IDWBE -Chapter 199 A Profitable Deal

He hadn’t expected things to turn out like this. He planned to summarize the lessons learned from this campaign and, next time, assign an escort officer to keep the suppliers in line—no more acting recklessly.

The army moved quickly, surviving on their carried rations, and finally, after five days, they overtook the laborer squads and had a few hot meals.

The roads were clear, so their pace was fast. Within a few days, they reached the border between Sanhe and Yuezhou.

Yuezhou’s roads remained as rugged and difficult as ever. By the time they painfully made their way to Baiyang City in Yuezhou, the city gates were wide open, bloodstains were everywhere, and many laborers were digging graves to bury the corpses.

The suppliers had set up their stalls at the city gates, with long queues in front. Some carried sacks of rice, some held silk, some clutched jade artifacts.

He Jixiang was stunned.

Though he had already heard the laborers had breached the city, seeing it with his own eyes was hard to believe.

He didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh.

These bastards had actually taken the city on their own initiative!

“Sir He, you’re a bit late,” said the butcher with a cigarette holder, laughing heartily. “We killed four thousand enemies, captured over two thousand, and the bandit chief Yang Chong has already had his head chopped off. Want me to show you?”

He pointed toward the high city walls, where a head dangled from the battlement.

Li Sanniang, seeing He Jixiang’s serious expression, quickly said, “Sir He, rest assured, we’ve always adhered to military discipline and haven’t disturbed the civilians. These goods were taken from the rebels.”

“All valuables must be confiscated, don’t forget!”

He Jixiang snapped.

Liang Qingshu, the head steward from the Liang family, smiled and said, “Sir He, please calm down. This was all done by the laborers themselves. Even if I wanted to stop them, I couldn’t. They insisted on bringing these items over, and I couldn’t refuse.”

Bao Kui rode over and reported, “Sir, all prisoners have been handed over—a total of 2,352. About half are injured; many may not survive.”

“Leave them all under the laborers’ watch, then rest for a day,” He Jixiang nodded. “Tomorrow, we march straight to Xiba City.”

Liang Qingshu cupped his hands and said, “Good sir, the Wang and Yan families have probably already reached Xiba City and may have taken it.”

“Huh?”

He Jixiang frowned.

Who were the official soldiers? Who were the laborers?

“The two families have over four thousand laborers,” Li Sanniang said with a smile, “most are skilled in internal power, and many are third- or fourth-rank warriors.”

He Jixiang angrily asked, “What about Granary City?”

The butcher replied, “I heard from the Hu Banquan family that they went to Granary City. Sun Quezi and Huang Daoji went to Daliang City.”

Chaos! Everything was in chaos!

He Jixiang’s mind was in a mess. How dare these bastards act on their own!

Seeing He Jixiang so frustrated, Liang Qingshu quickly said, “Sir He, rest assured, there will be no shortage of provisions. We have made separate arrangements.”

“Good!”

He Jixiang said gruffly, “Tomorrow, we march straight to Tancheng!”

The capital of Yueyang—the stronghold of Han Hui!

The laborers had already taken the towns along the way. Besides heading straight to the capital, where else could he go?

The thirty-thousand-strong army entered the city.

Baiyang City was a scene of ruins; from the broken gates, eyes peered out at the marching soldiers, who stepped in unison.

He Jixiang reined in his horse and looked back at Liang Qingshu. “Distribute porridge tomorrow. Let them see the mercy of Lord He.”

Liang Qingshu was alarmed. “Sir He, these provisions are limited, and—”

“Record it in the accounts,” He Jixiang interrupted. “You won’t lose your share returning, and besides, you cleared the warehouses here—there’s no shortage of food.”

“Yes, sir.”

Liang Qingshu didn’t dare argue further.

He Jixiang entered the yamen and sat in a chair in the back office. He had barely closed his eyes when Zhang Mian entered.

Zhang Mian cupped his hands. “Sir, these suppliers haven’t touched the treasury; not a single coin was moved.”

“Not moved?”

He Jixiang was surprised.

Zhang Mian smiled. “Exactly. I guess they didn’t have the guts.”

He Jixiang snorted. “Fortunately, they weren’t that greedy. At least they have some sense—otherwise, the regulations would have been meaningless.”

The most critical thing: if Lord He found out… then there’d be no saving them! Anyone who tried to take advantage of Lord He would probably wish they were dead.

Zhang Mian smiled. “Sir, that’s over a hundred thousand taels of silver and gold, plundered by the rebels from the city. They didn’t dare touch it.”

“So much?”

He Jixiang was shocked.

He never imagined such a small city like Baiyang would have that much silver.

He could already imagine how excited Lord He would be upon hearing.

He immediately arranged five hundred soldiers and two hundred laborers to escort the gold and silver back to Baiyun City, along with the captured prisoners.

As the sun set, laborers lit large pots at the four city gates and along the central axis, cooking porridge that filled the city with its aroma.

Gongs and drums sounded, calling out to get the townsfolk to come for porridge.

At first, barely a hundred people emerged.

It wasn’t until nightfall that cautious people slowly opened doors and peeked outside.

The laborers, growing impatient, shouted, “If I don’t kill you, that door won’t hold! Come eat now! It’ll burn soon!”

Gradually, more people came out, all ragged and emaciated.

The children were the worst off—their ribs were visible.

Some laborers felt choked up; the rebels had caused terrible devastation here.

By morning, even more emerged.

They discovered Sanhe soldiers sleeping at their door. At first, they were scared, but seeing the soldiers ignored them, they dared approach the porridge pots.

Some soldiers even called out: “Lord He is merciful. Sanhe soldiers uphold military discipline, harming none. Do what you need to do.”

By sunrise, almost everyone had come out. They watched the orderly formation, chanting “one, two, one,” as the soldiers marched out.

These soldiers were unlike any they had seen before. They couldn’t explain exactly why.

He Jixiang marched ten miles and soon saw laborers from Baiyang City catching up.

These people must have heard he was attacking Tancheng and rushed to profit from it.

Thinking of the treasury at Baiyang City, seeing Liang Qingshu’s smiling face no longer annoyed him.

Liang Qingshu said, “Sir, congratulations! Xiba City, Granary City, and Daliang City have all fallen. With the forces united, we can strike straight at Tancheng!”

“Hmph.”

Just mentioning it made He Jixiang angry.

Thirty thousand soldiers out for so long hadn’t seen the enemy, hadn’t drawn swords, hadn’t killed anyone!

The only comfort: the laborers who took Xiba, Granary, and Daliang, like Liang Qingshu, didn’t touch the treasury. Now, fifty-five thousand taels of silver were being escorted back.

Could this be the war spoils Lord He spoke of?

If Tancheng fell and Han Hui was defeated, there would be even more.

“Zhang Mian, take three thousand light cavalry, ten days’ rations, move faster! Report back if anything happens!”

He Jixiang shouted suddenly.

No matter what, these laborers couldn’t get ahead of him again.

After Zhang Mian left with the cavalry, He Jixiang pushed the army forward at full speed.

The laborers weren’t trained to carry heavy loads and naturally lagged, especially with supplies, but they remained unhurried.

With the rations in his hands, no matter how fast the soldiers ran, the monks wouldn’t escape. Everyone had to wait for him.

Sure enough, two days later, they caught up with the soldiers and the cavalry, merging together.

They set up camp and began cooking.

Inside the tents, lights flickered like fireflies.

He Jixiang, aged and exhausted from long marches, slumped in a chair, puffing on a cigarette holder.

Zhang Mian waited for him to open his eyes, then said slowly, “Sir, Han Hui has learned that four cities have fallen. He’s mobilizing troops; there may be an ambush. How should we proceed?”

He Jixiang asked, “How many troops at Tancheng?”

“Reported as three hundred thousand, but actually only two hundred thousand, many of them old, weak, women, and children. Over thirty thousand are stationed in towns along the way. Combat-ready troops in Tancheng likely under one hundred thousand,” replied Wang Tuozi.

He Jixiang said calmly, “Then we meet the enemy with the enemy, the water with the soil. Issue orders: all troops arm tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

Everyone shouted in response, except the blind man Wang Dong and swordsman Ye Qiu at the gate.

He Jixiang walked over, cupped his hands. “Tomorrow, we’ll rely on the two of you—catch the leader first.”

“I know—catch the leader first, insult the mother later,” Ye Qiu said lazily. “If someone shows their head, I’ll kill them on the spot.”

The blind man nodded silently.

“Thanks to both of you,” He Jixiang smiled. “That’s perfect.”

With martial arts experts present, one cannot treat them as ordinary men.

Shen Chu said, “Sir, I volunteer as vanguard tomorrow.”

“No need,” He Jixiang said. “The cavalry will charge to lure the enemy in; we’ll encircle them from behind.”

That night, it rained again, damp and cold.

He Jixiang’s brow furrowed even more. How many people and animals had fallen ill now?

Rain and snow are the worst for marches and battles.

Meanwhile, Baiyun City was still under blazing sun.

Lin Yi watched carts upon carts of silver being returned, grinning from ear to ear.

After so many campaigns, this was the first time he didn’t lose money.

With money, he could spend as he pleased! Build roads if he wanted, build bridges if he wished!

“This deal’s worth it,” Lin Yi said, opening a chest of gleaming silver, eyes squinting at the brightness. He told Shan Qi, “Deposit it all in the Sanhe treasury, then use bills to repay debts later.”

Shan Qi smiled. “Thank you, Lord.”

He was even happier than Lin Yi. With money, nothing could constrain them.

Lin Yi told Mingyue behind him, “Add an extra meal tonight.”

With money, of course, they’d indulge! Otherwise, why even have it?

“Understood, Lord.”

Mingyue was equally pleased.

The days of austerity in the Lord He household were over. Meals were lavish again, and the chefs performed at peak skill, everyone eating heartily.

Sun Yi also came over, nose twitching.

With Shen Chu and the soldiers away, the Sanhe garrison was nearly empty. As the head instructor, Sun Yi had full authority at home.

After a full meal, he sat on the doorstep, watching the sun set behind Baiyun Mountain. “The sunsets in Sanhe are even more beautiful than Ankang City’s.”

“Old Sun,” Fang Pi laughed, “you’re just talking nonsense. Everyone says the capital is the largest city, with huge crowds. Sometimes, walking shoulder to shoulder.”

“Of course,” Sun Yi smiled. “But Ankang City doesn’t have Sanhe’s laws. It’s pushy, and if someone’s unhappy, with your weak skills and no influence, they could kill you.”

“Then there’s no law!” Fang Pi blushed.

“Does Nanzhou have law?”

Sun Yi snorted. “Nanzhou is as it is, Ankang City is the same.”

Fang Pi fell silent.

He had seen officials going house to house, conscripting labor and collecting taxes. His father died from exhaustion while on conscript duty, beaten by the officials for resting.

His mother died in a storm.

He was alone in the world.

Sun Yi patted his shoulder. “Enough, don’t be like that. Everyone suffers. Meeting Lord He is your luck.”

Fang Pi slapped his hand away. “Old Sun, you have parents, you’re different from me.”

“True, luckier than you,” Sun Yi smiled. “Why are you calling me Old Sun now? Didn’t you used to call me by name?”

“Master Xie said I can’t call you by name anymore,” Fang Pi replied. “From now on, you’re Sun Yi.”

“Can’t Heaven or Earth dictate what I’m called?” Sun Yi laughed. “Did old Xie really say that?”

Yu Xiaoshi said, “Master Xie said you violated the naming taboo.”

“Naming taboo?” Sun Yi frowned. “With whom?”

“Lord He!”

Fang Pi suddenly shouted, “Lord He said—”

Sun Yi quickly covered his mouth. “If you speak nonsense again, I’ll hit you!”

Finally, he understood.

Lord He called Lin Yi by his name, while he was Sun Yi. Though written differently, it still broke the taboo!

No one reminded him, and he hadn’t even remembered!

Fang Pi, after Sun Yi released his hand, huffed, “Master Xie said it, not me.”

Sun Yi asked seriously, “When did Master Xie say that?”

Fang Pi: “This morning. He said anyone who miscalls you will get a slap.”

At school, they were all Master Xie’s students and feared the old scholar immensely.

“I… I’m really confused,” Sun Yi muttered.

He got up and went straight to the Commander’s Office.

Master Xie was feeding chickens in the courtyard. Seeing Sun Yi enter, he smiled: “Ah, it’s Sun. What wind blows you here?”

Sun Yi, annoyed, said, “Old man, why can’t you speak directly? Must you beat around the bush?”

Master Xie laughed, “Little one, you are the chief instructor of soldiers, not a petty auxiliary like me to chatter at.”