Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 170 A real man should be like this!
Before going down into the well, Fan Xiang specially changed into a formal official robe in the side hall of the official residence.

Fan Xiang, dressed in a scarlet robe, looked at the leader of the Liao people.

"Thank you for showing me the way."

Amutu was silent for a moment, then performed a Liao salute: "Yes, Your Excellency."

Leaving the official residence and passing through the inner city wall into the salt field, Lu Beigu followed behind Fan Xiang, walking on the muddy road of the salt field.

Supervisor Liang was on edge, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword. His twenty most elite soldiers, clad in armor and armed with weapons, guarded Fan Xiang, Lu Beigu, and the others in the middle, their sharp eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.

The billowing smoke was still thick, and the dull sounds of drawing brine, the boiling brine, the foreman's shouts and whippings, and the heavy breathing and coughing of the stove workers mixed together to form a noisy and oppressive background sound that entered my ears more clearly than when I arrived.

They descended the muddy slopes, deep into the heart of the salt-making area.

The closer you get, the more shocking the hellish scene becomes.

A wave of scorching heat hit me, carrying the acrid smell of thick smoke and sulfur; each breath felt like swallowing scalding sand.

The enormous salt stove resembled a monster that spewed flames, with crimson tongues of fire swirling and crackling inside the furnace. Boiling brine churned in a huge iron pot, white steam and thick black smoke mingling and rising, distorting and blurring the figures of the stove workers toiling within.

Lu Beigu saw a gaunt old salt worker standing by a salt stove in the distance. He was hunched over and using all his strength to stir an iron shovel that was almost as tall as him. Each stir was accompanied by a violent cough, and the phlegm he coughed up was mixed with black soot.

If the old cook was even slightly slow and attracted the attention of the overseer, the overseer would brandish a leather whip and lash his hunched back with a dull thud.

The old cook stumbled, but dared not utter a sound, and instead stirred the boiling brine even more frantically.

The cooks and servants beside him suddenly raised their heads and stared intently at the overseer, their eyes like poisoned knives.

He also saw a cook get burned by the scalding hot brine that splashed out, letting out a suppressed groan of pain, but he didn't dare to stop. He just gritted his teeth, wrapped his head haphazardly in a rag, and continued to work hard.

Lu Beigu faced not only physical discomfort, but also a huge mental shock.

The raw and brutal cost of the "productivity" he knew was laid bare before his eyes.

—And that's not the worst part.

What's most appalling is that everyone acted as if it were "perfectly normal" in this situation. Even when Fan Xiang came to inspect, no one was willing to put on an act. Even Fan Xiang himself did not show any particular attitude towards this management style, only expressing dissatisfaction with the excessive exploitation of the kitchen staff and laborers.

This shows that all salt-producing areas in the entire Song Dynasty were managed in this way.

For these supervisors, not only do they not need to restrain themselves, but they also need to act more fiercely than usual in order to demonstrate their hard work.

Finally, they reached the middle of the salt-making area.

Ahead lies the famous ancient salt well of Yujingjian, which has been excavated to a depth of seventy zhang since the Tang Dynasty.

Just then, a sharp voice rang out.

"Lazybones! Haven't you eaten? The fire's practically dying! Add more firewood! If you ruin this pot of salt, I'll beat you to death!"

A young cook, who had been reprimanded, suddenly raised his head. At that moment, his bloodshot eyes were fixed on the overseer, and his chest heaved violently, like a volcano about to erupt.

His fingers, gripping the long handle of the shovel tightly, were white from excessive force and trembling slightly.

"What are you looking at? Get to work!" Enraged by the look, the foreman cracked the whip and actually lashed it at the foreman's shoulder!

The whip flashed like lightning!

"Stop!" Lu Beigu couldn't help but say.

However, it was too late. The whip had already fallen, leaving a glaring red mark on the stove worker's dark shoulders and back!

This whip was like igniting a fuse.

"what--!"

The cook let out a wild roar, a roar that contained the humiliation, anger and despair that had been building up for far too long, and it all exploded at that moment!
He was no longer the numb, hardworking stoveman, but had transformed into a trapped beast that had been thoroughly enraged!

He suddenly swung the heavy iron shovel in his hand as a weapon at the overseer!
The shovel whistled through the air, carrying droplets of scalding brine!

The foreman was terrified and instinctively staggered backward to avoid the shovel, which grazed his scalp before crashing into the stone stove next to him with a loud bang, sending sparks flying!

"Rebellion! Rebellion! Seize him!" Wang Kui's voice trembled with fear as he screamed.

But this sentence was like a boulder thrown into a stagnant pool.

The dozen or so Liao people and cooks working around them seemed to be ignited by an invisible command; some picked up stones from the ground, while others grabbed fire pokers.

They hated! They hated these high-ranking Han officials! They hated these chieftains who exploited them! They hated the salt wells that devoured people without spitting out the bones! The resentment that had been building up for so long finally found an outlet at this moment!
"Protect Lord Fan!" Liang Du remained calm in the face of danger and gave the order in a stern voice.

The twenty soldiers he brought were all veterans with extremely fast reflexes. They instantly tightened their formation, and the five shields slammed to the ground with a "bang," forming a solid shield wall. Spears thrust out from the gaps between the shields like a forest, while archers quickly drew their bows and nocked arrows, the cold arrowheads pointing at the charging Liao people.

"Prepare to fire the arrows!" Supervisor Liang gave the order without hesitation, his eyes cold.

The taut hum of the bowstring sent chills down my spine!

He has the right to kill armed rioters without exception!

"slow!"

Fan Xiang's voice rang out: "Commander Liang, do not fire arrows!"

Fan Xiang's voice was resolute, carrying an aura forged on the Northwest battlefield that was enough to subdue everyone.

"They are people who can't survive, not rebels."

Amutu suddenly rushed forward and shouted something in Liao language at the impulsive kitchen workers, his voice hoarse and anxious.

The scene, under Fan Xiang's sharp rebuke and Liang Dujian's intimidation, temporarily fell into an eerie stalemate.

Lu Beigu's heart was pounding uncontrollably. He could feel his ears and neck starting to burn, while his back and arms felt a little cold.

Clearly, for the young Lu Beigu, this was the first time he had faced a scene where blood was about to be drawn, and his body's instincts were telling him what to do.

Standing to Fan Xiang's side and slightly behind, he could clearly feel the calm and powerful aura emanating from this veteran official.

In fact, a person's temperament is honed through experience. When the young Fan Xiang was besieged by Li Yuanhao's army of 100,000, he must have panicked! But he developed it through experience.

No one is born "unfazed by a collapsing mountain," unless they have facial paralysis.

Finally, the cooks put down their simple tools or stones.

However, the outcome was different from what they had imagined: they would soon be imprisoned and punished.

The Han official in the scarlet robe suddenly spoke.

"The salt laws must be changed! Let's start with the Yujing Saltworks!"

"I, Fan Xiang, guarantee this with my post as 'Supervisor of Salt Affairs in Sichuan and Shaanxi'! If you fail to rectify this situation and continue to suffer from hunger and lack of clothing, I will personally remove this scarlet robe and hang it on the chariot of your Yujing Salt Administration!"

As soon as this statement came out, it was shocking!

Wang Kui suddenly looked up, staring incredulously at Fan Xiang's retreating figure, as if he were seeing this high-ranking official for the first time.

Amutu's cloudy old eyes trembled violently, filled with astonishment and a faint glimmer of hope that even he himself could not believe.

Liang Dujian loosened his grip on the knife slightly, and his gaze toward Fan Xiang was filled with complex respect.

The local salt workers and cooks looked at each other, perhaps not fully understanding what "the salt law must be changed" meant, but they understood the weighty oath!

This was the highest-ranking Han official they had ever seen, making a solemn oath before the mountain god!
The young clerk who had been whipped stared intently at Fan Xiang with bloodshot eyes. The raging anger within him had not been completely extinguished, but a profound confusion had replaced his pure madness.

Lu Beigu stood behind Fan Xiang, looking at his not-so-tall back, which now stood like a mountain on the edge of the chaotic salt field.

The turmoil in his heart was beyond words.

Fan Xiang's actions were not merely an attempt to quell an impending bloodshed, but also a way of using his lifelong reputation to forcefully leave the first bloody mark on a salt reform that was destined to be incredibly difficult!
What courage and responsibility that requires!

In that instant, Lu Beigu seemed to suddenly understand the true meaning of entering officialdom through the imperial examination.

Make a living for the people!
May peace be created for all eternity!

This is what a man should do!
(End of this chapter)