Chapter 145 - Horse Merchant

Chapter 145: Chapter 139 Horse MerchantZhao Hanzhang sneered, "Xiping is also part of Ru Nan, and when I recaptured Xiping, I didn’t ask the Inspector Mansion for a single soldier, yet he turns around and tricks me with warhorses. Does he think I’m just a naive young lady from the Zhao Family, thus easy to deceive?"

County Magistrate Chai was caught in a dilemma, feeling like the minced meat sandwiched between bread, feeling even more distressed than when facing quarrels with his mother and wife. He couldn’t utter a word and could only look at Zhao Hanzhang pitifully, hoping she would take pity on him.

Zhao Hanzhang did not sympathize with him in the slightest, but matters still needed to be addressed. After some thought, she asked, "Is the supervisor still around?"

"Yes, yes, he is currently held in the county jail."

"What about the others at the ranch?"

"Only the supervisor and three managers were taken. The rest are still at the ranch."

County Magistrate Chai was puzzled by her intent, wondering why she was still asking about the supervisor given the circumstances. Shouldn’t she hurry to Xiping to recover the warhorses?

Zhao Hanzhang said, "It’s late; the County Lord must be hungry. Let’s have a meal first."

County Magistrate Chai was on the verge of tears, expressing that he had no appetite.

Zhao Hanzhang then said, "Then let’s eat while we talk."

Upon entering the front hall, they all sat cross-legged at the table, and the servants immediately came forward to uncover the dishes, which were still warm.

Zhao Hanzhang invited County Magistrate Chai to sit down, "Let’s eat first; you need to be full to have the energy to come up with a plan."

County Magistrate Chai whispered, "Actually, there is no need to think much about it. As long as you return the warhorses..."

Zhao Hanzhang smirked slightly, "County Lord, do you not know how many horses I took from the ranch? Don’t you think the supervisor and the envoy sent to retrieve the horses would know? Moreover, during a battle to retake a city, warhorses will be damaged. Even if he asks me for 200 horses, I can’t return the exact number anymore."

County Magistrate Chai was stunned, "Then what to do?"

"It’s quite simple, one method: kill the envoy and pretend we don’t know about it."

County Magistrate Chai was completely frozen.

"Of course, such rebellious acts we cannot commit," Zhao Hanzhang said, "The second method is to bribe the envoy, let him come up with his excuse and report back as he came."

County Magistrate Chai’s spine relaxed, quietly exhaling a sigh of relief, and couldn’t help wiping his sweat, "Third Lady, next time start with the better methods, you really scared me."

"There’s another way."

County Magistrate Chai hurriedly asked, "What method?"

"First stall the envoy while we go and buy horses to make up the shortfall. Hmm, perhaps we can use both methods together."

County Magistrate Chai immediately said, "This is a good idea. However, these horses are expensive, especially warhorses..."

Zhao Hanzhang smiled faintly, "I do have some money, but amidst the chaos of war, it’s probably not easy to buy them."

County Magistrate Chai pondered, "The supervisor must have channels, and I also know two horse merchants. Perhaps we can scrape a few together."

Zhao Hanzhang immediately turned her head and instructed Uncle Cheng, "Go fetch some gold and glassware."

Uncle Cheng acknowledged and left, returning with a tray of silver ingots and a set of glassware.

Zhao Hanzhang pushed them towards County Magistrate Chai, "I have no ties with the Inspector, so the matter of bribing the envoy is entrusted to the County Lord. We will split into two groups; I am responsible for finding horse merchants to buy horses."

County Magistrate Chai was now only afraid Zhao Hanzhang would refuse to pay. Seeing she was willing to buy the horses herself, he was more than eager to assist and immediately gave her the addresses of the horse merchants, even writing a letter of recommendation by hand.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "I also need to see the supervisor. Two hundred horses are no small amount; I fear the two horse merchants you know won’t suffice."

County Magistrate Chai also believed they couldn’t gather enough, so after some thought, he said, "Third Lady, return to the county government with me. I can arrange for you to meet him quietly without the envoy knowing."

Chang Ning: ...

He sighed deeply and asked, "How much money can Zhao Sanniang come up with for buying horses?"

"As long as the other party has horses, money is not an issue."

Chang Ning: "Are you planning to buy all two hundred horses?"

Zhao Hanzhang raised her eyebrows slightly and directly asked, "Does Mr. Chang have a better solution?"

Chang Ning: "My method is the same as Third Lady’s, to bribe the envoys, let them raise it high and let it go lightly."

He paused and then said, "Actually, there are two other ways we can solve this."

Zhao Hanzhang appeared in an attentive posture.

Chang Ning said, "One is for Zhao Sanniang to immediately send a letter to the Inspector Mansion requesting their assistance for Xiping. It’s true that Xiping is under siege, and Yu Yang probably hasn’t received the news yet. We can stall the envoy on this side, send a few more letters, and should be able to negotiate borrowing horses from the ranch with the Inspector."

Zhao Hanzhang asked, "What about the second?"

"The second is to kill them all," Chang Ning said, "slay all these envoys, silently and discreetly, with the refugee army and the Xiongnu army ravaging outside, who will know in whose hands the envoys died?"

Zhao Hanzhang couldn’t help but applaud, "Mr. Chang is formidable."

County Magistrate Chai: "...Don’t speak so recklessly, those are the Inspector’s envoys, how dare we kill them?"

Zhao Hanzhang nodded deeply in agreement, "Too ruthless, that method won’t work."

County Magistrate Chai, seeing her agreement, breathed a huge sigh of relief and reprimanded Chang Ning, "Don’t offer reckless advice in the future."

Chang Ning was deeply disappointed.

After the meal, Zhao Hanzhang and Ji Yuan went to the county government to meet the supervisor.

Wei Matou was currently held in prison with his three companions. Upon seeing Zhao Hanzhang swagger in with the County Magistrate, he rushed forward, "Miss Zhao, Zhao Yingxiong, save me! You originally said it was only a temporary loan of horses, that they’d be returned once the matter in Xiping County was resolved."

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him with sympathy, hurried to have the cell door opened, entered, and helped Wei Matou up, "I intended to return the horses when we pass back through to Xiping, and besides those damaged in battle, I could return to you about eighty, you should be able to bluff through with some excuses, who knew the envoy would come so quickly?"

Wei Matou urged, "No matter how many, give me some first, once I turn them in, we’ll think about what’s left."

"Can you come up with a solution for the remainder?" Zhao Hanzhang said slowly, "They’re demanding 200 horses right now, even if I give all back to you, we’re still short 120. Do you have the money to buy that many horses?"

Wei Matou collapsed to the ground, after being dumbfounded for a long time, he earnestly pounded the ground and wailed, "I’m wronged, truly wronged, the ranch is so small, when has it ever raised 200 adult horses? They’re trying to force me to my death."

Zhao Hanzhang then squatted in front of him and sighed, "Yes, I’m quite distressed for Wei Matou too. You helped me last time, and I’ve kept it in mind. After much deliberation, I decided to help save you. I’m willing to spend some money to buy back the horses to cover the deficit, but although I have money, I don’t know the sellers."

Upon hearing this, Wei Matou’s eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "I know, I know."

Wei Matou lay on the ground and finished writing a letter, to make his letter more trustworthy, he even stamped it with a red handprint.

He presented the letter to Zhao Hanzhang with tears in his eyes, "Third Lady Zhao, you must save me."

Zhao Hanzhang patted his shoulder and solemnly promised, "Don’t worry, I will not only rescue you but also let you continue as the supervisor."