Ever since Yang Sichang received Chen Yuanbo's letter, a certain subtle and rather unflattering thought had quietly taken root in his heart.
How should it be described?
Something like a petty, mean little schadenfreude.
"Those rebels you pacified will definitely rise again. I already warned you, but you refused to listen. Fine then. I'll just sit back and wait to see you fail."
To be honest, this kind of thinking was hardly rare. It was human nature. Anyone who claimed they had never harbored such thoughts was either lying to others or lying to themselves.
Yang Sichang waited.
He waited for news.
He waited for the day Chen Yuanbo would finally send a frantic message, admitting that Hu Teng had rebelled once more, begging the Governor General to dispatch troops to put out the fire.
But that day never came.
Instead, what appeared before him was Hu Teng himself.
Hu Teng arrived dressed neatly and impeccably, his expression bright, his posture upright. He looked radiant, almost glowing, with an air of integrity that made him seem like a model citizen plucked straight from a morality textbook.
He did not look like a rebel at all.
Faced with this scene, Yang Sichang felt a storm of emotions churning inside him. He did not know how to face Chen Yuanbo.
On one hand, there was guilt. He felt ashamed of the cynical thoughts he had secretly harbored.
On the other hand, there was genuine relief and even joy. These rebels truly seemed to have turned over a new leaf.
At that moment, one of his officers leaned in again and pointed discreetly at someone in the distance.
"Governor General, that man over there was also a rebel leader."
"And the one over there too."
"And this one as well."
The officer hesitated for a moment, then added with quiet amazement, "It seems the rebel leaders are wearing different colored hats."
He had noticed that the former rebel leaders were easy to identify. They wore either white hats or blue hats, standing out clearly among the crowd.
Chen Yuanbo smiled faintly when he heard this.
"They became rebel leaders back then because they had some education. They could read and write, or they had technical knowledge about mining. Naturally, after joining us, they were assigned to management roles. Those wearing white hats are responsible for decision making. Those wearing blue hats handle technical work."
Yang Sichang asked, "Then the yellow hats just dig. Dig and dig?"
Chen Yuanbo nodded without hesitation. "Exactly."
Yang Sichang nodded along as well, silently engraving this system into his mind.
Noted.
Of course, he would never openly admit such a thing to a mere sixth rank prefect.
"I understand now," Yang Sichang said aloud, his tone steady. "I shall take my leave."
Clinging stubbornly to the last scraps of his dignity, Yang Sichang maintained a composed expression as he prepared to depart. Chen Yuanbo escorted him for five li. Only after Chen Yuanbo turned back and disappeared from sight did Yang Sichang finally allow his stiff posture to relax.
He let out a long breath.
"Ah. I barely managed to hold myself together in front of Chen Yuanbo," he said with a sigh. "He really has done something extraordinary with Daizhou."
Tie Niaofei glanced sideways at the truck nearby. The camera mounted on it was still recording.
Excellent.
Yang Sichang's every expression, every sigh, every flicker of emotion had been faithfully captured.
Tie Niaofei turned to him and said, "Governor General, in my humble opinion, Daizhou's success can actually be summed up in one word."
Yang Sichang raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Tie Niaofei shrugged casually. "Money."
"It is nothing more than throwing money at problems. Disobedient bandits become obedient once you give them money. Stubborn commoners become compliant once you give them money. As long as you are willing to pay, who in this world would refuse?"
Yang Sichang fell silent, pondering this seriously. After a moment, he nodded. "You are not wrong."
Tie Niaofei pressed on. "We can do the same."
Yang Sichang shook his head immediately. "Impossible. I do not have that kind of money. Even if I wanted to, the imperial court would never approve such spending. I truly do not understand where Chen Yuanbo found such enormous funds."
Tie Niaofei chuckled softly. "All of his money comes from the local gentry of Daizhou."
"Daizhou has wealthy families like Sun Chuanting's, as well as many rich gentry and landowners. They were thoroughly frightened by the last Manchu raid. Now they are pouring silver into Daizhou's development, hoping to protect their own estates."
Yang Sichang exclaimed, "So that is how it is."
He sighed deeply. "Alas. I… no, I cannot do the same. Xuanfu and Datong are border garrisons. Their economies are weak. There are barely any wealthy gentry or landowners here. There is simply no way to raise that much money."
At that moment, Tie Niaofei straightened his back and said proudly, "I have money."
Yang Sichang froze.
Then his eyes lit up. "Merchant Tie. You… you are willing to fund me? To support this Governor General?"
Tie Niaofei nodded calmly. "I have always done business with the Xuan Da border armies. The Xuan Da Command is practically my second home. Now that my home is in trouble, how could I simply stand by?"
He continued, "Besides, if the Xuan Da Command collapses, my future business will suffer as well. Helping the Governor General is the same as helping myself."
Yang Sichang was overjoyed. "Merchant Tie. You truly are my lucky star."
Tie Niaofei laughed. "A small matter. Truly nothing worth mentioning. I only hope that the Governor General will remember my contribution in the future and lend me a hand after your promotion."
Yang Sichang replied solemnly, "If Merchant Tie assists this Governor General in suppressing these rebels, then when rewards are distributed, your merits will be substantial. How could I possibly fail to promote you?"
Tie Niaofei chuckled again. "Then it is settled. I will immediately return south and transport more funds and provisions. We will simply copy Daizhou's methods and follow their example."
"Chen Yuanbo may have money," he said with a snort. "But do I, Tie Niaofei, lack it? My funds will not be less than his."
Yang Sichang said, "Then I leave everything in your capable hands."
The two parted ways on the official road.
Yang Sichang headed north, returning to the Datong garrison.
Tie Niaofei turned south, toward the Central Plains.
Almost the moment they separated, Tie Niaofei reached out and pressed the camera's power switch. Click. The recording stopped.
He clutched the camera tightly and burst into loud laughter.
"That Yang Sichang is killing me. Hahahaha. Absolutely killing me."
"When I bring this back and show it to the insiders, everyone will laugh themselves sick."
A few days later.
Tie Niaofei returned to Pingyang Prefecture and handed the camera's memory card to Li Daoxuan.
Li Daoxuan gave the footage a quick edit, trimming it down to the most entertaining highlights, then distributed it to various locations.
This kind of material would never be broadcast on Gaojia News. However, all management personnel within Gao Family Village were allowed to view it privately.
Yang Sichang's carefully maintained dignity in front of Chen Yuanbo was completely shattered.
Several days later, a massive shipment of grain and silver, transported by Tie Niaofei, arrived in Datong.
With abundant supplies on hand, Yang Sichang's confidence surged.
Following Daizhou's model, he began recruiting workers on a large scale through work relief programs, opening mines, and building roads.
The so called rebel faction members of the Xuan Da Command immediately threw down their hoes and rushed to apply for jobs.
Three months later.
The unrest in the Xuan Da Command was fully quelled.
Yang Sichang meticulously recorded how the Jin merchant Tie Niaofei had provided funding, opened mines, recruited laborers, and dismantled rebel factions. He compiled everything into a memorial and submitted it to the imperial court.
After reading it, the Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian issued a decree.
"Yang Sichang is a man of outstanding talent and can be put to good use."
Then he added another line.
"Jin merchant Tie Niaofei, for funding the nation's efforts to suppress unrest and for his exceptional contributions, is hereby granted the title of Imperial Merchant."
From that day on, Tie Niaofei enjoyed unrestricted trade rights across the vast territories of the Ming dynasty.
He even gained the privilege of supplying goods to the imperial family.
Of course, he had no intention of going to the capital.
In his opinion, the imperial court was best left alone.