Chapter 465

The next morning, Zhang Dong disguised himself as a servant and followed Tang Hongchang to the south gate. On the wall were many soldiers who looked like beggars, while some men in commoners' clothing appeared exceptionally fierce — guards mustered by the various trading companies. Their weapons were better than those of the garrison soldiers, and some even wore armor.

Before ascending the wall, Zhang Dong gave Tang Hongchang his final instructions: "In a moment, the Liaodong troops will strike first. Keep your men in line on the wall. Do not shed blood with the Liaodong soldiers."

Tang Hongchang appeared very composed. He asked Zhang Dong, "At the critical moment, do you need my men to help break the city?"

"Once up there, adapt as the situation demands. If the Eight Families prove too strong, keep silent. At the critical moment, take your men and flee. Find a few to shout some words urging escape — that will suffice."

Tang Hongchang said no more. He nodded and ascended the wall. Seeing his calmness, Zhang Dong could not help but regard this Tang Hongchang with a higher opinion in his heart.

Looking out from the wall, the dense shops and houses outside the city had few pedestrians between them — clearly, all harbored fear of the Dengzhou troops ten li away. Zhang Dong gave a cold laugh. Song Wenxian had deliberately created this situation, and when the time came to force the city open, it would deliver the strongest shock and awe to the merchants here, using this method to declare Dengzhou Garrison's attitude toward all frontier-pass merchants: no trading with the slaves.

Several li away, dust and smoke rolled, and the rumble of hooves drew near from afar. A banner bearing the character Wu soon appeared in the outskirts, heading for the west gate. Tang Hongchang estimated roughly two thousand men. At the east gate, there were also over a thousand men, under a banner bearing the character You. Needless to say, these were Wu Xiang and You Shiwei.

The army coming from the south consisted entirely of cavalry, numbering around seven hundred, all clad in fiery-red short-cut military uniforms. With their large lapels and two rows of brass buttons, they looked exceptionally sharp and fierce.

Tang Hongchang turned his head to look at Zhang Dong, his eyes asking whether these were the Dengzhou troops. Zhang Dong nodded slightly. Tang Hongchang felt certainty in his heart. He felt he had chosen the right side. He had heard that besides this force here, there was a main Dengzhou army of around six thousand behind them. If one added the forces in Dengzhou and Liaonan, that was a terrifying power. Unlike court officials, Tang Hongchang, as a merchant who had cooperated with the trading companies for years, understood the strength of the Four Seas Trading Company very well. Now, witnessing this powerful army with his own eyes, the slight wavering in his heart vanished immediately.

Outside the city, the Long Qibing split into many squads, charging straight for the Eight Families' shops in the southern outskirts. Tang Hongchang smiled smugly. Within this Long Qibing unit were trusted men he had sent to guide the way. They were very familiar with Zhangjiakou and would absolutely not miss a single house.

Two mounted Dengzhou Garrison provost soldiers galloped to beneath the gate and shouted loudly toward the gate tower: "By order of Long Qibing Company Commander Zhong, eight merchant houses in Zhangjiakou Fort have colluded with the Jianzhou Bandits, selling our army's military secrets in exchange for Jianzhou silver, causing our government troops to lose soldiers and officers. The evidence is conclusive. Today, our great army arrests only Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku, Jin Liangyu, Wang Dayu, Liang Jiabin, Tian Shenglan, Zhai Tang, and Huang Yunfa. No others are implicated. We seize only the eight families who traded with the slaves. The rest shall not be touched in the slightest."

A man from the Fan family on the wall leaned out and cursed, "You — whose orders are you following? You Dengzhou troops and Guan-Ning troops clearly mean to come plunder Zhangjiakou! Do you dare summon Garrison Commander Jiao of Xuanfu to come verify this?"

The two provost soldiers paid him no heed. They addressed the others on the wall: "All others listen well. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is already en route to Zhangjiakou. The eight families who secretly colluded with the Jianzhou Bandits are doomed beyond doubt. Any who dare oppose our great army will be executed on the spot. You are given one quarter-hour to evacuate the wall. Those who stubbornly resist on the wall, whether soldier or civilian, will all be treated as collaborators with the slaves. Our Dengzhou army can kill even the Jianzhou Bandits' Third Beile. Those unafraid to die, feel free to try."

Having shouted this, the provost soldiers spurred their horses and galloped back. The wall immediately buzzed with discussion. The guards from the other trading houses all began to shrink back. These below were government troops — not comparable to the horse bandits and brigands they usually dealt with. Fighting them meant opposing the government, let alone the fact that these were the strongest Dengzhou troops and Guan-Ning troops. Seeing that these soldiers clearly had not come to reason with them, many guards were already thinking of retreat.

Before long, another burst of startled cries came from the gate tower. Two bronze cannons were unloaded a hundred paces behind and pushed toward the south gate by artillerymen. Behind them were several neat rows of red-clad formations, shouting resounding slogans as they marched. Their imposing momentum instantly overturned their understanding of government troops.

Huang Yunfa, one of the eight great merchant houses, was also on the wall. He pleaded desperately with the Squad Commander guarding the gate, begging them not to open it. The other merchants gathered in separate clusters for urgent discussion. Around Tang Hongchang also gathered several familiar merchants, exchanging views with one another.

At that moment, a voice loudly proclaimed, "Everyone, listen to this old man. These guest troops have come to rob our Zhangjiakou, or else to extort our wealth and goods. Our silver didn't fall from the sky — it's all blood and sweat money! We ought to unite and defend the city, wait until Garrison Commander Jiao arrives outside the city. Then these louts will naturally not dare act recklessly again. Now, under no circumstances must we open the gate…"

Zhang Dong turned to look. A richly dressed merchant was shouting to the people around him, his expression extremely agitated.

"This man is Wang Dengku," Tang Hongchang said in a low voice beside him. "Among the eight families, second only to Fan Yongdou."

Zhang Dong nodded slightly and said coldly, "If anything untoward happens to me, pretend you don't know me."

Tang Hongchang was stunned. Zhang Dong had already waved a hand to several of his subordinates. Pretending to go listen to Wang Dengku speak, they squeezed together into the crowd over there. Tang Hongchang looked around, found his head guard, and quietly gave him instructions. The head guard quickly gathered all of Tang Hongchang's guards to one place to await orders.

Wang Dengku's voice continued to resound: "Everyone, do not be afraid. Those two cannons of theirs are very small. They also have no scaling ladders. We need only hold the city gate. Garrison Commander Jiao will arrive in the blink of an eye. Everyone, think more of your families. If we let these louts in, who will come out well? Otherwise…"

Just as he reached this point, a bang and a roar sounded. A plume of white smoke rose from the crowd. Wang Dengku's voice turned into a miserable scream. Tang Hongchang peered through the gaps between people and saw Wang Dengku collapse onto his back. Chaos erupted in the crowd. Immediately after, two more explosions rang out. The sound of blades being drawn rang out all across the wall. Garrison soldiers and militia guards drew their swords, guarding against one another. Shouts rose and fell in waves.

"Open the city gate! I'm just a guard, not here to fight government troops. If you don't open the gate, once these louts get ruthless, they'll drag me down with them." Zhang Dong's voice rang out from the direction of the gate tower. Tang Hongchang stood on tiptoe to look and saw that Zhang Dong had already placed a short Japanese Sword against the neck of the garrison Squad Commander.

Wang Dengku's guards surged forward, raising swords and blades to cut Zhang Dong down. Zhang Dong pressed the blade's edge against the Squad Commander's neck. "Have your men keep these people back, or I'll kill you right now."

The Squad Commander's head was forced up high. He hurriedly ordered his men to surround the outside, blocking those guards. The gate tower was a clamorous mess of chaos.

At that moment, a cannon roared from the direction of the east gate. The gate tower instantly fell silent. Everyone craned to look toward the east gate. The sound of this cannon meant the Liaodong troops might truly have begun their assault.

Tang Hongchang's eyes darted around. Suddenly he shouted, "I'm done! The Dengzhou troops can even kill Manggūltai — we can't stop them. Besides, I never colluded with the Jianzhou Bandits. Why should I sell my life for your few families? I'm leaving!"

As soon as he finished shouting, he immediately led his group of guards down from the wall. Seeing someone take the lead, the other merchants around followed suit and headed down the wall. These people were all shrewd. Seeing the posture of the Dengzhou army outside the city, they all knew they could gain no advantage. As things stood, let alone Garrison Commander Jiao, even the Emperor himself could not save this isolated frontier city. Better to gamble and trust the Dengzhou troops.

The militia and guards on the wall dispersed by more than half in an instant. Zhang Dong faced Wang Dengku's guards outside and asked, "Wang Dengku is dead. Those of you willing to be buried with him, stay on the wall."

Those guards looked at one another, then at the short guns in the hands of the two men beside Zhang Dong. Finally, someone left, also heading for the wall stairs.

Zhang Dong smiled at the Squad Commander and said, "Everyone's gone. Will you open the gate now?"

"Open, open it at once." …

The south gate was opened before the deadline. Dengzhou soldiers in short uniforms surged into Zhangjiakou in an endless stream.

The east and west gates were also opened one after another after the Liaodong troops used cannons to bombard them. Guan-Ning troops in red padded jackets entered the city from their respective sides. The three forces, a complete change from the chaos of the Four Cities battle, sealed and searched the eight families' shops according to their designated zones.

The Dengzhou Long Qibing were responsible for the entire southern city, which held three smuggling merchants. Wu Xiang's Liaozhen Ningyuan troops from Liaodong were responsible for the northwest, also three families. You Shiwei's Shanhai Pass troops were responsible for the northeast, only two families.

Dengzhou provost soldiers patrolled the four main streets, preventing conflicts between the various garrison forces. The Liaodong troops were rather fearful of this Dengzhou unit and did not cross boundaries to plunder, though there were instances of conveniently looting nearby shops. Gradually, some shouts of killing arose in the city, and even the roar of red-barbarian cannons.

The shops, warehouses, and great residences of the eight families were all targets for clearing. Their account rooms, Shopkeepers, and long-term laborers all needed to be arrested. Zhang Dong quickly gathered a force in the city composed of out-of-town guards — men who feared no chaos, were very familiar with the locality yet were not locals, and could flee at any time after making their fortune.

The first target of the Dengzhou troops was Tian Shenglan's great residence. Zhou Shao'er's First Company, equipped with one field cannon, was responsible for this place. The four-pound cannon effortlessly blasted the main gate to splinters. The First Company swarmed in. The Tian family's guards had already scattered like birds and beasts. Some headless-fly-like servants and maids screamed and ran wildly everywhere.

The outer courtyard of the Tian family's great residence was extremely spacious, its buildings adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, heavily using the two overstepping colors of red and yellow. Within were layer upon layer of courtyards. A combat soldier like Zhou Shao'er had not studied courtyard structures like the special duty company had. Once inside, he just charged inward. Zhou Shao'er also became dizzy and disoriented inside. Whenever they encountered anyone on the way, they tied them up and sent them to the outer courtyard for interrogation by Zhang Dong's men.

At the northern side of the great residence, a servant who had been knocked down thought they were going to kill him and loudly begged Zhou Shao'er for mercy: "Spare me, General! This lowly one knows where the Tian family's silver cellar is. This lowly one will lead you generals there."

That servant led them to an inconspicuous courtyard. Several strong Long Qibing smashed open the door and found the entrance to the cellar. Zhou Shao'er lit a torch and crawled into the pitch-black cellar, where he was immediately dumbstruck.

In the torchlight's reflection, the cellar was full of the gleam of gold and silver, and gems, pearls, and jade emitted all sorts of brilliant, dazzling colors.

Guan Dadi came down the ladder and was likewise dumbstruck. Zhou Shao'er swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said, "Seal the entrance. Find the quartermaster to register this." …

Before the sky darkened, the search and arrest in the city was still not complete. An endless stream of male family members, Shopkeepers, accountants, and long-term laborers from the various houses were escorted to the Tian family's great residence, which served as the stronghold. The wealth and goods of the other two families were also delivered there, piling up like a mountain in the outer courtyard.

Wu Xiang changed into a set of scholar's robes and came with refined, elegant bearing to request an audience with Song Wenxian.

"Mr. Song, I trust you have been well since we last met."

Song Wenxian warmly invited Wu Xiang to take the seat on the left, but Wu Xiang firmly refused, insisting that Song Wenxian sit on the left. Speaking of official rank, Song Wenxian was merely an Advisor Assistant Regional Commander, far inferior to him. Wu Xiang was a substantively appointed Regional Commander and Vice Commissioner-in-Chief of the Left Army Chief Military Commission. Yet Wu Xiang did not put on the slightest airs before Song Wenxian. The two had known each other in the capital, and later Song Wenxian had traveled many times to Guan-Ning, so they were already very familiar with each other.

Once seated, Wu Xiang said to Song Wenxian, "Mr. Song, your great talent has brought the treacherous merchants of Zhangjiakou to justice. Regional Commander Chen should take first credit, and after him, it is you, Mr. Song."

Song Wenxian had a subordinate serve tea. After dismissing the subordinate, he smiled at Wu Xiang and said, "This time, Regional Commander Wu and Regional Commander You have rid the nation of traitors. The cooperation between our two sides is also the result of Regional Commander Wu's consistent mediation."

Wu Xiang spoke a few modest words, then lowered his voice and said, "Of the goods and silver seized from the twelve houses this time, I have set aside a portion for Lord Chen. It is already placed outside the accounts. I must trouble Mr. Song to pass it on to Lord Chen. For you, Mr. Song, I also have a token of my regard, but it is in the form of a banknote from the capital, which is more convenient this way."

"Ai!" Song Wenxian waved a hand. "Lord Wu, you must not do this. What we value in our friendship is knowing each other's hearts. Why fall into such vulgar conventions?"

Wu Xiang's face was full of solemnity as he said, "For Mr. Song to say so is to treat me as an outsider. This is my heartfelt regard. As you know, I am but a crude man, originally somewhat vulgar, but my regard is sincere. I hope Mr. Song will not disdain this humble official's coarseness."

"What words are these? Ai, since that is the case, Regional Commander Wu must absolutely not do this next time." Song Wenxian accepted the banknote with one hand. Without even looking at the specific amount, he placed it into his sleeve. Wu Xiang was very sensible and had not given him a Four Seas Bank note, which could easily be discovered by the people of Dengzhou.

With the gift-giving concluded, Wu Xiang finally began to discuss serious matters. After taking a sip of tea, he asked Song Wenxian, "Mr. Song, the people from the various houses of Zhangjiakou have basically all been arrested. Speaking of wealth, even I had my eyes opened wide today. I hear they have branch offices in various places. Just what is here is astonishing enough. One can see how much black-hearted silver these people truly earned."

Song Wenxian smiled faintly. In truth, there was another reason the Liaodong Garrison could agree to strike Zhangjiakou: Wu Xiang also engaged in frontier smuggling. With Zhangjiakou suffering this severe blow, many purchases from the Mongol side would have to rely on Liaoxi. At the very least, the Kalaqin market would be entirely occupied by Wu Xiang, and Wu Xiang's goods were now mostly purchased from the Four Seas Trading Company — a mutually beneficial matter.

Song Wenxian said, "Zhangjiakou has long engaged in border trade, smuggling all kinds of materials to the Jianzhou Bandits. Among those we have arrested are twenty-three Jianzhou spies, including seven true barbarians. It is estimated that over ten more are hiding in various places. The human evidence is conclusive."

Wu Xiang's eyes darted. He did not know whether Song Wenxian's claim of twenty-three was true or not. Even if there were none, Song Wenxian could always pick out over twenty from the captives and forcibly pin them on these eight families.

"Mr. Song, I still have connections in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Interrogations revealing the eight families' smuggling will certainly exist. The censors won't be able to say much. But I always feel that something is still lacking."

Song Wenxian gently patted his leg and said, "Indeed, something is lacking. There are naturally some entanglements between the court and Zhangjiakou. Now that the people are in our hands, if some unsavory matters are asked about, it wouldn't hurt to record them. Arrest the important ones and take them back. Presumably, some in the court will be willing to shut their mouths. Furthermore, our Dengzhou and Guan-Ning, one west and one south, deal with Liaodong. The court's little calculations — I need not explain them to Lord Wu. This time, we happened to jointly deal with these eight families. Getting too close is not good. We shall each submit our own memorials, each speaking of our own matters. In the end, we can impeach each other a bit, and that will settle it." (To be continued…)