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

Chapter 604 You really think you're someone important?
As a former bandit, Master Hu didn't have any special skills and his vision was quite limited. However, he was particularly good at one thing: seizing opportunities and assessing the situation. As soon as he heard that Wei Changsheng had surrendered, without even asking who he had surrendered to, he immediately sent a message to Xia Lin, asking Xia Lin to send troops.

Anyway, no matter who we vote for, sending troops now is definitely the right thing to do. Maybe I'll just become the King of the Southwest. After all, that's what they always say in those old stories: So-and-so seizes the opportunity, takes advantage of the chaos, and rises to power in one fell swoop. Then heroes from all directions flock to him, bowing down in worship. Every year there are bountiful harvests, the heavens are on his side, and finally he takes over the Central Plains, dominating the world, becoming the ruler of all under heaven, and leaving a lasting legacy.

These emperors were so immersed in their own world that they couldn't extricate themselves. They felt that their army was strong and powerful, and that others could take the world, but Hu Sandao couldn't.

"Go on, what are you waiting for?!"

The subordinate, startled by his angry roar, immediately reacted, uttering a few "oh oh oh"s before retreating. After leaving, this "subordinate" of Master Hu curled his lip and said to his companion:

"This guy really thinks he's someone important. Did I offend the commander-in-chief in some way? I'd rather be hacked to death on the battlefield or trampled by horses than watch this piece of trash be disgusted to death by him."

"You, the commander-in-chief just thinks it's inconvenient for you to be lame, why bother arguing with this kind of person? He's just a stepping stone to get through the wall."

"So, what do you think about the current situation?"

"Let's go play for a few days, and then when we come back, we'll say that Mr. Zhang has led 20,000 elite troops to Guizhou and will soon be able to capture the two prefectures of Gui and Liu."

The lame man's brows furrowed slightly: "Are you kidding me? Twenty thousand men attacking these two major military towns?"

"Hey, you can't really call the commander back to play with him, can you? Just coax him. You can't coax him for more than a few days. Once things are settled over there, you can bury this guy alive on the day the commander returns."

"I really don't understand, just kill him with one blow."

“Hey!” His colleague waved his hand and said, “Killing is definitely necessary, but it can’t be you or me who do it, nor can it be the commander-in-chief. It has to be an imperial decree. Only then will it be legitimate.”

"Ugh, this is so troublesome."

"It's troublesome, isn't it? You haven't even entered the court as an official yet, and this is how troublesome being an official is." His colleague laughed, "Even a small pawn can make a big difference."

The man who had been ordered around by Master Hu put his arm around his colleague's shoulder and asked, "Dingfang...where are you taking your brother to have some fun these next few days?"

"Are you planning to eat mine again?"

“Your family is an official family, much richer than mine. When your brother becomes successful, I’ll take you to the top.”

"Did you gamble away all your military pay? If you continue like this, I'm going to report you."

"No, Dingfang, if General Wu finds out, I'll be in big trouble. He'll definitely beat me to death."

The two chatted as they left, and the man with the arm around his shoulder was none other than Su Dingfang. He had joined the Jiangnan Circuit last February, serving as a deputy general under Wu Changqing, the Left Garrison General of Jiangnan Circuit. Although he had come to Lingnan Circuit this time, he had been suffering from severe diarrhea due to the change in environment a few days ago, so he was not assigned to the mission to Guiliu. Therefore, he could only stay here with this guy who was injured and lame during the previous campaign against the Turks to look after Hu Sandao.

Xia Lin hadn't actually met him yet, as they were eight ranks apart. However, this young man in his early twenties was quite promising. He had been recommended a few days ago for his proficiency in both literature and martial arts. Once the exams were over in September, he would be able to go to the commander's command and become a proper military officer.

While they were discussing where to go for a few days off, Hu Sandao was in high spirits. Because all the information he had access to was false, he believed that everything outside was calm and that he was growing stronger day by day. He was even waiting for the head of the Dugu family to come and see him and tell him that he had the potential to become an emperor.

At this moment, the report about the southwest had just arrived in the capital. Emperor Jingtai was sitting on the actual dragon throne listening to the Ministry of War's report. The information matched Xia Lin's secret report almost perfectly. After listening, Emperor Jingtai only felt that it was absurd and funny.

"Even bandits have become a scourge; I wonder where this world is headed." Emperor Jingtai sighed for no reason, then laughed and said, "Since the banditry here is so serious that it has alarmed the Jiangnan Circuit, then let's send the head to Nanjing."

"The minister obeys the order."

This is the demeanor of an emperor. Even though half the country is gone, the Emperor of Great Wei is still the ruler of the world, blessed by Heaven with a long and prosperous reign. He usually doesn't even bother to know about such matters, and the fact that it reached his ears this time was only because of a combination of the Ministry of War's report and Xia Lin's secret memorial. And sending his head to Jinling is probably the most severe way to deal with this kind of thing; otherwise, how could someone like Hu Sandao possibly meet the real emperor?

The urgent imperial edict traveled south along the official road from Jinling. It contained two orders: one reprimanding Wei Changsheng for his lax control, which allowed bandits to run rampant; and a secret order to Xia Lin, in which Emperor Jingtai instructed Xia Lin to conduct a royal inspection of the entire Lingnan region, paying particular attention to Wei Changsheng, and to seize any opportunity to eliminate any disloyal elements.

The emperor is ruthless. No matter whether someone is someone he personally promoted or not, he will eliminate them as soon as they show the slightest sign of disloyalty. In fact, Xia Lin is no different. If one day someone emerges who can surpass Xia Lin, that person will also receive a secret report with the words, "Investigate Xia Lin's conduct. If he is found to be disloyal, he will be executed."

But for now, Xia Lin is still the core of the Great Wei Dynasty, and he can't and dare not touch him, so this is the only way to proceed for now.

When Xia Lin arrived in Guizhou after riding swiftly across the Jiangnan region, he was having a serious talk with the leaders of more than twenty barbarian tribes. The discussion revolved around the previous steps of the plan. They didn't really have any objections; it was basically a matter of subsidies based on the amount of work done. As long as they received something, the leaders naturally didn't have any major complaints. Their current point of contention was that Xia Lin didn't intend to let them go back.

Asking them to reclaim wasteland and work... that's a bit of a stretch. So Xia Lin's main job now is to explain to these locals, who are basically uncultured, what the economic contract system is. It means that these fields originally belonged to the Great Wei, but now they are leased to the chieftains at a low price. These chieftains can then share the land with their subordinates or hire their subordinates to cultivate it. In any case, they collect a portion of the produce each year to pay off their debts, and the rest is distributed among their respective tribes.

It took Xia Lin three whole days to explain something that could be said in just one sentence. The chieftains asked questions during the day and pondered them at night, only to come back the next day with new questions. They kept asking the same questions over and over again, there was always something they couldn't understand...

It was incredibly difficult, truly exhausting. Xia Lin had previously encountered mostly Turks, but the Turks were actually quite civilized, having interacted with the Central Plains for many years. However, communicating with these completely illiterate people was truly a challenge.

The problem was that he couldn't show his contempt on the diplomatic stage, because the less educated people were, the more fragile their self-esteem was. Sometimes, even a single expression could enrage these damned bastards. In order not to provoke them and to get them into Xia Lin's carefully laid trap, he dared not let others do it for him. He had to handle all the negotiations and explanations himself.

Especially in the translation process, he set a lot of rules. Anyone who dared to translate randomly or add unnecessary words would be banished to the old forests of Jiaozhi County to be a monkey and never be allowed to return to the Central Plains.

Today, as he entered the tedious time of answering questions, the sound of an imperial edict suddenly came from outside. He hurriedly went out of the tent to receive the edict. Once he came out, he breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to stop arguing with the idiots, even for a moment, and felt a sense of light.

"Send the head to Jinling." Xia Lin put away the imperial edict and said with a smile to the eunuch who delivered it, "Please rest for a few days."

"No matter how much time has passed, Lord Xia is still so polite." The old eunuch, with his charming demeanor, glanced at Xia Lin and said, "Although I would like to stay a few more days to talk to Lord Xia about the affairs of Jinling, His Majesty is very busy right now, and I dare not delay. When Lord Xia has some free time to come to the capital, I will definitely make time to keep you company."

"Come on, you always say that. Last time I asked you to come out for drinks, you made such a fuss."

"Oh dear... Your Excellency, you have wronged this old servant. I apologize to you. Next time I go to Jinling, I will accompany you every day."

The eunuch left with a charming smile, and before leaving, he even secretly pulled Xia Lin aside and whispered, "My lord, let me tell you something quietly. Jinling is not peaceful right now. Now that the Empress's position is vacant, people have started to have more ambitions. Also, the other day I secretly gleaned a memorial from His Majesty accusing you of disloyalty and wanting His Majesty to strip you of your military power."

Xia Lin raised an eyebrow: "Who?"

"I can't see the name clearly, but you still need to be careful, sir. His Majesty has suppressed the memorial, but who knows when His Majesty will break down, that would be troublesome."

"Thank you very much." Xia Lin took out a silver note from his sleeve: "Thank you for your hard work."

"Pah!" The eunuch slapped Xia Lin's hand away. "If it were someone else, this old servant wouldn't be so polite, but I don't want your money, sir. I'll tell you, sir, that I've seen many high-ranking officials over the years, but only you, sir, have treated this old servant like a human being. I won't say any more."

"Be careful on the road."

"When you return to Jinling, remember to call this old servant out for a drink."

"Definitely." Xia Lin laughed, "Didn't you bring me a duck to eat? The ducks from Nanjing, ah."

"I brought it, but it smelled bad on the way." The head eunuch sighed, hands on his hips. "It's infuriating to even talk about it. I'm heading back now."

(End of this chapter)