Zhang Zhichong spoke with righteous grandeur and an air of upright justice, looking every inch the heroic champion who punished the strong and aided the weak, serving his country and its people. Coupled with the benevolent reputation Howling Wind Hall had deliberately cultivated for years, his words were indeed highly convincing.
Quite a few spies watching the situation unfold in secret, along with some bolder common folk, secretly nodded at this. They felt that Zhang Zhichong was probably telling the truth, that General Yangwu had been deceived by others.
The common people really were like grass on a wall, soft-eared and easily swayed. Whichever way the wind blew, that was where they leaned.
What they saw was often only what others deliberately allowed them to see. They were the ones being kept in the dark.
The Zhang father and son were both deeply calculating men. Though they had committed no shortage of immoral, filthy deeds, they paid exceptional attention to cultivating their image and reputation. Every so often, they would emerge to perform some act of charity or put on a show, and thus became good men praised by all.
Meng Zhao gave a cold laugh. Naturally, he would not be left speechless by a few mere words. He said coldly,
"Zhang Zhichong, stop dressing up your lies to deceive the people, and do not dream of deceiving this general.
"Of the three hundred and ninety-seven men your Howling Wind Hall sent into the Yangwu Grand Barracks, three hundred and twelve can testify to the eight major crimes and twelve lesser crimes I have named. Many of them even experienced those crimes firsthand.
"Some who remained stubbornly unrepentant have already been seized by this general and will be tried alongside you.
"Furthermore, Prince Yanping and I have already found the