That desperation drove him to the doors of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion. As a matter of fact, they were the ones who came to him, citing their feud with the Zou clan as the reason for their help.
They did offer the Red Maple Empire to come under their umbrella as one of their subordinates. The terms of subordination were highly lucrative, but Duan Hu's pride and fear would not let him, and thus they settled on a loose partnership in which the Red Maple Empire would borrow just the name of the Golden Bamboo Pavilion and the promise that if for any reason the Zou clan became directly involved in their war against the Five Clovers Kingdom, then the Golden Bamboo Pavilion would intervene.