The Core Team

"Young Master, this man's name is Wu Tiehu. He's one of the tenants on the estate, but he's lazy and loves to cause trouble, always messing around with swords and sticks instead of tending to his fields. He's still unmarried and lives alone. He did join the Village Militia once, and his training scores were always first. But he was arrogant and unruly, got drunk, and seriously injured someone. He was thrown in jail, and somehow he's out now..."

A servant next to Wu Ming whispered into his ear.

At this moment, the Village Militia saw Wu Tiehu and flinched, but a few rushed forward with surprise, calling him "Big Brother."

He's got some ferocity. Judging by his physique, he must have been a prison boss.

Wu Ming's heart stirred.

In peacetime, a man like this would only have one path: the gallows. But now was different!

Moreover, although the Village Militia were well-trained, they hadn't experienced real combat. In critical moments, they lacked the courage to break through anything and defy the law.

In other words, they could defend their homes, but they lacked the courage to fight outsiders. If they were to raise a rebellion against the court, they would scatter immediately.

Wu Tiehu's arrival was a great boon.

He felt a stirring in his heart but showed nothing on his face.

"How is it? Young Master Ming? Am I qualified?"

Wu Tiehu approached, his fierce aura even more imposing. He cupped his hands casually and smiled.

"Since there are no restrictions, of course, you can!"

Wu Ming smiled. "However, you're a moment late. Do you know your offense? According to our family rules, being late when called means the first offender gets ten lashes, as a warning!"

"Huh?"

Wu Tiehu's eyes widened, truly like a tiger. A nearby servant turned pale with fright and fell to the ground, but Wu Ming's expression remained unchanged.

If he still refused to comply, he wouldn't be under his command. What use was a troublemaker who wouldn't listen? And with his habits, it would be best to get rid of him early.

Although this man had strong muscles and bones, he had only learned some superficial martial arts. At most, he was comparable to the spoiled young masters who had just transmigrated. He was a cultivator in the fourth level of the Body Refinement Realm, Internal Strengthening. Wu Ming could handle him with one hand, without Feng Han needing to act.

"Alright, I broke the rules and deserve the punishment!"

Wu Tiehu stared at Wu Ming, then let out a loud laugh and suddenly knelt on one knee. "Bring it on!"

"Go!"

Wu Ming nodded. Someone nearby stepped forward with a leather whip.

Crack!

The whip fell, and Wu Tiehu grunted, a red mark appearing on his back.

The whip was made of tanned cowhide and soaked in saltwater. While it prevented infection, it was quite painful when it landed.

Crack, crack!

In the cold wind, ten lashes passed in the blink of an eye. The servant reported, "Reporting to Young Master, the punishment is complete!"

Wu Tiehu was truly a man. He stood up without a word, stretched his muscles, and glanced at the servant who had administered the punishment with disdain. "Heh heh... Yan San, you didn't put any effort into that. Did you spend all your strength on the women last night?"

"That's enough!"

Wu Ming frowned, and Wu Tiehu immediately fell silent.

"Since you've taken your punishment and haven't been removed from the Village Militia roster, you can go down and compete!"

"Thank you, Young Master!"

Wu Tiehu shouted, charging into the fighting circle with high spirits, like a fierce tiger descending a mountain. "Who will fight me?"

"Congratulations, Young Master, you've gained a talent!"

After Wu Tiehu finished his matches and displayed his martial arts, Feng Han nodded slightly and congratulated Wu Ming.

"He's not a talent, just brave and fierce!"

Wu Ming's expression remained unchanged. "For now, I'll use him. I won't be stingy with rewards. If he still doesn't obey my laws in the end, I'll have to kill him!"

Having experienced two reincarnation missions, Wu Ming's mindset had changed. While he wouldn't say he treated human lives as grass, he was on the path to greatness. Feng Han, hearing him so casually decide the fate of a man's life, felt a great sense of dread.

"Roar, roar..."

At this moment, Wu Tiehu had just defeated his last opponent and let out a triumphant roar...

"Master Feng Han, you've worked hard. Have some ginger tea!"

After the morning's martial arts competition, Wu Ming and Feng Han returned to the fort together. They shared breakfast, and the kitchen had already prepared steaming hot ginger tea. It was amber in color, bright red, and spicy. Drinking it warmed them up, and they began to sweat slightly.

"Good!"

Wu Ming also drank a bowl. "Tell the kitchen to give every Village Militia member who came today two bowls of this. Hmm... and five steamed buns, with a piece of meat!"

Seeing this, Feng Han recalled the scene just now:

During the Village Militia competition, Wu Tiehu took the lead, but he couldn't win over the hearts of the people. He was pushed out of the public vote. In the end, the Township Inspector position fell to Zhao Song, who was only appointed as a Laborer. However, the Young Master then rewarded him with ten taels of silver. This combination of carrot and stick, balancing power, truly shows a mastery of strategy. I wonder if it's innate or learned from somewhere...

"This Inspector's office, while seemingly overlapping in function with the Village Militia, is still a layer of officialdom and has its uses..."

Wu Ming picked up a piece of pastry and asked casually, "Last time, Master Feng, you inquired about the Zhou Family's news. You even got some information about trade routes. Where did you get it?"

"It was from old connections... I have some ties in both the underworld and the legitimate world..."

Feng Han was vague, but Wu Ming understood immediately.

When the world is in turmoil, bandits are rampant.

There are also those "heroes of the greenwood" who, having read too many novels and storybooks, like to establish mountain strongholds, claiming to prioritize righteousness and act on behalf of heaven.

Of course, most of them are minor nuisances, easily wiped out by the authorities. Some survive, but they are the ones with the foresight to become lackeys for high officials and powerful families.

Feng Han's previous wandering might have involved connections in this area.

Wu Ming waved his hand slightly, dismissing the unnecessary people, and revealed his plan: "My Township Inspector's office is already responsible for apprehending thieves, and we can train openly. We'll use this to hone our troops. You go spread the word and instigate a few bandit groups to attack the Zhou Family's trade routes. Then, I'll wipe them all out together. It'll be a small lesson for the Zhou Family!"

"This... this is..."

Feng Han was shocked: "Impossible... Among the three major bandit groups and eighteen strongholds, not one dares to make a move..."

"If they don't make a move, can't we force them to?"

Wu Ming sneered, "Moreover... even if they back down, we can still act directly. After the fact, we can just eliminate one of them, and it'll be settled, won't it?"

Feng Han was visibly moved.

This aura of blood and fire made him feel less like he was facing a young master from a noble family and more like he was encountering a battle-hardened general. He hesitated and said, "It's just... on the surface, it's justifiable, but in private, it's declaring war on the Zhou Family, a fight to the death!"

"A fight to the death?"

Wu Ming scoffed, "The moment the Zhou Family attacked me, the sole heir of the Wu Family and the current patriarch, wasn't it already a fight to the death between our families?"

"Now, at the end of the year, the Zhou Family's businesses will inevitably have to escort silver and gifts back to the county. If it's all intercepted and lost, even with the Zhou Family's vast fortune, their expenses are also huge. I wonder how long they can last..."

This hit the nail on the head.

Although the Zhou Family owned fifty qing of land, they had over a thousand clan members and two official positions to support. Their expenses were as immense as mountains and seas.

Conversely, the Wu Family, with only twenty qing of land, only needed to support Wu Qing and Wu Ming, with occasional aid to the clan. The difference was simply unfathomable.

Furthermore, it was frowned upon for the families of officials to engage in commerce. They could only operate smaller businesses under the guise of their born servants, adding another layer of complexity.

"If that's the case... the Zhou Family will likely fly into a rage!"

Feng Han pondered, "It's a good strategy to cut off the roots, but if the Zhou Family retaliates..."

"I only hope they do!"

Wu Ming sneered, "It'll be perfect to catch them all in one net!"

A wisp of killing intent surfaced, causing Feng Han to shiver involuntarily.

In the following days, the county town remained peaceful.

Even the incident in Qingshi Village was quickly closed by the authorities, who merely sent people to examine the ashes and the zombie before hastily concluding the case.

The Zhou Family made no move and even proactively removed Yu Cheng from his position, appearing to swallow their pride and de-escalate the conflict.

Wu Ming did not file any complaints. Every day, he silently practiced diligently, mingling with the dozen or so men from the Township Inspector's office and the Village Militia, demonstrating his abilities and establishing his authority.

Both sides appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, they were biding their time, their current silence merely a means to gather strength for a thunderous strike!

Time passed unnoticed until the Laba Festival.

In the cold winter season, every household took millet, red dates, longan, lotus seeds, mung beans, and other ingredients to cook Laba porridge, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

At this time, Feng Han, who had been absent for a while, returned and reported to Wu Ming, "Everything has been handled. The news of the Zhou Family's merchant convoy has been leaked. I didn't dare to contact the mountain strongholds directly for fear of leaving evidence, but the route map has been delivered!"

"Excellent! We're celebrating the New Year, and the bandits need to have a good raid to have a prosperous one!"

Wu Ming blew on his porridge. "The information my family spent so much to obtain has been completely leaked to them. It's like fatty meat right at their mouths; how can they resist?"

"Even if they can resist, it doesn't matter anymore!"

After finishing his porridge, Wu Ming took Feng Han to the training grounds.

The cold wind was biting, but the dozen or so men from the Inspector's office, led by Zhao Song and Wu Tiehu, were drilling meticulously. Beside them were carefully selected Village Militia.

Upon seeing Wu Ming, they shouted in unison, "Greetings, Young Master!"

Compared to before, there was a greater sense of solemn military bearing.

"At ease!"

Over these past few days, Wu Ming had gotten to know his subordinates. Among the Township Inspectors, Zhao Song was taciturn but dependable and literate, holding high prestige. Wu Tiehu was skilled in martial arts and had a few followers.

Of course, at this moment, they were all gathered under Wu Ming's command.

"Put on this equipment!"

Wu Ming waved his hand, and two house servants carried several large chests, placing them heavily on the ground.

"This is..."

Wu Tiehu opened one and saw a chest filled with leather armor, all well-maintained. Two pieces even had iron plates inlaid to protect the chest and other vital areas, offering considerable defense.

Another chest contained excellent Hundred Refinements Steel Sabers, their edges gleaming with a cold light, along with strong bows and crossbows – all fine items moved from the armory.