Chapter 598: Greed Beyond Measure?
The moment the war cries tore through the night, the townspeople were seized by a visceral fear.
Hedong City was no small settlement, home to tens of thousands of souls. To be startled awake by battle cries in the dead of night, to hear the clash of steel from the southern district, and then the panicked shouts of 'Bandit forces have breached the city!'—it snatched the very breath from the people's lungs.
Every door in the city slammed shut, and then was bolted from within. No one dared to venture out.
In their hearts, they prayed the imperial soldiers would emerge victorious and hold the city.
Their hopes, however, were quickly dashed.
It wasn't long before a shout echoed through the city: “The Salt Inspector is dead!”
The vile official was dead, a cause for celebration, yet the common folk couldn't find happiness. The rebels were here, and their hearts were heavy with fear, anticipating the inevitable: kicked-in doors, ransacked homes, and stolen possessions...
But their deepest fears did not materialize.
The tumultuous night passed with more fright than actual harm.
They sought to discover whose banner now flew, whether the imperial army still held sway, or if the rebels had truly seized control.
Their eyes soon found it: the Salt Inspector's severed head, gruesomely displayed in the city's market square, a sight usually reserved for common criminals after their execution.
Before long, small patrols of rebels appeared on the streets. Each carried a rudimentary megaphone, a cone-shaped device fashioned from sheet metal.
As they walked, they broadcast through their megaphones: “People of Hedong City, do not fear! We are not common bandits. We were once imperial soldiers, forced into rebellion by the court's failure to pay our wages. We have taken enough by seizing the Salt Inspector's wealth. We will not harm you. Go about your daily lives as usual.”
Several such patrols crisscrossed the city, their declarations echoing tirelessly...
They maintained their booming proclamations for hours on end!
The common people finally mustered their courage and ventured into the streets.
Then they discovered, with a gasp of surprise, that it was true! These rebels had indeed occupied the city, yet they weren't killing, burning, or plundering. Their sole activity was an industrious digging, digging, digging inside the Salt Inspector's mansion.
As the common people grew bolder, they openly rushed to witness the commotion.
Consequently, many bold common folk personally witnessed these rebels unearthing vast quantities of gold, silver, and jewels from the Salt Inspector's house.
How this money came to be, the people of Hedong knew all too well.
The Salt Inspector had always been secretly selling salt, diverting government stores to salt smugglers, or selling excess salt quotas, beyond what was permitted, to the Jin merchants.
The people of Hedong knew he was desperately raking in money, but they had no idea just how much. Now, seeing so much gold, silver, and jewels unearthed, they realized their imagination simply couldn't keep pace with a corrupt official's voracious appetite.
“Truly, a venal official!”
“Deserved it!”
“Absolutely deserved it.”
Chen Baihu waved his hand, and his six hundred soldiers began stuffing gold, silver, and jewels into their pockets. As they did, they chuckled with glee: “Hahaha, finally, we've taken back the military pay the court has owed us all these years.”
“Riches beyond imagining!”
“I can finally eat my fill.”
The Guyuan rebels laughed loudly as they took the valuables, but at the same time, whispered amongst themselves: “Hey, don't actually take this home. There's a rule in military discipline: 'All captured spoils must be turned over to the public.' Anyone who secretly pockets it will be sent back to the labor reform camp for a few years.”
“I certainly don't want to go back to the labor reform camp! It's so much fun out here.”
Before long, the pockets of all six hundred-plus men were bulging. Chen Baihu laughed heartily at the watching common folk: “Alright, this old man has made enough, gathered quite a haul. I won't come to plunder you common folk. Go about your business.”
The common folk scattered with a buzz, and even as they dispersed, they couldn't help but chat as they walked: “That corrupt official was truly a scoundrel. With so much money, how could he possibly spend it all?”
“Now he's been robbed by rebels, serves him right!”
“Too bad these rebels won't share any with us.”
“They are rebels! That they haven't plundered us is already a blessing from heaven. And you expect them to share with us? Don't be delusional.”
“Hahaha, you've got a point.”
The common people shook their heads and resumed their daily routines as if nothing had changed—
Meanwhile, in Puzhou.
The subordinate sent by the Salt Inspector rode a fast horse, galloping furiously through the night. He covered seventy li, riding and resting intermittently, and arrived before dawn fully broke.
At the city gate, he argued his case with the sentries for a good while, then had to wait for Puzhou Prefect Qiu Qianfan and Puzhou Commander Xing Honglang to "slowly get out of bed" and meet him.
By the time the subordinate could speak with them, the day had already begun to break.
Qiu Qianfan, upon hearing that neighboring Hedong City had been captured by rebels, was greatly alarmed.
Hedong was a 'Circuit,' an administrative division that functioned essentially as a military district.
Now that even a 'military district' had fallen to the rebels, wouldn't Puzhou, a mere administrative district, be in extreme danger?
Qiu Qianfan's face darkened. “The rebels actually managed to capture a major city like Hedong? This... this... are they really so formidable these days?”
Xing Honglang knew what was truly happening, but maintained a very serious expression. “The rebels are growing stronger by the day,” she stated. “The situation in northern Shanxi is even more severe. I hear the Governor is stationed in Taiyuan, but almost all the cities surrounding it have been captured by rebels.”
Qiu Qianfan: “What are we to do?”
Xing Honglang assumed a confident, reassuring posture. “Prefect Qiu, do not fear. With me, Xing Honglang, here, Puzhou is at least stable. It will not fall into the hands of bandits.”
Qiu Qianfan: “Ah, General Xing’s capabilities, this official is quite confident in them.”
To the subordinate's dismay, the pair casually fell into conversation.
The Salt Inspector's subordinate hastily interjected: “General Xing, I beg you, dispatch troops immediately to rescue Hedong City.”
Xing Honglang arched a brow. “Oh? My duty is to defend Puzhou. How could I arbitrarily run off to Hedong? It's not my jurisdiction; if I were to rush off, that would be a direct violation of military orders.”
Subordinate: “Didn't you reinforce Pingyang Prefecture last time, traveling several hundred li?”
Xing Honglang scoffed. “That was then, this is now. That time, Governor Song Tongyin of Shanxi issued an order, instructing all military officials near Pingyang Prefecture who could provide aid to do so. Only then did I dare to leave my post. This time, there's no order from above. Just one person like you running here for help, asking me to abandon my post—that's not proper, not proper at all. I was originally a former rebel turned official, so it's very easy for people to be suspicious of me. If I were to arbitrarily rush off to Hedong, and the civil officials impeached me, wouldn't I be finished?”
Subordinate: “...”
Her words weren't baseless; they were quite reasonable.
The subordinate could only look to Qiu Qianfan for help.
Qiu Qianfan pondered for a moment, then sighed, turning to Xing Honglang. “General Xing,” he urged, “Hedong Circuit is simply too close—only seventy li away. With rebels holding a city so near, it makes us vulnerable. They could storm into Puzhou at any moment. Perhaps you should still make the journey; as for the imperial court, this official will pen a memorial to explain your actions.”
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