In the famine, others ate Guanyin soil, but he had space to build a farm.

Chapter 107 Zhang Shan's Choice

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Zhang Shan stared silently into the distance. The rolling Qinglong Mountains were like a sleeping dragon, revealing an inviolable majesty. He nodded slowly, knowing his current situation and knowing that he must not easily provoke the powerful Qinglong Mountain forces. Qinglong Mountain was a self-sufficient mountain with its own rules and ways of survival. It seemed that the intersection with them was still far away.

He turned around and looked at Chen Dong, the county magistrate, with a hint of inquiry in his tone: "What about the other group of people, how strong are they?"

Chen Dong was slightly startled, then he answered respectfully: "Master Zhang, the other force was originally controlled by the local casino owner Sun Ying. He has been running the casino for many years and has a group of ruthless people under him. This time, in order to avoid a conflict with Master Zhang's people, Sun Ying has taken his people to hide in Kaoshan Village. If Master Zhang wants to control the entire county, then Sun Ying's force must be subdued."

Zhang Shan listened quietly, with a hint of contemplation in his eyes. He understood that although Sun Ying was only the owner of a casino, the power behind him should not be underestimated. If he wanted to truly control the entire county, this was indeed a difficult problem that had to be faced.

"Old Chen! Is there any way to contact Sun Ying?" Zhang Shan also knew that it was impossible to ask these people under him to fight a tough battle. So he thought about whether he could directly unite with Sun Ying!

The sun had completely set, leaving only a few dim afterglows in the sky, just like Zhang Shan's mood at the moment, heavy and complicated. He frowned slightly, thinking about what to do next.

Seeing this, Chen Dong understood Zhang Shan's concerns. He pondered for a moment and slowly said, "Master Zhang, although Sun Ying is cunning, he is not invulnerable. This person loves money the most! Otherwise, he wouldn't open a casino or a brothel. Perhaps we can start from this aspect."

Zhang Shan's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement: "Old Chen, you are right. How about this, you go and contact Sun Ying to see if he is interested in joining us! At least we can't become enemies now."

Chen Dong nodded. He knew that this matter was of great importance and could not afford to make any mistakes. So he suggested, "I will send someone to contact Sun Ying and test his attitude."

Zhang Shan nodded in agreement. He knew that this was a plan that needed to be done with caution. He pondered for a moment, then said, "Old Chen, I'll leave this matter to you. If you do a good job, you will be our number two."

Chen Dong nodded solemnly to show that he understood. He knew the importance of this matter and dared not slack off.

"Master Zhang! My good-for-nothing son used to have some friendship with this Sun Ying! I can ask him to give it a try!" Chen Dong said after thinking for a while!

Chen Dong is thinking clearly now. It seems that these rebels cannot be pacified in a short time. Instead of this, it is better to let his son gain some rights. If the imperial army arrives, they will turn against him! What if the imperial court does not send troops? If this rebel army develops, they will naturally benefit.

"In that case, this matter will be handed over to your son! If he makes a great contribution this time, it will be good for both you and your son!" Zhang Shan nodded in agreement because he had no one else available.

When Chen Jun heard that his father asked him to persuade Sun Ying to surrender, he couldn't help but ask excitedly.

"Father! Why should we deal with Zhang Shan? He has taken away all our family's property!"

"What do you know! If you don't surrender to him now, do you think you can still save your life?" County Magistrate Chen asked his son. His son has not figured out the situation yet. He still thinks he is the son of a high-ranking official.

"What if the imperial court investigates?" Chen Jun still didn't want to be with these peasants.

"When the imperial army arrives, we can work together inside and outside and perhaps accomplish something great! And given the current situation, I'm afraid the imperial court doesn't have the energy to take care of this side! We can also protect ourselves!" Chen Dong thought very clearly.

In the dim candlelight, Chen Dong's face looked extremely determined. He stared at his son Chen Jun, and his tone was full of unquestionable determination: "Jun'er, you must understand that the situation we are in now is very serious. Although Zhang Shan temporarily controls the county, his power is not stable. The power of Qinglongshan and Sun Ying are both potential threats. If we want to survive this dispute, or even seek greater benefits, we must make a wise choice."

Although Chen Jun still felt unwilling, he knew he had to obey his father's arrangement when he saw his father's serious expression. He nodded and said in a deep voice, "I understand, father. I will try my best to persuade Sun Ying to surrender to Zhang Shan."

Chen Dong nodded with satisfaction. He knew that although his son was young, he was smart and had good communication skills. He believed that as long as Chen Jun could successfully persuade Sun Ying to surrender, the position of their Chen family in this dispute would be more stable.

As the night deepened, Chen Dong ordered his servants to prepare the carriage and asked Chen Jun to set off for Kaoshan Village immediately. He knew that time was running out and he had to act as soon as possible.

Chen Jun rode his horse, traveling through the mountain roads in the night. His heart was filled with anxiety and uneasiness, but he also understood that this was an opportunity for him to seek benefits for his family. He took a deep breath, adjusted his mentality, and moved forward firmly towards the direction of Kaoshan Village.

At this time, Sun Ying naturally already knew about the changes in the county.

"Brother Sun! What should we do now? We didn't expect that the people from the mine would capture the county town so quickly!" The person in charge of gathering information asked anxiously at this time.

"I didn't expect those people in the county to be so useless! They were defeated so quickly!" Although Sun Ying knew that the county's yamen runners and soldiers had low combat effectiveness, he didn't expect them to be so vulnerable. Fortunately, he didn't obey the command at that time. He took his own people to fight those people in the mine.

"Brother Sun, should we send someone to contact the rebels?" Sun Ying pondered for a moment, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. He slowly shook his head and said, "No, it's not the right time yet. Although Zhang Shan has captured the county, his power is not stable. If we act rashly, we will only put ourselves in danger."

"But, Brother Sun, if we don't take action, are we just going to watch them grow stronger?" the person who was trying to get information asked unwillingly.

Sun Ying smiled slightly, and he turned to look out the window, his eyes deep: "Of course we won't sit idly by. But before we act, we need to plan carefully. Although Zhang Shan has occupied the county, he doesn't know much about Qinglong Mountain and our forces. We can use this to secretly observe his movements and find his weaknesses."

"So what should we do next?" asked the person who was trying to get the information.

Sun Ying didn't want to join Zhang Shan, because Zhang Shan was just a peasant who could not accomplish anything.