Chapter 32

"Little brother, do you know who I am?"

"I don't know." Zhang Ke thought that even if he knew, he couldn't say it.

The large man laughed heartily, "I am the Thirteenth Brother of the Northern Town Commandery of the Jinyiwei, surnamed Zhuo. You can call me Thirteenth Brother if you like!"

Although Zhang Ke had already guessed the large man's identity, he was still somewhat shocked when he said it himself. The Jinyiwei, the emperor's personal guard, wielded immense power. The Northern Town Commandery was notorious, akin to a hellish place that devoured people without spitting out their bones!

Seeing Zhang Ke's surprised gaze, Zhuo Thirteen frowned, "Little brother, are you looking down on us Jinyiwei?"

"Of course not, I just, just didn't expect Thirteenth Brother to be so, so kind and approachable..."

"Ha ha ha ha, this is the first time someone has described me like that! Little brother, you're an interesting person. Do you want to join the Jinyiwei?"

Hearing this, Zhang Ke felt as if his glasses had shattered on the ground. Being interesting enough to join the Jinyiwei? What a formidable reason!

Zhang Ke was about to refuse, but Zhuo Thirteen directly took out a document and slapped it on the table.

"Sign it, and you'll be one of us in the Jinyiwei!"

It felt a bit like signing a contract of servitude. Zhang Ke hurriedly said, "Thirteenth Brother, this is too sudden. I, I haven't thought it through..."

Zhuo Thirteen, impatient, extended his bear-like hand, grabbed Zhang Ke's arm, and pressed his palm on it without any discussion.

"What are you dilly-dallying for, man? It's settled now!"

Seeing the fresh red mark, Zhang Ke felt like crying.

"Thirteenth Brother, I told Wang Daren that I want to join the army. I have an old mother to take care of at home, debts to pay, and other things... In short, you can't force me to go to the capital."

Zhuo Thirteen chuckled, "Zhang Brother, who said you have to go to the capital?"

"Ah, didn't you say I should join the Northern Town Commandery? Don't I have to serve in the capital?"

"Of course not!" Zhuo Thirteen smiled, "Our Jinyiwei has eyes and ears everywhere. What can we find out from the surface? The most important are the informants below us, from all walks of life, from the three teachings and nine streams, to the five elements and eight trades, we have people everywhere!"

The Ming version of the KGB, Zhang Ke was instantly startled and couldn't help but look around, "Thirteenth Brother, do I have any informants around me?"

Zhuo Thirteen gave a wry smile, "Don't worry, the Jinyiwei in Liaodong is already defunct! If those informants were still useful, they wouldn't have let the old Jurchen forces grow. If there were still loyalists to the court, they wouldn't have been defeated so badly at Sarhu!"

Zhuo Thirteen grew more and more angry, "Zhang Brother, take the fake silver bills for example. Yongchang Bank has been around for decades with a good reputation, but why can't it suddenly exchange silver? The government exploits the people, the people exploit the merchants, the merchants and the people are in distress, and all industries are in decline. How can Liaodong not be in chaos!"

Hearing Zhuo Thirteen's words, Zhang Ke confirmed a suspicion. The silver bills weren't fake; it was just that Yongchang Bank had suddenly been drained of its silver. Thinking about the defeat in Liaodong, Zhang Ke immediately understood. Someone must be forcing the merchants to pay, either to cover losses or to bribe officials to escape punishment. It couldn't be a good thing.

As a latecomer, who didn't understand the importance of finance? If this led to a run on the bank, Liaodong's fragile trade would collapse, and the army, which relied on merchants for supplies, would lose morale. With internal and external troubles, how could the Ming not be defeated!

Thinking about this, a wave of righteous indignation rose in Zhang Ke's heart.

"Rats, rats, don't eat my grain. Liaodong has been ruined by a group of rats. Thirteenth Brother, whatever you need me to do, just say it. I'll do it without hesitation!"

"Good!" Zhuo Thirteen nodded in satisfaction, "Zhang Brother, just act according to your own judgment. Whether you join the army, study for the imperial exams, or even do business, it's up to you. I will arrange for regular contact with you, and you must tell me everything about Liaodong!"

This wasn't a difficult task for Zhang Ke, and he agreed without hesitation.

"Ha ha ha, we in the Jinyiwei won't let you down. This is the badge of the Jinyiwei's chief commander. Carry it with you. Not many people in the Ming dynasty dare to defy the Jinyiwei, but remember, don't misuse it unless it's a critical moment!"

Zhang Ke, excited, trembled as he took the badge from Zhuo Thirteen. From today on, he was also a member of the Jinyiwei! The gains from his trip to Guangning were beyond his imagination. Silver was already a minor matter.

With Wang Huazhen's letter in his pocket, Hong Gonggong's prayer beads on his wrist, and now the Jinyiwei badge, any one of these could scare Wan Baichuan to death!

Zhang Ke carefully hid the badge and respectfully saluted Zhuo Thirteen.

"Thirteenth Brother, I have an appointment to return home and pay off my debts within half a month. Only my old mother and female relatives are at home, and I am very worried. I must return immediately."

"Hmph, what a big dog, daring to bully a Jinyiwei. Do you need me to send a few people with you?"

Zhang Ke quickly waved his hands, "Thirteenth Brother, I am still an informant. Don't be too conspicuous."

Zhuo Thirteen finally calmed down, raised his eyebrows, and said, "Alright, I'll tell my people to get you a few warhorses so you can get home faster!"

"Thank you, Thirteenth Brother!"

Zhang Ke hurriedly smiled and agreed.

"Stop smiling foolishly, pay up!"

"Ah? We are Jinyiwei, do we still have to pay?"

"Of course! We are Jinyiwei, not bandits. Besides, the warhorses in the horse market are prioritized for the government and the army. Many people can't even buy good horses with silver! You're getting a great deal, and you want me to pay too?"

"I wouldn't dare!"

As they spoke, after a moment, someone brought five strong and healthy warhorses, all about three to four years old, lively and spirited.

"Thirteenth Sir, these are the warhorses you asked for. To be honest, I bought them for twelve taels each in the horse market. If you give me fifty taels, these five warhorses are yours!"

Zhuo Thirteen nodded and gave Zhang Ke a wink. Zhang Ke obediently took out a silver note and handed it to the official, and the five warhorses became his.

Finally, everything was ready. Zhang Ke went to say goodbye to Wang Huazhen, and the caravan set off on its return journey.

When they came, they were just three people with two dogs, so poor and shabby that they wanted to cry. But now, everything had changed. They had fifteen newly dressed little beggars, twenty fat sheep, five magnificent warhorses, and another horse from Shen Qingyan, plus a donkey, making a total of seven horses. Just looking at them was a pleasure.

Not to mention the seventy taels of silver from selling stoves and clothes, the hundred taels from Hong Gonggong, and after deducting the fifty taels for the horses, they still had a hundred taels left. Additionally, they had over a thousand taels from the Jin family on the cart.

They had gained both wealth and a powerful backer, and the three of them felt like they were in a dream.

Qiao Fu, with red panda eyes, said, "Ke Brother, I didn't dare to close my eyes last night, afraid that when I woke up, we'd be back in the wilderness surrounded by wolves and tigers!"

Zhang Ke patted Qiao Fu's shoulder, "Don't worry, our good days are here. Now, let's think about how to get home quickly and make everyone happy."

Qiao Gui said, "We three can ride, but not Hu Zi and the others. Besides, we have so much stuff. I think we should go back to Guangning and buy a cart. Then we'll have two carts. The younger ones can ride, and we can load the local products and New Year's goods. I and the second brother will herd the sheep."

Before, Zhang Ke wouldn't have dared to return to Guangning, but now, with so many powerful backers, if he was still timid, he might as well drown himself.

The group happily returned to Guangning. They looked like bandits entering the city. Qiao Gui was fine; he and Zhang Ke bought carts, saddles, and camping supplies like blankets and cotton pads.

Qiao Fu, with Hu Zi and the other little beggars, started shopping without mercy. In one day, the little beggars had a stunning turnaround, buying whatever they liked, from clothes to food to toys, hanging all over their bodies. Many shopkeepers who knew them were stunned, their tongues hanging out, unable to retract them.

"These days are really strange! Even beggars are celebrating the New Year!"

"Strange, but silver isn't strange. From now on, we should help beggars when we see them. Who knows which cloud will rain?"

Qiao Fu and the others didn't care what people said. They spent all twenty taels of silver, each returning to the city gate with large and small packages.

While everyone was busy loading things, Qiao Fu secretly ran to Zhang Ke and opened his leather coat.

"Ke Brother, look at this!"

Zhang Ke frowned and saw four fluffy things greedily sleeping in Qiao Fu's arms.

Black and white patterns, blue eyes, three spots, he picked one up, and it opened its sleepy eyes, its pink paws scratching.

A Husky!

"Where did you buy them?"

"At the market. The person said he bought them from Mongolians, who said they got them from the Jurchens, the Jurchens..."

"Enough!" Zhang Ke didn't want to hear these stories. Huskies originated from Siberia, so it wasn't strange that they were sold in Liaodong.

"Do you know these dogs? They can help robbers tear down your house!"

"Really serious!" Qiao Fu rolled his eyes and suddenly smiled, "Great, I can't stand seeing good dogs like Da Huang and Er Huang die in front of me. They are, they are quite silly, quite good!"

Mentioning Da Huang and Er Huang, Zhang Ke didn't say anything more, just looked at Qiao Fu with sympathy and thought to himself, "Congratulations, you've brought the demolition team home!"

The group, loaded with New Year's goods, left Guangning amidst the envious gazes of many people, heading home.

With the warhorses, their speed was much faster. In less than three days, they could see Dacheng Fort in the distance. Zhang Ke's heart was like burning charcoal, finally able to let his mother live a better life! Xiaoxue and Huier were also waiting for him!

Climbing over a hill, this was where Qiao Tieshan had given them weapons.

In just a few days, everything had changed dramatically. Zhang Ke wanted to let out a triumphant roar, to vent all the frustration in his heart.

Suddenly, he noticed a large group of people gathered outside Dacheng Fort, numbering in the hundreds.

"Ke Brother, what's going on?"

"I don't know, let's go see!" Zhang Ke and Qiao Fu quickly rode over.

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