Chapter 0131: The Belated New National Law, and Xie Zimiao the Master of Midwifery
The bandits had already painstakingly established a “production chain” and were eager to get the coal business running, but they still lacked a “sales chain” to sell the coal.
Shen Yuan was responsible for persuading the county magistrates and prefects to grant the bandits “leniency” through backdoor channels, though the purchase price for coal would be significantly reduced. This allowed the bandits to profit through “small profits but quick returns.”
He ensured that the bandits’ profits every ten days would be exactly five times higher than what they typically gained from robbery, thereby suppressing their wild nature and making them willing to work diligently as the court’s “coal bosses.”
On Qiantai Mountain, Sheng Yiren’s fingers were flying over the abacus, nearly sparking from friction.
Based on the information relayed by the brothers from Qianjin Zhai, she estimated various expenses for workers, coal mines, and supervisors. Then, considering the price levels in different regions, she projected appropriate coal purchase prices and market rates.
This required not only highly flexible accounting skills but also a thorough understanding of local livelihoods. Fortunately, she had contacted the local chamber of commerce in Liaozhou and enlisted many people to help. Xie Chengze also nodded in agreement, allowing the coal business to be shared with the Liaozhou Chamber of Commerce to help revitalize local shops in Liaozhou and prepare for the subsequent “Ice and Snow Capital” plan.
With the chamber of commerce’s involvement, coal began to enter households across Liaozhou at an encouragingly rapid pace. News about coal also spread to other regions, attracting the attention of outsiders and merchants.
The craftsmen had long been released, and the joint chamber of commerce began promoting the safe use of Northeastern heated brick beds (kang) and coal in various counties, racing against time to prepare for the impending blizzard.
However, the bandit problem had not yet been fully resolved.
The bandits who had excavated coal mines were dealt with, but those who hadn’t were still unresolved.
The second new national law arrived belatedly.
[From this day forward, the court will suppress bandits in Liaozhou. Those willing to accept amnesty will be enlisted as soldiers, enjoying the treatment of the Standing Army.
Leaders will be appointed as regular commanders in the Standing Army and may bring two deputies, commanding a unit of up to fifty soldiers. They will assist the local Standing Army in clearing out rebels in the mountains.
The court is lenient, adhering to humanitarian principles and advocating for the Standing Army to spare the bandits’ lives, sending them to labor in Coal Mountain. Those who complete twenty days of mining with good conduct may also enlist as soldiers, freely choosing to join a preferred Standing Army unit. They will receive the court’s monthly salary and serve the court.]
This conveyed a clear message: as bandits, you could either accept amnesty directly and form your own Standing Army, or mine coal for twenty days before enlisting as minor soldiers in someone else’s Standing Army.
Only a fool would not choose the first option.
Now, bandit strongholds with coal mines directly transformed. They could not only earn substantial profits but also form their own Standing Army after making money, naturally avoiding the threat of suppression. Instead, they began eyeing other mountain bandits covetously.
Outside the mountains, a well-armed and battle-experienced court army waited watchfully, ready to make an example of any defiant bandits who dared to resist, drenching the snowy mountains in blood once more.
Some stubborn bandits unwilling to abandon their outlaw lives fled the mountains to seek other paths, but most bandits contemplated that accepting amnesty might not be such a bad idea after all.
Being a soldier is better than being a bandit. Even if money runs short, one can still use the soldier’s status to continue committing misdeeds, or simply return to being a mountain bandit. Either way, it’s no loss.
But it’s better to wait and see—something about this feels like a trap…
However, this period of observation quickly revealed something astonishing.
The notoriously elusive Black Tiger Fort had actually accepted an amnesty offer!
On that day, as goose-feather snow began to fall, accompanied by an earth-shaking tiger’s roar, the mysterious “First Leader” of Black Tiger Fort appeared wearing a blue demon mask astride a fierce and majestic white tiger. Two tall, burly bandit guards flanked him, followed by numerous bandit brothers.
They arrived at the Black Tiger City county government office and loudly declared their acceptance of the imperial amnesty.
The county magistrate who came out to receive them nearly lost his jaw and eyeballs at the sight.
The First Leader of Black Tiger Fort actually had a white tiger as his mount?!
Had his own fabricated nonsense actually come true?!
The magistrate swallowed hard, quietly distanced himself from the white tiger exhaling mist with ferocious eyes, and bowed obsequiously while inviting this “First Leader” into the government office.
Once inside, the “First Leader” finally removed the blue demon mask.
Revealed was none other than Xie Zimiao’s innocent and harmless face.
The true First Leader and Second Leader stood guard on either side of the white tiger.
As for how Xie Zimiao became the “First Leader” and why he could command the white tiger, we must go back half a month to explain.
After leaving Black Tiger City, Xie Chengze and Xie Zimiao split up.
Xie Chengze took Hu Lai and Wuji, disguised as merchants, to get captured by the bandits of Qianjin Zhai. Wuhen was tasked with tracking them to confirm the exact location of Qianjin Zhai before returning to Black Tiger City to fetch Xie Zimiao for investigating tiger tracks in Black Tiger Mountain.
This tiger had suddenly descended the mountain to attack people, suggesting there must be a reason. If the tiger proved inherently vicious, they would need to consider killing it on the spot. If there were other circumstances, Xie Chengze had already planned how to handle them.
So Wuhen took Xie Zimiao up Black Tiger Mountain to locate the site of the recent tiger attack. The tiger appeared quite intelligent, having covered its tracks, but Wuhen and Wuji had studied tracking techniques and eventually found the tigers hiding in a cave.
One yellow tiger, one white tiger.
Both tigers were in trouble.
The white tiger was pregnant and, when Wuhen and Xie Zimiao arrived, was in labor and experiencing difficulties.
The yellow tiger was injured. The people of Liaozhou were fierce by nature and would fight desperately when provoked. Presumably, during its conflict with the villagers, the yellow tiger had been severely wounded by their desperate resistance, bearing numerous wounds from woodcutting axes. It lay dazed on the ground, too weakened by blood loss to resist.
Seeing its pitiful state and coveting the white tiger’s cubs as a New Year’s gift for his second brother, Xie Zimiao untied his small bundle, carefully broke off a piece of old ginseng, and had Wuhen divide it to place in both tigers’ mouths.
Then he rolled up his sleeves and began assisting the white tiger’s delivery.
Xie Zimiao’s maternal uncle, Rou Fei’s elder brother, was Jiang Henan, the top imperial merchant of Yangzhou. This man was highly accomplished in business studies, with involvement in various industries, making him the wealthiest man in Yangzhou.
During the imperial consort selection that year, Rou Fei fell in love at first sight with the handsome Emperor Jian and desperately wished to enter the palace as a consort. Jiang Henan, who doted on his younger sister immensely, used a vast fortune to “purchase” the position of Rou Fei for her.
Of course, such a sum was merely a drop in the bucket for the Yangzhou Jiang family. To ensure his sister could freely leave the palace to visit him, he even ceded significant profits from several docks to the imperial family. Thus, whenever Rou Fei grew bored, she would take Xie Zimiao back to her maternal home in Yangzhou for family visits.
Jiang Henan was a man of many talents and great curiosity. To expand his livestock business, he would personally learn how to assist in animal deliveries, and would mischievously startle the young and curious Xie Zimiao by deliberately showing him his hands covered in dirty blood.
At first, Xie Zimiao was frightened, but through constant exposure, he gradually became desensitized and eventually learned midwifery from his uncle.
And so, in the cave, amid the white tigress’s suppressed groans, Xie Zimiao successfully delivered four tiger cubs—three with yellow and black stripes, and one with white stripes, just like its mother.
Tigers understand gratitude. Having saved both the male and female tigers at once, and even hunting fresh meat to feed the white tigress during her postpartum weakness, Xie Zimiao gradually turned the two tigers into oversized cats. They no longer bared their teeth at him threateningly but instead began licking his fur—or rather, his outer robe.
They nearly licked it bald.
Once the white tigress passed her postpartum recovery period, Xie Zimiao received a reply from Xie Chengze, instructing him to ride the tiger down the mountain and meet the Black Tiger Gang at the gates of Black Tiger City to discuss the official surrender.