amaotonovel Chapter 1223 How about a bet?
Chapter 1223 How about a bet?
Chapter 1223 How about a bet?
Bai Jiaxuan was in a dilemma for a moment. In his mind, his brother-in-law was a god. Whatever his brother-in-law said must be right. But as his son said, if the interests of the clan members conflicted with the interests of the Bai family, should he sacrifice the Bai family or the clan members?
Mr. Zhu smiled when he heard this: "Since you are the clan leader, the fate of the Bai family will be tied to the fate of the clan members. If one day the interests of the Bai family conflict with the interests of the clan members, it means that you are not a good clan leader and have pushed the Bai family to the opposite side of the clan members."
"For thousands of years, whether it was prosperous or chaotic, and countless changes of kingship, our ancestors still lived on this land. Do you know why?"
Bai Jiaxuan shook his head in confusion.
Mr. Zhu said seriously, "Because of the clan, as long as the inheritance of a clan is not broken, even in the most cruel and chaotic times, the clan members support each other and depend on each other. In a few years, it will branch out and gather again."
Qin Hao had to admit that Mr. Zhu was right. From Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the Chinese nation has experienced countless dynasties and suffered countless catastrophes, but in the end they were able to rise again. This was not due to the so-called Han and Tang style, but to these inconspicuous clan forces at the bottom.
Although clan power has many disadvantages, it is undeniable that in an era of low productivity, clans are the only force that the lower-class people can rely on.
"Brother-in-law, I understand. As long as I can stand with the tribe members, I can be a good tribe leader, right?" Bai Jiaxuan felt that his whole body was clear and his eyes were shining.
Mr. Zhu gently raised his whip and said, "That's right, Jiaxuan, remember, never stand against your clan members."
Qin Hao moved his lips, but found that he could not find any argument to refute. Although his uncle's words were limited in their intention, they were similar to what the teacher said.
Looking at the undulating mountains in the distance, Mr. Zhu became very interested and started to sing.
"I step through thousands of white clouds and look up to the sky, the water in the pond is melting.
The majestic atmosphere sweeps away the mountains, and this peak is the pillar of the world."
……
The rising sun dyed the dirt road on the plateau reddish brown, and an old, roofless horse-drawn carriage was slowly driving on the dirt road of Bailuyuan.
Suddenly, smoke and dust rose up in front of them, and a group of armed soldiers marched in formation. The leader, Governor Zhang, dismounted and bowed solemnly: "Chen Xi, with his eloquence, persuaded 100,000 Qing soldiers to retreat, thus avoiding this disaster. Zhang would like to thank you on behalf of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Xi'an."
Mr. Zhu jumped off the carriage and helped the man up: "Feng Hui, there is no need to do this. It is my duty to do this for both personal and public reasons. Besides, Mr. Fang withdrew his troops because he still had a conscience, not because of me."
Governor Zhang said repeatedly: "That being said, if Chen Xi hadn't taken such action, once the fight started, there would have been a river of blood. Chen Xi deserves this tribute."
"Come on, hurry up and prepare a banquet. I want to be drunk with Chen Xi today."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhu waved his hand and said, "Feng Hui, there is no need to do this. The three of us just came back from the brink of death. We are exhausted both physically and mentally. We really cannot attend the banquet. Let's go home and rest first."
Governor Zhang sighed softly, "Chen Xi is still so indifferent to fame and fortune. Well, a gentleman should not force others to do things against their will. I will invite Chen Xi to my house another day. Let's have a few drinks alone. How about that?"
"Thank you Fenghui for your understanding."
Afterwards, Governor Zhang signaled his personal guards to make way, and Mr. Zhu got back into the carriage carrying the three of them and slowly disappeared among the mountains.
……
When they were near Bailu Village, Mr. Zhu jumped off the carriage at a fork in the road, saying that this way was closer to home. Qin Hao and Bai Jiaxuan both knew that he was afraid of trouble and wanted more peace and quiet, so they had no choice but to let him go.
The two men drove the carriage and continued on their journey. Soon, they arrived at the archway at the entrance of the village.
Several old men were smoking pipes. When they saw Qin Hao and Bai Jiaxuan coming back, someone immediately shouted, "Jiaxuan is back!"
This shout was like pouring a bucket of water into a frying pan, and the originally quiet village instantly became boiling. The men picked up hoes and shoulder poles, and the women held their children, and rushed out of the houses, surrounding Bai Jiaxuan and Qin Hao.
"Jiaxuan! Where's your braid?" Shitou was the first to rush over. He grabbed Bai Jiaxuan's arm with his rough hands, his eyes wide open. "I heard that those without braids were regarded as revolutionaries when the Qing soldiers passed by. Give me my braid back."
"Yes! Jiaxuan, please return your braids to us quickly. Otherwise, you will lose your head." Several young men also started shouting, with fear on their faces.
Bai Jiaxuan took a deep breath and was about to explain when Lu Zilin slowly walked out from behind the crowd, holding a pipe in his hand and a half-smile on his face: "Jiaxuan, which is more important, making money or the lives of the villagers? You have to think it through."
When the villagers heard this, they became excited.
"Jiaxuan, you can't hurt us."
"Jiaxuan, we are at least an expression of gratitude, please return the braids to us. At worst we can buy them back with money."
"That's right! If the Qing soldiers attack us, our whole village will suffer!"
Qin Hao frowned, channeled his Qi into his Dantian, and shouted, "Don't panic, everyone. The Qing troops have retreated, Xi'an City has been saved, and there's no need to keep your braids anymore!"
"Retreat?" Shitou was stunned, then looked at Bai Jiaxuan, "Jiaxuan, don't fool us, they have an army of 100,000, how can they just retreat?"
"That's right! Jiaxuan, is this child frightened and confused?" someone echoed.
Seeing this, Lu Zilin's smile deepened. He deliberately raised his voice and said, "Jiaxuan, your lie is too outrageous, isn't it? Can you persuade 100,000 tiger and wolf soldiers to retreat? Are you gods who can make the Qing army withdraw with just a breath?"
After hearing this, the villagers echoed: "That's right, there are 100,000 fierce soldiers who have surrounded Xi'an City tightly. How can they retreat just like that?"
Bai Jiaxuan knew that the villagers would not believe him if he just said it. He calmed down and said, "It was not me, but my brother-in-law Mr. Zhu who persuaded the Qing soldiers to retreat."
"Mr. Zhu?" The villagers looked at each other.
"Mr. Zhu is a learned man, but...that's an army of 100,000!" Some people were skeptical.
Lu Zilin sneered, "Bai Jiaxuan, your words are getting more and more absurd! No matter how powerful Mr. Zhu is, he is just a scholar. Will the Qing soldiers listen to him? You think he is Zhuge Liang, but we are in Bailuyuan, not Chibi. Can he borrow the east wind?"
Although the villagers had not received much education, they had heard the play about Zhuge Liang using the east wind to burn down the Red Cliff many times, and they all nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Lu Zilin was even more proud: "Jiaxuan, you dare not joke with everyone's life and property. The Qing army camp is a hundred miles away from us. If things go wrong, the Qing soldiers will come tomorrow. You should return the braids to the villagers. After we go back, we can sew them up with needles and thread and we should be able to get away with it."
"Yeah, Jiaxuan, you guys can't go against your conscience and use everyone's lives to make money."
"If you, the Bai family, don't let us live, I won't let you live well either. The worst that can happen is that we will die together!"
Bai Jiaxuan looked at the aggressive villagers and suddenly became shaken by his brother-in-law's words.
At this moment, Qin Hao snorted coldly: "Zilinda, have you been to Xi'an City today?"
Lu Zilin was stunned by the question: "No, Xi'an City is surrounded by Qing soldiers. I would be courting death if I went there."
"Since you didn't go, how do you know that what we said was false?"
Facing Qin Hao's question, Lu Zilin said as a matter of course: "Why do you need to ask? With just the three of you, a teacher, a farmer, and a half-grown child, why would the Qing soldiers listen to you?"
"Everyone, tell me if I'm right."
Upon hearing this, the villagers all stood on Lu Zilin's side.
"It's right."
"You're just bragging. Two people with a child can persuade 100,000 Qing soldiers to retreat. I won't believe it even if you kill me!"
Before Bai Jiaxuan could explain, Qin Hao stopped him and walked up to Lu Zilin and said, "Zilin, how about we make a bet? If we fail to persuade the Qing soldiers to retreat, not only will we return everyone's braids, but we won't have to pay back the money we earned from selling the braids. If we do persuade the Qing soldiers to retreat, how about the Lu family compensate my family with two acres of land?"
Lu Zilin was about to object: "Why should I give you the land..."
Before he could finish his words, the surrounding villagers lifted him up.
"Zilinda is betting with him. Why not bet on a game that is sure to win?"
"That's right, Zilin, whether our braids can be restored or not depends entirely on you."
Bai Jiaxuan looked at his son in surprise. He hated Lu Zilin for inciting the villagers but he could do nothing about it. After all, he had no evidence. He didn't expect that his son's words not only resolved the crisis, but also extorted two acres of land from the Lu family. It was simply a miraculous skill.
Lu Zilin was held down by the villagers and couldn't get down. He couldn't help cursing in his heart: If I lose the bet, I will compensate you with the land, and all the benefits will be yours. He tried to refuse several times, but was interrupted by the villagers.
There was really no other way, Lu Zilin could only grit his teeth and say: "In addition to this, if you fail to persuade the Qing soldiers to retreat, your Bai family will have to give two acres of paddy fields to our Lu family. Do you dare to bet?"
"Okay, I'll bet with you!"
Before Qin Hao could even speak, Bai Jiaxuan couldn't wait to agree. If he didn't make a bet that was sure to win, he would be a fool. Besides, Lu Zilin had incited the villagers to such an extent that the old man had been bedridden these past two days. The two acres of land was a small punishment and a warning to the old man.
Seeing Bai Jiaxuan so straightforward, Lu Zilin felt a little guilty, but now that things had come to this, the whole village, young and old, had witnessed it, and it was too late to regret.
"Shitou, go to Xi'an and see if the Qing troops have retreated."
Shitou didn't want to go at first, but the whole village, young and old, pushed him out of the village entrance. As soon as he walked out of everyone's sight, he immediately found a shady place to hide.
"Bah, there are so many Qing soldiers surrounding Xi'an City right now, there's no way they want me to go and die."
"Besides, it's a hundred miles to Xi'an. My shoes will be worn out after running all the way. I'm not that stupid. I'll just stay here for one night and go back tomorrow morning to tell them that the Qing troops haven't retreated."
Just as Shitou was crossing his legs and dozing off with his eyes closed, he was suddenly woken up by someone.
At first Shitou thought he had been discovered by the villagers, but when he opened his eyes, he saw a well-dressed officer squatting down and calling him.
"Fellow villager, is this the road to Bailu Village? How far is it?"
Shitou was startled and thought that it was the Qing soldiers coming, but when he looked carefully, he found that the other side did not seem to have braids either.
"That's Bailu Village. What are you doing in Bailu Village, General?"
The officer smiled and said, "A great saint has emerged from your Bailu Village. We are here to present him with a plaque on the orders of Governor Zhang."
"Great Sage?"
"Saint Zhu, you persuaded 100,000 Qing soldiers to retreat with your eloquence and lifted the siege of Xi'an. Do you think you are a saint?"
Shitou was stunned: "Could it be that what that boy said is true?"
Seeing that he was dazed and stupid, the officer ignored him and led his team to continue heading towards Bailu Village.
……
After making the bet, the villagers let Qin Hao and Bai Jiaxuan leave, while Lu Zilin happily sat at the entrance of the village and boasted to the villagers.
"Bai Jiaxuan thinks we are fools. Can they persuade 100,000 Qing soldiers to retreat?"
The villagers echoed and praised Lu Zilin for his business skills and for getting two acres of paddy fields for free.
Just when Lu Zilin was feeling proud, there was a sudden sound of hurried horse hooves at the entrance of the village. Everyone looked back and saw a group of soldiers in uniform riding horses. The leading officer held up a red lacquer plaque and shouted loudly: "Governor Zhang has ordered! Mr. Zhu persuaded 100,000 Qing soldiers to retreat and saved Xi'an City. I specially grant you the plaque of 'Benefiting the Hometown' to honor your merits!"
This shout was like a bolt from the blue, silencing the entire Bailu Village.
The villagers opened their eyes wide, staring at the gold-painted plaque, on which the four large characters "泽貝桑乡" (Benefits the Hometown) sparkled brightly in the setting sun.
"Oh my God! Is it really Mr. Zhu who persuaded the Qing soldiers to retreat?!"
"Saint Zhu! Saint Zhu!" Several old men also knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.
Lu Zilin was completely stunned, his mind went blank. In his opinion, the words written on the plaque did not mean "Benefiting the Hometown" at all, but simply "Lu Zilin, stupid ass".
The villagers changed their aggressive attitude towards the Bai family yesterday and surrounded the soldiers and came to the door of the Bai family.
At this moment, Bai Bingde's condition improved after seeing that Qin Hao was safe and sound and the Qing troops had retreated. When he heard the noise outside, he miraculously was able to get out of bed.
Bai Jiaxuan and Qin Hao supported him on both sides as they walked to the door.
Qin Hao saw that the officer at the door was the adjutant he met at Mr. Zhu's house that day, and he thought that this must be the arrangement of Governor Zhang.
"Hao'er, go to your uncle's house and invite him over."
Qin Hao did not move, but said to his adjutant: "My uncle does not like these red tapes, how about hanging this plaque in the ancestral hall?"
The adjutant was not surprised, as Governor Zhang had said something similar when he came. As long as someone could take over the plaque, his mission would be accomplished.
"Since you are Mr. Zhu's disciple, then I will do as you say."
After the adjutant led his men away, the villagers shouted, "Quick! Go to the ancestral hall and worship this plaque!"
The crowd cheered and rushed towards the ancestral hall, carrying the plaque, leaving Lu Zilin standing there with a livid face.
"Bai Jiaxuan, you... your Bai family is really good at this!"