Chapter 15

Lin Yuanteng's expression first stiffened, then changed. After his face suddenly turned pale, his already unpleasant triangular eyes became even more sinister. As everyone knew, although the Lin family owned a considerable amount of land, their main business was the five or six mines within Yingzhou Prefecture. Anyone who operated mines inevitably had to supervise and suppress the miners, so he had a number of ruthless thugs and enforcers under his command. Unlike Li Yuan and Wang Shoucheng, who were full of bad intentions but had never actually taken action, Lin Yuanteng had personally been involved in taking lives. Therefore, when he lost his temper, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense. Yueyang, standing opposite him, was the first to bear the brunt. If it had been the original Yueyang, who had grown up in a sheltered environment and only knew how to study, he would have been terrified under Lin Yuanteng's pressure. Yueyang, looking at the menacing Lin Yuanteng, was indeed startled, but he was very clear that in this office representing the highest authority of Yingzhou Prefecture, Lin Yuanteng wouldn't dare to make a move, even if he had ten times the courage. Otherwise, it would be a blatant defiance of the court and Zheng Fakui. Although Yueyang, in modern society, was a man who had lived at the bottom of society, he was not a meek person. In high school and college, he often went out with classmates to chase girls and got into fights with small-time hooligans. Therefore, he was not afraid of Lin Yuanteng's intimidation. His face first turned cold, then he pointed at Lin Yuanteng and said coldly, "Lin, I call you Uncle out of respect, but if I don't give you face, you're nothing. Don't think you're great just because you have a few thugs who bully the people. If you're not satisfied, send them all over and see if the ten thousand people in Wulizhai will be afraid of you!"

"Hisss..." When Yueyang's words came out, everyone in the hall drew a sharp breath. The reason was simple: Yueyang's tone was too strong, not at all like what a weak scholar should say, but more like a street thug. "Kid, you're asking for death!" Lin Yuanteng, who usually bullied people in his mines, hadn't heard anyone defy him like this in a long time. His anger flared up, and he stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to teach Yueyang a lesson. Yueyang, not to be outdone, stood up, grabbed a chair, and was ready to fight. It looked like a full-scale brawl was about to break out in the back hall of the prefectural office. The reactions of the other people in the hall to Yueyang and Lin Yuanteng's actions were varied. Li Yuan pinched his beard and remained silent, while Wang Shoucheng watched coldly with a cup of tea, a look of schadenfreude on his face. He thought that if Lin Yuanteng could teach this little guy Yueyang a good lesson, it would make things much easier for him. However, Wang Shoucheng's wish did not come true. Another loud "bang" echoed in the hall as Zheng Fakui slammed the table and pointed at Yueyang and Lin Yuanteng, shouting, "Ridiculous! One of you is a local gentry, and the other is a respected scholar, yet you just acted like two street thugs, insulting each other. Do you still respect this office, or do you want me to order the guards to throw you out?"

Seeing Zheng Fakui's anger, Lin Yuanteng, who had been blinded by his own rage, finally realized that this was not his mine, where he could bully people, but the prefectural office, representing the highest authority of Yingzhou Prefecture. If he continued to act recklessly, Zheng Fakui could easily order the guards to throw him out. Thinking of this, Lin Yuanteng quickly bowed and apologized, "Your Excellency, please forgive me! I was rash just now, and I apologize to you!"

"Hmph, this time I'll let it go, but if it happens again, I won't spare you!" Zheng Fakui's face was grim. Lin Yuanteng's behavior in front of him was a challenge to his authority. He turned to Yueyang and said coldly, "Mr. Yue, you are a scholar, so why did you act like a thug and quarrel with Lin in the office?"

Yueyang bowed to Zheng Fakui and said calmly, "Your Excellency, the Lin family has been too overbearing. The water in the Sanggan River is already scarce, and supplying the people of Wulizhai is already a struggle. Yet, someone still wants to take a share. Even if they use our water for free, it's one thing, but to insult us with harsh words, how could I not be angry?"

As soon as Yueyang finished speaking, Lin Yuanteng shouted, "Who said we're using your water for free? Didn't we say we would pay you silver?"

"Did you pay? I ask, Mr. Lin, how much silver did you pay?" Yueyang laughed coldly. "I haven't seen you offer a single coin."

"Then you can't ask for too much! You want a thousand taels of gold... do you think your river water is divine nectar?"

"If you don't want it, no one is forcing you to buy it!" The two voices started to rise again, and it looked like the situation was about to escalate. Zheng Fakui rubbed his temples, which were starting to throb. At this moment, he really regretted getting involved in this mess. To be honest, he despised the Lin, Li, and Wang families for trying to take the water. The water in the Sanggan River was already scarce, and these three families were trying to take it, which would leave the Yue family with nothing. And Yueyang was not an easy person to deal with, demanding a thousand taels of gold from each family. In the late Ming Dynasty, the ratio of gold to silver was 1:8, so Yueyang was asking for a total of 3,000 taels of gold, equivalent to 24,000 taels of silver. This was a very high price, considering that the entire Yingzhou Prefecture's annual tax to the court was about the same amount. Zheng Fakui sighed and said to Yueyang, "Mr. Yue, let me speak frankly. A thousand taels of gold is a huge sum, and your current demand is indeed too high. I suggest you make a concession."

"Is that so!" Yueyang smiled slightly, looked around at everyone, and then said slowly, "Your Excellency, since you have spoken, I will make a concession. If each of the three families pays 500 taels of gold, I will allow them to dig channels and divert water from the Sanggan River for three months. However, I have one more request for Your Excellency. If you agree, I will make a decision on behalf of my grandmother."

"Five hundred taels of gold?" Lin Yuanteng, Li Yuan, and Wang Shoucheng exchanged glances and then slowly nodded. If this was the price, it was still reasonable. This amount, converted to silver, was only 12,000 taels, which the three families could afford when split evenly. In fact, they would still be getting a good deal. Zheng Fakui's expression improved, and he nodded, "Yes, this price is fair, but what else do you need from me, Mr. Yue?"

Hearing Zheng Fakui's words, Yueyang knew the main event of the day was about to begin. He took a deep breath and said, "Your Excellency, due to the recent drought, many people in our Great Ming are suffering, begging for food, and some have even rebelled. These bandits can cause minor disturbances in the mountains or major rebellions, killing officials and causing chaos. The court is already struggling with this, and I am also concerned. Therefore, I have thought about recruiting a local militia to protect ourselves and bring peace to the area."

"You want to recruit a local militia?" After hearing Yueyang's words, the expressions of the people in the hall varied, and they all fell silent. A local militia, or "tuanlian," refers to the local militia system in ancient China, also known as "xiangbing" or "minbing." As a supplement to the regular army, the militia system played a significant role in Chinese history. The most famous person to organize a militia was Zeng Guofan, who was highly praised by both Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong. The militia he organized was so powerful that it managed to suppress the Taiping Rebellion, demonstrating the potential of a well-organized militia. Since coming to this era, Yueyang had thought a lot. If he wanted to survive in this chaotic world, he needed a loyal armed force. Otherwise, he would either be killed by bandits or forced to become a slave to the Manchus. Of course, Yueyang could choose to return to the modern world through the time portal, but that would mean abandoning his current family, which he could not accept. Therefore, Yueyang decided to ask Zheng Fakui for a position to organize a militia, giving him a legitimate reason to recruit and train soldiers. Although the militia was not a regular army, it was still an army. After a long pause, Zheng Fakui said slowly, "I did not expect Mr. Yue to have such a noble aspiration to protect the people. However, this is not something I can decide alone. It requires the approval of the military commissioner of Datong Prefecture, Mr. Wang. This is a bit difficult..."

The military commissioner was a position established in important areas of each province during the Ming Dynasty. Originally, it was a temporary institution set up during the Hongwu period to assist the governor in organizing documents and participating in important matters. However, by the mid-Ming Dynasty, as the power of civil officials increased, it became an important institution used by civil officials to control military officials. The military commissioner had control over the mobilization of troops and the allocation of supplies and equipment, so Zheng Fakui's words were not an excuse. However, Yueyang was not concerned with these details. He simply glanced coldly at Lin Yuanteng and the others, making it clear that if this matter was not resolved, they would not get a single drop of water from the Sanggan River.

PS: At the moment, I am unable to write, so I am using the remaining drafts. I hope all the readers will support me by giving me your free recommendations and collections, considering that I am writing while dealing with my health issues.