Chapter 34

The retreat of the Song army alarmed all the people in the county. The streets of Linyou County were empty as tens of thousands of civilians, carrying their elderly and children, rushed to bid farewell to the Song army.

Chen Qing had repeatedly told all the people in the city that they had to leave. Their forces were too few to defend Linyou County, and if the Jin army captured it, they would surely massacre the city.

Only by leaving first could Linyou County avoid a catastrophic disaster.

Although the people understood their departure, when the day of departure finally came, tens of thousands of people in Linyou County wept loudly, kneeling on the ground, unwilling to let them go.

Dozens of elders knelt before Chen Qing's horse, sobbing, "Once the general leaves, we will all become pigs and sheep. Who will protect us?"

Chen Qing's eyes turned red.

"Please rest assured, elders and fellow villagers. I promise I will return!"

Amidst the cries, the troops moved further away, and the tens of thousands of people gradually became a small black dot, which made Chen Qing extremely sad. When would he be able to return?

If history were to take its course, this departure would be a permanent farewell. Could he change history?

After walking for several miles, the troops stopped again. Zhao Xiaoyi shouted, "It's Master Xu!"

Chen Qing saw Xu Ning by the roadside. He was with a few disciples, bowing to the soldiers. As both a new recruit instructor and Chen Qing's archery teacher, he had introduced Chen Qing to the world of archery.

He had been recommended by the local gentry to become the new county magistrate and had already received the seal of the county magistrate from Wei Qing.

Chen Qing dismounted and quickly approached, saying, "I didn't expect to see Master Xu again before leaving!"

"The archery school is already closed. From now on, you should call me County Magistrate Xu!"

Xu Ning's face was full of bitterness. "Although I really don't want to be a puppet county magistrate, for the sake of the people of Linyou County, my personal honor and disgrace are no longer important."

"Senior, you bear the humiliation and the burden. I will definitely explain the situation to the Consolation Commissioner."

"Actually, it doesn't matter. I just need to have a clear conscience!"

Xu Ning continued, "Although the commander's archery skills have barely entered the second realm, compared to famous generals like Liu Ziyu and Yue Fei, they are still slightly inferior. The key is practice. With the commander's insight and foundation, as long as you persist, your archery skills will continue to improve!"

Chen Qing said sincerely, "I will remember every word of Senior!"

Xu Ning laughed, "Remembering my words won't be wrong. Come! I will toast the commander to wish you new achievements!"

Xu Ning took a cup of wine from his disciple and handed it to Chen Qing. Chen Qing took the cup with both hands and drank it in one gulp.

"Senior, we will meet again!"

Xu Ning solemnly bowed with his remaining hand, "Commander, we will meet again!"

His disciples also followed their master in bowing to the soldiers.

Chen Qing remounted his horse, saluted Xu Ning from the saddle, and the troops continued westward.

...

Qianyuan County in Longzhou was the second largest county in Longzhou, located in a more remote area and had not been ravaged by the Jin army.

One noon, in a tavern next to the city gate of Qianyuan County, two men were drinking together.

One of them was clearly drunk, mumbling, "To be honest, when my old master had a birthday, it was a grand affair. High officials from Longzhou and Pingliang Prefecture all came to celebrate. Now, the master wants to be low-key for his 70th birthday next month, but he has only sent out less than a hundred invitations..."

The slender young man opposite was Zhao Xiaoyi, the deputy commander of the scout camp under Zheng Ping. He had come to Qianyuan County to carry out an important mission.

The drunk man was Jiang Fu, a minor steward of the Jiang family, a prominent family in Longzhou. He was also from Linyou County, the same hometown as Zhao Xiaoyi.

Zhao Xiaoyi deliberately flattered and treated him to a meal, and in a few days, the two became close friends.

"Do you know what your master likes?" Zhao Xiaoyi asked with a smile, refilling the man's cup.

"Likes? Let me think. Oh, right, my master likes stones, he is obsessed with them. When he was young, he often went to Bianliang to buy stones, and his backyard is full of his stone treasures."

"Where will your master celebrate his birthday, in Qianyuan County or Qianyang County?"

"Of course, it will be in Qianyang County, where the county seat is. There is also a residence there, and we will set out in a few days."

Zhao Xiaoyi calculated the time in his mind and decided it was time for him to head south.

...

Jianjue Pass is located about twenty miles south of Qianyang County on Jianjue Ridge. Jianjue Ridge is at a higher elevation, with a canyon about ten miles long in the middle, flanked by steep mountains. This canyon is the only route from Longyou to Fengxiang, and at its narrowest point, it is only thirty zhang wide. The Song army built a fortress at the narrowest point, which is Jianjue Pass.

Jianjue Pass has only two walls, one to the north and one to the south, about a mile apart, with cliffs on the east and west sides.

The interior of the fortress is narrow and not very large, covering only about thirty acres, but it is well-equipped with a military camp, warehouses, and a market area surrounded by wooden fences. Inside the market area are several wooden houses, including brothels, taverns, inns, gambling dens, and general stores.

Jianjue Pass is a strategically important military fortress, with a maximum garrison of one thousand Song soldiers.

However, when the Jin cavalry arrived, the commander, Wang Lian, led his troops out of the city to surrender, handing over the pass to the Jin army without a fight.

Currently, there are about three hundred soldiers stationed at the pass, including three hundred Han soldiers and thirty Jurchen soldiers.

The Jurchen soldiers' task is to monitor the Han soldiers, and they do not participate in patrols, which are handled by the Han soldiers.

The pass also allows merchant caravans to pass, but each caravan must not exceed ten people and must not carry any weapons. If any are found, they will be executed on the spot.

According to the Jurchen rules, military passes should not allow merchants to pass, but if merchants were not allowed to pass, the Han soldiers would have no income. How would they live?

Therefore, three years ago, when Wanyan Lou Shi began to govern Shaanxi, he combined the actual conditions of Shaanxi and Qin-Feng roads and established rules for merchants passing through the pass. There are three main rules: first, the number of people in a caravan must not exceed ten; second, no weapons are allowed; and third, no passage is allowed at night.

There are also some details, such as the rule that the entrance and exit gates of the pass cannot be open at the same time, and taxes must be paid to pass through. As for how the soldiers extort the merchants, that is not regulated.

These rules also apply to Jianjue Pass, where the soldiers have nothing to do all day and look forward to the arrival of merchant caravans.

One noon, a middle-aged, fat man rode a donkey toward the southern gate of Jianjue Pass, and the soldiers poked their heads out.

"Headman, a fat guy is coming!"

Another soldier said, "Judging by his clothes, he looks like a steward of a wealthy family!"

"He's in such a hurry, like a scout. The big head is still behind!"

The soldiers' eyes were sharp, and they quickly guessed the identity and background of the middle-aged fat man.

The man was wearing a black silk robe and an eight-cornered hat, typical attire for a major steward or manager, indicating some status but not high enough to wear colorful clothes.

"Who are you?" the headman asked from the city wall.

The middle-aged man, drenched in sweat, dismounted and shouted, "I am the chief steward of the Jiang family in Qianyuan County. My name is Wang, and I have a valuable item to pass through the pass. I came to inform you first."

The Jiang family of Qianyuan County is well-known in Longzhou, ranking second among the three major families, just below the Wang family of Qianyang County. They own hundreds of acres of land, and the former Prefect of Longzhou, Jiang Huan, was the eldest son of the Jiang family.

Hearing that it was someone from the Jiang family, the headman did not dare to be disrespectful and ordered the gate to be opened to let the steward in.

Soon, the steward was brought to the city tower, and the headman asked, "What valuable item do you want to pass through the pass?"

The steward lowered his voice, "It's a stone from Bianliang, a treasure of the former emperor."

"A broken stone, a treasure of the emperor?"

"The general may not know, but the emperor was fond of such things. It's a Taihu stone from the south, transported to Bianliang. To be honest, my old master also likes such stones. This is a special purchase to show filial piety. We spent a lot of money to buy it from Bianliang and went through great lengths to transport it to Guanzhong. If Bianjing hadn't been captured by the Jin army, our old master would never have had the chance to play with the emperor's things!"

A soldier beside him said, "I know, it's the Flower and Stone Fleet!"

"Yes, yes, yes! It's the Flower and Stone Fleet. Transporting a single stone from the south to Bianliang costs tens of thousands of taels of silver."

The headman was tempted. Tens of thousands of taels of silver meant he would have some income today. Regardless of whether it was the Jiang family or the Wang family, he would take his share.

"As long as it's not weapons, most goods can pass, but you should know the rules for passing through the pass."

"I know the rules. How much tax do I need to pay?"

"The highest tax is fifty guan. Based on a value of five thousand guan, the tax is twenty guan. Your item is worth tens of thousands of taels of silver, so this tax is already very low."

"That's not how it should be calculated. The emperor paid tens of thousands of taels, but there was a lot of inflation. We only paid two thousand guan, so we should pay twenty guan in tax!"

The headman shook his head, "I'm afraid that's not possible."

The steward pulled the headman aside and whispered, "How about this? I'll give you ten taels of silver, and we'll value the item at two thousand guan."

This was a typical case of personal gain at the expense of public interest. The headman nodded happily, "Just this once, no more!"

The steward quickly handed him a bar of silver, and the headman weighed it. It was about ten taels.

He put it in his pocket and shouted to the soldiers, "Collect the tax first. The value is two thousand guan, so the tax is twenty guan!"

...

Soon, a dozen donkeys pulling a large flatbed cart slowly approached the city gate. Ten helpers pushed the cart on both sides, and on the cart was a huge stone, weighing about seven or eight thousand catties.

The headman went out of the city, lifted the oilcloth covering the stone, and examined it. He widened his eyes, "You guys are really joking. This is called a rare stone? This kind of stone is everywhere!"

The steward chuckled, "The general doesn't understand. This is called a 'Traveling in the Mountains' stone, identical to the 'Traveling in the Mountains' painting by the great painter Fan Kuan. This stone was sent to Bianliang in the second year of the Xuanhe era, causing a sensation in the court and was rated as the best stone of the year."

"Oh! There's such a thing. I'm a rough man and can't understand it. Pass through!"

At that moment, a general arrived with dozens of soldiers. The headman was startled and quickly saluted, "This subordinate greets the commander!"