Yang Sichang and Tie Niaofei departed from Datong Prefecture and headed south toward Daizhou.
Datong was still in turmoil. Rebel groups roamed everywhere, and travel was extremely dangerous. Yang Sichang therefore brought along his household guards and a small detachment of soldiers. Tie Niaofei, for his part, traveled with a well-armed merchant caravan.
Once the two parties merged, the combined procession became imposing enough that no small band of rebels dared to approach.
They moved steadily southward, passed through Yanmen Pass, and officially entered the territory of Daizhou.
The moment they crossed the pass, Yang Sichang sensed something was wrong.
Outside Yanmen Pass, roads were being built.
Not repaired. Not patched.
Built.
"Road construction?" Yang Sichang muttered, his brows knitting together. "Here of all places?"
Tie Niaofei nodded calmly. "Yes. Now that you mention it, they were already working on these roads when I passed through on my way north."
Yang Sichang was about to call over a laborer to ask what was going on when one of the workers suddenly looked up, saw him clearly, and sucked in a sharp breath.
"It's Yang Sichang of the Xuan-Da Command!"
The shout spread instantly.
The other workers raised their heads one by one. When they recognized him, their faces turned pale.
"Damn it. It really is Yang Sichang."
"Yang Sichang is here to kill us again."
"Run. Everyone, run."
Chaos erupted.
Tools were dropped. Baskets overturned. The entire road crew scattered in all directions like frightened birds.
Yang Sichang was furious.
"I am not some murderous villain," he snapped. "Why would I slaughter road workers for no reason? Why are they fleeing like this?"
A military officer from his escort rode forward and saluted.
"Commander, I recognize these men. They are rebels who caused disturbances in Datantou Village not long ago. I personally led troops to pursue them and drove them into the mountains. I never expected them to cross over into Daizhou and begin building roads here. Allow me to pursue them immediately and bring them to justice."
Yang Sichang's eyes widened.
"What? Datong rebels?"
"Yes, Commander," the officer said firmly. "There is no mistake. I recognized their leader at once. He is wearing proper clothes and pretending to be a foreman. I will capture him immediately."
He tugged at the reins, ready to give chase.
"Wait."
Yang Sichang raised his hand.
The officer halted at once.
Yang Sichang stared in the direction the workers had fled, then spoke slowly.
"He is already engaged in road construction. If you arrest him now and word spreads, what will the world say about me? That I arrest men even while they labor for the people? Let this matter rest for now. Once we understand what is truly happening, we can deal with him properly."
The officer hesitated, then bowed and reined in his horse, falling back into formation.
Tie Niaofei put on a look of astonishment.
"How strange," he said. "Datong rebels, building roads in Daizhou. This is truly baffling. I am quite curious to know the reason as well."
"So am I," Yang Sichang replied grimly. "Let us go to Daizhou city and find out."
They continued forward.
Along the way, Yang Sichang saw road construction everywhere. On the open land beside the main roads, people were erecting strange gray-white structures that looked like stone but were clearly newly made.
Yang Sichang studied the scene in silence.
Daizhou was in the midst of massive construction. How many laborers must have been mobilized for this?
"Such a scale of labor," Yang Sichang finally said. "If this were corvée service, the people would have revolted long ago. Yet they look… content. And now even Datong's rebels are coming here to work."
The more he observed, the more confused he became.
Tie Niaofei leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"On the way here, I heard villagers say that workers receive three catties of flour per day."
Yang Sichang stiffened.
"What?" he exclaimed. "They are being paid? So this is not corvée labor at all."
Suddenly, everything made sense.
"No wonder," he muttered. "No wonder even Datong's rebels are willing to build roads."
A faint sense of realization began to take shape in his mind.
They pressed on.
After traveling for some time, Daizhou city came into view. From afar, the Bianjing Tower stood tall, the highest structure in the city.
It was said that the previous prefect had thrown himself from that very tower, his head striking the ground, his soul plunging straight into the underworld.
Yet now, the same tower was draped in red silk and colorful banners, radiating vitality. Below it, countless laborers moved busily, laughing and working as they repaired the city walls, reinforced the towers, and strengthened Daizhou's defenses against future Manchu incursions.
Chen Yuanbo was already standing atop the tower.
When he spotted Yang Sichang's entourage approaching, he immediately came down to greet him.
"Commander," Chen Yuanbo said with a bow, "your subordinate failed to welcome you sooner. Please forgive me."
Yang Sichang waved away formalities.
"Prefect Chen," he said, "your governance of Daizhou is impressive. Along the entire journey, I saw activity everywhere."
Chen Yuanbo smiled faintly. "It is simply the goodwill of the people."
"You are building roads, repairing walls, reinforcing towers," Yang Sichang pressed. "Is this not excessive? With me overseeing the Xuan-Da Command, it is highly unlikely the Manchus will trouble Daizhou again anytime soon. Why rush to strengthen defenses?"
Chen Yuanbo answered calmly.
"Your subordinate knows the Manchus will not return soon. Reinforcing the walls is not urgently necessary. However, idle people are dangerous people. If the common folk have work, they earn wages. If they earn wages, they will not rebel."
Yang Sichang froze.
This was the first time he had encountered such reasoning.
After a long pause, his eyes slowly widened.
"That… makes sense," he said quietly.
Then he asked sharply, "On the road near Yanmen Pass, I saw Datong rebels building roads. Was that your doing?"
"Yes, Commander," Chen Yuanbo replied. "They came from Datong with rebellious intentions. Your subordinate offered them three catties of flour per day. They immediately dropped their weapons and became diligent laborers."
Yang Sichang felt his entire body stiffen.
After several breaths, he finally asked, his voice heavy, "And Hu Teng? He was among the first rebels you pacified. Has he rebelled again?"
Chen Yuanbo laughed.
"Hu Teng? He is doing very well. If the Commander wishes, you may accompany me to inspect the Daimei Number One Factory."
"The Daimei Number One Mine?" Yang Sichang repeated, startled.
"Yes," Chen Yuanbo said. "Short for the Daizhou First Coal Mine Factory. Hu Teng manages it now, and he performs admirably."
Yang Sichang felt a sharp itch of curiosity claw at his heart.
"To the mine," he said decisively. "I must see for myself what has become of this so-called vicious bandit."
When Yang Sichang arrived at the Daimei Number One Mine, the scene before him stunned him.
The "ferocious" Hu Teng was not dressed like a bandit at all. He wore clean, neat clothes and a spotless white hat. Standing at the mine entrance, he was loudly lecturing a group of miners.
"You there," Hu Teng barked. "Have you already forgotten the safety rules? Yellow Hats are mandatory before entering the shaft."
"It's too hot inside," one miner complained.
"Too hot?" Hu Teng snapped, slapping his own hat. "Look at me. I'm wearing mine. I'm drenched in sweat and I haven't taken it off. I set the example. What excuse do you still have?"
The miners exchanged glances.
Seeing that even their boss obeyed the rules, they dared not resist. One by one, they put on their Yellow Hats and entered the mine shaft.
Watching this, Yang Sichang inhaled sharply.
"This is not the Hu Teng I once faced," he murmured. "The last time I saw him, he held a pot lid in one hand and a mining pick in the other, his face twisted with ferocity, as if he might devour someone alive."