A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 120 Passion
Twenty li outside Wancheng Pavilion.

Wang Wenshu, the Commandant of Nanyang Prefecture, led a thousand soldiers to meet the southern inspection team. Then, bandits who raised banners with the characters "plum" and "white" attacked both of them.

Arrows, falling rocks, boulder, flying spikes... The thunderous war drums rolled across the mountains and plains, and the high-pitched shouts of battle were deafening. A dark mass of bandits pressed down from the high mountains and dense forests.

The fighting lasted from noon until dusk. The corpses of those killed by arrows, rocks, and rolling logs were piled up, and the straight road, several meters wide, was blocked by the bodies of the soldiers of the Qimen Lang and the Nanyang County Commandant.

The surging Yu River was stained red with blood!
As dusk fell, Mei Mian and Bai Zheng, their faces contorted with rage, shouted, "Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

Leaving behind thousands of corpses, the bandits reluctantly retreated into the mountains, and the Qimen Lang and Nanyang Duwei soldiers, who had lost nearly half their number, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the lights of Wancheng in the distance, I couldn't help but wonder, is this still the land of the Han Dynasty?
Is this hellish scene before us real?
The fishy wind blowing into my nose was silently telling the answer.

All!

In Nanyang Commandery, which has 36 counties, 2 million people, 360,000 registered households, and the Nan City, one of the five major cities of the Han Dynasty, a "war" broke out only 20 miles from the commandery capital, Wancheng.

Thousands were killed or injured on both sides.

Dong Zhongshu, Wuqiu Shouwang, and other favored ministers, who had been guarding the imperial carriage with their swords drawn, finally felt relieved. Looking at the Han emperor sitting under the central iron umbrella, sword in hand, they slightly moved their lips and asked, "Is Your Majesty well?"

Liu Che raised his eyes instantly, igniting boundless rage in everyone present. "Peaceful! Very peaceful indeed!"

Dong Zhongshu immediately realized something was wrong, retreated behind the crowd, and invited Wang Wenshu, the Commandant of Nanyang, to come forward for an audience.

"May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life, and enjoy boundless happiness!"

Ignoring the blood-stained, damp earth, Wang Wenshu slid down and knelt before the dragon chariot, bowing, kowtowing, and praising the emperor in one smooth motion.

Upon seeing this, many of his favored ministers changed color.

The Emperor's Sword was thrown in front of Wang Wenshu, burying itself more than a foot deep. This angry throw was clearly intended to kill.

The moonlight, the firelight, and the cold light reflected from the sword made Wang Wenshu's body go limp, and she barely managed to stay upright.

"The way Nanyang controls bandits has truly broadened my horizons!"

Liu Che's voice was colder than the glint of a sword, like a chilling wind in late spring: "You deserve immense credit!"

Emperor Liu Che was no stranger to the cruel officials under Zhang Tang.

In fact, some of these people were recruited at his behest. When he first took power, in order to establish his own ruling team, he specifically sought out some seemingly charismatic individuals to serve him, implementing a ruthless political system to thoroughly purge traditional interest groups.

Since the founding of the nation, meritorious officials and relatives of the emperor have held power in the court, and corruption has been rampant. A large number of powerful local figures have also emerged, each more domineering and shameless than the last. Through cruel officials, he brought these people down, thus both reorganizing the court's power and amassed a large fortune.

Wang Wenshu, who was inherently cruel, had previously performed only worse than Zhang Tang and Yi Zong, which made Liu Che quite impressed with him.

This positive impression ended after entering Nanyang County.

A former cruel official, he served as the Commandant of Nanyang Commandery, yet he allowed bandits and thieves to run rampant in the commandery. This was either a matter of incompetence or dereliction of duty, and in Liu Che's mind, it was enough to warrant death.

Hearing the emperor's sarcastic remarks, Wang Wenshu felt a bitter taste in his mouth. For many years, Nanyang County had always been one of the strongholds of bandits in Guandong. With a large number of displaced people and iron smelting sites, it was easy for them to form a large-scale and powerful bandit gang.

He's only been in Nanyang County for a few days. How could he possibly solve the deep-seated and intractable problems of this county so quickly? He's already taking action. He's selected a large number of hooligans and ruffians in the county to act as his henchmen, cracking down hard on the powerful, cunning, and common people of Nanyang County. He's implicated hundreds of families and driven many people to their deaths. If it weren't for this, Mei Mian and Bai Zheng wouldn't have shown him any mercy and attacked him as well.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty!"

Wang Wenshu kowtowed again, "I am new to Nanyang County and have failed to purify the local customs in time, which has alarmed Your Majesty. I am truly guilty of a crime deserving death."

It was a plea for forgiveness, but also a statement of objective facts. The scale of the bandits and outlaws led by Mei Mian and Bai Zheng was not something that could be built up overnight, nor could it be resolved overnight. He would not accept the blame from His Majesty; if he were to accept any blame, it would be for startling the Emperor.

Liu Che's murderous intent faltered for a moment, then surged again, "Where is Mi Pu?"

This place is only twenty miles away from the county seat of Wancheng. After several hours of fighting, the prefect's servant should have received the news long ago. Why didn't he bring people to the rescue?
If I remember correctly, Mi Pu came from the Prime Minister's mansion. Why didn't he come to the rescue? Was he planning to sit back and watch the outcome, hoping that he would die at the hands of the bandits?

Is this the idea of ​​the Prime Minister, or the Crown Prince?

How could there be such a large-scale band of bandits in Nanyang County? Is there any collusion between Mi Pu, Mei Mian, and Bai Zheng?
Was this battle an assassination attempt orchestrated by Mi Pu, with Mei Mian and Bai Zheng instigating it?
Was it the Prime Minister or the Crown Prince who wanted to assassinate him?
The dragon's heart is as vast as the sea.

Liu Che had countless speculations, and gradually became convinced that he was close to the truth.

The Crown Prince wants to kill him!
Beneath the unspeakable rage lay a hidden fear. Was the Crown Prince really going to take action against him?

Knowing that the emperor's murderous intent had shifted, Wang Wenshu quickly added fuel to the fire, saying, "Your Majesty, the prefect is sleeping peacefully in the prefectural government."

Hear the words.

The emperor's wrath nearly set the void ablaze.

Dong Zhongshu and Wuqiu Shouwang looked at Wang Wenshu with eyes full of wariness and apprehension.

Mi Pu did not come to the emperor's aid, which was definitely intentional. He was following the orders of the Crown Prince's Palace and the Prime Minister's Office to let His Majesty experience the real world and the "enthusiasm" of the officials and people of Nanyang County.

He would certainly keep a close eye on the situation here, and if anything went wrong, Mi Pu would appear and take action. However, according to Wang Wenshu, Mi Pu did not care about the emperor's life or death at all, and went to sleep early to live out his days in peace.

If His Majesty were lucid, he would know that Wang Wenshu was in Huqin. Unfortunately, at this moment, His Majesty is clearly not lucid.

"Let's go to Wancheng!"

The holy voice descended.

After clearing away the corpses blocking their path and leaving behind the wounded guards and soldiers of Nanyang County, the southern inspection team rumbled towards Wancheng.

The top of the city wall of Wancheng.

Mipu gazed into the distance at the winding trail of firelight, showing no fear of incurring the wrath of the Holy One. "Are you ready?"

“Ready,” the Prefect of Nanyang replied with a slight bow.

"Your Majesty, are you ready?"

The torches on the city wall crackled and popped intermittently, illuminating the countless ragged, homeless refugees below. Their dark eyes gazed eagerly at the road ahead, filled with longing. The grain official distributing porridge said that the arriving caravan would bring them meat...

(End of this chapter)