Ming Dynasty: Abandoned baby at the beginning, Zhu let me be the emperor

"I'm here now, what do you want from me?"

Zhu Ming simply returned the greeting and asked again.

I came to see him, not to listen to these polite words.

"Your Highness is generous."

Seeing that Zhu Ming wanted to get straight to the point, Wang Weiheng laughed a few more times and looked back at the hundreds of men he had brought with him.

"There is a severe drought in Hedong, and the harvest has failed. The brothers haven't had a decent meal for several days."

As he spoke, a shy expression appeared on the face of the middle-aged man.

"I heard that Your Highness has a kind heart, so I came to borrow food."

After hearing Wang Weiheng's words, before Zhu Ming could say anything, Wang Juren behind him had already started shouting in dissatisfaction.

"You thieves, you rob the people all the time, causing them to suffer, and now you want me to lend you food?"

He pointed his finger at Wang Weiheng's face and cursed him mercilessly.

"The food in my city is to be left for the people. Even if there is excess, I will not give you even a single cent."

Wang Juren was cursing here, and the captain on the other side was also glaring at Wang Weiheng.

Looking at the attitudes of the two, Wang Weiheng could only sigh helplessly.

"Lord Wang, please be patient."

Zhu Ming just turned back calmly and asked Wang Juren to calm down, but did not refute his words.

Although there is enough food in the county now, forget about lending food to these thieves.

"I knew it wasn't that simple."

Looking at the attitudes of Zhu Ming and the others, Wang Weiheng shook his head in disappointment.

"If you, Boss Wang, are only here to borrow grain, then please go back. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to fight you."

Zhu Ming's tone was gentler than Wang Juren's, but his attitude was still tough.

If you want food, go and grab it yourself.

After listening to this, Wang Weiheng looked up at the officers and soldiers on the city wall who were lined up in an orderly manner and ready to go, and smiled bitterly.

"Although we brothers became bandits, we did not rob the common people at will. We just wanted to protect ourselves among the bandits."

They are also different from ordinary robbers. They do not gather together just to rob the people.

"Before they became bandits, they were all farmers. They were really forced to do so."

His expression softened and he looked at Zhu Ming.

If we can't borrow food here, it will be almost impossible to keep these hundreds of people alive.

"We usually just collect money from merchants and escort them. We are called bandits, but we actually do the work of escorts."

If they really couldn't hold on any longer, they would definitely not dare to bring so many people here.

If you encounter someone who is unreasonable and a fight breaks out, both sides will suffer heavy casualties.

Listening to Wang Weiheng's explanation, Zhu Ming nodded, but the expression on his face did not change.

"I once spread the word that if you want to make a living in the city, I can let bygones be bygones. Why didn't you come then?"

He had also considered that some of these thieves were forced to become bandits and still had a trace of conscience in their hearts.

That's why I sent someone to pass the message out.

If these people were really farmers and did not want to be mountain kings, they should have come and joined us at that time.

It is hard to believe that it has been a month and they are only coming to borrow food now.

"Excuse me for being frank."

Hearing Zhu Ming's questioning, Wang Weiheng also looked embarrassed and looked at Zhu Ming nervously.

"We have a large number of people in Qingfeng Village, hundreds of them, but we are worried that Your Highness will be afraid and kill them all..."

The more Wang Weiheng spoke, the quieter his voice became.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to come here for refuge, but he has his own concerns.

They were afraid that Zhu Ming's words were intended to lure them forward and then capture them all in one fell swoop.

After all, Zhu Ming chopped Juan and his men in public, and his reputation for being cruel and ruthless has spread.

"Humph, I think this is just an excuse for you, leave immediately."

Qianhu snorted coldly. He didn't believe anything Wang Weiheng said.

There is no need for any reason to deal with these thieves.

Zhu Ming ignored the captain's words. He just pondered for a while before looking up at Wang Weiheng.

"Now, I'll give you one more chance."

He looked at the people behind Wang Weiheng again and said in a deep voice: "If you want to go back to the county and become an ordinary citizen, I will not pursue it at all. You can make your own choice."

After he finished speaking, Qianhu and Wang Juren looked at Zhu Ming in disbelief.

They didn't understand why Zhu Ming still gave this group of thieves a chance.

"Your Highness..."

Wang Juren was about to speak when Zhu Ming raised his hand to signal him not to say anything.

"If you want to borrow food, no. But if you want to surrender, yes."

Zhu Ming finished speaking and looked directly into Wang Weiheng's eyes: "You only have this one chance."

Being able to train a group of rabble to this level, Wang Weiheng is quite capable. He must have read military books and is considered a talent.

More importantly, there is still a shortage of labor in the city.

Once the private schools are established, people will be needed to fill the positions vacated by students going there to study.

These people are ready-made labor force.

"This……"

Wang Weiheng looked at Zhu Ming in embarrassment and hesitated.

They had thought about this matter before, but there was no unified answer.

Zhu Ming didn't wait for him to come up with any result, but turned his horse around and headed towards the city.

Wang Juren and Qianhu had no choice but to follow Zhu Ming and go back together.

"Here, Your Highness, please give us some time."

Wang Weiheng looked at Zhu Ming's back and shouted again.

It will not be easy to get these hundreds of people to give a unified answer overnight.

"It's up to you. We can do it if you want to fight or make peace."

Zhu Ming didn't even turn his head, but raised his hand and waved, as a response to Wang Weiheng.

Unable to borrow food, Wang Weiheng could only lower his head and return to his men.

"Brother, how's it going?"

Seeing Wang Weiheng looking so depressed, the younger brothers around him immediately came over and asked with concern.

"They still won't lend us food?"

Wang Weiheng did not answer out loud, but from his expression, these younger brothers could guess what had just happened.

Wang Weiheng was silent for a long time, then he sighed and told Zhu Ming all the conditions he had just offered.

After hearing Wang Weiheng's words, the people who were originally noisy immediately quieted down.

When Zhu Ming brought Wang Juren and Qianhu back to the city wall, Wang Weiheng had already retreated with his several hundred men.

Wang Juren still looked at Zhu Ming in confusion, frowned and said, "Your Highness, this group of thieves did not come to surrender before, and even if they come now, they may not be trusted."

Wang Juren’s view is very simple. If these people really want to change, they would have come here long ago. Why wait until today?