Chapter 521: Without a patron, lofty aspirations are in vain

There were three major granaries in Xuanfu City, with Yongqing Granary being the largest, capable of storing up to 400,000 dan of grain. During good harvest years, grain delivered by the military households stationed in various garrisons would flow in continuously, with carts stretching far beyond the city gates—a sight that brought great comfort.

Yet even in the depths of winter, the roads were far from deserted. Taking advantage of the lack of snow, merchants who had just secured their shares of Huai salt began to act swiftly. Commercial settlements near Xuanfu started transporting grain into the city, filling all the main roads. The military governor’s office had to designate the south gate as a dedicated route for grain carts and assign more staff to Yongqing Granary. This was partly to prevent further corruption in the granaries and partly to ensure safety given their current high grain reserves.

The granary was guarded by 500 elite soldiers carefully selected from Xuanfu’s Left Guard, while the weighing process was supervised by the Jinyiwei sent by Lu Feng. Faced with these formidable enforcers, along with the bloody executions that had taken place earlier, all the minor officials at Yongqing Granary abandoned any thoughts of embezzlement and dutifully weighed and stored the grain. After all, they had only managed to steal a little from the big shots before; risking it now, after those figures fell from power, was far too dangerous.

Zhang Yue and Lu Feng stood side by side on the right side of Yongqing Granary, observing the busy scene. Zhang Yue was in high spirits, as he had convinced people with just a few words; Lu Feng was even happier. He had seized half of Wang Guan’s wealth, which amounted to almost all his savings over the years. Moreover, Zhang Yue had mentioned him in his previous memorial to the court regarding grain distribution—undoubtedly a stroke of luck. So when Zhang Yue brought up spies, Lu Feng’s eyebrows immediately raised.

“This matter is indeed urgent. But since it’s those corrupt merchants colluding with the Tartars, why not just arrest them and torture them? What’s the need for secret investigations? Under the Jinyiwei’s harsh interrogation, who would dare not confess?” Having reaped great benefits from Wang Guan, Lu Feng was full of energy. Licking his lips, he said darkly, “Lord Zhang, just give me a list, and I guarantee they’ll spill every detail of their collusion with the Tartars across three generations!”

Hearing this, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but glance at the young eunuch beside him, realizing he had already become complacent. Recalling Zheng Heng’s earlier words, he said calmly, “I wasn’t there when Wang Guan was beheaded at the execution ground, but I heard he only had a faint breath left at that time. There’s no need to be polite with such traitors who collude with the Tartars; using torture isn’t a big deal. But if even an ordinary person can see he only had a faint breath left, some might accuse Lord Lu of forcing confessions through torture.”

Lu Feng, who was basking in his success, showed signs of displeasure upon hearing this. Feeling that he had avenged himself with great triumph, he wasn’t willing to listen to such advice. He snorted and said, “Wang Guan is dead, and our act of punishing others to warn them has worked—who would dare speak out against us? Lord Zhang, you’re being too cautious. Since we’re fighting back, we must strike hard; otherwise, those people will continue to feign obedience while acting against us!”

Though unconvinced, Lu Feng softened his expression upon thinking about the gains from this situation. After considering for a moment, he said, “Here’s what we can do: I can assign a few men from the Jinyiwei’s Xuanfu detachment to you. Do as you see fit; I won’t interfere in other matters. After the task is completed, I’ll sign the official report, and we’ll share half of the credit. How does that sound?”

Their relationship was based on mutual interests, not deep friendship, so Zhang Yue’s advice remained brief—he had no intention of earnestly explaining the consequences. For those blinded by greed, they only remember your kindness after suffering losses. He nodded smilingly, unconcerned about the division of credit.

Meanwhile, in the small courtyard on Bazhen Street, Peng Shisan was rigorously training Niu Gan and his three companions. Zhang Yue had brought them here for a specific purpose. In his words, since they had escaped from the north and were considered warriors, they couldn’t rely solely on brute strength or live off others’ labor. Niu Gan had been to Xinghe once and witnessed an unprecedented scale of combat, so he already admired Peng Shisan deeply and obeyed him without question. But his three companions, who had only just learned to eat their fill, had never seen such skills before. They were defeated after just one exchange and finally came to truly respect him.

Peng Shisan was quite satisfied with the physical condition of the four men. Though the other three seemed thin and frail at first glance, they had strength in their arms and legs. With three meals a day to keep them fed, they would surely grow into strong men. However, including Niu Gan, all four of them were strong-bodied but not very smart, so he had to use the most direct methods when giving orders.

“If you rely on your strength to enlist as soldiers right away, you won’t last even a few rounds in a real battle. But if you train with me, I guarantee that even if you face Tatar commanders, it will be them who lose their heads, not you! Compared to the suffering you’ve endured at the Tatars’ hands, what’s this little hardship now? Don’t forget how you survived all these years!”

Three meals a day, a place to sleep sheltered from wind and rain, and no need to endure whips every day—this was the happy life the four of them could imagine during their hard struggles in the north. So, despite facing a fierce trainer and being beaten black and blue for days on end, all four of them gritted their teeth and endured. Gradually, they got used to Peng Shisan’s loud voice and even felt restless without it.

“Damn it, haven’t you eaten enough? Is this how you use a sword? It’s for slashing and thrusting, not chopping and stabbing. This isn’t chopping wood—it’s killing!”

“Zhang Bu, how dare you say you learned archery from the Tatars! Don’t use pure brute force when drawing the bow. If you can’t use your shoulder strength like this, your arrows will only hit the target by luck!”

“In battle, you don’t just need to know how to kill—you also need to learn how to get hurt less! Amidst thousands of soldiers, sometimes you have to choose between being hit by arrows or swords. And if you get injured, you won’t have time to care about it—excessive bleeding means death! Remember, don’t risk your life just to kill!”

“Our master is the imperial-appointed governor of Xuanfu. Do you understand what a governor means? It’s like the imperial envoy with a sacred sword in the operas—a high-ranking official appointed by the emperor! When you follow him, keep an eye on your surroundings at all times. Don’t forget you’re guards! Have you seen the personal guards of the generals in operas? You serve the same purpose!”

Upon returning from Yongqing Warehouse, Zhang Yue heard this loud roar as soon as he entered. A few days earlier, he had been working from dawn to dusk and had no idea that Peng Shisan was training them in such a harsh manner. Now that he had seen it, he couldn’t help but feel relieved that Peng Shisan had been extremely lenient when teaching him martial arts. Nervously watching from the side for a while, he finally spoke up when the burly man stepped forward: “Niu Gan is one thing, but those three have only just been released from prison a few days ago…”

“Young master, when I came here last time, Duke Yingguo mentioned that no matter whether you pursue a literary or martial career in the future, you need to have a few honest, hardworking people with martial skills by your side.”

Peng Shisan grinned, revealing his white teeth. His expression was no longer casual but firm and unyielding: “Hu Qi and the other three are good, but I can tell they weren’t trained as guards originally, and after all, they have ties to their families. These four have no one but themselves, with only hatred in their hearts. After going through this rigorous training to vent some of that hatred, and then avenging themselves during the northern expedition, they will be completely devoted to you. They’re lucky—aside from having strength, many highly skilled martial artists in the world can only struggle in the streets their whole lives. Without a mentor, even the highest aspirations are in vain.”

Having spent so many years in the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Yue knew all too well how difficult it was to succeed through martial prowess. If a hero broke the law with his strength, then for martial artists to stand out, they either had to join the army or serve the powerful. Success in the army depended on luck, while serving the powerful meant sacrificing their martial skills and offering loyalty. Of course, there was a third path—rebellion, like that of the White Lotus Sect.

“Very well, then I leave those four to you.”

Zhang Yue said nothing more. He nodded at Peng Shisan and went straight into the room. After taking off his coat, he noticed Xiang Long and Liu Bao following him with complicated expressions, so he smiled and said, “Old Peng really has a good eye—he could tell that your expertise isn’t in guarding. Your responsibilities are different from his. Don’t overthink it. As the saying goes, everyone should do their own job. If I leave, nothing will work. Since Eunuch Lu said we can borrow a few Jinyiwei, assign those reliable ones to this task. Also, with the fall of the backers of those scoundrels in Xuanfu City, now is the perfect opportunity. Leave this all to you. I’ll deal with the Shanxi merchants; you take care of everyone else.”

“Rest assured, sir!”

Huang Long and Liu Bao both laughed upon hearing Zhang Yue’s words. Ever since Ji Gang took on the role of commander of the Jinyiwei during the Yongle era, their power had gradually expanded. In those important prefectures, they could even control all kinds of people through hidden channels, and Xuanfu City was no exception. In terms of direct protection, they couldn’t compare to Peng Shisan, but they were full of confidence when it came to such covert operations. If they couldn’t handle even this kind of task, they wouldn’t have been considered candidates for the Jinyiwei by Yuan Fang!

As the two bowed and left, Lian Sheng and Lian Hu rushed into the room excitedly. Lian Sheng carried a tray in his hands, while Lian Hu held a red-lacquered food box. The brothers smiled as they placed the items on the kang, and Lian Hu quickly said, “Young master, Marquis Wu’an says the emperor has approved your previous petition—something about reserves and permanent shares. Well, I don’t quite understand it. You’d better change into proper clothes and head to the general’s residence right away!”