Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 600 The First Succubus of the Seventh Century
The arrival of the three thousand iron-willed soldiers indeed caused widespread panic. News of the army's approach spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys, and the people scrambled to hide their food and seal up their doors and windows. Horrifying rumors circulated among the common people that "the enemy army will massacre the city" and "not a single chicken or dog will be spared." Some fortune tellers even predicted a great calamity by "seeing a red light piercing the sun at night." Whispers in teahouses and taverns gradually turned into hysterical cries. Old farmers on the outskirts of the city threw their oxen into the pond, fearing they would be conscripted as food for the army.

Some government officials even took advantage of the chaos to loot the treasury, while local thugs extorted "life-saving money" from door to door. Even the night watchmen stopped telling time and instead spread terrifying rumors. The soldiers guarding the city walls drank heavily to bolster their courage, and in their drunkenness, they even threw torches at civilian houses, the blazing flames exacerbating the illusion that "the enemy has arrived."

Since ancient times, when soldiers entered a city, the least they did was plunder. They risked their lives to attack the city for the things inside: money, women, wine, and food. Most soldiers in this era did not have the concept of faith, nor did they think about "why I am fighting." They only had the action driven by animalistic instincts.

When Xia Lin's three thousand iron troops entered from outside the city, pairs of uneasy eyes peered out from the windows that were boarded up. Their eyes held despair and fear, but ultimately, there was still some hope for survival.

At this moment, soldiers wearing white hats quickly overtook the marching column on both sides of the army. Several of them appeared in each block, holding a piece of paper and loudly reading: "Those who carry weapons and coerce others will be beheaded! Those who break into homes and plunder will be beheaded! Those who steal millet will be beheaded! Those who rape women will be beheaded! Those who disturb the people will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane! Those who force others to buy or sell will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane..."

White-hatted cavalrymen, wielding copper-plated military clubs, scattered to patrol the streets. Two notorious bandits were identified by the people and beaten to death on the spot, their bodies displayed on the city gate for three days.

Upon arriving at their resting place, the three thousand men rested in groups of fifty. During this time, there was complete silence, as if the soldiers had never been there. The locals peeked through the cracks in their windows and saw the soldiers eating their own rations and drinking cold water from bamboo tubes. No one dared to touch the well water in the houses.

The military clerks posted notices in the streets to reassure the people, announcing that "markets will operate as usual" and "land taxes will be halved." Military doctors set up medicine stalls at the City God Temple, using mugwort to fumigate the epidemic-stricken areas. Even more shockingly, they had barely arrived when the authorities began interrogating officials who had embezzled disaster relief grain, binding them to a stone mill and forcing the victims to throw stones in their anger. The words "Upholding the law and upholding justice" were written in ink on the blood-stained white cloth.

The local people were lucky; when had they ever seen soldiers with such strict discipline? Even many of the generals who were originally in Wei Changsheng's army realized that if they were to face such an army, it was possible for three thousand to defeat one hundred thousand.

After all, the layman sees the spectacle, while the expert sees the details. To achieve such perfect discipline, firstly, the soldiers' benefits must be top-notch. With such good treatment, the soldiers naturally look down on meager wages. Secondly, their daily training is undoubtedly extensive; their robust physiques reveal them to be seasoned veterans, not just any conscripted soldiers. Thirdly, their equipment is noteworthy. Standard equipment is self-explanatory, but the precision of their weapons is crucial. The gleaming blades in their hands are blinding, demonstrating the military's willingness to invest. Finally, their spirit and morale are remarkable. These men, though seemingly calm and collected, exude a palpable aura of killing intent—a killing intent born of a thirst for glory and a strong sense of belonging and honor to their unit.

In summary, whoever can command such an army can be called a god of war, something many generals could only dream of. It is said that there are hundreds of thousands of such people in Jiangnan Province.

Looking back, it's not incomprehensible that Wei Changsheng collapsed without a fight. If they really wanted to fight, let alone the malaria-ridden Lingnan region, there would be few who could withstand them even in the fertile Central Plains.

The Iron Army entered the city in the morning, and by the afternoon many local businesses had already opened. The restaurants were full of soldiers from Jiangnan Road. After a long march, they were now on their rotation rest. Even on their rotation rest, they adhered to military discipline, refraining from drinking, causing trouble, defaulting on debts, and taking nothing from the people.

After confirming that there would be no looting or massacre, the town quickly regained its former vitality. The local people had already acquired some of the fierceness and enthusiasm of border ethnic minorities, and the women were no exception. So, starting in the afternoon, the military camp began to see local villagers coming to propose marriage, which was both funny and absurd, leaving the military law department and discipline camp both amused and exasperated.

"Wow, the girls here are really hot. This is the third batch already." Xia Lin lowered the curtain and watched as the discipline camp once again sent away the wild girl and her family who came to propose marriage. "They dare to come to our door like this?"

Sitting next to him, Wei Changsheng chuckled: "Guizhou is located in the territory of barbarians, and various ethnic groups gather here, so the people are naturally a bit fierce."

"Brother Wei has done a good job governing." Xia Lin leaned against the window with his arms crossed. "To achieve such results in such a complex place, Brother Wei is indeed a capable minister. To be honest, His Majesty is quite average in other aspects, but he is top-notch in recognizing and employing people."

Xia Lin's words inadvertently praised himself, after all, he was discovered by Emperor Jingtai when he was still the crown prince, and he and Wei Changsheng could even be considered fellow disciples.

"Lord Xia is too kind. I have come this far and am ashamed to face His Majesty's kindness in recognizing my talent. I can only be sure that Lord Xia can give me some face."

“Brother Wei is quite dignified.” Xia Lin stretched his limbs. “If it had really caused a war, that would have been undignified. But now that everything is peaceful, Brother Wei is truly dignified. As for binding your hands and kneeling in front of the road, that’s not shameful. Whether you know your lord or not, only history will tell.”

Wei Changsheng sighed and looked up to peek at the blue sky outside through the crack in the window: "I wonder how His Majesty will blame me if he finds out this time."

"Your Majesty? How could Your Majesty blame Lord Wei?" Xia Lin took out a secret letter from his bosom, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Wei Changsheng: "Lord Wei, take a look."

Wei Changsheng picked up the secret letter, which read: "At the hour of Xu on the third day of the seventh month this year, our spies intercepted 300 barrels of tung oil being transported to Yongzhou at the Lijiang River wharf. Seven armor-casting molds and 23 forged proclamations were found hidden in the compartments. After more than a month of investigation by our undercover agents, it was discovered that the bandits from the three prefectures had gathered and, under the guise of bandit suppression, recruited 34,000 able-bodied men. Furthermore, they had hidden tens of thousands of weapons and armor in Li and Yao counties. Their plot to rebel is obvious! I discussed this with General Wei Changsheng, the garrison commander of Guizhou. General Wei said: 'The situation in Lingnan is currently chaotic and disorderly, with bandits, border tribes, gentry, and local chieftains all converging. In addition, many places are plagued by continuous floods. We are unable to spare any resources. We hope that General Xia can lend us a helping hand.'"

I, your humble servant, under the guise of trade, instigated the local militia recruited by the bandit leader surnamed Hu (Sandao) to defect to the territory of Duke Wei. Duke Wei, feeling his rule was ineffective, bound his hands and came before Your Majesty, begging for punishment and pleading for Your Majesty's judgment. However, I believe Duke Wei's actions were truly desperate, a misfortune of the times. Talent is scarce now. If Your Majesty intends to punish him, I believe Your Majesty should prioritize the greater good and sentence Duke Wei to atone for his crimes through meritorious service.”

Actually, Wei Changsheng is alright. Xia Lin only agreed to cheat to plead for him because she saw that the area he governed was decent.

Overall, according to Xia Lin's investigation, Wei Changsheng was just a bit greedy and had a strong desire for power. Otherwise, he didn't have any major flaws. If he had been as disruptive as the gentry of the Central Plains, the heads hanging on the city gates today wouldn't just be those corrupt officials who took advantage of the chaos to make money.

“This…” Wei Changsheng looked at Xia Lin in disbelief, holding the secret letter: “Lord Xia, what is this…”

"No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. Brother Wei, you haven't rebelled yet, so your kneeling gives you room to maneuver. However, you really can't keep up the practice of nurturing bandits to enhance your own prestige."

These words made Wei Changsheng blush, and he chuckled awkwardly: "It is indeed a last resort. This area is full of local tribes, and the village elders are powerful. The only ones who can oppose the village elders are bandits and mountain thieves. Otherwise, the government orders cannot be issued or implemented."

That is indeed a problem. Xia Lin crossed his arms and remained silent for a moment. Then he suddenly looked up at Wei Changsheng and said, "Sigh! Why don't we take this opportunity to sort things out properly?"

Xia Lin paced back and forth in the room with her arms crossed, while Wei Changsheng said helplessly, "It's very difficult."

"Brother Wei."

At this moment, Xia Lin suddenly turned around and stared at Wei Changsheng: "You also come from humble beginnings. I think when you first came to this place, you were thinking about how to make something of yourself, right?" Wei Changsheng smiled awkwardly, turned his head away, and did not say anything.

"Yes, that's true. That's how the world is. You have ambitions and you must want to make a difference. But Brother Wei, have you considered what the final result will be if you fight evil with evil? You become a local tyrant here, and your bandits and brigands will turn around and become the new powerful families. No, no, this is not right."

"I once dreamed of doing what Jiangnan Dao did, but after three years I couldn't continue..."

"You're too stubborn. Why didn't you just write me a letter? Just tell me what you want, whether it's money, people, or technology, how could I refuse? But you didn't say anything."

"I..." Wei Changsheng hesitated, then continued, "This..."

"You're afraid I won't share, right?" Xia Lin waved his hand and said, "That's right. From governing a country to managing a family, even managing mountains and rivers, communication is paramount. Without communication, there will be misunderstandings. Confucius said: 'When the Great Way prevails, the world is for all.' Don't even mention you. Even if it were Li Yuan, Wang Shichong, or Li Mi, if they were willing to ask, I would give it to them."

"Why?"

“Brother Wei, let me repeat myself. You came from humble beginnings and have endured countless hardships to get to where you are today. Don’t you really know how to pull the world out of this quagmire? Become an emperor? Becoming an emperor is just another cycle. There are no good emperors in the world.”

The somewhat absurd phrase "There are no good emperors under heaven" pierced Wei Changsheng's heart like a bullet. He repeated it several times, looked up at Xia Lin, and even his pupils trembled slightly.

A smart person can sometimes overturn their entire understanding of the world with just one sentence; simply put, it can overturn their worldview.

When people are enveloped in their own information cocoons, even if the walls of the cocoon are thin, they still need external force to break through them. Sometimes, even a simple sentence can bring them to a sudden realization.

Xia Lin didn't say anything more, but pushed open the door and went out. He planned to stroll around and see the scenery. After all, Guilin's landscape is said to be the best in the world, and this was his first time visiting this completely natural and unpolluted Guilin landscape.

He stood on the banks of the Li River, and the scenery was truly breathtaking.

There were also some villagers selling local specialties from the mountains nearby, including some very thick and large snakes that looked somewhat terrifying.

No one recognized him as the imposing general who rode a tall horse and wore armor into the city, even though he had made a public appearance. This was why Xia Lin dared to change his clothes and go out. He knew all along that his life had no audience. People might care about his armor, his waist sword, his crown, or even the horse he rode, but it wouldn't be him.

This is why chivalrous novels or some historical novels add extraordinary special effects to the protagonists or naturally brave individuals.

Without the red-faced Guan Yu and the long-armed Liu Bei, they were just ordinary pedestrians on the road to Zhuozhou.

"Isn't the scenery here beautiful?"

A voice suddenly sounded behind Xia Lin. He turned around and saw a man dressed as a scholar in white robes, standing there with a bamboo bag slung across his shoulder. He held a booklet in his hand and smiled broadly. He was not old, but the marks of time were already visible on his face.

“The scenery is beautiful, truly beautiful. But beautiful scenery is destined to bring poverty.” The scholar walked to Xia Lin’s side, his hands behind his back, looking at the rolling Li River in front of him: “There are many mountains and many rivers, but not many roads. People in the mountains can’t get out, and people outside the mountains can’t get in. Eighty percent of the people along the Li River have never left the mountains in their entire lives. Where is this gentleman from?”

"A native of Luoyang."

"I've been to Luoyang. It's a wonderful place, a hub of transportation." He spoke with a sigh, "If only this place could be as smooth as Luoyang. By the way, did you come with merchants?"

"Hmm." Xia Lin nodded: "Who are you?"

“Oh, I’m from Hedong County. After passing the imperial examination, I traveled all over the world, but I stopped here.” He handed Xia Lin the notebook-like thing in his hand: “I want to build a road that can connect this place to the outside world. So I drew out the network of mountains and rivers in this place. It’s just a pity… I’ve calculated that one road here costs 10,000 taels of silver per mile.”

Xia Lin opened his notebook, which was filled with dense geological information about the surrounding area. After reading it, Xia Lin looked up in astonishment: "Did you draw all of this?"

"Yes, it's my painting. I came here today intending to burn it and then leave." The man laughed and sighed, "Ten thousand taels for a mile, I won't live to see it."

"No!" Xia Lin immediately protected the notebook. "May I ask your surname?"

"My surname is Wang, Wang Tong. You can call me Zhongyan."

"Wang Tong... Wang Zhongyan?" Xia Lin squinted, thinking, "Ah? Wang Bo's grandfather!?"

"Huh? Wang Bo? Who?"

(End of this chapter)