Chapter 406: Handing Over to the Public Coffers

Seeing the crowd part before him, and with Master Xiong's sheer presence bearing down, Wu Sanye knew — the real master had arrived.

The mood on the scene was now one of great amusement; everyone was grinning, watching the show, eager to see how Master Xiong would deal with Wu Sanye.

Yet while others were amused, Third Lord dared not be. He knew his life hung by a thread, and one wrong move would mean the end... Earlier, those civilian laborers had knifed many of his still-twitching brothers, and that had left Third Lord trembling with fear.

So Third Lord hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed: "Wu Meng greets Master Xiong."

"Since you know it's me, then tell me — what do I owe you?"

Third Lord could only resort to sophistry now, treating a dead horse as if it were alive: "Master Xiong owes this humble one a sum of land-requisition silver."

Xiong Dao gave a scornful laugh: "Zhang Sutan isn't your family's land. This is proper official land, and I passed the deed at the County Yamen. You lot of private-salt peddlers were illegally built here to begin with, and now you dare come demanding silver from me?"

"Master Xiong, Zhang Sutan is indeed official land — that I acknowledge." Third Lord hardly dared ask for silver now; what he wanted was his own life! So the old scoundrel, in desperation, played the moral-high-ground card and began to plead hardship: "But Master Xiong, to requisition the land, you sent your men to burn the jetty and kill people — that is the truth, is it not?"

"A joke. You lot squatted on my territory and refused to leave — was I not supposed to use some means?"

Third Lord now wore an expression of utter sincerity: "Though this port flourished and became a goldmine in Master Xiong's hands, back before Master Xiong arrived, my brothers spent their lives to build the old port."

Hearing this, Xiong Dao's expression shifted slightly. He knew Third Lord was quibbling, his sole aim being to stay alive. Yet what Third Lord had just said, though a lucky shot, inadvertently brushed against a concept Xiong Dao carried from later generations.

In later generations, when shanty areas were demolished, many houses had actually been illegally built by private individuals long ago. Yet given the established facts, the government ultimately still calculated compensation. It was the same principle as "de facto marriages are protected by law" — if one followed the thinking of later generations, demolition compensation could pass muster.

And on this front, the Transmigrators had always done things admirably, with a clear conscience and no exaggeration: even the savages of Tainan — after the Chikan District Government was later established, they promptly implemented policy for the savages, issued land-requisition compensation, and even guided them in opening fried-chicken shops.

Returning to the matter of Wu Sanye. This affair hinged entirely on how Xiong Dao chose to define it — if handled as a "contradiction between us and the enemy," then Third Lord had it coming; resisting the troops meant confiscation of property and beheading were all deserved.

But if handled along the lines of "government demolition," then in the final analysis, that old jetty that had been burned down could also be counted as Third Lord's assets. Though Lao Xiong had driven Third Lord's gang off to save time, now that the dust had settled, turning around and offering a bit of compensation could also pass muster.

Having thought this far, Xiong Dao decided to test Third Lord's reaction further, so he darkened his face and said: "That day, you refused the land broker's terms, wouldn't take the silver even when offered, and even sent men to burn my residence — how do you explain that?"

Unexpectedly, the old scoundrel Wu San now spoke with righteous conviction: "In negotiating a deal, there must always be back-and-forth; probing each other's responses is part and parcel of the process."

Third Lord, having said this, made a steady bow: "This humble one now concedes and is willing to sell off the old port. I only ask Master Xiong to allocate the silver."

Seeing Third Lord so utterly shameless yet dead serious, the surrounding crowd burst into uproarious laughter.

And Xiong Dao, likewise unable to suppress his amusement, said: "Wu, you guided the lake bandits here, intending to sack the port — that is a capital crime. Let's keep matters separate: I'll compensate you the silver, but as for that head of yours, I'm still going to chop it off!"

"Master Xiong, this humble one has no family. If you truly take my head, the silver can be saved as well."

"Fine, count yourself lucky." By now Xiong Dao no longer wished to continue. The disparity in their status was too vast; further entanglement was meaningless. In the end, it was just an ant — letting it go was letting it go: "Trade silver for your life — do we have a deal?"

"Done!" Third Lord had finally waited for these words.

"But while the death sentence is remitted, punishment for the living is inescapable." Xiong Dao turned to leave, giving instructions to his men as he went: "Send him to three years of hard labor, as a warning to others — otherwise everyone will come picking a fight with me."

"As you command!"

And so Third Lord, having saved his life by his own quick wits and the Transmigrators' spiritual fastidiousness, was locked in the warehouse, thrown together with a bunch of lightly wounded underlings. Before long, they would be shipped off to Yizhou, and after a period of labor reform, depending on circumstances, become Empire Citizens. Of course, the premise was that they survived until that day.

Compared to the fortunate Third Lord, the other Taihu bandit ringleaders were thoroughly finished. Every identified ringleader, including major bandit chiefs like Qiao Shiqi and Niu Jinluo, was beheaded without exception, their heads preserved in calcium oxide as specimens.

Then, in the early afternoon, these specimens were placed on carts and paraded openly to Jiading County Town — all spoils must be handed over to the public coffers.

By the time the convoy reached Guanxiang, it had already caused a sensation. The explosive news began to spread: "The Taihu Bandits raided Zhangsu Port and were utterly routed by Master Xiong's household retainers — even those several Grand Stewards whose names thunder in the ear lost their heads!"

That certain port the Jiading locals called "Zhangsu Port," and its owner Master Xiong, had over this past half-year and more long since become a God of Wealth known to all four neighborhoods. No one in the entire Songjiang Prefecture knew how many people earned their living at the port, and Master Xiong's stature among common folk had long since caught up to Ma Ali.

So when the household retainers escorted the large carts into Xiancheng, the procession was already surrounded on all sides by a sea of people. Drawn by such sensitive words as "lake bandits," "Master Xiong," and "heads rolling in slaughter," the crowd moved alongside the carts, producing every kind of noise, including but not limited to human emotions at their extremes — gasps, curses, wails, and raucous laughter.

One must know that the Taihu bandits committed every imaginable evil in daily life; no one knew how many sons of wealthy families had been kidnapped for ransom, or how many commoners had been robbed and brutalized. So today, seeing the heads of those bandit chiefs on the carts, people along the route began to kneel, kowtowing and wailing for their deceased relatives.

For the same reason, there were also those who pointed at the heads and roared with laughter, shouting "Retribution!", and those who cursed viciously. In short, the impassioned crowd of onlookers followed the large carts all the way to the Jiading County Yamen, where they surrounded the entrance so tightly not a drop of water could seep through.

Not long after, the Lai County Magistrate, who had been hopping and cursing in the Back Residence at a gang of dog-thieves unworthy of being called men, hurriedly changed into his Official Robe, ordered the bailiffs to throw open the main gates, and put on a smiling face to welcome them out.

Today was not a Complaint Day, so the Lai County Magistrate had originally been drinking tea in the Back Residence.

Who could have guessed that the city-gate guard would come sprinting over to report dire news to His Honor: Master Xiong's household retainers were hauling a large batch of heads to hand over to the authorities!

After hastily sending men out to make a round of inquiries and learning the full details, His Honor Lai could no longer contain himself and began hopping and cursing.

As an official well-versed in social conditions, His Honor Lai could guess with his heels who the instigators were behind these lake bandits picking such a critical moment to raid the port... Evil gentry, of course — it was always the same few tricks.

Yet what the Lai County Magistrate had not expected was this: in just a few short days, the conflict between the two sides had intensified to this degree? This made him, accustomed to the slow rhythm of the medieval era, extremely uncomfortable.

What His Honor Lai did not know was that the Land Deed Alliance was also acting out of sheer necessity. Under the deliberate, ruthless pressure from Xiong Dao, the gentry, who had absolutely no defense against night-vision devices and kerosene arson, were also gritting their teeth and racing full-speed down the express lane.

Of course, while cursing the evil gentry, the County Magistrate did not forget to cast a grand malediction on that fellow Xiong as well. Sandwiched between two colossal forces, all he wanted now was to pass his term in peace. Yet no sooner had things been quiet for two days than Xiong Dao came "bearing gifts" again, making His Honor Lai's heart pound wildly and his blood pressure soar.

Yet curse as he might, since the other party had already brought "gifts" to his door, even if the County Magistrate now wished he could close the County Yamen and go tour New-Ma-Thai for three months, he still had to come out and receive them.

And so, under the gaze of the vast crowd of onlookers, His Honor, in full Official Robe, wearing a face brimming with gratified smiles, emerged through the main gate, extended both arms, and stopped the guard foreman Yan Tiexia — who had been about to bow — chatting amiably with this military ruffian who not long ago had played the rogue in the Public Hall, performing every step that met society's expectations.

After enduring the disgust and completing the welcoming formalities, His Honor Lai, accompanied by the Criminal Division Constable, publicly inspected the skulls of the bandit chiefs. He then hastily announced two points: First, these skulls would be used to divert disaster eastward... no, sent to the Prefectural Yamen to claim credit.

Second, His Honor Lai ordered the Household Office staff to quickly tally up the bounties on these major bandits over the years — the County Magistrate intended to hold his nose and pay out this blood money, quickly issuing some silver to send these troublemakers on their way.

At this moment, Yu Shiye of the County Yamen jumped out. This old fellow's household toilet-paper workshop had only finished debugging and started production two months ago, yet in just those two months, the Yu Clan was already raking in a fortune daily, achieving cherry... luxury-car freedom.

So Yu Shiye absolutely had to help support the occasion: how could the County Yamen's meager reward silver possibly suffice? So Yu Shiye temporarily topped it up with half a chest of broken silver from his own pocket.

The next moment, at the main entrance of the County Yamen before a sea of people, the heavily bearded Yan Tiexia stood atop a large cart, clutching a fistful of broken silver, and bellowed at the onlookers: "My Master Xiong says, let the old and young folk share in the celebration!"

A mountain-roaring, sea-roaring echo: "Celebration!"

Whoosh — a fistful of silver was flung out.

"My master says, if you have a grudge, take revenge; if you have a grievance, seek redress!"

A mountain-roaring, sea-roaring echo: "Revenge!"

Whoosh — another fistful of silver was flung out.

While Yan Tiexia was showing off at the entrance of the County Yamen, Xiong Dao, sitting in the Port Affairs Office, was discussing the next steps with Lu Cheng.

"Has Father set out yet?" Xiong Dao asked.

"Soon — he'll definitely depart within one week."

"In that case, there aren't many days left for us either."

"Correct."

"That being the case, we still need to stoke the fire a bit more for those lords!"

"Right — we need to make the lords stir up some big news."

"Emmmm......" Xiong Dao pondered for a moment, then pulled the bell cord and ordered someone to summon Liu Wang over. "Go set a couple more fires tomorrow night — run farther away this time."

"As you command!"