I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1015 The Provincial Capital is Captured, A New Era Begins in the Han Dynasty (4K8)

The city of Kapisa has been transformed.

When the Han cavalry marched into the provincial capital without firing a single arrow, the people in the city, though unaware of the truth, instinctively felt that the Kushan rule in this area was probably on the verge of collapse.

What will the new rulers bring them?
Is it more brutal exploitation? Or more arduous labor?

It can't be a brighter future, can it?
It should be noted that the Kushan Empire has been declining in recent decades, with countless corrupt and incompetent governors in various regions.

The once relatively fair selection of governors has been utterly destroyed by the depletion of the empire's finances and the old king's greed.

Kushania, a rare fertile land in the north of the empire, bore the heaviest taxes and suffered exploitation from rulers at all levels.

If even the rulers of their own country are so harsh, how could they expect foreign tribes to live well?
The good news is that Khuvishka's rampant exploitation of the people of Kushania, driven by his own ambition and desires, has become so accustomed to it that things can't get any worse.

As a result, the people along the way mostly wore numb faces, coldly watching the army enter the city.

Compared to the common people, the officials at all levels in Kapisa felt as if the sky had fallen when they heard the news.

No one knew Governor Huvishka's ambitions better than they did.

Now that the provincial governor has opened the city gates wide and even summoned them to his residence, it is obvious that the provincial governor has already been controlled by someone else!

"I told you not to resort to any underhanded tactics!"

"Always relying on these unorthodox methods will inevitably lead to a major setback sooner or later!"

An elderly official, on his way to the government office, muttered complaints to his colleagues. His name was Dastar, the treasurer of Kapisa, and he had a long-standing feud with Khuvishka.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" His colleague nervously looked around. "What's the point of saying all this now? Now that the provincial governor has already surrendered to the Han people, what can we do?"

Dastar sneered, "Surrender? I think he's been scared out of his wits by that Han general! A provincial governor, he didn't even dare to fight a single battle, and instead groveled and surrendered the city. He's utterly disgraced the Kushans!"

His colleague gave a wry smile: "But that Han general is said to be a god descended from heaven, able to break through a city single-handedly, and impervious to swords and spears..."

"Absurd!" Dastar angrily retorted. "It's nothing but a bunch of charlatanry! If a god truly descended to earth, why didn't he just send down heavenly fire to annihilate those who don't believe, instead of going through all this trouble?"

People will always have doubts about supernatural powers if they haven't witnessed them firsthand.

Those who witness it firsthand often fall into a frenzy.

Those in the governor's mansion who truly knew what Su Yao had done stood on both sides of the council hall, heads bowed and eyes lowered, trembling with fear.

They witnessed firsthand the hellish scene inside the secret chamber.

Everyone was killed instantly; tearing off someone's head with bare hands is beyond human capability, let alone after drinking deadly poison.

Huvishka was one of the most loyal supporters and the most devout believers among them. All ambitions and aspirations, all schemes and conspiracies, vanished in the face of absolute power.

He had just changed his clothes and immediately came to Su Yao's side, personally serving him with a smile plastered on his face, just like a pack of dogs.

"Thank you for not killing me, sir!"

"I am willing to serve you faithfully. As for these treasures and women, just tell me what you want, and I will not hesitate!"

Do you think my Han army has traveled thousands of miles to come here just to steal your treasure and women?

In response to Huvishka's change of heart, Su Yao coughed lightly twice with a stern face and casually made his decision:

"But since you have this intention, that's excellent."

"In that case, please open the treasury and distribute grain to the people."

“I see that the people in the city are poor and many are barely clothed, while your governor’s mansion is magnificent and luxurious, with singing and dancing. You must have plundered a lot of the people’s wealth. Today, I will use your wealth to help the people in need, which can be considered as atonement for your sins.”

hiss--

Huvishka gasped upon hearing this.

What a waste! Such pure silver is being given to those lowly people.

This is truly tearing out his heart and flesh.

However, faced with Su Yao's orders, he dared not question them at this moment. He could only obey with a pale face, call people over, and carry out the task of opening the granary and distributing grain under the supervision of the Han army.

"My lord! Please entrust this task to your most humble servant!"

The sharp-eyed Tipo immediately shouted and rushed over:
"I will make sure the whole city knows of your benevolence!"

In the blink of an eye, Su Yao knew that this priest of Indra clearly wanted to make a fuss about this matter: "Alright, then go ahead."

Tibo happily accepted the task and went down to his post, and soon the area outside the governor's mansion was in an uproar.

"Gods bless us! Merciful Gods have given us food!"

Tibo stood on the high platform, shouting at the top of his lungs. He directed the Han soldiers to distribute bags of grain to the people who were lined up in long queues, shouting "Gods bless us!" with each bag distributed.

"Look! This is the power of the gods! They defeated the greedy governor and brought food and hope to everyone!"

At first, the people were skeptical, but when they actually received the grain, the numbness in their eyes gradually gave way to hope. An elderly man with white hair tremblingly accepted the grain, then suddenly knelt down, tears streaming down his face:

"Heaven above! This old man is seventy years old, and this is the first time I've ever seen the government distribute grain!"

This scene quickly spread throughout the city, and more and more people flocked to the Governor's Mansion. They knelt in the square in front of the mansion, bowing in the direction of Su Yao, chanting prayers.

"May the gods protect us!"

"Thank the gods for the food!"

Long live the gods!

Cheers rose and fell, echoing through the sky.

This scene made the faces of Dastar and other officials who were rushing over turn extremely ugly.

They had expected the Han army to plunder the city after entering, but they did the opposite.

"These Han Chinese have grand ambitions!"

Dastar squinted at the cheering crowd in the square, alarm bells ringing in his mind. He whispered to his colleague beside him, "This is a ploy to win people's hearts! The Han Chinese want to completely dismantle our control over the people."

His colleague nodded worriedly: "What's even more frightening is that they almost succeeded. Look at the way those people look at them; they already see them as saviors."

Dastar muttered angrily, "Isn't it because he's using the name of the gods! Damn it, those priests are especially hateful!"

When they entered the governor's mansion's council chamber, the scene before them shocked them even more. They saw Khuvishka kneeling at the feet of a young man in a red robe, pouring him wine like a servant. This once arrogant and domineering governor now wore a fawning smile.

"Is everyone here?" Su Yao raised his eyes and scanned the crowd. His voice was not loud, but it made every official's heart tremble.

Huvishka quickly got up and bowed as he introduced, "Your Excellency, these are the city's main officials, in charge of important positions such as finance, civil affairs, and military affairs."

Su Yao nodded slightly, stood up, and asked, "I've heard that some of you are quite dissatisfied with my policies?"

Dastar's heart tightened, but remembering his years of service as an official, how could he show weakness before this foreign race? He straightened his back and stepped forward: "My lord, you are wise, but I do indeed have some concerns. Opening the granaries and distributing grain may solve the immediate problem, but if this continues, the treasury will be empty. How will we maintain the city's defenses? Moreover—"

Before he could finish speaking, Huvishka interrupted him sharply: "How dare you! How dare you question the decisions of the Heavenly God!"

Su Yao waved his hand and said, "Let him finish speaking."

Dastar took a deep breath: "Besides, this grain is the tax paid by the people. Giving it back to them now is just a transfer from one hand to the other. If Your Excellency truly wants to do good for the people, you should reduce or exempt taxes so that the people can truly benefit."

The council chamber was silent as all the officials held their breath, awaiting Su Yao's reaction.

To everyone's surprise, Su Yao burst into laughter: "Well said, insightful! This is how a truly good official who serves the people should be!"

Upon hearing this, Treasurer Dastar wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his heart just settling down, when Su Yao abruptly changed the subject:
"But why have you never done this all these years?"

"Ah? This"

Before Dastar could reply, Su Yao threw an account book at his feet:

"It is clearly written here that Your Excellency the Treasurer owns thousands of acres of fertile land, vast pastures, and a large number of servants and concubines, yet you turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people."

"Now you're pretending to be an honest official in front of me?" Su Yao's voice suddenly turned cold, his gaze piercing Dastar like a knife.

Dastar's face turned deathly pale, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He trembled as he picked up the ledger, but after flipping through only two pages, his legs gave way and he collapsed to his knees.
"Your Excellency is wise! This...this was all forced upon me by Khuveshka!"

"fart!"

Huvishka snorted coldly:
"It's clearly you, you old scoundrel, who's greedy and insatiable, using the guise of tax collection to line your own pockets! And now you're trying to frame me?"

"Let me tell you plainly, this ledger was discovered by my men who secretly investigated it!"

"However, I can't touch you because of your family's status. But now that the God has descended to earth, it's time for your retribution!"

At this moment, Huvishka, unusually, regained a bit of his governor-general demeanor.

However, only for a short while
"You son of a bitch, how dare you turn the tables and accuse me!"

Dastall was so angry he jumped up and down:

"Who in this city of Kapisa doesn't know how greedy you, Huvishka, are? And you dare to report me?!"

"This is retaliation!"

"In that case, sir, I will also report this greedy governor!"

"What?! You!" Huvishka exclaimed in shock.

"I'm the finance officer! I know all the dirty tricks you've done!"

Dastar snorted coldly and pointed at Su Yao, saying:
"Doesn't this general compare himself to a god?!"

"Then you'll definitely handle things impartially, right?!"

wonderful.

Faced with Dastar's rudeness in naming him, Su Yao's lips curled into a cold smile.

He slowly rose, walked between the two men, and looked down at them from his superior position:

"Very well, since you are all so honest, then write down your respective crimes."

He clapped his hands, and a servant immediately brought over paper and pen. Huvishka and Dastar exchanged glances, and under Su Yao's icy gaze, they could only tremble as they picked up the pen.

“Write in more detail,” Su Yao added. “If you miss a single detail, I’ll cut off one of your fingers.”

An hour later, two thick confessions were presented. Su Yao glanced through them and couldn't help but marvel—the variety of methods these two used to embezzle and the sheer amount of money involved were simply astonishing.

“Interesting.” Su Yao handed the confession to Guo Jia. “Fengxiao, take a look at this.”

Guo Jia took the book and read it carefully, his expression gradually becoming serious: "Your Highness, the amount these two have embezzled is probably equivalent to three years' worth of taxes from one province of our Great Han."

Su Yao nodded and turned to the two kneeling on the ground: "Do you have anything to add?"

Huvishka pressed his forehead to the ground: "My lord, you are wise. I have told you everything I know without any concealment!"

In his final words, he gritted his teeth and said, "I know I was wrong, please forgive me, I am willing to donate all my property to atone for my sins!"

Seeing this, Dastar dared not argue any further and simply knelt on the ground without uttering a sound.

Su Yao sneered, "Now you're scared? Where were you before?"

"Guards, drag these two parasites away and behead them. Hang their heads at the city gate as a warning to all."

"What?!" the two exclaimed simultaneously.

Huvishka kowtowed frantically: "My lord, spare my life! I have already admitted defeat and surrendered, and have offered up all my property and written a confession. Please, have mercy on me!"

Dastar turned ashen-faced: "My lord! I am willing to donate all my wealth to atone for my sins!"

Su Yao ignored them, and the soldiers rushed forward like wolves, lifting the two men up. Just then, Guo Jia suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, please wait!"

"Hmm? Is Fengxiao going to plead for them?"

Guo Jia cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, while these two are indeed guilty of heinous crimes, we are newcomers here and don't even understand the local language. Ultimately, we will need the cooperation of these local government officials."

"Since that's the case, and we've already obtained evidence of their crimes, why not spare their lives and let them atone for their crimes through meritorious service? This is worse than killing them and then finding some unfamiliar people to help them later."

"That makes some sense."

As Su Yao spoke, he raised his hand, signaling the soldiers to hold off on the execution.

Huvishka did not understand Chinese, and although he did not know what Su Yao and Guo Jia were talking about, he keenly sensed that things seemed to be turning around, and he immediately cried and begged for mercy again.

Dastar's eyes flashed with a glimmer of hope, and he quickly added, "My lord! I am familiar with the affairs of various regions of the Kushan Empire and am fluent in multiple languages. If you spare my life, I will definitely repent and turn over a new leaf!"

Repent and turn over a new leaf?

Su Yao didn't really believe such nonsense.

However, what Guo Jia said does make sense.

Controlling the area through an agent before they can fully take over can indeed avoid a lot of trouble.

"Since you are sincerely repenting, I will give you a chance."

Su Yao walked up to the two men and waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to put them down.

"However, you may be spared the death penalty, but you will not escape punishment—you will all be dismissed from your official posts immediately, your family property will be confiscated, and you will assist our army in handling government affairs as civilians. If you perform well, you may be given a position in the future."

Huvishka felt as if he had been granted a pardon and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, Your Excellency! I will do my utmost!"

Dastar also breathed a sigh of relief, but the gloom in his eyes could not be dispelled.

Following this, Su Yao issued a number of new policy orders.

Such as providing relief to the people, reducing taxes, freeing slaves, and most importantly, reforming officialdom.

In particular, Su Yao specifically ordered the establishment of a complaint box and a grievance drum in front of the Governor's Mansion to encourage the people to report corrupt officials. Anyone whose report was verified would be richly rewarded. Officials were also welcome to surrender themselves, and those who confessed voluntarily could be given lenient treatment.

These measures quickly caused a huge uproar in the city. Officials who usually acted arrogantly were now living in fear, while ordinary people stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"Have you heard? The new Heavenly God is going to punish corrupt officials!"

"Really? A crackdown on corrupt officials? Are there any officials in this world who aren't corrupt?"

"It's true! The tax collector next door to my house has been arrested. I heard he's going to be sent to repair the city wall!"

"Hey, you mean that guy who always looks down on everyone?"

"That's not all! Don't you know? Even that domineering provincial governor, Huviska, has been dismissed and investigated! He's lost his home and is now just an ordinary clerk, spending his days huddled in the yamen copying official documents!"

"Good heavens! Is this for real?! By the gods, are our good days finally about to begin?!"

Amidst the discussions among the people, the political landscape of Kapisa is undergoing a dramatic transformation.

Those officials who used to oppress the people either surrendered voluntarily or were reported and imprisoned.

Those who were found to have lost property due to the corruption of officials received a substantial compensation, while those who committed heinous crimes and caused the deaths of many people were sentenced to beheading one by one.

Every day, crowds gather in front of the Governor's Mansion to watch.

This is either a scene of executing corrupt officials, or some lucky ordinary people getting their property back.

As a result, more and more people gathered in front of the governor's mansion. Some brought their own homegrown fruits, some knelt in front of the mansion to pray devoutly, and some even brought petitions to appeal their grievances.

In response, Su Yao ordered Guo Jiahe, along with translators and Huviska and others, to be specifically responsible for handling these follow-up cases, while also having the priests of the Tipo organization preach the new policies to the people.

In just three days, not only did the atmosphere in Kapisa change drastically, but this spring breeze also swept across the entire Kushan province of the Tokharistan Basin.

Local government officials and tribal leaders sent people to inquire about the situation, wanting to know who this new "god" was, lest they lose their lives if they chose the wrong side.

Meanwhile, some people fled in panic, riding fast horses over mountains and valleys to bring news of the upheaval in Kapisa to the northern governor in Gaofu.
(End of this chapter)