Chapter 2215 - Oaths and Curses
The steward's smile stiffened momentarily. He stammered, "Well... I'm not quite sure myself... They trade mountain goods for salt..."
You Ciren knew Sun Dabiao's methods; there was no point pressing further. He let the matter drop.
Lunch finished, You Ciren insisted on paying. The steward adamantly refused. After a round of polite pushing and pulling, the steward finally accepted a token sum. Not only that, he had the bamboo canteens refilled with cool herbal tea—solicitous to a fault.
"Let's move out," You Ciren urged.
The party left the shelter, pushed the carts, and headed for the edge of the market. Dalang Market wasn't large—the main street stretched barely half a li. Within moments, they were through the gate. Only then did You Ciren let out the breath he had been holding.
Seeing him exhale, the sergeant chuckled. "No need to worry, sir. This whole area is Sun Dabiao's domain. Petty thieves wouldn't dare make trouble on his turf—it's perfectly safe." He patted his rifle. "Bringing these is really overkill."
You Ciren noticed that not just the sergeant but the entire squad had a slack, complacent air. He shook his head. "These local strongmen are suspicious and unpredictable. Don't trust them too easily..."
They talked as they pushed the carts. After another half-li or so, they rounded a hill—and suddenly another checkpoint appeared ahead. Not only were there barriers, but a wooden watchtower as well. A dozen-odd militiamen armed with swords and spears stood on guard, looking tense. Between the two barriers, only a narrow gap wide enough for one person remained. A dozen or so small traders and Yao-dressed figures were queuing to pass through one by one. The checkpoint was noisy with shouting.
"That's Sun Dabiao's toll station," the sergeant said. "Past here is Yao territory."
"What are they searching for?" You Ciren saw that everyone passing through was thoroughly checked—baggage examined, clothes opened.
"Salt." The sergeant explained. "Sun Dabiao's biggest cash cow is selling salt into the Yao territories. Whether you're Yao or a peddler, if you're carrying salt into the Yao lands, you must buy it at his shop. Once you do, they put it in a bag with a wax seal. At the checkpoint, only bags with intact seals may pass. Otherwise, it's smuggling—confiscation and a beating if you're lucky; locked in his private jail if you're not. Family has to pay ransom to get you out..."
"Quite a show of power! More than the government itself." You Ciren was a naturalized commoner; he had seen plenty of local strongmen running roughshod while officials played blind. He was hardly as shocked as an Elder would be. Still, he realized this situation was a direct cause of the Yonghua Yao's growing discontent—and of the unrest in the Yao territories.
County Magistrate Wang had ordered this convoy to smuggle several hundred jin of salt precisely to appease the Yao.
But Sun Dabiao and his gang had to be dealt with quickly. The longer this dragged on, the worse for both the Council of Elders' credibility and Yangshan's stability...
"You're telling me," the sergeant spat. "Every time we go to Yonghua, the Yao complain about this. They say: 'You promised salt would cost the same for Yao and Han—but you're still charging high prices!'"
"Who knows what County Magistrate Wang is thinking," one soldier chimed in. "If this keeps up, the Yonghua Yao will revolt again."
...
As they talked, they approached the checkpoint. Suddenly, the sergeant frowned and murmured, "Something's off."
"What?" You Ciren started.
"I don't recognize the men at the checkpoint."
When the convoy reached the barrier, no one moved to clear the way. Instead, a thin, swarthy man swaggered up, shouting, "Halt! TMD, halt!"
The convoy stopped. The sergeant's brow creased. "Lieutenant, let me check." He signaled to the soldiers behind him.
The sergeant stepped forward. "We're the supply convoy for Yonghua. Clear the barrier!"
"I don't give a damn what supply convoy—anyone passing this checkpoint gets searched!" The swarthy man's attitude was the polar opposite of the deferential militiamen when they had entered Dalang Market—pure arrogant swagger.
"Listen carefully! We're the county's National Army! Carrying supplies to Yonghua! Another word and I'll put a bullet through you!" The sergeant had passed here many times and had never been treated this way. He was furious.
"Put a bullet through me? You haven't got the balls! This is Master Sun's turf—you play by Master Sun's rules! Anyone heading into the Yao lands gets checked for smuggled salt. No salt, you pass!"
Now the sergeant's face turned red with rage. He swung his rifle off his shoulder and leveled it. "I'd like to see who's tired of living and dares to search us!"
The entire checkpoint erupted. The escorting soldiers unslung their rifles; the checkpoint militiamen brandished swords and spears. The air crackled with tension. The convoy laborers, caught off guard, froze in terror, legs shaking.
You Ciren's heart lurched: What is going on?!
Judging by everything they had encountered along the way, Sun Dabiao's attitude hadn't changed. Even if he had turned hostile, the best moment to strike would have been back at the tea shelter during their meal—weapons had been set aside. Why the sudden hostility at the threshold of the Yao territory?
Just as he was frantically calculating, a thunderous boom erupted from the hillside. Before he could react, a hail of iron pellets and gravel sprayed outward like water from a giant watering can, sweeping across the entire convoy indiscriminately!
"So you're saying Sun Dabiao has no idea who attacked the supply convoy?"
"Yes! Yes! Sun Dabiao swears to heaven it wasn't him who attacked the convoy," Zhang Tianbo said, nearly folded in half, sweat streaming down his face. "This is a frame-up!"
Wang Chuyi received news of the attack on the supply convoy the next morning. A party arrived from Dalang Market, led by Sun Dabiao's steward. They had brought back the convoy—along with the wounded, and the bodies of the dead soldiers and laborers.
You Ciren had returned too—dusty, dispirited, and wounded.
The moment the steward saw Wang Chuyi, he fell to his knees, wailing his innocence. Only with great difficulty did Wang Chuyi piece together what had happened from him and the wounded survivors.
On the day of the attack, while the sergeant was parleying at the checkpoint, a sudden lychee cannon blast from the roadside killed the sergeant and one soldier on the spot. The checkpoint militiamen then charged with blades and spears in the confusion. The laborers, caught unawares, suffered heavy casualties. The soldiers fought back and eventually repelled the attackers. In the end, two soldiers and seven laborers were killed; over a dozen more were wounded. The convoy's cargo was undamaged, but with so many laborers dead or injured, they couldn't continue. They had to return to Dalang Market.
When Sun Dabiao learned of the attack, he rushed to You Ciren's side, swearing every oath imaginable that this was not his doing. He insisted the men at the checkpoint were not his—his own guards had all vanished.
You Ciren had no desire to argue with him. Too many laborers were dead or wounded; the corpses had to be returned quickly—the summer heat wouldn't wait. He demanded Sun Dabiao provide laborers to escort the entire convoy back to the county seat.
Sun Dabiao complied immediately, babbling incessantly that he was "innocent," begging You Ciren to "clear his name" before County Magistrate Wang. He even pressed five hundred taels of silver upon them as "compensation" for the dead and wounded.
The convoy had been attacked on his turf—that was completely unexpected for Wang Chuyi. Of course he knew Sun Dabiao was "not honest," but he hadn't imagined the man would dare strike a supply convoy.
"Do you think Sun Dabiao is telling the truth or lying?" Wang Chuyi asked You Ciren.
"I can't be certain, but my guess is he's probably telling the truth," You Ciren said. Though he disliked Wang Chuyi's handling of the situation, he believed in speaking plainly. "I can't fathom why Sun Dabiao would do this—it's dropping a chamber-pot on his own head."
"My thoughts exactly. Doing this makes him our open enemy. What could he possibly gain?"
"Also, just before the attack..." You Ciren repeated what the sergeant had said. "...He knew the route well; he recognized the checkpoint guards. Yet he said they all looked like strangers. That's definitely suspicious."
"You mean someone secretly replaced the original guards."
"That's my conclusion." You Ciren accepted this inference. "But we can't simply take Sun Dabiao at his word. He's a classic local tyrant—a predator who bleeds the common folk. His hands are stained with blood."
"What does his blood debt have to do with this? All I care about is whether he did it!" Wang Chuyi said impatiently.
You Ciren felt a flash of irritation, but he held his tongue. He only said, "Right now our priority is resupplying Yonghua—they're running low on grain. I'll lead the convoy myself again!"
And so, a second supply run to Yonghua was dispatched the next day. This time, the convoy reached Yonghua township without incident, carrying not only grain but a thousand jin of salt, which was sold at low prices to the local populace. You Ciren reported back that Sun Dabiao had been solicitous the entire way. Though he dared not enter the Yao territory, he had sent men over a dozen li out to welcome and escort the convoy.
Shortly after the convoy returned, Zhang Tianbo arrived.
"But the attack happened on his turf—at the very checkpoint leading into Yonghua." Wang Chuyi and Peng Shou'an had already conferred. Regardless of who was really responsible, they intended to "squeeze" Sun Dabiao to the utmost—force him to demonstrate greater "sincerity" and achieve "subduing the enemy without a fight."
"Yes, yes, it's all Sun Dabiao's incompetence!" Zhang Tianbo said. "He's sick with remorse. He specially sent me to beg the County Magistrate to see the truth clearly: he may be no saint, but he knows right from wrong. After all County Magistrate Wang has done for him, how could he not appreciate it? He begs the County Magistrate to be magnanimous and give him a way out—whatever the County Magistrate orders, he will do, without a second word!"
"Oh? Did he really say that?"
"This is too important for me to lie about." Zhang Tianbo was on the verge of swearing an oath himself.
(End of Chapter)