In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

"Gentlemen."

Yang Xuan spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but it instantly silenced the hall.

"From Chang'an to here, we have been chased, tripped up, and treated coldly all the way. When we arrived in Yanjing County, the local tyrants cut off our food and medicine, trying to trap us to death in this dilapidated government office."

He picked up a cup of hot tea and held it up to the crowd.

"But today, we not only survived, but we also gave them a resounding slap in the face."

"He Liu has been arrested, Liu Shenxing has been brought to justice, and Mo San has been apprehended. From today onwards, the salt rights of Qing'ao Well are officially transferred to the county government!"

Yang Xuan looked at the group of people in front of him.

After going through this series of life-or-death trials, they were finally united and became a truly capable and hard-working team.

"This cup of tea is for you all."

Yang Xuan drank tea instead of wine in one gulp.

Everyone stood up in unison, and regardless of whether they were civil or military, they all solemnly picked up their teacups and drank them down in one gulp.

"I swear to follow you to the death!" Pei Zhao knelt on one knee, his voice firm and powerful.

"I swear to follow my beloved to the death!"

Lu Cheng, Chen Ye, and the others also knelt down, their eyes burning with fanatical flames.

Cui Shen and Han Jitong bowed deeply.

......

The next morning.

Before the mist had even dissipated from the surface of the Nanhe River, a large troop of people had already set off from the Yanjing County government office, heading straight for Qing'ao Well, ten miles south of the city.

Pei Zhao was leading the team.

He rode at the very front, dressed in a sleek dark outfit, with a sword at his waist and a sturdy bow on his back.

Following behind him were Lu Cheng, Chen Ye, Dou Ping, and a dozen or so strong and sturdy former constables selected from the county government office who had just eaten meat the day before.

Han Jitong rode a docile mule, walking in the middle of the procession.

Although he was a civil official, his expression at this moment was more excited than anyone else's.

Go to Qing'ao Well.

This was something he never dared to dream of when he was a clerk in the county government.

Everyone in Yanjing County knows that Qing'ao Well is nominally an official well of the imperial court, but in reality, the people in the county government can't even touch the edge of the well.

There were supervisors sent by the Tian and Hu families, guards from the caravan, and brokers; it was practically an independent kingdom that was impenetrable.

But today is different.

The two notices posted at the entrance of the county government yesterday were like two unsheathed swords, forcefully cleaving a hole in the shell of this independent kingdom.

"Master Han, the checkpoint for Qing'ao Well is just ahead."

Dou Ping pointed to a row of wooden fences in the ravine ahead and reminded them in a low voice.

Han Jitong nodded, took a deep breath, and urged the mule to walk to Pei Zhao's side.

"Guard Pei, the wooden fence ahead is the first checkpoint. It's usually guarded by the head of the well households. No one is allowed to enter without a warrant from the Tian family or Hu Rong."

Pei Zhao looked up and gave a cold laugh.

"Within the territory of the Tang Dynasty, when have the official channels of the court ever been given the authority to allow merchants to pass through?"

Instead of slowing down, he squeezed his legs against the horse's flanks, and the warhorse suddenly accelerated, charging straight toward the row of wooden fences.

"Who goes there! Halt! This is Qing'ao Well, a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted!"

Upon hearing the sound of horses' hooves, the overseers behind the fence immediately rushed out, carrying their staffs and broadswords, and shouted orders.

Pei Zhao didn't even bother to reply. When he was still more than ten steps away from the wooden fence, he suddenly yanked the reins. The warhorse let out a long neigh, its front hooves leaping high into the air, and it actually flew directly over the waist-high wooden fence!

"Bang!"

As soon as his warhorse landed, Pei Zhao drew his sword from his waist and slammed the back of the blade into the chest of the foreman.

The foreman screamed and flew out like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the earthen wall behind him and losing consciousness on the spot.

"The county government is on a mission to take over Qing'ao Well! Anyone who dares to obstruct will be punished for resisting the government and conspiring to smuggle!"

Pei Zhao reined in his warhorse, pointed his sword diagonally, and his voice boomed like thunder through the mountain valley.

Lu Cheng, Chen Ye, and the others arrived shortly after. The group charged into the fort like tigers descending from the mountain, quickly disarming the remaining overseers who were still in shock and kicking them to the ground.

Once the chock is broken, there will be no further obstacles on the road ahead.

The group drove straight in and soon arrived at the core area of ​​Qing'ao Well.

This is a huge basin with dozens of tall brine-collecting wooden frames standing in the middle. The thick bamboo ropes make a teeth-grinding "creaking" sound as they are driven by winches.

All around were countless salt-boiling stoves, thick white smoke mixed with the pungent smell of brine, obscuring the sky and the sun.

Countless shirtless, emaciated salt workers toiled like ants between the kitchen and the brine wells, their eyes numb and empty.

When Pei Zhao's group stormed in with murderous intent, the entire well site seemed to be put on pause.

All the work came to a halt, and the overseers stared in horror at the group of bailiffs dressed in official robes and carrying sharp blades.

A middle-aged fat man with a big belly, wearing a long silk robe, ran out of the largest accounting room. He was the head of the well in Qing'ao Well, named Qian Youcai.

"Hey, officers! What's going on? Why are they using knives now?"

Qian Youcai, all smiles, wiped the sweat from his brow as he quickly approached.

Although he smiled obsequiously, a hint of disdain lurked in his eyes.

In his view, the county officials came to Yanjing simply to take advantage of yesterday's success and gain some benefits.

As long as you give them enough money, these starving ghosts will soon be gone.

Pei Zhao stared at him coldly, without dismounting.

Han Jitong stepped forward, took out an official document personally signed by Yang Xuan from his sleeve, unfolded it, and read aloud: "The County Magistrate has ordered: Due to repeated major smuggling cases at Qing'ao Well, effective immediately, all matters related to salt production, accounting, and distribution will be temporarily taken over. Those with funds in the original well account are suspended pending investigation!"

Qian Youcai's smile froze.

"Master Han...Master Han, you're not joking, are you? Taking over Qing'ao Well? That's a matter for Old Man Tian and Manager Hu..."

"Snapped!"

Before Qian Youcai could finish speaking, Pei Zhao had already lashed him across the face with a horsewhip.

The whip lashed out with extreme ferocity, sending Qian Youcai spinning halfway around on the spot. A bloody welt instantly appeared on one side of his face, and two bloody molars flew out of his mouth.

"Are you blind?!" Pei Zhao sneered. "This is an official well in the Tang Dynasty, and you're talking to me about merchants? Men, tie this fat man up and gag him!"

Chen Ye excitedly agreed and pounced on Qian Youcai like a wolf, quickly binding him into a large dumpling.

Seeing this, the surrounding overseers all looked angry, but looking at the blood-dripping sword in Pei Zhao's hand and the fierce-looking guards, not one of them dared to take a step forward.

"Master Han, what should we do next? Should we arrest all these overseers?" Pei Zhao asked, turning his head.

Han Jitong shook his head.

Before he left, Yang Xuan gave him specific instructions.

I'm not here to kill anyone, nor to stop construction, but to come to Qing'ao Well today.

The salt wells cannot be shut down. If they are shut down, the salt routes for the entire county and even other prefectures will be cut off. At that time, not only will the powerful local magnates retaliate, but ordinary people will also suffer.