Chapter 96 of 100
Chapter 96
15 min read3,813 words
Xu Daqian had never felt so alone. He shouted desperately, but only the dozen or so people around him obeyed his orders, wielding their swords and rushing towards the city gate to retake it.
Bang!
A stone, seemingly from nowhere, hit Xu Daqian right on the nose, and blood spurted out instantly.
"Damn it! Who dared to sneak attack me?" Xu Daqian roared like a wild beast, but as he looked around, he was suddenly intimidated.
Countless pairs of furious eyes, burning with rage, seemed to want to incinerate him. A young man, about fifteen or sixteen, suddenly lunged forward, wielding a woodcutter's axe, and charged at Xu Daqian like a madman.
"Beast, give me my mother's life back!"
Ordinarily, such a small kid would have been nothing to him, but at that moment, Xu Daqian's fingers trembled. He gritted his teeth and raised his heavy saber.
"Brat, Grandpa Xu will kill you!"
Just as Xu Daqian took a step forward, he felt a sharp pain in his calf, and his massive body immediately lost balance. A pickaxe had appeared in front of him, tripping him up.
The young man who had charged forward didn't expect Xu Daqian to be tripped, and he hesitated for a moment. The axe immediately swung down, striking Xu Daqian's arm. Armor plates flew, and blood spurted. Xu Daqian screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
With an arrow in his shoulder and a wound on his arm, Xu Daqian looked like a bear, but his body was already drained, a mere shell of his former self. He fell to the ground, and the surrounding civilians saw everything.
The once invincible man was so fragile. What authority did he have to bully and command everyone, treating them like slaves?
"Kill, kill Xu Daqian!"
The enraged crowd surged forward like a flood, wielding various weapons that rained down on Xu Daqian.
"For forcing men and women!"
"For extorting us!"
"For all the evil you've done!"
...
By the time Zhang Ke entered the city, Xu Daqian had already been overwhelmed by the crowd. He managed to push through, and on the ground, there was only a bloody, unrecognizable mess, revolting to look at.
Zhang Ke frowned. The death of Xu Daqian was no big deal, but he hadn't expected the man to have such deep-seated resentment among the people!
As the saying goes, water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The people are like water, calm most of the time, but once enraged, they can destroy anything easily!
"Countrymen, Xu Daqian is dead. I will report his crimes truthfully. All the wealth he has extorted over the years will be returned to you. As for his land, I will distribute it equally among you!"
Zhang Ke's few words completely dispelled the people's doubts. After all, killing a defense official was a grave crime. With Zhang Ke's promise, not only would they be free from punishment, but they would also receive silver and land. In an instant, everyone felt that Young Master Zhang was the most beloved person!
There were not many of Xu Daqian's remaining followers in the city, either killed or captured.
Zhang Ke now controlled Zhenyi Fort. It was time to tally the battle losses. The soldiers suffered the most during the cavalry charge, with 8 soldiers killed and 5 critically injured, along with 13 other wounded. This was a significant loss, but considering the infantry's fight against cavalry, especially with incomplete preparations, such a result was commendable.
On Xu Daqian's side, 38 out of 56 cavalrymen were killed, 12 captured, and the rest fled. Zhenyi Fort's soldiers lost over 20 men, with most of the rest captured.
"Uncle Tieshan, I'll leave the compensation for the fallen soldiers to you. Not a single tael of silver should be short. After spring, give each family 20 acres of the best land. If there are any other requests, just let me know, and I'll do my best to fulfill them."
Qiao Tieshan nodded hastily, "Yongzhen, many of these boys were trained by me. They are all good. Rest assured, the compensation will be handled properly!"
Zhang Ke nodded. At that moment, his elder brother Zhang Feng led a large black horse over.
"Second brother, look at Xu Daqian's warhorse. It's strong and healthy, like a dragon. We've captured about 120 horses. What should we do with them?"
Zhang Ke's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Having warhorses is great. I plan to form a cavalry unit and start recruiting immediately. If we encounter any more cavalry bullies, we'll give them a good beating!"
Zhang Feng smiled, "That's right, second brother. Yang Long is skilled in horsemanship. Let him lead the cavalry unit!"
"Good, let's do it!"
Everyone was excitedly clearing the battlefield and organizing the spoils.
At that moment, Qiao Tieshan frowned and said, "Yongzhen, Xu Daqian is an official of the court, a high-ranking defense official. We are not bandits. If the court investigates, will there be trouble?"
"Ha ha ha, Uncle Tieshan, of course there will be trouble, but I have a plan to ensure Xu Daqian gets what he deserves!"
As they spoke, Wu Boyan brought a man over. The man was unremarkable, with disheveled hair and a tattered robe, his face mournful and ugly.
"Sir, this man is called Lan Banshan. He is said to be the strategist of Xiaoshanhu and became a guest of Xu Daqian in Zhenyi Fort. All the bad ideas came from him!"
Wu Boyan said, throwing Lan Banshan to the ground.
Zhang Ke's eyes lit up. He was worried about how to frame Xu Daqian, but now with Lan Banshan, everything would fall into place.
Zhang Ke immediately ordered the 17 Mongol heads under Xu Daqian to be gathered together.
He then found paper and pen to write the report.
Zhenyi Fort's defense official, Xu Daqian, harbored bandits and colluded with the Mongols. He drove away the people and relaxed border defenses, acting as if he were inviting the enemy in. I, a humble official, did not abandon the people but escorted them back to Shuangshan Platform. Xu Daqian, enraged, attacked the people. Thanks to the bravery of the soldiers, we defeated him. Pursuing him to Zhenyi Fort, the people, long suffering under Xu Daqian, were filled with righteous anger and could not be stopped. Hundreds of strong men in the city, hating him, used kitchen knives and farming tools to kill Xu Daqian, and his body was soon mutilated.
I am now in Zhenyi Fort, and the people's hearts are calmed, with no major troubles. I humbly request that officials be sent immediately to reorganize the fort's defenses, restore the people's trust, and reestablish the court's authority.
...
This letter was meticulously crafted by Zhang Ke. He used a strategy to shift the blame, framing Xu Daqian for harboring Mongols and bandits. This made his actions of forcing the people to leave a heinous crime. The people, driven by righteous anger, killed Xu Daqian together.
Not only did this clear Zhang Ke of any wrongdoing, but it also absolved the people, especially since the law does not punish the masses. Given the current state of Liaodong, a thorough investigation was impossible.
Additionally, there were the Mongol heads and Lan Banshan, making the case ironclad.
After writing the report to Yizhou Guard, Zhang Ke also wrote a private letter to Wang Huazhen, mentioning his elder brother Zhang Feng.
Given Zhang Feng's current situation, he couldn't return to He Shixian's command. As a former company commander, he was more than qualified to be a defense official. With Zhang Feng controlling Zhenyi Fort and Zhang Ke holding Dacheng Fort, they now had two forts and over 6,000 people, enough to train 500 elite soldiers. If used strategically, they could play a significant role.
Zhang Ke wasn't worried that Wang Huazhen would refuse such a small request. He sent both the report and the letter. Without waiting for a response, he began his work.
Zhang Ke called Tang Bi to Zhenyi Fort to handle the distribution of land and prepare for spring farming. He also left his elder brother Zhang Feng in Zhenyi Fort to recruit and train soldiers.
After handling the affairs of Zhenyi Fort, Zhang Ke rushed to He Bay Village and dove into the blacksmith's workshop.
As the saying goes, to do a job well, one must first sharpen the tools. Crafting reliable weapons was the top priority.
Before Zhang Ke arrived, a few old men had gathered in He Bay Village: Liu the Blacksmith, Sun Qi, and five or six other craftsmen. They were facing the new arrivals, Ou Chongyuan and Old Zhao.
The old men were arguing heatedly. When they saw Zhang Ke, they quickly stood up to greet him.
"Old Zhao, why don't you rest a few more days? Your health is important!"
Old Zhao coughed slightly, "Sir, I'm just a stubborn old man. I can't stand being idle. I came to see if the blacksmith's shop could really forge weapons."
"Have you seen it? Can it be done?"
"It can, no problem!" Old Zhao smiled.
"That's good, let's get started right away!"
"Wait!" Before Zhang Ke could finish, Liu the Blacksmith interrupted, waving his large black hand and speaking urgently, "Yongzhen, this blacksmith's shop can't be used to make weapons. That would be a waste of resources!"
Zhang Ke was surprised by Liu the Blacksmith's objection. "Uncle Liu, what do you think?"
Liu the Blacksmith hurriedly explained, "Yongzhen, they say it takes 40 pounds of iron to make one musket, enough to make four stoves. Selling them at the horse market could earn us over ten taels of silver, enough to buy two or three muskets! They're just wasting resources. Besides, spring is coming, and we need to make farming tools. If we delay the spring planting, what will we do?"
Old Zhao, a man of strong character, retorted, "Short-sighted! A good musket is not the same as junk. Thinking only about farming tools and a few acres of land, without muskets, we'll end up farming for the Tartars!"
"Hmph, easy to say, but you need to eat too!" Liu the Blacksmith shot back, and the argument grew louder.
Zhang Ke finally understood the issue and waved his hand, smiling, "Stop arguing. The problem is that the blacksmith's shop is too small. I'll expand it, increase iron production, and make more muskets and farming tools. This way, we won't delay anything. Is that clear?"
"Really?" Old Zhao and Liu the Blacksmith asked together.
"Of course! Zhenyi Fort has coal. Just buying iron ore will be enough. I'll invest 2,000 taels to double the workshop's size and double the number of craftsmen!"
The two men were overjoyed, exchanged smiles, and put aside their earlier disagreement.
"Yongzhen is generous. We'll work hard!" Ou Chongyuan said with a smile.
With Zhang Ke's coordination, the work on the muskets finally began.
That day, just as he returned from the blacksmith's shop, Ma Biao rushed over with a letter. Seeing the seal, Zhang Ke recognized it as Wang Huazhen's.
He opened it and exclaimed, "Old Wang, you can't do this to me!"
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