What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 94 Rebellion (Please Subscribe)

Xue Shan solemnly announced that something big had happened.

Su Mo's heart skipped a beat: "Lord Xue, what exactly happened?"

Xue Shan said in a deep voice, "I just received a report."

"Unrest has broken out in Tieshan County!"

“A mountain dweller went to town to buy grain, but seeing that the price of grain had skyrocketed, he got into an argument with the people at the grain store, and was accidentally beaten to death by the store's clerk!”

"This led to a rebellion in the mountain village, which was joined by several surrounding villages, resulting in a gathering of more than 4,000 people!"

"We almost stormed into Tieshan County!"

Su Mo frowned.

Accidentally killed five people?

How big must those hands be!
Do you think everyone else is an idiot?
However, the incident occurred in Tieshan County and had nothing to do with Changping, so why was Xueshan so alarmed?

Seeing his expression, Xue Shan sighed, his face bitter, and said, "That group of rioters wasn't completely wiped out; most of them scattered in all directions!"

"Among them, more than seven hundred went deep into the western mountains of this county!"

Su Mo gasped in shock!
The Great Wu Dynasty valued martial prowess, especially in the mountainous and wild areas, where the people were known for their fierce and unruly nature.

Moreover, the mountain people and hunters mostly make a living by hunting, and many of them practice martial arts.

These nearly a thousand rebels will surely flee after looting all around Changping, or seek out dangerous places to hide.

The Western Mountains stretch for hundreds of miles, spanning multiple prefectures and counties, with countless peaks. Over the years, it has been home to countless bandits and robbers.

Even more so, there were bandits formed from the remnants of the defeated soldiers of the violent rebellion!

Sending troops to wipe them out would be extremely difficult!
No wonder Xue Shan had a headache.

If those rioters were to massacre several villages or wipe out several large estates...

At this crucial moment for promotion.

Xue Shan probably wanted to devour the rioters of Tieshan County alive!

Su Mo took a breath, then frowned and asked, "How much have grain prices skyrocketed?"

"It has actually caused quite a few villages to rebel with those mountain people?"

Disorder can easily be associated with rebellion.

This is the duty of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As a junior officer, Su Mo naturally had to ask for clarification!
Dong Yangrong chimed in, "It's increased by a full three times!"

"Not only has the price skyrocketed in Tieshan County, but in our Changping County as well, the price of grain has doubled!"

Su Mo's expression was somewhat strange, then he asked in a deep voice, "Didn't the government issue a notice?"

"The locust plague is just a rumor spread by the Tianmu cult."

"Some locusts have been eradicated, and the remaining ones will not affect the autumn grain harvest much."

He had previously passed through the East Market and noticed that many notices had been posted.

Dong Yangrong gave a wry smile: "Once rumors spread, they can't be quelled so easily."

"Furthermore, ignorant people are easily misled and follow the crowd. When they see rice prices rising, they will rush to buy it."

"Profit-seeking merchants also took the opportunity to raise prices on the spot, so how could grain prices come down!"

Xue Shan waved his hand: "We can't blame the people for being foolish."

"Small households lack the ability to withstand risks. With the summer grain harvest more than halfway complete and the autumn grain harvest yet to be completed, there is not enough grain left at home."

"How can the people not panic when grain prices rise!"

He paused, then continued, "The most urgent task is to stabilize grain prices in Changping!"

Xue Shan frowned, looking worried: "If grain prices become too high, and the rioters in Tieshan cause trouble again, I fear that Changping will not escape the same fate!"

Su Mo was slightly surprised.

Unexpectedly, Xue Shan understood how to empathize with the people and put himself in their shoes.

They also knew about summer and autumn grains, and about working in the fields.

It's not those clueless officials who can be easily fooled by their subordinates.

In this way, he can be called a capable official!

No wonder he could easily control the county government, while the county magistrate and editor-in-chief were sidelined!

Su Mo's heart suddenly stirred.

Could we make use of that group of rioters from Tieshan County?
They stormed the county town, but didn't kill any officials; you could call it a disturbance or a rebellion.

From the perspective of Tieshan County, it must be classified as an act of rebellion.

But what if it's classified as a rebellion?
Find a way to incite them to attack Xianyan Mountain, wipe out the long-time bandits who had been entrenched there, and then...

Why don't these rebellious mountain people stay in Xianyan Mountain and refine salt for themselves? A brilliant and flawless plan suddenly appeared in Su Mo's mind!

Let my third uncle take a look again, and we'll be absolutely sure there won't be any mistakes!
Nowadays, Su Mo is in contact with seasoned veterans, cunning clerks, and even higher-level big shots like Xue Shan and Lin Moyin.

It's like when everyone else was still in nine years of compulsory education, he secretly went to the Qingbei cram school.

The speed of improvement is extremely astonishing.

He's no longer the naive young man he once was.

This plan is not just a naive fantasy; it is actually feasible!

Just as Su Mo was getting excited.

Xue Shan suddenly asked, "Su Mo, what do you think is the best way to deal with Changping?"

Su Mo was pondering his grand plan to make a fortune when he subconsciously said, "This humble official is not familiar with the situation at the moment. Perhaps we should first hear Mr. Dong's opinion?"

Xue Shan's heart skipped a beat, and he frowned: "Your humble servant?"

Su Mo didn't hide it, since people would find out sooner or later anyway; he was an open guard, not a secret guard.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards all know about it!
Besides, how can we hide the fact that we're bringing soldiers from the 60th generation out on missions in the future?

He smiled and said, "Thanks to the appreciation of the centurion, I have been fortunate enough to be promoted to a junior officer in the garrison!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Shan and Dong Yangrong both gasped in shock.

They both saw the look of horror in each other's eyes!
They are not newbies in officialdom!

The person who knows you best is not yourself, but your enemy!

Aren't the Jinyiwei (Imperial Bodyguards) the enemies of the imperial court officials?

Xue Shan and Dong Yangrong definitely understand the promotion process of the Embroidered Uniform Guard better than Su Mo!
Don't underestimate him just because he's a minor officer.

That's a seventh-rank level!
Especially now that the Embroidered Uniform Guard wields immense power and is highly valued by the Emperor!

Xue Shan was a seventh-rank county magistrate, only one rank higher than Su Mo!

It looks somewhat unbelievable.

A county's Hundred-Household Offices, including Small Banners, General Banners, Trial Hundred-Household Offices, and Hundred-Household Offices, totaled a very large number.

It was even higher in rank than the chief official of the county government.

But that's just how it is!
Xue Shan and Dong Yangrong were well aware of this.

The appointment of junior officers required the recommendation of the centurions of the garrison, which was then submitted to the Southern Garrison Command for review.

The Southern Garrison Command dispatched spies to investigate the background and origins of the recommender.

Then, after review by various levels of the Southern Garrison Command, the final decision is made by the fourth-rank garrison commander.

Normally, the Southern Garrison Command would not reject a centurion's recommendation for the sake of a mere minor banner officer.

But the procedures are there.

Changping County is a thousand miles away from Beijing.

The preceding investigation processes, going back and forth, would take more than a month.

Then proceed to the internal procedures of the Zhenfu Division.

It will take at least two months to make a decision!
Su Mo followed Lin Moyin to Longmen Cave to capture cultists and gained merit; only a few days have passed since then!

Such an extraordinary promotion.

This completely baffled Xue Shan and Dong Yangrong, those two old foxes!

Even if Lin Moyin recommended Su Mo immediately after he became a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it would be impossible in time!
Shocked, Xue Shan and Dong Yangrong both forgot what they wanted to say next!
Seeing that the two seemed stunned, Su Mo smiled and said, "Lord Xue, Mr. Dong, I think that the present moment is not about studying the issue of my position as a minor officer."

"Tieshan County is in chaos, rebels have entered Changping, and grain prices have soared."

"I believe we must take this seriously!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Shan was startled and quickly said, "Lord Su... you are mistaken!"

"They're just rioters, not rebels... they don't really deserve that title!"

Unruly people were a common sight in the area.

After all, they're troublemakers who cause trouble from time to time, so it's understandable!

But rebels are a completely different story!
As the saying goes, "When officials force people to rebel," and now that the Great Wu Dynasty is thriving and its policies are clear and just, how incompetent must the local officials be to force the people under their rule to rebel?

It's not a big deal if ordinary people confuse rioters with rebels.

problem.

Su Mo is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

He was an official of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

If a secret report is sent up, it will say that there are rebels in Changping County.

Do you think the sage believed the local official's self-defense, or the report from his own henchmen and informants?
Okay, tomorrow is Qingming Festival, I have to go back to my hometown to pay respects to my ancestors. I have two more chapters tonight, and I'll continue with four updates tomorrow. I'll remember to write down the monthly votes I owe, and I'll make up for them after Qingming. Sorry for the delay!
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(End of this chapter)