Chapter 231
Chapter 231
Even Zhu Wentai, the heir of the Zhu Clan, came to plead.
“Our Zhu Clan tried to help the Count of Jinhai’s Estate in the past, but Shen Lang flooded our manor, leaving us in a most wretched state. Not only that, but my father, Viscount Zhu Nanzheng, was also brutally killed by Shen Lang. Who could be more miserable than I? Our Zhu Clan must do much to restore our family’s fortunes. Could the Count of Jinhai, for the sake of our past friendship, lend us a hand? Please support your brother clan! Just a one percent share of the annual yield from the gold veins on Wang'ai Island would suffice for our Zhu Clan. If that’s truly impossible, then five-tenths of a percent would also be fine.”
Countless people came begging for a share of the gold. Every one of them flattered Tang Lun, treating him with a reverence he had never before experienced. The Count of Jinhai had become an instant celebrity. It couldn't be helped. He was the sole ally of the Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei. To get even a small piece of the gold mine on Wang'ai Island, one had to go through Tang Lun. But most of them were nursing futile hopes.
*This is a gold vein from the ancient era. How dare you entertain such foolish delusions? It’s not something you can touch.*
If it were the old Count of Jinhai, he might have worried they would try something malicious, but now he wasn't concerned at all. That was because His Highness the Crown Prince himself had decided to take twenty-five percent of the Wang'ai Island gold mine. With the Crown Prince watching over it, who would dare touch it?
Although he had no intention of sharing the gold mine, Tang Lun was still immensely pleased with himself, happily accepting everyone's flattery. Just then, another guest arrived at the Count of Jinhai’s Estate: Su Jianting from the Marquis Zhenyuan’s Estate. Even the Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, was impressed. While everyone else shamelessly came asking for a share of the gold mine, people as despicable as those from the Marquis Zhenyuan’s Estate were truly rare.
*Isn't the Count of Xuanwu's Estate related to you by marriage? At a time like this, instead of helping them, you repeatedly push them toward the cliff's edge. It's truly remarkable. Among the old-blood noble families, your Su Clan is the worst. If Marquis Su Nan hadn't surrendered to the King so early, would the alliance of old-blood nobles have been like scattered sand, unable to unite and be trampled upon by the King at will? I, Tang Lun, may have also betrayed the alliance of old-blood nobles, but your Su Clan went too far. You are too shameless, too despicable—a disgrace to the aristocracy.*
Tang Lun asked.
“What brings you here, Young Master Su Jianting? Have you also come to ask for a share of the Wang'ai Island gold veins?”
Su Jianting replied.
“Our Su Clan is not so shameless.”
“Then why have you come?”
“During the last Jinshan Island conflict, our family sent ten masters to your army as a trial, and we felt they made great progress.”
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, was taken aback.
*Back then, during the military competition, didn't you, Su Jianting, voluntarily lend me your warriors without asking for anything in return, all to completely annihilate the hundred warriors of the Count of Xuanwu?*
During that competition, the Count of Xuanwu should have won, but thanks to the masters Tang Lun borrowed, it ended in a draw. That match could have decided the fate of the Jinshan Island conflict, and Su Jianting had played a large part in preventing that outcome. What was he up to now?
Su Jianting said.
“The main forces of the Count of Xuanwu are all on Wang'ai Island now, leaving their fief empty. The situation is not peaceful, so I worry about bandits running rampant. As an old-blood noble, I believe it is necessary for the Count of Jinhai to go and remind Lady Jin Mulan of this. My status makes it difficult for me to intervene.”
*Damn it!*
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, was impressed. On the surface, Su Jianting was feigning concern for the Jin Clan, but in reality, he was reminding Tang Lun that the Jin Clan's fief was now defenseless, a perfect opportunity to go and wreak havoc.
*What kind of grudge is this that makes the Su Clan push the Jin Clan so relentlessly into a corner? You are relatives by marriage. Su Peipei is your paternal aunt, and Jin Mulan was once betrothed to you.*
Su Jianting said.
“I have brought fifty of my family's masters with me this time. The Count of Jinhai is a master of military strategy. I was hoping they could train with the Tang Clan for a few months. What do you think?”
Tang Lun was even more impressed.
*Not only are you telling me to disguise myself as a bandit and commit atrocities in the Jin Clan's fief, but you're also offering me fifty masters for free? What is your intention? Is it the annihilation of the Jin Clan? Surely not. What is this grudge? Why? Even I, Tang Lun, can't bear to watch the shamelessness of the Su Clan.*
Tang Lun said.
“Hahaha, I will consider it. Leave the fifty masters here. I will be sure to train them well.”
Su Jianting bowed and said.
“Then I thank the Count of Jinhai.”
The fifty masters from the Su Clan remained at the Count of Jinhai’s Estate. Tang Lun soon discovered a peculiar trait about them. They were all Westerners and were congenitally mute. Their eyes were cold, and they looked at everything as if it were already dead. One glance was enough to know that these men lived only for slaughter. They were no different from killing machines. What on earth was the Marquis of Zhenyuan up to?
Next, the Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, considered the feasibility of the matter. Should he immediately send soldiers to attack the fortress of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate? That was impossible. It would be tantamount to treason. Besides, to reach the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, one had to pass through two of the King's fortresses. Was he supposed to lead his soldiers across the border?
However, posing as bandits to ravage the Jin Clan's fief and commit atrocities was possible. But what was the point? As long as Jin Mulan was defending the fortress of the Count of Xuanwu with her garrison, raiding the fief wasn't worth the effort. Moreover, the Tang Clan's private soldiers were all on Wang'ai Island, so the most warriors Tang Lun could mobilize was a mere few hundred.
Tang Lun mulled over Su Jianting's parting words and soon grasped their meaning. Anything that caused the Jin Clan pain was meaningful. Harming others might not benefit oneself, but if it made the enemy miserable, anything was fair game.
“Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, come forth!”
In an instant, two of his sons and one adopted son appeared before Tang Lun and knelt. Tang Lun wasn't remarkable in many ways, but he was prolific when it came to fathering sons. He had over a dozen of them. His heir, Tang Yun, studied literature; his eldest, Tang Zhong, learned military strategy; and Tang Yan practiced martial arts. Those three were his most outstanding sons. The rest of his sons basically all practiced martial arts, and while not as formidable as Tang Yan, they were still considered masters in their own right.
“The three of you will take two hundred of our family's warriors and the fifty masters provided by Su Jianting, disguise yourselves as the Hardship Bandits, and go wreak havoc in the Jin Clan's fief. Murder, arson, do whatever you want! The Jin Clan's fief is especially empty right now, so there will be no one to stop you.”
“Yes, Father!”
The fourth, fifth, and seventh sons of the Tang Clan departed from the Count of Jinhai’s Estate. An hour later, the three of them, leading two hundred and fifty warriors disguised as the Hardship Bandits, set off stealthily towards the Jin Clan's fief.
Even after giving the order to his sons, Tang Lun felt an itch he couldn't scratch. Several days had passed since he dispatched his troops to Wang'ai Island; the battle should have been over long ago. All that remained were days of pirates running wild in a mad frenzy.
Those pirates found pleasure in killing and tormenting people, so the Count of Xuanwu and his warriors must be in a wretched state. Even a man, if he was slightly handsome with fair skin, would have been defiled by the pirates. The thought alone was too gruesome to imagine. The Count of Xuanwu was a great noble, but in the eyes of pirates, status and nobility meant nothing; they wouldn't grant him any face. The bigger the name, the more viciously they would trample upon them. The Count of Xuanwu would be in a state where he could neither live nor die.
The more he thought about it, the more elated Tang Lun felt. He couldn't wait to see the Count of Xuanwu's miserable end. And when he thought of the ancient gold veins, he grew even more impatient. Though it was an irrational act, Tang Lun couldn't bear to wait any longer. He decided to take a ship, land on Wang'ai Island, and see for himself what an ancient gold vein looked like. His various sons desperately tried to stop him.
“Father, it is too dangerous. Please send us instead.”
“What's so dangerous? The sea is Qiu Tianwei's territory. We'll pass Jinshan Island on the way, which is Qiu Hu's territory, so they're all on our side, aren't they? On Wang'ai Island, our allied army of tens of thousands is stationed, so what could be dangerous? They've probably already taken the island by now. Qiu Tianwei is a very cunning old fox. I'm worried Tang Zhong might get a raw deal when they divide the gold veins. So, I must be there! This is for the sake of the Tang Clan!”
Ultimately, Tang Lun set out to sea on a large ship, flanked by two escorting warships. Not long after he set sail, as he was passing near Jinshan Island, he saw dozens of pirate ships sailing east.
*Aren't those Qiu Hu's pirate ships? What are they doing heading east? Isn't Qiu Hu supposed to be guarding Jinshan Island?*
But that was Qiu Tianwei's private business, so Tang Lun decided not to concern himself with it. Just then, however, Count Tang Lun spotted a familiar figure on one of the pirate ships. Gaunt and rigid, it looked like Prefect Zhang Chong.
*What on earth is going on! Why is Zhang Chong here? Isn't he supposed to be recuperating at home? That man is all ambition and no talent. After his defeat in the Jinshan Island conflict, he never got back on his feet. What kind of great official is he? Just an empty shell. The greatest contributor to the elimination of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate this time is I, Tang Lun. Do you have any idea how many powerful figures have visited my estate recently? In comparison, haven't the visitors to your house, Zhang Chong, long since dwindled? Your future ends here.*
***
Aboard the flagship in the middle of Qiu Hu's pirate fleet, the figure was indeed Zhang Chong. However, upon spotting Tang Lun's ship, he immediately went inside the cabin.
“Qiu Tianwei is finished,” Zhang Chong sighed.
Zhang Chunhua asked.
“How do you know, Father? You didn't even send anyone to Wang'ai Island.”
Her seated posture was as bewitching and alluring as a nine-tailed fox. Zhang Chong did not look directly at her.
“A lot of time has passed. If Qiu Tianwei had already taken Wang'ai Island, he would have sent for miners from Jinshan Island long ago to start excavating the ancient gold veins. Why is there still no news? Pirates are skilled at plundering, not mining gold.”
“Is that Tang Lun heading to Wang'ai Island because he can't wait to see the Count of Xuanwu's death? And to check on the ancient gold veins?”