The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 111 Family, it’s time for dinner again!
While Wang Kuiyi, a nerd who had not even read the "Anti-Scripture", was still gloating over other people's misfortune, Huang Shijie had already arrived together with Zhang Guoliang and Zhang Dingxiang, riding on tall horses.

Mr. Huang certainly knew that Dai Wenying, a battalion officer under Zhang Guoliang, had arrested people in the street.

This matter is indeed a bit too much!

But Huang Shijie is not going to give in. If he does, he will have to pay back his debt!

Repaying debts is a matter of course!

Where would Huang Shijie find the money to pay it back? Not only could he not pay it back, but he also had to beg for food!

So he couldn't be timid. Not only could he not be timid, he had to put on a domineering and ferocious look and let Luo Bingzhang and Zuo Zongtang cover him up. If those two wanted to defend Changsha City, they had to rely on the militia who were begging for food! If they were not willing to cover for him, Huang Shijie, then why would other militia leaders be willing to follow them? He, Huang Shijie, was the first to bring a militia to Changsha.
Thinking of this, Huang Shijie's scholarly face showed a rather ferocious expression, and his tone was a bit scary: "What's going on? How come the door of my shop has become a place of execution? Why are there several people dressed in official uniforms who are going to be beheaded? Could it be that the rebels of the Tiandihui are pretending to be officials?"

Among the unfortunate people kneeling down, some knew Huang Shijie and started crying out, "Mr. Huang, it's me, Yu Dexing from Fu Ruixing!"

Huang Shijie asked coldly: "Manager Yu? What have you done wrong? Why are you going to be beheaded?"

"I, I..." How could the shopkeeper Yu Dexing, with his fat and wealthy face, have ever seen such a scene?

He could sense something was wrong now. This Huang was not a decent person. Not only did he not pay back his debts, he also wanted to kill the creditor! Was there any law left?
Thinking of this, his hair stood on end. He didn't dare to say that he was here to collect debts. He stammered and didn't know what to say.

Dai Wenying was impatient. Seeing that Shopkeeper Yu couldn't speak clearly, he answered for him: "Mr. Huang, these people blocked the door of your shop to demand debts. Your family members refused to pay and even fought with them. So I arrested them all!"

"Oh!" Huang Shijie sneered, "So it's Huang's creditor!"

"Don't dare, don't dare"

“We don’t want debt anymore”

“No need to pay it back.”

How dare you ask for a debt? Your life is more important!
"Hahaha!"

Huang Shijie laughed three times, showing his arrogance and domineering. His eyes swept across the street outside Chao Zong Gate, taking in the frightened and astonished expressions of the crowd.

The people here haven't realized that troubled times have arrived!

It's time to let them know!
Huang Shijie stopped laughing and said in a deep voice, "Don't be afraid, everyone. I, the Huang family of Etang, will repay my debts! But I'm a little short of money now, and I still need some money to raise soldiers. If you trust me, please raise another 100,000 or 80,000 yuan and lend it to me. I will repay what I borrow!"

Return.Borrow?
Why don't you go and grab it?
No one expected Huang Shijie to be so shameless!

"What do you think? Do you all agree?" Huang Shijie's tone became even colder, and he looked like he really wanted to kill someone.

"promise!"

"I promise!"

"Mr. Huang wants to borrow money too, so how dare I refuse?"

How dare those creditors not agree? If they did not agree, Huang Shijie would give an order and their heads would be chopped off.

This guy has lost his home and property now. Besides the thousand-plus killer soldiers he has, he is left with a mountain of debts. What else would he not dare to do in order to make money?

"Agree?" Huang Shijie sneered, "How much do you plan to lend? Tell me the number, I'll have someone remember it, and I'll send soldiers to collect it tomorrow!"

How lawless!
The four words "lawlessness" emerged in the minds of those being held below and everyone watching nearby.

"The Governor of Hunan has been assigned to perform his duties. All outsiders, please stay out!" Before the detained creditors could even say how much money they were prepared to pay for their lives, they suddenly heard shouts and the sound of troops advancing.

Everyone turned their heads to look in the direction of the sound, and saw large groups of Qing soldiers coming out of the Chao Zong Gate.

Is this an attempt to quell a rebellion or to start a war?
Okay, since the Taiping Army hasn’t come yet, why don’t you guys fight one yourself first?
The people watching the excitement on the street felt that something was wrong and began to retreat.

Zhang Guoliang and Zhang Dingxiang were also a little nervous. They each put their hands on their swords and moved closer to Huang Shijie. Huang Shijie raised his hand and said loudly, "It's okay. The one who came is Zuo Jigao, Luo Ruweng's chief advisor. I made an appointment with him!"

Before he finished speaking, the Green Camp soldiers who had come out of the Chao Zong Gate had stopped advancing. Then, when the flag gate opened, they saw a pale-faced, mustache-wearing, well-mannered Green Camp military officer appear on horseback, escorting a sedan chair.

The officer on horseback reined in his horse, then looked at the man in front of him who seemed ready to kill someone, and did not intervene, but bowed and asked, "Excuse me, is the man in front of you from the Daozhou Camp?"

The man spoke in Beijing dialect without a trace of Xianghu accent. It was obvious that he was a descendant of the Eight Banners who served in the Green Camp.

"I am the deputy county magistrate Huang Shijie, and I am here to lead 1,500 Daozhou militiamen to Changsha under the order of General Saizhongtang!" Huang Shijie bowed on his horse and said to the Green Camp military officer with a smile, "May I know your name, big brother?"

"I'm Taqibu, acting garrison commander of the Left Camp of the Hunan Fu Biao!" The pale-faced military officer answered with a bow, then dismounted and stood beside the sedan chair. He lifted the curtain and said respectfully, "Mr. Zuo, Magistrate Huang and his men are here."

"Well done!"

With a cheer, a short middle-aged man came out of the sedan chair. He was wearing a long blue cloth robe and a small melon-shaped hat. He held a folding fan in his right hand. He ignored the creditors, yamen runners, and lawyers who were captured for no reason. He just smiled and clasped his fists: "I am Zuo Zongtang from Xiangyin!"

Huang Shijie turned over and dismounted, walked quickly forward, clasped his fists towards Zuo Zongtang, and said with a smile: "I am Huang Shijie from Daozhou, and I have heard of Mr. Jinliang's name for a long time!"

Zuo Zongtang laughed and said "I dare not", then he looked at the Daozhou army that followed Huang Shijie and nodded with satisfaction: "They are indeed strong and powerful!"

Then he glanced at the group of creditors and the officials and legal advisors from Shanhua County who were captured by Huang Shijie's men.

Of course he knew what happened here? And he came here to support Huang Shijie!

Because Huang Shijie is a talented person—a talented person who can beg for food while standing!
If Zuo Zongtang wanted to organize a large-scale militia, he naturally had to beg for food. He had to beg for food from the rich families in Changsha who were "getting poorer and poorer". And he couldn't delay because the Taiping Army would be here soon and there was not much time left.

So it’s good to have a villain like Huang Shijie, because he can let those rich people know how powerful we are.

Thinking of this, Zuo Zongtang withdrew his gaze from the group of creditors, officials, and lawyers, and then made a gesture of invitation: "Brother Ziying, Mr. Ru invites you!"

Huang Shijie laughed heartily, feeling very proud. He turned around to look at the creditors, Mr. Zhao, and the constables who were being held outside the door of his Huang family's old shop.

These people all had gloomy looks on their faces. Even now, they still didn't know that Huang Shijie and Zuo Zongtang were in the same group!

And Zuo Zongtang was the expert invited by Luo Bingzhang to help defend Changsha. Now in Changsha City, Luo Bingzhang was the boss and he was the second in command!
Huang Shijie certainly wouldn't kill anyone in the street, and he just wanted food now, not life. So he waved to a shopkeeper of his Huang's shop and said, "Shopkeeper Guo, ask them how much money they want to lend me, and then write it down!"

"Yes, yes, sir!" Shopkeeper Guo responded tremblingly, and came up to ask with an account book in hand.

"Dai Youji," Huang Shijie said to Dai Wenying, "wait until Manager Guo says he's done, then release him."

"twitter!"

Dai Wenying responded loudly.

Huang Shijie strode forward and entered Changsha hand in hand with Zuo Zongtang!

On the street outside Chaozong Gate, Wang Kuiyi looked at the backs of Huang Shijie and Zuo Zongtang and just murmured: "Times of chaos, times of chaos have arrived, there is no law anymore!"

(End of this chapter)