Chapter 2: The Bandit Crisis

It is no wonder that Huang Peizhi is anxious; as an official, he is quite aware of the current situation. He knows that the Taiping Army has defeated the Qing forces in southern Jiangsu, and that the imperial troops have consecutively lost Zhenjiang and Yangzhou. This is certainly not a good sign

The person at the forefront is dressed in official attire; without needing to look closely, one can tell that he is Huang Peizhi, the magistrate of Yuyao. This individual only assumed office last year, and last month, Lin Zhe had just shared a drink with this County Magistrate Huang, personally presenting him with a tribute of one thousand taels of silver.

Recently, the area around Zhenjiang has suffered a loss of up to 40,000 taels of silver in goods. If the warehouses in the eastern part of the city have also been emptied, although Mrs. Lin claims that the Lin family can still manage, Lin Zhe, who understands the family's accounts, knows that losing this batch of goods worth as much as 100,000 taels of silver will likely cause significant trouble for the Lin family's financial chain this year. Once the financial chain is broken, and with a shortfall of several hundred thousand taels of silver, it will have a cascading impact on all of the Lin family's industries. However, Lin Zhe, who understands the family's accounts, knows that losing this batch of goods worth as much as 100,000 taels of silver will likely cause significant trouble for the Lin family's financial chain this year. Once the financial chain is broken, and with a shortfall of several hundred thousand taels of silver, it will have a cascading impact on all of the Lin family's industries

The other knights riding alongside Lin Zhe had already drawn their swords one after another. One of them approached Lin Zhe and whispered, "Before coming here, the old lady instructed us to ensure the young master's safety. When the fighting starts, please follow us. If we are defeated ahead, we will leave immediately"

Upon witnessing this scene, the county magistrate Huang, accompanied by his swift and valiant constables, immediately shouted, "Stop them!" Yet he himself had already retreated.

However, the group of people before me did not appear to be well-trained; their disorganized formation looked at most like a band of robbers or refugees.

However, this chaotic group of bandits soon gave Lin Zhe a big surprise, as over fifty of them emerged armed with knives and guns, charging directly towards the government troops and Lin Zhe.

Of course, Su Nan has no connection with Huang Peizhi, but now a group of unknown bandits has emerged in his jurisdiction, which cannot allow him to feel at ease. Have you not seen that since the chaos caused by the bandits in Guangdong, countless officials have either been killed by the bandit army or executed by the court for losing cities and territories

She said solemnly: "A mere one hundred thousand taels is something our Lin family can still manage, but you are the only heir of the Lin family. If anything were to happen to you, I, as your wife, would have no face to meet your father or our Lin ancestors."

Immediately, Coach Wang and a few others also turned over and mounted their horses to follow Lin Zhe, while the majority of the others surged out in a chaotic manner

He then instructed a young servant waiting outside, "Gather the guards and strong men under Coach Wang!"

In recent years, the wars between the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Qing army in the Yangtze River basin have caused the Lin family direct and indirect losses of at least 500,000 taels of silver. Such a level of loss is somewhat unbearable even for a wealthy family like the Lins

The arrow did not fly far before it fell to the ground

"The Taiping Army? Aren't they still over in Southern Jiangsu? When did they come to our Shaoxing Yuyao?" Lin Zhe felt a sense of shock in his heart, but his face remained composed: "What are you panicking about? Quickly send someone to the county office to report to the county magistrate!"

However, after hearing this, Mrs. Lin said: "A gentleman does not stand under a precarious wall; how can you go there personally? Let Master Wang lead the others over instead!"

Moreover, everyone was armed with knives and guns, among which more than twenty individuals were carrying firearms. These firearms were not the commonly used bird guns of the Qing army, but rather smoothbore rifles purchased by the Lin family from familiar foreign trading houses.

Without waiting for Lin Zhe to continue speaking, he turned and mounted his horse, then commanded those around him: "What are you waiting for? Hurry up!"

After hearing this, Lady Lin's face became even more wrinkled: "What you say is true; those soldiers and bandits are no different. If this escalates and no one is able to suppress it, it is likely to cause trouble. You should take some people with you, but prioritize your own safety. One must not sacrifice their own well-being for the sake of wealth."

Lin Zhe would naturally not be foolish enough to directly refuse, nor would he ride to the front lines like a fool to engage in some sort of front-line combat theatrics. He nodded, indicating that he would not put his subordinates in a difficult position.

Lin Zhe squinted his eyes and carefully observed the group of people not far away. No matter how he looked at them, they did not seem like the well-trained Taiping Army, known for their formidable reputation. It is important to note that during this period, the Taiping Army was still quite fierce, having fought through multiple provinces and causing the imperial army to collapse in disarray. Historical records often describe the early Taiping Army with a particular adjective: well-trained

As the orders were given, Lin Zhe began to pace back and forth in the study. He then left the room and went to the backyard to see Madam Lin. Upon hearing Lin Zhe mention that there were bandits attacking their estate outside under the banner of the Taiping Army, the usually composed Madam Lin could not help but change her expression dramatically: "These damned thieves!"

At that moment, over seventy guards and estate workers from the Lin family, along with nearly a hundred officials from the county office, were marching grandly towards the east of the city

Huang Peizhi's expression turned serious: "As an official representing the Son of Heaven to oversee this region, how could I not come here when such a significant matter has arisen!"

As the distance between the two sides narrowed, suddenly the bandits across the way erupted in a chorus of shouts of "Kill!" and "Capture!", and then they all began to run towards the government troops and the Lin family.

Huang Peizhi approached, shaking his corpulent body, and Lin Zhe also dismounted and stepped forward: "Old man, why have you come in person!"

Since Lin Zhe has bent down to this era and become the only son of the Lin family, the future heir to the Lin family's enterprises, he naturally cannot stand by and watch the family business decline. Is he supposed to end up like those extremely unfortunate predecessors who traversed here, becoming a mere foot soldier or relying on selling trinkets to survive?

In this era, it is quite common for local aristocratic families to maintain a large number of guards and estate workers. As a prominent local family, the Lin family has dozens of guards in their residence, and with the addition of ordinary estate workers, it is not difficult to assemble a group of around one hundred people at any time

It is acceptable for the guards and the village men to engage in a brawl among themselves, but organizing them into a formation for battle is too much to ask. In the face of the rushing bandits, many are already trembling with fear, especially the hastily assembled village men, who are even more disorganized

A large crowd surged out, attracting the attention of passersby. However, Lin Zhe was not concerned about any repercussions; he was solely focused on leading the group out of the city. Just as they reached the city gate, he noticed another group of people hurrying towards them from behind.

Meanwhile, on the Lin family's side, Coach Wang was already galloping in front of the formation without needing Lin Zhe's instructions. He shouted loudly: "All of you, get your spirits up! Brothers with firearms, step forward. No one is allowed to fire without my command!"

It is evident that during this brief period, Coach Wang and the others have already learned about the siege of the eastern village. Lin Zhe slightly nodded, then looked around and said in a loud voice: "Now that the eastern village is besieged by bandits, I, along with the *Tu* and *Shu*, will go to rescue the brothers in the village. Regardless of the situation we encounter today, everyone will be rewarded with a month's salary!"

Upon seeing the distant appearance of the official troops and the Lin family's guards, the bandits immediately caused a small commotion. Those at the front who were attempting to scale the wall to enter the estate hurriedly retreated.

The Lin family’s estate, located in the eastern part of the city, is approximately seven to eight kilometers from the county town. There are no significant mountains or rivers obstructing the way, and since everyone was in a hurry, they arrived in about two hours. Soon, they could see a large expanse of buildings in the distance, and outside, there were over one hundred people dressed in various disordered outfits. A large number of flags were raised above the crowd: one inscribed with "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom," and another with the name "Chen."

Due to the urgent situation, Lin Zhe did not waste any words. He immediately mounted a group of horses that Coach Wang had brought over, raised his hand, and shouted: "Go!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhe responded affirmatively and then quickly retreated. Although there would certainly be dangers ahead, it was imperative for him to go. The Lin family's estate in the eastern part of the city, while primarily a farmland, mainly served as a warehouse for goods. It housed a large quantity of raw silk, tea, porcelain, substantial amounts of grain, and various foreign goods. It was only natural that these valuables would attract the attention of thieves, and it was likely that the imperial troops would also seek to take advantage of the chaos to plunder. In such circumstances, he could not avoid personally overseeing the situation.

The situation of the government troops nearby is even worse than that of the Lin family. The officials and constables do not even have a complete formation; they are all huddled together in chaos. Only a few individuals armed with bows and arrows have already begun shooting before the bandits from the opposite side even get close.

Lin Zhe, however, said: "The bandits are coming, and they will surely alarm the county office and the prefectural office. Soon, even the county magistrate may come in person. At that time, it would be inappropriate for our Lin family to be without a responsible person. In the eastern part of the city, there is a village that has stockpiled a large amount of goods, worth no less than 100,000 taels. If chaos ensues and I do not oversee it personally, it is likely that trouble will arise!"

Although the Lin family is wealthy and can easily produce tens of thousands of taels of silver without batting an eye, in recent years, due to the ravages of war, they have suffered significant losses. The warehouses and trading houses in the areas of Anhui South, Hubei, and Nanjing have long since closed. Now, the warehouses and trading houses in the regions of Zhenjiang and Wuxi are also being forced to shut down one after another. This has caused substantial losses for the Lin family, with direct losses amounting to over two hundred thousand taels of silver. Moreover, the closure of these warehouses and trading houses has obstructed trade routes, leading to further repercussions for the Lin family.

Lin Zhe walked up, and upon seeing the young master Lin Zhe emerge, those people gradually stopped whispering among themselves. The leader, Master Wang, approached with a ring-handled knife in hand and said: "Young Master, everyone who can be summoned has already arrived. Shall we leave now?"

At this moment, the government troops and the Lin family's guards had already begun to line up in a chaotic manner, preparing for battle. However, from the perspective of Lin Zhe at the back, it seemed that his side was not in a much better situation than the bandits opposite.

Soon, he arrived at the front yard, where in the open space, the tall and muscular Master Wang, standing over 1.9 meters, was already leading more than seventy guards and estate workers waiting.

Mother, do not worry. I have already called for Coach Wang to come over. Soon, I will lead the guards to rescue!

Huang Peizhi hurriedly left, and Lin Zhe naturally rushed to take his guards and estate workers out of the city. He not only had to guard against the rebellious bandits but also had to be wary of Huang Peizhi and his group. Despite Huang Peizhi's unremarkable appearance, he was a notorious corrupt official, having embezzled no less than ten thousand taels of silver within less than half a year of taking office. Once they reached the estate, Lin Zhe could not guarantee that Huang Peizhi would not be tempted by wealth.