The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 439- 441

Chapter 439: They’re Staying Right in the Village Head’s House

Before exiting the city, Ling Zhang had a copy of the map of Taowang Village he’d just obtained delivered to the General Zhongwu (AKA the General of Loyalty and Valor). With this detailed map, they could now control all Shan Congyi’s possible escape routes, take precautions and secretly have Taowang Village surrounded lest Shan Congyi fly the coop.

When Ling Zhang reached the outside of Taowang Village and rendezvoused with the guards, it was nightfall already and Yao Yi was preparing to sneak into the village.

“Wait.” Ling Zhang stopped Yao Yi and then briefed him about the situation in Taowang Village. It was dark and, in order not to attract anybody’s attention, they couldn’t light any torches, so taking out the map wouldn’t do any good and he could only use his words.

Fortunately Yao Yi was very experienced in this regard. He asked Ling Zhang quite some questions and then an idea of what the inside of Taowang Village was like took form in his mind.

“This is a token,” said Jiang Yu, handing an ID plate to Yao Yi. “You may make contact with Wang Sheng if the occasion arises. Maybe he’ll be able to get some more inside information from his father-in-law. From the vantage of the present, none of the family would be able to leave this village anytime soon, so I’m afraid you’ll have to go to the trouble of meeting him to get the information he collects, Captain Yao.”

Yao Yi took the plate. “I’ll play it by ear, Childe Ling. There are many hidden sentries posted on the periphery of this village. The villagers were patrolling the perimeter during the daytime. I don’t know whether they’ll come out at night or not. You guys had better be careful.”

“I know. You should keep your eyes peeled as well. There’s no doubt Shan Congyi has some kung fu experts protecting him,” cautioned Ling Zhang.

“I will,” Yao Yi answered, pocketed the ID plate and put on a black mask, leaving only his eyes showing. And then, when it was completely dark, he crept towards Taowang Village.

There were still some villagers on duty at the village entrance after dark, vigilantly guarding the country bridle path leading into the village, appearing so alert as though they could be attacked at any moment. Given that the army in Jiangzhou had been laying low lately, it was only too obvious whom these villagers were keeping an eye out for.

It was not these villagers but those hidden sentries that Yao Yi needed to avoid being spotted by. Fortunately for him, during the day he’d had some men ascertain the positions of those hidden sentry posts already. Furthermore, he himself had some acquaintance with martial formations typically used by people of the Wan Kingdom, so although it took him some time, eventually he managed to successfully slip into Taowang Village without alarming any of the hidden sentries.

On entering Taowang Village, Yao Yi discovered that there were hidden sentries inside the village as well, but they were mainly in the midmost of it. There were only one or two sentries in other parts of the village. Compared with the periphery, the security here was much more lax.

This also indicated that almost all villagers were under their control. Apart from hidden sentries, he also had to elude the villagers.

It hadn’t been long since night had fallen, and he could still see people walking around from time to time in the village. Yao Yi decided to stay put and wait for some time.

While he was biding his time, he overheard some private conversations between villagers, all of which were about the same thing.

“It’s been so many days, but there’s still no news. How much longer do we have to wait?”

“The village head said we need to be patient, so let’s just show patience.”

“Are those people really reliable? I mean, we don’t even know who they are. We’ve just been through an armed uprising. It really concerns me tha–”

“Sh. You have a death wish or something? Don’t ever mention this again. Just be patient and wait.”

Several bands of villagers had passed by, expressing their anxiety directly or indirectly. They were waiting for something, and the ones that had them wait were the head of Taowang Village and the ‘honored guest’ who was living with the village head, and whom the villagers didn’t even know anything about the identity of.

Before Yao Yi sneaked in, Ling Zhang had briefed him on the layout of the paths and dwellings inside Taowang Village, so Yao Yi had a mental picture of what this village was like in general, and he knew that the village head’s home was located right in the area where he’d sensed hidden sentries were densely posted. Sited in the midmost of the village, that residence covered a larger area than any of the nearby houses did and counted as a fairly imposing manor house. It was encircled by the most hidden sentries, who were the biggest hindrance to Yao Yi who had to get into that residence to find out if Shan Congyi was really inside.

Recalling what the General Zhongwu had told him about the frequent deployment of troops in Jiangzhou in the past couple of days, Yao Yi believed that it was very likely there was some kind of connection between that matter and what the villagers were waiting for. He just didn’t know what Shan Congyi was planning to use these villagers to do.

After doing some careful thinking, Yao Yi decided to wait until the village quieted down to check out the lay of the land first, and then go to find that Wang Sheng guy sent here by Jiang Yu. He hoped that Wang Sheng had wormed some useful information out of his father-in-law’s family.

…

“Father, Mother, this is such a serious matter. How could you not have told us about it sooner? We can’t stay here any longer. You need to go back to the county seat with us.”

At this time, the front doors of the Tao family were tightly shut. Even the doors of the rooms inside were all securely closed. The whole family were talking with each other in hushed voices. Tao Xiaomei appeared overwrought, trying to draw her parents out of the house and back to the county seat, consumed with worry.

“There’s nothing we could do, Daughter. We would’ve left some time ago if we could get out of this village,” breathed Mrs. Tao in a choked voice.

Mr. Tao also sighed, “You couldn’t have come here at a worse time. I’m afraid you’ve now been trapped here as well.”

Wang Sheng, while listening to his parents-in-law, cocked an ear at the sounds from outside. Meanwhile, he kept trying to calm down his distraught wife, telling her to keep her voice low.

“Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Xiaomei, all of you need to cool down a little.” Wang Sheng reminded them to lower their voices. He himself also dropped his voice to a whisper. “Judging from my father-in-law’s description, some of those men are kung fu masters. Their senses of hearing are all very sharp. They can hear us from here when we speak louder than usual.”

“We’re so far away from there,” sniffed Tao Xiaomei, a disbelieving look on her face.

Wang Sheng clearly knew more and also thought more deeply than his wife did. “They were definitely keeping close watch on us when we entered the village earlier this day. We’re not locals, and we’re even from the county seat. They would never trust anybody who’s not a native of this village. Maybe someone is out there eavesdropping on us right at this very moment, in case we leave this village to tip somebody off.”

Tao Xiaomei blanched, and so did Mr. and Mrs. Tao. The old couple’s faces both registered fear and deep remorse.

“Had I known about it beforehand, I would never have let you in earlier this day. I should’ve had you leave this village immediately,” said Mr. Tao regretfully.

Wang Sheng shook his head. “Getting out became an almost impossible task the moment we entered this village, but you don’t have to concern yourselves with it, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law. If you have some trust in me, calm yourselves down, because things will take a turn for the better.”

Mr. Tao exchanged a glance with Mrs. Tao and then asked Wang Sheng, “What are you going to do?”

Wang Sheng shook his head again, “It’s not me who’s going to do something. It’s best if you don’t ask for any details. All you need to know is that the situation will take a turn for the better. In addition, Xiaomei and I will pretend that we’re staying to help you clean the house and prepare for winter, that we won’t return to the county seat anytime soon. As long as we stay here, they won’t take any further action.”

Tao Xiaomei was confused. “Are you saying we’ll continue to stay here?”

Wang Sheng replied, “We’ll never make it out of here, not on our own. Chances are that early tomorrow morning someone will come here to sound us out about when we plan to leave. Cool down, Xiaomei. We’re to keep ourselves occupied from tomorrow morning. It does no harm for us to take advantage of this opportunity to finish all the household chores for your parents. If anybody asks, tell them that we’ll stay here for a couple of days to help. Don’t disclose anything else. Just pretend you don’t know. As long as we show no inclination to leave, they won’t do anything to us.”

Tao Xiaomei was still quite worried, but she trusted her husband to be someone she could rely on, so she answered with a nod, “Okay.”

“You need to keep an eye on Stonie. Do not let him walk out of this house lest he see something he’s not supposed to see and put himself in danger,” added Wang Sheng.

Tao Xiaomei gave another nod nervously. “Rest assured, I’ll keep him within my sights at all times. In no circumstances will I let him go out.”

Seeing their son-in-law had a plan, Mr. and Mrs. Tao gradually collected themselves, the apprehension on their faces dissolving noticeably.

On the rooftop, Yao Yi, who had stolen around the village once and got a general idea of the structure of the village and also eavesdropped on the private conversations of several families, found Mr. Tao’s house. He arrived just in time to hear this dialogue, forming a judgement of Wang Sheng, believing that he was a smart person and should be quite helpful.

Yao Yi didn’t go to see Wang Sheng immediately. Instead, he waited until Mr. and Mrs. Tao both turned in to quietly emerge from the darkness and then find Wang Sheng while he was acting alone.

Wang Sheng was startled by his abrupt appearance, a flicker of vigilance crossing his eyes, but soon he forced himself to regain his composure. “Who are you? Why did you suddenly intrude into our house?” he asked.

Yao Yi made no reply, directly produced the ID plate given to him by Jiang Yu, and handed it to Wang Sheng. “Childe Jiang gave this plate to me. I came to this village to get the lay of the land and make contact with you.”

With a look of surprise and incredulity on his face, Wang Sheng took the ID plate, walked to a brighter spot, scrutinized it and then let out a sigh of relief. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he backtracked and returned the plate to Yao Yi. “Sorry for being rude to you just now.”

“Don’t be. You had every reason to be vigilant. A while ago, when I came here, I spotted someone eavesdropping on you outside this house, but you were inside with all the doors and windows shut, and your voices were low, so he didn’t hear anything,” said Yao Yi.

On hearing this, Wang Sheng was somewhat scared, feeling lucky that he’d been cautious at that time.

“I got into this village only a short time ago. I walked around and checked most of the houses but didn’t approach the village head’s residence, because the security there was very tight. I need to figure out another way. Do you know what the situation is like in this village?” Yao Yi inquired of Wang Sheng after putting away the ID plate.

Wang Sheng motioned for him to wait a moment. “One moment, please. Let me go and talk to my wife first lest she get worried and make any noises.”

Yao Yi inclined his head. Wang Sheng went to talk with his wife for a brief moment before he returned, ushered Yao Yi into the living room and shut the doors, not daring to light an oil lamp.

Yao Yi said, “I can hear all movements in and outside this house. If anybody approaches, I’ll tell you, so feel free to say whatever you want. You don’t have to worry about any eavesdropper.”

These words struck Wang Sheng as quite reassuring. “Thanks. Actually I’m deeply concerned. Your presence makes me feel less afraid. The situation in this village is complicated. Those people Childe Jiang is looking for are here. They are staying right in the village head’s residence.”

Wang Sheng related to Yao Yi what had happened after his entry into the village, and then gave him an account of what Mr. Tao had told him.

“It was five days ago that those people arrived at this village. At that time, villagers here mistakenly believed that those people were a caravan from another prefecture.”

Chapter 440: Biding His Time

They entered the village five days before, earlier than the time when residents of the county seat had noticed some out-of-towners whose faces were unfamiliar furtively enter the city to fish for information. It would seem Shan Congyi and his men had long since reconnoitered this area, which was why they’d directly come to Taowang Village.

In other words, the Wan Kingdom had some time before made preparations for cooperating with the Luohai Kingdom to wade into the matter of Jiangzhou, and there was a very high chance it’d been the Wan Kingdom who’d initiated the cooperation!

Yao Yi inwardly gave a sneer. The Wan-Kingdom had been in disputes with the Great Wen for a very long time. Also, Yuwen Tong had inflicted many defeats on the Wan Kingdom and Shan Congwen had even died at Yuwen Tong’s hands, so the Wan Kingdom had every reason to hate him more than the Luohai Kingdom did, and it was a natural thing that the Wan Kingdom had taken the lead in throwing Jiangzhou into chaos to make trouble for the Great Wen.

“All villagers were very happy when the caravan entered their village. They finally saw hope, believing that their pottery would begin to sell, but all members of the caravan were strangers to them, so they were wary of them. At first, the caravan were indeed talking with the villagers about buying their pottery. They seemed to be serious about the business, and the price they offered was pretty decent. All villagers were tempted. However, afterward, members of the caravan suddenly said that the national road had been blockaded, so they were unable to go to Jiangzhou, that even if they bought all the pottery, they wouldn’t be able to transport it elsewhere to sell it. Seeing that things were taking a drastic turn for the worse, the villagers were very anxious. Afterward, for some reason the village head fell prey to the deception of the leader of the caravan and actually agreed to let the caravan stay in the village. The next day, the village head called all villagers together and said that the caravan would buy all their pottery at twice the usual price, but the precondition was that they must help the caravan get to Jiangzhou along the national road.

An army of the imperial court was stationed near the national road, and the rebel forces in Jiangzhou were also guarding it on the other side. With the limited number of men in the village, helping the caravan get to Jiangzhou along the national road was an impossible task. Everybody felt that the village head and the caravan were insane, and they refused to do that, but then the leader of the caravan said that he’d purchase their pottery at triple its market price, that he would also donate a sum of money to the village. And then he signed an agreement with the village head on the spot. Apart from offering to donate money, members of the caravan also told the villagers that they were acquainted with the general leading the army of the imperial court, that they knew the army would engage the rebel forces in Jiangzhou in the next few days, that all the villagers needed to do was transport the pottery into Jiangzhou when the rebel forces was distracted by the army of the imperial court. Smart people could immediately tell that this matter was not as simple as it seemed, but those people of the caravan were plausible liars and hoodwinked most villagers into believing their words. Having had their way, members of the caravan told the village head to have the young and middle-aged villagers team up and guard the entrance and exits of the village. Villagers were not allowed to go in or out of the village without consent, and strangers were forbidden to enter. If anybody insisted on getting in, they wouldn’t be able to get out.

A lot of villagers felt that those businessmen were somewhat weird, for they didn’t look like natives of the Great Wen and had many fierce-looking musclemen at their service, so some villagers made an attempt to leave the village, planning to go to the county seat to avoid being dragged into those things, but they got spotted when exiting the village. Those musclemen hired by the caravan caught them, marched them back and then killed them. The one who informed on them was my father-in-law’s son.. What with that matter, my father-in-law disowned his son, who, along with his wife and son, have now moved into the village head’s residence, waiting upon those people. After the deaths of those villagers, all the others got scared and also came to realize that this caravan was not what it seemed, but they’re unable to extricate themselves from this situation, because apart from those musclemen, many of the villagers are willingly doing the village head’s and those people’s bidding too. Presently this village is nothing short of a prison.”

Wang Sheng related to Yao Yi all that Mr. Tao had told him about what had recently happened in the village. Then he added, “My father-in-law said that the leader of the caravan is a bearded man, that more than half of that man’s features were obscured by his bushy beard. He’d only seen the leader from a distance a couple of times, so he couldn’t give me a detailed description of his face, but his height and his lanky figure match up with what my boss told me. His demeanor bears little similarity to that of a common businessman, but his aristocratic mien tallies exactly with my boss’ description. Although he speaks in a mild tone, he’s quite ruthless when giving the order to kill. He has high prestige among his men, and nobody dares disobey him. In addition, he has a very strong Wan-Kingdom accent. Given all these facts, he’s almost certainly the person you’ve been looking for.”

Yao Yi said, “I see. That person must be Shan Congyi. Is he still in the village head’s residence?”

Wang Sheng replied with an inclination of the head, “Yeah. My father-in-law said that those people have been staying in the village head’s home all this time. In addition, his men have begun to show up at the village entrance on a regular basis. It seems that they’re expecting someone.”

Yao Yi’s heart lurched and with that he immediately thought of the two caravans. “I think I might have an idea of who they’re expecting.”

“By the way, were those people of that caravan carrying any goods when they first came into this village?” asked Yao Yi.

Wang Sheng answered with a bob of the head, “They were driving six or seven carts, all of which were fully loaded. The consignments seemed to be quite heavy and the horses were straining. The villagers were curious but couldn’t get close to check what the goods were. Those people of the caravan always make sure their goods are securely guarded. Presently they’re all in the village head’s residence. There’s no way any outsiders could gain entry into it.”

Yao Yi gave it some thought. Considering the heavy weight of those things and the tight security, they must be what Shan Congyi was planning to deliver to Jiangzhou, presumably gold and silver ingots.

After a while, Wang Sheng asked, “Will those people who are coming to this village be a threat to the safety of the villagers here?”

Yao Yi looked at him. “Since they want the villagers to help ship their goods out of this place, no harm will come to any of them before those people achieve their ends, but in no circumstances will we let them transfer those things, so there will surely be conflicts, and when that happens, the villagers would very likely be used as human shields. If they are to survive, they must be informed of the truth and convinced to follow our plan when that day comes lest they fall victim.”

Wang Sheng was both anxious and apprehensive. “But most villagers have been brainwashed. If we try to persuade them, those people will find out very soon.”

Yao Yi said, “Then just do you best and convince as many as you can.”

After clapping Wang Sheng on the shoulder, he continued, “Those people are from the Wan Kingdom. They plan to transport something to Jiangzhou to help the rebel forces there grow stronger. This small county is the closest to Jiangzhou, so when a fight breaks out, it’ll be the first to take the brunt of the enemy’s attack and these villagers won’t be the only victims. Besides, it could be said that those who refuse to see sense deserve to die, and there’s nothing anybody could do to make a difference for that matter.”

Wang Sheng sighed, “I see. I’ll tell my father-in-law about this. He knows of the situation better than I do. We’ll put out feelers first and see how many of them might be swayed.”

“Be extra careful. On no account should you alert any of those people. Otherwise this whole village would be wiped out.”

“I understand.”

Immediately after Wang Sheng stopped speaking, he opened his mouth again, hesitating about whether to say the words that had sprung to the tip of his tongue. Yao Yi looked at him for a while before he got a shrewd idea what Wang Sheng wanted to say and asked, “Are you worried that you might not be able to ensure the safety of your wife and son?”

Wang Sheng nodded. “I should never have allowed them to come here with me.”

Yao Yi consoled him, “We’ll send some men to this village and protect as many people as we can.”

Wang Sheng was overjoyed. “Thank you, Captain.”

Yao Yi slightly shook his head. “It’s the least we could do. Well, I need to get back and report all this to my master. You guys be careful. Now that it’s been confirmed that those people are indeed hiding in the village head’s residence, you should put your personal safety first and leave the other matters aside.”

“I see,” said Wang Sheng.

Thus, Yao Yi finished his talk with Wang Sheng and quietly left.

Before leaving the village, Yao Yi in the dark glanced in the direction of the central area of the village. Shan Congyi and his men were lurking in Taowang Village, intending to use the villagers here as cannon fodder, which was a quite wily plan. Previously the Wan Kingdom’s army had killed numerous civilians in the borderlands and plundered countless households of their valuables. If it weren’t for the fact that afterward the Great Wen’s army had got the upper hand, and that Yuwen Tong, after becoming a marshal, had never allowed the Wan Kingdom the slightest chance to turn the tide, there was no telling how many more people would have fallen victim to the Wan Kingdom.

The Wan Kingdom was an old opponent, an old foe, and Yao Yi felt deep resentment towards it, the expression in his eyes heavy with apathy and repulsion.

Before daybreak, under the cover of the dark night, Yao Yi slunk out of the village.

At this time, Ling Zhang and the others had just eluded a patrol made by some hidden sentries.

As Yao Yi returned, Ling Zhang sensed the brooding air radiating from him and came to realize that Yao Yi must have discovered something unpleasant in the village. “So what’s the situation like in the village?” he asked.

Yao Yi gave Ling Zhang a detailed account of what he’d observed as well as what Wang Sheng had told him.

Ling Zhang’s hands abruptly balled into fists after hearing the story. “These contemptible bastards of the Wan Kingdom are actually planning to use these villagers of the Great Wen as human shields.”

The others were also filled with indignation. Had they not had orders to stick to the plan, they would charge into the village immediately and kill Shan Congyi and all his men.

“I’m afraid Wang Sheng wouldn’t be able to get many villagers to see reason, so we need to psych ourselves up. If things go south, we should try not to hurt those villagers unless we have to,” said Yao Yi.

Ling Zhang inclined his head. Those villagers who’d been misled were still subjects of the Great Wen after all. However…

“The village head of Taowang Village must die. Also, those who knew members of the caravan harbored evil intentions but still chose to serve them for money may be spared from death, but they must be punished according to the law. Under no circumstances should we let them get away with it.”

“Yes, Childe Ling.”

Those who’d chosen to help the caravan knowing that they were evildoers were not only stupid but also malicious, so they must not be let off!

After that, Ling Zhang made arrangements for some men to enter the village to secretly keep watch on the activities inside. The General Zhongwu probably had got the message already and would soon arrive, and when he did, they would finalize a plan and then wait for Shan Congyi and his allies in Jiangzhou to make their move.

Yao Yi took two men and sneaked back into Taowang Village.

Ling Zhang, along with the rest of the group, continued to stake out the village. Shortly before dawn, the General Zhongwu quietly showed up with some of his subordinates.

“It’s an honor to bow before you, Childe Ling.”

“There’s no need for formalities, General. Thank you for coming here on such short notice.”

“It’s my job, Childe Ling. How are things going in the village?”

Ling Zhang filled him in on the current situation. After hearing it, the General Zhongwu called his lieutenant over and expounded to Ling Zhang the plan they’d formulated about how to deal with the rebel forces in Jiangzhou. Now they had to make some changes to it in light of the action Shan Congyi and his men might take.

Chapter 441: The Day Before the Operation

Early in the morning. Taowang Village.

Wang Sheng and Tao Xiaomei, who’d got up at a very early hour, were helping Mr. Tao clean the house.

A knock came to the front doors. Wang Sheng and Tao Xiaomei exchanged a glance as Mr. Tao walked up to open them.

“I’m coming. Who is it that’s making a visit at such an early hour?”

“It’s me, Tao Jiu. Brother Shou, I heard that your son-in-law and Xiaomei are here to look you up.”

After Mr. Tao opened the doors, someone entered. It was a male local villager about fifty or so, whose eyes started to rove around the house as soon as he walked inside. At the sight of Wang Sheng and Tao Xiaomei stacking firewood with their faces beaded with perspiration, his expression was wooden for an instant.

“Oh, Uncle Jiu. What brings you here? Is it because you have some good news for us that you’re dropping by so early?” Tao Xiaomei asked him with a smile, wiping her dirty hands on the lower hem of her coat.

Looking at Tao Xiaomei’s smiling face, Tao Jiu jerked out of his trance. “Well, what kind of good news could there possibly be in these trying times? I heard you and Wang Sheng came back here to visit your parents, so I decided to drop in on you. It’s said that you and Wang Sheng made a fortune in the county seat. You must’ve brought your parents some good stuff, I suppose?”

“Now you’re teasing me, Uncle Jiu. It’s just some rice and flour. Wang Sheng and I happen to have some free time, so we brought Stonie back here to spend a couple of days with my parents and, for good measure, help them with the cleaning and other household chores,” beamed Tao Xiaomei, a twinkle in her eyes.

Tao Jiu didn’t perceive anything out of the ordinary from Tao Xiaomei’s countenance, and Wang Sheng was up to his neck in odd jobs. Seeing Tao Jiu walking over, Wang Sheng raised his hand and greeted him, smiling, wiping the sweat off.

“Your parents are so lucky to have you and Wang Sheng who could come back here to give them a hand with domestic chores from time to time. How I wish my married daughters could do the same thing for me as you do for your parents,” sighed Tao Jiu.

Tao Xiaomei said, “Uncle Jiu, unlike me, your daughters’ husbands live far away. Even if they want to come here to help you, the journey would take them quite some time. Maybe they’ll show up in a couple of days. You never know.”

Mr. Tao backed her up, steering the conversation to Tao Jiu’s daughters and their husbands who resided in another prefecture.

“Don’t just stand there, Father. Lead Uncle Jiu to the living room. I’ll go and get the food Mother has prepared so we can have breakfast,” said Tao Xiaomei.

“You’re right. Come in here, Tao Jiu,” Mr. Tao said to Tao Jiu.

Smiling, Tao Jiu followed Mr. Tao into the courtyard and then the house, affectedly saying that he didn’t want to impose. Tao Jiu’s eyes were darting around the house all the time, mainly observing Wang Sheng and Tao Xiaomei, but the former was working his fingers to the bone, bare-chested, drenched with sweat. The latter was also fully occupied. Both the husband and the wife were acting normally.

After walking into the house, he noticed that Stonie was present. The boy had just woken from sleep and was still somewhat drowsy as he saw Tao Jiu and Mr. Tao entering.

“Stonie, come here and greet Great-uncle Jiu.”

“Great-uncle.”

“Good boy,” beamed Tao Jiu. He looked at Stonie and then glanced around the house. Having found nothing suspicious whatsoever, he finally stopped casting searching looks in all directions.

Mr. Tao, who’d been pretending not to notice any of Tao Jiu’s appraising glances, poured him a cup of tea and said, “My wife is making steamed buns, using the flour Xiaomei brought back yesterday. She said that the flour was produced in a new mill in the county seat, that it’s finer than the flour made in any of the other mills. You should give it a try later.”

Tao Jiu said, “Brother Shou, Xiaomei got herself a good husband. Just now I saw that Wang Sheng was sweating buckets from the effort of doing household chores, but there’s no reluctance on his face. Young men with such filial affection are quite rare these days. None of my sons-in-law compares with him in this regard. They barely visit me, and even if they come, they never lift a hand to help around the house.”

“Wang Sheng is indeed a good man, and he lives close by, so he comes here to help me out pretty often. The couple of sons-in-law of yours are too far away. It’s inconvenient for them to visit you on a frequent basis, not that they’re unwilling to share your burden.” Mr. Tao started making chit-chat with Tao Jiu, catering to his interest, not mentioning anything about other issues.

Having looked all around the house, Tao Jiu believed that he had got the lay of the land. After a while, he asked Mr. Tao in a hushed voice, “Brother Shou, have you disclosed that matter to Xiaomei and Wang Sheng?”

Mr. Tao replied with a cautious shake of his head, “Not yet, but they insist on staying here to help with the chores. I have no idea how much longer I’ll be able to conceal it from them.”

Tao Jiu immediately said, “Just keep it secret from them. It’ll be over in a couple of days anyway. I’ll tell the others in this village to be careful not to let slip anything when they’re talking with Xiaomei or Wang Sheng. Now that they’ve entered this village, it won’t be easy for them to get out, so we should keep them in the dark about it lest they get scared.”

The last remark of Tao Jiu’s contained an undertone of threat. Mr. Tao, who sensed it distinctly, said, “I know. That’s why I didn’t tell them anything.”

Tao Jiu didn’t dare offend Mr. Tao further, because apart from anything else, Mr. Tao’s son was now working for the village head and very much in his good graces. “Did you tell Xiaomei about your son?”

“I just said that the village head sent him somewhere to attend to something for him,” answered Mr. Tao.

Tao Jiu inclined his head. “I’ll talk to your son and caution him to avoid being seen by Xiaomei or Wang Sheng.”

Mr. Tao snorted coldly, “I doubt he’d have the guts to show his face in this house again.”

Tao Jiu placed a consoling hand on Mr. Tao’s shoulder and said, “Brother Shou, you should be more open-minded. After all, things have already come to this and there’s nothing either of us could do to make a difference, so we might as well dismiss the misgivings and go the whole hog. Don’t you think so? You see, both your daughter and your son-in-law are here. Even if the consideration of your and your wife’s interests is not enough to have you change your mind, you at least should think about the two of them, right?”

Mr. Tao kept silent for quite a while before he said, “Whatever. Let’s do it your way.”

Tao Jiu immediately grinned, “I always know you’re a sensible man, Brother Shou.”

After a while, Mrs. Tao and Tao Xiaomei brought the food outside. Tao Jiu made no more remarks on that matter, helped himself with a steamed bun and then took his leave.

The moment he left, Mr. Tao gave Wang Sheng and Tao Xiaomei a significant look, and with that the latter two both sighed in relief, feeling that they’d finally got themselves a respite.

Tao Jiu, after leaving Mr. Tao’s home, went to the village head’s residence and told him about his observation. The village head was an old man in his thirties, who was richly dressed and looked like a moneybags. When Tao Jiu had finished speaking, he said, “Tao Shou is lucky to have enough sense to listen to reason. Otherwise we’d have no choice but to dispose of his daughter’s whole family.”

“Should I continue to keep watch on them?” asked Tao Jiu.

The village head snorted, “It’s pointless to waste any time on them. Just have someone stake out that house and make sure they don’t walk to other areas of the village. Tao Shou is only human. There’s no doubt he’s afraid of death and values his life as much as the next person. I doubt he dares to risk the lives of her daughter’s whole family.”

“I know what to do. I’ll have a word with his son and tell him not to go back home,” said Tao Jiu.

“Um,” answered the village head in a quite nonchalant tone. Taowang Village was large. Every year some caravans came here to purchase pottery, and the village head always acted as go-between for them, getting a certain amount of commission on everything the villagers sold, which was why he was the wealthiest man in the whole village. Presently most villagers were frantic with worry because their pottery was not selling, but the village head was totally unconcerned, for he still had a lot of money in hand. Theoretically, he was not supposed to accept those people’s terms, but they’d offered him a large sum of money, and nobody could have too much money, so he’d agreed with barely any hesitation.

Tao Jiu could tell from the village head’s attitude that the latter was running out of patience with the matter of Tao Shou’s family. Knowing that he’d definitely get himself in trouble if he stayed any longer, he hastened to take his leave.

No sooner had Tao Jiu left than a man dressed like a bodyguard entered the house to talk with the village head. Tao Jiu glanced over his shoulder at them and gave a shudder. The sight of any of the musclemen of the caravan still gave him the willies, and the faces of the couple of people who’d been beaten to death that day were still vivid in his memory.

…

Yao Yi took some men, sneaked into the village and secretly stayed in the Tao family. Wang Sheng informed him that someone had come to sound them out in the morning.

“At this point in time they don’t want to raise any new issues either. As long as you lay low, they won’t do anything to you,” Yao Yi consoled him.

Wang Sheng bobbed his head, feeling greatly relieved.

Earlier this day Wang Sheng had conferred with Mr. Tao about how to make contact with those who were doing the village head’s and the caravan’s bidding under duress, and how to caution them to take cover when a fight broke out, so that they wouldn’t fall victim to the imminent conflict. However, after what had happened in the morning, Wang Sheng still felt under pressure. Currently the villagers’ every move was being kept under observation, which made how to get in touch with the villagers and convince them a problem. To make things worse, they really didn’t have much time left.

It would happen in merely a day or two…

Outside the village, Ling Zhang and the General Zhongwu (AKA the General of Loyalty and Valor) had finalized their plan. After arranging for some men to continue staking out Taowang Village, he and the general covertly returned to the military encampment. Deployment of troops in Jiangzhou was getting increasingly frequent, and messages from Taowang Village also suggested that the enemy would take action in the next few days. Barring accidents, they would make their move the next night.

They needed to make preparations for the execution of the plan as soon as possible. Ling Zhang’s twenty-four bodyguards were adept at martial formations, so they were assigned the task of stalling Shan Congyi and his men. The General Zhongwu would lure the rebel forces deep into this county and inflict as many casualties on them as he could. On top of that, this time around it was very likely that Wang Xiangxin would direct the rebel army personally. If they could find Wang Xiangxin, it would be perfect.

As Ling Zhang and his bodyguards were supposed to stall Shan Congyi’s men, they had to find a spot suitable for carrying out the plan lest Shan Congyi escape.

Ling Zhang and Yao Yi carefully studied the routes between Taowang Village and the checkpoint. Eventually they selected a location and decided to do it there. Thus they had to go there to make some preparations. At the same time, the two caravans, which had previously left the county seat on the pretext of going to nearby villages to purchase goods, were slowly approaching Taowang Village. A guard on sentry duty spotted them and immediately sent Ling Zhang a message.

Ling Zhang, on receiving the message, quickly returned. At this time the two caravans were very close to Taowang Village. Guards outside the village could vaguely see those people’s figures in the distance. The two caravans had ten vehicles in total, including carriages and handcarts. Given the watchful expressions on their faces, there was undoubtedly something else among their goods.

The caravans were stopped at the entrance of the village, but soon someone came out. Distantly, Ling Zhang looked at that man who’d gone to the entrance to meet the caravans. It struck him that the man seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he’d seen that person before.

“He’s that envoy serving Shan Congyi. I think he’s Shan Congyi’s henchman. He lives in the Abode of Prince Yi. Like Shan Congyi, he’s on diplomatic missions quite often. When Shan Congyi went to the capital city, this man was accompanying him. Right now he’s in disguise, but his figure and gait remain unchanged,” said a bodyguard.

The light dawned on Ling Zhang at these words. No matter that man looked so familiar.