Chapter 97

"Relax, boss." Yang Sisun had always been close to Yang Qiu, but this time he didn't expect Liang Xing to plead for him. Like Wen Zhongfa, the two of them cherished this opportunity greatly, knowing that if they messed it up again, He Yusheng would have no place for them, and even Wang Yong and others would suffer the consequences. The Lahu faction would be completely weakened, leaving only two lone commanders.

This outcome was what no one wanted to see. Besides Yang Sisun's statement, Wen Zhongfa also chimed in, "We will do our best, even if it means dying, we will complete this task."

During the last bandit raid, Wen Zhongfa was one of the first to run. He was close to Liang Xing and had always followed the path of force, different from Yang Qiu's secret dealings. For some reason, he had lost his mind and led the retreat, and for a while, he couldn't hold his head up in front of others. Even his old Lahu companions would smirk when they saw him... No one could stop others from laughing, after all, who had led the retreat?

"Alright, get to work."

Yang Qiu watched as Wen Zhongfa and Yang Sisun led the men away. He looked back, and the iron furnaces on the high slope in the center of the ironworks were no longer exploding, but the molten iron was still flowing, making it impossible to approach. Occasionally, the molten iron would splash again, and anyone who dared to show their head would be scared into running away. Yang Qiu smiled, pulled his cool hat down lower, and walked quickly, soon disappearing into the endless mountains.

"It's over, all over..."

For nearly half an hour, the molten iron had not completely solidified, but at least there was no longer a risk of splashing. The crowd at the Han family ironworks finally gathered again.

Han Tong's face was already pale, and others were not much better.

These furnaces were the foundation of the Han family's livelihood. The relationships and connections they maintained, the annual expenses, and the value of the crops from their fields were all dependent on the profits from the iron mine. Even the Left Censor in Taiyuan received a significant amount of silver each year, though officially it was said to be clan property, distributed according to regulations, which sounded much better than bribery.

There were six furnaces, all over two zhang (about 6.6 meters) tall, with each furnace costing over 4,000 taels of silver. With all of them collapsed, it would cost nearly 30,000 taels to clean up and rebuild, and they would be unable to produce any iron for nearly two months. The many people they employed would still need to eat and be paid, and they would likely have to lay off more than half of them. This blow would deplete half of the Han family's accumulated wealth, leaving them with only their houses, shops, and fields. The remaining half would be weak and powerless.

"Vicious, truly vicious..."

Han Tong himself was a very ruthless and cruel person. Over the years, he had done many underhanded things. After a daze, he realized he had fallen into someone's trap. The facilities that others used without issue had caused a disaster when he used them, directly destroying the blast furnaces and causing such significant losses, grinding him down to the bone. The current state of the Han family was not just a matter of injury; it was almost a death sentence.

Han Tong's lips trembled as he ordered, "Tell He San and his gang to ambush at the ironworks. If they see that Zhang, kill him."

He San was the head of his household guards, a fugitive murderer from Henan with more than one or two lives on his hands. He had also studied martial arts at Shaolin Temple, which was famous at the time, not like the modern reputation. During the Jiajing era, Yu Dayou had climbed Shaoshi Mountain and competed with the Shaolin monks, though he had subdued them, Shaolin was still a peak of Chinese martial arts.

He San had studied at Shaolin, and his skills were unmatched. He was also ruthless and was one of Han Tong's trump cards. However, Han Tong would not have ordered He San to kill unless it was a critical moment. This time, he was truly desperate.

"Right, where is Han Lao Liu and that Yang Yingming? Beat them to death with sticks... No, bring Yang Yingming to me!"

Han Tong instinctively felt that Han Lao Liu was unreliable and might be a planted spy. Yang Yingming, on the other hand, seemed timid and cowardly, not the type to do such a thing. Han Tong trusted Yang Yingming and, driven by a burning desire to surpass He Yusheng, had agreed to Han Lao Liu and Yang Yingming's suggestion to renovate all six furnaces at once. If he had followed his ironworks manager's advice to test one furnace first, the loss would not have been so great. But now, it was too late to regret.

The people at the ironworks ran around like headless flies, eventually reporting back, "Han Lao Liu and Yang Yingming are both gone..."

"Spit..."

Han Tong spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

...

Han Tong regained consciousness in the evening. He had always heard about people getting so angry that their blood wouldn't return to their veins, but he had always thought it was nonsense. How could someone get so angry that they spat blood? Such a person must be a waste of space, completely useless.

But today, he had spat blood. Han Tong felt utterly hopeless, thinking he was finished. But when he thought about how Zhang Han had tricked him, his heart was filled with resentment and hatred.

Although it was dark, Han Tong still ordered his household to prepare a sedan chair to carry him down the mountain. Everyone knew his temper and no one dared to dissuade him. The sedan chair was prepared, and lanterns and torches were lit to illuminate the way. The small sedan chair swayed as it descended the mountain.

"Tell He San to kill Zhang Han. I'll go to the county magistrate and explain everything. With my elder brother in Taiyuan, the county magistrate won't dare to take it seriously..."

Han Tong lay half-reclined in the sedan chair, still plotting in his mind.

When they arrived at Lingqiu City, the city gates were already closed. But the gate guards, seeing the sedan chair of the Han family's master, did not dare to refuse. The city gates creaked open, and Han Tong's attendant rewarded the guards with a few taels of silver, making them overjoyed.

They walked down the quiet street, and most of the houses were already dark, though it was still early and people were not deeply asleep. Occasionally, they could hear people talking in the houses. Han Tong paid no attention, only thinking about how to take revenge, how to have He San cut off Zhang Han's head and throw it to the wild dogs outside the city...

"Master, there are many people gathered in front of our house..."

The sedan chair stopped, and the attendant spoke. Han Tong, still dazed, opened his eyes and saw a large crowd gathered in front of his house, with many torches and lanterns lighting up the area. Han Tong was furious and shouted, "Are you treating my house like a market? Who is causing trouble here?"

The attendant went forward to look and returned, saying, "It seems to be the county magistrate."

"Hmm?"

Han Tong was puzzled, struggling to stand up and having someone support him as he walked to the front of his house.

The crowd parted to make way for Han Tong as he approached. In the open space, Han Tong saw Zhu Qingyu and the county guards surrounding his house. The local military officer also had many troops lined up along the walls, looking as if they were facing a major threat.

Seeing Han Tong approach, Zhu Qingyu, who was about to enter the house, stopped and waited on the stone steps.

"Magistrate," Han Tong, suppressing his anger, bowed and said, "I wonder why you have come to my humble abode with such a large entourage. Is there something important?"

"Han Tong," Zhu Qingyu said coldly, calling him by his name, "Someone says you kidnapped and tortured ironworkers, and after private punishment, you killed them and hid the bodies in your house. Is this true?"

Han Tong was furious, his whole body trembling. He had always been the one to question others; who dared to question him?

"Who said that?"

Zhu Qingyu did not answer. The crowd parted again, and Zhang Han appeared with a smile on his face.

"Zhang Han?" Han Tong's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Zhang Han. "Is destroying my six furnaces not enough?"

"What is Master Han talking about? I don't understand," Zhang Han said calmly. "I only know that my furnace foreman Yang Yingming and furnace worker Han Lao Liu were kidnapped. I reported it to the county magistrate, who knows this. Although I suspected Master Han was behind it, I had no evidence. Today, Han Lao Liu escaped from your house and said that Yang Yingming had been killed and buried in your house, to be dug up and thrown outside the city when the situation calms down... This is a shocking matter, Master Han, as a gentleman, how could you do such an inhumane thing!"

By the end, Zhang Han's face was expressionless, his eyes fixed on Han Tong. Han Tong, initially glaring fiercely at Zhang Han, eventually looked away and said to Zhu Qingyu, "Magistrate, this is complete nonsense. I absolutely did not do such a thing."

Zhu Qingyu said, "Given the situation, with a witness, how can I ignore it? Last time, hundreds of miners caused a disturbance in the county. If I ignore this, it could lead to a miners' revolt, and if the court hears about it, who could bear the responsibility?"

Han Tong stared at Zhu Qingyu and growled, "Are you saying you won't give my elder brother any face?"

Zhu Qingyu was also wary, but the current situation left him no choice. If he ignored it, not only would the entire ironworks industry in Lingqiu see him as an enemy, making it impossible to stay, but his reputation would also be ruined. In the official world, there were certain rules. Fear of power had its limits, and if he couldn't investigate a murder case with so many people watching, the public opinion would be overwhelming, and he would not be able to continue his career.

"Han Tong, don't say more." Zhu Qingyu turned and ordered, "Break down the door, search the house. Have Han Lao Liu lead the way, do not disturb the women in the house, and do not cause chaos or steal... Go!"

The county guards, who knew the Han family's wealth, took the magistrate's words as a joke. Why not take some benefits while rushing in? They shouted and pushed open the Han family's door, rushing in like a swarm. Some of the Han family's guards tried to protect their master, but the county guards, ignoring past friendships, struck them with iron rods, causing heads to bleed, and no one dared to come forward again.