novelAbuy Chapter 16 "The country is about to fall and the family is about to perish."
Chapter 16 "The country is about to fall and the family is about to perish."
Liu Tang walked to the corner of the wall and picked up a charcoal brazier.
The charcoal fire in the brazier was burning brightly.
Liu Tang then pulled out a small, sharp knife for skinning animals from his waist.
He walked over to the man and squatted down.
"Grandpa usually uses this knife to skin sheep, but today we'll try something different." Liu Tang heated the sharp knife over the charcoal fire.
Fear flashed in the man's eyes, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.
Liu Tang ripped off the man's mink coat, revealing his muscular chest.
He pressed the red-hot tip of the knife against the man's ribs.
The stench of burnt flesh instantly filled the enclosed room.
The man let out a piercing scream, but Ruan Xiaoer quickly covered it up.
Liu Tang's hands were very steady.
The tip of the knife slid slowly downwards along the gap in the ribs.
He doesn't cut the meat; he just roasts it at high temperatures.
The man's body convulsed violently.
The rope binding him was taut and creaking.
Ruan Xiaowu stood by the door and swallowed hard.
Gongsun Sheng closed his eyes and silently chanted a Taoist incantation.
Liu Bei watched all of this with a blank expression.
Half a cup of tea's time passed.
The man was convulsing in pain.
Liu Tang stopped wielding his sword and patted the man's face: "Will you talk or not?"
The man was panting heavily, sweat mixed with muddy water dripping into his mouth: "I...I said..."
Liu Tang stood up and stepped aside.
Liu Bei spoke again: "Tell me about your Jin Kingdom."
The man took a breath and began to tell his story—
"Back then, our emperor Aguda raised an army and defeated the Liao dogs in Ningjiang Prefecture."
"That year, the emperor founded the country, which was called the Great Jin."
"Emperor Yelü Yanxi of Liao was not convinced and led an army of 700,000 to attack us."
"Our emperor only has 20,000 men."
As the man spoke, a fanatical light shone in his eyes.
"In the Battle of Hubudagang, our 20,000 men utterly annihilated the Liaodong army of 700,000!"
Wu dropped the fan he was holding onto the table.
Lin Chong's brows furrowed into a knot.
Two thousand to break seven hundred thousand – what terrifying combat power!
The man continued.
"A few years ago, we captured Liaodong Liaoyang Prefecture, the capital of the Liaodong people."
"The Liao soldiers can't even hold their swords steady when they see our Jurchen cavalry."
"Later, we also captured Shangjing Linhuangfu."
"Last year, we also captured Zhongjing Dading Prefecture."
"Emperor Yelü Yanxi of Liao is now like a stray dog, fleeing westward."
The only sound in the secret room was the man's panting.
Liu Bei tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Your army is advancing like a whirlwind, why aren't you serving in the army? What are you doing in Shandong?"
The man shrank his neck.
"We were sent out by the higher-ups to investigate the situation of the Southern Song Dynasty."
"By the way, make contact with the local powerful figures."
Liu Bei stopped tapping on the table: "Which powerful figures are they?"
The man hesitated.
Liu Tang stepped forward, raising the dagger in his hand once more.
The man hurriedly shouted out.
"Zengtou City, Lingzhou!"
"They are one of our contact points here, secretly helping us buy horses and store grain."
"Several wealthy families in Dengzhou also agreed to smuggle pig iron for us."
After listening, Liu Bei glanced at everyone present.
Everyone's faces looked very grim.
The Jurchen army was already closing in, and local powerful families within the Song Dynasty had already begun to secretly collude with the Jurchens.
This is a sign of national ruin.
Liu Bei looked at the man: "Is there anything else?"
The man shook his head repeatedly.
"I'm just a spy, I've told you everything I know."
Liu Bei gave Liu Tang a wink.
Liu Tang understood.
He stepped forward, grabbed the man by the hair, and dragged him out of the secret room.
The man struggled desperately, crying out, "I told you! Spare me!"
The sound abruptly stopped with a crisp cracking sound of a neck bone breaking.
A moment later, Liu Tang lifted the curtain and walked in.
He was holding a rag and wiping the blood off his hands.
"Brother, it's all cleaned up." Liu Tang threw the rag into the charcoal brazier.
The flames shot up higher.
The atmosphere in the sealed room was extremely oppressive.
Lin Chong slammed his fist against the wall: "The court is corrupt and incompetent, treacherous officials are in power, our Great Song Dynasty is in grave danger!"
Gongsun Sheng sighed deeply: "I thought the world was at peace, but I never imagined that calamity would be upon us."
The three Nguyen brothers looked at each other in bewilderment.
They were originally only concerned with fishing and having enough to eat, but now, hearing about such important national and military affairs, they were deeply shocked.
Wu Yong turned around and bowed deeply to Liu Bei: "Brother, you have such great foresight. I am now completely convinced."
Lin Chong also clasped his hands in a salute: "If it weren't for your reminder, brother, none of us would have known that our deaths were imminent."
Liu Tang and the three Ruan brothers knelt down together.
"Brother, you have such great foresight!"
Liu Bei stood up and helped everyone up one by one.
"The country is about to be destroyed and the family is about to perish."
"We have no way out."
As he spoke, he walked to the table, dipped his finger in some tea, and drew a simple map on the table.
"This is Jeju Island, this is Daming Prefecture, this is Liangshan Marsh."
Everyone gathered around.
Liu Bei pointed to the location of Liangshan Marsh.
"Although Yang Zhi burned down Wang Lun's mountain stronghold, he couldn't take away the natural barrier of this 800-li-long marshland. With the government troops withdrawing, this place is now a blank slate, the perfect opportunity for us to establish ourselves."
Lin Chong nodded: "Brother is right. Liangshan is easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as we manage it properly, it will be an impregnable fortress."
Liu Bei looked at the three Ruan brothers.
"Little Two, Little Five, Little Seven."
"Here!" the three brothers answered in unison.
"You will return to Shijie Village tomorrow."
"Take the silver and gather together the fishermen around the marsh, selecting the most reliable ones."
"Wang Lun must still have some of his henchmen who have escaped and scattered. If we find any willing to work, we'll take them all in."
"First, control the waterways, salvage the sunken ships, and repair the water fortress."
Ruan Xiao'er patted his chest and said, "Brother, don't worry, leave the matters on the water to us brothers."
Liu Bei nodded, then looked at Lin Chong and Liu Tang.
"Brother Lin, Brother Liu Tang."
"Brother, please give your orders!"
"In Shandong today, due to the government's increased taxes, there are many displaced people. You two, one is highly skilled in martial arts, and the other is a stranger. Liu Tang, go to the nearby prefectures and counties and recruit some desperate displaced people and bankrupt farmers."
"Tell them to come to my Dongxi Village, where there is food to eat and clothes to wear."
"Take them to Liangshan, where they can cultivate wasteland and rebuild the stronghold, while Brother Lin will be in charge of secretly training them."
Lin Chong and Liu Tang exchanged a glance, both seeing excitement in each other's eyes.
Recruiting has begun!
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Liu Bei's gaze finally settled on Wu Yong and Gongsun Sheng.
"Scholar, Taoist master."
Liu Bei said, "Our task is the most arduous among the three of us."
Wu Yong stopped fanning himself.
Gongsun Sheng draped the whisk over his arm.
Liu Bei walked up to the locked mahogany boxes and patted the lids:
"Recruiting soldiers and buying horses is all about money and food. This birthday tribute is said to be worth 100,000 strings of cash, but most of it is jewelry, antiques and paintings. These things can't be eaten, nor can they be used as military pay for the soldiers. We need to sell them and exchange them for real food and money."
Wu Yong stood up: "Brother is right. Although the stamp of Daming Prefecture has been erased, these rare treasures are very easy to leak out in Shandong. In my early years, I traveled and studied and met several merchants from the south who specialize in black market trading."
Gongsun Sheng nodded in agreement: "When I was traveling, I knew a few big clients in Jiangnan. They specialize in collecting treasures of dubious origin and then reselling them overseas or to Liangzhe Road, all without anyone noticing."
Liu Bei returned to his seat of honor.
"What is the percentage?"
Wu Yong held up three fingers.
"The industry standard is 30%. If you're in a hurry to sell, they might take 40% or even half."
Liu Tang touched his bald head and asked:
"Brother, I'm not well-educated and can't do these calculations. I just want to ask, how many soldiers could this birthday tribute fund support?"
Liu Bei did not answer directly, but looked at Lin Chong.
"Brother Lin once served as an instructor in the Imperial Guards, so he is most familiar with military expenses."
Lin Chong thought carefully for a moment, then said, "The usual monthly salary for Song Dynasty soldiers is two strings of cash. If we recruit refugees, we can give them less at first, but their daily rations must not be reduced. A strong man needs at least two liters of rice every day. Nowadays, taxes are being increased in various places, and the price of grain changes every day. One shi of coarse rice has already sold for one string of cash and two hundred coins in Jizhou Prefecture."
Liu Tang started counting on his fingers.
Lin Chong continued to submit the expense reports.
"Besides food and drink, we also need to consider clothing for winter and summer. If we are raising our own troops, we absolutely cannot be like the government troops who draw salaries without working and drink the blood of their soldiers. Soldiers must have oil and water in their bellies after daily training. Meat and salt are all major expenses."
"And then there are the weapons. A fine white waxwood spear with a fine iron spearhead costs two strings of cash. If it's a crossbow, the bow, bowstring, and arrows would cost no less than five strings of cash."
"This doesn't even include the warhorses. The warhorses in the north are controlled by the Jurchens and Liao people. Even a low-quality horse can sell for more than fifty strings of cash in Shandong."
Lin Chong raised his head and looked at Liu Tang.
"If you add it all up, a soldier's expenses for a year would be at least 25 strings of cash."
Liu Tang's fingers froze in mid-air.
Lin Chong turned to Liu Bei.
"If those black market merchants take two or three percent of the 100,000 strings of gold and silver jewelry, and then convert that into the cost of transporting grain up the mountain, it would be a huge loss."
"What we'll actually get is about 60,000 to 70,000 strings of cash. That's barely enough to support 3,000 soldiers. And that's only enough for a year."