Chapter 40

For Yingzhou in October, the weather had already turned a bit chilly, with the temperature sometimes dropping to around five or six degrees Celsius at midnight. Coupled with the lack of nightlife in this era, the streets were basically deserted at night.

As time slowly approached the third watch of the night, the stars and moon hid behind the clouds, making the sky so dark that one could barely see their hand in front of their face. Dozens of black-clad, masked men quietly appeared in front of a row of shops in the southern part of the city.

These black-clad men either carried bucket-like objects or held firewood and other flammable items. The leader of the black-clad men, along with over a dozen companions, came to the front of the shop and gave a signal to the others. The black-clad men nodded in unison, opened the wooden buckets in their hands, and evenly poured the liquid inside onto the front of the shop and the surrounding areas. Others piled the firewood and flammable items in the corners of the shop.

After completing these tasks, the leader gave another signal, and all the black-clad men threw away their wooden buckets. One of them took out a flint from his pocket, lit it, and brought it close to the firewood at his feet. Soon, a flame quickly ignited and soon turned into a towering inferno. By this time, the black-clad men had already disappeared into the night.

A little while later, the sound of gongs and drums echoed through the night sky, followed by a panic-stricken voice: "Oh no, there's a fire! Come and put it out!"

"Clang, clang, clang... There's a fire... There's a fire..."

"What? Two out of the three salt shops were burned down, and the hundreds of salt loads we stored there were completely destroyed?" As the sky began to lighten, Yueyang was awakened from his sleep and was furious upon hearing the news!

Yue Laifu stood in front of Yueyang with his head hanging low and whispered, "Yes, Young Master. The only shop that wasn't burned down was saved because a clerk got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and noticed something unusual, promptly raising the alarm, thus avoiding the destruction of all three shops."

"Have you found out who did this?"

"No, Young Master!" Yue Laifu's face showed a hint of shame. Yueyang had entrusted him with the management of these three shops, but they were burned down after just a few days, making him feel utterly humiliated in front of Yueyang.

"What about the shop clerks? How many were injured or killed?"

Yue Laifu's head hung even lower. "One clerk was burned to death, two were severely injured, and four were lightly injured!"

"Great, just great. They acted so quickly against us. Does he really think my sword can't kill people?" Yueyang's voice was as cold as ice, sending a chill down one's spine.

"Since they broke the rules first, we can't blame us for taking harsh measures. We must avenge this!" Yue Laifu was also furious. Every industry has its rules, even if they are not written down. These rules are omnipresent and have been the same throughout history. The wealthy and influential in various regions have an unwritten understanding: if there are conflicts or friction between them, they can use any commercial or governmental means to pressure their opponents, but there is a bottom line: no violence is allowed to directly damage the opponent's business or use force against them. If you do, it will lead to resistance and retaliation from your peers.

This rule is not without reason. After all, everyone has status, position, and property. If someone were to send people to burn down another's business or kill their family, chaos would ensue. Everyone has family and property. If everyone did this, it would end in mutual destruction. Therefore, this is a bottom line that everyone adheres to. However, this bottom line has now been ignored and broken by someone.

Yueyang's face was so cold it could have frozen a layer of ice. He made a decision immediately and said, "Uncle Laifu, go to the training ground and bring Hu Laosan to me. I have a task for him."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Since Yueyang led five hundred militiamen to defeat the bandits and save Yingzhou, the reputation of the Wulizhai Militia quickly spread throughout Yingzhou. Moreover, Yueyang gave each of the five hundred soldiers who participated in the battle five taels of silver as a reward, which further increased their gratitude towards him. After all, five taels of silver was not a small amount for ordinary people, enough to support a family comfortably for several months. Even more surprising was that no one died in the rescue of Yingzhou, which was a remarkable achievement.

With a good reputation, more people naturally came to join. In recent days, the number of young men from Yue Family Village who wanted to join the militia suddenly increased. After Yueyang and Hu Laosan's selection, the militia grew from over five hundred to more than two thousand. The increase in the militia's numbers was a good thing, but it also brought many new problems, such as accommodation, food, weapons, armor, and training. Hu Laosan and some of the militiamen were busy building new houses and training, leaving them with no time to rest.

However, even if Hu Laosan was busy, he did not dare to neglect his master's summons and quickly arrived at Yueyang's place.

Upon arriving, the dusty and sweaty Hu Laosan panted and asked, "Young Master, what do you need me to do?"

Seeing Hu Laosan still in full armor, Yueyang knew he had been training the troops. Without wasting time, he briefly explained the situation of the two salt shops being burned and the injuries and deaths of the clerks. Then, Yueyang coldly said, "Hu Laosan, although we don't have direct evidence that the Wang family did this, some things don't need evidence. So, I have a task for you to do!"

After hearing Yueyang's explanation, Hu Laosan's eyes immediately widened in anger. "Young Master, just give the order! How do you want me to proceed? Should I immediately attack the Wang family and kill them all, or should I burn down their shops? Whatever you say, I will do it!"

"Directly attack their home?" Yueyang shook his head. "We can't do that. It's too crude and easy to be caught. After all, we don't have direct evidence that the Wang family did this. So, I want you to do something else. You need to hide along the roads from Yingzhou to Taiyuan, Datong, and the surrounding regions. Once you see a convoy or merchant caravan with the Wang family's flag, don't waste time talking. Kill them and take their goods. Do you understand?"

Yueyang's voice was not loud, but the coldness in it made even the fierce Hu Laosan shiver. However, Hu Laosan was not a pushover. His surprise was only momentary, and soon his face twisted into a fierce expression. "Young Master, rest assured. I guarantee not a single one of them will escape!"

"Good!" Yueyang nodded and continued, "Remember, don't leave any survivors or evidence. Don't bring the stolen goods back to Yue Family Village; hide them in a safe place and retrieve them later when the heat dies down. Got it?"

Hu Laosan patted his chest. "Young Master, rest assured. I will handle it perfectly!"

Yueyang thought for a moment and then added, "By the way, remember to bring more crossbows and arrows to minimize casualties."

Not long after Yueyang instructed Hu Laosan, Wang Shoucheng also received the news that Yue Family's salt shops had been burned down.

"Slap..."

A sharp sound echoed in the study. Wang Chenglin, holding his face, stood in front of Wang Shoucheng and asked in surprise, "Father, why did you hit me?"

"Why... Do you still have the nerve to ask why I hit you!" Wang Shoucheng's face turned pale with anger, and his body trembled like a sieve. His finger, pointing at Wang Chenglin, shook. "Why did you send people to burn down Yue Family's shops? Why!"

Wang Chenglin, still holding his right cheek, said defiantly, "I just wanted to vent our family's anger. What's so great about Yueyang? He just trained a few hundred militiamen and happened to save Yingzhou. You all treat him like a god. What is he, anyway? I wanted to show him that if he messes with our Wang family, we can make his life miserable!"

"Slap..."

As soon as Wang Chenglin finished speaking, another loud sound echoed in the study. This time, it was his left cheek. Now, both cheeks had been slapped, achieving a balance.

"You... You... How could I have given birth to such an ungrateful fool!" Wang Shoucheng looked at his son, whose eyes were filled with fear, and was overwhelmed with sorrow and anger.

At this point, Wang Chenglin had no heart to hit anyone. He knew that his son's actions would quickly spread throughout Yingzhou...

PS: Finally, A Ding wants to clarify something. Recently, some kind readers have been concerned about A Ding's health, which is very touching. However, some readers may have misunderstood. A Ding only mentioned that a nurse did a glucose tolerance test, and the results were normal. A Ding does not have diabetes, so please rest assured. As for A Ding's blood pressure, it is a bit high, but it is not primary hypertension; it is secondary cervical hypertension. People with this condition should not sit for long periods, which is why A Ding's updates have sometimes been unsatisfactory. Please understand. Regarding A Ding's health, that's all I have to say. Thank you for your concern. Also, A Ding's weight is not heavy at all; it is only 60 kilograms, really!

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