Chapter 2233: Chapter 2208: Time to Scam Them

Bai Shan tilted his head: "Ask directly?"

Mr. Zhuang and Assistant General Nie nodded together, and Assistant General Nie said, "He is a very straightforward person." Actually, he’s direct; whatever he wants, he says directly.

Manbao then asked, "How much money does he want?"

Assistant General Nie said, "A guide, twenty taels, ten taels per person, ten people with ten horses and ten knives, one hundred taels, twenty people for one hundred and fifty taels."

Manbao was stunned, "So expensive? We already have quite a few people."

Assistant General Nie nodded, "I also think it’s expensive; with so many of us, hiring two guides from him should be enough."

They aren’t a trade caravan; apart from the soldiers, even the Bai Family and Yin Family’s guards have seen blood. With over a hundred people, there’s really no need to hire more.

However, Mr. Zhuang wanted to be more cautious. He was very concerned about what he mentioned about the unrest in various regions.

He said, "This place is different from the Central Plains."

He paused and then said, "North of Xiazhou, information is delayed and distorted, and people are unstable. The court has subdued various local leaders for only about ten years, and in some places, it’s only been five or six years. In such a short time, the younger generation hasn’t grown up yet, so in most people’s minds, they probably don’t care whether they are people of Great Jin. Nor do they recognize the emperor."

Everyone calls the emperor the Heavenly Khan, which is not submission to Great Jin but a fear of the emperor himself.

Now, rumors are spreading everywhere, such as the emperor is dead, and the crown prince is fighting for the throne with his brothers—these are among the lesser rumors. In some people’s mouths, the Central Plains might already be in chaos.

In such a situation, it’s hard to guarantee that no one with ulterior motives has other plots.

"No matter what their intentions are, money is their primary goal. We carry so much luggage that even if we are not a trade caravan, they won’t let us go if we encounter them," Mr. Zhuang said. "Plucking feathers from a passing goose, since the Town Leader is willing to be friendly, why not accept?"

He said, "Although it is indeed very expensive?"

Assistant General Nie turned to look at Zhou Man, "Lord Zhou, the Ministry of Revenue won’t cover this expense. Will the Imperial Hospital reimburse it?"

Manbao: "...Our Imperial Hospital is poor."

Mr. Zhuang said expressionlessly, "What a coincidence, Honglu Temple is poor too, no, even poorer."

Assistant General Nie said, "I am even less likely, when I return, if Lord knows that I had to hire extra and expensive protection, especially horse thieves, without being questioned, it’s already a light punishment. We have no choice but to pay ourselves."

After speaking, he looked intently at Manbao.

Manbao turned her head to look at Bai Shan.

Bai Shan then turned his head to look at Bai Erlang, who was sitting beside him.

Bai Erlang, Liu Huan, and Yin Huo: ...

Even Yin Huo couldn’t help but turn his head to glare at Bai Erlang, "Didn’t I say not to come? You just had to get involved."

How could Bai Erlang have known that just by listening, he would have to pay?

Manbao said to Assistant General Nie and Mr. Zhuang, "Don’t worry about the money, we’ll discuss it among ourselves."

So she stood up and took Bai Erlang and the others upstairs to discuss it.

Mr. Zhuang pondered for a moment, smiled and nodded, and then went back to his room to rest after saying a word to Assistant General Nie.

Assistant General Nie: ...Are they really hiring?

Currently, Bai Erlang was the poorest, so he was very reluctant, "How many people to hire? Ten?"

Manbao said, "Twenty is the most cost-effective."

Bai Shan was the most rational, "Besides the money, there’s also their rations; that’s quite an expense. I think ten should be enough."

He said, "We have a lot of people; the soldiers and guards have all seen blood, and are experienced in marching and warfare. Face to face, I don’t think other horse thieves can take advantage of them."

Yin Huo was puzzled, "Then why are we hiring them?"

Bai Shan said, "To avoid risks."

He said, "They are the local forces here; not only do they know the powers in this desert, they should also have some influence. They should be able to help us avoid risks. Two guides should suffice, but if we accidentally run into them, the significance of two people is obviously not enough. But if ten people are negotiating?"

Manbao nodded, "While we are not afraid and confident of escaping from the horse thieves, there will inevitably be casualties. Nothing is more important than lives. Ensuring everyone’s safe arrival is more important than losing some money."

Bai Shan lowered his voice and said, "Everyone is following us out; we can’t return bringing back just their ashes, right? It wouldn’t be easy to explain to their families back home."

Manbao is the officer in charge, so the final decision was hers. Since she decided, neither Assistant General Nie nor the others voiced any objections. So the matter was settled.

A hundred taels of silver, split among the five of them, was twenty taels each. This way, it didn’t seem so expensive.

Bai Erlang and Bai Shan borrowed money to temporarily pay this bill. At the moment, they very much looked forward to reaching the Western Regions soon so they could sell the silk and other goods they had for money.

Having made the decision on their side, they relayed the message to the Town Leader. Upon hearing it, the Town Leader couldn’t help but smile and turned to his steward saying, "Go, tell the brothers I found a job for them. Have them select ten good hands, and prepare to set off in half a month."

The steward agreed, and with a smile, said, "Master’s foresight, I didn’t expect them to agree. I saw they had quite a few people, with a bloody presence, unlike ordinary guards. I thought they wouldn’t want to spend the money."

The Town Leader said, "I didn’t think they would hire ten people either; I thought hiring two guides would be the most."

After all, it’s easy to get lost in the desert, and down the road is Yumen Pass. Mostly, it’s all desert and gaps along the way, easy to get lost.

He squinted his eyes and said, "It seems these officials have a soft heart, knowing to care for the soldiers."

He thought and waved his hand, "Go to the storeroom and check; bring out those herbs and medicines for wounds that we haven’t needed for a long time. Take them to the inn entrance tomorrow; since they care for the soldiers, how can they not prepare some medicines and herbs?"

The steward agreed and turned to execute the order.

Manbao turned in her quilt. It’s chilly in the morning here, so she pulled the quilt up to cover her head, but the noise outside continued coming through the window.

She could only turn over and get up, peeking out of the window.

Her eyesight was alright, so she saw Zhou Liru with a reddened face arguing with someone.

Manbao yawned, closed the window, lay back on the bed, and decided to sleep a bit more. She wasn’t worried about Zhou Liru, as all the courtyards around were their people, and the guards wouldn’t let Zhou Liru be bullied at their doorstep.

And Zhou Liru wasn’t one to bully others, so she didn’t pay much attention to it, but the argument didn’t stop; instead, it got louder.

Manbao couldn’t help but sit up, had to put on her clothes, tidied up slightly, and then went out the door.

Bai Shan, who also overslept, came out from next door. Seeing her come out, he nodded, looked outside, and said, "Want to check it out?"

Manbao nodded.