Chapter 23 Wu Family Banquet
Ma Su received the invitation from the family and replied shortly after, saying that he would be there at that time.
Ma Su's reply made the representatives of the family heave a sigh of relief. He actually accepted the gift and was willing to come to dinner, which meant that Ma Di was willing to talk to them.
As long as you are willing to talk, the rest is a negotiation of interests, and the matter is already half settled.
On that day, the Wu family held dozens of banquet tables in the courtyard, and invited the entire Longxi gentry to wait for Ma Su to arrive. The Wu family also spent a lot of money to entertain this related family member, and the sumptuous banquet was jaw-dropping.
It was getting late that day, and Ma Su took Yao Hu to Wu's house.
"I've seen Governor Ma." As soon as Ma Su arrived, the heads of several aristocratic families all stood up and saluted respectfully.
"I didn't expect that the prefect could become a pillar of the imperial court at such a young age. I admire him."
"The Sheriff is really young and promising. I have to teach those juniors a lesson when I get back."
"Yes, we need to let them learn from the county guards and stop causing trouble while doing nothing all day long."
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However, Ma Su didn't have any mood swings after the nobles complimented him, and just waved his hand lightly.
"I heard that the head of the Wu family is hosting a banquet. I naturally come here when I have time. Let's eat first without talking about anything else."
"Okay, okay, please take the seats, Commander Ma and Captain Yao." Wu Yong was slightly stunned when he heard Ma Su's words, and then continued with a smile on his face.
"Please, Magistrate, these are carefully prepared by our Wu family and will definitely satisfy you."
Ma Su nodded calmly and sat down on the main seat unceremoniously. His impoliteness made several representatives of the aristocratic families stunned, and they couldn't help but feel an ominous premonition in their hearts.
This attitude doesn't look like it's about discussing interests.
"The head of the Wu family set up such a banquet. It will cost a lot of money, right?" Ma Di took two bites and looked at Wu Yongdao.
"It's not much. As long as the county governor likes it, we'll be satisfied." Wu Yong replied with a smile.
"Ha." Ma Su sneered from the bottom of his heart. This old guy is really calm.
It has to be said that the nobles really spent a lot of money on this banquet, and all kinds of meat sauce and stew are available. In my memory, this is the only food they ate when Mr. Ma was still in Xiangyang.
It seems that the estimation of all the properties of these aristocratic families is too conservative, and it will be necessary to re-estimate later.
After Ma Su and Yao Hu took their seats, representatives of aristocratic families took their seats one after another. The head of the Wu family waited until everyone was seated before sitting down slowly.
After everyone enters, the banquet begins.
Wu Yong was very calm. He kept chatting from the beginning of the meal and did not talk about what he cared about. It seemed that this banquet was just to invite Ma Su to dinner without any purpose.
Ma Su was also happy and relaxed about this. He replied to eating casually while looking at the decoration of the Wu family's courtyard, mentally calculating how much money he could get.
After three rounds of wine and five tastes of food, Wu Yong still didn't mention anything serious, while Ma Su was almost full.
The heads of several other families were already losing their composure and signaled to Wu Yong that it was time to get down to business.
Wu Yong then waved his hand and quietly gave orders to his servants.
Soon, several dancers walked in from outside the house, all dressed in gorgeous clothes, dancing in front of the banquet.
But what surprised Ma Su was that their dance was not the dance of a big man, but similar to the dance of a barbarian.
"Qiang girl?" Ma Di narrowed his eyes and looked at the dancing girls.
"The county governor has good eyesight, she is a Qiang girl." Wu Yong nodded and said steadily.
"All of the women here are from the Qiang tribe. In the past, the former county guard sent troops to encircle and suppress the Qiang people, and they returned with three battalions in a row."
"At that time, a certain girl was still the governor of Longxi County. After seeing several of her daughters as prisoners, they were very good-looking, so they were recruited. After several years of training, they all obeyed the teachings. Now that the county governor is going to have a banquet, I hereby call her out to help you. "
"You Chu also sent troops to annihilate the Qiang people?" Ma Su frowned. He remembered that You Chu was a scholar, so he could still send troops to annihilate the Qiang people?
"The county governor doesn't know something. Longxi County is located in the far west of Longyou and is one of the counties that the imperial court pays the least attention to." Wu Yong said with a sad look and a long sigh.
"The Puppet Wei is unwilling to increase troops here, and wants us to pay a large amount of taxes every year. Because money and food are often insufficient, various places are unable to form county troops."
"And next to Longxi is the Qiang tribe. They are disobedient and bloodthirsty. Almost every autumn and winter, they go down the mountain to plunder, and a large number of people die under the sword of the Qiang people."
"Before, we were really forced to have no choice. We pooled together some money and food and gave them to You Chu, so he was willing to send troops to suppress the Qiang."
"But now...it is estimated that many people in Longxi will be in trouble again this year."
"The Qiang people are so arrogant?" Ma Su frowned and recalled the scene in which he was robbed by the Qiang people.
She even pointed at his nose and started scolding him, but the Qiang people were not angry. Instead, they apologized respectfully and ran away.
This is different from what Wu Yong described.
"That's natural. Longxi has been suffering for a long time." Wu Yong sighed and shook his head.
"This banquet with the Sheriff is also for this reason."
"This matter?" Ma Su's eyes suddenly condensed, but there was a hint of understanding in his eyes.
"It won't be long before the Qiang people come to plunder again, and the safety of the people is a problem. As the people of Longxi, we naturally have the responsibility to defend our homeland." Wu Yong nodded and said sadly.
"I have long heard that Governor Ma is unparalleled in bravery and ingenious calculations. He can trick the puppet Wei general Zhang He into annihilating his entire army at the street pavilion. He must be an unparalleled talent."
"We are willing to contribute money and food to the county guard, and send guards to follow to help the county guard suppress the Qiang. We will drive out those Qiang people whose hands are stained with the blood of my people in Longxi, and restore peace to Longxi!"
After saying that, Wu Yong suddenly gave Ma Su a big gift and burst into tears for a while. Wu Yong saluted, and the other representatives of the aristocratic families stood up together and saluted Ma Su solemnly.
"I sincerely ask the county governor to make the decision for Longxi County!"
His tone was extremely sad. Yao Hu's eyes widened when he heard this, and he gnashed his teeth in hatred for the Qiang people.
"Prefect, those Qiang people are going too far to bully others, we will..."
"Shut up." Ma Su suddenly said, interrupting Yao Hu's words. He stood up gently, his tone becoming a little intriguing.
"Master Wu, you are right. These Qiang people are indeed a major threat to the border. It is a fact that they are disobedient and often go down the mountain to plunder."
"According to common sense, as a county guard, I should indeed send troops to exterminate them."
"But, I want to ask the head of the Wu family. The Qiang people are hiding in the mountains and forests, making it extremely difficult to encircle and suppress them. And if I go out of the city to suppress the Qiang..."
"Who will implement this Longxi law?"
The head of the Wu family's expression changed slightly. When he looked up, he saw Ma Su's half-smiling expression.