IDWBE -Chapter 198 Expedition to Yuezhou

No matter what, he refused to become some half-man, half-woman. What meaning would life have then?

No joy at all—might as well be dead.

He fled in disgrace, and when he realized his master hadn’t followed, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With a master like that, he didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse.

Originally, he was a small-time thug on Golden Rooster Mountain, surviving with the big boss and his brothers on whatever scraps came by, always living in uncertainty.

After all, Sanhe was too poor, and Golden Rooster Mountain was even more remote—not even passing trade caravans came through.

Nearby tribes were all dirt poor; there was hardly anything worth stealing.

Moreover, the Li people and Lian people were fierce. Who would succeed in a robbery was anyone’s guess.

Better not to provoke them.

As for Sanhe’s wealthy families, each kept armed retainers to guard their estates, some with martial arts skills or even Second-Rank experts. Their big boss only knew some basic moves, stronger than ordinary men, but not enough to dare confront the powerful.

Their main purpose for gathering was to guard the gold mine on Golden Rooster Mountain. Although difficult to extract, it yielded occasional profit.

At the same time, they helped transport salt and smuggled goods, earning some silver to barely make ends meet.

No matter what, they wouldn’t starve.

But fate is unpredictable, and fortune changes suddenly.

Their mountain hideout atop Golden Rooster Mountain had only a few shabby huts, mainly for shelter from mosquitoes, tigers, leopards, or wolves—otherwise it wouldn’t be unusual to get dragged off in the night.

The most remarkable feature was their toilet, built on a cliff, allowing one to relieve oneself while enjoying the view below—without a hint of odor.

The greatest benefit: once the door was closed, no mosquitoes could get in.

Mosquitoes couldn’t climb up from the cliff bottom like in the old forest, where one could end up red and swollen from bites.

Neither life nor death seemed appealing.

That night, their big boss went to use the toilet, and the wooden board beneath him collapsed. He fell straight into the abyss below.

The bottom couldn’t be seen through the mist.

It was utterly unexpected.

Had they known, they would have replaced that board.

Their big boss was dead—without a doubt.

Only a living deity could survive such a fall, and obviously, he was not one.

Just as everyone was about to divide the belongings and return home to farm, his master Ye Qiu arrived!

One man, one sword, climbing the mountain—having no real sword, he got kicked and spent a month recovering, struggling even to breathe.

Everyone was injured but still had to serve their master carefully, swallowing their grievances.

Later, his master publicly declared the title of “Scholar with a Sword.”

Then he led them to rob!

After years as bandits, this was their first real robbery! And the target was a salt merchant!

Previously, this would have been unimaginable.

His master’s martial arts were superb; no one could match him.

Under his master’s leadership, within half a year, Golden Rooster Mountain rose to fame. They enjoyed true prosperity: meat in abundance, wine in large bowls, silver fairly weighed.

Looking back, he even felt a bit nostalgic, since all the hard work was done by his master—they merely followed behind, waving flags, making noise, and moving things.

And with persistent begging, he shamelessly called his master, who, though impatient, still guided him a little.

He officially began his martial arts journey.

But the good times didn’t last. One day, his master said he was going to challenge the world’s experts—and just left.

No explanation.

He then became the big boss of Golden Rooster Mountain, bearing the title of “Scholar with a Sword,” leading the brothers through hardship.

He lacked his master’s skill to confront salt merchants.

He even feared their revenge, hiding on the mountain, barely venturing out.

Life was miserable!

What surprised him most was that his master returned unexpectedly and brought him before the prince.

Golden Rooster Mountain now belonged to the prince. He and his brothers were stationed at Sanhe Guard, assigned to Bird Release Island, living off their monthly stipend, and had married a wife and two concubines from the refugees.

Life was dreamlike.

The only unpleasant part was his superior, Han Deqing, constantly making life difficult!

This time, he even dared to beat him.

His greatest support—his master—couldn’t even back him up.

Truly helpless.

Walking along, shaking his head, he remembered halfway that he had come on horseback. Not daring to return immediately, he decided to sneak back at night to fetch it, avoiding an encounter with his master.

His home was on the south bank of the Xi River, on land assigned by the Provincial Office. He and his brothers lived together in houses built with the buyout fee from the prince for Golden Rooster Mountain.

He got the largest share, so naturally his house was the biggest: four rooms in front, four in back, walls on two sides, housing three wives and two children.

The children: one from the legitimate wife, one from a concubine—one boy, one girl. One still an infant, the other just learning to walk. Enough to be satisfied.

But supporting the family was tough!

The monthly stipend was barely enough.

Using his wit, he learned how to extort money from Bird Release Island merchants, bringing in a few taels of silver every month. Life was free and easy.

But the good times didn’t last. Before six months passed, Han Deqing discovered this.

He was beaten, and expelled from the guard.

What would he do now?

Passing the gate, he saw a small child in the hall wearing a short tunic, eating voraciously with chopsticks.

This was his brother-in-law, the younger brother of his legitimate wife.

His face immediately fell—he wasn’t a wealthy landlord and couldn’t sustain such eating!

“You’re back,” Liu, his wife, said, nervous.

“Hmm,” Jiang Sixi replied, unhappy but restrained.

After all, she had married him on the condition that he would help raise her brother.

“Isn’t school in session today?”

If school was in session, meals would be provided! Coming home to eat was wasteful—spoiled kids.

Liu forced a smile. “He finished elementary school, middle school isn’t built yet, so he’s on break at home until the school is ready.”

“I see,” Jiang Sixi thought. The schoolhouse might take forever, meaning extra mouths at home, eating him out of house and home.

Adding in the fathers of his two concubines and his mother-in-law—always dropping by for favors—gave him a headache. Life was unbearable.

He needed a way to make money.

Unable to stay at home, he paced the hall, then left.

He had to consult his brothers, find some income; just sitting on the mountain wasn’t sustainable.

Three days later, he became the head foreman—a construction supervisor, as the latest term in Baiyun City went.

With over ten brothers, he repaired private roads and built houses—a lucrative business.

His first project was renovating the Chunxiang Building.

The building’s water system was damaged, the back courtyard mostly burned. He knew the manager and easily convinced him to assign the work.

With Sun Xing, a local Taoist, as a mediator, contracts were signed, deposits received, officially starting his real estate career.

By late summer, Baiyun City had cooled; evenings were even a bit chilly.

Lin Yi sat in the courtyard listening to Zixia and Mingyue report finances when Qi Peng arrived.

After they finished, he said, “The imperial decree eunuch has reached Xinguang Town. It should arrive tomorrow.”

“Almost forgot,” Lin Yi smiled. “Don’t know why the elder thinks we’d obediently return—he overestimated us.”

Qi Peng reported, “After Wadan retreated, Prince Yong seized Liangzhou. The army has expanded to 150,000, preparing with Prince Jin and Prince Nanling to enter the capital and purge corrupt officials.”

Lin Yi laughed, “What about Old Eight? That Han Hui is so incompetent, he still hasn’t taken Chuzhou.”

Qi Peng said, “The King of Chu is regrouping defeated troops, suppressing rebels. Han Hui is resting in Yuezhou, taking no action.”

“Quite lively,” Lin Yi chuckled. “Everyone’s busy making moves.”

Qi Peng continued, “General Yuan Qing has reached the capital, resigned as Commander-in-Chief. The Emperor tried to persuade him repeatedly but eventually approved.”

“Heh,” Lin Yi scoffed. “Truly obstinate—self-destructed his martial skills. Rising again will be hard.”

Qi Peng agreed.

Lin Yi smiled. “While they make a fuss, we cannot idle. Yuezhou and Hongzhou are promising. If we can unite them with Sanhe, what do you think?”

He lacked land, but needed people and silver.

Sitting at home waiting for refugees—how long would that take? Even when they arrived, they needed to be settled, which required money.

Better to go there directly and make them subjects under his rule.

“I’ll have the porters gather intelligence on Hongzhou and Yuezhou,” Qi Peng said and rolled away.

Lin Yi told Xiao Xizi, “Call the elders here.”

“Yes.”

Xiao Xizi returned shortly. Within half an hour, the elders were gathered.

Lin Yi had Qi Peng explain briefly. The elders’ eyes lit up. Shan Qi said, “Taking Hongzhou and Yuezhou gives Sanhe another protective barrier—it’s the right move!”

Lin Yi interrupted, “Taking them? This is suppressing rebels and upholding imperial law.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” they agreed.

Chen Desheng lamented, “Yuezhou and Hongzhou are fertile lands. Losing them to rebellion reduces taxes by a third—what a pity.”

Lin Yi said, “Then it’s decided. If the expedition lacks funds, we’ll borrow more.”

“Your Highness, rest assured,” Shan Qi smiled. “Once news spreads, people will compete to send money.”

When Sanhe mobilized, the Provincial Office lost money, but local gentry and landlords profited.

Seeing the announcement, Sanhe erupted in excitement, especially those who had been to Daxi City—they knew what it meant.

This time it was Yuezhou and Hongzhou—a completely different matter from the previous Ten-Thousand-Mountain expedition!

With clever minds and diligent hands, wealth was inevitable.

Defeat? They never considered it.

Lin Yi himself was surprised—they had developed the mindset of Sanhe being the best under heaven, including the refugees from Yuezhou and Hongzhou.

Their preparation exceeded that of the official troops.

Most anxious was Bian Jing; craftsmen at the road construction site deserted immediately.

Before the suppliers’ meeting, Sanhe’s prominent families had already secured quotas, preparing supplies without waiting for orders.

Colluding in bidding! Lin Yi ground his teeth in anger.

But he couldn’t touch them—all were his creditors. What could he do?

Efficiency was undeniable—within half a month, expedition supplies were ready.

This time, suppliers included the Li and Lian people, providing a thousand ponies.

For them, this was a low-cost business—they captured wild horses grazing by the rivers, drove dozens back, tamed them uniquely, and sold them locally or to merchants.

Since settling in Baiyun City, this had been their business.

The most infuriating were the Qian people. No money, no action. They demanded to be suppliers too.

Lin Yi cursed, “Collecting my monthly stipend, feeding my children, and even housing built by me—how dare you!”

No conscience at all.

He summoned their leader, giving both kind and harsh words—but they only recognized money, not him.

He even used slogans he had painted on the wall: “Effort brings reward; cooperation wins; development is the truth.”

Lin Yi wondered if these were the same simple, honest tribes he had once known. Now, everyone was obsessed with money.

For the greater good, he placated them, ultimately giving a thousand taels.

Later, they would settle accounts in autumn. They would soon know the eyes of the prince! How treacherous the world was!

Unlike the last attack on the Ayu people, this expedition’s commander was Naval Supervisor Zhang Mian. Sanhe only had him as an officially recognized general.

Though He Jixiang was the actual commander, he acted as a subordinate, operating secretly. Zhang Mian appeared publicly to block gossip.

On the day the army set out, He Jixiang didn’t have time to rally morale, hastily leading troops north—the 30,000 porters had left three days ahead.

He had to catch up.

Many of these porters were martial experts, lawless and reckless. He had to keep an eye on them.

Moreover, all the supplies were with the porters. If they fell behind, would 30,000 soldiers starve on the road?

“The army moves, but the supplies go first”—they were moving too fast.

These porters grew increasingly unruly and outrageous.