Chapter 43: The Bandit Army Was Tricked Out of Their Silver

“The leader, Yang has returned.”

It was just after dusk when Liu Heng was inspecting the camp with his men. A fleeing bandit hurried over to deliver a message.

“Where is he? Take me to see him.”

Upon hearing that Yang Yuan had come back, Liu Heng instructed the messenger to lead him to Yang Yuan.

There was a large tent in the camp usually used for meetings. As soon as Liu Heng entered, he saw several of the bandit leaders gathered inside.

The tent had no walls, only a canopy overhead to shield from the sun. But now, at night, there was no need for shade; instead, several torches were lit to provide light.

“Leader, I have failed you. The silver I took with me was all swindled away,” Yang Yuan said, lowering his head in shame as soon as he saw Liu Heng.

Liu Heng frowned deeply.

This time, Yang Yuan had taken nearly half of the camp’s silver with him specifically to find craftsmen to forge matchlock guns and iron spearheads.

“Are the men all safe?” Liu Heng did not immediately mention the lost silver; he first inquired about the safety of Yang Yuan and the bandits he took along.

Hearing this, Yang Yuan’s heart warmed, and with a clang, he dropped to his knees, choking back tears. “Leader, I am useless. The task was not accomplished. Please punish me.”

“Get up!” Liu Heng’s expression darkened. “What about those who went with you? Did something happen?”

“No, everyone is fine,” Yang Yuan hurried to explain. “Only Chen Sanhe suffered minor injuries, just some surface wounds. He only needs a few days to recover.”

Relieved to hear no one was hurt, Liu Heng exhaled and said, “If everyone’s unharmed, why are you crying? Stand and tell me exactly what happened.”

Obediently, Yang Yuan rose and began recounting his experience in Lingqiu.

He had first visited the private ironworks in the hills behind Lingqiu, then proceeded to the county town itself. There, he indeed found a blacksmith who could forge matchlock guns, though the price was high. Deciding to explore other workshops, he had just left when he encountered a man claiming to be the owner of the Dongshan ironworks, who said he possessed a batch of fine iron but urgently needed money and was willing to sell it at a low price...

After hearing the full story, Liu Heng frowned. “Did you not suspect the man was a fraud?”

Lowering his head, Yang Yuan replied, “At first, I did doubt him. But he showed official documents from Dongshan ironworks, complete with the government seal. He even took us to see the ironworks, and the miners there called him ‘Master Dong.’”

Liu Heng knitted his brows. “So you believed him, thinking you could get a bargain. In the end, you spent the silver but got no iron ingots.”

Yang Yuan’s head sank even lower.

Beside him, Li Shuheng offered some consolation: “It’s alright. Yang Yuan was only trying to save the camp some silver. With those iron ingots, the blacksmith’s work would have been cheaper.”

Despite all the scams exposed in later times, many still fall victim to deception because of greed—seeking small gains only to suffer great losses.

Yang Yuan’s misfortune brought to Liu Heng’s mind a saying: “He who seeks small gains often suffers great losses.”

“So the one who injured Chen Sanhe was also that Dongshan ironworks owner?” Liu Heng asked.

“No, it was the officials,” Yang Yuan said, still with his head bowed. “When I argued with the ironworks owner, a few constables suddenly appeared to drive us away. I feared revealing my identity and dared not fight back. Chen Sanhe tried to reason with them but was beaten with water and fire cudgels by the constables.”

The lower Yang Yuan’s head went, the more distressed he seemed.

Hearing that officials were involved, Liu Heng’s brow furrowed further.

Until now, Zhao Yutu had remained silent. Now he spoke: “This is easy to understand. Someone in the government must be colluding with that ironworks owner, bullying Yang Yuan since he’s a stranger here. Even with guarantees from intermediaries, Yang Yuan wouldn’t have been able to take those ingots. The ironworks owner was confident Yang Yuan had no recourse.”

Yang Yuan was puzzled. “It was my first time in Lingqiu, and I knew no one. What’s strange is why he singled me out, knowing I would buy his iron.”

Zhao Yutu smiled. “Probably because when you went to the Dongshan ironworks, someone took notice. Then you went to the blacksmith’s shop, and your clothes and manner likely marked you as someone without connections. Naturally, they set their sights on you.”

Yang Yuan glanced down at his clothing. Though worn, it was clean and intact without patches or holes—better than most commoners’ attire, resembling that of a servant from a wealthy household.

Liu Heng, too, noticed how plain Yang Yuan’s clothes were. Inside the bandit camp, it was not obvious, but outside, it gave off the impression of a lowly man.

Realizing this, Liu Heng knew that the fault partly lay with himself for lacking experience. He had sent Yang Yuan to Lingqiu but forgot to have them change into better clothing.

Liu Heng did not blame Yang Yuan for losing the silver, only that both of their inexperience had given others an opportunity to take advantage.

Chen Xunping, standing nearby, snorted angrily. “Tomorrow I’ll take men to Lingqiu and kill that bastard who dared cheat our silver. I’ll make sure he regrets being born.”

“Don’t be rash,” Li Shuheng scolded.

Although the bandit army could intimidate officials outside the city, inside the city it would be a different story—they would be fish on someone’s chopping block.

At this, Liu Heng spoke. “Second brother, you stay behind and continue training. Tomorrow morning, Yang Yuan and I will go to Lingqiu.”

“No!”

“Leader, please reconsider.”

Both Li Shuheng and Zhao Yutu voiced their opposition to Liu Heng going to Lingqiu.

Liu Heng waved them off. “No need to persuade me. We will have to go to Lingqiu sooner or later. This is a good opportunity to go in person.”

“No, it’s too dangerous for you to go to Lingqiu city. Let Xunping go instead,” Li Shuheng insisted.

Chen Xunping added, “Yes, I’ll go. I guarantee we’ll get all the silver back.”

Zhao Yutu also said, “The training here needs the leader’s direct supervision. It’s better if others go to Lingqiu while you stay in camp.”

“No more objections. I’m going to Lingqiu not only because of the lost silver but also to meet the blacksmith who forges matchlock guns. None of you know as much as I do about matchlocks, so it’s best I go myself.”

During his time in Liaodong, Liu Heng had served in the firearms battalion and was very familiar with matchlocks and three-barrel guns.

Li Shuheng frowned. “Must we equip matchlocks? Those things often function just like burning sticks.”

Having also served in the imperial army, Li Shuheng looked down on firearms. In the Ming army, the highest status was held by personal guards and servants, followed by regular infantry and spear soldiers. The lowest rank was the firearms troops.

“We must equip matchlocks,” Liu Heng said solemnly.

Knowing the course of history, he understood that firearms were the future of military technology. Even the Jurchens had learned to make red-coated cannons. With memories from the future, he could not abandon such powerful weapons. Firearms were also easy to use—ordinary men could become proficient with some training, whereas training an archer took years.

For the bandit camp to grow stronger, they could not rely forever on spearmen and fewer than a hundred archers.

Seeing Liu Heng’s firm resolve to go to Lingqiu, the others could only urge him to be cautious.

At that moment, Yang Yuan, who had been quietly bowed, spoke softly, “I have also heard some other news…”