Jiang Chun hurled an inkstone across the room. “How exactly did you handle this matter? My five hundred thousand taels, my soldiers, and my ships are all gone?!”
Gu Bi and Wang Boshan knelt on the cold floor, drenched in sweat. “We were incompetent, Your Majesty. Please forgive us!”
“Forgive you? That was five hundred thousand taels! How do you expect me to forgive you? How am I supposed to explain this to the various great clans?” Jiang Chun’s eyes bulged with fury, and he felt a dull ache in his chest.
What drove him to the verge of collapse was not merely the loss of the five hundred thousand taels, soldiers, and ships that Gu Bi had taken on this mission.
There was also Sun Zheng’s group, who had returned empty-handed after accomplishing nothing.
And before that, Zuo Tong had set out for Fengzhou with more than a thousand jin of gold to purchase the schematics, only to vanish without a trace.
Clearly, Jiang Jin had tricked him over the schematics. Not only had he lost the money, he had also lost a loyal right-hand man.
After suffering one defeat after another, Jiang Chun had completely broken down.
Over the past few months of clashes with Jiang Jin, he had lost men and resources, suffered ruinous setbacks, and incurred losses of at least seven or eight hundred thousand taels of silver—not counting anything else.
If the ships and other supplies were included, his losses had reached at least a million taels.
And now, Gu Bi had brought back news that Daqing had very likely already pledged allegiance to Jiang Jin.
How could he accept this? How could he swallow his anger?
Gu Bi and Wang Boshan broke into an even colder sweat.
Gritting his teeth, Gu Bi said, “Your Majesty, Daqing has gone too far. Why not give me a hundred thousand troops? I’ll go and destroy Daqing!”
The corner of Wang Boshan’s eye twitched. After the rain stopped, the Jiao Army had resumed its assault on Sizhou. How could His Majesty possibly have the leisure to attack Daqing now?
Sure enough, Jiang Chun’s voice rang out. “Attack Daqing? Do you think we have too many troops?”
He slammed his palm against the imperial desk. “Since you want to lead an army, then go to Ying Commandery. If you can’t hold it, don’t come back!”
Only two counties remained in Ying Commandery. Holding it was practically impossible; its fall was merely a matter of time. Gu Bi’s journey there would be fraught with danger.
Yet Gu Bi accepted the order readily. “This subject obeys!”
The result was better than he had expected. He had been worried that His Majesty would simply have him dragged outside and executed.
Dying on the battlefield was better than dying beneath an executioner’s blade. Win or lose, being wrapped in one’s horse’s hide after death was the final dignity of a soldier.
He bowed to Jiang Chun in the formal gesture between sovereign and subject, then backed away for a short distance before turning and striding out.
For some reason, Gu Bi’s complete lack of pleading left Jiang Chun extremely uncomfortable. The sense of frustration in his chest grew even stronger, yet he could find no outlet for it.
He looked at Wang Boshan, who was still kneeling on the floor. A dark glint flashed through his eyes as he barked, “Dismissed from office and placed under investigation. Leave.”
Wang Boshan’s heart lurched. He dared not say another word. After thanking the emperor for his mercy, he withdrew.
He had barely returned home when the investigators arrived. Their cold, businesslike manner left his family bewildered and terrified.
Wang Boshan felt a chill in his heart. After a long while, he finally comforted them. “I mishandled this matter, and His Majesty has shown me mercy by sparing my life. But I have a clear conscience. You needn’t worry.”
Xiao County.
Wen Zixin had only just risen when he learned that the Jinyang Army had traded a prescription for horses. He stared in astonishment. “They gave up the prescription so easily?”
The county magistrate nodded. “Indeed. Perhaps we could trade with them for the prescription as well?”
A calculating glint flashed through Wen Zixin’s eyes. “Lord Qiu has been treating patients alongside the Jinyang Army these past two days. He should already have mastered the prescription for the plague. If so, we can save on horses and grain.”
The county magistrate looked at Wen Zixin with admiration. “As expected of you, my lord. You’ve thought this through. That is indeed the case.”
Wen Zixin was about to speak when a yamen runner came to report that the Zhang family’s Second Steward had arrived to file a complaint.
The county magistrate’s heart skipped a beat. “A complaint? Did he say what it was about?”
The yamen runner wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Last night, the Zhang family’s fortified compound was robbed by a band of bandits.”
“What?” the county magistrate exclaimed. “Didn’t the Zhang family have more than a thousand retainers stationed there? How could they possibly have been robbed?”
He had gotten up late that morning and had only just arrived at the county office, so he knew nothing about what had happened.
The yamen runner looked helpless. “Your subordinate doesn’t know the details either. Shall I have Second Steward Zhang come in?”
Second Steward Zhang was quickly shown inside. After he recounted everything that had happened, even Wen Zixin was stunned.
“Wait, isn’t it a fortified compound? How did they get inside?”
Second Steward Zhang gave a helpless shake of his head. “We don’t know what kind of grappling hooks they used. They must have climbed the walls with ropes. We found traces that looked like claw-shaped devices. After that, they killed the men guarding the gate and opened it. By the time we realized someone had breached the compound, they had already taken our Eighth Young Master hostage…”
The fact that they had survived was entirely due to the other side showing mercy. Judging by the methods those people had employed the previous night, none of them should have lived to see the sun rise.
The county magistrate was utterly dumbfounded. “They were that capable? Then why did they spare your lives?”
Second Steward Zhang shook his head. “Hu Lai said that their rule was to take wealth but not lives.”
The county magistrate stared at him in confusion. “Do you have any suspects?”
Second Steward Zhang shook his head again. “They called themselves the Hulai Bandits. Their heads and faces were covered, so we couldn’t tell who they were.”
“They covered their heads and faces?” the county magistrate cried.
Second Steward Zhang nodded. “Yes, even their hair was covered. Only their eyes were exposed. There was no way to identify them.”
As they were speaking, another yamen runner hurried in to report that a commotion had broken out at the city gate.
Wen Zixin and the county magistrate exchanged a glance. They shot to their feet and were about to head outside the city when they happened to run into the county commandant.
The county magistrate quickly asked, “What happened?”
The county commandant swung himself onto his horse. “I’ll explain on the way.”
By the time Wen Zixin and the others rode out through the city gate and reached the scene, the two sides were already facing off.
“These horses belong to my Zhang family! You Jinyang soldiers are shameless—you’ve even dared to steal from my family!” Zhang Balang was so furious that blood began seeping from his neck again, quickly staining the bandages red.
The Zhang family steward anxiously tried to have the physician tend to Zhang Balang’s wound, but Zhang Balang slapped his hand away.
He glared viciously at Xie Nanxiao. “What else do you have to say for yourself?”
Xie Nanxiao remained unhurried. “You mean this batch of horses? I traded for them this morning with a prescription. Not only did I get horses, I also traded for grain and medicinal supplies.”
Zhang Balang grew even angrier. “Traded for them? Weren’t you the ones who broke into my Zhang family’s compound last night and stole our grain and horses?”
Xie Nanxiao frowned. “I don’t understand what you mean. Are you saying the Zhang family was robbed last night?”
His bewildered expression almost made Zhang Balang believe him. But after thinking it over, how could there be such a coincidence?
“Stop pretending you don’t know anything. I won’t mention the grain and other supplies, but these horses bear my Zhang family’s brand. You can’t deny they’re ours.”
