The Red Mansion

Chapter 123 Jiang Nian leads two hundred cavalry in a surprise attack on the Dragon King Temple

Zhou Sankui was not only a major salt smuggler in Laizhou, but also the biggest local tyrant. He committed numerous crimes, and his offenses went far beyond simply producing and selling large quantities of smuggled salt.

For this reason, Zhou Sankui was extremely concerned about his own safety.

He did not have a fixed home, but rather owned several houses, most of which were located in Laizhou, and some were located outside Laizhou.

However, at Shenshi (3-5 PM) on the 5th and 20th of each month, he would convene his subordinates and their managers at the Dragon King Temple in the west of Yexian City to discuss matters.

It is already March 20th, and today is the day for the Dragon King Temple gathering to discuss matters.

Last night, Zhou Sankui stayed at a house in Hutoutan. His private salt fields are located in Hutoutan, which is not far from the Longwang Temple in the west of Yexian City.

In the morning, inside the private residence at Hutou Beach, Zhou Sankui was reclining in a grand chair, puffing away on a pipe. The pipe was gilded, and the bowl was filled with the finest tobacco leaves.

This week, Zhou Kui was dressed in a black satin hat and a dark robe. His face was swollen with flesh, and beneath his bushy eyebrows were beady eyes. His large, protruding ears resembled fans, and his missing, yellow teeth looked like rotten apricots. Although he was over forty years old, he already looked old, partly due to his excessive indulgence in wine and women.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the door, and several burly bandits shoved two people in. Leading them was a private tutor nearing forty, his blue robe torn, his forehead bruised, yet he still held his head high. Behind him followed a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, with almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, now weeping uncontrollably. They were a father and daughter, named Yu Zhonggong and Yu Lanxuan respectively.

Zhou Sankui squinted his beady eyes and sized up Yu Lanxuan. He saw that the girl's hair was disheveled like raven feathers, her almond eyes were filled with tears like autumn waves, her plain silk dress was covered in dust, and her embroidered sash was stained with tears. Although she was terrified, she looked even more pitiful.

“Mr. Yu,” Zhou Sankui said sarcastically, “I told you to sell your daughter to me so you could enjoy a life of luxury with me, but you refused. You just had to be stubborn and refuse to listen to reason. You can’t blame me for what’s happened today.”

Yu Zhonggong glared angrily and spat out a mouthful of phlegm, which landed right on Zhou Sankui's black robe.

Zhou Sankui's face immediately turned purple, and he shouted, "Slap him!"

A burly bandit with a face full of scars swung his arm, and with a crisp "smack," half of Yu Zhonggong's face swelled up, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Yu Lanxuan burst into tears: "Dad!"

Yu Zhonggong, enduring the pain, glared angrily at Zhou Sankui and said indignantly, "You lawless salt smuggler! Xuan'er is the apple of my eye, the apple of my eye, whom I raised with great care. Even if you offered a hundred taels of filthy silver, or even brought mountains of gold and seas of silver, you wouldn't be able to tarnish my daughter's purity! I am, after all, a scholar with official rank and a private tutor, yet you ordered your thieves to break into my house and kidnap my daughter and me. You have absolutely no respect for the law!"

He was so angry that his whole body trembled, and his torn blue cloth robe shook violently.

Zhou Sankui burst into laughter, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth like rotten apricots, resembling a monstrous demon with a blue face and fangs in a city god temple. He puffed on his pipe and squinted, saying, "What an ungrateful old pedant! In this Laizhou territory, I am the living Yama! Since you have defied my will, you have broken the law!"

Yu Zhonggong shouted angrily, "You vicious salt smuggler, you have committed heinous crimes and you will surely be punished in the future!"

Zhou Sankui sneered, "Whether I suffer retribution or not is none of your concern! Now that you, such a beautiful young woman, have entered my household, you are my woman from this day forward. As for you..."

Zhou Sankui turned to his bandits and shouted, "Take this old scoundrel to Tiger Head Beach and let him taste the bitterness of being boiled in the sea! Tell the men on the beach to keep a close watch on him and not let him escape!"

The thugs pounced on him like wolves and tigers. Although Yu Zhonggong struggled fiercely, he was ultimately a weak scholar and no match for these wolves. As he was being pushed and dragged away, he continued to curse.

Yu Lanxuan cried her heart out, her delicate fingers clutching her father's clothes tightly, but the thugs forcibly pried them apart. She was truly helpless, with no one to turn to for help.

After Yu Zhonggong was taken away, Zhou Sankui squinted at Yu Lanxuan with his beady eyes. Seeing her tearful eyes and pitiful appearance, a lewd smile appeared on his face.

Zhou Sankui immediately summoned two burly maidservants and instructed them, "Take good care of this young lady as she bathes and changes her clothes. Tonight I will prepare a feast for her."

It turns out that Zhou Kui was most lustful this week, and he had to take a young and beautiful woman as his concubine every month.

This month, he had arranged to marry Li Yanmei, the daughter of doctor Li Zhiyi. However, more than ten days ago, the Li family of three ran away. His trusted henchman Gao Huzi and eleven of his men went to capture the Li family, but they all died on the post road outside Changyi County.

Although the incident filled him with both anger and fear, and he had been busy tracking down the murderer for over ten days, he hadn't forgotten to seek a new lover this month. He set his sights on Yu Lanxuan, the daughter of the private tutor Yu Zhonggong. He initially intended to buy her for one hundred taels of silver, but Yu Zhonggong firmly refused. So, as was his habit, he forcibly took her—such acts were nothing more than commonplace for him. Indeed:
Salt smugglers bully the innocent, and a vulnerable woman is unwittingly plunged into a fiery pit.

……

……

Tiger Head Beach is a treacherous place on the coast of Laizhou. The beach is crisscrossed with salt lakes, a white expanse that looks like frost and snow from a distance, but who knows how much blood and tears it has been forged into this place.

Zhou Sankui established a private salt field here, employing ruthless bandits to protect the salt and guarding nearly two hundred salt workers. Most of these salt workers were coerced, either forced by debt or forcibly brought here. They boiled sea salt every day, and if they were negligent or resisted, they would be whipped or beaten, or even killed.

It was late spring, a time that should have been mild and warm, but the heat on Hutou Beach was unbearable. The sun beat down mercilessly, and the salt workers, dressed in rags and drenched in sweat, some with sores on their shoulders and backs, others walking with difficulty, were still being ordered around by the ruthless bandits protecting the salt. Any slight hesitation would result in a beating with whips and sticks.

Yu Zhonggong was escorted to the beach. Looking around, he saw the salt lake reflecting the blazing sun like snow, and the ruthless bandits abusing the innocent people like tigers.

Just as they were in shock, they suddenly saw a salt worker tied to a wooden frame, and two ruthless bandits swung their whips, lashing him mercilessly. At first, the man could still scream, but then he gradually fell silent and was beaten to death.

One of the bandits stepped forward, checked the patient's breathing, and reported to the salt guard leader: "Another one has died."

The salt guard leader didn't even raise his eyelids, just waved his hand: "Drag him to the mass grave and bury him."

Upon witnessing this horrific scene, even the usually upright Yu Zhonggong was terrified, thinking to himself, "In broad daylight, such a hell on earth exists! Zhou Sankui is truly utterly depraved!"

Filled with resentment yet utterly helpless, he could only look up to the sky and sigh, "God, if you have eyes, why not send down lightning and strike down these villains!"

It's a pity that in this Tiger Head Beach, where the emperor is far away and the heavens are high, even if there are wronged souls, who will know?
Only the sea breeze howled, as if lamenting for these unfortunate people.

……

……

In the coastal areas of Shandong, the Dragon King has been worshipped since ancient times, and almost every prefecture and county has a Dragon King Temple.

Located west of the county seat of Laizhou, there is a Dragon King Temple, which is quite large. The front hall enshrines the Dragon King, and the back has a neat courtyard.

At the hour of Shen (3-5 PM) on this day, the hall behind the Dragon King Temple was filled with swirling smoke that choked people's eyes and noses.

Zhou Sankui sat in the center of the hall, flanked by nine stewards, all of whom were fierce-looking men, some puffing on pipes and others sniffing snuff bottles to refresh themselves.

The room was filled with smoke and fumes, like a gathering of ghosts in the Yama's Palace.

Zhou Sankui originally had ten stewards under his command. Gao Huzi was killed more than ten days ago on the post road outside Changyi City. Ten other bandits were also killed. The murderers have not been found to this day. Therefore, today's meeting is missing one steward.

At this moment, a manager tapped his pipe on the corner of the table and said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Kui, it's been half a month since Gao Huzi and his brothers got together, and there's still no progress?" This manager had a connection with the Xue family and Jiang Nian.

He is Li Liu!
This man was originally a notorious bandit in Shandong. Later, he led a group of bandits to rob, kill, and cause trouble on the Grand Canal. Last spring, he led his bandits to rob the Xue family who were traveling to Beijing through a narrow section of the canal in Zaozhuang. The Xue family was rescued by Jiang Nian.

Last year, Emperor Taishun issued a strict order to eradicate bandits along the Grand Canal. Li Liu lost most of his bandits and nearly lost his own life. Seeing that being a bandit on the Grand Canal was difficult, he simply changed sides and joined Zhou Sankui, where he thrived.

At that moment, when Zhou Sankui heard Li Liu ask about Gao Huzi, his face darkened, and he slammed his copper pipe heavily on the table, sending sparks flying and ash flying everywhere. His beady eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "How could I not want revenge? I've been investigating for the past half month, but I can't find any trace of the murderer. Those bandits were incredibly ruthless; they didn't even leave a single messenger alive!"

A burly man with a dark complexion stood up at the bottom of the table. His face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and his eyes were like copper bells. He was nicknamed "Black-Faced King." This fellow had a fiery temper and shouted in a rough voice, "Since it's so difficult to investigate, why don't we ask the government to issue a warrant for our arrest? Are we just going to throw away the lives of eleven brothers for nothing?" As he spoke, his beard and hair bristled, making him look exactly like the Black Whirlwind from Liangshan Marsh reincarnated.

Zhou Sankui sneered upon hearing this, pointing his pipe at Wang Heimian: "What a fool! All that training I've given you all this time has been for nothing. Although we have connections with the government, this kind of thing can't be left unattended! The prefect knows that Gao Huzi and his gang are from our area, so how could he dare to go out of his way to arrest them? It's fortunate that he did so; if such a big case had alarmed the Shandong governor, it would have brought us even greater disaster!"

Indeed, eleven ruthless bandits under Zhou Sankui were killed on horseback on the official road, wielding knives and abducting women. If the Shandong governor were to learn of this case, Zhou Sankui would most likely face dire consequences.

These words left the managers speechless, exchanging bewildered glances.

The hall was filled with wisps of smoke, the stench of which was so strong it made one's head ache, mixed with the smell of sweat and body odor.

……

……

On Wednesday, Zhou Kui and his gang were holding a meeting in the main hall of the Dragon King Temple, smoking and discussing matters.

The bandits guarding outside the temple suddenly heard a cacophony of hoofbeats, rattling the windowpanes. At first, they thought it was an earthquake. One of the bandits stared in disbelief and exclaimed, "Could it be that the earth has turned upside down?"

Just as they were wondering what was going on, they saw dust billowing in the distance, like dark clouds pressing down on the city. In an instant, they saw iron cavalry surging towards the Dragon King Temple.

Another bandit suddenly realized what was happening, his face turning deathly pale: "Oh no! It's government troops! So many cavalry!"

Jiang Nian, Qi Jianyu, Meng Xiong, and a military officer from Dengzhou Town led two hundred cavalrymen in a surprise attack.

Jiang Nian and Qi Jianyu were both dressed in guard uniforms with soft armor underneath, looking imposing; Meng Xiong, on the other hand, was clad in iron armor, holding a long-handled broadsword, his tiger-like eyes wide open, exuding a murderous aura.

Two hundred iron cavalrymen from Dengzhou Town, all clad in gleaming armor, some wielding powerful crossbows, others drawing strong bows, some brandishing long spears, and others brandishing sharp blades, descended like heavenly soldiers and surrounded the Dragon King Temple.

Jiang Nian and Qi Jianyu each drew their carved bows, and their arrows, like shooting stars, struck down the fierce bandits in front of the temple.

Meng Xiong, clad in imposing iron armor, wielded his long-handled broadsword with ferocious skill. Wherever the cold light flashed, the ruthless bandits fell to the ground like harvested wheat.

……

……

Behind the Dragon King Temple, Zhou Sankui suddenly heard the earth shaking and shouts of battle outside. Before he could react, a fierce bandit stumbled in, his face ashen, and cried out in a trembling voice, "Master Kui! Something terrible has happened! Soldiers... a lot of soldiers are coming!"

Zhou Sankui's pipe trembled, and he suddenly stood up. Li Liu, Wang Heimian, and other managers were all shocked and stood up as well.

Zhou Sankui asked the ruthless bandit who delivered the message in a deep voice, "How many government troops have arrived?"

The bandit said in a trembling voice, "So many...so many, hundreds and thousands, all riding horses and wearing armor."

Zhou Sankui's face was extremely gloomy, and cold sweat had seeped from his forehead.

Li Liu asked in surprise, "Where did Yexian get so many cavalrymen?"

One of the pale-faced leaders said, "They're most likely from Dengzhou!"

Wang Heimian, the most hot-tempered of them all, grabbed a long-handled axe and roared, "What's there to be afraid of! We'll just fight our way out!"

At this moment, the sounds of battle outside were getting closer. The sounds of arrows piercing the air, swords clashing, and warhorses neighing were all mixed together, as if the sky were collapsing and the earth was splitting apart.

Seeing the situation was dire, Zhou Sankui hurriedly summoned nine leaders, including Li Liu and Wang Heimian, and they each rode their horses, gathering dozens of fierce bandits, and headed straight for the back gate to break through. As soon as they stepped out of the back gate, they saw dozens of iron cavalry already lined up waiting, their bows, crossbows, swords, and spears gleaming in the sunlight, exuding a chilling murderous aura.

Zhou Sankui knew he was in trouble, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and shout, "Brothers, follow me and fight your way out!"

As soon as the words fell, Zhou Sankui raised a powerful crossbow, Li Liu drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and Wang Heimian swung his long-handled axe, engaging the cavalry in a fierce battle.

Wang Heimian was indeed fierce; with a gust of wind from his axe, two cavalrymen fell from their horses. Unexpectedly, an arrow suddenly shot from the side, striking him squarely in the throat. The black-faced man immediately fell from his horse, clearly beyond saving.

Seeing this, Zhou Sankui and Li Liu fought even more desperately, firing crossbow bolts and shooting down several riders.

In the midst of the fierce battle, they suddenly heard the sound of galloping hooves. Jiang Nian and Qi Jianyu arrived with dozens of riders.

One of the cavalrymen recognized Zhou Sankui, pointed at him, and shouted to Jiang Nian, "Your Excellency, that fellow is Zhou Sankui!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nian lightly turned the bowstring, and the arrow, like a swimming dragon, struck Zhou Sankui's horse squarely. The horse reared up in pain, throwing Zhou Sankui to the ground.

Qi Jianyu also drew his bow to its fullest extent and fired an arrow straight at Li Liu. Li Liu dodged quickly, but the arrow pierced his left shoulder, and he cried out in pain as he fell off his horse.

The cavalrymen swarmed forward and took control of Zhou Sankui and Li Liu.

Jiang Nian rode forward, coldly scrutinizing Zhou Sankui: "So you are the salt smuggler Zhou Sankui?"

Zhou Sankui didn't answer, but stared at Jiang Nian's official robes, and suddenly asked in a trembling voice, "You...you are an imperial guard?"

Jiang Nian solemnly said in a deep voice, "I am an imperial bodyguard, sent to Laizhou by imperial decree to deal with you!"

Zhou Sankui was struck dumb, and asked in a daze, "Was it you who killed Gao Huzi and the others outside Changyi County?"

Jiang Nian nodded slightly.

Zhou Sankui's face was ashen, and after a long while he finally managed a bitter laugh: "No wonder... no wonder Gao Huzi died so suspiciously, no wonder the army besieged the Dragon King Temple today, it turns out the emperor sent an imperial envoy..."

(End of this chapter)