Chapter 235: Na Tuo

Chapter 235: Na Tuo

"Negotiate? Fine, eight wen per jin."

"Young master, let's talk this over. Let your old uncle make a little profit, how about two hundred wen?"

"Eight wen."

"Your boss at Huicui Tower isn't short of money. One hundred wen, how about one hundred?"

"Eight wen."

"Young master, you!"

"Ten wen."

"Aiyo, you're really killing me here. Twenty wen, twenty wen, deal?" The grain shop owner wanted to boldly say that if twenty wen wasn't acceptable, he wouldn't sell, and let that so-called Na Tuo come find him then!

But in the end, he didn't have the guts to say that.

Meng Wan wasn't thrilled about getting a bargain; if it weren't for calming people down, he would have still thought twenty wen was too much.

The shop assistant behind him was spaced out, watching the back-and-forth, totally stunned. The manager of Huicui Tower, who arrived later, saw what was happening and kept his mouth shut, quietly watching Meng Wan bargain. Once it was done, he quickly stepped up to pay.

In the end, the grain shop's workers used a cart to deliver six hundred jin of polished rice to the tower. After they left, Meng Wan told the Huicui Tower manager the truth—he was from the Shijian Relay Station. He paid for the rice and set aside two hundred jin, and had Xue Sheng carry it back to the station.

The rice was carried directly to the kitchen by Xue Sheng and dropped hard with a thud, kicking up a cloud of rice dust. Nobody complained; instead, it felt like a weight had been lifted off their chests.

Meng Wan picked up a big basket. "I brought some meat and side dishes packed from Huicui Tower. Not much, but enough for each of you to get a taste of something meaty. We'll have plain rice for lunch and stir-fry a few dishes. Everyone, don't panic. There's enough grain. Just stay put at the station for a few days. Once this is over, everyone will get an extra five hundred wen in next month's pay."

His words carried a convincing force, and with the polished rice in front of them, the uneasy workers finally calmed down. They whispered among themselves, the anxiety in their eyes slowly fading. Some who could cook started busying themselves.

Meng Wan sent Xue Sheng back to get some proper rest. Xue Sheng's combat prowess was what gave Meng Wan the guts to move around the county. Wherever Meng Wan and A Yan went, Xue Sheng had to tag along. Something might go down at night, so everyone should rest up during the day.

As night fell, Meng Wan figured it was about time. He told Xue Sheng to carry A Yan, and along with the physician A Xun, the four of them headed to the Huicui Tower they had visited during the day.

The streets were silent. Lanterns hung outside the tower, lighting up the busy dining floors on the first and second floors.

On a normal day, the Master of Huicui Tower would be grinning from ear to ear at such a sight. But now, he didn't even dare show his face, leaving the manager to deal with the mess.

Not only because he wasn't earning a single coin, but also because he was losing money. More importantly, all the diners at Huicui Tower, upstairs and downstairs, were Yao people. The headman of Fengtong Stockade, who had captured Heiye County, was sitting in the hall, drinking and eating meat with his men.

Even if he came, he would have to bow and scrape. It was better to hide at home and pray the imperial troops would drive these barbarians back soon.

Since the Master wasn't coming, the Huicui Tower manager was wiping tables behind the counter, looking miserable, staring at the rag like it was a bar of gold.

"Manager, I'm here for a meal," Meng Wan said as he stepped through the door again, using the same words as in the morning.

The lively hall suddenly fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The Yao people, who had been drinking heartily and wolfing down food, turned to look, momentarily stunned.

It wasn't that Meng Wan was so incredibly handsome that he stunned everyone, but that at least three or four hundred Yao men were gathered in Huicui Tower, all of them burly. On a normal day, that alone would be intimidating. Now that the whole city was hiding indoors, how could a mere young man dare to come eat out with a kid? No wonder everyone was staring.

The two servers who had waited on Meng Wan in the morning were busy delivering dishes. Seeing the situation, they kept shooting him warning glances.

Meng Wan walked calmly to the counter, acting like he didn't know the manager from that morning. "Manager, any private rooms upstairs?"

The manager bent over to pick up the rag he'd dropped. "No... none. Upstairs and downstairs are all full of guests."

He used his eyes to hint at Meng Wan to look at who was dining in the hall.

Meng Wan was like a block of wood that couldn't read the room. Even after being rejected, he persisted, "Then could the guests upstairs share a table with me?"

"Who are you?"

The unusual silence downstairs finally caught the attention of those upstairs. Several tall men came down the wooden staircase.

The one in front was a robust man wearing a blue-black sleeveless jacket with buttons, dark blue trousers, and tanned leather boots.

His waist was lean, his arms were bulging with muscle, and above was a wild-looking face. Sharp features, prominent brow ridges, deep-colored lips, and eyes like a wolf.

Without a doubt, he was Na Tuo, the headman of the Fengtong Stockade—a strikingly masculine and tough young man.

After he and a few other equally tall headmen from other stockades reached the hall, Zhang Baolin could be seen behind them. He played the sycophant very earnestly, chasing after Na Tuo and rushing to the front, swaggering. "What's going on... You... You... You!" He pointed a trembling finger at Meng Wan, the focus of everyone's gaze.

The memory of being beaten up by a bunch of women and xiaoges in Heshang County suddenly flooded back, along with the shame of being slapped one after another by Dong Dong in front of everyone. His blood rushed, and his face turned red like an enraged bull.

Just as he was about to blurt out Meng Wan's identity, Meng Wan suddenly said belatedly, "Ah, there are so many Yao people here?"

These ordinary words struck Zhang Baolin, who had some cunning, like a thunderbolt.

Excluding those left in Fengtong Stockade, with these few hundred Yao people, was that considered many?

Even if all the Yao people gathered together, they wouldn't exceed ten thousand, counting the old, weak, sick, and disabled. The actual fighting force was only a few thousand.

Even if they didn't report it to the local general, the garrison soldiers could drive these Yao people away. They had only taken advantage of a surprise attack, and the news hadn't reached the prefectural city yet.

Zhang Baolin unconsciously swallowed. He had met the newly appointed Prefect, who wasn't the Xi Wu Prefect at the time, but his methods and reputation had already spread throughout the towns of Xi Wu Prefecture.

If he found out that his husband had encountered trouble in Heiye County...

Zhang Baolin's scalp went numb. He could take revenge and torture this Meng Fulang, but wouldn't his entire family be taken to be beheaded?

He only thought for a second before he had his answer—yes.

The blood in the vegetable market of Heshang County hadn't been washed away by rain for years, and his blood would once again stain the vegetable market of Xi Wu Prefecture.

Na Tuo, seeing his face change as he spoke, asked doubtfully, "Do you know this person?" He also spoke the Yu official language, but only a little better than Lan Duo.

At that moment, Zhang Baolin's mind was full of whether he would be beheaded or torn apart by chariots under Song Tingzhou's orders, whether his sister and brother-in-law could piece together his body parts, and whether he could enter the Zhang family ancestral grave after death.

Hearing Na Tuo's question, he said with reddened eyes and difficulty, "No... don't know him." After saying this, Zhang Baolin's soul seemed to ascend. Like a ghost without feet, he silently drifted behind the tall men.

Meng Wan's eyes held a smile, and Xue Sheng also relaxed his guard a little.

Na Tuo looked at Meng Wan and the child in his arms, his brow deeply furrowed. "This is no place for you. Go home."

Meng Wan smiled meaningfully. "Chief, don't be angry. I just rescued a Yao woman and heard something about Yanlin Stockade. I was wondering if you'd be interested in hearing it."

Yanlin Stockade was the greatest enemy of Fengtong Stockade. After he said that, not only Na Tuo but the headmen behind him became restless. The words they spoke, Meng Wan pretended not to understand.

Na Tuo said stiffly, "Don't call me Chief. What's the name of the woman you saved, and which stockade is she from?"

"Pingtian Stockade, Lan Duo," Meng Wan said decisively.

"She said that Yanlin Stockade is now forcibly merging surrounding small stockades, trying to stand against you."

That Yanlin and Fengtong were at odds was no secret among the Yao. After hearing this, Na Tuo asked doubtfully, "What does 'stand against' mean?"

Without changing his expression, Meng Wan said, "They say your Fengtong Stockade people aren't worth a single blow—not a single one of them is formidable. Even an ant from Yanlin Stockade could stomp your headmen to death."

“?”

“!!!”

The headmen behind Na Tuo faces turned pale, each spewing Yao dialect at a rapid pace, their expressions furious, clearly cursing fiercely.

Half-truths are the most deceptive and hardest to see through. Not only did Na Tuo and his men buy it, but even Zhang Baolin, who was eavesdropping, believed it.

Na Tuo still had a sliver of rationality left. “Bring that woman from Pingtian Village to see me.”

“I can’t do that. She saved my family.”

Meng Wan’s voice was steady, neither loud nor low, unruffled. He raised his eyes slightly, he neither groveled nor acted arrogantly, though at a disadvantage.

Na Tuo looked at Meng Wan with scrutiny, visibly starting to doubt his words.

Zhang Baolin grew anxious, afraid Na Tuo might fly into a rage and kill Meng Wan.

“Although I can’t hand over my savior, I believe the people of Pingtian Village, facing such dire circumstances, would not be willing to submit to Yanlin Village.”

The headmen present were all close to Na Tuo, meaning they shared a common enemy: Yanlin Village. After hearing this, most of them sneered disdainfully, “Those small villages over on Yanlin's side—what does that have to do with us?”

Meng Wan countered, “Weren’t all of you once a collection of small villages that grew into such a large settlement?”

Na Tuo didn’t understand his roundabout talk, but a light bulb went off in his head. He asked bluntly, “What do you mean by that?”

Zhang Baolin muttered under his breath, “He means you should win over those small villages being harassed by Yanlin Village to strengthen your own forces.”

That flicker of insight grew brighter. He looked from Zhang Baolin to Meng Wan and said, “Come upstairs with us to eat.”

Meng Wan agreed without hesitation. Taking A Yan from Xue Sheng’s arms, he carried the child upstairs himself, leaving the waiters and owner of Huicui Tower staring at them, bewildered.

Seeing the delicate and adorable A Yan in Meng Wan’s arms sneakily glancing at him, Na Tuo asked stiffly, “Is this your child?”

Before Meng Wan could answer, A Yan shook his head rapidly. “No, no, this is A Yan’s older brother.”

Xue Sheng his mouth twitched, and Meng Wan barely maintained his composure. He had almost forgotten that instruction from that day, but his son still remembered. Still, this might make things easier, as a “younger brother” is much harder to manipulate than a biological son.

Once inside the private room, Na Tuo got straight to the point. “You’re as clever as our advisor. I want you to help us attack Yanlin Village. In return, Fengtong Village will reward you with plenty of hides and silver.”

Every official or merchant in Xiwu Prefecture knew Meng Wan’s reputation. Zhang Baolin had naturally heard of it from Magistrate Liang. Even if he refused to admit how capable the other man was, claiming it was all because of his husband’s influence, deep down he knew Meng Wan’s intelligence. Now, hearing Na Tuo address him as “advisor,” Zhang Baolin felt a strange guilt.

Meng Wan had been working toward this moment, waiting for Na Tuo to say that. But he knew that if he accepted too readily, these Yao people—people like Zhang Baolin, who had been fawning over them—would never truly be convinced. They might let Zhang Baolin tag along, but it was more because they were unfamiliar with Heiye County, using him as a temporary translator and gofer.

Meng Wan didn’t want that role. He wanted these Yao people to regard him as a true wise man, someone whose words they would trust deeply, if not obey unquestioningly.

“The Yao villages of Xiwu Prefecture, big and small, were once a single large settlement. After wars, famines, and other disasters, they scattered when they moved south of the Ling Mountains.”

“Fengtong Village and Yanlin Village are the two largest and most populous settlements among them. Though they stand apart, north and south, they have intermarried and maintained friendly relations for generations…”

After his eventful visit to Zhai Village, Meng Wan had thoroughly studied the local chronicles of the Zhai, Yao, and Miao villages. He had even learned some of their languages, just like Song Tingzhou. As it happened, the Yao dialect was very similar to the Cantonese spoken in the Lingnan region, making it easier for him to pick up than the other two.

Summarizing what he had read, he cautiously tested the waters with Na Tuo and his men, carefully observing their facial expressions as he spoke.

When he mentioned other matters, their faces showed no significant change. Only when he brought up intermarriage did their expressions shift—some angry, some humiliated, some resentful, some embarrassed.

Ah, so it was a botched marriage alliance that had led to bloodshed!

Meng Wan understood immediately.

Na Tuo's eyes were troubled. He took a deep breath. “What are you trying to say?”

Meng Wan narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together and became serious. “I can help you defeat Yanlin Village. I can make them obey you like dogs—you can pet them whenever you want, or kick them away without them daring to fight back.” He had originally considered phrases like “submit and serve” or “follow orders,” but since these men likely wouldn't understand, he switched to a more vivid description they would grasp.

The headmen were visibly affected. Though not entirely trusting Meng Wan, Na Tuo and the others still wanted to hear what he had to say. “What can we do?”