You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 48 Hero
These days, under the guise of skinning and processing hides, Chen Shao has had Zhao He tie up a lot of prey.

The thief was very skilled at binding.

These people, having witnessed the scene just now, were already terrified out of their wits.

Zhen Qi was among them. He glanced at the reactions of Chen Shao and the other two after the killing and inwardly cried out in regret.

These three people are definitely not first-time murderers.

The fat man even deliberately avoided the dining table.

He was so calm that even while committing murder, he still had the mind to consider the wine and meat on the table.

After tying them up, Zhao He asked, "Master, what should we do with these guys?"

“Cut off Ma Hong’s dog head, hang it on a pole, and then drag them around the village. After that, hang it in the village market. We just arrived, so we can use their dog lives to establish our authority.”

Upon hearing this, Zhen Qi quickly cried out, "Commander! Commander, spare my life! I am willing to go through fire and water for you!"

He crawled on his knees to Chen Shao and was about to kowtow.

"You deserve it too!"

Chen Shao kicked him away and then looked at them with disdain.

These guys have been rotten for ages; as they say, the people in the village will never truly trust them.

No matter how capable they are, we cannot accept them, let alone those who have little ability.

Their greatest contribution was luring the local people from the nearby mountains out of the area.

Actually, Ma Hong is quite capable. If he were with someone else, they would probably keep him around.

However, Chen Shao knew the path he was on. He had no intention of going back; instead, he wanted to make his mark here. Ma Hong was someone he absolutely could not let stay.

He didn't take Ma Hong seriously either; at best, he was just the first elite monster he faced, not even a mini-boss.

Chen Shao has many ways to kill him.

Ultimately, they chose a tactic that was well-known among the Han Chinese people, yet impossible to guard against: the Feast at Hongmen.

This move is successful because it's clean and efficient.

Because of the previous abuse of the villagers by Ma Hong and his men, killing them would allow them to quickly win over the hearts of the people in the three villages.

Ma Hong and his gang have indeed committed far too many evil deeds.

When Zhao Shan and Zhao He were parading several people through the village, those who had initially been peeking through the cracks in the door came out after seeing Ma Hong's head.

They stood there silently, their eyes filled with hatred.

It's eerie and creepy to look at.

It's unclear who started it, but the crowd slowly drew closer, and some people were already secretly sticking their feet out.

Then, they simply swarmed forward. The men were quickly reduced to a gruesome sight, their flesh and blood mixed with mud. Under the setting sun, the angry crowd vented their burning hatred.

Some people, starving, even secretly cut off pieces of meat in preparation for a treat.

Chen Shao immediately gathered a hundred or so soldiers and displayed Ma Hong's head, indicating that this was the consequence of disobeying orders.

In the three villages, the restless people lit bonfires and vented their frustrations.

The next morning.

Han Shizhong arrived at the gate of the fortress. He was wearing a bulky military coat, with a helmet tucked into his belt, and a half-body soft-leaf iron armor without shoulder plates.

After arriving at the village, he first looked around and nodded.

The person who chose this location is quite skilled; this village is nestled against the mountains and beside the water, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Furthermore, they could set up more traps and station sentries in the mountains and forests behind them. The three villages were mutually supportive, which was a basic tactic used by the Song army in building fortified villages.

Just as he was about to go in, he suddenly looked up and saw several heads hanging on the gate of the village.

Han Shizhong was startled and drew his waist knife, looking for cover.

A voice shouted from the gate, "Who goes there?"

Hearing that it was a Song Dynasty voice, Han Shizhong was slightly relieved and said, "I am Han Shizhong, and I have come here on orders."

"So it's you. The commander has already given instructions. Please come in quickly."

When Han Shizhong entered the fortified village, he noticed something was amiss. The villagers (border civilians) were all dressed in rags, but their eyes were red and they looked quite energetic.

Being this poor, you might not even be able to save your life, so why are you laughing like an idiot?
Thinking of the heads at the door, he suddenly realized that the local commander had killed people to establish his authority.

And it worked very well, winning over many people.

Han Shizhong knew very well the character of those defeated soldiers and convicts. He immediately thought of the heads at the door, which must be the heads of the defeated soldiers from the front lines.

He sneered inwardly. A few bandit convicts had become tools for Chen Shao, the new commander, to win over the hearts of the people.

In my opinion, Chen Shao should be thanking you.

Han Shizhong followed a soldier to the leather-making workshop. The soldier pointed to the people scraping leather and said, "That's our commander."

Han Shizhong recognized Chen Shao at a glance.

Although he didn't remember Chen Shao's name last time, his memory was exceptional.

I can hardly forget the things I've seen.

"Han Shizhong greets the Commander."

Chen Shao waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities, please sit!"

In Chen Shao's mind, none of the famous generals at that time were as suitable for him as Han Shizhong.

He had been training in the Western Army for nearly twenty years and was a versatile talent who could fight small battles and command large battles.

Moreover, they can be used right away without any further training; they are already max-level generals.

Han Shizhong sat down in front of him.

"How could the commander remember Han Wu? He even spent money to buy me a Yu Hou."

"That was just a favor. I paid to transfer you here because Yang Keshi from the Shengjie Army is on good terms with me, so I specially gave him the position of Yuhou (a military officer), probably to help me win over your people."

"The commander was quite frank."

Chen Shao put down the leather in his hand, straightened his back, and laughed, "Han Wu, I'm not trying to discourage you. Although you have some strength and aren't afraid to die in battle, dream on rising through the ranks under the Western Army and having a unit to lead!"

"Gentlemen of the Northwest, each of you has your own sons and retainers. It's your turn now. You're already in your thirties. Do you intend to spend your whole life as a common soldier in the army?"

"Think about it carefully, is there a way out for you in the Song Dynasty now?"

Han Shizhong lowered his head in silence, wondering why this damned commander would say such things to stab him in the heart.

"I have no family background, and so many sons of Western Army soldiers are eyeing positions in the army. How much blood must I shed to compete with them?" Han Shizhong smiled bitterly. "What way out is there?"

"Yes, Han Wu, there is a way out, listen to me!" Chen Shao laughed, "Now, the Hengshan front is our opportunity! Only in turbulent times can true heroes emerge. In the Battle of Hengshan, it seemed we were about to lose because of Commander Tong Xuan's eagerness for quick success. All the forces in the Northwest were shifting blame and shirking responsibility. As for Western Xia, they are far from being that powerful; their victory was purely by chance."

"We can gather our defeated troops here and make something of ourselves! To be honest, I can tell at a glance that you, Han Wu, are someone special. You should have led your own battalion long ago! Now you can show us your ambition and ability!"

Han Shizhong sighed and said, "What the commander said is not wrong, but to gather troops, you need some money, food and supplies. Otherwise, even if you gather 10,000 troops, you can't support them, and they will still leave."

"You don't need to worry about money and supplies, I have plenty of wealth!"

(End of this chapter)