Chapter 58

Unlike the Mongols, the Jurchens not only desired the grain, cloth, cotton, cattle, and sheep from the Ming Dynasty, but also coveted the land of the Ming. When the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty still existed, the Mongols still had the ambition to break through the Great Wall and restore the old Yuan. However, by the middle of the Ming Dynasty, they had degenerated into mere bandits and horse thieves, thinking only of looting and then fleeing, with no great ambitions. The Jurchens, a fishing and hunting people, later evolved into a mixed economy of fishing, hunting, and farming. Their desire for land was something the Mongol horsemen could not understand. Just a few decades before Nurhaci's rise, Wang Gao of the Jianzhou tribe had caused considerable trouble for the Ming, with the sole aim of breaking through the Liaodong border wall, seizing Liaodong, Liaozhong, and Liaonan, and incorporating the vast plains and fertile black soil into his own domain. The Jurchens were indeed a tenacious and audacious people. At the height of the Ming Dynasty, the total number of adult males in all their tribes was less than the Ming garrison in Liaodong, yet they still harbored the ambition to annex Liaodong, a goal passed down from generation to generation. Their spirit was commendable, but it was also a testament to their audacity.

During Wang Gao's time, Li Chengliang was in his prime, often leading a few thousand cavalry to rout the northern invaders. The Jurchens were no match for him, and they were quickly subdued. The incident where Nurhaci's grandfather and father were killed by Ming troops occurred during Li Chengliang's campaign against Wang Gao's tribe.

If not for these past events, Zhang Chengyin would not have led over ten thousand men to chase the Jurchens. The intelligence was unclear, the number of Jurchen troops was unknown, and the strategy of their commander was a mystery. Zhang Chengyin charged in headfirst, and while his bravery in battle was commendable, it also showed that the Ming army still had the confidence to fight in the field and defeat the barbarians. However, confidence could not replace strength, and the harsh reality was that the Ming army in Liaodong had declined to the point where it was no longer a match for the barbarians it once despised.

The events of late April did not reach Datong until May. Zhang Han had to copy reliable reports from Deputy Envoy Zheng, which took a few days, and then Zhang Chun held onto them for a few more days. It's no wonder he only learned of the incident in early June.

As for the Fan family, with their extensive network, and Ning Yicheng, an official, they would have known about this news much earlier. It's easy to imagine that the Fan family's enthusiasm for the smuggling business has reached new heights. The more惨烈 the fighting in Liaodong, the more solid and expansive the Jurchen territory becomes, and the stricter the Ming control over border trade becomes. The horse markets in Liaodong have already been completely shut down, and it's only a matter of time before the same happens in Xuanda, likely within a year. Preparing in advance and controlling the smuggling routes is definitely a priority for the Fan family and Ning Yicheng.

With this in mind, Ning Yicheng and the Fan family, along with the Zhou brothers, are all part of the same scheme.

Liang Xing said, "Master, I'll take a few men tonight, beat up Li Mingda, and burn down their branch."

Liang Hong glanced at his nephew and said, "What about the Zhou brothers? If this issue isn't resolved, going after Li Mingda and the Fan family first would be like alarming the snake. Besides, although we have connections with Commander Lai, his relationship with Ning Yicheng is much stronger. If we move against the Fan family, what if Ning Yicheng intervenes? Moreover, the Fan family has branches in various places and connections with local officials. We have people too, but if we continue this conflict, we are likely to lose. If they don't act, and we provoke them, it would be unwise."

Zhang Han looked at Liang Hong, impressed by his insightful analysis.

The Fan family was merely cautious, not wanting to waste their resources and money in a conflict with Zhang Han. Since the account bureau and the mule and horse trade were not their main businesses, they allowed Zhang Han and Heyu Sheng to grow. However, once it came to smuggling grain, the Fan family set a trap for Zhang Han. If Heyu Sheng were to launch a full-scale attack and engage the Fan family, they would undoubtedly lose, given the current situation.

Self-destruction is something a wise person would not do, but the threat posed by the Zhou brothers needed to be eliminated as soon as possible. Otherwise, it would be like having a time bomb nearby, and who knows when it might explode?

The Zhou brothers were hiding in Daliang Mountain, but that didn't mean they wouldn't dare to launch a surprise attack. As Emperor Taizu of Song once said, "How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?"

Zhang Han looked at Wang Changfu and asked, "Changfu, how confident are our guards in a fight against the Zhou brothers' bandits?"

Wang Changfu grinned and said, "Master, you're asking a strange question. We will definitely win. How can you doubt it?"

Zhang Han laughed and scolded, "Is this how you speak to your master?"

Wang Changfu then remembered Zhang Han's status, coughed, straightened up, and said solemnly, "Master, forgive me. I got carried away... Our guards are now famous in Datong and Shanxi. Last year alone, we've been in countless fights... It's not easy to subdue local toughs. We had to fight. Just last month, we had five or six group fights in Zhenqiang Fort and other places. The other side lost three men and had dozens injured, and we had some injuries too, but none were serious. We built our reputation this way. Other masters are willing to entrust their money to our account bureau because of this. Master, our men can't compare to the elite border troops, as they are not professional soldiers. The skills of the household guards and the night raiders are all about killing. Whether on horseback or on foot, they aim for a fatal blow. If you don't kill in one strike, you'll be killed. Their fighting style is different from ours. If our guards encounter an equal number of household guards or night raiders, they should run, not fight... The Zhou brothers are just bandits, bold and willing to kill, but their skills are not as good as ours. We train regularly, and the local troops don't train like we do. I can guarantee that if we have an equal number of men, our guards, trained in the鸳鸯阵 (Yuan Yang Array), will have no problem dealing with these bandits."

Wang Changfu rarely spoke at such length, and everyone listened intently. The more he spoke, the more confident he became, spitting and sputtering, his yellow teeth almost flying out.

Zhang Han listened carefully. He wasn't particularly interested in military matters. Even after his穿越 (time travel), he still wanted to do what he had always wanted to do—become wealthy through business and pass it on to his descendants. He had no other ambitions. Some people who time-traveled became military officers or farmers, but Zhang Han had never agreed to Ma Cheng'en's request for him to join the military. When they met in Datong last time, Ma Cheng'en brought it up again, but Zhang Han dodged the issue. Why become a military officer? It would come with too many constraints. As long as he had enough money, he could bribe the next commander even if Ma Cheng'en left. In the Ming Dynasty, both civil and military officials would take money.

He could leave these matters to the professionals. Zhang Han fully supported Wang Changfu's business. Without good guards, the account bureau would be at risk. The chaos in the Ming Dynasty was already evident, with poor security and bandits everywhere. If not for this, an account bureau that only handled异地存取 (异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,异地存取,