Chapter 605: You Join Us Too
Hedong Circuit!
Xing Honglang's forces were stationed in Hedong City.
Zhao Sheng, along with a team of clerks, had temporarily taken over the administration of Hedong Circuit.
However, everyone knew that the imperial court would likely soon dispatch a new envoy to manage the Salt Administration Bureau. If they didn't want to immediately break ties and go to war with the court, these administrative duties would eventually have to be handed over to the new envoy.
Therefore, before that handover, Gao Family Village also needed to make thorough arrangements.
Zhao Sheng swiftly marked over a hundred names on the roster of salt artisans, then handed the list to Xing Honglang. "Instructor Xing, these marked individuals are willing to work as salt artisans for us. Those not marked are currently unwilling to leave."
Xing Honglang took the roster, scanned it, and nodded. "I understand. When reporting to the imperial court, we'll state that all these marked individuals were killed by the rebels."
Zhao Sheng smiled. "Indeed, these people are now deceased."
He then produced another sheet of paper with a number written on it. "This is the total amount of salt that can still be produced by the remaining salt artisans after 'losing' a batch. From now on, the salt output Hedong Circuit reports to the imperial court should be based on this new figure."
The Puppet Heavenly Lord on Gao Chuwu's shoulder clattered with laughter. "Yes, half the production! Zhu Youjian will likely weep when he sees this. His belt is already tight; now his most important salt-producing region is cut by half. He might even feel like banging his head against a wall in the middle of the night."
Xing Honglang asked, "Heavenly Lord, will we really get away with this? Won't the imperial court conduct a thorough investigation?"
"They will!" the Puppet Heavenly Lord laughed. "Zhu Youjian certainly won't be pleased with such shenanigans. He'll definitely send eunuchs to investigate whether the salt output here has truly decreased by half."
Cheng Xu interjected with a laugh, "Eunuchs are the easiest people to handle. Give them some silver, and they'll tell Zhu Youjian whatever you want them to say."
Everyone burst into laughter.
The entire Xie Lake was now under the control of the Gao Family Village Militia. Around Xie Lake, people from Gao Family Village had already visited the various salt villages, offering high wages to the salt artisans to work for them.
The militia separated the salt artisans who agreed to work for Gao Family Village from those who refused, settling them in different villages.
From now on, all salt produced by the villages working for Gao Family Village would be transported directly there. The salt produced by the unwilling villages would be left for the imperial court to deal with.
The only remaining issue was the imperial court's subsequent appointments.
Whether the court would allow Xing Honglang to remain stationed in Hedong Circuit was the critical factor for whether Gao Family Village's current arrangements could be implemented.
Just then, the door curtain was pushed aside, and Tie Niaofei slipped in.
Several days had passed, and Tie Niaofei's injuries had healed. He was wearing clean clothes, and the Heavenly Lord's effigy on his chest was sparkling clean, no longer stained with blood.
As he entered the room, he grinned, "Hey, brothers, my wounds are completely healed. Starting today, I can get back into the game!"
Xing Honglang gave him a long glance. "All your men died, didn't they? Are you going to run your trade alone from now on?"
"Uh..."
Tie Niaofei froze for a moment. This was a serious question.
He could recruit more men, but without a core group of loyal subordinates, relying solely on outside recruits made it easy for them to commit internal theft, kill him for his goods, or engage in dangerous infighting. For example, if you already had twenty men and hired five more, that would be fine; the new five would blend in with the old twenty. But if you had no men at all and hired twenty, they might very well butcher you halfway through a trading journey and split the goods. A lone wolf found it difficult to survive in this business.
Tie Niaofei's expression grew serious.
Xing Honglang smiled. "Tie Niaofei, you're one of us now. Stop operating outside the organization; formally join Gao Family Village and become one of our managers."
Tie Niaofei said, "Huh? Can I really?"
The Puppet Heavenly Lord clattered with laughter. "You can!"
With the Heavenly Lord's golden word, how could it be impossible? Tie Niaofei was overjoyed. "I am merely a salt smuggler. What virtue or ability do I possess to deserve the Heavenly Lord's favor?"
Cheng Xu spoke up, laughing. "The fact that you didn't utter a single word after being captured by the Jin merchants makes you a respectable hero. The organization needs talent like you. Honestly, no exaggeration, you're a truly tough man. If it were me, I might have confessed without even needing torture."
Everyone stared.
Cheng Xu continued, "Don't look at me with such strange eyes! What's wrong with confessing? If I had confessed back then, the Jin merchants might have brought people to Puzhou City to assassinate Xing Honglang. Once they were in our territory, they wouldn't have been able to leave, which would have been easier than us attacking Hedong City. See? Now the Jin merchants have escaped, and we don't know where to find them. What a hassle."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Indeed, it seemed there was some truth to that.
The Puppet Heavenly Lord also clattered with laughter. "Hahaha, Cheng Xu, you scoundrel. Spouting nonsense and disrespecting a hero. I'm deducting five taels of silver from your military pay."
Everyone laughed.
Tie Niaofei had now joined Gao Family Village's management, and he was thrilled. He quickly cupped his fists and said, "Since you all favor me and have let me join your ranks, I shall be bold enough to make a request."
Xing Honglang replied, "Oh? What do you want?"
Tie Niaofei declared, "I want a formidable team to hunt down the Jin merchants. Damn them, they killed over a dozen of my old brothers. I swear I won't rest until I avenge them."
The Puppet Heavenly Lord declared, "Granted!"
With the Heavenly Lord's word, there was nothing more to say.
Zao Ying stepped forward from the side, grinning. "I'll go! My cavalry battalion is increasingly underutilized in direct combat anyway, so why not take on some special assignments? Things like traveling to distant places to find someone are perfectly suited for the cavalry battalion."
Everyone agreed it made sense.
Cheng Xu said, "Then it's settled. Zao Ying will assist Tie Niaofei. Tie Niaofei, first go get your revenge. When you return, we'll arrange a position for you in the military."
As everyone concluded their discussion...
Just then, a local Hedong Circuit bailiff rushed in, looking anxious and cautious, quickly reporting, "General Xing! The new Governor of Shanxi, Xu Dingchen, has arrived!"
Everyone exclaimed, "Oh!"
All of them perked up. The Governor of Shanxi was here. Heh heh, interesting times were surely ahead.
Xing Honglang chuckled twice. "Alright, I'll go meet this Governor and hear what arrangements he intends to make."
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