In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 844 Seeking Peace Through Struggle
The night passed in the blink of an eye.

Asir kept his eyes open until morning when he finally felt a little sleepy.

Once he had enough money, the shack he once loved so much became less appealing.

Asir is eager to move away from here.

But reason told him that he couldn't get carried away and had to be patient.

With these conflicted feelings in mind, Asir drifted off to sleep.

His parents and younger sister tiptoed away, not wanting to disturb him.
As the de facto pillar of the family, his rest is especially important.

As time passed, the noise outside became increasingly noticeable.

They were chattering away, like they'd stumbled upon a bustling market.

Asir's light sleepiness was pulled back, and he opened his eyes with some annoyance.

The desire to move to a new house reached its peak at this moment.

Even if it's just an ordinary two-courtyard house, not a grand mansion, it won't be disturbed by the noise from the street.

Asir listened carefully to the commotion outside.

Gradually, his drowsy state faded, replaced by a solemn expression.
"Did you hear that? Hongxia Blacksmith Shop has also stopped work without giving us any advance notice."
My husband is still making a scene at the door.

"Yes, they just stopped work like that. They were doing just fine yesterday."

Upon hearing the familiar name, Asir sat bolt upright, his brow furrowed.
The Red Knight Blacksmith Shop was spearheaded by the Da Ning Prefecture government.

Blacksmith shops established through cooperation among various workshops
The original purpose of its establishment was to accommodate the Beiyuan people from the north of the city, to stabilize their lives, and to do some simple tasks.

It was a large-scale blacksmith shop, and many families in the northern part of the city relied on it for their livelihood.

Logically speaking, which workshop should stop production?

It shouldn't be the case that Hongxia Blacksmith Shop has to shut down; the impact would be too great.

Unbeknownst to him, Asir had already begun to consider the bigger picture.

He could tell that someone in the city was defying the government.

However, Asir was somewhat puzzled.

Asu-sama already said that yesterday,
All workshops were supposed to reopen today, so why are some shut down again?

He couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried. He had doubts in his heart, but no panic.

In the past, if a blacksmith shop stopped working,

With no income, the family was in imminent danger of starvation and freezing.

But now, even without yesterday's reward, his wages are enough to support his family, which gives him more peace of mind.

What Asir is worried about now is the government office.

He knew he was working for the officials in the government.

If the reputation of the government office is damaged, his livelihood will be in trouble, which is a serious matter.

Taking a deep breath, Asir didn't linger any longer. He put on his clothes and rushed out.

Heading towards the Red Knight Blacksmith Shop at the foot of the city wall on the north side of the city.

Because the shack was also located at the foot of the city wall.
He walked along the city wall and soon arrived at the city gate. He crossed the gate...

At the end of the street not far away is the Red Knight Blacksmith Shop.

It occupies a very large area, possibly with more than a dozen courtyards.
His daily work mainly involves the maintenance and upkeep of military equipment, as well as the forging of some simple iron tools.

The technology is not difficult, it is highly repeatable, and it can support a large number of people.

It used to be scorching hot here, the air almost distorted by the heat of the fire.

Now it's chilly, and the lingering smell of rust hasn't diminished.

The atmosphere was actually much more vibrant today because no work was being done.

Upon arriving, he immediately noticed the more than one hundred people piled up at the entrance.

They all looked like they had suffered a great deal of bitterness and resentment.

His skin was sallow and his body was thin.
His gaze was fixed on the managers standing at the door and the tightly closed door.

A murmur of quiet discussion filled the air, making the place seem noisy.

Asir searched through the crowd.
He quickly found his father, Meng Ge Aruka, in the front right position.

Like everyone else, he had a furrowed brow and a worried expression.

Asir pushed his way through the crowd and quickly reached his father, calling out:
"Father!"

A familiar voice approached, and Aruka turned around.
He was in his forties, but looked like he was in his fifties.

His temples were gray, his beard was long, and his skin was sallow and dark; he looked like a person who had suffered.

His eyes lit up the moment he saw his son.
After saying goodbye to his coworkers, he pulled Asir away from the crowd.

As he stepped out of the crowd, his eyes suddenly turned stern:
"Why aren't you sleeping at home? What are you doing here?"

Asir shrank back:

"I heard the workshop has stopped operating, so I came to check."

Father, you have a bad temper, so please avoid conflicts with others.

Even if the workshop shuts down, it's alright, we have enough money."

Aruka's tense demeanor disappeared, and his taut body relaxed.

"Go back now, don't worry about what's going on here."

Lord Ortai will be here soon; he will take charge of the situation.

Asir completely ignored these words and instead asked:
"Father, why is the workshop shut down? Didn't we agree yesterday that everything would be back in operation?"

"Who knows? They said the workshop is out of iron and told us to go home and wait."

"No more iron? That's utter nonsense!"

Asir's expression suddenly turned strange, his face filled with absurdity.
He knew that in this northern frontier, iron was never in short supply.
Open-pit iron mines are everywhere; what's lacking is the technology for mining, processing, and smelting.

"That's utter nonsense. I even watched it yesterday."
There are at least three truckloads of materials in the warehouse; if we work slowly, it won't be finished in ten days.

Aruka, somewhat indignant, said fiercely:

"I don't know what these people are up to."
The workshops in the north of the city opened today, but there's no work.

Asir's expression turned serious upon hearing this.
He discovered that in this incident, it seemed that many people had joined forces.

Some unassuming but highly capable managers have started to emerge.

He glanced at the crowd gathering ahead and said softly:
"Father, have you eaten?"

"I have no appetite."

"Let's go eat first. Waiting here won't get us anywhere. We'll just have to wait for the officials to handle it."

Aruka, who had already calmed down, suddenly perked up upon hearing this.

"The officials in the yamen? These things were done by those corrupt officials in the yamen."

"If they don't give us a way out, we can't let them get away with it!"

"You go back first, don't get involved. I'll fight them here!"

After saying that, Aruka rushed back, leaving Asir behind.

Asir watched his father's retreating figure, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
But it must be admitted that this seems to be the best approach.

Only by making a big enough fuss will the people behind it be afraid, and only then will the officials in the government really step in to settle things.

As time went by, more and more people gathered in front of Hongxia Blacksmith's Workshop.
The number of people has grown from just over a hundred to nearly three hundred.

A large portion of them were blacksmiths' families.
Unlike Aruka's family, they don't have many people making money.

Their family's livelihood depended on the blacksmith's workshop.

If they don't work, what will they eat?
Anger was building up and accumulating.
Soon the discussion and murmurs grew louder.

The sun gradually climbed to its zenith.
The scorching sun poured down relentlessly.

The open space in front of the Red Knight Blacksmith Shop was scorching hot.

Anger is like gunpowder heated by the scorching sun, waiting for just a spark to explode.

Several managers stood in front of the tightly closed gate.

His face was full of impatience, and his eyes revealed contempt and disdain.

One of the stewards was short, stout, and had a fierce-looking face.

With hands on hips, he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Get back here and wait! What's the point of making a scene here? If you keep causing trouble, don't ever come back!"

A tall, thin, dark-skinned blacksmith in the crowd glared and roared:
"You bunch of bullies who rely on their master's power! What gives you the right to stop work just like that?"
Our whole family depends on this workshop for a living!

The short, stout manager sneered, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh ho, you dare to talk back?"

You barbarians of the grasslands, we're already being generous by giving you any work to do, and you're still being so picky!
"If you don't want to do it, then get out! There are plenty of people who would!"

These words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd, with angry roars surging like a tidal wave.

A gray-haired blacksmith, trembling with rage, pointed at the short, stout foreman and cursed:
"We work hard in this workshop; even if we haven't achieved anything great, we've still put in the effort."

"You just stop whenever you want? How can you treat us like this?" The short, fat manager didn't care at all and instead intensified his insults.

"Old man, stop acting like you're old and incompetent!"
You lowly bunch, if it weren't for the master giving you a bite to eat, would you still be alive?
Is this how you treat your savior? Don't you even know your own worth?!

This statement completely ignited the crowd's anger.

A burly man with a full beard strode forward.
He grabbed the short, stout manager by the collar and lifted him up roughly.

The short, stout manager turned pale with fright, his legs kicking wildly in the air, yet he continued to curse relentlessly.

"What... what do you want to do?"
"Let me go! You barbarians of the grasslands, try touching me and see what happens!"

The burly man's forehead veins bulged as he roared.

"Just try it!"

As he spoke, he raised his fist and slammed it hard into the face of the short, fat manager.

This punch was powerful and heavy.
He smashed the manager's nose so hard it bled profusely.

The short, stout manager let out a scream, but continued to curse under his breath.

Seeing this, the crowd simply swarmed forward.

Some people waved their fists, while others picked up stones and threw them at the managers.

For a moment, the scene was in chaos.

The short, stout manager was surrounded by the crowd, and punches and kicks rained down on him.

He tried to struggle, but it was all in vain.

Before long, he was trampled to the ground, his feet pounding down on him like raindrops.

The wailing suddenly turned from passionate to weak, and the body coverings became limp.

The other managers turned pale with fright and tried to run away, but were held back by the crowd.

"You can't leave! You're not leaving until you give us an explanation!"

At this time, a teenager, working odd jobs,
He picked up a sharp piece of iron from somewhere, his eyes flashing with a fierce light, and stabbed it toward the short, fat manager's neck.

With a hiss, blood gushed out like a fountain.

The short, stout manager's body trembled violently, then shook uncontrollably, and then fell silent.

The punches and kicks continued, and it wasn't until nearly twenty breaths later that people noticed his unusual condition.

"Stop, stop, stop! Why isn't the person moving?!"

The movement gradually stopped, and people were stunned by what they saw.

Anger was instantly replaced by fear.

They stared at the gradually cooling corpse on the ground, their eyes filled with terror and bewilderment.

The once noisy scene has now become completely silent.

Only a gentle breeze carried a hint of blood.

Kill! Murder!

Just then, a burst of hurried horse hoof sounds came from a distance.

A short while later, Asu and Ortai arrived in haste with a troop of soldiers.

Behind them were two portly shopkeepers.

Asu and Ortai arrived at the Red Knight Blacksmith Shop.
Upon seeing the gruesome corpse on the ground, his expression instantly turned grave.

Asu's eyes widened in anger as he strode up to the two shopkeepers who were being held captive.
One of them was none other than the arrogant and domineering manager of the Red Knight Blacksmith Shop, who was now paralyzed with fear on the ground.

Asu raised his hand and slapped the manager hard across the face.

This slap was powerful and heavy.

He slapped the head manager away, sending him flying and crashing heavily to the ground.

The head manager spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with a few teeth.

He covered his face, staring at Asu in terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Asu angrily cursed:
"Is this the result you wanted?"
"You guys really think this is inside the Great Wall? Are you out of your minds?!"

His voice was as loud as a bell, echoing in the air and making everyone's ears hurt.

The head manager was so frightened he nearly jumped out of his skin.

He immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, begging for mercy:
"Lord Asu, spare me! This...this was not my intention!"

Asu snorted coldly, his eyes revealing a strong killing intent.

"You damned bastards, for your own selfish gain, you disregard the lives of ordinary people!"

They also incited workers to stop work and cause trouble.
Now that someone has died, do you know your crime?

The head manager trembled violently, his voice shaking as he said:
"I know I'm guilty, please spare my life, Your Honor! I... I was forced into this situation!"

Asu glanced at him disdainfully, then turned to the crowd and said loudly:
"Fellow villagers, please calm down! I am Asu!"
The authorities will definitely give everyone justice in this matter.

But you mustn't act impulsively; murder is punishable by death.

Aser, amidst the crowd, watched the scene unfold before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He knew this matter had escalated significantly, and he wondered how the authorities would handle it.
He glanced at his father, Aruka, beside him.

The father's face showed a mixture of confusion and fear.

At this moment, Ortai stepped forward and addressed the crowd:

"Don't worry, everyone. The authorities are aware of the seriousness of the matter."

We will investigate the mastermind behind this as soon as possible and give everyone an explanation.

Now, everyone should go home and not gather here.

The government will handle the workshop's affairs appropriately.

The crowd listened to Ortai's words,
Although she was still somewhat unwilling, she knew that continuing to make trouble would not do any good.

So, persuaded by Asir and the others, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Only the gruesome body of the steward remained, lying silently on the ground, unattended.

Asu watched the group's departing figures and sighed deeply.
He turned to look at the two detained managers and said coldly:

"Look what you've done! You won't stop until someone dies!"

"I simply don't understand."

Why create trouble when life is perfectly fine?
"Do you think you can easily mess with the north of the city?"

The two shopkeepers stared blankly at the fallen corpse, unsure of what to say.

He just kept cursing in his heart.

These barbarians of the grasslands are crude and reckless! They start killing people right away!
Seeing that they remained silent, Asu coldly said:

"Take them back, interrogate them thoroughly, and find out who is behind it."

The soldiers responded and took the two shopkeepers into custody.

Asu looked at Ortai and shook his head helplessly.

"Ortai, you take your men and stay in the north of the city. Make sure this never happens again."

I went to the Military Commandery to report this matter to the esteemed officials.

Ortai's expression was solemn:
"Yes!"

Soon, Asu led his men away. Ortai looked at the mess in front of him and sighed softly. He was also very puzzled.

Why not just live a peaceful life instead of causing trouble?

He arranged for soldiers to handle the scene.
I went to Xisha Street, where the workshops in the north of the city are mainly located.
That is, the place where work was suspended yesterday.

Here, the workshops that were closed yesterday have all reopened.
But as Ortai looked at the figures squatting or sitting, a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes, followed by a fleeting fierce glint.

Although the workshop is open and people are working, there is no work to be done!

The reasons given were all pretty much the same: no raw materials, raw materials were still on their way, etc.

This kind of excuse, meant to fool idiots, has been brazenly brought up.

It's left us in this limbo, stuck in the middle.

Some people who were originally idling at the door saw Ortai,

They sat up abruptly, surrounded each other, and started talking all at once.

Ortai was completely bewildered.

He couldn't understand why he had come to Mingdi and encountered so many unpleasant things.

Moreover, these Ming merchants were clearly more cunning than the royal court's men, making it impossible for him to find a way to take action.
Ortai thought of his mother's instructions to him.

"The more chaotic the situation, the better. The bigger the trouble, the easier it is for the authorities to intervene and handle it."

Taking a deep breath, Asir's eyes showed determination, and he pressed his hand down.

"Fellow villagers, please don't worry."

The government will handle matters here.
Don't cause trouble. When it's time to finish work, go home early to rest and recharge.
"Don't follow the example of Hongxia's blacksmith shop and cause a death!"

(End of this chapter)