"…" Lan Ruoting choked and was speechless as he thought that he had seen his intentions and was purposely making things difficult for Feng Ruonan.
Even if it wasn't, he was also puzzled. What do you mean I'm sinister? Who came up with the rotten idea? You had already drugged them, who was the sinister one?
Not long after Lan Ruoting left, Shang Shuqing came again and probed, "Is it Mister Lan who doesn't allow Daoye to treat Sister-in-law's subordinate?"
"It's not that he doesn't allow treatment, but Mister Lan wants to matchmake Prince and Princess …" Niu Youdao directly made Lan Ruoting's intention clear.
Shang Shuqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she discovered that these men were always thinking of such naughty things. But this matter wasn't something that she could comment on and returned to the main topic, "Daoye, your treatment methods are of great benefit to the soldiers on the battlefield, is it convenient for you to impart it to us?"
Niu Youdao waved his hand disapprovingly, "It's not a big deal. If you want to learn, look for Monkey, he is better than me in treating external injuries."
There were many skills in this world that were not taught to outsiders and Shang Shuqing was worried that the other party would keep it to himself. He didn't expect the other party to agree so readily and said ecstatically, "Alright, Qing-er thanks Daoye's kindness on behalf of the soldiers!"
To the soldiers on the battlefield, this was indeed not a small matter but to Niu Youdao, it really wasn't a big deal. He chuckled, "It's just a small matter, no need to thank me. Oh right, discuss this matter with Mister Lan, he wants to use this to trick your Sister-in-law! "
Shang Shuqing was a little embarrassed when he said this again but still nodded his head …
That night, Feng Ruonan noticed a situation. There was a rider coming from the direction of Cang Lu County and after being stopped by the guards, the other party reported that he was Shang Chaozong's subordinate which was later confirmed by Shang Chaozong's men. It was unknown what news that person brought, but after Shang Chaozong, Lan Ruoting and the rest entered the tent, the lights in the tent seemed to have been lit for the entire night. It was unknown what they were plotting.
The monks of Nanshan Temple also noticed the same thing. Yuan Gang had already made arrangements for these monks. After collecting the information, he informed Niu Youdao.
The next day, the group continued their journey. In the middle of the afternoon, they finally arrived at their destination and entered Canglu County.
The county magistrate Lu Linmao, the county magistrate Fang Mingzhao, and others had already led the county magistrate's subordinates and the local famous squires to the border in advance to welcome them.
Not only did the people of Canglu County bow politely, but Shang Chaozong, who was sitting on his tall horse, had no intention of dismounting. He stared at the crowd expressionlessly.
After everyone paid their respects, Shang Chaozong asked coldly, "Do you know your crimes?"
The smiling crowd was stunned. Not to mention them, even Feng Ruonan and Niu Youdao were a little confused.
The county magistrate Lu Linmao cupped his hands in a surprised manner and said, "I wonder why Prince said this?"
Shang Chaozong said, "As an official appointed by the imperial court, taking bribes and bending the law, as a local squire, what crime should he commit?"
Lu Linmao said solemnly, "Prince, this must be a false accusation."
Shang Chaozong didn't want to waste time with them. He waved his hand and said, "Arrest them all!"
A group of personal guards jumped off their horses and immediately pinned the county magistrate, the county magistrate, and the rest to the ground and tied them up. Although the rest of the county magistrate's subordinates also carried knives, they didn't dare to resist such ferocious personal guards. Together with the squires, they were all forced to kneel on the ground obediently.
With this sudden turn of events, it could be said that the group of people who came to greet them were scared out of their wits. Several young cultivators from unknown sects who were in charge of collecting spiritual herbs were startled and moved away in fright. They looked at this scene with bewilderment and uncertainty. Shang Chaozong's side also didn't have any intention of doing anything to them.
Feng Ruonan and the rest were a little puzzled as to why Shang Chaozong was involved in this matter. Although Canglu County was Shang Chaozong's fief, it was only a fief. Ever since the chaos of the Wu Dynasty, all the countries had learned their lesson. The so-called fief was mostly a nominal possession. To a certain extent, they enjoyed the fief's taxes. The authority to appoint officials was already under the imperial court. Although Shang Chaozong's rank was higher than these local officials, he had no authority over them.
County Magistrate Lu Linmao struggled and shouted, "Prince, even if we are guilty, it should be the imperial court that judges us. Prince, how can you overstep your authority!"
Shang Chaozong said indifferently, "Whether it's right or wrong, this prince will report it to the imperial court! How can this prince allow you to harm my fief? If I don't kill you, the people's anger will not be appeased! "With a wave of his hand, he shouted," Behead them! "
A few of his personal guards raised their knives and chopped down. There were a few screams and blood spurted out. The heads of the officials in charge of the county government fell to the ground.
The rest of the bailiffs and squires didn't even dream of such a scene. Such a bloody scene frightened them to the point that their faces turned ashen and they trembled in fear.
Following that, all the local magnates who came in glory were detained. Shang Chaozong left a portion of his men to escort them while the rest followed him to the county town.
When they arrived at the county town, Feng Ruonan, Niu Youdao, and the rest finally understood what Shang Chaozong wanted to do. He didn't want to get rid of the tyrants and bring peace to the people, but he wanted to directly control the entire Canglu County and completely eliminate the influence of the imperial court. He didn't want to take it slow at all. Instead, he wanted to use force to forcefully purge the county. It was obvious that he wanted to gather troops to strengthen himself.
Once they arrived at the county town, Shang Chaozong had another thousand men. King Ning's old subordinates, who had long been arranged to hide here, came out. They cooperated with the current troops and searched the homes of almost all the officials in the county town. Although they had just arrived, there were local people leading the way. With the name list in hand, they had a very accurate grasp of the situation and route. It was very obvious that Shang Chaozong and the rest had long been prepared here. After killing the county magistrate and deputy, a ready-made team immediately appeared to fill in the positions.
In the county town, they borrowed some of Feng Ruonan's men to attack everywhere. Not only did they search the homes of the officials, they also searched the shops of the officials and squires.
At the same time, dozens of troops rushed to various villages in Canglu County and searched the homes of some of the squires. They didn't give those people any time to breathe, nor did they reason with them. They directly pinned the crimes that they had already found out and used force to purge them.
In the next few days, the whole of Canglu County was in an uproar. The newly appointed county magistrate, Wu Fu, and the others didn't even have the permission of the imperial court. They were directly appointed by Shang Chaozong. Now that Shang Chaozong was here, he wouldn't accept any more appointments from the imperial court. With Shang Chaozong's support, the newly appointed officials took bold and decisive steps to rectify the situation. They quickly posted announcements to pacify the people, distributed the fields of the rich families to the common people, released some of the confiscated rations to help the victims of the disaster, and used the rations to gather some young and strong men to train them. Shang Chaozong's subordinates quickly expanded to a thousand men to assist them, and the situation in Canglu County was quickly stabilized.
After Bai Yao learned of Shang Chaozong's intentions, he also sent a message back, preparing to dispatch some young cultivators from the Heavenly Jade School to take over the collection of spiritual herbs.
The specific government affairs of Canglu County had already been arranged to be handled. After leaving behind a portion of his men to assist, Shang Chaozong led the main force out of the city.
Not far from the county seat, in the mountains that echoed the county seat from afar, there was a manor built by King Ning many years ago. It could easily accommodate over ten thousand people. Most importantly, it was easy to defend and difficult to attack, so there was a certain level of security. There were many people coming and going from the county seat every day, so it was impossible to seal the city. Moreover, they were already deep into the hinterland of Green Mountain County, so due to various reasons, they had to relocate.
Along the way, they saw carts of rations lined up in a long queue. Niu Youdao approached Lan Ruoting and asked, "Are these rations taken from those rich families?"
Lan Ruoting sighed, "The common people don't have any surplus rations. With so many people, we can't always rely on the supply of rations from Guang Guang County. The supply can be cut off at any time, so we can only start from those heartless rich families. Currently, the rations we've taken are enough to last us a year. As long as Canglu County is well governed and its tax collection is stable, we'll be able to keep going in the future."
Niu Youdao clicked his tongue and said, "You guys are the fastest to earn money."
Lan Ruoting smiled bitterly, "There's nothing we can do about it. If we don't get rid of the influence of the imperial court, we won't be able to gain a foothold here. Without rations, we won't have any confidence. Everyone has to eat, right?"
Niu Youdao said, "Looks like you've been planning this for a long time!"
Lan Ruoting said, "It can't be said that we've been planning this for a long time. If not for Daoye's successful marriage, we wouldn't have dared to make this move. Since we have a good start, we naturally have to plan for the long term."
Niu Youdao said, "But Canglu County is in the hinterland of Green Mountain County. It's surrounded by enemies on three sides. Aren't you afraid of going against the imperial court like this?"
Lan Ruoting said, "The imperial court made the first move along the way, so they're in the wrong. Let's just treat this county as an explanation. The Heavenly Jade Clan and Feng Lingbo didn't object, so we're relying on them. The imperial court won't dare to act rashly!" Turning around, he saw Niu Youdao's half-smiling expression and knew that he had seen through something. He lowered his voice and said, "This isn't the place to talk. We'll talk later."
Niu Youdao looked left and right. Feng Ruonan, Bai Yao, and the others weren't too far away. There were indeed some things that couldn't be said.
The manor on the mountain, whether it had something to do with King Ning's military background or was premeditated, was obviously built with a military purpose.
Although it looked a little old and dilapidated, someone had already cleaned it up beforehand, so it wouldn't be a problem for them to move in immediately.
The rations and fodder were all in place, and the men and horses were settled in. It was already late in the night. After dinner, Lan Ruoting took the initiative to ask Niu Youdao to stay, and the group came to an underground stone chamber.
There was already a picture hanging on the wall of the chamber. Lan Ruoting, Shang Chaozong, and Shang Shuqing suddenly walked together and stood in a row. Facing Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang, they bowed deeply.
Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang looked at each other. Niu Youdao laughed dryly and said, "The three of you, why are you making such a big bow?"
Shang Chaozong was deeply moved and said, "It's just a small gesture of gratitude. The present situation is unimaginable when I left the capital and escaped. It's Daoye, with your schemes and efforts, this Prince has reopened the situation. I really can't thank you enough!"
Niu Youdao chuckled and said, "I appreciate your kindness." Looking around the stone chamber, he said, "It's just that there's no need to specially come all the way here to thank me, right?"
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