Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 302 Where the storm passed, all vegetation withered.

After the thunder, not all things revive, but all is silent.

The bloody storm that lasted for ten days was like a red-hot iron comb, brushing through the land of southern Guangdong.

Those once invincible towering trees were uprooted and burned to ashes; those ancient, intertwined vines were cut down by sharp blades and withered in the dust.

Where the storm passes, all vegetation withers.

The entire Guangdong province fell into an unprecedented silence.

The stench of blood lingered in the air, but the seeds of fear were already growing wildly in the hearts of every survivor.

In the countryside, the clamor of local militia training can no longer be heard; within the city walls, the processions of gentry can no longer be seen.

People walked with their heads down and spoke in hushed tones. Even the dogs seemed to sense the chilling atmosphere, tucking their tails between their legs and daring not to bark.

This is a deathly silence, dominated by absolute violence.

Amidst this deathly silence, invitations bearing the vermilion seal of the "Governor's Mansion" were once again delivered by squads of expressionless soldiers to the residences of officials, gentry, landlords, and clan representatives who had survived the storm throughout the province.

The invitation was politely worded, inviting them to gather at the Governor-General's Mansion in Guangzhou three days later to "discuss the aftermath and create a new chapter."

However, everyone who received the invitation felt as if they had received a death warrant.

They knew that the governor's mansion, which had just been washed by blood, had become a hellish place.

And Lu Yanwang, who was sitting upright in the hall, had finished killing those who deserved to die, and now he was going to summon the survivors to court.

To go or not to go?

No one dared not to go.

The consequences of disobeying orders are most clearly illustrated by the towering flames at the Chen family residence in Panyu and the heads rolling in front of the Chaozhou government office.

Thus, on the morning of the third day after the storm, a strange scene appeared on the official roads leading to Guangzhou.

Sedan chairs and horse-drawn carriages arrived from all directions.

These once powerful and influential local figures, who were always surrounded by followers, now all looked emaciated and ashen-faced.

They didn't bring a single guard with them, and they even dismissed most of their servants, as if they were going to a funeral rather than a banquet.

……

The council hall of the Governor's Mansion in Guangzhou.

Everything here has been cleaned up.

The floor was spotless, and the air was filled with the scent of incense, as if the bloody feast of ten days ago had never happened.

However, when the more than two hundred surviving representatives of Guangdong officials and gentry entered the hall, they instantly felt a chill run from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

There was no banquet, no singing or dancing, and not even a single chair for guests in the hall.

On either side of the spacious hall stood two rows of Guangzhou New Army soldiers, clad in iron armor and with their hands on the hilts of their swords, like javelins.

Each of them had eyes that looked as if they had just crawled out of a pile of corpses, carrying an inescapable murderous aura and icy coldness as they silently watched the group of guests who walked in.

Sweeping over these hundreds of murderous gazes, these usually pampered local gentry and celebrities felt their legs go weak and almost couldn't stand up.

In the main hall, Lu Xiang sat in the commander's seat, dressed in a black official robe, his face ashen.

More than two hundred people stood still, bowing deeply, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Finally, Lu Xiang-sheng spoke.

"Gentlemen," he said slowly, "I have been appointed Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi by imperial decree. Ten days ago, I purged the chief villains in Guangdong who plotted rebellion and defied the law."

He paused, then glanced down at the pale faces below.

"Although the ringleader has been eliminated, his cronies and his foundation remain deeply entrenched. I know that those of you present here are related to those who have been executed, whether by marriage, old acquaintances, or business dealings. You have been secretly hoarding land, concealing people, and secretly raising local militias to resist the court. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, you can all be considered accomplices in treason, and it would not be an exaggeration to exterminate your entire family."

Upon hearing this, a chorus of suppressed sobs and chattering teeth erupted from below the hall, and several people collapsed to the ground.

“However,” Lu Xiang-sheng changed the subject, “the emperor is benevolent, and the court does not wish to slaughter all the gentry in Guangdong.”

He leaned forward slightly, as if carrying a tremendous force:

"Therefore, today, I am giving you a chance to live, a chance to preserve your family's legacy."

He held out a finger.

"A way out: All unregistered, hidden 'illegally owned,' 'illegally acquired,' and 'publicly owned' lands must be voluntarily surrendered in eighty percent to the imperial court. All outstanding taxes from previous years must be paid three times the original amount. All privately owned weapons and armor, and disbanded local militias, must be handed over and disbanded. If you do these three things, this governor can petition the emperor to forgive your crimes. You yourselves will be spared; your families will be able to continue their lineage."

Then, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"The other path is a dead end: Anyone who tries to bargain with this governor here, harbors any illusions, or attempts to slip through the cracks..."

He didn't continue speaking, but instead turned his gaze to the two rows of menacing soldiers below the hall.

The meaning is self-explanatory.

"...consider them as accomplices of the ringleader, arrest them immediately, and execute them on the spot!"

To be, or not to be!?

This problem is facing everyone.

Eighty percent of their farmland was seized, taxes were tripled, and their private armies were disbanded. This was like tearing out their heart and flesh, taking away everything they depended on for survival.

But on the other hand, it was the lives of the entire clan.

Inside the hall, everyone was rapidly calculating, exchanging glances, hoping someone would step forward and test the limits of this King Lu.

In the suffocating silence, an old voice trembled and rang out.

"Commander... Commander..."

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw an elderly man with white hair walking out of the queue.

This man was a renowned figure in Huizhou Prefecture, surnamed Huang. He had passed the imperial examination in the previous dynasty and was highly respected in the region, known for his impartiality.

At this moment, he was leaning on his cane, his body trembling like a candle flickering in the wind.

"This old man...this old man believes that the Commander-in-Chief's actions may be inappropriate." He mustered the greatest courage of his life and said, "Most of the land belonging to my clan in Guangdong is 'public land,' passed down from our ancestors for generations, used for offering sacrifices, providing relief to orphans and widows within the clan, and establishing schools. This is the law of our ancestors, and also the sentiment of our local community. If all of it is handed over to the imperial court, I fear...I fear our ancestors will be uneasy, and the people's hearts will be unsettled..."

He attempted a final struggle, using the ancestral laws and popular support—two weapons that had always been effective against the government.

Inside the hall, everyone's heart was in their throat.

They all hoped that Mr. Huang could persuade Lu Xiang-sheng, even if it was just to reduce the price from 80% to 50%, it would still be a huge victory.

However, Lu Xiang-sheng, who was in the hall, didn't even lift his eyelids after hearing these words.

He didn't even glance at the old man, but simply waved casually at Zhou Chaoxian beside him.

It was a casual gesture, as if he were just shooing away a fly.

But Zhou Chaoxian understood instantly, and he gave a wink to the guards below the hall.

"Drag it out."

A cold voice sounded.

Two fierce soldiers immediately stepped forward, grabbing the still-unresponsive Old Man Huang from both sides and dragging him out of the hall like a dead dog.

"Commander! Commander! What I have said comes from the bottom of my heart! You cannot..."

The old man's screams and struggles came to an abrupt end.

A moment later, a short, muffled scream came from outside the hall.

"what--!"

Then, all fell silent. Only one sound rang out clearly—the sound of a blade being pulled out of flesh after it had entered.

A drop of blood splattered on the threshold of the hall.

That scream, that drop of blood, shattered the last shred of hope in everyone's hearts like a merciless hammer blow.

Faced with absolute violence and the will of the emperor, any ancestral laws or local sentiments are a joke.

"Pfft!"

I don't know who was the first to kneel down.

"Plop! Plop! Plop!"

Inside the hall, more than two hundred representatives of Guangdong officials and gentry instantly knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly and weeping uncontrollably. They were completely devoid of the dignity that gentry and celebrities usually possessed.

"We are guilty! We are guilty!"

"We are willing to offer all our land to repay the Emperor's grace! We beg Your Excellency to show mercy!"

"We are willing to die for the imperial court! We beg the commander to spare our lives!"

Cries, pleas for mercy, and the sound of kowtowing filled the air. Lu Xiang-sheng watched this scene coldly, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

This is exactly the result he wants.

As the emperor said—use the most direct blood to nourish the foundation of the new order!

……

While these representatives of the old world were kowtowing and begging for survival, a massive power transfer was taking place simultaneously throughout Guangdong.

Teams of new recruits from Guangzhou escorted newly appointed officials, some parachuted in from outside the province and others promoted from the Southern Garrison Patrol Division, to various prefectures, states, and counties.

Holding the governor's decree and the Ministry of Personnel's documents, they received the official seals, tallies, and treasury keys—symbols of power—from the trembling old officials.

The first order issued by a new official, without exception, consisted of only eight words:

"Take a thorough land survey and collect taxes uniformly!"

Meanwhile, in the silent, kneeling hall of the Governor's Mansion in Guangzhou, Lu Xiang-sheng's gaze swept past the crowd below as he began another scheme—selecting people and seizing power to fill the void left by the collapse of authority.

He took out a list from his pocket and read aloud: "Luo Wenxiu of the Luo family, Liang Qi of the Liang family, Zhang Jingde of the Zhang family..."

Those whose names were called were representatives of small and medium-sized clans.

They were either the first to secretly inform the patrol department before the storm, or the first to kneel down and kowtow the loudest at the recent freshman assembly.

"You all understand the greater good and are loyal to the court. I am deeply gratified." Lu Xiang-sheng's voice had a rare hint of warmth.

"You are hereby appointed as village chiefs and headmen of your respective villages, responsible for supervising the 'contribution of land' and 'payment of taxes' by your respective clans. If you do well, you will be given important positions in the future; if you do not do well..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the threat was palpable.

The representatives of the small and medium-sized clans who were named were first stunned, then overjoyed.

They immediately kowtowed again with overwhelming gratitude, their voices ten times louder than before: "Thank you for your guidance, Commander! We are determined to serve the court and the Commander with our lives, even unto death!"

This tactic of sowing discord and winning over allies is ruthless yet effective.

It made those large clans whose flesh was cut off subject to the supervision of these small clans they used to look down on, completely extinguishing their thoughts of outwardly complying but inwardly resisting.

The climax of this new order took place in the wider countryside.

Squads of soldiers and newly appointed officials escorted a group of resolute-looking stonemasons into the heart of countless clans in Guangdong—the ancestral hall.

Amidst the terrified yet rebellious gazes of the clansmen, the soldiers used sledgehammers to smash the stone tablets inscribed with words such as "Family Laws and Rules," "Unauthorized Entry Will Be Punished," and "Private Land of So-and-So Clan" to pieces!

These "private law monuments," symbolizing the independent kingdom status of clans and above the national law, were reduced to dust under the hammer.

Immediately afterwards, the stonemasons erected brand-new, pre-carved bluestone tablets in their original positions.

On the stone tablet, two things are engraved in the most rigorous regular script.

The upper part is an excerpt from the "Great Ming Code," with particular emphasis on the "Household Law - Land and Housing" and the "Criminal Law - Fighting." The lower part contains several imperial edicts issued by the current emperor regarding the campaign against the Jurchens and the rectification of officialdom.

The inscription on the stone tablet has only one source: Emperor Fengtian Chengyun.

From then on, clan rules and family laws officially gave way to the glorious national laws.

For the first time, the emperor's decrees and voice were so clear and so forceful, penetrating every mountain and river vein and every inch of the land of southern Guangdong!
……

A few days later, in Guangzhou.

Lu Xiang-sheng stood alone atop the highest point in Guangzhou—the watchtower.

The rainy season in Lingnan seemed to be dispelled by ten days of thunder and lightning, and the sky was clear and blue.

Looking out from here, he could see a completely different scene in and around Guangzhou.

Teams of newly appointed officials and clerks, known as "land survey teams," filed out of the city gates and headed towards the vast countryside under the escort of soldiers.

They will use their measuring tapes and ledgers to remeasure this land for the emperor, incorporating every inch of the former hidden territory into the empire's map.

The Pearl River wharf was bustling with activity.

Huge cargo ships were moored on the shore.

Boxes of confiscated, sealed silver and bags of fully counted, plump grains were being loaded onto the ships by laborers in long queues.

These riches, once the poison that fueled local separatism, are now set to travel north by waterway, becoming the lifeblood of the national treasury and the military pay for the nine border regions!

Guangdong, this unruly tiger, has finally been initially tamed, collared, and begun to provide lifeblood for the empire.

Lu Xiang-sheng watched all of this quietly.

There was no ecstatic joy of victory in his heart, only immense exhaustion and emptiness.

In these places, he killed too many people and changed the fate of too many people.

He endured the silent curses from the literati in Guangdong, as well as the potential criticisms from his colleagues in the imperial court.

But he doesn't care.

Because he knew that everything he did was for whom and for what!
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar, breaking the tranquility.

A messenger, covered in dust and carrying a command flag on his back, came galloping from the end of the official road and arrived at the mansion.

"Urgent dispatch! Where is the Governor-General?!"

A moment later, the yellow silk report sealed with sealing wax was delivered to Lu Xiang-sheng.

This was the first reply he received from the emperor after he wrote a memorial detailing the process and results of "Operation Iron Plow" and sent it to Nanjing.

Lu Xiang-sheng's hands trembled slightly.

He took a deep breath, carefully tore off the sealing wax, and unfolded the memorial he had written himself.

At the end of the memorial, a vermilion ink stain came into view.

It wasn't a lengthy praise, nor was it a comforting and encouraging remark.

The reply, written in red ink, consisted of only four large, elegant characters.

"I understand."

Beneath the inscription is a large jade seal representing supreme imperial power.

I understand.

These few simple words seemed to carry immense weight in Lu Xiang-sheng's eyes!
It is not an approval, not a commendation, and certainly not a perfunctory gesture.

These words represent complete understanding.

This represents complete tacit approval of all of Lu Xiang-sheng's methods, whether it's swift execution or making an example of someone! It represents unconditional affirmation of all his decisions!
These words mean that from the moment he stepped into Guangdong, everything he did was under the watchful eye of the young emperor.

He was not fighting alone; the sword in his hand was the emperor's sword; his will was the emperor's will!
At this moment, all the fatigue, all the pressure, and all the grievances vanished.

Lu Xiang-sheng felt an unprecedented power welling up from the bottom of his heart.

He, Lu Jiandou, finally became the sharp and trustworthy sword in the emperor's hand!

Holding the imperial edict in vermilion ink, he turned and looked towards the distant north.

The vast expanse of misty waters is hard to see from the capital.

But he could almost see that in the Forbidden City, surrounded by countless palace walls, the young emperor would nod slightly in satisfaction after reading his memorial!

……

Almost at the same time, in Nanjing, a thousand miles away.

Along the Qinhuai River, the Rouge River connects with the ancient Xuxi River, forming a jade belt that tightly links the vast Taihu Lake with the Stone City.

On the river, hundreds of boats raced against each other.

Ships laden with grain from various parts of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were continuously converging into Nanjing, a huge distribution center, waiting to be organized and formed into a fleet before heading north to the capital along the Grand Canal.

Zhu Youjian, dressed in plain clothes, stood on a newly built viewing platform by the canal, with only Tian Ergeng following behind him.

He looked at the busy yet orderly canal transport scene and a smile appeared on his face.

"Lu Xiang-sheng, well done." The emperor's voice was calm, as if he were talking about something ordinary.

Tian Ergeng bowed and said, "Your Majesty is good at recognizing and employing people, and I admire you greatly."

“Hmm,” Zhu Youjian nodded, but his gaze drifted from the busy canal to a more distant place.

"The boils in southern Guangdong have been squeezed clean."

He turned around and looked at Tian Ergeng.

"Next, it's our turn!"

(End of this chapter)