Taiheiki

Chapter 47 Old Man
After all, Wei Cong was genuinely frightened by the assassin who had crawled into the house from the sewer. After this incident, he had truly learned the lesson about the tough character of the Han Dynasty people. To avoid being shrouded in the shadow of the assassin for the rest of his life, it was better to turn a blind eye for now. As for Zhang Ren, he should agree to his request first. As for whether to spare him in the end, it would all depend on his mood!

"In that case, I'll spare your life!" Wei Cong snorted coldly and said, "Can you answer the question now?"

"Thank you, sir, for your kindness!" Zhang Ren kowtowed twice, pulled a piece of silk paper from his sleeve, and presented it with both hands. Wei Cong took it and immediately understood. Zhang Ren had used many cryptic terms in the account book, such as "reed grass" for "beans," "bamboo firewood" for "linen," and so on. Wei Cong simply asked for paper and pen, corrected the entries in the book, and then did a rough calculation. Zhangjiawu Fort's warehouse contained over 20 hu of millet (a unit of volume in the Eastern Han Dynasty, 17 dou equaled one hu, about 18 liters, equivalent to about - kilograms of grain); over hu of wheat; over hu of beans; over hu of rice; over hu of other miscellaneous grains; over bolts of linen; over bolts of silk; and million copper coins, gold and silver jewelry, and various other sundries.

"This is truly a case of beating up the local tycoons!" Wei Cong closed the book, his lips curling up slightly. He certainly couldn't keep such a large fortune all to himself, but as the person directly handling it and the actual military commander, he still had a say in how the spoils were handled. Besides, he had connections above him, so if he took more, the prefect would turn a blind eye. Especially with "valuable goods" like grain and cloth, the prefect would have to pocket them and then sell them off, which would be very troublesome. It would be better to give him more gold, silver jewelry, and other valuable goods.

"Wang Shou!"

"My subordinate is here!"

"You and Zhang Ren will go to the warehouse later and take inventory according to the roster. Then report the confirmed figures to me!"

"Here!"

Wang Shou responded and straightened his back a little. He knew that this job could only be done by the most trusted confidants. The fact that the master let him go instead of Zhao Yannian and his group showed that the master still valued him more!

"Do you know how much land the Zhang family has?" Wei Cong asked.

"The Zhang family's land deeds are all in the inner courtyard. I don't know all of them, I only have a rough idea!" Zhang Ren, knowing his life was in the balance of power, replied cautiously, "If you count all the lands listed in the family tree, it's probably over 700 hectares!"

"That's fine!" Wei Cong nodded. "Wang Shou, before you go to take inventory of the warehouse, go to the inner quarters with Zhang Ren first and find the land deeds and other things, and send them to me!"

"Yes!" Wang Shou responded and asked carefully, "My dear, can I go now?"

"Go!" Wei Cong nodded. "Be careful not to damage anything. This place will probably be ours soon. If we damage it, we'll lose everything. Also, have them seal off all the houses and guard the gates of Wubao. Don't let the soldiers in or out as they please. Tell them I'll give them rewards after I've counted the property. Beware of the harsh military law if you take anything without permission!"

"I remember!" Wang Shou replied, and withdrew with Zhang Ren. Wei Cong let out a long breath and began to examine the Wu Fort before him with the eyes of a master. From a modern perspective, the Wu Fort still had many flaws. For example, the corner towers were too prominent, making them a target for attacking trebuchets and other siege engines. They should have been built as semicircular forts to reduce the lethality of the stones, and the roof should have been sloped. Leather curtains and felt blankets should have been provided to prevent the fragments from flying and injuring people. The walls were straight, making it easy for attackers to break through the corner towers and be hit by side fire, making it impossible to stand on the walls. The gap between the interior of the Wu Fort and the houses was too small, making it difficult to maneuver troops and place trebuchets. And so on and so forth.

However, considering that the empire had not yet reached a state of chaos, Zhang Bohe was originally just a local nobleman, and the siege technology of the time was far behind that of the Tang and Song dynasties, not to mention modern times. The defenses of Wu Fort were still quite good. At least in Wei Cong's opinion, with only minor improvements, a garrison of three or four hundred soldiers, and sufficient equipment and food, it could easily withstand a siege of tens of thousands of prefecture and county troops for a month or so.

"Finally, I have a place to stay!" After walking around Wu Castle, Wei Cong let out a long sigh. This feeling of peace was something he had never felt before. He pushed open the door, went up to the back hall, shook his clothes, sat down behind a table in the middle, and looked around the main hall, which was a full three or four hundred square meters in size. A happy smile spread across his face.

"My dear, you are here. It took me so long to find you!" Zhao Yannian came up from the hall with a hurried look on his face.

"Oh, let me take a look at everyone's new home. It's really nice!" Wei Cong pointed to the table on the right with a smile: "Yannian, this will be your seat from now on. Sit down and see if you are comfortable!"

"Thank you, my lord!" Zhao Yannian smiled. "I just went to check out the stables. Damn Zhang Ping! Zhang Bolu originally had thirty fine horses, all top-quality Liangzhou horses, but those bastards ruined them all. Only five are left."

"Ruined, what do you mean?" Wei Cong asked in confusion, "I don't remember the Zhang family sending out cavalry?"

"This is what happened. Before the night attack last night, Zhang Ping slaughtered all the livestock in Wu Fort. On the one hand, he wanted to reward the soldiers and boost morale, and on the other hand, he didn't want to leave any for us. As a result, the groom couldn't bear to part with them, so he secretly hid five of the horses, and the rest were killed by Zhang Ping. Damn bastard!" Zhao Yannian stamped his feet as he spoke, looking heartbroken.

"Alright!" Wei Cong was speechless when he heard about Zhang Ping killing horses. "Forget it. They weren't ours in the first place anyway. Five horses are better than none. Besides, if Zhang Ping burns down Wu Castle, then we won't get anything. A gentleman is cautious about what he gets. We've already got a lot. Let's not be too greedy. We should be content!"

"My lord, I understand your lesson!" Zhao Yannian nodded. He looked around to see if there was anyone around, moved closer, and lowered his voice, "My lord, I have detained all the Zhang family members, retainers, and guests in Wu Fort. There are two hundred and forty-three of them in total. Please advise us on how to deal with them!"

"Two hundred and forty-three people? Where are they in Wu Castle?"

"We've already searched them. Seventeen people were found in total. These must be stubborn criminals who hid in Wu Castle and tried to take advantage of the situation to harm others. They were all executed immediately!"

Wei Cong did not say anything. He knew what Zhao Yannian meant, and he also knew that if the root of the problem was not removed, there would be endless trouble. But when the time came and he had to execute those who had not harmed him, he felt as if his tongue weighed a thousand pounds and he could not move.

Seeing Wei Cong remain silent, Zhao Yannian assumed he didn't want to speak, so he bowed and said, "Sir, if you have no instructions, I'll take my leave!" "Wait!" Wei Cong shouted at Zhao Yannian. He knew that if he said nothing, his men would handle the troubles, and he could pretend nothing had happened, his hands clean. But since he was to be the leader, he had to bear the responsibility of a leader. Whether good or evil, he had to face it personally. If he couldn't even bear this little bit of dirt, how far could he go?

"Are all the elders from the surrounding villages still here?"

"It's still there!" Zhao Yannian didn't know why Wei Cong asked this, but he answered honestly: "These elders are all looking forward to Zhang Jiawu Fort being taken down soon. Otherwise, they won't be able to let go of their worries!"

"Okay! Call them all over here and tell them I have something to do with them!"

"Yes!" Zhao Yannian glanced at Wei Cong curiously, but still obeyed the order. Not long after, he brought more than 20 village elders to the hall and all bowed to Wei Cong in unison, saying, "Greetings, Mr. Gongshi!"

"No need to formalize!" Wei Cong waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit on both sides. Everyone got up from the ground, held their breath, retreated to the two sides and sat down, looking at the man who had just captured this sturdy Wu Castle in awe.

"Today, Wei has beheaded the leader of the Jiang bandits and destroyed their lair. This was not accomplished by a single person. I relied on the imperial court's authority, the soldiers' devotion, and the assistance of all the elders. As the art of war says: rewards and punishments are the two most powerful tools in the army. Without punishment, soldiers cannot be motivated, and without rewards, merit cannot be rewarded! I have invited you all here today to reward you according to your merits!"

Upon hearing this, the elders on both sides exchanged glances. After a while, a yellow-haired old man stood up and bowed deeply to Wei Cong. "Zhang Bolu has been a scourge to the people of this village, running rampant along the Jiangbei coast for nearly twenty years. Countless prefecture and county officials have been unable to control him. Yet, you, your Excellency, led hundreds of troops. In one battle, you killed the bandit leader, in another, you defeated his infantry, and in a third, you destroyed his lair. You are so brave and resolute. I am seventy-eight years old this year, and I have never seen or even heard of such a man. I have heard that the ancient King Xiang was eight feet tall and had extraordinary talent, just like you. Could you be the reincarnation of King Xiang? We are only relying on you for your achievements. How dare you accept my honor?"

"This old man has really read some books, he's just flattering me!"

Although he knew that the old man was flattering him by comparing him to Xiang Yu, Wei Cong still felt secretly pleased. He coughed twice and pretended to be unconcerned. "I am just an ordinary man, how dare I compare myself to King Xiang? You have built fortifications and filled trenches. If you don't receive rewards, how can you manage the army? Anyone who comes to dig trenches will be rewarded with two hu of millet and one piece of cloth. Anyone who is injured by the bandits will receive double the millet and cloth, plus an additional reward of two hundred coins. Anyone who dies at the hands of the bandits will receive twenty hu of millet, ten pieces of cloth, and a thousand coins as compensation. I will send people to pay tribute to them. Anyone who captures and kills the bandits will receive another reward!"

The village elders in the hall were overjoyed to hear this and bowed in gratitude. Over two thousand villagers had come to dig trenches and dig soil. Even those who came simply to dig received over thirty kilograms of corn and a piece of linen. As for those who died at the hands of the thieves, very few did. Wei Cong gave them generous rewards and even sent people to pay their respects. This kind of generous treatment was simply unheard of.

After everyone finished thanking him, Wei Cong said in a deep voice, "Fellow villagers, after I captured Zhang's Wu Fort, I discovered that the treasures, grain, and cloth were piled high like mountains. If the copper coins and treasures were obtained by robbing passing ships, then where did the grain, rice, and cloth come from?"

"Reporting to the clerk!" The yellow-haired old man stood up and said in a deep voice, "After Zhang Bolu came to power, he often relied on his power to arbitrarily rule the local areas. Most of the neighboring counties dared not disobey him. Those who benefited from him often gave him gifts. I'm sure a lot of his wealth and silk came from this!"

"So that's it!" Wei Cong nodded.

"My dear," said the yellow-haired old man, "I have something I would like to tell you in private. Is that possible?"

"Do you have something to report to me in private?" Wei Cong looked at the yellow-haired old man. Seeing that he looked old and frail and didn't seem like someone who could hurt him, he nodded and said, "Then please follow me, old man!"

The two men came to the back hall and sat down as host and guest. The old man's surname was Huang and his name was Sheng. He was the local Sanlao (a village official in charge of education in the Han Dynasty).

"Please tell me what you want to say, father-in-law!" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"Although Zhang Bolu acts tyrannically, he is fairly impartial when mediating disputes. Otherwise, his reputation as 'Jiang Yi General' wouldn't be so resounding! Killing him this time is certainly a good thing, but with Zhang Bolu's death, if disputes arise between the neighboring prefectures of Nanjun and Jiangxia, who will mediate and adjudicate? Tyrannical men will inevitably resort to violence, and without killing countless lives, there will be no resolution!"

Wei Cong couldn't help but feel a little confused after hearing what the yellow-haired old man said. Of course, he knew what "arbitrary rural songs" meant. During the Han, Wei and Jin Dynasties, if there were various conflicts and disputes among the people, they rarely went to the government to sue. Usually, the referee would be a prestigious and virtuous person in the village. According to convention, after the referee was over, both parties had to give the referee a gift.

In reality, the local referees are usually local tyrants or knight-errant leaders. They have enough power to prevent the people being judged from refusing their judgments. For example, the famous knight-errant Zhu family and Guo Jie are similar figures. Of course, those who cannot mediate fairly by relying solely on violence will not last long. One of the important reasons why Zhang Bolu is so ostentatious and pays attention to ostentation is that it is very beneficial for him to mediate. When the two parties being judged see dozens of desperate young men in brocade clothes, few people will have the courage to refuse. In fact, he was attacked by Wei Cong on his way to mediate a conflict. But the question is, why is this old man telling me all this?
"Father, do you want me to take care of their conflict?" Wei Cong asked, "But I'm only a thief in Nanjun. I'm afraid I can't take charge of the affairs of the neighboring prefectures and counties, right?"

Seeing that Wei Cong still didn't understand, Huang Sheng had no choice but to speak frankly.

"My dear, I mean that you could replace Zhang Bolu and mediate like he did, so that those tyrannical men won't come to blows!"

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(End of this chapter)