As Bai Yuan slipped in, Fan Shangzheng and Zhu Changxun were both simultaneously taken aback.
Then, their faces lit up with joy.
Fan Shangzheng exclaimed, "Master Bai is here!"
Bai Yuan smiled. "Indeed, I happened to be in Luoyang procuring supplies. I've heard the city abuzz with rumors that rebels are approaching. Panic has seized the city; countless villagers from the surrounding areas, dragging their children, have flooded into the city. Now, every street and alley is teeming with refugees."
Fan Shangzheng sighed. "Yes, the common folk from outside the city have surged in. What's interesting, though, is that the wealthy merchants and prominent families within the city have opened the west gate and are fleeing towards Tongguan."
Behind Bai Yuan, another figure emerged. It was none other than the Puppet Dao Xuan Tianzun, Model 03, who remarked with a smile, "Those outside the walls yearn to enter, while those within frantically seek to escape. Such is human nature, isn't it?"
Fan Shangzheng was ecstatic. "Ah? So, the Marvelous Hero Xiao is here too!"
In truth, the Puppet Dao Xuan Tianzun Model 03 was now in mass production. The skilled artisans of Gao Family Village had discovered that the Puppet Dao Xuan Tianzun Model 03 already integrated all the technology they currently possessed, making it impossible to upgrade with new functions for the time being.
They had therefore simply created models numbered 03-01, 03-02, and so forth, to be placed in various cities.
A place as strategically vital as Luoyang naturally warranted a unit.
The moment Fan Shangzheng saw Li Daoxuan, a sense of calm settled over him. The Marvelous Hero Xiao was, in his estimation, the most formidable knight-errant he had ever encountered, a master of swift, decisive action, leaving no trace in his wake. Aside from that rather chilling "Ice Soul" technique he cultivated—which was a little unnerving—everything else about him was impeccable.
With him present, he felt significantly more confident in facing the rebels.
Zhu Changxun, however, had never met Li Daoxuan. He only recognized Bai Yuan, and now regarded Li Daoxuan with an air of curiosity.
Fan Shangzheng said, "Seeing Master Bai and the Marvelous Hero Xiao, this official feels a considerable easing of tension in his heart. Ah! To be frank with you both, His Royal Highness, the Prince of Fu, and I are currently discussing matters concerning the approaching rebels."
Li Daoxuan chuckled. "Are you discussing which direction to flee?"
Zhu Changxun was speechless.
That was incredibly awkward. Who speaks like that?
Fan Shangzheng, a high-ranking civil official, harbored a particular disdain for the imperial clan, so he didn't feel the need to spare the Prince of Fu any courtesy. He chuckled. "Before you arrived, His Royal Highness was just lamenting that Luoyang was his fiefdom. If the rebels breached its walls, he would have nowhere to run, and he was quite anxious about it."
Zhu Changxun bristled. "You, Fan, watch your tongue."
Fan Shangzheng shrugged. "Oh, but this official is only stating facts."
Zhu Changxun seemed poised to erupt again, but a moment's reflection caused him to sigh instead. "Go ahead and laugh," he said. "I was born into an imperial household. Though I've enjoyed immense wealth and prestige, I am forbidden to leave my fiefdom for even a single step, condemned to live and die within these Luoyang walls. Laugh all you want. I've grown accustomed to it. After all, if I perish, Luoyang is doomed to fall. And if Luoyang falls, every single civilian in this city will serve as my funerary sacrifice. We'll all die together; the journey to the Yellow Springs won't be a lonely one for me then."
Fan Shangzheng's laughter abruptly died. A hint of awkwardness flickered across his face. If the rebels truly slaughtered every last person in Luoyang, how could he bear the thought? His tenure as governor would be over, undoubtedly culminating in his own execution.
Both men turned their heads in unison, looking at Bai Yuan.
Bai Yuan spread his hands. "Why look at me? I'm merely a weak, pathetic, helpless gentry scholar. With a rebel army of two hundred thousand marching this way, I'm quite terrified myself."
Fan Shangzheng pressed, "Master Bai, you command a considerable number of flintlock riflemen, do you not? This official is well aware of that. How about deploying them here to assist in Luoyang's defense? After all, the rebels are approaching from the east; they won't reach Xiaolangdi. Your personal guards wouldn't need to remain stationed there."
Zhu Changxun quickly chimed in, "Precisely! Precisely! I've also heard that when you recaptured Xiaolangdi, you deployed numerous flintlock riflemen, and when defending Hejin City against rebels crossing the Yellow River, you again mobilized a large contingent of them. Bring them here swiftly, to guard Luoyang's city walls! I will summon my royal guards, and Governor Fan can organize some civilian militias. Together, we might just be able to hold Luoyang."
Bai Yuan sighed dramatically. "Ah, but I am a merchant. A merchant won't rise early without profit, and defending Luoyang brings me no advantage…"
Zhu Changxun didn't hesitate for a moment, and immediately declared, "I'll pay!"
Li Daoxuan chuckled inwardly. Exactly, he thought. My whole purpose in coming was to fleece you of your money.
While Li Daoxuan could infinitely airdrop resources into the box, for a feudal magnate like the Prince of Fu—a wealthy man who hoarded vast sums of money instead of using it—it was imperative to find every possible way to extract some of that wealth.
This was different from merely airdropping supplies.
Bai Yuan asked with a smile, "How much are you offering?"
Zhu Changxun declared, "Two thousand taels!"
Bai Yuan shook his head. "Only two thousand taels? That's nowhere near enough. The Prince of Fu's mansion is so lavish; if the rebels were to pillage and burn it, your losses would surely exceed five hundred thousand taels, wouldn't they? For me to mobilize such a large force to protect your mansion, a task of such magnitude, only to earn two thousand taels? That is certainly insufficient."
Zhu Changxun gritted his teeth. "Five thousand taels!"
Bai Yuan simply said, "Still not enough."
Zhu Changxun flared up. "Don't be unreasonable! For five thousand taels, I could recruit countless local militias and martial heroes to serve me!"
Bai Yuan countered, "Even if you recruit legions of rabble, they might not be able to defeat two hundred thousand rebels. You can't possibly recruit two hundred thousand disorganized commoners and expect them to stand against an equally large, battle-hardened foe, can you?"
That was obviously a rhetorical question.
Zhu Changxun certainly couldn't recruit two hundred thousand disorganized men. Setting aside whether he even had the funds for such a massive recruitment drive, if he truly amassed such a large personal army, what would be the difference between that and outright rebellion?
At that point, the Chongzhen Emperor would undoubtedly temporarily halt all bandit suppression efforts and order the entire Ming army to prioritize annihilating the Prince of Fu.
Zhu Changxun was practically sputtering with rage. "What exactly do you want, then?"
Bai Yuan stated calmly, "Twenty thousand."
Zhu Changxun exploded. "You might as well become a rebel yourself! It would be quicker to just rob me!"
Li Daoxuan, witnessing the scene, was immensely entertained. What a show.
It was Fan Shangzheng who finally couldn't stand it any longer. He interjected, "Master Bai, that's quite enough. It's commendable that the Prince of Fu is willing to contribute funds, but the primary responsibility for defending Luoyang ultimately rests with this official. Consider it a favor to me, then…"
The third-party mediator had arrived.
Bai Yuan, knowing when to quit while he was ahead, declared, "Alright, then, ten thousand taels, and not a single coin less. Pay first, and my men will enter the city. If I don't see the silver, my men will remain at Xiaolangdi, enjoying the spectacle from afar."
Zhu Changxun was shaking with indignation. "Fine, you can have it, you can have it!"
He sprang to his feet in a huff, and with a furious flick of his sleeve, stalked back towards his mansion.
As for the actual transfer of silver, that, of course, would be handled by his retainers. It couldn't possibly be done on the spot.
Once he was gone, Fan Shangzheng turned to Bai Yuan. "Master Bai, I've observed you consistently distributing porridge and aiding the populace in Xiaolangdi and Hejin County. You don't strike me as someone consumed by greed. So why were you so insistent on extracting silver from the Prince of Fu today?"
Bai Yuan smiled. "Shaking this silver out of him, and then distributing it among the refugees who have flooded into the city—wouldn't that be far better?"
Fan Shangzheng burst into hearty laughter. "You speak wisely. Indeed, very wisely."