The fiercest soldier of the border army

Tang Shun looked down at Dao Man, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

Seeing that Tang Shun remained silent, Dao Man became even more flustered.

He released Tang Shun's knees, then turned to Zhao Yi, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and what had just been a tearful outburst was now replaced by a fawning smile that was obsequious to the core.

"Recorder Zhao, Lord Zhao, please say a word for me! I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong."

"You may ask me to copy alchemical scriptures, as many as I like, even until next spring."

"I write fast, copying ten pages a day is no problem. Please tell the Prefect not to send me to the military camp, I'll only cause trouble for the Prefect if I go there..."

Zhao Yi turned his head away, pretending not to hear.

When Daoman saw that pleading with Zhao Yi was useless, he turned back to look at Tang Shun. His fawning smile crumbled, turning into a final struggle before resignation.

He swallowed hard, making a gurgling sound in his throat. "My lord... how many hours a day do the soldiers in that barracks train?"

Tang Shundao said, "Starting at dawn and ending at dusk, we carry heavy loads in the morning and practice swordsmanship in the afternoon, with two breaks in between, each lasting one incense stick."

Daoman's face turned pale.

He counted on his fingers and realized that from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., that was a full six hours.

Six hours, with only two incense sticks burning in between.

He had never walked a path that took six hours in his entire life, let alone practiced swordsmanship with a heavy load.

He looked up at Tang Shun, his lips trembling several times, before finally managing to utter:

"My lord, could I... could I simply copy the alchemical texts without actually practicing them...?"

Tang Shunchao waved his hand, "Go back and pack your things. Report to the West Training Ground at 5 a.m. tomorrow. If you are late, you will be punished according to military law."

Daoman got up from the ground, his legs were so numb that he could barely stand.

He rubbed his knees, gave Tang Shun a weak bow, and turned to walk out.

The hall fell silent.

"Sir, that young Taoist priest Daoman, are you really planning to make him a bodyguard? His health..."

Tang Shun shook his head. "His physique is too weak to lift a Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword).

"But he's smart."

"In the barracks, there are plenty of people who can carry a long-handled sword, but not a single person can recite all three hundred articles of the Great Qian Law."

"Sending him to the barracks isn't to let him practice swordsmanship, but to show him what discipline is."

Zhao Yi stood aside and listened to these words without saying anything more.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and withdrew.

……

The Huang family home was dimly lit late at night.

Only two oil lamps were lit in the warm room, with extremely short wicks, casting a dim yellow glow.

Huang Yushan sat in the armchair, his old mink coat covering him completely, but his complexion was even darker than it had been a few days ago.

Huang Yulin huddled in the chair opposite him, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his brow furrowed in worry.

"Brother," Huang Yulin said, his voice hoarse, "we visited three more places today."

Huang Yushan didn't even lift his eyelids: "Which three?"

"The Zhao family, who run a silk shop in the east of the city; the Liu family, who run a grain shop in the south of the city; and Sun's herbal medicine shop on the west street."

Huang Yulin counted on his fingers, becoming more and more frustrated as he spoke, "They all left faster than the last. The Zhao family didn't even finish clearing out their goods before running off with the money from the shop transfer."

"The Liu family was even more ruthless. They sold all the grain they had stockpiled for more than half a year to the Goudang Division and then turned around and joined Jia Wannian's forces."

"That old bastard Sun Ji, my elder brother used to back him up, but now he's turned his back on him and won't even reply to a letter."

Huang Yushan remained silent.

The warm room was stiflingly quiet, while outside, the wind rustled through the window paper.

Unable to contain himself, Huang Yulin added, "That's not all. Today, someone came to our door saying they wanted to get goods from the Bureau of Deception and then resell them to us."

Huang Yushan's fingers tightened suddenly, and he almost dropped the teacup.

"Who?"

"That guy surnamed Wu from the north of the city, he used to do cloth business with us for a few years."

He said that the goods from the official business were in short supply, and it was difficult to get them through the exclusive distribution channels. He had a batch of salt and sugar and asked if we wanted them.

"The price is 10% lower than the market price, but 20% higher than the wholesale price. To put it bluntly, they want us to be their downstream customers."

Huang Yushan's face turned ashen.

Distribution.

These two words were like a slap in the face, striking the lintel of the Huang family's door.

Huang Yushan has been doing business in Lingzhou for decades, and others have always gotten their goods from him. When will it be his turn to be supplied by others?

What's more, this stuff came from Tang Shun's brothel.

Despite their envy and resentment, accepting this shipment would be tantamount to admitting that the Huang family was no longer what it used to be and was no longer the prominent family of Lingzhou.

"I won't answer." Huang Yushan uttered those two words crisply.

Huang Yulin sighed: "I knew my older brother wouldn't accept."

"But the shop's revenue is declining day by day, and the money in the account is only going out and not coming in. If we don't think of a solution..."

"What method are you thinking of?" Huang Yushan interrupted him, his voice as deep as if it were pressing down on a stone. "Do you want me to beg that guy surnamed Tang? Or do you want me to become a lackey of a sycophant like Jia Wannian?"

Huang Yulin didn't dare to reply and lowered his head.

The warm room was quiet for a while, then suddenly there was a soft knocking on the door, three short knocks and one long one.

Huang Yulin got up to open the door, and a dark figure flashed in from outside, wrapped in a heavy gray squirrel fur cloak with his hood pulled very low.

He only took it off after entering the room, revealing a thin, long face with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes, looking like a traveling merchant who had been traveling all over the country for many years.

"Lord Huang." The newcomer bowed, his voice extremely low, "Commander of Hedong, I have long admired your name."

Huang Yushan was taken aback, then abruptly stood up. "A distinguished guest from Hedong?"

"Please have a seat, distinguished guest!"

The visitor didn't stand on ceremony, took a seat in the chair, glanced around at the furnishings in the warm room, and his lips twitched slightly before he quickly closed them.

Huang Yushan was extremely polite, "Honorable guest, you've come to visit so late at night, may I ask what brings you here?"

"I heard that Lord Huang recently sent a letter and several boxes to the Xiongnu."

The newcomer's lips curled into a smile. "I wonder what Lord Huang intends to do?"

Huang Yushan's pupils contracted. This matter was extremely secretive. How did he know about it?

The newcomer smiled faintly, "Lord Huang, there's no need to worry. My lord sent me here not to make things difficult for you."

He got straight to the point: "Baoping Town."

Huang Yushan squinted at him for a while, then relaxed slightly, his expression remaining unchanged:

"Baoping Town? That's now a government town in Lingzhou, the territory of the Tang governor. It seems rather inappropriate for a distinguished guest to ask me, a mere merchant, such a question?"

The visitor smiled, took a folded piece of paper from his sleeve, and pushed it across the table:

"Master Huang, there's no need to be modest."

"I'd like to ask you, Master Huang, on the day of the grand ceremony in Lingzhou, when hundreds of soldiers wielding knives suddenly appeared among the common people, didn't you find it strange?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Yushan's heart tightened.

How could he not be surprised!

Tang Shun, a mere governor with no troops or power, managed to wipe out almost all the officials in Lingzhou with just a few hundred men.

The visitor smiled and said to himself:

"The problem lies with Baoping Town."

"The people in Baoping Town were originally bandits from Mangshan."

Ignoring Huang Yushan's shocked expression, the person continued speaking:

"Eight hundred fierce bandits killed three successive military governors, and the court has yet to close the case."

"The bandits who should have been beheaded and displayed to the public have instead become government soldiers, arresting officials from Lingzhou."

"Afterwards, he transformed himself back into a resident of Baoping Town in Lingzhou, and became a law-abiding citizen under Tang Shun."

"But can their past, the events of the grand ceremony, be simply erased?"

"Tang Shun gathered these people together and settled them at Baopingkou. Doesn't Master Huang want to discuss the implications of this?"

Huang Yushan looked at the paper but did not reach out to take it.

The visitor continued, "Commander Dian has always respected Lord Huang. Lord Huang has been operating in Lingzhou for many years and has a deep foundation. If we can offer some assistance, the Commander Dian will surely reward us handsomely."

Huang Yushan remained silent for a long time.

He turned his head and glanced at Huang Yulin.

Huang Yulin stood in the corner, looking anxious, and kept turning his head toward Huang Yushan.

Huang Yushan withdrew his gaze and looked at the newcomer again. "Commander, what exactly do you want me to do?"