Yang He's practiced speech about "budgetary constraints" was exactly what everyone had expected. In fact, the Gao Family Village strategists had already prepared a counter-move long before they set foot in the city.
Xing Honglang didn't skip a beat. She offered a smooth, confident salute and smiled.
"Lord Yang, this humble general has a small request to make, if I may be so bold..."
Yang He's brow furrowed into deep, weathered lines. He knew the drill; when a rebel leader surrendered, they always had demands. He just wasn't sure what she was going to ask for, or if he could even afford the price tag.
"Everyone in the world knows that I, Xing Honglang, was born in Yongji," she continued, her voice steady.
"Now that I've been commissioned as an officer of the court, I naturally wish to return home in glory. I would like to ask the court to grant me the position of Shoubei of Puzhou. I will lead my troops to safeguard the peace of my hometown. Wouldn't that be a beautiful outcome?"
The request itself wasn't particularly surprising. Local leaders often wanted to stay local. However, the timing was a bit awkward. The previous Puzhou officer had been killed by her only a few days prior, and now she was asking for his job. It looked a bit too much like a hostile takeover.
Did she kill Wang Guozhong just to steal his chair? the thought swirled in Yang He's mind.
Just as he was about to hesitate, Xing Honglang dropped the hammer.
"Your Excellency also knows that I used to be a salt smuggler. My business skills are quite decent. My men can all support themselves through trade and commerce; there is absolutely no need for the court to provide any resettlement funds or monthly grain stipends."
As soon as those words left her mouth, Yang He's eyes lit up with pure joy.
The tiny flicker of suspicion in his mind was instantly extinguished.
To hell with whether she killed Wang Guozhong for his seat! he thought.
As long as she doesn't ask me for a single copper, everything is negotiable.
Yang He didn't hesitate for a second.
"Fine! It is settled."
As the Zongdu of the Three Borders, his authority was immense. Appointing a minor Shoubei didn't require consulting anyone; with a flick of his brush, the deal was done.
He was just about to deliver a few more words of flowery encouragement when the sound of frantic hoofbeats shattered the atmosphere.
A scout on a lathered horse charged into the city, looking as panicked as if his own mother had just passed away. He tumbled out of the saddle before Yang He, gasping for air.
"Lord Yang! Disaster! Absolute disaster! Shen Yikui has rebelled again! He has stormed and captured Ningsei County!"
Yang He stiffened. Shen Yikui was the strongest rebel leader left in Shaanxi who hadn't crossed the river into Shanxi. Not only did he have massive numbers, but his core force consisted of deserting frontier troops, making him a lethal threat. Yang He had been desperately trying to maintain the peace through pacification, yet the man had turned traitor again the moment his back was turned.
"What is he complaining about now?" Yang He groaned, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
"I don't know, but Ningsei has fallen," the scout blurted out.
"Your Excellency must mobilize troops immediately, or the entire region will be ruined!"
"Where is Du Wenhuan?" Yang He barked.
"Where is he now?"
A household guard leaned in and whispered urgently,
"Lord Yang, remember when Shen Yikui slaughtered Du Wenhuan's entire family? You chose to pacify Shen Yikui instead of letting Du take revenge. He's still furious. He won't listen to your orders; you can't move him."
Yang He: "..."
There was an eerie, heavy silence that lasted for several uncomfortable seconds.
Finally, Yang He spoke again.
"What about Cao Wenzhao? Where is he?"
A subordinate stepped forward.
"Reporting: Cao Wenzhao is currently hunting down the remnants of Wang Jiayin's forces near Jinyang."
"Tell him to stop the pursuit!" Yang He ordered.
"Wang Jiayin is dead; his remaining men are just small fry and no longer a threat. Let the minnows go. Tell Cao to return to Shaanxi immediately to crush Shen Yikui!"
The subordinate saluted and sprinted off to deliver the orders.
Yang He turned back to Xing Honglang with a weary look.
"General Xing, you heard what just happened. Sigh! This world is well, just make sure you don't follow Shen Yikui's fickle example. As long as you remain loyal, the court will not mistreat you. I must return to Shaanxi at once. You can discuss the remaining logistical details with the Zhizhou of Puzhou."
Without another word, Yang He mobilized his retinue and, with He Renlong in tow, hurried back toward Northern Shaanxi.
Xing Honglang and Flat Rabbit shared a look, momentarily speechless at the sudden chaos.
However, Qiu Qianfan, the Zhizhou of Puzhou, took the opportunity to sidle up to them. He cupped his fists toward Xing Honglang with a look that was surprisingly warm.
"General Xing, from now on, you and I will manage this place, one civil, one military. I look forward to your kind cooperation."
His attitude toward Xing Honglang was a thousand times better than it had ever been toward her predecessor. He was practically beaming with amiability.
What do they call this? You reap what you sow.
When you do good things and act with integrity, people naturally respond with respect. Some people have a fundamental problem with how they treat others and then wonder why everyone is hostile to them. The truth is, they simply get the vitriol they deserve.
Xing Honglang returned the salute.
"Then let us look out for one another, Lord Qiu."
The Zhizhou's tone shifted instantly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Actually, I've had my people looking into things. I heard you've started a textile factory at the docks? Oh, my dear General, there are hardly any people at that pier! Why not move your factory into Puzhou city? We have a massive population here; you'd have no trouble finding workers."
Xing Honglang gave a sly grin.
"Lord Qiu, you said it, not me. I might just bring the whole operation here."
Qiu Qianfan chuckled.
"Please, do! Bring it quickly! I have a massive headache just looking at all these refugees. It would be best if you could just shove every single one of them into your factories."
Xing Honglang leaned in closer.
"I should warn you, my ambition is quite large. I don't just want textiles. I want cement plants, fertilizer factories, mining operations, iron foundries, carpentry workshops, ceramics. You know I used to be a salt smuggler. My favorite thing in the world is making money. I won't be happy until every copper coin in the world is in my pocket, and I'd love nothing more than to have the entire city's population working for me."
Qiu Qianfan was absolutely delighted.
"Splendid! Perfectly fine! Build your factories, dig your mines, carve up the mountains, whatever you want, just say the word and I'll sign the papers. In this climate, nothing grows in the fields anyway. The people have no work; they just sit around staring at me, waiting for a bowl of porridge that I don't have. I can't even fill my own pot! You take them all to work. As long as you can pay them a wage, I'll welcome you with both hands and both feet."
Xing Honglang: "Hehehe!"
Qiu Qianfan: "Hehehe!"
In the blink of an eye, the two of them had reached a perfect consensus on turning the disaster victims into a massive labor force.
The poor citizens of Puzhou had no idea that a specter, the specter of capitalism, had already reached out its claws to grab them.
However, when those claws finally clamped down, the people wouldn't feel pain. They would feel pure joy.
Because, for all the many faults of capitalism, it was still a hell of a lot better than the grinding misery of feudalism.
Meanwhile, south of Jinyang, in the Shennong Mountains.
Li Zicheng was leading the "Old Eight Teams", the original band of brothers who had followed him out of Mizhi to conquer the world, on a desperate, lung-bursting retreat.
He had just suffered a catastrophic defeat.
While the Old Eight Teams were fierce and battle-hardened, they were nothing more than punching bags when pitted against the Guanning Iron Cavalry led by Cao Wenzhao.
In a single, devastating charge, Cao Wenzhao had shattered the rebel lines, beating Li Zicheng so badly that he had to throw away his armor and flee into the rugged depths of the Shennong Mountains.
And Cao Wenzhao was right on his heels, showing absolutely no intention of letting him escape alive.