Chapter 5.19 – Just Because You Say So

The news came late and as a result, Xu Yan Ze wasn't aware that Zhang Yong had already returned. He was still debating whether or not he should set fire to their provisions.

Xiang Han wasn't idle either. He'd gone to collect the land tax in advance and stored all the grains in Jin Zhou city. The farmers had been overjoyed from their bountiful harvest, but in the blink of an eye, nearly 80% of it was taken away from them.

His first and second uncle were furious. Collection of taxes were their responsibility and they never failed to reap some benefits each time. But now, Xiang Han had abruptly gone ahead of them. They immediately went to find him.

Xiang Han couldn't be bothered with them and simply selected a few guards from the mercenary guild and ordered them to stop anyone from leaving the Jin manor.

After collecting the land tax, he sent Xu Yan Ze's cheap father into Jin Zhou's hospital under the pretext of treating an illness. Afterwards, Xiang – exploiter – Han finally sped up and returned to the manor leisurely.

By now, the sky had already gotten dark. After he saw Xu Yan Ze, he sang praises for himself before asking, "How is it going on your end?"

Xu Yan Ze was still conflicted and sought his opinion. Thus, he explained the events with apprehension. This method was rather cruel and the ancient people regarded matters like 'ghosts and spirits' as taboo.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Han told him, "Burn it. They'd definitely return if they have nothing to eat." Then, he happily said, "I've collected all the land tax today. Now, we're lacking in everything but food."

Xu Yan Ze was speechless. "Such a steep land tax, aren't you afraid of being beaten?"

"Don't we have those guards? Don't underestimate me. Even if something were to happen, I'll be able to save myself." Xiang Han was rather confident. But after a second, he sighed, "To be honest, I have no other choice. If I don't take it, it'll only end up with the Turks, but if I take it, I can return at least half if anything were to happen. Moreover, since they have to make their payment within these two days, most of them are temporarily residing within the city. It's much safer than staying in the village."

"Return half? What if Xue Qing Lin imposes a higher tax on the Jin family?"

"Uh… we'll think about that later. We'll deal with other things first." Xiang Han replied evasively. In his heart, he thought that once this matter had passed, Xu Yan Ze would have already become an official. As such, they'd be exempted from these taxes and duties. Besides, Xue Qing Lin was no fool. If the civilians were subjected to more tax after such an event, wasn't it begging for an uprising?

"Right, if anything were to happen, it needs to be within these two days. We can't afford to delay General Zhang's side much longer." Xiang Han had to remind him.

Xu Yan Ze finally made a decision. He nodded and said, "Alright, I'll send the order to the soldiers at the mercenary guild immediately."

The various matters in the day left the two people weary and uninterested in doing anything else. After a bath, they simply hugged each other and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, a rhythmic pounding suddenly came from the roof. Xu Yan Ze's eyes opened, and he looked at Xiang Han, who was sleeping soundly beside him. He quietly got up from the bed and left.

Once he was outside of the room, he spoke in a hushed tone, "Come down."

A man clad completely in black swiftly leapt from the roof and appeared in front of him. Xu Yan Ze frowned. "What is it?"

The man replied quietly, "Yan Hui Guan was attacked too suddenly. There weren't sufficient troops to defend it and everything fell into chaos. It's only a matter of time before it's breached."

His worst fears had been realised, making Xu Yan Ze's heart sink. He quickly asked, "What about the sentinel?"

"The Xue manor held a grand banquet last night, all the guests present returned home extremely drunk." The man in black gritted his teeth and continued, "Even if General Zhang turns back now, he'll only return the day after tomorrow at the earliest."

Xu Yan Ze immediately ordered, "Jin Zhou's governor is a coward. I need you to go and stop him immediately, I'll be there shortly. In addition, send some men to deliver this news to the neighbouring villages to open their doors and receive the civilians. There's no need to bother about the sentinels. After two hours… Nevermind, just sent some men to keep an eye on the situation. Once the Turks appear, shut the gates immediately."

It would take at least an hour from Yan Hui Guan to Jin Zhou. He could only hope they could make it in time.

Xiang Han woke up only to groggily realise that the person beside him was gone. Coupled with the urge to use the bathroom, he got off the bed and groped about. He woke up completely upon hearing Xu Yan Ze's words.

Xu Yan Ze quickly returned and was startled when he saw him standing there in a daze. He quickly walked over and grasped his hand. "Why are you awake?"

Xiang Han finally returned to his senses and asked, "The Turks have invaded?"

"They're still in Yan Hui Guan." Xu Yan Ze led him back to the room and pushed him back down onto the bed. "There's still some distance before they reach Jin Zhou. You should sleep for a while more."

Xiang Han shook his head and tried to get up but was pushed back down by Xu Yan Ze, who coaxed him, "Be good. Don't be scared. I'm only going to arrange some matters. You just have to stay here without worry. Even if the situation turns ugly, the mercenaries will escort you to leave."

Xiang Han looked up and solemnly said, "I'm not afraid. I need to pee."

Xu Yan Ze: "…"

Although Xiang Han said he needed to use the restroom, he took advantage of Xu Yan Ze's lowered guard to change into his clothes and left to appease the displaced civilians.

Xu Yan Ze couldn't stop him and could only order for some men to follow him before he headed for the government building.

The governor of Jin Zhou was a coward. After being seized from his bed, he nearly fainted and by the time Xu Yan Ze had arrived, he was currently stammering out threats at the people guarding him.

Xu Yan Ze went forward and intimidated him. "The Turks have already invaded Yan Hui Guan and are currently headed for Jin Zhou. Governor Zhao, what is your plan?"

Hearing this, Governor Zhao immediately fell off his chair, his legs trembling. "N-Nonsense. Yan Hui Guan has 50,000 troops. D-Do you think it has fallen… uh, just because you said so? You bunch of rebels…"

Without another word, Xu Yan Ze grabbed him and dragged him along the corridor. He turned towards the fire raging outside and said, "The villagers have already rushed into the city. Does Governor Zhao still not believe me?"

Governor Zhao grew frantic, "Shut the gates immediately! You mustn't let them in!"

Xu Yan Ze drew his dagger, his tone filled with careless indifference, "In the turmoil and chaos of war, the death of a governor… probably wouldn't be noticed."

Governor Zhao's legs immediately began to tremble as he cried. "W-What do you want to do? H-Have mercy, I am the Imperial commander. There are so many people watching…"

Xu Yan Ze smiled and before a quarter of an hour was up, he was appointed as the temporary commander-in-chief. He could dispatch five thousand of Jin Zhou's soldiers as well as other officials in the government.

On the other side, Xiang Han had already contacted several influential people and began to gather the villagers.

It didn't take long for Xu Yan Ze to bring Governor Zhao along, and ordered him to say a few encouraging words before dragging him away.

Afraid that there would be a lack of man-power, they selected several civilians from the crowd. Then, Xu Yan Ze brought them to guard the city gates while Xiang Han took care of the logistics.

The emperor was also among the people in the crowd. After witnessing this, he turned towards the third prince, saying, "This youngest child from the Jin family is different from what I'd expected. That Yan lad is also a rare talent. What a pity."

The third prince forced a laugh, "Father, how can you still have the mood to think of such things? This matter is urgent, you need to leave Jin Zhou as soon as possible."

The emperor shook his head. "This matter is fishy. Compared to lying low, it's too risky to leave Jin Zhou. Go take a look at the city gates and help out where you can."