"Ghost? In broad daylight … hehe … "
The old fisherman laughed dryly, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. He finally knew what was wrong.
He had seen many passengers who would either be filled with righteous indignation or pee their pants in fear when faced with such a situation. At the very least, they would look impassioned and their palms would tremble slightly. However, this customer was too calm.
There was definitely something wrong when something was out of the ordinary!
With his rich life experience, the old fisherman immediately knew that something was wrong. Unfortunately, it was too late.
"Isn't it normal to see a ghost in broad daylight?"
Wu Ming pushed the mechanical octopus into the water, then closed his eyes and did not move, as if he was waiting for death.
"Ah!"
But behind him, a fisherman screamed. He was suddenly dragged into the water by a metal tentacle, and blood immediately flowed out.
"Clang!"
Soon after, a large hole appeared in another small boat. The fisherman on it sank without even having the chance to scream. Only a string of bubbles kept rising.
This scene immediately caused the scalps of all the sailors to go numb.
"There's a monster underwater!"
"It's a water ghost!"
"A monster!"
"This kid is using an evil technique!"
… …
Those who worked in this dangerous business were all strong youths. At this moment, they gathered their courage and wanted to kill the monster with their harpoons, or jump in to help capture the culprit, Wu Ming.
However, even if it was just the simplest mechanical puppet, it was still not something they could deal with.
"Mother … boohoo … I'm so scared …"
The little fisherwoman's cries could be heard.
"Don't cry … it's a water ghost!"
Wu Ming comforted her calmly, but he glanced at the old fisherman, his cold gaze causing the latter to shudder.
'A level one puppet beast … it's still a great weapon against ordinary people!'
Wu Ming's expression was wooden as he allowed the mechanical octopus to move about in the water, slaughtering all the sailors. In his heart, however, he was silently comparing the difference between puppetry techniques and daoist techniques.
Hmm … Low-level puppets are controlled by spiritual sense, which is similar to the Daoist Primordial Spirit cultivation … I wonder how to control the puppets with intelligence in the future … But I don't know how I'll control them …
"What, you're still not leaving?"
Looking at the old fisherman who seemed to have turned into a block of wood, Wu Ming asked calmly.
"Immediately! Now! "
The fisherman shuddered. He then looked at his wife and daughter who were panicking. He did not care that a fellow who was somewhat related to his family was underwater. He gritted his teeth, pushed the boat with the black awning, and left this place.
Behind him, the shattered body of the ship and the patches of blood red allowed him to know that this fellow that seemed to be a simple and honest fellow actually killed without batting an eye. Moreover, he possessed a special technique, so he was truly not someone he could deal with.
Wu Ming looked to the north with his hands behind his back, not bothering with him.
With such a huge disparity in strength, if the other party made any strange movements, he would just have to kill him.
He was silently thinking about the situation in Dingzhou.
"Dazhou succeeded the foundation of the Shang Dynasty and divided the world into nineteen states. However, after the Yongping Rebellion started by Huang Jie, the imperial court declined day by day. Orders could not be sent out of the capital. The local feudal lords fought for hegemony. Chaos loomed, and military rule was divided. Even the prefecture magistrate could not stop it …"
"There were seven counties in Dingzhou. Originally, there was a marquis and a military town. Ding Hou ruled Dingyuan County, and Qi Lin ruled Pingshan County. Now, Wu Zhi has split the two phoenixes. The imperial court only has Rinan, Zhuwu, and Jiude Counties left.
"The current prefecture magistrate seems to be Xu Chun? He was born in a county and is also a loyal official of the court … Haha, in this world, it is hard to be a loyal official … "
If he had the heart of a hero, he could have taken sole power and used the name of prefecture magistrate to expand the army and suppress disloyal officials.
However, even if he became a loyal official, he could only be restricted by the etiquette of the court and have his hands and feet bound.
After Wu Zhi's rebellion, the situation became even more difficult to reverse. Even if Xu Chun wanted to, it was too late.
After clearing out those ants, the second half of the journey was much calmer. In less than half a day, they arrived at the Luo River Pier.
Dingzhou was set up in Jiude County. It was surrounded by mountains and rivers and was famous for the scenery of the Luo River.
Of course, there was also the Xie family that had an ill-fated relationship with Wu Ming. Their ancestral home was also located there.
"One coin for the boat fare, one coin for the meal. I didn't shortchange you …"
Wu Ming smiled and placed the silver into the hands of the fisherman, whose hands were trembling and almost couldn't stand steadily. He slowly disembarked from the fishing boat.
Not far away, a majestic city was in sight. This was the prefecture of Dingzhou, Dingzhou City.
"Hmm … speaking of which, it seems that the Xie family has truly listened to my suggestion since settling here 200 years ago … Unfortunately, our fate has already been broken. It is better not to meet …"
Wu Ming shook his head. Suddenly, his heart jumped. He thought of the emissaries the Xie family had sent, Xie Ling 'er and Xie Baoyu, during the wedding last time.
"Sudden inspiration, one will definitely feel something!"
Given Wu Ming's Taoist skills, he made a slight calculation. His upper body was the will of heaven, and his lower body was the heart. He immediately knew the cause and effect.
"These two people still have a tribulation. We'll see when the time comes …"
He was not the Xie family's nanny. However, on account of last time's face, if they could bump into him, he didn't mind extending a hand to help them up. It could be said that their fate was not yet over.
"Dingzhou …"
Wu Ming smiled slightly and called for a carriage to slowly drive into the city.
…
In Dingzhou, inside the Provincial Governor's manor.
A middle-aged man who looked like a civil official held a document. Hearing the angry shout coming from the front of the hall, his steps immediately stopped.
"How daring! How daring! Wu Zhi, this woman, dares to call herself the Jiedushi and hold back the taxes of two counties. She appointed herself as the civil and military officials and expanded the military. She truly does not hide her rebellious intentions. She should be punished! "
"Wait! The provincial soldiers are weak and cannot be of great use … cough, cough … besides, we are officials of the court. Without an edict, we cannot expand the military. If we use the provincial soldiers to suppress her, it will be like throwing an egg against a rock. There will be a disaster of overturning. It is better to send an emissary and ask the officials of the court for their opinion … cough, cough … "
"Otherwise, are you not afraid of being impeached by the Sili Commandant?"
The other voice was weak. Upon hearing it, one could tell it was the Provincial Governor of Benzhou, Gao Shun.
The one who wants to send out the troops must be General Zhang. However, the Provincial Governor is weak and ill. In a few months, his term will be up. I heard he has already sent in a petition asking for bones. How could he agree to send out the troops?
Furthermore, even if he wants to expand the army, where will the money and food come from? Will the Provincial Governor give it? Even if he does, whether or not the Sili Commandant will approve is another matter.
Hearing this, the secretary sighed in his heart.
Because of the disaster of the Jiedushi, the court's control was weak. It was even more uneasy with the provinces, so it adopted the policy of dividing power.
According to the system, each province had a provincial governor who was in charge of administration. There was also the provincial governor who was in charge of the provincial soldiers. There was also the Sili Commandant, who was an official from the capital specially responsible for supervision.
In reality, this was the separation of administrative, military, and supervision powers. It resulted in no one person being able to monopolize power.
Unfortunately, the court is declining day by day. It is difficult to recover from the accumulated problems. It is not something that can be brought back from the dead by some clever plan.
The secretary sighed in his heart. Coming to the door, he respectfully bowed. "Reporting to the Provincial Governor, there are letters from Pingshan and Dingyuan!"
"Oh, it's Yu Wen. Bring it up!"
Gao Shun coughed, but he could clearly call out the names of every official under his command. It was obvious that his memory was very good and admirable.
Yu Wen's heart warmed up. He tiptoed forward, put down the document, and retreated a few steps to the corner. He looked at his nose and his nose at his heart.
There were a few other people in the hall. A general with a face full of curly beard and wearing armor immediately asked, "How is it?"
His voice was loud and clear, like Thunder. It shook Yu Wen's eardrums slightly.
"Cough cough … Marquis Ding Shi Tai. Wu Zhi ran amok and killed his beloved son. Please punish him … Hehe, he said he was willing to send troops to help. Isn't this using our power to avenge his personal grudge?"
Gao Shun continued to read. "But the next one is about the Pingshan Provincial Governor, Qi Lin, who recommended Wu Zhi to be the Nanfeng Provincial Governor. The two families seem to be secretly colluding. They even joined forces to condemn Marquis Ding. Cough cough … It's really a lively scene …"
"Bastard! What do these military towns think of the imperial court's name as? "
General Zhang shouted angrily and hit his palm with his fist. It was obvious that he was very indignant.
"Cough cough … Lord Zhang, please calm down. The imperial court is weak. At this time … cough cough … As long as they still know how to be subjects and keep this last bit of status … cough cough, I have nothing else to ask for …"
Gao Shun said helplessly. General Zhang's chest was heaving up and down. He suddenly cupped his hands. "I still have to inspect the barracks. I will take my leave first!"
He bowed and left. It was obvious that he was extremely angry.
"Sigh … cough cough …"
Gao Shun seemed to want to stand up but coughed continuously. He could only sit down helplessly.
"Old Lord, please take care!"
Yu Wen immediately went forward and helped Gao Shun to his seat. "Don't be anxious and hurt your health …"
"But … but …"
As he got closer, he heard Gao Shun's whisper. "I have the heart to kill the enemy, but I don't have the strength to reverse the situation. My province's tens of thousands of soldiers are old and weak. They are not well-equipped. The imperial court's tax collection is getting more and more severe. If I don't get what I want, I will be impeached by the Sili Commandant. What can I and Lord Prefecture Overseer do?"
Yu Wen was speechless.
The situation in Dingzhou was not bad. It was just that there were a few domineering prefectures.
The other provinces were either suffering from floods or riots. Although Huang Jie was dead, the flames of war had not been extinguished. There were even some who imitated the end of the previous dynasty and set up their own kings, claiming that they wanted to overthrow the Dazhou!
With this bone-cutting pain in front of them, the imperial court could only increase the apportionment and mobilize the last of their elites to kill them.
It was said that two provinces had been destroyed by the continuous battles. The common people were dead and wounded. White bones were exposed in the wilderness. It was a tragic sight.
Compared to these, although the province was in chaos, the common people were still able to survive. This was the credit of the prefecture overseer and the provincial governor.
"What about these documents?"
"Keep them. I will naturally report to Governor Yu. As for the three military towns, let them cause trouble …"
Gao Shun was so tired that he closed his eyes. However, Yu Wen could read the shape of his mouth. It was obvious that he wanted to say 'dog eat dog'.
He immediately took his leave and sighed, "Although it's good to let things run their own course, once the three families annex each other and become the strongest vassal state in the prefecture, everything will be too late. But … this has nothing to do with me. Even if there are changes, with my supernatural power, can't I protect the old and the young? It is just that the elders of the league have not been in contact recently. I wonder what happened at the top? "
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