Chapter 690: Returning North (Part 15)

Here is the translation of the web content to English, preserving the original HTML tags:"Well you... expensive fire!"
Young Master Wu's anger lasted for only two seconds.
His hungry and cold body couldn't sustain the hollow rage. After two seconds, Young Master Wu, who originally wanted to say something more, realized his current predicament with a sigh. His eyes lost spirit as he collapsed back onto the pile of firewood.
Huo Gui, with an average appearance, had a pair of shrewd eyes. Seeing the young master lying flat, he smiled knowingly, bent down, and placed the scattered jars, baskets, and bundles in his hands on the ground. "Young master, please have something to eat. The hospitality has been inadequate, and I suppose you must be hungry."
"Yes?"
The young master Wu, who had been lying back down, was now in high spirits. He quickly sat up and reached into the basket, grabbing a coarse grain bun and swallowing it in large bites. However, after just a couple of mouthfuls, he choked. He hurriedly grabbed the water jug from the ground and gulped it down in one go, finally managing to swallow the dry food.
Huo Gui sat down on a pile of dry grass unhurriedly, "Young Master, eat slowly. There's no rush."
"Hmph!"
While chewing on the food brought by others, Young Master Wu showed no appreciation, "A servant who betrays his master for glory, a treacherous villain!"
"Haha."
Fire Precious was not angry at all, and replied calmly: "I'm afraid I can't be called the seller... We each serve our own masters, that's all."
Upon hearing this, Young Master Wu stopped talking and began to bury his head in eating dry rations. Just now, he was momentarily angry and couldn't help but spit out a sentence. Now, seeing Fire Precious's victorious attitude, he knew that if he provoked him further, he might be in danger of losing his life.
Here is the translation with original HTML tags preserved:In fact, Huogui didn't really care about the attitude of this rich young master. He and Wu Fazheng had only interacted a couple of times and had no real friendship to speak of.
The main person he came to visit was Manager Wu. Although Huogui had initially infiltrated the Yixinlong company with an organizational mission, Manager Wu had indeed treated him well for a long time, which could be considered a personal relationship.
Therefore, without violating the principles, Huogui brought dry food in advance. It should be noted that according to the rules, after getting the hostage, the kidnapper would starve them for at least two or three days, exhausting their energy and spirit, before providing food and water.
Just at this moment, with a few slight coughs, Wu the shopkeeper woke up. Seeing the shopkeeper awake, Wu Fazheng hurriedly picked up the water jug and first fed him two mouthfuls of water.
After drinking two mouthfuls of water, Wu the shopkeeper instantly became energized. He held the water jug himself and drank a few more mouthfuls.
In the short time it took to take a few sips of water, although no one spoke in the room, Wu Zhang Gui had already clearly assessed the situation.
Unlike Wu Fa Zheng, in the eyes of Wu Zhang Gui, who dealt with practical matters on a daily basis, there was not as much hostility towards Huo Gui.
Or, in Wu Zhanggui's opinion, this time it was mainly a personal vendetta between Yixinlong and several bandit groups.
The bandit groups had initially put in a lot of effort and determination to plant Huogui as a mole. Even if he hadn't sheltered this person, the bandits would surely find a way to send someone else.
In the end, it all comes down to the fact that their own fence wasn't tightly woven. As for Huogui, he was just an ordinary bandit. Having witnessed too many human treacheries, Boss Wu had resentment towards Huogui, but no extra hatred.
"Thanks for bringing me water, Brother Huo," said Wu, the shopkeeper, wiping his mouth with a calm expression after finishing the water.
Huo Gui, who had been upgraded to the status of a brother, faced the slight mockery with a faint smile on his face. Instead of minding it, he reached out his hand and passed over a steamed bun, "Have something to eat, Shopkeeper."
The young master Wu, who reads the books of the sages and virtuous men, was not pretentious, and the shopkeeper Wu was even less so. He took the steamed bun and started munching on it right away.
Perhaps feeling that his conscience was not quite satisfied, Huigui revealed a few more comforting words at this point: "Last night, the two big bosses agreed on the terms, and the leaders of Yixinlong followed the Guangyi gang. Don't panic, you two. With me here, you will not suffer."
With Huo Gui's explanation, Wu Zhanggui immediately understood what would happen next: they would be escorted by the Guangyi Gang to their hideout, and then a long wait would ensue. Only when the business firm handed over the ransom money to the Guangyi Gang through an intermediary would they be able to break free from their predicament.
All of the above operations were just ordinary procedures, as expected by Wu Zhanggui. However, what he didn't anticipate was that the people in the business would ultimately be separated into two groups based on their class.
After hearing and understanding clearly, Innkeeper Wu stopped chewing, raised his head and asked, "So, does this mean that you fellows are going to stay in the Taihang Mountains for the New Year?"
"Indeed."
Fire Gui dropped a bookish remark, then untied a flowery cloth bundle on the ground, and stated in a somewhat meritorious manner, "The valuables are gone, but most of the other items are here."
Inside the unfolded bundle, there was a pile of scattered items.
These were all personal belongings of Young Master Wu and Shopkeeper Wu, including personal seals, brushes, ink, paper, books, and other inconspicuous objects. The items that looked valuable at first glance, such as lighters and leather boots, had long been looted by others.
"Sigh......"
Wu sighed, "You're so thoughtful."
Finally feeling a sense of accomplishment and a clear conscience, Huogui grinned as he picked up a few pages of the manuscript. As he flipped through them, he absentmindedly added, "You two elders may need to stay in solitary confinement for a few days. Having these writings to pass the time will be good."
"Hmph."
The young master Wu, who had just found time to nibble on two steamed buns, really didn't want to see the ugly face of the traitor at this moment. As he lay down on the woodpile, he murmured leisurely, "Be careful not to hold the book upside down when you try to read without any knowledge."
Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:"Young master, you're already in such a state, yet you still put on airs?"
This time, Fire Precious was truly angered into laughter by Young Master Wu's attitude: "From beginning to end, you've been looking down on me."
Shuo Hua, the Fire Demon, unfolded a manuscript, coughed twice to clear his throat, and began to read: "The Shanghai Cotton Spinning Factory No. 1 covers an area of 150 mu, with complete equipment for cotton ginning, spinning, and weaving, all driven by the power of coal and fire, utilizing the most ingenious machinery. This factory has more than 10,000 spindles and over 1,000 young and strong textile workers, producing 4,000 bolts of coarse and fine cloth per month, which is the foundation of the country."
Here is the translation with original HTML tags preserved:At this point, Huogui suddenly fell silent.
Young Master Wu, lying on the pile of firewood, struggled to resist the urge to turn his head.
In fact, his mouth had already opened wide in surprise. It never occurred to him that Huogui, this crude and uneducated hooligan, was actually literate... If Young Master Wu had transmigrated, he would ask: Are bandits these days all so well-equipped? Is it really that competitive?
What Young Master Wu did not know was that Gui, whose face was covered by the manuscript, was also wide-eyed, looking as if he had seen a ghost.
He scanned through the text ten lines at a time, and then switched to another manuscript. The first few lines of the other one read: The ship's length is twenty zhang and a bit, with an iron skeleton and wooden armor, manned by three hundred brave and strong men. Inside, it is equipped with more than seventy general's giant cannons, capable of penetrating gold and splitting stones within a range of three li. The ship is propelled by the great power of coal and fire, and can travel a hundred li in a day. It is called the Fujian, a military asset of the nation.
"Cough... Cough..."
Suddenly, the sound of Hokki's coughing echoed in the room. The next moment, with a flushed face, Hokki bent down, picked up the bundle, covered his chest, and hurriedly walked towards the outer room: "I'll... I'll leave in the afternoon... I'll keep the bundle for you two first, so that no one will steal it again."
——————————————————————————
In the afternoon, at the village entrance.
Guangyi, the leader of the gang, bids farewell to his brothers and the heroes of Taihang.
"Take care, my good brothers. Let's meet again after the New Year!"
"We shall keep our promise! However, the matter after the New Year is a bit tricky. I hope you can plan it carefully, my dear elder brother!"
"Rest assured, this time I will do my best as a young man in the mountains and will not let my brothers down!"
"I'm just looking forward to joining forces with my elder brother once again! Haha, once everything is settled, let's go to Tianjin and have some fun together!"
Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:"Haha, I must meet with my brothers in Tianjin!"
After exchanging a few customary words and making arrangements, Ha Liu gave an order. Several dozen elite cavalry from the Guangyi gang waved their whips and turned their horses around, escorting the few carriages in the middle as they set off.
Compared to the initial scale of the Yixinlong horse team, the horse team formed by the Guangyi gang this time only had five carriages, much smaller in scale.
Among the five carriages, four of them were loaded with the refined goods that had been screened and selected. The remaining carriage carried Wu Zhanggui, Young Master Wu, and the bodyguard nicknamed "Monk".
In the previous battle at Wuhuodun, the merchant convoy suffered heavy casualties. The final explosion caused the guard captain Wu Qian and the mute guard, who were standing above the city gate at the time, to be killed in action.
With this arrangement, including the guard monk, only three high-ranking members of the merchant group were able to leave with the caravan. The remaining servants were sold to the Taihang gang at a discounted price.
After setting off, the group did not follow along the Taihang Mountains but instead went straight onto the official road and headed east.
Since everyone was riding, the journey was very fast. Wu Zhanggui and his two companions also unexpectedly received the special treatment of a dedicated carriage...... However, the doors and windows of the carriage were all tightly sealed with canvas, so the passengers only knew the general direction of the convoy but could not determine the exact coordinates.
From Yi County to the east, it is about 150 li to Yongqing. After the caravan spent a day and night reaching Yongqing, they changed their route and headed north. Eventually, on the evening of the second day, the caravan arrived at the entrance of a large farm located between Gu'an and Langfang.
This location, in later generations, has become close to the suburbs of Beijing, belonging to a speculative area that can seize the opportunity to hype up housing prices.
However, in the seventeenth century, it was just a farm...... In fact, at the end of the Ming Dynasty, most of the land around Langfang was occupied by the fields and imperial estates of the imperial family and aristocracy, and there was no trace of self-employed farmers in the suburbs of Beijing.
Not long after Ha Liu personally went forward to negotiate, the manor gates opened wide. The pot-bellied steward Xue, accompanied by several dozen equally sturdy guards on horseback, welcomed the Guangyi Gang members into the manor.
A manor with dozens of "manor guards" is naturally no ordinary farm. This establishment is specifically used to receive the Guangyi Gang and then serve as a place to sell stolen goods. Its owner is Xue Lian, the current Vice General of the Beijing Garrison and the Marquis of Yangwu.
Compared to the high-ranking nobles and officials like Ding Guogong and Cheng Guogong, Xue Lian can only be considered a second-tier figure among the noble military officials.
The reason why Ha Liu had previously received orders to launder money at this location is twofold. Firstly, Xue Lian is a person who loves wealth and has a low bottom line, not caring about the means for the sake of money. Secondly, Xue Lian is in charge of some troops in the capital's garrison, having a certain level of strength under his command, which is stronger than most empty-headed nobles. Therefore, the Beijing branch needs to win over this person to use him at critical moments.
Upon entering the village, the first thing to do was naturally to inspect the goods.
The servants in the manor opened the goods on the cart one by one.
Before long, after inspecting the goods, the pot-bellied steward couldn't help but laugh heartily: "Mr. Ha has great skills; these are all hot-selling items."
"Carefully pack them up, there are marks on the inside."
"Don't worry, they are all experienced hands and won't make any mistakes."
Just like that, a brief transaction of fencing stolen goods was completed. According to the usual procedure, this batch of goods stamped with the Yixinlong mark would first be re-cleaned, repackaged, and bundled by the servants in the manor.
Afterwards, the guards in the manor will escort the goods to the capital city and sell them through the Xue family's business channels, earning huge profits.
This series of operations has nothing to do with the clear-cut Boss Ha. Boss Ha had already received a stack of banknotes from Steward Xue earlier, and the two families have settled their accounts.
At this point, the Lord of Ha had finally completed the entire process of "doing business". The relaxed members of the Guangyi gang were then arranged to stay in several courtyards within the manor.
These courtyards are regularly used to receive Lord Ha and his subordinates, and everyone is familiar with the internal and external situations. After settling in, the weary cavalry hastily consumed some wine and food before retiring to rest.
When subordinates rest, it doesn't mean the leader can rest. After patrolling the surroundings, arranging the sentries, and checking on the captives, Ha Liu looked up at the bright moon hanging in the sky and yawned. He returned to his courtyard, drew a bucket of cold well water, and washed his face, feeling refreshed. Only then did he return to the main hall.
In the main hall, five people were already waiting for him.
These five people were Ту Er'ye, the red-faced second master of the house; the young round-faced accountant surnamed Li; two cavalry squad leaders; and the ordinary-looking Huo Gui.
After entering the room, Haliu first extended his hand, signaling to everyone that there was no need to stand up and salute. Then he plopped down on a chair and said with a smile, "I know everyone is tired. Let's just hold on a little longer and finish the meeting first, so we can have a good sleep tomorrow."
Seeing no objections from anyone, Halu cleared his throat and solemnly announced, "I declare the temporary meeting of the First Special Operations Squadron of the Flying Tiger Company has begun. The host is Squadron Leader Halu, and the recorder is Communications Staff Officer Lee Jun-ki. Attendees include Tu Rong, Qian x, Sun x... and the special envoy from the Tianjin Station, Huo Gui."
Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:After finishing the opening remarks, Haliudi said to the round-faced accountant: "For the first item, let's have Xiao Li evaluate for everyone the completion status of the mission codenamed 'Severed Tendon'."
Li Zhun-ji, who is in charge of the field radio station and responsible for receiving and sending reports, is the second-in-command of the special service squadron as designated by the superiors.
As one can tell from his name, this person is definitely a loyal immigrant youth who was personally named and cultivated by Chuanyue Zhong. He is an imperial elite, holding the financial and supervisory power of the special service squadron, and bears the resemblance of a political commissar in the army of later generations.
After acknowledging the request to report, Li Zhun Ji took out a small notebook from his inner jacket pocket and began to read: "The three targets of this mission, according to my assessment, are as follows: firstly, Ma Jie's group has been completely eliminated, so the completion rate of the first target is one hundred percent."
Upon hearing this, Ha Liu nodded, "Yes, Ma Jie Bu was known as Ma Fei, but in reality, he was a spy from the north. This time, we finally lured him over and eliminated him, which can be considered ridding ourselves of a scourge."
After Chief of Staff Li and the other captains finished their summary, he continued reading: "The second target, the Yixinlong Merchant Convoy, has an estimated completion rate of ninety percent, given that the key figure, the mute, was killed in the explosion."
"The third target is the Taihang gang. Based on the information we have now, there is a high probability that Gu Ming will lead his people down the mountain after the New Year. I am personally optimistic about achieving the final goal."
Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:"Well, overall, the progress on this task has been quite good."
At this time, Haliu shed his image as a bandit leader and tried his best to use the "official speak" he learned from the Flying Tiger Regiment to host the meeting: "I am about to return to Tianjin to report on my duties. After the new year, it will be up to Old Tu and Staff Officer Li."
The vice captain of the special forces, whose real name was Tu Rong, nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "Don't worry, I guarantee the mission will be completed."
Ha Liu thought about it and still felt uneasy, so he reiterated: "Don't mind Gu Ming, just scout out the Taihang troops coming down the mountain, and immediately send a telegram to Tianjin to guide the main forces to 'herd the sheep'."
Speaking of this, Ha Liu looked worriedly towards the night sky in the south: "It is said that the fortress sent by the Marshal to the South Seas to plant flags and establish a presence has been besieged by the local chief, and the battle between the two sides is fierce and brutal."
"Always short-staffed......"