The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 016 Entering the City

This day, in Bao'an County.

The sun hung blazing in the sky, and although it was past noon, its heat was still intense. Compared to the surrounding villages, the county town was in a better position, but even the gatekeepers couldn't withstand the scorching sun.

Most of the gate guards in ordinary county towns were yamen runners from the county government and soldiers from the local garrison. Bao'an County was not a large county, and its four city gates in the east, west, south, and north were not large either, with only six or seven gate guards at each gate.

It was so hot that there weren't many people coming in or out of the city, so the gatekeepers simply hid in the shade under the gate tower and chatted idly.

They were chatting about nothing more than mundane everyday matters: who drank with whom yesterday and boasted about what, how the new girls at the city brothels were doing, and which family in the city was having a bitter sibling rivalry over their inheritance. Just then, they heard the sound of carriages and horses in the distance. Hearing the noise, the head gatekeeper immediately perked up and ordered his men to check if a merchant caravan was entering the city.

Don't underestimate these gate guards; guarding the city gates is actually a pretty good job. According to the rules, anyone entering the Ming Dynasty city is searched. Ordinary civilians are usually spared, but if they encounter a merchant caravan, they can usually get something out of it. Even setting aside the entrance fee, they can usually get something by making things a little difficult for the caravan under some pretext.

At the end of the day, after deducting what was given to superiors, the remaining amount was divided among everyone privately, and it was common for each person to earn some extra money. If they were lucky, they might even make a small fortune.

"Boss! It looks like the Zhang family's convoy has arrived."

A short while later, one of his guards came to report. Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper immediately deflated, his previously spirited demeanor vanishing instantly, and he couldn't help but mutter curses under his breath.

"Bah! I thought I'd stumbled upon something good, but it turns out to be the Zhang family's..." The gatekeeper cursed his bad luck. If it were any other merchant caravan, they would have secured their extra income for the day, but it was the Zhang family's caravan, and they had waited half a day for nothing. The Zhang family's caravan was backed by County Magistrate Zhang Xiuguo; how could they, the gatekeepers, afford to offend them? Forget about squeezing any money out of them; they might just end up getting a bellyful of anger.

Despite the scolding, Menhou dared not be negligent. He patted his backside, quickly stood up, forced a smile, and eagerly went to greet him.

Upon closer inspection outside the city gate, it was indeed the Zhang family's convoy. The entire convoy consisted of about twenty people, escorting more than a dozen carts towards them. One of the carts carried a man—none other than Zhang Xiuren, the second master of the Zhang family.

"Second Master, you're back? This trip was much faster than usual. You've finished everything in just a few days? Did your trip to the prefectural city go smoothly?" The gatekeeper stepped forward with a fawning smile, bowing and scraping, greeting him solicitously.

"You're back!" Zhang Xiuren said indifferently, not even glancing at the other person. "What? Do I have to report to you whether my trip was fast or slow? Enough nonsense! Get out of the way, I'm going into the city!"

"Yes, yes, yes... I'll arrange it for you right away." The gatekeeper nodded repeatedly, and ordered his men to move the city gate railings to let Zhang Xiuren and his men into the city.

Upon entering the city, not only did Zhang Xiuren completely ignore the Marquis and his guards, but even the Zhang family's caravan crew and guards acted arrogantly, driving their carts straight in. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen carts swaggered into the city, leaving the Marquis with only a cloud of dust and a few droppings from the mules' tails.

"Pah!"

Looking at the convoy that had already entered the city, Menhou's smiling face instantly turned into resentment, and he spat fiercely in the direction of Zhang Xiuren's convoy.

"Boss!" Just then, a gatekeeper stepped forward and said, "It seems that nearly half of Master Zhang's carts are missing when he returned. I remember there were thirty-one when they went out, but only fifteen have come back? And the people who came back with them are different; many are unfamiliar faces. What happened?"

"What's going on? You're asking me?" The gatekeeper glared at him, pointed at his own nose, and then raised his hand to point forward: "If you want to know, go ask Master Zhang! Go! Go now! Just ask him! Stop the caravan, or maybe search them again?"

The gatekeeper shook his head vigorously. He had just said it offhand; how could he possibly do it? Stop the car and search it, and then ask Zhang Xiuren? He wasn't really stupid. If he did that, not only would Zhang Xiuren not give him face, but he might even get angry and give him a couple of lashes.

He chuckled awkwardly and shut his mouth, the gatekeeper stepping aside. The gatekeeper ignored him; what business was it of the Zhang family to meddle with such insignificant figures as them? Besides, Zhang Xiuren had just met him; as for other matters, did he expect him to inquire about them?

Regardless of the situation at the city gate, the convoy swaggered into the city.

Once inside the city, Zhang Xiuren breathed a sigh of relief. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he lowered his voice and said into the carriage, "Hero, we've entered the city. What's next...?"

"Zhang Xiuren, don't try anything funny. If you behave yourself, your life is spared. But if you have even the slightest ulterior motive and ruin my plans, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, you can rest assured, I wouldn't dare, I absolutely wouldn't dare!" Zhang Xiuren nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice. The arrogance he had shown when facing the gatekeeper just now had completely turned into a fawning smile, even with a hint of ingratiation.

Li Wanqing nodded inside the car, then gave an instruction to Li Zhong beside him. Li Zhong responded, quickly got out of the car, and ran ahead to find Zhou Lun.

Except for Zhang Xiuren, everyone else in the convoy had long been replaced by Li Wanqing and Zhou Lun's men. After robbing the Zhang family's convoy on the official road, they happened to run into Manager Liu. After learning about the events in the county town and Li Wang Village from Manager Liu, how could they possibly hold back?

In order to rescue the people imprisoned in the county jail, Li Wanqing decided to go to the county town, and Zhou Lun and the others agreed without hesitation. However, there were some tricks to the rescue. Going to the county town openly was definitely not an option. To sneak in and rescue the people, they had to come up with another idea.

Zhou Lun then came up with the idea of ​​impersonating the Zhang family's caravan. After proposing this plan, Li Wanqing agreed without hesitation. Then they brought the entire caravan, including the Zhang family's employees, servants, and guards, back to the camp.

Although the mountain path was difficult, it was no problem for Li Wanqing and his men. On the way back, Li Wanqing sent Li Zhong ahead to report to the camp so that they could come and meet them. The camp personnel arrived shortly afterward, making the transport of supplies much faster.

It took quite some time to finally move all the supplies back, and all of Zhang's servants, helpers, and guards were taken into custody.

Zhou Lun had Zhang Xiuren brought in, and after showing him some weapons, he gave him a little scare. Zhang Xiuren, who was already afraid of death, was willing to do anything to save his life. With his cooperation, Zhou Lun's plan was on track.

Zhou Lun then had his men change into Zhang family clothing, leaving behind half of the mule carts and donkey carts, while driving the other half back to the official road.

In a flash, they became part of the Zhang family's convoy. To ensure the plan's success, Zhou Lun also persuaded Li Wanqing to distribute a portion of the seized silver to his men. Upon receiving the gleaming silver, the men's previous anxiety instantly transformed into excitement. They roared with enthusiasm, eager to follow Zhou Lun and his men on a big heist.

When the gatekeeper came to greet them upon entering the city, Li Wanqing's heart was in his throat, fearing that Zhang Xiuren's shout would ruin everything. If that happened, forget rescuing anyone; even getting into the city would be a problem. Fortunately, Zhang Xiuren didn't do that; the cowardly man perfectly fulfilled his role as Zhou Lun had instructed. Only after the caravan safely entered the city did Li Wanqing breathe a sigh of relief.

According to the plan, Zhou Lun, disguised as a bodyguard, was at the front, Li Wanqing hid in the car and secretly controlled Zhang Xiuren in the middle, and Li Shoutian and Wang Tieniu brought up the rear.

After entering the city, the group went straight to Zhang's Rice Shop without going anywhere else. Zhang's Rice Shop was quite famous in the county, and it was the largest rice shop in the county, so it became the place that Zhou Lun had chosen to stay.

Upon arrival, the second manager, who had been left behind, saw Zhang Xiuren return but didn't notice anything amiss. He instructed his men to open the back gate and let the convoy in.

Once inside the courtyard, Li Wanqing instructed Zhang Xiuren to have the back gate closed, and then ordered the second manager to summon all the shop's employees. After everyone arrived, Zhou Lun gave Li Wanqing a wink, and Li Wanqing instantly understood. He led his men to block the retreat route, then suddenly revealed his true colors and launched a sudden attack. His group effortlessly subdued the second manager and several employees.

The terrified second manager and several employees were tied up and locked in a woodshed. Just as Zhou Lun finished doing this, before he could arrange anything else, he suddenly heard someone banging on the door and shouting.

Upon hearing the voice, Zhou Lun was taken aback. What was going on? Who was here?