Prime Minister

Chapter 145, Section 144: [Joining Hands]

When the group of soldiers appeared, Luo Tong could no longer hide his excitement. His face lit up with a look of ecstatic joy, as if a drowning man had grasped at the last straw.

According to his previous discussions with those behind the scenes, when the incited people started a riot, Chen Lun, the deputy commissioner of the Salt Transport Bureau, would bring salt soldiers to control the situation. However, Xue Huai's response was flawless. Sending the Shen family's men to arrest Fang Yu and the others was a decisive move that quickly calmed the people down.

The appearance of hundreds of soldiers at this moment finally caused chaos in the situation. If the people were to become agitated and the salt soldiers were to take advantage of the situation, Luo Tong and the others might still have a chance to survive.

When Luo Tong saw the canal workers raising their arms and shouting, he became even more excited. Fortunately, he had made thorough preparations in advance.

Even though Cheng Zixuan and other spies were captured by Xue Huai's men, there were still a few people hiding. Now was the perfect opportunity for them to stir up trouble.

Luo Tong stared intently at Xue Huai's retreating figure, his eyes filled with resentment and malice.

"Anyone who dares to act rashly will be killed without mercy!"

Unlike Luo Tong's expectation, Xue Huai did not cower in fear. He stared at the restless crowd and said, "Jiang Sheng, make your move!"

"Yes!"

Jiang Sheng squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth. He and several other guards quickly stepped forward, taking three steps at a time to meet the shouting canal workers who were charging towards them. He held his knife in both hands and roared angrily!

The canal workers who intended to incite unrest clearly did not expect that the other side would actually dare to kill.

A flash of light appeared, and blood spurted out!

This was the first time Xue Huainan had ordered a killing after he went south.

Jiang Sheng and several guards from the Xue family did not disappoint him; in the blink of an eye, they killed two people and seriously injured three others.

Such a bloody scene unfolded before the people, and the blood finally brought them to their senses.

At the same time, the hundred or so soldiers shouted in unison, "Fellow villagers, don't be afraid! We are here to protect you on Lord Xue's orders!"

The impassioned and resounding tone echoed throughout the long street.

The panicked people then realized that the soldiers had stopped a dozen or so feet away from them and were not making any further moves.

An armored officer swiftly rode forward and proclaimed, “Fellow villagers of Xinghua County, I am Yu Chengguang, the commander of the canal transport troops under the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner’s Office. At the invitation of Magistrate Xue of Yangzhou, I have come to Xinghua County on the orders of the General Commander to assist Magistrate Xue in thoroughly investigating the illegal activities of Magistrate Luo Tong and others! You need not worry, the canal transport troops are different from the salt soldiers; they will not harm you, and we will obey Magistrate Xue’s orders.”

Yu Chengguang was handsome and spoke with a strong, resonant voice that suppressed the noise in the room.

The soldiers behind him indeed stood firm.

The people had nowhere to escape. In front of them was a solid defensive line formed by Xue Huai's troops, and behind them were more than a hundred fierce soldiers armed with weapons. If Xue Huai intended to attack them, the unarmed people would have no chance of survival.

Seeing that the situation was temporarily under control and the last hidden dangers among the people had been eliminated, Xue Huai solemnly said, "I invited the canal troops here not to target you, but to prevent any unexpected situations. Please trust me, fellow villagers."

Yu Chengguang dismounted and stepped forward. He calmly walked through the crowd of people with complicated expressions and came straight to Xue Huai. He clasped his hands and said, "This humble servant greets Lord Xue."

Xue Huai returned the greeting, saying, "No need for such formalities, Commander Yu. Thank you for your help today."

Yu Chengguang gazed at Xue Huai's youthful face. Although he concealed his curiosity well, it grew stronger in his heart.

He came from Huai'an Prefecture in the north and was a trusted subordinate of Wu Changling, the Grand Canal Transport Commander. He belonged to a different faction from Jiang Jizhou, the Grand Canal Transport Governor. He did not resist coming to help Xue Huai, but he did not understand why General Wu wanted to do this.

In recent years, with the support of Grand Secretary Ning Hengzhi, Jiang Jizhou has gradually gained control of the Grand Canal transport. Wu Changling can only temporarily avoid confrontation and try to minimize conflicts with him.

The conflict between Xue Huai and the Ning Party was no secret, but Wu Changling's quick agreement to Xue Huai's request, a departure from his usual cautious and low-key approach, left Yu Chengguang completely baffled.

Xue Huai could roughly guess the doubts in the young captain's mind. In fact, the reason for this matter was quite simple.

Before he left the capital, Cui gave him several letters, instructing him that if he encountered trouble in Yangzhou, he could seek help from the elders who had a deep friendship with Xue Mingzhang in the past.

Wu Changling was one of them.

Even Shen Bingwen and Shen Qingluan couldn't have guessed this, let alone Liu Fu and his son, and the people from the Salt Transport Bureau.

However, this was not the time for idle talk. Xue Huai said succinctly, "A large force of salt soldiers will definitely come to attack next. I ask you, Commander Yu, to keep them out of the city."

"I accept my order from my humble position!"

Yu Chengguang replied crisply, "Those hundred or so men are elite soldiers I personally led. I had them stay behind to assist you, sir."

Xue Huai said, "Thank you."

Yu Chengguang said no more, quickly turned back, mounted his horse, and left. Xue Huai turned to look at the subordinates who were controlling Luo Tong and the others, and said expressionlessly, "Now you can let them speak."

However, Luo Tong looked ashen-faced and had no desire to speak.

He had arranged two groups of people among the people. One group consisted of Cheng Zixuan and others who were responsible for stirring up trouble, and the other group consisted of the canal workers who took advantage of the chaos. Now, all of them have been eliminated by Xue Huai, and the salt soldiers he had been longing for have turned into canal soldiers. This means that Xue Huai has completely taken control of Xinghua County.

Now that things have come to this, Luo Tong knows that all his plans have come to naught, and their idea of ​​using popular uprising to frame Xue Huai is a complete joke.

At that moment, besides despair, he felt a deep sense of bewilderment.

Judging from Xue Huai's skill and determination, he was fully capable of resolving the potential problems before they occurred, but he pretended not to know anything and let things develop to this point.

Why did he do that?
Was it merely to showcase his abilities?
Luo Tong was completely baffled. At this moment, he had already foreseen his fate. The crime of inciting civil unrest alone was enough to implicate the entire Luo family.

Whether it's a case of giving up entirely or utter despair, Luo Tong is too lazy to think about the predetermined ending. He's more interested in knowing why Xue Huai did all this.

Xue Huai naturally had no time to pay attention to Luo Tong. Although the impending civil unrest had not been completely quelled, after a series of twists and turns, the hidden forces among the people had been eliminated, and the hundred or so grain transport soldiers left behind by Yu Chengguang were enough for him to control the overall situation.

He ordered his subordinates to take Luo Tong, Cheng Zixuan, Fang Yu and others into the compound and lock them up. He also ordered Wang Gui and others to appease the people and select more than ten leaders like Chang Sheng. He then summoned them to the gate of the compound and held a talk on the spot. The reason he did not go into the compound was to reassure the people.

They will not act rashly or impulsively as long as they can see their companions are safe.

Before long, more than ten people, including Chang Sheng, came up the steps. Among them were farmers, cooks, and canal workers, each of whom held a certain prestige within their respective groups.

"Gentlemen, I know that because the officials in this county are utterly corrupt, you have no trust in the government whatsoever. Please rest assured, this time the officials in this county will not be able to escape the punishment of the law, and they will no longer have the opportunity to wreak havoc on this area."

Xue Huai cut to the chase: "Today we shall have an open and frank discussion about the difficulties you are currently facing and what measures you hope the government will take."

Upon hearing this, everyone who was already feeling uneasy was stunned.

Although their storming of the government office was instigated and incited by Luo Tong and others, it ultimately greatly damaged Xue Huai's prestige as the prefectural magistrate. Who can say for sure that he won't seek revenge later?
Even Chang Sheng had some worries.

Now Xue Huai seems to be completely unaffected. Does he really have such a magnanimous heart?

Xue Huai looked around at everyone and smiled, "Brother Chang, why don't you speak?"

Chang Sheng thought for a moment and said with a sigh, "My lord, I would like to know whether the flood control project will continue?"

"of course."

Xue Huai solemnly said, "The flooding has caused immense suffering to the people of this county. I will take steps to resolve this matter."

People are still shaken by this. Solving the flooding is certainly a good thing, but it will require a considerable price to pay in the early stages, most of which will have to be borne by them.

Xue Huai was well aware of their concerns and then said, "I can first tell you a simple plan. This flood control and canal construction will be led by the government. We will abandon the previous method of conscripting laborers and instead recruit laborers, pay them at market price, and provide two meals."

Upon hearing this, the dozen or so people could hardly believe their ears. Chang Sheng stammered, "Sir, is this the truth?"

"I will not deceive you."

Xue Huai calmly replied, “You’re probably wondering where the government got the money, and whether this Xue fellow is just deceiving people again. Actually, I don’t have the ability to turn stones into gold, but corrupt officials like Luo Tong must have a lot of gold and silver hidden in their homes. This was originally the hard-earned money of the people of Xinghua County. Now, I’m using work relief as a form of relief, which can be considered taking from the people and using it for the people. In addition, this young lady will provide us with some assistance.”

Everyone looked over curiously, and Shen Qingluan said gracefully, "That's right. On behalf of my organization, I am willing to follow Lord Xue and participate in assisting Xinghua County with flood control and water diversion."

Immediately, someone cautiously asked, "May I ask what your esteemed name is...?"

Shen Qingluan replied without hesitation: "The Shen family of Yangzhou, Guangtai Company."

The man couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "You are the eldest daughter of the Shen family!"

In recent years, Guangtaihao's reputation has soared, and it even has a branch in Xinghua County. Therefore, after Shen Qingluan revealed her identity, everyone regarded her as a wealthy man and believed Xue Huai's promise even more.

Xue Huai said at the right moment, "Guangtai will not only support our important matter this time, but will also promote business and benefit the people in Xinghua County in the future. You are all well-respected in this area, so you might as well listen to Miss Shen's general ideas, after all, this is related to the vital interests of you and the vast majority of people in this county."

Everyone readily agreed and eagerly began to ask for advice.

Shen Qingluan maintained a calm and confident smile on her face, but her heart was already filled with a hundred twists and turns.

In a sense, isn't this a case of her and Xue Huai working together and moving forward side by side?
This feeling... is great.

(End of this chapter)