HUS Chapter 71: I Want to Cover the Sky
HUS Chapter 71: I Want to Cover the Sky
January 9
There were fewer than ten horses kept in Feng'an Fortress in total, and Yang Can used them all.
Although Yang Can and his group had changed course midway, which shortened the straight-line distance, they had spent quite some effort climbing over that large mountain.
Yang Can was afraid that this delay would cause him to arrive after the two sides had already begun fighting.
Therefore, he had those able-bodied young men proceed slowly while he and those with horses rushed ahead first.
As it turned out, they were still a step too late. However, for Kang Zhengyang, Yang Can's arrival was not late at all, it was perfectly timed.
"Estate Head!" Kang Zhengyang called out in surprise and delight.
"Has everything been resolved already?"
"Resolved."
"Who were they?"
"We don't know who they were either, but..."
Kang Zhengyang said with a bitter smile, "But after seeing the goods they were transporting, I'm afraid this will be big trouble."
"Goods? What's wrong with their goods?"
Kang Zhengyang said with difficulty, "Estate Head... if you turn back right now and don't ask any questions, Kang... wouldn't blame you for it."
"Hmm? What exactly is it? Why all this mystery?"
Yang Can found this somewhat amusing. He strode over and boldly pulled back the tarpaulin with one motion.
"It can't possibly be a cart full of naked men that would be an eyesore... right?"
The smile didn't disappear, it just froze.
The time it takes to drink a cup of tea... the time it takes for an incense stick to burn...
At some point between drinking a cup of tea and burning an incense stick, Yang Can blinked his eyes then, he slowly covered the tarpaulin back up and carefully smoothed it out.
"Corps Commander Kang, if Yang walks away right now, do you think I still have a chance?"
Kang Zhengyang didn't answer, only looked left and right at the hundred or so men slowly gathering around them.
Yang Can gave a bitter laugh. He finally understood what big trouble Kang Zhengyang had gotten into.
He was the Second Steward of the Yu family's eldest branch main lineage and also the Estate Head of Feng'an Estate.
Now that he had arrived, whether or not he had actually seen what was in the cart no longer mattered.
The owner of this shipment couldn't possibly believe he didn't know, and might even think that all of Kang Zhengyang's actions were carried out under his instructions.
Want to stay out of it?
No, he was now the mastermind.
I must be in my "Mercury retrograde period" this year!
Yang Can thought to himself, I've been in this world for three years now, and things have been fine all along but this year has been so chaotic. First I was dragged into the water by Suo Zhanzhi, and now I've plunged headfirst into a sinkhole.
He sighed inwardly and forced himself to scan the "battlefield" that hadn't yet been cleaned up.
"Corps Commander Kang, do many people normally pass through this gorge?"
"Not many, very few!"
Kang Zhengyang's mouth seemed to contain a slice of bitter melon as he grimaced with difficulty.
"Beyond this valley entrance is a grassland where a Xianbei tribe often grazes their animals.
This isn't the route to the Western Regions. Unless someone is doing business with the Xianbei tribe, merchants won't come this way.
Those Xianbei people are lawless. Seeing money and committing murder and robbery is a common occurrence. There aren't many merchants, let alone common people."
"So, this shipment... is very likely a transaction between these people and the Xianbei?"
Hearing him put it this way, Kang Zhengyang realized, "That's right! Very likely."
Yang Can stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, then asked, "How long is this valley passage, and which tribe controls the area beyond?"
"The mountain pass is less than four li long. Beyond it is grassland, and the tribe's chieftain is called Bali Mo, an extremely cruel and warlike man."
Yang Can gave Kang Zhengyang a meaningful look. Kang Zhengyang quickly stepped forward, and the two stood beneath a cliff.
"Corps Commander Kang, are all these carts full of armor?"
"Yes..."
"Regardless of who this armor belongs to or who they're selling it to, this person's power is so great that neither you nor I can resist it."
"Yes..."
How could Kang Zhengyang not know this?
Even if an ordinary person had money, they'd have no place to obtain armor.
This person must have both wealth and power.
You must understand that the production requirements for armor are extremely high, and it's time-consuming and labor-intensive.
The creation of a suit of armor generally requires a craftsman to work for half a year to a year.
If it's the bright light armor used by nobles and generals, it might even require skilled craftsmen several years to forge a single suit but the effectiveness of armor is truly immense. The combat ability of someone wearing armor versus not wearing it is like heaven and earth.
Take any military general in battle formation, not to mention being killed, injuries are inevitable, right?
Just this injury might cause them to lose combat effectiveness on the spot.
Even a small wound could lead to death from infection but wearing armor can at least block more than seventy percent of the damage for them.
Equipment that can save a life already has immeasurable value.
Moreover, once this armor is worn, it's like having nine lives like a cat?
Precisely because armor has such great utility and is difficult to produce, the owner absolutely won't let this matter rest.
Kang Zhengyang said anxiously, "Estate Head, what if we send this armor to Phoenix Mountain Manor?"
"The Clan Head will certainly investigate thoroughly, but before the Clan Head finds out the truth, you and I might already be dead."
Kang Zhengyang's expression stiffened, but he knew that although Yang Can's words were harsh, they were all honest truth.
To put it bluntly, Yang Can might still have a way out.
After all, Yang Can had improved the plow and waterwheel, which made him quite famous.
The Clan Head might recall him to Phoenix Mountain Manor to keep him safe. That way, regardless of who wanted to deal with him, the difficulty would be much greater but what about himself?
Most likely he could only pray for his own good fortune.
"Estate Head, how about we bury the armor and say we never caught up with those bandits?"
"How would we explain the people who are already dead?"
"We could say... we caught up with them, fought a great battle, and the bandits escaped?"
The corners of Yang Can's mouth twitched, feeling both amused and exasperated.
"Corps Commander Kang, are you trying to deceive the owner of this armor shipment or the Clan Head?"
Kang Zhengyang was stunned for a moment, then understood his meaning.
Right, our goal is to make the owner of this armor shipment not target us.
My plan... has absolutely no effect on that.
Kang Zhengyang said with difficulty, "Then... does the Estate Head have any solution?"
"I've thought of an idea, but..."
Yang Can looked at the corps soldiers slowly gathering in the valley. "Among them, how many people know about this matter? Can you make them keep their mouths shut?"
"Those who heard or saw, fewer than ten people, all brothers who can be trusted..."
Yang Can said, "I'm asking, can you make them keep their mouths shut!"
"Yes, as long as you give the word, Estate Head, they will absolutely keep their mouths shut. Even if they get drunk, they wouldn't dare say anything."
Hearing such a definite answer, Yang Can couldn't help but think of Zhang Yunyi, who could cover the sky with one hand.
No matter how great the grievance, before Zhang Yunyi fell, the villagers didn't dare breathe a word of it.
Simply because they had lived there for generations, and offending the local tyrant had far more terrible consequences than offending a passing dragon and now, Yang Can was no longer alone either.
In Feng'an Estate, there was a large group of new vested interests who depended on him.
He was now the new local tyrant of Feng'an Estate.
"Additionally, Kang will give the order that if anyone dares to talk too much and bring disaster, I'll make his entire family wish they were dead!"
When he said this, Kang Zhengyang's expression became somewhat fierce.
In a matter of life and death, no one would be careless.
Moreover, he was never a soft-hearted old farmer to begin with.
Yang Can nodded. "Excellent. I have a plan that might divert the trouble eastward."
What plan could this be?
Kang Zhengyang looked at Yang Can, and his ox-like eyes instantly became "bright and shining."
Yang Can said, "Someone who can produce so much armor for a transaction is definitely no ordinary person, and their methods must be extraordinary as well.
Therefore, we must take multiple simultaneous approaches and deliberately create confusion, with truth mixed with falsehood and falsehood mixed with truth. Only this way do we have a chance to deceive them."
Kang Zhengyang said carefully, "So, specifically what should we do? Please instruct us, Estate Head!"
...
Soon, those who had seen the armor or heard something about it were gathered together by Kang Zhengyang for a stern lecture.
Kang Zhengyang was severe in voice and expression, full of killing intent, breaking down and grinding fine the serious consequences if the matter were exposed, explaining it all clearly to them.
There was no choice. This was the experience these grassroots leaders had accumulated over a long period.
Even in modern society where everyone has received a good education, there are still people who simply can't understand what's being said.
In this era, most people were illiterate, and combined with isolation and immobility, many people's comprehension abilities were even worse.
The good thing was that these people were all single-minded. As long as you got their pulse right, they were particularly easy to manage, just like herding cattle and sheep.
The bad thing was that what you thought was a very simple principle, they truly didn't understand!
You had to use words they could understand and carefully explain everything to them in detail.
Kang Zhengyang made sure each and every one of them realized the serious consequences of this matter before following Yang Can's instructions to arrange for people to clean up the battlefield.
The cleanup task Yang Can arranged was very simple.
The felled trees were dragged to the roadside and left there, with no need to drag them into the dense forest.
The corpses of those mountain goods smugglers were also left where they were, not even buried.
The bloodstains and signs of fighting on the ground were also completely ignored. However, the cart with the damaged wheel was repaired on the spot.
This type of long-distance cart carried spare parts for wheels, axles, hubs, and spokes on board.
There were plenty of people in the village who could repair carts. Using the spare parts for replacement, they could quickly restore the cart to its original condition.
The other corps soldiers mainly cleaned up traces on the mountaintop and slopes that clearly belonged to them.
After these tasks were assigned, Yang Can called Kang Zhengyang and Leopard Head to his side.
Kang Zhengyang already knew Yang Can's plan, and his expression showed both tension and excitement.
Leopard Head, however, looked completely bewildered.
Yang Can said, "Dakuan, Corps Commander Kang, each of you select a few people. I want people with good martial skills, sharp wits, and who are absolutely trustworthy."
Those who met all these conditions were, of course, first and foremost their brothers and nephews.
Yang Can said, "Then, you will go..."
Yang Can instinctively lowered his voice. After a round of instructions, Kang Zhengyang immediately responded in a solemn voice.
Leopard Head was extremely surprised by Yang Can's instructions, but he didn't ask anything.
Since following Yang Can, he seemed less prominent than before, but in reality he had gained far too many benefits.
The Cheng family was now the number one household in Feng'an Estate below the Yang family and the Yang family currently had only Yang Can alone, so the Cheng family's prominence in Feng'an Estate was obvious and all of this was given to him by Master Yang.
"Yes, sir!" Leopard Head immediately clasped his hands and agreed.
Soon, the two each selected four or five people, all of them their brothers, cousins, and their sons and nephews.
These people mounted the warhorses Yang Can had brought and galloped along the newly cleared mountain path toward the other side of the mountain.
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