The next day, as dawn broke.
Zhu Zi and Ma Chao walked beside Ying Bang Bang~ Ji Er, one on each side.
Several squad leaders and platoon leaders followed behind.
Heading towards the City Lord’s mansion.
At this moment, aside from the slaves, only ten-year-old A Ba A Ba remained in the City Lord’s mansion.
After entering the main hall of the mansion, Zhu Zi scooped up A Ba A Ba, who was playing outside, and placed him on the City Lord’s throne.
Although, this throne was crudely made of poplar wood.
It was not even as good as Wangcai’s dog kennel.
Yet, it was, after all, the symbol of the City Lord of Suiye City.
"Kid, from today onwards, you are the City Lord of Suiye City!"
"However, you might be gaining an extra father."
A Ba A Ba looked bewildered, he didn’t understand Zhu Zi’s words at all.
After speaking to A Ba A Ba, Zhu Zi turned his gaze to the squad leaders and platoon leaders.
He said with a smile.
"Brothers, who is interested in being this City Lord’s father?"
"Giving away women too? Speaking of which, these foreign women look quite good. Anyone here want to consider this one?" Ma Chao pointed at one of the platoon leaders and said.
"Lin Bei, didn't you always like to hang around Widow Ma’s house when you were home? Why don't you stay here and be a Supreme Emperor?"
Lin Bei’s face was full of grievance.
"Master Ma, Master Zhu Zi, what I had with Widow Ma was true love! Please don't mock me!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Zhu Zi pointed at another squad leader.
"Guan Yin, how about you? What did the kids back home sing? Let me think. 'Second wives are truly flavorful. Living with them is interesting. No need to have kids, already have them. Saves a lot of trouble inside and out!' Old Guan, why don’t you give in! Being a City Lord, and later conquering a few cities, becoming a king or a marquis, is just around the corner!"
Guan Yin looked conflicted. He glanced at Ying Bang Bang~ Ji Er, who was trembling on the side, and then at A Ba A Ba. He seemed somewhat tempted, but reluctant to part with the Skyfire Army.
Zhu Zi withdrew his smile and said somewhat sternly.
"You all know there’s naphtha here. With Lord Ye’s capabilities, there will definitely be more and more trucks in the future! So, this place must be very important! We are all Tang people, and the locals are still very wary of us. But once someone stays here, marries this woman, controls this Ba Ba, and then uses him to control the entire Suiye City, it would be like what Lord Bo said, 'Holding the Son of Heaven to command the lords'! This way, it will be much easier."
After hearing Zhu Zi’s words, Guan Yin was still hesitant.
Ma Chao walked over and patted his shoulder.
"Brother, bringing glory to the nation is for today!"
Guan Yin scanned everyone’s faces. Then, gritting his teeth, he nodded.
"Alright, I’ll do it!"
He then continued.
"Brothers, who will go fetch that interpreter for me?"
Lin Bei said cheerfully.
"As the Supreme City Lord commands, I dare not disobey. I will go and bring that interpreter to you now."
With that, he leaped out of the main hall in two steps and ordered someone to find the interpreter.
Guan Yin looked at the interpreter and said.
"From now on, this tough woman is mine."
"Of course, her son will inherit the position of City Lord."
"First, tell me, what is the name of our little City Lord?"
The interpreter thought for a while and then uncertainly uttered a dizzying string of names.
"A Ba A Ba~ Bi Ba Bu~ Da Da~ Gan Ba De~ Where to dig potatoes!"
Guan Yin was dumbfounded.
"What kind of terrible names do these people come up with! So long. When they were born, did they have to think for a long time to come up with such a name?"
He shook his head.
"Alright, A Ba A Ba, the rest doesn't matter."
Then, he stepped forward, hooked the interpreter’s chin with his hand, and gave a devilish smile.
"From now on, A Ba A Ba is the City Lord, and you are the City Lord’s herald. Understand your position, okay?"
The interpreter shivered.
"This Tang person, could it be that…?"
He quickly retreated two steps and bowed to Guan Yin.
"My lord, I understand. Everything will be as you command."
After saying that, he clutched his backside with both hands and retreated a few more steps.
Guan Yin laughed heartily, his previous hesitation vanishing. It seemed being the Supreme City Lord was quite interesting.
Ma Chao was also amused by his actions, laughing. "Hahahaha, Guan Yin, I didn’t know you had this hobby!"
The others also erupted in laughter.
Only Ying Bang Bang~ Ji Er and A Ba A Ba were confused, completely unable to understand what they were talking about.
Zhu Zi raised his hands to quiet them and asked the interpreter.
"Alright, Nethers, where exactly does the naphtha in Suiye City come from?"
Nethers was the interpreter’s name. His full name was Nethers~ Gaia~ Labrador.
When Nethers heard Zhu Zi asking about the origin of the naphtha, his face instantly turned pale.
"General Zhu Zi, the naphtha is actually not produced in Suiye City. It comes from Julan City, two hundred li to the west. Please forgive me, General! I was forced by that scoundrel Abu Aka to deceive General Zhu Zi."
Hearing that the naphtha was not from Suiye City, Zhu Zi was indeed a bit angry. But after thinking about it, two hundred li wasn't too far.
"How large is Julan City, how many people, and how many guards does it have?"
Seeing that Zhu Zi had no intention of pursuing the matter, Nethers quickly said obsequiously.
"Reporting to General Zhu Zi, Julan City occupies an area of only two li, not even as large as Suiye City. However, because the city produces naphtha, the City Lord of Julan City has earned a lot of wealth by selling it. Although he only has two thousand troops, they are well-equipped. Among them are two hundred heavy cavalry, all armored. In this Western Regions, almost no one dares to provoke them. As for the other soldiers, even the worst are equipped with leather armor for defense, and there are over a hundred trebuchets guarding the city. Coupled with the naphtha produced in the city, they have repelled several attacks and remained unharmed."
Ma Chao, hearing this, was amused. He smiled and said to the interpreter.
"How do those two hundred heavy cavalry compare to us?"
Nethers suddenly realized he might have said the wrong thing.
"General Ma Chao, please forgive me. Naturally, there is no comparison."
"Ah, no, I meant to say that those two hundred heavy cavalry are no match for the warriors of the Skyfire Battalion!"
Zhu Zi, however, frowned deeply.
"Ma Chao, do not be careless. Since the naphtha comes from Julan City, there must be a large stockpile there. Once this naphtha ignites, it is difficult to extinguish with water. We want the oil, not Julan City, so we probably cannot use explosives easily. And with over a hundred trebuchets in the city, a frontal assault is out of the question, otherwise, we would suffer heavy losses. Leave two hundred brothers with Guan Yin, and let’s sneak over there first. If we can fight, we fight. If we cannot, we must find a way to take Julan City!"