007 Gang
The crowd stopped killing, looking suspiciously at the officers and men. A general-like person rode on horseback, shouting loudly: "By order of the governor, arrest the wicked people who attempted to assassinate the officials' families. The yamen runners of Xuzhou Prefecture retreated, you wicked people still do not quickly surrender."
The yamen runners quickly retreated outside the circle surrounded by government soldiers, and more than 500 government soldiers plus more than 50 yamen runners turned against more than 100 armed guards of the Lianfeng Number Military Equipment Store.
The scar-faced owner of Lianfeng Number One shouted at the crowd of officials and soldiers, "Zhang Shoubei, are you not giving face to Han Lianhu or are you not giving face to Liguo Iron Factory? Today, if something happens to Second Miss while she is here, I'm afraid neither of us will be able to escape punishment."
Zhang Shoubei sneered on horseback: "Han, the big shopkeeper, brother is no longer a guard now. Besides, today your second young lady injured Huang Zhifu's nephew, there is no explanation, and it's not good for me to settle accounts."
Another officer immediately pointed at Han Dapang and shouted: "You dare to be so insolent, under the bright sky, you injured an official's family member, beat up a government servant, gathered a crowd to resist the government soldiers, do you want to start a rebellion?"
"This General, I don't know how to address you, forgive me for the disrespect. Today's matter must be a misunderstanding. My young mistress is always virtuous and wouldn't engage in violence. In the chaos earlier, it's possible that those corrupt yamen runners accidentally injured the Magistrate's nephew, who knows? We were anxious to rescue people and had a slight scuffle with the yamen brothers, but we will definitely visit to apologize later. Thank you for mobilizing the troops, I will send some gifts to the camp tomorrow. Please give our Ligu Iron Factory some face."
The general hummed and said: "I am Gao Tai, the new defender of Xuzhou Prefecture. What a big nerve you have, Han Zhanggui! You dare to bribe an official in public? I only know the Emperor and the Ninth Master Huang, but I don't know what Ligu Iron Factory is. Come on, take down these rioters and disarm them!"
The soldiers' long spears stepped forward, shrinking the encirclement, Liu Ziguang was very depressed, what a good opportunity, didn't escape, but instead had to go back to the official prison again, don't know if the government would take advantage of the momentum to eliminate Lixin Iron Factory and rescue those slaves.
Han Dazhuang was furious, if Second Miss made a mistake, the hundred or so apprentices of Xuzhou Lianfeng Number would probably all lose their heads, and this new arrival Gao Shoubei, who wouldn't take soft or hard, seemed to be very clever, knowing that Second Miss's trouble must be huge, while rushing over, he also notified the factory guard team...
The officers and soldiers were still pressing forward, when suddenly a sharp, ear-piercing sound broke through the air. A row of short, thick iron arrows was neatly nailed to the ground at the feet of the front row of officers and soldiers. Suddenly, soldiers wearing full-body chain armor emerged from the surrounding houses, each holding a powerful crossbow and taking aim at the crowd of officers and soldiers. The sound of horseshoes echoed through the air as thousands of elite cavalrymen clad in black chain armor appeared on the opposite side of the road, forming an arrowhead shape. Their large pikes were laid flat, ready to charge. A black flag fluttered in the wind, with two clear characters "Iron Guard" visible. An aura of killing intent spread through the air, and some idle spectators hastily picked up their chairs and retreated home, slamming doors shut behind them.
The yamen runners and the officers and soldiers have already begun to be at their wits' end, the cavalry is charging, let alone these more than 500 people, even if there were ten times as many, it would not be enough to fill the gaps between the enemy's crossbowmen and cavalry, it seems that today's defense is kicking against an iron plate, and it's a super-hard iron plate from Liguojin Factory.
The officers and men were afraid, the long spears in their hands trembled a bit, hastily looking at the crossbows aiming at them, not daring to move rashly, fearing that they would cause unnecessary misunderstandings and be shot on the spot.
Gao Shoubi was furious, the Emperor was far away in Xuzhou Prefecture, yet things were so chaotic here. The armed merchants dared to defy the Board of Officials, did they still respect the law? Did they still acknowledge the authority of the Nine Thousand Years? Did they still recognize the Emperor? However, for now, circumstances were stronger than people, and all he could do was swallow his anger and find a way to retreat with dignity. He would settle accounts with these people slowly later on.
Gao Shoubei cleared his throat twice, just about to speak in a soft tone, when the sound of horseshoes and drums came from the main road behind him. Banners were waving, war drums were beating, helmets and armor were shining brightly, and swords and spears were gleaming. It was the Imperial Guard Heavy Cavalry stationed outside the city, numbering around three thousand men, slowly pressing forward.
Gao Shoubei's eyes moistened, and he said, "Coming early is not as good as coming at the right time. The Imperial Guard is a field army, while the City Guard is in charge of defending the city. Although they don't have jurisdiction over each other, they are all part of the same system, eating from the imperial court's bowl. They are not on the same path as those black-armored guys on the opposite side." Now that he had caught his breath, Gao Shoubei's voice became even more shrill.
"You rebels, don't you dare to put down your weapons and surrender quickly? Hand over the wicked woman who injured me and her evil slave. I'll let you go with your lives." Suddenly, Young Master Huang appeared from nowhere, standing behind Gao Shoubei, his head wrapped in gauze, pointing at Second Miss in the crowd: "Right, hand over that wicked woman to me to take back to the manor for interrogation. And you, and you, and you, dead servant girl." Young Master Huang pointed at Liu Ziguang, Xiao Mao, and Qiu Xiang, exuding an aura of domineering arrogance.
The army's phalanx came to a halt, with archers on both flanks and the central cavalry forming a charging array. The heavy infantry in the rear formed a wall of shields, with long spears held at an angle towards the sky.
For a moment, the entire Hu Bu Shan was shrouded in an atmosphere of killing intent. The tense feeling before battle gripped everyone's heart, and not a single bird could be heard chirping. Only the large flags flapped loudly in the cold wind, and even Huang Gongzi, who had been chattering nonstop, felt that something was off and shut his mouth.
A few riders rushed out of the Imperial Guard, led by a black-faced general, wearing fish-scale armor inside and a brocade robe outside, with a mustache growing from his cheek meat. This man rode up close, looked at the complex situation of being surrounded, counter-surrounded, and re-counter-surrounded, and saw the second young lady who was surrounded, as if he understood something.
A cavalryman, came before Gao Shunbei, before the smiling Gao Shunbei could speak, General Hei's whip struck down at him. Beating Gao Shunbei under his horse.
"I'm going to f**k your mom, you're fed up, right? Dare to bully my niece? F**k! Who else? Who else? Look! What are you looking at? It must be you!"
Another lash, and Huang Gongzi was also knocked to the ground, writhing in pain on the snowy ground, his fox-fur cloak covered with snow and mud.
"It's a miscarriage of justice!" Gao Shoubei finally came to his senses, realizing that the imperial guard was here to help the other side. What a mistake! And that original Zhang Shoubei, seeing himself being beaten and not helping, was actually sneering and laughing at his misfortune, definitely resentful that he had squeezed him out of his position as Shoubei.
The black-faced general swung his whip and shouted, the guarding soldiers were so scared that they didn't dare to persuade this famous hot-tempered imperial guard commander.
A large sedan chair with a blue canopy was carried over from afar, the main hall of Xuzhou Prefecture was solemn and quiet, a sign that read "Avoidance" was placed in front, the Magistrate had arrived.
Magistrate Huang is the newly appointed magistrate, with an unstable foundation, but his family is a wealthy salt merchant clan in Haizhou, and he also has a distant uncle who became his godfather in the Nanjing court. Moreover, this godfather is none other than the all-powerful Ninth Thousand-Year-Old Duke Huang. With such a strong backing, what can be taken seriously?
Yesterday, the nephew of Haizhou, who is also his elder brother, the son of the deputy salt inspector of Haizhou, came to Xuzhou to deliver New Year's goods. Unexpectedly, just now a family member reported that the young master was beaten by local thugs while shopping, and he was furious at the time. It is said that the nephew took the family soldiers to report the crime, but the prefectural governor was worried and arranged for a team of yamen runners to come and assist. Unexpectedly, the other party actually resisted arrest with knives and swords, and then sent his trusted aide Gao Tai, who is also the newly appointed defender, to lead the government troops to suppress the situation, but things became even more complicated. The other party had a large number of well-equipped private soldiers, and there was also this General Niu, who actually helped the other party out. The situation is complex!
Magistrate Huang stepped down from his sedan chair, calm and composed. Cow Deputy General didn't dare to flog the subordinate and nephew of Magistrate Huang in front of him, so he reluctantly put away his whip. Magistrate Huang said: "Cow Deputy General, I won't say much either. Today's matter will be reported to His Majesty and the Nine Thousand Years. Give my family a fair deal. Excuse me for not keeping you company, we're leaving."
A team of golden armored knights rushed over like a storm, and the Imperial Guards didn't stop them. The young general at the front wore a suit of golden armor, with a purple gold crown on his head and a Qinglong Yan Yue knife in his hand. From far away, he shouted loudly "Who dares to bully my sister? I'll take his head!" Only when he ran up close did he discover that everyone was already packing up to go home.
"It's over so soon, I'm late again." The Golden Armor General said with great regret.
Niu Shen Jiang, Huang Zhi Fu, and Gao Shou Bei all performed a courtesy, saying "We pay our respects to the young master."
The various troops sounded the golden horn to retreat, and nearly 5,000 soldiers gathered at the foot of Hubu Mountain for a short while. The land after the snow was trampled into a muddy mess. The Imperial Guard and Iron Armor Cavalry withdrew in an orderly manner. The defending officers and yamen also carried away the wounded and followed Huang Zhifu's sedan chair. The apprentices of Lianfeng Number escorted Second Miss back to the store, and the Crown Prince of Qunwangfu and the Imperial Guard Niu Canjiang also followed them. Only a group of injured thugs and the nearly disbanded Tongrenju remained, as well as the stupid-eyed Fat Shopkeeper sitting on the side, staring at the chaotic scene and suddenly bursting into loud wails.
He was lying at the entrance of Tongrenju with his leg broken, and Zhen Nan Guanzhen had been boasting to his younger disciples about the group fight he had witnessed until he was over 80 years old. When he got emotional, murky tears rolled in his sunken eye sockets.
"That group of planes... put on quite a show..."
Everyone returned to the Lianfeng number, and Han Dazhu arranged several tables of wine and food to entertain everyone. Han Liantiger, Second Miss, and Crown Prince Qunwang took their seats as host and guest, along with Commander-in-Chief Niu Yong, Iron Guard Captain Zhang Zhen, and others. A group of military leaders also sat down at the lower table. Liu Ziguo was also seated among the many generals of the Tiechang system.
A big bowl of wine, a large piece of meat, a hearty appetite. After three rounds of drinking, everyone was still discussing the earlier group fight. Liu Ziguang also roughly understood what had happened. It turned out that when Huang Gongzi led his men to Tongren House to find a place to settle down, the housekeeper who took care of two Huskies in the ground floor suite secretly brought the dogs back to Lianfeng House to call for reinforcements. Han Dazhuang, afraid that Second Miss would be at a disadvantage with too few people, immediately summoned all his able-bodied men and put on all the armor they could find. While rushing to support Second Miss, he also notified the Road Protection Iron Guard stationed near Xuzhou Train Station to be ready to provide support at any time. They thought that a hundred or so men would be enough to settle the matter, but unexpectedly the other side was not small either, and the situation escalated, even startling the City Defense Army and the Forbidden Army.
The Imperial Guard was under the jurisdiction of the Northern Border Military, and the court's civil official system and military general system were originally at odds with each other. The Imperial Guard and the city defense troops under the control of the civil officials had already clashed several times due to jealousy and rivalry. Adding to this, General Niu Yong and General Niu Can had received many favors from their master, and upon hearing that the city defense troops were mobilizing in large numbers and causing trouble for his younger sister-in-law, he immediately led 3,000 soldiers to come to her aid.
Magistrate Huang is the nephew of the 9,000-year-old Marquis Huang. This is no secret. Marquis Huang has been placing his trusted followers everywhere and several times even tried to extend his reach into the Imperial Guard. Fortunately, Commander-in-Chief Yang Zaixing didn't fall for it. The situation in the north is also becoming increasingly tense. If not for the Imperial Guards defending the borders, who knows when the Qing army would have already reached the Yangtze River? As the saying goes, "arrogant soldiers and fierce generals" - privately mobilizing troops is no big deal anymore.
The son of Peng City's King, named Zhu Yao, the king and the owner of Tiefeng Factory were friends, so since childhood, Zhu Yao had been with the second miss, opening his eyes together, like siblings. Upon hearing the family report that the second sister was fighting at Tongren House, he immediately put on his armor and rushed over to join in the fun with his family's soldiers. The twelve-year-old Zhu Shizi admired Guan Yu most, with loyalty as his priority, and had a sword made in imitation of Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade, which he carried around every day to fight, and was quite compatible with the second miss. At this moment, the two sat together drinking wine, pretending to be dignified.
"Miss Second, a merchant from the north came to our store earlier and returned 100,000 taels of silver notes. He said he didn't know if it was you who bought the dogs and didn't dare take advantage of you, so he returned the money. I gave him 300 taels as compensation and sent him away. This 100,000 taels is the remittance from Jiangnan Lianfeng Bank's various branches for the past half year. Please be more careful next time, Miss Second. Being scolded by the factory owner is a small matter, but delaying the flow of funds in the factory is a big deal."
The second young lady smiled and said, "That merchant is also aware of the situation. If he doesn't send this silver, he might not be able to spend it even if he wants to. Uncle Han, rest assured that I will hand over the silver ticket to my sister without missing a single cent."
The second young lady stood up and clapped her hands, shouting "Silence". The hall gradually quieted down, and everyone looked up at the second young lady to speak.
"Today, all the brothers who worked hard, this young lady thanks you. Every brother who came to the scene will be rewarded with two silver coins, every brother who took action will be rewarded with ten silver coins, and any brother who was injured will be rewarded with one hundred silver coins. The uncles and elder brothers of the various families who led the teams will receive special thanks."
"After finishing speaking, she turned her head and winked at Manager Han 'It's all my own private money, Uncle Han can rest assured.'"
A burst of applause on the table, following the second young lady to fight is good, with a strong wind and money to make, even if it's a waste of time, there's still money to be made, and the iron factory people are generous. These rough men had smiles on their faces after drinking wine, and later they would have money to go to Datong Street to play with the new Jiangnan beauty.
"Second Miss, with a slight press of her two small hands downwards, said: 'Also, the good fellow who followed me to fight to the death, General Hongyi, has labored and achieved great merit, fighting against many with few. If it weren't for him, I might have fallen already. Therefore, today I will remove his slave status and exceptionally promote him to be an Imperial Guard, so he won't have to fight on the arena again. Follow me well from now on. By the way, do you have a name?'"
Liu Ziguang stood up and cupped his hands together in a gesture of respect, saying: "Thank you, Second Miss. My name is Liu Ziguang."
Suddenly upgraded, it seems to have become a regular iron factory worker. Before was a slave, now has become the exploiter class's thug, looks like the escape plan needs to be reconsidered for a while, on one hand the iron factory's power is too great, if escaped, probably will be caught back very quickly, on the other hand, before only being a slave, there are too many unknowns about this world, rashly escaping won't make it easy to survive.
On a winter night, the darkness fell early, and the daytime bustle subsided into quiet. Smoke rose from kitchen chimneys everywhere. The common people of Xuzhou Prefecture had entered what was known as "drinking soup" time for dinner.
The rear hall of the prefectural government office was brightly lit, and Prefect He had just finished his dinner and was sitting in a sedan chair sipping tea. His wife sat beside him, when a little maid came to report: "Reporting to Master and Mistress, Young Master still refuses to eat, hiding in the guest room throwing things and hitting people, even Steward Wang doesn't dare go in to persuade him."
The prefect waved his hand to let Xiaoyuan retreat, and sighed to the lady: "This town is like my elder brother, stubborn and straightforward. Growing up in Haizhou for 18 years, he has never suffered at anyone's hands. Today, not only was he humiliated, but also lost several salt-capturing quick hands brought from Haizhou, and even the heavily-paid Japanese warriors were severely injured. Who else could he have provoked? The second miss of Liguojin Factory, with iron, salt, coal, and machinery, all being wealthy tycoons with private armies and intricate relationships that even the imperial court cannot easily touch. What can I, a newly-appointed prefect, do?"
" Humph! Our Huang family has tens of thousands of mu of salt fields near Haizhou, and Eldest Uncle is still serving as the Salt Patrol Envoy. How can they dare to hit our Zhen'er? It's clear that they don't take our Haizhou Huang family seriously, nor do they take the Ninth Thousand Years seriously! And what about those Imperial Guards? They actually didn't help the officials but instead helped outsiders. This is truly rebellious! Master, you must report this to the Ninth Thousand Years and have that Cow Assistant General's hat removed, confiscate the iron factory, and avenge our Huang family!"
Magistrate Huang furrowed his brow: "A woman, what does she understand? These matters, the Old Man of Nine Thousand Years had already anticipated them. Now it's just a premature move, humph... won't take long... never mind, let's go and advise Townson."
Half an hour later, Huang Zong, the young master of the Huang family, followed his uncle, the county magistrate, out of the room with a lewd smile on his face. In his mind, he had already envisioned the second miss of the Tie factory being tied up and struggling with her delicate body. After drinking, he would first find a maid with a similar figure to the second miss to satisfy his cravings. Heh heh, it wouldn't be long before he could play with a real person...
