An escort of around a hundred government soldiers guarded several carriages as they arrived before an ancient, dilapidated county seat. The curtain of one carriage drew back, and a fair-skinned, portly official peered ahead. Carved into the gate tower were two large characters: Ye County. Both characters were badly weathered, and the character for "Ye" was missing two dots.
The man sighed and said, "Fallen into such ruin?"
The procession then entered the city and headed straight for the county yamen, where he completed the handover with the sitting magistrate.
The formalities had barely concluded, and the outgoing magistrate had not even left the city, when this fair-skinned official summoned the assistant magistrate, the advisor, the chief constable, and the county commandant. "The rebel Liu Heihu's momentum is at its peak, claiming a host a million strong. What countermeasures do you gentlemen have?"
The minor officials all replied that there was no cause for concern. The rebel main force was still far away, and besides, the commandery had suffered years of disaster; nine out of ten homes were deserted, leaving no grain for the rebels. Wouldn't they starve if they came?
The fair-skinned magistrate shook his head. "Their main force will not come, but I expect they will likely dispatch light cavalry to sweep through the area. That is not something we can withstand either. Thus, we must prepare early and raise some military funds and rations."
The minor officials saw right through him. This Magistrate Zhuang had only just assumed office and was already itching to scrape the land bare. Moreover, judging by his attitude, he would likely abandon the county and flee the moment the rebels arrived.
According to the Tang Code, local officials bore the duty to defend their territory; abandoning one's jurisdiction in flight was punishable by summary execution. But as time passed, enforcement of the Tang Code had grown lax, and many officials had devised their own workarounds.
The petty officials, however, had their own means of survival. If His Honor wished to fleece the populace, he could do as he pleased; it wouldn't come out of their own pockets anyway.
If the magistrate squeezed ten taels, he would surely pass one or two down to his subordinates, wouldn't he? As for the life and death of the common folk, who cared about that?
At once, the advisor presented a registry of the county's wealthy households, explaining that the commoners were destitute, without grain left to last the night; only the prominent estates still held grease to skim.
The magistrate opened the registry. On the very first page was written: Wei Youcai.
He read further down: Wei Youcai, age sixty-one, childless. Assets include two courtyard residences, nineteen hundred mu of farmland, and one hundred and twenty estate guards. Total assets valued at approximately eleven thousand taels of silver.
The second page listed Liu Shounu, and the third page listed Jia Tianci.
After looking it over, the magistrate chuckled. "Before I assumed office, someone gave me a word of advice, saying that upon arrival, I must first demand the King of Hell roster. This book here is the so-called King of Hell roster, isn't it?"
Stroking his rat-like whiskers, the advisor smiled. "Precisely! As the saying goes, when the King of Hell marks a man to die at the third watch, who dares keep him until the fifth? Since they are inscribed in the roster, when the people on it are to die is merely a matter of a single word from Your Honor."
The magistrate patted the registry and asked, "There aren't any kin of important figures overlooked on here, are there?"
"In a destitute backwater like ours, where would kin of important figures come from?"
The magistrate nodded, then chuckled. "This Wei Youcai has such an enormous estate—how does he not even have a child or grandchild? Won't all this end up falling into someone else's hands in the end?"
"The man was born unable to father children and never adopted an heir. It's said that over the years, plenty of people have come trying to claim kinship. Yet while he seems wealthy, his wealth is entirely in houses and land. On top of that, he hands out porridge to relieve the townsfolk year after year, so he likely doesn't have much cash or grain on hand."
The county commandant snorted. "An adopted son isn't of your own blood, after all. A difference in lineage is a difference of ten thousand li! If I were Wei Youcai, I'd rather spend every bit of the estate than leave a single copper to an adopted son!"
The magistrate pondered for a moment before speaking. "My predecessor was quite generous, leaving me a little something. Still... those hundred-odd guards are somewhat tricky."
A fierce glint flashed in the county commandant's eyes. "They're nothing more than country brawlers! Once government troops in armor and helmets arrive, they'll be crushed in no time! I currently have five hundred garrison troops under my command, fully capable of sweeping across the region. Your Honor, just give the word: this time, do we pose as soldiers, or bandits?"
The magistrate laughed despite himself. "Why would we need to pose as soldiers? You were amnestied so long ago—how have you still not shed your bandit habits? This time, march out of the city under the guise of training. Change your clothes once you're clear of town, and then..." The magistrate made a throat-slitting gesture, and the county commandant understood at once.
A day later, the five hundred garrison troops marched out of the city, a ragged column heading into the countryside. Though called five hundred, a headcount would have revealed fewer than three hundred men. Fortunately, this force served as the facade of the entire county, so their armor and garb were passably complete.
As the county commandant rode along, he saw collapsed houses, abandoned fields, and nine out of ten homes deserted. Even the official road was choked with weeds, making passage difficult for carriages and mounts. He could not help shaking his head with a sigh. "To levy such heavy taxes on a godforsaken place like this—not even the Jade Emperor himself could survive here."
Several platoon commanders nodded in agreement.
After marching for nearly half a day, the column gradually wound into the mountains. Surveying both sides, the county commandant said, "Stay sharp, everyone! Both sides look like prime spots for an ambush. Back in the day, before I met Magistrate Zhuang, I loved lying in wait for passing merchants in places just like this..."
The platoon commanders pretended not to hear.
Just then, an uproar erupted from the adjacent peak, and countless heads appeared. Among a mob of ragged bandits stood a wretched-looking fellow with sharp features and a monkey face, bizarrely dressed in the robes of a scholar.
Looking down at the government troops below, he shouted, "If this band of maneaters reaches the countryside, who knows how many lives they'll claim! None of us can survive either way, so rebel along with me!"
Beside him, an iron-tower of a man hesitated with some fear. "I hear the State of Ji has immortals. Wouldn't an immortal crushing us be as easy as stepping on an ant?"
The skinny fellow in scholar's garb sneered. "He didn't see the years of drought! He didn't see a thousand li of scorched earth! He didn't see people exchanging children to eat! Is he blind?! What use is an immortal like that—just finding an ancestor to prop up and worship above our heads for nothing?
"Today, we're all dead men anyway! Before dying, we might as well drag that immortal down from the heavens! A wholehearted curse from each of us before we die—so long as there are enough of us, even if he's an immortal, we can curse him to die without posterity!"
The burly man's spirits lifted. "Eighth Brother makes damn good sense! Let's fight the immortal to the death, motherfucker!"
The wretched scholar held out a hand and barked, "Bring the bow!"
The burly man immediately presented a heavy iron-backed bow. Taking it in hand, the frail-looking scholar summoned startling strength, drawing the bow fully taut before releasing an arrow that streaked toward the county commandant with a faint glimmer of light!
Below, the government troops were already thrown into chaos upon realizing they were ambushed. The county commandant could not suppress them no matter what he did. Just as he prepared to leap up the cliff, an arrow suddenly struck, piercing straight through his chest!
The county commandant's face froze in shock. His final thought was simply: *How could there be a powerhouse with an Earth-grade Dao Foundation in a place like this...?*
Scores of mountain bandits then charged down from both sides. The three hundred government soldiers instantly threw down their weapons and armor to flee. Those who could not escape dropped to their knees on the spot, begging for mercy.
***
The Wei Family Compound remained unchanged in its old style and layout. There were merely fewer servants and considerably more estate guards. Behind the courtyard, the old tree had withered yellow, leaving only a touch of green on its highest branch.
Wei Youcai was in the accounting room inspecting the household's reserves of silver and grain when the door swung open. The wretched scholar walked in, tossed the county commandant's severed head onto the table, and said, "Eldest Brother, this bastard took several hundred troops out toward the countryside, clearly up to no good! I steeled my heart and killed him! A few hundred soldiers are tied up on the mountain now; I left four men to guard them."
Wei Youcai's complexion remained pale and fair. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the head. After a long moment, he sighed. "Lao Ba, was there really no other way?"
The wretched scholar before him was actually the steward from years ago. Ever since struggling painstakingly to become literate, he had taken a liking to wearing scholar's robes.
Now, a fierce expression crossed his face. "Eldest Brother, the moment the new magistrate took office, he sent this fellow, an obvious ex-bandit, down with several hundred troops! Isn't it crystal clear what he wanted to do? He intended to wipe us all out! When the time came, he'd pin the blame on wandering refugees and rebels, clearing himself completely so he could go on being magistrate. Eldest Brother, stop hesitating. We have had no way out for a long time."
Wei Youcai slowly stood up and walked to the window. Looking out at the dreary, yellow sky, he said softly, "We guarded this place for decades and endured so many bitter days, yet today we are forced to a dead end by a magistrate who just arrived. Heh! Sending such people to govern local lands—I truly wonder what those fellows up top are thinking. They give us no way to live, but little do they know that if ordinary mortals are pushed to the brink, they can drag them down from the heavens just the same."
The scholar-robed steward froze. "Eldest Brother, what are you saying?"
Wei Youcai shook his head. "Nothing. Have Lao San and Lao Liu come out of the mountains. Let us enter the county seat first; we'll talk about what comes next later."
Throughout the afternoon, weeping filled the Wei Family Compound. Maidservants in their forties and fifties wiped their tears, clutching bundles as they reluctantly departed the estate. The two madams, too frail and aged to walk easily, were helped onto donkey carts, departing along the bumpy road.
Afterward, a great fire rose in the center of the Wei Family Compound. The flames spread rapidly, quickly reducing several large residences to ashes. In the end, the old tree behind the courtyard could not escape this calamity either.
In the dead of night, shouts of slaughter suddenly erupted throughout the county seat, and flames engulfed the county yamen. Every household in the city bolted their doors tight. In the military barracks, the remaining officers and soldiers also shut the gates, extinguished every lamp, and pretended the barracks were empty.
A moment later, a band of fierce men broke into the camp to seize armaments. Upon entering, they saw over a hundred government soldiers standing straight as rods.
The two groups exchanged glances, neither interfering with the other. The raiders hauled away the armaments, left behind the military grain, and departed on their own.
The following morning, Magistrate Zhuang's severed head hung from the city gate, marking exactly three days since he assumed office. Fortunately, the heads of the advisor, the assistant magistrate, and the chief constable kept it company, so the road to the Yellow Springs was not lonely.
After midday, a troop of cavalry appeared on the official road, bearing a banner emblazoned with a large character: "Liu." The riders wore a motley mix of uniforms, and many rode local ding mules. At their head was a burly general of imposing bearing.
Reaching the front of the city, he stared in astonishment at the burned gate tower and the row of severed heads hanging above it. "I went out of my way to take the most remote path possible. How did someone beat me to it?"
The military counselor beside him said, "Perhaps the locals couldn't survive any longer and simply rebelled."
The fierce general was skeptical. "That middle head belonged to someone at late-stage Dao Foundation at the very least. Who locally could overpower him? Besides, conditions this year are somewhat better than the past two. How could they survive the past two years, only to find it unlivable this year?"
The counselor sighed. "General, you hail from the imperial court and don't understand the workings of local affairs. In truth, whether the common people can survive has little to do with the harvest. People might be living just fine, but swap in a different parent official, and suddenly none of them can survive."
Only then did dawn break upon the general. He narrowed his eyes at the magistrate's head, spat, and cursed, "Reeking of blood and grievances—truly no good bird! Those fellows in the court sending scum like this to the provinces are practically forcing everyone to rebel. I really don't know what they're thinking."
The counselor said, "Perhaps they harbor no good intentions either."
Chapter 954