In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

"Kill without mercy? What arrogance." Yang Xuan's eyes were like two cold, sharp swords, piercing straight into Li Kuang's heart.

"I am a fifth-rank county magistrate personally appointed by the imperial court, wearing a scarlet official robe and under the blue sky of the Tang Dynasty. You, a mere seventh-rank military officer, dare to tell me 'kill without mercy'?"

Li Kuang, intimidated by Yang Xuan's imposing manner, involuntarily took a half-step back, but he quickly regained his composure and straightened his chest: "A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders! I only obey the orders of our Commandant!"

"Military order?" Yang Xuan suddenly pulled out a document bearing the governor's seal from his sleeve and slammed it hard against the wooden post of the barricade.

"Look carefully! This is the monopoly permit for Qing'ao Well issued by the prefectural government to Yanjing County! This batch of salt is completely government-owned! Your interception of government-owned salt is tantamount to robbing the imperial treasury, and according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, you should be executed immediately!"

Li Kuang glanced at the document, his eye twitching slightly, but he gritted his teeth and stubbornly insisted, "I can't read! How do I know if this document is real or fake? These days, there are plenty of bandits who forge official documents!"

"It doesn't matter if you can't read, there will always be someone who can." Yang Xuan pressed on, his voice growing louder and louder, like the resounding tones of a great bell. "Let me ask you, when you intercepted this batch of salt carts, did you report it to the Jiannan Military Governor's Office? Did you have any official documents from the Ministry of War?"

Li Kuang was speechless.

Their setting up of the checkpoint was entirely a private action taken by Helan Jin out of envy for the profits of Qing'ao Well; how could there possibly be any official document from the Ministry of War?

"Without official documents from the Ministry of War or orders from the military governor, they arbitrarily mobilized a large army to set up roadblocks in the interior and intercept government convoys."

Yang Xuan stared into Li Kuang's eyes and said, word by word, "Li Kuang, you're not just plundering the treasury, you're plotting a rebellion!"

"Bullshit!" Li Kuang was enraged by the word "rebellion." "Stop spouting nonsense! Our Commandant Helan is loyal to the Tang Dynasty. How dare you, a mere pedant, slander us!"

"Completely loyal?"

Yang Xuan sneered repeatedly.

"If he were truly loyal, he wouldn't have done something so foolish as to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs! How much is your Zhechong Prefecture's annual military pay? One hundred thousand strings of cash? Two hundred thousand strings? Believe it or not, if I just dump these three hundred carts of salt here today, tomorrow, an urgent report will be delivered to the Ministry of Personnel in Chang'an! Reports of the Zhechong Prefecture's unauthorized provocations on the border, plundering local areas, and plotting rebellion will flood the Censorate like snowflakes!"

Yang Xuan's words struck Li Kuang's heart like a heavy hammer.

"By then, the imperial court will be furious, and the military governor's army will be pressing in. Your Commandant Helan might be able to save his life through connections, but what about you?"

Yang Xuan's voice was like the whisper of a demon, full of seduction and intimidation.

"You, and these hundreds of brothers behind you, are just scapegoats pushed out by Helan Jin! Your heads will be hung on the city gates of Yaozhou, dried in the wind, and pecked at by birds!"

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Li Kuang's forehead.

Although he was a rough man, he wasn't stupid. He knew very well how terrifying the Tang Dynasty's civil service system was.

If Yang Xuan really makes a big fuss and is labeled a "rebel," the imperial court would rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free.

"You...you try to use Chang'an to intimidate me!" Li Kuang gritted his teeth, shouting with feigned bravado but underlying weakness. "Don't forget, you're just a demoted official! The Right Chancellor has long since disowned you! Who in Chang'an will listen to you?"

"The Right Chancellor disowns me, but he can't afford to lose face!"

Yang Xuan laughed loudly, his laughter filled with arrogance and disdain.

"Even if I, Yang Xuan, am a dog, I'm still a dog from the Prime Minister's mansion! Besides my father, who dares to break my legs? Your Zhechong Mansion dares to touch me, which is slapping the face of the current Right Prime Minister! Do you think Yang Guozhong, in order to save face for the Prime Minister's mansion, will uproot your entire Zhechong Mansion?"

At this moment, Li Kuang completely panicked.

Looking at the arrogant young civil official in front of him, he suddenly felt that the other party was more like an unreasonable bully than himself.

"Clang!"

Driven to the brink, Li Kuang suddenly drew his sword, the tip pointing directly at Yang Xuan's throat: "You really think I wouldn't dare kill you?!"

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

As Li Kuang drew his sword, the soldiers of Zhechong Prefecture behind him also raised their weapons, their killing intent erupting instantly.

However, Yang Xuan did not flinch in the face of the blade that was so close at hand.

He even took a step forward, letting the cold blade touch his scarlet official robe.

"Go ahead and kill me." Yang Xuan's eyes were fixed on Li Kuang, a chilling smirk playing on his lips. "I, Yang Xuan, will stand right here today. If you move your blade an inch further, my life will be yours."

Li Kuang's hand holding the knife began to tremble slightly.

"But remember this," Yang Xuan's voice was like a curse from hell, "If I die here, this Fallen Soul Valley will be the burial ground for your five hundred men from Zhechong Prefecture! The three hundred salt-protecting soldiers behind me will fight you to the death! The people of Yaozhou City will grind your bones to dust!"

"kill!"

Pei Zhao suddenly drew his sword and let out a deafening roar.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The three hundred salt protectors roared in unison, drawing their swords and spears and nocking their bows and crossbows.

That fearless and ferocious killing intent actually suppressed the regular army of the Zhechong Prefecture on the other side in terms of momentum.

Looking into Yang Xuan's eyes, which held no fear but only madness and determination, Li Kuang's psychological defenses finally crumbled completely.

He knew that the person in front of him was a real madman.

How could a madman who dared to spill An Lushan's wine in front of the emperor and break with the current Right Chancellor be afraid of a mere Colonel of the General's Office?

With a clang, the horizontal sword in Li Kuang's hand fell to the ground.

He staggered back two steps, his face as pale as paper.

"Let them pass..."

Li Kuang gritted his teeth, practically squeezing out those two words from between his teeth.

"Captain?"

The squad leader next to him looked at him in disbelief.

"I fucking told you to let it through! Didn't you hear me?!"

Li Kuang turned his head and roared, his eyes bloodshot.

The soldiers of Zhechong Prefecture looked at each other, and finally silently moved the barricades to make way for a passage.

Yang Xuan flicked non-existent dust off his official robes, gave Li Kuang a cold glance, and then turned to mount his horse.

"Take Lei Laohu and our salt home," Yang Xuan ordered without turning his head.

Pei Zhao waved his hand, and the salt guards immediately stepped forward, took control of the salt carts, and helped Lei Laohu and the others, who had been beaten black and blue, over.

As three hundred salt carts and the salt-protecting soldiers marched through the military formation, the soldiers of Zhechong Prefecture could only watch with gritted teeth, but no one dared to stop them.

Li Kuang stood there, staring intently at Yang Xuan's departing figure, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness.

"Yang Xuan..." Li Kuang muttered through gritted teeth, "Don't be too smug. You've offended Commandant Helan, you've offended the entire Zhechong Prefecture. This Yaozhou region will soon become your grave!"

On the way back, Lei Laohu rode his horse, looking at the slightly frail yet seemingly capable figure in front of him, his heart filled with awe and unwavering devotion.

"Boss, this time, we've completely offended the Zhechong Prefecture," a caravan member said with lingering fear.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Lei Laohu spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism. "With the county magistrate here, even if the Heavenly King himself came, I'd dare to fight him to the bitter end!"

Yang Xuan remained calm as he rode his horse, but he knew very well that today's release was not the end, but the beginning of an even bloodier one.

The Zhechong Prefecture's reputation was utterly humiliated, and given the arrogant and fierce temperament of the military, they would absolutely not swallow this insult.

An even bigger storm is brewing in the shadows.

"Pei Zhao," Yang Xuan suddenly spoke.

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Upon returning, the salt protection troops immediately went on high alert. The defense force at Qing'ao Well was tripled. Inform Old Huang that all defensive equipment must be installed within three days."

Yang Xuan's tone was filled with a chilling murderous intent.

"Is my lord worried that the Zhechong Prefecture will break off relations and directly attack Qing'ao Well?" Pei Zhao was startled.

"It's not just worry, it's certain." Yang Xuan looked up at the gray sky. "In the end, the world will be decided by swords and spears. Since they want to play, then we'll play along to the very end."