A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 647 Betting on Life
When he had lost everything again and was burdened with a mountain of gambling debts, Qiao Gongshan walked out of the smoky, chaotic gambling den.

A summer breeze blew in from outside the door,
Qiao Gongshan finally regained some of his composure.

He slapped himself hard across the face. Why couldn't he quit gambling? Last time, he had accumulated a lot of gambling debts and was being harassed by creditors. In the end, it was his superior, General Chang He, who paid them off for him.

Chang Heren is really good.
He promised himself he would quit gambling from then on.

But today, being off work, I subconsciously ended up here again. I originally just wanted to take a look, but after going in, I thought I'd place a few small bets.

He unknowingly fell back into gambling, lost all his money, and the people at the gambling den lent him money. He put his fingerprint on the IOU, took the money, and continued gambling.

I was so engrossed in gambling that I didn't care about interest rates at all. I didn't care about things like the ten-day term, the nine-out-of-thirteen-out return, or the principal being returned at maturity.

But when he lost so much he was blinded by greed and asked to borrow money again for what felt like the umpteenth time, the people at the gambling den refused to lend him any more.

He has already borrowed 100,000 yuan from the gambling den.

Ten days later, he was supposed to repay 130,000, but he had only received 80,000. He lent out 90,000 and took a cut of 10,000.

Eighty thousand coins, to be repaid in ten days as thirteen thousand coins. If the repayment is not made by the due date, interest will accrue on interest.

"If you can't pay back the money in ten days, we'll come and take back the house."

An Ayi, the gambling den owner, patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, but Qiao Gongshan knew that this guy was a smiling tiger with a ruthless heart, and it was impossible for him to renege on their gambling debts.

They have powerful backers, reportedly the Grand Master of Agriculture Kangpo, the Left Minister Pei Ji.

Qiao Gongshan's hometown is in Shuozhou, Daibei.
During the siege of Yanmen, his family was destroyed, and they left their hometown and went south to Taiyuan to beg for food. Relying on his youth and strength, Qiao Gongshan managed to build a shack outside Taiyuan and settle down.

Later, the current sage raised an army and recruited soldiers.

Qiao Gongshan then signed up for the army, originally just wanting to get a resettlement allowance and be able to eat his fill in the army. Unexpectedly, he captured Chang'an City in just a few months.

After the war, many soldiers from Hedong returned to their hometowns, but Qiao Gongshan and 30,000 others stayed behind and became part of the Emperor's Imperial Guard.

They also distributed land in the seven counties north of the Wei River, all of which were good land. Qiao Gongshan was also allocated 100 mu of irrigated farmland along the Baiqu Canal.

He wrote to Taiyuan, asking his parents to take the family south to Guanzhong.

A few years ago, the Qiao family was doing quite well. Although everything had to start from scratch, they had their own land, and Qiao Gongshan was a member of the Imperial Guard and had been awarded a medal.

Life gradually settled down, and Qiao Gongshan also got married. His wife was also the daughter of the Imperial Guards of Weibei, and they both came from Daibei.

In the second year of their marriage, his wife gave birth. He thought he would finally have a big, healthy son to hold and become a father, but his wife suffered a difficult childbirth, and both she and her unborn child died.

Qiao Gongshan could not accept that his once loving couple had suddenly been separated by death, and he could not accept that his child had died at birth.

During that period, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol, not only drinking heavily but also gambling, gradually developing a gambling addiction.

In just over a year, he accumulated a lot of gambling debts, and even gambled away his 100 acres of fertile land.

Finally, the family moved into Chang'an City, a small house in Chang'an, which was a reward he had received for his previous military achievements.

Located in the south of the city, the house is only one acre in size, and the location is very remote.

But after all, it was in Chang'an. He originally bought this house with the idea that he would often go to the capital to serve as a guard, and that his wife and children would come to live with him in the capital so that he wouldn't have to worry about them.

After the house was bought, the wife liked it very much. She even used her dowry to hire craftsmen to renovate the house inside and out and add a lot of furniture.

Snapped,
He slapped himself hard again.

In recent years, he has been promoted to the rank of seventh-grade captain due to his bravery in battle, but the salary of a seventh-grade captain is very low.

He was paid 70 shi of rice a year, which was actually millet.

In addition, there are 350 mu of official land, which are directly rented out by the government to renters. The rent per mu is two dou, which is 70 shi of millet per year.

In addition, there are only meager subsidies such as food expenses.

But he had to support his family, and as a military officer, he also had to provide his own warhorse and weapons.

In recent years, he has been addicted to alcohol and gambling, which has cost him a lot of money.

If it weren't for the frequent wars at the beginning of the dynasty, where there were always spoils of war and rewards for meritorious service, he would have had a hard time persevering until now.

However, it was Chang He who paid off the previous gambling debt of 100,000 yuan with high interest rates.

Now he owes another 130,000.

He slapped himself again, feeling hopeless. How could he not control himself?

Ten days

There are only ten days left.

He didn't want the house to be taken away to pay off debts. The house held his past happiness and joy, and the furniture inside was still his wife's dowry.

But where was he supposed to get 130,000 yuan in ten days?
He immediately deflated and slapped himself again, his face swelling up.

At that moment, he regretted it so much that he wished he could cut off his own hand.

The drums sounded.

Qiao Gongshan suddenly remembered that he was on duty at Xuanwu Gate today. He had been gambling all night, and it was already the next morning.

We can't afford to neglect our important business.

He didn't have time to go back to his home in the south of the city to ride a horse, so he called a donkey rental man at the entrance of the neighborhood and said, "Rent a fast donkey to take me to the north of the palace."

The man renting the donkey was an old man, his clothes were patched but clean, and the big blue donkey was also clean.

The old man asked him to pay first.

"I don't have any copper coins on me, but I'll give them to you when we get there." As he spoke, he took out his waist token.

Seeing that he was a former Imperial Guard captain, the old man dared not offend him, so he invited him to get on the donkey and led it north.

The big blue donkey carrying the strong man was still moving very fast, while the old man leading the donkey was not lagging behind at all.

along the way,

Qiao Gongshan was having a headache over his gambling debts.
The house had to be saved, but he simply couldn't come up with 130,000 coins.

Or should I borrow some more from Chang Tou? He was the one who helped me pay off my 100,000 gambling debt last time. I promised him I wouldn't gamble again, otherwise I'd be a dog.

But now, alas. Riding the donkey to the north gate of the palace, he saw his deputy captain Hong Yi and quickly waved, "Old Hong, pay me the donkey rental fee first, I'll pay you back later."

Seeing his haggard appearance and the fact that he had come by rented donkey, Hong Yi guessed that he had probably gambled all night at some gambling den and had lost all his copper coins.

Helplessly, he took out his money pouch and paid the old man for the donkey.

“Give me five more Kaiyuan,” Qiao Gongshan said.

Hong Yi then took out five more gleaming Kaiyuan Tongbao coins. The old man was surprised to actually receive a reward, so he quickly thanked him and led his donkey back.

Brigade Commander Yang Yu greeted him, "Have you eaten, Captain?"

Qiao Gongshan snatched a steamed bun from his hand and started eating it in big bites. "Not yet."

As he ate his steamed bun, he asked, "Has Boss Chang arrived yet?"

"Just arrived, seems to have encountered some trouble, he looks very worried."

After thinking it over, Qiao Gongshan decided to go to Chang He, since only Chang He could help him now.

After he left, Yang Yu asked Hong Yi, "Captain Qiao's face is swollen on one side, with a clear handprint. Who hit him this early in the morning?"

Hong Yi shook his head. "Judging from his appearance, he probably went gambling again last night and lost it all. He probably came out and slapped himself a few times."

"Didn't you say you'd chop off my hand if I gambled again?" Yang Yu said.

Qiao Gongshan was a man who loved drinking and gambling, but he was a reliable teammate on the battlefield, fighting bravely and usually very generous. It was a pity that he had developed this bad habit.

When Qiao Gongshan found Chang He, he indeed looked worried.

"Changtou, have you eaten yet?"

Chang He said, "I ate at home and got it."

"If you're in any trouble, Changtou, don't hesitate to ask if there's anything I can do to help you," Qiao Gongshan said.

Chang He looked up at him.
She noticed something was off about him and frowned. "Looking at you, were you out all night at a brothel in Pingkang Ward in the east of the city, or did you go gambling again in the west of the city?"

Qiao Gongshan said embarrassedly, "Yesterday I went to the West Market to buy some things, but I ran into some officers from the Right Guard, who invited me to have a drink together."

As a result, after drinking, they dragged me to the gambling den to gamble a couple of times...

Chang He laughed lightly.

"You son of a bitch, you can't change your ways. Tell me, how much did you lose yesterday?"

"How does Changtou know that I'm sure I'll lose?"

"Nine out of ten gamblers lose, nine out of ten gamblers are cheated. You go to a gambling den and expect to win money? What kind of place is that? If you usually gamble with your own brothers in the camp, that's purely based on luck. But if you go to a gambling den, you're just being slaughtered like a pig, you son of a bitch!" Chang He cursed. "How much did you lose?"

“I owe 130,000 coins. If I can’t pay it back in ten days, they’ll take my small courtyard in the south of the city.”

Chang He shook his head; this guy was hopeless.

"Hmm, not bad, you still have a house to pay off the debt. But I paid off your debt last time, so if you're going to use that house to pay off the debt, you should give it to me first, right?"

Qiao Gongshan let him curse at him.

"One hundred thousand plus one hundred and thirty thousand, that's two hundred and thirty thousand coins, or thirty taels of gold. Your house, the land, the house, and the furniture, all together, are worth at most one hundred and twenty thousand or one hundred and thirty thousand." Chang He sighed.

"You've lost the fertile fields north of the Wei River, and now your house in Chang'an is going to be used to pay off debts. Haven't you thought about getting married again, starting a family, and having children?"

Qiao Gongshan also regretted it.

"Old Joe, I can help you once or twice, but I can't keep helping you."

Qiao Gongshan blushed. "Boss Chang, please help me out one more time. I... I'll cut off a finger today and swear I'll never gamble again."

He reached for the knife as he spoke.

Chang He kicked him, "Cutting off a finger is nothing. If you're so capable, chop off your head and be done with it."

“Changtou, I’ll get the land deed for my house for you later. It will be used to offset the 100,000 coins you paid back for me before.”

"So what are you going to do about this debt of 130,000?"

"I'll give them the horse as collateral first, and return it slowly. I'm a captain of the Imperial Guards, so they won't dare to go too far!"

"They know you're a captain in the Imperial Guard, yet they still dare to lend you money after going out nine times and returning thirteen times. Do you think they're afraid of you?"

In Chang'an, seventh-rank military officers are as common as dogs; they're nothing compared to the rest.

Qiao Gongshan said, "At worst, they can use my worthless life to pay off their debts."

Chang He shook his head.

"Your life isn't worthless; I can help you out again."

"Moreover, if you succeed this time, not only will your gambling debt of 230,000 coins be resolved, but you will also have the opportunity to be promoted."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Gongshan's eyes lit up. "Boss Chang, I'd do anything, even go through fire and water."

"There's no need to go through fire and water. It's just that the Crown Prince's general, Erzhu Huan, wants to borrow a few people from us to escort a batch of supplies to Qingzhou."

Qiao Gongshan was puzzled, "Does the Crown Prince need to borrow people from our garrison?"

Chang He looked at him, his expression turning serious. He glanced around and lowered his voice, "Because this mission needs to be kept secret, it's more convenient not to use people from the Eastern Palace."

"Boss Chang, what are we transporting that requires such secrecy, and what benefits are involved?"

"To secretly transport three hundred sets of armor to Yang Wengan, the governor of Qingzhou, for the crown prince."

With a bang, Qiao Gongshan's mind exploded. His face turned bright red instantly, and his heart began to pound violently. Chang He's words made him suddenly understand why he said that if he could handle this mission well, he could not only solve the 230,000 gambling debt, but also get promoted.

He felt a tightness in his throat. "Chief Chang, this could cost you your head."

"Didn't you just say you'd do anything, even go through fire and water? Now you're scared?"

Qiao Gongshan looked at Chang He and said, "If this matter is related to Chang Tou, then I'll do it."

(End of this chapter)