Chapter 600: Bringing You into a World of Glamour
The residents of Hedong City only heard the booming of firearms outside, deafening battle cries shaking the very ground. Once again, they were terrified, huddling together inside their homes, too scared to even peek outside.
Before long, they heard the cries of the "bandit army" fleeing in defeat.
A while later, the government troops entered the city.
Even though they knew it was the government army outside, the common folk still dared not open their doors.
In these times, government troops were not necessarily any more disciplined than bandits.
Many even sighed, “This bandit group wasn't so bad, actually. They didn't kill anyone, didn't start fires, and didn't loot. All they did was seize the corrupt Salt Administration’s ill-gotten gains. What crime is there in that?”
“Indeed, ah, hearing the government forces defeat them really makes one feel disheartened.”
“I just hope these government troops don't come in and plunder us.”
By this time, Xing Honglang had already ridden into the city. The Salt Administration's subordinate followed him in. They hadn't gone far when they reached the marketplace entrance. The subordinate immediately spotted the head of the Salt Administration official, swaying from side to side as it hung from a flagpole.
Xing Honglang, however, feigned surprise and concern, asking him, “This is terrible! The Salt Administration official has been murdered by bandits. It seems the garrison soldiers here are either dead or dispersed. What are we to do?”
The subordinate could only say, “Perhaps General Xing should temporarily take charge of this city.”
Xing Honglang replied, “How can I do that? I am the Commander of Puzhou; I must guard Puzhou. Otherwise, if Puzhou were to be attacked by some rogue bandits, I would be guilty of a grave dereliction of duty.”
The subordinate said, “Hedong City governs Xie Lake. It is the imperial court’s most crucial salt production area in Shanxi and absolutely cannot be lost. It is far more important than Puzhou City. If General Xing secures this place, the significance far outweighs Puzhou. The newly appointed Governor will certainly not fault you for it.”
It turned out that the Governor of Shanxi, Song Tongyin, had already been dismissed by the Chongzhen Emperor. The new Governor of Shanxi, Xu Dingchen, had just taken office, his seat not even warm yet.
What he most needed to see at this moment was stability in Shanxi, with no new disturbances.
If he heard about the situation in Hedong City, he certainly wouldn't blame Xing Honglang for acting decisively on her own. He would even praise her for a job well done, for having protected the empire's salt reserves.
Xing Honglang said, “Then I suppose I’ll reluctantly remain here for now.”
The subordinate felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He no longer wished to linger, and quickly excused himself.
Xing Honglang, meanwhile, led a large retinue directly to the Salt Administration Yamen.
Once inside the yamen, she settled herself behind the main desk. Just then, a soft sedan chair, carrying Zhao Sheng, the Dian Dengzi, was borne in from the back.
Zhao Sheng took all the documents from the yamen and laid them on the table. Then he rapidly flipped through them. He intended to quickly grasp the salt production of the Hedong Circuit, Xie Lake’s output, the number of salt workers, the layout of salt villages...
Heh heh!
The empire’s salt reserves would henceforth be Gao Family Village’s salt reserves. And they would be managed very, very carefully indeed—
Chen Baihu, feigning death, was carried out of Hedong City on the backs of his subordinates.
Lao Nanfeng, leading a contingent of troops, desperately pursued them from behind.
The two sides, one fleeing, one chasing, quickly moved far from Hedong City.
After crossing a small river called the Sushui River, the surroundings were nothing but desolate hills and wilderness, devoid of human habitation. The group ahead stopped fleeing and came to a halt.
Chen Baihu instantly “came back to life,” leaping down from his subordinate’s back with a flourish, and bursting into hearty laughter.
The Guyuan border soldiers who had supposedly been killed by firearms also came back to life, one after another.
Lao Nanfeng’s pursuers quickly caught up.
Chen Baihu stepped forward, cupping his hands in a salute, “Brother Nanfeng!”
Lao Nanfeng laughed heartily, “Old Chen, you’ve come out too! Hahahaha, all the brothers are out!”
“Hahahaha! Greetings, Brother Nanfeng!”
The more than six hundred Guyuan mutineers now had a vastly different demeanor than before. Everyone was full of vigor, their spirits high. They bore no resemblance to the disheartened, sickly-faced, and terrified individuals who had slunk out of Guyuan back then.
Lao Nanfeng chuckled, “It’s good that you’ve come out. The Heavenly Lord told me you’d come out and that the first thing you’d do was fight me. That really gave me a fright.”
Everyone laughed, “Same here.”
Chen Baihu said, “Next, we’ll be following Brother Nanfeng again. Brother Nanfeng, you’ll lead us into battle again, right?”
Lao Nanfeng guffawed, “Fight what battle, for crying out loud! Battles are endless! From now on, what I’m bringing you into is that world of glamour, a true world of glamour, hahahahaha!”
Everyone was overjoyed, “We’ve been yearning for a world of glamour for years!”
Lao Nanfeng said, “First, gather all the spoils of war you’ve seized. No hiding anything, now.”
Everyone nodded and promptly handed over the gold, silver, and jewels they had unearthed from the Salt Administration official’s residence. It quickly piled up into a small mountain.
Lao Nanfeng explained, “These all go to the village treasury, so don’t get envious. Follow me, and we’ll have money galore, more money than we can ever spend. Let me tell you, organizing concerts is damn profitable...”
Everyone laughed, “What exactly is a concert?”
Lao Nanfeng chuckled, “You’ll find out when you get back.”
As they were chatting animatedly, suddenly, the golden-thread Heavenly Lord on Lao Nanfeng’s chest spoke, “When you served as border guards in Guyuan, how much military pay did the court owe you?”
Lao Nanfeng exclaimed, “Ah, greetings, Heavenly Lord!”
Everyone quickly bowed in respect. Only then did Chen Baihu reply, “The imperial court owed each of us roughly thirty-six taels of silver in military pay.”
The golden-thread Heavenly Lord smiled, “The money the court owed you, you were always entitled to reclaim from the court. And the money the Salt Administration official embezzled was, in essence, the court’s money. Therefore, it is entirely just and proper for you to take your share from the Salt Administration’s funds.”
At this point, the golden-thread Heavenly Lord smiled lightly and said, “Count the spoils of war, take out a portion of silver, and distribute forty taels to each of you. Consider it your successful claim of wages from the imperial court. Any surplus after you’ve claimed your wages shall be submitted to the village treasury.”
Everyone rejoiced, “Many thanks, Heavenly Lord!”
“The Heavenly Lord truly cares for us!”
“The Heavenly Lord is a logical deity!”
The Guyuan border soldiers cheered and leapt with joy. Their helmets were flung everywhere in their excitement.
Helmets thrown high into the air sometimes landed with a thud on someone’s head, causing immense pain.
Lao Nanfeng laughed, “Alright, calm down with the joyous uproar. Distribute the money, then immediately strip off your blood-stained armor, change into ordinary cotton clothes, redo your hairstyles and trim your beards. Then you can disguise yourselves as ordinary people and stealthily return to Puzhou City.”
Everyone shouted, “Understood!”
Everyone quickly got to work. Each received forty taels, then they changed their clothes and groomed themselves. Breaking up into smaller groups, they scattered, heading towards Puzhou City.
Lao Nanfeng, meanwhile, led the militia, escorting the gold, silver, and jewels back to Gao Family Village. He then returned to Hedong City and feigned a report to Xing Honglang: “The pursuit of the bandits failed; they got away.”
At that time, the entire land was overrun with bandits. Who could possibly keep track of where every single "bandit" had gone?
Comments