Chapter 618: Silver Winter Melons

Old Bai Niu: After writing for many years, my back aches and my body keeps breaking down. The lifespans of web novelists probably won't be long. If heaven gave me a chance to start over, I definitely wouldn't write books again.

……

"We welcome the Royal Army's arrival. We humble folk have long awaited this day, like parched earth longing for sweet rain…"

The vanguard battalion army of Gao Shiyin, along with a portion of the Shanxi Garrison troops, entered the city through the Pengfeng Gate on the east side of Jiexiu City. The heads of several great clans within the city — the Han, Zhang, Meng families and others — had long since led their clansmen, along with some closely allied gentry, officials, and officers, to receive them.

They represented another force within the city. Jiexiu City was originally a settlement of the Han surname; anciently it was called "Hanban City," and among the people there is even a saying: "First there was Hanban Bridge, then later came Jiexiu City." The Meng surname is also numerous here, with talk of the three Meng branches splitting. The Zhang surname people are likewise a great clan.

They were competitors with the Fan family and naturally unwilling to be buried alongside Fan Yongdou. After news arrived from Taiyuan, they secretly plotted to surrender the city. Although the local officials and officers were close to the Fan clan, these families were not without influence in the military. Secretly opening one city gate was still something they could manage.

Gao Shiyin rubbed his face. Days of continuous travel had left him somewhat weary, yet he still spoke with authority: "Very good. That you shopkeepers have abandoned darkness for the light is a wise move. My general will naturally reward you according to your merits."

The family heads bobbed and bowed: "This is but our humble duty. We dare not claim credit, dare not claim credit."

Watching the armored cavalry behind Gao Shiyin, they inwardly paled. Truly an army of tigers and wolves — such elite soldiers…

The Han family head seemed to have difficulty opening his mouth and said dryly: "The great army has entered the city. This…"

Gao Shiyin understood his meaning and waved his hand: "My Jingbian Army has iron discipline. Wherever we pass, we harm not a single blade of grass. The common people welcome us with food and drink. There has never been any harassment. As long as everyone in the city does not seek their own death, they will not die."

Then his face darkened and he said: "However, let me say the ugly words up front. Anyone who dares attack the army — no matter who they are — will die without doubt!"

The family heads set their minds at ease and all loudly praised: "Long have we heard that the Jingbian Army is a righteous force. Indeed, seeing it surpasses its reputation."

They said that they had already prepared a banquet for General Gao, and beef, mutton, wine, and dishes for the army, earnestly requesting that he honor them by accepting this welcome reception.

Gao Shiyin said: "Drinking wine and eating meat can wait. First, attend to proper business."

The family heads volunteered to lead the army to the Fan residence.

Jiexiu City was prosperous, thronged with merchants, abundant in goods and people, just like a metropolis.

Within the city there were four main streets, all lined thick with shops, along with numerous money houses and pawnshops. The Fan clan originally lived in Zhangyuan Village and later gradually moved into Jiexiu City. Their compound lay in the southwest quarter, occupying multiple streets and alleys. The northwest quarter was mostly the site of government offices and public buildings.

After the vanguard battalion and the Shanxi troops entered the city, they encountered considerable resistance along the streets and alleys. After all, many of the Fan clansmen were officers and officials in Jiexiu City. With the shadow of family destruction and death looming before them, they had no choice but to fight to the death.

Fighting them were the troops of the Shanxi Garrison, all elite cavalry from various battalions. The vanguard battalion did not engage; the Shanxi troops alone drove the local defending forces back step by step, leaving many corpses and wounded along the way.

The battle ended in less than half a shichen. The brave men of the Shanxi Garrison wiped out all resistance.

Gao Shiyin led his troops watching from the side, supervising to prevent them from taking the opportunity to burn and loot. After all, aside from the Jingbian Army, the military discipline of the remaining forces could not be called good. Even Yang Guozhu's main battalion had many unsavory customs.

At the hour of wu, Gao Shiyin ordered Jiexiu City under martial law, then, guided by the Han family and others, personally led men to confiscate the household.

Along the way, through street after alley, memorial archways of the Fan family stood thickly, until they arrived before the Fan residence in the city's southwest quarter.

Before them was an enormous compound — no telling how many courtyards deep. Front courtyard, rear courtyard, east courtyard, west courtyard, main courtyard, side courtyard, cross courtyard, study courtyard, surrounding rooms courtyard… and so on, matched with numerous gardens, occupying as much as several tens of mu of land.

"The fat of the people, the blood of the people. The Fan family's life of luxury is built upon the bones, flesh, and blood of our Han commoners."

Gao Shiyin, mounted on his horse, took a slip of paper from his bosom, glanced at it, and recited with righteous solemnity.

"The General speaks the absolute truth!"

The family heads echoed in unison, gazing at the luxurious compound before them, each eye gleaming with envy.

"Break down the gate!"

Gao Shiyin roared.

Volley after volley of musketry fired in rotation, shooting down some of the household retainers on the Fan residence walls who held bird guns. Then a rain of grenades and poison smoke bombs were hurled in from outside the gate and walls. Amid the dense explosions, screams from within merged into one continuous sound.

The booming crash of the battering ram sounded unceasingly. Some Shanxi troops, carrying a massive pointed hardwood ram, chanted their work song as they repeatedly slammed against the heavy gate.

Behind them stood the vanguard battalion soldiers, arrayed in neat formation, rank upon rank holding sword and shield, along with bird guns and long spears.

After about one ke, the great gate burst open with a crash. The Shanxi troops withdrew, and the vanguard battalion soldiers behind their shields fired several volleys of bullets through the gateway, mowing down a large swath of the household guards and their clansmen soldiers gathered near the compound entrance.

Before the gun smoke cleared, at Gao Shiyin's shouted command, a dense mass of helmeted heads surged through the Fan residence gate. From within came cries of despairing terror.

To search and confiscate the Fan residence, Gao Shiyin deployed the strength of two companies.

After the main gate was breached, the household retainers within could no longer offer any meaningful resistance. One by one they were mopped up by the armored soldiers entering the compound — some dead, some surrendering. Then the vanguard battalion soldiers searched room by room, dragging out the Fan clansmen one after another. Amid wails and cries to heaven, they were brought and concentrated below the main hall, densely packed, their numbers swelling ever larger.

Not long after, the trembling Fan Yongdou was seized in a secret passage and brought before Gao Shiyin, again drawing a wave of wailing from those already captured.

Gao Shiyin sat with imposing authority upon the main hall dais. To his left and right sat the officers of his battalion headquarters, while the Han family head and others stood respectfully in attendance below.

Watching the stupefied, ashen-faced Fan Yongdou being brought up below, Gao Shiyin tucked his slip of paper back into his bosom and slammed the table beside him with a thunderous crack.

He roared in fury: "Fan Yongdou! You colluded with the enemy and sold out the nation — your crimes are monstrous and heinous!"

He bellowed: "Because of you and your kind, how many commoners have died under the Tartars' blades? How many cities have fallen? You — after you are cast into hell, you should first climb the Mountain of Knives, then be plunged into the Cauldron of Boiling Oil, then transferred to the Realm of Blazing Fire, and finally to the Realm of Lingchi, to be sliced one thousand three hundred and thirty-six times. And finally, be cast into the Animal Realm!"

He slammed the table repeatedly. Below, the Han family head and others watched Fan Yongdou with vengeful satisfaction, yet Gao Shiyin's words also made their faces turn ashen. They joined in cursing: "Fan Yongdou, we never imagined you could be so utterly deranged. This old man truly misjudged you!"

"Fan Yongdou, you scum! You deserve to be cut a thousand times, sliced ten thousand times!"

"Fan Yongdou, you treacherous villain! Every man has the right to put you to death!"

Gao Shiyin said: "Listen, listen — this is the will of the people. Fan Yongdou, your crimes fill the heavens. Death is too good for you!"

Fan Yongdou listened to the crowd's curses. His brows and eyes moved slowly. A ghastly smile appeared on his aged face.

Finally, he threw his head back and laughed to the sky: "This old man is without crime! If this old man is guilty, then I ask, who in the Great Ming is without guilt? Smuggling to the slaves, funding the eastern brigands — how is this old man the only one? The three frontiers of Shaanxi, the three frontiers of Xuan-Da, Ji Garrison, Liaodong — every border fort is thick with heavy troops. Without someone's help, how could we have transported our trade goods out?"

"Among the Nine Frontier Garrisons, which official or officer does not deal with the slaves? Marquis of Yongning, is this picking the soft persimmon to squeeze? Why doesn't he move against the Prince of Jin, the Prince of Dai, the Prince of Gu? Have they not also smuggled and colluded with the enemy?"

He shrieked hoarsely: "This old man refuses to accept this!"

Gao Shiyin slammed the table: "Hah! When picking horses, you choose the strong one. Everything has a first step. You and your kind are monstrously guilty and still dared to bring calamity to the Eastern Route. This is your retribution arriving first!"

"It's not that there is no retribution — the hour had not yet come. Once the hour comes, retribution is certain!"

He slammed the table again, finding the sensation quite satisfying. He waved his hand: "Take this traitor away and hold him below the hall for now!"

Then he stood up with a swish: "All officers and soldiers — swiftly confiscate this household! Do not miss a single tael of silver or a single dou of grain. These riches must be properly delivered into the hands of the Grand General. Only his venerable self can truly take from the people and use it for the people, truly bringing blessings to the commoners of our dynasty."

Having finished this speech, Gao Shiyin secretly admired himself. His speaking was growing ever more sophisticated.

……

Intelligence Division operatives who had been lying low in Jiexiu City led the soldiers in confiscating the household, searching through the Fan residence one area after another. They knew well the methods by which such wealthy households concealed their riches. Beyond the obvious storehouses, hidden cellars were beyond counting, along with all manner of unimaginable tricks.

For instance, one Intelligence Division agent led a squad of soldiers into an ordinary-looking storehouse. The soldiers looked around and saw nothing but some common trade goods inside, not understanding why this agent was being so exceedingly cautious.

They watched this man as he paced back and forth, left and right, his steps now light, now heavy. At times he tapped on the square floor tiles, listening intently. Before long, they saw him walk over to a large pillar, a thoughtful expression on his face.

The soldiers did not understand. This pillar looked very ordinary, nothing unusual about it, and there were many more pillars just like it inside the warehouse.

Suddenly, this Intelligence Division agent drew his disarmament knife and shaved a few cuts into the pillar, revealing a bright yellow color within. The crowd gasped — so this pillar was actually cast entirely from brass.

Moving to other pillars, the disarmament knife cut into them, one by one revealing their true faces — all copper material, whether brass, red copper, bronze, or white copper. With so much copper, how many copper coins could be minted?

Not only that, the agent also pried up several square bricks from the floor, brushed them clean with his hand, and immediately a patch of silver light shone forth.

Everyone pitched in, working together. As the surface layer of square bricks was lifted away, they felt as if they had stepped into a world of white silver. The entire floor of this warehouse was paved with silver bricks, and there were even some gold bricks.

Everyone's eyes were opened wide. The squad officer sighed, "Truly an eye-opener…"

At the same time, another Intelligence Division man, a Company Commander, led a squad of armored soldiers to break open a rockery in a certain courtyard, revealing a passageway within. Winding and twisting downward, it seemed to lead to a hidden cellar below.

The group descended along the steps, feeling the ventilation was excellent, and there was light coming from somewhere unknown. The entire structure of the hidden cellar was awe-inspiring.

No one knew how deep they had gone or how far they had walked. After rounding another bend, suddenly bright light blazed ahead, and everyone instinctively squinted their eyes.

Then they looked again, and every one of them stood stunned. Inside the vast cellar, large winter melons were arrayed, each one gleaming with silver light — all of them cast from pure silver.

These silver winter melons were each immensely heavy, one likely weighing several hundred jin, effectively preventing thieves. Of course, against this kind of blatant forced entry, they were helpless.

Dense rows of silver winter melons stretched out, too many to count at a glance. Besides the silver winter melons, there were also many gold winter melons.

Not only that, nearby were tightly packed chests and cases. When opened, they contained pearls, agates, gemstones, and jewelry — rare treasures emerging one after another: from the north, from the south, from overseas, Chinese, foreign. For a moment, they dazzled everyone's eyes.

The Company Commander's mouth hung open for a long time before he managed to utter a single sentence: "Truly, truly… terrifying…"

…

Gao Shiyin sat in the main hall, listening to his subordinates' reports on the confiscation gains, watching as the Judicial Commissioners continuously compiled the ledgers submitted, nodding from time to time. This Fan clan was far too wealthy.

Suddenly his eyes widened. Outside the hall, some brothers from the camp were huffing and puffing, carrying in winter melons. These strong armored soldiers, several men to a single melon, still looked strained.

Gao Shiyin drew a sharp breath and murmured, "Such enormous winter melons… and made of silver…"

The battalion commanders beside him had unconsciously risen to their feet as well, every face frozen in shock. An eye-opener indeed — gold and silver winter melons weighing hundreds of jin.

The Han family patriarch and the others were likewise dumbstruck, all thinking: "The Fan clan's wealth is indeed the foremost in Shanxi. What a pity…"

Outside the hall, the kneeling Fan clansmen watched as the confiscated gold, silver, and valuables piled higher and higher in the great courtyard. Each felt as though a knife were carving into their hearts — this was the blood and toil of generations of their clan. Fan Yongdou also knelt trembling, old tears streaming down his face. It was over. The Fan clan was finished. The efforts of so many generations of ancestors had all been swept away.

Watching as gold and silver winter melons were carried in one after another, and bricks of gold and silver were delivered, slowly piling into small mountains, a middle-aged Fan man kneeling among the crowd could not help but cry out: "…No! These are the treasures our Fan clan accumulated, generation after generation, through bitter toil…"

Screaming, he tried to scramble up and lunge forward.

The crowd panicked. Fan Yongdou also cried out, "Yuanfa, don't…"

"Insolence!"

A cold gleam flashed in the eyes of several guarding soldiers. One stepped forward and delivered a heavy kick — his finely crafted leather military boot slammed into the man's lower abdomen. The middle-aged Fan man let out a miserable scream, a mouthful of fresh blood spraying out as he flew backward.

"Reckless audacity!"

He had just crashed to the ground, in unbearable agony, when a heavy gunstock, cutting through the air with a whoosh, smashed down hard onto his abdomen. The middle-aged Fan man spat out another mouthful of blood, his body convulsing, arching up at both ends like a fish.

"You dog traitor, dare to cause trouble?"

Then several more gunstocks struck viciously, pounding down on him without pause, beating the middle-aged Fan man until his whole body spasmed and he continuously vomited clots of blood from his mouth. By the time the soldiers stopped, the man had already lost half his life.

Watching the man roll and groan, his face covered in blood, Fan Yongdou sobbed, "Yuanfa, Yuanfa…"

Seeing the Fan clan below weeping in a tangled mess, one battalion officer sighed, "If you knew this day would come, why did you do it in the first place?"

Another said coolly, "These traitors deserve no sympathy. Think of the common folk who died under the Tartar slaves' blades — they are ten thousand times more pitiable than these men."

He added, "When Heaven brings calamity, one may still be forgiven. When one brings calamity upon oneself, there is no escape."

Gao Shiyin raised his eyes and looked over. "These prisoners must be watched carefully. They will be escorted back for public trial in due time."

He then turned back to reviewing the account books with the Judicial Commissioner and smiled. "Confiscating these treacherous merchants' goods has yielded no small harvest." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)