Traveler Major League

Chapter 314 Revealing the secret
The sky gradually darkened, and lead-gray clouds pressed towards the county town like a surging tide, shrouding the ancient county government office in a depressing shadow.

Han Yuechuan and several of his brothers were sitting in a side room in the county government office. When they heard about the ridiculous arrangement of collecting donations, they were immediately furious. Han Yuechuan kicked over the stool beside him with a fierce kick. There was a loud "clang" sound, which was like a thunder in the quiet room, and the dust on the beams fell down. He stood up suddenly, his eyes were red, and he roared like a bell: "Fuck it! I will never do such a conscienceless thing! I won't accept this donation!"

The angry voice echoed back and forth in the house, making everyone's eardrums hurt.

Seeing this, Master Zhang hurriedly came forward, his face full of a smile that seemed concerned but actually anxious, and urged: "Master Han, you must not do this! Do you still want to be the county magistrate? This matter cannot be so hasty." As he spoke, he gently pulled Han Yuechuan's sleeve with his hand, trying to calm him down. At this time, a strong wind suddenly blew outside the window, whistling and sweeping past, making the window lattice "creak" wildly.

Du Shaoling snorted coldly, his face full of disdain and indignation like a burning flame, and he retorted fiercely: "For this stinky official hat, we are required to harm the poor people? It's better not to be such an official!" He crossed his hands over his chest and raised his head slightly.

The light in the room grew dimmer, with only the flickering candlelight struggling to dance in the wind, casting distorted shadows of people on the wall, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

Master Zhang raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a meaningful smile. He said slowly: "Master Han, the knife handle is in your hand. Who to cut with the knife is just a matter of your words." As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and a cunning light flashed in his eyes.

The wind came in through the window cracks like a ghost, making the candle flame "puff" and illuminating the half-smiling face of Master Zhang.

Han Yuechuan's brows were tightly knitted together, like a knot of dough twisted together, his eyes were full of doubts, and he asked, "Then according to Master's opinion, what should we do? We can't just stand there like this."

As he spoke, he paced back and forth in the room. His footsteps were quick and heavy, making the atmosphere in the room even more solemn.

The worn wooden floor creaked as he stepped on it.

Master Zhang stroked his beard, his eyes rolled around, and he came up with a plan: "We don't want to gain any benefits from this, and we can't outsource the task of collecting donations to those rich people and let them harm the people. But if we go to the surrounding villages to find rich people to collect donations ourselves, even if we send a hundred people, we may not be able to collect all the donations in half a year." As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed, with a helpless look on his face.

At this time, the rain outside the window began to fall, and the raindrops hit the window paper, making a "tick-tick" sound.

Du Shaoling was like an ant on a hot pan, and asked quickly: "Then what should we do? Master, please don't keep us in suspense." He leaned forward slightly, his hands clenched into fists, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

The rain poured down from the eaves, forming curtains of water.

Master Zhang blinked his eyes, showing his shrewdness, and said proudly: "In my opinion, it should be added along with the grain from the land. Those who have land and grain are all wealthy families. This method can not only collect donations, but also discipline them." After saying that, he couldn't help laughing out loud, as if he had seen the frustrated looks on the faces of those wealthy families.

The rain stopped for a while, and a ray of moonlight filtered through the gap in the clouds and shone into the house, reflecting the smug smile on Master Zhang's face.

"Great, great!" Han Yuechuan and the others' eyes lit up, and they showed happy smiles on their faces and clapped their hands in approval. "Just put all the one thousand taels on them, and let these guys who usually bully others have a taste of suffering." They laughed and clapped each other's hands. The sound echoed in the house and the atmosphere was very warm.

"But..." Master Zhang changed the subject, his expression became serious, "If this method is used, I'm afraid it will offend some tough guys in this county. Originally this was a profitable business for them, but now they have to bleed. They will definitely not give up and will definitely shout that they will not pay the donation." His brows were tightly knitted, and his eyes revealed a trace of worry. At this time, a gust of cold wind blew, bringing a hint of chill, and everyone couldn't help but shiver.

Han Yuechuan stamped his feet fiercely, his eyes were as firm as iron, and his tone was sonorous and powerful: "Why should I be afraid of them! At worst, I don't want the position of county magistrate. Don't forget that we are here to fight them to the death!"

On the second day, the sky was clear and the sun shone unreservedly on the green bricks and tiles of the county government office, but it could not dispel the depressing and tense atmosphere in the lobby.

Han Yuechuan sent someone to invite Mr. Xiao and other gentry to the yamen.

In the lobby, Han Yuechuan looked stern as he personally announced that the collection of donations was necessary for the war, and not a penny less was allowed. It had to be added to the land tax and had to be paid in full within a time limit, otherwise he would be charged with delaying military affairs.

“So tough!” Everyone gasped in fear and looked at each other, their faces filled with astonishment and fear.

"It looks like this matter is going to be very difficult. The civil servants don't want money, and the military officers are not afraid of death. There's nothing you can do." A country gentleman muttered in a low voice.

"This young man may have a backer, otherwise how could he be so tough?" Some people said worriedly, with a hint of doubt in their eyes.

"It's just a nice thing to say. Once he puts the money in his pocket, he will be 'watered'." Some people simply don't believe that there is a county magistrate who will not arrest people for money, and their faces show disdain. On the beams of the lobby, dust flutters in the sunlight, as if mocking the narrow-mindedness and prejudice of these people.

"Gold is fire. Once you put it in your body, even the hardest heart will soften." Another person supported this view and nodded continuously.

No matter how people in the yamen discussed the matter secretly or openly, the county magistrate had made up his mind to accept the one thousand taels of silver.

In the end, after much persuasion, it was passed without objection.

The news quickly spread throughout the streets and alleys of the county.

When ordinary people heard that the anti-Tatar donation this time would be added to the grain yield and would no longer be contracted out, they all raised their hands and shouted, "Amitabha!"

This is the first time we have seen an honest official since the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

But everyone should take another look. They have seen many county magistrates who only talk big but do nothing good.

However, Han Yuechuan did what he said and acted decisively.

This time, the ones who suffered were not the poor people in the countryside, but the rich people who had land and grain.

If anyone refused to pay the tax, he would send people to capture them, lock them up, and require them to pay the tax within a certain period of time.

Yu Ting, the follower brought by Han Yuechuan, is full of clever ideas, so Han Yuechuan asks him to be responsible for guarding these rich people.

Yu Ting had done his best. After arresting those rich men, he refused to listen to their good words and refused their money. He would take out his anger on them every now and then and beat them severely: "Humph! You have come to this day! Think carefully about whether you should hand it over!"

"Oh, oh, I give in." The rich men could not resist and had to admit defeat and pay the money.

Yu Ting was so happy this time that he shouted, "I have never felt so happy in my life."

However, as expected, I encountered a tough guy.

A steward of Mr. Xiao, the most prominent figure in the county, refused to pay.

No one knows whether this was deliberately arranged by Master Xiao to test Han Yuechuan's "hardness".

Everyone is waiting to see this tough fight.

When Han Yuechuan heard that it was Master Xiao's family, he said without hesitation: "Humph, I'm looking for you, all right, arrest him."

Not only was this housekeeper arrested, Yu Ting also gave him "special treatment" and made him "stand in a cage," which is a form of punishment that can lead to death.

After Master Zhang learned about this, he hurriedly persuaded Han Yuechuan to use both soft and hard tactics on Master Xiao.

So the housekeeper was released and escorted to the Xiao residence by Master Zhang himself, and handed over to Master Xiao, who said, "Although this is a serious crime of disobeying the state's laws, it is a first offense. Master Xiao, please handle it as you see fit!"

Master Xiao didn't expect this to happen.

It was obvious that he had also signed the agreement in the yamen. Although he was forced to do so, he could not say anything and could only say that the housekeeper was ignorant and dared to violate the laws of the country, and promised to pay the money immediately.

As soon as Master Xiao paid the money, Master Zhang spread the news everywhere. When the rich people saw that even Master Xiao could not resist, and they heard that there was a Yu Ting in the yamen who was very good at dealing with the rich, they dared not delay or resist any longer and paid the money one after another.

This time, the resistance line of the wealthy people was completely broken, and the task of collecting donations was completed quite beautifully.

But Mr. Xiao was not reconciled. He thought to himself, why would they send such a greedy county magistrate? He immediately notified his son, who was an official in Xi'an, to visit him.

The housekeeper suffered a lot, but eventually returned home safely. Master Xiao did not blame this relative too much. "Little brother, take a few trustworthy and smart people to find out the details of Han, and work hard on the people he brought with him, especially Master Zhang. After all, he is an old acquaintance in our county. As long as we can bring him over, it will be easy!"

After Master Xiao gave a detailed explanation, Butler Xiao personally led people to get close to Han Yuechuan's men. He thought he would be able to capture them easily, but he was met with a setback.

The men Han Yuechuan brought with him were all carefully selected die-hards. They would not accept any offers of drinking or making friends, and cash was even more of a turn away.

In desperation, Butler Xiao personally went out to contact Master Zhang. Master Zhang was easygoing and socially savvy, but it would be harder than climbing to the sky to get the details of Han Yuechuan from him. Master Zhang had been working in society for decades, and he knew exactly what a man like Butler Xiao was doing.

Not only did Butler Xiao fail to find out anything, but Master Zhang also tricked him into finding out who had asked him to come and inquire.

Master Zhang immediately told Han Yuechuan that Master Xiao was sending people to find out their background, and these people definitely had bad intentions, so everyone should be more careful.

Although the survey was unsuccessful, the people of the county began to sincerely want to give Han Yuechuan the "Wanmin Umbrella".

It turned out that Han Yuechuan had recently done a great thing for the people and punished the bully Xiao Baopi who was hated by everyone.

This Xiao Ba Pi was rampant in the countryside, killing people, raping women, and doing all kinds of evil. After Han Yuechuan received many petitions from the villagers, he decisively arrested this man and interrogated him.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Baopi did not take the law seriously at all. He openly admitted his guilt in the court and did not care when pressing the thumbprint. He thought that he was the nephew of Mr. Xiao and there was nothing he could do to him.

Now that Han Yuechuan had obtained evidence of the crime, he asked the local gentry to send representatives to participate in the trial, and even Mr. Xiao had to send representatives to participate.

The result of the trial was that the evidence was conclusive and the crime was unanimous, and the sentence was imposed according to law.

Only then did Xiao Baopi realize that he had run into a tough opponent this time, and he immediately became dispirited. Even Master Xiao was unable to come forward to rescue him.

On the day when Xiao was killed and skinned, the streets of the county were deserted and the people flocked to the sand dam by the river to watch the excitement.

I saw Xiao Baopi tied up and kneeling on the sand, his face as pale as paper and a hint of fear in his eyes.

There was a flash of knife, the head fell to the ground, blood gushed out, dyeing the sand red.

Everyone couldn't help but applaud and cheer, and the cheers were like a surging wave, resounding through the sky.

From then on, the reputation of "Han Qingtian" spread. No one expected that after decades, such a great Qingtian would finally appear.

So, the common people spontaneously raised money to give Han Qingtian an umbrella. This umbrella was not the kind that the county magistrates forced the county gentry to give when they left office, with only a few signatures on it. This umbrella really had the signatures of the people, not just the people, but more than 20,000 or 30,000.

Han Yuechuan's prestige was growing. If his men hadn't revealed the secret, no matter how smart Mr. Xiao was, he would have found it difficult to succeed.

What exactly is this matter about?
The brothers who followed Han Yuechuan into the city as his followers were idle in the government office all day long and rarely went out to stroll on the streets. Because once they went out on the streets, they would run into scenes of local tyrants and landlords oppressing the people, and they could not help, so they could only return with a belly full of anger, why bother?
After a long time, some people couldn't help but complain.

"We've been in the city for quite some time, but we haven't dealt with those bastards yet and done more practical things for the poor people. If we continue like this, people will get sick!" One of the brothers waved his fist with anger on his face.

"I really want to chop a few of them up on the street. It's better to go back to the mountains and live a free life!" Another brother kicked the stone at his feet away fiercely, his eyes full of unwillingness.

"We have to think of a way to secretly deal with those evildoers." Du Shaoling frowned and said after thinking for a moment.

A few days later, Du Shaoling actually came up with an idea, and his first action was a great success.

It turned out that on weekdays, they always heard about which lord bullied which poor family, which gentry forced the people to pay for their property. Every day, at least three or five such unfair things came to their ears. But they could not publicly come forward to uphold justice, so they decided on the target of revenge and made a plan for revenge in secret.

At night, they disguised themselves and went out quietly on the streets.

Try to avoid the main streets so as not to be seen by night watchmen or patrollers.

Even if they were occasionally seen, those people knew that they were officials of the county government and probably thought they were out to investigate a case, so they didn't pay much attention.

They moved silently, completed their mission in a short time, and returned quietly.

Just a few days ago in the afternoon, they witnessed with their own eyes Mr. Li from the east of the city extorting money from a commoner in broad daylight on the pretext of forced labor.

That night, they set out. When they arrived at the outer wall of Mr. Li's house, they easily climbed over the wall with a few somersaults. This was a piece of cake for them.

They went straight to Mr. Li's bedroom and woke him up from his sleep: "Hand over the money and property we extorted this afternoon!" With a flash of cold light, a sharp blade was instantly pressed against Mr. Li's neck.

Mr. Li widened his eyes in horror as he looked at the masked men in front of him, shaking with fear.

How could he dare not admit it? If he resisted, the sharp blade would take his life. He had no choice but to hand over his property.

After they got the valuables, they locked Mr. Li in the inner room and threatened him viciously: "If you dare to shout, we will come back and kill you! If you tell others about what happened tonight, you will lose your head!"

After saying that, he climbed over the wall quietly, delivered the property to the home of the person who was blackmailed, knocked on the door, threw the things in, and then strode away and returned to the county government office.

As expected, Mr. Li did not dare to say anything the next day, for fear that the masked men would come and cause trouble for him again.

Du Shaoling and his men did all these things without consulting Han Yuechuan and Master Zhang before or after the fact.

They felt that Han Yuechuan would definitely not object to punishing evildoers.

Moreover, they did not just this one thing, but several similar things in a row, all of which were to seek benefits for the poor people and punish the local tyrants and evil gentry.

Every action they took went smoothly and didn't alarm too many people.

No one knows about it except the bullies who suffered and the poor people who benefited secretly.

The bullies were warned that their heads were temporarily kept on their necks, and if they told anyone else, someone would come to take them at any time.

They can only blame themselves for their bad luck and have no way to express their suffering.

However, paper cannot cover the fire after all.

Before long, magical rumors spread in the streets and alleys, saying that a god had descended from the sky, punishing evil and promoting good, and had done a lot of good things. Some more pragmatic people also said that a few knights had entered the city at night, just like the storytellers in the neighborhood, flying over eaves and walls, coming and going without a trace, specializing in helping the weak and the poor and punishing bullies.

These rumors also reached the ears of Han Yuechuan and Master Zhang. They both thought that this was nonsense and was just a beautiful fantasy of the suffering people hoping that a knight would punish the bully on their behalf.

The rumor also reached the ears of Master Xiao, who told it in a very convincing manner.

He was a little afraid of the gods who rewarded the good and punished the evil, but when he thought about the many evil things he had done, he was still unwilling to believe it.

As for the knight who came and went without a trace, he would rather believe it than not, for he was afraid that he would lose his head in his sleep one night. After all, he knew in his heart that he was not a good person.

Therefore, Master Xiao secretly checked with the local gentry he was on good terms with, and only then did he realize that it was not just a legend, but a group of strong men had clearly come to the city.

Each family hurriedly made secret arrangements and transferred guards from the country farms to take strict precautions.

This trick really worked. It turned out that after Han Yuechuan came to the county town to serve as the county magistrate, the old brothers from the mountain inevitably came to the city to deliver letters.

It is through these people that they can accurately target passing wealthy merchant caravans and local tyrants leaving the city, and their robbery attempts are almost always successful, without anyone noticing.

When collecting tolls, it is inevitable that one's appearance will be revealed in front of the gentry and guards.

Especially Mr. Xiao's subordinates. A leader who was transferred from the countryside came to the county town and followed Butler Xiao to the yamen to give gifts. He unexpectedly ran into a familiar person at the gate of the yamen.

After returning to report, Master Xiao acted promptly and ambushed the man on his way out of the city and kidnapped him.

(End of this chapter)