Seeing Sun Tu striding into the hall, the merchants and gentry except Su Mao couldn't help but look nervous, and then they all subconsciously stood up to greet him. This is not only because they have learned the identity of the visitor and know that this person has control over their own life and death, but also because the scornful and domineering aura exuding from Sun Tu puts a lot of pressure on them.
Sun Tu met these local snakes in Suzhou one by one under Su Mao's introduction, and he seemed calm and confident. It wasn't until he came to sit down at the head of the table that he smiled freely, waved his hands and said, "You don't have to be so formal, just sit down and talk."
After everyone sat down with anxiety, he smiled again and said: "It is indeed a bit hasty and rude to invite you all to meet today, but the situation is urgent, and in order to settle everything as soon as possible, I can only aggrieve you. I hope everyone doesn’t take offense to it.”
"Don't dare, don't dare... Since General Sun has summoned us, how dare we not come?" Everyone said hurriedly and politely.
Sun Tu nodded with satisfaction, and then got down to the topic: "I just heard you guys talking about some concerns outside, and they do make some sense. Since I want to ask for your help, I can't force others to make things difficult. I have to make sure you don't have any problems." It’s better to be willing to worry.”
"What General Sun said is that as long as the general can solve some of the difficulties we have raised, we are still relatively poor, so it is not impossible for us to provide money and food and help defend the city." Sitting at Su Mao's elbow A middle-aged businessman boldly stated that he was Huang Zhengyang, the head of the Huang family, one of the four major families in Suzhou.
With the first person to speak, the others became more courageous, and then they all agreed, and then their expectant eyes fell on Sun Tu, watching what he said.
The smile on Sun Tu's face became more friendly, and he smiled at Huang Zhengyang and said: "What Huang Zhengyang said is, let me give you some reassurance first. Your biggest concern should be that if you really help me Shandong Army, what should we do if Fang La's army comes to kill us? In fact, you can rest assured. Since I, Sun Tu, dare to lead my troops into Suzhou, I will naturally have a way to defend this place. The city of Suzhou is high and deep, even if it is a hundred thousand The army attacks day and night. As long as the city is defended properly, it will be impossible to break the city for a year and a half. Although I do not have enough manpower at the moment, the people in the city can be put to great use, plus those who have been captured With several thousand defenders, as long as they are commanded properly, there shouldn't be any problem guarding them for several months.
"Furthermore, I think the current situation is such that the rebels won't be able to spend a few more months to attack Suzhou. Because it won't be long before the news of my victory over Suzhou will spread to the north. By then, the imperial court will definitely launch a large army. Going south, the only option for the rebels is to retreat south and defend some other important cities and passes. Otherwise, with their military morale, the impact of many days of fighting, and the shortage of food and grass, they are bound to be defeated at the foot of Suzhou City. Lose. I wonder if you still agree with my statement?"
Everyone looked at each other, and after pondering for a while, they all nodded subconsciously. In fact, they didn't know that Sun Tu only brought 300 people into the city this time, otherwise they wouldn't believe his words.
Sun Tu naturally couldn't point this out, so he just smiled: "So now I can say that as long as I get your help, I can defend Suzhou. And what you are thinking about next is what benefits you can get afterwards, right? I I also know that you are all businessmen,
They all need to support their families, so they can’t provide me with money and food for free. So I will reciprocate the favor. As long as things are done, I will report to the court and ask for merit for you and others. Even if you and others cannot be allowed to join the court as officials, it is not difficult to become a casual official and honor the ancestors. And with an official position by your side, it will be easier for you to do things in the future. "
But these words made everyone excited. For these businessmen and landlords who already wanted money and land, and were considered important figures in Suzhou, if they could have a serious official position, they would have no regrets. .
Sun Tu smiled again when he saw this, and continued to offer more benefits: "And as long as the chaos in Jiangnan can be quelled this time, I will try to get the court to stop Huashi Gang, so that the people of Jiangnan will not suffer such exploitation again. , and will also tell the people that this is all due to you... "
Everyone who had been able to endure it could no longer bear it this time, and they all shouted: "Is this true?"
"General Sun, you can really make the court stop Hua Shi Gang..."
This Hua Shi Gang's harm not only caused suffering to ordinary people, but also made these giant businessmen and landlords miserable. Apart from anything else, as long as there are flowers, trees, rockeries, etc. in the garden at home, you have to be worried every day, fearing that the government will take action against you. Moreover, every year, in order to prevent Zhu Men from attacking them, they would spend a large amount of money to clear up the management. Previously, the cost for this alone was tens of thousands. This is also the key reason why when the rebels entered Suzhou, they all fell over without hesitation. It is not an exaggeration to say that the people in Jiangnan have been suffering for a long time.
"As long as the chaos is quelled, I will definitely report to the court to cancel the Hua Shi Gang. And after this chaos, I think the emperor and ministers in the court will already know how serious the harm caused by the Hua Shi Gang. With the wisdom of the officials, they will definitely Follow the good deeds and return the people of Jiangnan to a bright and clear sky." Sun Tu answered decisively.
Although everyone still doubts that a fourth-grade military attache can really do this? But since he had already said this, he naturally did not dare to have any more doubts, and everyone nodded in agreement. However, there is still one last problem that remains unanswered, so until now they still have not agreed to provide money or food.
Of course, Sun Tu understood what they were most worried about, so he took a sip of tea first, and then said: "As for your worries that Zhu Meng will settle accounts and cause trouble for you when he comes back, this is really embarrassing. He is the most powerful official in Jiangnan, and he is deeply favored by the officials. He also has many party members in the court. If he is bent on bringing harm to Jiangnan and does not care about the lives of the people, even if I really make a big contribution, I am afraid that I will not be able to deal with it. ah."
Everyone who was already a little happy now frowned again. Indeed, if Zhu Meng's problem is not solved, it will be useless no matter how many promises Sun Tu gives. After all, Jiangnan is not his decision.
"But what if he dies?" Sun Tu's sudden words immediately stunned the atmosphere in the hall, and everyone showed a look of surprise.
Sun Tu completely ignored everyone's strange and horrified looks and said to himself: "Zhu Meng has been causing trouble to Jiangnan for a long time. It can be said that the Fang La Rebellion this time was also caused by him. Shouldn't such a sinner be put to death?" Is it reassuring to the people
"And as far as I know, when Fang La raised his troops two years ago, he had already launched a banner to kill Zhu Meng. Because of this, he was able to
In a short period of time, tens of thousands of people were gathered and several states and cities were captured. Since he deserves to die so much, as a court official, I should relieve the king's worries, eliminate harm to the people, and cut him off! "When he said the last sentence, Sun Tu's body already showed a heart-stopping murderous intention, which made it difficult for many people to breathe.
After a while, they suddenly came back to their senses and whispered: "General Sun, are you serious about this? Can you really get rid of this thief?"
It can be seen that these people really hate Zhu Meng and wish that he would die suddenly in front of their eyes. It is just because of their high status that they have no way to deal with him. Sun Tu smiled calmly: "To tell you the truth, the reason why I took such a risk and appeared in Suzhou City was all thanks to Zhu Meng. He originally planned to kill people with borrowed swords, and wanted to use the rebel army to defeat all of our Shandong Army in Changshu City. Annihilation, so Zhu Meng and I have long been at odds with each other, and killing him is inevitable!
"Moreover, as long as we can hold Suzhou and wait for him to come back, I will be sure to eradicate him and eliminate harm for the people. But do you have the guts to take this gamble with me?"
Having said this, Sun Tu stood up again: "I know you still have many doubts in your hearts, so let's think about it here. It's a very important matter, and I can't force it." With that, he walked away. Hall.
When Sun Tu went out, everyone who was still barely restrained couldn't bear it anymore. They gathered together to discuss, guessing how credible Sun Tu's statement was. After they said something, Su Mao smiled and said: "Everyone, it's now this time and you still don't want to give it a try? General Sun can compete with a hundred thousand rebels with only one army. , this alone is enough to prove that he is indeed very comparable. What he lacks now is just money and food. We can help him at this time, and if we don't happen to make friends with him, it will be of great benefit to the future.
"Furthermore, I see that this person has great ambitions, which cannot be satisfied by the rule of the road, or even by the governor of one place. Once he achieves great things in the future, you and I will both be meritorious ministers, and the harvest will be more than a hundred times this? You and I They are all doing business, don’t they even have this vision and courage? It’s just some gold, silver, money and food, and they can always be earned back someday.”
After a pause, he loudly said: "No matter what you think, our Su family has decided to fully assist General Sun in defending the city, and all the hundreds of thousands of money and food in my family will be used for his use!"
These words made everyone even more shaken, but some people still said with concern: "Then are General Sun's words really credible? After all, he is not from Jiangnan like me. He doesn't know his roots, so he wants me to spend all our wealth to help him... "
"I wonder if Xie Mo's guarantee can give you more confidence?" As he was speaking, someone walked in again outside, and it was Xie Mo who appeared. With a smile on his face, he said just one sentence, and the expressions of these merchants and landlords suddenly changed: "Mr. Xie, are you still alive?"
But Huang Zhengyang, who was in the lead, suddenly laughed: "My Huang family also relied on a lot of entrepreneurship to earn a fortune. Since you have said so, brother Su, what if my Huang family keeps up?" When Xie Mo showed up, he was already tempted and expressed his stance directly without any worries.
And as he opened his mouth, it naturally led to others...
It was only then that Sun Tu truly seized control of Suzhou City, and he was able to carry out his next plan.