Chapter 600: Taking You to Thrive in the Grand World |
Publish Time: 2026-06-27 03:26:49
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The common folk of Hedong City heard only the crackle of firearms and earth-shattering battle cries outside. Once again, terrified, they all hid inside their houses, huddled together, not daring to peer outside.
Before long, they heard the sounds of the “bandit army” crying out and fleeing.
A short while later, the government troops entered the city.
Even knowing it was the government troops outside, the common folk still dared not open their doors.
These days, government troops weren’t necessarily more disciplined than bandit troops.
“Exactly! Hearing them defeated by the government troops… it’s truly distressing.”
“Let’s hope these soldiers don’t come in and rob us.”
Xing Honglang, riding her horse, entered the city at that moment. The subordinate from the salt tax office entered with her. They hadn’t gone far when the Vegetable Market Execution Ground appeared ahead. The subordinate immediately spotted the head of the Salt Tax Officer swinging from the flagpole.
The subordinate had already expected this outcome. Seeing it firsthand now, there was nothing to say. He could only cup his hands towards Xing Honglang, unable to utter a word.
Xing Honglang, however, feigned sympathy and asked him, “How dreadful! The Salt Tax Officer was killed by the bandits! Seems the Guards here are either dead or scattered. What can we do?”
The subordinate could only reply, “Perhaps… General Xing, you could temporarily assume command of this city?”
Xing Honglang: “How is that possible? I am the Puzhou Defender. I must guard Puzhou. Otherwise, if it were attacked by some rogue bandits, I’d be gravely negligent in my duty.”
Subordinate: “Hedong City oversees Jie Pond, the most critical salt production site for the court in Shanxi. It absolutely cannot be lost. It’s far more important than Puzhou City. General Xing guarding it carries much greater significance than guarding Puzhou; the newly appointed Provincial Governor certainly wouldn’t blame you.”
It turned out the Provincial Governor of Shanxi, Song Tongyin, had just been dismissed by Emperor Chongzhen. The new Provincial Governor of Shanxi, Xu Dingchen, had only just taken office, his seat hardly warmed.
What he urgently needed right now was a stable Shanxi, free from chaos.
If he heard about the incident in Hedong City, he certainly wouldn’t blame Xing Honglang for her decisive takeover. On the contrary, he would praise her for doing well and safeguarding the empire’s salt repository.
Xing Honglang: “Then I have no choice but to reluctantly shoulder the burden for now and take charge here.”
The subordinate tasted bitterness in his mouth and wanted to linger no longer, quickly taking his leave.
Xing Honglang led a large group straight to the salt tax office compound.
Entering the compound, she sat down heavily behind the desk. Just then, a sedan chair carrying Dian Deng Zi Zhao Sheng slipped in from the rear.
Zhao Sheng brought all the documents from the office and piled them on the desk. Then he swiftly began flipping through them. He needed to understand the salt production situation at Hedong Road and Jie Pond, the number of salt craftsmen, the layout of the salt villages… and fast.
Heh Heh!
The empire’s salt repository would henceforth be Gaojia Village’s salt repository. It was time to start managing it properly.
…
Captain Chen pretended to be a corpse, carried on the backs of his men as they fled Hedong City.
Old Nan Feng was still leading one troop in hot pursuit.
One fleeing, one chasing, they quickly distanced themselves from Hedong City.
After crossing a small river called the Su River, they found themselves surrounded by wilderness and desolate hills, devoid of human habitation. The group ahead stopped fleeing and halted.
Captain Chen instantly “came to life,” leaping down from the back of a subordinate with a loud, hearty laugh.
The border army soldiers from Guyuan who had been “killed” by the firearms also revived, one after another.
Old Nan Feng’s pursuers quickly caught up.
Captain Chen stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said: “Brother Nan Feng!”
Old Nan Feng laughed heartily: “Old Chen, you came out too, hahaha, all the brothers have come out.”
“Hahaha! Greetings to Brother Nan Feng.”
Over six hundred rebels from the rebel band in Guyuan, their spirits were now vastly different from before; everyone was in high spirits, their morale surging. Compared to when they shamefully fled Guyuan with sallow faces and inner fear, it was nothing like the same.
Old Nan Feng laughed: “It’s good that you’ve come out. The Deity told us that when you emerged, your first act would be to fight us, and it really gave me a big fright.”
Everyone else laughed: “We were the same.”
Captain Chen said: “Next, we’ll be following Brother Nan Feng again. Will you lead us to fight once more, Brother Nan Feng?”
Old Nan Feng roared with laughter: “Fight my ass! Wars are endless! Brothers, I’ll take you into that glittering world from now on, that glittering world, hahahaha.”
Everyone was overjoyed: “We’ve been yearning for the glittering world for many years too.”
Old Nan Feng said: “First, gather all the spoils you’ve seized; don’t hide any.”
Everyone nodded and quickly handed over the gold, silver, and jewels they had dug out from the salt tax office’s house, which soon piled up into a small mountain.
Old Nan Feng said: “All these must be handed over to the village treasury; don’t be envious. By following me, we’ll have so much money in the future, more than we can ever spend. I tell you, organizing concerts is damned too profitable…”
Everyone laughed: “What in the world is a concert?”
Old Nan Feng said: “You’ll understand once we’re back.”
Just as they were chatting animatedly, suddenly, the Deity embroidered with golden thread on Old Nan Feng’s chest spoke: “When you served in the border army in Guyuan, how much military pay did the court owe each of you?”
Old Nan Feng said: “Ah, greetings to the Deity!”
Everyone quickly bowed in respect. Captain Chen then answered: “The court owed us each about thirty-six taels of silver in military pay.”
The Deity embroidered with golden thread smiled: “The money the court owes you must certainly be taken back from them. The amount embezzled by the salt tax office belongs to the court, so it’s only natural that you reclaim your share from the salt tax office’s funds.”
With that, the Deity embroidered with golden thread smiled and said: “Count the spoils, take a portion of the silver, and give each of you forty taels, as if you had successfully demanded your pay from the court. Any surplus after that is to be handed over to the village treasury.”
Everyone was delighted: “Thank you, Deity!”
“The Deity truly cares for us.”
“The Deity is a reasonable immortal.”
The soldiers of the border army in Guyuan cheered wildly, tossing their helmets everywhere in excitement.
One helmet that flew high dropped back down with a thud, hitting someone’s skull, causing intense pain.
Old Nan Feng laughed: “Alright, stop cheering so loudly; distribute the money first, then immediately shed your bloodstained armor and change into plain cotton clothes. Re-do your hairstyles and beards, so you can disguise yourselves as ordinary folk and sneak back into Puzhou City.”
Everyone said: “Understood!”
Everyone busied themselves right away; each got forty taels, changed their outfits, broke into small groups, and headed towards Puzhou City.
Old Nan Feng then led the militia to escort the gold and silver treasures back to Gaojia Village, after which he returned to Hedong City and pretended to report to Xing Honglang: “We failed in chasing the bandits; they escaped.”
With bandits spreading everywhere now, who could have figured out where that ‘bandit group’ had gone?
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