novelAbuy Chapter 42, Part 1: Unifying Yuncheng
Chapter 42, Part 1: Unifying Yuncheng
Two days later, in the afternoon.
The backyard of the official granary in the west of the city.
As Liu Bei and Wu Yong were discussing the rice shop's next grain purchase plan, heavy footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.
"Brother! Brother Zhu Tong is back!" Lei Heng's voice rang out.
Liu Bei stopped speaking and looked up.
Beside Lei Heng was an extremely burly man.
The man was eight feet four or five inches tall, dressed in a neat black official uniform, with a long knife hanging at his waist.
His face was as red as a jujube, his eyes as bright as stars, and most striking of all was his long, beautiful beard, about a foot and a half long, which swayed gently in the breeze, perfectly groomed.
The moment Liu Bei saw this person, he froze on the spot.
That appearance, that demeanor, that long beard!
In a daze, he seemed to have returned to his past life, to the place in Zhuoxian where peach blossoms bloomed.
The arrogant, red-faced man pushing the green bean cart has traveled through eight hundred years and merged with the figure before us.
Yun Chang?!
Liu Bei's heart pounded violently a few times.
He took a deep breath and quickly went to meet them.
"Hahaha, Chief Zhu!" Liu Bei stretched out his hands and tightly grasped Zhu Tong's arms, his enthusiastic attitude surprising even Lei Heng standing nearby.
Zhu Tong had been on good terms with Chao Gai in the past, so he immediately stroked his long beard and returned the greeting with clasped hands.
"Chao Baozheng."
The group arrived at the main room and took their seats.
Song Jiang is on duty at the county government office today and is not here.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Liu Bei recounted how he had recruited the local ruffians and how Sun Biao and Wang Gang's gangs refused to cooperate.
Zhu Tong held his teacup and listened quietly to the whole thing.
"This is easy," Zhu Tong said with a smile. "Previously, they had a large number of people and were powerful, so the law did not punish the many, and the government did not want to cause such trouble. Now that Zhao Si, Qian Wu, Meng Zhanpeng and others have all submitted to you, brother, the remaining hundred or so people have become rootless."
He looked at Lei Heng.
"Brother Lei, Sun Biao and Wang Gang's gang are notorious for bullying men and women; they're shady characters. The case files in the yamen's archives are piled up to half a foot thick with lawsuits against them. They can easily arrest someone by just flipping through old records and finding some pretext."
Lei Heng slapped his thigh: "That's exactly right!"
After listening, Liu Bei took out a small black cloth bag from his sleeve and pushed it in front of the two men.
The cloth bag was opened, revealing ten taels of gleaming gold bars inside.
"Brothers, the men in the yamen work hard. Take this little bit of gold and use it to buy them some wine, meat, and tea."
Upon seeing this, Zhu Tong frowned slightly and pushed the gold back.
"Brother, what are you doing? You've cleansed this scourge from Yuncheng County, a good deed that benefits the people. It's our duty as brothers to step forward; how could we accept your money?"
Liu Bei pressed down on Zhu Tong's hand, his attitude resolute.
"Brother Zhu, let's keep things separate. You are officials, and I am a commoner. When the government is handling affairs, the errand boys have to get some benefits in return so that things can be done efficiently. That's the rule, and it can't be broken. If you don't accept it, I won't let you do this."
Seeing that Liu Bei spoke sincerely, Zhu Tong no longer declined.
He put the gold away and stood up.
"Don't worry, brother. We'll make sure those two groups disappear from Yuncheng County within three days."
On the morning of the third day.
West City Market.
Sun Biao was collecting protection money in front of a meat stall with several of his men.
He held a boning knife in his hand, banging it loudly on the cutting board.
"Your monthly wages are due. If you're short even a penny, I'll smash your stall!" Sun Biao glared fiercely at the butcher.
Before he finished speaking, more than twenty constables wielding fire and water sticks suddenly rushed into the market.
Zhu Tong walked at the front and shouted, "Take them down!"
The constables pounced on them like wolves and tigers.
Before Sun Biao could react, he was struck hard on the knee with a stick.
He screamed and fell to his knees.
Two constables stepped forward and skillfully twisted his arms behind his back, putting them in chains.
"Chief Zhu! What are you doing! What law have I broken!" Sun Biao struggled desperately.
Zhu Tong walked up to him and looked at him coldly.
"Old Man Li from the east of the city has filed a complaint against you for forced buying and selling three months ago, and for breaking his son's leg. Come with me to the yamen!"
At the same time, in a private residence in the north of the city.
Wang Gang was still fast asleep in bed when Lei Heng kicked the door open.
A dozen or so officers rushed into the room, pinned Wang Gang, who was not yet dressed, to the bed, and tied him up.
The prison was dark and damp.
Various instruments of torture hung on the walls, and the charcoal in the brazier burned red-hot, with several branding irons stuck in it, emitting a nauseating burnt smell.
Sun Biao was tied to a wooden stake, his body covered in blood and gore.
The constables, following Zhu Tong's orders, used extremely heavy force.
After several rounds of beatings, Sun Biao's psychological defenses completely collapsed.
"I'll confess! I'll confess everything!" Sun Biao cried out.
As the interrogation deepened, not only was the forced buying and selling confirmed, but several of his underlings, unable to withstand the torture, also spilled the beans in an attempt to lessen their punishment. They revealed an old case from two years ago in which Sun Biao secretly beat a beggar to death and dumped his body in the moat in a fight for territory.
Once a murder occurs, the nature of the case changes completely.
Wang Gang's situation is similar; dirt has been dug up on him for forcing women into prostitution and causing their deaths.
The death penalty is a foregone conclusion.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Yuncheng County in less than half a day.
Those hooligans who were initially observing were now completely terrified.
They finally understood that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King of Dongxi Village not only had a strong fist, but also the backing of the government.
The consequence of disobeying is not a beating, but losing your head!
……
The official granary in the west of the city.
More than four hundred people stood in the wide bluestone square.
These people were dressed in various ways, mostly in tattered clothes. They were used to acting arrogantly and domineeringly on the streets, and they had no manners when standing or sitting.
But at this moment, they all stood in line obediently, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Zhao Si, Qian Wu, Sun Sheng, and Meng Zhanpeng stood at the very front of the line.
Liu Bei stood on the high platform directly in front of the square.
Wu Song stood beside Liu Bei with his arms crossed, resembling an angry Vajra.
Liu Bei's gaze slowly swept over the more than four hundred people.
"I know that many of you used to make a living by collecting small amounts of money from street vendors. You didn't know where your next meal would come from, and you were even gossiped about and called scoundrels."
Liu Bei's voice echoed across the square.
"From this day forward, you are no longer scoundrels or rogues. You are now under my command, Chao Gai."
A commotion immediately broke out in the square.
Liu Bei raised his hand, and the commotion instantly subsided.
"I'm going to set three rules for you."
"First, no disturbing the people. Anyone who dares to go out on the streets to eat and take things for free and bully the people, as before, I will break their legs and drive them out of Yuncheng County!"
"Secondly, you will receive a monthly salary. I will establish a 'Merchant Protection Team' and divide Yuncheng County into four regions: east, west, south, and north. In addition to food, each of you will receive one string of cash as wages from me every month."
Upon hearing the words "one string of cash," the crowd below erupted in cheers.
One string of cash is enough for a family of three to cover their expenses for a month!
They used to extort money on the street, but they might not be able to earn this much in a month, and they had to live in constant fear.
After Liu Bei and his men had been excited for a while, he finally dropped the last bombshell.
"Third, obey orders. The caravan's duty is to protect the merchants who have paid a security fee. If anyone causes trouble at a merchant's place, you must intervene. If bandits from other areas come to rob, you must fight them! You've taken my money, so you must abide by my rules and do my bidding. Do you understand?"
"I understand!"