Chapter 6: The Journey to Runan, Scheming Against the Yuan Family!

  After seven days of rushing, Lü Rui and Man Chong finally arrived at the city of Runan. As soon as they reached the city gate, Lü Rui and Man Chong were stunned - was this really Runan? The Runan City that was known for being a wealthy and prosperous prefecture of the Great Han? The walls were broken, the buildings were in ruins, the fields were filled with starving people, and there were hardly any travelers coming and going through the city gate. There were only two soldiers leaning against the city gate, which made it clear that this was indeed Runan City.

  "Is this Governor Ma? Is this Yuzhou City? The number one district of Yu Province?" Lü Rui asked in doubt, this was even worse than Luoyang which had been burned down by Dong Zhuo back then!

  "Your Excellency, in the past when Manchu came to this place for sightseeing, Yuzhou was absolutely the second Luoyang of the Great Han, rich and comparable to Linzi of Qi State at that time. Alas...! Manchu did not expect it to be in such a state."

  "Sir, Master Hou, let's enter the city first! We'll settle everything and then make plans!" Liu Ye suggested from the side.

  "Hmm!" Man Chong nodded and led a group of people into Runan City, heading towards the Taishou Mansion.

  "Belonging to the lower ranks of Hu De, he was a clerk in the treasury of Ru Nan Prefecture. Seeing the new governor, Taishou Da Ren, he bowed and said: 'Greetings, great sir!' Man Chong and others arrived at the governor's mansion, where they saw an old man with white hair leading a group of weak and disabled soldiers to pay their respects to Man Chong."

  "Huku officer, how come there are only these people left in Yuzhou Governor's Mansion?" Man Chong asked surprisingly.

  "Sir...? It's hard to say this, but please rest assured first, and I'll tell you the details later."

  "Good, thank you, Hu Kui!" After settling down with Lü Rui and the others, Man Chong entered the main hall of the governor's mansion. After introducing everyone to Hu Kui, they took their seats in order of precedence.

  "Huku Li, now in the Yuzhong City Governor's Mansion, are you the only official left? This was once a prosperous capital of the great Han Dynasty, Ruyang County?"

  "Yunan? In the past, Yunan was indeed very happy, with naughty grandchildren playing at home, and several sons working hard to get rich, Yunan...?"

  "What's with you, Huku?" Man Chong interrupted Huku.

  "I'm sorry, sir! I was rude!" The bailiff Hu Ku wiped away his tears with his long sleeve.

  "Huku officials remembered the past and it was also a common human feeling, no harm done!"

  "After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Yuzhou gradually declined. With several years of natural disasters, capable residents all migrated with their families. Those who were incapable had no choice but to stay behind. Even officials fled, and we're just left with our own thin fields to rely on. Capable people have basically all left!" Hu Kui's tears fell again.

  "What's going on, Hu Kui? Since Yuzhou has declined, why did I see the East Market at the city gate still bustling when I entered the city, as if business was thriving?" Lü Rui asked after taking a sip of tea.

  "Dongshi? Hmph...! Just a group of Yuan family's running dogs!" Hu Kui's eyes gleamed with ferocity, his teeth clenched in anger.

  "Yuan's running dog? What for?"

  "You don't know, Young Master, after the decline of Ryeonan, the Yuan family took advantage of the situation to expand their power. Many citizens in Ryeonan City who had sold their land and had no land to cultivate were recruited into the Yuan family's estate, where they were beaten and scolded at will, without even enjoying the comfort of their previous life! Even the original farming households with land were taken away by the Yuan family through violent means. What a wicked person... what a great villain!" After finishing speaking, she burst into tears.

  "What is the market east of the city?"

  "That was something the Yuan family did to show off to the imperial court. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Yuan family started to run amok in Ru'nan, forcibly seizing land from the common people of Ru'nan. However, at that time, the imperial court still had troops and a governor stationed here, so the Yuan family didn't dare to be too brazen. But later on, with wars breaking out all over the place, the officials mostly fled, and the Yuan family joined forces with the aristocratic families of Ru'nan to seize control of the city by force. The East Market? Nowadays it's just a place for the wealthy and powerful clans to engage in extravagant transactions, causing no small amount of harm!"

  Lü Rui listened and shook his head, Ru Nan had become like this, the Yuan family was rampant, the city was not like a city, the people were not like people, it's really a pity!

  "Please, sir, take charge for the people of Yuzhang!" The officer from the Hujiu prison fell to his knees and kowtowed.

  "Huku officer, please get up! Governor Taishou will definitely help you eliminate the harm in Yuzhou!" Man Chong hurriedly helped Huku officer to his feet.

  "Thank you, Mr. Man!"

  After several days, in a study room within the Ruyang Governor's mansion, Man Chong sat in the main seat and asked: "Director Lu, after several days of investigation, what is the situation like in Ruyang?"

  "Your Honor, the situation in Yuzhou is not good. According to the household registration data within the prefecture, during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, the population of Yuzhou was over one million. However, last year's census showed that there were less than 100,000 people."

  "Ziyang, you have toured the city, what did you gain?"

  "Your Honor, according to my investigation, the city of Junan currently has a population of about 100,000 people. Among them, more than 30,000 people are under the control of the Yuan family and their party members within the manor fortresses and cannot be released. The same situation exists in other counties of Junan Prefecture, but the severity of the situation varies."

  "Hmm, with so many people, how many troops does the Yuan family have at their disposal?"

  "There are approximately over 5,000 people in this clan, but it has not been thoroughly investigated yet!"

  "Five thousand people?" Man Chong was shocked when he heard it. He had only brought two thousand people, and adding Lv Rui's men, they had a total of two thousand five hundred people. But the Yuan family's forces actually had five thousand people!

  Lü Rui listened and nodded, saying: "Sir, we can only use our wits to take them down, not brute force!" The 5,000 men were all household troops, but these aristocratic families' troops were no different from regular armies. Their equipment was even better than that of regular armies. It was the downfall of the Eastern Han dynasty, brought about by the troubles caused by these aristocratic families!

  "Yes, Director Lü's words are reasonable. I, the governor, have a plan to kill the people of the Yuan family..."

  Soon, everyone in the study revealed a smile.

  In the Yuannan Yuan family's estate, a man named Yuan Ba gathered representatives of the aristocratic families to discuss resistance against Man Chong. Yuan Ba, the representative of the Yuannan Yuan family, was a distant relative of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, but because he shared the same surname, he was able to dominate here.

  "Housekeeper, give everyone a look at the letter of indulgence I received!" Yuan Ba said slowly and calmly from his seat.

  "Yes, sir!" The steward then handed the letter over for everyone to read.

  "What's your take on this?"

  "Director Yuan, to be honest with you, we also received a letter from Man Chong. It seems that this person does not want to be an enemy of ours? Shouldn't we also go to the governor's mansion and meet with him?" A homeowner asked tentatively.

  "Slow down! We don't even know if this Manchu is a friend or foe, how can we rush out? Tomorrow I'll bring some of the family heads to pay respects to Manchu, and the rest of you will guard your respective strongholds tightly, preventing a surprise attack by Manchu!"

  "Director Yuan is indeed the pride of the Yuan family! Admire, admire!"

  Secondly, Yuan Ba brought several family heads to visit Man Chong at the Taishou Mansion.

  Yuan Ba has met Master Taishou before, Young Master! Yuan Ba smiled and looked at Lü Rui and Man Chong.

  "What? You actually know me? It seems that this Yuan fellow has some skills! 'Lord Yuan is too kind! I didn't expect Lord Yuan to still recognize me?'"

  "Is Lord Hou's reputation not well-known? How could Yuan Bully not recognize it?" Ha! You know me? Bragging, right? Must have arranged for a spy to monitor our movements!

  "Director Yuan is being too polite!"

  "Please sit down, Lord Yuan!" Man Chong gestured for Yuan Ba to take a seat.

  "I don't know what connection General Yuan has with the great general?" Yan Bao sat down and Man Chong began to ask.

  "Governor, you must be joking. What connection could I possibly have with the great general? My family, the Yuans of Long'an and Luoyang, suffered a calamity, and I am merely a distant relative of the Yuans. As for the great general, he is just a clansman, and it was only through him that I obtained an empty position as a Shi Lang."

  "It turned out to be the great general's cousin, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"

  "Your Honor, it's a miscarriage of justice! Your Honor must do justice for the humble!" A servant from the county governor's mansion suddenly rushed out and knelt in the main hall.

  Everyone was stunned for a moment, and Man Chong asked loudly: "Who shouted injustice?"

  "The humble one cries injustice, the humble one is a native of Nanyang, born and raised in this land. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Yuan family has been committing evil deeds in Nanyang, harming the common people, seizing their property, setting up the Eastern Market, sucking out the people's fat and oil, bringing disaster to this region. I beg Your Honor to investigate clearly!"

  "Oh? Lord Yuan? Is this true?" Man Chong looked at Yuan Ba with a glance.

  "Hmph, Governor Taishou, don't listen to the nonsense of a lowly person. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Yellow Turbans ran amok, and if it weren't for my family, the Yuannan would not have been able to maintain peace. The East Market is also a place of commerce and trade, prospering the economy of Yuannan, what's wrong with that?" Yuan Bashou said with an air of righteousness.

  "Yes, Lord Yuan is right, these stubborn commoners should be severely punished with forty heavy blows!"

  "Take him away!" The guard dragged the servant out. "You...you pampered and spoiled one, Man Ning! You evil man, you won't die a good death, the people of Yuzhang will not let you off!"

  "Governor Yuan? Shall we continue with the feast?"

  "Good! Please come in, sir!"

  After having enough wine and food, Man Chong touched his own belly, leaned against the main seat and said: "Lord Yuan, in the future Xun Nan will still need your help and that of the various family heads. Thank you all first!"

  "Governor Ma is being polite! As a native of Ru Nan, I must work for Ru Nan!"

  "Lord Yuan? I've heard that the Yuan family has some rare and precious treasures. May I borrow them to admire for a while?" Lü Rui smiled at Yuan Bao.

  "It turns out that Master Hou also likes collecting rare treasures? Yuan Ba's small hobby, didn't think of sharing the same interest with Master Hou, why bother appreciating? Since Master Hou likes it, Yuan Ba will give it to Master Hou!"

  "Really? Thank you so much, Lord Yuan!" Lü Rui cupped his hands in gratitude.

  The banquet was held in a pleasant atmosphere, Yuan Ba got drunk and with the support of Guan's family, he got on the carriage and headed to the villa.

  Yuan Ba left, and Hu Kui arrived at the main hall. Man Chong asked: "What about that servant just now?"

  "Adults, suffered serious injuries, but it doesn't matter, it's worth it to eliminate this evil person!"

  "Alright, let's take good care of that servant and proceed with our plan!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  In the following month, almost every day there were people coming to the prefecture to accuse the Yuan family and their former officials and students in Runan, but they were all beaten away by Man Chong. Many of them even ended up in prison. Yuan Ba also frequently came and went from the prefecture with a swaggering attitude.

  "Crackling and popping" today, the Taishou Fu is decorated with lanterns and streamers, it's another big day for the Yunnan Shi family to be treated to a feast by the governor, Yuan Ba takes the lead, bringing all the former officials and students of the Yunnan Yuan family to the Taishou Fu.

  The wine party was held as usual, and Man Chong glanced at Yuan Ba and said: "Lord Yuan? Why has a new beauty been added? Man Chong doesn't know?"

  "Haha, Brother Benning, this song was brought back by the merchant group from Xuzhou, if you like it, I'll give it to you!"

  "Yuan Ba, do you know your crime?"

  "Grandpa... Grandpa Ning?"

  "Yuan Ba and the remnants of the Yuan family are running amok in Ru'nan, bringing disaster to the people. The citizens of Ru'nan city can't even survive. A mere singing girl, you dare to go to Xuzhou to demand things? Can you imagine the crimes you have committed?"

  "Are you spoiling me? Are you pampering me?"

  "Governor Yuan is joking, Yuan Shu's usurpation of the throne is a great sin against heaven and man, we are just eliminating harm for the great Han and upholding national law." Lü Rui said with a smile.

  "Yuan Shu broke the law and brought disaster to his nine clans. I am not among his nine clans, what crime have I committed?"

  "Governor Yuan and Yuan Shu have been exchanging letters, colluding with the rebels, of course they are guilty!" Lü Bu glared at Yuan Bao.

  "You slander... you frame me!" Corrupt officials cannot be put to death along with their entire clan, but rebelling is a crime punishable by the extinction of one's entire clan.

  "Governor Yuan... haven't you ever heard of the crime of 'making something out of nothing'?" Before Yuan could even react, his head was twisted off by Dian Wei with a loud crack. Lü Rui shook her head, "A bunch of idiots, let me teach you a lesson in history!!!"