Chapter 60

Huang Juren, a major landowner in Tanggu with vast estates and several villages under his control, had at his peak over two thousand tenant farmers working his land. Not only that, he even owned entire streets of shops in Tanggu and had numerous warehouses outside the city.

In Tanggu, an open port city teeming with foreign merchants, there were many people wealthier than Huang Juren. However, these foreign merchants and merchants from all over the Qing Empire were merely passing through, and although they had money, they were unwilling to provoke local figures like Huang Juren.

For one, the incident of the feces being thrown was something both Chinese and foreign merchants were extremely wary of. Everyone came here to make money, and there was no need to provoke these local thugs who had no limits.

Because of this mindset, Huang Juren thrived in Tanggu. Whether it was the underworld or the government, the merchants or the officials, he had smooth sailing in all areas. Generally, people would give him some leeway out of respect for his local influence, and gradually, he became so arrogant that he didn't know where to draw the line.

A frog at the bottom of a well never knows how vast the outside world is. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so foolish as to be swayed by people from the capital to take such a risky and deadly move. Did he not know that this "second-rate Japanese" would even dare to burn the tomb of Emperor Yongzheng?

When the flames from the village granary shot up into the sky, it was just past midnight, around two o'clock by the foreign clock. At this time, everything was silent, and everyone was sound asleep. Even the dogs in Huang Juren's large courtyard were sleeping with their tongues out, and there was no sign of life.

Suddenly, all the guard dogs in the village seemed to have seen a ghost, and they all started barking wildly at the same time, causing instant chaos.

"What's happening? Thieves? This is Mr. Huang's village; who dares to cause trouble? Wait... What's that sound... Oh no, it's on fire..."

The howling in the night air was not a natural wind but a whirlwind caused by the flames. The granary at the village entrance stored a total of 50,000 dan of grain, including rice, wheat, sorghum, and corn, all new crops from the previous year. This amount of grain was worth at least 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver.

Huang Juren was woken up by the barking of the dogs and the sound of the gongs. This man slept so soundly that even with half the sky to the south burning red, he was still snoring.

"What's happening? Where's the fire... These scoundrels, playing with fire in the middle of the night, wasting their money? Wait..." At this moment, a bad feeling suddenly surged in Huang Juren's heart. When he put on his clothes and opened the window, he saw that the direction of the flames was his granary.

"Oh no... Could it be that my granary is on fire? Steward..."

In a panic, Huang Juren, without even putting on his shoes, led a group of servants and stumbled towards the direction of the flames. As soon as they rounded the village entrance, a huge fire, like the furnace of Laozi, appeared before everyone. The heat was so intense that no one could get close. Before he could speak, a fat old woman suddenly jumped out from behind, sitting on the ground and wailing.

"I can't live anymore, my grain, my money..."

The woman crying was Huang Juren's main wife, a notorious woman in Tanggu. Huang Juren's heart was almost broken. He gritted his teeth and said, "What's going on? How did this happen..." As he spoke, someone ran around the fire scene and shouted, "Mr. Huang, come to the locust forest. Little Braid Sun's men are all tied up in the forest, their hands and feet broken..."

Huang Juren's hair stood on end, and he suddenly thought of an incredible possibility. When he found the seven bound thugs, he realized he had provoked a true and powerful dragon.

"Great, if it's not a powerful dragon, it wouldn't cross the river. In Tanggu, with over 300 merchants, no one has dared to step on my head... " As he shouted, one of his servants tugged at his sleeve and pointed into the depths of the forest. "Mr. Huang, look what's there..."

When he focused, he almost wet himself. In the locust forest, there were at least seventy to eighty black figures, their faces covered with black veils, and their steel knives reflecting the firelight. Their cold eyes stared at him, and a killing aura enveloped him.

Huang Juren took three steps back, hiding behind his servants. Now, the two sides were in a standoff. Despite the large number of people on his side, they were just ordinary villagers and servants, and the few dozen men on the other side had a commanding presence.

Time passed, and neither side spoke or moved. When the villagers, heartbroken by the loss of grain, started to prepare buckets to put out the fire, the men in the forest finally acted. The sound of bowstrings echoed, and the buckets in the hands of the leading villagers were pierced.

"Oh my God..." The timid villagers quickly threw away their buckets and ran back, and the surrounding villagers also hesitated, holding water but not daring to pour it on the fire.

This was a threat, a serious danger. Xiao Letian wanted to use this domineering action to suppress the arrogance of these local thugs. He wanted to watch the fire burn all the grain to ashes.

"Put out the fire! Why aren't you putting out the fire... We've been feeding you for nothing, you ungrateful scoundrels..." The fat woman rolled on the ground, forcing the villagers and servants to put out the fire, but no one listened to her.

After a while, the fire became even more intense. At this point, Xiao Letian estimated that the fire was beyond control, and the flames had joined together, making it impossible to stop with human effort. Under his command, the troops in the locust forest finally retreated.

Only then did Huang Juren's spirit return. He looked at the fire scene with a pained heart and shouted, "What are you all staring at? Get to work, take what you can..."

But it was too late. The water poured from buckets evaporated in the air, showing the intensity of the fire. The fire continued until the next afternoon, and the granary was completely destroyed, leaving only a large patch of black ash.

At this point, Little Braid Sun was also terrified. His several subordinates, with broken hands and feet, were reporting to him.

"We are in trouble... Sirs, we are in deep trouble. We were surrounded before we could even act. These people are ruthless, using sticks, whips, and even burning coals to torture us..."

"Ugh... Those who had taken lives were thrown into the granary and burned alive... Even we were beaten and had our limbs broken... Sir! You must avenge us..."

Little Braid Sun waved his hand, and the men were carried away. At this moment, his eyes were filled with both ferocity and fear. Six of his men were burned to death, and seven had their limbs broken. This was a declaration of war. If he didn't retaliate, he would lose his place in Tanggu, and all his men would leave him.

But should he really seek revenge? Given the ruthlessness of the enemy and their use of crossbows, this was not just a group of ordinary thugs but likely a band of bandits. If they engaged in a fight, even if they won, many would die.

"Mr. Huang, what can we do? They have completely disrespected us. A few outsiders have declared war without even a formal announcement! No one in the underworld acts so disrespectfully..." Little Braid Sun's braid stood up, and he spoke with righteous indignation, as if he had formally declared war on Xiao Letian.

Huang Juren trembled with anger all morning. The pain of losing money, his wife's scolding, and the fear of the black-clothed men made the usually calm Huang Juren lose his composure.

"Revenge? Of course, we must seek revenge. But today's matter is beyond our control. I will visit Zhou Xietai and Ma Tongzhi. Today, I will bleed heavily, but I will send troops to wipe out these bandits..."

Huang Juren slammed the table fiercely. "You go and gather the families of the dead and injured. On the day their foreign company opens, you will hold a grand funeral to embarrass them... Also, go to each village and incite the people. Tell them that the 'second-rate Japanese' who want to establish an industrial zone are coming, and get everyone to surround and attack them..."

Little Braid Sun's eyes lit up. He remembered the civil unrest he had incited two months ago, when hundreds of people surrounded the residence of the imperial envoy, making it impossible for them to conduct their inspection, and even preventing them from eating or using the toilet.

"Alright, no problem, but... Will the reduction in taxes and grain be the same as last time?" Little Braid Sun asked cautiously.

"No, this time, be more generous. For those who help, reduce the rent by three dou per family after the autumn harvest..." Huang Juren's heart ached as he said this. During the last civil unrest, he had promised to reduce the rent by one dou per family, and now he was reducing it by three dou, which would make it a difficult year.

But to eliminate Xiao Letian and complete the task given by the big shots in the capital, he was willing to take the risk. The big shots in the capital were his biggest backing. In the Qing Empire, the more wealth you had without backing, the sooner your misfortune would come.

When Huang Juren and his entourage left the house, the sound of things being smashed could be heard from behind. "You ungrateful scoundrel, I'll fight you to the death... Why did you take 20,000 taels of silver? Burning so much grain wasn't enough, and now you're taking money from the family to give to others? I can't live anymore..."

"You wasteful woman, I'm doing something big. How can I seek revenge without spending money? If I spend 20,000 taels today, I can earn