Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 217 Qinwang Mountain

Seeing that there was serious business to discuss, Liang Tai, Bian Yuanheng, Wu Heizi, and the others returned to the house to continue eating and drinking, leaving the courtyard to Shao and Mo. "I'm leaving now," Shao Shuyi said, personally pouring a glass of wine for Manager Mo.

As he spoke, he glanced westward out of the corner of his eye.

On the top of the Star-Picking Tower, Lady Shen, dressed in an elegant light-colored dress, sat calmly, gazing at the distant river.

Are they having afternoon tea?

"Shao She, where are you going?" Manager Mo asked, his expression hardening.

"Of course I'm going home," Shao Shuyi said with a smile. "I'm all alone, but I'm still searching for my relatives in Jiangyin. My business there is getting bigger and bigger, and I'll find them someday."

"That's not easy," Shopkeeper Mo said. "Most people in the world never leave their hometown in their entire lives, so it's not easy for them to hear news from the outside world."

"Who can argue with that?" Shao Shuyi said. "There are indeed some people with the surname Shao in Matuosha, but the relationship is too distant. They don't even know my grandfather, let alone me."

"Good people are always blessed; take your time looking," Manager Mo comforted him.

"It would be good if we could find them, but it's not so bad if we can't," Shao Shuyi said. "I'm not exactly a good person. If things come to light in the future and it implicates my family, that would be even worse."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the Star-Picking Tower.

The woman upstairs sat there leisurely, drinking tea and eating a few pastries.

Manager Mo was speechless for a moment, then asked, "Shao She, is this batch of goods still going to be shipped?"

"At the end of August, I need to send a ship to Jiangxi to transport goods for Master Zheng. It will require four ships," Shao Shuyi said. "And in the next few days, I also need to make a round trip to Jiangyin to transport a batch of livestock for Master Zhang. That will require at least two ships."

Shopkeeper Mo suddenly realized what was happening and fell silent.

"Aren't there any other people in Liujiagang who do water transport?" Shao Shuyi laughed. "To be honest, I've been making moves all over Jiangyin and snatched a lot of transport deals, but I haven't done anything in Liujiagang. I've kept to myself."

Manager Mo shook his head and said, "The cargo carriers in Liujiagang are brave and ruthless, but they don't have the guts to kill. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any bandits on Taihu Lake."

Shao Shuyi smiled and said, "That's true."

If everyone involved in water transport was willing to fight and take risks, would water bandits still exist? Some people are involved in organized crime, so corrupt they're even willing to kill officials, while others appear ruthless but are actually gentlemen who only talk the talk, not walk the walk. That's all there is to it.

"Then," Manager Mo looked at Shao Shuyi again and asked, "Are you still shipping?"

After saying that, he quickly added, "Don't be so quick to refuse. The freight is negotiable. How about five strings of cash per shi? Liujiagang isn't far from Wuhu. This isn't like going to Jiangxi. Five strings of cash is already quite a lot. Besides, Shao She, don't you still have two shallow-water boats for the ocean? That's enough. This shipment is only 1,200 shi."

"You've even calculated how much cargo I can transport," Shao Shuyi laughed.

"It was Madam who made the calculation," Manager Mo said with a smile. "She said that you have a great reputation in Zhangjing and many people you support. If there are no goods to transport for a long time, people's hearts will be scattered."

"I have indeed taken on far fewer deals in the past month," Shao Shuyi nodded.

Manager Mo was somewhat embarrassed and could only try to smooth things over by saying, "Madam, there's nothing I can do. As you know, many people in the Shen family are also eyeing this lucrative water transport business. Some things somehow got out of Suzhou, and there are quite a few people talking about you."

Shao Shuyi understood, but still waved his hand and said, "The Pingjia and Pingyi ships are going to Jiangyin, so they can't be moved. Let's just let it go this time. Next time, next time."

After saying that, he stood up, took two steps forward, then turned to look at the Star-Picking Tower and said, "Is this business absolutely necessary? Madam has taken good care of my business a lot. Now, let's be frank. Wuhu is not safe. Let's stop."

Shopkeeper Mo was taken aback. Although he also thought Wuhu was not very safe, he was still somewhat surprised when the words "not peaceful" came from Shao Shuyi's mouth.

He knew very well that the "unrest" they were talking about was of a completely different degree.

"Taiping Road..." Shao Shuyi smiled and said, "It's really not that peaceful."

After saying that, he went straight back into the house.

Inside the main room, a group of people were drinking and eating meat, having a great time. When they saw Shao Shuyi arrive, they all greeted him.

"Hei Zi, how about we move our home to Ma Tuo Sha?" Shao Shuyi asked.

Wu Heizi, who was quite drunk, said upon hearing this, "Brother Shao, someone needs to look after things here in Taicang. If I stay here and come to check on things every now and then, you'll feel more at ease, won't you?"

Shao Shuyi glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

Wu Heizi sensed something was amiss and forced a smile, saying, "My second son is still studying with Master Sun."

Shao Shuyi sat down and poured himself a glass of wine.

Wu Heizi scratched his head and said, "Forget it, my eldest son is not young anymore. Staying in Taicang and getting into fights every day is really a headache. I'll have him move to Ma Tuo Sha. He's learned how to slaughter pigs, so opening a butcher shop shouldn't be a problem for him."

Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "Okay. I'll find him a shop on Yaqian Street. He can slaughter pigs and sell meat while gathering information." Wu Heizi felt somewhat relieved.

He just said that he comes to the old Yicang warehouse from time to time to keep an eye on it, which was half true and half false.

It's true that I come here often, but the fake reason is that I come here to solicit prostitutes, not to actually take care of Shengye Trading Company's businesses.

Shao Shuyi was naturally aware of this, but he was too lazy to say more.

The group ate and drank until the moon rose high in the willow trees before dispersing.

Liu Huipeng seized an opportunity and delivered a letter to Shao Shuyi's desk.

When Shao Shuyi opened it, he found that it was written by Yu Yuan.

"We'll be heading back to Jiangyin tomorrow. Prepare some dry rations tonight," he instructed.

"Okay," Liu Huipeng replied, then paused and added, "Shao She, I'm going to Suzhou in a few days and will be back in three."

"Go ahead," Shao Shuyi readily agreed.

On the 18th, the ships Pingjia and Pingyi arrived at Huangtian Port and anchored.

The following afternoon, Manager Huang and Fan Ting, the clerk of the prefectural government, arrived together.

"Cao She," Fan Ting cupped his hands in greeting, "I have come here today on an important matter."

"Sit down." Shao Shuyi tidied up the table in the signing room, and then instructed Lu Chaoen to brew tea.

"No need." Fan Ting said urgently, "Cao She, you should come with me. It's urgent." Shao Shuyi's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Fan Ting silently.

Tie Niu's previously relaxed body tensed up, and he stared intently at Fan Ting.

Fan Ting's expression changed, and he forced a smile, saying, "Cao She misunderstood. I want you to bring some men and come with me to Qinwang Mountain." "What's wrong?" Shao Shuyi asked.

"Ten days ago, a gang of thieves fled east from Changzhou to Qinwang Mountain, killing their leader Li Shier, villager Yang Ba, and four others, and then lingered there," Fan Ting said. "Upon hearing the news, Judge Ma mobilized over three hundred archers to surround and annihilate them."

"Hmm? Continue," Shao Shuyi urged when he saw Fan Ting pause.

"I returned injured two days ago," Fan Ting said somewhat awkwardly.

Shao Shuyi responded with an "oh".

The three hundred-plus archers were definitely not all from the patrol office, because there weren't that many archers in the whole of Jiangyin. There must have been some ruffians, nameless archers, and even most of them.

"How many thieves are there?" he asked.

"Two have been killed, and there are still sixteen or seventeen left."

"How was Judge Ma injured?"

"The bandits were fierce. After occupying the mountain path, they used powerful bows to shoot, killing and wounding more than ten archers, and then hesitated to advance," Fan Ting said. "Judge Ma was furious and took the lead. As a result, the bandits rushed down the mountain path, the government troops were forced to retreat, and Judge Ma was wounded and returned."

"How badly are you injured?"

"We have consulted a renowned doctor from the Lu family in Nanzha, and he is fine now."

"Where is the injury?"

Fan Ting hesitated for a moment.

Shao Shuyi was displeased and said, "They're asking me to go and suppress the bandits, so why can't I tell them? Even if you don't tell me, I can go to Qinwang Mountain and ask someone there."

Fan Ting sighed and said, "Judge Ma was shot in the buttocks, the bullet penetrating about an inch into the flesh. Fortunately, he has already been treated with medicine, and it seems that no malignant sores have appeared in the past two days. He should be fine, but now he can only lie down, not lie down, and he can't walk."

"Judge Ma is truly a brave general," Shao Shuyi exclaimed.

Fan Ting felt somewhat embarrassed.

"I'm telling the truth," Shao Shuyi said earnestly. "Shouldn't we give high praise to those who are willing to lead from the front?"

Historically, during the late Qing Dynasty, those who fled upon seeing a thief were considered the bravest, those who fled at the first sign of trouble were considered the moderately brave, and those who fled based on rumors were considered the least brave. These are all true stories.

The nameless archer was just a peasant; what fighting ability could he possibly have? It's normal for him to be outmatched. To put it bluntly, it's already good enough that they didn't run away based on rumors.

Although Ma Yuanchong was a scholar, he was still a decent man and was better than many others.

"Now that Cao She knows about this, shouldn't he take his men over there?" Fan Ting urged. "Don't worry, the governor has already dispatched over a thousand nameless archers to reinforce Qinwang Mountain. The interpreter's Han army is also gathering its forces, but it will take some time."

Shao Shuyi hummed in agreement.

Although Jiangyin was a directly governed prefecture, which was half a grade higher than the scattered prefectures such as Wuxi, Kunshan, and Changshu, it still could not directly mobilize troops.

This time, the request for troops will undoubtedly be made privately, rather than through the proper channels.

"Alright, I'll gather the manpower right away," Shao Shuyi said after weighing the pros and cons for a moment.

"Great!" Fan Ting was overjoyed.

"Go back and report back first," Shao Shuyi said again.

"I wonder when Cao She will arrive?" Fan Ting asked. "If they arrive too late, the bandits may escape. When a dozen or so of them charged, even from a distance of over a hundred paces, the nameless ruffians scattered in a clamor, and the archers from the patrol office also became panicked and demoralized."

Shao Shuyi remained silent.

More people don't always mean better in war. Morale is a mysterious thing. Sometimes, a bad teammate can cause the best troops to collapse as well. Because the battlefield is vast, you can only see the area around you and know nothing about what's happening in the distance. Once news of a major defeat at the front, a collapse of the right flank, or a rout of the left flank appears, it's easy for panic to spread and the whole situation to fall apart.

If you directly send poorly trained and militarily unskilled farmers into battle, you will suffer the consequences.

"Give me three days," Shao Shuyi said. "I will definitely arrive at Qinwang Mountain at noon on the 22nd."

"Cao She, don't joke around, you must come. After it's done, everything will be fine," Fan Ting instructed.

Shao Shuyi nodded.

For a fleeting moment, he felt that the officials in Jiangyin were much more "lovable" than those in Taicang, because they genuinely needed his help and were willing to give him benefits.