"What a Zhang Mazi!"
Shen Fa had swiftly read through the latest message from Luting County, and in a burst of fury, his palm shattered the commander’s desk. He cried out with approval, "What a way to kill the rich to aid the poor!"
Outside the main hall, the guards of the Embroidered Uniform Guard heard the commotion inside and rushed in, swords at the ready.
When Shen Fa looked up and saw their finery, he roared with anger, "Get out!"
The guards immediately backed out of the hall faster than they had entered, bowing their bodies.
Shen Fa stood up, his hands clasped behind his back as he paced back and forth in the hall, still feeling a heroic stirring within him, his thoughts in turmoil.
He was born as the direct second son of the Shen family of Marquis Pingliang, one of the twenty-four founding marquises.
In his youth, he had also been debonair and unrestrained, knocking on the Emperor’s gate by day, and sleeping in the Sleeping Red Building by night, squandering thousands of gold in pursuit of a beauty’s smile, stirring up troubles at the Ministry of Punishment to relieve a hero’s distress!
Back then, whenever his name, "Jade-faced Fox" Shen, was mentioned, who in Heluo wouldn’t give a thumbs up and acclaim him as a "true man"?
It wasn’t until the third year of Xiping, when the Tatars took advantage of the Emperor’s consolidation of courts and the tumult of the kingdom, launching a large army brazenly crossing the Great Wall, slaughter the border civilians with abandon. Furthermore, they sent envoys into the capital, openly whipping and blocking the citizens of Luoyang, declaring that if Wei did not pay tribute and swear fealty, their cavalry would trample over Yan Yun all the way to Yan Yun...
After that, he had made it his mission to restore Wei’s glory and the grandeur of the Han.
Despite his family’s objections, he took twelve of his household guards and traveled to Jizhou to join the military. Starting from the most junior rank, repeatedly leading his troops out of the pass to battle with Tatar cavalry.
In just three short years, he had accumulated enough merit to rise to the rank of General of Rapid Cavalry. By the time his name became synonymous with the frontiers, he was no longer the "Jade-faced Fox" known throughout Heluo, but the "Snow Wolf" of Northern Jizhou!
The soldiers at the borders all knew, the Tatars were cruel, but he, Shen Fa, was even crueler!
However, just when he was full of ambition, preparing to campaign against the Tatars, to be honored as a marquis and a general, to shine glory on his ancestors...
He was met with an unprecedented defeat for the Wei army!
In the seventh year of Xiping, the current Emperor dispatched an army of 250,000, divided into three units to conquer the Tatar tribes of the Northern Desert Grasslands.
He led his forces as part of the left flank army, marching out of Songting Pass.
But who would have thought that 50,000 valiant and experienced border troops, setting out just over a hundred miles north of Songting Pass, would be surrounded by 80,000 Tatar troops in an inescapable trap.
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After fighting tenaciously for two days and nights...
There were no reinforcements.
The central army was only a hundred miles away from the left flank.
Behind them, inside Songting Pass, were another 30,000 troops...
But no reinforcements came!
50,000 brave soldiers vanished in a puff of smoke, as if they had never existed in this world.
He, on the other hand, was fortunate enough to escape with the desperate protection of his family soldiers.
Or perhaps, he never really made it back alive...
Since then, he knew that if he wanted to restore Wei’s prestige, if he wanted to reassert the grandeur of the Han family, the key wasn’t at the border, but in the royal court.
So, he returned to Luoyang and transitioned from a General of Rapid Cavalry to a hundred-household officer in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Over the span of five years, he had run ragged, investigating and dealing with martial arts rebels, supervising tax affairs in Jiangnan, and cracking down on coastal smuggling, and he had personally sent the majority of his old friends’ clan to the execution grounds.
He wished to cleanse the dark taint from the land.
He wanted to inspire the hearts of the people across all nine provinces.
He wanted to tell everyone: The things we’ve lost, we can surely take back!
He prided himself on having a clear conscience.
But increasingly, the burdens of the world weighed upon him, making it harder and harder to breathe.
He began to understand that there are many things in this world that cannot be solved simply with a steel blade.
He began to realize that there were many people in this world who could not be conquered by sheer fervor alone.
The more he knew, the more he thought.
The more he thought, the more he hesitated.
With more concerns, one’s courage lessens...
Many things, even when he knew they were wrong, he could no longer tackle head-on with sheer bravery.
He had learned to weigh pros and cons, learned to leverage his strength against his opponent’s strength.
He had also learned to compromise, learned to negotiate...
Now he was like many others.
The only difference was he no longer resembled himself.
Zhang Mazi’s actions were like a loud slap across his face... revitalizing and awakening!
He thought of his former self.
He remembered the courage he had lost.
He realized that even if he couldn’t solve problems at their root, as long as he was willing to do what he could, things would improve.
Even if it was just by a fraction, a tiny bit, would they not?
Still, it would be progress!
Take Zhang Mazi, for instance, his deeds in Luting County—could they influence the situation dominated by the three major grain merchants exploiting the people from five circuits?
No!
In the entire Jiangnan East Circuit, there are dozens of counties like Luting County; a mere Luting County is insignificant!
Yet who would dare say that Zhang Mazi’s deeds were meaningless?
He could envision how Zhang Mazi’s story, like a beam of light in the night, illuminated the hearts of those hungry commoners in the great north and south of the river, east and west of the great river...
Shen Fa took a deep breath, trying to calm the tumultuous thoughts in his mind.
In the end, he suddenly sneered and shook his head, muttering to himself, "I, Shen Fa, am not inferior to anyone. How could I allow you to hog all the glory, you dead snake?"
He took a deep breath and bellowed loudly, "Servants!"
Several strong men entered at his call, bowing with fists clasped.
Shen Fa: "Order Sheng and Lin, who are standing before and behind you, with the authority of my official command, to immediately arrest the Ministry of Revenue’s Vice Minister Sun Zhaoming, the Ministry of Revenue’s doctor Liu Yuquan, and the Ministry of Revenue’s doctor Wu Youzhang, along with others. Lock them up, forbid any questioning or visitation without my direct order!"
Meanwhile, Yang Ge was robbing the rich to assist the poor.
He, on the other hand, was certainly not idle.
He had already figured out clearly who was backing the three major grain merchants.
If it hadn’t been for the petition he had submitted to the emperor, which had remained unanswered, he would have dealt with them decisively much earlier!
However, this way was also good; if someone tried to move against those people behind the grain merchants all at once, even His Majesty might not be able to withstand the pressure from the court.
But by only dealing with those corrupt officials in the Ministry of Revenue, naturally, the pressure was much less.
Of course, he was well aware that this little matter would hardly bring down the wily old officials of the Ministry of Revenue.
But even if it only served to send a warning and make the grain merchants restrain themselves somewhat, it would still rescue countless hungry people!
Just as well, with the military campaign against the Tatars imminent after the spring, disciplining those corrupt officials in the Ministry of Revenue in advance would also secure the supply of provisions and pay for the soldiers at the border.
It’s said that being an official is difficult, being an honest official even more so.
To be an honest and efficient official is the ultimate challenge!
The strong men took their orders and hurriedly rushed out of the hall.
After contemplating the ins and outs of the situation, Shen Fa stood up, grabbed his cloak, draped it over himself, and stepped outside with long strides: "Servants, prepare my horse!"
This matter needed to be quick; he had to pin the uprising in Luting County on the Li Family of Fengyu before the corrupt officials could react.
Since haste was essential, he could no longer afford to delay within the inner guard.
He needed to take this matter straight to the imperial presence, straight to the court. Even if he couldn’t topple those corrupt officials, he had to strip several layers off them!
Thanks to brother Yang Ge for providing the hilt!