Chapter 647: Wanted to Squeeze It Out for Him
The first time Zhang Zongheng met Tie Niaofei, he hadn't given the merchant much thought.
But this time, upon seeing Tie Niaofei—no, upon seeing the fifty carts of grain behind him—Zhang Zongheng instantly found the merchant immensely agreeable, the most agreeable person he’d seen in the last year or two.
"Master Tie," Sun Chuanting began, "you've truly given us timely assistance."
Zhang Zongheng asked, "Master Tie, on your journey north, did you encounter any rebel attacks?"
Tie Niaofei laughed. "Yes, I ran into a few small bands of rebels, but I have three hundred guards. We drove them off. No problems."
He didn't want to stir up trouble for himself, so he didn't mention defeating a major rebel like Cao Cao, only that he'd dealt with a few minor groups.
As expected, this didn't arouse any suspicion.
Zhang Zongheng glanced at the three hundred cavalrymen behind him, thinking: *With so many cavalry, dealing with a few small bands of rebels would indeed be effortless. This merchant is quite powerful; where would an ordinary merchant acquire so many cavalry?*
Tie Niaofei, sensing his slight suspicion, smiled and said, "I'm from Hedong Circuit, and I have some ties with Xing Honglang from Yongji. As you both know, Xing Honglang used to be a rebel herself. So, I... well, I borrowed some cavalry from her."
So these three hundred cavalrymen were borrowed from Xing Honglang. They had heard that Xing Honglang was originally a salt smuggler who later became a rebel, then sought pacification from Supreme Commander of Shaanxi's three border regions, Yang He, and now garrisoned Puzhou. Just days ago, she had earned a great merit and was promoted to Military Preparations Commissioner for Hedong.
For a pacified rebel like her, whose forces far outnumbered those of regular Ming officers and generals, lending out three hundred cavalry was no surprise.
Yet...
Since she had already been pacified, these three hundred cavalry were now considered official troops.
How could official troops be lent to a merchant to escort a caravan?
This was outrageous!
Only a pacified rebel would dare such recklessness; a proper military officer would never.
Zhang Zongheng and Sun Chuanting were both a little exasperated. The Datong border army had run out of grain *because* of rebels, and now had grain *because* of rebels. Who could make sense of that?
Still, never mind. They had grain now, and that was cause for great celebration.
Since Zhang Zongheng now had grain, he no longer needed to be courteous to the traitors. He lowered his voice and told his adjutant, "We can deal with Tian Shenglan now! Take that border fortress he bribed, too."
The adjutant clasped his fists, turned, and prepared to leave.
Just then, Tie Niaofei chuckled. "Your Excellency the Governor-General, I have a small, rather impolite request."
Zhang Zongheng raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Speak your mind."
Tie Niaofei said, "There's a... slight old grudge between Tian Shenglan and me."
Zhang Zongheng understood immediately. "You want to deal with him yourself?"
Tie Niaofei grinned. "Precisely."
Zhang Zongheng was no fool. For the sake of fifty carts of grain, there was no reason to refuse such a minor request. He nodded. "Very well. You may go with my men. If Tian Shenglan is captured alive, he will be handed over to you for disposal."
Tie Niaofei was overjoyed.
—
Red Stone Dam, named for a stretch of crimson rocks.
Upon these crimson rocks stood a small border fortress, called Red Stone Fort.
A detachment of Ming soldiers garrisoned the fort, and a small beacon tower stood atop it.
This location was one of the Great Ming's 823 border forts, situated over 120 *li* south of Datong Prefecture. Twenty *li* to the north lay the grazing lands of the Mongol Chahar tribe.
It was closer to the Mongol tribes than to Datong.
At this moment, the forty-five soldiers inside the fort were gathered around several large cooking pots, eating.
While other border armies were running out of food, starving and freezing, these forty-five soldiers of Red Stone Fort feasted on rich, flavorful dishes.
The reason was simple: they had long since betrayed their country.
Tian Shenglan had paid to bribe the soldiers of this fort. Every so often, his caravan would arrive below Red Stone Fort, waiting for the Mongols of the Chahar tribe to appear. Both sides would then conduct their transactions there.
Money for goods, hand to hand!
The Mongols received the grain, salt, tea, iron pots, and other provisions they needed, while Tian Shenglan acquired vast amounts of gold, silver, and jewels... many of them still stained with blood.
Any fool knew that Mongolia produced no gold, silver, or jewels. These were all spoils the Mongols had plundered from the Han people during their raids within the passes.
To then use such blood-money to buy things from the Han people again was truly a cynical pleasure.
Anyone with even a shred of normal morality would never earn money this way.
But Tian Shenglan had none!
Tian Shenglan only recognized money, caring not for its origin or whether it was stained with blood.
Betray his homeland? Ha, as long as he didn't betray money, he'd do anything.
Tian Shenglan now stood atop the beacon tower of Red Stone Fort, gazing northward.
He had just acquired another hundred *shi* of grain, which was laid out below the fort. He'd sent men to notify the Mongols of the Chahar tribe and was now waiting for them to arrive and complete the exchange.
The setting sun gradually dipped below the mountains...
The group of boisterous, feasting soldiers were now sated with food and drink, each one burping and wearing a smug expression.
On the northern grasslands, a large contingent of cavalry appeared.
The Mongols had arrived!
Tian Shenglan saw the Mongols and, as if seeing close relatives, smiled and waved.
The Mongols, too, waved back at Tian Shenglan, both sides waving under the setting sun, like lovers eagerly rushing toward each other.
And meanwhile...
Hidden in the northern grasslands, Tie Niaofei and Bai An, a trusted general under Zhang Zongheng, lay prostrate among a pile of rocks, gazing towards the fort.
Tie Niaofei held a telescope, chuckling as he watched. "Here they come, the Mongols are here. We'll strike when they're mid-transaction, catching them red-handed with the goods."
Bai An's expression was awkward. "What kind of treasure do you have there? Let me see!"
Tie Niaofei chuckled and handed him the telescope.
Bai An took it, marveling aloud, "I can even see the pimples on the Mongols' faces! I really want to squeeze them out for him."
Tie Niaofei exclaimed, "Hey!"
Bai An countered, "Don't *you* feel the urge to squeeze them when you see pimples?"
Tie Niaofei responded, "I only want to squeeze out my *own*. I don't think about squeezing others'. Uh, wait, why are we even discussing this?"
Bai An quickly reined in his strange thoughts. "This thing is amazing, brother. Can you sell it to me?"
Tie Niaofei grinned. "Name your price!"
The words had barely left his mouth when he immediately realized his mistake. *No, no, this isn't my personal item. It's military-grade equipment issued by Gao Family Village. Selling it casually is a serious military offense; I'd be in deep trouble back home.*
He quickly shook his head. "I won't sell it, no matter the price."
Bai An complained, "I was just about to make an offer. Are you messing with me?"
Tie Niaofei wiped his brow. "Uh, it's not mine. I spoke too quickly just now."
Bai An sighed. "What a shame. I really wanted one."
Tie Niaofei was exasperated. "Can you *please* focus on what's important?"
Bai An snapped, "Ah, right, focus! Let me see again... They're about to start trading. Excellent. Give the order: our men can begin to encircle them."
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