My son, how could you be Lü Bu?!

Chapter 39 The Villagers Spread the Word

at the same time.

Jiuyuan City, North Gate.

Not far from the recruitment pavilion overseen by Huchuquan, along the city wall, there is a dense cluster of low-lying, dilapidated thatched houses.

This has always been the residence of impoverished villagers living in the city. Of course, sometimes it is also a place for villagers who come to the city on business, cannot make it back, and are unwilling to spend money to stay in a guesthouse.

at this time.

As dusk fell, groups of villagers gathered here.

Surrounded in the very center.

He was a man in his fifties or sixties, with a forehead covered in wrinkles, a slightly hunched back, and a somewhat reserved expression. He was clearly a farmer who had spent his entire life toiling in the fields.

Because he is not tall enough.

He stood on a slightly higher rock, so that he could see everyone and make sure his voice could be heard.

More and more people were gathering around us.

The farmer finally took a deep breath and spoke loudly.

"Some time ago."

"Do you know about the Lü family, a father and son, outside the city who, seeking revenge for a friend, single-handedly killed over a dozen Xianbei people?!"

The villagers, thinking it was something serious, burst into laughter.

"Who doesn't know about this!"

"With such a huge commotion, over a dozen heads laid out there, infested with maggots and worms, how could we not see them!"

"Exactly! Exactly!"

"If there's nothing else, I'm going back to sleep!"

Seeing the villagers getting restless, it was clear they were about to leave.

The slightly elderly farmer was getting a little anxious. He straightened his back and spoke loudly again.

"Then do you know where this Lü father and son are now?!"

"Let me tell you, the father of this Lü family has now been entrusted with an important position by our city's newly arrived governor, serving as an officer in charge of the soldiers!"

"They're recruiting soldiers right at the south gate of our city!"

The villagers stopped in their tracks as they were leaving.

The villagers stopped in their tracks.

The slightly aged farmer finally breathed a sigh of relief and continued to speak loudly.

"If any of you want to join the army, it doesn't matter who you follow, you might as well follow the rather brave and strong Lü family father and son. At least you'll have a better chance of earning merit!"

"And... let me tell you, this Lü family father and son are exceptionally generous! They never mistreat their own people! We're just farmers toiling in the fields, we don't have any special skills, so what we hope for is that the official we encounter is a good person, right?!"

"Take me for example. All I did that day was help Uncle Lü carry a few Xianbei corpses, and afterwards, Uncle Lü gave me more five-zhu coins than I could spend in several years!"

"It's not just me; almost everyone in our village who was there at the time received money from Uncle Lü!"

Upon hearing this...

The villagers' eyes finally lit up.

They looked at the old farmer who was forcibly propping himself up and speaking loudly, and listened attentively to what he was about to say.

"Is what we did worth that much money?! No, it's not!"

"But Lu Bo is a kind man; he felt it was worth it, so he gave it to us..."

"If you want to join the army, don't just go to any recruitment booth. You must go to the south of the city and find Uncle Lü!"

"Those Huns with their disheveled hair from the north of our city, you absolutely must not surrender to them. What's so good about the Huns! If you surrender to them, I'm afraid they'll sell us out!"

"......."

As the farmer finished speaking...

The villagers gradually dispersed.

As the crowd dispersed, the farmer's back slumped down.

"Uncle Li." A middle-aged woman came out of the house next door, came to the farmer's side, and asked in a low voice.

"Will this really work?"

These two men were villagers from a village outside the city.

"Who cares if it's useful or not?" Uncle Li glanced at her and continued massaging his lower back.

"Even if you're useless, you're still better than thinking of marrying your widowed daughter to Lü Boqiang!"

"Anyway, we're only busy for half a day when we come to the city to work. We're just idling around the rest of the time, so we might as well help Uncle Lü spread his reputation."

"I once heard Uncle Lü mention that reputation is very important for scholars. Although Uncle Lü doesn't seem to have read much, I think the principle is the same. Reputation is probably not much different for officials either."

"It's just that I'm not good with words, and I haven't read many books. I can't learn how officials speak, I can't use any allusions, and I don't know how effective it will be."

"If it weren't for Uncle Lü giving us so much money, we wouldn't have had the time to go to the city to buy things. And if we didn't go to the city, how could we have found such an easy job that's much better than farming?"

Say so.

As if he had thought of something, Uncle Li glared at the middle-aged woman again, looking annoyed.

"Sister Lin, if you have some free time, go and see if Uncle Lü is still in the south of the city tomorrow. If he is not, you should inform the others as soon as possible."

"Let's not end up leading the wrong people."

"Then it will ruin Lord Lü's important plans!"

The middle-aged woman glared at Uncle Li with annoyance, but finally nodded.

......

As for the fact that most of the original villagers had moved to the city, they were still spreading rumors about him behind his back.

Lü Ping knew nothing about it.

He and Lü Bu had not returned to that thatched hut for five or six days.

Firstly.

Lu Ping was always generous and never stingy when it came to sharing his wealth.

Long before he had distributed most of his wealth to the villagers, and after Shen Pei came looking for him, he distributed the remaining wealth to the group of wandering knights who worked for him.

There was nothing of value left in that thatched hut.

The only valuable thing they owned, their horses, were used by the two of them for daily commuting within the city.

Secondly.

Lately, things in the city have been so busy that running back and forth is a real waste of time.

Moreover, according to what Lu Ping heard from the interrogator Zheng Nan, the Zheng family is currently only under strict surveillance and prohibited from entering or leaving. In fact, the brothers Zheng Yong and Zheng Xin, as well as the hundred Zheng family retainers, are still outside the city and their whereabouts are unknown.

Two fists can't beat four hands.

Lu Ping was worried that this group was lying in wait.

Therefore, he never dared to return to that thatched hut. In fact, he made up his mind that unless news came that Zheng Xin and Zheng Yong had been beheaded and he saw their heads with his own eyes, he would not easily leave the city.

"but."

"It's time to save up some money and buy a nicer house for our family in the city."

"I can't sleep with these wandering knights who don't even wash their feet every day, can I? Once or twice is fine, but after a while, the smell is too strong, and I really can't stand it."

evening.

After the bamboo slips containing the list of recruits were written, they were stored in the government office.

Lu Ping rode his white horse slowly and leisurely toward the chivalrous camp, thinking to himself.

Thinking about this...

Suddenly, images of his family's estate outside the city, which occupied a hundred acres of land and was practically his own country, flashed through Lü Ping's mind, along with the reason for the death of the original owner's wife, which he remembered.

His mood suddenly turned cold.

"Once this recruitment is over and we have the armor and weapons provided by the imperial court, Cheng Lian and his men will be able to increase their combat strength several times over, even if they are still fifty men."

"At that time."

"If Lord Fang agrees, I will openly lead my men in and kill my way in, chop off Wang De's head, and use it as a wine cup for Lord Fang."

"If the governor does not agree..."

Lu Ping was silent for a moment, then he suddenly remembered Zhang Yang, a soldier he had met at Shimen Ferry some time ago.