MLMD -Chapter 103 Old Bai Enters the City

Unlike the suspicious Xu Dingchen and the others, Yue Yang didn’t have so many worries. The reason he wanted to show his strength was simple: he believed that sometimes it was necessary to flex a little.

At this stage, Yue Yang’s development had reached a bottleneck. His army of over eight thousand was already the maximum he could support. Although he had made a fortune from selling salt brought from the modern era, money alone wasn’t enough to maintain an army. Grain, weaponry, a cadre of competent lower-ranking officers, and the necessary military production infrastructure—all of these were obstacles to further expansion.

Since he couldn’t blindly expand his army, he had to focus on steady development, which required time. Therefore, it was both appropriate and necessary to show the surrounding world his strength. Being overly low-key was not advisable. This was also the main reason Yue Yang had just asked Wei Tonghe for weapons and military provisions. Only by letting Wei Tonghe and Xu Dingchen recognize his power could Wei Tonghe stop seeing him as a lamb to the slaughter, and Xu Dingchen would take him more seriously.

By the time he returned home, night had already fallen. Yue Yang entered the house to find Hailanzhu and the Linglong sisters sitting inside, chatting and laughing happily. On the table beside them, dishes were laid out, clearly waiting for some time. Seeing this, Yue Yang felt a pang of guilt. He had just married Hailanzhu yesterday, yet he had left his newlywed wife at home almost all day—it was hardly appropriate.

Just as he was about to speak, Hailanzhu stood gracefully and walked over to him, smiling: “So, husband, you’re back! The meal is ready and waiting for you. Come, let’s eat!”

Even though Yue Yang had already eaten in the inner hall of the prefecture office, he still smiled and sat down. “Alright… everyone, sit down and eat! Ling’er, Long’er, come join us!”

Yue Yang’s household did not adhere to the rigid rules common in many wealthy families of the era. “Eat without talking, sleep without speaking”—such rules were meaningless to him. During the meal, he chatted casually with Hailanzhu and the Linglong sisters about daily life and small jokes, making the three women laugh joyfully.

Watching the three women giggling so merrily, Yue Yang felt a playful itch in his heart. For a moment, he contemplated inviting them all to his room for a night together. But then he thought better of it—he had just married Hailanzhu, and she wasn’t very close to the Linglong sisters yet. They surely wouldn’t agree, so he let the idea go.

After the meal, Yue Yang wrote a letter and called two guards to deliver it overnight to Shunbao and Wu Chengfeng in Wulizhai, who were responsible for training the new recruits. Only then did he return to his room with Hailanzhu to rest.

Yingzhou City was an ancient city with a long history. Though not very large, it had a considerable permanent population of over ten thousand households. On market days—the third, sixth, and ninth of the lunar month—farmers from the surrounding villages would flock to the city. Today was no exception.

Old Bai, in his fifties, was a farmer from Wangjia Village, over ten li from Yingzhou City. In addition to farming, he sometimes made small furniture like tables and stools. On market days, he carried his goods to the city to sell. Recently, however, his old rheumatism made walking difficult, so he brought his son along to help.

When Old Bai and his son arrived at the East Gate, carrying more than twenty small stools, they noticed the atmosphere was completely different from usual. The normally lazy gate guards were now fully armored, shining weapons in hand, standing at attention with chests out and stomachs in. They tried to look imposing, but to Old Bai, who was used to their usual behavior, it appeared downright comical.

Strangely, though the gate was wide open, the guards didn’t let people in and told them to wait outside. Puzzled, Old Bai approached the head guard with a sheepish grin: “Hey, big brother, what’s going on today? Why aren’t we allowed in?”

The head guard glanced at him impatiently. “Mind your own business. Wait outside, you’ll get in soon enough.”

“But… how long do we have to wait?”

“How should I know? Just wait, stop asking silly questions!” The guard, a man with a scraggly beard, pushed Old Bai aside.

Old Bai grew anxious. If he couldn’t get a good spot in the market soon, today’s business would suffer. Desperate, he grabbed the guard’s arm and pleaded, “Sir… the market opens soon. We need a good spot. Please, let us in first!”

“You old bastard, you ungrateful—!” The guard’s face flushed with anger, and he shoved Old Bai. Just as he was about to strike, some bystanders rushed forward to stop him.

A small trader who knew the guard smiled and said, “Fourth Master Ma, we’re all neighbors. Don’t take it personally; Old Bai is just anxious. Let him off this once.”

“Yes, sir. Look at the old man—how could he withstand your blows? Please, give him a break.”

Reluctantly, the bearded guard stopped, muttering: “Alright, alright. Listen up, everyone! Today isn’t like other days. Our new commander, Commander Yue—you know him, right? Today he’s bringing the army to the training ground for drills. The prefect, the governor, and local gentry will all watch. Commander Yue’s army is already outside, about to enter. You wait here so the army can enter first. Got it?”

“What? Commander Yue’s army is doing drills today?” The crowd was stunned, murmuring and questioning the guard.

“Enough questions. Believe it or not, just wait outside quietly. If you get in the way, don’t blame me!” Ma Laosi barked, shoving them aside.

Soon, the sound of approaching hooves made the ground tremble. Ma Laosi’s face turned pale. “Everyone, clear the way! The army’s cavalry is coming!” He hurriedly positioned his ten-plus guards along the gate walls.

A thunder of hooves grew louder, followed by a dust cloud and a massive wave of riders charging into view. The citizens, previously corralled along the walls, were stunned. The riders wore silvery-gray armor covering their entire bodies, even face masks leaving only the eyes visible. Their appearance was both mysterious and fearsome. Without stopping, they surged straight into the city.

The cavalry line was long; it took half an hour to fully enter. During the entire process, they were completely silent, save for the rhythm of hooves.

Only after the riders had passed did Ma Laosi signal the citizens to enter.

“Dad… who are these people? Why do they look so scary?” asked Old Bai’s son, still shivering.

Old Bai sighed. “Why ask so much? Didn’t you see I almost got beaten for asking too many questions? Let’s just sell our goods and buy some cloth for your mother and sister. Farmers shouldn’t meddle in other matters. Come on, let’s go!”

After a moment, Old Bai snapped at his son impatiently: “Hey… you little rascal, are your ears deaf? Didn’t you hear me?”

His son grabbed his hand excitedly: “Dad… after we enter, let’s go see the drills at the training ground! This kind of thing only comes around once in eight generations!”

“What… see the drills? You don’t want to sell stools anymore?” Old Bai fumed, reaching to smack his son, but his son dodged and held his hand firmly.

“Dad, think about it. Today Commander Yue is doing drills at the training ground. Fewer people will be buying in the market, right? If we go there, it’ll be bustling, and maybe we can sell our stools for a good price!”

“Hmm… you’re right, that makes sense.” Old Bai nodded. “Alright, let’s try our luck at the training ground. Let’s go.”

With that, the father and son set off into the city with their stools, followed by a crowd of others with the same idea.