Just as the head of the Zhan clan was dragged outside by the Li family's private soldiers, shoved to the ground, and stamped with several muddy footprints across his face, a massive host arrived from the southern city gate, thundering toward the scene. Hooves rumbled like thunder, kicking up plumes of dust, and the common folk along the street reflexively scrambled aside to clear a path.
The soldiers wore gleaming armor, their steeds were spirited, and every man radiated vigor and discipline.
Moreover, two giant wolves accompanied the ranks. As massive as lions, scarlet tongues dripping drool, they struck such terror that no one dared draw near.
Standard-bearers at the vanguard held high their banners; the scarlet character for "He" was visible from afar.
The officials exchanged bewildered glances. Could it be? Surely not... was it really him?
In the blink of an eye, the army reached the Zhan residence. The handsome man at the lead gave a slight nod of his chin, and over a hundred cavalrymen promptly surged into the estate, riders and steeds alike, to "break up the fight."
The two giant wolves bounded inside with ferocious roars as well.
With them present, the two families' heads would clear considerably faster.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the handsome man dismounted and walked toward the officials, asking, "What is going on here? Is this how Dunyu welcomes me?"
A man slipped out from behind him—none other than Peng Ju'an, the Military Section Officer.
The latter hurriedly addressed the officials, "This is Lord He, the newly appointed Chief Administrator of Xiazhou, and our direct superior."
He Chunhua turned his left palm over, revealing the State Token gleaming with radiant light.
With all doubt erased, everyone bowed low in unison.
"Dispense with ceremony," He Chunhua said only after they had completed every detail of the etiquette. "From this moment forth, Peng Ju'an is relieved of his post as Military Section Officer and assigned to other duties. Zeng Feixiong—"
Zeng Feixiong leapt from his horse and strode forward.
He Chunhua tossed him a Yuan coin—the very token he had just taken from Peng Ju'an. "I hereby appoint you as the Military Section Officer of the Xiazhou Area Command, in charge of military affairs. Do your duty well!"
"Yes, sir!" Zeng Feixiong boomed.
In less time than it took a few breaths, Xiazhou's Military Section Officer had been replaced.
The officials realized what had happened: the newly arrived Chief Administrator had not ridden straight into Dunyu. Instead, he had detoured to Qingping Township, revealed his identity, and stripped Peng Ju'an of his command over more than a thousand troops before doubling back to Dunyu.
What they did not know was that the Auxiliary Army had stormed right into Peng Ju'an's home. He Chunhua had brandished the royal court's transfer orders and various official tallies and seals, seizing military command right before the eyes of the assembling Xiazhou soldiers.
Back then, when He Chunhua had faced Sun Fuping bearing royal decrees, he had felt thoroughly stifled and humiliated; today, Peng Ju'an had endured that exact same humiliation facing him.
Only by securing military authority did he have enough men and prestige to swiftly establish a foothold in Dunyu.
Now, He Chunhua's forces had expanded in one stroke to over two thousand two hundred men.
At that moment, the ranks parted, and over two hundred more people were marched out under escort. Among them were members of the Zhan clan and private soldiers of the Li family, all bearing marks of combat—disheveled clothes, battered limbs, and some with bloody head wounds.
He Chunhua said with a stony face, "Violent criminals were brawling along the county road to the south; I apprehended them and brought them along."
The Auxiliary Army soldiers who stormed the Zhan residence were like wolves and tigers, far fiercer than either brawling faction. Local bailiffs feared the Li family and hesitated to make arrests, but the Auxiliary Army harbored no such reservations.
When the Li family's private soldiers, blood in their eyes, attempted to resist, they were either slapped across the face or kicked to the ground. He Chunhua's men came from a rough, mixed background—not only scoundrels from Blackwater City, but also rebel bandits from Woling Pass. They knew precisely how to deliver vicious beatings that caused maximum pain without killing.
The crowd of onlookers swelled larger by the minute, eyes shining with excitement at the spectacle.
Before long, the chaos inside the Zhan residence was quelled, and both factions were marched outside. Li Zhi and Li Rong might have avoided joining the fray directly, but their robes had been torn to shreds and they sported fresh bruises and scrapes.
The Zhan clan across from them was in far worse shape: over a hundred injured, with a dozen or more collapsed on the ground, uncertain if they were still breathing.
"Outrageous!" He Chunhua gripped his horsewhip and pointed it at the Li family, his voice booming like thunder. "Trespassing in private homes, raising private armies, bullying the weak, and plundering property in broad daylight—do you intend to turn the world upside down? Is there no law in your eyes?!"
The nearby officials seized the moment to announce his identity.
Seeing this unfamiliar, imposing official radiating unassailable authority, both clans guessed who he was. Zhan Qingmao, the head of the Zhan clan, was overwhelmed with shock and delight; he spat out a broken tooth before desperately begging Governor-General He to deliver justice. The Li family, meanwhile, was pinned under the predatory gaze of two drooling giant wolves; their rage plummeted while dread surged.
The three hundred private soldiers the Li family had brought along were disarmed, standing dejectedly to the side with bowed heads.
Li Rong stepped forward, speaking in self-defense, "Our Old Master was murdered! These scoundrels cannot wash their hands of it!"
Li Zhi's lips twitched, but he kept his silence.
He Chunhua said coldly, "I shall spare you some dignity for now: come with me to the prefectural yamun immediately for a public hearing. As for these private soldiers who engaged in violence, every last one is remanded into custody. Help the wounded back inside the Zhan residence. You—" he pointed at the Assistant Officer of Headquarters, "—summon physicians to the Zhan residence to treat the injured. Tally the expenses, for the Li family will foot the bill later."
He then summoned the Mounted Escort Officer forward. "As for you, assist the Zhan clan in assessing their losses. All three hundred suspects are here; you are responsible for confiscating every bit of stolen property found on them to serve as evidence in court! As for the men, throw them in jail to await trial!"
"Very well. The heads of both the Li and Zhan clans, follow me now!"
He issued commands with effortless precision, organizing everything cleanly in the blink of an eye, and spoke imbued with true energy so every single person present heard him loud and clear.
This swift, decisive manner won the immediate approval of the onlookers. Someone began clapping, and the applause gradually spread through the crowd.
The commoners felt today's show had been magnificent: the Li and Zhan families had put on quite an energetic performance, and the new Chief Administrator had wrapped it all up crisply without a shred of hesitation.
Mounted on his horse, He Lingchuan glanced smilingly into the crowd. Maotao and several subordinates in plainclothes were lurking among the townsfolk, acting as shills to hype the crowd; they were the ones who had started the clapping.
His father's carefully orchestrated grand entrance had yielded results far exceeding expectations. Now the entire city knew the new Chief Administrator of Xiazhou had arrived, and his very debut had cowed both local tyrants, the Li and Zhan clans. It was more than merely imposing!
Unfortunately, the applause could hardly be described as thunderous, a testament to how deeply most people feared the Li family.
The newly appointed Military Section Officer Zeng Feixiong left two hundred Auxiliary Army soldiers behind, both to assist officials like the Assistant Officer and Mounted Escort and to back them up. These soldiers had been with the He family father and son the longest; burly, thick-waisted, and ruthless, their discipline and execution were far superior to the local Xiazhou troops. Any complications could be dealt with on the spot.
He Chunhua packed up every prominent figure from the Li and Zhan clans and hauled them all away. Without those figures throwing their weight around to obstruct proceedings, the provincial officials let out a collective sigh of relief.
The Assistant Officer and the Mounted Escort exchanged looks, whispering as they entered the Zhan residence, "This Governor-General He seems to be a different breed entirely. He suppressed both families the moment he arrived."
"The days ahead are long; let us wait and see. Has any official posted here ever avoided clashing with the Li family? Still..." the Assistant Officer whispered back, "Old Man Li dying at this exact juncture is the Li family's misfortune and our new Governor-General's good fortune."
He Lingchuan looked around as he rode into the city with the main host, noticing quite a few people pointing in his direction.
"Look, there's a monkey sitting on that man's shoulder! A monkey wearing a conical hat!" a young woman exclaimed.
Young Master He straightened his back even more.
"He's so handsome..." The speaker giggled bashfully—yet why on earth was it a man!
He Lingchuan shuddered, swiftly recasting the dense wall of onlookers into a warm welcome line in his mind.
The procession now headed north, cutting straight through the center of the city. He Chunhua clearly intended to strike while the iron was hot; on the surface, he was taking both clans to the yamun to settle accounts, but in truth, it was a show of force to put them in their place.
From what He Lingchuan observed, Dunyu's streets were fairly wide. The main avenue could accommodate five carriages abreast, while side streets were somewhat narrower. Deeper in, however, certain alleyways were so narrow that only a single person could squeeze through, barely passable for someone stout or pregnant.
The buildings were solidly constructed without frivolous ornamentation, though there were noticeably more two- and three-story structures than in Blackwater City.
He did spot several handsome estates—sprawling properties with elegant facades and brickwork laid with remarkable precision.
He beckoned over a local Xiazhou bailiff and pointed ahead. "Whose grand family estate is this?"
"Grand family?" The bailiff shook his head like a rattle-drum. "No, no, no, that's just the residence of Silk Merchant Hu. It can't compare to the opulence of the Four Great Clans!"
Even that didn't count?
After another hundred-odd zhang, a magnificent complex came into view: black tiles, gray walls, carved brickwork, and flying eaves, embodying both lavish elegance and grandeur. The column marched alongside its perimeter wall for dozens of breaths.
Now this was a true mansion. Compared to the estate before him, the silk merchant's house was instantly eclipsed.
Without waiting for He Lingchuan to ask, the bailiff volunteered:
"This is the Li residence."
"Splendid, quite splendid." Even having witnessed the wealth and magnificence of Shihuan City, He Lingchuan could not help marveling at the Li residence. Judging solely from the grandeur of the Li family, Father's post as Chief Administrator of Xiazhou offered far more lucrative prospects than Qiansong Commandery.
Well, no—promising prospects.
The bailiff clearly had his wits about him, so He Lingchuan took the opportunity to ask, "When did Old Master Li pass away?"
Just a few days ago during their meeting in Ru County, Father had been fretting over how troublesome the old man of the Li family would be to deal with. Yet the moment they entered the city today, they were greeted with news of his death. Could there truly be such a convenient coincidence in this world?
"Early this morning; it was very sudden." Knowing this was the Chief Administrator's eldest young master, the bailiff held nothing back. "From the looks of it, the Li family was convinced the Zhan clan was behind it, so they brought their men over for revenge."
"Quite the scale." This was the provincial capital of Xiazhou, not some backwater countryside, yet the Li family hadn't hesitated to muster over three hundred men to gang up on the Zhan clan. It was practically a textbook demonstration of utter contempt for the law. "Do people here often engage in private feuds and brawls?"
"Well..." The bailiff faltered. Giving an affirmative answer would practically be admitting failure at his own job, wouldn't it? "The locals have hot tempers, so it's sometimes unavoidable. We always do our best to mediate."
Still, facing several hundred Li family men, none of the bailiffs dared wave chains around to make arrests. In the past, officials had been beaten and injured when these families unleashed their thugs; aside from a pittance for medicine, they had to swallow their bad luck.
A beating suffered was a beating wasted.
Having lived for so long in the rough-and-tumble melting pot of Blackwater City, He Lingchuan understood immediately.
The farther north they went, the more townsfolk fell in behind the column, creating a festive commotion as if it were a holiday. Hearing that the newly arrived Governor-General He was convening an open court session to try two of Dunyu's prominent clans, everyone was energized to the highest degree; not even the wind and snow could dampen their enthusiasm.
Chapter 216