Taiheiki

Chapter 49 New Jiangyi General

At this point, Han Chun turned his gaze to Wang Shou, who was kneeling on the ground. "How is Wei Gongshi now? Where is he now?"

"My husband is doing well. Thank you, Your Majesty. He is still in Zhangjiawu Fort, counting the treasures and cleaning up the mess!" Wang Shou said, "He has loaded some of the treasures from Zhangjiawu Fort into a cart and asked me to present it to Your Majesty. Please accept it!"

Faced with such a sensible subordinate, Han Chun's originally small eyes narrowed into slits. "Not bad, not bad! Go back and tell Meng De not to worry and to take care of things over there before coming back."

"Yes!" Wang Shou responded. Han Chun smiled and said, "Zi Yan, let's go see what Meng De brought back!"

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Bang!
Two servants laboriously unloaded the wooden box from the carriage, sending up a cloud of dust. After confirming that the seal was intact, Wang Shou opened the lid. Han Chun leaned over, a satisfied smile instantly breaking across his face.

"Well, Meng De is a bit hasty!" Han Chun complained to Wei Cong, but his face was full of smiles: "Zi Yan, look, all this mess is piled together, and they haven't even sorted it out. They are obviously good things, but they look like a pile of junk!"

Huang Wan remained silent. The opened wooden box was filled with a variety of gold and silver utensils and jewelry, interspersed with horseshoe gold, gold coins, pearls, and unprocessed gemstones, all piled in disarray, like stolen goods from a robbery. Clearly, Wei Cong hadn't had time to sort through the spoils after conquering the city, and had simply sent all of these precious trophies he had found in the Zhang family's warehouse to Han Chun. No wonder he complained, but inwardly he was beaming.

"Master!" Wang Shou answered carefully, "Master said that the Zhang family deliberately set a fire when Wubao was about to fall, and the storehouse was also on fire. It will take some time to clean up the fire and search for valuables. These are the first batch of findings, and they are sent back for your inspection! As for counting the valuables, Master doesn't have the manpower to do that, so they are sent here like this!"

"These thieves actually set fire!" Han Chun was furious. He took a look at the treasures in the box, and his anger subsided a lot. "Forget it, go back and tell Meng De that he has made great contributions in suppressing the bandits this time. When he comes back, I will promote him to the position of thief Cao Yuan!"

Huang Wan stood aside, coldly observing Han Chun playing with the treasures in the box. Under the Han Dynasty's political system of "the Son of Heaven and the two thousand stone officials jointly ruling the world," prefectural and state officials held immense power, essentially serving as local vassal states with fixed terms. As long as they paid their taxes, labor service, and military service due to the court and avoided internal unrest, lining their own pockets with money was a piece of cake. As long as Han Chun gave the nod, matters like the disposal of spoils after the suppression of bandits like Zhang Bolu were justifiable for Wei Cong, the de facto military commander. So, Wei Cong's hasty delivery of money and gifts was precisely to buy Han Chun's willingness to turn a blind eye.

"Lord!" Huang Wan said.

"What's the matter?" Han Chun asked, holding a string of pearls.

"Zhang Bolu has been rampant in Jiangbei for over a decade, his reputation spreading far and wide. His family's wealth is worth hundreds of millions. Now that Wei Cong has captured Wubao, should we send a chief accountant there to take inventory?"

"That's unnecessary!" Han Chun dropped the pearls. "It's not like Zhang Bolu's family has been rich for a long time, but who has dared to go after them for over a decade? Now they've captured Zhang Bolu, and now they're taking possession of the Zhang family's property. If word gets out, it wouldn't make sense, would it?"

"But--"

"Brother Ziyan!" Han Chun said with a smile, "I've been a lazy person since I was a child. I hate to cause trouble. Wei Mengde had these sent to me right after he captured Zhangjiawu Fort. He wanted to tell us that he knows his limits. People like him won't let others suffer. Why should I bother to cause trouble?"

"Your Excellency is right!" Huang Wan agreed, but she was furious. "You're clearly afraid of Deng Zhong, the man behind Wei Cong. That's why you've thrown everything to Wei Cong, and you still claim to know your limits. Zhang Bolu went to Nanjun, and now Wei Cong is here. This is going to cause even more trouble!"

Huang Wan, disappointed, soon left. Han Chun stood up and walked him to the door. Looking at Huang Wan's back, Han Chun sneered secretly, "You, Huang Wan, simply regard the land of Nanjun as your own private property and don't want Wei Cong, an outsider, to come in and share a piece of the pie. But what does this have to do with me? In a few years, I will resign and go to other prefectures or to the Luoyang Central Government. Why should I offend the Deng family behind Wei Cong for you? Wei Cong won't lose my share anyway! If you want to deal with him, do it yourself. Don't expect me to be the bad guy for you!"

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Wubao.

"Are you Huang Ping?" Wei Cong looked the man up and down. He was about thirty years old, of medium build, with a strong neck, a long crown on his head, and a brand new black robe. He had a high nose bridge, plump cheeks, a broad, clean-shaven chin, and a thick beard on his upper lip that reached all the way to his temples. His bright eyes revealed a nonchalant, even somewhat impudent smile. Wei Cong wondered: According to the aesthetic standards of the time, this man would have been quite attractive to women, but according to his father, it was indeed strange that he was still unmarried at thirty.

"It is I!" Huang Ping bowed to Wei Cong. "I have come to meet you, Mr. Gongshi Lang, on my father's orders! No, I should say Mr. Zeicao Yuan Lang. Since you have eliminated the Zhang family, the prefect should have promoted you, right?"

"The seal hasn't been changed yet!" Wei Cong didn't like this kind of clever trick and frowned. "Before you came, did your father tell you what you were going to do?"

Huang Ping seemed to sense Wei Cong's displeasure. The smile in his eyes disappeared, and he became cautious. "My father only told me to come to you, my lord, and to obey your orders in everything." "That Huang Sheng is a man who knows his limits!" Wei Cong nodded secretly. "I heard that when Zhang Bolu was in power, he was a local tycoon. Not only around Jiangling City, but also in neighboring prefectures and counties, people would often send people to ask him to mediate and arbitrate disputes. Zhang Bolu was fair in his dealings, and those whose decisions and decisions were made were always satisfied. Is this true?"

"Yes, it is true!" Huang Ping's eyes lit up and he smiled: "The name of General Jiangyi is not only known in Nanjun, but also in Jiangxiajun, Jingnan and even Yangzhou. The majesty of Jinchuan Jiangyi is so great that everyone who sees him must give him three points. It is really..." When he said this, he suddenly remembered that Zhang Bolu died at the hands of the man in front of him. Even his clan Wubao was uprooted. It seemed a bit inappropriate for him to sing the praises of the dead in front of him. Huang Ping quickly changed the subject: "But Zhang Bolu was a bandit after all. The so-called General Jiangyi is just a rumor spread by ignorant fools. Now he is dead and his family is gone. It won't be long before no one remembers him, and the bandit title will naturally disappear!"

"Really?" Wei Cong smiled, clapped his hands twice, and shouted, "Come here!" As soon as he finished speaking, a group of guards came up from the hall and stood on both sides, sandwiching Huang Ping in the middle. Huang Ping was immediately terrified and knelt on the ground, kowtowed repeatedly, "I admit my crime, please spare my life!"

"Why are you kowtowing?" Wei Cong was a bit amused and pointed at the guards on both sides: "Huang Ping, look at their attire, aren't they the same as Zhang Bolu's former subordinates?"

Huang Ping, certain Wei Cong wasn't going to kill him, breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up and carefully surveyed the guards on either side. They were all dressed in crimson brocade robes, crimson gauze crowns, and white feathers in their temples. Lacquer quivers hung from their waists, and some carried spears, swords, shields, and crossbows. They were dressed just like the desperate young men who had accompanied Zhang Bolu. He nodded, "Yes, they're dressed just like that. But none of Zhang Bolu's crimson-clad thieves were as imposing as the warriors under your command! Absolutely not!"

"If you're sure it's exactly the same, that's good!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Luckily, I found a lot of crimson fabric in the Zhang family's Wubao warehouse, which saved me a lot of trouble!"

Huang Ping was terrified by the way Wei Cong's men were dressed. He wondered if he wasn't going to kill him, so why was he dressing them like this? Could he be secretly using them as river thieves, like Zhang Bolu? Robbing merchants on the water? Damn it, my old man, yet he's so careless. He just said he saw me, at my age, still wandering around without a proper livelihood, and found a good place for myself, but he didn't realize I was working for a bandit leader. He's truly lost. And wait, this Wei Cong himself is a thief official under the prefect, secretly using his men as thieves. He's an official, a thief at the same time. Who could possibly arrest him? It's a good place, after all. So, it seems my old man isn't really that foolish.

"Huang Ping!"

"I'm here!" Huang Ping shuddered and responded quickly.

"I heard from your father that you often travel around the village and are very familiar with the conditions in the surrounding counties. Is this true?"

"That's true!" Huang Ping answered carefully, "I'm a sociable person. I'm quite familiar with the heroes from all over the country. I even know people in Jingnan, Jiangxia, and Yuzhang. It's just that the road to Yizhou is dangerous, so I don't go there much!"

"Yizhou is too far away, and there's a war going on in Jingnan. Let's just give it a try!" Wei Cong smiled and said, "Let's start with Jiangxia, Jiangling, and Nanyang counties! Since you're familiar with the heroes of the surrounding areas, please deliver a visiting card for me!"

"A visiting card?" Huang Ping was stunned. He couldn't help but think to himself, "A Jiang thief still needs a visiting card?" What kind of operation was this? Could he have guessed wrong?

Wei Cong had no idea what Huang Ping was thinking. He waved his hand, signaling the guards on both sides to retreat. He smiled and said, "Your father came to me the other day and we had a very pleasant conversation. From what your father said, Zhang Bolu was indeed rampant in Jiangbei, plundering merchants and travelers from prefectures and counties, and committing numerous evil deeds. But he had one good thing: whenever there were conflicts in the countryside, he was always able to mediate fairly, convincing both sides and avoiding many unnecessary incidents. This time, I am removing Zhang Bolu to eliminate this harm for the people, but I am also removing his good qualities. I heard your father say that if Zhang Bolu is gone, many tyrannical people will fight for his position as the mediator, and even draw swords, which will surely result in innocent casualties. As a clerk in the Nanjun Bandit Department, I am responsible for dealing with bandits and cannot allow such a thing to happen. Therefore, I intend to harm Xingli and mediate on Zhang Bolu's behalf. You will announce this to the world for me!"

Huang Ping, hearing this, was fully aware of Wei Cong's plans. He couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder he's been able to become an official while I'm stuck wandering around. He clearly wants to replace Zhang Bolu and reap the benefits of mediating the dispute, yet he's saying it in a high-sounding way. Daddy had indeed made the right choice this time. Following such a figure, I'd truly enjoy both fame and fortune, and a promising future ahead."

"I understand your kindness, sir!" Huang Ping replied, "But words are not enough. Although I have a wide circle of friends, I can't rely on words alone for such matters. I need proof so that others will believe that I am your man and not a fraud!"

"Of course, I've already prepared it!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "I'll give you my boat. The eight guards from earlier will also go with you as a ceremonial guard. That should be enough, right?"

"Enough, enough!" Huang Ping said hurriedly. In his opinion, Wei Cong had invested so much money and was determined to win. He patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, my dear, I will definitely convey your message this time. With your reputation, you will most likely agree!"

"That's fine. If anyone is rude, don't get into a fight with them. After all, we're on someone else's land, so there's no need to act like that! Just write down their name and address and tell me when you get back!"

Huang Ping's heart sank at Wei Cong's murderous command, and he quickly agreed. He thought to himself, "This Wei Cong is full of murderous intent. He just wiped out Zhang Bolu's family, and now he's trying to establish his authority over others." No wonder his father hadn't said anything at first, simply asking him to do as he was told. He probably saw that Wei Cong was a tough guy, and feared that if he told him too much, he'd somehow anger him. So, he kept quiet and just let me do what he was told, leaving the impression of a cautious and obedient person.

After Huang Ping left, Wei Cong breathed a sigh of relief. His biggest impression since traveling through time was the tremendous transformation of ancient Chinese society from the pre-Qin and Han dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Historians once held the view that social development was essentially stagnant during the nearly two thousand years between the Qin and Qing dynasties. A peasant from the Han dynasty who traveled through time to the Ming and Qing dynasties could easily adapt to life in the new era. If one stripped down the minor changes in clothing and language, they wouldn't even notice they'd traveled through time for over a thousand years. While this viewpoint was certainly valid, a powerful landlord from the Han dynasty who traveled through time to become a landlord during the Ming and Qing dynasties would undoubtedly struggle to adapt to life in the new era, potentially even risking the destruction of their family and clan.

If a person like Zhang Bolu could live to another twenty or thirty years, as long as he was not dead, he would definitely become a separatist leader and would either be killed by Liu Biao, Sun Ce and Sun Quan, or be recruited as a general of the Eastern Wu with his own troops and large estates, and his legacy would be passed down from generation to generation. If he was lucky, he could even survive the great chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)