On that night, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong were consulting with each other about some details concerning their journey to the capital city when Wang Dashan came bringing with him a message.

“Young Master, people of He family left the city under cover of night!”

“How long has it been since they left?”

“About a quarter.”

Ling Zhang rose to his feet. “Did the yamen take any actions?”

Wang Dashan shook his head. “No. People of He family had disguised themselves before leaving, so the guards at the city gate were unaware that they were trying to escape. It was the man we’d planted in He family who discovered that the patriarch and his family were gone and reported to me.”

“What about Zhou family?”

“There hasn’t been any messages from Zhou family so far.”

“Send someone to inform the yamen. All others are to follow me to the city gate. We’ll go out and hunt them down.”

Yuwen Tong also stood up. “I’ll go with you.”

The two of them took the security guards and left the city on that very night. The guards at the city gate were startled when they saw the group. Though unaware of why they were leaving the city with so many men in the dead of night, none of them dared to stop Yuwen Tong and inquire about it.

People of He family had manifestly made preparations some time ago. They had had some horse-drawn carriages and horses ready outside the city beforehand. After their family members split into small groups and got through the city gate, they began fleeing.

They had been very discreet. Nobody except their most trusted servant had been informed of their escape plan, and they even directly abandoned all their estates and businesses!

“People of He family must have been scared **less when they saw how Jia family ended up,” observed Ling Zhang, but at same time, he was somewhat surprised. People of Jia family had been involved in multiple murders, which was why severe penalties had been meted out to them, but people of He family, though having colluded with Zhang Chong, their crimes were not punishable by death. Exactly what it was that they were afraid of?

‘Have He family by any chance also committed some other evil doings known only to themselves?”

It took them some time to overtake He family. People of He family paled visibly with terror when they saw Ling Zhang, Yuwen Tong and their men catch up.

He Zhongming got out of his horse-drawn carriage and made a bow with hands folded in front. “I’m honored to humbly bow before you, Marshal. May I ask why Marshal and your men intercepted us?”

“I have a question as well. Why did you take all your family and make such a hasty escape in the dead of night?” Yuwen Tong inquired of him.

“Ur… I’m afraid you misunderstood, Marshal. We are but on our way to Yan Zhou to visit someone,” replied He Zhongming.

“To visit someone? At this hour of the night?” asked Ling Zhang rhetorically in a flinty tone of voice.

He Zhongming flicked him a glance. “There’s something you don’t know about this matter, Childe Ling. One of our relatives had an emergency. It was really short notice, which was why we departed at night.”

“Is that so? It’s not because you are afraid that somebody will find out about your evil deeds, that all your family will end up in prison like people of Jia family did?”

Beads of cold sweat were oozing out of the brow of He Zhongming. “Of course not. We’ve always been doing business fair and square. Never once have we done anything as evil as what Jia family did.”

“But to my knowledge, He family owns a tavern in the Qi County. And you covertly deliver grains to bushrangers on the Grand Mang Mountain on a monthly basis, so it’s safe to say that He family will be convicted of collusion with bushrangers,” Yuwen Tong suddenly said.

Even Ling Zhang was somewhat surprised to hear it. He had been unaware of this matter.

As if having just been struck by lightning, He Zhongming paled visibly and slumped to his knees.

Other members of He family nearly passed out from horror. He Zhongming’s parents, who were of advanced years, looked at their son in shock and involuntarily pointed at him. Their fingers trembled for quite a while before they blacked out due to unduly intense anger.

People of He family were instantly thrown into confusion.

He Zhongming kowtowed and, with his forehead against the ground, pleaded in a quivering voice, “Marshal, Childe Ling, He family are willing to give up all assets in change for our lives. Please have mercy on us, Marshal, Childe Ling!”

“He Zhongming, you really have some balls. You dared to bribe me,” commented Yuwen Tong flintily.

“Please spare my family, Marshal. I promise all my family will lead a secluded life and never get involved in anybody else’s business ever again,” He Zhongming continued.

“The Great Yue has its national law. One cannot draw a circle absent compasses, nor a rectangle absent a carpenter’s square. Since He family dared to commit such a felony, you should have had the mental preparation for being found out. During these years, those bushrangers on the Grand Mang Mountain have slaughtered all people in several villages, committing heinous crimes. Yet people of He family have been providing grains for these cold-blooded murderers. Your crimes are no less grave than theirs. I won’t let you get away with it on those deceased villagers’ account alone.”

“Marshal!” He Zhongming was reduced to a loud cry. In a tearful voice, he implored, “I’m begging you. Please have mercy on my family. I’m willing to go back with you to be punished. But my children and parents have done nothing wrong.”

“He Zhongming!” Ling Zhang snapped. “Those villagers butchered by bushrangers were no less innocent than your family. Some of them were in their advanced age, and some of them were still learning to speak. Did anybody spare them when they were begging for their lives? You and your family have been enjoying the wealth gained at the cost of so many innocent people’s blood. None of you is going to get away with that. Stop playing piteous. If you’ve got anything else to say, say it to Lord Tao when you are in the court of law. He will decide according to the law who shall be spared and who shall be punished.”

‘This He Zhongming guy is so hateful. Is he trying to put pressure on Yuwen Tong with the lives of his family? Is he going to accuse Yuwen Tong of being merciless if his request is denied?’ Ling Zhang wondered.

He Zhongming raised his head and stared fixedly at Ling Zhang. “Childe Ling, He family never offended Ling family.”

“Neither did those villagers massacred by bushrangers offend He family. You are being ridiculous.” Ling Zhang’s face was even colder than that of He Zhongming. “Guards! Escort all people of He family back to Tanyang and hand them over to Lord Tao!”

Unexpectedly, in the knowledge that things had reached the point of no return, He Zhongming, face deathly white, felt a fit of resentment, rose to his feet and abruptly charged at Ling Zhang’s horse with a ferocious look on his face.

This time, Wang Dashan and others who were behind Ling Zhang quickly reacted. They immediately moved to the front of Ling Zhang’s horse and Wang Dashan gave He Zhongming a kick which sent him flying. “How dare you!”

“Ah!” He Zhongming let out a pained screech and nearly fainted.

That hard kick left him powerless to make any more trouble. Along with his family, He Zhongming was escorted back to Tanyang. Tao Feng held a court trial on that very night and then put all people of He family in jail.

News of He family’s evil deeds soon spread through the whole Tanyang. The next day, Tanyang witnessed one upheaval after another. Apart from that of He family, property of Zhou family, Li family and all other squires who used to be deeply involved in Zhang Chong’s crimes were inventoried and then confiscated. And more people were thrown into prison.

After that, all these people, who used to be unruly in Tanyang in the past, were investigated. Penalties were meted out to them according to how deep their involvement in Zhang Chong’s rebellion had been. Their estates and businesses were also inventoried and then confiscated.

After a couple of days, residents of Tanyang found that, from the fall of these families, some obscure families began to rise. These families, as if having made preparations for this some time ago, replaced those fallen ones and quickly filled the vacancies in Tanyang. Covertly headed by Ling family and Lu family, they became a new powerful force to be reckoned with in Tanyang.

All those with discerning eyes had come to understand what had happened. Those who failed to see the truth also knew that these people were now the new elite of Tanyang, that for Tanyang, a new era had come.

What was particularly noteworthy was that the mine of Jia family had been acquired by a couple of upstarts and was under their common ownership.

After another couple of days, tension brought by this disturbance gradually died away and with that laughter and joy returned to the streets and alleys of Tanyang.

Those strange flags and banners were gone. Residents could now do business and go in or out of Tanyang secure in the knowledge that bushrangers and bandits were no longer a threat.

Those living in towns and villages near Tanyang were the happiest. Finally, they had been rid of the concern that some day, when they were unable to pay enough protection money, bandits would come and slaughter them all.

Tanyang, as if having been reborn, was in a new and dynamic atmosphere.

At this time, Yang Liuzi and the other eleven security guards, who had caught up on rudimentary knowledge of formation, were receiving training in the first array of the Trap-and-kill Formation.

“You should bring Wang Dashan and his men to the capital city as well. Doesn’t this formation convert into a 24-men formation that is powerful in both attack and defense? Bring Wang Dashan’s men and you won’t be needing anybody else.”

Yuwen Tong advised Ling Zhang to take Wang Dashan and others with him.

“But if I take them to the capital city, who’s going to protect my family?” asked Ling Zhang. He couldn’t take all family security guards away.

“I’ve already dispatched a team here to provide covert protection for your family, and they may recruit some new security guards and take their time training them. It is you who will be in greater need of guards and protection, because you’ll be in the capital city.”

Ling Zhang looked at him in surprise. “You dispatched some men here? Are they your soldiers? If by any chance anybody finds out about this, they might use it against you. You–”

Yuwen Tong replied, “Under certain circumstances, they are my soldiers, but under other circumstances, they are not.”

Ling Zhang was thrown into confusion. “What do you mean?”

“They are just my men. When I am the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Great Yue, they are my soldiers, but if some day I’m no longer in command, they are just my men who have nothing to do with the armed forces of the Great Yue, which is also the case for Yao Yi and my other bodyguards,” explained Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang’s eyes widened with shock. Though Yuwen Tong didn’t put it in an explicit way, there was an unmistakable undertone which suggested that these men were his private army…

Startled, Ling Zhang hurriedly looked around vigilantly for fear that somebody might be eavesdropping.

“There’s nobody around,” Yuwen Tong informed him.

On hearing this, Ling Zhang was relieved, and then said, “Ar–Are you not afraid of being found out? What if somebody finds out about it? This is a felony!”

Yuwen Tong gave a mysterious smile. “If the day comes when I’m convicted of this felony, this country…”

“What?” Ling Zhang, who failed to distinguish the latter half of the sentence, fixed him with a gaze of perplexity.

“I know where the limit is. Are you afraid of being with me?” Yuwen Tong looked at him.

Ling Zhang also stared back at him. Eventually, he heaved a sigh. “Whatever. But remember to inform me if anything does happen, so that I’ll have a chance to make my escape.”

Yuwen Tong cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at him. “And forsake me?”

Ling Zhang gave a soft snort. “I’ll take you with me –grudgingly.”

Yuwen Tong chuckled.

“This might not be a bad idea. More manpower will provide extra convenience when I’m in the capital city. I think I should recruit more men before departure.”

His plan was upset and, in the realization that some more matters had just been added to his to-do list, Ling Zhang, who began to have headaches, ignored Yuwen Tong and fell to making arrangements.

Yuwen Tong, who had just been disregarded, was speechless.

And he also felt faintly annoyed.

Ling Zhang decided to recruit some new family security guards. Wang Dashan and his men rejoiced in the knowledge that all of them were going to the capital city with Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhaowen told Ling Zhang, “Let me handle this. All you need to do is make sure that you have everything you need in your traveling bag.”

Then Ling Zhaowen quickly took over this matter and soon recruited twenty-four new family security guards. Preliminary inquiries showed that all of them came from clean background.

Ling Zhang was somewhat surprised. ‘Since when did uncle start making preparations for this?’

Yuwen Tong also made another offer. “If you want these people to learn the Trap-and-Kill Formation as well, I’ll tell Xie Shi to stay. He may instruct them first and then return to the capital city.”

Ling Zhang didn’t decline. Yuwen Tong’s man’s assistance with the training would spare him from a lot of trouble.

Things went as planned and after another couple of days, someone on a fast horse from the capital city arrived in Tanyang, galloping directly towards the residence of Ling family, who brought with him a message bound to cause another sensation.