The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 145- 147

Chapter 145: The Marshal Was Instructing Us Himself?

It was Yuwen Tong who noticed that there seemed to be something behind Ling Zhang’s silence. “What’s wrong?”

Subconsciously, Ling Zhang shook his head. “Nothing.”

Yuwen Tong squinted his eyes. Clearly, Ling Zhang was keeping something back from him.

Ling Zhang, beneath his gaze, was afraid of being found out and intended to change the topic. Before he could speak, Yuwen Tong persisted, “You don’t want to move into the residence of Yuwen family?”

Taken aback, Ling Zhang immediately responded without thinking, “It’s not about that!”

Yuwen Tong squinted his eyes even further, which were alarmingly piercing, as if he would see straight into Ling Zhang’s soul.

Ling Zhang was transfixed with such nervousness that he was involuntarily trying to keep his breathing shallow.

“Someone told you something. Tell me –was it your grandfather or your uncle?”

This reply sent Ling Zhang speechless.

He had not uttered a single word about it, yet somehow Yuwen Tong guessed everything. ‘How did he come to know me so well?!’ he wondered.

“It’s–It’s just that…” Ling Zhang gave a soft cough, steeled himself and told the truth. “I intend to buy a house in the capital city, a spacious one.”

Before Yuwen Tong could make a reply, Ling Zhang hurriedly continued, “Let me explain. I plan to start a business. Currently, my family sell our herbs to other stores in the city. This time, I want to open a drug store in the capital city selling medicinal materials transported there from Tanyang. I know it’s not going to be easy, of course. Building a trade caravan alone will take quite some doing, but at least Ling family will gradually gain a foothold in the capital city and will no longer be so vulnerable as to have no other social contacts there. Apart from this, I also have a plan to study in the Oriental Rite Academy.”

Ling Zhang told Yuwen Tong about his general future plan. In order to make his words more convincing, he added through gritted teeth, “You also don’t like the idea of me being able to leave whenever I want to, I suppose? If Ling family has a business foundation in the capital city, theoretically, I will settle down there.”

Yuwen Tong gazed at him, making no instant response.

Ling Zhang looked back at him in perturbation and nervousness.

Suddenly, Yuwen Tong heaved a sigh and replied, “Then let’s do it your way.”

Eek? Ling Zhang was surprised. “You agreed?”

“If I disagree, will you be racking your brains trying to figure out a way to convince me?”

Ling Zhang flicked him an embarrassed glance, thinking, ‘O–Of course I will.’

“Then let’s do it your way. You’ve got a point, actually. With your family business there, I won’t have to worry that you might leave. But I’ll buy the house for you. The capital city is more familiar to me than it is to you, so I stand a better chance of buying you a house in an area with more convenient transportation. Also, I’m more experienced than you in how to revamp a house to make it more defensively advantageous. Rest assured, after buying it, I’ll consult with you before the revamp.”

Ling Zhang fixed him with a look in silence for quite a while and then replied in a deep voice, “Okay.”

What could possibly worry him when Yuwen Tong had promised to handle this for him? It was just that he had owed Yuwen Tong yet another favor…

“But,” Yuwen Tong added, “I’ll also revamp the courtyard house in the residence of Yuwen family as planned. That place is meant for you, and you may move in there whenever you like. I will not take no for an answer.”

Of course Ling Zhang couldn’t refuse. Yuwen Tong had already made a compromise. If he refused, he would no doubt be denied the chance of living elsewhere.

Yuwen Tong let out a sigh. “Since you insist on finding another place to live, you have to pick up the pace in training those twenty security guards of yours lest they be unable to be of service when they are needed to.”

Ling Zhang replied, “I sent them to the herb farm. They’ll be back after the new Prefecture Guards eradicate those bushrangers and bandits.”

‘Strangely enough, it’s been several days already, why isn’t Dai Cheng taking any action?’ he wondered.

Clearly, Yuwen Tong had also thought of this, the look on his face slightly cold.

Naturally, shortly after, Yuwen Tong went to the encampment of the Tanyang Prefecture Guards. The content of the conversation between him and Dai Cheng was unknown, but the next day, Dai Cheng obediently led his men out of the encampment to deal with bushrangers and bandits.

Surprisingly, the bushrangers had foreseen that the new Prefecture Guards would sooner or later launch an operation against them, and around half of them had already fled!

The remaining half of them were real outlaws, who were ferocious and totally unafraid of the Prefecture Guards. Having made preparations for this day, they fought against Dai Cheng’s men.

Due to the adequate preparations of those outlaws and Dai Cheng’s unfamiliarity with the terrains of Tanyang, the battle, unexpectedly, reached an impasse.

When the battle situation came to the knowledge of Yuwen Tong, his face went cold. After quite a while, he said angrily, “What a good-for-nothing!” and then instructed Yao Yi, “Yao Yi! Go and give Dai Cheng a hand.”

The flinty tone of Yuwen Tong sent a cold shiver of fear running through Yao Yi, who immediately followed the order.

‘The Marshal was not just angry. There was murderousness on his face!’

‘But why was the Marshal so anxious this time?’ Yao Yi wondered for quite a while but failed to grasp the reason.

When Dai Cheng saw Yao Yi coming, the corners of his eyes involuntarily twitched for quite some time before he managed to forbear from asking him to return.

“The Marshal said that you were not doing your job fast enough and sent me here to give you a hand.”

This remark sent Dai Cheng into huffing and puffing, but what could he possibly do about it? Of course he had no alternative but to accept the offer of help. He couldn’t just go back to argue with Yuwen Tong. Even if he did that, he didn’t really stand a chance of besting Yuwen Tong.

Given the circumstances, Dai Cheng had every reason to be angry.

“General, it’s our fault. We’re useless,” observed a trusted man of Dai Cheng, head hanging.

“Save it. I know very well whether you are useful or useless. These bushrangers are worming their way here and there in these mountain forests of Tanyang. They are even more cunning than foxes. Given their familiarity with the terrains and their topographicalal advantages, it’s impossible for us to eradicate them in one breath, so stop belittling yourself and pull it together. Don’t give Yuwen Tong another chance to laugh at us!”

“Yes, Young Master!”

Yao Yi had brought with him a topographical map of Tanyang. On the map, all special terrains, particularly those mountain forests where bushrangers were hiding, were expressly marked.

Dai Cheng goggled at the map for quite a while before asking in an amazed tone of voice, “How did you come to get this thing?!”

‘Even Yuwen Tong himself wouldn’t have shown this thing to me like this!

Besides, even Yuwen Tong is not allowed to possess a map of Tanyang as detailed as this one. Does he not know that His Majesty is already in constant fear of him?! Is he not afraid that I might report to His Majesty that he put this map right in front of me?!’ Dai Cheng wondered.

Yao Yi replied in a calm tone of voice. “Lord Tao gave me this.”

In the yamen, Tao Feng gave a sneeze, unaware that someone had just made him a scrapegoat.

“Tao Feng gave you this?” Dai Cheng’s brow corrugated in a frown.

“There used not to be any bushrangers here, and every five years, some staff members of the yamen would come here to scout out the lie of the land and update the topographical map. What’s so strange about it? These years, there haven’t been any earthquakes or other geological calamities severe enough to change the terrains, so this map could still be of service to us.”

The light dawned on Dai Cheng. ‘It was stupid of me to have forgotten this.’

However…

“What about these?” Dai Cheng pointed at the detailed annotations on the map. ‘This is way too exhaustive,’ he thought.

“I caught a fleeing bushranger and had him make some supplements,” responded Yao Yi.

This answer sent Dai Cheng into silence.

Yao Yi’s explanation sounded perfectly plausible, leaving no room for contradiction.

With the topographical map and some suggestions that Yao Yi provided, Dai Cheng’s men finally broke the deadlock. They quickly found a breakthrough point and broke into the den of those bushrangers at one fell swoop.

This battle lasted a full day before came to an end.

Yao Yi quietly left in the knowledge that Dai Cheng was able to finish the job by himself.

Seeing him leaving, Dai Cheng secretly felt a sense of relief, but at the same time, he also nursed a grievance. Having no other ways to vent his anger, he channeled it into the fight against those bushrangers. Before long, he wiped out all enemies –literally all of them –taking no prisoners.

Finally, the scourge of bushrangers and bandits that had been haunting Tanyang for so many years was brought to an end.

People on the herb farm were also relieved to hear the news. Ling Zhang hired another five security guards and assigned them to the herb farm to perform routine guard duty. Yang Liuzi and the other eleven men were recalled to the residence of Ling family.

Shortly after their return, Yang Liuzi and the others were subjected to harsh training given by Ling Zhang. The rudimentary knowledge of formation alone gave them frequent headaches and dizzy spells. What was more horrifying was that Wang Dashan and some others were eyeing them on the side with severe faces. If any of them dared to slack off, ruthless punishment would immediately be meted out by their brothers.

Yang Liuzi and the others had been tense for a whole day. When the night finally fell, all of them lapsed into sleep almost immediately after their heads touched the pillow. They slept so deeply that even the collapse of the sky might not be enough to awake them.

“Tsk, what a bunch of good-for-nothings. It’s just some elementary-level knowledge, yet they got so exhausted. Yang Liuzi and his fellows are so disappointing,” observed Qiu Bing at the doorway, arms folded across his chest, watching Yang Liuzi and some others who, heedless of what kind of scene they might be, were huddled together sleeping.

“Tell me about it. Fortunately it was us that Young Master instructed first. Otherwise Young Master would definitely have been terribly angry,” replied Zhou Xiang standing beside him, arms folded across his chest as well.

Wang Dashan walked up to them from behind and gave each of them a hard clout with his fingers. “You two are always the talkiest. What makes you think you get to be so smug? You were no better than them when you started your training. Go and turn in right now!”

Qiu Bing and Zhou Xiang, holding the back side of their heads, hurriedly ran away.

Wang Dashan looked at Yang Liuzi and others who were sleeping inside in an undignified manner. After quite a while, he shook his head, heaved a sigh, turned around and left. Before leaving, he commented, “So disappointing.”

Had Yang Liuzi and the others been still awake, they would probably brush side the so-called brotherhood and pick up a fight with them.

The next day, Yang Liuzi and others were dragged out of their beds. This time around, it was not Ling Zhang but Yuwen Tong who was going to teach them.

Legs of Yang Liuzi and others started trembling with horror after they were informed of this. “The Mar–Marshal?!”

‘My goodness. Will we be able to survive?!’

Yuwen Tong’s impassive expression alone struck fear into their hearts. Since Ling Zhang, who went to the Qi County with Ling Zhaowen on this day, didn’t have the time to teach them, Yuwen Tong substituted him.

“I’m fully aware of what you were taught yesterday. Now you are to repeat it in front of me. I’ll ask you some questions. If any of you gives a wrong answer or a wrong demonstration…Heh.”

The threatening chuckle at the end of Yuwen Tong’s remarks made calves of Yang Liuzi and others tremble even more violently.

“Mar–Marshal, I’m ready to answer your questions!” said Yang Liuzi aloud who had managed to stop his legs from trembling after taking a deep breath and bracing his legs for quite a while.

‘The Marshal is teaching me, which is something enough for me to brag about for the rest of my life! What else can I possibly ask for? I won’t feel any regret even if I’m going to die right here right away!’ thought Yang Liuzi.

The others, apparently, had also come to the same realization. All of them threw their chests out and volunteered to be the first one to answer Yuwen Tong’s questions.

‘They do have some fight, and they also collected their thoughts pretty quick. Maybe they are not as good-for-nothing as I think they are,’ thought Yuwen Tong.

Wang Dashan and some others watched in this direction, green with envy.

‘The Marshal is teaching them himself! How exactly did they come to be so lucky?!’

‘Damn it!’

Minds of all of them raced and soon they came up with their respective ideas of how they would kick those people’s asses to best vent their anger.

Yang Liuzi and others had already sensed the killing intent of their brothers, but they were not scared. Instead, they straightened their back even further. ‘Go ahead. Be jealous all you want. I’m not afraid!’

Seeing this, Wang Dashan and others went even angrier. They clenched their teeth, bursting with impatience to teach them a lesson.

Chapter 146: Yuwen Tong Probably Wills His Ass to Be Kicked

Ling Zhang and Ling Zhaowen left in the morning on this day and didn’t return until the next day. The reason why they had paid a visit to the Qi County was that there was a herb farm for sale there. The previous owner of it was the magistrate of the Qi County, who had already been taken into custody, and whose properties had been confiscated. The local government had decided to sell the herb farm.

The herb farm was a large-scale one, and a lot of people intended to purchase it, but after people of Ling family mounted a bid for it, all those people gave up.

It took quite some doing for Ling Zhang and his uncle to officially take over the herb farm. They discharged all previous works on the farm except for herb farmers. Ling Zhaowen seconded Zhou Quanfu to this herb farm to take charge of it. The herb farm in the southern city was now in the charge of Wu Kang, who was Zhou Quanfu’s apprentice and had just got a promotion.

There was a long distance between the Qi County and Tanyang City. It would take a long time to travel between the two places, so they needed some security guards to guard the herb farm.

Ling Zhang spent the night there. After handling most important issues with Ling Zhaowen, Ling Zhang assigned Butler Li to stay, recruit some security guards and then return to Tanyang after everything is back on track.

During his stay in the Qi County, Ling Zhang had discovered that over 10,000 troops of the new Prefecture Guards had passed by the Qi County before going to the Grand Mang Mountain, their intention unknown.

“I saw Dai Cheng’s men going to the Grand Mang Mountain. There were a lot of them,” Ling Zhang informed Yuwen Tong after returning home.

“The shortcut on the Grand Mang Mountain considerably shortens the time that it takes to get to the capital city. The emperor fears that someone else might take advantage of it and mount another revolt, so he ordered Dai Cheng to block it, which will be a huge project. Zhang Chong’s men had been secretly digging in there for years. It’ll take a month or two to block it,” replied Yuwen Tong.

“So Dai Cheng is going to stay in Tanyang for one even two months?”

“Yeah. The emperor has nobody else he can trust to do this for him. Moreover, the commander of the new Tanyang Prefecture Guards still stands undecided.”

“I wonder who will be assigned here.”

Ling Zhang was somewhat worried that the new commander might be like Zhang Chong. In that case, people of Tanyang would suffer again.

Yuwen Tong appeared rather composed, as if he had got it all worked out some time ago.

Ling Zhang, who found his reaction somewhat suspicious, craned closer to him and asked, “You’ve got some news, haven’t you?”

Yuwen Tong flicked a glance at him. “You want to know?”

Ling Zhang looked at him with an expectant expression in his sparkling eyes. “Yeah.”

Yuwen Tong lifted his eyebrows and suddenly flicked his chin signaling Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang watched him, confused. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

Yuwen Tong just gazed at him.

It was after pondering for quite a while that Ling Zhang came to understand. With that he flushed and gave him a dirty look. “Keep it if you like it so much.”

‘He wants me to kiss him on my own account? No way!’ he thought.

The next moment, Yuwen Tong suddenly craned over and kissed his lips hard with a distinct sound.

This reply sent Ling Zhang speechless.

‘Does Yuwen Tong wish to be beaten up?!’

“The emperor intends to assign He Xiao here.”

He Xiao? Ling Zhang was instantly distracted. That visit he paid Tao Feng a couple of days ago turned out to be helpful. He had already had a shrewd idea of who this He Xiao guy was.

He Xiao was loyal to the emperor and counted as one of the emperor’s trusted high-ranking military officers, just like Dai Cheng, only that he was of humble blood and young, promoted from the Number One Warrior (title conferred on the one who came first in the highest imperial examination of martial arts).

He had been working under Dai Cheng from the very beginning of his military career. After Dai Cheng left the capital city, he had been named acting commander of the Garrison Battalion, which was an unmistakable indication of the emperor’s trust in him.

“But He Xiao is so young. Is the emperor really going to appoint him as the commander of the Prefecture Guards?” Ling Zhang was greatly surprised.

“Because He Xiao is from an unquestionably clean background. He had been scouted and trained by Dai Cheng himself before the title of the Number One Warrior was conferred on him. It could be said that he has been a loyal member of the emperor’s faction from the very beginning. On top of this, He Xiao is a man of great dash. He once openly stated that he was unconvinced of my reputation. Three years ago, when I returned to the capital city, he, who happened to have just been assigned to the Garrison Battalion under Dai Cheng’s command, challenged me to a competition. His kung fu is pretty good, and so are his military strategy and tactics. He’s a talented officer. The emperor thinks pretty highly of him.

Besides, after the post of the commander of the Tanyang Prefecture Guards fell vacant, a lot of people in the capital city have been secretly pulling strings trying to get this position. There are very few people that the emperor deems trustworthy after the attempted usurpation of the Sixth Prince and Zhang Chong. Under no circumstances will he assign any of those people to Tanyang.”

‘When all is said, the fact remains that the reason why the emperor is going to send this He Xiao guy to Tanyang is because he doesn’t get along with Yuwen Tong!

He’s trying to make life difficult for Yuwen Tong!’

Ling Zhang lost its composure. ‘Given the relationship between Ling family and Yuwen family, that He Xiao guy is probably going to make trouble for Ling family.’

He was utterly unwilling to see that He Xiao come to Tanyang.

But there was no trace of worry whatsoever on the face of Yuwen Tong.

After thinking for a few moments, Ling Zhang still couldn’t help but ask, “Can you stop him from coming to Tanyang or have him replaced?”

‘Someone from another faction would also be okay. Those people will never come into conflict with Yuwen Tong as long as they are not stupid,’ thought Ling Zhang.

This time, Yuwen Tong made no reply. Once again, he flicked his chin.

This reply sent Ling Zhang speechless.

He stared at Yuwen Tong silently.

Yuwen Tong let out a sigh in the knowledge that he had to make the first move again. He put his arms around Ling Zhang’s waist and gave him a kiss.

“It would be safer to let He Xiao come to Tanyang than to let anybody else come.”

‘What’s this supposed to mean?’ Ling Zhang looked at Yuwen Tong, puzzled. “Why’s that?”

“Though He Xiao and I never get along, he has a sense of propriety, and is also open and aboveboard. Compared with those who like to play underhand tricks to trip people up, he’s more unlikely to cause any harm.”

Ling Zhang generally understood what Yuwen Tong had said, but he still kept feeling that something was not right. ‘There’s definitely something else that Yuwen Tong is keeping back from me.’

But in terms of trust, he had absolute trust in Yuwen Tong in this regard. Since Yuwen Tong had said that He Xiao was the most suitable person, then he definitely was.

“All right. I’ll go and talk with my uncle so that he can make preparations.”

After talking with his uncle, Ling Zhang went to the guards’ yard.

He had just arrived at the guards’ yard when he spotted something strange. Yang Liuzi and some others either had a black eye or bruises on his face, as if having been beaten up.

At first Ling Zhang was taken aback, thinking, ‘Was Yuwen Tong too harsh on them? He beat them up?’

But he soon dismissed this thought. If Yuwen Tong intended to punish them, he would never have done it this way. This kind of punishment but inflicted pains lasting only a short time. If he had punished them, it would have struck in their hearts dread that would linger for a very long time. He would definitely, without causing them any physical harm, have had them regret having been born to this world.

“What happened to you?” Ling Zhang’s eyes swept from face to face.

Young Master and others were somewhat afraid to make eye contact with Ling Zhang. “Young Master, we…we accidentally fell over.”

Ling Zhang’s face darkened. Eyes staring flintily at them, he kept silent.

The atmosphere instantly changed. Taken aback, Yang Liuzi and others didn’t dare to keep the truth back. “Young Master, that’s a slip of the tongue. We–We were beaten up.”

“By whom?”

Yang Liuzi and others cast a glance at Wang Dashan and his men.

On making eye contact with Yang Liuzi and others, Wang Dashan and his men couldn’t help but clenched their teeth secretly, feeling that these guys were such a bunch of wusses.

But when their eyes met Ling Zhang’s, Wang Dashan and his men immediately cringed, quicker than Yang Liuzi and others had.

“Young Master, we were just roughhousing with them.”

“We were testing their formation knowledge. It was because they were so bad at it that we beaten them up.”

Ling Zhang’s face went sullen. ‘They think I don’t know what they have done? If there had been only these two reasons, they would never have beaten them so hard.’

“Are you telling me the truth or not?” Ling Zhang was angered.

Wang Dashan and others were instantly scared and told the truth in one breath, “Young Master, we were just jealous of their being instructed by the Marshal himself!”

This reply sent Ling Zhang speechless.

He kept silent for quite a while, at a loss what to say to them.

“What a bunch of good-for-nothings!”

‘What’s so special about Yuwen Tong? He’s only human, with one head and two arms just like everybody else. What’s the point of all this fuss?

This is so disgraceful!’

“The rocks Yuwen Tong had you put on your heads while running, are they still here?”

On hearing this question, Wang Dashan and others were somewhat scared. “Ye–Yes.”

“Go and put them on your heads. Run for two hours.”

This instruction instantly brought woebegone expressions to their faces, but they didn’t dare to disobey. Having no choice, they obediently went to carry those rocks and put them on their heads.

“You’re my men, but you beat your brothers up because of Yuwen Tong, which is something only good-for-nothings would do. I’ll suffer huge humiliation if anybody else finds out about this. Let this be a lesson to you. If this becomes a precedent, you won’t get away with a mere punishment of running with rocks on your heads. Now go and start running!”

Wang Dashan and others were taken aback and hurriedly ran away.

Seeing them running, Ling Zhang felt slightly more at ease and looked at Yang Liuzi and some others. “Now show me what you learned yesterday.”

“Yes, Young Master!” Yang Liuzi and others, who also didn’t dare to hesitate, immediately began demonstrating the moves they had learned.

It was after running far away that Wang Dashan and his men dared to secretly talk to each other. “Young Master was so angry.”

“What did Young Master mean by the last remark?” Qiu Bing asked in puzzlement. “Was he warning us not to show any excitement when we see the Marshal from now on?”

“Stupid. Young Master was saying that we are his men, that we are not supposed to be unbridled, otherwise we might bring shame on him,” observed Zhou Xiang.

“That’s enough. We were indeed being reckless, which is a mistake that ought not to be repeated. Even if we are to beat them up again, we must make sure that Young Master won’t find out,” said Wang Dashan.

“Elder Brother Wang is right,” other men chorused.

Liu Yi flicked a glance at them and commented in a bland tone of voice, “Some day Young Master will marry the Marshal. Given that Ling family’s social status is not as high as that of Yuwen family, Young Master will be reduced to an unfavorable position if we stand overawed by Marshal Yuwen. People might regard what happened today as some kind of joke, but if it’s made a precedent, they will no doubt think differently of us, which will inevitably bring negative influence on the reputation of Young Master.”

Wang Dashan and others were all startled. Clearly, this had never crossed the mind of any of them.

All of them lapsed into silence.

“We are so useless. We disgraced Young Master,” said Qiu Bing in a muted voice.

“Elder Brother Liu, your perception of this matter is indeed the most insightful. If it weren’t for your reminding us, we wouldn’t have come to realize this,” Zhou Xiang also observed.

“You can see things from a perspective none of the rest of us can. Please give us a warning if we’re in this kind of situation again, so that we can handle things more cautiously,” said Wang Dashan.

Liu Yi replied, “Okay.” As regards the prospect that he might go to the capital city with Ling Zhang in a few days, he decided to keep it to himself for the moment.

Wang Dashan and others, in the realization that they had made a stupid mistake, ran rather vigorously, and they didn’t dare to talk any more nonsense as well.

Ling Zhang was somewhat surprised to see this, but since all of them seemed to have realized their mistake and be willingly accepting the punishment, he felt even more gratified. When two hours’ time was up, he instructed them to stop.

Wang Dashan and others hurriedly put the rocks down and gathered around Ling Zhang.

“Keep practicing the fourth array of the formation. Nobody slack.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

The martial formation that Wang Dashan and his men were practicing threw Yang Liuzi and others into deep admiration, which greatly motivated them to work harder on the rudimentary knowledge of martial formations.

Chapter 147: A New Balance of Power in Tanyang

On that night, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were consulting with each other about some details concerning their journey to the capital city when Wang Dashan came bringing with him a message.

“Young Master, people of He family left the city under cover of night!”

“How long has it been since they left?”

“About a quarter.”

Ling Zhang rose to his feet. “Did the yamen take any actions?”

Wang Dashan shook his head. “No. People of He family had disguised themselves before leaving, so the guards at the city gate were unaware that they were trying to escape. It was the man we’d planted in He family who discovered that the patriarch and his family were gone and reported to me.”

“What about Zhou family?”

“There hasn’t been any messages from Zhou family so far.”

“Send someone to inform the yamen. All others are to follow me to the city gate. We’ll go out and hunt them down.”

Yuwen Tong also stood up. “I’ll go with you.”

The two of them took the security guards and left the city on that very night. The guards at the city gate were startled when they saw the group. Though unaware of why they were leaving the city with so many men in the dead of night, none of them dared to stop Yuwen Tong and inquire about it.

People of He family had manifestly made preparations some time ago. They had had some horse-drawn carriages and horses ready outside the city beforehand. After their family members split into small groups and got through the city gate, they began fleeing.

They had been very discreet. Nobody except their most trusted servant had been informed of their escape plan, and they even directly abandoned all their estates and businesses!

“People of He family must have been scared shitless when they saw how Jia family ended up,” observed Ling Zhang, but at same time, he was somewhat surprised. People of Jia family had been involved in multiple murders, which was why severe penalties had been meted out to them, but people of He family, though having colluded with Zhang Chong, their crimes were not punishable by death. Exactly what it was that they were afraid of?

‘Have He family by any chance also committed some other evil doings known only to themselves?”

It took them some time to overtake He family. People of He family paled visibly with terror when they saw Ling Zhang, Yuwen Tong and their men catch up.

He Zhongming got out of his horse-drawn carriage and made a bow with hands folded in front. “I’m honored to humbly bow before you, Marshal. May I ask why Marshal and your men intercepted us?”

“I have a question as well. Why did you take all your family and make such a hasty escape in the dead of night?” Yuwen Tong inquired of him.

“Ur… I’m afraid you misunderstood, Marshal. We are but on our way to Yan Zhou to visit someone,” replied He Zhongming.

“To visit someone? At this hour of the night?” asked Ling Zhang rhetorically in a flinty tone of voice.

He Zhongming flicked him a glance. “There’s something you don’t know about this matter, Childe Ling. One of our relatives had an emergency. It was really short notice, which was why we departed at night.”

“Is that so? It’s not because you are afraid that somebody will find out about your evil deeds, that all your family will end up in prison like people of Jia family did?”

Beads of cold sweat were oozing out of the brow of He Zhongming. “Of course not. We’ve always been doing business fair and square. Never once have we done anything as evil as what Jia family did.”

“But to my knowledge, He family owns a tavern in the Qi County. And you covertly deliver grains to bushrangers on the Grand Mang Mountain on a monthly basis, so it’s safe to say that He family will be convicted of collusion with bushrangers,” Yuwen Tong suddenly said.

Even Ling Zhang was somewhat surprised to hear it. He had been unaware of this matter.

As if having just been struck by lightning, He Zhongming paled visibly and slumped to his knees.

Other members of He family nearly passed out from horror. He Zhongming’s parents, who were of advanced years, looked at their son in shock and involuntarily pointed at him. Their fingers trembled for quite a while before they blacked out due to unduly intense anger.

People of He family were instantly thrown into confusion.

He Zhongming kowtowed and, with his forehead against the ground, pleaded in a quivering voice, “Marshal, Childe Ling, He family are willing to give up all assets in change for our lives. Please have mercy on us, Marshal, Childe Ling!”

“He Zhongming, you really have some balls. You dared to bribe me,” commented Yuwen Tong flintily.

“Please spare my family, Marshal. I promise all my family will lead a secluded life and never get involved in anybody else’s business ever again,” He Zhongming continued.

“The Great Yue has its national law. One cannot draw a circle absent compasses, nor a rectangle absent a carpenter’s square. Since He family dared to commit such a felony, you should have had the mental preparation for being found out. During these years, those bushrangers on the Grand Mang Mountain have slaughtered all people in several villages, committing heinous crimes. Yet people of He family have been providing grains for these cold-blooded murderers. Your crimes are no less grave than theirs. I won’t let you get away with it on those deceased villagers’ account alone.”

“Marshal!” He Zhongming was reduced to a loud cry. In a tearful voice, he implored, “I’m begging you. Please have mercy on my family. I’m willing to go back with you to be punished. But my children and parents have done nothing wrong.”

“He Zhongming!” Ling Zhang snapped. “Those villagers butchered by bushrangers were no less innocent than your family. Some of them were in their advanced age, and some of them were still learning to speak. Did anybody spare them when they were begging for their lives? You and your family have been enjoying the wealth gained at the cost of so many innocent people’s blood. None of you is going to get away with that. Stop playing piteous. If you’ve got anything else to say, say it to Lord Tao when you are in the court of law. He will decide according to the law who shall be spared and who shall be punished.”

‘This He Zhongming guy is so hateful. Is he trying to put pressure on Yuwen Tong with the lives of his family? Is he going to accuse Yuwen Tong of being merciless if his request is denied?’ Ling Zhang wondered.

He Zhongming raised his head and stared fixedly at Ling Zhang. “Childe Ling, He family never offended Ling family.”

“Neither did those villagers massacred by bushrangers offend He family. You are being ridiculous.” Ling Zhang’s face was even colder than that of He Zhongming. “Guards! Escort all people of He family back to Tanyang and hand them over to Lord Tao!”

Unexpectedly, in the knowledge that things had reached the point of no return, He Zhongming, face deathly white, felt a fit of resentment, rose to his feet and abruptly charged at Ling Zhang’s horse with a ferocious look on his face.

This time, Wang Dashan and others who were behind Ling Zhang quickly reacted. They immediately moved to the front of Ling Zhang’s horse and Wang Dashan gave He Zhongming a kick which sent him flying. “How dare you!”

“Ah!” He Zhongming let out a pained screech and nearly fainted.

That hard kick left him powerless to make any more trouble. Along with his family, He Zhongming was escorted back to Tanyang. Tao Feng held a court trial on that very night and then put all people of He family in jail.

News of He family’s evil deeds soon spread through the whole Tanyang. The next day, Tanyang witnessed one upheaval after another. Apart from that of He family, property of Zhou family, Li family and all other squires who used to be deeply involved in Zhang Chong’s crimes were inventoried and then confiscated. And more people were thrown into prison.

After that, all these people, who used to be unruly in Tanyang in the past, were investigated. Penalties were meted out to them according to how deep their involvement in Zhang Chong’s rebellion had been. Their estates and businesses were also inventoried and then confiscated.

After a couple of days, residents of Tanyang found that, from the fall of these families, some obscure families began to rise. These families, as if having made preparations for this some time ago, replaced those fallen ones and quickly filled the vacancies in Tanyang. Covertly headed by Ling family and Lu family, they became a new powerful force to be reckoned with in Tanyang.

All those with discerning eyes had come to understand what had happened. Those who failed to see the truth also knew that these people were now the new elite of Tanyang, that for Tanyang, a new era had come.

What was particularly noteworthy was that the mine of Jia family had been acquired by a couple of upstarts and was under their common ownership.

After another couple of days, tension brought by this disturbance gradually died away and with that laughter and joy returned to the streets and alleys of Tanyang.

Those strange flags and banners were gone. Residents could now do business and go in or out of Tanyang secure in the knowledge that bushrangers and bandits were no longer a threat.

Those living in towns and villages near Tanyang were the happiest. Finally, they had been rid of the concern that some day, when they were unable to pay enough protection money, bandits would come and slaughter them all.

Tanyang, as if having been reborn, was in a new and dynamic atmosphere.

At this time, Yang Liuzi and the other eleven security guards, who had caught up on rudimentary knowledge of formation, were receiving training in the first array of the Trap-and-kill Formation.

“You should bring Wang Dashan and his men to the capital city as well. Doesn’t this formation convert into a 24-men formation that is powerful in both attack and defense? Bring Wang Dashan’s men and you won’t be needing anybody else.”

Yuwen Tong advised Ling Zhang to take Wang Dashan and others with him.

“But if I take them to the capital city, who’s going to protect my family?” asked Ling Zhang. He couldn’t take all family security guards away.

“I’ve already dispatched a team here to provide covert protection for your family, and they may recruit some new security guards and take their time training them. It is you who will be in greater need of guards and protection, because you’ll be in the capital city.”

Ling Zhang looked at him in surprise. “You dispatched some men here? Are they your soldiers? If by any chance anybody finds out about this, they might use it against you. You–”

Yuwen Tong replied, “Under certain circumstances, they are my soldiers, but under other circumstances, they are not.”

Ling Zhang was thrown into confusion. “What do you mean?”

“They are just my men. When I am the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Great Yue, they are my soldiers, but if some day I’m no longer in command, they are just my men who have nothing to do with the armed forces of the Great Yue, which is also the case for Yao Yi and my other bodyguards,” explained Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang’s eyes widened with shock. Though Yuwen Tong didn’t put it in an explicit way, there was an unmistakable undertone which suggested that these men were his private army…

Startled, Ling Zhang hurriedly looked around vigilantly for fear that somebody might be eavesdropping.

“There’s nobody around,” Yuwen Tong informed him.

On hearing this, Ling Zhang was relieved, and then said, “Ar–Are you not afraid of being found out? What if somebody finds out about it? This is a felony!”

Yuwen Tong gave a mysterious smile. “If the day comes when I’m convicted of this felony, this country…”

“What?” Ling Zhang, who failed to distinguish the latter half of the sentence, fixed him with a gaze of perplexity.

“I know where the limit is. Are you afraid of being with me?” Yuwen Tong looked at him.

Ling Zhang also stared back at him. Eventually, he heaved a sigh. “Whatever. But remember to inform me if anything does happen, so that I’ll have a chance to make my escape.”

Yuwen Tong cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at him. “And forsake me?”

Ling Zhang gave a soft snort. “I’ll take you with me –grudgingly.”

Yuwen Tong chuckled.

“This might not be a bad idea. More manpower will provide extra convenience when I’m in the capital city. I think I should recruit more men before departure.”

His plan was upset and, in the realization that some more matters had just been added to his to-do list, Ling Zhang, who began to have headaches, ignored Yuwen Tong and fell to making arrangements.

Yuwen Tong, who had just been disregarded, was speechless.

And he also felt faintly annoyed.

Ling Zhang decided to recruit some new family security guards. Wang Dashan and his men rejoiced in the knowledge that all of them were going to the capital city with Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhaowen told Ling Zhang, “Let me handle this. All you need to do is make sure that you have everything you need in your traveling bag.”

Then Ling Zhaowen quickly took over this matter and soon recruited twenty-four new family security guards. Preliminary inquiries showed that all of them came from clean background.

Ling Zhang was somewhat surprised. ‘Since when did uncle start making preparations for this?’

Yuwen Tong also made another offer. “If you want these people to learn the Trap-and-Kill Formation as well, I’ll tell Xie Shi to stay. He may instruct them first and then return to the capital city.”

Ling Zhang didn’t decline. Yuwen Tong’s man’s assistance with the training would spare him from a lot of trouble.

Things went as planned and after another couple of days, someone on a fast horse from the capital city arrived in Tanyang, galloping directly towards the residence of Ling family, who brought with him a message bound to cause another sensation.