Pang Zi had an impatient temper. After discussing intervening in the saltpeter and salt business with Chen Tianhua, he didn't delay at all and immediately took people to Pingxiang.

This place, Pingxiang, was right by the Kushui River (*Bitter Water River*). A large saline-alkali beach only grew sparse salt-tolerant plants. Many salt pans circled by ropes were set up on the beach. Under the command of salt police (*Yan Ding*), coolies drew out the bitter water seeping out of the ground, and then transported it to the place where brine was boiled. The tidal flat was very wet and slippery; these coolies rolled like mud monkeys one by one. Theoretically, salt police in these years should do these things personally, but like other industries monopolized by the Imperial Court, these salt police who should have practiced personally had long become the group who didn't work. After hundreds of years of elimination, these industries had been monopolized by certain big forces. Although salt police also had a quota, that was already something on paper. All salt police quotas had become methods used by monopoly families to avoid taxes.

The current salt police were thugs rather than laborers. They were responsible for supervising coolies and suppressing various resistances. To make a living, the common people had to sell their strength, but even so, working as coolies in the salt field was also a way many people would choose only when they had no way out. Not only was it hard work here in the salt field, but the wages given were also much less.

Pang Zi took a dozen people, all riding horses, galloping all the way to the vicinity of the salt field. There were no obstacles on the beach. The salt police saw Pang Zi and others from afar; they immediately became vigilant. The horse team finally slowed down but didn't stop. The place for boiling brine was on a high ground by the road. Pang Zi and the others stopped only when they arrived nearby. And the salt police already blocked in front of the venue holding knives and spears.

"Humph!" The fatty sneered. There were a dozen of these people holding knives, spears, and muskets. Although Pang Zi himself didn't carry a gun, the brothers behind him carried rifles on their backs; the worst were Hanyang Type 88s (*Lao Tao Tong* - Old Sleeve, nickname for Hanyang 88 or Gewehr 88). The comparison of strength between the two sides was clear at a glance. Looking down at the salt police from a high position, Pang Zi shouted: "Let your person in charge come out. Is it time to pay back the medicine money from last time?"

The salt police hadn't seen Pang Zi and didn't know which road this sturdy-looking young man belonged to. Hearing Pang Zi shout like this, the salt police were even more confused. "What do you do?" A small leader shouted.

"What do I do?" Pang Zi sneered after listening, "I came to collect debts." After speaking, Pang Zi waved to the brother behind him. The brother handed over a flag from the saddle. Pang Zi raised the flag and inserted the flagpole fiercely in front of his horse. A gust of wind blew; in the white full moon in the middle of the cyan flag, the character "Pang" was clearly visible.

The leader recognized a few characters slightly. Although he didn't recognize this character, he knew Pang Zi must have a big background. He hurriedly cupped his hands, "May I ask how to address this brother?"

"My name is Pang Zi. I came to collect medicine money today. Let your person in charge come out quickly." Pang Zi was very happy to see that hearing this, the salt police's faces changed immediately. Their eyes looking at him also became much more respectful. He saw the salt police whisper a few words slightly, and someone went back to report.

Like Official Ximen in the book (*Jin Ping Mei* / *Water Margin*), Pang Zi had a raw medicine shop under his name. Although it also saw patients, it provided medicine trading more. This was Chen Tianhua's request; members of the Peasant Association needed to see doctors. And the price of seeing a doctor was too high in these years, let alone getting medicine. So Pang Zi simply opened such a medicine shop. The source of the original capital of the medicine shop was simple. Chen Ke's specific medicine "914" for treating syphilis was also a scarce commodity in Hebei. The fatty just treated a few big households infected with the disease and earned the starting capital for the medicine shop. It was equivalent to getting such a medicine shop for free.

And the current owner of the salt field was named Jing Tinglie, a distant relative of Pang Zi. His son went to Beijing and came back infected with the disease. Pang Zi treated him at that time but didn't ask for money immediately. This was Pang Zi's excuse for coming this time.

Jing Tinglie naturally couldn't manage things personally in the salt field; the one who came was his family's legal advisor (*Shi Ye*). Seeing him, Pang Zi asked sternly immediately: "Where are the five hundred taels of silver agreed for treating the disease? When will you give it to me?"

The legal advisor Jing Tingjun originally greeted him with a smile; he didn't expect Pang Zi to say this as soon as he opened his mouth. His face changed immediately, "Big Nephew, what do you mean by this?"

Pang Zi sneered: "Last time your family member caught syphilis, I came to treat the disease, and we agreed to give five hundred taels. Now the person is well long ago; why is there no movement about the money? You are trying to cheat me, right?"

Hearing this, Jing Tingjun knew Pang Zi came to find fault. He had also seen the world and knew this was not about five hundred taels of silver at all, let alone impossible to give Pang Zi five hundred taels. He also sneered simply: "You have no proof for empty words; you say treating disease then treating disease?"

"Very good. As the saying goes, pay with life for killing, pay with money for debt. If you bully onto my head. Then you try. I'll come again tomorrow, right by this flag. I won't force you either. If five hundred taels are not sent under the flag for me tomorrow, don't open your salt field. Open again when the money is paid off." After speaking, regardless of what Jing Tingjun wanted to say, Pang Zi turned the horse's head and galloped away with his subordinates.

Riding far away, the horse team slowed down. Those following Pang Zi were all confidants. They actually knew that this Jing Tinglie really had his son's life saved by Pang Zi. But whether there was an agreement of five hundred taels of silver, they didn't know.

"Big Brother Pang, does Jing Tinglie really owe us medicine money?" someone asked.

"Is five hundred taels of silver too much to save his son's life?" Pang Zi laughed.

Whether this was much, these Escort Agency brothers actually couldn't judge either, but Jing Tinglie was rich; taking out five hundred taels was still no problem.

"If they have no money, they can let us do saltpeter and salt business. Allocating a piece of land to us, they don't suffer a loss either. Brothers tell everyone this after going back. Pay debts with money."

When the crowd returned to Nangong County the next day, it was exactly noon. Half of the street in the south of Nangong County town was Pang Zi's territory now. In the past half year, because of the Peasant Association's own business, the scale of the escort team expanded extremely fast. Most people engaging in escorting in 1906 were not children from good families. Making money, everyone began to eat and drink. For other teams, drinking wine in big bowls and eating meat in big chunks was a luxurious life. For Pang Zi, this was instead a project that didn't require special expenditure.

As soon as entering the gate of the Escort Agency, a burst of aroma of wine and meat assailed the nostrils. Nangong smoked vegetables were famous originally; now with sufficient meat supply, they were even more delicious. Inside the courtyard, as usual, a dozen tables were arranged in two rows, and the tables were full of people. There must be a hundred or so. Seeing Pang Zi come in, everyone stood up one after another. "Captain Pang!" "Big Brother Pang!" Enthusiastic greetings made Pang Zi feel very comfortable in his heart.

"Captain Pang, seeing you so annoyed, did someone offend you?" Pang Tianshuo seemed to have drunk wine, his face red, speaking very drunkenly.

Pang Zi knew this was a false appearance. Pang Tianshuo had a huge capacity for liquor, but even drinking a small cup would show on his face. But this guy was very shrewd. Always using this false appearance to fool others.

"Close the door; I have something to say." Pang Zi shouted.

Someone closed the gate immediately. Seeing Pang Zi do this, everyone knew there was big business. Impatient ones surrounded him; gluttonous ones stuffed food into their mouths fiercely while looking at Pang Zi.

"I have to tell everyone something. I once treated Jing Tinglie's son for syphilis. He owed me five hundred taels of silver and hasn't paid back until now. Everyone says, should this money be asked for!" Pang Zi shouted.

"Of course should pay back!"

"They dare to bully Big Brother Pang; this is wanting to die. Big Brother, we go to ask for money tomorrow. If not paying back, make them look good."

The brothers of the Escort Agency were immediately filled with indignation.

"Jing Tinglie doesn't lack this little money! Five hundred taels to save his son's life, is this money much?" Pang Zi continued to shout.

"Not much, not much!" The brothers continued to shout.

Pang Zi continued to incite: "Originally seeing we are fellow villagers, I didn't ask for money at the time of treatment. Now looking at it, Jing Tinglie definitely wants to renege on the debt. I'm afraid he definitely won't admit this matter. Brothers, everyone knows what kind of person I, Pang Zi, am. Can I tell lies about such things? Treated is treated, not treated is not treated. Heaven is watching such things. Choose fifty people tomorrow to follow me to ask for money. Of the money asked for, I keep three hundred taels for the medicine shop, and the rest will be distributed to brothers. Those following me get two shares each."

Since Pang Zi offered a heavy reward, the brothers of the Escort Agency naturally became more energetic. But some people were also a bit worried, "What if that Jing Tinglie denies the debt to death?"

"Useless, isn't it just fighting? What to fear. Can't we beat Jing Tinglie?" Immediately someone began to scold this worried person.

There were also some relatively prudent people who were not so excited, "Captain Pang, what if that Jing Tinglie refuses to pay back money?"

"Why doesn't Jing Tinglie lack money? What business does he do? Isn't it relying on saltpeter and salt business to earn so much? Everyone must know how profitable this business is." Pang Zi said loudly.

"Oh!!" A burst of exclamation below. Nangong County produced saltpeter and salt. The saline-alkali water oozing from the river beaches of several Kushui Rivers was rich in salt. Although there was salt from Shandong sold back and forth along the canal, saltpeter and salt never lacked sales channels in these years. It was a big business.

"If Jing Tinglie refuses to pay back money, that's also simple. We allocate a piece of land and do saltpeter and salt business too. This is not about that five hundred taels of silver. If letting Jing Tinglie bully onto our heads, do we still want to run the Escort Agency in the future?"

Someone hurriedly bit off the meat on the chicken leg bone from his mouth, then shouted: "Big Brother Pang, let's do it."

"Exactly, exactly. It would be a pity if we don't do this business."

Pang Zi provided sufficient wine and meat, but these Escort Agency brothers had eaten for a few months. Although couldn't say tired of eating, the initial excitement was gone long ago. Because of sufficient wine and meat supply, the salary of the Escort Agency was not very high. If they could occupy the saltpeter and salt business, the money distributed could definitely be raised by a large chunk. Thinking of this, the brothers were immediately in high spirits.

"Captain Pang, is this saltpeter and salt business done by our Escort Agency ourselves?" Some people asked more straightforwardly. The Escort Agency transported a lot of supplies for the Peasant Association. The Peasant Association was "one of us" after all, and provided wine and meat. Fatty didn't let charge more money, and everyone dared not ask for more. But transport business was not that much in these years. Wanting to feed hundreds of people, these people naturally couldn't get too much money.

How could Pang Zi not know the thoughts of these people below? He laughed: "Rest assured, this business won't let everyone lack money to spend."

As soon as this statement came out, the brothers below cheered thunderously immediately. "Do it!" "Do it!" Everyone expressed their attitude one after another.

"My mother said last time she wanted to marry a wife for me. But the betrothal gift asked by others is not small. Big Brother Pang, I'll follow you to work hard!" A young man said full of longing.

"You? You marry a wife? I say you have taken a fancy to Xiao Tao Hong (*Little Peach Red* - likely a prostitute's name), right?" Pang Tianshuo teased. As the saying goes, when warm and full, one thinks of lust. These young men drank and ate meat all day; their energy had been saved enough long ago. The biggest customers of brothels in Nangong County now were this gang. Hearing Pang Tianshuo's teasing, everyone laughed loudly *haha*.

"Then hurry up and eat for me now. Let's calculate; tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, we'll go to Pingxiang to explore the way first." Pang Zi said. Everyone naturally agreed. Seeing everyone agreed, Pang Zi shouted: "Serve the dishes quickly; I'm hungry too."