MLMD -Chapter 40 Counterattack

As far as Yingzhou was concerned, by October the weather had already begun to turn chilly. Late at night, temperatures sometimes dropped to around five or six degrees. Coupled with the lack of nightlife in this era, by midnight the entire street would basically be deserted.

Time slowly crept toward the third watch of the night. The stars and moon hid behind the clouds, plunging the surroundings into such darkness that one could scarcely see a hand in front of one’s face. Dozens of black-clad, masked figures quietly appeared in front of a row of shops in the southern part of the city.

Some of these men carried bucket-like containers, while others held bundles of firewood and other flammable materials. The leader brought more than a dozen companions to the front of the shops and signaled to the rest. The black-clad men nodded in unison, opened their wooden buckets, and evenly splashed the liquid inside over the shop doors and surrounding areas. Others piled firewood and flammable items into the corners of the shops.

Once everything was ready, the leader signaled again. The men tossed aside their empty buckets. One of them took out a fire striker, lit it, and brought the flame to the firewood at his feet. In an instant, a small flame sprang up, quickly growing into towering tongues of fire. By the time the blaze roared to life, the black-clad men had already vanished into the night.

Not long after, the sound of gongs and drums rang out through the darkness, followed by panicked shouts.

“Fire! Fire! Hurry, put it out!”

“Clang, clang, clang… Fire! Fire!”

“What?! Three salt shops burned down, two of them completely? And the several hundred dan of salt we had stored there were all reduced to ashes?” Just as dawn was beginning to break, Yue Yang was jolted awake by the news. Upon hearing it, he flew into a rage.

Yue Laifu stood before him with his head lowered and said softly, “Yes, Young Master. The only shop that wasn’t burned was saved because a clerk got up in the middle of the night to relieve himself. He noticed something wrong and raised the alarm in time, preventing all three shops from being destroyed.”

“Have you found out who did it?” Yue Yang asked coldly.

“No, Young Master.” A trace of shame appeared on Yue Laifu’s face. These three shops had been entrusted to him personally, yet only days later they had been burned down. He felt utterly ashamed before Yue Yang.

“What about the clerks? How many casualties?”

Yue Laifu lowered his head even further. “One clerk was burned to death. Two are seriously injured, and four suffered minor injuries.”

“Very good. Truly very good. They moved against us so quickly. Do they really think my blade won’t kill?” Yue Yang’s voice sounded as if it came from an icy cavern, carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

“Young Master, since they were the first to break the rules, we can’t be blamed for being ruthless. This debt must be repaid!” Yue Laifu was furious as well. Every trade had its rules. Though they might not be written down, they existed everywhere, in every dynasty. Wealthy families and local gentry shared an unspoken understanding: if disputes arose, one could use commercial tactics or official channels to suppress a rival, but there was a bottom line—no using violence to directly destroy another’s shops or to attack them by force. Anyone who crossed that line would face collective resistance and retaliation from others in the trade.

This rule existed for good reason. Everyone had status, families, and property. If every disagreement led to arson or murder, chaos would ensue. No one lacked relatives or assets—if everyone acted that way, in the end everyone would perish together. Thus, this line had always been jointly upheld. But now, someone had chosen to ignore and trample it.

Yue Yang’s face grew so cold it seemed capable of freezing over. He made his decision at once and said, “Uncle Laifu, go to the training grounds immediately and bring Hu Laosan to me. I have work for him.”

“Yes!”

Ever since Yue Yang led five hundred militia soldiers to defeat the bandits and lift the siege of Yingzhou, the reputation of the Wuli Village militia had spread rapidly throughout Yingzhou Prefecture. Moreover, Yue Yang had rewarded each of the five hundred soldiers with five taels of silver, which greatly deepened their gratitude toward him. In these times, five taels was no small sum for ordinary people—enough for a family to live comfortably for several months. Even more astonishing was that in the entire operation to relieve Yingzhou, not a single soldier had died.

With fame came followers. Recently, many more young and able-bodied men had come to Yue Family Village seeking to join the militia. After selection by Yue Yang and Hu Laosan, the militia expanded from just over five hundred to more than two thousand men. While the increase in numbers was a good thing, it also brought many new problems—housing, rations, pay, weapons, armor, and training all became pressing concerns. These days, Hu Laosan had been leading soldiers in training while also building new housing, keeping him busier than ever.

Even so, no matter how busy he was, he dared not delay when summoned by his master. He quickly rushed to Yue Yang.

Arriving dusty and drenched in sweat, Hu Laosan panted and asked, “Young Master, what orders do you have for this humble one?”

Seeing that Hu Laosan was still fully armored, Yue Yang knew he had just come from drilling troops. Without wasting words, Yue Yang briefly told him about the two salt shops that had been burned and the clerks who were killed or injured. Then he said coldly, “Hu Laosan, although we have no direct evidence that the Wang family did this, some matters don’t require evidence. I have a task for you.”

After hearing the account, Hu Laosan’s eyes immediately went wide with rage. “Young Master, just give the order! What do you want me to do? Shall we storm the Wang household and slaughter them all, or burn down their shops? Just say the word, and I’ll handle it cleanly!”

“Storm their house directly?” Yue Yang shook his head. “That sort of crude work requires no skill and would only give others something to seize upon. After all, we lack direct proof that the Wang family is responsible. Instead, I want you to do something else. Immediately hide along the roads from Yingzhou to Taiyuan Prefecture, Datong Prefecture, and the surrounding regions. Once you see any caravan or convoy flying the Wang family banner, don’t waste words—kill the men and seize the goods at once. Do you understand?”

Though Yue Yang’s voice was calm, the chill within it sent a shiver down even Hu Laosan’s spine. But Hu Laosan was no gentle soul. His surprise lasted only a moment before a savage grin spread across his face. “Young Master, just watch. I guarantee not a single one of them will escape!”

“Good.” Yue Yang nodded and continued, “Remember—leave no survivors and no evidence behind. Don’t bring the seized goods back to Yue Family Village yet. Find a secure place to hide them, and we’ll retrieve them once things settle down. Do you understand?”

Hu Laosan thumped his chest. “Rest assured, Young Master. I’ll handle everything perfectly!”

After a moment’s thought, Yue Yang suddenly added, “Oh, and when you go, bring more crossbows and bolts. Minimize our casualties as much as possible.”

Not long after Yue Yang finished instructing Hu Laosan, Wang Shoucheng also received news that the Yue family’s salt shops had been set ablaze.

Smack—

A crisp sound echoed through the study. Wang Chenglin stood in front of Wang Shoucheng, clutching his cheek in shock. “Father, why did you hit me?!”

“Why?” Wang Shoucheng’s face was pale with rage, his body trembling like a leaf. He pointed at his son, his finger shaking. “You still have the nerve to ask why? Why did you send people to burn down the Yue family’s shops? Tell me—why?!”

Covering the right side of his face, Wang Chenglin retorted stubbornly, “I did it to vent our family’s anger! What’s so great about Yue Yang? He’s just trained a few hundred militia men and happened to relieve Yingzhou’s siege. Yet you all praise him to the skies. Who does he think he is? I just wanted him to know that if he provokes the Wang family, we can make his life miserable!”

Smack—

Another sharp sound rang out. This time, his left cheek was struck. With one slap on each side, things were finally “balanced.”

“You… you…” Wang Shoucheng stared at his terrified son, grief and fury overwhelming him. “How did I give birth to such a brainless fool who doesn’t know right from wrong?!”

At this point, Wang Chenglin no longer even felt like striking back. He knew very well that his son’s actions would spread throughout Yingzhou City in the shortest time possible…