Chapter 53: The Consequences of Being Too Accommodating

Chapter 53: The Repercussions of Answered Prayers

A dozen makeshift grenades couldn't annihilate all three hundred cavalrymen. In truth, most of their injuries stemmed from their horses panicking, throwing them off, and then trampling them underfoot.

Even amidst such chaos, the actual casualties didn't exceed fifty. However, Hu Sheng and his men had no intention of allowing the cavalry to regroup.

While the commander wrestled with his horse's reins, repeatedly ordering his troops to reassemble, Hu Sheng swiftly leaped onto his horse and snapped his neck. The commander's lifelong reliance on tempered steel armor, though capable of deflecting arrows, offered no defense in close combat.

Deprived of their leader, the entire cavalry unit plunged into deeper disarray. Zhang Wei and his men seized the opportunity, cutting down several more.

Then, Zhang Wei bellowed, "The commander is dead! Flee for your lives!"

Clearly, these cavalrymen, easily terrified by a few grenades, were not seasoned warriors but rather ornamental troops lacking true combat prowess.

Upon hearing this cry, some cavalrymen who had managed to regain control of their horses immediately turned and galloped away.

The villagers of Zhao Family Village, witnessing this spectacle, rose to their feet, snatching up stones from the roadside. They began to advance menacingly towards the constables.

The constables were not true soldiers. Armed with chains and iron rods but devoid of lethal weapons, and facing hundreds of stone-wielding villagers, they all cowered in fear.

Just as the first stone was about to be hurled, the injured Magistrate Zhang, supported by others, suddenly collapsed to his knees before the villagers, kowtowing and pleading, "Masters, I was wrong, truly wrong. Please don't kill me."

Seeing this, the usually gentle villagers hesitated for a moment.

Unexpectedly, Scholar Zhao, who had been slashed, was still alive. He staggered to his feet and roared, "Beat him to death!"

The court and its officials sought the demise of everyone in Zhao Family Village. The villagers had no escape, so today, blood had to be spilled. Only by realizing there was no turning back could they find a chance for survival.

At Scholar Zhao's thunderous cry, Liu Huan was the first to hurl a stone. Though he missed, dozens, then hundreds, of stones followed. The young Magistrate Zhang was pummeled into a bloody pulp.

Hu Sheng and his men finally rode up. Witnessing the scene, Zhang Wei laughed heartily and clapped, "What spirit! All militia members, assemble! Round up those horses, form ranks, and follow us!"

For the past three years, Zhang Wei had been training the militia, and they were accustomed to obeying his commands. They swiftly gathered all the riderless horses—over a hundred of them.

With Hu Sheng and his men present, the villagers found their backbone. No one suggested packing their belongings; they simply followed Hu Sheng and departed. There was little left to take anyway. During the time Hu Sheng and his men were away, their homes had already been ransacked and destroyed by soldiers before they were dragged to the village square.

Eight hours after the villagers left, as darkness fell, a large contingent of soldiers arrived. They surrounded Zhao Family Village, searching house by house, but found no one. In the end, they set fire to the already dilapidated village.

Traveling with over five hundred elderly, weak, and sick was indeed arduous. Fortunately, they had acquired over a hundred horses before setting out. Those who could no longer walk were allowed to ride, while those who could still walk led the horses onward.

However, once they left Changxi County and entered Jiaozhou, everyone grew apprehensive.

They feared encountering people on the road who might report them to the authorities, leading to their capture and enslavement. Three years ago, they might have accepted this fate without resistance, believing it was the emperor’s decree. But now, for some reason, their minds had begun to harbor thoughts of resistance.

They started to reject the idea of being punished without having committed any wrongdoing and believed they could fight back.

So they took up weapons—sharpened wooden sticks, the same kind Zhao An had initially trained them with.

As they neared the border of Jiaozhou, on the verge of entering the land of Nanyue Country, the soldiers they had long feared finally appeared in their sight.

But by then, no one in Zhao Family Village was afraid anymore. They raised their wooden sticks, ready to fight the soldiers to the death.

However, Hu Sheng waved his hand, signaling them not to act rashly. A bearded man emerged from the group of soldiers ahead, smiling broadly. "Brother Hu, it’s been a long time."

Hu Sheng cupped his hands in greeting. "Commander, sir. Have you brought so many soldiers to capture me for a reward?"

Jiaozhou Commander Wang Taigu laughed heartily. "Don’t joke about that. Even if I captured you, what good would it do me? Those old men in the court wouldn’t let me return to the capital."

He turned and shouted to his soldiers, "Play the music!" Drums and gongs sounded joyously from the soldiers' ranks.

Then he said to Hu Sheng, "I’m here to see you off. Surprised?"

Hu Sheng finally guessed, "You’ve already met the group led by Ma Chuan."

Wang Taigu nodded. "They were riding mules and nags, so they were two days ahead of you."

Hearing that Zhao An was safe, Hu Sheng felt relieved. "Thank you, Commander."

Commander Wang waved it off. "No need to thank me. I should thank you for helping me vent my frustration. If it weren’t for these big-bellied soldiers needing to eat, I would’ve rebelled long ago."

The reason Commander Wang harbored rebellious thoughts was that he had been a trusted aide of the previous emperor, who died suddenly of a heart attack at thirty-one. The emperor’s mother immediately adopted Li Xiuye and made him emperor, which displeased many, including Commander Wang.

Moreover, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. After getting drunk and voicing his discontent, he was demoted from vice-commander of the imperial guards to a minor commander in Jiaozhou, where he could never earn military merits.

He looked at Hu Sheng enviously. "You’re living the life, brother. Your men are both profitable and obedient, giving you no worries no matter what you do."

Hu Sheng smiled, neither proud nor humble, and cupped his hands again. "Then I’ll take my leave."

Wang Taigu was about to bid him farewell when he remembered something. "Do you know why you were targeted?"

"Because the court fears my strength and wants my Zhao An’s money-making recipes," Hu Sheng replied, though he knew Commander Wang had a deeper reason for asking.

Sure enough, Wang Taigu shook his head smugly. "You only know half the story." He then made a disgusted face. "Your Zhao An’s sister, after filling her house with glassware, still wasn’t satisfied. She wanted Li Xiuye to build her a palace entirely out of glass. When they looked into it, they found out the glass recipe was in your Zhao An’s hands. Can you imagine how angry Li Xiuye was?"

Despite his rough appearance, Commander Wang gossiped with the lively energy of a village woman discussing rumors.

Hu Sheng hadn’t known this. He thought his intelligence network was thorough, so why had he missed such important news?

Seeing Hu Sheng’s change in expression, Commander Wang laughed heartily and patted his chest. "I was once the commander of the imperial guards, you know. I helped a few pitiful eunuchs back in the day, and they still remember my kindness, occasionally passing me unimportant news."

To the upper echelons of the court, the empress wanting a glass palace was trivial. Given the emperor’s affection for her in recent years, if she wanted the moon, he’d probably try to build one for her.

Zhao Qingcheng had been utterly spoiled. She didn’t realize her casual words could bring disaster to everyone in Zhao Family Village.

Learning this, Hu Sheng was almost amused by the absurdity, but he kept his composure. He thanked Commander Wang for the information and, as he rode closer, whispered, "Nanyue Country is surrounded by water on three sides. Sea salt is very cheap there."

This time, Commander Wang replied quietly, "Brother, you’re too kind."

After arriving in Nanyue Country, Zhao An finally began the salt-making work he had dreamed of for years, using the step method to channel water for evaporation.

The villagers, who had been uneasy after leaving Zhao Family Village, gradually settled down once they had a safe place to stay and new work to do.

In just a month, Zhao An tanned five shades darker but produced over a hundred thousand tons of salt. However, Nanyue Country had no shortage of salt. Smuggling it to Dawn Country wasn’t easy either; at most, they could sell or give some to Commander Wang, who had helped them.

The market Zhao An truly had his eyes on was Tibet, where they had maintained trade through horse caravans. The high plateau, far from the sea, was where salt was truly scarce.

If the horse caravans could transport salt there, they could exchange it for large quantities of dried yak and mutton, even horses. Although plateau horses were inferior to Mongolian or Western breeds, having them was better than nothing.

Moreover, plateau horses had a unique advantage: their lung capacity was exceptional, making them ideal for carrying loads.

However, just as Zhao An and his people were thriving in Nanyue Country, chaos suddenly erupted in the capital.