Chapter 79: Black King of Hell

After more than ten days of calm, just before winter set in during the coldest season, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's new house was finally repaired and completed.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, draped in a fur-lined coat and holding a cup of hot tea, stood by the window gazing outward.

Outside, heavy snow was dancing down, rendering heaven and earth a vast, indistinct expanse.

He sighed lightly, watching the curling smoke from chimneys, and remarked with emotion, "We've finally endured this unbearable harsh winter. Although repairing the house cost a considerable amount of silver, it has resolved a lingering worry of mine here, so it was worth it."

Beside him, the gaunt Wu Xiao'er tucked his hands deeper into his sleeves, nodded indifferently, and said, "Indeed, the only trouble remaining now is those bandits from foreign tribes. Truly, who knows when the authorities will dispatch a new Commandant? Once that happens, our good days in Shangmu won't be far off."

He gazed into the distance, a faint glow of anticipation shimmering in his eyes.

More than half a month had passed since the dispute over military rations occurred, yet the new Commandant showed no sign of appearing.

Helpless, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could only order Tu Tu Kesiluo to lead the trained laborers into the City Defense Camp to undergo training alongside the city guards.

Facts proved that Tu Tu Kesiluo was not only highly skilled in martial arts but also exceptionally talented at training people.

Every time Jiang Jiang Mingyu visited the City Defense Camp to inspect, he found that this group of previously undisciplined laborers gradually began to resemble soldiers, earning his renewed respect.

Li Goudan, with his scruffy beard, did not share this view: "Even if the new Commandant arrives, what use will it be?"

"Between the City Defense Camp and the laborers under Lord Tu, we have fewer than five hundred men in total; that's not even enough for the foreigners to fill their teeth."

"Surely we can't expect the new Commandant to be a god descending from heaven, capable of matching ten thousand troops all by himself?" Li Goudan said irritably.

Hearing this, Wu Xiao'er also drooped his head and agreed dejectedly, "That makes sense."

Li Goudan continued cursing under his breath, "Besides, if another one arrives who is even worse than the previous Commandant, things will get even more lively."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu waved his hand helplessly, "Enough; blind guessing is useless. Let's wait until the person actually arrives before we judge."

Since the house repairs were finished, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was surprised to discover that he, a distinguished Imperial Envoy, now had absolutely nothing to do.

After the common people's heating problems were solved, they all stayed indoors to endure the winter; the entire county town grew increasingly desolate, with not even thieves or bandits appearing, leaving Jiang Jiang Mingyu utterly bored.

Bored to tears in the county yamen, Jiang Jiang Mingyu whiled away his days; he even visited the Liu residence several times hoping to catch a glimpse of Liu Liu Yifei, but each time he returned because Liu Yifei was not home.

Since arriving in this ancient world, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had rarely seen women, and the beautiful and moving Liu Liu Yifei was the first woman to stir his heart.

Now with ample free time from official duties, Jiang Jiang Mingyu couldn't help but recall Liu Yifei's appearance; her face lingered in his mind like an inescapable curse.

Just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt anxious and lost, an envoy sent by Inspector Jiang Zhe finally arrived in Shangmu County amidst the wind and snow, bringing an important message to Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately pressed for details, "May I ask, when will the new Commandant assume office? The county town urgently needs reinforcements to stabilize the situation."

The envoy smiled helplessly, "Lord Jiang, I have come only to deliver bad news; I fear the new Commandant will not be able to arrive anytime soon."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu was stunned, "What does this mean?"

After checking left and right to ensure no one was listening, the envoy whispered, "In truth, upon learning they were to be sent to the desolate Shangmu County, every candidate for Commandant refused the appointment; they would rather never hold office again than come here."

"Therefore, the Inspector, in his helplessness, sent me to inform you, Lord Jiang, requesting that you reluctantly continue to act as provisional Commandant for the time being; how long this arrangement will last remains unknown. Please endure this hardship a little longer."

After watching the envoy depart, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was so delighted he nearly jumped up and cheered.

Because serving as provisional Commandant meant he could legitimately recruit an army.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought, This is truly a magnificent opportunity granted by Heaven!

The next day, he decisively ordered a recruitment drive throughout the entire county, promising generous treatment and benefits.

Indeed, offering heavy rewards for talent inevitably attracts brave warriors.

Only a few days after Jiang Jiang Mingyu's notice offering high wages for recruits was posted, nearly two thousand new soldiers had been enlisted.

Adding the existing soldiers from the City Defense Camp and the well-trained laborers, Jiang Jiang Mingyu now commanded a force of twenty-five hundred men.

Seeing that the day for revenge was imminent, Tu Tu Kesiluo trained these new recruits daily until they were exhausted in both body and mind.

No one knew exactly when it started, but his face, black and shining, earned him the mocking nickname "Black King of Hell."

Tu Tu Kesiluo was furious about this epithet; he sulked for days and became extremely harsh with the new soldiers during training.

The result was that these poor recruits were tossed about and battered by him all day long, lacking even the strength to climb back to their feet.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu watched with only a bitter smile; alas, this was simply Tu Tu Kesiluo's temperament, and even he could not persuade him to change.

To feed these twenty-five hundred men, Jiang Jiang Mingyu directly sent Li Goudan to deliver a letter to his promising student, Zhu Ge Yu.

In the letter, Jiang Jiang Mingyu told Zhu Ge Yu that whether through pretense or friendly promotion, he must find a way to open up sales channels for coal as quickly as possible so the army would have provisions.

At the same time, he had Li Goudan carry twenty poems written in his own hand, which could serve as capital for Zhu Ge Yu to attract business.

Two days later, Li Goudan rushed back to Shangmu County covered in dust; looking both weary from the journey and excited, he had worn away most of Jiang Jiang Mingyu's patience.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu couldn't help but press, "How did it go? Did Mr. Zhu agree to help find buyers?"

Li Goudan first exhaled a large breath, then downed a cup of hot tea before speaking, "Mr. Zhu was extremely satisfied with the poems you sent; he was overjoyed after reading them!"

"He said he will do his utmost to find buyers for our coal within the commandery and counties," Li Goudan continued, "He has already advanced twenty thousand taels of silver, claiming it is revenue obtained from selling your collection of poems."

Li Goudan asked perplexed, "My lord, why would Mr. Zhu hand over the silver from selling your poetry collection to you? I don't quite understand the connection."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu waved his hand, saying, "You need not worry about that; just know that the army's rations are now secured."

Meanwhile, in the Chief Clerk's residence in the prefectural city, Huang Huang Chaoran was pacing anxiously inside his room; snowflakes drifted outside, while depression knotted his heart.

"It's been half a month; why haven't Zhang San and Li Si appeared yet?" Huang Huang Chaoran muttered to himself, "I only sent them to Shangmu to execute one person; how could it take this long?"

"My lord, perhaps they feared Jiang Jiang Mingyu and fled halfway," a servant beside him guessed worriedly.

Huang Huang Chaoran sneered coldly, "Impossible; I know their background well. Their entire families, old and young, are in my hands; they dare not run."

"Zhang San and Li Si are smart men; since they agreed to kill Jiang Jiang Mingyu for me, they certainly would not shrink back halfway, or else they would cross my bottom line. They aren't foolish enough to seek their own destruction."

The servant frowned uneasily, "Then does my lord mean they have likely already been killed by Jiang Jiang Mingyu?"

Huang Huang Chaoran sighed, "I suspect that if nothing went wrong, they have mostly likely already been eradicated root and branch by Jiang Jiang Mingyu by now. We can only pray they are already dead; otherwise, if Jiang Jiang Mingyu discovers our conspiracy, we will be in serious trouble."

The servant asked softly, "Then what should we do now?"

Huang Huang Chaoran sneered coldly, "Immediately send people to Shangmu County to investigate thoroughly the whereabouts of Zhang San and Li Si. If they are still imprisoned by Jiang Jiang Mingyu, find a way to silence them."

"Even if they have already been killed, I must find other ways to eliminate Jiang Jiang Mingyu; in short, the silver already spent must be recovered, and Jiang Jiang Mingyu must be executed." A cold light gleamed in Huang Huang Chaoran's eyes, his tone resolute.

Huang Huang Chaoran spoke ruthlessly, "Once I get the silver back, the first thing I will do is divorce that wretch He Hua, and then find a new concubine."

"I must also go to the Inspector's residence; this matter must be handled as soon as possible."

The servant nodded: "My lord, rest assured, I shall go and handle it at once."

Five days later, Shangmu City.

Five days later, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was still bored out of his mind, idle all day long. He even hoped that the foreign bandits would appear soon so he could perk up and fight a battle.

But the foreigners were obviously still sheltering from the cold somewhere and had not shown themselves at all. Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt only irritability, yet knew not how to pass the time; he was on the verge of falling ill from boredom.

Finally, bored to the extreme, Jiang Jiang Mingyu slapped the table and said: "Xiao Er, let us go pay a visit to the Liu residence!"

Wu Xiao Er did not understand what scheme he was hatching, but still hurriedly stood up to accompany him.

Just as they sat down at Liu Ximen's house, Jiang Jiang Mingyu sensed that Liu Ximen's expression was not quite right.

He usually always wore a smile, but now his face was full of sorrow, his two thick brows knitted tightly together.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu keenly perceived that Liu Ximen must have encountered a difficulty and needed his help.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke with concern: "Boss Liu, seeing your expression is not right, have you encountered some difficulty? If there is any need, speak freely; I will certainly help you come up with a solution."

Liu Ximen silently took a sip of tea, pondered for a long while, then sighed heavily and said: "It is... it is my daughter, Liu Yifei, who has encountered some trouble." After speaking, he sank back into melancholy silence.