Chapter 187: Seizing the Tea House

Li Qing’an had not returned to his residence for three days. He was busy until late at night every day and slept in Beiting City. Over these months, a myriad of matters—immigrants, mines, factories, schools, military training, new fortresses, and craftsmen—had piled up on him. Not only him but all the officials in the governor’s office were constantly busy, working from dawn to dusk without even time to drink water. The governance of Beiting had originally been relatively simple, with little change over decades. Both new and old officials were accustomed to a slow pace of life. But things changed after Li Qing’an took charge. Not only were over ten thousand new military households and a thousand craftsmen brought in by the imperial court, but Beiting was also allowed to mine and mint coins. Additionally, Li Qing’an implemented many new measures, such as establishing factories, schools, and new fortresses. Almost every initiative was a headache, yet all of them began simultaneously within three months.

The countless trivial matters nearly crushed the officials of Beiting. Fortunately, after three months of adaptation, they gradually got used to the new governor’s decisive style and his efficient, fast-paced approach to governance.

These days, officials at all levels in Beiting were busy with one major event: the arrival of a thousand craftsmen. In the Tang Dynasty, craftsmen were divided into official craftsmen and private craftsmen. Generally, official craftsmen were of higher skill than private craftsmen. The imperial court selected those with exceptional skills and registered them under special household systems, requiring them to serve in the capital regularly. For example, the Shaofu Jian had 20,000 craftsmen, while the Jiangzuo Jian had 15,000.

The thousand craftsmen arriving in Beiting were elite official craftsmen selected from the Shaofu Jian, Junqi Jian, and Jiangzuo Jian—what we would call technical engineers today. Their arrival meant that Beiting’s manufacturing capabilities in handicrafts would greatly improve. Many goods would no longer rely on supplies from the imperial court. Militarily, weapons and tents could be produced locally; in civilian life, industries such as silk weaving, porcelain making, wine brewing, and agricultural tools would no longer lag behind those in the Central Plains. People in Beiting could buy the most popular silks from Chang’an, and the most advanced agricultural tools from the Central Plains could be found in Beiting’s fields. The officials there were well aware of this, so they all worked tirelessly to ensure proper arrangements for the craftsmen’s arrival.

In his office, Li Qing’an was considering the production of gunpowder. Many of the craftsmen came from the Junqi Jian, but he discovered something strange—none of them had ever heard of a substance that could burn and explode. In other words, none of them knew anything about gunpowder. Could it be that the gunpowder formula he had presented to Li Longji was still lying unused in the warehouse?

Gunpowder was the secret weapon that enabled him to build his fortune. To this day, only a few of his closest confidants knew the formula for gunpowder. Perhaps others might have learned of it through various channels, but it wasn’t easy for them to develop a lethal version of it. With this in mind, Li Qing’an decided to keep the gunpowder formula a secret and have his own guards prepare it, preventing craftsmen from getting involved for now.

“Lord!” The door was pushed open, and Wang Changling stepped in quickly, smiling. “The Jinman Bridge connecting Wuting Town has been completed. Would you like to go take a look?”

Having been in Beiting for nearly half a year, Wang Changling’s skin had turned as dark as charcoal, and he was so thin he seemed skin and bones. He was known as the busiest person in Beiting, responsible for managing the military farms and coin minting under Li Qing’an, while also serving as the educational supervisor of Tingzhou. With so many tasks to handle, he hardly had time to catch his breath. Despite the intense workload, he was very happy—no need to deal with political scheming or curry favor with superiors; he could simply focus on doing his job well. Such a simple life was exactly what he had always dreamed of. His current status was still that of Li Qing’an’s advisor, with the title of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works.

“Let’s go! Take a look.”

Li Qing’an gathered the documents on his desk and headed outside. He asked with a smile, “Has Chen Zhonghe left for Xizhou to take up his post?”

“He left early this morning, along with his wife, children, and parents. I went to see him off too. Alas! It was just a rickety cart full of belongings—I’ve never seen such a poor county magistrate,” Wang Changling said with deep emotion.

Li Qing’an also smiled. “Although Chen Zhonghe is a bit old-fashioned, he is an honest and upright official with an excellent reputation among the people. I’ve reviewed his record—he served as county magistrate in Gaochang and Jiahe for six years, keeping both counties safe and orderly, with no need to lock doors at night or worry about lost items. He’s especially good at resolving conflicts between the Hu and Han peoples. Whenever the Hu people in Xizhou mention him, everyone gives him a thumbs up. That’s why, with these 8,000 military households moving to Xizhou, only he can handle this important task for me.”

“That’s proof of your ability to make the best use of people’s strengths. The officials in Beiting all say that working under you, though tiring and busy, brings great satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment.”

The two walked and talked, and before long, they arrived at Wuting Town south of Jinman County. It was less than ten miles away from Jinman County, separated by the Jinman River. More than four hundred craftsmen from the Military Equipment Bureau were settled in Wuting Town. Originally, the town had only a few dozen households, but it had large open areas. To welcome the craftsmen, Li Qing’an ordered his soldiers to compact the soil and build houses with stones on the open areas. In just two months, hundreds of houses were erected there. To facilitate the craftsmen’s travel to Jinman County, he also ordered a bridge to be built across the Jinman River. Today was the official opening day of the bridge.

When Li Qing’an and his entourage arrived at Jinman Bridge, the brief opening ceremony had already ended. People were coming and going across the bridge, many of them vendors selling various local specialties from Beiting—wine, pickled lamb legs, deer heads, white cloth, frozen horse milk, and so on—to the newly arrived craftsmen. At the same time, they bought cheap items brought by the craftsmen from the Central Plains, such as tea cakes, silk, porcelain, and more.

Craftsmen were different from military households. Military households came spontaneously over time, while craftsmen arrived under the leadership of court officials. It was precisely because of these court officials that He Xianshun’s plan to intercept a group of craftsmen from the Military Equipment Bureau failed.

“Lord, this bridge is built very solidly; it should last at least a hundred years,” said Wang Changling, patting the stone pier inscribed with the bridge’s name and smiling. “I was the one who wrote the three characters ‘Jinman Bridge’!”

Li Qing’an also smiled slightly. “Of all people in Beiting, your calligraphy is the most exquisite. Who else could I turn to?”

He urged his horse forward, lifted the curtain, and looked south across the bridge. Hundreds of houses painted uniformly white were neatly arranged on a vast, flat piece of land. When he inspected the area some time ago, it was still desolate. But with the arrival of 430 craftsmen from the Military Equipment Bureau who moved from Chang’an, the place began to come alive. Along the roads, over a hundred men were digging holes to plant trees, while a group of children laughed as they ran toward the Jinman River, jumping in naked. By the river, many women were doing laundry, and their laughter could be heard from afar.

At that moment, an old Han man was driving a cart toward Jinman Bridge. Since the bridge had a slight slope, he quickly jumped down to push the cart onto it. Unfortunately, the cart was too heavy, and he couldn’t push it up right away.

Li Qing’an quickly stepped forward to help push the cart, and soldiers also rushed to assist. In a short while, the cart was pushed onto the bridge. Seeing that the cart was filled with black soil, Li Qing’an asked curiously, “Old man, what are you doing with so much soil?”

The old man said with a smile, “Well, we just received forty mu of land at home. We’re busy cultivating it and applying fertilizer. I saw that the soil dug out for building the house was very fertile, and it would be a shame to throw it away, so I planned to take it to my fields.”
“Are you alone, sir?”
“No! My two sons and daughters-in-law are all working in the fields. They took the time these past few days to help me cultivate the land. Otherwise, once they get busy, they won’t have time.”
Li Qing’an nodded and asked with a smile, “What do you think of Beiting?”
The old man took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat and said with a smile, “It’s quite good. I spent thirty years making arrows at the armory. I never expected that in my old age I’d still get forty mu of land. Just for that, I don’t regret coming to Beiting at all.”
“Is there anything you’re not satisfied with? For example, are the officials harsh to you or anything?”
The old man shook his head and sighed, “What more could I be unsatisfied about? They gave me land, livestock, and two hundred jin of grain. My sons earn a good wage as craftsmen, and our family lives happily. If I must point out something unsatisfactory, it’s just that I’m not quite used to the climate here—too hot during the day and too cold at night. But it doesn’t matter. I think I’ll get used to it after living here for a few years.”
With that, he jumped onto the carriage and said to Li Qing’an with a smile, “Young man, thank you for helping me push the cart. I’m off now.”
“Take care, sir!” Li Qing’an said with a smile and bowed. After the old man walked away, he turned to Wang Changling and said, “Go and find someone to count how many families need their land cultivated. Give me a detailed report. I’ll arrange for soldiers to help. These craftsmen must start working right away; there can be no further delay.”
“I understand. I’ll arrange for someone to count right away and report to you early tomorrow morning.”
Just then, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from afar, and someone shouted from a distance, “Sir, there’s an urgent message!”
A soldier rushed over, dismounted quickly, and saluted, “Sir, Mr. Yan asks you to return immediately, saying there’s an important discovery.”
“I understand. I’ll be back right away.”
Li Qing’an mounted his horse, whipped it hard, and rushed toward Beiting City.
……
“Sir, the Lingxi Tea House has fallen for our trap.”
Yan Zhuang smiled as he handed a stack of intelligence to Li Qing’an. “In just three months, they took advantage of delivering supplies to the troops in Wubao to recruit nearly two thousand members of the Han-Tang Society among them. Their momentum is really strong!”
Li Qing’an took the intelligence and flipped through it, then sneered. He asked a Tang army officer who was undercover nearby, “What exactly is the Han-Tang Society?”

The colonel hurriedly said, “To report to the governor, it was the head manager of the Lingxi Tea House who persuaded me to join the Han-Tang Society. He only said that the society aimed to restore the Suiye military garrison and was a voluntary organization, offering 300 coins per month—many soldiers joined for this reason. But in reality, the Han-Tang Society has a strict structure, divided into four levels: hall, steering committee, bureau, and team. Beiting serves as the hall, Tingzhou as the steering committee, with several bureaus beneath them, and teams under the bureaus. Each team consists of 30 people, with positions such as hall leader, steering committee deputy, bureau chief, and team leader. I was appointed as the bureau chief of the Sanbao Bureau, with 12 teams and 360 members, receiving a monthly allowance of 5 guan.”

Yan Zhuang said slowly, “If the Han-Tang Society were only expanding in Beiting, it would be understandable—after all, restoring Suiye relies on the Beiting army. But I’ve heard that the society has steering committees in various parts of the Tang Dynasty, even as far as Guangzhou, with nearly 10,000 members. This isn’t just about restoring Suiye. If I’m not mistaken, the Han-Tang Society seems to aim for control over the whole country. Their leaders all come from Suiye, which is why they chose Beiting as the new foundation for the society.”

Li Qing’an snorted and said, “So what you’re saying is that if I hadn’t discovered this, in a year, the governor of Beiting would be that Li Huichun, right?”

“That’s exactly it!”

Yan Zhuang nodded. “At their current rate of expansion, in a year, all soldiers in Beiting will be members of the Han-Tang Society. Governor, the imperial court will eventually find out about this. If you don’t take firm action soon, how will you explain it to the emperor? By then, it won’t just be a matter of negligence. I’m worried that they might catch you off guard.”

“I know what to do.”

Li Qing’an said coldly, “Since I set this trap for them to fall into, I won’t let them get hold of me. Someone!”

An officer immediately entered. Li Qing’an ordered, “Send Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun to see me right away.”

A moment later, Nan Jiyun and Lei Wanchun rushed in, bowing and saying, “Please give your orders, governor!”

Li Qing’an took out a ledger and handed it to them. “Each of you lead 1,000 men. According to the list in this ledger, seal all the shops and arrest everyone. Execute this immediately!”

“Understood!” Nan and Lei went to assemble their troops.

Li Qing’an put on his helmet and said slowly, “As for the Lingxi Tea House, I’ll go personally to seal it!”

In the half year since Li Qing’an took charge of Beiting, he had strictly enforced military discipline and never disturbed the civilians. But today, Beiting suddenly became like cold water poured into a pot of hot oil—Tingzhou’s three counties erupted in chaos, especially Jinman County. Teams of fully armed soldiers rushed through the streets, sealing shops and arresting people according to a list.

The largest restaurant in Beiting, Rehai, was stormed by over a hundred soldiers who shouted loudly, “On duty! Everyone, crouch down with your hands on your heads!”

The customers, not knowing what was happening, crouched down in fear. The shop owner timidly approached and asked, “Sir, what’s going on?”

The leading officer grabbed him by the collar and ordered, “Search the shop! Take the owner and employees away. Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!”

The businesses of the Han-Tang Association—Suiye Chuan Inn, Nanping Jewelry Shop, Baiye Porcelain Shop, Helei Gambling House, Jun Guiyuan Brothel, and others—were all sealed. Merchants were taken away and detained, while their goods and property were seized. Every household in Jinman County closed their doors, unsure of what was happening, and speculation abounded.

A cavalry unit of 500 men rushed to Lingxi Tea House at lightning speed. Li Qing’an led the way, waving his battle axe and ordering, “Surround all the entrances and exits—no one is allowed to escape. Arrest them all!”

The cavalry split into four groups and attacked from different directions. Dozens of cavalrymen rushed up the steps, broke down the doors, and stormed in. In the spacious hall, over a hundred people were trading tea. With a loud crash, the doors were torn open, and dozens of cavalrymen rushed in, leaving everyone present stunned.

“Everyone, listen! Crouch down! Those who resist will be killed!”

The cavalrymen repeated their orders in both Chinese and Turkic three times, spurred their horses, drew their swords, and surrounded the merchants. The merchants turned pale with fear and crouched down. At that moment, the manager of Lingxi Tea House gave a secret signal to an employee who tried to sneak away. But an arrow whizzed past his nose, embedding itself in the wall in front of him, half a foot deep, with the arrowhead trembling.

Li Qing’an rode in, holding a long bow, and said coldly to the employee, “If you take another step, the next arrow will pierce your skull.”

The employee’s nose was cut, bleeding profusely. Terrified, he collapsed to the ground.

“Lord Li, what is the meaning of this?” asked Song, the tea house manager, stepping forward angrily. “Our tea house has always abided by the law. We’ve paid all our taxes on time. We even charged almost nothing when you used our caravans. What reason do you have to cause trouble here today?”

Li Qing’an glanced at him and smiled faintly, “What should I call you? Manager Song or Leader Song?”
Manager Song’s face turned pale instantly. He stepped back and muttered, “Envoy Li, this must be a misunderstanding!”
“Let the owner of your group explain whether there’s any misunderstanding. But before that, the Han-Tang Society must disappear from Beiting right away.”
Li Qing’an waved his hand and ordered, “Take everyone from Lingxi Tea House away and search them thoroughly. Leave no place unexamined.”
The soldiers rushed in, dragging the clerks and manager out. Manager Song turned back desperately and shouted, “Envoy Li, please don’t kill us! The Han-Tang Society has no ill intentions.”
“If you cooperate honestly, I won’t kill you.”
Li Qing’an then said to the over a hundred frightened merchants, “Please go with them for investigation as well. If you’re truly innocent, I’ll release you.”
Five hundred soldiers had already rushed into the tea house to start searching. Lingxi Tea House was the largest shop in Beiting, covering a vast area. Besides several huge warehouses, it also had residential buildings. Over two hundred soldiers rushed into the residential area, driving out all the maids and servants and beginning a thorough search.
A squad leader led a dozen soldiers deeper into the inner quarters. They arrived at a small courtyard and faintly heard laughter coming from a room.
They kicked the door open and saw a young man holding two women, one on each side, drinking and flirting. The door was kicked open with a bang as a group of soldiers rushed in, causing the two women to scream in terror.
The man slammed the table and stood up angrily, “Who are you? How dare you break into my private quarters? Is there any law?”
The squad leader didn’t explain. He waved his hand and said, “Take him away!”
A few soldiers stepped forward to grab the man. Suddenly, the young man pushed the women in front of the soldiers and ran toward the inner room.
“Catch him!”
The soldiers drew their swords and chased after him. In his panic, the man had no choice but to jump out of the window. But as soon as he jumped, several soldiers were already waiting outside. They rushed at him and pinned him to the ground.
The man struggled desperately, “Let me go!”
With a clang, something fell from his body, shining in the sunlight.