Qing Yao

Chapter 323 Orders Issued Following the Laws of Governor Zhao

The young master has become the governor?

Uneducated Ye Zhigui, Xu Lin, and others did not know what "acting governor" meant; they only knew that the imperial edict appointed Shaojun as governor.

What is the concept of a provincial governor?
That's a high-ranking official in charge of a region!
A figure far more imposing than the Provincial Governor!

This also means that from now on, Shaojun will be in charge of Anhui!
In an instant, an excited Xu Lin suddenly raised his head and shouted excitedly, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

After a moment of deathly silence, the kneeling crowd erupted into a deafening roar, with countless eyes filled with awe and fervor fixed on Zhao An.

The excitement wasn't limited to the members of the canal gang or the soldiers following Zhao An; it extended to all the disaster victims outside Suzhou City.

Lord Zhao has been appointed governor!
The cries of the survivors were tinged with sobs. With the benevolent and compassionate Zhao as governor, they no longer had to live in fear. Those who had just lost loved ones looked at the elite troops of the governor's army with hatred, believing that Zhao would avenge them.

"Congratulations, Lord Zhao! Congratulations, Lord Zhao!"

Ming Antai put away the imperial edict and glanced at Li Zhong, the deputy general who was kneeling there without daring to move, with a complicated look. However, he knew that this matter was not something he could interfere with, nor did he have any reason to do so.

After a slight sigh, he glanced at the excited faces in the nearby shacks, said nothing more, but stepped forward and nodded slightly to Zhao An, saying in a low voice, "Lord Zhao, I've spoken to the Grand Secretary. If things in Anhui are handled well, the Grand Secretary will allow you to go to the capital to meet the Emperor. If things aren't handled well, Lord Zhao will surely understand the Grand Secretary's meaning."

Before Zhao An could speak, she tactfully handed the imperial edict to him, then slowly stepped aside, leaving the spotlight solely on Zhao An.

Xiao Jinglun, the physician sent by the Ministry of Personnel, watched this scene in silence. As a witness to the handover work sent by the "organization", Physician Xiao was definitely jealous and dissatisfied with the young man who had been promoted to acting governor in just over a year, but he had to admit that the young man was exceptionally lucky.

Otherwise, how could they so easily defeat tens of thousands of cult members with just a few hundred men?

The news of the victory is on its way to the capital. It's hard to imagine how happy the Emperor will be when he receives the news of the great victory in Suzhou. And where will this young man, who is now acting as the provincial governor, go?

It's already difficult for a provincial governor to achieve significant merit; perhaps this young man will truly become the youngest governor in the Qing Dynasty.

Amidst complex emotions, the thunderous cheers of "Long live the Emperor!" gradually subsided in Xiao Langzhong's ears, like the receding tide, leaving only silence for the land south of the city.

All eyes were focused on the figure holding the imperial edict, slowly rising from the mud.

Your Excellency the Provincial Governor, oh no, I should say Your Excellency the Governor!

Just when Xiao Langzhong thought Zhao An would say some official pleasantries to Ming Antai and him, Zhao An suddenly turned around and looked at Li Zhong, the deputy general who was still kneeling on the ground and dared not move. His gaze was like two cold, sharp blades.

This scene made everyone who noticed it realize that Li Zhong was doomed; even if the Heavenly King himself came, he wouldn't survive.

Although Li Zhong did not look up, his instincts made him sense the killing intent in the air. He suddenly raised his head and saw Zhao An's extremely cold face.

In despair, Li Zhong wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

He never imagined that the imperial court would remove Zhu Gui from his post as governor and appoint the man he had just offended as acting governor.

It's over, it's over.

He dared to challenge Zhao An, the acting provincial governor, because he had the governor Zhu Gui standing behind him, but how could he dare to challenge Zhao An, the acting governor?

That would truly be treason, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!

Without the governor's protection, Li Zhong, a second-rank deputy general, was nothing in front of Zhao An.

Even if he were to steel himself and fight to the death now, his soldiers would no longer be willing to risk their lives for him.

The soldiers knew exactly who was in charge.

Because the governor's troops were the governor's soldiers.

Zhao An, who was slowly walking towards Li Zhong, was the governor to whom Fu Biao had to be loyal.

Even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to draw their swords against the governor.

Rather than saying it was a case of a fox borrowing the tiger's might, it's more accurate to say that imperial power was exerting a deterrent effect.

Zhao An walked towards Li Zhong step by step, completely ignoring the Li Zhong guards kneeling on the ground who didn't even dare to lift their heads.

Xu Lin and the others, however, were alert and followed cautiously with knives in hand. They were prepared to strike first if Li Zhong's men made any unusual moves, and they could not allow anything to happen to Shao Jun.

Fortunately, Li Zhong's subordinates were all intimidated by the imperial decree, and no one dared to challenge the governor for the sake of a mere deputy general.

"Li Zhong, do you voluntarily submit to the law?"

Zhao An's voice remained calm, but to Li Zhong it was like a thunderbolt, silencing him completely.

"You have allowed your troops to indiscriminately kill innocent people. The evidence of your crimes is irrefutable. If I do not kill you today, how can I face the dead people and their families? How can I face the millions of people in Anhui? How can I live up to the Emperor's high expectations of me!" Zhao An made no attempt to hide his murderous intent.

Li Zhong's head was raised, but it looked as if it was about to droop, and his eyes were filled with fear and despair.

"His Majesty has granted me the authority to act expediently. Now I shall execute you according to the laws of the land, to serve as a warning to others, to comfort the wronged soul, and to set the record straight!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao An shouted, "Guards!"

"exist!"

The four guards, who had just been on steroids, rushed forward as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

"Drag this man away and behead him!"

Zhao An pointed to Li Zhong in the mud, then swung his right hand down without the slightest hesitation or pity.

"Whoo!"

Four guards immediately rushed forward and dragged Li Zhong, who was kneeling there, away. Not to mention the kneeling cavalrymen, not even one of Li Zhong's personal guards dared to get up and loyally protect their master again.

The mud and water on the ground were splashed by the guards.

Li Zhongzhen was terrified out of his wits. The fear of death overwhelmed everything. He struggled desperately, trying to beg for mercy. Tears, snot, saliva, and mud smeared all over his face. He was no longer the arrogant second-rank deputy general he once was. At this moment, he looked more like an ugly pig waiting to be slaughtered.

Ming Antai and Xiao Jinglun, who were not far away, watched this scene. They exchanged a glance, shook their heads with wry smiles, and remained bystanders.

Regardless of whether the deputy general of Fubiao deserved his punishment, the two men would not say a word in the current situation, because they knew very well that this young Zhao had a bright future and a powerful backer. What difference would it make if they offended him as they would offend the Grand Secretary He or the Grand Secretary Fu?
It's better to avoid trouble; who told this person to be so blind?

The guards wouldn't allow Li Zhong to struggle. Seeing Li Zhong resisting, one of the guards, enraged, stomped hard on Li Zhong's back with his big, thick-soled boots, burying the deputy general's face in the mud again. The other two guards, each holding one of his arms, dragged the deputy general out of the mud like a dead dog.

Before Li Zhong, whose face was covered in mud, could speak, a rope that had already been tied around his neck was put around his neck. Then the rope tightened suddenly, and Li Zhong was immediately strangled until his eyes rolled back, he had difficulty breathing, and he made painful noises in his throat. He tried to struggle to untie the rope, but his hands were held tightly by someone.

That kind of pain was worse than killing him.

"Bring it up!"

Qing Yao waved to his four men, and they immediately dragged the panting Li Zhong to Zhao An.

All the officers of the garrison lay prostrate on the ground. The miserable state of the deputy general made them tremble uncontrollably. No one dared to raise their heads, for fear that the governor would summon them to be buried with the deputy general, as if the King of Hell had chosen them.

The nearby victims stared wide-eyed, their expressions indescribably complex as the perpetrator who killed their loved ones was dragged over like pigs and dogs. Many of them were filled with a sense of satisfaction at the retribution.

After being dragged to Zhao An, Li Zhong was slammed to the ground. Two guards pressed down on his shoulders, forcing him to kneel before Zhao An to prevent him from suddenly attacking.

This action loosened the rope around Li Zhong's neck slightly, allowing him to catch his breath. Li Zhong finally abandoned all dignity and cried out, "Your Excellency, spare my life! Your Excellency, spare my life!"

His gaze toward Zhao An was extremely pleading, and his desperate desire to live seemed incredibly sincere. He would do anything as long as Zhao An didn't kill him, but it was all too late.

The corpses of innocent disaster victims surrounding him destined him to become a stepping stone for Lord Zhao's rise to power.

Zhao An said nothing, but looked at Ye Zhigui, who was slightly injured, and then nodded slightly.

Upon seeing this, Ye Zhigui immediately drew his knife and approached. At the same time, the guard holding the rope tightened it, causing Li Zhong's eyes to roll back and making it difficult for him to breathe.

"Pah, you corrupt official!"

Ye Zhigui didn't want this deputy general to be strangled to death like that, so he raised his knife and slashed at Li Zhong's neck, which was twisted with extreme fear!
Perhaps intentionally, the slash did not sever the vice general's neck on the spot, but only cut off one-third of it.

The skin and flesh were torn open, a horribly bright red.

The vice-general convulsed in pain, but could not utter a single scream because his trachea had been severed.

Only a faint "gurgling" sound could be heard.

Ye Zhigui swung his longsword down again, and on the third strike, with a "thud," Li Zhong's head fell off. Hot blood from the severed neck gushed out like an out-of-control fountain, nearly splashing Ming Antai, who had come to deliver the imperial decree, all over his face.

The headless body remained kneeling in place for six or seven breaths before collapsing heavily forward like a piece of wood whose roots had long since rotted away.

The head, its expression utterly distorted, rolled a few feet away in the mud. Opposite it lay the brave child who had come out to save his grandmother, nearly killed.

The vice general's once arrogant and cruel eyes remained open, wide and lifelike, though his pupils had long since dilated, staring blankly at the gray sky, as if he couldn't believe he had ended up like this, even in death.

The scene was deathly silent.

All that remained was Zhao Anling's voice, which carried the weight of the law: "Issue this decree: From this day forward, any officer or soldier who indiscriminately kills innocent people, kills innocent people to claim credit, or bullies men and women shall be executed!"

(End of this chapter)