"Alright, you've had a tough night, so you should find a place to sleep before we discuss anything else!" Han Mo smiled and said gently, looking at Wu Lin's blood-stained robes.
"Then you should also get some rest, sir. You stayed up with us all night yesterday!"
After Wu Lin left, Han Mo didn't bother with anything else. He found a relatively clean room nearby and lay down to sleep.
When he woke up, it was already evening.
The wealth and grain plundered from the village had begun to be loaded onto carts. Although Lü Ying and the others had dispatched many civilian laborers from nearby villages to help, the progress was still not very satisfactory. At the current pace, it would likely take at least two more days to move all the accumulated goods.
However, for Han Mo, there was no longer any need for him to stay here. After a simple wash-up, he followed the grain transport convoy back to Neihuang County.
"Lord Han is back!"
"The upright and benevolent lord is back!"
As soon as Han Mo entered the city gate, someone shouted. The villagers who were busy with their own affairs suddenly surrounded him. Seeing the villagers, many of whom were barely clothed, Han Mo felt a pang of sadness. From their current state, it was clear that these people had been severely mistreated by Zhang Huai and his ilk.
"Esteemed elders and villagers, you must have all heard that Lord Han personally led troops to suppress bandits last night. This battle completely routed Li Mao'er and his men. If you have any grievances, please tell them at the county yamen later. For now, could you please clear a path for Lord Han to return and rest for a moment?" the guards escorting Han Mo said as the crowd of villagers grew larger.
"Sir, you have rid our Neihuang County of three scourges!" An old man in ragged clothes knelt before Han Mo, tears streaming down his face.
"Please get up, old sir. If you have any grievances, you can come directly to the county yamen tomorrow to appeal. Although Zhang Huai and his associates have been executed, their past wrongdoings can still be investigated!" Han Mo needed money and grain, and he needed to stabilize the populace quickly and establish his reputation. Therefore, the ill-gotten gains of Zhang Huai and his group could now be put to good use. Rectifying past wrongs was always the best way to gain prestige, and Han Mo would not miss such a good opportunity.
"The benevolent and upright lord, the benevolent and upright lord!"
"Heaven has finally opened its eyes!"
...
What should have been a journey of less than fifteen minutes turned into more than half an hour, and Han Mo finally returned to his room. However, after today's events, Han Mo had thoroughly secured his position as the county magistrate. The clerks in the county yamen watched Han Mo with trepidation, and even the constables spoke to Han Mo with great caution, fearing they might displease him in some way.
"Second Brother, you're finally back! That fellow surnamed Feng came looking for you!" Xu Fengnian hurried over as soon as he saw Han Mo return.
"Surname Feng? Who is this fellow surnamed Feng?" Han Mo didn't react immediately. What was this young man talking about?
"The merchant surnamed Feng!"
"Feng Yuanbao? What is he here for?" Hearing this, Han Mo finally understood. But at this moment, why would Feng Yuanbao, instead of fleeing, come to his territory?
"I don't know what he's here for. He won't say anything when I ask him, only that he's waiting for you to return!"
"Let him in!" Han Mo was taken aback for a moment and then said casually. To be honest, Han Mo still owed Feng Yuanbao a favor. If he had traveled such a long distance to come here, it was likely that he had something he needed to discuss with him.
"Lord Han, you're finally back!" After a moment, guided by Xu Fengnian, Feng Yuanbao arrived at Han Mo's study.
"Master Feng, we meet again. But why are you here at this time?" Han Mo asked with a smile.
"Thanks to your fortune, sir, I have escaped great disaster. However, for the time being, I don't know where to go, so after much deliberation, I've decided to come and seek refuge with you!" Feng Yuanbao gritted his teeth and knelt before Han Mo.
"Master Feng, what are you doing? You're going to kill me with this!" Putting aside other matters, with his forty-odd years, kneeling before Han Mo at this moment made even Han Mo uncomfortable. Moreover, regardless of his worth, didn't he still hold the nominal title of a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue?
"Sir, I am now at my wit's end. I know you are a capable man. I wish to join your command and from now on, follow your every command!" Feng Yuanbao said without hesitation, kowtowing.
"You have immense wealth. Wouldn't it be enough to buy a boat and sail out to sea? Why must you come here and wade into this muddy water?" Hearing this, Han Mo could only manage a wry smile. This fellow's foresight was indeed sharp, but his current position as a mere county magistrate could hardly support a merchant with a fortune of a million strings of cash.
"Sir, buying a boat and sailing out to sea means that it will be extremely difficult to return to our homeland ever again! I have elderly parents at home, and I do not wish to leave our homeland. Moreover, I know nothing about overseas affairs. I fear that I might have my throat slit the moment I set foot overseas!" Feng Yuanbao began to cry at this point. Buying a boat and sailing out to sea sounded simple, but in reality, it was far from it. The merchants who dared to engage in maritime trade along the coast were basically powerful clans. They kept countless capable men at home and could even fight back against pirates at sea. As an outsider like him, even with money, could he truly buy everything? If he were to take his entire family and sail out to sea, and encounter pirates, his whole family would be fed to the fish. Furthermore, as the saying goes, "things are precious when they leave their hometown, and people are lowly when they leave their hometown." Without a foundation, it would be truly difficult to return. After much thought and gathering details from indirect sources, he made up his mind to seek out Han Mo again, hoping to pledge his allegiance.
"While that may be true, you can see that I am merely a small county magistrate. If you join me, I fear I won't have enough money and provisions to support you!"
"I don't want money or provisions, sir. If you need them, I am willing to use my entire fortune to help you with your trade. I only ask that you take me under your wing so that my family and I can preserve our lives!" Feng Yuanbao had already thought this through when he came. Therefore, when he spoke now, he didn't stutter at all.
"You should think carefully. If you truly join me, you will be at a great disadvantage!" Han Mo hadn't expected this old fellow to suddenly become so clear-headed. It seemed he had underestimated him a little.