Wang Chong said, "This is too serious. I can't let you leave. I'll have to inconvenience you for now."
"How many men does your Qinghe Gang have nearby? Gather every last one of them for me."
Luo Dayong was dumbstruck. Never could he have imagined that this would be his reception after coming to deliver a warning. And the other man actually had designs on the Qinghe Gang's members? He said quietly, "Is this how Steward Wang honors worthy men?"
Wang Chong gave the Qinghe Gang leader a strange look and said, "I could simply walk away, but what do you think will happen to the people of Pengshan County under the savage might of the Nine-Bend Alliance's cavalry?"
"At a time this urgent, you want me to stand on ceremony?"
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Luo Dayong had indeed come to warn Wang Chong in the hope that he would escape quickly, earning Luo Dayong a small measure of credit. But never could he have imagined that Wang Chong would choose to protect Pengshan County's people without a second thought. With a bitter smile, he said, "This old man lives nearby too. How could I not know how vicious the Hu are? But how could the hundred-odd Qinghe Gang members nearby possibly protect Pengshan County?"
Wang Chong said, "Your Qinghe Gang are geographic ghosts. You should know all about my recent recruitment."
Luo Dayong's spirits abruptly lifted, and he cried, "As long as we hold out for a little while, reinforcements will come?"
Wang Chong chuckled. Of course he knew there were no reinforcements, but this was no time to explain.
Luo Dayong immediately cried, "Please have my men brought here, Steward Wang. I'll gather the Qinghe Gang's people right away."
Wang Chong sighed. He did not want to