Chapter Thirty-Eight: Let the People Suffer! (With Thanks to Our Patron!)

By the time dawn broke, the entire Black Raven Mountain stronghold had already been dealt with by the men from Cangshan Fortress. It wasn’t that everyone had been killed, but those who needed to be tied up were already bound and herded onto an open field. The valuables from the stronghold had been gathered and laid out before Chief Li. At this point, although some men from Cangshan remained, Liu Bo was already gone. In other words, the plunder from Black Raven Mountain was already on its way to Cangshan.

Though Black Raven Mountain didn’t have the long history of Cangshan Fortress, it had been operating for over a decade. Moreover, the old Crow was a notorious scoundrel—feared by all the villagers nearby—and over the years had amassed quite a hoard through robbery and intimidation.

Li Yun tapped the old Crow’s face with the flat side of his blade, then looked at the burly, dark-skinned man and asked, “What’s your surname?” The old Crow didn’t answer, staring fixedly at Li Yun instead. “I feel like I’ve seen you before,” he muttered. In the darkness of the previous night, he hadn’t recognized Li Yun, but now in the clear daylight, he saw his features plainly.

Li Yun narrowed his eyes, about to speak when the Black Raven chieftain, in a tone of uncertainty, blurted, “Little Pockmark?” Without a change of expression, Chief Li’s blade struck his face again, knocking out a few more of the bandit’s teeth.

“I’m the constable of Qingyang County,” Li Yun declared coldly. “I asked you a question—what’s your surname?” The old Crow, of the same generation as Li Yun’s father, Old Pockmark, had indeed met him a couple of times in the past. After the blow, the old Crow dared not retort, spitting blood as he stammered, “It’s... it’s Min.”

Chief Li didn’t hesitate, delivering a hard kick. “Who told you to bear the surname Min!” The old Crow, trembling, struggled to his feet and glanced up at Li Yun. “Officer... is your surname Min too?”

“No, it isn’t.” Li Yun shot him a withering look. “Whatever surname ends up with you is bound to be disgraced, you old beast!”

With that, he turned and shouted, “Da Yong!” Huang Yong came running over at once, bowing his head. “Chief.”

By now, the constables had true respect for Li Yun. After all, he had taken down the entire Black Raven Mountain stronghold almost singlehandedly. The rest of them had merely followed along for the assist, barely lifting a finger.

Li Yun grunted. “Take this old beast, along with the other bandits, and escort them all back to the county yamen.”

Huang Yong acknowledged the order and left with his men. Li Yun then summoned Chen Da. “Of the spoils we seized, set aside a portion and divide it among the brothers who came today—everyone gets a share.”

Chen Da looked around furtively, lowering his voice. “Chief, isn’t that a bit improper?” Li Yun gave him a playful scold. “What, does the yamen belong to you now? We risked our lives—what’s wrong with taking a little cut?”

Chen Da swallowed and whispered, “I’m only worried about you, Chief. Some of the new men aren’t familiar to you yet. If any of them belong to other officials in the yamen, they might use this to accuse you.”

“You’re a shrewd one,” Li Yun said, stretching lazily. “Don’t worry about me—just hand out the money. I’ll take responsibility for this.”

Chen Da nodded at last. “Yes, sir.”

...

Black Raven Mountain wasn’t particularly close to Qingyang. By the time they had escorted the group back to the county yamen, it was already dusk the next day. Magistrate Xue was stunned for a long time as he looked at the two or three dozen people bound in the front courtyard. After a moment, he regained his composure and turned to Li Yun. “Are... are these all bandits?”

Li Yun thought for a moment. “Most of them are. The big fat one is the ringleader—he’s committed countless atrocities and claimed the lives of many innocent women. I ask that Your Honor deal with him severely. As for the others, some were forced up the mountain by the bandits; after verifying their identities, the yamen can help them return to their families. The confiscated goods have already been delivered to the county stores—Your Honor may inspect them at any time.”

Magistrate Xue said nothing more, only patted Li Yun’s shoulder with a smile. “You truly are capable.”

“That’s right,” Li Yun replied with a broad grin. “If I weren’t, how would I dare take on such a job?”

“Well then,” the magistrate said, glancing over the prisoners. “Whatever the case, this is a great merit—I shall report it faithfully to the prefecture.”

“You should write yourself a bigger share of the credit,” Li Yun said with a smile. “I’m a man of the rivers and lakes—imperial commendations mean little to me.”

With that, he saluted the magistrate, bid him farewell, and went home to sleep. He slept for a solid six or seven hours, catching up on the rest he’d missed over the last two days. The next morning, after washing his face, he headed to the county school to read.

According to his plan, the frequency of the anti-bandit squad’s raids would be about once a month. This way, Cangshan Fortress would have time to prepare, and it would also be easier to digest the results. Having just won a major victory, no one came to disturb Li Yun’s reading. He read from morning to afternoon, finally finishing the books he hadn’t had time to read before. As he was standing up and stretching, someone called out to him.

“Little Li!”

Li Yun turned to see a smiling, rotund man standing outside. It was Tian Lu, the assistant magistrate of Qingyang County.

Li Yun put down the book and bowed. “Assistant Magistrate Tian.”

“No need for such formality,” Tian Lu chuckled. “I’ve come to see you on official business.”

Li Yun frowned slightly. “What business, sir?”

“It’s like this,” the chubby assistant magistrate said with a smile. “You must know the court has been levying a supplementary tax lately. Our yamen needs its constables to help with the collections. As chief constable, you’ll have to lead a team down to the villages and work hard.”

Li Yun’s brows knitted. “What sort of supplementary tax?”

“Put simply, it’s an extra levy. The court has been at war for years; every copper for the army counts, and there’s no way but to raise more taxes.” He sighed. “For the sake of the nation, the common folk must bear the hardship.”

The phrase sounded familiar, and Li Yun’s expression grew odd. Was this lowly assistant magistrate really qualified to speak such words?

Still, he raised his eyebrows and replied, “Sir, though I’m new at the yamen, I do know a little. If I’m not mistaken, tax collection is the duty of the village heads and bailiffs, not our constables.”

“That’s true, as you say,” Tian Lu coughed. “But there are many troublesome villagers stirring up trouble, and the local officials can’t handle them. The county has no choice but to send the constables to assist. All you have to do is arrest a few troublemakers to frighten the rest, and the matter will be settled. Once the rabble-rousers are dealt with, everything runs smoothly for both the county and you, Chief Li. Is that not the best of both worlds?”

“A fine best of both worlds,” Li Yun said with narrowed eyes, giving Tian Lu a cheerful look. “Speaking of which, though I’ve been working here a while, I haven’t yet had the chance to pay my respects. Where do you live, Assistant Magistrate Tian? When I have a moment, I’ll be sure to call on you at home.”

Tian Lu, suspecting nothing, gave his address and waved his hand. “Just come yourself—don’t bring any gifts, or I’ll be displeased.”

Li Yun smiled and bowed again. “Rest assured, sir, I understand.”

Satisfied, Tian Lu nodded. “So, when will you be heading out for the tax collection?”

Li Yun remained composed. “We’ve just finished a campaign against the bandits—everyone’s exhausted. I’ll let them rest at home for a few days. We can talk about this again later.”