“First and foremost, everyone must be united, and the city must be fortified like an iron barrel. Assign people to patrol day and night, divide the city into zones, and inspect each section. The common people are not allowed to come and go as they please, and absolutely no spreading of rumors or gossip that could disrupt military morale. Those who spread rumors and undermine morale must be severely punished without mercy.” William Bolton paused, then continued, “At the end of the day, the most critical aspects of defending the city are food and weaponry. We must control all the grain in the city and enforce a strict distribution system... Ensure the soldiers have enough to eat, but also make sure the common people have food as well. We must strictly guard against hoarding and price gouging. In short, as long as we hold steady, not to mention Jia Lu—even if Chancellor Toqto’a comes with a great army, he may not be able to take Haozhou!”

William Bolton’s words made John Washington nod repeatedly.

“Little sir, every word hits the mark. You, serving under me, are truly a talent wasted!”

William Bolton laughed and shook his head. “Benefactor, you’re mistaken. There are thousands who can talk, but only one in ten thousand who can get things done. The safety of Haozhou depends entirely on you!”

John Washington gradually clenched his fists. He recalled the bleak and tense scenes he and William Bolton had witnessed in the marketplace, and couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.

“Little sir, let’s go see the commander right now!”

John Washington turned and left at once, and William Bolton had a feeling that someone was about to be in trouble.

Chapter 7: The Ruthless Man John Washington

As it turned out, William Bolton’s premonition was off, because it wasn’t just that someone was in trouble—someone lost their head and their family was destroyed!

John Washington spent the entire night at the commander’s residence, discussing strategies to deal with the government troops.

The next morning, William Bolton was holding a copy of “Mencius,” reading it patiently. Just then, Edward Clark came running in.

The little fellow’s face was as red as an apple as he burst in from outside. William Bolton couldn’t help but shake his head. You little rascal, can’t you be a bit more steady? Spend some time reading instead of running around all day.

Unfortunately, Edward Clark could not live up to William Bolton’s hopes. Although he knew the importance of reading and literacy, he just couldn’t sit still. On the contrary, his godfather’s swords and weapons were his favorites—he was always fiddling with them, practically drooling.

John Washington was afraid he’d hurt himself, so he got Edward Clark a wooden sword, which the boy loved so much he even slept with it. With this kind of behavior, his chances of becoming a top scholar were slim.

“Big Brother Bolton, Big Brother Bolton!” Edward Clark called out excitedly. “Godfather has arrested several grain merchants and tied them up in the street. I heard they’re going to be beheaded!”

William Bolton was momentarily stunned. Was old Zhu really this fierce? After a pause, William Bolton said to Edward Clark, “You’re just a kid, stay home for now. I’ll go take a look!”

“I want to go too!” Edward Clark had no intention of staying cooped up at home!

“What are you getting excited for? Aren’t you afraid of seeing a beheading?”

William Bolton tried to scare Edward Clark, but he was mistaken. Although Edward Clark was young, he’d probably seen more killings than William Bolton himself.

There was no choice but to take this little tail along to the street.

They hurried to the street corner, where by now crowds of townspeople had gathered from all directions, forming several layers around the center.

William Bolton and his companion were squeezed in the middle of the crowd, only able to see the backs of people’s heads in front of them, anxiously unable to do anything.

At this moment, John Washington and David Scott were escorting several grain merchants to the street corner. Some Red Turban soldiers had borrowed chairs from a teahouse to set up a makeshift platform, and John Washington was the first to step up.

Standing high, old Zhu was now visible to William Bolton, but as more and more people gathered, John Washington could not see William Bolton. This matter would have to be handled by him alone.

At the head of the grain merchants was an elderly man over fifty, with graying beard and dressed in silk—clearly a wealthy and respectable person. Many townspeople recognized him; his surname was Jiang, a famous grain merchant in Haozhou, with extraordinary wealth.

Facing John Washington, Mr. Jiang was not afraid. On the contrary, the old man gritted his teeth and suddenly sneered, “I know who you are! Aren’t you Commander Guo’s godson-in-law? A few months ago, you got married, and I even attended your wedding banquet!”

John Washington kept a straight face. Back then, he was still a nobody, and people only came out of respect for Guo Zixing and his wife. There were plenty of guests, and whether this man was among them, John Washington couldn’t be sure, nor did he care.

“No need to bring up irrelevant things... Let me ask you, why do you refuse to sell grain when you clearly have it? And why did you triple the price in a single day? How are the common people supposed to survive?”

Confronted with this questioning, the grain merchant Jiang’s expression changed, but he still wasn’t afraid. “Young Master Zhu, I’m a businessman. Buy low, sell high—that’s how I make my living. I pay my taxes in full. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Commander Guo, or Young Commander Guo!”

He kept invoking Guo Zixing to pressure John Washington, and spoke with great confidence, as if he really was connected to Guo Zixing. David Scott, standing to the side, kept signaling to John Washington, but John Washington remained unmoved.

“I’m not asking about that. I’m asking you this: with the enemy at our gates, you’re hoarding grain and driving up prices, causing panic in the city. Are you trying to hand Haozhou over to the Yuan Mongols?”

Faced with John Washington’s question, the grain merchant Jiang was momentarily stunned. He could clearly feel the hostile stares coming at him from all directions.