Chapter 139: Night-Shining White (Part 1)

Wang Mai sat quietly in the room, resembling an old monk entering a state of deep meditation.

"Tiger Head, let's go."

Deng Fan called out from outside the door. Hearing this, Wang Mai finally opened his eyes and slowly stood up.

He walked over to the bronze mirror. The bright, polished bronze mirror reflected the image of a youthful lad. On his upper body, he wore a white cross-collar tunic; on his lower body, split-drawers trousers; and over that, a long robe made of black silk, secured at the waist by a wide sash. On his feet were semi-high black clogs, shaped similarly to boots.

This was the official uniform for the supervisors of the Cao Yuan Bureau.

Distinctions were made by fabric. Both Cao Yuan officials, Wang Mai and Deng Fan, wore long robes made of black silk, while everyone else wore ordinary cloth.

Since it had been confiscated from Chen Sheng's estate, there was no harm in using it without wasting anything, and using it brought no heartache.

Wang Mai pumped himself up before the mirror in the reflection of his own image, then turned and walked out the door. On the rack by the door, he casually picked up a wooden staff about eighty centimeters long. That staff had also been meticulously carved. Zhezhu wood is tough and extremely high in hardness. The handle, about twenty centimeters long, was very comfortable to grip. The entire staff was coated in black lacquer and carefully polished, giving it a shining, lustrous finish.

This was what Cao Peng called the official staff.

Stepping outside, he saw thirty robust men waiting in the courtyard.

Each of them stood with chests puffed out, looking imposing and majestic. Their attire was similar to Wang Mai's, with the only difference being the fabric.

Seeing Wang Mai emerge, the thirty men cupped their hands in salute and said, "Greetings, Supervisor Wang."

"Today is our first time patrolling the market." Wang Mai took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I want everyone to pull yourselves together. I know that most of you used to be farmers. But from now on, you must understand that you are now people of the imperial court.

Do you understand? You are men of the court, so in every action, you must have regard for the court's dignity, for the county magistrate's dignity, and for the Military Cao's dignity. I have already made clear everything that needed to be explained. Anyone who dares to bend the law for personal gain or condone evildoers is smearing the face of the Military Cao and the imperial court. When that time comes, don't blame me for being merciless and ruthless."

Wang Mai's voice suddenly turned stern, and the men hurriedly bowed in compliance upon hearing this.

"We will firmly remember the teachings of Supervisor Wang and Official Deng."

Wang Mai and Deng Fan exchanged glances, nodded, and divided the thirty strong men into two teams, each leading a group as they walked into the Northern Market.

From this moment on, he would stand alone and hold his own ground!

This was also Cao Peng's true intention.

Although Di Ji currently had quite a few men under his command, the only ones truly of one heart with him were Wang Mai and Deng Fan.

In the past, Wang Mai and Deng Fan had no opportunity to act on their own. Even when they did, Cao Peng was always backing them up from behind, so they only needed to execute orders.

But now, Cao Peng had said: This Northern Market is handed over to you two.

On the first day the Cao Yuan Bureau opened, aside from the men Wang Mai brought, Huang Zheng sent twenty men, and Pan Yong sent ten. The others had yet to act, and their intentions remained unclear. But even with only forty men, they still had to hold their ground.

This was their very first step, and whether it succeeded or failed was of utmost importance to Wang Mai and Deng Fan.

The climate in Haixi was unpredictable. The morning sky had been clear, but as noon approached, a light drizzle suddenly began to fall. The market was bustling with people—some buying and selling goods, conducting transactions; others wandering aimlessly, looking for suitable opportunities. This small market was virtually a miniature society. Every kind of person was present, and anything could happen; walking through it was truly an eye-opener.

Many people cast strange glances at Wang Mai and his men.

They had heard that the Northern Market was about to be reorganized, but so far, a unified consensus had not yet formed.

Although the Nine Great Merchants had already reached an agreement with the county yamen, actual implementation would still require considerable effort. Who would willingly be driven out of the market for no good reason, who would willingly pay a management fee out of nowhere, and who would willingly be bound by inexplicable restrictions?

The Northern Market had always enjoyed freedom!

Once a reorganization was attempted, the difficulties within would be manifold.

Wang Mai walked along a lane, observing the situation from time to time.

Suddenly, from the corner of the lane, a commotion and shouting broke out.

Immediately afterward, many people began to dodge and scatter, as if something had happened. Wang Mai quickly led his men over.

It turned out that right at the corner of the lane was a cloth shop. The shopkeeper had received a shipment of goods and was preparing to unload them inside. To his surprise, a group of idlers arrived and blocked the shopkeeper's way.

"Shopkeeper, what you're doing isn't quite according to the rules."

The leading idler had a blade of withered grass in his mouth, wearing a ferocious expression.

"Luo Hang, how is this not according to the rules?"

"On this street, all the cargo handling is monopolized by us brothers. You're unloading goods without finding us—isn't this leaving my brothers with nothing to eat?"

Luo Hang was the leader of these idlers.

The cloth shopkeeper frowned. "You have a monopoly on this street? How come I didn't know about it?"

"Do I need to notify you when I do things?" Luo Hang glared with wide eyes and cursed.

Pointing at the cloth shopkeeper, he said, "I'll give you two choices. One is to hand this job over to us, and we will unload the goods for you."

"If you unload the goods, how much do you want?"

"Not much, ten percent of the cargo."

In other words, if this cartload of fabric belonging to the shopkeeper was worth ten strings of cash, he would have to give Luo Hang one string.

Hearing this, the cloth shopkeeper's face fell. "And what's the second choice?"

"Very simple. You let them unload the goods, but you still have to settle the wages with us."

"How would that be settled?"

"Hehe, the old rule: ten percent!"

Luo Hang's meaning was crystal clear: it didn't matter whether they did the work or not; he had to be paid that ten percent wage either way.

The cloth shopkeeper's face grew as dark as water.

He had the urge to fly into a rage, but seeing the dozens of idlers glaring hostilely behind Luo Hang, he felt a bit intimidated. So he forced a smile and said, "Luo Hang, we're all neighbors and townsfolk here. Show some respect, let's stop making a fuss, alright... How about this, here is a hundred coins, treat everyone to some wine."

"Trying to brush off a beggar!"

Luo Hang instantly flew into a rage, pointing his finger at the porters who were preparing to unload the cargo. "Are you all tired of living? Still standing there—get out of here, all of you."

"Hold on!"

Right at that moment, Wang Mai arrived with his men.

"You, what is your name?"

"Who are you?" Luo Hang looked at Wang Mai with utter arrogance.

"I am the newly appointed Cao Yuan of the Northern Market Cao Yuan Bureau. What is your name?"

"The Cao Yuan Bureau?" Luo Hang burst into laughter. "I've never heard of it. As for my name, go ask around yourself! Who are you trying to scare with a stick? Let me tell you, no one has ever dared to meddle in my affairs in this Northern Market. Never mind some Cao Yuan Bureau; even if the county magistrate came, what could he do? My brothers and I are just trying to make a living, and anyone who blocks our path will have to fight us to the death!"

Luo Hang was a well-known troublemaker in the Northern Market, wielding command over dozens of men and acting as a local bully.

However, his brand of bullying was different from Chen Sheng's past tyranny. Though Chen Sheng was a bully, he at least maintained the stability of the Northern Market.

Luo Hang and his men, on the other hand, were purely street ruffians.

While Chen Sheng was alive, they kept their heads down.

Once Chen Sheng died, Luo Hang and his cohorts grew bold. They didn't dare provoke the large merchants, but small shopkeepers suffered endlessly at their hands.

Even though the Cao Yuan Bureau had been established, it could not frighten Luo Hang.

He felt he had done nothing wrong, and if the Cao Yuan Bureau dared to provoke him, he wouldn't be afraid in the least. It was hardly surprising; although Deng Ji had eradicated Chen Sheng, his time in Haixi was still short after all. The chaos and disorder in Haixi had deep roots and could certainly not be resolved overnight.

Luo Hang stuck out his neck and shouted belligerently.

He failed to notice that Wang Mai's expression had already changed.

"Even the county magistrate cannot stop us from—"

Before Luo Hang could finish speaking, Wang Mai suddenly raised the official staff in his hand and struck downward with a fierce blow.

He had been practicing martial arts with Cao Peng for a year now, and with his solid foundation, he was a completely different person compared to a year ago. The staff, as thick as a child's arm, landed heavily on Luo Hang's head. Thick blood instantly gushed down Luo Hang's cheek. Luo Hang was so dazed by Wang Mai's savage blow that he even forgot the pain.

"The first decree of Haixi: the Northern Market will soon be reorganized, and all those who disrupt market order may be dealt with at the discretion of the Cao Yuan Bureau.

Anyone who speaks insolently, gathers mobs to cause trouble, forces buying and selling, or acts arrogantly and tyrannically may be sentenced to capital punishment according to the Great Du Code. You, what is your name?"

"You... you dare hit me?"

Luo Hang was used to acting wildly; he reached out and wiped his face, finding it covered in blood.

"Brothers, attack!"

"Anyone who dares to resist the Cao Yuan Bureau will be severely punished without leniency."

Wang Mai's voice was cold and harsh, and the thick blood staining the official staff looked exceptionally terrifying.

"Teach these black-jackets a lesson!"

The crowd of idlers shouted loudly and drew their weapons one after another.

Public security in Haixi was chaotic, and it was entirely normal for private individuals to possess weapons.

Upon seeing this, Wang Mai not only showed no fear, but instead smiled.

"Beat them!"

Without another word, he brandished his staff and charged forward.

Although his staff was made of wood, the toughness of the Zhezhu wood meant that striking someone with it could instantly cripple them. The idlers' weapons could cause no trouble for the staff at all. Fifteen Cao Yuan officers charged forward behind Wang Mai; grabbing hold of anyone within reach, a single blow of the staff meant either broken bones or torn flesh.

On their very first day on the job, the members of the enforcement team had already learned their lesson: anyone who dared to raise a hand against the officials of the Cao Yuan Bureau in the Northern Market, regardless of their background, was committing violent resistance.

What was violent resistance?

It was defying the government, equivalent to rebellion.

Therefore, these Cao Yuan officers held nothing back in their blows.

When they had previously served under the Nine Great Merchants, they had acted as gate guards and bodyguards.

Fighting and brawling was something ordinary idlers could never compare to. Furthermore, they had a leader! Wang Mai's ferocity was hair-raising. He never held back his blows; once struck by his staff, the opponent could never stand up again. By this time, the Tiangang steps Wang Mai had practiced earlier began to show their effect. Although the opponents were numerous, they could not inflict the slightest harm on him; instead, Wang Mai beat them until they were overturned and in disarray.

Realizing the situation was turning against them, the idlers turned and tried to flee.

But by the time they wanted to run, they found that the surrounding area had already been surrounded by Deng Fan and his men.

"Hold your heads and squat down completely!"

Deng Fan stepped forward and brought his staff down in a fierce chop, splitting open a ruffian's head and covering his face in blood.

As a seasoned ruffian himself, Deng Fan used to engage in street brawls every day. When it came to ruthlessness, his strikes were not a bit inferior to Wang Mai's.

"Still moving!"

Luo Hang clutched his head, trying to shout, but was grabbed firmly by two Cao Yuan officers.

Before he could utter a word, Deng Fan stepped forward and smashed his staff right across Luo Hang's mouth. That single blow sent Luo Hang's teeth flying in all directions, along with a mouthful of bloody froth.

"Got anything more to say?"

Deng Fan asked with a dark, menacing expression.

These two were clearly aiming to beat people to death!

They obviously weren't afraid of killing someone, and might even harbor the intent to take a life.

The bullies fear the fierce, and the fierce fear the reckless! Wang Mai and Deng Fan, in Luo Hang's eyes at this moment, were precisely those kinds of reckless, ruthless thugs.

Shaking his head like a rattling drum, Luo Hang no longer dared to harbor even a shred of grievance.

"You!" Wang Mai pointed at the cloth shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper was so terrified that his calves trembled and his face turned pale.

"Gr—Gr—Great Official!"

"I am not a Great Official; I am the Cao Yuan of the Northern Market Cao Yuan Bureau. Remember to call me Supervisor Wang from now on."

..."

"Go back to whatever you were doing. Hurry up and unload the goods, and don't block the passageway. If it hasn't been cleared within an hour, don't blame me for punishing you."

"Yes, yes, yes, this humble person will unload the goods right away!"

As the shopkeeper spoke, he even fished out a string of cash and offered it to Wang Mai.

Wang Mai frowned and said sternly, "Are you trying to bribe me?"

"No, no, no—it's just some hard-earned money for the brothers."

Hearing this, Wang Mai's expression softened. He put away his staff and said indifferently, "Our hard-earned money is issued by the county magistrate; there is no need for you to worry about it. Attend to your business properly and don't let me catch you up to any mischief... Otherwise, the next time I find you, it won't go well."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The cloth shopkeeper was greatly shocked, yet at the same time felt a sense of strangeness.

He discovered that these officials of the Cao Yuan Bureau seemed somewhat different from the government runners of the past.

On the other side, Deng Fan had already ordered his men to bind the idlers with ropes and march them toward the Cao Yuan Bureau.

"Tiger Head, I'll take these fellows to the Cao Yuan Bureau first. You continue the patrol."

Wang Mai gave a nod of agreement and turned away with his men.

In the empty lane, after the group departed, many people poured out like a flood.

"Shopkeeper Yang, when did you get mixed up with the government?"

"Nonsense! If I had connections with the government, would I have been scared like that just now? All of you, hurry up and unload the cargo! Damn it, if we can't finish unloading within an hour, I'll be killed because of you!" After shouting at the porters, he looked back at the receding figures of Wang Mai and his group.

"Gentlemen, I suddenly think that if someone can actually govern this Northern Market, it might not be a bad thing after all."

Meanwhile, Wang Mai walked proudly down the lane.

He could clearly feel that the gazes lingering on them had somehow changed.

Xiapi was the seat of Pengcheng Commandery—or to be precise, Xiapi was not a commandery, but a vassal state.

In the fifteenth year of Yongping, Emperor Ming of Han, Liu Zhuang, enfeoffed his sixth son, Liu Yan, as the King of Xiapi, governing Xiapi and ruling seventeen counties. Thereafter, over the years, the State of Xiapi passed through four generations of monarchs until it became heirless in the second year of Zhongping (185 AD). However, after the second year of Zhongping, the Han imperial house declined, and its ability to bind vassal kings and marquises grew weaker and weaker. After undergoing numerous subsequent events, the State of Xiapi was never restructured and continued to bear the title of a vassal state.

The capital of the State of Xiapi was governed from Xiapi County.

Xiapi was bordered to the south by the Qin Water and the Yi Water.

The Wu Water came from the north, winding around the city to converge with the Mi Water, providing extremely convenient water transport while also overflowing for irrigation and fishing. The soil was fertile, and products were exceptionally abundant.

In the second year of Xingping, Zang Rong, the Chancellor of Xiapi, had supervised the grain transport of Guangling, Xiapi, and Pengcheng, gathering vast amounts of wealth.

Consequently, Zang Rong built a Buddhist temple and had people chant Buddhist scriptures, naming it the Bathing Buddha Day. Whenever the Bathing Buddha festival arrived, over five thousand households of Buddhism enthusiasts would come to Xiapi to worship the Buddha, setting up food along dozens of li of roads to feed people for free. The money and silk expended numbered in the hundreds of millions, reflecting the grandeur of that era.

Precisely because of this, Lü Bu, Liu Bei, and Cao Cao all intended to occupy Xiapi.

It was not only because Xiapi possessed abundant wealth and grain, but more importantly, it controlled a critical strategic location north of the Huai River, holding immense significance. However, from the second year of Xingping until the present day, just a few short years later, Xiapi no longer possessed the grandeur of yesteryear.

First came Cao Cao's campaign against Tao Qian, followed by Liu Bei's battles against Lü Bu.

Xuzhou, once prosperous and overflowing with wealth and grain, had now become short of grain, with rebellions frequently erupting.

Lü Bu was a master at fighting, but when it came to governing a locality, he was a complete layman. His chief strategist, Chen Gong, was also someone skilled in stratagems yet negligent in domestic administration. If not for Chen Gui concurrently holding the post of Xiapi County Magistrate and striving to maintain order, Xiapi would have long since fallen into ruin.

Cao Peng and his party, traveling day and night through starlight and moonshine, finally arrived outside the walls of Xiapi City.

This was not his first time coming to Xiapi. Previously, when Cao Peng accompanied Deng Ji to Haixi to take up his post, they had also passed through Xiapi Commandery. However, at that time, because Lü Bu had led his army south to campaign against Yuan Shu, the four gates of Xiapi were on high alert and heavily guarded. Deng Ji had no wish to provoke trouble then, so he skirted around the city and casually purchased a dozen household slaves in a market town outside the city walls to accompany them. Thus, Cao Peng had only bypassed the gates without entering.

This time, however, the guards at Xiapi were noticeably much more relaxed.

Following Lü Bu's triumphant return, the previous state of high alert was naturally no longer necessary.

The four gates stood wide open; although gate guards were on duty, their inspections were not strict, and most of the time they simply turned a blind eye and let people pass.

So this was Xiapi?

Looking at Xiapi's imposing city walls, Cao Peng sighed inwardly.

"Second Brother, if you were to lead an army to attack Xiapi, how would you break the city?"

Cao Peng suddenly grew curious, riding side by side with Dian Man and Xu Yi, and asked in a low voice.

Xu Yi and Dian Man were startled, glanced at the Xiapi city walls, and blurted out simultaneously, "What's difficult about that? Give me a detachment of troops, and I will surely be the first to scale and break the city."

That meant they would launch a direct, forceful assault.

This fit their personalities well, and upon hearing it, Cao Peng couldn't help but smile.

"A-Fu, what are you laughing at?"

"Such a fortified city—if we launch a direct assault... to say nothing of whether we can break it or not, even if we did breach it, we would inevitably suffer heavy casualties and lose countless soldiers."

"Tsk!"

Deng Man waved his hand and blurted out a trendy catchphrase.

One picks up the habits of the people one spends time with.

Xu Yi and Dian Man had stayed with Cao Peng for so long; without learning much else, they had picked up several of Cao Peng's pet phrases quite vividly.

"Fighting a war, when does nobody die?"

Deng Man showed complete indifference to Cao Peng's words.

Cao Peng couldn't help but laugh, saying in a low voice, "As a general, one must understand the timing, geographical advantages, and human harmony before raising troops. If you launch a reckless assault like that, no matter how many men are given to you, it will never be enough... You must know that as a major general, you are the pillar of the state. Military texts say: when the pillars are harmonious, the country is strong; when the pillars have cracks, the country is weak. The Dao of a general is to know when to advance and when to retreat... To blindly rely on brute force is not a blessing for the state."

Deng Man and Xu Yi looked at each other in blank dismay.

"Then tell us, how should we fight?"

"Hehe, didn't I already say, you must understand timing, geographical advantages, and human harmony... Think about the environment surrounding Xiapi, and you'll know how to fight it."

Cao Peng deliberately acted mysterious and let out a chuckle.

As for Dian Man and Xu Yi, they remained utterly and completely baffled...