Chapter 27: Winning Over the Army

"This, isn't this the land deed that Zhu Chunchen traded for? How did it end up in your hands?" He Zhonghou asked, startled.

"Sixth Uncle, Zhu Chunchen wanted to hand the Crown Prince over to Li Chuang in exchange for wealth and status, but he was killed by the Prince's guards instead. Naturally, this item fell into my hands."

He Zhonghou was stunned into silence. After a long while, he sighed, shook his head, and said, "Sigh, I truly never imagined that a dignified Duke would end up in such a state. Zhenhua, now that this land has fallen to you, have you thought about how to handle it?"

Gu Zhenhua smiled and asked, "What is your esteemed advice, Uncle?"

He Zhonghou chuckled. "It’s hardly expert advice, but your uncle has always felt that land is the foundation of a person's life. As long as you have land, you have grain, and your family won't go hungry. This is a million acres! It is enough to live as a wealthy gentleman. Zhenhua, you are not young anymore; with so much land, what kind of woman couldn't you marry? If you want to enter officialdom, use some money to pave the way—it would be easy. To live a life of leisure and freedom forever, how wonderful that would be."

Listening to He Zhonghou, Gu Zhenhua couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Sixth Uncle, if this were a time of peace, your words would be golden advice. But can it be done right now? To say nothing else, even a dignified Duke could not protect his own land. What can a commoner like me possibly do?"

"This..." He Zhonghou was also troubled. "Alas, blame these times. I don't know when things will ever be peaceful again."

...

"Kuizi, did you see clearly? Is the treasure kept in that room?"

"That’s right, Second Brother, I saw it clearly. There are dozens of wooden crates inside; I even followed the men carrying them during the day. The small boxes aren't big, but they are heavy as lead. They must be filled with gold or silver."

Second Brother heard this and nodded, urging, "Kuizi, go call Ma San and the others. Tell them not to be cowards—if they want to get rich, this is the chance!"

Kuizi nodded and ran off. Soon, three more men arrived, gathering behind the haystack. The one called Second Brother said, "Brothers, I won't say much else. I've had enough of the life of licking blood off a blade. There is silver right in front of us. If we steal just one box, we will have enough to live on for the rest of our lives. We can buy land, buy women, whatever we want!"

"Second Brother, you're right, but we only made it out of the city alive because of Master Gu. If we do this, aren't we betraying our conscience?"

"Conscience? How much is that worth per pound? Show me two pounds of it!" Second Brother sneered without hesitation. "We’ve been soldiers for years; those officials are all the same, they have no heart. We can only look out for ourselves. Just one word: are you in or not?"

Ma San lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and said fiercely, "I'm in. I'm over thirty and don't even have a wife; my family line cannot end with me!"

After the group reached an agreement, Kuizi continued to scout ahead. Under the cover of night, the five men bypassed the haystack and quietly crept toward the storehouse. The so-called storehouse was the original granary, where the gold and silver were kept, guarded by men stationed outside.

"Second Brother, the patrol just passed. It will be another quarter of an hour before they return. Let's move fast!" Kuizi said excitedly.

Second Brother waved his hand. He quietly picked up two pebbles from the ground and tossed them toward the storehouse. When the pebbles hit the ground, there was no reaction, which put them at ease.

Second Brother led the men to the back of the storehouse, pulled a thin wire from his pocket, and poked at the lock a few times. *Click!* The lock opened.

Kuizi couldn't help but give a thumbs up. "Second Brother, you can do this too?"

"A man can never have too many skills!" Second Brother said smugly. They gently pushed open the back door and flooded into the storehouse. It was pitch black, and not daring to light a lamp, they could only feel their way around.

Second Brother felt a small wooden box. He used the wire to pick the lock again and opened it just a crack. Suddenly, a beam of light flashed out.

A night-luminescent pearl!

Second Brother quickly moved to the front of the box, shielding the light with his body, and opened the lid slightly. Inside, there was a dazzling display of treasure—red, green, yellow, and white—blinding to the eyes!

After just a few glances, Second Brother felt his heart race and his blood pressure spike; he nearly fainted on the spot. He quickly shut the lid and continued searching. After checking over a dozen boxes, and ignoring the paintings and antiques he didn't understand, he settled on jewelry, gold, and silver, finally selecting seven boxes.

"Brothers, let's go!"

The men followed Second Brother, clutching the boxes as they ran out the back door. They crept back behind the haystack and set the seven boxes on the ground.

"Second Brother, how should we split these?" Kuizi asked, rubbing his hands together and drooling.

"Each of you takes one box, and the remaining three are mine," Second Brother said brazenly, reaching out to grab the three largest boxes.

Just then, Ma San stepped on a box and said with a cold smile, "Second Brother, the brothers all put in the work, so it should be split equally. No one gets to take more!"

The other two men also revealed greedy expressions, staring fixedly at the treasure. Second Brother’s mind raced, and he quickly laughed. "Brothers, it's not safe here. Why don't we take the treasure and find a secure place to discuss this properly?"

The men reluctantly nodded and prepared to pick up the boxes to escape. Just then, someone laughed, "Why go to such trouble? If you want more to split, just go get a few more boxes. If you can't carry them, there are carts—what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, the men were so terrified they nearly collapsed to the ground, looking around in a panic. A dozen men emerged from behind the nearby haystack, all armed with blades and spears, led by none other than Gu Zhenhua.

Gu Zhenhua was not lightly injured and should have been resting, but after discussing the land with He Zhonghou, he had become vigilant.

Many things could not be viewed through the lens of later generations. To most people, Li Zicheng capturing Beijing was merely a change of dynasty. They did not imagine the Manchu Qing would invade, nor did they know what "keep your hair and lose your head, or keep your head and lose your hair" meant.

Because of this, He Zhonghou had suggested Gu Zhenhua become a landlord. To others, the farmstead held endless gold and silver; if one could just get a little, they could buy property and live as a wealthy gentleman...

Thinking of this, Gu Zhenhua broke into a cold sweat. He realized that this hastily assembled force was at risk of falling apart at any moment; he had to take action.

Gu Zhenhua could no longer lie still. He immediately called Tang Zhanxiong and Luan Hu, ordering them to tighten patrols and security.

As Gu Zhenhua expected, trouble arose on the very first night! When Tang Zhanxiong captured the five men and dragged them to the threshing floor, all the soldiers were roused. Everyone capable of moving came, and even the wounded were carried over. More than three hundred and fifty people stood in a dark, dense mass.

Gu Zhenhua looked at the crowd and suddenly smiled. "Brothers, I’ve called you all here because I want to ask: what kind of life do you actually want?"

This... the question stumped everyone. Most of the men present were low-level soldiers or house servants; they had no power to decide their own destinies and had never even thought about the question. But because Gu Zhenhua asked, they couldn't help but answer.

"Master Gu, I want to ride in a sedan chair carried by others, to be a person above others, just like those official lords."

Gu Zhenhua smiled slightly. "That requirement is too high. To be an official, you have to pass the imperial examinations. I think you'll have to work harder, brother."

The soldier chuckled and scratched his head. "I can't even write my own name. Passing the imperial exams is for my next life!"

The remark amused everyone, and the atmosphere eased significantly. Luan Hu suddenly spoke up from the side, "My mother always said: thirty acres of land, an ox, and a warm *kang* (heated bed) with a wife and kids. I think a life like that is pretty good."

"Good? Of course, it's good!" a guard beside him laughed. "You simpleton, do you even know what a wife is for?"

"How could I not? Isn't it just a woman who can bear children!"

Another round of laughter erupted. When things calmed down, Gu Zhenhua said, "Hu-zi's idea is good. I can actually help everyone achieve it. And not just thirty acres—five hundred acres each. Enough to be a small landlord. What do you all think?"

When Gu Zhenhua said this, the crowd fell silent, as if frozen in an instant. After a long while, someone asked in shock, "Master Gu, are you serious? Will you really give us five hundred acres of land?"

"Of course. I have the land deed right here—a total of one million acres. You tell me if that's enough to split!"

"Enough, it's enough!" Several men scrambled off the ground, rushed to Gu Zhenhua, and threw themselves to their knees.

"Master Gu, if you can give me five hundred acres, my life belongs to you!" With that, the men began kowtowing repeatedly.