Chapter 54 Chapter 54 This child never follows the rules...

Chapter 54 Chapter 54 This child never follows the rules...

In early March, the grass is green and the birds are singing. The capital is still recovering, but the town of Pengxi, at the foot of Cangkuo Mountain in the south of the Yangtze River, is already covered with greenery. This is a seemingly inconspicuous town, with densely packed houses along the stream and smoke rising from the chimneys. The stream is called Anxi, and it is extremely narrow, so narrow that it can be navigated by building a few wooden bridges. Unfortunately, there is no bridge here because you need to sail.

Pengxi Town is home to about 300 households with a total population of more than 1,000. The people here do not make a living by hunting or farming, but by mining. If you walk along the deep mountains in the southeast direction of Anxi, you will reach a mine in about an hour.

There is a huge tiankeng inside. People from four or five nearby towns all mine here. The minerals mined every day are transported out of the mountain by wooden carts or carts, and sent downstream by boats along the Anxi River to Linhai, and then to Haimenwei. From there, they can be shipped to various parts of Dajin and even Southeast Asia.

The people here have been mining for generations, earning a monthly salary to support the population. The mine owner is willing to give them money, but he does not allow them to go out. After a while, some people get bored and try to escape. When they are caught, they are killed on the spot to serve as a warning to others. As the mines get bigger and bigger, and the population here is limited, what should they do? The mine owner came up with a plan. He bribed the county clerks to secretly send the death row prisoners in the prison to this place for 15 years. Those who have completed their sentences can be released without guilt.

The prisoners were overjoyed to have a chance to save their lives.

Qiu Shan is one of the prisoners here. He is 24 years old and was born in a poor family with elderly and young children at home. Unfortunately, he accidentally offended the powerful and was framed and imprisoned in death row. He was brought here less than half a year after being imprisoned. To date, he has been working as a laborer in the mine for three years.

Every day he either went into the mountains to dig for minerals or took gunpowder to blast. Once he was trapped in a mine by accident due to a landslide and narrowly escaped death. The torture day after day and year after year has made him feel bored and desperate. A man who was less than 30 years old now looks like an old man in his fifties.

Today he was working in Qiushan again, but unfortunately he had diarrhea last night and was very weak. He was pushing a railroad cart full of earth and couldn't go up a section of the mountain road. At this time, a slender arm reached out, took the handle of the railroad cart for him, and helped him push it up in one go.

Qiu Shan put down the train and the earth slid down the hillside to the pit on the other side. When the trip was over, Qiu Shan lifted his sleeves to wipe the sweat off his face and smiled at the man behind him.

"Thanks, brother." He looked at him again and it seemed like a new face. He was slightly surprised and looked at him again.

"Brother, are you new here?" His eyes lit up.

The old miners here have been suffering from daybreak and are always looking forward to the arrival of new people to tell them about the situation outside.

The man was very tall, wearing a gauze short shirt and his trouser legs were tied into old boots. He was relatively clean and looked very elegant.

He looked around and replied casually, "Well, I just arrived and was thrown into this mine. I didn't know what to do. I saw my old brother pushing the cart, so I came to help."

Qiu Shan nodded, and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his shirt in his hand, "What's your name?"

"Lu Xusheng."

Qiu Shan smiled and said, "What a nice name." Although he didn't know what was good about it, he just thought it sounded nice. "It sounds like a scholar's name. My little brother, your accent doesn't sound like you're from Pengxi?"

This place is a mountain top. Standing on the top of the mountain and looking around, it seems that the mountains are endless, as if they will never end.

Lu Xusheng smacked his lips and smiled bitterly, "That's right, I'm from Luzhou, running errands for the escort company, and went to Jiangnan. Then, I encountered a bandit and had a fight with him. I didn't know that the bandit was a nobleman, and he used some tricks to send me to the government office."

"Damn it! When I get out of this world, I will definitely pull out his teeth and peel his skin and grind his bones."

Seeing that Lu Xusheng had similar experiences to himself, Qiu Shan looked at him with a bit of familiarity. He glanced at the mine not far away with disgust. There were about a hundred people digging there, all of them listless and sweating profusely. Behind them was a guard in brown clothes, holding a whip and whipping them. Whoever stepped back or was slow would be whipped.

"Brother, I'm not trying to scare you, but you can't get out!"

Lu Xusheng was stunned for a moment, "Why? I was only sentenced to three years. My cell boss told me clearly before I came here that he would come to pick me up after three years."

Qiu Shan looked at him deeply and motioned for him to lend a hand. The two of them pushed the cart together to find a secluded and shady place, and took a rest in a pit under a tree.

The pine wind blew past his ears like waves. Qiu Shan looked solemn and pointed at the path leading up the mountain.

"Last year, three people's sentences were up, and people from the government came to take them out. As a result, the two older ones were executed, and the younger one was imprisoned in another cave. He was told to work hard if he wanted to survive, and not to think about getting out. We were kept in the dark at first, until one day, the man climbed out of the cave at night and told us the truth."

Lu Xusheng was immediately filled with indignation when he heard this, "You just let them bully you?"

Qiu Shan saw Lu Xusheng's angry face and sneered, "Do you think we don't want to? That night, a group of us wanted to sneak out of the mountain, but when we got down the mountain, we found their men everywhere and were forced to come back. This is the Shen family's territory. You may not know who the head of the Shen family is. He is the richest man in Jiangnan. Not to mention Jiangnan, he even has people in the court. Several county offices here are under his command. Once the government soldiers and his private soldiers come, no one will survive."

Lu Xusheng sneered, "That's your nest. If it were me, I would kill them all without leaving a single piece of armor."

Qiu Shan was not annoyed, but patted him on the shoulder gently, "Little brother, don't talk nonsense."

Seeing that the leading manager seemed to be looking for him, Qiu Shan had no choice but to pull Lu Xusheng up and push the cart to the mine to move soil.

On this day, Lu Xusheng was very enthusiastic and eager to work. Wherever there was a lot of work, he would be there.

Except for the deep well, Lu Xusheng explored almost the entire mine in half a day.

Three managers, one hundred guards, and one thousand miners. Among the one thousand miners, five hundred were civilians from Pengxi Town, and the remaining five hundred were prisoners. These five hundred civilians from Pengxi Town also had an additional task, which was to watch over the prisoners and prevent them from causing trouble.

So even though they outnumbered the prisoners, they were still no match for the guards.

Because the people of Pengxi Town would not help the prisoners to rebel. They had brought their families with them and had lived here for generations. They were all slaves of the Shen family. How could they go against the Shen family? Not only would they not go against them, they would even help the Shen family.

The private mines in countless hilltops in Jiangnan rely on this method to maintain stability.

After a busy day, the miners returned to the tent to rest. The tent was built on the top of a mountain opposite the mine. Not only did food have to be delivered from below, but water also had to be carried from below. Today, Lu Xusheng helped a lot of old miners. Everyone liked him very much. His young face reminded them of their sons and grandchildren at home, and they couldn't help but love him a little more.

After all, some of the older ones had been around for quite a few years and had some connections, so they got some meat from the guards and shared some with Lu Xusheng. Lu Xusheng didn't hesitate and just took it and ate it.

Among the three newcomers, Lu Xusheng was the most lively and energetic. Everyone asked him about what was happening outside.

Lu Xusheng talked about the Qinhuai opera outside, with its bright lights and feasting, which everyone yearned for.

The prisoners longed for freedom, and the people of Pengxi Town hoped that one day they could leave the mountains and experience the prosperity of Jinling City.

"The ladies in the pleasure boats are all as pretty as flowers, and their beautiful voices can fill the air with their calls for three days."

When these words were spoken, the men were all happy. Those who had wives at home missed them, while those who didn't have wives regretted not having experienced what it was like to be a wife, and they all showed expressions of regret.

"What else?"

"What else..." Lu Xusheng glanced at the patrolling guards outside, stopped eating his steamed buns, "Nothing else."

There's obviously something fishy going on here.

Late at night, when everyone was asleep, the prisoners who were on good terms with Qiu Shan hurriedly carried Lu Xusheng to their room, dumped him at the end of the porch, and surrounded him with blankets.

"Tell me, what else is out there?"

Having lived in this deep mountain for decades, he no longer cared about Wei Jin and had no idea what the situation was like outside.

Seeing that he could not persuade them, Lu Xusheng lowered his voice and whispered, "The court sent officials to Jiangnan, saying that they want to survey the land and seize the mountaintops of these powerful families."

Everyone was shocked, "Why?"

Lu Xusheng said, "Why else? The imperial court has no money, so they want to dig out population and land from these Jiangnan nobles to supplement taxation."

The prisoners looked at each other, slowly figuring out the deeper meaning behind the conversation.

Two days later, it rained heavily in the mountains. The miners were trapped in their tents and dared not go out. They had difficulty finding food. They were only given a few steamed buns for the day and night. Some of the strong ones could not help but curse. Whenever it rained, the people of Pengxi Town were given a holiday to go back to the village. Only the prisoners were left here. Everyone watched as the water on the ground accumulated more and more, and the sky was gloomy and there was no sign of anything.

The rain is about to stop, and everyone is in a very depressed mood.

"It's only five miles from here to Pengxi Town. What's wrong with bringing some food with us when we push the iron ore out? We work so hard for them, but it's not worth a bite of food!"

"Brother, haven't you figured it out yet? Our mine has been open for more than 20 years, and now the iron production is getting less and less. Last time I heard from the foreman that a copper mine was discovered in Yongkang, I'm afraid we have to abandon this mine."

Because it was raining heavily outside and there was a shortage of food and water, half of the hundred guards went down the mountain to look for food, while some others hid in their tents to eat and drink. It was pitch dark outside, and there was not a single person in sight.

Everyone was shocked when they heard this.

“What will we do if the mine is abandoned?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he was sent to another mine, or maybe…” The man didn’t say the rest and swallowed the dry and hard steamed bun in one gulp.

There is also the possibility of murder to silence people, after all, this is a shameful business.

The tent fell into an eerie silence.

At this moment, a man suddenly smashed the pottery cup to the ground and shouted,

"Damn it, let's not do it anymore, just kill them and find a way to survive!"

Everyone stared at him in shock.

The person who said this was none other than Lu Xusheng.

Qiu Shan knew that he was very brave, so he quickly advised him,

"Brother, don't act on impulse."

Before he could finish, Lu Xusheng glared at him, "Are you going to live such a miserable life?"

No one wanted to do it, but no one dared to take that step, and everyone looked hesitant.

"Do you believe me?" Lu Xusheng looked over one by one.

There were about fifty people in this tent, both old and young. They exchanged glances and remained silent.

Lu Xusheng didn't say anything, but suddenly walked out.

"Hey, hey, hey, Brother Lu, where are you going?"

Qiu Shan wanted to chase him, but another person grabbed his clothes.

"Be careful, this guy is a thorn in the flesh, don't provoke him."

Qiu Shan restrained his steps and did not follow, but kept stepping on the ground to look outside.

After a while, everyone saw Lu Xusheng coming back from outside in the rain, holding something in his hand. As soon as he entered the tent, he threw the thing to the ground. Everyone immediately leaned over to take a look, only to see that the disheveled guy rolled twice and showed a familiar face to everyone.

He is the head of the guard squad here!

Everyone took a deep breath!

There were one hundred guards here, divided into teams of ten. The leaders were called squad leaders. It was these squad leaders who whipped them from time to time. Everyone hated and feared them. But at this moment, the squad leader who made them terrified was easily beheaded by Lu Xusheng.

Who is this person!

Everyone looked at Lu Xusheng differently, with a mixture of admiration, fear, and a hint of awe.

Lu Xusheng looked around with narrowed eyes, and drew out the soft sword from his waist.

"Will you do it with me?"

Just now when he went out, he happened to run into the squad leader who came out to relieve himself, and he took care of him quietly.

Now, everyone in the account is ready to make a move.

The other middle-aged man in his thirties, who had always had a bad temper, had been scolded by the squad leader many times and hated him so much that his teeth itched. Seeing this, he simply smashed the teacup in his hand, stood up and shouted,

"I'll follow you!"

His eyes were as sharp as a leopard's, and he pointed at the head on the ground, "Brothers, we have to do it even if we don't want to. What do you think they will do when they find out that the leader is dead?"

If the prisoners were suspected of rebellion, they would immediately dispatch troops to strangle them.

This is the purpose of Lu Xusheng's murder.

Very good, this sentence is like pushing everyone to the extreme.

"I'll try my best. Either I can go back alive to see my mother, or I can just die happily. It's better than being a coolie and enduring life!"

"Let's go, we'll raid their houses and kill them!"

As if to vent their anger, everyone rushed towards the guards' tent with pots, pans, wooden sticks, iron bars and the like in their hands.

Naturally, there were also two or three people patrolling in the woods. Once they found anything unusual, they would shoot a command arrow to notify the neighboring hilltop, and then dispatch troops to surround and kill the enemy.

But Lu Xusheng did not give them a chance.

His men quietly went up the mountain early and killed these patrolmen.

Five hundred miners swarmed over, and the fifty guards were unable to resist at all. They were all killed in just a quarter of an hour.

When everyone saw the corpses lying all over the tent, they were all stunned.

What to do next?

Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back.

Everyone was looking for Lu Xusheng's figure.

The young man stood under a camphor tree, his body already soaked through, his expression did not show any of the inexperience and recklessness of a man who had just entered the mine. It was as if he had become a different person in a trance. His brows were deep and steady, and he said in a calm voice,

"Come with me."

In just two days, Lu Xusheng and his men occupied five nearby hilltops. Together with the miners and some civilians who were willing to resist, their number grew to three thousand.

Everyone is gathered together in a bustling crowd, and chaos is inevitable when there are too many people. What should we do?

Leading troops was Lu Xusheng's strong point. He brought with him fifty warriors from the Silver Mountain and Cheng Mingyu's thirteen secret guards. Every fifty people were divided into a guard team, led by soldiers from the Silver Mountain in the past. The chaotic mining team immediately became orderly.

"Where do we go next?"

Several experienced miners came up to Lu Xusheng to ask questions.

It was just daybreak. It had rained heavily for two days in a row, and the ground was extremely muddy and there was the danger of landslides at any time. The morning light peeked through the dark blue sky, and the sky cleared up.

Lu Xusheng squatted on the easternmost hill, looking forward.

The topography of Jiangnan is very complex, with hills everywhere, crisscrossing mountains, and dense rivers. The people in this area live along the rivers. At the foot of Lu Xusheng is a county town. The county town is not big. It is located at the junction of two rivers. From a distance, you can see houses connected together and the thriving population. It must be home to quite a lot of people.

He had captured several hilltops in the east, but the hilltops behind the county town were still in the hands of the enemy. As soon as the rain stopped, the guards and soldiers of those powerful families would surely arrive.

"We have to take down the county government before they go up the mountain!"

The miners were shocked. "Brother, are you going against the imperial court?"

Lu Xusheng glanced over and asked, "Are you sure the county magistrate here listens to the imperial court?"

The miners fell silent immediately. The court had issued a clear decree prohibiting private mining, but there were countless private mines hidden in the vast hilly areas of Jiangnan. The county magistrates here had obviously been bribed by the wealthy families long ago, and those who could not be bribed were either sent elsewhere with an excuse or killed. Why did the court want to survey the land? In fact, it was to seize power from the wealthy families. In Jiangnan, the wealthy families everywhere controlled the population, land, mining, fishing, shipping, salt industry, etc. How much tax the court would collect depended entirely on how much they were willing to give up.

Negotiate with them? Gamble with interests?

No. This is their usual method. They rely on the fact that the imperial court relies on Jiangnan to collect taxes and dare not start a war, so they force the imperial court to compromise with them.

He, Lu Xusheng, didn't believe it at all.

He had never been led by the nose in his life, and the wealthy families in the south of the Yangtze River wanted to control him, but it was impossible.

And now, it is the turn of these powerful families to follow him.

Having made up his mind, Lu Xusheng made a few gestures.

"Team three will occupy the commanding heights on the west left hill, team five will occupy the commanding heights on the west right hill, the rest of you will advance along the middle road and follow me into the city, team six will be the reserve team to cover your retreat!"

Those Silver Mountain warriors had been through life and death with him, and their faith in him was ingrained in their bones. Upon receiving the order, they immediately led their respective teams forward.

The miners had been working all year round and were very quick. They hid in the haystacks outside the city wall before the city gate was opened. As soon as the gate was opened, several secret guards slipped in and subdued the gate guards. The rest of the people rushed into the city gate and headed straight for the county government office.

The county magistrate received news of the miners' rebellion last night. This kind of news happens at least eight times a year. Every time, the miners are subdued, taken back, beaten, and forced to continue working.

So, he didn't take it seriously.

He was dressed in his official attire and went to the front yamen with his aunt. As he was leaving the hall, a yamen runner ran up from the front yard and knelt at his feet.

"Master, Master, there is a rebellion outside. Someone brought miners to surround our county government office!"

"What? You are so brave! Go, call Zhang Ping and kill the leader!"

The yamen runner replied angrily, "Zhang Ping is no match..."

The county magistrate's face changed, and he didn't care about the robe. He rushed to the front yamen and ran to the gate. He saw that the other party was blocking the gate in front of the county yamen in an eight-shaped formation. The leader was sitting on the horse in a black robe. He had a stern posture and didn't look like someone who could be easily provoked.

"Who are you?

Dare to besiege the county government, do you know what crime this is?"

When the master beside him saw the county master show up, he immediately became confident and continued, "Besieging the government office is considered treason, a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of all nine generations of the clan!"

There were also many officials in the county government, guarding the county magistrate, and the two sides were in a standoff.

Lu Xusheng sat on the horse, looked at him with a smile and asked,

"Besieging the county government office is a capital crime, so what is the crime of mining without permission?"

The county magistrate choked and looked at Lu Xusheng suspiciously. He felt that his temperament was different from others and he did not look like a miner or worker in the mountains.

"Who are you?"

"Resurrection in Xialu."

The county magistrate always felt that this name was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

"Which Lu? Which Xu? Which Sheng?"

"Lu is alive, Lu is alive, Lu is alive."

This is just looking for trouble.

The county magistrate had been an official for many years, but he had never seen such a stubborn thorn in his side.

His face didn't look good. "Who are you from?"

"People from the capital..."

The county lord's heart skipped a beat, his eyes darkened, and he asked suspiciously, "The capital?"

Lu Xusheng rested his elbows on the horse's back, leaned down, and said in a leisurely tone, "I'm from the capital, and I'm here to survey the land on the orders of His Majesty!"

The county magistrate felt as if he was hit on the head. Everything went dark before his eyes. He could not help but slide down. It was the master and others beside him who pulled him up. He looked at Lu Xusheng in shock.

"You, you, you, are you that Lu Xusheng?"

Now not only the people in the county government, but also the miners looked at Lu Xusheng with fear.

No wonder this young man looked so confident and organized, it turns out he is a big shot from the capital.

Originally, everyone was hesitant, fearing that the court would plead guilty later. But since Lu Xusheng was a member of the court, they thought they had followed the right person. So everyone straightened their backs, pointed at the officials from the county government and started cursing them as harshly as they could.

The county magistrate was immediately panicked. Without saying a word, he pushed aside his attendants and knelt down in front of Lu Xusheng.

"Lord Lu, please forgive me for being blind and ignorant. I am guilty. But since you are here to survey the land, why are you surrounding the county government office? If you are here to survey the land, just give me the order and I will serve you as your vanguard."

Although the county magistrate said this, he was already thinking rapidly in his heart.

When Lu Xusheng arrived here, he instigated the miners to rebel. This showed that he was aware of the private mining by the wealthy families.

If this matter were reported to the imperial court, it would be a serious crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of the clan.

As the county magistrate, he has no way to survive.

Even if Lu Xusheng holds a high position, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. He came to the deep mountains of Jiangsu and Zhejiang alone, like a bird with broken wings, unable to fly away. Why not stabilize him first and find an opportunity to kill him? By then, no one will know about it, and the court will have no way to do anything to him?

Although this is the county government of Dajin, the ones who really run things are not the court officials, but the powerful families. There are mountains outside the mountains and cities outside the cities. Those powerful families have been entrenched here for hundreds of years, and they have countless troops in their hands. The mountains protect each other and they support each other. They trapped Lu Xusheng with just a few encirclements.

For a young man from a wealthy family to come to Jiangnan to cause trouble is simply a fool's dream.

The county lord had thought it through, and when he looked up again his face was full of flattery.

"Lord Lu, you have come from a long way. Why don't you come into the yamen and rest for a while, and let me welcome you and give you a warm welcome?"

Lu Xusheng interrupted him with a smile.

"County Master, from this moment on, I will take over the county government. You must hand over your official seal and military token."

Upon hearing this, the county lord immediately stood up, and this time his smile was a little forced, "Lord Lu, isn't this inappropriate?"

Lu Xusheng was not in a hurry. He slowly got off the horse and drew out the imperial sword from his waist. He walked towards the county magistrate step by step. The county magistrate was forced to step back, looking at the glittering golden sword with horror.

Lu Xusheng blew air at the cold blade, again and again, waiting for everyone to see that the silver blade had already turned misty and his eyes began to become blurred. Then he suddenly raised his hand, and before everyone could even see his movements clearly, they saw the county magistrate's head being cut off by him and rolled to the ground.

Everyone was so shocked that they couldn't catch their breath.

Lu Xusheng slowly wiped the blood off his master's body with a knife, looking around expressionlessly.

"The county lord aided the tyrant in his evil deeds and secretly mined. According to the law, he shall be executed without mercy. I, the governor, shall use the imperial sword to execute anyone below the third rank. Is there anyone who still refuses to accept this?"

The other officials were so frightened that they immediately fell to their knees.

"I will obey Lord Lu's orders."

Lu Xusheng incorporated Pengxi County and opened the warehouse that night to feast the miners.

*

After leaving Jinling, Shen Yi, the head of the Shen family, the richest family in Jiangnan, headed all the way to Suzhou Prefecture.

But after asking all the way from Jinling, no one has kidnapped Lu Xusheng, that would be strange, could it be his nephew who did it?

His nephew had the most violent temper. He would always be dissatisfied with this or that, and would kill anyone he saw. He was a man who feared nothing, and it was not impossible for him to kill Lu Xusheng.

His nephew was in Suzhou Prefecture, so he rushed to Suzhou Prefecture. Just as he drove to the outskirts of Suzhou Prefecture, he saw a group of flying knights rushing in front of him. The person leading them was one of the escort leaders of his Shen family, who usually helped him manage the mine affairs.

Seeing his unpredictable expression, Shen Yi asked, "Why are you so flustered?"

The escort leader immediately dismounted and came to his car window, saying anxiously,

"Master, something terrible has happened. Our copper mines, iron mines and a gold mine in Cangkuo Mountain, Daben Mountain and Xiandu Mountain have all been taken away by Lu Xusheng!"

"What did you say?" Shen Yi almost spit out blood, and slapped the car window with his palm, "How is it possible? How did Lu Xusheng know that we have a mine there?"

The escort leader cried, "Now is not the time to discuss this. What's more hateful is that Lu Xusheng has led the miners to rebel, and now they have become a force of tens of thousands. If this continues, not only will the fields and population be lost, but even our mines, shipping, timber, iron smelting, and salt making will all be reduced to ashes."

Shen Yi realized the seriousness of the situation and slammed his body against the car wall, his face turning ashen.

A month ago, Lu Xusheng was scolded by the head of a wealthy family. He couldn't say anything back, and they thought that Lu Xusheng was just a man with martial arts skills but no scheming. Who knew that he was just pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger, doing big things in silence.

He was not here to survey the land at all; he was here to completely conquer Jiangnan for the imperial court.

Bring out those miners and clean up the county governments everywhere. By then, not to mention the fields, even the mines, the people, and all the fishing, shipping, and timber industries will be taken over by the court.

Lu Xusheng is going to kill all the wealthy families in Jiangnan!

Hateful, hateful, and annoying!

No, he must be stopped.

Shen Yi was angry for a while, but soon calmed down.

"Change route and head to Hangzhou Prefecture!"

There are hundreds of wealthy families in Jiangnan, big and small, and the eight largest are Shen, Zhang, Yu, Wang, Xie, Xiao, Liu, and Cui. These eight families control the lifeline of all walks of life in Jiangnan, such as iron smelting, salt making, silk, copper mining, gold mining, shipping, etc. The merchants below them just pick up what they have left over or what they don't want, or live by relying on them.

These eight families usually have their own gangs and factions, but once they face a common enemy, they will unite to fight against the common enemy.

Recently, because Shen Yi negotiated a big order with Nanyang and invited all families to share the pie, he seemed to be in the lead, so this time, the Shen family will be the main force in the encirclement and suppression of Lu Xusheng.

Shen Yi abandoned his carriage and changed horses. He rushed to Hangzhou Prefecture in half a day and summoned the leaders of various wealthy families in Hangzhou to gather at the Shen Family Restaurant by Jinniu Lake in Hangzhou. In front of him was a sand table. The black figurine in the middle was Lu Xusheng. There were countless hills stacked around him. This was the territory of the wealthy families. No matter which family it was, they had elite soldiers and generals, waiting for the opportunity.

"Only 10,000 people, we let him in but not out."

After Shen Yi's initial anger, he had now completely calmed down, and even his eyes were full of contempt and disdain.

"What border army commander, what backbone of the Jin Dynasty? Let's let him and the Emperor see who is in charge of Jiangnan!"

The head of the Yu family pondered and asked, "What does the head of the Shen family plan to do?"

Shen Yi lifted the moon pole and began to deploy troops. "At this moment, Lu Xusheng is in Pengxi County. If he wants to break out, he will go east to Linhai, go downstream and go out to sea, and maybe he can connect with Jiang Chengbin's navy. If he goes east, the Yu family will be responsible for mobilizing 3,000 troops, and the Liu family will be responsible for mobilizing 5,000 troops. Use strong bows and crossbows to block the west of Linhai and shoot him to death at the river mouth, and never give him a chance to enter Linhai."

"Okay." The Liu and Yu families agreed.

"If he wants to continue sweeping the mines and going deep into the hinterland, then he will definitely go to Dongyang and other places. If so, my Shen family will be responsible for mobilizing 30,000 militiamen to suppress him from the north, while the Zhang and Wang families must hold the southeastern defense line and line up in Yongkang Jinyun. Don't let him go south. We will attack him from both sides and suppress him to death."

"How difficult is that? Don't worry, I will never let him set foot in Yongkang." The area south of Yongkang is the Zhang family's territory. The head of the Zhang family hates Lu Xusheng deeply and is ready to take action.

Afterwards, Shen Yi deployed defenses to the west of Lu Xusheng. From the sand table, it could be seen that Lu Xusheng was surrounded by no less than 100,000 troops, and there was almost no way of survival.

Because of business connections between the wealthy families, a set of post stations for transmitting information were set up in the criss-crossing mountain valleys. Normally, news from Hangzhou Prefecture could reach various parts of Jiangnan within two days. If the letters were delivered by pigeons, it would be even faster.

Therefore, Shen Yi was not able to hide the fact that Lu Xusheng was heading towards Dongyang.

Shen Yi quickly narrowed the encirclement

, ready to crush Lu Xusheng to death.

However, every detail of Shen Yi's deployment was secretly known by Cheng Mingyu's men and handed over to Lu Xusheng's desk.

If Lu Xusheng had not experienced it personally, he would have found it hard to imagine how thorough and powerful the Cheng family's intelligence was. No wonder all the ministers in the court recommended Cheng Mingyu to go south. It was indeed true that only he had the ability to compete with the Jiangnan nobles.

But Lu Xusheng doesn't wrestle with others.

They don't deserve it!

The news that Lu Xusheng was surrounded was of course known to the Jinyi Guards and sent to Lu's study.

The emperor was so anxious that his hair turned a few white. He quickly summoned Cheng Mingyu to the palace and scolded the Jiangnan nobles.

"These idiots don't take me or the court seriously at all."

He pushed the intelligence of the Jinyiwei to Cheng Mingyu and said, "Look, look, Xusheng is surrounded by them. Xusheng is unfamiliar with the place. I am afraid that he will suffer. Alas, this kid is still too impulsive."

Cheng Mingyu read the intelligence quickly and understood Lu Xusheng's intention. He smiled at the emperor.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. It seems that Lu Xusheng is surrounded, but I think the Jiangnan nobles are already in his control."

The emperor was startled when he heard this, and immediately turned his head to look at him, "What do you mean, Mr. Cheng?"

Cheng Mingyu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, may I ask you, what is Lu Xusheng best at?"

The emperor said without hesitation, "Marching to fight."

"Yes, marching and fighting." Cheng Mingyu looked serious, "So, General Lu will use his best method to subdue Jiangnan and return a completely obedient Jiangnan to Your Majesty."

It was not until Cheng Mingyu received a tip-off from the secret guard last night that he understood the real purpose of Lu Xusheng's visit.

This child is bold and careful. Although his style of doing things is different from his, he is just as far-sighted and will not stop until he achieves his goal.

Apart from Lu Xusheng, no one else could have done such a thorough transformation of Jiangnan.

The emperor understood, stroked the table and sighed.

"This kid never plays by the rules. He is the only one who would risk his life to help me solve my problems. Come on, I want to give Jiang Chengbin a handwritten letter and ask him to help me."

There is no need for the emperor to issue an order, Jiang Chengbin has already found a way to pick up Lu Xusheng.

Although the Governor-General of Jiangnan was in charge of all the military forces in the two Jiangs, unfortunately, the county governments under him had deep interests intertwined with the powerful families. They promised one thing in front of Jiang Chengbin and did another behind his back. The only ones who really listened to Jiang Chengbin's command were his naval direct lineage. Unfortunately, the scope of these naval activities was limited, and they could not go up those narrow rapids. As a result, Jiang Chengbin could only block various sea outlets and go out to the big river mouths to cheer for Lu Xusheng.

At the same time in Hangzhou Prefecture, several family heads gathered in a villa by the Jinniu Lake, paying attention to the progress of the battle against Lu Xusheng.

"Master Shen, the first encirclement was unsuccessful. That bastard Lu Xusheng was very cunning. He did not go to Linhai in the east, nor to Dongyang in the west. Instead, he precisely bypassed our forces, passed behind Yongkang, and quietly occupied Jincheng!"

Shen Yi was shocked and angry. "Jincheng is heavily guarded. How did he get in?"

The informant smiled bitterly, "The commander of Jincheng is a son-in-law of the Cheng family. Lu Xusheng took the imperial edict and entered the city without bloodshed."

The head of the Zhang family was furious when he saw someone slipping away right under his nose. "It turned out that Cheng Mingyu, that old fox, was robbing his son-in-law," he turned his head and looked at Shen Yi.

"Shen Yi, the Cheng family has a lot of business in Jiangnan, right? We must cut off contact with the Cheng family to prevent them from informing Lu Xusheng!"

"That makes sense!" Shen Yi was also a decisive person, and he quickly issued an order to block the Cheng family.

Jincheng is the sphere of influence of the Zhang family, and the head of the Zhang family can no longer sit still.

"I went to Jincheng myself and killed Lu Xusheng."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Shen Yi stopped him, "Wait."

The Zhang family's patriarch paused and looked back at him, "What's the matter?"

Shen Yi stood up, walked up to him, put his hand on his shoulder, and said with a smile,

"Brother Han Zhang, we have shared weal and woe over the years. My nephew married a daughter of your Zhang family, and we have become a family. I know Jincheng is your fortress, but listen to me. Instead of watching Lu Xusheng causing chaos everywhere, we must completely suppress his power and not let him be so arrogant any longer."

The Zhang family's patriarch looked at him suspiciously, "What are your plans?"

Shen Yi said, "What I mean is, I will transfer a few artillery pieces to you, and we will surround Jincheng and completely bury Lu Xusheng here."

"Yes, that's right. Lu Xusheng has destroyed more than a dozen of our hilltops. If they continue like this, they will destroy our entire town."

Almost all the nobles present agreed with Shen Yi's proposal.

The Zhang family's patriarch twitched his lips and said, "But Jincheng is my territory. If I use artillery to attack Jincheng, I will suffer heavy losses."

Shen Yi immediately replied, "I have also thought of this for you. We will all stop the silk business in Nanyang and let you run it alone to make up for your losses in Jincheng."

The Zhang family patriarch was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Okay."

When he left Hangzhou and headed for Jincheng, his son asked him on the way,

"Father, are we really going to listen to that old fox Shen Yi and destroy Jincheng?"

The Zhang family patriarch sneered, "Dream on!"

"Shen Yi saw that our Zhang family had grown in power in recent years and was about to replace him, so he wanted to use Lu Xusheng to mess with my old hole. You think he really killed Lu Xusheng, and it was true that he killed Lu Xusheng, but his real purpose was to use the power to go south and embezzle our family's gold mine on the hill south of Jincheng after defeating Lu Xusheng."

Not long after the gold mine was discovered, the head of the Zhang family guarded it strictly, but unexpectedly Shen Yi still got to know the news.

He even suspected that the reason why Lu Xusheng was able to bypass Yongkang and reach Jincheng was because of Shen Yi's behind-the-scenes trickery.

"So what is father going to do?"

The head of the Zhang family said, "Follow the same method and drive Lu Xusheng to the Shen family's territory. When Lu Xusheng destroys the Shen family's mountain, I will come out to clean up the mess."

"Father is wise."