Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 263 Barbarians

Chapter 263 Barbarians

On the first day of the third lunar month, at Chong Sheng Temple.

Bian Yuanheng stared at a piece of paper, veins bulging on his forehead.

Li Fu and Gao Daqiang walked past him, their expressions calm, but Gao Daqiang had a slight look of joy on his face.

Byun Won-hyung took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.

There was no other reason than that Brother Shao divided his men into four categories: A, B, C, and D. He and Wang Huadu's men were classified as category B.

Naturally, Li Fu and Gao Daqiang's team were considered top-tier.

The newly formed team of Wu Shangyuan and Jiang Sanbao is classified as Grade C.

As for those who had not received proper training, such as seafarers, boatmen, and even farmers, they were classified as Class D.

The levels are clearly defined, and the differences in quality are immediately apparent.

"Brother Shao said that those who can penetrate deep into enemy territory and fight in the field are first-class." Bian Yuanheng took a deep breath and said, "Our team also participated in the attack on Zhu Dingbo, so why are we classified as second-class?"

He was looking at Shao Shuyi when he spoke.

Shao Shuyi laughed heartily, put his arm around Bian Yuanheng's shoulder, and said, "Your team is indeed brave. That night, even with nearly half of your comrades killed, your men still kept firing. That courage is truly admirable. However, your skills are definitely not refined enough. When you were shooting in armor, weren't your men significantly worse than others? And when you were lining up to thrust, you were also a notch below them. Now that new soldiers have been added, classifying you as a second-class team is only temporary. To put it bluntly, this team is mainly being carried by you alone. But it's okay, you can train harder later. Once you've improved and performed well on the battlefield, I'll reclassify your team as a first-class team."

Hearing Shao Shuyi say this, Bian Yuanheng felt much better and cupped his hands in apology.

Seeing his expression, Shao Shuyi smiled slightly.

Healthy competition is good; it can actually help each other. Undermining each other, sabotaging each other, and badmouthing each other are forms of malicious competition and must not be tolerated.

This trip to "procure goods" is actually like going to war; it's impossible to use the most elite troops for every occasion.

Whether it's A, B, C, D, or any other class, the combat effectiveness of the military is actually hierarchical, and the differences between them are often astonishing.

Those capable of penetrating deep into enemy territory for field operations are classified as Grade A.

Those capable of field battles within their own territory are classified as Class B.

Those who venture deep into enemy territory to defend the city are classified as Class C.

Those who can only defend their own territory are the worst, classified as Class D.

Field battles place the highest demands on troops, while city defense has much lower requirements. The former requires elite troops, while the latter can be mixed with a large number of cannon fodder.

Of course, professional martial artists must all be top-tier troops in the future, otherwise all this money will be wasted.

All five teams—Li, Gao, Bian, Wu, and Jiang—were mobilized. Teams Li and Gao tackled the tough challenges, Team Bian provided support, and Teams Wu and Jiang were tasked with cleaning up the battlefield, guarding the perimeter, and escorting supplies.

In addition to them, some able-bodied men will be recruited in Ma Tuo Sha, and some seafarers will be recruited in Taicang to accompany the ships and undertake logistical transportation work. This is to learn from the lessons of the last time.

Overall, the number of people deployed this time is likely to reach 160 or 170, making it the largest deployment to date.

As for money, there are currently only about 945 ingots. Shao Shuyi decided to take 400 ingots with him as a precaution. The main way to purchase goods is still "zero-dollar purchase", otherwise he can't afford it.

The mobilization of personnel, the allocation of ships, and the preparation of supplies all take time. Therefore, in the first few days of March, Shao Shuyi stayed in Matuosha with Liang Tai to personally test the skills and formations of the two newly trained teams.

He kept busy like this until the eighth day of the third month. Wu Heizi, who had just finished his eldest daughter's wedding, brought about twenty butchers' sons and boatmen from Taicang to Matuosha to look after the house as usual.

After nightfall, the five shallow-water boats left their berths one by one, slowly adjusted their course, and sailed downstream eastward.

On the ninth day of the third month, Shao Shuyi's flat-bottomed boat docked at the Tianfei Palace pier.

To avoid drawing attention, Liang Tai sent the able-bodied men and seafarers who accompanied the ship ashore, seemingly to stroll around, but in reality to keep watch. Shao Shuyi took the opportunity to slip into the Xia Zheng silk shop and gave some instructions.

"I have a letter here for Mr. Zheng Yifang. Please pass it on for me," Shao Shuyi said. "The matter of transporting goods to Jingdezhen will not be delayed. There is no need to worry about the purchase of raw silk, silkworm cocoons, and cotton and linen fabrics this year. Starting next month, Huangtian Merchants will deliver them in batches, so this year's maritime trade will not be affected."

If anyone asks where I've been, just ignore them and focus on your own business.

I'll come and raid your tent when I have time, but don't play with fire, or you'll get burned.

After saying that, before anyone could react, he turned into the nearby Pixiang Pavilion.

"Is Madam not here?"

"Not here."

Shao Shuyi and Mo Bei stared at each other, each speaking their own words.

"Then forget it." Shao Shuyi took out another letter, handed it to Mo Bei, and said, "Give this to my wife."

Mo Bei took it and asked, "Is Shao She going out?"

Shao Shuyi mumbled, "Go to Songjiang Prefecture to buy some floral fabric."

Mo Bei didn't want to expose him, so he simply said, "Take care."

Shao Shuyi nodded, then waved his hand, signaling someone to bring over a large pile of gifts. He introduced them, saying, "These are ten bolts of top-grade silk from Wuxi. I don't know their quality, so I'd appreciate it if you could take a look, Master Mo. Hmm, you don't need to return them."

After saying that, he smiled and left.

Mo Bei looked at the pile of silks on the table and smiled bitterly.

It's clear that these ten bolts of brocade are of excellent quality and exquisite workmanship. They must have been hand-woven by the most famous weavers in Wuxi. They may be less famous, but if you don't know where they came from and sell them as brocade from Suzhou or Huzhou, most people really wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

This is quite a generous gift.

Shao Shuyi quickly returned to the ship, looking at the Tianfei Palace that was gradually shrinking, and felt somewhat helpless.

As the saying goes, plans can't keep up with changes.

He confidently outlined his tasks for the beginning of this year in the latter half of last year, but now it all seems like utter nonsense. His plans have never been properly executed in the past few years.

The task of transporting goods to Wuhu and Jingdezhen could only be assigned to Kong Tie.

The plan to recruit refugees in Huaixi had to be postponed.

The plan to go to Anlu to investigate the mother's family for the long-legged man had to be put on hold for the time being.

Nothing is more important than getting supplies; all he wants to do now is make money and build his business.

On the tenth day of the third month, the fleet passed Biandansha, turned north, and officially entered the Wanli Changtan sea area.

Shao is very familiar with this place.

******

On the same day, March 10th, a new type of thief appeared on the Grand Canal section, thousands of miles away from the Yangtze River.

Forty bandits seized control of the Li Kaiwu (also known as Li Haiwu) sluice gate and wiped out three hundred merchant ships that were moored there waiting to cross the river.

Three hundred ships, with merchants and boatmen numbering probably over a thousand, yet they dared not move for five whole days in the face of forty fierce bandits.

After the bandits shot and killed some people to establish their authority, they went to the village to kill more people, steal carts and horses, and forced the stranded boats to pay money one by one. If they didn't have money, they had to hand over a portion of their goods, which was tantamount to collecting taxes.

During this time, the patrol archers arrived at the scene after receiving a "report," but were scattered by the bandits. More than ten people died, but the bandits were not harmed at all.

Five whole days!

When the bandits finished collecting their loot and drove their wagons away in a grand manner, almost no one stopped them.

It should be understood that while bandits may be swift and elusive, when their ranks are mixed with a large number of carriages and horses, their speed is limited, and the noise they make makes them easy targets for capture.

But they left, so easily that it was unbelievable. In no time, the news of Li Kaiwu's hijacking of the ships spread far and wide. By the fifteenth of March, even Song Wenzan, the transport commissioner of Lianghuai in Yangzhou, had heard about it and wrote a memorial: "Now there are no more than forty cavalry bandits, but they have hijacked three hundred ships and no one has been able to capture them. I beg you to select a capable minister to lead a thousand brave cavalry to capture them."

Song Wenzan was already very cautious, believing that dealing with forty bandits would require the court to dispatch a thousand cavalry to pursue them, otherwise it would be impossible to handle. The "capable minister" he mentioned here actually refers to Li Xian, the Minister of War and the envoy of the Zizheng Yuan (also known as the Zizheng Yuan), who was on an imperial inspection tour to Shandong.

The Zizheng Yuan is nothing special. It was established six years ago and is the exclusive purse of another empress of the Yuan Dynasty, Wanzhehudu. At that time, there were two empresses in the capital palace: the first empress, Bayanhudu (Hongjila clan), and the second empress, Wanzhehudu (Qi clan), who lived in the Xingsheng Palace.

Manzi is not uncultured.

In fact, he was called "Manzi" because he had learned a lot about Han culture. After all, during the Yuan Dynasty, Jiangnan was known as "Manzi Tiandi" (barbarian land).

Without a doubt, the envoy of the Advisory Council, Manzi, was Empress Qi's confidant, and his main task was to raise money for her.

The Zizheng Yuan's main assets currently consist of two parts: the Zhaogong Wanhu Mansion, which was reorganized from the original staff of Emperor Wenzong's former residence, including a considerable amount of property and accompanying officials; and Jiqing Road.

It's no wonder the Yuan Dynasty was so "powerful" that the entire Jiqing Road, encompassing two prefectures and three counties, and more than 200,000 households, was Empress Qi's fiefdom. All taxes were transferred to the Zizheng Yuan (Imperial Secretariat) for Empress Qi's expenses.

However, a minor problem has recently arisen. Some bandits have attacked and killed Zhu Chen, a wealthy man in Jiangning, and six officials, causing some instability in the entire Jiqing Road area and consequently affecting the revenue of the Zizheng Yuan.

When the Empress found out, she was furious.

As the Advisory Councilor, Manzi naturally had to share the Empress's burdens. When he was ordered to inspect the Yannan and Shandong regions, half of his attention was focused on Jiqing Road, so when news of Li Kaiwu's shocking robbery came, he simply laughed it off.

What nonsense about sending a thousand horsemen to capture forty bandits!

If I could gather a thousand cavalry, I would send them to Jinling right now to see which bandit was so audacious as to disrupt the overall situation in Jinling. I wonder if the Empress would be angry?

At this time, the barbarians had just settled in Yidu and were ready to make their move—since they were already here, wouldn't it be inappropriate not to make some money?

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