Chapter 34: More Than Three Thousand Taels of Silver?!

The crowd surged forward in a flurry. Lin Chuan untied the mouth of the sack and drew out a gleaming gold ingot. Everyone stared at the golden radiance under the moonlight, struck dumb with astonishment. They had never seen anything so dazzling in their lives.

Someone reached out to touch it, only to have their hand slapped away by Hu Dayong. "Damn it, are you trying to rob the platoon commander?"

The men erupted into stifled laughter. The tension and cowardice they had felt moments ago instantly transformed into boundless joy.

"Platoon Commander, does this count as a military merit?" Wang Tiezhu asked excitedly.

"It counts, of course it counts!" Lin Chuan put the gold ingot away and said, "Although we didn't face the Tatars in open combat, today's operation can certainly be called defeating ten with one!"

"Exactly!" Hu Dayong nodded. "This poison is enough to kill at least two hundred of them! Let's wait patiently for two days and see if there is any news from the Tatar side."

"And if we manage to poison a centurion..."

"Hahahaha..."

The men laughed. Such an idea—poisoning the Tatars' military rations—was something only their commander could come up with. They felt not a shred of pity for the Tatars. What was the difference, anyway? Charging into battle was death. A surprise attack in the dark was death. Eating poison was also death. As the saying goes, the success of one general is built upon ten thousand withered bones. The result is the same; as long as the goal is achieved, why care about the process? It was merely paying them back in their own coin.

Lin Chuan dismissed the men and began packing up to leave. Looking back, they had truly walked through the gates of hell. It would be a lie to say he hadn't been nervous. The grain convoy had been massive, and the force of Tatars sent to oversee the transfer was significant. The fifty-plus cavalrymen guarding the exchange were a variable he had not anticipated the night before. Had a real fight broken out, with only twenty-some soldiers, there would have been no chance of survival. The plan had been too risky. Fortunately, the enemy hadn't been overly suspicious.

He had planned things thoroughly. The pile of bloody heads was enough to satisfy a report, but it wouldn't have been as convincing without the heap of border army armor to go with it.

Hu Dayong leaned in and lowered his voice, "Platoon Commander, that trick was brilliant! Even I could believe those blade marks on the armor meant we’d really fought the border troops."

Lin Chuan shook his head, his gaze falling on the blood-stained armor. To create realistic battle damage, he had specifically ordered the men to use various weapons to leave marks on the gear—sword slashes, spear thrusts, and even intentionally hacking a few pieces apart before dousing them in blood. It was these very scars that had completely dispelled the enemy's doubts.

In the distance, a rooster announced the dawn, and the cooking smoke began to rise from Eagle Peak Village.

Lin Chuan stood up and brushed the dust from his armor. "Pack up. We head back to Iron Forest Fort at daybreak."

"What about the county government?" Hu Dayong asked.

"What about them?" Lin Chuan gave a cold laugh. "Let Magistrate Qin and Master Zhang worry about it."

The soldiers shouted their assent. The moonlight was reflected in the fierce intent in their eyes. Everyone was waiting for the unknown battle report from the other side.

...

No one knew what kind of turbulent waves this two-day covert operation would stir up along the border. Lin Chuan, however, didn't care.

Once he stepped into Iron Forest Fort, he dragged Hu Dayong into the barracks, forbidding anyone else from entering.

"Master, I've finished the calculation." Hu Dayong stared at the dense formulas before him. "Two hundred taels of gold, at the market rate, equals two thousand six hundred taels of silver... plus the one thousand one hundred and sixty-seven taels found in the mountain stronghold, and the one hundred and fifty-eight taels from Village Chief Wang's cellar..."

His finger traced the paper, then suddenly froze.

"Th-th-three thousand..." Hu Dayong stuttered, "nine hundred and twenty-five taels?"

"How much?" Lin Chuan's eyes went wider than Hu Dayong's. "Three thousand nine hundred and twenty-five taels?!"

The number caused them both to gasp. One had to realize that Lin Chuan’s annual salary as a platoon commander was only ninety-six taels of silver!

"I-I'll calculate it again..." Hu Dayong tremblingly reached for his brush.

"Calculate my foot!" Lin Chuan slapped him on the shoulder. "You've already calculated it five times!"

He stared at Hu Dayong’s flushed face and suddenly laughed, scolding, "Damn it, am I teaching you a math lesson now?"

Hu Dayong scratched his head and chuckled. "Master, your bookkeeping method is truly divine—it's faster than an abacus!"

"Less flattery," Lin Chuan said, his smile fading. "Tell me, how should we distribute this silver?"

"This..." Hu Dayong gave a sheepish laugh. "Master, you are the platoon commander; it's up to you."

"It's up to me?" Lin Chuan looked at him meaningfully. "Are you sure?"

Hu Dayong's back stiffened instantly, and tiny beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. "M-Master, that look of yours... what does it mean?"

"..." Lin Chuan remained silent, just staring at him.

"I-I..." Hu Dayong’s eyes widened until they nearly popped out. "I absolutely did not report to the General!"

"..."

"I-I-I promise I won't say a word!" Hu Dayong's voice dropped.

"No, you must tell him," Lin Chuan shook his head.

"No, no, no!" Hu Dayong waved his hands frantically. "Master, I swear to heaven, I absolutely won't say anything this time!"

"Damn you, I'm telling you to say it!" Lin Chuan glared.

"I won't... wait, what?"

"Exactly what I said," Lin Chuan narrowed his eyes. "You are to tell the General the whole process, from beginning to end, just like before."

Hu Dayong’s mouth hung open for a long time before he stuttered, "M-Master knew all along?"

"Of course!" Lin Chuan sneered. "Did you think the General would be comfortable handing Iron Forest Fort over to a newcomer like me without a watchman?"

"Master... I, I..."

Lin Chuan patted Hu Dayong’s shoulder. "Don't worry, we are all the General's men."

Hu Dayong let out a sigh of relief.

Lin Chuan smiled. "The General has shown me great favor by trusting me. We must make this Iron Forest Fort useful, train our troops well, and kill more Tatars; only then can we be worthy of the General."

"Right, right, right!" Hu Dayong nodded vigorously. "Master, we are of one heart with the General! Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it!"

"Now listen carefully." Lin Chuan spread out a new sheet of rice paper. "I intend to use this money as follows—"

He dipped his brush in ink, and the words flowed like dragons and snakes: "First, reward the men. Five taels of silver and ten pounds of pork for each person."

Hu Dayong’s eyes lit up. "Pork is good! Silver is good too!"

"Hmm... then go to the county and buy two hundred pounds of white rice..."

"Ah?"

"Ah what? We agreed on that that day! Did you think I was lying to everyone?"

"No, no... I'm writing it down. Two hundred pounds... white rice... *slurp*!"

Lin Chuan glanced at Hu Dayong, who was frantically swallowing his saliva. "Wipe your drool!"

"Oh..."

"Second, hire..." He paused and asked, "How many people can the mine in the back mountain accommodate for excavation?"

Hu Dayong thought for a moment. "Fifty or sixty, at most..."

"Good. Hire fifty laborers for the mines. I want strong men. Pay them twenty wen a day and feed them until they're full... and for the land reclamation laborers, hire as many as possible. Anyone who can work the fields counts..."

Hu Dayong scratched his head. "Why not just recruit them as auxiliary soldiers?"

"Fool!" Lin Chuan tapped his head. "Auxiliary soldiers have to be added to the military register and paid a military salary. Laborers only need daily wages; the silver we save can hire twice as many hands!"

Hu Dayong had a sudden realization and hurriedly wrote it down.

"Third, expand the garrison, focusing on the blacksmith shop..."

Lin Chuan spent half a day explaining the plans he had in mind. Although Hu Dayong wasn't the brightest, he was the General's trusted aide, which made him reliable. With the remaining old soldiers loyal to him, management would be easy. As for the others... they could prove themselves once they passed the new recruit training.

This haul was so generous that it far exceeded his imagination. Lin Chuan wanted to spend the silver quickly to convert money into productive power. In the age of cold steel, only sufficient productivity could support strong combat power. He understood this better than anyone else. Therefore, reclaiming land, mining iron ore, and expanding forging capabilities were the most important tasks at hand.

After all, a laborer only cost six mace of silver per month. One hundred laborers would only cost sixty taels.

"Only?"

Thinking of that word, Lin Chuan smiled to himself. Who would have thought that just over a month ago, he was a penniless scholar with nothing but a few copper coins to his name? Even the money for the long sword and arrowheads for the blacksmith, Zhao, had been on credit.

"Platoon Commander!" Wang Tiezhu called out timidly from outside the door.

"Didn't I say not to be disturbed?" Hu Dayong went to open the door, fuming.

"Squad Leader Hu, I have to disturb you..." Wang Tiezhu frowned. "People from the county government are here..."