Chapter 114 - 82: Rising Fame, Protect the Gentry!

Chapter 114: Chapter 82: Rising Fame, Protect the Gentry!

"Cai Xun is a bit too extreme, and his bloodlust is too heavy," Zheng Jun thought, despite having slaughtered over a hundred mountain bandits in a single night and building a macabre pyramid out of their severed heads.

Drawing up a hit list of the local gentry and landlords was simply too absurd. It gave Zheng Jun the strong impression of secret police from a bygone era making arrests based on a list.

The only difference was that the targets being arrested this time weren’t the good guys, but the villains.

"Brother, this will take some time. We need to investigate carefully; we can’t just kill people indiscriminately," Zheng Jun said to Cai Xun after a brief pause. "We still need to win people over with reason."

True, some of the gentry and landlords were utterly heinous and truly deserved to have their estates confiscated and families exterminated. If the Great Zhou Court couldn’t punish them, the Black Mountain Guard could.

However, there were also landlords who were decent people and had potential. In those cases, there was no need for such drastic measures. Zheng Jun had never been a bloodthirsty person.

"You still want to investigate?" Hearing this, Cai Xun couldn’t help but look at Zheng Jun in surprise. He chuckled, "I never expected Zheng San to be a man of rules."

Born into a chaotic world, killing landlords was a common occurrence. Although Cai Xun was a pampered noble, that didn’t mean he was uneducated. Moreover, after learning that his family was going to "do big things," Cai Xun had spent a long time reading tales like "Great Wei Heroes" and "Divine Zhou Romance". He had also extensively researched historical records, which made it clear to him that when a dynasty was on the brink of collapse, killing the local tyrants and gentry was the most trivial and ordinary of matters.

Never mind Former Yu or Former Wei; just look at the current dynasty. The Roving Bandits led by the Great Righteous King wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter even Duke and Marquis Families, let alone mere gentry and landlords.

And those outlaws gathered on Celestial King Mountain under the banner of "Enforcing Justice on Behalf of Heaven"—every time they came down the mountain, it was to eradicate the gentry and landlords across all of Qingzhou. They certainly wouldn’t care about "winning people over with reason."

Therefore, in Cai Xun’s eyes, this Zheng Jun simply had far too much conscience and adhered to too many rules.

Hearing Cai Xun say this, Zheng Jun just smiled faintly without arguing. Instead, he changed the subject, "By the way, Brother, I picked up a few young masters and misses on the mountain. They claim to be scions of the Sun Family from Changyang Commandery, the nephew and niece of the Chief Shopkeeper of Jishi Hall in Bozhou."

"The Sun Family of Changyang Commandery? Never heard of them. The only one worth mentioning in Changyang Commandery is the Huanhua Lin Clan; the rest are insignificant." Cai Xun shook his head and continued, "However, the Chief Shopkeeper of Jishi Hall in Bozhou... I recall his name is Shang Ruicheng. He’s an incredibly shrewd and socially adept man, acting as the Chief Steward for Jishi Hall in Bozhou. He has had some dealings with my family. Since that’s the case, bring them to me, and I’ll have someone escort them back later."

Zheng Jun nodded. Without delving further into the topic with Cai Xun, he turned his head, waved his hand, and ordered Du Ding, who was standing not far away, "Prepare to return to camp! It’s time to distribute rewards based on merit!"

Upon hearing Zheng Jun’s words, the surrounding soldiers flushed with excitement and were overjoyed.

The surrounding environment was noisy, and the rustling of snow falling in the forest muffled some of the soldiers’ cheers. However, as one person shouted, the others naturally joined in. The disorganized voices gradually unified. The soldiers held their long spears, struck the ground with them, and spontaneously began to chant in unison.

The sound echoed throughout the entire mountain forest. The Civilian Soldiers who had come to transport the goods were startled by the sudden roar, but they quickly felt their blood boiling and joined in the shouting.

The voices rose and fell, growing louder and louder, while the ground trembled beneath the rhythmic thumping of the long spears.

"Victory to General Zheng!"

"Victory to General Zheng!"

"..."

Watching the tsunami of cheers surging around them, Zheng Jun’s expression remained unchanged, while Cai Xun was shocked by the grand spectacle. He immediately thought, "Zheng San is a true hero! With the merit of just a single battle, he has won over the hearts of the Black Mountain Guard. From now on, I’m afraid the Black Mountain Guard will bear the surname Zheng!"

Despite these thoughts, Cai Xun only became increasingly excited. Now, he didn’t just want the Black Mountain Guard to take the surname Zheng; he wanted the County Soldiers from several neighboring counties to take the surname Zheng as well!

That way, as Zheng Jun’s sponsor, his own status would rise with the tide!

Zhou Pu stood in the crowd, joining in the chant of "Victory to General Zheng!" His heart was filled with excitement as he thought, "Junzi is indeed a man meant for great things!"

Meanwhile, deep within the camp, the Sun Family’s young master, Sun Qizhen, who had just been rescued from the bandits, heard the rumbling noise outside. He was so terrified that he collapsed onto the ground, not daring to move. His three maids also shivered in fear, having no idea what was happening outside.

On the other hand, Sun Qiwei rolled her almond eyes and listened carefully. Upon making out the words, her mind began to race.

"Since ancient times, armies have always been full of arrogant soldiers and fierce generals. Earning the loyalty of an entire army is not something an ordinary person can achieve. This Captain Zheng has already amassed such prestige at a young age, and with his superb martial prowess and methods, he is practically no different from an Outer Gang expert," Sun Qiwei thought, a Spiritual Light flashing in her eyes. "To think this misfortune would turn into a blessing! To have the opportunity to acquaint ourselves with such a brilliant talent still in his humble beginnings—I must notify Uncle immediately!"

A golden carp is not meant to linger in a humble pond; once it meets the storm, it will Transform into a Dragon!

Sun Qiwei was not blind; she could naturally see that Zheng Jun’s future was limitless.

The Sun Family was a small family. Within the clan, her father was the only Qi Storage Martial Artist, and they had no Outer Gang experts.

But her uncle was extraordinary; he was the representative figure of Jishi Hall in Bozhou, an Outer Gang powerhouse! Because her mother’s family was powerful, Sun Qiwei and Sun Qizhen often hung around their uncle’s estate, running errands for Jishi Hall.