Xie Ming

Zheng Sen, without taking a break from his post, hurried on his way home.

The mourning star, standing to the side, approached and reported to the emperor.

Having read about two matters, one joyful and one sorrowful, I first poured out my heart to the Tiger General who had slain the general and destroyed the bandits, Bahana.

Upon hearing his words, Xiao Jingchuan's eyebrows relaxed and his eyes lit up with joy.

"Ha ha ha ha."

"Good, good tiger might."

"This is wonderful news, truly a piece of good news!"

"Okay, I see."

"You jinx, quickly issue my order to spread this news of victory throughout the entire army, so that everyone can be happy, huh?!"

Overjoyed, the scourge that had plagued the Jiangnan region for so long was finally eradicated.

How could Xiao not be overjoyed by this?

"Yes, I understand."

Upon hearing this, even the jinx quickly agreed.

However, remembering what he had just said, Xiao Lang paused, seemingly hesitant.

After all, in Hangzhou, Master Hongren had repeatedly advised against granting titles and ranks too early.

Thinking of this, Xiao Jiang took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and suppressed his excitement.

"Well, as for rewarding someone for their merits..."

"Well, there's no rush."

"When it's near the end of the year, I'll return to Hangzhou and then personally petition the court on his behalf for a commendation. That won't be too late."

After much deliberation, Xiao Yi had no choice but to postpone it.

Having said that, it seems the jinx had said something beforehand, one good and one bad. Now that he's finished saying the good thing, it's time to bring up the worrying things next.

So, before his subordinates could speak, Xiao preemptively asked, skipping over the previous conversation.

"Oh, right, there's something else. Didn't you just say there was bad news?"

"Stop beating around the bush, tell me quickly," Xiao Jin asked.

Upon hearing this, the jinx hesitated and stammered.

"Uh, this."

"Since October, numerous slave revolts have broken out in the heart of Jiangnan."

"The surrounding areas of Hangzhou, including Huzhou, Haining, and Shaoxing, have been temporarily suppressed."

"Can"

"You understand that the war in the north has become increasingly intense recently, and you are not in charge of the rear."

"Although Qiu Zongxian is in charge of all matters, he is ultimately a civil servant."

"We're short-handed and constrained in many ways, so..."

The jinx couldn't express himself clearly and stammered.

Hearing his dawdling, Xiao showed impatience, raising his eyebrows and frowning, giving him a sharp look.

"Hey, just get to the result. When did you become so long-winded?" Xiao Zao said.

"Ah, yes, yes."

"Well, the result is that recently there have been riots in Taizhou and Jinhua in Zhejiang."

"It also exists in the southern part of Zhili, in Zhenjiang to the east, and in Chizhou and Anqing prefectures to the southwest."

Seeing that it was the warlord urging him, the jinx dared not delay any longer and simply told him everything.

Upon hearing such shocking and troublesome news, how could Xiao possibly have a pleasant expression?

He heard that the situation in the three regions under his jurisdiction—east, west, and south—as well as the two directly administered areas of Southern Zhili and Zhejiang, was out of control.

The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became, so before the harbingers of doom were fully revealed, he refused to listen and directly waved his hand and interrupted him sharply.

"Okay."

Xiao Jiang rarely showed such a fiery temper, and he was filled with resentment at this moment. The jinx beside him must have seen it all.

"Anyway, fires are breaking out everywhere, and it's almost complete chaos."

However, since he was a trusted brother, the jinx didn't hold back and muttered something from the side.

"Ugh"

It's difficult to gain power immediately.

"To govern a country after stepping down from one's post—it seems now even more difficult than before."

The north wind was fierce, like a knife, sweeping across the river.

Xiao Jingchuan was filled with mixed feelings. With a sigh, he shivered, shrugged his shoulders, and pulled his fur robe even tighter around his chest.

The jinx was blinded by the falling snow, and he smeared his face with his big hand.

Once he spoke, it was nothing but the usual complaints of a soldier.

"Humph!"

"If you ask me, if anyone dares to cause trouble, just chop them all up."

"What's the point of arguing about the details?"

"It's just that they've been given too much face, and a bunch of scoundrels and troublemakers are taking advantage of the situation," said the jinx.

Upon hearing this, Xiao was taken aback.

"kindness?"

"Who's the scoundrel, and who's the troublemaker?" "Without careful handling, how can you possibly tell the difference?"

"Hey jinx, you're a jinx yourself, aren't you?"

How so?

"You've forgotten your roots after eating lard for two days?"

Xiao Liyan was furious.

Upon hearing this, the jinx suddenly shuddered, realizing he had spoken inappropriately, and hurriedly tried to make amends.

"what?"

No, no.

"Oh dear, I wasn't referring to those rioters who started the uprising."

"No, that's not right either."

“Anyone who dares to take advantage of this critical moment to incite the people to kill and commit arson deserves to be killed.”

"The poor?"

"Ah, poor, perhaps indeed poor."

"However, not all poor people are good people."

"I come from a poor background."

"But this kind of disturbance clearly indicates that someone is behind it all."

"Commander, don't you think all these recent chaotic events have an eerie quality to them?"

The jinxed star, realizing he couldn't explain himself clearly, simply went along with the conspiracy theory.

Of course, in recent months, many things have happened here, and it is indeed a strange thing to think about, which is a truth.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan did not hold it against him.

But with the situation pressing, I'm deeply worried.

"Ugh"

"Sometimes, you might want to settle things peacefully, but the other person might not be willing to."

"Especially now, I, Xiao, have no choice but to purge the court of those close to the emperor."

"He plopped down in someone else's seat."

"Think about it, do you think they would willingly shut themselves off and suffer this injustice in silence?"

Starting anew, following the lead of the jinx, Xiao casually poured out his unbearable bitterness.

"Uh"

"General, are you saying it was those pedantic scholars from the Southern Party in the court who did it?!"

"Damn it."

Which one exactly?

"I'll just take my sword and go chop him down," the jinx roared.

Observing that this boy's temperament had changed recently, Xiao Bujue carefully looked at him and stared at him for a while.

"Well, it's hard to say exactly who it is right now."

"Feiyu is also secretly investigating this matter."

"However, this time the Southern Party, the Southern gentry, have really gotten themselves into trouble with us."

"With the loss of power in the central government and the current difficult situation in Huaibei, Ma Weimin is resorting to various methods to seize grain in the local areas."

"There are some things I am not unaware of."

"But in urgent situations, you have no choice but to turn a blind eye."

"It's inevitable that this will cause trouble."

Xiao Nan could not fully explain the complexities involved, which perfectly illustrates the saying that pulling one hair can affect the whole situation.

Helpless, I could only follow along, concerned only with what was in front of me, not with what was behind me.

"Ha, these local gentry and murderers."

"They don't even consider that we're risking our lives to fight and protect them."

"What's the point of risking your life and fighting to the death?"

The jinx got excited and started talking more and more.

"Without us, the barbarian soldiers rushed over like a burst dam."

"None of them are any of those rotten fish or shrimp that can escape."

"Why bother with things like paying taxes and filling quotas now?"

"Let's just ignore it and let the Jurchens roam freely in Jiangnan."

"Isn't the trouble caused by Bahana and the Zhenjiang area obvious enough?"

"If you ask me, it's like there's always a chance to catch your breath until the knife is at your throat."

"I want this, I want that."

"Let him really go in with a white knife and come out with a red knife."

"What's with all this talk about paying taxes? You'll see when the time comes. They'll treat you even better than they would their own father."

Such nonsense is unbelievable; I wonder if all the soldiers in the army make such outrageous remarks in private.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xin was stunned, and upon considering the implications, a chill ran down her spine. (End of Chapter)