Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 590 Dog bites dog

Xia Lin's hand was wrapped in a white cloth, inside which was a miraculous medicine from Miao territory. It was quite expensive, and it was specially brought from home by Master Hu to be applied to Xia Lin's hand.

"Young man, you're too hot-tempered!" Old Master Hu scolded Xia Lin like an elder: "Brother, why did you have to do it yourself? Why can't you control your temper?"

“Hey…” Xia Lin sighed: “Brother, to tell you the truth, if I could have endured it, I wouldn’t be in this situation today. Xia Daosheng and I were both from Luoyang and were old acquaintances. It was because I couldn’t stand the current emperor’s irritable temper that I switched allegiance to Wang Shichong. He rose to prominence while I was forced to wander in this southwest region, keeping company with mosquitoes and flies. My downfall was all because of my temper.”

"The Southwest is great, really great."

Hu rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that this young man really didn't know how to talk, no wonder he couldn't make any progress. What did he mean by "keeping company with mosquitoes and flies"? Was Hu a mosquito or a fly?
After a while, Xia Lin looked at his hands and said, "It's time to change my temper. I have a shipment to send to Guizhou tomorrow. Do you think they'll allow it?"

"Can...can my ass." Old Hu laughed, "Old Sun is the kind of person who always seeks revenge. You've humiliated him like this, and you still want to ship the goods out? He'll even slap me in the face."

"Alright!" Xia Lin slapped the table with his other hand and said, "It all comes down to having a legitimate reason for our actions. But Brother Hu still won't say who your superiors are. Won't they cause trouble?"

Looking at Xia Lin's bloodied hand, Master Hu sighed softly. After gesturing to dismiss the people around him, he slowly said, "Who else could it be but Wei Changsheng, the garrison commander of Guizhou?"

"Oh... I've heard of this man. It's said that Yongzhou and Guizhou are his territories. He's a major warlord in the southwest."

"Well, even the Jiangnan Circuit can't do much about it, but he can't directly manage this area, so he just asks us to do things for him."

"A big warlord." Xia Lin clicked his tongue. "But he's too far away. He probably doesn't have time to bother with our little place."

"I think so too."

"Then go for it!"

Actually, at this moment, the bandit leader surnamed Sun was not idle either. He was extremely angry, and in a way that was uncontrollable. The bandit leader surnamed Hu was really not taking him seriously. When the commander assigned them down, he promised that they would be of one mind and one heart, but now Hu was making a fortune, while he couldn't even get a sip of the dishwater, let alone eat meat.

Today, even the men he sent out were severely beaten. Anyone who dared to do something like that Hu should have stopped him, but he handled it so calmly.

Can we tolerate this? We have to teach him a lesson!

He had already joined forces with several local gentry from the opposite county who were dissatisfied with the anti-bandit funds allocated to the Mao family surnamed Sun, and were preparing to make trouble for him. But now it seems he should hurry up. And if he wants to teach this old dog Hu a lesson, he needs to find someone to take the fall first.

Who is this person? Oh dear, it's so hard to guess.

Xia Lin's trading company prepared goods for a few days. His people had all settled down along the route, and now they were basically following the normal delivery process. It was truly a case of professionals doing professional work. With the help of the managers at all levels of Dongfeng Trading Company, these soldiers were actually able to make their business thrive.

The transfer orders, the demand for goods, and even the order amounts are all genuine, and the transaction records can withstand scrutiny.

When Master Hu saw the large amount of money coming in and out, he estimated that the annual revenue would be over ten thousand taels. He sat there with his backside down and thought, "What the hell are you doing being a bandit? This is just the beginning. If things stabilize later, this money will be easier to earn than robbing and plundering."
"Mr. Hu, I've checked the accounts of the business for you. Please take a look."

The village accountant placed the ledger in front of Master Hu, but was stopped just as he was about to turn around: "Old Cat, wait a minute, I have something to ask you."

"Please speak, Mr. Hu."

"Are these accounts authentic?"

"It's true, it couldn't be more true. The deposit, the goods verification, the transaction amount, and even the goods loaded on the truck all match up. It seems that young master Zhang is quite capable. No wonder he comes from a prominent family in the Central Plains. He's really been wronged to come to our small place."

"Haha." Master Hu laughed, looking up. "He did mention that he was suppressed by Xia Daosheng when he was in Jiangnan."

"Then there's nothing we can do. Xia Daosheng is no ordinary person. I've heard that even if several powerful families joined forces, they still couldn't defeat him. But Young Master Zhang's abilities are top-notch even among ordinary people. Master Hu has really struck gold."

"Hiss... Old Cat, you're a scholar too. I'm just curious, how come such a shrewd and capable scholar also has such good fighting skills? Back then, even with more than forty of us, we couldn't take down those three."

"This... Master Hu, I don't understand. But I have heard that those big families not only study, but also master all six arts of a gentleman. Besides, if they don't have the ability, they wouldn't dare to roam the world like that. Those who dare to roam the world naturally have the ability."

"Hmm, quite a lot of nonsense. But I did see a certain ruthlessness in that kid, no less than mine. It broadened my horizons."

After saying that, Master Hu waved his hand and said, "You may leave now."

To be honest, Master Hu was also quite nervous. After all, this was the first time in his life that he had partnered with someone to do legitimate business, and the first caravan was leaving tomorrow. Although he knew that Old Sun would cause him trouble, he sincerely hoped that everything would go smoothly. After all, a single round trip for a caravan could earn seven or eight thousand taels of silver, or even tens of thousands. The two of them could each earn a considerable amount, which was much more comfortable than becoming a bandit.

The next day, the first big order from the Zhongchun Trading Company was about to set off. The company sent a hundred people, and the rest were all under Master Hu's command. He was still a little worried about them, so he got up early and personally saw the caravan off out of the city.

He spent the entire morning on tenterhooks, but Xia Lin seemed completely unfazed, sitting there writing and drawing. Master Hu glanced at him a few times, but what he wrote was utterly incomprehensible; it was probably just the kind of entertainment a scholar would have. Master Hu could only sit there dumbfounded. They sat like this until the afternoon, almost dusk, when suddenly one of Master Hu's men stumbled in, covered in dirt. Upon seeing Master Hu, he immediately knelt down.

"Boss! We've been robbed, double-crossed!"

Although Mr. Hu had expected this, his heart still skipped a beat when he heard this. He quickly asked, "How much was lost?"

"They've all been detained, and fifty people have been taken away. They said we have to go back and get money to ransom them."

"Didn't you say whose caravan you were?"

The man said aggrievedly, "I did tell them, but they said each side has its own rules. They said our caravan didn't pay the customary fee, and we can't break those rules. Even brothers should keep clear accounts."

"Very well, old Sun, I think you're a cunning old thief!"

At this moment, Master Hu's hands were trembling with anger, and Xia Lin finally raised his head: "Brother Hu, it's obvious that the person over there wasn't trying to settle accounts, he just wanted to give you a warning."

"He's not worthy to talk back to me!"

Hu Ye stood up: "I'll go find the county magistrate and have the local militia go out and give these bandits a good talking to."

"There's nothing I can do to help here."

"Don't worry, brother. Everyone should do their own job. You stay here and see what that thief is capable of!"

Master Hu was really enraged at this point. He thought that it would be enough to just withhold a portion of the goods, maybe 20% or 30%, and that everyone could just get along peacefully. He thought that this was the first time he would give the other party some face.

But who knew that the man surnamed Sun would be so aggressive? Well then, don't blame him for being ruthless.

Watching Master Hu leave in a hurry, Xia Linyi just smiled by the door frame. He knew this was just the beginning; the real show was yet to come. The Guizhou garrison commander, huh? A warlord, huh?

I'll set you all on fire.

It's fun! This is definitely more fun than staying in Jiangnan Road focusing on production and promoting agriculture and commerce. It's truly enjoyable to compete with others, and you can even walk your dog during the process, which makes it even more fun.

Not long after, the commotion of the local militia passed by on the street. Xia Linyi watched them rush out with their weapons, and couldn't help but find it a little funny.

In the end, the teacher's approach is still the most effective. The goal of common prosperity is always more effective than a life-or-death confrontation. Whoever cuts off the source of income is the enemy. The world is not that complicated, is it?

The local militia was organized with real money. Although it hadn't been established for long, a large number of its members were Hu Ye's men. After coming here, they went from being bandits to local militia, which was a kind of whitewashing of their identities. Naturally, they listened to Hu Ye more.

Taking this person out there, we'll see if the other side will compromise. But Xia Lin estimates it won't be that easy for them to compromise. After all, the two sides have been competing on equal footing for years. Now that Master Hu has suddenly risen to prominence, jealousy will burn him to ashes.

With a total of around two thousand people, that's quite a lot. Even though they were all local militiamen who hadn't received formal military training, the number was still astonishing.

Hu Ye personally led his men to attack Li County. On the way, Li County thought someone was attacking the county town, but the men didn't enter the town at all. Instead, they turned around and went up the mountain to suppress the bandits.

There's no way things can end well now that things have come to this point. Let's see if this round can bring that old man Sun down.

As Xia Lin was leaning against the wall eating, her second brother came up to her and said, "Daosheng, should we go and help them out?"

"Whom are you helping?" Xia Lin asked with a smile.

"You say you'll help someone, then you'll help them."

“No.” Xia Lin shook his head and said, “I’ll help whoever wins. Everyone says that Guizhou’s scenery is the best in the world. I want both the mountains and the water.”

"Why don't you just send troops and take it directly?"

"Wouldn't I be completely disgraced in court then? If the Jiangnan Circuit sends troops to the Lingnan Circuit and occupies Guizhou, I'd truly be a traitor. Even if Emperor Jingtai didn't punish me, he'd be pressured to recall me to the capital. So, do you think I should go back? And if I do, will I hand over my military power?"

"That cannot be paid."

“Right.” Xia Lin spread his hands: “We absolutely cannot fire the first shot, but we must have the ability to prevent them from firing the second shot. That’s the only way to be safe.”

(End of this chapter)