Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Jiang Hu trembled as he listened to the five ragged brothers before him, his heart filled with sorrow.

Two hundred men... wiped out before even entering the gate?

One of the tattered brothers lamented, "Commander, let's quickly regroup with the Prince. I don't think we have a chance."

"They're already on guard this time. If Little Liu and the others give us away, we'll have even less hope!"

Jiang Hu erupted in anger, kicking the man and roaring, "You're talking nonsense! Don't you understand your own brothers? Taoyuan County must be taken, or how will we explain ourselves to the Prince!"

He knew the Prince's character well. Although he was usually generous, there would be dire consequences for failing a mission.

"We're out of time! Taoyuan County might send someone to inform the capital. If that happens, we'll be in big trouble. We must act quickly!"

"Tomorrow, all our men will take their equipment out of the city first, and then get fully equipped outside the city."

"Commander, we don't have horses anymore!" An discordant voice chimed in.

Damn!

Veins popped on Jiang Hu's forehead as he gritted his teeth and said, "Then you go and buy them! Wherever you sold them, buy them back from there! If you don't have enough money, pool it together, borrow it!"

"Commander, what if we don't have money to get through the toll station?" Another discordant voice asked.

"Who asked that! Who!?" Jiang Hu roared, scanning the group of brothers before him. "Shut your mouths! Don't interrupt me until I'm finished!"

"Forget about the toll station. Since some brothers have already been captured, we'll use the excuse of suppressing bandits and forge an official document to enter the city directly! Does anyone else have a problem with that?"

"What if they don't believe us and don't open the city gate?"

Jiang Hu snorted coldly. "With the seal and a forged token, how could a small county near the capital not believe us? Also, no more daggers. Everyone will switch to long sabers. Once we enter the city, we'll make them pay for their blood debts!"

One of the ragged brothers worried, "Commander, what if the forgery is recognized? Is this really okay? I feel like we can't judge Taoyuan County by common sense!"

Jiang Hu said irritably, "Enough! I know what I'm doing. Fang Zheng is not in the county; what could a group of short-sighted subordinates know! Everyone, get some rest. Those who need to buy horses, go buy them. We'll set off as soon as possible tomorrow!"

.......

The next day, on the city tower of Taoyuan County.

Captain Liu was on duty on the city wall, propping his chin up absentmindedly, seemingly lost in thought.

A brother beside him asked, "Brother, thinking about women? Want to go out and have some fun tonight?"

Captain Liu shook his head. "Forget it, saving money! After I get my bonus this year, I'm quitting and going into business."

"Business!? Brother, don't be impulsive. Every trade is like a separate mountain. How could we do business? You might end up losing everything!"

Captain Liu pointed towards the direction of the capital, a hint of envy in his voice. "Old Sun, the monkey trainer in the county, sold all his horses overnight last night. He must have made a fortune! If a monkey trainer can earn money, why can't I?"

"I've figured it out. You'll never get rich relying on a fixed salary! You'll never be able to get a beautiful wife!"

As he spoke, Captain Liu put his hand on his brother's shoulder, earnestly saying, "Xiao Qiang, you're still young and unmarried, you don't know how hard life is."

"The women in our county are so wild. They look down on you just because the house you live in is a welfare house distributed by the county, without even a separate outhouse. Who would be with you?"

Xiao Qiang was silent. "If it's true love, isn't having a place to live enough?"

"Don't be silly. Young people all think that way, but you'll realize after a while that no woman is willing to suffer with you! Those women are so competitive!"

"Everything is sweet when you're first together, thinking it's true love. But in a couple of years, if your wife wants to be intimate with you, you'll say, 'Later, I'm busy.'"

"Not to mention women, when you have a child and send him to school, he won't even let you drop him off two li away from school! Why? Because other kids ride horses and you ride a donkey! Your child will be ashamed of you, and at night, your wife and child will both be criticizing you behind your back. If you can handle that, then what are you talking about true love?" Captain Liu spoke with the air of a seasoned veteran, a hint of melancholy on his face.

Xiao Qiang said, unconvinced, "Then I'll go to the capital to find one!"

"Listen to my advice, don't look for outsiders, just find one locally! Does an outsider get a share of the silver distributed in the county at the end of the year? And there's no subsidy for school tuition! Don't be stupid!"

Xiao Qiang pondered. "The risk of doing business is too great. If the distributed house isn't good, I can borrow some silver from the county to buy a big house. Won't I be able to find a woman then?"

Captain Liu sneered. "Still thinking about buying a big house? Can't you see how fast the land prices are rising in the county now? If you borrow from the 'eighteenth-generation ancestor loan,' you'll never be able to turn things around in this lifetime."

"The interest rolls over every year. By the time your great-grandson is born, you'll still be paying it off. Do you think your great-grandson will scatter your ashes when he grows up and understands?"

Xiao Qiang said with a worried expression, "Brother, you're so right... Why didn't I think of this before? I used to think I was living a pretty good life, but now that you've said it, I feel like there's no hope in my life anymore!"

"That's right! Everyone's like that when they're young, just thinking about the next meal after they've eaten, carefree! I've been there, so only going out to do business can lead to a good life!" Captain Liu smiled with satisfaction, happy that he had successfully instilled anxiety in his little brother.

Xiao Qiang licked his lips, his eyes darting around, and suddenly said shyly, "Brother, how about I do business with you? Do you think I'm capable?"

"Of course! Absolutely, brother! Would I not share my fortune with you?" Captain Liu was overjoyed, not expecting to have pulled in a partner before the business even started. This would greatly reduce the financial pressure. "After the New Year, I'll go to Old Chen at the printing shop to get two sets of fake identities, and we'll go out and make our fortune!"

Xiao Qiang was also delighted. "Brother! What kind of business are we going to do?"

"Horses! Selling horses! I think this has potential! After the New Year, we'll go to Hengjiang City to buy a batch of horses and then resell them to the capital. I've heard that the prices in Hengjiang Prefecture are much cheaper than in the capital, and the market in the capital is so good. Old Sun sold two thousand horses so quickly, buying low and selling high, a huge profit!"

Xiao Qiang was stunned for a moment. Others are selling horses, and we're selling horses too?

The cost of fodder along the way, at least two taxes to pay, and the cost of greasing palms... Can we still make a profit in the capital? Never mind, Liu Dui must have already calculated it!

Following him will lead to fortune!

The two of them simultaneously looked towards the direction of the capital, their eyes full of hope...

Just as they were fantasizing about the future, dust suddenly filled the air in the distance!

Captain Liu immediately picked up his binoculars to take a look.

He saw more than a thousand people riding horses, rushing towards the county seat in a mighty force.

As they galloped, their formation was orderly, clearly a real elite force!

Captain Liu's face changed drastically. After carefully observing for a moment, he anxiously said to Xiao Qiang beside him, "Go to the county office immediately to report that a large number of foreign enemies may have invaded! Tell everyone to prepare, and have the people temporarily return home!"