Chapter 92: The Gambling Den

"Zhuang Chaozheng, receive October monthly pay, two taels of silver."

"Wang Zenglu, receive October monthly pay, two taels of silver."

In the East Garden of the Ye Family Grand Residence, Pang Yu stood on a high platform, behind him the six Team leaders. Three deserters, bound tightly with ropes, knelt on the ground. Over seventy Zhuang Squad Guards stood silently in formation; those whose names were called immediately stepped onto the platform to receive their labor and food silver from Pang Yu's hands.

"Yao Dongshan, receive October monthly pay, two taels of silver. Additionally, Yao Dongshan, when ordered to capture deserters, displayed courage, resolve, steadfastness, and tenacity, and is hereby specially awarded a bonus of five taels of silver!"

A collective gasp rose from the Zhuang Squad ranks. The dozen or so newly arrived Guards all turned their heads to look at Yao Dongshan. Earning seven taels of silver in a single month — these farmers had never before dared even to imagine such a thing.

Yao Dongshan's face had grown gaunt, but upon hearing this reward, his wide mouth split into a gleeful grin. Then, remembering he shouldn't laugh openly, he bit his lip, strode up onto the platform, took the silver from Pang Yu's hands, and knelt to kowtow.

Pang Yu let them kowtow, taking the trouble to distribute the pay one by one, not stopping until all sixty-six who were due had received it. Only then did he turn to face the formation.

"Five days ago, an alarm came from Qianshan, saying Roving Bandits were approaching. Thereupon, three Guards of our Zhuang Squad abandoned all their comrades present here and secretly slipped back home. They are these three kneeling on the platform, thinking they could thereby escape the great calamity of the Roving Bandits." Pang Yu swept his gaze across the assembly. "Does anyone think it was right for them to run?"

The assembly was utterly silent. Naturally, no one dared say it was right — otherwise, why would Pang Yu have gone to the trouble of capturing them and bringing them back?

"Since no one thinks it was right, then you all believe they were wrong to run. Those I call on, tell me where you think their error lies. Wang Zenglu, you speak first!"

Wang Zenglu loudly replied, "Answering the Squad Leader, these three men deserted in the face of battle. It seems they only sought to save their own lives, but in truth, they abandoned their comrades and brothers-in-arms. If everyone acted this way, fleeing until we are scattered sand, when the Roving Bandits come they will surely slaughter us clean. They not only harm themselves, but also harm everyone in the Zhuang Squad."

"Well said. This is an act of extreme selfishness, utterly disregarding the life and death of Zhuang Squad comrades." Pang Yu gave Wang Zenglu a look of affirmation. These words were what he had just taught Wang Zenglu to say, precisely to achieve the goal of mobilizing the masses.

The Zhuang Squad Guards all stood motionless, but Pang Yu could feel the stirring of emotion. The purpose of denouncing the deserters was to link this behavior to each person's own interests. Otherwise, if it was merely about letting down the Squad Leader and the County Magistrate, in their hearts they wouldn't truly think it a big deal. Even saying the County Magistrate might be killed by the Roving Bandits because of it might not necessarily move them.

But if they accepted that the deserters' actions would get these Guards themselves killed, the effect would be entirely different.

"Pang Ding, you also speak."

"Yes. This humble one believes these deserters not only harmed their Zhuang Squad comrades, but also harmed the thousands of common people of Tongcheng. Just imagine, if the Zhuang Squad were annihilated, who could hold the City Wall? Once the City Wall falls, the tens of thousands of commoners inside the city will… rivers of blood will flow, all dead. Then the Roving Bandits will sweep through every village. The families of you few deserters will likewise not escape. If our Tongcheng cannot hold, then Anqing cannot hold, Luzhou is also finished. If all under heaven are like this, then in the end, who will go to rescue the Capital? From this, you can see how many people under heaven you three have harmed."

The three deserters looked at each other in dismay. They had merely run home, yet now such an enormous accusation was pinned on them, and for a moment they could find no words to refute it.

Pang Yu nodded again. These words of Pang Ding's were also taught by him. Set the tone first; the bigger the accusation pinned, the better, for thus he could occupy the moral high ground all the more.

Next, he called on several Team leaders to speak. Naturally, none dared speak well of the deserters, and one after another they roundly cursed the deserters.

By now, the momentum was built. He then called on several ordinary Guards to speak. These farmers could not articulate any profound reasoning; they all echoed the views of those before them. Those few accusations, which had originally seemed somewhat exaggerated, now no longer appeared so far-fetched.

Pang Yu addressed the formation loudly, "Everyone here is a qualified Guard of the Zhuang Squad. This Squad Leader hereby informs you all: from this day forward, you are all formal government runners of the Zhuang Squad. If the day truly comes when the Roving Bandits arrive, the Zhuang Squad will bring your families into the city, with no worry for food and shelter. If you perform well in the Zhuang Squad, you may not even need to leave your families in the countryside. Your labor and food silver and bonuses are enough to support your entire household, young and old."

The formation remained silent, but Pang Yu could feel the Zhuang Squad slowly falling under his control. He had first seized the moral high ground, and now he was binding their interests to his. Even if some individuals were still not fully compliant, they would be constrained by the collective consciousness and dare not show it — besides, Pang Yu had been in the right from the start.

Pang Yu looked at the three deserters on the ground. "Look before you. These are your comrades, with whom you ate, lived, and trained together. If the Roving Bandits had truly come that day, we could have fought together to defend Tongcheng, to protect thousands upon thousands of lives, to protect all the comrades present here. But because of your desertion in the face of battle, perhaps by now Tongcheng would already have been breached, and all the Zhuang Squad comrades before you would be dead and extinguished. Tell me, how could you three have the face to go on living in this world?"

The deserters' Family Dependents behind them, hearing how dire the situation sounded, could only weep in low voices. The three deserters kneeling on the platform were so tense that sweat poured down their faces.

"All who desert in the face of battle and harm the Zhuang Squad are enemies of our Zhuang Squad — and the most vicious of enemies. What should be done to enemies? Men…"

The one kneeling in the middle of the three suddenly burst into loud wails, kowtowing repeatedly to Pang Yu. "My lord, spare my life! It was Qi Mace who egged us on to run! This humble one did not want to run at first; it was he who insisted on dragging me along. My lord, spare my life! This humble one is willing to be your beast of burden, your horse, only begging my lord to spare this lowly dog's life!"

Pang Yu continued coldly, "Qi Mace, Zhang Ge, and Luo Qi, having deserted in the face of battle, disregarded all comrades of the Zhuang Squad, and placed all the common people of Tongcheng in a Danger Zone. Without punishment, we cannot satisfy public opinion. Sentence each to one hundred strokes of the staff! Zhuang Chaozheng, select the first Team of six men to carry out the punishment."

Several shrieks came from the Family Dependents' side. A woman stood up, wanting to rush onto the platform to save them, but was blocked by several Guards.

The other two collapsed limp on the ground, while the one in the middle continued pleading with desperate persistence, "My lord, spare my life! This humble one is the only son of his family, with elderly parents still to support. My daughter is just three years old, my son not yet a hundred days. In a moment of fear, this humble one did a foolish thing. I beg my lord to grant me a path to life! This humble one is willing to continue risking his life for my lord."

A woman's voice from outside also shrieked, "I beg the lord to spare the master of our house! If he's beaten to death, our family is ruined!"

Pang Yu glanced over briefly. The woman there was also holding a child of three or four, and beside her was a white-haired woman, likely the man's elderly mother.

He turned his head to look at the man in the middle. It was precisely Luo Qi, the last one Yao Dongshan had captured. This man was the most cunning; after running off, he had stayed at a relative's house for several days. Yao Dongshan had staked out the village for five days before catching him.

Zhuang Chaozheng, now on the platform, approached and asked in a low voice, "Squad Leader, shall we use the Water-Fire Staff or the Whistle Staff?"

What Zhuang Chaozheng was really asking was whether to kill the three or not. The Whistle Staff was what Runners generally used when going out to beat people; its front end was hollow and very light, causing great pain but no serious injury. The Water-Fire Staff was specifically for beating as punishment — solid, heavy wood of formidable power. After one hundred strokes, one would basically be either dead or crippled. And if crippled, the blow to the family would probably be heavier than death.

The several Family Dependents outside knelt on the ground, wailing loudly. Listening to those harrowing cries, Pang Yu's gaze shifted back and forth between the Water-Fire Staffs and Whistle Staffs laid out on the platform, finally settling on the black-red Water-Fire Staffs, his eyes flickering with changing emotions.

…

Inside a two-story building on South Street, voices clamored noisily. The upper floor was freshly painted in red lacquer, looking very festive. Pang Yu tilted his head back, looking at the plaque hung above the door lintel bearing the two characters "Baishun."

This new gambling den was located on South Street. Previously, it had been a pawnshop run by a Household Slave of the Ye Family. After the Civil Unrest, Pang Yu had Liu Ruogu buy it, along with two adjacent shop fronts. After a month of renovation, it opened for business today.

Because Pang Yu had happened to be occupied with capturing the deserters, he had missed the opening hour. So when he arrived, all he could see was the ground covered in spent Firecracker scraps. But people kept coming and going through the doorway, showing that business was very brisk.

"What a waste of Gunpowder," Pang Yu muttered under his breath, then immediately put on a smiling face toward Liu Ruogu, who was coming to greet him.

Because Liu Ruogu now held a stake in the business, he was currently very deferential to Pang Yu and highly motivated in his work.

He bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, Lord Pang."

Pang Yu stopped and looked at Liu Ruogu. "Why suddenly call me 'Lord'? At the very least, one should be a Clerk before being called 'Lord.' Don't use titles recklessly and let people hear and spread idle gossip."

"Yes. This humble one merely feels that the Squad Leader is no ordinary man and is bound to become a high official sooner or later."

Pang Yu smiled upon hearing this. "Liu Shopkeeper is indeed silver-tongued. Speaking with you, whoever it is, makes one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze. Then I shall thank Liu Shopkeeper in advance for your auspicious words."

Liu Ruogu led Pang Yu through the main gate. Inside the gate, several Runners from the South City Squad were maintaining order. Seeing Pang Yu, they all nodded and bowed.

Pang Yu nodded with a smile, then raised his eyes to survey the main hall. It was quite spacious inside, painted everywhere in red lacquer, rather stimulating to the eyes. The red visible everywhere in the hall could excite people's emotions, making them more thrilled, and thus they would gamble more fiercely.

A serving boy at the entrance shouted toward the incoming gamblers, "Today, for the new shop opening, we're giving away chips! Anyone buying one tael or more in chips gets a free White Pigeon Ticket. Over ten taels gets a free lunch, over thirty taels a banquet, over a hundred taels a night at the brothel…"

The White Pigeon Ticket used the first twenty phrases of the Thousand Character Classic, eighty characters in total. Each day, twenty characters were chosen as the answer key. Gamblers selected ten characters; if all were correct, they won a hundred times their stake, with decreasing payouts below that, until below four characters correct there was no prize at all. This was akin to a precursor of the lottery, which had also existed in Chinese history. Pang Yu had some understanding of it and had asked Liu Ruogu to start this business, but he hadn't expected Liu Ruogu to use it as a chip incentive to attract gamblers.

"Your idea of giving away White Pigeon Tickets is rather interesting. It's not worth much silver, yet seems like it could be worth quite a lot, and it also lets gamblers learn about this new way to play."

Liu Ruogu smiled. "This humble one has only learned a superficial bit from following the Squad Leader."

He respectfully stayed by Pang Yu's side, pointing toward the back courtyard gate. "The back courtyard leads out to Ruhua Tower. As you said, my lord, both winners and losers will want to go there. The pawn and loan services are behind that small door on the first floor. Gamblers don't even need to leave the main gate to borrow silver."

Pang Yu nodded and squeezed over to a noisy crowd ahead. This was the dice gambling area. The dice game in the Ming dynasty was called Sic Bo, which could be divided into betting on big/small and betting on specific numbers. At the entrance of this new gambling den of Pang Yu's, they had set up Sic Bo. These three tables at the entrance only gambled on big or small — it absolutely had to be simple and lively to draw gamblers in.

Pang Yu had originally wanted to play a couple of rounds, but today, because there were discounts for buying chips, quite a few gamblers had come from the countryside around Tongcheng. All three tables were packed so tightly not even a drop of water could trickle through. Pang Yu couldn't squeeze in for the moment and had to retreat, walking further into the main hall.

Liu Ruogu pointed at two clusters of people ahead. "This Roulette you designed, my lord, is somewhat like the spinning wheel candy-shooting game on the streets, but a bit more entertaining. When I tried it alone a few days ago, I didn't find it outstanding. But today, with more people spinning, once a crowd gathers, it truly is captivating."

Just as he finished speaking, a unified cheer erupted from the crowd on the left ahead. One man was shouting wildly, "Thirty-two times!" Even the Sic Bo players were drawn over.

Liu Ruogu squeezed over to watch for a moment, then withdrew and said, "Someone hit a single-number bet and won thirty-two times. This humble one feels this Roulette may not earn much; perhaps Pai Gow is more profitable. As long as our gambling den acts as the banker ourselves, and we hire experienced hands, the gamblers can never match them."

Pang Yu waved his hand. "Roulette has thirty-eight slots, with a maximum payout of thirty-two times. If you buy two numbers at once, it becomes one-to-sixteen. The overall probability of guessing correctly is still thirty-two, which is always less than thirty-eight. On some days we might lose, but in the long run, we will definitely profit. This is mathematics, not luck."

Liu Ruogu could understand this as well. He now hardly dared to go against Pang Yu's words and quickly led Pang Yu toward the Pai Gow tables at the back.

The number of people at Pai Gow was also not small, but compared to Roulette, it was much less.

Pang Yu had little interest in Pai Gow, but quite a few people were playing it now, so he could only follow the market — whatever game drew the most players, that was how he would set things up.

Pang Yu glanced briefly at the Pai Gow tables, then headed upstairs, speaking to Liu Ruogu as he walked. "Our main customers are common marketplace folk. Gambling needs to be simple and direct to be exciting enough. This layout is fine — keep the lively, straightforward stuff all on the ground floor. Guests of a somewhat higher class can enjoy quiet games on the second floor."

Reaching the second floor, the main hall on the ground floor was visible from the gallery. The gallery connected to a series of private rooms, all of which held gambling games that required a bit of mental effort.

Liu Ruogu said quietly, "Heaven Nine Cards, Mohe Cards, and Penghe Tiles are all set up on the second floor. We've even prepared Leaf Play and Shuanglu, but I doubt many people will play them."

"Better to have them and not need them. Has anyone tried that modified Penghe Tiles game of mine?"

"Everyone went to see those lively amusements today. There weren't many people on the second floor to begin with, and those who usually play Mohe Cards, Madiao Cards, or Penghe Tiles all need to gather together before they can play."

Pang Yu grunted in acknowledgment. He had played the current Mohe Cards before, and it was already very similar to later-era Mahjong. Mohe Cards were paper cards that rose to popularity during the Tianqi reign. They were divided into three suits: Coins, Strings, and Myriads of Cash, each suit numbered one through nine, making twenty-seven patterns, plus three Yao Head cards, totaling thirty cards. When four people played, four sets were combined into one, making one hundred and twenty cards. At most, five sets could be combined, totaling one hundred and fifty cards. Three cards of the same pattern could form a Pong, which is why there was also Penghe Tiles. The gameplay was similar to Mohe Cards, except Penghe Tiles were bone tiles, making them even more like Mahjong.

Pang Yu, taking Mahjong as his reference, had directly removed the Yao Head cards and kept the three suits of Coins, Strings, and Myriads of Cash to simplify the rules. On top of the "Pong" from Penghe Tiles, he added two more moves, Kan and Chi, to enrich the gameplay. It was now basically indistinguishable from later-era Mahjong.

Pang Yu entered a private room. Inside were placed the Mahjong tiles he had custom-ordered. The bone tiles used for Penghe Tiles and Pai Gow at this time were all rather thin and felt unpleasant to the touch. The Mahjong tiles Pang Yu had custom-made were larger and felt much better in the hand.

Pang Yu said to He Xianya and Jiang Fan, who were following behind him, "Come, sit down and play a few rounds. This squad leader will teach you this new game. Calling it Penghe Tiles lacks novelty — let's rename it Mahjong Cards."

Liu Ruogu handed over another stack of paper cards. "Squad leader, that thing you mentioned, the Playing Cards — a sample has been made in Anqing Prefecture. If you have time today, perhaps you could teach us this new Leaf Play."

Pang Yu took the stack of Playing Cards and felt the paper quality. It was slightly rough, and the thickness was greater than what he remembered. Fortunately, the Ming dynasty had paper cards in abundance. Finding resources to manufacture these in Nanzhili was far easier than finding materials to make armor. In Anqing alone, there were three paper workshops that could produce paper cards.

Pang Yu drew out a single card and held it up before him. "This thing isn't something that can be explained in just a short while."