Qing Yao

Chapter 322 Today I will reach the heavens!

Imperial bodyguard?

Li Zhong's personal guards were certain that the four men in yellow jackets were imperial bodyguards, but they were not frightened and retreated. Instead, they held their swords and stood firmly in front of the deputy general.

Undoubtedly, their loyalty is deeply moving.

After a moment of silence, the cavalry led by Li Zhong did not choose to distance themselves from their deputy general. Instead, they slowly gathered together, as if they could continue fighting fearlessly as long as Li Zhong gave the order, even at the cost of fighting the imperial guards.

This left the four guards somewhat bewildered. Although they had followed Zhao An through the great victory in Suzhou and killed several cult members, it was more accurate to say that they had taken advantage of the cult members' rout rather than fighting bravely and fearlessly in battle.

Even if they had the guts, they wouldn't have the skill to fight these elite troops.

Seeing this, Zhao An stepped forward with a stern face and stared intently at Li Zhong, who was being protected by his men: "Are you planning to incite a rebellion?"

"You surnamed Zhao, don't make false accusations! Although you have the Ebilun sword, I am a second-rank official. Without an imperial decree, you can at most arrest me, but what right do you have to kill me!"

Li Zhong certainly didn't dare to rebel, but he was even more unwilling to let Zhao An "borrow the tiger's power" and kill him with the Ebilun sword.

That would be too unfair.

The wisest course of action right now is to leave quickly, exaggerate Zhao An's tolerance of his subordinates' insubordination to the governor, and even falsely accuse Zhao An of harboring evil intentions by not killing the religious bandits, so that the governor can "take legal action" against Zhao An. Only in this way can one save their own life.

"To see this sword is to see the Emperor!"

Zhao An snorted and glared at the group of soldiers, then shouted in a deep voice, "Do you really want to go against the imperial court and suffer the fate of having your entire family executed?"

Although the soldiers remained unmoved, their flickering eyes revealed that their resolve to protect the deputy general to the death had wavered.

"You surnamed Zhao, stop trying to incite people. We'll settle this before the Governor today!"

Li Zhongmeng leaped onto his horse and shouted, "Let's go!"

"Go! Did I say you could leave?!"

Zhao An brandished his Ebilun sword, and thousands of soldiers and members of the canal gang who had already arrived immediately emerged from the left and right sides, surrounding Fu Biao and his group.

"You surnamed Zhao, we are the governor's model soldiers! Do you really intend to send this rabble to attack us? If you dare to do that, the governor will not forgive you!"

Li Zhong was tough on the outside, but his heart had already softened. In the melee just now, many of his soldiers had entered the camp to fight on foot. If a real fight broke out, most of them probably wouldn't be able to grab a warhorse and escape.

Moreover, a squad of Green Standard Army soldiers under Zhao An's command had already gone ahead to fetch the warhorses.

Zhao An ignored Li Zhong and instead sternly addressed his subordinates: "Li Zhong has allowed you to indiscriminately kill innocent people. Today, I am killing him to rid the Emperor of a scourge. If you remain obstinate and continue to be at Li Zhong's beck and call, and resist me, I will report to the court and have you convicted of treason! If you lay down your weapons, I will guarantee your safety!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than one of Li Zhong's personal guards shouted, "Brothers, don't be fooled by that Zhao fellow! If something really happens to our lord, none of us will escape!"

Another guard shouted, "Our lord has been incredibly kind to us. Anyone who betrays him, I, Wang Yishan, will take their life first!"

"With the Governor-General standing up for us, what's a mere acting provincial governor like Zhao!"

"Damn it, if that Zhao guy dares to lay a hand on me, I'll fight him to the death!"

Under the leadership of a few "die-hards", the wavering soldiers of the Fubiao Army hardened their resolve again. Just when it seemed that a battle was inevitable, a dozen fast riders came galloping from afar.

Leading the group was Qing Yao, a second-class guard who had been sent by Zhao An to Sizhou to collect grain. Behind him were guards from the Eagle and Hound Bureau and several mounted soldiers assigned to Qing Yao. Zhao An did not recognize the others.

Before Qingyao could even get close, he shouted from afar, "The imperial edict has arrived! The imperial edict has arrived!"

The shouts of "Imperial decree has arrived!" carried an indescribable royal majesty, drawing the attention of everyone in the South Camp.

Qingyao was very anxious because he had brought with him Ming Antai, a first-class imperial guard, and Xiao Jinglun, a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, who had entered the city first. They only rushed over after learning that something had happened in the south of the city.

Following closely behind were Ming Antai and Xiao Jinglun, their faces clearly showing urgency and seriousness, because Cui Xiu, the Assistant Magistrate of Suzhou, had just told them that the Governor's standard troops had clashed with Lord Zhao's men, and that there was a possibility of infighting among the government troops.

How could such a momentous matter not cause Ming and Xiao great anxiety?

"Shut up!"

After reining in their horses, the two immediately saw the surrounded governor's guards and the corpses and pools of blood scattered on the ground.

With a furrowed brow, Ming Antai dismounted, glanced at the crowd, and went straight to Zhao An, who was wearing a third-rank official hat and a yellow riding jacket. He held up a bright yellow silk scroll and said, "Zhao Youlu, acting Provincial Governor of Anhui, receive the imperial decree!"

"Your humble servant Zhao Youlu respectfully receives Your Majesty's decree!"

Taking a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in his heart, Zhao An handed the Ebilun sword to the guard beside him. Without the slightest hesitation, he lifted the front of his yellow riding jacket and knelt down on both knees in front of the first-class guard who had come to deliver the imperial decree, right there on the ground mixed with blood and mud. His movements were clean and swift.

The sound was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear and stable, like sound waves piercing through the still air.

When Zhao An knelt down, the surrounding area resembled a field of wheat being blown down by a strong wind.

On this scorched earth outside Suzhou City, which had just experienced riots and bloodshed, officials, soldiers, civilians, and prisoners all seemed to be crushed by an invisible hand, shrinking down in unison.

The dark mass of people instantly prostrated themselves on the ground, their foreheads pressed tightly against the cold, dirty soil. Not a single person dared to make a sound, and not a single person dared to raise their head.

The same was true for the surrounded troops; Li Zhong, the deputy general, had sweat seeping from his forehead, which was covered in mud.

At this moment, there is no distinction between Han and Manchu, no distinction between officials and commoners, only the millions of insignificant beings under the supreme imperial power.

The imperial edict was "unsealed" on the spot and slowly unfolded, and Ming Antai's voice clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Imperial Edict: Zhao Youlu, the acting Provincial Treasurer of Anhui, was appointed to his post in a time of crisis. He has been loyal, brave, and diligent, and his achievements are outstanding. He is a model for others. At a time when the court needs capable people, Zhao Youlu is hereby promoted to Acting Governor of Anhui, in charge of the province's military and political affairs, and in charge of disaster relief. He is also granted the authority to act at his own discretion. Anyone who obstructs disaster relief or neglects his duties, regardless of rank, shall be executed by the sword of Ebilong without prior approval. This is the imperial decree!"

The last two words, like a thunderclap from the heavens, resounded across the wilderness outside Suzhou City.

Acting Governor?

Li Zhong, kneeling on the ground, clenched his fists tightly, and mud kept squeezing out from between his fingers, but he never let go.

"Your humble servant Zhao You kowtows in gratitude for the Emperor's grace! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Zhao An's voice was slightly hoarse as he bowed deeply to Ming Antai, who was holding the imperial edict.

This one knock opened the door to his meteoric rise in officialdom!
(End of this chapter)