Hong Feihu, Yuan Fuliang and Ding Qingyu offer grain & silver to join General Yun. Rain halts attack. Pregnant Fu Qingluo plans move to Maicheng.
Cui Mo returned at dusk, bringing with him the three leaders of Mount Maluo. These three were the chief, Hong Feihu; the second-in-command, Yuan Fuliang; and the strategist, Ding Qingyu.
Hong Feihu was big and burly, with a thick beard covering his face. It was impossible to guess his age from his appearance, but his eyes were as big as copper bells, giving him a fierce and ruthless appearance. Despite the cold, he wore only short, coarse garments that clearly displayed his physical strength. Yuan Fuliang also looked like a man from the northwest, but shorter than Hong Feihu. In contrast, Ding Qingyu, the strategist, looked nothing like a bandit; he appeared refined and fair-skinned.
Cui Mo glared at Hong Feihu. "Didn't you say you had a letter from Feng Dajun? Shouldn't you take it out now that the General is here?" From these words, it was clear that Hong Feihu didn't want to hand the letter to Cui Mo.
Hong Feihu glanced around the room and, seeing no sign of Feng Dajun, said, "I want to see Battalion Commander Feng. He promised me that if I ever ran into trouble, I could seek his help. If it's within his power, he won't refuse." He didn't actually have a letter from Feng Dajun; he had made that up to bluff Cui Mo. However, he wasn't entirely lying either—Feng Dajun had indeed said those words.
Yun Qing responded expressionlessly, "Feng Dajun is injured and recovering in Lanzhou. If you hand over the fifty thousand dan1 of grain, I can spare your life." Since Feng Dajun had hidden nothing from Yun Qing, he knew that Feng Dajun had once promised Hong Feihu that he would come to his aid if he ever ran into trouble. Although he very much wanted to kill Hong Feihu, since Feng Dajun had promised to protect them should the worst happen, he naturally wouldn't let Feng Dajun become someone who broke his word.
Upon hearing this, Hong Feihu knelt on one knee and said, "General Yun, I hope you can take all three of us in." He didn't want to return home to farm, especially since he was the last one left of his family. He, therefore, wanted to follow Yun Qing, hoping to build a successful career under him.
Yun Qing said nothing. After all, soldiers and bandits were enemies—even though he was now a rebel himself, he still looked down on bandits.
Yu Cong remarked, "How many people have you ambushed and killed over the years? Our General would never take people like you into his army."
Yuan Fuliang said domineeringly, "Big Brother, since they look down on us, why bother clinging onto them?" Since Yun Qing had promised not to kill them, the wealth they had saved over the years was enough for the three brothers to live comfortably.
Hong Feihu hadn't expected Yuan Fuliang to become such a hindrance. "Shut up." His situation and thoughts were similar to Yang Duoming's: he had been forced by circumstances to become a bandit. However, he knew there was no future in it and that they could be wiped out by government troops at any moment. Now that a better path had emerged, he naturally didn't want to continue living a life of licking blood from the blade2. Hong Feihu also knew that with the Northwest now under Yun Qing's control, there would be no place left for bandits or mounted robbers.
Yun Qing said, "Once my men find the grain, you'll be released." He had no intention of accepting the three, and Yuan Fuliang's words suited him perfectly.
Ding Qingyu, who had been silent all along, finally spoke: "We've saved a lot of silver over the years—1.58 million taels. If General Yun doesn't mind the questionable source, I'd like to donate this money to the Northwest Army."
When Yuan Fuliang heard this, he panicked and shouted, "Ding Qingyu, what on earth do you mean by that?" That money was their last resort, yet Ding Qingyu had gone and told Yun Qing about it.
Cui Mo said, "Who are you trying to fool? We've searched every inch of Maluo Mountain, and there aren't anywhere near a million taels of silver there."
Yun Qing paused in silence, then asked, "When Chen Yu led troops to suppress the bandits, why did Maluo Mountain suddenly produce several times more men?" This had always puzzled him.
Hong Feihu made no attempt to hide the truth, and he answered, "At that time, all the bandits from Xicheng, Nancheng, Yongcheng, and other places came to support us." These people weren't truly loyal, though; they knew they would be next if Maluo Mountain was wiped out. So when Maluo Mountain was in trouble, they came to help. In a way, these bandits were 'fairly united' in certain aspects.
Yun Qing glanced at Hong Feihu and asked, "Did you collude with Ji Xuan?" This had to be clarified—if they had colluded with Ji Xuan, it would have been absolutely unacceptable.
Ding Qingyu shook his head. "General, what kind of person is Ji Xuan? He would never look up to people like us. But someone did leak a lot of information to us at the time."
Seeing that Yun Qing still looked cold and the other two remained silent, Ding Qingyu continued, "For example, we knew exactly when and how Chen Yu planned to attack our stronghold."
Yun Qing's face darkened immediately. How could Chen Yu possibly wipe out these bandits when everything he did was under someone else's nose? However, as long as Hong Feihu and the others weren't Ji Xuan's lackeys and hadn't colluded with him, Yun Qing wouldn't interfere with their personal grievances against Chen Yu. He asked, "What can you do?" Taking in three bandits and gaining over 1.5 million taels of silver was an offer that only a fool would turn down.
Hong Feihu replied, "I'm quite good with a broadsword. If General Yun is willing to take me in, I'd like to join the vanguard camp."
Seeing this, Yuan Fuliang boasted, "My dart-throwing skills are renowned throughout the martial arts world!" He puffed out his chest proudly after saying this, but Cui Mo just rolled his eyes.
Ding Qingyu said, "I don't know martial arts, but I can devise strategies and plans."
After a moment's thought, Yun Qing sent Hong Feihu and Yuan Fuliang to the vanguard camp. As Ding Qingyu didn't know martial arts, he naturally wouldn't be going there. Yun Qing planned to keep Ding Qingyu in Maicheng and give him a minor post, which would have sufficed. However, despite not knowing what he was capable of, Yun Qing still didn't trust him. Even if Ding Qingyu was truly talented, Yun Qing wouldn't give him an important position.
Feeling helpless, Ding Qingyu said, "General, not only am I literate, but I also know a little about medicine." In the army, medicinal herbs and physicians were the scarcest resources.
Hearing this, Hong Feihu quickly said, "General Yun, my third brother really does know medicine. If the General doesn't believe him, the General can test him."
Cui Mo snorted, "Our General doesn't know medicine, so how do you expect him to test his skills?" Cui Mo was quite displeased with Hong Feihu. Earlier, he believed Hong Feihu's claim that he had a letter from Feng Dajun, but that turned out to be a lie.
However, Yun Qing raised no objections and nodded. "All right." After saying that, he called a guard and asked him to take Ding Qingyu to Physician Hou. As for Hong Feihu and Yuan Fuliang, they were led to the vanguard camp.
Yu Cong asked, "General, are you really taking them in?" Even now, he still wasn't sure whether Yun Qing had taken them in for the 1.5 million taels of silver or because he thought they were valuable.
Yun Qing responded, "Since they can help kill the enemy, treat the wounded, and bring in 1.5 million taels of silver, how could anyone turn down such a good deal?"
Yu Cong nodded blankly.
The next day, Yun Qing did not lead his troops to attack Yongcheng. The reason for his sudden change of heart was that it rained that day.
Yu Cong looked at the drizzling rain and smiled, "General, I think even Heaven is helping us." Come to think of it, it was strange: from the time Yun Qing left Yu City until he captured Lanzhou, there had been neither snow nor rain, only overcast skies. However, right after they took Lanzhou and rested in the city for two days, it snowed just as they were about to attack Xicheng. That snowfall lasted all day. Had they been camping out in the open, it would have caused unnecessary casualties. Now, it was happening again, making Yu Cong feel as though they were receiving a special favour from Heaven.
Hearing this, Yun Qing smiled, too. Whether it was coincidence or a blessing from above, things had been going unusually smoothly for him. Although the army couldn't march in the rain, Yun Qing couldn't afford to be idle—there was too much on his plate, and he was completely swamped. As usual, he was busy from morning until night.
Three days after the Northwest Army captured Maicheng, Fu Qingluo received the news. Her face was full of surprise and joy; she asked Qiu Shuang, "Is Yun Qing in Maicheng now?"
Qiu Shuang nodded. "Yes. Notices have been posted all over town saying there will be no taxes for the first three years of land development, and the government will even provide quality seeds. Also, all those messy, random taxes from before have been abolished." These policies naturally had to be implemented quickly across the region to calm the public.
Qiu Yu exclaimed with joy, "Miss, we can go find General Yun now!" Once they found him, her mistress wouldn't have to suffer like this anymore.
Fu Qingluo shook her head and said, "Given my current state, there's no way I can get to Maicheng." Even by carriage, the journey would take four or five days. However, she was heavily pregnant, and her foetus was unstable, so she could not possibly endure such a bumpy ride.
Qiu Shuang suggested, "Miss, once things have settled down in town, I think we should move there." It would be more convenient to live in town to buy things and to access medical care.
Fu Qingluo smiled bitterly. "We don't have much money left—how could we afford to live in town?" Prices had risen so sharply that she had already spent most of her money. As she was still pregnant, she had to be more careful with her spending.
Qiu Shuang said, "Madam, we won't buy a house—just rent one. I learned that renting a small courtyard house only costs about two taels per month." At this point, Qiu Shuang realised she'd forgotten to explain something. "Miss, prices of grain and such have dropped now. We can buy over 20 jin3 of white rice or flour with a single tael—it's no longer as outrageous as before." Although a jin3 of white flour still cost over forty copper coins, it was at least more affordable now.
Fu Qingluo was a bit surprised. "Did those unscrupulous merchants agree?"
Qiu Shuang smiled and replied, "They no longer have a choice. General Yun issued an order forbidding merchants from hoarding or selling goods at high prices. Anyone caught will be beheaded on the spot. I heard that quite a few profiteers have already been executed in Maicheng." Everyone feared death, but rich people feared it even more.
Fu Qingluo was momentarily stunned, then said after a while, "In a few days, we'll go and check out the town. Once we find a suitable place, we'll choose a nice day to move in." Fu Qingluo didn't have much silver left, but she still had some jewellery. With prices stabilising, that should be enough to get them by for a while.
Footnotes Full List
- a traditional unit of volume, esp. for grain, equal to 100 sheng (市升), and equivalent to 100 litres or 176 pints
- 刀口舔血 (dāo kǒu tiǎn xuè) refers to living a high-risk, life-threatening lifestyle, especially in violent or criminal contexts—like that of mercenaries, gangsters, or soldiers.
- 斤 (jīn) = (a traditional unit of weight, each containing 10 liang (市两) or 16 old liang (旧市两) and equivalent to 0.5 kilogram or 1.102 pounds)
COMMENTS