Chapter 1078: You Have to Pay

The performance of the Liao refugees drew considerable praise from the household retainers and militia who had served in Zhao's Camp for some years. The displaced commoners who gathered during past upheavals were always very difficult to manage — not that they lacked fear or reverence, but they simply knew nothing and had no concept whatsoever of rules or discipline. Everything had to be corrected through repeated punishment with whips and clubs. As for the militia, from recruitment to training, it went without saying — at the start, they could not even tell left from right. The Liao refugees were somewhat better. This was likely because most of those who came were deserters; having spent a long time in military camps, they more or less understood the rules of advance and retreat and could obey shouted orders. Those from a mining background actually had a quality on par with the deserters, which came as a rather pleasant surprise.

Toward the aggressively advancing crowd from Fang Family Town, the household retainers of Zhao's Camp had none of the scruples about "broad daylight and human life at stake." They simply leveled their long spears, half-drew their bows, and stared down the other side with murderous intent. Under such intimidation, the originally furious crowd walked slower and slower, and at a distance of a few dozen paces, they no longer dared to advance. After they halted over there, someone shouted loudly: "You're carrying so many weapons and blades in broad daylight — are you planning to rebel?"

The words had barely faded when an arrow accurately nailed into the ground before him. A squad commander from the Xuzhou contingent shouted back: "If you don't want to court death, then say what you have to say quickly!"

That single arrow sent the crowd from the town scattering in fright. Only when they saw no follow-up movement from Zhao's Camp did they slowly gather forward once more.

The crowd simply stalled there, and after a brief commotion, several people came forward from the back to the front row, shouting loudly: "You think you can scare people just by holding blades and spears? Does holding blades and spears mean you can steal our sheep?"

Hearing this shout, the alert household retainers of Zhao's Camp could not help but be taken aback. A few among them had gone along to buy the sheep the day before, and they immediately roared back: "Nonsense! We paid money! Your town even charged several dozen wen above the market price!"

"Fang Laoliu, come out here! Did they give you money or not?" The man who had first come out to shout turned his head and yelled.

At this call, a middle-aged man cringed and shuffled out. He glanced over and muttered a few words. "Louder!" the man barked at him without any courtesy. "I never took any money. Early this morning, when my kid went to herd the sheep, he found two missing. Then someone said they smelled mutton coming from over here."

His voice was not quiet at all. As for the smell of mutton, that went without saying — the large pot of bone broth was bubbling away, the gamey aroma thick and strong, something anyone could smell. Once that side said this, the crowd's indignation instantly flared. Ignoring the threat of the sharp blades and drawn bows on this side, they advanced another few steps. Had the bows not been drawn, they likely would have kept coming.

The whole affair was put on with such a convincing air that even the several squad commanders leading this side were confused. They could not help glancing at their comrades. The one who had gone to buy the sheep immediately flared up and shouted: "You don't believe your own brother? Our rules are this strict — would I dare steal sheep? How many taels of silver is that worth? Why would I throw myself away for that!"

He did not even need to swear an oath; those few sentences were enough. The squad commanders all caught on, but their expressions had already turned cold. The one in charge said in a muffled voice: "One more step forward, and we kill without mercy!"

After speaking, he swung his hand down heavily. The various squads of Zhao's Camp holding weapons all shouted "Kill!" in unison. The force of it was deeply intimidating, quieting the agitated scene once more. Many of the Fang Family Town commoners hurriedly retreated, and for a moment, chaos reigned.

"You steal sheep and still want to kill people! Is there any justice or law left in this world? Who exactly are you people — some kind of river-and-lake bandits?" Someone else pointed at this side and cursed.

The stewards leading the group had already come over. The reason they had not come forward at the very start was because they were setting up camp. They had originally been preparing to move out, but now they were ready to make a stand. Although the Liaodong refugees were alarmed, they did not panic. They also understood one principle: the reputation of Liaodong people in Shandong was already poor to begin with, and now that such trouble had broken out, if they scattered and were caught, the outcome would likely not be good. They were better off sticking close to the Xuzhou contingent.

"This is blatantly framing us, trying to make trouble for us. What's infuriating is that there were hardly any witnesses when we bought the sheep yesterday."

"How many witnesses would there ever be for buying sheep? Look at the scene now — do you think any of those witnesses would dare speak the truth?"

As they muttered a few words in low voices, two old men in tattered cotton-padded jackets actually walked over from the other side. Who would lay hands on such impoverished old men? Killing them would be useless anyway. The two old men were still somewhat afraid at first, but seeing this posture, they walked faster and faster. When they reached a spot a dozen or so paces away, they sat down on the ground, beat their chests and stamped their feet, and began to wail loudly. Their mouths only spoke words like: "We raised sheep to pay for medical treatment and save lives, but they've been stolen — how are we supposed to live now?" Tears and mucus streamed down their faces, utterly convincing. The other one knocked his head against the ground, saying that if he was not given an explanation, he would die right here today.

This sort of scene was unbearably stifling. The several stewards frowned, while the crowd from Fang Family Town, seeing the hesitation of this contingent, grew emotional once more. People kept shouting: "Go report to the officials! Report to the officials! They're carrying weapons and they're together with those northern barbarians — their origins are shady!" "Fellow townsfolk, let's go get our own tools! We have to protect our town — we can't let them go in and wreak havoc!"

From the Xuzhou side, they could now see clearly that among the opposing crowd were quite a few sturdy young men carrying weapons and the like, looking like local militia. Although the other side's martial strength seemed utterly negligible, this matter still made everyone feel uncomfortable. One steward muttered a curse under his breath, then said: "How about we just accept this bad luck and give him the silver for two more sheep? Damn it, it was supposed to be a happy thing for everyone, and now it's turned into this kind of trouble."

"Sirs! You absolutely must not give them silver — this is a trick to extort and pick a fight!" At that moment, a Xuzhou volunteer cut in. This volunteer was surnamed Jia, named Jia Tong, a man from Pizhou recruited by Cai Huajun. A forty-year-old bachelor, he was not suited to be a household retainer or militiaman, nor was he willing to be a patrolman dealing with trivial matters, so he opted for the freedom of the Xuzhou volunteers. He had seen much and was rich in the ways of the jianghu.

Seeing the several stewards look his way, Jia Tong did not lose his nerve and said: "They can deny receiving the silver even after we gave it to them. Even if you give them more silver, do you think they won't have other tricks? These Shandong bumpkins are just out to make trouble for us."

"Master Jia, what is your view on this?" The stewards of Zhao's Camp all knew their limits and never put on airs; instead, they were quite humble. This attitude made Jia Tong very comfortable. He continued with a furrowed brow: "In the jianghu, such things are not common. It's usually a trick used by local strongmen to extort passing merchants. But there is also a rule about not provoking a powerful dragon. We're a thousand men strong and we've already bared our blades, yet a town of a few thousand people still acts so recklessly. There's definitely something fishy here. To settle this, I'm afraid blood will have to be spilled and lives lost."

These words made the eyelids of the several stewards twitch. They were not afraid of people dying, but with so many Liaodong commoners in tow and being outside Zhao's Camp's sphere of control, if any further incident were stirred up, the subsequent trouble would be considerable. A look of regret appeared on everyone's face. They had thought they could earn merit by coming out — who would have imagined that nothing would go smoothly.

"Master Jia, what do you suggest we do?"

"This situation won't end amicably no matter what, so there's no need to be polite with them. First, grab those two old men and bring them back. Don't you think those old men are pitiful — every place has old scoundrels of this age who, relying on their advanced years and lack of fear of death, will roll around and make a scene over anything. If they die, it's a release; if they don't, they stand to gain something cheap. Looking at the state of those two, do you think their families could even afford to raise sheep?" This Jia Tong saw things with piercing accuracy.

The stewards exchanged glances, and immediately someone called over a household retainer to give the order. Over there, the two old men were still rolling on the ground, wailing to heaven and pounding the earth. The household retainers were all frowning in a dilemma — no one was afraid of a real fight with real blades, but they could not bring themselves to lay hands on such old men. Their hesitation made the Fang Family Town commoners even more emotionally worked up, and they advanced another few steps. The two sides were drawing closer and closer.

Right at that moment, several household retainers threw down their weapons and dashed out. Before anyone realized what was happening, the two old men had already been grabbed and dragged back. The scene fell silent; no one had expected such a turn of events. Only then did someone shout loudly: "Fellow townsfolk! These people even dare to seize the elderly — how can we tolerate this!"

The crowd instantly boiled over. People cursed and shouted angrily, but under the intimidating presence of Zhao's Camp's strict and orderly formation, no one dared to step forward.

After the two old men were grabbed and brought into the ranks, they were actually not very afraid — they had truly reached an age where they felt they had nothing left to fear. Jia Tong, however, came over with a few volunteers. He first ordered the men to be held down, then drew a dagger and directly slashed a bloody gash on each of the old men's hands. Blood flowed, and the men howled in pain, shouting: "Murder! They're killing people!"

The miserable howls were clearly heard by the Fang Family Town crowd outside, yet no one rushed forward anxiously. Quite a few people looked toward a few individuals within the crowd, as if waiting for them to make a decision.

Jia Tong was not finished yet. He took salt from his pocket and smeared it directly onto the two old men's wounds. Salt rubbed into a wound doubles the pain. Jia Tong said coldly: "Answer whatever you're asked. Otherwise, I'll cut gashes all over your bodies and then sprinkle salt on them. When that time comes, you'll beg for death and won't be able to get it."

For these two old men, a threat to this degree was more than enough. Before long, Jia Tong went to find the stewards. "This matter was instigated by the Lou family behind the scenes. These two old men are both destitute, solitary old wretches from the village. They came out to play rogue for the reward money. They say that before dawn, someone already took a name card to the county seat to report to the officials. The government runners will be here any moment."

"The Lou family? Isn't this Fang Family Town?" a steward asked instinctively.

"The Lou family makes up thirty percent of this town, and the Fang family seventy percent. It's said they were all one surname in the past. After the Lou family rose to prominence, it's the Lou family's word that carries weight here." This was something they had not expected.

Don't think I'm making insinuations; what I've described today has its original sources in that era.

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