Chapter 531: Turmoil

After the Lesser New Year comes the Greater New Year. For ordinary people, this period is an excellent time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new; for officials who have been busy all year, it’s also a time to take a breather. Yet Zhang Yue was not so fortunate. With the two recruitment sessions now over, most of the merchants who had come specifically for them had entrusted the task of storing grain to their managers and hurried back for the New Year. As a result, only seven or eight merchants remained in Xuanfu City, making it much easier to keep an eye on them. Of course, with fewer people to be wary of, his trip to Zhangjiabao at this time was even less risky.

On the 26th day of the 12th lunar month, he got up early, assembled his team, put on the dark blue clothes tailored by his mother, hung his sword, and left the house. By then, the courtyard outside was already ready—everyone was neatly dressed. Xiang Long stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, “Sir, everything is prepared. The men are already in the carriage outside!”

Zhang Yue nodded with a smile and glanced at Peng Shisan. Seeing him nod firmly without a word, he felt reassured and ordered in a deep voice, “Since everything is ready, let’s set off!”

Qiu Hen had already rushed outside the house. Watching a group of people surround Zhang Yue as they left, she couldn’t help but join her hands and mutter something to herself. For some reason, she felt uneasy. Lian Sheng and Lian Hu, who were left behind to guard the place, peeked out as well. After the group left, the two brothers exchanged a look and sighed simultaneously, both looking somewhat troubled.

Although there had been some snowflakes on the day of the Lesser New Year and the weather had been overcast these past few days, it hadn’t snowed again. So, aside from a few areas that were frozen, the roads were still passable. At the north gate of Xuanfu City, over a hundred soldiers were already waiting. All of them were on horseback, carrying sabers on one side and pistols on the other, dressed in neat blue coats, looking extremely spirited. However, when Zhang Yue led his group to join them, he recognized the armored leader.

“D-How is it you?”

Zhang Yue, who had barely managed to suppress the words “my brother-in-law,” found it utterly unbelievable. He had taken risks to stay hidden, as a governor, he had the authority to inspect any place in Xuanfu Town. Moreover, news of his arrival had already been spread, leaving him no room to back down. But Meng Jun was only there for training—why did he have to show up at this exact moment?

It was a matter of official duty now, so all casual titles had to be set aside. Meng Jun bowed slightly from his horse and then said with a smile, “By order of Marquis Wu’an, I am escorting Lord Zhang from Zhangjiakou Fort!” As he spoke, he glanced at the black lacquered carriage behind Zhang Yue—unremarkable in appearance but standing out sharply among the group of riders. He remembered Zheng Heng’s instructions before he set off. He had been in Xuanfu for almost a year, participating in military inspections and leading troops on missions, but since no major battles had affected Xuanfu yet, his only claim to merit was his earlier mission to Xinghe. Zheng Heng’s implication seemed to be that rather than letting others take credit, it would be better for him to gain more experience this time. Yet, seeing Zhang Yue’s surprised and helpless expression, he couldn’t help but touch the saber at his right waist irritably.

Even if he had no desire to compete for trivial things, he was still the son of a military family and had never slacked off in his martial skills. Did his brother-in-law really need to look at him with such concern? On the other hand, Zhang Yue, at such a young age, had already gone through many things from north to south. Although Meng Jun was just a few years older, his own experience paled in comparison…

Although he initially didn’t want Meng Jun involved, since it was an order from Marquis Wu’an, Zheng Heng, he had little to say. After the group of over a hundred people gathered, they left the city and headed onto the main road. Since Xuanfu was mostly inhabited by military families with few civilians, and it was deep winter, aside from those coming into the city to buy New Year’s goods and woodcutters, vegetable sellers, etc., there were few passersby early in the morning. Naturally, the group moved swiftly, covering most of an hour in no time before they could see the fork in the road ahead.

Of the two paths ahead, the one leading north led to Zhangjiakou Fort, beyond which lay the Outer Great Wall and Mongolia. The path to the west led to Chaigou Fort, and further west were Gaoshan Wei, Yanghe Wei, and Datong—the main thoroughfare. One was mostly used by messengers and troops, while the other was the essential route for merchants and travelers traveling from Datong to the capital. At first glance, they were quite different. The road to Zhangjiakou Fort was not only narrower than the one to Datong but also far from smooth.

At this very moment, a massive convoy was coming from west to east—hundreds of carts loaded with grain stretched for miles, a truly spectacular sight. Upon seeing the approaching army, some disorder arose at the head of the convoy. Soon, a few riders from the convoy sped forward. When they got closer, a burly man in a leather coat dismounted from his horse and bowed respectfully.
“Your humble servant pays his respects to your lordship.”
Zhang Yue glanced at him but had no memory of him and asked with a smile, “Is this convoy sending military provisions to Xuanfu?”
Although it was deep winter, the man’s forehead was slick with sweat. He quickly replied, “Your lordship, I am indeed sending military provisions to Xuanfu. Since the previous stock was insufficient, my elder brother sent me to gather more from the estates in Datong. Here are a thousand dan of grain; once delivered to the warehouse, the amount will be sufficient.”
As he spoke, he subtly glanced at the carts behind Zhang Yue, then asked with a smile, “Is your lordship heading north for an inspection? I heard it’s extremely cold in the north this winter—countless cattle and sheep have died from the snow. The Tartars are having a very hard time, so defenses along the Great Wall have been tightened to prevent them from suddenly invading and stealing grain. When I passed by Gaoshanwei earlier, I heard that there are many Tartar spies these days; they keep killing groups of people, as if they’re mad! So I happened to meet other grain-conveying groups on the road and joined them, so that if we encounter invading Tartars, we can support each other.”
“Which family do you belong to?”
At this question, the man was slightly stunned and quickly bowed, saying, “Your humble servant is Wu Yan from Fenzhou. These gentlemen are from the Ma family of Pingyao County, the Fang family of Lu’an Prefecture, and several other families. Together, we are transporting over three thousand dan of grain.”
Nodding slightly, Zhang Yue asked no further questions and simply picked up his whip. At that moment, the managers from the other families also rushed over to pay their respects. Meng Jun, however, rode over, glanced at everyone indifferently, and urged, “Even if the Tartars manage to cross the Great Wall by chance, there will be at most a few dozen of them. We needn’t fear them. Let’s set off quickly!”

Seeing Zhang Yue and the others about to leave, Wu Yan’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly spoke up again, “Since my lord is about to set off, I’ll quickly ask them to clear a path. Please wait a moment.” As he spoke, he turned his horse around and rushed back to give orders. The other officials also realized what needed to be done and promptly took action. In no time, the convoy that had blocked most of the road finally managed to create a narrow path wide enough for just one carriage to pass through; making it wider would be difficult.

Although the path was narrow, since they were in a hurry, Wu Yan kept apologizing, and everyone, not wanting to delay further, passed through one after another. Just as Zhang Yue led a few people through and the carriage followed closely behind, an accident suddenly occurred among the surrounding convoys. A donkey that had been calm suddenly became restless and started ramming wildly to the side. In an instant, all the sacks of grain on that carriage tipped to the right and crashed heavily onto its wheels. The sudden impact caused the stable carriage to tilt to the right, and cries of shock and curses filled the air. As the driver frantically jumped out of the carriage, two people quickly leaped out from it.

The military settlements in Xuanfu Town were highly developed these days. Together with commercial settlements, they covered almost two-thirds of the farmland in Xuanfu Town. Along both sides of the road were fields planted with winter wheat, along with a sparse row of trees. The carriage tumbled headfirst into the fields. Zhang Yue and Meng Jun, who turned around, were shocked, and the others were also stunned.

It wasn’t the sudden accident that caused the alarm, but rather the fact that the two people who jumped out of the carriage wore round-collared, tight-sleeved shirts, felt hats, and padded jackets—clearly in Tatar attire. Moreover, as soon as they hit the ground in a panic, they began speaking in rapid Tatar. After a moment of silence, someone suddenly shouted loudly, “They’re those damned Tatars! Some corrupt officials have colluded with them!”

Zhang Yue hadn’t expected to encounter such a convoy transporting military grain, but since it had happened, he was naturally on guard. He had been even more cautious after seeing them try to clear a narrow path. Now that this accident had occurred, coupled with this inflammatory shout, he was about to speak when Meng Jun rushed ahead and shouted sternly, “They came here because they heard of the emperor’s northern campaign and feared our army. They’re here to surrender on behalf of their tribes! Anyone who spouts nonsense will be arrested immediately!”

“Who believes you, you dog official? If it weren’t for the Tartars’ invasion, I wouldn’t have lost my parents!”
“No matter their origin, none of those Tartars are good!”
“The imperial court once made that Arutai a king, but when those Tartar delegations returned, they robbed food, money, and women. The court shouldn’t have accepted their surrender—they’re all untrustworthy wolves!”
Screeching voices like broken gongs arose from all corners of the crowd, and hundreds of faces showed a variety of expressions. Although the soldiers stepped forward as if facing a great threat, facing an agitated populace with the Tartars behind them, everyone showed a hint of hesitation. At that moment, Wu Yan, hiding behind the crowd, peeked at Zhang Yue’s expression and grew even more scheming in his heart.
Ever since Arutai’s eldest son, Shiniqan, was shot dead, this young Master Zhang’s life has become extremely valuable!