1.15 Setting an Example for Every Household in Yangzhou

Volume One
1.15 Setting an Example for All Families in Yangzhou

Outside the city of Yangzhou, by the shores of Slender West Lake.

This area was originally a connected body of water formed by the city moats of successive dynasties since the Song era. Because it maintained a constant flow of fresh water linked to the Grand Canal and underwent repeated renovations and expansions by prominent local families over the generations, it eventually became a continuous cluster of lakeside gardens.

Nestled by hills and water, with picturesque scenery, it was an ideal place for wealthy merchants and influential clans to settle.

Each of the eight great salt merchant families had their own enterprises, and essentially the entire clan lived here.

But this was limited by their social status.

Whether salt merchants or wealthy businessmen, at their core they were still merchants. In the feudal era, the four social classes—scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—were strictly ranked. Although the specifics varied over time, the policy of “valuing agriculture and suppressing commerce” had never changed since the Qin dynasty.

Although the Great Zhou Dynasty inherited the Ming system, many modifications were made—for example, abolishing the inhumane “fixed household registration” system that restricted people to their ancestral lineage—but restrictions on merchants remained significant. The simplest were controls on their clothing, food, housing, and travel, all meant to keep them from becoming too arrogant.

Unfortunately, laws are rigid, but people are flexible.

For instance, all major merchants in Yangzhou owned residences within the city, all strictly built and decorated according to regulations, but these served merely as business bases. They would find places outside the city to build grand estates and gardens spanning tens of acres, which were their true homes.

Yet, externally, these properties were always described as so-called “manors,” or farms.

Merchants living in farms was certainly legal. As for their extravagant decorations—

Who would investigate? Who would dare?

Do they not realize how deadly money can be?

The Cheng family was no exception.

However, today’s situation was special because they were surrounded.

“Lord Xiao Lin, what kind of wind blew you here today?” The eldest son of the Cheng family grumbled miserably from the wall beside the main gate, speaking cautiously. “All of Yangzhou knows your fearsome reputation. If there’s anything you require as tribute, just say the word.”

Merchants were barred from taking the imperial examinations, a strict rule inherited from the previous Ming dynasty.

Thus, he held no official rank or title, and could only humbly refer to himself as a lowly subject when facing officials.

Under ordinary circumstances, he would never be so cautious.

But he was no fool. As the heir to the family, he knew exactly what they had done. Although the assassination attempt on Lin Ruhai last night was not carried out by Cheng family members, they had provided assistance and shelter in their city mansion.

As a result, the Lin family’s fire blazed into the sky last night, and those assailants never returned.

This morning, being blocked at the gate again, even a fool would know where the problem lay.

“It’s nothing serious,” Lin Rui sneered lightly. “My brothers are just hungry and thirsty. Young Master Cheng, just open the gate. Once they’ve eaten their fill, they’ll leave.”

The man on the wall’s expression twitched.

Are you trying to fool me?

“But Lord Xiao Lin, all I see are your swords, spears, and...” he had to continue cautiously, “guns and cannons! Surely for a little food and drink, you don’t need to make such a fuss?”

“Not opening the gate, huh?” Lin Rui had been stalling earlier to give his men time to prepare. Now everything was ready; could he keep talking nonsense? “Fine, then I’ll trouble you a bit—attack!”

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“Sir!” The Cheng heir’s face changed drastically. “You surely know exactly where this is, don’t you? My family may be insignificant, but there are many people in this area. If you bring weapons here, have you thought about how this will end?”

“My uncle’s life must have an explanation.” Lin Rui’s face was icy cold.

This was the fundamental reason he dared to act.

Lin Ruhai, as the Salt Patrol Commissioner and a trusted confidant of the Emperor, had been targeted for assassination. Officially, the culprit must be found and punished severely to uphold the court’s dignity.

Yet Lin Rui was well aware that those behind the conspiracy wouldn’t dare implicate even Lin Ruhai himself.

So they had to find a “lucky scapegoat” to bear the blame.

The He family had “coincidentally” just been raided, and as a known vassal family of the Chengs in Jiangnan, they had nearly three million taels seized—an amount that was “impossible” to have been theirs, obviously “temporarily stored” Cheng family funds.

The Cheng family, suffering enormous losses, had therefore taken desperate measures, which was “understandable.”

Therefore, even though Lin Rui openly led troops to surround them, all the other “reasonable” families nearby chose to “look the other way.” Part of the reason was they did not want the Cheng family to suffer losses, but the fundamental reason was that Lin Rui’s men were still official troops.

At least, until someone labeled them as “deserters.”

If anyone dared to act now, they would be used as leverage and mercilessly extorted by the ruthless officials, since their ties with the Cheng family were not strong enough to die for.

Thus, the Cheng heir’s face was deathly pale.

“Lord Xiao Lin—”

“What are you waiting for?” Lin Rui cut him off. “Attack!”

The impatient soldiers immediately began to organize. A squad of riflemen, their firearms almost half a man’s height on their shoulders, advanced swiftly to within fifty steps of the gate, then formed pairs ready to fire.

Raise the guns!

Over two years, Lin Rui had trained his men well. As the Salt Patrol Commissioner, he only commanded household guards, not formal troops. According to military convention, an official of his rank could only maintain a bodyguard company roughly the size of a banner.

Thus, he eventually assembled three sword-and-shield captains, two firearm captains, and one elite cavalry captain as his personal guard. At full strength, nearly four hundred men, their combat power exceeded that of an official banner commander.

This was the foundation of his existence.

Half the firearm troops were kept at home for defense; only one captain came out today.

The two firearm captains and the elite cavalry captain were his core assets—the former a “test unit” mastering firearm tactics, the latter his “officer corps,” reserved for future advancement.

Though he could afford to forgo the former since the method was established, the latter was indispensable.

“Raise the guns” was a compromise he engineered. Given his status, deploying cannons was tantamount to suicide. The contemporary firelock was still not reliable enough, with an effective range under fifty steps, insufficient as main firepower.

Lacking effective cannons or firearms, he settled on an intermediate weapon—the “raised gun.”

Furthermore, instead of using the prevalent matchlock or the then-emerging flintlock, he innovated with paper-cased primers, akin to modern blank cartridges, produced in a renowned traditional fireworks workshop in under two weeks. Compared to modern metallic primers and casings, this was several technological levels behind.

“Fire!” While he pondered, Lin Zhao, leading the squad, gave the order. Fifty shooter pairs fired simultaneously, each main shooter bracing the stock against the shoulder, the secondary supporting the barrel. The loud volleys shook them all from the massive recoil.

The bullets, iron balls weighing over an ounce, smashed into the Cheng family’s elaborately crafted gate, tearing over twenty large holes. Everyone understood that with a few more volleys, the wooden gate would soon be destroyed.

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This was another reason Lin Rui chose the raised guns—not effective against city defenses but perfect for breaching wooden gates of noble estates.

Plus, although two-man operation was awkward, reloading was quick when done cooperatively.

After the second volley, the Cheng family’s guards leapt down from the walls, but they faced a daunting fifty-step charge under fire from twenty-five shielded gunmen.

Moreover, Lin Rui had prepared “area damage” weapons—explosive tubes resembling modern firecrackers, packed with explosives, iron fragments, and wrapped in paper, weighing over two pounds. Strong sword-and-shield men carried and hurled these, using their shields to protect against friendly fire.

Within less than fifteen minutes, over a hundred bodies lay on the ground; the battle was over.

“Sir!” Lin Zhao’s eyes were bloodshot.

He was not alone; the other soldiers were even more ferocious.

Lin Rui did not stop them.

“Kill!”

Watching his troops storm the Cheng estate and hearing the terrifying shouts and screams, he finally exhaled deeply. He knew that, at least for the moment, the situation in Yangzhou was firmly under control.

Anyone with ambitions would now have to consider these more than three hundred elite soldiers—unless they wanted their entire family wiped out.

The local government offices and Yangzhou garrison were no different. If they tried to brand these men as deserters and mount a pursuit, the cost would be unbearable. With this fighting force, even a garrison army would lose at least one banner commander.

This was no longer a “desertion” case but an “insurrection.”

Reporting this to the court would only bring about their own downfall.

In contrast, blaming the late Cheng family and sending Lin Rui away solved the problem equally well.

Between the two, what choice was there?

What? The Cheng family was wronged?

If salt merchants should not die, what about the kitchen workers and commoners they had long oppressed like slaves?

“Sir—” Nearly fifteen minutes later, the noise in the estate finally subsided. Lin Zhao emerged, covered in blood and clutching a dulled steel blade. “Can we sheath our swords now?”

“No need.” Lin Rui shook his head with a cold laugh. “Since this won’t be ours in the future, lead the men as you wish. Before returning to camp at noon, lay out the bodies to set an example for all families in Yangzhou. I’m heading back to the city first.”

“Yes, sir!” Lin Zhao bowed excitedly.

“Don’t let anyone sneak up behind you!” Lin Rui kicked him, making him stumble.

“I’d like to see who dares!” Lin Zhao scrambled to his feet.

Looking out, the Cheng estate’s smoke rose to the sky.

Lin Rui then departed with his ever-ready elite cavalry captain.

To the east, the sun had fully risen.