activa-t Chapter 67: Courtesy first, then attack
Chapter 67: Courtesy first, then attack
On the fifth day of the ninth month of the fourth year of Yongxi, at the hour of You (5-7 PM).
The tranquility of Whitebird Town was broken by the sound of horses' hooves.
Pedestrians on the street stared at the group in astonishment, initially thinking they were a new force, but when they saw the family crests on their bodies, everyone's expression turned strange.
Isn't this the Cao family's house? They've looked so different after just a few days.
As the autumn rain continued to fall, people in the taverns on the street saw the Cao family's procession and found some snacks to enjoy while drinking.
"The Cao family's fate has been quite full of twists and turns."
"Who says otherwise? If it weren't for the emergence of a Primordial Ancestor, the Cao family would have already perished."
As they were talking, someone chimed in, "As a result, this ancestor went into the Flying Dragon Mountain Demon Cave and was gone in an instant. It seemed that the Blade Demon Xiang Zaishan was about to slaughter the century-old family, but who knew that Heavenly Blade Chuan Ying would appear. No wonder they became a prominent family. They were able to survive. That's called ancestral blessing."
"Hehe, although the Cao family has escaped annihilation, I think it's finished. At most, they'll be considered a wealthy family, but they'll never be able to go back to their former glory."
"The Cao family is now like stray dogs, yet they dare to come to Whitebird Town and oppose the Sand Boat Gang and the Huang family? I don't believe it."
……
Amidst whispers, Cao's men rushed into the heart of the street like a whirlwind.
Song Shen dismounted and entered the inn.
There were only a dozen or so people in this group. In addition to Song Shen's subordinates Liu Shuisheng and Zhang Baolu, there were other skilled private servants from the Cao family.
As soon as Cao Shengzhi dismounted, he put his hand on his sword and looked toward the direction of the medicinal herb field, his expression filled with worry.
He was Cao Shenghai's cousin and also the Cao family expert Cao Shenghai sent to help Song Shen. His strength was at the initial stage of marrow cleansing, which was quite good.
However, he looked gloomy from the very beginning.
To be fair, after losing their patriarch, the Cao family was no longer on the same level as the Huang family. The Huang family was thriving and had many experts.
Huang Kaiyu, the head of the Huang family, is nicknamed "Mountain-Opening Sword." He is extremely powerful and has a great reputation in the city. He is both intelligent and brave, and has led the Huang family to rapid development in recent years.
In contrast, the Cao family's patriarch, Cao Shenghai, is a figurehead who holds a position without doing any work. In the past, he thought he could rely on the patriarch's remaining prestige and the maternal family of the first wife in the prefecture city to support him, but now he has lost everything.
Faced with this dilapidated situation, Cao Shengzhi felt that the Cao family was already fortunate to be able to maintain the status quo and survive, thanks to the protection of their ancestors. It was simply unrealistic to come and take back the medicinal fields now.
"What does Captain Song think we should do?"
Cao Shengzhi glanced at the young man beside him. Cao Shenghai had asked him to assist him when they arrived, and Cao Shengzhi felt quite resentful.
As an elder of the Cao family, he felt somewhat embarrassed to have to listen to a mere kid.
Song Shen calmly said, "No rush, let's stay for one night and think of a solution first."
Cao Shengzhi looked displeased, feeling that the boy was being pretentious. He couldn't imagine what Song Shen could do in this situation, and he couldn't understand why the boy had made such a boast in front of Cao Shenghai.
Especially when they think that this kid's monthly allowance is several times that of a core member of their own clan, they can't help but feel resentful.
"Then I'll leave it to Captain Song."
Cao Shengzhi snorted, feeling rebuffed.
Upon entering the room, Song Shen rested briefly. A short while later, Liu Shuisheng and Zhang Baolu returned and said as soon as they entered, "Reporting to you, sir, we were ordered to go and find the old acquaintances at the medicine field who could be contacted, and we also did some investigation outside."
Song Shen poured tea for the two of them and asked, "What do you mean?"
"My lord, the Sand Ship Gang and the Huang family have each occupied a portion of our family's medicinal fields, roughly a 40/60 split. The two sides have set up barriers to separate them, but the basic layout of the medicinal fields remains unchanged."
"Okay, continue."
"Our men arrived this morning, and the Sand Ship Gang and the Huang family have already deployed heavy troops to guard the area. The defenses are very tight, and they even have archers."
There was a hint of worry in their words.
The two, who had always believed that Song Shen was omnipotent, now felt that the difficulties standing in their way were too great.
Given the current situation at the Cao residence, we can't expect Song Shen to lead these few dozen men in a direct frontal attack, can we?
Song Shen slowly tapped the table and said, "It is indeed a little difficult to handle."
As an official of the imperial court, it would be quite inappropriate for me to wear my official robes if I were to directly draw my sword and start hacking people in the street.
"Neither of you have any ideas?"
Liu Shuisheng and Zhang Baolu were both dumbfounded. "Sir, we're just lowly henchmen. What can we possibly do about something this difficult..."
Song Shen shook his head and said, "It's not necessarily that difficult or complicated. For example... if your neighbor occupies your land, how would you get it back?"
Liu Shuisheng and Zhang Baolu exchanged a glance. Liu Shuisheng was the most direct and said, "Of course we'll go to his house and beat him to death."
"..."
Zhang Baolu cursed, "You blockhead! Our ancestors always said to be courteous before resorting to force. We must reason with him first, and if reasoning fails, then it's not too late to kill him!"
Liu Shuisheng scratched his head and said, "Boss, you know my temper. They took my land, what's the point of reasoning with them? Just kill them. Isn't that what we practiced martial arts for—to deal with these unreasonable, filthy beasts?"
After listening, Song Shen made a decision: "What you both said makes sense. However, we are officially government officials, and I am also a captain, a proper official of the court. We must maintain a certain level of decorum and not lose face too much. How about this, let's invite them to dinner and drinks first, and talk it over. If we can't reach an agreement..."
Liu Shuisheng then asked, "Sir, what if we can't reach an agreement?"
Song Shen's eyes flashed with a chilling aura.
"Then kill them!"
Zhang Baolu slammed his hand on the table and said, "What you say makes sense, sir. We are a wealthy family, and we have already shown them respect by being courteous before resorting to force."
Song Shen nodded and said, "Get me paper and a pen!"
The two men exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Sir, we're just roughnecks; all we know how to do is carry a knife. We don't have paper or pen!"
Song Shen smiled wryly, "Can't you just go buy it on the street? I can't teach you everything!"
The two of them ran out to buy supplies. Song Shenzheng stood by the window, gazing at the distant medicinal fields, planning their next move, when Cao Shengzhi entered.
"Captain Song, what was the intelligence your two men gathered earlier? You've been plotting inside for so long, shouldn't you tell me? Have you made up your mind?"
Cao Shengzhi was quite displeased, feeling disrespected.
Song Shen said calmly, "I've got it."
Cao Shengzhi asked, "I would like to hear the details."
"It's simple." Song Shen returned to his seat at the table. "First, treat them to a meal at the Immortal Restaurant and have a proper talk about how to let them leave with dignity."
Cao Shengzhi said, "So that's negotiation? What are your conditions? How much benefit are you prepared to give up? Shouldn't these things be discussed properly? Since the patriarch sent me here, I have the right to know."
Song Shen asked in astonishment, "What concessions? Did I say anything about concessions?"
Cao Shengzhi was even more confused. "Then what are you negotiating for? What are you going to say?"
Song Shen said matter-of-factly, "Of course we should make them look presentable. They should pack their things and get out of the Cao family's territory as soon as possible. The land deeds and things in this medicinal field all belong to the Cao family. This is an encroachment. It is already a mercy not to hold them accountable. What more benefits are there to give them?"
Cao Shengzhi stared wide-eyed, speechless for a long time.
"You...you call this a notification? What kind of negotiation is this?!"
Song Shen said calmly, "This is called 'courtesy before force.' We're not street thugs, so it would be undignified to start fighting directly."
Cao Shengzhi was utterly speechless. What was this kid pretending to be? Did he not understand the current strength of the Cao family? They were now at a level that everyone wanted to control.
If they stumble again, no one in Xinyu City will respect the Cao family anymore.
"You've only been in this business for a few years! Do you even understand the rules of the game? Think things through before you act. What can you possibly accomplish like this?"
"Then you can come up with a set of rules."
Song Shen rolled his eyes. This old man rejected his proposal right away and was a master at finding fault, but he didn't offer a single constructive suggestion from beginning to end.
"I... this matter is of utmost importance and requires careful consideration..." Cao Shenghai choked for a moment, coughed, and began to organize his thoughts again.
"So there's no other way, right? Then what's with this 'take it in the long run' nonsense? The autumn herbs will be harvested in a couple of days, and you're still talking about taking it in the long run?"
"you……"
Cao Shengzhi stared wide-eyed, wanting to flaunt his seniority, but afraid the young man wouldn't give him face, so he could only stammer and hesitate.
At this moment, Liu Shuisheng and Zhang Baolu walked in with Xuan paper and a brush. "Boss, here's the paper and brush."
Song Shenyi nodded and wrote the invitation on the paper.
The agreement was very simple: a banquet would be held at the Xian Shi Guan restaurant the next day, inviting the leading figures from both sides. To show sincerity, Song Shen would go upstairs alone for the meeting.
Cao Shengzhi stepped forward and glanced at Song Shen's invitation. He immediately covered his forehead and sighed, feeling his blood pressure rising.
"You...you're playing games!"
Song Shen waved his hand and said, "Take it to the Huangjiahe sand barge guild."
The two agreed and left.
Cao Shengzhi was left in the house, staring at Song Shen for a long time. He could only smile bitterly, sigh, and turn away.
"Alas! This boy is not worth discussing anything with!"