Han official!

Chapter 170 Redemption
At sunset (17:15-18:00), the hustle and bustle of the rammed earth streets of Hedong City has not yet died down, but the dusk has already dyed the tiles of the flag pavilion red.

Guo Jie leaned against the wooden pillar of the lacquerware shop and knocked his knuckles on the remaining bronze drum, the sound waves vibrating like the buzzing of a bee.

Jia Xin stood under the eaves of the city building and rang the gilded drum five times in succession, shaking the copper bells on the eaves.

Twenty county soldiers blocked the street entrance with spears in hand. The linen cloth on the spear heads was soaked in tung oil. In the light and shadow of the torches, the boundary marker engraved with "Hedong City" on the bluestone road surface flickered.

"The Shaofu Kaogongshi cast a drum to send a message. It was originally intended to warn the border, but it became a weapon for you to kill the people!" Guo Jie's voice shook the long street, and he turned around and knocked on the door of the lacquer shop with the drum.

The door panels are painted with red lacquer and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. According to the "Salt and Iron Discussions", it is a luxurious item that "takes the labor of a hundred people to make one cup of wine". But now it has become a vessel of resonance.

The three slow and two fast knocks coincided with the "Rui Bin" tune in the twelve musical notes of "The Spring Officials" in the Book of Zhou. The bronze horse bells on the eaves of the city building resonated with the sound, and the gilded drums cracked with a spider web-like crack.

Jia Xin stumbled and knocked over the table behind him, and the lacquer-handled cup rolled down the long steps. The needle-engraved inscription "He Yi Gong Guan" on the beech wood base flashed in the firelight.

"Release the crossbow!" Jia Xin roared and chopped down the command flag.

The county soldiers and crossbowmen were stationed on the second floor of the flag pavilion, with the crossbow arms branded with the words "Hedong Engineering Officer in the Third Year of Jianyuan".

According to the "Stable Law", these three-stone powerful crossbows should be stored in the armory, but they are now seen in the market.

Wei Guang took it out from the cloth shop and locked the shin guards of two county soldiers with hooks and barbs. The inscription "Henan Gongguan" on the inlaid plate flickered in the light of the fire.

Guo Jie took the opportunity to throw his dagger, and the sword tip pierced through the cloth canopy with the word "wine" soaked in tung oil. The flames jumped along the hemp rope of the market flag to the eaves of the grain shop, startling the crows and causing them to fly in panic.

"Pour water!" Jia Xin pointed the bronze axe at the pottery jar in the grain shop.

The county soldiers overturned the millet jars, and the millet mixed with well water poured out like a waterfall, but they were unaware that the beams in the lacquer shop were covered with raw lacquer.

This substance becomes sticky when it comes into contact with water and actually fuels the fire.

Three county soldiers, their robes stained with fire, rolled into the open drainage ditch wailing, startling the rats in the ditch and causing them to flee. They also knocked over the reed baskets of the fishmongers by the ditch, causing the live fish to flap their tails and struggle on the bluestone slabs.

Guo Jie led the county soldiers to break into the enemy camp, and the tip of his inlaid sword specifically picked at the leather patch under the armpit of the sleeve armor. This was the key to the saying "The gap in armor is in the armpit" as recorded in "Six Strategies: Military Use".

A county soldier swung his halberd and stabbed forward. The halberd was shaped like the "卜" iron halberd unearthed from the Han Dynasty tombs in Mancheng.

Guo Jie dodged to the side, and the tip of his sword slashed along the shaft of the halberd. The shaft, which was brittle due to salt water, broke with a sound, and the head of the halberd pierced into the chopping board of the butcher's shop, startling the butcher so much that he shrank back under the counter.

Wei Guang cut the reins of the grain cart, and the frightened draft horses dragged the millet bags and broke through the halberd formation.

The sack burst, and millet grains mixed with gravel fell to the ground.

The edges of the gravel, which had been laid out by Guo Jie in advance, shone with a cold blue-black light in the twilight.

A county soldier pierced the pickle jar with his long spear, and the mustard juice splashed into his eyes. The county soldier took the opportunity to grab the spear shaft with a hook and threw it towards the door of the lacquerware shop.

The door burst open, revealing the triple crossbow hidden inside.

The shape is similar to the crossbow mechanism unearthed from the Han Tomb at Fenghuang Mountain in Jiangling, but the crossbow arm is engraved with the words "Chang'an Gongguan".

Guo Jie's pupils suddenly shrank: "You are secretly mobilizing the capital's military equipment. Jia Xin, are you really planning a rebellion?"

Jia Xin's personal soldiers pushed out five baggage carts to form a formation. The iron-wrapped shafts were hardened by quenching. The wheels slipped over the millet grains and plowed deep marks on the rammed earth road.

Guo Jie shouted loudly, and the county guard overturned the painted screen of the lacquerware shop, revealing the shield cart placed behind it.

This cart was modified from the "堙车" and was covered with raw cowhide and soaked in brine for three days, making it difficult for ordinary arrows to penetrate.

The two carts collided, sparks flew from the iron shafts, and lacquer fragments flew like butterflies.

The commander of a county garrison suddenly jumped out of a butcher shop and attacked Wei Guang from behind with his ring-handled sword.

The inscription "卅湅" on the blade is solemn.

Wei Guang turned around and blocked with the hook, the plate got stuck on the back of the knife and pushed hard, the county soldier's wrist hit the copper scale of the fish shop, and the ring-handled knife fell into the fish-killing basin.

The tip of Guo Jie's sword smoothly slashed across the collar of his tube-sleeved armor, revealing the tattoo marks on the linen lining.

It turned out to be the "Chengdan Chong" prisoner mark!
"Jia Xin recruited prisoners as county soldiers!" Wei Guang's long roar pierced the twilight.

The crossbowmen on the city tower paused at the news, and the rain of arrows stopped for a while.

Guo Jie took the opportunity to throw the captured crossbow. The crossbow arm was marked "Jianyuan Year Three." Lao Wenzheng said to Jia Xin: "You, the envoy, have secretly taken away the valuable weapons from the armory. According to the Law on Thieves, you should be executed!" Jia Xin's face turned ashen, and he chopped off the railing with a bronze axe: "Kill them! Leave no one alive!"

The torches at the southwest street intersection are like dragons.

The county reinforcements broke open the city gate and advanced in a tortoise shell formation, armed with iron and wooden shields.

Guo Jie led the county soldiers to retreat into the iron workshop, where the ring-handled swords hanging on the wall clashed with each other.

Smoke and dust rose from the shops in Hedong, and the cold light of the county soldiers' iron halberds flickered under the copper bells on the eaves of the flag pavilion.

The county soldiers led by Jia Xin formed a Yu Li formation, with the first ten men charging forward holding spears with branches shaped like divination sticks.

The crossbowmen of the Houshi Group were stationed on the second floor of the grain shop, with the crossbow arms branded with the words "Hedong Engineering Officer in the Third Year of Jianyuan" on them.

Guo Jie leaned his back against the doorpost of the lacquerware shop, and the tip of his sword swept across the city registration notice on the rammed earth wall.

The red ink inscription "Hedong City Magistrate" on the silk was burnt black by smoke.

"Disperse!"

The five county soldiers rushed into the streets in response.

Inside the lacquerware shop, Wei Guang pulled down the mother-of-pearl lacquer rack, and the plain gauze and silk wrapped around the two leading county soldiers.

A squad leader swung his ring-handled sword to cut through Luo Gu, the ripples on the blade looked cold in the twilight, but Guo Jie's golden sword locked the leather patch under his armpit.

The sword guard bore the inscription "Chen County Engineering Officer," and the sergeant's red ribbon pressed down: "You privately appropriated the three-stone crossbow from the armory; according to the law, you must be executed!"

As the cloth was rolled up, the soldiers from Sanwu County stepped on the caltrops.

The broken pottery pieces were glued together with fish glue, shaped like the caltrops found in the Han tombs in Mancheng.

Before the screams had died down, the oil-soaked Shu brocade was ignited by the fire, and the flames followed the method of using fat and glue recorded in the chapter on fire attack in "Mozi" to form a wall of fire.

The copper bell under the eaves of the grain shop suddenly rang, and a village chief led a hundred people to push an iron-wrapped grain cart.

The wall made of millet bags crashed into the county guards. Guo Jie broke the lacquer plaque with the words "Hedong Market Purchase" and the falling plaque startled the guards and caused them to pull their horses back and raise their hooves.

Millet grains mixed with pebbles fell to the ground.

The sharp blade of the broken stone is polished according to the method of "edge stone sinking into the cavalry" in the Juyan Han bamboo slips.

The horses' hooves slipped, and the grain cart crashed into the earthen wall of the pottery shop.

Fragments of unsold bronze and tripod pots flew like rain. A ten-foot-tall man swung a halberd and stabbed at them. Wei Guang hooked the halberd's shaft at the mark of salt water corrosion and threw it back towards the stone vat of pickled vegetables.

The broken jars of salt water splashed, and Shi's long robes became crusted by the salt. The county soldier's crossbow was already pointed at his chest. "Did Jia Xin also give you this crossbow trigger from the 'Second Year of Jianyuan'?"

Jia Xin broke the sundial needle at the flag pavilion, and three teams of county soldiers formed a cone formation and pressed forward.

The front team's wooden shields were covered with leather and dipped in raw lacquer, the middle team's two-meter-long spears were placed in the gaps between the shields, and the rear team's large yellow crossbows had cow tendon strings stretched like full moons.

Nine flags were hung high in the formation, but there was a flaw.

Guo Jie pointed his sword at the shadow of the flag and said, "Seventh Emperor usurps the throne of the Ninth Emperor. Do you think you will be the scourge of the Lü clan?"

The sound waves made the copper horse bells on the eaves vibrate violently, and the ivory flags tilted in response.

The startled horses rushed out of the livestock pen, and Wei Guang raised his hand and sprinkled realgar powder from the pharmacy.

The county soldiers' shield formation was in disarray, and Guo Jie led the remaining soldiers to retreat to the butcher's market, where they cut the reins of cattle and sheep and overturned the long spear formation.

A garrison commander, holding his halberd, tried to retreat, but Guo Jie cut him off: "Anyone who deserts the battlefield shall be executed according to military law!"

When the last twilight sank into the city gate, Jia Xin personally led his team to attack.

Five hundred county soldiers were divided into five groups to encircle the area. The front group formed a halberd formation to block the street, the left group had crossbowmen perched on tiles, the right group advanced with shields, the back group had long spears like a forest, and the middle group, on the chariots surrounded by them, the governor's bronze axe split the smoke and dust.

Guo Jie smashed the pottery jars in the medicine shop, and the aconite powder spread in the wind. When the county soldiers covered their eyes and coughed, Wei Guang led his men to overturn the quenching tank in the iron workshop.

The salt water overflowed the rammed earth road, corroded the seams of the bluestone slabs, and the wheels of the military vehicles sank three inches into the ground.

The dusk was as dark as blood, and the long rammed earth street of Hedong Market was twisted like hell in the firelight.

The tip of Guo Jie's sword swept across the doorpost of the lacquerware shop, and as the broken lacquer flew everywhere, the cracks on Jia Xin's gilded drum spread to the handle.

The iron-clad wooden shields of the county soldiers' tortoise-shell formation knocked open the door of the ironworks, and the long spears with a cold glow pierced through the gaps in the shields, but Guo Jie turned around and pulled down the bronze horse bell hanging under the eaves.

This object weighed more than dozens of pounds and smashed the shield formation with a loud bang. The soldiers holding the shields had their shins broken and their wails tore through the thick smoke.

"Your Excellency secretly transferred three stone crossbows from the armory, and you are too lazy to change the inscription on the crossbow mechanism?" Wei Guang jumped down from the beam of the granary, hooked and locked the throat of a ten-man, and the panel pressed out the "Chengdan Chong" tattoo seal on the lining of his brown clothes.

The formation of the county soldiers was slightly disrupted, and Guo Jie took the opportunity to rush to the steps of the flag pavilion. He used his gold-inlaid sword to pick up the copper bell on the eaves. The sound was so loud that the gilded watch in Jia Xin's hand fell out of his hand.

Jia Xin staggered and held onto the lacquer table, and the bamboo slips on the table fell to the ground with a clatter.

It turned out to be the salt and iron reagents that had not been completely burned, and the red mark "Supply 200 pieces of leather armor to the Xiongnu" was clearly visible.

He raised his sleeve to cover himself, but Guo Jie pressed the tip of his sword to his throat. "The soldiers at the border are left without armor, yet you are selling armor and armor from your arsenal to the Xiongnu! Has this blood debt ever woke you up in the night?"

"What do you knights know!" Jia Xin's eyes were bloodshot. He swung his bronze axe at the screen behind him, revealing a hidden gilded tiger talisman. "The profits from salt and iron support a million-strong army. Without these trades, how can we pay the military? How can we repair the spiritual platform?"

Wei Guang sneered and threw the blood-stained "Horse Passing Post" document. "Military pay? Last month, the soldiers stationed at Tongguan couldn't even afford millet porridge! And you're using the interlayer of a salt cart to deliver gold cakes to the nobles in Chang'an!"

Gold powder fell from the silk surface, reflecting the private seal of "Weiyang Stables Manager".

Jia Xin suddenly laughed madly, blood foam splattering from the corners of his eyes: "What a loyal and brave Guo Jie! You killed the tyrants and robbed the salt carts, didn't you rely on private punishment? If you kill me today, the emperor will kill you tomorrow!"

Guo Jie pressed down with his sword, and a streak of blood snaked down the prefect's neck. "I am the accountant, and I want to uncover the dirty deeds of corrupt officials like you, but you used the prefect's seal to benefit the Xiongnu."

He suddenly ripped open Jia Xin's robe, revealing the hideous brand of "He Yi Gong Guan" on his waist. "According to the Law on Bandits, those who collude with foreign enemies shall be torn to pieces by a chariot!"

There was a sudden commotion among the county soldiers.

A captain shouted and raised his spear, but was knocked to the ground by a frightened horse, with the "Dou" brand clearly visible on the horse's buttocks.

The soldiers were in an uproar: "Why is Dou's horse in the market?"

"It seems the envoy has even taken matters into the hands of the Dou family." Wei Guang grabbed Jia Xin by the hair and forced him to look up at the sky full of sparks. "Haha, he actually colluded with the Xiongnu for money?"

Jia Xin trembled violently, his voice cracking like a trapped animal: "What do you know... The Xiongnu only want salt and iron, but in exchange they can get a large number of war horses!"

"It's still unknown who is loyal and who is treacherous!"

The cellar of the ironworks was cold and damp, and the light from the torches cast flickering shadows on the rammed earth walls.

Jia Xin was tied with his hands behind his back to a wooden stake, his robes disheveled, and the tortoise-shaped copper seal on his jade belt hook had been removed by Guo Jie, who was comparing the pattern with the confiscated prefectural seal.

Wei Guang held a counting stick in his hand and spread out a scroll of plain silk before him. On the "stolen money book" with the ink still wet was a list of several items: 3 million in profit from smuggled salt, 4 million in stolen ironware, 2 million in profit from horse trading...

"Sir, how many altars can be built with this ten million coins?" Guo Jie pressed the copper seal on Jia Xin's chest, and the four characters "Hedong Taishou" on the seal dug into his flesh.

Jia Xin sneered: "You knights-errant, are you qualified to ask about the imperial court's plans?"

Wei Guang fiddled with his abacus and said coldly, "In the third year of Jianyuan, the Hedong County account book recorded 'annual revenue of five million from salt and iron,' but the actual revenue was over ten million. Was this extra five million used to repair the Lingtai, or to fill the Dou family's private treasury?"

"How dare you!" Jia Xin struggled violently, causing the wooden stake to creak. "The Dou family is the pillar of our country. How can we allow you to slander us?"

Guo Jie lifted Jia Xin's chin with the tip of his sword. "Zhushi? Would Zhushi accept bribes from the prefect? Would he allow you to melt down the weapons in the arsenal?"

He opened the blood-stained document "Passing Horses to the Station." The inscription on the silken surface, "Send 200 jin of gold cakes to Chang'an," was as piercing as blood. "Are these gold cakes for building a mansion for the Dou family, or for raising private soldiers?"

Jia Xin's forehead was covered in sweat, but he still managed to hold on: "Everything I do is for the sake of the Han Dynasty! If the profits from salt and iron are not centralized, how can we support a million-strong army? How can we keep the Xiongnu out of the border?"

"Raise troops?" Wei Guang sneered and threw a coin. "Last month, the soldiers stationed at Tongguan couldn't even afford millet porridge, yet you used the interlayer of your salt cart to deliver gold cakes to the nobles in Chang'an!"

The four characters "Hedong Salt Supervisor" on the coin have been blurred by salt water, but there is an extra chisel mark on the edge.

It is the mark of Dou’s private treasury.

Guo Jie stepped closer, the tip of his sword pressed against Jia Xin's throat. "Sir, do you know that, according to the Law on Theft, if one were to conceal tens of millions of yuan, he would be executed? If one were to add the charge of having an affair with a relative of the emperor's wife, it would be a grave crime, the extermination of his entire clan!"

Jia Xin's pupils suddenly shrank, and his Adam's apple rolled: "You... you dare to touch me? The Dou family will not let you go!"

"Dou?" Guo Jie sneered, "Do you think Dou Ying will protect you? He can even abandon his own nephew, let alone a mere county magistrate like you!"

A cold wind suddenly blew in the cellar, and as the torch flickered, Jia Xin's face turned from blue to white.

He stared at the copper seal in Guo Jie's hand and suddenly burst into a hoarse laugh. "Good! Good! I admit it! The ten million coins are hidden in the Jiechi Salt Warehouse, in twelve cellars buried beneath salt bricks. The gold cakes are sealed in ceramic jars with fish bladder glue, then wrapped in raw cowhide and soaked in salt water to prevent corrosion."

Wei Guang recorded it quickly, and the sound of the counting rods moving was like heavy rain.

Guo Jie, however, did not let go of his sword. "Salt warehouse, Jia-zi cellar? Are you trying to lure us into a trap, sir?"

Jia Xin panted and shook his head: "I am already a prisoner, why should I play tricks again? It's just..."

He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Not all of the money belongs to Dou. Half of it is given to... to..."

"To whom?" Guo Jie pressed down the tip of his sword.

Jia Xin suddenly bit his tongue, and blood foam spurted out.

Wei Guang hurried forward and grabbed his jaw, but it was too late.

Blood gushed out of the prefect's mouth!

"Tell me quickly! Who should I give the other half of the money to?" Guo Jie shouted.

Jia Xin's eyes were unfocused, but a sly smile played on his lips: "You...will never...know..."

Before he finished speaking, half of his tongue stuck out.

So cruel.

In order to cover up the truth behind the scenes, Jia Xin bit off his tongue and became a mute.

Wei Guang opened the secret pocket in Jia Xin's sleeve and shook out a roll of blood-stained silk.

The silk surface depicts a detailed diagram of the Jiechi salt warehouse. Next to the "A" cellar is a note reading, "Twelve cellars of gold, each containing eight hundred thousand coins." In smaller characters, it reads, "Send to six cellars at the Dou Mansion in Chang'an; the rest is on hold."

"Waiting for what?" Guo Jie frowned.

Wei Guang pointed to the blurred red ink at the end of the picture and said, "It looks like the character '王', but half of it has been eroded by salt water."

Guo Jie sneered: "No matter if he is Wang or Dou, we have got the 10 million yuan!"

Outside the cellar, dusk fell.

Guo Jie put the bronze seal in his arms, and the sword edge reflected the last rays of setting sun.

Wei Guang put away his counting sticks and whispered, "The Jiechi Salt Warehouse is thirty miles away. We can start tonight."

"No rush." Guo Jie looked towards Chang'an. "Let's make sure the Dou family's men have nothing to lose first."

……

On the official road along the tributary of the Ba River, the dusk was as dark as blood.

Guo Jie and Wei Guang escorted twelve ox carts, inside which were hidden tens of millions of copper coins and account books.

The words "Hedong City Order" were engraved on the iron covering of the ox cart, while the "Imperial Garden" emblem was branded on the ox hoof.

The imperial cattle seized from Jia Xin were used to deceive the public.

The oxcart moved slowly forward, its wheels making dull creaking sounds as they rolled over the rammed earth road. Occasionally, a few copper coins rolled down between the ruts, emitting a cold bluish light in the setting sun.

"Ten miles ahead is Wei Bridge. After crossing the bridge, we will reach the territory of Zuo Nei Shi." Wei Guang rode up to Guo Jie's side and whispered, "If the Dou family's men come, they will set an ambush here."

Guo Jie squinted his eyes and looked at the mountain pass in the distance. Birds in the forest were startled and flew away, and smoke and dust were faintly visible.

He raised his hand to signal the convoy to stop, and with the tip of his sword, he plucked open the compartment between the carriages, revealing the crossbows and arrows hidden inside. "According to the plan."

The county soldiers quickly dispersed and hid in the bushes beside the road. The crossbowmen stayed on high ground, the shieldmen lay low, and the hook-and-hook assassins hid behind the ox carts.

Dou Ding, Marquis of Zhangwu, stood at the top of a mountain pass, with his retainer Zhu Anshi holding an iron ruler with the inscription "Shaofu Kaogong" engraved on the copper-clad tip.

A thousand soldiers from Zuo Nei Shi County lined up in a cone formation, with the front team holding spears, the middle team drawing crossbows, and the back team holding shields. A flag in the middle of the formation hung high with the words "Zhangwu".

Zhu Anshi narrowed his eyes and looked towards the official road, whispering, "Guo Jie is a cunning man, I'm afraid there's an ambush."

Dou Ding sneered, chopping off the branches beside him with his bronze axe. "A mere knight-errant is worthy of fighting this marquis? Send the order, shoot!"

The county soldiers and crossbowmen fired at the same time, and a rain of arrows fell on the ox cart like locusts.

Guo Jie had been prepared. The county soldiers lifted the tarpaulin on the roof of the car, revealing the pre-placed wooden shield covered with leather.

The arrowhead was nailed into the shield, and the salt water flowed down the arrow shaft and corroded the iron head.

Wei Guang led his assassins to advance from the flank, locked the hinges of the halberd formation with hooks and locked the halberd branches with barbs, and pulled them hard, causing the formation of the county soldiers to become disrupted.

"Set fire!" Dou Ding shouted.

The county soldiers threw out oil-soaked torches, but saw saltpeter powder splashed out from the interlayer of the ox cart, which exploded when it came into contact with fire.

Green flames shot up, illuminating the Wei Bridge like daylight.

In the firelight, Guo Jie led the county soldiers into the enemy camp, and his gold-inlaid sword specifically pierced the leather straps under the armpits of the county soldiers' armor sleeves.

A captain of the 10th swung his spear and stabbed forward.

Zhu Anshi swept the iron ruler across, the copper edge of the ruler reflecting the firelight, and went straight for Guo Jie's throat.

Guo Jie dodged sideways, and the sword tip lifted his robe, revealing the "Dou Mansion" woven pattern on the lining. "When did a craftsman from the Shaofu Kaogongshi become a retainer of the Dou family?"

"You are looking for death!" Zhu Anshi was furious and hit with the iron rod like rain.

Guo Jie blocked with his sword, and the inscription "Chen County Gongguan" on the sword and the inscription "Shaofu" on the iron ruler collided, flying sparks.

Wei Guang led his men to overturn the ox cart, and the copper coins rolled into the Ba River, stirring up waves like snow.

Dou Ding's eyes were red with anger when he saw this: "Stop them! If the copper coins are lost, you will all be beheaded!"

The county soldiers rushed forward frantically, but stepped on the pre-buried ceramic caltrops.

The broken pottery pieces were glued together with fish glue, forming a shape like the caltrops in the Han tombs all over the city. The county soldiers wailed and fell to the ground, their formation in chaos.

As dusk deepened, the Ba River began to turn blood red.

Guo Jie pointed his sword at Dou Ding and said, "Marquis Zhangwu secretly mobilized the county troops to kill the accountant. According to the law, he should be stripped of his title!"

Dou Ding laughed wildly: "Law? I am the law!"

He waved his command flag, and the county soldiers in the rear team pushed out five battering rams. The iron-clad shafts were hardened by quenching, and the wheels made a harsh friction sound as they rolled over the corpses.

Guo Jie chopped off the flagpole at the bridgehead, and the three characters "Zuo Nei Shi" on the flag fell into the Ba River. The county sergeant ignited the pre-placed saltpeter fuse, and the explosion collapsed the bridge piers, sending the battering ram tumbling into the rapids.

The rapids of the Ba River swept the broken bridge piers westward, and the five battering rams tumbled in the whirlpool like trapped beasts.

Zhu Anshi held Guo Jie's sword across his iron ruler. His leather armor, visible from beneath his long robe, was adorned with the distinctive red tassels worn by the Zuo Nei Shi (left internal affairs official) and prefectural lieutenant. "Among the three thousand guests of the Dou Mansion, I'm the only one who can break your inlaid golden sword."

A three-inch barb suddenly popped out from the copper-wrapped edge of the iron ruler and hooked into the groove on the sword body with the inscription "Chen County Gongguan".

Guo Jie suddenly felt that the force of his sword was blocked, so he slid the inlaid golden sword along the ruler, and dazzling sparks flew from the blade.

The two men had retreated to the riverbank while fighting, and their leather military boots crushed the snail shells on the shore, and the blue-gray debris mixed with the blood-red sand.

"The commander receives salary from the imperial court, yet he is controlled by Dou family?" Guo Jie suddenly put away his sword and stepped back, the tip of the sword picking up three blood-soaked five-zhu coins.

The copper coins spun and flew towards Zhu Anshi's face, but he knocked them down with his iron ruler. However, the last one exploded into saltpeter powder when it touched the ruler.

Zhu Anshi closed his eyes and retreated quickly, dancing the iron bar into a circular curtain to protect his vitals: "The Left Internal Secretary is in charge of the defense of the capital, and I have my own rules of conduct."

As he was speaking, the hook on the ruler suddenly came out and the copper chain attached to it went straight to Guo Jie's right wrist.

Guo Jie passed the sword to his left hand and with his right hand pulled out the copper weight from the abacus bag at his waist. It was originally a tool used by merchants to weigh money, and he smashed the flying hook in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, there was a loud cry of killing in the reeds on the riverbank, and Wei Guang led his men to push over the last ox cart.

The account book and bamboo slips were swept into the torrent along with the copper coins. Dou Ding roared furiously on the shore: "Captain Zhu! If the evidence is lost, your head will be in danger!"

Zhu Anshi's bronze face twitched slightly, and the iron bar suddenly changed its moves and swept across Guo Jie's lower body.

When Guo Jie jumped up to avoid it, he saw the other party's copper chain wrapped around a floating log in the water, using the force to swing it towards the center of the river.

This Zuo Nei Shi Duwei actually stepped on the wreckage of the battering ram floating downstream and chased after the scattered account books as if they were walking on flat ground.

"Open the floodgates!" Guo Jie shouted, and Wei Guang swung his sword to cut the water-blocking rope buried in the tributary.

The blocked river water upstream suddenly poured down, and the waves smashed the shaft of the cart under Zhu Anshi's feet into pieces.

However, the brave general threw out the iron ruler the moment he fell into the water. The ruler rotated and cut the ropes of the three bundles of bamboo slips that were about to drift away.

Guo Jie had already waded through the water to catch up, and his inlaid golden sword split the waves and pierced his heart.

Zhu Anshi caught the flying iron ruler with his backhand, and when he turned around, fine sand suddenly spurted out of the hole in the ruler.

The handle of the ruler is actually hollow!
Guo Jie quickly turned his head, his left eye still blinded, but his sword did not stop. He relied on his memory to pierce the leather patch on the opponent's right shoulder sleeve armor.

As the blood spread in the river, the sound of frequent clappers suddenly rang out from the opposite bank.

Zhu Anshi endured the pain and leaped back, pulling out the bronze talisman of Zuo Nei Shi from his bosom and throwing it at Dou Ding: "Mobilize the Baqiao garrison! Use the fishing net formation to block the flow!"

Before he finished speaking, the bronze talisman was already flying away with the tip of Guo Jie's sword.

The talisman with "Zuo Nei Shi Wei" engraved on it drew an arc in the air and was caught by Wei Guang who jumped up.

"What is the crime for privately transferring garrison soldiers?" Wei Guang stumbled when he landed on the ground, with a whistling arrow stuck in his left leg.

Three hundred county cavalrymen emerged from the pine forest on the opposite bank, with the "Left Internal History" flag held by the leader fluttering in the wind. These were the elite troops from the counties and prefectures directly under Zhu Anshi.

Dou Ding suddenly laughed wildly and rushed to the riverbank on his horse: "Private soldiers killed the accountant, you are all traitors!"

Zhu Anshi's pupils suddenly shrank, and the iron ruler flew out of his hand and towards Dou Ding's mount.

When the warhorse wailed and knelt on the ground, the county cavalry's crossbow arrows poured down like a rainstorm, nailing Dou Ding and his horse to the mudflat.

In the melee, Zhu Anshi snatched the long spear from the fleeing soldier and split a gap in the crossbow formation.

Guo Jie was about to give chase when he suddenly saw the fierce general turn around and throw a blood-stained iron bar at him.

Sparks flew when the inlaid gold sword blocked the attack, and a roll of mulberry paper popped out from the secret compartment of the ruler. It was the secret book of Dou's land property sealed with glue and lacquer.

"At the eastern wall of Weicheng Prison, three quarters past the hour of Mao." Zhu Anshi's low roar was drowned out by the shouts of killing, and he had disappeared into the depths of the reed marsh.

Wei Guang struggled to give chase, but was held down by Guo Jie: "If he hadn't knocked Dou Ding down, the county cavalry's crossbows would have pierced our throats."

When dusk completely enveloped the Ba River, the surface of the river was filled with broken arrow shafts.

Guo Jie unfolded the secret book written on mulberry paper and saw in the light of the fire the record of the 500 hectares of public land seized by the Dou family.

The cavalry on the other side of the river began to cross the river, their leather armor reflecting the diamond pattern specially made by the Zuo Nei Shi Mansion in the firelight.

……

In the reed marsh on the west bank of the Ba River, Zhu Anshi tore off his trousers and bandaged the arrow wound on his shoulder.

The remaining county soldiers were using fish glue to repair their leather armor, and the diamond-patterned armor plates shone with oil in the twilight.

He suddenly swung his iron bar to smash a clay pot on the bank. The brine splashed on the wound, causing the muscles to tremble. "Guo Jie, you dare to cross the river and fight again!"

A long laugh echoed from behind the oxcart formation on the other bank. Guo Jie, his one eye wrapped in sackcloth, poised with a gold-inlaid sword, threw a wine bag into the rapids, "Captain Zhu, do you know what kind of wine this is?"

The wine bag floated downstream to the center of the river. A sword flashed, and a crossbow arrow pierced through the bag.

Millet wine mixed with saltpeter powder ignited green flames on the river surface, illuminating the caltrops buried underwater.

Zhu Anshi measured the riverbank's rammed earth with an iron ruler: "The Mozi's 'Preparing for Water' contains methods for blocking and redirecting the flow of water."

He suddenly shouted, "Open the gate!"

The county soldiers cut the water-blocking rope upstream, and the accumulated river water rushed down, breaking up the caltrop formation set up by Guo Jie.

"What a great captain, Zuo Nei Shi!" Guo Jie swung his sword to cut the rope, and the county soldier pushed the covered raft into the water.

The beans scattered on the raft made crackling sounds in the firelight, which was exactly the strategy of scattering beans and riding randomly.

Zhu Anshi waved his flag and the county soldiers pushed out twenty improved plow carts.

The inscription "He Yigongguan in the third year of Jianyuan" was engraved on the iron-wrapped shaft, and the plow bucket was filled with prismatic stones.

The mechanism made a sound, and gravel swarmed towards the raft like locusts, its edges gleaming with a cold blue-black light in the twilight.

Wei Guang locked the raft's side with a hook and dug the barbs into the elm wood: "These sharp stones are no different from the caltrops in the armory!"

Guo Jie tore off the hem of his robe to wrap around his sword, the inlaid gold patterns soaked in blood becoming even more sinister. "Zhu Anshi, it would be great if you could use all this craftsmanship for the right purpose!"

Suddenly, a horn blew from the opposite bank. The county soldiers changed their formation into a "Que Yue" (a type of crescent-shaped shield formation), and from behind the curved shield formation, they thrust out a zhang-long spear.

Zhu Anshi clapped his iron rod to the tune of "Eighteen Tunes of the Clam Song": "Mr. Guo, do you know what was engraved on the jade pendant around the waist of the salt smuggler you killed in the third year of Jianyuan?"

Guo Jie deflected the flying stone, his single eye narrowing suddenly. The memory of the jade pendant with coiled dragon pattern surfaced in his mind, and there was a faint "Zhu" character on the jade pendant.

"He's my third brother." Zhu Anshi chopped off the flagpole with his iron ruler. "Where were you when the Dou family rescued my family?"

The three characters "Zuo Nei Shi" on the flag fell into the rapids, revealing the Zhu family crest embroidered on the back, which was the continuous arc pattern bestowed by the kings and princes of the previous dynasty.

The two rafts collided, sparks flying. Guo Jiejian ripped his robe, revealing the plain gauze Zen robe underneath. The word "Zhu" on his chest was stained with blood: "So you are a descendant of the Zhu family!"

The intricate golden sword suddenly stopped, and the memory of the time when the ranger Zhu family took in the fugitive came to mind.

Zhu Anshi seized the opportunity to lock the sword with his iron ruler, and the copper hook on the ruler grazed Guo Jie's throat. "When you exterminated my entire family, did you ever think of this day?"

The county soldiers and crossbowmen fired at the same time. The arrows were tainted with the filth in the toilet, and they were exactly the golden poison arrows recorded in the Juyan Han bamboo slips.

Wei Guang caught three arrows with a hook and threw them back, and the poisoned arrows were nailed into the plow cart.

Zhu Anshi roared and jumped up, sweeping the iron bar across Guo Jie's lower body. A hidden blade popped out from the sole of his boot, which looked like the gold-inlaid iron dagger secretly made by the Shaofu Kaogong Studio.

Guo Jie dodged by rolling sideways, and the sword's tip scraped across his shin armor, with a sound like leather breaking like silk tearing.

"Among the fugitives taken in by the Zhu family back then, was there one called Guo Jie?" Guo Jie suddenly asked, stabbing his inlaid gold sword into the crack of the raft.

Zhu Anshi's iron ruler froze in mid-air, and suddenly smoke exploded under the raft.

Amidst the whirlwind of wood, the two men fell into the torrent. Zhu Anshi snagged his iron ruler on the broken stone of the bridge pier and coughed up blood. "My father said Guo Jie valued righteousness, but it turns out righteousness is not worth living."

He suddenly pulled out a lacquer box from his bosom. The account book inside was soaked in blood. "Take it!"

The moment Guo Jie took the box, the iron ruler was already at his face.

He leaned back to avoid the fatal blow, but the sword pierced Zhu Anshi's right chest.

The county lieutenant stumbled back, his dark robe and red ribbon drooping in the twilight like a waterfall of blood. "I should have given you this foot in the third year of Jianyuan..."

The soldiers from the county on the other side rushed over frantically, but Zhu Anshi waved his flag to stop them.

He stood with the help of a ruler, looked towards Chang'an and shouted hoarsely: "Report to Marquis Wu... An Shi... End..."

The iron ruler fell to the ground, and the inscription "Shaofu Kaogong" on the ruler was buried in the mud and sand.

The setting sun was as red as blood, and the seven wounds on his back looked like the Zhu family crest.

Guo Jie picked up the iron ruler and wiped the blood stains between the inscriptions of "He Yi Gong Guan".

Wei Guang wanted to strike back, but he was stopped by him with his sword: "Let him be buried intact."

The county soldiers on the opposite bank suddenly took off their left armor and, following the ritual of removing ornaments as described in the Book of Rites, carried Zhu Anshi's body and slowly retreated into the dusk.

"If he were born during the reign of Emperor Wen..." Guo Jie crushed the inner layer of the lacquer box, revealing the glaring red marks on the plain silk account book.

Wei Guang tore off the flag and bandaged his wound: "Do you regret it now?" He threw the iron ruler into the Ba River: "I regret being born in troubled times."

When dusk swallowed up the last ray of skylight, the funeral song "Xie Lu" came from the other side of the river.

The county soldiers beat their shields in rhythm, the sound resonating across the Wei River. Guo Jie, his lone eye reflecting the starry sky, carved his inlaid gilded sword into the riverbank: "The righteous man Zhu Anshi died here." The scar was as deep as an old hatred.

……

Chang'an, Right Internal History Temple.

Guo Jie took off his gold-inlaid sword and knocked his bronze token against the steps of the Right Internal History Office, making a clear sound.

Wei Guang led the county soldiers to park twelve baggage carts in the courtyard. The imperial garden emblem on the ox hoofs was covered with river mud.

"The Hedong salt case cost tens of millions of dollars, and not a single cent was lost." Guo Jie shook open the lacquer box, and a plain silk account book fell on Zhao Yu's desk.

The Right Internal Affairs County Magistrate's jade belt hook clashed with the lacquer table. As Zhao Yu stood up, the hem of his robe swept down three abacus sticks. "Excellent! Excellent! Accountant Guo is truly an extraordinary person!"

Commander Zhang Tang, however, sat still.

This cruel official, who was famous for his harsh judicial administration, was using the tail of a whisk to brush away the dust from the bamboo slips.

He picked up a five-zhu coin and gently shook it beside his ear, the bronze tinkle resonating. "The coin format is uniform, indeed it's the standard for the arsenal." His voice was as deep as an ancient well. "Wei Guang, were there any casualties among the county soldiers during the inventory?"

Wei Guang clasped his fists and was about to answer, but was interrupted by Zhao Yulang's smile: "Captain Zhang is always so cautious!"

Zhao Yu stroked the account book, writing in red ink, "Look at these figures: three million in salt profits, four million in iron taxes, and three million in horse sales. Accountant Guo is digging into the Dou family's lifeblood!"

Guo Jie took off his abacus bag and poured out the blood-stained copper talisman: "The officials found this when they were recovering the stolen goods from the Jiechi salt warehouse."

The inscribed seal characters "Weiyang Stable Order" on the face of the talisman made Zhang Tang pause slightly.

Zhao Yu, however, didn't care at all. He just lifted the curtain and strung the copper coins in the cart with a hemp rope.

Each thousand coins were worth one string of coins, wrapped in moisture-proof mulberry paper, a special sealing method made by the Shaofu Kaogongshi.

"Excellent!" Zhao Yu pulled out a coin and sniffed it. "It doesn't smell like river mud. Accountant Guo actually knew how to use lime to prevent moisture?"

He suddenly turned and stared at Wei Guang, "I heard that you were ambushed by that reckless Zhu Anshi at the Ba River."

"Commander Zhu died in battle," Guo Jie interrupted. "Before his death, he revealed the Dou family's five hundred hectares of hidden farmland in Weinan."

He presented the mulberry paper he had taken out from the secret compartment of the iron ruler, and Zhang Tang took it with the precision of a jailer performing an autopsy.

The captain's fingertips stroked the edge of the paper. "This paper is mixed with cinnabar bark. It's the work of the craftsman in the East Garden of the Shaofu."

He raised his head with a piercing gaze, "Does Accountant Guo know that the East Garden carpenters just repaired Dou Ying's mansion last month?"

Suddenly, the sound of a dripping copper kettle was heard from the steps below.

Zhao Yu clapped his hands and summoned the clerk: "Quickly record the merits! Detective Guo has made great contributions in apprehending the thief and recovering the stolen goods. This governor should report this to His Majesty."

"Wait a minute, my lord." Zhang Tang shook out the silk cloth. "The handwriting on this account book is neat, it doesn't look like it was copied hastily."

He suddenly pointed to a certain ink stain. "The four characters 'Tongguan Shuxiang' are stained with varying depths. Did Accountant Guo encounter rain while transporting the goods?"

Wei Guang couldn't help but interrupt: "Brother is in Weiqiao."

"Wei Guang!" Guo Jie called out to his subordinate, then turned and crossed his arms. "When I was crossing Mount Hua, I encountered a flash flood, and the account books were submerged for half a day. If the commander has any doubts, you can check the locust juice in the cracks between the bricks of the salt warehouse—I have copied the brick inscription."

He presented a roll of hemp cloth with a rubbing of the pottery inscription "Dou's Private Collection" on it.

Zhao Yu clapped his hands and laughed: "Captain Zhang, Captain Zhang, getting to the bottom of this is like trying a thief like Cao!"

He personally poured the wine into the ear cup and handed it to Guo Jie. "Guo Jieli, please look." The prefect pointed to the ancient cypress in the courtyard. "This tree was planted by Emperor Xiaowen himself. Now that I see such a talented person like you, I feel like new branches are sprouting!"

Zhang Tang stood up and walked to the baggage cart.

He drew his sword and pierced the sack, causing corn mixed with copper coins to spill onto the ground. Zhao Yu was so frightened that he took a step back.

"Look, my lord," Zhang Tang said, picking up an elm coin with the tip of his sword. "The inscription on the coin has been eroded by salt water. 'Hedong Salt Supervisor' has become 'Heyi Salt Supervisor'."

He turned and stared at Guo Jie. "Have you ever seen the coin molds in the salt warehouse, Guo Jie?"

The courtyard was completely silent.

Guo Jie pulled out the oilcloth bag from his bosom and peeled back the layers to reveal the burnt-marked money package: "The officials snatched this from the Jia-shaped cellar when they were putting out the fire."

The reverse-positive writing of "He Yi Gong Guan" on the front of the model made Zhao Yu's smile suddenly disappear.

Zhao Yu, the "Heyi Gongguan," slumped over the lacquer table and said, "This is not the gift given to Empress Dou by the late emperor."

"That's right." Zhang Tang sheathed his sword. "Dou has been using his position as a custodian of weapons to privately mint coins for years."

He suddenly bowed deeply to Guo Jie and said, "If it weren't for Accountant Guo who risked his life to obtain solid evidence, this case would have remained unsolved."

Zhao Yu had regained his composure and slammed the table, shouting, "Bring some wine! Today we'll follow the example of Marquis Bo Lu, the three of us."

"I dare not." Guo Jie stepped back. "Before his death, Zhu Anshi revealed that there are still remnants of the Dou clan in Chang'an."

He looked towards the eaves of the northern palace and said, "I ask the commander to send more prison guards to protect the salt and iron account books."

Zhang Tang nodded. "Guo Jili has thought it through. Tomorrow at 1 a.m., please transfer the evidence to the Imperial Prison." He glanced at the pile of money. "These stolen coins need to be sealed with mud by the Shaofu. Tonight..."

"Why bother the Shaofu?" Zhao Yu suddenly interrupted. "I have already ordered the armory to be vacated and the county soldiers to guard it strictly."

He embraced Guo Jie affectionately and said, "Guo Jieli has returned from a bloody battle. It's time to go to Shangguanli to bathe and change clothes!"

When the copper kettle dripped again, the dusk had already penetrated the courtyard steps.

Zhang Tang escorted Guo Jie to the Que Gate. Suddenly, he whispered, "Has Accountant Guo examined Zhu Anshi's body?"

"The captain suspects he faked his death?"

"No." Zhang Tang pulled out a half-broken iron ruler from his sleeve. "This morning, the soldiers at Baqiao garrison fished it out."

Next to the inscription "Shaofu Kaogong" on the ruler, the small characters "Dou Mansion" are engraved.

Guo Jie's pupils shrank slightly. "When the humble official and Zhu Anshi fought, there was no such inscription on the iron ruler."

"So this broken ruler must have been inscribed with words later."

Zhang Tang put the iron ruler into his sleeve and said, "Tomorrow when we transfer the stolen goods, please ask Accountant Guo to go through the Hengmen Gate. The north gate of the Weiyang Palace has been unstable recently."

When Wei Guang led his horse over, he heard Zhao Yu humming "Deer Singing" in the courtyard.

The sound of Zhao Yu's jade chimes mingled with the whirring of the abacus, as if millions of coins were dancing in the air. Guo Jie looked toward the darkening North Palace, where palace lanterns could be vaguely seen flickering.

Guo Jie knelt behind the table with thirty bronze talismans placed in front of him.

The word "redemption" is engraved on the front of each talisman, and "five hundred thousand coins" is engraved on the back.

Fifteen wooden boxes were piled up behind him, with the mark of "He Yi Gongguan" still fresh on the box lids.

"Guo Jie, do you really want to use these 15 million coins to atone your sins?" Zhang Tang sat upright at his desk, lightly sweeping the bamboo slips across the table with the tail of his whisk. "According to the Law on Thieves, anyone who kills someone must be put to death, even if they have a fortune."

"I, a humble official, dare not ask to be spared from death," Guo Jie said solemnly, "I only ask to redeem my life with money to settle the thirty blood debts."

He handed over the abacus bag with both hands, and the bamboo slips in the bag recorded the whereabouts of each ransom.

Five hundred thousand coins to redeem a life, not a penny less.

Zhang Tang unfolded the bamboo slips and examined them carefully, suddenly pausing at one point: "Is this five hundred thousand coins meant to redeem the thirteen lives lost in the previous brawl?"

"Yes." Guo Jie took out the blood-stained silk from his bosom. "Back then, I was young and frivolous, and I went astray. These past few years, every time I think about it, I can't sleep at night."

The silk was stained with blood, and the word "repentance" could be vaguely seen.

"So you'll confiscate all the five million coins you confiscated?" Zhang Tang pointed at Jian Mo. "Add this to the ten million coins you seized, for a total of fifteen million coins."

Guo Jie remained silent.

Zhang Tang stood up and paced around, scanning the thirty bronze talismans: "According to the Law on Thieves, anyone who kills someone will be put to death. But if the victim is willing to accept money and settle..."

He suddenly stopped and said, "Guo Jie, do you know how many victims are willing to accept money for these thirty lives?"

"I have visited all the victims." Guo Jie took out thirty blood-written letters from his bag. "They are willing to accept money to settle the dispute."

There were bright red fingerprints on the blood letter, and some of the words were crooked, obviously written by the victim with tears.

Zhang Tang remained silent for a long time, then suddenly clapped his hands. The Imperial Court Assistant Minister brought a scroll of silk and said, "You have been instrumental in confiscating the stolen money. You are allowed to redeem your sins with money."

He unfolded the silk book, "It will be used as military pay for the border troops."

Guo Jie's eyes lit up: "I would like to add another ten million coins!" He took off the abacus bag from his waist and said, "This is the last bit of my savings."

"No need." Zhang Tang put away the silk book. "Your Majesty has already allocated the five million yuan from the treasury."

He suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Guo Jie, do you know why you are allowed to atone for your sins?"

"The lower officials are stupid."

"Because you are a senior accountant." Zhang Tang pointed to the north gate with his whisk. "The court needs talents like you."

As he turned around, his wide sleeves brushed the bronze talisman on the table. "Thirty lives are now settled."

In the twilight, the thirty bronze talismans gleamed brightly, as if the thirty wronged souls had finally rested in peace.

(End of this chapter)