After stealing a few glances through his binoculars at the young women washing clothes, Lao Nanfeng was thoroughly satisfied—mischievously so. He hummed a little tune as he descended from the arrow tower, a cheerful expression on his face.
He happened to encounter Zhan Seng leading a group of laborers, still digging firing ports into the stockade walls.
Seeing Lao Nanfeng's relaxed demeanor, Zhan Seng offered a gentle smile. "General, you seem to be in good spirits. It appears there are no issues in the surrounding area?"
Lao Nanfeng grinned. "I just spotted rebel scouts! They're about to attack—"
Zhan Seng: "!!!"
The laborers chiseling away nearby: "!!!"
A ripple of shock went through them all as they stared at Lao Nanfeng with strange looks. The rebels are about to attack, and you're still smiling so happily, looking so cheerful? What in the world is wrong with this man?
Lao Nanfeng's face was alight with a smile. "Ah, the Central Plains are truly wonderful! Even by the river, there are beautiful young women washing clothes. Up north, well... cough."
He quickly stopped himself, his face immediately turning serious. "You, digging firing ports! Faster! All remaining firing ports must be carved out within a day. Otherwise, when the rebels attack, our arquebusiers will have nowhere to fire from."
The moment he finished speaking, the laborers tripled their pace. How could they possibly not speed up? If they couldn't hold off the rebels, they wouldn't escape death either.
Zhan Seng sighed deeply, gripping his staff. "Amitabha! Mercy, mercy!"
Lao Nanfeng cast a sidelong glance at him. "Master, from your physique alone, I can tell you're a seasoned martial artist. Your skill is exceptional; I probably couldn't defeat you, and Gao Chuwu might not even be your match. And that heavy aura of killing intent around you—you must have done your fair share of killing and arson in your youth, haven't you?"
Zhan Seng pressed his palms together. "As for the past, this humble monk has forgotten it."
Lao Nanfeng chuckled mischievously. "To save these common folk, you'll certainly have to act. How about it? Why not trade that staff for a broadsword? You clearly have a knack for wielding a blade."
Zhan Seng shook his head. "A blade is steeped in too much bloodshed. This humble monk is content with his staff. Staff techniques are the 'art of divine non-violence'; this humble monk no longer wishes to kill."
Lao Nanfeng chuckled. "How easy is it to truly achieve 'divine non-violence'? In my view, killing one to save two is also a great merit. What do you think, Master?"
Zhan Seng shook his head. "Wouldn't it be even better to kill no one and still save two?"
Lao Nanfeng laughed loudly. "That, Master, is called greed!"
Zhan Seng: "There's nothing wrong with being a little greedy in matters like this."
Lao Nanfeng shook his head and turned to leave. In no time at all, he reached the warship. Its captain was still sitting on the bow, boredly watching the laborers move cargo from the freight ships.
Lao Nanfeng beckoned to him, chuckling. "Bored, brother?"
The captain laughed. "Indeed. Commanding such a powerful warship, yet with no chance to engage, it's a bit frustrating."
Lao Nanfeng: "You won't be bored for long. The rebels are coming."
This news perked the captain up. "Then I—"
Lao Nanfeng: "I'll have to ask you to hide first."
The captain grew anxious. "Why? I finally have a chance to act!"
Lao Nanfeng explained, "If your ship stays here, the rebels won't make a move."
The captain suddenly understood. Of course, with twelve cannons mounted on this ship, how could the rebels dare to attack?
Lao Nanfeng chuckled slyly. "The fleet should unload normally. After unloading, you're to lead the fleet back to Qichuan Ferry, right? Please sail north for several li. Once the Gudu Ferry is out of sight, find a place where the current is a little slower and wait. When you see thick smoke rising from Gudu Ferry, then bring your fleet back."
The captain immediately understood. "Hahaha, so that's it. Thank you, General Lao Nanfeng."
The sky was now completely dark, but a bright moon hung above, bathing Xie Lake in silver light, turning the entire lakeside a silvery-gray and allowing for faint visibility even with the naked eye.
Xing Honglang, Zao Ying, Tie Niaofei, and their people dismounted about a li from Xie Lake. Zao Ying's people stayed behind, hiding the horses in the forest.
Xing Honglang and Tie Niaofei, along with the salt smugglers, continued forward.
They had all changed into black clothes, merging with the darkness, almost invisible to the naked eye.
From a distance, Tie Niaofei pointed at the large city on the north bank of Xie Lake. "Look! That's Hedong City. The imperial Salt Administration Office is located there. A thousand government soldiers are always garrisoned there. No matter how much trouble the rebels cause outside, these thousand soldiers don't budge; they simply guard Xie Lake fiercely."
Xing Honglang nodded.
The two led their group around to the south bank of Xie Lake. Xie Lake stretched over forty li long and four li wide. As long as they were on the south bank, it would be harder for the officials to spot them. The salt smugglers always contacted the salt workers on the south bank to secretly move contraband salt.
The two crept silently in the darkness. Ahead, a village appeared. Around the village, salt ponds stretched out, one after another, spreading across vast areas. High wooden walls surrounded the salt ponds, virtually enclosing the entire village and all the surrounding salt ponds.
A gate was set into the wooden wall, with a small window cut into it. Peering through the small window, two government soldiers guarded the gate.
Xing Honglang whispered, "I haven't run salt for a few years; I don't recognize these two soldiers."
Tie Niaofei chuckled mischievously. "Don't worry, I know them."
He darted out from the woods, walking with a smile towards the two government soldiers.
The soldiers sensed someone approaching in the dark. Their hands went to their saber hilts. "Who goes there? This is an important government salt production area; no unauthorized entry."
"It's me, Tie Niaofei!"
The two soldiers immediately laughed. "Ah, it's Big Boss Tie."
Tie Niaofei chuckled slyly, pulling out a silver ingot. He slipped it through the small window on the gate. Soon, the gate opened. The two soldiers whispered, "You're giving us a lot this time, Big Boss Tie. Planning something big?"
Tie Niaofei: "Yes, very big. It just depends if you're brave enough."
The two soldiers grinned. "Well, that depends on how big."
Tie Niaofei declared, "I want to take all the salt from this village."
The two soldiers exchanged glances, a little stunned. "All of it? Are you crazy?"
"However, this is just one of many salt villages around Xie Lake," one soldier mused. "Even if all the salt in this village was taken, it wouldn't greatly impact the court; other villages would still produce salt. It's not that we couldn't do it, but two soldiers alone certainly couldn't manage it."
"This matter needs to be reported higher up," the other soldier said.
"At the very least, the Salt Administration Office needs to give the nod before we can help," the first soldier added.
Tie Niaofei smiled. "How much will it cost to get the Salt Administration Office's approval? Name your price."
The soldier whispered, "At least... one hundred taels. No, two hundred taels."
"Alright! Two hundred taels it is." Tie Niaofei pulled out a bag of large silver ingots he had prepared earlier. "Go report it. I'll wait here."
The two soldiers nodded. One of them continued to guard the salt village gate. The other, taking the bag of large silver ingots, ran into the village. Before long, the squad leader of the government soldiers in the village also got up. After seeing the large silver ingots, he quickly rowed a small boat across Xie Lake and headed towards Hedong on the opposite bank.