Chapter 124: The Three Perils

Hu Ban directed the men to clear out the study and the bedroom first.

After buckets of well water were used to scrub them down, the floor finally regained its original color. Filth, mixed with rat droppings and other grime, flowed out through the drainage channel beneath the eaves. With all doors and windows thrown open, the chilly wind poured in, sweeping away the damp, moldy, and foul odor that had previously lingered in the rooms.

However, moving in immediately was probably still out of the question.

In the side chamber, Feng Chao wept bitterly and uncontrollably.

"It was not my wish to become a bandit, but I was driven to it by sheer desperation."

Deng Ji asked, "What do you mean by being driven to it?"

Hearing Deng Ji's inquiry, Feng Chao shed tears like pouring rain.

As it turned out, more than two years prior, Feng Chao's father, Feng Yuan, had initially served as an adviser to Tao Qian, the Governor of Xuzhou. At that time, Xuzhou was not as chaotic as it was now, and the troubles in Haixi County had become a thorn in Tao Qian's side. Although Haixi County was situated in a remote and desolate area, it was a pivotal node for the salt routes connecting the Huai River regions. Because of the chaos in Haixi, the Huai River salt routes were obstructed; coupled with the control exerted by local powerful clans, Xuzhou suffered massive losses in salt tax revenues. Eager to bring order to Haixi, Tao Qian recommended Feng Yuan to the imperial court in Chang'an to serve as the Magistrate of Haixi.

Ever since moving the capital to Chang'an, Dong Zhuo had also continuously attempted to repair relations with the warlords east of the Hangu Pass and to divide their forces. Therefore, Tao Qian easily obtained the imperial commission, and Feng Yuan set off for Haixi to assume office bearing the imperial edict.

Feng Yuan was a very conscientious and responsible man.

As soon as he took office, he began tackling the chaotic situation in Haixi County.

However, Feng Yuan acted with excessive swiftness and severity, ultimately stepping on the toes of many vested interests.

Two months after taking office, a band of thieves suddenly raided Haixi. Feng Yuan rushed to put up a defense, but unable to stand alone against the onslaught, he was killed by the bandits. His body was hung from the lintel of the official reception hall outside the Haixi county seat for a full three days before anyone discovered it. At the time, Feng Chao served as the Merit Officer of Haixi County, and upon receiving the news, he was consumed by rage. Yet those bandits came and went like shadows, leaving him clueless about how to exact revenge.

He had intended to seek help through Tao Qian, but unfortunately, that was the very year when Tao Qian's subordinates murdered Cao Cao's father.

Seeking vengeance for his father, Cao Cao mobilized his troops and launched a punitive expedition against Xuzhou...

Faced with Cao Cao's army pressing hard against the city walls, how could Tao Qian possibly spare any attention for Haixi?

Before long, because Lü Bu captured Puyang, Cao Cao was forced to withdraw his troops and return. Tao Qian fell gravely ill shortly after and, on his deathbed, entrusted Xuzhou to Liu Bei.

At the mention of Liu Bei, Feng Chao suddenly gnashed his teeth in hatred.

"Did the General Who Guards the East not care?"

"Do not speak of that national traitor!"

Feng Chao roared in fury, "Liu Xuande is nothing more than a national traitor!"

Hearing this, Cao Peng could not help but be stunned.

Influenced by *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Cao Peng's overall impression of Liu Bei was not too unfavorable. In his memory, Liu Bei should have been a gentle and cultured elder. Even though his fondness for Liu Bei diminished later on, and after his rebirth he discovered that Liu Bei was not as illustrious as later generations claimed—Sima Hui praised Liu Bei for having grand ambitions, whereas Guo Jia considered Liu Bei to be a hypocritical man.

Opinions on this matter varied widely.

However, this was the first time Cao Peng had ever heard Liu Bei labeled as a "national traitor."

Though harboring inner doubts, Cao Peng did not rush to question him, choosing instead to sit quietly to one side and listen.

"Feng Chao, where does this accusation of him being a 'national traitor' stem from?"

"Does your honor know of the 'three scourges' plaguing Haixi?"

Deng Ji had truly never heard of such a saying and quickly asked, "I would like to hear the details."

"Maritime pirates, salt smugglers, and predatory merchants." Feng Chao took a deep breath, struggling to steady his emotions. "The maritime pirates refer to the faction led by Xue Zhou, the great bandit of Guangling. He commands a force of ten thousand men, possesses several sea-faring vessels, and holds sway over desolate islands out at sea, from which they land to raid villages and towns. Furthermore, Xue Zhou's faction is immensely powerful and colludes with numerous bandits on land, making them elusive and impossible to eradicate. After taking office, my late father carefully studied this man Xue Zhou and privately told me that while suppressing ordinary bandits is difficult, suppressing maritime pirates is even harder. Their movements are erratic; they can retreat into the mountains or vanish into the sea at will. Moreover, the places where they make landfall remain completely unknown. To wipe out Xue Zhou's bandit faction, one must possess immense patience."

Hearing this, Deng Ji knitted his brows.

"And what about the salt smugglers?" Puyang Kai asked.

***

"Does your honor know who the largest private salt dealer in Donghai is?"

"Uh, that I truly do not know."

"It is the Mi family of Haiqu."

"Haiqu, the Mi family?"

Feng Chao nodded. "The Mi family of Haiqu is the premier influential clan in Xuzhou.

For generations, the Mi family's ancestors engaged in commerce, accumulating a fortune worth hundreds of millions, with ten thousand bondservants and retainers. Externally, people only knew that the Mi family traded across the realm, unaware that ever since the reign of Emperor Guangwu, the Mi family had secretly engaged in illegal salt smuggling, practically monopolizing the contraband salt trade throughout the Huai River and Jiangdong regions. They boiled seawater at Qushan, colluded with corrupt officials, and peddled illicit salt, wielding colossal influence in Xuzhou. Even Tao Gongzu held the Mi family in awe.

Haixi is a vital location through which the Mi family smuggles illicit salt into the Huai River region, making them absolute overlords within Haixi County.

After Liu Bei took over Xuzhou, Mi Zhu, the head of the Mi family, first presented his sister to Liu Xuande, and later donated two thousand bondservants along with countless gold and currency, helping Liu Bei gain a firm foothold in Xuzhou. When Lü Bu seized Xuzhou, he abducted Liu Bei's family members, but later had to return them. The Mi family's diplomatic maneuvering played a crucial role in that. You tell me, how could Liu Bei, being on such intimate terms with the Mi family, ever take action against them?"

Deng Ji drew a sharp breath, exchanged glances with Puyang Kai, and stared at each other in utter disbelief.

One cannot truly comprehend the evils of a place without setting foot in it.

Who, if not a local, could possibly know that there were so many convoluted entanglements hidden beneath the surface?

Cao Peng more or less understood why Feng Chao harbored such deep resentment toward Liu Bei. Could it be that Feng Yuan's death was related to the Mi family?

"What about the predatory merchants?" "They are merely the merchants residing within this county seat of Haixi."

In ancient times, those who traveled to trade were called merchants, while those who stayed put in shops were called tradesmen; combined, they were known as merchants and peddlers.

"Merchants have existed since antiquity; how can they be considered a scourge?"

"If they conducted trade honestly, they naturally wouldn't be a scourge. But the merchants of Haixi are mostly bullies of the marketplace and perpetrators of evil deeds.

For instance, in the first year of Xingping, when Cao Cao attacked Xuzhou,

the Haixi merchants were the first to hoard grain, causing prices to skyrocket. At that time, numerous refugees fled from places like Donghai..." Those merchants recruited able-bodied men among them as thugs, monopolized the commercial markets, and drove up grain prices. Within ten days, the price of coarse millet surged from one hundred coins per *hu* to twenty-one thousand coins per *hu*. When someone stepped forward to argue with them, those predatory merchants would summon their thugs to beat the person savagely. Worse still, they would destroy their homes and take their lives. The local government could only sit idly by, utterly helpless against these predatory merchants. If the authorities cracked down too harshly, the merchants would jointly suspend all business."

The more Feng Chao spoke, the more agitated he became, until he was practically roaring by the end.

"With such tyranny, who would dare cross them?

Moreover, these predatory merchants all enjoyed secret backing from influential figures. Once, someone lodged a complaint in Xiapi, only to wind up as a corpse lying in the streets a couple of days later...

In my youth, I too read books and understood the principles of right and wrong, but what could a humble person like me do?

My late father organized a patrol force of one hundred men, only to be forced to disband it within half a year.

In Haixi County, there is no longer any path to survival for anyone; if we do not turn to banditry, what else is there to do?"

Deng Ji and Puyang Kai both fell silent!

Cao Peng sighed and stood up.

"Feng Chao, your turn to banditry is meant to avenge your father, the late magistrate, isn't it?"

"Ah?"

"Magistrate Feng died at the hands of bandits, yet you had no idea whom to seek vengeance against.

Thus, you disguised yourself as a brigand and roamed the mountains and wilderness. You wanted to use this method to get close to those bandits, gather information, and find out the truth, right?"

Feng Chao did not answer, instead lowering his head.

Cao Peng suddenly rebuked him harshly: "Have you ever considered what crime those merchants and travelers you killed had committed?"

***

"I have never killed anyone; I only robbed them of their goods."

"Yet by robbing them of their goods, you were effectively cutting off their lives!" Cao Peng castigated angrily: "Not everyone belongs to the Mi family, and not everyone possesses vast fortunes. Those merchants might be staking their very lives to transport a batch of cargo, earning hard-earned money, blood money! When you plundered their goods, did you ever consider what would become of them? What about their families?"

"I..."

Feng Chao opened his mouth, completely at a loss for how to retort.

"As a son, avenging one's father is a matter of absolute righteousness. Yet if you build your desire for vengeance upon the suffering of other innocent people, what kind of person does that make you? You get your revenge, you feel gratified... but whom should those who lost their property and died in despair seek out? Must their sons also become bandits and emulate your behavior? An endless cycle of retribution will only plunge Haixi County deeper into ruin! I ask you again, what crime did the ordinary people of Haixi who were implicated by this commit? Why should they be dragged into this vortex of hatred for the sake of your personal selfishness? If everyone acts the way you do, where would the majesty of the imperial court reside? Where would the authority of the law remain?"

Feng Chao was left speechless, lowering his head in shame...

Cao Peng snorted, flicked his sleeves, and strode out.

Puyang Kai sighed, stepped forward to pat Feng Chao on the shoulder, and also walked out of the room.

Deng Ji looked at Feng Chao and said, "Feng Chao, I can understand your burning desire to avenge your father. However, I still hope you can resolve this matter through righteous means. By gathering a mob to become bandits like this, if Magistrate Feng has spirit in the netherworld, he surely will not be able to rest in peace... You are truly muddle-headed, utterly muddle-headed!"

With that, Deng Ji waved his hand toward Wang Mai and Deng Fan, then turned and walked out of the room.

Wang Mai and Deng Fan also released Feng Chao, their gazes carrying a trace of pity mixed with contempt, as they followed Deng Ji out...

"Brother-in-law, are we just going to leave him like this?"

"Let him ponder it thoroughly."

Deng Ji said softly, "We have just arrived in Haixi, and our manpower is severely lacking. The fact that Feng Chao could rally so many people proves he still commands a certain degree of authority. If he is willing to assist us, he might just help us integrate into Haixi's environment as quickly as possible and secure our foothold."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Puyang Kai looked at Cao Peng with a smiling expression.

"Yuxue, what strategy shall we employ?"

Cao Peng shook his head. "There is no clever strategy to speak of.

It's just that I truly never imagined Haixi County would be this complex... Maritime pirates, salt smugglers... and those predatory merchants?"

In the writings of Han Feizi, within the chapter *The Five Vermin*, merchants are listed as one of the five vermin of society.

Presumably, the term "predatory merchants" originated from this concept.

The Mi family!

Liu Bei...

Ha, this seems to be getting more and more complicated, and increasingly interesting!

Mi Zhu's historical reputation was exceptionally high; even Cao Cao held Mi Zhu in high regard.

Yet, nobody could have anticipated that Mi Zhu had actually started out as a private salt smuggler. Viewed in this light, it made complete sense why, after Lady Mi's death, Guan Xiu always held Mi Fang in contempt, showing utter disregard for the ties between the Mi family and Liu Bei. Guan Fan revered scholar-officials while looking down on commoners. No matter how much assistance the Mi family gave Liu Bei, and regardless of how great Mi Zhu's contributions were, his origins still traced back to a private salt smuggler.

"Afu, accompany me to the inner offices to inspect the official archives."

With that, Deng Ji walked toward the inner court.

Cao Peng took the torch from Deng Fan's hand and softly instructed, "Fifth Brother, settle in simply and unpack for tonight; we'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

"Understood!"

Cao Peng nodded, holding the torch and walking shoulder to shoulder with Puyang Kai toward the inner offices.