Top Scholar

Chapter 155 Qin Shi Huang Eats Sichuan Pepper
In a narrow sense, presenting captives refers to offering important prisoners to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. However, that level was too high; the most recent instance was during the Chenghua era.

However, the county magistrate, acting on behalf of the emperor, has the responsibility of "pacifying the region and suppressing bandits." After successfully suppressing bandits, a ceremony of offering sacrifices should be held remotely. This would not only reassure the people and deter petty thieves, but also strengthen the authority of the imperial court.

Of course, it would also strengthen the personal authority of the county magistrate...

So Magistrate Lu, in front of the City God Temple, solemnly and eloquently read out the sacrificial text for the surrender of the captives:
"On the first day of the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty, Lu, the magistrate of Hejiang County, and Ma, the commander of Yongning County, led the soldiers and civilians of the entire city to offer sacrifices to the City God, and to report to His Majesty from afar—"

"The Shu River meanders along its banks, once a vital thoroughfare; now, shrouded in mist, it has become a breeding ground for bandits. Three petty thugs, led by Qi, have banded together, intercepting boats in the wilderness, harassing the people on the riverbank, cutting off trade routes, and causing great distress to the common folk. Though the bandits are few in number, the people are filled with righteous indignation; with the river blocked, everyone longs for its clearing!"

"On New Year's Eve, the bandits were drunk and reveling; Commander Ma led his troops in a surprise attack, setting fire to the bandits' stockade, the red light splitting through the mist; swords slashed the bandits, blades dancing and blood raining down! The righteous man Su Tai captured the bandit leader alive; the remaining bandits were shocked, their mats stained with blood. In one night, their nest was overthrown, their dens destroyed, their pearls and goods regained their luster, and the river roads were bustling again!"

"This is not due to my own merit, but truly to divine protection and the king's benevolent rule, and the united hearts of my soldiers. Now the ringleader has been captured, the followers have been wiped out, the river crossing is open, and the people rejoice. I respectfully offer the bandit leader Qi San and others before the gods, and humbly pray:"
May the river's waves forever be calm, and may boats sail without hindrance;

Pray for a bountiful harvest and peace throughout the land;
I pray three times for the long life of the Holy Dynasty, and for peace and tranquility throughout the land.

Your subject will faithfully uphold your duties, bring peace and prosperity to the people, repay the divine favor above, and fulfill the people's wishes below. May you accept this offering!

The people below the stage knelt on the ground. Although they couldn't understand much, they all felt that their elderly parents seemed to have gained a sense of holiness.

Su Lu watched coldly from the sidelines, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that Magistrate Lu's move was truly like "Qin Shi Huang eating peppercorns—winning by a fluke."

But this is what they deserve. He asked himself honestly, if he were in their shoes, facing the predicament of the 17th day of the twelfth lunar month last year, he probably wouldn't have been able to turn things around so quickly and achieve such a great victory today.

This is just a county magistrate, yet he possesses such methods. Learn from him; the knowledge is profound, and there's no end to learning…

"You wrote this eulogy, didn't you?" Zhu Zihe's voice rang in his ear.

"Oh my god..." Su Lu was startled and looked at him as if she had seen a ghost: "Didn't you go home for the New Year? How come you've popped up again?"

"This morning I went with my father to pay New Year's respects at the Daotai's office, and I heard you had suppressed bandits last night. So I rushed over to see what was going on." Zhu Zihe laughed, "How about it, Qiji? Aren't I well-informed?"

"Yes, yes, from now on I'll call you Little Smarty." Su Lu was in a good mood today and gave him a nickname with a smile.

“The word ‘lingtong’ is quite good; we scholars love it.” Zhu Zihe pondered it carefully. “It’s just that the word ‘xiao’ (small) is not very elegant.”

"It's alright, I'll call you Da Lingtong when you come of age," Su Lu said with a smile.

“Actually, ‘Lingtong’ is fine,” Zhu Zihe said seriously. “It’s not quite right either, it sounds like someone who communicates with spirits. Oh well, Little Lingtong it is. How can you see the greatness if you don’t know how small it is? It’s always good to be modest.”

"..." Su Lu was speechless. I was just joking, why take it so seriously?
"You still haven't answered me. Did you write this eulogy?" Zhu Zihe asked again.

"How did you know?" Su Lu asked without hesitation.

"The smell is so strong, I could smell it from miles away," Zhu Zihe laughed. "Besides, if you didn't write it, why would you specifically mention your brother's name?"

"I've taken a quick look at the victory report, and it's always the case that the person who first captures the bandit leader is listed by name," Su Lu said seriously.

“That’s also using public office for private gain,” Zhu Zihe pointed out incisively.

“Little Smart…” Su Lu looked at him.

"What's the matter?" Zhu Zihe asked.

"You should go back to Luzhou," Su Lu said.

"Of course I have to go back, and you have to come with me. If we don't go soon, Uncle San will lose his temper," Zhu Zihe said with a smile.

“Alright, we’ll set off tomorrow.” Su Lu nodded. Actually, it was very impolite to visit someone to ask for a master at the end of the year. He had originally planned to go right after the New Year.

~~
After this battle, the people of Hejiang had a completely different impression of Qianmahu and his army.

The villagers initially thought they were there to cause trouble, but it turned out they were actually there to suppress bandits for the county. Many uninformed villagers had even cursed them, and now they felt very guilty, offering them wine and meat as a token of their apology.

There was no need for their wine and meat. Magistrate Lu arranged a grand victory banquet in the yamen to reward the triumphant soldiers.

The main table was set up in the main hall of the county government office. The guest of honor was naturally Commander Ma, and the old man, the clan chief, and Scholar Cheng, among others, were also seated at this table, which was a great honor for them!
Of course, the county officials and gentry mainly praised Magistrate Lu, exaggerating his abilities to the skies, comparing him to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi...

After being repeatedly given a lot of alcohol by the crowd, Magistrate Lu gradually lost his composure and began to boast with a thick lisp.

"When did this county magistrate make this plan? Do you all remember last August when this county magistrate went to Taiping Town? On that trip, I not only discovered the prodigy Su, but also made a good friend in Commander Ma..."

"Oh! I remember now, I remember now." Registrar Bao slapped his forehead, his face full of admiration. "I was wondering why the county magistrate suddenly went to inspect Taiping Town. So he went to ask for reinforcements!"

"Our parents are truly farsighted!" the officials and gentry exclaimed in unison.

"So, the incident last month was also something you two had planned long ago?" Magistrate Cao quickly realized, "It was all to create a reason for Commander Qian to send troops, wasn't it?"

"Hehe, this county magistrate will not admit it," Magistrate Lu said with a reserved smile.

"Understood, understood! It's all fate! Not some human arrangement." The crowd quickly 'understood' and said. The old man beside him whispered to Commander Ma, "I can't take it anymore, I'm leaving."

"Hahaha." Commander Ma chuckled softly, "When it comes to being bold and nauseating, we warriors are far behind."

"Then you can learn slowly." The old man no longer spoke to him as carefully and politely as before.

"Don't rush, sit a while longer." Commander Ma pulled the old man who was about to leave his seat. After the officials and gentry surrounding the county magistrate had receded a little, he said in a deep voice, "Call Su Tai here."

Su Tai was sitting at a table outside the main hall when he heard the order and hurried over.

"Brother, let me introduce you to a young hero!" Commander Ma said to Magistrate Lu, holding Su Tai's hand. "Su Tai is Su Lu's older brother!"

"Oh?" Upon hearing the name, Magistrate Lu suddenly realized, "I remember now, the hero who captured Qi San alive!"

He sized up the burly and handsome Su Tai, and his eyes lit up as he said, "What a magnificent young man! You and your brother, one a scholar and the other a warrior, complement each other perfectly!"

"Brother, you're absolutely right! Su Lu is a genius in academics, and he's a genius in martial arts!" Commander Ma patted Su Tai's thick arm and recounted, with a touch of embellishment, how Su Tai captured Qi San.

Although the whole process only took a few breaths, it was enough to demonstrate Su Tai's wisdom and courage!

"...Even until the very end, when Qi San was tied up by everyone, he never pulled out the dagger from his pocket." Commander Ma recounted vividly, "Guess what happened?"

"What happened?" Magistrate Lu asked curiously.

"Both of that fellow's arms were broken by Su Tai!" Commander Ma then answered loudly.

This naturally drew cheers from the audience! One gentryman remarked:
"Back when Qi San was in the county, he was known for his amazing strength. I never expected that Su Zhuangshi would be far superior to him!"

When people praised his grandson, the old man didn't feel disgusted at all. He even added fuel to the fire, saying, "When this child was thirteen years old, he broke the family heirloom ox horn bow. I was so angry that I gave him a good beating!"

"Alas, that only proves that the bow is not strong enough, unworthy of your grandson's innate superhuman strength!" Magistrate Lu then ordered, "Go to the storehouse and pick out the hardest iron-framed bow!"

The men quickly did as instructed, and soon brought back a six-stone iron bow.

The current dynasty uses the "relaxed string and weight method" from the Song dynasty to measure bow strength. A one-stone bow is an unstretched bow with a one-stone weight added to it, stretching it to one foot. In reality, only one-third of the force is needed to fully draw the bow, but this bow strength is not something that ordinary soldiers can attempt.

In the garrison's archery tests, a draw weight of half a stone is considered passing, while a draw weight of one stone is considered excellent. This six-stone iron-rimmed bow requires a draw weight of two stones, and in all these years in the garrison, no one has ever been able to draw it.

Su Tai took the bow, tested its strength, then took a deep breath, lowered his waist and hips, channeled his power into his arms, and with a roar, drew it to a full moon!
"Bravo!!" Cheers immediately resounded throughout the hall.

"Truly a man of superhuman strength! Such a brave warrior must be recommended to the imperial court!" Magistrate Lu exclaimed in admiration, then asked Su Tai, "What military rank does this brave warrior currently hold?"

“I wasn’t in the army, I’m a brewer,” Su Tai said in a deep voice.

"Su Tai is the second-in-command at our distillery. It was under his guidance that Erlang wine was brought back to life!" Su Daji said with a smile. "In a few years, he'll be taking over my job!"

"Hey, Su Dazhang, you should find someone else to take over." Ma Qianhu gave him a wink and said, "It's such a waste to bury such a fine man as Su Tai, who is one in a million, in the brothel."

He sighed and said, "But it would be such a waste to just join the army directly."

“Indeed, what should we do then?” Magistrate Lu naturally sensed that Commander Ma was trying to elevate Su Tai, and was happy to cooperate.

"Let him go to Luzhou Martial Arts School," Commander Ma said in a deep voice. "Wouldn't it be a piece of cake for him to pass the martial arts examination in the future?"

"Martial arts from Luzhou? What a great idea!" Magistrate Lu exclaimed. "Then let's recommend him to study martial arts!"

“But I am a commander of the Yongning Guard. My words don’t carry weight in the Luzhou Guard. People might not be willing to give me face,” Commander Ma sighed.

“That’s easy,” Magistrate Lu readily agreed, “We’ve only issued the victory report; we haven’t sent out the list of those requesting commendations yet. Mr. You…”

“The student is here,” You Muyou replied hastily.

"When you report Su Tai's merits later, add a sentence recommending him for the Luzhou garrison's martial arts academy." Magistrate Lu said, glancing at Su Tai, and asked, "Brave warrior, are you willing to go?"

"..." Despite his strong appearance, Su Tai is not even eighteen years old yet, so he looked at his father.

Seeing Su Youcai nod, Su Tai happily said, "I'll go!"

"Alright, leave this to me, I'll make sure you get into school as soon as possible!" Magistrate Lu's tone was becoming increasingly arrogant.

Su Youcai then apologized to Su Daji, saying, "I'm sorry, Master Craftsman, you should find someone else."

"I was just kidding," Su Daji laughed heartily. "I knew Xia-ge'er was destined for great things!"

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(End of this chapter)