Flourishing of the Ming Dynasty Novel - Chapter 72

Chapter 72 Set Up a Net for
Above the pitch-black sky were bright stars, and among them was a crescent moon, shining with a gentle white light towards the earth below. A few wisps of smoke rose slowly from the ground, making the peaceful night of the grassland more lively with fireworks and popularity.

The smoke came from several large new iron pots, The pot was stuffed with fragrant wheat rice and meat. As time passed, the fragrance became denser and denser, making the dozen or so muddled men who were waiting drool. Their eyes were filled with anticipation and greed. They stared at the pots as if they were afraid that they would suddenly grow legs and run away.

Ten miles north of Broad Spirit City was the grassland, and this place was only thirty miles away from the county. However, the surrounding environment was no different from the depths of the grassland. This group of people gathered at a cooking spot were the people from the Juyan Tribe who had snatched people from the Guang Ling Quarter and escaped into the grasslands. The man with the birthmark on his face was the leader of them, Huo Zang.

As the food was cooked, someone stepped forward to take out the food from the pot. First, they placed the wheat rice in a pottery bowl, then took out the best piece of meat and brought it to Huo Zang. Then, the others snatched the rest of the food clean, especially the wheat rice, which was robbed to the point that not a single piece remained.

Although the Thoroughfare Division had obtained a lot of food through trading with the Broad Spirit Garrison over the past few years, it was still not a large amount. They were all distributed among the nobles of the Division. Ordinary clansmen like them simply could not eat such delicious meals. Therefore, this pot of wheat rice was more attractive than the meat that could always be eaten.

Huo Zang wasn’t as anxious as the people below him. Although he was also eating a big mouthful of food, he was thinking about what he should do next.

Actually, judging from the current harvest, the wisest choice was to bring these things back to the tribe. Thus, this time, they had already earned a large sum of money. However, looking at his companion’s wolfing-down appearance, as well as the various supplies and rations carried by the horses around him, his mind became lively again, “We only snatched this one time and obtained such a generous benefit. If we could snatch more, wouldn’t it bring enough benefits to everyone in the tribe?”

“Huo Zang, this doesn’t seem appropriate, right?” One of our companions chewed on the food and said vaguely, “We only managed to snatch these things from the dueling field this time. However, after this match, the Han people will definitely keep an eye on that place. If we go there again, I’m afraid it won’t be so easy for us to succeed. Also … we injured their people at that time. I’m afraid they won’t let us off easily if we go.”

Without waiting for Huo Zang to speak, another person immediately replied, “What are you afraid of? If the Han people hide in the city they built, we still have no way to deal with them. However, that discussion is outside the city, so we can’t capture them easily. As for their revenge, do we, the eagles of the grasslands, want to catch a few pheasants? Are we still afraid of them?”

Very quickly, the others joined the debate, but it was clear that there were many more supporters of the latter. After all, having such a big harvest today made everyone very excited. They really wanted to come back this time and harvest more property, so as to improve the current situation of the tribe.

In the end, everyone turned their gazes to Huo Zang. He was the leader of the crowd, and he was the one leading the looting this time. Naturally, he would be the one to make the final decision. Huo Zang habitually touched the birthmark on his face. After pondering for a while, he suddenly raised his head and said, “Do it again!”

Without waiting for the crowd to cheer, he continued, “However, it’s not just a head-on collision. We need to send people over there to investigate the situation first.” If the han people are wary, then forget it, if they don’t have too much protection, we will rob him again. “Anyway, those Han people are the most cunning. This time, the discussion forum has not been short on swindling benefits from our grassland tribes. We will treat this as venting our anger on their behalf!”

Everyone cheered loudly when they heard this, and they all rubbed their fists together with high spirits. This was because the grassland tribes had always had the custom of rewarding people with their merits. They had plundered these belongings, so they would naturally be able to get the most out of them at that time.

Very quickly, the grassland returned to its tranquility. However, the stars and moons in the sky did not know that a group of bandits had already eaten their marrow and knew what to smell. Under the azure sky, they began to plan for the next plunder.

@ @ @ @

Because of this sudden wave of looting, the discussion field was forced to close for three days.

However, due to the constant arrival of businessmen from various parts of the Great Ming Empire, even from Shaanxi and other places, the county government did not dare not to reopen the discussion. Otherwise, those businessmen who had spent a lot of time and money would lose all their money. This was not what the officials in the county government wanted to see.

So on the fourth day, as the sun rose, the door to the discussion, which had been closed for a few days, opened again, and the merchants brought in another cart full of goods.

The Meng tribesmen, who had been staying nearby to observe the scenery, also rushed over from their encampment. Along with them was a horse, cow, sheep, fur, dried meat, and other things.

However, this time, the defense of the discussion field was much stricter than before. Those Han merchants were fine, but the Meng people were required to hand over their weapons to enter the field. Most Mongols could accept this. After all, there had just been robberies and killings here, so it was reasonable for the government to be more defensive.

Of course, there were also those with bad temper who had caused trouble because of the rules, but in front of the spears and arrows of the officers and soldiers who rushed over, they did not dare to go too far and could only act according to the rules. After all, they came here to do business, not to cause trouble.

Lu Zhen had also arrived early this morning to take charge of the discussion arena. Looking at the scene of renewed liveliness and better order than before, he had a smile on his face. But after a round, he became serious again, and said to the people beside him, “Did you order everything?”

“Don’t worry, my lord. Everyone, keep an eye on us. As long as those fellows from the Thoroughfare Division dare to come, we will find them at the first possible moment.” Han Si whispered. But then, he said with some uncertainty, “It’s just that I really don’t think they dare to come back. After all, they just caused such a big disaster a few days ago.”

“Don’t worry, the greed of humanity will make them come back.” Lu Zhen looked confident, “Besides, I don’t have to look for the culprit. As long as it’s someone from the Thoroughfare Division, that’s fine, so it’s not a problem at all.”

Seeing that his magistrate had said so, Han Si didn’t dare to say anything else. He could only silently accompany Lu Zhen and continue walking around, looking no different from ordinary merchants who wanted to buy some leather goods here.

The two Meng people brushed past them just like that. Like Lu Zhen, they didn’t bring any goods they wanted to sell. They just looked around, as if they only wanted to buy some of Daming’s products back. However, if you carefully observed their gazes, you would discover that they were not really paying attention to the goods placed on the stalls and Ling Lang’s eyes. Their attention was more focused on the soldiers and servants who were cruising around them.

They were looking at the number of these people, the weapons they were wearing, and the general location of their patrols. All of this was quickly seen clearly by them. After exchanging a glance, the two of them revealed a trace of excitement and a cold smile.

@ @ @ @

“After suffering such a huge loss, the Han people only raised their defenses slightly. Even their manpower is limited.”

“That’s right. Although weapons will be seized when we enter the marketplace, this is nothing. We can hide the short saber in our possession and we will be able to attack at any time.”

After the two people who were sent to check the situation came back, they reported everything they had observed to each other. Obviously, they all thought that they could snatch another one this time.

However, after hearing their words, Huo Zang’s face revealed a thoughtful expression.

As a young man who had led soldiers and had some brains in the tribe, although he would snatch the battlefield out of a moment of anger, he was still very cautious most of the time. “In that case, things are not that easy to handle.”

“Huo Zang, what do you mean?” Almost everyone was stunned, not understanding why he would make such a judgment.

“If the defenses of the Han people on the other side of the arena were strengthened and there were over a hundred people guarding it, then it wouldn’t be a problem. But now, there are only thirty to forty people. Don’t you think this is a bit strange? As far as I know, the Han people have always been timid and will not be on guard. Aren’t they afraid of doing this again?” Huo Zang sneered and asked.

“You mean …” Someone seemed to understand something.

Huo Zang said without hesitation, “That’s right, all of this is just an illusion. It seems that the Han official also saw through our intentions, so he deliberately revealed a flaw in order to lure us into the trap, just like how we hunt tigers and bears on the grasslands. It seems ordinary, but it is a hidden trap for killing intent!”

“Then … what should we do? Are we going back now?” The person who said this was obviously a little unwilling.

After pondering for a moment, Huo Zang’s face suddenly revealed a cold smile, “Since robbing them openly is no longer possible, then we can do business with them easily.” Since the goods, cattle and sheep we brought earlier are still here, why can’t we do business with the Han people again? “And I feel that with the lesson from last time, those Han merchants don’t dare to offend us anymore. What do you think?”

Everyone was stunned after hearing this. Soon, they all revealed expressions of understanding. Yeah, if you want to get those good things, you don’t have to rely entirely on looting. You can still find a proper way to get them by doing business.