Chapter 47: I Have It Too Hard

"This, can't even a single copper coin be left?"

The choice Shen Yu gave left Sun Heling very conflicted; choosing money or choosing his life left him very conflicted, for money was his life. Could he not keep a little, even just a tiny bit!

"It seems Master Sun is reluctant! I gave you a chance and you couldn't grasp it, who can you blame?"

Shaking his head, Shen Yu said with a helpless face to the side, "Zhou Yuan, drag Master Sun down and throw him into the dungeon, wait for him to be beheaded!"

"Wait, wait, my lord, I want my life!" Seeing Zhou Yuan walk over without the slightest hesitation, Sun Heling grabbed him, shouting anxiously at Shen Yu, "My lord, I am willing to disperse all my family wealth, I am willing!"

"Very good, Master Sun, I didn't force you!" Nodding with satisfaction, Shen Yu then reminded him, "Also, do not try to play tricks on this official, otherwise this official will make you die very ugly!"

"This commoner wouldn't dare!" Prostrating deeply on the ground, Sun Heling really wanted to have a good cry; he truly had it too hard. This young County Magistrate's methods were too ruthless; that was the little money he had saved up his entire life!

"It is best if that is so, you go down and prepare first!"

Patting his shoulder, seeing the other party looking somewhat desperate, Shen Yu then comforted him, "Rest assured, if you can satisfy this official and satisfy the commoners of Baian County, perhaps this official will leave you some capital to make a comeback!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Heling immediately revived to full health on the spot and asked cautiously, "My lord, is this true?"

"Naturally it is true, rest assured, this official always keeps his word!"

"Good, good, my lord, just watch, this commoner will definitely handle things beautifully!" While speaking, Sun Heling stood up excitedly and hurried back to prepare. Of course, he was inevitably followed by a group of Constables to monitor him.

"My lord, this Sun Heling is truly not a good thing, repeatedly slandering you. Just making him disperse his family wealth, and he was still full of reluctance; it was really too easy on him!"

"Enough, the Sun family is the largest grain merchant in Baian County, and they also hold a pivotal position among the merchant houses in the entire Changling Jun. Having operated for so many years, they naturally have their own connections and channels!"

"Only through the Sun family's channels can we successfully obtain enough grain; we must make this Master Sun work for us sincerely. This official still has major construction to do next, it won't do if there is a lack of grain!"

Shaking his head, Shen Yu did not mind this; what he cared about was the result. For someone like the Sun family, keeping them is better than discarding them directly. After all, although Sun Heling basically has no backbone, he is quite capable when it comes to doing business.

"Major construction? Construction of what?" Looking at Shen Yu's inscrutable appearance, although Zhou Yuan was puzzled, he did not ask. He was just a handyman; following the County Magistrate's pace was enough, knowing things too complexly was useless.

"Zhou Yuan, you are quite good, it's just that your Martial Arts are a bit poor!" After a long while, Shen Yu spoke suddenly, and his opening words were heart-piercing, leaving Zhou Yuan not knowing how to respond.

It was a fact that his Martial Arts were poor; he didn't feel it when he was just muddling along before, and he estimated that the head constables of most county cities were about the same level as him. But now he was clearly falling behind; he also wanted to work hard, but reality didn't allow it. His aptitude and the Martial Arts he practiced were both average, so what could he do.

"Forget it, follow me. Starting from today, I will teach you a few moves of Martial Arts; don't embarrass this official in the future!"

"Martial Arts?" Struck by the sudden surprise on his head, Zhou Yuan was so excited he was almost unable to speak. He opened his mouth to say something, but for a moment he didn't know how to say it.

That was Martial Arts; which family didn't try every possible way to hide and keep it as a secret family treasure? Many families even had rules about passing it to sons but not daughters, and passing it to insiders but not outsiders. If anyone dared to steal a lesson, it would be a life-or-death outcome.

He was just a head constable under a County Magistrate, with no family ties, yet the lord was willing to treat him like this. Finally, Zhou Yuan shouted in a voice that was almost trembling, "Many thanks, my lord! My lord, rest assured, this subordinate will be loyal and devoted in the future, with absolutely no second thoughts..."

Time passed in a hurry, and soon another few days flashed by. The grain that Shen Yu had hidden in Fuyun Mountain had already been arranged by him to be brought back. At this time, the people from the Capture Gate and the Black-Clad Guard had long since withdrawn from Fuyun Mountain.

In order to deal with the Zhangnan Bandits, the Black-Clad Guard and the Capture Gate had gathered a large number of people at the time and planned several sets of schemes in advance to ensure nothing went wrong, only to find upon arrival that the Zhangnan Bandits had already been slaughtered by someone.

Shen Yu could not imagine their expressions at the time, but he imagined they must have been very spectacular. They had been in this line of work for so long, always licking blood from the edge of a blade; this was the first time they had won so completely by lying down.

But immediately after, they couldn't laugh. The massive Zhangnan Bandits were left with nothing but weapons hidden in the armory; everything else had basically been cleaned out and packed away.

Not only was there not a single bit of gold, silver, or jewelry left, but even the grain had been crazily taken away entirely; not a bit remained. The Zhangnan Bandits had been counter-robbed by thieves.

After searching back and forth for a long time, the spoils they scraped together were meager. The items of the Zhangnan Bandits' leaders and their treasure vault had already been taken away by Shen Yu; relying on the family assets of those remaining small fry, how much could be found even if they searched thoroughly?

After setting fire to the Zhangnan Bandits' stronghold, the Capture Gate and the Black-Clad Guard returned in high spirits with their less-than-perfect spoils. Regardless, this merit was picked up for free; at worst, they could just ask for more rewards when claiming credit.

And in Baian County, the wave of refugees had begun to show its ferocity these past few days. After the floodwaters receded, many people had begun to flee from famine, and large numbers of refugees poured into Baian County. Shen Yu also officially began his infrastructure plan.

With the grain and fodder of the Zhangnan Bandits, plus what Shen Yu had long ago ordered the County Government Office to prepare, and the grain that the Sun family had been sending continuously from various places during this time, the granaries of Baian County were almost full. He now had enough confidence to deal with everything.

All incoming refugees were gathered together; the strong ones went to build river embankments, some stayed to build simple dwellings for shelter, and the old, weak, sick, and disabled were responsible for cooking and laundry. Under Shen Yu's advance planning, everything appeared orderly.

With sufficient food, the commoners generally wouldn't have any other thoughts. Moreover, not only could they eat their fill here, but they also received wages; they had never heard of such a good thing. This wasn't fleeing from famine; this was clearly coming to get rich.

Here, not only would everyone not starve to death, but they estimated they could earn a few taels of silver to take home in the end; hope suddenly arose in their originally desperate lives.

Although they hadn't been fleeing from famine for long, grass roots and tree bark had long since become their only food, and even then, they often had nothing to eat. Those who haven't experienced it will never know what that extreme hunger tastes like; it is a taste one never wants to experience again.

At this time, even if someone incited them to cause trouble, they would be beaten to death by them directly. It was hard to find such a good place to flee from famine; whoever dared to destroy it, they would risk their lives to protect it.

Everyone also put in as much effort as possible; having finally encountered such a good place, they naturally didn't want to be driven away for refusing to put in effort. Moreover, since someone had given them a way to survive, if they didn't put in some effort, wouldn't they be too ignorant of the situation?

While the refugees here were working with great enthusiasm, Sun Heling was crying his eyes out over there; every single copper spent over there was his money.

They were just refugees who couldn't even get a meal; letting them eat their fill was already good enough, yet they were given money, and it was his money being given away. The feeling in Sun Heling's heart couldn't be more sour.

This young County Magistrate was ruthless enough; he said he would make him lose his family fortune, so he made him lose his family fortune. He had already secretly calculated that at this rate of spending, he, the dignified richest man in Baian County, would truly return to extreme poverty in the end.

Looking at the decreasing silver in the accounts, and then thinking about his own toil day and night, not only did he not have a single copper, but he had also gambled away his entire family fortune. Sun Heling clutched his chest, I really have it too hard!