Huangming

Chapter 184 Slaying the Dragon in the Turbid Waves, the Heavenly Order Restored

Inside the main hall of the Grand Canal Transport Office.

Li Yangzheng knew that at this moment, the only way to save his official position was to atone for his crimes and perform meritorious service.

He suppressed his fear and ordered his servants to quickly prepare writing materials.

In a short while, a Duan inkstone had been used to grind thick ink, and the tip of a wolf-hair brush, fully soaked in ink, hung on the snow-white Xuan paper.

Li Yangzheng gripped the pen tightly with all five fingers, his knuckles turning white, but the pen tip had not yet touched the paper.

The purple-tipped brush that was usually used for reviewing official documents now seemed to weigh a ton.

Yang Lian stood with his hands behind his back, coldly observing Li Yangzheng's hesitation.

"Governor Li, hurry up and write it down."

His voice was calm and unhurried, yet it was like a blade chilled by ice, each word precisely cutting into Li Yangzheng's taut nerves.

Li Yangzheng's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and cold sweat trickled down his temples, condensing into a precarious droplet on his chin.

"I'll write it right away."

This sheet of Xuan paper, as thin as a cicada's wing, now feels as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Every name that is written will become a book of souls before the Yama's palace, and wherever the pen touches, blood will splatter three feet deep.

Li Yangzheng could even hear the throbbing in his temples.

After tomorrow, the intricate network of relationships within the Grand Canal Administration, and the colleagues and old friends who secretly colluded with him, will all lose their heads because of his pen at this moment.

What's even more terrifying is that the pen of history is like a knife; in the annals of history, the name Li Yangzheng will likely be forever entangled with the words "betraying friends for personal gain."

"Governor Li, are you perhaps trying to stall for time?"

Yang Lian's voice suddenly rose three degrees.

He dared not hesitate any longer, and the wolf-hair brush finally fell.

With each name he wrote down, his Adam's apple bobbed, as if he were swallowing an invisible blade.

As he wrote the last name, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. When he presented the Xuan paper with both hands, the cuffs of his official robe were stained with undried ink.

Yang Lian took the list, and in the candlelight, the names seemed to writhe on the paper like poisonous insects.

General Yang Guodong, Prefect of Huai'an Sun Yu, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Zhou Dexing... Behind each name lies a complex web of powerful forces.

Yang Lian pulled out a vermilion brush from his sleeve and drew a scarlet circle over the three characters "Yang Guodong".

This is the first person we need to deal with.

另外
This list, with over thirty people, seems too small.

"Governor Li overlooked Zhao Youde, the official in charge of the Qingjiangpu sluice gate." Yang Lian's pen was sharp as a knife, and he added a few more names.

"Wasn't it this Zhao magistrate's brother-in-law who secretly released the White Lotus Sect leader in last year's shipwreck case?"

Li Yangzheng's pupils suddenly contracted; Zhao Youde was a trusted confidant he had planted in Qingjiangpu!

He stole a glance at Yang Lian's expression, only to see the other man using a vermilion brush to write the six small characters "Ironclad evidence of collusion with traitors has been obtained" next to "Zhou Dexing." The sound of the brush tip cutting through the paper made his knees go weak.

"And there's Liu Sandao, the head of the Huai'an branch of the Canal Gang."

Yang Lian suddenly slammed the vermilion pen heavily onto the paper, causing ink to splatter like drops of blood.

"Did this person utter treasonous words during a secret meeting with the leader of the White Lotus Sect three days ago?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yangzheng knelt down with a thud, his official hat rolling off his head.

He then realized with a start that Yang Lian had already laid a trap, and his little schemes were nothing but child's play in the other's eyes.

But he still wouldn't give up.

Li Yangzheng's voice trembled as he pleaded, "Lord Yang, please understand. Zhao Youde is familiar with the operation of the canal gate, and Liu Sandao is highly respected in the canal gang. If we can spare their lives to atone for their crimes..."

Yang Lian sneered, his vermilion pen hovering above the list, "Governor Li certainly knows how to plead for others."

"Zhao Youde privately harbored the White Lotus Rebels, and Liu Sandao even plotted a rebellion—how dare you say such heinous crimes are 'usable'?"

The pen tip suddenly pierced the list, drawing a scarlet cross on Zhao Youde's name, the ink dripping like blood: "The gatekeeper of Qingjiangpu will be replaced by a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard tomorrow."

He knew exactly who could be spared and who must be killed.

Those who haven't committed heinous crimes can still be given a chance to redeem themselves, like Li Yangzheng, who, although involved in corruption, hasn't killed anyone, and can be kept alive as living evidence of his loyalty to the Party.

But if he dares to employ even those wolves who have incited public outrage and have blood on their hands, how is Yang Lian any different from those parasites who protect corrupt officials?

The starving souls on both sides of the canal are watching, and the canal workers whose wages have been withheld are waiting. If today we show leniency to the likes of Yang Guodong.

Tomorrow, history's pen will be like a knife, and the seven words "protective umbrella for organized crime" will likely be forever nailed to Yang Lian's tombstone!

Seeing that Yang Lian had made up his mind, Li Yangzheng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally asked in a trembling voice:
“Angel, all these people on the list… should they all be apprehended? If troops are needed, my canal transport battalion has three thousand elite soldiers who know the terrain of Huai’an Prefecture like the back of their hand.”

"Governor Li is quite sensible. The elite troops of the Beijing Garrison will take over the four gates tonight. As for your men, how do I know they aren't a den of snakes and rats?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yangzheng was speechless for a moment.

As the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, Li Yangzheng did indeed command two personal guard forces.

One of them was the Standard Battalion, an elite force directly under the Governor-General, consisting of 3,000 men. It was composed of carefully selected garrison soldiers and recruited fierce warriors, and was nominally responsible for protecting the Governor-General's residence and suppressing rebellions along the Grand Canal.

However, this personal guard was actually a mixed bag.

Most of the garrison soldiers were hereditary military households who had long since neglected their training; among the so-called "elite" recruits were even more members of the Grand Canal Gang, wandering knights, and even secret agents of the White Lotus Sect.

Li Yangzheng knew perfectly well that these rabble were only good for suppressing the dockworkers; if they were to engage in a real battle, they would probably scatter like birds and beasts in an instant.

The second was the Grand Canal Guard, a special mobile force established by the imperial court to guard key canal routes such as Huai'an and Xuzhou, with a quota of 5,000 men.

Unfortunately, this formidable force had long been controlled by Yang Guodong, the Grand Canal Transport Commander.

Although he held the title of general, he was actually a parasite who only knew how to embezzle military pay and resell grain.

He practiced nepotism, with most of the officers in his camp being his relatives and friends, while the soldiers were all recruited by his confidants from deserters and ruffians in the streets.

What's even more ridiculous is that Yang Guodong had never even read through the most basic military books, and he would pay someone to take his place whenever he had to proofread them.

These two armies, which claimed to number eight thousand, appeared imposing but were actually weak inside.

The standard-bearer battalion is like rice mixed with sand, and the canal standard-bearer battalion is like meat infested with maggots. If you want to rely on them to succeed, you might as well hope that the canal will not freeze in winter!

Li Yangzheng sighed inwardly and could only change the subject.

"Did the angel bring enough soldiers? Yang Guodong has five thousand men under his command."

Yang Lian sneered and said, "Let alone five thousand men, even if there were fifty thousand, he would still die tonight!"

"The Nanjing garrison eunuch has already deployed two thousand Shenji Battalion soldiers to wait outside the city, and another two thousand Xiaoling Guards are also ready to go. You should immediately send someone to change the lanterns on the gate of the Governor's Mansion to red."

Hearing Yang Lian's words, Li Yangzheng swallowed hard.

His Majesty's determination to reform the canal transport system is unwavering.

Yang Lian, on the other hand, had made ample preparations for this.

The Grand Canal might really be shut down.

Yang Lian looked at Li Yangzheng, who was in shock, and said, "Since the governor wants to redeem himself, today you shall take your troops to the headquarters of the Grand Canal Gang and take Liu Sandao's head. I want to see it fall to the ground with my own eyes."

Yang Lian gave Li Yangzheng this opportunity to clean house.

If even this can't be done
How do I know you want to atone for your crimes?
Upon hearing this, Li Yangzheng immediately bowed his head and accepted the order, but his heart was in turmoil, like boiling water, and he could not calm down.

He glanced at Yang Lian, and seeing his cold, iron-like expression, he dared not speak directly. Instead, he cautiously probed:
"I will certainly not fail His Majesty's trust in this task! However..."

His throat bobbed, and his voice grew increasingly low and hoarse.

"Although Huai'an is the central hub of the Grand Canal, there are also Grand Canal transport offices in Xuzhou, Tianjin, Tongzhou and other places. If they hear the news and collude to cause trouble, there may be uprisings by the canal workers and the people."

"Is Governor Li afraid they'll resort to desperate measures?"

Yang Lian tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, her voice neither hurried nor slow, yet each word was as sharp as a nail.

"The transport commander of Xuzhou was arrested by the Imperial Guards last night, and the ambassador of the Tianjin granary committed suicide by hanging this morning. As for Tongzhou..."

"The evidence of Tongzhou's collusion with the White Lotus Sect was presented to the Emperor three days ago. At this moment, his head is probably already hanging on the city gate."

"As for the peasant uprising among the grain transport workers?"

Yang Lian's eyes were icy cold.

"The Nanjing Ministry of Revenue has already allocated one million shi of reserve grain into the granaries. Tomorrow, notices will be posted at all wharves—anyone who reports corrupt officials will be rewarded with three years' worth of rations! If anyone dares to incite a popular uprising..."

He slammed his hand on the table, making the candlesticks shake.

"Two thousand Shenji Battalion soldiers and two thousand Xiaoling Guards outside the city are just looking for a place to test their skills!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yangzheng felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

He then realized that the imperial court's crackdown on the canal transport was no small matter, but rather a determined effort to eradicate the entire system!

If he dares to hesitate any longer, he might be the next one to hang his own head on the city gate!

"This governor...understands!"

Li Yangzheng's voice trembled, but there was a hint of determination in the tremor.

"Today I will take Liu Sandao's head to prove my loyalty!"

Yang Lian nodded slightly, his gaze sharp as if he had seen through what was on his mind.

“Governor Li, if the grain transport is disrupted, the imperial court will bear the responsibility; but if you fail to perform your duties effectively…”

"Then the responsibility can only be borne by your head."

Li Yangzheng trembled all over, dared not say another word, and could only bow deeply and accept the order to leave.

Yang Lian's eyes flickered, the candlelight casting dancing shadows in them. He stared at the blood-stained list on the table, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Do these parasites really think they can blackmail the imperial court by controlling the canal transport? Every year, the river transport loses millions of bushels of grain, and the people in the prefectures and counties along the way are exploited to the point of destitution, yet they treat the canal boats as their own money bags.

His Majesty had already secretly ordered the Dengzhou and Laizhou naval forces to rebuild their ships, and the sandboat gangs of Songjiang Prefecture had secretly trained three thousand boat trackers to become sailors.

Once the Bohai Sea ice age is over, the first batch of 100,000 shi of grain will arrive directly in Tianjin from Taicang Port!

These canal boatmen in Huai'an probably don't know that the Ministry of Works' newly built 400-ton cargo ships can carry 30% more grain than the canal boats, but only require half the number of boatmen.

Moreover, the losses are far less than those from river transport.

Once maritime transport is unimpeded, the day will come for these scoundrels who extort money from dams and cause trouble by taking advantage of the canal workers!
Soon, red lanterns were hung up in the Governor's Mansion.

The red lanterns swayed in the night wind, their gleam as blood-red as the light.

On the Qingkou River, Tong Zhongkui stood with his hand on his sword, behind him two thousand elite Jingjun garrison soldiers in steel armor, their swords and spears reflecting the cold moonlight.

Upon learning that the Governor's Mansion had been decorated with red lanterns, Tong Zhongkui no longer hesitated.

"Send the order!"

His voice was deep and thunderous.

"The First Battalion will blockade the Cao Biao Camp's garrison. Anyone carrying weapons will be executed on the spot! The Second Battalion will take over the four gates of Shanyang. Entry is permitted, but exit is not!"

The sound of horses' hooves thundered across the official road. The musketeers of the Divine Machine Battalion had already occupied key positions, their dark muzzles aimed at the vermilion gate of the Grand Canal Transport Office.

On the corner tower of the county government office, the watchman on duty had just struck the third watch clapper when he was forced down by the Imperial Guards who broke in and pinned him to the drum stand.

The large cowhide drum used for warning didn't even have a chance to sound.

"Whose soldiers are you?"

"You dare to cause trouble in the standard camp? You're asking for it!"

As soon as Yang Guodong's personal guards kicked open the barracks door, they were met with an iron wall.

Three hundred tall barricades, each twelve feet long, stood in a formidable array, their cold iron tips gleaming with a blood-red hue in the torchlight.

Before these thugs who usually roamed the canal docks could even draw their knives, fine beads of blood were already being drawn from their throats by the tips of their spears.

"Damn it! Where did this come from?"

The leader of the centurions had only finished his tirade when he suddenly fell silent, like a rooster being choked.

His wide eyes reflected the armor of the soldiers opposite him—the iron armor of the elite Beijing garrison!

Tong Zhongkui's Xuan Tieshan armor clanged as he rode his horse to the banner, his embroidered spring knife slashing down from the sky, snapping the flag of the Cao Biao Camp in two.

The three-zhang-tall flagpole crashed to the ground with a loud thud, raising a cloud of dust over ten zhang high, startling dozens of warhorses in the barracks and stables to rear up.

"By imperial decree, the canal transport system will be rectified!"

Tong Zhongkui's warhorse rolled over the banner embroidered with the words "General Yang of the Grand Canal Transport," and the steel greaves scraped against the brocade with a grating tearing sound.

"You shall all surrender immediately!"

As he spoke, the blade suddenly turned towards the centurion who had resisted first, and his voice became even sharper.

"Those who disobey orders—kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

Two thousand elite soldiers of the Beijing Garrison roared in unison, the sound so loud that dust fell from the beams of the Cao Biao barracks.

A quick-witted canal worker suddenly knelt down and shouted, "General, please understand! We are all unfortunate people whose pay has been embezzled by Yang Guodong!"

His shout was like a domino effect, causing hundreds of soldiers to abandon their weapons and kneel down in front of the camp gate in the blink of an eye.

Tong Zhongkui sneered at these soldiers who were kowtowing like mortars, many of whom still had dice dust from their gambling nights on their collars.

"Take them all down and verify their identities!"

at the same time.

At the canal wharf in the east of the city, thirty official ships fully loaded with grain were quietly casting off their moorings under the cover of night.

Wang Ba La, the incense master at the bow of the boat, squinted his triangular eyes and kept urging the boatmen to speed up their work.

"Quickly! Raise all the water diversion flags at the third sluice gate!"

He kicked over a slow-moving canal worker, the token at his waist gleaming with a ghostly blue light in the moonlight.

These thirty ships were ostensibly loaded with grain, but their lower decks concealed smuggled salt and secret messages from the White Lotus Sect. Once they passed the Qingjiangpu Sluice Gate, they could...
"boom!"

A sudden long line of torches tore through the night, instantly illuminating the embankment as if it were daytime.

To Wang Balai's horror, twelve breech-loading cannons were pushed out from behind the earthen slope three hundred paces away. The dark muzzles of the cannons were slowly raised as the calibration soldier gave the order, and the sights were locked on the mast of the lead ship.

"It's a Portuguese cannon from the Shenji Battalion!"

The lookout at the stern screamed in agony.

Before Wang Balai could react, a thunderous command came from the shore:

"Fire arrows!"

Hundreds of arrows, soaked in oil, soared into the sky, leaving scarlet trails across the night.

The mainsail of the lead cargo ship, the "Fengji," instantly turned into a curtain of fire, and the burning cables hung down like venomous snakes, igniting the cotton yarn bales piled up on the deck.

A canal worker tried to put out the fire with the canal transport office's command flag, but half of his body was engulfed by the flames and he fell into the canal with a scream.

"Help!"

"Put out the fire!"

"Run! Run!"

The fleet was in chaos, with countless people jumping into the water.

Kneeling on the boat will save you from death!

A unified roar echoed from the embankment, and the sound of three thousand armored soldiers striking their weapons simultaneously caused ripples to spread across the water.

Wang Balai's legs went weak and he knelt on the deck, only then could he see the military formation illuminated by the firelight.

In addition to the firearmsmen of the Shenji Battalion, there were also armored elite soldiers of the Xiaoling Guard lined up along the riverbank. Instead of the usual goose-feather sabers, they carried hook-and-sickle spears and axes specifically designed to break ship planks.

Most chillingly, several corpses in prison uniforms were floating on the sluice gate that the canal gang used as an escape route.

Those were the gatekeepers he had arranged in advance to meet him!

"The imperial court... how could the imperial court know that the ship would be sailing tonight?" Wang Balai's teeth chattered.

He didn't believe it, yet he had no choice but to believe it:

One of them is a traitor!
and also
They're doomed!
Inside the mansion of the Grand Canal Transport Commander, Yang Guodong was fast asleep, embracing his three newly acquired Yangzhou concubines. The brocade quilt was billowing, and the room was filled with the sweet scent of cosmetics mixed with the smell of wine.

Just past midnight, a sudden clang of metal clashing rang out outside the house, followed by the piercing screams of the guards.

"Ahhh~"

"What kind of stupid dog dares to disturb my sleep?"

Yang Guodong, shirtless, suddenly sprang up. Before he could even touch the goose-feather knife hanging by the bedside, the carved door shattered with a powerful kick!

boom!
Amidst the flying splinters of wood, more than ten armored soldiers surged in like a black tide.

The leader, whose black iron helmet revealed a pair of hawk-like eyes, was none other than Zhang Maozhong, the commander of the Xiaoling Guard.

He pressed the blood-stained embroidered spring knife in his hand against Yang Guodong's throat, the blade still dripping with the blood of the gatekeeper's steward.

"General Yang has a refined taste."

Zhang Maozhong sneered, and with the tip of his knife, he pried open the brocade quilt, revealing the lingering rouge stain on Yang Guodong's fat, white belly.

"While the brothers ate coarse food and wild vegetables, General Yang slept soundly on several skinny horses."

The skinny horse on the bed screamed and rolled off, its arms immediately being bound behind its back by the soldiers.

Yang Guodong's pupils suddenly contracted.

These fierce soldiers were actually wearing the uniforms of the Nanjing Xiaoling Guard!

not good!

They were sent from above!
He lunged toward the hidden compartment under the bed, but with a clang, a three-edged nail pierced his palm, wedging his five fingers into the sandalwood!

"Ahhh~"

Blood splattered from his palm, and Yang Guodong howled in pain, his forehead instantly covered in a fine layer of sweat.

"I am the Grand Canal Transport Commander, what right do you have to arrest me?"

Zhang Maozhong sneered and said, "I have the Emperor's order, how can I not arrest you?"

Yang Guodong stared intently at the hidden compartment, while Zhang Maozhong grinned and ordered his personal guards to open it.

"Is this what General Yang is looking for?"

Tong Zhongkui received a gilded bronze seal from his personal guard, which was the troop deployment token of the Cao Biao Battalion, along with an account book.

He casually tossed it to his deputy, looked at Yang Guodong's face contorted in pain, and said, "The four gates of Huai'an are closed. Your ghost soldiers are kneeling in the drill ground right now to verify their identities. You'd better save your energy."

With a dull thud as the rope dug into his flesh, Yang Guodong was pulled off the bed.

This usually domineering and arrogant canal transport commander was now in a state of utter disarray.

(End of this chapter)