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

Chapter 668 You want to talk about rules? Then I'll talk to you about rules.
Xia Lin was really holding back a lot of energy. An Zi's death was a big shock to him. He realized that even if he held supreme power, he still had to follow the proper steps to remove the mountain in his head.

A strong army may bring a period of peace and tranquility, but as long as the dark clouds outside remain, this brief period of peace and tranquility will surely be obscured again.

Countless people throughout history have realized this, and countless people have tried to change it, but only once has this darkness truly ended. Whether it takes three thousand years, five thousand years, or seven thousand years, it will only happen once.

Xia Lin had studied and researched extensively. Whenever he encountered difficulties, he would take out his quotations and anthologies and read a few chapters. That kind of strength did not come from idols or faith, but from wisdom.

The anthology states that, at a deeper level, the historical cycle is caused by the movement of the fundamental contradictions of feudal society (the contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, and the contradiction between the economic base and the superstructure), and is not unrelated to corruption.

Now, Xia Lin is about to remove the mountain in people's hearts. He doesn't expect to remove all three mountains in his generation, but he will do his best to remove the first mountain of this era, namely the self-degradation and apathy of the grassroots society.

Anzi's death provides a pretext for future generations to rebel from the ground up, telling everyone, "Is it right to always do things this way?" Only by igniting the flame in the hearts of the majority and making people realize this can there be a top-down enlightenment and a bottom-up clear-headed independence.

"Master Xia."

Pei Jun entered in plain clothes and approached Xia Lin, who was propping his head up in a daze. He greeted him respectfully, but Xia Lin didn't even turn his head to look at him. He simply asked in a muffled voice, "General Pei, have you figured it out?"

"Pei Jun, plead guilty and accept punishment."

Pei Jun took a deep breath, lifted his long robe, and knelt on one knee in front of Xia Lin. He held a confession in his hands, lowered his head, and raised the confession above his head: "Please take a look, Lord Xia."

Xia Lin raised his chin, and the person next to him brought the confession to him. He opened the confession, which was written in great detail, and glanced at it. It was written in great detail, but he felt that some parts were missing.

"That's not right, General Pei. Why does it feel like there are empty spaces here? The chain of evidence isn't complete."

Pei Jun smiled slightly, with a hint of helplessness: "Lord Xia, writing this incriminating evidence will at most result in my death. But if I fill in all these blanks, I won't be the only one who dies. Lord Xia, I'm not afraid to tell you now that although you are domineering, you still follow the rules. But some people don't follow the rules."

Xia Lin put down the accusation she was holding and looked at Pei Jun with some surprise: "What? You knew?"

"How could I not know?"

"Haha..." Xia Lin laughed, then stood up and walked to him, throwing the confession back in front of him: "General Pei, there is a third way. It depends on whether you take it or not, or whether you dare to take it."

Pei Jun raised his head: "I wonder what advice Lord Xia has for me?"

"Let's not talk about that for now. I'll give you half a month to hand over Shanhaiguan. We'll discuss the rest on the way back to Beijing."

"it is good!"

Pei Jun gritted his teeth and said resolutely, "I beg Lord Xia to protect me."

“Of course, General Pei, you can rest assured. You are just a pawn. What I want is the chariot, horse, and cannon behind you.” Xia Lin flicked his sleeve: “General Pei, go and get some rest. I guess you didn’t get a good night’s sleep last night either.”

Xia Lin didn't hesitate at all. He took out a blank imperial edict and, three days later, had two eunuchs from the new army read it aloud.

The imperial edict was simple: Pei Jun had neglected his duties, lacked ambition, abused his position to sell official posts and embezzle state funds, and was to be immediately escorted to the capital to be executed. Considering Ye Ji's meritorious service in defending Huangyaguan, the position of garrison commander of Shanhaiguan was to be assumed by Ye Ji, who was to take office immediately.

Once the imperial edict arrived, everything proceeded smoothly. There was little resistance at Shanhaiguan. All the Shanhaiguan naval personnel were dismissed on the spot. Those who were still capable of fighting were incorporated into Ye Ji and Ye Liangchen's Huangya Army, while the rest, the old, weak, sick, and disabled, received pensions according to their length of service and retired to their fields.

About five days after the "imperial edict" was issued, Xiao Chenzi led his army into Shanhaiguan. The inauguration procedures were simplified, and the handover was simple: hanging up the seal, handing over the seal, receiving the seal, and removing the seal. Then, the mess in Shanhaiguan fell entirely on Xiao Chenzi's shoulders.

"Oh my God……"

Xiao Chenzi's expression turned ferocious as he looked at the mountain of accounts and items that needed to be checked on the desk.

"This must be the result of many years of accumulated problems that are difficult to resolve."

Xia Lin rummaged around in his waistband for a while, then pulled out a light oil flint and steel. He tore a page from one of the volumes, and with a ding, the already dry and yellowed paper immediately burst into flames. He then threw the paper into the pile of files.

"Fire! Help!"

Half an hour later, the entire mansion was engulfed in flames. The little water that the people who rushed to put out the fire with buckets was just a drop in the ocean. In the end, everyone could only stand there helplessly watching the flames turn half of Shanhaiguan red.

"Alright, let's start again." Xia Lin looked at the raging fire with his hands behind his back: "You still have time."

Xiao Chenzi blinked rapidly, then pointed at the light oil flint and steel machine in Xia Lin's hand: "Give this to me."

"Here you go." Xia Lin tossed the thing into Xiao Chenzi's hand: "You need to add light oil, nothing else will work. Once the wick inside burns out, add cotton strips yourself."

"Okay." Xiao Chenzi took the treasure, tapped it a few times in his hand, and chuckled as he looked at the orange flame: "You're getting more and more good stuff."

“That’s normal. I’m not like you. Even if I gave you a craftsman, you wouldn’t be able to use him. You need to change your mindset. When you have time, go to Fuliang Academy for further studies.”

"I was the top scholar in the imperial examination..."

"So what if you were born an emperor! If you don't study, there won't be a ship to carry you in this new era." Xia Lin banged on the table: "You're completely useless, you can't even get rid of that tattered long gown, aren't you ashamed?"

Xiao Chenzi pursed his lips. He had said something unnecessary and got scolded for no reason. What was the point?

The fire burned all night long, and Xia Lin and Xiao Chenzi watched it until dawn when the entire mansion finally collapsed and turned to ashes.

"Alright, a brand new Shanhaiguan is now in your hands." Xia Lin glanced back at Xiao Chenzi: "Go to Fuliang for further studies every June, July, and August. If you miss even one, I'll beat you up. It won't take long to get there by boat from outside the pass, so don't give me any excuses."

"understood……"

"If you haven't achieved anything for me when I come back next time, I have plenty of strength and means to deal with you."

"understood……"

Xia Lin turned and left, leaving behind the words: "As a fourth-rank border garrison commander, don't delay me in restoring the prestige of the border army."

"understand!"

Xia Lin had finally completed his mission in the north, and the most important strategic pass, Shanhaiguan, was finally in his grasp. Now he was going back to the capital to avenge Anzi. Of course, the Legalist's charge would never cease from this moment on, because Anzi's death was their greatest humiliation. Conflicts of interest could be discussed, but the glory of their ancestors could never be compromised.

The enraged Legalists will become Xia Lin's sharpest weapon this time. He will lead these Legalist disciples, who are filled with deep-seated hatred, to teach the entire city of Jinling and even the whole of China a lesson.

However, there was a little mishap. On the way back, Xia Lin fell ill. He must have been too exhausted these days, so he had to lie in the carriage to rest. He slept fitfully every day, and the herbal medicine the army doctor gave him was so bitter that it made him tremble all over. In the end, he didn't even have the strength to speak.

Fortunately, his concubine took good care of him every day, and Xia Lin, who almost died on the way, finally recovered a little.

"Red Kite, you must have had a hard journey."

"There's nothing I can do, what can I do when I'm someone's concubine?" Hongyuan carried the foot-washing water out the door, then quickly came back: "Have you thought about it yet? How are you going to explain this to your aunt?"

"No explanation." Xia Lin lay back on the bed, "There's no way to explain it anyway."

"By the way, what about that tall, fair-skinned lady from last time? The one with the superb medical skills?"

"Dongniang, she should have gone back to the medical school. What happened?"

"Does she have feelings for you too?"

Xia Lin nodded and then shook her head: "I don't know. How could I dare to make such a judgment? She herself is quite strange."

“Insincere.” Hong Yuan scoffed. “Forget it, there’s no point in talking to a stupid man like this. Lie down quickly, I’ll go get some mugwort to give you a hot compress.”

Those who practice martial arts do have their own methods of healing. Xia Lin didn't get better after taking the medicine, but the 70-degree hot compress of mugwort burned off a layer of skin on his forehead.

The next morning, Xia Lin had a long, pink mark on his forehead, a soft burn mark. It looked as if he had been slapped hard by a thick, fake dick, but he was completely unaware of it. He just felt that the people on the way were looking at him strangely.

This continued until noon when Xia Lin was supposed to take his medicine. The dark medicine soup was like a mirror, clearly reflecting the fake d*ck on his forehead.

"grass!"

Xia Lin cursed, then took a headscarf and put it on his head. Coincidentally, the headscarf was yellow, and when the people below saw that the commander-in-chief had suddenly put on a yellow headscarf, they all began to imitate him.

Xia Lin was still unaware of this; he simply slept in the carriage until they arrived in Xuzhou City.

When Wang Shichong arrived outside Xuzhou, he saw a group of soldiers wearing yellow turbans and armor walking towards him, and he was so frightened that he almost peed himself.

Wang, who had been a powerful figure all his life, never expected to witness this "invitation to the Great Wei to die" situation in his old age.

"Seal off the city gates! We absolutely cannot let the Yellow Turban rebels into the city! Quickly, write a letter to General Xia Daosheng, and order immediate reinforcements to Xuzhou!"

Of course, this blunder was quickly resolved. Xia Lin gave all the commanders a thorough dressing-down, while Wang Shichong stood by with a bewildered and embarrassed smile throughout.

Until... Xia Lin took off her headscarf.

To be honest, Wang Shichong was a top-notch old thief. He might not be as cunning and scheming as Gao Shilian, but he was still good at controlling his emotions. But at this moment, he really couldn't hold back and covered his mouth and laughed out loud.

Xia Lin's eyes widened: "Funny?"

Wang Shichong coughed twice, forcibly suppressing a smile: "Lord Xia, what is the reason for this?"

"Fate." Xia Lin clenched his fists tightly. "I shouldn't have trusted any of the idiots in this world!"

Wang Shichong couldn't hold back again, and Xia Lin was helpless against him. She just sighed and sat down to the side: "Laugh, laugh until you're done."

"Alright, alright, Master Xia, please don't be offended."

Wang Shichong took a deep breath to calm himself down: "Lord Xia doesn't look well. Perhaps he could rest in Xuzhou for a few days?"

"Yes, that's the plan. The soldiers are tired from their journey, so we'll stay here for a few days before heading south to Jinling."

“Of course, I’ll make the arrangements right away.” Wang Shichong turned to leave, but then turned back halfway. “Boheng wrote to me a few days ago, saying that he is doing well in the Western Regions and is currently promoting ethnic integration. This old fellow is getting old and doesn’t even know what ethnic integration is… I didn’t even dare to reply. Um… could Master Xia please enlighten me?”

When he mentioned Boheng, his face was full of pride. Even when he discovered that his son had surpassed him by a large margin, he did not feel the slightest bit disappointed, but only a sense of pride. This kind of shrewd and powerful man was now even showing a fawning smile and asking a junior for advice in order to reply to his son's letter.

"Let's do it tonight. I'll explain things to Prince Wang properly tonight."

"Alright, alright, I'll go make room for the new army now."

It's actually quite difficult to explain things that only young people can understand to someone whose thinking is so rigid it's like being encased in cement. But Wang Shichong was very serious about it for his son, and although he didn't understand, he respected him.

"Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. This matter is not easy to handle, but it is not impossible. I hope everything goes smoothly for Boheng. If it can be accomplished, wouldn't that be a meritorious deed for the present and a benefit for future generations? Very well, I will go and reply to him now. Although I am not as good as before, I still have a few teeth. If he needs any support, I, as his father, will naturally do my duty."

Xia Lin smiled and said, "The prince really cares about Boheng."

"Hahahaha... Lord Xia, you don't understand yet because you don't have any children. You'll understand when you become a father. When people say your offspring is your offspring, you won't be happy at all. But if one day people point at you and say, 'This is the father of your offspring,' that will be the greatest honor. I don't want to hear people say that Boheng is the son of that old dog Wang Shichong. I only want to hear people say that this old man is Wang Boheng's father. If Boheng can leave a page in history, that will be worthwhile. If he can be included in the biographies, ah... that will be the glory of the Wang family."

After Wang Shichong finished speaking, he left, while Xia Lin sat there chuckling, because his son... was destined to be recorded in the annals, the only pity being that his son's surname was Li.

He recuperated in Xuzhou for seven days, waiting until the Khrushchev pillar on his forehead had completely disappeared before daring to continue. However, his Yellow Turban blunder had already reached the capital before him.

"Xia Lin used hot grass to iron his forehead, leaving a mark resembling a phallus, which he then covered with a yellow turban. His attendants followed suit, and the entire city of Xuzhou was thrown into panic, with everyone suspecting that the Yellow Turban Rebellion had resurfaced in the east..."

"Hahahaha..." After listening to Lao Zhang's report, Emperor Jingtai laughed so hard he slapped the table. Even Lao Zhang had to laugh several times before he could finish reading.

"After...pfft...after...hahahaha..." Old Zhang couldn't read any further: "I've been relying on this job for the past few months."

(End of this chapter)