in the middle.
As the slightly warm southerly wind blew by, the smell of blood had already spread, making people feel nauseous. The military households in the north who came to see the excitement had already unknowingly stepped back more than ten steps.
The gangsters on the east side who were brought to watch their execution all looked innocent, and many of them even vomited directly. All kinds of smells were mixed together, making it even more unpleasant.
However, the armored sergeants who were guarding them did not allow them to lower their heads. They waved their spears and big sticks in their hands and smashed anyone they saw lowered their heads, forcing them to continue to watch the tragic execution scene in front of them.
…………
"Butcher...Zhang Cheng is really a butcher..."
"...What a devil...I know that Master Jin would not dissuade this Zhang Cheng..."
"...How can we protect our soldiers and civilians on the North Road if they are so murderous..."
A burst of discordant sounds rang out from the crowd watching the execution behind Zhang Cheng. It was the students from Kaiping Health School and Dushi Academy. They were wearing feather fans and turbans, and started pointing at Zhang Cheng.
A few sergeants vaguely heard it, and looked at the students who were breathing sweet things with their big eyes. Under the glare of the sergeants, they were also secretly frightened, so they stopped talking loudly.
Zhang Cheng also heard the discussions of these students, but ignored them. How could these weak scholars, who only knew the books of sages and sages, understand the hardships of the world and the dangers of bandits? They talked loudly but had no real knowledge.
Xue Liangqing, the commander of the Kaiping Guards on the side, had already left the table and Zhang Cheng did not blame him. If he had not left, he might have vomited or even fainted on the spot, which would also damage the prestige of the Guards.
I publicly beheaded these one hundred bandits this time in order to establish my authority. When I first arrived on the North Road, there must be many constraints. Instead of dealing with them bit by bit, it would be better to solve them all at once.
Last night's arrangement for Chen Zhong to give a gift to fellow commander Jin Xinpeng was actually a risky move. In order to prevent accidents, more than 400 elite cavalry were deployed in the general's office, with Chen Zhong personally in charge.
In the martial arts hall outside the city, Zhang Guangda and his four hundred elite cavalry also stayed up all night. It was not until the early morning when Zhang Cheng received the news that Jin Xinpeng came to visit that he relaxed.
Although this move is risky, it is necessary.
Jin Xinpeng has been on Beilu for a long time and has always been in a high position. His prestige and strength cannot be underestimated. Zhang Cheng cannot completely eliminate him. The only way to do this is to give him pressure and benefits to encourage him to cooperate with him.
What's more, Zhang Cheng wanted to use violent means to forcefully replace the Chicheng garrison position, eradicate Wu Youlu and others, and completely control Chicheng.
Because Chicheng Castle is an important node on the North Road, Zhang Cheng's goal is not just a small part of the North Road. He just uses this place as a foundation. His goal is the entire North Road, Xuanfu Town, and even bigger!
It's okay to bloom everywhere, but that will happen later. Zhang Cheng doesn't have that ability now. The main reason is that he is not strong enough. If the situation is too big, it will easily get out of control.
Therefore, he handed over to him the evidence he had of Jin Xinpeng colluding with bandits and occupying military camps, and also handed back to him Jin Xiaoguo, who had been caught committing banditry, to show his sincerity.
If Jin Xinpeng had a clear mind, he would have killed the two bandit leaders without anyone noticing, and then come to him for a heart-to-heart talk. If they all became friendly friends, they could make a fortune together.
If not, then give it a try. Zhang Cheng estimated that although Jin Xinpeng has been operating in Dushikou for a long time, he does not have many close servants who can be directly mobilized. He has more than a thousand powerful soldiers here, so he is still afraid of him.
No!
…………
It was exactly as Zhang Cheng expected.
In the early hours of this morning, Jin Xinpeng also came to the General's Office alone to ask for an audience with Zhang Cheng. He expressed his full support for Zhang Cheng's military order on the North Road. He had more than 300 servants and was now willing to hand it over to Zhang Cheng to choose another person to command.
Moreover, he handed over a list of land acres and a list of military households. Only then did Zhang Cheng know that this Jin Xinpeng not only occupied a large number of military villages, but also hid more than a thousand military households to cultivate these fields for him.
In Jin Xinpeng's heart, he was unwilling to do this, but what could he do?
It may be okay to say that his family invaded the military camp, but his only son was captured alive by Zhang Cheng in the bandit's lair. This is a first-class death penalty.
Jin Xinpeng thought about the next step for a long time.
Fighting with Zhang Cheng, destroying everything, and spending some money to cover it up afterwards, maybe it can be covered up. Zhang Cheng has a holy family, but if he dies, the holy family will be useless, and it is a matter of deception and concealment.
, I haven’t become familiar with it in recent years.
But the crux of the matter is, can I beat Zhang Cheng?
To be honest, Jin Xinpeng was quite powerful, with three hundred servants under his command, and he was also a prominent figure in Xuan Town, but when he thought of the elite cavalry Zhang Cheng had brought to Dushikou both inside and outside the fortress.
He gave up this fatal thought. He had seen Zhang Cheng's subordinates. Not to mention the dozens of guards accompanying Zhang Cheng, even the infantry and cavalry who arrived earlier were all elite.
If there was a head-on collision, he would be the one killed on the spot.
There was no way to confront them head-on, so they had to submit. After Jin Xinpeng thought carefully about it, he beheaded the two bandit leaders on the spot in the mansion, and locked up his incompetent son in the backyard and grounded him.
Taking advantage of the moonlight, he rushed to the general's office overnight and knelt down to beg to see Zhang Cheng. Not only did he sincerely admit his mistakes and repent, he also handed over the military households he had hidden and the military camps he had occupied, and he also handed over the three hundred servants he had raised for many years.
Zhang Cheng's disposal.
Zhang Cheng was very satisfied with Jin Xinpeng's sincerity.
"This general has just arrived at the North Road and was ordered by the emperor to train a force of 5,000 people. However, I am still powerless. I still need Jin Tongzhi and other local dignitaries to work together to assist me.
I have prepared to write to the Du Si and Chen Duchen to invite Jin Tongzhi to be the commander, and he will share the important task of guarding the Shangbei Road with me. As for these military households and military camps, they were originally set up to guard the border towns. Brother Jin
Use it to raise three hundred elite knights for the country.
This is indeed a great achievement, and how can I steal it for myself? However, I am ordered to recruit troops for training, and I still need Brother Jin's strong support. If there are suitable candidates, you can also recommend one or two to me."
Jin Xinpeng was really uneasy when he came. He didn't know where Zhang Cheng's bottom line was, and he didn't know how big Zhang Cheng's appetite was, but he himself had no bottom line and could only let Zhang Cheng handle it.
However, when he listened to what Zhang Cheng said, he was even shocked. According to what Zhang Cheng just said, not only did he not suffer losses, but he also recommended that he be promoted to the Kaiping Guard Commander?