When Li Yuanqiang hurried out of his home, he was wearing a robe with a crotch missing, a leather belt around his waist, and a battle jacket over it. He wore a bridle on his head, a broadsword at his waist, and a bundle slung over his shoulder. Inside were rations, a waterskin, and a change of clothes. He was full of vigor and vigor, and from the embroidery on his robe, he was actually a platoon leader.
Across from him, Meng Zong also happened to be coming out of his home. He was wearing the same military uniform as Li Yuanqiang, though his robe was unadorned. It seemed that he was just an ordinary soldier. The moment the two met, they did not say much. They gestured to each other and then hurried side by side in the direction of the Prefecture of Subjugation's main camp.
Countless farmers working in the fields changed into their military uniforms and, like birds returning to their nests, hurried back to the barracks from all directions. The doors to the armory were already wide open, and the lightly equipped soldiers of the prefectural army rushed straight to the armory. From the places they were familiar with, they took their leather armor, metal maces, bows, arrows, and spears, and then they all rushed back to the drill ground.
On the platform for the selection of generals, Old General Shi Lie, dressed in the Radiant Armor, sat boldly under the commander's flag.
This set of Radiant Armor had been personally bestowed upon him by Blacktooth Great General Chang Zhi when he had rendered a great service. Old General Shi deeply cherished this set of armor, and whenever he had nothing to do, he would rub it with oil. The armor had been maintained extremely well. Under the sunlight, it glowed with a dazzling golden light, making it seem like a golden man sitting there.
The only thing that was still moving was his eyes. He squinted his old eyes, occasionally glancing at the incense burner next to him.
In the incense burner, one stick of incense had just burned to the end. The military officer on duty lit another stick of incense and inserted it into the burner. General Shi gently closed his eyes and murmured in his heart, "Little bastards, today is the day the imperial court mobilizes their troops! The imperial envoy is here. If any of you dare to be late, that will be slapping my old face. Let's see who has the ability to do so! "
On the drill ground, square formations gradually took shape, brimming with killing intent!
Similar scenes were playing out in other parts of Sui Prefecture, including Qing Prefecture, Dan Prefecture, and even Feng Prefecture.
Yang Fan had been forced to "deploy the police in a foreign land". Before leaving the capital, he had carefully calculated that the Yanzhou army would probably not be colluding with those corrupt officials. At the very least, the majority of the army was reliable. However, it was better to be safe than sorry. No one could be certain that there was no problem with the Yanzhou army.
Faced with this kind of capital offense, if Yanzhou officials really did take the risk out of desperation, and they happened to be in control of an army, then they would have to take unnecessary risks. No one could single-handedly contend against an entire army with their martial arts skills.
Moreover, if the local soldiers were to arrest the local officials, even if they did not dare to openly resist, if someone had accepted bribes from the corrupt officials, secretly informed them, or purposely delayed the arrest time, it would cause the criminals to escape. In order to ensure that nothing went wrong, they could only mobilize troops from other places.
And this was impossible to achieve according to normal official procedures. Only by bringing the case directly to the front of the Emperor, coupled with Wu Zetian's favorite Zhang Changzong, could Yang Fan obtain such a great advantage and the right to mobilize troops. All these preparations were finally about to bear fruit.
…
Under the escort of carriages and horses provided by the local government, all the venerable elders were making their way to Yanzhou in succession. The inn couldn't accommodate so many people, so the Yanzhou government asked the city's gentry for help. They had their manors vacate a lot of rooms to accommodate these venerable elders who had rushed over from all over.
What were venerable elders? At this time, venerable elders didn't only refer to venerated elders of virtue and prestige. They generally held positions in the local areas. Although they had no rank, they had great authority in the local areas.
In the current dynasty's local government system, the highest official was an observer. The prefectures and counties under the prefectures and prefectures under the prefectures and prefectures were composed of provincial governors (prefectures), other officials, chief scribes, military officers, and six officials. The counties under the prefectures were composed of county magistrates, deputy magistrates, registrars, lieutenants, scribes, and assistant secretaries.
Then who were the local administrators under the prefectures? They were the venerable elders. Five li made up a township, and there were venerable elders. The venerable elders governed five li, and five protectors made up one li. There were five protectors under the li, and five neighbors made up one protector. There were four families that made up one neighbor, and there was a neighbor chief. Some places were more desolate, and they had a village as a unit, and the village official was the village chief.
Looking at it this way, the so-called venerable elders were actually the village chiefs. They were the officials who directly controlled the area under the jurisdiction of a county. Although they weren't high-ranking officials, they were closely related to the people's lives. They had the most power and prestige in the area.
The imperial court respected the elderly, and the venerable elders who were old and virtuous had a lot of authority in the area. Most of these venerable elders were the heads of large local clans, and their words were undisputed in their respective villages. With them acting as venerable elders, the imperial court naturally carried out all kinds of government decrees much more smoothly.
Although the venerable elders were old and tired from the long journey, they were happy from the bottom of their hearts. This was an imperial envoy sent by the Emperor to express his condolences. Which venerable elder wouldn't feel honored? When they returned home, they would tell their children and grandchildren. Wouldn't this also be a great honor for the elderly?
The venue of the banquet was set at the provincial governor's mansion. Because there wasn't enough space, many sheds had been built on the open space on the left and right side of the room. Under the sheds, there were banquets, and on the banquets, there was wine. It was currently the season of clear autumn, and as long as it didn't rain, it would be enough to handle the banquet.
Yanzhou's local officials had been very busy for a while. By the time Zhang Changzong's guard of honor arrived at Yanzhou, the provincial governor, other officials, and the chief scribes had been circling around Zhang Changzong the entire day. This was a kind of solicitude, but also to prevent him from having too much contact with the people below him.
Yanzhou's local officials were even busier. The city magistrate brought people to stroll around the streets every day, and the peddlers had long since been chased away. Apart from a few shops selling daily necessities that were still open, the other merchants had been ordered to temporarily close their doors for various reasons. The streets were in a state of desolation.
On the other hand, the tax official, the tax official, and the other officials were busy moving grain from the prefectural yamen and intercepting grain shipments from various places. Some places received official documents slightly late and the grain carts were already on the way, but they were all blocked off by the officials on the main roads and chased away.
The judicial official and the county lieutenant led three groups of bailiffs to patrol the entire city. They really were in the Jingqing area. Petty thieves, swindlers, hoodlums, and brawlers were all thrown into jail and locked up. The entire Yanzhou prefecture was like a persimmon tree that had been blown away by frost and wind. The leaves were all gone, and only the glistening yellow tempting fruits were left hanging on the branches.
The prefecture's major, Lin Bing, led the prefecture's "old officials" who only held official positions and salaries but no longer held any actual positions, as well as professors of literature and medical doctors, to pay their respects to the various venerable elders. During their conversations, they couldn't help but hint at what they should and shouldn't say when meeting with the imperial envoy.
All kinds of preparations had begun three days before Zhang Changzong arrived in Yanzhou. When he arrived, they continued for another day. Governor Xie found the man who could look at the astronomical phenomena to check the weather and said that tomorrow would definitely be a fine day. Only then did he have an audience with the imperial envoy and ask for permission to host a banquet tomorrow to entertain the venerable elders from all over the city.
In reality, Governor Xie couldn't wait to make a few more days of preparations to ensure that everything was in place. However, the longer the delay, the more trouble there would be. The imperial envoy's presence in the city was also a kind of threat. They accompanied Zhang Changzong the entire day, and it could be said that the imperial envoy had just arrived and was hosting a banquet to welcome him. However, there wouldn't be much of a reason for the group of prefecture officials to continue guarding Zhang Changzong's side. It was better to send him away as soon as possible.
The next day, the provincial governor's manor was in a state of jubilation. Everyone was draped in red as if they were celebrating the new year. There were bailiffs patrolling the perimeter to maintain law and order. There were also officials from the various prefectures who went forth to welcome the venerable elders scattered throughout the city to the provincial governor's manor. Governor Xie personally led the prefectural government officials to the posthouse to welcome the imperial envoy.
Zhang Changzong had been looking forward to this for so long. The show of pretending to be righteous had finally begun. He was elated. Early in the morning, he washed up and dressed himself neatly. When Xie Yubin and the others arrived, he mounted a horse and rushed to the provincial governor's yamen under their escort.
At this moment, a few uninvited guests suddenly appeared in the Yanzhou prefecture guards' camp. The commandant of Zhe Chong of the Yanzhou prefecture guards was called Ye Yu. He was in his forties. He was sitting idly in the camp, thinking about where he should go for a stroll to relieve his boredom. Suddenly, a personal guard hurriedly rushed in to report, "Commandant, someone has arrived from the capital. He's holding a fire tablet and is requesting an audience at the Yuan Gate!"
Ye Yu was astonished. He hurriedly stood up and said, "Ask him to wait a moment. This official will immediately come out to welcome him! Strike the Generals Gathering Drum and summon all the generals in the army! "
Ye Yu hurriedly put on his armor and went out to welcome them. He saw a few men dressed in black standing outside the Yuan Gate on horseback. The one in the middle had an imposing appearance and was handsome. He listed his name and called himself the Lieutenant General of a Thousand Cavalry, Yang Fan.
When Ye Yu heard that it was an imperial envoy, he couldn't help but be secretly alarmed. After verifying Yang Fan's identity, he invited them into the commander's tent. At this moment, the generals of Yanzhou's Zhe Chong Office had already put on their armor and hurried to the commander's tent. Each and every one of them was clad in armor and carrying a saber. They stood solemnly on the spot, appearing to be brimming with killing intent.
Yang Fan's gaze did not waver. He entered the commander's tent and went straight to the commander-in-chief's seat. Ye Yu was startled. He could only stand below the tent, cupping his hands and asking, "What errands does General have for me?"
Yang Fan sat upright on the commander-in-chief's seat and said in a deep voice, "Does General know that Zhang Fengchen has come to Yanzhou by imperial edict to pacify the old people of the four villages?"
Ye Yu nodded blankly. "This lowly general is in the army and has limited knowledge of government affairs. However, this lowly general has heard of Zhang Fengchen's arrival in Yanzhou. "
Yang Fan said, "Very good! Zhang Fengchen has come to Yanzhou this time to handle another serious case. This general has come here on Zhang Fengchen's orders. From now on, the Yanzhou guards are to close their gates and bide their time. Without the imperial court's military edict, they are not to make any moves. "
Ye Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. He slowly straightened his back and said in a deep voice, "Please present the Turtle Seal of Error!"
Yang Fan waved his hand, and a young man in a black robe came forward to present the imperial edict and the turtle seal. Ye Yu called for someone to bring the turtle seal from the camp and examine it. He stared at Yang Fan and said, "This general cannot examine the imperial edict. It must be verified by the provincial governor of this prefecture! "
Yang Fan smiled slightly. "But the one we are arresting is the provincial governor. How can it be verified?"
Ye Yu's expression suddenly changed. He said, "If that's the case, it can be verified by someone else!"
Yang Fan said, "Someone else is also among them."
Ye Yu was startled. He stammered, "Then … then it can be done by the chief …"
Yang Fan glanced at him and sighed. "The Yanzhou prefecture has already been cooked in one scoop. General Ye, right now I am not asking you to mobilize your troops. I am only asking you to bide your time. Anyone who disobeys will be charged with treason. Do you understand?"
At first, Yang Fan spoke slowly, but towards the end, his tone became stern. Ye Yu's body trembled. He couldn't help but reply, "This lowly general understands!"
Yang Fan struck while the iron was hot. He slowly straightened his body and coldly said, "Hand over the military edict and arrow!"
…
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