Chapter 375
Chapter 375
A few hours earlier.
Shen Lang addressed the people of Zhenyuan City, his voice booming.
“My dear elders, you can no longer stay in Zhenyuan City. Su Nan's army will soon arrive to lay siege. This city doesn't produce its own food; it relies solely on trade. The food stored within its walls is scarce.”
If Su Nan’s army simply surrounded them without a fight, their meager supplies would dwindle. A prolonged siege would lead to tens of thousands of starving people who would eventually turn on Shen Lang and devour him whole.
“You have all received a considerable sum of money. Take all the food from your homes and flee to the countryside tonight. Seek refuge with your relatives and friends.”
Shen Lang laughed heartily and continued.
“I won't be staying in Zhenyuan City either. I haven't killed enough of the Su Clan yet. Men, have you plundered to your heart's content? I plan to move on to the other cities of White Night Commandery, slaughter every last Western merchant, and seize all the money from their shops. Unlike Zhenyuan, those cities have scant defenses. Men, will you join me for the score of a lifetime?”
The men there had already tasted blood, and they had just been handed a fortune. They had reclaimed the gold and jewels the Su Clan had stolen from them, a windfall for every household. At Shen Lang's words, the able-bodied men roared in approval.
“We'll go! We'll get our fortune!”
Shen Lang shouted again.
“No elderly, no women, no children. I need five thousand able-bodied young men!”
The more content among them stepped back, satisfied with the money they had received that day. But those who yearned for riches had an insatiable gleam in their eyes. Even those who had been hesitant felt a surge of competitiveness upon hearing the number of volunteers needed, thinking, 'No, I have to go too.' Without a moment's delay, Shen Lang's men swiftly selected five thousand young men from the volunteers. Shen Lang led them, torches ablaze, toward the nearest city, Bailing City.
“Relay my orders! The King has issued a decree. All assets of the Western merchants in White Night Commandery now belong to the people of Yue. Everyone is permitted to plunder the shops of the Western merchants, and all the gold and jewels they seize are theirs to keep! I am issuing a legal order to plunder! Go, sack every city, and kill every last Western merchant.”
Shen Lang's party marched through the night toward Bailing City with formidable momentum. The moment they left Zhenyuan, several spies rushed to the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate to report the situation.
***
Several hours later.
The Marquis of Zhenyuan, Su Nan, received a series of secret reports.
“Shen Lang has already left. He took five thousand men from Zhenyuan City and is heading for Bailing City. He has declared his intent to slaughter all the Western merchants there and plunder their wealth. He even issued a 'legal order to plunder,' stating that anyone can loot the merchants' shops and keep whatever they find.”
Su Dian was aghast. He had worked through the night to assemble his troops, and just as they were ready to march on Zhenyuan City, Shen Lang had fled.
“My lord, if I take two thousand cavalry, I can surely catch them. I will go and slaughter every one of those peasants.”
Although Su Dian was Su Nan's older brother, he served him as his lord and always addressed him as such. Marquis Su Nan walked over to a map, his brow furrowed in thought. Then, his voice turned grim.
“No. Let them pillage and plunder!”
Everyone present was stunned by his words.
“My lord! The Western merchants are our coffers.”
“Indeed, they are our coffers! They pay us taxes every year, and we take a portion of their profits. But no matter how much we take, it's only thirty or forty percent. What if we wanted it all?”
Su Dian asked in surprise.
“Do you mean to let those peasants kill all the Western merchants and seize their wealth, only for us to take all the gold and jewels from them afterward? But... if all the merchants are dead, how will we conduct trade in the future?”
“Until now, we have been vassals of the State of Yue, so we had to trade in secret. But if we rebel and establish our own domain, will it still be secret? Once the southern part of Tianshu Province becomes our territory, can we not capture and sell slaves from there? We will still trade, but we will have to start over from scratch anyway!”
Hearing this, everyone went from shocked to delighted.
‘His Lordship has a point.’
Su Nan asked.
“What is the nature of a plunderer?”
Su Dian replied.
“Their greed is boundless!”
“Exactly! Their greed is boundless. The thousands of men Shen Lang has gathered are high in morale right now because they have only just begun their plunder. But what will happen once they have seized all the wealth of the Western merchants in White Night Commandery?”
“They were once peasants, but after tasting great wealth through plunder, they won't be able to stop. Once they've finished looting White Night Commandery, some might live out their days in riches, but others will want to plunder even more. The most serious problem will be the infighting that erupts when they feel the spoils have been divided unfairly. With so few men under his command, those greedy peasants will tear Shen Lang apart.”
“Brother Su Dian, you will take three thousand of our soldiers and three thousand cavalry from the Three-Eyed Demons and corner Shen Lang's peasant army. But do not engage them. Let them finish plundering all of White Night Commandery! We will wait for the warrior monks from the Great Tribulation Temple and Great Grandmaster Prajna from the State of Chu to arrive, and then we will annihilate those peasants in one fell swoop.”
Su Yong said.
“By then, all the wealth they've plundered will belong to our Su Clan!”
Su Dian raised a concern.
“My lord, if we do that, the entirety of White Night Commandery will fall into chaos.”
Su Nan said calmly.
“We are about to commit treason. Are we afraid of a little chaos? The more chaotic, the better! As long as the Su Clan's own lands and the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate remain stable, it doesn't matter. Now, go!”
“Yes, my lord!”
***
As if he were the very root of all calamity, Shen Lang led his men on a rampage of plunder. Like a swarm of locusts, they left nothing but devastation in their wake. They killed people daily, completely wiping out all the Western merchant factions. The merchants' shops were looted until they were bare. After Shen Lang's 'legal order to plunder' was issued, the people of White Night Commandery went wild with joy. Even before Shen Lang's main force arrived, local ruffians in each city had already formed gangs and begun plundering the Western merchants on their own initiative.
As soon as Shen Lang's army arrived, these groups immediately joined his ranks, causing his following to swell. From five thousand, it grew to ten thousand, then twenty thousand, and finally reached a massive force of thirty to forty thousand. All of White Night Commandery was turned upside down, stripped bare by the looting. The Marquis of Zhenyuan's army began to encircle them from all sides, gradually tightening the noose, but they never attacked Shen Lang's forces.
Soon, Su Dian's army arrived, along with the bandit hordes of the Three-Eyed Demons, the warrior monks of the Great Tribulation Temple, and even Great Grandmaster Prajna from the State of Chu. The army surrounding Shen Lang's mob grew larger and larger, eventually reaching thirteen thousand strong. Nearly half of the Su Clan's entire military force had been deployed to encircle him. The situation grew increasingly bizarre and unpredictable, astonishing all who witnessed it. In this way, more than ten days passed in a flash.
***
Prefect Zhang Chong, leading three thousand soldiers, marched at a slightly slower pace. It was ten days after Shen Lang's arrival in Zhenyuan City that Zhang Chong finally reached White Night Commandery City. He had expected to be met with ostracism and harassment upon his arrival. He had even considered the possibility that his army would be denied entry. The Su Clan's influence ran so deep in White Night Commandery City that every official was little more than a dog on their leash. The city itself only had a garrison of one or two thousand, but if they refused to recognize Prefect Zhang Chong's authority and kept the gates firmly shut, it would be quite troublesome.
However, when Zhang Chong arrived at the foot of White Night City with his three thousand men, he was stunned by the scene before him. The city gates were wide open, and all the officials of White Night Commandery had come out to greet him. Even the merchants were lined up to welcome him.
“Your Excellency, you have finally arrived.”
“My lord, why have you only just arrived? I have been trembling in fear these past few days, praying for your arrival. Now that you are here, White Night Commandery can finally be at peace.”
‘What is going on? Shouldn't you be shunning me, harassing me, refusing me entry?’
Zhang Chong soon understood the reason for their behavior. He couldn't help but marvel.
‘I knew Young Master Shen was formidable, but this is beyond anything I imagined. In just a few days, you've turned the entire commandery into a living hell.’
“Tens of thousands have now gathered behind Young Master Shen, and they leave not even a blade of grass standing in their path. He has led them to plunder every city in the commandery, but he has left White Night Commandery City untouched. As a result, not only the Western merchants but also ordinary merchants and wealthy citizens have all fled here. The officials and merchants in the city intended to reject you, my lord, but they fear Young Master Shen and his tens of thousands of looters far more.”
Zhang Chong chuckled and asked.
“So they chose the lesser of two evils? Where is Su Nan's army?”
“Su Nan's army of over ten thousand has formed an encirclement around Young Master Shen's plundering horde, but they are keeping their distance. They are getting closer, but they have yet to make a move against him!”
Zhang Chong narrowed his eyes and sneered.
“That sounds like the Su Nan I know. Truly vicious. He intends to fatten the Su Clan on the corpses of the Western merchants!”
Zhang Chong's trusted aide asked.
“Isn't the Su Clan afraid of the great chaos erupting in White Night Commandery?”
“He is preparing for treason; why would he fear chaos? As long as the turmoil doesn't reach the Su Clan's own lands, he won't care. Great chaos is like a tidal wave that washes everything clean. Once the wave passes, it is easier to govern. But only a man of great ambition would dare to employ such a ruthless strategy. Young Master Shen is vicious, and Su Nan is just as vicious. I truly don't know which of them is more ruthless.”
The aide replied.
“Young Master Shen is in a very dangerous position right now. He has only two hundred of his own men leading tens of thousands of peasants. What's more, those peasants are like starved beasts who have just tasted meat; they've become crazed with looting. I fear they might turn on Young Master Shen and devour him!”
“You worry too much. You cannot possibly imagine how cold and ruthless Young Master Shen's heart is.”
Zhang Chong turned his gaze to the west, staring for a moment. At that moment, Shen Lang was less than a hundred li away from him.
“Young Master Shen, you have created an unbelievable situation for me. From now on, leave White Night Commandery to me. Let's enter the city!”
At Zhang Chong's command, the three thousand elite soldiers he had brought from the capital slowly marched into White Night Commandery City.