Daming: Brother, there is no future for monks, let's rebel

Chapter 1495 The Whole Family Must Die

“It’s not a scheme,” Zhu Qiwu said. “It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. He wants an official position, and we want money. Everyone gets what they need, so no one loses out.”

Xu Da, standing nearby, asked, "Seventeenth Five-Year Plan: After those who pass the special imperial examination go to the various counties, will they be able to help us collect taxes?"

“Yes,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Brother Da, have you forgotten? What was the third exam in the imperial examination? It tested how to govern a county. What’s the first thing to do in governing a county? Collect taxes. When these people went to each county, the first thing they did was to survey the land, verify the household registration, and collect the taxes owed. Within three months, the tax revenue of each county could double.”

Xu Da's eyes lit up.

"Double?"

"A conservative estimate," Zhu Qiwu said, "is that if we do a good job, we could even double the profit."

Li Shanchang's pen fell to the ground.

"Double it? Then the annual tax revenue of Yingtian Prefecture won't be 30,000 taels, it'll be 60,000 taels?"

"Yes. Sixty thousand taels. And with Shen Wansan in charge of taxes, it could be even more."

"Seven-five, that was a good move for you."

“Fourth Brother, this isn’t a game of chess,” Zhu Qiwu said. “This is a road. The imperial examination is a road, taxes are a road, and grain is a road. Once the road is open, Suzhou can be taken.”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, then turned to Xu Da.

"Brother Da, you will lead five thousand soldiers and depart the day after tomorrow. Take the official land route, first attacking Lishui County. After Lishui County is captured, attack Jurong County. After Jurong County is captured, advance straight towards Suzhou."

"Dexing, you take two thousand soldiers and go through the secret passage. Doesn't the passage lead to the Yangtze River? Go around to the rear of Suzhou from the Yangtze River, and when Xu Da reaches the walls of Suzhou, you'll outflank him from behind."

"Seven-five, come with me."

"Me too?"

“If you don’t go, who will?” Zhu Yuanzhang said. “Taking Suzhou requires not only soldiers, but also brains. Your mind is sharper than theirs. If you come with me, we can make decisions on the spot.”

Zhu Qiwu thought for a moment and nodded.

"Okay. I'll go."

That afternoon, Zhu Qiwu returned to his courtyard and packed all the things he needed to take.

Bring along county-level governance manuals, personnel files, night vision binoculars, megaphone tubes, and smoke bombs.

There are also rewards on the system panel. I haven't claimed today's sign-in reward yet.

Ding, check-in successful. Rewards: A military map, marking all terrain, passes, and garrison points from Yingtianfu to Suzhou. Bonus: A rapid march talisman, which doubles the marching speed of a unit for two hours.

Zhu Qiwu carefully put away the military map and the emergency march token.

Military maps. These are incredibly useful. Every checkpoint and every garrison along the land routes is clearly marked.

A talisman for rapid marches. It can save lives in critical moments.

He was tidying up when someone knocked on the door.

"who?"

"It's me, Song Lian."

Zhu Qiwu opened the door, and Song Lian stood outside, holding a letter in his hand, looking rather unwell.

"Jinglian, what's wrong?"

"Young Master Qiwu, a letter has arrived from Lishui County."

Zhu Qiwu was taken aback: "Lishui County? Who sent the letter?"

“He Wenchang.” Song Lian handed him the letter. “He arrived in Lishui County this morning and wrote this letter immediately after taking office. He says something has happened.”

The letter read—

"To the late Mr. Seventh Prince: I arrived in Lishui County today to assume my post, only to find the county granaries empty. They weren't stolen; there was never any grain to begin with. The people of the county haven't eaten for three days. I went to see the former magistrate, Sun Deming, who said the grain had been diverted by Wang Shouyi to Shangyuan County. But the magistrate of Shangyuan County says he hasn't received any grain. Nobody knows where the grain went. Furthermore, after arriving in Lishui County, Scholar Sun went to Liujia Village south of the city. The people of Liujia Village say that Scholar Sun stayed in the village for an hour, talking for a long time with a man named Zhou Qi. I don't know who Zhou Qi is. But the village head of Liujia Village says that Zhou Qi isn't from the village and only arrived three days ago. Mr. Seventh Prince, I suspect there's something wrong with Scholar Sun. Please send someone to investigate immediately."

Zhu Qiwu's face darkened after reading the letter.

The grain had been diverted and its whereabouts were unknown. Scholar Sun went to Liujia Village and had a secret meeting with a man named Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi. He's the unfamiliar face Liu Bowen mentioned.

"Jinglian, what is Scholar Sun doing in Liujia Village?"

“I don’t know,” Song Lian said. “But He Wenchang said that Scholar Sun stayed in Liujia Village for an hour. An hour is enough time to talk a lot.”

"Jinglian, go tell Fourth Brother that I need to go to Lishui County first."

"Now? The attack on Suzhou is in two days, and you're going to Lishui County now?"

"We'll be attacking Suzhou the day after tomorrow, taking the official land route. Lishui County is right on that route. I'll go there first to get a clear picture of things in Lishui County, so there won't be any trouble later on when Xu Da reaches it."

Song Lian thought for a moment and nodded.

"Then I'll go with you."

"No need. You stay in Yingtian Prefecture and keep an eye on things for Mr. Bowen. I'll take Tang He with me."

Song Lian wanted to say something more, but seeing Zhu Qiwu's expression, he knew it would be useless to say anything, so he could only nod.

Zhu Qiwu, accompanied by Tang He, left Yingtian Prefecture that evening.

The two rode their horses along the official road; it was already dark. The moon was full, illuminating the road brightly.

As Tang He rode his horse, he said, "Seven-five, what do you think Scholar Sun is really up to?"

"It's hard to say," Zhu Qiwu said, "but his secret meeting with Zhou Qi in Liujia Village certainly wasn't a reunion."

"Is Zhou Qi one of Zou Tianyou's men?"

“Most likely,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Zou Tianyou is in Huguang, his influence doesn’t extend to Yingtian Prefecture. But he can send people. Zhou Qi was sent by him. Sun Xiucai is a pawn Zou Tianyou planted in the imperial examination. Once the pawn arrives in Lishui County, it will meet with its contact. After that meeting, the next move will begin.”

"What kind of chess?"

“I don’t know,” Zhu Qiwu said, “but it’s definitely not a good move.”

The two rode horses all night and arrived in Lishui County early the next morning.

Lishui County was in even worse shape than when I last visited. There was no one on the streets, all the shops were closed, and there was a stench of decay on the ground.

He Wenchang stood waiting at the entrance of the county government office. When he saw Zhu Qiwu, he ran over in three steps.

"Young Master Qiwu! You've finally arrived!"

"Wenchang, how's the situation?"

"This is bad." He Wenchang's face was covered in ash, and his eyes were bloodshot; he clearly hadn't slept all night. "The granaries are empty. I had someone check, and all the granaries in the county combined only have eighty shi of grain left. Eighty shi is enough for the whole county to eat for three days. After three days, there will be no more grain."

"Where is Scholar Sun?"

"He's staying at the post station south of the city. He went to Liujia Village early this morning, saying he was going to inspect the people's conditions. But I sent someone to follow him, and they discovered he spent an hour talking with someone in Liujia Village. That person's name is Zhou Qi, and he's not from Liujia Village."

“I know,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Wenchang, take me to see the granary.”

He Wenchang led Zhu Qiwu and Tang He to the granary.

The granary was located in the northeast corner of the county town, consisting of three large rooms with locks on the doors. He Wenchang unlocked the doors and pushed them open.

It was completely empty inside.

There wasn't even a mouse, let alone any food.

Zhu Qiwu stood at the entrance of the granary, silent for a long while.

Then he turned to He Wenchang and asked, "Where is Sun Deming? Where is the former magistrate, Sun Deming?"

"He's locked up at home. Fourth Brother had him locked up, waiting for interrogation."

“Take me to see him.”

He Wenchang led Zhu Qiwu to Sun Deming's house. Sun Deming was locked in a small hut in the backyard, the door of which was locked with chains.

Zhu Qiwu had the door opened and went inside.

Sun Deming sat on the ground, his hair a mess like a bird's nest, his face covered in dust. Upon seeing Zhu Qiwu, he knelt down with a thud. "Young Master Qiwu! Help me!"

"Sun Deming, I'm asking you. Where did the grain go?"

Sun Deming's tears fell instantly.

"Seventh Prince, the grain... the grain was taken away by Wang Shouyi. He said it was an order from the imperial court, and I was ordered to transfer the grain to Shangyuan County. I dared not disobey, so I did. But after the transfer, Shangyuan County said they hadn't received it. I went to find Wang Shouyi, and he said he didn't know where the grain went either. I... I really don't know where the grain went..."

Zhu Qiwu looked at Sun Deming and scanned him with his talent assessment technique.

Name: Sun Deming. Position: Former Magistrate of Lishui County. Literary Talent: Average. Loyalty: Low. Danger Level: Medium.

Loyalty is of the lowest quality.

"Sun Deming, you said Wang Shouyi transferred the grain. How much was transferred?"

"Two thousand shi (a unit of dry measure). Half of the county's grain."

"Two thousand shi," Zhu Qiwu repeated. "Two thousand shi of grain, transported from Lishui County to Shangyuan County, has to take the official road. There are checkpoints and garrisons along the road. Two thousand shi of grain, dozens of carts—you think you can just transport it like that? Didn't the people at the checkpoints see anything?"

Sun Deming's expression changed.

"The people at the checkpoint... were released after Wang Shouyi intervened. He said it was an order from the imperial court."

Which level?

"The pass at Luofeng Slope."

Luofengpo.

That's the place he had Zhou Dexing keep an eye on.

Two thousand shi of grain passed through Luofengpo, and Zhou Dexing's men didn't even notice.

wrong.

Zhou Dexing's men followed the third group. The third group took the official road, but the grain carts didn't necessarily take the same route.

The grain carts may have taken a different route.

"Sun Deming, which route did the grain convoy take?"

"It's...it's the official road. It starts from Lishui County, passes Luofengpo, and ends at Shangyuan County."

“Luofengpo.” Zhu Qiwu repeated the name, then turned to Tang He. “Tang He, go find Zhou Dexing. Ask him if he’s seen any grain convoys at the Luofengpo checkpoint recently.”

Tang accepted the order and left.

Zhu Qiwu then turned to He Wenchang.

"Wenchang, where is Scholar Sun now?"

"At the Chengnan Post Station, he said he was going to Liujia Village today to check on the well-drilling progress."

"Drill a well?" Zhu Qiwu was taken aback. "Hasn't the well in Liujia Village already been drilled?"

"I did. But Scholar Sun said he wanted to take two more bites. I didn't think much of it and let him go."

Sun Xiucai went to Liujia Village not to inspect the people's conditions, but to meet with Zhou Qi. After the meeting, he said he wanted to dig a well. Digging a well was a pretext; his real purpose was something else entirely.

What is the purpose?

He opened the system panel and unfolded the military map.

On the map of Lishui County, Liujia Village is located directly south of the county seat. Ten miles south of Liujia Village lies a mountainous area. A small path runs through this area, leading to Huguang (Hubei and Hunan provinces).

Huguang. Zou Tianyou was in Huguang.

Sun Xiucai was going to travel south from Liujia Village, taking that small path, to Huguang.

He was going to deliver the intelligence about Lishui County to Zou Tianyou.

"Wenchang, how many men did Scholar Sun bring?"

"It was just him. He said he didn't need to bring anyone with him to dig the well; he could go by himself."

How long has he been gone?

"It's been over an hour."

Zhu Qiwu turned and ran outside.

"Tang He! Stop looking for Zhou Dexing! Come with me to Liujia Village! Quickly!"

Tang He had just run back and hadn't even had a chance to speak when Zhu Qiwu grabbed him and pulled him onto the horse.

The two rode their horses at breakneck speed toward Liujia Village.

When we arrived at Liujia Village, the village was quiet. The well had been dug and water was bubbling up, but there was no one in the village.

Zhu Qiwu scanned the area with his upgraded version of Super Ears.

There was no one in the village. But on the path south of the village, two people were walking.

One is Scholar Sun. The other is Zhou Qi.

The two walked quickly, as if they were in a hurry.

Zhu Qiwu led Tang He in pursuit.

After chasing for about half an hour, they caught up with him at the edge of a grove of trees.

Sun Xiucai and Zhou Qi were standing under a large tree, seemingly talking. When they saw Zhu Qiwu and Tang He rushing over from behind, their expressions changed simultaneously.

"Seventh Young Master!" Scholar Sun's voice trembled. "You...how did you get here?"

"How did I get here?" Zhu Qiwu jumped off his horse and walked up to Sun Xiucai. "Sun Xiucai, weren't you going to dig a well? How did you end up here?"

Sun Xiucai's lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word.

Zhou Qi was more composed. He looked at Zhu Qiwu and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Young Master Qi, next week on the seventh, you're a distant relative from Liu Family Village. Is it illegal for you to come visit your uncle?"

Name: Zhou Qi. Identity: Former subordinate of Chen Youliang. Literary Talent: Average. Martial Arts Skill: Superior. Loyalty: Superior. Danger Level: High.

As expected, they were Zou Tianyou's men.

“Zhou Qi, you’re not from Liujia Village,” Zhu Qiwu said. “You were sent by Zou Tianyou. Sun Xiucai is also one of Zou Tianyou’s men. The two of you are meeting here to deliver intelligence from Lishui County to Huguang. Am I right?”

Zhou Qi's expression changed.

Sun Xiucai's face turned even paler.

"Seventh Prince, you...you must let me explain..."

“No need for explanation,” Zhu Qiwu said. “Scholar Sun, I gave you a chance during the special imperial examination. I let you take the exam and pass it so that you could go back and tell Zou Tianyou—the special imperial examination was real, and those who passed would be given official positions. If Zou Tianyou wants to take the exam, let him. I'll reserve a place for him.”

He paused, his voice turning cold.

"But what about you? You passed the exam and went to Lishui County, but the first thing you did wasn't to govern the county, but to make contact with Zou Tianyou's men. You told Zhou Qi everything: the granaries of Lishui County were empty, the troop distribution was clear, and who the county magistrate was. You're selling out the county."

Sun Xiucai knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"Seventh Young Master... I... I had no choice... Zou Tianyou arrested my whole family... If I don't listen to him, my whole family will die..."

Zhu Qiwu looked at Sun Xiucai and remained silent for a long while.

Then he said something.

Where is your whole family?

Sun, the scholar, paused for a moment, then said, "In...in Huguang. In a village outside Wuchang City."

How many people?

"My...my elderly mother, my wife, and two children. Four people in total."

Zhu Qiwu turned to Tang He. (End of Chapter)