Shen Dan knew Yang Song's temper, so he clasped his fists and said, "As long as you can make this happen, I will give you thirty gold coins as a reward."
Yang Song raised his palm and shook it: "Fifty!"
Shen Dan gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, it's a deal!"
Yang Song rode out of the city alone, feeling the attention of the crowd, and walked towards Wei Yan with his chin slightly raised.
Although his heart was pounding wildly in the face of the murderous aura, he knew that he must not bow his head at this time, otherwise he would make a fool of himself.
After all, he was the chief priest of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, and Yang Song had seen gatherings of tens of thousands of people before, so he was able to keep his composure.
When Yang Song arrived in front of Wei Yan, sweat was already on his forehead. He coughed lightly, took out Sun Qian's jade pendant, clasped his fists and said, "I am here to meet the general on the orders of Mr. Gongyou."
Wei Yan raised his eyes and glanced at the top of the city wall, nodded and said, "Master, what do you want to discuss with me?"
Yang Songyan said, "Sir, please withdraw your troops three miles away and restrain those bandits. Brother Shen Dan will open the city and surrender later. Do not let any bandits enter the city to avoid harming the people."
Wei Yan sneered and said, "The Shen family knows the current situation."
Just as he was about to order the troops to retreat, Yang Song stopped him and said, "Wait a minute, General, can you scold me a few words?"
"Hmm?" Wei Yan held the reins, thinking he had heard it wrong. "What did you say?"
Yang Song laughed and said, "If the general retreats easily, the Shen Dan brothers will definitely be dissatisfied. You and I should pretend to quarrel in front of the battle to show the general's power and intimidate the defenders so that they dare not go back on their word."
"That makes sense!" Wei Yan nodded slightly, thinking to himself, I have never seen such a request before, how can I not satisfy you
He immediately raised his sword and shouted, "You bastard, you're courting death!"
"General, wait a minute!" Yang Song was so frightened that he almost fell off his horse. He quickly hugged the horse's neck and said in a trembling voice, "General, be gentle, I'm scared!"
Wei Yan snorted in his heart, put away his knife and scolded a few words. Yang Song trembled and begged for mercy.
Although he was frightened just now, it didn't seem like he was pretending. The two brothers Shen Dan on the city wall were very nervous and kept clinging to the city wall nervously.
After waiting for Yang Song to come back, the two hurried down to the city to greet him and asked, "Sir, what's the situation?"
"Fortunately, fortunately!" Yang Song also wiped the cold sweat and sighed from the bottom of his heart: "This damn money is really not easy to earn!"
Shen Dan personally helped Yang Song off the horse and found that he was still shaking. He advised: "Thank you for your hard work, sir. I will give you the fifty gold later."
Just now he was dissatisfied with Yang Song's asking price, but now he felt that the fifty gold coins were well spent. If he had sent someone else, he would probably have lost his head.
A moment later, Wei Yan ordered the troops to withdraw, and the bandits surrounding the north gate retreated like a tide and gathered towards the Jingzhou army camp.
Shen Yi let out a long sigh and quickly reminded Shen Dan: "Brother, please invite General Wei into the city immediately."
"Yes, yes, follow me out of the city!" Shen Dan reacted and immediately summoned civil and military officials to go out of the city to accept surrender.
It was obvious that those bandits obeyed Wei Yan's orders. As long as they brought him into the city, Shangyong's safety could be guaranteed.
The Shangyong official hurried out of the city. Yang Song returned Sun Qian's jade pendant, smiling as brightly as a chrysanthemum: "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I am not talented, but I would like to make friends with you. I wonder if I am worthy of your kindness."
Sun Qian clasped his fists and said with a smile: "It is my honor to work with the High Priest."
"Sir, if you need my help in the future, just let me know. I will stand by you and never frown."
Yang Song was very happy. He was fed up with everyone in Hanzhong, but as soon as he went out, he made friends with a famous scholar like Sun Qian. Wasn't he a hundred times better than Yan Pu and his ilk
In what happened just now, Wei Yan could have withdrawn his troops with just one word from Sun Qian, but he created an opportunity for himself to steal the spotlight and make a fortune. Where can you find such a friend
When he was asking what to do next, the Shen Dan brothers had already welcomed Wei Yan into the city. Thinking of what Sun Qian had just said, Yang Song sighed, "General Liu is truly a god!"
He was even more impressed when he saw that Wei Yan only brought ten personal soldiers and three bandit leaders, while the rest of his men stayed outside the city.
Liu Qi's subordinates are indeed full of talented people, such as Sun Qian, who is extremely wise and resourceful, and Wei Yan, who is extremely brave and courageous. If he can make friends with them, why should he be afraid of Cao Cao
Everyone came to the government office together. Shen Dan asked Wei Yan to sit at the top, and Yang Song sat in the guest seat, and they set up a new banquet to welcome them.
The Shen Dan brothers came forward to toast, and looking at the three bandit leaders with unfriendly expressions, they felt uneasy and asked, "I wonder how the general will settle the people of Shangyong?"
Wei Yan said, "I am following General Liu's orders to punish the treacherous officials. Since you two are not Cao's followers, of course you will be reinstated. You two will continue to serve as the governors of Shangyong and Xicheng."
Shen Dan and the other two were overjoyed and hurriedly clasped their fists and said, "Thank you very much for your generosity, General. We will certainly serve you wholeheartedly and to the utmost."
Wei Yan said calmly: "Just saying a few big words cannot show loyalty. If you two really want to serve the Han Dynasty, you should show some sincerity."
Shen Dan was startled and said hurriedly, "Don't worry, General. I am willing to move my wife, children and relatives to Nanyang or even Jingzhou."
Wei Yan then nodded and said with a smile: "We have to report this matter to General Liu for a decision. He is leading the troops at Wuguan and will return to Xiangyang soon. We will meet at Danshui."
Shen Dan clasped his fists and said, "We two have long admired General Liu's reputation and were planning to pay him a visit. Please introduce us to him."
After three rounds of drinking, Wei Yan introduced the three men to toast Shen Dan in order to resolve the grievances between the two sides. From now on, they will submit to the court and no longer be enemies of the government.
Shen Dan was overjoyed. After toasting, he said with emotion: "The general's mighty power has won the admiration and respect of all the heroes as soon as he arrived in the territory."
Wei Yan smiled and said, "Have you ever heard of the method of controlling floods? It is better to divert and guide the water than to block it. The same is true for governing the people. If it were not for the pressure from those corrupt officials, who would be willing to abandon their wives and children and become a bandit?"
"General, you are absolutely right!" Shen Dan smiled awkwardly.
Over the years, they have relied on their family power to oppress the people. Some of the conflicts were caused by the occupation of land and forced purchases and sales.
But in troubled times, if you don’t fight others, others will come to destroy you. If you don’t do this, how can your family grow stronger
Wei Yan sighed, "In recent years, the government has been weak and everyone has been trying to be strong. Especially in places like Hanzhong where the mountains are high and the roads are long, strong men are everywhere. The roads are cut off, the people are uneasy, and business is blocked. I'm sure you two have also suffered greatly from this, right?"
"That's right!" Shen Dan nodded hurriedly and said, "Born in troubled times, we have no choice but to defend the city and train soldiers for our own safety."
Yang Song couldn't help but say, "Hanzhong and Nanyang haven't communicated with each other for several years."
Many of the businesses run by the Yang family were transported from Nanyang to the Central Plains and Jingzhou. Since this route was cut off, they could only go through Guanzhong, and their income dropped sharply. Yang Song was so anxious that he lost his appetite for a period of time and lost a lot of weight.
Wei Yan smiled and said, "Although General Liu is temporarily unable to pacify the territory, he has come up with a compromise plan that can ensure that the road is open and goods can be safely circulated between the two places."
"What's a good plan?" The Shen Dan brothers and Yang Song spoke at the same time, staring at Wei Yan.
If they could really open up the road between Hanzhong and Nanyang and ensure the safe transportation of goods, their family's income would at least double.
Wei Yan stroked his beard and smiled, "Set up an escort agency!"