Zhang Sancha walked out of the governor's office, accompanied by a spy from the Foreign Intelligence Service.
Because he didn't know the way to Cao's house, he needed the SIA's spies in Datong City to guide him.
When the Tiger-Character Banner army broke through the North City Gate, these spies led the way, and in the shortest time, they grasped the city's government offices, food and salary and other important places.
"Deputy Master Zhang, we are here. This is the Cao family's house in Datong City." The spy who led the way pointed to the high gate in front of him and said to Zhang Sancha who came with him.
Zhang Sancha raised his head slightly, looked at the two characters "Cao Mansion" on the door plaque, grinned, and said: "Here, go over and open the door."
A soldier walked out from behind, trotted to the door of Cao's mansion, and knocked on the door knocker with his hand.
Snapped! Snapped! Snapped!
The knocker knocked on the wooden door and made a sound.
After a while, no one opened the door. Zhang Sancha frowned and said, "Try harder so that the people inside can hear."
"Assistant commander, there is someone behind the door. It seems that he didn't open the door on purpose." The soldier who knocked on the door turned back to Zhang Sancha on horseback and said.
With his body close to the door, he could clearly hear any slight movement in the yard.
"It looks like he wants to default on the debt!" Zhang rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger twice, and immediately ordered, "Push the cannon up. Since they won't open the door, just blow the door open!"
The two accompanying four-pound cannons were transported by the gunners to the gate of Cao's mansion.
The gun body was laid flat, with the muzzle facing the Cao Mansion gate directly in front. The gunner next to him began to load the gunpowder packets and solid iron balls.
"Report to the deputy division chief that the two four-pound cannons have been loaded. Please ask for permission to fire." The gunner turned back and faced Zhang Sancha and said.
Zhang Sancha nodded slightly and said, "I'm allowed to fire."
The gunner turned around, raised the flag in his hand and waved it down hard, and at the same time shouted: "Fire!"
The gunners standing around the two four-pounders all blocked their ears with their hands. Two of the gunners extended their torches to the exposed line of fire of the two four-pounders.
boom! boom!
The two four-pound cannons made a loud noise, and two solid iron balls flew out from the barrels and were mounted on the gate of Cao's mansion directly in front.
Then there was only a bang. The large wooden door of Cao's Mansion was torn apart, sawdust flew everywhere, and two wooden doors were completely destroyed. A servant of Cao's Mansion happened to be hiding behind the door and was killed by a cannon on the spot without even a scream. Can be sent out in time.
"Run for your life! The bandits are killing people."
More than a dozen servants who were hiding behind the gate and courtyard wall of Cao Mansion were guarding the courtyard. When they saw the gate being blasted open by artillery fire, some people fled in panic. Others only hesitated for a moment and then fled for their lives.
"Enter the mansion!" Zhang Sancha waved his right arm.
A group of soldiers walked out from behind him and rushed into Zeng's mansion.
The shouts in Cao's mansion spread from the front yard to the backyard, and the servants and maids in the mansion also fled to the backyard.
The tiger-character flag soldiers received the warning in advance and entered Cao's mansion. They did not kill anyone, but just drove all the servants they saw toward the backyard.
When the soldiers were about to break into the Cao family's backyard, the Cao family's master trotted out from the backyard with a panic-stricken look on his face.
"Fellow rebels, don't take action. Don't take action. I have a problem with your leader." Master Cao, with his housekeeper and several servants, hurriedly stopped the Tiger Flag soldiers who wanted to enter their backyard.
The backyard was full of women, and he didn't dare to let the tiger-character flag soldiers in. In his eyes, the tiger-character flag soldiers were just bandits. He didn't dare to imagine what it would be like if the bandits broke into his backyard.
"This person is the eldest son of the Cao family." The foreign intelligence agent who led Zhang Sancha introduced the identity of the person in a low voice.
Zhang Sancha grabbed the handle of the knife at his waist with one hand, looked at the master of the Cao family in front of him and said, "Are you the master of the Cao family?"
"That's right." Mr. Cao bowed his hands to Zhang Sancha respectfully.
"Look at this, see if it was written by you." As he spoke, Zhang Sancha threw the letter that Zhao Yutu had given him before coming here to Mr. Cao.
The letter fell to Master Cao's feet.
Butler Cao next to him bent down to pick up the letter, patted the soil on it twice, and then handed it over to Mr. Cao.
The Master of the Cao family took the letter, took out the letter paper inside, opened it and held it in front of his eyes to read.
The content of the letter was written by him, so he only glanced at it to know what was written in the letter. Then he said: "Yes, this letter was indeed written by me. Later, I sent someone out of the city to send the rebels The camp is in the hands of Leader Liu."
"Just admit it." Zhang Sancha said, "I'm here to get the money this time. Where is the money?"
Hearing that they were here to ask for money and not the bandits who wanted to kill the Cao family, the Cao family master breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Please wait a moment, leader, please go down and gather the other families." Find it, and soon you can collect the money here."
As he spoke, he shook the letter in his hand.
"Stop talking nonsense and hand over the money quickly. I don't care who you go to. I want to see the money now." Zhang Sancha's face sank.
The master of the Cao family hurriedly explained: "Don't worry, chief, the money will definitely be given, but the money is jointly provided by several families. It is difficult for the Cao family to come up with it, so I ask the chief to wait a moment, and I will send someone right away." Inform the other companies and let them collect the money."
"That's a matter between you and them. I have nothing to do with it. Now I want the money. If you hadn't refused to hand over the money, I would have gone and got it myself." Zhang Sancha said coldly, holding the handle of the knife in his hand. He took the knife out of its scabbard.
Seeing that the Cao family was about to take action, the master of the Cao family begged: "Please allow the leader to be accommodating for some time. The Cao family really can't come up with so much money on its own. It needs to work with several other people to come up with so much money."
"It seems that you are not going to drink the wine as a penalty. Come here." Zhang Sancha shouted, "Arrest everyone in the Cao family and torture them about their wealth, starting with him."
As he spoke, he pointed at the Cao family master in front of him.
He didn't believe it at all when the Cao family master said that the Cao family couldn't afford twenty thousand taels of silver.
A wealthy family like the Cao family is far wealthier than an ordinary family. Let alone twenty thousand taels of silver, no matter how much it is, the Cao family can still afford it.
"Don't do it, don't do it." The Cao family master wanted to stop him, but he couldn't stop the soldiers who were about to rush into the backyard.
In desperation, he had no choice but to beg before Zhang Sancha again and said: "Please give me some mercy, Chief. For the sake of the Cao family and Chief Liu's relationship for many years, please give the Cao family a few days of grace. No, one day is enough."
At this time, he still didn't want the Cao family to pay the 20,000 taels of silver alone.
It's not that the Cao family couldn't afford the twenty thousand taels of silver, but it really made him feel distressed to take out so much money at once, and the Cao family shouldn't have paid this money themselves.
