Chapter 548: Suppression and Pacification |
No matter how uneasy Zhang Yiqing felt inside, it was useless.
It was true that the Zhang family had been thriving in recent years, but among the wealthy and powerful families in Qinghua City, they could still only be considered a minor player. Not to mention anything else, just take the three department heads dismissed by Cai Yunzhou—which one wasn't of higher status than his grandfather, Zhang Kuang?
Placed within the entire Caiqiu territory, the Zhang family was even more insignificant.
If the entire Zhang clan was like this, how much more so Zhang Yiqing, a Zhang family member who wasn't particularly valued?
Grandfather Zhang Kuang was also part of Caiqiu's expeditionary army this time. He came early just to give him a heads-up, worried that his own dereliction of duty would implicate the entire Zhang family.
With his grandfather's advance warning, Zhang Yiqing was naturally extremely attentive to this conscription of civilian laborers. He was almost completely accommodating to the people sent by the three department heads. Coordinating with the other four villages in Red Tiger Ridge, they used just one day to completely clear the snow paths along the more than thirty-kilometer stretch north and south of Red Tiger Ridge.
If the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. City Lord Cai Yunzhou's wrath was unlikely to burn down to a minor player like him. Besides, with his grandfather Zhang Kuang's advance warning, he had indeed performed this task quite well.
The 200,000-strong army had left Red Tiger Ridge in the first half of the night on the second day of the new year. Logically, his task should have ended there.
But in reality, his task had just begun.
The higher-ups open their mouths; the lower ranks run their legs off!
Of course, the Qinghua City higher-ups had a point. Caiqiu's 200,000-strong army was heading south from Red Tiger Ridge. After the battle, they would definitely return via the Bone-Erosion Path. So, to facilitate troop movement, urgently building the official road was imperative.
The civilian laborers they had conscripted over two consecutive days had only temporarily cleared a snow path barely suitable for military passage. The difference between that and a proper official road was still huge.
But this order was also a bit too hasty.
To quickly clear that snow path, Zhang Yiqing had gathered almost everyone he could summon from the village, including many Warmth Realm Digging Realm, and even Lumberjack Realm individuals from villages to the south. Whether through enticement, coercion, or force, he used every available method.
Previously, he had told them that once the snow path was cleared and the army went south, they could go home. Now the army was gone, but he couldn't keep his promise. They had to stay here and continue building the official road.
It must be understood that all the civilian laborers conscripted from Evergreen Valley were black households—people without registered status. These people couldn't even be considered proper Caiqiu citizens. Conscripting them naturally meant there was no possibility of paying them.
In other words, they came here to work for free.
As for the other four villages in Red Tiger Ridge, Zhang Yiqing wasn't sure, but for his Tiger Tail Village, they hadn't even prepared meals for those laborers.
There was no other way. Initially, he thought clearing the snow path would take at most one night. It wasn't particularly strenuous work, so there was simply no need to prepare any food.
Of course, the more crucial reason was still his unwillingness to spend money.
A little food wasn't much, but with a large number of people, the situation was different.
He had conscripted over ten thousand people from Tiger Tail Village. To perform well in front of the important figures from Qinghua City, he also conscripted over twenty thousand people from the eight villages south of Tiger Tail Village, totaling over thirty thousand people.
Over thirty thousand people—even if only providing one meal, the consumption would be terrifying.
But now, that wouldn't work!
"When we came the night before last, it was clearly stated that once we cleared the snow path, we could go back. Now you won't let us go back?"
"Aren't you just bullying people? The army has been gone for so long. Why keep us here?"
"Build the official road? We haven't received any benefits from you. Why should we stay here and build the official road? We helped you work for free for a day, and now you actually want us to keep working? This is simply going too far!"
"We haven't eaten for fifteen hours. We came to help you work, and you don't even give us food? Is there no justice in this world?"
………………
West of Tiger Tail Village, at the end of the official road, tens of thousands of ragged civilian laborers were gathered together, directing their questions at Tiger Tail Village's management personnel. Their voices were full of anger, clearly on the verge of erupting.
On Tiger Tail Village's side, although there were only about a hundred people, they wore silk garments, clean and neat, and their energy and spirit were clearly far superior to those laborers.
Even facing the anger of tens of thousands of laborers, their attitude remained arrogant. Not a trace of fear could be seen on their faces; their eyes even occasionally revealed disdain.
Of course, if one looked carefully, among the tens of thousands of laborers, those actually shouting angrily were only the hundred or so people at the front. Those behind, although anger burned in their eyes, upon closer inspection, their expressions were timid and submissive, clearly harboring more fear in their hearts.
"A bunch of barbarian lowlifes without even household registration! Being able to work for the feudatory is a blessing you couldn't obtain in eight lifetimes. Dare to make trouble here? Anyone who doesn't want to build the official road, if you have the guts, step forward one step and let me see!"
The laborers' angry denunciations were quickly interrupted.
From Tiger Tail Village's management team, a young man with a sinister appearance stepped forward. Drawing the large blade from his waist, he pointed it at the hundred-plus leaders at the front of the laborer group and spoke sharply, instantly suppressing everyone's aggressive aura.
"That's Zhang Hai, son of Tiger Tail Village Leader Zhang Yiqing. He's twenty-three this year. I heard he broke through to the Warmth Realm at nineteen and now has 7 Zong of strength."
"Twenty-three, 7 Zong... that's..."
"He grew up in Qinghua City and came to Tiger Tail Village three years ago. In the Red Tiger Ridge martial competition the year before last, no one his age was a match for him. Several village leaders from the south were defeated by him."
…………
The discussions among the laborers, while adding a few traces of pride to Zhang Hai's face, didn't stop him from staring fixedly at the hundred-plus troublemakers at the front. His long blade pointed horizontally through the air, clearly conveying the attitude that whoever dared step forward, he would immediately act.
"Leader Zhang has indeed raised a fine son!"
Just as Zhang Hai and his men were in a stalemate with the laborer group, on the watchtower at the eastern entrance of Tiger Tail Village, Zhang Yiqing was quietly watching alongside Huang Qingyuan, who had come from Qinghua City.
Hearing Huang Qingyuan praise his son, a few smiles naturally appeared on Zhang Yiqing's face. However, he still modestly said, "You flatter me, sir. He's just a kid, all brute force and nothing more. To get these thirty thousand-plus people to help build the official road, relying solely on ruthlessness won't work!"
Huang Qingyuan himself possessed 37 Zong of strength and was also one of the five chief stewards under Qinghua City's jurisdiction. Both in terms of strength and status, he was on the same level as his grandfather, Zhang Kuang. Although Zhang Yiqing usually acted like a tyrant in Tiger Tail Village, in front of this person, he could only humble himself, adopting an extremely subservient posture.
"Hahaha!"
Huang Qingyuan laughed upon hearing this and asked with interest, "It seems Leader Zhang already has a plan in mind. As far as I know, from your Tiger Tail Village to the Bone-Erosion Path, the entire distance is over ninety kilometers. Just a rough estimate for this official road would cost two hundred thousand taels. Yet the funds allocated to you by the Finance Department are only one hundred fifty thousand taels. How do you plan to build it?"
Building an official road, of course, required money.
The Evergreen Valley official road had provoked City Lord Cai Yunzhou's great fury, leading to the dismissal of three department heads in a row. The three new department heads who took over naturally treated this matter as a top priority. They worked overnight to allocate the budget for building the official road.
Two hundred thousand taels was the rough estimate by the three new department heads. Actually, the budget reported upwards by the Tiger Tail Village leader responsible for this official road construction, namely Zhang Yiqing, was three hundred thousand taels.
Directly cutting it in half sounds exaggerated, but in Caiqiu's official circles, this was actually standard practice.
Caiqiu's territory was vast, with many places undertaking large-scale construction projects. Those below, seeing this good opportunity for profit, naturally didn't want to miss it. They often reported inflated budgets. In any case, once the project was completed, it was all recorded as deficits.
Actually, this couldn't entirely be blamed on those below. The problem started from the top being crooked. The Finance Departments in various localities controlled the purse strings. Whenever funds were involved, there was always layer upon layer of skimming. The initially agreed budget of one hundred thousand would often end up as fifty thousand at best when it reached the bottom.
When those above have policies, those below have countermeasures. Since the upper beam was not straight, the lower beams naturally started to tilt. Since everyone was embezzling, those below simply reported inflated budgets. As long as it wasn't too outrageous, they could still gain some benefit after completing the project. Why not do it?
The absolute maximum budget figure Zhang Yiqing himself had calculated was actually one hundred thousand taels, of course, after deducting the laborers' wages and reducing their treatment. Reporting three hundred thousand upwards showed considerable audacity.
Originally, he thought the higher-ups would at least issue two hundred thousand taels. That way, after greasing palms up and down, Tiger Tail Village could still end up with twenty to thirty thousand taels.
But Zhang Yiqing never expected the Finance Department to be so ruthless this time, giving only one hundred fifty thousand taels of silver. Moreover, they had Huang Qingyuan bring it overnight and also conveyed a message through him: complete the entire official road within a half-month deadline.
Some things required time to maneuver. His absolute maximum budget of one hundred thousand taels first assumed time wasn't so tight. Only then could he negotiate with these conscripted laborers, either deducting or placating, ultimately withholding their wages to make a profit.
But he never expected the Finance Department head to impose a deadline.
And the payment wasn't like before—it was incredibly fast. Tiger Tail Village had built official roads before, but the Finance Department's funding speed was like a snail's pace, requiring repeated pleas, dragging on for months before coming through.
However, considering City Lord Cai Yunzhou's great fury, it wasn't surprising the Finance Department would take this matter so seriously.
Although he couldn't make as much, at least they gave one hundred fifty thousand taels, still within an acceptable range. Considering City Lord Cai Yunzhou might also be paying attention to this official road construction, Zhang Yiqing naturally had to do his utmost.
How to suppress and placate the laborers, he had already arranged.
"Who dares to step forward, huh?"
While Zhang Yiqing was pondering, his son Zhang Hai's angry shout from the end of the official road came over again. He and Huang Qingyuan both turned to look.
Zhang Hai was currently somewhat carried away by success. Although he usually acted like a tyrant in Tiger Tail Village, how could that compare to the exhilaration of this moment, where he alone suppressed tens of thousands of people?
Among the hundred-plus leaders in the laborer group, there were actually a few with relatively strong strength whom he couldn't gauge. But the hundred-plus Tiger Tail Village management personnel standing behind him weren't pushovers either.
His father had instructed: first suppress, then placate with food. Only by combining kindness and severity could they make these thirty thousand-plus laborers obediently cooperate in building the official road.
Right now, he was implementing the suppression.
A bunch of mud-legged lowlifes without household registration, dreaming of rebellion?
Zhang Hai looked at the fear on the faces of the hundred-plus people ahead and sneered slightly. Guessing the other side likely wouldn't take any further action, he was about to slowly lower his long blade and continue speaking.
However, it seemed he had miscalculated somewhat.
At the front of the group, a middle-aged man suddenly staggered forward one step.
…………
The already tense scene instantly became even more silent.
Zhang Hai's expression instantly froze. A surge of anger shot up from the depths of his heart.
He had been demanding, "Who dares to step forward?" This middle-aged man's action was undoubtedly slapping him in the face.
The key was that it was in front of tens of thousands of laborers.
After that middle-aged man stepped forward, his expression clearly showed he was stunned. Seeing Zhang Hai's murderous gaze, his face was instantly covered with terror. He hurriedly turned his head toward the back and said, "Someone pushed me! Someone pushed me! I..."
"Die!"
Zhang Hai took the middle-aged man's shouts as the terrified babbling of someone facing death. With the situation at a stalemate, it was impossible for him not to act.
His body leaped, his long blade sweeping down through the air, directly chopping at the middle-aged man's forehead.
That middle-aged man was also at the Warmth Realm cultivation level, but his strength was only three Zong. He had no weapon in hand. In his panic, he could only raise his arms to block.
*Squelch...*
How could skin membrane and flesh contend with a weapon?
Zhang Hai's long blade directly chopped through the middle-aged man's arm. With a *crack* sound as it came down, it split his head open like a melon.
Yellow and white fluids spilled all over the ground, immediately frozen by the cold air, exceptionally conspicuous in the dark night. The hundred-plus Warmth Realm individuals leading the resistance closest to the middle-aged man all shivered simultaneously.
If even they were like this, those Digging Realm and even Lumberjack Realm laborers further back went without saying.
"He killed someone!"
"Young Master Zhang killed someone!"
"Who was killed?"
"The leader of Baishui Village, Zhu Hang."
"He just killed him, just like that!"
………………
As low discussions continuously spread through the crowd, the large number of laborers in the back quickly learned what had happened at the front. Instantly, they became as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to make any further sound.
The scene once again fell into silence!
"This young master said, being able to work for the feudatory is a blessing you couldn't obtain in eight lifetimes. If you dare to chatter more, Zhu Hang's fate is your example..."
After killing someone, this suppression had reached its climax. Zhang Hai seized the moment to issue his final threat. Seeing that among the group of Warmth Realm individuals ahead, many had started breathing heavily, the killing intent in his pupils grew even stronger. But he forcibly restrained it, then suddenly shifted his tone, becoming more conciliatory:
"Since we're asking you to build the road, of course, our Tiger Tail Village will provide meals. The village has long since prepared beast meat stew..."
At this point, he paused slightly, turning his head to gesture toward the rear.
*Creak, creak, creak, creak...*
At his signal, dozens of people by the village entrance immediately began slowly pushing forward a large cart emitting flames.
The cart had a hollow bottom with a stove opening. Inside, coal fire burned fiercely. On top rested ten large cauldrons, each two meters in diameter, covered with lids. The boiling inside could be clearly heard.
Beast meat stew!
Tiger Tail Village was actually so kind-hearted as to prepare beast meat stew for them?
All the laborers, including the hundred-plus Warmth Realm individuals who had led the trouble at the front, looked at those ten large cauldrons, their eyes instantly lighting up.