MLMD -Chapter 203 Suppression

“I already know that among you there are all kinds of people—shopkeepers, accountants, clerks, even brothel girls… hehe, truly an eye-opening sight for this official. But that doesn’t matter. You all share one common identity—spies of the Eastern Barbarians.”

“Don’t bother denying it. I won’t waste words arguing with you. Instead, I’ll let these instruments of punishment speak for me. You’ll soon discover that the chili water and tiger bench commonly used in the yamen are child’s play. There are countless methods here beyond anything you could imagine. I guarantee they’ll broaden your horizons—and you’ll gladly tell us everything you know, down to the last detail.”

“Alright then, who shall go first? Oh… this elderly gentleman with the goatee. I hear you’re an accountant. I wonder—after losing your fingernails, will you still be able to hold a brush and do calculations? I’m quite curious. Why don’t you try out these iron pincers first?”

Jiang He already had a gloomy appearance, but when he smiled, it became downright chilling. Standing inside the prison cell with torture instruments hanging behind him, he looked even more sinister. The people before him were hardly paragons of loyalty—the old man who looked like an accountant collapsed to his knees before any punishment was applied. He wet himself on the spot and kowtowed repeatedly, crying, “My lord, I confess… I confess! Isn’t that enough?!”

Three quarters of an hour later, a detailed confession was placed into Jiang He’s hands. He accepted it without expression, glanced through it, nodded silently, and said calmly, “Next!”

Soon, another woman was brought in. She had once been quite beautiful, but her face was now smeared with tears and mucus. Jiang He knew this work would likely continue for several days—he and his subordinates would not get any rest during that time…

Given the current situation in Hunyuan City, a few missing people were nothing remarkable and would not attract attention. The market strike continued, the school strike persisted, and many merchants, seeing that Yue Yang had only posted notices without taking further action, assumed he was merely putting on a tough front. Their courage grew bolder.

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month in the seventh year of Chongzhen, the deadline stated in the notice had passed. Yet not a single shop had resumed business, nor had any merchant surrendered to the command office. Even when some small shop owners tried to secretly turn themselves in, they were quickly surrounded by hooligans, beaten, and had their shops smashed to pieces. After that, no one dared reopen.

During these days, merchants led their clerks, shopkeepers, and even several academy students to gather daily outside the prefectural government office. This had become routine. Every morning, hundreds assembled there holding banners and chanting slogans. Some scholars even quoted classical texts to publicly denounce Yue Yang’s forced taxation policy.

Prefect Jiang Xin of Hunyuan continued hiding inside the government office under the excuse of illness, refusing to appear. Aside from the on-duty constables, no one patrolled the streets, making the merchants and scholars even more reckless. Eventually, they moved tables, chairs, and parasols to the front of the office, clearly intending to maintain a long-term protest.

Today, hundreds of merchants and scholars once again gathered outside the prefectural office. Several academic officials led by Jia Zizhen delivered impassioned speeches condemning the forced tax policy, while Fang Yingdi and others applauded enthusiastically below.

Standing atop a makeshift platform built from temporary tables, Jia Zizhen spoke passionately:

“Wealth may be pursued; even a man holding a whip would seek it. If it cannot be pursued, follow one’s own desires. I love wealth—an honest love! A gentleman seeks wealth through proper means. Yet the court’s plundering of merchants’ profits is tyrannical governance! We must rise to resist such behavior. Every coin we possess was earned through hard labor—how can it be handed over so easily to others…”

He had been speaking for half an hour when he stepped down to drink tea before returning to the platform. Suddenly, a chaotic commotion erupted ahead.

“Help! Help!”

“Quick, someone help—there’s killing!”

Jia Zizhen turned around in shock and saw more than a dozen street hooligans running toward them in panic, as if chased by some terrifying force.

“What are those scoundrels doing?” he muttered irritably.

Annoyed at the interruption, he leapt onto the platform and shouted, “You wretches! We are discussing state affairs here—how dare you disrupt us?!”

“Yes, begone, vermin!”

“Don’t soil our eyes!”

Hooligans had always been despised, especially by scholars who considered themselves societal elites. The crowd waved their sleeves disdainfully as if that alone could drive them away.

But the hooligans didn’t retreat. Instead, they rushed forward faster. Just as Jia Zizhen was about to lose his temper, the leader collapsed to his knees and cried, “My lords, disaster! The troops have entered the city!”

“What? The army is attacking?” the scholars burst into laughter.

Wang Chenglin, who recognized the hooligans as the men hired to spread notices and beat shopkeepers, scolded them, “Nonsense! What troops? How dare you street rats deceive us—careful, we’ll have you arrested and flogged!”

“No, my lord! It’s true!”

Before he could say more, orderly footsteps sounded ahead, followed by a thunderous shout:

“By order of General Xuanwei—those who refuse to reopen will be punished without mercy!”

“By order of General Xuanwei—all merchants must resume business immediately, or face the full force of the law!”

Rows of armored soldiers appeared, converging from all directions. Grey armor, grey muskets—like a rolling grey tide advancing toward them. In front of the troops stood a large crowd of hooligans and servants who had been stirring trouble, all driven toward this spot.

“My lords, disaster! The troops have entered the city—there are soldiers everywhere, at least ten thousand!”

“My lords, the army is here!”

The area outside the prefectural office descended into chaos.

“Scholar Jia, what should we do now?”

“Master Fang, give us a plan!”

Moments earlier, the merchants and scholars had been jubilant. Now their faces turned pale, their expressions ashen.

Fang Yingdi stammered, “Impossible… Yue Yang only has three thousand troops. He still needs to defend the city and protect refugees—where did he get so many soldiers?”

“That’s right—where did he get them?” the crowd murmured.

“Wait—he still has more troops!” Wang Chenglin suddenly shouted. “Though Yue Yang brought only three thousand men, he still has forces in Yingzhou Prefecture. He must have mobilized them!”

“Yes! He used to be the garrison commander there!”

The realization plunged them into despair. Some began glancing around, preparing to slip away.

Seeing their defeatist expressions, Fang Yingdi shouted sternly, “What are you afraid of? Confucius taught benevolence, Mencius taught righteousness! What we do is righteous, worthy of Heaven and the court! We speak for the people—why fear? Yue Yang and his lackeys would never dare attack us. If they do, they betray justice itself! Do not panic—advance with me! I want to see if he dares strike!”

Jia Zizhen gritted his teeth and added, “Master Fang is right! If we retreat now, we admit defeat. We fight for the people—fearless even unto death! Forward together!”

Wang Chenglin shouted, “The dynasty has cultivated scholars for over two centuries—what for, if not this moment? I want to see whether Yue Yang dares defy the world’s judgment! Forward!”

“Forward!”

Re-energized, the scholars and merchants marched ahead, raising banners as hundreds surged forward in a chaotic wave. Some bold hooligans even hurled stones at the approaching troops.

Boom—!

Suddenly, a volley of musket fire erupted from the front, followed by screams of agony…