Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 269, The Cheng Family Fortune

Tuo Lei led his men to retreat into the ravine.

He originally intended to take advantage of the terrain to ambush the Huaiyin army, achieve a minor victory, and regain some morale.

However, Zhou Shuan acted too steadily, giving them no chance whatsoever.

Left with no other option, Tuolei had to lead his troops in retreat.

After this battle, his already small army suffered another heavy blow, leaving him with only a little over 10,000 men.

The remaining men were all wounded and demoralized.

It's easy to imagine that once the news gets out tomorrow, no one will take him, the new Khan, seriously anymore.

Damn Han Chinese!
I should have just executed Dorrey.

Tuolei originally thought that things were under his control, which is why he hadn't made a move against Duolei. Who would have thought that this bastard would shamelessly defect to the Han people!
That was their father's killer!

Tuo Lei was on the verge of a breakdown.

The remaining strength of the Abuka tribe was insufficient to contend with the Han people. He did not know what to do next to turn the situation around. If Li Hao were still alive, he could consult Li Hao, but now Li Hao was also dead.

How can he possibly fulfill his family's ambitions?

Chen Zhengdu noticed Tuolei's confusion and stepped forward, supporting his injured body, and said:
"Great Khan, hardship and adversity temper you into success, so what is there to fear in failure? The Huaiyin bandits are ambitious and harbor desires to conquer the grasslands. Great Khan, you are weak and alone and not strong enough to fight them. Why not unite with other tribes, explain the advantages and disadvantages, and fight the Huaiyin bandits together!"

Upon hearing this, Tuolei said:
"I wish I could do the same, but these people are all short-sighted. I had already sent people to make contact, but they all stood by and watched us succeed or fail. What can I do?"

Chen Zhengdu said:

"Great Khan, times have changed. Before, when we were fighting with the Huaiyin bandits, other tribes were unwilling to help us, fearing they would suffer losses if they got involved. Now that we have been defeated and the Huaiyin bandits are all-powerful, other tribes will surely unite with you wholeheartedly to protect themselves, so as not to be swallowed up!"

Tuolei listened, understood, and said:
"Indeed, that is absolutely right. I will send someone to make contact immediately!"

Meanwhile, within the Adil tribe.

The celebration banquet has already begun.

Dore was as happy as a fool at that moment.

He could almost see the sweat beckoning to him.

Therefore, Zhou Shuan asked him again for three thousand cattle and sheep to hold a celebration banquet, and he did not refuse at all.

The Huaiyin army had finished a day of fighting and were now feasting on meat and drinking wine with great gusto.

Dore asked Zhou Shuan with a somewhat obsequious tone when he planned to fight back against the Abuka tribe.

Zhou Shuan laughed and said, "Don't worry, Khan Dore, after this battle, the traitor Tuolei will have no power to resist. We only need to lead our army to advance steadily and step by step, and it won't be long before Khan Dore ascends to the throne!"

Upon hearing this, Dorrey was overjoyed and repeatedly toasted Zhou Shuan.

Afterwards, Zhou Shuan reported the course of the battle to Fang Yong. He organized the more than 10,000 captured steppe people into a separate army, called the Vanguard Army. It was specifically responsible for reconnaissance and serving as the vanguard for the main army's march.

This army has no human rights whatsoever; its only purpose is to serve as cannon fodder, probing enemy traps for the main force of the Huaiyin Army.

To distinguish them, the vanguard soldiers were forced to pierce their right ears and wear straw ropes, hence the army was also known as the Straw Rope Army.

Several more battles followed.

Most of these were territories that Zhou Shuan and his men had seized from the Adil tribe before they were recovered.

Tuo Lei dared not engage the Huaiyin army in battle, offering only slight resistance before dispatching a small force to conduct guerrilla warfare.

Zhou Shuan did not want the lives of the Huaiyin Army to be wasted in this meaningless battle, so he forcibly ordered the Caosheng Army to sweep ahead and die, exchanging their lives with Tuolei's men.

After several battles, the Kusanagi army suffered heavy losses and harbored great resentment.

When Fang Yong learned of this, he specifically reprimanded Zhou Shuan, telling him that leading troops should not be so brutal.

As the old saying goes, "A donkey pulling a millstone is blindfolded," meaning some things can't be done openly.

Fang Yong ordered a special amnesty for the Straw Rope Army. Anyone who killed five enemies in battle could be relieved of their straw rope status, promoted to officer, and granted property rights.

After this order was given, the resentment among the Kusanagi Army dissipated significantly...

Beijing, late at night.

Cheng Fan led his family and clan out of the city overnight.

He had already made arrangements at the city gate, so there was no way he would be stopped.

However, as soon as he passed through the city gate, he was surrounded by a large number of Huaiyin soldiers in all directions.

A bitter smile appeared on Cheng Fan's face.

As expected, there was no escape...

The soldiers quickly took Cheng Fan away and then sorted through the gold and silver in Cheng Fan's dozen or so large carriages, only to find that they were all fake.

"Tell me, where did you hide all the embezzled money?"

Cheng Fan looked at the other person and said, "I want to see the King of Wu."

Fang Yong was not so easy to see; his men immediately began to torture him.

"Will you tell me or not? You'll tell me or not!"

Surprisingly, although Cheng Fan was old, he was extremely stubborn, and a series of tortures failed to pry open his mouth.

When the other members of the Cheng family were interrogated, none of them knew the location of the hidden treasure.

Unfortunately, Cheng Fan was getting old, and his subordinates couldn't continue to use severe torture, fearing that his body couldn't withstand it. So they had no choice but to report it to Fang Yong.

"You want to see me... alright then."

Fang Yong arrived at the prison.

Cheng Fan was holed up in his cell, his eyelids drooping, looking very unwell.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Cheng Fan raised one eyelid and, seeing it was Fang Yong, quickly bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I, Cheng Fan, pay my respects to Your Highness! Your Highness, I, Cheng Fan, am willing to help you seize the land of Shanxi. I only beg you to show mercy and spare my Cheng family, so that I may retire to my hometown and live out my remaining years in peace."

Fang Yong smiled faintly upon hearing this and said:
"Su Guangxiong has returned to Beijing!"

Cheng Fan was startled and kowtowed again, saying:
"This sinful subject is willing to offer up all his family property, only begging Your Highness to spare his life in consideration of the fact that he once served Your Highness with utmost loyalty!"

His words were already choked with sobs.

Cheng Fan was in tears, and he kept kowtowing on the ground. He was truly pitiful.

"Ah~"

Fang Yong sighed deeply.

Pacing along:
"Grand Secretary Cheng, Grand Secretary Cheng, what am I supposed to do? The grain from Taicang, the grain from Beicang, the grain from Changping, and even the grain from Huguang—you've only been in power for a few years, yet you've managed to embezzle so much grain! Shanxi suffered a major disaster, Zhili suffered a major disaster, how many people died? And this doesn't even include your factionalism and corruption in the Ministry of Personnel..."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Fan thought to himself, "I didn't do all this by myself; Cui Shu embezzled even more than I did..."

Of course, he only thought these words in his mind and could not say them out loud.

Cheng Fan knelt down and pleaded:
"This humble subject is guilty, guilty indeed! But Your Highness, this humble subject is utterly loyal to you, heaven and earth bear witness!"

"Heaven and earth can bear witness?"

Fang Yong smiled and said nothing more.

In a sense, it was indeed thanks to people like Cheng Fan that he was able to launch his rebellion so smoothly.

"Alright, tell me the location of the stolen money, and I will be lenient with you."

Cheng Fan was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly said:
"The family's wealth in the capital is equivalent to six million taels of silver, and there are countless antiques, paintings, pearls and jade, all of which are hidden in the underground chambers on the left side of the Emperor Emeritus's tomb. The family has assets of fourteen million taels in their hometown in Shanxi, which are buried in Rong'an Academy under the statue of Confucius. The remaining land is tens of thousands of acres and countless shops, all of which are offered to Your Highness."

(End of this chapter)