Chapter 68

Forty thousand silver taels piled together form a small mountain, and the luster of the silver is enough to make anyone lose their mind. For someone like Ma Bao, a banner man who smokes opium and plays with actors, it was even more impossible to resist the temptation of so much money.

In Tanggu, there were two high-ranking officials, one civil and one military. The highest military rank was that of a Xie Tai (Deputy General), and the highest civil rank was that of a Tongzhi (Deputy Prefect). Xie Tai Ma Bao and Tongzhi Zhou Mingkui were the highest administrative officials appointed by the Qing Dynasty in Tanggu.

Ma Bao felt incredibly lucky today, as he arrived at the Letian Trading Company before Zhou Tongzhi and encountered a large sum of 400,000 silver dollars. He originally thought there would be at most 200,000, but he never expected there to be so much.

Under their secret plot, using the people's unrest to force Xiao Letian to leave was the top priority. However, looting the Letian Trading Company before the mob arrived was Ma Bao's personal plan.

Although Ren gave him 10,000 silver taels and two actors, it was far from enough for the insatiable Ma Bao. Everyone said that the Japanese were possessed by the god of wealth, carrying a treasure basin on their back. So why not give me a share? When the troops pass, I'll plunder the floating wealth in your store first, and then push the blame onto the mob. Is there anything more satisfying in this world?

Ma Bao felt excited just thinking about it and didn't sleep all night. All the waiting was worth it. When the number 400,000 entered his ears, it was as if a little devil controlled his thoughts. Xie Tai Ma Bao let out a strange cry and immediately ordered his men to rob the place.

Three hundred Green Standard soldiers surrounded from the north and south. At this time, there were no more onlookers on the street, and even the people causing disturbances had hidden in the shops to avoid the terrifying conflict.

The charge of three hundred men was indeed earth-shattering. The flickering spear tips were like a forest on the street, and the swinging steel swords were more spectacular than any stage performance. At that moment, Ma Bao felt as if he was possessed by a war god. Even Guan Yu's feat of crossing five passes and slaying six generals couldn't be more impressive.

It was beautiful, Ma Bao thought. He even fantasized about returning to the capital, sitting in teahouses and brothels with his childhood friends, and boasting to the banner men who had always looked down on him. "I'll slap you all in the face and show you what real ability is."

"Everyone, listen! The musket team, fire to the north, defend the south street..." Just as Ma Bao was lost in his fantasies, a powerful voice from the Letian Trading Company interrupted him. Not only did Ma Bao and the merchants freeze, but even the mysterious guest upstairs was shocked.

A teacup rolled off the second floor with a clatter. "This is outrageous! They actually dare to fire guns..." Unfortunately, his exclamation was cut short by the collective shout of "Kill..." from the crowd below, which shook the entire trading company, even causing the shelves to fall.

Luo Huo, now the captain of Xiao Letian's musket team, wielded a whip with great vigor. "Prepare for a three-round volley..." Under his command, thirty musketeers, expressionless, rushed onto the street and quickly formed a simple three-round volley formation.

When the shield wall blocking the way dispersed, Luo Huo, full of killing intent, roared, "Follow my command... first row, fire..." A loud thunderous sound echoed, and the entire street was covered in white smoke. Everyone was momentarily stunned, and even the foreigners on the ships in the port were dumbfounded, letting their telescopes fall to the deck without picking them up.

"My God! The Chinese are having a civil war, they are fighting a civil war... All sailors, prepare for defense, the ship is on full alert..."

Luo Huo was the most loyal warrior under Xiao Letian. He had already sworn to follow his master for life when he was beaten in Yixian County. Although he didn't understand Western learning, he was personally trained by Mr. Xiao as a musketeer, making him Mr. Xiao's true successor.

In the Wolf Gorge of the Taihang Mountains, Luo Huo's musket team had once repelled the elite troops of Shi Dakai. In the continuous mountains of Yanqing in western Beijing, the musket team had once defeated the proud troops of the Xiang family. Now, these battle-hardened killers finally aimed their muskets at the Qing Dynasty. Although it was just a Deputy General, once this shot was fired, Xiao Letian's forces would be forever separated from the Qing Dynasty.

"No..." The mysterious guest on the second floor let out a strange cry, but his voice was drowned out by the gunfire. Under Luo Huo's command, the three rows of muskets fired like a torrent, with iron shot flying through the air, even sweeping down a large number of people in mourning who had hidden in the shops.

The sound of gunfire, like a thunderclap, woke Ma Bao from his dream. This banner man, who only knew how to bully the weak, immediately hid under his horse. His brain had lost its ability to think, and his vision was filled with white smoke, leaving him blank.

How could this be? How is this possible? Can merchants rebel? They want to kill me, they want to rebel against the officials! Ma Bao, in a frenzy, tried to spur his horse to escape, but he suddenly realized that his horse was dead, and the massive horse carcass was pressing on his left leg, causing intense pain. He couldn't move at all, whether it was broken or fractured.

"Save me, what are you waiting for, save me quickly..." Ma Bao couldn't understand why his voice had changed, but no one cared about his life at that moment, as all the soldiers were also stunned.

"Second row, advance, first row, reload... fire!"

"Third row, advance, second row, reload... fire!"

"First row, advance, third row, retreat to reload... fire!"

Luo Huo now had the demeanor of a commander. Throughout the musket firing, he did not use the musket on his back but directed the three teams of musketeers to take turns firing. If anyone showed any panic, he would lash them with his whip, a skill he learned from Xiao Letian.

When the first round of gunfire ended, the Green Standard soldiers at the forefront were as if hit by an invisible board, their charge scattered by a powerful force. Seven or eight soldiers, hit by the iron shot, spun around three times before falling.

After the second round of gunfire, another ten soldiers fell as if struck by lightning, and the smell of blood began to permeate the heavy gunpowder smoke.

By the time the third round of gunfire ended, there was no more shouting or charging on either end of the street. All the soldiers were stunned. They could not believe that a stinking merchant could have a private army, and even a musket team, and that this merchant would actually dare to fire.

At this moment, inside the Letian Trading Company, no one could sit still. All the merchants huddled together, staring at Xiao Letian, who was directing the battle, as if he were a devil. Each round of gunfire was met with a wave of terrified screams, a day they would never forget.

"Run, run quickly..." After the third round of gunfire, the Green Standard soldiers finally came to their senses. The greedy look in their eyes turned to fear. When they realized that 400,000 silver taels required their lives, they chose to flee first.

The bodyguards lifted the horse carcass and carried Ma Bao away, and all the soldiers retreated at twice the speed of their charge, like a tide receding, so fast that it was hard to believe.

"No, no one can retreat! If this gets to the court, I'll lose my head. You can't retreat..." Ma Bao, limping, jumped on the street.

"Xie Tai, call the cavalry. We have over 200 cavalry in our camp. One charge, and these musketeers will be finished..."

"Sir, call the musket team to block the street and fire back. We have more men, we can win..."

Ma Bao was now more clear-headed. He knew that if he fled, the court would not spare him. If he couldn't deal with over a hundred private soldiers, what use would the emperor have for him? More terrifyingly, if the situation escalated and the foreigners with guns landed and got involved, it would be a disaster.

"Call the troops, call all the musket teams from the camp. I have 300 muskets, I don't believe I can't crush these stinking merchants..." Ma Bao, now out of the musket range, began to dismantle the shops on both sides, piling tables, chairs, bricks, and tiles on the street, forming a temporary defensive position.

At this moment, Tongzhi Zhou Mingkui finally arrived, leading over a hundred constables. He rushed over and asked, "What's going on? Why are there foreign guns? What's happening, Xie Tai?"

"Stop asking, damn Xiao Letian, what kind of scholar is he? He writes books, but he's a killer and a bandit. He has a private musket team, this Japanese is rebelling... I'm so unlucky!" Ma Bao cursed and groaned.

Zhou Mingkui, being a civil official, was much more astute. He analyzed the situation, "Brother Ma, don't look at it this way. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Xiao Letian only has over a hundred men. If we crush him, it will be a great achievement in suppressing a rebellion. And he's the main cause of this unrest. The court will surely reward us."

Ma Bao's mind clicked, and he slapped his thigh. "Ouch... it hurts!" He pointed at the messenger and said, "Go call the troops, bring all our men here. I'll reward you well!"

Zhou Mingkui also stood up. "I'll send the constables to incite the people to attack the trading company. I don't believe their few dozen muskets can kill many people. We'll drown them in a sea of people..."

From this moment on, the storm incited by Ren and Xiao Bian Sun began to shift to the government. The two highest-ranking officials in Tanggu, one civil and one military, now took over the command, and the chaos began to turn into a full-scale riot.

Although the difference between chaos and riot is just one character, the bloodshed they entail is a hundred or a thousand times greater. But in the eyes of the officials, the death of some commoners was no big deal.