The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 159

Wang Zan was extremely dissatisfied upon hearing this.

"My lord, I think we could try using a honey trap. As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark."

A businessman with a slightly sleazy appearance and a small mustache said.

"This suggestion can be discussed further. Do any of you have other ideas?"

Wang Zan did not immediately reject this person's suggestion. In his view, the honey trap could be used in conjunction with other methods without conflict.

"My lord, I think it's time to make some moves with the Japanese pirates in Kunshan Marsh."

Zhang Ziyi said with a gloomy face.

If anyone present hated Zhou Chu the most, it would undoubtedly be Zhang Ziyi. Whether it was the humiliation he had suffered before or the IOU, Zhang Ziyi was undoubtedly the one who wanted to kill Zhou Chu the most. At this moment, Zhang Ziyi still felt a faint pain on his face, which made him lose face.

Zhang Ziyi's tone displeased Wang Zan. This Zhang Ziyi, relying on his position as the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, was highly valued by the governor, who often didn't take him seriously.

"President Li, what do you think?"

Wang Zan did not answer Zhang Ziyi immediately, but looked at another person, Li Xian, the president of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce.

As the president of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce, Li Xian was much more low-key than Zhang Ziyi, a nouveau riche. He usually kept a low profile and avoided taking the lead whenever possible. In his opinion, it was better to have a hothead like Zhang Ziyi leading the way.

He hadn't expected Wang Zan to ask for his opinion, but Li Xian, who had become the president of the Chamber of Commerce, was naturally a shrewd and capable man. He had long known that the prefect had a lot of dissatisfaction with Zhang Ziyi, and now that he was asking him, he was just trying to use him to refute and suppress Zhang Ziyi.

Li Xian is shrewd and naturally won't fall for the trap.

“What Zhang said makes sense, but I think we shouldn’t be so hasty. Zhou Chu has just arrived in Suzhou Prefecture, and we haven’t figured out his background yet. If we make a move rashly and fail to strike decisively, wouldn’t that lead to endless trouble? The fact that he was able to arrive in Suzhou safely speaks volumes, doesn’t it?”

Li Xian smiled.

This statement is equivalent to offending neither side, affirming Zhang Ziyi while also meeting Wang Zan's needs.

There were many merchants present at the time, about forty or fifty in total, including Chu Huizu.

With the secret help of Zhou Chu and Chu Li, Chu Huizu became a moderately wealthy businessman. Coupled with the arrangements made by Zhou Chu beforehand, he quickly infiltrated the core of the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce and was able to participate in this core meeting.

However, Chu Huizu was one of the least noticeable people among them, not outstanding in anything and not showing any particularly strong abilities.

As Chu Huizu listened to this crucial information, he secretly plotted how to pass it on to Zhou Chu later.

“President Li makes a lot of sense. In that case, let’s have someone find out Zhou Chu’s background first. We can use that honey trap first.”

Wang Zan finally made the decision.

At this time, Zhou Chu had already arranged accommodations for eight hundred soldiers. He had asked Chu Li to make these arrangements long ago. Chu Li bought many houses in a relatively remote area nearby to serve as Zhou Chu's base in Suzhou Prefecture.

After settling the soldiers and craftsmen in, Zhou Chu summoned Zhang En, the highest-ranking craftsman among them, and presented him with the blueprints for the breech-loading cannon and flintlock musket that he had drawn up long ago.

The blueprints that Zhou Chu took out were naturally those from the peak development of the breech-loading cannon and flintlock musket. The guns and cannons that the breech-loading cannons made by the breech-loading cannons on Tuen Mun Island were only the initial versions, with many problems, such as being prone to barrel explosions. They were even inferior to the muskets and cannons of the Ming Dynasty. There is even a later claim that the breech-loading cannon was an improvement on the cannons of the Ming Dynasty.

After receiving the blueprints, Zhang En glanced at them and immediately understood the power of the two firearms. As the craftsman in charge of firearms, he was completely captivated by the blueprints, as if he were looking at a stunning beauty.

"Give me whatever money you want. Can you manufacture a thousand flintlock muskets and two hundred cannons within a month?"

Zhou Chu looked at Zhang En and asked.

"Don't worry, sir. We've brought all the tools. Once we make the mold, manufacturing will be quick. A month will be more than enough."

Zhang En patted his chest and assured him.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu revealed a kind smile.