Chapter 69

Now, Li Mingda was holding a banner made of high-quality silk, feeling the smoothness and luster of the banner. "Fan Family Account Bureau," these were the golden words embroidered on the banner, each as large as a plate. Once the news from outside the fort came, He Yusheng would lose its mainstay, and the Fan Family branch would choose an appropriate day to hang this banner.

Next, they would recruit He Yusheng's guards and set up branches in various places. With the Fan Family's financial power, as soon as Zhang Han was dead, taking over He Yusheng's territory would be a natural consequence.

Li Mingda's face was smiling, his round face full of simplicity, but his eyes were cold and icy. "Why should that kid keep advancing while I, Old Li, fall behind and eat dust? I also have skills, I can also succeed..."

Old Li, the shopkeeper, fondled the banner, muttering to himself.

...

By evening, Zhang Han and his group finally appeared at the fort gate.

If it were anyone else, they wouldn't even be allowed to approach the fort, as the border troops would warn them, and then the cavalry would come out to intercept and thoroughly question them.

Zhang Han's group consisted of about a hundred people and a hundred and fifty horses. Among them, about ten people were tied up, and some horses carried severed heads. The smell of blood could be detected from a distance, and several horses had people tied to them or hanging from them, their bodies limp in a way that only the dead could be.

Such a group should have triggered an alarm from the military posts outside the fort.

However, Zhang Han's face was a pass. These military posts and fort people had also received money from He Yusheng. The journey was smooth, and at the north gate of the fort, there was a city tower and a squad of soldiers patrolling and guarding the gate. They saw Zhang Han and his group from a distance, first tensing up, then coming out to greet them.

A bearded captain came forward, staring at Zhang Han and his group, and said, "Mr. Zhang, what is this?"

"Encountered bandits," Zhang Han smiled. "As you can see."

The bearded captain looked again, raised his thumb, and praised sincerely, "I recognize this, it's Zhou Wu's body. We've tried to suppress the bandits of Daliang Mountain several times without success. Good job, He Yusheng's guards are really impressive!"

"Zhou Wu?"

"The one with the scar on his face?"

"Amazing, amazing!"

"Zhou Wu of Daliang Mountain was suppressed by He Yusheng?"

It was just the time when shops were closing, with no business and no shutters up. Everyone was standing outside chatting. The bearded captain's shout immediately stirred up half the fort.

Zhang Han and his group also intended to use this to gain fame, so they lingered outside the fort gate for a while before entering from the north gate.

From the north street to the south street, the streets were almost full of people. As the sky was not yet dark, many more people climbed up trees or onto rooftops to watch.

The common people of the Ming Dynasty loved to watch spectacles, especially executions. Even women who fainted at the sight of a chicken being killed would run to the market to watch a beheading.

Now, with so many severed heads, bodies, and captured bandits, if the people of the Ming Dynasty didn't watch, they wouldn't be worthy of being descendants of the Chinese nation.

Soon, the entire street was crowded with people. Fortunately, the guards were originally street people, and they formed two lines to separate the crowd. Those who tried to push forward were intimidated by the guards, who were former bandits, and quickly retreated. The crowd from the north gate to the south street was a lively scene.

...

Lai Tongxin stared at the chessboard, Ning Yicheng's face was smiling, but his eyes were full of disdain. He truly looked down on this martial man, who was fat and out of shape, and could hardly breathe. If it weren't for the Lai family's influence in the eastern part of Xuangfu, how could Lai Tongxin be the commander of the eastern part of Xinping?

Regarding the smuggling, he had already negotiated with the Fan Family and didn't intend to let Lai Tongxin have a share. Zhang Han was his setup, and He Yusheng was to be taken over by the Fan Family. Ning Yicheng had great ambitions in the eastern part of Datong.

"Sir, you lost this game."

After letting Lai Tongxin win one game, Ning Yicheng mercilessly defeated him three times in a row. Seeing Lai Tongxin's face turn a deep red, he felt very satisfied, but he didn't show it much on his face, only a slight hint of pride.

What did it matter if Lai Tongxin was a commander, or if Zhang Han was what he was, or if Fan Yongdou would be in the future? Ning Yicheng didn't care.

The only ones he dared not provoke were the real literati officials, who always stuck together. He, as a miscellaneous official, was naturally a punching bag. People looked at him the same way Ning Yicheng looked at Zhang Han, with the same disdainful eyes.

"Ah, lost, lost..."

Lai Tongxin muttered, his fat hand disrupting the chessboard, and forced a smile, "Forget it, let's not play anymore."

Ning Yicheng was also getting anxious. According to the plan, the news from outside the fort should have come in.

He had a trusted family member in the bandit group. Even if the bandits didn't think of it, wouldn't Ning Zhiyuan dare to delay?

Could there really be some unexpected event?

A闷雷声在窗外响起，接着是一道闪电，Lai Tongxin muttered, "Could it be that there's a heavy rain outside the city, causing a delay?"

Ning Yicheng deliberately acted indifferent, holding a small teacup and smiling, "No matter what, it's a good opportunity to trouble the official for a dinner."

At this moment, a commotion came from outside the residence. Lai Tongxin and Ning Yicheng exchanged glances, both knowing that the matter must have been resolved.

Not long after, a servant from Lai's residence ran in, panting, "Sir, many guards from He Yusheng have come, and their boss Zhang Han is here. They say they encountered bandits on the road, defeated them, killed the bandit leader Zhou Wu, and captured many people. They are now asking the sir to come out to inspect the heads and take custody of the captured bandits."

"Ah?" Lai Tongxin's mouth opened wide, the fat on his face almost squished together.

"Clang!" Ning Yicheng's teacup fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

...

"I, Zhang Han, pay my respects to the commander."

Zhang Han made a gesture to kneel and bow, but his current status was far from what it was in the past. However, as a civilian, he still had to show respect to Lai Tongxin, a second-rank military commander and deputy commander.

"Mr. Zhang, there's no need for such formality," Lai Tongxin quickly helped Zhang Han up, his face full of smiles. He looked at the crowd behind Zhang Han, first at the dozens of bloody heads. Although Lai Tongxin was a watered-down commander, he still led troops to defend against autumn invasions every year, and there were always some small conflicts. Being from a military family, these heads didn't scare him. However, seeing the bodies of Zhou Wu and Lai Shiyi, Lai Tongxin realized that today's matter was bad. He quickly said in a reproachful tone, "Mr. Zhang, this is too much. Although your guards are indeed impressive, and these bandits were no match, you should have sent someone to report, and I could have sent my men to assist. Wouldn't that have been more prudent?"

Compared to Lai Tongxin, Ning Yicheng was full of shock and suspicion. He hurried out just as Zhang Han heard Lai Tongxin's words and saw Ning Yicheng.

Ning Yicheng suddenly stopped, realizing that Zhang Han's eyes were different.

Zhang Han's eyes were filled with disdain, contempt, and mockery. Most importantly, they treated him with the same indifference and disregard as one would treat an ant.

In the past, Zhang Han often visited the commander's residence and the Qing Army Hall, and he would also deal with Ning Yicheng, a deputy commander. He gave him a substantial amount of silver every month, and they would greet each other and chat. Ning Yicheng always maintained his dignity, and Zhang Han was always humble. Today, Zhang Han not only did not greet Ning Yicheng but also looked at him with disdain.

For Zhang Han, revenge was the best drink, the ice in summer, the warmth in winter. He looked at Ning Yicheng, at the sixth-rank civil official's robe, which he once had to be extremely cautious about. Last year, he would have to bow deeply, only seeing the black official boots under the robe. When he looked up, he would see the hidden disdain and contempt in Ning Yicheng's smile. This civil official, from the depths of his heart, looked down on him, the merchant boss. Even when he was polite on the surface, it was still the same contempt as when He Yusheng was appointed as the head of the bureau last winter.

Now, it was finally payback.

Zhang Han looked at Ning Yicheng with unadulterated, unmasked disdain!

It was pure disregard, contempt, and treating him like an ant!

Ning Yicheng's face turned as red as Guan Yu's. Despite his deep scheming and intelligence, he could not control himself under Zhang Han's gaze.

How could he, a sixth-rank civil official and deputy commander of the Qing Army Hall, be despised by a merchant with no official position or title?

In the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants were the lowest!

Ning Yicheng could hardly contain his anger, looking at Zhang Han with fierce eyes.

This reaction was actually quite helpless and powerless, but Ning Yicheng had nothing to counter Zhang Han, so he could only adopt this confrontational attitude.

"I did want to seek help," Zhang Han finally turned his gaze to Lai Tongxin and said loudly, "Unfortunately, there is a high-ranking official in the fort who is in league with the bandits, coveting my wealth and life, and inciting the bandits to intercept us halfway. Sir Lai, how could I dare to seek help in the fort?"

The crowd around them numbered no less than a thousand, and with those watching from a distance, there were probably three to five thousand people. The entire Xinping Fort, including the villages outside, had fewer than thirty thousand people. With so many people watching, the news would quickly spread to everyone in the fort. Hearing that the upper echelons of Xinping Fort were in league with bandits, the crowd was in an uproar!

This matter was indeed serious!