Go Ask Your Own Head Priest (4)
The more the water bandits ran rampant, the darker the public mood along the Yangtze became.
People were dying everywhere, and those who survived often had everything they owned stripped from them. Even hanging on by their teeth had become a struggle.
The exhausted and desperate went to the local authorities to plead for help, but all they got in return was a perfunctory answer: they would request an imperial suppression force.
From the beginning, the government’s administrative reach barely extended to the Yangtze. If it had possessed the ability to root out the bandits hiding all over this vast river and deal with them, it would have done so long ago.
Besides, while mountain bandits devastated villages and reduced tax revenue, making them an urgent problem that had to be eliminated, water bandits didn’t touch grain shipments. They weren’t the kind of threat that demanded immediate action the way land-based bandits did.
The water bandits themselves had enough sense to leave the government’s transported goods alone, handling them with the kind of thorough caution that bordered on respect.
So even the authorities had no particular reason to rush into action.
Those who had been pounding the ground in frustration eventually grasped at the nearest straw and went to plead with the smaller sects and factions near the Yangtze, instead of the Nine Sects or the Five Great Families.
But those groups were just as reluctant.
“We’ve never fought a naval battle before. If we stick our necks out, we’ll only get in the way.”
“We can do what we can to protect the nearby villages, but...”
“If even the Nine Sects can’t do anything about it, what exactly are we supposed to do?”
In the end, the common people could only turn away in despair.
More than anything, the answer that crushed them the most was that if even the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families had given up, then what could they possibly expect from anyone else?
Merchants traveling the Yangtze were said to be making their own arrangements, but they hardly seemed likely to have any brilliant solution.
At best, they could hire escorts and deploy guard boats around their vessels... but expecting a few hired swords to stand up to the Water Bandit Sect, one of the Five Hegemons of the Jianghu, was absurd.
Meanwhile, the damage kept mounting. As everyone complained bitterly and cursed the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families for their helplessness, a strange rumor began to spread.
“Water bandits can’t get close to Jiujiang.”
“The Heavenly Alliance, centered on Mount Hua, has established itself in Jiujiang. Water bandits who tried to loot near Jiujiang were caught by Mount Hua and beaten to a pulp.”
“The Heavenly Alliance, with Mount Hua at its head, has declared Jiujiang its territory and announced that it will protect all merchant ships traveling through the area.”
Merchants who heard this rumor were thrown into an uproar.
Groups gathered at the docks, voices rising over one another as they tried to make sense of the situation.
“Wait, didn’t we hear righteous sects weren’t allowed on the Yangtze? That they’d signed some kind of agreement?”
“No, no! It’s not that righteous sects can’t come here—it’s that the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families can’t! The Heavenly Alliance and Mount Hua aren’t the Nine Sects or the Five Great Families!”
“R-right, that’s true. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Too shocked by the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families’ choice to give up, they had nearly forgotten the very existence of the Heavenly Alliance. Now they began engraving that name into their memories all over again.
“But is it really safe? The Heavenly Alliance isn’t some greater force than the Nine Sects or the Five Great Families, is it? They can’t possibly handle the Four Hegemons Alliance.”
“It’s not necessarily that simple. Wasn’t it Mount Hua that started hunting down those water bandits in the first place?”
“R-right!”
One merchant nodded vigorously.
It had been forgotten because of everything that happened afterward, but if one looked at the sequence of events, it had all started when Mount Hua attacked Daegyeong Fort.
“If Mount Hua had been afraid of the Water Bandit Sect, they never would’ve started something like this. Haven’t we already heard that every bandit who approached Jiujiang got smashed to pieces? Mount Hua’s been patrolling the river itself and keeping things under control.”
“Then what about the Water Bandit Sect? They haven’t said anything?”
“Seems that way.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Come to think of it, maybe it does. The Water Bandit Sect took the biggest hit in this war, didn’t it?”
“Well, yes. So many of their forts were destroyed.”
“They probably don’t have the spare strength to deal with Mount Hua right now. And Mount Hua was never a sect that feared the Water Bandit Sect to begin with, was it? A place that was confident in fighting them is only stronger after the enemy has weakened. Why would they be scared?”
“Good heavens... was Mount Hua really that powerful? Powerful enough not to fear the Water Bandit Sect?”
“Recently, you hear Mount Hua’s name more than Shaolin’s or Wudang’s, don’t you? It seems we underestimated them.”
Someone else nodded vigorously.
Whether every bit of the rumor was true didn’t matter.
What mattered most was that merchant routes had opened in Jiujiang. Right now, the merchants of the Yangtze were suffering enormous losses day by day because they couldn’t send their ships out.
“So, as long as Mount Hua holds out, we can use Jiujiang’s trade route?”
“Looks that way.”
“Wait a second... does that even mean anything? If the water bandits control the Yangtze, we can’t sail here anyway. Even if we somehow move our goods to Jiujiang, we still wouldn’t have ships to transport them, would we?”
“Apparently not. They say Mount Hua has built a bridge across the Yangtze in Jiujiang.”
“A b-bridge? Across the Yangtze? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Putting a bridge over the vast Yangtze was impossible.
“No, no. Listen. They supposedly stretched long docks out to both sides around the island in the middle of the river. If you bring your goods there, they’ll load them onto boats and ferry them across for you.”
“R-really?”
“So they say. Though apparently they charge a toll on the island. They say maintaining the trade route costs a fortune.”
“You fool! Who cares about the toll right now? Merchandise is rotting in warehouses! If we can’t launch ships, it’s all going to be ruined anyway! Jiujiang... you said Jiujiang, right? I don’t have time for this! I need to tell the caravan leader immediately!”
The rumor spread at astonishing speed among the merchants.
To those who had been helplessly pacing because they couldn’t launch their ships, this news was a beam of light in the darkness. Anyone who heard it immediately raced toward Jiujiang.
“I-it’s real!”
What they found when they arrived was a river mouth whose geography had practically been transformed, along with dozens of merchant vessels moored around it.
“E-excuse me. May I ask you something?”
A member of the Green Forest, who had been tending to the ships, turned his head and looked at the merchants rushing over.
“What is it... no, ah, what can I do for you?”
The man had been about to answer harshly, but then suddenly clasped his hands and responded politely instead, which left the merchants feeling slightly thrown. One of them quickly spoke up.
“That... is it true that Mount Hua is moving goods across the river from here?”
“Not Mount Hua—the Heavenly Alliance, the Heavenly Alliance!”
“Yes, yes! The Heavenly Alliance. Is it true?”
“Of course it’s true. Then what do you think all these ships are for? If you leave your goods on the island, you’ll have to move them to the other side yourselves. Of course, we’ll lend you carts. For a fee.”
The merchants’ eyes flashed.
“I-it’s true, then?”
“Hold on. Does that mean we pay shipping twice, and pay again to use the carts?”
“So what? Would you rather meet the water bandits and get stripped clean?”
“Who said anything about that? H-hey! How do we use these boats?”
The Green Forest member grinned.
“We’ll move goods or people, so come on over. We’ll lend you ships, and if you want, we’ll even lend you porters. Go haggle over the details over there.”
“Over there?”
The merchants’ gazes snapped around like arrows.
Sure enough, a tiny little house stood alone near the front of the dock where the ships were lined up in order.
In that instant, madness flashed in the merchants’ eyes.
“M-move!”
“Out of the way, you bastard!”
“I’m first!”
They began charging toward the dock’s reservation office in a scramble. Watching the merchants tangle themselves up as they ran, the Green Forest member gave a hollow laugh.
“...Never thought it would turn into this.”
Truly, the world was impossible to predict.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Whooshhhhhh!
A boat sliced through the current and approached the island.
“Th-they’re here!”
“Move! Hurry!”
Seeing it, the water bandits panicked and ran toward the shore.
Thunk.
The boat docked, and the moment one man leapt from it, the row of water bandits lined up before him bent their waists in a perfect ninety-degree bow.
“Welcome, Senior Brother!”
“S-senior brotheeer?”
The most spiteful voice in the world dripped out of the air. At that sound, every one of them shrank his neck in reflex.
“Ha... hahahaha...”
One of the water bandits, drenched in cold sweat, forced out an awkward laugh.
“N-now that we’re all family...”
“Familyyyy?”
“......”
Chung Myung rolled his eyes and sneered.
“Wow, life really is something else, huh? A water bandit thinks he can call himself family with a Taoist? Huh?”
That damn bastard.
We even treated him respectfully, and he still acts like this.
But none of them dared say it out loud.
They had long since known that this man was absurdly strong and had a personality that was a complete disaster, but who could have imagined he was that much of a monster—someone who didn’t care a damn about life or death?
Who would’ve thought he’d be the kind of man to go toe-to-toe with the Asura Marquis?
We’re lucky we’re even alive.
Chills, man. Seriously.
Chung Myung swept his feral gaze over the water bandits.
“You guys.”
“Yes!”
Apparently satisfied by their booming response, he nodded and spoke in a voice that had softened only a little.
“People have their own value, in their own way.”
“Yes!”
“But you guys aren’t people, are you? What, do water bandits think they deserve to be treated like human beings? Does that make sense or not?”
“I-it doesn’t!”
“Good, you know your place. So work until your arms break. If I catch anyone slacking off instead of working properly, I’ll tie up all four of their limbs and throw them into the water. If you’re so good at water work, you’ll survive even with your arms and legs bound, right?”
“......”
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“W-we’ll do our very best!”
“We’ll work hard!”
“Please just spare us!”
“Good.”
Chung Myung nodded in satisfaction. Just then, Jo Gul, who had been disembarking from the boat, let out a hollow snort at the sight.
“...He really does fit right in.”
“Born for it. Absolutely born for it.”
“He went wild all by himself when that boat rammed into us earlier too. I’m starting to think we ought to put him on the payroll full-time.”
“A thug.”
The Mount Hua disciples shook their heads.
Then they swept their eyes over the island, taking in what was happening.
“Over there! Straighten that pillar!”
“We’re short on materials! Where’s the transport ship?”
“W-we’re hauling as fast as we can right now, but this is all by boat, so...”
“Hurry it up!”
“Yes!”
Large buildings were going up in the center of the island. And the ones directing the construction, naturally, were Tang Family retainers.
“Hah. If I’d known it would come to this, I would’ve brought the uncles with us.”
“We were supposed to be coming here to fight. We couldn’t drag them along. Besides, it’s not like we’re building anything that grand.”
“Still, it’s a shame. Hey! No, not there! You can’t put it there! Move out of the way!”
Watching the Tang Family retainers darting around in every direction, Baek Cheon muttered with a faintly exhausted expression.
“Did this really have to get this big?”
“The situation changed,” Jo Gul replied. “That bastard Chung Myung said it himself—people from the surrounding areas, not just Jiujiang, would be swarming in. Then of course we need to expand. We also need more roads.”
At Jo Gul’s words, Baek Cheon gave a reluctant nod.
Somehow, this keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Ironically, the chaos spreading across the Yangtze was helping Mount Hua even more. The more violently the water bandits rampaged, the more merchants searching for a safe route would pour into Jiujiang.
Chung Myung jerked his chin toward the water bandits and asked, “So. Got any customers yet?”
“Th-they’re coming over by the endless flood right now. The Green Forest King said he’d start business soon.”
“Where is he?”
“Receiving customers, I think? Said it was his lifelong calling.”
“......”
Ah. Well, he was a bandit, so taking in customers probably was his line of work.
But that seemed like a slightly different kind of meaning...
I don’t know. As long as he does the job well, whatever.
Chung Myung shoved aside his tangled thoughts and grinned at the merchant ships moored across the river.
“Money is money. Now let’s drag it all in! Hihihihihi!”
Stick it to the bastards from the Nine Sects, make money, and beat up a bunch of water bandits while he was at it. This was basically robbing Peter to pay Paul... or something like that.
...Ah, no. Crabs aren’t very edible, so that comparison sucked.
Couldn’t they catch carp instead?
Tch.