Sweep Yuan

Chapter 64 Asking about the register, not the beauty

When the defending troops on the city wall collapsed, Feng Yu was deploying reserves below the city. He watched helplessly as the county magistrate was killed in battle, the Darughachi was captured, and Deng Shunxing fled. As a mere clerk, he was powerless to reverse the situation and could only be swept away by the fleeing soldiers and escape into the streets.

Seeing Feng Yu flee in a sorry state, Li Song grinned, wanting to laugh but unable to.

Having stayed up all night and witnessed Song Sanyang's death, he was exhausted from hunger and cold, and no longer wanted to escape.

Li Song sat with his back to the ramparts leading to the city wall, next to Song Sanyang's corpse. He grabbed two steamed buns with his blood-stained hands and wolfed them down.

—This dog is worse than the world. What good are noblemen? They don't live for today and don't know tomorrow. They'd rather die with their eggs facing the sky and die well than die crying for food like Brother Song!
The sound of dense footsteps rapidly approached from behind. Li Song knew that the Red Turban Army had arrived. Was he going to die?

I thought I was indifferent to life and death, but when the time came, I dared not turn back. Long-lost tears rolled down onto the blood-stained steamed bun in my hand.

Fortunately, what awaited them was not a fatal blow, but rather a small basket of white steamed buns.

"Take this, take me to the best doctor in the city!"

Li Song quickly swallowed the food in his mouth, stood up, and hugged the basket tightly.

"Doctor Chicken? He's in the East Market. I'll lead the way for you heroes."

Shao Rong had calmed down by now. Instead of setting off immediately, he glanced at Sun Xun and the others who were heading towards the city gate, and then turned to look at his comrades in the Provisional Battalion who were following him.

"Brothers, thanks to your risky help, we were able to capture the city. I thank you! It is my personal matter to find a doctor to treat my brother's wounds, and I cannot trouble you brothers to accompany me. Please, all of you, strictly abide by the commander's orders and do not slaughter or plunder the people."

In this battle, Shao Rong lost two of his brothers, but he proved his loyalty and bravery through his actions, secured his position, and desperately needed the help of his fellow villagers. His statement that "it is inconvenient to trouble the brothers to follow him" was merely a strategic retreat.

As soon as Shao Rong finished speaking, Squad Leader Cai Fu chimed in, saying:

"The city is in chaos. As your subordinates, how can we let the commander go to the East Market alone?"

In this battle, only eleven men from the Provisional Battalion were still able to move after scaling the city wall. These men could not all be exceptionally intelligent or brave, but they were certainly not lacking in ambition for wealth and power. Cai Fuxian expressed his support, and his comrades followed suit, showing their willingness to be close to him.

"Yes! Commander, why are you being so distant? Do you look down on us fellow countrymen?"

“I am also injured. Commander, you should take me with you when you go to find a doctor.”

Shao Rong had previously acted ruthlessly, relying on his large number of brothers to intimidate others and forcefully seize the initiative despite the low morale of his subordinates. He was worried that the villagers might harbor resentment, so he tested them with words. Fortunately, the result did not disappoint him.

These subordinates may not all be truly loyal, but in chaotic times, there aren't that many truly loyal people. Those who are willing to band together with you to seek wealth and power are the "own people" you can rely on, and you must do your best to win them over.

"Alright! You are all brothers who have shared life and death, so I won't be coy anymore. From now on, if I, Shao, can drink a mouthful of dry food, I will never let you brothers drink water."

After the performance of brothers sharing life and death and prosperity was over, the west gate was opened and the army poured in. Shao Rong quickly stepped forward to report to Shi Shan about finding a doctor to treat his brother's injuries.

"Big Eyes, take Sixth and Seventh, and two stretchers, to escort Commander Shao to the East Market."

"Yes!"

Shao Rong knows how to win people's hearts, and so does Shi Shan.

As for Shao Rong's underhanded attempts to form cliques, we can only turn a blind eye for now. It's human nature; if he openly establishes his own private battalion, how can he expect his subordinates to be of one mind with the public good?
Of the 246 men in the provisional battalion, less than 20% died in battle or climbed the city walls. The rest who escaped had been recruited. Shao Rong did not mention these men before leaving, which meant he had given up his right to deal with them.

It's better to make mistakes than to make merits, so Shishan immediately adjusted his plans, saying:
"Gong Wu, you will lead the provisional battalion to take control of the treasury." "Yes, sir!"

"The Fifth Battalion's mission of clearing the streets and alleys and enforcing military discipline remains unchanged. The Fourth Battalion will accompany me to the county government!"

The direct defeat of the defenders greatly reduced the resistance during the takeover. After entering the city, apart from a brief shout of battle from the north, only a few small fireworks were seen from other directions, and the shouts of battle were not loud.

Sun Xun led his men to charge ahead, while Shi Shan rode his horse slightly behind. Just as they turned onto the main street in front of the county government office, they saw an official in a green robe leading four minor officials in black robes hurriedly running out of the office.

This man also saw the Red Turban Army rushing towards him. With nowhere to hide and nowhere to escape, he quickly knelt down and shouted:
"The convicted official, Fang Zhongwen, the registrar of Hong County, kneels to welcome the righteous army!"

Hong County is a subordinate county. There is no county magistrate below the Darughachi. There is only one county magistrate, one registrar, one county lieutenant, and one clerk. Since the Darughachi has been captured, the county magistrate should preside over the surrender, not the registrar who just looked like he was about to escape.

Where is the county magistrate?

Fang Zhongwen knelt on the hard stone ground, his body trembling slightly, not daring to raise his head.

“The county magistrate, Cao Shixian, knowing that his crime of resisting the righteous army was grave, had already hanged himself, leaving me, the only guilty official, in the yamen.”

He was just an old stubborn man who died for a foreign dynasty. He's dead, so be it. Shishan only asked casually and quickly changed the subject to matters he was more concerned about.

Are there any damages to the county's Chinese books and records?

The bandit leader didn't ask about gold, silver, or beautiful women; instead, he was concerned about books and documents. Fang Zhongwen was greatly puzzled, but he also secretly breathed a sigh of relief—this bandit had the ambition of Xiao He entering Xianyang. Perhaps he could feign compliance with him and save his life.

"How dare you!"

As the two were talking, Sun Xun led some soldiers from the Fourth Battalion into the county government office. Tan Youyu organized the medical officers of the supply battalion and some young men to set up stoves and large pots in the square in front of the government office to prepare to treat the wounded.

Shi Shan also walked up to Fang Zhongwen and dismounted.

"Get up, all of you. Clerk Fang, lead the way."

Passing through the main hall and entering the second courtyard, one sees several soldiers of the "Red Heart Battalion" taking Cao Shixian's body down from the beam of the second hall. Further away in the rear courtyard, one can faintly hear the weeping of female relatives.

Shi Shan had no interest in the dead. After instructing Sun Xun not to humiliate the county magistrate's female relatives, he, led by Fang Zhongwen, inspected the guardhouses on both sides of the courthouse to confirm that the documents and books were well preserved.

There was too much information; he could look at it slowly later when he had time. The most urgent task was to stabilize the situation in the city as soon as possible. Shi Shan briefly flipped through the recent issues of the official gazette and the records of the official granary's inflows and outflows, and then looked Fang Zhongwen, who was standing respectfully to the side, up and down.

"How old is Registrar Fang this year, and how many years have he been an official?"

The bandit leader acted with restraint and was not a bloodthirsty person. He did not deliberately humiliate Fang Zhongwen. Fang Zhongwen's fear subsided somewhat, and his tone regained some composure.

"Reporting to the General, I have wasted forty-nine years and spent seventeen years in officialdom."

Having served as an official for nearly twenty years, he's a seasoned veteran; he should know what he wants. Shi Shan nodded and said:

"Marshal Li raised an army in Xuzhou, intending to drive out the enemy, restore the Han dynasty, and rebuild China. I am but a junior colonel under the Marshal, not a thug who only knows how to kill and burn. I wish to stabilize Hong County as soon as possible. Can Registrar Fang offer me some advice?"

(End of this chapter)