The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 173 I am power
Within the Hongze Lake basin, Liu Zhengyang, the lobbyist for Transport Commissioner Gu Yue, is still waiting for Wang Wen, who has fled to the toilet.

He waited and waited, but Wang Wen didn't return. Just as he was about to go to the outhouse to check, he saw Wang Wen returning from the direction of the outhouse, looking refreshed and adjusting his belt...

'Is taking a dump really that satisfying?'

Liu Zhengyang looked at Wang Wen with puzzlement. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he felt that after the Demon-Slaying General went to the outhouse, his aura suddenly became much more violent, and he felt a little scared for no reason.

"What are you looking at?"

Wang Wen swaggered back to his seat and snapped, "Haven't you ever seen someone constipated?"

Liu Zhengyang's face stiffened, and he forced a smile while crossing his hands, saying, "I was out of line, General, please forgive me... What do you think of what I just said?"

"Fuck you!"

Wang Wen laughed and cursed, "What kind of class do you think you are, daring to negotiate with this general? Go back and tell Gu Yue to immediately return the rations and pay that he has withheld from my Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion, with interest, and this general will be lenient and let him off the hook. If he dares to shortchange me by even a single copper coin, this general will immediately start a war with him, a war to the death!"

Liu Zhengyang was so taken aback by Wang Wen's 360-degree turn in attitude that his mind almost went blank. After regaining his senses, he immediately realized that he had been played by Wang Wen, and in a fit of rage, he slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "You brat, how dare you do this!"

Wang Wen smiled dismissively and called out softly, "Someone come here!"

Two fierce-looking guards from the General's Mansion entered in response, clasping their hands and saying, "Your subordinates are here!"

Without turning his head, Wang Wen pointed at Liu Zhengyang and cruelly said to him, "Fork this madman out, break his limbs and throw him back. If any of the patrol officers or naval personnel dare to cause trouble, they will all be treated as colluding with demons and monsters!"

"Here!"

Two generals' guards responded loudly, stepped forward, grabbed Liu Zhengyang's arms from the left and right, and pinned him to the ground like a pig being handled, dragging him out of the cabin.

Liu Zhengyang struggled desperately, shouting furiously, "You scoundrel! You've fallen for someone else's scheme, committing this atrocity that pleases your enemies and hurts your own people, and you don't even realize it! You'll regret it! You'll regret it!!!"

Wang Wen impatiently picked at his ear and added, "Slap me thirty more times!"

"Here!"

The two honest demon-suppressing guards responded loudly, and then the sound of slapping echoed from outside the cabin.

The sound was so loud it hurt to hear.

"Wow, how cruel!"

Wang Wen shook his head with a sour smile: "You, you can't even stand this little bit of humiliation, and you still want to be a lobbyist..."

Just then, a golden light and a wisp of green mist drifted in through the wide-open window, landing in the cabin and transforming into Ma Feng and Ao Qing.

Ao Qing, imitating Ma Feng, also donned a flamboyant golden armor. Upon landing, he knelt on one knee, crossed his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, this humble general requests permission to present the head of that old thief Gu Yue before Your Majesty's carriage!"

Ma Feng glanced at him in shock, then quickly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "Your Excellency, this humble general also requests permission to kill the old thief Gu Yue in the bustling marketplace, to make an example of him and deter others!"

Looking at the pair of brilliant minds, Wang Wen couldn't help but chuckle, and he also felt a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and reflection).

Look……

None of the demons and monsters under his command regarded his Transport Commissioner's Office or Gu Yue as a threat; they all wanted to bring back Gu Yue's head to claim credit.

However, Gu Yue still felt that he had a great advantage, and brazenly sent a persuader to advise him not to act impulsively, lest he be like an egg hitting a rock, hurting his friends and pleasing his enemies!

Times have changed, but some people are still immersed in the afterglow of the old era and are trying to use the artifacts of the old era to suppress these trendsetters of the new era.

What's the difference between this and using the imperial sword of the previous dynasty to execute an official of the current dynasty?
In fact, Wang Wen has been thinking about something a lot lately.

That is, only absolute military force can generate absolute power.

What gives that Prince Qi so much the right to be so arrogant?
It was simply because he had the support of the mighty Zhou Dynasty.

Why was the Great Zhou Dynasty able to suppress the nine provinces?

It's simply because the Great Zhou Dynasty holds a million-strong army in its hands!

But could that million-strong army really do anything to Wang Wen?

Wang Wen thought about it for a long time, but still felt that this was a big question mark.

He wouldn't dare boast that he could single-handedly defeat a nation!
But no matter what, he should be evenly matched with the Great Zhou Dynasty...

A more likely scenario is that he crippled the Great Zhou Dynasty, plunging the world into chaos.

He lost everything he had and retreated into the deep mountains and forests to await his time.

Since it's a 50/50 situation, why should the power granted by the Great Zhou Dynasty be absolute power?

And his power is not absolute power.

It can't be just because he doesn't want to be a bad person, right?

He believes that one should always keep one's word.

If we're going to be reasonable, then everyone should be reasonable.

If we're going to compare fists, then everyone should compare fists.

I try to reason with you, you resort to fists; I try to fight you with fists, and then you try to reason with me again…

That's indecent!
Perhaps some people have forgotten that Wang Laohu was originally a genuine thug!

……

The Huainan Circuit Transport Commissioner's Office was located in Shanyang County, the seat of Chuzhou Prefecture.

Shanyang County is located about 60 li east of Hongze Lake, and can be reached directly from Hongze Lake via the Huai River.

Three days later, at dusk, the fleet from the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion arrived in Shanyang County.

Having received advance notice, Gu Yue, the Transport Commissioner of Huainan Circuit, had already mobilized the Chuzhou Xiang Army and the Patrol and Inspection Division's naval forces, totaling 5,000 troops, to deploy at the Shanyang County dock, clearing out all idlers from the dock to welcome the arrival of the General of Demon Slaying's entourage.

Clearly, Wang Wen's act of ordering Liu Zhengyang's limbs to be broken three days ago had made Gu Yue realize that this matter could not be resolved peacefully!
At this moment, Gu Yue, dressed in a purple official robe and standing at the forefront of the officials of the Transport Commissioner's Office, had a face ashen, as dark as the bottom of a pot. This matter had escalated far beyond his expectations.

To say he has no regrets is simply a stubborn lie...

But how could he have predicted that Wang Wen, now a high-ranking official of the third rank, would still act like a street thug, flipping tables at the drop of a hat?

According to the rules of officialdom, there are usually two ways to handle this kind of thing.

The first option, of course, is for Wang Wen to bow down and submit to the King of Qi.

The second option is for Wang Wen to accept this loss silently and act as if nothing had happened.

Regardless of the outcome, Gu Yue has at least given a satisfactory explanation to the King of Qi.

A mere 70% of the grain and provisions may seem like a lot, but a general like Wang Wen, who is in charge of the Demon Suppression Division, can easily plunder at least ten times that amount by slaughtering just a few pigs.

This small amount of grain and provisions is worth disregarding the friendship between Wang Wenzhi and the canal gang, and going against their transport commissioner's office and against the King of Qi.
Even if we take a step back and assume that Wang Wen and Liu Zhengyang had amicable negotiations beforehand, and he publicly acknowledged the hidden loss while secretly returning the withheld rations to the General of the Demon Slayer's Mansion through the Transport Commissioner's Office, what if they had done it themselves?
That matter is now in the past...

It's only because things have escalated to this point that no one can salvage the situation!

Don't say anything more; he can't explain himself to the King of Qi.

Even the King of Qi himself probably wouldn't be able to explain this to the Emperor.

Emperor Hongtai was simply old, not dead!
The struggle among princes for the throne, the cultivation of factions by winning over civil and military officials, was a common occurrence and a process tacitly approved by most emperors nearing their death.

But if he cultivates his own faction, it could lead to armed conflict between local military commanders and the transport commissioner. How would the emperor view him? How would the officials view him?
As the executor, Gu Yue has made such a mess of things... He's caught in the middle and doesn't want to be seen by anyone!

Upon realizing this, Gu Yue felt an overwhelming sense of bitterness welling up inside him.

To describe his current feelings, he feels regret, deep regret!

Had he known Wang Erhu was so resolute, he would never have dared to stir up such a hornet's nest at the Demon General's Mansion!

But now, it's too late to say anything.

The best course of action now is to subdue Wang Erhu before he makes a move, and then we can all sit down and resolve the matter peacefully...

With such hope in his heart, Gu Yue watched eagerly as the fleet of the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion slowly approached the shore.

Unexpectedly, after the Demon-Slaying General's fleet docked, they waited patiently for quite a while, but did not see a single Demon-Slaying Guard from the General's Mansion disembark.

Upon seeing this, the many officials who came to greet them whispered among themselves in confusion, wondering what the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion was up to!

But soon, to the astonishment of thousands of eyes, the river water on both sides of the fleet suddenly rose up and surged more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters) above the surface.

Amidst the uproar, hundreds of illusory figures with black mouths, black faces, black clothes, and black swords, and with a large "差" (cha) character written on their foreheads, slowly rose from the waves above the fleet. Under the command of a golden-armored general, they formed a neat formation, staring menacingly at the numerous officials and soldiers on the dock.

From the waves below the fleet, countless monsters covered in scales and with fangs leaped out one after another, crowding together in a chaotic frenzy, looking down menacingly at the thousands of people on the dock. The golden-armored monster at the head of the group held a gleaming silver spear, his forked tongue flicking as he cackled savagely...

The scene was absolutely terrifying!
In an instant, the thousands of soldiers and patrol officers who had been gathering momentum on the dock suddenly collapsed, showing signs of disarray and panic.

The officials standing in front of these garrison troops and patrol officers were all deathly pale, their legs trembling like butterfly wings...

Just then, Wang Wen's imposing figure, fully armored and clad in helmet, slowly rose into the air from his ship, standing with his hands behind his back in mid-air.

He looked down at the officials on the dock with a blank expression and shouted, "I am Wang Wen, the Demon Suppressing General of Huainan Circuit. Where is Gu Yue, the Transport Commissioner of Huainan?"

Driven by his powerful magic, his voice boomed like thunder, echoing in the ears of everyone on the dock, causing their hearts to pound wildly, and many even fainting.

Gu Yue's previously ashen face had now turned a purplish-red. He tried his best to remain calm, but his trembling legs wouldn't straighten. He could only take a shaky step forward, forcing out a smile that looked more like a grimace, and said with his hands clasped, "Your humble servant Gu Yue, General Wang, may we talk down here? We're all family, let's not give outsiders a reason to laugh at us!"

Even at this point, he still hadn't given up on the idea of ​​minimizing the problem and resolving it altogether.

"You're fucking Gu Yue..."

Wang Wen stared at the unassuming old man with three wisps of white beard on his cheeks and chin, who looked trembling. He nodded calmly and said, "Very well, the case of you and your little bastard colluding with evil sorcerers to kill people and practice evil magic has been filed. Come with me!"

Upon hearing this, everyone on the dock turned their gaze to Gu Yue's retreating figure. Some were shocked, some were doubtful, and many others looked relieved.

Many others glanced at Gu Yue's retreating figure, then secretly looked up at the monsters and ghosts above the two waves, lost in thought...

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Gu Yue's purplish-red face slowly turned bright red, as red as a crayfish scooped out of a frying pan.

He forced a smile, more like a grimace, through his swaying body, and pleaded, "General Wang, is there some misunderstanding? My youngest son is pure of heart, he wouldn't even kill a chicken. He's always oblivious to the world around him, focusing solely on his studies. How could he possibly collude with evil sorcerers and commit such heinous acts as murder and the practice of heretical magic?"

"Misunderstand?"

Wang Wen smiled faintly and waved his hand casually. Countless pieces of white paper covered with black writing flew out of the cabin, fluttering like butterflies to the sky above the dock and landing on the thousands of soldiers and officials on the dock.

Curious, they grabbed the blank sheets of paper and examined them closely. They found detailed records on the paper, specifying the date and time when the two sons of the Gu family had transferred a certain number of prisoners from a particular prison to be slaughtered, their souls extracted and their blood used to refine elixirs. The records also detailed who was in charge of the transactions, suggesting that the records were genuine.

As it happened, some of the people involved were in the crowd. After reading this death warrant-like piece of white paper, they immediately turned against him, shouting angrily, "Lord Gu, didn't you say that you were requisitioning those prisoners to make them boatmen and laborers to pull boats and clear the river?"

"General Wang, I've been wronged..."

Wang Wen revealed a satisfied smile and nodded slightly, saying, "Whether you are wronged or not, my Demon-Slaying General's Mansion will investigate and find out. Rest assured, my Demon-Slaying General's Mansion is the Demon-Suppressing Division, personally appointed by the Emperor. We will never wrong an innocent person, nor will we let a bad person go free..."

The officials on the dock, looking at his "threatening" smile and then at the monsters and ghosts around him, suddenly realized what was going on.

"General Wang, please investigate!"

"General Wang, I have a case to report!"

"General Wang, we were forced here today by someone surnamed Gu. We had no choice but to come due to his tyranny..."

Hundreds of officials, both high and low, chattered on and on like a flock of ducks.

Gu Yue, who was about to speak up several times, was silenced.

Gu Yue was extremely anxious, but he couldn't win against so many mouths. In the end, he rolled his eyes and fainted!
(End of this chapter)